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The Tennessee Office of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense organization, saluted Erlanger Health System director of care management, David Baker, during a brief ceremony on Thursday, for his support of Bobby Morrow during his employment at Erlanger and the National Guard and Reserve.

As a member of the National Guard and Reserve and currently employed at Veterans Affairs in Murfreesboro, Tn., Bobby Morrow, nominated his former supervisor, David Baker, for the Patriotic Employer Award.



After returning from active duty this past December, my supervisor at Erlanger, David Morrow, made every effort to support me and my transitioning back to civilian life, wrote Mr. Morrow. Those of us who are National Guard and Reserve have multiple appointments, schedules and training to complete after returning home. David always approved each and every need that was required for me to complete my transition.



Mr. Baker also approved Mr. Morrow and another nurse case manager to attend a Medal of Honor lunch in Chattanooga during work hours.



David and Erlanger go above and beyond to accommodate veterans needs, said Mr. Morrow.



Chattanooga military veteran, Chris Cole, who devotes his time as a volunteer to the ESGR, presented The Patriotic Employer Award to David for his continuing support of employees in the National Guard and Reserve.



The unique aspect about most ESGR awards is that they originate from the service members, like Bobby Morrow, who desire to see their supervisor recognized instead of the more common situation where supervisors nominate their employees for an award, said Mr. Cole. In reality, the National Guard and Reserves could not exist without the employers. We are proud to recognize Erlangers management for their support.


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HCM CITY  The recently concluded METALEX Vietnam in HCM City received more than 12,500 professional visitors who came to source new technologies and seek business opportunities.

It showcased advanced metalworking solutions, the latest electronics assembly technologies and high-quality industrial grade parts from 500 brands from 25 countries.

Suttisak Wilanan, deputy managing director of Reed Tradex, the organiser, said: After three informative trade fair days, Vietnams international metalworking trade exhibition METALEX Vietnam 2017 reported record new visitor numbers of 12,565.

Group visitor numbers rose by 7 per cent to 275 groups underlining the trade fairs status as one of the most important industry events for the manufacturing community in Viet Nam.

More and more trade visitors are also coming from abroad (34 countries), predominantly from Japan, China, Singapore, Korea, and Thailand.

Taiki Hasuka, regional manager of AIDA (Thailand) Co., Ltd, said Metalex Vietnam was a good place to meet and discuss with many people from our industry.

Toshimichi Kuronuma, director of Mitsumi Vietnam Co., Ltd, said: This time we proudly introduced latest products such as injection items and electronic components and our new project to customers.

Thanks to METALEX Vietnam, we could expand our business network as well as connect with many potential clients and partners. Moreover, I found it a good opportunity to directly meet customers demands.

A representative of one of the international pavilions, Lam Joon Khoi, secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, said: The Singapore Manufacturing Federation understands the importance of technology and regards Viet Nam as a manufacturer with strong potential. Therefore, we always encourage our local companies to explore business opportunities and collaborations in Viet Nam.

Ji Taik Chung, chairman of the Korea Association of Machinery Industry, said: METALEX Vietnam provides a great opportunity for our members to demonstrate the potential of Korean technologies to Vietnamese manufacturers.

The annual expo was held concurrently with two others, Electronics Assembly and Industrial Components & Subcontracting Vietnam, from October 12 to 14 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre.  VNS
The Ha Noi Stock Exchange has approved the listing of Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Company on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM). Photo baokhanhhoa.vn

HA NOI  The Ha Noi Stock Exchange has approved the listing of Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Company on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM).

Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Company, subsidiary of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, will become the first company to trade shares on the stock market while it remains a limited-liability company that has not fully transformed into a joint-stock firm.

The company, with VN330 billion in charter capital, will trade nearly eight million shares on UPCoM under code SKH. The shares will start trading at VN27,800 (US$1.23) per share on October 25.

The company earned VND222.7 billion ($9.8 million) from the IPO.

The amount of shares Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Co will trade on UPCoM is equal to the number of shares the company offered at its initial public offering (IPO) in mid-September: eight million shares or 24 per cent of its capital.

At the IPO, the companys shares were sold at the starting price of VN23,000 per share and bought for an average price of VN27,937 per share.

The IPO drew the participation of eight institutional investors and 285 individuals, who signed up to purchase a total of more than 20.6 million shares.

After the IPO, Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage plans to sell around 6.93 million shares or 21 per cent of its capital to an unidentified strategic investor at VN23,000 per share.

Another 1.24 million shares, equal to a 3.8 per cent stake, will be sold to the companys employees and the Government will hold 51 per cent of the companys charter capital.

The company will be renamed Khanh Hoa Sanest Beverage Joint Stock Company after the equitisation plan is completed.

The company became the second subordinate unit of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Co to hold an IPO after Dien Khanh Sanest Co had its IPO on June 29, 2016.  VNS
HA NOI  As Ha Noi continues to grow and attract more investment and tourists, the city should take care to maintain its cultural identity, which is the spiritual foundation for the capitals development, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong.

The CPV leader made the request during a working session between the Politburo and the Ha Noi Party Committees Standing Board yesterday. The working session was held to review the five year-implementation of the Politburos Resolution 11-NQ/TW on development and tasks for the capital between 2011 and 2020.

According to the municipal Party Committee, Ha Noi has recorded an average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.57 per cent each year while per capita GRDP is estimated at VN79.4 million (US$3,500), up 1.7 times from 2011.

Services now make up 67.09 per cent of the local economy, followed by industry and construction at 29.69 per cent and agriculture with 3.22 per cent. With the considerable improvement of its investment climate, Ha Noi ranked 14th among the 63 provinces and cities nationwide in the 2016 provincial competitiveness index, jumping 37 places from 2012.

The city has reaped many achievements in terms of culture, education, health care and sports. It has also ensured safety for Party and State agencies and major political events, the municipal Party Committee said.

Speaking at the session, General Secretary Trong underlined the unique role of the capital. Amid reforms and national industrialisation and modernisation, Ha Noi should take care to preserve and celebrate aspects of its traditional culture.

He stressed that as Ha Noi is the location of other countries diplomatic representative agencies, international organisations and central agencies, it must be a civilised city and a good representative of the nation.

He added that since Ha nois Party organistion is the biggest of its kind in Viet Nam, with nearly 400,000 Party members, including senior leaders of the Party and the State, it ought to be a model for the entire country.  VNS
HCM CITY  Students nationwide have been receiving little psychological consultation as the position of school counsellor is not mentioned in Government lists of school staff.

The Thanh nien (Young people) newspaper on Thursday reported that many counselors in schools in HCM City wanted to quit because their salary was low and they had to perform tasks outside of their expertise.

A psychology teacher in a high school in HCM Citys Hoc Mon District told the newspaper that he was paid VN3 million (US$132) monthly and was ineligible for any extra allowance even though he teaches classes like other teachers.

He added that when he took over citizenship education class for a colleague who was in maternity leave, he could claim an allowance worth 30 per cent of his salary.

Another counsellor in a high school in Tan Phu District said that in her contract, she was a teacher but when she worked at school, she was treated as a member of the administrative department.

Besides consulting and teaching soft skills for students, Im assigned to work as a school supervisor once a week, she said.

There are about 100 high schools in HCM City with consultation rooms.

The consultation rooms were opened when the municipal Peoples Committee issued a document in 2008 on job positions at schools including the title counsellor.

However, in early 2015, the document was deactivated as the Ministry of Education and Training had no regulations on the job description and tasks of counsellors.

In April, 2017, the ministry announced a draft circular on psychological consultation for high school students, a move welcomed by counsellors.

The draft mentioned issues relating to the establishment and development of school psychological consultation.

But the counsellor title was still not included in the ministrys circular on jobs and staff in public schools issued in July this year.

Tran Anh Dung, the principal of Tam Phu High School in HCM Citys Thu uc District said that high school counsellors were not mentioned in the circular, so in order to employ them, they had to work in other positions at the same time.

Dung said that if counsellors could not concentrate on their expertise, their performance would be less effective.

Meanwhile, others with no expertise in counselling could struggle to perform, said Pham Thi Bich Phuong, a teacher from Marie Curie High school in District 3.

Associate Professor and Dr Tran Thi Minh Hang from National Institute of Education Management told Giao duc & Thoi ai (Education and Times) newspaper that counselling had not been given proper attention in schools in Viet Nam.

In many schools, the work was done by head teachers or other untrained personnel.

Meanwhile, students, particularly those at high school age, are in need of careful psychological consultation to deal with various new problems and experiences, Hang said.

Without proper guidance, some students are vulnerable to negative feelings and behaviour that affects them and others.

Timely advice could help ease the negative feelings and deal with the problems. School counselling is useful to students who spend hours at school, with many of their problems related to school.  VNS
Thuy Duong-Dieu Linh

HA NOI  Nguyen Thi Vui held a doll as she walked in a hurry towards a room for child patients at the Ha Noi-based National Cancer Hospital.

The doll was a gift that Vui, from central a Nang City, wanted to give her five-year-old daughter as a reward for undergoing chemotherapy treatment for blood cancer.

The girl, Ngoc Phuong, was diagnosed with blood cancer five months ago at her local hospital after an unusual prolonged fever.

I felt insecure when we took Phuong to hospital for a health check-up. When the doctor told me that Phuong was suspected of having blood cancer, my heart was numbed with grief, Vui told the Nong thon Ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

I already had a hope that miracles really existed in life until we brought Phuong to the hospital for a check-up. I hoped that doctors would provide a diagnosis opposite that produced by the local hospital, she said.

However, when I learned that Phuong did have blood cancer, I collapsed completely, Vui said.

It was so painful. I wished I could carry the disease for her, she added.

But who would take care of her if I collapsed? Therefore, I had to be stronger and try to smile and play with her so my little girl would not be afraid, she said.

After five months, Vui kept trying to fighting the disease in the hospital with her daughter. Vui has never given up. Her husband stays at home in a Nang to take care of a second child while working hard to earn money to pay for treatment.

What tortures Vui the most is her daughters pain. There were nights that Phuong could not sleep because of pain. She tried to suffer alone without complaining to me. It tormented me even more, Vui said.

There was a time Phuong asked me to comb her hair. Mum, please comb my hair. I am afraid you will not have a chance to do it when I lose all my hair, Vui recalled in tears.

I wish I could share the pain with my daughter. I try to smile instead of crying to make my daughter happy, she said.

I will do anything to keep my daughter alive, she said.

Vui is just one of hundreds of mothers struggling to fight against cancer in their children at the hospital.

Nguyen Thi Van, from northern Hung Yen Province, is taking care of her six-year-old daughter at the hospital who suffers from a rare case of left adrenal cortex cancer.

Minh Thu has undergone treatment for the cancer at the hospital for six months. She has lost all of her hair.

The first day I took Thu to the hospital, I was so scared to see many child patients without hair. I could not imagine that one day my daughter would also be the same, Van said.

Van has to buy medicine from Singapore to treat Thus disease at a cost of VN58 million (US$2,500) for two bottles. All her familys income is used for treatment.

Vans sorrow was doubled when her husband got a work accident, making it harder for him to work to earn money.

To save money, all activities by Van and her daughters take place at the hospital, which has become their second home. Chairs along corridors have become Vans beds at night. Since Thu was diagnosed with the cancer, her mother has never had a good sleep.

Many times I cry when seeing my daughter. She often hugs me and says she loves me very much. It gives me more strength to fight against the disease with her, Van said.

According to the National Institute for Cancer Control, about 4,200 new cancer patients under 19 are detected each year in Viet Nam. The most frequently diagnosed cancers are blood, brain, bone, and kidney cancers.  VNS
A backlog of violations needs to be dealt with firmly, interest groups disbanded and strict, heavy punishments handed out to deal with the production of fake fertilisers in the country, officials said at an online meeting on Friday. Photo cafef.vn

HA NOI  A backlog of violations needs to be dealt with firmly, interest groups disbanded and strict, heavy punishments handed out to deal with the production of fake fertilisers in the country, officials said at an online meeting on Friday.

These imperatives were stressed at the meeting held on the Government portal to improve management of the fertiliser industry in Viet Nam.

Those who produce fake fertiliser should be fined heavily, seven times the current fines, and their business licenses revoked for two years, said Hoang Trung, director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

After 2 years, if the violators continue to ignore or disobey regulations, their business licences should be cancelled and their factories shut down, he said.

The new level of fines is included in a draft decree of imposing administrative fine on fertiliser management by the ministry.

At present, under Decree 163/2013/N-CP issued in 2013, an enterprise would be fined VN90-100 million (US$3,960-4,400) for making substandard fertilizer. However, these fines have proved sufficient to deter violators.

According to the Viet Nam Fertiliser Association, the number of fake fertiliser producers is on the rise. More than 4,000 violations were recorded in 2015, and this increased by more than a thousand in 2016.

Nguyen Hac Thuy, president of the association, said authorities should deal firmly with the backlog of violations.

If we do that, it will help deter other violators in the future, he said.

Thuy cited the example of Thuan Phong Company in the southern ong Nai Province. The company was discovered producing fake fertiliser in April 2015. However, the case was still being processed, he said.

He questioned whether the two-year standstill had happened because of interest groups coming to play.

Useful decree

Trung said at the meeting that a new Decree (108/2017/N-CP) on fertiliser management issued by the Government to replace its 2013 predecessor has been assessed to be comprehensive.

It contains regulations on recognising, testing, producing, trading, exporting, importing, quality management, labeling, advertising, and using fertilisers in Viet Nam, he said.

The Decree is expected to be a useful tool for authorities to deal effectively with the fake fertiliser problem, he added.

The decrees most-notable improvement is that it clearly identifies the agricultural ministry as the sole responsible agency for fertiliser management, instead of two ministries, agriculture and industry and trade, as earlier.

To implement the decree, the agricultural ministry plans to inspect 41 fertiliser-testing centres across the country towards improving their capability. Earlier, 11 testing centres were found violating regulations in issuing quality certificates for substandard fertilisers to many producers in May 2016. However, no one had been held responsible so far, he noted.

Decree 108 is very useful but not a magic weapon to fix the situation immediately, Thuy said, adding that it requires serious implementation by authorised agencies as also greater awareness among fertiliser makers.

The agriculture ministry estimates that about 33 million tonnes of fertiliser are produced each year in Viet Nam, three times the actual demand, which it calculates at about 10-11 million tonnes.

The redundancy is also a serious problem facing the industry, the ministry said.

It is estimated that faked fertilisers cause losses of $2 billion each year. The loss is calculated based what people pay for quality fertiliser, but receive fake ones instead.  VNS
The modest but sustained recovery in Swiss watch exports since mid 2017 is continuing with a particularly strong performance in September, according to trade body Federation of Swiss Watch Industry (FHS).

Total value of Swiss watch exports, which are account for almost all of the luxury watches sold worldwide, rose 3.7% compared to a year earlier, to SFr1.8 billion.

Most notable was the growth in the largest destinations for Swiss watches. Exports to Hong Kong  still the worlds largest market  grew 13.7%, confirming the faint optimism amongst watch retailers in the territory that have been hurt by two years of falling sales.

Exports to Singapore jumped 89.6%, mainly attributable to delivery of highly priced watches according to the FHS.

Despite the rise in value of exports, the number of watches sent overseas fell 11.6%, mainly because Swiss watchmakers were exporting more expensive watches. The number of gold watches exported grew, while steel and gold watches suffered a decline, along with low-priced watches with export value of below SFr200.

According to industry insiders in Asia, the recovery is essentially being driven by major brands  those big enough to sell significant quantities of watches  offering new models that are attractive to the general consumer at prices lower than before. Examples include steel Cartier Tanks, IWC Pilots watches, various Omega Speedmasters, assorted TAG Heuers and so on. Even in developed, maybe even saturated, markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, the value proposition of such watches is strong enough to pull consumers out of hibernation.

The other factor is seasonal: September and October are often the months where brands deliver new models introduced at SIHH and Baselworld. That holds true for both watches that are affordable, and also the highly priced watches cited by the FHS for Singapores outperformance.

But there might also be another explanation, according to others in the know. The jump might have been the result of a brand, or brands, trying to make their books look better by sending inventory to regional distributors or even grey market retailers. Rising numbers may not necessarily mean what they seem.
GREENE  Dennis Hobson has owned and served as president for American Tool & Engineering Inc. in Greene for 25 years. A few years ago, he decided hed like to someday retire.

Hobson attended a business seminar with his daughter, Sonja  who is transitioning to own the business with her brother, Matt  that started them on the path to pass the plastic molding company onto his kids.

What you hope for is you go to one of these, and every question you have is answered. Oh, Ive got a plan now, Hobson explains. Well, what you do is you go to one of those and you put up this idea and this idea, and then you maybe go to another one, and 

Hobson adds, I think everybody is unique, so theyre going to have a different picture of how they want to see it.

To take some of the mystique out of succession planning  whatever form it takes  the University of Northern Iowas Advance Iowa and Butler Grundy Development Alliance have partnered on a $50,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work with businesses like Hobsons.

The partners plan to host a series of events next month to begin those discussions and will work one-on-one with businesses looking to make a plan. Though the grant applies only to Butler and Grundy counties, Advance Iowa includes succession planning as part of its daily mission.

The meetings will be held as follows:

5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Nov. 9 at Grundy Community Center, 705 F. Ave. in Grundy Center. To RSVP for this event, contact Bobbi Finarty at 825-6742 or msgc@gcmuni.net.

5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Nov. 16 at 202 W. South St., in Greene. To RSVP for this event, email Jeff Kolb at bcrdg@netins.net.

Both events will begin with dinner and networking before transitioning into a presentation with discussion.

Dan Beenken of Advance Iowa, which will be administering the grant, said its a growing issue in Iowa. Studies show about 79 percent of business owners want to exit their business in the next 10 years, and 83 percent have not created a concrete plan for their exit, whether it is to sell the business or transition to new owners, like family or longtime employees.

Those figures are exacerbated by the fact so many adult children have moved from Iowas rural areas, where their parents business may be based.

Kolb, executive director of Butler Grundy Development Alliance, said Hobsons business is a perfect poster child of a business in transition. Hobson had hoped to retire around 70, and hes there, but hes also managing less of the day-to-day operations.

Our organization is teaming up with UNI to help businesses, if nothing else, start to think about the future and succession planning, which a lot of folks dont even think about it, or if they do its either too late or not far enough ahead to when they need to get everything in place, Kolb said.

Hobson also is lucky to have children who want to take over the business, which employs about 50 people, most of whom live in the small town in Butler County.

Like my dad said, you have to have a job, so why not work for yourself, and you have to work somewhere, and you can make it as fun and whatever you want it to be, Sonja Hobson said. Its nice to have that responsibility. Its a challenge. You never get bored. Theres always something you come into every day.

Hobson, meanwhile, is finding it easy to enjoy semi-retirement, fishing on the Shell Rock River and planning a long holiday in Florida.

But he acknowledges the business is still very much in transition, and selling the business to his children has been a process.

Kolb said it also can be a tricky discussion to start  some owners dont want to acknowledge they cant always run a business, or know their children wont want it, or fear losing the business by being bought out by a competitor.

Weve had some very integral businesses in some communities, (their) ownership retire and did not have a succession plan and those businesses are now gone, and we now wish that we had been having this conversation seven to 10 years ago with those folks, Kolb said.

He continued, I mean in Greene, Iowa, if this door would close, and those jobs would go some place else, 50 employees has a huge impact in a town the size of Greene or a county like Butler County.
CEDAR FALLS  Iowas Supreme Court will be in Cedar Falls next month to hear arguments in a Floyd County domestic violence case as part of a traveling program to enhance public understanding of the court system.

The high court has held oral arguments away from its Des Moines courtroom for years, and on Nov. 2 will set up in the Cedar Falls High School auditorium, 1015 Division St. The session starts at 7 p.m.

The courts sole case that night pertains to a 2016 plea in Floyd County. Jason Gene Weitzel, 40, pleaded guilty to domestic assault, carrying weapons and operating while intoxicated and was sentenced to up to nine years in prison with $2,625 in fines.

Weitzel appealed, and the Iowa Court of Appeals in May 2017 overturned the conviction because the sentencing judge hadnt explained the statutory surcharges  which can total up to 35 percent  that go along with the fines.

Two Appeals Court judges dissented from the ruling, and the Iowa Attorney Generals Office asked the state Supreme Court for further review.
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Carl and Betty Hullander, residents at The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence, Chattanooga, renewed vows after 66 years on Thursday, at the memory care community, at 7620 Shallowford Road.

The Hullanders married at the courthouse in Ringgold, in 1951, and Morning Pointe associates wanted to help the couple relive their day in a very special way.

This event is part of the This is My Life Project, which focuses on residents life stories, giving them an experience of reliving something that they once did, or loved to do. This new program serves The Lantern at Morning Pointe mission of creating Meaningful Days for residents in a safe and secure environment. The more Morning Pointe knows about its residents the more associates are able to serve them and connect with them in their memory care journey.

"We wanted to help them celebrate and give them a wedding they never had," said Alisha Landes, executive director at Morning Pointe. "This is our way of showing everyone what memory care really looks like."
DES MOINES  Officials with the Iowa Department of Human Services say the state agency was the target of a phishing email campaign in August that resulted in nine DHS employees providing their passwords that gave the hackers access to their email accounts.

The hackers were able to mask their identities and send carefully designed phishing emails to employees to appear like they were sent from another trusted DHS employee, according to the department. The campaign was discovered the same day the phishing email was sent, and DHS employees changed their passwords to block access to their email accounts and to minimize the potential for confidential information to be exposed, the department said in a news release,

However, the hackers potentially accessed Protected Health Information for 820 individuals during the time frame before passwords were changed. At this time, DHS officials say the agency does not have any evidence to indicate the hackers actually accessed any of the exposed emails. All individuals potentially affected are being notified by mail.

Although the chance that these individuals personal information will be misused is small, DHS officials say they will provide up to a year of credit monitoring through TransUnion Interactive at no charge to all those affected.

New exhibit

Officials with the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, 7105 N.W. 70th Ave., Camp Dodge in Johnston, will host a public ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating its new World War II Pacific Theater exhibit on Nov. 10 at 3 p.m.

Visitors to the exhibit will encounter sights, sounds, and artifacts interpreting the service of Iowans in the Pacific Theater. The American Volunteer Group Flying Tiger display contains artifacts, photographs, newsreel footage, and documents telling the story of Iowa pilots and ground crewmembers serving in China prior to the U.S. entry into World War II. Suspended overhead is a full-scale replica of a Curtiss P-40B Warhawk painted in the markings of an aircraft flown by AVG Flight Leader Bill Reed of Marion, one of Iowas most decorated World War II pilots, who was killed in action on Dec. 19, 1944, near Hankow, China.

A three-dimensional, full-scale diorama with 40-foot mural depicts the participation of Iowa Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in the Pacific invasion campaign, with invasion troops departing landing craft onto the beach. The exhibit also contains numerous U.S. and Japanese weapons, accoutrements, and artifacts acquired by Iowa veterans during the World War II Pacific campaign. More than 262,000 Iowans served in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, including 8,398 Iowans who died during the war from battle wounds, injuries, and illness. This exhibit was made possible by donations from Bill Knapp and Henry Tippie, both Iowa natives and WWII veterans, and the family of Lt. Col. William N. Reed, who provided their extensive collection of American Volunteer Group artifacts.

Lockdown

Officials at the Iowa State Penitentiary on Friday said the Fort Madison prison continues in lockdown/restricted movement status with no plans to alter the status at this time. The staff member from Wednesdays assault has been released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and is at home recovering, according to a prison spokeswoman. The investigation into the matter continues, prison officials said, and so far there are no indications that the incident that occurred on Saturday is related to Wednesdays assault. However, both offenders have ties to groups affiliated with White Supremacy.

A prison news release said institution officials are conducting thorough searches of all areas of the facility as well as plans are being drafted for modifications to Housing Unit One where Wednesdays assault occurred. Staffing plans are also being evaluated. Also, visits to the penitentiary continue to be suspended and the offenders are unable to access the phone system at this time, prison officials said Friday.
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Lee University and the Bradley County Historical and Genealogical Society will present the 11th Annual Walking Tour of Historic Fort Hill Cemetery on Sunday, Oct. 29.

Lee University history majors and volunteers will lead the tours and introduce the community to several Clevelanders and Bradley Countians from the 19th Century buried in the historic section of Fort Hill. Students and local performers dressed in period costume will impersonate these early residents and share a glimpse into their lives.

This year the tour centers on the theme of Cleveland during World War I, and the historical characters will include John and Margaret Aiken, James F. Barnes, Frank and Mary Hardwick, George and Martha Lea, Lans and Ruth Mckenzie, Columbus and Margaret Mee, Jefferson Davis Morelock Jr., John Simmons Morelock, and Clarence and Edith Richmond.

Tours begin at 4 p.m. and continue until dusk. The last tour will begin shortly after 6 p.m.

The cost is $5 per person and $2 for students. Proceeds are donated to the Bill Snell Scholarship Fund at Lee University.

Parking is available at the Boys and Girls Club, and a van will shuttle guests to and from the tour site.

For more information about Lees History Department, visit http://www.leeuniversity.edu/academics/arts-sciences/hps/.
Liberian students use solar powered microscopes in the Science Lab A group of the younger children at the Phebe Grey Orphanage school Lee students wearing this years Missions Week T-shirt Previous Next

Lee University will host Dee Lavender Missions Week Oct. 23-27 to raise funds for the Phebe Grey Orphanage in Liberia, Africa, for a third consecutive year.

The orphanage was founded in 1996 by a team of missionaries who desired to help children affected by the countrys violent civil wars. The Phebe Grey Orphanage has expanded with its own school and church, but it lacks the necessary resources to meet the high demand for shelter in the area.

During the past two years, Lees Missions Week projects were able to fund the assembly of a computer lab, a science lab, and a library for the orphanages school.

We are so excited about Lee University Missions Week for 2017-18! said Campus Pastor Dr. Jimmy Harper. We are focusing on Liberia once again hoping to make a long-term impact on the orphanage, the school, and the people associated with the church in the area.

Missions Week will bring special chapel services to campus, with the first service as a time of celebration in the Conn Center on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Lee will welcome Dr. Tena Stone, former faculty member at Lee and employee at OneHope, to speak in the Dixon Center chapel service. Based in Chattanooga, OneHope is a missions agency helping to spread the Gospel through digital and curriculum resources for children.

Christopher and Jennifer Mitchell Hadsell, who currently live and work in Africa, will speak in the Conn Center on Thursday. They work with Iris Ministries in Mozambique, helping children in Kenya to end sex trafficking and provide education and discipleship.

Students will be informed on the Phebe Grey Orphanage and other mission opportunities during these services. Missions Week T-shirts will be on sale, with all profits and donations going directly to the orphanage.

Throughout different departments on campus, students and faculty are working on special projects to contribute to the Phebe Grey Orphanage.

Sigma Tau Delta, an English honor society, is collecting books to donate to the library. Lee student Makayla Jenkins developed packets of materials for each seventh grade English student at the orphanage.

A nursing class developed a wellness textbook matching the goals of the curriculum of Liberia. Additionally, Dr. Hermilo Jasso, professor of business, and his teaching assistant developed a textbook for the economics classes at the high school.



Dr. Jason Robinson, assistant professor of education, and Allison Sneed, lecturer in chemistry, designed a science lab and binders of experiments for physics, chemistry, and biology classes. Sneed ordered and packed all the equipment and traveled to Liberia to set up the lab. Because the school is without electricity, the lab includes solar-powered microscopes.

With her computer class, Dr. Mava Wilson, associate professor of computer information systems, refurbished computers for the orphanage in addition to ordering long-life batteries and cases for them. In summer 2016, 10 computers were donated, and this year, 20 more have been supplied.

Dr. Heather Quagliana, associate professor of psychology, and her class developed materials for an intensive workshop with the faculty and housing staff of the orphanage. The class provided each staff member with a bag full of materials.

Since 1991, Missions Week has been carried out in honor of Lee University student Dee Lavender, who died on a summer mission trip to Panama just before her 21st birthday. Missions Week projects have been in place for more than 20 years, and a week devoted to missions has been part of Lee programming since the 40s.

For more information about Missions Week or to make a donation, visit http://www.leeuniversity.edu/missions-week or contact Campus Ministries at 614-8420.






Linda Chavez in The New York Times:

President Trumps delay in reaching out to the families of four American soldiers killed in Niger earlier this month, and the ensuing discussion among Gold Star families about his actions, recalls an earlier controversy involving Khizr Khan, the father of a fallen soldier, who spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. On the final night of the convention, Khan took the stage with his wife, Ghazala, and in an electrifying moment, he pulled from his pocket a small copy of the Constitution. Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future, he said. Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. The crowd exploded in applause. Few people had ever heard of Khan or knew of the sacrifice he and his wife had made for their adopted country before the couple took the stage. Their son Army Capt. Humayun Khan was killed by a car bomb in Iraq in 2004, and Hillary Clintons campaign highlighted Captain Khans life and death in a short film that played before his father spoke. But the point was not just to honor the tragic loss of yet another brave American soldier; it was to repudiate the bigotry that had been spewing from Donald Trumps mouth from the moment he announced his candidacy for president. Whether his target was Muslims or Mexicans, Trump had been insulting, taunting and threatening groups he disagreed with for more than a year, pledging to ban all Muslims from entering the United States and calling Mexicans rapists.

Khan had had enough. A Pakistani-born and Harvard-trained lawyer, a Muslim, but, most important, a patriotic, naturalized American citizen, Khizr Khan revered the Constitution. He came to Philadelphia to teach Donald Trump a lesson. Trumps response was to pick on Khans wife, questioning why she was just standing there with nothing to say, adding that the Clinton campaign had probably written Khans speech for him. With his moving memoir, An American Family, Khizr Khan has disproved that calumny. An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice is as much the universal story of the immigrant experience in America as it is the story of one particular familys struggles and sacrifice. Like most immigrants, Khan came to America seeking opportunity, in his case the chance to advance his education. When he arrived in Houston in 1979, Khan didnt expect to stay beyond the time it would take him to earn and save enough to attend Harvard, which had accepted him for a master of law degree but whose tuition he couldnt yet afford.

More here.








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If you are a woman, there are some cities in Canada you should avoid by any means possible according to a recent study by the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives that surveyed 25 Canadian cities. Toronto emerged tenth while Victoria was ranked the best.

Some of the factors that were considered for the ranking include the ease with which women can access economic and personal security, health, education, and leadership positions. The inequalities were partially attributed to gender-based discrimination.

The report of the study which was tagged, The Best and Worst Places to be a Woman in Canada 2017 saw Windsor at the bottom of the list largely because of the major differences in employment between men and women, making it the last place women should dream to settle in Canada.

Toronto must be doing something right because their rating has moved up from eleventh of last year to the current tenth. Men and women are more likely to get a full-time job in Toronto than nationally. Also, women in Toronto have a slightly larger than average paycheque but still bring home $9,000 less annually than Toronto men, according to the study.

Montreal had a mid-rank of fifteen which can be considered to be fairly OK. In the scoring categories, Montreal performed modestly in employment and education. On the average, women have a higher wage bill in Montreal than their male counterparts. When compared to the national average, it is obvious women earn higher in Montreal than men.

This does not in any way mean that women make more money than men in Montreal. It only means that the women in Montreal enjoy thinner than average wage gap than most Canadian females in other cities. In general, Montreal women still earn 79% less than men.

The author of the study, Kate Mclnturff, a senior researcher at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives said in a news release,

Statistics will never be a substitute for the full experience of lives lived. But as signposts they mark the spot where more attention is needed from our political leaders and policymakers. We hope they follow through.

When it comes to education, Toronto is second to Ottawa by having a total of 28 per cent of women and men holding university degrees. Toronto is also a bit higher than the national average when it comes to women in leadership positions.

When it comes to life expectancy and health, women also have the edge in Toronto. The study revealed that women live slightly longer lives than men in Toronto. The life expectancy for women is 85 years against 80 years for men. Below is the serial list of the top 25 cities;

1. Victoria

2. Gatineau

3. Hamilton

4. Kingston

5. Vancouver

6. Quebec City

7. St. Johns

8. Sherbrooke

9. Halifax

10. Toronto

11. Ottawa

12. London

13. Kelowna

14. Abotsford-Mission

15. Montreal

16. St. Catharines-Niagara

17. Winnipeg

18. Edmonton

19. Saskatoon

20. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo

21. Regina

22. Calgary

23. Barrie

24. Oshawa

25. Windsor

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute with interest on economic, environmental, and social justice.

What do you think about the ranking? For the women in the various cities, do you think it represents what you feel living in the cities? Share your views in the comment box.








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Today most government are increasingly intolerant of the public criticism of their misgovernance and corruption. The critics are attacked - India claiming to be the largest secular democracy in the world suffers badly on that count.

Many critics face notorious seduction charges and are in jail because of their conviction to defend what they believe in. The situation has reached such a level of fear in the minds of people that they are scared of telling anything considered to be the truth in nation where its founding father Mahatma Gandhi taught the values of truth.

In India sedition is being used as state terror techniques to instill a fear and stop the critics form speaking the truth. Those who speak the truth are either killed or taken to jail. Many critics of Hindutva ideology have been murdered in Karnataka, and elsewhere and those who sell beef or eat it are beaten to death.

This vulture phenomenon is the new Indian culture of intolerance. Ever since the BJP came to power under RSS leader N. Modi, the insanity of intolerance has grown multifaceted. While the government promotes Ghar wapsi to convert Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, jains and Christians into Hinduism/Hindutva, Muslims cannot propagate for their faith or convert Hindus into Islam even if the Hindus persist for joining the Islamic community. Cases are filed if a Hindu becomes part of Muslim community.

So much of hatred is being pumped into national consciousness by the regime agencies.

At long last, the Supreme Court of India has come out to clear the mess due to sedition threat through a historic verdict.

Indian courts are dumped with false sedition cases.

The Supreme Court on October 08 said that all authorities across the country would be bound by the Kedar Nath judgment of the apex court, which limits the scope of filing sedition cases under the provisions of Indian Penal Code. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Uday Lalit gave the direction after Prashant Bhushan appeared on the behalf of the petitioners NGO Common Cause and S. P. Udayakumar (an anti-nuclear activist in Kudankulam Tamil Nadu, against whom sedition charges have been made and arrested on several occasions)  and said that there has been an increase in the number of sedition cases being filed.

Eminent lawyer Bhushan argued before the bench that the law of sedition is being grossly misused, misapplied and abused by the authorities and that the authorities are not following the judgment in Kedar Nath which states that Section 124A (sedition) is only applicable where there is violence or incitement to violence in the alleged act of sedition.

Taking note of this submission, the bench in a brief order, said we are of the considered opinion that the authorities while dealing with the offences under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code shall be guided by the principles laid down by the Constitution Bench in Kedar Nath Singh vs. State of Bihar case. Except saying so, we do not intend to deal with any other issue as we are of the considered opinion that it is not necessary to do so. The writ petition is accordingly disposed off.

The petitioners were concerned at the increasing number of sedition cases being filed across the country, the latest being the slapping of a charge against Amnesty International India for organizing a debate on Kashmir and against Kannada actor-turned-politician, Ramya for her Pakistan is not hell remark, and challenged this provision in the Indian Penal Code. They said there has been an increase in the number of cases of sedition against intellectuals, activists and students.

The petition was for the Supreme Court to address the misuse and misapplication of IPC Section 124A (sedition law) by the Centre and various state governments, which has led to routine persecution of students, journalists and intellectuals engaged in social activism. It submitted that these charges are framed with a view to instill a fear and to scuttle dissent and are in complete violation of the scope of sedition law as laid down by constitution bench judgment of Supreme Court in Kedar Nath.

In the petition, a prayer was made for the issuance of an appropriate writ, order or direction making it compulsory for the concerned authority to produce a reasoned order from the director general of police or the commissioner of police, as the case maybe, certifying that the seditious act would either lead to the incitement of violence or had the tendency or the intention to create public disorder  before an FIR is filed or an arrest is made on the charges of sedition against any individual.

In the various cases that have been filed in recent years, the charges of sedition against the accused have failed to stand up to judicial scrutiny. The petitioner therefore sought strict compliance with the constitution bench judgment of the Supreme Court in Kedar Nath in which the scope of sedition as a penal offence was laid down and it was held that the gist of the offence of sedition is incitement to violence or the tendency or the intention to create public disorder. It was submitted that those actions, which do not involve violence or the tendency to create public disorder  such as the organisation of debates/discussions, drawing of cartoons and criticism of the government  do not constitute sedition.

Section 124A of the IPC states whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life to which fine may be added or with imprisonment which may extend to three years.

The petitioners regretted that more than 50 years since the Kedar Nath judgment, Section 124A of the IPC was being allowed to be used irrespective of whether the alleged act or words are, in fact, seditious acts, or constituting a tendency to cause public disorder or incitement to violence.

In carrying out arrests and slapping charges, the police and the governments have rarely, if ever, respected this restriction. Successive governments have blatantly used Section 124A to stifle the voice of dissent and to further their political goals. Quoting statistics, they said, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2014, as many as 47 sedition cases were reported across nine Indian states in 2014 alone. Many of these cases did not involve violence or incitement to violence, which is a pre-requisite for a sedition charge. It was submitted that as per NCRB figures, a total of 58 people were arrested in connection with these cases, but the government managed only one conviction.

It said that in 1979, India ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets forth internationally recognised standards for the protection of freedom of expression. However, misuse of sedition law under Section 124A and the arbitrary slapping of charges continue to restrict speech in ways that are inconsistent with the ICCPR. In the Kedar Nath judgment, the apex court unequivocally narrowed the scope of Section 124A, but it continues to be misused, thereby making it imperative for this court to issue necessary directions and guidelines to uphold its decision in Kedar Nath which is also compatible with Indias international obligations.

The petitioner acknowledges that words which directly provoke violence, or which directly threaten the maintenance of public order, may deserve censure. However, that is not what the misapplication of sedition law seeks to achieve. The present practice of misapplication of sedition law violates the Kedar Nath judgment. It further aims to crush all opposition to the ruling political party. The regular use of the law continues to have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression in the country. It was submitted that though a small number of sedition cases lead to actual conviction; it causes harassment of individuals till the time judgment comes, which in various cases takes several years.

Meanwhile, individuals charged with sedition have to live without their passport, are barred from government jobs and must produce themselves in court at all times as and when required. A person who is charged also has to spend money on legal fees. The charges have rarely stuck in most of the cases, but the process itself becomes the punishment. The petitioners prayed for a review of all pending sedition cases and for criminal complaints for sedition made before a judicial magistrate with a view to curb the misuse and misapplication of the sedition law.

Observation

Indian government and core media, especially the TV channels always make it a point to threaten those who speak against the policies of Indian government, particularly on foreign policy matters and Indian attitude towards Kashmiris, with sedition charges.

The historic judgment of the Apex Court on the subject has made it amply clear about the rights of Indian citizens to be watchful the government actions and criticize the actions if they are not found correct.

People have the right to question the policies and principles of Indian government, elected by the people who offer the mandate to rule the nation on their behalf for a term as such the government should enact laws to strengthen the democratic and secular fabric of India and not to try to curtail the freedoms of speech. .

Many Indian human rights people have been warned against opposing militarization of Kashmir and genocides of Kashmir Muslims in Jammu Kashmir and threatened in open in debates with seditions charges and such threats meant to bully and silence the critics of state terrorism. Even Hindus are scared of taking about Indo-Pakistan relations in a positive sense for that reason. TV channels a parade the anti-Islamic, anti-Muslims, and anti-Kashmir, anti-Pakistan guys to jointly attack all of them and make Hindus happy.

Ultra fanaticism belongs exclusively to Israel and India. Their strategic boss USA is slightly better.

Dr. Zakir Hussein - a known Islamic scholar who propagates his vision of Islam is now in jail on serious sedition charges. One is not sure if he would be killed in jail in some fake encounter for his firm Islamic faith in Hindutva India. Hopefully he would be released soon after the judgment.

In view of the breathtaking judgment of the Supreme Court on sedition, the federal and state governments should initiate actions if anybody either in the government or media or anybody else MP or MLA, threatens the critics with sedition charges.

India should have zero tolerance to violations of basic human rights.

The Hindutva forces should sop injecting venom into national consciousness by spreading false propagandas just for votes in the forth coming polls.

Polls come and go but unity of India and accommodation of thoughts of minorities should be taken care of by the state.

If the Hindutva forces continue to create divisions in India along communal lines, it is better if the Supreme Court, if it cannot streamline Indian politics making it non-communal as India is a great nation of several religions, languages and nationalities and cultures, could consider canceling elections for the next 10 years and ban hate communal speeches form the public platforms and in meetings.

Communal hate politics, just like fake entertainers enjoying Padma awards  meant for sincere people of meritorious, selfless services to the nation, as their birth right, has ruined Indian prestige greatly.

Majority fanaticism is ill conceived by the regime but the phenomenon is looked down upon by the world community.
Kila Owens is a senior at Straughn High School in Andalusia, Ala.. She is also a world-class martial artist: a 1st degree black belt in Isshinryu Karate (Okinawan style brought back by the Marines in the 1950s) who competes nationally in point fighting, kata, and weapons kata.

David Holcomb, the director of the Bryan College Martial Arts Academy, said Kila brings instant credibility to our program starting in Fall 2018. It will be a great opportunity for high school students who want to attend college and train alongside her at the academy. I have been watching her since she won the womens division at such a young age at the Isshinryu Hall of Fame tournament, the largest national tournament for Isshinryu in the country. Kila has the focus and determination to be a great instructor and trainer throughout her life. We are excited to have her at Bryan College!

Since July Kila has won additional tournaments throughout the South in point fighting, kata, and weapons kata. She is the type of person we want at Bryan, she wants to grow as a person physically, mentally and spiritually, continued Mr. Holcomb. We want Kila to be successful. Being able to give her a scholarship to continue to build on her incredible foundation in martial arts is a blessing that we are honored to provide.

The Bryan College Martial Arts Academy is one of the new programs that Bryan College has starting in the Fall 2018 semester. The academy is for any student  with or without prior martial arts training. Members of the team will compete through the year, ending with a national tournament. In addition, students will work semester by semester to attain a black belt by the end of their senior year. If they already have a black belt, they will work towards their degree ranks in a partnership with their local martial arts school and Bryan College.

Mr. Holcomb said, We already have recruits joining us from Texas, North Carolina, and all over Tennessee. We want this academy to become the standard in martial arts training at the collegiate level while simultaneously helping these students grow in their faith. We believe in the holistic approach of mind, body, and spirit.

Kila is looking to major in education while attending Bryan College and helping to be a leader in the academy.

For more information contact David Holcomb at 605-1534. For students interested in attending Bryan College and being in the Martial Arts Academy, click here.


Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Overcast. High 58F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy with light rain this evening. Low around 45F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Australia's Only Assyrian School is Giving Refugees a Fresh Start

Students at St Hurmizd Primary dress up for Book Week. ( SBS) Fleeing persecution and instability, Australia's population of Assyrian Church of the East Christians has grown by more than a third in the past five years. Many Assyrian children have endured traumatic experiences in their homelands, putting their futures at risk. But one influential Sydney school is offering them a new beginning. Together with its senior campus, St Hurmizd Primary says it is the only school in the Western world that teaches the Assyrian language and faith. All of the students are from non-English speaking backgrounds, and for most, Assyrian is their first language. School captain Mary Anoya says the lessons are crucial for the preservation of her culture. "It's important that we don't forget our language because our culture has been around for thousands of years now," she tells SBS World News. "If we forget our language, it's going to be a huge loss." There is something else that makes St Hurmizd special. Almost a quarter of students are newly arrived refugees. Due to their association with Christianity, Assyrians have often been the target of deadly attacks in their Muslim majority homelands of Iraq and Syria. Many have fled the violence, with a growing number resettling in Australia. St Hurmizd has welcomed a significant proportion of them. "They miss their culture and heritage of their homeland when they're displaced for five years in a refugee camp," says the school's Principal Brian Kenelly. "And that is why they come to a community in Australia, in Sydney, which gives them that connection." Special program for refugees The refugee students take part in a specialised program that includes intensive English lessons, as well as grief and trauma counselling. When the school assesses them as ready, they then move into the mainstream classrooms. One Iraqi refugee, 11-year-old George Odischo, resettled in Sydney in January this year. He says he never went to school in Iraq, which means he was never able to learn his native language in a formal setting. "My favourite part of St Hurmizd School is learning the Assyrian and English language. Assyrian because it's my own language - I feel proud when I speak it," he says. "And English because it's my new language, I must learn it to talk with others and to complete my education to become a doctor." Refugees also account for a number of students at the nearby senior campus, St Narsai College. Iraqi born siblings, Maryam and Miron Alwakeel are among the refugees at the top of their class. ( SBS) School counsellor Raman Youkhanis says many of the refugees are at the top of their class. "I think it was last year we had five ESL students that received 90 and above ATARS and now they're in medical sciences, they're in engineering, they're construction, law," he said. "The secret ingredient is that we help them find their identity. We give them the identity of Australia ... our culture... our heritage, Assyrianism and also the faith." High achievers Iraqi born siblings, Maryam and Miron Alwakeel are among the refugees at the top of their class. Year 12 student Maryam has just begun her HSC exams and aspires to be a doctor. Miron, who's in the year below, wants to get into the field of technology, engineering or medicine. "It was always one of my dreams to become one of the top - in Iraq, I was fourth in the state," he says. He says traumatic experiences in his homeland motivate him to work harder. The refugee students take part in a specialised program that includes intensive English lessons. ( SBS) "You can use them to help you study, that's what I think. "I see here, people, they haven't seen that us as Arabs, Christians who got kicked out of our countries they haven't seen everything that we have seen." Calls for cross-cultural exchange Associate Professor Nina Burridge is from the University of Technology Sydney's Education Program. She says new refugees can perform better academically if they're placed in a familiar setting but believes cross-cultural exchanges are also important. "You find that a lot of these schools are actually centred in the west parts of Sydney so for education benefit what I would like to see is much more cultural exchange between these communities," she says. Ms Burridge cites a program set up by the state government in the wake of the Cronulla riots. "For schools in that area, the government funded a number of exchange programs between schools in Western Sydney and they actually had cultural exchanges. "I'd love to have a program to have where schools in the western region, even in Muslim schools go to the northern beaches, which has some Christian schools but not a great deal of diversity." Fast growing community According to the 2016 Census, there are almost 12,000 Assyrian Church of the East Christians in Australia. That is a 35 per cent increase over the past five years. To meet the growing demands of the community, plans for another St Hurmizd campus are in motion, with the second school set to open in 2019. Meanwhile, the senior school St Narzai has just completed an expansion. "Ten years ago when the high school started, the Archbishop started a plan to build a state of the art high school," says school counsellor, Raman Youkhanis. The students, who have been placed at a temporary campus, will make the move there in December. "That will provide more classes for refugees, more resources," says Mr Youkhanis. "And so we're thinking if they can perform amazingly in this environment, only God knows how much more we can expect for them when we settle in that new [campus]." The official opening is marked for January next year.
Kurds in Iraq Attempting to Take Assyrian Town By Force

Earth moving equipment in the Assyrian town of Alqosh, north Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga are digging entrenchments in Assyrian town of Alqosh despite locals wanting the presence of the Iraqi Forces. Previously, the Kurdistan Regional Governmet (KRG), the ruling regime of the autonomous Iraqi province of Kurdistan, has described Alqosh as a disputed territory, but locals have said the town is entirely Assyrian and should to remain in Iraq. Peshmerga forces have now, however, prevented the locals from organizing protests after threats were issued to organizers. At the moment, very few locals have the ability to voice themselves. They are hoping Iraqi Forces can reach Alqosh safely, but Peshmerga are obviously preparing for war. With so many Assyrian places under complete Kurdish occupation, Alqosh is now considered the Assyrian stronghold in Iraq.
Students Charlotte Vance, Max Ransom, and Ryan Crump speak at Mission: Remission Students sign names of those affected by cancer onto ribbons The McCallie stadium banners remind of those who battle cancer every day GPS and McCallie students begin their walk Students take a silent walk around the track GPS seniors tie ribbons on the McCallie fence Together some of the sophomore class tie their ribbons Previous Next

For this years sixth annual cancer awareness fundraiser, Mission: Remission, GPS and McCallie students convened on McCallies campus to honor those affected by cancer. GPS Student Council President Blythe May introduced the student speakers of the event: Charlotte Vance, Max Ransom, and Ryan Crump.

Charlotte spoke from personal experience about her battle with childhood cancer, which is now in remission. Max shared his familys story about his baby sisters short but courageous cancer journey that resulted in the forming of Emilys Power for a Cure, which raises funds and awareness for neuroblastoma research and treatment. In closing, Ryan talked about McCallie alumnus Joe Restaino and the Joedance Film Festival created in his memory.

While at McCallie, Mr. Restaino established the Joe Restaino Bone Cancer Walk in 2009. GPS and McCallie continue to raise money through the annual Mission: Remission event, benefiting Levine Childrens Hospital in his memory, and Emilys Power for a Cure in Maxs sisters memory along with other cancer research organizations.

This year our council worked alongside McCallie's Student Council to plan an event that would be both meaningful and celebratory, Blythe says. From cutting ribbons to hanging banners with statistics, each council member was involved in the planning and execution for this event.

Both schools sold blue and white tie-dye spirit socks as a fundraiser, adding another $7,000 to the Mission: Remission funds total of about $24,000. At McCallies stadium, students from both schools signed names on blue and white streamers to honor loved ones affected by cancer. After a silent lap around the track, they then tied the streamers onto the iron fence along the roadway.

I am incredibly proud of my council for being so thoughtful and intentional in this planning process and I am grateful to both student bodies for making it such a success, Blythe says.
Authorities said two men were shot in west Birmingham on Friday night.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Matthew Self said officers received a call shortly after 9 p.m. about a man with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of Taco Bell at 2300 Bessemer Road in Ensley. Officers found a man in his late-20s shot in the lower back. Police believe he was shot a few blocks away from the Taco Bell before driving himself to the restaurant. Self said the victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police just scattered. Believe there is another shooting that happened. pic.twitter.com/nWNhQ3yW0F  Jonece Starr Dunigan (@StarrDunigan) October 21, 2017

Shortly after that shooting was reported, police units scattered to another shooting less than two miles away. Sgt. Bryan Shelton said another male was shot in the 1700 block of Pearson Avenue. The victim was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Multiple shell casings were discovered at the scene.

No arrests have been made in the shootings. This story will be updated once more information is released.
A Cullman County man died in an early Saturday morning crash on Alabama Highway 157 in West Point, according to Alabama state troopers.

Jerry Wayne Brown, 70, of Vinemont was killed when the 1992 Chevrolet pickup he was driving was struck by a 2007 Nissan Maxima at around 6:25 a.m., troopers said.

Brown, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Nissan was injured and transported to Cullman Regional Hospital.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
After suspended Jefferson County District Attorney Charles Todd Henderson was found guilty of perjury on Friday, some residents are asking Gov. Kay Ivey to appoint Danny Carr to the role.

Carr has served as the acting district attorney for the past 10 months.

Birmingham activist Carlos Chaverst launched a Change.org petition on Friday. As of Saturday morning, the petition has 567 signatures. It will be delivered to the governor.

"We, the people of Birmingham and Jefferson County, feel confident in Interim District Attorney Danny Carr," the petition states. "Mr. Carr is a native of our communities, he understands the needs of our communities and he's active in our communities. We haven't seen a public figure, more importantly a district attorney, as engaged as DA Carr has been involved. Gov. Ivey, we are asking that you do the right thing by appointing Mr. Carr to fulfill the duties of district attorney until such a time as a special-called election. You have helped our communities graciously since being governor. We hope that you will continue with your strong leadership by appointing Mr. Danny Carr."

With his felony conviction on Friday, Henderson lost his elected position.

Carr, an assistant Jefferson County District Attorney, has been serving in Henderson's place as pro-tem since Jan. 14. That was the day after Henderson was indicted by a special grand jury on one count of first-degree perjury related to testimony at a trial in a divorce case in which he formerly served as guardian ad litem for a minor child.

With Henderson's conviction, Carr's title was changed to interim on Friday.

Ivey is now charged with appointing someone as district attorney. An Ivey spokesman said a timeline for an appointment has not been set.

Carr has worked as a prosecutor for in the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office for 15 years. He is a graduate of Miles College Law School, Alabama State University, and Jackson-Olin High School.
A 50-year-old west Alabama man released from prison earlier this year is now charged in the double slaying of two other men in the Wilcox County community of Pine Hill.

Isiah Smith was charged Friday with capital murder and murder, said District Attorney Michael Jackson. He is being held without bond.

The slayings happened Wednesday, Sept. 27. The victims were identified as Lloyd Carson, 55, and Charles Mallory, 49.

Carson was found dead in his car, which was parked at Mallory's home. Mallory was found wounded in the house, and taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he later died.

Jackson on Friday said the killings were drug-related. Smith was on probation for a federal cocaine conviction. He was just released from a federal prison in Mississippi in February 2017.

The case was investigated by the Pine Hill Police Department, the 4th Judicial Task Force, and federal probation officers.
A man has been taken to the hospital after he was shot in Jefferson County Friday afternoon.

The shooting happened about 4 p.m. in front of an apartment at 111 Valley Terrace.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued a statement that deputies had responded to a report of disorderly person at the residence.

"While deputies were on the way a caller reported shots had been fired and one

person had been shot," according to the statement. "The shooter fled the scene on foot."

Authorities and witnesses said an argument erupted and shots were fired.

Residents said it appeared the man was shot in the leg. He was conscious and asking for paramedics after the shooting.

Witnesses said a woman died in the apartment earlier in the day, but there was no foul play suspected in her death.

Family members were back at the scene when the shooting victim came and the argument erupted.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the shooter had been taken into custody. A resident at the scene was visibly shaken and saying over and over "I told y'all this was going to happen"
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced Tennessees 2017 Reward schools, which include the top five percent of schools for academic achievement and the top five percent for student growth. These 169 schools span 60 districts across Tennessee.

These schools represent what is possible for students in Tennessee as they exemplify excellence in performance or progress and in some cases, both, Commissioner McQueen said.

Of the 2017 Reward schools, 59 are being recognized for performance, 85 are recognized for progress, and 25 schools are Reward schools both for performance and progress.

In addition to recognizing Reward schools, Commissioner McQueen also named schools that have improved and earned their way off of the Priority or Focus school lists. The Priority school list captures the schools that are in the bottom 5 percent in academic achievement, and the Focus school list includes the 10 percent of schools in the state with the largest achievement gaps between groups of students. While new Priority and Focus schools will be published in 2018, schools have the opportunity to come off the lists every year if they make significant improvements.



Four schools earned their way off the Priority list this year. Three are located in Shelby County  Mitchell High School, Treadwell Elementary, and Northwest Prep Academy  and the fourth is in the Achievement School District: Georgian Hills Achievement Elementary School. Seven additional schools were named Priority Improving schools due to the gains they made this past year. Fifteen schools exited the Focus school list, and another 20 made significant improvements. Those schools are listed below.

Complete state-, district-, and school-level TNReady results from 2016-17 were released yesterday and are available on TNReady.gov. More information about the school and district accountability designations announced today is available on thedepartments website. For media inquiries, contact Sara Gast, director of communications, at Sara.Gast@tn.gov or (615) 532-6260.

Reward Performance and Progress

District Name School Name Maryville City Maryville High School Maryville City Coulter Grove Intermediate School Davidson County Meigs Middle Davidson County Hume - Fogg High Davidson County Martin Luther King Jr School Davidson County East End Preparatory School Hamilton County Thrasher Elementary Jackson-Madison County Madison Academic Magnet High School Montgomery County East Montgomery Elementary Rutherford County Central Magnet School Rutherford County Rockvale Elementary Shelby County Middle College High Arlington City Arlington High Bristol City Avoca Elementary Sumner County Station Camp Elementary Sumner County Dr. William Burrus Elementary at Drakes Creek Washington County University School Williamson County Clovercroft Elementary School Williamson County Hunters Bend Elementary Williamson County Nolensville High School Williamson County Ravenwood High School Williamson County Scales Elementary Williamson County Sunset Middle School Wilson County Gladeville Elementary Wilson County Stoner Creek Elementary

Reward Performance
In 14 months, Randall Woodfin went from a city attorney with little name recognition to Birmingham's mayor-elect. And he triumphed by running a campaign for the digital age, using strategies never before seen in the Magic City.

Woodfin's campaign pooh-poohed traditional campaign tactics like blanketing neighborhoods with literature and paying uninspired volunteers to knock on doors in favor of an analytics-based approach that helped the campaign target potential voters who were most likely to vote for the former school board president. The campaign did use some traditional methods like campaign signs, but they were not the focus of the campaign.

Through campaign software the Woodfin team was able to license through the state Democratic Party , "we built a really solid voter target after a lot of experience and a lot of testing," said Daniel Deriso, the campaign's field and operations manager. While the mayoral election was nonpartisan, Birmingham is a Democratic city, so the software was helpful.

At first, the campaign found that the typical Woodfin voter was young and on the lower end of the income spectrum.

"As Randall got more name recognition, that line bled," Deriso said, and the campaign started attracting old and young African-American voters and Hispanics in addition to white millennials. "Out of nowhere, come June or July, our support was doubling at an incredible rate."

When campaign volunteers canvassed neighborhoods, they weren't having one-way conversations with potential voters.

"On Randall's campaign, we stressed having full conversations with people," said Taylor Packer, a Woodfin field organizer. "We really got to know the issues that each voter was having in that area. People knew that we cared."

Woodfin's embrace of modern campaign strategies gave him an advantage over incumbent Mayor William Bell, who has been involved in local politics for decades, according to Deriso.

"People stay with what they think is tried and true, and its 2017, and there's so many aspects to campaigning now - social media, emails, fundraising online," Deriso said. "You have to make things as accessible as possible for people."

For example, Bell's campaign didn't have an online donation platform, instead asking potential donors to mail checks to a post office box. Meanwhile, Woodfin's campaign embraced ActBlue, a grassroots Democratic online platform that gives campaigns access to small-money donors who previously contributed to campaigns through ActBlue. As a result, the Woodfin camp tapped into a network of millions of potential donors, and amassed 4,000 small-dollar donors - the most of any Birmingham municipal campaign.

The campaign's fundraising appeals included one pitch that explained how $30 donations were going to be used to buy radio air time for the campaign. The connection between a donation and its impact empowered donors, Deriso said.

Woodfin heavily targeted prospective first-time voters as part of his campaign strategy. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Woodfin, made a robocall on his behalf that appealed to 12,000 such voters, Deriso said. The phone calls turned out more than 1,000 voters, with the Sanders appeal being the only contact from the campaign to that voting bloc.

The strategy was an efficient one for the Woodfin campaign: In the Oct. 3 runoff between Woodfin and Bell, 11,500 voters never voted in a municipal election before. Of those voters, 1,500 were between 18 and 24 years old, and 5,000 were between 18 and 35 years old.

But even with the campaign's in-depth approach to courting voters, Deriso said the effort would have been for naught if not for the candidate.

"Randall's message - we couldn't have done anything, any of this stuff, without the candidate. I need to throw full credit to Randall," he said. "He's personable, he's young, he's good looking, and he knows what he's talking about. Every single person he talked to .... he just has genuine conversations with everybody, which is not something I see in politicians at all. Without Randall's message and policy agenda, none of this would have been popular."
The problem of racism in Lebanon goes beyond xenophobic attitudes towards Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

President Michel Aoun told the United Nations General Assembly last month that Lebanon should be the permanent centre of an institution dedicated to peace education with a focus on forgiveness and coexistence.

Less than three weeks later, his son-in-law and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil tweeted: We are racist in our Lebanese identity in reference to his refusal to naturalise Syrian refugees.

This was a reminder of how it has become socially acceptable to be racist in Lebanon, as well as elsewhere, as the rapid rise of xenophobia continues. As sociologist Rima Majed from the American University of Beirut noted: In times of crises, political correctness fades away and the real dynamics of power and social hierarchies appear more clearly, often taking the ugly shape of racism.

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Bassil urged people not to call him and his party racist; he claimed that he represents the antithesis of the racism of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and of Israel. It did not occur to him that the best way to avoid being called racist is not to declare it publicly on Twitter.

How else did he expect non-racist Lebanese citizens to react to a tweet from their foreign minister including them in the we, and associating them with racism as a mark of their Lebanese identity.

Honourable patriot or useful idiot?

This juxtaposition of patriotism and the need to take an anti-refugee stance was also evoked in July, prior to the military operation to liberate Arsal. When activists tried to stage a demonstration in support of refugees and calling for accountability for alleged deaths under torture of at least five Syrians, there was a fierce backlash.

The choice was, as an editorial by the NGO Legal Agenda put it, being labelled an honourable patriot or a traitor  or, in the best case scenario, a trivial individual idealising human rights and supporting refugees who have only brought terrorism and economic and political hardships to the country.

It especially from Asia and Africa, to understand that Lebanon has a racism problem that goes beyond the discrimination of refugees. by

In other words, the choice presented to the Lebanese people by Bassil and like-minded politicians is to be an anti-refugee honourable patriot or a refugee-loving useful idiot (or traitor).

This choice is not limited to those defending Syrian refugees. It also applies to activists for the cause of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Calls for improving their inhumane living conditions and putting an end to the policy of social exclusion have been ignored and viewed with suspicion. State policies of isolating the community have contributed to discrimination, dire living conditions, poverty, lack of economic opportunities and bleak future prospects for Palestinians living in refugee camps.

Racism and racial discrimination

Now, to avoid a futile debate on semantics, I am using the word racism as interchangeable with racial discrimination, as set forth by the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination that includes national origin as a basis for any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference.

The Durban Declaration (pdf) also recognises that xenophobia against non-nationals, particularly migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, constitutes one of the main sources of contemporary racism and that human rights violations against members of such groups occur widely in the context of discriminatory, xenophobic and racist practices.

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Undeniably, discrimination or targeted campaigns against Syrians based on national origin have been widespread and well documented. The prevalent discourse on the refugee crisis has been dehumanising and vilifying, describing refugees as a burden, ungrateful or unwanted guests, and even murderers and rapists (especially after the horrifying murder of a Lebanese woman by her familys Syrian caretaker in a Christian village in the North of Lebanon in September).

As a result, all Syrians were asked to leave the village, and other municipalities followed suit in order to act before it is too late and to protect our women and our country. A local resident told the Washington Post in words that evoke the bad memories of Lebanons civil war: If they didnt leave we would have killed them. The whole town is against them. All Lebanon is against them.

Little did it matter that many Lebanese women suffer crimes at the hands of Lebanese men and that scapegoating Syrian refugees overlooks the real solution to violence against women and girls that involves reforming discriminatory laws and combatting sexism and patriarchy in all its forms.

Racism before and beyond the refugee crisis

In Lebanon and Europe, the association of racism with anti-refugee and anti-migrant discourse has dominated the discussion recently, with the rise of far-right nationalism as the most obvious threat to democracy.

But is it fair to speak about Lebanons racism problem given the scale of the refugee crisis and the bloody history of the country that have left citizens genuinely worried for their stability and security?

Let us put aside the discussion of political, religious, demographic and geopolitical considerations  including legitimate frustrations and concerns of Lebanese citizens  that are used as justifications for the current discourse and simply ask whether racism exists independently of the Syrian and Palestinian refugee crises.

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It is enough to look at the mistreatment of domestic workers, especially from Asia and Africa to understand that Lebanon has a racism problem that goes beyond the discrimination of refugees.

According to a survey conducted by Lebanese anti-violence NGO KAFA and the American University of Beirut in collaboration with Anti-Slavery International, part of the Lebanese society holds some twisted perceptions of domestic workers: 27 percent consider them unclean although they clean and cook for them; 36 percent consider them stupid although they are in charge of all domestic affairs; and 51 percent consider them untrustworthy although they take care of their children and ageing parents.

KAFA conducted a social experiment in supermarkets selling a special soap for domestic workers. While some Lebanese shoppers criticised this deliberately racist product, others were more than happy to give the soap  that would clean their unclean domestic workers  a try.

Another report by KAFA (pdf) found that over 88 percent of employers withhold the passport of the domestic worker to prevent her from escaping and 80 percent do not allow her to leave the employers house on her day off. The report also revealed that 31.3 percent of Lebanese employers lock the domestic workers they hire inside the house when they leave.

If this isnt racism (and modern-day slavery), what is?

First things first

An insightful response reminding Bassil of the danger of racism towards Lebanese and non-Lebanese alike came from photographer Dalia Khamissy who tweeted back at the foreign minister the names and pictures of mothers still waiting for the fate of their missing sons and husbands. They are men who died or disappeared in the civil war, Khamissy said, precisely because of our racism [towards each other].

At the end of the day, Bassils tweet can be a blessing in disguise. As Lebanese citizens, it can force us to rethink our attitudes and practices, not as a form of self-flagellation or self-hate, but in order to ask uncomfortable and difficult questions about the type of society we would like to live in, and for what causes we stand up for when it matters the most.

Lebanon has a racism problem. Let us deal with that first, and only then can we sincerely offer our services to become a global centre for peace education promoting forgiveness and coexistence.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
One suspect arrested after knife attack in southern German city leaves several people injured.

German police have arrested a suspect after a string of stabbings in the southern city of Munich.

Authorities on Saturday urged residents in the Bavarian capital to stay home after a man on a black bicycle injured four people with a knife and attempted to stab two others.

Five men and one woman were attacked, Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins told reporters.

We have arrested a person who very strongly resembles the description by witnesses, but we cannot confirm that he is the attacker, Martins said.

Munich Police Chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters that the detained man had acted out of political or religious motives.

He said officials believe that the suspect, who had a previous police record, has psychological problems.

Police had earlier described the suspect as a having a corpulent figure, being unshaven and with short hair, He was carrying a rucksack with a sleeping mat attached.
Babis ran a campaign on opposition to refugee immigration and against closer European Union integration.

Billionaire Andrej Babis has won a thumping victory in the Czech Republics parliamentary election, while eurosceptics and an anti-Islam group made strong gains.

State election officials citing results from 99.9 percent of polling stations on Saturday said Babis anti-corruption and anti-euro ANO (Yes) movement won with 29.7 percent support, almost three times higher than any other party and giving it a chance to rule with just one partner in a coalition.

ANO was followed by the eurosceptic right-wing ODS party on 11.3 percent.

The far-right, anti-EU and anti-Islam SPD party made strong gains, capturing more than 10 percent of the vote, while another protest party, the Pirates, was set to win a number of seats by appealing to unhappy liberal voters.

At just 7.4 percent, the ruling Social Democrats of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka were on course for their worst result since the country peacefully split with Slovakia in 1993.

In all, a record nine parties were set to win seats. Turnout was at 60 percent.

ANO is the first party to break a quarter century of dominance by two mainstream centre-right and centre-left parties, highlighting a shifting political landscape in Europe where a refugee crisis has given rise to protest groups.

The Czech economy has enjoyed rapid growth, a balanced budget and the lowest unemployment in the European Union in the past four years, but the Social Democrats  who led a government with ANO and another partner  were not able to capitalise.

Instead, ANO and other protest groups took advantage of voters discontent by promising to weed out corruption, fight deeper EU integration and resist Brussels trying to impose quotas for taking in refugees.





Babis  dubbed the Czech Trump, a reference to the US president  has promised to bring a businessmans touch to government.

The 63-year-old ran a campaign on opposition to refugee immigration and against closer EU integration.

He maintained his popularity despite facing fraud charges and accusations of conflicts of interest related to his businesses.

ANO is likely to first turn to the Social Democrats for a coalition, its deputy chairman Jaroslav Faltynek told reporters.

However, the Social Democrats acting chairman said the party may move to the opposition.

Complicating any coalition talks are police charges that Babis illegally received a 2 million euro ($2.35m) EU subsidy when he ran his food, agriculture and chemical empire, worth an estimated $4bn, before entering politics.

He has denied wrongdoing, but party leaders before the election said it would be hard to be part of a cabinet that includes Babis facing a fraud investigation.

His holdings, including interests in national newspapers and a radio station, were placed in a trust earlier this year.

Babis swipes at Brussels play well with eurosceptic Czechs but he also praises EU membership and does not share the relatively illiberal ideology seen in governments in Hungary and Poland.

Czech President Milos Zeman has said he would allow a month for negotiations before calling a new parliament, the trigger for the current administration to depart. By custom, he asks someone to lead talks before appointing a prime minister.

He told online news website parlamentnilisty.cz he would not object to Babis forming a government even while battling police charges. He also said he would have no objections to talks involving SPD or the Communists.
Heavily armed assailants believed to have crossed over from Mali launch dawn attack on paramilitary police base.

Fighters mounted on pick-up trucks and motorcycles have killed at least 12 paramilitary police and wounded several others in a new attack in Nigers restive southwest, near the Mali border.

The raid on the officers base happened in the early hours of Saturday in the town of Ayourou in the Tillaberi region, 200km northwest of the capital, Niamey.

It comes after an ambush at the beginning of October killed four Nigerien and US soldiers along the border, which has been regularly targeted by armed groups.

There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations, Mohamed Bazoum, interior minister, told AFP news agency on Saturday

A security source on the scene said the attackers  believed to had crossed over from Mali  were heavily armed.

They had rocket launchers and machine guns. They came in four vehicles each with about seven fighters, the source told Reuters news agency.

Several armed groups and well-armed ethnic militia are known to operate in the area near the border with Mali, and there have been at least 46 attacks recorded there since early last year.
Iraqi forces and allied Shia militias claim control of Kirkuk province after intense battle against Kurdish forces.

Iraqi forces have claimed control of all of Kirkuk province after intense fighting against Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

The army says it captured the last town, Altun Kupri, near Erbil, with the help of Shia paramilitaries early on Saturday after a three-hour battle.

Peshmerga were sending reinforcements to fight the army and their allied militias on the front line north of Kirkuk, while Iraqi forces were trying to push the Peshmerga further towards Erbil, the Kurdish regional capital.

The fighting continued around Altun Kupri, about 40km northwest of Kirkuk, on the Erbil-Kirkuk road.

Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis ordered the army not to enter Erbils city limits, saying they will protect civilians and their property, while respecting what he called the 2003 perimeters of the disputed area.

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The Kurds took up new positions three days after they pulled out of Kirkuk following a dramatic push by the government army, aided by Hashd al-Shaabi, or Shia militias.

Kurdish leaders estimated about 100,000 people fled the area since the operation began.

Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from near Kirkuk, said a new front line opened early on Friday after Iraqi forces and Hashd al-Shaabi moved towards Peshmerga postions in Altun Kupri.

Just a few kilometres behind the front line, were seeing a heavy presence of ambulances waiting to take the injured Peshmergas back to hospitals in Erbil. Weve seen quite a few injured already and also heavy military back-up moving towards that front line, Dekker said.

There were very similar scenes just a year ago, as the Peshmerga, Iraqi government forces and Shia militias all moved against a common enemy  ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS). But now, their guns are turned on each other.

They turned their backs on us

Ibrahim Mirza, a Peshmerga soldier, said there were casualties among the Kurdish forces.

Yes, they are attacking in Altun Kupri and there is nothing we can do about it, honestly. Im urging the coalition forces to come and help us. It hit the Peshmerga. No doubt, we have martyrs there.

Many Peshmerga said felt betrayed by the Iraqi government in Baghdad, some fellow Kurds, and the international community.

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Speaking to Al Jazeera from Kirkuk, Nazm Harki, the commander of the 10th division Peshmerga, said: In reality, when we used to fight ISIL everyone praised the Peshmerga  they are brave they are fighting for the world. But now they are attacking us.

As I see it, everyone is turning their backs on us, the commander said.

Last months referendum on secession was seen as the final straw for the Iraqi government and neighbouring countries that oppose Kurdish independence.

Abadi said Kurdish hopes for an independent state were now a thing of the past.

Since the central government started its operation in the disputed areas, its forces have captured most territory without clashes from the withdrawing Peshmerga.

The Peshmerga seized Kirkuk, Iraqs second oil hub, in mid-2014 when Iraqi troops withdrew from the advancing ISIL group.
Settlers in the Jordan Valley consume 81 times more water per capita than Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Jordan Valley, Occupied West Bank  Water is not scarce in the Jordan Valley, known as the traditional breadbasket of Palestine  yet Palestinian farmers struggle to survive, with little water to nourish their crops. They say the amount of water that Israeli authorities allocate to them has been decreasing daily since the Second Intifada.

Meanwhile, neighbouring settlements consume copious amounts of water. They grow produce, such as bananas, requiring large amounts of water, which is mostly pumped from wells in the occupied West Bank, and they export a rich variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices to Europe and the United States.

In the village of Ein al-Beida, barbed wire divides a field in two.

On one side are rows of orange trees covered in lush green leaves, grown by Israeli settlers from a nearby illegal settlement; on the other is barren land allocated for Palestinians, where nothing grows except stiff stalks of yellow grass, long dried out due to the lack of water.

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Farmers in Ein al-Beida, one of the few villages in the Jordan Valley that is connected to the water grid, last month staged a peaceful protest after Israeli authorities cut their water for more than a week.

Israeli authorities eventually turned their water back on, but locals say the amount is now less than half of the 240 cubic metres an hour that they received before the protest.

They gave us the excuse that theres not enough water underground, farmer Mahdi Foqaha told Al Jazeera. In reality, Israel doesnt want us to live here any more  We just want the Israelis to let us extract our own water.

Many Palestinians who depend on agriculture for a living try to install water pipes and connect to the water network on their own. Doing so without an Israeli permit, however, is deemed illegal and puts them at risk of having these makeshift connections demolished.

Only 1.5 percent of Palestinian building permit applications in Israeli-administered Area C of the occupied West Bank were approved between 2010 and 2014. Consequently, Palestinians have no choice but to build without a permit, even if it is a simple rainwater tank on private property.

In [the neighbouring village] Bardala, Israelis decreased the water to 170 cubic metres for the whole village; people were forced to connect to the water illegally,' Foqaha said. We want to live. What else can we do?

However, the Israelis discovered the illegal connection and punished the whole area by decreasing and cutting our water, Foqaha added.

The Israeli government did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment on the matter.

Choking water supply

Following the 1967 war and Israels military occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, one of Israels first acts was to declare all water resources to be under Israeli military control. In order for Palestinians to build wells, repair pipes or develop irrigation networks, they had to obtain Israeli-issued permits, which are scarcely granted.

As a result, Palestinians often have their water tanks confiscated and pipes cut by Israeli authorities.

Palestinian farmers in the Jordan Valley recall a time before 1967, when their families freely used the water from springs that ran through their villages and watered their crops with canals. Their fathers grew citrus fruit and bananas; water was plentiful.

Today, they depend on seasonal agriculture to grow rain-fed crops that are on average 15 times less profitable than irrigated crops. They rely on growing produce that can survive for longer periods without water, such as dates, eggplants and zucchini. Palestinian farmers say they now use less than half of their original farming land.

After the 1967 war, the Israeli government confiscated land where the main spring flowed in Bardala and diverted the water to nearby agricultural settlements. Mekorot, Israels national water company, dug deep into the mountain aquifer, and by the end of the 1970s, Israel had extracted so much water that the springs in Bardala and Ein al-Beida had dried up.

Since groundwater sources have been depleted by Israeli-owned wells, Palestinians have resorted to buying their own water back from Mekorot at a high cost.

The Israelis dug underground, conducted experiments and found out that this whole area is full of water, Foqaha said.

We used to have five, six central wells, but the Israelis took these wells from us and drained the water  All of us farmers [in Ein al-Beida] consume the same amount of water as one settler in [the illegal settlement] Mehola.

Discriminatory policies

Water may be scarce for Palestinians, but it is not for Israeli settlers. The difference in consumption is stark: According to EWASH, a coalition of 30 NGOs, settlers in the Jordan Valley consume 81 times more water per capita than Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israels policies regarding water distribution amount to water apartheid, according to the human rights organisation al-Haq.

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Contrary to popular belief, water is not, and has not been, scarce in the region, al-Haq noted in a 2013 report titled Water For One People Only.

The level of unrestricted access to water enjoyed by those residing in Israel and Israeli settlers demonstrates that resources are plentiful, and that the lack of sufficient water for Palestinians is a direct result of Israels discriminatory policies in water management.

Mekorot routinely reduces Palestinian supply  sometimes by as much as 50 percent  during the summer months in order to meet consumption needs in the settlements, the report added.

The water cuts are not limited to areas under Israeli control. According to residents in Nablus in Area A, which is under Palestinian Authority (PA) control, water shortages reached a new peak this past summer, with water cuts lasting for as long as two weeks.

End oppression

Farmer Ibrahim Kassab from the village of Jiftlik told Al Jazeera that half of his profits were spent on buying water for his crops. About 90 percent of his water supply is bought from Mekorot, and only 10 percent comes from the spring.

Everyone here is thinking the same thing  to quit farming, Kassab said, noting that half of the farmers in the village have already abandoned their farms and picked up jobs as labourers elsewhere.

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More than 10 percent of the Palestinian GDP depends on agriculture, yet only 10 percent of the land is irrigated. In contrast, agriculture in Israel accounts for three percent of its GDP, but more than 50 percent of the land is irrigated.

Anything thats green is Israeli; anything thats dry and yellow is Palestinian, Ein al-Beida farmer Hussein Foqaha told Al Jazeera.

Farmers have nowhere to turn for help. Unable to extract their own water, their peaceful protest achieved little.

The head of their local council has reached out to the mayor of the nearest town, Tubas, to request water from the PA, but nothing has been achieved so far.

At least we have water to drink now, Muntasir Foqaha, another villager from Ein al-Beida, said wryly, commenting on the protest last month. We just want the oppression from Israelis to stop.
Early vote called by PM Shinzo Abe comes amid corruption scandals and rising tensions with North Korea.

Japanese voters are braving strong winds and heavy rain brought by Typhoon Lan as they head to the polls in a snap general election, a year ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of parliament and called for fresh polls last month to renew his mandate to cope with a national crisis amid nuclear tensions with North Korea.

A low voter turnout is expected on Sunday in the countrys 48th parliamentary elections.

Following a short stint as prime minister in 2006, Abe has been in power since December 2012.

Al Jazeera looks at some of the key questions surrounding the vote.

Why were early elections called?

Many voters, as well as the opposition, have questioned the timing of the elections, particularly as Abe and his government face two corruption scandals, including allegations of cronyism.

The leader has repeatedly denied personal involvement.

Opposition parties have criticised Abe for using the vote as a way to detract from the controversy.

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Analysts say the prime minister is also looking to take advantage of a recent surge in his approval ratings due to his handling of the North Korea crisis, while catching an unprepared, divided opposition by surprise.

Its actually quite strange because Mr Abe already had a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament but because his cabinet support level started to fall down quite sharply in early summer, he thought that he should seize the opportunity with the North Korea threats and the rising tensions, Koichi Nakano, political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo, told Al Jazeera by phone.

When his support levels started to pick up a little bit again, he wanted to attack the opposition when they were not prepared, he added.

Others say the polls come as a calculated move by the government in light of the North Korean threat.

The prime minister had to call an election by next year anyway and probably if he waited longer, the North Korean issue may have heated up later, said Tomohito Shinoda, political expert at the International University of Japan in Minamiuonuma.

So its better for the Japanese government to have an election this time rather than later.

Who are the main contenders?

A total of 1,180 candidates are running for the lower house of parliament.

The elections will pit Abes conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ruling coalition partner, Komeito  a Buddhist party  against the newly formed Party of Hope.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike launched the reformist-conservative party last month in a bid to steer voters away from the ruling LDP.

Koike, a former member of LDP, is not running as a candidate herself.

Meanwhile, the former opposition liberal Democratic Party has been weakened and divided by the emergence of two new political entities, including the Party of Hope.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ)  another newcomer  was formed this month by former chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano and other liberal defectors from the Democratic Party.

What are the key issues?

The nuclear threat from North Korea will be on the back of many voters minds, but there are other pressing national issues at play.

The countrys stagnant economy and social security top voter concerns, according to the polls.

Japans once world-beating economy has not grown in years, with governments consistently failing to battle persistent deflation.

The Asian nation has one of the worlds largest public debt at over 250 percent of the GDP.

The Japanese citizens are very concerned about the direction of Japans economy and this is related in part to its demographic issues, Stephen Nagy, expert on Japan at the International Christian University in Tokyo, said.

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Abes brand of Abenomics aimed at reviving the economy has drawn criticism over the years.

Analysts say Abes policies have benefited big companies, like Honda and Toyota, and aided urban development, but the rural areas are struggling economically.

After Abe receives a strong mandate, he will push more for structural reform and push more on his Abenomics to get that economic growth that is happening in cities push to the rural countryside, Nagy told Al Jazeera via Skype.

Japan also has a rapidly ageing, shrinking population of 127 million, which is projected to plummet to 88 million by 2065.

The debate over the countrys pacifist constitution dominated the election campaign.

The ruling LDP and the new Party of Hope are looking to revise the countrys Article 9 charter, also known as the peace clause to clarify the legal status of the countrys Self-Defense Forces.

On the other hand, LDPs junior coalition partner, Komeito, has a more cautious approach, and the new left-leaning CDPJ opposes a constitutional revision.

Nagy said the biggest challenge for CDPJs Edano is to create a realistic security policy that can fit alongside the principle constitutionalism that he is supporting.

Only the LDP has a practical and a strong record of security that can help Japan deal with some of its regional security issues, such as North Korea, he said.

Who is expected to win?

Pre-election polls and surveys in Japan forecast a landslide victory for Abes ruling coalition, which would allow it to maintain its two-thirds majority needed to propose constitutional amendments.

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Abes Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, Komeito, are predicted to win more than 300 of the 456 seats together in the parliament, polls showed in the lead up to the vote.

Several opinion polls suggest the ruling coalition is on track to retain its majority, but those same surveys also say many voters are still undecided, said Al Jazeeras Florence Looi, reporting from the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Meanwhile, analysts believe that the break-up of the Democratic Party, which was the biggest opposition force, has created uncertainty among voters and will benefit Abe.

The voters are very confused about the political landscape, said Nakano. The new parties are doing well, but time is too limited for them to make great gains.

How do the elections work?

The general elections to the House of Representatives take place every four years, unless the lower house is dissolved earlier.

A revised electoral law that took effect in July, has reduced the number of lower house seats from 475 to 465.

Eligible voters aged 18 and above will cast two ballots  one for an individual candidate in a single-seat district and another for a political party for proportional representation.

Out of the 465 seats, 289 are elected from single-seat districts and the remaining 176 through proportional representation in 11 regional blocks.

A simple majority of above 50 percent  a minimum of 233 seats  is needed to govern.

What do the elections mean for the North Korea crisis?

The snap elections come at a time of escalating nuclear tensions and heated war of words between North Korea and Japan.

Last month, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over northern Japan.

The test followed new UN Security Council sanctions drafted by the US.

Abe, who has maintained a hard line on North Korea, is seeking endorsement for his stance with the elections.





Given a fresh mandate, Mr Abe will probably say that his rather hawkish stance on North Korea was vindicated, said Nakano.

US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Japan in early November and there are growing fears that the possibility of a military conflict might be considered.

The elections will give Prime Minister Abe better control over handling the North Korean issues to prepare a deepening alliance with the US and Japan would probably strengthen its anti-missile capability, said Shinoda.

Meanwhile, Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo, said that recent NHK polls show that many voters actually disagree with Abes policy of no dialogue with Pyongyang.

The polls reflect concerns that his hardline position is risky and shortchanges diplomacy, he said.

Follow Saba Aziz on Twitter: @saba_aziz
The great theme of the book of Numbers is my unfaithfulness against the backdrop of Gods great unchanging, unfailing faithfulness. I can be expected to be self-willed, unbelieving, even rebellious. God can be expected to be always faithfully providing, loving, leading, disciplining, and chastising. The book of Numbers identifies many sins of mine and the children of Israel. It seems that one sin is highlighted: murmuring. Murmuring would include grumbling, complaining, griping, ungratefulness, etc. Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. (NASU)

What is so bad about murmuring? God first brought up the topic in Exodus 16:7-8, In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and what are we, that you grumble against us?" Moses said, "This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord. (NASU) It seems that because we serve a sovereign God, all grumbling and complaining is in the final analysis against God Himself. If we consider that nothing is outside the reach of God, we will conclude that every complaint is a denial of His sovereignty. I must admit this truth is much easier understood in theory than in reality.

What if all Christians never complained again? What if I never complained again? Conflict would be in great decline. Peace and joy and happiness would be in much greater supply. Surely there are times when wrongs need to be righted. Certainly, there is a proper way to register legitimate complaints. However, we are prone to murmur in the background, delivering personal attacks against people instead of reasonably discussing needed changes in policy or methods. I imagine that we could all agree that we are inclined to approach these situations in a negative spirit, with a sour attitude. The fact that this is such a difficult thing to control provides Christians with a tremendous opportunity. This is hard teaching that cuts across the grain of the sinful heart of man. It is a great testimony when Gods people accept what comes to them in a spirit of thankfulness, recognizing the sovereignty of God. Surely God has not decreed explicitly all the things that have happened to me, but He has at least permitted them.

What is the cure for murmuring? As fallen human beings we seem to think that changing the object of the complaint is the answer but it is not. If I complain about bad food, substituting good food will not cure my problem. Bad food is not the problem; thinking I deserve something better than I have received is the problem. It is a matter of the heart. Looking to Jesus, considering what He received in my place, is the cure. As the hymn writer has rightly observed, Turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of earth will grow strangely dim. One glimpse of His dear face should stop my murmuring.
Hundreds of thousands amass in Barcelona after Spanish government announces plan to sack Catalonias separatist leaders.

Barcelona  Moments after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced that Spain would assume control of Catalonias government, the streets of Catalonias capital were once again filled with noise.

An estimated 450,000 people on Saturday gathered in Barcelonas centre to protest against Madrids move to impose direct rule over them, a move regional officials described as a coup.

Carrying the Estelada, the single-starred flag that symbolises an independent Catalonia, separatist supporters filled the citys streets and squares, while Spanish police helicopters buzzed overhead.

We Catalans have no fear, protester Octavi Marti said, in response to Rajoys decision to trigger Article 155 and dissolve the Catalan government.

We will outlast them, the 39-year-old added.

Young movement

Catalonia voted in a disputed independence referendum on October 1 that met a heavy police crackdown from the Spanish national police and civil guard, a military force tasked with domestic law enforcement.

The Catalan government said 90 percent voted in favour of secession, but turnout was less than 50 percent.

Since then, protests have become an almost daily occurrence in Barcelona  and Saturday was no different.

Residents across the city of 1.6 million were banging pots and pans outside their windows to announce their displeasure following Rajoys announcement.

Known as a cassolada in Catalan, from the word for pot, these impromptu demonstrations have become increasingly common.

They are led by a new network of self-organising neighbourhood activists, known as the Committees to Defend the Referendum (CDR), with a presence in nearly every district of Barcelona.

We were born on September 30, Ana Martinez, a CDR member from the working-class neighbourhood of La Verneda i La Pau, told Al Jazeera.

Were a young movement, she added, surrounded by residents of all ages, including her two children.

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Martinez said the group originally started with four or five pro-independence residents of their neighbourhood who organised to support the referendum.

The activists wanted to camp overnight inside a primary school in La Verneda i La Pau to make sure it would be open for voting on October 1.

This neighbourhood, you have to know, there arent many pro-independence people, said Martinez. Because of that, we thought police wouldnt come, but they did.

The Spanish Constitutional Court ruled the referendum illegal and ordered police to stop the vote while respecting the coexistence of the Catalan people.

As it became clear that Spain was sending national police and the civil guard, more residents went to the school overnight.

The next morning, nearly two dozen Spanish police vans showed up at the school.

A video recorded by the activists shows a seated, elderly man being hit by Spanish police on the head with a baton. The man is later seen bleeding from the wound.

Human Rights Watch said the Spanish police used excessive force to stop the referendum and called for an investigation into law enforcements conduct.

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According to the Catalan government, 1,066 people were injured by police during the referendum, including 23 people older than 79.

The video footage also shows the aftermath of the raid.

Police allegedly ransacked the school while searching for ballot boxes, destroying classrooms and other facilities.

The school was my school, and its my daughters school and will be my sons school, and it was destroyed by the police, said Martinez.

Nearly three weeks after the referendum, the school has still not been repaired, she added.

The organisation

Martinez said the CDR network has seen a huge uptick in membership since the October 1 referendum.

Many, even those who did not support independence, wanted to support the right to vote, she added.

Today, posters from the separate CDRs are seen all over the city, announcing marches and calling for independence.

Each neighbourhood branch has its own Facebook and Twitter profiles, while members use encrypted chat applications to communicate.

Right now, we have contact with all neighbourhoods, [even] in other cities, and all movements, said Martinez.

The networks name echoes that of Cubas Committees to Defend the Revolution, who serve as the eyes and ears of the one-party state.

On Saturday, its members organised a joint event with a member of the far-left, anti-EU Popular Candidacy Platform party, a staunch advocate for Catalan independence.

When asked if the CDRs have a political stance, Martinez said the network was open to everyone from the left to right, but not the extreme right or left  We just want a free Catalan republic.

Excessive restrictions

In recent days, the networks members have joined several large protests calling for the release of two pro-independence figures: Jordi Sanchez, of the Catalan National Assembly, and Jordi Cuixart, of Omnium Cultural, two civil society groups that often stage nonviolent, secessionist demonstrations.

Sanchez and Cuixart are currently imprisoned in Madrid without bail on charges of sedition related to their organising efforts.

Jordi Graupera, a Catalan author and researcher at Princeton university, told Al Jazeera they were political prisoners whose detention signifies a lack of independent judiciary.

Spains Amnesty International (AI) office released a statement calling the sedition charges excessive and asking for their release pending appearances in court.

AI spokesperson Ana Gomez said the rights group does not use the term political prisoners for lack of an international consensus on its definition. Instead, it opts for prisoners of conscience.

Gomez said that AI does not yet consider Sanchez and Cuixart to be prisoners of conscience, as the judicial process is still open. She noted, however, that their imprisonment constitutes excessive restrictions on their political expression.

When asked if he feared an increase in protests after announcing the implementation of Article 155, Rajoy responded that his only fear was not complying with his obligations as a leader.

Yet, CDR activists in Barcelona said they had no intention of stop demonstrating until they reach their goal.

No one said it would happen tomorrow, said Marti. This is going to take some time.
Morocco has recalled its ambassador to neighbouring Algeria after the Algerian foreign minister accused Moroccan banks of laundering drug money in Africa, according to state media.

MAP news agency said on Saturday that Moroccos foreign ministry had also summoned the Algerian charge daffaires in Rabat over the very serious and false remarks by Abdelkader Messahel, Algerias top diplomat.

In a debate with business leaders in Algerias capital, Algiers, on Friday, Messahel alleged that Morocco is laundering cannabis money via its banks in the continent.

He also claimed that Royal Air Maroc, Moroccos state-owned carrier, is carrying something other than passengers to African destinations.

In response, the Moroccan foreign ministry said Messahels comments displayed an unprecedented level of irresponsibility in the history of bilateral relations.

They reflected a deep and inexplicable ignorance of the basic workings of the banking system and civil aviation, it added.

Moroccos banking industry also vigorously rejected the serious and misleading allegations, MAP also reported.

The North African neighbours have long had tense diplomatic relations, and their land border has been shut since 1994.
PM Rajoys cabinet moves to suspend Catalonias separatist government and calls for fresh elections in the region.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has confirmed that Spain will go forward with Article 155 after his cabinet held a crisis meeting to decide how to put an end to Catalonias secession drive.

The previously untapped article of Spains constitution will enable Madrid to seize powers from the wealthy northeastern region.

Rajoy listed four goals for enacting Article 155: A return to legality, to recover normality and co-existence, to continue with economic recovery and to have an election in Catalonia in normal political circumstances.

The Catalan government will be dissolved as a result.

Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras said new elections were not the best way of moving forward.

Rajoy told reporters in Madrid that Catalonias independence drive has been unilateral, calling the October 1 independence vote a referendum that the whole world knew the Spanish government couldnt accept.

Catalonia voted in a disputed independence referendum on October 1 that met a heavy police crackdown from the Spanish national police and civil guard, a military force tasked with domestic law enforcement.

The Catalan government said 90 percent voted in favour of secession, but turnout was less than 50 percent.





Catalan President Carles Puigdemont declared independence on October 10, but suspended the declaration to encourage talks with Madrid. A series of ultimatums from Madrid followed. To date, no direct talks have taken place.

Rajoy said that dialogue was never offered to the Spanish government, only an imposition from the Catalan leaders.

When asked if he feared further protests and instability in Catalonia as a result of Article 155, Rajoy responded: I think the only fear a leader can have is to not comply with his obligations.

The article allows central authorities to intervene if a regional government doesnt comply with the obligations of the Constitution or other laws it imposes, or acts in a way that seriously undermines the interests of Spain.

It also requires a vote of absolute majority from the Spanish Senate, which is expected to meet next Friday to address the measure.

Rajoy, who leads a minority government, has the support of the centre-left Socialist party and centre-right Citizens party, which will be enough votes to enact Article 155.

But the measure has never been used, is only two paragraphs long and does not provide a blueprint for implementation.

Al Jazeera spoke with Ignacio Garcia Vitoria, a constitutional law professor and expert from Madrids Complutense University, about Article 155, why Catalonias independence referendum is illegal under Spanish law and the possibilities of constitutional reform.

Al Jazeera: Article 155 is brief. How much power does it give the Spanish government to manage the Catalan government?

Ignacio Garcia Vitoria: The application of the article does not mean the suspension of the autonomy of Catalonia, which is protected by the Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy. It says that the government can adopt necessary measures to force the institutions of an autonomous community to fulfil its constitutional obligations.

The measures taken are subject to the requirement of necessity. It is a political control, the Senate acts as a political control, and theres also control from the courts over the measures that the government is taking under the umbrella of this article.

Al Jazeera: So, how general can the national government be in its control of Catalonia?

Garcia: I believe that the application of Article 155 does not involve the adoption of a single measure of general extent, but rather the possibility of progressively taking concrete measures.

For example, ordering the regional police to comply with the rulings issued by the courts or to order autonomous officials to take action to curb the illegal collection of personal data of Catalan citizens. Each of the measures adopted will be subject to double control: Political, through the prior authorisation of the Senate and also through Congress, through parliamentary control instruments (questions, interpretations, motions ); and legal control [through the courts].

Depending on the nature of each of the measures adopted by the government, the jurisdiction would be the Constitutional Court or ordinary jurisdiction. In short, it is not a general suspension, but a limited power and subject to political and judicial control.

Al Jazeera: Has there been a previous use of Article 155 that the Spanish government can use as an example?

Garcia: There has been no precedent in the 40 years of the Constitution that an institution of an Autonomous Community has [had Article 155 enacted].

There have been conflicts, which have been resolved through negotiation and also through judicial appeals where it has not been possible to reach an agreement.

But always from the conviction that the constitutional norms bind us all. And that legitimate attempts to revise or modify those standards should be made in accordance with the rule of law.

It is a break from the classical principles of the rule of law and constitutional democracy. It is a unique case in Spain and in Europe.

Al Jazeera: If the Senate approves the implementation of Article 155, what are the limits of its use?

Garcia: Article 155 sets a direct limit: the need for the measure. The control of the proportionality of the governments action is a well-established principle in our legal system.

In addition, all measures adopted will be subject to the limits set by the Constitution and European law. We are not facing a case of suspension of the validity of the Constitution. And in particular, the suspension of fundamental rights is not possible.

This temporary suspension can only occur through states of emergency (article 55.1 of the Constitution). [There will be] internal judicial control and also control from EU institutions and the European courts.

Al Jazeera: Is there something you believe international readers should understand about Spains Article 155?

Garcia: Article 155 is not a unique aspect of our constitution. Spain is not different. Germany or Italy, countries to which we looked when we adopted the 1978 Constitution, contain similar rules (Article 37 of the Fundamental Law of Bonn and Article 120 of the Italian Constitution).

We have a constitution that can be reformed. It even admits the possibility of a total revision of the Constitution. It is a topic that we have been discussing, sometimes more in the academic than in the political arena. In 2014, we published a group of teachers a book titled Guidelines for Constitutional Reform. The reform procedures and required majorities are similar to those in other countries around us.

I would personally like to see, for example, a better distribution of powers or greater protection of social rights. But I need the political majorities required to reform the Constitution. And if I do not have them, I will have to work in the political arena to achieve my aspirations. Getting those majorities in the elections or negotiating with other political forces.

What we are discussing is whether autonomous institutions can threaten the rupture of the constitutional system to achieve certain political objectives.

It is possible to discuss the desirability of including a withdrawal clause in the Constitution, such as that used by the United Kingdom to leave the EU.

But it is not a constitutional reform that can be imposed by the government of an Autonomous Community, because the Constitution is a common good for all.

*This interview has been translated from Spanish and condensed for clarity.










English News Cargo train services connect China with 34 European cities

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 21 Octobre 2017



A total of 57 routes have been opened, linking 34 Chinese cities with 34 European cities in 12 countries. In 2016, the number of China-Europe freight trains surpassed 1,700, including 1,130 outbound trains and 572 inbound trains, an increase of 109 percent year on year.

By Wan Yu from Peoples Daily A working meeting on deepened international cooperation of China-Europe freight trains was recently held in Zhengzhou, central Chinas Henan Province. The event came as data showed that the trains have connected China with 34 cities in 12 European countries after six years of operation.



During the three-day meeting starting on Tuesday, more than 70 railway representatives from China, Belarus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland and Russia discussed their collaboration roadmap as well as working plans for the joint working group they set up. It was also their first meeting as members of the group.



The conference marked an intensified cooperation on China-Europe cargo train services.



China-Europe freight train, or China Railway Express to Europe, is a cargo train service between China and Europe, as well as Belt and Road countries that runs on fixed routes and schedules.



More than 5,000 cargo train trips have been made between China and Europe since the start of the direct rail freight services six years ago, half of which were made in 2017, showed statistics from China Railway Corporation (CRC).



A total of 57 routes have been opened, linking 34 Chinese cities with 34 European cities in 12 countries. In 2016, the number of China-Europe freight trains surpassed 1,700, including 1,130 outbound trains and 572 inbound trains, an increase of 109 percent year on year.



The 13,052-kilometer rail from eastern Chinas city of Yiwu to Madrid via Alataw Pass in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been in operation for more than 1,000 days since it set off for the first time on November 18, 2014.



Currently, nine routes from Yiwu to Europe have been opened, including the ones to Madrid, London and Prague. With 5 logistics centers and eight overseas warehouses, these routes radiate 34 countries.



The freight train service transports goods from eight Chinese provinces and municipalities including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai, covering nearly 2,000 items of China-made products such as small commodities, clothes, bags and tools.



Overseas projects, including the China-Belarus Industrial Park, and a wholesale market for small commodities set up by China in Warsaw, also benefited from the service.



Railway authorities of China, Belarus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland and Russia, inked an agreement to deepen cooperation on China-Europe freight rail services this April, said CRC, adding that this meeting held at its call aims to ensure a better implementation of the agreement.



During the three-day meeting, representatives also discussed next years plans, specific operation of the broad-gauge sections, time and place for the team's next meeting and procedures for new member enrollment.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China sees prosperous development of offshore wind power generation China speeds up efforts to expand, renovate expressways 'First-store economy' leads consumption upgrade Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News China tops medal table at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 with 15 golds

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 21 Octobre 2017



The WorldSkills General Assembly announced in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 11 that Chinese city of Shanghai was selected to host the 46th event in 2021.

By Han Xiaoming, Liu Junguo from Peoples Daily Chinese delegation topped the medal table at the WorldSkill 2017 that concluded on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by scoring 15 gold medals, 7 silvers, 8 bronzes, and 12 medallions.



It was the fourth time that China participated in the competition after it joined the WorldSkills International (WSI) in October 2010.



The Chinese delegation, consisted of 52 competitors, participated in 47 games in 6 categories including transportation and logistics, structure and building technology, information and communications technology, as well as creative art and fashion.



The biennial WorldSkills Competition, billed as the "Olympics of Skills", represents the highest level in vocational skills.



The WorldSkills General Assembly announced in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 11 that Chinese city of Shanghai was selected to host the 46th event in 2021.



Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a video message in support for China's bid before the vote. Extending a staunch support to Shanghai's bid on behalf of the Chinese authority and people, he assured that the city will be ready to host a highly innovative and influential event.



Xi said the competition will promote international exchanges and cooperation in vocational skills, drive the Chinese people - especially nearly 200 million young people - to take up new skills and provide an opportunity for China to contribute to global skills development.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China sees prosperous development of offshore wind power generation China speeds up efforts to expand, renovate expressways 'First-store economy' leads consumption upgrade Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News China treats domestic, foreign firms equally in policy-making: official

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 21 Octobre 2017



Manufacturers from all countries are welcomed to join Chinas initiative to seek a win-win cooperation, Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

By Wan Yu from Peoples Daily Both domestic and foreign companies will be given equal treatment when China works on detailed policies for its "Made in China 2025" strategy, a blueprint for upgrading the country's manufacturing sector, Chinas industry and technology regulator pledged on Thursday.



Manufacturers from all countries are welcomed to join Chinas initiative to seek a win-win cooperation, Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).



Stressing the importance of industrialization and informatization in the course of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the minister urged an accelerated pace to build Chinas strength in manufacturing and cyberspace.



China remains the worlds biggest manufacturer and a major player in global cyberspace arena, he added.



Miao added that quality and efficiency should be given more weight in Chinas development plans, as the economy has come to a new phase. Chinas endeavor to speed up supply-side structural reform is an effort to meet the new demands in this new phase, he explained.



Miaos remarks are also an echo to Chinese President Xi Jinpings call to further supply-side structural reform.



In developing a modernized economy, we must focus on the real economy, give priority to improving the quality of the supply system, and enhance our economys strength in terms of quality, Xi said in thereport delivered to the 19th CPC National Congress on Wednesday.



China shipped $1.99 trillion worth of industrial products around the globe in 2016, accounting for one in seven of the worlds total, making the country the largest exporter of industrial products, Miao wrote in an article published previously.



The technology-intensive electromechanical products have replaced the labor-intensive textiles products to be the main driver of exports, Miao stressed, adding that the high-end equipment, a frontier ground in manufacturing sector, represents the core competitiveness of the whole industry.



Technical upgrade has been high on the agenda of Chinas Made in China 2025 strategy. In order to accomplish its goal, the country has rolled out innovation projects on high-end technology, and sped up special research programs on cutting-edge machine tools, aerial engine, gas turbine and large aircrafts.



A bunch of breakthroughs have been yielded in technology development, the official wrote, citing the evidence of Chinas operation of home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, as well as successful launch of the world's first quantum satellite and observation satellite Gaofen-4.



Gaofen-4 is China's first geosynchronous orbit high-definition optical imaging satellite and the world's most sophisticated.



The unmanned submersible "Haidou-1" independently developed by China makes the country the third after Japan and the US to build submersibles capable of reaching depths in excess of 10,000 meters, the minister added.



The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft successfully completed its automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab as well, he illustrated the accomplishments, adding that the bullet trains that China holds independent intellectual property rights has also grown into a name card of Made-in-China products.



Pic:

China's home-grown C919 large aircraft (Photo from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd.)



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China sees prosperous development of offshore wind power generation China speeds up efforts to expand, renovate expressways 'First-store economy' leads consumption upgrade Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News Chinese high-speed rail amazes world with China speed

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 21 Octobre 2017



China has built a high-speed rail network stretching more than 22,000 kilometers over the past five years, averaging 9 kilometers each day. In addition, 484 new high-speed rail stations have been constructed.

By Qiang Wei from Peoples Daily China has achieved an impressive Chinese speed in its development of the high speed rail after years of efforts, which can be verified by Fuxing, the latest model of the countrys bullet train.



It takes only four hours and a half for Fuxing to travel 1,300 kilometers from Beijing to Shanghais Hongqiao Railway Station, which is the busiest among all the train stations in China.



A train would pass the Hongqiao station every 84 seconds on average, even 19 seconds fewer than the departure interval of subways on rush hours.



Chinas high-speed rail has experienced rapid development since the country started to run its first 350-kilometres per hour high speed train between Beijing and Tianjin on August 1, 2008.



China has built a high-speed rail network stretching more than 22,000 kilometers over the past five years, averaging 9 kilometers each day. In addition, 484 new high-speed rail stations have been constructed.



So far, China has basically built the worlds largest network of high-speed rail with a four vertical and four horizontal structure. It is currently working to expand it to eight vertical and eight horizontal for a full coverage of the countrys central and western regions.



High-speed rail is a prioritized choice of many Chinese when it comes to medium- and short-distance travels. Connected with subways and light rails, high-speed rail services in many Chinese cities offer the same convenience as the subway does.



To enjoy crosstalk in Tianjin on weekends nowadays is made possible for people living in Beijing, as there are 251 high-speed trains running between the two cities every day.



In addition, Chinas bullet trains, with reliable advanced technology, cost-effective performance and rich operation experiences, are going global step by step. Each rail constructed is able to remain qualified for at least 20 years.



For example, Ankara-Istanbul line in Turkey, the first China-constructed high-speed rail for a foreign country, started operation in 2014. The high-speed railway linking Indonesian capital Jakarta to Bandung has also become a name card for Chinas construction of the Belt and Road initiative.



It is predicted that in the coming years, more bullet trains produced by China with independent technologies and in accordance with Chinese standards will be running across the world.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China sees prosperous development of offshore wind power generation China speeds up efforts to expand, renovate expressways 'First-store economy' leads consumption upgrade Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
The Cleveland State Debate Team has something to smile about. The team just returned from two tournaments with three trophies! The team recently attended the Smoky Mountain Debate Tournament at Walters State Community College where Team Captain Alex Olive won fourth place in the Novice Speaker Awards competition in a field of over 100 students. The team also attended the John G. Fee Memorial Tournament at Berea College where they brought home second place overall in debate and second place overall in individual events.



It's great to see our students achieve these awards in just their second year of competition, said Dr. Michael Stokes, vice president of Student Services. Laurie Rowland and the other faculty who work with our Debate Team are doing a great job in building a program that offers opportunities for students who are interested in debate and other communications competitions. We are really proud of these students!



The team participates in parliamentary style debate, meaning they are given a topic which they have 15 minutes to prepare, then they have to debate it.



Laurie Rowland, assistant professor of Communication and Debate Team advisor, said, They have already exceeded my expectations. I was hoping to get one trophy this year, and weve already won three! The majority of these students are first time freshmen, so for them to already be at this point, is just phenomenal! They are all really competitive and committed to what they are doing, and Im very proud of them.



It felt great to win, said Alex Olive, team captain. Our team is very consistent and dedicated, and we all want to win, so thats definitely a good thing.



The team will be competing in the BBQ Capital of the World Debate Tournament in Owensboro Community College on Nov. 3-4, and looks forward to hosting their own collegiate debate tournament, the Cleveland State Forensics Classic, on March 23-24.



Mr. Olive said, We are all looking forward to our upcoming tournaments. At this point, every single member of our team has won at least one round, so everyone is feeling more confident and ready to go! Ms. Rowland is one of the most hardest working professors I know. She has been great to work with and is always very helpful in trying to educate and prepare the team. Now that we are starting to win some and we have established ourselves as a team with a decent reputation, we want to host our own tournament and hopefully strengthen the community of debate in east Tennessee."



Ms. Rowland said she will need help from both faculty and staff as well as the community for the CSCC Forensics Classic on March 23-24, so if anyone would like to volunteer to be a judge or a runner, they should to contact her at lrowland01@clevelandstatecc.edu or call 423 473-2333.




The most striking thing about the Harvey Weinstein revelations is the complete, almost syndicated, nature of the imputed wrongdoing. Seamlessness characterizes all successful cover-ups, but this one appears particularly sinister because narcissistic illusion was the participants stock-in-trade. It was also their Achilles heel.

According to reports, gorgeous, soigne women who affected tough, powerful personas on and off stage were, behind the scenes, belittled and overwhelmed by this monstrous overlord. Those who thwarted his advances were bought off. Others who werent bought off were silenced by collusive media. Still others were consigned to anonymity, abandoned to their own confusion. And still more others succumbed to a blended state of normalcy and moral unease, accepting professional favors and working with the man who had degraded them, probably wondering: Did that happen? It seems no accident that the film head married a fashion designer. With Weinstein able to force actresses on his payroll to wear his wifes designs on the red carpet, he could burn his alpha-male brand onto the bodies of an even larger harem.

Everyone, underlings no less than, it is rumored, his own board of directors, were pimping for him, which must have been the point. I use pimping both in a corporate and sexual sense. Reportedly, Weinstein had a provision in his contract obligating him to pay for any consequences from his predations. I mean, what went down when private investors came a-courting? Was Weinstein listed as a potential liability? How did they cap the risk? By number of serial episodes per fiscal quarter? By the percentage of victims algorithmically projected to resist? Did the company take out Key-Man Insurance on Weinstein for the eventuality that is now upon them? Im speaking tongue-in-cheek, but thats how routinized the coordinated efforts to sate the mans very specific aquatic/phobic/exhibitionist appetites appear to have been.

And thats just the company! Beyond the company was a whole glamor industry of enablers. The next thing I wouldnt be surprised to hear is that Obama was secretly writing a screenplay while in office. But of course in reality he was composing his Title IX Dear Colleague letter stripping male college students of their due-process rights because they were all, everybody knew, would-be rapists. Meanwhile he was welcoming Weinstein into the bosom of his family.

Mia Sorvino qualified her story of assault with the humble acknowledgement: I still owe him a debt of gratitude. To say nothing of an Oscar. Therein may be housed the Gordian Knot of ultimate motivation (which was, obviously, not sex). Who knows that the mogul didnt spot early on the comers that long experience told him would go on to big things? His molestations or whatever they were muddied the waters. The womens achievements would forever after be adulterated, in their own minds and now in those of the public. #Metoo notwithstanding, they appear in hindsight as poseurs, as ventriloquized speakers of feminist autonomy.

How do you monetize moral ambiguity?

Sorvina and Tina Brown and Donna Karan and others hedging Weinsteins bad acts in light of his genius -- or exalting Roman Polansky at Weinsteins behest -- doesnt this invidious indulgence show how the Left finds malevolence everywhere but in its own backyard? We all accept that art has a special place in society. Just as the philosopher Immanuel Kant reasoned that aesthetic perception was a unique form of cognition, we differentiate between work and creation. We revere genius. The law goes out of its way to protect originality. This is because creative endeavor embodies remnants of an ancient holism between spirit and mind that contemporary society has, ever since art decoupled from religion, irretrievably lost. In its impoverishment, society seeks substitutes. Thats understandable. But the Left goes beyond that. It gives auteurist creeps a pass. It privileges its transgressive heroes. It hoists to no-fault superiority those who present to our fatigued senses fabricated knock-offs of the sublime.

Consider these two other recent examples:

In an article in The New Yorker on the Resistances newest ploy to impeach the president via the Twenty-fifth Amendment, as well as pathologize the judgements of ordinary citizens, Masha Gessen glosses over the role of psychiatry as a repressive instrument of the state in the Soviet Union:

I once saw Alexander Esenin-Volpin, one of the founders of the Soviet dissident movement, receive his medical documents, dating back to his hospitalizations decades earlier. His diagnosis of mental illness was based explicitly on his expressed belief that protest could overturn the Soviet regime. Esenin-Volpin laughed with delight when he read the document. It was funny. It was also accurate: the idea that the protest of a few intellectuals could bring down the Soviet regime was insane. Esenin-Volpin, in fact, struggled with mental-health issues throughout his life. He was also a visionary.

So, the collaboration of psychiatry in the murder, relocation, and ostracism of millions doesnt rank because a few visionaries could laugh about it afterwards? Notice for Gessen, it is only those fashionably afflicted few cherrypicked for fame by the West who merit a mention.

The other example is one Ive written on extensively. Richard Prince, the appropriation artist, is currently being sued by Donald Graham, a professional fine-arts photographer who uploaded an image he created onto Instagram, only to see it reprinted by Prince, enlarged, and repackaged as the latters own. The cultural left celebrates and litigates as amicii on behalf of this tired reenactment of Duchampian tricksterism. Morality is for suckers like you and me, after all. And even though it is well-known that photographers and other artists who hustle for a living turn to Instagram to promote themselves, dont count on Instagram to come to the working stiffs rescue. It didnt in this case, even though Prince violated its Terms of Service.

And copyright law -- well, as long as there is the New York Times et al., there will be an elite intelligentsia to pen hip apologias for their parasitism. Just like Weinstein did for Polanski; and Michelle Goldberg does for Weinstein; and Gessen and Suk Gerson do for the risibly named Duty to Warn gang of celebrity therapists currently assuring us they are thrusting themselves into the anti-Trump limelight not to aggrandize their own fortunes but for our protection. Note how effective the oh-so-solicitous psychiatric establishment was at warning in the case of Stephen Paddock.

By contrast, when Jack Phillips, a religious baker, beseeches the state of Colorado for meagre leeway in its application of its public accommodations law in order to fulfill his artistic vocation to serve God through his commercial craft, all hell breaks loose. The Left calls for the sliver of nonconformity Phillips threatens to be extirpated. The state decrees that Phillips employees submit to reprogramming.

Not that the Left will ever acknowledge the hypocrisy of its persecutory tactics. Phillips holds the sincere belief that his custom-made cakes are works of art and therefore inherent speech protected by the First Amendment, which takes priority over the state law that would compel him to participate intimately in a ceremony his beliefs proscribe. The Left disparages this preposterous idea, as it does all honest communicative labor not up to the level of trendiness they require. How dare Phillips consider his visually and symbolically elaborate confections art?

Besides, he should have known: sincerity is out. The line of demarcation is so obvious. Rapists and thieves are one thing. Devout Christians, quite another.
The latest documentary project of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, a sprawling ten-episode, eighteen-hour film on the war in Vietnam, has provoked a fawning and predictable media response. Reviewers uniformly opine about how admirably it documents what the country's chattering classes have known since the 1960s: that the United States was on the wrong side in the war and morally deserved to lose.

The film's heavy skew in the direction of the now well established antiwar narrative of the American cultural elite is evident most obviously in the jarring ideological imbalance of the Vietnam veterans chosen by the filmmakers to contribute commentary to the film. The overwhelming majority of them are antiwar activists. The radical "poet of Vietnam," W.D. Ehrhart, is given ample time to present his bizarre theories regarding American military history and to viciously condemn the American command during the war in which he served. Another celebrity soldier-writer, Tim O'Brien, lugubriously laments his youthful inability to free himself sufficiently from the shackles of the obviously vapid patriotism of his neighbors in small-town America to pursue the true path of courage: refusal of military service.

The lone soldier presented who does not fit the model is Denton Crocker, Jr., an enthusiastic enlistee whose principled anti-communism structured his thinking about the war. But Crocker died in combat, and so Burns and Novick deftly avoid the need to include any retrospective observations from him that would indicate even the slightest sustained support for the war. All soldiers in Vietnam were or eventually became cynical about the war effort  that is the film's story. The major voice from the Crocker family presented in the film is not Denton's, but that of his sister, an antiwar activist who is given wide latitude to discuss how misled her brother was about the conflict.

A former member of the Vietnam Veterans against the War, John Musgrave, serves as the prototype for what is insinuated would inevitably have happened to Crocker if he had survived. Musgrave went into Vietnam with the patriotic fortitude provided by a family of military veterans, and by the end of his tour, he had become a shaggy, suicidally depressive member of the radical counterculture.

The selective spin of the filmmakers' choices as to who represents the men who served in Vietnam is evident if one has read objective accounts of the attitudes of veterans of that war. They are generally dissatisfied not with what they did during their service or the Cold War anti-communist philosophy that framed the conflict, but with indecisive political elites, a savagely partisan media, and a fickle and uninformed public that treated the returning veterans with vicious contempt. If one makes the effort to talk to the overwhelming majority of Vietnam veterans who are not published and feted writers and media celebrities, one quickly understands how poorly Ehrhart, O'Brien, and Musgrave stand in for them. But the typical viewer of this film will almost certainly not have done this homework, and Burns and Novick know and exploit that quite well.

The film's handling of the Tet Offensive of early 1968 provides another neat encapsulation of its ideological thrust. Any objective summary of Tet defines it as a massive Viet Cong-North Vietnamese defeat, and its major consequence militarily was the near elimination of the ability of the Southern insurgents to continue to fight. How, then, did this crushing defeat of the communists, in the words of the filmmakers, "turn out to be a still greater victory" for them? Burns and Novick studiously avoid the true answer, which is that the American media and antiwar movement relentlessly presented it as such, and the American public never came to know the reality of Tet or indeed much else that was happening militarily in the several years thereafter. Objective accounts have consistently emphasized that the enemies' forces were strained after Tet to the breaking point, and the Nixon administration's efforts to press that advantage to victory were critically hampered by the work of congressional doves to defund the war.

Two venerable antiwar symbols of Tet get the lion's share of the filmmakers' attention: the massacre by American troops at My Lai and the summary execution of a Viet Cong prisoner by South Vietnam National Police chief Nguyen Loan, famously captured by an American photographer. No contextualization of these events is provided. The Loan photo became a consistent symbolic prop of the anti-war movement, with its desired reading of a morally corrupt American ally and a helpless innocent victim of their (and our) brutality. But what had the executed man done to merit such a fate? As the leader of a terrorist attack squad, he had just slit the throats of the wife, six children, and elderly mother of a South Vietnamese officer. The propaganda value of this photo for the anti-war movement has always relied on a radical distortion of the moral valence of the enemy and an equally simplistic view of the stern business of successfully prosecuting a war, and Burns and Novick make no effort to bring a more complex vision to bear here.

Similarly, My Lai is presented absent the relevant context of the terrorist insurgency that was the Tet Offensive. The responsible American unit had reason to believe that the village was harboring a V.C. battalion that had just carried out a bloody attack, and they had taken dreadfully heavy casualties in the preceding months from mines. None of this excuses what happened there, but it is telling that Burns and Novick linger at such length over My Lai and are so comparatively fleeting in their description of the tenfold greater level of systematic lethal violence inflicted on innocent civilians by the retreating communist forces at Hue.

The film is generally remarkably lacking any sustained substantive discussion of the ideological ruthlessness of the communists. Even the stolidly anti-war New York Times has recognized accounts in its op-ed pages over the years that make the well founded case that the enemy was basically everything so-called "anti-communist hysteria" of the '60s said it was and more.

Almost despite themselves, though, due to the sheer volume of material presented, Burns and Novick cannot avoid providing some of the evidence needed to properly understand the war effort and the work by some to sabotage it. They allow us to hear President Johnson's excoriation of Jack Horner of the Washington Star during Tet, and a discerning listener cannot help but note how much LBJ sounds like another American president in his assessment of the political role of the mainstream press:

Your press is lying like drunken sailors every day. First thing I wake up this morning, I was trying to figure out after ... watching the networks, reading the morning papers, how can we possibly win and survive as a nation and have to fight the press's lies? ... They talk about us bombing, yet these sons of b------ come in and bomb our embassy and 19 of 'em try to raid it and all 19 get killed, and yet they blame the embassy. I don't understand it. We think we've killed 20,000, we think we've lost 400 ... it is a major, dramatic victory, and I think what would have happened if I'd lost 20,000 and they'd have lost 400? I ask you that.

Can there be any doubt as to the answer to the president's question?

Alexander Riley is the author of Angel Patriots: The Crash of United Flight 93 and the Myth of America.
Perhaps as startling as the revelation that the FBI was investigating the Hillary Clinton/Russia/Uranium One collusion and that key figures like Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe knew about it and said nothing, is the refusal by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to remove the non-disclosure agreement gag order on the FBI informant who arguably could put Bill and Hillary Clinton and a few others in federal prison.

It was said the Jeff Sessions recused himself from all things Russian because of election campaign conflicts but is it really because he thought it would insulate him from having to divulge what he knew about Uranium One and the people who at the very least knew about the deal, some who approved the deal, including past and present members of the FBI, the DOJ, and Special Counsel Robert Millers team? Is Jeff Sessions part of the Uranium One cover-up? If not, then he needs to explain why he is thus far refusing Sen. Chuck Grassleys request to lift the gag order imposed by the Obama administration as part of the Uranium One cover-up:

A top Senate Republican is calling for the Justice Department to lift an apparent gag order on an FBI informant who reportedly helped the U.S. uncover a corruption and bribery scheme by Russian nuclear officials but allegedly was threatened by the Obama administration to stay quiet. Witnesses who want to talk to Congress should not be gagged and threatened with prosecution for talking. If that has happened, senior DOJ leadership needs to fix it and release the witness from the gag order, Grassley said in a statement. Victoria Toensing, a lawyer for the former FBI informant, told Fox News Americas Newsroom that her client has specific information about contributions and bribes to various entities and people in the United States." She said she could not go further because her client has not been released from a nondisclosure agreement but suggested the gag order could be lifted soon. Toensing also claimed that her client was threatened by the Loretta Lynch Justice Department when he pursued a civil action in which he reportedly sought to disclose some information about the case. In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Grassley said such an NDA would appear to improperly prevent the individual from making critical, good faith disclosures to Congress of potential wrongdoing. The Hill reported earlier this week that the FBI had evidence as early as 2009 that Russian operatives used bribes, kickbacks and other dirty tactics to expand Moscows atomic energy footprint in the U.S. Grassley on Wednesday released a series of letters he fired off last week to 10 federal agencies, raising the question of whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) which approved the uranium transaction was aware of that FBI probe -- and pointing to potential conflicts involving the Clintons. The committee included then-Secretary of State Clinton.

So why not just lift the gag order, vacate the non-disclosure agreement, which Sessions has the power to do, and let the informant come forward with information on how and why the Clintons conspired to put 20 percent of our uranium assets under Russian control while lining the pockets of the Clintons and their pay-for-play foundation? As Toensing notes, Sessions could do it, and thereby bring to light the details of this criminal enterprise:

The lead investigators on the case included Rod Rosenstein, who is now the deputy attorney general, and Andrew McCabe, who is now the deputy FBI director. Rosenstein is the DOJ official who appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to investigate alleged collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the collusion/campaign investigation. He could waive the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) signed by the informant, said Toensing. "Yes, Jeff could do it," she said. "He is not recused from this matter and should not be." However, Rod Rosenstein "is conflicted," said Toensing, "because he was the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case involving my client." Toensing added that she has "asked an oversight committee to pursue the release" of the NDA so her client may testify before Congress about what he knows.

By lifting the gag order, Sessions might have to explain the real reasons behind his recusal and why people who knew of actual collusion between Russia and the Clintons were silent, only to reappear to investigate and pursue prosecution of nonexistent collusion between Russia and Team Trump. He might have to explain why Mueller, McCabe, Rosenstein and others were allowed to hide the truth from the American people and why they should not be summarily fired. As Grassley notes, neither Sessions or anyone in the Justice Department has the authority to block the informant from testifying before Congress or issue non-disclosure agreements to thwart Congressional oversight:

The Executive Branch does not have the authority to use non-disclosure agreements to avoid Congressional scrutiny," Grassley wrote. "If the FBI is allowed to contract itself out of Congressional oversight, it would seriously undermine our Constitutional system of checks and balances. The Justice Department needs to work with the Committee to ensure that witnesses are free to speak without fear, intimidation or retaliation from law enforcement."

Again, perhaps the reluctance of Jeff Sessions stems from the web of deceit and complicity that ensnares many in the FBI and the Justice Department. As Fox News analyst Gregg Jarrett notes on the Uranium One scandal:

It seems it was all covered up for years by the same three people who are now involved in the investigation of President Donald Trump over so-called Russian collusion. But why has there been no prosecution of Clinton? Why did the FBI and the Department of Justice during the Obama administration keep the evidence secret? Was it concealed to prevent a scandal that would poison Barack Obamas presidency? Was Hillary Clinton being protected in her quest to succeed him? The answer may lie with the people who were in charge of the investigation and who knew of its explosive impact. Who are they? Eric Holder was the Attorney General when the FBI began uncovering the Russian corruption scheme in 2009. Since the FBI reports to him, he surely knew what the bureau had uncovered. Whats more, Holder was a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States which approved the uranium sale to the Russians in 2010. Since the vote was unanimous, it appears Holder knowingly and deliberately countenanced a deal that was based on illegal activities and which gave Moscow control of more than 20 percent of Americas uranium assets. It gets worse. Robert Mueller was the FBI Director during the time of the Russian uranium probe, and so was his successor James Comey who took over in 2013 as the FBI was still developing the case. Rod Rosenstein, then-U.S. Attorney, was supervising the case. There is no indication that any of these men ever told Congress of all the incriminating evidence they had discovered and the connection to Clinton. The entire matter was kept secret from the American public. It may be no coincidence that Mueller (now special counsel) and Rosenstein (now Deputy Attorney General) are the two top people currently investigating whether the Trump campaign conspired with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller reports to Rosenstein, while Comey is a key witness in the case. It is not unreasonable to conclude that Mueller, Rosenstein and Comey may have covered up potential crimes involving Clinton and Russia, but are now determined to find some evidence that Trump colluded with Russia.

Boom. The question is now whether Jeff Sessions wants to help President Trump to drain the swamp be vacating the gag order and letting evidence come forth proving the Clintons orchestrated the greatest criminal conspiracy in U.S. history at the expense of American national security or whether he is just another swamp thing committed to clogging up the drainage pipes. Justice may be blind, but it should never be gagged.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared inInvestors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
The Democrats viciously attacked George W. Bush during his presidency as an illegitimate president because of the Florida recount. The Democrats and their cheerleaders in the media and Hollywood called him stupid and a moron and compared him to Hitler. Harry Reid called him a loser and declared the Iraq war lost.

The Republican and conservative voters stuck with Bush, re-elected him in 2004, and supported his policies.

After his election, Obama blamed all the problems with the economy, war, and everything else on Bush. Bush remained silent. He never defended himself, nor did he criticize Obama for scandals such as Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS harassment of conservative groups, and racial division.

On October 19, 2017, Bush gave a speech in which he criticized President Trump and Trump voters and supporters. Bush said:

Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children.

...and...

We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, Forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.

Bush had no problem with the Democrats for eight years calling him stupid, a loser, and Hitler. But now he talks about "bullying, prejudice, cruelty, and bigotry" without having the courage to say who is doing the bullying, prejudice, cruelty, and bigotry. Why didn't Bush complain when Hillary called Trump supporters "deplorables," or when Obama said those who didn't vote for him cling to guns and religion?

Worse, Bush labels the current support for building the wall and enforcing immigration laws as "nativism," which means that the Trump-supporters who support enforcing our immigration laws are nativists. Nativism meant promoting the rights and interests of citizens, but now it has acquired a pejorative meaning as being anti-immigrant and bigoted, which is how Bush meant it without distinguishing between legal and illegal immigration.

Maybe Bush does not understand that enforcing our immigration laws, such as building a wall, is aimed at stopping illegal immigration. This saves American lives and secures our borders. Bush casually says we have "forgotten the dynamism that immigration brought to America," as if President Trump and his supporters wanted to stop all immigration, legal and illegal.

If this is not bad enough, Bush joined the Democrats in the "Russia collusion" drivel:

America is experiencing the sustained attempt by a hostile power to feed and exploit our country's divisions. According to our intelligence services, the Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other. This effort is broad, systematic and stealthy, it's conducted across a range of social media.

Maybe Bush believes that Putin made Harry Reid call Bush a loser. Bush is not concerned about Hillary and Obama approving the sale of 20% of our uranium to a "hostile power," but he is concerned about postings on social media, as if Trump voters are swayed by Russian propaganda. This is an insult to Trump voters. We knew about Hillary without any help from Russians or anyone else.

We have divisions because we disagree strongly with the policies of Obama and Hillary. We do not need Putin or anyone else to inform us of the disaster of a Hillary presidency following the disastrous Obama presidency.

It seems that Bush does not understand or appreciate the opposition we had to the Obama policies and to the threat of a Hillary presidency. Bush diminishes the views of Trump supporters by blaming the Russians for contributing to our disagreements. Bush is as out of touch as his father was in 1991, raising taxes when he had promised not to.

Bush was attacked just as badly as, if not worse than, President Trump is attacked. The difference is that President Trump fights back. He is not a punching bag like Bush.

I suspect that Bush attacks Trump because Trump beat Jeb, the anointed candidate of the Bush Republican establishment. Some say Bush attacks President Trump because Trump said Bush lied about Iraq, but Hillary, Obama, and the Democrats said this for eight years without any reply from Bush.

As a Bush voter, I have lost respect for Bush. But instead of supporting President Trump, as many future Trump voters supported Bush, Bush joins Obama, Hillary, and the rest of the Democrats to attack Trump. Bush essentially joined Hillary in calling us deplorables, with the added touch of nativists, bigots, and bullies, and gullible to Russian propaganda.

As President Trump would say, SAD.

Bush has no idea why Trump voters voted for Trump. Evidently, it is a family trait to not stand by the voters who put you in office.
Republicans in D.C. regularly are lectured on how important it is to work with members of both parties to get important things done. We hear this mostly when Republicans are in charge.

Do you remember Obama working with Republicans on Obamacare and allowing everyone to see the bill before it was passed? Do you remember Obama calling Republicans to work with them on the Iran deal? Or did he do these things behind closed doors, in secret? Was the Paris climate agreement done with Republican agreement, or was it done without Congress at all? Did Obama ask for Republican input before his administration approved the sale of uranium to the Russians? Did Republicans get any kickbacks?

The following excerpts from a Catherine Rampell opinion piece in the Washington Post illustrate the conventional wisdom foisted onto the GOP.

Republicans may have unified control of government but they seem curiously incapable of getting major agenda items through. Maybe it's because Republicans have insisted on cutting out Democrats and doing things unilaterally. Or at least they had been until Thursday, when a bipartisan coalition of 24 senators signed onto a bill to patch up Obamacare.

This is not a patch to fix Obamacare. It is a bailout of insurance companies to mask price increases. It helps a small percentage of people and continues to punish the rest of us. The patch is necessary because Trump is enforcing the law of the land while Obama was stealing the money that was not appropriated.

If you actually want to reform and simplify the tax code, you have to close loopholes benefitting some constituents. If you want to cut rates without increasing deficits, you need to find money elsewhere, either through spending cuts or other tax increases. Which some affected group is going to be unhappy about.

I am baffled why journalists won't tell the truth that Bush's tax cuts generated massive amounts of additional money for the government. The only times media and Democrats seem concerned about deficits and debt is when anyone decides that it would be good for individuals and businesses to be able to keep more of the money they earned. It seems there is never enough for the greedy government and Democrats.

Republicans are similarly stuck with the blame for everything that goes wrong in the health-care system.

It is amazing that Democrats and their puppet supporters have been able to take a program that has been collapsing spectacularly for seven years and deflect blame to a president and other Republicans who had nothing to do with it.

Right now, Republican leadership is beholden to the craziest members of its own party. Someone such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) knows he can make unreasonable demands because McConnell can't afford defections.

So people who want smaller government and more power for the private sector are crazy.

Aiming for a bipartisan coalition of the middle 60 or so votes, instead of requiring the vote of nearly every Republican, would avoid giving undue power to any one legislator (crazy or otherwise).

Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi don't allow Democrats to get off the reservation, so where will Republicans get the votes?

Finally, if the majority party successfully achieves meaningful support from the minority, it's less likely that a major policy initiative would be undone or sabotaged when the balance of power shifts. That's a lesson the Democrats have of course learned with Obamacare, which passed along party lines (despite Obama's efforts to woo Republican votes).

Where is there any indication that Democrats learned that lesson? I also don't recall Obama giving in to any Republican ideas on Obamacare. They would have been against the individual mandate, which Obama said he was against in 2008; against all the new taxes; against the birth control mandate; and for tort reform, freedom of choice on what kind to buy, etc. So where did Obama make an effort?

Where has a Republican bending to the left won Democrat support, especially in a presidential election? And where have reporters told Democrats they should give in and compromise with a conservative president?

Bipartisanship to the media means that Republicans give in. Republicans have won over 1,000 seats nationwide the last seven years by continually advocating smaller government, lower taxes, and less regulation. It is a shame that Republicans like McCain, Collins, Bush, and Corker fall for the garbage spewed forth by the left.

Is any Republican ignorant enough to believe that reporters and other Democrats want them to win an election? If not, why would they take their advice? How often do journalists advocate that Democrats move right, no matter how many seats they lose?
Maybe I spoke too soon. Far from recognizing the masterly statement of President Trump's chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly, in the wake of the brouhaha over President Trump's condolence call to the wife of a fallen serviceman, the left has doubled down on screeching attacks against Kelly, charging him with ever more outlandish epithets.

The congresswoman who horned in on the moment and tried to score political hay from it, Rep. Fredericka Wilson of Florida, has started yelling racism, the last refuge of today's scoundrels. She claimed that Kelly's use of the term 'empty barrel' to describe the contents of her unhinged mind was the same as attacking the color of her skin. The White House, she added, was "full of white supremacists."

The press, meanwhile has focused on calling Kelly a liar, saying an unearthed tape of Wilson's 2015 speech is proof positive that she never crowed about securing the financing for the building that was named after two fallen FBI agents. Actually, it's not proof - no one knows what she was crowing about in the before and after times of it, off camera to officials such as Kelly. Kelly has not backed down from his charge and just the inside-politics nature of it suggests it was not made up. Who would have thought of such a thing if it hadn't happened. It would be far easier to say Wilson was spitting in the punchbowl if things were going to be made up. But this isn't stopping the media from calling it story-over and demanding Kelly apologize.

Then there's Team Hillary, creativity-challenged in its Trump rage these days, calling General Kelly "odious," as former Hillary Clinton operative Brian Fallon declared on Twitter.

The charges are crazier and crazier as the left congeals in its inability to accept the wisdom and realism of Kelly's slam-dunk statement. Instead of moving on, they're like a frenzied hooked fish, thrashing and flopping wildly on a deck, knowing they've been caught.

It's a waste of time, as the Kelly statement speaks for itself. The Drudge Report has scraped the controversy off its website due to lack of reader interest. RealClearPolitics has largely moved the issue over to a side column. Fewer and fewer pieces are now coming out about it now. Game over. Yell as it likes, the left has lost.
I saw Nicole Wallace on The Today Show yesterday morning say it is Trump's fault that the news has been focused on the unverified phone call for five days.

I have heard Trump demand that reporters cover the massive corruption involved with the Russian uranium deal. So why do Nicole and other supposed reporters not follow Trump on that?

What I heard on CBS radio news yesterday morning was "The lead story is the phone call."

Reporters somehow act as if they have no choice on what to cover  and they all cover exactly the same thing in the same manner. They are essentially worthless puppets.

The Bush spokespeople say the speech wasn't about Trump, so why do they all cover it as though it was? Don't they believe him? When have the media ever respected what Bush said?

After watching the FBI, Justice Department, and IRS the last eight years, why would anyone trust them?

Reporters should be all over Mueller and Comey for being in charge of the FBI during the Russian uranium cover-up, but somehow they don't care. They are out there every day seeking to destroy Trump, no matter what he does. It makes me support Trump more and tells me the swamp is huge.

Thank God, Trump won. Hillary and Bill would have continued their massive corruption to make them and their friends rich.

I continually ask leftists to list Obama's domestic and foreign policy achievements, and I have yet to see a list. They would probably list the Iran deal, the pretend Paris agreement, and Obamacare. I believe that those are all unmitigated disasters.

When Hillary was running, we repeatedly heard from reporters that she was the most qualified person ever to run, and yet I never saw a list of foreign policy accomplishments of hers, either. I guess she did get uranium to the Russians.
Jeanine Pirro, a former judge and district attorney in Westchester County, N.Y., is building a reputation for blunt directness backed by legal expertise. She is able to cut through the haze of obfuscation and distraction that is the output of the mainstream media and focus on the concrete realities.

I suspect that Judge Jeanine gained this talent when addressing juries as a prosecutor, perhaps reminding them of the lives lost or the psychological trauma of victims when summing up a case against an accused violent criminal. She must have learned how to cut through the gossamer arguments spun by defense attorneys.

When she speaks about sex crimes, as she recently has done discussing Harvey Weinstein, real emotion flows through her voice, face, and body language.

Yesterday, Judge Jeanine spoke the awful truth about Uranium One and the Clintons.

You can watch the entire segment below. She calls Congresswoman Wilson a bozo before addressing the Criminals Clinton.

Tonight (Saturday), the judge has an hour on the Fox News air at 9 P.M. Eastern to expand upon her views. Usually, her first segment, called "Opening Statement," is tightly written and quite pointed. I hope it focuses on the Clintons  not just because I am a fan of Judge Pirro, but because the MSM are bound and determined to ignore the scandal and use every possible trick to slow the wheels of justice. So we need compelling statements from authoritative sources, preferably in video format that can be shared on social media.

Much of the public already is skeptical of both the Clintons and media. The media and Dems who throw themselves all in on the Clintons only accelerate the decline of their fortunes once the truth comes out.

The stakes are staggering.
According to a report from the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, 152 soldiers from the Afghan army who had been selected for special training in the United States have gone AWOL while on U.S. soil.

Fox News:

According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, 13 of the 152 who had gone AWOL were still at large as of March 7 of this year. Seventy of the 152 had fled the United States; 39 gained legal status in the U.S.; and 27 were arrested, removed or in the process of being removed from the U.S. Three no longer were AWOL or returned to their training base in the U.S.

"There are so many problems here, its hard to know where to start," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. "This is bad for national security, bad for Afghan military readiness, and bad for U.S. taxpayers."

AWOL Afghans are considered a security risk in the U.S. because they have military training and are of fighting age, and relatively few are ever arrested or detained.

Nearly all the Afghans who fled since 2005 were officers. Most were what the military calls "company grade" officers, meaning they were at the rank of lieutenant or captain. The prevalence of this group to abandon training posts is "particularly alarming," the report said, given the officers' important role in maintaining the overall readiness of the Afghan military.

The Afghans have fled from posts across America, including Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where they are required to take English-language training; Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

The report cited numerous bureaucratic impediments to catching AWOL Afghans. They are required to provide limited biographical and background information while in the U.S., which can make it difficult to track them down, it said. Also, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents cannot take any action to locate a missing Afghan trainee until the departments of Defense and State take certain actions to revoke the individual's official status. This delays the start of an ICE investigation in which time is of the essence, the report said.
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The Spanish cabinet is meeting today to decide the best way to revoke the autonomy of its northeastern region, Catalonia. The regional government wants to declare its independence from Spain following a referendum held three weeks ago.

The constitutional right to revoke the region's autonomy has never been invoked in the four decades of Spanish democracy.

Reuters:

Independence supporters were due to rally in the Catalan capital Barcelona on Saturday afternoon. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insists that Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who heads the wealthy northeastern region's government, has broken the law several times in pushing for independence, thus justifying the imposition of central government control. In an internal explanatory memorandum obtained by Reuters, the government said its objective was to restore the law, make sure the regional institutions were neutral, and to guarantee public services and economic activity as well as preserve the civil rights of all citizens. "The rulers of Catalonia have respected neither the law on which is based our democracy nor the general interest," the government said. Prime Minister Rajoy is faced with a delicate dilemma. Does he crack down hard, thus assuring that Spanish law is upheld? Or does he go easy on independence-supporters with a partial takeover of the regional government? Direct rule would be temporary and could range from dismissing the regional government to a softer approach of removing heads of specific departments. The exact measures must be agreed and voted upon in Spain's upper house, the Senate, and Rajoy wants the broadest consensus possible. The main opposition Socialists said on Friday they would back special measures and had agreed on the holding of regional elections in January. The government declined to confirm this, saying only that regional elections were likely and the details would be announced on Saturday.

Whatever he does, Rajoy risks a violent backlash from independence supporters. But he has the support of a vast majority of the Spanish people and even a majority of residents in Catalonia.

The revolt of Catalans is just the tip of the iceberg in Europe. There are minorities across the continent who yearn for their own state. But like Catalonia, majorities in these autonomous regions support maintaining their connection to their mother countries.

In Catalonia, for instance, the city of Barcelona is one of the most cosmopolitan in the world. It plays a vital role in the Spanish economy. You would hardly expect Spain to cut off its right arm by letting the city join Catalonia in independence. Similar integration occurs across other autonomous and ethnic regions in Europe.

The answer is what Catalonia will probably get: some kind of "super-autonomy," where the regional government gets to keep more tax revenue while more power is granted to the regional government. That won't satisfy some of the independence-supporters, but as a practical matter, it's the best they can hope for.
Parents who continue to send their children to college and alumni who continue to contribute to colleges should have their heads examined. We've gone way beyond "this is embarrassing."

1. "Northwestern doubles its programming on 'deconstructing masculinity'"

"The first event of this academic year in November will tackle 'toxic masculinity[.]' ... The program ... started in spring 2016 with a grant from the U.S. Justice Department."

2. "Swarthmore students burn American flag on Columbus Day"

3. "Students storm library, shut down College Republicans meeting"

4. "Marquette University hosts 'Black Male Appreciation Luncheon'"

5. "Grizzly Bigotry At The University of Montana"

6. "200 pro-life posters torn down at Loyola Marymount University"

7. Marquette University, a Jesuit-run university, to host LGBT 'Pride Prom' in campus ballroom

8. "Columbia University Pledges $100 Million To Campus Staff 'Diversity'"

9. Eastern Illinois University's 'Lincoln Hall' eyed for name change

10. "Hillary Clinton in talks with Columbia University to take on professor role"

One option under discussion is an esteemed "University Professor" role that would allow Clinton to lecture across a range of schools and departments without the requirement of a strict course load, one source said.

11. "University Refuses Research On Growing Numbers Of Trans People Who Want 'To Go Back'"

12. "Students at Cambridge University are being warned that they may have to study books with upsetting content  the plays of William Shakespeare. Lecturers claim the advice is to protect undergraduates' mental health, even though several of the Bard's works are known for their depiction of sex and violence."
I am an original source on Russian bribes, having been part of a 60 Minutes story with the late Mike Wallace in 1998.

As a congressional investigator for the House Committee on Rules, we had the "impeachment inquiry," and I was tasked to investigate successful attempts by the Chinese to buy in to the Clinton 1996 presidential campaign and also any and all Russian Mafia attempts at bribery.

In investigating Russian Mafia attempts at bribing President Clinton, I teamed up with Mike Wallace and his 60 Minutes team. We jointly interviewed Dr. Gregori Loutchansky, an alleged leader of a global criminal smuggling syndicate. We all met in a suite in the Hotel Maurice in Paris. Dr. Loutchansky really impressed me as a very smart man. He had been implicated in a bribery scheme through a NYC "straw donor" to then-president Clinton.

Mike Wallace and his able producers for the 60 Minutes segment pointed out how dangerous Dr. Loutchansky was in smuggling "bad things to bad people," mostly weapons and nuclear components for the development of weapons.

During the interview, Mr. Wallace, whom I have the utmost respect for, asked him directly: "Dr. Loutchansky, did you try to bribe President Bill Clinton?"

Answer: "Of course I did. It was not a crime for me"  followed by his jovial laugh.

Now we find out that in 2010, Russian criminal elements were finally successful in bribing Clinton, Inc.

This time, the corruption was a criminal gambit to capture 20% of our uranium mining activity. Nancy Soderberg, a real Clinton operative spin-master, tried to filibuster Tucker Carlson on his Fox show.

Tucker Carlson made a brilliant point that even if the successful bribery occurred years ago, the infamous Clinton spin machine  "old news, distant past, nothing to see, flush down the memory hole,"  was not going to work, because Tucker simply pointed out that it is still happening.

Uranium is now in the hands of ongoing operational criminal syndicates.

Most people say, correctly, that uranium-mining is part of the continuum of reactor operations leading to "bomb material," but that misses the real danger unleashed on the world by Clinton, Inc. greed.

In the development and refining of uranium, it is turned into the "yellow cake" and then oxygenated into UO2. Each step of the way, it gets more toxic to human life if not shielded and handled very carefully:

For inhalation or ingestion of soluble or moderately soluble compounds such as uranyl fluoride (UO 2 F2) or uranium tetrafluoride (UF4), the uranium enters the bloodstream and reaches the kidney and other internal organs, so that chemical toxicity is of primary importance. For inhalation of insoluble compounds such as uranium dioxide (UO2) and triuranium octaoxide (U3O8), the uranium is generally deposited in the lungs and can remain there for long periods of time (months or years). The main concern from exposure to these insoluble compounds is increased cancer risk from the internal exposure to radioactivity.

The half-life of dangerous UO2 is 4 billion years.

So thanks to Clinton greed and corruption, 20% of American uranium is now in the hands of totally corrupt people.

If this percentage is correct, I believe that about 64,000 tons of uranium ore will be refined. That's one hell of a lot of very toxic dirty bomb material. That is an environmental danger that makes global warming look like a walk in the park on a spring day.

I wonder what environmentalist think of Clinton, Inc. greed now!
A raid by Egyptian police on a suspected terrorist hideout in the Sinai Desert killed an unknown number of Islamists and resulted in the death of at least 50 police and conscripts.

The police apparently walked into an ambush.

One of the groups, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, is affilaited with ISIS.

Reuters:

Sources had said late on Friday at least 30 police were killed. Egypt is battling an Islamist insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an Islamic State affiliate, that has killed hundreds of security forces since 2013. The interior ministry released a statement on the operation on Friday but has so far not given any details on casualties. At least 23 police officers were killed and the other victims were conscripts, the sources said. Security sources on Friday said authorities were following a lead to a militant camp in the desert where eight suspected members of Hasm Movement were believed to be hiding. The group has claimed attacks around Cairo targeting judges and police. A convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle was ambushed from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices, one senior security source said. Militants are mostly fighting in remote northern Sinai where the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. Attacks mostly hit police and armed forces, but militants have also targetted Egypt's Christians and tourists.

The Sinai Desert is a vast expanse in northwestern Egypt that is lightly populated. It is the perfect hideout and training area for terrorists, who have been growing in strength in the last two years despite a determined effort by Egyptian president el-Sisi to reclaim the lawless frontier.

El-Sisi's predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, neglected security in the region, allowing terrorists to gain a foothold. Now small groups of terrorists swoop down on detachments of police and the army in hit-and-run attacks. They also carry out attacks that target the dwindling number of Christians in Egypt as well as foreign tourists.

ISIS in Egypt may be gaining recruits who have left Syria in search of more fighting. That's the concern of Israel about terrorists in Sinai:

As the war against Islamic State in Syria appears to be drawing to a close, Israeli intelligence officials fear that many ISIS fighters might choose to go to the Sinai Peninsula and join the group's affiliate there, which  despite its small size  is considered by many to be one of the most effective ISIS branches carrying out numerous deadly attacks on Egyptian security forces. Israel shares a 240-km. border with the Sinai, and Jerusalem and Cairo share an interest in the fight against the insurgents in the desert peninsula. According to Islamic State, Israel has carried out strikes against its positions. According to Oded Berkowitz, regional director of intelligence  Africa division at MAX-Security Solutions, foreign press have reported that Israel is helping the Egyptian military against terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. Earlier on Sunday, several Egyptian military checkpoints were attacked by Islamic State insurgents, killing six soldiers and wounding another 37. According to Egyptian authorities quoted by Reuters, the checkpoints in northern Sinai were attacked by some 100 ISIS terrorists using car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and other light weapons. According to Berkowitz, the rise in attacks against Egyptian military personnel is due to the increased pressure felt both by ISIS in Iraq and Syria as well as its Sinai affiliate. "When cornered and desperate they turn to more extreme measures.

Egypt has a large, well trained army but apparently insists on treating its Sinai problem  at least in part  as a law enforcement matter. I suspect that this will change as Egypt's ISIS problem becomes a headache not only for them, but for Israel as well.
 Flash

It is a scene straight out of a movie about tech startups: Jay Thornhill and Charles Erickson, wearing the company logo, spoke animatedly with a reporter, while Tyler McNew, in a plain t-shirt and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, typed away in front of dual monitors.

The founders of baopals.com: (left to right) Tyler McNew, Jay Thornhill, and Charles Erickson [Photo by Sun Tao/China.org.cn]

The trio are the founders of baopals.com, a website that helps English speakers to navigate and make purchases on Alibaba's e-commerce platforms Taobao and T-Mall, China's mega-Amazon-style online retailers.

Thornhill and Erickson said they each planned only a one-year stay before coming to China. But 12 months after Thornhill arrived in 2007 and Erickson in 2012, both decided to stay.

"Once you come here, it's hard to leave," Erickson said.

In 2015, together with McNew, the three U.S. expats founded the e-commerce startup in Shanghai, having realized that shopping on Taobao -- a daily convenience for Chinese natives -- was disproportionally difficult for fellow laowai (foreigner).

"When I needed or wanted to buy something on Taobao, I always told my students or colleagues to help me purchase," said Erickson, who formerly worked as a teacher in China.

For their startup, Thornhill and Erickson took on the responsibilities of product and business development respectively and McNew was in charge of tech development. The trio quickly turned this market demand into a business.

After six months of preparation, baopals.com was officially launched on March 1, 2016. On the first day, the site received 12 orders for 22 products, which totaled about 1,360 yuan (US$202) in sales.

The trio weren't discouraged. Without money to spare on paid advertising, Erickson said he asked friends to make banners and shared them on WeChat.

Words started to spread, and after being featured on the expat magazine That's Mags a month after launch, the company began to grow at a steady pace.

Erickson said what really attracted users was the platform itself.

"Have a great product with great service and people will talk about it," he said. "Your product is your number one marketing tool."

Within a year, baopals.com recorded its first month with positive cash flow in February. And after 18 months, it has sold 640,000 products and the team has moved from an 80-square-meter apartment to a bigger office with 30 employees.

"Currently, we deal with about an average of 600 to 700 orders a day, and the number is growing at a rate of 20 to 30 percent every month," said Thornhill, who saw their development to be "healthy, organic and sustainable."

"At the first place, none of us have thought about doing e-commerce or starting a business in China," Erickson said. "It was just the right climate for it."

From 2015 to 2016, China's online retail sales of physical goods increased by 28.6 percent annually on average, 18.1 percentage points more than the total retail sales of consumer goods, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The surge of the online shopping was accompanied by more convenient methods of delivery in China. Last year, the express delivery service delivered 31.3 billion parcels, 5.5 times of that in 2012 and an annual average increase of 53.2 percent.

"The e-commerce seen here is incredible, and it is mostly untouched to world outside China," Thornhill said. "This is an opportunity for us and for baopals, to be part of the expansion of what's working so well here in China to the rest of the world."

Users can shop on baopals.com via their website or through WeChat, which contain detailed information from the original Chinese e-commerce platforms that has been translated into English. Purchases made on baopals.com can be paid using Alipay, UnionPay and WeChat Wallet.

"For us, [as foreigners], it's pretty clear that the best shopping is done in China," said Thornhill, citing the reasonable prices as well as the convenience of express delivery and online payment.

"It's a shame that only China has this treasure," Erickson said, explaining that baopals.com is considering expanding the business globally in the future.

With several years of working experience in China, Thornhill said he believes if you work hard, you can achieve your goals. "It is kind of what the American dream is always meant to be."

"We seem to get a sense of that more here in China," he said. "And the sense is really the China dream."

"We have a team of around 18 Chinese and 12 foreigners working together on the same dream, and that's really cool."
Jeremy Corbyn tells the BBC about Clive Lewis, the Labour MP recorded telling a man, On your knees, bitch:

Completely wrong, he should never have said it, completely unacceptable comments. He has apologised, Ive been in touch with him, hes been in touch with me to apologise personally to me and its a message to everybody that this kind of language is not acceptable in any circumstances, any time.

Heres the man who used to work for the Iranian governments Press TV talking about causing offence. (Corbyn earned 20,000 from Irans propaganda broadcaster.

Thats Iran where they execute you for being gay, deny the Holocaust, persecute Kurds and treat women as second-class citizens:

Its all about standards, eh, Jezza. And nothing biased in any of it, of course. This is the same Lewis who said of Corbyns old paymasters in Iran: There are far too many in politics today who wish to criticise only countries that fit into a black and white binary world view.

Clive Lewis told the Commons on October 11, 2017:

It was quite shocking to listen to the seemingly inexhaustible list of human rights abuses by Iranian authorities. It was quite numbing to hear them all. I think it is right that we focus on human rights, as that issue has been a central thrust of my very short parliamentary career since being elected two years ago, but I would also like to focus on the fate of journalists, both those working inside Iran and those working remotely from the UK. I declare an interest as a former BBC journalist and the chair of the National Union of Journalists parliamentary committee. I do that for the record to state my solidarity with journalists both in Iran and around the world, who strive to do nothing more than ask questions in an attempt to hold power to account.

As we know, Iran has elections that many other inhabitants of the middle east can only envy. Here I state a truism, but it is essential that we set it down, that elections are only ever one element of a functioning democracy. A democracy where bloggers and reporters must risk their lives and the well-being of their families in order to comment on the political life of their country cannot be seen as a democracy in the true sense. Democracy is not worth the ballot paper it is printed on without freedom of the press. There is a barrier to informing the electorate, as the press provides feedback to the legislature. The often brutal suppression of those speakers also creates a chilling fear that acts as a cancer on all of those forming opinions and the ability to take action in the public arena.



As my hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Nick Thomas-Symonds) mentioned a constituent of his who has been in prison, I would like to mention three journalists who are being held and are on hunger strike. Soheil Arabi has been in prison since 2013 and has been on hunger strike for over a month. Mehdi Khazali was arrested in August and has been on hunger strike since the day of his arrest. Ehsan Mazandarani was arrested in 2015 and has been denied early release despite very poor health. There are many more prisoners I could mention. Their stories make for chilling reading.

The long arm of control reaches way beyond Iran and stretches as far as those working in our very own BBC, as the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan OHara) mentioned. Charges have been filed against almost all the Iranian journalists working for the BBCs Persian-language service in London; 152 journalists have been charged with conspiracy against Irans national security and have faced constant harassment and intimidation and an effective freeze on all their Iran-based assets. Those charged cannot defend themselves unless they return to Iran, which they feel unable to do for fear of reprisal. I beg the Minister to raise these names whenever he meets his Iranian counterparts and to push the issues of journalism, freedom of the press and democracy very clearly, as I know he will.

To end with a general comment, there are far too many in politics today who wish to criticise only the countries that fit into a very black and white binary world view. I am not one of them. I believe it is entirely possiblenay, essentialto criticise and hold to account Iran just as much as Saudi Arabia for human rights abuses and attacks on civil liberties. The two are not mutually incompatible. The same applies to the US and Russia and the questionable choices those Governments continue to make domestically and internationally. In fact, our hand is strengthened and our criticism is more valid when we show neither fear nor favour to any country or regime, wherever they may be, whether they be friend or ally, when defending human rights and civil liberties.
(ANSA) - Turin, October 20 - Turin city council on Friday extended its Saturday ban on car traffic to Euro 5 diesel cars, environment chief Alberto Unia said. "On the basis of the PM10 data from the last few days, we have decided to carry on and go to the second level," he said. "We will monitor the situation at the weekend, and if the data fall we will weigh whether to rethink the blocks already on Monday". With the stoppage of the Euro 5 cars, around 250,000 cars have been banned from circulating. Experts said the values of fine-particulate pollution in the atmosphere had broken limits "on several occasions" in the past few days. Meanwhile the National Research Council (CNR) said there is a blanket of fog on the Po Valley due to unseasonably warm temperatures. It said the blanket was due to a combination of "compacted pollutants" and a long lack of rain in the area.

CNR researchers Paolo Bonasoni, Stefania Gilardoni and Tony Christian Landi said that there is no "contamination" above the so-called blanket, and that in the Po Valley "fine particulates are prevalently composed of secondary components", that is by "chemical and physical transformations".

On Thursday Turin's town council told residents not to open doors and windows amid the smog outbreak.

The call came after the concentration of PM10 particles jumped to 114mcg/cm, more than double the 50 mcg/cm limit.

"In such a critical situation," the city environmental department urged citizens to adopt "a series of precautions: avoid prolonged physical activity outdoors and in particular for the elderly, children and individuals with cardio-respiratory problems, to remain as much as possible behind closed doors, also avoiding to open doors and windows".

Turin is one of several northern Italian cities on smog alert.

The others are Milan and cities in seven Lombardy provinces.

Emergency measures were also unveiled Thursday in Emilia-Romagna.


The Communist Party of China (CPC) maintains communication and dialogue with the ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a CPC official said Saturday.

Exchange between the CPC and the Workers' Party of Korea plays an important role in relations between the two countries, Guo Yezhou, vice head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, told a press conference on the sidelines of the 19th CPC National Congress.

To protect, develop and consolidate the friendly cooperation between China and the DPRK not only accords with bilateral interests, but also is important for regional peace and stability, Guo said.

As to when the two parties carry out what level of communication, Guo said it depends on the need and convenience of the two sides, he said.
BarcelonaThe interlocutory decree from Judge Carmen Lamela, which sent Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, presidents of the ANC and Omnium, to prison without bail, ignores part of the events on September 20th at the rally outside Catalonias Ministry of the Economy. It takes the thesis of the Guardia Civil's report on the demonstrations at face value.

The judge states that to decree unconditional jail time, a series of circumstances are necessary that, she believes, are met in the case of Cuixart and Sanchez. She claims that there is "the existence of an event that presents all the characteristics of a crime" and that there are reasons "to view someone as criminally responsible, and order that they be remanded in custody". Now, there are facts that the judge says are "proven", but which are doubtful in light of statements from Cuixart and Sanchez that night, and videos shot outside the Ministry of the Economy.

Differences between the interlocutory decree and the words of Sanchez and Cuixart

How was the gathering convened?

The interlocutory decree says that various demonstrations were convened using the social networks of the ANC and Omnium. "Via the cited summons a call was made, not to a peaceful gathering or demonstration, but to protect government officials and institutions, by means of massive citizen mobilizations", says the interlocutory decree. It takes into account a WhatsApp message from Omnium at 9 a.m. calling on people to "stop the Guardia Civil". Now, in the appearances by Cuixart and Sanchez that day, they continually made references to demonstrating in a "peaceful" and "civic" way. At midday on the 20th the presidents of the ANC and Omnium were at Placa de Sant Jaume. Cuixart asked people to stay "calm" at all times, while Sanchez said "the best response to tension is a rose, a carnation, and a ballot".

How was the demonstration ended?

The judge maintains that Sanchez and Cuixart "became" the "liaisons" between the demonstrators and officers and "negotiated" with the security forces, proposing options "that were useful only for their own political ends". According to Lamela, "they never used" their "control" over the demonstration to call off the rally. To argue this, the judge refers to some statements by Sanchez -- he said "nobody should go home, it will be a long and intense night" -- and Cuixart, who called for "permanent mobilization" until October 1st.

However, Lamela ignores all of the statements that they made calling on demonstrators to go home, while being challenged by protestors. Cuixart addressed the demonstrators: "We are asking you, to the extent possible and in a peaceful way, to dissolve today's gathering". The president of Omnium called on the demonstrators to meet the following morning at the Arc de Triomf, and asked they to bring "tents", as can be seen on a video.

"Above all... We ask that you dissolve this demonstration, as best as you can, very calmly, today, in a few minutes@JCuixart @Omnium on Sept 20. (The Spanish govt has JAILED him on sedition charges for his actions that day.) https://t.co/kL4F2KvHEl  Liz Castro (@lizcastro) 17 de octubre de 2017

Sanchez also grabbed a bullhorn to call on everyone to abandon the gathering at midnight, and asked them not to consider it as "a step backwards" for the independence movement, in the face of criticism that he began to receive from some demonstrators. The majority of the people had already left by 12:00, but some 500 people ended up being dispersed by crowd-control units of the Mossos.

How did the judicial retinue leave?

The judge argues that the "immediate goal" of those gathered was to "block" the access and the work of the judicial team that was to search the building. "Due to the crowds that were still in the streets, the officers and lawyers from the justice department ended up besieged and held against their will within the building". According to Lamela, the demonstrators "blocked" their departure.

However, the interlocutory decree never says that the president of Omnium asked insistently that the Mossos be allowed to create a cordon so that the judicial retinue could leave. "I'm asking you, please, to listen to them and let them make a pathway", he said. Faced with criticisms from those gathered, Cuixart insisted: "Let the police do their job. We cannot stop the judicial team. Really, mate, I'm as committed as you are", as can be seen on a video.

A controversial interlocutory decree

Objective facts or political interpretation?

The judge argues that the "immediate objective" of the people who played a leading role in the events of September 20th and 21st (before the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia) "was to impede civil servants and security forces from carrying out their roles according to the law". But she adds: "The ultimate aim of these mobilizations was to achieve the holding of the referendum and, with this, the proclamation of a Catalan republic, independent from Spain, at all times aware that they were carrying out actions outside of legal channels and impeding the enforcement of the law as a whole and, in particular, of the foundational rule of all Spaniards, the Constitution". This paragraph is the focus of the majority of criticisms on the judge's decree. Several lawyers consulted by ARA criticized that in the paragraph, the judge makes reference to the political motivations of the accused and not to the objective events of which they are accused.

The right to demonstrate or sedition?

As the Guardia Civil report argues, the judge assumed that everything was part of a conspiracy with the aim of achieving Catalan independence. The judge says: [The events of September 20th and 21st] "were not an isolated, impromptu, citizens protest, called peacefully in disagreement with police actions carried out under a judge's orders. On the contrary, the activities described fit within a complex strategy, in which defendants Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez have collaborated for some time, in execution of a roadmap designed to obtain the independence of Catalonia". That is, the judge believes that they were not exercising their right to demonstrate, but instead participating in a plot to achieve independence that, according to the judge, constitutes a crime of sedition. In fact, various lawyers in Barcelona have stated that Lamela has made up the crime of peaceful tumultuous uprisings".

Paving the way for outlawing the grassroots organizations?

The judge presents ANC and Omnium Cultural as two of the organizations making up "an organized group of people" charged with pushing, "outside of legal channels, the independence of Catalonia". In fact, the interlocutory decree mentions demonstrations and events promoting the referendum before and after September 20th featuring both Sanchez and Cuixart. There are those who interpret this paragraph as paving the way for outlawing the pro-independence organizations, a fact that, on Tuesday, the organizations themselves chose not to comment on, while indicating that if this were to happen, it would mean that Spain is a "dictatorship". One of the precedents cited by the judge took place on September 25th in Badalona. There, several Guardia Civil officers seized material related to the referendum, and a group of some twenty people with an "increasingly hostile attitude", among them Cuixart, asked the officers to return the material. The judge, based on the Guardia Civil's version of events, explains that Cuixart and Jose Tellez, deputy mayor of Badalona, grabbed the confiscated material from within an official vehicle and that Tellez distributed it among people gathered around.

The possibility of flight, hiding evidence, and reoffending

To justify the need for holding the defendants in prison without bail, Lamela's decree notes that three guiding principles should be followed: preventing the reasonable risk of flight, taking into account that Sanchez and Cuixart are accused of the crime of sedition, with possible penalties of up to fifteen years in prison; preventing the alteration, hiding, or destruction of evidence; and preventing further offences-- that is, the possibility that they would continue to mobilize people to achieve "independence via illegal means". Despite all the insistence that the judge uses to conclude that the presidents of ANC and Omnium must continue to be prosecuted and, in addition, must remain in jail, at one point she also notes that, at least until there is a sentence handed down, both Sanchez and Cuixart are presumed innocent.
Speakers: Mr. Sun Zhijun, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Mr. Xia Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress Mr. Xiang Zhaolun, vice minister of the Ministry of Culture Mr. Zhang Hongsen, vice minister of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television

Guo Weimin:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the second press conference held at this press center related to the 19th CPC National Congress. Today, we are delighted to have with us Mr. Sun Zhijun, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; Mr. Xia Weidong, full-time deputy director of the Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress; Mr. Xiang Zhaolun, vice minister of the Ministry of Culture; and, Mr. Zhang Hongsen, vice minister of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

They will introduce the work related to promoting China's ideological, ethical and cultural progress, and answer some of your questions.

Now I will give the floor to Mr. Sun Zhijun.

Sun Zhijun:

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the publicity, ideological and cultural work. General Secretary Xi Jinping has chaired a series of important meetings on literature and artwork, news and public opinion, network information, philosophy and social sciences. With his visionary planning and instruction, and comprehensive and unprecedentedly powerful and pragmatic measures, breakthroughs have been made in publicity, ideological and cultural work. The outcomes of the Party's theoretical innovation have gained greater popularity, and its communication ability, influence and credibility have also been enhanced significantly. The core values of socialism have been written into laws and regulations, and have integrated into Chinese society. Literature and art are booming in the country. Cultural services to the public are becoming increasingly standardized and equalized, and the cultural market has become increasingly vibrant and prosperous. China's cultural soft power has improved greatly, which has contributed to the efforts aimed at pushing forward historic transforms in the undertakings of the Party and the country.

When promoting cultural progress, we have pursued reforms in a systematic, holistic, and coordinated way. Great efforts have been made to promote innovation in our institutions. Cultural reform frameworks have substantially taken shape.

(1) Major innovations have been made in the development philosophy in the cultural sector. General Secretary Xi said that cultural confidence represents a fundamental and profound force that sustains the development of a country and a nation. He stressed that social benefits should always be the priority, though economic benefits should also be pursued. He emphasized that the creation of cultural products should be people-oriented. He stressed that China's outstanding traditional culture should be developed creatively. Chinese culture and China's stories should be presented to the world at a faster pace and in a better way. He emphasized that reform should stay true to its original purpose. His insightful new thoughts reflect the Party's new strategic thinking and understanding of cultural development under the socialism with Chinese characteristics.

(2) Structural reform in the cultural sector has yielded significant results. We have released over 70 important documents on topics including the integration of social and economic benefits, media convergence, the development of high-end think tanks, reform of literature and art awards, and the aid given to industries such as TV, film and traditional opera. The governance of internal and external publicity work and the administration of cyberspace affairs have also become more coordinated. We have worked vigorously to promote the establishment of a national cultural asset management system and modern enterprise system with unique cultural characteristics. A series of major trial reform projects have been launched. The pillars of the cultural system under socialism with Chinese characteristics have been put in place.

(3) Much headway has been made in the development of cultural programs and industries. Laws have been enacted to ensure the government is responsible for meeting people's basic cultural needs. A public service framework is taking shape. Supply-side reform has made positive progress. At the end of 2016, the total value added of the cultural industry reached 3.08 trillion yuan, and its share of GDP reached 4.14 percent. China has become the largest book publisher and TV drama producer and broadcaster in the world. It also has more movie screens than any other country. A number of masterpieces have made a strong impact. China's brands, voice, and image have gained increased recognition around the world.

(4) Legislation in the cultural sector has made major achievements. Four relevant laws have been promulgated, which are the Cyber security Law, the Film Industry Promotion Law, the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law, and the National Anthem Law. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has released the Decisions on Strengthening Network Information Protection. A large number of culture-related administrative regulations and rules have been released or amended.

In conclusion, since the 18th National Congress, substantial progress has been made in the cultural sector. We firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, we will make a greater contribution to the fulfillment of the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Thank you.

Guo Weimin:

Now, I will give the floor to Mr. Xia Weidong.

Xia Weidong:

Good morning everyone. Glad to have the opportunity to speak with you.

As you may have noticed, expressions like "historic change" and "historic achievements" have been used to summarize China's development since the 18th CPC National Congress. I think such phrases are completely applicable to China's ideological, moral and spiritual progress. In modern times, China has never been as close to the dream of national renewal as it is today. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has complied with the Chinese people's expectations and put forward to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, to achieve the Two Centenary Goals, and to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

A series of new concepts, thoughts, and strategies have been introduced to advance the goals and dreams that embody the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and all its citizens. These include the five-sphere integrated plan, the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, the new development principles, and the core values of socialism, which require all Chinese to unite around ideals, values and ethics, and to work together to achieve shared goals. The Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era by Xi Jinping is the latest achievement of the theoretical innovation of our Party, which embodies the principles of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and reveals a fundamental strategy ensuring that our great goals and dreams must and surely will be realized.

All people across China work with theory and practice upon these shared ideological and moral foundations. Reinforcing these foundations has been the focus of China's civilizational development in the five years since the 18th CPC National Congress.

On the one hand, we have conscientiously carried out innovative research, education and dissemination of our theories to help people better understand this powerful ideological weapon and use it to guide the practice of achieving these great goals and dreams. The comprehensive education and dissemination of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Chinese Dream, and the core values of socialism have made clear the following: socialism with Chinese characteristics was the fundamental achievement after tremendous and strenuous effort , and should be cherished; the Chinese Dream is the dream of the country and its citizens, and everyone has the historic opportunity to realize his or her dream; and the core values of socialism are the essential principles supporting the efforts to achieve our great goals and dreams, which embody the values of the country, society and citizens.

On the other hand, we have made great efforts to strengthen and innovate the spiritual development of our civilization. We have promoted role models and values by conferring honorary titles such as "most beautiful person ," "virtuous person," "paragon of morality," and "role model of the times" in China; built exemplary cities, villages, townships, organizations, families and schools; and fostered a culture of integrity and encouraged voluntary service to promote cultural and ethical progress within society.

Looking back at the past five years, we feel deeply that the ideological unity of the Party and society has become more solid, a new ideological and moral consensus has been formulated and a new spiritual perspective has been adopted. To strive for great goals and dreams has become the strongest imperative of the whole society. Thank you!

Guo Weimin:

Now let us invite Xiang Zhaolun to speak with us.

Xiang Zhaolun:

In the report delivered at the opening of the Party's 19th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions on the progress of socialist culture, and the development of cultural programs and industries. He said that to meet people's new aspirations for a better life, we must provide them with rich intellectual nourishment. This instruction will be the guide for our next steps. Now, I'd like to introduce three aspects of our work.

1. The creation and production of cultural products.

Since the Party's 18th National Congress, we have carefully put into practice the important thought of General Secretary Xi's speeches on cultural works. A series of projects have been launched to foster outstanding productions of the performing arts at the national level, to rejuvenate traditional Chinese operas, to popularize and revitalize national operas in China, and to promote the national development and collection of works of fine art. In 2015 and 2016, nearly 2,900 original shows were presented nationwide.

You may have noticed that China's performance market has become increasingly diversified. It has provided more platforms for the public to access cultural products, and helped common people to receive more benefits from robust cultural creation. A series of art festivals have been held, including the 10th and 11th China Art Festivals, and special festivals showcasing Peking opera and Kunqu opera. Themed events for local operas, children's plays, dance productions, acrobatic shows and various other performances have also been staged. In particular, the Galaxy Award has hosted more than 14,000 events to present various shows to the public and to select the best from them. They attracted a total audience of nearly 1 billion annually from 2013 to 2016.

2. Public cultural service.

In recent years, we have committed to making cultural products more accessible to the public, pooled all our resources to promote cultural progress and ensured all sides are benefitting from this process. We have accelerated the building of a modern public service system. Presently, there are 3,153 public libraries, 4,109 museums and memorial halls, 3,322 cultural centers at the county level or above and 41,175 cultural stations at township level. At least two-thirds of villages have their own cultural center, and all communities have a special space for cultural activities. A six-tier public cultural service network is fundamentally in place, providing services to both rural and urban residents at national, provincial, city, county, township and village (community) levels. From 2013 to 2016, nearly 2.3 billion people visited public libraries, and nearly 3 billion people visited museums.

3. The protection of cultural heritage.

General Secretary Xi said that we must promote the creative evolution and development of fine traditional culture. This remark serves as the basic guidance for our work. In recent years, we have made greater efforts in protecting cultural relics. Special steps have been taken to protect the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, major historical monuments and sites related to China's revolutions. More heritage resources have been utilized. More outstanding exhibitions have been presented. More creative merchandise related to cultural heritage has been produced. More Chinese cultural relics went overseas for exhibition, greatly boosting cultural exchange with other countries. In protecting our intangible cultural legacy, we have committed to ensuring that this heritage can be passed down to the next generation and encourage further cultural development. After extensive research, we launched a project to record the practices of those who bear our cultural heritage. We have vigorously promoted the teaching and training of these practices. In 2016, the subsidy for representative bearers of national cultural heritage increased from 10,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan annually.

Together with the Ministry of Education, we have launched projects to train bearers of intangible cultural heritage. Currently, the course is available in 78 colleges. By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (2016-2020), 100,000 people are expected to have taken the course. Furthermore, we are working with other departments and local governments to launch a project to rejuvenate traditional craftsmanship and enable it to adapt to modern life. We are also working on different policies to protect and promote the development of intangible cultural heritage in oral traditions, performing arts and other fields.

Guo Weimin:

Please invite Mr. Zhang Hongsen to give his introduction.

Zhang Hongsen:

During General Secretary Xi Jinping's report to the 19th CPC National Congress the day before yesterday, he made a penetrating summary on and highly recognized the ideological, moral and cultural progress of the past five years.

We are all greatly motivated. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the comprehensive arrangements and requirements of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, the scale of the media sector, including press, publication, radio, film and television, has been expanded, the strength of the industry has been upgraded and the capability of serving the overall interests of China has improved. China is making strides to becoming a powerful nation in the publication, radio, film and television sectors, which can be seen in the following aspects.

First, we have formed a modern media system with relatively strong influence. China has now 584 publishers for books, 1,894 publishers for newspapers, 10,084 publishers for journals, 2,578 radio and TV broadcasters including China National Radio (CNR), China Radio International (CRI) and China Central Television (CCTV), as well as a batch of new media convergence platforms. Flagship media outlets for international communication are developing rapidly. Since China Global TV Network (CGTN) began broadcasting in late 2016, it has gradually set up a multilingual, multi-channel and multi-platform framework with six TV channels, three overseas branches, and one new media cluster; CCTV has further expanded globally: its coverage of major global news events reached 97 percent in 2016.

Second, we have formed a large-scale content production system. Last year, China has published 500,000 different books, produced 7.71 million hours of radio programs, 3.52 million hours of TV programs, 772 feature films, 334 domestic TV series containing 14,912 episodes, around 120,000 minutes of TV animations, as well as over 10,000 hours of TV documentaries. China's publications of books, TV series, animations and feature films are all among the world's top. We have also introduced a batch of excellent works which spread contemporary Chinese values and demonstrate Chinese culture and spirit.

A series of themed book publications including the book featuring Xi's speeches (2016) and "Anecdotes and Sayings of Xi Jinping" were warmly received by readers. A series of mainstream films like "The Founding of an Army" and "Wolf Warriors" have set examples in movie productions. "Wolf Warriors" has raked in 5.6 billion yuan at the box office.

Third, we have formed a wide modern transmission and publication system. China boasts the world's largest multi-technique radio and TV transmission coverage network. The proportions of the population who have access to radio and TV are 98.37 percent and 98.88 percent respectively. The number of movie screens in China has reached 49,000, ranking first in the world. In 2016, urban theatres received 1.37 billion visits and the number is increasing this year. The number of sales outlets for publications reached 163,000.

Fourth, we have formed a well-structured industrial system. China now boasts 126 publishers, distributors and printing groups for books and journals, over 2,000 film production and investment groups, and 14,389 radio and TV production and operation entities, among which 69 are listed companies.

In 2016, China's press, publication, printing and publishing services saw a turnover of 2.36 trillion yuan, an increase of 42.17 percent over the 1.66 trillion yuan in 2012. The radio and TV sectors generated incomes of 503.98 billion yuan, an increase of 54.19 percent over the 326.85 billion yuan generated in 2012; in 2016, box office sales nationwide reached 49.28 billion yuan, an increase of 188.66 percent over the 17.07 billion yuan sales in 2012. China's media sector, including press, publication, radio, film and television is continuing to contribute an increasing share in the national economy.

Guo Weimin:

Now let's move on to the question and answer session.

China Global Television Network (CGTN):

We have noticed that in recent years structural reform of the cultural sector has highlighted the importance of putting social benefits first while pursuing economic returns. This point is once again clearly defined in the report delivered at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress. We would like to know about your considerations behind this order of priority and the situation in this area.

Sun Zhijun:

Under the condition of a socialist market economy, culture has dual functions of educational guidance and entertainment, which determines that cultural products and services also have dual ideological and commercial attributes. Therefore, we simply cannot take market share, audience rating, box-office revenue and circulation figures as the only measurement standards, and we absolutely cannot become "slaves" to the market. So, how to ensure that cultural enterprises always put social benefits first while pursuing economic returns is indeed a major issue in the structural reform of the cultural sector.

While deepening this structural reform, we lay much emphasis on the establishment of system and mechanisms that put social benefits first while pursuing economic returns and make it a key area in policy design and an important standard in the overall assessment and evaluation system. This is mainly related to the following four aspects.

First, strengthening top-level design. The General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the General Office of the State Council have issued guidance on putting social benefits first while pursuing economic returns. The guidance is of fundamental and overall significance because it further defines the overall requirements and policies.

Second, establishing a modern enterprise system with strong cultural characteristics. We encourage cultural enterprises to build, in accordance with laws and regulations, the necessary assets organizational forms and management modes that can give full expression to cultural characteristics and meet modern enterprise requirements in terms of business philosophy, governance structure, institutional establishment and performance assessment.

Third, improving the cultural management system. We focus on the establishment of a State-owned cultural assets management system that integrates the management of brainpower, administrative affairs, assets and guidance for cultural progress. We have introduced specific measures for assessing social benefits, making clear that social benefits must account for more than 50 percent in the proportion of performance assessment of State-owned cultural enterprises. At the same time, we have also strengthened the management of the cultural market to create a good external environment.

Fourth, improving economic policies for the sound development of the cultural sector. We have issued relevant economic policies, and improved the mechanisms to guide, incentivize, support and compensate cultural enterprises. These approaches are designed to ensure that cultural enterprises, while adhering to social values and social benefits in the market economy, can get down to work without any excessive mental burden, achieve their own development, and enhance their development vitality, strength and competitiveness. Thanks.

Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) :

Mr. Zhang, you mentioned just now that China is making great strides towards becoming a strong nation in the publication, radio, film and television sectors, so what are the concrete measures China has taken in this respect?

Zhang Hongsen:

China has established a firm ideological, material and technical basis for becoming a powerful nation in the publication, radio, film and television sectors. Our efforts focus on the following three aspects:

First, deepening reforms to boost media vitality. We will deepen the supply-side structural reform, so as to optimize the industry structure and increase quality and value. A large number of modern enterprises in publication, radio and television have emerged and developed as a result.

Second, accelerating media convergence and industry transformation. We have promoted integration, especially the integrated development of traditional and new-era publishing means to develop new and modern mainstream media. We have also enhanced the building of a "Smart Radio and TV" network, and digitization of the publication sector, so as to foster new driving forces and engines for growth. New models and businesses have become strong growth points in the fields of publication, radio and television.

Third, sparing no effort to create various masterpieces. We have implemented a high-quality strategy, aimed at encouraging excellent and original works. We are carrying out a long-term plan of presenting 100 excellent works in five areas - films, TV plays, cartoons, documentaries and online content products. In recent years, high-quality works in fields such as film, TV plays, network literature, internet audio and visual compositions, books, newspapers and magazines, have emerged and been well received by the audience and the market at large. Our high-quality works are not only popular in China, but also have built brand recognition and won market share abroad.

An overall arrangement of publicizing our thinking and culture was part of the report to the 19th CPC National Congress. We must remain confident in our culture and promote the prosperity of socialist culture in particular. We plan to take even more steps towards creating a powerful force in the publication, radio, film and television sectors and make our contribution to the prosperity of socialist culture. Thank you.

People's Daily:

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has seen steady progress since the 18th CPC National Congress. What role has ideological and theoretical guidance played in this process?

Xia Weidong:

Using theories that adapt with the times is a long-standing convention and the biggest advantage of the CPC. As our practices evolve over time, so too does our theoretical guidance. One major advancement since the 18th CPC National Congress has been the formation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Over the past five years, the historic shifts and achievements of the Party and the nation are attributable to the scientific guidance of this innovative theory.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era demonstrates a deep understanding of the nature of the times, historical trends and our actual conditions; it demonstrates a deep understanding of the principles for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics; it fully reflects the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people of China; it represents the full application of strategies to govern the country. It is the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, an important component of the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and a powerful ideological tool to guide the Party in carrying out our great struggle, developing our great project, promoting our great cause and realizing our great dream. The Party must adhere to its theoretical guidance for a long time.

Over the past five years, the core task of our ideological and theoretical development has been using this innovative theory to arm the whole Party, motivate the public and guide our practice.

China National Radio:

I have a question for Mr. Xiang. You mentioned just now that China has increased its investment in public cultural services over the past few years. You also mentioned that the construction of the public cultural services network has been completed. And the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law of China also proposed to realize the equalized sharing of public cultural services between urban and rural people.

However, while looking back to our interviews, we have learned that some hinterland villages in the middle and western parts of China still have very limited access to the service, and the local cultural facilities there have not been well maintained. So would you please tell us what approaches the Ministry of Culture will adopt to reach out and provide the resources needed at these far-flung areas?

Xiang Zhaolun:

Thanks a lot. You have raised a very important question. When addressing the construction of the public cultural services, we have three key words: basics, standardization and equalization. They are essential to the actual situation of the nation in our resolve to address unbalanced and insufficient development. Our focus is to promote regional equilibrium.

Reaching out and providing the resources needed at these far-flung areas is also one of the most critical works in the public cultural services. In view of that, we are now adopting a slew of measures to solve this problem and the elements of the job can be summarized as standards, internet, content and talents.

First is the standards. We have formulated guidance standards on the national basic public cultural services. The standards have made specific provisions for the content and quantity of cultural services that can be enjoyed free of charge by the urban and rural grassroots. Now, the standards are still being implemented everywhere, and we are promoting the implementation of these standards one by one so that they can become a real part of the cultural life of the people.

Second is the internet. The internet service should be available to all areas and grassroots communities. As a result, we have specifically initiated certain projects including the program of cultural service centers covering underdeveloped ethnic autonomous prefectures and border villages, and moving libraries, to facilitate the construction of county-level libraries, cultural centers and sub-centers, driving high-quality cultural resources to towns and villages, especially, the poverty-stricken regions.

Third is the content. The development of cultural undertakings and industries has greatly enriched our cultural resources. We are actively using various means to provide increasingly rich public cultural resources to grassroots communities. For example, a large measure we are carrying out is the digital library promotion project at the county level. The county level libraries will have free access to the digital resources provided by the national library. Over 1.6 million copies of e- books from the national library and more than 1,000 kinds of periodicals, as well as 600 kinds of newspapers and over 1,500 sections of open lectures are now available to the county level libraries.

Fourth is relying on talents to build public culture. We should focus on the teamwork of full-time or part-time staff dedicated to the construction of community-level cultural services. In the past few years, we have sent more than 80,000 outstanding cultural figures to remote and impoverished regions, border areas and the former revolutionary bases. Meanwhile, we have organized and sent a large number of cultural volunteers to the countryside and far-flung areas for voluntary service. There are more than 100,000 volunteers offering their services to grassroots communities.

When accomplishing those tasks, we should still increase our efficiency and improve the quality of our services to provide more real and concrete benefits to our people. Thank you.

NBC:

According to a survey of the Pew Research Center, China and the United States are almost neck and neck in global popularity, which is seen as an improvement to China's global image. Were you surprised by the result? Some critics say China is investing heavily in developing soft power, spending billions to extend its global media influence. Is that true? What can be expected from the 19th CPC National Congress in terms of China reinforcing its soft power competition with the U.S. Thank you.

Sun Zhijun:

Thank you for your great attention to China's global image. We have noticed that recently many international research centers have published their findings which indicate a constant rise in China's overall international influence, the attention it garners and its overall image. The findings are positive and objective. The main reasons for the rise are as follows:

First, faced with the complex situation in the world, especially the influence of the global financial crisis, China has explored a road suitable for its own development conditions. In recent years, the country's economy has seen stable and healthy development, its society has seen progress in all respects, and the people's living standards have improved significantly, which combine to create the "China miracle."

Second, China has fulfilled its responsibilities as a major country in the world. We put forward the Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind. China is not only the biggest contributor to the world economy, but also has contributed to the tackling of global challenges regarding climate change, cyber security, public health and poverty reduction.

Third, we have actively promoted cultural exchanges with other countries. We have strengthened cooperation with media organizations in other countries; we also actively developed services for foreign cultural trade so that Chinese culture can get across to other countries and China's stories can be properly told.

Through increased exchanges, people elsewhere have gained a better understanding of China and have become more friendly towards China. With this China has gained a good global image. It is arguably the advantage and vitality of China's system, the positive significance of China's approach and the unique appeal of Chinese wisdom which has earned China increasing and better understanding, acquaintance and recognition from other countries. Therefore, we firmly believe that guided by the principles of the 19th CPC National Congress, China will achieved better development and make new impressive progress in a new era.

Of course, we remain committed to peaceful development, mutual benefit and advancing the common interests of all in strengthening international exchanges and cooperation. We will work to establish a new type of international relations that features mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation with other countries including the United States; we will promote exchanges, mutual learning and co-existence of different civilizations to better preserve the diversity of civilization in the world; and we will pursue the building of a community of shared future for mankind with other countries to create a better future for humanity.

Democracy Wave of Myanmar:

I have noticed that one of the speakers is from the Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress. There is no such institution in our country. Could you provide more information about this institution? What role does it play in China's development ?

Xia Weidong:

The Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress, founded in 1997, is responsible for organizing, coordinating and promoting ethical and cultural progress in China. It shares office space and works together with the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Since the reform and opening up, the CPC has proposed with great vision that while promoting socialist material well-being, it is also necessary to advance socialist ethical and cultural progress. A strategy for enhancing all of these aspects has been established. This strategy stresses that there can only be real socialism with Chinese characteristics if achievements are made in all aspects.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to making ethical and cultural progress. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics can be pushed forward successfully only if we make progress in all aspects, see achievements on all fronts of China's development and improve both material prosperity and cultural and ethical standards.

Since the reform and opening up, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress, an important reason why China has been experiencing historic changes and achievements is that we have relentlessly implemented the strategy of making progress on all fronts.

In the past two decades since its founding, the Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress has firmly implemented this strategic deployment of the CPC Central Committee. It has continued to innovate in promoting ethical and cultural progress, with intellectual and moral development as the core and cultivation of the spirit of the times as the focus. For example, we have launched campaigns to enhance civility in cities, villages, organizations, households and campuses. We have boosted the public profile of role models to encourage the people to follow their example. We have made great efforts to improve the environments of both urban and rural areas and enrich the people's ethical and cultural life. These measures have played an important role in refining people's character and social civility, as well as advancing the all-round development of the people and comprehensive social progress.

China & Africa Magazine affiliated with Beijing Review:

In recent years, the Chinese film industry has been growing fast. In the past five years, what measures have been undertaken by the relevant departments to ensure that while the industry is booming the films can still play a positive role in spreading socialist core values? What the new measures can we expect to see in the future?

Zhang Hongsen:

Over the past five years, the achievements of the Chinese films have attracted worldwide attention, and there have been a number of excellent films appearing, such as "The Taking of Tiger Mountain,""Operation Mekong,""Wolf Totem,""Monkey King: The Hero Returns,""Wolf Warriors 2".The statistics show that, for example, from 2012 to 2016, the number of Chinese film investment, creation and production entities has surpassed 2,000. In 2012, the industry only grossed 17.073 billion yuan in box office returns. By the end of 2016, the box office gross had reached 49.283 billion yuan. This year, we are achieving a double-digit increase from 2016.

The number of screens at urban theaters around the nation stood at 13,000 in 2012. As of today, that number has reached 49,000, a 270 percent increase. In 2012, the number of theater admissions at urban cinemas was 466 million. Last year, admissions reached 1.372 billion, an increase of 194 percent. This year, the admissions have already reached the level for the whole last year.

In 2012, the Chinese film box office gross accounted for 48.46 percent of the total market. In 2015, domestic films accounted for 62.82 percent, while in 2016 the figure was 58.33 percent. This set of figures can show that, in the scale of development and the development speed, China has become the world's second largest film market with a dominant national film culture.

In the past five years, the reason for the great prosperity in the development of the film industry is inseparably intertwined with the following experiences. First, we adhered to people-centered creative orientation, vigorously promoted socialist core values, told Chinese stories well, and managed to advance supply-side reform in the film industry by improving the quality and level of the products, as well as strengthening the core competitiveness of domestic films;

Second, we have deepened the reform of film industry system and mechanism, and constantly mobilized social forces to participate in the development of the film cause, and formed a new prospect for Chinese film development with co-participation by diverse economic sectors, a variety of ownerships and various social forces;

Third, we insisted on an innovation-driven approach. In the creative aspect, filmmakers have constantly explored the themes, forms, genres and styles of the art form represented by motion pictures, so that more outstanding and innovative works now occupy the main market. In the talent training aspect, we broke the traditional model, and helped in multi-level, multi-form ways to promote the rise of a new force in the Chinese film industry. According to statistics, in three consecutive years, the Chinese film new forces represented by young talents have seen their works occupying more than 60 percent of domestic output;

Fourth, we insisted on opening up, strengthening efforts for foreign co-operation. We have signed cooperation deals with partners in 20 countries to make films, and the cooperation between China and the United States, between China and Central European countries, between China and Asian countries have become increasingly active. The prospects in regard to opening-up, competitiveness, cooperation and win-win benefits is taking shape.

In the report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping to the 19th CPC National Congress, he clearly pointed out the new direction for building stronger cultural self-confidence and helping socialist culture to flourish. The film industry will follow the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress, and work hard in three aspects: First, we will establish "three attentions" and resist the "three vulgars." The "three attentions" means paying attention to taste, style and responsibility in terms of creative fashion, while consciously resisting making the vulgar, kitsch and coquetry-dominated works; Second, we will strengthen the efforts for realistic film creation. We will advocate the original creative spirit for "paying close attention to reality, addressing the concerns of society, and sincerely caring for others;" Third, we will make China's film industry and film market bigger and stronger, initiating a new journey for China to go from being a major market for films to becoming a strong country in making films. Thank you.

Kyung Hyang Daily News:

China recently issued an intellectual property rights (IPR) solution for foreign-invested enterprises. So are there IPR protection measures for TV, publishing and cultural industries? Can you share some of the details? In addition, due to THAAD disputes, there are obstacles between China and South Korea in terms of cultural cooperation. After the 19th CPC National Congress, can we expect positive exchange between the two sides? Thank you.

Zhang Hongsen:

Let me answer your questions. For the first one, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television works with various government departments including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security to crack down on network infringement piracy in a special campaign called "Sword Net Action." "Sword Net Action" includes investigating online infringement and piracy cases, rectifying the copyright order in key areas, promoting the cooperation of relevant copyright parties and other measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and foreign intellectual property rights holders, which also includes foreign enterprises. This effectively regulates the copyright order on the internet. This campaign has been praised and recognized by the Motion Picture Association of America, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the International Organization for Standardization, the Publishers Association, the Association of American Publishers and many other foreign institutions.

In September of this year, we carried out "Sword Net 2017." The focus of this special campaign was to enhance the special protections of intellectual property rights for foreign-invested enterprises. In the online areas of film, television, music, animation, software, teaching materials and others, and on platforms of e-commerce and app stores, we have conducted major copyright maintenance, standardization and remediation. This campaign is still in action. We believe that as this campaign deepens , the rights and interests of domestic and foreign intellectual property rights holders will be more effectively protected, and the copyright order will be better regulated.

For the second question, I noticed that at the recently concluded Busan International Film Festival, there were a lot of Chinese filmmakers. Within the scope of my business, I also observed many of the exchange and cooperation projects between China and South Korea proceeding to new phases. Here I would like to stress that cultural exchange is not an average commodity trade or a trade in goods. Cultural exchange is about where the people's hearts are, and about making choices with emotion. So we can say that cultural exchange is an exchange of warmth, which comes from people's hearts and emotions. When people's hearts are interlinked, and the feelings on each side are mutual, cultural exchange and cooperation will certainly move in a positive direction. The depth and breadth of cultural exchange depend on the emotional temperature. We have to face this and think about it together. Thank you.

Xinhua News Agency:

The cultural industry has been developed quickly in recent years, continually enriching people's spiritual and cultural life. Meanwhile, new requirements to further promote the cultural industry were put forward in the report. Would you like to introduce the current development of the cultural industry and the likely next step?

Sun Zhijun:

Developing the cultural industry is an important part of building an extensive socialist culture, and also a vital path to satisfy people's needs for a better life. As mentioned in the report, it's a major program we have adopted to tackle unbalanced and inadequate development in some regions, and also to adjust the economic structure. For years, we have attached great importance to actively promoting the overall development of the cultural industry.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the total added value of the cultural industry increased from 1.81 trillion yuan in 2012 to 3.08 trillion yuan in 2016, and its share of GDP increased from 3.48 to 4.14 percent. We are going to take the following measures to promote the cultural industry:

First, implementing new concepts. We will push forward the supply-side structural reform in the cultural industry under the guidance of new development concepts, make sure it is developed in a healthy way with increased quality and efficiency.

Second, satisfying new needs. In order to satisfy the primary cultural needs of the masses, we will improve cultural services by innovating in terms of contents, methods and ways, while maintaining the right tone in public. We will work to deliver more quality cultural products and improve cultural services. At the same time, we will seek to guide cultural consumption patterns to ensure the cultural industry develops in a healthy way.

Thirdly, nurturing new cultural business models. We will rely on high technology to inspire cultural innovation, at the same time reflect the elements of Chinese culture, and provide fresh impetus for the advance of the cultural industry through implementation of the "Internet Plus" strategy and "Culture Plus" initiative.

Fourthly, expanding markets. We will focus on establishing a sound modern cultural industry and market system, encourage and guide social capital to flow into cultural industry, which now enjoys dynamical development. At the same time, we will work hard to promote international cultural trade, so as to expand the space for cultural development, better lead the domestic market and improve China's cultural influence in overseas markets, in the process further developing a modern cultural industry in faster and better ways. Thanks.

Prensa Latina:

I want to know in which way the Belt and Road Initiative have strengthened the cultural ties between China and other countries. The second question is does China have new proposals to promote its cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in the culture and information field.

Xiang Zhaolun:

Thank you very much for raising a very important question. The Belt and Road Initiative doesn't just involve economy and trade, but is the road of culture. The joint construction of Belt and Road has brought new opportunities for economic growth and cultural exchanges between China and countries along the routes. This will vigorously promote friendship among the people in China and those in countries along the Belt and Road, and promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between them in an all-round way.

Over 300 inter-governmental cooperation agreements and related action plans covering cultural exchanges have been signed so far.

First, in terms of cooperation in culture and art, the Silk Road International League of Theaters and the Silk Road International League of Museums have already been established, and we will promote and set up other leagues covering art festivals, libraries and art galleries to form closer cooperative relations. We will also provide renowned Sinologists and young scholars with more opportunities to take part in exchanges and to visit China, and encourage more translations and the introduction of literary works, films and television programs from countries along the Belt and Road. Meanwhile, we will also do our part to present more literary works, films and television programs and cultural products to countries along the Belt and Road.

Second, in terms of cooperation in cultural trade, we will focus on promoting mutual investment in cultural industries and carry out cooperation in sectors of animation, game, cultural relics and museum. There is huge potential and broad prospects in this regard.

Third, in terms of cooperation in cultural relics protection, countries along the Belt and Road all possess a long history of civilization and are rich in cultural relics. We have carried out cooperative archaeological activities with 15 countries, and more than 1,000 items (sets) of cultural relics related to the theme of the Belt and Road have been put on display in more than 20 countries along the Belt and Road in recent years. Thank you.

Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group:

What measures have been taken and what progress has been made in integrating core socialist values with the development of rule of law?

Xia Weidong:

You have raised a very relevant question.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, a prominent aspect of ideological and ethical progress has been giving full play to the complementary and reinforcing the role of rule of law and rule of virtue in national governance.

With the guidance of the core socialist values, relevant legislation, law enforcement, the judiciary and law-abiding norms are now all based on clear and consistent principles. With the support of various laws and regulations, ethical progress is supported by a strong institutional guarantee. To promote this endeavor, the Guiding Opinions on Integrating Core Socialist Values into the Development of Rule of Law was launched last December.

The supporting role of laws and regulations is also strongly valued in the various initiatives to raise the people's cultural-ethical standards. For example, the Law on National Anthem was enacted so there is a firm legal basis in paying tribute to the national anthem. The Regulations on Volunteer Services have been introduced to provide legal protection for the relevant entities. The newly-amended Advertising Law contains clear provisions on public service announcements. Many local governments have introduced regulations on civility to regulate the behavior of citizens in public. These measures have paid off in ensuring the real and effective implementation of core socialist values.

Guo Weimin:

This ends today's press conference. Thank you.

By Li Xiaohua, Wang Qian,GuoXiaohong,Chen Xia, Zhang Jiaqi, GuoYiming, Li Jingrong, Yang Xi, Wu Jin, Yuan Fang, Zhang Liying, Zhang Rui, Cui Can, Wang Wei, Li Huiru, Xu Lin, He Shan, Huang Shan, Layne Flower, Christopher Georgiou, Geoffrey Murray
Former Group Executive Council member, Nirmalya Kumar on Saturday posted a blog recalling events that led to the Cyrus Mistry's ouster.

Former Group Executive Council member, Nirmalya Kumar on Saturday posted a blog recalling the events that led to the bitter boardroom battle between Cyrus Mistry and Ratan Tata. (File Photo)

Mumbai: Nearly a year after Cyrus Mistrys ouster from Tata, former Group Executive Council member, Nirmalya Kumar on Saturday posted a blog recalling the events that led to the bitter boardroom battle that followed.

In his blog titled How Cyrus Mistry was Fired as Tata Chairman, Kumar wrote how ahead of Mistry's exit, Ratan Tata and Tata Sons board member Nitin Nohria met Mistry and told him how things were not working out between him and Ratan Tata.

"Nitin Nohria begins by proclaiming that Cyrus as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working. Therefore, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons."

This was Cyrus Mistrys heads-up for the impending doom, which he guessed was due and yet chose to say "You are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do."

Minutes before his board meeting, possibly aware of what was coming up, Mistry dropped a text to his wife Rohiqa saying, I am being sacked.

Later, in a board meeting that lasted surprisingly short for one discussing the removal of the top boss, Cyrus Mistry was removed as Tata Chairman. "It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal," Kumar wrote in his blog.

Although Mistry had argued that the Articles of Association required a 15-day notice before taking up the issue of stepping down as Chairman, Tata Trusts nominee Amit Chandra responded saying the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts revealed that such a notice was not necessary.

Despite repeated protests by Cyrus on the illegality of events, a quick vote was taken with six members (Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen, Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh) voting for, while Farida Khambata and Ishaat Hussain abstained.

After the meeting, Mistry called his childhood friend and lawyer, Apurva Diwanji and they figured they needed a public relations agency and a lawyer immediately. "What they did not know was that Tata had already engaged six major public relations companies and booked many of the most prominent lawyers in the country in a bid to squeeze the resources available to Cyrus post firing," Kumar wrote.

Within hours of the meeting, by 17:00, Tata Sons had released a press statement announcing Mistrys ouster and Ratan Tata being made interim chairman. CEOs being fired is always news, despite it not being a terribly uncommon occurrence. What made the firing of Mistry so unusual was that Tata Group had a history of only six Chairman over 148 years, wrote Kumar.

What followed is known to all  one of the dirtiest corporate battles. "It was due to expire on 31 March 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the board could have just let the clock run out in five months. By eschewing the public humiliation of Cyrus Mistry, the bloody aftermath that followed could have been avoided," Kumar stated in the blog.

During the board meeting, Kumar with two of his Group Executive Council (a team put together by Mistry) colleagues Harish Bhat and NS Rajan, were on a panel, interacting with 100 Tata executives on the groups big data initiative.

They were later informed that along with Mistry, all three outsiders on the GEC (Rajan, Kumar and Madhu Kannan) were ousted.

Kumar went on to say that despite engaging the collective effort of six PR firms, no Tata senior official ever said anything negative against Mistry. "Despite the best efforts of the press promoted by the six PR agencies and pressure from the internal Tata communications team, only two Tata CEOs, Bhaskar Bhat and Harish Bhat, have had anything negative to say about Cyrus Mistry in the press. And, even they, were remarkably muted in their criticism," wrote Kumar.

He signs off by saying that this was the best judgement of Mistry. "Under the circumstances, what better performance review could Cyrus Mistry have received as Chairman of Tata Sons?
On September 20, Tata Steel had signed an agreement with German steel giant Thyssenkrupp to merge their steel operations in Europe.

A workers' group of Tata Steel's Netherlands unit has raised concerns over the proposed Tata Steel-Thyssenkrupp merger of their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: A workers' group of Tata Steel's Netherlands unit has raised concerns over the proposed Tata Steel-Thyssenkrupp merger of their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture.

The major concern of Central Works Council (CWC) of Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN) is that, as per the MoU, the Supervisory Board of TSN will no longer be independent and that TSN's Board of Directors will not be properly constituted, a company statement said.

However, Hans Fischer, CEO of Tata Steel's European operations has assured that the company will follow due diligence in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as Tata Steel progresses in the transaction.

"We have now entered a period of due diligence with Thyssenkrupp following the signing of the MoU," he said.

He said the company has held a number of meetings and had constructive discussions and briefings with groups representing "our employees" including the European Works Council, the CWC and the UK Steel Committee besides the Supervisory Board and Board of Management of TSN

"These discussions are a priority for us as we seek their support for the joint venture. Tata Steel will follow due process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as we progress in the transaction," the CEO said.

On the other hand, the CWC said there is no clarity as to how the new business will be financed and where the liabilities will be placed in the business.

The MoU also raises many other questions, in particular regarding the impact on the downstream activities, it said.

The CWC observes that, "we are at the start of a long and uncertain journey which, based on current indications, is unlikely to turn out well for TSN and its employees".

It has informed the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board of TSN that it will not be supporting these plans.

The CWC said it will draw on the support of external experts and employees of TSN can rest assured that the CWC will not simply roll over and accept decisions by the shareholder which are not good for TSN, and in particular for TSN employees.

The steel workers in Germany are also not in favour of the JV. Last month, post announcement of the JV, thousands of steelworkers had come on streets in protest over the planned merger which is expected to cost up to 4,000 jobs.

On September 20, Tata Steel had signed an agreement with German steel giant Thyssenkrupp to merge their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture.
The government, in a notification dated June 1, 2017, mandated the linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar by December 31.

The RBI on Saturday said linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandated under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.

Mumbai: While reports of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) not issuing any notification with regard to linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar went viral, the central bank on Saturday cleared the air saying the linkage is mandated under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.

Earlier on Friday, it was reported that in response to an RTI query filed by MoneyLife, the apex bank had said it "has not issued any instruction so far regarding mandatory liking of Aadhaar number with bank accounts."

Referring to media reports highlighting the central banks reply to the RTI, the RBI said in a press release that in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017.

It added that these rules have statutory force and banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions.

The government, in a notification dated June 1, 2017, mandated the linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar by December 31, failing which accounts would be declared inoperable.

In its RTI query, MoneyLife had asked for a copy of the file along with file notings regarding mandatory linking of Aadhaar number with bank accounts.

The query also explicitly asked if the apex bank had taken permission from the Supreme Court for mandatory linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar. The RBI replied saying it has not filed any petition before the SC.
The Khar police has registered a case against an unknown person identified as Shera and are investigating the matter.

The complainant, Shabnam Sheikh (31), has alleged that Shera had called and threatened her to settle the case against Salman filed by ex-Bigg Boss contestant Zubair Khan, or face the consequences in the form of gangrape.

Mumbai: An FIR has been lodged reportedly at the Khar police station against Bollywood actor Salman Khans bodyguard, Shera aka Gurmeet Singh, for allegedly threatening and harassing a woman. The complainant, Shabnam Sheikh (31), has alleged that Shera had called and threatened her to settle the case against Salman filed by ex-Bigg Boss contestant Zubair Khan, or face the consequences in the form of gangrape.

The Khar police has registered a case against an unknown person identified as Shera and are investigating the matter. An FIR has been registered under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code that pertains to word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

Police sources form the Khar police station said that the incident took place on Saturday afternoon, when a man who identified himself as Salmans bodyguard Shera, called and abused the complaint and also threatened her. The complainant had been approached by the ex-Bigg Boss contestant for help in the case that he had filed against the Bollywood actor for allegedly calling him names on national television.

Sheikh then approached the Khar police to register an FIR and submitted the call recordings. Sheikh told The Asian Age, The caller, Shera, abused me in a very bad language, and said that 10 men would rape me in turns if I did not comply with their request.
China opens its first combined transport service to Nepal on May 11, 2016. [Xinhua]

Nepal-China relations have witnessed accelerating momentum since President Xi Jinping assumed office in 2012. During his first five-year tenure, the two nations signed landmark deals aimed at boosting mutual cooperation, connectivity, infrastructure development, trade, economy and cultural bond.

President Xi has a diplomatic vision of "comprehensively developing relations with peripheral countries, consolidating good-neighborliness and friendship, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation."

In his opening remarks at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing last Wednesday, he highlighted China's policies towards neighboring countries, saying relations would be deepened "in accordance with the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness."

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that President Xi unveiled as his flagship global project in 2013 has significantly defined China's foreign relations. Considered to be a project of the century, the BRI so far has brought together around 70 countries to seek shared prosperity.

China envisions Nepal as the gateway to South Asia under the BRI, and nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are already participating. China seeks to integrate its comparatively underdeveloped western pockets in Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan with South Asia through massive investment in roads, railways, commerce, industry and public diplomacy.

In May 2017, Nepal joined the BRI with a hope of obtaining long-term benefits through a myriad of projects. It expects to see the arrival of the railway from China by 2025. The line has already reached Shigatse in Tibet, and will have been extended to Kerung near the Nepal-China border by 2020.

To finance its ambitious infrastructure plans, in November 2014, Nepal became a member of Asian Infrastructure Development Bank, an international lending agency with China as its chief stakeholder.

However, it is the trade and transit treaty that the K.P. Sharma Oli-led government signed with China in March 2015 that really marks an historic point of accelerating momentum in Sino-Nepal ties. The two nations signed 10 vital accords during Olis visit to China for promoting all-round economic, diplomatic and cultural cooperation between them.

The trade and transit treaty carries geopolitical dimensions. It provides Nepal with access to the sea via Chinese territory. Nepal as the landlocked country has long sought unhindered access to the sea to diversify its trade and commerce, especially by reducing its longstanding dependence on India.

Nepal and China have supported each other in times of crisis. While Nepal had played a crucial role in ensuring China's entry into United Nations and stability in Tibet in the past, China has generously helped Nepal in its economic development to overcome backwardness.

China came to the rescue when Nepal was hit by devastating earthquake and crushing Indian blockade in 2015. It committed to providing 76 billion Rupees for the reconstruction of houses and infrastructures damaged by the quake. It offered precious fuel to Nepal during the Indian embargo. In October 2015, a framework of understanding was achieved that enables Nepal to buy one-third of its fuel needs from the northern neighbor.

During Xi's first term in office, Nepal and China have been engaged in other important bilateral activities. Nepal became a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Economic Cooperation (SCO) in 2016, allowing it to participate in a range of SCO activities. The two nations conducted their first ever joint military drill in April 2017 to boost their defense diplomacy and cooperation.

In an investment summit held in Kathmandu in March 2017, Chinese investors pledged the biggest amount, US$8.2 billion, for Nepalese development. In August this year, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang paid a visit to take bilateral relations to new heights through an array of accords and understandings.

China has constantly been appreciating Nepal for its One-China policy and it also liked Nepal's neutral position on the recent Doklam impasse with India. One of the defining features of Chinas foreign policy is that it has never interfered in the internal affairs of neighbors.

In this context, President Xi noted that China would oppose acts wherein big and strong countries impose their will on and interfere in the internal affairs of small and weak countries. "China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion," he declared.

This sort of commitment on the part of the big neighbor has boosted the confidence of small nations like Nepal.

Ritu Raj Subedi is an associate editor of The Rising Nepal.
The CBI will also look into the facts and circumstances mentioned by the private detective.

Sources said the CBI was in favour of filing the SLP in 2005, but the then UPA government did not give its nod. (Photo: File/Representational)

New Delhi: With the high-stakes Gujarat elections approaching, the ghost of the Bofors case has returned to haunt the Congress.

The CBI on Friday sought the governments permission for filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the 2005 Delhi high court order acquitting the Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case. A couple of days ago, Union information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani had raised the Bofors issue targeting the Congress high-command.

The CBI on Friday wrote to the government for reconsideration of its 2005 decision and allow the agency to file a SLP in the apex court in the Bofors case challenging quashing of an FIR in the alleged scam.

In a letter to the department of personnel and training, the CBI conveyed that it wanted to file the SLP challenging the Delhi high court order of May 31, 2005 quashing all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.

Sources said the CBI was in favour of filing the SLP in 2005, but the then UPA government did not give its nod.

It was felt that the CBI might have to explain for remaining silent over the issue for over two decades.

Agency reports stated that the then Delhi high court judge R.S. Sodhi had on May 31, 2005, quashed all charges against the Hinduja brothers  Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand  and the Bofors company and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case saying it had cost the exchequer about `250 crore. Before the 2005 verdict, another judge of the Delhi high court, Justice J.D. Kapoor (since retired) on February 4, 2004, had exonerated late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of the IPC against the Bofors company.

Earlier, Ms Irani speaking to the media had questioned the Congress on its silence on the pay-off scam. For too long the Congress conveniently kept quite. Its time they answer what is the involvement of its leaders then and now in the Bofors case, she had gone on record saying.

Taking note of the interview of private detective Michel Hershman, Ms Irani had targeted the Congress high command. Hershman, who is the president of the United States detective agency Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that VP Singh, then Finance Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, had hired him in 1986 to probe certain issues involving suspected violations of currency control laws by about a dozen wealthy Indians.

Hershman further claimed that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was furious when the detective reportedly found a Swiss bank account in which bribe money from the Bofors scandal was parked. Hershman had also claimed that he was offered bribes, twice to stop the investigation and once to damage the reputation of former Prime Minister VP Singh. The former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, claimed Hershman, then established a Supreme Court commission to look into the circumstances surrounding then finance minister VP Singhs hiring of Fairfax. The private detective, who was in the national capital last week to address a conference of private detectives, expressed his willingness to testify and help Indian agencies on the Rs 64 crore Bofors gun pay-off scandal.

The CBI will also look into the facts and circumstances mentioned by the private detective. The CBI has learnt of the matter pertaining to the Bofors aired on certain TV channels containing interview of Michael Hershman, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal had said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Security sources said it was aimed at dissuading the NSCN(K) from joining the talks with the Government of India.

The Northeast insurgent groups that operate from Myanmar have easy access to frontier towns of Yunnan in China, which has become the hub of anti-India activities.

Guwahati: In what has been a major area of concern for security agencies in India, Chinas proactive intervention has stopped the NSCN(K) from taking part in the ongoing peace talks in Nagaland. Revealing that the Chinese agencies were frequently meeting NSCN(K) leaders at Ruli and Kunming in south Chinas Yunnan province, security sources in the Union home ministry told this newspaper they had conclusive intelligence inputs establishing Chinas involvement with the Northeast insurgent groups.

Noting that China was regulating the entire decision-making of the United National Liberation Front of West South-East Asia (UNLFW), a joint platform of four Northeast rebel with bases inside Myanmar, the sources said representatives of Chinese agencies were meeting them frequently, often even twice a month.

Saying China had also played key role in the choice of self-styled Lt Gen Khango Konak, who had taken over as NSCN(K) chairman after S.S. Khaplang died in June this year, as chairman of the UNLFW, security sources said it was aimed at dissuading the NSCN(K) from joining the talks with the Government of India.

Saying that NSCN(K) was under tremendous pressure from civil society groups in Nagaland to rejoin the peace talks, the security sources said China had been keeping a safe distance from Indian insurgent groups, but of late it had intensified its undercover activities in the Northeast. The Northeast insurgent groups that operate from Myanmar have easy access to frontier towns of Yunnan in China, which has become the hub of anti-India activities.

The sources claimed, however, that the NSCN(K) may soon rejoin the peace process given the mounting pressure of civil society, that recently forced six rebel groups of Nagaland to join the ongoing talks seeking a permanent solution to the decades-old problem.

Admitting that NSCN(K)s new chairman Khango Konak was also opposed to abrogating the ceasefire with the Government of India, the sources said he had often asserted the need to join the peace talks. The NSCN(K) led by S.S. Khaplangm, who passed away on June 6, had unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire in March 2015.

It is significant that India had, in several bilateral discussions, pointed out to China about the Northeast insurgent leaders taking shelter in Yunnan province, but despite assurances by Chinas interior ministry, it had failed to take any effective step to drive them out.
PM plays religion card as Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh polls draw near.

New Delhi/Kedarnath (Uttarakhand): With the crucial Gujarat and Himachal elections fast approaching, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday played the religion card and accused the Congress of not allowing him to rebuild the Kedarnath shrine after the 2013 deluge, when he was chief minister of Gujarat. Mr Modi, who was at the Kedarnath shrine a day after Diwali, laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects.

Calling himself a son of Lord Shiva, the Prime Minister felt perhaps it was Lord Shivas wish that the work be carried out by Babas son.

Making a pitch for the 2019 general election, Mr Modi said: Blessings from Kedarnath will lead us to fulfil the aspirations of every Indian citizen in 2022.

Hitting out at the PM, Congress spokesman R.P.N. Singh said: We welcome Mr Modi visiting Baba Kedarnath but whenever elections come he sometimes remembers mother Ganga, or at times Baba calls him! He added that the condition of mother Ganga was there for all to see.

Recalling the Congress-led UPA governments move to block his efforts in 2013, the PM said the then Congress chief minister of Uttarakhand, Vijay Bahuguna, had agreed but was forced to retreat after the objections of the Congress high command. I had expressed my desire to carry out reconstruction work at Kedarnath to the then chief minister, who agreed in principle, Mr Modi said.

The PM, who was then chief minister of Gujarat, had immediately shared the news with the media, which was swiftly picked up by the TV channels.

With the 2014 general election approaching, the Congress-led UPA was in no mood to give Mr Modi any advantage, and it put pressure on the chief minister to refuse any help from the Gujarat government. In my excitement I shared the news with the media, and within an hour TV channels flashed it, causing a storm in New Delhi, Mr Modi said, adding: They (UPA government) viewed this with a kind of alarm as they thought the Gujarat CM will now reach Kedarnath, and mounted pressure on the then state government not to agree to my request. Incidentally, the then Uttarakhand CM, Vijay Bahuguna, switched sides to the BJP before the last Assembly polls in the hill state.

Trying to make the issue emotive, Mr Modi said: I went back disappointed. But perhaps Baba (Lord Shiva) had decided the responsibility of doing reconstruction work at Kedarnath should be assigned to no one else but to Babas son, he said.

The Congress reacted strongly, and claimed that the inauguration done by the PM was for a project that had already been completed by the earlier Harish Rawat government. The PM, who had visited the shrine in May this year, laid the foundation stones of five major reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri. These include improved facilities for devotees, construction of retaining walls and ghats at Mandakini and Saraswati rivers, an approach road to the shrine and reconstructing Adi Guru Shankaracharyas tomb which was devastated in 2013. The PM said the projects were ambitious and expensive, but pledged there will be no dearth of funds.

The Prime Minister said he would invite the corporate sector to join hands to develop a grander Kedarnath. Asking people to make Uttarakhand a favourite tourist destination, he said the state should aspire to become an Organic State by 2022, when India marks 75 years of independence.

Blessings from Kedarnath will lead us to fulfil the aspirations of every Indian citizen in 2022, he said, and added: Our endeavour is to harness the youthful vigour and water of the mountain state for its development.

Mr Modi also got nostalgic remembering his days in Garurchatti, near Kedarnath, before he entered politics. Some acquaintances I met today reminded me of my time spent in Garurchatti. They were important moments of my life. I wanted to settle down permanently in this soil and spend all my life at Babas feet. But Baba perhaps willed it differently.

He perhaps did not want me to spend all my life at the feet of just one Baba and sent me out to serve the 125 crore people of the country as their service is the true service of God, he said.
Not only Das but all his friends who are driving along with him are seen driving their two wheelers without helmets.

In the video, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Das is seen driving a two wheeler without helmet. (Photo: ANI/Screengrab)

Ranchi (Jharkhand): At a time when the Central government is making relentless efforts to spread awareness about road safety in the country, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has been caught on camera while he was driving a scooty without helmet on Ranchi's roads.

In the video, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Das is seen driving a two wheeler without helmet.

Not only Das but all his friends who are driving along with him are seen driving their two wheelers without helmets.

BJP-led Central government has always laid emphasis on improving safety, efficiency and sustainability in the transport sector and assured to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent till 2020.

In India, 16 people die every hour in road accidents which results in one death in every four minutes, according to the recently published National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
The accused was arrested on the day of the incident, but was later grated bail by a local court, police said.

Based on the complaint by the victim Nehrunagar Police registered an offence against Shaikh under sections 324, 326 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. (Photo: YouTube/Screengrab)

Mumbai: A 16-year-old girl was left with a fractured nose after a man allegedly repeatedly hit her for asking him and his friends not to indulge in loud arguments at Kurla-Nehrunagar here, police said on Saturday.

A video purportedly showing the man, identified as Imran Shahid Shaikh, attacking the girl, has gone viral in the social and mainstream media. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, was captured in a CCTV camera.

The accused was arrested on the day of the incident, but was later grated bail by a local court, police said.

According to a police official, the incident took place on October 17 near SRA Building in Shramjeevi Nagar, Chembur at 7 pm, when the victim was going to her class with a friend at Adarsh Nagar in Thakkar Bappa Colony in Chembur.

#WATCH #CCTVVisuals: Minor girl allegedly molested in #Mumbai on Oct 17, beaten up as she protested. Case registered by Nehru Nagar Police pic.twitter.com/Qo2T8VZCN4  ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2017

"When she was near her building, a group of younths, who were seated inside a parked autorikshaw, were arguing loudly. The victim asked them not to make noise and then walked some distance with her friend," the official said.

However, enraged at being reprimanded by her, Shaikh, whom she knew, came out of the rickshaw and thrashed her repeatedly.

"Shaikh hit her on the nose with a metal object, after which she collapsed on the ground, with her nose bleeding profusely," he said.

After the incident, Shaikh also threatened her and fled from the spot, the official said.

"The people, who witnessed the incident, did not stop Imran from beating her," the official said.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where she was found to have suffered a nose fracture, he said.

Based on the complaint by the victim Nehrunagar Police registered an offence against Shaikh under sections 324, 326 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

He was arrested on the same day. He was produced in a court, which granted bail to him, investigating officer Deepak Pawra said. Further investigation is underway.
Among the benefits of being a PIB accredited journalist is that it allows journalists entry into government offices and events.

The demand for allowing online media journalists to get PIB press accreditation has been pending for several years with the exponential growth of online media.

New Delhi: The much awaited changes to Press Information Bureau accreditation process for online media correspondents is not likely to be brought in soon.

Though the PIB had sought suggestions regarding changes to the accreditation process for online media and had held lenghty discussions regarding the same with industry stakeholders, the process is unlikely to end soon.

Sources stated that the Information and Broadcasting ministry is still considering the recommendations on the industry and PIB on the issue.

The demand for allowing online media journalists to get PIB press accreditation has been pending for several years with the exponential growth of online media.

Among the benefits of being a PIB accredited journalist is that it allows journalists entry into government offices and events.

Sources stated that over the past two years there have been repeated meetings regarding the proposed changes to the the accreditation process for online media with industry stakeholders and officials and government officials.

It is understood that the I&B and the Information and Techmology ministry, along with the PIB, are likely to discuss the issue soon, sources added.

Currently print and electronic media representatives are accorded PIB accreditation. Approximately 3000 accrediation cards are understood to be isued by the PIB. Journalists apply for PIB card renewal at the end of every year. It is understood that among the many issues being considered for the PIB accreditation for online media on who should be given accreditation. Among the questions raised were should online editors and correspondents both be given the accreditation. There was also a thought for establishing some minimum criteria for the number of paid subscribers and the mkinimum amount of times that the site is updated each day. The government also wants to establish that the domain name of the website is registered for at least the next few years from the date of application, and the website must be functioning for at least a specific time.
Mitron (friends), will not speak about Shah-zada, nor will let anyone speak, Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi continued his jibes against the top BJP leadership as he tweeted on Friday that he would neither speak himself about Shah-zada not allow others to do so. Mr Gandhis tweet came after an Ahmedabad court restrained a Web news portal from publishing or broadcasting reports based on an article published by it about BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Amit Shahs company. Mitron (friends), will not speak about Shah-zada, nor will let anyone speak, Mr Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

A news portal recently published an article claiming that a company owned by Mr Jay Shah saw a huge rise in its turnover after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. The Congress demanded the removal of Mr Amit Shah as BJP chief and the setting up of a two-member judicial commission of inquiry comprising judges of the Supreme Court to go into his sons business dealings. Mr Gandhi and the Congress have repeatedly questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

Meanwhile, former finance minister P. Chidambaram on Friday targeted the Election Commission in a series of tweets over its delay in announcing the Gujarat election dates, and said: EC has authorised PM to announce date of Gujarat elections at his last rally (and kindly keep EC informed). Mr Chidambaram also claimed the Election Commission will be recalled from its extended holiday after the Gujarat government has announced all concessions and freebies. Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said: Chidambaramji and the Congress are scared of the coming (Assembly) elections. We believe the elections should happen in due time, and it will happen so. But they are scared due to their desperation. And criticising the Election Commission is not the right thing in a democracy.

Hitting back at the Congress for targeting the EC, BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the allegations levelled against the constitutional body were without any basis. He said: It is absolutely absurd. Its like questioning the prudence of the EC. The Congress is perhaps speaking out of its own experience where interference in the functioning of constitutional bodies used to be a thing in their rule. Such is not the case since 2014.

Continuing the attack, the BJP said Mr Chidambarams criticism of the EC was part of the partys save Rahul campaign as it fears a defeat in the election will stall his elevation to party chief. BJP spokesman G.V.L. Narsimha Rao said: Chidambaram seems to view the EC from his jaundiced eyes. Sonia Gandhi, as an extra-constitutional authority, had subverted institutions and remote-controlled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. PM Modi is a quintessential democrat, and does not interfere in the functioning of any institutions.

The EC had on October 12 announced that polling for Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9, but held off announcing the Gujarat schedule. The Congress alleged that the Centre had put pressure on the EC to delay the announcement of dates for the Gujarat elections.
Narendra Modi visited the famous Kedarnath temple before laying the foundation stone of five projects in the region.

Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, a day before it closes for the winters, Modi said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi prayed to Lord Shiva at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand for development of India and well-being of the people of the country.

Modi visited the hill shrine of Kedarnath on Friday.

The revelation was made by the Prime Minister on when asked by a user about what he prayed for at the shrine.

"India's development and well-being of all Indians," the PM tweeted.

Modi visited the famous temple before laying the foundation stone of five projects in the region.

Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, a day before it closes for the winters, Modi said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation.

This was his second visit to the temple in 2017, he went to Kedarnath last on May 3.

Modi also attacked Congress saying that the party which was in power in the state, had not allowed him as Gujarat Chief Minister to reconstruct the hill shrine, Kedarnath after flash floods devastated it in 2013.
Discussing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief of Army Staff assured that the situation in the valley is improving.

Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that radicalisation is a worldwide phenomenon and it is being addressed seriously by the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: ANI)

Jammu: Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that radicalisation is a worldwide phenomenon and it is being addressed seriously by the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Radicalisation is taking place in the Kashmir Valley. It is a worldwide phenomenon and the issue is being addressed seriously," he said, while addressing the media in Jammu at the event to present the President's Standard to 47 armoured Regiment.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government, the police and the administration are very much concerned about it. We are trying to ensure people are weaned away. It is happening due to social media," he asserted.

Discussing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief of Army Staff assured that the situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving.

"Security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now there is just showing the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he added. On the question of resuming dialogue with Pakistan, the Army chief said, "The military has a task and we will continue to perform that task. Decision on any talks has to be decided politically."

He also said that the Army is following the government's approach in Jammu and Kashmir and that the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) raids on separatist leaders are part of it.

"Whatever success the NIA raids will achieve will emerge in the near future," said Gen Rawat.
Till 1959 Indian police personnel were responsible for securing the 2,500 mile long border along Tibet.

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will pay homage to 10 policemen who died while fighting the Chinese troops in 1959 along with 34,418 other police personnel who have died in various security operations since independence at a function to mark the Police Commemoration Day on Saturday.

The Police Commemoration Day primarily marks the sacrifice of 10 policemen who were killed by Chinese forces while they were trying to defend Indias borders in 1959.

Till 1959 Indian police personnel were responsible for securing the 2,500 mile long border along Tibet.

During an operation in 1959 Chinese Army personnel in the Ladakh region attacked an Indian police party by opening fire and throwing grenades.

In this incident 10 police personnel were killed while seven others were critically injured.

Chinese returned the bodies of the 10 policemen later and the same were cremated with full State honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh, a Home Ministry statement said.

It was decided in 1960 during the annual conference of Inspectors General of Police of States that October 21 would be marked as the Police Commemoration Day in all police lines across the country to mark the supreme sacrifice of the 10 policemen.

It was also decided to construct a memorial at Hot Springs in Ladakh where members of police forces from different parts of the country trek to pay homage.

According to the Home Ministry since independence, 34,418 police personnel have died while performing their duty on the borders.

In the last one year, between September 2016 to August 2017, 383 police personnel have been killed in different security operations.
There was speculation a few months ago that the Supreme Court collegium was considering his name as a judge of the highest court.

New Delhi: Solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar on Friday quit as the countrys second-highest law officer, citing personal family reasons. Mr Kumar is likely to be replaced by additional solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, sources said.

Mr Kumar, who had earlier represented the Gujarat government in several cases, was appointed as solicitor-general on June 7, 2014, less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office. Recently, he was given an extension for another term on ad hoc basis.

There was speculation a few months ago that the Supreme Court collegium was considering his name as a judge of the highest court. On Friday, however, he denied that he was in contention for the appointment.

Among other matters, Mr Kumar had earlier appeared for the Gujarat government in a case related to Sohrabuddin Sheikh, a petty criminal killed in a police encounter near Gandhinagar area in November 2005 along with his wife Kauser Bi. The Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad had claimed they were terrorists plotting to kill Mr Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister. Many senior police officers were accused by the CBI of allegedly plotting Sheikhs killing in a staged encounter.

Mr Kumars resignation reached the Union law ministry on Friday. In the letter, he said: Due to certain personal family issues, I hereby tender my resignation with immediate effect. Ministry sources said a decision on this will be taken by minister Ravi Shankar Prasad after returning from an overseas visit on Sunday.

While confirming his resignation, Mr Kumar told this newspaper that due to his busy schedule and responsibilities as solicitor-general, he was not able to attend to certain health issues faced by members of his family.

He added he had a wonderful experience as solicitor-general and was very satisfied with the way the government treated him. He is the second government law officer to quit this year. Mr Mukul Rohatgi resigned as attorney-general in June and did not accept a second term in office.

Mr Kumar had earlier appeared in a number of important cases in the Supreme Court, including the Cauvery dispute case involving Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union territory of Puducherry. In the case, on the use of pellets against students of Jammu and Kashmir during agitations, he rejected the Supreme Courts suggestion for the Centre to hold talks with separatists.

He also represented the Centre in the court on pleas over demonetisation and rising pollution. The constitutional expert also assisted the Supreme Court in deciding the issue of whether a state government can grant pardon to death row convicts in cases probed and prosecuted by Central agencies like the CBI. The issue had arisen out of the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to set free the killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Before assuming office as solicitor-general, Mr Kumar assisted the Supreme Court as amicus curiae in cases like Yamuna pollution. He also represented then Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets case in a Bengaluru court.
Swaraj took the decision after a torrent of requests in recent days from relatives of ill Pakistanis.

New Delhi: In a major humanitarian move and a Diwali gift to the people of Pakistan, India has decided to grant medical visas in all deserving cases to those desperately ill Pakistanis needing urgent treatment in India and whose visa applications were pending till Diwali-eve.

The move was announced by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights and the most important festival in the Hindu calendar.

Ms. Swaraj took the decision after a torrent of requests in recent days from relatives of ill Pakistanis.

A majority of applicants are those needing liver transplant surgery.

But applicants also include those needing bone marrow transplant. Recently, a visa was granted to 5-year-old Pakistani girl suffering from eye Cancer.

On the auspicious occasion of Deepawali, India will grant medical Visa in all deserving cases pending today, Ms. Swaraj announced, on the stroke of Diwali.

India had decided a few months ago that Pakistani nationals seeking visas for medical treatment in India must accompany their visa applications with a recommendation letter by then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharifs foreign policy advisor Sartaj Aziz.

But with the Pakistani government led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi now in place and a different set of ministers,

Ms. Swaraj has been ordering grant of medical visas to Pakistanis desperately in need of medical treatment in India.
The BJP takes pride in the popularity of the Prime Minister on the social media.

New Delhi: The BJP, which has been leading the race among political parties to dominate the social media, has begun questioning the sudden rise in Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis popularity on microblogging site Twitter.

Leading the charge against Mr Gandhi, information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani tweeted, tagging a news agency report suggesting use of fake retweets by the Congress, Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan?

The news agency had reported that a number of automated bots or web robots that can produce automated mass retweets with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic have been frequently retweeting Mr Gandhis posts on Twitter.

A Twitterbot is a software which may autonomously perform actions such as tweeting, retweeting, liking, following, unfollowing or direct messaging other accounts.

The agency report said that on October 15, OfficeofRG retweeted US President Donald Trumps tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug.

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged bots with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice-presidents tweets.

Ms Iranis attack on Mr Gandhi raised doubts about the Congress vice presidents alleged attempts to hoodwink people and claim that he was getting popular on the social media and posing a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP takes pride in the popularity of the Prime Minister on the social media. Mr Modi has a whopping 3.56 crore Twitter followers and is ranked 31 for the number of followers among all Twitter users.

Ms Irani also retweeted reactions of other netizens, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who tweeted, Desperate times call for desperate measures?

Her junior in the ministry, Rajyavardhan Rathore, compared the Congress leaders alleged act of generating fake tweets to doping in sports. In sports, this would come under doping... , he said in a tweet.

After Mr Gandhis recent visit to the US, the frequency of tweets and the number of followers of his official account had seen a massive increase. He has also become more active on twitter and has been frequently taking digs at the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Countering Ms Iranis attack on Mr Gandhi, former MP and chief Congress social media cell Divya Spandana rubbished the reports on use of alleged bots.

Ms Spandana, in a tweet, said that the agency story is factually wrong can understand your eagerness to please the information and broadcasting minister and the Bots Janata Party.

She also hit out at Ms Irani in her tweet and said, Why do we need them (referring to bots) when we have you?

Another Congress leader R.P.N Singh said it is unimportant how many times a tweet has been retweeted. He said what are important are the issue Mr Gandhi has been highlighting through his tweets.

The agency report said that twitter accounts of the alleged bots showed they had less than 10 followers and retweeted random subjects from around the world, including tweets of Mr Gandhi.
Srinagar: An Army porter was killed and two women were injured in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district on Saturday.

The Army and police officials said that the Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortars to target the Indian forward posts and civilian areas in Uri sector and adjoining Kamalkote sub-sector in violation of the ceasefire understanding.

The Indian troops, they added, retaliated strongly and effectively by using similar calibre weapons. In Muzaffarabad, the officials said that the firing was initiated by the Indian troops and that the Pakistani troops only retaliated to unprovoked Indian action.

A 22-year-old porter Syed Abbas Hussein Shah was critically injured in the Pakistani firing. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility but he died on way, said the officials.

The victim had been engaged by the Army to work at one of its forward posts known as Shankar Chowki along the de facto border.

The villages where the Pakistani firing and shelling wreaked havoc in the civilian population include Baaz, Madyan, Dolanja, Odoosa and Gawalta, the police officials said.

An 18-year-old resident Nasreena Banoo was injured when a mortar fired from across the LoC landed near her home in Madyan. She received splinter injured and was removed to Uris sub-district hospital where from she was first shifted to Baramullas district hospital and then to Srinagars Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), said the officials.

Another woman identified as Asifa Begum received a bullet wound in Kandi Barjala village of Uri later during the day.

The exchanges which began at 11 am continued intermittently till the reports last came in. The Army said that the Pakistani firing and shelling was abrupt and unprovoked.

On October 18, eight civilians were injured in Pakistani firing in Jammu and Kashmirs twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

The officials had said that the Pakistani troops started targeting the Indian forward locations in Poonchs Balakote and Mendhar and Rajouris Manakote areas with small arms and mortars at around 6.30 am on that day.

Some of the mortar shells landed in civilian areas, injuring, at least, eight persons, they said.

As per official statistics, the Pakistani troops have violated the November 2003 ceasefire understanding along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir as many as 228 times in 2016 and 506 times, so far, this year.
He has asked them to form a coordination committee and prepare their carter of demands.

Guwahati: Prime Ministers envoy for Naga-talks R.N. Ravi will be in Nagaland on Monday to start formal consultations with the working committee of the six Naga National Political groups, which recently decided to join the ongoing peace-process in Nagaland.

Informing that it was demand of the Naga civil society to include all the stakeholders, security sources said that Mr Ravi would be hearing the grievances and views of the group which has agreed to be the part of Naga peace-process.

He has asked them to form a coordination committee and prepare their carter of demands.

It is significant that the 18-member delegation of the Working Committee of six rebel groups led by its convener N. Kitovi Zhimomi had their first meeting with Mr Ravi and representatives of the home ministry in New Delhi.

Stressing on the principle of equality, mutual respect and trust for resolving the issue, security sources said that working committee has been advised to be realistic.

The ongoing Naga talks have so far been with NSCN (I-M) only, security sources said adding that this was for the first time that other stakeholders are joining the Naga-peace process in order to make it more

inclusive.

Earlier, Working Committee convenor, N. Kitovi Zhimomi appreciated the Centre for officially inviting them to start a political dialogue.
Mulayams cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, who had taken Akhileshs side in the family war, did not attend the event.

Lucknow: This Diwali has brought the family together but the same cannot be said for hearts. The Samajwadi Yadav clan, on Thursday, witnessed a grand reunion with all estranged leaders, except Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, coming together for a photo opportunity. Mr Akhilesh and Mr Shivpal sat at a distance from each other. But, both wore a smile for the cameras.

SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his younger brother Shivpal Yadav went to SP president Akhilesh Yadavs residence in Sefai in Etawah on the festival day. In a surprise gesture, Mr Akhilesh touched his estranged uncles feet and the latter gave him his blessings. A large number of former ministers and legislators who were present there cheered gleefully. The younger generation of the Yadav clan including Dharmendra Yadav, Tej Pratap and Anshul Yadav were also seen at the celebrations along with the senior family members. A day earlier, Mr Mulayam had left his supporters shocked when he went across to the residence of Prof Ram Gopal Yadav and held a closed door meeting with the latter for about an hour. It may be recalled that the Samajwadi war had triggered off in a big way around this time last year when a SP MLA Udaiveer Yadavknown to be an acolyte of Prof Ram Gopal Yadavhad shot off a letter to Mr Mulayam asking him to step down from the party presidents post. In the letter, Udaiveer Yadav accused Mr Mulayams second wife, Sadhana Gupta Yadav, of practising black magic. The letter angered the Samajwadi patriarch to such an extent that he severed all ties with Prof Ram Gopal Yadav and publicly blamed him for creating a rift in the family. The meeting between Mr Mulayam and Prof Ram Gopal Yadav is therefore significant though the latter did not show up for the family photograph on Thursday.

Mr Shivpal also did not reveal any major thaw in his relationship with his nephew Mr Akhilesh. Akhilesh Yadav is the party president and it is for him to take it the party forward, he said. He also downplayed the grand reunion when he said, The family always celebrates festivals together. Mr Mulayam, however, emphasised that My entire family is united and there is no discord. This is the reason that we have come to Sefai to celebrate Diwali. Sources, meanwhile, said that Prof Ram Gopal Yadav differed with Mr Mulayam on a number of issues though he did not say so.

He, later, held another meeting with Mr Akhilesh whom he has been supporting in the family war.
The agency is probing members of the Yadav family and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her son Tejashwi Yadav in connection with its money laundering probe pertaining to the railway hotels allotment case.

Sources said while Tejashwi has been summoned on October 24, Rabri has been called on October 27 for questioning in the case. While Tejashwi had been grilled once by the ED for more than nine hours, Rabri had skipped the summons at least four times. The agency is probing members of the Yadav family and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In July, the CBI had registered a criminal FIR and conducted multiple searches on the properties of Lalu, who is also a former Bihar chief minister, and others.

The CBI in its FIR alleged that Lalu Yadav, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a benami company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister.

Lalu Yadav was railway minister between 2004 and 2009. The ED had registered a criminal case against Lalu Prasad Yadavs family members and others under the PMLA, based on the CBI FIR.
India and China had been locked in a military face-off earlier for over two months after China had attempted to build a road at Doklam.

New Delhi: Just days ahead of US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to India that will take place next week, India praised his recent statement that the US is a reliable partner to India, saying it highlighted our shared commitment to a rule-based international order.

New Delhis reaction is being seen as more proof of the ever-strengthening Indo-US ties which is being seen as a counter-weight to the Sino-Pakistani relationship in the region.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, Secretary Tillerson has made a significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future. He brought out its various strengths and highlighted our shared commitment to a rule-based international order. We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions. We look forward to welcoming him in India next week for detailed discussions on further strengthening of our partnership.

In a statement on October 18 at a think-tank in Washington at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Mr. Tillerson had been quoted by media reports from there as stating, In this period of uncertainty and angst, India needs a reliable partner on the wporld stage. I want to make it clear that with our shared values and vision for global stability, peace and prosperity, the US is that partner.

Slamming China, Mr. Tillerson was further quoted as saying, The US seeks constructive relations with China. But we wont shrink from Chinas challenges to the rules-based order, or where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the US and our friends.

He also compared this to India that operates within a framework that protects other nations sovereignty.

Significantly, India on Friday used the same phrase-rules-based order to praise Mr. Tillerson whose statement is seen as a strong hint towards what China did at Doklam.

India and China had been locked in a military face-off earlier for over two months after China had attempted to build a road at Doklam in Bhutanese territory. India had objected and top Government sources had then made it clear that New Delhi would protect Bhutans sovereignty at all costs. Finally, both India and China withdrew their forces from the stand-off site but the Chinese failure to build the road was seen as a setback to Beijings prestige.

Mr. Tillersons statement on India protecting the sovereignty of other nations is therefore being seen as a veiled reference to the Doklam stand-off.
It is alleged that the Russian man had committed the act of bestiality before realizing that entire thing was being filmed on CCTV camera.

Camera footage showed the man apparently mounting the unsuspecting animal, which was trapped between two fences in a field beside the stables. (Photo: Pixabay)

A Russian stable worker was caught by CCTV camera having sex with a horse and then burning down its stables in an attempt to hide his act of bestiality.

Camera footage showed the man apparently mounting the unsuspecting animal, which was trapped between two fences in a field beside the stables.

It is alleged that the man had committed the act of bestiality before realizing that the entire thing was being filmed on a CCTV camera.

The stable worker is accused of attempting to destroy all evidence by setting fire to the stables in the village of Urshakbashkaramily in south-central Russia's Republic of Bashkorkostan region.

His plan, apparently, backfired after police were called in to investigate the suspected arson. The authorities immediately checked the CCTV cameras and found footage of him apparently mounting and raping the horse.

The man, who is believed to have a girlfriend, could be seen approaching one of the animals from behind and pulling down his trousers.

The man then appears to begin having sex with the horse, holding the fence to keep his balance.

It is unclear whether the girlfriend is standing by him after the revelation of his deviant interests.

Social media users were shocked by the images with one saying, It is a shame that the horse did not hit kick him between his legs after what he had done to it. Another called Drakula007 added, I bet this dude no longer has a girlfriend.

Earlier this year, a man was caught raping a dog to death in Delhi, following that another case was registered where a Chembur man was caught raping a dog for three days in a row.

Most recently, another case was registered in Powai, Mumbai of a man raping a stray.

Elsewhere in Morocco, 15 teenagers contracted rabies after raping a rabid donkey.

These cases just go on to reaffirm the fact that animal abuse exists, even if we choose to look away
According to researchers, letting dogs sleep helps them to consolidate new memories, just like humans.

The findings could shed light on how similar the process of ageing in dog brains is that to humans. (Photo: Pixabay)

A new study now reveals that if your dog loves a good nap, there is a high chance that it is also better at learning new skills.

According to researchers, letting dogs sleep helps them to consolidate new memories, just like humans.

The findings could shed light on how similar the process of ageing in dog brains is that to humans.

The research was conducted at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest used EEG monitors to analyse dogs' brain activity while they slept.

Their study revealed that the dogs showed short burst of activity, called sleep spindles, during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep.

The frequency of these sleep spindles was also linked to how well a dog retained new information it had learned before its nap.

Speaking to Live Science, Ivaylo Iotchev, co-lead author of the study, said that while previous studies have looked at brain activity during sleep in mice, this was one of the first to analyse dogs.

The scans revealed that dogs with more frequent sleep spindles during their nap were better learners than dogs with fewer sleep spindles.

Beyond dogs, the findings could have implications for humans.

People with depression tend to have more sleep spindles than average, and those with schizophrenia have less.
The recent fatwa on social media etiquette issued by a Muslim seminary has irked members of the community all over India.

Religion is a very personal choice with everyone having the right to follow the faith of their choice  irrespective of their background or surroundings.

Recently, the Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur, one of the largest Islamic seminaries in India, issued a fatwa that bans Muslims from posting pictures on social media sites and termed the act un-Islamic. Soon, social media was flooded with posts calling this move barbarous.

We talk to a few Muslims from various walks of life about this and if it is going to affect them personally and professionally.

Fashion designer Rehane Yavar Dhala says, India is a democratic country and if a person has the freedom to issue fatwas, the others also have the freedom to follow or not follow them. We are too busy working and trying to do the best we can on a day-to-day basis in our respective careers. It is very easy for people to come and just issue a fatwa asking Muslim men and women to do this and that. For me, work is worship and that is the only thing I do care about. My work demands photographs and I dont know how to do my work without social media.

Shamna Kasim aka Poorna is one of the few Muslim actors who has made a mark for herself in the film industry. The actress, who hails from Kerala, has always faced a lot of issues from various Muslim groups for her certain bold appearances on and off screen. I dont know how to respond to such things. After being in the film industry for so long, I still have been under scrutiny and was a part of many controversies. There are people who come and ask my family if I have converted to Hinduism if they see me sporting a bindi. Just because I am a Muslim doesnt mean that I need to live in a certain way and sport a certain look. I do believe in God and he has given me the talent. Im working hard and the so-called organisations and groups arent doing anything useful for its members. Asking Muslims to stay away from social media is downright absurd.

Shamna goes on to say, When people question me too much, I generally ask them if such rules are applicable to someone like actor Mammootty. They reply, Mammootty is a man and you are a woman. You arent supposed to do certain things. And I go like, Why not? Are there separate rules for Muslim men and women? I think after answering to these Muslim organisations, Ive become more clear on my religious beliefs. People think if you are an actor or a social figure, you have more freedom in life. But thats not the case.

Entrepreneur Shahin Ansari, co-founder of Maalgaadi, says that people come up with such bizarre things all the time and each one has their own view. I am not going to listen to anybody who comes and tells me not to post anything on social media, just because I am a Muslim. No one can dictate anyones personal lives. And for me, religion is a very personal affair and no one can or should impose such rules on anyone. Its completely up to the individual whether to follow such rules. People interpret religion in various ways.

She adds that her parents are very open-minded and supportive  be it her personal and professional life. When I started my business, there were some relatives who asked my parents about my career choice. But I was sure that whatever I did, my parents would stand by me.

DJ Get Massive, who is a Muslim, believes that such rules are utterly stupid. Even in Islamic countries, women are getting more freedom! India, being a secular country, I think such rules are mindless. Telling a person not to take a picture and posting it on social media is totally irrelevant. We are living in a technology-driven century and such rules take away the whole idea of development. Religion is a very

simple thing and its the people who are making it complicated. I truly believe that ones belief should start from their heart. No matter what people say, live according to your conscience.
As per a World Health Organisation report, injuries are the sixth leading cause of childhood mortality throughout the world.

New Delhi: A retrospective study to find out about unintentional injuries during the festive months of September and October revealed that injuries were more common in the age group of 1-5 years and that male children were at high risk of unintentional injuries. The study, published last month in the Indian Journal of Child Health, was conducted on 180 children who visited the paediatric emergency department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

There were three main types of injuries  trauma (89.3 per cent), burns (5 per cent), and dog bites (5 per cent). Fall from height (49.4 per cent) was the most common reason in children who presented a history of trauma. About 50 per cent of the injuries were sustained on the head, said the study. According to Dr Yachana Chaudhary, the author of the study from the department of community medicine at Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal, injuries can be divided into intentional and unintentional. Intentional injuries include child abuse and violence against children whereas unintentional injuries include falls, road traffic accidents, drowning, poisoning, and burns.

As per a World Health Organisation report, injuries are the sixth leading cause of childhood mortality throughout the world. However, in India, it is the fifth leading cause of childhood mortality among children under 5 years of age. It is a common observation that in India, during festival seasons such as Makar Sankranti and Holi, the incidence of falls from roof increases because of unsupervised kite-flying. Similarly in Diwali, the incidence of burns increases significantly, added Dr Suresh Gupta, senior consultant in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Other Islamic seminaries, and so-called Islamic clerics, have not been lagging behind in their misplaced activism.

The truth is that there is a great deal of evidence of fundamentalism and an ostrich-like aversion to change among the self-anointed guardians for the welfare of Muslims. (Representational image)

Sheikh ul Islam Faqeeh ul Asar Hasrat Mufti Taqi Usmani is a Hanafi Muslim scholar from Pakistan who also served as a judge in that countrys Federal Shariat Court. The esteemed gentleman has recently come out with a fatwa that Muslim women should not post pictures of themselves or their family on social media, including specifically, Facebook.

Our own Darul Uloom Deoband, which claims to be the highest Islamic seminary in India, came out earlier this month with a fatwa that is even more bizarre. It banned Muslim women from plucking, trimming and shaping their eyebrows! The same seminary, which has a separate wing to issue fatwas  Darul Iftaa  had earlier issued directives that stated that Muslim women cannot hold jobs, either in the government or in the private sector, nor can they become judges.

Other Islamic seminaries, and so-called Islamic clerics, have not been lagging behind in their misplaced activism. A maulvi in Midnapore (West Bengal) issued a fatwa on what Sania Mirza should wear or not wear. The Majlis Bachao Tehreek has issued a fatwa against exiled Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen offering unlimited financial rewards to anyone who can kill her.

The venom that suffuses such fatwas should not be underestimated. In Bihar, on July 30 this year, the day Nitish Kumar won the trust vote with the support of the BJP after breaking ties with the RJD and the Congress, the only Muslim minister in his new Cabinet, Khursheed alias Firoz Ahmed, chanted the slogan Jai Shri Ram outside the Bihar Assembly. A fatwa was immediately issued by Maulvi Sohail Quasmi of the seminary Imarat Shariah, pronouncing that the ministers marriage must be annulled for his act of error. Firoz Ahmed protested at first, even saying that he would not be cowed down by such threats, but later succumbed to the pressure and apologised.

Apart from the Islamic seminaries, we have organisations like the All India Muslim Law Board. The board was set up in 1973 to protect and interpret Muslim personal law, and projects itself as the leading body to articulate Muslim opinion in India. However, it has hardly covered itself in glory for the opinions it has held. For instance, the board objected to the law on the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (2009), on the ground that it will infringe on the madrasa system of education. Are madrasas private properties of the board, beyond the purview of law and reform? The board also supported child marriage. Its members prevented Salman Rushdie from participating in the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2012, even when this participation was only to be in the form of a video conference.

The board has been the most retrogressive to Muslim women rights on the question of triple talaq. It actually said that while the practice was not without blemish, it must still be regarded as valid. Fortunately, the Supreme Court intervened in the matter in August this year and pronounced it illegal. Even worse, the board justified the practice of Nikah Halala wherein a divorced Muslim woman must sleep with another man before she can remarry her first husband. A report carried out by India Today revealed that Islamic scholars were charging a hefty fee for one night stands with divorced Muslim women so as to sanction their wish to remarry their first husband.

The fact of the matter is that Muslim clerics, and organisations like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, represent the worst form of medieval patriarchy, and appear to be completely impervious to the rights of Muslim women sanctioned within the Quran. They have thus far exercised a monopoly on what constitutes correct Muslim behaviour, and are stubbornly unwilling to accept that their views are outdated, iniquitous, and insensitive to notions of gender equality, to the much-needed reform within the Muslim community, and to the concept of a modern and progressive society. It is not surprising that of the 50-odd people who constitute the board, women are in a complete minority, and are not more than four as per the boards own website.

The truth is that there is a great deal of evidence of fundamentalism and an ostrich-like aversion to change among the self-anointed guardians for the welfare of Muslims. Such guardians, who issue all kinds of ridiculous fatwas at the drop of a hat, need to be challenged, not the least by liberal Muslim opinion itself, of which, unfortunately, we do not see too much evidence. Politicians too must stop pandering to such medieval interpretations of Muslim personal law merely for vote bank politics, as happened in the Shah Bano case in 1985.

There is another important reason to consider. As my good friend, commentator and journalist, Shahid Siddiqui says, one cannot counter Hindu fundamentalism by pandering to Muslim fundamentalism. Both are wrong, and both need to be condemned and opposed. In one sense, both extremes feed off each other. When Muslim clerics issue fatwas merely because a Muslim has the temerity to acknowledge Lord Ram, Hindu fundamentalists go to the other extreme and paint all Muslims as being anti-Hindu. This grossly distorts the debate, and the possibility of a meeting ground, which most Hindus and Muslims would be more than happy to share, between people of different faiths who together make up the vibrant Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb or culture of our composite and plural national fabric.

Besides, the time has come to ask: Do these ultra conservative thekedars of Muslims actually represent the real wishes of the community? In 2003, Outlook magazine carried out a survey in which the bulk of the respondents (40 per cent) replied in the negative when asked: Do you consider those fighting the Babri Masjid case as true spokespersons for the Muslim community?

Many Muslims may, perhaps, have reason today to suffer from a siege mentality. We need to oppose those forces that have created this mentality, but equally, Muslims too must show the courage to embrace liberal opinion and challenge the stranglehold of those who claim, in such primitive ways, to speak for them.
The convicted were followers of Richard Spencer, whose rally earlier had led to Charlottesville massacre.

Richard Spencer is the leader of the so-called "alt-right" movement - encompassing white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. (Photo: AP)

Miami: Three men were arrested after a shooting following white supremacist Richard Spencer's controversial speech at the University of Florida, police have said.

Spencer, leader of the so-called "alt-right" movement - encompassing white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan - appeared on Thursday on campus in Gainesville, in the north of the state.

Just over an hour after his speech ended, three of Spencer's followers stopped their car in front of a group of anti-racism protesters at a bus stop, police said in a statement Friday.

Authorities said they then threatened the protesters with Nazi salutes, chanting slogans about Hitler, before one of them, 28-year-old Tyler Tenbrink, pulled out a gun and shot at the group. The bullet hit a nearby building.

Tenbrink was arrested along with brothers William and Colton Fears, aged 30 and 28 respectively. The three were charged with attempted murder.

"This incident and how quickly it was handled displays the true teamwork that went into yesterday's Unified Command Center activation," said Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell.

Spencer, who helped organise a white supremacist rally that erupted in deadly violence in Charlottesville earlier this year, was shouted down by hundreds of protesters Thursday - forcing him to leave the stage at the University of Florida without delivering his planned speech.

Fearing a repetition of Charlottesville, Florida governor Rick Scott had declared a state of emergency Monday to beef up security ahead of Spencer's arrival - which also sparked a street protest of around 1,500 people.

Only around 30 supporters of the controversial white nationalist made it into the auditorium, massively outnumbered by protesters who chanted "No more Spencer!"
Dozens of mayors have been shot to death in Mexico in recent years, often by drug gangs or corrupt police.

says Mayor Crispin Gutierrez Moreno of the town of Ixtlahuacan was shot dead on Friday as he drove on a highway. (Representational Image | Photo: File)

Mexico City: Gunmen in Mexico have killed a mayor in the western state of Colima and wounded another in the neighbouring state of Michoacan.

The Colima state prosecutors' office says Mayor Crispin Gutierrez Moreno of the town of Ixtlahuacan was shot dead on Friday as he drove on a highway.

In Michoacan, state police say Jose Misael Gonzalez, mayor of the town of Coalcoman, was shot in the shoulder early Friday. He was in stable condition.

Gonzalez participated in a 2013 vigilante movement that largely kicked the Knights Templar drug cartel out of the state.

Dozens of mayors have been shot to death in Mexico in recent years, often by drug gangs or corrupt police.
The resolution recognises the religious and historical significance of Diwali.

Washington: Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives recognising the religious and historical significance of the festival of lights, Diwali to millions of Indian-Americans.

The resolution was introduced Friday and has the backing of five other lawmakers.

Co-sponsored by Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Tulsi Gabbard, Ami Bera and Joe Crowley, the resolution has been sent to the House Foreign Relations Committee for necessary action.

While Bera, Jayapal, and Khanna are Indian-American lawmakers, Gabbard is the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress and Crowley is a top Democratic Congressman.

"I'm proud to introduce this resolution recognising Diwali's religious and historical significance for millions of Indian-Americans," Krishnamoorthi said.

Read: Donald Trump hails Indian-Americans, celebrates Diwali at White House

For Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains in the United States and across the world, Diwali represents a time for giving thanks and celebrating the triumph of light over darkness as well as good over evil, he said.

Noting that this year many members of the Congress will celebrate Diwali in the US Capitol for the first time, the resolution expresses its "deepest respect" for the Indian-Americans and the Indian diaspora across the world on the occasion.

It acknowledges and supports the relationship of collaboration and respect between the US and India, recognises and appreciates the religious diversity in both the countries and throughout the world.

In a separate statement, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and co-chair Bob Paduchik wished the "Hindu, Jain and Sikh friends a happy festival of lights."

"During the festival, we hope those who celebrate are surrounded by family and friends as they practice the religious traditions of this meaningful holiday," she said.

Read: Ahead of her visit to India, Ivanka Trump wishes India Happy Diwali

"The lightening of diya on Diwali is a joyful celebration of the triumphant victory of light over darkness. We as Republicans embrace and continue to support religious freedom in our great country and encourage sharing these traditions with our very diverse communities," McDaniel said.

For Congressman Gregory W Meeks, Diwali is the "boldest, brightest, and the most widely-observed Hindu festival."

"Diwali affords individuals ... an occasion to reflect on what they are doing to enlighten, to open, and to lift themselves, their families, neighbours, friends, communities, and country into the bright light of peace, progress, and prosperity for all people and all nations," he said.

"This is why Diwali is for everyone to let the light of awareness shine within themselves and from themselves outward to others," Meeks added.

Another Congressman John Sarbanes said: "By lighting the diya, or lamp, Diwali reminds us that the good will outlast evil, that knowledge will triumph over ignorance."

"To all those who are joining in this observance, I wish you and your families a wonderful and heart-warming celebration," he said.
The administration is also considering expanding the categories of refugees required to be fingerprinted.

The proposals, if implemented, could significantly slow down refugee admissions and leave refugees who thought they were headed to the United States in perilous situations abroad, say refugee advocates and former officials. (Photo: AP)

New York: President Trump's administration has drafted a plan to pause a programme that allows family members to join refugees already settled in the United States until they can undergo increased security checks, two sources reported.

The measure is one of several being considered for refugees, the sources said.

The administration also may expand the use of intensive security checks by multiple federal agencies, called "security advisory opinions" (SAO) to apply to women from countries designated as high-risk by the US government. Currently there are usually only mandatory SAOs, as they are called, for men from those countries, the sources said.

The administration is also considering expanding the categories of refugees required to be fingerprinted, the sources said.

The proposals, if implemented, could significantly slow down refugee admissions and leave refugees who thought they were headed to the United States in perilous situations abroad, say refugee advocates and former officials.

David Lapan, a spokesman from the Department of Homeland Security said he could not comment on specific proposals that are still in the review process.

A State Department official also declined to comment while the review is underway and a White House spokeswoman said they have no announcements at this time.

Republican President Donald Trump came into office in January with a goal of sharply cutting refugee admissions and quickly issued temporary bans on refugees and travellers from several Muslim-majority countries that were challenged in court.

A 120-day temporary ban on refugees, put in place to study current procedures, expires on Oct. 24.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about the plans before they are announced, said the new measures could be announced at the end of the temporary ban.

Trump has said "extreme vetting" of refugees and immigrants and visitors is needed to prevent terrorist attacks.

The administration could pause the visa issuing process for "following-to-join" spouses and children of refugees who have already made it to the United States, known as V93 cases, the sources said. In 2015, just 3 percent of the nearly 70,000 refugee arrivals were those types of beneficiaries, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Reports on the type of vetting measures being considered for our refugee resettlement programme are disturbing," said Hans Van de Weerd, the Vice President of US Programs at the International Rescue Committee.

They amount "to a desertion of victims of war and heinous persecution, who have done everything asked of them as they prepare to arrive to the US," he said.

Refugees currently undergo differing levels of security checks when applying for admission to the United States in a process that can take 18-24 months.

"When you put in additional security checks you can basically halt the system," said Robert Carey, the former director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement under former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

"Every check is only good for a finite period of time and they expire and the whole process has to start all over again," he said, adding that the level of scrutiny is higher for refugees than most any other visa applicant to the United States.

Trump also lowered the maximum number of refugees to be allowed into the United States in 2017 to 50,000 from the 110,000 originally set by Obama. The 2018 level has been set at 45,000, the lowest number in decades.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to terror attacks in Europe as evidence of the risk from jihadist groups in the US.

Washington: US President Donald Trump linked a jump in reported crime in Britain to terrorism on Friday, again wading deep into a sensitive political debate on the other side of the pond.

Just out report: United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror. Not good, we must keep America safe! Mr Trump said.

The early morning tweet came as Britains statistical office reported a rise in reported crime in England and Wales in the first six months of the year. The report stated that much of the increase may be due to changes in the way crime statistics are recorded.

Mr Trump has repeatedly pointed to terror attacks in Europe as evidence of the risk from jihadist groups in the US.

At home he has championed a ban on travellers from several predominantly Muslim countries. But his pronouncements on terrorism in Britain have strained ties with London and put a planned state visit to Britain on ice. Last month Prime Minister Theresa May publicly rebuked Mr Trump for speculating on the causes of a botched London train bombing. Mr Trump also prompted fury for criticising Londons Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan, after a June attack at London Bridge.

Some members of Parliament reacted angrily to Mr Trumps latest foray into British political debate. Conservative Nicholas Soames  Winston Churchills grandson  described Trump as a twerp and suggested he focus on fixing US gun laws.Labours Chris Bryant tweeted Can you please stick out of our business with such divisiveness? You clearly dont understand the difference between causation and correlation.
The four JuD leaders would be released on October 26 with the expiry of detention period.

Islamabad: Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeeds house arrest has been extended for another 30 days by a Judicial Review Board of Pakistans Punjab province after it reviewed the detention of the Mumbai attack mastermind.

The police on Thursday produced Saeed and his aides  Qazi Kashif Niaz, Prof. Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Abdullah Ubaid  before the board, while strict security measures have been taken in this regard.

The board, however, rejected the governments plea for the detention of his four aides. The 30-day detention will be applicable from October 24.

From the government, officials of interior and foreign affairs ministries showed up along with governments law officers, who also asked the board, comprising Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali, Justice Abdul Sami Khan and Justice Alia Neelum, to extend the detention of Saeed and his aides.

The four JuD leaders would be released on October 26 with the expiry of detention period.

A number of Saeeds supporters were present at the courts premises who showered rose petals on him and his aides. Police, however, stopped them from chanting slogans. The JuD leaders were kept in detention by the Punjab government under the Maintenance of Pubic Order following the recommendation of the federal government.

On the other hand, a single bench of the high court on Thursday adjourned hearing of Saeeds petition against his detention as the law officer informed the court that attorney-general of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf was abroad, besides asking to adjourn the case.

Saeed has been accused by the United States and India of masterminding the 2008 attacks on the Mumbai that left 166 people dead. He, however, has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
Supreme Leader considers US drills in S Korea waters a rehearsal for an invasion of his country.

Tensions have increased between Pyongyang and Washington since the regime began testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the US mainland.(Photo: File/AFP)

Pyongyang: North Korea has threatened the United States of an "unimaginable" nuclear strike for conducting military exercises with South Korea in the waters off the Korean peninsula.

"The United States is running amok by introducing under our nose the targets we have set as primary ones," a state-controlled Korean Central News Agency warned, reports the New York Post.

"The US should expect that it would face an unimaginable strike at an unimaginable time," it added.

The regime also blamed the United States for "creating tension on the eve of war" by taking part in civilian evacuation drills in South Korea.

Read: Asia tour hinged on preventing standoff with N Korea: China can expect pressure from Trump, say officials

Earlier on Monday, the United States and South Korea military forces began five days of military exercises that involve fighter jets, helicopters and about 40 ships and submarines.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Government considers the drills a rehearsal for an invasion of his country.

Tensions have increased between Pyongyang and Washington since the regime began testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the US mainland.

It also detonated a nuclear device.

The United Nations (UN) has imposed strict economic sanctions against the country in retaliation for continuing its weapons development program.

United States President Donald Trump has said he would 'totally destroy' North Korea in defence of the US or its allies.
Duterte made the comments following his announcement to withdraw police who were accused of rights abuses.

Duterte has repeatedly insisted he has not ordered or incited police to murder drug addicts or suspects, while at other times he has said he would be happy to slaughter them or have tens of thousands killed. (Photo: AP)

Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to shoot criminals himself, while warning he may bring police back to the frontlines of his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte made the comments late Friday following his announcement on October 11 to withdraw the police from his anti-drug war after they were accused of rights abuses in killing thousands of people while following his orders to eradicate illegal drugs in society.

He replaced them with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which has about 2,000 officers compared with 165,000 for the police force.

Duterte has repeatedly insisted he has not ordered or incited police to murder drug addicts or suspects, while at other times he has said he would be happy to slaughter them or have tens of thousands killed.

On Friday he said he would be prepared to kill criminals himself, as he raised doubts about the PDEA being able to contain illegal drugs.

Those who rape children, who rape women, those sons of... if you dont want the police, I am here now. I will shoot them. Thats true! If nobody would dare it, I will pull the trigger, he said.
The complicated relationship between China and N Korea is less friendship and more a mutually uneasy dependency.

Beijing: At first glance, it seems the perfect solution to the world's most dangerous standoff: Find a way to get China to use its enormous influence to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear bombs.

The countries, after all, share a long, porous border, several millennia of history and deep ideological roots. Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of Chinese soldiers, including Mao Zedong's son, died to save North Korea from obliteration during the Korean War, and China is essentially Pyongyang's economic lifeline, responsible for most of its trade and oil.

The notion of Chinese power over the North  that the countries are as "close as lips and teeth,'' according to a cliche recorded in the 3rd century  is so tantalizing that Donald Trump has spent a good part of his young presidency playing it up.

The reality, however, is that the complicated, often exasperating, relationship is less about friendship or political bonds than a deep and mutually uneasy dependency. Nominally allies, the neighbours operate in a near constant state of tension, a mix of ancient distrust and dislike and the grating knowledge that they are inextricably tangled up with each other, however much they might chafe against it.

This matters because if China is not the solution to the nuclear crisis, then outsiders long sold on the idea must recalibrate their efforts as the North approaches a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the US mainland, something the CIA chief this week estimated as only a matter of months away.

"The North Koreans have always driven China crazy," says John Delury, an expert on both countries at Seoul's Yonsei University, "and, for their part, the North Koreans have always felt betrayed by China. But both sides need each other in elemental ways."

The View from China: Kim Fatty

One clue about how Chinese see the North can be seen in two widespread nicknames for the overweight, third-generation North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un: Kim Fatty The Third and Kim Fat Fat Fat.

As China rises as an economic, military and diplomatic heavyweight whose reach extends from the Americas to Asia, many here resent being dragged down by an impoverished, stubborn, Third World dictatorship that allows its people to go hungry while its leader lives in luxury and expands a nuclear arsenal that could lead to war with Washington.

North Korean missile tests hurt trade and tourism and strengthen the US presence in a region that China believes it should dominate. North Korean nuclear tests set off earthquakes near the Chinese border and raise fears of radioactive contamination.

There's also scorn for the North's brutal, nepotistic brand of socialism, and displeasure that North Korean aggression led South Korea to allow on its territory a US anti-missile system that Beijing says can be used to spy on its operations.

This growing disdain is reflected in China's willingness to permit criticism of the North in the press, and to allow tougher sanctions at the UN Beijing has suspended coal, iron ore, seafood and textiles from the North.

Although North Korea takes pride in its ability to absorb pain, be it war, famine, sanctions or condemnation, China's tougher line will rob Pyongyang of key sources of foreign currency.

Still, nothing China has done offsets its underlying fear that too much external pressure could collapse the government in Pyongyang. The nightmare scenario for Beijing is North Korean refugees flooding into its northeast after Seoul takes power in Pyongyang and US and South Korean troops occupy lands that were once considered a buffer zone.

"It is true that China loathes North Korea and vice versa _ at the societal level, the leadership level and the governmental level," Van Jackson, a North Korea specialist and lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, wrote earlier in 2017. "But China's `emotions' toward North Korea don't drive its policy."

Beijing has also argued that it has less power over North Korea than people think. Some observers question whether China could force a change in the North, short of military intervention, even if it wanted to.

North Korea relies on China for most of its oil, and outsiders have long argued that the best way to cripple the North's economy and force it to submit would be to persuade Beijing to cut that flow.

But even this may not work.

North Korea gets its oil from China out of convenience, not necessity, according to Pierre Noel, an energy security specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

"Would it be good news for North Korea if the oil stopped flowing? No. Is it likely to cripple the economy and force the government to change course on their foremost strategic priority? No. There are ample hydrocarbons in North Korea to substitute for those it imports from China."

The View from North Korea: Profound Mistrust

One way to gauge Pyongyang's feelings for Beijing is to consider that Kim Jong Un has yet to visit his only major ally, a country that accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade, since taking power in December 2011.

His late father, Kim Jong II, hated to travel but went to China eight times during his rule, and Chinese leaders reciprocated with trips to Pyongyang.

Since communication at the highest levels has now virtually disappeared, Kim Jong Un feels little need to pay attention when Beijing calls on him to stop testing nukes and missiles.

In fact, North Korea has seemingly sought to humiliate Beijing by timing some of its missile tests for major global summits in China.

Last month, North Korean state media accused Chinese state-controlled media of "going under the armpit of the US" by criticizing Pyongyang. In May, the North vowed to "never beg for the maintenance of friendship with China (or risk North Korea's) nuclear program which is as precious as its own life, no matter how valuable the friendship is."

It can be argued that the North Korea-China relationship never really recovered from Beijing's decision in 1992 to establish formal diplomatic relations with Seoul.

But a big part of North Korea's "profound sense of mistrust" and "long-term effort to resist China's influence" stems from the 1950-53 Korean War, according to James Person, a Korea expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. The war is often seen as the backbone of the countries' alliance, he said, but the North blamed the failure to conquer the South on Beijing, which had seized control of field operations after the near-annihilation of North Korean forces.

In the 1970s, with North Korea pushing the United States for a peace treaty to replace the Korean War ceasefire that continues today, Washington chose to work through China.

By so doing, US officials failed to see the limits of Chinese influence in the North, Person wrote last month on the 38 North website.

"Yet, nearly four decades later, asking China to solve the North Korean problem remains Washington's default policy for dealing with Pyongyang." This, he said, is "a recipe for continued failure."

Beijing: At first glance, it seems the perfect solution to the world's most dangerous standoff: Find a way to get China to use its enormous influence to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear bombs.

The countries, after all, share a long, porous border, several millennia of history and deep ideological roots. Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of Chinese soldiers, including Mao Zedong's son, died to save North Korea from obliteration during the Korean War, and China is essentially Pyongyang's economic lifeline, responsible for most of its trade and oil.

The notion of Chinese power over the North  that the countries are as "close as lips and teeth,'' according to a cliche recorded in the 3rd century  is so tantalizing that Donald Trump has spent a good part of his young presidency playing it up.

The reality, however, is that the complicated, often exasperating, relationship is less about friendship or political bonds than a deep and mutually uneasy dependency. Nominally allies, the neighbours operate in a near constant state of tension, a mix of ancient distrust and dislike and the grating knowledge that they are inextricably tangled up with each other, however much they might chafe against it.

This matters because if China is not the solution to the nuclear crisis, then outsiders long sold on the idea must recalibrate their efforts as the North approaches a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the US mainland, something the CIA chief this week estimated as only a matter of months away.

"The North Koreans have always driven China crazy," says John Delury, an expert on both countries at Seoul's Yonsei University, "and, for their part, the North Koreans have always felt betrayed by China. But both sides need each other in elemental ways."

Read: Asia tour hinged on preventing standoff with N Korea: China can expect pressure from Trump, say officials

The View from China: Kim Fatty

One clue about how Chinese see the North can be seen in two widespread nicknames for the overweight, third-generation North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un: Kim Fatty The Third and Kim Fat Fat Fat.

As China rises as an economic, military and diplomatic heavyweight whose reach extends from the Americas to Asia, many here resent being dragged down by an impoverished, stubborn, Third World dictatorship that allows its people to go hungry while its leader lives in luxury and expands a nuclear arsenal that could lead to war with Washington.

North Korean missile tests hurt trade and tourism and strengthen the US presence in a region that China believes it should dominate. North Korean nuclear tests set off earthquakes near the Chinese border and raise fears of radioactive contamination.

There's also scorn for the North's brutal, nepotistic brand of socialism, and displeasure that North Korean aggression led South Korea to allow on its territory a US anti-missile system that Beijing says can be used to spy on its operations.

This growing disdain is reflected in China's willingness to permit criticism of the North in the press, and to allow tougher sanctions at the UN Beijing has suspended coal, iron ore, seafood and textiles from the North.

Although North Korea takes pride in its ability to absorb pain, be it war, famine, sanctions or condemnation, China's tougher line will rob Pyongyang of key sources of foreign currency.

Still, nothing China has done offsets its underlying fear that too much external pressure could collapse the government in Pyongyang. The nightmare scenario for Beijing is North Korean refugees flooding into its northeast after Seoul takes power in Pyongyang and US and South Korean troops occupy lands that were once considered a buffer zone.

"It is true that China loathes North Korea and vice versa _ at the societal level, the leadership level and the governmental level," Van Jackson, a North Korea specialist and lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, wrote earlier in 2017. "But China's `emotions' toward North Korea don't drive its policy."

Beijing has also argued that it has less power over North Korea than people think. Some observers question whether China could force a change in the North, short of military intervention, even if it wanted to.

North Korea relies on China for most of its oil, and outsiders have long argued that the best way to cripple the North's economy and force it to submit would be to persuade Beijing to cut that flow.

But even this may not work.

North Korea gets its oil from China out of convenience, not necessity, according to Pierre Noel, an energy security specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

"Would it be good news for North Korea if the oil stopped flowing? No. Is it likely to cripple the economy and force the government to change course on their foremost strategic priority? No. There are ample hydrocarbons in North Korea to substitute for those it imports from China."

Read: Kim Jong Un threatens US of 'unimaginable' nuclear strike

The View from North Korea: Profound Mistrust

One way to gauge Pyongyang's feelings for Beijing is to consider that Kim Jong Un has yet to visit his only major ally, a country that accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade, since taking power in December 2011.

His late father, Kim Jong II, hated to travel but went to China eight times during his rule, and Chinese leaders reciprocated with trips to Pyongyang.

Since communication at the highest levels has now virtually disappeared, Kim Jong Un feels little need to pay attention when Beijing calls on him to stop testing nukes and missiles.

In fact, North Korea has seemingly sought to humiliate Beijing by timing some of its missile tests for major global summits in China.

Last month, North Korean state media accused Chinese state-controlled media of "going under the armpit of the US" by criticizing Pyongyang. In May, the North vowed to "never beg for the maintenance of friendship with China (or risk North Korea's) nuclear program which is as precious as its own life, no matter how valuable the friendship is."

It can be argued that the North Korea-China relationship never really recovered from Beijing's decision in 1992 to establish formal diplomatic relations with Seoul.

But a big part of North Korea's "profound sense of mistrust" and "long-term effort to resist China's influence" stems from the 1950-53 Korean War, according to James Person, a Korea expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. The war is often seen as the backbone of the countries' alliance, he said, but the North blamed the failure to conquer the South on Beijing, which had seized control of field operations after the near-annihilation of North Korean forces.

In the 1970s, with North Korea pushing the United States for a peace treaty to replace the Korean War ceasefire that continues today, Washington chose to work through China.

By so doing, US officials failed to see the limits of Chinese influence in the North, Person wrote last month on the 38 North website.

"Yet, nearly four decades later, asking China to solve the North Korean problem remains Washington's default policy for dealing with Pyongyang." This, he said, is "a recipe for continued failure."
The toughest sticking point has been the bill Britain will pay as it leaves the EU club.

British Prime Minister Theresa May Theresa May speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels. (Photo: AP)

Brussels: EU leaders agreed on Friday to start internal work on the blocs relationship with Britain after Brexit, giving some progress for embattled Prime Minister Theresa May to take back home.

EU President Donald Tusk said in a tweet the blocs other 27 leaders meeting in Brussels had agreed to begin preparations for trade talks even though not enough progress has been made on the terms of the divorce.

Brexit conclusions adopted. Leaders green-light internal EU27 preparations for 2nd phase, Mr Tusk said on Twitter as EU leaders met without Ms May to discuss the issue. It took the leaders 90 seconds to approve the conclusions, an EU source said.

The toughest sticking point has been the bill Britain will pay as it leaves the EU club. European capitals are demanding detailed written commitments on finance before progressing to trade talks, fearing that Brexit will blow a hole in the blocs budget.

In a move that risks being seen as a snub to the EUs gesture, Ms May insisted once again on Friday that a detailed financial deal could only be reached once Britains future relationship with the bloc was agreed.

The full and final settlement will come as part of the final agreement that were getting in relation to the future partnership. I think thats absolutely right, she said at the end of the Brussels summit.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck an optimistic note following a summit dinner on Thursday night where Ms May addressed the leaders. Ms Merkel said that despite delays in the negotiations, she could see zero indications that we will not succeed in reaching a final agreement.

Written conclusions approved by the leaders said the EU will delay the decision on opening the next phase of talks until the next summit in December, but they will agree to start internal preparatory discussions on trade and a possible transition deal.

A European diplomatic source said: May asked for a sign, we have given a sign.

The slow progress of the negotiations, particularly on Britains financial settlement, stoked fears that the country could leave the EU in March 2019 without a deal in place, risking economic and legal chaos.
Officials said the accord aimed at removing jihadist content from the Web within two hours of being posted.

From left, European Commissioner for Security Union Julian King, United States' Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, Canada's Minister of Public Safety Ralph Edward Goodale and Italy's Minister of Interior Marco Minniti attend the G7 Ministers of the Interiors meeting on the island of Ischia, near Naples. (Photo: AP)

Ischia(Italy): G7 countries and tech giants, including Google, Facebook and Twitter, agreed on Friday to work together to block the dissemination of Islamist extremism over the internet.

These are the first steps towards a great alliance in the name of freedom, Italian interior minister Marco Minniti said after a two-day meeting with his Group of Seven counterparts, stressing the importance of the Internet for extremist recruitment, training and radicalisation.

Officials said the accord aimed at removing jihadist content from the Web within two hours of being posted.

Our enemies are moving at the speed of a tweet and we need to counter them just as quickly, acting US homeland security secretary Elaine Duke said.

While acknowledging progress had been made, Britains home secretary Amber Rudd insisted that companies need to go further and faster to not only take down extremist content but also stop it being uploaded in the first place.

The meeting, on the Italian island of Ischia off Naples, also focused on ways to tackle one of the Wests biggest security threats  jihadist fighters fleeing Syria  as the European Union promised to help close a migration route considered a potential back door for terrorists.

Tens of thousands of citizens from Western countries travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for the ISIS group between 2014 and 2016, including some who then returned home and staged attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

Mr Minniti warned last week that fighters planning revenge attacks following the collapse of the ISIS stronghold in Raqa could hitch lifts back to Europe on migrant boats from Libya.

The US and Italy signed an agreement on the sidelines of the G7 meeting to share their fingerprint databases in a bid to root out potential extremists posing as asylum seekers.

The technical understanding aims to ascertain whether (migrants, asylum seekers or refugees) are noted criminal suspects or terrorists, Mr Minnitis office said.

Earlier, EU president Donald Tusk promised the bloc would fork out more funds to help shut down the perilous crossing from Libya to Italy  a popular path for migrants who hope to journey on to Europe.

The EU would offer stronger support for Italys work with the Libyan authorities, and there was a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route, he said.

Italy has played a major role in training Libyas Coast Guard to stop human trafficking in its territorial waters, as well as making controversial deals with Libyan militias to stop migrants from setting off.

Mr Minniti said the G7 ministers had discussed how to go about de-radicalising citizens returning from the ISIS frontline, to prevent them becoming security risks in jails.

The ministers had also brainstormed on how to tackle the legal headache of prosecuting returnees, amid questions over what sort of evidence, collected by whom, could be used in a domestic court.

The US and Britain called for more to be done on aviation safety, particularly through the sharing of passenger data.

The G7 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US  said it had also called on the web giants to work with their smaller partners to bolster the anti-extremism shield.

ISIS took to the technology world like a fish to water, Mr Minniti said, adding that it was time to unleash the antidote to its malware of terror.

Ms Rudd said the UK government would do its part by changing the law so that those accessing and viewing extremist material on the web could face up to 15 years behind bars.

But Julian Richards, security specialist at BUCSIS (Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies), said the rest of the G7 was unlikely to get behind her on that front.

The UKs fairly hard approach of introducing legislative measures to try to force companies to cooperate... And suggestions that people radicalising online should have longer sentences, are often considered rather unpalatable and too politically sensitive in many other advanced countries, he said.
The 33-year-old suspect recruited central Asian targets online to wage jihad and organise terrorist acts on Russian territory.

IS has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Russia. (representational Image | Photo: AP)

Saint Petersburg (Russia): A suspected Islamic State recruiter has been arrested in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, officials have said.

Tajikistan national Farkhod Nazarov, suspected of aiding terrorism, has been arrested and will be detained until December 12," said a statement from a court in Russia's second city, scene of a deadly underground train bombing in April.

The 33-year-old suspect recruited central Asian targets online "to wage jihad in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and to organise terrorist acts on Russian territory," according to security sources cited by the local press.

Nazarov was arrested on Thursday in the town of Kingisepp, near to the border with Estonia in the Saint Petersburg region.

When Russian special forces arrested him he was carrying a pistol, a quantity of drugs and "literature of an Islamist nature", according to Russian media.

Since Russia - a decades-long ally of Damascus  first intervened militarily in Syria in 2015, it has faced reprisal threats from Islamic State and from the rebel jihadist group Al-Nosra Front, the Syrian affiliate of Al-Qaeda.

IS has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Russia. In August, a man stabbed seven people on the street in the Siberian city of Surgut, before being shot and killed.

The following week two men stabbed a policeman to death and wounded another in the volatile region of Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus before he too was shot dead by police.

Earlier this month the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killing of two policemen in Dagestan.
China routinely protests world leaders meeting the Dalai Lama and makes it mandatory to recognise Tibet as a part of it.

I want to make it clear that the 14th Dalai Lama, the living Buddha handed down by history is a political figure under the cloak of religion, said Executive Vice Minister Zhang Yijiong. (Photo: PTI)

Beijing: China on Saturday warned that it would consider it to be a "major offence" if any country or foreign leader hosts or meets the Dalai Lama as it deems the Tibetan spiritual leader a "separatist" trying to split Tibet from it.

China routinely protests world leaders meeting the Dalai Lama. It also makes it mandatory for all the foreign governments to recognise Tibet as part of China to have diplomatic relations with Beijing.

China had protested when the Tibetan spiritual leader was permitted by India to visit various areas in the north- east, including Arunachal Pradesh, in 2017.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in his Himalayan homeland. He has been living in India in exile since then.

"Any country or any organisation of anyone to accept to meet with the Dalai Lama in our view is a major offence to the sentiment of the Chinese people," said Zhang Yijiong, Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Also, since they have committed to recognising China as a sole legitimate government representing China it contravenes their attempt, because it is a serious commitment," Zhang said on the sidelines of the once-in-a-five-year congress of the CPC.

Zhang said China would not accept the arguments of foreign countries and leaders to meet the 82-year-old Dalai Lama as a religious leader.

"I want to make it clear that the 14th Dalai Lama, the living Buddha handed down by history is a political figure under the cloak of religion," he said.

Without naming India, he said Dalai Lama fled to the "other country" in 1959 "betraying his motherland and setup his so called government in exile".

That "so called government" has the mission of a separatist agenda to split Tibet from China, he said.

"For decades, the group with 14th Dalai Lama as the leader never stopped to achieve that political agenda," he said.

There is no legitimate government that that has recognised the Dalai Lama group, he said, adding that fewer countries and leaders are hosting him.

Some countries may say the Dalai Lama is not a political figure but a religious figure and their officials meet him not in his political capacity.

"But that is not true and not right because every official represent their government and they are political figures," Zhang said.

"So we urge all to exercise caution and prudence to bear in mind the respect for China's sovereignty and for their relations and friendship with China," he said.

Zhang also claimed that Tibetan Buddhism has originated from China.

"It is a special form of religion that originated within China. In the process of development of Tibetan Buddhism, it was influenced by other religions and other cultures, that is true but is not acquired religion," he said.

Zhang said in Tibet, China is encouraging Tibetan Buddhism to reclaim its Chinese orientation.

"It is mainly about introducing or incorporating fine results of Chinese culture in the teaching of Tibetan religion," he said.

"Chinese culture can nurture teachings and tenants of Tibetan Buddhism, so that its teaching can take in the latest fine results of Chinese culture. It is also needed for the development of Chinese Buddhism itself," he said.
For the bishop of Daejeon, the countrys low birth rate is the result of constant focus on careers. Physical labour is denigrated; only white-collar jobs are appreciated. Families teach to outperform others. "We love the Lord by loving our brothers and sisters."

Daejeon (AsiaNews)  For Mgr Lazarus You Heung-sik, bishop of Daejeon and president of the National Justice and Peace Commission, South Koreas declining birthrate is due to a culture where coming first rules society, where hard work and sweat are less appreciated, and outperforming others is taught in the family.

In South Korea, the authorities are concerned by the drop in the countrys birth rate, a potentially dangerous trend for its continued economic growth. Last year, the number of births reached a historic low, with only 406,000 newborns, and a fertility rate (number of babies per woman) at 1.17, the lowest in the last seven years.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr You reiterated that the only answer to the declining birth rate is "living according to the Gospel", which teaches us to live together as brothers and sisters.

For the prelate, the problem of fewer births begins in families, which should be "the first school where one learns to live with others. Unfortunately, now this happens less, and so the right human preparation is found less and less in young people and children. It is a very worrying issue."

"Throughout South Korean society there is a widespread pressure to compete. The current situation in society is disquieting, since everyone has to run vigorously to beat the competition. The social climate drives young people to consider others as competitors as they fight for their career."

"Young people like white-collar jobs, with giant conglomerates or government. Jobs that require sweat and hard physical labour are less appreciated in society. In Christianity, labour contributes to the Lords creation but in today's society physical labour is despised. In addition, there is the problem of unemployment that stems from technological progress that has reduced the need for blue-collar workers. For this reason, it is important to highlight the importance of the evangelical spirit of brotherhood, to share what we have with other people, and tackle this problem together."

"Unfortunately, after the Korean War (1950-1953), which destroyed everything, South Koreans became obsessed with economic development, sacrificing certain precious values . Now, our society is facing the results of that obsession in its shockingly low birth rate. The Church in Korea, therefore, is doing its best to teach our young people to acknowledge that others are not the object of competition, but brothers and sisters with whom one has to walk together. The world is not a battlefield, but a place to live together with others."

"For the Korean Church, the answer is very simple: live according to the Gospel. The Word of God helps us live with others. We love the Lord by loving our brothers and sisters. It is important to prepare ourselves through the Gospel. At the same time, it should be said that young people have great potential. We saw it this past winter, for example, during the peaceful candlelight revolution, which led to the resignation of then-President Park Geun-hye.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the squares of South Koreas main cities to demand a just society without the temptation of expressing their grievances with violence. Most of the protesters who gathered when the temperature was close to zero were young people. In addition, young South Koreans can be found all over the world to provide services to others, especially in economically less developed countries. Seeing all this, I believe our young people still have, deep down, a righteous, pious and generous heart."

"Catechism lessons to educate children and young people about the Gospel in each parish serve this purpose. To be honest, it is a difficult task, since in society the spirit of competition is still promoted as a value to be jealously guarded. Many push young people towards ruthless competition arguing that they must pass their exams, be more competitive in their field, and be first if they want to survive or avoid joining the poor classes.

Whilst it is true that competition is useful and necessary in some situations, humans were not created to outperform each other, but to love one another. This is the truth about human beings that the Gospel teaches us. In any case, difficulties do not discourage us; they accompany todays young people because they follow the path of the Good News, which gives life to everyone, and teaches them that the Lord wants us to help, work, study, and be good with others."
by Shafique Khokhar

The Rwadari Tehreek Movement calls for immediate action against Muhammad Safdar. His speech was an incitement of violence towards minorities, and was against the vision of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah."

Lahore (AsiaNews)  The speech by the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the National Assembly, calling for the social boycott of Ahmadi Muslims, has sparked concern and outrage[1] among groups like the Rwadari Tehreek (Tolerance) Movement, which promotes religious and social harmony.

At a press conference last Tuesday at the Lahore Press Club, the group condemned the hateful speech by Muhammad Safdar, a member of the ruling party, and a retired captain married to Sharif Nawazs favourite daughter, Maryam Nawaz. The group also called on the government to do something to prevent such situations in the future.

Samson Salamat, president of Rwadari Tehreek, and several Protestant clergymen were present at the press conference.

"The speech was profoundly discriminatory, Salamat said. It was an incitement of violence towards minorities, and was against the vision of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who, in his first speech to the nation, said that 'We are all citizens and equal citizens of one state.

According to the activist, the speech "has fuelled intolerance and increased the sense of fear and terror among people who belong to religious minorities, who have already been victims of discrimination."

Abdullah Malik, president of the Civil Society Network, stressed that "religious minorities have played a vital role in the socio-economic development of the country since its inception. It is really sad that they are considered lower class citizens. "

"It is very sad that that a Member of Parliament is allowed to express such intolerant and politically incorrect view with impunity and no action is taken. It is regrettable that no other political party or parliamentarian condemned him."

[1] The Ahmadi are about 2 per cent of the Pakistani population. They are a religious movement inspired by Islam that emerged at the end of the 19th century. The founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was considered a prophet who appeared after Muhammad. For Sunni Muslims, the group is heretical. Following Pakistans independence, Ahmadis have made a great political and cultural contribution to the country. Pakistans first Foreign Minister, Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, and Pakistans first Nobel Prize, physicist Mohammad Abdus Salam, were both Ahmadis.
Indonesia has the worlds second longest coastline. In 2014, maritime tourism generated only US$ 1 billion in revenue. The government now wants to bring that to US$ 4 billion by 2019. The goal is to go beyond Bali, and promote nature and cruise ships in ten other seaside areas.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Indonesian government plans to monetise the country's vast coastal regions, and increase fourfold revenue from maritime tourism.

In 2014, maritime tourism attracted only about one million foreign visitors to Indonesia, and generated US$ 1 billion, only 10 per cent of the total foreign exchange revenue from the tourism sector.

The authorities are now determined to increase the number of foreign visitors to 4 million and foreign exchange income to US$ 4 billion by 2019.

Although Indonesia has the worlds second longest coastline, the tourist sector is dominated by cultural attractions, with more than half of all foreign visitors, followed by nature.

Maritime tourism has so far been limited to seaside activities, especially at the countrys most popular site, Kuta Beach in Bali.

On Wednesday, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the government wants to develop other activities, such as yachting, cruise ships and diving.

He highlighted the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua, which are home to the planet's most diverse fish and coral resources and are among the world's best diving sites.

The ministry has identified another ten top diving sites it banks on for tourism, such as Bunaken in North Sulawesi, Derawan in East Kalimantan and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The Tourism Ministry plans to improve infrastructure and provide regulatory support to develop tourism in these areas.

Tourism is one of the areas Indonesian President Joko Widodo has given priority in his political agenda. The goal is to reach 15 million visitors this year and 20 million in 2019.

Tourism is set to become the most important contributor of foreign currency by 2019 with US$ 20 billion, surpassing commodities like palm oil.

Last year, it secured the second spot with US.5 billion, ahead of the oil and gas sector.

The president has announced that Indonesia will build up to ten ports in a push to boost maritime tourism.
by Li Yuan

In an interview with Commercial Radio, the director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs reiterated the urgency of cutting relations with Taiwan and not interfere in China's domestic affairs, including religion. Fang Xinyao and Ma Yinglin, two bishops present at the party congress, heap praise on Xi Jinping's speech. Others warn against fake pastors but real slaves. An underground Catholic expresses his fears.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  A senior Beijing official has lauded the friendly attitude of Pope Francis, who made repeated appeals on his wish to visit China, but also setting bottom line on China-Vatican relations in an interview with a Hong Kong media published on Oct 21.

Wang Zuoan, director of State Administration of Religious Affairs, gave a written reply to the Commercial Radio on the sideline of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where General Secretary Xi Jinping reaffirms the direction of Sinicization of religions in the opening session on Oct 18.

Wang told the Commercial Radio that Pope Francis has expressed his tribute to the Chinese leaders and the people through various means while the Chinese government has always been sincere, and has made real efforts, in improving China-Vatican relations.

However, Wang also reiterated Chinas two consistent and clear principles in dealing with China-Vatican relations, that is, the Vatican must sever the so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan and not to interfere in China's internal affairs, including not to interfere in the name of religious affairs.

Since assuming papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has for several times made public his wish to visit Beijing, including twice in his in-flight press conferences and in an interview with Spanish media El Pais in January 2017, in which the Pope said he would like to visit China "as soon as they send me an invitation."

But church observers saw his tone changed a bit when Pope Francis said in another in-flight press conference in Oct 2016 that I would like to but I don't think so yet when asked if he would make a trip to China as well as during the Angelus on May 22, 2017 when the Pope asked faithful to pray to the Mother Mary to help us discern God's will regarding the concrete path of the church in China.

The Commercial Radio described Wangs interview as a rare positive attitude towards the Pope's visit to China from the China authority. However, Chinese Catholics in and outside China detested Wangs remarks, especially after the two bishops who participated the Communist congress as special guests published congratulatory remarks to the congress.

In his work report, Xi said the Party will fully implement its basic policy on religious work, uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to socialist society.

Bishop Fang Xinyao, a Vatican-approved bishop who chairs the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said Xis remark provides a fundamental base and points out clearly the way forward for the future development of the China Church.

Bishop Ma Yinglin, an illicit bishop who heads the bishops conference, said Xis report on the work of the past five years was very informative and realistic while his grand blueprint for the future is inspiring. Ma called on the Catholic sector to study earnestly the spirit of the congress report while combined with actual work of the Church to realize the goals with all people in China.

The Chinese government could speak boastfully as it is now powerful. If the Pope visits China, we underground community will have to be ready for crackdown, said a lay Catholic in Hebei.

But if we make any noise against it, some people would attack us again that we are not listening to the Pope, said another underground layman.

In Hong Kong, John Mok, a Catholic commentator on public affairs, wrote on his Facebook, If the China-Vatican negotiation is to recognize these fake pastors but real slaves, what is the use of it? But there are other Catholics who agree to continue to dialogue to remove misunderstanding between the two parties.
Photo by Vince Taroc.

Drivers would rarely use the "S" word, when describing America's top-selling sedan. And while the 2018 Toyota Camry may not be "sporty," it would not be inaccurate to describe its new styling as sportier.

For fleet buyers, this may not register as highly as the more efficient trio of engines and the more cavernous cargo space in the trunk of a mid-size sedan that's hoping to better compete with crossovers and compact SUVs.

Approaching the Camry XSE, you can feel a Lexus deja vu (the L, LE, and XLE have been fitted with a different fascia). The screen-style lower grille just below the nose of the car isn't far off from the IS sedan's hexagonal grille. The new Camry has been lowered, widened, and lengthened.

The headline of this heavy refresh is the more fuel efficient powertrains, which include a 2.5-liter four cylinder (206 hp), 3.5-liter V-6 (301 hp), and Camry Hybrid for even better fuel economy. The gasoline sedans pair an eight-speed transmission with the new power plants.

The fuel economy numbers reflect the updates. The 2.5L car gets an EPA-rated 29 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway, and 34 mpg combined. The combined mpg is a 26% improvement over the previous model.

The 3.5L car provides an EPA-rated 22/33/26 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. The combined mpg is 8% better than the outgoing car.

Inside the cabin, the Camry reveals perhaps the biggest change with its curving, pleasing dashboard that nicely integrates a 7-inch screen. Rather than adopting Apple CarPlay or Google's Android Auto, Toyota has elected to stay with its quirky Entune multimedia system.

The 2018 Camry retails for at least $23,495 for L-grade models, while the Premium XSE V-6 sells for $34,950. Our test car added the Audio package, Driver Assist package, and a special color, which brought it to $38,230.
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A Pinellas County school with a large number of their students with failing test scores is now at the center of a complaint launched by the NAACP.

NAACP launches complaint against Pinellas Park Middle School

Complaint about teachers starting program to help black students who failed FSAT

In a complaint to the Pinellas County School District, the NAACP said teachers at Pinellas Park Middle School tried to help with a program aimed specifically at the large number of African American students who failed the Florida Standards Assessment test.

We had teachers who were made aware that 88 percent of their African American students had not passed the FSA and their response was what do we do after being encouraged at the beginning of the year by their administrators that said we have to do something, said NAACP St. Pete Chapter President, Maria Scruggs.

Scruggs said nine African American teachers at the school came up with a program centered on mentorship, academic remediation & cultural competency. They said the school currently has a program at the school once a week for students who need extra help.

They pulled together and organized a comprehensive, what they deemed to be a comprehensive after school program that they were willing to volunteer their time four days a week, Scruggs said.

In the complaint the NAACP said there were 50 percent of white students at the school who also failed the Florida Standards Assessment test at the school. But they said the number of African American students was so staggering they made a program to target those students and others could participate.

The program was targeted towards African Americans because of the severity of the gap but any child that wanted to participate, because that was a question and discussion point, that any child who wanted to participate was certainly going to be welcomed, Scuggs said.

Scruggs said the teachers were met with so much backlash and they had to scrap the program all together.

The school district sent us this statement. Pinellas County Schools is committed to completing a full review of the NAACP's complaint. But didnt elaborate further.

Scruggs said shes hoping this is reviewed especially since the NAACP already has a lawsuit against the district about the education of African American students.

The most egregious act that we find is that one of the reasons that were in a lawsuit with the district is because of the achievement gap that exists for black students, she said. And to find that you have teachers that are willing to volunteer to try to improve that gap, be basically harassed and called racist themselves and to be met with such resistance is probably equates to the fact that when black folks were lynched for teaching other blacks how to read.

NAACP leaders said the teachers who were a part of that group didnt want to speak out because of a fear of losing their jobs. Were told one of them has asked to be transferred to another school and another one has a transfer pending. The NAACP is asking that a teacher who was a part of the group of volunteers be able to be transferred if they choose to because the school has now become a hostile work environment.


Pastor is a sacred occupation. Ephesians 4:11-13 claims, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

We can know that a pastor mainly preaches the word of God, feeds the Lord's sheep, and manages the church in accordance with the law of Christ. So should a pastor keep learning and how should he learn? The Christian Times interviewed six people, including pastors and a preacher, to share their views.

Brother Li: A pastor needs constant learning, but a stagnant church tends to be more conservative.

Having followed Jesus for 17 years, Brother Li, an editor of a Christian media company, stated that a pastor's knowledge directly determines the overall level of his congregation under the current Christianity in China. Therefore, a pastor needs to keep learning -- a stagnant church is prone to be more conservative and has spiritual cultivation rather than practice faith. The study should cover understanding the times and an accumulation of human knowledge, especially history -- because the development of Christianity, including the Bible, was made with a specific historical background; one might deviate from the teachings of Jesus Christ if he didn't know that background.

Li added that there was a general emphasis on the importance of theology among pastors, leading to the emergence of many "fast-developed" pastors. "The weakness in knowledge causes pastors to preach hollow doctrinal sermons divorced from believers' life and thus the sermons fail to have a positive influence on believers." Li said.

He suggested pastors read through university textbooks on liberal arts such as history, literature, art history, and legal history.

Rev. Elijah: A pastor needs to learn extensively

Rev. Elijah, who has pastored in a house church for decades, said that pastors are "easily" ordained in some house churches. "Believers in some house churches served fervently and grew rapidly, also engaging in preaching. As the number of sheep increased and their experience grew, their church ordained them as pastors. It was perfunctory." He stated.

He advised those who didn't receive formal theological education before ordination to learn more. It was not enough to be skilled in the Bible to feed the church. "You need to learn group management and discipleship techniques. Pastors need to arrange courses for each department." He said that it was necessary to learn knowledge and techniques, otherwise the church would fall prey to traditions and extremes.

A pastor should learn extensively with the purpose of being a better shepherd for the church, he suggested.

Preacher Chen: A pastor stopping learning does the biggest harm to a church.

Preacher Chen has of years' pastoral ministry experience in Henan and mentioned that the greatest harm to a church is a pastor didn't learn or want his congregation to learn. In that situation the congregation would perish along with its pastor.

He said that he met a few preachers who kept preaching the same sermons over and over. They didn't learn because their congregations received less education than them.

Chen indicated that pastors should often remind their congregations to improve themselves. Their progress would force pastors to learn in turn.

Rev. James: Apart from studying the Bible, a pastor should keep pace with the times.

Rev. James from Hangzhou held that a pastor must keep learning because he often preaches sermons and puts out lots of information.

He should know the development trends and future of his church. What's more, his congregation would follow a pastor anxious to learn to learn more then the church would broaden its knowledge areas quickly.

He said that he keeps a personal learning habit: besides daily morning devotionals and prayer, he reads news and books in the evening; he visits local museums in new cities and joins in sermons delivered by famous pastors, activities, and gatherings to improve himself.

Sister Yao: A pastor should not neglect the significance of science and methodology.

Sister Yao, a post-90s Christian living in Shanghai, claimed that a pastor needed to study other subjects including enterprise management, history, and psychology. In addition, a pastor should have a universal knowledge and common sense, avoiding being blinded by spirituality.

Regarding how to learn, Yao said, "I hope a pastor should learn in a specific direction based on his church's surroundings and the characteristics of his congregation. For example, he can learn about business if there is a business area and the subjects and features of students if there is a school nearby."

Brother Liang: A pastor needs to share with his church.

Brother Liang, a second-generation Christian, said a pastor needed to learn more and share with his church. "Many pastors learn a lot, but their congregations know nothing." He added.

He said that a pastor remains authoritative when he has never been "surpassed", so the church should lead its congregation to study together.

- Translated by Karen Luo
Oregon Coast Under Wind Warning, Flood Watch - But Lots of Sun Coming

Published 10/20/2017 at 5:27 PM PDT - Updated 10/20/2017 at 5:57 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  A flood watch and a wind warning are now in effect for the Oregon coast, bringing in some heavy weather over the weekend but paradoxically a really nice run of sunny weather for the rest of the week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a high wind warning for the coastline, in effect from 8 a.m. on Saturday to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Beaches and headlands will get sustained winds around 30 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph. Towns and communities will see winds around 25 mph and gusts up to 55 mph.

It has also caused Lincoln City's glass float drops to be postponed for the weekend.

The flood watch is in effect from Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning, with heavy rains along the Oregon coast around three to six inches in that time, and the possibility that smaller rivers may flood, like the Wilson River near Tillamook.

A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts, the NWS said.

Downed power lines are definitely possible along the Oregon coast for this weekend's storm, the NWS said. Wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage.

For storm watchers, some sizable waves are expected over the weekend, but not nearly as big as they became late this week. Combined seas of 16 feet or so will batter the coastline, which will be cause for some caution on the beaches but not so dangerous you can't wander the sandy stretches  if the tides are farther out. Always make sure there's plenty of room between the tide line and the entrance to the beaches.

That kind of wave height will mean more spectacular sights along rocky stretches like those around Oceanside, Depoe Bay and around Yachats. Look for riveting oceanic explosions at spots like Strawberry Hill, Cape Perpetua, Rocky Creek or Boiler Bay. This also means steer clear of those basalt shelves and stay far back. The view will be incredible from a safe distance.

Extended forecasts are showing great weather for the beaches just after the storm, however. On Monday, conditions turn to dry and at least partly sunny, but the coastline gets mostly sunny to lots of glorious sunshine from Tuesday through Friday. See more Oregon Coast Weather. - - Oregon Coast Hotels for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours



















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Bombardier workers have faced an anxious time during the Boeing dispute

The boss of Airbus has said the firm expects to sell "thousands" of Bombardier's passenger aircraft after an international tie-up with the planemaker.

Airbus is taking a majority stake in the Canadian company's C Series aircraft, which are part-made in Belfast.

Thousands of Northern Ireland jobs looked to be at risk after a complaint from rival Boeing resulted in the US administration imposing a provisional tariff on each of the aircraft sold there.

Airbus boss Tom Enders said the French firm did not plan to buy out the rest of Bombardier, or the Quebec regional government's stake in the passenger plane scheme.

The announcement was made during a joint appearance with Bombardier's chief executive Alain Bellemare yesterday.

Mr Enders said he saw no reason why the company could not capture 50% of the single aisle passenger jet market.

"I think we will sell thousands," he added.

Earlier this week it was revealed Airbus would acquire just over 50% of the C Series programme in a move that could safeguard thousands of jobs in Belfast, where the wings and part of the fuselage of the aircraft are made.

As part of the deal Airbus has the option to buy out Bombardier within about seven years, as well as the option to buy out the stake of the Quebec government in 2023.

Airbus partnered with Bombardier in a workaround to avoid a potential 300% tariff on each aircraft sold in the US.

The deal means Bombardier will lose control of the huge C Series project.

Airbus plans to extend its own US factory in an apparent bid to get around the charge.

But Boeing has claimed Bombardier's C Series planes could still be hit with an import tariff in the US despite the deal, which will see the passenger jets assembled in Alabama.

Boeing general counsel Michael Luttig said: "Any duties finally levied against the C Series ... will have to be paid on any imported C Series airplane or part, or it will not be permitted into the country."

According to Martin Craigs, the former marketing man for Short Brothers, which was taken over by Bombardier in 1989, Airbus's taking of a stake in the C Series is a "masterful move which shifts the tectonic plates in the massive global market for single aisle airliners".

An initial 220% tariff was imposed on sales of the C Series by the US Department of Commerce.

A later ruling increased the levy to 300%.

The US's International Trade Commission is due to give its final ruling on the matter in February.

Airbus and Bombardier remain confident that their new deal will ensure the planes can be sold to US customers while at the same time avoiding a potentially huge charge.

Bombardier will benefit from economies of scale from Airbus, as well as the potential of producing wings for Airbus aircraft at its C Series factory.

Mr Craigs, writing in the Belfast Telegraph this week, said: "As I have previously stated, the Brexit process can be fine-tuned to be uniquely beneficial to Northern Ireland.

"Having Europe's most strategically important company effectively select Belfast as a key industrial partner is a great example for others.

"Finally, my hat is off to Michael Ryan and former Short Brother colleagues for climbing through the turbulence. The sun it seems, still shines on the righteous and their uplifting wings."
Former First Minister Arlene Foster has told local business people that Northern Ireland needs a working Executive "that lasts".

Speaking at an event for business owners in Co Antrim, the DUP leader said it was in the "best interests" of Northern Ireland to have a functioning Assembly restored.

As talks continue to establish a power-sharing executive before a new November 6 deadline, Mrs Foster said she was "disappointed" that her party and Sinn Fein are still not able to form a government.

Addressing the event in Ballyclare yesterday, she said: "A mere 18 months ago Martin McGuinness and I were issuing statements that the 2016-2021 term was about getting down to business.

"It was to be the term of greatest delivery by an Executive - on health, education and jobs.

"It is time to get back to that vision and commitment. Northern Ireland needs to see that stability restored. Northern Ireland needs a working Executive that lasts.

"With all that has occurred since the May 2016 election, it is easy to focus on the trials and tribulations of both Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole.

"However, as you will know from your businesses, everyday challenges must never prevent you from reaching your goals and fulfilling your long-term strategy.

"For all that is changed, the fundamentals of what the DUP wants to achieve and what Northern Ireland needs to achieve have not changed.

"It is in the best interests of Northern Ireland and the Union to have a functioning Assembly in addition to the influence we have in Parliament."

In her address to a number of business owners and stakeholders, Mrs Foster spoke of how her party has a huge responsibility through its deal with the Conservative Party.

"Our agreement to support them is based on what is best for Northern Ireland," she said.

"In that agreement, we placed the needs of the Northern Ireland economy front and centre in our determination to build and invest for the future.

"We delivered for the entire community.

"Significantly, this autumn the UK budget will require the support of the DUP to secure passage through Parliament."

Her speech comes days after Secretary of State James Brokenshire set another date for the talks deadline.

Addressing the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster on Wednesday, he said the prospects for a deal "do not look positive at this time".

The latest date for establishing an Executive in order for a budget to be set was the week beginning November 6, he said.

On exiting the EU, Mrs Foster said that Northern Ireland must become more "forward thinking and outward looking".

She added: "While we are entering uncharted waters in terms of Brexit, there has never been a better time to set out our stall on the world stage.

"Northern Ireland has a proven track record when it comes to attracting inward investment.

"Now I believe it is time to move to the next level and that includes putting a renewed focus on expanding our exports.

"By concentrating on developing new trade opportunities, we are building on solid foundations.

"As part of the wider UK market, Northern Ireland firms need to be at the fore in exploiting new internal opportunities.

"With the opportunities of a sensible Brexit, new global relationships, national and regional industrial strategies and the potential of devolution of corporation tax, we can do much more."
Northern Ireland is forecast to dodge the worst of Storm Brian as the so-called "weather bomb" approaches from the Atlantic.

The weather system, officially known as an explosive cyclogenesis, is caused when a jet stream of strong winds high up in the atmosphere interacts with a low pressure system, causing it to spin faster and faster.

Grahame Madge, spokesman for the Met Office, said the weather bomb would "detonate" over the Atlantic, but the south-west of Ireland would still face strong winds while the north remained relatively unscathed.

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"We haven't included Northern Ireland as one of the warning areas," he said.

"There will be strong winds across Northern Ireland but not anywhere near the level of Storm Ophelia.

"By Saturday afternoon NI will be experiencing northerly breezes and gusts. There will be some intense bursts of rain throughout the day along with brighter spells, but Saturday afternoon's not a complete washout.

"Saturday evening is a little more consolidated, but Sunday looks like it will have clearer spells with perhaps a heavier front of rain moving in late Sunday evening to the early hours of Monday."

Following the destruction of Storm Ophelia on Monday, in which three people in the Republic lost their lives, Met Eireann has issued orange and yellow wind warnings across the country for Storm Brian.

Meteorologist Joan Blackburn said she would still urge caution over the weekend.

"Storm Ophelia was listed as a red warning, with gusts of up to 150kph predicted," she pointed out.

"We now have an orange warning for winds of speeds of up to 130kph for all of the coastal counties."
When Meghan Markle made her first official public appearance with Prince Harry last month, the royal-watching world went into meltdown with speculation on an imminent proposal.

Hand-in-hand with the fifth in line to the throne at the Invictus Games in Toronto, much was made of 36-year-old Markle's casual chic, sporting denim and flats (in stark contrast to Kate Middleton's early outings beside Prince William).

But the standout item was the "Husband" shirt, a stylish white button-down, made by one of Markle's closest friends, the 31-year-old, British-raised, New York-based designer Misha Nonoo.

The entrepreneur, who counts Facebook boss Sheryl Sandberg and Whitney Wolfe, the founder of Bumble, among her friends, is also believed to be the person who introduced the 33-year-old prince to the actress in July last year.

Until recently she herself was married to one of Harry's best friends, the Old Etonian and co-founder of the art auction house Paddle 8, Alexander Gilkes.

It is a hot, rainy, revolting New York afternoon when I arrive to meet the rumoured matchmaker and possible broker of the next royal wedding. Nonoo is having her apartment, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, remodelled, so we've arranged to meet at Spring Place, a cavernous building of co-working spaces and photography studios in TriBeCa.

Nonoo, a willowy blonde in the Gwyneth Paltrow mould, arrives in the sixth-floor cafe looking immaculate in a dress from her own collection - the Elena, a black mini with white cutout detailing - and a white Flirt shirt underneath. "The names of the clothes were just my way of being a bit tongue-in-cheek," she explains.

Born in Bahrain to an Iraqi father and an English mother, raised in Chelsea and educated at the ACS International School in Surrey and the Ecole Superieure du Commerce Exterieure in Paris, Nonoo has one of those truly global backgrounds that can make for a slightly muddled accent, not to mention identity.

But she is, I find, as British as they come, despite being based in New York for almost nine years. "Pubs, M&S Simply Food, W H Smith, Waterstones - I can buy anything on Amazon, of course, but I just love wandering around Waterstones," she laments.

She is also the very model of discretion. When I ask if she can confirm whether it was indeed she who made the introduction between Prince Harry and Markle, she politely demurs. "I really can't answer that," she laughs.

She will, however, confirm her closeness with the woman who has stolen his heart. "Oh yes, I love her to death. She is the coolest girl in the world," she enthuses of Markle.

The pair met years ago, through another mutual friend in Miami. "We were seated next to one another at a lunch and we got along like a house on fire," Nonoo recalls. "She has the most remarkable and generous spirit. I aspire to be as philanthropic as she is, and to have as much of an impact as her."

Markle is an ambassador for World Vision Canada, with whom she has visited Rwanda, and has worked as an advocate for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. "We really bonded over that to begin with - and we both love dogs, too," grins Nonoo. "We have been very close ever since."

Indeed, the pair have plenty in common. Neither Nonoo nor Markle grew up with any siblings. One of the envy-inducing Instagram snaps from their holiday together in Ibiza and Formentera last August is captioned: "When only children find sisters". And both have found themselves divorced in their early thirties - Markle was married to fellow actor Trevor Engelson for two years from 2011 to 2013.

While she's long had high-profile Hollywood support from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Emma Watson, Nonoo's eponymous label has, inevitably, been thrust into the spotlight since being seen on the back of a possible future royal. "I had no idea she was going to wear it," Nonoo smiles. "It was a beautiful surprise and I was touched. The exposure has been incredible."

If this is true, it is a coincidence. Just two weeks ago, when Markle was being snapped in the Husband shirt, Nonoo was making a radical shift in her business model, introducing an order-on-demand service across her clothing range, meaning that, as she puts it: "We never sell out, and we never go on sale."

She remains tight-lipped about how many orders she has received for the Husband shirt, which sells for $185 (140), since its star turn. Working with a factory in Asia, Nonoo can now produce, dispatch and deliver garments to customers in just five working days.

With clean lines and sleek silhouettes, the entire collection is black and white. Does she ever wear colour? "Um, occasionally. Maybe on Halloween".

At 17, after taking her baccalaureate, Nonoo was a summer intern at Quintessentially, the concierge company where she met Gilkes, then 23. "I thought he was gay," she has said of him. "He was so handsome and well dressed."

They married in 2012 in a spectacular three-day ceremony in Venice, with guests including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie (who worked at Paddle 8 for a time) and a live performance from Lana Del Rey in a 16th-century castle.

The epitome of a New York power couple, they held lavish parties at their $5m townhouse, and Gilkes, whose friends include Jay-Z, Eddie Redmayne and Elton John, was likened in some quarters to Jay Gatsby. But in March last year the couple separated, and their divorce was finalised this summer.

Just as Prince Harry and the other young royals are bringing about a cultural revolution with their emotional openness and mental health campaigning, so Nonoo is also unapologetic about her enthusiasm for, as she puts it "many a weird, experimental thing". "I'm very spiritual, I meditate twice a day and I love gong baths and sound healing," she says.

Nonoo is no snowflake, though - she's appeared on the Forbes 30 under-30 list and she drops the term "disintermediation" (meaning cut out the middle man) into conversation with casual aplomb.

She's also playful. Her dog, a cavapoo, is named Thatcher. "She is the softest, cutest little thing you've ever seen, so it was very tongue-in-cheek to call her after The Iron Lady," she laughs.

She's just installed a bar in her home. "It has mirrored walls and is probably going to be the room I hang out in the most." If, as Aesop wrote, a man is known by the company he keeps, Markle would seem to be the kind of intelligent, independent - not to mention impeccably dressed - woman you'd want in your at-home bar. Or, indeed, as a modern addition to your royal family.
For some women, there can be few things more traumatic than losing a breast to cancer. But for straight-talking broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire (49), who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2015, losing a breast was nothing compared to the relief of getting the cancer out of her body. In fact, she says she was euphoric after having a mastectomy.

The presenter, who has recently written about her experience in Dear Cancer, Love Victoria, explains: Some women are really attached to their breasts and theyre a symbol of their femininity.

Not for me  it was like, Get it out. Get rid, I dont care, I just want the cancer out of me, I want this period of my life to be over and then I can just get on with the rest of my life.

After the operation, I was euphoric. Clearly a little bit of that was the morphine, but even when thatd worn off, I was on a high, because the most significant part of my treatment was done, and the cancer was out of me. The cancer cells were gone  thats a big deal, psychologically and physically.

Mother-of-two Victoria, who presents her current affairs and debate programme on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel, first went to the doctor on the same day she noticed her chest had collapsed. Her right breast had dropped about two inches and the nipple was pulled in. An internet search for the possible causes suggested cancer.

You just think, Oh my God, I might have cancer. Obviously you need confirmation from the medics, but I just knew. I knew. There was no other explanation, she says.

Until I had it confirmed five days later, people like Mark [her partner] and close friends were saying, We dont know its cancer, but in my head, the whole time I was going, We do. We do.

There then followed a rigorous series of tests, biopsies and scans to find out how aggressive the cancer was, and whether it had spread.

Fortunately, the disease was only in one breast and hadnt spread to Victorias lymph nodes, which meant the prognosis was good, although she needed a mastectomy, six chemotherapy sessions and 30 radiotherapy sessions to try to beat the disease.

When I realised it wasnt going to kill me, I was very much, Okay, I can do this, because Im gonna live. Thats the most important thing, Victoria says.

I didnt care if I was going to lose a breast, or two. If I was going to be alive, and be with Mark and see my kids grow up, then I thought, I can do this.

Like any cancer patient, Victoria felt tired and ill during her chemotherapy, but she is adamant that the worst thing she had to endure was not losing a breast, but losing her hair.

Losing my hair was the most challenging thing. I found it very, very hard, she admits.

When youre washing your hair and suddenly you see these long strands going down the plughole, its very depressing and you feel very low. And then you feel this guilt because you think, Why do I give a toss about my hair? Im alive, for Gods sake!

Victoria says she thinks some of the despair she felt over losing her hair was because your hair is a very visible part of your identity. But thats not all: When your hairs falling out, you look like a cancer patient, and I didnt want to look like a cancer patient. I didnt want people to pity me.

She wore a very realistic wig until her hair grew back, although she says she understands the bold decision some cancer patients make not to wear a wig.

Its like theyre saying, I want to show the world what Im enduring, Victoria says. But my decision was based on the fact that if I went to work and did a news programme on TV every day without wearing a wig and looking a shambles, it would totally detract from the guests I was interviewing, from the stories we were bringing people.

Ever the journalist, Victoria ensured her own cancer story reached a huge audience by filming video diaries during her treatment. She explains: I wanted to shine a light on the treatment to normalise it, demystify it.

Victoria only filmed when she felt up to the task. She says: There were loads of times during the chemo when I was just drained, exhausted and pretty dispirited. I wouldnt have done it then.

The response she got to the videos was absolutely overwhelming and humbling, with many other cancer patients contacting her to say the films had helped take their treatment fears away. That is just massive, she says.

Victorias treatment finished in May 2016 and her doctors say theres now no evidence of any active cancer.

She says: I feel grateful, I feel lucky, I feel that cancer is such a lottery  I couldve had a cancer they couldnt treat. Thats the outrageously unfair thing about it, which is why its so important scientists are spending every day trying to combat it, and why its so important to keep raising money for the charities who fund those scientists.
Some of Northern Irelands church representatives have heard how pornography addiction can damage relationships and communities

Some of Northern Irelands church representatives have heard how pornography addiction can damage relationships and communities.

Dozens of Christians came together to discuss tackling pornography yesterday, which they say is impairing congregations and communities.

Leading experts spoke at the P Word conference at Belfast Bible College.

The group heard from a young Christian woman who was addicted to porn for 11 years and struggled to overcome the obsession for two years.

Bethany MacDonald revealed how she battled porn addiction for most of her teenage and university years.

Speakers from the Naked Truth Project revealed how porn addiction took over their lives and ruined relationships, with some watching online pornographic videos up to four times a day.

Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) hosted the event alongside the Naked Truth Project in a bid to help church members understand the social cost of porn and offer advice to address porn in their churches.

CAREs Churches Development Officer for Northern Ireland, Tim Houston said: Pornography has never been more accessible, affordable, anonymous or addictive.

Pornography use is widespread in our communities, including in our churches, and we need to address it, due to the damaging impact it can have on those who watch it.

Christians have a long reputation of standing up against harmful norms that have become commonplace in society today.

This is another issue that we will not only speak out on, but partner with church leaders to equip them to talk about why we should tackle pornography addiction and pastor people through it.

P Word resources the church to understand the social costs of pornography and gives leaders the tools needed to address the issue back in their churches and communities, leading to long term, positive change.

The group also heard how more than half of divorce cases cite porn addiction as the reason behind the split.

Meanwhile, 95% of born-again Christians admitted to viewing porn, while only 7% of churches have programmes to help those struggling with porn.
Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police at the scene on Ardmore Avenue in the Finaghy area of Belfast where a woman in her 50s body was found on Saturday morning. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Police are continuing to appeal for information after the death of 51-year-old Anne ONeill in the Finaghy area of Belfast on Saturday morning.

Two men - aged 23 and 27 - who were arrested at an address in south Belfast a short time later on suspicion of murder, remain in police custody

Detective Chief Inspector Geoffrey Boyce said: I am appealing for anyone who resides in the Ardmore Avenue and Ardmore Park area of Finaghy and who have CCTV installed at their address to contact detectives at Musgrave Police Station on 101 quoting reference 338 21/10/17.

Police received a report of a woman in distress in Ardmore Avenue at around 7am on Saturday morning.

Police responded and a woman was discovered injured in the rear garden of a property in the area, Detective Chief Inspector Geoffrey Boyce said.

Despite attempts by emergency services at the scene the woman died from her injuries.

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Detectives from Serious Crime Branch were at the scene on Saturday.

The area has been cordoned off with police using sniffer dogs to conduct searches.

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Sinn Fein MLA Mairtin O Muilleoir, who was at the scene on Saturday morning, said residents heard screams break the morning silence.

"People in the neighbourhood are very distressed," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"This is one of those quiet cul-de-sac areas of Belfast many don't know exist because its out of the way. But there are well-established families in the area with strong ties."

He added: "This is clearly a very live investigation by the police, there is a lot of activity and I would urge anyone with information to act and contact the police. Don't wait as the sooner the police have the information the better for their investigation.

Police have appealed for anyone who was in the Ardmore Avenue area of Finaghy on Friday night or early on Saturday morning and who witnessed any suspicious activity or any vehicles driving in the area to contact detectives at Musgrave Police Station.
Its going to take time for Old Fashion Porks plans for three finishing facilities for pigs to complete procedures to qualify for permits from Chippewa County.

Its pretty early in the process, said David Nashold, environmental engineer for the county Department of Land Conservation and Forest Management.

The countys Land Conservation Committee heard about the project Wednesday, and Nashold said that session drew about 40 people. No decision was made by the county committee.

All three facilities in Chippewa County would be finishing barns. Pigs will be shipped to the facilities to reach desired weights before being shipped out for processing. Combined, the three finishing barns would house 6,000 pigs.

Old Fashion Pork as of Thursday had not applied for a conditional use zoning permit it would need for one of the facilities, in the town of Eagle Point, said county Planning and Zoning Department Director Doug Clary.

Clary said the countys Planning and Zoning Committee will tentatively plan to take up the permit at its December meeting.

A company spokesman, Jay Moore, told the Herald last week that if Chippewa County grants the permits for the facilities, the company could start operation in January or February.

Nashold said the facility in Eagle Point would be on the Carl Seidlitz farm at 18639 210th St., Jim Falls.

The town of Eagle Point uses county zoning so the company would need a county conditional use permit for the facility. Nashold said the south fork of Bob Creek runs between 550-600 feet from the proposed barn location.

The other two facilities proposed by Old Fashion Pork would be on the Richard Giebel farm at 20846 County EE, Cornell, in the town of Estella. One facility would be operated by Giebel, the other by Old Fashion Pork.

Estella has its own town zoning, and would make its own zoning decision.

Nashold said the facility operated by Old Fashion Pork would be located about 600 feet from French Creek, but cautioned the company may decide to locate the facility elsewhere on the Giebel property.

Applications for a county Animal Waste Management Permit has been received by the county for all three proposed facilities.

Two of the barns will be climate-controlled, with pits holding liquid manure under each structure to minimize odors.

The permit has the county focus on that structure and the engineering, minimizing any waste flow into groundwater and to make sure animal waste would not overflow unto the surface.

The county requires those tanks to be emptied at least every 279 days. The manure is usually spread over crop field, where it is valued as fertilizer.

The smallest structure, on the Giebel farm, would house 1,200 hogs and would have an open barn using bedding packs. That is not the swine industry norm, Nashold said.
Mark Tipper, whose brother was one of the soldiers killed in the IRA bombing in Hyde Park in 1982

The brother of a newly-wed soldier killed in the IRA's Hyde Park bombing has said he is prepared to get down on his knees to beg the Government for help funding a legal action against a suspect.

Relatives of the four Royal Household Cavalrymen murdered in the July 1982 blast are attempting to take a civil case against Co Donegal man John Downey but claim an ongoing refusal by the authorities to grant legal aid is putting the challenge at risk.

Mark Tipper, whose 19-year-old brother Simon was killed, urged Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene and stump up the cash to help their quest for the truth.

Derbyshire plumber Mr Tipper, 58, was on a visit to Belfast, where he is due to address the Ulster Unionist Party conference on Saturday.

"How much lower do they want me to sink begging, do they want me to get on my hands and knees in parliament and beg," he said.

"If that's what it takes I'll do it. I've no shame any more, I'll do it. I just want justice."

Mr Downey was charged with the Hyde Park murders and stood trial at the Old Bailey in 2013.

But the case dramatically collapsed after it was revealed he had received a written assurance from former Prime Minister Tony Blair's government that he was no longer wanted.

The letter was issued under the terms of the controversial On The Runs (OTRs) scheme.

Trial judge Mr Justice Sweeney ruled that Mr Downey's arrest at Gatwick airport, as he transited the UK on the way to a holiday, represented an abuse of process and he put a stay on any future prosecution.

Mr Downey has always denied any involvement in the attack.

The families of the murdered soldiers are now pursing a civil case against him and have served a writ signalling their intent.

But they claim a refusal by the Legal Aid Agency to fund their case is denying them their day in court.

The families have already raised almost 90,000 through an on-line crowd funding campaign but claim around 600,000 is required to pay for a civil action.

They claim the Government has the power to grant discretionary funding on public interest grounds.

Discretionary state funding was offered to relatives of Omagh bomb families when they took a landmark case against a number of republicans they claimed were behind the 1998 Real IRA outrage.

"This is not going to go away, not until the day I die," Mr Tipper insisted.

"I will keep fighting for justice for those four lads.

"Those four lads came from a proud old regiment, they were four brave men."

He added: "Unless you have been hurt by terrorists, they have taken your loved ones away, no one can understand."

"The boy had been married a week this was his first duty after honeymoon.

"You grow older and expect to be able to go for a beer together, that was took away from me.

"I have a son now, he's got no uncle.

"Poor Louise (Simon Tipper's widow), she was married just one week.

"I still speak to her now, 35 years on, a wonderful lady, how she's coped I do not know."

Trooper Tipper was killed alongside Lance Corporal Jeffrey Young, 19, Squadron Quartermaster Corporal Roy Bright, 36, and Lieutenant Anthony Daly, 23.

The IRA car bomb exploded as they made their way from their Kensington barracks to a Changing Of The Guard ceremony at Horse Guards Parade.

Former Ulster Unionist MP Danny Kinahan, a former captain in the Household Cavalry who was a close friend of Lieutenant Daly, has backed the families' campaign.

He criticised the failure to provide legal aid.

"You should really be giving funding to every case where people can't afford it, that's what legal aid is meant to do," he said.

"People have got to be given their chance of justice."

They families have asked anyone who wants to back their case to send donations to the Hyde Park Justice Campaign, Fourth Floor, 158 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9TR.
Claire with the young crew on the Brian Boru in Carlingford Lough

A cross-border youth voyage is to feature on the BBC's popular Songs of Praise this weekend.

Northern Ireland broadcaster Claire McCollum meets youths from both sides of the Irish border who are working together to crew a Tall Ship.

She discovers the determination of some of the young generation on the vessel to put the past behind them and cultivate a peaceful future.

The young Atlantic Youth Trust crew from Northern Ireland and the Republic who sailed from Drogheda to Carlingford Lough were filmed on board the Waterford-based Brian Boru, a restored gaff-rigged wooden sailing ketch, adapted for carrying passengers on voyages of discovery of heritage and wildlife.

During the programme the young people discuss their experiences on the ship - and what faith means to them. The programme, which this week comes from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, is expected to be viewed by more than a million regular viewers of the long-running BBC flagship religious show.

The Atlantic Youth Trust is a maritime charity which aims to bring young people from Northern Ireland and the Republic together for youth development voyages on a purpose-built Tall Ship.

It plays a significant role in furthering peace and reconciliation across the island of Ireland.

Atlantic Youth Trust executive director Neil O'Hagan explained that Carlingford Lough was the perfect place to explore the trust's work.

He said: "The idyllic setting, that is literally on the border, provided the perfect backdrop to explain what the Atlantic Youth Trust does - and to give the producers the chance to hear first hand from the young crew on board the ship."

He added: "Given the joint government support for the project, this will only strengthen the overall case for developing and integrating young people on Tall Ships."

Songs of Praise is on BBC One at 4.15pm tomorrow
UUP leader Robin Swann accepted it is a tall order to regain control of unionism's centre ground from the DUP

The Government must start the process of moving Northern Ireland from mandatory powersharing structures to a system of voluntary coalition, the Ulster Unionist leader has told his annual conference.

In his first conference speech as leader, Robin Swann said the current system - where the largest unionist and nationalist party must rule together - had polarised society and allowed single parties to block progress.

Mandatory coalition was a mainstay of the historic 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, which the UUP played a pivotal role in delivering.

"It is time for the institutions to move on, it is time for politics to move on, it is time for that change that allows Northern Ireland politicians to form an Executive of the willing - a voluntary coalition," Mr Swann told the party faithful at the Armagh City Hotel.

"So today I call on the Secretary of State (James Brokenshire) to start that process, and for those who either can't do it or aren't willing to do it - get out of the way."

Reflecting on UUP losses in March's snap Assembly election and the summer's snap General Election, the North Antrim Assembly member called on members to become "radical moderates" and fight to bring politics back to the centre ground.

Former leader Mike Nesbitt resigned in the wake of March's poor showing at the polls, with Mr Swann succeeding him without challenge.

On Saturday, he acknowledged the challenge of toppling the Democratic Unionists and once again emerging as the dominant force within unionism was a hard one. He said the party needed to "rebuild, re-energise and re-connect".

"The road ahead is not easy, but who ever said it would be?" he said.

Mr Swann added: "Conference, look at what the extremes have done for our country - crisis and stalemate and talks process after talks process.

"I am not content just to leave them to it.

"It's time to leave behind parties that cannot govern. Parties that are incompetent at governing. Parties that cannot agree a way forward."

He identified health and education as key priorities.

On his party's opposition to an Irish language act - the issue at the heart of the current impasse between the DUP and Sinn Fein at Stormont - Mr Swann insisted the UUP had not lurched to the right.

He said the language should be allowed to grow at its own pace, without political interference.

"It is not scaremongering to express concerns that legislation would lead to further division in society," he said.

"We would no longer be reliant on flags or painted kerb stones - we would know whose territory we were in by the road signs."

On Brexit, he accused republicans of trying to use the debate as a "proxy vehicle for a United Ireland".

"It won't work, but it will further divide what we have already got," he warned.

During his speech, Mr Swann portrayed himself as not fitting the mould of previous party leaders. He reflected on a childhood growing up in a Housing Executive house in Kells, north Antrim, his first job in a meat factory and returning to education to gain a degree through the Open University.

"I may not reflect who the party used to be, but I believe that I do reflect who we are now and who we represent," he said.

"I say we no longer fit inside the old box, nor do we occupy the big house.

"In our make-up, now more than ever, we reflect society - we reflect Northern Ireland and we reflect unionism."

He cited as his "guiding influence" former UUP leader Captain Terence O'Neill - a moderate whose attempts to reform society in the late 1960s were thwarted by more hard-line unionists.

Mr Swann also referred indirectly to recent high-profile allegations linking DUP politicians with paramilitary figures.

"What this party will not do in any circumstances, will be to give political cover, or show any ambiguity which allows any individual or group to be community workers by day and extortionists or political bullies by night - loyalist or republican," he said.

"Let me be clear ... we will not trade our principles for possible cheap electoral gain by buying votes, whilst turning a blind eye or ignoring unacceptable practices which continue to cause sheer misery in their communities."

Mr Swann said he wanted to deliver a "new unionism".

"A unionism that can be confident without being arrogant," he said.

"A unionism that can be proud without being condescending. A unionism that can be embracing. A unionism that doesn't rely on fear.

"A unionism that can win for everyone."
Flood barriers are readied in Galway City in preparation for the arrival of Storm Brian

Flood preparations are under way in the south and west of Ireland as Storm Brian sweeps in.

Less than a week after ex-hurricane Ophelia battered the country, resulting in three deaths, high winds and huge Atlantic waves are predicted through Friday night and into Saturday.

The weather warnings are not quite as dire as those ahead of ex-hurricane Ophelia, when Met Eireann issued a red alert for the entire Irish Republic on Monday.

However, an orange wind warning, the second highest, has been issued for southern and western coastal areas, spanning counties Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford.

Gusts of up to 130 km/h are forecast.

A yellow wind warning is in place for the rest of the Irish Republic.

A yellow rain warning covers counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.

In Galway city a temporary flood barrier was erected close the Spanish Arch landmark on Friday evening while sand bags were also being used to protect vulnerable properties in various locations impacted by the orange warning.

There are concerns the River Shannon could rise significantly, potentially causing flooding of low lying areas.

Storm Brian is the result of a "weather bomb" of low pressure in the Atlantic Ocean.

It has arrived in Ireland as the country is still picking up the pieces in the wake of Ophelia.

Electricity network operator ESB warned that the latest burst of bad weather will hamper efforts to restore power to around 37,000 customers still without electricity in the wake of Monday's violent winds.
A no-deal Brexit would be a big step down and would hit Britain harder than the European Union, a former World Trade Organisation (WTO) deputy director general has said.

Roderick Abbott said the tariffs that would be imposed on trade if there was no exit agreement would favour the EU as it does a larger share of its business with the rest of the world, whereas nearly half of Britains international trade is with the union.

Theresa May is facing pressure from some Tories to leave the EU without a trade deal so Britain can free itself from Brussels regulations, avoid a costly divorce bill and take what some see as full advantage of the benefits of Brexit.

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Reports suggest the Government may use the coming weeks to step up preparations for a no deal Brexit in order to force the EUs hand in negotiations by showing the UK is ready to leave without a trade agreement, in the hope that it could lead to a more favourable outcome including fewer concessions on an exit payment.

But Mr Abbott said the UK could stand to lose out from leaving with no deal and reverting to WTO rules to govern international trade after Brexit.

Discussing a no deal Brexit, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: What has happened is, you are out of a preferential relationship with the EU, including all of the regulations of the single market which you are inside.

And on the tariffs level you are losing all of your preferential access to the EU and to all of the countries which the EU has trade deals with, so thats quite a big step down.

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Asked if erecting tariffs on EU goods and services would favour the UK because it would take in more money than it pays out, Mr Abbott replied: Yes, and on the other side, if youre talking cost, your exports might actually drop quite substantially, so your revenue from that is falling.

I think that the tariff argument is in the favour of the EU because they are selling more to the UK than in any other direction, but as a proportion of their total trade around the world its quite small.

Whereas, the proportion of our trade to the EU is 45%.

Meanwhile, former head of the Civil Service, Lord ODonnell, warned that banks would leave the UK if there was no deal.

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He said Catalonias current bid for separation from Spain provided an example of what will happen. Banks and other firms have already confirmed their intentions to move their headquarters out of the region amid a stand-off with the Spanish government.

Lord ODonnell told the programme: In practice, we have a live example in Catalonia.

They are voting on independence and you can see companies moving their headquarters out, banks moving away from Catalonia, because if they were to go independent they would leave the EU with no deal and most of their trade is obviously with the rest of Spain.

That will be in doubt.
Conservative former chancellor Ken Clarke has said he believes there is now no way to prevent the UK leaving the EU.

The staunch Remainer said there was little doubt that Brexit would take place and argued a second referendum on any deal would be folly.

Mr Clarke told an audience at the Scottish Parliaments Festival of Politics that a no deal scenario with the UK crashing out of the EU was very unlikely.

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Asked if he thought there was any way Brexit could be averted, he said: Im more pessimistic than most people who were Remainers. I dont think there is.

The political class as a whole, leaving aside eccentrics like me, and as I say I think I was mainstream until a couple of months ago, theyve all decided that this referendum was a kind of instruction from on high. It is the voice of the people and it cant be challenged.

Whether that will change, it wont change in a hurry and I dont think Parliament could bring itself to, theyre all terrified of the right-wing newspapers.

Theyd be accused of being saboteurs and enemies of the people if they stick to the opinions they had before the referendum.

They did all say during the referendum they were going to be bound by it so they do regard themselves as bound by it.

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So I think there is little doubt that were going to leave. It would require an extraordinary turn of events I think to stop. Minimising the damage, getting as normal a relationship as possible is the best we can really do.

On the prospect of another referendum on any deal agreed with the EU, the veteran MP said: I dont want ever to see another referendum in my lifetime.

The idea that having put a very complicated question about should Britain be a member of the European Union you now put a question saying have a look at this long list of terms that weve now negotiated with 27 other states, do you approve of this or not? would be folly, it would be bizarre.

He added: I do think that no deal is very unlikely.

Theres nobody on either side of the channel, no sensible person engaged in government or politics or business who thinks that no deal is somehow desirable. It would be totally disruptive.
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabes appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organisation is surprising and disappointing given his regimes record of human rights abuses, the UK Government has said.

A spokesman said Britain has raised concerns with the WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus over Mr Mugabes new role, warning that it risks overshadowing the organisations work on chronic diseases.

Zimbabwes leader has long faced European Union and United States sanctions over human rights abuses.

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Commenting on his appointment, the UK Government spokesman said: President Mugabes appointment is surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him.

We have registered our concerns with WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Although Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on non-communicable diseases.

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Mr Tedros, an Ethiopian who became the WHOs first African director-general this year said Mr Mugabe could use his role to influence his peers in the region and claimed Zimbabwe was a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all.

But despite once being known as the breadbasket of southern Africa, in 2008 a charity released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwes health system and blamed Mr Mugabe for policies that led to a man-made crisis.

Physicians for Human Rights found his government had presided over the dramatic reversal of its populations access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care.

It went on: The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicising the health sector, to maintain its hold on power.

The report said Mr Mugabes policies had led to the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers.
A woman has been found dead in Finaghy on the outskirts of Belfast.

Detectives from Serious Crime Branch are investigating the circumstances of the fatality.

The woman, aged in her 50s, was found in the Ardmore Avenue area of Finaghy on Saturday morning.

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South Belfast Assembly member Mairtin O Muilleoir said neighbours earlier heard screams.

The Sinn Fein representative said there was real shock and distress in the community.

I have spoken with residents of Ardmore who were woken by a womans screams around 7am, he said.

He urged anyone with information to contact the police.
Obamacare repeal? Dead.

Tax reform? Dead and demoted to tax cuts, now also on life support.

Republicans may have unified control of government, but they seem curiously incapable of getting major agenda items through.

Maybe its because Republicans have insisted on cutting out Democrats and doing things unilaterally. Or at least they had been until Thursday, when a bipartisan coalition of 24 senators signed onto a bill to patch up Obamacare. While President Trump and congressional Republican leadership remain skeptical about working with the enemy, this could be the start of a turnaround for the GOP.

To be clear, bipartisan ideas are not necessarily good ideas. Sometimes a policy that both parties support turns out to be a huge mistake.

As a political matter, though, it can be extremely useful for the majority party to get buy-in from the other side, for three reasons.

First, it offers political cover to do necessary but unpopular things.

If you actually want to reform and simplify the tax code, you have to close loopholes benefitting some constituents. If you want to cut rates without increasing deficits, you need to find money elsewhere, either through spending cuts or other tax increases. Which some affected group is going to be unhappy about.

Likewise, if you want to wring money out of the health-care system, you likely have to inflict pain on someone, whether its patients, providers, insurers or drugmakers.

In other words, despite what Trump may claim, few policy changes are really win-win. Theres almost always going to be at least one loser, who will likely be loud and angry.

And if your party and your party alone takes ownership of these changes, that loud and angry loser is going to direct this rage at you.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., surely knows this. Its one reason he refused to work with President Barack Obama on almost any major policy initiative. That way, whenever bad things happened, Republicans could throw up their hands and proclaim: Dont blame us!

And in fact Republicans said this all the time, even over bad stuff unrelated to any Democratic policy decisions.

Now, surprisingly, McConnell has boxed in his own party in the exact same way.

He declared his intention for Republicans to govern solo, both by crafting bills of major consequence in secret, without Democratic input, and by attempting to pass those bills through a process requiring zero Democratic votes.

In so doing, hes forced Republicans to take the heat for every controversial decision Congress makes.

No wonder, then, that the party appears to be giving up or watering down basically every major pay-for in their tax overhaul. These include the border-adjustment tax (remember that?) and full elimination of the state and local tax deduction.

Republicans are similarly stuck with the blame for everything that goes wrong in the health-care system. A majority of Americans already say that Trump and congressional Republicans are responsible for any problems with Obamacare moving forward because theyre the ones in charge, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

And when the broader economy softens  which it inevitably will  Republicans will again get stuck holding the bag. Because they hogged the bag.

Second, if Republicans worked with Democrats to find some middle ground and pass their initiatives through so-called regular order, the Grand Old Party wouldnt be so easily tripped up by hostage takers.

Right now, Republican leadership is beholden to the craziest members of its own party. Someone such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) knows he can make unreasonable demands because McConnell cant afford defections.

And of course giving in to fringe demands can cost leadership the votes of more moderate members of their caucus, a dynamic we saw during the Obamacare repeal efforts.

Aiming for a bipartisan coalition of the middle 60 or so votes, instead of requiring the vote of nearly every Republican, would avoid giving undue power to any one legislator (crazy or otherwise).

Finally, if the majority party successfully achieves meaningful support from the minority, its less likely that a major policy initiative would be undone or sabotaged when the balance of power shifts.

Thats a lesson the Democrats have of course learned with Obamacare, which passed along party lines (despite Obamas efforts to woo Republican votes).

Presumably GOP leadership fears that working with Democrats on an Obamacare fix could leave Republicans vulnerable to being primaried from the right. But whats a bigger threat: some criticism for playing nice today or facing millions of uninsured Americans a few years from now?
Two men, one wearing a Spanish flag, left, and the other wearing a Catalan estelada, or independence flag, talk in Barcelona (AP)

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said his government will announce specific measures today to take control of the Catalonia region, now that an agreement has been reached with the country's main opposition parties.

Mr Rajoy refused to confirm if the agreement with the Socialists includes plans to hold regional elections in Catalonia in January, as announced by the party's negotiator earlier.

His government also reached agreement with the centre-right, pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party.

Mr Rajoy, commenting on the unprecedented constitutional step he is taking to assume control of Catalonia, said: "The goal is double: the return to legality, and the recovery of institutional normalcy."

The prime minister said the Catalan crisis was only discussed on the sidelines of a European leaders' summit because the political deadlock is an internal Spanish affair.

But he said his fellow leaders share his concern that Catalan separatist authorities have acted against the rule of law and democracy.

The main negotiator for the opposition Socialists, Carmen Calvo, said earlier a snap election in the prosperous region had been agreed upon as part of the Socialists' support for government efforts to rein in the crisis.

The move is likely to further inflame tensions between Spain and Catalan pro-independence activists.

Catalonia's government said it has the mandate to secede from Spain after an illegal referendum was held on October 1, and it does not want a new regional election.

The central government will hold a special Cabinet session today to begin the activation of Article 155 of Spain's 1978 Constitution.

This allows central authorities to take over all or some of the powers of any of the country's 17 autonomous regions.

The measure, which has never been used since democracy was restored after General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, needs to be approved by the Senate.
Human rights activist Parvez Imroz anwers questions during an interview at his office in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, Oct. 16, 2017.

Updated at 5:46 p.m. ET on 2017-10-20

Two noted Indian activists who are set to receive an international human rights award next month for their non-violent struggle against alleged rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir said the honor had further strengthened their resolve to battle injustice in the disputed Himalayan region.

Parveena Ahanger, 55, who heads the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), and Parvez Imroz, 60, founder of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), will be formally awarded the Rafto Prize in the Norwegian town of Bergen on Nov. 5.

Rafto Foundation for Human Rights announced their names last month. Each winner will receive $20,000.

Ahanger and Imroz have long been at the forefront of the struggle against arbitrary abuses of power in a region of India that has borne the brunt of escalating violence, militarization and international tension, the foundation said.

Their long campaign to expose human rights violations, promote dialogue and seek peaceful solutions to the intractable conflict in Kashmir inspired new generations across communities, it said.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government, which is power in the state, declined to comment on the international honor received by the two rights activists.

"To protect human rights and fight against corruption are the top most priorities of the PDP-BJP coalition government," Indian Kashmir's Law and Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan told BenarNews.

"Indeed, there have been instances of enforced disappearances, but all of them occurred when opposition parties were in power, not during the tenure of our government," he said.

Ahanger founded the APDP in 1994, four years after her 16-year-old son, Javid Ahmad, went missing after allegedly being picked up by Indian security forces for questioning.

Javid was mercilessly beaten by security officials in front of my eyes and then forcibly taken away. They said they would bring him back after asking him some questions. But he hasnt returned since, Ahanger told BenarNews.

My sons disappearance and my failure to trace him made me realize there may be many more like him. That is what gave birth to the idea of APDP  a group that would provide emotional and financial support to families of disappeared people to continue their search for their loved ones, she said.

Ahmad is among some 9,000 Kashmiris, a large majority of them in their teens or early 20s, who have disappeared after being taken into custody since 1989, when a separatist insurgency broke out in Indian Kashmir, Ahangar said.

More than 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in nearly three decades of violence in the area, according to official figures.

India and Pakistan both lay claim to the Muslim-majority region and have fought two full-blown wars over the territory, which is divided between the two sides by a de facto border called the Line of Control (LoC).

Refuting allegations of rights abuses in the region, the state's police chief, S.P. Vaid, said Indian security forces were committed to upholding human rights.

"We are doing our best to protect human rights and restore peace in Kashmir. We are a law-abiding force and everyone is accountable before the law," Vaid told BenarNews.

"All rights activists are working freely across Kashmir without any intimidation from the police or any other security agency. And if any official is found guilty of committing rights abuses he will not be spared," he said, adding that the activists should refrain from pointing fingers at Indian forces.

The APDP, which is supported by the United Nations voluntary fund for victims of torture, regularly holds peaceful protests to pressure state authorities to end enforced disappearances and take legal action against the responsible security personnel.

Not afraid

Ahanger, nicknamed The Iron Lady of Kashmir, said she was aware that her fight against the all-powerful state authorities had put her directly in the line of fire, but she was not afraid.

They have tried to implicate me in false cases innumerable times, she said, referring to state authorities. When that didnt work, they tried to offer me money and a job in lieu of my sons disappearance. No government can compensate for a human life, which is simply priceless.

The Rafto Prize, named after the late Norwegian human rights activist Thorolf Rafto, has strengthened Ahangers resolve to continue her fight against enforced disappearances, she said.

But more significantly, the award vindicates the APDPs claim that Indian security forces have been misusing their powers to commit rights abuses on innocent Kashmiris, she said.

Four past winners of the award  Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, former East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, former South Koran leader Kim Dae-Jung and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi  have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ahangers co-laureate, Imroz of the JKSCC, which promotes non-violence and human rights and has also documented the authorities use of torture in Indian Kashmir, said the award was bound to draw the attention of international rights groups toward arbitrary abuses in the region.

The award will also dent hollow claims of the Indian government that rights abuses are not being committed in Kashmir, Imroz, a lawyer, told BenarNews.

Imrozs struggle against state government-backed torture, illegal detentions and extra-judicial killings has been anything but a cakewalk, he said.

There have been several instances when I have been intimidated. The government would obviously never want you to document the abuses it commits. But if you are an activist in the real sense you must stop bothering about consequences and carry on doing your job, he said.

An activist is not an activist if he or she does not have to face challenges in the course of duty. And being an activist in a conflict zone like Kashmir is as challenging as it gets, he said. But you have to stay committed and deliver come what may.

Rights activist Parveena Ahanger at her office in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, Oct. 16, 2017. [Amin Masoodi/BenarNews]
Thailands military government says it plans to deploy drones to the insurgency-stricken Deep South for reconnaissance flights to alert army patrols and other security personnel to imminent rebel attacks and roadside bombings.

The military will deploy at least three unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to carry out eye-in-the-sky surveillance in dozens of districts in the southern border region as a way to reduce casualties among more than 60,000 troops stationed there, officials said this week.

I intend to use three to four drones  in the 37 districts of the Deep South to do reconnaissance and attack-related intelligence work before the soldiers would reach the ground, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Udomdej Sitabutr told reporters in Bangkok.

The insurgents are not far away from the kill zone to trigger the bombs, he added.

The deputy defense minister touched on the plan to use UAVs while announcing that the government planned to allocate 13.2 billion baht (U.S. $397.5 million) for the next fiscal year in order to tackle unrest in the Deep South and other regional challenges.

Udomdej also heads a so-called forward cabinet appointed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to deal specifically with matters in the far south.

Between October 2016 and September 2017, as many as 233 soldiers, policemen and defense volunteers have been killed in roadside bombings and other types of ambushes laid by insurgents in the Deep South, according to the regional office of Thailands Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC).

Close to 7,000 people, including civilians, have been killed and 15,000 injured in violence associated with a separatist insurgency in the predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking border region since 2004. Since then, Thailand has spent some 300 billion (U.S. $9.03 billion) in trying to settle the conflict.

Since 2015, the Thai junta has engaged various rebel groups in the south in peace talks, but the two sides have yet to agree to a limited ceasefire. Lately, the Thai military has re-deployed units made up of troops who know the local language and culture, because they were born in or raised in the Deep South.

It is not yet known how much money will be budgeted for the acquisition of a fleet of drones, or what type or model of UAVs will be used in surveillance flights.

We have not had details in depth, Col. Pramote Prom-in, a spokesman for ISOC in the Deep South, told BenarNews, saying that plan was still in the study stage.

Col. Sithisak Jenbanjong, the commander of the Armys 41st Ranger Regiment, in the Deep South, welcomed the plan.

Last month, four army rangers were killed and five other soldiers and a civilian were injured in a roadside bombing in Saiburi, a district of Pattani province. The bomb exploded as soldiers approached a booby-trapped pick-up truck.

I think it is a good idea, Sithisak told BenarNews.

At least the insurgents would think twice before planting [a] bomb  I wish the drones also had the ability to destroy the bomb, he said.

Plan questioned

But this is not the first time that drones have been deployed to the Deep South, according to Thai media reports. In September 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon announced that drones would be used to help safeguard railway routes in the Deep South from rebel attacks by helping land-based security forces guard the tracks.

However, the Nation, one of Thailands leading English-language newspapers, published an editorial earlier this month questioning the wisdom and effectiveness of the governments plan to deploy more drones to the south.

It is not clear how more drones would strengthen military capability. The [a]rmy has said it will use the drones to patrol high-risk areas to replace soldiers and reduce the number of casualties, according to the editorial.

The use of drones would make sense if the Thai Army was fighting an enemy that they could identify. Patani Malay insurgents are not in uniform and do not control any geographical area in the region. Instead, they have captured the mental space of much of the local Muslim population who share the same historical mistrust of the Thai state, the newspaper said.
Because it had been awhile and because I did wish to offer a suggestion, I went to the public hearing on the ProVyro Transfer Station off of 130th Street in the village of Lake Hallie on Monday, Oct. 9. A bit more explanation: ProVyro is a garbage hauler, and a transfer station is where garbage is dumped, compacted and placed in transfer trucks for the final trip to a landfill.

Many people commented during the public hearing on the proposal, but what the comments centered on was is it proper to put a transfer station in a residential area. What about the smell, what about the water runoff, what about the noise, what about and the hours of operation, what about property values and what about the truck traffic? All good points and valid concerns.

One tense point in the meeting came when Mr. Mark Perry, who is on the Village Board, was identified as the current property owner. Mr. Perry was forthright in both confirming he was the property owner and that he would recuse himself from any vote on the issue when it came in front of the Village Board.

One man pointed out that all the Village Board members would have a conflict because of Mr. Perrys long tenure with other Village Board members. Board President Wayne Walkoviak addressed the crowd saying he would abstain from any vote as Mr. Perry donated a kidney to him in 2013. Mr. Walkoviak also hoped that people would not jump to any conclusions regarding this matter but take it at face value.

In reviewing the information, the current area is zoned Residential 1 and Agricultural. If taken in the whole, the area between 30th Avenue and 40th Avenue west of 130th Street is industrial, the area east of 130th Street is Residential. 130th Street would serve as a dividing line. This is not ideal, but there would be a clear line of demarcation. Yet the neighbors did offer several very valid points.

The smell will have to be controlled. As I know, farmers in the spring and the fall spread manure in the area, but Wisconsin does have a right-to-farm law. Garbage is garbage, and the transfer station will be there 365 days a year.

Water runoff from the station will have to be controlled. I would also agree with a commenter that the Wisconsin Deptartment of Natural Resources is a shadow of its former self. Folks with concerns regarding WDNR oversite of this facility should call Terry Moulton and Kathy Bernier, our area legislators.

Truck traffic is heavy now and the additional trucks will not help. The Village Board will need to keep close eye on the traffic and the road conditions. I would suggest asking the State Patrol to set up an inspector with a scale on 130th Street from time to time.

Property and home values are not a thing to be ignored. The impact of having a garbage transfer station in an area cannot be overlooked. Yet in an area where there is over 250,000 gallons of propane and perhaps a million gallons of petroleum products plus a high pressure natural gas line, those would concern me more if I were buying a house there.

Though Mr. Perry, Mr. Walkoviak and I have had our differences I do believe in this entire matter both men have been above board and candid with the people. I do not believe there has been a snow job here or any kind of misrepresentation.

The final decision will rest with the Village Board. Village Trustee Pete Lehmann has been quoted in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram as saying ProVyro will be a good partner for the community.  We already have Waste Management, and they are a nice outfit, Lehmann said. Im sure well have a clean and respectful operation. Like any other business, it will respect the expectations of the residents of the community.

Mr. Lehmann, just a reminder that Waste Management was not always a nice outfit. It took the efforts of the former town boards and the concerns of the townspeople to make it that way. So too, this Village Board will need to protect the interests and the expectations of the community.
RELATED COVERAGE

Too many prosecutors act like abusive authoritarians, pig-ignorant of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Here in St. Augustine, our Seventh Circuit State's Attorney does not comply with the National District Attorney's Association National Prosecution Standards. RALPH JOSEPH LARIZZA is President of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association for the next two years. THANKS tofor continuing coverage of abusive prosecutors.As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "Our government ... teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.By ALAN BLINDEROCT. 17, 2017Topped with the word subpoena and the seal of the district attorney in New Orleans, the documents carried an air of authority. They instructed people to appear before prosecutors to testify to the truth, and they warned that failure to obey the missive could lead to a fine and imprisonment.But the personalized documents were never endorsed by any court. Instead, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit brought on Tuesday in New Orleans, the papers that were disguised as subpoenas were central to a sustained and fraudulent effort by local prosecutors to coerce witnesses.The lawsuit is an escalation of a controversy that emerged this year in Louisianas most populous city, but it also brings new scrutiny to the bare-knuckled tactics that officials across the country sometimes use to build cases.The lawsuit, filed by seven plaintiffs, accused local prosecutors of menacing prospective witnesses with what were supposedly subpoenas. Sometimes, the lawsuit said, officials asked judges that people be jailed as material witnesses after they balked at the demands for private meetings with prosecutors.The approach, the lawsuit said, intended to create a culture of fear and intimidation that chills crime victims and witnesses from asserting their constitutional rights. It added, As a result of these policies, crime victims and witnesses in Orleans Parish know that if they exercise their right not to speak with an investigating prosecutor, they will face harassment, threats, arrest and jail.The suit contends that prosecutors repeatedly deceived witnesses and judges, and abused a provision of Louisiana law that allows, in some circumstances, for the detention of witnesses whose testimony is essential.In one instance, according to the lawsuit, a woman was jailed for eight days after she refused to meet with the authorities about a murder case. In another episode, a victim of domestic violence was held for five days after defying the district attorneys request; the man who abused her ultimately pleaded guilty but was not sentenced to jail.Creating their own templates that are purported to be valid legal documents to secure private meetings with witnesses is really on another level, said Anna Arceneaux, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is involved in the case that was filed Tuesday.A document from the district attorney's office demanding testimony from a witness. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit saying that this and other documents were falsely labeled "subpoenas" to trick witnesses.Leon A. Cannizzaro Jr., the district attorney for Orleans Parish, said in a statement on Tuesday that no individual who alleges that they were aggrieved by my offices policies and practices has contacted me, and that he expected his office and its employees to be completely vindicated.In federal court, he said, naked allegations must be supported by substantive proof.The behavior of Mr. Cannizzaros prosecutors has been the subject of outrage and frustration since his offices use of fraudulent documents became public this year.It was improper, Mr. Cannizzaro told a television station in the spring, when he moved to quell an uproar by substituting notice to appear for subpoena.That was incorrect, he said. I take responsibility for that.On Tuesday, Ms. Arceneaux said that even changing the label to notice to appear would be insufficient. Those documents have the same purpose, she said, and that is to coerce and mislead witnesses into believing that they are required to appear at the district attorneys office.It is not unusual for law enforcement officials to struggle to gather testimony, often because witnesses fear retaliation or do not trust the authorities. Officials typically try to overcome such reluctance with incentives, like relocation or immunity, or long conversations that prove persuasive.Really good detectives can really make a huge difference, said Glenn F. Ivey, a defense lawyer in Washington who was the states attorney for Prince Georges County, Md. They can talk to people and convince them to testify.Like several other lawyers, Mr. Ivey said he had never heard of allegations like the ones in New Orleans, where prosecutors have long used written correspondence to try to secure testimony.According to records provided by lawyers involved in the litigation against Mr. Cannizzaros office, prosecutors have been sending what critics call fake subpoenas since at least 1999. Lawyers in New Orleans, though, said they believed the practice had intensified since Mr. Cannizzaro, who was elected in 2008, became district attorney.Defense lawyers are already discussing whether old cases might be susceptible to challenges if they involved witnesses who received documents that were improperly marked as subpoenas.The possible negative impact of this is limited only by your imagination, I think, Mr. Ivey said. This is such an affirmative abuse of state power that is really shocking to me that they would do this.
Gen. Museveni--weary dictator has clocked nearly 32 years. Photo: Flickr

[Africa Commentary: Uganda]

Fellow Ugandans, have you noticed whenever there is a heated debate and the dictator Gen. Yoweri Museveni is about to lose it he reminds us that young men and women sacrificed a lot including their lives to save Uganda.

He obviously refers to the war that brought him to power in 1986. Most Ugandans would agree that the conditions that forced many people to support his rebellion exists several-fold today so he sounds like a broken record.

He also doesn't tell us whom he "saved" Uganda for. It was clearly not for the indigenous populations of the country.

As time passed people began to notice that benefits were going to a particular group of people who have been entering Uganda since 1959. Ugandans are a welcoming people; but not to the extent of having refugees whom they sheltered end up taking over their lands and livestock because a ruler whose own heritage is shrouded in mystery.

When pressed on the issue Gen. Museveni often loses his composure. He has, variously, said that:

1. He went hunting and killed a beast. Therefore he has the right to invite whoever he wants to the dining table; implying that the resources of Ugandan can now be divided as he sees fit amongst his family members, his relatives and close friends.

2. He became a revolutionary for the sake of his family: his children and grand children.

3. He is no one's servant; certainly not a public servant. That he is "working for myself." This reeks of inferiority complex. That is why he is contemptuous of voters and has himself declared president even when he does not win elections.

4. As a revolutionary he can't be kicked out of the house like a chicken thief, implying that he will rule for as long as he desires.

5. If you are stupid you should be enslaved or colonized (Atlantic Monthly Magazine, September 1994). He therefore continues to operate under the assumption that Ugandans are too docile and will never challenge him.

With this mindset, dictator Museveni believes he has conquered Ugandans with the support of his people who are now conducting land-grabs all over the country with the support of the state including armed forces.

Dictator Museveni inserted into the constitution the article about free mobility and settlement anywhere in Uganda. He has used this window to settle his people in all parts of the country, especially on other people's land.

He treats Uganda and Ugandans like conquered territory and subjects, respectively.

You will notice that appointees or those recruited to influential posts --security forces, ministers, ambassadors, presidential advisers, religious leaders-- are all his people.

Parliament is dominated by his people due to patronage and rigging during elections.

As time passed the Ugandans began to realize that they are being severely marginalized by immigrants and refugees in large numbers. Ugandans have always welcomed refugees, but dictator Museveni is changing this attitude and creating tension by actively helping these guests land-grab from their hosts.

The dictator is carrying out the Rwakitura Covenant, named for the location where a meeting was held to discuss his strategy to allow his National Resistance Movement party to rule for at least 50 years. He has been dictator for nearly 32 years now. He wants to remove the article in the constitution which does not allow a person older than 75 to run for president. He is 73 and cannot run in 2021 elections.

The Rwakitura Covenant can be completed by political domination of Ugandans and depriving people of income and wealth by seizing their land. That is why the dictator is simultaneously pushing for life presidency and nationalization of native land.

Now he is facing serious challengers. Because he can't handle the opposition he is saying they are spreading lies. It's up to Gen. Museveni to prove with concrete evidence that the opposition is lying about his plans. How can they be lying when his security agents beat opposition members of Parliament, his armed forces kill people who oppose his life-presidency agenda, brutalize those who resist land-grab, and instigate communal violence over land to intentionally displace people?

He is even imposing a police siege on the homes of members of Parliament who oppose his life-presidency scheme.

These are questions every Ugandan should ask dictator Museveni by posting it on the official Facebook page of State House Uganda. When it comes to the following positions in all branches of government how many of the individuals are Ugandans and how many are people who had been welcomed as refugees?:

1. How many of each are NRM Members of Parliament?

2. How many of each are ministers in the government?

3. How many of each are ambassadors?

4. How many of each are presidential advisers?

5. How many of each are religious leaders?

6. How many of each are Local Council (LC 5) chairpersons?

7. How many of each are leaders of the military, police, intelligence, prison services?

8. How many of each get fellowship awards to study in Uganda or abroad?

9. How many of each occupy government ranches and de-gazetted lands?

Uganda land belongs to Ugandans. The British colonial administration confirmed it through legislation.

During the Odoki Commission consultations that set the framework for debates in the Constituent Assembly the overwhelming majority restated that land belongs to indigenous Ugandans. Intentionally it was not included in the constitution.

Do foreigners or non-natives qualify to own native land? Do we need to nationalize Uganda land to be able to construct roads faster as the dictator is insisting? Are we going to have another legislation for industrial sites, dams, large private plantations and ranches or will the current bill being pushed by Gen. Museveni take care of all these demands?

Nationalization of land always creates serious problems. Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is permanently unstable in large part because when Gen. Mobutu nationalized land he gave a large chunk of land to refugees from neighboring countries who fought on his side during the civil war there shortly after independence in 1960. This will surely happen if Uganda native land is seized by Museveni and the guests.

However, Ugandans are now enlightened. They know their rights and freedoms. Their eyes and ears are wide open. If they sense they are cheated they are going to resist.

To avert calamity Ugandans must stop Museveni's life-presidency scheme and the land bill. We must clearly tell the Members of Parliament that if they act on their own against the will of the people there will be consequences. Let us also remind Ugandans who are greedy and short-sighted not to be duped into giving up their valuable land and only source of income for a few coins. Stand with fellow Ugandans and not Museveni and the guests who has support of his army to seize the land.

Land is life and the only asset and source of livelihood for millions of Ugandans. That is all they have and none should take it away from them.

The concept of willing seller and willing buyer was developed to suit white farmers in Africa (Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa) so they don't lose the land they had occupied to Black people after independence.

The rich, powerful guests, supported by dictator Museveni's armed forces are using force or intimidation to land-grab from powerless and voiceless peasants.

Ugandans cannot afford not to win this struggle.

Eric Kashambuzi is an international economist and human rights activist.




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The Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said the banks need to do more to tackle the tracker mortgage scandal.

He has called the banks' CEOs to a meeting on the issue next week.
David Davis will travel to Paris on Monday for Brexit talks days after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Britain would need to up its divorce payment offer to unlock trade negotiations.

The UK Brexit Secretary will have dinner with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in the UK's latest attempt to jump-start withdrawal talks with the European Union.

France is seen to be taking one of the EU's most hardline views on the exit bill after Mr Macron suggested at this week's European Council that it could top 40bn.

The president said that earlier indications the UK could offer around 20bn to ensure its EU partners were not left out of pocket due to Brexit did not go halfway to what was required.

The UK Prime Minister repeatedly dodged questions at the European Council summit in Brussels over how much the UK is ready to pay, insisting the size of a "full and final settlement" will not emerge until agreement is reached on all aspects of Brexit.

But she did not deny suggestions it could be "many more billions" than the 20bn indicated in her speech in Florence last month.

A Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) source confirmed Mr Davis's plans, which will be seen as a fresh attempt to unblock negotiations which took a small step forward at the Council summit.

An agreement to begin scoping work on trade may reassure City firms which had suggested they might have to move functions and staff to the continent if no progress was made by Christmas.

But it was accompanied by clear demands from EU leaders for Britain to make more concessions on the divorce bill so they can green light trade negotiations at the next Council summit in mid-December.

In a sign of the likely internal Tory battles ahead over the money, senior Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin has warned the Prime Minister she should not sign up to a deal at any price, while pro-EU colleague Anna Soubry said it would be better to halt Britain's exit entirely than leave with no agreement.

Those pushing for a "no deal" exit have been cautioned by former World Trade Organisation deputy director general Roderick Abbott that it would be a would be a big step down that would hit Britain harder than the EU.

Reports suggest the Government may use the coming weeks to step up preparations for a no deal Brexit in order to force the EU's hand in negotiations by showing the UK is ready to leave without a trade agreement, in the hope it could lead to a more favourable outcome including fewer concessions on the exit payment.

But discussing a "no deal" Brexit with the UK trading on WTO rules, Mr Abbott told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What has happened is, you are out of a preferential relationship with the EU, including all of the regulations of the single market which you are inside.

"And on the tariffs level you are losing all of your preferential access to the EU and to all of the countries which the EU has trade deals with, so that's quite a big step down."

Asked if erecting tariffs on EU goods and services would favour the UK because it would take in more money than it pays out, Mr Abbott replied: "Yes, and on the other side, if you're talking cost, your exports might actually drop quite substantially, so your revenue from that is falling.

"I think that the tariff argument is in the favour of the EU because they are selling more to the UK than in any other direction, but as a proportion of their total trade around the world it's quite small.

"Whereas, the proportion of our trade to the EU is 45%."

Meanwhile, former head of the Civil Service, Lord O'Donnell, warned that banks would leave the UK if there was no deal.

He said Catalonia's current bid for separation from Spain provided an example of what will happen.

Banks and other firms have already confirmed their intentions to move their headquarters out of the region amid a stand-off with the Spanish government.

Lord O'Donnell told the programme: "They are voting on independence and you can see companies moving their headquarters out, banks moving away from Catalonia, because if they were to go independent they would leave the EU with no deal and most of their trade is obviously with the rest of Spain.

"That will be in doubt."
Update 5.38pm: Stefan Mooney, who was missing from Ballymun, has been located safe and well.

Earlier Gardai are appealing for help in tracing a missing teenager in Dublin.
A suicide attack has killed 15 army officers west of Afghanistan's capital Kabul.

Defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said the attack took place outside the training academy of the Marshal Fahim National Defence University, killing 15 officers and wounding four others.

He added that the attack on foot occurred in the early evening when the on-duty officers were on their way home.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, according to their spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, who said that 27 academy members were killed.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said that the targeting of security forces illustrated the militants' "isolation".
How you can help Give A Christmas to Lower Bucks families in need
Group holding clothing drive

SCHUYLER -- The Women of Divine Mercy will sponsor the annual community clothing drive on Oct. 27-28 at St. Augustine Hall, 604 Chicago St.

Donations of clean, gently used clothing will be accepted from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 26. Hours for the sale are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 27 and 8-11 a.m. Oct. 28. All clothing will be 50 cents and coats will cost $1.

Halloween party at Hy-Vee

COLUMBUS -- Hy-Vee will host an in-store Halloween party Saturday featuring trick-or-treating and other activities from 1-3 p.m.

The free event includes coloring activities, cookie decorating and mini pumpkin decorating. The first 100 children dressed in costume will receive a free glow-in-the-dark trick-or-treating bag.

Alzheimers group meeting

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Alzheimer's/Dementia Support Group will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Columbus Community Center, 3111 19th St.

The program will be cookies and conversation with presenter Adam Lassen.

For more information, call Martha at 402-564-1980.
Alpha Heating Innovation has welcomed Brendan Fenerty to the role of National Sales Director.

Brendan joins the team from the Grafton Groups Plumbase brand and brings more than 18 years experience in the plumbing and heating industry.

Brendans involvement in the heating sector began with the Vaillant Group where he joined as a Regional Sales Representative for the Glowworm brand. Following several roles within the business over 10 years, he then moved into a national sales role at Quinn Radiators. For the last three and a half years, he has held the National Sales Directors position at Plumbase.

My time in the merchant environment has given me valuable insight into how our products are traded and how manufacturers can help merchants to drive sales, Brendan commented. It has given me a real appreciation of the importance of the relationship between suppliers and merchants.

As National Sales Director, Brendan will oversee the field-based sales operation for Alpha and form part of the leadership team responsible for business strategy.

Brendan concluded: I have joined a great team here at Alpha and I am excited about the opportunities that lay ahead of us as a business. I believe Alpha has an important role in the future of this constantly evolving industry and I look forward to building on what has already been achieved by this hardworking team.
U.S. women's soccer looks to its rising stars for next World Cup
Pune-based IT firm Persistent Systems, which has been investing in non-American markets as part of a long-term strategy to insulate itself from a decline in its US business, has seen the move pay off in the September quarter. Unlike other IT giants however, digital growth has not impacted their deal sizes, the company said.
After much dilly-dallying, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has come up with rules on valuation of unlisted that will do away with arbitrariness at the time of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), and transfer of shares. The draft for the same was put up for consultations four years back.

However, these rules are limited to valuers and do not have the all-important component of methodology of valuation. Till the time the methodology is framed by a committee that is yet to be set up, international standards will be followed. Experts state that till the final methodology is drawn up, it is difficult to say which countrys rules will have a presence in India. Each country has its own set of rules for the same.

Chander Sawhney, partner and head of valuations at Corporate Professionals, says there are three broad global methods of valuation  assets, income, and the market approach of the company.

India has never had rules for all firms, though there are separate norms for listed laid down by the markets regulator. Currently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has its own set of valuation guidelines for listed on takeovers, preferential allotment of shares and so on. As such, this is a beginning towards framing rules for valuation by registered valuers.

According to the Companies (Registered Valuers and Valuation) Rules, 2017, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is the authority responsible for these regulations.

These rules are basically about who could become valuers and the process of registration and deregistration of these valuers with the IBBI.

According to the rules, chartered accountants can conduct a financial audit, while subject experts will have to be hired for other specific audits such as for machinery and real estate. Essentially, there will be separate financial valuers and technical valuers. These rules will also be applicable to companies going in for liquidation under the Insolvency Code. Once the methodology is also finalised, it will help other regulators such as Sebi to follow uniform guidelines.

Sawhney says these rules will be applicable under the Companies Act, 2013, until sectoral regulations also adopt these rules.

Companies are now allowed to function as registered valuers, provided three or all of their directors are registered valuers. Because of this, merchant bankers also qualify to become valuers. This is a modification of drafts issued by the MCA in 2013, which had proposed to allow only individuals and partnership firms such as limited liability partnerships (LLPs). Around 95 per cent of merchant bankers in India are companies and only five per cent are LLPs.

Unregistered valuers can continue to work till March 31, 2018.

Experts say these rules will bring in professional discipline among valuers in India and will lead to standardisation in this field.

This move will also make M&As easier, as valuation will be done on the basis of certain guidelines. Before these rules, there was a great deal of subjectivity that was usually challenged, experts had opined. They had also opined that litigation on account of valuation will reduce with the regulations. The rules state that all transactions with third parties undertaken during the period the valuer has been appointed has to be reported to the IBBI.

A disciplinary committee will be constituted which will hear complaints against the valuer. An appellate panel will also be set up which will look into appeals against the disciplinary committees order. An appeal can be filed within 30 days of the initial order. An individual who has been declared bankrupt cannot enrol as a valuer.




Parents bring your children, children bring your parents; the Friends of the Columbus Public Library and Girl Scout Troop 50331 have planned an event for the whole family. Join them on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. for Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghouls by Dorothy Rieke. The event will take place in the Columbus Art Gallery, found in the lower level of Columbus Public Library.

Dorothy Rieke will entertain the audience while discussing what makes a story scary by including an assortment of spooky examples. She includes age-appropriate stories to appeal to the scary sensibilities of the audience. Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghouls is appropriate for an audience of ages from third grade through adult. If that isnt enough to entice your family to attend, maybe prizes for your little ones will. Dorothy encourages participation in her presentation, and rewards those children who do.

A writer from Julian, Nebraska, Dorothy began her career teaching in a rural school. After completing her bachelors and masters degrees from Peru State College, as well as courses from the University of Nebraska and University of Oklahoma, she went on to teach high school. Dorothy taught English for over 30 years at Auburn Middle School where she was voted teacher of the year. Now Dorothy is a freelance writer of nostalgia, travel, religious and food articles. She has been published in over 50 magazines.

If Dorothys presentation of ghost stories leaves you wanting more, look no further than the shelves of Columbus Public Library. Here are just a few of our many spooky-themed books.

Gossamer Ghost by Laura Childs is part of her New Orleans series with scrapbooking shop owner Carmela. This book sends readers on graveyard tours, ghost trains and to parades and parties during the Halloween season. Carmela tries to solve the murder of a neighboring shopkeeper when the victims fiancee asks for assistance.

Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories edited by Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Travelers Wife, has ghost stories both new and old. Niffenegger adds an illustration and introduction to each story and includes one of her own. This collection includes work from Edgar Allen Poe, Kelly Link, M.R James, Neil Gaiman and H.H. Munro. Including many authors allows the reader to experience the evolution of the ghost story. Included are Gothic horror and Victorian styles, as well as modern-era tales.

Michael Jan Friedman, with the help of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, has written Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from the Atlantic Paranormal Society. This book compiles some of the real-life adventures of the paranormal investigators starring in the SyFy Channel television show Ghost Hunters. Get spooked as you follow their experiences of some of their most memorable investigations.

Check out these books or others to get in the haunted mood and join the Friends of the Columbus Library and Girl Scout Troop 50331 at the event Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m.

Call 402-564-7116 or stop by Columbus Public Library to ask questions about other ghost stories available for check-out and more upcoming events.
Having focused on the domestic market for the last three years, home furnishings major is expecting a 50-60 per cent jump in sales. It expects to clock in sales worth Rs 150 crore in 2017-18 despite demonetisation and rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) regime. With slow growth in home furnishing segment in the United States (US), the company has shifted focus to the domestic market.
Twelve years after the Delhi High Court discharged Hinduja brothers in the Bofors pay-off case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought the central government's permission to file a petition that could lead to reopening of the .

According to officials, CBI has sought permission to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court to reopen the case. A petitioner files an SLP to seek a special permission to be heard in the apex court in appeal against any judgment or order of any court or tribunal in India.

The SLP will be filed against the Delhi High Court order of May 31, 2005, that quashed charges against the Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the case.

A majority of the members of a parliamentary sub-committee on defence attached to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab and looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of the CAG report of 1986 on the Bofors howitzer gun deal, had in July suggested that the case of irregularities in purchase of Bofors guns should be reopened as there were many "loopholes" in the investigation in past.



The suggestion had come after CBI Director Alok Verma faced questions from the members of the sub-committee on why the premier investigating agency did not approach the apex court after the Delhi High Court dismissed proceedings in the case in 2005.

ALSO READ: Bofors scam: Government wants CBI to re-open in the case

The CBI officials had then said that it could re-investigate the only if a court order allowed it to. Several MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also raised the issue in Parliament to re-open investigation in the case.



Late last year, CBI had informed the Supreme Court that authorities had not permitted it to file an appeal against the verdict. The CBI submission had been made before a bench headed by CJI TS Thakur which was hearing a plea by petitioner advocate Ajay Kumar Agarwal against the high court verdict.



ALSO READ: Not given permission to appeal in Bofors case: CBI to SC

On Wednesday, the CBI had said it would look into the facts and circumstances mentioned in an interview of Michael Hershman, the first secret Bofors investigator of the Fairfax Group deployed by the Indian government.

He, during an interview to a TV news channel, said he was ready to testify and assist the Indian agencies in the .

Hershman said V.P. Singh, then Finance Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, had hired him in 1986 to probe certain issues involving suspected violations of currency control laws by about a dozen wealthy Indians. At that time Hershman ran Fairfax Group, a private investigation firm.

The deal for 410 Bofors howitzers was sealed in March 1986.

The alleged corruption in the Bofors guns deal had created a scandal in 1989, leading to the fall of Rajiv Gandhi government. Kickbacks were alleged, but no evidence was found.

In 1986, then Finance Minister V P Singh had ordered an investigation. To do so, Singh had got in touch with private investigation group Fairfax.

Now, the six-member Public Accounts Committee's sub-committee on defence is looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report of 1986 on the deal.
It has been nearly four decades since, at the Naval War College in USA, I said to the primarily American military audience that the only thing that was Indian about the Indian Ocean was its name. This snide remark did get the expected laughs but, more seriously, reflects the very insignificant recognition that the seas around us played in our strategic thinking in those days.

Much earlier, K M Pannikar did write a learned treatise on the significance of the Indian Ocean to our long-term interests, but not many of our leaders until 20 years ago thought the region critical to the countrys security concerns; many still do not. For this category of people, the land borders and their visible and invisible impact  whether on illegal immigration, or illicit trade or smuggling of drugs or terrorism  constitute the real threats to our sovereignty and integrity. This simplistic viewpoint needs to be challenged.

The fact that more than half of global commerce, in particular oil and gas, moves through the waters of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) or that several of its narrower exits and entries have been subjected to piracy, most recently off Somalia, are issues of concern but do not, by themselves, determine our security concerns. It is true that in earlier years, as the European powers  principally Great Britain  sought to establish their own empires, control over the sea lanes of commerce played a very important part, but this had started dwindling in later years, as colonisation began to give way.

Britain soon lost greatness and ceded it to the United States, which took over its dominant roles in the IOR. For the last 50 years, it has been the only nation which can wield credible maritime power in the region. Both the British and now the Americans realised that for meaningful operations at sea, support stations were needed where forces could be positioned, replenished and deployed for reasonably long durations. However, such bases as the British created, stretching right across the IOR and beyond, are now long gone and US-held Diego Garcia remains the single major foreign base in the region.

Until two decades ago, we were content to let the US act as the net security provider in the IOR, which means being able to provide help and assistance to littorals in times of need, occasionally show its presence in support of its policy objectives and, generally, act as the regional satrap at sea. Having become a major importer of energy from this region, China is also now seeking an IOR presence. Towards this end, its ships and submarines have started visiting these waters frequently.

While facilities such as refuelling and the like are available at most ports, these cannot equal the support that a base should offer. So, China is seeking to set up facilities at Gwadar in Pakistan and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, which could, at some time, support 10,000 personnel each; some negotiations are on for facilities in Seychelles as well. While none of them can be said to be bases, they will give China the IOR credibility that it could otherwise not have.

It is in this context that India must view its maritime interests. A hostile presence, say of the Chinese, can put our assets under great threat. Contrarily, we ourselves can interdict Chinese supply lines should that be needed, provided capability to do so exists  and it must be created. Even otherwise, as the major IOR littoral, India must be seen by others as an important provider of net security in the region.

Looked at holistically, there are only two countries in addition to the US that can be said to have some IOR capabilities  China and India. The former has a good number of seagoing platforms but, presently, not the bases to enable their sustained operations while India, with its regional presence, has the infrastructure but not the numbers. So, if we are to counter the Chinese in this region, strengthening our maritime prowess is essential.

Concurrently, our strategy must focus on mutually compatible engagement of the principal Indo-Pacific littorals. These include, apart from the US, Japan and Australia, South Africa and Mozambique which sit astride the southern routes, the island nations of Mauritius and Seychelles, which guard the approaches to the northern waters, countries of the Gulf region and immediate neighbours such as Sri Lanka and Maldives. While bases at these places might not be feasible, operating facilities which enhance reach and endurance are needed if we are to become a credible IOR power.

While state-sponsored terrorism on land and the occasional boundary disputes are not going to go away anytime soon, it is highly unlikely that these can or will lead to war. The challenges, much more nuanced, will come in the Indo-Pacific, where our access to the sea lanes and the ability to use them for our purposes, especially in the IOR part, will be tested.

Yet, it is at sea that our capabilities are comparable to those of our two likely adversaries and, in fact, superior. Our ability to inhibit its vessels from accessing vital energy resources in the IOR is well recognised in Beijing. The setting up of a third major naval base at Karwar, additional to the two at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, is adding to our capabilities, which we must further augment by proactively upgrading facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which can facilitate surveillance over the entire Bay of Bengal.

We have slipped badly in sustaining  much less enhancing  our force levels, and must move more speedily to make up deficiencies, especially of submarines, whose numbers have fallen unacceptably; ships which can transport desired forces across the seas are also important. Unfortunately, our decision-making processes are pathetically slow, which has acted to the detriment of our maritime capabilities. All military platforms take time to build, ships much more than others. There is a clear need to weigh anchor and pick up steam.

The writer is a former Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command. He has also served as member of the Security Advisory Board
Google on Saturday celebrated the 187th birthday of Nain Singh Rawat, a 19th-century Indian mountaineer who was the first man to survey Tibet and one of the first to explore the Himalayas for the British.
The politically sensitive Rs 64-crore Bofors pay-off case is once again in the limelight as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought the government's permission to file a plea that could lead to reopening of the .
The Modi governments radical economic policies of demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST) have had a profound and debilitating impact on the agrarian fabric of the country. While the note ban has broken the back of the rural economy, the GST has exacerbated the predicament of the rural artisans. Though the implications of GST for traders in the urban economy are being discussed extensively, its impact on the weaker and marginalised sections of the rural economy has been largely ignored. For decades, millions of rural artisans have been making ends meet through their traditional skills with hardly any help from the government. With the imposition of GST, their livelihood and survival has come into question.
Over the past few months, we have been getting repeated reminders from banks to link accounts with the 12-digit unique identification number . The Reserve Bank of India on Saturday said biometric identity number linkage with bank accounts is mandatory. The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory linkage with bank accounts.
Prasenjit K Basu is a Singapore-based economist, formerly chief economist for Southeast Asia & India at Credit Suisse First Boston, chief Asia economist at Daiwa Securities and global head of research at Maybank group.He talks to Aditi Phadnis about his latest book, Asia Reborn: A Continent Rises from the Ravages of Colonialism and War to a New Dynamism.
At a time when customers are rushing to link all their bank accounts with Aadhaar, the Reserve (RBI) on Saturday clarified that it never issued any such directions and it was the decision of the Indian .

The apex bank further clarified that in applicable cases, linkage of number to a bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.



In a response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act application filed by Moneylife and carried by it on October 18, the said: "The has issued a Gazette Notification GSR 538(E) dated 1 June 2017 regarding Prevention of Money laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, inter-alia, making furnishing of (for those individuals who are eligible to be enrolled for Aadhaar) and permanent number (PAN) mandatory for opening a bank account. It may be noted that Reserve Bank has not yet issued the instruction in this regard".

Clarifying its position, in a statement on Saturday said: "...in applicable cases, linkage of number to a bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017. These Rules have statutory force and, as such, banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions."

The also said that anti-money laundering rules announced in June 2017 have "statutory force" and banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions.

The has made it mandatory to link bank accounts with the 12-digit biometric identification number. The deadline to do it is December 31, 2017.

This linking of Aadhaar to bank accounts is a process over and above the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms already followed by the banks.

Finance Minister in August had said that 524 million Aadhaar numbers had been linked to 736.2 million bank accounts in .

Banks accounts in India are already linked to the tax-related Permanent Account Number (PAN), which is mandatory.

The Finance Minister had outlined a "one billion-one billion-one billion vision" for the country.

"That is one billion unique Aadhaar numbers linked to one billion bank accounts and one billion mobile phones. Once that is done, all of India can become part of the financial and digital mainstream," Jaitley had said.

The RTI query further asked whether RBI had Supreme Court's permission to mandatorily link Aadhaar with bank accounts. In its reply, RBI said it had not filed any such petition before the .



The Aadhar programme, which is the world's largest biometric identity card programme, has triggered some claims that it is an infringement of privacy of citizens.

India's top court in August had said that privacy is a fundamental right and the verdict was expected to complicate efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to make linking of the ID card numbers with bank accounts and telephone numbers.
PM to visit Gujarat, inaugurate Phase 1 of RO RO Ferry Service between Ghogha and Dahej

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will visit Gujarat tomorrow 22nd October, 2017.At a public meeting in Ghogha, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Phase 1 of the RO RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej. This ferry service shall reduce the travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat, from about seven or eight hours, to just over an hour. When fully operationalized, it will also enable movement of vehicles. On Sunday, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Phase 1, which is passenger movement.

The Prime Minister will travel in the maiden voyage of this service, from Ghogha to Dahej. The Prime Minister shall also address the gathering at Dahej, after completion of the voyage. Also at the public meeting in Ghogha, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd. From Dahej, the Prime Minister will travel to Vadodara. At a public meeting there, he will dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre; the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme; and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda, at Vadodara. The Prime Minister will hand over keys of houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban, as well as Rural). He will lay the Foundation Stones of several infrastructure and development projects, including an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects, and a flyover. He will also lay the foundation stone for the capacity expansion of the Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, and a greenfield marketing terminal project of HPCL, at Vadodara.
COLUMBUS  A 25-year-old Columbus man is going back to prison for five to eight years after he was released on parole last spring.

Platte County District Court Judge Robert Steinke sentenced Derrik Zollars to the prison term Friday for his conviction of attempted possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in connection with an early June police search of a storage unit he rented that turned up two loaded rifles.

The conviction is a Class II felony, punishable by up to 50 years imprisonment and a minimum of one year behind bars. A charge of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person was dismissed by the prosecution.

Steinke said he was greatly concerned that the weapon conviction was the same violation Zollars was convicted of in 2013 in Colfax County. He was paroled from prison on March 27 after serving just under three years of a six- to 10-year sentence.

Three months later your parole was revoked, Steinke told the defendant. Thats significant to the court.

Zollars was also on parole for a sexual assault conviction in Platte County.

Steinke ordered the sentence to run consecutive to any sentence Zollars will serve as a consequence of his parole violation and gave him credit for 142 already served in the county jail.

A Columbus Police investigation got underway in late May with a tip from Zollars parole officer that the city man had been kicked out of his residence and was in possession of firearms.

According to court documents, the parole officer reported to police that Zollars rented a unit at Central Nebraska Storage.

Police found an AK-47 assault rifle and Ruger bolt-action 30-06 rifle inside the storage unit during a May 31 search, Investigator Jaymee Levander wrote in her probable cause arrest statement.

Both weapons were loaded with a round in the chamber," Levander wrote.

Zollars was arrested June 1 on the weapon charge and for possessing methamphetamine. The drug charge was later dismissed.
The Police Commemoration Day Parade was held today at the National Police Memorial, New Delhi. The Occasion was graced by the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh and the MoS in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Dr. Satya Pal Singh. The DIB Shri Rajiv Jain read out the names of all Police Personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty this year. The Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba as well as heads of all the Central Paramilitary Forces and the Commissioner of Delhi Police also attended the Occasion. The CISF was the host of todays ceremony. Retired Police Officers in large numbers attended the Parade. .

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Police Commemoration Day is observed every year on October 21 to commemorate the Police personnel who were martyred in Hot Springs, Ladakh in 1959. This year 383 Police Personnel from different State Police Forces as well as Central Paramilitary Forces and Central Police Organisations were martyred. .

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Senior officers of Ministry of Home Affairs were also present on the occasion .

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Vice President undergoes a successful Angioplasty at AIIMS President and Prime Minister spoke to him on phone

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has undergone a successful Angioplasty at AIIMS, here yesterday.

During a routine detailed medical checkup at AIIMS, yesterday, a significant blockage in one of the main artery was found and it was stented by Prof. Balram Bhargava, Dept. of Cardiology, AIIMS. The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi spoke to him over phone and enquired about his well being. Vice President was discharged today in sound health and all parameters were normal. He was advised complete rest for 03 days and also as a precaution visitors are advised not to visit during this period.
Facebook, and Twitter have a lot at stake when they show up in Washington on November 1 to testify at congressional hearings about the role their technologies played in Russias interference in the 2016 presidential elections. To face the lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees that day, the internet are sending in their legal muscle: the general counsels. That way, the avoid putting their chief executives  Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jack Dorsey of Twitter, and Sundar Pichai of  in the spotlight to deal with questions and the full-blown public relations crisis over whether they are contributing to an undermining of democracy.
Several people were injured today in the southern German city of Munich by a man wielding a knife who fled the scene, said police, adding possible motives were unknown.

A man "injured several people with a knife" in the centre of Munich and "is still on the run", the local police said on their Twitter account.

"We are searching for the perpetrator of the attack with all available police", said the statement, which added that for the moment the possible motives for the attack remained unknown.

According to the online edition of the daily Bild, none of the victims suffered life threatening injuries.

Poland attack



On Friday, a 27-year-old Pole knifed one person to death and injured seven in a busy shopping centre in the southern city of Stalowa Wola that police did not immediately qualify as terrorism.

The attack occurred around 3 PM local time (1300 GMT) before shoppers apprehended the knifeman, identified only as Konrad K, and handed him over to police.

"The man acted irrationally, stabbing people in the back. One of the wounded women died. Seven other people are injured," police said in a statement.

Officers said the man had no criminal record and was sober. He is being tested for drugs.

Such attacks are extremely rare in Poland, an EU country of 38 million which has so far escaped the terrorism-related carnage experienced elsewhere in the bloc in recent years.

"The police are trying to establish the circumstances of the incident and above all, the reasons behind it," government spokesman Rafal Bochenek told the Polish PAP press agency.
Suicide bombers on Saturday killed 15 cadets when they attacked Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul.

Maj. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesman of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), told Afghanistan's Pajhwok news agency that the suicide bomber walked closed to the cadets' bus and detonated himself, leaving 15 cadets dead and four injured.

The injured cadets had been shifted to hospital, but there was no information about their well-being.

The Marshal Fahim National Defense University is located in the Qargha (or Qargheh) district of Kabul on a 105-acre site on a plateau to the west of the Kabul city centre near Police District 5. It houses various educational establishments for the Afghan Armed Forces.

In April 2014, the university was renamed the Defence University of Marshal Fahim in honour of the former Vice President of Afghanistan, Mohammed Fahim who died of a heart attack on 9 March 2014.

At least 85 people were killed and over 60 injured in a suicide blast on Imam Zaman Mosque in capital Kabul on Friday evening.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 35 Egyptian policemen were reportedly killed in a shootout with the militants in Giza.

The policemen came under fire during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert.

According to reports, the exchange of gunfire took place in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya district in the Giza governorate on Friday.

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Taking aspirin daily can reduce the risk of liver cancer, a new study suggested.

The researchers found that everyday aspirin therapy could significantly associate with a reduced risk in hepatitis B related liver cancer.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver. HBV can be contracted through contact with an infected person's blood or other bodily fluid, and the infection can either be acute or chronic.

It has been estimated that around estimated 240 million people worldwide have chronic HBV. The findings also show Africa and Asia as the highest prevalence of the virus.

Previous studies also show that daily aspirin therapy -- which is often prescribed to prevent cardiovascular disease -- may also prevent the development of cancer.

However, on another note clinical evidence is being lacked for the effectiveness of aspirin therapy in preventing HBV-related liver cancer.

Researcher Teng-Yu Lee from the Taichung Veterans General Hospital conducted a nationwide cohort study to determine if aspirin therapy could, indeed, reduce liver cancer risk.

"Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and HBV is the most prevalent risk factor in our region," said Dr. Lee who's the lead author of the study.

"HBV-related liver cancer is therefore a major public issue with a severe socioeconomic impact," he stated.

Dr. Lee stated that therapies which reduce the risk of liver cancer like, nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy, do not completely eliminate the risk. Adding, he also mentioned that most HBV carriers are not indicated for antiviral therapy, so another effective way of reducing liver cancer risk needs to be developed.

"Aspirin has been investigated to explore its chemopreventive effect in cancers that are related to chronic inflammation, particularly in the prevention of colorectal cancer. However, clinical evidence supporting the chemopreventive effect of aspirin therapy on liver cancer remains limited. Therefore, we conducted a large-scale cohort study to evaluate the association of aspirin therapy with HBV-related liver cancer," he noted.

Retrieving past medical records for the study, they screened records of 204,507 patients with chronic hepatitis B, and excluded patients with other forms of infectious hepatitis, from the National Insurance Research Database between the year 1998 and 2012.

The past findings showed that 1,553 patients who continuously received daily aspirin for at least 90 days were randomly matched 1:4 with 6,212 patients who had never received anti- platelet therapy by means of propensity scores consisting of baseline characteristics.

The researchers analyzed both cumulative incidents of and hazard ratios for HCC development after adjusting for competing mortality.

Cumulative incidence of liver cancer in the group treated with aspirin therapy was significantly lower than that in the untreated group in five years.

The researchers in their multivariate regression analysis found that aspirin therapy was independently associated with reduced liver cancer risk.

"For effectively preventing HBV-related liver cancer, the findings of this study may help hepatologists treat patients with chronic HBV infection in the future, particularly for those who are not indicated for antiviral therapy. We are pursuing prospective investigations for further confirming the findings," stated Dr. Lee.

The study presented at The Liver Meeting held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

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This year's "Bhaitika", the final day of "YamaPanchak" became special for Meena and Saraswati Pokharel as their brother Kapil Pokharel retuned to Nepal after a couple of years.

"Bhaitika" which falls on the second "Lunar Day of Shukla Paksha (Bright Fortnight) in the month of Kartik in Bikram Sambat (BS) calendar is believed to strengthen bonds between brothers and sisters.

Kapil Pokharel told ANI, "On the occasion of Deepawali the brothers who were detached for long comes together on this auspicious occasion and the chance to put on the tika (over the forehead) really gives godly pleasure. I wish all the sisters a prosperous Deepawali."

Kapil returned to Nepal to receive tika from his sisters.

This incident also has links with the religious belief of Yama, The Lord of Death, meeting his sister Yamuna. Yama is believed to met Yamuna after a long time and Yamuna applied a tika on her brother's forehead and prayed for his well being.

Pleased with Yamuna, Yama asked her to make a wish that he could grant and Yamuna asked that all sisters be given the privilege to apply the tika on their brothers to secure their safety from the Lord of Death.

Brothers are made to sit in a specially anointed place around which a trail of mustard oil is drawn which is believed to secure brothers from Yama. It is also believed that trail will never dry out and always keep them protected from the devil or ill powers. After drawing over the trail, the sisters apply colourful tika consisting seven colours and a garland of marigold or Makhamali around the neck of brothers and vice versa.

The sisters also offer their brothers sweets, walnuts and "Sel" (a special cake made of rice flour fried deeply in oil which has the shape of ring filled with sugar). The brother also give presents and money to their sisters.

Saraswati Pokharel said, "This festival actually is for long life for our brothers and we pray for the well-being of our relations, so that it never gets disconnected, separated or spoiled. This festival of tika is part of that legacy.

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Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, skipped Diwali celebrations to meet agriculture experts at Iowa State University Seed Park in the US.

With agriculture as the prime focus, Naidu concluded the US leg of his three-nation tour on October 20.

The newly formed Andhra Pradesh is an agrarian state where approximately 62% or 46 lakh families are dependent on agriculture and the government has initiated a slew of programmes to boost up the sector.

In the first quarter of the current fiscal, the state has clocked in a growth rate of nearly 27% in agriculture.

"We will make use of advanced technologies to turn agriculture profitable in the state. There are lot of experiments being done in farming across the globe. There is a need to study them and tune accordingly and adopt for our farmer's benefit. Through technology, we will conduct soil tests and rightly guide farmers on the crop. We saved lakhs of acres of crop by inter-linking of rivers which is

a first in the country", Naidu said.

Modernising agriculture is one of the tasks that Andhra Pradesh faces. The state government has partnered with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Economic Forum, World Food Prize and Iowa State University in adopting state-of-the-art agrarian practices.

The Chandrababu Naidu-led state government will also organise an international agriculture summit in Visakhapatnam next month, which Microsoft Founder Bill Gates is scheduled to attend.

Nidu said, "Government's primary focus is on accelerating agricultural growth, farmers' welfare is also being ensured. We are making efforts to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge-based economy, with an expansion of horticulture by following efficient cropping practices. The government believes that agricultural growth is only possible by combining advanced technology with effective policies.

It is the government's aim to make Andhra Pradesh the most advanced agricultural state in the country."

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister will also visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom (UK) before returning to India

on October 27.

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The death toll in a suicide bomb attack inside a mosque in the western part of Kabul has reached 39.

The Tolo News quoted Afghan Interior Ministry as saying that at least 39 people were killed and 45 wounded in the Imam Zaman Mosque attack in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul city on Friday evening, .

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in Imam Zaman mosque when worshippers were offering their evening prayers.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Condemning the attack, President Ashraf Ghani called the attack as inhuman and against the values of Islam.

Ghani said these nefarious acts will not yield any result and will not affect the unity of Afghans.

The Kabul mosque attack came hours after an explosion occurred close to a mosque in Daleema district in Ghor province in which at least 10 people were killed and many other were wounded.

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COLUMBUS  A district court judge rejected a defense plea for probation for a 37-year-old Kearney man convicted of intentional child abuse of his then-11-year-old stepdaughter on multiple occasions in 2015 while the man was living with the girls mother in Columbus.

Platte County District Court Judge Robert Steinke sentenced the man to four to five years in prison on the child abuse charge and gave him credit for 179 days served in the county jail since his arrest.

The man, who is not being named to protect the identity of the victim, was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class IB felony punishable by up to life imprisonment.

That charge was dismissed during depositions in which the now 13-year-old victims memories of the 2015 incidents were called into question. The prosecution then refiled the charge as intentional child abuse.

Steinke said the defendant was a poor candidate for probation because of his history of intravenous methamphetamine and alcohol use and a lengthy criminal history.

The defendants record includes three convictions for child abuse and prior convictions for domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespassing, driving under the influence and driving under suspension.

In defense arguments before sentencing, Mathew McDonald of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy told the judge he realized his client was not a perfect candidate for probation.

McDonald said the defendant has strong family support, pointing to the back of the courtroom to the defendants wife, father and other family members, and the six months in jail had given him time to get sober and address his alcohol issues.

But for alcohol, McDonald told the judge, we would not be here today.

The defense counsel said the defendant had a good job he could return to in Kearney if probation was granted.

Court documents describe a Columbus Police investigation that began early this year when the victim reported experiencing shame over the 2015 assaults, resulting in symptoms of depression and acts of self-mutilation, according to Investigator Greg Sealocks arrest statement.

The victim reported being awakened on several occasions by her stepfather assaulting her.

The (victim) reported that she never told anyone about the sexual assaults as she is scared of (the defendant) and did not want (him) to hurt her mother. The (victim) stated that (the defendant) has physically assaulted her mother in the past, Sealock wrote.

A medical examination of the victim determined she had been sexually assaulted, the investigator reported.
Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday inaugurated the '3C Model Conclave' in Bhubaneswar- a two-day long youth centric programme.

3C Conclave, an abbreviation for Change Agents, Civil Society and Corporates, was organised by Odisha-based social organisation,"Yes We Can".

In his speech, Pradhan said, "Odisha is very proud that the ability to help others is in the DNA of its citizens. Many players from the state are lifting themselves up from the ground level without any support of the government. We need to extend our support to bring them on a bigger platform."

The union minister praised the children of Odisha for their talent and for "registering themselves on the and International level.

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The death toll from suicide bomb attacks on two mosques in Afghanistan has risen to at least 89 people.

A RadioFreeEuropeRadioLiberty web site report said the two attacks took place yesterday on a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul and on a Sunni mosque in the central Afghan province of Ghor.

The Kabul mosque death toll has risen to 56, the Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.

At least 55 people were also injured while praying at the Imam Zaman mosque in the western Dasht-e-Barchi section of Kabul.

The extremist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack.

In the second attack in Ghor, officials said at least 33 people were killed and 10 injured. The suicide bomber detonated an explosive in Khewiagan, a Sunni mosque located in the district of Dulaina.

No claim of responsibility has been made so far for the attack.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the attacks show that "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks, but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans."

The United States strongly condemned the October 20 attacks and previous attacks in Afghanistan during a week in which U.S. drones strikes were reported to have killed more than 30 militants in the region.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country," she said.

Afghanistan's minority Shi'ite population has been the target of several terror attacks this year that have been blamed on the Taliban and IS.

A recent United Nations report said at least 84 people had been killed and 194 wounded so far in 2017 in attacks on Shi'ite mosques and religious ceremonies prior to the most recent incidents.

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Actor Kamal Hassan on Friday showed support to the makers of Tamil film Mersal after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Tamil Nadu chief demanded cuts in the film for showing Centre's schemes and Hindu religion in poor light.

"Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks," the 62-year-old actor wrote on Twitter.

On Friday, Tamilisai Soundararajan condemned the 'misconceptions' being promoted in the film about central government schemes, including Goods and Services Tax, demonetization and digital India, saying when celebrities talk about certain schemes it misleads the public and carries effect in the minds of the people.

Mersal is a Tamil movie directed by Atlee and co-written by Atlee and K. V. Vijayendra Prasad.

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Families of all 39 Indians who went missing in Iraq three years ago have been asked to undergo DNA tests for unspecified reasons.

"All of us have been asked to undergo DNA test; don't know why. We are very nervous," Gurpinder, the sister of Manjinder, who is one among the 39, told ANI.

In 2014, 39 Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, were reportedly taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city of Mosul. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted.

There has been no word on them but the government has insisted that without information otherwise, the workers are still considered alive.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier told family members that an Iraqi official quoting intelligence sources had told Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retired) V.K. Singh that the kidnapped Indians were deployed at a hospital construction site and then shifted to a farm before they were put in a jail in Badush.

However, reportedly earlier in July, the Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Eshaiker al-Jafari had asserted that his dispensation possessed no substantial evidence on the missing persons.

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At least 10 people, including three women and seven men, were killed and few injured after a truck overturned in Maharashtra's Sangli district in the wee hours of Saturday.

The untoward incident took place near Taasgaon-Kawathe Mahakal highway at around 2 am this morning.

The injured people have been rushed to the nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The truck, carrying tiles, was coming from Karnataka to Karad in Maharashtra.

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First Lady Melania Trump has donated the couture piece that she wore to the 2017 inaugural balls to the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

The dress was added to the exhibition featuring 26 dresses worn by former first ladies.

The couture piece, which was designed by Herve Pierre in collaboration with Melania, is a vanilla silk crepe off-the-shoulder gown with a slit skirt, accent from neckline to hem, and claret ribbon around the waist.

"Today is such an honor as I dedicate my inaugural couture piece to the First Ladies exhibit at the National Museum of American History. In addition to celebrating fashion, which is something I have loved since I was a small child, there is no better way to memorialize such a special evening, and new chapter in the life of our family," Melania said.

"It was an honor to work collaboratively with First Lady Melania Trump to design the couture piece that she wore to this year's inaugural balls," stated fashion designer Herve Pierre. "This has truly been a wonderful journey - from the extraordinary collaboration, to creating the piece, to seeing her wear it on an historic night, and now having it preserved in history forever in such an iconic exhibit-is something I will always cherish," she added.

The first ladies exhibition encourages visitors to the museum to consider the changing role played by the First Lady and American women over the past 200 years.

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A Pakistani woman journalist, who went missing in Lahore in 2015, has been rescued by security forces.

Officials said that Zeenat Shahzadi was rescued on Wednesday night from near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The Dawn quoted Justice (Retired) Javed Iqbal, the head of the missing persons commission, as saying that he was thrilled to confirm Shahzadi's return.

It was stated that some non-state actors and enemy agencies had kidnapped her in 2015, and added that tribal elders in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had played an important role in her recovery.

Shahzadi's family has yet to issue a statement.

Shahzadi, who raised her voice for disappearance of victims, went missing in August 2015 while on the trail of an Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, who it was reported had been caught by Pakistani agencies.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be embarking on a six-day visit to the United States of America in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Shivraj, who will arrive in Washington on Sunday morning, will be paying a visit to the Museum and War Memorial later in the day, followed by an interaction with the Indian community and an official dinner hosted by the Indian Embassy.

On Monday, Chouhan will also be holding one-on-one meetings with Andy Whitman, VP Government Affairs, Varian Medical Systems; Selina Jackson, Kee President, Global Government Relations and Public Policy, Debbie Worm, Chief Legal Officer, Procter & Gamble and others.

Later, Chouhan be will participating in the launch event of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Forum, where he will address the gathering as a Keynote speaker. Following this, he will be holding a meeting with Tulsi Gabbard, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) delegation led by Nisha Biswal, Chairman, USIBC, followed by dinner.

On Tuesday, Chouhan will be part of an interaction with Senior Business Leaders of US in a session organised by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and CII to promote investment in Madhya Pradesh. Thereafter, he will be departing for New York, while making a quick stop at the Akshardham Temple in New Jersey.

On Wednesday, Chouhan will be attending an interaction session with Senior Business Leaders of US in a session organised by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and CII to promote investment in Madhya Pradesh, followed by lunch. Later, he will be visiting the Incubation center at Columbia University.

On Thursday, Chouhan will be holding a series of meetings with Amazon representatives until lunch. In the evening, he will be attending a 'Friends of MP' interactive session at the Indian Consulate in New York, followed by dinner.

On Friday, Chouhan will again be attending a series of one-to-one meetings, and will depart for Mumbai from Newark Airport on Saturday.

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The Investigation Agency (NIA) has requested Philippines to allow them to question suspected ISIS recruiter of Indian origin, Karen Aizha Hamidon, arrested there.

The Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines had arrested the female online recruiter, named in radicalisation of Indian recruits, two days back from Manila.

The investigating agency had last year sent letter rogatory (a judicial request) to Philippines seeking details and evidence on Hamidon.

She was also named in two chargesheets filed by the NIA.

The Indian agencies had last year found that Hamidon used social media to influence many Indians and recruit 'foreign fighters' from India and other countries.

Two Indian ISIS operatives had also claimed that they were influenced by Hamidon.

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Thakor community and OBC Ekta Manch leader Alpesh Thakor on Saturday confirmed that he would be joining the Congress Party, ahead of elections in poll-bound Gujarat.

"Rahul Gandhi would be coming to our rally on October 23, and I will join the Congress party," Alpesh told reporters here.

In the run up to the Gujarat election, the Congress has promised to give Patidars 20 percent reservations under the "economically backward classes" quota.

Following this, Thakor, along with Ashok Gehlot and Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki earlier reached the residence of Congress Party vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Solanki had invited Patidar leader Hardik Patel and other caste-based leaders to join in the fight against the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly polls. However, Patel on Saturday turned down the Congress' invitation to fight the Gujarat Assembly election jointly, saying the polls were not a BJP-Congress fight.

The 14th legislative assembly election in Gujarat is to be held by the end of 2017 as the term of 13th assembly ends on January 22, 2018.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is heading his party's poll campaign in Gujarat. He is eyeing to dethrone the ruling BJP in Gujarat.

The last Congress government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994 to March 13, 1995.

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COLUMBUS  An explosion late Friday night at Gehring Construction and Ready Mix Co. destroyed three of the local companys vehicles and caused a power outage.

Columbus Fire Department was called to the business at 5424 W. Meadow Drive, just off U.S. Highway 81 near Cubbys, around 11:30 p.m.

Acting Lt. Dave Hogelin said a compressed natural gas tank on one of the vehicles exploded, igniting a fire that spread to two other trucks. All three vehicles are total losses, according to Hogelin.

Compressed natural gas is used to power the concrete trucks.

The explosion also sent shrapnel into the air, with a piece striking and knocking down a nearby power line.

The State Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause of the explosion.

Columbus firefighters were at the scene for about two hours, with Hogelin remaining until around 3:30 a.m. along with an investigator from the State Fire Marshals Office.

Nobody was hurt in the incident.
A person was killed and seven others injured after a man attacked people with a knife at a shopping mall in southeastern Poland on Friday.

Police has detained a 27-year-old man after the attack in Stalowa Wola, local media reports said.

"The man, dressed in a gray sweatshirt and gray sweater, entered the main entrance with two knives and blindly attacked the people in silence," RMF 24 quoted a witness as saying.

Police has denied the attack to be a terrorist attack.

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Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and expressed his sympathies with the bereaved families.

He expressed these views during a meeting with Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal.

A Khaama Press report said that both the army chief and the envoy reviewed issues of bilateral interest and recent security upheavals in Afghanistan during their meeting.

"COAS said that both countries have suffered a lot from terrorism and such attacks shall not deter our resolve and commitments for peace in the region," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

At least 43 people were killed in the attack on army base in Kandahar on Wednesday night while a coordinated suicide attack on police commandment and police training facility left at least 41 dead a day earlier in Paktia province.

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The Congress Party on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the issue of Kedarnath because he has to fight the upcoming elections in Gujarat.

"Today, Prime Minister reminded of Lord Shiva when he has to face elections in Gujarat. Everything is time lined for elections. Please don't do injustice to Shivji and Kedarnath. The BJP government is raising these issues because they are going to face elections in Gujarat," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also resonated the similar viewpoint.

"Problem with this ruling party, this Prime Minister's government is that everything is intended to be symbolic gesture which tries to create wedges between communities and which tries to divide groups. They try to score a political point and a cheap electoral voting exercise everytime. To debase and to devalue icons like Rama and Shiva into such cheap politics must be un-called for," Singhvi said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed the former UPA government for stopping him as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from carrying out reconstruction of the Kedarnath shrine after the 2013 flash floods.

"The floods of 2013 had made all of us extremely sad. That time I was not the Prime Minister, I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. I came here to do all that I could for victims. But the government at that time asserted that they don't need the help of Gujarat government for the reconstruction of the Kedarnath Temple. But I think the Lord has decided that this work will be done by me," the Prime Minister had said.

The Prime Minister also expressed happiness over his visit to the Kedarnath Temple, saying he was happy that the revamping of the Kedarnath Temple, which was destroyed in the 2013 floods, was being done by him.

"Jan Seva is Prabhu Seva. From this holy land of Kedarnath, I seek the blessings of Bhole Baba and pledge to devote myself fully to realising the dream of a developed India by the time we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022," he added.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on Sunday to inaugurate Phase 1 of the RO RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej.

The Prime Minister will also travel in the newly-inaugurated ferry. After the maiden journey, Prime Minister Modi will address a gathering at Dahej.

The seven to eight hours of travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat, will reduce to one hour after the ferry service begins.

At the public meeting there, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd.

Prime Minister Modi will then head to Vadodara, where he will dedicate to the nation, the Vadodara City Command Control Centre, the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme, and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda, at a public meeting.

The Prime Minister will hand over keys of houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban, as well as Rural).

He will lay the foundation stones of several infrastructure and development projects, including capacity expansion of Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, greenfield marketing terminal project of HPCL. an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects, and a flyover.

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Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that radicalisation is a worldwide phenomenon and it is being addressed seriously by the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Radicalisation is taking place in the Kashmir Valley. It is a worldwide phenomenon and the issue is being addressed seriously," he said, while addressing the media in Jammu at the event to present the President's Standard to 47 armoured Regiment.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government, the police and the administration are very much concerned about it. We are trying to ensure people are weaned away. It is happening due to social media," he asserted.

Discussing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief of Army Staff assured that the situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving.

"Security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now there is just showing the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he added

On the question of resuming dialogue with Pakistan, the Army chief said, "The military has a task and we will continue to perform that task. Decision on any talks has to be decided politically."

He also said that the Army is following the government's approach in Jammu and Kashmir and that the Investigation Agency's (NIA) raids on separatist leaders are part of it.

"Whatever success the NIA raids will achieve will emerge in the near future," said Gen. Rawat.

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The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday said that they have identified the killers of RSS leader and local journalist Rajesh Mishra and will arrest him soon.

"We have identified the suspects and we believe they will be arrested today," Anand Kumar, ADG Law & Order, Uttar Pradesh told ANI.

Mishra was shot dead by bike-borne assailants on Saturday in Karanda of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.

The RSS worker was at his shop when the miscreants shot at him.

Mishra's brother, who was with him at the shop, also got critically injured in the incident.

The incident comes days after an RSS worker, Ravindra Gosai was shot dead in Punjab.

Gosai, the chief of the Raghunath Nagar Shakha in Ludhiana, was out on a walk when two men attacked him.

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Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday while referring to the ongoing controversy involving Tamil movie 'Mersal' said that criticising government's and its decisions does not make anyone anti- .

"Some support GST, some don't. Some support demonetisation some don't, this doesn't mean critics are anti-national," said Sinha.

'Mersal' starring Tamil superstar Vijay landed in controversy after Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said 'misconceptions' were being promoted in the film about central government schemes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetisation and Digital India.

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German police have ruled out terrorism in Munich knife attack in which the attacker wounded four people on Saturday morning.

According to German media, Munich Police Chief Hubertus Andrae ruled out terrorist link and said that the attacker may have been a mental patient.

Earlier, authorities launched a manhunt after the attacker attacked people in the Rosenheimer Platz area of the Bavarian capital, reports The Independent.

Four people are thought to be injured but none sustained life-threatening injuries, The Independent reports quoting the authorities.

Munich police tweeted to give description of the attacker: "a man about 40 years, riding a black bike; wearing grey trousers, green training jacket, backpack+ sleeping mat."

Later, Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins told reporters: "We have arrested a person who very strongly resembles the description by witnesses, but we cannot confirm that he is the attacker."

Earlier, the Munich Police said on Twitter that officers were looking for the man "with all available police forces" but that his motive remained unclear.

Munich also witnessed a knife attack last year wherein the attacker later proved to be a mentally disturbed person.

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United States President Donald Trump has said that classified JFK files will be made public.

Trump broke this new on Twitter.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted.

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American statesman who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime, but he was never prosecuted due to his murder by Jack Ruby two days later.

The FBI and the Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin, but various groups believed that Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy.

Trump's tweet comes as he is staring down an October 26 deadline set in law by Congress mandating the public release of the still-secret documents -- including FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) files -- barring any action by the President to block the release of certain documents, CNN reports.

Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, unless the president asserts that doing so would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations.

The White House said in a statement to Politico earlier this week that the White House was working "to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public" by next week's deadline.

JFK scholars believe the trove of files may provide insight into assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the killing, during which he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies, reports CBS News.

Kennedy's time in office was marked by high tensions with Communist states in the Cold War.

The CBS News further adds that Oswald's stated reason for going was to get visas that would allow him to enter Cuba and the Soviet Union, according to the Warren Commission, the investigative body established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but much about the trip remains unknown.

Rex Bradford, president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, which publishes assassination records, was quoted by the CBS News as saying that Kennedy experts also hope to see the full report on Oswald's trip to Mexico City from staffers of the House committee that investigated the assassination.

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Hyderabad Police on Saturday arrested an Uber cab driver for allegedly masturbating while ferrying a 25-year-old woman.

"The arrested accused Prem Kumar (26), is the owner and not the driver of the car. He was driving on that day as regular driver was not on duty," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P. Viswa Prasad told ANI.

As per the complaint, the woman boarded the cab around 7:00 am to board a flight from Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to New Delhi. The driver slowed down the car on entering the Outer Ring Road, and the woman noticed him unzipping his pant and masturbating.

In the FIR, the complainant admitted to have felt digusted by the act, and yelled at him to stop the car. The driver, instead started to drive in a jig-jag manner.

DCP informed that the accused checked on his behaviour only after the woman threatened him with Police complaint.

The woman however continued with the trip lest she should miss her flight, and later lodged a complaint at Safdarjung Police Station on October 19, after reaching Delhi.

Delhi Police forwarded the complaint to Hyderabad Police which took to action and tracked down the accused.

DCP Prasad added that Uber did not respond to a mail sent by Commissioner of Police, regarding the case.

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United States President Donald Trump has praised United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, saying that he is doing a 'very spectacular job' at the organization.

Speaking during a meeting with Guterres at the White House, Trump said, "You have done a very, very spectacular job at the United Nations. And I can tell you, speaking for the United States, we appreciate it."

Trump also noted he has become a good friend with Guterres.

Guterres appreciated Trump for his support to UN's reform process and said that his organization needs 'a strong United States, engaged based on its traditional values -- freedom, democracy, human rights'.

"I am a true believer that we live in a messy but we need strong reforms and modernized UN," he said.

Trump said that United Nations has "tremendous potential" but it "hasn't been used over the years nearly as it should be."

"But the United Nations has this great, great -- it's almost a power to bring people together like nothing else. It hasn't been used. You are starting to really get your arms around it, and I have a feeling that things are going to happen with the United Nations like you haven't seen before," he added.

"I mean, to have this group of nations in one location with one person -- which is you -- leading it strongly, I think, is -- in terms of peace and other things and other -- many other things that you're working on -- I just wish you luck because the potential that you have is really unlimited," Trump said.

Earlier, Trump had met Guterres at the White House in April and also held bilateral with him during the UN General Assembly session in New York last month.

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The United States has strongly condemned the terror attacks on two mosques in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of over 50 people.

"The United States strongly condemns the October 20 terrorist attacks in Kabul and Ghor, as well as the other attacks carried out across the country this week. We commend the Government and security forces of Afghanistan for their response to these attacks, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed," U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering. The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country," she added.

More than 39 people were killed and several others injured after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in Imam Zaman mosque when worshippers were offering their evening prayers on Friday evening.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Kabul mosque attack came hours after an explosion occurred close to a mosque in Daleema district in Ghor province in which at least 10 people were killed and many other were wounded.

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The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government on Saturday announced to double the ex-gratia amount for police officials martyred on duty.

Speaking at the Police Commemoration Day Parade in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to double ex-gratia amount from 20 lakh to 40 lakh for Police officials martyred on duty."

He also announced that the number of commendable medals, for all the units of Police Department, has been increased from 200 to 950.

"Jobs have been given to 400 families of deceased police officials," he added.

The Chief Minister also paid tribute to 76 police officials, who lost their lives on duty.

"We pay tribute to the police officials, who lost their lives on duty. These police officials have contributed a lot for the welfare of the state. The state government will always stand by their families to support them," Adityanath said.

He further said that the state government has made various attempts to boost the morale of the policemen.

The Chief Minister also called for a campaign to make the state crime and corruption free.

"There is need to make the law and order system better and for this the police department is doing their bit. The government is also committed to ensure women safety. The sense of security will be increased in the mind of the people of the state," he added.

Recounting the achievements of police force, the Chief Minister said, "Around 545 encounters were taken place between criminals and police in which 22 criminals carrying reward on their head were killed."

The Chief Minister also acknowledged the work of Special Task Force (STF) and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and said they have made commendable contribution in the state.

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As many as 383 police personnel from different state police forces, central paramilitary forces and central police organisations were killed this year, Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Rajiv Jain said on Saturday.

Of the police personnel killed in the line of duty from September 2016 to August 2017 included 56 from the Border Security Force and 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Jain said on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.

The day is observed every year on October 21 to commemorate the 10 police personnel who were killed in Hot Springs in Ladakh in 1959 by Chinese troops and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting India's unity and integrity.

Among these police personnel, 76 belonged to the Uttar Pradesh Police, 49 from the Central Reserve Police Force, 23 belonged to Chhattisgarh Police, 16 were from West Bengal Police, 13 each belonged to Delhi Police and the Central Industrial Security Force, 12 each were from Bihar and Karnataka Police and 11 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

Majority of the police personnel died while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxals and other law and order duties, a Home Ministry statement said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State for HRD Satyapal Singh attended the event held at the National Police Memorial here.

The Indian police personnel were responsible for manning the 2,500 mile-long border of India with Tibet until the autumn of 1959. On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in north-eastern Ladakh in preparation for further movement of an Indian expedition which was on its way to Lanak La.

While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs, the third one comprising two police constables and a porter did not return, the statement said. The remaining forces were mobilised next morning in search of the missing personnel.

A party of about 20 police personnel led by Karam Singh, a Deputy Central Intelligence Officer (DCIO) rank officer, proceeded on horseback while others followed on foot in three sections. At mid-day, the Chinese Army personnel were seen on a hillock who opened fire and threw grenades at the Indian party, the statement said.

Since there was no cover, most personnel were injured.

Ten of the brave police personnel were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the incident. Bodies of the 10 personnel were returned by the Chinese on November 13, three weeks after the incident.

The bodies were then cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh.

The annual conference of Inspectors General of Police of states and Union Territories held in January 1960 decided that October 21 would, henceforth, be observed as "Commemoration Day" in all police lines in the country to mark the memory of those gallant personnel, the statement said.

It was also decided to erect a memorial at Hot Springs, and that members of police forces from different parts of the country trek to Hot Springs every year to pay homage to the gallant policemen.

Since Independence, 34,418 police personnel have sacrificed their lives safeguarding the integrity of the nation and providing security to people of this country, the statement added.

--IANS

rak/nir

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Five former US Presidents will be attending a concert on Saturday night in a Texas college town, to raise money for relief efforts after devastation by a hurricane in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, a media report said.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush are putting aside for the concert being held at Texas A&M University's Reed Arena in College Station, home to the presidential library of the elder Bush.

The move is in contrast to President Donald Trump, who has vowed to help Texas and Florida for as long as it takes but has criticized Puerto Rican leaders while suggesting aid there won't be unlimited. Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which made landfall after Harvey and Irma had battered other areas, ABC News reported.

George H.W. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said all five of Saturday night's attendees haven't been together since the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas in 2013, when Obama was still in office. He didn't answer a question about whether Trump was formally invited.

The concert features the country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The elder Bush, at 93, has a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility.

George W. Bush was Texas governor before leaving for the White House and now lives in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas' Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, eventually unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal."

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 per cent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico. Both affected the US Virgin Islands.

--IANS

rn

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Apple Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Williams is scheduled to meet Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou during his visit to Taiwan later this month to discuss issues affecting the production of the "super premium" iPhone X, reports said on Saturday.

"The meeting comes at a time when iPhone X production continues to be plagued by problems with the dot projector, a component in the 3-D sensor module used for facial recognition," Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The Apple COO will is slated to visit Taiwan for the 30th anniversary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. which is the core processor supplier for the iPhone line this year.

An event to mark the anniversary is scheduled to take place on October 23.

"The Cupertino-based tech is facing supply-chain constraints for the iPhone X. The company will have around 2-3 million devices before the launch on November 3, which would be enough to meet demand," said Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple analyst with KGI Securities.

Suppliers have been struggling with components for the iPhone X's "TrueDepth" camera used in Face ID and "Animoji".

However, the situation is likely to improve in November, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The iPhone X, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, will be launched in India on November 3 and will cost the users Rs 89,000 (64 GB model) and Rs 1.02 lakh (256 GB).

--IANS

ksc/na/sac

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The Sangh Parivar is displeased with the judiciary. Its latest grouse is about the Supreme Court's ban on crackers.

First off the block to express discontent was the Tripura governor, Tathagata Roy. Speaking as a Hindu since it would have been constitutionally improper for him to use Raj Bhavan stationery to issue a statement, he wondered whether the courts will crack down on cremations next.

Following the governor's grouse, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary voiced the fear that diyas or the lamps lit during the Diwali festival might also be prohibited.

Following these expressions of disquiet by the higher-ups in the saffron camp, posters written in Hindi -- the Parivar's lingua franca -- appeared in Delhi criticising the judiciary. One of them said, "for Yakub Memon the Supreme Court holds a hearing at 2 in the morning. When will it make time to hear a plea to allow small children to play with fireworks?"

Another said, "There are crores of cases pending in court. But the judge (only) seems to find time for cases to do with festivals like dahi handi, jallikattu, Diwali".

The posters were all neatly printed, pointing to an effective organisational network behind them not unlike the Ganeshji doodh pi rahein hain (Lord Ganesh is drinking milk) campaign in Delhi and elsewhere in 1995, or like the mysterious appearance of chapatis on the doorsteps of various households on the eve of the 1857 uprising.

The Internet Hindus have also got into the act. One of them said that the Supreme Court is "setting a dangerous precedent and is also setting itself up for supreme disrespect for the law".

In addition to this call for defiance of the judiciary, the writer refers to the "anger in some quarters that the courts feel free to interfere only in Hindu religious customs and not those of the minorities".

This, indeed, is the crux of the Hindutva angst. For all the formal commitment to the constitution by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers when taking their oaths of office, the saffron lobby has always felt that something is not quite right about the legal framework.

As the RSS magazine, Organizer, said in 1949, "the worst about the new constitution of Bharat is that there is nothing Bhartiya about it. The drafters of the constitution have incorporated in it elements of British, American, Canadian, Swiss and sundry other constitutions.

"But there is no trace of ancient Bhartiya constitutional laws, institutions... there is no mention of the unique constitutional development of ancient Bharat. Manu's laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day... Manusmriti excites the admiration of the world... But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing."

However, the Parivar's political twists do not hide the judiciary's uneven endeavours to check air and noise pollution by banning fireworks.

The efforts could not be delayed any longer, considering that India topped the list of the countries with the highest number of pollution-related deaths -- 2.51 million -- in 2015.

Notwithstanding the seriousness of the problem, the judiciary hasn't followed a straight, unambiguous path. Instead, there have been unaccountable meanderings with bans being followed by their relaxation and vice versa.

It is possible that there are mental reservations among the judges about a drastic intervention which will reduce much of the gaiety associated with a traditional festival even if the ill-effects of uncontrolled celebrations are becoming all too apparent.

There was need at this time for a meeting of minds between the legal and political entities to ensure that the health of the people is not jeopardised.

After all, with the passage of time, restrictions have to be imposed on the customary observance of rituals as has been done in the case of the immersion of Durga idols in rivers and lakes.

But it will probably be too much to expect the country's self-absorbed society and political class to understand the need for change and act in unison. Hence, the resistance to the ban on crackers by the saffron brotherhood.

While its intention of consolidating the Hindu votes behind the BJP is obvious, what is also clear is that the saffronities are posing a challenge to the constitutional order.

It may be an insidious threat with little immediate prospect of the legal structure being undermined, let alone toppled, as the extreme Left -- the Maoists -- want. But the extreme right's objective is to breed disrespect towards the present system, thereby eroding its base.

To do so, it is banking on arousing the religious/cultural sentiments of the Hindus to create an atmosphere of indifference, if not disdain, towards a major institution of the state.

What is more, their crafty tactics carry the danger of influencing the judiciary to make it act with greater circumspection on matters relating to the Hindus in future.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)

--IANS

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Sisters prayed for their brothers' long lives as West Bengal celebrated the "Bhai Phonta" (brother's day) festival of sibling love on Saturday with fervour, notwithstanding inclement weather.

Attired in sarees, sisters applied "teeka" or "phonta" on their brothers' foreheads, offered them traditional sweets and other snacks and handed out gifts.

Relishing the occasion, brothers, with their foreheads covered with sandalwood paste, vermillion and rice grains, gave return gifts to their sisters.

Besides the traditional sweets made of cottage cheese like sandesh and rosogolla, fusion sweets and chocolate hampers were in demand, as queues were seen outside many renowned confectionaries.

But the traditional Bengali snack called "khaja" (sugar syrup-gazed snack) continued to be an essential item on the menu.

The early morning ritual was followed by sumptuous lunch and dinner, where lip-smacking fish preparations and chicken and mutton dishes were the chief attractions.

Celebrities took time out from their busy schedule to indulge in the festive atmosphere complete with food fiestas and cultural programmes.

Toddlers decked up in specially crafted dhotis, salwars and sarees to celebrate Bhai Phonta and enjoyed their day-off from kindergarten.

However, nagging rainfall through Saturday after the heavy showers on Friday in Kolkata and the rest of south Bengal dampened the spirits as sisters complained they could not make satisfactory preparations due to the downpour that left many areas waterlogged.

--IANS

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A special CBI court here on Saturday allowed Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Sudip Bandopadhyay, accused in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, to go abroad for his official UNO General Assembly tour.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court allowed Bandopadhyay to go abroad following the Orissa High Court's order to the lower court to consider the TMC MP's passport issue for his official UNO General Assembly visit.

The court permitted the TMC leader, who appeared before the court on Saturday, to use his surrendered passport for the purpose of foreign visit.

It allowed him to leave India for abroad from October 27 to November 1 and resubmit the passport with the court positively on November 8.

The TMC MP was arrested by the CBI sleuths from Kolkata in January this year for his alleged involvement with the Rs 17,000 crore Rose Valley chit fund scam, which is being probed by the agency under the Supreme Court's directions.

Currently, he is on bail granted by the Orissa High Court on health grounds.

The CBI has arrested another TMC MP, Tapas Pal, for his alleged involvement in the scam.

--IANS

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Govardhan Puja was held in a major way in most temples of Braj, with elaborate 'Annakoot' or community feasts with hundreds of dishes, including sweets, namkeens and vegetables offered to Goverdhan Parbat by devotees.

Govardhan Puja commemorates the lifting of the Goverdhan hill by little Sri Krishna to protect 'Brajbasis' from the wrath of Indra Dev.

This year Goverdhan Puja was held for two days, stretching up to Saturday.

"Govardhan", meaning the nurturer of cows -- symbolising Lord Krishna, is worshipped during the festival.

Goswami Nandan Shrotriya of Sri Mathuradheesh temple said a specially prepared brinjal vegetable called "gadd" was in big demand as part of the Annakoot.

Annakoot draws lakhs of pilgrims from across the world to the temples in Vrindavan, Mathura, where the devouts conduct the 21-kilometre "parikrama" (circuit) of the holy hill.

"Annakoot falls on the first day of the fortnight of the waxing moon, also known as Shukla Paksha, in the Hindu month of Kartik," elaborated Pandit Jugal Kishor, a local priest.

The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for smooth traffic and maintaining cleanliness in the region.

"The weekend crowd from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab via the Yamuna Expressway was here and big feasts were held at most of the temples," Jagan Nath Poddar, the convener of Friends of Vrindavan, told IANS.

Govardhan hill is, as per Hindu mythology, made of cow-dung and the community offers prayers at the hill with sweets and milk.

The immersion in the river or ponds takes place the next day on "Bhai Dooj", said another priest, Acharya Madhukar Chaturvedi.

"These days, for convenience's sake, replicas of Govardhan hill are made on bullock carts which can be easily towed to the river the next day for immersion ceremony with lots of music, dance and the customary pujas," he added.

In Agra, the main celebrations were centred around Belanganj, Kamla Nagar, Balkeshwar and Jaipur House.

In view of the huge demand, the vegetable prices have seen a nearly 25 per cent increase.

"For preparation of the special sabzi called "Gadd" - a kind of mixed vegetable, the families buy a wide range of common and exotic varieties of vegetables. This leads to increased demand. Besides, vegetable markets also remain closed a day after Diwali, leading to further shortage," said Acharya Chaturvedi.

--IANS

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The FBI has confirmed that DNA from a dead body recovered in the Philippines' conflict-hit Marawi city matches that of terrorist leader Isnilon Hapilon, a defence official said here on Saturday.

"We have received an official report that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that the DNA sample taken from a body recovered by our operating units in Marawi matches that of Isnilon Hapilon," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf leader who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terror group in 2016, was killed in a gunfight in Marawi on October 16, reports CNN Philippines. He was hit in the chest area

Omar Maute, one of two brothers leading the IS-inspired Maute terror group was also killed.

Their deaths led President Rodrigo Duterte to declare the liberation of Marawi on October 17, even as military troops continue to flush terrorists out of the war-torn city.

The conflict in Marawi began on May 23 when authorities raided the suspected hideout of Hapilon, who was also on the FBI's "most wanted" terrorists list with a P5-million bounty on his head.

Video footage recovered by the military in Marawi showed Hapilon and the Maute brothers planning to sow terror in the city by seizing hostages, looting, and taking over schools, CNN Philippines reported.

Lorenzana said authorities were also verifying the identities of the cadavers of other suspected terrorists.

The military said 850 terrorists have been killed in Marawi, along with 163 government troops and 47 civilians.

--IANS

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Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has continued with his attacks on the Republican elite, particularly lashing against George W. Bush saying that his presidency was the "most destructive ever".

"There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's," Bannon said on Friday in his speech at the California Republican Party convention.

Bannon criticised Bush after the latter warned at an event in New York this week about the rising division and intolerance in the US, while denouncing the use of bullying and prejudice by political leaders, reports Efe news.

President Donald Trump's former advisor claimed that Bush did not know what he was saying or doing, "just like it was when he was President of the United States" further adding that "President Bush, to me, embarrassed himself".

Before an audience that greeted him with great applause, Bannon made a 40-minute speech in which he summed up his nationalist arguments, against Washington's ruling class and, above all, against the Republican party's leadership, who he questioned for not supporting measures of the President in the Congress and Senate.

Bannon praised Trump's victory in 2016 by ensuring that the elites wanted to destroy him for being "an existential threat to the system."

He said that US at the moment is in a crisis which required the people to act urgently, adding that the working class has responded to Trump and his party's message.

Bannon spoke of a revolt against the dominant Republican elite and advocated for a broad coalition of conservatives, nationalists, classical, libertarian and evangelical Republicans to curb the progressives.

The former advisor spoke in California, a state where the Republican Party has very little presence and in which White House Democrat Hillary Clinton won more than 4 million votes against Trump.

Bannon also slammed the proclamation of California as a "sanctuary state", a legislative measure that elevated the entire state to the laws of "sanctuary cities", which are those that decided at a municipal level not to collaborate with the services of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the persecution of immigrants in an irregular situation.

--IANS

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Ace gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the women's vault event at the Rio Olympics last year, will be conferred a D. Litt degree by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here next month, and official said here on Saturday.

"The NIT, Agartala senate, has recently decided to confer D. Litt degree to star gymnast Dipa Karmakar in the tenth convocation of the institute on November 11," Dean (Academy) Ajay Das told IANS.

He said that NIT Agartala has also informed Dipa Karmakar, who is now in Delhi.

The 24-year-old Tripura girl, who became the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, finished fourth in the final round of the women's vault event at the Rio Olympics Games in Brazil last year.

A cheerful Dipa's father Dulal Karmakar, told IANS that his daughter is now preparing for the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia's Jakarta and 21st Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia's Gold Coast.

Besides Dipa, NIT will honour IIT Guwahati Director Goutam Biswas and professor of Jadavpur University Biswajit Ghosh with a D.Sc. at the convocation.

The NIT honoured Bollywood actor Nana Patekar with a D.Lit degree and Governor Tathagata Roy with D.Eng at last year's convocation.

--IANS

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The Haryana government has assured it will release more water for two days during the Chhat puja next week, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said on Saturday.

"I spoke with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and drew his attention towards the hardship likely to be faced by devotees on Chhat puja due to lack of water in the Yamuna," Tiwari said.

He said that on his request the Haryana government agreed to release extra water for two days to Delhi for Chhat puja, which will be held on October 26-27.

The BJP leader also urged the AAP government in Delhi to ensure proper water on all permanent and temporary puja ghats in the national capital for Chhat.

Chhat Puja is celebrated on the sixth day following Diwali and is dedicated to the Sun. It is one of the most popular festivals in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

--IANS

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Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde has asked the Karnataka government to keep him out of the state's Tipu Jayanti celebrations, calling the erstwhile Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan a "brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist".

"Conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist," Hegde tweeted.

Hegde had also written an official letter to the state asking not to include his name for the event.

The Karnataka government, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has planned to celebrate the erstwhile ruler's birth anniversary on November 10.

The ruling Congress began celebrating Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary since 2015, which led to violent protests by the right-wing organisations in the Mysore region and other parts of the state.

Reacting to Hegde's statement, Siddaramaiah told reporters here that the event was being given a "political" colour.

"It is being made into a political issue. Four wars were fought against the British and Tipu fought all of them," he said.

The invitation to the Union Minister was extended only as part of the "protocol", the Chief Minister added.

"It was only as part of the protocol that he (Hegde) was invited. The invitation is extended to all central and state leaders as part of the protocol. It is up to them whether to attend or not," Siddaramaiah said.

An official from the Chief Minister's Office told IANS: "Since Tipu Jayanti is being celebrated as a state event, the protocol demands that the Union Ministers from the state and other central government ministers be invited."

The letters to all ministers were sent out in advance and it was their discretion whether or not to be a part of the event, the official added.

On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker from the state Pralhad Joshi has alleged that Tipu Sultan was "anti-Hindu, anti-Kannada and exploited India".

"The state should not be using public money for the celebrations. Karnataka government is playing vote bank to appease Muslims in the state ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections," alleged another BJP lawmaker Shobha Karandlaje.

Known as the "Tiger of Mysore", Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore kingdom from 1782-1799 succeeding his father Hyder Ali.

Though Tipu Sultan was born in 1750 at Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, his kingdom's capital was at Srirangapatna near Mysore.

--IANS

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The families of the 39 Indians who went missing in Iraq's Mosul in June 2014 have been asked to provide their DNA samples, but no reason has been given, the kin said on Saturday.

The families of some of the missing Indians from Amritsar district were on Saturday asked to come to the Government Medical College in Amritsar to give DNA samples. However, the samples were not taken on Saturday.

"We were told to come to the Government Medical College and provide DNA samples, We have no idea why this is being done. We have not been told anything. We got a message from the SDM office regarding this," Sarwan Singh, whose brother is among the 39 missing Indians, said.

The families have been asked to come back on Monday to provide the DNA samples.

"No one from the administration is telling us why the DNA samples are being collected," a woman relative of one of the missing men said.

It has been over three years that 39 Indians, mostly from Punjab, went missing in Iraq's Mosul town when it was overrun by the Islamic State. Their families here continue to swing between hope of the men being found alive and fear that they will hear the worst.

After Mosul was freed from the clutches of the Islamic State in July, there was hope that the missing Indians will be found. However, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, during his India visit in July, said he was not sure if the men were alive or not.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier assured the families, who have met her several times, that all efforts were being made to trace the missing men, who had been held hostage in Iraq's Mosul town by terror outfit ISIS in June 2014.

The affected families, who are all from poor backgrounds mostly from rural areas of Punjab, say they can do nothing else but pin hope on the government's and the minister's assurances.

A man from Punjab, Harjit Masih, who escaped from the clutches of ISIS in June 2014 had claimed that all 39 Indians had been killed.

However, Sushma Swaraj has maintained that there was no information confirming that the Indians were dead.

--IANS

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President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke over phone with Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and enquired about his well being after his angioplasty procedure, an official statement said.

Naidu underwent a successful angioplasty procedure at AIIMS and was discharged from the hospital on Saturday.

Naidu, 68, was admitted at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences on Friday after his sugar and blood pressure shot up along with some cardiac issues.

He went through a check up which was followed by angiography and angioplasty.

A medical bulletin issued by AIIMS on Saturday said that Naidu had a "routine detailed medical check up" on Friday.

"Stress Thalium Test followed by angiography revealed a significant blockage in one of the main artery which was stented by doctor Balram Bhargava, Department of Cardiology.

"He is in sound health and all parameters are normal. He is advised complete rest at home for three days and no visitors during this period," the bulletin added.

--IANS

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A man has been arrested for murdering his best friend after he found him of having an affair with his wife, police said here on Saturday.

Police said Badal Mandal, 33, from Odisha, murdered Vipin Joshi, 30, chopped his body into three parts and stuffed them inside a fridge.

Mandal and Joshi were co-workers at a restaurant in Saidulajab area in south Delhi. Joshi stayed near Mandal's rented apartment in the same area.

Police said the incident occurred on October 10, when Joshi was found missing mysteriously from the locality. His family members filed a complaint and suspected Mandal behind his disappearance.

"When the police team and Joshi's family member arrived at Mandal's residence, they found the door locked from outside and foul smell emanating from the house. When the door was forcibly broken and searched inside, Joshi's body parts were found inside in the fridge," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said.

"Mandal was evading his arrest from the last 19 days. Police teams reached his native place in Odisha and arrested him on Friday. He was taken into transit remand from there," Singh said.

"During questioning, Mandal told police he killed his best friend after he found that in his absence, Joshi had developed relations with his wife since 10 months. Infuriated, he hatched a plan to kill Joshi and offered him a drink on October 10 in his residence," the officer added.

"He attacked him from behind with a meat cleaver, cut his body into three parts and put them in a fridge in three garbage bags and escaped," the officer added.

--IANS

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As US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prepares to visit India next week, China on Saturday warned that it will be deeply offended if any foreign leader meets with or any country invites the Dalai Lama.

On the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a Chinese Minister dubbed the Tibetan spiritual leader as a "political figure under the cloak of religion".

"Any country or any organisation or anyone accepting to meet with the Dalai Lama in our view is a major offence to the sentiment of the Chinese people," said Zhang Yijiong, Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Also, since they have committed to recognising China as a sole legitimate government representing China, it contravenes their attempt, because it is a serious commitment," Zhang added.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of stoking unrest and secessionist activities in Tibet from where the spiritual leader fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising.

The Dalai Lama has urged for more autonomy for Tibet.

Beijing opposes any country or leader keeping in touch with the Dalai Lama.

"I want to make it clear that the 14th Dalai Lama, the living Buddha handed down by history is a political figure under the cloak of religion," said Zhang.

In February this year, Tillerson had told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing that he is committed to promoting dialogue on Tibet and receiving the Dalai Lama.

Top US Democrat Nancy Pelosi had visited the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, in May, and sought to draw the world's attention to human rights in Tibet, triggering protests by China.

China resorts to different tactics if any country hosts the Dalai Lama. For instance, Beijing blocked a major highway leading to Mongolia, crippling the economy there after Ulan Bator hosted the leader late last year.

Mongolia later apologised and promised Beijing never to invite the Dalai Lama.

"Officials, in their capacity as officials, attending all foreign-related activities represent their governments. So I hope governments around the world speak and act with caution and give full consideration to their friendship with China and their respect for China's sovereignty," Zhang added.

The comments from the Chinese Minister also comes days after Tillersoon described India as a partner in a strategic relationship and said the US would "never have the same relationship with China, a non-democratic society".

According to reports, last month China refused to fund travel for visiting scholars at University of California, San Diego, apparently in retaliation for inviting the Dalai Lama to be its 2017 commencement speaker.

In April this year, China had reacted violently to a visit by the Dalai Lama to Tawang, in India's northeast border state of Arunachal Pradesh, large parts of which is claimed by Beijing.

(Gaurav Sharma is the IANS correspondent in Beijing. He can be reached at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com)

--IANS

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The districts in Gangetic West Bengal on Saturday received light to medium rainfall following Friday's heavy shower that lashed a number of Bengal districts, including Kolkata, officials said.

The coastal region in the state along the Bay of Bengal, has been alerted while the restrictions on fishermen not to venture into the sea continued for the second day running.

Many rivers in south Bengal's Malda, Burdwan and Murshidabad districts looked sullen and have been flowing above the danger level.

The state Irrigation Department said it is keeping an eye on the overall situation in Bengal and the neighbouring states as massive rainfall in Jharkhand might force them to release water from the dams making the situation worse for these Bengal districts.

According to the Meteorological Department, the weather conditions in the state would show improvement as the depression, currently centred over Gangetic West Bengal, is shifting towards Bangladesh.

"Kolkata has received 44.7 mm rainfall till Saturday morning while the adjoining districts have received light to medium intermittent showers. The situation would improve from Sunday as the depression is shifting towards Bangladesh," a Met official said.

Among the Bengal districts, Bankura received the maximum amount of rainfall on Saturday the official said.

An alert has been issued in the state's coastal tourist destinations like Digha, Tajpur and Mandarmani as the sea turned rough with high waves. Tourists were barred from getting into the water.

--IANS

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October 19, 2017

A handful of senators are standing up to their House colleagues who want the United States to side with Morocco over the disputed Western Sahara.

The Senate spending panel that oversees US foreign aid has included language in its annual appropriations bill that would require the Donald Trump administration to consult with the United Nations before providing aid to Western Sahara, a contested region administered by Morocco. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Algerian-backed government in exile that is pushing for a long-delayed independence referendum, welcomed the Senates move.

Since Morocco does not have any legitimacy in the territory, it makes sense that Congress should consult with the United Nations, Mouloud Said, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republics envoy to the United States, told Al-Monitor. We are very happy for the language that was adopted by the Senate. This is the logical approach while the country still is not recognized.

Senate appropriators released the bill last month around the time the UN appointed former German President Horst Kohler as the special envoy for Western Sahara. Kohler met with representatives of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Algeria on Wednesday after visiting Morocco.

Congress since 2016 has required that US bilateral aid to Morocco be made available for assistance to the Western Sahara. While the Senate language still allows the United States to provide assistance to the Moroccan-administered territory, it requires consultation with representatives of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum on the Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN peacekeeping mission.

Advocates of Sahrawi independence fear that allowing the use of US funds in Western Sahara legitimizes Moroccos occupation. The Senate language would act as a bulwark against de facto recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the phosphate-rich territory.

The Barack Obama administration chose to implement the congressional mandate by providing grants to Sahrawi civil society organizations and local governance programs. While Said praised the Senates drive to force the administration to consult with MINURSO before issuing grants, he still rejects the premise of the current US grants for Western Sahara.

Even these local governance projects, only the Moroccans are benefiting, only the settlers are benefiting, Said told Al-Monitor. Its run by Moroccans for the Moroccan settlers.

The UN created MINURSO in 1991 and tasked it with facilitating an independence referendum for Sahrawis after 16 years of armed conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, the armed wing of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. To the frustration of many Sahrawis, the vote is more than two decades overdue as the two sides disagree on who is eligible to participate.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., has long led House appropriators in their push to make US aid available in the disputed territory. The congressmans brother, former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., lobbies on behalf of Morocco as the head of Western Hemisphere Strategies.

Although Morocco spends millions every year lobbying Congress and the administration to recognize its authority over Western Sahara, this years Senate appropriations bill suggests that Algerias much smaller lobbying efforts on behalf of the Polisario are also yielding some fruit. Algeria pays the firm Foley Hoag roughly $420,000 a year to lobby Congress on the issue. The Sahrawis for their part spent $10,000 on lobbying last year.

Lobbying disclosure forms indicate that Foley Hoag was in frequent contact with the offices of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., both this year and last. Graham is the chairman of the foreign aid spending panel, while Leahy is the top Democrat on both the panel and the full Senate Appropriations Committee.

Our intent is to support humanitarian and development programs in the Western Sahara in a manner that is consistent with MINURSOs mandate, Leahy told Al-Monitor. For that reason we require prior consultation by the secretary of state with MINURSO.

While the full Senate must still vote on its foreign aid bill, the House passed its version of the bill last month. The House version of the bill does not contain the provision on MINURSO consultation.

A source involved in the debate told Al-Monitor that Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., a longtime advocate of Sahrawi independence, also pushed the appropriations committee to insert the MINURSO consultation language. Inhofe declined to say so outright.

I dont think its appropriate for me to talk about conversations that Ive had with individuals, the senator told Al-Monitor. Thats a violation of courtesy, I think. Not that its that big a deal.

Inhofe said that he has visited Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria three times before, most recently in February.

Ive watched the plight of these people and its been three decades [since they were] ejected out of their homeland, Inhofe told Al-Monitor. If you havent been there, theres no place more forlorn than that particular part of the desert.
The time for property tax relief is now.

Over the past several months, I, Nebraska state Sen. Steve Erdman of Legislative District 47, have been collaborating with a coalition of senators, farm groups and concerned citizens, facilitated by Mr. Trent Fellers, a former Lincoln City Councilman, to put together a plan for property tax relief which will appear as a measure on next years November ballot. As I promised in a press conference on May 23, I will introduce this plan as a legislative resolution in the Unicameral Legislature in January. At the same time, a citizen-led initiative will soon begin collecting signatures for the same plan. If the legislative resolution fails in the Legislature, the citizen-led initiative will ensure that this same plan appears as a measure on the ballot for a public vote in November 2018. The only catch is that we will need to collect 85,000 signatures from registered voters from across the state by July 7.

The legislative resolution I will introduce in the Legislature is called the 50/50 plan. This plan will give every property owner in the state a 50 percent credit or refund on that portion of their property tax bill which is paid to public education. Property owners will pay the full amount of their property taxes as usual; however, on April 15, or whenever they decide to file their state income taxes, they will be able to declare 50 percent of the education portion of their property tax bill as a credit or refund on their state income taxes. In most cases education receives 60 percent of a property owners property tax bill. So, the 50/50 plan will result in a 30 percent property tax reduction for most property owners. Across the state, property owners will save a total amount of $1.1 billion in property taxes.

Heres an example of how it will work. Suppose Tom the Taxpayer owes $10,000 in property taxes. Tom will pay the full amount of his property tax bill, which is $10,000, and $6,000 of Toms property taxes will go to fund public education. So, on April 15, Tom will declare a credit of $3,000 on his state income taxes. If Tom still owes money to the state, say $3,000, then he will pay that amount back to the state. However, if Tom had already paid his regular income taxes through payroll deductions, then he will receive a refund check for $3,000.

Some people have asked me if the 50/50 plan is property tax relief or income tax relief. My response to this question has always been the same: I dont care what you call it, as long as the words tax relief are in the name.

The 50/50 plan is friendly to education. The 50/50 plan will fully fund public education as well as all other tax asking entities in the state. Every agency within the state with tax asking authority will receive its allotted funding in full. The states obligation will be to the property owners, not to the public schools or to any other agency. Therefore, those working in public education or those working in any other agency funded by property taxes have no reason to fear a potential loss of funding.

Another advantage of the 50/50 plan is that it makes the state Legislature, instead of local governments, responsible for reconciling the $1.1 billion difference in lost revenues. Some have criticized the 50/50 plan, suggesting that it would necessarily result in higher sales taxes or higher income taxes. But, this is not true. There is nothing in the 50/50 plan which mandates higher taxes of any kind. Others have criticized the 50/50 plan saying that it would take tax incentives away from businesses, but this is not true either. There is nothing in the 50/50 plan which takes tax incentives away from businesses. These kinds of criticisms of the 50/50 plan only present false dilemmas about the plan, and they are designed to scare the public into voting against the plan. These kinds of criticisms of the 50/50 plan present false dilemmas about the plan because they conveniently forget that the state Legislature may pay for the $1.1 billion in lost revenues simply by cutting spending from the states biennial budget. Moreover, these same kinds of scare tactics would be lodged against any plan which seeks to reduce property tax revenues by the sum of $1.1 billion.

We have been talking about property tax relief in our state for the past 40 years. Until now, the state Legislature has never had the fortitude to address this problem in any substantial or meaningful way. The burden of property taxes has now become unbearable for many property owners across the state. Wherever I go, people ask me to deliver on property tax relief, so I have made this my top priority this year as a legislator. I believe the time to act is now, and the 50/50 plan is the best way we have come up with to deliver on property tax relief for all property owners living in Nebraska. I sincerely hope you will join us in our effort to reduce your property taxes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on Sunday, where he will dedicate a number of projects to the nation including Ghogha-Dahej ferry service which is likely to boost connectivity and infrastructure in the poll-bound state.

"This RO/RO (Roll-on/Roll-off) ferry service shall reduce the travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat, from about seven or eight hours to just over an hour. When fully operationalised, it will also enable movement of vehicles," an official statement said on Saturday.

The Prime Minister, who is visiting his home state for the third time this month, will launch Phase-1 of the project, which is for passenger movement.

The Prime Minister will travel in the maiden voyage of this service, from Ghogha to Dahej and will address the gathering at Dahej, on completion of the voyage.

He will also inaugurate the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd.

From Dahej, the Prime Minister will travel to Vadodara, where he will dedicate to the nation the Vadodara City Command Control Centre, Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda.

He will also hand over keys of houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Besides, he will lay the foundation stones for several infrastructure and development projects, including an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects and a flyover.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the capacity expansion of the Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline and a greenfield marketing terminal project of HPCL in Vadodara.

--IANS

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National award-winning actress Kalki Koechlin, who is known for voicing her opinions without mincing words, says her upbringing and cultural consciousness helped her to become an opinionated person.

Whether it is on gender equality, against sexual abuse of women or supporting LGBT community, Kalki has always expressed her thoughts firmly.

Asked about her driving force on taking stands on social issues, Kalki told IANS here: "I think my upbringing helped me to find my voice and opinion on things, developed a certain kind of sensibility. I have grown up in a very open cultural environment. Since I was born into a French-South Indian family and grew up in Auroville ashram, the environment was very inclusive. I am not religious but quite spiritual."

"Then I went to a boarding school in Ooty from the age of six to 18, so again, mingling with others, living together, going out for trekking on weekends, learning surviving skillsaour childhood was different. I think that environment also helped me to develop mental strength, empathy for others, a starting for what is right," she added.

Kalki shared that it was during her performance at the India Today Conclave, did she realise that her opinion touched the cord of people on right note.

"Since the audience was filled with achievers from different walks of life, from across the country, and not regular theatre audience, I was little worried and nervous about how will they react to it. But the end of the performance when I got a standing ovation and from their overwhelming response, I just realized how they have understood the relevance of the act," said Kalki.

Kalki will soon be seen in "Ribbon" where she is playing a young mother of a newborn baby girl.

--IANS

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Google has celebrated the achievements of the 19th century Indian explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a Doodle to mark what would have been his 187th birthday.

Disguised as a Tibetan monk, Rawat walked from his home region of Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang.

In the 19th century, the British were hungry for cartographic details of Tibet. But Europeans were not welcome everywhere at that time.

Rawat was prominent among a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration.

He determined the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, mapped the Tsangpo, and described in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

"He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2000 steps, and measured those steps using a rosary. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel and mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers," Google said.

Google's Doodle on Saturday portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels -- solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side.

--IANS

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday reiterated his government's position that the map of the state will not be allowed to be distorted at any cost and that the territorial integrity of the state will be protected.

While speaking at a public meeting in Sonari of Charaideo district on Saturday, Sonowal said the newly-carved Charaideo district was very much on the government's priority list and that the state government had been taking a series of steps for its infrastructural development.

Sonowal's statement assumes significance considering the fact that several civil society groups have been expressing their apprehension over the framework agreement between the government of India and the NSCN (IM).

Some NSCN (IM) leaders have on record stated that the framework agreement signed last year accepted integration of all Naga-inhabited areas.

Sonowal further said updation process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was being carried out in the state as per the direction of the Supreme Court of India.

"However, certain forces are trying to create confusion and fear psychosis among the people. Government will ensure that all genuine citizens are included in the NRC and there is no need to worry about," he said.

Underscoring his government's four-point objective of making the state free from the scourge of pollution, corruption, terrorism and immigration, Sonowal said his government's operation against corruption would continue full throttle to provide dignified life to the people of the state.

He also called for concerted efforts from the people at large as well as the four pillars of democracy towards the government's bid to make Assam free from corruption.

Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on transforming the North East as the new growth engine of the country, Chief Minister Sonowal said his government had been working resolutely to reap rich dividends from the Act East Policy.

He also said that for the development of skilled human resources, the state government would set up skill development centres in every village of the state.

--IANS

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Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the party. The ruling BJP also got a boost as two leaders from Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.

Thakore, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.





Soon after, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, Patidar leaders closely associated with the PAAS movement, joined the BJP, profusely praising the ruling party, which they suddenly found to have considered all their demands.





"We were fighting for the community and not working as agents of any political party or to broker their ambitions," Reshma Patel said. Asked if they were not acting as agents of the BJP, both claimed their fight right from the beginning was for the community and to support whoever backed the Patidars' cause.

Thakore, meanwhile, said he and his supporters would formally join the Congress at a massive rally in Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi will fly down especially for the rally.





"It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess," Thakore told reporters in Delhi.

He added, "Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP."

Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Hardik Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the "dictatorial and inhuman" BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, "I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so."





"There is no talk of joining the Congress. I have said earlier also that the Congress would have to first convince us how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise," Patel told IANS.

"Our agitation will continue even if the Congress comes to power if our demands are not met," he said, adding that he had maintained this several times.

PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhania told a Gujarat TV channel, "A couple of ambitious people joining BJP or leaving the Patidar movement won't have any impact on us."

Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, "I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organisations and leaders in the state."

Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal-U and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days - Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani - to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP," Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.

He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. "PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress."

"We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 per cent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 per cent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution," he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.

Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 per cent additional reservations is approved.
Former Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy on Saturday said he has the support of the people and the Congress party, even after being named as an accused in the 2013 solar panel scam.

"I am surprised why Vijayan decided to go forward like this (order a judicial probe). Now that the special assembly session has been called on November 9 to table the judicial report, I am least perturbed as there is nothing more in the report than what he (Chief Minister) announced at his press meet earlier this month," chandy told IANS.

"Let the report be made public. I have got complete support of my party at all levels," he said in his first interaction with the media after the accusation was made.

Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan had ordered setting up of a judicial commission headed by Justice G. Sivarajan with Chandy being named as the prime accused based. Chandy said Vijayan and his party would have to pay a heavy price for "this goof up".

The Solar scam made headlines in 2013 with the arrest of Saritha Nair and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan, who had allegedly conned businessmen by claiming high-level connections, including with Chandy, who was then the Chief Minister.

On October 11, Vijayan called a press conference and announced the findings of the commission and also the action that the state government had taken by registering criminal, corruption and even sexual harassment charges against Chandy.

"I don't fear the contents of the report as even political party leaders have been unable to provide any sort of evidences," Chandy said.

He said apart from the support by party leaders, he had also been offered legal assistance by them. "I will take up the matter legally, while the political form of protest will be decided by the United Democratic Front (UDF)," Chandy added.

A Special Investigation Team led by Director General of Police Rajesh Diwan had been ordered to be set up to investigate the cases, but even after 10 days, Vijayan has not been able to come out with the government order announcing the probe. It has appartently been sent for a third legal opinion.

The two-time former chief minister, Chandy turns 73 on October 31. He has been a legislator from Puthupally constituency in Kottayam district since 1970.

--IANS

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A move by Punjab's Education Department to merge government primary schools having less than 20 students with the schools located within one-km radius has been opposed by the state's main opposition party AAP.

"The decision of the department would result in the teachers of the schools being merged being deployed at the places where their services are needed the most," an Education Department spokesperson said on Saturday, justifying the decision.

"The Right to Free and Compulsory Education of the children is being fully adhered to and no student would be traversing the distance of more than one km from his/her residence to go to school. Many schools being merged are situated right next to the other schools and in many places both schools share a common wall," he said.

The spokesperson said that 47 of the schools facing merger have the student strength of less than five and out of these, 15 schools have even less than three students.

Terming the decision of merger as one in the interest of both students and teachers, the spokesperson said this would lead to better educational atmosphere in the schools.

"The teachers of the schools being merged would be deputed in the same districts' needy schools having vacant slots as per their seniority on impartial basis," the spokesperson said.

Severely condemning the decision of the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab "to shut down hundreds of state-run primary schools", the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has asked the Chief Minister to learn from his counterpart Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.

In a joint statement issued by AAP's co-state President Aman Arora and other AAP leaders, the party warned the Congress government against the move.

"It should immediately stop the process of shutting down nearly 800 primary schools in the state," the statement said.

Aman Arora said in certain government schools, if the attendance of the children was less than 20, it was definitely not the fault of the parents or the wards.

"It is the responsibility of the successive governments who have failed to provide proper infrastructure and the policies suitable for the success of the primary schools," Arora said.

The Punjab government could learn how the Delhi government had been successful in transforming the condition of the government schools in the national capital.

--IANS

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Human rights activists and persons have welcomed the return of Zeenat Shahzadi, a Pakistani woman journalist who went missing two years ago while following the case of the alleged enforced disappearance of an Indian national, Hamid Ansari, in Lahore.

Retired Justice Javed Iqbal, head of the missing persons commission, confirmed Shahzadi's return while speaking to BBC Urdu. She was recovered on Wednesday night from near the Pakistan-Afghan border, Iqbal said.

Well-known Pakistani journalist and rights activist Beena Sarwar tweeted about Shahzadi being found: "Thrilled that the disappeared activist-journalist Zeenat Shehzadi is home safe."

Journalist Raza Ahmad Rumi tweeted: "Best news today. Young Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shahzadi 'missing' for 2 years, is back. God knows what she went through. Accountability?"

Human rights advocate Mustafa Qadri posted: "Great, journalist Zeenat Shahzadi, first woman journalist I'm aware of who may have been subjected to enforced disappearance, has been released."

In Toronto, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) expressed happiness at Shahzadi's safe release.

The CJFE had held a rally on August 19 on the second anniversary of her kidnapping to bring attention to her case and call on the Canadian government to intervene with the Pakistani government for her release.

According to a Dawn report, the National Accountability Bureau chief said some "non-state actors and enemy agencies" had kidnapped Shahzadi and she was recovered from them and that some tribal elders in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa played an important role in her recovery.

Shahzadi's family has yet to issue a statement.

Shahzadi was reported to have been abducted by Pakistani agencies. She had filed an application with the Supreme Court's Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, Hamid Ansari's mother.

According to Zeenat's family, she had been receiving threatening phone calls asking her not to pursue Ansari's case before her alleged enforced disappearance.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) had mentioned Shahzadi's case in its report on August 30, 2017 titled - "No more 'missing persons': the criminalization of enforced disappearance in South Asia".

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) said that the "brazen, daylight kidnapping of a young female journalist was the first of its kind in Pakistan. Zeenat's family and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan believe Pakistan's Special Forces are responsible, because she fearlessly pursued an explosive story the spy agencies didn't want told.

"At the time of her disappearance, Shahzadi was working to find Nehal Hamid Ansari, an Indian citizen who disappeared in Pakistan in 2012. Sources suggest that Ansari, a 28-year-old engineer, was in the country for love. He formed a relationship with a Pakistani woman over Facebook, and panicked when she told him that her parents were pushing her to marry someone else. Deciding that he had to see her, Ansari reportedly entered Pakistan illegally via Afghanistan, failing to obtain a visa. By November 15, 2015, Ansari had vanished, leaving his frantic family desperately searching for information.

"Shahzadi had approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Peshawar High Court and the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances on behalf of Ansari's mother, who had granted Power of Attorney to Shahzadi for the search. The Commission of Inquiry ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), a missing person's petition, for Ansari in 2014.

"In January 2016, thanks to the efforts of Shahzadi, the Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan finally admitted that the Ministry of Defense had detained Ansari pending his trial in a military court. It was later reported that the court sentenced him to three years in prison on the charges of espionage and illegally entering Pakistan.

"According to Shahzadi's brother Latif, Shahzadi was repeatedly interrogated and threatened by security forces pressuring her to withdraw from Hamid Ansari's case, but remained steadfast in her commitment to help the family. Shahzadi was due to appear before the Commission on Enforced Disappearances just days after she disappeared.

"Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been known to target journalists. Law enforcement agencies exercise unrestricted powers under the Pakistan Protection Act of 2014. Those powers were further strengthened in 2015 by the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) which offers greater power and the opportunity for impunity to the police, intelligence, law enforcement authorities and military for acts like forced kidnapping, torture and extrajudicial killings."

It quoted the Asian Human Rights Commission as saying that "[Pakistan's] higher judiciary, including the Supreme Court, has on many occasions found personnel from the Pakistan army and paramilitary to be involved in abductions, enforced detentions and later disappearances."

"The Commission on Enforced Disappearances works under the jurisdictions of the federal government and has no authority over the country's security agencies. 1,300 out of a total 3,000 missing people's cases remain pending before the commission. In addition to the missing persons' crisis, Pakistan ranks sixth in the Committee to Protect Journalists' list of the 20 deadliest countries for journalists in the world, and as the ninth worst country in the world for impunity for crimes against journalists," it said.

Shahzadi's family suffered a tragedy in March 2016 when her teenaged brother, distraught over her kidnapping, hanged himself.

--IANS

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador to help tackle non-communicable diseases.

New WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Zimbabwe for its commitment to public health, BBC reported on Saturday.

But critics say Zimbabwe's health care system has collapsed, with the president and many of his senior ministers going abroad for treatment.

They say that staff are often unpaid and medicines are in short supply.

Tedros, who is Ethiopian, is the first African to lead the WHO and replaced Margaret Chan, who stepped down from her 10-year post in June.

He was elected with a mandate to tackle perceived politicisation in the organisation.

The WHO head praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

But US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said it was an embarrassment to give the ambassador role to Mugabe given his record on human rights.

"If you look at Zimbabwe, Mugabe's corruption, his utter mismanagement of the economy has devastated health services there," said executive director Kenneth Roth.

"Indeed, you know, Mugabe himself travels abroad for his health care. He's been to Singapore three times this year already. His senior officials go to South Africa for their health care.

"When you go to Zimbabwean hospitals, they lack the most basic necessities."

The idea of hailing Mr Mugabe "as any kind of example of positive contribution to health care is absolutely absurd", he added.

President Mugabe heard about the award while attending a conference held by the WHO, a UN agency, on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Montevideo.

He told delegates how his country had adopted several strategies to combat the challenges presented by NCDs, which the WHO says kill about 40 million people a year and include cancers, respiratory diseases and diabetes.

"Zimbabwe has developed a national NCD policy, a palliative care policy, and has engaged United Nations agencies working in the country, to assist in the development of a cervical cancer prevention and control strategy," Mugabe was reported by the state-run Zimbabwe Herald newspaper as saying.

But the President admitted that Zimbabwe was similar to other developing countries in that it was "hamstrung by a lack of adequate resources for executing programmes aimed at reducing NCDs and other health conditions afflicting the people".

Zimbabwe's main MDC opposition party also strongly criticised the WHO move.

"The Zimbabwe health delivery system is in a shambolic state, it is an insult," said spokesman Obert Gutu.

"Mugabe trashed our health delivery system. He and his family go outside of the country for treatment in Singapore after he allowed our public hospitals to collapse."

--IANS

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A Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker was shot dead on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, police said.

The incident occurred when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants shot at the 35-year-old, Rajesh Mishra, also a journalist working with the Dainik Jagran Hindi daily, who was sitting at his brother Amitesh's shop in the Karanda area.

Locals and passers-by rushed the two to a nearby hospital where Rajesh was pronounced brought dead.

Amitesh, 30, is said to be in critical condition.

A senior police official said Rajesh was an active RSS member and was also working as a contractor.

So far, no details have emerged in the initial probe but added that they were talking to the family of the deceased.

--IANS

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Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev met with the new US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman on Friday in hope of improving bilateral cooperation in law enforcement.

"It is in the common interest to strengthen the fight against terrorism, confront drug trafficking, organised crime and cyber threat," Kolokoltsev said, according to a statement released by the ministry.

He said that a constructive dialogue with US counterparts should be based on the principles of equality and mutual respect.

The brief statement did not disclose details of possible cooperation.

Huntsman arrived in Moscow earlier this month to replace John Tefft.

--IANS

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Saddened by her child's death, a mother allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the Hoogly river in West Bengal's Howrah district, police said on Saturday.

"The body of Puja Singh (23) was found on the Hoogly river bank in Howrah district's Sibpur on Saturday morning. She might have jumped into the river in the late hours on Friday," an officer from Sibpur Police Station said.

Singh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, came to Kolkata on Friday for the treatment of her 10-month-old son who was suffering from tuberculosis. However, the train they were travelling in got late by five hours, a relative of the deceased said.

"The kid was declared dead when taken to the hospital. The doctor said they could have saved his life had he been brought in at least two hours earlier. This might have driven her to take the extreme step," the relative said.

The police said they also agree that Singh committed suicide grieved by her child's death.

"We haven't found any other reasons yet that could determine why she would end her life. The body has been sent for autopsy," the officer added.

--IANS

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Actor Sean Penn is not happy with video streaming app Netflix for making a docu-series about his infamous meeting with Mexican kingpin El Chapo.

The actor called the documentary "cheap" and "reckless" ahead of its release on Friday, October 20, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun be a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent," Penn's representative said.

Penn met Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in October 2015 with the help of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo when the kingpin was still on the run after he escaped from a high-security prison in 2001 through a tunnel.

The actor published their meeting on Rolling Stone magazine in January, just one day after the criminal was re-captured.

The 57-year-old movie star met El Chapo under the guise of a possible film production about the drug lord's life. Mexican law enforcement officials later claimed that the meeting led them to the drug lord, but Penn denied it.

In reply to Penn, an official statement from Netflix said: "Penn was given the opportunity on multiple occasions to participate in 'The Day I Met El Chapo' and did not do so. The events surrounding the now-infamous meeting have been well covered, including by Penn himself in Rolling Stone and his many public comments since.

"The only new ground we're breaking with this series is to give Kate a chance to finally tell her side of this stranger-than-fiction story."

--IANS

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Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir is improving and the recent action by militants only proves their frustration.

Speaking to media on the sidelines of a function in which he presented the President's Standard to 47 Armoured Regiment here, the army chief said radicalization is a global phenomenon whose spread in Jammu and Kashmir is being addressed seriously.

"Efforts are on to wean away youth from radicalization in Kashmir which is being spread through social media sites", he said.

He said the army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police were trying to wean away the youth from radicalization in the state.

Replying to a question on ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC), General Rawat said the launching pads of terrorists are active across the border as Pakistan has not dismantled the terror infrastructure there.

Asked about the possibility of a dialogue with the separatists, General Rawat said: "The army has a task to perform and we are performing that task in Jammu and Kashmir."

"Other decisions like talks etc will have to be taken politically."

Asked about the raids on separatists by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the army chief said whatever success these raids have achieved would be known in the future.

The army chief brushed aside questions about braid chopping in Kashmir saying this was a routine matter and the civil administration is supposed to deal with it.

--IANS

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On Shammi Kapoors 86th birth anniversary, his nephew and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor paid a tribute to the late actor on the social media and remembered him as the "original rebel star".

"Happy birthday to the original rebel star, on his 86th, the late Shammi Kapoor. We all miss your presence, your spirit and specially you," Rishi tweeted on Saturday alongside a photograph of Shammi.

Son of legendary actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni Kapoor, Shammi was born on October 21, 1931, and was brother of late Raj and Shashi Kapoor.

Shammi Kapoor is best known for his roles in films like "Tumsa Nahin Dekha", "Dil Deke Dekho", "Junglee", "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya", "An Evening in Paris", Bramhachari, "Andaz" and "Sachaai".

He died on August 14, 2011 due to chronic renal failure.

--IANS

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A teenager was injured in a firing incident by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district on Saturday, officials said.

Police said protesters resorted to heavy stone pelting at the security forces in Machow area of Badgam district during protests against braid chopping incidents in the Kashmir Valley.

Informed sources said security forces used tear smoke canisters to disperse the protesters but as the mob swelled up resorting to more violence, the security forces opened fire in which a 16-year old teenager was injured.

"The teenager, identified as Arsalan, has been shifted to hospital for treatment," a police officer said.

Separatists had called for a valley-wide protest shutdown on Saturday against the growing incidents of braid chopping.

--IANS

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Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha located in Nepal's Rupandehi district, authorities said on Saturday.

Sirindhorn visited the Maya Devi Temple which dates back to 623 B.C. and named after Queen Maha Maya, Lord Buddha's mother, on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Situated at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site where a number of temples are located. The Maya Devi Temple was added to the list of UN World Heritage Sites in 1997.

The 62-year-old Princess flew into Lumbini on a chartered flight via Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepalese Capital Kathmandu on Friday morning.

She attended various cultural and religious ceremonies organized in Lumbini. She inaugurated the Royal Thai Monastery constructed with the assistance of the Thai government, the authorities said.

On the occasion, more than 2,000 monks, Buddhism followers as well as Thai government officials were present, Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Project Manager Saroj Bhattarai told the media.

The Thai government has extended financial and technical support to the development of Lumbini, which is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists.

Concluding her one-day visit to Nepal, the Thai princess returned home later Friday evening.

--IANS

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United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the Gulf countries' rifts with Qatar, Al Arabiya reported.

This is his second visit to the region in recent months as he seeks a breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis gripping the region.

Saudi Arabia leads Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt in the decision to sever ties with Qatar in mid of this year over allegations of the terrorism support by the later.

Qatar has denied such accusations. The US official toured the region in July and failed to convince those countries to set for a talk to end their disputes.

Besides Qatar, Tillerson is expected to review regional issues in Yemen and counterterrorism efforts, according to a statement by the US State Department.

The US official will also attend the first meeting of Saudi-Iraqi coordination meeting in Riyadh, held as part of Saudi's approach to improve ties with the country to counter Iran power in Iraq.

--IANS

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The toll in two suicide attacks that took place in Kabul and Ghor province has increased to 71 with 83 others injured, Afghan authorities said on Saturday.

The Islamic State (IS) terror group has claimed responsibility for the attacks that took place on Friday evening, reports Xinhua news agency.

Forty-one worshippers died and 61 were injured when a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside the Imam Zamam mosque in Kabul's Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood which is predominantly populated by the Shia Hazara minority.

Twenty-nine people were killed inside the mosque while 12 others succumbed to their injuries in or on the way to hospitals, mosque officials told the local media.

About an hour before the blast in Kabul, a suicide attacker detonated explosives at the Khwajagan mosque in the Dulina district of Ghor province. The attack occurred as an important anti-Taliban militiaman, Fazal Hayat Khan, and his men were praying inside, provincial authorities said.

At least 31 people were killed in this attack.

In a separate incident on Saturday morning, three rockets were fired at a diplomatic area in Kabul.

"The attack occurred at around 6.10 a.m., and the rockets struck localities in Police District 10 and Police District 9," a witness told Xinhua news agency.

One rocket reportedly hit a wall at an embassy and two others exploded close to Resolute Support headquarters, Tolo News quoted the police as saying.

However, there were reports of any casualties or injuries and no group has claimed responsibility for this attack.

--IANS

ksk/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A black-marker drawing of the Empire State Building by US President Donald Trump sold at auction for $16,000, the media reported.

According to Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles, where the sale took place, Trump created the 12-by-9-inch drawing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for a charity auction that took place in 1995. At the time, the signed sketch sold for less than $100, the New York Times reported on Friday.

This was not the first work of art by Trump to fall into the eager hands of collectors in the wake of his presidency.

In July, a similarly sized drawing of a more comprehensive Manhattan skyline sold for $29,000 at Nate D. Sanders Auctions.

Trump's sketch was created while he was still pursuing the prized property.

A representative of Julien's Auctions wrote in a statement that the artwork "symbolised his ascent" through the ranks of New York power brokers.

A portion of the proceeds, to be matched by the auction house, will go to a National Public Radio station in Connecticut.

The buyer was not identified.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shouldnt there be a law against this? 171,000 diyas were lit on the banks of the Sarayu river by Bharatiya Janata Party supporters the day before Diwali at a function attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The event was aimed at finding a place in the Guinness World Records. But all the diyas were lit using mustard oil. Some went out because of the breeze and the oil stayed in the diyas. A day after the event, several people descended on the banks to collect the oil left behind in the diyas, in order to sell it. Merchants, however, refused to buy the oil (supposedly weighing several kilos). Meanwhile, the diyas  and the overflow of oil leached into the river. No one, it seems, was tasked with removing the refuse. So the perfectly clean Ram ki Paudi is now a stinking, slippery stairway into the river.
Over the past fortnight, several Hollywood actresses, both past and present, accused Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of the Weinstein Company and one of the world's most successful film producers, of sexually abusing them. A series of reports in leading global publications gave out sordid details shared by many women, including top stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, about how Weinstein used his immense clout in making or breaking careers in Hollywood to seek sexual favours from his leading ladies. As the days rolled on, the list of women protesters just kept growing and blew the lid off a deep set system of abuse in the most influential film industry on the planet.
Most of us have relatives who are either already or preparing to do so. Getting into ones dream university is a long-drawn process: Preparing for admissions, financing the education, organising important documents such as passports, visa, tickets, foreign currency, and so on. The drill is cumbersome and theres one thing that gets the least attention in the process  a good student travel . And its among the most important decisions.



Importance of student travel



For one, it is mandatory in most international universities. So, one cannot be lax about the product one is buying. Even if it is not mandatory in some universities, it is strongly recommended to have one while . While most overseas universities offer their own registered insurances, they also allow students to buy cover from their home country.




Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked the Congress for rejecting his proposal in June 2013 when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat for redevelopment of Kedarnath shrine but the party hit back asking him to shed his "arrogance" and "Italian glasses".
Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday targeted Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi after a media report claimed that the recent uptick in his social media traction may well be due to bots. Aiming a barb at Gandhi, she said, "perhaps Rahul is planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan".
Twelve paramilitary police were killed today in a fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

The region which borders Mali has faced a series of recent jihadist incursions.

"There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations," Mohamed Bazoum told AFP.

The dawn raid happened in the town of Ayorou in the Tillaberi region, 200 kilometres northwest of the capital Niamey.

A security source said the attackers arrived in five vehicles and fled when military reinforcements arrived. Villagers saw them leave carrying bodies.

On October 4 four US and four Niger soldiers were killed in what Niamey called a "terrorist attack" that confirmed the little-known presence of US troops in the turbulent area as part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Located on the banks of the Niger river, Ayorou is home to an important rural market while its high concentration of hippopotamuses makes it a tourist magnet.

But Tallaberi has become increasingly unstable due to numerous deadly attacks attributed to jihadist groups who regularly target army positions and refugee camps.

In mid-May unidentified assailants attacked the same Ayorou gendarmerie without causing any casualties.

Yesterday, parliament agreed a three-month extension of the state of emergency in western Niger because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

The UN said this week it has documented "at least 46 attacks" in Niger since February 2016.

As well as trouble along its Mali border, the country is also facing incursions from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram along its southeastern border with Nigeria.

In June, Niger set up an operation of 245 men to fight against jihadists but has not yet reported on its progress.

Malian foreign affairs minister Abdoulaye Diop stressed in front of the UN Security Council in New York this month the urgent need to help a new international security force get off the ground.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" coalition of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- countries that have been badly hit by jihadist attacks but whose military resources are thin -- have pledged to fight terror but face funding problems.

Mali has become a particularly volatile country since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 16 policemen, including 14 officers were killed and six others injured during clashes with terrorists in Egypt's Giza city, officials said.

The policemen were killed in exchange of fire with the terrorists in el-Wahat desert in Giza yesterday, they said.

The police forces received information about a number of terrorists hiding in the desert area. Clashes erupted when they tried to arrest them and they exchanged fire.

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement late yesterday that a number of policemen were killed and injured, and some terrorists also died in the ensuing crossfire. However, it did not clarify on the number of casualties on both sides.

Earlier reports said that 14 police officers were killed and eight others were injured during the clashes.

Terrorist attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

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Three men were arrested after a shooting following white supremacist Richard Spencer's controversial speech at the University of Florida, police have said.

Spencer, leader of the so-called "alt-right" movement -- encompassing white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan -- appeared on Thursday on campus in Gainesville, in the north of the state.

Just over an hour after his speech ended, three of Spencer's followers stopped their car in front of a group of anti-racism protesters at a bus stop, police said in a statement yesterday.

Authorities said they then threatened the protesters with Nazi salutes, chanting slogans about Hitler, before one of them, 28-year-old Tyler Tenbrink, pulled out a gun and shot at the group. The bullet hit a nearby building.

Tenbrink was arrested along with brothers William and Colton Fears, aged 30 and 28 respectively. The three were charged with attempted murder.

"This incident and how quickly it was handled displays the true teamwork that went into yesterday's Unified Command Center activation," said Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell.

Spencer, who helped organise a white supremacist rally that erupted in deadly violence in Charlottesville earlier this year, was shouted down by hundreds of protesters Thursday -- forcing him to leave the stage at the University of Florida without delivering his planned speech.

Fearing a repetition of Charlottesville, Florida governor Rick Scott had declared a state of emergency Monday to beef up security ahead of Spencer's arrival -- which also sparked a street protest of around 1,500 people.

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At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers have been killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the yesterday's incident and said some of the "terrorist" attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Thirty six people were injured after they attacked each other with burning Hingots (a hollow fruit stuffed with gunpowder) during the annual Hingot festival at Gautampura town, around 55 kms from here, police said.

Three of the injured suffered severe burn wounds and were admitted to a government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital, a police officer said.

The doctors treated the rest of the injured at the venue of the Hingot fight last night and sent them home, he added.

Hingot War is an age-old tradition of residents of Gautampura, which is observed a day after Diwali. In this exercise, warriors are categorised in two groups namely Turra of Gautampura and Kalgi of Rungi village, who attack each other with burning Hingots.

Hingot, a jungle fruit, is emptied and stuffed with gunpowder, coal and brimstone and then hurled at rival groups like a burning missile during the festival.

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As many as 383 police personnel, including 56 belonging to the BSF and 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir, have laid down their lives in the line of duty in last one year, Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain said today.

Addressing the Police Commemoration Day, where Home Minister Rajnath Singh led the nation in paying tribute to martyrs of police forces, Jain said the 383 police personnel were killed while performing various duties across the country from September 2016 to August 2017.

Among these police personnel, 76 belonged to the Uttar Pradesh Police, 56 belonged to the BSF, 49 were from the CRPF, 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 23 belonged to Chhattisgarh, 16 were from West Bengal, 13 each belonged to Delhi and the CISF, 12 each were from Bihar and Karnataka and 11 from the ITBP.

Majority of the police personnel died while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxals and other law and order duties.

The day is observed topay homage to 10 policemen killed in firing by Chinese troops in 1959 and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting India's unity and integrity.

Observed as 'Police Commemoration Day', October 21 commemorates the sacrifices of the 10 policemen while defending India's borders with China in 1959, a statement issued by the Home Ministry said.

The Indian police personnel were responsible for manning the 2,500 mile-long border of India with Tibet until the autumn of 1959. On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in North Eastern Ladakh in preparation for further movement of an Indian expedition which was on its way to Lanak La.

While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs, the third one comprising two police constables and a porter did not return, the statement said. The remaining forces were mobilised next morning in search of the missing personnel.

A party of about 20 police personnel led by Karam Singh, a Deputy Central Intelligence Officer (DCIO) rank officer, proceeded on horseback while others followed on foot in three sections. At mid-day, the Chinese Army personnel were seen on a hillock who opened fire and threw grenades at the Indian party, the statement said.

Since there was no cover, most personnel were injured. Ten of the brave police personnel were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the incident. Bodies of the 10 personnel were returned by the Chinese on November 13, three weeks after the incident.

The bodies were then cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh.

The annual conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January, 1960 decided that October 21 would, henceforth, be observed as 'Commemoration Day' in all police lines in the country to mark the memory of these gallant personnel, the statement said.

It was also decided to erect a memorial at Hot Springs, and that members of police forces from different parts of the country trek to Hot Springs every year to pay homage to the gallant martyrs.

Since independence, 34,418 police personnel have sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the integrity of the nation and providing security to people of this country, the statement said.

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Forty-five people have been arrested for allegedly assaulting innocent people, including three Army men in Baramulla district, accusing them of being braid choppers, the Jammu and Kashmir police said today.

The three Territorial Army men were mercilessly assaulted by a mob on October 18.

"Police have so far arrested 18 accused, including the main conspirators, in the case of the attack on the Army personnel, and recovered cash, ATM cards and mobile phones looted from them," a police spokesman said.

"A police party was rushed to the spot and after strenuous efforts, the injured Army men were rescued," he said.

During investigation, it surfaced that the men were on their way to the Sheeri market area here, the spokesman said."They boarded a bus from Kitchama. Qaiser Bilal Bhat, a known stone pelter, also boarded the same bus.

"Bhathatched a conspiracy to get the Army men killed by falsely accusing them of being braid choppers. He raised an alarm near Sheeri Market, leading to a violent mob attack on them," he added.

He said that certain elements have been using the braid- chopping incidents to disrupt peace in the valley, spread animosity between people and the security forces, and create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty forcing women to remain confined to their homes so that the radical religious agenda of these elements are realised.

In a case relating to an attack on a mentally-challenged youth in Sopore yesterday, police have taken into custody 12 accused identified on the basis of video evidence, the official said.

He said policemen were looking for 15 people involved in an attempt to murder a youth by running him over with a tractor.

Police have also arrested 10 people involved in assaulting a soldier after accusing him of being a braid- chopper in Kupwara district.

Three youths were arrested in connection with the thrashing of two men by a vigilante group in Nishat area of the city on October 6.

"So far 45 miscreants have been arrested in connection with these incidents," the spokesman said.

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In a bid to help Gurgaon Police personnel combat air pollution after Diwali, a private company and a hospital today donated 5,000 masks to the department.

Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said the N95 masks will be given to field officials, especially those deployed in the traffic department, on PCR vans and volunteers.

Khirwar said Gurgaon suffers one of the worst spells of air pollution after Diwali. "These masks will help minimise the impact of alarming pollution levels on police personnel," he said.

The air pollution levels had risen in Gurgaon after Diwali.

The PM2.5 level - which refers to particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, which is about 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair - had reached up to 300 cubic metres in the Millennium City after Diwali.

The volume of pollutants, however, have come down due to strong wind movement after Diwali fireworks had pushed Delhi's air quality into the 'severe' zone for the first time this year.

"Police of NCR is among those highly vulnerable who, in line of their duty, spends hours breathing toxic air," said Arvind Chabra, head of Blueair India, which donated the masks.

"Pollution levels have spiked inspite of all-round efforts to control it although some progress has been made. At the frontline of this battle are the policemen on the ground who are responsible not only for regulating things like traffic but responsible for enforcing all other regulations," said Himanshu Garg, head of respiratory and critical care at Artemis Hospitals.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today declared its first list of candidates for eleven Assembly constituencies in Gujarat including Rajkot (West), while stating that it would not contest from the seats where it is weak.

Rajkot (West) is currently represented by chief minister Vijay Rupani. is going to field businessman Rajesh Bhut from the seat.

Delhi minister and AAP's Gujarat election in-charge Gopal Rai told reporters here that the names were finalised at a meeting of the party's political affairs committee in Delhi yesterday.

There are a total of 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat. The election schedule is yet to be announced.

The constituency-wise candidates announced by the today are: Anil Verma (Bapunagar), Ramesh Patel (Unjha), Rajesh Bhut (Rajkot (West)), J J Mewada (Danilimda), Nimeesha Khunt (Gondal), M D Manajaria (Lathi), Arjun Rathwa (Chhota Udepur), Rajendra Patel (Padra), Hanif Jamadar (Karjan), Rajiv Pandey (Pardi) and Ram Dhaduk (Kamrej).

Of these, nine constituencies are currently represented by BJP MLAs, while Danilimda in Ahmedabad and Chhota Udepur are with the Congress.

"We will be fighting these elections with a pledge to rid Gujarat of BJP. We had earlier said we will fight against the BJP on select seats. We want to give a direct fight to the ruling party, and we will not contest from any seat where we are weak and where there is possibility of division of votes which may help the BJP," Rai said.

Among AAP's candidates, Manajaria is a retired deputy collector and Mewada is a retired deputy superintendent of police. Verma is an educationist while Rathwa, Patel and Khunt are social activists.

Rai said the party will contest from only those seats which fulfil the criteria decided by its high command. Candidates for more seats would be declared in coming days.

He asserted that AAP's contest is against the BJP and it will not end up helping the ruling party by eating into Congress' votes.

"Congress appears to be more scared of the than the BJP as some of its leaders say that the AAP is here to help the BJP.

"To form the government in Gujarat, a party needs to win 92 seats. AAP has fielded candidates on 11 seats. We have not touched other 171 seats yet. If Congress give us guarantee and publicly pledges that it will defeat the BJP on all these remaining seats, we will limit ourselves to 11 seats," he said.

Rajkot (West) constituency was chosen particularly as the AAP wanted to give fight to the BJP in its "fortress", he said.

Narendra Modi had contested from this seat when he became chief minister for the first time, and so did Rupani after he became chief minister replacing Anandiben Patel.

"A few days ago, some businessmen and traders, who are predominant in this constituency, met us and said they have been badly hit by the GST. Rajesh Bhut is a businessman and will contest against Rupani. On October 29, we will hold 'Chunauti Sabha (Challenge Rally)' there," the AAP leader said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala government has given green signal to a proposal of the state Startup Mission (KSUM) to accord sabbatical leave to the faculty members of all colleges who intend to establish startups.

The new initiative would help members of the academic community in the state to become part of entrepreneurship, a statement said here today.

According to the proposal, teachers can start their own startups, form their groups or join as founders/co-founders along with students.

An expert panel, headed by KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath, will select 10 faculty members on a pilot basis for the implementation of the project, it said.

State IT Secretary M Sivasankar said the state governments project is the first-of-its-kind in India.

"The participation of teachers, with active support from college authorities and parents, will bring experience and responsibility in the startups," he said.

Gopinath said the KSUM had submitted the proposal to the government to give an impetus to the functioning of startups and culture of innovation.

"The initiative will greatly contribute to the governments determined efforts to strengthen and accelerate the startup ecosystem through active participation of the teaching community," he said.

As per the proposal guidelines, faculty members can avail sabbatical leave with or without pay from their institutions.

The scheme is open only to regular teachers of the institutions, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken up a programme for promotion of north eastern products in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The APEDA, an apex organisation under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, proposes to organise the promotion programme in Bangladesh and Myanmar in association with the High Commission of India in Dhaka and its Embassy in Yangon, an official release said here.

The promotional event in Myanmar is proposed to be held in November and that in Dhaka and Sylhet in Bangladesh in the first week of December, the release said.

The export of APEDA scheduled products to Bangladesh during 2016-17 was of 396.44 million USD.

The major products exported to Bangladesh include rice, vegetables, fruits, wheat, maize, dairy products and pulses.

The export of APEDA scheduled products for Myanmar during 2016-17 was of 24.15 million USD.

The major products exported to Myanmar include rice, maize, cereal preparations, fruits, rice and vegetable seeds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today presented the President's Standard to 47th Armoured Regiment, and asked the Armed forces to be ready for security challenges on the country's borders and in the hinterland.

Gen. Rawat, on the behalf of President Ram Nath Kovind, presented the honour to 47th Armoured Regiment at a mega function at Sunjwan Military Station in Jammu city today.

The 'Standard' is an award for unit heroism. It serves to inspire men and kindle the hopes of the future, and above all strengthen the bonds of allegiance towards the regiment, read an official press release here.

The 47th Armoured Regiment, also known as 'Penetrators', was honoured in recognition of its commendable services.

Led by Parade Commander Col. Anubhav Gairola, the Armed units presented a parade of tanks and gave salute to the Army Chief after they received the President's Standard.

47th Armoured Regiment was raised at Babina in Uttar Pradesh on November 15, 1982 and it was the first armoured regiment to be equipped with Russian T-72 tanks.

The regiment has served in various armoured formations in the Western, Southern, Northern and South-Western Commands during its 35 years of glorious service.

The regiment has participated in all the major operations of Indian Army including Operation Trident (1986), Operation Vijay (1999) and Operation Parakaram (2001).

During its tenure in the Northern Command from 2002-06, the regiment participated in operation Rakshak where it executed multifarious operation tasks like demining, road opening, deploying surveillance detachments and providing quick reaction teams.

Not only this, the regiment also effectively participated in internal security duties at Sonipat in Haryana during anti-Mandal Commission riots.

Speaking to the troops here, the Army chief urged them to remain ready as they are facing multifarious challenges on the security front, from ensuring safeguard of the borders to the internal security.

"Today there are various challenges before Indian Army. The challenges include security of the long borders in India, internal security and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. In all these situations, Indian Army has to be always ready," he said.

"I feel fortunate to be presenting President's Standard to 47th Armoured Regiment whose responsibility has increased after receiving the honour," Rawat said.

He also paid tributes to Savar Parshotam Reddy of 47th Armoured Regiment who had laid down his life in line of duty during his attachment with 27 Rashtriya Rifles in 2002-03.

"He made the supreme sacrifice in the operation and made the Indian Army and his regiment proud of him," he said.

"The morale of the regiment is high which can be seen from your report card of participation in most important operations in the country," he said.

The Standard presentation ceremony showcases a mounted parade by the regiment on the T-72 tanks with clock-work precision.

The occasion was graced by Lt. Gen. D R Soni, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-Chief) of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) Artrac and Lt. Gen. Surinder Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Command.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A war of words today broke out between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's rising popularity on Twitter after agency ANI suggested 'bots' or web robots that can produce automated mass retweets were behind it.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani took to the microblogging website to suggest that the retweets were from fake accounts abroad.

"Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh," she said in a tweet which tagged the media report.

Questioning whether automated bots were mass retweeting Gandhi's tweets, the report said that on October 15, 'OfficeofRG' retweeted US President Donald Trump's tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption 'Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug'.

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged 'bots' with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice president's tweets.

An Internet bot is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet.

However, the veracity of report could not be independently ascertained.

Rajeev Shukla, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gandhi family loyalist, jumped to the party vice president's defence, saying social media connects the whole world and retweets originating from Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia should not be considered out of place.

"They (the BJP) are afraid of Rahul Gandhi and his popularity," he told TV channels.

Another Congress leader and former Union minister R P N Singh said it is unimportant how many times a tweet has been retweeted. He said what is important is the issues Rahul Gandhi has been highlighting through his tweets.

"BJP is not answering...Where is the chowkidar? Why is he not speaking about how the turnover of a company owned by Shahzada's son rose 16,000 times in a year. Why are they not answering...Why are they not answering questions raised by him (Gandhi) about farmers? Why?" Singh said.

He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on a web portal's report that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah, BJP chief Amit Shah's son rose exponentially after the party came to power at the Centre in 2014. Jay Shah has filed a criminal defamation case against the portal--The Wire.

He rejected the agency's claims that 'bots' were behind the perceived rise in Gandhi's popularity on Twitter. "There is nothing like that," he said.

Union minister Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted: "In sports, this would come under Doping.... hey wait!??does dope remind you of someone ??"



Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP's IT cell, asked a TV channel why the Congress has to "buy" support for Rahul Gandhi.

Irani also retweeted the reactions of other netizens, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who tweeted, "Desperate times call for desperate measures ?".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delegates from former foes today marked 75 years since the pivotal WWII battle of El Alamein that saw the Allies turn the tables in North Africa, as host country Egypt mourned the killing of dozens of its policemen.

The commemoration, held under tight security, was marred by an Islamist attack yesterday on Egyptian security forces some 250 kilometres to the south that killed at least 35 police officers.

Officials from 35 nations paid their respects in a ceremony at a Commonwealth cemetery on Egypt's Mediterranean shore that holds the remains of more than 7,000 soldiers from the victorious British-led force.

In a speech, the British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, hailed "the sacrifices of those who gave their lives here... and thanksgiving for acknowledgement that, in the end, evil will not prevail".

"This will be a place to remember those who fallen 75 years ago but also remembering those who are still dying and falling," said Casson.

Casson paid his respects to "especially those who lost their lives in this despicable terrorist attacks yesterday" in an ambush in Egypt's Western Desert that medical and security sources said killed at least 35 policemen.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was scheduled to attend events in El Alamein on to mark the anniversary, but an AFP reporter did not see the strongman leader at an open-air ceremony involving foreign dignitaries.

Sisi's office said he had cancelled his participation in a number of other engagements.

The World War II Battle of El Alamein -- which began on October 23, 1942 -- pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

The defeat of the German and Italian troops put an end to the ambitions of Hitler and Mussolini to take over the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning," British leader Winston Churchill said famously in the wake of the victory.

The event today was attended by representatives from Commonwealth countries that made up the Allied force, including Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and those who were their sworn enemies at the time.

Organisers from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission called the commemoration the "largest for many years" and said it "is likely to be the last on this scale".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Andhra Pradesh government may be keen on changing the prime contractor for the ambitious Polavaram project but the Ministry of Water Resources is of the view that it can lead to further cost escalation.

Sources in the ministry suggested that the current contractor should be supported to see that the dam work is completed at the desired pace.

The sources said efforts are on to complete the main dam work across the Godavari river by March 2019.

"Changing the contractor at this juncture would lead to cost escalation. The project has already seen it. Hence, we are of the view that the current contractor should be continued with, and give the contractor support required to complete the work," a ministry source said.

In 2014, the estimated cost of the multipurpose irrigation project -- accorded national project status -- was Rs 16,000 crore. The estimated cost has been revised to Rs 40,000 crore.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had met Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari over the issue in Nagpur four days ago.

Naidu reportedly told Gadkari that the contractor was allegedly not taking interest in completing the work on schedule. Naidu also reportedly said the government needed to change the contractor to see the work is completed by mid- 2019.

Gadkari had inspected the Polavaram works in the first week of this month. He had ruled out the possibility of finishing the project by 2018 and promised to try his level best to complete it before the 2019 elections.

The Andhra Pradesh government had repeatedly promised to complete the project (cofferdam) by June 2018 and supply water through gravity. However, its timeline has been reset to mid- 2019.

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Iraqi forces clashed with Kurdish fighters as the central government said it had wrested back control of the last area of disputed Kirkuk province in the latest stage of a sweeping operation after a controversial independence vote.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command yesterday said police, counter-terrorism units and allied militias seized the Altun Kupri region, extending the central government's territory to within 50 kilometres of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.

The two sides exchanged mortar rounds and automatic gunfire but Iraqi forces managed to "hoist the flag on the municipality building", an anonymous security source in Kirkuk city said.

A Kurdish general, Ghazi Dolemri, was killed in the fighting, sources said, while an AFP journalist reported further shelling as Iraqi government forces and Hashed al- Shaabi paramilitary forces advanced on Sirawa, five kilometres north of Altun Kupri.

Iraqi forces also said they had retaken the Ain Zalah and Batma oil fields, northwest of Mosul.

The fresh advances came after Iraq's central authorities snatched back control of a swathe of disputed territory from Kurdish forces in a largely bloodless operation launched at the weekend.

The government advances and Kurdish retreat have rewritten the volatile boundaries between the two sides and trashed Arbil's dreams of independence, which soared after a September 25 referendum held in defiance of Baghdad.

The loss of Kirkuk's rich oil fields also dealt a severe blow to the regional government's already parlous finances, heavily dependent on petrochemical exports.

US oil giant Chevron said today it had "temporarily" suspended operations in the Kurdish autonomous region.

"We continue to monitor the situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," a spokeswoman said.

"We look forward to resuming our operations as soon as conditions permit."



Iraq's forces have also snatched back areas of Nineveh and Diyala provinces, driving Kurdish forces from positions they seized in the chaos of the Islamic State group's 2014 rampage across northern Iraq and parts of neighbouring Syria.

The agricultural region of Altun Kupri, which means "golden bridge" in Turkish, covers an area of 520 square kilometres and is mostly inhabited by Kurds and Turkmens.

Security in the Altun Kupri area had been ensured by Kurdish police forces loyal to regional president Massud Barzani ever since the US-led invasion of 2003.

In their bid to halt Iraqi forces, the peshmerga planted explosives that damaged a major bridge linking Kirkuk to their regional capital Arbil over the Little Zab river, according to a local security source.

Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), issued a statement overnight yesterday denouncing "the genocide attempt by the Iraqi government" and called on the international community to "put pressure on (world) governments to avoid more catastrophes for the Kurdish people".

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The Congress received a boost today ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, with backward class leader Alpesh Thakor announcing his decision to join the party, after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.

The announcement came hours after the Congress, which has been out of power in Gujarat for over two decades now, invited Patidar quota stir spearhead Hardik Patel, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani, a protagonist of resurgent Dalit politics in the key western state, to join the party.

Thakor, the convenor of the Gujarat OBC Ekta Manch and leader of the local Thakor Sena, has considerable influence among backward classes.

Thakor, accompanied by Congress general secretary incharge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Bharatsinh Solanki, met Gandhi at his residence in New Delhi this evening.

Soon thereafter, Thakor said Rahul Gandhi would attend a rally organised by him on October 23 where "I will join the Congress party".

Solanki said Thakor met Gandhi with his "team" and decided to join the Congress in the interest of Gujarat.

Earlier in the day, Solanki held a press conference in Ahmedabad where he said the Congress party has invited the three top leaders of different communities to join the party to ensure the defeat of the BJP.

Solanki expressed confidence that the party would easily win over 125 seats in the 182-member House with the "support and blessings" of all these leaders.

"Though the BJP is trying its best to win the polls, it will not succeed in stopping the Congress' victory march to Gandhinagar.

"We respect as well as endorse the cause for which Hardik Patel is fighting. I appeal to Hardik to support the Congress during the polls. We are also ready to give him a ticket if he wants to fight elections in the future," Solanki said.

"Similarly, we also invite Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani to join hands with the Congress. I also invite Chhotu Vasava, who helped us in the Rajya Sabha polls, to support the Congress," he said.

Chhotu Vasava, the lone JD(U) MLA in Gujarat, had voted for Congress candidate and party chief Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel in the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat, defying his party leadership. Patel won by a wafer thin margin.

Apart from these leaders, the Congress also hinted at forging a pre-poll alliance with Sharad Pawar's NCP.

In the Rajya Sabha polls, two NCP MLAs claimed to have voted for BJP candidate Balwantsinh Rajput despite their promise to back Ahmed Patel.

Hardik Patel, the Patidar leader who spearheaded a prolonged agitation for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for people of his community, was rather tepid in his response to the Congress' invitation.

"It is a political stunt, coming as it does just before the elections. I cannot contest elections myself because of constitutional provisions, nor do I want. Since an invitation has been extended, our leaders will consider the proposal," he told a TV channel.

Patel, whose quota stir often turned violent resulting in the death of several people in police action, is aged 24 years. The minimum age required for a person to contest an Assembly or Lok Sabha election in is 25.

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The Congress and the NCP slammed the MNS for forcibly evicting illegal hawkers from a railway bridge and claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is "hand-in-gloves" with the Raj Thackeray-led party.

"The Chief Minister was well aware of the threats given by Raj Thackeray and given his track record, the chief minister should have ordered the round up of MNS workers before their given deadline ended.

"But, the CM is hand-in-gloves with the MNS and hence, North Indians are allowed to be tortured," Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters here.

He added that the government has failed to enforce the Street Vendors Act, which seeks to protect hawkers.

"Had they enforced it, there would have been a survey done and illegal street vendors would have automatically been evicted by law. However, the chief minister is protecting goondaism," he said.

"The CM should take action against MNS workers or the Congress will hold protests to protect the rights of street vendors," Nirupam added.

Thackeray had on October 5 met railway officials and had submitted a list of issues related to Mumbai locals with a deadline of 15 days.

"If things don't get better, we will see," Thackeray had said.

NCP leader Dhananjay Munde questioned if the "violence" by MNS workers was in connivance with the Chief Minister.

"What Raj Thackeray's party workers did can be analysed later. The first question is what has the government done after 23 people lost their lives on Elphinstone bridge. Was responsibility fixed on those responsible," the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council questioned.

"The Chief Minister keeping silent despite a threat by Raj Thackeray and now his men indulging in violence raises a doubt and makes us question if there is connivance between both of them," he added.

A group of activists claiming to be affiliated to the MNS today drove away more than two dozen illegal hawkers from a railway bridge in Thane.

Around 25 activists descended on the Satis bridge this morning and evicted the hawkers, numbering about two dozens, who were selling their wares there.

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Three members of a family, including a minor, were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a tanker in Naupur village here, an official said today.

The family was returning to Varanasi yesterday when their two-wheeler collided with the tanker coming from the opposite direction, Kerakat Police Station in-charge Prashant Srivastava said.

The deceased were identified as Subhash Chandra (45), his wife Vidyawati (38) and son Harshvardhan (9), he said.

Following the incident, locals blocked the road leading to the village in protest. The blockade was lifted after police pacified the agitators, Srivastava said.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem, he said.

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A man has been held guilty by a Delhi court for using a fake Rs 100 note to purchase a liquor bottle and possessing 56 more notes of the same denomination.

The court convicted the man from Haryana of the offences of possessing and using fake currency notes under the IPC and rejected his contention that the currency was planted on him.

"No motive can be attributed to police constable... to implicate the accused falsely by plantingfakecurrencynote uponhim," Additional Sessions Judge A K Kuhar said.

The court is yet to pronounce the quantum of sentence to Fazal, who has been held guilty for the offences under sections 489 B (using as genuine, forged or counterfeit currency notes) and 489C (possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes) of the IPC.

The judge, while convicting him, relied on the testimony of the liquor shop vendor that Fazal, a Faridabad resident, purchased liquor in exchange of a fake Rs 100 note on October 21, 2012, and said it "shows the accused had the knowledge that he was carrying fake currency notes."



The court noted that the accused, in his statement recorded under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), had totally denied the allegations and claimed he was falsely implicated.

It, however, rejected his claim and said, "Nothinghas surfacedonrecord toevensuggest that the police officials were inimical towards the accused and wanted toframehim inthecase.

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Jango, a two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, hid beneath a bed with paws on his ears, to escape the deafening sound of crackers this Diwali night.

His owner, Punit Narula, a resident of Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, says his immediate neighbour blows up a "huge quantity of high-decibel fireworks" every Diwali, making lives of dogs miserable.

"They (dogs) have a highly pronounced auditory senses and they pick up noise from smallest of crackers blowing up in the neighbourhood. Big ones just drive these poor animals crazy," he said.

While Jango had the comfort of the Narulas' home on the third floor of a building, the stray canines in the area were living through a nightmare as revellers blew crackers in the streets, from late evening to close to midnight.

"Jerry (a stray sheltered by the Narulas) sleeps in our compound every night. On Diwali, he had gone into a hiding. He must have tucked himself beneath a car or something or nearby Gurudwara seeking quietness," Narula said.

Tandrali Kuli of Frendicoes, an NGO which works for the welfare of dogs, says that many dogs are so "traumatised" that it "take weeks to get back to normal behaviour".

"Some dogs get so disoriented, they start running here and there. And, if owners leave the doors open, chances are that some start wandering and get lost in the noisy environment of revelry," she told PTI.

Kuli says street dogs and birds suffer the worst.

"Many birds go blind. Thankfully, this Diwali we haven't had cases of animal cruelty so far, as sometimes people would throw crackers at street dogs resulting in them suffering burns," she said.

Kuli welcomed the Supreme Court ban on the sale of crackers and said the ruling brought a "significant change" and to some extent mitigated the suffering the pets and strays would undergo otherwise.

"But, as a sensitive society, we should have a law that prohibits bursting of crackers," she asserted.

Frendicoes runs a main shelter in south Delhi's Jungpura area where over 200 rescued dogs are kept.

Some pet-owners PTI spoke to, said they had to keep their cats inside cupboards to muffle the loud noise of crackers.

Snehesh, a dog lover, said on Diwali he closed all the windows and stepped up the volume of TV and stereo to distract his pets -- a six-year-old Labrador and a four-year-old dog of Indian breed.

Dog lover Arti Razdan, who lives in posh Greater Kailash-I area, agreed with Kuli that the ban brought some relief to dogs and other animals, as at least the 'Chhoti Diwali' and day time on Diwali was quieter compared to last year.

"I have three pets - a St Bernard (9), and a Labrador and a Golden Retriever, both four years old. Stepping up the volume of TV may not work sometimes. And, the poor thing still ends up feeling tormented by the noise," she said.

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The workers at Tata Steel's Netherlands unit have expressed concerns over a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian steel major and the German giant Thyssenkrupp to combine their European steelmaking operations into a joint venture.

The Central Works Council (CWC) of Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN) said in its newsletter this week that it was concerned about the lack of its involvement in the ongoing negotiations and the fear of job losses at the Netherlands site.

"The number of jobs will be greatly reduced, and will go beyond the suggested figure of 4,000 job losses across the joint venture (JV) as a whole. Current indications are that the new company plans to outsource large swathes of the support services to low-wage countries," the CWC said.

"The CWC believes that this envisaged 50-50 joint venture (JV) will be a very difficult business to manage because both parties, in the Netherlands and in Germany, will do all in their power to defend their interests against this new business. The resistance to this JV in Germany is at least as great as in the Netherlands, and this does not augur well for the future," it noted.

Tata Steel workers also believe it remains unclear how the new business will be financed and where the liabilities will be placed in the business.

It also highlighted the support offered by the Netherlands unit to Tata's troubled UK operations as a factor to consider.

"TSN has remained a healthy business despite the continuous support it has provided in the form of dividend payments to the shareholder in order to enable its sister company in the UK to continue operating," it notes.

The CWC has warned the board that it will not "simply roll over and accept decisions" by the shareholder which are not good for the companys employees in the Netherlands.

Works councils are considerably powerful entities in Europe and their approval will prove critical for Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp to clinch a final deal.

Last month, the two companies announced plans to merge their European steelmaking operations and creating a new JV of around 42,000 employees, with 10,000 based in the Netherlands.

"The joint venture offers us the opportunity tocreate a stronger new business which is able to grow and produce more hi-tech and high-quality products for the worlds most demanding customers," said Hans Fischer, CEO of Tata Steel European operations, in response to the CWCs objections.

He said the company had entered a period of due diligence when all the concerns of all stakeholders will be taken on board.

"Tata Steel will follow due process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as we progress in the transaction. Our employees have worked hard to make our European business more sustainable over recent years and we have achieved a lot through improvement programmes," he said.

Both companies believe the merger will help tackle over- capacity in Europe's steel market in the face of cheap imports from countries like China and subdued construction demand.

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A 63-year-old former employee of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) nabbed two motorcycle- borne robbers after they snatched the earrings of his wife in northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar, police said today.

The incident happened when Ravindra Pathak and his wife were out on a walk yesterday morning. The entire incident has been captured by a CCTV camera installed in the area.

The video showed the two bike-borne accused snatching the earrings of Pathak's wife, after which Pathak ran behind them and got hold of the pillion rider, the police said.

The man riding the motorcycle tried to escape the scene, but an auto-rickshaw blocked his way, they said.

The pillion rider, however, manage to pass on the earrings to an unidentified man who fled from the area.

The two accused - Kaved and Aarif - were arrested. the duo have been involved in more than 19 cases of robbery and snatching, said AK Singla, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North-East.

The elderly man has been rewarded with Rs 1,000 and a certificate by the police for his courage.

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Four people were lightly injured Saturday morning in the southern German city of Munich by a man wielding a knife who fled the scene, said police, adding possible motives were unknown.

The man attacked passersby in five places near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT, inflicting "light" injuries on four people, a police spokesman told AFP.

The perpetrator of the attack "is still on the run", the local police said on their Twitter account, where they also called on residents to stay inside.

It added "no life threatening injuries" were suffered by the victims.

Local police described the perpetrator of the attack as a man in his forties, wearing grey pants and a running jacket, who fled on a black bicycle. He was also carrying a backpack and a camping bed roll.

"We are searching for the perpetrator of the attack with all available police" Munich police said on their Twitter account, adding that for the moment the possible motives for the attack remained unknown.

In July 2016, a German-Iranian teenager who police say was obsessed with mass murderers, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself.

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Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Thalaimannar coast in their territorial waters early today, police said.

The police said according to the information received by them, the Lankan naval men arrested the fishermen from Pamban near here for poaching in their waters and also seized their boat.

They would be produced before the Mannar judicial magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody, they said.

In another incident, seven fishermen from Tuticorin district, who were allegedly smuggling ration items to Andaman and Nicobar islands were rescued by the Lankan fishermen, after their boat developed a snag and capsized off Jaffna early this morning, the police said.

The fishermen were taken to Jaffna and the officials of the Indian government informed about their detention.

It was not known whether they would be arrested or released by the Sri Lankan authorities, they said.

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The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has decided not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and instead support the candidates fielded by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Goa.

Party president Vijai Sardesai today told reporters his party is a member of the NDA and hence would not think of contesting against its official candidates.

Goa has two Lok Sabha seats and both are with the BJP.

"We are focusing on Goa. We are currently members of the NDA. So in the year 2019, when the Lok Sabha polls would be held, we would be supporting the candidates of the NDA," said Sardesai, who is also a minister in the BJP-led coalition government in the coastal state.

Reacting to the statement by BJP's alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak party (MGP) that they would be fielding their candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, Sardesai said any party which is part of the NDA should first step out of the coalition and then contest elections.

Sardesai said his party, which has three MLAs in Goa, would be taking up membership drive across all the 40 assembly constituencies in the state from November 1.

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The Goa government has started talks with Tamil Nadu-based institutions to share their expertise in setting up an organ transplant facility in the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the government is in talks with specialised organisations in the soutern state to get their help in setting up an organ transplant facility in the GMCH here.

The state will initially start with kidney and liver transplants and later move to lung and heart transplants.

Rane told reporters the government has held preliminary talks with these organisations over the issue.

The minister said the government might enter into public private partnership (PPP) agreements with these groups, which are already working in hospitals of Tamil Nadu.

"Tamil Nadu and Kerala have the best organ transplant facilities in the country. I would say Tamil Nadu is ahead of Kerala. There are specialised organisations which are helping these facilities in Tamil Nadu," he said.

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In a dramatic turn of events in poll-bound Gujarat, quota spearhead Hardik Patel's key aides - Varun Patel and Reshma Patel - today joined the ruling BJP.

The development came hours after state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki invited Hardik Patel to join hands with the party. Solanki even promised to give an additional 20 per cent reservation to economically backward classes in the state if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.

Varun and Reshma were among the prominent faces of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the agitation.

They joined the BJP after a meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and state party chief Jitu Vaghani during its parliamentary board meeting, which was also attended by BJP president Amit Shah.

After joining the BJP, the Patidar leaders told reporters that Hardik has become a "Congress agent" and was trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government.

"Our agitation was about getting reservation under the OBC quota, not about uprooting the BJP and bringing the Congress to power. While the BJP always supported the community and accepted a majority of our demands, Congress is only trying to use Patels as a vote bank. We do not want to be part of such malicious conspiracy," Reshma Patel said.

"This agitation was not of Hardik Patel's alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. I and Varun are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfil our demands," she said.

According to Varun Patel, the Patidar community will never allow the Congress party to take over the reins of Gujarat by inciting Patel youths.

"The BJP government (in the state) held talks with us in the past to resolve various issues. However, the Congress never held such talks, as they were not committed. We have decided to join BJP because we do not want to run the agitation by becoming Congress agents," said Varun Patel.

"The BJP government even promised us to represent the issue of reservation to the OBC Commission. BJP leaders also promised us to provide legal help in case we want to take up the matter with the Supreme Court," he added.

Unfazed by the announcement of his key aides, Hardik Patel said in a tweet he that will continue to fight for the people.

"The centipede will continue to run even if some of his legs break. People are with me, and I will continue to fight for them," he said.

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Taking serious note of alleged custodial torture of a 21-year-old man, the Madras High Court has appointed a former judge to inquire into the complaint and file a report on the causes of injury suffered by the prisoner.

A Division Bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and N Sathish Kumar passed the order on a habeas corpus petition moved by the man's mother Noor Sasha, a resident of Thanjavur.

According to the petitioner, her son Sheik Sahul Hameed was picked up by an inspector of Papanasam police station on August 26 without informing the grounds for arrest.

After they moved the Madurai bench of the high court, police informed that he was remanded in custody at the instance of an inspector of Kancheepuram police for alleged offences under various sections of IPC, she said in her petition.

"My son was beaten black and blue with lathis. There were visible injury marks all over his body and he was not provided food and water for several days. Without producing him in any court, police managed to secure a remand order on August 31 and he was taken to Puzhal prison," Noor Sasha submitted.

But the superintendent of Puzhal prison refused to remand Hameed in view of his injuries and instead admitted him to Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai.

When the issue was brought to the notice of the high court on September 11, it, after perusing the remand report and looking at the injuries suffered by the detenu, directed the state to transfer him from Stanley Hospital to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai on the expenses of the government.

On October 10, after perusing the interim summary report filed by Apollo Hospitals, the bench said, "A perusal of the report establishes that the detenu has suffered acute damage to his kidneys, besides having four fingers of each hand being amputated on account of spread of gangrene. The report, clearly, shows that the state of health of the detenu is poor, to say the least."



Considering the circumstances, the court appointed Justice (retired) Ramanathan to inquire into the matter and file a report to the court.

The bench then posted the plea to November 7 for further hearing.

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Hundreds of people from different walks of life in the US have participated in a prayer vigil for the safe return of a 3-year-old Indian girl who disappeared nearly two weeks ago in Richardson city in Texas.

Sherin Mathews vanished on October 7 after her adoptive father Wesley Mathews told police he left her outside their home at 3 am as punishment for not drinking her milk.

The special needs toddler, according to the reports, was adopted by the Indian-origin couple from an NGO in Bihar's Nalanda last year.

Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested for suspected child endangerment for the treatment of his daughter Sherin. He was taken into custody after reporting the incident to authorities and has been released on bond, according to police



While police in Richardson city in the US state of Texas are yet to make a breakthrough in the case, the FBI has seized nearly 50 items, including cellphones, laptops, a washer and a dryer from the home of Sherin.

A vigil was held for the safe return of Sherin. A priest placed a sign outside the Mathews' family home calling on the girl's parents to "tell the truth."



Her parents both remain "uncooperative," according to police.

Attendees were holding signs like "stop hiding" and "bring her peace".

"Come out and tell the truth so everyone can move on and have peace. Our heart and tears goes to this sweet little girl. Wherever you are God keep you with peace...please mom come out and speak up..you will be the one going to be with a broken heart that will never be repaired," said Saly Cherian, a resident attending the vigil.

"My eyes are filled with tears to see the unity of religions and cultures," said Suji Paris Long, who organised the vigil.

"The fact that the mom isn't even helping definitely frustrates me," said Kim McManus, another person attending the vigil.

"The story just doesn't add up. But I am just continuing to hold on to hope," McManus said.

Investigative experts feel it is what the public is not seeing that could be the most important to a resolution in the case.

"There is no question that most of what the FBI and law enforcement are doing, you don't know about," said Alex del Carmen, a Criminologist with the Tarleton State University.

Del Carmen, who guides investigators on what to look for in cases like the one involving Sherin Mathews disappearance, said, "hundreds of people that are working on this case 24/7 trying to piece it all together because there is the presumption that she in fact is alive".

"But looking at past statistics involving older and similar events, 12 days missing is a lot of time, the clock is against the individual coming out of this thing alive," said Carmen. "The odds are against her."



"Investigators are going to look at every single angle," said Carmen. Digital evidence like emails, texts, google searches in any case helps investigators understand if there is any motive.

Reliable sources said that the parents of the girl are involved in another legal battle. Court documents reveal Sherin Mathews' parents will go to trial in February for a crash they were involved in September 2015.

The person suing them claims Sherin's father, Wesley, was behind the wheel and failed to slow down and or stop, crashing into the back of the Plaintiffs car. The person suing them is asking between USD 100,000 and USD 200,000 from the Mathews in damages.

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Iraq said it hiked southern oil production by 200,000 barrels per day today to compensate for a halt in pumping in Kirkuk province because of its conflict with the Kurds.

"Basra Oil Company (BOC) started to pump an extra 200,000 bpd from the south and centre" in addition to the 2.2 million barrels exported daily, Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaybi said in a statement.

He said the move was to compensate for the loss of exports from the oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk which Iraqi security forces retook from Kurdish fighters in a military operation this week.

The arrangement would continue "until exports from the north return to normal", Luaybi said, adding it would not violate Iraq's OPEC commitment to stick to a lower output quota.

Before the conflict, the Iraqi Kurds were exporting an average of 550,000 bpd via a pipeline through Turkey, half of which was pumped from the Kirkuk fields where production has halted.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair today, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is on Sunday to take part in Riyadh along with 10 of his ministers in a meeting of the two countries' coordination commission, according to Iraq's ambassador to the Saudi kingdom, Roshdy al-Ani.

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Japan's leader may have made the right call after all, if not for his country then for himself. Media polls indicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition will handily win a general election tomorrow, possibly even retaining its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house of parliament.

Japanese voters may not love Abe, but they appear to want to stick with what they know, rather than hand the reins to an opposition with little or no track record. Uncertainly over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear arsenal may be heightening that underlying conservatism.

"I buy into Prime Minister Abe's ability to handle diplomacy," said Naomi Mochida, a 51-year-old woman listening to Abe campaign earlier this week in Saitama prefecture, outside of Tokyo.

"I think the most serious threat we face now is the North Korea situation. I feel Prime Minister Abe has been showing the best tactics to handle the situation, compared to other politicians including past prime ministers."



Abe dissolved the lower house a little more than three weeks ago on the day it convened for a special session, forcing the snap election. The timing seemed ripe for his ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting.

Support for Abe's Cabinet, the standard measure of a government's popularity in Japan, had bounced back from summertime lows. The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray than usual after its leader had resigned. Holding off would only give a potential rival, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, more time to organise a challenge.

The election is "mainly about the Abe administration trying to lock in its position ... and with success, get Prime Minister Abe re-elected as president of the LDP in September and rule until after the Tokyo Olympics, until 2021," Michael Green, a Japan expert at the Centre for Strategic and Studies in Washington, DC, said on a call with journalists.

Koike, her hand forced by Abe's decision, hastily launched a new party to contest the election. Her Party of Hope briefly stole the limelight from Abe, attracting a slew of defectors from the Democrats. Its populist platform includes phasing out nuclear power by 2030, and putting on hold an increase in the consumption tax due in 2019.

But Abe's gambit appears to be paying off. The initial excitement for the Party of Hope has waned. Koike, the party leader, decided not to run for the 465-seat lower house and won't even be in Japan on election day. She is heading to Paris for a global conference of mayors that will discuss issues such as climate change.

The Democratic Party has imploded. Its more liberal members have launched yet another grouping, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which is now outpolling the Party of Hope.
An RSS worker and journalist Rajesh Mishra was today shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants, who also wounded his brother, in Uttar Pradesh's Gazipur, police said.

The assailants, who came brandishing firearms, shot at Mishra (40) when he and his brother Amitesh were at their shop in Brahmanpura Chatti area where they sold building material, circle officer Hridayanad Singh said.

Mishra was associated with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, one of the largest selling newspapers in the country.

Mishra, who was shot in the head, was declared brought dead at the district hospital. His brother, who was shot in the abdomen, has been referred to a Varanasi hospital for further treatment.

Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anand Kumar said in Lucknow that two of the attackers have been identified.

"Of the three assailants, two have been identified, and soon all of of them will be arrested," he added.

Shantanu Bhowmik, a journalist working with a local news channel, was beaten to death while covering a clash in Tripura last month.

Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics, was shot dead in Bengaluru by unidentified assailants on September 5. Police are yet to make any arrest in the case.

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Kerala's all-women self-help group "Kudumbashree' today opened a special academic platform to impart training for its 43 lakh members targeting their socio-cultural, educational and overall personality development.

Titled 'Kudumbashree School', the platform would give training to its members, majority of them ordinary homemakers, in personality and skill development, leadership and creative abilities.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today inaugurated the initiative at a function held at Puliyarakkonam near here.

In a Facebook post, Vijayan said Kudumbashree should be able to extend support not only to its volunteers but also to the society as a whole.

"Beyond the targets of poverty eradication and empowerment of its members, Kudumbashree should be able to grow as a positive gathering in the respective localities," he said.

According to official sources, the school project would be implemented through the government's informal education programme being implemented centring 'Ayalkoottams' (neighbourhood groups) under Kudumbashree.

Kudumbashree has a three-tier structure for its women community network, with Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level.

'Pravesanotsavam' (admission festival) was held in various parts of the state at the 'Ayalkoottam' level to mark the launch of the initiative, they said.

Experts from different fields and retired teachers would impart training for Kudumbashree members under the programme and six resource persons from each ward have been selected for its smooth conduct.

Kudumbashree Executive Director S Harikishore said as many as 1.90 lakh teachers would be part of the training programme in 19,854 wards across the state.

A two-hour training would be imparted to the members for six weeks during the meeting of respective 'ayalkoottams', he said adding that different departments would be coordinated to implement the initiative.

Those who successfully complete the training would be given certificates, he said.

At the macro level, the 'Kudumbashree School' project is aimed at creating awareness among the grass root level women about their social responsibilities and improve their standard of living through knowledge, the official added.

Launched in 1998 as a poverty eradication mission by the state government to wipe out poverty through community action, Kudumbashree has tried its hand in various fields, ranging from pickle-making to IT business to empowering women households in the state.

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A 27-year-old Pole today knifed one person to death and injured seven others in a busy shopping centre in the southern city of Stalowa Wola that police did not immediately qualify as terrorism.

The attack occurred around 3 PM local time (1300 GMT) before shoppers apprehended the knifeman, identified only as Konrad K, and handed him over to police.

"The man acted irrationally, stabbing people in the back. One of the wounded women died. Seven other people are injured," police said in a statement.

Officers said the man had no criminal record and was sober. He is being tested for drugs.

Such attacks are extremely rare in Poland, an EU country of 38 million which has so far escaped the terrorism-related carnage experienced elsewhere in the bloc in recent years.

"The police are trying to establish the circumstances of the incident and above all, the reasons behind it," government spokesman Rafal Bochenek told the Polish PAP press agency.

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A Kashmiri Pandit couple staged a sit-in on a road in Kulgam district, accusing their neighbours of pelting stones on their house on Diwali to force them out of the valley, a claim dismissed by police which said it was a case of "land dispute".

A video circulated by a local channel showed former district agriculture officer Avtar Krishan and his wife sitting on the main road and blocking the passage of vehicles by a wooden log.

They accused three brothers living in their neighbourhood of pelting stones on the house to force them out of the village.

Pandit alleged that his house was attacked after he lit candles to celebrate Diwali on Thursday.

"I have not migrated. I have stayed back in the valley and I'm living with dignity among the Muslims," he said, demanding protection from the state government.

He said "barring this family of goons, the rest of Muslim community have always been good to us".

The video also featured an elderly Kashmiri Pandit woman who accused the neighbours of harassment and causing damage to the boundary wall of her house.

"My children want me to come to Jammu but I feel peace in my land here," she said wiping off tears.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shridhar Pantil said he along with Deputy Commissioner Talat Pervez todaymet Pandit in Ratnipora.

He said Pandit and his neighbour were both eyeing a piece of state land and had a quarrel over its possession lately.

"We have already registered a case on a complaint by him and started investigation," he said, adding that action would be taken as per law.

Meanwhile, a police spokesman said the incident occurred on October 19 between Pandit and Naseer Ahmad Bhat and his brothers in Renipora village.

"Immediate help was provided to the families through the Police Control Room by sending a team from Kulgam police station," he said.

A case under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, including wrongful restraint, criminal assault to outrage modesty of a woman and endangering life was registered on the same day, the spokesman said.

Quoting preliminary investigation, he said it was found that the matter was a dispute over state land which belonged to neither party.

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Anirban Lahiri put himself in contention for his maiden PGA Tour title as he played one of the best rounds in the field on a difficult third day at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges today.

Lahiri carded three-under 69, the third best card in the field today, to move to tied 3rd with one more round to go.

The 30-year-old Indian, whose career-best finish on the PGA Tour is a tied-2nd at the Memorial in 2017, is now seven- under 209.

Lahiri is two shots behind co-leaders Justin Thomas (70) and Scott Brown (71), who are at nine-under 207.

Whee Kim (70) is tied for fifth after a 72, alongside Australian youngster Cameron Smith (73) and former 2009 US Open winner Lucas Glover (74).

Korea's An Byeong Hun (67), one of the only two players to shoot better than Lahiri in third round, was tied-8th with overnight leader Luke List (76).

On a day when wind was between 10-20 miles per hour most of the time, there were gusts going up to 25-30 mph, the scoring average for the field was 74.795, Lahiri was almost five shots better than that.

Starting the day five shots off the lead, Lahiri had four birdies and one bogey, and is now just two behind.

Thomas, the reigning FedExCup Champion offset a lone double bogey and a bogey with five birdies to reach nine-under 207, while Brown had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 but recovered with a birdie on 15, adding to the one he had on the par-4 fifth.

Lahiri was sharing third place with Australian Marc Leishman (71).

After the round, Lahiri said, "It was really tough. Right around the 5th or 6th hole the wind started gusting and whipping. The back nine was incredibly hard, especially coming in. You just had to try to take an advantage of the holes that were down wind and reachable.

"It was just a matter of making pars after that. It's hard and you need to putt well and stay calm."



Lahiri had birdies on second, fifth and sixth on front nine followed by a fourth on 10th. For a brief period he even held joint lead. A bogey on 16th dropped him back, but he finished the day at tied-3rd.

Overnight leader List struggled with the windy conditions and fell into a tie for eighth place after a 76. List had three bogeys on the front nine and a pair of double bogeys on the back nine.

Jason Day also struggled with the wind, carding a 71 to be tied for 16th.

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A court in Lebanon today sentenced in absentia two Lebanese citizens to death over the 1982 assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel, a move praised by his family and supporters, judicial officials said.

More than three decades after Gemayel was killed in a powerful explosion in Beirut, the case still sharply divides Lebanese, some see him as a national hero while others say he was an Israeli agent.

The assassination came at the height of the country's 15 -year civil war and Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

According to judicial officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, Habib Tanious Shartouni and Nabil Faraj al-Alam, both members of the pro-Syrian Syrian Social Nationalist Party, were sentenced to death.

Gemayel was killed along with and 23 supporters at the right-wing Christian Phalange Party headquarters in the east Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafiyeh on September 14, 1982, barely two weeks before he was due to take office.

Gemayel, 34 at the time, was allied with Israel. His death prompted the Israeli army to storm and occupy Muslim west Beirut and Gemayel's right-wing Phalange militiamen to break into the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila on the outskirts of Beirut, killing hundreds of unarmed Palestinian refugees and Lebanese Muslims.

"Today, Bashir and the September 14 martyrs, regained some of their rights because the loss of Bashir and his comrades cannot be compensated," Gemayel's wife, Solange, told reporters outside the courthouse shortly after the verdict was read.

Wide celebrations were underway by Gemayel's supporters in Ashrafiyeh's main square, near the site of the bombing.

Near the courthouse, SSNP supporters protested the verdict, saying that Shartouni, one of the two sentenced to death, should be honored for fighting "Israel's project in Lebanon."



Days after Gemayel was assassinated, Shartouni was detained and held until 1990, when he was set free after the Syrian military moved into Lebanon's Christian heartland and removed then-prime minister Michel Aoun from areas he controlled in east Beirut. Aoun is today the Lebanese president.

Shartouni has been at large since he broke out of prison on October 16, 1990. Though his whereabouts remain unknown, some local media have quoted him in interviews as saying he killed Gemayel and that at some point he lived in Syria.

An interview with him was published yesterday in the daily Al-Akhbar in which he is quoted as saying he does not regret his act.

Al-Alam, who allegedly instigated Shartouni to carry out the bombing, is believed to have died in Latin America in 2014 but Lebanese authorities have tried him in absentia, saying they have no evidence he is dead.

After Lebanon's civil war ended in 1990, a general amnesty was issued for all crimes except for those that were referred to the Supreme Judicial Council, which handles political and state security crimes.

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President Donald Trump today lauded the liberation of Raqqa as "a critical breakthrough" in the international campaign to defeat ISIS and said the US will support diplomatic negotiations that end violence in the war- torn Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces with the support from the US-led international coalition recently declared the "total liberation" of the Syrian city of Raqqa, which for more than three years was the de facto capital of Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.

Trump said anyone who supports ISIS will face justice as he formally announced the liberation of Raqqa and earlier the Iraqi city of Mosul the two strong hold of this terrorist outfit.

"The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight," Trump said.

"Today, we reaffirm that ISIS leaders, and anyone who supports them, must and will face justice..Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control," he said in a statement.

Trump said soon in a new transition the US will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria and advance the conditions for lasting peace so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten the collective security again.

"Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honours the will of the Syrian people," he said.

Trump said one of his core campaign promises to the American people was to defeat the ISIS and to counter the spread of hateful ideology.

He said that is why, in the first days of his Administration, he issued orders to give the commanders and troops on the ground the full authority to achieve this mission.

"As a result, ISIS strongholds in Mosul and Raqqa have fallen. We have made, alongside our coalition partners, more progress against these evil terrorists in the past several months than in the past several years," he said.

The president commended all of the coalition partners for their sacrifices.

Raqqa was occupied by the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was embroiled in a destructive civil war before being seized by the ISIS in January 2014, the time when the city was declared the capital of the terrorist group's so-called "caliphate".

During the civil war in Raqqa, the local population lived in a cross-fire of destruction brought about by continuous conflict between the Syrian regime and the opposition. Under ISIS, the city became a magnet for foreign terrorists.

Syria's civil war has killed more than 300,000 people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted in 2011.

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Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar today met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

The meeting, during which a range of regional and international issues were discussed, took place at Alamein as Egypt observed the 75th anniversary of the historic battle of El Alamein.

Akbar laid a wreath at Indian soldiers cemetery and remembered their valiant sacrifices in the World War II.

"Laid wreath at Indian soldiers cemetery at Alamein. Remembered their valiant sacrifices in World War II," he tweeted.

During the meeting, Sisi praised the historical bilateral ties and expressed Egypt's keenness to continue enhancing the relations, state agency MENA reported.

The President, who visited India in September 2016, said he was looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Egypt.

He also said that it was important to prepare a joint committee to activate the cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

The meeting was attended by India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry.

Akbar delivered a message to Sisi on behalf of Modi expressing India's desire to strengthen relations between the two countries and to form a partnership with Egypt, spokesperson of the Presidency Alaa Yousef said in a statement.

Both sides discussed regional and international issues and agreed to continue exchanging high profile visits.

The decisive World War II Battle of El Alamein - which began on October 23, 1942 - pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.

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A 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his co-worker, chopping his body and hiding it in a refrigerator after he suspected him of having an affair with his wife in south Delhi's Mehrauli, police said today.

Badal Mandal, alias Swapan Singra, severed the head of Vipin Joshi with a meat cleaver and hid the body parts in a refrigerator at his rented flat in the same area, they said.

Joshi and Mandal worked at a restaurant.

Joshi had been missing since October 9 and his body was recovered on October 15. Badal was arrested three days later from Rourkela in Odisha after one of his relatives informed the police.

During interrogation, Badal told the police that he had seen Joshi visiting his house a couple of times in his absence. He suspected his wife of having an illicit affair with Joshi, following which he planned to kill him, the police said.

He had applied for leave at his workplace before killing Joshi so that no one suspects him of killing Joshi, a senior police officer said.

On the day of the incident, he took a meat cleaver from the restaurant. Mandal and Joshi drank alcohol at the former's flat and then Badal killed him with the cleaver, according to the police.

Mandal then fled to his in-laws house in Kolkata.

A Delhi Police team reached Kolkata in his search after tracking his cellphone's location to Purulia village.

But he was not found there.

The police team then went to Tatanagar, where one of Joshi's relatives said he was in Rourkela.

Badal had even procured fake identity cards and documents to throw the police off track, but he was arrested, the police said.

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A Pakistani court has handed down an unusual punishment to a 34-year-old man for hitting a policeman with his motorcycle standing at a traffic signal for two hours every Friday for a whole year holding a placard on speed awareness.

Muhammad Qasim was convicted of rashly riding a motorbike and injuring a constable deployed for former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf's VVIP movement on September 27, 2015 in the port city of Karachi.

A Judicial Magistrate sentenced Qasim to stand on the busy MA Jinnah road holding a placard inscribed with the message: 'Be careful! Driving negligently and carelessly can kill' every Friday for two consecutive hours till October 11, 2018.

"I was told by the magistrate to either repeat this exercise for 12-months or go to jail," Qasim said.

Five policemen testified against Qasim, telling the judge that the accused was riding against traffic.

When the motorcycle struck the constable, the riders also fell down and were immediately arrested by other policemen.

"If the court had sent me to jail, I would have been declared a criminal. I am thankful to the judicial magistrate for showing some compassion. I have no problems standing for two hours every week holding this banner and it is also a lesson for others," Qasim said.

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Normal life in five southern Odisha districts was hit in a dawn-to-dusk bandh called today by Maoists, who allegedly killed a man in Kandhamal district and abducted a woman during the agitation.

The 12-hour bandh was called by the Bansadhara-Ghumusura-Nagabali division of the CPI(Maoist) demanding immediate arrest of culprits in the gang rape of a minor at Kunduli village in Koraput district, a stop to violence against tribal women and solution to the Mahanadi water row.

It affected life in Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Ganjam districts despite deployment of BSF, CRPF, SOG and general police in sensitive places to ensure peace, officials said.

During the bandh, government buses remained off the roads in the five districts, official sources said.

Private transportation vehicles were in operation in urban centres, where, schools, colleges and shops remained open, they said.

The rebels blocked NH-59 with logs near Tagada bridge, Baliguda and Tumudibandh in Kandhamal district. Banners urging people to make the agitation a success was put up by them at several places.

On Bhawanipatna-Rayagada route, there was complete halt to vehicular traffic.

Vehicular movement in Boudh district was also affected due to the bandh despite heavy security arrangements by the district administration, they said.

The body of a man allegedly killed by Maoists was recovered by the police from a place in Kandhamal-Kalahandi border.

"We can say whether the man was killed by Maoists only after proper verification," DGP R P Sharma told reporters here.

Villagers said that a group of armed rebels came to the village at around 1 a m and forcibly took away the man, identified as Mohan Majhi and killed him this morning.

The ultras also allegedly abducted a woman suspecting her to be a police informers from Lahidi village near Gumudumaha in Kandhamal district during the bandh. Her whereabouts are yet to be known.

CPI(Maoist) Umakant termed the ruling BJD governments movement against the construction of barrages on the upstream of Mahanadi river by Chhattisgarh as "shedding of crocodile tears."



He called upon peoples movements in Odisha to fight against Chhattisgarh governments alleged move to deprive farmers of their rights on Mahanadi waters.

The gang rape, against which the maoists have called the bandh, took place on October 10 in which a student of class nine was allegedly tortured by four men in combat uniform near Kunduli in Koraput district.

The maoists had killed a 'gaon saathi' in Kandhamal district four days ago.

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A depression that caused moderate to heavy rain in most parts of Gangetic West Bengal lay centred near the city this morning and the Met department forecast more precipitation till tomorrow.

The depression over southeast Jharkhand and adjoining north Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal moved east-northeast- wards overnight and lay centred over Gangetic West Bengal and neighbouring areas, about 60 km westnorthwest of Kolkata at 5.30 am, the Met department said today.

The system is very likely to move east-northeastwards-- and weaken gradually into a well marked low pressure area by tomorrow morning.

It is likely to cause heavy rain in Gangetic West Bengal and the north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, the weatherman said.

Moderate to heavy rain occurred at most places in Gangetic West Bengal since yesterday.

With 'Bhai Phonta' (Bhai Dooj) being celebrated today many people were inconvenienced owing to the inclement weather. Bhai dooj is a festival in which sisters pray for their brothers' well-being.

The metropolis recorded 44.7 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am today, the Met department said.

Burdwan and Asansol recorded 65 and 64 mm rainfall respectively, while Diamond Harbour recorded 54.3 mm during the same period.

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A Pakistani woman journalist who was allegedly kidnapped while pursuing the case of an Indian engineer two years ago has been rescued, officials said.

Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have 'forcibly disappeared' while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said last evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

"Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody," Iqbal said, adding tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

" today has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe," rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadi's brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

"Helping an Indian prisoner -- Hamid Ansari -- in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her," Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had told PTI.

"My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national," he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Court's Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November, 2012.

She secured in August, 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansari's mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful.

"Zeenat received threats from unknown persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansari's mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help," Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years' imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and 'spying'. He is still in jail.

The rights activists, especially former secretary general Human Rights Commission of Pakistan I A Rehman, have voiced for the release of Ansari, saying since he has served his sentence, he ought to be set free now.
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has said greater co-operation between India and the US would help boost agricultural production and yield promising results for both countries.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in collaboration with the Iowa State University organised a special session on agriculture as part of the World Food Prize meetings this week. Naidu was visiting the US to attend the meeting.

"Agricultural cooperation between the US and India allows the two countries to exchange innovative ideas and promote technical knowledge that has the power to boost agricultural production and yield promising results for both countries," Naidu said at a business round-table meeting organised by the USISPF in Iowa.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss areas where the US industry may be able to work with the Andhra Pradesh government in providing Agricultural Extension services to farmers and to transfer the latest technical knowledge to the farming community, introduction of high yielding varieties, imparting training to farmers to improve skills and knowledge to boost up the agricultural production and productivity.

The meeting was attended by a delegation of the Indian government as well as representatives from John Deere Financials, PepsiCo, US Department of Agriculture, US India Foundation, GrainPro, Pioneer, and the Global Food Banking Network.

The discussion focused around US-India investment and trade opportunities and challenges with members of the Indian government, along with US industry representatives in the agriculture and food sectors.

"There are great opportunities for collaboration between the US and Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has demonstrated leadership in the Indian food and agriculture industry by leading the way in initiatives such as mega food parks and cold chain development," USISPF president Mukesh Aghi said.

With the aim to start 500 new IT firms in Andhra Pradesh in the next 12 months, Naidu met with representatives from around 80 IT companies from all of US.

In his visit to Iowa university, he also enquired about crop genetics and discussed methods to improve agricultural productivity.

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Scientists have developed a vaccine that targets dozens of pneumonia causing bacterium strains and anticipates future versions of the bacteria, providing the "most comprehensive" coverage of pneumococcal disease such as sepsis and meningitis.

The vaccine has the potential to significantly lower the number of deaths caused by the disease, according a the study published in the journal Science Advances.

In 2004, pneumonia killed more than two million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2015, the number was less than one million.

The new vaccine, which is under development provoked an immune response to 72 forms of S pneumoniae - including the 23 mentioned above - in lab tests on animals.

The new vaccine provokes a strong immune response and is engineered in a way that makes it easy to add sugars for a broad immune response, researchers said.

Key to the technology is a liposome - a tiny liquid- filled bubble made of fat - that acts as a storage tank for the sugars, they said.

Since the sugars are not covalently bonded, it is possible that the liposome could host all of the sugars that identify individual strains of S pneumoniae, researchers said.

"We have made tremendous progress fighting the spread of pneumonia, especially among children. However, if we are ever going to rid ourselves of the disease, we need to create smarter and more cost-effective vaccines," said Blaine Pfeifer associate professor at the University at Buffalo in the US.

Traditional vaccines completely remove bacteria from the body. But we now know that bacteria - and in a larger sense, the microbiome - are beneficial to maintaining good health, researchers said.

The team added proteins at the surface of the liposome which, together with the sugars, provoke immunotherapy.

Researchers performed tests on mice and rabbits, and noted that the new vaccine stimulated an immune response to 72 of the more than 90 known strains of S pneumoniae.

"We now have the ability to watch over bacteria and attack it only if it breaks away from the colony to cause an illness," said Charles H Jones, from University of Buffalo.

"That is important because if we leave the harmless bacteria in place, it prevents other harmful bacteria from filling that space," Jones said.

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At least 50 Egyptian policemen, including officers and conscripts, were killed and several others injured in a gun battle with terrorists during a raid on a militant hideout near Cairo, security sources said today.

The policemen were killed in the exchange of fire with terrorists late yesterday in el-Wahat desert in Giza governorate, about 135 kilometers from the capital.

The security sources put the death toll of policemen, including officers and conscripts, at over 50.

However, the Ministry of Interior issued a statement late yesterday saying "a number" of policemen were killed and injured. It didn't provide the death toll.

It also said that "a number" of terrorists were killed.

The statement said the National Security sector received information about terrorists hiding in the el-Wahat desert area. Police forces then launched an operation.

The statement said that the forces are looking for terrorists in the surrounding areas.

No terrorist group claimed responsibility of the attack.

Terrorist attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

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Joining the Aadhaar seeding debate, public sector banks' officer union has demanded that mandatory linking of biometric identity number should be put on hold till such time the Supreme Court comes out with a clear directive.

Another organisation All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has also registered their protest against instructions given by some of the banks to designate certain branches as special cells for enrolment of Aadhaar.

The government should make it clear before the common citizens of the country that the seeding of Aadhaar is purely voluntary and not mandatory, All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said in a statement.

"The advisory to this effect should also be passed to all the stakeholders. We also demand that the government should look for alternatives or add more workforce into banks to implement Aadhaar related works in the public sector banks," AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco said.

Earlier in the day, Reserve Bank of India said linkage of biometric identity number Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandatory.

The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts.

AIBOC further contested that the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was meant to cover targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services that were paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Moreover, it said the Aadhaar Act prescribed that enrolment was entirely voluntary.

If the act of getting an Aadhaar card is voluntary under the law, it wondered, how can the government make it mandatory for continued access to banking and telecom facilities that were not covered by the Act in the first place.

At a time when the resources of the public sector banks are under severe strain, employing their resources on Aadhaar seeding will further constrain them in their efforts of recovery of NPAs, which eventually will further deteriorate the health, it said.

"At present, this work is being done by some private agencies and bank premises are being used by them. Latest instructions are to disengage these private agencies and entrust the Aadhaar enrolment/updation work entirely to the bank staff," AIBEA said.

This is unacceptable since the bank staff are overburdened due to inadequate recruitment and increased volume of work of implementing various government schemes, among other things, it said.

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Army chief General said on Saturday that radicalisation in Kashmir was being addressed with a "lot of seriousness", as he blamed the social media for its rise.

Rawat, on a day-long visit here, also brushed aside the issue of alleged braid chopping incidents in the state as a "routine matter" that the civil administration and the police would deal with.

"Radicalisation is taking place. It is a worldwide phenomenon that radicalisation is taking place. We are addressing it with a lot of seriousness," Rawat told reporters here when asked if radicalisation was taking place in the Kashmir Valley.

Rawat, while speaking on the sidelines of a function where he presented President's Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, said that the Jammu and Kashmir government, the police, the administration and everybody was concerned about radicalisation.

"We are trying to ensure that people are being weaned away from this kind of radicalisation," Rawat said.

The Army chief blamed the social media for the radicalisation of the people, particularly the youth in the state.

"It (radicalisation) is happening mainly because of the social media," he said.

Asked about the challenge being faced by the government and the security agencies due to the alleged braid chopping incidents that have triggered violent protests in the state, Rawat said, "Why do you see it as a challenge."



It has been happening in other parts of the country and now it has started happening in Kashmir as well, the Army chief said.

"We don't see it as a challenge. It is a routine matter. Civil administration and police is taking action into it and it will be foiled by taking actions," he said.

Asked if the separatists were taking advantage of this to trigger turmoil in the Valley, he said the role of media was important to uncover the truth behind it.

Rawat, while replying to a question on whether the NIA raids were aimed at mellowing down separatists in the Valley and giving a jolt to the stone pelters, said the central government's approach was being followed in Kashmir to deal with the situation and the NIA raids were part of that.

"When the whole of the government approach is adopted then every aspect and every machinery of the government is to play a part and whatever success the NIA raids have achieved will emerge in the near future," he said.
The Rajasthan government has directed all officers and other employees to not make any "baseless" comments or allegations against any person, party or organisation through press or social media.

Referring to the All India Services (Conduct) Rules 1968 and Rajasthan Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, a government circular said no officer or other employee shall over any media make any statement or opinion which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any policy or action of the government.

The employees through the circular issued recently were warned of disciplinary action if found involved in making baseless allegations or comments.

Secretary, department of personnel, Bhaskar A Sawant in the circular warned of strict disciplinary action if any officer or employee failed to comply with the directions.

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Commemoration Day was observed at the state police headquarters here, with top officials paying respect to over 300 policemen 'martyred' in the last one year.

Director General of Police TK Rajendran honoured the martyrdom of 370 policemen killed between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2017 by placing a wreath at the police headquarters here.

Former Governor of West Bengal M K Narayanan, officials from the three armed forces stationed here, members of state police force, City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan and others also placed wreaths on the occasion, a police release said.

A traditional gun salute was also given to the police martyrs, it added.

Commemoration Day is observed to pay homage to 10 Indian policemen martyred in firing by Chinese troops in 1959 and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting India's unity.

October 21 commemorates the sacrifices of the 10 policemen while defending India's borders with China in 1959 at Hot Springs in Ladakh.

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Badrikashram Jyotirpeeth Shankaracharya Swami Madhavashram ji Maharaj passed away yesterday in Chandigarh, where he was staying after suffering a paralytic attack about two years ago.

He was 76.

The Sanskrit scholar, whose body was brought to Uttarakhand today, was given a ceremonious burial (bhoo- samadhi) at an ashram in Rishikesh.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was among the several people who paid their last respects to the shankaracharya.

"The shankaracharya had great command over many subjects and his life was dedicated to Sanatan traditions. He always taught the society to tread the correct path," he said.

Swami Madhavashram had been staying in Chandigarh ever since he suffered the attack.

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The website of Spain's Constitutional Court -- which ruled the independence referendum in Catalonia illegal -- was forced down today following threats from cyber-activists, as Madrid prepared to seize powers from the region over its independence threat.

A court spokeswoman said access to its website had been blocked since today morning.

"The site is not accessible due to an overload," she told AFP, in what appeared to be a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, when hackers make a website unavailable by flooding it with traffic.

Hackers from the loose-knit collective Anonymous -- which has targeted a string of high-profile targets around the world in recent years -- had threatened cyber attacks over the Catalan crisis, but the spokeswoman stressed that the source of today's hacking was unknown.

"We are aware of the announcement from Anonymous but we do not know the origin of the attack," she said.

The rest of the court's IT systems have been unaffected, she added.

Spain's National Security Department (DSN), which is part of the prime minister's office, warned on its website late Friday that Anonymous-linked Twitter accounts had announced a wide-scale cyberattack campaign for Saturday under the hashtags #OpCatalunya and #FreeCatalunya.

Spanish government websites have suffered a series of attacks in recent weeks.

The attack on the court website came as Spain's government prepared today to announce unprecedented measures to seize powers from Catalonia's regional government over its threat to break away from the rest of the country.

The northeastern region held a banned independence referendum on October 1, sparking Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

The Constitutional Court had ruled the referendum illegal and voting day was marred by a heavy police crackdown as central authorities sought to prevent it from happening.

Catalonia's government says 90 per cent voted for independence, but turnout was given as only 43 per cent as many Catalans who back staying part of Spain stayed away from the referendum.

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A knife-wielding man randomly attacked passersby in central Munich on Saturday, lightly injuring eight people, police said as they excluded terrorism as a motive after detaining the suspected perpetrator.

The 33-year-old suspect already has a police record for theft and violence and appears to suffer from "psychiatric problems", Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told a news conference.

He expressed confidence that they had detained the perpetrator of the attacks and that there was no longer any threat to the public.

Andrae said the man has so far refused to speak to police and his motive remains unknown.

But "absolutely no element" of the investigation leads police to believe it was a politically or religiously- motivated act of terror, he said.

The man attacked people with his knife at random, causing light injuries to eight people: a 12-year-old boy, six men and one woman, said Andrae.

Six of the people were Germans, one Italian and one Romanian.

Most of the injuries were superficial cuts.

The attacks occurred in six separate locations near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT. The suspect then fled by bike.

During the several hours he remained at large there was a palatable sense of panic in the city, with police urging residents to stay indoors.

In July 2016, a German-Iranian teenager who police say was obsessed with mass murderers, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself.

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Suspected militants vandalised the residence of a ruling PDP leader in the Tral area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir tonight, police sources said.

The ultras, carrying guns, barged into the house of PDP zonal president Peer Mohammad Ashraf at Dadsara in Tral and vandalised it, the sources said.

They said the gunmen fired shots in the air before fleeing.

Ashraf was not present in the house at the time of the incident, the sources added.

The PDP governs the state in alliance with the BJP.

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"Blade Runner 2049" actor Sylvia Hoeks is in talks to join the cast of "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" sequel.

Claire Foy has been roped in to play the lead role of Lisbeth Salander in the sequel titled "The Girl in the Spider's Web," reported Variety.

The new installment of Sony Pictures' Millennium franchise will start production in January in Berlin and Stockholm. The film is scheduled to release on October 19, 2018.

The movie will be directed by Fede Alvarez and Hoeks will play Salander's evil twin in it.

Steven Knight wrote the screenplay for "Girl in the Spider's Web" with the team of Alvarez and Jay Basu, based on David Lagercrantz's bestseller.

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today favoured implementation of a fool-proof PDS policy to put an end to irregularities in the present system.

Rao, who held a meeting with ministers and officials on the public distribution system, expressed anguish that irregularities are taking place and the government is getting a bad name though it spends Rs 6,500 crore every year on the PDS, a release from his office said.

Rao favoured implementation of an effective policy which benefits the poor fully as intended by the government, it said.

Officials briefed him on the Direct Benefit Transfer system in Chandigarh, Pondicherry and other places, and suggested that money can be directly deposited in the accounts of beneficiaries so that they can make purchases on their own.

The CM asked the officials to find out whether supply of rice is a better system or the direct money transfer, the release added.

The officials also informed that alternative arrangements are being made in view of a strike notice given by the PDS shop owners.

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Three people, including a criminal wanted by the Jammu and Kashmir police, were arrested on board a train in Rajasthan's Nagaur district, officials said today.

Suhail Ahmad and two others were caught by the Railway Protection Force from the Ahmedabad-Jammu Tawi Express near the Merta Road station in Nagaur district on Thursday night.

They were handed over to the Kulgam police the following day, an RPF official said.

Suhail (22) is wanted in a case of a recent attack on a police vehicle in Kulgam that left one policeman dead, the Kulgam police said, adding that the identities of the other two were being ascertained.

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Three people, including two sisters, died when a truck hit their motorcycle from behind near Kotban in Kosi Kalan area today, the police said.

All the victims were residents of Delhi. They were returning from a temple after paying their obeisance to the deity when the incident occurred, a police official said.

They were rushed to a hospital where they were pronounced "brought dead", the police said.

The truck driver has been arrested and the vehicle was impounded, they said.

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Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump's chief envoy to the United Nations, cast Russian interference in the 2016 election as "warfare" today, breaking in tone, if not substance, from a president who has consistently downplayed Russian influence in American politics.

US Ambassador Haley lashed out at Russia's efforts to "sow chaos" in elections across the world during a conference hosted by the George W Bush Institute.

"The Russians, God bless them, they're saying, 'Why are Americans anti-Russian? And why have we done the sanctions?' Well, don't interfere in our elections and we won't be anti- Russian," Haley said. She added, "When a country can come and interfere in another country's elections, that is warfare."



Haley's comments were reinforced by former government officials from both parties, including former President George W Bush.

"America has experienced a sustained attempt by a hostile power to feed and exploit our country's divisions," Bush declared. "The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other."



The comments come as Trump continues to question the intelligence community's determination that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Federal officials are investigating Russia's actions and the possibility of collusion with the Trump campaign.

Facebook recently provided three congressional committees with more than 3,000 ads they had traced to a Russian internet agency and told investigators of their contents. Twitter also briefed Congress last month and handed over to Senate investigators the profile names of 201 accounts linked to Russians.

"Foreign aggressions, including cyberattacks, disinformation and financial influence, should never be downplayed or tolerated," Bush said.

The Republican former president did not go after Trump by name, but he condemned some of the values Trump has championed during his rise to power.

"We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America," Bush said. "We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism."



He added, "We need to recall and recover our own identity.

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The UK-India trade ties would remain strong after Britain leaves the European Union, a top Labour leader has said, emphasising that the trade negotiations with India should be a top priority for any government in the UK.

Labour leader and Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry also asserted that her party's government would insist that trade, development and human rights are all inseparable parts of the same conversation.

Speaking to members of the Indian Journalists' Association here last evening, Emily said she did not doubt that the UK-India trade ties would remain strong after Britain leaves the European Union.

"We need to be clear-eyed and realistic about how much can be achieved and how quickly," she said.

She said she believed that trade negotiations with India should be a top priority for any government - Labour or Tory.

Emily noted that in terms of the UK's foreign policy, too, Labour has been and remains fully committed to maintaining strong ties with India as a vital ally, a partner and a friend.

"But there are clearly challenges ahead. Perhaps the first among them, it should come as no surprise, is Brexit. Taken as a whole, the EU is India's biggest trading partner. And the UK still accounts for a substantial chunk of that. So naturally, questions are being asked - in Brussels, London and New Delhi - about what the future of our trade relations will look like," she said.

She pointed out that the negotiations on an EU-India free-trade agreement, which have been dragging on for a decade now, have been so protracted precisely because there are still so many barriers to tariff-free trade.

Emily stated that India has become a leading contender for a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council, having already served as an elected member no fewer than seven times.

She also slammed President Donald Trump for announcing US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

"In his speech, Trump actually singled India out in claiming that the country: 'makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries'.

"Never mind that the claim was untrue - and later completely discredited - it showed contempt not just for international efforts to address climate change, but for one of the countries that could be most severely affected by its consequences," she added.

She said a Labour government would not just share India's anger at such sentiments, but also be willing to express them loudly and directly at the US President.

Emily said that the US has abdicated its role as leader of the free world and there is a vacancy to be filled.

"There is not just the opportunity for Indian leadership. The world needs Indian leadership. It is crying out for Indian leadership," she asserted.

She also "despite the reform agenda promised by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in the past...we have not seen the anticipated wave of privatisations promised under that agenda.

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US Ambassador Nikki Haley will be the highest-ranking administration official to visit Africa next week when she travels to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

Haley will meet with officials from the African Union in Addis Ababa on Monday before traveling on to Juba and Kinshasa for talks with leaders and to meet with UN peacekeepers, said a US statement.

Haley "will witness firsthand the UN operations working to address conflict and devastation in these countries, including visits with UN peacekeeping missions and sites of other UN agencies providing life-saving humanitarian aid," said the statement on Friday.

President Donald Trump announced Haley's visit to Africa last month during a meeting with African leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

Trump told the African leaders he was "deeply disturbed by the ongoing violence in South Sudan and in the Congo" but said peace and prosperity would come through an African-led process.

Haley, he said, would discuss conflict resolution and "most importantly, prevention" during her trip.

Nine months into his presidency, Trump has shown little interest in Africa and Haley's trip is a first opportunity for his administration to shape its policy toward the continent.

The 45-year-old former governor of South Carolina has emerged as a leading voice on US foreign policy, at times outshining US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Haley's visit to South Sudan comes as regional leaders have launched a new peace initiative aimed at kick-starting the effort to end the nearly four-year war that has left tens of thousands dead and millions uprooted.

The United States is South Sudan's biggest aid provider and a key supporter of its 2011 independence from Sudan.

Last month, Haley told the Security Council that the regional effort was the "last chance" for peace in South Sudan and said leaders should get behind the initiative.

In the DR Congo, the United States has joined calls from the Security Council for Kinshasa to announce a date for elections in the vast resource-rich African country.

Elections were supposed to take place this year under a transitional deal aimed at avoiding bloodshed after President Joseph Kabila refused to step down when his second and final term ended in December 2016.

But the DR Congo's electoral commission is facing logistical hurdles and this month said it would need another 504 days to prepare for the vote, which means the elections would not be held before early 2019.

South Sudan and the DR Congo host two of the biggest and costliest UN peacekeeping missions.

During negotiations this year, Haley was a driving force behind a USD 600-million cut to the peacekeeping budget and has vowed to review each UN mission to look at further savings.

Some 14,000 peacekeepers have been deployed to South Sudan and 18,000 blue helmets are tasked with protecting civilians in the DR Congo.

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A bipartisan group of 21 American Senators have called for sanctions against Myanmar and suspension of military aid in the wake of more than 500,000 Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh due to alleged human rights violations by the security forces.

In a letter to Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Senators called on Myanmar government to immediately end its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya; permit safe access to Myanmar for journalists, humanitarians, and United Nations fact-finding mission personnel; and work to address the root of this conflict by affirming support for the report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The bipartisan letter by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was signed by 21 senators. The letter calls for "tangible actions against the Myanmarese government to end the violence, help the Myanmarese people, and make clear that there will be consequences for those who commit such atrocities against civilians."



The signatories of the letter include senators Todd Young, Jeff Merkley, Susan Collins, Ben Cardin, Thom Tillis, Patty Murray, Marco Rubio.

The senators believe that the Myanmarese government will not take the steps without significant international pressure.

They have urged Haley to work to suspend all international military weapons' transfers to the Myanmar's military and to impose strong multilateral sanctions against specific senior military officials associated with the gross human rights abuses.

"We also ask that you request the United Nations to launch an investigation to document human rights abusesthat will facilitate holding perpetrators in the Myanmarese government and its security forces accountable," the letter said.

"To accomplish these objectives, we encourage you and Secretary General Guterres to travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh to bring attention to this crisis.We also ask you to push for a strong United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," it said.

Early this week, a bipartisan group of as many as 41 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter yesterday to the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling on the United States to take significant actions to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

In the letter, lawmakers asked the US take further diplomatic steps to bring the persecution of the Rohingya people to an end by declining to grant any visas to members of Myanmar's security services until humanitarian access is granted to those displaced in Myanmar.

They also urged the Secretary of State to utilise existing sanctions laws with respect to those engaged in human rights abuses, and encouraging countries to suspend arms sales to Myanmar.

The letter also urges the Trump administration to support the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State that carried out a year-long study into conflict in the area.

"We ask that you take meaningful steps with respect to the Myanmarese military and other entities engaged in abuses," the lawmakers said.

"At a minimum, we trust that you will suspend all waivers of visa ineligibilities pursuant to the Block Burmese Jade Act until the military allows unfettered humanitarian access to internally displaced persons in northern Rakhine State," they said.

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The United States called today for Iraqi federal forces to limit their "movements" in areas claimed by both them and the country's Kurds to avoid more violence between Washington's allies.

Iraqi forces clashed with Kurdish units in the northern province of Kirkuk yesterday, part of a largely bloodless operation that saw them retake swathes of disputed territory from the Kurds in a matter of days.

Both federal and Kurdish forces have been key US allies in the war against the Islamic State group, but a common jihadist enemy did not erase long-running territorial and financial disputes between the two sides.

"In order to avoid any misunderstandings or further clashes, we urge the central government to calm the situation by limiting federal force movements in disputed areas to only those coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

As Kurdish authorities have vehemently criticised Iraqi operations in the disputed areas, the statement effectively amounts to a call on them to cease.

The US also urges "all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm," Nauert said.

Iraqi Kurdish forces gained or solidified control over a number of disputed areas in the course of the three-year war against IS, which saw federal troops flee their posts in the north during the initial jihadist onslaught in 2014.

But a non-binding referendum on independence held by the Kurds last month provided the excuse and the winding down of major operations against IS the opportunity for Baghdad to make good its losses.

The US opposed the independence referendum, as did Baghdad and various neighbouring states.

But while the US appears likely to have given at least tacit approval to the Iraqi operation, the statement also made clear that federal forces regaining control of disputed territory does not end the debate over the status of these areas.

"The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution," Nauert said.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu's visit to Jaipur has been postponed, a state government press release said today.

Naidu was scheduled to visit Jaipur on October 23.

The visit, according to the release, was postponed due to "unavoidable" reasons.

He was to attend a felicitation programme of veteran MLAs and offer his tribute to former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Naidu, who underwent angioplasty at the premier AIIMS hospital in Delhi yesterday, was discharged today and doctors have advised him complete rest for three days.

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The Left parties today said the vilification of the Taj Mahal by BJP leaders exposed their "intolerance" towards matters they could not associate themselves with.

Inaugurating a 'Jana Jagaran Jatha' organised by the ruling CPI-M led Left Democratic Front (LDF) here, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flayed the statement of BJP leader Vinay Katiyar that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple.

"It all started when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in that state.

"It showed that...they cannot tolerate the name Shahjahan, who built the historic and heritage structure," he said, adding, "We have to seriously think as regards which direction our country is headed to."



Attacking the BJP-RSS, the CPI(M) leader alleged that the saffron party had a "clear agenda" behind raking up the issue of Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and added, "They are attempting to trigger communal tension in the country by moving towards constructing the shrine."



He slammed the BJP-led central government and alleged that the federal principles had been thrown to the wind, in tune with the policy of the RSS, which believed in centralisation of power.

Vijayan accused RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of "defaming" Kerala with his statement that it had become a place for "Jihadis" under the LDF government.

He also came down on the just-concluded Jana Raksha Yatra of the BJP in Kerala, which was attended by party president Amit Shah among others, and described it as an attempt to create tension in the southern state.

The LDF has organised two 'jana jagaran jatha', one is being led by CPI state secretary Kannam Rajendran from here and another by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod, to counter the BJP's "communal agenda" and highlight the state government's achievements.

After flagging off the 'jatha' at Manjeswaram, CPI national secretary D Raja, criticising Katiyar's remark on the Taj Mahal, said, "Now they (BJP-RSS) want to demolish the Taj Mahal."



He claimed that the RSS had become very influential at the Centre ever since Narendra Modi became the prime minister.

"The RSS is an organisation with a communal and fascist ideology," Raja said, adding, "Now they want to re-write history and their target is the Taj Mahal."



The 'jatha' led by Rajendran is scheduled to conclude at Ernakulam and the one led by Balakrishnan at Thrissur, after criss-crossing all the 140 Assembly constituencies of the state, on November 3.

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The Jharkhand government today said Aadhaar card was not mandatory to collect food grains from the public distribution system after a 11-year-old girl allegedly died of starvation.

Local activists had alleged that the girl died of starvation on September 28 after her family was denied ration for the want of an Aadhar-linked ration card.

"Aadhaar card is not mandatory. Any card, including a driver's license and voter ID card or any specified card, is permissible for procuring food grains," the state's Food Minister Saryu Roy said.

A toll free number- 1800 212 55 12--had been set up to lodge complaints regarding ration distribution, Roy said, adding that grain banks would also be set up in every block.

Meanwhile, a fresh probe announced by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on October 17 had found that the girl died of malaria, officials said.

The first probe by a three-member team, which was constituted on October 6, also examined the case and found the girl died of malaria, they said
India stood ready to further strengthen ties with the United States, the government said on Friday, after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson vowed to dramatically expand cooperation as a way to counter China's influence in Asia.

Tillerson, who is visiting India next week as part of a tour to the region, said in a speech the United States had begun to discuss alternatives to Chinese infrastructure financing in Asia that critics say has spawned resentment and fears of a debt trap.

He also called for expanding the scope of security cooperation between India, the United States and Japan to include other countries such as Australia, a plan that China has said in the past would be de-stabilising to the region.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman said Tillerson had made an important speech on the future of India-U.S. relations and India looked forward to detailed discussions next week. "We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions," the spokesman said.

Tillerson did not say what he meant by creating an alternative to Chinese infrastructure financing, which India has also been increasingly concerned about as China seeks to build trade and transport links in Asia.

India was the only major country in Asia not to send a representative to a "Belt and Road Initiative" summit in Beijing in May because an economic corridor that China was building in Pakistan ran through territory claimed by India. India warned that China's plans for a modern-day "Silk Road" could create an "unsustainable debt burden" for countries.

The ministry spokesman said India agreed with Tillerson's call for a "rules-based" international order that is seen as under risk from China's assertive posture in Asia.

The United States has repeatedly criticised China for disregarding international law with the construction and militarisation of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, where neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have claims.

"Tillerson has made a significant policy statement on India-U.S. relations and its future. He brought out its various strengths and highlighted our shared commitment to a rule-based international order," the Indian spokesman said.

India, though, has been wary of U.S. calls for a bigger Indian military role including joint patrols in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, worried it would antagonise China further.
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Retired Navy SEAL Praising Trump on Fox News Was a Fake

How about we start over here and discuss the OP?Fox News ran a story on Oct. 8 about a decorated Vietnam War Navy SEAL and glass artist who created an enormous presidential glass seal he hoped to give to President Trump. On Thursday, 11 days later, the network retracted the story after being told the Trump supporter never served in the SEALs or in Vietnam, much less earned commendations for his service.In the segment, John Garofalo, 72, a resident of New York state, said he served in the Vietnam War with a U.S. Navy SEAL team. Fox News reported that he also received two Purple Hearts and about two dozen other medals for his service.The mans claimed record turned out to be a fabrication. It was first discovered by former Navy SEALs. Both these SEALs and family members of Garofalo contacted Fox News about the story, according to the Navy Times.Don Shipley, a retired SEAL, told the Navy Times that he contacted Fox on Oct. 9, the day after the story ran.But the story was still on the news outlets Facebook page on Oct. 19. By then it had amassed 1.5 million views.Fox published a correction on Thursday.All of Garofalos claims turned out to be untrue, Foxs correction stated. The fact is that he did not serve in Vietnam. He was never a U.S. Navy SEAL. Even though he showed us medals, Garofalo was not awarded two Purple Hearts or any of the other nearly two dozen commendations he claimed to have received, except for the National Defense Service Medal.A Fox spokesman told the Navy Times it would run an on-air correction on Sunday.Fox News not withdrawing that story has drove me nutty, Don Shipley, a retired SEAL who tracks down and exposes bogus military service claims and was the first to obtain official records disputing Garofalos story, told the Navy Times.In the retracted segment, Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas repeatedly praised Garofalo for his service.Garofalo is used to working under pressure, Llenas said. The Vietnam War veteran served seven years as a member of the nations first Navy SEAL team. He was awarded 22 commendations, including two Purple Hearts.You are a hero, Llenas told him.God bless John Garofalo, another anchor said. We certainly hope maybe the president is listening.Shipley said he reached out to Llenas via Facebook, telling him that Garofalo was not a Vietnam War veteran.You can turn this story around, he told Llenas, according to the Navy Times.In its correction, Fox News said, Over the last two weeks, weve worked with Garofalos family and the National Personnel Records Center to get to the bottom of a military past that Garofalo had claimed to be covert.Garofalo served in the Navy from Sept. 6, 1963, to Sept. 6, 1967, according to military records obtained by the Navy Times. He told the newspaper he has been lying about being a Vietnam veteran and a Navy SEAL for years.It got bigger and bigger, Garofalo told the newspaper in a telephone interview. What I did Im ashamed of, and I didnt mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.
LEBANON  Eighty three-year-old Claude Swanson knows it is time to retire because Cattle are getting faster and fences are getting taller.

Every Thursday for the last 30 years, the former high school ag teacher could be found unloading livestock of all sizes and shapes, preferably sheep, at the Lebanon Auction Yard.

Yesterday was his last day on the job.

Ill still be here; I just wont get paid, Swanson said with a broad grin on his face.

He and business owner Coy Cowart are the same age, and its easy to see they're good friends.

I didnt know anything about sheep when we bought this place 30 years ago, Cowart said. This man is Jesus Christ when it comes to knowledge of sheep. I dont think anyone knows more.

The two men good-naturedly jostled each other before Thursdays sale as sellers and buyers found their preferred seats for the weekly event. They looked over the pens filled with dairy and beef cows, sheep and goats and talked about the many building projects they've completed over the years.

We built that big sweep, Swanson said, pulling open a heavy swinging metal gate. It has two gates on it so you can be loading a second load of livestock as the first load goes into the auction ring.

There are three such sweeps in the facility made of heavy metal tubes and flat steel panels salvaged from area lumber mills.

Swanson designed them and Cowart  who bought the business after retiring from a career as a construction superintendent  welded them up.

Born on a farm in North Dakota, Swanson and his family moved to Lebanon in 1947. He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1952 and joined the Army in 1956. He was a veterinary technician but found himself wrapped up in nuclear testing.

They sent us to the desert near Mercury, Nevada, not far from Las Vegas, and they exploded nuclear bombs about two miles away from us over about 1,500 head of hogs, Swanson said. We had put the hogs in different situations such as in cars, or behind glass, and we had to pick them up after the testing.

He said he could see the bombs that were attached to towers or hung from a balloon.

We wore white coveralls, boots and white gloves that were taped at the seams, Swanson said. We would cover our eyes with our hands and when those bombs went off, you could see your bones.

After his military service, Swanson returned to Lebanon and he and his wife ran a small farm where he again raised sheep. He also taught ag classes at Lebanon High School and Linn-Benton Community College.

I helped start the Land Lab south of town, Swanson said.

Swanson taught for five years and then went to work at the Corvallis Auction Yard, but in 1987, Cowart talked him into helping with his new business as well.

Coy and I built most of this facility, Swanson said.

Cowart echoed Swansons comments, noting that when he purchased the business there were about 23 auction yards in the state. There are now eight. His grandchildren are now working the operation and he hopes his great-grandchildren  who are growing up around the place as well  will someday take over.

Hes a great guy, a super human being, Cowart said of Swanson. We could not have found a better man and hes been a tremendous friend.

Swanson said he's been surrounded by animals his entire life and has found it an enriching experience.

When hes not at the auction yard, Swanson lives on the family sheep ranch on Denny School Road that is now operated by his daughter, Karen, and her husband, Tom Nichols. He said they are knee-deep in lambing season.

As Swanson eats his lunch before the sale, young and old alike drop by to shake his hand, give him a hug and wish him well.

They also ask how hes feeling.

For the last 10 years Swanson has battled prostate cancer. He admits the day or two after infusion can be a little rough.

But being at the auction helps him keep a positive outlook.

Being at the auction is more than just buying and selling livestock, Swanson said. Its a social event. Ive got lots of friends here. Its in my blood.
It's all part of his efforts to capture the built environment of Canberra and the fact he "fascinated by the architecture of Canberra, by its streetscapes and by the whole concept of a city growing out of the wilderness".
The vision fits with the ACT government's plan for Tharwa to entice more visitors to the area. The village plan, which was previously criticised by Mr Haddad as reading "like an episode of [television show] Utopia", states "the Cuppacumbalong homestead precinct is recognised as one of Tharwa's most valued historic assets".
The Turnbulls, while unable to attend, had invited the Hands Across Canberra charity to host the educational event. It was aimed at bringing together disadvantaged children and the organisations that support them, in an effort to draw attention to the less fortunate in the nation's capital.
While she has promised to the publicly release a report from RMIT on the issue "shortly", it is unclear whether that will be the original report, the updated version, or both, and she would not be drawn on a specific date.
"The government is unable to provide data on the percentage of young people who have served a custodial sentence at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre and gone on to serve a custodial sentence at the Alexander Maconochie Centre," Ms Stephen-Smith said in response to a question on notice.
He is right in suggesting that this will happen when the plan is withdrawn or watered down to nothing. The plan is bad and ought to be opposed. The only winners from it are the developers (as always), the unions (their members will get work) and the handful of people wealthy enough to buy a place there. Meanwhile, the rest of us who like living in a city that, until now, was unlike any other in the world, will lose out. It would be interesting to see what Hemsley likes about it.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Writers' conference: The fall conference of Oregon Christian Writers is set for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today at Rolling Hills Community Church, 3550 SW Borland Road, Tualatin.

The event is open to writers of all genres and levels. Writers Digest author, novelist and editor Jeff Gerke will speak on the theme Writing to Capture Readers. Afternoon workshops will cover fiction, poetry, memoirs, marketing, writing markets and story structure, as well as a teen writing track with award-winning author Jill Williamson.

To view the schedule and register, visit http://oregonchristianwriters.org/fall-2017.

Taoist meditation group: The group will meet at 9 a.m. Sunday at the First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op north store, 2855 NW Grant Ave. in Corvallis.

The event will feature Taoist Quiet Sitting meditation, also known as "Preserving the Light of the One." Information: docneedlestcm@gmail.com.

Phrases discussed: At the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service at First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis, Pastor Barbara Nixon will reflect on some phrases she chooses not to say.

While there are things we must learn to say clearly about what one believes, there are also words and phrases to avoid.

Bah'ai devotions: "Seeking Honey" is set for 10 a.m. Sunday at 5006 SW Hollyhock Circle, Corvallis.

The play "Seeking Honey," which will be offered as a readers theater production, revolves around the search for God and learning His Will for ourselves and for humanity. Seekers travel this path at different rates and in different ways. Some are blessed with what seems like direct access to Gods message. Others stumble upon it and are immediately receptive. Others must investigate, ponder and pray before they accept. Still others resist the yearning they feel within them, but through the love and patience of others will open their hearts to Gods influence.

"Seeking Honey" is as much an exploration of the spiritual search as of the nature of faith itself.

Organ concert: Albany First United Methodist Church, 1115 28th Ave. SW, will host its sixth annual Fall Organ Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Eric McKirdy, Amy Isted and Lisa Boylan will perform a variety of music, including music suitable for Halloween. Admission is free.

Bahai festival: Five million Bahais around the world are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth in Persia of Bahaullah, Prophet and Founder of the Bahai Faith.

Corvallis Bahais will host a celebration featuring music, dramatic readings and small group discussions. This Festival of Oneness is set for 4 p.m. Sunday at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, 725 SW 26th St. The event is open to all.

Bahaullah taught that there is one God, the inspirer of all the worlds faiths; that all the religions share one common origin; and that all humanity has sprung from one common ancestor.

Bahais believe these divine prophets share one purpose: to renew the eternal truths of religion and address the needs of the age in which each one appears. Bahais believe that Bahaullah is the manifestation of God for this stage in humanitys evolution.

Workshop planned: "Conversations Across Apparent Divides" is set for Oct. 28 at First United Methodist Church in Corvallis.

Participants will learn how to and practice having compassionate, respectful and productive conversations. Those attending will learn tools for listening and for asking open, clarifying questions.

Participants should bring a lunch; coffee and hot water will be provided. Child care is available. Registration is available through the church office at 541-752-2491.
Subaru just dusted off a nameplate they havent used in a while: the Rex. This time though, its not being attached to a sub-compact mini or...
Recalling a model as prolific as the Ford F-150 is no simple matter. Just take this latest campaign, for example, which involves over 1.3 million vehicles.



The problem comes down to a side door which may not open or close properly  because either the latch is frozen or the actuation cable is kinked or bent.

Not being able to open the door would be annoying enough, but if it seems to be closed and isnt actually latched, it could open while the vehicles in motion. And that could be very bad news indeed.

The fix appears to be as simple as adding a water shield to the door latch (and replacing the actuation cables where necessary). But with so many vehicles affected, itll likely take a while to get them all fixed.

The recall affects 2015-17 F-150s built in Dearborn (between March 12, 2014, and December 31, 2016) or Kansas City (Aug 11, 2014, through December 30, 2016), as well as 2017 Super Duty pickups assembled in Kentucky (from October 8, 2015, to September 1, 2016).

All told, that comes to 1,344,605 vehicles across North America: 1,101,107 of which are estimated to be in the United States, with another 222,408 in Canada, and 21,090 in Mexico.

In the past couple of weeks, Ford issued three additional (but much smaller) recalls for F-Series pickups. 504 trucks (across the F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 models) need to have their front passenger seat tracks replaced. Another 39 examples of the 2018 Raptor Super Cab (w/o moonroofs) need to have their roof braces riveted. And another 77 examples of the 2015 F-650 and F-750 need to have their steering axles tightened.

Photo Gallery
The 2018 Ford Mustang will be a familiar sight at SEMA as Ford will showcase seven customized models.



First up, is the MAD Industries Mustang Convertible which features a front splitter, custom graphics, and a carbon fiber rear wing. The car has also been equipped with a coilover suspension, new sway bars, and 20-inch Niche Staccato wheels.

Power is provided by a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine which has been outfitted with a cold-air intake and a Borla exhaust system.

The Roush 729 Mustang is all about performance as it features a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine with a cold-air intake and a functional ram air hood. Thanks to these modifications, the engine develops 729 hp (543 kW).

Besides the performance tweaks, the Mustang has a variety of carbon fiber components and a Roush Performance Stratasys custom body kit. Other highlights include Recaro racing seats, a roll cage, and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Continental extreme contact tires.

The Tucci Hot Rods Mustang isnt exactly a looker but the model has been specifically designed to hit a top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h). In order to achieve this, the car has been equipped with an assortment of aerodynamic styling tweaks and a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 engine.

The car also rides on an adjustable air suspension and features a new driveshaft and rear axle from G-Force. Elsewhere, the team installed Ford Performance sway bars and Wilwood Aero brakes.

Getting back to drop top motoring,the Speedkore Mustang Convertible is billed as a modern interpretation of the classic American roadster.

Decked out in custom paint and an assortment of carbon fiber components, the convertible features a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine which is paired to a ten-speed automatic transmission. Drivers will also find a Bomber Brown leather interior with a carbon fiber dashboard applique.

The DeBerti Design Mustang was designed by professional racer Brad Deberti and it features a new hood, a widebody kit, and 20-inch Forgiato wheels. The car also boasts a Watson Racing independent rear suspension and a Currie 9-inch third member.

Power comes from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine with a Borla exhaust. It is connected to a six-speed manual transmission.

Moving on, the Air Design Mustang has a full body kit that includes a new front bumper, revised side skirts, and an aggressive diffuser. Other highlights include Recaro leather seats, Wilwood brakes, and a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine.

Lastly, Ford will showcase a Mustang created by DRAGG (Drag Racing Against Gangs and Graffiti). Dressed in black and white police livery, the one-off model has emergency lights, a push bar, and a front splitter. Designers also installed lowering springs and 20-inch Velgen wheels with Michelin tires.

Motivation is provided by a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that has been equipped with an Air Raid intake and a Borla exhaust.
Were only just recovering from the sensory overload that was Climbkhana and Ken Block is already working on his latest project.



Last week, the rally driver and internet sensation was filmed doing launches, burnouts, donuts and drifts with his 1,400 hp Hoonicorn V2 on a stretch of highway in Detroit. It has all the makings of Gymkhana 10 but it might actually be something different.

Detroit Business reports that Hoonigan is in the midst of creating a film celebrating the history of the Ford Mustang and that Blocks tricked-out 1965 will feature.

Speaking to the media, an executive producer for the shoot, Diego Espana said, Were here trying to promote Ford products in the city where it all started.

Whatever the Hoonigan team is planning, we can expect the usual array of stunts and stunning cinematography.

VIDEO
For all the benefits electric vehicles offer, they do have some drawbacks, particularly for firefighters.



Unlike petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, it is much harder to safely extinguish the flames of an EV, forcing automakers, like Tesla, to create emergency response guides in case their cars catch fire.

Earlier this week, Teslas guide was put to the test when a Tesla Model S crashed and caught fire in Austrias Tyrol region. In total, the effort required 35 people and five vehicles before the blaze was safely contained and extinguished.

In a press release, the volunteer firefighting organization said stopping the inferno was difficult.

The firefighting  which could only be carried out under severe respiratory protection  was difficult because the vehicle was repeatedly on fire. It was only after cutting the power supply from the high-performance batteries that it was possible to finally fight the fire. Since lithium batteries are used, the manufacturer recommends that the vehicle be parked under quarantine for 48 hours, so that no new fire can break out.

One important part of tackling a burning Tesla is to cut the Fire Responder Disconnect Point. This cable can be accessed either through the trunk or on the rear pillar and disables the high voltage system and airbags.

VIDEO


Photo: Contributed - David Cooper Photo: Contributed - David Cooper 1 2

David Cooper has been an avid amateur herpetologist since he was 4-years-old, so when a friend of his came across a 4 long snake on the Mission Creek Greenway on Sunday, he posted a photo of it on Facebook for David to identify.

Photo: Contributed - Danielle Arnaly David Cooper with the Mexican black kingsnake he and his girlfriend Danielle rescued from Mission Greenway Sunday.

Chris knows that Im more or less a reptile guy so he sent me the picture and asked what it was.

At first David thought it might be an Indigo snake, but he has since determined that it is most likely a non-venomous Mexican black kingsnake.

At first I had no idea what I was looking at," he said. "All I knew was that it wouldn't survive there.

Since his friend had the foresight to mark the location using Google Maps, David and his girlfriend, Danielle Arnaly, were able to locate it within a half hour, at around 3 p.m. It was curled up next to a bench, only 15 from where Chris first found it.

It really didnt put up much of a fight, said David. It was very cold, almost not moving at all.

David and Danielle used a snake hook to get it into a pillow case and they plan to take it to a reptile expert in Penticton, where it will be rehabilitated and receive the care it requires.

Mexican black kingsnakes grow to a length of 72 inches, and this one appeared to be young, but in good condition and accustomed to human contact.

It had obviously been well cared for, he said.

Because of the lack of houses nearby and the fact that snakes dont move far when cold, Dave, who describes himself as a lover of all wildlife, believes that it was intentionally released, possibly because it grew too large for its enclosure.

Its a tropical snake so I doubt it would have made it very far in this temperature. Im sure it was released at the park by someone who couldnt look after it any longer. Its unfortunate.

For anyone out there with an animal they can no longer provide care for, David has some advice.

If youre going to get rid of an animal, dont just let it go in a park. Put it on Castanet or take it somewhere where it will be looked after properly.
Photo: Contributed

The head of Tolko Industries pledged today to make changes in his company to support the advancement of women into more leadership positions.

Brad Thorlakson, Tolkos president and CEO, joined dozens of B.C. CEOs when he added his name to the Minerva Diversity Pledge, pledging to steer the company toward a more inclusive and diverse future.

The pledge grew out of a 2015 report, released by Minerva, called the Face of Leadership BC Score Card.

The Minerva Foundation is a B.C. charitable organization that aims to help women and girls gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their leadership potential. Its report measured gender diversity in leadership amongst the largest companies in the province.

The day the report was released, 11 CEOs publicly signed Minervas gender diversity pledge.

When Thorlakson added his signature today, he become one of a growing list of CEOs to do so.

We are committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace at Tolko, Thorlakson said in a statement after signing the pledge.

From a business perspective, a diverse and inclusive workplace makes companies stronger; from a personal perspective, as the father of two strong and capable young women, it makes me proud to know Tolko is taking steps to build a better future for all.

Tina Strehlke of the Minerva Foundation said Thorlaksons support is another small step towards battling gender inequality in British Columbia.

Research shows that buy-in from top leaders is critical to advancing women in the workplace. CEOs who make gender diversity part of their strategic agenda are more likely to reap the benefits of diversity including increased profits, employee engagement and innovation, she said.

Minervas diversity pledge features seven principles. Current signatories include the CEOs of Canfor, Best Buy Canada, BC Lotteries, and the Jim Pattison Group.
UPDATE 5:10 p.m.

The massive police search at a farm on Salmon River Road may have to do with an incident earlier this year.

Last week, RCMP warned the public about an incident on Salmon River Road in which a sex trade worker was threatened by a man with a gun.

The incident happened in late August, and police warned the suspect may be a risk to public safety, especially to women on the sex trade.

The suspect met the victim through an online website used by sex trade workers.

According to court records, Wayne Sagmoen, born in 1980, has been charged with numerous offences, including disguising his face with intent to commit an offence, intentionally discharging a firearm, uttering threats, possessing weapon for a dangerous purpose and other offences.

A Canada411 search found Sagmoen's name connected to the property police are currently searching at 2290 Salmon River Rd.

Castanet spoke to a man who asked to remain anonymous who was told by police they were searching for a firearm.

ORIGINAL: 4:50 p.m.

As RCMP continue to search a farm on Salmon River Road, there is still no word on what they're looking for.

Police scoured the sprawling property for a second day, Friday.

Several officers with long sticks, shovels and rakes, were seen walking away from one of the several outbuildings, while two other officers entered another of the structures.

The farm also has some half dozen horses, and police removed at least one of those from a corral Friday afternoon.

Police from several detachments have been brought in to help with the investigation, and curious neighbours have been driving slowly past.

I hope it's not another Pickton, said one man in a pickup, referring to notorious serial killer Robert Pickton, who killed numerous women on his Lower Mainland pig farm.

Last year, three women went missing from the Yankee Flats area round the Salmon River Road farm. But a family member says police contacted him, and the search is not related to the missing women.

"This investigative effort and execution of a search warrant is in relation to an ongoing investigation," RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Thursday. "No further information is being released at this time, in order to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation."
Photo: Canada C3

A Canadian icebreaker's epic journey to celebrate Canada 150 is nearing its finale in B.C.

The 150-day Canada C3 expedition started in Toronto, traversed the Northwest Passage and stops in Nanaimo today before its wind-up celebration in Victoria on Oct. 28.

The icebreaker will be docked in Nanaimo from 2 p.m. on today, and tours of the C3 are open to the public.

A journey of reconciliation, education, science and adventure, Canada C3 will foster understanding, friendships, and connections, said expedition leader Geoff Green. It is a journey for all Canadians to explore our enormous and wondrous coastline while considering the past, present and future of our country.

The icebreaker will end its journey at Victoria's Wharf Street Docks next weekend with speeches, ship tours and musical performances.

The North by Northwest documentary on the expedition airs at 7 p.m. on CTV and 10 p.m. on CTV2.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Thursday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously dissed progressive Angeleno Kevin de Leon by endorsing conservative Democrat Dianne Feinstein for another 6 year Senate term. You would have thought at least former congresswoman, ex-Labor Secretary Hilda Solis would have had more sense. Kathryn Barger is an actual Republican, plain and simple. Feinstein is as good a pick for senator for someone like her as she's going to find. Sheila Kuehl would endorse any woman-- even a woman's corpse-- over a man, so no surprise there either. Janice Hahn has always been the epitome of the ambitious establishment politician; she is the closest thing to DiFi in Los Angeles politics. Mark Ridley-Thomas is in no position to cross a powerful incumbent-- and neither is his dad. You can check their contributors. And that leaves our old friend Hilda, whose personal trajectory is similar to de Leon's. Like him she came from an immigrant household and struggled against the odds to achieve incredible success. In 1992 she was elected to the California Assembly and 2 years later to the state Senate, representing an East L.A. district not unlike the state Senate district de Leon represents today. In the legislature, Hilda, like Kevin, stood out as one of that body's most progressive members and-- like him-- a champion for working families and of environmental justice.





In 2000 Hilda ran against a corrupt and conservative 18-year congressional incumbent Matthew Martinez. The party establishment had a collective freakout and slammed her mercilessly for barging in against an incumbent, no matter that Martinez was the same kind of Republican-lite dirt-bag Feinstein has always been. In fact, Feinstein refused to back Hilda in her race against him, even when Barbara Boxer did. Hilda kicked his ass anyway, winning the seat 69-31%, an incredible achievement against an incumbent with all the establishment support. (He switched parties and re-registered as a Republican.)





When Hilda got to Congress she was hailed as the harbinger of a generational changing of the guard in the Hispanic Caucus. She joined the Congressional Progressive Caucus and continued the work she had been doing in Sacramento as a champion of working families and of the environment. She took on conservative Democrat Joe Baca for acting like a congressional version of Harvey Weinstein and she rose fast in the Democratic ranks. Soon after he was elected, Obama asked her to leave Congress and join his cabinet as Secretary of Labor. The AFL-CIO rejoiced while anti-union groups were furious and Senate Republicans tried to derail her nomination-- and failed. She served for all of Obama's first term and retired in January, 2013 to run for the L.A. Board of Supervisors, which many saw as a stepping stone to higher office, something she just botched by joining with the more conservative Board members in backing Feinstein.





Sarah Wire's report for the L.A. Times emphasized that the unanimous endorsement by the Board members came "as factions of California Democrats begin weighing in on the Senate race... It's a snub for De Leon, a native Angeleno who has represented part of the city for more than a decade in the Assembly and state Senate... [T]he lone Republican on the board, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said in a statement that California needs Feinstein in the Senate.

Ive worked with Sen. Feinstein for many years. Shes extremely knowledgeable and always prepared on the tough issues we confront. Shes a problem solver we can count on now and in the future, Barger said.



Feinstein already has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which traditionally backs incumbents. Soon after he announced a challenge, De Leon was endorsed by Democracy for America, the progressive political action committee formed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in 2004.

This is a battle between a decrepit and corrupt past and a bright reformed future. I'd expect Barger, Ridley-Thomas, Hahn and what Kuehl has turned into in recent years to stick with the former. But Hilda Solis' backing of Feinstein over de Leon feels like a real betrayal of her progressive base. Big mistake!
Photo: The Canadian Press Montgomery police officer Anderson Gordon

The convicted killer of a police officer used his final moments before being put to death to curse at the state of Alabama, raising his middle fingers in defiance at the start of a lethal injection his lawyers described as inhumanely painful.

Torrey Twane McNabb, 40, was executed Thursday for the 1997 slaying of Montgomery police officer Anderson Gordon. McNabb shot Gordon five times as the officer sat in his patrol car after arriving at a traffic accident McNabb caused while fleeing a bail bondsman.

McNabb's attorney said Friday that his movements during the middle of the execution, that included moving his arm and rolling his head back and forth after a consciousness check, showed problems with the sedative used by the state. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said he was confident that McNabb was unconscious and the movements were involuntary.

While strapped to the gurney in the death chamber at a southwest Alabama prison, McNabb used his final words to lash out with an obscenity at the state executing him.

"Mom, Sis, look at my eyes. I got no tears in my eyes. I'm unafraid. ... To the state of Alabama, I hate you ... I hate you. I hate you," McNabb said as the warden held a microphone for him to speak.
Photo: David Ogilvie The northbound lanes of Highway 97 are closed in West Kelowna.

UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.

A 32-year-old man has died as a result of injuries sustained from being hit by a vehicle in West Kelowna.

The man was walking northbound on Highway 97 when he was struck by a white Hyundai Sonata at about 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said that the man had stepped into the vehicle lane before he was hit, according to West Kelowna RCMP.

Despite being injured themselves both occupants, a man and woman, quickly leapt into action to perform CPR on the seriously injured pedestrian," Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey said.

The man was transported to hospital in grave condition.

Highway 97 remained closed to traffic for almost five hours heading northbound through West Kelowna while officials investigated the crash scene.

RCMP members and the B.C. Coroners Service continue to investigate.

- with files from Colton Davies

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m.

The northbound lanes of Highway 97 in West Kelowna is now open, after a vehicle incident closed the highway for several hours.

UPDATE: 8:55 a.m.

The northbound lanes of Highway 97 remain closed in West Kelowna between Daimler Drive and Ross Road.

Witnesses at the scene say it appears as if a pedestrian was struck, and crash reconstructionists are still surveying the scene.

The extent of the injuries suffered in the crash are unknown at this time.

ORIGINAL: 7:30 a.m.

Highway 97 is closed northbound five km south of Kelowna because of a motor vehicle incident.

DriveBC is reporting a detour is available on Daimler Road to Ross Road to Bartley Road and then back to Highway 97.

There is no word on the seriousness of the accident.

Castanet will have more details as soon as they become available.

Send your pictures, video and information to [email protected].
Photo: Darren Handschuh On Thursday, a massive RCMP search was launched on a sprawling farm at 2290 Salmon River Road.

A rally is being planned to protest violence against women.

According to a Facebook post, participants are being asked to gather at the Salmon River Store on corner of Heywood Road Yankee Flats Road near Silver Creek at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22.

Calling all hand drums women and men. Let's be there to call on continuing support against violence against women, reads the post.

There was recent charges against someone holding a weapon to a prostitute in the area and ongoing investigation. Six missing and murdered women and two that were from Yankee Flats Road which connects to Salmon River Road. Let's fill this road up with hand drums and support against violence on our sisters of all colours.

On Thursday, a massive RCMP search was launched on a sprawling farm at 2290 Salmon River Road.

While police have not said why they are investigating the property, there is speculation it has to do with an incident earlier this year when a man threatened a sex trade worker with a firearm.

The suspect met the victim through an online website used by sex trade workers.

According to court records, Wayne Sagmoen, born in 1980, has been charged with numerous offences, including disguising his face with intent to commit an offence, intentionally discharging a firearm, uttering threats, possessing weapon for a dangerous purpose and other offences.

A Canada411 search found Sagmoen's name connected to the property police are currently searching on Salmon River Road.
Editor:

I am writing in regard to the fact that the Forest Service is considering making land eligible for potential oil/gas leases in the Ruby Mountains. This proposal calls for 54,000 acres to be available for exploration in the Humboldt National Forest.

This would include various areas in a swath of territory running from south of Lamoille Creek to north of Sherman Creek, incorporating portions of the Harrison Pass Road. Many northern Nevada treasures are contained in or close to this proposed site, including beautiful grasslands and native shrubs, habitats for multiple Great Basin species, the popular recreational center known locally as The Marshes, and the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

I am very concerned about the potential impact of oil or gas drilling sites on such scenic and multi-use lands. The value of the Ruby Mountains is inestimable to the ecology of the region and to generations of Nevada residents. The environmental, economic, recreational, and cultural benefits that come with maintaining the unaltered integrity of these lands cannot be overestimated. Such benefits should not be bargained away by the theoretical possibility of short term monetary gain.

I would hope that this plan would be stopped at this early stage and not allowed to progress any further. I encourage those who value the Ruby Mountains, land that belongs to all of us and not solely to special interest groups, to voice their opposition to this proposal.

Public comments will be accepted until Nov. 2, 2017. You can call 775-778-6123 for further information or send your comments to 660 South 12th Street, Suite 108 in Elko, 89801. Or you can go to the following website for further details and instructions on submitting comments electronically:

Jane Simonsen, MD
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
Two former US presidents make statements condemning Trump (video)

Voice of America George Bush, former President of the US broke the silence and publicly condemned the current political division in the US. Without giving the name of present-day President Donald Trump in his speech in New York, Bush clearly conveyed the message to Trump, who frequently insults his political opponents on Twitter, attempts to end the US immigration, and takes steps to withdraw the US from international trade deals. "We have witnessed how we deviate from our path by cruel means. Sometimes it seems that the power drifting us apart is stronger than the one that unites us. We have witnessed how nationalism transferred into foreignerism. We have forgotten that immigration has been the key ensuring mobility in America. We have witnessed how the trust towards the free market weakens, we have forgotten that economic protectionism is followed by conflicts, instability, and poverty." "It seems that fanatism is promoted, and our policy seems to be more vulnerable before conspiracy and fraud," said George Bush. In his turn, former President Barack Obama in his address to the state of Virginia, without mentioning Donald Trump, addressed his messages to him. "People do not like what they see today. They do not believe that our social life is provided by our wishes. On the contrary, we have politics that infects some people. Instead of finding ways to work together, there are people today, whose purpose is to make the citizens angry. They try to discredit the people having different point of view. As long as the two former presidents call for ending the division, the current president announces that Obama, Bush and some other former presidents have not even called the relatives of the dead soldiers.
Guest Commentary

The $5.4 billion spent to expand the Panama Canal is paying off for East Coast and Gulf of Mexico seaports; however, it is putting more pressure on the Northwest to remain competitive.

The enlarged waterway opened in June 2016 allowing much larger container ships and tankers to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Ships carrying up to 14,800 containers can now bypass Washington ports. Shippers have a cost-effective alternative to reach midwestern markets from southern and eastern states.

Our traditional advantage of shorter Pacific crossing times to Asia is being challenged by Canadians as well. Even though Prince Rupert, the deepest natural seaport in the Northwest, is 1,000 miles by road north of Seattle, it is 68 hours closer to Shanghai by boat than Los Angeles.

The older canal could accommodate ships with 5,000 containers but it was a bottleneck causing up to 30-hour delays. On any given day, there were as many as 150 ships waiting in line to make the 48-mile journey. No more!

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported an increase of 23 percent in tonnage over the last 16 months. By late September, the 2,000th ship too large for the old locks passed through the Canal.

Its an unprecedented increase and demand is driven by the expanded East Coast and U.S. Gulf ports that have been preparing for the new locks, Manuel Benitez, the Panama Canal Authoritys deputy administrator, told WSJ.

The added canal capacity opened new markets for petroleum shipments, particularly Liquified Natural Gas processed in Texas and Louisiana. LNG exports were miniscule before the new locks opened, but today it accounts for 10 percent of the entire canal cargo. It is mostly exported to South Korea, China and Japan.

Container and shipments of oil, gasoline and LNG accounted for 90 percent of the total Panama Canal cargo between October 2016 and April 2017.

The Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) concluded that much of the cargo received in our states ports is discretionary and can move through alternative gateways. Transportation time and shipment costs matter more in todays highly competitive global market.

The trend has not been good for Washington.

In 2014, ocean-going cargo container traffic grew by 11 percent at Prince Rupert, B.C., as shipping companies continue to seek the fastest route to move goods to and from Asia. By contrast, cargo volume at the Port of Seattle dropped 26 percent from 2010 to 2013 while the Port of Tacomas volume remained unchanged. The Marine Cargo Forecast for this year is substantially lower in our state.

The Federal Maritime Commission reports that roughly 87 percent of the containers received in Prince Rupert were hauled by rail to the U.S., mostly to Midwest states.

As more and more bulk cargo, such as wheat, coal, potash and refined petroleum, is shipped overseas, those products are leaving the docks in British Columbia, not Washington.

Canada has no Harbor Maintenance Tax which is assessed on ocean-going imports that land in U.S. ports. It pays for maintenance dredging of harbors and waterways, but needs to be changed to make American ports more competitive.

The stakes are growing each day. Washington cant afford to lose market share internationally. We have more than 25,000 maritime related jobs with a $4.6 billion a year in economic impacts.

Finally, while other states are taking advantage of the surge in LNG production exports, Washington is not. We must recognize that investments in safe petroleum facilities are not automatically bad and put off limits.

Washingtons elected officials must find ways to upgrade our states harbors, docks and roadways, streamline project permitting, and look at other ways to encourage trade.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the states oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.
Barcelona's midfielder Andres Iniesta (R) is congratulated by his teammates Barcelona's French defender Lucas Digne (L) and Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Malaga CF. (JOSEP LAGO / AFP/Getty Images)

BARCELONA, Spain  Barcelona regained a four-point cushion atop the Spanish league with a ho-hum 2-0 win over visiting Malaga and surging Valencia dismissed Sevilla 4-0 at home on Saturday.

Barcelona faced last-placed Malaga in the closing match of the day, with added pressure from second-placed Valencia, which has won five in a row.

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Barcelona is unbeaten after starting with seven straight wins and drawing with Atletico Madrid last week.

Seldom-used Gerard Deulofeu opened the scoring for Barcelona after just two minutes, and Andres Iniesta celebrated his first of the season in the second half thanks to a brilliant assist by Lionel Messi.

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"We lacked pace at the beginning of the game. It was our third in six days and mentally, it's difficult," coach Ernesto Valverde said.

Luis Suarez failed to score on clear chances once again, underlining his poor start to the season, but had his manager's backing nonetheless.

"I don't see a problem with him. He looks good to me. What's important is that he manufactures chances," Valverde said.

Defending champion Real Madrid hosts Eibar on Sunday.

OFF-LIMITS LEADER

Barcelona benefited from a flagrant referee misjudgment to get its go-ahead goal against Malaga. Left back Lucas Digne was allowed to center the ball after it clearly crossed the byline, and Deulofeu acrobatically backfooted it inside the net.

Despite the blow, the visitors got back up and managed to neutralize Barcelona for most of the first half, but lost striker Diego Rolan just before the second period. The Uruguayan import was forced off by injury.

Without Rolan, Malaga lacked bite in its pressure of the home backline, and Barcelona was able to polish ball circulation and find Messi with more frequency.

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Messi received a clean pass from defender Javier Mascherano, drew the defense, and dropped a perfect pass for Iniesta, whose shot was deflected by defender Roberto Rosales on its way to the upper left corner.

Malaga surrendered and Barcelona dominated the rest of the way.

VAMOS VALENCIA

Gonzalo Guedes opened the scoring for Valencia near halftime with a majestic strike from outside the box after deftly outmaneuvering two defenders on the chase.

Simone Zaza added his eighth league goal after the break with a spin and low cross shot. Santi Mina came off the bench and scored the third with just five minutes to go, finishing off a speedy counterattack for the hosts.

But the show was all Guedes, and the Portuguese midfielder rounded off his great game with the closer, subtly poking the ball over goalkeeper Sergio Rico in added time.

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Sevilla has lost three in a row in all competitions. Managed by Eduardo Berizzo, the team started off red-hot in La Liga but has floundered lately, ranking fifth.

"We need to hold our head up high and get to work. I don't fear being sacked," Berizzo said.

ON THE REBOUND

Real Betis rebounded from its demoralizing home loss to Valencia by defeating struggling Alaves 2-0.

The result put Betis in sixth place, tied with neighbor Sevilla.

Antonio Sanabria scored early in the first half to lead the hosts to victory a week after losing to Valencia 6-3 at Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville. Sanabria has scored at least once in each of his last five league games. The Paraguay striker has seven goals in the last seven matches with club and country.

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Betis added to the lead with an own goal by Alaves defender Alexis Ruano midway through the second half.

It was the eighth loss for Alaves in nine league matches. It remains second-to-last in the standings with three points, two more than Malaga.

LACKLUSTER DRAW

Levante and Getafe played to 1-1 and both teams stayed near the middle of the table.

Levante lost striker Alexander "Nano" Mesa early in the second half because of a ligament injury in his right knee.






The 78, a 62-acre plot of land south of the Loop and primed for redevelopment, is one option offered to Amazon by the city. It "represents one of the most ambitious and transformative development projects in Chicagos history," the city said, and is the site of a proposed tech incubator from the University of Illinois. (Related Midwest rendering)

Chicago and Illinois on Friday revealed 10 Chicago-area sites  eight in the city and two in the suburbs  pitched for Amazon's planned second headquarters, but disclosed no financial incentives included in the bid to woo the e-commerce behemoth and up to 50,000 jobs.

The quest to land the company, which seeks a home for a $5 billion headquarters of up to 8 million-plus square feet, has captivated cities large and small since the Seattle-based company asked for proposals six weeks ago.

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In the Chicago area, the proposed sites are:

 Lincoln Yards, a development along the Chicago River near Lincoln Park and Bucktown.

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 The Downtown Gateway District, which includes space in Willis Tower and redevelopment of the old main post office and Union Station.

 City Center Campus, a proposed redevelopment of the state-owned Thompson Center in the Loop.

 The River District, a 37-acre development along the river and Halsted Street.

 The Burnham Lakefront, a Bronzeville development that includes the Michael Reese Hospital site.

 The 78, a development planned on 62 acres along the river between the South Loop and Chinatown.

 Fulton Market district properties controlled by multiple owners.

 Illinois Medical District redevelopment.

 The soon-to-be-vacated, 145-acre McDonald's campus in Oak Brook, which the company will leave for Fulton Market.

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 More than 260 acres available for development on the longtime Motorola Solutions campus in Schaumburg, where Zurich North America recently built a new headquarters.

"They may want to go horizontal, a la Merchandise Mart," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a Wednesday meeting with the Tribune Editorial Board. "And they may want to go vertical multiple places, all on a tight footprint. My big point to them is, anything you want, in any shape or form, we can do."

The deadline for cities to submit bids was Thursday. Amazon has not said what happens next, but Emanuel said he anticipates multiple rounds of Amazon paring down its list of contending cities.

New Jersey has offered a $7 billion incentives package, and other states are likely to offer multibillion-dollar packages.

Several developers previously confirmed to the Tribune plans to try to bring Amazon to their Chicago sites.

Other sites revealed Friday included an option to redevelop the state-owned Thompson Center, a 17-story, Helmut Jahn-designed building on 3 acres in the Loop. Before Amazon's announcement, proposals for the building included preserving the Helmut Jahn-designed tower and building alongside it, or razing the building and replacing it with a supertall skyscraper.

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Any new plan would require Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner to cut a deal allowing greater zoning density for the site, paving the way for the state to sell the property at a higher value.

The fast-changing Fulton Market district west of the Kennedy Expressway is also proposed for HQ2, with land owned by multiple landlords offered to Amazon as a campus with several buildings. The neighborhood, long known for meatpackers and food distributors, in recent years has attracted award-winning restaurants, boutique hotels, shops and large offices, including Google's Midwest headquarters in the former Fulton Market Cold Storage building.

Southwest of there, the city also proposes the Illinois Medical District. There are several developments planned in the area, including a conversion of the old Cook County Hospital into a hotel and apartments.

Handicapping the Amazon headquarters contest has become a cottage industry in its own right and no clear winner has emerged from all the data-crunching.

In one such analysis, Chicago didn't even make the Top 10 list. Even before cities and states began announcing they were in the hunt, Moody's Analytics studied how 65 cities with at least 1 million residents measured up against Amazon's requirements. Austin, Texas, took the top spot, with analysts pointing to its already established tech hub, its well-educated workforce, a cost of living lower than Silicon Valley, a high quality of life, good transportation and a business-friendly environment, among other factors.

Rounding out Moody's Top 10 contenders, in descending order and excluding Seattle, where it already is based, were Atlanta; Philadelphia; Rochester, N.Y.; Pittsburgh; New York City; Miami; Portland, Ore.; Boston; and Salt Lake City. The Chicago area ranked No. 24.

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Chicago fared better  in second place  in a study by Anderson Economic Group that looked at 35 U.S. cities that it said met Amazon's requirements. Broad categories it looked at were access to labor and services, traffic congestion and public transit systems, and the cost of doing business. New York City took the top spot.

Emanuel emphasized that Chicago has much to offer  including airport and public transportation infrastructure, top universities, a large and well-educated labor pool and a relatively affordable cost of living  and can be flexible to meet Amazon's real estate needs.

"The sites identified in Chicago's bid for HQ2 demonstrate the region's unparalleled potential to support Amazon's future growth," Emanuel said in Friday's news release. "The combination of these prime locations with the country's most educated population, diversified economy and connected transportation system make it clear that Chicago is the ideal city for Amazon's second headquarters as the company continues to expand."

Rauner added: "Our state possesses unmatched business, education, technology, logistics, distribution, and academic research assets. These are the core attributes of a community in which Amazon can thrive. More important, they represent a foundation for talent rich, innovative growth for generations to come."

A study by World Business Chicago estimated that HQ2 would generate $341 billion in total spending for its ongoing operations over a 17-year period, including $71 billion in salaries and wages. HQ2 would support an additional 37,500 jobs in the region, according to the study.

Construction of a new campus would generate $7.4 billion in construction-related spending, according to the study's estimates.

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rori@chicagotribune

Twitter @Ryan_Ori

With Chicago making a bid, here are some numbers to bring HQ2's potentially enormous impact into perspective. (Jemal R. Brinson / Chicago Tribune) (Tribune graphics)

RELATED:

[ Bronzeville's Michael Reese Hospital site is latest offering for Amazon's HQ2  ]

[ Massive development along Chicago River's North Branch is new option for Amazon HQ2  ]

[ What would happen if Amazon brought 50,000 workers to your city? Ask Seattle.  ]
The Arditti Quartet  from left, Irvine Arditti, Ashot Sarkissjan, Ralf Ehlers and Lucas Fels  perform at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall on Oct. 20, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

One of the most interesting aspects of the valuable series devoted to the music of Gyorgy Ligeti that University of Chicago Presents is producing this season will be tracing the influence of this giant of the European postwar avant-garde on the compositional landscape he left behind at his death in 2006.

For the opening concert of the Ligeti Series on Friday night at Mandel Hall, the Arditti Quartet logically set two of Ligeti's chamber masterpieces alongside the music that directly influenced those works: the six string quartets of his Hungarian countryman, Bela Bartok, which constitute as important a body of quartets as any composed in the 20th century.

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Ligeti's String Quartets No. 1 ("Metamorphoses Nocturnes") and No. 2 stand firmly in the post-Bartokian tradition and remain visionary achievements in their own right. Back in Chicago after an almost 20-year absence, the Arditti interspersed these benchmark scores with Bartok's middle quartets, Nos. 3 and 4, a high-water mark in that composer's output Ligeti admitted was at the back of his mind when he wrote the first of his quartets in 1953-54.

First violinist Irvine Arditti told the large, attentive audience that it was the LaSalle Quartet's premiere performance of Ligeti's Quartet No. 2 in 1969, along with his admiration for the work itself, that inspired him to form his quartet in Great Britain five years later. He dedicated Friday's performance to the LaSalle's late founder and longtime first violin, Walter Levin.

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Arditti and colleagues Ashot Sarkissjan (second violin), Ralf Ehlers (viola) and Lucas Fels (cello) brought to the Second and "Metamorphoses Nocturnes" the kind of needle-sharp coordination and X-ray-like clarity of detail that has made them the standard bearer among string quartets specializing in music of the 20th century and beyond.

There is an element of gestural theater to both works that the Arditti projected with fierce conviction, as befits a group for which the Ligeti quartets are as basic repertory as Beethoven's are to more mainstream ensembles.

Ligeti's Second Quartet floats between violent lunges and passages of quiet but ominous tremolos, flurries of plucked strings moving out of sync and clouds of intervallic fog that foreshadow later Ligeti experiments with what he called micropolyphony. Attentive to the score's detailed expressive markings, the Arditti gave this music a firm sense of coherent argument, of individual and group virtuosity singlemindedly applied to illuminating Ligeti's sometimes-creepy exuberance.

Quartet No. 1, which the Hungarian Jewish composer was forced to keep in his bottom drawer for years for fear of reprisal from the Hungarian communist authorities, wears its Bartokian colors while hinting at more original stylistic directions to come. Its single continuous movement is built on a motivic cell that is transformed in all sorts of fantastical ways, with unconventional string techniques and color effects occurring along the way.

Gnashing dissonant chords, insectoid buzzings and furiously scrubbing strings abruptly morph into almost inaudible glissandos played in whistling harmonics. Suddenly the players launch into a drunken waltz, typical of Ligeti's impish humor. A reading poised on the knife-edge of virtuosity was perhaps most notable for the extreme care with which the four players made even the barest wisps of sound audible.

The two Bartok quartets were no less eloquently argued.

Bartok's brief Quartet No. 3 (1928) concentrates a veritable lexicon of arresting string sonorities in a mere 15 minutes of music. The Arditti's precisely calculated if spontaneously applied palette of dynamics, tone colors and rhythmic attacks served to intensify the expressive impact. Nothing was held back, yet nothing was overstated. The effect of the sul ponticello (played on the bridge of the strings) 16th-notes that launched the coda was positively spooky.

With some ensembles, the angular expressionism of the Bartok Fourth (1929) pushes the music into ugliness. Not so in the Arditti's polished, searching, formally cogent account. The quartet admitted bracing clarity into the gnarliest textures, brought sinewy vitality to the half-crazed dance rhythms and saw to it that the staggered attacks at the beginning went off like precisely timed fireworks. In the flying fingers and bows of these expert musicians, the motor-driven finale gathered terrific momentum before vanishing, per the composer's instructions, into nothingness.

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Thanks to the Arditti, a high bar has been set for the remaining performances in the Ligeti Series.

John von Rhein is a Tribune critic.

jvonrhein@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jvonrhein

[ RELATED:A major homage to master modernist Gyorgy Ligeti coming from U. of C.  ]

[ Arditti Quartet celebrates 40th anniversary in astounding fashion  ]

[ The Top 10 classical music events of the fall in Chicago  ]







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Myeshia Johnson cries over the casket of her husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, on Oct. 17, 2017. He was killed in an ambush in Niger. (WPLG via AP)

The photo of a young Army widow clutching the flag-draped casket of her husband is haunting. Myeshia Johnson's pain seemed to run so deep that it pierced her soul.

She had been called upon to perform a duty that only the truest of American patriots, our Gold Star families, must do  claim the body of a fallen soldier upon his return home.

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On this day, it could not have mattered to the pregnant mother of two small children that Sgt. La David Johnson had joined the Army of his own free will. Perhaps the soldier did realize that there was a chance he could be killed in an ambush while serving in Niger.

This was not the day to remind his wife of that. Yet, it is what Donald Trump did in a phone call to Johnson while she rode in a car to the airport in Miami to retrieve her husband's remains.

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As it turns out, the words were not even his own.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly would have us forget about Johnson's grief and reserve our empathy for Trump.

In a rare appearance before the news media on Thursday, Kelly reminded us that the president is, after all, inexperienced in making condolence calls to Gold Star families.

Kelly implored Americans to understand how difficult it was for someone who has never worn the uniform, who has never been in combat, to make such a call. Some presidents send a letter instead, he said. But Trump chose to call.

Our president is incapable of speaking from the heart, though. So Kelly, a retired four-star general who lost his own son in Afghanistan, stood by the president's side and fed the words to him.

Perhaps the general found it comforting when his best friend and casualty officer told Kelly that his fallen son was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed and that he knew what he was getting into.

Myeshia Johnson clearly did not feel the same. She is said to have been devastated. In the brief conversation, Trump repeatedly referred to the soldier as "your guy," a signal to the wife that the president didn't even know her husband's name.

A decent and caring person would have readily acknowledged his mistake and offered an apology. But not Trump. He acted like a coward and sent his most fearless attack dog out to deflect the issue.

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The problem wasn't what Trump said to the grieving widow, Kelly intimated. It was the fact that a Florida congresswoman, an "empty barrel" as he referred to her, spoke out about it.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson had been in the car with Johnson that day when the call came. She heard every word and was appalled that a president would speak to a grieving widow in that manner. She found it offensive and disrespectful, and she said so publicly.

Kelly was so anxious to discredit her that he mischaracterized what Wilson said in 2015 at a dedication of a new FBI field office in Miami.

[ Kelly made false claim about Rep. Wilson speech in dispute over Trump call  ]

In Kelly's view, it is Wilson  the messenger  that Americans should take aim at. She had overheard Trump's conversation with Myeshia Johnson and had the gall to say what she thought about it.

In response to the uproar, Trump tweeted, "Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!"

Kelly revealed during the news conference, albeit unintentionally, that Trump had lied. What Wilson said was true. Trump had repeated in the telephone call exactly what Kelly had told him to say.

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The fact that he works for a man who is both a coward and a liar is not what concerns Kelly, though. He is most troubled that details of the telephone conversation got out.

Kelly said he is stunned that the things that were sacred in our country when he was growing up are no longer sacred. Most Americans are stunned, too.

"Women were sacred, looked upon with great honor," Kelly said. "But that's obviously not the case anymore."

He could have added that his boss, the president of the United States, has contributed immensely to the growing irreverence for women.

Religion seems to be gone as well, Kelly said. He should have pointed out that no president ever has been so determined to undermine religious freedom in America as Trump.

As for the sanctity of Gold Star families, "that left in the convention over the summer," Kelly said.

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[ Analysis: Kelly might not be like Trump, but he seems like many Trump voters  ]

Kelly did not mention Trump's brutal verbal attack on the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan after they appeared at the Democratic National Convention. But we remember Trump's attack on the Muslim-American family well. His vile, disrespectful verbiage directed at the Khans was an affront to every military family that has lost a loved one.

This time, he once again showed a troubling lack of understanding regarding the sacrifices Gold Star families make for their country.

Trump disrespected the memory of Sgt. La David Johnson by telling his wife that the soldier knew what he was getting into when he joined the Army.

Kelly drove the knife deeper when he said the soldier was exactly where he wanted to be, with exactly the people he wanted to be with, when his life was taken. If the general isn't careful, Trump will carry him into the gutter, just has he has everyone else who tries to defend him.

Kelly knows better than anyone that there are many reasons our brave men and women enlist in the military. Wanting to die on field in a foreign land far away from home never has been one of them.

If Sgt. Johnson had a choice in his final moments of life, he undoubtedly would have chosen to be at home in Miami, surrounded by the people he loved most  his wife, his two young children and the baby he will never know.

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dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dahleeng
According to the FBI, the North Center Bandit robbed Chase bank, 5352 North Elston Ave. at 5:56 p.m. June 8, 2016. There were no reports of injuries. (Surveillance photo via the FBI)

A former bank hiring manager who robbed five North Side banks and was dubbed the "North Center Bandit" was sentenced Friday to almost 3 1/2 years in prison, authorities said.

Gregor Zuercher, 39, of Chicago, who goes by Greg, was sentenced to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Durkin, according to Chicago FBI spokesman Garrett Croon.

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Zuercher, who in the spring pleaded guilty in charges relating to three robberies and admitted carrying out two others, said in court documents that he was "a former talent acquisition manager of a bank." Court filings from Zuercher's attorneys say he worked for Fifth Third Bank. Zuercher left his job at Fifth Third in 2014 and tried to become a professional gambler, betting on horse racing, according to a filing from his attorneys.

"While trying to professionally gamble on horse racing, Mr. Zuercher became acquainted with 'unsavory individuals' in what was akin to a 'loan shark environment,'" his attorneys said.

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Zuercher got into debt with loan sharks and was beaten and threatened by them, after which he started robbing banks, "for quick cash to pay off gambling debts," according to court filings.

Prosecutors, however, said: "Given (Zuercher's) family and personal status, his gambling debts were not excessively high. According to (Zuercher), his largest debt prior to robbing a bank was $3,600. ... At the time of his last bank robbery in June 2016, (Zuercher) only owed $700 to his loan sharks. ... (He) was capable of obtaining that amount of money through work, from his girlfriend, or from his family. Instead, he robbed another bank after taking 'a couple weeks to get the nerve to do it.'"

Three of the robberies, which began in August 2015, were in the North Center area, leading to his nickname. In each of the robberies, a man walked up to a teller and handed the teller an envelope with a demand note written on it, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. In at least four of the five robberies, the note told the teller to hand over "50s and 100s."

A teller testified that that one of Zuercher's notes warned, "Don't make a scene or pull alarm or people will die," according to a filing from prosecutors, although in other filings, Zuercher denied he threatened anyone in the robberies.

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Zuercher robbed the five banks of a total of more than $11,800, with the largest single heist, from a Chase Bank branch at 3335 N. Ashland Ave. on Aug. 27, 2015, netting him $5,350, according to court documents.

Zuercher admitted to that robbery and four others:

 Oct. 20, 2015: Also at the Chase at 3334 N. Ashland.

 June 6, 2016: Chase Bank branch, 5352 N. Elston Ave.

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 Sept. 25, 2015: Chase Bank branch, 3339 W. Belmont Ave.

 Aug. 21, 2015, PNC Bank branch, 4201 N. Lincoln Ave.

After the FBI issued fliers advertising a $5,000 reward for his capture, Zuercher stopped robbing banks until June 2016. He was arrested Aug. 29, 2016, after 13 tips regarding his identity came in to authorities, according to court filings. An acquaintance came to the FBI and identified him in photos, and tellers also identified him as the robber. He pled guilty this spring.
Cellphone video provided to the Tribune, followed by Tribune-recorded video, shows a fight and the aftermath Oct. 21, 2017, at a Taco Burrito King restaurant in Greektown. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

The brawl inside the late-night food spot in Greektown was escalating.

Women hurled chairs, traded slaps and slammed each other to the ground. Men wrestled on the floor, threw punches and tried to choke their opponents.

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Then someone inside the Taco Burrito King pulled out a gun.

"We saw them fighting for a little bit, and then eventually they went crazy. All I heard was gunshots," said Kevin Gandhi, 22, one of several patrons inside the restaurant at the time.

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"We all started taking cover. We actually didn't know where the heck the gunshots were coming from. I didn't know if they were coming from outside or inside.  We all took cover behind the register. We took cover behind the alley and just waited out there until the cops showed up."

Three people, including the alleged gunman, were shot during the altercation just after 4:20 a.m., police said. It happened in the 800 block of West Jackson Boulevard, the heart of the Greektown neighborhood on the Near West Side.

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A 31-year-old man was seriously wounded in the chest and rushed to Stroger Hospital, and a 26-year-old woman shot in the foot declined medical treatment on scene, police said.

The alleged offender, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the left leg and taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. At the scene, a man in handcuffs was lying on a stretcher. A blood-soaked cloth covered his leg as paramedics lifted him into the ambulance.

Gandhi stood among his group of friends outside the crime scene tape wearing a gray suit and pinstriped dress shirt. The friends traveled from their home in suburban Elk Grove Village to celebrate a birthday downtown. They decided to stop in Greektown to grab a snack on their way home.

Gandhi went next door to a gyros shop and brought his food back to Taco Burrito King, which is directly across the street, where some of his other friends were eating.

It was his first time inside the restaurant.

"We were right by the register. People were fighting right by the door. I don't know what happened. I don't know what triggered them. They just kind of lost it, and we were scared," he said.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 Police work the scene where three people were shot at a Taco Burrito King Restaurant on the 800 block of West Jackson Boulevard in Chicago on Oct. 21, 2017. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

A cellphone video taken by a patron inside the restaurant was provided to the Tribune. It depicts fighting among at least eight men and women for a minute before shots can be heard.
Over the Santa Fe Trail to Mexico: The Travel...

PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Ucoms mobile customers will benefit from the best internet roaming rate of 8 AMD/MB when travelling to Georgia, Egypt or the UAE

Ameriabank Launches Google Pay and Google Wallet Support for Card Users in Armenia

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases.

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Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

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Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

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Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

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Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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Victoria Dollarson, 25, has been charged with robbing and critically injuring an 81-year-old man at a Loop "L" station on Oct. 16, 2017. (Chicago police photo )

A West Side woman has been arrested and charged with robbing and seriously injuring an 81-year-old man on a Loop CTA platform, two days after Chicago police detectives released photos of the attacker.

Victoria Dollarson, 25, has been charged with robbery of a person over age 60 following the robbery about 9:30 p.m. Monday at the Washington/Wabash station, 29 N. Wabash Ave., according to a police news release. Dollarson was ordered held in lieu of $150,000 bail Saturday.

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An alert with photos of the attacker was released Wednesday. In court Saturday, Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Carlson said Dollarson's probation officer recognized her image on television news and contacted the police. Dollarson had been on probation for a drug offense.

Members of the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force arrived Thursday at the Dollarson's home in the 3200 block of West Evergreen Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, about 7:35 p.m. After being given permission to search the home, authorities found the red backpack she was seen wearing on the CTA video.

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The man was on a Brown Line train approaching the Washington/ Wabash station at 29 N. Wabash Ave. around 9:30 p.m. Monday when the robber "ripped the victim's cellphone from his hand'' as the doors opened, police said in the release.

As the train pulled into the station, Dollarson tried grabbing his LG phone, but the victim didn't release his grip. Next the two were engaged in a struggle over the phone off the train and onto the platform near the stairwell.

The two struggled for the phone, and the 81-year-old fell down the station's stairs. He suffered a laceration to his head, bruising, abrasions, swelling to his hand and knees, and bleeding to the brain, police said.

Dollarson momentarily watched the victim fall and fled down the same stairs and stepped over him as she ran away, Carlson said.

He was taken to a Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, where he was in intensive care, police said. He remained in the hospital in the intensive care with bleeding to the brain Saturday, prosecutors said.

Dollarson on Saturday was dressed in a black shirt and for most of the hearing stood with her head slumped to the left. She did speak quietly with her court-appointed public defender. She can request a lower bond amount in a week, officials said. She will be back in court Oct. 26.
Marguerite Ridgeway, who died in 2015, was described by her son Jack Ruhl as an adult convert to Catholicism who grew disillusioned by the growing sex abuse scandal within the church. (Family photo)

Marguerite Ridgeway was a fervent Catholic until her faith was shaken when church sex abuse scandals came to light, particularly a decades-old trauma recounted by her daughter-in-law.

Now Ridgeway's son wants to install a marker at his late mother's gravesite in Wheaton bearing the inscription "She supported priest rapist victims."

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet, which owns Assumption Cemetery, has objected to what it calls the "explicit language" of the epitaph.

Ridgeway's son, Jack Ruhl, of Kalamazoo, Mich., recently sent a rendering of the planned marker to the cemetery, along with a $350 check to cover the installation fee.

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"I ask that you do not dishonor the memory of my mother by further delay in installation of her grave marker," he said in an email to officials with the diocese earlier this month.

An attorney for the diocese in an Oct. 6 letter proposed removing the word "rapist" and substituting softer language, such as "She supported clergy sex abuse victims," or "She supported victims of clergy sex abuse."

The letter described the word rapist as "graphic, offensive and shocking to the senses."

"This is not a subject that we at the Diocese of Joliet shy away from; it is a sad chapter in our history that we think about daily," diocese attorney Maureen Harton said in the letter. "Our concern must be with the many people who visit Assumption Cemetery with the expectation that their quiet time with their loved ones will be peaceful, tranquil and free of stress and anxiety."

The letter added that Ridgeway signed a contract in 2001 agreeing that a diocese cemetery official must approve all memorials before they can be placed at the grave.

"The inscription you have submitted has not been approved; rather, we ask you consider one of the above variations or a similar less graphic version," the letter said.

But Ruhl, who grew up in south suburban Riverdale, said in a phone interview that he is not backing down from the original language, adding that it's important to keep the words "priest" and "rapist."

"I don't understand why this marker is controversial in the least," he said in an Oct. 4 email to diocese officials. "It states, 'She supported priest rapist victims.' Doesn't the Diocese of Joliet also support priest rapist victims?"

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Ruhl described his mother as an adult convert to Catholicism who used to call the Holy Communion her source of strength. But he said she grew disillusioned as more victims across the country shed light on sex abuse within the church.

Among them was her daughter-in-law Diane Ruhl, Jack Ruhl's wife, one of several women who filed lawsuits in 2003 alleging sexual abuse by a Jesuit priest decades ago. The priest was a professor at Loyola University and Diane Ruhl was an 18-year-old freshman when, she said, she was abused in the 1970s. She said she ultimately received a settlement from the Jesuit religious order.

Jack Ruhl said his mother closely followed the stories of many abuse victims across the country and in the area, some of whom committed suicide, and she was outraged at cover-ups by church hierarchy. Locally, the Diocese of Joliet in 2015 agreed to a settlement of roughly $4 million to 14 men who said priests molested them when they were children decades ago at various suburban churches.

While Ridgeway, formerly of Lisle, remained deeply spiritual, she was so outraged that she stopped attending Mass and giving donations to the church, her son said.

Diane Ruhl, who grew up in Chicago, said she was always touched by the support of her mother-in-law.

"A lot of people hear your story, but they don't want to talk about it," Diane Ruhl said in a phone interview. "She took it seriously."

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Ridgeway died July 15, 2015. Despite her break with Catholicism, she did request a Catholic funeral Mass and wanted to be buried at Assumption Cemetery next to the grave of her daughter, her son said.

Cemeteries across the country have been sites of conflict stemming from the fallout of church sex abuse.

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A woman from Grand Rapids, Mich., last year began fighting for the removal of a headstone at the grave of a priest she believes sexually abused her brother, who is buried nearby at the same cemetery. Several years ago, the Catholic Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota included the priest's name in a list of clergy credibly accused of abuse.

In 2007, the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina had the remains of a priest exhumed and moved to another cemetery a few miles away as part of an abuse settlement. The priest's original grave was less than 20 feet from where the parents of two abuse victims were buried; the victims said they were too pained by the priest's tombstone to visit the final resting place of their parents.

Victims elsewhere have also erected markers to promote healing.

In Iowa, a monument was installed at the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Davenport in 2005 as part of a $9 million settlement. The marker, shaped like an old-fashioned millstone, included the Biblical quote, " if anyone causes one of these little ones who trust in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck."

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"The abuse crisis is not a 'mirage' or the result of widespread anti-Catholic bias in the media or 'a few bad apples,' " Jack Ruhl said in an email to officials with the Diocese of Joliet. "It is certainly not over. My mother, a very intelligent and sensitive woman, recognized this."

eleventis@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @angie_leventis

[ Joliet priest says diocese failed to follow protocol to protect children  ]

[ Files detail decades of abuse in Joliet Diocese  ]

[ Controversial Joliet bishop laid to rest  ]






WASHINGTON  The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services wrote in a newsletter Friday that it had "a total of 72 guidance documents that have been rescinded due to being outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective - 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and 9 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)." The documents, which fleshed out students' rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act, were rescinded Oct. 2.

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A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos did not respond to requests for comment.

Advocates for students with disabilities were still reviewing the changes to determine their impact. Lindsay Jones, the chief policy and advocacy officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, said she was particularly concerned to see guidance documents outlining how schools could use federal special education money removed.

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"All of these are meant to be very useful . . . in helping schools and parents understand and fill in with concrete examples the way the law is meant to work when it's being implemented in various situations," said Jones.

President Donald Trump in February signed an executive order "to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens," spurring Education Department officials to begin a top-to-bottom review of its regulations. The department sought comments on possible changes to the special education guidance and held a hearing, during which many disability rights groups and other education advocates pressed officials to keep all of the guidance documents in place, said Jones.

This is not the first time DeVos has rolled back Education Department guidance, moves that have raised the ire of civil rights groups. The secretary in February rescinded guidance that directed schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity, saying that those matters should be left up to state and local school officials. In September, she scrapped rules that outlined how schools should investigate allegations of sexual assault, arguing that the Obama-era guidance did not sufficiently take into account the rights of the accused.

Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D-Va., called the elimination of the special education guidance "the latest in a series of disturbing actions taken by the Trump Administration to undermine civil rights for vulnerable Americans."

"Much of the guidance around [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] focused on critical clarifications of the regulations required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and provide them a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment," Scott said in a statement. "Notwithstanding the actions taken by the Department today, the regulations still remained enforced; however they lack the clarification the guidance provided."

The special education guidance documents rescinded this month clarified the rights of disabled students in a number of areas, including making clear how schools could spend federal money set aside for special education. Some, like one titled "Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools," translated the legal jargon into plain English for parents advocating for their children. Some of the guidance documents that were cut had been on the books since 1980s.

Jones said it is not unusual for new administrations to update documents or to eliminate redundancies, but she had never seen so many eliminated at one time.

"If the documents that are on this list are all covered in newer documents that were released - which sometimes does happen - that would be fine," said Jones." Our goal is to make sure that parents and schools and educators understand how these laws work and the department plays a critical role in that."
CLEVELAND  Ohio State University has denied a request to rent space for an appearance by white nationalist Richard Spencer, citing risks to public safety.

An attorney representing Ohio State said in a letter sent Friday that the university consulted with law enforcement and considered Spencer's appearance at the University of Florida earlier in the week before deciding to turn down the request from Cameron Padgett, a Georgia university student organizing a tour of campuses by Spencer.

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"The University values freedom of speech," the letter said. "Nonetheless, the University has determined that it is not presently able to accommodate Mr. Padgett's request to rent space at the university due to substantial risks to public safety, as well as material and substantial disruption."

Earlier Friday, a lawyer for Spencer's associates said he planned to follow through on a threat to file a lawsuit against Ohio State.

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"The die is cast," attorney Kyle Bristow said in a Twitter message written in Latin.

The university said last week it couldn't accommodate a Spencer event as requested on Nov. 15 for safety reasons but would decide by the end of this week whether viable alternatives existed. Bristow said he'd sue the university if it didn't decide by 5 p.m. Friday to allow Spencer to speak.

The University of Cincinnati was faced with a similar deadline but decided last week to allow Spencer to hold an event there. Both universities were contacted last month about allowing Spencer to visit but delayed making final decisions until Bristow threatened to sue.

The Ohio universities are the latest among a string of universities targeted for appearances by Spencer since he participated in an August white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to deadly violence. The Charlottesville rally left universities across the U.S. struggling to ensure campus safety in the face of recruiting efforts by white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups while balancing concerns over freedom of speech.

Spencer spoke Thursday at the University of Florida, where counter demonstrators greatly outnumbered his supporters, drowned out his speech with anti-Nazi chants and booed him off the stage under the watchful eye of police officers in riot gear.

The same day, another lawyer filed a federal lawsuit against Pennsylvania State University for denying a request to rent space for Spencer to speak, claiming free speech violations. Penn State's president said when turning down the request that the university supports free speech but such an event could result in "disruption and violence."

Spencer said he considered his Florida speech a success even though he was booed away and "wasn't able to talk to people."

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A Georgia state lawmaker, who is married to former U.S. health and human services secretary Tom Price, has drawn criticism for suggesting that people with HIV be quarantined to stop the spread of the virus, recalling language used in an earlier era when AIDS was little understood.

"What are we legally able to do? I don't want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it," State Rep. Betty Price asked Dr. Pascale Wortley, the head of the Georgia Department of Public Health's HIV Epidemiology Section, at a study committee meeting on barriers to adequate health care on Tuesday, as seen in a video of the meeting.

Price, a Republican whose district includes parts of Atlanta's northern suburbs, is a former anesthesiologist and has served on the boards of the medical associations of Atlanta and Georgia, according to her legislative biography.

"Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition, so we have a public interest in curtailing the spread," she continued. "Are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?"

Wortley did not directly address Price's question about quarantining people with HIV. She instead explained efforts by state health-care officials to help people newly diagnosed with HIV to identify sex partners, to link people with HIV to care, and to locate people who are out of care.

"It seems to me it's almost frightening the number of people who are living that are potentially carriers, well they are carriers, with the potential to spread, whereas in the past they died more readily and then at that point they are not posing a risk," Price added.

"So we've got a huge population posing a risk if they are not in treatment."

Neither Price nor Wortley responded to requests for comment Friday.

The idea of quarantining people with HIV and AIDS is not new, and was seriously discussed at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

More than half of respondents in a 1985 Los Angeles Times poll supported isolating AIDS patients.

"There is this idea of building a wall against infection," Harvard University medical historian Allan Brandt told NPR, adding that strong opposition curtailed any efforts to enact such measures.

In 1987, Jesse Helms, then a Republican senator for North Carolina, called for quarantining people who test positive for AIDS, and that same year, former education secretary William Bennett suggested that prisoners infected with AIDS should be kept in custody even after serving their sentences if they threaten to spread the disease to the general population.

Online, news of Price's comments were met with outrage.

In an interview with Stat News, Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said Price's comments were "incredibly disturbing," and show that there is still a stigma around HIV.

"It's very troubling to hear comments like that," he said. "It shows the amount of work that still needs to happen to educate elected officials on the reality of the lives of people living with HIV. I'm hoping Rep. Price would be open to sitting down, meeting with folks, hearing how those comments sound, and recognizing that's not the direction we need to go in."

Georgia ranked fifth highest in the United States for the number of adults and adolescents infected with HIV in 2015, according to a fact sheet from the Georgia Department of Public Health. A total of 54,754 people lived with HIV as of the end of 2015, with nearly two-thirds of those infected living in the Atlanta metro area.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, a co-director for the Emory Center for AIDS Research, told Stat News that he saw Price's comments as "unfortunate" but "not mean-spirited."

Dazon Dixon Diallo, the founder and executive director of SisterLove, a nonprofit focused on women's AIDS and reproductive justice, told Project Q Atlanta that Price's comments showed that there was a lot more educational work to be done.

"When we come into spaces like this and we hear questions around how legally far can we go to isolate people or even quarantine people, then it just lets you know that we have a real uphill battle," Diallo said.
Two Aurora men have been charged with a drive-by shooting at another occupied car Thursday, according to Kane County court records.

Jonathan L. Contreras, 21, of the 400 block of Rathbone Avenue, Aurora, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a class one felony; and two class 4 felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of weapon in a vehicle.

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Contreras is accused of shooting a gun at an occupied vehicle, according to charges filed Friday in Kane County. The charges further allege that Contreras had a revolver without a valid FOID card.

Oscar Perez, 24, of the 500 block of College Avenue, Aurora, is also accused of discharging a firearm, a class 1 felony, and felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon, according to charges filed Friday. Perez also faces charges of unlawful use or possession of weapons or ammunition by a convicted felon, a class 3 felony and possession of a gun without a valid FOID card.

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He was convicted of felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance in 2015, according to court records.

Bail for Perez is set at $100,000, records show. Bail for Contreras was set at $150,000. They would have to post 10 percent for release on bond.

Both are next due in court Oct. 25. Kane County jail records do not list either suspect in custody at the jail, or has having been released from the jail within the past 24 hours.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Marilyn Rodriguez sat on the floor of an East Side home with new parents and their nearly four-month-old daughter singing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in Spanish.

They had discussed speaking and singing and introducing language to their daughter. The infant's parents and grandmother will be speaking several languages, including English, Spanish and Swahili, and the child will soak them up like a sponge, Rodriguez told them.

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For Rodriguez, who works for East Aurora School District 131's Jumpstart program, the goal of this meeting, like her visits with other families, is to help new parents Diana and Jean Mvuyekure teach their child. Rodriguez used to work in an East Aurora middle school, and said she wondered how support at a young age could have affected some of the students she encountered.

"I can come in here and tell them a million times, 'read to your baby, read to your baby.'" she said. "But when they sit there and they say, 'I do it because I'm trying to be a better parent, I do it because this helps my child,' when they have those moments, to us it's just like, yay! It's a celebration within us."

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The Jumpstart program, run by the public school district and funded by a state grant, has existed for 20 years in East Aurora. Team members, along with four other East Aurora educators, will be recognized at the Illinois State Board of Education's "Those Who Excel" banquet at the end of October, according to the district.

The program's five parent educators visit the homes of families with children up to age three, at which point they're eligible to enter preschool, program educators said. In some cases, such as with the Mvuyekures, Jumpstart team members will begin working with a mother while she is still pregnant. Participants are registered in the school district system, so the principal who oversees the Jumpstart program equated the prenatal participants to "kids being in school before they're even born."

East Aurora is not the only Fox Valley school district to provide these types of services to children before preschool. Both Elgin School District U46 and West Aurora School District 129 offer similar services, sending educators to the homes of families with infants and toddlers.

Kathleen Kogut, the East Aurora preschool principal who oversees the Jumpstart program, said she can see the difference Jumpstart makes among preschool students. They seem to have more empowered families who feel more comfortable in school and advocate more for their children, she said. In turn, children see that both their school and their family are committed to helping them learn, and they will see value in education, she said.

East Aurora School District 131 parent educator Marilyn Rodriguez works with new parents Diana and Jean Mvuyekure as part of the Jumpstart program. (Sarah Freishtat/The Beacon-News )

"In communities we struggle with attendance and parents have so many responsibilities with work and with managing their whole lives," she said. "Sometimes, school can fall a little bit to the side, and this program really puts it up front."

The program is geared toward families where certain factors might create challenges  teen parents, immigrant families who do not speak English, or homeless families, Kogut said.

It offers screenings for potential issues and group activities. Playgroups can help introduce parents and kids to the idea of preschool, Jumpstart educator Maria Garcia said. Field trips to the library or a children's museum help parents become more comfortable.

During regular home visits, which follow a set curriculum, educators focus on development, highlighting the importance of bedtime routine or tackling issues that are a struggle.

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"In education, (you) expect the teacher to teach the child, but we don't ever do that," Kogut said. "We want to reinforce the parent as the teacher."

Educators also focus on the whole family during home visits, because what affects a family can affect a child, said one parent educator, Wilma Vargas.

If a mother doesn't speak English and wants to learn, educators will help connect her to language classes. If a father doesn't have a job and wants help with a resume, they will connect him to services, Kogut said. Sometimes, educators provide supplies, such as books, to families.

"For some of the families, too, we are basically the only support they have," Garcia said.

Up to 75 families can participate in the program at any one time. Each of the educators can take on 14 or 15 families at once. The program has been based out of several different buildings over the years  which some educators said might have made it hard for families to track down  but is now located at East Aurora's Early Childhood Center.

Rodriguez said having the support of the program could have affected some of the middle-school students she saw in her previous role. The educators encourage parents to cheer their child on as they learn to crawl or turn a page in a book, and to ask questions if they need answers. Later, as their children are in middle-school, that could translate to a parent cheering on a student who has just finished eighth-grade, or a student learning from a parent to ask for help when needed.

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In her current role, she said some of the parents educators visit are isolated because they have no family, no transportation, or are new to the country.

"They're afraid, they are limited," Rodriguez said. "It's a very large Spanish-speaking community, but they don't always know each other, even though they live next to each other. They're in fear of being deported or they're in fear of just being outcast. They just don't feel like, I can go to my neighbor and say, like, how can I feed my children?"

Diana Mvuyekure said she first heard about the program through an aunt, and she is hoping to learn so she can help her child be smart and healthy. So far, she has learned about "tummy time" and focused on reading to her daughter, even while she was pregnant.

"I did not know anything about babies," she said. "This is my first baby."

On her recent visit, Rodriguez left the Mvuyekures with a booklet of songs in English and Spanish, telling them they could cut out the lyrics and glue them together to make a book of lullabies. As kids grow older, seeing their parents participating in such a project make it more meaningful to them, she said.

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

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Sandra Parga was recently appointed to the 16th Judicial Circuit of Kane County to fill an associate judge vacancy, one of two Hispanic judges in the circuit. (Rafael Guerrero / The Courier-News )

Sandra Theresa Parga said she was one of maybe 10 Hispanic students in her Cornell University Law School classes in the early 1990s.

The law school  and East Coast  setting were "culture shocks" for Parga, having grown up in the Little Village and Woodridge to Mexican parents who had migrated to the U.S. prior to her birth.

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Nowadays, her experience in law  as well as her Spanish-speaking skills  is put to good use, especially in the Hispanic-heavy communities of Kane County. From 2000 through this year, Parga worked in Elgin and helped many Hispanic individuals navigate the courts, she said.

"When you can speak to people in their own language, you can put them at ease," Parga said.

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This fall, Parga left Elgin for her new Aurora office, and for an associate judge seat on the 16th Judicial Circuit in Kane County. She now presides over misdemeanor cases, traffic stops, bond calls, and has other responsibilities.

Parga, a Mexican-American, joins circuit judge Rene Cruz as one of two Hispanic judges in the 16th Judicial Circuit, which has 14 elected and 17 appointed judges.

"I think I see it as an extension of public service work," said Parga, 47. "I really wanted to have a career where I would be able to help people. I really believed  and I still believe  in giving back to the community. To me, being a judge is an extension of that."

Like some families and individuals she has represented or presides over now, Parga grew up not understanding English. While she was born in Chicago, Parga's parents taught her only Spanish. It wasn't until she began kindergarten that she began to learn English, she said.

It was her parents' decision to keep her monolingual for at least the first years of her life, hoping she could be fluent in Spanish, which Parga said was mostly successful.

"My parents spoke English, but it was really important for them that they instill the importance of maintaining the language," she said. "And I had grandparents who didn't speak English, so if I wanted to communicate with them, I needed to know Spanish."

Her upbringing in an immigrant family helped shape who Parga became and what she would ultimately want to do with her life. Helping people was at the forefront, she added, and going into law made the most sense in how to best do it, assisting those who may have a limited or no understanding of the court system.

Parga has been a public defender for the Kane County Public Defender's Office, representing individuals in both criminal and civil cases, and also was concentrated in family law.

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Aside from her paid duties, Parga also has done pro bono work for low-income individuals, such as through Prairie State Legal Services.

"Even up until two months ago, once a month she would go to Prairie State and conduct Spanish workshops," said her husband, criminal attorney David Camic.

"There is no one kinder, more engaging," he added.

Parga's parents  her father a factory worker and her mom the owner of a hair salon  told her "education was the way out" of a more physically-grueling job and career.

Growing up, Parga said she dealt with the frustrations of being a first-generation college student: not being certain what the path to her career looked like, having few family members who graduated from college as mentors, among others. Parga attended DePaul University for her bachelor's degree largely because her aunt went there, she said.

When her daughters begin looking for colleges or asking about a higher education path, Parga said they will have a clearer understanding of it because she experienced it firsthand.

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With a goal of increasing diversity in law-related fields, Parga said she hopes to get into classrooms to talk with students, something she did in Elgin for career days, she said.

Cruz also likes to visit schools and hope Parga can join him to raise awareness on the potential careers available in law and law enforcement.

Parga's formal swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 25.

raguerrero@tribpub.com
Canines of all shapes and sizes descend on the Bark Park in Commissioners Park in Frankfort to seek out treats in the "bone yard" and meet up with fellow furry friends Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, during the Howl-a-Woof event.

Dogs certainly had their day when they got into the Halloween spirit Saturday at Frankfort Park District's sixth annual Howl-a-Woof event.

Canines of all shapes and sizes descended on the Bark Park in Commissioners Park to seek out treats in the "bone yard," participate in a costume contest and meet up with fellow furry friends.

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Zoey, a 14-week-old Dachshund, stole the show as a Vienna beef hot dog, accompanied by owner Tracy Mirabelli, of Beecher, dressed as a hot dog vendor. The costumes were made from thrift store items and refashioned paper hats from Steak and Shake, Mirabelli said.

"She's my baby. I love doing stuff with my dog," said Mirabelli, who recently received Zoey as a birthday present. "She has a whole wardrobe."

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Other owners got into the act as well.

Lisa Williams and her dog Joshua, for example, were dressed in hospital gowns with bandaged heads.

In spite of appearances, they were there for "fun," said Gale Lunsford, who helped wheel Joshua's oxygen tank.

"It's a beautiful park," Lunsford said. "This is a well-run event. Everyone here is so nice."

The event was for pets as much as pet owners. Humans snapped photos while the four-legged participants sniffed out new friends.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5 Winning the "best overall" costume at Frankfort Park District's "Howl-a-Woof" event was Zoey, with owner Tracy Mirabelli, of Beecher. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown )

While Zoey was not the only hot dog in the bunch, there also were clowns, "superdogs," a police officer, a bat, a sailor  even Elvis.

Some of the pooches seemed to enjoy showing off in their costumes and garnering attention, but others rejected the hats on their furry heads and rolled in the grass.

T-Bone, the sailor, loves to dress up and get attention, said Jenna Jaber, of Frankfort, and usually accompanies his family members when they trick or treat in their neighborhood.

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Tiny Sheldon was a "reluctant clown," his owner Ashley Henderson, of Monee, said. He doesn't like being dressed up, but he does enjoy coming to the Bark Park, she said.

Some dogs seemed confused by having to be leashed in a park in which they normally are allowed to run free. Cody, the Siberian Huskie, let his owner Nathan Propheter, of Frankfort, know his frustration with an occasional howl.

He wanted to "dance" with his "girlfriend," Meka, whom he frequently meets up with at the Bark Park, Propheter said.

Both came for the trick-or-treating, minus costumes.

According to Cali DeBella, special events coordinator for the Frankfort Park District, about 60 dogs participated in the Howl-a-Woof this year.

The trio of judges decided that the scariest dogs were Jake and Gus, a pair of Golden Retrievers, dressed as Pennywise and a boy from the new movie "It," based on the Stephen King novel.

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It was their fourth time participating in Howl-a-Woof, owner Ken Lehocky, of New Lenox, said.

"They have a great time here," he said.

Prizes for the funniest costumes went to "superdogs" Jack and Uno, a pair of Golden Doodles, owned by Margaret and Ryan Gory of Oak Lawn. Last year, they came as tacos.

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"We like pet events and they like car rides," said Margaret Gory, adding they also attended the park district's Easter Egg hunt for dogs. "They have nice events."

Dawn Winter's two Puggles attracted a lot of attention: Peppermint Patty won a prize for funniest costume with her Beetlejuice outfit, while 9-week-old Sally, dressed as Wonder Woman, was likely the youngest dog at the event.

One-year-old Lucca, an Argentinian mastiff, was dressed as a blue-winged fairy.

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"We came for the fun of it. I like seeing all the costumes," said her owner Lori Ortiz, of Frankfort Square.

"We bring her to lots of events. We try to get involved in our community. She's our only child," she said.

slafferty@tribpub.com

Twitter @SusanLaff
Serzh Sargsyan receives Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski

Serzh Sargsyan received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Witold Waszczykowski. Welcoming the guest, Serzh Sargsyan said to be happy to host him in a jubilee year as the 650th anniversary of establishment of the Armenian community in Poland and the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Poland was being celebrated. Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the friendly Polish people and the Polish authorities for caring attitude towards a portion of the Armenian people and Armenias cultural heritage. Serzh Sargsyan highly appreciated the warm message issued by President of Poland Andrzej Duda on the 650th anniversary of establishment of the Armenian community and the resolution passed yesterday in the Polish Senate. Serzh Sargsyan underscored Armenias willingness to deepen relationship with Poland both in bilateral format and as part of cooperation with the European Union. Thankful for the warm welcome, Foreign Minister Waszczykowski evoked the meeting and the effective discussion held between Serzh Sargsyan and Poland in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly on September 19. Witold Waszczykowski introduced the purpose of his visit and the outcome of todays talks with his Armenian counterpart. In addition to Armenian-Polish bilateral relations, the interlocutors touched upon the prospects of EU-Armenia cooperation, the forthcoming Brussels Summit and Armenias expectations from it. Noting that our country attaches great importance to the furtherance of interaction with the European Union, Serzh Sargsyan stressed that the cooperation with the EU has resulted in serious reforms implemented in Armenia, with tangible progress recorded in EU-Armenia relations over the past few years. Serzh Sargsyan highlighted Polands role in the strengthening of EU-Armenia relations in the frame of the Eastern Partnership Program. During the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Nearly 80 Beverly elementary school students walked one mile Friday to help raise money to rehabilitate three wells for a village in Kenya. (Dennis Sullivan/Daily Southtown)

Nearly 80 Beverly elementary school students walked one mile Friday to help raise money to rehabilitate three wells for a village in Kenya.

Kellogg Elementary School's walk-a-thon raised $3,000 from pledges for the wells in Maasai Mara, where young girls are currently unable to attend school because they have to walk up to six miles a day to get water, Kellogg officials said. School officials added that they exceeded their $1,000 fundraising goal.

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Kelloggs eighth graders participated in the fundraiser by walking a mile from their school in the 9200 block of Leavitt Street to Ridge Park in the 9600 block of Longwood Avenue.

Eighth grader Amber Payne said talking by phone to four Maasai Mara girls helped her understand "ways we can help the world globally and nationally."

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Eighth grader Brian Noonan agreed.

"Like a lot of people, I always knew there was a crisis (in Africa,) but once I looked more closely I imagined myself in their position," Brian said. "It starts with local communities and starting small."

Diane Pajko, who coordinates the International Baccalaureate Program at Kellogg, oversaw the fundraising project at the school.

Pajkos said Kellogg students became motivated to help when they learned that many of the village's youngsters get sick and die because they were unable to get clean water.

Kellogg Principal Cory Overstreet said in class projects eighth graders also designed water filtration systems from plastic water bottles, seventh graders developed public service messages about reducing water waste and sixth graders learned about the scarcity of water outside the Great Lakes region.

Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Some Will County officials plan to continue their push for a traffic control tower at Lewis University Airport, saying it would help attract more planes and spur economic development in the county.

The 1,000-acre airport, which is on Renwick Road between Route 53 and Weber Road in Romeoville, is the county's largest airport.

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At a recent Executive Committee meeting, board member Ray Tuminello, R-New Lenox, who also is a pilot, said the airport would attract more corporate jets if it had a control tower.

In an interview Friday, Tuminello said he is going ask area communities to contribute money for the tower. Executive Committee members said they plan to have the Joliet Regional Port District make a presentation to the full county board on the importance of having a tower.

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The estimated cost for a control tower would be about $6 million, Tuminello said.

In addition to the county's efforts, state Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, sponsored a resolution passed by the General Assembly this spring, calling on Congress to construct an air traffic control tower or add Lewis to a federal pilot program, allowing an air traffic control program.

"When I am at controlled tower airports, the number of corporate jets lined up on the runway is something I would love to see in Will County," Tuminello said.

"We have one of the best locations," he said, citing the airport's close proximity to transportation networks.

He suggested using Regional Transportation Authority funds to help finance such a project.

The airport is owned and operated by the Joliet Regional Port District, and board Speaker Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort Township, said Will County has provided funds for runway improvements over the years as part of its transportation network.

"Will County has always contributed to Lewis. Ray is correct. No airport is better situated than Lewis," he said.

Moustis said he wants port district officials to provide county officials with an update on the airport at an upcoming meeting.

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Lewis has 100,000 flights per year, which is more than at least six towered airports in Illinois, Tuminello said.

The federal government "doesn't hand out control towers like candy," but from a safety standpoint, they should build one at Lewis University, he said.

Board member Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, said it "makes good sense" to improve an existing airport that is closer to transportation hubs, rather than expand the state-owned Bult Field, also known as the South Suburban Airport in her district.

It doesn't make sense to "keep chewing up" prime agricultural land to expand Bult Field, when there is no other infrastructure in place to support it, she said.

"Bult Field has never been the right thing," she said, but improving Lewis Airport is a "smart move."

slafferty@tribpub.com

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Twitter @SusanLaff
An auto repair shop caught fire Friday afternoon, but damage was limited thanks to the activation of a fire suppression system, Naperville fire officials said.

The fire broke out at about 1:15 p.m. in the painting area of the business, located in the 600 block of West 5th Avenue, according to a fire department news release.

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Fire department crews reported heavy smoke coming from the roof and front door of the business and determined the fire had started in the duct of a painting booth, the release said. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in 20 minutes.

"The minimal damage caused to the structure and contents are due to the quick notification our (Public Safety Answering Point) received through the alarm board located in the dispatch center as well as the actions of employees on the scene when they manually activated the installed suppression system," the release said.

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The cause of the fire was electrical in nature, and no injuries were reported, according to the release.

ehegarty@tribpub.com
The residents of West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago have all left after the area was found to be contaminated by lead. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reexamining its plans to clean up East Chicago's now-closed West Calumet Housing Complex.

The EPA is working on a feasibility study that will explore alternatives for the remediation of the complex once the demolition is complete, said Tom Alcamo, a remedial project manager with the EPA.

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"We're amending the current remedy that's in place," Alcamo said.

The EPA will go back into negotiations with the potentially responsible parties, that will fund the cleanup, with the new remediation plans, Alcamo said, and the agency will look at alternatives including capping the site to digging to native sand.

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The EPA's initial record of decision, released in 2012, planned to remediate the contaminated soil at the housing complex without displacing residents or tearing down any buildings. The intention to simply dig out the soil was the plan funded through the 2014 consent decree.

"We're doing an addendum to the feasibility study," Alcamo said.

When East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, in July 2016, notified residents they would have to move and he intended to have the complex demolished, the EPA had to revisit that plan.

Residents see the EPA revisiting the remediation plans for the site as a chance to get more input into what's happening at the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site, according to court documents.

A group of residents and advocacy organizations last year filed in federal court to get intervener status in the case between the companies held responsible for the contamination in the Calumet neighborhood and the EPA and Department of Justice. The residents argued, in court filings, that recent developments at the site and changes to the remediation plans should leverage their request to have a role in court proceedings.

Federal Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry, in his order, said that residents received notice of the EPA's cleanup plan in 2012 and the 2014 consent decree filed in court and published in the federal register, noting both those events provided opportunities for them to comment.

"Applicants should have known about their interest in this case two years prior to their filing the motion to intervene," Cherry wrote.

Attorneys for the residents argued that the judge should have considered the element of timeliness in the context of the history of the site, where it took decades to stop companies from polluting the neighborhood; the EPA didn't declare it a Superfund site for 24 years; funding for the cleanup wasn't negotiated until 5 years after the Superfund designation; significant cleanup didn't start for two years; and the EPA, in 2016, began telling residents about the high levels of contamination.

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The residents and advocacy groups have now appealed the magistrate's ruling.

Catherine Garypie, associate region counsel for EPA Region 5, said the agency's main concern with the motion to intervene was that it came too far into the remediation process.

"Our concern was that it was late," Garypie said. "That was our big issue."

On a national level, Garypie said the statute includes the time element to keep the process moving forward.

"The big concern is we don't want to slow down cleanup," Garypie said.

Maritza Lopez, a resident and leader of the East Chicago Calumet Coalition, said the EPA and Department of Justice think that residents and interested parties got enough notice to participate in the process back in 2012 but many people weren't aware of what was happening.

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"The residents were left out of this," Lopez said.

It wasn't until the mayor spoke up about the contamination at West Calumet that many residents realized the extent of the problem, Lopez said, and that wasn't until 2016.

"That opened our eyes," Lopez said.

Copeland has asked the EPA repeatedly to clean the site to residential standards as the reuse of the site is now being explored.

Alcamo said the demolition application to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development did not give any indication of the future use of the former housing complex.

"Officially, it's nothing," Alcamo said.

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The remediation alternatives and ultimate plan to remove the contaminated material will follow what the future use of the site will be, Alcamo said.

Once the new plans are developed, the EPA will release those alternatives, Alcamo said, and collect public feedback.

"There will be a whole other public process," Alcamo said.

The EPA said it will take public comment when amendments to the record of decision are proposed, according the the agency, and if changes to the consent decree are needed, another chance for the public to comment will be made available.

The EPA has told HUD and the East Chicago Housing Authority it would like to review bid specifications for the demolition, Alcamo said, and have been told it will have that opportunity.

"The whole place is getting torn down," Alcamo said.

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The approval HUD gave the East Chicago Housing Authority only allows the demolition of the buildings and removal of roadways, sidewalks and foundations, according to Alcamo. HUD blocked plans to remove underground utilities, according to the final decision issued by the federal housing agency.

"That is kind of big news," Alcamo said.

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter @craigalyons
Sales tax is going up in Pueblo West after voters OK road improvements

Pueblo West sales tax will be 5.9% next year after voters OK a 1% increase for road repairs, but it's still lower than Pueblo and Canon City.
Local government elections in Georgia

Elections of local self-governing bodies are being held in Georgia today. The Mayor of Tbilisi will also be elected. According to Akhmed Imamkuliev, a candidate for mayor of Marneuli of European Gerogia Party, in the 55th polling station of Shulaver village, bribe was distributed to the citizens. At the 66th polling station of the 40th polling district of Akhalkalaki the members of the commission had already made notes in ballots. Based on the complaint filed by observers of the Multinational Georgia Party, the violation was corrected. At the 34th polling station of the same polling district, the observer has repeatedly assisted voters in the ballot box and placed the ballot in a special envelope. The observer of Multinational Georgia Party made a corresponding note on this. Kakha Kaladze, candidate for mayor of the ruling Georgian Dream party accused the opposition of creating tension during the elections. Archil Talakadze, leader of the parliamentary majority, who heads the Kaladze's headquarters, said that the parties had ordered their representatives to file as many complaints as possible in all polling stations. Talakadze was sure that the purpose of the opposition was to influence n the results of the elections. Leader of the parliamentary majority, Archil Talakvade, who heads the Kaladze campaign headquarters, said the parties have instructed their representatives to file as many complaints as possible at each polling station.

An incident took place in Akhalcikhe. A confrontation took place between the representatives of the Georgian Dream and the European Georgia Parties at the 26th polling station in the village of Naokhrebo. Mediko Gogoladze, member of the European Georgia Party stated that the head of the commission was a member of the Georgian Dream Part, demanding from him to leave the polling station.

Details are available here
All votes in the CO-3 election won't be counted until the end of this week
Maintaining the RA state debt and exceed it if strictly necessary

To maintain the state debt of the Republic of Armenia at the threshold of 60 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), and, if strictly necessary, exceed it. At the meeting with journalists in Hankavan, within the framework of 2018 state budget discussions, the RA Ministry of Finance presented its program, entitled "Revision and modernization of fiscal rules". Atom Janjughazyan, the RA Deputy Minister of Finance, said that the bill envisages addressing the National Assembly, in the case of sever shock, when it is not possible to solve the problem with the budget structure, and reporting on the poor condition, and on the necessity to attract a new debt that may exceed 60 percent threshold. "We will have to justify that the economic pressure and shocks are so great that they must go through legislative changes and exceed the threshold of public debt. At the same time, we will also introduce the mechanisms with the help of which we will return to the intended threshold. If we fail, then sanctions will be applied against us, up to the government's resignation." To the question as to which economic shocks would be considered as the basis for exceeding the threshold of public debt, Mr. Janjughazyan noted that it was impossible to regulate it by law. "We do not have so much flexibility to define the types of shocks by law. Currently we are looking for ways of setting rules, restricting ourselves in order not to take too much public debts, and decrease our expenses. By the way, Armenia is viewed as a middle-income country, and due to that the privileged segment decreases in the loans granted to us." This program is elaborated by the RA Ministry of Finance with the support of the International Monetary Fund. Armen Hayrapetyan, Deputy Minister of Finance, said that as a result of the crisis, deficits had increased in all countries of the world, and the accumulation of deficit had resulted in the increase in debt, resulting debt level increase in all countries. In Armenia, fiscal policy has been anti-cyclical in recent years. Meanwhile, in 2009 the crisis was neutral or expanding. "2016 the state debt exceeded 50 percent. Until 2008 the debt dropped to 13% of GDP, then there was the exchange rate effect, and now the debt has risen above the balance sheet because of the sharp fluctuations of the last exchange rate which took place in 2015."
The China National Peking Opera Company will return to the UK for the third time when it brings four performances to London's Sadler's Wells this weekend.

Peking Opera [File Photo]

Romantic comedy The Phoenix Returns Home and tragic military drama A River All Red will open at renowned dance venue Sadlers Wells on October 21.

This is the third time the National Peking Opera Company has brought productions to the UK, following tours in 2015 and 2016.

In an interview with SINO radio, director Kevin Zhang said audiences attending the performances could expect a combination of music, acrobatics, drama and dance drawing on traditional and modern influences. This is a very unique performing art, he told listeners.

Zhang also told audiences to look out for the distinctive use of makeup and costume in the operas. Each color on (the actors) face and costume can tell us something about the story, he added.

Jin Xu, chancellor from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said that the visit represented a wider trend of the UK paying greater attention to Chinese culture.

Peking Opera, one of Chinas most influential styles of stage art, has been around for over 200 years in China. Performers often train from a young age in a wide range of stage arts including singing, dancing, acting, mime and acrobatics.
The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has brought more business opportunities to the China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair.

Trade associations reported rises in the number of buyers from countries along the Belt and Road, contributing to transaction growth at the world's largest comprehensive trade fair.

Boosted by market recovery and the Belt and Road Initiative, nearly 80 percent of exhibitors reported increases in buyers, according to the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Imports & Exports.

Held in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, every spring and autumn, Canton Fair is seen as a barometer of China's foreign trade.

Al-hamimi Hasan of Yemen said he saw more buyers at the autumn session than at the spring one this year.

Hasan, who has attended the fair for 14 years, said the product upgrading at the trade fair, particularly with lamps, led to a strong market in the Middle East.

An increase in traders from countries along the Belt and Road mirrored the recovery of China's foreign trade.

The General Administration of Customs said the country's foreign trade volume rose 16.6 percent to 20.29 trillion yuan (3.08 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of the year.

Exports increased 12.4 percent to 11.16 trillion yuan, while imports surged 22.3 percent to 9.13 trillion yuan.

The number of buyers from the United Arab Emirates, China's second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, increased 5 percent.

Mohamed Alzaabi, a director with the UAE Ministry of Economy, said the UAE had sent groups to the fair since 2007, and that all members hoped for business cooperation with China.

He said that more than 4,000 Chinese enterprises had operations in the UAE, with bilateral trade reaching 46 billion U.S. dollars in 2016.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along -- and beyond -- the ancient Silk Road trade routes. The modern version comprises an overland Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

As the Belt and Road Initiative advances, China has signed a number of infrastructure construction deals with related countries, including Thailand, Bangladesh, Greece and Kenya.

The construction deals drive up demand for China's construction machinery.

Wang Falin, an official with the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said China's exports of construction machinery were expected to see steady growth as the countries along the Belt and Road started to improve their infrastructure.

China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Imports & Exports said its members had reported remarkable growth in transaction value with countries such as Uzbekistan, Nepal and Serbia.

Tianjin Minmetals, one of the traders, has even set up sales representative offices in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The fair attracted 620 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions, with nearly 60 percent from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, including Egypt, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Forty-five Turkish firms attended the fair.

A total of 100 Turkish firms intended to attend the fair, but due to the exhibition space limit, only half managed to attend, said Gulin, an official with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) opens the 19th National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

The ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has received a great number of messages from around the world. They speak highly of the CPC's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions, and express full confidence that the Party will lead China to even greater success. The following is an edited summary of the messages.

Nursultan Nazarbayev

Kazakh president and chairman of the Nur Otan People's Democratic Party

As the leading force in China, the CPC is expected to continue to make huge contributions to China's economic growth, social prosperity and people's welfare.

John Magufuli

Tanzanian president and chairman of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party

In the past few decades, China has recorded tremendous achievements in all fields. These achievements are, in no small part, thanks to the exemplary and visionary leadership of the CPC.

Omar al-Bashir

Sudanese president and chairman of the National Congress Party

With the CPC's help, Sudan-China relations are expected to move forward and under broader prospects.

Aleksandar Vucic

Serbian president and president of the Serbian Progressive Party

Bearing in mind the role and position that the People's Republic of China has in our globalized world, its economy and politics, we hereby wish to emphasize how important the 19th National Congress of the CPC truly is, not only for your Party and your country, but far beyond that.

David Granger

Guyanan president and leader of the People's National Congress of Guyana

The CPC policies "have led to the transformation of China into one of the most developed economies in the world today. Delegates attending the Congress this year will be entrusted with the responsibility to make new, far-reaching decisions and elect leaders to guide China in the coming years".

Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian president

The CPC's efforts led by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will make significant contributions to boosting China's social prosperity and substantiating the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Mahamadou Issoufou

Nigerien president

The 19th CPC National Congress is a historic moment in China's future and its relations with the world, which will push China's development further forward.

Filip Vujanovic

Montenegrin president

(The Belt and Road Initiative) has gathered wide support of the countries in Asia and Europe... I would like to say that an outward-looking China is of great global meaning and helps overall stability worldwide.

The Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party

The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have boosted regional and global economic and trade interconnectivity, contributing much to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Sheikh Hasina

Bangladeshi prime minister and chairwoman of the Bangladesh Awami League Party

With Xi Jinping at the core of CPC's Central Committee, the Party is expected to bring China greater achievements after its 19th National Congress.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan prime minister and leader of United National Party

Under General Secretary Xi Jinping's leadership in the past five years, China has made great economic and social achievements, and helped promote global economic growth and raise living standards worldwide.

Lee Hsien Loong

Singaporean prime minister and secretary-general of People's Action Party

The 19th CPC National Congress is a milestone event in the history of the CPC and China, and will set guidelines for China's future road under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping. A prosperous and stable China is beneficial to the region and the world at large.

Juha Sipila

Finnish prime minister and president of the Center Party

The Center Party of Finland would like to encourage the CPC leadership to continue (pursuing) its reforms and be (an) active member of the international community.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen

Danish prime minister and leader of Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti

It is my hope that the 19th National Congress of the CPC ... will lead China further on its road to progress. (The progress already made) has strengthened the role of China in international relations and cooperation on global issues such as the fight against poverty, climate change, and the (UN-listed) sustainable development goals.

Boyko Borissov

Bulgarian prime minister and chairman of GERB

I sincerely hope that the future decision on the strategic development of China, including the unfolding of the market economy, as well as the principles and goals that the country will follow in its foreign policy, will continue to engage with good relations... the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Robert Fico

Slovak prime minister and leader of Smer-Social Democracy

The CPC has led China to take major measures to fight against corruption, improve the environment, eliminate poverty, deepen reform and maintain world peace and stability in recent years. The 19th National Congress... will inject new impetus into the fulfillment of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and the country's two centenary goals.

Joseph Muscat

Maltese prime minister, leader of Labor Party

The CPC has contributed greatly to enhance multilateralism and to promote the maintenance of peace and stability... (and) uphold world trade and the global economy.

Thomas Motsoahae Thabane

Lesotho's prime minister, leader of All Basotho Convention

We believe the decisions and action plan adopted by the 19th National Congress of the CPC will lead China to a brighter future.

Patrice Trovoada

Sao Tome and Principe's prime minister, president of the Independent Democratic Action

The results achieved during the 19th National Congress of the CPC will help China continue to play a vital leading role in global governance, including maintaining world peace, promoting economic cooperation and environmental conservation.

Peter O'Neill

Papua New Guinean prime minister, leader of People's National Congress

(The CPC's good governance) has been evident through the resurgence of the Chinese economy from within as well as through international cooperation with the other global partners.

Charlot Salwai

Vanuatu's prime minister, president of Reunification of Movements for Change, or RMC

RMC will always observe our diplomatic relations with the Government and the People's Republic of China established in 1982 in favor of the 'One China Policy' and we welcome the outcome of the 19th National Congress of the CPC.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo

Guinea-Bissau's prime minister

The government of Guinea Bissau extends its best wishes for fruitful results to the 19th CPC National Congress. We hope the Congress further strengthens the unity of the Chinese people and promotes China's economic and social progress.

Miyeegombyn Enkhbold

Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party and chairman of the State Great Khural, Mongolia's parliament

The Mongolian People's Party congratulates the CPC on its achievements over the past five years and wishes the Congress a complete success.

Liviu Dragnea

Social Democratic Party president and president of Chamber of Deputies of Romania

The Social Democratic Party speaks highly of the CPC's role in China's economic development and social progress. Under the leadership of the CPC, China will witness greater prosperity and well-being of the Chinese people.

Ivica Dacic

President of the Socialist Party of Serbia and first deputy prime minister of Serbia

Under the CPC's leadership, China will become a leading force in global development and an important actor in safeguarding world peace.

Vojtech Filip

Chairman of Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and vice-speaker of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has comprehensively deepened reform and created the "China miracle" and strives to modernize its governance and achieve the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Joe Y. Natuman

Interim president of Vanua'aku Party and deputy prime minister of Vanuatu

The 19th National Congress of the CPC is an important event, and it will set important policy direction and consolidate China's advancement in the world.

Boris Gryzlov

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the United Russia Party

The CPC is the driving force for China to achieve positive development. Under the leadership of the CPC, China's future will be more prosperous and the living standards of the Chinese people will further progress.

Amit Shah

India's Bharatiya Janata Party President

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, decisions made and directions set by the 19th National Congress of the CPC will bring further development and prosperity to China, further promote China-India cooperation, and bring peace, stability and development to the world.

Natsuo Yamaguchi

Head of Japan's Komeito Party

Under the staunch leadership of Xi Jinping, China is steadily advancing toward building a moderately prosperous society and playing the role of a responsible major country in the international community.

Aleksandar Vulin

President of the Movement of Socialists in Serbia

The 19th National Congress of the CPC will promote further development of the Party's cause, and a bigger role for China to play in maintaining world peace and stability.

Milan Chovanec

Acting chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party

The 19th CPC National Congress will chart the course for the CPC's development, and set up an effective plan for China to grasp opportunities and address challenges.

Javier Miranda

President of the Broad Front of Uruguay

Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, China has made achievements in areas such as economic development and poverty reduction, as well as scientific and technological innovation.

Gennady Zyuganov

First secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation

China enjoys a solid reputation in the international arena and plays an important role in solving international and regional hot spot issues.

Sergey Mironov

Chairman of A Just Russia Party

The new concepts, new thinking and new strategies implemented by the CPC under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping have won broad support among all walks of life in China, which reflects the Chinese people's high trust in the CPC and their sense of responsibility for the future of the Chinese nation and the country.

Tadatomo Yoshida

Head of the Social Democratic Party in Japan

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is a grand blueprint of profound and epoch-making significance in trade, politics and diplomacy.

Zinaida Greceanii

President of Moldova's Socialist Party

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has become one of the world's strong powers and maintains a leading role in many areas in the globe.

Vladimir Voronin

President of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova

The resolution to be authorized by the 19th CPC National Congress states that the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the CPC and China will enter a new phase of development.

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz

President of Polish People's Party

Over the past five years, China has achieved great progress in developing its economy and society under the leadership of the CPC.

Pedro Passos Coelho

President of the Social Democratic Party in Portugal

The 19th CPC National Congress is not only significant to China's future development, but also has positive effects on establishing harmonious international relations.
Jing Haipeng, the first Chinese astronaut to go into space three times, has voiced his desire to go into space again as a further demonstration of his loyalty to the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"I'm eager to go to space again, be a pioneer in the battle one more time," said the 51-year-old major general and delegate to the ongoing 19th National Congress of the CPC.

"Let the vastness of space witness again the absolute loyalty of a revolutionary soldier, a CPC member and a space warrior," Jing told Xinhua.

"I must give all the people involved in China's manned space program a thumbs-up," Jing said. "China's aerospace industry has achieved one breakthrough after another over the past five progressive years."

"Numerous people have spent their blood and sweat to engrave their loyalty to the Party and the people onto the universe, in the country's journey toward becoming a space power," the astronaut said.

Following his trips on Shenzhou-7 in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 in 2012, Jing's latest mission was on board Shenzhou 11, launched on Oct. 17, 2016.

Shenzhou-11 docked two days later with China's first space lab, Tiangong-2, where Jing and the other astronaut Chen Dong lived for 30 days, the longest time a taikonaut has spent in space.

"I grew up in a small village, and my mum and dad were farmers," Jing said. "So far I've realized my dreams one by one and mounted the steps one after another."

"There are words from the bottom of my heart: Never forget it is the training of the Party and the country which enables me to fly higher and higher. As a serviceman, I never forget the care, instruction and guidance of organizations at various levels," said the emotional astronaut.

This is not the first time Chinese astronauts have expressed their Communist beliefs and loyalty to the Party. China's first astronaut Yang Liwei told reporters at another Party congress 10 years ago that astronauts might start a branch of the CPC in space.

"If China has its own space station, the taikonauts on mission will carry out the regular activities of a CPC branch in the way we do on earth, such as learning the Party's policies and exchanging opinions on Party decisions," Yang said.

According to the CPC Constitution, a grass-root CPC organization should be established where there are three or more CPC members.

A permanent manned space station is part of China's plans, expected to enter into full service around 2022, with an initial designed life of at least 10 years. It will accommodate three to six astronauts, who will stay in space for up to one year.
Jiang Yingcheng, a teacher from Hangzhou Technician Institute, competes in the car spraying event at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, which closed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday. Jiang won the gold medal. [Photo/China Daily]

China topped the gold medal count at the 44th WorldSkills Competition which closed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

China participated in 47 competition events and won 15 gold medals, seven silver medals and eight bronze medals. It's the best performance by the Chinese delegation in the World-Skills Competition since it joined WorldSkills in 2010, and is the fourth time China has participated in the competition.

Zhang Lixin, head of the Chinese delegation at the competition, said China got gold medals in all six competition categories in the event, including manufacturing engineering and technology, transportation and logistics, and information and communication technology.

"China showed to the world the excellent skills of its young skilled talent in the World-Skills Competition. The good result the Chinese delegation got will also encourage Chinese youth and workers to develop in an atmosphere of respecting work, skills and creation and promoting the development of the country's skilled talent," said Zhang, who is also head of the Professional Capacity Building Department at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Around 1,260 competitors from 68 WorldSkills' member countries and regions participated in 52 competition events this year. China sent the largest-ever delegation of 52 members, aged from 18 to 21. It was the first time that China participated in 18 of the events, Zhang said.

The 52 were chosen from more than 1,000 who took part in national competitions from last July to April this year, he said.

In 2015, China got gold medals for the first time at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. In total, China got five gold medals, six silver medals and three bronze medals in the event.

China was also selected in Abu Dhabi on Oct 13 to host the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021. President Xi Jinping sent a video message in support of China's bid to host the event.

The WorldSkills Competition occurs every two years and is the world's biggest vocational education and skills excellence event.

The competitors are selected from WorldSkills' member countries and regions and represent the best of their peers. They demonstrate technical abilities both individually and collectively to carry out specific tasks for which they study and will perform in the future.

China has 165 million skilled workers, and 47.91 million of them are highly skilled. Each year, more than 100 million people have access to technical and vocational education and training.
The Christian Times

Jardine Malado

20 October, 2017

Chinas President Xi Jinping has called on the Communist Party to oppose erroneous ideology and promote religion that is Chinese in orientation.

In his opening speech at the national congress on Wednesday, Xi outlined his vision for China to become a global leader with international influence by guiding not only the countrys economy and the internet but also its culture, religion and morals.

Chinas President Xi Jinping attends a

welcoming ceremony for Tajikistans

President Emomali Rahmon outside the

Great Hall of the People in Beijing,

China August 31, 2017.

(Reuters/Jason Lee)

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is no walk in the park or mere drum-beating and gong-clanging, the Chinese president told hundreds of delegates in his three-and-a-half hour address.

The whole party must be prepared to make ever more difficult and harder efforts. To achieve great dreams there must be a great struggle, he continued.

He called on party members to oppose erroneous ideology and said that religion must be Chinese and orientation, and must be guided by the party to adapt to socialist society.

The national congress, which takes place every five years, was held this year at the Great Hall of the People near Tiananmen Square in Beijing and was attended by more than 2,200 members of the partys elite.

According to The Independent, the theme of the congress centered on the idea that the party should remain true to its original aspiration, hold high the banner of socialism, and secure a decisive victory in the battle to build a moderately prosperous society.

Xi is expected to be formally granted another five years in power as the partys general secretary within a week.

Over the past year, the Chinese president has urged party members to Sinicise  or bring under Chinese tradition  the countrys ethnic and religious minorities in an effort to prevent religious extremism.

Last week, the partys official Peoples Daily published an article warning Communist Party officials not to pray to god or fraternize with religious leaders, reminding them that Communism begins from the outset with atheism.

Superstition is thought pollution and spiritual anesthesia that cannot be underestimated and must be thoroughly purged, the article said, according to Gospel Herald.

The article further noted that although freedom of religion is guaranteed in the constitution, party members must adhere to atheism.

In the latest issue of the Partys flagship magazine, Qiuishi Journal, Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, stressed that party members should be firm Marxist atheists, obey party rules and stick to the partys faith They are not allowed to seek value and belief in religion.

Xi has previously warned that religious influences could infiltrate the country from abroad. Due to the Chinese governments restrictions on religion, Christian charity Open Doors has ranked the nation as the 39th worst country in the world for Christian persecution.

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CHANGSHA - China's first domestically produced electric locomotive began operating in Serbia, the Chinese manufacturer, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, announced late Thursday.

The locomotive will serve the busiest freight transport route on the Balkan Peninsula

With a maximum speed of 140 km per hour and a rated power of 7,000 kW, the locomotive is able to haul 4,500 tons of cargo.

In March 2016, CRRC Zhuzhou signed a contract with Nikola Tesla Thermal Power Plant, a state-owned enterprise in Serbia, to supply two electric locomotives. It is the first Chinese electric locomotive project in Serbia and also the first to conform to the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) standard.

The other locomotive is expected to arrive in Serbia soon.

CRRC Zhuzhou has strengthened its presence in overseas markets in recent years. It has won bids for metro trains in Turkey, multiple unit trains in Macedonia and Czech Republic, and a hybrid trolley bus in Austria.

CRRC, also known as China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, was formed in 2015 through the merger of former two rivals. The largest train maker so far has been rapidly expanding its presence by winning contracts in overseas markets, and has sold equipment to more than 100 countries and regions.
China's first homegrown regional jetliner ARJ21700,which is produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, is delivered to Chengdu Airlines on Thursday.[Photo/Xinhua]

China's first homegrown regional jetliner ARJ21-700 was delivered on Thursday after its mass production was certified in July, an indication that the jetliner manufacturing industry in China is moving steadily towards the mass production stage.

ARJ21-700, produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is a jet with 78 to 90 seats and a flight range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. It mainly serves China's central and western cities.

The ARJ21-700 jetliner was bought by China Aerospace Leasing Co, and delivered to Chengdu Airlines on Thursday. It is also the first ARJ21-700 that was delivered through the lease-back arrangement.

"The delivery also signals the tasks that Chengdu Airlines takes for the aircraft model have shifted from demonstration operations and design upgrade to market exploration stage," said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst and columnist at carnoc.com, a leading civil aviation website.

So far, COMAC has received 433 orders for the jetliner from 20 clients. By the end of the year, the company plans to deliver five ARJ21-700 jetliners.

Meanwhile, Qinghai Airport Co Ltd announced on Wednesday that the ARJ21-700 has successfully completed its trial flight on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the course of five days, demonstrating its ability to fly safely at high elevations. The test included an engine-start ground test at the high altitude airport, flight performance verification testing and take-off and landing tests.

"The successful trial flight shows that the ARJ21-700 is able to fly along air routes in the region at around 3,000 meters above the sea level," said Wu Zhaowei from the test verification division of the ARJ21 program department of COMAC.

The number of passenger planes that can be used in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is limited due to thin air and complicated terrain and climate.

"If the ARJ21-700 enters the market, rural residents there will be able to travel more quickly at a cheaper price," said Meng Jun, a staff member with the Qinghai Airport Co.

Xinhua - China Daily
File photo shows high-speed rail in China. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Shanghai bourse has come out with the guidelines for listing of public-private partnerships (PPP) in China, a move that will help those financing infrastructure projects.

Listing priority will be given to PPP projects that support the development of the Xiongan New Area, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei synergetic development, Belt and Road Initiative, Yangtze River Economic Belt development and those for rejuvenating old industrial bases, and other projects in alignment with the national strategic development.

PPP projects with the participation of industry leaders, and those highly market-oriented, with stable public demands and predictable cash flow, would also be encouraged to list, said the circular.

The circular specified that PPP projects that acquire fees when the projects are launched can explore securitization of future yields based on contract agreements, and set reasonable securitization rates.

Project companies need to have the capability to operate constantly, with complete and healthy internal control systems, and have no record of false disclosure or defaults, or black marks in credit records.

"The guidance will help brokerages, subsidiaries of funds, and the project company to operate securitization in a standard manner, and will help strengthen risk management and protect investors' legal rights," the circular said.

Analysts said that enabling securitization of PPP projects will encourage more investors to get involved in PPP projects, as the measure to long-term yields is clarified, and institutions like trusts are more willing to participate in such projects with stable and steady returns.

"Securitization of PPP projects will provide investors with more liquidity, and more channels to exit from projects," said a research note from Zhongtai Securities.

According to BRI Data, a market research and information provider, PPP projects with combined value of 3.17 trillion yuan ($478.9 billion) were transacted between January and September 2017. In September alone, projects worth 466 billion yuan were transacted.

"China's PPP market has been expanding fast and has great potential. With more incentives for investors in terms of more liquidity and long-term yields, PPPs will play a more significant role in financing China's economic development," said Deng Xiyin, an analyst with Chang'an Trust.
City plans steps to transform free trade zone into free port

Hang Zheng, Party secretary of Shanghai.[Photo/China Daily]

Shanghai-related stocks advanced on Friday as the city's Party chief confirmed plans to reinvent its pilot free trade zone as a world-class free port.

The port has entered the "planning stage" and needs to get the green light from the central authorities before moving forward, said Han Zheng on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The plan, which aims to deepen reform and further open up the economy, has sparked a boom in shares that are port and transportation-related or with Shanghai in their names.

Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Group Co and Shanghai International Port Group Co Ltd were among the stocks that jumped by the daily limit of 10 percent.

In May, Beijing approved a plan to comprehensively expand the opening-up of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which, according to Han, marked the '3.0 version' of the FTZ since its debut in 2013 and first expansion two years ago.

"System innovation is the core task of the zone," he said. "More than 100 innovative institutions have been applied across the nation through these years."

Experts said such an ambition would be accompanied by plans to further relax import cargo controls and streamline customs clearance in accordance with international practice.

"The prospective free trade port is likely to test the waters for trade facilitation measures and provide policy support to the high-tech sector," according to Sun Yuanxin, deputy director of the Research Institute for the Shanghai FTZ at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

"Free trade port means beyond the current model of bonded areas," said Zhu Min, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission. "It will take about three to four years to redesign a comprehensive set of rules and revise related regulations."

Shanghai's FTZ has become a growth engine, contributing to a quarter of the city's economic output this year, said Weng Zuliang, Party secretary of Shanghai's Pudong New Area.

A total of 49,000 newly established enterprises, 20 percent of which are foreign capital-backed, have set foot in the zone by August, exceeding the number of companies registered in the previous two decades, Weng said.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Commerce announced the launch of an additional seven free trade zones to accelerate the nation's opening-up and boost the Belt and Road Initiative, taking the number of FTZs to 11.
GUANGZHOU - The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has brought more business opportunities to the China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair.

Trade associations reported rises in the number of buyers from countries along the Belt and Road, contributing to transaction growth at the world's largest comprehensive trade fair.

Boosted by market recovery and the Belt and Road Initiative, nearly 80 percent of exhibitors reported increases in buyers, according to the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Imports & Exports.

Held in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, every spring and autumn, Canton Fair is seen as a barometer of China's foreign trade.

Al-hamimi Hasan of Yemen said he saw more buyers at the autumn session than at the spring one this year.

Hasan, who has attended the fair for 14 years, said the product upgrading at the trade fair, particularly with lamps, led to a strong market in the Middle East.

An increase in traders from countries along the Belt and Road mirrored the recovery of China's foreign trade.

The General Administration of Customs said the country's foreign trade volume rose 16.6 percent to 20.29 trillion yuan ($3.08 trillion) in the first three quarters of the year.

Exports increased 12.4 percent to 11.16 trillion yuan, while imports surged 22.3 percent to 9.13 trillion yuan.

The number of buyers from the United Arab Emirates, China's second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, increased 5 percent.

Mohamed Alzaabi, a director with the UAE Ministry of Economy, said the UAE had sent groups to the fair since 2007, and that all members hoped for business cooperation with China.

He said that more than 4,000 Chinese enterprises had operations in the UAE, with bilateral trade reaching $46 billion in 2016.

The Belt and Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along - and beyond - the ancient Silk Road trade routes. The modern version comprises an overland Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

As the Belt and Road Initiative advances, China has signed a number of infrastructure construction deals with related countries, including Thailand, Bangladesh, Greece and Kenya.

The construction deals drive up demand for China's construction machinery.

Wang Falin, an official with the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said China's exports of construction machinery were expected to see steady growth as the countries along the Belt and Road started to improve their infrastructure.

China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Imports & Exports said its members had reported remarkable growth in transaction value with countries such as Uzbekistan, Nepal and Serbia.

Tianjin Minmetals, one of the traders, has even set up sales representative offices in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The fair attracted 620 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions, with nearly 60 percent from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, including Egypt, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Forty-five Turkish firms attended the fair.

A total of 100 Turkish firms intended to attend the fair, but due to the exhibition space limit, only half managed to attend, said Gulin, an official with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.
A worker was seen working in an assembly line at a company in the textile industrial park in Aksu, Northwest China's Xinjiang autonomous region, on May 17, 2017. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Saturday that it will extend anti-dumping duties on imports of caprolactam, a synthetic polymer widely used in textiles, from the EU and the US for another five years.

China imposed anti-dumping duties on caprolactam in 2011 on the grounds that the products were being dumped on the Chinese market at below market prices.

The latest decision follows a review that found the domestic industry would be harmed if anti-dumping duties were discontinued.

The MOC said China will continue to collect anti-dumping duties on such imports in accordance to the rates set in 2011.

According to a previous MOC statement, DSM Fibre Intermediates BV and six other European companies were subject to anti-dumping duties of between 2.3 and 4.9 percent, while rates for other EU companies were set at 25.5 percent.

As for US caprolactam, DSM Chemicals North America Inc, Honeywell Resins & Chemicals LLC and the BASF Corporation will face an anti-dumping tax of 2.2 percent, 3.6 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

All other US companies will be levied a uniform anti-dumping tax of 24.2 percent.
"I just could not rest, as there are 410 households that remain poverty-stricken in my town in the middle of Hainan island," said Yang Fengji, a delegate to the ongoing 19th CPC National Congress.

The 55-year-old Yang, who is from Baisha Li autonomous county in Hainan province, has visited all 58 villages in the town of Da'an, which has a population of around 15,000, hundreds of times since he was promoted to deputy director of the township last year.

"I've been soliciting ideas for local development and trying to find jobs to help those needy households to become comparatively well off next year," said Yang, who is a member of the Li ethnic group, the earliest residents of Hainan island.

Yang, who was honored as a national model worker and a model for national unity in 2015, has been Party branch head of Tianbiao, a village in Da'an, for the past 19 years.

"Yang is our backbone. He has a kind heart, making donations and offering help to the village school and the public from time to time," said Fu Yuqian, who is from a needy household in Tianbiao village.

Farmers in Tianbiao, which has 237 households, used to make a living by growing sugar cane or rice, earning around 1,000 yuan ($151) annually before Yang was elected as head of the village in 1998.

"I persuaded the villagers to plant rubber trees, because I myself had gained profits from rubber growing while prices of sugar cane were on the decline. And I invited experts on tropical agriculture from Haikou, the capital of Hainan, to train them in skills for growing the trees," said Yang.

In 2007, he guided the farmers to begin a new business approach called "economy under the trees". He set up five farmers' cooperatives to raise pigs, chickens, sheep and geese and to grow medicinal herbs under the rubber trees to further improve farmers' income and to guard against fluctuations in rubber prices.

Now the villagers have 180,000 rubber trees. With a diversified farming structure, their annual per capita income reached around 9,000 yuan last year, a level much higher than in other villages.

Thanks to Yang's faith and perseverance, Tianbiao is taking on a brand-new look, with all villagers having new, clean and spacious homes, beautiful yards and well-built roads.

"With Yang as the 'bellwether', the villagers feel very much at ease," said Huang Youchuan, deputy head of the village Party branch, who has worked with Yang for 19 years.

Yang Xiuhui, Yang's daughter, said: "Whenever a villager calls him, he'll instantly offer help, no matter what he is doing. As a father of three children, he loves us, but has spent very little time with us because he is busy with village affairs."

Her father said, "As a grassroots representative, I will express local people's expectations on Baisha's social and economic development, such as further protection of the ecological system, inheriting ... of the Li culture and sustainable measures to encourage young talent to stay for a more prosperous Baisha."
A general view shows delegates attending the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Wednesday.[Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters]

The ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has received a great number of messages from around the world. They speak highly of the CPC's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions, and express full confidence that the Party will lead China to even greater success. The following is an edited summary of the messages.

Nursultan Nazarbayev

Kazakh president and chairman of the Nur Otan People's Democratic Party

As the leading force in China, the CPC is expected to continue to make huge contributions to China's economic growth, social prosperity and people's welfare.

John Magufuli

Tanzanian president and chairman of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party

In the past few decades, China has recorded tremendous achievements in all fields. These achievements are, in no small part, thanks to the exemplary and visionary leadership of the CPC.

Omar al-Bashir

Sudanese president and chairman of the National Congress Party

With the CPC's help, Sudan-China relations are expected to move forward and under broader prospects.

Aleksandar Vucic

Serbian president and president of the Serbian Progressive Party

Bearing in mind the role and position that the People's Republic of China has in our globalized world, its economy and politics, we hereby wish to emphasize how important the 19th National Congress of the CPC truly is, not only for your Party and your country, but far beyond that.

David Granger

Guyanan president and leader of the People's National Congress of Guyana

The CPC policies "have led to the transformation of China into one of the most developed economies in the world today. Delegates attending the Congress this year will be entrusted with the responsibility to make new, far-reaching decisions and elect leaders to guide China in the coming years".

Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian president

The CPC's efforts led by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will make significant contributions to boosting China's social prosperity and substantiating the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Mahamadou Issoufou

Nigerien president

The 19th CPC National Congress is a historic moment in China's future and its relations with the world, which will push China's development further forward.

Filip Vujanovic

Montenegrin president

(The Belt and Road Initiative) has gathered wide support of the countries in Asia and Europe... I would like to say that an outward-looking China is of great global meaning and helps overall stability worldwide.

The Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party

The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have boosted regional and global economic and trade interconnectivity, contributing much to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Sheikh Hasina

Bangladeshi prime minister and chairwoman of the Bangladesh Awami League party

With Xi Jinping at the core of CPC's Central Committee, the Party is expected to bring China greater achievements after its 19th National Congress.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan prime minister and leader of United National Party

Under General Secretary Xi Jinping's leadership in the past five years, China has made great economic and social achievements, and helped promote global economic growth and raise living standards worldwide.

Lee Hsien Loong

Singaporean prime minister and secretary-general of People's Action Party

The 19th CPC National Congress is a milestone event in the history of the CPC and China, and will set guidelines for China's future road under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping. A prosperous and stable China is beneficial to the region and the world at large.

Juha Sipila

Finnish prime minister and president of the Center Party

The Center Party of Finland would like to encourage the CPC leadership to continue (pursuing) its reforms and be (an) active member of the international community.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen

Danish prime minister and leader of Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti

It is my hope that the 19th National Congress of the CPC ... will lead China further on its road to progress. (The progress already made) has strengthened the role of China in international relations and cooperation on global issues such as the fight against poverty, climate change, and the (UN-listed) sustainable development goals.

Boyko Borissov

Bulgarian prime minister and chairman of GERB

I sincerely hope that the future decision on the strategic development of China, including the unfolding of the market economy, as well as the principles and goals that the country will follow in its foreign policy, will continue to engage with good relations... the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Robert Fico

Slovak prime minister and leader of Smer-Social Democracy

The CPC has led China to take major measures to fight against corruption, improve the environment, eliminate poverty, deepen reform and maintain world peace and stability in recent years. The 19th National Congress... will inject new impetus into the fulfillment of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and the country's two centenary goals.

Joseph Muscat

Maltese prime minister, leader of Labor Party

The CPC has contributed greatly to enhance multilateralism and to promote the maintenance of peace and stability... (and) uphold world trade and the global economy.
General Secretary Xi Jinping's report at the opening of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) has resonated well with Chinese people, with many hailing it as inspirational and thought-provoking. Meanwhile, foreign scholars also have studied the report and interpreted its meaning. Here they share their perspectives.

Rana Mitter, director of the University of Oxford China Centre

The most significant part of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech was his firm pledge to make China a major actor in the world. At a time of major flux in the world order, it will be increasingly important for China to play a stabilizing, responsible role when it comes to questions of trade, security and international order. As China takes a greater role in the world, it will also have to shoulder many of the responsibilities of a great power, encouraging freer markets and a more transparent international environment. It will also have to tackle issues such as climate change and provide leadership there.

Peter Kagwanja, president and chief executive of the Africa Policy Institute, a think tank based in Kenya

In his speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated the Party's commitment to serving the people and ensuring prosperity for all. And this we have seen by the number of people who have been lifted out of poverty over the last decade. We have also seen China increasing its trading presence globally. No other country in the world can boast of such feats.

Arthur Dong, professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business

General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech was one of considered reflection on China's achievements combined with a clear-eyed view of the many challenges that lie ahead. Xi took note of the rapid advancement of China in the post-reform era from economic growth, elevated living standards to its growing influence on the world stage. He followed this by reminding the audience that much more work needs to be done and that China should not rest on its laurels but should work toward resolving some of the most critical fault line issues within China today.



Rebecca Nadin, head of the Risk and Resilience program at the Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom

It is encouraging to see that General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech points to regulation of the environmental regulation system. This demonstrates that the Party recognizes China's already significant pollution of water and soil resources, soil erosion, land degradation and ecosystems, and habitat loss. In recent years, China has been investing scientific, financial and human resources to tackle environmental problems and demonstrating strong global leadership on climate change. The decision to establish regulatory agencies to manage State-owned natural resource assets and monitor natural ecosystems will ensure that China's ongoing rapid urbanization and industrial development do not accelerate the rates of ecological degradation.

John Holden, CEO of US-China Strong Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit

The Chinese government and its people are very down-to-earth when it comes to national development and growth. They abandon empty talk and concentrate only on concrete work. As one of the world's strongest economies, China has more say in many global issues and now exercises immense influence in many regions. A strong and responsible China will benefit its Asian neighbors and the entire world.

James Moore, director of Georgetown University's Business, Society and Public Policy Initiative

What impressed me most was the confidence General Secretary Xi displayed by projecting an economic and political model for China that relies on a strengthened Party, a corruption-free system, and a sense that a patient and a persistent path to achieve a set of concrete goals had paid off.
BEIJING - When the Communist Party of China (CPC) has something to say about economic reform and opening up, the world sits up and pays attention.

Despite being on vacation when Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a report to the all-important 19th CPC National Congress, Daniel Liao watched every second live online.

"His words were a shot in the arm for foreign businesses like us," said Liao, head of China operations at a Singaporean real estate firm.

During a wide-ranging address, Xi unveiled the Party's ambitious goal to "develop China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful" by the mid-21st century.

HSBC economist Julia Wang described the long-term nature of the plan as "remarkable and unprecedented."

However, making Xi's vision become a reality will demand a freer market and more open economy. There is no lack of faith in the CPC's will and ability to deliver its promises.

At the congress, Xi spoke of letting the market play the decisive role in resource allocation, pursuing opening up on all fronts and significantly easing market access.

Liao's company, City Developments Limited, has invested around 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in China in the past six years, primarily in real estate, environmental protection and new energy.

Liao said the company had benefited significantly from streamlined administrative approvals and increased access for foreign investors.

Cutting red-tape was just part of more than 1,500 reform moves made by the CPC since the previous national congress in 2012.

The Party has a good record in keeping its word. While its economic policies remain far from perfect, reform has deepened at a swift and steady pace over the past five years.

State Council departments have canceled or delegated the power of more than 600 administrative approvals to lower-level offices, meeting government targets ahead of schedule.

Corporate burden was slashed by 2 trillion yuan (about 303 billion U.S. dollars) through cuts in taxes and fees from 2013 to 2016.

Lumbersome state-owned enterprises have seen their efficiency improved thanks to restructuring and improvements in corporate governance, reporting higher profits this year.

The economy has never been more open, creating a better business climate for foreign investors.

Revisions to the foreign investment catalogue have brought down the number of restrictive items by 65 percent from 2011.

Eleven pilot free trade zones have been set up with pre-establishment national treatment and a negative list approach to market entry. These practices would be implemented "across the board," Xi said Wednesday.

In its 2017 China Business Report, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said 77 percent of U.S. companies in China remained profitable last year, up 6 percentage points from 2015, with 73.5 percent reporting increased revenue, up 12 percentage points from 2015.

Sara Dai, regional president of Asia Pacific with Denmark-based biotechnology giant Novozymes, said she was happy to see the CPC's commitment to protecting the rights of foreign investors.

"We are confident of expecting a more transparent market and level playing field for all types of enterprises in China," she told Xinhua after reading the report delivered by Xi.

China has every reason to deepen reform and open wider to the outside, without which it would not have become world's second largest economy, or as Xi put it, "stood up, grown rich, and become strong."

The country's development has come to, in the words of Xi, "a new historic juncture." China now "embraces the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation," and to achieve that, one of the key tasks is to deepen reform and "get rid of all outdated thinking and ideas and all institutional ailments."

Xi announced the Party would "sort through and do away with regulations and practices that impede the development of a unified market and fair competition."

"China will not close its door to the world; we will only become more and more open," he said.

Officials were quick to get down to the nitty-gritty. Guo Shuqing, the country's top banking regulator and a delegate to the CPC congress, said Thursday measures would be taken to open more to foreign banks in terms of shareholding restrictions and institution establishment.

A day after Xi spoke of exploring the opening of free trade ports, Shanghai Party chief Han Zheng, also a congress delegate, told reporters the city was already making plans on the issue.

Global financial conglomerates, keen to seek direction in China's reform and opening, were positive on the prospects of the CPC's blueprint.

Commenting on Xi's report, Nomura chief China economist Zhao Yang anticipated continued structural reforms in the country.

The Party's economic focus will shift to the "quality and equality of development," with less on specific GDP growth targets, said UBS chief China economist Wang Tao in a research note.

She expects increased direct financing and deepened fiscal reforms for the next two to three years, and faster SOE reform in the coming year, which will be positive for the financial sector.

Julia Wang at HSBC said Xi's pledge to deepen market-oriented reform in the exchange rate is "an important endorsement from the top leadership about China's forex reforms and capital account liberalization."

With 2018 marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, the CPC's new leadership, to be elected at this congress, is expected to make greater strides in overhauling and opening the economy.

Xi declared that "socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era."

At the same time, the economy is at a new starting point and will move toward slower but higher-quality development.

As Xi said, to achieve national rejuvenation, it is imperative for the Party to follow the tide of the times, respond to the wishes of the people and have the courage to reform and open.
BEIJING - By the end of this year, the 19 impoverished households, most of whom include people with physical or mental disabilities, in a remote village in northwest China, will be lifted out of poverty thanks to government assistance.

Through heavy investment in infrastructure, financial support for animal husbandry and agriculture, some 177 families, or about one quarter of the Zengjipan village in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, have already been lifted above the poverty line, said Zhu Yuguo, a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and village Party chief.

The ongoing congress has reaffirmed the nation's target to eliminate poverty in 2020 to achieve its goal of a moderately prosperous society. At the end of last year, China had 43 million impoverished people living in rural areas, after 55 million people were lifted above the poverty line from 2012 to 2016.

Despite difficulties, a number of congress delegates from impoverished areas across the country have expressed their confidence in accomplishing the target.

"With favorable Party and local government policies, our villagers have worked hard and now have much improved lives," said Zhu. "The residents sincerely thank the Party for the great changes over the past few years."

Zhu said that previously the village had rough roads, no nearby drinking water sources, suffered frequent droughts and villagers were very poor.

Now, residents have new homes, paved roads, tap water, community centers and money in their pockets. The per capita income reached 8,200 yuan (1,240 U.S. dollars) last year, compared with just 2,400 yuan in 2010.

"It's encouraging that the Party has a consistent policy to tackle poverty. Some 500,000 people are still living in poverty in my city," said Liu Xuerong, Party chief of Huanggang City in Hubei Province and delegate to the congress.

This year, nearly 180,000 people are expected to be lifted out of poverty in Huanggang.

"Financial assistance plays a crucial role," Liu said. By the end of September, the city's outstanding loans for poverty relief increased by nearly 40 percent year on year to 16.3 billion yuan. Special insurance has been made available for farmers who make a living by raising goats or other livestock, or growing crops such as tea, ginger or Chinese yams.

"Eliminating poverty is a vital step for the country to achieve socialist modernization. In Huanggang, we have confidence in this," Liu said.

Poverty alleviation efforts will continue the momentum in Tibet Autonomous Region to ensure the region does not fall behind in the national endeavor to build a moderately prosperous society, said Norbu Dondrup, vice chairman of the regional government and delegate to the CPC congress.

At the end of 2016, Tibet had 442,000 people living below the national poverty line out of a total population of about 3.2 million.

The government will help herders and farmers develop businesses. Children from poor families will receive subsidized college education, and the government will help young graduates find jobs and start businesses so they can support their families, according to the delegate.

"Grassroots Party organizations must be strengthened to act as the backbone for poverty reduction," said Wang Liangcheng, a congress delegate and first secretary of the Party branch in Limin Village in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Wang, deputy head of the county pricing supervision bureau, was sent to the village to help with poverty relief efforts in 2015.

He has helped the village plant crops and establish cooperatives to increase farmers' incomes. Currently, 103 previously poor families in the village have moved into new houses and now live above the poverty line.

The number of impoverished people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had dropped from 2.6 million in 2013 to 1.2 million by the end of 2016.

"We have the confidence and the methods to lift the remaining impoverished households out of poverty by 2020," said Niu Xuexing, Party chief of Hotan Prefecture, in southern Xinjiang and delegate to the congress.
China is strongly against any foreign government or organization's meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama in any name, as such practice deviates from their commitment that the Chinese government is the sole legitimate government of China, a senior official said on Saturday.

The 14th Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure but also a political figure. After fleeing China in 1959, he established a so-called government-in-exile, whose goal and core agenda is the independence of Tibet and to separate China. For decades, the group, headed by the 14th Dalai Lama, has never stopped such attempts, Zhang Yijiong, executive vice-minister of the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee, said.

"The fact is that there is not a single legitimate government in the world that recognizes the so-called Tibet government-in-exile. Although the Dalai Lama has been received by certain officials, the governments that those officials work for actually don't recognize his group," he added.

Zhang made the remarks in a news conference on Saturday on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Zhang said China is opposed to any foreign government or organization receiving the 14th Dalai Lama in all circumstances. Such behavior hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and shows disrespects to China's sovereignty, he said.

"I hope the governments of foreign countries can speak and act cautiously (on this matter). They need to take the friendship with China and the respect to China's sovereignty into consideration," he said.

Zhang said there is no country in the world that will not protest about foreign governments receiving an individual who goes around the world with the intention of separating the home country.

"So it is inevitable for China to state strong opposition when the 14th Dalai Lama visits foreign countries and even is received by some senior officials," Zhang said.

He added that less and less government officials would meet with the 14th Dalai Lama in recent years. "Now he often could only make speeches at universities or conduct some religious activities," he said.
China strongly condemns the violence that took place in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state and supports Myanmar's efforts to maintain peace and stability in this region, a senior official said on Saturday.

China hopes that all regions in Myanmar could achieve peaceful and stable development, Guo Yezhou, vice-minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th CPC National Congress.

Guo said that China and Myanmar are neighbors with deep-rooted friendly relations. "We hope we could work together to deepen such friendship through all channels, including exchanges among political parties, and to push forward bilateral cooperation in all sectors," he said.

Guo said political parties have played a more significant role in the political life of Myanmar since the country's political transition in 2010, and the CPC has established good relations with all major parties in Myanmar.

In June 2015, a delegation head by Aung San Suu Kyi visited China, which pushed forward the relations between the CPC and Myanmar's National League for Democracy, he said.
The press center of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China holds a news conference on economic development, in Beijing, Oct 21, 2017. He Lifeng, secretary of CPC leading group and chairman of National Development and Reform Commission; Zhang Yong, vice-chairman of NDRC; and Ning Jizhe, vice-chairman of NDRC; took questions from the media. [Photo/Xinhua]
The central government is putting the final touches on the construction plan for the Xiongan New Area, according to He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. The area will be constructed with high standards, as CPC Central Committee General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 19th CPC National Congresshe said. More than 300 experts have participated in drafting the plan, he said.
Women weave Dong brocade in Wenpo village in June.[Photo/Xinhua]

A delicate piece of Dong brocade gradually comes to life under Su Tianmei's hands, with the squeaks of an old manual loom.

"You have to move your arms and feet at the same time while weaving," Su said as she operated the loom and explained the technique to female villagers gathered around her to learn the craft.

Su, a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, dreams of carrying forward the Dong brocadeknown locally as dongjinand using the craft to help bring her neighbors out of poverty.

The brocade, known for its rich colors and exquisite patterns, has been handed down for more than 2,000 years from mothers to daughters in the Dong ethnic group. But it has been dwindling gradually in Wenpo village, Tongdao Dong autonomous county, Hunan province, in recent years. Many women have left the mountain village in search of employment in far-away cities.

Su, however, said she was born with a passion for brocade. She started learning from her mother at age 12, and she could complete a piece of work independently by the time she was 15.

"The work is time-consuming and labor-intensive," she said. "It usually takes a skilled weaver almost a month to complete a scarf.

"The income from weaving was unstable, so my husband alone had to support the family in the early years. Once he was so stressed that he wanted to set my loom on fire."

But Su never gave up her dream. Over the years, she has visited elderly people in the village to learn different patterns. She also cooperates with Hunan University's School of Design and Art in researching Dong brocade and innovating new skills and patterns to meet the demands of the market.

In 2008, Dong brocade was listed in China as an intangible cultural heritage at the national level, and Su was named the inheritor. A year later, Su used her savings to establish the Xiongguan Dong brocade workshop to help local women improve their weaving skills.

"Even migrant workers in cities came back when they heard that Dong brocade weaving can make money," Su said. "Dong women have basic weaving skills, but they need to improve their quality."

Whenever she starts a class, the weaving room is crowded with women, some from nearby communities.

"It is a unique craft passed down from our ancestors, and we can't afford to lose it," she said. "What's more, my fellow villagers can make a living by weavingand they can tend to their families at the same time."

More than 4,000 women have learned the craft from Su. Many weave at home to earn extra money.

"Our family used to rely totally on the income of my husband, who is a city laborer," said Su Nianli, a mother of two sons. "Now I can earn about 3,000 yuan ($450) every month from weaving. We built a new house last year."

With the support of the local government, Su created a company in 2015 with about 100 workers. They produce about 20,000 Dong brocade products each year, but the demand is even greater.

Over the years, Su has attended many international exhibitions to show her work, including the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, where her 3-by-1.5-meter spider-pattern piece commanded a high price.

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.
Technological innovation seen as key to socioeconomic progress

Delegates attend a news briefing on innovation-driven growth at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Friday. Attendees who answered reporters' questions include Jiang Fengyi (second from left), deputy head of Nanchang University; Wang Endong (third from left), chief scientist at Inspur Group; Wang Zhigang (third from right), vice-minister of science and technology; Wang Xiujie (second from right), a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Lu Jianjun (right), head of science and technology in Shaanxi province. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

China is stepping up efforts to build a "fair and just" ecosystem to better motivate science talent and facilitate technological innovation, a senior official said on Friday.

Since 2012, China's science and technology has "generally, and in some cases fundamentally, affected China's socioeconomic development", Wang Zhigang, vice-minister of science and technology, told reporters at a briefing at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

China's gross expenditure for research and development grew from 1.03 trillion yuan ($156 billion) in 2012 to 1.57 trillion yuan in 2016, with 77.5 percent being spent by enterprises. China also has topped the world for the six consecutive years in patent applications, including 1.34 million in 2016, more than double that in 2012, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Those achievements are fueled by a total of 3.81 million science workers, the largest group in the world. "Innovation cannot be achieved solely by scientists in ivory towers. It has to be integrated closely with the economy, society, people's livelihood and national security," Wang said.

As a result, the bulk of the reforms need to focus on motivating science workers, and "creating a more fair and just ecosystem to support technological innovation", he said.

Such an environment will include supportive legal, political, cultural and social elements, Wang said. At the same time, governments should strengthen basic research, improve science literacy and let the market economy play its role. "We try to let everyone find their value in their innovation, and make scientists happy," he said.

To achieve these goals, Wang said China needs three ingredients. The first is a top-down blueprint to "organically bind innovation to China's socioeconomic development and modernization process".

The second is clarifying "who should do what". The main drivers of Chinese innovation are research institutes, universities and companies, and they have helped China take the lead in several important fields ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum communication, he said.

Chinese science enterprises had total operating revenue of 26.1 trillion yuan in 2016, up by 17.5 percent annually. Technology contracts' value passed 1 trillion yuan in 2016, up 77.2 percent from 2012, according to the science and technology ministry.

Still, companies and universities may not be able to do massive basic scientific research, such as China's recent contribution to the discovery of a new gravitational wave, because it requires national support, so government should play the leading role, he said.

As a result, the third part is stepping up efforts in basic and application research, technology innovation and commercialization, to "greatly improve our industries' competitiveness and the general strength of our economic development", Wang said.

Wang Xiujie, a biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and also a delegate, said China has simplified procedures in areas like project applications and budget requests, "giving front-line scientists a lot of flexibility".

Wang Endong, chief scientist of Inspur Group, China's largest server maker, said companies are treating science workers better. The government also approved policies on housing and schooling support for science workers.
Zaw Ye Aung (center), a journalist from Skynet Up to Date media in Myanmar, and other reporters touch a screen to learn about a cultural relic at the digital Palace Museum section of an exhibition showcasing China's progress in the past five years. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China marks a historic point for the country and means a lot to the world, foreign reporters said on Friday when more than 50 of them visited an exhibition showcasing China's progress in the past five years.

Zubair Qureshi, a senior correspondent from the Daily Pakistan Observer, said the exhibition shows the commitment and resolve of China to develop itself into a modern economy.

"I was impressed, particularly by Chinese models of nuclear submarines and other military equipment, since they looked to me quite effective," he said.

The congress is a historic moment for China to develop into a moderately prosperous country, he said.

Many global issues can be resolved with China's wisdom and experience, since the country is taking on a role as a global leader, he added.

Ronald Kato, a journalist from New Vision newspaper in Uganda, said it is amazing that China has made such remarkable progress in science and technology as well as in agriculture.

He said the report delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the congress on Wednesday recognized the challenges that China is going through and gives an idea of the direction that China wants to take.

"It would be interesting to see what China will be like according to his vision by 2050," he said, adding that he thinks it will be a better place, and if China is a better place, the world will be a better place, too.

China is playing an increasingly important role in the international community, and the country is leading the way in global governance, he added.

Zaw Ye Aung, a journalist from Skynet Up to Date media in Myanmar, said the development of China over the past five years has been outstanding.

"The achievement in technology impresses me most. The C919 jet (the first large passenger aircraft produced in China) is one of the milestones of China," he said.

Journalists around the world are interested in the congress, he said, adding that they can learn more about China from the congress.

Zhou Jin contributed to this story.
Having been born and raised in a small town deep in the Dabie Mountains in Anhui province, I have seen how China's poverty relief campaign has led to further development in the countryside and satisfaction among local people who have begun to live better in the past five years.

Since 2012 when the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was convened, a new express highway linking Jinan in Shandong province to Guangzhou in Guangdong province has opened. It connects my hometown in Yuexi county with other major cities in less-developed Anhui.

Yuexi had not developed many industries, partly because of its backward transportation, but it has clean air and water, which are increasingly considered precious by residents from regions burdened by industrial pollution. The new highway has shortened travel time between the county seat and the provincial capital of Hefei by two-thirds to only two hours. As travel became convenient, tourism started to boom as new tourism sites opened.

During holidays, some of my relatives are too busy to even pick up their phones. Their restaurants are packed with visitors who speak different dialects from all over the province or from more distant locations such as Shaanxi or Gansu provinces.

The Dabie Mountains are one of 14 key cluster areas in the country's campaign to relieve poverty. In April of last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Jinzhai county near Yuexi and pledged further support in medical care and other fields.

The express highway is just one of the infrastructure projects in the targeted poverty alleviation financed by the central and local governments. The campaign has made many changes in the local economy and locals' way of life.

Zheng Peng, in his 40s, was also born in Yuexi and has been working for a bank in Beijing for over a decade. He noticed the difference during a trip back home during the National Day holiday early this month.

"During a stay of several days in my hometown, I was shocked to see the profound changes in rural areas and how farmers were better off," Zheng said.

Backed by government funds, each village has planted new trees and flowers along major roads and trash cans are used to collect garbage, he said.

A new system was established to dispose of sewage and animal dung. New houses have been built with indoor plumbing. These facilities are far better than the dwellings built with less government support in the 1970s and 1980s, he said.

Zheng said the younger generation of farmers is even more fashion conscious than their predecessors. Many ride a motorcycle to their farmland and drive a car to shopping malls wearing trendy garments.

This has not escaped the notice of foreigners. At a media reception on Monday, several foreign journalists said they would pay special attention to China's poverty alleviation while covering the 19th CPC National Congress. Among them was Kajubi Mukajanga, executive secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania. He said China's endeavors to relieve poverty have become a more effective way to improve the livelihood of the Chinese people.
A decade ago, Xiyong in Chongqing's Shapingba district was a large rural area.

But now, Chongqing Logistics City is taking shape, and it is poised to become a major international port zone in inland China.

On Wednesday morning, around 200 Party members working at the logistics city gathered to watch the live broadcast of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

After listening to the report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping, they sang the song Ode to the Motherland together.

"The report was so inspiring," said Ni Huan, who joined the Party in 2001 and now works at the customs affairs department of the railway terminal.

"I am so glad that General Secretary Xi said that the Party will strengthen opening-up in western China under the Belt and Road Initiative. It will definitely give a huge boost to our port business."

As the only municipality in western China, Chongqing is at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative's trade route and the Yangtze River Economic Zone.

Thanks to its comprehensive transportation system spanning air, water and land, the city is also one of the nine key logistics centers in the country.

As the latest addition to China's free trade zones project, Chongqing plans to become pivotal in the country's western development campaign - the national effort to develop the vast western regions that house energy and mineral resources crucial to future growth.

In January 2011, the China Rail Express freight train to Europe made its debut from the logistics city's Tuanjiecun Railway Station, adding a faster and cheaper trade route between inland China and the West.

The nearly 11,180-kilometer link begins in Chongqing, crosses the border into Kazakhstan at Alashankou, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland before reaching its terminus in Duisburg, Germany.

It cuts what was a five-week shipping period to about two weeks, and costs 80 percent less than airfreight.

By September, more than 1,200 trains trips have traveled between Chongqing and Europe, according to China Railway Corp.

Ni started to work at the railway terminal two years ago and has witnessed the fast development of the port.

"It has attracted cargo from neighboring provinces, and even some Southeast Asian countries, through our multimodal transportation system," she said.

A new rail-to-sea logistics link connecting inland China with Southeast Asia opened in September. The train will travel to Qinzhou port in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where the products will be shuttled on to Singapore and other countries.

"With further opening-up, our railway workers will surely benefit from the increasing international trade," said Lu Ling, who joined the Party in 2012 and deals with local freight services for China Railway Group's Chengdu bureau.

In the past five years, she said, the local train station has achieved "unprecedented" progress, building 11 new cargo rails and doubling the daily marshaling capacity.




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Jiang Yingcheng, a teacher from Hangzhou Technician Institute, competes in the car spraying event at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, which closed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday. Jiang won the gold medal. Xu Junyong / For China Daily

China topped the gold medal count at the 44th WorldSkills Competition which closed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

China participated in 47 competition events and won 15 gold medals, seven silver medals and eight bronze medals. It's the best performance by the Chinese delegation in the World-Skills Competition since it joined WorldSkills in 2010, and is the fourth time China has participated in the competition.

Zhang Lixin, head of the Chinese delegation at the competition, said China got gold medals in all six competition categories in the event, including manufacturing engineering and technology, transportation and logistics, and information and communication technology.

"China showed to the world the excellent skills of its young skilled talent in the World-Skills Competition. The good result the Chinese delegation got will also encourage Chinese youth and workers to develop in an atmosphere of respecting work, skills and creation and promoting the development of the country's skilled talent," said Zhang, who is also head of the Professional Capacity Building Department at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Around 1,260 competitors from 68 WorldSkills' member countries and regions participated in 52 competition events this year. China sent the largest-ever delegation of 52 members, aged from 18 to 21. It was the first time that China participated in 18 of the events, Zhang said.

The 52 were chosen from more than 1,000 who took part in national competitions from last July to April this year, he said.

In 2015, China got gold medals for the first time at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. In total, China got five gold medals, six silver medals and three bronze medals in the event.

China was also selected in Abu Dhabi on Oct 13 to host the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021. President Xi Jinping sent a video message in support of China's bid to host the event.

The WorldSkills Competition occurs every two years and is the world's biggest vocational education and skills excellence event.

The competitors are selected from WorldSkills' member countries and regions and represent the best of their peers. They demonstrate technical abilities both individually and collectively to carry out specific tasks for which they study and will perform in the future.

China has 165 million skilled workers, and 47.91 million of them are highly skilled. Each year, more than 100 million people have access to technical and vocational education and training.
China's top food and drug authority announced on Friday that it has approved the country's first vaccine for Ebola virus disease.

This makes China the third country, after the United States and Russia, with vaccines available for use to combat the deadly infectious disease, the China Food and Drug Administration said.

The vaccine, named recombinant Ebola virus disease vaccine (Adenovirus type 5 vector), is available in powder, and, compared with liquid vaccines in the other two countries, is more stable. This highlights its advantages in transportation and use in tropical areas such as Africa, it said.

The most serious outbreak of the disease, which hit West Africa in 2014, caused at least 11,300 deaths, according to the administration.

The CFDA approved the application for registration of the new drug on Thursday. The drug was jointly developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing and CanSinoBio, a Chinese company in human vaccine development and production, according to the CFDA.

The CFDA approved the application for clinical tests of the drug in February 2015, and received an application for registration for production of the drug in April, it said.

The vaccine improves China's ability to prevent and control major public health threats and provides a new means for China to handle global disease epidemics effectively, it said.

"It will promote research and development of vaccines for major infectious diseases in China," the CFDA said. "It demonstrates a major advance in China's ability in the technological innovation of biomedicine."

CanSinoBio could not be reached by phone for comment on Friday.

Li Lanjuan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor in infectious diseases at Zhejiang University, said the approval of the vaccine shows China has greatly increased its ability for research and development of vaccines.

"Clinical tests conducted on Africans in China showed the vaccine was safe and effective," said Li, who led the clinical tests at Zhejiang University in 2015.

Clinical tests for the vaccine also were completed on 120 Chinese in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, in February 2015.

Efforts to develop the Ebola vaccine started at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences more than seven years ago and the process accelerated with the outbreak of the disease in West Africa in 2014, according to a previous report by the news website caixin.com.

The Ebola virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Mortality among those infected could reach 90 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

There is yet no proven treatment available for the disease, but a range of potential treatments, including blood products, immunotherapies and drug therapies, are being evaluated, it said.
Election methods of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China were approved at a presidium meeting on Friday afternoon in the Great Hall of the People. It was the presidium's second meeting of the 19th CPC National Congress.

The meeting, presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, approved the draft resolutions on the report of the 18th CPC Central Committee, the work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the amendment to the Constitution of the CPC.

The three draft resolutions will be submitted to all delegations to the congress for discussion.

Liu Yunshan, secretary-general of the congress, briefed the presidium on proposed lists of the names of nominees to be candidates for members and alternate members of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The meeting decided to submit the proposed name lists to all delegations for consideration.

A name list of ballot scrutinizers was also approved by the presidium and will be ratified by the congress before the final vote begins.
The ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has received a great number of messages from around the world. They speak highly of the CPC's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions, and express full confidence that the Party will lead China to even greater success. The following is an edited summary of the messages.

Nursultan Nazarbayev

Kazakh president and chairman of the Nur Otan People's Democratic Party

As the leading force in China, the CPC is expected to continue to make huge contributions to China's economic growth, social prosperity and people's welfare.

John Magufuli

Tanzanian president and chairman of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party

In the past few decades, China has recorded tremendous achievements in all fields. These achievements are, in no small part, thanks to the exemplary and visionary leadership of the CPC.

Omar al-Bashir

Sudanese president and chairman of the National Congress Party

With the CPC's help, Sudan-China relations are expected to move forward and under broader prospects.

Aleksandar Vucic

Serbian president and president of the Serbian Progressive Party

Bearing in mind the role and position that the People's Republic of China has in our globalized world, its economy and politics, we hereby wish to emphasize how important the 19th National Congress of the CPC truly is, not only for your Party and your country, but far beyond that.

David Granger

Guyanan president and leader of the People's National Congress of Guyana

The CPC policies "have led to the transformation of China into one of the most developed economies in the world today. Delegates attending the Congress this year will be entrusted with the responsibility to make new, far-reaching decisions and elect leaders to guide China in the coming years".

Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian president

The CPC's efforts led by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will make significant contributions to boosting China's social prosperity and substantiating the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Mahamadou Issoufou

Nigerien president

The 19th CPC National Congress is a historic moment in China's future and its relations with the world, which will push China's development further forward.

Filip Vujanovic

Montenegrin president

(The Belt and Road Initiative) has gathered wide support of the countries in Asia and Europe... I would like to say that an outward-looking China is of great global meaning and helps overall stability worldwide.

The Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party

The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have boosted regional and global economic and trade interconnectivity, contributing much to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Sheikh Hasina

Bangladeshi prime minister and chairwoman of the Bangladesh Awami League party

With Xi Jinping at the core of CPC's Central Committee, the Party is expected to bring China greater achievements after its 19th National Congress.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan prime minister and leader of United National Party

Under General Secretary Xi Jinping's leadership in the past five years, China has made great economic and social achievements, and helped promote global economic growth and raise living standards worldwide.

Lee Hsien Loong

Singaporean prime minister and secretary-general of People's Action Party

The 19th CPC National Congress is a milestone event in the history of the CPC and China, and will set guidelines for China's future road under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping. A prosperous and stable China is beneficial to the region and the world at large.

Juha Sipila

Finnish prime minister and president of the Center Party

The Center Party of Finland would like to encourage the CPC leadership to continue (pursuing) its reforms and be (an) active member of the international community.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen

Danish prime minister and leader of Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti

It is my hope that the 19th National Congress of the CPC ... will lead China further on its road to progress. (The progress already made) has strengthened the role of China in international relations and cooperation on global issues such as the fight against poverty, climate change, and the (UN-listed) sustainable development goals.

Boyko Borissov

Bulgarian prime minister and chairman of GERB

I sincerely hope that the future decision on the strategic development of China, including the unfolding of the market economy, as well as the principles and goals that the country will follow in its foreign policy, will continue to engage with good relations... the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Robert Fico

Slovak prime minister and leader of Smer-Social Democracy

The CPC has led China to take major measures to fight against corruption, improve the environment, eliminate poverty, deepen reform and maintain world peace and stability in recent years. The 19th National Congress... will inject new impetus into the fulfillment of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and the country's two centenary goals.

Joseph Muscat

Maltese prime minister, leader of Labor Party

The CPC has contributed greatly to enhance multilateralism and to promote the maintenance of peace and stability... (and) uphold world trade and the global economy.

Thomas Motsoahae Thabane

Lesotho's prime minister, leader of All Basotho Convention

We believe the decisions and action plan adopted by the 19th National Congress of the CPC will lead China to a brighter future.

Patrice Trovoada

Sao Tome and Principe's prime minister, president of the Independent Democratic Action

The results achieved during the 19th National Congress of the CPC will help China continue to play a vital leading role in global governance, including maintaining world peace, promoting economic cooperation and environmental conservation.

Peter O'Neill

Papua New Guinean prime minister, leader of People's National Congress

(The CPC's good governance) has been evident through the resurgence of the Chinese economy from within as well as through international cooperation with the other global partners.

Charlot Salwai

Vanuatu's prime minister, president of Reunification of Movements for Change, or RMC

RMC will always observe our diplomatic relations with the Government and the People's Republic of China established in 1982 in favor of the 'One China Policy' and we welcome the outcome of the 19th National Congress of the CPC.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo

Guinea-Bissau's prime minister

The government of Guinea Bissau extends its best wishes for fruitful results to the 19th CPC National Congress. We hope the Congress further strengthens the unity of the Chinese people and promotes China's economic and social progress.

Miyeegombyn Enkhbold

chairman of the Mongolian People's Party and chairman of the State Great Khural, Mongolia's parliament

The Mongolian People's Party congratulates the CPC on its achievements over the past five years and wishes the Congress a complete success.

Liviu Dragnea

Social Democratic Party president and president of Chamber of Deputies of Romania

The Social Democratic Party speaks highly of the CPC's role in China's economic development and social progress. Under the leadership of the CPC, China will witness greater prosperity and well-being of the Chinese people.

Ivica Dacic

president of the Socialist Party of Serbia and first deputy prime minister of Serbia

Under the CPC's leadership, China will become a leading force in global development and an important actor in safeguarding world peace.

Vojtech Filip

chairman of Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and vice-speaker of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has comprehensively deepened reform and created the "China miracle" and strives to modernize its governance and achieve the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Joe Y. Natuman

interim president of Vanua'aku Party and deputy prime minister of Vanuatu

The 19th National Congress of the CPC is an important event, and it will set important policy direction and consolidate China's advancement in the world.

Boris Gryzlov

chairman of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party

The CPC is the driving force for China to achieve positive development. Under the leadership of the CPC, China's future will be more prosperous and the living standards of the Chinese people will further progress.

Amit Shah

India's Bharatiya Janata Party president

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, decisions made and directions set by the 19th National Congress of the CPC will bring further development and prosperity to China, further promote China-India cooperation, and bring peace, stability and development to the world.

Natsuo Yamaguchi

head of Japan's Komeito Party

Under the staunch leadership of Xi Jinping, China is steadily advancing toward building a moderately prosperous society and playing the role of a responsible major country in the international community.

Aleksandar Vulin

president of the Movement of Socialists in Serbia

The 19th National Congress of the CPC will promote further development of the Party's cause, and a bigger role for China to play in maintaining world peace and stability.

Milan Chovanec

acting chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party

The 19th CPC National Congress will chart the course for the CPC's development, and set up an effective plan for China to grasp opportunities and address challenges.

Javier Miranda

president of the Broad Front of Uruguay

Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, China has made achievements in areas such as economic development and poverty reduction, as well as scientific and technological innovation.

Gennady Zyuganov

first secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation

China enjoys a solid reputation in the international arena and plays an important role in solving international and regional hot spot issues.

Sergey Mironov

chairman of A Just Russia party

The new concepts, new thinking and new strategies implemented by the CPC under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping have won broad support among all walks of life in China, which reflects the Chinese people's high trust in the CPC and their sense of responsibility for the future of the Chinese nation and the country.

Tadatomo Yoshida

head of the Social Democratic Party in Japan

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is a grand blueprint of profound and epoch-making significance in trade, politics and diplomacy.

Zinaida Greceanii

president of Moldova's Socialist Party

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has become one of the world's strong powers and maintains a leading role in many areas in the globe.

Vladimir Voronin

president of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova

The resolution to be authorized by the 19th CPC National Congress states that the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the CPC and China will enter a new phase of development.

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz

president of Polish People's Party

Over the past five years, China has achieved great progress in developing its economy and society under the leadership of the CPC.

Pedro Passos Coelho

president of the Social Democratic Party in Portugal

The 19th CPC National Congress is not only significant to China's future development, but also has positive effects on establishing harmonious international relations.

Xinhua

A general view shows delegates attending the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Wednesday.Thomas Peter / Reuters

(China Daily 10/21/2017 page9)
China's sustainable development path has once again attracted global attention and plaudits after President Xi Jinping reiterated the strategic choice in a landmark report delivered Wednesday.

Scholars and observers worldwide agree that the commitment and achievements of the world's largest developing country and second largest economy provide the struggling global economy with both a promising direction and a robust booster for future growth.

HIGHER QUALITY GROWTH

China's economy has been transiting from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, Xi said in his report at the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The CPC national congress, held every five years, elects the party's leadership and draws a blueprint for national development for the next five years and beyond.

It is imperative that China push forward supply-side structural reform and develop a modernized economy that features better quality, higher efficiency and more robust drivers of growth, Xi stressed.

Nele Noesselt, a German professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen, spoke highly of China's reform measures, which channel more resources towards a more sustainable model of economic growth.

"All these efforts will lead to greener and sustainable development and growth. That is really fascinating and really impressive," said Noesselt.

Xi's report also stressed once again the importance of satisfying the people's desire for a better life.

In the eyes of Sergio Ley Lopez, a former Mexican ambassador to China, China's commitment to important economic reforms for sustainable growth has led to "extraordinary development for all Chinese people."

Taking note of the rapidly growing income levels of the Chinese people, Lopez said China has delivered an attainment "never seen in human history, taking millions of people out of extreme poverty."

"I feel the world should see this with great attention and interest, in order to follow China's example," Lopez added.

B. R. Deepak, an Indian professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, stressed the driving force of technological innovation behind sustainable growth.

The "four new inventions," namely, the high-speed rail, Alipay, bike sharing, and online shopping, have unleashed the forces of domestic consumption and revolutionized the socio-economic landscape of China, noted the Indian scholar.

"China can count on a society looking to the future ... a society with sustainable development sharing a green economy, new technologies and promoting the environment," commented Ignacio Martinez, coordinator of the Laboratory of Analysis of Trade, Economics and Business in Mexico.

SHARED PROSPERITY

"Openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind," Xi said in Wednesday's report, calling for efforts to make economic globalization "more open, inclusive and balanced so that its benefits are shared by all."

Hailing China as a major propeller of the global economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the ongoing structural reform in China will lead to sustainable growth.

Yet around the globe, isolationist tendencies and nationalist policies have brought about rising trade protectionism and fanned up headwinds against globalization.

Against this backdrop, China remains committed to promoting global sustainable development, coming up with benefit-sharing initiatives like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative to offer more public goods to the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Xi in 2013, is "one of the most important initiatives that we have today in the contemporary world," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, it aims to promote trade, financial integration, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

The initiative is not only good for China and its people, but also good for many countries, added Vucic. "People and the world will be much richer with such good initiatives than without them."

In their congratulatory messages to the CPC on its 19th national congress, many foreign leaders spoke highly of Beijing's commitment to sustainable development and pointed out what that means to the world.

"In these turbulent times, the 19th National Congress of the CPC gives a strong message of unity, cohesion and determination to fight for peace, sustainable development and the creation of harmonious world societies," said former Greek Prime Minister George A. Papandreou.

Panos Rigas and Yiannis Bournous, two senior members of Greece's ruling SYRIZA party, believe that if a world of shared and sustainable prosperity, fair growth and balanced power is to ever exist, China will have a leading and indispensable role in it.
Sun Zhijun (right), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Xiang Zhaolun (left), vice-minister of culture, answer questions at a news conference at the 19th CPC National Congress on Friday. EDMOND TANG/CHINA DAILY

China has achieved greater soft power by developing its cultural industries and promoting international cooperation, while the country has signed more than 300 agreements with nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, high-ranking officials said on Friday.

Sun Zhijun, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was one of four officials who spoke at a news conference at the 19th National Congress of the CPC on Friday. He said the country's cultural soft power has substantially increased since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, making vital contributions to the promotion of the causes of the Party and the nation.

China ranks first in publications, production and broadcasting of television dramas, and movie screens, Sun said.

A survey released in August by the Pew Research Center, showed that China can compete with the United States to be a more favored nation. Sun said such surveys demonstrated that China's overall international influence is getting stronger.

According to the Ministry of Culture, China has signed agreements with 157 countries and regions. China has established 30 overseas cultural centers, attracting around 10 million visitors annually.

Xiang Zhaolun, vice-minister of culture, said China has signed more than 300 cooperative agreements and action plans on cultural exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative routes.

He said China has established multilateral mechanisms in cultural cooperation under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and through China's exchanges with Arabic and ASEAN countries.

"Belt and Road countries have long histories and are rich in cultural relics. We have worked with 15 countries in archaeological findings. Over the past few years, more than 1,000 relics had been displayed in over 20 of these countries," he said.

Zhang Hongsen, vice-minister of press, publication, radio, film and television, said China has signed agreements to make movies together with 20 countries, while the country has increasing exchanges in movies with the United States, as well as countries in Europe and Central Asia.

Soft power, consisting of attractiveness and influence, has been promoted by China's fast economic growth and increasingly competitive cultural industries in recent years, said Chen Shaofeng, vice-president of the Cultural Industry Research Institute at Peking University.

"Cultural centers, performances, popular TV series, movies and fast-growing internet businesses have made our country more attractive around the globe, especially in regions such as Southeast Asia," Chen said.
SONG CHEN/CHINA DAILY

In his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of the Party and all Chinese people striving to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. And to realize that goal, strict self-governance of the ruling party is mandatory.

In fact, since the 18th National Congress, the CPC has strengthened self-governance by imposing strict discipline within the Party in an all-round way. As a result, corruption has been curbed, and the anti-corruption campaign has gained "crushing momentum", according to Xi's speech on Wednesday. Officials now "dare not" and "cannot" afford to be corrupt.

Given the severe and complicated nature of corruption, the primary task of the Party must now be to eliminate corruption in all its forms at the source.

Although corruption has been greatly curbed, bringing more "tigers" (high-ranking corrupt officials) to book will deter other officials from indulging in graft. And by punishing the "flies" (lower-level corrupt officials), the Party will enable more people to enjoy the fruits of corruption-free governance at the grassroots level.

It is also important to intensify the overseas "Sky Net" and "Fox Hunt" operations to ensure fugitives abroad are brought back to receive punishments, so as to send a clear message that there is no "safe haven" for corrupt officials. Actually, 3,453 fugitives, 48 of whom were on the "red alert" list, have been brought back to China.

In the past five years, the Party discipline watchdogs and supervision bodies have handled more than 2.67 million cases, which has led to more than 1.53 million people being punished, about 58,000 of whom have been transferred to judicial authorities, according to the data given at a news conference on Party governance on Thursday.

Besides, 440 senior Party officials at or above ministerial level have been investigated, and over 8,900 officials at bureau level, 63,000 officials at county level, and 278,000 grassroots-level officials have been punished according to Party discipline.

Seriously dealing with corruption cases is the key to the success of the anti-corruption campaign and gaining public recognition for the overall fight against graft .

Tackling corruption requires determination, while consolidating the results of anti-corruption work requires strong institution building.

Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has been strengthening the Party's regulations and systems, in order to establish a mechanism that would ensure officials are "unable" to indulge in corruption by misusing or abusing institutional norms.

Comprehensively strengthening the Party's regulations is vital to expediting the process of building a stronger Party.

The CPC Central Committee has refined or strengthened 1,178 Party regulations and documents since the 18th National Congress, and issued or revised about 60 regulations, which account for more than one-third of the Party's overall regulations. And only by strengthening its laws and regulations can the Party deepen the work of strict self-governance in an all-round way.

Essentially, the root cause of corruption is the weakening of venal officials' ideology and faith. As a Party with more than 89 million members, the CPC should not rest after dealing with only individual corruption cases if it wants to strengthen itself. It should pay greater attention to Party building to strengthen self-governance in an all-round way.

Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has taken up ideological and political construction as an important task, by focusing on not only the "key minority" in the Party but also all the Party members.

The Party launched the mass line campaign in June 2013, which continued until October 2014. Its "three stricts and three honests" campaignto ensure officials above county level are strict in morals, self-discipline and use of power, and honest in decisions, business and behaviorlasted from April 2015 to February last year. And in February 2016, the Party launched the "Two Studies, One Action" campaign covering all Party members. The series of campaigns have made all Party members more aware about the Party spirit.

Consolidating the ideology and faith of the Party members in its philosophy and honesty is the key to eliminating corruption at the source.

The author is director of the Center for Anti-corruption Studies, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing.
Editor's note: General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday. Several foreign experts share their views on the report with China Daily's Wu Zheyu. Excepts follow:

Herbert Poenisch

Fulfilling commitment

Remembering Xi Jinping's leadership in Davos (in January), which reflected a stable and prosperous China is committed to globalization, clean environment and world peace, we are heartened to read in his report that China continues to honor its commitment to opening-up, starting with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Herbert Poenisch is former senior economist at Bank for International Settlements.

Mathias Lund Larsen

Welcome green move

From an environmental and green finance perspective, it is encouraging to see "green" being incorporated into both the concept of development and China's long-term planning, based on the push toward realizing an ecological civilization.

Xi gave a particularly strong signal: that there is no dilemma between green development and economic growth, rather they are mutually supportive. Internationally, as Xi stressed China's commitment to fighting climate change, we expect China's commitments to increase further in the future.

Mathias Lund Larsen is director of International Cooperation and research fellow, International Institute of Green Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics.

Mark Greeven

Education for all

Over the past few decades, China has been building the foundations to become a modern and prosperous society. However, as suggested by Xi, the rise of China depends on continued efforts to reduce income inequality and create more jobs.

It is good that Xi also addressed the importance of a world-class talent development system to support China's future. As an educator, I look forward to continuous efforts in reforming and improving education for all in China.

Mark Greeven is associate professor at the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department of Zhejiang University's School of Management.

John J. Kirton

Dedicated to mission

Xi's report shows China is at the intersection of continuity and change. At the core of Xi's report was a firm dedication to the central missions of the Party: national unity, prosperity and modernization.

Xi also outlined historic changes that reflect the changing contradictions in Chinese society, new challenges of global governance, and China's changing relationship with the world and its institutions. Overall, Xi's was a bold, broad and farsighted statement of China's goals, which also struck a delicate balance between adapting to new circumstances while remaining true to the Party's fundamental missions.

John J. Kirton is director of the G7 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto.

Swaran Singh

Convincing skeptics

Thanks to the past five years of proactive diplomacy, China has managed to steer clear of the "Thucydides trap", which would have pitted a rising China against the existing superpower, the United States. In this context, Xi's focus on China's soft power, especially culture, should assuage skeptics about his vision, which has found apt expression in his Belt and Road Initiative.

In his speech at Davos, Xi not only defended but also promoted globalization. In line with that speech, Xi promised on Wednesday to "protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors... to be treated equally" with local entrepreneurs.

While urging all Party members to put in their best efforts to develop China into a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, Xi premised his call on "uniting Chinese people of all ethnic groups", which will lay a strong foundation for China to emerge as a "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful modern socialist country" by 2049.

Swaran Singh is professor of International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

John Ross

Keeping the promise

Xi's report showed the Party has kept its promise to the Chinese people and how it will continue to do so. In 1949 Mao Zedong famously said, "The Chinese people have stood up." Taking that further, Xi said on Wednesday that "the Chinese nation now stands tall and firm in the East", meaning the Party has kept its promise. And the fact that the Party will now aim to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035 shows how it will continue to keep its promise to the Chinese people.

John Ross is former policy director of Economic and Business Policy of London, and a researcher at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China.

Jaya Josie

Bring yuan into play

The key point Xi highlighted is, how socialism with Chinese characteristics can continue to modernize and rejuvenate China, and contribute toward development for humanity in general and developing nations in particular.

For many developing nations, especially African nations, China has been a great partner.

Still, there are areas where China can improve its level of cooperation with Africa.

First, China has made great advances in the internationalization of the yuan, so its currency should become the medium of exchange in Sino-African dealings, as it would remove the two sides' dependence on the US dollar and euro for trade and investment.

Second, China has made great advances in internet banking and finance technology that will provide Africa with the foundation to develop small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas of the continent.

Jaya Josie is head of BRICS Research Center, Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa.
How do you view China's role in the world?

There is a debate about China's role in global governance that centers on the question of whether China is a supporter of the existing institutions and the status quo, or is fairly unsatisfied and wants to totally change or topple that system.

What we have noticed, myself and other contributors to my book (The Dragon's Learning Curve: Global Governance and China), is that China's behavior in different areas to global governance is different. In some places it is actually happy with the existing rules; it does not want to change them because it is a big winner from those rules, particularly rules related to trade.

In other areas, China seeks constructive limited reform to make the existing system better. If you look at areas related to financial governance, such as banking and credit risk management, and food security, those are areas where China has proposed modest reforms that are changes to the system but don't overthrow it. In some other areas, China has presented a larger challenge to the existing system. Internet sovereignty is one area where China's preferences diverge significantly from most countries, and foreign aid, where China is promoting the idea of developing finance instead of foreign aid, which is a pretty big difference.

So there is a range of areas and a range of behaviors across them. The key thing to remember is that given the size of China's economy and its global reach, big problems require China's participation to solve.

Could some of China's practices be used to solve pressing global problems?

There are certain things China does that are important and helpful. It has had a lot of success in terms of infrastructure development, building ports, railways and other hubs that promote transportation and connectivity. It is not necessarily the case that you can take exactly what China has done and apply it everywhere, as China's circumstances are unique. But there are some aspects of what it has done that can be useful, such as addressing certain types of public health or food security challenges.

What is the most notable change in China that you have observed over the past few years?

When I first began doing interviews in China about economic issues, I was talking to companies that were doing basic things. They were producing construction steel, making websites or search engines, rudimentary types of technologies, easily commodified and commercialized. The companies that I'm talking to now are competing in world-class technologieshigh value-added, innovative areas. They are not always the No 1 company in the world, or even in China, but they are competing in that space.

What's the biggest challenge China faces, and how do you think it can be overcome?

No country has escaped the middle-income trap when on average only two-thirds of students go to high school. So if China wants to avoid this, it needs to do a lot more to help rural areas, not just promote investment in high-tech and big cities. That's going to be a big challenge because it requires not only money, but also addressing some institutional features, including the hukou (housing registration) system. That's the biggest domestic challenge.

Internationally, the biggest challenge is about figuring out what a powerful China's role in the world is, and how is it interacting with great powers like the US and also with smaller powers. Learning how to be a great power is probably one of China's biggest international challenges.
China is playing an increasingly important role in influencing global economic and business development, according to James Sassoon, chairman of the China-Britain Business Council.

"Whether it's coming into the basket of reserve currencies for the world, or starting to define governance standards for multinational institutions like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China is playing the proper role that an economy its size and influence should," he said.

Sassoon said he was keen to see what Chinese leaders will decide at the 19th CPC National Congress to implement policy continuity, which is important for international businesses that trade with and invest in China.

Sassoon, a member of Britain's House of Lords and executive director of the British conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings, has visited China regularly over the past three decades.

He describes China as "transforming, innovative and influencing", adding that he believes China's biggest achievement of the past five years has been its leadership in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013 to boost trade and infrastructure, has received support from more than 100 countries and organizations.

Sassoon said the initiative provides extensive opportunities for engagement, especially by British financial services and professional services firms, which have extensive experience working in the countries along the Belt and Road map, which includes Europe, Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, he also praised the huge development progress China has made domestically, adding that the lessons it has learned about infrastructure construction and poverty alleviation can provide inspiration to many other emerging economies.

"The question of how developing countries can really drive forward infrastructure development, and the broader question of how you can take so many millions of people near poverty up to the mid-income bracket, is something China has shown it can make great progress in and can offer to share with other countries," he said.

Sassoon, who met with Xi during the president's 2015 state visit to the UK, praised the Chinese leader.

"His real passion and determination is to talk about the challenges China is facing. To hear him talk and speak with great detail on those issues is a striking and memorable experience," Sassoon said.
Xavier Bettel, prime minister of Luxembourg Editor's Note: The Communist Party of China is holding its 19th National Congress in Beijing. China Daily asked four prominent experts for their views on developments in China and the country's global leadership.

On the desk of Xavier Bettel, the Luxembourg prime minister, sits a French edition of The Governance of China, a best-selling collection of President Xi Jinping's thoughts and speeches. He received the book during an event at the Chinese embassy late last month to celebrate China's National Day.

"I'm going to read it during my upcoming trips to Moscow, Warsaw and Brussels," he said.

Bettel, who has led one of the world's smallestand richestcountries since 2013, said it is crucial to understand the thoughts of the Chinese leaders who have achieved such rapid progress.

The prime minister met with Xi during a trip to China in June, when the countries agreed to scale up cooperation on various fronts. He said it was a "very friendly and constructive meeting", and that the president had "a great sense of humor".

He said that with Xi at the helm, China's biggest achievement has been its efforts to promote globalization and revitalize global economic growth.

Although globalization has come under threat from protectionist forces, China has engaged with the world through outbound investments, Bettel said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative could be enormously beneficial in terms of economic growth and job creation, domestically and internationally.

China has taken the lead in setting up organizations to complement international institutions in providing development finance, while the Paris climate deal would not have been possible without the country's input, he said.

Luxembourg is cooperating with China in many global initiatives, according to Bettel. His nation was the first in Europe to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, he said, plus the countries have agreed to create an "Air Silk Road" between Luxembourg City and Zhengzhou in Henan province. The stock exchanges in Luxembourg City and Shanghai also jointly launched a "green bond channel" last month.

"During my visit to China, I advocated to deepen dialogue, communication and cooperation between China and Europe. Luxembourg stands ready to play an active role," he added.
Jade shroud sewn with gold wires, jade burial pillow with gilt bronze frame, all for Dou Wan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The burial garb of a regal woman who left barely a trace has crowds gasping

For one who was given such an ostentatious sendoff when she died, the most surprising thing about Dou Wan is just how much about her is shrouded in mystery. In fact we know neither when exactly she was born nor when she died, and next to nothing about what she did between those two unknown dates, including the children she probably had. Yet this woman, who married a vassal king during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), was given a burial grand enough to ensure she could never be forgotten.

The best-known item that this funereal pomp produced is what is known today as the jin lv yu yi, or jade outfit sewn up with golden thread. Made up of more than 2,000 rectangle jade pieces and gold threads weighing 700 grams, this unbelievable garment of death encased Dou's largely rotted body when her tomb was excavated, soon after the accidental discovery of that of her husband, in 1968. As the archaeologists carefully dug, the jade garment was revealed and beckoned people with a faint but distinct shimmer.

It is now on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing in a blockbuster exhibition focusing on a period of history widely regarded today as having laid the foundations for Chinese civilization. At least half of the 300 exhibits on display deserve to be called national treasures, but standing head and shoulders above them all is the shroud, as it is called in the exhibition catalog, which has visitors elbowing one another out of the way for a better view that leaves many gasping.

The fact that the owner of the shroud was a female is not directly evident. True to its name, it was so bulky that more than 2,000 years ago when the fragile body of Dou was laid to rest in it, it must have amply wrapped her up.

However, all this splendor fits perfectly with the enigma that is Dou, concealing as much as it reveals. The woman had wealth and status, but what else? "For answers, we have to look closely at other items, items that came to light with the shroud," says Wu Zhen, of the Hebei Provincial Museum where the garment is normally held.
In the 1930s and 40s, thousands of Jews escaping Nazi Germany arrived in Shanghai, a place they could enter without a visa. Vision Shanghai / sh.qq.com

Stefan Schomann attempts to stitch together a real-life impression of China

With its long history, China has always been a treasure trove of soul-touching sagas of epic proportions. The intercultural love story of a Jewish young man and a Chinese woman in war-torn Shanghai during World War II is one of them.

It was discovered by German writer and freelance journalist Stefan Schomann and became the subject of his book Last Refuge in Shanghai. Schomann calls it "a crazy story that happened in a crazy time" in an "exotic location".

Cross-border lovers during WWII

In 1939, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Robert Reuven Sokal fled his country with his family, joining the band of less than 20,000 Jews who embarked on an odyssey from central and eastern Europe to the foreign concessions in Shanghai, one of the few places that didn't require Jewish refugees seeking sanctuary to have a visa.

In Shanghai, while studying at St. John's University, Sokal, the son of a Viennese paint factory owner, met Julie Chenchu Yang, who was born in a wealthy Chinese family. By then, Shanghai was experiencing the pain of Japanese invasion and Shanghai's Chinese and Jewish communities shared a common sorrow.

"I was looking for a story that tells more than just this epic story of Jewish immigration to China, to Shanghai. I wanted to tell how China experienced the war ... what happened in China," Schomann said.

To combine a Eurocentric perspective with a Chinese one, which is rarely seen in earlier books on the Jewish community in Shanghai, Schomann talked to the Chinese neighbors of the refugees aside from Jewish survivors.

Since very few people know what really happened in Shanghai in 1937, he thinks Last Refuge in Shanghai may serve to fill in gaps in history. "It was ... important to me to tell this (story)," he explained.

The young lovers supported each other through countless challenges, including turmoil and the cruelty of war, opposition from Yang's family, and other obstacles in their intercultural marriage, eventually embracing a happy ending.
HANOI - Studying Chinese, one of the world's most spoken languages, has not only brightened the career paths for Vietnamese students, but also enriched their lives culturally with impassioned values. "Learning Chinese is so much fun because I can come to understand many good songs and rhythms," said Ha Kieu My, a third-year student at the Hanoi-based Foreign Trade University, who was a finalist at the 2nd Chinese singing contest held by the Confucius Institute in Vietnam on Wednesday night.

At the music competition, held under the framework of the Chinese Culture Week in Vietnam and Confucius Institute Day 2017, some 11 finalists from six universities in Hanoi performed Chinese songs of all genres, from classic to modern, before hundreds of excited fans in the audience.

Sitting in the crowded theater of Hanoi University, a fourth-year student of Chinese, Bui Thanh Huyen, said she has been fond of Chinese music since she was a little girl.

"The gentle, rhythmic pronunciation of the Chinese language makes songs sound more melodious. When you listen to it, you feel like a beautiful world is opening up for you," Huyen told Xinhua, with dreamy eyes.

According to Huyen, Vietnamese students like her manage to find many hobbies related to their linguistic major.

"Thanks to our language studies we can enjoy Chinese films, reality shows, Chinese novels and so on. We are so lucky that we can also be entertained by what we study, unlike students of other foreign languages who are struggling just to remember words," Huyen smiled, her eyes beaming.

As a senior student, Huyen does not seem to worry about her future since her major in Chinese provides her with lots of opportunities.

We have many choices after graduation. We can apply for higher education with Master's programs taught in Chinese, she explained.

"Or, if we think really optimistically, we can go to work, as many large multinational companies are Chinese and the Chinese language is widely-used around the world," she said excitedly, thinking about her rosy future.

However, the young girl said that she wished that more China-related activities could be held at her school, the Foreign Trade University, instead of just at other universities.

"We do not have so many Chinese students and lecturers in our schools, and contests are not held on our campus. I think I am a little bit jealous of other universities like today's host Hanoi University," Huyen smiled.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, Peng Shituan, also one of the competition's judges, said that culture, in particular music and this contest, is a bridge of friendship that promotes understandings between the two country's peoples and brings them closer.

He said he hoped that more and more activities like this would be held in the future to intensify cultural exchanges.

Echoing Tuan's view, Nguyen Vinh Quang, vice chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, could not hide his happiness at seeing young Vietnamese students enjoying discovering Chinese cultural values, saying that it would further cement the long-term friendship of both countries.

Quang himself went on to perform a flute repertoire, which both surprised and captivated the enthusiastic audience.

At the end of the three-hour contest, with an incredible performance of the song "Hua xin", student Ha Vi Hoa from Phuong Dong University, Hanoi, came away with the first prize.

Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, vice principal of Hanoi University happily thanked all participants for their enthusiasm in joining the contest.

Aside from the singing competition, the Institute had successfully organized a series of other events a week earlier for students, lecturers and scholars, which were very well-received.

These included a Chinese Character Dictation Competition, "Sinophile" Chinese Culture Trivia Competition, and helping students to practice for the Chinese language test.
Guan Bolin (center), the mission commander of China's naval hospital ship, the Peace Ark, greets well-wishers after the vessel arrived at the port of Luanda in Angola on Thursday. The ship, which can handle major surgeries, will provide eight days of free medical services and humanitarian aid to local residents. In addition, Chinese doctors will assist patient treatments in hospitals. JIANG SHAN/XINHUA

China's naval hospital ship made its first visit to Angola on Thursday to provide free medical services and humanitarian aid, the Defense Ministry said.

The CNS Daishandao, also known as Peace Ark, is making the eight-day goodwill visit to the southwestern African country during its first voyage around the continent, codenamed Harmonious Mission 2017.

The ship has visited other African countries, include Djibouti, Sierra Leone, Gabon and Republic of Congo. It will visit Mozambique and Tanzania. It will also visit the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in Southeast Asia during its 155-day mission.

"This mission is an important military diplomacy event that can test and sharpen our medical ship's overseas capability," Ding Haichun, deputy-commissar of the PLA Navy, said at the ship's departure ceremony in July.

"It will fully showcase China shouldering international duties as a responsible big nation and promote the Chinese military's sincere attitude toward maintaining peace and caring for lives," he added.

The visit began when the ship arrived at the port of Luanda, Angola's capital, about 11:30 am on Thursday, local time. Officials and representatives from the Angolan Navy, the Chinese embassy and overseas companies held a welcoming ceremony.

The visit will include a range of activities, including providing free health services to the public and other medical and military exchanges, the ministry said.

The ship will serve as the main platform for patients. At the same time, small teams of doctors will go to general hospitals in Angola to assist with treatment.

China and Angola established formal relations in 1983 and upgraded it to strategic partnership in 2010. Since 2009, China has dispatched four teams totaling 57 medical personnel to Angola.

The Peace Ark has 110 physicians and medical workers from the Second Military Medical University and the Navy General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army. It has participated in six Harmonious Missions, the first beginning in 2010.

He Wenping, director of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said sailing around the African continent is a testament to China's growing overseas logistics capabilities, especially for medical services.

"At first, our medical ship could only reach a few nations in Asia and the South Pacific. Now it can cover the entire coast of Africa, and provide a wider range of services from checkups to complex surgeries," she said.

"Africa is also developing fast, with growing investment from China. But the people still lack doctors and medicine," she said. "The Chinese Navy is showing great moral standards and compassion by helping the African people in need."
MADRID - The Spanish government will call for elections in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia under the application of the article 155 of Spain's constitution, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday.

Rajoy said the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, will be dissolved and the Spanish ministries will be responsible for their functions.
MADRID - The Spanish government will apply the article 155 of the Spanish constitution based on the Catalan government disobedience, the Spanish news agency EFE reported on Saturday.

The Spanish government, whose cabinet meeting discusses the specific measures to implement according to the article, justified the decision based on "rebel, systematic and conscious disobedience" of the regional government of Catalonia, or Generalitat.

According to them, the Generalitat does not commit to the laws and their actions "seriously" affect the general interest of Spain.

After the extraordinary cabinet meeting, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appeared in a press conference to explain the specific measures agreed that will be passed to the Senate for ratification.

Rajoy said the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, failed to clarify whether he had declared the independence of the region or not after a referendum declared illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court.

This would lead to the application of the article 155 of Spain's constitution to bring pro-independence leaders into line.
home World Azerbaijan rejects appeals of pastor fined for leading house church

The Azerbaijani government has rejected several appeals of a pastor who was fined in January for leading a worship service at a house church without state permission.

Hamid Shabanov was ordered to pay a fine of 1,500 manats (US$900) for leading worship services without permission following a police raid at his house in Aliabad, in the southern part of the country. Another church member, Mehman Agamammadov, was also ordered to pay the same amount.

The pastor, who was convicted in January, filed several appeals, but all were rejected. A local source, who wished to remain anonymous, has alleged that there have been "multiple violations of law and process" against Shabanov during his appeal process.

The hearings were reportedly conducted in the Azeri language, but the pastor only speaks the Georgian language, which is common to the area where he was born and where he still lives. The court allegedly did not provide a translator even though it is required by law.

The source told World Watch Monitor that Shabanov was "asked repeatedly to sign documents he could neither read nor understand, both in the appeals process and police investigations, including a document that waived his rights. This is both illegal and negligent of the legal process in Azerbaijan."

Shabanov had appealed to the Constitutional Court in the capital, Baku, as he cannot appeal to the Supreme Court because his case is an administrative matter.

Religious meetings without government permission, including meetings in homes, are punishable by Azerbaijani law. Shabanov had tried to register his congregation but the authorities have repeatedly turned down his application.

Registered churches must undergo regular and obligatory re-registration, and each time, fewer churches register, choosing to go underground instead.

The American Centre for Law and Justice (ACLJ) noted that minority religions in the country are "often either denied the registration or kept waiting for the application to be processed," despite their efforts to comply with the law.

The group recently submitted a report to the U.N. to highlight the incidents of human rights violations being committed in Azerbaijan.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), submitted by the group's affiliate European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), mentions several instances of government-sanctioned persecution against Christians, including the case of 22 believers who were arrested for assembling to worship.

The report noted that the religious group had applied for registration, but the authorities did not grant them the permission to gather for worship by the time they had assembled for the service.

The ACLJ stressed the importance of the UPR, noting that countries such as Azerbaijan are not often highlighted by U.S. or international media. Consequently, violations of human rights and religious freedom that occur in such countries can go unnoticed.
A man was shot and killed after pulling a knife on police officers Friday evening at a northwest Houston apartment complex, police said.

A man called police shortly before 8 p.m., saying that he stabbed and possibly killed his wife, according to Assistant Police Chief Matt Slinkard of the Houston police.

When five officers arrived at an apartment complex in the 5800 block of North Houston Rosslyn, they approached a man believed to be 54-year-old Jorge Cabrera and told him to put down his knife.

The man, standing outside the residence and armed with a long kitchen knife, refused to put down the weapon and instead charged at officers, Slinkard said.

Four officers shot at Cabrera and one officer discharged a Taser.

Cabrera was struck an unknown number of times and later taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died.

When officers entered the residence, they found a 57-year-old woman dead from multiple stab wounds. The woman had not been identified early Monday.

Slinkard could not confirm if Cabrera was the same man who called police initially.

The officers who discharged their weapons are M. Daily, J. Hewgley, O. Lozano and E. Reyes, according to an HPD news release.

They have been on the force for nine months, one year, six years and five months, respectively. All four are assigned to the north patrol division, according to the release.

The officers who fired will be placed on administrative duty while an investigation is conducted, Slinkard said.

"Unfortunately if this is a domestic violence incident, this is a tragic reminder to all of us that domestic violence is real, it's a real threat to many in our society," Slinkard said. "It's very, very unfortunate that someone had to lose their life tonight."

Margaret Kadifa contributed to this report
Lake Houston area representatives held a meeting on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Bender Performing Arts Center in Humble, to discuss issues from flooding pertaining to the Humble, Kingwood, Atascocita and Huffman areas.

Lyle Larson, committee chairman of the Texas House Natural Resources Committee; Dan Huberty, state representative for district 127; Dave Martin, city of Houston council member for district E; and Merle Aaron, city of Humble mayor, spoke about their focuses in response to the devastating effects of flooding from Hurricane Harvey, and invited community members to comment on their concerns as well.

One of the priorities Huberty listed is implementing a better governance policy for the San Jacinto River Authority.

Several area residents and representatives have been criticizing the SJRA for the release of water from the Lake Conroe Dam, which they believe led to the severity of flooding in Kingwood and surrounding areas.

Huberty criticized the SJRA for not adequately communicating the action and impact of that release in advance.

"If you look at the way they put out information  they did press releases," Huberty said. "Now, press releases go on the website. Well, what if you don't have power? What if you don't have the ability to get that? There was no coordination between the SJRA at all and our community."

Aaron expanded on Huberty's claim that the SJRA did not adequately forewarn area officials or residents of the Lake Conroe Dam release to communities that were affected.

He said it was only because of Humble's emergency management staff keeping tabs on the dam's activity that the city of Humble was able to send out law enforcement to go door to door warning residents that they were going to flood.

"We were prepared for this rain event completely," Aaron said. "We had our people on standby. We brought all of our people in to make sure we were prepared to handle this event (Harvey)But, we weren't prepared for what took place when they (opened) the dam. There was no way that we could prepare this little city (for that.)"

Aaron said Humble lost 60 businesses and 362 homes.

Martin focused on possible long- and short-term remediation efforts that could be implemented to prevent an event like this in the future.

From a governance standpoint, he said there should be SJRA board representatives from the affected areas to give Kingwood, Atascocita, Humble, and Huffman a presence on the board deciding actions concerning the release of water from the Lake Conroe Dam.

In the short term, from an operations standpoint, he suggested looking into the possibility of lowering the pooling level of Lake Conroe, which is currently 201 feet above sea level, to 198 or 199 feet above sea level.

"Give us a couple of feet of capacity so that if we do have a bad rain up north we have a little bit of a cushion to contain more water," Martin said. "The level of the lake's a 201 and they started release water 18 inches later when it gets to 202 and 6 inches. Contrast that to what we heard at the chairman's meeting about the dam in Austin. Austin has 33 feet of capacityLake Conroe dam has 18 inches of capacity before they have to turn the lever and send water down."

In the long term, one of the options Martin is discussing with Harris County is creating an eastern side dam to the Lake Houston Dam to increase the capacity to release more water from the lake than the four gates currently within Lake Houston.

"Conroe has eight extremely large gates," Martin said. "Houston has four extremely small gates, so you need to create an instrument to release the water from Lake Houston down to the Gulf of Mexico."

His said his pushback on that idea is the danger of becoming the "SJRA" of Atascocita and Kingwood, releasing water that affects communities downstream, like Sheldon.

"I think that's when the federal government should step in and do the buyout program because those folks flood every year and they shouldn't be there quite frankly," Martin said.

Dredging is another method of creating additional capacity in the San Jacinto River and in Lake Houston Martin said is being looked into.

Martin and Huberty said the SJRA's protocols were put in place before many of the communities that flooded were even built.

"I don't think (anyone at the SJRA) wanted to intentionally flood us, but I do believe that their procedures and their protocols were developed before there was a Kingwoodbut now you have 85,000 people living in Kingwood and the protocols and procedures need to be changed immediately  from the natural pooling level of the water, all the way down to making sure something different happens with that facility at Lake Conroe," Martin said.

Larson said there are currently expert witnesses working to determine exactly what happened concerning the release of water at the Lake Conroe Dam and the flooding of downstream communities. Additionally, the experts are exploring in what ways protocols, notification and warning systems can be improved.

"If there's any releases in the dams, the people downstream, whether it's a remote chance people are going to get flooded, or there's a significant chance, I think everybody needs to be warned when we have an episode that's taking place," Larson said.

Larson also advocated for a cohesive entity taking the lead in regards to this situation instead of many entities acting on their own.

"Have somebody take the lead, whether it's designated as a river authority, whether it's a flood control district, whatever (it) is, we need to have that cohesiveness that the mayor and council member were talking about because without it, you're going to continue to have people point in each direction about whose fault it is," Larson said.

Larson said the primary focus is on flood control mitigation. There are a number of potential dams that have been under consideration for years, but Larson feels it is imperative to undertake immediate mitigation efforts. Additionally, he believes in a flood event like this, water should be captured and stored for use during future droughts.

Larson thinks the state should provide funding for immediate remediation and mitigation projects. If the state does not take the lead to start building these projects, he said, waiting on help from the federal level and not doing something immediately is a deterrent for people and businesses to rebuild in the area.

Jenna Armstrong, president and CEO of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, was among the community members to attend the meeting. Her comment concerned the challenge of retaining and attracting businesses and residents to the area after the flooding.

"We have, by our count, 300 businesses that were forced to close because of the floods," Armstrong said. "That's not including businesses that got damaged because of the floods, but 300 of them have closed their doors."

About 80 percent of affected businesses did not have flood insurance and are relying on SBA loans, GoFundMe accounts and help from the chamber's relief fund they set up. The relief fund can only go so far, Armstrong said, because there are so many affected businesses and residents.

After speaking with businesses, Armstrong said several businesses are waiting to ensure that the houses and people return and rebuild before the business will invest in rebuilding to the standards at which they were previously operating.

Similarly, residents are waiting to make sure the businesses return to the community before investing to rebuild their house up to the standard it was before.

"The thing that's going to help us recoveris knowing that something is being done to prevent this from happening again," Armstrong said.

Larson agreed, saying that every day something is not done to address the issue of future flooding, the less and less confidence people and businesses will have in staying or moving to the area.

"There's got to be a plan of action," Larson said. "It can't be a year after, it can't be two years afterit needs to be done right now. We understand what we need to do in certain areas. Multiple people have talked about sedimentation and taking the siltation out of the river, out of the lake  that draws confidence that something's going to be done."

While there are long term remediation projects necessary, Larson said it is important to complete short term mitigation projects now to show the community that steps are being taken to ensure a flood event like this never happens again.
With all of the change and progress in the Greater Houston Heights over the last decade - the explosion of high-end eateries, bars that draw patrons from across town, residential revival that keep home prices soaring and the recent repeal of the ban on the sale of alcohol and the likely reversal of the "private club" model imposed on businesses - it's an appropriate time to take a look at the area's history and find out how the north-end community came to be.

The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University is offering just that opportunity with their new series, "City in a City: Community Identity and Houston's Sprawl" that kicked off in early October. The series is composed of six lectures held at the school on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and are offered for a $200 fee for all six classes to the general public and a discounted rate for Rice alumni.

The first lecture on Oct. 4 focused on urban expansion and annexation throughout Houston where Jim Parsons, director of special projects for Preservation Houston presented the information. The following week The City of Southside Place, near Bellaire, was featured with another local historian.

But on Oct. 18, the Houston Heights will get the spotlight when author and historian Anne Sloan, M.A. regales attendees with the colorful and complicated past of the Greater Heights. Sloan is the co-author of 'Images of America: Houston Heights,' in partnership with the Houston Heights Association which was published by Arcadia Publishing who produce the familiar sepia-toned covered historical books about locals throughout the country.

"In its early days, Houston was a compact city surrounded by other communities, each with its own distinct history and identity. But as the Bayou City began to spread across the coastal plain in the 20th century, the landscape changed," reads the Glasscock School's description of the series. "This course explores a selection of towns and developments that have become "cities in a city," including Southside Place and Bellaire as well as historic Harrisburg and Houston Heights, both of which were annexed into Houston."

The Heights' path to annexation led to some of its modern quirks not found in other cities in the Houston area.

According to The City of Houston, Heights fought annexation initially, but eventually agreed in 1918 in order to access Houston's wider tax base that would help improve the area's public schools.

In 1867, when the Heights was incorporated, it was meant to serve a less affluent population, says Sloan, than what is seen today in the area where the 2016 median market value of all 3,887 homes in the 77008 zip code was $520,000, according to Houston Association of Realtors.

"Late Victorian-era mansions dotted the impressive boulevard," reads the introduction in 'Images of America: Houston Heights.' "But Carter did not promote his community as a suburb for the elite," she said of O.M. Carter, the man who developed the 1,700-acre wooded forest into a planned community.

"Advertisements stressed the affordability of the neighborhood where lots started at $250 and could be financed by the investors for a $6 down payment and $6 a month. Houston Heights was a streetcar suburb aimed at blue-collar workers and the middle-class people who worked in downtown Houston."

One feature residents intentionally kept after becoming a part of Houston - and still affects modern residents - was the Height's "dry community," status says Sloan, which citizens voted to elect in 1912 that prohibited the sale of alcohol at area businesses, and limited restaurants and bars to a private club model that imposes restrictions on how owners can buy alcohol for inventory, report and spend profits from the sale of alcohol and requires patrons to sign a slip of paper, effectively becoming a "member" of the club when being served.

That rule may become history too, though, in November when the matter is put to voters. In the summer of 2017, a petition circulating in the area gained enough signatures and was verified by the City of Houston Secretary's office to get the measure on the ballot.

And in 2016 voters in the historic district of the Heights overturned the ban on alcohol sales and grocers are now free to sell beer, wine and liquor.

Heights Beverage Coalition was started to campaign for loosening of the rules and was composed of area bar, restaurant and grocery owners. H-E-B, one of the best known retailers advocating for the repeal, is now planning a store on N. Shepherd and 23rd Street, but no signs of ground-breaking or construction has started at the location in late 2017.

To learn more about the history of the Heights and other Houston communities, registration for the Oct. 18 class can be completed at www.glasscock.rice.edu.
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A Houston man was fatally shot Friday night in southeast Houston, according to police.

Edward Hargrove was killed after some sort of altercation broke out just before midnight near Elm Tree and Selinsky, Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said Saturday.

Witnesses later told officers Hargrove had been arguing with another man before the gunfire, but it's not clear what sparked the dispute.

The 53-year-old had multiple gunshot wounds when first responders rushed him to the hospital, where he died.

The suspect fled the scene and authorities were not able to offer a description of the shooter.
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A man was beaten up by a group of people Sunday on a Dallas train after he had reportedly asked them to stop smoking marijuana.

Kennan Jones was riding the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) on a Northbound Green Line train when he complained about five males and two females smoking pot.

"Everything just went from 0 to 100," Jones told CBS DFW. "I'm just very happy to be here... happy to hug my kids."

WANTED: Police release name of Texas woman who allegedly beat a girl in school

Jones was savagely kicked and punched by the group of people, which was all caught in a video posted on Facebook. Once the train stopped, Jones got out but was followed by the group who kept beating him. At one point a person can be seen grabbing a skateboard and hitting Jones with it.

A copy of the video was reposted by Dallas news anchor Steve Eager Tuesday. It has collected more than 127,000 views and more than 1,000 comments.

READ MORE: Texas man accused of beating father to death, hiding body in freezer, is indicted by grand jury

"This video is maddening and outrageous. The beating victim had the audacity to ask young people on a DART train (Green Line) in Dallas to stop smoking weed. Of course there was NO Dallas Area Rapid Transit... police officer on the train, or on the platform once the beating spilled there," Eager wrote on Facebook. "DART officials claimed the victim didn't want to press charges."

A request for comment has been placed with DART.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that he planned to release the tens of thousands of never-before-seen documents left in the files related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination held by the National Archives and Records Administration.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted early Saturday.

Kennedy assassination experts have been speculating for weeks about whether Trump would disclose the documents. The 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act required that the millions of pages - many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents - be published in 25 years, by Oct. 26. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted.

But one final batch remains, and only the president has the authority to extend the papers' secrecy past the October deadline.

In his tweet, Trump seemed to strongly imply he was going to release all the remaining documents, but the White House later said that if other government agencies made a strong case not to release the documents, he wouldn't.

"The president believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," the White House said in a statement Saturday.

In the days leading up to Trump's announcement, a National Security Council official told The Washington Post that government agencies were urging the president not to release some of the documents. But Trump's longtime confidant Roger Stone told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars this week that he personally lobbied Trump to publish all of the documents.

Stone also told Jones that CIA Director Mike Pompeo "has been lobbying the president furiously not to release these documents."

Some Republican lawmakers have also been urging Trump for a full release. Earlier this month, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, brought forward resolutions calling on Trump to "reject any claims for the continued postponement" of the documents.

"No reason 2 keep hidden anymore," Grassley tweeted earlier this month. "Time 2 let American ppl + historians draw own conclusions."

Though Kennedy assassination experts say they don't think the last batch of papers contains any major bombshells, the president's decision to release the documents could heighten the clarity around the assassination, which has fueled so many conspiracy theorists, including Trump himself.

In May 2016, while on the presidential campaign trail, Trump gave an interview to Fox News strongly accusing the father of his GOP primary opponent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) of consorting with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald right before the shooting.

Some Kennedy assassination researcher believe the trove could shed light on a key question that President Lyndon Johnson tried to unsuccessfully put to rest in 1963: Did Oswald act alone, or was he aided or propelled by a foreign government?

The records are also said to include details on Oswald's activities while he was traveling in Mexico City in late September 1963 and courting Cuban and Soviet spies, as well as the CIA's personality profiles written of Oswald after the assassination.

But some experts fear the history that may be lost forever in unreadable documents in the trove. One listed as "unintelligible" is a secret communication from the CIA to the Office of Naval Intelligence about Oswald in October 1963 - weeks before the assassination. Oswald had been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 1959, but he was outraged and made violent threats after learning in October 1963 that the military had changed his discharge to a dishonorable one.

Phil Shenon, who wrote a book about the Warren Commission, the congressional body that investigated Kennedy's killing, said he was pleased with Trump's decision to release the documents. But he wonders to what degree the papers will ultimately be released.

"It's great news that the president is focused on this and that he's trying to demonstrate transparency. But the question remains whether he will open the library in full - every word in every document, as the law requires," Shenon said. "And my understanding is that he won't without infuriating people at the CIA and elsewhere who are determined to keep at least some of the information secret, especially in documents created in the 1990s."

There are about 3,100 previously unreleased files that hold tens of thousands of pages of new material. The National Archives also has another 30,000 pages of information that have been disclosed before, but only partially and with redactions.

Jefferson Morley, a former Post reporter who has studied the Kennedy assassination records for years, said the last tranche of material is also intriguing because it contains files on senior CIA officials from the 1960s - officers well aware of Oswald's activities in the days before the assassination.

He specifically pointed to the files of former CIA officers William Harvey and David Phillips. Morley said Harvey led the agency's assassinations operations and feuded constantly with Kennedy's brother, Robert F. Kennedy, over the administration's crisis with Cuba. Phillips, Morley said, oversaw the agency's operations against Cuban president Fidel Castro and was deeply familiar with the CIA's surveillance of Oswald in Mexico City.

"What's in those files could tell us how those men did their jobs," said Morley, who wrote a 2008 book on the agency's Mexico City station chief. "There might be stuff on why we were interested in the Cuban consulate, how we surveilled the consulate, how we did our audio work, and how did we recruit spies there? We might understand much better why they were watching Oswald."

- - -

The Washington Post's John Wagner and Carol Leonnig contributed to this report.
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Two San Antonio school districts are offering up explanations this week on how a teacher recently arrested on charges of soliciting a minor was able to be hired - and in one case rehired - at their schools even after complaints were made against him for inappropriate behavior with students.

Daniel Marcus Valdez, 37, was first the subject of a complaint by a student in 2006, when he was teaching in the San Antonio Independent School District. The student accused him of sending inappropriate emails and later told the Texas Education Agency there had been physical conduct and that the student had sent Valdez images that TEA investigators said amounted "to child pornography."

Valdez resigned the day after the complaint was filed. In his resignation, he wrote that he was in violation of the employee standards of conduct.

READ MORE: Records: S.A. teacher behaved inappropriately with 4 students before online solicitation arrest

Now Playing: It was one of the first teacher sex scandals to gain international attention Video: People

But he was rehired at SAISD in 2012.

"We don't know why that was not flagged when he re-applied, but we have since reviewed our processes and procedures and have a more stringent system in place," district spokesperson Leslie Price told mySA.com.

SAISD officials launched another investigation into Valdez after receiving a tip in May 2013 about the alleged 2005-2006 improper relationship. It was during that investigation that they found the complaint against him from 2006, Price said. He resigned again and the district passed along its information to the state agency, which began its own inquiry.

Between his two stints at SAISD, Valdez worked in the South San Independent School District, where three more complaints were made against him.

Jocelyn Durand, South San ISD Public Information Officer, said in a statement to mySA.com that administrators were not aware of the reason he resigned from SAISD in 2006.

South San ISD started their own investigation on Valdez in 2011, when a student complained Valdez was sending them inappropriate text messages.

The district does not have documented evidence that officials notified the TEA about the investigation, but Durand said the TEA investigation's reference to the 2011 allegations indicate the agency was aware of the accusations.

Durand also said the district likely notified San Antonio ISD about the investigation in 2011.

"While we are unable to locate any written document indicating South San Antonio ISD officials notified San Antonio ISD, it is common practice to make this kind of contact over the phone," Durand said.

RELATED: TEA investigations into improper student-teacher relationships jumped 36 percent in past year

Valdez was arrested Sept. 15 after he allegedly drove to Alice, about 125 miles south of San Antonio, to have sex with a minor. The set-up was actually a sting conducted by the Jim Wells County Sheriff's Office, who began investigating him after a girl's parents reported Valdez was harassing their daughter and sending her sexually explicit images.

At the time, having resigned from SAISD a second time, he was teaching at IDEA Public Schools, though he had lost his teaching license in 2015 following the TEA investigation.

Vanessa Barry, IDEA Public Schools Vice President of Marketing and Communication, previously told mySA.com the organization wasn't notified when Valdez's license was pulled but acknowledged officials missed the open investigation. She also said the district is making changes to prevent the oversight from occurring again.

"While at the time of hire, his teacher certification was valid, he was under investigation by [State Board for Educator Certification] and we should have caught this red flag," Barry said in an e-mail. "Effective immediately, we are implementing an annual criminal background check and certification review to prevent situations such as this from happening again."

A new law that went into effect Sept. 1, several years after the latest allegation against Valdez, requires principals to report to superintendents if a teacher is terminated or resigns after being accused of an improper relationship and increases the penalty for superintendents who don't report misconduct to the TEA.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Fares Sabawi is a breaking news reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
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The mayor of League City had his left leg amputated this week following a heart attack, but his grateful family is heralding the outcome as a miracle.

Pat Hallisey, a long-time Galveston County resident, rushed last week to the local emergency room, where doctors discovered that the 67-year-old had suffered a heart attack and had diabetes-related vascular blockages in his legs, according to his family.

"His heart attack probably saved his life," his wife Janice Hallisey said Saturday. "He's a very blessed man this morning."

Doctors said his heart was weak from multiple heart attacks and that his poorly managed diabetes caused blockages to his legs, according to a post his daughter Ashley Hallisey wrote Friday on Facebook.

"After hours without blood-flow to the legs the muscles start to die and release chemicals into the body that attack the kidneys, and he was at risk for infection, so they had to act fast," she wrote.

Doctors contemplated a double amputation.

"Everything happened so fast," his wife said. "All the doctors kept saying 'This is about his life and living, not about his leg,' "

When he first went into surgery on Oct. 10, Hallisey had a bad reaction to the anesthesia and medical staff decided to fly him to Memorial Hermann Hospital, his wife said.

At the Houston hospital, doctors realized they could save his right leg.

"It's a miracle," his wife said. "We've seen miracles right in front of our eyes."

Mayor Pro Tem Todd Kinsey publicly announced the mayor's medical struggles during an Oct. 10 City Council meeting, which the mayor missed as he was LifeFlighted to the Texas Medical Center.

Hallisey, a 30-year League City resident, most recently took office in 2016, though he's been a long-time presence on the local political scene.

The mayor has battled circulation problems in the past, his wife said, and doctors had previously removed blockages in his legs. He'd had some leg pain recent weeks, but didn't think it was anything serious.

The mayor finished surgery Thursday and is set to be moved to intensive care Saturday, his daughter wrote. He's eating solid food and talking with his daughters, according to his wife.

And already, he wants to go back to work.

"He already asked the city manager to come up to see him yesterday to discuss business," Janice Hallisey said. "And he's already been asking me every morning since Thursday, he wants his phone and he wants his newspaper - and I said no."
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After a bizarre death row confession plot between two prisoners slated for execution, the correctional officers' union is calling for more staffing they say could have prevented the scheme that ultimately derailed the state's effort to put to death a Houston-area serial killer.

"This was definitely a security breakdown," said Lance Lowry, who heads the Texas Correctional Employees union based in Huntsville. "You're playing Russian roulette when you don't have enough security."

Texas prisons have more inmates per officer than other large states like New York and California, he said, adding that death row in particular needs "a lot more officers."

But the Texas Department of Criminal Justice begged to differ.

"Death row is appropriately staffed and all critical positions are filled," spokesman Jason Clark said Friday. "Staffing played no role in this confession scheme between death row offenders."

The hand-wringing over staffing questions stems from an alleged plot hatched between condemned inmates Anthony Shore and Larry Swearingen, which came to light this week (Oct. 18) only hours before Shore was set to die by lethal injection.

A judge late Wednesday stayed Shore's execution for 90 days after prosecutors said the four-time killer had admitted to an abandoned plan to confess to Swearingen's crime, the 1998 killing in Montgomery County of college student Melissa Trotter.

Swearingen has long professed his innocence, though the Willis man is still slated for execution in November.

Shore, on the other hand, has consistently admitted to the 1992 killing of Maria del Carmen Estrada - for which he was convicted - as well as the gruesome strangulations of 14-year-old Laurie Tremblay, 9-year-old Diana Rebollar and 16-year-old Dana Sanchez.

But sometime in July, he allegedly agreed to take responsibility for Trotter's murder as well, even stashing material from the Montgomery County murder - including a hand-drawn map marking the supposed location of more evidence - in his death row cell at the Polunsky Unit near Livingston.

When prosecutors discovered the suspicious items in Shore's cell, it threatened to muddy the waters in the already troubled Swearingen case.

Then on Tuesday - about 24 hours before Shore's scheduled execution - Shore told investigators he'd only considered confessing to get his friend off, and not because he'd actually committed the crime. The multiple murderer also agreed to answer questions about other cases, and a judge greenlit pushing back his execution till January.

It's still not entirely clear how the two prisoners became friends, or how Shore managed to acquire materials relating to Swearingen's case. TDCJ officials declined to offer specifics citing an ongoing investigation, but were willing to speak in generalities.

It's not difficult for men to talk to each other on death row, even though they spend most of their day alone in a cell, according to Clark.

"It's something you really can't prevent," he said.

When prisoners are let out for recreation, they may be able to talk to other death row inmates in neighboring caged recreation areas. And even when they're in their cells, they're able to talk by shouting out the door slot, through the vents, or sometimes through toilets, Lowry said.

But passing letters, legal materials or other items is not allowed - and a little trickier to pull off.

Instead of old-fashioned cell bars, death row cells have a solid door, but the crack underneath offers a way to push out small notes or "kites." To reel in illicit missives from neighbors, prisoners will go "fishing" with hand-made contraptions fashioned from bedsheets, paper and other readily available materials. But sometimes, locked-in prisoners get help from inmate workers known as porters.

"Porters passing notes is something we've dealt with with all inmates," Clark said. "They have a lot of time on their hands so they try to come up with new and inventive ways to beat our security measures."

Clark declined to say whether Shore and Swearingen had been housed near each other leading up to the plot, though Lowry said death row inmates are moved to different cells on a weekly basis for security.

"We need a lot more officers on those cell blocks," the union chief said. "A lot of people think those inmates are locked in a cell so they can't do anything, but that's not always the case."

But even more officers probably wouldn't have been enough to stop the supposed friendship between Shore and Swearingen, Lowry admitted, though it may have prevented any potential transfer of case materials.

"With the current staffing levels and security levels, they can't stop it," he said. "I think people need to take a more ethical look at the amount of work these guys do - and they're incredibly understaffed."
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WASHINGTON - Five decades after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, the political whodunit remains fodder for hordes of conspiracy theorists, including armchair historians, professional scholars and even President Donald Trump.

Until now, Trump's signature contribution was promoting an unsubstantiated tabloid story linking the 1963 assassination to Cuban emigre Rafael Cruz, the father of Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump's fiercest opponent in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries.

But as president, Trump is the only person who can block the scheduled release of the last batch of secret government documents about the JFK assassination.

Now Playing: President Trump on Saturday tweeted that he will be "allowing...the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened." Video: GeoBeats

On Saturday, Trump pulled the curtain back slightly, revealing on Twitter that "subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened."

Under a law signed 25 years ago by then President George H. W. Bush, himself a figure in the events of Nov. 22, 1963, Trump has until Oct. 26 to act. If he does not, some 50,000 documents go public.

What they might reveal is anyone's guess.

Other than Trump's tweet, the White House has remained silent about the president's intentions. A White House official speaking on background told the Chronicle last week that he is "working closely" with the National Archives "to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public" while "protecting national security."

Trump's caveat, "subject to the receipt of further information," worries advocates of full disclosure.

No conspiracy here

Among those pressing for full release is sometime Trump confidante and conspiracy theorist Roger Stone, who wrote a book in 2013 pointing the finger at Lyndon Baines Johnson, the Texas Democrat who replaced JFK in the White House.

Stone claims he has information that the CIA is urging Trump to delay the release of at least some of the documents for another 25 years. "They must reflect badly on the CIA even though virtually everyone involved is long dead," he said in a statement on his website.

The CIA is neither confirming nor denying Stone's claims.

"CIA continues to engage in the process to determine the appropriate next steps with respect to any previously-unreleased CIA information," CIA spokeswoman Nicole de Haay said in an email.

The FBI referred questions to the White House.

Also pressing for full public disclosure is a bipartisan group of lawmakers organizing a resolution urging Trump to reject any claims for continued secrecy.

The resolution is the result of rumors that the release of at least some of the documents is being opposed by the FBI, the CIA or other government agencies that supported the official conclusion that Kennedy was not the victim of any conspiracy. Rather, the agencies insist, it was the work of lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald.

'Blank spaces in history'

Among those signing the resolution are Iowa Republican Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, one of the top Democrats on the panel.

"Americans deserve a full picture of what happened that fateful day in November 1963," Grassley said in a statement. "Shining a light on never-before-seen government records is essential to filling in these blank spaces in our history."

So far no Texas lawmakers have signed on, including Cruz, who was dragged into the historical saga in a 2016 National Enquirer story purporting to have photographic evidence from "secret U.S. government files" showing the elder Cruz and Oswald together in New Orleans shortly before the assassination.

As Cruz suspended his presidential campaign two weeks later, he blasted the Enquirer story as "tabloid trash" and vilified Trump for promoting it on television.

"I admit yes, my dad killed JFK," Cruz added sarcastically. "He is secretly Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his back yard."

Ironically, it is Cruz who might have planted the seeds of the widely debunked Enquirer article two years earlier. That was in a 2014 interview with University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.

In the interview, which Sabato used in a book, Cruz effectively put his father at the scene of the crime.

"In Dallas, almost everyone had a highly emotional tale or direct connection," Sabato wrote in his 2014 book, "The Kennedy Half Century."

Cruz, Sabato continued, "told me that his anti-Castro immigrant father, then doing menial work in Dallas to make a living, was allowed to go out to the street to see the motorcade. The elder Cruz was no JFK fan but saw the Kennedys up close from Dealey Plaza."

A spokesman for Cruz said last week that he had no comment on the claim, which Sabato repeated on Twitter in 2015 and again on May 3, 2016, the day Cruz dropped out of the race.

Sabato said his 2014 revelation about Cruz's father was not intended to cast suspicion. Nor did it get much public notice - at least initially.

"Little did I know and little did he know that it would become part of the presidential campaign and would hurt him," Sabato said in an interview. "I'm embarrassed about it. It's horrible to think you were part of that."

Sabato is no conspiracy theorist, though he confesses that JFK's assassination has been a lifelong obsession. It's produced books and a plethora of JFK "paraphernalia" at his campus residence, where he says Cruz related his father's story during a visit in April, 2014 - a year before he announced for the presidency.

"I don't happen to believe it was anybody besides Lee Harvey Oswald," Sabato said. "But probably a substantial majority of the conspiracy community disagrees."

With the release deadline approaching this week, the "conspiracy community" is abuzz with rampant speculation about what juicy morsels might be left in the tens of thousands of never-before-seen documents.

Sabato, for his part, predicts a fiasco as a global public goes online all at once to download documents, likely overwhelming government computers. That was the experience last summer when the National Archives released its last batch of documents under the 1992 JFK Assassination Records Collection Act.

The National Archives, the government agency legally responsible for the pending "document dump," has sought to tamp down expectations. According to its website, about 88 percent of the records in the 5-million-page JFK collection already have been made public.

Another 11 percent have been released in part with "sensitive" portions removed. That leaves about 1 percent of the trove that remains out of public view.

While officials can't comment on the contents of the records, the agency's website says "we assume that much of what will be released will be tangential to the assassination events."

But only Trump can stop the truth - such as it is - from coming out.

Lingering doubt

Regardless of Trump's decision, there will always be room for doubt. The 1992 law signed by Bush - a former CIA director - exempts certain categories of records, including grand jury and tax return information, as well as "records covered by a specific deed of gift."

Bush himself made an early appearance in the public record, having passed on a tip to the FBI after the shooting about having overheard somebody in Texas talking about killing JFK.

Since that day theories have abounded, focusing on the Soviets, the Cubans, the Mafia, Robert F. Kennedy and, last but not least, the CIA and the federal government.

Amid some half-dozen investigations, the Warren Commission, established by LBJ, concluded in 1964 that Oswald and Jack Ruby, the man who killed Oswald shortly after Kennedy's death, both acted alone. But persistent doubts about the Warren Commission report eventually led to the 1992 JFK records law that mandates this week's release.

Scholars like Sabato point out that it is unlikely that even the National Archives technicians themselves know what else is left in the documents. But many say it's high time that the administration come totally clean on the seminal event in the growth of popular American distrust of government - the very distrust that helped elect Trump.

"The idea that the federal government has withheld hundreds of thousands of pages of information about the assassination of a president for 54 years should disturb everybody," Sabato said.

A decision by Trump to hold back any information, he added, would only amp up the buzz: "If he withholds documents it will inevitably regenerate the entire controversy about his ridiculous comments about Cruz."
A Florida teacher was arrested Friday, Oct. 20 after she was accused of having an improper relationship with a female student.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Jaclyn Truman, 30, allegedly sustained a two month relationship with the 15-year-old student.

During this time the two engaged in "sexual activity multiple times" at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida.

READ MORE: Kindergarten teacher sentenced to prison for having sex with several students

Truman  who served as a substitute teacher at Hagerty during the time of the relationship  was placed on paid administrative leave on Oct. 2, after the Seminole County Public Schools received a report of the allegations from Child Protective Services.

WFTV reports that the school district had started performing background checks prior to hiring Truman full -time, and her records had been clean, but reports of the inappropriate relationship hindered the process.

"During that time frame the teacher had already turned in (her) resignation to the district, which actually was effective and final [Thursday, Oct. 19]," the school district's spokesman told the station. "Therefore, this individual is no longer an employee of SCPS."

Truman turned herself in the same day and was booked on two counts of "lewd acts on a minor student." Her bail was set at $40,000, which she has since posted.

Take a look through the gallery above to see other teachers who have been accused of having improper relationships with students.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An 18-year-old man was shot and killed early Saturday morning on East 118th Street just south of St. Clair Avenue, police say.

The shooting happened about 5 a.m., Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. Police originally said the shooting happened on East 117th Street.

The man has been identified as Bernard Bleveins Jr., Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner spokesman Chris Harris said.

A fifth district officer found the man with a gunshot wound to the back on the walkway next to an abandoned home, Ciaccia said.

Cleveland EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.

The victim's mother had asked police for help finding him.

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 216-623-5464.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State University administrators, faculty, students and trustees pledged Friday to unite to overcome the issues raised following the posting of a flier encouraging CSU LGBTQ students to consider suicide.

The statement sent to the university community late Friday followed meetings and protests on campus this week.

The university pledged to "invest in ongoing Cultural Humility and Cultural Sensitivity education that addresses the intersectionality of race, class, sexual orientation, gender and religious issues. Additionally, the undersigned will work with CSU's community to co-create a collaborative advisory committee that will devise a plan to address the specific concerns we have heard from you."

The flier was posted Thursday and immediately removed. Many students became upset after President Ronald Berkman initially responded to the flier by citing free speech First Amendment rights rather than condemning the message on the flier.

Berkman sent another statement condemning the flier and led a meeting about the issue. On Thursday students led a protest.

Following is the statement and those who signed it, including officials at community organizations:

"On Thursday, October 12, appalling white supremacist flyers attacking our LGBTQ+ community and racial and religious minorities were discovered in the Main Classroom Building at Cleveland State University. The flyers were immediately removed. Hate has no place in our community. It never will.

We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent message on these flyers. An attack on one group is an attack on our whole campus. We unwaveringly value our marginalized students, faculty and staff, we honor them and we will always support them. Therefore, we must come together as one to show that inclusion and respect will prevail.

We also recognize that this hateful act and the University's inadequate initial response made many members of our diverse community of students, faculty and staff feel unsafe, unheard and unvalued. The safety of CSU's students, faculty and staff is the University's highest priority. If you need any support at any time, please visit csuohio.edu/lgbtq. Many campus resources are available, including the new LGBTQ+ Center, the Counseling Center and the Care Team.

We also want to affirm that our community is a welcoming one. To this end, we will invest in ongoing Cultural Humility and Cultural Sensitivity education that addresses the intersectionality of race, class, sexual orientation, gender and religious issues. Additionally, the undersigned will work with CSU's community to co-create a collaborative advisory committee that will devise a plan to address the specific concerns we have heard from you.

Meetings have already been held to start organizing this committee with key campus organizations and the broader community in Cleveland and the state of Ohio. We ask that you play an active role in this conversation. Given the broader nature of this attack, we invite representatives of all diverse groups to participate.

We will be transparent about our progress and provide regular updates to the community through the University's Diversity and Engagement Division website and distribute updates through the University's social media channels. Standing together as one proud CSU and the greater Cleveland community, we will emerge from this process stronger, more committed and more united than ever."
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Eighteen former employees have been charged in the federal investigation of Pilot Flying J, the family business of Browns' owner Jimmy Haslam. Fourteen have pleaded guilty but have not been sentenced, as authorities are waiting until after the trial scheduled to begin Oct. 31.

Many are cooperating with prosecutors, which may have an impact on the severity of their sentences. Prosecutors said many in the scheme benefited financially because they were compensated based on the company's net revenues. Some of the plea agreements detailed the monetary loss to customers. Many did not. This is a list of who they are and what they were accused of doing:

Mark Hazelwood

Job: President

Allegations: Hazelwood was the highest ranking member of Pilot Flying J to be charged in the scheme. He worked at the company from 1988, until he was fired in May 2014. An indictment filed in February 2016 said Hazelwood encouraged employee participation in the scheme. He denies the allegations.

Status of the case: He is scheduled to go trial Oct. 31 on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as wire fraud and witness tampering.

Scott Wombold

Job: Vice president of sales

Allegations: Wombold supervised a number of employees involved in the scheme. As a supervisor, he could earn commissions off his employees' accounts. During a sales team meeting in November 2012, he explained the scheme and encouraged staff to take part. The indictment said he lied to federal agents who questioned him about that sales meeting, saying the scheme was never discussed. He also told agents that he was not aware of an attempt to defraud trucking companies. He denies the allegations.

Status of the case: He is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 31 on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, wire fraud and false statements.

John Freeman

Job: Vice president of sales

Allegations: Freeman supervised the marketing and sales of diesel fuel to interstate trucking companies. He helped orchestrate the scheme and often recruited sales staff to join in the scheme. He also led group meetings on how to run the fraud and get away with it. If trucking companies caught discrepancies, he told staff, he and others would claim it was a simple mistake. Prosecutors, in a plea agreement, said he defrauded as much as $9.5 million from trucking companies.

Status of the case: He pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 24.

Brian Mosher

Job: National director of sales; also had worked as regional sales manager

Allegations: Mosher was responsible for defrauding between 50 and 250 customers out of rebates, according to prosecutors, who made the claim in his plea agreement for sentencing purposes. The plea agreement puts the loss that he is responsible for at between $7 million and $20 million. He urged the sales staff to target unsophisticated trucking companies.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in January 2014.

Christopher Andrews

Job: Regional sales manager

Allegations: He told investigators that the scheme "had gone on for quite some time prior to his employment [in 2010], based on how openly it was discussed," according to his plea agreement. He refused to mention the scheme in emails at work because he knew it was "shady," the plea agreement said. In one instance, a trucking company recognized that it had been shorted on its rebate. Andrews told the company that it was an inadvertent error, but he actually knew he had been caught, the plea agreement said.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in January 2014.

James Stinnett

Job: Regional sales manager, later promoted to assist senior management

Allegations: Prosecutors said Stinnett bilked unsuspecting trucking companies from 2008 through 2011 as a regional sales manager in the Southeast. On April 15, 2013, when authorities raided the offices of Pilot Flying J, Stinnett told investigators that he knew his actions were dishonest, that he did them out of loyalty to the company and that senior management of the company knew about the scheme.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in June 2013.

Arnold Ralenkotter

Job: Regional sales director

Allegations: He played a key role in defrauding customers for years. He had been in the company's sales division for 10 years. He once bragged to fellow employees about how he lied to a trucking company that was thinking of dropping Pilot Flying J as its fuel choice. Ralenkotter told the company that he was prepared to offer a much better deal to keep the customer. The plea agreement said Ralenkotter knew he would never give the customer such a great deal.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in May 2013, about a month after the raid at Pilot Flying J.

Scott Fenwick

Job: Regional sales manager

Allegations: Fenwick took part in the scheme for about five years. He told an account representative how much to defraud certain trucking companies on a monthly basis, and the account representative would then send reduced checks to the businesses. On Nov. 19, 2012, Fenwick told a group of Pilot Flying J sales officials that if he ever got caught cheating by a customer, he would blame it on sales staff or a computer glitch.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty conspiracy in July 2013.

Kevin Clark

Job: Regional sales manager

Allegations: Prosecutors said Clark agreed to work on the rebate scheme with others at the company for years. He would fraudulently reduce the customers' negotiated fuel discounts by 2 to 3 cents a gallon each month. He admitted to a co-worker in November 2012 that he defrauded customers, including three trucking companies in the Great Plains region.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in June 2013.

John Spiewak

Job: Regional sales manager

Allegations: Spiewak, of Dayton, took part in the scheme to fleece trucking companies in Ohio and Indiana, according to his plea agreement with prosecutors. He was supervised by Ralenkotter and worked directly with Welch, both of whom pleaded guilty to charges.

Status of case: He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in September 2017. He is to be sentenced Jan. 24.

Vicki Borden

Job: Director, sales division

Allegations: Borden oversaw the work of the account representatives and dealt with top executives of the sales team. Prosecutors, in her plea agreement, said she knowingly and voluntarily joined the conspiracy to defraud trucking companies. For sentencing purposes, prosecutors set the amount of loss to trucking companies between $1.5 million and $3.5 million, and the number of victims defraud exceeds 10.

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in September 2017. She is to be sentenced Jan. 24.

Janet Welch

Job: Senior regional account representative

Allegations: Welch worked at Pilot Flying J since 1998. She took part in the scheme since 2008, according to her plea agreement with prosecutors. She sent "numerous deceptively reduced" rebate checks to a trucking company in New Jersey. She, like others, participated in a sales staff session in 2012 on how to fleece customers. Prosecutors set the level of loss attributed to Welch at between $400,000 and $1 million. They said she defrauded between 10 and 50 customers.

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy in July 2013.

Holly Radford

Job: Regional account representative

Allegations: Prosecutors said Radford took part in the scheme by agreeing to deceptively reduce the monthly rebates of trucking companies, based on instructions from salespeople. She worked with James Stinnett, according to her plea agreement. When she spoke with federal agents on the day of the raids, she admitted that she knew what she was doing was wrong but that she kept doing it, as she was instructed and taught. For sentencing purposes, prosecutors said she was responsible for a loss of between $200,000 and $400,000.

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy in June 2013.

Lexie Holden

Job: Account representative for Brian Mosher and others

Allegations: Prosecutors said Holden actively took part in the scheme, helping to fleece between 10 and 50 customers. For sentencing purposes, they said she helped defraud between $400,000 and $1 million from trucking companies. She attended a sales staff seminar where Mosher taught the staff how to bilk companies. She met with federal agents and cooperated soon after the raids.

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy in January 2014.

Ashley Judd

Job: Regional account representative

Allegations: Judd worked with sales staff to carry out the scheme, "albeit with reluctance," prosecutors said in her plea agreement. Judd had worked at Pilot Flying J as an intern in high school and college. Prosecutors said Judd caused $200,000 in losses to customers. On the day of the raids, Judd told federal agents about her handwritten spreadsheets that indicated what trucking companies received and what they were supposed to receive in rebates, according to her plea agreement. The document added that there was a "culture of fraud-acceptance within Pilot's sales division."

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy in May 2013.

Katy Bibee

Job: Regional account representative

Allegations: Bibee worked closely with John Freeman and Christopher Andrews, both of whom pleaded guilty to defrauding trucking companies. In a plea agreement, prosecutors said, "With the encouragement of her superiors, Bibee knowingly and voluntarily joined and participated in the conspiracy with the specific intent to defraud." For sentencing purposes, prosecutors said the amount of loss to trucking companies is not more than $1 million.

Status of case: She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in September 2017. She is to be sentenced Jan. 24.

Karen Mann

Job: Regional account representative.

Allegations: Mann worked closely with Arnold Ralenkotter on accounts. Ralenkotter was one of the first to plead guilty. She is accused of working with top sales officials to defraud trucking companies. She denies the charges.

Status of case: She is going to trial Oct. 31 in Chattanooga on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Heather Jones

Job: Regional account representative.

Allegations: Jones worked closely with Brian Mosher on accounts. Mosher has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. She denies the allegations.

Status of case: Jones is going to trial Oct. 31 on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Sources: Court records; including indictments; plea agreements and filings in U.S. District Court in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. >> Saratoga County supervisors are no longer considering a local law that would have banned the sale of tobacco products to persons under 21.

The proposal was especially designed to curb smoking among young people, who are especially vulnerable to habit-forming cigarette use.

At a Public Health Committee meeting, in September, supervisors tentatively scheduled a public hearing on the law for Oct. 11, but it was later canceled and wont be rescheduled.

A number of us, while it sounded like a good idea on the surface, had real concerns about enforcement, said committee chairman and Malta Supervisor Vincent DeLucia.

A local county law would be the responsibility of Saratoga County Sheriffs Office. Clifton Park Supervisor Philip Barrett, said at last months meeting, that the sheriffs department is already overburdened with a growing heroin and opioid epidemic. This should be the countys main focus, instead of raising the legal age for smoking, he said.

DeLucia, while pointing out that smoking isnt healthy, added that cigarettes and tobacco are legal products.

Who are we to start over-regulating peoples lives for 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds? he said. There just wasnt much support for moving forward with it.

At the September meeting, county Public Health Director Catherine Duncan praised efforts to get the law adopted.

This is something weve wanted for a long time, she said. It would be fabulous.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently named Saratoga County the states healthiest county for the second straight year, 2015 and 2016. So banning cigarette sales to people under 21 would be a way to continue that track record, Duncan said.

However, she declined comment Friday about the supervisors decision not to pursue a local law.

Ballston Supervisor Tim Szczepaniak had spearheaded efforts to get the law adopted.

Similar laws have already been approved in New York City, Albany and Schenectady counties, and Warren County is moving forward on it. Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Cortland, Orange, Suffolk and Sullivan counties have also prohibited sale of tobacco products to people younger than 21.

But Board of Supervisors Chairman Ed Kinowski, of Stillwater, said raising the age for tobacco use should be done at the state level, not the county. Its too easy for people to simply go to a neighboring county, where the age limit is still 18, he said.
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. >> Three people illegally in the United States, one of whom allegedly assaulted a state trooper, were charged recently following a motor vehicle accident on Route 9 in Clifton Park, authorities said.

The accident was first handled by Saratoga County Sheriffs Office deputies, who requested assistance.

Upon arrival, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers interviewed three men, whom sheriffs deputies found hiding near the scene of the accident with no identity documents. Following interviews, the three men  who are from Mexico  admitted they were unlawfully present in the U.S.

ICE officers arrested two men for administrative immigration violations.

State police, who also responded, charged a third man, the alleged drunk driver and then left the scene with him in custody. Shortly thereafter, the transporting trooper sent out a distress call after he was attacked inside his vehicle. Sheriffs deputies, troopers and ICE officers responded to the distress call. Deputies and troopers got the man under control and back in custody, while ICE officers assisted in maintaining a safe perimeter.

The two men arrested by ICE remain in custody pending removal proceedings. The man arrested by state police is in local custody and will be transferred to ICE at the conclusion of the local case.

The incident occurred at about 11:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13.
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Your dapper Mechsuit won't save you this time, Hitler.

And Yet...

They were the first to point out that, hey, tobacco kills people.

Although Adolf Hitler had a 25-cigarettes-a-day habit early in life, he eventually came to find the addiction disgusting. Especially once German scientists discovered the link between tobacco and lung cancer, at which point the Fuhrer initiated the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history, and the most successful one throughout WWII.

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And yeah, of course the motivation for the campaign was bizarrely linked to racial purity, because they were, after all, the Nazis. But what really mattered was that they were the first to link smoking during pregnancy with stillbirths and miscarriages, and went so far as to ban tobacco ration cards for pregnant women and Nazi ladies under the age of 25, just in case they got knocked up with Aryan spawn.

The Nazis were also the ones who coined the phrase "passive smoking" and outlawed smoking in Nazi offices, schools, buses and trains. And they actually restricted tobacco advertisements in 1941, almost 30 whole years before America bothered to do the same.


D.H. Lawrence in Studies in Classic American Literature.

Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of the critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.
Face Off

The battle for primacy in the professional notebook space is about to get a bit more heated, with the upcoming release of Microsoft's second-generation Surface Book. The Surface Book 2 includes some upgrades over the original model, which together could make it a top contender for best workhorse laptop on the market. It will have to contend with popular, powerful notebooks such as Lenovo's fifth-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon, however. Which is the better fit for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares Microsoft's forthcoming Surface Book 2 vs. Lenovo's latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon on specs and price.
Catherine Sebastian / Contributed photo

Ann Hood explores the transformative power of literature in a warm, personal way in her new book, Morningstar: Growing Up With Books. Unfortunately her Oct. 29 visit to Byrds Books in Bethel, where she had been planned to discuss the new book, has been postponed. A new date has not yet been set.

Hood, who is also the author of The Book That Matters Most, grew up in a Rhode Island mill town, in a home where the love of literature was not fostered. But as she explains in Morningstar, that didnt stop her from devouring stacks of books  books that fed her imagination and curiosity.
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STORRS  Tom Ebaugh, working toward a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, says Radenka Maric is the reason hes doing it at the University of Connecticut.

I wouldnt be here if she wasnt, said Ebaugh, 24, wearing plastic gloves and protective glasses at a fuel cell energy laboratory, part of UConns Center for Clean Energy Engineering.

Originally from Pennsylvania, he is among a handful of graduate students working under Maric, who is not only a professor in sustainable energy, but as of July, vice president of academic research at Connecticuts flagship university.

Until she took that job, Maric taught fluid mechanics to undergraduates. She still works with students doing independent study and dissertation research in her labs. She pulled a worn, spiral-bound notepad from her office shelf, filled with handwritten calculations in anticipation of questions students might ask.

The idea of research professors teaching one more class per semester  suggested by Republican lawmakers as the Legislature wrestles to come up with a budget  might not seem like a big ask.

Maric, however, said it would irreparably damage the university to which she moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, seven years ago.

Many would quit, Maric said of research professors. For every class I teach, I spend 12 hours preparing for the class, then after class, six to eight hours reviewing, meeting students.

More Information UCONN RESEARCH Research dollars generated through grants, industry partnerships, foundations and nonprofits* $225M FY 2016 Awards won by faculty for research* 695 in 2016 National ranking 2015** 82 out of 905 ranked institutions How much of what UConn spends on research comes from the state $10.8M in 2014 Not counted: $1.5B invested in infrastructure via Next Generation Connecticut through 2024. Teaching load for full-time faculty 7.2 classes a year 6.1 for tenured track faculty and 10.4 for non-tenure track faculty UCONN RESEARCH How much research dollars does UConn generate through grants, industry partnerships, foundations and non-profits: $225M in FY 2016* Awards won by faculty for research in 2016: 695* Its national ranking: 82 out of 905 ranked institutions as of 2015 according to the National Science Foundation How much of what UConn spends on research come from the state: $10.8M in 2014 not counting $1.5 billion invested in infrastructure through Next Generation Connecticut through 2024. Teaching load for full-time faculty: 7.2 classes a year (6.1 for tenured track faculty and 10.4 for non-tenure track faculty). See More Collapse

Teaching assistants can grade papers, but Maric insists on going over them as well, to make sure students understand what she is teaching.

We should never compromise on the quality, she said. If quality is not there, students will leave.

The Republican budget that would have required UConn professors to carve out more time for teaching fell victim to a gubernatorial veto, but not everyone was convinced the idea is dead.

It is not a done deal yet, said Michael Bailey, executive director of UConns union chapter of the American Association of University Professors. I guess if it was mandated in state statute, (UConns) president would have to abide by it.

The lab vs. the classroom

Efforts to push professors teach more are not new, but few have gained traction.

In North Carolina, a Republican lawmaker tried unsuccessfully this year to pass a bill that would lower the salary of any University of North Carolina professors not teaching eight courses a year.

In 2015, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker started pushing the idea of saving money by asking faculty members to teach one more class each semester. This year, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a law requiring the University of Wisconsin to start reporting on individual faculty teaching loads and to develop a policy that rewards those who teach more.

In 2016, on the Madison campus, faculty  excluding medicine and law  averaged six hours a week in the classroom, officials there said.

In Connecticut, a narrowly approved Republican budget Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed earlier this month would have required that by Jan. 1, UConns Board of Trustees increase by one the number of courses each full-time professor at the university teaches during a school year.

While lawmakers reached a new, bipartisan budget compromise last week, whether the plan contained a similar teaching mandate was not made public. No written document had been released to the governor by the end of the week.

We believe the taxpayers need to expect a little bit more from our very well-educated and wonderful professors at UConn, said state Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam.

Republicans maintain that measure  adding one course to each UConn professors annual workload  would save the university $10.4 million a year.

UConn officials question that projection. A report from the universitys provost office suggests making full-time professors teach more would save $7.8 million by eliminating part-time instructors, but would result in the loss of $40.6 million in research grants for which professors would no longer have time.

For every dollar saved by increasing the teaching load, the university would lose $5 in research funding, the report said. Also lost would be revenue from licensing new discoveries no longer supported by research grants, as well as partnerships with corporations, if key UConn scholars abandoned ship.

Lawmakers who voted for the change say they werent out to harm the states flagship university, which gets 26 percent of its $1.34 billion annual budget from the state.

We are looking at it in a way to maximize allocation of funding, said state Rep. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield.

Hwang said he knows UConns work in the area of stem-cell research, genomics and biotechnology is important to the states economy. But in the face of a multibillion-dollar deficit, he also said lawmakers must weigh the states contribution toward higher education against providing critical services for its most vulnerable residents, like senior citizens and the disabled.

These are hard decisions, Hwang said. Make no mistake about it. Am I asking for better efficiencies? Yes, I am. But I am also asking that of every governmental entity.

Workload formulas

At UConn, the average annual teaching load for full-time faculty, excluding those at the Health Center, is 7.2 classes a year, university officials say. For faculty who have or who are working toward tenure, its 6.1 classes. For professors heavily involved in research or other university assignments, it can be much less.

About 80 percent of the some 2,000 faculty members between UConn and UConn Health are said to be doing some kind of research.

Teaching loads for research professors are not determined by contract, but by deans and department heads. Assignments depend on what is being taught, the research being done and the grant money generated. Some professors get a lighter teaching load while their research is being established.

In Marics department of chemical engineering and material science, there is a formula that takes into account the number of graduate students being managed. A research professor working with four or more graduate students may teach one class a semester. Fewer than four students, they may teach two classes.

You have to dedicate about 20 hours a week to every graduate student, Maric said.

Bailey, of UConns professors union, said that teaching load is consistent with those of other other top-tier research universities. But independent confirmation of that assertion could not be found.

The American Association of University Professors does not track classes taught, arguing that it isnt a good measure of productivity, said John Barnshaw, research director of the organization.

Teaching load is also not a statistic tracked by The Chronicle of Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, or since 2003, the U.S. Department of Education. That year, the feds found that professors  research and non-research spent about 58 percent of their time teaching, 20 percent in research and 21 percent in administrative work, personal growth or other activities.

The State University of New York system, like UConn, has a research component. Its average professor load varies greatly and is not in the standard contract, said Jamie Dangler, a professor and a vice president of SUNYs union, United University Professions.

At Connecticuts four regional universities, which are not research institutions, the average teaching load  by contract  is four three-credit courses a semester.

Aiding industry

Jeff Lieberson, vice president Public Affairs at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, said it is a mistake for lawmakers to view research as a luxury.

Public universities in each state do the most critical work for the nation and the states where they are located, Lieberson said.

Maric was program manager for fuel cell innovation at the National Research Council of Canada when she was attracted to UConn and its research in that subject area.

Now in charge of UConns entire research portfolio, Maric oversees not only grants, but patents, incubation and start-ups across all campuses. Topics of investigation run the gamut from digital media in Stamford, to cultivating seaweed in Avery Point to figuring out a way to make make fuel cells more economical where Maric is based, at the universitys Depot Campus in Mansfield.

Research, she said, not only makes for better teaching, but helps industry.

Len Bonville, who helps manage the fuel cell scales at UConn, worked at United Technologies for 35 years before retiring. He said UConn is a resource industry can turn to when problems arise.

I can access things I wouldnt normally have access to, Bonville said. UConn has the ability, the infrastructure within its network to solve problems.
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BRIDGEPORT  As the East End forum on a proposed $675 million Seaview Avenue casino and hotel began, community leaders in the audience stood up to be recognized, including a half dozen pastors.

There was actually a seventh preacher present, although his business cards read Senior Vice President, Legal Counsel.

Sharp dressed, smooth talking Uri Clinton of Las Vegas was there to spread the gospel of his employer, MGM Resorts International, and convert skeptics of its development plans for where this lower-income, minority neighborhood meets the harbor.

He even brought along copies of a sort of business bible, MGM Cares: 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, that touts the international companys diversity in hiring and philanthropic, education and environmental initiatives.

We can have another 100 of these here tomorrow, Clinton said, urging audience members to take copies.

The evening was hosted by the East End NRZ, an influential planning organization that could help make or break MGMs plans.

Clinton opened by quoting from author Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man, a groundbreaking American novel about the black experience during the mid-20th Century, published in the early 1950s. Clinton used language that tapped into East Side residents and business owners resentment that their neighborhood and the city as a whole has long been treated poorly or just ignored.

MGM, a Fortune 300 company, knows Bridgeport is not invisible, Clinton said. We will do what other people wouldnt, or couldnt see their way to doing.

That includes, he said, training and hiring residents for a few thousand first, second and third shift jobs with transferable skill sets  technicians, money handlers  that could lead to future employment elsewhere.

My mother educated and raised me partially as a porter in Las Vegas, Clinton added.

Clinton sought not to over-promise  This community will still have real challenges  and acknowledged not everyone views a casino positively.

Im not trying to convince you gaming is right, he said. Im not trying to convince you gaming is the answer. (But) Bridgeports not invisible and it deserves this type of investment.

Take a paycheck

State Rep. Ezequiel Santiago is an MGM supporter trying to convince fellow lawmakers at the Capitol in Hartford and the governor to approve a groundbreaking. He asked Clinton how to address criticisms that, with two Indian casinos in the southeastern end of the state, a lottery and other legalized gaming already established, a Bridgeport casino will create more gambling addicts.

If theres problem gaming, MGM didnt bring it here, Clinton said. But, he said, MGM posts rules and warnings in the casino and people who recognize they have an issue can place their names on a if I show up, dont give me the opportunity to play list.

Clinton noted MGM employees will not be able to gamble in their off hours: You take your paycheck and live your life.

Kenneth Jackson questioned whether MGM will hire felons. Second-chances resonate in Bridgeport and in the East End. Mayor Joe Ganim got a second chance, as did Ernie Newton, vice president of the East End NRZ who is running for City Council.

Yes, within whatever rules the state has established the casino would hire individuals with criminal records, Clinton said. He added MGM would not want an embezzler handling money, But there are more than 100 positions where that same person could work.

Clinton said if the casino were approved, MGM could be required to meet certain targets for minority and local hiring, and, though a private company, Were willing to make reports to public agencies whether or not were keeping our word. He also urged the audience to delve into the MGM Cares book for detailed hiring statistics or to look them up online.

Some in the audience, including state Sen. Marilyn Moore and Carmen Nieves of The WorkPlace, a Bridgeport-based workforce development nonprofit, took issue with MGMs related plans to build a jobs training center in New Haven.

Clinton referred to the politically practical need for the really powerful alliance of the states two biggest cities.

If the building (casino) is going to be here, and the gambling, we deserve the training center, Moore told Clinton.

Clinton told Samara Nieslanczyk, who has a small clothing design business, there would be a place for local vendors in the casino.

If I could get a store inside a casino, Ive already made it, Nieslanczyk said afterward.

Whats gonna happen to our taxes? demanded Claudette Deer. Bridgeport has one of the highest tax or mill rates  54 mills.

Clinton reiterated MGMs pledge to pay Bridgeport $8 million annually just for hosting the casino.

What I heard is that could have a really significant impact on the mill rate, Clinton said. Thats what I heard.

Can that ($8 million) increase? asked the Rev. Carl McCluster.

The $8 million is very real and what we know we can do, Clinton said. Doesnt mean thats where we end up.

Wont take your house

McCluster also pressed Clinton to elaborate on his claims that MGM will negotiate a tax rate for the casino with state lawmakers. He also wanted to know what MGMs projected annual revenue would be from the casino.

As a community we need to hear those things, McCluster said. But Clinton said MGM would not negotiate a tax rate publicly.

Councilwoman Eneida Martinez accused the developer that owns the casino site  the RCI Group  of reneging on a promise to the East End to build a supermarket there: There is not enough land. ... If you cant propose a grocery store to the East End before gambling, then youre not for the community.

There will be a grocery store on the back end, away from the water, Clinton said, emphasizing RCI insisted on it.

Lillian Wade lives just a ball throw away from MGMs Seaview Avenue site. Many in the audience bitterly recalled when the city took dozens of houses in the 1990s for the neighboring Steel Point project, which only broke ground a few years ago. And Wade alleged that the casino will eventually need adjacent private homes for parking.

I dont want your house, Clinton told her.

But I got sense enough to know ... youre gonna need it, Wade insisted.

Thats not correct, said Clinton. With all due respect, thats not correct.

When the meeting was over, Clinton mingled, posed for some group photos, and was one of the last to leave the building. MGMs traveling preacher headed for the parking lot with empty hands: All of his glossy bibles had been snatched up.

Tom McMillan, an NRZ member, recalled how the East Ends faith in a casino coming to town has already been sorely tested. One was proposed for Bridgeport in the 1990s and never built.

I think theyre (residents) feeling, I hope its for real this time, McMillan said.
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SHELTON  Shelton High School students recently celebrated the life and legacy of the Americas first black diplomat, culminating in a presentation from a present-day career diplomat and biographer.

Christopher Teal, whose U.S. diplomatic assignments have included stints in in Peru, Mexico, Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic, spoke to the junior class about the legacy of Ebenezer D. Bassett. Bassett, who was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant as ambassador to Haiti in 1869.

Teal wrote Hero of Hispaniola: Americas First Black Diplomat, Ebenezer D. Bassett, which was published in 2008, 100 years after Bassetts death. He is working on a documentary during his sabbatical from the U.S. State Department about Bassetts life, career and legacy as the 150 year anniversary of Bassetts appointment approaches.

He was really important, and I think he deserves a lot more attention for what he did, Teal said.

Teal first learned of Bassett early in his own government career, when he lived and worked in the Dominican Republic. He saw a photo of Bassett on the wall of the embassy in Santo Domingo, and was surprised to learn he was a diplomat.

Teal spoke to the Shelton High students about the challenges Bassett, who was born in Derby and attended what is now Central Connecticut State University, faced when he arrived in Haiti during that countrys civil war. Bassett helped hundreds of women and children who came to his home and begged for protection, despite the U.S.s official stance that it would not accept refugees, Teal said.

Sometimes there are rules, and rules are important, Teal said. Then sometimes youve got to do the right thing and youve got to make the right decision, that is a humanitarian decision, and then you have to explain yourself.

The school built its cultural awareness week focusing on Bassett around Teals visit. He has conducted interviews in Connecticut for his Bassett documentary, including with Shelton High School Housemaster Carolyn Ivanoff and sources from Central Connecticut State University.

Ivanoff said she became aware of Bassett and his legacy while serving on the Valley Historical Research Committee 10 years ago. She said Teals visit, during which he spoke to students about his own career with the State Department and the importance of learning a second language, was also intended to educate students about career possibilities.

Shelton High took the visit as an opportunity to implement lessons about Bassett throughout the week. The school had professional development for its teachers and held five assemblies Monday about Bassetts life and legacy. Classroom lessons focused on Bassetts life growing up in the Naugatuck Valley.

He serves as a role model, Ivanoff said.

I think it was important for the school to open some windows into a larger world, she said.
WESTPORT  A Bridgeport woman embezzled more than $29,000 from a Westport employer over the span of nine months, police said.

In early October, Westport police received a complaint from a Westport business owner over possible theft.
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FAIRFIELD  Hungry Sacred Heart University students looking for a late-night fix soon will no longer have to travel off campus for a bite to eat.

Sophomore Kenny Eckert looked on in approval at the menu of JPs Diner  located between the William H. Pitt Center and Pioneer Park on Sacred Hearts campus  following a ribbon-cutting for the forthcoming dining establishment.

The menu looks great, Eckert said, from inside the 50s- and 60s-themed diner, in which the schools scarlet and silver feature prominently on the walls, tables and bar chairs. And its right on campus, so you dont have to drive downtown for food.

School officials, members of the student government and student body, and representatives of Chartwells Dining Services  Sacred Hearts dining contractor  gathered on Monday morning to celebrate the roughly $2 million project, which was announced in April and is expected to open in the coming weeks.

What I hope is that it brings a lot of the off-campus students back on campus, said Sacred Heart President John Petillo, for whom the diner was named. It will be a place where I think students will end up hanging out.

The playful, midcentury kitsch of the diner will include a jukebox and big-screen TV, on which vintage black-and-white movies will be shown. JPs seats 110 inside, with room for an additional 40 guests outside, and will serve traditional diner grub. Burgers, melts, milkshakes and breakfast will be served.

Over the course of two weeks in the spring, the universitys student government was tasked with naming the diner, on which ground was broken in June, eventually settling on JPs.

A diner is one of those places where everyone can come together, sit together, bond, said Student Government President Taryn McCormick. Dr. Petillo is the kind of person that would come to our dining hall and sit with us. So I think its a really good tribute to him, and one that I think hell be able to participate with the students in.

Beside Eckert surveying the diners menu after the ribbon-cutting was Sacred Heart senior Anthony Bentivegna, who also approved of the campus newest dining option.

The fact that its open till 3 a.m. is going to be great, Bentivegna said. Theres nothing else open that late, even in Bridgeport.

JPs will be open until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 1 a.m. the rest of the week.

Justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1
The deadly wildfires that ravaged communities and wineries in Northern California also severely damaged numerous marijuana farms, just before the state is expected to fully legalize the drug, in a disaster that could have far-reaching implications for a nascent industry.

At least 34 marijuana farms suffered extensive damage as the wildfires tore across wine country and some of California's prime marijuana-growing areas. The fires could present challenges to the scheduled Jan. 1 rollout of legal marijuana sales at the start of an industry that is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue.

In many cases, owners have spent tens of thousands of dollars to become compliant with state law to sell the product. But because the federal government considers marijuana cultivation and sales a criminal enterprise, it remains extremely difficult, if not impossible, for most of the marijuana businesses affected by the fire to access insurance, mortgages and loans to rebuild. Even a charitable fund set up to help marijuana farmers was frozen because a payment processor will not handle cannabis transactions.

Cannabis businesses also are not eligible for any type of federal disaster relief, according to a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"It's the darkness right before the dawn of legal, regulated cannabis in California," said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, who cautioned that the full extent of the damage remains unknown. "These businesses are in a really vulnerable position, and this really came at about the worst time it could have. It means we're on our own."

The fires burned swaths of Mendocino County, which is part of what is known as California's "Emerald Triangle," the nation's epicenter of marijuana growing. It also devastated Sonoma County, which is best known for wine but has seen an increase in cannabis farming. The fires killed at least 42 people and damaged thousands of buildings, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some marijuana farms were completely destroyed, and many others are believed to have been heavily damaged by fire, smoke and ash. Structures used to store dried marijuana burned, as did greenhouses and irrigation lines. Many marijuana cultivators live on their farms, and some homes burned to the ground.

Erich Pearson, co-owner of SPARC, a large medical cannabis dispensary with two locations in San Francisco and others north of the city, saw his crops in Glen Ellen, California, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, engulfed by flames after awakening to the smell of smoke. The first thing he saw after getting close to the farm was a metal-roofed barn on fire. It was filled with marijuana harvested to sell on the legal market.

"We lost everything we harvested to date, and had significant damage to what's left," he said.

There is concern that what has been destroyed, as well as the damage from smoke, ash and lack of water for crops that did survive, could seriously impact the supply for customers when marijuana is legal for sale. The fire has compounded existing problems with the initial start of sales because of a regulatory mess: Many municipalities and the state have not released draft regulations for how businesses must comply with the new law. Businesses in some places, including San Francisco, are not likely to be able to open Jan. 1.

"Now, we might be facing a much smaller harvest than we were anticipating, which could potentially drive the price up," said Josh Drayton, deputy director of the California Cannabis Industry Association. "It's going to touch every different piece of the industry, and we can't get ahead of this yet. We still don't know how much has survived, how much has been lost."

Chiah Rodriques, chief executive of Mendocino Generations, a marijuana collective in Mendocino County, said that most of the 40 farms she works with were only about 25-to-50-percent harvested when the fires broke out earlier this month. About a quarter of the farms were affected by either fire or smoke, she said, and just 10 of the 40 have the local permit necessary to become compliant with the state, though all are working toward them. None of them have crop insurance, she said.

Rodriques said that the fires could lead to less usable marijuana on the market come January. The one saving grace might be to repurpose affected plants and use them for oil and other tinctures that can be sold at dispensaries. The oils are far less lucrative than the flowers, the part of the plant that is consumed - and this year was expected to be a bumper crop.

"You're looking at the difference between $800 to $1,500 a pound to now getting $100; it's a huge blow," she said, especially when farmers have spent so much money trying to become compliant with laws.

"These people put everything they had into paying for this fee and this tax and this permit and this lawyer, one thing after the next, and to have this happen right when it's finally harvest is huge," she said.

Pearson carefully selected the seeds and genetic strains for the cannabis he planted in February on part of 400 acres he shares with 11 other farmers. He is now starting from scratch: finding new seeds and securing greenhouse space to grow the new plants. He had submitted all of his permits to become legal under the county and state's new regulations.

"The hopes of what we could do are still the hopes of what we're going to do," Pearson said. "It's just going to be a little harder to get there."

Ashley Oldham, owner of Frost Flower Farms in Redwood Valley, California, did something very out of character: She left her cellphone at a friend's house the day the fire reached her. A neighbor pounded on her door in the middle of the night as flames surrounded her home, saving the lives of Oldham and her 4-year-old daughter.

Oldham's house was destroyed, but her greenhouse stayed intact, in part because she hiked through what looked like a "post-apocalyptic disaster zone" to check on her property after the fire passed. She said that emergency officials initially did not allow marijuana farmers to check on their crops, as is allowed for farmers of other agricultural products.

When she arrived at the farm, she used a neighbor's hose to wet down a large oak tree that was ablaze, saving her greenhouse. Oldham has been okayed for a legal permit in Mendocino County, spending "a lot of money" to come fully into compliance. She estimates that she lost about 25 percent of her crop to wind damage, and much of it looks burned.

She and other cannabis farmers must have their crops extensively tested under California's new regulations, and most people don't know what impact smoke or burn damage will have.

"We've never experienced this and I don't know what to expect," she said. She said that she will not be able to recoup the full value of her house through insurance because she grows marijuana.

"We're totally legal," she said of her farm. "But we're still being treated unfairly."

Susan Schindler, a grower in Potter Valley, California, said she has spent at least $20,000 on consultants, attorneys and fees trying to come into compliance for legal sales in January. She evacuated her home and has been at a San Francisco hotel since the fires. Her master grower told her the plants are "very crisp."

Half of the crop was destroyed earlier this year due to russet mites, and now she thinks much of the other half will be lost to fire. Some was harvested, and she's hoping that it will allow her to break even.

Schindler calls marijuana a "holy plant" that she's farmed for years, selling to medical dispensaries.

"I'm not going to give up," she said, "but it's going to take a lot of money out of my bank account this year."
Eligio Bishop, left Alex Raposo, right

Group leader 'Nature Boy' says he was roughed up by police during arrest



Ryan Cooke

CBC News

October 19, 2017



An alleged cult in Costa Rica may have met its end, after local police detained the group following a traffic stop and held 11 of them for deportation.



The group, dubbed Melanation by its leader Eligio Bishop, has a large online following and follows a back-to-nature philosophy promoted through social media.



Who is Natureboy? 'Cult' leader says Kayla Reid can leave at any time



Corner Brook woman in Costa Rican 'cult', says family pleading for her return



Most of the members were living in Costa Rica illegally, according to Alex Raposo, a Toronto man who joined the group three weeks ago.



"Everything on the car was expired  all the paperwork, the licence plate. So [police] impounded the vehicle," Raposo said. "Along with that, I think six people had expired passports. They overstayed in the country for a long time."



Bishop is among the members who say they are being deported. Raposo has a valid travel visa and was released soon after being detained.



Known to his followers as Nature Boy, Bishop made news last March when a 21-year-old woman from Newfoundland and Labrador quietly left home to join him.

Kayla Reid was listed as a missing person by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, until she showed up in a live stream on Facebook from Costa Rica.



Her mother expressed concerns to CBC News, saying Bishop had taken advantage of her daughter's mental illness and that her daughter had joined a cult.



On March 20, Bishop told CBC News that Reid was free to go at any time. He did not deny being a cult leader, but said he also believes all countries and corporations are cults.



The next day, he gave Reid a plane ticket to Florida, where a family member picked her up and brought her home.



While Reid expressed a desire to go back to the group, Raposo said he wants nothing to do with Eligio Bishop anymore.



"He wants to be the big man who stood up for something," Raposo said. "He wants to live free without a passport in nature. But you can't do that."



Detention turns rocky, police get rough

The group was detained near Puerto Limon, the sixth-largest city in Costa Rica, after being stopped at a police checkpoint.



When it was discovered they were in the country illegally, the group members were told to wait for a bus to come and take them to see immigration officials, Raposo said.



When the bus took them to the police station, Bishop told the group to stay put.



A video shows police trying to forcibly remove them from the bus. Bishop is heard repeating "I love you" to an officer as he attempted to pull him out of his seat.
Stupefying naivety? Max Hill QC (above) has now declared that, far from facing prosecution, teenage jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria should be welcomed back

MI5 boss Andrew Parker warned this week that Britain was facing an unprecedented terrorist threat, the worst he had seen in his 34-year career.

Already in 2017, weve suffered five attacks with 36 people dead and hundreds injured.

Meanwhile, 20 attacks have been foiled in the past four years, seven of them in just the past four months.

As Parker put it, there is more terrorist activity coming at us, more quickly than ever before and our intelligence services face an intense challenge trying to keep us safe.

Yet despite this apocalyptic language, the head of our anti-terror watchdog has now declared that, far from facing prosecution, teenage jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria should be welcomed back.

Max Hill QC, independent reviewer of our terrorism laws, says: We should be looking towards integration . . . for those who have travelled out of a sense of naivety, possibly with some brainwashing.

Im sorry, but isnt it Mr Hill whos suffering from stupefying naivety? Returning jihadists have been trained in terror camps to use bombs and firearms to kill and maim.

Hillary still just doesn't get it Promoting her autobiography, Hillary Clinton says misogyny cost her the election and that she is aghast Americans put Donald Trump in her White House, despite his boasts about crudely molesting women. She still doesnt get it, does she? This is a woman who stood by her man after he was accused of rape and sexual assault by three women, who turned a blind eye to his numerous affairs  and then trashed the reputation of the women involved. Talk about misogyny! Advertisement

More pertinently, theyve been indoctrinated to loathe the West and all we stand for.

Around 400 of the 850 British ISIS terrorists battle-hardened in Iraq and Syria have already returned here. And we can expect more  up to 8,000 are likely to return to Europe after the fall of Raqqa in Syria which ISIS considered its capital city.

The last thing our valiant but overstretched security services need is more jihadists to monitor on the streets.

They already have 500 live investigations under way with 3,000 people suspected of extremist activities and say its not a question of if the next attack occurs, but when.

Meanwhile, terrorists modus operandi is changing: lone-wolf attacks with cars used as weapons, random knife attacks and bombs built with instructions from the internet  as in the case of the Islamist who slaughtered 22 in the Manchester Arena.

It takes just one of these returning ISIS fanatics to cause misery and carnage. The risk is simply too high.

They declared war on our country and our Allies. By doing so, they committed treason  a fate once punishable by death.

The only welcome they should receive if they return should be at Her Majestys pleasure.

Becks' posher pal

Victoria Beckham is apparently displeased that hubby David is spending so much time with the aristocratic socialite Lady Mary Charteris. Marys wild, beautiful and loves to party.

Posh on the other hand isnt really posh at all and has just disclosed that on a fun night out she chews coffee beans instead of quaffing champagne  before racing home for an early night in the striped pyjamas from her new fashion collection.

A bundle of laughs, she aint.

Victoria Beckham is apparently displeased that hubby David is spending so much time with the aristocratic socialite Lady Mary Charteris (pictured)

Brad Pitt has been romantically linked with a woman 32 years his junior, although they deny it.

To add insult to injury for Brads ex Angelina Jolie, Ella Purnell, 21, played a teen version of Ange in Maleficent, a film about a beautiful young fairy who turns into a power-crazed witch. How very apt.

Described by one interviewer as the most immaculate woman shed ever seen in the flesh, Elizabeth Hurley says shes so busy now as a mum and businesswoman, she hardly has time to look in the mirror.

At 52 she doesnt need to, she appears hardly a day older than when she was in her 30s.

The same cant be said of her former partner Hugh Grant, who in what is an inspirational piece of casting, has just landed a role playing the ageing, decadent and seedy former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe.

A Twitter conspiracy claims Melania Trump has been replaced by a body double

Fake news alert.

A Twitter conspiracy claims Melania Trump has been replaced by a body double.

Suspicions began after she repeatedly appeared wearing sunglasses and a frozen expression.

Poor love, thats just what comes with having to live with The Donald.

Its called grim acceptance  it cant be Botox as she says shes against it.

No surprise that Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has voted only twice a year since he was given a peerage in 1997, was dubbed the Phantom of the Lords.

Now hes quitting the Upper Chamber for the theatre.

Fair enough. But can it be right that after such a lousy performance, he and his baroness wife will keep their titles for life?

A fancy-dress shop in Luton is selling a Halloween outfit of Oscar Pistorius called Blade Gunner.

It costs 26 with a fake gun.

Whos more sick  the person who dreams up these ideas or the one who wears the costume?

Brave Penny's words of wisdom Anguish: Penny Lancaster The anguish on Penny Lancasters face as she revealed she was drugged and sexually assaulted as a teenager by a designer reveals the terrible, lasting effects of such attacks. She assured young women it is not their fault, they are not guilty and urged them to be brave enough to tell the authorities. Rightly so. It is only when sexual predators are dealt with by the law that they will be deterred. As for the allegations and accusations about sexual abuse now being made through internet-based campaigns such as #MeToo, I have one thing to say: it should not be the court of social media that judges rapists, but a court of law. Advertisement

Pole dancing has been recognised as a professional sport after one womans 11-year fight.

Forgive me for being cynical, but I thought the only score of interest to a pole dancer was how many 50 notes were tucked into her thong  if shes still wearing it.

Poverty not to blame

Poverty and social inequality have been blamed for the staggering rise in childhood obesity. Poorer children are now twice as likely to be obese as those from middle-class families.

Odd that. When my generation was growing up in cash-strapped households, none of us was fat. Our mums made our school lunches and cooked our meals.

There were no treats, no fizzy drinks or cakes. And every day after school, where we did a lot of sport and PE, we were sent outside to play.

The childhood obesity explosion is not about social inequality but dreadful parenting and irresponsible schools.

Westminster wars... Next year, Tim Loughton will probably even claim for his rubber duck Europhile Chancellor Phil Hammond wants to solve inter-generational inequality  the fact the young are poorer than the elderly  by plundering our pensions. Yet this is the man whos happy to fork out billions in the Brexit deal to pay the gold-plated pensions of Eurocrats!

The boss of Goldman Sachs threatens hell abandon London and set up shop in Frankfurt because of Brexit. Good riddance, then, to the investment bank that has sucked billions out of the City  and was memorably and aptly described as a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.

Tory MP Tim Loughton says he cant begin the day without soaking for an hour in his bath. Lovely for him, but why should we pay for his indulgence? Loughton claimed 662 in water bills and 640 for heating on his parliamentary expenses. Next year, hell probably even claim for his rubber duck. Advertisement

After meeting 36-year-old Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Cornwall described her as a very, very nice girl. Which is more than can be said of Camilla, who by Meghans age was already sharing Charless bed behind poor Dianas back.
The cocky antics of Left-wing MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis, denounced for saying get on your knees b*tch at a Labour rally, have been noted before.

Lewis, a former BBC journalist in Norwich, was criticised by a colleague who said: He fancied himself as a bit of a player and was on an internet dating site. His entry said something like, Im based in London and Norwich but prefer London  Norwich is a bit of a backwater. 

'The cocky antics of Left-wing MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis have been noted before'

Labour MP Neil Coyle got round a Commons swearing ban by calling the Tories Universal Credits, to quote an official Hansard entry, an outstanding compendium of bottom gravy  ie, a pile of s***.

Corbyn critic Coyle has publicly called his leader absurd and terrible. Dogs translation: Jezza is bottom gravy.

As Theresa May arrived in Brussels for Brexit talks, Tory peer and ex-Minister David Willetts was overheard striding down a House of Lords corridor exclaiming: This is a worse mess than Maastricht. He should know.

Two Brains, to give egghead Willetts his official nickname, was a Government Whip in the Commons when the Maastricht rebellions paralysed John Majors government.

Tory MP and ex-Minister Mike Penning, a former Essex fireman, was chuffed to be told this month that he was getting a knighthood  and raced to the phone to tell his mother.

Mrs Pennings reaction was a bucket of cold water. What you, son? But you are a complete oik! she replied.

Jean's bottom line

Larger-than-life Tory Baroness Trumpington (Mrs Jean Barker before she was ennobled in 1980), who retires from the Lords on her 95th birthday next month, was once asked how she chose her Lords title. I only knew two villages, Trumpington and Six Mile Bottom, which one would you pick? she explained.

Its hard to take seriously the Resolution Foundation warning that Brexit will cost families 500 a year extra when you know its director is former Ed Miliband policy wonk Torsten Henricson-Bell, 35.

His last big idea was to persuade Red Ed to carve his 2015 Election pledges on the notorious Ed Stone, a giant stone tablet that was never seen again.

MPs pining for the absent chimes of Big Ben  silenced during a revamp  have another problem.

The scaffolding encasing the building is blocking mobile phone reception.

Dog hears that Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will be on to the phone firms to sort it out once she can get a signal.
I am sure that being smacked (very seldom, as it happened) did me some harm, though I am equally sure there are some people who think I should have been smacked more than I was.

But the question is whether banning smacking will do more harm than allowing it. And that is much more complicated.

No sane person actively wants to smack a child. But a lot of sane, kind people have sometimes thought it wise to do so.

Children need limits and often crave them. They do not know where or when to stop

They have often regretted it afterwards, but more because of the effect it had on them than for the effect it had on the child.

Im not talking here about the angry and obviously damaging violence you sometimes see in supermarkets, where an exasperated and furious parent, having long ago lost control of a child, lashes out in futile, disorderly rage.

I am certainly not talking about the use of a closed fist.

But children need limits and often crave them. They do not know where or when to stop. They often cannot tell the difference between mild risk and grave danger. They are sometimes very selfish and wilful, and will come to harm if they do not learn to control these things.

And when we ban smacking completely  as Scotland is about to do and as the rest of the country is bound to not long afterwards  we will pay a price for this.

We will raise a generation which knows few limits, does not know how to behave and can sometimes only be restrained by the superior force of the State, or by being dosed with powerful and dangerous drugs. In my view, we are already paying that price.

It is part of the colossal battle that has been raging for decades between the family and the State. The State is winning. Parents once had great power.

Now they have almost none. Fathers, once kings (or despots) in their own homes, have been declared officially unnecessary.

Stable, lifelong marriage vanishes from among us, scorned by our culture and the law. Step-parents, never quite the same as natural parents however hard they try, are more common than ever.

In such a world, even a well-intentioned light smack is half an inch away from accusations of abuse, the call to Childline, and the official dissolution of the family involved by police and social workers.

The rescued child is then often plunged into a dismal chaos of neglect in authority-free care.

These cases arent anything like those of Baby Peter or Maria Colwell. But such horror stories have been used to grant greater and greater powers to the authorities to intervene.

A little-noticed report earlier this month disclosed the huge level of school exclusions concealed by official figures

Most of us think we approve of this change in the balance of forces. But are you sure? Since families stopped disciplining children, the State seems to me to have grown hugely in its willingness to threaten violence.

In the days of smacking, police walked around alone in tunics with no visible weapons. Now they make their rare public appearances in pairs or squads, clad in stab vests, clubs, pepper sprays and handcuffs.

Where parents are weak, all adults are weak. In the schools attended by the poor, and especially by those children who have very little family life and whose fathers are often absent, there is terrible disorder.

This is largely kept secret because nobody knows what to do about it. But it is occasionally revealed.

A little-noticed report earlier this month disclosed the huge level of school exclusions concealed by official figures. Everyone over 50 knows how much less safe and orderly our streets are now than they were.

I think these things are connected. I also think it is impossible, in the country we have become, to make a case for smacking. So I will not try to do so. But I will say there are times when civilisations have to choose between two unwelcome courses.

And we may come, in time, to regret having been quite so smug about how good and kind we thought we were in this era.

A painful reality our cops can't dodge

Police moans about lack of resources are at last being laughed at as the selfserving propaganda they are. Good. I have tried to make this point for years, and have,as a result, been dishonestly attacked.

Nobody knows what most of the police now do, since they are largely invisible, and the sight of them last week riding round in dodgems or painting their fingernails, while tens of thousands of crimes are filed and forgotten, just adds to the feeling that we are dealing with a badly run nationalised industry which has forgotten who it serves.

The next time you hear a police spokesdrone claim they havent the manpower, show them this chart, which proves that they did a far better job with far fewer numbers (in total and per head) in the past.

Nobody knows what most of the police now do, since they are largely invisible, and the sight of them last week riding round in dodgems or painting their fingernails

I dont have the Scottish figures, but suspect they would show the same pattern:

1901: Population (England and Wales) 32.5 million; police strength (England and Wales) 42,484

1911: Pop 36m; police 51,203

1921: Pop 37.9m; police 56,914

1931: Pop 40m; police 58,656

1941: Pop (estimated) 41.75m; police 56,193

1951: Pop 43.75m; police 63,116

1961: Pop 46.17m; police 57,161 NB: Preventive foot patrol was abolished from 1964 by the Home Office. As this service was withdrawn, numbers began to go up.

1971: Pop 48.56m; police 95,759

1981: Pop 49m; police 118,081

1991: Pop 49.9m; police 125,294.

As the numbers climbed, the service got worse. And now, the latest estimated population of England and Wales is just under 58.4 million.

Police numbers in March this year were 123,142, plus 9,826 Community Support officers and 58,831 white-collar back-up staff.

Time for a go on the dodgems, Sergeant?

Mass murder... what a joke

A disgraceful film was released this week, in which misery, pain, fear and mass murder are milked for feeble giggles.

It is not very good on its own terms, and  like so many modern comedians  uses the f-word repeatedly to jolt the semblance of laughter from its audience, much as you might make a corpse twitch with seeming life by plugging it into the national grid.

The Death Of Stalin makes a farce out of that wholly grim and squalid event. As the monster himself lies dying, a gang of slave-drivers, secret police monsters and gruesome toadies, plus a murderous paedophile, are portrayed as a kind of Carry On farce or a Monty Python sketch. Ha ha.

Well, the only question you need to ask is whether anyone would think the final days of Hitler, the other great European mass-killer, torturer and tyrant, would make a good comedy, with Goebbels, Himmler and the rest of the Nazi elite played for laughs. No, of course not.

But fashionable showbiz persons still cant grasp that Stalin (Left-wing) was just as evil as Hitler (Right-wing). So they cant see that either.
There's a common misconception that yoga isn't 'proper' exercise.

Many believe traditional forms of the practice - like vinyasa, yin or ashtanga - are designed solely to channel a spiritual energy and calm your mind, rather than to work up a sweat like a high-intensity spin class at the gym might.

But, in fact, the combination of controlling your breath while executing movements designed to push your strength to its absolute limit is where the challenge really lies.

Chris, yoga master at the boutique gym Another Space London, explained: 'People often mistake yoga as simply stretching, which isn't the case.

'Physically you will explore the capabilities of your body in terms of strength, flexibility, mobility and balance, and mentally you will allow yourself to find focus, clarity, concentration and peace.'

FEMAIL decided to take Chris at his word, by sending an affirmed gym bunny (and yoga cynic) to complete an entire month of nothing but yoga, to see if it can really deliver similar results to a high-intensity work-out.

'Drop the idea of being competitive with anyone else in the room, instead find the things that feel right for your body - it's not about how it looks, it's all about how it feels,' said Chris.

That said, we were still keen to see whether four weeks of seated twists could really give us a six-pack...

WEEK ONE: 'I HATE YOGA'

After not attending the gym for a while it was time to get back on track for FEMAIL reporter Natalie Corner, 29, who lives in London. Pictured at the start of the month of yoga

Having only taken a few yoga classes in the past, I went into the first class in the middle of a busy week as a virtual beginner.

It was stressful (to say the least) trying to contort my body into an array of positions that I didn't fully understand.

Concentrating on breathing while trying to avoid falling flat on my face in front of a 25-strong class also proved a struggle.

After two more classes like this, I really wasn't enjoying it. In fact, I hated yoga. I'm the type of person that will do something once, expect to get the hang of it, and prepare to move to the next level - this was not the case with my introduction to yoga.

WEEK TWO: 'I'M A CONVERT'

After two weeks I can comfortably do the Vriksasana or tree pose, and the Trikonasana, a twisting triangle pose

An early attempt at an utkatasana or chair pose - the bottom should be lower in line with the knees, and balance with the arms

At the start of week two I attended a very calming Sunday class all about yoga fundamentals and, in hindsight, this was a turning point.

I wasn't thinking about work, I wasn't thinking about the hour-long commute after an already long day, I truly was in the room.

I learned how exactly to manoeuvre myself into position and was helpfully corrected by the teacher. I should have started with this class but my schedule didn't allow.

Every session at Another Space begins with the teacher speaking about setting your intention for the class - thinking about what you want to achieve and applying yourself to your practice. While some people find this idea too spiritual, the idea helps to focus and concentrate on only the exercise and nothing else and I was already a convert.

WEEK THREE: 'I CAN BALANCE WITHOUT FALLING'

After the first attempt I can balance on my hands in the baksana or crow pose. The position you start in combined with breathing helps to keep it stable - but the leg starts to slip (right)

My knobbly knees make this pose difficult, my tight hamstrings are loosened with the lunge before twisting and planting the hand and grabbing hold of my opposite hand

The amount of lessons I was attending were extremely intense and the classes became harder as the teachers - a different one almost every time due to my own busy schedule - encouraged you to push your stretch further.

The positions for me were the goal and the upper body strength I developed was just a bonus

As I'm someone who would rather sweat it out in the gym with a set of weights yoga became a different challenge.

I was sweating considerable amounts, perhaps more so than I ever did in the gym. My workout clothes were soaked and it was a pain doing more than two washes a week in a shared house of four people.

By now the positions were the goal and the upper body strength I developed was just a bonus.

By week three I was able to do a crow pose ('baksana') on the first attempt, balancing on my hands without falling, along with a low lunge grabbing a foot with my hand -which felt extremely complex.

A simple part of the sun salutation actually proves quite challenging, planting your arms on your lower back and bending is pretty uncomfortable

WEEK FOUR

I lost a few extra pounds during my solid month of yoga (attending roughly 20 classes) and managed to go down a dress size - inspired by the exercise I also made sure to eat healthily cutting out as much sugar as possible.

In week four I felt more confident easing into the poses, and became familiar with the routines of the flows.

Yoga is made up of around 84 basic poses that can be developed and made more challenging with different adjustments.

While a six-pack didn't magically appear, after four weeks I had lost a few extra pounds and dropped a dress size

This tests your body to its ultimate limits and I certainly felt new muscles popping out every session.

Even though I am not flexible in any way, the more I practised and breathed in the right positions, the better I became.

Did I achieve a six pack after a month? No. But the strength I gained helped tone my figure and if I was to progress further I'm sure the six pack would pop out in about a year...
The MoU was signed on October 20th on the sidelines of the APEC 2017 Finance Ministers Meeting (FMM) which is being held in the central province of Quang Nam from October 19th-21st.

Accordingly, the MoU will create a framework for the two sides to carry out cooperation between the two agencies. It will help them review and evaluate cooperation so as to make adjustments and further enhance the efficiency of collaboration.





During a bilateral meeting with the Australian official before signing the MoU, Minister Dung thanked Australian experts for assisting the MoF in preparing contents for the FMM.

He described the signing of the MoU as a milestone in bilateral cooperative ties, in which the MoFs staff will have opportunities to learn state management experience from Australia and seek consultancy in building financial policies and implementing new legal documents in Vietnam.

The MoFs staff will also have chances to take part in further training programs organised by Australia as well.

Dung voiced his hope that Morrison will support Vietnam in issues of mutual concern and benefit at regional and international forums.

The two Ministers also exchanged views on the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit slated for March 2018 in Sydney.

Dung lauded the initiative to organise the summit, affirming that this is a significant progress step to diversify cooperation channels between Australia and ASEAN member states, including Vietnam.

Through the summit, Australia and ASEAN nations will tighten cooperation in the fields of mutual interests, especially regional and global issues, Dung added./.
If we ask the universe to make us more loving, it may not send loving people to us . . . Instead, it may bring hard-to-love people into our lives . . . They may be just the ones we need  the wrong people can often be our greatest teachers. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (Swiss-American psychiatrist, 19262004) Advertisement

Dear Bel,

After three years of a long-distance relationship, I got engaged to my boyfriend two weeks ago.

We are both 25 with Masters degrees; hes had a stable job for two years; Ive just started a good job.

We have faced obstacles. He is Moroccan and lives in Rabat; I am British, living in France. We met when he was doing an internship in Europe.

For the past couple of years he hasnt had a visa, so we meet in countries visa-free, or I visit Morocco  which presents an additional challenge, as sharing a room is illegal unless you are married.

From the start, my mother was not happy with this relationship. I understand her fear that we might have cultural problems, but its not the case.

For a start, he is not Muslim, although from a Muslim background. He despises religion  his family briefly kicked him out a few months ago for criticising Islam online. In philosophy and ideals, hes a European. I told my mother, but shes convinced he is pretending so he can take advantage of me in some way.

When I broke the news of our engagement she said some very hurtful things, shouted at me, then hung up. She always lectured me about the importance of financial independence for women, yet told me my fiance isnt suitable because he wont be able to take care of me financially.

When I pointed out the contradiction, she said shes still old-fashioned. She comes from a very poor family, fretting about money her whole life  although my father was well-off. They married eight months after meeting and Ive wondered if his wealth was the attraction. Their marriage is not happy and they live apart.

After three years of a long-distance relationship, I got engaged to my boyfriend two weeks ago

At almost 26, Im being treated like a disobedient child. Shes told my father that my fiance and I are too young to make such a big commitment  and that she now wants no contact, because Ive chosen fiance over family.

She says shell send my belongings and doesnt want to hear another word about me. Weve always been close, messaging and phoning several times a week. Now shes cut me off and Im hurting very deeply. Theres a hole in my life.

I dont know how to deal with this. I know she doesnt want to discuss it, so the messages Ive sent have been as if nothing has happened. Its been two weeks and Ive had no reply.

ROSE

What a miserable situation; I am grieved to read of this turmoil. At 25, and highly educated, you are far from being a child and have every right to decide your own future.

You have lived abroad and know at first hand the cultural problems your own boyfriend has had to face, through feeling at odds with his own family and religion.

This experience  as well as the fact that your relationship has lasted for three years  leads me to have every hope that you have a good chance of creating a happy life together.

Having said that, I confess that in your mothers place I would at first have been concerned about the enormous differences between a young British woman and a man brought up in Morocco.

It is far from easy to bridge the gap between different religions, lifestyles, cultures. Your mothers objection to your fiance might well stem from the kind of old-fashioned (her word) feelings Jane Austen wrote about; on the other hand, Im afraid they might also stem from innate racism. It is common  indeed almost natural  to be afraid of the other, especially for somebody from a very narrow background.

Your mother refuses to believe you when you tell her your fiance feels European in outlook  perhaps suspecting his upbringing will ultimately triumph over his current intellectual values.

In all honesty, she could be right  since nature and nurture in unison exert a powerful double-pull. But from the tone of your email she could be doing him an appalling injustice. Its very mean-spirited of her to respond to your news with such hysterical hostility.

The information you give about her background and your parents unhappy marriage goes a little way to explaining it  but not very far.

Perhaps it might help to reflect that she may be very lonely: sad that her daughter lives in France and afraid that marrying a foreigner will take you farther away than ever.

Given that you have been close, I can easily understand why you feel there is a hole in your life at the moment  but, remember, she probably feels that same way.

Yet my feeling is this impasse will not last, as I simply cannot believe that she will sustain this anger and disappointment. First and last, you are her child.

Can I suggest that instead of all these messages (this is no way to communicate, you know) you take pen and paper and write her a long, loving proper letter, spelling out in detail how much you value your mother-daughter relationship? Im sure she will come round.

Was I wrong to cut off my best friend?

Dear Bel,

I have cut off my male best friend of 20 years.

Im 27 and have post-traumatic stress disorder. Recently, and without meaning to, he triggered a very bad incident in me. He told me about a change in his life that brought back memories of abuse from my past.

Im 27 and have post-traumatic stress disorder. Recently, and without meaning to, he triggered a very bad incident in me

He and I have had problems before with my triggers, but although he was trying to be sensitive, he set me off again. He didnt do anything wrong, and I feel terrible ending what was probably the closest friendship I have ever experienced.

I dont think I can continue hearing from him without repeated episodes. Have I done the right thing? I know he was unhappy about this, too.

In our last conversation, we dealt with other long-standing issues and put some closure on the matter. I miss him terribly. Should I just have called a time-out?

GINNY

There is so little information here that although I have read your email several times for clues, I still feel blindfolded.

Never mind . . . you and I have to think about the nature of friendship and how precious it can be.

Whatever you decide, you must always keep this thought to the forefront of your mind: that your dear friend has always meant a lot to you and always will.

You give no detail about your PTSD, nor hint at what your friend might have said to trigger it. The first thing to say is I hope you have received professional help for this condition, especially as it seems to show no sign of easing.

If you have received counselling in the past and stopped, then I beg you to go to your GP and explain about these triggers, with a view to getting help again. This is a serious condition  anyone who does not fully understand it can visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder for invaluable information.

Your friend has always been very understanding, hasnt he? Youve known him since childhood and shared so much with him, growing up together with the same depth of empathy.

He has been the one to whom you could always confide your troubles. Somebody like you, who has suffered great pain and goes on enduring the effects of abuse, must have an incalculable need for close friendships. Or perhaps just one precious friend.

You know what Im going to say, because you have pre-empted it. You miss your friend terribly  and know hes completely innocent of any wish to hurt you. Hes always tried to help. So imagine that you are an all-powerful goddess figure, holding up a pair of scales, like the scales of justice on top of the Old Bailey.

On one side, a lumpen weight; you have the wrong that was done to you in the past  an outrage you find it hard to speak of. But into the other side of the scale I want you to put the years of friendship with this man, one by one  240 months have to be a considerable weight.

Add to that the depth of your affection over that time, chuck in the fun, the confidences, the cups of tea and glasses of wine, the laughter and the tears . . . Top it with what you know about your friends personality, weighing every good thing like a lump of silver. In your minds eye, I hope you recognise that the weight on the good side is much greater than that on the side of sorrow.

This exercise of visualisation can be very useful for all of us, when confronted with the kind of choice you have.

Maybe someone has quarrelled with a family member and is now refusing to speak to him/her. If so, weigh up the bad you think they have done against all the good. If in doubt, interpret an action positively.

Always reach out for the goodness in people  it is far more precious than any slight or hurt.

Of course I think you should make up with your old friend as soon as possible. If you dont you will be allowing the evil that has been done to you to triumph over all the good this valuable friendship represents.

Please dont do that. Make contact with your friend and talk once more, even if you put a bar on certain things. And do go on seeking professional help.

And finally... Selfies make Florence a tourist hell

We escaped to Tuscany for our first and last week of holiday this year. These days I like being at home with my lovely things around me  and the dogs. In truth, the horrors of Florence didnt help.

You might wonder how I can use that word of one of the most wonderful cities in the world. Fairness demands a correction: the city is still glorious, but its visitors are not.

I was last there in July 1969, when my first husband and I had just finished university finals and went camping in France and Italy for a month.

Everywhere stupid people waved selfie sticks as they posed in front of the glories of Western civilisation. File photo

We wandered into the great cathedral and marvelled at its glory. In the Uffizi Gallery my 22-year-old self, a passionate art lover, shed tears in front of works by Giotto, Duccio and Botticelli I had only seen in books. My spirit was uplifted.

This time any tears would have stemmed from anger and sadness. What a change! The noisy queues for the Duomo snaked all round the building, and everywhere stupid people waved selfie sticks as they posed in front of the glories of Western civilisation, making themselves more important than what it represented.

Walking through the Uffizi was hell. We stood in amazement as tourists pushed and shoved to get to the front of a swirling crowd before a famous painting like Botticellis The Birth Of Venus, raise the phone, snap, then march away. So many pathetic, meaningless selfies in front of great art! Why? They did not look at anything. I bear witness to that depressing fact.

This year Florence staggers under the weight of a record 11 million visitors so far.

An experienced English tour guide told me its becoming intolerable and that the Russian, Korean and Japanese groups are by far the worst, for sheer rudeness as well as indifference. Where will it end?

Our holiday was lovely, but those scenes haunt me, summing up the chaos and emptiness of modern life. Its good to be home.

 Bel answers readers questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk.

A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.
Spain's Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI donned matching blue today as they honoured 2017's Best Asturian Village.

The couple were welcomed into Porenu village in Villaviciosa, Spain, where they were shown around stalls and spoke with residents.

The royal beauty was pictured pouring over an adorable baby as Felipe looked on adoringly  possibly indicating the couple are considering a third child.

The king and queen are already proud parents to Leonor, Princess of Asturias 11, and Infanta Sofia of Spain, 10.

The royal beauty was pictured pouring over an adorable baby as Felipe looked on adoringly  possibly indicating the couple are considering a third child

The Spanish Royal couple wore matching blue as they honoured the village which has been announced as 2017 Best Asturian Village

The Spanish Queen, who is a former journalist, was welcomed into Porenu Village in Villaviciosa, Spain, alongside her husband King Felipe IV

Queen Letizia, 45, and King Felipe, 49, visited a number of goods stalls and chatted with residents of the village

Queen Letizia, 45, wore a long-sleeved pale blue shirt  coordinating with her husband Felipe, 49, who wore a striped pale blue shirt and turquoise tie

Residents came out in droves to welcome the royal couple as they walked around Porenu village

The Spanish Queen also accesorised with a blue clutch bag, a dark blue belt as well as blue stilettos

Queen Letizia, 45, wore a long-sleeved pale blue shirt  coordinating with her husband Felipe, 49, who wore a striped pale blue shirt and turquoise tie.

The Spanish Queen also accesorised with a blue clutch bag, a dark blue belt as well as blue stilettos.

Her casual appearance today came as a stark contrast to her a much more formal outing yesterday.

Attending the Princesa De Asturias Awards in Oviedo, Spain, the Queen wore a flamboyant white dress, with cap sleeves and a shorter collar.

Her gown featured a print of a black leaf upwards from her hips and accentuated her slender frame with a wide-fit black waistband.

Her casual appearance today came as a stark contrast to her a much more formal outing yesterday at the Princess of Asturias Awards
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

He is the man who, if the speculation proves true, should be preparing to take centre-stage at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. After all, as the father of the bride, it is Thomas Markle who would normally be expected to walk his daughter down the aisle, giving her away in the time-honoured fashion.

More than that, tradition dictates that it is his permission that Prince Harry should seek before proposing. What a curious turn of events that would be: the man fifth in line to the Throne seeking consent from a retired lighting director who lives in a sleepy corner of Mexico.

While Harry has been seen in relaxed conversation with his girlfriends mother Doria at the Invictus Games in Toronto, and has reportedly introduced Meghan to members of the Royal Family  including, it was claimed last week, the Queen  her father has remained firmly in the shadows. And that is just the way he likes it.

While 6ft 3in Thomas, known to all as Tom, remains devoted to Meghan  whom he lovingly calls Bean  he is determined to remain out of the spotlight that has shone on his daughter since her relationship with Harry became public a year ago.

The Mail on Sunday has spoken to family members and friends, many of whom remain in close contact with the 73-year-old, and the message was the same. As one family member explained it: Tom adores his daughter but he wants the relationship with Harry to take its natural course and he has no interest in speaking publicly about the relationship.

Hes incredibly proud of Meghan and all that shes achieved but hes been horrified by some of the negative things that have been said by certain family members who havent had any contact with her in years, including his eldest son and daughter. Tom is a good man who wants a quiet life. He couldnt be more proud of Meghan but he has no interest in the circus that comes with her dating a prince.

Daddy's girl: Meghan, then 11, with her father and nephew Thomas

A bear of a man who weighs more than 17st, Tom was enjoying a quiet retirement in Mexico, close to the border with California, when his 36-year-old daughter started romancing one of the most famous men on Earth.

Though Meghan was just five when her parents separated, she and her father are understood to remain in close contact.

Indeed, he was one of the first people Meghan confided in when she began dating Harry, 33, months before the romance became public. Tom knew before the world did, added a source. But he never breathed a word. Fame and celebrity mean nothing to him. Hes seen Hollywood from the inside. His only concern is Meghan.

Respected within his profession, he worked for many years as an award-winning cinematographer on American soaps such as General Hospital and Married... With Children. He also did the lighting for the 1984 LA Olympics and the 1986 Oscars, even winning an Emmy.

He maintains a rented 1,100-a-month flat in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, opposite Prospect Studios where he used to work night and day. His ground-floor apartment in a 13-unit plaster-clad building is far removed from the grandeur of Kensington Palace where his daughter may yet set up home.

Outside the block is a jumbled array of empty flower pots, plastic bags, a wooden coffee table and a rusting barbecue.

Allison Leber, 43, who lives in the block, said: Tom will call sometimes so I know how hes doing. Hes happy his daughter is with Prince Harry and hes glad shes found love. He never expected this. He was expecting a quiet retirement in Mexico.

Now he could be walking his daughter down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. Hes astonished at it but hes happy as long as Meghan is happy. Another resident, Amalia Alva, 33, said: Hes always been a great neighbour. He loves children. There are seven or eight young kids in this building and hes like Santa Claus. He always brings gifts for the kids, especially at Christmas.

Tom always worked long hours at the studio. Now he lives mostly in Mexico. He says he has a very comfortable life there. Theres so much attention on his daughter, hes happy to be away from the madness.

Meghan with Harry and her mother Doria at last month's Invictus Games

The precise reasons for his move out of the US are unclear though he is known to have faced financial struggles. Last year Tom declared bankruptcy, owing 22,740.

In publicly available court documents he listed his debts  mostly unpaid credit card bills  against an income of around 3,240 a month in pension and social security payments, with modest assets of around 380 in books, pictures and art, 300 in clothes, 75 in watches and glasses, 150 in computers, stereo equipment, videos and DVDs, and 1,895 in household goods.

He sub-lets his LA home to a family friend, known only as Maria. Like Tom, she maintains a stoic silence.

So what do we know about the man who may shortly have Harry as a son-in-law? He was born in 1944 in Newport, Pennsylvania  his father Gordon was a railwayman and his mother Doris served in a convenience store.

Toms first job was in a bowling alley before he used his physique to land a job hauling lights into the rafters at a theatre. At 20 he moved to Chicago where he took a job at a local TV station, WTTW.

He married first wife Rosalyn, mother of his two eldest children Tom Jr, 50, and Samantha, 52, (Meghans half-siblings) in 1964. At the time Tom was 20 and Rosalyn was 18.

Rosalyn, a stay-at-home mother, said the marriage fell apart mostly due to the long hours Tom put in at work. Our lives didnt gel, she said about their 1972 divorce. Tom moved to California and worked really hard to build a successful career as a TV lighting director. He went through tough times, sometimes working washing dishes to pay the rent and he bordered on homelessness at times, but he worked really hard.

Fiercely loyal, Tom is said to have been deeply wounded by cutting comments made by his older daughter when Meghans romance with Harry became public.

Samantha, who lives in Florida, claimed Meghan was self-obsessed and did not help their father with his bankruptcy, saying: The Royals would be appalled by what shes done to her own family. Samantha now has plans to cash in with a tell-all book, The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister.

Harry plants a kiss on Meghan's cheek as the watch the Invictus Games closing ceremony

Other members of the family are appalled, with Rosalyn saying: Samantha has been estranged from her family for some time. Everything she said about Meghan is a lie. When you are not a happy person you want to drag everyone down with you.

Meanwhile Toms only son, Thomas Jnr, 50  who has a long history of drug and alcohol issues  was arrested earlier this year for allegedly brandishing a gun at his girlfriend in a drunken rage. The charges were later dropped. He has recently been trying to build bridges with his father. In the early days of Meghans romance with Harry, Thomas Jnr erroneously claimed their father had flown to meet the prince but a source said: Thats rubbish. Tom senior hasnt met Harry. When the two older kids started talking to the press, Tom was appalled. Hes never expected any financial help from Meghan. All hes ever wanted is her happiness.

The negative publicity was very hurtful to him. Tom isnt close to his older kids. He dotes on Meghan.

Tom met Meghans mother Doria, a stunning make-up artist 12 years his junior, in LA in 1979 and married her in his hometown in Pennsylvania later that year.

Family members said the racially-mixed marriage raised eyebrows: Tom was very much in love with Doria but they experienced racism. In 1981 their only child Rachel Meghan Markle was born. She inherited her fathers quirky, turned-up nose and relentless work ethic.

She was raised in middle-class Woodland Hills, where Tom was acutely aware of making her feel comfortable with her mixed-race heritage. One Christmas he bought two Barbie doll sets  one black and one white  presenting Meghan with a customised set which had a black mother, white father and a child in each colour.

He was equally diligent in his professional life.

He was a very good lighting director, dedicated to his work. Its a tough job with long hours, said a former colleague.

Hed spend the day preparing lights for up to 23 scenes and when filming finished hed spend much of the night setting up for the next day.

The schedule was three days on and three days off. We were highly paid, getting $50 an hour  a fortune back in the 1970s.

Tom invested his money in his daughter. Meghan attended the private Little Red Schoolhouse in Hollywood, which Elizabeth Taylor attended, followed by Immaculate Heart, an 11,500-a-year Catholic school.

Tom was determined to give Meghan the best education possible, a family member said. She grew up confident, funny. When Tom wasnt working he was with Meghan. When you see them together its clear she adores him and he adores her.

Thomas Jnr said recently: She was a princess long before she met Harry. She was Daddys princess.

Meghans love of acting  she found fame on legal drama Suits  was sparked by her father taking her into the studio. Shed spend hours watching the actors, a colleague recalled. She grew up in Hollywood. Meghans dad never shielded her from the bad stuff. She knew how tough it would be to make a career as an actress.

Tom instilled his work ethic in her. Meghan is someone who has always worked her tail off, just like her dad.

Meghan has made no secret of her deep love for her father. Last Fathers Day, she posted a picture of herself as a baby laying on his chest with the message: Happy Fathers Day, daddy. Im still your buckaroo and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world. Thanks for my work ethic, my love of Busby Berkeley films & club sandwiches, for teaching me the importance of handwritten thank you notes and for giving me that signature Markle nose. I love you so, Bean.

Surely, then, Bean will want her father there by her side for a Royal wedding, should that day come. A family member said while Tom would undoubtedly want to walk his daughter down the aisle, being in the spotlight will be tough for him.

Hes always been the guy behind the cameras and thats where hes comfortable, the source said. He never wanted fame. He loves Meghan but doesnt love the attention this relationship has brought.

But Tom loves Meghan more than anything and will support her on this journey, wherever it might lead. All he has ever wanted is for her to be happy.
As they made their way round the department store, a stranger stopped Louise Warneford and her husband Mark to compliment them on the blond, blue-eyed baby beaming at everyone from inside the pram they were pushing.

'The lady said, 'Oh, what an adorable little grandson you've got,' says Louise. 'She was mortified and very apologetic when I said, 'Actually, he's our son.'

At 49, Louise is all too aware that she doesn't fit the mould of a typical first-time mother.

And with Mark being six years her senior, being mistaken for grandparents when they're out with little William is a frequent occurrence.

Louise Warneford, pictured with her son William, tried to get pregnant for two decades and suffered a heartbreaking 18 miscarriages. But now the 48-year-old is finally a first-time mum

Louise isn't offended, though.

After suffering a devastating 18 miscarriages over a 16-year period, during which the couple spent 80,000 on round after gruelling round of IVF, William is the miracle baby she dared not believe she would ever have.

'He means the world to us,' she says. 'I'd reached the point where I thought I'd never become a mother, but finally, all my hopes and dreams have come true and I couldn't be happier.

'A family doesn't have to look the way it used to  it's the love that counts. There are so many options available now to people who are having problems conceiving, and that's amazing.

William Warneford, pictured, was born early via caesarean section at 37 weeks and became a little miracle to Louise and Mark Warneford

'As we show, even when it feels impossible, it can happen.'

When their extraordinary story emerged last week, they were overwhelmed by the sympathy and interest. Today, they're sharing the details of their long, arduous but ultimately successful journey to become parents to give hope to the thousands of other couples who have felt the same despair.

Visiting the Warnefords in their cosy home in an idyllic village outside Swindon, their contentment is immediately apparent. William, now 16 months old, is a ray of sunshine, smiling constantly as he trots from one parent to the other.

Louise and Mark, a driver with the Ministry of Defence, are a warm, devoted couple, doting on him. If they find running around after an inquisitive toddler exhausting, they don't show it.

'Like every other family, we have our moments where everything's far from perfect, but everyone remarks on how outgoing and smiley William is,' says Louise. 'He brings us so much joy. I think he knows how wanted he was, and how much we adore him.'

Louise's path to motherhood was one of emotional pain and physical exhaustion, as her multiple pregnancies ended in the grief of miscarriage. At times, Mark begged her to halt the treatment she was undergoing, worried the trauma was too much for her to take.

Louise and Mark Warneford, pictured with son William, had tried to get pregnant for two decades and had spent 80,000 on IVF treatments over 18 years

Yet she refused to give up.

Her desire to become a mother in the face of such difficulty might seem extreme to some. Indeed, Louise finds it difficult to put into words what drove her on when all seemed hopeless, yet her longing is something every woman who has struggled to have a child will understand.

'No matter what I went through, that yearning to be a mother, to nurture a child of my own, never went away,' she says. 'I couldn't accept that I would never experience it.'

When they met in 1999 they were in the RAF, working as cabin crew at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Divorcee Mark had daughters, May and Evie, now 25 and 22. Louise says she knew instantly she wanted to marry him, but there was a snag: he'd had a vasectomy.

She says: 'I knew he was the man I wanted to have a family with, but I also knew we'd have to find an alternative way to make it happen. I had to persuade him, but once we started treatment he was very supportive.'

We're sitting in the couple's living room, strewn with squeaky baby books and toys including a push-along pirate named Pete. From the kitchen next door, where Mark is feeding William dinner, he adds: 'I thought I'd had my family, and wouldn't have any more children, but when I met Louise it changed my priorities.'

A fertility specialist suggested insemination with donor sperm. Louise became pregnant after a couple of attempts.

'I was absolutely ecstatic, thinking everything I'd ever wanted was happening,' says Louise, who was 34 at the time. But at her 12-week scan, no heartbeat could be detected.

'I was devastated,' she says. 'It's difficult to explain the sense of loss you feel with a miscarriage. It's not like any other grief. It's the loss of all your hopes for your future with that child, who will never be born. Mark tried to comfort me, as he did every other time after that, but I felt very lonely.'

She had to wait six months before trying again, but was undeterred, and remained so through a further seven pregnancies using donor sperm, each one ending in heartbreak.

Sometimes the pregnancies would go as far as 12 weeks, others would register a positive result on a test, but be lost just a week or two later.

By this time she was 38 and, with time passing, she grew increasingly distressed. Conceiving never seemed to be a problem, but time after time she had to face bitter disappointment. Once she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, in which the embryo attaches itself outside of the womb.

'Having to go into hospital to have an operation and coming home afterwards with nothing  the emotional cost was huge,' she says.

Mark admits: 'It did affect our relationship. It does put a strain on you and we had a couple of massive rows, the first after the ectopic pregnancy, when we were both going through our own grief. There were times I told Louise to give up, because it was ruling our lives, but she wanted to continue so I agreed.'

A specialist suggested they try IVF, in which Louise's eggs would be harvested and fertilised with donor sperm.

This was far more expensive, and the couple had to scrimp and save to fund it  yet faced the same disappointment. 'I got pregnant every time with IVF, but miscarried every time,' she says.

As she turned 40, they turned to a third approach, this time using donor embryos donated to the clinic by couples who'd had successful IVF. Again, Louise became pregnant and, once again, she miscarried. Now they knew something was definitely wrong.

'I'd gone through the entire spectrum of fertility treatments and none of them had worked,' she says. 'I knew I wasn't just unlucky. It was pushing me to the brink. I could imagine no joy for myself.'

Her 18th and final miscarriage was in 2010, when she was 42. By that point she was emotionally shattered and, following much agonised discussion, the couple finally agreed to stop trying.

'I couldn't take any more,' says Louise, her eyes shining with tears as she remembers her despair.

The cause of her inability to hold on to a pregnancy continued to haunt her as she researched possible causes. One book called Your Body Baby-Friendly, by fertility specialist Dr Alan Beer, described how some women's own immune systems can be responsible for failed pregnancies.

He argued that natural killer cells, or NK cells, which usually destroy cancer cells and viruses, can get out of control and target the pregnancy. 'Effectively, women become serial killers of their own babies,' he wrote.

Louise became convinced that what he was describing could explain her own terrible experience. She decided to act, finding a fertility expert called Dr Hassan Shehata who specialises in treating women with high levels of NK cells and made an appointment.

'He tested me and said my natural killer cells were high and that he could treat me with steroids if I wanted to try again with IVF,' she says. 'I was very cautious because I knew I couldn't cope with being devastated again, but I was 47 and I said to Mark, 'I need to give it one last try before I'm 50.' '

Louise's age meant she had surpassed the upper limit for the British clinics she had previously used, so she and Mark found one in Prague called the Gynem Clinic, which was also less expensive. Private British clinics will generally refuse to treat women older than 50, but many draw the line at 46 due to the low chances of success after that age.

At the Gynem Clinic, the couple selected eggs and sperm from a list of donors with similar physical characteristics to them and the resultant embryo was implanted.

When Louise discovered she was pregnant, she admits she didn't know how to feel. 'I tried not to get attached to the pregnancy. I couldn't enjoy being pregnant at all, even after passing the 12-week milestone. I was petrified something would go wrong. I didn't buy anything for the baby until three weeks before he was born.'

During her pregnancy, Louise suffered from high blood pressure and problems with blood flow to her placenta. They meant William was born early, via caesarean section, at 37 weeks. When she and Mark saw their healthy baby boy for the first time, they were overwhelmed. 'I was euphoric, crying and so excited,' she says.

Her delight has continued since, although it has sometimes been tinged by lingering fears that Louise hasn't quite been able to shake. 'After his birth, I had terrible nightmares about something happening to him, which my doctor said were a symptom of post traumatic stress syndrome from everything I went through,' she says. 'I barely slept at the start, because I couldn't stop watching him. I bought a monitor which clipped on to his nappy and would sound an alarm if he stopped breathing. It reassured me.'

Mark and Louise are close to his daughters, who adore the new addition to their family. 'The girls are amazing and they were overjoyed for us when William was born,' says Louise. In April, Evie had her own daughter, Nancy, making the couple grandparents, and William an uncle at just ten months old.

Mark says all the years of disappointment were worth it for the happiness the family are now experiencing. 'We're the family Louise always wanted now,' he says.

Louise wants her family's story to be one of hope for other women struggling to become mothers. She feels that fertility issues and miscarriage are still not spoken about openly enough. 'I think if we talked more about our experiences, women would feel less alone when it happens to them,' she says.

She is also eager to dispel the stigma that still surrounds the use of donor eggs or sperm to conceive a baby. 'It doesn't matter at all to us that William is a donor baby  I carried him inside my body and he feels 100 per cent ours. I believe nurture is what's most important  I've already noticing him doing things I do, like play with his ear when he's tired or unsure about something.'

She smiles at her son, who's happily playing with a toy rabbit, and adds: 'He's our gift and I'm just so thankful he finally arrived.'
The news is bad, Im afraid, I said to Mrs Reynolds, as she lay in her hospital bed.

She looked up and smiled at me warmly. I closed the door and sat on her bed. Would you like anyone else to be here? I asked.

No, its all right. Do I have long left? she asked calmly.

Mrs Reynolds already knew she had cancer. She had battled against breast cancer on and off for ten years, but it had now spread. She had been brought in after collapsing in the supermarket and scans showed the disease was now so widespread there was little that could be done.

Dr Max says people have become increasingly wary of human contact due to concerns of being accused of assault

I spent the next ten minutes having what was probably the most important and difficult conversation of her life. Several days later, Mrs Reynolds developed pneumonia, and again I sat on her bed, held her hand and reassured her as the nurse gave her pain relief. Later that evening, with her children around her, she died.

I was working in surgery at the time, and would often sit with patients if they were distressed, or scared, or alone, to try to reassure them. Yet, this is precisely the part of the story that would now get me in trouble: I sat on Mrs Reynolds bed. And no doubt eyebrows would be raised that I held her hand.

Over the years weve become increasingly wary of human contact, not least medical professionals. Partly, this is due to concerns around being accused of assault for simply touching someone, so preciously do we now guard our personal space.

But its also down to the buzz phrase of Health and Safety apparatchiks: infection control. This concept emerged from the publics rightful indignation around rates of hospital-acquired infections.

Following ministerial pressure, hospital trusts are desperate to be seen to be doing something, and this has led to a number of policies being imposed, which have gone largely unchallenged because doing so implies, in some way, a laissez-faire attitude to infections and patient welfare. Flowers are banned, as are doctors ties. So is sitting on a patients bed.

A study by University College London has found that hugging people can have dramatic effects on wellbeing

But why? Is sitting on a patients bed and touching them really that dangerous? And what are we missing out on as a result?

A study published this week from University College London found that hugging and touching someone  even a stranger  can have dramatic effects on their wellbeing, helping them cope better with experiences such as pain. The fact is, there is no substitute for real human contact.

Naturally, there are times when its important to remain detached in a clinical situation: you dont want a doctor getting touchy-feely when youre having a heart attack, you just want to be resuscitated.

Yet much of medicine is about simple human interactions  its about listening to someone, trying to understand what their fears are, offering reassurance and sympathy. Its about being human.

But how can we do this with any authenticity if we dont ever touch patients? How can we do it if were prohibited from even sitting on their beds and being on the same eye level? I believe things should only be prohibited when there is robust evidence to suggest they are harmful. Yet this is absolutely, categorically, not the case with touching or sitting on beds.

On the other hand, there is considerable evidence to support such things being actively encouraged. I hate seeing doctors looming over patients as they lie in bed, craning their heads to hear what the doctor is saying. Its not humane.

And in fact research also shows that patients report feeling that the doctor has taken more time with them when sitting compared to standing.

Hospitals can be scary, lonely places and anything that reduces this can only be a good thing. Of course, doctors need to act in a professional manner and, of course, its a judgment call about when to touch a patient.

But over the years Ive come to realise that what matters to many of my patients, including Mrs Reynolds, is the warmth of human contact; this is often more important to them than anything I might prescribe.

Sexuality is a private matter

Thank goodness, some sanity after the madness earlier this week when it was suggested that doctors would have to quiz all patients about their sexuality.

The College of Medicine has warned that doctors will simply refuse to ask patients due to fears it will damage the doctor-patient relationship.

The NHS has claimed that it wont affect treatment in any way, in which case, why ask?

'These sorts of plans are cooked up by a metropolitan elite who cant get it into their heads that not every gay person is draped in a rainbow flag dancing to Kylie'

Its intrusive and another example of the insidious invasion by the State into our private lives.

We already give away vast amounts of information about ourselves to both the government and private companies, and it astonishes me how compliant we are when, in living memory, some states have used this kind of information against their citizens.

Have we learned nothing from history? Most importantly it risks alienating patients and forcing them to give false information.

These sorts of plans are cooked up by a metropolitan elite who cant get it into their heads that not every gay person is draped in a rainbow flag dancing to Kylie.

Some people live in deeply homophobic communities and asking them if theyre gay before theyre ready to give up that information will damage the doctor-patient relationship.

I am gay and I know that coming out is a personal decision people make when they feel comfortable: you cant force this.

Its also insulting to doctors credit us with the ability to judge the situation ourselves about asking for such information without issuing diktats.

Im not going to change my practice: if you want to tell me youre gay or straight thats fine but Im not going to ask you simply to tick a box on an equality form.

Language tests for nurses who trained abroad are to be watered down, as theyve complained the tests are a challenge. Of course they are, thats the point of exams. Nurses whove trained overseas make an incredible contribution to the NHS; without them it would collapse. But its only right that patients know nurses can understand and communicate with them and other members of staff. Rather than listening to applicants complaints, what about listening to patients whose health is put on the line because nurses cant communicate properly in the language of the country where they work?

Why obesity is the new elephant in the room!

When it comes to big complex social problems, its tempting to find a bad guy to blame.

We see this time and again with obesity, where everything from genes to a lack of green spaces has been held responsible for the countrys bulging waistline.

In the firing line this week is advertising, with a coalition of the Royal Colleges and health charities calling for adverts for junk food to be banned during peak viewing times. Is this the answer? I dont think so. Obesity is a relatively new problem; for the majority of our time on the planet, our problem was getting enough food to survive. But with the end of rationing after World War II, weve had increasing access to calorie-dense foods.

Obesity is a relatively new problem; for the majority of our time on the planet, our problem was getting enough food to survive

The rate of people considered clinically obese has risen from just 1 to 2 per cent in the Sixties to more than 25 per cent now. Whats going on? I think the answer lies in a study conducted a few years ago by the Department of Health that compared data from 1967 and 2010. Differences in lifestyle are clearly a factor: for instance, while 75 per cent of us walked for at least half an hour a day in the Sixties, now its just 40 per cent.

But what really stands out is the sharp contrast in attitudes. In 1967 nine out of ten people had attempted to lose weight in the past year compared with 57 per cent of adults in 2010. Most tellingly, 40 years ago only 7 per cent of people who considered themselves overweight had not done anything about it, compared with nearly half now.

So we just arent bothering to lose weight any more. And its no use banning adverts for foods that make you fat, if people dont actually care if theyre fat.

Where has this complacency come from? It may be partly down to the fact that as more people are overweight, its viewed as increasingly normal  helped by the big is beautiful mantra.

Meanwhile, doctors are wary of saying patients are fat for fear of causing offence, too scared to confront the elephant in the room (excuse the pun). But lets be honest, its also hard to listen to a doctor or nurse lecture you about obesity when so many are overweight themselves.

We need a social shift in how we view obesity so its less socially acceptable  and the place to start is surely in the ranks of the NHS itself.
Lung cancer sufferers could be cured thanks to an advanced technique to remove tumours via a matchstick-sized incision in the side of the chest.

The new procedure has been hailed by leading NHS lung surgeons as an effective alternative to risky open surgery.

A small tube  known as a port  is inserted to allow access to the lungs, through a gap in the rib cage. Surgeons are then able to carefully remove the part of the lung containing the tumour without causing damage to surrounding tissue.

The procedure replaces older methods which involve a large incision in the chest, or a keyhole operation that uses three separate incisions, and the advance has slashed time spent in hospital from two weeks to as little as four days for some, as patients recover faster and are in less pain.

Lung cancer sufferers could be cured thanks to an advanced technique to remove tumours via a matchstick-sized incision in the side of the chest

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer suffered in Britain, with around 46,000 Britons diagnosed each year. Since many are diagnosed too late, just ten per cent are offered surgery to remove the segment of the lung containing the cancer.

The highest incidence of the disease is in smokers and those aged 85 or over, and many are in poor health, so open surgery may not be an option.

'The new method is much less invasive and so is less painful for the patient and recovery is faster,' said Laura Socci, consultant thoracic surgeon at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who introduced the so-called single port video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) technique in 2013.

Her team carries out 70 per cent of its lung surgery using single port VATS, combining it with an enhanced recovery programme so patients can go home in four days.

During the procedure, the patient is positioned on their side under general anaesthetic. The anaesthetist collapses the side of the lung where the tumour is to provide space for the surgeon to work.

Next, a 2in incision is made between two ribs and a plastic plug is inserted, through which the instruments are introduced.

The surgeon then inserts a long-handled camera which can angle up to 30 degrees, before sealing off the artery to the growth, preventing blood loss. She cuts away the growth and places it in a special bag which is pulled out of the body through the incision, preventing any cancer cells from spreading.

She then stitches the incision. The extracted section is examined to identify whether the cancer has spread, as this may prevent patients from having unnecessary further treatment such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. It's hoped the procedure can eventually be rolled out across the NHS.

One patient to benefit is Nick Ross, 70, a retired national secretary of a charity from Derbyshire. He visited his GP in November 2016 after he felt tingling in his lower back.

Scans at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield showed a tumour on his left lung. Mr Ross said: 'It was devastating to hear that I had lung cancer. I'd smoked 15 cigarettes a day, but gave up 12 years ago and had no symptoms.'

Miss Socci, explained that she could operate to remove part of the left lung and the 1in tumour using the VATS procedure.

Mr Ross had the two-hour operation in February.

'There was very little pain afterwards. I was moving the next day and could come home after four days which was marvellous,' he said.

'I do deep breathing exercises now, and I've started an enhanced recovery programme too. I now walk a mile or two a day, and am so grateful for first-class NHS care.'
We first met at the 2008 Bafta awards. A burly, bustling, bearded man brushed aggressively past me and then stopped in his tracks.

Piers Morgan?

Harvey Weinstein?

I found your book [The Insider] on Matthew Vaughn and Claudia Schiffers yacht and loved it, he barked. All those conversations with Diana and Blair, it was amazing. I couldnt put it down.

Then he rushed away before I could sell him the movie rights.

My personal experience of Harvey Weinstein was almost entirely positive, though I saw at first hand the extraordinary power he wielded over his actors

A month later, I was reporting from the Oscars red carpet and asked everyone to perform their good loser face  the fake one stars feign when they hear they didnt win.

Harvey flashed a grotesquely insincere smirk: Im SO happy just to be nominated, I dont CARE if I win or lose

All bulls***, right? I interrupted. One hundred per cent, Piers, and nobody knows bulls*** better than you!

Winning is all thats ever mattered to Harvey Weinstein, a ruthless, cunning, streetfighting hustler when it came to making his movies box-office hits and winning awards. But in my many dealings with him he was also hugely charismatic, entertaining and helpful (if it suited him), and it would be disingenuous of me now to say otherwise.

When I joined CNN in 2010 we developed a mutually beneficial relationship: Harvey had films to sell and I had a nightly interview show to fill. Im like Dominos, he told me. I always deliver.

He did, too. He delivered me Colin Firth with acute laryngitis at the height of The Kings Speech mania.

Im only here because Harvey ordered me to be here, croaked Firth. He delivered Jennifer Lawrence after she tried to cancel on me at the last minute. Jennifer, get to Piers Morgans studio NOW! I heard him bark down the phone.

And he nearly delivered Julia Roberts. Can you get me Julia? I asked him when August: Osage County came out.

Sure, Harvey replied, promptly connecting us  doubtless to Julias horror  via our personal email addresses, and instructing: Dear Julia, please do Pierss show. (Tragically, her sister died that same day, so it never happened.)

Harvey even once tried to deliver me an award. After an explosive encounter with Robert Blake, a Sixties actor accused of killing his wife, Harvey declared with typical hyperbole: This is the greatest piece of TV journalism I have ever seen. I will make sure you get an Emmy nomination for this. Im handling the award campaign!

It failed, but he did deliver me a movie part. When Harvey guest-hosted for me at CNN, he emailed: Thank you for entrusting me with your show. Now its my turn to find you a movie.

A few months later, Simon Cowell called: Just met Harvey Weinstein. Are you willing to play yourself in the Paul Potts movie? Of course I was, and I did indeed play myself in the Weinstein movie, One Chance, in which James Corden portrayed the first winner of Britains Got Talent.

So my personal experience of Harvey Weinstein was almost entirely positive, though I saw at first hand the extraordinary power he wielded over his actors and the way he viewed everything through the prism of a you help me, Ill help you lens.

Last time I saw him was ten months ago, for lunch at Londons Rosewood hotel to discuss a US gun violence documentary Ive been working on. He was his usual bombastic whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm that day.

Fast forward to a very brief phone conversation we had four days after the scandal broke, and he sounded a very different, downcast and desperate man. Now hes in an Arizona clinic, fired from his own company, dumped by his wife Georgina, disowned by Hollywood and facing criminal prosecution.

Theres no defence for the sickening way Harvey Weinstein treated so many women. None. The big question is, why wasnt it exposed earlier?

Over the years I heard plenty of stories about Harveys legendarily monstrous temper. Only last month, my former US assistant, who now works as an LA hotel concierge, told me hed just been appallingly rude to her, screaming abuse down the phone.

He has intimidated many members of staff, she said. Hes a tool.

But I never heard the horrible sexual abuse stories now pouring out. It seemed to be Harvey and Hollywoods dark, vile secret. Of all the stars to denounce him, the one that will hurt most is Meryl Streep, who called him God.

In February 2014, Harvey threw an Oscars dinner party at the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills. You must come, he said, the whole of Hollywoods going to be there.

I arrived late. Grab a chair anywhere, he said. I spied an empty one at a nearby table. Anyone sitting here? I asked. A regal head turned towards me, said, Hello Piers and bade me sit.

It was Meryl. All around me were A-list stars  including Bono, Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro, Jamie Foxx, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. At the end of the night, Harvey took the microphone: There are only two things you have to answer to in life  God and Meryl Streep. Thank you and goodnight.

Everyone roared. Meryl held her heart and blew him a kiss. In that moment, Harvey Weinstein was King of Hollywood. Now hes the cover of Time magazine with the headline Producer. Predator. Pariah.

Meryl  with rank hypocrisy, frankly, given her decades-long support for fugitive child rapist Roman Polanski  has chucked her God under a gigantic bus of disgust. So the other God is pretty much all Harvey Weinsteins got left, and I dont imagine those conversations will be easy either.
David Jason, 77, is best known for his role in the sitcom Only Fools And Horses as Del Boy, as Jack Frost in the detective series A Touch Of Frost and as Granville in Open All Hours. He has a daughter with his wife Gill

What sort of child were you?

Very shy, but I was forced to perform in front of an audience for a school play and it unlocked something in me. Prior to that point Id felt like a failure, as I was very bad academically. The only other thing I was any good at was gymnastics. I joined an amateur drama group as a teenager, fell in love with theatre and it totally changed my life.

'Best night of my life? My first opening night in the West End in the early Seventies when I took over from Michael Crawford in No Sex Please, Were British'

What are you scared of?

Like most people, mortality. I enjoy life so much I dont want it to end, and dying does worry me. If youve got faith you believe that youre going to go to a magic land, but unfortunately I dont have faith.

What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?

I was shooting A Touch Of Frost and this American movie director called Herbie Wise was directing an episode. During filming he called out, Tell Mr Morse that I want him to open that door. I was like, I beg your pardon? He called me Mr Morse. It was pretty insulting and I was extremely p***ed off. He wasnt invited back for a second episode.

Which living person do you dislike the most?

Kim Jong-un. Hes totally lost the plot.

What is your most treasured possession?

A manuscript by Ronnie Barker, who I used to call The Guvnor. When he retired he wrote this wonderful missive, in old-fashioned legalese, handing over the comedy governorship to me.

I Ronald William S Barker hand over governorship to David Jason, AKA Del Boy, it reads, which I love.

Describe the best night of your life

My first opening night in the West End in the early Seventies when I took over from Michael Crawford in No Sex Please, Were British. It was the first time I got my name above the titles in the West End and Ill never forget the standing ovation I got on that first night.

Have you ever cheated death?

While scuba diving off the British Virgin Islands about 25 years ago, our boats anchor got stuck. I dived down to release it but I got separated from the boat and was stranded as it sped away. I had to swim for an hour to the nearest island with all my scuba kit on before I was rescued.

Tell us a secret about yourself

I used to fly gliders but now Im a secret helicopter pilot.

What law would you change if you could?

Id change the sentencing laws, particularly around murderers. If youve taken a life, a life sentence should mean a lifetime in prison.

Which words do you most overuse?

None, but I do have a tendency to impersonate people on TV, much to my wifes irritation. At the moment its Dominic Littlewood off Fake Britain.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Me. They could just make me up to look younger for the first half of the film like they do with Tom Cruise. Or maybe they could just cast Tom Cruise as were doppelgangers. Well, were the same height at least.

Who did you last row with?

My 16-year-old daughter, Sophie. Shes a good girl but on this occasion she was very rude to her mother so I had to shout at her.

Have you ever had a nickname?

The Lardi, as in la-di-da, rhyming slang for star. People used to say it jokingly when I came on set. Here comes the Lardi.

Who would be your dream dinner date?

Mel Brooks.

What song do you want at your funeral?

Holding Back The Years by Simply Red. I still cry whenever I hear it because it was played during one of the most moving scenes in Only Fools And Horses when Rodney got married.

Interview by Nick McGrath Only Fools And Stories: From Del Boy To Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost by David Jason (Century) is out now
'I once had a huge argument with Madonna, says John Oates, 69, gazing out of his bedroom window in Nashville. This was in New York City in the early Eighties and it got quite animated. Not exactly a fight, but two worlds colliding, put it that way.

What caused it was that she embraced the visual side of her art as part and parcel of what she was  the beginning of her career coincided with the birth of MTV and it was a match made in heaven. That was fine, but we saw Hall and Oates videos as a convenient promotional tool. Primarily, we were about the music.

So Madonna and I got into this contentious discussion. From her perspective, she was completely right but, from our point of view, I was too because our videos sucked.

Daryl Hall and John Oates are the most commercially successful duo in the history of recorded music

He chuckles with the air of a man who has sold more than 40 million albums.

Today, even Madonna would have to agree, Hall and Oates have become inspirational players. This month, in a rare British show, theyll headline BluesFest at Londons O2 Arena, alongside fellow US legends Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers and Chic.

Daryl Hall and John Oates are the most commercially successful duo in the history of recorded music, outselling Simon and Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers. Their timeless hits I Cant Go For That (No Can Do), Maneater, Rich Girl, Kiss On My List, Out Of Touch and Private Eyes all topped the US charts.

Musically, they took the cornerstones of black Sixties American music, Philadelphia soul, Motown, Memphis Stax and blended it with modern rock and a designer production sheen. In Hall, 71, they have one of the great soul voices.

They owned the Eighties, memorably appearing in hometown Philadelphia at Live Aid in 1985, where the pair performed in their own right, then doubled as Mick Jagger and Tina Turners backing band. It was an amazing, groundbreaking occasion, Oates recalls. It was a mere bonus when Mick ripped Tinas skirt off.

But all were upstaged by Halls magnificent mullet, which was bigger even than Bonos. Everybody makes mistakes, man, Hall cries. It was like a costume show. I dont really give a s*** about fashion, but what were we wearing? It was a hideous time for style.

Oates notes that the leather trousers he wore were also unforgivable. You can count on me never wearing them again, he promises.

While fans adored Hall and Oates, critics werent always kind: they were dubbed the Self-Righteous Brothers in the States, while in the unpleasantly non-PC Seventies, the UK press worried that they were a couple of greasy pansies, implying that the pair, who were given to wearing eye shadow, might be lovers.

In truth, Hall and Oates were enthusiastically heterosexual. Even if I was gay, John was never my type, Hall deadpans, while Oates says they were plagued by girls.

I like women, he sighs. I even had a few English girlfriends.

Hall had an English wife, Amanda Aspinall, until 2015. Hes been in three long-term relationships and has a son, Darren, who is 33.

Oates was unfortunately married in the Eighties, but remarried and has been with his current wife, Aimee, for 25 years, with whom he also has a son, Tanner, 21.

A generation of musicians their sons ages is discovering and embracing their hits. In the past decade, Hall has seen his online series Live From Daryls House become a TV hit. In it he jams with guest musicians at his home in upstate New York. So far, guests have ranged from Smokey Robinson to ZZ Top, and included Brits KT Tunstall and Dave Stewart.

But it hasnt all been plain sailing for the captains of so-called Yacht Rock. In 1987, due to almighty accounting irregularities, the all-conquering couple were informed that they were virtually broke, despite sold-out tours and record-breaking album sales. Oates was forced to sell his four homes, plane and classic-car collection.

While fans adored Hall and Oates, critics werent always kind: they were dubbed the Self-Righteous Brothers in the States

It would be remiss to leave Hall and Oates without asking if a day ever passes without some wag saying no can do to the duo.

It happens, Oates laughs drily. The strange thing is, I even find myself saying it. You would think, after all this time, that I wouldnt go for that.

Hall & Oates perform at the O2 in London on Oct 28 as part of this years BluesFest. bluesfest.co.uk

Daryl Hall & John Oates new best of Timeless Classics is out now via Sony Music.
Benny Andersson Piano Deutsche Grammophon, out now

Rating:

Benny Anderssons album Piano is a big success because its 21 tracks are not predictable, extending way beyond piano versions of Abbas greatest hits. And he plays really well.

Andersson claims not to read music properly, but these performances of songs he has composed over several decades show a mastery of form and harmony, as well as of melody, that suggests he is being way too modest about his technical accomplishments.

Andersson loves Bach  a commitment he describes as deep, strong and everlasting. The structure of a number of these pieces reflects an understanding of the classical piano repertoire that may begin with JSB but certainly doesnt end there.

Benny Andersson (above) claims not to read music properly, but these performances of songs he has composed over several decades show a mastery of form and harmony, as well as of melody, that suggests he is being way too modest about his technical accomplishments

Everyone has a view about Abba. Their ridiculous stage costumes and antics undoubtedly divided opinion, and perhaps blinded some to the exceptional quality of the songs that Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus composed.

And they must have been doing something right, because, allegedly, though the claim cannot be verified, they shifted 375 million discs. And thats not including sales of Mamma Mia!, the biggest-selling DVD ever in Britain.

As well as a string of hit singles, Abba also produced eight albums. Andersson only chooses six Abba songs, and only one of them a big hit single, Thank You For The Music.

Andersson only chooses six Abba (above) songs, and only one of them a big hit single, Thank You For The Music

A happy choice that, because it was always my favourite, and also a favourite of my dear friend Richard Whiteley. These tunes will bring back memories for all of us. For me, I confess to listening with some tears in my eyes, as I recalled Richards visits to my house, where at a certain point in the proceedings, he would leap up and conduct the gathering in a raucous performance of Thank You For The Music.

Tricky rhythms, he would mutter, to cover the incompetence of his beat.

Piano is full of new discoveries, like a couple of charming songs from Anderssons epic musical Kristina fran Duvemala, about Swedish immigration to America in the mid-19th century, on which he worked for several years.

Piano is full of new discoveries, like a couple of charming songs from Andersson's epic musical Kristina fran Duvemala, about Swedish immigration to America in the mid-19th century, on which he worked for several years

Theres also a lot of music from Chess, the musical he did with Tim Rice, which plainly Andersson loves. And on this evidence, its perhaps underrated by the rest of us.

At 80 minutes, it is not just a warm-hearted album, but a generous one. Ive listened to it lots since I first got it a fortnight ago.

For an evening of easy listening, glass in hand, its actually hard to beat, and will give much pleasure.

If only Richard could have heard it!

Christoph Croise Wigmore Hall, London

Rating:

I have only recently discovered this 23-year-old Swiss cellist and was mightily impressed. At his Wigmore Hall recital to celebrate receiving the Swiss Ambassadors Award, he turned in a searching account of Shostakovichs Cello Sonata of 1934.

Croises wiry, buzzy tone with its fast vibrato readily conveys the intensity this fascinating, kaleidoscopic work demands. With wisdom beyond his years, Croise brought out with great subtlety the turbulent future the composer predicts for himself.

Croises wiry, buzzy tone with its fast vibrato readily conveys the intensity this fascinating, kaleidoscopic work demands

The Rachmaninov Sonata was less successful because of Croises overloud partner, the pianist Alexander Panfilov. Its a tribute to Croise that he emerged relatively undamaged.

He will certainly be back, but with a different pianist, please.












Mr Tran Quang Hoai, Director of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, a permanent member of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, spoke at the ceremony at Hanois Noi Bai airport.



The international assistance is to respond to the Vietnamese Governments call and in line with the close relationship between the two countries.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has been working to ensure the donation will reach flood victims in the two provinces as soon as possible.

Nagai Katsuro, Minister of the Japanese Embassy to Vietnam, expressed his empathy with losses the Vietnamese people have suffered from the past historical downpours and floods, hoping the aid would help people in flood areas ease their difficulties.

Continuous downpours from October 10th triggered floods and landslides in Northern and North Central regions, causing huge human and property losses.

Statistics released by the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control showed that as of October 16th, some 103 were killed and missing by floods, injured 38 while forcing 2,604 households to evacuate, as well as inundating around 162,636 ha of agricultural land./.
After Andy: Adventures In Warhol Land

Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni

Blue Rider Press 23.99

Rating:

Andy Warhol names a grand total of 2,809 different people in his voluminous diaries. Oddly enough, Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is not one of them.

No shrinking violet  she describes herself as posh with cleavage  she was never going to let a little detail like that prevent her calling her autobiography After Andy: Adventures In Warhol Land and plastering its cover with pictures of him.

She might more accurately have called it After Antonia: Adventures In Fraser Land: early on, she mentions that, in 1975, my mother, the best-selling historian Antonia Fraser, went off with the playwright Harold Pinter  a detail she repeats at regular intervals throughout her book.

Natasha Fraser meets Andy Warhol at a party in London in 1980. Natasha didnt see much more of Andy until 1987, when she was hired as one of a string of posh British dolly-bird assistants at his famous Factory in New York

Whenever she is after fresh employment, either her mother or Harold drops a line to one bigwig or another and  hey presto!  the job is hers. These connections lead to further connections, and those connections lead to more connections, et voila!

When she thinks of moving to Paris, Anna Wintour had faxed Gilles Dufour, Karl Lagerfelds right-hand man at the Chanel studio; Loulou de la Falaise at Yves St Laurent and Jean-Jacques Picart at Christian Lacroix... It was unbelievably helpful.

Natasha Fraser was born in 1963 into a family she describes as Catholic bluebloods. Her grandfather was Lord Longford, her grandmother the historian Lady Longford, her father the Conservative MP Sir Hugh Fraser and  or did she already mention this?  her mother was the best-selling historian Lady Antonia Fraser.

Natasha claims that, despite such pomp, true wealth was never theirs. Money intrigued because, as a family, we didnt really have it. Yet somehow the Frasers managed to scrape by, what with their large house in Londons Campden Hill Square and a hunting lodge on their own Scottish island, wallpapered in William Morris and carpeted in the Fraser tartan.

At Christmas, Mum... injected her impish sense of humour when filling our red-and-white Santa stocking that came from Bloomingdales and had our names written in gold glitter.

One summer, the Shah of Irans daughters came to stay. Even her childhood japes give off an air of grandeur. During a fencing class at her boarding school, I persuaded Princess Elena of Bourbon to step on a stink bomb.

Its all a far cry from Skid Row.

As a child, Natasha felt dwarfed by her elder sisters. My sisters made me feel inadequate. She was, she says, the non-smart aleck (sic) of the family. This is clearly not false modesty: in the space of a few pages she calls the Nazi creed not national socialism but social nationalism, Screaming Lord Sutchs party not The Official Monster Raving Loony Party but the Go To Hell party and the headmistress of St Pauls Girls School Helen Brigstocke, not Heather Brigstocke.

Natasha in St Tropez in 1980 with, from left, Dominique Rizzo, Christabel McEwen and Mick Jagger. Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is the Katie Price of the Upper Crust, the Barbara Windsor of Debretts

Her sense of social history can also be a little off-target. She even seems to think that, in the early Seventies, jeans were a rare commodity, they had to be purchased in the United States. Eh?

Perhaps to compensate for her intellectual shortcomings, among my parents acquaintances, I suddenly made it my business to know exactly who had titles, who was wealthy, and who was foreign.

Her diligence paid off. Her autobiography is liberally peppered with attention from wealthy titled foreigners, most of whom introduce her to yet more wealthy titled foreigners.

For instance, within a year of arriving in Paris I had got my social bearings. Thus, she made friends with Cristiana Brandolini, Maxime de la Falaise, Florence Grinda, Helene Rochas, Clara Saint and Sao Schlumberger, before embarking on a series of delicious but ultimately disastrous love affairs.

Ah, yes: her love affairs. Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is the Katie Price of the Upper Crust, the Barbara Windsor of Debretts. Aged 16, I was starting to catch the attention of older men... Having strong features, I was recognisable and quickly viewed as posh with cleavage.

Later, she accepts with enthusiasm a wealthy foreigners suggestion that she nickname her bosoms Minnie and Mickey. I was out every single night and could be counted on to expose Minnie and Mickey in a snug Rive Gauche top.

The Herman Munsterish Karl Lagerfeld offers her the benefit of his fashion experience. Wear tops to show off your bosom, Natasha. A bosom is the female equivalent of a grand zizi.

Just in case her readers arent bilingual, Natasha offers a brassy translation of grand zizi: big penis.

Aged 17, she is on a yacht with Sam Spiegel  the Harvey Weinstein of his day  when Mick Jagger arrives with Jerry Hall. Jerry says, Natasha is so pretty that she should be photographed by Terence (Donovan) or Bailey.

Mick replies, Well, her tits are big enough.

Talk about uncouth, writes Natasha, but her distaste does not stop her going on a date with him the minute shes back in London, or going back to his place at the end of that first evening.

Within minutes he was helping me brush my teeth, and when the lights went out, my cotton sweater, cheap skirt and everything else were swiftly whipped off.

Their relationship, which carried on for many years, was, she says, delightful on every level, though, understandably, Jerry was less than delighted. I thought you were ma friend, she says to Natasha, who finds it so funny that she couldnt resist repeating it all over London.

After A-levels (a crashing disaster) she had an affair with a Brazilian-born playboy whose party trick was eating glass. It was, she says the whiff of money around Shorto that partially attracted me to him.

When they were introduced, she noticed his Cartier watch, and I knew, within seconds of spotting it, that I was going to own it. I quickly did, and my mother quickly christened it the watch of shame.

Meanwhile, she lets Jack Nicholson put his hand up her skirt while they are both snorting cocaine, and also embarks on a long affair with the Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren.

Lady Antonia Fraser with baby Natasha. Natasha Fraser was born in 1963 into a family she describes as Catholic bluebloods

But she draws the line at Lucian Freud. If I had one rule, it was never sleeping with men I didnt find attractive.

She first met Warhol at a party in London in 1980, when she was 16. Coincidentally, I was at that same party, which was also attended by Gary Glitter and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, to name but two.

I was spending a few days with Warhol for a magazine article. He spent most of his time saying Gee or Great or Gee, great. He was the American equivalent of HM the Queen: genial but guarded.

Natasha didnt see much more of Andy until 1987, when she was hired as one of a string of posh British dolly-bird assistants at his famous Factory in New York, which she calls, Alan Partridge-style, the Big Apple.

She barely had time to introduce herself to her new boss before, later that same day, Warhol checked into hospital for an operation. He died four days later. This made me the last employee to be hired under Andy, she boasts, obscurely.

Perhaps to justify purloining Andys name for the title of her book, she then feels duty-bound to write a lot of earnest fifth-form stuff about the legacy of Warhol, a prophet-like artist whose impact continues to surprise and remains omnipresent.

And for those who may not have heard of Picasso, she helpfully describes him as the fecund and ever-popular Spanish artist. These dutiful passages make one yearn for the shameless downmarket joie-de-vivre of her nights on the tiles with Minnie and Mickey.

Whatever next? Katie Price on Sir Howard Hodgkin? Tamara Ecclestone on Francis Bacon?
When you imagine yourself following the wine trail, you may immediately picture the rolling hills of Tuscany or perhaps the vast expanses of new world destinations such as New Zealand or Australia. However my most recent wine based expedition (what other kinds of expeditions of note are there?) took me to a location with the historical standing of their old world counterparts, indeed they have been vines on the island for the best part of a millennia, and the fresh and accessible approach of the new kids on the block.

Cyprus has long been a favourite destination of weary British travellers looking to escape and relax to warmer climates. Perhaps the reason Paphos remains relatively unknown with international wine circles is due to the fact that the majority of the wine produced on the island is consumed there, quite probably by all the British holiday makers! Indeed only a very small proportion of its produce makes it overseas, explaining why Cypriot wine may not (yet) be on your shopping list.

The ultimate serving suggestion, trying out the local wines in the Mediterraneo restaurant

Never one to shy away from luxury, I stayed at The Elysium hotel and made full use of their idyllic seaside setting whilst I began my wine schooling from their incredibly knowledgeable and times incredibly patient in-house sommelier Yiannis. Scanning an eagle eye over their local wine list there were some names a novice like myself would recognise (home grown merlot and shiraz feature heavily), however its the age old local grape varieties that are really interesting. In particular look out for the local white of choice, Xynisteri. It has a higher acidity than many of its more famous counterparts, which makes it a great gastronomical choice, it counter balances the oily structure of the traditional food. My serving suggestion would be to enjoy a chilled glass whilst indulging in the freshly grilled seafood dishes the Mediterraneo restaurant, The Elysiums the beach side open air restaurant.

An aerial view of Ristorante Bacco at the Elysium, Paphos

Speaking of restaurants, Elysium has no fewer than 5 to choose from, giving you ample opportunities to find accompaniments as you work your way down their wine list. A personal shout out has to go to Ristorante Bacco, set in a private recessed courtyard in the centre of the hotel, the picture of mood lighting and creeping vines, it offers a perfect romantic setting and authentic Italian cuisine. Back to the wine list for a moment, Paphos is renowned for having the world oldest named wine still in production, an esteemed amber-coloured dessert wine named Commandaria. Such a large accolade deserves a rather show stopping dessert accompaniment. It goes without saying desserts always hold a special place in my heart, and no dessert comes more theatrically presented and lovingly created than the Sur la Table experience in Ristorante Bacco. Served with a Willy Wonka inspired flourish by their head patisserie chef directly on to the glass table top. Individual desserts arrive one by one, so many in number I lost count, each more intricately designed than its predecessor. Beautifully framed by elaborate hand drawn chocolate swirls and the piece de resistance smoking chocolate bomb in the centre of the table, it really is an experience that needs to be seen to be believed.

Sea views make a fantastic accompliment to a glass of Xynisteri.

In your time in between the excessive amounts of eating and drinking, be sure to sleep it off around the Royal Pool, set aside from the rest of the hotel, very peaceful and pleasantly adults only.

You can easily rent a bicycle and enjoy an invigorating journey down to the harbour down one direct path, so there no chance of getting lost! For you culture vultures the ancient Tombs of the Kings is adjacent to the hotel. Indeed Paphos has been named the European city of culture this year and deservedly so! Continuing on your wine themed itinerary, many of the local vineyards run in-depth tours if you are interested in the science (and the passion) that goes into each glass, followed by a tasting, so you can tell your Maratheftiko from your Mavro. Or for those more sedentary characters, I can personally vouch for the Opium Health spa, its all about choices really.

Enjoy tranquillity around the Royal Pool at the Elysium

In short, Elysium offers a classical holiday destination reimagined with wine enthusiasts in mind, for reliable year round sun, a strong local wine list and those luxurious finishing touches it is without doubt its a fine choice.

Rooms at Elysium start from 161.00 per person staying in a Deluxe Bedroom Sea View (elysium-hotel.com/en, +357 2684 44 44)
Based on Peter Turners memoir, Film Stars Dont Die in Liverpool follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner (Jamie Bell) and the unique Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening).

Film Stars Dont Die in Liverpool follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner (Jamie Bell) and the unique Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening)

What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her Liverpudlian lover in the late 1970s quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the person Gloria turns to for comfort. Their passion and lust for life is tested to the limits by events beyond their control.

What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her Liverpudlian lover in the late 1970s quickly grows into a deeper relationship

Film Stars Dont Die in Liverpool will be in cinemas from 17 November, but YOU readers can see it first and for free at a selection of nationwide cinemas, including 15 Picturehouse Cinema screenings taking place across the UK on 12 November.

TO BOOK TICKETS

Visit seeitfirst.com and enter the code STAR78
A couple in their late thirties who have allegedly trafficked more than 500 girls, mostly from West Bengal over the past eight years, are now in police custody.

The arrest of the pair, named as Pinki and Radhey, was made by the Sunderban police in West Bengal along with Shakti Vahini, an NGO working for anti-human trafficking.

They received help from the Delhi Police in arresting the couple at their rented accommodation on Friday.

They had been living a lavish life in Delhi's trans Yamuna's Geeta Colony area.

Pinki (left) and her husband, Radhey (not pictured) were arrested following a joint operation

A West Bengal Police official said: 'The couple has been living in the area for the past few years.

'However, it is not their permanent residence. Whenever a gang member was arrested or any girl trafficked by them was rescued, they would change their hideout and used to go underground for a few weeks before returning to their residence in Geeta Colony.'

During the investigation, it was revealed that the couple used to traffick the girls from West Bengal, who were then sold to brothels in Delhi and Agra.

According to sources, the accused couple has two daughters, who stay at their grandparents' house in Delhi.

A senior officer explained: 'They have been intentionally kept away so that they do not get affected from the dirty business they do.'

On June 3, Mail Today reported on a rescue operation centred on six Muslim teenagers, from the Sundarbans area, who had been trapped by a prostitution syndicate.

They were lured with an offer of being taken on a tour to Agra city.

Mail Today has been exposing human traffickers who push minors into prostitution

Tathagata Basu, Superintendent of Police, Sundarban, said: 'When a 19 year old girl was trafficked to a brothel in Agra she managed to call her parents.

'The police then arrested a lady named Meena, who used the alias Meenu (42), along with her two henchmen  Faraq and Kalimuddin Seikh. During a joint interrogation, they (the accused) informed us about the kingpin Pinki.'

He added that the police had undertaken a technical surveillance of Pinki's phone number, which had been revealed during raids in Delhi and Bengaluru.

The Superintendent said: 'They (the accused) are in police custody and will be sent to West Bengal Police on transit remand. After that they will appear in the city's court on Saturday.'

Rishi Kant, co-founder of anti-human trafficking NGO-Shakti Vahini, described the couple's arrest as a 'big catch'.

'They are among the main source of trafficking from West Bengal,' he alleged.

Mail Today has previously exposed the modus operandi following by the arrest of the henchmen of this racket.

Gang members obtained mobile numbers of these girls from the mobile shopkeepers. They were then contacted and lured for a job before being trafficked.
Breathing in the capital's toxic air is like smoking 50 cigarettes a day, doctors have warned.

Just 48 hours after the Diwali festivities, cases of respiratory illnesses at city hospitals have shot up by about 30 per cent with patients complaining of chest congestion, breathlessness and coughing.

Delhi's top medical institutes are witnessing a massive rush in OPDs and casualty wards, with doctors fearing that for many of the patients the next stage will be pneumonia.

Police officials protects their faces with masks amid heavy smog in New Delhi the day after the Diwali Festival

Experts said that although the air quality is reportedly better than last year, the toxic pollutants levels are still the same the only difference is that visibility has improved this time.

Since Diwali night, doctors at the casualty ward of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) have witnessed a sudden surge in the number of patients complaining of breathing difficulties who had not previously suffered such problems.

Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman of the centre for chest surgery at SGRH, said: 'I saw three patients in the OPD who did not have any respiratory issues for the past year.

'Within a few hours of the festivities, their symptoms exacerbated. Now, they have been advised to use inhalers and nebulisers.'

He added: 'After Diwali celebrations, pollutant levels were such that it was equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a day. The bursting of firecrackers is so harmful that the chemicals remain in the atmosphere for many months and are being inhaled by us. The most vulnerable groups are children and the elderly.'

Commuters drive amid heavy smog in New Delhi on October 20, 2017, the day after the Diwali Festival

Pollutants which present a grave threat to residents are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM2.5) and PM 10.

These particles are so small that they get ingested deep into the lungs and cause damage.

The Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in Delhi is also seeing a record number of patients post-festivities.

Breathing in toxic air in the capital is akin to smoking 50 cigarettes daily

Doctors there are concerned about other polluting factors such as vehicles, construction sites, indoor air pollution, and fumes from roadside dhabas.

'Obviously, pre-Diwali festivities, there were not many cases. Post-celebrations, cases have shot up by 20 to 30 per cent.

'Patients are coming in with severe symptoms of breathing difficulty. Most of them are children above 12 years of age and the elderly,' said Dr Raj Kumar, head of pulmonary medicine at the institute.

The Supreme Court this month banned the sale of crackers in and around Delhi until November 1 in a bid to prevent a repeat of the air pollution in 2016, the worst the national capital recorded in 20 years.

Dr Sanjeev Bagai, director of Manipal Hospital, said: 'Air pollution slowly creates morbidity and mortality by critically affecting several [parts of the body], such as the nervous system, kidneys, liver, intestines, skin, and blood.

'The younger population and pregnant mothers are more vulnerable. Banning of firecrackers was definitely a good step by the government, but more stringent measures should be taken to control air pollution.'

A man covers his face because of the choking smog

Thick smog and pollution covered Rajpath after the Diwali celebration in New Delhi, India. The air quality in various areas of the city was deemed 'severe and 'very poor'

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has seen a nearly 20 per cent jump in patients complaining of breathing difficulty in the past 48 hours.

'People with pre-existing respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and cardiac diseases are suffering more due to poor air quality,' said Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS.

According to the latest Global Burden of Disease study, India accounts for a quarter of deaths caused worldwide by the two most chronic respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

It stated that of 32 lakh deaths by COPD, 8 lakh occurred in India. Of 4 lakh deaths caused by asthma, 1 lakh were in India.

The findings of the study were published this week in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal. Health experts suggest air pollution is one of the major risk factors.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party have dived headlong into the capital's Chhath vote-bank days ahead of next week's four-day festivities to worship the sun god.

The two parties are vying with each other to court the capital's sizeable Poorvanchali community which dominates more than 20 assembly constituencies.

So the BJP city unit announced that it will deploy nearly 1.5 lakh workers to collaborate with municipal corporations in preparing Chhath ghats across the city, a day after the AAP government announced sprucing up of the sites for the festival.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari on Friday night met nearly 300 representatives of Chhath puja committees in Delhi and promised them proper facilities during the festival as he also accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in petty politics over the issue.

Devotees perform Chhath Pooja at India Gate in New Delhi (file photo)

Chhath puja has always been a political issue in Delhi given the large population of Poorvanchalis in the city.

There are an estimated 50 lakh migrant voters from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, who are called Poorvanchalis.

More than two dozen assembly constituencies in Delhi have Poorvanchali populations of up to 47 per cent.

The Poorvanchali dominated assembly constituencies are Burari, Seemapuri, Gokalpuri, Karawal Nagar, Kirari, Badli, Nangloi, Rithala, Matiala, Vikaspuri, Dwarka, Uttam Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Deoli, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Patparganj, Laxmi Nagar, Wazirpur and Rajinder Nagar.

While AAP is Delhi's ruling party, the BJP is in power at the Centre and in the city's civic bodies.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (file photo)

Office bearers of the Chhath puja committees told Tiwari that no arrangements for the prayers were made in many parts of Delhi including Kirari, Mehrauli and south Delhi.

They also alleged that only four days were left and temporary ghats in parks as announced by Kejriwal were yet to be constructed.

Tiwari assured them that all the three municipal corporations of Delhi and thousands of BJP workers will try their best to solve the problems being faced in observing Chhath puja.

Tiwari said: 'The Delhi BJP workers will help the officers and employees of the Municipal Corporations and also do 'shramdan' at the ghats so that the devotees do not face any problem. The sentiment of lakhs of Poorvanchalis is associated with Chhath festival. BJP will arrange for tents and other amenities at Chhath ghats for the convenience of devotees.'

Party insiders said about 1.5 lakh Delhi BJP workers will join the municipal employees to clean and make the necessary arrangements in the city at the puja ghats for four days.

Tiwari himself will do shramdan on Sunday afternoon at a Chhath ghat on Yamuna banks in Sonia Vihar.

In regards to maintaining an adequate water level in the river, Tiwari also spoke to Haryana chief minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar.

He said: 'The Haryana CM has assured that the government will release additional water for two days during the Chhath puja.

Leader of opposition in Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta also accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of cheating over 50 lakh Pooravanchalis.
Shares in mail and parcels firm DX Group soared even as the firm revealed a 60 per cent drop in earnings.

The business reported earnings of 7.2 million for the year to June 30, down from 18 million a year ago, and the company made a pre-tax loss of 82.3million.

But investors have high hopes for the business, which yesterday announced a shake-up to its board. DX has been working to address operational and financial issues this year, undergoing a review and reorganisation.

Shares in DX Group soared despite reported earnings of 7.2 million for the year to June 30 down from 18 million a year ago

The latest phase in this is a string of changes to the board which will see chairman Bob Holt step down. Lloyd Dunn will become chief executive joined by chairman Ron Series and non-executive directors Russell Black and Paul Goodson.

Series said a thorough review of operations will enable the board to make clear and sensible decisions about recovery initiatives.

While DX posted a loss of 18.3 million in its freight division, Liad Meidar, chief investment officer at Gatemore Capital Management (DXs largest shareholder with a 23.8 per cent stake) said: We could not have a stronger team leading the turnaround of this part of the firm.

Series and Dunn turned around competitor Tuffnells from a loss-making company to one with strong operating margins. Meidar said: We do not see any reason why this cannot be achieved again. DX shares rocketed 17.6 per cent, or 1.88p, to 12.5p.

The FTSE 100 finished fractionally up by 0.19 points at 7523.23.

STOCK WATCH-OSIRIUM TECHNOLOGIES Cyber-security software provider Osirium Technologies announced that two of its customers, Think Money and M-Netics, have renewed their contracts for another 12 months. AIM-listed Osirium has helped improve management control and access to IT systems at Think Money, a banking services provider. At mobile tech firm M-Netics the company has helped with systems that control who can access the firms network from different locations. Shares finished flat at 159p.

Acacia Mining shares nosedived, reversing much of the previous days strong gains. Three months of negotiations between the miners majority shareholder, Barrick Gold Corporation, and the government of Tanzania had looked to be coming to a resolution on Thursday.

Barrick had said it would hand over a 16 per cent stake in three gold mines, a 50 per cent share of revenues from those mines and a payment of 228 million. But Acacia said it had not been told of any formal proposal, and would need to approve any resolution. While Acacia said it will consider any agreement once its receives full details, its chief financial officer said the business does not have the ability to make the payment.

The dispute dates back to March when Tanzania banned exports of unprocessed gold, later hitting Acacia with a 144 billion tax bill as it claimed the company had under-declared on its export revenue.

The setback came as Acacia released its third quarter results. It said the business had been resilient in the face of the challenges in Tanzania but gold production was 7 per cent lower than a year ago at 191,203 ounces.

Shares plunged 8.1 per cent , or 17.2p, to 194.8p. Jersey Oil and Gas tanked as it placed shares to raise 20 million. The firm will use the proceeds to fund an exploration and appraisal programme and to strengthen its balance sheet. Shares dropped 15.6 per cent, or 39.5p, to 214.5p.

Pearson continues to streamline its business. The education specialist is in advanced talks with a consortium of Asian private equity firms to sell its English-language school unit. The deal, understood to be worth more than 265m, could be finalised within weeks. Shares grew 0.5 per cent or 3.5p, to 694.5p.

Activist investor Elliott is pushing for medical device maker Smith & Nephew to sell parts of its business. While the activist is not one of the firms ten largest shareholders, it is understood to be keen to make Smith & Nephew an attractive takeover target. Shares climbed 1.1 per cent , or 15p, to 1428p.

Land development company Henry Boot said it had been an outstanding year where almost every deal we hoped to complete has done so. Shares leapt 8.5 per cent , or 26p, to 333.5p.
Volvo has revealed the first of its new stand-alone performance cars, which, it hopes, will trump Tesla in the electric revolution.

But if you want a Polestar, you can only order one online and will have to drive it using a 'hassle-free' subscription rather than owning it outright. The equivalent price of ownership would be around 115,000.

Volvo's owner, Geely of China, aims to turn Polestar into an all-electric, separate brand.

Inspired: The Polestar 1 is almost indistinguishable from a 2013 Volvo concept car. That in turn was hailed as the 21st-century iteration of the classic Sixties Volvo P1800

The first car in the range, launched globally in Shanghai, is the Polestar 1 grand tourer electric-hybrid and should be in production by mid-2019.

As new as it is, the Polestar 1 is almost indistinguishable from a Volvo Coupe concept shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013.

Suave: Roger Moore driving the original P1800 coupe

That in turn was hailed as the 21st-century iteration of the classic Sixties Volvo P1800 coupe.

It's a name few will recall, but millions will remember it as the car of choice for Roger Moore when he played Simon Templar in The Saint.

Significantly, a Briton, Jon Goodman, a veteran of Volvo and Peugeot, will play a leading role as Polestar's chief operating officer overseeing the tilt at market-leader Tesla.

The Polestar 1 is the first of three models to be made at a new factory in Chengdu, China, which opens next summer.

The 600hp Polestar will look to rival equivalent Tesla models that will be on sale in 2019 as well as Jaguar's new I-Pace SUV

The Polestar 1 will have a range of 93 miles on pure electric power alone  more than any hybrid car on the market today

The new Polestar 1 is a hybrid-powered two-door coupe with a 2+2 seat layout

Polestars chief operating officer is Briton Jon Goodman, a veteran of Volvo and Peugeot, who is now charged with turning the company into a Tesla-beater

The two-door, 2+2 seat is an electric car supported by an internal combustion engine that generates on-board electric power.

The 600 bhp hybrid has a range of 93 miles on electric power alone and new driving technologies that make it 'a true driver's car', says the company.

Bosses say future models will be 'fully electric only'. The mid-sized battery-powered Polestar 2 will follow later in 2019 to take on the Tesla Model 3, with the larger SUV-style Polestar 3 arriving after that.

Going for pole with electric cars: Polestar is a new standalone Swedish car brand - a spin-off of Volvo cars. This will be the first model in 2019 called the 1 GT

The Polestar 1 has a carbon fibre construction that reduces bodyweight and improves stiffness by 45%

The luxury-spec Polestar 1 will be worth between 115,000 and 120,000

A special Phone-As-Key technology will allows the owner to share a virtual key with a third party, such as Amazon, to deliver parcels directly to the boot of the car

Polestar models will be built at a new production facility in Chengdu, China

Cars will be driven on a two or three-year monthly subscription, which covers delivery, servicing and the ability to rent other Volvos and Polestars.

Orders will be taken online, with showrooms called 'Polestar Spaces' where customers can still kick tyres.

While the Beatles sang about '4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire'  enough to fill the Albert Hall, comparison site Confused.com has worked out that the total depth of the million potholes reported to UK highways authorities in 2016 would be more than 25 miles  four times deeper than the Pacific Ocean at its deepest.

1000MPH BLOODHOUND DEBUT The Bloodhound supersonic car will make its 200mph debut at Cornwall Airport Newquay next Thursday Ahead of its world record attempt, the Bloodhound supersonic car, pictured, will make its 200mph debut at Cornwall Airport Newquay next Thursday. Driver Andy Green will make two passes along the runway, using an EJ200 jet engine to power the car to 200 mph in around nine seconds. This will be the first high-speed test run for the 1,000mph vehicle  and the only run taking place in the UK  ahead of a planned attempt to break the current record of 763 mph in South Africa next year. Driver Andy Green will make two passes along the runway, using an EJ200 jet engine to power the car to 200 mph in around nine seconds The Bloodhound team hopes to break the current record of 763 mph in South Africa next year

The 'buccaneering British spirit' will see our specialist car companies sail through Brexit, say industry chiefs.

They were speaking at the launch of a new industry report concluding that Britain's specialist car-makers, from Aston Martin to McLaren, are leading the world in proving that small is beautiful, with production set to soar by 60 per cent by 2020.

Business Minister Claire Perry, Dr Andy Palmer, the boss of Aston Martin, and the SMMT's Mike Hawes (right) at the industry event

The UK's low-volume, high-value manufacturing sector is the largest of its kind in the world and is on course to top 50,000 vehicles within three years, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Two thirds of the vehicles built here are exported, with exports outside the EU 'continuing to rise'.
Paul Krugman: stressed at IMF seminar that trade driven growth due to changes in production

We have come to think of Paul Krugman as the angry columnist ranting against the evils of Donald Trump.

At a packed seminar at the International Monetary Fund, the audience saw a different Krugman in the shape of the Nobel-Prize winning economist opining on his home ground of trade.

At a moment when the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is under fire from Trump, the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) is dead and Brexit casts a pall over the European Union, there was some surprising wisdom from Krugman. Trade has been a huge driver of growth, particularly for emerging market economies such as China, but has been more subdued since the financial crisis. Indeed, it is possible the world may be close to peak trade in goods.

This is due to the changing nature of production. Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and 3D printing, together with the acceleration of wages in China, are changing the economics of making things.

Germany is pioneering 3D manufacturing of footwear at home rather than buying in shoes from the Far East. The ability to re-shore production jobs is reason to be optimistic about a depreciated pound and Brexit. The economist (no friend of the Brexiteers) recounts how UK manufacturers are already reshaping their supply chains to meet post referendum challenges.

The pioneers behind Nims Fruit Crisps are resourcing beetroots in Yorkshire after the cost of imported ingredients climbed. Before the referendum only 20 per cent of ingredients came from home, now it is 70 per cent .

Motor industry body the Automotive Council reports domestically-produced components climbed from 41 per cent to 44 per cent over the last year. UK-based aluminium smelter Liberty House is investing in an automated plant in Coventry to provide pressings for car makers, Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover. There is a school of thought that says devaluation is no help to the UK economy any longer because of complex supply chains.

Reality is that modern technology makes it easier to rebuild those supply chains at home, eliminating inward transport costs and providing for the import substitution which would make devaluation work.

The imperative is for high-tech investment in manufacturing which will improve productivity. That is why it is so important the Tories end squabbling and businesses follow the lead of car component manufacturers and embrace a lower-cost, more automated future.

Paul Krugman's best seller End This Depression Now

Hammonds headroom

One of Philip Hammonds great mantras is that he didnt come into politics to raise taxes. Now he might not have to. Public sector finances for the first half of the year have proved much more resilient than expected, supported by strong income tax and VAT receipts, constrained central government spending and lower local government borrowing.

If this momentum could be maintained through the rest of the year, overall public borrowing would come in at 42.4billion against the 58.3billion forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

This is just as well as the Chancellor could be as much as 8billion out of pocket after the plans to raise tax on the self-employed were dropped and extra funding was promised to Northern Ireland.

Philip Hammond may have to raise taxes to compensate for a 8bn shortfall

There have also been pledges to ease student fees and bolster spending on social housing. In addition, the Chancellor has to cope with the OBRs productivity forecasts which could eat heavily into the 26billion headroom he had planned over the next five years.

There are hints from Hammond that there may be offsetting factors, which will provide more room to manoeuvre.

It may be worth noting that the Coalition inherited a projected deficit of 175billion in 2009-10. The likely outcome this year will be about a quarter of that. Not quite job done but austerity has worked.

Empire building

Will anyone ever move to curb the power of the Silicon Valley internet giants?

The last week has seen Amazon tighten its hold on logistics by acquiring package rooms in residential buildings, accounting for 850,000 apartments.

Facebook has signed deals with ten major publishers including the Washington Post, the Economist and Bild in Germany. It will offer users ten free articles a month before being prompted to buy a subscription.

Needless to say Mark Zuckerberg will be taking his cut. Better than more fake news.
Andrew Bailey, chief exec at the FCA, has expressed concern about debt among young

Early one September morning in 2007, Andrew Baileys redoubtable wife Cheryl strolled into the living room of their holiday house in Idaho and found herself confronted by a grizzly bear.

Back home in Beckenham, things were hardly less terrifying for her hubby, who, as the Bank of Englands chief cashier, was unable to join her as he was dealing with the impending collapse of Northern Rock.

Cheryl eventually managed to shoo her unwanted intruder back into the woods, while in London Andrew deftly arranged for the banks emergency bailout. But for the Bailey family those balmy last weeks of summer, it is safe to say, arent ones theyll forget in a hurry.

Fast forward ten years and Bailey is chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, where hes responsible for sniffing out ill-behaviour within our financial industries. During a lifelong career as a mandarin, hes certainly seen plenty of that.

As well as the Northern Rock saga, hes also played a key role in helping keep HBOS and RBS afloat during the 2008 financial crisis. Experiencing such unnerving events at close proximity youd think would take its toll on a man, not least one who counts the equally painful task of supporting West Bromwich Albion as his main diversion. After all, were any of us to know even half of what he knew back then, I expect wed struggle to emerge from beneath the duvet each morning.

Fortunately, Andrew is one of lifes cool customers. Charming and unassuming, with an endearingly wry sense of humour, his courteous manner betrays none of the anxiety he must have endured during those tumultuous years.

Weve been hearing rather a lot of Bailey of late. You may have heard him on the BBC this week expressing concern about debt among the young. Hes also been very hot on fund managers over their exorbitant fees.

With Mark Carney relinquishing the governorship of the Bank of England in 2019, we are just a year away from the Chancellor appointing his successor.

If he can keep his nose clean over the next 12 months, no small feat considering the scope of his responsibilities, Bailey will have strong claims to succeed the Canadian.

Thered certainly be few quibbles around the City, or Westminster for that matter, if he did. While no establishment schmoozer in the Carney mould, hes a popular figure at ease with banking chairmen and cabinet ministers as he is around economists and junior members of his own staff. It doesnt hurt that Bailey already knows the Bank of England inside out. The son of a Leicester school headmaster, he worked there for 30 years having arrived from Cambridge via a stint as a researcher at the London School of Economics.

Andrew Bailey's appointment as chief executive at FCA was unexpected to many in the City

He learned at the knee of Steady Eddie, Lord George, and within ten years at Threadneedle Street, he became the charismatic ex-governors private secretary. In 2004, he was made executive director and chief cashier, a job which meant his signature appeared on banknotes.

Following the Northern Rock saga, he was put in charge of the banks special operations to resolve troubled lenders. When Carney took over from Lord  then Mervyn  King in 2013, Bailey was appointed deputy governor.

His appointment to the 466,000-a-year FCA role in January last year caught the City unawares. Many assumed it was going to go to a flash Aussie dingo called Greg Medcraft, but when Bailey emerged as the surprise choice it was regarded as one of Chancellor George Osbornes better decisions.

Relations between he and Carney are warm. But then Bailey appears to have made remarkably few enemies. In fact, its extraordinary that in a career spent fighting financial fires what little flak has come his way. When Carney trots back to the land of maple syrup, we could do a whole lot worse than Governor Bailey.
The humanitarian aid department at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has delivered $150,000 worth of humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons has said.

The aid was delivered to Donbas as part of Switzerland's seventh humanitarian mission on October 18, 2017, the ministry said.

"In particular, a full set of medical equipment and necessary expendables (reagents) has been delivered to the Luhansk anti-tuberculosis hospital. The outbreak of tuberculosis and the risk of the disease spreading among people living both in Ukraine-controlled and breakaway territories remains a problem," the ministry said.

The new equipment will cut diagnosis time from two weeks to two days, thus preventing "poly-resistant tuberculosis" from spreading throughout the region and beyond, the ministry said.
John Lewis has vowed to reinvent the department store as the retailer fights back against the threat of online shopping.

It has opened a store in Oxford with a concierge service as well as on-site technology training workshops, an express nail and beauty bar and guided tours.

John Lewis has even launched its first personal styling service for men  and has given staff training by a Savile Row tailor to learn about dress sense, body shapes and colour.

Paula Nickolds is expected to deliver a bumper Christmas despite competition from on-line shopping

Bosses hope the service will prove popular  particularly as a gift from wives looking to give their husbands a make-over.

The changes are part of a major shake-up of its operations as it tries to keep customers pouring through its doors amid a surge in online shopping.

The 120,000 sq ft store in Oxford has 22 different services, and it is thought successful initiatives will be rolled out to the rest of its 48 shops in the country.

All 322 staff working at the store have also received theatre training at the Oxford Playhouse to boost their confidence.

The shop marks the first key shift in strategy under boss Paula Nickolds, who is seeking to revive the 152-year-old chain in the face of fierce competition online.

The 44-year-old is under pressure to deliver a bumper Christmas this year, which will be her first official festive season since taking control in January.

In September, when the John Lewis Partnership (which includes Waitrose and some financial services) reported dented profits, the retailer warned that Brexit had dented consumer confidence and the fall in the pound had pushed up costs, hitting profit margins.

Christmas, which is responsible for around 40 per cent of John Lewis's profit, could be a turning point.

Nickolds said: 'Our Oxford shop is a place that aims to inspire and delight our customers.'

John Lewis's free personal stylist service for men and women allows customers to book one-hour express appointments for outfit styling sessions or sign up to a two-hour wardrobe revamp.

Its menswear stylists were sent to the London College of Style and received one-on-one training from a Savile Row tailor. John Lewis is also holding weekly in-store tech workshops to teach customers how to make best use of the latest gadgets.

It has even launched an after-hours Scandinavian rooftop restaurant and bar.

It has invested 18million in the store, which stocks more than 55,000 products and 1,000 different brands.

John Mercer, analyst at Fung Global Retail, said: 'John Lewis has always been heavy on service and this takes it a step further.

'Online is taking functional shopping so stores will be more about experiences and services.'
A Hedge fund boss nicknamed Mr Copper is suing Barclays for 650million over claims it rigged the metal markets.

Lord Farmer of Red Kite Management claims the bank used confidential information to bet against the business.

The peer  a Conservative donor who handed over 2.3million to the party ahead of the 2010 election  claims his firm suffered from Barclays market abuse during the three years to 2013.

Barclays has been accused of manipulating the London Metal Exchange by Lord Farmer

Red Kite is one of the worlds biggest metal traders and once beat the bank in a famous 2011 bet when they disagreed over whether the copper price would rise.

Farmers lawsuit alleges that Barclays  which managed his companys account  sent confidential details of Red Kites positions to its traders in a daily email.

They then used these secrets to gamble on the market, Farmer claims.

His lawyers suggest the bank sought to manipulate the London Metal Exchange by ramping up prices.

Barclays, which denies any wrongdoing, is also being prosecuted in the criminal courts over a controversial rescue deal at the height of the financial crisis.

The bank and Red Kite declined to comment.
Guy Elliot stepped won from UK Takeover Panel after being charged with inflating coal assets

FRAUD CHARGE Former Rio Tinto chief financial officer Guy Elliott has stepped down from the UK Takeover Panel after fraud charges in the US.

He was charged by the SEC this week alongside former Rio chief executive Tom Albanese of inflating the value of coal assets in Mozambique and concealing critical information while tapping the market for billions of dollars. Elliott has vowed to vigorously contest the charges.

STORM COST The devastation caused by the three hurricanes which swept the Caribbean and US will cost insurer Swiss Re 2.7 billion. Boss Christian Mumenthaler said Harvey, Irma and Maria were extremely powerful.

BACKING HAILED Googles parent company Alphabet is throwing its financial muscle behind ride-hailing service Lyft  deepening its rift with market leader Uber in which it is a leading shareholder. Alphabet, which gets most of its money from Googles digital ad network, is leading an 800m investment in Lyft that values the privately held company at over 8 billion.

LIQUID DEAL The worlds largest oil trader Vitol Group is nearing a deal to buy commodities trading house Noble Groups global oil liquids business, which analysts had valued at nearly 800 million.

STATES RETURN Ed Casey, 58, public services provider Sercos chief operating officer, is leaving the company to return to the US after 12 years at the business.

BRIBE SENTENCE Three bosses from German freight firm Bertling have been handed 20-month suspended prison sentences for paying bribes in Angola. Joerg Blumberg, Dirk Juergensen and Marc Schweiger were also fined 20,000 and banned as company directors.

CAR TROUBLE German car maker Daimler has suffered a 17per cent drop in net profit in the third quarter to 2million despite a 6pc increase in sales revenue to 36.5bn.
If you want to live in a market town but don't have a big budget to buy a property, it looks like Durham is the place to head for.

Four of the 10 market towns with the lowest house prices in England are located in the north-eastern county, according to Lloyds Bank.

The cheapest market town for homebuyers in the country is Durham's Ferryhill, which the study found has an average house price of just 78,184 - an amount that will look like peanuts to many a Southerner.

The city of Durham is famous for its castle and university - but the wider county is home to picturesque market towns with some of the cheapest house prices in the UK.

Ferryhill is also a former mining town that suffered some of the socio-economic problems associated with the industry's decline but has in recent years seen infrastructural improvements and still has its weekly Friday market.

Also in the county are Crook, Stanhope and Saltburn, which at 144,717 was the fifth cheapest English market town, but the highest average house price of the four in Durham.

And the North East claimed three more spots in the 10 cheapest market towns with Immingham, Guisborough and Marsden.

The report also found a substantial mark-up on properties in market towns compared to similar homes elsewhere in the same county.

ENGLAND'S 10 CHEAPEST MARKET TOWNS 1. Ferryhill, Durham, North, 78,184 2. Crook, Durham, North, 115,659 3. Immingham, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, 115,769 4. Stanhope, Durham, North, 142,535 5. Saltburn, Durham, North, 144,717 6. Tickhill, Derbyshire, East Midlands, 147,543 7. Guisborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, 151,309 8. Marsden, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, 154,830 9. Boston, Lincolnshire, East Midlands, 161,538 10. Cartmel, Cumbria, North, 165,335

The biggest disparity appeared in the UK's most expensive market town Beaconsfield, where at 1,049,659 the average house price is fully 161 per cent higher than elsewhere in Buckinghamshire.

At 366,873, the Yorkshire town of Wetherby has property that is 110 per cent moire expensive than the county average.

But the average premium for buying in a market town was just 30,788, Lloyds found. The average house price in one of England's market towns is 280,690 - 7.9 times average earnings.

Property values in market towns across England are on average 12 per cent higher than their county average.

South East England dominates the top 10 most expensive market towns with Beaconsfield followed by Henley on Thames (831,452) and Alfresford in Hampshire (541,529).

Outside southern England, Altrincham, with its lively market being a big destination for foodies and its popularity with Manchester commuters, is the most expensive market town with an average property value of 431,295.

The picturesque market town of Beaconsfield benefits from good commuting links with London.

Andrew Mason, mortgages product director at Lloyds Bank, said: 'Understandably, homebuyers continue to be attracted to the charm and high quality of life offered by market towns and are typically happy to pay extra to live there.'

Here are England's 10 most expensive market towns, according to Lloyds Bank, with the average house price:
Drivers collecting passengers from the airport have been hit with parking charge hikes of up 100 per cent by some of the UK's busiest airports, a new RAC study has found.

Eight of the top 20 airports have increased their pick-up tariffs this year, the research revealed. Some airports have also introduced fees for the first time.

London Luton charged the most at 7 for 40 minutes, closely followed by London Stansted at 5 for 30 minutes and Birmingham at 4.90 for one hour.

Price hike: Drivers collecting passengers from the airport have been hit with parking charge hikes of up 100 per cent by some of the UK's busiest airports, a new RAC study has found

Five airports have also raised fees for dropping off people catching flights.

London Stansted demands the highest fee for dropping off passengers at 3.50 for 10 minutes, 50p more than the amount charged by London Luton for the same time.

Liverpool John Lennon is the third most expensive at 3 for 20 minutes, although a secondary drop-off area involving a five to 10-minute walk is free.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams has warned that motorists will view the increases as 'another way of making money out of them'.

Anyone driving family or friends to or from an airport should check prices in advance 'or be prepared for an unpleasant shock', he added.

Williams said: 'The eye-watering drop-off and pick-up costs at some airports is likely to be viewed by drivers as another way of making money out of them, particularly in instances where public transport to and from the airport simply isn't a viable option.

Biggest increase: London Luton charged the most for pick up at 7 for 40 minutes, closely followed by London Stansted at 5 for half and hour and Birmingham at 4.90 for one hour

'This year many airports have increased the already sky-high prices they charge for short-stay parking near their departure and arrival terminals making a good deed a costly experience.

'Drop-off charges are the biggest bone of contention as for many they appear severe when they are simply pulling up for less than five minutes and often don't even get out of the car themselves.'

However, seven airports buck the trend by offering free drop-off parking by terminals.

They are: London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast City and Jersey.

A spokesman for trade association the Airport Operators Association said income from parking supports investment in facilities and 'allows airports to keep charges to airlines low, benefiting travellers through lower air fares'.

He said that airports provide clear information about the cost of parking options, meaning passengers have a 'high level of awareness of the different ways they can choose to get to the airport, ranging from public transport to travelling by car'.

The spokesman added that airports set drop-off charges for a variety of reasons, including to manage congestion and limit the environmental impact of journeys.
The USS Ronald Reagan, a 100,000-ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier, is patrolling in waters east of the Korean peninsula, in a show of sea and air power designed to warn off North Korea from any military action.

The carrier sailed into the port of Busan in southern South Korea on Saturday in a regular visit to the country as tensions stemming from North Koreas missile and nuclear provocations simmer.

The U.S. Navy's biggest warship in Asia, with a crew of 5,000 sailors, sailed around 100 miles launching almost 90 F-18 Super Hornet sorties from its deck, in sight of South Korean islands.

It is conducting drills with the South Korean navy involving 40 warships deployed in a line stretching from the Yellow Sea west of the peninsula into the Sea of Japan.

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrives in the South Korean port city of Busan on October 21

'The dangerous and aggressive behavior by North Korea concerns everybody in the world,' Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of the Reagan's strike group, said in the carrier's hangar as war planes taxied on the flight deck above.

'We have made it clear with this exercise, and many others, that we are ready to defend the Republic of Korea.'

The Reagan's presence in the region, coupled with recent military pressure by Washington on Pyongyang, including B1-B strategic bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, comes ahead of Donald Trump's first official visit to Asia, set to start in Japan on November 5, with South Korea to follow.

The USS Ronald Reagan (center) and the USS Stethem steam alongside South Korean navy ships during a bilateral training exercise in the waters east of South Korea on October 18

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrived in a South Korean port on October 21. North Korea has slammed the gathering, calling it a 'rehearsal for war'

North Korea has slammed the warship gathering as a 'rehearsal for war'. It comes as senior Japanese, South Korean and U.S. diplomats meet in Seoul to discuss a diplomatic way forward backed up by U.N. sanctions.

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously ratcheted up sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs since 2006. The most stringent include a ban on coal, iron ore and seafood exports that aim at halting a third of North Korea's $3billion of annual exports.

On Monday, Kim In Ryong, North Koreas deputy U.N. envoy, told a U.N. General Assembly committee the Korean peninsula situation had reached a touch-and-go point and a nuclear war could break out at any moment.

On Monday North Korea's deputy U.N. envoy said a nuclear war could break out at any moment

Rear Admiral Marc Dalton (left) and the Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Brad Cooper (right) speak at a press conference on October 21 in Busan, South Korea

A series of weapons tests by Pyongyang, including its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 and two missile launches over Japan, has stoked tension in East Asia.

A Russian who returned from a visit to Pyongyang has said the regime is preparing to test a missile it believes can reach the U.S. west coast.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Donald Trump had instructed him to continue diplomatic efforts to defuse tension with North Korea.

Washington has not ruled out the eventual possibility of direct talks with the North to resolve the stand-off, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan said on Tuesday.
A floor mosaic from one of Roman Emperor Caligula's opulent private ships, which was stolen after World War II, is on its way back to Italy from the United States where it has been recovered from a private collection.

A floor mosaic from Roman Emperor Caligula's opulent private ship, which was stolen after World War II, is on its way back to Italy from the United States

The first century AD marble, serpentine and porphyry mosaic came from one of Caligula's ceremonial vessels, which was found at the bottom of Lake Nemi, near Rome, in the 1930s.

The artifact, stolen from Italy's Roman Ship Museum after the war, was seized by the New York district attorney's office from the collection of Helen Fioratti.

She and husband, Italian journalist Nereo Fioratti, purchased the piece more than 45-years-ago from an aristocratic family that lived on the lake.

'They thought they owned it. We thought they owned it. Everyone thought they owned it,' she said to NBC News of the confusion of ownership.

While it was unknown to the woman how much they paid for the piece, they assume that it cost them thousands of dollars and was a 'completely innocent' purchase.

The Italian military police's Art Recovery Unit was responsible for seizing the ship piece, and Fioratti believes a recent magazine feature is what alerted authorities to its whereabouts.

The first century AD marble, serpentine and porphyry mosaic came from one of his ceremonial vessels, which was found at the bottom of Lake Nemi, near Rome. The artifact, stolen from Italy's Roman Ship Museum after the war, was seized by the New York district attorney's office from the collection of Helen Fioratti

'We had our apartment featured a long time ago in Architectural Digest and I'm sure there was a photograph of the table in front of the sofa,' she added.

The piece was ceremonially returned to the Italian government based in New York.

'The United States have today given back to Italy several archaeological treasures that came from clandestine digs or thefts in our country,' Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told a news conference in New York on Friday.

'The United States have today given back to Italy several archaeological treasures that came from clandestine digs or thefts in our country,' Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told a news conference in New York on Friday

'They will all be returned to the places from where the criminals took them,' he said.

According to the Manhattan district attorney's office, no criminal charges have been filed against Fioratti.

Among other Roman-era items recovered was a vase from the Puglia region dating to around 350 BC, which found its way to the New York Metropolitan Museum, and two amphorae from the 4th or 5th century BC.

The vase was taken from an illegal dig in the 1980s.

The artifacts presented at the news conference also included Roman coins, books and manuscripts.

Caligula, whose real name was Gaius Julius Caesar, was emperor between AD 37 and AD 41. Historical accounts describe him as an insane, violent and sadistic man who ordered killings at a whim. Legend has it that he planned to make his horse Incitatus a consul.

The tile is believed to be part of one of two of the emperor's lavish ships.

The tile is believed to be part of one of two of the emperor's lavish ships. Over 230ft long and 65ft wide, the ships had difficulty navigating through the volcanic waters of Lake Nemi and would eventually sink there

The marble flooring was found during excavations between 1928 and 1932

Following WWII and the end of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, it is believed the tiles were looted from the museum they were housed in and eventually made their way back to the aristocratic family on Lake Nemi

Referred to as 'floating palaces' by the Museum of Roman Ships - home to pieces of the ships - the boats were said to be home to parties that took place over several days.

Over 230ft long and 65ft wide, the ships had difficulty navigating through the volcanic waters of Lake Nemi and would eventually sink there.

The marble flooring was found during excavations between 1928 and 1932. Following WWII and the end of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, it is believed the tiles were looted from the museum they were housed in.

And for Fioratti, the idea of people not being as interested in the piece as they were when it was in her home, was too much for the dealer to bear.

'I don't know if anyone is going to see it as much as they did in my place. I had people who were interested in antiquities admiring it in my home all the time. Now it will be in a museum with a lot of other things,' she added.
Tom Begaye (pictured) of Waterflow, N.M. Begaye, pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault in the death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike in August

A man who raped and killed an 11-year-old girl on the Navajo Nation last year has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole on Friday as part of a plea deal.

Tom Begaye was handed down the sentence at the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the rape and murder Ashlynne Mike in May 2016.

Authorities say Begaye lured Mike and her brother into his van before killing the girl and allowing the boy to escape.

The brother notified police but an Amber Alert didn't go out until the next day.

Her body was later found in an area near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

The death led to pending legislation that would expand Amber Alerts into the Navajo Nation and other tribal lands.

Following the verdict, Ashlynne's mother Pamela Foster called Begaye a 'monster' who stole her child.

'I have tried to get up each day on a positive note, and this is not possible because I still miss my sweet baby,' Foster said.

A man who raped and killed 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike (pictured) was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole

Pamela Foster, foreground, and Gary Mike, center background, parents of Ashlynne Mike Friday, are pictured on October 20, 2017 outside court

Begaye pleaded guilty in August, telling prosecutors that he hit the child in the head with the crowbar twice after sexually assaulting her.

Ashlynne's father, Gary Mike, said the verdict has brought closure to the case and justice for his daughter.

'We all know that this person is guilty,' he said. 'He finally admitted it today.'

Under the plea agreement, Begaye faced a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye says he told prosecutors that the tribe would have supported the death penalty for the convicted killer. Russell and Tom Begaye are not related.

Navajo Nation president says he would have supported the death penalty for Begaye

'This particular case I was surprised, actually,' Russell Begaye said. 'I was thinking the U.S. attorney general would say yeah, this one deserves the death penalty.'

Tribes for decades including the Navajo Nation have almost always rejected the death penalty aside from cases where children and police officers are victims.

A defense lawyer for Begaye said at his client's sentencing hearing that his client is intellectually disabled and was regularly beaten as a child.

Lawyer James Loonam said Friday that Tom Begaye did not offer that information as an excuse for Begaye's actions but as insight.

Begaye did not speak during Friday's hearing.
Armed militants killed at least 30 policemen in a shootout during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert, security sources said on Friday.

Suspected militants were also killed and security forces are combing the area, a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an Islamic State affiliate, that has killed hundreds of security forces since 2013.

Armed militants killed at least 30 policemen in a shootout during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert (stock image)

Islamist militants have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities with the loss of dozens of lives.

The security sources said authorities were following a lead to a hideout deep in the desert thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the capital targeting judges and police since last year.

A convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle was ambushed from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices, a senior source in the Giza Security Office said.

The number of dead was expected to rise, two security sources said.

Two security sources said eight security personnel were injured in the clashes, while another source said that four of the injured were police and four others suspected militants.

Suspected militants were also killed and security forces are combing the area, a statement by the Interior Ministry said (stock image)

Egypt accuses Hasm of being the militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.

The Islamist insurgency in the Sinai peninsula has grown since the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen and has started to target other areas, including Egypt's Christian Copts.
An appeals court has blocked a teenage illegal immigrant from demanding abortion services from the federal government while being held in custody.

The Friday ruling does allow the girl, a 17-year-old being held in Texas, to seek a private sponsor who could help her obtain the procedure without the government's assistance.

The government has until October 31 to approve such a sponsor, the 2-1 ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The teen, who is from Central America and is 15 weeks pregnant, entered the country unaccompanied in September and was immediately detained by the federal government and placed in a shelter.

Activists demonstrate in support of a pregnant illegal immigrant 17-year-old being held in a Texas facility for to obtain an abortion, in Washington DC on Friday

The teen has already received a state court order permitting her to have the abortion, but federal officials have refused to transport her or temporarily release her so that others can take her to have the procedure.

The Department of Health and Human Services argued to the appeals court that the department had a policy of 'refusing to facilitate abortions' except in 'very limited circumstances.'

It said the teen could instead ask to be returned to her country of origin, as it generally allows minors in the department's custody to request a voluntary departure from the US.

But a government lawyer acknowledged that abortion is illegal in the teen's home country, which was not disclosed to protect her identity.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of the teen, arguing that the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement was improperly preventing her from having the abortion and instead taking her to a crisis pregnancy center. Such centers seek to persuade women not to have abortions.

The state of Texas generally does not permit abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, adding an element of urgency to the proceedings.

The teen crossed the border (seen in a file photo) in September and was immediately detained

Brigitte Amiri, a lawyer for the ACLU, accused the government of having 'no shame and no regard for a woman's health.'

'Her decision has been disregarded and she's now been dragged into a protracted legal battle over her ability to get the care she needs,' Amiri said in a statement.

The girl sought and received a Texas court order to approve the abortion because she is under 18, and has scheduled a sonogram and consultation with a physician, as required by state law.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, an office of HHS, refused to let her leave the detention center to carry out those steps.

The ACLU said in a court filing that the Office of Refugee Resettlement revised its procedures in March to mandate that abortions for under-age detainees required office approval.

One of the judges in the majority, Brett Kavanaugh, (pictured) is considered a possible contender for a seat on the Supreme Court if Trump has a future vacancy to fill

The policy change came weeks after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a Republican who campaigned on promises to clamp down on illegal immigration and seek new restrictions on women's access to abortions.

Friday's ruling said that if the teen could not find a sponsor to provide the abortion by the October 31 deadline, she could renew her legal claim.

The three-judge panel was comprised of two Republican appointees and one Democratic appointee, Patricia Millett, who was the sole dissenter.

One of the judges in the majority, Brett Kavanaugh, is considered a possible contender for a seat on the Supreme Court if Trump has a future vacancy to fill.
Conflict in Ukraine to be discussed at Russia-NATO Council meeting in Brussels on Oct 26

The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is to take place on October 26, 2017 in Brussels, and one of the key issues to be discussed is the Ukrainian issue, Radio Liberty has reported.

"The joint Russia-NATO Council will meet in Brussels on October 26, the second time the body has convened this year," Radio Liberty said in a report later on Friday, referring to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's office.

According to the report, the meeting will focus on the conflicts in Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as on ways of reducing the risk of clashes and accidents during military exercises and border surveillance.

The NATO-Russia Council last met in Brussels in March, 2017.

"Relations between NATO and Moscow have been seriously strained in the wake of Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and because of Moscow's ongoing political, economic, and military support for separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine," the report reads.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing the Air Force to bring up to 1,000 pilots back to active duty as it grapples with an aviator shortage, the Pentagon said Friday.

The Air Force has complained for years that it is struggling to retain pilots, who are often lured away by better-paying commercial airlines.

Additionally, pilots often choose to leave the military due to the strains of extended deployments overseas.

The US Air Force is trying to tackle a shortage of more than 1,000 pilots, many of whom are lured away by commertical airlines

'We anticipate that the secretary of defense will delegate the authority to the secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years,' Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

Previously, the Air Force had been limited to recalling 25 pilots.

'The pilot supply shortage is a national-level challenge that could have adverse effects on all aspects of both the government and commercial aviation sectors for years to come,' Ross said.

President Trump with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday; The Air Force has complained for years that it is struggling to retain pilots, who are often lured away by better-paying commercial airlines

The Air Force welcomed the new rule, but said it could not provide details until it received guidance.

'As the Air Force pursues a variety of initiatives to counter the shortage, it will take care to balance new accessions with voluntary programs for retired and senior pilots to ensure the service maintains a balance of experienced aviators throughout the coming years,' Air Force spokeswoman Erika Yepsen said.

General Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force, told lawmakers this year that the service is short of 1,555 pilots and 3,400 aircraft maintainers.

The Air Force has already boosted pay and incentives to its fliers and reached out to airlines to come up with solutions to the pilot shortage.
A woman who was gang raped when she was just 14 has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal and the horrendous trial she was made to endure.

Tegan Wagner was attacked while at a Sydney house party 15 years ago by the notorious group known as the Ashfield Gang Rapists.

And on Sunday night's episode of 60 Minutes, the now 29-year-old details the horrific victim blaming she was subject to in court.

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Tegan Wagner (pictured), who was was gang raped when she was a teenager has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal and the horrendous trial she was made to endure

Ms Wagner was raped in 2002 and was one of a number of teenage women attacked who took the perpetrators - a group of Pakistani brothers - to court.

But during the trial, which was delayed nine times, she was made to withstand days of intense cross-examination, where she said she was 'made to feel dirty'.

During the traumatising court-room experience, Ms Wagner was faced with nearly 2,000 questions from the defence team, according to Nine News.

After returning to the building in a promotional clip, she said she was hit by emotions while standing in the dock.

'This was the three days of hell, this is where you get made to feel raped again,' she said.

'Youre being told that you lied about it, that it didnt happen, that you as a person must be some sort of jezebel because you put yourself in that situation.'

Ms Wagner was attacked in 2002 when she was just 14 (pictured) while at a Sydney house party, by the notorious group known as the Ashfield Gang Rapists

The now 29-year-old is hoping to put an end to victim blaming, with one woman in a promo clip (pictured) for 60 Minutes stating the defence attorneys for the men claimed they slept soundly at night

All of those involved, including the brothers known only by their initials MSK, MAK, MMK and MRK, as well as a fifth man, were convicted of raping five other girls.

But only two of the three brothers accused by Ms Wagner were found guilty during her case.

After seeing them sentenced, Ms Wagner proclaimed outside court in 2006 that she had emerged victorious.

'I'd like to say, have fun in prison, boys. I won,' she said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
A Queensland cyclist has come up with a novel way to keep pesky magpies at bay by attaching a quirky contraption to his helmet.

The cyclist  who is new to Australia  had been attacked by magpies while out on his bike.

He decided to invent a contraption that would scare the magpies off and stop them from pecking at his helmet.

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A Queensland cyclist has come up with a novel way to keep pesky magpies at bay

The man developed a system where he blows through a tube connected to a set of party blowouts on his helmet

As a new cyclist in Australia I was very shocked to experience the magpie attacks, he told 7 News.

It seemed particularly unsafe to cycle along holding a stick or to wave your hands around in the air so I thought some self-contained approach like this would probably discourage them.

The man developed a system where he blows through a tube connected to a set of party blowouts on his helmet.

When a magpie swoops and tries to peck through his helmet, the man blows on the tube inflating the blowouts.

The magpie backs off once it sees the brightly-coloured party toys spring out from the mans helmet.

The device seems to be effective, in contrast to Brisbane woman Tracy Schweitzer who attempted to fight off the aggressive birds using a blinking light attached to her helmet.

The solution failed miserably as the birds still came after her.
Chief constables are considering for the first time whether every frontline officer should be armed with a Taser.

They fear soaring street violence and no end in sight to the threat of further terrorist strikes means officers need a stun gun to protect themselves.

One leader called for a national discussion on whether the US-made weapons should be standard issue alongside handcuffs, a metal baton and CS spray.

Campaigners are calling for all frontline police officers in Britain to be armed with Tasers in a bid to protect the streets from rising crime

Lucy DOrsi, who is responsible for Taser use nationwide, said it is a vital option for the future, adding we need to start having a debate.

She is supported by the Police Federation which has been campaigning for years to make the weapons more widely available.

But critics warned forces risk a seismic shift in the nature of British policing that could lower standards and put lives in danger.

And senior advisors are concerned any move could backfire if officers are barred from patrolling if they fail to meet exacting Taser training standards.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner DOrsi, of the Metropolitan Police, said the discussion should take place in the next five years.

She said: It is a question, nothing more, should this be something we consider in the future? And if it is, what are all the things we need to consider?

I do not want this to be seen as a back door way of arming the police service. Taser should be an option for people, but it is the last option and it is there to save lives.

A police sergeant in the West Midlands tests out the new X2 two-shot Tasers, which were introduced in August to replace the previous X26 model

I dont know what the answer is but I want us to have a debate and that debate will take a long time as there are a lot of factors to it.

She added: It must be a sensible, constructive and thoughtful debate. My initial thoughts are this is a really vital option for the future.

Her comments signal the latest shift towards the wider roll-out of Tasers just months after a new X2 two-shot version was approved.

The state-of-the-art weapon carries two cartridges giving officers a back-up shot, or even the opportunity to take down two suspects, if necessary.

Police chiefs will be able to hand Tasers to probationary officers  those with fewer than two years experience  in the New Year.

And they are also discussing whether volunteer special constables should also be allowed as they face the same dangers as paid colleagues.

Tasers are a type of electroshock weapon which fire two small dart-like electrodes that disrupt the voluntary control of muscles to cause neuromuscular incapacitation

Speaking to an audience of Taser specialists from around the world, Mrs DOrsi said Taser has a firm place in the future of policing.

But she warned that rolling out the weapon to tens of thousands more officers would inevitably come at significant cost.

Asked about arming rookie officers, she said it is bizarre some officers are prevented from using Taser because of a point in time.

We want to move from a time-based criteria to a competency-based selection, she said. We hope to see this employed across the country in the New Year.

Earlier this year the Metropolitan Police announced it will equip a further 1,867 officers to use Taser, meaning one in five officers have the weapon.

The Police Federation has urged the Home Secretary to make cash available to allow other forces to follow suit.

One survey found an overwhelming majority of officers (82%) support issuing Taser to all those on the frontline.

The Metropolitan Police announced earlier this year that it will equip an additional 1,867 officers with Tasers, increasing the number of officers carrying the weapon to one in five

But campaigners are concerned that it may be necessary to lower standards if the weapons are to be carried by all officers.

They fear that officers may rush to use Tasers to tackle suspects before exhausting every other option to resolve confrontations without violence.

Oliver Feeley-Sprague, of Amnesty International, said arming all officers with Taser risks changing the face of British policing.

He said: It would represent a seismic shift towards arming the police and would inevitably lead to an increase in the misuse Tasers, with potentially fatal consequences.

As a specialist tool, used by specialist officers, it can help save lives and resolve life threatening situations more safely.

But it also a weapon that can kill and clearly does inflict extreme pain when used inappropriately by poorly trained officers.

By re-classifying it as an officer safety device, it would become mandatory for all police officers to carry one and it would be impossible to restrict its use to life threatening incidents.
Investigators hunting the driver responsible for a hit-and-run which left a police officer injured have taken a man into custody.

Police arrested the 22-year-old at his home in Greystanes, in Sydney's west, at about 7am on Saturday.

The man is helping police with their inquiries at Merrylands Police Station, and his arrest is the result of an investigation by the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit.

Shocking footage of the crash shows the officer waving down a blue Mazda 3 with reflective flags and wearing a hi-vis vest on Roberts Road in Greenacre.

Investigators hunting the driver responsible for a shocking hit-and-run which left a police officer injured have arrested a man (pictured) over the incident

Police arrested the 22-year-old at his home in Greystanes, in Sydney's southwest, at about 7am on Saturday

The car is then seen swerving dramatically to overtake a taxi and in the process takes out the policeman.

The officer tries to jump out of the way, but is struck and flips over the speeding car before it speeds off going 121 kilometres per hour.

He stays on the ground for just a moment before pulling himself up, limping off the road and collapsing into a heap.

The officer was taken to Concord Hospital where doctors ran tests on his ankle, leg and knee.

The 22-year-old man (pictured) is assisting police with their inquiries at Merrylands Police Station

The man's (pictured) arrest is the result of an investigation by the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit

Speaking to reporters after the incident, Detective Inspector Katie Orr said her colleague was 'very very lucky' to have walked away with only those injuries.

Detective Inspector Orr explained while it was possible they did not see the officer while travelling at such a high speed on the 70km/h road, there is no way they could have ignored the dramatic crash.

'The driver would have known they hit the officer and then continued to drive on,' she said.
The other night my eldest son, a final-year medical student, called me over to his computer to show me the application forms for his next stage of training.

While he deliberated over choices of hospitals, my mind began to drift. I couldnt stop thinking about my late grandfather.

A Ukrainian immigrant, he had arrived in Britain as a teenager at the start of the 20th century, fleeing vicious pogroms in Eastern Europe, to start a new life in a country whose language he couldnt even speak.

Many of this countrys 270,000-strong Jewish community no longer feel we have a home here

On settling among other immigrant Jews near Victoria station in Manchester, my grandfather supplemented his meagre income from work at a synagogue by forming a choir to perform at weddings and bar mitzvahs. A few generations later, here was his great-grandson, studying to be a doctor.

My grandfather was ever grateful for the sanctuary afforded him by Britain. He couldnt wait to become naturalised, and when World War I broke out he became a stretcher-bearer for his adoptive country.

Yet a century after he took those first steps on British soil, and accepted the promise of shelter from persecution, many of this countrys 270,000-strong Jewish community no longer feel we have a home here.

Even to articulate such a point is for me  a proud Jewish woman and patriotic Briton  indescribably painful. This has always been my home. A place where my Jewish culture and British heritage have mingled in the blood.

But profound change is afoot in this country. As the Labour Party continues to reveal its toxic underbelly, for many British Jews the question of uprooting our families and leaving Britain is a matter of when, not if.

My circle of friends read the stories that emerged from the recent Labour conference with sinking hearts  if not with surprise, because the party has form.

The ugly phenomenon was laid bare last year with the suspensions of both Jeremy Corbyns old ally Ken Livingstone, who claimed that Hitler supported Zionism, and the MP Naz Shah, a rising star of the Labour Left, who was caught sharing racist and offensive material on Facebook.

Over recent months, dozens of Corbynite activists, councillors and officials have been suspended or expelled from the party. Some have used social media to promote anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial; others have praised Nazism, or cracked jokes about Jews having big noses.

The topic made front pages at the Labour conference last month when activists at a fringe event were recorded comparing Zionist Jews to Nazis, and claiming that asking the question Holocaust: yes or no? ought to be regarded as legitimate free speech.

And this week, the BBCs Andrew Neil said in a speech that hard-Left anti-Semitism is now more dangerous to the UK than the extremism of the knuckle-dragging far Right.

My circle of friends read the stories that emerged from the recent Labour conference with sinking hearts  if not with surprise, because the party has form

No wonder this is a topic endlessly deconstructed over Friday night dinner tables in Jewish households all over the country.

Where once, at this most traditional meal of the week, we would idle in the afterglow of hot chicken soup and sweet Kosher red wine, now talk turns to whether Jews have a future here.

We wonder if this is what it felt like in the Thirties, when even the most assimilated of German Jews debated the increasingly venomous status quo. If history has taught us Jews anything, its knowing when its time to pack.

To the outsider, our response might sound like an overreaction, even hysterical. But thats not who we are. If anything, pragmatism and forward planning are ingrained in Jewish DNA.

Many of my friends have already left for Israel, or are investing spare savings in property there, so they have a foothold in the one place in the world that will guarantee an unconditional welcome.

Every time one leaves or makes the investment, as another close friend did only a few days ago, I feel a terrible pang of  what  envy? Truthfully, yes. Not for their apartments overlooking a glittering Mediterranean. But for the fact they have a base in a country offering a refuge from anti-Semitism.

One friend, Maxine Marks, who runs an estate agency along Israels coastal plain, says that since Corbyn took over the Labour leadership she has seen a 25 per cent increase in inquiries from British buyers. Many people say the same: if Labour get in, were out.

Indeed, with an increasingly popular Opposition party apparently incapable of solving its anti-Semitism problem, how can we Jews feel safe?

Think were exaggerating? This year the Community Security Trust  a charity working against racism  revealed the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain reached the highest level on record in 2016.

So once again our people face an exodus  not fleeing the pogroms of Eastern Europe, or the jackboot of Nazi Germany, but the prospect of a government that cant be trusted to care enough.

Theres no doubt that even before Corbyn took over, thered been a steady growth in anti-Semitism, with events such as the Arab-Israeli conflict in Gaza inevitably triggering a spike in attacks.

The irony is that British Jews are deeply patriotic  in our Saturday morning synagogue services we say a prayer for the Queen and Royal Family.

Yet it seems the far-Right, Islamic extremists and now the hard-Left dont see it that way.

Thats why my children, who all attended Jewish faith schools in Manchester, have, by necessity, been educated in buildings encircled by fences, CCTV cameras and security guards.

Elsewhere, every Jewish building now has a guard permanently stationed at the door. In 21st-century Britain  the place of our birth and our home.

Most Jewish people I know have endured cat-calling as they leave synagogues, schools or other Jewish centres.

There have been countless Saturday mornings when, as I walk to synagogue, a car screeches past with the occupants shouting something indeterminate from the window. Friends have had eggs thrown at them.

My son was subjected to a blistering verbal attack when he recently wore his Jewish skullcap on the London Underground.

Little wonder that in a YouGov poll earlier this year for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, almost a third of British Jews said they had considered leaving the country, while one in six said they feel unwelcome here.

One of my friends who recently quit Britain for a life in Israel sends me messages asking: When are you coming to join us? Were waiting for you?

Of course, not every Jew in the UK will feel the same way  I can only write about my experiences and those of people I know. Others, particularly if they are not so intimately connected to Jewish schools or synagogues, may not feel the tensions so keenly.

There is no doubt that to leave now would be a wrench. My husband runs an accountancy practice, we have two sons at university and another one applying for a place. Our daughter, only 13, is in the middle of her schooling.

Besides, I have non-Jewish friends and colleagues whom I adore. And there is so much to love about this country  the lush greens of the Lake District, the gritty humour of my home city of Manchester, even the delights of the Marks & Spencer food hall.

Yet I know in my heart that my family will not see out our lives here in the UK. The fact that the Conservatives have felt like our natural protectors used to help me turn a blind eye to burgeoning anti-Semitism. As Home Secretary, Theresa May said that Britain would not be Britain without its Jews and committed to providing 13.4 million for security measures in the Jewish community.

And, in 2014, David Cameron announced a Holocaust Memorial Commission tasked with building a lasting memorial near Parliament. Yet such staunch support could be wiped out at a stroke by a squabbling Tory Party whose domestic disputes could throw open the door for Labour.

We know what that means. With the advent of Jeremy Corbyn, friend to the virulently anti-Israel militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah and a magnet for increasing membership from militant supporters, anti-Semitism has been breeding like bacteria on the Left of British politics.

Labour will point to last years report by Shami Chakrabarti, former head of the human rights group Liberty, into anti-Semitism in the party. She lamely asserted that while there is an occasionally toxic atmosphere against Jews in Labour, anti-Semitism is not prevalent in the partys ranks.

But her words, to paraphrase H. G. Wells, were bows and arrows against the lightning. The report was a joke (as was the fact that Corbyn nominated her for a peerage just months later).

Labour has promised to tighten up its response to anti-Jewish sentiment. But as a statement from the Board of Deputies of British Jews has made clear, it remains to be seen whether those who question the Holocaust, or call for Jews to be purged from Labour, will still be welcome in the party or  as the Boards chief executive put it  thrown out as they so obviously should be.

For many Jews, it wont be worth hanging around for the answer. To my friend who tells me shes waiting for me in Israel, I can only say the wait may soon be over.
How do you like your eggs in the morning? Boiled, fried and scrambled are simple, but ask your significant other to poach you an egg and you may end up going hungry.

The perfect poached egg is tricky. From thin, watery whites to split yolks, eggs that disintegrate in the pan or are ripped apart by bubbles, there are so many ways it can go wrong.

Two-thirds of Britons say they cant poach eggs properly, and this week domestic goddess Nigella Lawson admitted even she was intimidated by the fiddly job until recently, when she devised a new approach  using a tea strainer.

Cooking the perfect poached egg can be a tricky art, with two-thirds of Britons saying they struggle to do so properly

She revealed that the flawless poached eggs served in restaurants arent so easily achieved, either: chefs use scissors to remove the scraggly ends before putting them on your plate.

So how do you perfectly poach an egg? The one incontrovertible piece of advice is this: freshly laid eggs (medium-sized are best) poach better than supermarket eggs. The latter may be up to 60 days old, so their inner membranes are weak and they will spread out in the pan.

And the best cooking method? We asked chef Theo Randall, whose restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel on Londons Park Lane has won awards for its brunch menu, to pit his own method against the very different techniques of seven of his fellow chefs...

Nigella Lawson admitted this week that she uses a tea strainer to remove the watery bits of egg to produce a more perfectly shaped finished product

NIGELLA LAWSON: NIFTY TEA STRAINER

Nigella holds her tea-strainer over a cup and cracks the egg into it so all the very watery bits go underneath. Its nifty but seems like a waste of egg.

Then she decants the egg into another cup and adds a teaspoon of lemon juice. She boils a pan of water and turns it down  almost turned off  before sliding in the egg and leaving it for 3-4 minutes. She uses a slotted spoon to encourage the white to come up in shape, moulding the wispy tendrils into a neat orb. Then she uses the spoon to take it out.

THEO SAYS: This seems fiddly but its not as silly as it looks. She is using the strainer to remove the watery outer white, which is tasteless. Using the spoon to mould the egg is clever  you could do lots of eggs in one pan this way.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Nigellas eggs look perfect  neat orbs of bulbous yolk surrounded by swirled white. They taste quite citrussy but are runny and delicious. Shame about the wasted white.

Score: 9/10

DELIA SMITH: BASTE IN SHALLOW WATER

Delia Smith, who wrote a whole chapter on eggs in her 1998 book How To Cook, stresses the importance of fresh eggs.

Fill a pan with one inch (2.5cm) of water from a boiling kettle and put it on a gentle heat. When you see tiny bubbles, break the eggs into individual bowls before slipping them into the water. Set the timer for 2 minutes, with the water barely simmering. When the two minutes is up, take the pan off the heat for ten minutes. Keep basting the tops of the eggs with hot water. Use a draining spoon to lift them out and dry on kitchen paper.

Delia Smith recommends breaking the eggs into individual bowls before pouring them into a pan of boiling water

THEO SAYS: These flatten out and look more like fried eggs. It is certainly a purists method but all that waiting and basting wont be for everyone.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Disappointingly flat, rubbery on the bottom and almost solid. The one positive is the taste: they are creamy and almost melt in the mouth.

Score: 2/10

JAMIE OLIVER: CLING FILM POUCH

Jamie Oliver has offered several techniques in the past, but his latest way has a quirky twist. First, he spreads out cling film and drizzles some olive oil on it. Then, he lays the oiled cling film loosely over a ramekin dish, oil side up, and cracks an egg inside. He draws the cling film together and ties it in a knot. The resulting egg parcel is lowered into simmering water until it looks opaque (2-3 minutes). Pat dry, remove the cling film and serve.

THEO SAYS: Its fiddly to get the eggs into the cling film and even worse trying to get them out. The cooking time is far too short: to penetrate the plastic they need more like 5-6 minutes.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Although the eggs look a little strange where the cling film was knotted, flip them over and they are perfectly presentable. Nothing can escape into the water, so they are bigger than the other eggs but taste quite watery and insipid.

Score: 6/10

Jamie Oliver says he packages his eggs in some lightly oiled cling film to create a parcel which can then be lowered into simmering water

PRUE LEITH: DOUBLE DIP

Bake Off judge Prue Leith uses a traditional method hailed as infallible by the great cookery writer Elizabeth David. Her first requirement is ultra-fresh eggs, which give a bright yellow yolk. She recommends boiling a pan of water and dipping each egg, in its shell, into it for 30 seconds, using a suitable-sized spoon. Then, boil a pan of fresh water, add a dessertspoon of vinegar, stir until a whirlpool forms and break the eggs in. Cook for a minute to a minute and a half, then remove with a draining spoon.

THEO SAYS: This is a fairly conventional method, except for the short poaching time.

SARAH' VERDICT: The yolks have detached from the whites slightly in the whirlpool, leaving them straggly. But they are still runny and soft inside.

Score: 7/10

GORDON RAMSAY: VINEGAR VORTEX

Gordon Ramsays poached egg recipe has a little bit of everything. He boils a pan of water, seasons with salt and pepper and adds a teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

The vinegar helps the whites firm up: the acid affects a substance called albumen in the egg white, which sets the egg. Gordon cracks the eggs  kept at room temperature, so they cook faster  into ramekins. Using a large balloon whisk, he creates a fast-moving vortex of water and gently tips the eggs into the centre. The egg should take between 90 seconds and two minutes to poach. Remove with a slotted spoon; dry on kitchen paper.

THEO SAYS: It makes sense to have a swirl in the water to shape the egg  and a whisk gives a stronger current than a spoon.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Theres quite a lot of white left in the pan and the eggs have half-separated. The egg white looks more congealed than fluffy, while the imprecise poaching time means the yolks are harder, too  not ideal.

Score: 3/10

THEO RANDALL: RED WINE TRICK

Next is Theos own recipe. He breaks his egg into a cup, boils a pan of water and seasons with a pinch of salt and one teaspoon of vinegar. Unlike most chefs, he doesnt use white wine vinegar. Theo prefers red wine vinegar, which has a tarter, fruitier flavour. You can taste it in the eggs, he says. Balsamic would work well, too  just dont use cheap old malt vinegar.

Next, he uses a metal spoon to create a gentle whirlpool and lowers the eggs carefully into the centre, almost immersing the cup so they dont fall from a height. He keeps the pan at a slow boil for three minutes.

THEO SAYS: I like my eggs runny, so this is just right for me. Theyre not as neat as the other eggs but its how they taste that matters.

SARAH'S VERDICT: The red wine in the vinegar has given the eggs a creamier, almost pinkish tinge they are certainly not as bright white as the others. But the white is well-cooked, the yolk is nicely oozy and they taste almost sweet.

Score: 8/10

Mrs Beeton swears by a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh but not newly laid eggs for the perfect breakfast feast

MRS BEETON: ZESTY FLOURISH

From her iconic 1861 tome Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management, this uses lemon juice instead of vinegar and calls for fresh but not newly laid eggs.

Mrs Beeton explains: If poached before they have been laid 36 hours, the white is so milky that it is impossible to coagulate it.

She suggests boiling water in a shallow saucepan or deep frying pan, adding salt and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for each pint of water.

Break the eggs into a cup, tip into the water and reduce the heat. Tilt the pan and use a tablespoon to gently fold the white over the yolk. Simmer until the white is set, before using a fish slice to remove the egg.

THEO SAYS: The low heat means the eggs spread out before you get round to coaxing the white over the yolk, but if you take your time they come together nicely. The tilting keeps the eggs neatly on one side of the pan. My biggest complaint is the amount of white left in the water  very messy.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Far from the prettiest result but the whites are fluffy and evenly cooked, with a subtle lemony zing. This would be good for a large family, as the gentle technique means you can poach 4-6 eggs at once.

Score: 5/10

MARY BERRY: SWIRL AND SIMMER

Like Delia, Mary Berry shuns vinegar and there isnt a whirlpool in sight. In her 2013 book Mary Berrys Cookery Course, she recommends cracking an egg on to a saucer first. Bring a medium-sized pan of water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and let it simmer.

Delicately slide the egg into the water and reduce the heat to low. Poach no more than one or two eggs at a time  any more and they may become tangled.

Mary advises gently swirling the water around the edges of the pan to curl the white into a neat shape. Simmer gently for about three minutes until the white is opaque, lift out with a slotted spoon and drain off excess water.

THEO SAYS: Its unusual to crack the egg on to a saucer first, as this encourages it to spread out when you want the yolk and white bunched together. But I can see the method in her slow swirling technique: theres no risk the yolk will become detached from the white, and it forms a rustic but attractive shape.

SARAH'S VERDICT: Small and perfectly formed. The yolk oozes out beautifully when you cut into it, while the white is silken and glossy. Impressive.

Score: 8/10
A new pro-Brexit think-tank was given special permission to hold a dinner at Princess Annes private estate.

The Institute for Free Trade, founded by Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, paid for the meal and the use of a function room at the royals Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.

Members of the public are not able to rent out the venue, but the think-tank was allowed to stage its event there after approaching the Princess Royal.

The Institute for Free Trade, founded by Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, paid for the meal and the use of a function room at the royals Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire

Mr Hannan said the dinner was planned to mark the bicentenary of the publication of economist David Ricardos book on the principle of comparative advantage, which was written at Gatcombe Park.

Two dozen people attended Tuesdays private event about trade after Brexit, at which International Trade Secretary Liam Fox gave a speech.

The Princess Royals husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, a retired British naval officer, entertained the group, Mr Hannan said.

Mr Hannan added that the IFT had funded the evening, but said it was no ones business how much it cost.

The dinner followed an event at Mercers Hall in London attended by around 160 people, including Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke.

Mr Fox and a number of guests then went on to Gatcombe Park.

Mr Hannan, 46, tweeted: We finish with a visit to Gatcombe Park, where David Ricardo devised the mind-blowing idea of comparative advantage precisely 200 years ago. However, after the Mail asked him about the event, the tweet was deleted.

Gatcombe Park is Princess Annes private 730-acre estate

Asked about the evening, Mr Hannan said: We approached HRH [Her Royal Highness] and said its the bicentenary, could we have an event of some sort.

She wasnt around but her husband was and kindly said yes. We looked through [Ricardos] books and papers.

IFT paid for the dinner and we hired the function room. The IFT is a private not-for-profit organisation. Asked whether Anne supported his think-tank, the Tory MEP said: I have no idea what [she] thinks.

Last year the BBC claimed the Queen said Britain should just get on with leaving the EU at a private lunch before the referendum. Political editor Laura Kuenssberg revealed that one of her sources told her the Queen suggested leaving would not be a problem.

Gatcombe Park is Princess Annes private 730-acre estate.

The 18th Century farming estate was bought by the Queen in 1976 for her daughter and then-husband Captain Mark Phillips. Now the Princess Royal lives in the large manor house with her second husband, Sir Timothy, while Captain Phillips lives in the adjoining Aston Farm with his second wife.

Annes daughter Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall moved to the estate in January 2013.
The privately-wealthy 60-year-old set up the group in his Butler Wharf home

Sited in a prime spot on Londons South Bank, with sweeping views of Tower Bridge, the famous Le Pont de la Tour restaurant downstairs, and a 24-hour concierge to service high-powered residents, Butlers Wharf is one of Britains most exclusive apartment blocks.

The Thames-side landmark, where a four-bed penthouse is on sale for 6.25 million, was converted from a warehouse into high-end flats in the Eighties, and has provided a pied-a-terre to assorted City bankers, top lawyers and plutocrats ever since.

Strangely, this symbol of unfettered turbo capitalism, where homeowners pay around 4,000 a year in service charges, has for the past two years been the official home of a far-Left organisation dedicated to the destruction of such conspicuous wealth.

The privately-wealthy 60-year-old filed paperwork setting up the group where he lived at Butler's Wharf

For according to Companies House, a spectacular first-floor flat at Butlers Wharf is headquarters to the notorious pro-Corbyn pressure group, Momentum.

In one of those bizarre ironies you probably couldnt make up, the organisation, whose 30,000 members style themselves as a sort of neo-Marxist praetorian guard of Labour activists, has the exclusive yuppie property as its registered address.

The reason for this awkward fact is one Jon Lansman, a veteran political organiser and a fixture on the hard Left of the party for four decades, and who founded Momentum to support his chum Jeremy Corbyns bid for the leadership in the summer of 2015.

Like champagne socialists of the old school, the privately-wealthy 60-year-old decided to file paperwork setting up the group from where he lived: a state-of-the-art bolthole at Butlers Wharf.

Lansman, left, is pictured with Tony Benn, who he campaigned for before founding Momentum

So it goes that Momentum (whose offices are a mile away in a grotty bit of Aldgate) remains formally registered to an extraordinarily opulent property which, according to estate agents particulars, boasts, among other things, extra-wide oak floorboards, remote control dimmable lighting, exposed beams and brickwork, a walk-in style walnut wardrobe and a large made-to-measure Italian couch.

Quite how the group, whose army of sometimes very abusive activists have played a crucial role in Corbyns electoral success, squares this fact with its endless tub-thumping on such topics as wealth inequality and the housing crisis is anyones guess.

But it doesnt seem to have done Lansman, who is Momentum Chairman, much harm.

For this veteran fixer, little known outside the Westminster bubble, is about to become one of the most powerful figures in British politics. Last week, the portly, bearded grandfather announced hes to stand for Labours ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).

Jon Lansman pictured with Tony Benn, a darling of the left from a privileged background who supported Fidel Castro

Thanks to a recent rule change  which he himself successfully lobbied for!  an extra three members of the powerful committee (which also has representatives from Parliament and Trade Unions) are about to be selected via a ballot of Labour members and local branches.

Lansman is one of four candidates that Momentum hopes to insert in these positions. And such is the campaigning muscle that both he and his organisation holds among the partys grassroots that he is almost guaranteed to win.

At this stage, readers may be thinking so what?

But while internal Labour Party politics can often seem rather arcane, this particular development will have ramifications far beyond Westminster.

The reason is this: since 2015, the NEC, which runs the party machine and oversees all policy-making, has been delicately balanced between moderates and Left-wingers loyal to Momentum, allowing it to occasionally check the excesses of Corbyn.

But that is set to change. For the expected election of Lansman and two allies will give the hard-Left complete control, thereby completing the Corbyn-isation of the official Labour machine.

To political analysts, this represents a classic example of entryism, a technique by which a well-organised lobby group  usually with extreme views  plots to get its members to join a mainstream political organisation en masse to subvert its policies and expand their influence.

Lansman is an expert in entryism, having helped militant socialists infiltrate the party in the eighties

Militant Tendencys takeover of the Liverpool Labour Party in the Eighties was classic entryism. More recently, the Unite trade union flooded a local Labour Party in Scotland with supporters to try to get its hard-Left candidate to be selected to fight to become an MP for the constituency.

Lansman is an expert in entryism, having played a prominent role in unsuccessful efforts by militant socialist organisations to infiltrate Labour in the Eighties.

Back then, he was heavily involved in the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, which lobbied (sometimes rather viciously) for members to be able to de-select sitting MPs who they deemed insufficiently Left-wing.

Today, Corbynistas are up to similar tricks, for example orchestrating malevolent campaigns against moderate Labour MPs such as Angela Eagle, whose constituency office windows were smashed.

But this time, theres a big difference: unlike in the Eighties when their campaign to radicalise Labour failed, they are now on the brink of victory.

Jeremy Corbyn's supporters mounted malevolent campaigns against moderate Labour MPs such as Angela Eagle, whose constituency office windows were smashed

After decades in the wilderness, the promised land is not far off, is how the Momentum founder explains his hopes on his Twitter page.

If elected to the NEC and able to wield huge influence, Lansman would become Labours puppet-master-in-chief: a man able to manipulate almost every aspect of its affairs  from its election manifesto to who can stand as MPs.

All of which begs two questions: who exactly is Jon Lansman? And how, in two years, has the Left-wing activist from a privileged background risen from nowhere to represent the power behind Corbyns throne?

Lets start by taking a peek through his gilded keyhole.

In April 2015, his rambling house in Londons fashionable Shoreditch (from where he moved to Butlers Wharf) was placed on the market.

Priced at just over 1.5 million, pictures on the estate agents website show the three-bedroom pad, which was decorated with modern art, had a glass staircase, Rayburn cooker range, brushed steel kitchen, roof terrace, insulated pantry, basement art studio, and a spectacular wine cellar with a 2,200 bottle capacity.

Yet look closely, and clues to Lansmans political allegiances were also visible. In the living room, underneath a flat-screen TV, was a large bust of Karl Marx.

Bookshelves were stacked with texts about Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, along with books by a political mentor, Tony Benn. In the magazine rack next to the reclaimed wood kitchen table were copies of a Left-wing magazine.

To old acquaintances, the home (which, incidentally, was bought by the pop star Emeli Sande) summed up its owner, a naturally gregarious character with an appalling dress sense (he occasionally steps out in dungarees) whose views have barely shifted since he first joined Labour in the mid-Seventies.

In Lansman's living room underneath a flat screen TV were books about Leon Trotsky and other left-wing thinkers

Jon calls himself a Bennite, and, like Tony, sees nothing wrong with being very Left-wing at the same time as being filthy rich, says one.

If you wanted to tease him, you could call him a gentleman communist. Hes a man of contradictions, which is a nice way of saying hes a bit of a hypocrite. I mean, its very easy to bang the drum for massive income tax hikes when you have enough squirrelled away to be comfortably off, regardless.

Like many of Corbyns inner circle, Lansman was educated at a private school (Highgate, where fees are currently 20,370 a year). In addition to Momentum, he runs a blog called Left Futures, which often rails against crooked capitalism and has carried articles about the housing crisis, including a recent tirade by Labours Diane Abbott about the insecurity so many face in Tory Britain.

Intriguingly, however, Left Futures is owned by a company called Ortonovo Holdings, of which Lansman and his 26-year-old son, Ben, are the sole directors. Its registered office, in Soho, is an address also used by a Lansman family business, called Foundation Property & Capital (FP&C). This real estate firm was set up in the early Nineties with Jons father Bernard as a director. Today, its run and owned by Jons brother Stephen.

Describing itself as unashamedly opportunistic, the property firm controls a complex web of 32 companies, all of which have Jons son Ben and brother Stephen (who has clocked up 54 company appointments) as directors.

Clues to Lansmans political allegiances were also visible in the living room, where bookshelves were stacked with texts about Lenin

According to the FP&C website, its interests include a nationwide portfolio of former Little Chef restaurants which are now asset-managed and leased to McDonalds along with notorious tax-avoiding firm Starbucks.

All of which seems a little rum, given that Momentum campaigns against the appalling working conditions at the fast food giant McDonalds and has called for a McStrike of workers.

Other opportunistic-sounding recent FP&C ventures include advising on the sale of a homeless hostel in Central London for 22.5 million, with the loss of 170 beds. In 2015, it was reported to be advertising tax efficiency opportunities for the rich, including the ability to shelter income tax for the first two years of investment, and was shown to have once struck a deal that involved using a special purpose lending vehicle  effectively a subsidiary company  set up in the tax haven of Luxembourg.

None of this is illegal, of course, but it sits unhappily with Momentums long-standing campaigns for tax justice, not to mention the fat-cat tax dodgers condemned by Lansmans blog Left Futures, or Corbyns commitment to crack down on tax-dodging members of the one per cent who seek to shelter cash offshore.

Asked about this contradiction, a friend of Lansman states: The company isnt owned by Jon, but by his son and brother. Jon doesnt have any part in the day-to-day running of the company.

Meanwhile, another ally vigorously denies that Lansman and his familys wealth is anything to be ashamed of.

People might call him a hypocrite, but its actually the other way round, he argues. Under a Corbyn government, people like Jon will almost certainly pay far more tax than they do now, so as a privileged person pursuing Left- wing politics, one can argue that hes doing something very principled.

Be that as it may, Lansmans wealth and background is the subject of carping on the Leftist extremes of the Corbyn movement, where (as a Jewish atheist) he has also managed to make enemies by speaking out against anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Lansman has also (again to his credit but to the dismay of many acolytes) called for Momentum supporters to cease personal attacks and harassment which have led some centrist Labour MPs to fit panic alarms in their offices and homes, and prompted the BBC to hire a security guard to protect its political editor Laura Kuenssberg at the Labour conference in Brighton.

Tony Benn promoted direct action and civil disobedience while backing unilateral nuclear disarmament and Castro's Cuba

Elsewhere, far-Left critics complain that while Momentum is supposed to harness the power of grassroots Corbynistas, its parent company Momentum Campaign (Services) Ltd  and therefore all of its valuable data  is entirely owned by Lansman and an associate called Simon Fletcher.

This is seen as ironic by those who have followed his career since the early Eighties, when he spent years in the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, arguing that members should control all key assets and decisions.

The son of a successful businessman who ran a string of clothing shops, Jon Lansman was raised in leafy Cockfosters, North London, where homes now cost upwards of 1.2m, and converted to socialism after spending time on a kibbutz in Israel, aged 16.

At Cambridge University, he devoted much time to student politics, standing unsuccessfully in elections. Then shortly after graduating with a lower second-class degree in Maths and Economics, he took an unpaid job running Tony Benns 1981 bid to replace Denis Healey as Labours deputy leader.

A darling of the Left, Benn (from an aristocratic background and indeed the erstwhile Viscount Stansgate) promoted extra-parliamentary direct action and civil disobedience, backed unilateral nuclear disarmament and nationalisation, supported the miners strike and Castros Cuba and wanted to take the Queens head off postage stamps.

The bitter campaign saw Lansman in the news when Healey wrongly claimed that the Bennite had orchestrated far-Left protesters to disrupt a speech he had given in Birmingham.

In fact, Lansman had been of miles away in Wales, visiting the family home of his lawyer girlfriend. Healey was forced to apologise.

Shortly afterwards, the News of the World newspaper published a colourful article about this rising red star  revealing his silver spoon life.

It quoted his father Bernard who was chairman of the Hackney Conservative Association (and had stood for election to the Greater London Council) commenting that his son frequently moaned about having been sent to a leading public school.

My son often laments that he missed the benefits of a secondary education, but I doubt hed have ended up at Cambridge unless hed gone to Highgate, he observed.

After Benn narrowly lost out to Denis Healey, pictured, Lansman disappeared from public view and later set up Momentum

Lansman senior also said he was mystified how his class warrior son could possibly advise Tony Benn on industrial policy. I cant understand how Jon can talk about the workers and unemployment, he said. The only time hes ever worked was a part-time job to do with driving.

In the event, Benn narrowly lost out to Denis Healey, and Lansman disappeared from the public eye.

After taking a job as business manager for Tribune, the Labour newspaper (only for moderate trade unions to withdraw advertising on grounds that it had been taken over by a bunch of Left-wing lunatics), he moved into management consultancy. Then, after marrying a council worker called Beth Wagstaff, the couple moved to Hertford.

As well as Ben, the couple had another son, Max, now a lawyer, and a daughter, Molly. But in 1994, tragedy struck: Beth was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1999, she died. Devastated, Lansman later received a six-figure compensation payment from the NHS, which due to a hospital blunder had failed to correctly diagnose the disease. He quit work and dedicated himself to raising the children.

That experience really made me lose my interest in the world of work, he later recalled. It destroyed any ambition I had.

It wasnt until 2010, when his daughter had left school, that he felt ready to return to politics, selling the family home, moving to London and becoming an aide to Labour MP Michael Meacher.

Another Bennite, the MP campaigned for the renationalisation of industry, an end to private education and for workers co-operatives to control much of Britains infrastructure. In private, Meacher owned eight homes and once unsuccessfully tried to sue a journalist who mocked him for being middle class.

Meachers death in 2015 left Lansman again pondering mortality (that summer, in an act of extreme generosity, he donated a kidney to a complete stranger). But then Jeremy Corbyn, an old chum, launched a bid for the Labour leadership.

The rest is history: Lansman set up Momentum  using those classic entryist techniques that could have come out of a Trotskyist textbook  and Corbyn, the most Left-wing leader in Labours history, won a surprise victory.

For his part, Lansman has inveigled his way into a position of huge power, controlling an army of idealistic class warriors . . . from one of Londons smartest addresses.
Canadian child star Finn Wolfhard has officially left a Los Angeles-based talent agency after his representative was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager.

Agent Tyler Grasham was first called out by filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman, in a #MeToo letter shared to Facebook and Instagram Monday.

'The Office' actor wrote alongside the viral hashtag #MeToo: 'Tyler Grasham, under the pretense of a business meeting regarding potential agency representation at APA Agency, fed me alcohol while I was underage and sexually assaulted me.

'APA Agency has kept this man employed, working with kid actors. I find it incredibly difficult to believe they do not know of his predatory behavior, using his position within the company to prey on naive kids,' Lipman said in the post.

'Stranger Things' star Finn Wolfhard left Los Angeles-based talent agency APA after his representative Tyler Graham (center) was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager

Grasham was first called out by filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman (pictured) in a #MeToo letter shared to Facebook and Instagram Monday

In a #MeToo post, 'The Office' actor accused Grasham feeding him 'alcohol while underage and sexually assaulted' him

The filmmaker later shared further details on the shocking revelation, confirming it was written by him, while speaking in an interview with Deadline.

Lipman said he was about to turn 18 one summer the agent got him 'drunk at a meeting to talk about business.'

He added: 'We were at his apartment when he got on top of me and fondled me. I pushed him off without trying to upset him.

'It was a very precarious position to be in, not to insult someone who was in a position of power.'

Lipman said the incident happened at business meeting regarding potential agency representation

Following the support he received, Lipman wrote a thank you letter: 'Immense gratitude for everyone who has reached out in support and solidarity over the past few days'

Wolfhard, 14, known for his role as Mike Wheeler in the hit Netflix series 'Stranger Things,' parted ways with the agent and the company all together this week after the claims surfaced this week.

Grasham was sacked from his position at APA as at least two other men who worked alongside the agent have come forward since with similar allegations, Variety confirmed.

Film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, also told Deadline the agent attempted sexual advances on him.

A spokesperson for the agency told Variety: 'APA takes these allegations extremely seriously and is investigating this matter'

'Tyler did the same thing to me ... He got me a little tipsy and took me to the Sandbox bar next door. There were more and more drinks,' Ozarowski said.

'At midnight or 1 AM I told him I wanted to go home, but I'd left my phone at his house to charge. So we went back there and I called for an Uber.

'But he said, 'Let's watch The Martian while you're waiting for Uber.' I said OK and we sat down on the couch. I had my phone in my crotch, and all of a sudden he reached over and grabbed me under my pants,' he added.

'The agency has retained an independent investigator to look into the allegations against Grasham'

'It really took me off guard. I pulled his hands out and said, 'You know I'm not gay. I don't want this Hollywood BS'.'

The longtime Hollywood representative is currently under investigation by the company after sexual assault reports surfaced this week.

A spokesperson for the agency told Variety: 'APA takes these allegations extremely seriously and is investigating this matter.

'The agency has retained an independent investigator to look into the allegations against Grasham.'
Russia's hybrid military forces have attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 24 times in the past 24 hours, with no Ukrainian soldiers reported as killed or wounded in action, the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) headquarters has reported.

Ukrainian armed Forces had to return fire 16 times.

"At the end of the past day enemy continued shelling Ukrainian positions in the ATO area. However, in during the day shelling was recorded in the Donetsk sector, after 18:00 shelling started in the Mariupol and Luhansk sectors," ATO headquarters wrote on their Facebook page early on Saturday.

In the evening hours of Friday, militants were firing on the Ukrainian positions near Novooleksandrivka, using 120 mm and 82 mm mortars and small arms. The Ukrainian checkpoint not far from Katerynivka was under fire from 120 mm mortar. Enemy used anti-tank grenade launchers near Popasna.

In the Mariupol sector, shelled the outskirts of Pavlopil twice using 120 mm mortars and various grenade launchers. They used infantry fighting vehicle's weapons near Novotroitske and grenade machine guns near Vodiane.

In the Donetsk sector, militants thrice fired at Ukrainian positions near Zaitseve using infantry weapons and used a large-caliber machine gun near Maryinka.
Police are probing hundreds of British tourists suspected of making false food poisoning claims at all-inclusive Balearic Island hotels.

They say the cases from 800 individuals were filed through 77 law firms and there will now be an in-depth investigation to see which ones may have been fraudulent.

It is thought that a high percentage will be found to be false because the hotels in question satisfactorily passed all health inspections and only a few of the holidaymakers visited a doctor.

British law at the time only required tourists complaining of a stomach bug to present a receipt for some sort of medicine from a chemist.

The Britons had spent their holidays in hotels in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza and were targeted by so-called 'claim farmers' whose touts usually stopped them in the street with promises of big pay-outs. Others were recruited via websites.

Spanish police say the cases from 800 individuals were filed through 77 law firms and there will now be an in-depth investigation to see which ones may have been fraudulent. Mallorca is one of the islands involved (stock photo)

Spanish police today released an update about their ongoing investigation saying the claims made by the British tourists 'caused significant economic damage to the sector'.

A spokesman said: 'The investigations carried out by the National Police have allowed the identification of about 800 British tourists supposedly affected by food poisoning in establishments of the Balearic Islands.

'They filed complaints through 77 law firms that would have orchestrated a possible criminal network based on false claims that have caused significant economic damage to the Spanish and Balearic tourism sector.

'These alleged intoxications occur despite the fact that Balearic hotels have passed all health inspections satisfactorily, including some carried out by the English tour operators themselves who then proceed to handle the claim.'

Spanish police today released an update about their ongoing investigation saying the claims made by the British tourists 'caused significant economic damage to the sector'

It is thought that a high percentage will be found to be false because the hotels in question satisfactorily passed all health inspections and only a few of the holidaymakers visited a doctor

The police investigation began as a result of complaints from hoteliers who said they had been duped out of millions by the false food poisoning claims.

It comes after Liverpool couple Paul Roberts and Deborah Briton were convicted of making a false claim following a holiday in Mallorca and were handed aprison sentence by a judge.

Spanish police said the case has acted as a deterrent and a considerable number of the food poisoning claims which had been pending have now been withdrawn in the UK.

Police believe the British tourists involved are frightened about being taken to court.
House prices in Sydney appear to have taken a dip with owners knocking up to $550,000 off asking prices as they take desperate measures to sell.

Vendors throughout the southern suburbs, across to the inner west and Western Sydney, as well as the exclusive Harbour-side domains of the east, are adjusting their expectations as house prices fall.

In Russell Lea and Drummoyne in the inner west, sellers slashed 15-20 per cent off their listed prices, Real Estate reports.

A home at 25A The Parade (pictured) is listed $200,000 below the original price of $3 million

Upper level features four bedrooms with balconies and built in wardrobes

The stunning property includes a heated swimming pool and spa with a lower level poolside entertaining/teenage retreat (pictured)

The highest decreases were recorded in Vaucluse where prices are being slashed by an average of 27 per cent, making way for opportunistic bargain hunters.

The tumble is fueled by the spike in number of properties for sale during the traditional spring surge and a drop in demand.

Potential homeowners have then gained an edge, feeling less pressure to keep up with rival bidders.

Market data reflects the price cuts with CoreLogic recording a 0.2 per cent increase to the city's median home price in just three months.

As panic purchases slow, up-market areas have taken the biggest hit as the price boom from 2013 - 2016 levels off.

Five-bedroom home 41 The Parade in Russell Lea (pictured) is currently listed for $2.8 million which is $550,000 lower than the initial asking price of $3.35 million

Main lounge & dining areas highlight polished concrete floors and a resort style alfresco overlooks a glass fenced in ground pool (pictured)

Real Estate Institute of NSW president John Cunningham said optimistic vendors who failed to read the market were often misguided.

'There's no more boom but some agents are telling sellers they can still expect boom prices so they're waiting for miraculous buyers to appear and pay premium prices when they aren't there anymore,' Mr Cunningham said.

He added sellers listing their homes too high often were always at risk of later discounting the price below similar houses in the same area.

'Pricing too high is risky,' he said. 'If too many buyers are priced out of the sale, the property will stay on the market for longer and it will have a (stigma). Buyers will then want it for a bargain.'

A Whale Beach home at 1 Malo Road (pictured) had an asking price of $6.5 - $7 million but has since dropped to $5.95 million

Featuring panoramic northerly views to the beach and ocean (pictured), there's a walking path across the road leading down to the sand

One five-bedroom house at 41 The Parade in Russell Lea is currently listed for $2.8 million which is $550,000 lower than the initial asking price of $3.35 million.

A home nearby on the same stretch at 25A The Parade is listed $200,000 below the original price of $3 million.

St Peters and Dulwich Hill were recorded with discounts of nine per cent, while Wentworthville vendors were seen cutting an average of 8.6 per cent from the prices of their homes.

In Girraween was seeing an average discount of 7.9 per cent, just below the southwest in Belmore where discounting was at an average of 8.5 per cent and Kingsgrove 7.9 per cent.

A Whale Beach home at 1 Malo Road had an asking price of $6.5 - $7 million but has since dropped to $5.95 million.

Waterloo renter Vanessa Benson was excited by the prospect of a slightly better deal as she looks for a house in the eastern suburbs.

'Buying in Sydney is always going to be a challenge but if sellers are taking two months or longer to sell it will certainly be much easier to negotiate,' she said.

'I'm looking forward to buying something at a more reasonable price.'
A fisherman who worked with some of the six men feared dead in a Queensland boating tragedy, has expressed his disbelief at the crew being unable to escape.

Owen Schubert owns a fishing vessel identical to the one that sunk off Queensland on Monday and has claimed that those on-board should have been able to swim out.

The missing men include Adam Bidner, 33, Chris Sammut, 34, Eli Tonks, 39, Zach Feeney, 28, Adam Hoffman, 30, and skipper Ben Leahy, 45, with Ruben McDornan, 32, the sole survivor.

Fisherman Owen Schubert, who worked with some of the six men feared dead in a Queensland boating tragedy, has expressed his disbelief at the crew being unable to escape the vessel (pictured)

The missing men include (clockwise from top left): Adam Hoffman, 30, Zach Feeney, 28, Eli Tonks, 39, Adam Bidner, 33, skipper Ben Leahy, 45 and Chris Sammut, 34

Their trawler the 'Diane' was discovered on Friday after an extensive search when sonar detected it two to three nautical miles off Round Hill Headland.

The bodies of the missing fisherman are believed to be entombed on the sunken vessel, with their families told the 'window of survivability' has closed.

An outwards opening door has been suggested as potentially sealing their fate, with the water pressure from outside making it impossible to escape, according to The Australian.

However, Mr Schubert said this would have made no difference to the competent and experienced crew and that something had gone 'really, really wrong'.

'The boys would have been able to swim out. The wheelhouse is small,' he told The Cairns Post.

'I know I could have done it, if there was nothing blocking the way: swim out to the door, open the door and swim to the surface from the bottom.

Ruben McDornan, 32, (pictured) is believed to be the sole survivor with the trawler, the 'Diane', discovered on Friday after an extensive search

The bodies of the missing fisherman are believed to be entombed on the sunken vessel, with an outwards opening door suggested as potentially sealing their fate (Pictured is fisherman Zach Feeney)

He said the men should have then been able to make a free ascent out of the door and escaped.

Mr Schubert also recounted talking to Mr Leahy, his friend of 13 years and fellow avid spearfisher, just hours before the vessel got into trouble.

He suspects the proud skipper would have gone to the engine room following the capsizing and could have been electrocuted or rendered unconscious from falling objects.

The crew had been on a trip to collect sea cucumbers or 'slugs', with the weather preceding the incident believed to be 'terrible', according to survivor Mr McDornan.

Mr McDornan was plucked from the ocean by a passing yacht and told police the vessel had rolled and he was able to make it out.

However, Mr Schubert, who owns an identical fishing vessel, claims the competent crew should have been able to swim out and that something must have blocked their exit (Pictured is Eli Tonks)

Mr Schubert believes the boat's skipper Ben Leahy (pictured) may have gone to the engine room following the capsize and could have been rendered unconscious

He stated he did not see any of the crew emerge as he clung to the hull of the upturned vessel and that he had heard screams from inside.

After their emotional reunion his wife Sammy revealed her husband was 'very sad and sore, but OK' and said she hadn't given up hope of a miracle.

'We're really thankful to the people that rescued Ruben and to all the people out searching for the boys and just for everyone's support,' a tearful Ms McDornan said.

'But unfortunately we don't really have any other information. We're so grateful that he's alive.

'Our thoughts are with the boys missing at the moment because they're all like family. So we just need everybody to keep positive for them.'

The crew had been on a trip to collect sea cucumbers or 'slugs', with the weather preceding the incident believed to be 'terrible' (Pictured is missing man Adam Bidner)

Sole survivor Ruben McDornan stated he did not see any of the crew emerge as he clung to the hull of the upturned vessel (Pictured is Adam Hoffman, who is among those feared dead)

Wetsuits, diving equipment and personal items were found washed ashore earlier this week following the tragedy.

Ferocious winds and high seas hampered the desperate search for the six men.

A recovery operation was launched Saturday morning, with water police remaining at the scene overnight.

Divers were expected to take a closer look at the vessel but it may not be brought up until further assessments are conducted, according to the ABC.
Cambridge University is introducing an official 'register' for lecturers to declare if they are having sexual relationships with students.

The measure is part of a campaign to crack down on harassment on campus. Starting next week, the university will unveil a policy that will actively discourage relationships.

Lecturers who disclose liaisons with students could be barred from teaching the students or giving them references.

The measure is part of a campaign to crack down on harassment on campus. Pictured: King's College, Cambridge

It comes after alumni claimed they were sexually assaulted by their tutors at the world-leading university in the 80s and 90s.

Called Breaking the Silence, the online guide advises that personal relationships between students and staff should be avoided.

But if such relationships do exist, they say academics should disclose the relationship in an email to human resources or by talking to their head of department.

Staff can reorganise the pairs schedules to minimise any contact. In some situations, the student and tutor could be banned from seeing each other in a professional capacity to make sure they do not receive any preferential treatment.

Called Breaking the Silence, the online guide advises that personal relationships between students and staff should be avoided

Students will be able to take part in the Good Lad Initiative workshops, which tackle the macho culture at university.

In a statement, Cambridge University said: There is no place for any form of harassment or sexual misconduct at the University of Cambridge.

All members of the university community have an individual and a collective responsibility to ensure that their professional relationships are sensitive to the imbalances of power that exist within any organisation.
A heroic police officer has opened up for the first time, describing how she saved two young girls from being burned to death.

Stephanie Bochorsky, 31, was watching television on a Friday night when she heard screams coming from a neighbour's home in the Perth suburb of Doubleview.

A women in the street outside told Ms Bochorsky a man - Edward Herbert - was inside setting her children on fire.

The off-duty constable rushed into the home where she smelled petrol and saw a three-year-old girl consumed by flames in her cot.

A heroic police officer (pictured, left) has opened up for the first time, describing how she saved two young girls from being burned to death

A women in the street outside told Ms Bochorsky a man - Edward Herbert (pictured) - was inside setting her children on fire

'Her whole head was alight with flames. Above her head [the flames] was probably another metre tall. Her whole face was on fire,' she told Perth Now.

'It was something I will never get out of my head. She wasn't screaming or anything like that. She was just standing up in her cot, moving her head, not knowing where to look or what to do with this shocked look on her face.

'To this day, I'm still astounded by her bravery.'

Ms Bochorsky acted fast, throwing a blanket over the burning child and pushing to to the ground in an attempt to put out the flames.

That's when she noticed Herbert standing there naked, pouring petrol over his seven-year-old daughter.

The large heavily tattooed man stared at her blankly and demanded she take her clothes off.

The off-duty constable (pictured) rushed into the home where she smelled petrol and saw a three-year-old girl consumed by flames in her cot

Shocked by the confronting scene and the smell of burning flesh, she grabbed both girls and ran out of the house with them.

At the time she was unaware Herbert was armed with a butcher's knife and his six-year-old son was still in the house.

Ms Bochorsky took the injured girl to her home and put her in the bath, seeing the full extent of the young girl's burns for the first time.

The girl's hair has been burned away, and she had horrific injuries to her face and body, with her neck looking like it had melted into her chest and her right ear gone.

After Ms Bochorsky had left the home another neighbour entered and fought off Herbert, who was in a drug-induced psychosis at the time.

She said that man - Daniel McMillan - is the real hero, and she was just upholding the oath she took at the police academy.

Herbert, who Ms Bochorsky described as 'gutless', was sentenced to 17 years in jail after a judge found him guilty in April this year.

Herbert admitted intending to murder the girls in August 2015, but pleaded not guilty to five charges while claiming insanity, a defence rejected by the judge.

The three-year-old suffered burns to 13 per cent of her body and spent months in hospital after the attack.

She has vocal chord and ear damage and will need multiple surgeries over the coming years.

Ms Bochorsky said the experience still haunts her, leaving her with insomnia, nightmares and flashbacks.

She said she thinks of the victim, now aged six, on a daily basis and hopes the young girl is able to put the experience behind her.
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A mansion with a bevy of built-in security features, which some say could be the safest house in the country, has hit the market for $14.7million.

The Rice House in Alpharetta, Georgia is an eight-bedroom, 36,000 square-foot fortress sitting on 3.5 acres of land within a gated community in the wealthy Atlanta suburb.

The property's listing boasts of a bevy of luxurious amenities, including a private theater, bowling alley, infinity pool, shooting range and wine cellar.

The listing recently dropped to $14.7million from the original $17.5million, and the estate still needs to be finished, which would cost an additional estimated $3-5million

The view from the mansion's observation tower, which has glass floor and stairs and a secret spiral staircase entry

The mansion's car vault has room for 30 vehicles, with an exterior garage door concealed by a waterfall like the Batcave

 Slide me  Slide To View: The massive car vault can be concealed from prying eyes with behind the waterfall

The mansion has remote operated ballistic doors, designed to be impenetrable AK-47 and AR-15 fire (stock photo)

But the mansion's hidden security features, overseen by a former US Justice Department secure installation designer, make it an impregnable fortress suited for the most paranoid of millionaires.

The owner, who spent $30million constructing the property to exacting specifications, built it on a lark, though - at least according to the listing agent.

'He said to me, "If anyone wants to get me, they can find me at Chick-fil-A",' broker Paul Wegener, of Atlanta Fine Homes Sothebys International Realty, told Bloomberg recently.

The listing claims the home is 'one of, if not the, safest home in America'.

The listing boasts of a bevy of amenities, including a private theater, bowling alley, infinity pool and wine cellar (stock photo)

Secret doors in the house lead to a 15,000-square-foot bunker, where one could conceivably hole up for years.

The water supply is self-sufficient, drawn from three artesian wells on the property. Likewise for the solar energy system and geothermal heating supplying the bunker.

Above ground, the house boasts ballistic doors that can withstand the fire of an AK-47, and a car vault big enough to hold 30 vehicles, with the entrance concealed behind a waterfall.

The master bedroom and guest bedroom also have their own independent safe rooms, and there's a observation tower with glass floor and stairs and a secret spiral staircase entry.

The listing recently dropped to $14.7million from the original $17.5million, and the estate still needs to be finished, which would cost an additional estimated $3-5million.
A female artist has come forward with shocking new claims suggesting disgraced movie director and child rapist Roman Polanski sexually abused her at the age of 10.

Marianne Barnard voiced the allegations while speaking in an interview with The Sun this week - when she said she worked up the courage to finally break her silence after feeling inspired from actresses like Rose McGowan and a manifold of others.

Barnard claims ex-convict Polanski snapped photographs of her naked body while she was wearing a bikini and asked her to change into an open fur coat on a beach in Malibu, California back in 1975.

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California artist Marianne Barnard has come forward alleging Roman Polanski sexually abused her when she was 10

Barnard (pictured left and right as a younger girl) said she believed the beach photographs were being taken for a magazine

Polanski, 84, has since fled the United States. He is said to be working currently on a movie in Poland

The Santa Barbara-born artist said her mother initiated the meeting, and brought her to a beach near their home, where she would meet Polanski for a photo shoot.

'The beach is south of where a restaurant called Ted's El Rancho used to be at the bottom of Coastline Drive and Pacific Coast Highway near where I grew up in Malibu,' Barnard said.

'There was a group of rocks there and he took the photographs of me on those rocks.

'At first I had the understanding I was just going to the beach with my mom. We were there for a little while by ourselves, and then he was there.'

The impressionable Barnard said she believed the beach photographs were being snapped for a magazine.

'First, he was taking pictures of me in the bikini, then it was with the coat then he said take off the bikini top, which I was comfortable with as I was only 10 and I often ran around with no top on,' she said, according to The Sun report.

'But then he wanted me to take my bikini bottoms off - I started to feel very uncomfortable. Then at some point I realized my mom had gone.

'I don't know where she went and I didn't really register her leaving but she was no longer there ... Then he molested me.'

Barnard decided to finally break her silence after getting inspiration from actresses like Rose McGowan and others

Barnard voiced details on the incident to her Twitter page and Care 2 Petition

Barnard admitted to suffering 'post traumatic stress disorder and claustrophobia' for decades since the alleged abuse happened.

She is the fifth woman to come forward with sexual molestation claims, which include the first incident from the 1970's - when Polanski pled guilty to statutory rape of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer.

'Polanski was charged with five crimes - including rape by use of drugs - but took a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to 'unlawful sexual intercourse' in return for prosecutors dropping the five charges,' according to the newspaper.

Three other woman have since come forward - one in 2010 and two as of recently in 2017, alleging sexual abuse incidents at the time they were minors.

Polanski, 84, has since fled the United States. He is said to be working currently on a film in Poland.

Barnard created a petition against the Oscar Award-winning director, urging for Polanski to be kicked out of The Academy.

'The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently voted to revoke the membership of film producer, Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting countless women for nearly 30 years,' Barnard wrote.

'It is a small consequence for him considering his crimes and the great amount of harm he has caused me and his other victims.'

As of Friday night, the petition reached 11,773 signatures out of its 12,000 goal.

Barnard also took to her Twitter page to thank her supporters.

'Im thankful for the global outpouring of love & encouragement since I came forward about Polanski sexually molesting me #SilenceIsTheEnemy,' she wrote.
Police have recommended no charges should be laid over the horrific Dreamworld disaster that killed four people  but the Gold Coast theme parks owners could still face prosecution.

Four people died in October last year when their raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride collided with an empty raft that become stuck on a conveyor belt.

Two of them were crushed to death while the other two drowned in the water below.

Police provided a report to the Queensland coroner which said no staff should be prosecuted for the tragedy, according to the Brisbane Times.

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Police have recommended no charges should be laid over the horrific Dreamworld disaster that killed four people

Four people died in October last year when their raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride collided with an empty raft that become stuck on a conveyor belt

A police spokesman said the coroner ultimately would decide if any charges were to be laid.

Ardent Leisure  the owner of the park  may still be prosecuted by Workplace Health and Safety.

Kate Goodchild (left), 32, and New Zealand expat Cindy Low (right), 42, were killed on the ride

Luke Dorsett (left), 35, and his partner Roozi Araghi (right) also tragically died

Police have recommended a coronial inquest be held in relation to the incident, it is understood.

Kate Goodchild, Roozi Araghi, Luke Dorsett and Cindy Low died in the accident on the Thunder River Rapids ride in December 2016.

The four adults were on the ride with two children. The children were flung to safety but the adults landed on the belt.

Dreamworld has been beset with issues since, including plummeting profits as fewer families visit.

In August Arden Leisure announced a $62 million loss ten months after the tragedy.
A group of more than 20 monster saltwater crocodiles have been caught on camera chowing down on a cow.

The feast took place on the Mary River in Australia's Northern Territory in early October, with the reptiles seen tearing limbs from the animal's carcass.

The terrifying footage was captured by a 9-year-old boy who was fishing with his dad at the time and was later shared by Crocodylus Park's Managing Director Grahame Webb.

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A group of more than 20 monster saltwater crocodiles have been caught on camera chowing down on a cow in the Northern Territory

In the minute-long clip one of the crocs is seen performing a 'death roll' as it rips off a piece of the cow, and throws its head back to swallow it.

The force of the reptiles moves are so intense, snaps and crunches can be heard as the cow's bones break.

Up to 23 crocodiles were believed to have been part of the feeding frenzy, with at least six of them more than four metres long.

While one of the beasts, likely the one filmed devouring the bovine's leg, was said to be more than five metres in length.

The feast took place on the Mary River in early October, with up to 23 reptiles seen in the water as they tried to tear limbs from the animal's carcass

Fascinated social media users were quick to comment on the video, with many calling it 'amazing' and 'breathtaking'.

'Great video of nature doing her thing,' one person wrote, while another added 'they're such creepy creatures'.

One person claimed they had been in the same area just days earlier and had witnessed two cows at the waters edge drinking.

One of the beasts, believed to be the one filmed devouring the bovine's leg, was said to be more than five metres in length

In his post, Professor Webb said the young boy who shot the footage called the experience the 'best day of his life'.

Saltwater crocodiles are abundant in the Northern Territory, with the rivers averaging five of the beasts per kilometre.

In Mary River the number of the reptiles can climb to nearly 15 per kilometre, especially when food sources are abundant.
A man on bail for child pornography was allegedly found living across the road from a primary school  with a surveillance camera pointed at the school and a list with plans to target young girls.

William Tyrone Kelly, 32, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with breaching bail and possessing and making child exploitation material.

His house was raided early on Friday morning after police received a tip off, according to the Courier Mail.

Police allege Kelly moved to a house opposite Woodridge North State School (pictured), and had a camera pointed at the school

Police allege he moved to a house opposite Woodridge North State School, and had a camera pointed at the school.

Police also allege they found school timetables and 45 utterly depraved laminated pictures.

They allegedly found a note reading go 5-10-15 minutes before and wait in young girls toilet for a young girl p***y xox.

William Tyrone Kelly, 32, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with breaching bail and possessing and making child exploitation material (stock image)

It is alleged Kelly approached girls in the street and promised them lollipops if they entered his house.

Kelly advertised on auction site Gumtree for free babysitting. Police allegedly found a Barbie doll and a tutu in a secret compartment in his car.

Kelly is scheduled to reappear in court on November 13.
The lawfulness of grounds for receiving a diplomatic passport by MP Boryslav Rozenblat that was seized by detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on October 19, 2017, will be checked. A separate criminal case has been opened.

"The information about the start of the investigation was placed to the unified public register of pretrial investigations by NABU detectives on October 20. The preliminary charges could be brought under Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (forgery in office)," the press service of NABU said on Friday.

According to investigators, officials from the secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada acting in collusion with Rozenblat placed deliberately untrue information to official documents helping Rozenblat to leave the country.

"In particular, officials of the inter-parliamentary communications department of the secretariat of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada sent a letter to the department of the consular service of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry with a request to issue a diplomatic passport to MP Boryslav Rosenblat, who allegedly was to go to Israel to study opportunities for cooperation between Ukraine and the Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the Association of Producers of Israel from October 18 through October 22, 2017," the bureau said.

The NABU said that the diplomatic passport was issued to Rozenblat after receiving this letter. Rozenblat used this passport for personal purposes on October 19 seeking to travel to Germany.

"The data, indicating the possible entry of false information into the official documents, were established by NABU detectives during the investigation into the facts of taking a bribe for the assistance to a foreign company in amber mining in Ukraine (the so-called 'amber case')," the bureau said.
Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was among the four US troops who were killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago during an ambush

The grieving aunt of a fallen Green Beret hero at the center of a controversy over presidential condolence calls has been overcome by grief at his wake.

Sharon Wright broke down in tears on Friday at her nephew's public viewing ceremony in Cooper City, Florida, where family members and medics aided the grieving aunt.

Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was among the four US troops who were killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago during an ambush.

A 12-man force of Green Berets fell under fire by up to 50 ISIS -linked forces, according to early accounts described by the Pentagon.

Earlier Friday, it emerged that that after the ambush happened, it wasn't until 48 hours after the attack that the body of Sgt. La David Johnson was recovered.

The patrol took place without US air support.

Family members Sallie Meadows, right, and Valerie LaBranche, take care of Sharon Wright, center, after she came out of her nephew's Sgt. La David T. Johnson viewing on Friday

Sharon Wright (center) the aunt of US Army Sgt. La David Johnson is comforted as she is overcome with emotion during the viewing in Cooper City, Florida

Following a public viewing, the coffin of US Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, is taken from Christ The Rock Church in Cooper City

The force had light 'technical' vehicles, but the vehicles were not heavily armored when they were lured into an ambush by fighters on motorcycles.

The uproar over President Donald Trump and how presidents should or shouldn't try to console families of the fallen showed no signs of letting up.

The White House is defending chief of staff John Kelly after he mischaracterized the remarks of a Democratic congresswoman who spoke out about Trump's call to Johnson's family.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it is 'inappropriate' to question a retired four-star general such as Kelly.

The administration also insisted it's long past time to end the political squabbling over President Donald Trump's compassion for America's war dead, even as it lobbed fresh vilification at Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson.

Kelly said Wilson delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she 'talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building.' Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.





The late Army Sgt. La David Johnson is pictured with his mother Cowanda Jones-Johnson, who is backing up Rep. Frederica Wilson's account of a condolence call in which Donald Trump told her the slain solider 'knew what he signed up for'

For her part, Wilson is bringing race into the dispute, telling The New York Times, 'The White House itself is full of white supremacists'.

Also on Friday, another aunt of Johnson called Trump an 'S.O.B.' in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV.

'Our president is an S.O.B.' said Katrina Johnson, 42, as she wiped away tears.

Trump has denied reducing pregnant mother-of-two Myeshia Johnson to tears by saying her husband 'knew what he signed up for' during a telephone call to offer his condolences.

Katrina Johnson said about her nephew: 'That was my baby - my heart and soul. I'm so proud of him'

But Katrina Johnson believes her family's account of the conversation and says Trump's supposed comments are a grave insult to her patriot nephew.

'We hurt,' she told DailyMailTV.

'My family was in a car on the way to the airport to pick up his body and the words he told to a grieving widow were wrong.'

She added: 'The hardest part... is not being able to see him any more, not watching him becoming the man he had become.

'He's got a son and a daughter that he won't watch grow up. It's heartbreaking for all of us.

' He was a leader, a hero, a lovable person. He died doing what he wanted to do.'
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Former White House adviser Steve Bannon on Friday depicted former President George W. Bush as bumbling and inept, faulting him for presiding over a 'destructive' presidency during his time in the White House.

Bannon's scathing remarks amounted to a retort to a Bush speech in New York earlier this week, in which the 43rd president denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of 'nativism,' isolationism and conspiracy theories have clouded the nation's true identity.

But Bannon, speaking to a capacity crowd at a California Republican Party convention, said Bush had embarrassed himself and didn't know what he was talking about.

Former White House Chief Strategist Bannon spoke Friday at the Republican convention in response to Senators he said have ousted President Trump and the 'conservative agenda'

Bannon said Bush has no idea whether 'he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president.'

'There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's,' Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of Bush's name.

The remarks came during a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his call for an 'open revolt' against establishment Republicans. He called the 'permanent political class' one of the great dangers faced by the country.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the hotel where Bannon spoke, chanting and waving signs  one displaying a Nazi swastika. The protesters were kept behind steel barricades on a plaza across an entrance road at the hotel, largely out of view of people entering for the event. No arrests were reported.

Several individuals were pictured protesting outside the Anaheim Marriott hotel late Friday

As many as 50 rioters gathered the streets holding signs and chanting in opposition of the former White House Chief Strategist

The protesters were kept behind steel barricades on a plaza across an entrance road at the hotel

During the speech, Bannon blasted former President George W. Bush for 'embarrassing himself' for his comments suggesting a Trump America led to 'nativism' and 'casual cruelty.'

Bannon said that while John Mccain 'deserves our respect, as a politician, he's just another Senator from Arizona.'

Bannon also took aim at the Silicon Valley and its 'lords of technology,' predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years. He called the threat to break up the nation a 'living problem.'

He also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans, in a state that Trump lost by over 4 million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics. In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

'You've got everything you need to win,' he told them.

No arrests were reported outside of the California hotel as of Friday

Demonstrators held up signs outside the hotel that read things like: 'REJECT HATE, REJECT BANNON'

He ended his speech with a standing ovation.

Bannon is promoting a field of primary challengers to take on incumbent Republicans in Congress. But in California, the GOP has been fading for years.

The state has become a kind of Republican mausoleum: GOP supporters can relive the glory days by visiting the stately presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, but today Democrats control every statewide office and rule both chambers of the Legislature by commanding margins.

Not all Republicans were glad to see Bannon. In a series of tweets last week, former state Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes said he was shocked by the decision to have the conservative firebrand headline the event.

'It's a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf,' Mayes tweeted.

California Republicans have bickered for years over what direction to turn  toward the political center or to the right.

Other signs from protesters read: 'Take out the trash,' and 'BAN BANNON'

Bannon also argued that the coalition that sent Trump to the White House, including conservatives, Libertarians, populists, economic nationalists, evangelicals, could hold power for decades if they stay unified.

'If you have the wisdom, the strength, the tenacity, to hold that coalition together, we will govern for 50 to 75 years,' he said.

Most of the state's governors in the 20th century were Republicans, and state voters helped elevate a string of GOP presidential candidates to the White House. But the party's fortunes started to erode in the late 1990s after a series of measures targeting immigrants, which alienated growing segments of the state's population.

One of the protesters even reportedly displayed a sign with a drawing of a Nazi swastika

In 2007, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned party members that the GOP was 'dying at the box office' and needed to move to the political center and embrace issues like climate change to appeal to a broader range of voters. In 2011, a state Republican Party committee blocked an attempt by moderates to push the state GOP platform toward the center on immigration, abortion, guns and gay rights.

The decline continued. Republicans are now a minor party in many California congressional districts, outnumbered by Democrats and independents. Statewide, Democrats count 3.7 million more voters than the GOP.

Political scientist Jack Pitney, who teaches at Claremont McKenna College, said he doubted the speech would color the 2018 congressional contests, which remain far off for most voters.

More broadly, he said Bannon's politics would hurt the GOP, including among affluent, well-educated voters who play an important part in county elections.

'Inviting him was a moral and political blunder,' Pitney said in an email.

With the GOP relegated to the bleachers in Sacramento, Bannon's message is likely to receive a warm response from the conservative activists

The keynote speech comes just days after Bannon left a blistering attack on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans at an Arizona fundraiser

Bannon previously called for an 'open revolt' against establishment Republicans

Sandra Vonderloh, 18, of Anaheim protests Bannon outside the California Republican Convention

The keynote speech comes just days after Bannon left a blistering attack on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans at an Arizona fundraiser.

Bannon previously called for an 'open revolt' against establishment Republicans, and is promoting a field of primary challengers to take on incumbent Republicans in Congress. But in California, the GOP has been fading for years.

The state has become a kind of Republican mausoleum: GOP supporters can relive the glory days by visiting the stately presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, but today Democrats control every statewide office and rule both chambers of the Legislature by commanding margins.

With the GOP relegated to the bleachers in Sacramento, Bannon's message is likely to receive a warm response from the conservative activists who tend to dominate at the GOP conclave.

'Steve Bannon is a natural fit for a party that is hungry for a revolution, and the party in California is definitely hungry for a revolution,' former Orange County Republican leader Scott Baugh said.
A neighborhood in Tampa, Florida has been terrorized by a string of seemingly random shootings that have left three dead in little more than a week.

The shooter struck the Seminole Heights neighborhood once again on Thursday night, when police patrols saturating the area heard the gunshots but were unable to catch the murderer.

Instead, they found dead Anthony Naiboa, 20, a man with autism who had gotten off the bus at the wrong stop on his way home from work and was walking to a different bus stop.

'Enough is enough,' Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said in a frustrated plea to the killer at a televised press conference on Friday.

'I don't know what your motive is. I don't know what your problem is. There's been enough carnage. You have severely affected some families.'

Victims (left to right): Benjamin Edward Mitchell, 22, was killed October 9; Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, was found dead on October 13; Anthony Naiboa, 20, was killed October 19

The fatal sidewalk shootings all took place within blocks of each other in Seminole Heights

Although cops won't say outright they suspect a serial killer, they believe the three murders are linked.

A video of a potential person of interest in the first shooting is among the few clues for investigators, who have called in FBI profilers to assist.

The first victim, 22-year-old Benjamin Edward Mitchell, was shot on October 9 near a bus stop a block away from the most recent shooting, and died from his injuries at a hospital. Cops said he had no criminal record.

Days later, Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, was found dead on October 13, although police believe she was killed two days earlier. Her body was found in a vacant lot by a city worker.

The three shootings took place within a few thousand feet of each other in the residential neighborhood.

All three victims were bus riders and all three were shot at or near bus stops. Mitchell and Naiboa both attended Middleton High School.

Authorities have said repeatedly that the three victims were not criminals and that there is no personal connection between them.

Cops blanketed the area after the initial slayings, but it was not enough to prevent the sidewalk murder of the third victim. Officers nearby heard the shots ring out

Cops said that Anthony Naiboa, the third victim, had mistakenly gotten on the wrong bus leaving work and was not even supposed to be in the neighborhood when he was killed

Cops blanketed the area after the initial slayings, but it was not enough to prevent the sidewalk murder of the third victim, Naiboa.

'You can imagine the frustration of these officers to hear gunshots and not be able to find this person,' Dugan said at the conference.

'He was in the prime of his life and was taken instantly.'

Dugan pleaded with the public for information about the individual in the surveillance video, warning not to assume the suspect's race or gender, which cops could not determine from the footage.

'This is, you know, very frustrating,' Dugan said. 'I go from frustration to anger on these unsolved homicides. And now, we have someone who is terrorizing the neighborhood. It's just difficult to see this happen.'

The chief also urged the community not to retreat into their homes, and continue to maintain a public presence on the streets - though the department warns against walking alone at night.

'Do cookouts, walk your dog,' he said. 'We're not going to be held hostage by whoever's doing this.'

Anyone with information about the murders is urged to contact the Tampa Bay Police Department at 813-231-6130.
A food truck in Canberra which allegedly served a take away meal infested with maggots has been allowed to continue trading as usual.

What The Pho was serving customers at The Hamlet, an outdoor food village in the inner city suburb of Braddon, when it received complaints of alleged larva crawling through a customer's meal.

A female customer claimed she was part-way through a Vietnamese dish from the establishment when she saw multiple live insects wriggling around inside, ABC News reports.

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Video footage allegedly shows a mass amount of the tiny white worms maneuvering through what looks to be a chunky vegetable and meat dish.

The customer, who was dining with colleagues at the time, said she was sick after making the unpleasant discovery.

'She didn't know what to do. She sort of freaked out and next thing she's over trying to actually throw up in the bin,' her workmate Brendan Ryan told the publication.

The popular Vietnamese food stall has been issued a warning by ACT Health, but was allowed to continue trading because it's alleged maggot issue didn't warrant immediate closure.

'This business is working with ACT Health to rectify the issues identified, during which time the business may continue trading,' ACT Health said in a statement.

What The Pho was serving customers at The Hamlet in Canberra when a customer allegedly discovered maggots in her meal

Video footage allegedly shows a mass amount of the tiny wriggly bodies maneuvering through what appears to be a chunky vegetable and meat dish

Mr Ryan was unimpressed with the business's reaction to being told there were maggots living in the food it had served.

He said the restaurant owner initially apologised, but after a check on the rest of his stock, he told the concerned colleague 'the rest of it is alright'.

Mr Ryan was left 'stunned' at the owner's lax approach to the potential public health hazard.

Owner of The Hamlet, Nik Bulum, said What The Pho would be kicked out of the village if the alleged maggots were found to be the fault of its owner.

The restaurant runs independently of The Hamlet and falls under separate management.
A new plea deal could see Cassie Sainsbury back in Australia in as little as 18 months.

The Colombian judge is believed to have accepted a plea deal of six years in relation to the accused drug smuggler, but good behaviour and time served could see that sentence dramatically reduced, Nine News reports.

If the deal is realised, and Sainsbury is granted good behaviour, the 22-year-old could be released in 24 months.

But if time served is considered that will reduce the sentence again by a further six months - giving the South Australian local her freedom by 2019.

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Cassie Sainsbury pictured arriving in Bogota Special Circuit Court on Saturday for a hearing closed to the media

Her family in Adelaide is thrilled by the news, with her sister Khala Sainsbury saying: 'It couldn't have gone any better. I believe she'll be okay, she's strong.'

Previously it was reported that the 22-year-old was offered a six-year deal at a pre-trial hearing at Bogota court.

The newly-appointed judge was considering the deal made between the prosecution and Sainsbury's lawyers, The Herald Sun reported on Friday.

The judge hearing the case earlier granted a request from Sainsbury's lawyer, Orlando Herran, to close the hearing to all media.

Accused drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury (pictured) arrived at a Colombian court on Saturday

Resembling the first plea bargain - rejected after Sainsbury repeatedly changed her story - the six-year deal was presented on Friday in the Bogota Special Circuit Court.

The sentencing hearing will take place on November 1, but a source within the court said the judge has given it his approval.

The 22-year-old is accused of attempting to smuggle almost 6kg of cocaine into Australia and faces up to 30 years behind bars if found guilty of drug trafficking.

If Sainsbury's (pictured) drug trafficking case had been adjourned until next month she could have been set free due to Colombian law limiting court cases for those in custody to 90 days

The 22-year-old (seen here being escorted to court in August) is accused of attempting to smuggle almost 6kg of cocaine into Australia and faces up to 30 years behind bars if found guilty of drug trafficking

Prosecutors had a number of options, including a new plea deal, but if they had pushed for an adjournment of her case she could have been freed.

According to Colombian law, a person must be released from jail under the statute of limitations if their case is not finalised in the courts within a certain period of time - in this case 90 days.

They are then 'paroled', with an assessment carried out on whether there is enough merit in the case to bring it before trial.

Sainsbury's drawn-out case has been before the courts for 70 days already, based on her plea hearing on August 10.

Prosecutors pushed for an adjournment of her case but such a move could have been her ticket to freedom

According to Colombian law, a person must be released from jail under the statute of limitations if their case is not finalised in the courts within a certain time - in this case 90 days (pictured is Cassie in Colombian prison)

That meant the former personal trainer from Adelaide had a chance of release from El Buen Pastor prison before Christmas, after spending over six months locked up.

Sainsbury was arrested in April after she was caught with 5.6 kilograms of cocaine at Bogota Airport, hidden inside 18 separate packages of headphones.

She initially told prosecutors she had no idea the headphones were filled with cocaine, but later said she had been blackmailed by an international drug syndicate.

In a tell-all interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year she claimed the drug ring had sent her WhatsApp images and texts of her family - saying her loved ones would be killed if she failed to obey their orders.

But in a sensational twist, Sainsbury said she could not access the evidence to potentially clear her name, as she had forgotten the password to her phone.

Sainsbury was arrested in April after she was caught with 5.6 kilograms of cocaine at Bogota Airport, hidden inside 18 separate packages of headphones
Two bodies have been found in the sunken fishing trawler which capsized off the coast of Queensland.

The fishermen's trawler, the 'Diane', was discovered on Friday after an extensive search when sonar detected it two to three nautical miles off Round Hill Headland.

One man, Ruben McDornan, 32, survived while Adam Bidner, 33, Chris Sammut, 34, Eli Tonks, 39, Zach Feeney, 28, Adam Hoffman, 30, and skipper Ben Leahy, 45, have been missing since the boat sunk on Monday and are feared dead.

Gladstone Police inspector Darren Sommerville told media Saturday afternoon they had found two bodies, which are yet to be identified, in the wheelhouse of the sunken boat.

Specialist divers were only able to be under water for 13 minutes per dive because of the depth of the wreckage, making it a lengthy recovery.

Two bodies have been found in the sunken fishing trawler which capsized off the coast of Queensland (pictured)

The missing men include (clockwise from top left): Adam Hoffman, 30, Zach Feeney, 28, Eli Tonks, 39, Adam Bidner, 33, skipper Ben Leahy, 45 and Chris Sammut, 34

Inspector Sommerville said the divers were still clearing debris from the vessel in order to search for the four missing bodies which they hope are on board.

'It took a couple of dives to locate the male persons, simply because of gaining entry then moving debris,' he said.

'As you can imagine the boat sits on its roof on the ocean floor, so there's a large amount of debris that's been tossed about.

Theres a lot of debris, mattresses, fridges, freezers, life jackets, everything youd expect to see on inside of a boat, makes it extremely difficult for divers to see.'

The search will continue for the four missing men on Sunday.

'We hope to clear the boast as soon as we can to get closure for the families,' Inspector Sommerville said.

The bodies of the missing fisherman are believed to be entombed on the sunken vessel, with their families told the 'window of survivability' has closed.

An outwards opening door has been suggested as potentially sealing their fate, with the water pressure from outside making it impossible to escape, according to The Australian.

Ruben McDornan, 32, (pictured) is believed to be the sole survivor with the trawler, the 'Diane', discovered on Friday after an extensive search

The remaining four missing bodies are believed to be in the sunken vessel, with an outwards opening door suggested as potentially sealing their fate (Pictured is fisherman Zach Feeney)

Owen Schubert owns a fishing vessel identical to the one that sunk off Queensland on Monday and has claimed that those on-board should have been able to swim out.

Mr Schubert said that something must have gone 'really, really wrong'.

'The boys would have been able to swim out. The wheelhouse is small,' he told The Cairns Post.

'I know I could have done it, if there was nothing blocking the way: swim out to the door, open the door and swim to the surface from the bottom.

He said the men should have then been able to make a free ascent out of the door and escaped.

Mr Schubert also recounted talking to Mr Leahy, his friend of 13 years and fellow avid spearfisher, just hours before the vessel got into trouble.

However, Mr Schubert, who owns an identical fishing vessel, claims the competent crew should have been able to swim out and that something must have blocked their exit (Pictured is Eli Tonks)

Mr Schubert believes the boat's skipper Ben Leahy (pictured) may have gone to the engine room following the capsize and could have been rendered unconscious

He suspects the proud skipper would have gone to the engine room following the capsizing and could have been electrocuted or rendered unconscious from falling objects.

The crew had been on a trip to collect sea cucumbers or 'slugs', with the weather preceding the incident believed to be 'terrible', according to survivor Mr McDornan.

Mr McDornan was plucked from the ocean by a passing yacht and told police the vessel had rolled and he was able to make it out.

He stated he did not see any of the crew emerge as he clung to the hull of the upturned vessel and that he had heard screams from inside.

After their emotional reunion his wife Sammy revealed her husband was 'very sad and sore, but OK' and said she hadn't given up hope of a miracle.

'We're really thankful to the people that rescued Ruben and to all the people out searching for the boys and just for everyone's support,' a tearful Ms McDornan said.

The crew had been on a trip to collect sea cucumbers or 'slugs', with the weather preceding the incident believed to be 'terrible' (Pictured is missing man Adam Bidner)

Sole survivor Ruben McDornan stated he did not see any of the crew emerge as he clung to the hull of the upturned vessel (Pictured is Adam Hoffman, who is among those feared dead)

'But unfortunately we don't really have any other information. We're so grateful that he's alive.

'Our thoughts are with the boys missing at the moment because they're all like family. So we just need everybody to keep positive for them.'

Wetsuits, diving equipment and personal items were found washed ashore earlier this week following the tragedy.

Ferocious winds and high seas hampered the desperate search for the six men.

A recovery operation was launched Saturday morning, with water police remaining at the scene overnight.

Divers were expected to take a closer look at the vessel but it may not be brought up until further assessments are conducted, according to the ABC.
The 33-year-old utility driver was also taken to hospital and treated for shock

He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital but sadly died a short time later

James Gray was crossing Victoria Road in Gladesville at 2am when he was hit

A 20-year-old man has died after being struck by a utility in Sydney's north west

A young man has died after he was hit by a utility while crossing Victoria Road in Sydney's north west on Saturday.

James Gray, 20, was attempting to cross the main road at Gladesville around 2am when he was struck by a Holden ute.

Police believe Mr Gray had been at a nearby pub earlier in the night and tried to cross the road after visiting a kebab shop.

A young man has died after he was hit by a utility (pictured) while crossing Victoria Road in Sydney's north west on Saturday

He was crossing the road at an 'unmarked section' when he was struck, police reported.

Witnesses rushed to help save Mr Gray's life, performing CPR on the young man before paramedics arrived.

He was taken to Royal North Shore hospital but died a short time later.

The 30-year-old driver of the Holden ute, who was visibly shaken following the fatal accident, was taken to hospital and treated for shock.

He was crossing the road at an 'unmarked section' when he was struck, police reported

Witnesses rushed to help save Mr Gray's life, performing CPR on the young man before paramedics arrived

He will also undergo mandatory blood and alcohol testing.

No charges have been laid as of yet.

Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash are continuing and any witnesses are urged to come forward.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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A Brexit deal could be agreed as soon as Christmas - but only if the UK pays 48bn, EU leaders said on Friday.

In a meeting held after Theresa May attended a Brussels summit, EU leaders gave the order to prepare for a trade deal.

However the talks will only go ahead if the Prime Minister agrees to pay the eye-watering sum, according to reports.

British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a news conference on the second day of the European Council Meeting in Brussels on Friday

An unnamed senior diplomat told The Sun that leaders would accept 30billion for future commitments. Along with the 18billion offered for the transition period between 2019 and 2021 this would amount to 46billion.

News of the possible deal comes after Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on hopes of a Brexit breakthrough - warning that the UK's divorce bill offer was not even 'halfway' to what the EU wanted.

The French president delivered a grim assessment of the standoff, saying Theresa May would have to make more significant concessions for trade negotiations to be able to start in December.

Last night it emerged that formal talks on a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU could begin as soon as next month.

At one point before her bilateral meeting with Mr Tusk this morning the PM was left sitting all by herself - summing up her status at the summit despite attempts by other leaders to show warmth

Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel appear to have developed a close working rapport since he became president

Theresa May was seen deep in conversation with Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at a breakfast session on the second day of the EU summit

In a breakthrough for Theresa May, the EU said it was starting work on its negotiating stance on trade immediately.

Donald Tusk, EU Council president, said he was ready to receive British proposals for a trade deal  despite the fact EU leaders ruled yesterday that there had not yet been 'sufficient progress' on the 'divorce bill'.

The move came amid growing concern on the Continent about the possibility of a messy split from the UK, the EU's biggest trading partner.

Belgian economy minister Kris Peeters said a no-deal Brexit could cost 1.2million jobs across the EU and have a 'catastrophic' effect on his own country. He said the figures, from an official Belgian study, showed 'how important it is to reach a deal'.

German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday said she was hopeful of beginning formal trade talks with the UK in December.

EU officials told the Daily Mail an informal summit in Gothenburg on November 17 could be expanded to include discussions on trade and a two-year transitional deal.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said Mrs May's Brexit presentation to EU leaders on Thursday night had been 'helpful'  and revealed they had told her: 'You might want to see us in Gothenburg.'

A senior EU official said: 'Of course we can have a meeting before December. It truly depends on whether there will be any step [forward] on the UK side or not.'

Rapid progress will depend on the Prime Minister providing fellow leaders with more detail on how much she is willing to pay in a 'divorce' settlement. Mr Rutte said the EU needed 'more meat on the bone' about Mrs May's pledge to 'honour our commitments' to the EU.

But Mrs Merkel struck an upbeat note, saying there were 'zero indications' that the talks would end without a deal. She added: 'I truly want an agreement  and not an unpredictable resolution.'

The French president delivered a grim assessment of the standoff today, saying Theresa May would have to make more significant concessions for trade negotiations to be able to start in December

Mr Macron struck a significantly harder tone on Brexit than his fellow leaders, who appeared optimistic about a deal

Mr Juncker talks with Mrs Merkel in Brussels today. In the background is the commission president's powerful chief of staff, Martin Selmayr

Donald Tusk and Mrs Merkel both went out of their way to be optimistic about the direction of the Brexit discussions

THE STICKING POINTS Money: Wrangling over cash is the stickiest problem and have held up trade talks. The EU is demanding 60 billion euros  the equivalent of 54billion. Theresa May agreed to pay 20 billion euros (18billion) for the current EU budget in return for a transition deal. The PM said Britain is prepared to meet its 'obligations' but what precisely these are is a matter of dispute. EU Citizens rights: Theresa May has tried to settle the issue to provide certainty to the 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK and the 1.2million Brits living on the bloc, but the EU has refused. The British think the EU are stalling on an agreement to squeeze more money. This week the PM wrote an open letter to EU nationals reassuring them that a deal is 'within touching distance'. Northern Ireland: The EU and UK do not want to see a return to a hard Irish border fearing it would endanger the peace process. But the UK says the practicalities on how to maintain a soft border when the UK leaves the customs union means the issue can only be settled if they move on to trade talks. Transition deal: The PM wants a two-year transition deal and conceded EU judges will have power over the UK during this time. But Europe wants more clarity on whether she will accept all parts of EU law and regulation. Advertisement

The German leader conceded for the first time that the EU will have to make concessions from its rigid negotiating position, saying: 'I see the ball not only in the UK's court.'

But she warned that the divorce bill had been 'dominant' in discussions  and that trade talks were likely to be 'much more difficult'.

EU leaders offered Mrs May the olive branch on trade after she warned them her political weakness at home meant she could not be pushed much further.

The Prime Minister is under pressure from Tory Eurosceptics to pull the plug on the talks if they drag on for much longer and to prepare the UK to leave without a deal.

In a presentation over dinner in Brussels, she urged fellow leaders to give her a deal 'we can defend to our people'. Some EU leaders are said to fear they could end up having to negotiate with Boris Johnson or even Jeremy Corbyn if they allow Mrs May to fail.

The Prime Minister yesterday said Brexit negotiations still had 'some way to go'. But officials were privately encouraged by the breakthrough in talks, which the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier this month warned were 'deadlocked'.

Tory MP Michael Fabricant said last night: 'We always knew the EU would play for time and try and bargain for as much cash as possible  But the EU needs trade too.'

In a sign of the tensions Brexit is causing in Brussels, Mr Tusk questioned Mr Barnier's assessment, saying: 'After Prime Minister May's intervention last night and our discussion about Brexit this morning, my impression is that the reports of the deadlock between the EU and UK have been exaggerated.' But Jean-Claude Juncker claimed he 'would have used the word deadlock four times, not only three times'.

The European Commission president added: 'I hate no deal. I want a fair deal with Britain.'

Mr Tusk yesterday said: 'I would like to assure our British friends that in our internal work we will take account of proposals presented.'

This will allow UK officials to influence a deal much earlier than expected. The EU's 27 remaining members took just 90 seconds to approve the so-called 'scoping' work in preparation for possible talks.

The EU leaders gathered for a breakfast discussion, before Mrs May left the session and the Brexit process was considered

Mrs Merkel arrives for the second day of the summit in Brussels, when EU leaders are expected formally to declare there has not been enough progress to start Brexit trade talks
A terrified ten-year-old boy's leg exploded with pus because medics had left pieces of wood in a wound after he fell out of a tree, his family have said.

The horrific incident happened nine days after Reece Barber, from Norwich, was badly injured in the tree accident.

Reece's furious parents, Claire Carpenter and Ben Barber, are now set to make an official complaint against Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he was treated.

A terrified ten-year-old boy's leg exploded with pus because medics had left pieces of wood in a wound after he fell out of a tree, his family have said

Hospital chiefs today said they have launched an urgent investigation into the issue.

Ms Carpenter said: 'I'm 90 per cent sure Reece had sepsis. The surgeon was incredible.

'But we're going to put in an official complaint about A&E because my poor 10-year-old boy has really suffered.'

The frantic parents rushed Reece to A&E after he tumbled out of a tree on September 4.

Medics cleaned up the wound and the shaken-up youngster was given stitches.

But Ms Carpenter said Reece took a dramatic turn for the worse nine days later.

The horrific incident happened nine days after Reece Barber, from Norwich, was badly injured in the tree accident. Pictured, the wood removed from his leg

'I had taken him up to bed because he said he was hot and dizzy,' the shocked mum-of-four told the Norwich Evening News.

'On the 13th his leg just exploded, with this gunky, smelly, awful stuff.'

The horrified family immediately called the NHS 111 number and were told to go to a local walk-in centre. Medics sent them straight to the hospital.

Reece had emergency surgery to remove chunks of wood - one of which was more than 2ins long - left in his leg.

The shattered youngster was too ill to return to school at the start of the new term with his mates and only went back last week after his ordeal.

Reece's furious parents, Claire Carpenter and Ben Barber, are now set to make an official complaint against Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he was treated

Ms Carpenter said Reece has undiagnosed autism.

She said the nightmare of being forced to go to hospital twice and the shocking accident had totally stressed him out.

'We were just trying to keep Reece calm,' insisted Ms Carpenter. 'He will say himself that it was A&E he was very wary of.'

A hospital spokesman said: 'We are sorry to hear about this patient's experience at our hospital and there is an investigation under way.

A hospital spokesman said: 'We are sorry to hear about this patient's experience at our hospital and there is an investigation under way'

'We have been in contact with the patient's family, in accordance with our responsibilities under the duty of candour regulations, and will inform them of the outcome of the investigation.'

He added: 'Due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to answer any specific questions on the clinical care of individual patients.

'We are always committed to ensuring our patients receive the highest quality care.

'We investigate all incidents in order to identify ways to improve and cases are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team.'
James Packer hasn't seen his older sister Gretel since they settled their father's $1.25 billion will two years ago.

The Australian businessman spent ten years negotiating Kerry Packer's enormous fortune with his sibling, causing a rift to form between the notoriously shy family members.

It was eventually finalised in December 2015, but Packer admits at times conversations between the pair were not pleasant.

James Packer (pictured) hasn't seen his older sister Gretel since they settled their father's $1.25 billion will two years ago

The Australian businessman spent ten years deliberating on Kerry Packer's enormous fortune with his sibling (Gretel pictured, also alongside jockey Michelle Payne), causing a rift to form between the notoriously shy family members

'Stages of the negotiation with Gretel were difficult, but a framework for future resolution was achieved,' he told the Weekend Australian.

Despite the resolution forecasting a debt-free future for Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings it didn't do much for the bond between the siblings.

'We have not spent a lot of time together. She is getting on with her life and I'm doing the same,' he said.

While the terms of the deal have still not been revealed, Packer did admit closing the 'dealing-with-my-obligations-to-my-sister chapter' was a relief.

While the terms of the deal are still being kept out of the limelight Packer did admit that closing the 'dealing-with-my-obligations-to-my-sister chapter' was a relief (Gretel pictured)

Like father, like son! Despite the resolution forecasting a debt-free future for Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings it didn't do much in for the bond between the siblings (Kerry Packer pictured left, James Packer pictured right)

While the 50-year-old is currently based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gretel snapped up an $8.75 million Potts Point penthouse in Sydney earlier this month - just a 15 minute drive away from her brother's beloved Crown Sydney complex in Barangaroo.

Packer has shared a desire to return to Sydney once the project is completed in three years time, with the building plans incorporating an apartment on the top floor with bedrooms for his three children: Indigo, Jackson Lloyd and Emmanuelle Sheelah.

But there was a time when the mogul seriously considered an American business venture to be closer to his children and ex-wife Erica Baxter in Los Angeles.

'I wanted to have a business in either LA or Vegas so I could be close to my kids. The business I tried to make work in LA was RatPac and I lost $100 million,' he said.

But there was a time when the mogul seriously considered an American business venture to be closer to his children and ex-wife Erica Baxter (pictured) in Los Angeles

In the same interview Packer describes the relationship he has with his second ex-wife Erica Baxter (pictured) as special, and 'deeply regrets' letting their marriage fall apart

They were together for six years, the 50-year-old's longest relationship to date, before calling it quits in September 2013 (pictured Erica Baxter with James Packer)

RatPac was a film production company Packer started in 2012 with Brett Ratner - the same Hollywood producer who introduced him to ex-fiance Mariah Carey.

While it did co-finance 50 films, 21 of which earned themselves Academy Awards, there were others that didn't take off, causing Packer to sell his stake to Access Hollywood in April this year.

He was disappointed in the financial loss, but also the geographical distance he had now put between himself and the children.

'I was trying to find something to do in LA, which is where my kids are, so that was part of it,' he reasoned.

In the same interview, Packer describes the relationship he has with his second ex-wife Erica Baxter as special, and 'deeply regrets' letting their marriage fall apart.

They were together for six years, the 50-year-old's longest relationship to date, before calling it quits in September 2013.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is to meet with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker in the near term, a well-informed source has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The meeting of the president with Volker is to take place this will happen in next 10 days," the source told Interfax-Ukraine.

The source said that the meeting is scheduled for next week.

ZN.UA reported, referring to its sources in the government, Volker is to visit Ukraine on October 27. He will meet Ukrainian authorities before a meeting with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov.
A man who groomed a young boy via online gaming before sexually assaulting him has been caged.

Nathan Hastings took over his victim's life, after making contact through the Xbox Live gaming platform, with a 16-month campaign of 'controlled abuse'.

The 26-year-old had such a damaging impact on the boy's life that he 'prevented him from enjoying his childhood'.

Nathan Hastings (pictured) took over his victim's life, after making contact through the Xbox Live gaming platform, with a 16-month campaign of 'controlled abuse'

Hastings first contacted his victim in 2014, then started travelling to Manchester on a daily basis to visit him.

He manipulated the boy, who was only 11-years-old at the time, and dominated his life to the point that he felt isolated from his friends and family.

He also sexually assaulted the young victim on two occasions.

Hastings, of Tatton Road, Crewe, was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, October 20, to four years in prison after being found guilty of grooming and two counts of sexually assaulting a child.

Hastings, of Tatton Road, Crewe, was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court (pictured) on Friday, October 20, to four years in prison after being found guilty of grooming and two counts of sexually assaulting a child

Speaking after his sentencing, Det Con Anna Barker of the GMP's Phoenix Tameside CSE team said: 'Nathan Hastings knew full well how old his victim was and that what he was doing was wrong, yet he continued his campaign of abuse without showing a shred of remorse.

'His abuse dominated the boy's life, preventing him from enjoying his childhood and stopping him communicating with friends and family to the point where he became withdrawn.

'This had a massive impact on his life at a time when he was at a vulnerable age and still developing as a person.

'I would like to pay tribute to him for having the courage to come forward to report Hastings to police and for the bravery he has shown giving evidence during the trial.

'I hope this result has repaid the trust he placed in the authorities and provides him with some feeling of justice when coming to terms with what happened.

'Child sexual exploitation can take place in many forms. In this case a young boy was manipulated through online gaming whilst in his own home.

'I would advise all parents or guardians to take interest in the contact that young people have with others online and report any suspicious activity to police.'
A 51-year-old Melbourne man died after hitting his head on the pavement during a brawl outside a Eildon pub, 140 kilometres north east of the city on Friday.

Greg Mitchem, who was on holiday with at the time, became involved in a carpark scuffle before being knocked to the pavement just before midnight.

Investigators have been told a group of people were fighting outside the Eildon Holiday Resort on Goulburn Valley Highway when the father of four fell to the ground.

Greg Mitchem, 51, died after hitting his head on the pavement during a brawl outside a Eildon pub, 140 kilometres north east of the city on Friday

Tammy Scanlon, who's brother and two sons have been arrested, witnessed the incident and claims Mr Mitchem was responsible for injuring her 18-year-old son.

'The person at the pub that is deceased today king hit my son and knocked him out,' she told Nine News.

Ms Scanlon claimed her brother was also attacked, and believed he was acting in self defense when Mr Mitchem was punched.

Mr Mitchem became involved in a carpark scuffle before being knocked to the pavement just before midnight

Tammy Scanlon, who's brother and two sons have been arrested, witnessed the incident and said Mr Mitchem was responsible for injuring her 18-year-old son (pictured)

'My brother just kinda went like that (arm swinging action), and this guy just fell and he hit his head and then we just tried to help him,' she said.

'It was horrible, it was horrible. I feel sorry for the family I really do. It's heartbreaking.'

Paramedics attempted to save Mr Mitchem but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The area was cordoned off for about eight hours following the incident as detectives pieced together evidence, including discarded clothing and hats.

Ms Scanlon's brother and son were taken into police custody Saturday night, but charges are yet to be laid.

Tributes for the footy-mad father have flooded social media as family and friends come to terms with their sudden loss.
British tourists have been warned about travelling to Madagascar as an outbreak of plague has struck the paradise island leaving 90 dead.

An unusually large outbreak in the country has taken 94 lives, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

The number of suspected cases has reached 1,153, Dr. Ibrahima Soce Fall, Africa emergencies chief for the U.N. health agency, told reporters in Geneva.

British tourists have been warned about travelling to Madagascar as an outbreak of plague has struck the paradise island leaving 90 dead. Pictured, Red Cross volunteers talk to villagers about the plague outbreak

An unusually large outbreak in the country has taken 94 lives, the World Health Organization said on Friday. Pictured, a girl wears a face mask inside a hospital in the capital Antananarivo

More cases are expected, 'but we think we can affect the curve very quickly thanks to the deployment of human resources and all types of intervention,' he said.

International agencies have sent more than one million doses of antibiotics and deployed medical teams.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'There is currently an outbreak of pneumonic and bubonic plague in Madagascar.

'Outbreaks of plague tend to be seasonal and occur mainly during the rainy season, with around 500 cases reported annually.

Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, is a popular destination with British and European travellers

More cases are expected, 'but we think we can affect the curve very quickly thanks to the deployment of human resources and all types of intervention,' he said

International agencies have sent more than one million doses of antibiotics and deployed medical teams

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'There is currently an outbreak of pneumonic and bubonic plague in Madagascar'

'Whilst outbreaks are not uncommon in rural areas, the latest outbreak has seen an increase in reported cases in urban areas, including Antananarivo.'

Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, is a popular destination for British and European travellers.

Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but this year's outbreak is unusual because for the first time the disease has affected the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.

More than 70 per cent of the cases are pneumonic plague, a more virulent form that spreads through coughing, sneezing or spitting and is almost always fatal if untreated.

Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but this year's outbreak is unusual because for the first time the disease has affected the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina

More than 70 per cent of the cases are pneumonic plague, a more virulent form that spreads through coughing, sneezing or spitting and is almost always fatal if untreated

In some cases, it can kill within 24 hours.

Like the bubonic form that often is found in Madagascar's remote highlands, it can be treated with common antibiotics if caught in time.

WHO has said the risk of global spread of the outbreak is low and it advises against travel or trade restrictions. It seeks $5.5 million to support the plague response.

The Red Cross is sending its first-ever plague treatment center.
Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel might be moved to from his high-security prison unit that he shares with terrorists, murderers and gangsters.

Mokbel has spent most of the last 10 years in the Barwon Prison's Acacia section but he may get a change of scenery to a lower security prison.

The convicted crime boss is currently serving his 30 year jail sentence, with a minimum parole period of 22 years, after being sentenced in 2012 for masterminding a multi million-dollar drug trafficking empire.

Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel (pictured in 2011) might be moved to from his high-security prison unit that he shares with terrorists, murderers and gangsters

Mokbel has spent most of the last 10 years in the Barwon Prison's Acacia section but he may be moved to a lower-security prison unit

However, the 52-year-old has been behind bars after he was extradited 10 years ago in Greece.

Described as a model prisoner, senior correction staff are now deciding whether Mokbel should be moved to the mainstream part of Barwon Prison, according to The Herald Sun.

Moving to a lower-security section of the Victorian jail would mean Mokbel gets more time outside his cell and will have less restrictions.

This would also mean Mokbel, who was an acquaintance of notorious Melbourne gangland boss Carl Williams, would leave behind some of Australia's worst criminals including terrorists, major drug traffickers and murderers.

Described as a model prisoner, senior correction staff are now deciding whether Mokbel should be moved to the mainstream part of Barwon Prison (pictured)

The move would come three years after a major incident between Mokbel (pictured in 2007) and a fellow inmate

The possible move would come three years after a major incident between Mokbel and a fellow inmate.

Mokbel allegedly left the prisoner with minor injuries including a broken nose after a gambling dispute, however the prisoner, who was reportedly in his 30s at the time, did not press charges.

The 52-year-old is now well regarded in the high-security prison and has become sociable with other criminals and prison guards, according to the publication.
A man has been repeatedly stabbed by a gang of thieves who demanded that he hand over mobile phone and watch.

The 30-year-old victim was walking down Malvern Road in Enfield, London, when he was approached by four black males all wearing dark clothing.

The group demanded that he hand over his belongings but once he refused he was stabbed a number of times before the suspects fled with his items.

Police and ambulance services were called to nearby Ashton Road following the incident shortly before 7pm on Monday.

The victim was rushed to South London hospital where he remains in a stable condition.

The 30-year-old victim was stabbed multiple times on Malvern Road, Enfield, shortly before 7pm on Monday

So far no arrests have been made.

The investigating officer from Enfield's major crime unit, DC Joel Gregory, said: 'This was a nasty robbery which left the victim with serious injuries.

'I would urge anyone with any information about this incident to contact us so we can bring those responsible for this crime to justice.'

Any witnesses or anyone with information should call DC Gregory on 0208 345 4340 or 101. You can also Tweet information to @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
At least 52 Egyptian police and military have been killed with six wounded following an ambush by Islamic militants in the country's Western Desert.

The security forces were planning to raid a suspected jihadi hideout when the terrorists launched their attack using rockets, bombs and machine guns.

A number of the jihadis were also killed although officials have not released the number.

The raid took place near the town of el-Bawity, Bahariya Oasis, some 125 miles outside Cairo

Egyptian security forces were about to raid a jihadi hideout when they were ambushed

The attack took place near the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert, security and medical sources said Saturday, in a rare flare-up outside the Sinai Peninsula.

The interior ministry said security forces hunting down Islamist militants in the region were attacked late Friday on a road to the Bahariya oasis southwest of Cairo.

An official statement said a number of the attackers were killed, but did not give any figures for losses on either side.

According to a source close to the security services, the convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

There has not yet been a claim of responsibility. A fake claim in the name of the small extremist group Hasm, reported by multiple local media, spread on social media soon after the attack.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of ISIS, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula more than 300 miles away from the latest violence.

In response to the latest bloodshed Egyptian security forces appeared to step up their operations in the area of the attack.

Two truck drivers heading away from the scene told AFP they had seen heavy deployments of security personnel in the area and that aircraft were carrying out surveillance.

On October 13, the Egyptian army said six soldiers were killed in a 'terrorist' gun and grenade attack on a security post near the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish.
A notorious rapist who was the prime suspect in the murder of a seven-year-old schoolgirl more than 30 years ago has died before he could be brought to justice.

Patrick Reilly was sensationally cleared of the brutal killing of Leonie Darnley during a trial at the Old Bailey in 1986.

Thanks to the quashing of the Double Jeopardy law in 2005, prosecutors had urged the High Court to put Reilly back on trial, with evidence linking the DNA found under the schoolgirl's nails to the rapist.

Leonie Darnley was snatched as she was enjoying a summer picnic with family and friends, when her mother went inside to change her son's nappy

But it has now emerged that Reilly, who suffered from terminal cancer and mental illness, had died in Broadmoor top security psychiatric hospital on October 6 at the age of 56.

According to The Mirror, he had refused to receive further chemotherapy treatment.

'That's it, that's the end of the story,' Leonie's mother Denise was quoted as saying by the paper.

Leonie's mutilated body was discovered in the basement of the block of flats where she lived in Battersea, South London, in 1984.

Patrick Reilly was sensationally cleared of the brutal killing Leonie Darnley during a trial at the Old Bailey in 1986

Leonie was snatched as she was enjoying a summer picnic with family and friends, when her mother went inside to change her son's nappy.

Patrick Reilly had been a long term patient at the Berkshire hospital after a judge at the Old Bailey gave him three life sentences for a series of brutal sex attacks carried out on children and women.
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Nearly half a million protesters poured onto the streets of Barcelona today as Spain's Prime Minister outlined plans to impose direct rule over Catalonia and remove its leaders.

Mariano Rajoy wants to sack the region's government and call an election within six months in a bid to thwart a break away by the autonomous region.

But his strong stance, which includes a threat to arrest the region's president if he declares independence, led to Catalan President Carles Puigdemont accusing the Spanish leader of the worst attack on the region 'since Franco'.

Mentioning Spain's notorious fascist dictator, Mr Puigdemont branded the Spanish government's plans an 'attack on democracy' and accused Mr Rajoy of seeking to 'humiliate' Catalonia.

Catalans cannot accept the 'illegal' measures taken by the Spanish government, calling them 'the worst attack against the institutions and the people of Catalonia since the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco.'

Scroll down for video.

Plans by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to sack the Catalan government and call an election within six months in a bid to thwart a drive by the autonomous region to break away led to angry protests on the streets of Barcelona tonight

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont (third from left) takes part in a march with deputy president Oriol Junqueras (second left) and former Catalan President Artur Mas during a protest in Barcelona this afternoon

Mr Rajoy's aggressive stance, which includes a threat to arrest the region's president if he declares independence, led to him being accused of a 'coup d'etat'. These demonstrators gathered in the city centre to speak out against the plans today

Thousands of pro-independence campaigners carried banners saying Llibertat - freedom - during the lively protests which began earlier today and carried on into this evening

Even moderate Catalans were aghast at the scope of the Spanish government's plans, and the announcement was met with banging pots and honking cars in the streets of Barcelona

Rajoy's conservative government is likely to obtain the national Senate's backing next week for extraordinary powers that will allow him to dissolve the Catalan parliament and call an early election. Pictured: Protesters in Barcelona today

Rajoy said his government had taken the unprecedented decision to restore the law, ensure regional institutions were neutral and guarantee public services. But many Catalans, like the ones pictured, are angry at the plans

The measures must now be approved by Spain's upper house, the Senate, where a vote is scheduled for October 27. Protesters in Barcelona hope to put pressure on the Spanish government to change its mind

Protesters are angry at Rajoy's plans for officials from the central Spanish government to replace all senior members of the Catalan government, including those in control over the regional police, financial system and the public media

Protesters wave Catalan independence flags after listening to a 9pm statement by Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont

Mr Puigdemont wants the regional parliament to debate and vote on how to respond to what he called the Spanish government's 'attempt to wipe out' Catalonia's autonomy

Mr Puigdemont called Mr Rajoy's move the 'the worst attack' on Catalan people and institutions since General Francisco Franco abolished Catalonia's regional government in 1939

In a televised address earlier today, Mr Puigdemont called plans by Mr Rajoy to replace him and his cabinet an 'attempt to humiliate' Catalonia and an 'attack on democracy'. Pictured: Protesters watching the address

The Catalan president's comments were a veiled threat to push ahead with an independence declaration for the prosperous region in north-eastern Spain

He said in a televised speech: 'I ask the parliament to meet in a plenary session during which we, the representatives of the citizens' sovereignty, will be able to decide over this attempt to liquidate our government and our democracy and act in consequence.'

How memories of Franco's Civil War persecution still haunt Catalonia Catalonia was an independent region on the Iberian Peninsula with its own laws and customs until the reign of King Philip V, who defeated the Catalans in battle and created modern-day Spain. Subsequent Spanish kings tried to impose Spanish laws and language on the region, but abandoned their attempts in 1931 and restored the Catalan government. The region lost autonomy in the wake of the Civil War after fascist dictator Francisco Franco won the Battle of Ebro in 1938. He seized control of the Catalan government, abolished the language and killed 3,500 people after nearly half a million died in the brutal Civil War. The region regained some autonomy after Franco died in 1975, but for many this was not enough. Advertisement

Mr Rajoy said his government had taken the unprecedented decision to restore the law, ensure regional institutions were neutral and guarantee public services.

The measures must now be approved by Spain's upper house, the Senate, where a vote is scheduled for October 27.

Mr Rajoy's conservative Popular Party holds a majority in the Senate, and the measures also enjoy the support of the main opposition Socialists and centrist Ciudadanos party.

If the Senate passes the proposals, the Catalan parliament will continue to operate as normal until it is dissolved.

However, it will be unable to elect a new president to replace Mr Puigdemont or vote on any laws that go against Spain's constitution and its statute as a semi-autonomous region.

Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont joined the protest in Barcelona this afternoon before delivering a speech in response to the decision to take over the regional cabinet's functions at 9pm tonight.

Independence campaigners are also angry about the imprisonment of activists Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, who were both leading figures in the October 1 referendum.

The speaker of the Catalan parliament said the Spanish government had made an effective 'coup d'etat' in what she called an 'authoritarian' attempt to take control of the northeastern region.

Carme Forcadell says in Barcelona that Mr Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government.'

Mr Forcadell said the move is 'an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union.'

Catalonia's vice president Oriol Junqueras promised to meet supporters at the protest to take a stand 'against totalitarianism.'

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy this afternoon said he would curb the powers of the parliament of Catalonia, sack its government and call an election within six months

Left-wing Catalan Nationalists demand autonomy for the region with a demonstration in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, on February 20 1936

Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain for nearly 40 years, pictured left in an outdated photo. On the right is a member of the Catalan Communist youth in 1936

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont arrives at a demonstration organised by Catalan pro-independence movements

Protesters hold pro-independence Catalan Esteladas flags as they gather for a demonstration on earlier today in Barcelona

The Spanish government moved decisively Saturday to use a previously untapped constitutional power so it can take control of Catalonia and derail the independence movement

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this afternoon to demonstrate against the decision to suspend Catalan's autonomy

Thousands of protesters took to the streets this afternoon to demonstrate against the decision to suspend Catalan's autonomy

At the national level, Pablo Echenique, a secretary in the far-left Podemos party, vowed to work to oust Mr Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party

Protesters wave Catalan independence flags as they demonstrate against the Spanish federal government's move to suspend Catalonian autonomy

A protester holds sign reading 'Freedom for the two Jordis' during a march to protest against the National Court's decision to imprison civil society leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart

A protester holds up an anti-European Union placard during a demonstration

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont (centre) takes part at a march with deputy president Oriol Junqueras

Mr Rajoy is also requesting that Puigdemont's government be stripped of its power.

During this 'exceptional situation', ministers from the central Spanish government would carry out the roles previously occupied by Catalans.

The Prime Minister confirmed Spain was initiating Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution in order to take control of Catalonia.

He blamed separatists for pushing the government to take the unprecedented measures in Catalonia, which have caused anger even among moderates.

Meanwhile, Spanish authorities are preparing to arrest Catalonia's president and charge him with rebellion if he declares independence.

The State Attorney General Jose Manuel Maza confirmed 'a complaint is being prepared for rebellion' against the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and other independence leaders.

The charge of rebellion could see Puigdemont face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty, according to El Pais.

During the earlier press conference, Rajoy said: 'It wasn't our wish, nor our intention. It never was and I think the Spanish public opinion as a whole knows this.

'Article 155 is a constitutional article, but it's only invoked in exceptional circumstances.

The State Attorney General Jose Manuel Maza confirmed on Saturday that 'a complaint is being prepared for rebellion' against the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and other independence leaders

Protesters gather in the city center to demonstrate against the Spanish federal government's move to suspend Catalonian autonomy

The Spanish government announced measures today it will implement in triggering Article 155

In the streets of Barcelona, banging pots and pans and honking cars greeted Mr Rajoy's announcement

A protester holds sign reading 'Freedom. We want you home' during the march today

Protesters carrying signs to demand the release of imprisoned Catalan leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart walk past a Zara clothing

A protester carrying an ''estelada'' or Catalonia independence flag shouts during a march to protest against the National Court's decision to imprison civil society leaders

Rajoy also proposed having central government ministers assume the powers of Catalan regional officials

Mariano Rajoy also blamed separatists for pushing government to take unprecedented measures in Catalonia

'We are triggering Article 155 because no government of any democratic country, I insist none, can accept that the law is ignored, that the law is violated, that the law is changed and all of this trying to impose their criteria on the rest.'

He added: 'This is the reason why we have invoked a constitutional article, similar to others in many European Constitutions, that was voted for by all the Spanish people.'

In the streets of Barcelona, banging pots and pans and honking cars greeted Mr Rajoy's announcement.

The tense relations between Barcelona and Madrid led one EU official to controversially claim that a 'civil war' was 'imaginable'.

'There is a civil war imaginable now in the middle of Europe,' he said earlier this month. 'One can only hope that a thread of conversation will soon be recorded between Madrid and Barcelona.'

At the national level, Pablo Echenique, a secretary in the far-left Podemos party, vowed to work to oust Mr Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party.

Pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party president Albert Rivera says he supports measures to heal divisions created by the independence movement and to provide the security companies need to remain in Catalonia.

Barcelona politician Alfred Bosch tweeted: 'The end of Spanich Democracy. Madrid govt. activates coup against Catalonia'

Spanish activist Alex Hinojo said: 'A coup d'Etat: Rajoy is canceling Democracy right now in Catalonia. Fascism is alive and kicking. Shame on you Mariono Rajoy'

Wikileaks' Julian Assange said: 'Spain's PM has responded to Catalonia's calls for dialog with a plan (announced today, minimizing press coverage) to remove its president and cabinet and to take over its institutions by force, effectively granting control of Catalonia to a party with just 8% of the vote'

Catalonia's vice president Oriol Junqueras promised to meet supporters at a protest scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Barcelona to take a stand 'against totalitarianism'

Marta Rovira, the general secretary of the Junqueras' separatist ERC party, said Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's actions are a 'coup d'etat' designed to crush Catalonia's self-rule and aspirations of breaking away from Spain.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau has opposed a declaration of independence in Catalonia based on an the referendum that Spain's Constitutional Court had suspended.

Colau nonetheless criticized the central government on Saturday and called its moves 'a serious attack' on Catalonia's regional autonomy.

Earlier, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Cabinet met to outline the scope and timing of the measures the government plans to take under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution.

The article allows central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law.

It's never been used since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, but Rajoy's conservative government says establishing direct control over Catalonia was a move of last resort.

The Spanish government moved to activate a previously untapped constitutional article Saturday so it can take control of Catalonia. Pictured, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy heads a special cabinet meeting at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid today

The charge of rebellion could see Puigdemont face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Cabinet was meeting to outline the scope and timing of the measures the government plans to take under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. Pictured right, State Attorney General Jose Manuel Maza

The goal is 'the return to legality and the recovery of institutional normalcy,' the prime minister said Friday.

Rajoy could force the removal of Catalan officials and call early regional elections for as soon as January. Such actions are expected to spark angry opposition from supporters of independence and moderate Catalans who will see them as an attack on their autonomy.

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials claimed a disputed independence referendum held Oct. 1 gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the controversial referendum.

The vote itself was marred by sporadic violence as police took action to shut down some polling locations. The central government says the results have no legitimacy.

Opposition parties have agreed to support the prime minister in revoking Catalonia's autonomy as a way to thwart the independence drive.

Although the ruling Popular Party has enough majority to get the specific measures passed by the country's Senate, Rajoy has rallied the support of the opposition to give his government's actions more weight.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Spanish authorities are preparing to arrest Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont and charge him with rebellion if he declares independence

People hold candles and a Catalan pro-independence 'Estelada' flag during a demonstration in Barcelona against the arrest of two Catalan separatist leaders on Tuesday

Rajoy could force the removal of Catalan officials and call early regional elections for as soon as January. Pictured, protesters clashing with police earlier this month
Dramatic photos show exhausted migrants arriving in Athens, after being transferred from the overcrowded camp on the Greek island of Samos.

The ship arrived at the port of Piraeus on Saturday, carrying some 180 men, women and children.

The migrants, who made the perilous crossing from Turkey within the last few months, will now be distributed to several hosting centres across Greece's southern Attica region.

Exhausted: Refugees holding their children as they arrive with the 'Blue Star 2' passenger ship from the island of Samos, at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece

A refugees man carries a child as he arrives with the 'Blue Star 2' passenger ship from the island of Samos

Photos show families - including small children and babies - disembarking from the Blue Star 2' passenger ship at Piraeus Port before being transferred onto buses.

Located near the coast of Turkey, the island of Samos has become a popular destination for refugees escaping war-town Syria.

More than 60,000 refugees and migrants remain stranded in Greece following European border closures and restrictions last year. The daily number of arrivals to Greek islands has again risen in recent weeks.

According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), 5,000 migrants arrived on Greek islands in September, an increase of 35 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to AFP calculations.

Some 200 refugees arrive at Piraeus Port before being transferred onto buses

A migrant woman kisses her baby inside a bus as she waits to be transferred to a hospitality centre

That is putting extra pressure on already overcrowded sites at a time when aid agencies are reducing their engagement on the ground.

The September figure compares to a total of 13,320 arrivals from January to 20 August, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The resurgence of migrants making the journey to Europe comes despite the EU deal with Turkey in March 2016, which drastically reduced the number of arrivals, and amid political tensions between Ankara and Brussels.

The news comes a day after a Syrian refugee was arrested in northern Greece on terrorism-related charges following a review of his asylum application.

Authorities said the 32-year-old man was detained Thursday in the northeast city of Alexandroupolis as a suspected fighter of the Islamic State group while in Syria.

The man, who hasn't been named, traveled to a Greek island from Turkey last year and lives in the northern city of Thessaloniki with his wife and two children.

He denied the charges and shouted 'they are liars' to reporters, before appearing at a public prosecutor's office Friday. He was given until Monday to prepare his defense, but remained in custody.

Refugees holding their belongings wait to enter a bus after their arrival with the 'Blue Star 2' passenger ship

A man carries his belongings in a black bin bag as he disembarks from the ship at the port

Refugees holding their belongings wait to enter a bus after their arrival with the 'Blue Star 2' passenger ship

At his home, the suspect's wife spoke to The Associated Press but asked not to be named because her husband hadn't been formally identified. She didn't comment on the charges, but said: 'Daesh is in Syria. Now we are in Greece,' using the Arabic term for IS.

Police investigators told the AP that they are examining the suspect's mobile phone and other seized devices to determine whether he was in contact with IS fighters after moving to Greece.

They said he had traveled to Greece from neighboring Turkey in June last year, reaching the Greek island of Leros, before moving to the mainland.

European governments fear that Islamic State extremists could hide among the streams of refugees fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq. Many of the fighters in the deadly November 2015 attacks in Paris slipped into Europe on that route with false passports.

There have been a handful of arrests of asylum-seekers linked to IS, including in Germany and Austria, but officials believe the numbers are small. Concern over the threat, however, has contributed to a rightward swing among many European electorates.

Refugees holding their children as they arrive with the 'Blue Star 2' passenger ship

A refugees man hold his baby inside a bus as he waits to be transferred to a hospitality center

A woman holds her child as they wait to board a bus at Piraeus Port in Athens
Boyan Antonov launched the ferocious attack on Victor Maroukian at the Remar Christian charity furniture shop in Liverpool

A charity shop worker killed a colleague by smashing a claw hammer into his head at least ten times.

Boyan Antonov launched the ferocious attack on Victor Maroukian at the Remar Christian charity furniture shop on Aigburth Road, Merseyside.

The 28-year-old paranoid schizophrenic, begged a passer-by to call police, but stopped him going to see the body, saying, 'I don't think that's a good idea.'

Shortly after the attack, on October 26, 2016, he said 'I don't want to go back inside', and 'I think I killed him.'

Liverpool Crown Court was told Antonov had blood spatter on the full length of each trouser leg, telling a police sergeant: 'Me and my friend we fight I think he may be dead.'

Inside the Remar shop they found victim Mr Maroukian astride an exercise bike, but clearly dead.

Home Office pathologist Brian Rodgers noted there were no defensive injuries, and the victim had wounds from both the rounded head and the claw of the hammer.

Once arrested and in custody, Antonov read out a prepared statement, in which he said: 'I have known Victor Maroukian for two to three weeks.

'We worked in a charity shop together. Yesterday, Victor tried to attack me, I fought back, we were inside Remar UK Furniture Shop at the time...it was not my intention to kill Victor. This is all I want to say at this time.

'I may comment further at a later stage when further evidence has been disclosed.'

Antonov, from Great Clowes Street, Salford, Manchester, admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.

Antonov hit his friend ten times on the head with a hammer at this Liverpool charity shop

Antonov was handed an indefinite hospital order following his trial at Liverpool Crown Court

After his sentence, which will see him sent to Ashworth high security hospital under an indefinite hospital order, Detective Chief Inspector John Webster said: 'This was a particularly disturbing assault which occurred in a charity shop, which is located on a busy street in Aigburth, in broad daylight.

'Antonov and his victim were known to each, as they had both previously lived in Bulgaria and had been friends, which makes this even more tragic.

'Nobody knows what led to Antonov to do what he did. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and will now spend a considerable amount of time detained in a high-security facility.

'Although no sentence will bring Victor Maroukian back, I hope that that this will give his family some sense of closure and allows them to move on with their lives.'
A man already on bail for child pornography charges has been arrested living in a house across the road from a Brisbane school and allegedly conducting surveillance on young girls.

William Tyrone Kelly was denied bail in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday after detectives raided an address opposite Woodridge North State School on Friday.

Officers allege the 32-year-old had a surveillance camera set up to monitor the school from his house and had been taking detailed notes about the movements of female students.

William Tyrone Kelly (pictured) was already on bail for child pornography charges when he was arrested living in a house across the road from a Brisbane school

He was denied bail after detectives raided an address opposite Woodridge North State School on Friday

It was also alleged he had approached children and adults in the street and had offered them lollipops to come to his house, as well as advertising himself on Gumtree as a babysitter.

Police said in his offer of free child minding, he described himself as honest and friendly, and capable of making lunches and walking children to and from school, Nine News reports.

He was charged with possessing and making child exploitation material, as well as breaching the bail conditions of his earlier charges and was remanded in custody to reappear in court on November 13.

Officers allege the 32-year-old had a surveillance camera set up to monitor the school from his house

Kelly's neighbour Andrew Krarup said he was shocked to learn of the man's disturbing habits.

'It was just a bit of a stunned "wow, really?", right across the road from my old school,' he said.

The man was supposed to be living at an alternate address in a different suburb, but had been living at the property across from the school for nearly a year, police said.
The death toll in a Shiite mosque attack in Kabul has reached 56, officials said Saturday, as the Afghan capital reels from the latest deadly violence.

'The toll from yesterday's Imam Zaman mosque attack has increased to 56 killed, including women and children, and 55 wounded,' an interior ministry spokesman said.

Officials had previously put the number of dead at 39 and 45 wounded in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group, which belongs to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

The death toll in a Shiite mosque attack in Kabul has reached 56, officials said Saturday, as the Afghan capital reels from the latest deadly violence

'The toll from yesterday's Imam Zaman mosque attack has increased to 56 killed, including women and children, and 55 wounded,' an interior ministry spokesman said

The lone suicide attacker struck as worshippers gathered for evening prayer on Friday at the mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city

The lone suicide attacker struck as worshippers gathered for evening prayer on Friday at the mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city.

It was one of two deadly mosque attacks in the country on Friday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

The second assault happened in the impoverished and remote province of Ghor where a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 20 and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said.

People expressed anger at the government's inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the country's civilian deaths in the first half of the year.

It was one of two deadly mosque attacks in the country on Friday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory

The second assault happened in the impoverished and remote province of Ghor where a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 20 and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said

'The windows of the mosque were broken, and blood and human flesh were spattered everywhere and you could smell blood and human flesh inside the mosque,' Ibrahim, who rushed to the mosque after the blast, told AFP.

'This is absolutely barbarism. What kind of Islam is this? They are attacking worshippers at the time of prayers. Even mosques are not safe for us to pray.'

'If our government officials cannot protect us they have to resign and let other competent officials take charge,' an eyewitness said.

An eyewitness said that the attacker detonated his explosive device among the worshippers towards the end of the prayer session.

People expressed anger at the government's inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the country's civilian deaths in the first half of the year

An eyewitness said that the attacker detonated his explosive device among the worshippers towards the end of the prayer session

Hundreds of sandals littered the entrance to the mosque, left behind by the worshippers killed and wounded in the latest deadly attack on a Shiite mosque by IS, who belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam

'It was one suicide bomber packed with explosives and hand grenades wrapped around his body,' the man said.

The dead and wounded were taken to hospitals around the city but people complained that it had taken emergency services more than an hour to arrive at the scene.

Hundreds of sandals littered the entrance to the mosque, left behind by the worshippers killed and wounded in the latest deadly attack on a Shiite mosque by IS, who belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

A woman wearing a hijab sobbed as she crouched on the ground searching for the shoes of her brother and young nephews who died in the attack.

'I was in the mosque ablution area when I heard a blast. I rushed inside the mosque and saw all the worshippers covered in blood,' Hussain Ali said shortly after the explosion.

The force of the blast shattered all the windows of the mosque. Its walls and ceiling were covered with dark blood spatters and peppered with shrapnel

The dead and wounded were taken to hospitals around the city but people complained that it had taken emergency services more than an hour to arrive at the scene

Afghan security forces stand at the site of an attack at the Shiite mosque

'Some of the wounded were fleeing. I tried to stop someone to help me help the wounded but everyone was in a panic. It took ambulances and the police about an hour to reach the area.'

The force of the blast shattered all the windows of the mosque. Its walls and ceiling were covered with dark blood spatters and peppered with shrapnel.

Plastic sandals were caught in the razor wire on top of the perimeter wall after being flung out the windows.

Several men moved around the room picking up dozens of coloured prayer beads, Koran holy books as well as chunks of plaster and shards of glass on the floor.

'What kind of Muslims are they? What is our government doing?' Rasoul, a shopkeeper in the area, said through sobs.

'We are tired of living here, we are not even safe inside the holy sites.'

'What kind of Muslims are they? What is our government doing?' Rasoul, a shopkeeper in the area, said through sobs
The gunman who killed his best friend and his girlfriend - and injured a third - in a shooting at an apartment complex in Colorado has been identified.

Police say Michael Zamora, 30, shot Colorado State University student Savannah McNealy, 22, and Tristan Kemp, 26, before turning the gun on himself early Thursday morning.

While a motive for the 2am shooting in Fort Collins hasn't been identified, police have called it an 'ambush' as the three victims and the gunman were socializing before the killing.

McNealy and Kemp were both shot multiple times while Zamora died after a single gunshot wound to the head.

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Michael Zamora, 30 (left), has been identified as the gunman who shot and killed his girlfriend - Colorado State University student Savannah McNealy, 22 (right) - and best friend Tristan Kemp, 26, before turning the gun on himself. He also injured a third woman

While a motive for the 2am shooting in Fort Collins hasn't been identified, police have called it an 'ambush' as the three victims and the gunman were socializing before the killing (Pictured, victim Tristan Kemp)

McNealy and Zamora (left and right) were in a relationship since at least May of this year. Zamora was a resident of Fort Collins, but was a staff sergeant based at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming

Fort Collins Police Chief Terry Jones said the three victims had been dropped off by a Lyft at the apartment complex before the shooting. Zamora was not with them

Fort Collins Police Chief Terry Jones told The Denver Post that the three victims had been dropped off by a Lyft at the apartment complex before the shooting.

Zamora had been out with the victims but did not ride home with them. The shooting started just after they got home.

McNealy - who had just turned 22 the night of the shooting - was wrapping up a night of birthday celebrations.

The third victim, a woman, was taken to Medical Center of the Rockies for treatment and is expected to survive.

Police recovered two rifles and a handgun registered to Zamora at the scene.

According to Tristan Kemp's uncle, Thomas Perez, the men had traveled to Colorado so that Zamora could visit his girlfriend (pictured together)

Perez also said that Zamora served in the Air Force in Afghanistan with Kemp (pictured, with his mother). He added that the two also worked together at the same company in California

Pictures from the crime scene show a shotgun on the ground outside the apartment where the shooting happened

Bullets holes were also noted on this car in the apartment complex parking lot

McNealy and Zamora were in a relationship since at least May of this year. A love triangle between the two victims and Zamora has not been ruled out yet as a motive.

Zamora was a resident of Fort Collins, but was a staff sergeant based at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, reported ABC Denver.

Tristan Kemp's uncle, Thomas Perez, told Fox Denver that Zamora served in the Air Force in Afghanistan with Kemp. He added that the two also worked together at the same company in California.

According to Perez, Kemp was currently living in Hawaii but the men had traveled to Colorado so that Zamora could visit his girlfriend.

'I can say this much about my nephew, he was an American hero. He proudly served the United States and the people. When he got out of the Air Force, he continued to serve as a civilian,' he said.

McNealy was studying liberal arts, art and art history and planned to graduate in December. She also was a designer for CSU Life, a monthly campus publication

McNealy was studying liberal arts, art and art history. She also was a designer for CSU Life, a monthly campus publication.

CSU, a public university with more than 33,000 students about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Denver.

Yellow police tape cordoned off a parking area outside a drab gray apartment building in the City Park neighborhood, a residential area that abuts the university's 590-acre campus. Many students and faculty live in the neighborhood.

Blood pools were seen on one sidewalk in the apartment complex. Investigators seemed to be focusing their efforts on the area of the blood pools and a vehicle in the parking lot.

Darren Rutz, a former CSU student who lives near the scene, told The Rocky Mountain Collegian he was awakened by a woman's call for help, followed by gunfire.

'It seemed like quite a few gunshots to me,' Rutz said.

Residents in the apartment complex say they were woken up by the sound of gunshots and then a woman screaming for help

A Fort Collins, Colorado Police Department investigator places evidence markers at the scene

After the gunshots were heard, CSU officials sent out a text message to students, warning them to stay inside

Grief counselors tended to students and others at an on-campus student center on Thursday

Another resident, Matthew Litton, told the Reporter-Herald that he was lying in bed when he heard multiple gunshots.

'I could tell from the consistency of the firing that it wasn't fireworks, it was gunshots. I heard a girl yelling, 'Call 911!' After that, I heard one last bang, and then it was quiet,' he said.

Litton said he also saw a photo taken by a friend, showing two bodies lying on the sidewalk with a pistol between them.

Grief counselors tended to students and others at an on-campus student center.

'We are deeply saddened by this terrible loss to our campus community and will share more information as we have it,' the university said in an email to students and staff.

Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to call Detective Tessa Jakobsson at 970-221-6575.
A vile rapist who held a shard of broken glass to a 14-year-old girl's throat before raping her was captured on CCTV swigging from a bottle before the attack.

Romanian national Samuel Ciornei, 20, stalked the terrified girl and forced her into bushes before carrying out the sick sexual assault.

Footage released shows Ciornei, who works as a shepherd in his home town, drinking from a bottle while crossing the road.

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A vile rapist who held a shard of broken glass to a 14-year-old girl's throat in Glasgow before raping her was captured on CCTV swigging from a bottle before the attack

A court heard he subjected the girl to as a 'disgusting and degrading attack,' according to the Daily Record.

The 20-year-old is seen walking from a shopping centre in Glasgow where he crosses the road at a zebra crossing while drinking deeply from a bottle.

Ciornei followed his young victim to the car park behind an Iceland supermarket in Barrhead.

The naive teenager had believed he was offering her help with a flat tyre on her bicycle, but instead the man threatened her with glass and forced himself on her.

She was only able to escape after she pretended to reach into her bag to hand over some money, managing to break free and run home.

Ciornei was found guilty of rape at Glasgow High Court on August 7, 2016, in Renfrewshire.

Romanian national Samuel Ciornei, 20, stalked the terrified girl and forced her into bushes before carrying out the sick sexual assault

Judge Kenneth Maciver said: 'This was a disgusting and degrading attack on an innocent young girl who was simply out to enjoy a cycle on a quiet summer evening.

'She was entitled to feel safe, but she was not safe. She was unfortunate enough to encounter you and she was subjected to a violent attack which will live with her forever.

'Words cannot express the revulsion which society feels about such attacks of sexual violence.'

Footage released shows Ciornei, who works as a shepherd in his home town, drinking from a bottle while crossing the road

The schoolgirl had cycled to a nearby Asda to buy sweets, chaining her bike outside where Ciornei was sitting nearby.

As she returned she noticed her bike had a flat tyre and walked it to a car park behind the supermarket to inspect it, shortly before Ciornei made his move.
A man has been shot and killed following a confrontation with police in Adelaide on Saturday night.

The man was wanted for allegedly crashing his van into a police officer on Friday night, during a line of inquiry at a Sampson Road house in Mitchell Park.

Police were 'conducting inquiries' at the Tollgate Motel at Glen Osmond on Saturday night, believing the man to be in hiding at the motel.

Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford told media the police were at the motel when they saw what appeared to be a man holding a weapon in one of the rooms.

A man has been shot and killed following a confrontation with police at Tollgate Motel in Adelaide on Saturday night

Police were 'conducting inquiries' at the Tollgate Motel believing the man to be in hiding at the motel, Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford said

'A short time after that they heard what they believed to be two gunshots,' Mr Bamford said.

'Members of the STAR Group put a cordon around that room and attempted to resolve the matter by engaging with the man.

'Sometime later, police action has been taken and the man has been shot by police and unfortunately has died of his injuries.'

Nobody else was injured in the incident.

The man was wanted for a crashing his van into a police officer on Friday night, during a line of inquiry at a Sampson Road house in Mitchell Park

The police officer who was knocked to the ground following the hit and run on Friday night is recovering at home, after suffering a concussion and a laceration to the back of his head.

The 38-year-old officer had attempted to direct the van to pull over on Friday night, but it allegedly swerved and knocked the officer to the ground before driving off.

A Commissioner's Inquiry will be conducted following the death of the man.

Terri-Anne Coe, 27, witnessed the incident and told reporters she heard three loud pops that could have been gunshots, Adelaide Now reports.

A Commissioner's Inquiry will be conducted following the death of the man

Ms Coe said an altercation started at unit 25 at the complex and men could be heard shouting.

'We got told to get back into the room because they [police] were going to let the dogs off,' she said.

'We heard three quick pops and then after that it was all over the yelling had stopped.'

Ms Coe said she saw 'a person' taken away in an ambulance.
Leeanne Casey (pictured) travelled from Victoria to the Gold Coast three years ago in hopes of enjoying a relaxing beachside holiday with her partner - but instead suffered nerve damage when a plant fell on her forearm

A woman who claims to have been speared by a palm frond while relaxing beside a resort pool is suing the hotel for $360,000.

Leeanne Casey travelled from Victoria to the Gold Coast three years ago in hopes of enjoying a relaxing beachside holiday with her partner - but instead suffered nerve damage when a plant fell on her forearm.

The 64-year-old checked into the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort on October 5, 2014, only to be told her room was not yet ready. Instead staff informed Ms Casey she could sit by the pool and wait.

While sitting on a sun lounger with her eyes closed Ms Casey's lawyers allege she was hit by a wayward palm frond, which fell from a tree 20 metres above her.

Ms Casey was immediately rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital to be treated, where surgeons later discovered she had suffered left radial nerve trauma, the Courier Mail reports.

While sitting on a sun lounger with her eyes closed Ms Casey's lawyers allege she was hit by a wayward palm frond, which fell from a tree 20 metres above her (her forearm pictured left)

She claims that her only time away from the hotel throughout the week-long prepaid stay was to get to the hospital and 'she suffered a penetrating injury that was painful and shocking.'

There was also extensive 'nerve damage, scarring and aggravation of an existing psychological condition,' the claim said.

Lawyers for the 64-year-old also stated that Ms Casey has been unable to return to work as an accounts manager because she still suffers weakness in her left arm.

'I'm a touch typist. This has ruined my career. My arm is still painful, it's still numb,' Ms Casey said.

The resort are yet to respond to the accusations.

She claims that her only time away from the hotel throughout the week-long prepaid stay was to get to the hospital and 'she suffered a penetrating injury that was painful and shocking' (pictured after the accident)
A medical student who was dubbed 'too clever for prison' is thought to have exploited a loophole in the Oxford University disciplinary process to avoid expulsion.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for stabbing her boyfriend in the leg.

Due to the university's disciplinary procedures, a staff panel that will decide whether she should be expelled cannot make their ruling until she states her desire to return.

It had been thought that Woodward would leave the university voluntarily.

Lavinia Woodward smiles as she leaves court yesterday. The case has caused controversy with critics saying she appears to have been treated leniently because she is a wealthy woman

Woodward (pictured here on a night out) wept as the judge handed her a suspended sentence

Her legal counsel, James Sturman, QC, said she was 'reluctant' to return because she was feared for being recognised.

Now, due to a prolonged period of uncertainty, there are fears the 24-year-old is playing for more time in order to improve her chances of readmission to Oxford.

It comes one month after she walked free from court after Judge Ian Pringle QC ruled that a custodial sentence would be too harsh for a woman of her ability.

Woodward (pictured left and right) looked relieved as she left Oxford Crown Court this afternoon with a suspended sentence

Woodward had pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding earlier this year for stabbing her ex-boyfriend and Cambridge student Thomas Fairclough.

Oxford Crown Court heard she stabbed him in the leg with a breadknife while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Judge Pringle's ruling outraged quality activists who questioned whether such a lenient sentence would have been imposed should a working-class student have been involved.

They also said that, due to the high-profile nature of the case, that it could deter other victims of domestic to come forward.

Woodward (circled) posed naked with her fellow students to raise money for the university's LGBTQ society

The 24-year-old (shown left in an explicit picture sitting on the lap of a naked man) is seen arriving at court this morning

Since the trial, Woodward is reported to have returned home to her parents' villa in Italy.

She is also undergoing drug rehabilitation which is said to have prompted a substantial change to her character.

A source at Oxford University told The Telegraph that both the Medical faculty and Proctor's office would be forced to wait until 2019 before they reached a decision.

They added that Woodward could be trying to 'set the terms' of the process so that she is looked on more favourably once she completes her sentence.

The case caused outcry, with critics saying she would have been treated differently were she not a wealthy Oxford student

But they highlighted that the will be forced through the same rigorous disciplinary procedures regardless of how much time passes.

A friend of the 24-year-old claimed Woodward had 'an awful lot of institutional support' and that academics recognised her as a 'potential Nobel Price winner'.

The unnamed chum added: 'She has the backing of a number of senior figures at Christ Church.'

They said that Woodward is already in conversations to do a DPhil at Oxford.

Miss Woodward (pictured) has spent much of her time at her mother's Italian villa near Lake Como since her first court appearance

But they added: ' There obviously is a safety concern associated with somebody who has pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding being in an educational environment. Clearly shes been having help, but its up to college officials to decide whether its safe for us for her to come back.'

Woodward's solicitors said they have no comment to make about their client's personal life.

Judge's controversial comments sparked national debate Judge Ian Pringle, pictured right, sparked a national debate about sentencing and the criminal justice system when he postponed Woodward's sentencing in May. The told Oxford Crown Court: 'It seems to me that if this was a one-off, a complete one-off, to prevent this extraordinary able young lady from not following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to, would be a sentence which would be too severe. 'What you did will never, I know, leave you but it was pretty awful, and normally it would attract a custodial sentence, whether it is immediate or suspended.' Advertisement




A diver has been reunited with his wife in Western Australia following a gruelling 10 kilometre swim to shore after getting lost at sea on Friday.

The man in his 30s, known only as John, revealed he was also followed by a four-metre tiger shark during his ordeal before he was found in a reef by Shark Bay Marine rescue.

He was rescued off an isolated beach between Denham and Cape Peron, just over two hours after he was reported missing, Perth Now reports.

The moment a diver was reunited with his wife in Western Australia on Friday, following a gruelling 10 kilometre swim to shore after getting lost at sea

The man had drifted from his vessel as a result of the current and conditions.

A friend who was on the vessel with John raised the alarm around 4pm on Friday afternoon, sparking a massive search.

A sea and air rescue mission was launched, co-ordinated by police, and involved six vessels belonging to Shark Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue, Department of Fisheries and local fishermen, as well as a chartered plane.

The plane spotted John waving his hands in the air around 6.30pm.

He was rescued off an isolated beach between Denham and Cape Peron, just over two hours after he was reported missing (pictured: one of the rescue boats)

The diver revealed he was also followed by a four-metre tiger shark during his ordeal

A Fisheries vessel picked him up and took him to shore where he was reunited with his wife, Emma.

Greg Ridgley, commander of Shark Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue told the publication it was 'an absolutely incredible story'.

'He swam at least five miles [8km] in shark-infested waters and a tiger shark was following him some of the way.

'I just can't believe anybody could do that. It's such a massive effort, in that short time-frame too.'

The diver was drained from his ordeal but was reported to be in otherwise good health.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will unseal tens of thousands never-before-seen documents on the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy.

A number of officials at various security agencies, however, are urging the President not to release some of the papers, which are being held by the National Archives and Records Administration, according to The Washington Post.

'Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened,' Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

Trump said that he will unseal tens of thousands never-before-seen documents on the assassination of JFK

Officials with the security establishment, however, have urged Trump not to release everything

Scholars have been speculating for weeks whether Trump would release the documents related to Kennedy's death.

Pending the President's possible interjection, the National Archives will release the files on October 26.

Trump made the announcement via Twitter early Saturday morning

The CIA and FBI, whose records make up the bulk of the batch, won't say whether they've appealed to the Republican president to keep them under wraps.

Trump's tweet appears as though he's leaning towards a complete release of the documents, but The Post reported that he may stop short of fully disclosing all the information if the security establishment provides good cause.

The still-secret papers include more than 3,000 that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been released previously, but with redactions.

'The American public deserves to know the facts, or at least they deserve to know what the government has kept hidden from them for all these years,' said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Experts say that they're not expecting any bombshell revelations in the documents.

Gerald Posner, author of the book Case Closed, said: 'Hopefully the release of these new documents will, finally, settle the matter once and for all. There's going to be no smoking gun there. Anyone who thinks this will suddenly show four shooters at Ealey Plaza - it's not the case.'

There is interest, however, in seeing if any new details emerge over Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy's assassin, activities in Mexico in the fall of 1963.

President John F. Kennedy waves from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot in Dallas (Pictured: Nov. 22, 1963)

The limousine carrying mortally wounded President John F. Kennedy races toward the hospital seconds after he was shot in Dallas (Pictured: Nov. 22, 1963)

Oswald's stated reason for going was to get visas that would allow him to enter Cuba and the Soviet Union, according to the Warren Commission, the investigative body established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but much about the trip remains unknown.

'It's great news that the president is focused on this and that he's trying to demonstrate transparency,' said Phil Shenon, who wrote a book about the Warren Commission.

'But the question remains whether he will open the library in full  every word in every document, as the law requires,' Shenon said.

'And my understanding is that he won't without infuriating people at the CIA and elsewhere who are determined to keep at least some of the information secret, especially in documents created in the 1990s.'

The release of the files was prompted by Oliver Stone's controversial Oscar-winning 1992 film JFK. Public outcry over the cover-up theories put forward in the led to the formation of the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act in 1992.

Congress then mandated that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, unless the president asserts that doing so would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in his motorcade in Dallas, Texas.

Oswald was arrested for Kennedy's murder, and shot to death two days later by Texas nightclub owner Jack Ruby while in police custody.
A lawyer who went to Princeton with Robert Mueller has described his 'shady' tactics and eagerness to prosecute where no crimes exist.

Harvey Silverglate is a prominent Massachusetts defense attorney. His and Mueller's careers ascended simultaneously, with Mueller rising through the ranks of public service while Silverglate worked privately as a criminal defense attorney.

In an article for WGBH News that was published on Saturday, Silverglate recalled two occasions during their 30 year-careers which have prompted him to be suspicious of Mueller, who graduated two years after he did.

Each indicate his 'zeal' to find wrongdoing, a trait which he says may result in wrongful charges being brought against Trump's campaign team over their alleged ties to Russian officials.

'My experience has taught me to approach whatever he does in the Trump investigation with a requisite degree of skepticism or, at the very least, extreme caution.

'Special counsel Muellers background indicates zealousness that we might expect in the Grand Inquisitor, not the choirboy.

'If Mueller claims that Trump or members of his entourage committed crimes, it doesnt mean that its necessarily so.

'We should take Mueller and his prosecutorial team with a grain of salt,' Silverglate said.

Defense attorney Harvey Silverglate (left) has said Robert Mueller's 'zealousness' to prosecute means he sometimes reverted to 'shady' tactics

Their first run-in was in the 1980s when he claims Mueller, the then acting United States Attorney in Boston, tried to set him up for perjury.

'I was defense counsel in a federal criminal case in which a rather odd fellow contacted me to tell me that he had information that could assist my client.

'He asked to see me, and I agreed to meet,' Silverglate recalled.

He claims the 'odd fellow', who he did not name, then offered to sign an affidavit which would exonerate Silverglate's client but, as he was about to put pen to paper, admitted that he was lying.

Silverglate then realized the man was wearing a wire and had been recording their conversation.

Years later, he asked Mueller, whose office was on the opposite side of the case, about it and he claims he admitted orchestrating the sting.

'Mueller, half-apologetically, told me that he never really thought that I would suborn perjury, but that he had a duty to pursue the lead given to him,' Silverglate said.

Their professional paths crossed again in 1990 when Mueller was the head of the criminal division of the Department of Justice.

Silverglate had been appointed as one of the attorneys for Dr. Jeffrey McDonald, a notorious Green Beret doctor who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and their two children years earlier in 1979.

Silverglate said in the 1990s, when he was the head of the Department of Justice's criminal division, Mueller ignored allegations of prosecutorial misconduct within the FBI on a murder case. Mueller is pictured in 1991 at a press conference related to the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland

In 1990, Silverglate (left) was brought on to the appeal of Dr. Jeffrey McDonald, a Green Beret doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife and children in 1979 but who protested his innocence and claimed he had been framed

In 1990, in an effort to appeal his conviction, he hired Silverglate to present evidence he had gathered which he claimed proved he was framed by the FBI.

When Silverglate called a meeting with Mueller to discuss the evidence though, he claims he immediately vetoed any talk of misconduct on the part of the bureau or its investigators and essentially ignored the evidence.

'Mueller walked into the room, went to the head of the table, and opened the meeting with this admonition, reconstructed from my vivid and chilling memory: Gentlemen: Criticism of the Bureau is a non-starter.

'Another lawyer attendee of the meeting remembered Muellers words slightly differently: Prosecutorial misconduct is a non-starter.

Silverglate said Mueller, who impaneled a grand jury in August, should be taken with a 'grain of salt' and that any charges he may choose to bring against any of Trump's team may not be entirely legitimate

'Either version makes clear Muellers intent  he did not want to hear evidence that either the prosecutors or the FBI agents on the case misbehaved and framed an innocent man,' Silverglate said.

The two instances give Silverglate reason to question the integrity of any investigation Mueller is put in charge of.

Mueller declined to comment on the claims via a personal spokesman on Saturday afternoon.

His investigation is ongoing and coincides with separate probes by a Senate Intelligence Committee and a Judiciary Committee.

So far, the president's son-in-law, his eldest son and Trump loyalist Paul Manafort have all faced questions over their ties to Russian officials during the campaign.

In August, Mueller impaneled a Washington grand jury to examine documents relating to the case.
Winston Churchill's grandson called Donald Trump a 'daft twerp' after the US president made a comment connecting the UK's rise in crime to 'Radical Islamic terror'.

On Friday morning, Trump sent out a tweet citing new UK crime statistics and wrote that 'we must keep America safe.'

'Just out report: "United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror." Not good, we must keep America safe!' he wrote.

In response, Nicolas Soames, grandson of the revered former prime minister and a member of parliament affiliated with the Conservative party, used a single hashtag: '#Thenfixguncontrolyoudafttwerp'.

Winston Churchill's grandson, Nicolas Soames (right), called Donald Trump (left) a 'daft twerp' after the US president made a comment connecting the UK's rise in crime to 'Radical Islamic terror'

On Friday morning, Trump sent out a tweet citing new UK crime statistics and wrote that 'we must keep America safe'

Trump is a known fan of Churchill, having reinstalled a bust of the prime minister in the Oval Office after moving into the White House.

The study that Trump cited, from the Office for National Statistics, did show a 13 per cent increase in crime but it did not show a link between the rise in crime and terrorism.

Out of the 664 homicides recorded in England and Wales in 2017, only 35 were a result of terror attacks. Additionally, a total of 5.2 million crimes were recorded in England and Wales over the year to June, up from 4.6 million the year before.

Trump is a known fan of Churchill, having reinstalled a bust of the prime minister in the Oval Office after moving into the White House (Pictured, from left to right: Churchill with wife Clementine and grandchildren Nicolas Soames and Charlotte Soames in 1959)

Soames wasn't the only prominent British political figure who slammed Trump's tweet. Rebukes also came from figures such as leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband (above)

UK officials said that the rise was likely because of better crime reporting. Additionally, the study also covered just England and Wales and not the entirety of the UK.

Soames wasn't the only prominent British political figure who slammed Trump's tweet.

Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, tweeted: 'Spreading lies about your own country: sad. Spreading lies about others: sadder. What an absolute moron'.

'Stop misleading and spreading fear. Hate crime is up and it is fuelled by the kind of populist xenophobia you peddle,' wrote Jo Swinson, deputy leader of the UK's Liberal Democrats political party.

This is not the first time that Trump has sparked fury on his comments about terrorism and the UK. Earlier this year, he criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khans response to terror attacks in the city earlier this year.
The One Nation party has hired a woman who once accused senator Derryn Hinch of rape as a research assistant.

Mary-Ann Martinek, a former Army major, was offered the position from One Nation senator Brian Burston this month, a move that has angered Melbourne's former media personality.

'If I had my way I'd have security escort her out of this building,' Senator Hinch said according to the The Age.

'If I had my way I'd have security escort her out of this building,' Senator Hinch (pictured) said according the The Age

Mary-Ann Martinek, a former Army major, was offered the position from One Nation senator Brian Burston this month (pictured together)

'The fact One Nation has taken her on says a lot about them. The only use she would be to them would be to attack me.'

Ms Martinek, who is currently completing her PhD thesis, began a business venture with Hinch in the form of Slouch Hat Chocolates in the mid-2000s.

But their professional relationship broke down when Ms Martinek accused the then broadcaster of sexual assault.

But their professional relationship broke down when Ms Martinek (pictured) accused the then broadcaster of sexual assault

Police investigated the claims but did not press charges at the time.

Senator Hinch went on to sue the researcher for defamation and she issued a formal apology as a result.

The 73-year-old alleges Ms Martinek is the individual who claimed he held a US social security card and dual citizenship.
A 72-year-old woman with medical issues left her home on Friday and hasn't been seen since.

Enid Brotherton vanished after leaving her home on Cross St, Bathurst, in her silver 2009 Holden Barina with the registration CEB 09L.

There are grave concerns for the 72-year-old woman as she suffers from a number of medical conditions.

Enid Brotherton, 72, (pictured) vanished after leaving her home on Cross St, Bathurst, NSW

There are concerns for Mrs Brotherton as she suffers from number of medical conditions

Ms Brotherton is described as being Caucasian in appearance and is about 160cm tall with a 'very thin' build.

The elderly lady has short grey hair with brown tints, wears square-framed glasses and was dressed in black tracksuit pants and a light-coloured long sleeve top.

Police and family hold serious concerns for the woman.

Police urge anyone with information to call Bathurst Police or Crime Stoppers.
Reports are emerging of what ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's tenure at Harvard University is like.

Spicer is a fellow at the John F Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics for the 2017-2018 academic year. In this capacity, his job is 'to engage with the Harvard community,' per the institute's website.

Students spoke to the Huffington Post about the question and answer sessions and meals during which Spicer has engaged with students. Per Harvard's policy, all talks by fellows are given off the record.

'The entire thing was just a defense of every waking moment he served,' one student told the Huffington Post.

'He was pretty much just as slimy and weaselly as Id thought he was,' another said.

Sean Spicer is a fellow at the Harvard University. As part of his role with the John F Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics, he is giving question and answer sessions with students and dining with them

Pictured is one such gathering at Harvard from this past week. One student told the Washington Post: 'He was pretty much just as slimy and weaselly as Id thought he was'

Another branded Spicer as 'incredibly inarticulate,' echoing a repeated criticism of his scattered and disorganized White House press briefings.

Spicer was brought to Harvard to provide students with insights into White House communications. One of his co-fellows is Robby Mook, who led Hillary Clinton's 2016 election campaign.

'Broadening the range and depth of opportunity for students to hear from and engage with experts, leaders and policy-shapers is a cornerstone of the Institute of Politics.

'We welcome the breadth of thought-provoking viewpoints on race, gender, politics and the media,' said the Institute of Politics' director in a statement about Spicer, Mook and their fellow 2017-2018 fellow Mayor Sylvester 'Sly' James, Jr, the mayor of Kansas City.

Spicer is pictured with Jason Chaffetz, who is currently a Fall Semester Fellow at the Institute of Politics. Chaffetz is a former Republican Congressman who represented Utah

Spicer served as White House Press Secretary from January to July 2017. Asked about lies during his tenure, he said: 'Im a spokesperson for the president, and my job is to say what he wants me to say.' Spicer is pictured during a press briefing on June 26

Students told the Huffington Post that Spicer's talks have ranged in scope from the contemporary state of American politics, to his battles with the media to lies he told during his six-month stint as White House Press Secretary.

'Im a spokesperson for the president, and my job is to say what he wants me to say,' he said when asked about being called out on his lies.

'The Trump administration is being held to an unfair higher standard.'

Discussing Kellyanne Conway's infamous phrase, he added: 'Alternative facts are legitimate tools to use in politics.'

Spicer also discussed how his 'coolest moment' in the White House was taking a selfie with the New England Patriots.

Former journalist and current Kennedy school student Michael Auslen noted in an Instagram post: 'All it took was me leaving journalism and him getting pushed out of the White House to get an off-the-record briefing from Sean Spicer.'

The questions were not pre-screened, according to students who spoke to the Huffington Post.

Spicer has also been pictured enjoying himself with one of the Institute's Fall Semester Fellows, Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican Congressman of Utah who formerly chaired the House Oversight Committee.

In a tweet of the pair smiling at breakfast, Chaffetz wrote: 'Don't even think of taking any of my bacon.'

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, Spicer said that students have been 'respectful and 'inquisitive'.

Describing the point of his role at Harvard, he said: 'To let people ask tough questions to gain an understanding into what the experience was like.'
A British tourist feared kidnapped in Hanoi after being driven off by a taxi driver during a night out with friends just hours after arriving in Vietnam has been found safe and well.

Connor Leslie, 23, from Aberdeen, was with two friends Matthew Foy and Matt Shuttleton when they were returning to their hotel in the Vietnamese capital around 2.30am local time.

Mr Leslie's friends got out of the taxi a short distance from the hotel. As they were assisting their friend from the car, the driver sped off.

It is believed he had his phone taken from him and was dropped off and abandoned by the driver.

Connor Leslie, pictured, vanished just hours after this photograph was taken following a night out with two friends in Hanoi, Vietnam. The 23-year-old, from Aberdeen, has now been found safe and well

According to his friends, Mr Leslie was sleeping in the back of the taxi when they got out. The driver, they claim, sped off before they had a chance to remove their friend from the car

Mr Leslie's friends took a photograph of the taxi driver, pictured here smoking from an elaborate bamboo pipe, before they got into his car to return to their hotel

Mr Leslie is a maintenance technician with Schlumberger. The Aberdeen office contacted their Vietnam division to help get the appeal to find the missing tourist.

His friends reported the kidnap to the police and are receiving consular assistance from the British Embassy.

Matthew Foy told MailOnline: 'We were In the town drinking and got a taxi back to the hotel. The taxi stopped about 50 yards from the hotel. It was Connor, Matt and I in the taxi. Matt and I got out but Connor was so drunk he couldn't move.

'He was sleeping in the taxi. I tried to pull him out by the arm but he wasn't moving. We stood there wondering what we were going to do to get him out when the taxi driver drove away with him in the back

Mr Leslie, left, arrived in Vietnam yesterday with his friends Matthew Foy and Matt Shuttleton

Mr Leslie, left, was sleeping in the back of the cab during the journey back to the hotel

'The driver was being sound the whole journey and didn't say anything when he drove away. It was so strange.

'Ive been speaking to the embassy who are trying to speak to the police.'

Before getting into the taxi, the friends took a photograph of the driver as a precaution.

Mr Foy added: 'As we stood outside the taxi waiting for Connor, the driver drove of. Last night was our first night here. We are meant to leave on the 27th and head to Cambodia.'

Mr Foy and Mr Shuttleton searched the city today when they found the taxi driver and brought him to a police station to answer questions about their missing friend.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are assisting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Vietnam, and our staff are in contact with the Vietnamese police.'
An attempt to ban trail hunting on National Trust land was narrowly defeated yesterday.

Protesters called for a ban on the hunts  in which a scent is laid for hounds to follow  from more than 600,000 acres of Trust land. They argue that the practice is a cover for hunting animals.

But at the charity's annual general meeting the proposal to ban the hunts failed by just 299 votes, with 30,686 members in favour and 30,985 against.

The vote is likely to be welcomed by Trust president Prince Charles, a hunting enthusiast, along with dozens of hunts that stood to lose land access rights.

The charity's board of trustees brought in new measures for licencing legal hunts  including forbidding laying fox-based scents  in August.

In total, 30,686 members voted for the proposal to ban trail hunting, while 30,985 voted against  a difference of just 299 votes. There were 1,925 abstentions from the vote.

Results of the vote will be considered by the Trustees of the charity at a meeting in November.

The trustees previously said the revised process for licensing trail hunts would allow the Trust to meet conservation aims, as well as welcome people and accommodate users from a broad range of constituencies.

Since the ban on hunting with dogs came into force in 2005, the National Trust has licensed legal trail hunting on its land as one of number of activities it allows.

The Trust insists it monitors the activities it licenses and has taken action against trail hunts on six occasions over the past five years.

Hunts have had licences removed or suspended following reports by National Trust staff and members, it is understood.

Last year, 79 licences were issued to 67 hunts for use of National Trust land. The charity has 5 million members.

Applications have been received since the new measures came into force in August, ahead of the hunting season beginning in November.

Anti-hunt campaigners groaned as the vote was announced at the annual general meeting, at the STEAM museum in Swindon.

Protesters gathered outside the AGM from Saturday morning to support the vote to ban trail hunting, exempt hunting and exercising hounds on Trust land.

A spokesman for the National Trust said: 'National Trust members at today's annual general meeting have voted against a resolution for the cessation of 'trail hunting' on all land belonging to the charity.

'Prior to the vote, the charity's board of trustees had recommended that the activity should be allowed to continue after recent improvements in licensing conditions to further safeguard conservation and access on the Trust's land.

'The conservation charity has been carefully listening to both sides of a highly polarised and passionate debate for years.

'We are pleased members have had the opportunity to debate this issue and have voted to support the Trustees' position.'
Nando's diners fled in a frenzy this afternoon after a faulty oven produced a loud bang, sparking fears a bomb had gone off.

Around 60 chicken and chips enthusiasts, some yelling 'bomb', fled the restaurant's branch in Bluewater Shopping Centre at 3pm.

Kent police confirmed on Twitter a fire alarm had been caused by 'a cooking appliance in a food outlet.' Adding: 'Please do not panic'.

Scroll down for video

Inside the Bluewater Shopping Centre, pictured, which was evacuated earlier today over scares of a bomb threat

Social media users described the scene, pictured, as a panic with shoppers running for the exits in terror

Shoppers at the Bluewater Shopping Centre, pictured, were evacuated today after a faulty oven went caused a fire alarm to go off

Panic ensued at the Bluewater Shopping Centre, pictured, after unconfirmed reports of shoppers yelling 'bomb'

One Twitter user made light of the situation, writing: 'Just ran out of Bluewater about 60 people screaming bomb saw my life flash before my eyes... turns out it was a fire alarm in Nando's.'

The Bluewater Shopping Centre said over Twitter that the incident was being investigated by Kent Fire Service.

But despite calls for calm social media has broadly described the evacuation as a scene of confusion.

Twitter user Dani Dupree wrote: 'Why the f*** did I just run for my life out of bluewater shopping centre?'

Shortly after the incident customers and employees were allowed back into the shopping centre, according to TweetBluewater, the Bluewater Shopping Centre's official Twitter feed.

Britain's terror threat was recently raised from severe to critical, defined by an attack 'expected imminently'.




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The dashboard clock of the Toyota pickup shows 3am as we bump and swerve our way across the Lesio Louna wildlife reserve in the Republic of the Congo.

A lightning storm, initially mesmerising as we climbed above the capital Brazzaville, is now on top of us, turning the dirt track into a quagmire.

The windscreen has steamed up thanks to a broken de-mister so our driver struggles to avoid the endless potholes, and we are thrown around like rag-dolls.

But however uncomfortable I feel, theres another passenger behind me whos even more annoyed  as he informs us at regular intervals by shrieking and thumping his fists on his cage.

1. After a gruelling 4,000-mile journey from Port Lympne, Kent, to the Republic of the Congo, one of the four adult male gorillas born and raised in captivity and now returning to the wild, stares out from a specially designed air crate

2. Strapped on rugged 4x4 trucks able to deal with the pot-holed road, the crates are carried 90 miles from the airport in the Republic of the Congo's capital Brazzaville to the Lesio Louna wildlife reserve managed by The Aspinall Foundation (TAF)

3. The gorilla brothers are taken along the Louna river on a final stretch of the journey on motor launches. Aboard this vessel is their long-time keeper from Kent, Rachel Adams, and TAF Regional Director Matthieu Bonet (standing), along with an armed ranger

4. Watched anxiously by Rachel, the first and youngest gorilla to be released, Fubu, 14, takes off from his cage through a gate in the fence and thunders off towards his new rainforest home

Fubu is a 25st western lowland gorilla, and although he doesnt know it yet, hes en route to freedom, in convoy along with three half-brothers  Kouyou, Kebu and silverback Kangu.

All were born and bred at The Aspinall Foundations Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, and its sister sanctuary Port Lympne, owned by casino owner and conservationist Damian Aspinall.

Aged between 14 and 18, these apes have endured a 40-hour road, rail and air journey to a 37-acre peninsula in an oxbow lake off the Louna river. Its fenced off from a wider reserve, which is home to 35 other endangered western lowland gorillas, all reintroduced by The Aspinall Foundation.

Aspinall, 57 and his wife Victoria, 30, watch nervously as the crates are hauled from river launches by a dozen men using steel poles, then heaved up a steep mud bank.

5. Another of the four gorillas, Kebu, enjoys his new-found freedom in a fenced-off peninsula, where they will be monitored for between six months and two years, before being released into the wider reserve which is home to 35 gorillas

6. Kebu, front, and Kouyou strut around their new home soon after being released at the wildlife reserve

Damian Aspinall (above with his wife, Victoria) is proud of the Foundations record on the reintroduction of endangered species

Fubu is the first to be released  he bounds through the cage tunnel to a round of applause.

His brothers quickly follow and, after getting their bearings, they saunter off to explore.

They will remain in the enclosure for up to two years where they will be monitored and intermittently fed before they are ready for the reserve proper.

Damian Aspinall is proud of the Foundations record on the reintroduction of endangered species.

Later this year they will pass the 100 mark in reintroduced primates.

Three years ago, several female members of a reintroduced group of gorillas were apparently killed by a rogue male.

But he says he has learned from that experience, and is determined to press on with these four.

Their father, Kifu, is at Howletts, and I would go in his enclosure every week, says Aspinall.

I used to promise him, One day Im going to get your boys back home. 

On our return to the reserve HQ, an orphaned baby gorilla, Loukolela, aged two, plays with a delighted Victoria.

When he has reached the size of his four new neighbours, he too will be reintroduced to the wild.

To help more gorillas and other endangered species return safely to the wild please donate at: www.aspinallfoundation.org/donate

PS So when will it be my turn?
A Tory running for election says his conviction for being drunk and disorderly shows he has 'life experience' and will appeal to voters because it is 'reflective of society'.

Police officer Jonathan Dulston is standing as a candidate in a Darlington Council by-election on November 16 - less than four months after he was fined 120 by a district judge in County Durham.

The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and obstructing police during a pub disturbance in which he was caught on CCTV in a scuffle with five officers.

Serving police officer Jonathan Dulston thinks his conviction for being drunk and disorderly could appeal to voters

He said his conviction 'represents reality' and told the Mirror he'd been 'very transparent' by admitting his conviction to the panel that selected him to stand in the Red Hall and Lingfield ward following the resignation of a sitting Labour councillor.

'Its not ideal but I think actually what people are looking for more than ever now is people who represent reality, people who do make mistakes - not the polished politicians who often patronise and look down to people and stand on their high horses,' he said.

'People want someone who is going to be reflective of society, people who have made mistakes and people who have got life experiences.

'Life experiences arent always positive, thats the point.

'Sometimes, bad experiences can in some respects make you a stronger person and give you a greater insight into peoples lives.

'Im not saying it makes me a stronger candidate - far from it, Im not going to advocate getting a criminal conviction - but its opened my mind and allowed me to view things differently.

'Its been a huge learning experience in terms of the high standards people expect when you put yourself at the forefront of politics.'

Met some great people on the doors today including Lewis and is new dog Jojo #toocute #Redhall&Lingfield pic.twitter.com/Tj4xPWyY5Y  Jonathan Dulston (@JonathanDulston) October 13, 2017

Dulston reportedly caused a 'nuisance' outside Harveys Late Bar in Houndgate, Darlington, when bouncers asked him to leave at about 2.30am on April 29.

He refused to move away from the building and told door staff he was a police officer who had his warrant card, Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court heard.

Dulston was then involved in a scuffle with five police officers called to the pub and was charged with assaulting one after grabbing arms in an incident caught on CCTV.

The candidate denied assaulting a police officer and the charge was later dropped.

Prosecutor Rebecca Laverick told the court better behaviour should be expected of a serving police officer.

'Officers were trying to speak to him but he was shouting over them,' she said.

'At one point he starts grabbing officers arms.

'A member of the public even got involved saying he was showing his police ID card and that behaviour from a special constable is not acceptable.'

Great to be representing the @Conservatives in the Redhall & Lingfield ward bye Election... never been a fan of Rosettes though #justsaying pic.twitter.com/rxP7x2Bxiu  Jonathan Dulston (@JonathanDulston) October 12, 2017

Tom Morgan, defending, highlighted Dulston's two-year service as a special constable and his 11 years as a community volunteer.

'The defendant does not accept he was brandishing his warrant card,' he added.

'He is a driven individual who will have obviously lost his previous good character.'

Dulston said he will have 'conversations very openly with residents on the doorstep to say "this is what's happened"' after he was ordered to pay 85 in costs and a 30 victim surcharge.

'Its not something I was proud of, it was a mistake but ultimately you cant let mistakes in life define you as a person,' he said.

'We all do make mistakes and we dont make the best choices sometimes.

'But the population of Red Hall and Lingfield will see beyond that, they will see this is a person who has made a mistake but this is also a person who has made a huge contribution to his community.

'Thats what I want to focus on. Its a shame that it happened.'

Good afternoon working on some stuff ready for the next conservative group meeting #byelection #gettingreadyforthefuture pic.twitter.com/LHxVHNyohr  Jonathan Dulston (@JonathanDulston) September 30, 2017

Darlington Labour Party campaign coordinator Chris McEwan questioned the Tories' selection.

'Im very surprised that Darlington Tories thought this man was a fit and proper person to represent the people of Red Hall and Lingfield,' he said.

'His recent behaviour and court appearance was in the local newspaper, so they must have known about his dodgy past.

'I can only think that like their MPs in Westminster, theyre completely out of touch with what matters to local people.'
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the Syrian city of Raqqa has been liberated from ISIS fighters following a military campaign led by US-backed rebels.

'I am pleased to announce that the Syrian Democratic Forces, our partners in the fight against ISIS in Syria, have successfully recaptured Raqqa,' the President said in a statement.

'Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control,' he added.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by US special forces, holds up his group's flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqqa on October 17, 2017

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) walk down a street in Raqqa past destroyed vehicles and heavily damaged buildings on October 20, 2017

Raqqa, located on the northeast bank of the Euphrates river about 99 miles east of Aleppo, was known as the ISIS's defacto capital after it captured the city in 2014.

'The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS,' he continued.

'With the liberation of ISIS's capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.'

US backed rebels were able to retake the territory after fighting for 130 days, braving intense gun battles and deadly booby traps set by the jihadists militants.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the Syrian city of Raqqa has been wrested from Islamic State control

The US said that it will now enter a 'new phase' in securing stability in the area, emphasizing cooperation with local security forces, deescalating violence across Syria and advancing 'the conditions for lasting peace,' according to The Hill.

'Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people,' Trump said.

Trump also boasted that US military forces were able to make more progress against ISIS and its 'spread of hateful ideology' in the first nine months of his presidency than his predecessor, Barack Obama, had in the last years of his administration.

'We have made, alongside our coalition partners, more progress against these evil terrorists in the past several months than in the past several years,' Trump asserted.

Still, US military personnel on the ground stopped short of declaring the campaign a complete victory, saying that 'more than 90 percent' of the city was in the control of American rebel allies such as Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish militias.

Ahmad Abu Khawlah (5th-R), chief of the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DEMC) -- a coalition of Arab tribes and fighters that belongs to the broader US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces -- speaks during a press conference
A veteran agent for youth talent has been fired after multiple men came forward on social media accusing him of sexual assault and harassment.

Tyler Grasham had been put on leave on Wednesday while APA talent agency investigated allegations of sexual assault, which first came to light after filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman, shared a letter to Facebook and Instagram on Monday as part of the #MeToo campaign.

But on Friday, APA announced through a spokesperson that the prominent agent had been terminated, following more accusations of misconduct by other male actors and filmmakers.

Tyler Grasham (pictured) was fired from APA talent agency on Friday following sexual assault and harassment allegations made by multiple male actors and filmmakers

'Stranger Things' star Finn Wolfhard left the Los Angeles-based talent agency this week after allegations of misconduct emerged (pictured with Grasham)

Lipman, 28, wrote: 'Tyler Grasham, under the pretense of a business meeting regarding potential agency representation at APA Agency, fed me alcohol while I was underage and sexually assaulted me.

'APA Agency has kept this man employed, working with kid actors. I find it incredibly difficult to believe they do not know of his predatory behavior, using his position within the company to prey on naive kids,' he said in the post.

While at first Lipman did not name Grasham, he later said the agent 'poked' him on Facebook after he shared the letter, which prompted him to name him and provide additional details of the alleged abuse.

Grasham was first called out by filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman (pictured) in a #MeToo letter shared to Facebook and Instagram Monday

Lipman said the incident happened at business meeting regarding potential agency representation

The filmmaker then shared further information on the shocking revelation, confirming it was written by him in an interview with Deadline, where he said he was about to turn 18 one summer when the agent got him 'drunk at a meeting to talk about business.'

He added: 'We were at his apartment when he got on top of me and fondled me. I pushed him off without trying to upset him.

'It was a very precarious position to be in, not to insult someone who was in a position of power.'

After Lipman shared his story using the #metoo hashtag, which has been used by people on social media following accusations of serial sexual harassment against producer Harvey Weinstein, more men came forward claiming they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Grasham.

Film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, shared on Thursday that in January 2016, the disgraced agent tried getting him drunk at his home so he could take advantage of him.

On Thursday, film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, shared that the disgraced agent one tried getting him drunk at his home so he could take advantage of him

Ozarowsk is pictured with Grasham at a barbecue at the agent's house

Ozarowski also shared screenshots of an alleged conversation with Grasham, where the agent seems to admit to 'groping' the filmmaker and repeatedly hits on him

'Tyler Grasham brought me to a party for another APA Agent at the Sandbox. He kept handing me drinks, one after another, until I had to start leaving them in the bathroom,' Ozarowski wrote on Facebook.

'My phone was left at his house charging so I couldn't even leave if I wanted to. We finally got back to his place. As I was sitting on his couch preparing to call an Uber he pulled my pants open and aggressively grabbed my genitalia. I had to forcibly remove his hand and got up and left his house,' he continued.

Ozarowski also shared screenshots of an alleged conversation with Grasham, where the agent seems to admit to 'groping' the filmmaker and repeatedly hits on him, not stopping even after being asked to multiple times.

Orphan Black star Jordan Gavaris, 28, also accused Grasham of sexual abuse on Friday

Gavaris said Grasham threatened to harm his career if he didn't 'join his roster'

'Stop. I flirt. Don't be such a grump,' reads one of the messages that Ozarowski claims are from Grasham.

'You can give me back rubs and cuddle with me every night,' reads another.

Orphan Black star Jordan Gavaris, 28, also accused Grasham of sexual abuse on Friday.

'When I was 21, Tyler Grasham repeatedly harassed me about my sexuality, and forcibly implied he could 'protect me' if I joined his roster,' he tweeted, adding that the agent told him if he didn't comply his career 'may be derailed'.

Additionally, a report by the Wrap published on Friday claimed that in 2015 Grasham contacted a then-16-year-old boy on Instagram.

Brady Lindsey, now 19, claimed on Friday thatGrasham contacted him on Instagram when he was 16 and asked to be his boyfriend

Brady Lindsey, now 19, said the agent professed his desire to be his boyfriend and begin a family with him, encouraging him to move to California from Utah, where he lived at the time.

'I didn't know who he was. He said he was a big-time agent in L.A. and he worked at APA,' Lindsey said, adding that Grasham promised to make him a star.

'It was all talk of getting me gigs, but not being able to sign me up at the agency until I was already getting work,' he said.

Lindsey provided screenshots of alleged conversations with Grasham to the Wrap which seem to prove his account.

He moved to Hollywood in 2016 soon after his 18th birthday to begin a career as an actor, and claims that shortly after his arrival Grasham took him to dinner and fed him several drinks, even though he was underage.

Grasham then allegedly invited Lindsey home for dessert, where he made 'unwelcomed advances,' like asking if they could 'kiss and cuddle,' to which Lindsey agreed.

Canadian child actor Finn Wolfhard, 14, known for his role as Mike Wheeler in the hit Netflix series 'Stranger Things,' parted ways with the agent and the company all together this week after the claims surfaced.

DailyMail.com has reached out to APA for comment and hasn't heard back.
Cash-strapped parents are being forced to pay adult prices for children at many of Britains most popular attractions, a Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed.

Astonishingly, dozens of theme parks and historical sites  which will be packed this week with families enjoying the schools half-term break  define anyone aged 12 and over as an adult and bump up the price.

Politicians and campaigners accused cynical bosses of bleeding families dry.

The Mail on Sunday has discovered holiday giants and theme parks are charging adult prices for children aged 12

Even holiday companies are joining the rip-off. In one of the most shocking examples, online travel company lastminute.com advertised a half-term break on the sunshine island of Majorca for a family of four that shot up in price if both children were 12 or over.

Flights and seven nights at a four-star hotel for parents and two 11-year-olds costs 3,682. But the price of same holiday leaps to 4,832 once the children are 12.

Four days at Disneyland Paris costs 616 when children are 11 but 688 when they turn 12.

Warwick Castle also hikes prices at the same age, with a 102 trip jumping to 108.

At Thorpe Park in Surrey, a family of four with two 11-year-olds pays 200.80  with two 12-year-olds the price rises to 214. Nearby Chessington World of Adventures charges a family of four with two 11-year-old young adventurers 204. But that rises to 211 when the children are 12.

Our investigation also found that the Natural History Museum and Somerset House ice rinks, both in London, charge full price from age 13, while Odeon and Vue cinemas also increase their prices at that age.

Sports presenter Gabby Logan, who has 12-year-old twins, Lois and Reuben, with her husband Kenny, said: Anything that prevents a family from an activity because of this kind of price hike is really quite disgusting. This is a miserly and cynical practice.

Sports presenter Gabby Logan blasted the price hike as 'disgusting', calling it a 'miserly and cynical practice'

Conservative MP Nigel Evans, who sits on the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Industry All-Party Parliamentary Committee, said: Twelve is way too young to start charging adult prices.

The way these attractions are artificially turning children into adults is absurd.

He accused companies of bleeding hard-pressed families dry.

Paul Kelly, chief executive of the British Association of Leisure, Parks, Piers and Attractions, defended the price rises.

Once customers turn 12 they are able to enjoy the entirety of the experience available, as much as any adult visiting the attraction, he said.

But Ms Logan countered: All 12-year-olds look very different but theyre certainly not adults. They dont have any adult rights, responsibilities or privileges, so why do they suddenly have to live a more expensive life?

Last night, a spokesman for Merlin, which owns Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle, said: We aim to provide good value for everyone at all our attractions and strongly refute any suggestion that we charge unfairly.
Bill O'Reilly agreed to pay a sixth sexual harassment accuser $32million in an astronomical settlement in January, weeks before signing a new $100million contract with Fox, it has been revealed.

The revelation was made on Saturday in a report by The New York Times which describes for the first time the allegations against O'Reilly by Lis Wiehl, a former Fox News legal analyst who regularly appeared on his show.

According to the Times, her complaints included claims of repeated harassment, a non-consensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her.

He and the network had already settled the claims of five other women who made similar allegations.

As part of their deal, O'Reilly agreed to pay 56-year-old Wiehl $32million over a period of time in exchange for her silence and agreement to never sue him or 21st Century Fox. She also signed an affidavit retracting all the allegations against him.

O'Reilly pointed to that affidavit on Saturday in a furious response to the Times article which he labeled a 'smear piece'.

His attorney shared a photograph of the legal document signed by Wiehl which made no mention of the sum he agreed to pay.

Scroll down for video

In January this year, Bill O'Reilly agreed to give an accuser $32million in a huge settlement which he finalized weeks before resigning with Fox

The settlement was given to Lis Wiehl, a 56-year-old legal expert who regularly appeared on O'Reilly's show between 2001 and 2016

21st Century Fox knew about her complaints and her threat to sue O'Reilly but was assured by the star and his lawyer that they would handle it personally but as part of her agreement with the star, she stopped working for the network.

Once he had reached his deal with Wiehl, O'Reilly's lawyers told the network it had been settled but did not disclose the cash amount he agreed to pay her.

Weeks later, he was given a record-breaking contract extension which earned him $25million a year over four years.

The huge sum was an effort to ensure he would stay at the network which was still reeling from the scandal engulfing ousted chairman Roger Ailes and the departure of Megyn Kelly, one of its biggest stars.

O'Reilly's agreement with Wiehl brings the total number of settlements given to women who have accused him of sexual misconduct to six and the total reported amount of cash paid out to around $45million.

Wiehl is a legal expert who regularly appeared on Fox News shows to offer expert advice.

She joined Fox News in 2001 after working with O'Reilly on his radio show for seven years.

O'Reilly took credit for her hiring by Fox and the pair appeared on-screen together for years afterwards, demonstrating a playful on-screen relationship that at times seemed somewhat strained.

She appeared on his show along with Fox hosts Kimberly Guilfoyle and Megyn Kelly to debate legal stories and at times bore the brunt of his jokes.

O'Reilly believed they were friends and he helped promote her fictional books in YouTube videos and plugged them on his show.

In one awkward video, she is seen nudging him on the knee as she playfully discusses the plot of one book, Hand of Fate, which tells the story of the murder of a popular and controversial TV and radio host.

At one stage, O'Reilly held up the back of the book to comment on her 'cute' author photograph.

He often joked that the book was written about him and that she wanted to kill him in real life, a claim she laughed off on-camera.

On Saturday, O'Reilly published the affidavit sworn by Wiehl which he said the Times 'ignored'

Wiehl and O'Reilly worked together on radio shows before she joined Fox News as an analyst in 2001. He helped her promote her two books and appeared in an awkward interview above in 2010 with her

During the 2010 video, he held up the back of her book to reveal her 'cute' photograph and joked it had been photoshopped

Wiehl appeared with Megyn Kelly at times on O'Reilly's show to discuss legal stories. The pair are pictured in 2009

She was teased on-camera by O'Reilly and co-star Kimberly Guilfoyle during another appearance in 2010

O'REILLY'S RESPONSE: IT'S A SMEAR PIECE Mark Fabiani, O'Reilly's lawyer, issued this statement on Saturday after The New York Times published its piece. 'Once again, The New York Times has maliciously smeared Bill O'Reilly, this time even failing to print a from his former lawyer, Lis Wiehl, repudiating all allegations against Bill O'Reilly. The Times ignored that evidence, sworn under oath, and chose to rely on unsubstantiated allegations, anonymous sources and incomplete leaked or stolen documents. Here are the facts: after the Chairman of Fox News Roger Ailes was fired in July 2016, dozens of women accused scores of male employees of Fox News of harassment - including the current co-president of Fox News Jack Abernathy. 21st Century Fox settled almost all these cases, paying out close to $100 million dollars. Six months after Mr. Ailes left the company, Fox News Corporation signed Bill O'Reilly to a record breaking new contract after the company had analyzed and considered all allegations against him. In its first article about Mr. O'Reilly on April 1st, The New York Times printed inaccurate settlement figures while fully understanding that O'Reilly and his counsel are legally bound by confidentiality and cannot set the record straight. In its latest diatribe against Bill O'Reilly, the Times printed leaked information provided by anonymous sources that is out of context, false, defamatory, and obviously designed to embarrass Bill O'Reilly and to keep him from competing in the marketplace. Finally, in the more than 20 years Bill O'Reilly worked at Fox News, not one complaint was filed against him with the Human Resources Department or Legal Department by a coworker, even on the anonymous hotline. The New York Times has copies of two letters written by 21st Century Fox lawyers attesting to that fact. The Times failed to print them, too. Advertisement

During an appearance with Megyn Kelly in April 2008, he said it was her 'high school picture' on the back of her book.

Wiehl's last appearance on Fox was in December 2016. Days later, she sent a letter to O'Reilly and to 21st Century Fox threatening to sue him.

She claims that throughout their working relationship, he regularly sexually harassed her and once sent her explicit gay pornography. O'Reilly maintains that he had been sent the material by a troll and that he was only forwarding it on to her because she was one of his lawyers.

O'Reilly's lawyers stepped in and took over negotiations privately which 21st Century Fox confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement to DailyMail.com on Saturday, a 21st Century Fox spokesman acknowledged it knew about Wiehl's complaints but said the network was assured by O'Reilly the matter had been dealt with before it gave him his new contract.

O'Reilly was fired in April during a holiday with his family in Rome. He is pictured above, meeting the Pope on the same day Rupert Murdoch announced his firing

At the time O'Reilly was negotiating the huge settlement, Fox was still reeling from the scandal surrounding former chairman Roger Ailes (left before his death in May). Megyn Kelly, its second-highest ranking host, had also just announced her departure for NBC

O'Reilly is still fighting his ex-wife Maureen McPhilmy (above together in 2002, before their split) over custody of their children and they were locked in a legal fight at the time of his settlement with Wiehl

Wiehl, a mother-of-two, is pictured with her ex-husband, Mickey Sherman., in 2008. They were married between 2006 and 2012, during which time she regularly appeared on Fox

'When the company renewed Bill O'Reilly's contract in February, it knew that a sexual harassment lawsuit had been threatened against him by Lis Wiehl, but was informed by Mr. O'Reilly that he had settled the matter personally, on financial terms that he and Ms. Wiehl had agreed were confidential and not disclosed to the company.'

It chose to renew his contract anyway and even added a provision to protect itself from liability if he was accused of any additional sexual crimes.

'His new contract, which was made at a time typical for renewals of multi-year talent contracts, added protections for the company specifically aimed at harassment, including that Mr. O'Reilly could be dismissed if the company was made aware of other allegations or if additional relevant information was obtained in a company investigation.

'The company subsequently acted based on the terms of this contract,' they said.

The earliest of O'Reilly's settlements dates back to 2002 and was given to Rachel Witlieb Bernstein, a junior producer. The amount is not known.

The second, in 2004, was for $9million 2004 and was awarded to Andrea Mackris, a producer on The O'Reilly Show.

Rebecca Gomez Diamond, a Fox Business host, received an undisclosed amount in 2011. In 2016, Laurie Dhue and Juliet Huddy both received undisclosed settlements.

Rachel Witlieb Bernstein (left) was given a settlement by O'Reilly in 2002. Andrea Mackris (right) received another relating to allegations of sexual harassment in 2004

Rebecca Diamond Gomez (left) received a settlement over allegations O'Reilly sexually harassed her in 2012 and in 2016, Laurie Dhue (right) received a settlement over the same claims

They were all revealed in April this year by The New York Times and prompted his ousting from the network.

Juliet Huddy was given an undisclosed figure in 2016

They were the second spate of sexual harassment allegations to rock the conservative media company.

Last year, other damning claims forced chairman Roger Ailes out of his role. He died in May this year.

O'Reilly insists that he has never 'mistreated' any of the women he has given money to and says the only reason he settled their claims financially was to protect his children from the public embarrassment of a court trial.

His lawyers told the Times on Saturday that he and Wiehl had been friends for 18 years.

He believes he has been the victim of a witch hunt that was triggered by the persecution of Ailes last year.

Ailes' ousting from the company in July 2016 set in motion an avalanche of change. It was prompted by a lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson and was followed by claims from several Fox News employees.

In January 2017, Megyn Kelly announced she was leaving the network.

Her departure was prompted in part by criticism she received from O'Reilly for voicing her condemnation of Ailes, who she said had tried to kiss her when she was a young reporter in 2006.
Poppy Day parades to honour Britains war dead are facing the axe because police chiefs across the country are refusing to send officers to block off roads.

Campaigners have blasted forces for breaking the decades-old tradition, but senior officers say they have no choice because of Government budget cuts.

Instead, volunteers are battling to raise hundreds of pounds to hire professional traffic management firms to meet strict health and safety standards.

Organisers of the annual parade in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, which attracts about 10,000 people, say they need to raise 800 to save the event.

Campaigners have blasted forces for breaking the decades-old tradition, but senior officers say they have no choice because of Government budget cuts (stock photo)

Jock Bryson, 82, who runs the towns Royal British Legion poppy appeal, said: I feel disgusted that people went to war and gave their lives and now, all of a sudden, the police are saying they are not going to help us this year.

West Midlands Police has also withdrawn its support for dozens of Remembrance Sunday parades.

Councillor Neil Eustace said that the event in his Stechford area of Birmingham had been affected: The local sergeant sounded quite sheepish. He apologised but said they cant provide any officers.

'Police have turned up for decades to close the roads with the minimum of fuss  now its all a massive headache.

Organisers of a parade in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, said they were gobsmacked when police told them they will not marshal traffic there this year.

Frank Mullen, 80, who served in the Royal Signals, said: It is ridiculous. It is going to be cancelled because the police cant be there and we cant by law stop traffic.

'We are one of the richest countries and they cant even afford three or four police officers for an hours work.

Volunteers are battling to raise hundreds of pounds to hire professional traffic management firms to meet strict health and safety standards (stock photo)

A parade in Stoke-on-Trent was threatened with the axe last week, until Staffordshire police did a U-turn and said they would supply officers after all.

'And volunteers in Margaret Thatchers home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire, are also battling to keep their parades.

Responsibility for road closures has fallen on local authorities since a change in the law in 2004.

But police have largely continued to help run Remembrance Sunday parades  until now. Leicestershire Chief Superintendent Andy Lee said manning the roads had an impact on our day-to-day operations, so had to stop.

Nottinghamshire Police say they are not the most appropriate organisation for traffic management.

The Local Government Association, said councils will, where possible, provide support such as waiving fees for temporarily closing roads and street signage.
General The Lord Dannatt (above) said the MoD had very little choice but to relax its rules for recruits

Army recruits caught taking drugs during their basic training are being allowed to remain in the military for the first time.

Top brass have relaxed the rules because drug abuse is so rife among would-be soldiers that throwing out those who fail drug tests was decimating numbers at a time when the Army is desperately short of troops.

But the move has been slammed as a weak and dangerous surrender  and raises fears about drug users having access to firearms.

Official documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal that the Ministry of Defence has changed its approach because of shocking levels of drug abuse among young people in Britain.

One former head of the British Army, General the Lord Dannatt, said: This is a rather sad reflection on our society today.

High-level government sources added that, before the move, up to ten per cent of new recruits faced being dismissed from the Army after failing drug tests during the first 14 weeks of their training.

Now they will be allowed to stay, whatever substance has been found in their system  including heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.

Last night, anti-drugs campaigner Elizabeth Burton-Phillips said: This is a weak move by the Army. Any normalisation of drug use is very dangerous indeed and if young people see a green light, they will go through that light.

Above, recruits on basic Army training. A source said: The change in the approach to recruits taking drugs is driven by two factors  the desperate shortage of recruits and the prolific levels of recreational drug use in civilian society. (File photo)

She added: The Armys move sends a message that drug-taking is normal. But isnt the Army all about discipline and enforcing the highest standards?

Im surprised theyve surrendered in the war against drugs. Society respects the Army for being strong on moral standards and having high expectations for the conduct of its soldiers.

Her concerns were echoed by Conservative backbencher and former Army Reservist David Davies, who said: This is deeply worrying. I think its very disappointing because basic training for the Army involves the use of firearms.

Nobody found with drugs in their system should be let anywhere near a firearm. Everyone knows when they start their training that you dont mess around, and having drugs in your system should be totally unacceptable. They should stick with the old rules.

Another former head of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson (above), also gave his backing to the move, saying: When we are dealing with young people of otherwise good character, I am entirely comfortable with them being given a second chance at this stage of their careers if they fail a drugs test

But a source said: The change in the approach to recruits taking drugs is driven by two factors  the desperate shortage of recruits and the prolific levels of recreational drug use in civilian society.

The controversial move comes at a time when police forces across the UK are being accused of going soft on criminals who sell and use drugs. It emerged last week how cannabis growers who produce vast quantities of the drug are being let off with cautions.

The Army insists it is not relaxing its zero-tolerance policy once recruits have passed their basic training. It is estimated that the Army is losing more than a battalion of fully trained serving troops each year due to drug abuse.

According to the most recent Ministry of Defence figures, 700 fully trained service personnel were booted out in 2015 after failing drug tests.

Of these, 630 were soldiers, with 70 sacked from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force combined. Most of these personnel had used crack, heroin, LSD or cocaine.

General The Lord Dannatt said the MoD had very little choice but to relax its rules for recruits. Given where we are, the Army needs a 21st Century approach to a 21st Century problem.

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This is a societal problem which the Army has to deal with. So in these circumstances I think it makes sense to give a second chance to recruits as part of their training process. But the Army must never tolerate drug taking in field formation units.

Another former head of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson, also gave his backing to the move, saying: When we are dealing with young people of otherwise good character, I am entirely comfortable with them being given a second chance at this stage of their careers if they fail a drugs test.

The Armys move comes at a time when recruiting levels are at a record low. According to figures seen by The Mail on Sunday, most of the training places available at the Armys infantry training depots are going unfilled.

A source said: In the case of the Guards regiments, 71 per cent of their recruit training places are not being taken up.

Faced with these dire figures, regiments cannot afford to lose any more recruits. Todays numbers game dictates those trainees who fail a drugs test are given a second chance. If young people were breaking down the door to join the Army we could raise the entry standards and be more strict about their behaviour during basic training, but theyre not.

Recruiting is on the floor, so we have to work with what weve got.

Last night, official MoD sources confirmed the change had come into effect in the last year.

Sources insisted there was no change in the Armys zero tolerance approach to drug taking by fully trained soldiers. Only in exceptional circumstances are these troops given a second chance.

An internal MoD document produced to explain the move says: Young recruits in the first 14 weeks of training who fail on their first drugs test and meet the retention criteria will be allowed to continue with their training but will be back-squadded [returned to the early stage of training] and will face further drugs testing.

Should they fail on two occasions, they will be discharged.

The Army recruits from all parts of society and it recognises that some soldiers come from a background where recreational drug use can be common. It is therefore appropriate to combine strict regulation with a focus on education and nurture for new recruits.

It added: [Fully trained] soldiers caught taking drugs can expect to be discharged.'

An Army spokesperson said: 'Over 8,000 people joined the Regular Army last year and since this April, applications are over 20% higher compared to the same period in 16/17.

'There has been no relaxation of the longstanding zero-tolerance policy on drug misuse.'
Shamed: Rochelle Noon winning her beauty queen title in 2011

As a former Miss United Kingdom, Rachelle Noon is well used to revelling in the spotlight.

But last week, she came under its glare for a far less glamorous reason  after a court ruled she had tried to cheat her way to compensation by faking sickness on holiday.

The 28-year-old model was ordered to pay thousands of pounds to tour operator Thomas Cook after a judge ruled her dishonest.

She and her partner Karl, 31, had claimed food at their hotel in Protaras, Cyprus, made them so ill they were virtually unable to leave their room.

Yet photographs posted online showed the couple laughing and smiling aboard a party bus on their way to her cousins wedding on the sunshine island.

At Liverpool County Court, District Judge Jenkinson said she had been acting like a party animal, despite her claims of suffering debilitating illness.

Mrs Noon, who was crowned Miss United Kingdom Supranational in 2011, alleged that food in her hotel gave her stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting lasting three days.

But Thomas Cook uncovered the photographs on Facebook. Mrs Noons mother, Denise Perez, had uploaded them with the caption Party bus, adding: Had the most amazing time with all the family. Love this lifestyle.

In one image, Mrs Noon, who was pregnant at the time, is wearing a tight white outfit exposing her midriff and hanging out of the open-top bus with two thumbs in the air.

The judge at Liverpool County Court dismissed the couples 4,000 claim and ruled they had been guilty of fundamental dishonesty  ordering them to pay Thomas Cooks 2,278 legal costs.

District Judge Jenkinson questioned why the couple, from Liverpool, would board a bus without toilet facilities while suffering diarrhoea. Mrs Noon said she was putting on a brave face for the camera, but the judge pointed out she is the only one in the images behaving like a party animal.

Mr Noon, who alleged he had severe symptoms for ten days, claimed he did not drink alcohol at the wedding and just held a glass to be polite. The judge also questioned why, despite being pregnant at the time, Mrs Noon did not seek medical treatment and only made a claim for compensation months later.

They lodged their claim nine months after their week-long holiday at the Anastasia Beach Hotel in June 2015, after seeing an advert for a no-win, no-fee lawyers.

Incriminating: One of the photographs that exposed Noon's lie

The Mail on Sunday has previously exposed the 434 per cent increase in British holidaymakers making compensation claims for sickness.

This is not the first time social media has been used against an alleged holiday bug fraudster. We previously revealed how Sean and Caroline Bondarenko, from Darlington, are being sued for allegedly making a bogus 10,000 claim over dodgy food after they wrote on Facebook what a wonderful time they had at the hotel in Crete. Until recently Thomas Cook had simply paid out on compensation claims as it was cheaper than going to court  but the volume of claims has prompted it to strike back.

A spokesman for the operator said: Its clear that the courts are now well aware of the level of dishonesty there is in the holiday illness claims. We will defend ourselves, in court if necessary, from holidaymakers who try to cheat the system.

Mrs Noon declined to comment last night.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harrys aides have been told to start planning for a Royal Wedding, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Senior members of the Royal Family are understood to have been asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends next year  the clearest sign yet that an engagement announcement is imminent.

The news comes days after Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle held a private meeting with the Queen, seen by insiders as a sign that Her Majesty has given the union her blessing.

It is unlikely there would be any official announcement until after the celebrations for the Queens 70th wedding anniversary on November 20.

It may be significant, too, that the Palace chose to release news of the Duchess of Cambridges April due date comparatively early. A wedding is believed to be out of the question until Prince William and Kates third child is born.

One important consideration both for courtiers and the Church of England is Meghans status as a divorcee. Under Church rules, she would be unable to have a religious wedding and, although it could take place in church, a ceremony would be a blessing instead, with a civil marriage taking place separately.

This could lead to the choice of a comparatively low-profile venue, such as the Royal Military Chapel at Wellington Barracks at St Jamess Park.

Meghan is currently in Toronto filming scenes for her legal drama Suits, and work will not finish on the series until the middle of November.

Harry plants a kiss on Meghan's cheek as the watch the Invictus Games closing ceremony

Sources in her circle believe she will then move into Kensington Palace, where Harry occupies the two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage. Meghan is believed to have told studio bosses that she will not return for another series of Suits next year, reportedly telling friends she was happy to make this career sacrifice in order to concentrate on her charity work and her new life as a senior Royal.

Meghan, who made her first official public appearance alongside Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto, is also planning to travel to India for the charity World Vision, of which she is a patron.

Palace aides have already been advising Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, a 60-year-old yoga instructor and therapist who lives in Los Angeles  a sign of how seriously the relationship is being taken in Royal circles.
A heartwarming story has come out of a terrifying mid-air incident last week, which saw the Air Asia cabin crew declare a mid-air emergency as the plane fell from cruising altitude after losing cabin pressure.

London lawyer Chris Jeanes, who was on board flight QZ535 bound for Bali on Sunday, threw caution to the wind and proposed to his partner as the aircraft started to plummet.

The Bali-bound flight, which suffered a mid-air emergency 25 minutes after take-off, was taking Mr Jeanes on a romantic holiday with his Australia girlfriend Casey Kinchella.

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London lawyer Chris Jeanes (right) proposed to Casey Kinchella (left) during the Air Asia flight

Ms Jeanes and Ms Kinchella were travelling on an AIr Asia flight when he popped the question

Mr Jeanes had been planning to propose to Ms Kinchella when they got to Bali but the mid-air drama sped the process up, according to The West.

'Luckily she said, 'yes,'' the network quoted Mr Jeanes as saying. 'We both reconfirmed with each other when we were on the ground.'

But as Mr Jeanes was making the most of what he thought could be the last minutes of their lives, there was chaos and panic on board.

He told NBC News that AirAsia workers sprinted down aisle shouting 'emergency, brace, crash positions'.



As the plane fell 24,000 feet, oxygen masks fell and passengers were ordered to put on their seatbelts as crew reportedly caused hysteria by screaming and not communicating in English.

Chris Jeanes and Casey Kinchella are engaged after Sunday's spontaneous mid-flight proposal

'I actually picked up my phone and sent a text message to my family, just hoping that they would get it,' a Perth woman told reporters. 'It was horrible.'

Passengers have criticised the airline, saying that the cabin attendants handled the emergency poorly, with passenger Mark Bailing claiming that the attendants were 'screaming their heads off'.

Chris Jeanes had to pull down his oxygen mask so he could ask Casey (pictured) to marry him

Oxygen masks fell onboard an AirAsia flight forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday

Passenger Merv Loy claimed that as the mid-air incident unfolded, cabin frantic crew added to the hysteria of passengers with their lack of instruction.

'We didn't understand a word they were saying. It was pretty scary,' Mr Loy told Perth Now.

An AirAsia spokesman said the plane had to return to Perth because of a technical issue which was being investigated.

The scare comes four months after another AirAsia flight was forced to return to Perth because of an engine failure.
Shortly after lunchtime, as drizzle fell outside at the start of a week without work, Paddy Colby told his father that he was going to watch television in his bedroom. He trudged upstairs, closed the door and killed himself.

The cheerful handyman and stepfather did not mean to die. Once in his bedroom, he took out a wrap of heroin he had bought  a drug which sells on the streets of Hull for 10. Then he put the powder in citric acid, heated it up and injected it into his body.

After years of addiction, Colby, 39, might have noticed the drug was more soluble than usual and the liquid had a strange reddish hue.

But it hit him so fast that when his stepmother found his body three hours later, the syringe was still in his hand.

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Flashback of the living dead: Ian Birrell's report in August about the effects of the opioids in Ohio. Above, an officer syringes Narcan  a drug that counters opioids  into the slumped womans nose

For the wrap he bought was not just heroin. It had been mixed with two lethal man-made opioids  fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times more potent than morphine; and carfentanyl, an elephant tranquilliser 10,000 times stronger than street heroin.

These are the synthetic drugs carving such a deadly course across the United States, an epidemic that left 64,000 people dead last year, including rock star Prince. This years death toll may double.

Now the drugs have arrived in Britain  and a spate of sudden deaths in Hull, the worst incident in the UK so far, shows their devastating impact. Just a few grains of carfentanyl  0.00002g  can be fatal.

Colby was one of at least 15 people  and possibly more than 20  killed in Hull and the surrounding area in just a few weeks.

Their lives ended after heroin was mixed with the synthetic opioids, which are made in laboratories abroad, bought on the internet and sold at vast profit. In another case, six people were killed on one side of a street in Stockton, Teesside, earlier this year.

These lethal drugs have begun cropping up across the country  first found in Blyth, Northumberland, then suspected in deaths and drug busts from Leeds to London, St Albans to Southampton, Wakefield to Winchester, and Wales to Northern Ireland.

Lethal injection: Heroin mixed with powerful synthetic painkillers is thought to be responsible for a spate of sudden deaths. (Picture posed by model)

This feels eerily familiar to me after reporting two months ago from the front line of the US drug crisis in Ohio  not least since there are signs Britain is seeing the same overuse of prescription opioids.

As the Hull inquests unfold, exposing sad stories of lives wrecked by addiction, events in this proud fishing community should serve as a wake-up call to complacent authorities.

These new drugs are the very dangerous tip of an iceberg, said Detective Chief Inspector Paul Kirby, of Humberside Police, who admitted he knew little about the problem before it hit his patch. The country needs to be alert.

The first local warning sign came last September in Goole, when a man released from prison died unusually quickly after injecting drugs. Fatal heroin overdoses usually take several hours, death coming from respiratory failure.

Early this year there was talk of super-strength heroin on the streets  then came 31 drug-linked deaths in Hull and East Yorkshire by the end of May. Tests confirmed synthetic opioids in 15 bodies, most with a cocktail of carfentanyl and fentanyl.

The link to legal prescriptions Prince died last year aged 57 from a fentanyl overdose The US drug epidemic is rooted in the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, drugs which were heavily promoted by pharmaceutical firms and doled out by doctors like sweets. This led to a big pool of addicted people  many with no history of hard drug use  who shifted to street dealers when prices rose or supplies dried up. Now hundreds die each week from potent synthetic opioids. The best-known victim was rock star Prince, who died last year aged 57 from a fentanyl overdose. The star suffered chronic knee pain from years of high-energy performing. Im A Celebrity and Britains Got Talent presenter Ant McPartlin was briefly hooked on another legally prescribed painkiller. Alarmingly, studies suggest American users often now go straight to street heroin. Im A Celebrity and Britains Got Talent presenter Ant McPartlin was briefly hooked on another legally prescribed painkiller Advertisement

It was shocking to see so many people suddenly dying, said one key local source, adding that two corpses had deteriorated too much for testing by the time they were discovered.

Probably another four to six of the dead had used the new drugs.

Last week came the latest in Hulls series of inquests. Steven Farniss, a 34-year-old with mental health problems, was found dead in a snicket surrounded by drug paraphernalia. His body contained traces of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanyl.

The arrival of these highly toxic substances is especially alarming for Britain since it has the highest proportion of heroin users in Europe and already accounts for almost one third of the entire continents overdose deaths.

The UK is also the biggest host of fentanyl sales on the secret darknet in Europe, with 1,000 trades made in the last few months alone, according to the Oxford Internet Institute.

Experts say the drug is increasingly appearing for sale online. Two men were jailed last month for importing and selling the drug online in the first such British case.

Profits can be huge  with thousandfold mark-ups of fentanyl bought from China  while it is easy to hide, given the minuscule quantities needed.

You can get enough of some of these drugs in a single envelope to supply millions, said Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst at the Transform Drug Policy Foundation. Why smuggle ten kilograms of heroin when you can bring in a matchbox of carfentanyl?

Such is its potency, US dealers have died from toxic inhalation while cutting supplies. While I was in Ohio, three hospital nurses needed rapid treatment after losing consciousness while treating an overdose patient.

Colbys tale is tragic but typical. He began using drugs as a young man, part funded by 20,000 compensation from injuring his leg on a fairground ride, and claimed the fatal dose was one last hit.

He tried to defeat his demons  seeking treatment, taking a heroin substitute and spending four months in rehab at the end of last year before returning to live with his family. The inquest heard there was just a single needle mark on his corpse.

In my eyes he has been murdered, said his stepmother June Colby. Yes, he has gone out and paid for heroin but he hasnt paid for this.

Those who sold it to him must have known what was in it and they must have known what it could do. What hurts us all is that Paddy had just come from rehab.

We were told his body was really healthy and clean, which is why this stuff killed him so quickly.

Colbys best friend, Phil Hutchinson, 37, said: He was a great bloke and a fantastic dad and uncle. He would always be doing stuff with the kids. He was nothing like the stereotype of an addict  hed never burgle anyones home.

But such is the cruel grip of addiction that in the centre of the UKs 2017 City of Culture, I found Colbys cousin Danny Colby, 37, who survived a fentanyl overdose but still used heroin. He first took the drug aged 12 when given it by a relative who was dealing.

He told me he bought a bag and a half a couple of months ago.

I remember taking it with my girlfriend but not falling to the floor. I dont even remember the buzz. But when I woke five hours later my girlfriend looked like she was dead.

This affable man admitted the couple were lucky to survive, unlike several friends who died among the carnage earlier this year. I may be an addict but I dont want to use that again  its scary and very bad stuff.

Others were more phlegmatic. Mark Stephenson, 45, another long-term user, pointed out to me the busy shopping street where he collapsed after taking the adulterated heroin. Next thing I knew I was in an ambulance.

Yet he said he would take fentanyl again. I dont care about my life  look at it, he said as we sat on blankets below an iconic Hull mosaic on a shuttered shopfront. I dont want to die but if I do Im not bothered.

Not all victims are homeless human wrecks. Britains death toll from fentanyl includes an Army captain secretly using cocaine and heroin to handle stress.

And a family in Kent will today scatter the ashes of an 18-year-old skateboarder who died being given a free sample of fentanyl when buying cannabis  a chilling echo of tactics used by US dealers to snare fresh customers.

In August, the National Crime Agency urged families to be vigilant after 60 fentanyl-linked deaths. That figure has now risen to 88  but these drugs are difficult to detect in blood while forensic tests do not routinely search for them in post-mortems.

In East Yorkshire, a recent audit of just one GP practice in a struggling coastal town found 1,223 people on long-term use of opiates out of 14,000 patients

There are also dozens of different synthetic opioids, making tracking them even tougher. People dont know what to look for and thats what is so terrifying, said Vicky Harris, a Humberside public health official.

Alarmingly, Britain has also witnessed a sharp rise in prescription opioids. This lay behind the US epidemic  people who became hooked after seeking medical help then turned to street dealers when supplies were stopped or prices rose. Over the past decade, the number of prescriptions issued for opioids has doubled nationally.

In East Yorkshire, a recent audit of just one GP practice in a struggling coastal town found 1,223 people on long-term use of opiates out of 14,000 patients.

To put that in perspective, there are more than 9,000 GP practices in the UK, while the whole of East Yorkshire has about 600 people known to be dependent on drugs.

We are creating an opiate-dependent population, said Tony Margetts, substance misuse manager for East Riding of Yorkshire Council. It looks to me like a slow-motion catastrophe.

He said many patients in the audit were middle-aged, moving from industrial areas. Opium feeds on unhappiness and there are lots of older, unhappy people who start taking drugs for pain but enjoy the feeling of calm.

The arrival of potent synthetic opioids will also intensify debate over how to stop drug use.

Among those I met on Hulls damp streets was Joe Hood, 44, from Newcastle, who started using drugs in his late 20s after the death of his eight-year-old son from leukaemia.

Hood is another shaken survivor of fentanyl. I remember pushing in the pin [needle] and waking up seven hours later with it still in my arm. I hope I never take it again  but when you go to a dealer you dont know what youre getting.

Hood was in a cemetery when he injected himself. He was fortunate to wake up. Many others will not be so lucky.

Additional reporting: Ross Slater
Prison guards are set to be armed with pepper sprays and police-style handcuffs to combat a surge in violence and rioting behind bars.

They will also be issued with body cameras to help gather evidence when inmates get out of control. The crackdown comes after demands from some officers for shackles and Guantanamo-style jumpsuits to be introduced because the level of violence in jails is so bad.

Earlier this month, guards at the top-security Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire were attacked by inmates armed with pool balls and cues.

Prison guards will be armed with pepper spray amid calls for greater security to combat violence from inmates

Under plans to be announced today, the use of pepper-style PAVA spray will be trialled at four prisons.

It means that for the first time, regular prison officers will have the power to use such devices when confronted by armed inmates. The sprays, already in use by riot response teams, are seen as the best way for guards to subdue violent offenders while avoiding serious injury to themselves.

The four sites where they will be tested are Wealstun in West Yorkshire, Risley in Cheshire, Preston and Hull.

Police-style rigid bar handcuffs and restraints will also be introduced at a total cost of 1 million.

The new restraints will avoid the need for guards to use physical holds to control aggressive prisoners and risk injury to both themselves and inmates, the Ministry of Justice said.

And in a 2 million move, every prison officer will now have access to body-cameras.

Guards at the top security jail Long Lartin were attacked by prisoners armed with pool balls and cues

A total of 5,600 cameras are being provided across England and Wales after the devices were trialled in 22 jails. The move comes after Scotland Yard announced last year that it was issuing similar cameras to 22,000 front-line officers.

Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah vowed that the Government would do everything in its power to thwart out-of-control convicts and to boost the safety of warders.

He said: I am absolutely determined to tackle head-on the issues that undermine the safety and security of our prisons and to ensure our dedicated officers have the tools they need.

This latest investment underlines our commitment to transform our prisons into places of safety and reform.
Delegates attend a news briefing on innovation-driven growth at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Friday. Attendees who answered reporters' questions include Jiang Fengyi (second from left), deputy head of Nanchang University; Wang Endong (third from left), chief scientist at Inspur Group; Wang Zhigang (third from right), vice-minister of science and technology; Wang Xiujie (second from right), a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Lu Jianjun (right), head of science and technology in Shaanxi province. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

China is stepping up efforts to build a "fair and just" ecosystem to better motivate science talent and facilitate technological innovation, a senior official said on Friday.

Since 2012, China's science and technology has "generally, and in some cases fundamentally, affected China's socioeconomic development", Wang Zhigang, vice-minister of science and technology, told reporters at a briefing at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

China's gross expenditure for research and development grew from 1.03 trillion yuan ($156 billion) in 2012 to 1.57 trillion yuan in 2016, with 77.5 percent being spent by enterprises. China also has topped the world for the six consecutive years in patent applications, including 1.34 million in 2016, more than double that in 2012, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Those achievements are fueled by a total of 3.81 million science workers, the largest group in the world. "Innovation cannot be achieved solely by scientists in ivory towers. It has to be integrated closely with the economy, society, people's livelihood and national security," Wang said.

As a result, the bulk of the reforms need to focus on motivating science workers, and "creating a more fair and just ecosystem to support technological innovation", he said.

Such an environment will include supportive legal, political, cultural and social elements, Wang said. At the same time, governments should strengthen basic research, improve science literacy and let the market economy play its role. "We try to let everyone find their value in their innovation, and make scientists happy," he said.

To achieve these goals, Wang said China needs three ingredients. The first is a top-down blueprint to "organically bind innovation to China's socioeconomic development and modernization process".

The second is clarifying "who should do what". The main drivers of Chinese innovation are research institutes, universities and companies, and they have helped China take the lead in several important fields ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum communication, he said.

Chinese science enterprises had total operating revenue of 26.1 trillion yuan in 2016, up by 17.5 percent annually. Technology contracts' value passed 1 trillion yuan in 2016, up 77.2 percent from 2012, according to the science and technology ministry.

Still, companies and universities may not be able to do massive basic scientific research, such as China's recent contribution to the discovery of a new gravitational wave, because it requires national support, so government should play the leading role, he said.

As a result, the third part is stepping up efforts in basic and application research, technology innovation and commercialization, to "greatly improve our industries' competitiveness and the general strength of our economic development", Wang said.

Wang Xiujie, a biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and also a delegate, said China has simplified procedures in areas like project applications and budget requests, "giving front-line scientists a lot of flexibility".

Wang Endong, chief scientist of Inspur Group, China's largest server maker, said companies are treating science workers better. The government also approved policies on housing and schooling support for science workers.
Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions

Britain's top prosecutor has been blasted by a watchdog for claiming the number of rape convictions is more than double the real figure.

Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, was warned that the hugely inflated figures in a report on violence against women were 'misleading'.

She was told in a letter from the UK Statistics Authority that the true number of people convicted of rape last year was under 1,400. This is less than half the 3,000 she alleged in the report by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) earlier this month.

The huge gap is because the CPS includes crimes that were originally investigated as rapes but later downgraded to less serious offences.

Last night, TV company executive Leon Hawthorne, who complained about the statistics discrepancy, said: 'Alison Saunders went on the media to boast about how more and more rapists are being found guilty. The problem is her figures are a calculated deception.'

It is another blow to Ms Saunders, who has repeatedly come under fire over the CPS handling of sex allegations.

Innocent men have had their lives destroyed on the basis of spurious claims later rejected in court.

A serving judge even accused Ms Saunders of having little idea of how rape trials work.

The CPS said: 'We have been consistent in the way information on rape has been compiled, and are open, honest and transparent in our presentation of data. There are full explanations about our statistics within the report.'
The war had just ended, Britain was bankrupt and everyone was still being urged to make do and mend.

But while the rest of the country  including the future Queen  repaired and recycled clothes, the former King, Edward VIII, and his American socialite wife Wallis Simpson had other ideas.

Previously unseen documents detail how in January 1946, with the country facing another three years of clothes rationing, Mrs Simpson went on an extravagant lingerie shopping binge  without having the rationing coupons allowing her to make the purchases.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that it was one of the many instances in which Wallis  by then the Duchess of Windsor  and her husband abused the system. Eventually Government officials ran out of patience and issued an official rebuke.

Edward VII and Wallis Simpson used ruses to cheat wartime rationing, claiming coupons would be supplied at a later date

After the war, people were required to provide coupons and money when buying clothes to comply with the rationing orders.

But during her visit to Madame Isar, an exclusive London boutique, the Duchess blew 72 vouchers on lingerie  three times a womans annual allowance.

Brazenly, she told the store that the coupons would be supplied at a later date by the Board of Trade, the body which oversaw rationing.

On numerous occasions, her husband, who abdicated in 1936 to marry Wallis, used the same ruse.

Letters in the National Archives show that the Duke demanded lavish new uniforms for his chauffeurs and ensured his two footmen were supplied with some special things for the South of France.

In addition to shopping for suits and shirts for himself in Mayfair, the Duke also asked staff at Harrods to deliver a pair of shoes for his valet as the current pair are quite impossible.

On one occasion, the couple flouted strict regulations by leaving the country with a number of purchases before their bill had been settled.

Wallis cheated the ration system to buy expensive lingerie while the rest of the country faced another three years of rationing

It prompted a senior civil servant to complain to the Dukes secretary on December 4, 1946: This does, I am afraid, place us in rather a difficult position since. As I explained in one of my previous letters to you, the execution by a trader of an order in this way without the prior surrender of coupons is contrary to the Consumer Rationing Order.

To repeatedly close our eyes to the contravention of this Order by certain traders is not only unfair to others but might lead eventually to hurtful criticism for the Duke and Duchess themselves.

At the time the Duke still enjoyed relative popularity in England as his Nazi sympathies were not then known.

Historian Andrew Roberts said: It is a sad, sorry and shocking story and if this had been made public it would have altered the warm feelings that an awful lot of British people had for him. It is not a surprise though. He had an insouciant disregard for rules.

Clothing rationing was introduced by the Board of Trade in 1941 because the unprecedented demand for uniforms had put enormous pressure on the textile industry.

Along with everyone else, each member of the Royal Family was issued with ration books for clothes and food. King George VI, the Dukes brother, gave instructions that all members of the family should comply with the rationing order.

Princess Elizabeth used coupons to pay for her wedding dress when she married Philip in 1947. Other Royals cancelled their usual orders for clothes.

The system worked by allocating each type of clothing item a points value which varied according to how much material and labour went into its manufacture. When buying new clothes, the shopper had to hand over coupons as well as money.

Instead of supplying the relevant ration coupons as required, Wallis and Edward would promise they would be supplied by the Board of Trade

Every adult was initially given an allocation of 66 coupons a year, but this allocation shrank as the war progressed. Between September 1945 and April 1946 it was reduced to just 24 coupons.

The Duke and Duchess visited London several times after the war and before their permanent move to Paris, and it was during this period that they went on their shopping sprees.

In January 1946 the Dukes secretary, Thomas Carter, wrote to Board of Trade officials admitting that while the Duke of Windsor has been in London, he has managed to do a certain amount of shopping, and in connection with this a number of coupons will be required.

I expect you know that His Royal Highness has no stock of these coupons, and I am therefore to ask that the Board of Trade would very kindly sanction the following:

For kitchen cloths, rubbers etc 36 [coupons]

For a pair of shoes for the Dukes valet (the present pair are quite impossible) 9

For Madame Isar of Putney to supply the Duchess with some lingerie 72

To enable the Duke to obtain a new suit 26

His Royal Highness would be very grateful if this could be arranged.

After discussions in Whitehall, officials decided to issue the vouchers to prevent embarrassment as the shops had already delivered the orders and required coupons to meet legal requirements.

Two months later the Duke sought uniforms for his two footmen  each costing three times an adults annual clothing ration. Then in September that year, Mr Carter wrote to the Board of Trade asking for more coupons to cover two pairs of shoes already supplied by Harrods.

Admitting that he had outrun the constable, Mr Carter said: His Royal Highness told me before leaving England, if I could possibly get a pair of shoes each for the coloured footman, Sidney Johnson, a British subject from the Bahamas, and another footman, a French subject, he would be very grateful and rather than disappoint both the Duke and the two men, I asked Harrods to let me have the shoes  and now the day of reckoning has arrived. However, the joy of seeing the two men trying on the shoes was worth it.

Board of Trade official Margaret Judges replied: Should any further orders for rationed goods from this country need to be placed on behalf of the Duke or his staff, we should be grateful if you could let us have particulars before the goods are actually delivered to you.

This letter from the Duke of Windsor's private secretary shows how he cheated the rationing system during the war

Because under the Rationing Order, it is not permissible for a trader to supply any rationed goods without the appropriate number of coupons.

By this time, the couple had moved to France. After his demands for summer uniforms, Mr Carter wrote once more in May 1946, this time requesting coupons for the Dukes valet who did not want to spend his own coupons.

This appeared to be the final straw for exasperated officials.

Miss Judges replied: From the information you give us about the valet it does not seem likely that he is, in fact, eligible for an issue but, in view of the fact that coupons have already been expended on his behalf I am enclosing vouchers in order that he may be reimbursed.

Mr Carter wrote to apologise to the Board of Trade and insisted that no such future error would be repeated. But in November 1946 another unauthorised shopping trip forced him to go cap in hand to officials once more.

He wrote: During the time the Duke and Duchess were in this country, they did an amount of shopping. I have heard that orders were placed with Hawes & Curtis and Harrods. The former requires 38, and the latter 48.

For the first time, the Board of Trade refused to hand over the clothing vouchers. However, civil servants then came up with a scheme to bury the scandal before it could cause problems.

The Board of Trade arranged in November 1946 to rather belatedly fit these purchases under the personal export scheme. This allowed the Duke to buy as much as he wanted, as long as he paid in foreign currency and promised to take any purchases overseas.

The advice, an official wrote, may be the best possible way in which to avoid similar difficulties in the future.

PS... Guess who DID manage to stick to the rules

The princess, pictured here with the Duke of Edinburgh following their wedding, managed to stick to ration rules

Princess Elizabeth, above, used clothing coupons to help pay for her wedding dress when she married in 1947. Her father, George VI, had decreed that all members of the Royal Family should comply with rationing orders.
Professor Tariq Ramadan, 55

An Oxford don who advised the Government on religion has been accused of raping a glamorous French writer.

Professor Tariq Ramadan, 55, who regularly appears on the BBC and Channel 4 as an expert commentator on Islam, strenuously denies the claim lodged by Henda Ayari, 41, with the French prosecutor.

Ms Ayari claims it happened in a Paris hotel in 2012 but until now she has been too 'scared' to complain to police. Her lawyer says she felt 'encouraged' by the slew of allegations made against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

On Friday, Ms Ayari, a self-confessed former Muslim extremist, filed a complaint of 'rape, intentional violence, harassment and intimidation' with the prosecutor's office in her home town of Rouen.

And after she repeated the allegations on social media, the story appeared in leading newspapers around the world.

Ms Ayari told her Facebook and Twitter followers: 'I'm really going to need your help my friends, because by revealing the name of my attacker, who is none other than Tariq Ramadan, I know the risks I'm running.'

The divorced mother-of-three who champions Muslim women's rights in France, said she wrote about the alleged rape in her memoir, I Chose To Be Free, published in 2016.

She said on Facebook: 'I actually devoted a whole chapter to the attack in my book but changed his name to avoid legal problems. But now I can no longer keep it a secret. It's too much for me to bear and it's time to tell the truth.'

Henda Ayari, 41

In the book, she describes trying to resist during an alleged assault and claims she was repeatedly slapped. She wrote: 'He let me leave the room alone... so that no one saw us together. I realised after that he had slipped some money into my bag. As if I was a prostitute...'

Ms Ayari's decision to publicly accuse Mr Ramadan on Facebook mirrors the plot of the ITV series Liar, in which schoolteacher Laura Neilson, played by Joanne Froggatt, goes on a date with the father of one of her pupils and afterwards accuses him on social media of rape.

In her Facebook posts on Friday, Ms Ayari claimed that shortly after the alleged assault, Mr Ramadan threatened to target her children if she went to the police.

'When I threatened to go to police and reveal I was raped, he in turn threatened me and even said he would go after my children. I was terrified so I said nothing,' she posted.

Her Facebook claims were immediately picked up by leading French newspapers, including Le Monde and Le Figaro. The story was published yesterday by the Times in the UK and the New York Times website.

Mr Ramadan, a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford who sat on the Foreign Office Advisory Group on freedom of religion, is now planning to sue Ms Ayari for defamation in France.

A source close to Mr Ramadan said: 'Henda Ayari is a fierce ideological critic of Tariq's  she has often expressed hatred towards him. He will certainly fight these very serious allegations and prove that they are without foundation.'

Mr Ramadan was once listed among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. But in the past he has been accused of being an Islamic extremist who portrays himself as a moderate.

His critics point out that he is the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, an Egyptian who founded one of the world's most prominent Islamist organisations, the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Government tried to ban in Britain.

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Mr Ramadan, a Swiss national, was placed on a US no-fly list, which prevented him from entering the United States and taking up a teaching post. The ban was lifted in 2010.

Ms Ayari used to practise a hardline version of Islam known as salafism. But she was so horrified by the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in 2015, she then declared herself a liberal Muslim. At that time, she ran away from her violent husband with her three children.

She now runs Liberatrices, a charity that supports women who suffer violence and are subjugated by Islamic extremism.

In her memoir, Ms Ayari befriends her alleged future attacker, whom she describes as a well-known theologian, on Facebook. At one point he comments on her new profile picture, saying: 'Henda, peace be upon you. How are you, dear sister? I wanted to say that I'm surprised by what you have just done. You shouldn't put photos like that online, because you're wearing make-up and in a leather dress. You risk attracting attention if you do that.'

Ms Ayari claims it happened in a Paris hotel in 2012 but until now she has been too 'scared' to complain to police

From then on, they communicate regularly, according to the book. She describes in the memoir how she begins to doubt that her Facebook friend and the renowned theologian are one and the same.

But her concerns are assuaged when they speak on Skype. She details in the book how her alleged assailant invites her to meet him at a hotel in Paris, where he is taking part in a conference.

Her book reads: 'When I resisted, when I told him to stop, he insulted and humiliated me. He slapped me and was outright violent. I saw someone who was no longer in control of himself. I was scared he would kill me. I wanted to escape but at the same time I couldn't believe what was happening.

'I started to cry and he said to me: 'So honey, you're whining are you? Stop pretending you don't like it. You didn't know what a real man was like before. Well, now you do.' '

Ms Ayari declined to discuss the allegations yesterday. Her lawyer, Jonas Haddad, said his client was waiting 'for this matter to be dealt with via due process'.

Last night, Mr Ramadan, who is married to a French convert to Islam, issued a statement through his lawyer.

It said: 'Prof Tariq Ramadan categorically rejects all these false allegations. A complaint for slander and defamation will be filed with the public prosecutor in Rouen on Monday.'

An Oxford University spokesman said: 'We are aware of the reports. We are taking them extremely seriously. We are not in a position to comment any further at this time.'
With Brexit negotiations in Brussels reaching a crunch point in the next few weeks, the last thing Theresa May needs is a political crisis on the home front.

But that is exactly what confronts her in the shape of Universal Credit welfare reform.

Put on public display for the first time seven years ago by its architect Iain Duncan Smith, Universal Credit was hailed by supporters as the magic solution to welfare dependency.

Both Mr Duncan Smith and I campaigned for Brexit. Like me, he fought his party establishment which believed leaving the EU was unthinkable. Like me, he was delighted when the country voted to withdraw in the referendum.

Universal Credit Put on public display for the first time seven years ago by its architect Iain Duncan Smith (pictured)

I could not disagree more with him, though, over Universal Credit  his flagship policy as Work and Pensions Secretary. With the system being ramped-up to full speed over the next few months, Mrs May must now face the consequences of the horror it is about to inflict on millions of families.

Food banks in my constituency of Birkenhead alone will require an extra 15 tons of supplies just to cope with the increase in need resulting from people being left penniless by delays caused by the switch to Universal Credit.

Were not just talking about the poor here. Many working-class families who voted Conservative are about to be walloped by the Universal Credit wrecking ball.

The idea behind it was to simplify the welfare system, but this is a mere illusion. Cramming six different benefits into one was always going to be an uphill task. Yet it has been handled so badly that, in many cases, recipients will be left with no benefits at all for at least six weeks. Its not unusual for people to be left penniless for more than two months. It doesnt take a genius to work out the political implications of that for a Conservative Party and Prime Minister struggling to retain support and credibility on so many issues.

Nor is it surprising that some are comparing Mrs May and Universal Credit with Margaret Thatcher and the Poll Tax. Tory advocates of the Poll Tax argued that it was simpler, fairer and cheaper to administer than the old-fashioned Town Hall rates that went before.

The idea behind Universal Credit was to simplify the welfare system

They say just the same about Universal Credit, and are just as wrong. No welfare system is worth the paper it is written on if it runs the risk of people being left unable to feed themselves. A single benefit sounds great in principle, until you consider some simple practicalities that few MPs are likely to have experienced.

If you are a single mother and receive several benefits, including housing benefit and Jobseekers Allowance, and one fails to be paid for whatever reason, it is difficult. But it is not the end of the world. You probably still have enough money for food. If you only have one benefit, Universal Credit, and that is not paid because of a mix-up or mistake, you have nothing. The welfare state was designed to be a safety net. If your Universal Credit is not paid, the safety net is pulled from beneath you.

As someone who was asked by Tony Blair to think the unthinkable when he appointed me Welfare Minister in 1997, I have never been one to shy away from tough choices.

In the event, my attempts to reform welfare were thwarted. The biggest obstacle I faced was Gordon Brown, who as Chancellor was set on a means-tested tax credit reform as opposed to a pay first, benefit later national insurance scheme which I advocated.

My experience has taught me that means tests make life hell for staff trying to process benefits quickly, as well as the families living hand-to-mouth who desperately need help. Mr Brown would have none of it, though. His tin ear led to the ill-fated decision to go full steam ahead with the roll-out of means-tested tax credits.

Millions of poor and working-class families had their budgets thrown into chaos by this new system which, like Universal Credit, was rammed down their throats as something that was meant to improve lives. In the end, it took years to clean up the damage.

May must now face the consequences of the horror Universal Credit is about to inflict on millions of families

But now Mrs May is in danger of making an even bigger mistake which could wreck her efforts to rebrand the Tories. Since she famously labelled them the nasty party in a conference speech in 2002, she has tried to rid them of their uncaring image. She has taken huge strides towards this by taking a more progressive stance on issues like modern slavery, the National Living Wage and gay rights. She also expressed her desire to help the least fortunate when she stood on the steps of Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister.

I should add that I speak as one who strongly supports her efforts to strike a good Brexit deal with the EU. But unless she acts fast to defuse the political timebomb that is Universal Credit, she risks undoing many of the good things she has done. The Conservative Party will be seen as the Nasty Party once again.

Writing in this newspaper two weeks ago, former Conservative Premier Sir John Major called on Mrs May to rethink Universal Credit. He described it as socially unfair and unforgiving. It may be theoretically impeccable, he observed sarcastically, but it just didnt work. It was time for the Tory Party to show its heart and amend Universal Credit.

Sir John speaks from experience. When he succeeded Mrs Thatcher in 1990, the first thing he did was scrap the ill-conceived Poll Tax that had played a major part in her downfall.

It was David Cameron who, against his better judgment, was persuaded by Mr Duncan Smith to approve Universal Credit. I doubt Mrs May would have approved it in its current form had she been in No 10 at the time. She will have seen by now that the six-week period of limbo under Universal Credit is pushing families to the brink of destitution. To avoid any more political carnage on the home front, she needs to put it right. Fast.
Have you always dreamed of gazing up at the star-filled Arctic skies and seeing the shimmering Northern Lights?

Then dont miss the chance to join the Mail on Sundays exclusive new 12-day cruise along the stunning Norwegian coastline  a journey that has been described by Lonely Planet as the worlds most beautiful voyage.

On this once-in-a-lifetime trip, you will also be joined by wildlife enthusiast and TV presenter Kate Humble, star of Curious Creatures, Wild Things and Arctic Live.

Here are five great reasons to join Kate and your fellow readers on this magical journey

5 REASONS TO BOOK

Natural wonder: See the astonishing Northern Lights

1) Meet huskies and reindeer with Kate Humble

Your special guest on this tour will be Kate Humble, who will give a private talk and attend a question-and-answer session about her far-flung TV adventures, including her firsthand experiences of life in the Arctic.

Kate will also join you for a tour of the famous Snowhotel in Kirkenes and a visit to meet the huskies and reindeer at Gabba Reindeer Park.

2) Choose your own Arctic activities

Personality: Guests will also get to meet TV presenter Kate Humble

During your unforgettable trip to see the Northern Lights you can also choose from dozens of brilliant optional Arctic activities**, ranging from guided nature hikes and husky-sledding to snowmobiling and even taking part in a traditional Viking feast.

3) The ultimate Northern Lights experience

Over your 12-day voyage you will cover more than 2,500 miles of Norways breathtaking coastline, have the chance to explore more than 30 ports along the way, and spend seven days in the auroral zone, the Arctic region where sightings of the Northern Lights are most frequent and spectacular.

SNOW-CAPPED PEAKS - AND A BAR MADE OF ICE DAY 1 Fly to Bergen You will fly direct from the UK to the pretty Norwegian port of Bergen, famous for its colourful wharfs, where you will board MS Trollfjord, your home for the next 11 nights. DAY 2 Majestic mountains and fjords Today youll have the chance to explore Alesund and its stylish Art Nouveau architecture. Your optional excursions include a scenic drive to take in the wonderful views from the top of Mount Aksla. Splash of colour: The waterfront properties in Bergen DAY 3 Discover Trondheim You will explore the city of Trondheim, a former Viking trading post and Norways first capital. Optional excursions include a visit to the countrys most famous church, Nidaros Cathedral. DAY 4 Crossing the Arctic Circle Join the crew on deck for a traditional ceremony to mark your first crossing of the Arctic Circle. Todays optional excursions include a nature hike in beautiful Bodo. Tonight, listen to a fascinating on-board talk explaining the science behind the Northern Lights. DAY 5 Tromso You will have more chances to see the Northern Lights as you sail north towards Tromso, known as the capital of the Arctic, where your optional activities include going on a husky-sledding adventure. Today our special guest Kate Humble will give an exclusive talk and Q&A on board the ship. DAY 6 North Cape Enjoy the spectacular views from Nordkapp, the northernmost point in Europe, as your voyage continues through the snow-covered homelands of the Sami people. DAY 7 See the Snowhotel You will be joined by Kate Humble for a fantastic excursion to visit the famous sculpted ice rooms of the Snowhotel in Kirkenes, have a drink at the Ice Bar and then meet the huskies and reindeer at Gabba Reindeer Park. DAY 8 Hamm erfest and Tromso Todays highlights will include the pretty waterfront buildings of colourful Hammerfest and views from your ship of the snow-capped Lyngen Alps. Your optional excursions include a midnight concert in Tromsos Arctic Cathedral. DAY 9 Lofoten Islands The islands of Lofoten and Vesteralen are among the most beautiful in Norway. Optional activities include a tour exploring Vesteralens medieval past. DAY 10 Bodo to Rorvik Keep an eye out today for the Seven Sisters mountain range and the distinctive shape of Torghatten, the mountain with a hole in it. DAY 11 Trondheim As you return to the royal city of Trondheim, your optional activities include a fascinating trip to the magnificent marble mine at Bergtatt. DAY 12 Bergen After breakfast, you will disembark MS Trollfjord and be transferred to the airport for your direct flight home. Advertisement

4) Your Northern Lights promise

Our travel partner Hurtigruten is so confident that you will see the Northern Lights during your 12-day trip that, if you dont, the company will give you another six- or seven-day Northern Lights cruise free of charge***.

5) Sail in comfort and style

You will stay on board the modern, comfortable MS Trollfjord  the facilities include a two-storey panorama lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, a cafe, library, bars, a la carte dining room, sauna, Jacuzzi, fitness room and shop.

Soaring high: The Lofoten Islands are perfect for a sea-eagle safari

The ship also hosts a series of free on-board talks and demonstrations.

The menu includes delicacies such as cured lamb, roast reindeer and aquavit ice cream, all prepared by expert chefs from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients  and its all included in the price.
When his daughter stepped on to a plane to Kenya and waved goodbye, the King was too British to tell her he was dying.

His doctors, being British, hadnt told him either, because it was none of his business when he had a job to do. But then this was the 1950s; theyd also told him that cigarettes were good for relaxing his throat.

Netflixs The Crown whisks us back to the tense days of 1952 when Princess Elizabeth was asked to carry out a Commonwealth tour for George VI, believing he would be cured by the time she returned home.

Time for a sundowner: Elephants at a drinking hole at Aberdare

The 25-year-old Princess escaped Buckingham Palace for Treetops, a rustic treehouse in the Aberdare forest as wild animals rampaged below.

It was, by all accounts a dramatic time, and the Princess filmed it, agape at waterbuck goring a rival to death and rhino charging each other.

According to her hunter escort Jim Corbett, when the Princess was told it was time to come in for tea, she asked to take it on the balcony, saying: I dont want to miss one moment of this.

The next morning, Elizabeth said shed had such a good time in Kenya that she couldnt wait for her father to visit. In The Crown, she is seen writing a letter to the King requesting that she and Philip live in Cyprus like a normal husband and wife.

Then Palace aides track her down to her remote location to tell her that the King has died and that she is now Queen. Personally Id have gone straight back to the treehouse and pulled up the ladder with me.

The Queen and Philips last night of freedom was spent immersed in the lives of animals. I bought a crushable fedora and set out in the couples footsteps.

Colourful creature: Jane spotted a blue lizard on the trip

Kenyas safari parks still bring British visitors the same blast of friendliness and fresh air, and floating above the green Aberdare, Treetops still looks like a giant bird hide on stilts.

The original shack was commissioned by war hero Eric Walker, who turned bootlegger to fund his marriage to an aristocrat. Her indoors fancied a treehouse like Peter Pans hideout. She got one. And in 1952, Her Majesty climbed up a rickety 30ft ladder to find herself in two rooms with a cubbyhole for a hunter, in case some leopard fancied a Royal with cheese.

Treetops now has showers and a ramp. Guests are no longer shown escape ladders and told: Ten feet up is enough for a rhino, but 18ft is better for an elephant.

But it is very much a treehouse; my gin rested on a giant twig thrusting through the polished wooden floor of the bar. I also spotted a buzzer on the wall.

Historic: The Queen and Prince Philip at Treetops in 1952

If youd like us to buzz you at night, leave it on, said the guide. If theres a fire?

If we see animals. One buzz for hyena, two for leopard, three rhino and four elephant. Already this was better than anything on television apart from Planet Earth II, and not too dissimilar, as Treetops floats above a watering hole. I had checked into a room over the animals pub, with opening time around sunset.

As the sun dropped, I was unpacking my fedora when I saw grey shapes just a few feet below. Dozens of elephants were in a row, drinking at the lake then dipping their trunks in the salty soil for minerals. I was so close I could hear them breathing and grumbling at each other. The mums were hiding a baby elephant so small it could probably ride in my car.

As I ran downstairs to get even closer, I passed a huge skull. An elderly regular who died last year, said a guide, and given the loyalty of elephants, it is not impossible he was one of the youngsters putting on a show for the Queen all those years ago.

When he died the other elephants came to mourn, the guide said.

Elephants always do. If theyre his relatives, they stand facing away from him, their backs just touching him. For half an hour they stand in silence, then they leave.

Wild thing: Leopards also prowl the area around the retreat

At Treetops, the animals stay long enough for you to realise their faces are as different as ours. One buffalo had a neck as big as Mike Tysons, half a tail missing and a rotten temper. I asked a guide why he looked so fed up. He has to look after all the females. There can be 200 females in one family  that is too many. He had a point. And his tail? Bitten off by a hyena, said the guide. Hyenas also bite off testicles. Bad tempered? The buffalo was a living saint.

We saw warthogs, giant forest hogs and colobus monkeys like flying skunks. The baboons, I suspect, were barred from the pub, so they broke in through the fence, sat around drinking, smacked their children and then left. Im surprised they havent been given their own series on Channel 4.

The original treehouse is no longer standing but it wasnt retired by choice. The Aberdare forest was a hiding place for the Kenyan resistance movement, the Mau Mau. During the Mau Mau Uprising at least 11,000 were killed. The British used Treetops as a base for their snipers, and in 1954 the thoroughly miffed Mau Mau burnt it down.

Amos Ndegwa, 64, is a seasoned Treetops guide, carrying a 100-year-old Winchester rifle that guarded the Queen in 1952. He took us up hills with runways of bare red earth from the top to the bottom. The elephants make the tracks, said Amos. They like to sit on their backside and slide down for fun.

Animal magic: A warthog was also seen in Aberdare's National Park

He gave a different sense of history. My uncle was a herbalist. The British took him to Burma to treat soldiers, he said, breaking peppery twigs for us to chew. We call this the Maasai toothbrush  it kills 99 per cent of germs. Naturally I tried one  its eco Mr Muscle.

After Treetops, we headed south to Nairobi. At the five-star Sarova Stanley hotel, there is a photo of the Queen and Philips lunch there with the white-glove set. I suspect Her Maj didnt get to sample to same world-class pancakes and buffet as me.

The Stanley is named after the explorer who tracked down the anti-slavery missionary explorer Dr Livingstone when he went AWOL, probably after saying something related to zero-hours contracts. It took Stanley nine months to find Livingstone. If he had faced the same level of traffic that clogs up Nairobi today, Im sure hed still be looking.

TRAVEL FACTS Cox & Kings offer group and private travel to Kenya. A seven night trip costs from 2,295pp, including return flightswith Kenya Airways, transfers, two nights full board accommodation at Treetops, three nights B&B at the Serena Beach Hotel in Mombasa, and two nights B&B in Nairobi. Tel: 020 3642 0861. For information on the Moonshine Beach Bar, visit the website. The Crown: Season One is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Advertisement

Ernest Hemingway sat where I sat in the Stanleys cafe, writing The Snows Of Kilimanjaro.

I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy, he also wrote, having not been shunted by minibuses to the point where you question why we left the animal kingdom behind.

I spent Sunday at Ngong racecourse, where Princess Anne once came to watch the turf fly. Its racing in a tropical setting; horses gear up among hibiscus, bets are placed under palm trees, and gin glasses clink in the club rooms upstairs.

Princess Margaret was another Royal to visit this area. She headed for the anything-goes Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa, where she sat through some traditional dancing and then only history knows what fun she had.

One veteran businessman remembers the Princess at the Womens Association. Behaving royally? Of course! She was representing the family! he said. All the time?

Look, she was only human!

There can be no better lobby than at the Serena Beach hotel, with its Moorish chandeliers refracting the sun under a sweeping 25ft ceiling, and Persian rugs on polished tiles. At Serena, I found myself back in nature. Instead of Germans, there were sunbathing blue lizards. There is an excellent dinner to be had listening to the night animals in the Jahazi Grill, and at breakfast bright yellow weaver birds eye your doughnuts. There is even a butterfly pavilion, where I photographed one born minutes earlier, drying its new wings in the sun.

I walked along the beach to watch seabirds and enjoy a sundowner in the Moonshine bar. Moonshines spectacular cocktail menu would stop an elephant, if not Princess Margaret. I had a daiquiri served in a pineapple, and the Dawa (the Swahili word for medicine) featured local honey with vodka. It cured everything, including its own side effect the next morning.

On my last day I woke to the dawn chorus. It starts in the haze with birds, then what might be animals, joining some other species probably, then some more birds, until its an orchestra performing a wall of sound that gets louder and louder. Yes, I was right back in the animal kingdom. The staff kindly suggested I shut my door in case monkeys bothered me, but I fancied hot tropical air. I was typing away when I sensed I was being stared at. A monkey was sitting by the kettle with a Me? Stare? Im not staring at you, stare as her fingers rifled Coffee Mate and Nescafe, and delicately tore sugar packets and upended them into her mouth.

I was worried I was going to have a diabetic monkey so I broke all the rules and gave her (I think it was a her  she didnt have a DayGlo rear view) a banana skin out of the bin. She took it before giving me a look that said: What the heck do you mean by that?

She then searched the room for the banana, before glaring at me, snatching every remaining sugar packet and leaving. We could learn a lot about plain speaking from dumb animals. Elizabeth left Kenya a Queen, inheriting a civilisation where potatoes were rationed, her uncle had spurned the crown, and wed nearly ended up speaking German. That would have been a pain for the Windsors, having only just changed their name from Saxe Coburg Gotha before the public noticed we were already occupied by the Germans.

Given all this, Im glad HRH got away for a break from humanity before she rolled up her sleeves  and glad that it was Kenya, a getaway like no other.
She's the co-host of Channel Seven's Sunrise who is celebrating a win in ratings as her rival show battles a storm of bad publicity.

But Samantha Armytage is keeping tight-lipped after Lisa Wilkinson's shock departure from Nine's breakfast program, Today.

According to a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, 41-year-old Sam said she would 'absolutely not' comment on Lisa's decision to quit the Nine Network after she failed to receive pay parity with male co-host Karl Stefanovic.

Keeping tight-lipped: Sunrise star Samantha Armytage refused to weigh in on Lisa Wilkinson's shock departure from Nine's rival breakfast program, Today

Sam's decision to refrain from commenting comes after reports that she is also paid less than her male co-host, David 'Kochie' Koch.

Multiple News Corp reports suggest Sam takes home a $500,000 salary.

Meanwhile, a 2015 Sydney Morning Herald report claimed Kochie, who has hosted Sunrise since 2002, earns 'about' $1 million.

Ratings war: Sam (second from right) was keen to talk about how her program Sunrise is 'Australia's favourite breakfast show'

Whilst Sam refused to weigh in on Lisa's decision, the Herald claims she was keen to spruik Sunrise, with the star reminding reporters it's ahead of Today in the ratings.

'It's been a long week this week but [Sunrise is] Australia's favourite breakfast show,' the bubbly blonde stated.

Indeed, in the bitter battle to secure the top spot, Sunrise came out on top Wednesday with 284,000 metro viewers compared to Today's 261,000 viewers.

Earning less than Kochie? According to reports, Sam is taking home $500,000 salary for Sunrise

Today's ratings have dwindled in the wake of Lisa's sensational departure.

It's claimed she left the network after being offered a $1.8 million salary- $200,000 less than Karl's staggering $ 2 million paycheck.

However, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, Lisa originally out-earned Karl when she first debuted on the Today Show back in 2007.

The paper reports that she was 'being paid a lot more... with some estimates at the time suggesting she was earning double what he [Karl] was taking home'.
Mariella Frostrup and Jason McCue

Broadcaster Mariella Frostrup remains so close to George Clooney after their lost weekend in Cannes in 1999 that her two children call him Uncle George.

But her cosy friendship with the actor and wife Amal has been jeopardised by her husband Jason McCues sideline advising a despotic banana republic that human rights barrister Amal has called a darker repression.

For while husky-voiced Mariella, 54, enjoys 14,000-per-week scuba diving holidays at the immaculate Four Seasons resort in the Maldives, human rights lawyer McCue has bigger fish to fry in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

I can reveal that his private advisory firm is following in Lord Mandelsons greasy footsteps by providing PR services for the Maldives corrupt president Abdulla Yameen, whose regime has committed a string of human rights abuses.

Amal Clooney acts for Yameens exiled predecessor, Mohamed Nasheed, the nations first democratically elected president.

When Cherie Blairs law firm controversially advised Yameen in 2015, in return for 70,000 a month, Amal said it was very sad that the wife of the former prime minister was working against the people of the Maldives.

This week, McCues firm, Rigel Corporation, sent out a press release on behalf of the Presidents Office of the Maldives, in conjunction with the countrys Police Service.

A spokesman for Nasheed calls the Maldives police the jack-booted enforcers of President Yameens thuggish regime. The spokesman adds: We are horrified that Mr McCue, who calls himself a human rights lawyer, thinks it appropriate to earn money working as their spin-doctor. McCue says his firms engagements with a range of government and corporate clients are confidential.

The Maldives government, which quit the Commonwealth last year, stands accused of corruption and money laundering. Its opposition leaders are either in exile or in jail.

In Whos Who, McCue lists one of his interests as fires. Lets hope hes also good at putting them out  or else the invitations from George and Amal to holiday at Lake Como could quickly dry up.

Why Stella doesn't cost the earth

Grateful young people come up to designer Stella McCartney in the street to pay homage to her  even if they cant afford her four-figure prices, she claims.

Sir Pauls daughter, 46, who doesnt use animal products, says fans approach her thanking me for being the only designer who cares about animals and the planet, for giving them an alternative. Theyll tell me they love my [clothing], and whether they can afford it or not isnt part of the conversation. Its what I represent that they appreciate.

Fashionistas fork out 1,650 for her Falabella Crystal Stones clutch lined with recycled plastic bottles, and 710 for a pair of Black Monster boots with biodegradable rubber soles.

Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli is missing his first ever live show tonight due to conflicting work schedules. But the choreographer  in America to work on the competitions U.S. counterpart  reveals his hectic life also takes its toll on relationships. I dont have a boyfriend. Im too busy, he tells me. It would be lovely to find a nice man, but I never stay still for long enough.
On top of threats to her eldest son, illicit social media messages to her middle son, a cheating husband, a miscarriage and a terminally ill mother, Katie Price appears to have had it with the petty dramas between her and Love Island's Chris Hughes.

And now she has seemingly sent him a warning to back off.

Speaking at BUILD in London on Friday, Katie, 39, said to her audience: 'I lost a baby, found out my husband's cheating, my mum's dying then these threats about Harvey [her son].

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'Remember Gareth Gates?' Katie Price sends a warning to 'little t**t' Chris Hughes... suggesting he drops their feud before his career in showbusiness 'goes downhill' like her Pop Idol ex

'In between that I've got that little t**t Chris Hughes piping up about some messages that I don't really care about.

'I will not be called a liar. I wish he will just leave it - who cares? Just don't call me a liar when I'm not.

'He's piping on about it - means you're guilty...

'Remember Gareth Gates? He lied and as soon as it came out, his career went downhill.'

A warning: 'Remember Gareth Gates? He lied and as soon as it came out, his career went downhill,' Katie reminded the audience

Katie was referring to an encounter with Pop Idol runner-up Gareth, who she supposedly had a fling with a decade ago which he denied.

As a result, Katie spilled the beans in one of her several autobiographies and Gareth, now 33, has had a far-from overwhelming career.

Katie's tiff with Chris - who was one of the stars of this year's Love Island - came after he denied messaging her after he left the ITV2 reality show.

But she went ahead and revealed secret Snapchat messages Chris had supposedly sent her, proving his denials to be unjust.

Before it got bitter: Katie's tiff with Chris - who was one of the stars of this year's Love Island - came after he denied messaging her after he left the ITV2 reality show

Her appearance at BUILD proved to be typically candid.

Katie revealed that she is now looking for an American surrogate to try again to add to her extensive brood of children.

She revealed that she doesn't think her family is complete and that she has let the problems she has had with cheating husband Kieran Hayler, 30, derail her search for a suitable surrogate.

Baby number six: Katie Price admits she'd like to have another child using an 'American surrogate' following miscarriage... as she hints she and cheating husband Kieran Hayler may NOT divorce

'I'm looking for a surrogate at the moment in America because I want another baby but I don't want to carry one at the moment,' she said to the audience.

'Well ... you need a man to carry one, you know,' she added, trying to make light of her current marital woes.

Katie is mother to Harvey, 15, with Dwight Yorke, Junior, 12, and Princess, 10, from her marriage to Peter Andre and Jett, four and Bunny, three, with Kieran.

She lamented the past few months, which have seen her life turned upside down, saying: 'The past six weeks, I obviously lost a baby, found out my husband was cheating, then I found out that mum was dying of IPF, which is an incurable lung disease.

Revelations: In an interview at BUILD in London on Friday, the 39-year-old revealed that she doesn't think her family is complete and that she has let the problems she has had with cheating husband Kieran Hayler, 30, derail her search for a suitable surrogate

Plans: 'I'm looking for a surrogate at the moment in America because I want another baby but I don't want to carry one at the moment,' she said to the audience

Brave face: 'Well ... you need a man to carry one, you know,' she added, trying to make light of her current marital woes

'With my mum that was a massive shock to me. I said to my mum, can't I give you one of my lungs? She said "well no you've got your kids, don't be silly". But then I'm like, you're my mum. So we're researching all avenues.'

Earlier in the day Katie appeared on This Morning where she elaborated further on the situation with her husband.

She said: 'At the moment he has left the house. There are kids involved. hes got mental issues and more and more has come out. Hes seeing a therapist and going to group therapy sessions.

We need to talk about Kieran: She said 'at the moment he has left the house. There are kids involved. hes got mental issues and more and more has come out'

Honest: The star said her kids are kept informed about what is going on and that her home is still 'happy'

'Things will happen when theyre ready. Our marriage is on the rocks, I told him youve got to sort yourself out.

'I'm not dismissing anything about Kieran, Ive got all this to deal with at the moment, I can't concentrate on one thing.'

The star said her kids are kept informed about what is going on and that her home is still 'happy'.

She said: 'The children know everything, I like to live in a happy home. The home is still a happy home.

Making an entrance: Katie rocked up to the event in her pink SUV

Arrival: It was impossible for the star to keep a low profile in the giant bubblegum vehicle

'The Kieran I know is the family, nice Kieran who is lovely. But he has got this other side.

'I go "ugh you make me sick" and the kids go "mum!" but I say it jokingly. I'm so laidback, I dont argue, youve just got to deal with it.'

In addition to this, Katie shocked Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes on Friday's This Morning as she opened up about her traumatic rape and revealed the hosts would be familiar with her famous attacker.

Speaking about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harrassment scandal, the former glamour model said: 'I've been raped by a celebrity, you would know of them.'

Pink lady: The model posed for snaps as she waited to enter the building

Exit stage left: Katie strutted into the BUILD event

She continued: 'I've never said a word, I don't want to go down that road. It happened years ago and then time goes on so I just think it's best to stay out of it.'

The mother-of-five also said she would reveal the identity of her rapist off-camera to the hosts, saying: 'Theres a reason why I cant say it. I can say it off air, and then youll say, "Right I see".

'When youve seen that person on the telly, you say "Oh my God."

Speaking about the night of the rape she said: 'I agreed to go back to the house, sometimes you think is it rape or not, but when you say no, you mean no. I know I was raped. Women shouldnt shy away they should report it.'

Shock: In addition to this, Katie shocked Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes on Friday's This Morning as she opened up about her traumatic rape and revealed the hosts would be familiar with her famous attacker

Revelation: She also said she would reveal the identity of her rapist off-camera to the hosts, saying: 'Theres a reason why I cant say it. I can say it off air, and then youll say 'right I see'

Traumatic: Speaking about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harrassment scandal, the 39-year-old former glamour model said: 'I've been raped by a celebrity, you would know of them'

Emotional: She continued: 'I've never said a word, I don't want to go down that road. It happened years ago and then time goes on so I just think its best to stay out of it'

She also revealed she is under police protection after thugs threatened to 'smash in' the face of Harvey - unless she paid them 50,000.

Alluding to her rollercoaster few weeks the star said: 'The past six weeks Ive lost a baby, found out Kieran was cheating with the nanny, found out my mum is dying, and the Chris (Hughes) stuff has got out of control.

'I've had this 50,000 cash threat that if they dont give it they're going to smash Harvey's face in. Im under police protection.

'You can't change what you do, I've had three massive kidnap threats before where Scotland Yard were living in my house.'

Protective: She also revealed she is under police protection after thugs threatened to 'smash in' the face of her 15-year-old son Harvey, unless she paid them 50,000

Incident: Speaking about the night of the rape she said: 'I agreed to go back to the house, sometimes you think is it rape or not, but when you say no, you mean no. I know I was raped. 'Women shouldnt shy away they should report it'

Glamorous display: Alluding to her rollercoaster few weeks the star said: 'The past six weeks Ive lost a baby, found out Kieran was cheating with the nanny, found out my mum is dying, and the Chris (Hughes) stuff has got out of control'

Bond: Katie spoke about the devastating threat to her eldest child, saying: 'I've had this 50,000 cash threat that if they dont give it they're going to smash Harvey's face in. Im under police protection 'You can't change what you do, I've had three massive kidnap threats before where Scotland Yard were living in my house'

No holds barred: Katie, who announced her intentions to divorce third husband Kieran Hayler, 30, after claiming he had bedded their nanny, also failed to deny rumours that the pair had reconciled after being spotted at a number of events together

Over? Confirming the recovering sex addict was back in therapy, she said: 'At the moment he has left the house. There are kids involved. hes got mental issues and more and more has come out. 'Hes seeing a therapist and going to group therapy sessions'

Vitriol: Katie has also become embroiled in a very public spat with Love Island finallist Chris Hughes, 24, who she said was 'her type on paper' during a chat on Loose Women, before relations turned sour when both accused one another of sending flirty texts

For your eyes only: Katie also revealed she had shown Ruth and Eamonn the Snapchat messages Chris had allegedly sent to her, which she is yet to reveal publicly

Blast: Blasting the hunky reality star, she said: 'This is the stupidest thing, Ive been in the industry for 23 years, I've never had such tit for tat. 'He's very immature when it comes to the media, he isnt media savvy. You don't slag off a national newspaper'

Text scandal: Katie said: 'What have I shown you just before I came on air?' before Ruth responded 'you showed us a lot of texts from him.' Eamonn said: 'As a man I just saw a lot of texts, not inappropriate texts. Theres a lot of texts from him, or someone thats using his name'

Rash decision: A vitriolic Katie responded: 'I actually don't even care, it's so pathetic, I don't care if you did send them or you didn't. Just don't call me a liar when I'm not'

Heartbreak: Katie has also been dealing with the heartbreaking news that her beloved mother Amy has Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult

Bond: Revealing she has offered her mum one of her lungs, Katie said: 'She hasnt got long to live. 'She can have a lung transplant, I've asked if I can give her one of my lungs, she said don't be stupid but I think you're my mum'
She recently went public with her new romance to Kourtney Kardashian's ex-boyfriend, Scott Disick.

But Sofia Richie kept the limelight to herself at the grand reopening of the BVLGARI flagship store in New York on Friday night.

The 19-year-old model covered up her famous form in a long, hot pink satin dress for the glamorous affair on Fifth Avenue.

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Stunning: Sofia Richie kept the limelight to herself at the grand reopening of the BVLGARI flagship store in New York on Friday night

The youngest daughter of Lionel Richie showed off her tanned and toned arms in the strapless satin dress.

Her blush-colored frock nearly swept the floor and featured a structured bust with a pleated hem near the top of her torso.

Sofia kept her pink theme running down to her feet with a pair of rose shaded strappy heels.

Sizzling: A massive sparkling diamond snake necklace wrapped around the starlet's neck and rested on top of her chest

Pink lady! The 19-year-old model covered up her famous form in a long, hot pink satin dress for the glamorous affair on Fifth Avenue

A massive sparkling diamond snake necklace wrapped around the starlet's neck and rested on top of her chest.

She accessorized with colossal diamond bracelet on one arm and matching ring on her finger.

Her platinum blonde tresses were parted down the side dramatically and swept back into a chic bun.

Feeling myself: Richie had some fun outside of the event in her slinky satin gown

Social star: Her platinum blonde tresses were parted down the side dramatically and swept back into a chic bun

Social star: Feeling her look for the night, Sofia made sure to share selfies to her nearly three million followers on Instagram

Feeling her look for the night, Sofia made sure to share selfies to her nearly three million followers on Instagram.

Rarely seen separated from her new boyfriend since they began dating this summer, Scott enjoyed some alone time shopping in New York on Friday night after sharing a selfie of his sweetheart on social media.

Earlier this month TMZ reported that Scott's ex Kourtney Kardashian, 38, had 'no problems' with him dating someone else, 'because if he's happy she's happy,' a source claimed.

Sparkler! The youngest daughter of Lionel Richie posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, 'A night with @bulgariofficial #FromRomeToNyc'

Story time! Scott shared a selfie of Sofia to his Instagram followers on Friday night

Kourtney, who shares children Mason, seven, Penelope, five, and Reign, two, with her long term ex, isn't bothered about his relationship with Sofia 'because she thinks it's genuine and feels good that he's moving on'.

The same can't be said for Sofia's father Lionel, however, with the legendary musician, 68, admitting he was 'in shock' over his youngest child's choice of 'sex addict' boyfriend.

Lionel told US Weekly: 'I'm scared to death, are you kidding me? Have I been in shock?! I'm the dad, come on.'

Shop til you drop: Rarely seen separated from her new boyfriend since they began dating this summer, Scott enjoyed some alone time shopping in New York on Friday night after sharing a selfie of his sweetheart on social media

Blush: Sofia posed up a storm in the silky look before heading inside the store

Having a good time: She showed off the glittering diamond necklace and rings as well

Having a laugh: She paired the stunning look with matching velvet heels

Prep time: The aspiring model got her hair colored before the event in New York City
She's the Australian model who makes no secret of her penchant for designer brands.

And Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) made a bold fashion statement on Saturday, stepping out at Caulfield Cup Day in an unusual metallic outfit.

The David Jones ambassador led a slew of celebrities who flocked to Melbourne's Caulfield trackside.

Hot to trot! Jesinta Campbell leads the Caulfield Cup crowd in a daring outfit

Jesinta caught the eye in an unusual outfit, wearing one shoulder grey dress which appeared to be modelling on a men's suit jacket.

The quirky frock was paired with equally different accessories, with Jesinta wearing oversized silver earrings which matched large hair clips.

She paired the outfit with high heeled white slip on shoes, which drew attention to her slender tanned legs.

Quirky: She paired the outfit with high heeled white slip on shoes, which drew attention to her slender tanned legs

Say cheese: Jesinta posed for photos alongside Jessica Gomes and actress Rachael Taylor, who wore more traditional racing outfits

That's different! Jesinta caught the eye in an unusual outfit, wearing one shoulder grey dress which appeared to be modelling on a men's suit jacket

Jesinta wore her brunette locks slicked back from her face, the model went bold with red lipstick.

Jesinta posed for photos alongside Jessica Gomes and actress Rachael Taylor, who wore more traditional racing outfits.

Rachael showed off her petite figure in a classy tweed dress, wearing a delicate silver crown.

All white! Jessica looked elegant in an all white ensemble, putting on a busty display in a low cut blouse and high waisted pants

Topping it off: Wearing her dark locks out, Jessica topped her outfit off with a white wide brimmed hat

Stunning: Rachael showed off her petite figure in a classy tweed dress, wearing a delicate silver crown

Simple: Rachael paired the sleek dress with delicate strappy stilettos, wearing her hair back from her face in an old Hollywood style bun

Rachael paired the sleek dress with delicate strappy stilettos, wearing her hair back from her face in an old Hollywood style bun.

Meanwhile Jessica looked elegant in an all white ensemble, putting on a busty display in a low cut blouse and high waisted pants.

Wearing her dark locks out, Jessica topped her outfit off with a white wide brimmed hat.

No work boots on here! The Block's Elyse Knowles looked worlds away from her reality TV persona

Blooming beautiful: The genetically blessed model stunning in an intricate floral gown, which she paired with a flower crown

The Block's Elyse Knowles looked worlds away from her reality TV persona, wearing a fashion-forward cocktail dress.

The genetically blessed model stunning in an intricate floral gown, which she paired with a flower crown.

Also in attendance was Melbourne socialite and AFL WAG Nadial Bartel, who went simple in an all blue ensemble.

Giddy up! Melbourne socialite and AFL WAG Nadial Bartel went simple in an all blue ensemble

Thigh's the limit! Nadia showed off her petite frame in a bright blue mullet dress

Nadia showed off her petite frame in a bright blue mullet dress, which she paired with a matching hat.

The stylish blogger paired the look with a statement yellow clutch, also wearing black stilettos.

She posed for photos alongside close friend and celebrity fashion stylist Lana Wilkinson.

Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich made a very attractive couple, with the criminal lawyer showing off her slim figure in a lace peach dress.

Say cheese! She posed for photos alongside close friend and celebrity fashion stylist Lana Wilkinson

All smiles! Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich made a very attractive couple, with the criminal lawyer showing off her slim figure in a lace peach dress

Pretty in pink! Bec Judd stuns in bold Caulfield Cup Day look with unique floral crown as she hits the races with husband Chris

Blushing beauty: The 34-year-old was seen in a pink and white dress from the brand Thurley and accessorised with a unique flower crown

They're a perfect match! Matching with his lady love, the athlete added a pink tie to his ensemble

Meanwhile also in attendance was Bec Judd, who also went bold in a bright pink outfit.

The mother of four stunned in a striking dress from Thurley, which featured lace detailing, cut out sections and different shades of pink.

The KIIS radio host paired the look with an unusual flower crown, while wearing her brunette locks out in relaxed waves.

Making their entrance: Rebecca beamed as she and Chris made their way into the exclusive event

Strutting her stuff: Bec looked every bit the model, posing expertly for the cameras

A wonder in white! Model Rachel Finch stunned in a simple white summer dress teamed

Bec was accompanied to the event by her husband Chris Judd, with the former AFL player matching his wife with a pink tie.

Rachael Finch was also among the big names at the racecourse, stunning in a summery lace-style frock.

The model mum-of-two, who gave birth to her second child in March, teamed her simple dress with an embroidered headband and a pair of strappy nude sandals.

Racing hearts! The Bachelor's Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne put on a loved up display at Caulfield Cup Day

'It has been wonderful': Their day out comes as Laura revealed she was happy the were finally able to be an average couple

Putting on a loved up display trackside, The Bachelor's Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne also made an appearance at Caulfield.

Matty was dressed sharply for the race day, wearing a fitted blue suit with a matching suit and tie.

Laura looked elegant in a pleated white frock, which she paired with a classic black chain strap bag.

The jewellery designer added a pop of colour to her outfit with strappy red stilettos which emphasised her long legs.

Nice, different, unusual! Ash Pollard made sure to turn heads in an eye-catching hot pink jacket teamed with a straw beret

Among the A-list! Neighbours star Olympia Valance opted for maroon pants and a low-cut top for her race-day look

Fellow reality star Ash Pollard made sure to stand out, shocking in a hot pink silk jacket as she posed for the cameras.

The My Kitchen Rules alum, 31, teamed the eye-catching garment with a sheer white top and loose fitting pants.

Ash's quirky look was completed with a straw beret, bamboo bag and a pair of pink tinted shades.

Also opting for pants was Neighbours star Olympia Valance, who paired maroon slacks with a ruffled low-cut top.

The brunette beauty showed off her assets in the white shirt, and kept the sun from her face with a black hat.

Fatherhood suits him! New dad Sam Wood left newborn daughter Willow at home to enjoy a day at the races

Sheer delight! Nadia Fairfax gave a glimpse of her underwear in a translucent red frock

Meanwhile, former Bachelor and new dad Sam Wood left newborn daughter Willow at home as he stepped out to enjoy a day at the races.

The 37-year-old fitness star appeared to be relishing fatherhood, looking dapper in a beige blazer and navy pants.

Seen strutting trackside, socialite and fashion blogger Nadia Fairfax was also st Caulfield Cup Day.

The blonde showed off her slender pins in a knee-length red dress that was sheer from the waist down.

The 29-year-old revealed a glimpse of her underwear and added black accessories including heels and a circular bag.

Pretty in pink! Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou made a jaunt to the southern city of Melbourne for a day at the races

Having a punt in a pink pantsuit! Model Laura Henshaw also opted for the feminine colour

Feeling pretty in pink, Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou also made an appearance, flying in from Sydney.

The actress appeared overjoyed in a simple, strapless gown that feature a slit up the legs.

Also opting for the same colour was model Laura Henshaw, who chose a pale pink pantsuit for the occasion.

AFL legend: Sports star Adam Goodes looked sharp in a pale grey suit as he made his way around the racecourse

The stunner went without a shirt beneath the pale pink blazer that was cinched at the waist.

Meanwhile, AFL legend Adam Goodes was potted looking sharp in a pale grey suit as he made his way around the racecourse.

Fellow AFL icon Lance 'Buddy' Franklin was more daring in the style stakes, cutting a quirky figure in a fedora and circular sunglasses as he cosied up to wife Jesinta.

The Sydney Swans player added stone-coloured chinos and a pair of brown leather loafers to his race day look.
After a week from hell, Karl Stefanovic appears keen to keep a low profile.

As insiders allege he's 'begging' to leave Today for A Current Affair, it's now been reported the 43-year-old is a no-show at Saturday's Caulfield Cup.

According to Fairfax Media, Karl was to join girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough at the event, but has 'had a change of heart.'

No show: Karl Stefanovic is reportedly a 'no show' at Saturday's Caulfield Cup, amid rumours of growing tension with Nine, due to his alleged desire to leave Today for A Current Affair

It's been a horror week for the millionaire, who watched co-host Lisa Wilkinson defect to The Project, reportedly because Nine wouldn't pay her the same as him.

Earlier on Saturday, another report claimed Karl's been pleading for the network to let him leave Today to replace a soon to be out-of-contract Tracy Grimshaw on ACA.

If true, that leaves his girlfriend Jasmine, 33, to attend the event solo, due to her commitments as a special guest of the Melbourne Racing Club and David Jones.

Solo: If true, that leaves his girlfriend Jasmine, 33, to attend the event solo, due to her commitments as a special guest of the Melbourne Racing Club and David Jones

With her Mara & Mine shoes said to be stocked by David Jones from next month it's likely she would want to attend.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Karl's representatives for comment.

According to a Nine network executive,who spoke to The Saturday Telegraph, Lisa may have beaten Karl to the punch with her departure.

Week from hell: It's been a horror week for the millionaire, who watched co-host Lisa Wilkinson defect to The Project, reportedly because Nine wouldn't pay her the same as him

The executive revealed on Saturday that more than a decade of 3am alarms has become more than enough for the father-of-three.

Insiders believe he's the favourite to replace Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair when she either retires or takes a spot on 60 Minutes.

'Karl has been begging to get off there forever and surprise, surprise, the joint has imploded because they never listened to this bloke,' an insider said.

Can't win them all! According to a Nine network executive, Lisa may have beaten Karl to the punch with her shock departure

Eyes on the prize: Insiders believe he's the favourite to replace Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair when she either retires or takes a spot on 60 Minutes

'They haven't let him off and he's been like a hostage.'

'There is a strong possibility that Tracy moves from A Current Affair, either to call it a day or to do special features on 60 Minutes, and that way Karl goes in to ACA and it leaves a clean slate for the morning,' he continued.

ACA and Nine News are the only programs that would justify his salary of more than $2million, the executive said.
Alec Baldwin has teased a presidential run.

The 59-year-old actor - who is recently known for lampooning Donald Trump on Saturday Night live - raise many eyebrows with an interesting tweet on Friday night.

From his Alec Baldwin Foundation account he wrote: 'If I run for a President, think of how entertaining the debates would be.'

One-on-one: Alec Baldwin has teased a presidential run against Donald Trump

No doubt he had many tongues wagging as even aside his parody portrayal of Trump, he has been very vocal about his distaste for the 44th President of the US.

Baldwin recently spoke candidly about his Emmy-winning role mocking Trump in an interview with GQ Magazine.

'I think the powers that be, the money behind the Republican party, they'll have to get the smell out of the room so that Pence can be the runner in 2020. And the sooner they get rid of him the better,' the Saturday Night Live star said.

The actor took home an Emmy for the Best Supporting Actor on SNL two weeks ago for his portrayal of the commander-in-chief.

Interesting: The 59-year-old actor - who is recently known for lampooning Donald Trump on Saturday Night live - raise many eyebrows with an interesting tweet on Friday night

Baldwin told GQ that he doesn't believe Republicans will deal with much more from Trump.

'How much more are they going to put up with? I don't think they'll put up with much more... I imagine he'll resign.

'I imagine they'll cite health problems. There might be things that would present themselves so he'd be forced to. And I'm not just talking about tapes with hookers...

'Putin is surrounded by a team of people who are ten moves ahead of everybody. If Trump f**ks them, they will just burn him to the ground. It'd kill him,' Baldwin added.

Sad: No doubt he had many tongues wagging as even aside his parody portrayal of Trump, he has been very vocal about his distaste for the 44th President of the US

Despite it all, Baldwin said that 'one of the real tradegies for him, on a Shakespearean level, is that his name is ruined'.

'His children are going to have to change their names when he gets out of the White House. Everything that he wanted to achieve, the opposite has resulted,' the actor noted.

Donald Trump has previously criticized the NBC show as back in December he called it 'totally unwatchable' and a 'hit-job' - likely only adding to its allure for his opponents.

Around that time the 71-year-old businessman took a swipe at Baldwin's portrayal.

Trump wrote: 'Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse.'
She was set to make her races debut with new boyfriend Karl Stefanovic.

But the Today host was nowhere in sight as Jasmine Yarbrough attended Caulfield Cup Day on Saturday, the model turned shoe designer posing solo for photos.

Fairfax Media reported earlier that Karl was to join girlfriend Jasmine at the event, but 'had a change of heart.'

Going solo! Model Jasmine Yarbrough attends Caulfield Cup without Karl Stefanovic ... after the Today show host's week from hell when Lisa Wilkinson quit over equal pay dispute

It's been a horror week for the millionaire, who watched co-host Lisa Wilkinson defect to The Project, reportedly because Nine wouldn't pay her the same as him.

But Jasmine gave no hints of her partner Karl's work woes, smiling for photographers as she posed for pictures.

She wore an oversized navy blazer with a quirky patterned skirt, which showed off her trim pins.

She's her brand's best advertisment! The businesswoman put a clutch made by her label Mara & Mine front and centre, pairing the look with pink heels and a black spiked crown

Queen of hearts: Jasmine topped her outfit off with a spiked black headpiece

The businesswoman put a clutch made by her label Mara & Mine front and centre as she posed for pictures, pairing the bag with pink heels and a black spiked crown.

Wearing her blonde bob out in lightly tousled waves, Jasmine showcased her natural beauty by wearing little to no makeup.

Meanwhile also on Saturday reports emerged that Karl was being held 'hostage' on Today, with The Daily Telegraph claiming he wants to leave the breakfast show.

Stunning: Wearing her blonde bob out in lightly tousled waves, Jasmine showcased her natural beauty by wearing little to no makeup

A network executive revealed alleged more than a decade of 3am alarms had become more than enough for the father-of-three.

'Karl has been begging to get off there forever and surprise, surprise, the joint has imploded because they never listened to this bloke,' an insider said.

'They haven't let him off and he's been like a hostage.'

Absent: Karl was a no-show at the races, despite previously being slated to attend

Week from hell: It's been a horror week for the millionaire, who watched co-host Lisa Wilkinson defect to The Project, reportedly because Nine wouldn't pay her the same as him

Eyes on the prize: Insiders believe he's the favourite to replace Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair when she either retires or takes a spot on 60 Minutes

'There is a strong possibility that Tracy moves from A Current Affair, either to call it a day or to do special features on 60 Minutes, and that way Karl goes in to ACA and it leaves a clean slate for the morning,' the source continued.

ACA and Nine News are the only programs that would justify his salary of more than $2million, the executive said.

The unnamed Nine executive also claimed Lisa may have beaten Karl to the punch with her departure.

Can't win them all! According to a Nine network executive, Lisa may have beaten Karl to the punch with her shock departure

Resigned: Lisa sensationally quit her position as Today host after failing to achieve equal pay with Karl

Pay disparity: The veteran reporter was reportedly on a contract of $1.1 million and wanted to be paid the same as her male co-host

On Monday, Lisa sensationally quit her position as Today host after failing to achieve equal pay with Karl.

In January next year she will take up a senior role on rival Network 10's The Project in a deal believed to be worth $2 million.

The veteran reporter was reportedly on a contract of $1.1 million with Today and wanted to be paid the same as her male co-host, who allegedly earns between $2 to $3 million depending on ratings.

A million reasons to smile! In January next year she will take up a senior role on rival Network 10's The Project in a deal believed to be worth $2 million

But on Wednesday Nine boss Hugh Marks gave the network's version of events, claiming Lisa had wanted $2.3 million, News Corp reported.

They had offered her $1.8 million instead, a salary which he 'went to an incredible amount of trouble to build', Hugh claimed.

'The reason we walked away from Lisa is because we are not able to secure those rights (across all areas) with her,' he said.

'The reason we walked away from Lisa is because we are not able to secure those rights (across all areas) with her': Nine has since claimed Karl is worth more than Lisa because he can do more for the media company

Bad timing? The week of bad press coincides with Karl taking his romance with Jasmine to the next level, with the designer moving back to Australia from Los Angeles

'She has a number of commercial rights with other parties. Her arrangement with The Huffington Post restricts our ability to engage with her digitally ... We are restricted from engaging with her also on social media.'

The week of bad press coincides with Karl taking his romance with Jasmine to the next level, with the designer moving back to Australia from Los Angeles.

Karl split from his wife Cassandra Thorburn last September after 21 years of marriage.
She's been making the rounds lately on the red carpet.

And Angelina Jolie kept the trend alive as she was spotted in a gorgeous ensemble in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 42-year-old actress stunned on the red caret for the premiere of The Breadwinner as she was joined by daughters Shiloh, 11, and Zahara, 12.

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Vision in white: Angelina Jolie, 42, was spotted in a gorgeous gown in Los Angeles on Friday

The original Tomb Raider superstar was a vision in white as she floated down the step and repeat in a couture number.

Her lithe waist took center stage as the fashionable dress cinched in the middle and cascaded to the floor.

Daring to impress, the ex wife of Billy Bob Thorton went virtually makeup free with only a light eye shadow and bright berry lip.

She paired the look with a simple set of gold high heels, a sparkly silver broach, and a thin chain bracelet.

Original: The original Tomb Raider superstar was a vision in white as she floated down the step and repeat in a couture number

Lithe: Her lithe waist took center stage as the fashionable dress cinched in the middle and cascaded to the floor

The Oscar winner kept her trademark raven tresses long and loose as they brushed over her petite shoulders.

Shiloh cut a dapper figure in an all black suit as her hair was kept short and sweet.

Zahara looked adorable in a black dress that looked elegant and stylish.

Daring: Daring to impress, the ex wife of Billy Bob Thorton went virtually makeup free with only a light eye shadow and bright berry lip

Additions: She paired the look with a simple set of gold high heels, a sparkly silver broach, and a thin chain bracelet

Hair today: The Oscar winner kept her trademark raven tresses long and loose as they brushed over her petite shoulders

Angelina posed with Nora Twomey, the director of The Breadwinner - which is an animated film about a headstrong girl in Afghanistan dressing like a boy to provide for her family.

Saara Chaudry - the voice of the young girl in the film - posed as well.

The Jolie family gathered for another shot with Saara.

Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, the film is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2017.

Director: Angelina posed with Nora Twomey, the director of The Breadwinner - which is an animated film about a headstrong girl in Afghanistan dressing like a boy to provide for her family

Star: Saara Chaudry - the voice of the young girl in the film - posed as well

Best-seller: Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, the film is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2017

All together: The Jolie family gathered for another shot with Saara

Chatty: Angelina looked confident as she took to the mic to make a speech

Elegant: Angelina glowed in her flowing white gown as she smiled during her speech

Radiant: The Oscar winner showed off her luscious pout as she spoke
She never fails to stun on the red carpet.

And Kerry Washington proved on trend once again as all heads turned when she arrived at the GLSEN Respect Awards on Friday night in Los Angeles.

The 40-year-old beauty was sophisticated chic as she donned a floral print suit for the annual LGBTQ gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

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Flower power: Kerry Washington, 40, arrived at the GLSEN Respect Awards on Friday night in Los Angeles

Daring to impress, the Scandal superstar let her impressive cleavage take center stage as her plunging neckline was all the rage.

Her gorgeous gams were covered in the colorful fabric that had inquiring minds wondering who was the fashion forward designer.

Leaving her darling decolletage unadorned, Kerry went with a minimalist routine for her accessories adding a simple pair of hoop earrings.

The Emmy nominated thespian kept her trademark raven tresses long and loose with a side part leaving her youthful face to shine.

Floral delight: The beauty was sophisticated chic as she donned a floral print suit for the annual LGBTQ gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Daring: Daring to impress, the Scandal superstar let her impressive cleavage take center stage as her plunging neckline was all the rage

Throwing caution to the wind, the mother of one went virtually makeup free as she chose a subtle color palette and slight berry lip.

Kerry was there to receive the Inspiration Award.

Bruce Bozzi accepted the Champion Award as Ose Arheghan took home the Student Advocate Of The Year Award.

Stunner: Her gorgeous gams were covered in the colorful fabric that had inquiring minds wondering who was the fashion forward designer

Classic: Zendaya was dripping in sophistication as she worked a throwback ensemble

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcase the work of students, educators, individuals and corporations who have made a significant impact on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

Zendaya was dripping in sophistication as she worked a throwback ensemble.

Darby Staunchfield and Olivia Jordan battled it out for the relevance award.

Lovely: Darby Staunchfield and Olivia Jordan battled it out for the relevance award

Twinsies: Perez Hilton showed up with a mystery mini-me

Perez Hilton showed up with a mystery mini-me.

Jonathon Bennet cut a dapper figure as Arden Rose mystified the crowd.

Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd dressed to impress.

Rosario Dawson channeled Rhoda from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Brad Goreski and Milo Ventimiglia went head to head for most handsome hunk.

Darling: Jonathon Bennet cut a dapper figure as Arden Rose mystified the crowd

Legacy: Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd dressed to impress

Strike a pose: Billie stunned in her pleated skirt with a black crop top and heels

Rhoda! Rosario Dawson channeled Rhoda from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
She recently flaunted her slender figure on the cover of LaPalme Magazine.

And Ariel Winter continued to show off her enviable physique on Friday, as she headed to the salon in LA.

The 19-year-old actress showed off her more casual sense of style in her form-fitting black ensemble, as she walked through a park after her hair appointment.

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Red hot! Ariel Winter kept up with appearances as she visited a salon on Friday afternoon in West Hollywood

The Modern Family starlet slipped into a tight black tank top, which clung to her toned frame and flashed her cleavage with its plunging neckline.

She injected colour into the look with a bright red, black and white plaid flannel shirt, which she tied tightly around her tiny waist.

Ariel teamed the tops with a pair of tight black jeans, which hugged her legs all the way down to her red leather stiletto ankle boots.



Back in black! The 19-year-old actress showed off her more casual side in an all-black ensemble as she walked through a park after her hair appointment

Casual Friday: The Modern Family starlet donned a tight black tank top to show off her toned and tanned arms

She carried a large black velour backpack on one shoulder and a small white hair care bag on her forearm.

Winter seemed to be nearly makeup free as her chocolate brown hair cascaded down past her shoulders.

She also took the time on Friday afternoon to show off her new hair in a black-and-white image posted on Snapchat with a fuzzy bunny filter.

Gotta get down on Friday: She also took the time to show off her new hair in a black-and-white image posted on Snapchat with a fuzzy bunny filter

Gorgeous! The Sofia the First actress looked ravishing in red as she stunned in a glamour photo shoot at the Hollywood Castle

The Sofia the First actress looked ravishing in red as she stunned in a glamour photo shoot at the Hollywood Castle.

Mike Rosenthal was the man behind the camera and Creative Director of LaPalme Magazine Derek Warburton was on hand to give direction.

Ariel was sporting bangs as she looked like a modern-day Louise Brooks and looked confident as she posed in a plunging red dress that showed off her chest and part of her tummy.

In another set up for the magazine, the girlfriend of Levi Meaden donned black gladiator heels that perfectly matched her daring black bodysuit and flowing tulle skirt.

She arched her back as she reclined on a fur on the wall of the castle with ivy below her and lush, mature trees in the distance.
They will celebrate their first wedding anniversary next month.

But on Saturday, Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell), 26, and her AFL star husband Lance 'Buddy', 30, were spotted looking a little tense at the Caulfield Cup.

The 26-year-old and her beau were seen making their way towards the David Jones marquee.

Everything OK? Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell), 26, and her AFL star husband Lance 'Buddy', 30, were spotted looking a little tense at the Caulfield Cup this Saturday

Photos show the former beauty queen pursing her lips as she waited to enter the exclusive party.

Meanwhile Buddy, who co-ordinated with the same style of small round sunglasses as his wife followed suit.

While they did not put on a cosy display, he did showcase chivalry by letting her go in first.

Tense: Photos show the former beauty queen pursing her lips as she waited to enter the exclusive party

Sealing her look! Buddy co-ordinated with Jesinta by wearing the same style of small round sunglasses

Jesinta looked down and kept a straight face as she lead her husband into the venue.

Once in the event, they showed off their race day looks by posing together in front of a media wall.

The Gold Coast born-stunner showed off her slender model physique in an unusual, one-shouldered grey dress - seemingly inspired by a men's style blazer.

Ladies first: While they did not put on a cosy display, he did showcase chivalry by letting her go in first

Looking dapper: Jesinta looked down and kept a straight face as she lead her dapperly dressed partner into the venue

The former beauty queen went for a bold makeup look with bright red lip and bold brows.

She accessorised teamed the outfit with a pair of white mules and a small purse.

Meanwhile Buddy cut a suave figure in a tailored suit by Ermenegildo Zegna
She's the former Maxim cover-girl whose modelling career has travelled to great heights.

And Natalie Roser brought her sartorial A-game on Saturday as she attended the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne.

The 27-year-old showed off her slim physique in an eccentric figure-hugging dress, as she posed for photographers at the event.

Best on turf! Natalie Roser was back on the turf on Saturday, as she stepped out with friends and attended the prestigious Caulfield Cup in Melbourne

The blonde beauty lapped up the attention, mingling with Melbourne socialites and attendees.

Natalie's dress was plain underneath, with a black canvas covered in a seaweed-like pattern that extended just over her bust.

Green squiggly lines extended down the middle of the number forming a rectangular shape, which flat-lined into clashing ovals as it wrapped around her torso.

Gorgeous! Natalie's dress was plain underneath, with a black canvas covered in a seaweed-like pattern that extended just over her bust

Flawless! Natalie topped off her flawless image with a jet-black fascinator and a pair of green heels held together with a blue ribbon tied around her ankles

The dress also featured two thick navy blue overall straps.

Natalie topped off her flawless look with a jet-black fascinator, and matched her dress with a pair of green heels held together with a blue ribbon tied around her ankles.

Her blonde hair was blow-dried straight while falling effortlessly over the back of her shoulders.

Happy Birthday! Natalie gave a birthday shout out to her long-time friend Kira Mahoney

The blonde beauty documented her day at the races on her Instagram, and made sure to give a birthday shout -out to her friend Kira Mahoney, who was snapped next to Natalie for the whole day.

The pair took a number of photos together, with a majority of them in front of a Moet & Chandon van.

Natalie and Kira relaxed as they sipped on their glasses of lavish champagne that were served out of white chalices with the brand's name printed on them.

Natalie recently returned from the Philippines, after she and other social media influencers received an all-expenses paid trip to the Asian tropical paradise from travel group One Life Adventures.

'We chillin': The pair took a number of photos together, with a majority of them in front of a Moet & Chandon van
They welcomed their second son Prince Gabriel less than two months ago

And Princess Sofia of Sweden and her husband Prince Carl Philip looked to be revelling in the joys of new parenthood once again as they stepped out at a charity dinner for Project Playground in Stockholm on Friday.

Sofia,32, dazzled as she stepped out arm-in-arm with her handsome husband, clad in an elegant two tone dress which featured a cream silk polka dot upper half with a chic ruffled collar.

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Elegant: Princess Sofia of Sweden and her husband Prince Carl Philip looked to be revelling in the joys of new parenthood once again as they stepped out at a charity dinner for Project Playground in Stockholm on Friday, nearly two months after welcoming second son Prince Gabriel

Wow factor: Sofia,32, dazzled as she stepped out arm-in-arm with her handsome husband, clad in an elegant two tone dress which featured a cream silk polka dot upper half with a chic ruffled collar

The lower half of the stunning gown tapered into a black flowing skirt and she paired the gown with black stiletto heels.

Her brunette locks were styled in graceful soft curls and parted on the side.

She opted for sophisticated glamour with her make-up with soft smoky eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and a slick of pink lipgloss

Prince Carl Philip, 38, was a real-life Prince Charming in a sophisticated fitted black suit with a bow tie.

Stunning: The lower half of the stunning gown tapered into a black flowing skirt and she paired the gown with black stiletto heels

The young Royals looked very much in love as they held hands and greeted friends at the event.

Former glamour model Sofia Hellqvist married the prince in June 2015. The elegant brunette is known for her infectious gap-toothed smile and easygoing ways.

They dated for five years before walking down the aisle and now live together in the upmarket Djurgarden district of Stockholm.

They married in the royal palace's chapel, with the bride wearing a lace wedding dress created by local designer Ida Sjostedt.

They welcomed first son Prince Alexander in April 2016, with Prince Gabriel arriving in August this year.

Handsome: Prince Carl Philip, 38, was a real-life Prince Charming in a sophisticated fitted black suit with a bow tie

But thanks to Princess Sofia's reality TV and glamour modeling past, Carl Philip's choice of wife initially proved controversial.

The now Duchess of Varmland's first shoot aged 20 saw her posing topless in a pair of camouflage print bikini bottoms and clutching a snake to preserve her modesty.

Unsurprisingly, when news of Carl Philip's new relationship emerged in 2010, the Swedish Royal Family were initially put 'on the defensive' as sources revealed at the time.

Since then, however, Sofia has gone out of her way to tone down her image.

Meanwhile Carl Philip has hit the headlines for antics of his own - not least his infamous 'wild summer' of 2012, during which he hit the Swedish party scene wearing an alien mask, and hitchhiked to a motoring competition after losing his Gucci wallet, going on to crash his car in the first race.
The Lyuhan No. 1 (Green Drought) rice breed. [File photo: baidu.com]

A China-developed drought-resistant rice breed and its farming method have been introduced to nine countries, mainly in southeast Asia and Africa, according to an agricultural academy in east China's Anhui Province.

Dr. Wang Shimei, of the Rice Research Institute of the Anhui Agricultural Academy, said the plantation area of the Lyuhan No. 1 (Green Drought) rice breed had reached 2.3 million hectares in China.

Wang said the breed was first exported in 2009 to Angola. Plantation has reached 10,000 hectares in the country since then. The rice has also been planted in countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Pakistan and Cameroon.

In Cameroon, the rice yield reached just over 29 kg per hectare this year, as compared with about an average 4.5 kg per hectare of other rice breeds in the country.

Wang said agricultural experts from 10 countries, including Egypt and Uganda, came to China in June to study the rice growing technique, hoping it could help improve the yield in their countries, which face severe drought.

She said the rice breed has also proved to have a steady yield in saline-alkali soil in the Philippines, where fields suffer from monsoon flooding.
She's the TV personality who is known for her flaweless track record when it comes to style.

And Rachael Finch was the picture of elegance as she reported at Caulfield Cup for Channel Seven this Saturday.

The 29-year-old looked effortlessly chic in a lacy, semi-sheer ensemble as she posed for photographers in-between her TV commitments.

Effortlessly chic! Rachael Finch's stunning outfit caught the attention of race-goers on Saturday at the Caulfield Cup

Rachael's Yeojin Bae frock featured a lace overlay and white panels underneath, giving onlookers a peek at her slender waist and decolletage.

Rachael's encrusted bespoke headpiece was designed by luxury Australian brand Viktoria Novak, and sat comfortably atop her head.

She wore a pair of beigeTony Bianco heels while allowing her brunette locks to fall effortlessly over her shoulders.

Multitasking: The 29-year-old looked effortlessly chic in a stunning lacy ensemble, as she remained committed to her job as fashion reporter for Channel Seven

At work: Holding the Channel Seven microphone in her hand, she was snapped interviewing Australian actress Rachael Taylor

Holding the Channel Seven microphone in her hand, she was snapped interviewing Australian actress Rachael Taylor about her choice in fashion for the day and her upcoming Hollywood endeavours.

Rachael has been contracted to cover the event for a number of years, in particular focusing on the day's fashion.

She attended the event with Channel Seven colleague Emma Davenport, and posted a tribute to her friend to her Instagram before the pair arrived at the event.

Fashionista: Rachael has been contracted to cover the event for a number of years, in particular focusing on the day's fashion.

'We have traits that make us different but we got together like spaghetti and meatballs,' she captioned.

'My co-host, producer, but mostly my amazing friend.'

Emma appeared alongside Rachael as they interviewed the day's VIP attendees and fashionable punters.
He's the bad boy supermodel who has strutted his stuff on runways across the globe.

And on Thursday, Jordan Barrett once again turned heads as he attended an exclusive fashion party hosted by jewellery designer Eli Halili in New York.

Clad in an all-white ensemble, the 20-year-old donned a breezy button-up shirt that revealed a glimpse of his necklace-adorned chest, layered over a pair of casual chinos.

Jordan Barrett has turned heads in an all white ensemble at fashion event in New York

He teamed the look with a pair of tan slipper sandals and a small black cross body bag.

The Byron Bay-born model styled his beach -blonde locks in a messy tousle, and completed his look with a bold gold ring.

Jordan posed for photos with designer Eli Halili, who dressed for his event in a velvet jacket with an unbuttoned shirt and skinny denim jeans, paired with boots.

Fashion friends: The 20-year-old was spotted at A Night With Eli Halili checking out the designer's latest jewellery collection (pictured with Eli Halili)

Male models unite! Jordan appeared to do a pose-off with fellow male model and new father Lucky Blue Star who was also at the event

He even appeared to do a pose-off with fellow male model and new father Lucky Blue Star who was also at the event.

Lucky Blue flaunted his chiseled features and cut a dashing figure in a black bomber jacket, matching skinny jeans and boots.

His unbuttoned white shirt also exposed his bare chest and layers of necklaces he accessorised his look with.

Getting comfy: He also posed for photo with Jan Weiss, racy artist Alana O'Herlihy and Eli Halili reclining on a rug in front of art displays

He also posed for a photo with Jan Weiss, racy artist Alana O'Herlihy and Eli Halili reclining on a rug in front of art displays.

Jordan recently revealed to iD he hopes to use his modelling platform to enact change with the number of homeless people in the US.

'I think everyone should have a home There are so many homeless people in America. It's something I was not really exposed to in Australia so much, ' he said.
She rose to prominence as one of Justin Bieber's former conquests.

And Chantel Jeffries ensured she stayed in the limelight as she was spotted leaving Petite Restaurant in West Hollywood on Friday.

The social media personality, 23, suffered a rather unfortunate nip slip after she opted to go braless under a poloneck sweater.

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Feeling nippy? Chantel Jeffries ensured she stayed in the limelight as she was spotted leaving Petite Restaurant in West Hollywood on Friday

The DJ, who looks almost unrecognisable from her early days, showing off her recently enhanced assets under the close-fitting poloneck.

Teaming it with a pair of patent trousers and matching block-heel boots, she added dramatically heavy make-up, a bold red lip and green contacts to her statement look.

She was later seen hugging French Montana, who was hosting a glitzly Plaque Presentation Ceremony Dinner.

Oops! The social media personality, 23, suffered a rather unfortunate nip slip after she opted to go braless under a poloneck sweater

Chantel found fame after reportedly briefly dating Justin Bieber in 2014 and has translated it into a modeling and social media career.

She has since built up a sizable YouTube following, keeping fans updated on her new home and body makeovers.

During the summer she underwent a breast enhancement and decided to share her traumatic cosmetic surgery journey with her fans via a vlog, speaking candidly about her bad experience.

Turning heads! The DJ, who looks almost unrecognisable from her early days, showing off her recently enhanced assets under the close-fitting poloneck

The brunette shared a lengthy video to her YouTube channel recently detailing her ordeal.

She claimed stress made her weight fluctuate and she wanted to make sure her breasts remained the same size despite her yo-yo-ing figure.

At her most, she weighed 130 pounds, she said, while at other times she dropped to 100 pounds. That meant her bra size transitioned between a D cup and a B cup, she explained.

'Thats a pretty big difference,' she said in the video.

Honest! The brunette shared a lengthy video to her YouTube channel recently detailing her ordeal

Conscious! She claimed stress made her weight fluctuate and she wanted to make sure her breasts remained the same size despite her yo-yo-ing figure

'When you go from a D to a B and youre losing that volume and weight, it does affect your breasts negatively,' she stated. 'It makes them more deflated-looking, saggy and it can give you stretch marks, so it just was not the best look.'

While she decided to get implants, in retrospect she claims she didn't receive the best advice from the medical experts she sought out.

'Just because theyre doctors, doesnt mean they know everything,' the 23-year-old Instagram celebrity cautioned.

Having got her breasts enhanced, she says she gained weight again and ended up with bigger boobs than she had anticipated.

She blamed an added 10 pounds for making look too big and giving her a DD cup size that, she says, she 'never wanted.'

'I felt like they looked fake,' she said. 'I felt like I didnt look like myself. I didnt want that.'

Star-studded! She was later seen hugging French Montana, who was hosting a glitzly Plaque Presentation Ceremony Dinner

'I didnt want people looking at me and just looking at my boobs  I was never that person,' she claimed in the video.

Last week, she underwent a breast reduction and lift and shared a photo on Instagram showing off her minimized bosom.

'If youre considering breast implants, or taking them out and getting a lift, I hope that this video helps you,' she told her social media followers.

'Getting it done the first time hurts a lot, but the lift doesnt hurt hardly as much,' she revealed.
She is famed for her daring ensembles and drunken antics.

And Chloe Ferry didn't disappoint as she left the House of Smith nightclub in Newcastle on Friday, where she was filming scenes for upcoming series 16.

The reality star, 22, braved the autumnal climates wearing nothing but a semi sheer bra and trousers for the raucous night out.

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Chloe Ferry didn't disappoint as she left the House of Smith nightclub in Newcastle on Friday, where she was filming scenes for upcoming series 16

Eager to be the centre of attention, Chloe, who is currently romancing Geordie Shore newbie and former Love Islander Sam Gowland, squeezed her assets into a transparent lace bra, teasing a glimpse of her rib tattoo.

The queen of transformations, Chloe wore her bleach-blonde tresses in loose waves, opting for bold brows, lashings of mascara and a healthy helping of bronzer.

Accentuating her contact lenses with dramatic eyeshadow, she completed her heavily made up look with a generous dab of lipgloss, beaming at the cameras.

The reality star, 22, braved the autumnal climates wearing nothing but a semi sheer bra and trousers for the raucous night out

Injecting a casual edge into her look, Chloe slipped into a fitted tracksuit and block ankle boots.

She was joined by new girl Stephanie Snowdon, who channeled understated chic in a thigh-skimming bardot dress and strappy heels.

The brunette bombshell has been showing off her weight loss, after unflattering bikini snaps while holidaying in Portugal made her the subject of vile abuse from social media trolls.

Turning heads: Chloe, who is currently romancing Geordie Shore newbie and former Love Islander Sam Gowland, squeezed her assets into a transparent lace bra, teasing a glimpse of her rib tattoo

Dramatic: The queen of transformations, Chloe wore her bleach-blonde tresses in loose waves, opting for bold brows, lashings of mascara and a healthy helping of bronzer

Stephanie told MailOnline: 'I've been getting negative tweets about my weight for ages now - but nothing as vile as this. I'd almost got used to it and have been able to just blank it out or laugh it off.

'People have told me I'm fat and disgusting and don't deserve to have a hot boyfriend, but when I got this tweet, it made my blood run cold.

'I was in shock then burst into floods of tears.'

Less is more: New girl Stephanie Snowdon, who channeled understated chic in a thigh-skimming bardot dress and strappy heels

Turning heads! Rounding off the trio was Abbie Holborn, who slipped into a plunging camouflage dress and nude ankle boots for the occasion

Girls gone wild: Abbie, Stephanie and Chloe put on a daring display for their night out

'I am actually terrified that there are people out there who could even think this, let alone write it and send it to me.'

Rounding off the trio was Abbie Holborn, who slipped into a plunging camouflage dress and nude ankle boots for the occasion.

Aaron Chalmers, Nathan Henry and Sam Gowland also joined forces with the girls, putting on a dapper display as they left the club en route to the 'shag pad' were they were sure to continue the fun.

Suave: Aaron Chalmers, 30, looked dapper in a houndstooth jacket and combat trousers

Fitting in! Former Love Islander Sam Gowland went all black in ripped jeans and a fitted t-shirt while Nathan Henry continued the ripped jeans theme
Supermodel Bar Refaeli has welcomed her second baby with husband Adi Ezra.

The blonde beauty, 32, gave birth to a baby girl at 10pm local time on Friday at Tel Aviv Medical Centre, reports Page Six.

'She is feeling great', said the hospitals spokesman Avi Shushan.

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Congratulations: Supermodel Bar Refaeli has welcomed her second baby girl with husband Adi Ezra

Happy couple: Bar and Adi are now parents of two children under two and have named their second daughter Elle

He confirmed Bar and Adi, 42, have named their baby girl Elle

He added: 'She will probably leave the hospital on Monday.'

Mail Online has contacted Bar's representatives for comment.

The couple already have one-year-old daughter Liv.

Then and now: Bar shared a fun Instagram post last month where she showed off her pregnant belly with her first pregnancy, left, and her second pregnancy, right

Last month the blonde Israeli had fun with her bump when taking to Instagram.

The cover girl showed a photo from her first pregnancy and a photo from her second pregnancy. The images were almost identical as she noted in her caption: 'Same week, same dress, same place.'

The star was facing her second husband, Adi.

The beauty - who is the ex-girlfriend of Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, 42 - confirmed the couple's pregnancy news by posting a sweet snap of her growing bump on her Instagram page on March 28.

The first time: Bar and Adi Ezra are seen in Barcelona on vacation in 2016

Fairytale: It was just eight months after the pair - who tied the knot in their native Israel in September 2015 - welcomed their baby daughter Liv in August 2016

It was just eight months after the pair - who tied the knot in their native Israel in September 2015 - welcomed their baby daughter Liv in August 2016.

Bar playfully wrote alongside the shot: 'Something's cooking.'

In an interview with Hello! Fashion Monthly in 2015, the model admitted family is everything to her and she's planning to have a large brood.

'I think this will be a decade of family... I come from a family of four children,' she told the publication.

'A lot of mums could read this and think, "Yeah, try having one first". Hopefully, Ill have a big family, but I'll take it one by one.'

Bar prides herself with balancing her work and personal life and added to HELLO!: 'I feel like my job is my alter ego; its a different me and I love it. Im a Gemini!

'Behind the camera, Im totally different. I dont wear make-up, I dont wear heels and Im very basic. But I love the fact I have this job and it gives me the opportunity to dress up.

Ive never done catwalk because I was never skinny or tall enough. I was more of a sexy type of model and catwalk models arent so sexy.'

Bar's career is still thriving.

She most recently was seen in an ad with Hot Felon Jeremy Meeks for Carolina Lemke.
He's the Australian star who takes his music career very seriously.

But Guy Sebastian decided to team up with comedians Hamish Blake and Andy Lee on Saturday to deliver a carefully planned prank to some of Australia's top radio executives.

The 35-year-old was given poorly written lyrics by the comedy duo, who asked him to turn it into a song in half an hour and then present it in front of the Hit Network bosses.

'Love is a coconut': Guy Sebastian decided to team up with Hamish Blake and Andy Lee on Saturday to deliver a carefully planned prank to some of Australia's top radio executives

Hamish and Andy challenged Guy to convince the network executives that the song - titled 'Coconut Love' - should be his brand new single.

Containing the lines 'Love is a coconut, the palm tree of life/Crack one open with me and be my wife/Maybe we'll have a son, maybe we'll have a daughter/Come swim with me in the coconut water', Guy described the song as a 'different sound' for him.

'I feel like it could be the next single,' he told the bosses.

Pranksters: Hamish and Andy challenged Guy to convince the network executives that the song - titled 'Coconut Love' - would be his brand new single

'I feel like it could be the next single': The Hit bosses did not look to be too impressed

The Hit bosses did not look to be too impressed, the most being Matthew 'Eggo' Eggleston, who after the song finished, accused the Australian Idol winner of pulling his leg.

After labelling the genre of his song 'tropical house', Eggo became unsure that the song was Guy's.

'I feel like you're having me on,' he told Guy.

'I feel like you're having me on': Matthew 'Eggo' Eggleston called Guy out after the song finished, and claimed that the first Australian Idol was not being serious

'I listen to the lyrics and I just didn't think it would be something you'd do.'

Hamish and Andy then erupted in the room to confirm Eggo's suspicions, as the bosses then realised they had been pranked.

Praising Guy for keeping it together through the whole ordeal, the comedy duo then reminded the executives that the 'gag was over' and they wouldn't be doing it again.

'It won't happen again, so next time don't be like 'Hey Sia, that's a joke right?'' Hamish Blake said.
Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, the Italian model who recorded Harvey Weinstein admitting to groping her breast during a meeting in 2015, was enjoying dinner in New York City on Friday.

The Italian model, 24, looked in good spirits during the meal, sharing videos from the restaurant as she dined with friends.

The beauty queen opted for a low-key look for the outing, donning all-black.

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Dining out: Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who recorded Harvey Weinstein admitting to groping her breast during a meeting in 2015, was enjoying dinner in New York City on Friday

It comes after she was vindicated in dramatic fashion by the dozens of women who have spoken out about their experiences with Weinstein in recent weeks.

She was just 22 when she accused Weinstein of trying to put his hand up her skirt and feeling her breast.

In a chilling recording from a wire she wore during a police sting after she made her claims, the mogul can be heard confessing to groping her as he tries to convince her to 'get in' his hotel room.

Snap happy: The Italian model, 24, looked in good spirits during the meal, sharing videos from the restaurant as she dined with friends

Since speaking out, the model has shared a host of motivational quotes through her social media profile encouraging other women to discuss their experiences.

Last week, she shared a professional modeling photo on Instagram, captioned: 'Life is not easy for any of us,' attributing the quote to Marie Curie.

'But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.'

She also added the hashtags #blessed, #life, and #shareyourblessings.

The model also shared a quote which read: 'When women support each other, incredible things happen.'

She captioned the image: '#ThankYouAll #WeAreAllConnected #WomenEmpowerment'.

Speaking out: Since speaking out, the model has shared a host of motivational quotes through her social media profile encouraging other women to discuss their experiences

The model also shared a quote which read: 'When women support each other, incredible things happen.' She captioned the image: '#ThankYouAll #WeAreAllConnected #WomenEmpowerment'

Meaningful: The model shared a quote from French-Polish physicist Marie Curie

When Battilana first made the claims in 2015, she had few supporters - and was even attacked for speaking out.

Talking to La Repubblica newspaper, she said she didn't work for months after the encounter with Weinstein.

She added: 'Even restaurants in Soho, where the fashion world hang out, closed their doors to me. I was unwelcome.'

But since then, over 40 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, including the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd.

A chilling transcript from a wire Gutierrez wore during a police sting after she made her claims sees the mogul confess to groping her as he tries to convince her to 'get in' his hotel room

Gutierrez met the movie mogul at a dance show in 2015. Weinstein repeatedly told the Miss Italy finalist that she looked like actress Mila Kunis and arranged a meeting with her through his assistant.

But at the meeting, she alleges Weinstein stared at her breasts and then groped them, and tried to put a hand up her skirt while she protested.

The Filipino-Italian model said he arranged for her to see his new musical, Finding Neverland, with him that evening, but instead of meeting him at the theatre, she reported the assault to the New York Police Department.

When the annoyed film executive called Gutierrez to ask why she did not meet him, the model arranged to see him the next day at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in Manhattan and formed a plan with police.

In an exchange recorded by a police wire, and obtained and reported by the New Yorker magazine, Weinstein tried to get the model to come into a hotel room with him 'for five minutes' while he took a shower.

When Gutierrez refused and confronted him about touching her breasts, Weinstein said he was 'used to that'.

The movie mogul swore on his children that he would not touch her again.

He accused her of embarrassing him and making a scene in the hotel where he stayed 'all the time', adding: 'I'm a famous guy.'

Gutierrez met Harvey Weinstein (left) at a dance show in 2015. Weinstein repeatedly told the Miss Italy finalist that she looked like actress Mila Kunis and arranged a meeting with her through his assistant

But at the meeting, she alleges Weinstein stared at her breasts and then groped them, and tried to put a hand up her skirt while she protested

But after a two-week investigation, the Manhattan district attorney decided not to file charges, The New Yorker reported.

'We had the evidence,' a police source told the magazine. 'It's a case that made me angrier than I thought possible, and I have been on the force a long time.'

The DA's office said at the time: 'This case was taken seriously... After analysing the available evidence, including multiple interviews with both parties, a criminal charge is not supported.'

After the story was published, reports about Gutierrez's past began to emerge, including that she attended one of Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties.

She eventually became a witness in a bribery case against Berlusconi, which is ongoing.

Gossip outlets also reported that Gutierrez, as a teenager, had made an allegation of sexual assault against an older Italian businessman but later declined to co-operate with prosecutors.

Gutierrez, who declined to comment to the New Yorker, signed a non-disclosure agreement and an affidavit stating the events in the recording did not happen.
He's been living as a recluse at his Buenos Aires ranch since breaking up with Mariah Carey a year ago.

But James Packer emerged on Saturday night to make a rare public appearance at the Channel Seven Telethon Lexus Ball in Perth.

The 50-year-old cut a solitary figure as he led the big name arrivals at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Glum: James Packer cuts a lonely figure as he makes a rare public appearance for the Channel Seven Telethon Lexus Ball

He came dressed to impress in a black tuxedo and bow tie, sporting a fuller figure since his 18-month relationship with the iconic pop star ended.

The son of media mogul Kerry Packer looked glum as he arrived at the event on the day his interview with The Australian - in which he labelled his romance to Mariah as a 'mistake' - was published.

He revealed he met the songstress at a 'low point' in his life - when debt within his empire was escalating and he was looking for a way to spend more time in Los Angeles to be close to his children with second wife Erica.

'She was kind, exciting and fun. Mariah is a woman of substance. She is very bright. But it was a mistake for her and a mistake for me,' he told the publication.

James took refuge away from the spotlight at his luxury polo ranch Ellerstina, in the Argentine capital, since the pair's highly-publicised split in October last year.

Going stag: The 50-year-old cut a lonely figure as he led the big name arrivals at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre

Lonely figure: He came dressed to impress in a black tuxedo and bow tie, sporting a fuller figure since his 18-month relationship with the iconic pop star ended

Back in the mix! James rubbed shoulders with politicians and celebrities on Saturday night, including Malcolm Turnbull, Julie Bishop (pictured) and Sonia Kruger

But on Saturday night, he rubbed shoulders with politicians and celebrities, including Malcolm Turnbull, Julie Bishop and Sonia Kruger.

The minister for foreign affairs stepped out with her partner David Panton in a gleaming gold sequined gown.

She accessorised with a pair of pearl earrings, and applied a smoky eye with nude lip.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister looked right at home as he attended the event in a black suit and tie.

Unlike Julie, Malcolm was seen arriving by himself, however he appeared to be in good spirits as he offered a beaming smile for the cameras.

Looking golden! The minister for foreign affairs stepped out with her partner David Panton (pictured) in a gleaming gold sequined gown

Looking sharp! Meanwhile, the Prime Minister looked right at home as he attended the event in a black suit and tie

Good spirits: Unlike Julie, Malcolm was seen arriving by himself, however he appeared to be in good spirits as he offered a beaming smile for the cameras

Today Extra host Sonia Kruger opted for a silky maroon number with a plunging neckline and dainty shoulder straps.

The dress featured a thigh high split that showed off the 52-year-old's slender pins, and her sandal heels.

She wore matching maroon nail polish, smoky eye make up and nude coloured lipstick.

Meanwhile, burns survivor Dana Vulin opted for a daring ensemble that hugged her stunning figure.

She wore a beige-coloured body suit, matched with a pair of strappy heels and a gold handbag.

Flaunting it: Today Extra host Sonia Kruger opted for a silky maroon number with a plunging neckline and dainty shoulder straps

The dress featured a thigh high split that showed off the 52-year-old's (pictured with partner Craig McPherson) slender pins, and her sandal heels

Daring: Meanwhile, burns survivor Dana Vulin opted for a daring ensemble that hugged her stunning figure
They forged a close bond during their search for romance in the Love Island villa over the summer.

And Amber Davies and Georgia Harrison enjoyed a much anticipated reunion as they stepped out for dinner in Essex on Friday.

The glamorous Islanders looked in euphoric spirits to be reunited as they affectionately linked arms and chatted on their girls night out.

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Here come the (Love Island) girls: Amber Davies and Georgia Harrison enjoyed a much anticipated reunion as they stepped out for dinner in Essex on Friday

Close: The glamorous Islanders looked in euphoric spirits to be reunited as they affectionately linked arms and chatted on their girls night out

Queen of the villa Amber, 21, who was without her king/beau Kem Cetinay, for the evening, looked chic in baggy leather trousers which she paired with a demure black-shirt which sheathed her lithe frame.

Adding height to her petite frame, the brunette beauty teetered in studded black stiletto heels and accessorised with a black and gold handbag and chandelier earrings.

Her chestnut tresses were styled sleek and straight while she opted for full-on bombshell with her make-up look, with smoky shadow, false lashes and lashings of berry lipstick.

Georgia, 22, who enjoyed a fleeting romance with Geordie Shore's newest recruit Sam Gowland on the show, looked effortlessly glamorous in a berry coat with a oversized furry collar.

Chic: Queen of the villa Amber, 21, who was without her king/beau Kem Cetinay, for the evening, looked chic in baggy leather trousers which she paired with a demure black-shirt which sheathed her lithe frame

Girls night: Adding height to her petite frame, the brunette beauty teetered in studded black stiletto heels and accessorised with a black and gold handbag and chandelier earrings

Berry nice: Georgia, 22, who enjoyed a fleeting romance with Geordie Shore's newest recruit Sam Gowland on the show, looked effortlessly glamorous in a berry coat with a oversized furry collar

Leggy: Also joining the reunion was Montana Brown, 22, who briefly coupled up with Alex Beattie before their love flame died out

Back together: All three girls looked overjoyed to be reunited as they headed inside

She showed off her slender legs in slate grey skinny jeans and added an extra injection of glamour in patent maroon ankle boots.

Sporting new waist-length blonde tresses, Georgia wore her locks in a playful updo, while enhancing her pretty features with false lashes, silver eyeshadow and a taupe lipstick.

Also joining the reunion was Montana Brown, 22, who briefly coupled up with Alex Beattie before their love flame died out.

Montana showed off her toned figure and pert derriere in a grey cold-shoulder dress which she paired with racy thigh-high boots.

Her tumbling brunette tresses were styled in bouncy curls with her natural beauty enhanced with liner, fluttery lashes and lip gloss.

Night out: The girls were in great spirits as they enjoyed a catch-up post villa

Chatty: Montana showed off her toned figure and pert derriere in a grey cold-shoulder dress which she paired with racy thigh-high boots

Reunion: The trio were enjoying a catch-up as they waited to go inside the restaurant
She debuted her new blonde makeover this weekend, in order to show her estranged ex Jeremy 'Hot Felon' Meeks what he's missing.

And Melissa Meeks, 38, seems to have a new man as well as a new look as she was spotted out with athlete and brief Love Island star Theo Campbell, 26, on Saturday.

Out for an autumnal stroll around Hyde Park, London, the pair were looking loved up as they gazed at each other and chatted animatedly hand-in-hand.

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Top-shopping and Love Island hopping: Jeremy Meeks' ex Melissa enjoys romantic stroll with brief reality star Theo Campbell... after 'Hot Felon' left her for billionaire Chloe Green

The duo looked as if they'd compared outfit notes as well, both wearing ripped skinny jeans and black jackets.

Melissa dressed the ensemble up in a plunging top and knee-high black velvet boots.

She wore her newly-dyed dark golden tresses perfectly blow-dried and added giant hoop earrings and daring red lipstick to the look.

The duo sat on a bench to take selfies together - sure to upload them to social media for the likes of Jeremy, 33, and his new Topshop heiress flame Chloe Green, 26, to see.

Get a loada this: The duo sat on a bench to take selfies together - sure to upload them to social media for the likes of Jeremy, 33, and his new Topshop heiress flame Chloe Green, 26, to see

Mix and match: The duo looked as if they'd compared outfit notes as well, both wearing ripped skinny jeans and black jackets

A friend of Melissa has revealed: 'She is so excited to have met Theo. It is early days of course but she really likes him after first meeting him on Instagram.

'Melissa loves his British accent and that he is an athlete. It's also a plus that he's not a felon!'

Theo had a rather uneventful stint on Love Island, having left his job as a pro athlete to take part.

Breif encounter: Theo had a rather uneventful stint on Love Island, having left his job as a pro athlete to take part

Dumped: He went in on Day 32 and was out just over a week later

He went in on Day 32 and was out just over a week later.

At the beginning of October Melissa, a natural brunette, stepped out with newly blonde locks in Los Angeles at the end of an extensive makeover, which included eyebrow and eyelash treatments, a cryotherapy session, and even a 'vaginal tightening' performed by a plastic surgeon.

She also had her eyebrows microbladed during a treatment favored by stars such as Madonna and Bella Thorne, which makes the brows look neater and fuller.

Former flames: The mother-of-three, who stayed with felon-turned-model Jeremy throughout his stint in prison, put on a brave face as she kicked off the new chapter in her life

The mother-of-three was left heartbroken when photos surfaced of former felon Jeremy canoodling on a yacht with British billionaire heiress Chloe.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Chloe took their controversial romance a step further last month, when he met her mum aboard a luxury yacht in Monaco.

At the beginning of the month they were forced to deny engagement rumours, after she flashed a huge rock on her wedding finger in a series of confusing snapchats. but made sure she kept her ring finger hidden.

The duo have since been spotted on a series of sun-soaked holidays together, even appearing together at various public events, cementing their relationship status.

His new muse: Melissa, 38, was left heartbroken when photos surfaced of former felon Jeremy, 33, canoodling on a yacht with British billionaire heiress Chloe Green, 26 (pictured above)

Jeremy began August by publicly parading his romance with heiress Chloe as they enjoyed carnival during a sunny Barbados holiday, his estranged wife Melissa appeared to take their continuous insensitivity in her stride as she took to Instagram to show off her sizzling physique soon after.

The brave nurse appeared to be beginning a post break-up body make-over, posing in her underwear as she showed off her already enviable figure.

Dressed in a black thong, the nurse proudly displayed her toned derriere and flat stomach, teasing a glimpse of her red lace bra.

'Day 1. Week 1. #letsseehowthisgoes', she captioned the racy snap.

Moving on: Jeremy's estranged wife Melissa took to Instagram to show off her sizzling physique last month as she appeared to be beginning a post break-up body make over last month

Official: Jeremy posted his first public snap with new girlfriend Chloe, heiress to billionaire father Sir Phillip Green's retail fortune, at the Barbados carnival in August

And Melissa garnered an influx of supportive messages from followers, who slammed the actions of Jeremy- who Melissa stayed with during his lengthy prison stint.

And despite staying maintaining a largely dignified silence over her estranged husband's actions, in July Melissa gave a rare insight into her life post-Jeremy Meeks, as she took to Instagram in a lengthy tirade.

The mother-of-three, who shares a seven-year-old son with the felon turned model, let rip just days after he continued to parade his romance with Chloe.

Taking to Instagram, the nurse shared a snapchot which read: 'I fed mouths that talked sh** about me. I wiped tears from the same people that caused mine. Picked up people that tried to knock me down. Did favours for those who couldn't do sh** for me. Been there for the ones that left me. Crazy? Maybe.'

Mingling with the A list: The model mingled with the likes of superstar rapper Nicki Minaj in Cannes in May- when he reportedly met Chloe

Proving she was taking the high road, the brave beauty concluded: 'But I don't lose myself in the hatred of others. I continue to be me because I can't change who I am. Life ain't easy but through the bullsh** I remain solid. Because I know god got big plans for me.'

'Saw this and felt how REAL it was, so I wanted to share it... #haveablessedday #remember #keepitsolid', she captioned the picture.

And as Chloe and Jeremy engaged in another public round of PDA, wife Melissa finally removed reference to Jeremy on her Instagram bio.

Previously describing herself as 'Wife to Jeremy Meeks' along with a ring emoji, the pretty nurse removed reference to him, keeping the remainder of the bio as 'Blessed beyond belief.. Dedicated to everything I do... Me and my Fam'.

Jeremy sent shock waves across the internet when pictures emerged of him kissing Chloe Green on a yacht in Turkey in June.

Famous friends: Jeremy mingled with socialite Paris Hilton as he modelled for Philip Plein

The duo reportedly met during the Cannes Film Festival in May, where Jeremy was modelling for Phillip Plein.

And in July Jeremy filed for legal separation from mother-of-three Melissa, who he shares her youngest son with.

He was married to the nurse, who stayed with him throughout his stint in prison, for eight years.

No longer 'Wife of Jeremy Meeks': After they filed for separation, Melissa finally removed reference to Jeremy on her Instagram bio

She later told the Mail of her devastation, admitting that her husband had been seduced by the glamour of his newfound modelling career.

I know it takes two to tango but she knew he was married. To me, thats unforgivable. My whole world has been torn apart by this. What do I tell our children? My heart is broken.

What sort of woman would do something like this to another woman? My marriage wasnt perfect but I thought it could be saved, until this happened.

Of course Im angry at her. What she did is unforgivable. And Im angry at him too. What they did destroyed my entire world.

Life of luxury: Meeks sent tongues wagging after pictures emerged of him kissing British Topshop heiress Chloe Green on a yacht in Turkey in June

Did either of them think about the children and how this will affect them? Theyre the innocent victims in this. And so am I.

Melissa is mother to his biological child Jeremy Jr, seven, and Robert, 11, Melissas son from a previous relationship. She also has a daughter, 16-year-old Ellie, and says both stepchildren consider Meeks a father figure.

Meeks and Chloe, who is heir to her father Sir Philip's billions, were pictured sharing the intimate kiss aboard a 112,000-a-week yacht in Bodrum.

At the time he was still with his wife of eight years, who was seemingly unaware of his new romance until pictures surfaced.

And fans quickly turned on the duo, accusing Chloe of breaking up a marriage.

Chloe was soon forced to delete her Instagram, after followers trolled a gloating post she shared as she snuggled up to married Jeremy.

However she since returned to the social media site, changing her settings to private.

Meeks too has edited his account, deleting all photographs of him and Melissa, which has not gone down with the fans who fell in love with his good looks after his California mugshot went viral in 2014.

Staying mum: Melissa has stayed quiet on her heartbreak, concentrating on raising her three children (pictured with Bobby and Jeremy junior this month)

Meeks, whose looks have earned him a huge fan base, made his first official modelling appearance at New York fashion week this year, and has certainly turned his life around in an impressive way since his release from prison.

However his journey to stardom hasn't been all smooth-sailing, after he was recently barred from entry to the UK after arriving at London's Heathrow airport from New York.

The California native shot to fame in 2014 when the Stockton Police Department posted his mugshot on their website, following his arrest for gang activity and a misdemeanour charge of resisting/obstructing justice.

The photo promptly went viral, with internet users dubbing him 'the hottest convict ever'.
He was a star at the Las Vegas Chippendales earlier this year.

And Tyson Beckford flaunted his sculpted six-pack while getting his fitness on at a Miami Beach in Florida on Friday.

The 46-year-old male model looked all smiles while talking on the phone after his intense sweat session.

Shirtless: Tyson Beckford flaunted his sculpted six-pack while getting his fitness on at a Miami Beach in Florida on Friday

Tyson went shirtless, while only wearing black cargo-shorts that peeked at his red underwear.

The supermodel teamed his look with black and gray high-top sneakers.

The hunk held on to his pre-workout chug jug tightly, as he also sported a pair of weight-lifting gloves.

Tyson enjoyed the warm Florida day by wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses.

Getting toned: The 46-year-old male model looked all smiles while talking on the phone after his intense sweat session

Chiseled: Tyson enjoyed the warm Florida day by wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses

The Into The Blue actor looked chiseled to perfection as he caught his breath by resting on a rock-wall.

Earlier this month, Tyson was seen in a club grinding with rapper T.I.'s ex-girlfriend Bernice Burgos.

In a short video obtained by HollywoodLife, the model is dancing with the curvy beauty to Lionel Richie's All Night Long.

The former face of Ralph Lauren was previously dating Victoria's Secret beauty Shanina Shaik, 26.

Shanina is now engaged to DJ Rukus, who Tyson fought at a club in May 2016.

Although all the drama is behind the two, it's safe to say that Tyson won't be making an appearance at the wedding.




It was on, then it was said to be off  and now its back on again! After more reports claiming the relationship between Donna Air and James Middleton is over, Donna has told friends that the pair are still dating  and are happier than ever.

Far from calling it a day, the couple are currently on a romantic break.

One pal of the TV star says: Donna and James have not split up. In fact, they are spending this weekend away together.

Confusion over their relationship arose when another friend claimed last week that they broke up a while ago but had managed to keep the news quiet.

After more reports claiming the relationship between Donna Air and James Middleton is over, Donna has told friends that the pair are still dating  and are happier than ever

Though they have lasted the course, the pressure is now on for the Duchess of Cambridges brother to decide whether its make or break as he and Donna have now been dating for four years.

While Donna, 38, has been married before  to millionaire conservationist Damian Aspinall  James is yet to follow the lead of his sisters and settle down. The couple have been through ups and downs and split briefly last year.

But James, 30, said: I love Donna very much. Marriage is absolutely not something Im scared of, but it isnt necessarily the be-all and end-all. She makes me very happy. I think I make her very happy. I want children.

The eight-year age gap between the couple, right, has never been a problem, according to friends.

They say James adores Donnas 14-year-old daughter, Freya. While Donna and James do not live together, he is a regular visitor to her townhouse in Chelsea. She once joked that animal lover James has so many dogs that they have to draw up a rota to decide who will take them for walks.

While he has kept himself busy running his marshmallow business, Donna has spent much of this year helping to set up sociable networking site Wistla.

She told me last month: Its an online platform that gets people off the net and enjoying all the fun things in life.
The entire country is feeling the effects of the raging weather.

Yet Lucy Fallon did not let Storm Brian rain on her fashion parade as she left The Smoke House Cellar Bar and Restaurant in Manchester on Saturday.

The Coronation Street star, 21, brought summer cheer to the northern city when she braved the severe weather conditions with a smile and a thigh-skimming coat with a jumper pulled over her head to protect her hair.

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Don't rain on my fashion parade! Lucy Fallon showed off her legs in a thigh-skimming coat as she braved Storm Brian when she left Smoke House Cellar Bar in Manchester on Saturday

Layering up, the soap star was wrapped up snug to keep off the chill in her thick cream jacket as she enjoyed the breezy evening out with pals.

Wearing only a tiny ensemble underneath, the television star put her slender legs on parade as she braved the rainy streets in towering scarlet heels.

The Corrie beauty kept her trademark golden locks dry with a drenched teal grey jumper which seemed to be an unwelcome addition to her look.

Lucy looked utterly relaxed, in spite of the poor weather conditions which has sparked travel chaos - including causing a plane to sway at Manchester airport.

Layering up: The soap star was wrapped up snug to keep off the chill to the air in her thick cream jacket as she enjoyed the breezy evening out with pals

In recent months, the actress upped the romantic stakes with her boyfriend Tom Leech after the pair moved in together.

The lovebirds are stronger than ever since becoming an item more than a year and a half ago.

Lucy recently revealed marriage is on the cards for the pair in the near future but she claimed she won't have children until her late twenties.

She's got style: The star never fails to show off her chic sense of style on (L, pictured at The British Soap Awards in 2017) and off (R, pictured in London in June 2017) the red carpet

Speaking to OK! Magazine, Lucy said: 'I'm really good with babies because I have nephews, but I like to give them back. I wouldn't like it to be a full-time thing yet.

'I'm veering more to my late twenties because I've still got loads of things I want to do.'

The young actress has caused quite a stir with her involvement in the child grooming plot which plagued the cobbles in recent months.

Must be love: In recent months, the actress upped the romantic stakes with her boyfriend Tom Leech (pictured together in Manchester in May 2017)

Lucy plays naive schoolgirl Bethany Platt who became a victim at the hands of her twisted boyfriend Nathan Curtis. But it was the horrific rape scene with Nathan's police officer pal Neil which brought the trauma home to the British beauty.

She told The Sun's Fabulous magazine: 'There have been scenes where I have genuinely cried because they've been so hard to do.

'Obviously the rape scene with Neil was the hardest and the one with all of the men in the flat because imagining that actually happening to someone is just horrible.'
Bella Hadid was flying high Saturday.

The cover girl looked chic in head-to-toe beige while posting social media from high above NYC.

The 21-year-old model offered a saucy take on neutrals, leaving little to the imagination in a sheer henley worn without a bra to reveal almost all of her full chest.

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Soaring! Bella Hadid looked chic in head-to-toe beige Saturday as she posted social media from a helicopter high above NYC

The ex of rapper The Weeknd wasn't hiding her natural assets in the semi-sheer top which reveal all of the details of her full chest.

Another angle offered a good look at the IMG beauty's slender form from back, showing off her slim limbs in oatmeal colored leggings and a pale peach tunic.

The daughter of Mohammed and Yolanda Hadid tagged fashion designer Paco Rabanne in the post.

She also carried along a Dior handbag.

Long and tall: Another angle offered a good look at the IMG beauty's slender form from back, showing off her slim limbs in oatmeal colored leggings and a pale peach tunic

Girls' trip! The youngest Hadid sister captioned another shot of two sunglasses-clad besties 'taking the girls away for the weekend'

The youngest Hadid sister captioned another shot of two sunglasses-clad besties 'taking the girls away for the weekend.'

From the look of their headphones, the ladies were jetting away via helicopter.

Bella posted an image of the Statue Of Liberty as they soared above the Hudson River.

After touching down, the self-described 'horse girl' posted a photo of a beautiful thoroughbred horse captioned 'WHEREIBELONG.'

Bella posted an image of the Statue Of Liberty as they soared above the Hudson River in an on-demand helicopter

Home is whenever I'm with you: After touching down, the self-described 'horse girl' posted a photo of a beautiful thoroughbred horse captioned 'WHEREIBELONG'

I A'Dior you! The ex of rapper The Weeknd carried her things in a Dior tote during her weekend trip with friends

Wow: The ex of rapper The Weeknd wasn't hiding her natural assets in the semi-sheer top which reveal all of the details of her full chest

Beauty: She was seen in Tribeca on Saturday later in the day rocking the look

Fancy: Bella enjoyed a cold drink while sporting her racy look

Happy: The model's unique look included sneakers and a Dior purse

Earlier this year Bella told Teen Vogue that abandoning her horse Lego and dreams of being an Olympic equestrian after her Lyme Disease diagnosis was her 'biggest breakup.'

'Lego was my main, my ride or die,' the Palistinian-American model chirped. 'When I had to sell him, it was like a breakup! I was really traumatized.'

While Bella split with beau The Weeknd in Summer 2015, the brunette stunner is rumored to be seeing rapper Drake since late Spring.
She's defected from Network 10 to Channel Seven thanks to a highly anticipated upcoming role on Home and Away.

And Sam Frost has wasted no time getting settled in with her new employer, heading over to Perth on Saturday for their annual charity telethon.

The 28-year-old budding actress narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction in a low cut dress while she greeted fans.

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Busting out! Home and Away star Sam Frost narrowly avoids wardrobe malfunction in low cut dress at the Channel Seven Perth Telethon

The reality TV sweetheart looked every bit the Summer Bay beach babe at the event, wearing a ruffled wrap dress.

The low cut flaunted her cleavage and golden tan, Sam accessorising her outfit with white slides.

The petite beauty appeared frantic as she greeted a large horde of fans, running over with autographed photos.

Busting a move: Hurrying back and forth between the stage and her fans, Sam appeared not to notice her narrowly-missed wardrobe malfunction

Working hard: The petite beauty appeared frantic as she greeted a large horde of fans, running over with autographed photos

Hurrying back and forth between the stage and her fans, Sam appeared not to notice her narrowly-avoided wardrobe malfunction.

Sam also posed for a group selfie, holding her arms wide as she smiled broadly for the camera.

The reality TV star, who has no formal acting or training experience, was controversially confirmed as Home and Away's newest addition in July.

Backlash from the decision forced Sam to hit back at her casting in an Instagram post.

Say cheese! Sam also posed for a group selfie, holding her arms wide as she smiled broadly for the camera

'I am not afraid to challenge myself, to push through barriers. I work incredibly hard professionally & personally to constantly grow, learn and evolve,' she wrote.

'I have chosen to live my life embracing opportunities & challenges with open arms. It may work, it may not... but at least I can say I was brave enough to give it a shot.'

Previously working in marketing, Sam rose to fame starring on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Hell's Kitchen.
She tied the knot with AFL superstar Lance 'Buddy' Franklin in November 2016.

And as her first wedding anniversary fast approaches, Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) is reminiscing about the preparations she made in the lead-up to her spectacular wedding ceremony.

Speaking with The Herald Sun, the 26-year-old model stated that this time last year her and Buddy 'flew to New York where I had my final fitting with Vera [Wang], and then picked up my wedding dress'.

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Reminiscing: In the lead-up to her first wedding anniversary to husband 'Buddy', Jesinta Franklin has reminisced about her preparations for the spectacular ceremony

On Saturday, Jesinta and Buddy cut fashionable figures at Caulfield Cup Day in Melbourne. However this time last year, Jesinta attended the race day solo and was in the midst of planning her secret nuptials.

She told The Herald Sun: 'I was cool, calm and collected on the outside [at last year's Caulfield Cup] but underneath I was organising this entire wedding that no one knew about.'

The couple married in an intimate ceremony in the Blue Mountains, managing to avoid intense media interest.

Designer gown: Jesinta's wedding dress was designed by Vera Wang, and she flew to New York for a fitting

Meanwhile, at yesterday's Caulfield Cup, Jesinta revealed that while she and Buddy enjoy attending the race day, they have not invested in any racehorses.

'We invest in property, things that dont move,' the star told the publication.

The couple forked out $2.35 million for their four-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Sydney's affluent Rose Bay back in 2014.

'We invest in property': In the same interview with The Herald Sun, Jesinta revealed that she and Buddy had not put any of their money into racehorses

However, it appears the power couple have also invested in things that do, indeed, 'move'.

Last week, Jesinta treated herself to a new car- a Range Rover Velar, which retails for a whopping $135,000

The star took to social media showing off the features of the luxury vehicle, as she also flashed her enormous diamond engagement ring, which is said to be platinum and worth between $75,000 and $100,000.

However, it's unclear if Jesinta is part of her ambassador role for Jaguar Land Rover.

New wheels! Last week, Jesinta picked up her new $135,000 Range Rover
It's not unusual for emotions to be running high when it comes to The X Factor's Judges' Houses round.

But it seemed like the girls were more weepy than ever on Saturday night's episode, which saw Sharon Osbourne jet them to her pad in San Francisco to sing in front of her and her children Jack and Kelly.

There were tears flowing from all corners as each of the six young women - Deanna Mussington, Georgina Panton, Alisah Banaobra, Grace Davies, Holly Tandy and Rai-Elle Williams - stood before Sharon and her children to sing for a place in the live shows.

The likes of Deanna, Georgina and Alisah were seen weeping about why they were on the show.

Deanna - whose family in Anguilla have recently gone through the trauma of Hurricane Irma - was so overwhelmed with her desire to get through to the live shows that she could barely perform.

She was seen pacing around backstage, crying continually, unable to pull herself together.

Cry me a river: It's not unusual for emotions to be running high when it comes to The X Factor's Judges' Houses round

Tears for fears: But it seemed like the girls were more weepy than ever on Saturday night's episode, which saw Sharon Osbourne jet them to her pad in San Francisco to sing in front of her and her children Jack and Kelly

Big girls don't cry: There were tears flowing from all corners as each of the six young women - Deanna Mussington, Georgina Panton, Alisah Banaobra, Grace Davies, Holly Tandy and Rai-Elle Williams - stood before Sharon and her children to sing for a place in the live shows

When the opportunity came for her to sing for the trio of Osbournes - who were notably lacking patriarch Ozzy, much to viewers' chagrin - she had to walk off and calm down.

This prompted Kelly to follow her and talk some sense into her.

'At this moment, youre doing this for you, not everyone back home,' she said, taking Deanne into the corner. 'If you get through you can help them out. You need to calm down or this won't go well for you.'

And it didn't - as fragile Deanna was back to Anguilla.

The same happened for Alisah, who had flown over from the Philippines and claimed that her family would be 'very sad' if she came back without good news.

Take a breath: 'At this moment, youre doing this for you, not everyone back home,' she said, taking Deanne into the corner. 'If you get through you can help them out. You need to calm down or this won't go well for you'

Bursting into tears, Holly said: 'I would work so hard to get that out of myself, I know that Im ready for that, I am'

Having burst back onto the stage during Boot Camp to belt out a tune and fight for her place on the show after Simon Cowell tried sending her home, Alisah was also sent off by Sharon during the Six Chair Challenge.

It was the crowds chanting 'bring her back' that landed her an eventual place in Judges' Houses - but this was the end of the road for her this time, leaving her wailing with sobs.

Georgina - who suddenly decided she wanted to be known as Gigi - was also sent home, left heartbroken at the thought of letting down her young son.

This meant that Grace, Holly and Rai-Elle were through - all of them bursting into floods of tears too.

Emotional: Grace burst into tears three separate times

Dashed dreams: Georgina - who suddenly decided she wanted to be known as Gigi - was also sent home, left heartbroken at the thought of letting down her young son

Grace cried midway through her performance of an original song, after Sharon stopped her from singing at first.

'Youre clipping your words. I can feel your emotion but you need to breath and relax.

'I love the quirkiness in your voice but it's too much. Relax and sing.'

Grace did as she was told but stopped and cried half-way through it, heading back to the other girls afterwards still very teary.

'I dont know if I showed my potential,' she weeped. 'I'm not feeling good. I was trying to give it too much. I balls'ed it up.'

Keeping her cool: The most emotionally stable of the group seemed to be Rai-Elle, who did get tearful but was actually able to compose herself

Get it together: Deanna - whose family in Anguilla have recently gone through the trauma of Hurricane Irma - was so overwhelmed with her desire to get through to the live shows that she could barely perform

Nonetheless she got through - and cried yet again.

Holly - who is the youngest contestant at 16 [still 15 at her first room audition] was also sent through, with Sharon worrying that she was too young.

'It's about having the X Factor and I havent seen you shine yet,' she said.

Bursting into tears, Holly said: 'I would work so hard to get that out of myself, I know that Im ready for that, I am.'

'Well youre going to be moving into that house,' Sharon informed her.

'Are you joking? I so thought you were going to say no!' Holly squealed, this time through tears of joy.

'Are you joking? I so thought you were going to say no!' Holly squealed, this time through tears of joy

Time to go home: Alisah had flown over from the Philippines and claimed that her family would be 'very sad' if she came back without good news

The most emotionally stable of the group seemed to be Rai-Elle, who did get tearful but was actually able to compose herself.

Phoning her parents after Sharon told her she was through, she casually informed them that 'Sharon thinks I'm ready', before sticking out her tongue cheekily.

Meanwhile, emotions were also running wild amid viewers who took to Twitter to demand to know where Sharon's husband - and Jack and Kelly's dad - Ozzy was.

'Can we get Ozzy on? Now that would be worth watching!' came on person's tweet.

'Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne judging talent on #XFactor Oh the irony, 3 cretins thats have or tired to make a living off Ozzys name!' another wrote, bitterly.

A third wrote: 'Sharon's got Jack & Kelly helping her. It would've made more sense to have Ozzy. At least he's been a musician. #JudgesHouses #XFactor.'

Uproar? Meanwhile, emotions were also running wild amid viewers who took to Twitter to demand to know where Sharon's husband - and Jack and Kelly's dad - Ozzy was

'I love that Sharon has her kids to judge with her. Shouldve had Ozzy too though...' came another remark.

A fifth and sixth posted 'Ozzy wondering where his invite was' and 'waiting for Ozzy to come staggering out of a bush like...'

Another person typed: 'Ozzy turning on the tele and wandering where his invite to the family judging sesh is #xfactor #JudgesHouses.'

Ozzy was certainly a firm fixture on the family's pioneering fly-on-the-wall reality show Te Osbournes 15 years ago.

There was a sense of nostalgia when matriarch Sharon recruited her children to help this year, with the 65-year-old judge kicking back at home while sporting a kimono with her equally chilled out rock offspring, 32 and 31 respectively.

They're back: while The Osbournes fans were devastated to see the show end, there was a sense of nostalgia in the air on Saturday evening as matriarch Sharon recruited her children Kelly and Jack to help her in The X Factor judges' houses round

The Osbourne name was notorious in its own right due to father Ozzy, being one of the most treasured rockers in the world as the frontman of Black Sabbath.

Yet 2005 saw the family propelled to new levels of stardom when they scooped their own reality show, which followed them round in their wild every day antics while MTV managed to capture fights, dog excrement and Jack's wild ways.

Despite coming off air three years later, Sharon continued in her TV career as she scooped her X Factor role from 2004 to 2007, before a return in 2013, and another comeback last year after which she signed on the dotted line for the current series.

Way back when: Their pioneering fly-on-the-wall reality show hit screens a whopping 15 years ago

Decisions, decisions: The 65-year-old judge, who has been charged with the girls in this year's competition, looked totally relaxed as she kicked back at home while sporting a kimono while the rock offspring, 32 and 31 respectively, looked laid-back

Yay! Seemingly perturbed by the fact they were staying so close to home, they were delightedly told they would in fact be jetting Stateside to see the rock legend.

Tea time: Sharon and co welcomed the budding young starlets into their plush home

Belting it out: Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne are seen listening to Holly Tandy perform

Singing for her supper: Holly hopes to wow the trio of music lovers

Tough choices: The threesome will need to whittle it down from six girls to three

Deliberation: The trio will spend the evening deciding who to put through

Tiring work: Sharon looks to struggle with this year's decision

While Sharon recruited her famous children Jack and Kelly, Nicole Scherzinger enlisted the help of UK rapper Stormzy in South Africa.

Simon Cowell has brought Cheryl back to the fold while Louis is joined by Mika in Turkey.

Lending a hand: Dermot joins the Osbournes in their mammoth decision
It's still 10 days until Halloween.

But Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan looked like they were getting into the spirit of things early when they took daughter Everly, four, to her preschool Halloween party in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Logan Lucky star looked adorable dressed as a pink unicorn complete with a rainbow colored horn attached to the hood of his outfit.

Fairytale fun: Channing Tatum ldressed as a pink unicorn with a rainbow-colored horn attached for daughter Everly's pre-school Halloween party in Studio City on Saturday

Earning their wings: Thje 37-year-old actor's wife Jenna Dewan, 36, and daughter Everly, four, both dressed as fairies for the party

It also featured a multi-colored tail that bobbed happily as he walked along holding a small pumpkin.

The two ladies in his life donned fairy dresses and wings as they flittered along next to him.

Actress Jenna, 36, wore a gorgeous green dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a flower garland in her hair.

She held her pale green wing her her hands as she got dressed up.

Arriving in style: The rear view revealed Channing's multi-colored tale and Jenna's wings

Fiddling with his horn: The Magic Mike actor pulled up the hood of his fairytale outfit

Adorable: The actor paired the top with grey drawstring sweats

Everly had on a more elaborate outfit, also in green, with a petal-style hemline and shimmering pink and green wings.

Jenna later shared an Instagram snap of herself still in her green dress but with her wings looking very bedraggled as she carried a large plastic daisy in one hand and a cup and some candy in the other hand.

She needs a lift: It seems that Everly's wings gave out and she relied on her mom to carry her

Sexy fairy: The Supergirl star wore an off-the-shoulder dress that showed off her decolletage

She captioned it: 'This is the wings smashed, Mom somehow ends up holding it all, I survived preschool Halloween carnival nature fairy look.'

Meanwhile, Channing, who appeared in four films this year, has five films set up for 2018 and 2019.

They include Wingman, Van Helsing and Gambit.

He also has voice roles in Smallfoot and America: The Motion Picture.

Heating up: Channing pulled off his unicorn head on the hot day as he walked back to the car
According to an interior ministry statement, at least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert on October 20, 2017

At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert on Friday, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the incident and said some of the "terrorist" attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears poised to secure a fresh term at the helm of the world's third-biggest economy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Saturday vowed to step up pressure on North Korea to protect the Japanese people as he wrapped up an election campaign dominated by threats from Pyongyang.

Polls show Abe and his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are clear favourites to win Sunday's election, handing him a fresh mandate for his hardline stance on North Korea and "Abenomics" growth strategy.

Abe's coalition is on track to win around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house of parliament, according to a projection published by the Nikkei daily.

If the polls are correct, 63-year-old Abe is on course to be the longest-serving premier in post-war Japan, the world's third-biggest economy and key US ally in Asia.

In a final and passionate campaign speech at Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district, Abe pledged to apply so much pressure on North Korea that the regime would change its ways and ask for negotiations.

"What is needed is strong diplomacy," said Abe, vowing to work with both US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to achieve his goal.

He cried: "We must not yield to the threat of North Korea" which has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and fired two missiles over the country.

Abe is on track to become the longest-serving in post-war Japanese history

"We are the ones who can defend people's lives, protect our happy way of life, and open the future for our children and our nation," he pledged, referring to his LDP party.

Throughout the short 12-day campaign, the premier has railed against Pyongyang, keeping a hawkish stance and backing the US line that "all options" are on the table.

Abe enjoys only lukewarm public support but the weak and fragmented opposition has been unable to make inroads into his poll lead.

The two main opposition parties -- the "Party of Hope" created by the media-savvy Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party -- are trailing far behind, predicted to win around 50 seats each.

- 'Koike's gambit' -

Aside from North Korea, many voters regard the economy and reforming the costly social security system as their priority concerns, as Abe has struggled to revive the once world-beating Japanese economy after five years in power.

Abe says his trademark "Abenomics" strategy of ultra-loose monetary policy and big fiscal spending is the best way to pep up the economy, which is weighed down by debt and struggling with deflation.

He has also pledged to use part of the proceeds from a planned sales tax hike to fund free childcare in a bid to get more women into the workplace.

Yuriko Koike urged voters to check Abe's power

Koike wants to scrap the tax hike, arguing it would throttle a recovery that has seen Japan's longest stretch of growth in a decade.

In a last-ditch appeal to voters, Koike urged voters to help build an opposition force big enough to serve as a counterweight to the powerful Abe.

"Look at consumer spending. You cannot say Abenomics has borne its fruits," Koike said

"This election started in a chaotic rush and it is already coming to an end," she said. "If things stay the same, you will have to accept an unchecked Abe regime."

Koike enjoyed a blaze of publicity when launching her new "Party of Hope", but the bubble appears to have burst for the popular 65-year-old former newscaster, partly because she declined to run herself for prime minister.

"Every party has to have, to be credible, a candidate for prime minister and she would have been it but then she walked away and it is a ship that suddenly has no captain," Michael Cucek from Temple University told AFP.

Another brand-new party, the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party, appears to have some momentum going into the poll and could do better than expected.

With little suspense over the overall outcome, the main tension is over whether Abe and his junior coalition partner Komeito will retain their two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament.

This is significant because it would enable Abe to propose changes to the US-imposed Constitution, which effectively limits the military to a self-defence role and forces Japan to "renounce war".

One less predictable factor in the election is the weather as a typhoon spirals towards Japan, expected to dump heavy rains on most of the country on polling day.

This could weigh on turnout, with a lower participation rate seen as beneficial for Abe, whose supporters are more committed.
Somalis pray for victims during Friday prayer on October 20 in Mogadishu on the scene of a massive truck bomb attack in which at least 276 people were killed and 300 injured on October 14 in the deadliest ever attack to hit the conflict-torn nation

Somalia's deadliest ever attack, a truck bomb in the capital Mogadishu, has now killed 358 people with 228 more injured, the government said late Friday, a major jump in the fatality toll.

A truck packed with explosives blew up in Hodan on October 14, destroying some 20 buildings in the bustling commercial district, leaving scores of victims burned beyond recognition.

Several experts told AFP the truck was probably carrying at least 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of explosives.

"The latest number of casualties 642 (358 dead, 228 injured, 56 missing). 122 injured ppl flown to Turkey, Sudan & Kenya," Somali Minister of Information Abdirahman Osman tweeted.

The figures mark a sharp increase in the toll, which earlier this week was put at 276 dead and 300 wounded.

The attack has overwhelmed Somalia's fragile health system, and allies from the US, Qatar, Turkey and Kenya have sent planeloads of medical supplies as well as doctors, with all except the US also evacuating some of the wounded.

Death tolls are notoriously difficult to establish in Mogadishu, with families often quickly taking victims away to be buried.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility, but Al-Shabaab, a militant group aligned with Al-Qaeda, carries out regular suicide bombings in Mogadishu in its bid to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed government.

The group has a history of not claiming attacks whose scale provokes massive public outrage.

Already more than 100 unidentified people have been buried who were burned beyond recognition.

While the rapid burial is partly due to Islamic culture, the Somali government also has no proper morgue nor the capability to carry out forensic tests to identify the victims.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed vowed Wednesday to step up the war against Al-Shabaab, saying that the attack showed "that we have not done enough to stop Shabaab."

"If we don't respond to this now, the time will surely come when pieces of flesh from all of us are being picked up off the ground. We need to stand up together and fight Al-Shabaab who continue massacring our people," he said.

However it was unclear what Farmajo -- who came into office eight months ago also vowing to eliminate Al-Shabaab -- planned to do to stop the militants from carrying out such attacks.

The previous most deadly attack in Somalia killed 82 people and injured 120 in October 2011.
Police in Victoria state announced six rewards of AUS$1 million ($780,000) each for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was behind the murders in the 1980s

Australian police offered a record $4.75 million in rewards Saturday to catch the serial killer or killers behind the murders of six Melbourne women in the 1980s.

The women, ranging in age from 14 to 73, disappeared in separate incidents as they traveled on foot around Melbourne over an 18-month period in 1980-1981.

Their remains were found in scrubland in several locations on the outskirts of the city.

The police in Victoria state, where Melbourne is located, announced on Saturday six rewards of AUS$1 million ($780,000) each for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was behind the murders.

"Investigators are seeking public assistance to help solve these six murders, and are appealing directly to any persons with knowledge of these crimes and of those responsible to come forward and contact police," the department said in a statement.

It said the AUS$6 million was the largest reward amount ever offered by the department.
Former flight attendant Asami Miwa waves to potential voters in drizzly Saitama, an hour north of Tokyo -- a welcome splash of colour in the sepia-tinged world of Japanese politics dominated by men in grey suits

An elderly woman hunched over a cane stares intently as Japanese political hopeful Asami Miwa greets locals in the rural voting district the former flight attendant is contesting in Sunday's election.

Waving her white-gloved hands and bowing to potential voters in drizzly Saitama, an hour north of Tokyo, the 30-year-old Party of Hope candidate is a welcome splash of colour in a sepia-tinged world dominated by men in grey suits.

"Japan talks a good game about women's role in society," Miwa told AFP as the leathery-faced pensioner wished her luck before shuffling away.

"But there are so few of us in politics -- only 10 percent of Japan's parliament is made up of women," she added before climbing into a campaign van decorated with a large poster of her with her party's founder, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

"For a woman to even consider going into politics is still taboo in Japan."

Few people in Obukuro, a sleepy corner of Koshigaya city, famous for producing the ubiquitous red "daruma" dolls sold in Japanese gift shops, bat an eyelid as Miwa's little white van trundles past with loudspeakers blaring.

"Good morning," a male campaign aide -- or "crow" in the electioneering parlance -- calls out over a microphone as Miwa waves cheerfully, often at no one in particular.

Only 10 percent of Japan's parliament is made up of women -- something that candidate Asami Miwa is hoping to help change

"Representing Tokyo Governor Koike's Party of Hope, 30-year-old Asami Miwa, Asami Miwa. Please treat me nicely."

Miwa, who worked as a cabin attendant for budget airline Peach before a radical career change two years ago, jumps out to press the flesh with pedestrians she spots, bowing deeply and often as she hands out leaflets.

"I want to give women a voice," said the former part-time model, dressed in a plastic raincoat and sensible beige trousers.

"The reason women don't run for office is because Japanese society thinks we're supposed to get married and raise children. People accuse you of abandoning your family if you plump for politics."

Miwa, the mother of a seven-year-old daughter, added: "That's hardly conducive to a society in which women can be seen as equals."

- Seasoned campaigner -

Like a seasoned political campaigner, Miwa has a handy metaphor to describe how working in a pressurised cabin at 30,000 feet (9,000 metres) had prepared her for public service.

'I want to give women a voice,' says Party of Hope candidate and former part-time model Asami Miwa

"Every time you board a flight you get a plane full of different passengers," said Miwa, who is hoping to help defeat Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition.

"But once you take off, you're sharing the same space -- you still have to serve them and guarantee their safety.

"Likewise in politics, you have to listen to all sorts of different opinions from voters and you have a duty to the people in your electoral district."

Miwa stressed that Japan should stand firm on the North Korean nuclear threat, which has cast a shadow over the election campaign.

"How Japan deals with the North Korean problem is a key concern," she said. "They could launch a missile at us at any time so we must be firm. We need to debate whether Abe's approach on sanctions goes far enough."

With Koike tipped to become Japan's first female prime minister in the future, Miwa insisted it was time to change Japan's political landscape.

"The reason I joined the Party of Hope is because I believe it's time for a female leader," she said.

"The Lib-Dems have had power for too long -- it can't carry on. People need options, they need hope."
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is Asia's leading cinematic event

A Korean drama about desperate teens and a movie that exposes the hardships of daily life in the Iranian capital Tehran shared the top prize at Asia's premier film festival on Saturday.

The two grim tales left award jurors at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival concerned that modern cinema was heading "towards visions of darkness and desperation".

Korean director Kim Ui-seok's teen-themed drama "After My Death" and "Blockage" from Iran's Mohsen Gharaei were announced as the two winners of this year's New Currents award for first or second-time filmmakers.

Both films were praised for their "vivid detail and excellent craftsmanship" but jurors -- led by the Oscar-winning US director Oliver Stone -- said they were concerned by how the dramas mirrored the current state of the world "as presented by media".

"But the jury believes tomorrow's filmmakers can find more hope and light in this life, and bring it to their films to encourage their audiences to see all kinds of life," said veteran Philippine director Lav Diaz, who announced the awards.

Along with Stone, Diaz was joined on this year's New Currents panel by Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, Korean director Jang Sun-woo and French cinematographer Agnes Godard.

Contemporary local politics were also to the fore in the festival's other major prizes, with director Park Baeil's documentary "Soseongri" claiming the BIFF Mecenat Award.

Jurors praised its "carefully balanced" focus on a group of elderly women protesting the controversial instalment of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system near their town to guard against growing missile threats from Pyongyang.

- Mired in politics -

The Busan festival has been mired in politics in recent years, having seen its funding cut following the screening in 2014 of "Diving Bell: The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol".

The documentary was critical of the South Korean government's handling of the Sewol ferry disaster that claimed around 300 lives.

BIFF director Kang Soo-yeon and the festival's 81-year-old founder Kim Dong-ho, brought back onboard in 2015, will step down from their posts after this year's event.

Their departure follows a letter of criticism from staff who claimed they had not properly -- or openly -- dealt with BIFF's woes.

Kang said on Saturday she was proud that BIFF had been able to continue through the troubles and hoped it would now be left to focus on cinema. "For any festival, that's the most important thing," she said.

Local media in Korea have pointed to the presence of President Moon Jae-in this year -- he attended a screening of the E Oni's socially charged drama "Missing" -- as a sign that government support has swung back in the festival's favour.

Highlights among the 300-odd films from 76 countries that screened this year included the world premiere of director Jeon Jae-Eun's heartfelt drama "Butterfly Sleep".

The film stars Miho Nakayama and is sure to be a commercial hit given her following internationally. Another big draw was the premiere of rising Chinese talent Li Xiaofeng's gripping murder mystery "Ash".

The curtain officially comes down on the festival at the Busan Cinema Centre on Saturday night with the world premiere of veteran Taiwanese director Sylva Chang's generation-crossing drama "Love Education", and the official handing over of the awards.
A Lebanese painter works on a rooftop on September 28, 2017 as part of a project to write the word "peace" in Arabic across 85 buildings in a Tripoli street dividing rival Sunni and Alawite-majority nneighbourhoods

From the street below it's easy to miss the workers daubing rooftops as part of an ambitious art project in two battle-scarred neighbourhoods of Lebanon's Tripoli.

But the Ashekman street art duo behind the project say that once they're done, the pistachio-green rooftops they are painting will spell out the word "salam" -- Arabic for "peace" -- on a scale visible from space.

The project, three years in the making, is the brainchild of 34-year-old twins Mohamed and Omar Kabbani.

They researched and rejected multiple locations in their native Lebanon before settling on Tripoli.

They chose a site spanning the Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighbourhoods, which have fought successive rounds of armed clashes in recent years.

"We jumped from one location to another and finally we decided to do it here in Tripoli, specifically in Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, an area that has been in conflict," said Omar Kabbani.

"We're painting the word 'salam' across 85 building rooftops over 1.3 kilometres... to convey that people here are peaceful," he said.

"And Lebanon in general, we want peace."

- From bullets to brushes -

Peace has been elusive in Sunni-majority Bab al-Tebbaneh and the adjacent Alawite-majority Jabal Mohsen.

Fighters from the two areas have battled each other periodically for decades, and the war in neighbouring Syria, pitting a Sunni-dominated uprising against Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, has further stirred existing enmities.

Lebanese painters work on September 28, 2017 as part of a project to write the word Peace in Arabic on rooftops separating Tripoli's Sunni neighbourhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh from the Alawite neighbourhood of Jabal Mohsen

The clashes have gouged hundreds of bullet holes into building facades, while mortar fire has blasted through walls, rendering some homes uninhabitable.

Fighting between the neighbourhoods has eased in the last two years, but photos of those killed in the most recent violence remain plastered across both areas.

Ashekman's project runs on either side of the infamous Syria Street separating the two neighbourhoods. The duo hired workers from across the divide to help them complete the project.

"All of the workers live here in the neighbourhood, they lived the conflict, some of them got shot," Omar Kabbani said.

"Two years ago they were hiding from bullets... now they're painting their rooftops proudly."

The brothers are sensitive to the observation that their project does little to address the most obvious scars of fighting or the area's desperate poverty, often identified as a catalyst of the violence.

A handout picture released by artists on October 20, 2017 shows an aerial view of the word "Peace" in Arabic painted on the roofs of 85 buildings on a street separating rival Sunni and Alawite majority neighbourhoods

They say they chose paint that will seal rooftops against rain and reflect ultra-violet rays, cooling the homes below.

And in order to paint the rooftops, they had to negotiate with residents and often had to clear large amounts of trash and debris.

"It took us around 10 days just to remove all the garbage on the rooftops," said Kabbani.

"With the garbage came a couple of rats, and we fought with some rats. It wasn't an easy task," he said, laughing.

- 'Peace, a great word' -

Walid Abu Heit, 29, joined the project as a painter after hearing about it from March, a Lebanese NGO that has worked on reconciliation and rehabilitation in the rival neighbourhoods.

He was born in Bab al-Tebbaneh and worked at a dairy, but lost his job after violence erupted.

Lebanese painters work on September 28, 2017 as part of a project to write the word Peace in Arabic across 85 rooftops joining rival Sunni and Alawite neighbourhoods of Tripoli

"It was very difficult when fighting broke out," he said.

"Darkness engulfed the neighbourhood. People stopped coming here."

He and other workers lugged heavy tubs of paint up seven floors and began plastering a roof with the fluorescent green, which flecked his hands and boots.

"It's an amazing project," he said, smiling and shading his eyes from the blazing sun.

"The word peace, it's a great word... we haven't seen it for a long time, now we're seeing it again."
Meteorologists expect strong winds and heavy rain across much of Japan on polling day Sunday

A powerful typhoon was bearing down on Japan Saturday, a day ahead of national elections, with experts predicting severe winds and heavy rains as the country goes to the polls.

Super typhoon Lan, described as "very large" and "very strong" by Japan's Meteorological Agency, was packing gusts up to 252 kilometres (157 miles) per hour Saturday above Pacific waters south of Japan.

As Lan drew closer, voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm cast their ballots early for Sunday's election.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Navy called it a super typhoon.

The Japanese agency said Lan would move just east of Okinawa Sunday before grazing the country's coastal areas, possibly directly hitting Tokyo or surrounding regions, Monday morning.

Meteorologists expect strong winds and heavy rain across much of Japan on Sunday.

Regardless of weather, however, national surveys have largely predicted that the ruling bloc, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was likely to claim a landslide victory.

Abe has called on voters to cast their ballots early to avoid bad weather.

Turnout has declined to below 60 percent in the last two general elections. The last vote in December 2014 saw a record-low rate of 52.66 percent.
The dog, untied, was out on a walk with Choi's father in Seoul when it attacked Kim, a neighbour

Choi Siwon, a member of popular K-pop boy band Super Junior, on Saturday apologised over the death of a renowned restaurateur who died after being attacked by his family's pet dog.

The 53-year-old woman, surnamed Kim, who ran a famous Korean restaurant, Hanilkwan, in Seoul, died in hospital of blood poisoning on October 3, days after she was bitten by a French bull dog raised by the Chois.

The dog, untied, was out on a walk with Choi's father when it attacked Kim, a neighbour.

"I lower my head and apologise to the bereaved family... and convey my deep condolences," Choi wrote on his Instagram account.

"As a member of the family raising the dog, I feel greatly responsible", said the 31-year-old Choi.

But his belated apology sparked online attacks saying that his apology was not sincere.

In the face of the criticism, Siwon removed photographs of himself cuddling the dog, named Buxy, from his Instagram account.
An Egyptian armoured vehicle is seen on the road to the Bahariya oasis after a deadly shootout between police and militants

Sixteen Egyptian policemen were killed in a shootout with militants on the road between Cairo and the Bahariya oasis in the Western Desert, the interior ministry said Saturday, in a rare flare-up outside the Sinai Peninsula.

Funerals were held in several provinces for those killed, whose coffins were wrapped in Egyptian flags.

The official toll from the interior ministry was lower than a figure given earlier by security and medical sources of at least 35 Egyptian police officers killed in the clashes which began on Friday night.

Egyptians pray before the coffin of a policeman killed in clashes with militants on the road to the Bahariya oasis, at a funeral in Cairo on October 21

The ministry said it had sent police to the area, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) southwest of Cairo, after learning that militants were there "hiding, training, and preparing to carry out terrorist operations".

As the forces approached, the militants opened fire with heavy weapons, triggering a shootout that lasted for several hours and also left 13 police officers injured and one missing, the ministry said.

There has not yet been a claim of responsibility. A fake claim in the name of the small extremist group Hasam, reported by multiple local media, had spread on social media soon after the shootout.

Authorities are fighting the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group, which has increased its attacks killing hundred of soldiers and police in the north of the Sinai peninsula, more than 500 kilometres (300 miles) away from the latest violence.

- Armoured vehicles -

On Saturday armoured vehicles were seen parked on the road close to where the incident took place along with about 15 ambulances.

The ministry said that 15 militants were killed as security forces chased them into the desert after the clashes, adding that the search for suspects was continuing.

The public prosecutor has ordered the state security prosecution to start an investigation into the incident, an official said.

According to a source close to the security services, the police convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was scheduled Saturday to attend events in the northern town of El Alamein on Egypt's Mediterranean coast to mark the 75th anniversary of the pivotal Allied World War II victory in the Battle of El Alamein.

But an AFP reporter did not see the strongman leader at an open-air ceremony involving foreign dignitaries, and his office said he had cancelled his participation in a number of other engagements.

Sisi's office, though, said he visited El Alamein Military Museum with some of the dignitaries, and gave a speech commemorating the battle and stressing the Middle East "is facing unprecedented crises"

Since the army in 2013 removed elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the military and police.

Condemnations of the latest attack came in from the Middle East and Europe, with France -- where Sisi is due to visit next week -- pledging solidarity after the losses for Egypt's security force in "the fight against terrorism".

The Muslim Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition movement, has long denied involvement in the attacks on the authorities.

Morsi was elected Egypt's first civilian president in 2012, but the army overthrew him a year later following mass protests against the Islamist's divisive rule.

- Competing wings -

Since then, an extensive crackdown on the group has left it in disarray with competing wings that have disagreed on whether to resort to violence, after police bloodily suppressed their protests.

Analysts say a section of the Brotherhood has encouraged armed assaults against the police.

Hasam has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

Earlier this month, Sisi extended for a second time a state of emergency first declared after bombings claimed by IS in two churches that killed at least 45 people in April.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to shoot criminals himself, while warning he may bring police back to the frontlines of his deadly war on drugs

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to shoot criminals himself, while warning he may bring police back to the frontlines of his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte made the comments late Friday following his announcement on October 11 to withdraw the police from his anti-drug war after they were accused of rights abuses in killing thousands of people while following his orders to eradicate illegal drugs in society.

He replaced them with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which has about 2,000 officers compared with 165,000 for the police force.

Duterte has repeatedly insisted he has not ordered or incited police to murder drug addicts or suspects, while at other times he has said he would be happy to slaughter them or have tens of thousands killed.

On Friday he said he would be prepared to kill criminals himself, as he raised doubts about the PDEA being able to contain illegal drugs.

"Those who rape children, who rape women, those sons of... if you don't want the police, I am here now. I will shoot them. That's true! If nobody would dare it, I will pull the trigger," he said.

Duterte said he was already considering bringing the police back to run the drug war.

"Okay, let us see, six months from now. If things get worse again, I will say to these apes: 'Go back to this job. You solve this problem of ours'," he said, referring to the police.

Duterte was elected to office last year after vowing during the campaign that 100,000 people would die as he eradicated illegal drugs in society.

Since then, police have reported killing more than 3,900 "drug personalities". Another 2,290 purple have died in unsolved "drug-related" killings, government figures show.

Many Filipinos continue to support the charismatic Duterte, seeing him as the solution to crime and corruption.

But human rights and Catholic Church leaders charge thousands of extra-judicial killings have been carried out by police and vigilantes as part of the drug war.

Authorities insist police only kill in self defence.

Duterte in January made a similar move to give the appearance of sidelining the police from the drug war after revelations that officers murdered a South Korean businessman in the police headquarters under the guise of an anti-drug operation.

He had then described the police as "corrupt to the core" and gave PDEA the lead role in the drug war.

But Duterte quickly reinstated the police without making any major reforms. Police officials swiftly announced a revitalised anti-drug campaign named: "Double Barrel Re-Loaded".

Asked for a reaction to Duterte's latest comments, PDEA spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon conceded the agency faced a tough battle and was prepared to stand aside for the police.

"If the president so decides, we will welcome that," Carreon told AFP.

"We are strained. Definitely it will be an uphill climb."
An Afghan civilian looks inside the Imam Zaman Shiite mosque in Kabul

The death toll in the Shiite mosque attack in Kabul has jumped to 56, officials said Saturday, as the Afghan capital reels from the latest deadly violence.

"The toll from yesterday's Imam Zaman mosque attack has increased to 56 killed, including women and children, and 55 wounded," an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.

Officials had previously put the number of dead at 39 and 45 wounded in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group, which belongs to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

The lone suicide attacker struck as worshippers gathered for evening prayer on Friday at the mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city.

It was one of two deadly mosque attacks in the country on Friday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

The second assault happened in the impoverished and remote province of Ghor where a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 20 and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said.

People expressed anger at the government's inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of the country's civilian deaths in the first half of the year.
Peking Opera [File Photo: pconline.com.cn]

The China National Peking Opera Company will return to the UK for the third time when it brings four performances to London's Sadler's Wells this weekend.

Romantic comedy The Phoenix Returns Home and tragic military drama A River All Red will open at renowned dance venue Sadlers Wells on October 21.

This is the third time the National Peking Opera Company has brought productions to the UK, following tours in 2015 and 2016.

In an interview with SINO radio, director Kevin Zhang said audiences attending the performances could expect a combination of music, acrobatics, drama and dance drawing on traditional and modern influences. This is a very unique performing art, he told listeners.

Zhang also told audiences to look out for the distinctive use of makeup and costume in the operas. Each color on (the actors) face and costume can tell us something about the story, he added.

Jin Xu, chancellor from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said that the visit represented a wider trend of the UK paying greater attention to Chinese culture.

Peking Opera, one of Chinas most influential styles of stage art, has been around for over 200 years in China. Performers often train from a young age in a wide range of stage arts including singing, dancing, acting, mime and acrobatics.
Two soldiers belonging to the Commonwealth and Allied forces aim at a German soldier surrendering atop his tank 25 October 1942 during the Battle of El Alamein. The victory in Egypt proved a turning point in the war for the Allies.

Delegates from former foes Saturday marked 75 years since the pivotal WWII battle of El Alamein that saw the Allies turn the tables in North Africa, as host country Egypt mourned the killing of policemen in a desert shootout with militants.

The commemoration, held under tight security, was marred by the shootout on Friday night around 250 kilometres (155 miles) to the south that the interior ministry said left 16 policemen dead.

Officials from 35 nations paid their respects in a ceremony at a Commonwealth cemetery on Egypt's Mediterranean shore that holds the remains of more than 7,000 soldiers from the victorious British-led force.

In a speech, the British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, hailed "the sacrifices of those who gave their lives here... and thanksgiving for acknowledgement that, in the end, evil will not prevail".

Australian Army's Chris Purdie salutes before a grave during a ceremony to mark 75 years since the pivotal WWII battle in the town of El Alamein, 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria

"This will be a place to remember those who fallen 75 years ago but also remembering those who are still dying and falling," said Casson.

Casson paid tribute to "especially those who lost their lives in this despicable terrorist attack yesterday" in Egypt's Western Desert, for which security and medical sources had earlier given a higher death toll.

In a speech, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said "the memory of the thousands of victims who perished in the battle of El Alamein pushes us to renew our efforts to preserve peace, and to put more effort to establish peace, especially in the Middle East".

The region "is facing unprecedented crises", his office quoted him as saying while on a visit to El Alamein Military Museum.

Sisi was not seen at an open-air ceremony involving foreign dignitaries, an AFP correspondent said.

The World War II Battle of El Alamein -- which began on October 23, 1942 -- pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

Egyptian presidential guards at a ceremony to mark 75 years since the pivotal WWII battle in the town of El-Alamein, west of Alexandria

The defeat of the German and Italian troops put an end to the ambitions of Hitler and Mussolini to take over the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning," British leader Winston Churchill said famously in the wake of the victory.

The event on Saturday was attended by representatives from Commonwealth countries that made up the Allied force, including Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and those who were their sworn enemies at the time.

Organisers from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission called the commemoration the "largest for many years" and said it "is likely to be the last on this scale".
Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel, seen here in Libya on April 21, 2017, has triggered a diplomatic row with neighbouring Morocco by accusing the kingdom's banks of "laundering hashish money"

Morocco has recalled its ambassador after the Algerian foreign minister accused the kingdom's banks of "laundering hashish money" in Africa, in the latest diplomatic spat between the North African rivals.

The foreign ministry said it also summoned Algeria's charge d'affaires in Rabat on Friday evening to protest the "very serious statements... concerning the African policy of the kingdom of Morocco."

Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel made his comments at a meeting of business leaders in Algiers on Friday, excerpts of which were widely circulated on social media.

He was discussing the sharp increase in investment by Moroccan banks in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years and their competition with Algerian lenders.

"Everybody knows that the Moroccan banks launder hashish money. The leaders of many African countries have told me this," Messahel said.

He went on to suggest that Royal Air Maroc, the kingdom's flag carrier, transported "more than just passengers."

The Moroccan foreign ministry said Messahel's comments displayed a "level of irresponsibility unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations."

They "testify to a deep and inexplicable ignorance of the basic workings of the banking system and civil aviation," it added.

The North African neighbours have been at loggerheads for decades over the Western Sahara, a territory disputed between Morocco and Algeria-backed independence movement, the Polisario Front.

They have frequent diplomatic rows and their land border has been closed since 1994.

Northern Morocco is a key producer of hashish for export to Europe.

While Moroccan law bans the sale and consumption of the drug, that has not stopped farmers growing vast plantations of it, providing a living for some 90,000 households, according to official figures for 2013, the most recent available.

Smoking hashish is seen as part of local culture, and is largely tolerated by the authorities.
Map of Niger locating attack in Ayorou

Twelve paramilitary police were killed Saturday in a fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

The region which borders Mali has faced a series of recent jihadist incursions.

"There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations," Mohamed Bazoum told AFP.

The dawn raid happened in the town of Ayorou in the Tillaberi region, 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of the capital Niamey.

A security source said the attackers arrived in five vehicles and fled when military reinforcements arrived. Villagers saw them leave carrying bodies.

On October 4 four US and four Niger soldiers were killed in what Niamey called a "terrorist attack" that confirmed the little-known presence of US troops in the turbulent area as part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Located on the banks of the Niger river, Ayorou is home to an important rural market while its high concentration of hippopotamuses makes it a tourist magnet.

But Tallaberi has become increasingly unstable due to numerous deadly attacks attributed to jihadist groups who regularly target army positions and refugee camps.

In mid-May unidentified assailants attacked the same Ayorou gendarmerie without causing any casualties.

On Friday, parliament agreed a three-month extension of the state of emergency in western Niger because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

The UN said this week it has documented "at least 46 attacks" in Niger since February 2016.

- Coalition to fight terror -

As well as trouble along its Mali border, the country is also facing incursions from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram along its southeastern border with Nigeria.

In June, Niger set up an operation of 245 men to fight against jihadists but has not yet reported on its progress.

Malian foreign affairs minister Abdoulaye Diop stressed in front of the UN Security Council in New York this month the urgent need to help a new international security force get off the ground.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" coalition of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- countries that have been badly hit by jihadist attacks but whose military resources are thin -- have pledged to fight terror but face funding problems.

Mali has become a particularly volatile country since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Islamic State group fighters shattered the stone sarcophagus of Syriac Catholic Saint Elian at the entrance to his monastery during their first occupation of the Syrian desert town of Al-Qaryatain in 2015-16

Syrian troops and militia retook the desert town of Al-Qaryatain from the Islamic State group on Saturday ending a three-week-long fightback by the jihadists, state media said.

It was the latest in a string of reverses for IS in Syria this month that on Tuesday saw US-backed forces capture its emblematic bastion Raqa.

The jihadists had seized Al-Qaryatain on October 1 in a surprise counteroffensive against the Homs province town which they had lost to Russian-backed government forces in April last year.

"Units of the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with allied forces have restored security and stability in the town of Al-Qaryatain after eliminating the Daesh terrorists," the state SANA news agency reported, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said that more than 200 jihadists had pulled out of the town during the night, withdrawing into the vast desert that stretches all the way to the Iraqi border.

There was no immediate word on the fate of the town's residents during IS's three-week reoccupation.

Al-Qaryatain was a symbol of religious coexistence before the civil war broke out in 2011, with some 900 Christians among its population of 30,000.

But during their first eight-month-long occupation of the town in 2015-16, the Sunni Muslim extremists of IS repeatedly targeted its Christian minority.

IS abducted 270 Christians, transporting them around 90 kilometres (55 miles) into the desert and locking them up in an underground dungeon. They were freed 25 days later.

The jihadists also destroyed parts of a monastery in the town and reduced a fifth-century mud brick church to rubble using explosives and bulldozers.

Government forces are engaged in twin Russian-backed offensives against IS, mopping up the last pockets it still holds in the desert and pushing down the Euphrates Valley towards the Iraqi border in the east.
Health services have plummeted in Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe's long rule

The World Health Organization on Saturday cited Zimbabwe's anti-tobacco record and efforts against non-communicable diseases as justifications for making President Robert Mugabe a "goodwill ambassador", as International criticism of the move mounted.

The UN health agency, led since July by former Ethiopian health minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked Mugabe to serve in the role to help tackle NCDs like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The appointment announced earlier this week in Uruguay has triggered confusion and anger by activists who note that Zimbabwe's healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's authoritarian regime.

Britain on Saturday joined the widening chorus of critics, calling the decision "surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him."

"We have registered our concerns with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus", a foreign office spokesperson said in an email.

Mugabe's "appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases."

Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a "man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe's health sector is WHO's goodwill ambassador."

Mugabe, who is 93 and has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.

UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision "sickening."

"Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a UN position of any kind,", the group's executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

Speaking in Uruguay's capital this week, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all."

WHO on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe's record and Tedro's desire to engage senior politicians.

"Dr. Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high level political leadership for health," spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.

"Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control," he added.

Contacted by AFP in Geneva, WHO's communications department said it was unable to comment further or respond to widening concerns about Mugabe's role.

UN agencies often name high profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House on October 16, 2017

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia Saturday, his second visit to the region in recent months as he seeks a breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis gripping the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cozying up to Iran. Doha denies the charge.

Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.

US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

But before his arrival at Riyadh's King Salman air base, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress.

"I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg.

"There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage."

Aside from the Gulf dispute, Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism also are on the agenda in the Gulf, the State Department said.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council, a sign of warming relations between the Sunni-ruled kingdom and Baghdad as the Saudis seek to counter Tehran's influence in Iraq.

His trip will also take him to India and Pakistan.
The Tanzanian government said Saturday it had suspended an NGO it had accused of promoting gay marriage in contravention of local "customs, traditions and laws".

The move followed a police raid on a Community Health Education Services and Advocacy (CHESA) centre, which is accused of being involved in "the promotion of marriage between people of the same sex".

The government said "marriages between people of the same sex are unacceptable in Tanzania as (they are) contrary to the customs, traditions and laws of the country".

CHESA stands accused of organising last Tuesday a workshop for gay couples in a hotel in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city.

Police made 12 arrests Wednesday at the hotel, including two South Africans and a Ugandan, for presumed homosexuality.

In a joint statement Friday CHESA and South Africa's Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), a fellow NGO, insisted they were merely coordinating a "legal consultation" to challenge a government decision to limit the provision of some health services.

In February, Tanzania provoked criticism notably from the United States after announcing the closure of several health centres specialising in AIDS prevention, alleging they were fronts for promoting homosexuality.

CHESA and ISLA said 13 arrests were made Tuesday, including ISLAs executive director, Sibongile Ndashe, and added all were back in custody after bail was revoked Friday.

The organisations stated that "the Tanzanian constitution enshrines the right to seek legal redress when fundamental rights have been violated".

They added Tanzania has signed the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights which "recognises an individuals right to an appeal to competent national organs against acts violating his fundamental rights as recognised and guaranteed by conventions, laws and customs in force".

The NGOs insisted the case against its workers had no legal basis and demanded an end to state persecution of lawyers and their clients.

Tanzania has vowed to deport foreigners campaigning for gay rights in a country where gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment.

In July 2016, the government banned the import of some lubricant gels alleging they were used exclusively by homosexuals.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the sale and occasional free distribution of the gels encouraged gay sex.

According to Amnesty International, homosexuality is illegal in 38 of 54 African states and is punishable by death in Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan.

Uganda repealed a 2014 move to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of being gay.
An Iraqi oil worker checks pipelines at the Bai Hassan oil field west of Kirkuk on October 19, 2017 after its recapture by government forces

Iraq said it hiked southern oil production by 200,000 barrels per day on Saturday to compensate for a halt in pumping in Kirkuk province because of its conflict with the Kurds.

"Basra Oil Company (BOC) started to pump an extra 200,000 bpd from the south and centre" in addition to the 2.2 million barrels exported daily, Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaybi said in a statement.

He said the move was to compensate for the loss of exports from the oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk which Iraqi security forces retook from Kurdish fighters in a military operation this week.

The arrangement would continue "until exports from the north return to normal", Luaybi said, adding it would not violate Iraq's OPEC commitment to stick to a lower output quota.

Before the conflict, the Iraqi Kurds were exporting an average of 550,000 bpd via a pipeline through Turkey, half of which was pumped from the Kirkuk fields where production has halted.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair on Saturday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is on Sunday to take part in Riyadh along with 10 of his ministers in a meeting of the two countries' coordination commission, according to Iraq's ambassador to the Saudi kingdom, Roshdy al-Ani.
An Afghan soldier keeps watch near the site of a suicide bomb attack near the Marshal Fahim military academy base in Kabul, on October 21, 2017

A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they travelled home from their base in Kabul on Saturday, officials said, as militants intensify a deadly rampage that has claimed more than 200 lives this week.

It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in the war-weary country in recent memory.

The latest attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Shiite mosque during evening prayers in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

In an email to journalists the Taliban said it was responsible for the ambush on the army cadets, taking to five the number of attacks on police and military bases this week that involved the insurgents.

"This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding four," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP.

Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city.

"The minibus was carrying army trainees to their homes from Marshal Fahim military academy," Almas told AFP.

Security forces blocked the road leading to the scene of the attack as firefighters hosed down the asphalt.

The attack near the Marshal Fahim military in Kabul was the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since October 17, taking the total death toll to more than 200

The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their assaults on security installations to devastating effect and the Islamic State group targets Shiite mosques.

NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan tweeted that the assault on the army trainees was an "attack on the future" of the country and its security forces.

"This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win" against Afghanistan's security and defence forces, it said.

It was the fifth time since Tuesday that the Taliban have launched a major attack against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces, which are already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in an assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday.

Insurgents blasted their way into the compound using at least one explosives-laden Humvee -- a tactic used in three separate attacks this week -- officials said.

The militants then razed the base in the Chashmo area of Maiwand district to the ground, according to the defence ministry.

On the same day Taliban militants besieged a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Ghazni, attacking it for the second time this week.

Afghan security forces have faced soaring casualties in their attempts to hold back the insurgents since NATO combat forces pulled out of the country at the end of 2014.

Casualties leapt by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.

The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as "shockingly high".

The attacks included assaults on a military hospital in Kabul in March which may have killed up to 100 people, and on a base in Mazar-i-Sharif in April which left 144 people dead.
WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had praised Zimbabwe's health coverage -- but announced a rethink after critics observed its president tends to get his treatment abroad

The head of the World Health Organization said Saturday that he was "rethinking" his decision to name Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador, as global outrage over the move mounted.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the UN health agency, had this week asked Zimbabwe's 93-year-old authoritarian leader to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The decision triggered confusion and anger among key WHO member states and activists who noted that Zimbabwe's health care system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's regime.

"I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible," Tedros, a former Ethiopian health minister, said on Twitter.

Tedros took charge of WHO in July, becoming the first African to lead the powerful UN agency.

In announcing the appointment in Uruguay's capital this week, Tedros had praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all."

- 'Bad April Fool's joke' -

The US said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's appointment as a WHO goodwill ambassador contradicts United Nations ideals

Britain, Canada and the US on Saturday joined the widening chorus of critics of the decision.

"This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity," the US State Department said.

Britain said the move was "surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him."

"We have registered our concerns with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus," a foreign office statement read.

And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau termed the appointment "absolutely unacceptable," and said he "quite frankly... thought it was a bad April Fool's joke."

Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a "man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe's health sector is WHO's goodwill ambassador."

Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.

"Mugabe doesn't trust Zimbabwe health care he destroyed (he travels abroad) but @WHO's Tedros names him ambassador," the head of Human Rights Watch, Ken Roth, added in a tweet.

- 'Sickening' -

UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision "sickening."

"Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a UN position of any kind," the group's executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

WHO had earlier on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe's record on tobacco, NCDs and Tedro's desire to engage senior politicians as justifications for the Mugabe honour.

"Dr Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health," spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.

"Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control."

UN agencies often name high-profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
Egypts interior ministry has said a number of policemen were killed during a shootout following a raid on a terrorist elements hideout in Egypts Western Desert on Friday.

The raid took place after the police national security unit was informed of the hideout, located in Bahariya Oasis, a large area of 135 square kilometres, approximately 370 km from the capital.

According to the statement, the shootout took place when the forces were attempting to raid the hideout, leading to an exchange of fire initiated by the militants.

The police said a number of militants were also killed during the shootout, but didn't release any figures about the deaths either of militants or of police..

However, a security source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website earlier on Friday that at least 14 policemen were killed in the incident, while eight others were injured.

The statement said forces were still combing the area.

Egypts security forces have been waging a war over the past four years against an Islamist terrorist insurgency, mostly in North Sinai, that has seen hundreds of security personnel killed, as well as hundreds of terrorists killed in security campaigns.

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Japan is on its way to becoming the world's first 'ultra-aged' country, meaning more than 28 percent of its population will be over 65

After his victory in Sunday's election, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a daunting in-tray, ranging from North Korean missiles to a rapidly ageing society.

Here are some of the key challenges for Japan and its 63-year-old leader:

- North Korea -

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and blasted two missiles over the northern island of Hokkaido in the space of less than a month.

Both launches prompted emergency evacuation orders but, with so little time to seek shelter, many Japanese feel a sense of helplessness in the face of the unpredictable threat from Pyongyang.

Abe has steadily upgraded Japan's military to counter the North's threat, saying the time for talk is over and urging the international community to apply more pressure on the hermit state.

Adding to the friction between the nations is simmering anger in Japan after North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies.

Many Japanese suspect more people have been kidnapped and kept alive in North Korea.

On the other side of the conflict, North Korea says Japan has not sufficiently atoned for its brutal 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula until the end of World War II.

- Demographic time bomb -

The most pressing domestic issue for Japan is a ticking demographic time bomb that affects all areas of life from the economy to society.

Japan is on its way to becoming the world's first "ultra-aged" country, meaning more than 28 percent of its population will be over 65.

Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (C) waves from a campaign car on the last day of campaigning for the general elections in Tokyo on October 21, 2017

Very low birthrates and an expanding elderly population mean a shrinking workforce is having to pay for the ballooning cost of welfare.

Despite a labour shortage, wages have not risen in a meaningful way. This has tempered domestic consumption, forcing policymakers to dish out a generous stimulus package to safeguard the fragile economy.

The mix of problems has pushed many young people to postpone marrying and starting a family, only adding to the demographic issue.

The government has done its best to encourage young people to have children and urged firms to raise wages and help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. But the efforts have not resulted in significant changes.

As people migrate from the countryside to the cities, experts predict that Japan's regional communities will gradually fade away and urban centres will be swamped by an elderly population.

- Economic growth, but slow -

Japan has managed six straight quarters of economic growth -- its best run in a decade -- but at a sluggish annual rate of 1.3 percent, eking out a slight gain from the 0.9 percent when Abe took power.

Abe has sought to pep up the world's third-biggest economy with a high-profile blitz dubbed "Abenomics", a combination of big government spending and ultra-loose monetary policy from the Bank of Japan.

But while the policy has fattened corporate profits and has sent the stock market to a 21-year high, it has failed in the goal of shrugging off the deflation that has plagued Japan for decades.

- Ballooning debt -

Japanese government debt is at the highest level of any industrialised nation, more than double the size of its economy.

Experts have long warned Japan must shrink its debt mountain or face a sharp increase in its borrowing costs and even the risk of default.

But Abe has continued to issue new debt to fund stimulus packages to prop up the lumbering economy.

He has also delayed a second consumption tax hike, a step economists say is needed to rein in debt.

Most of the debt is held by domestic, long-term, institutional players, shielding Tokyo somewhat from moves by fickle foreign investors.

- Changing business culture -

Japan has struggled to keep pace with globalisation and changing times, especially in its once-mighty corporations, which now lag behind their foreign competitors in terms of innovation.

The country's firms have been slow to get women in top positions and have struggled to integrate the older population.

Meanwhile, some traditional male-dominated boardrooms have become scenes of scandals, such as at Toshiba where executives ignored codes of sound governance and hid financial losses.

Two high-profile scandals at carmaker Nissan and steel manufacturer Kobe Steel -- which employed a young Abe -- have dented the reputation of the formerly unassailable Japan Inc.

Abe has attempted to cut red tape and encourage innovation, but critics say reform is proceeding at a snail's pace.

Boosting immigration to reinforce Japan's workforce and ease the population crisis is the subject of much scholarly debate but the idea has never really gained public support.
Former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh (C,up) ruled the West African country from 1994 to January 2017 and now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea

Victims of the regime of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced Saturday an "international campaign" to bring him to justice.

Jammeh, a former soldier, ruled the small English-speaking West African country from 1994 to January 2017 with an iron fist, but now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

His regime is accused by human rights defenders of systematically torturing political opponents and journalists, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances.

"We will do whatever it takes to get justice, no matter how long it takes," said Fatoumatta Sandeng from the campaign, who alleges her father Solo Sandeng died in April 2016 when he was detained by Jammeh's National Intelligence Agency.

"The only thing that matters is that Jammeh and his accomplices are accountable," Sandeng said in a statement released by Human Rights Watch.

The campaign, which is supported by local and international NGOs, demands Jammeh is extradited to the Gambia to face trial, but warned it could take years.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) greets Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi upon his arrival in Riyadh on October 21, 2017

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Riyadh Saturday in a visit aimed at upgrading strategic ties, amid warming relations between the Arab neighbours.

The tour coincides with Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh's high profile visit to Baghdad where he called for the strengthening of economic relations to boost oil prices.

It also comes after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, his second visit to the region in recent months to launch a fresh bid Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha.

Abadi is on Sunday to take part in Riyadh in a meeting to establish a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council aimed at boosting cooperation.

While in Riyadh, Tillerson is also set to take part in the meeting.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump. Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter Iranian influence in Iraq.

After years of tense relations, ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months.

After former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties.

At the opening of the Baghdad International Fair on Saturday, Saudi minister Khalid al-Falih hailed what he called "the new Iraq, on the ambitious road to prosperity and growth while strengthening its relations with the world".
PORT ARANSAS, Texas (AP) - A barge loaded with crude oil caught fire off the Texas coast, leaving one crew member dead and another missing.

A spokesman for the city of Port Aransas, Rick Adams, confirmed the death Friday and said the search continues for the missing crew member. The names of the victims were not immediately released.

Capt. Bobby Grumbles of the Aransas-Corpus Christi Pilots Association says the explosion happened while a tugboat with the barge was pulling in its anchor about 4:30 a.m. Friday about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Port Aransas.

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a barge on fire approximately three miles from Port Aransas, Texas, jetties, Friday. Oct. 20, 2017. A Coast Guard Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin and HC-144 Ocean Sentry are searching for two missing crew members. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known. No pilot was on board when the explosion occurred.

Adams says the barge had about 133,000 barrels of crude oil on it but didn't lose the load.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is faulting President Donald Trump's administration for failing to fill many diplomatic positions and top Department of State posts and is criticizing his stance on climate change.

Kerry was a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts and spoke Friday in Rhode Island. He says the United States needs to invest in the work of democracy and building international relationships. He warns against allowing a "neo-national demagoguery to take away from America what has made America great."

WPRO News reports Kerry spoke during a conference in Providence for energy and environmental leaders.

Kerry criticizes the Republican president's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Trump says leaving the agreement reasserted "America's sovereignty."

Kerry says Trump's focus on boosting coal production ignores climate science and increases in renewable-energy sector jobs.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A man who pleaded guilty to the murder and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl on the largest American Indian reservation was sentenced Friday to life in prison in a case that drew national attention over abducted Native American children.

Tom Begaye was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the May 2016 killing of Ashlynne Mike on the Navajo Nation.

Her abduction and killing prompted calls to expand the Amber Alert missing child notification system and the death penalty to U.S. tribal communities. The alert system has not been fully adopted.

This May 6, 2016 file photo shows a portrait of Ashlynne Mike on display inside the lobby of the Farmington Civic Center in Farmington, N.M. Tom Begaye, who pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault in the death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike on the largest American Indian reservation, is set to be sentenced. Begaye is scheduled Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 to receive life in prison for the May 2016 killing that prompted calls to expand the Amber Alert system and the death penalty to tribal communities across the U.S. (Jon Austria/The Daily Times via AP, File)

Begaye stood motionless as Mike's mother, Pamela Foster, called him a "monster" who took away her daughter.

"I have tried to get up each day on a positive note, and this is not possible because I still miss my sweet baby," Foster said.

Prosecutors said Begaye lured Mike and her younger brother into his van after the pair got out of school.

After realizing they were in danger, the siblings "reached out discreetly and held hands" before Begaye took Mike from the van to a secluded desert area, where he raped her and killed her with a crowbar, prosecutor Niki Tapia-Brito said.

Tapia-Brito said Begaye then left the boy near the famed Shiprock rock formation that rises more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) above the isolated desert spot. The boy found his way to a highway, Tapia-Brito said.

Ashlynne was reported missing, but an Amber Alert that would have sent information about missing children via cellphone messages and information to the media did not go out until the next day.

Her body was later found in an area near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

Begaye agreed in August to plead guilty and faced a mandatory life sentence without parole.

James Loonam, Begaye's lawyer, said his client is intellectually disabled and was regularly beaten as a child. That information was provided in court not as an excuse for Begaye's actions but as an effort to "make peace" and protect children in the future, Loonam said.

The death led to pending federal legislation that would expand the Amber Alert system to tribal communities and calls for Navajo Nation to end its opposition to the death penalty.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona introduced legislation in April that would expand the notification system. He said more than 7,700 American Indian children are listed as missing in the U.S.

Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye, who is not related Tom Begaye, said all cellphone companies are part of the Amber Alert system on the reservation but the tribe's police districts do not have the equipment yet to fully participate.

Russell Begaye told The Associated Press he informed prosecutors that the tribe would have supported the death penalty for Tom Begaye.

"This particular case I was surprised, actually," Begaye said. "I was thinking the U.S. attorney general would say yeah, this one deserves the death penalty."

Elizabeth Martinez, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico, said in a statement that the U.S. attorney general decides whether or not to seek the death penalty based on the recommendation of the U.S. attorney and after carefully considering the defendant's background

"In this case, the attorney general decided against seeking the death penalty," Martinez said.

The Navajo Nation and many other Native American tribes oppose the death penalty.

American Indian tribes for decades have been able to tell federal prosecutors if they want a death sentence considered for certain crimes on their land. Nearly all have rejected that option.

Tribes and legal experts say the decision goes back to culture and tradition, past treatment of American Indians and fairness in the justice system.

Legal experts said they are aware of only one tribe, the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, that has supported it.

___

Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras

FILE - This undated file photo provided by San Juan County, N.M. Detention Center shows Tom Begaye of Waterflow, N.M. Begaye, who pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault in the death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike on the largest American Indian reservation is set to be sentenced. Begaye is scheduled Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 to receive life in prison for the May 2016 killing that prompted calls to expand the Amber Alert system and the death penalty to tribal communities across the U.S. (San Juan County Detention Center via AP, File)
An Oregon state senator has been stripped of his committee assignments because of 'ongoing workplace issues,' days after a senate colleague said she's been inappropriately touched by at least one member of the chamber.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Senate President Peter Courtney took the action Friday against Republican Sen. Jeff Kruse, discipline Courtney described as 'unprecedented.' The move takes away Kruse's ability to introduce and influence legislation.

The sanctions come days after Democratic Sen. Sara Gelser of Corvallis posted on Twitter that she had been subject to inappropriate touching by at least one Senate Republican.

Senate President Peter Courtney took the action Friday against Republican Sen. Jeff Kruse, discipline Courtney described as 'unprecedented.' The sanctions come after Democratic Sen. Sara Gelser (right) of Corvallis said on Twitter that she was touched by a Republican senator

When the newspaper asked Courtney whether Kruse was disciplined for inappropriate touching, Courtney said 'the personnel issues have been identified in this conversation.' He also confirmed that Kruse's previously known violation of smoking in his Capitol office was a factor.

Kruse, 66, said in an email, 'The inappropriate behavior I completely categorically deny. The smoking still is an issue that I will not deny.'

Kruse denied having inappropriately touched Gelser and said that, to the best of his knowledge, the sanctions he faces and Gelser's accusations of inappropriate touching are 'not connected.'

When the newspaper asked Courtney whether Kruse was disciplined for inappropriate touching, Courtney (pictured) said 'the personnel issues have been identified in this conversation.' He also confirmed that Kruse's previously known violation of smoking in his Capitol office was a factor.

Kruse, a farmer who was first elected to the Oregon House in 1996 and the Senate in 2004, faced fines last year for smoking cigarettes in his office despite being told not to do so by state regulators.

Gelser took to Twitter Monday after former Oregon Senate Republicans spokesman Jonathan Lockwood accused her of taking campaign donations from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexually harassing and abusing numerous women over decades.

Weinstein donated $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Oregon during the 1995-1996 election cycle, a decade before Gelser was elected to the Legislature.

On Twitter, Gelser said she had taken no such donations and asked Lockwood if he would make sure no member of the Senate Republican Caucus 'inappropriately touches or gropes' female lawmakers and staffers. Gelser later tweeted that sexual harassment occurs in the Capitol 'despite formal complaints.'
JEJU, South Korea (AP) - Justin Thomas fired a 2-under 70 in windy conditions to share the lead with fellow American Scott Brown after the third round of the CJ Cup on Saturday.

Thomas offset a lone double bogey and a bogey with five birdies to reach the clubhouse at 9-under 207.

"I know for a fact I played better today than I did on Thursday when I shot a 9 under," Thomas said. "It's just so hard out there. I've never played in a place where the wind swirls as much as it does here."

Justin Thomas of the United States watches his shot on the third hole during the third round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (Ko Bum Joon/Newsis via AP)

Brown had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 but recovered with two birdies on the back nine for a 71.

"It was playing tough today," Brown said. "Just kind of grounded it out, not a lot of birdies to be made. I just made some clutch up-and-downs to kind of keep the round going."

Anirban Lahiri of India moved into a share of third place with Australian Marc Leishman (71) after a 69 that included four birdies and a bogey.

Whee Kim (70) was the highest placed of the 16 South Korean players in the field, tied for fifth after a 72.

Overnight leader Luke List struggled with the conditions and fell into a tie for eighth place after a 76. List had three bogeys on the front nine and a pair of double bogeys on the back nine.

Jason Day also struggled with the wind, carding a 71 to be tied for 16th on 3-under 213.

More wind is forecast for the final round on Sunday.

"It's going to be tough but everyone has to deal with it," Thomas said. "So we're just going to have to get a great game plan and stick with it and just try to make as many pars as possible."

Justin Thomas of the United States lines up his putt on the second green during the third round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (Ko Bum Joon/Newsis via AP)

Justin Thomas of the United States lines up his putt on the second hole during the third round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (Ko Bum Joon/Newsis via AP)
JAMESTOWN, St. Helena (AP) - The Gates of Chaos, Lot's Wife, Old Woman's Valley, Man and Horse Cliffs. These are the names of places on St. Helena, an otherworldly Atlantic Ocean island far from anywhere whose British-ruled population of just over 4,000 is reaching out to the world.

Charles Darwin, astronomer Edmond Halley and Napoleon Bonaparte are a few of the luminaries who spent time on St. Helena over the centuries, though the deposed French emperor would rather have been elsewhere, confined as he was in exile until his 1821 death at Longwood House, which was prone to damp and rat infestations.

Now a new airport, condemned last year by British taxpayers as a boondoggle after dicey wind conditions were discovered, has opened to regular traffic (a single weekly flight from South Africa) that islanders hope will boost tourism and the sagging economy of what was once a linchpin of the British Empire.

In this Oct. 15, 2017, photo, the forbidding volcanic cliffs of St. Helena island are covered in fog. Tourists who take a cruise out of Jamestown, the island's capital, can sometimes see pods of dolphins, humpback whales and seabirds nesting in the walls of rock along the shoreline. (AP photo/Christopher Torchia)

The airport is a gamble, but tourists with time and money will experience the sense of stepping into history on an island that until recently was only reachable by boat and lies about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Africa and even further from South America.

The coat of arms of Britain's East India Company, the trading behemoth that helped to build the British Empire, adorns the arched entrance to the capital, Jamestown. The commercial brands that are so familiar in other parts of the world haven't made it to this rugged island. The island only got its first cellular telephone network in 2015. The Saints, as islanders are known, speak English with a strong accent that is sometimes hard to understand.

"You don't need to peel many layers. You'll find we're more rogues than saints," said Basil George, an elderly guide with a spry step who escorted visitors around downtown Jamestown. The capital is something of an architectural oddity, jammed into a narrow valley floor with one main road up the middle. One stop on his tour is what is said to be the oldest Anglican church in the southern hemisphere.

Skirting the island offshore, the visitors, including an Associated Press journalist, surveyed forbidding volcanic cliffs, as well as a humpback whale and brown noddy seabirds nesting in the crags.

Anthony Thomas, owner of the Sub-Tropic Adventures diving company, told his guests about the lore associated with the giant walls of rock 180 meters or so high: a couple whose car accidentally rolled over the cliff edge, spilling them to their deaths, and a boy who suffered a similar fate after stepping over a fence to retrieve a ball.

Current affairs on St. Helena include a petition against the introduction of a law allowing same-sex marriage, and the question of whether a jury trial can be fair on an island where everybody knows just about everybody.

A reported 1,000 ships a year used to anchor at St. Helena, which was uninhabited when the Portuguese discovered it in 1502 and became a critical way station for trading vessels traveling between Asia and Europe. That role diminished after the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal offered a shortcut to intercontinental shipping.

The British used the island as a prison for Napoleon and for rebellious Zulu king Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, thousands of Boer prisoners from South Africa at the beginning of the 20th century and, in the late 1950s, three leaders from Bahrain, then under British control.

Other notable events include the dispatch of settlers to St. Helena after the Great Fire of London in 1666, the use of the island as a base for British anti-slavery patrols and the 1941 sinking of a British vessel at anchor off Jamestown during World War II. A memorial to the 41 people from the RFA Darkdale "who have no grave but the sea" sits on the waterfront.

Through this historical sweep, the Saints have lived mostly by modest means, some learning how to build their own homes or fashion harpoons out of broom handles.

"If you've got a good family, you're not that bad off," said Mario Green, a taxi driver. "They're always going to make sure you've got a roof over your head, or you've got something to eat."

___

Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris

In this Oct. 15, 2017, photo, several images of Napoleon Bonaparte are shown in this collection of framed pictures on a wall in the Consulate hotel in Jamestown on St. Helena island in the Atlantic Ocean. Napoleon was sent into exile there in 1815 and died on the island in 1821; the relatively few tourists who make it to remote St. Helena are likely to visit Longwood House, where the deposed French emperor died after an illness. (AP photo/Christopher Torchia)

In this Oct. 14, 2017, photo, the Longwood House is seen on St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, where Napoleon Bonaparte lived during his exile until his death in 1821. The building, now a popular tourist site, is filled with furniture from the deposed French emperor's time. He was buried on St. Helena, but his body was later exhumed and entombed at Les Invalides in Paris. (AP photo/Christopher Torchia)

In this Oct. 15, 2017, photo people walk through the arched entrance to Jamestown on St. Helena island in the Atlantic Ocean. Above the entrance is the the coat of arms of Britain's East India Company, the trading behemoth that helped to build the British Empire.(AP photo/Christopher Torchia)

In this Oct. 15, 2017, photo, vehicles are parked along a neat row in downtown Jamestown, the capital of St. Helena island. The main road runs down to an arched entrance that is topped by the coat of arms of Britain's East India Company, the trading behemoth that helped to build the British Empire. St. Helena officials hope more tourists will visit their remote location to soak up its rich history. (AP photo/Christopher Torchia)

In this Oct. 15, 2017, photo, police officer on St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean washes a vehicle outside the police station in Jamestown, the capital of the British-ruled island. In the background is the island's prison, which dates from the early 19th century. Local media say prison conditions are cramped and officials want to move the jail to a more spacious site elsewhere on the island. (AP photo/Christopher Torchia)
CAIRO (AP) - At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo was ambushed, officials said Saturday. The ensuing firefight was one of the deadliest for Egyptian security forces in recent years.

Two police officials told The Associated Press that the exchange of fire began late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135 kilometers (84 miles) southwest of Cairo.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

People carry the coffin, covered with the an Egyptian flag, of police captain Ahmed Fayez who was killed in a gun battle in al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135 kilometers (84 miles) southwest of Cairo, during his funeral at Al-Hosary mosque, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said Saturday, in one of the single deadliest attacks by militants against Egyptian security forces in recent years. (AP Photo/Alaa Elkassas)

The firefight began when security forces acting on intelligence moved against a militants' hideout in the area. Backed by armored personnel carriers and led by senior counterterrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the officials.

The officials said what happened next is not clear, but added that the force likely ran out of ammunition and that the militants captured several policemen and later killed them.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants. The death toll could increase, they added.

Those killed included two police brigadier-generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels.

Egypt's Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, announced a much lower death toll, saying in a statement read over state television that 16 were killed in the shootout. It added that 15 militants were killed or injured, later releasing photos of some of them.

The last time Egypt's security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when militants from the extremist Islamic State group carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai peninsula, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed.

An official statement issued Saturday said Friday's incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures or lack of coordination. The officials said prosecutors will look into whether the police's counterterrorism agents failed to inform the military of the operation or include them.

Two audio recordings purportedly by policemen who took part in the operation circulated online late Friday. One policeman, apparently using a two-way radio, was heard in the nearly two-minute recording pleading for help from a higher-ranking officer.

"We are the only ones injured, sir," the policeman said. "We were 10 but three were killed. After their injury, they bled to death, sir."

"They took all the weapons and ammunition," he added, "We are now at the foot of a mountain."

The second recording was purportedly by a policeman warning others. "I can't identify any direction. Only planes can see us. Take care every one," he was heard saying, adding that militants were pursuing them.

The authenticity of the recordings could not be immediately verified.

The heavy loss of life will likely lead to the restructuring and streamlining of the country's counterterrorism effort, the officials said, with better coordination between the police, military and security agencies high on the list of objectives.

It's also likely to be cited by government critics as a vindication of their long-held argument that suppressing freedoms, jailing opponents and cracking down on civil society does not, as the pro-government media insists, help in the war against terror.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of the Islamic State group. A local affiliate of the extremist group is spearheading an insurgency whose epicenter is in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The United States condemned the attack in a statement issued by State Department, offering "profound condolences to the families of the deceased and the government and people of Egypt... at this difficult time."

The incident comes a few days after militants staged a brazen daylight attack in the heart of el-Arish, the largest city in the Sinai Peninsula, attacking a church and a nearby bank and reportedly making away with some $1 million. Seven were killed in the Monday attack.

Attacks by militants have significantly increased since the 2013 ouster by the military of an Islamist president, who was freely elected but whose one-year rule proved divisive. Attacks have also spread outside Sinai and into the country's mainland and areas close to the porous Libyan border to the west.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April, following a spate of suicide bombings targeting minority Christians that have killed more than a 100 since December. The attacks were claimed by IS.

Egypt blamed the attacks on the Christians on militant cells trained and armed in neighboring Libya, where mostly Islamist militias, including extremist groups like IS, control territory or maintain a foothold in the vast, oil-rich nation. In response, Egypt has stepped up security along its desert border with Libya, where it supports an eastern-based army general fighting militant groups.

In July 2014, gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a border guard post in Egypt's western desert in a brazen assault that killed 21 troops deployed close to the Libyan border.

Associated Press writer Thomas Strong in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.
Egyptian Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek ordered on Saturday an investigation into a deadly shootout that took place on Friday on the El-Wahat-Giza Desert Road between terrorists and security forces, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Sadek ordered the High State Security Prosecution to start an extensive investigation into the shootout, assigning the Ministry of Interior with apprehending those involved.

A team of prosecutors heard statements from the injured, who are receiving treatment at police hospitals in Agouza, Nasr City and El-Shorouk City.

The number of casualties from the shootout is still unclear, though Al-Ahram Arabic website has cited security sources as saying that at least 14 security personnel were killed. Reuters has cited sources as saying that as many as 52 security personnel were killed.

The interior ministry issued a statement on Friday evening saying that a number of policemen were killed after terrorists opened fire on security forces as they attempted to conduct a raid on a terrorist hideout in Egypts Western Desert.

The raid took place in the Bahariya Oasis, which covers 135 square kilometres and is approximately 370 kilometres from the capital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

The cabinet issued a statement on Saturday condemning the shootout and declaring its support for and solidarity with security forces in the war on terrorism.

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ATLANTA (AP) - The slaying of five dozen people in Las Vegas did little to change Americans' opinions about gun laws, a poll finds.

The nation is closely divided on whether restricting firearms would reduce such mass shootings or homicides, though a majority favors tighter laws as they have for several years, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The massive divide on stricter limits remains firmly in place.

FILE - This Dec. 19, 2012 file photo show rifles line a wall above in front of people standing in a gun shop in Seattle. The slaying of five dozen people at a Las Vegas music festival did little to change American opinion about the nation's gun laws, and the country is divided over whether restricting firearms would reduce the number of such mass shootings or homicides, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson,File)

The survey was conducted from Oct. 12-16, about two weeks after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired on a crowded musical festival taking place on across the street from his hotel room, killing 58 and wounding more than 540 before killing himself.

In this latest survey, 61 percent said the country's gun laws should be tougher, while 27 percent would rather see them remain the same and 11 percent want them to be less strict. That's similar to the results of an AP-GfK poll in July 2016.

Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, but just a third of Republicans, want to see gun laws made stricter.

Kenny Garcia, a 31-year-old resident of Stockton, California, and a former gun owner, said he's torn about whether tighter gun laws would lead to a reduction in mass shootings.

"That's the hard part," Garcia said. "How do you control something like that when you have no idea where it's coming from, whether you control the guns or not?"

Still, he's frustrated by easy availability of some devices - such as the "bump stocks" used by the Las Vegas shooter to make his semi-automatic guns mimic the more rapid fire of automatic weapons.

"They give people access to these things, then they question after something horrible happens, but yet the answer is right there," he said. "It just doesn't make sense."

About half of Americans said they think making it more difficult to buy a gun would reduce the number of mass shootings in the country, and slightly under half said it would reduce the number of homicides.

About half felt it would reduce the number of accidental shootings, 4 in 10 that it would reduce the number of suicides and only about a third felt it would reduce gang violence.

Alea Leonard, a 21-year-old data analyst and full-time student, said she's torn about whether the nation's gun laws should be more strict, in part because different parts of the country have different experiences with crime.

"Here, I feel like everyone should be able to carry a .22 (caliber handgun) on them," said Leonard, who lives in Orange County, California. Her neighborhood, she said, has a high crime rate and in the five months since she moved there, a 14-year-old was shot in the back of the head.

She grew up in California, but spent some summers in Wyoming. She never before felt the need to have a gun but is now researching what it would take to carry a firearm.

There are indications of a generational divide on the issue. Most of those in the survey who are younger than 30 said they believe stricter gun laws would result in fewer mass shootings, homicides and accidental shootings.

The poll also found that a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling gun control. Trump is the first president since Ronald Reagan to address the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association. One of his sons has voiced strong support for easing the restrictions on gun silencers.

Some 59 percent voiced disapproval with Trump's handling of the issue, while 40 percent said they approved. About half of Americans age 60 and over approve of how he is handling the issue, compared with fewer than 4 in 10 of those under 60. Politically, 79 percent of people who identify as Republican approve of Trump's handling of gun issues, while 61 percent of independents and 89 percent of Democrats disapprove. Sixty percent of gun owners approve of Trump on the issue.

The poll also showed Americans divided over which party, if any, they trust to handle gun control. Close to a third give Democrats the edge while 28 percent prefer Republicans, and 31 percent say they don't trust either party.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,054 adults was conducted Oct. 12-16 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone.

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Emily Swanson reported from Washington.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nine months into the Donald Trump era, Democrats are still searching for a standard-bearer and a crisp message to corral widespread opposition to an unpopular president and a Republican-led Congress.

The minority party has put that struggle on vivid display this week in Nevada, site of Democrats' first national party gathering since a contentious chairman's election in February. The party's congressional leaders and potential presidential candidates mostly stayed away, with the exception of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose name has surfaced among possible 2020 hopefuls.

The activists and party leaders who did attend expressed optimism over their rebuilding efforts, but also lingering resentments from the 2016 presidential primary, confirming that the battle between liberals and establishment Democrats continues long after Hillary Clinton dispatched Bernie Sanders but lost to Trump.

FILE - In this March 6, 2017, file photo, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez speaks at a protest against President Donald Trump's new travel ban order in Lafayette Square outside the White House in Washington. Nine months into the Donald Trump era, Democrats are still searching for a standard-bearer and a crisp message to corral widespread opposition to an unpopular president and a Republican-led Congress. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The months since the election have brought plenty of frank public assessments about how far the Democratic National Committee has to go to catch up to Republicans on fundraising and technology - twin pillars of how a national party helps its candidates win elections across the country.

The lingering debate was enough for party Chairman Tom Perez, still putting his stamp on the party, to warn that the discord distracts from laying the groundwork for the 2018 midterm elections and 2020 presidential contest.

"This is a Rome-is-burning moment," he said Friday, his summation of Trump's presidency so far. "We may be playing different instruments, but we are all in the same orchestra. We need more people in that orchestra."

Democrats need to flip at least 24 GOP-held seats next November to reclaim the House. Republicans hold a narrow 52-48 Senate advantage, but Democrats must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won. In statehouses, Democrats have just 15 governors, and Republicans control about two-thirds of legislatures.

Democrats hope to hold the Virginia governorship and pick up New Jersey's next month. The party is tantalized by an Alabama Senate race pitting the Democratic nominee, Doug Jones, against former jurist Roy Moore, a controversial figure who wasn't the GOP establishment's first choice.

Perez is selling confidence. "We've got game," he roared to an exuberant audience at one reception.

Behind that hope, there are plenty of reasons for caution, mostly rooted in an uncomfortable reality: No Democrat has emerged as a leader and top rival to Trump in 2020, with a line-up of previous candidates like Joe Biden and Sanders and little-known House and Senate lawmakers.

Rep. Keith Ellison, Perez's deputy who hails from the party's left flank, pushed back against any notion that the Democrats don't have a clear leader.

"We are not a leaderless party. We are a leader-full party. We have Tom Perez. We have Keith Ellison. We have Leader Pelosi. We have Leader Schumer," he said.

Still, that reliance on Capitol Hill means the party is touting a leadership core much older than the electorate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is 77. Sanders is 76. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is 66. Other national figures, Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are in the same generation.

"You will see a new generation out there - good messengers with the right message," said Henry Munoz, the party's finance chairman, though he declined to speculate about individual names.

A prominent DNC member who backed Clinton in 2016 tried to convince Democrats on Friday to call on Sanders to join the party. "The first word in DNC is 'Democratic,'" quipped Bob Mulholland. But the party's Resolution Committee, led by Sanders backer James Zobgy, jettisoned the idea. Zogby said taking a shot at Sanders would "feed a Twitter debate that will not be helpful in bringing together" voters on the left.

Trump's approval ratings are mired in the 30s, levels that history says should spell scores of lost Republican House seats next year. Yet Trump has never had consistent majority public support. Democrats also face an uphill path because Republican state lawmakers drew a majority of congressional districts to the GOP's advantage.

Trump's election has sparked an outpouring of volunteer energy and cash on the political left, but the money hasn't flowed to the national party. Munoz, who helped former President Barack Obama haul in record-setting sums, says the DNC has taken in $51.5 million this year, compared with $93.3 million for Republicans.

Party treasurer Bill Derrough acknowledged that he's found frustrated Democratic boosters asking about "a damaged brand, what are we doing, what do we stand for."

The party's "Better Deal" rollout earlier this year - a package of proposals intended to serve as the economic message to counter Trump's populist nationalism - hasn't been an obvious feature at Democrats' national meeting at all.

Perez is seeking to inject younger blood into the party leadership structure with his 75 at-large appointments to the DNC. But his appointments meant ousting some older DNC members, including Babs Siperstein. The New York at-large member whom Perez did not reappoint warned her fellow Democrats not to underestimate the fellow New Yorker in the White House - Trump.

"He may be weird. He may be narcissistic. But he's not stupid," Siperstein said. "He's smart enough to get elected. He's smart enough to get away with everything. ... So we have to stay united."

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the dispute over White House condolence calls to military families (all times local):

8:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump doesn't seem ready to put to rest his tussles with a Florida congresswoman over his condolence call to a military widow.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., talks to reporters, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Wilson is standing by her statement that President Donald Trump told Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson killed in an ambush in Niger, that her husband "knew what he signed up for." In a Wednesday morning tweet, Trump said Wilson's description of the call was "fabricated." (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Democrat Frederica Wilson has criticized Trump for his comments during a phone call with the widow of an American service member who was killed in the African nation of Niger.

The heated words from both sides - and questions about how presidents should or shouldn't try to console families of the fallen - have rattled the White House and overshadowed the rest of Trump's agenda in recent days.

Trump has taken again to Twitter to jab at the lawmaker. He tweets: "I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!"

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7:35 a.m.

The White House is defending chief of staff John Kelly after he mischaracterized the remarks of a Democratic congresswoman.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it is "inappropriate" to question a retired four-star general such as Kelly.

The administration also insisted it's long past time to end the political squabbling over President Donald Trump's compassion for America's war dead, even as it lobbed fresh vilification at Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson.

Kelly said Wilson delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she "talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building." Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

For her part, Wilson is bringing race into the dispute, telling The New York Times, "The White House itself is full of white supremacists."
MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Some 200 people have rallied in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, calling for the resignation of the president who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994.

Opposition activists carrying Belarusian and European Union flags urged President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. They criticized some of the laws he recently pushed through, including one forcing citizens to register with the state employment exchange or pay a hefty fine.

Police allowed the protesters chanting "For shame!" to rally outside the seat of government and KGB headquarters. They did not make any arrests during the protest, but an Associated Press reporter saw at least two people detained afterward.
CHICAGO (AP) - Voter rights advocates are pushing Illinois election officials to withdraw from a longtime multistate voter registration database over questions of accuracy, security and voter suppression.

The Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program is aimed at cleaning voter records and preventing voter fraud. States voluntarily provide their voter lists and the program searches for duplicates.

While a few states have quietly exited over data quality concerns, advocates in Democrat-leaning Illinois are taking it a step further with fresh claims about lax security, discrimination against minorities and questions about the role of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a contentious Republican who oversees the program and is vice chairman of President Donald Trump's election fraud commission.

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2010 file photo, voters cast their ballots for Illinois' primary at an early voting polling place in Chicago. Voter rights advocates are suddenly pushing Illinois election officials to withdraw from a longtime multi-state voter registration database over questions of accuracy, security and voter suppression. They're also raising fresh questions about the head of the program, controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach who's also helping run President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green File)

Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights oppose it and advocates packed a recent State Board of Elections meeting after sending letters demanding Illinois end its cooperation. Now, over two dozen state lawmakers also want Illinois to withdraw. Their push comes as Trump's commission is asking states for voter information while it investigates Trump's unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in 2016.

"Crosscheck is being used as a political tool to help Republicans win elections," said state Rep. Will Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat. "This has gone much too far."

Kobach, who declined an interview, has defended the database. He's championed tough voter identification laws that critics claim suppress minority voters and helped draft proposals in numerous states aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. His views have been more heavily scrutinized since he was tapped for Trump's commission.

Past studies have shown voter fraud is exceedingly rare. Although voting in multiple places is illegal, being registered to vote in more than one state isn't. And that can happen when people move from one jurisdiction to another.

The origins of Crosscheck date to 2005, before Kobach was Kansas' chief election official. It started with Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska sharing information. Illinois joined in 2010. This year, 28 states participated. Four states have left Crosscheck: Florida, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

The perks are clear: It's free and provides hard-to-compile information.

But data experts are skeptical of Crosscheck, which handled more than 98 million voter records this year with roughly 3 million possible duplicates. A study this year by researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Yale universities noted a high error rate. In Illinois, advocates have claimed that minorities with common surnames are more likely to be flagged by the program. Crosscheck relies mostly on voters' names and birthdates.

It's up to states to decide how to pursue possible matches. Illinois officials take years to verify whether someone should be removed from state voter rolls.

But other states haven't been so cautious. For example, in 2014, officials in Idaho's Ada County admitted they wrongly purged more than 750 voters from the rolls based on Crosscheck matches.

Kansas' director of elections Bryan Caskey said states are warned about the possibility for "false positives."

"We're very open and clear about the search criteria and the limitations," he said.

Illinois officials say flawed data is better than no data. Last year, Illinois, with roughly 8 million active voters on the rolls, received possible matches on over 500,000 records.

Other concerns have been raised because passwords were sent via email. Kansas secretary of state officials say data wasn't at risk. Illinois election officials say those passwords are now obsolete.

Voter advocates support another system Illinois also uses, the Electronic Registration Information Center, created in 2012 by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Data experts say it's more accurate because it uses partial Social Security numbers to help find matches. But that system costs money to join and fewer states are involved.

"Are we better off losing all the data that we have that's not being misused here?" asked Illinois State Board of Elections' general counsel Ken Menzel. "A lot of the uproar that's come about is who is now overseeing the Kansas secretary of state's office."

One group behind the Illinois push to exit Crosscheck is Indivisible Chicago, which formed to "resist" Trump's agenda, including the election commission's attempts to get data.

"We can't have our voter registrations managed by someone who is that partisan," organizing member Jeff Radue said of Kobach.

Kobach, who's been sued several times by the ACLU, persuaded the Kansas Legislature to designate him the only chief state elections officer with prosecutorial power on election fraud. Since 2015, he's prosecuted 10 cases of people voting in Kansas while voting in another state, with eight ending in convictions or guilty pleas.

Speaking to a group of Republicans in the Kansas City area recently, Kobach mocked "the left" for downplaying election fraud despite "conviction after conviction."

"People realize they're still registered in their old state, and some people get tempted, and they think they can get away with it - and usually, they're right," said Kobach, who is running for governor. "That particular type of voter fraud is bipartisan."

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Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.

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Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sophiatareen . Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv

FILE - In this June 8, 2017 file photo, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach speaks to supporters in launching his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor, in Lenexa, Kan. Illinois election officials to withdraw from a longtime multi-state voter registration database over questions of accuracy, security and voter suppression. They're also raising fresh questions about the head of the program, controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kobach who's also helping run President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission. (AP Photo/John Hanna File)
COOPER CITY, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the funeral of U.S. soldier killed in Niger earlier this month (all times local):

1:30 p.m.

The funeral service for the U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa sparked a political spat between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman also honored the three other soldiers who died with him.

Mourners exiting the 90-minute service told reporters that a portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson was joined by photographs of Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to the Islamic State.

Mourners said the service at a church in suburban Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also focused on how the 25-year-old Johnson became a locally known bicycle trick rider, a loving husband and doting father before entering the Army in 2014 and becoming a member of the Special Forces.

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11:10 a.m.

A funeral service has begun for a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa sparked a political spat between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman.

Services for Sgt. La David T. Johnson began Saturday in a Fort Lauderdale suburb. Johnson was one of four U.S. Special Forces troops killed Oct. 4 in an ambush in Niger.

Johnson's widow held the arm of an Army officer as she led her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Church in Cooper City. The family asked that reporters remain outside.

The squabble between Trump and Rep. Frederica Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Johnson's pregnant widow that her 25-year-old husband "knew what he signed up for."

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Mourners are expected to pack the funeral of a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman.

Services for Sgt. La David T. Johnson are scheduled Saturday in a Fort Lauderdale suburb. He was one of four U.S. Special Forces troops killed Oct. 4 in an ambush in Niger. Four Niger soldiers also died in the attack by militants linked to the Islamic State group.

The fight between Trump and Rep. Frederica Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Johnson's pregnant widow that her 25-year-old husband "knew what he signed up for." Wilson was riding with Johnson's family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide attack killed 15 military academy members west of Afghanistan's capital Kabul Saturday, a Defense Ministry official said.

Dawlat Waziri, the ministry's spokesman, said the attack took place outside the training academy of the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, killing 15 and wounding four others.

Waziri added that attack on foot occurred in the early evening when the on-duty officers were on their way home.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, according to their spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, who said that 27 academy members were killed.

A statement issued by the office of President Ashraf Ghani said that the targeting of security forces illustrated the militants' "isolation."
PHOENIX (AP) - Jodi Arias' case remains a headache for Arizona's court system long after her murder trial had spectators lining up for seats, attorneys squabbling in court and two different juries deadlocking on whether she deserved the death penalty.

Problems compiling trial transcripts have delayed Arias' appeal of her first-degree murder conviction by about a year.

Lawyers use trial transcripts to identify and document grounds for appeals. In Arias' case, the state Court of Appeals had to repeatedly prod some of the trial's 22 court reporters to finish transcripts, and at one point even ordered that dozens of transcripts be destroyed and redone because of errors and omissions.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2014 file photo, Jodi Arias looks at her defense attorney during a hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Ariz. Consideration of Arias' appeal of her first-degree murder conviction for the 2008 killing of on-again off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander has been delayed by about a year by problems with assembling trial transcripts. (Tom Tingle /The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool,File)

The reporter responsible for most of the transcripts told the court his production was hindered by a computer malfunction, his own cancer treatment and the amount of work involved in Arias' case and others. Other reporters cited workload issues.

It wasn't until April 24, nearly two years after the appeals process formally started, that the Court of Appeals declared the record complete, with nearly 25,000 pages of transcripts, over 950 exhibits and 21 written motions for dismissal or mistrial.

More than three months later, the court finally set deadlines in 2018 for the defense and prosecution to file legal briefs. A three-judge panel then will consider the appeal, perhaps after hearing oral arguments.

Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Samuel Thumma referred questions to Court Clerk Amy Wood. She said the delays in Arias' appellate case were unusual and a concern.

"Any time we don't have a complete record, it is a concern to us because it keeps us from continuing to process the case," Wood said.

Arias is confined at the Perryville state prison near Phoenix for killing of on-again, off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008.

Lead defense attorney Peg Green didn't respond to emailed and telephoned requests for comment on the status of Arias' appeal and the effect of the delays.

However, Green and another defense lawyer - both appointed for Arias' appeal - said in an Aug. 10 court filing that the transcripts were particularly important in Arias' convoluted case because they had difficulty sorting out what happened when.

Some possible appeal issues spanned five or six years of wrangling before and during the 125-day, televised trial, the defense lawyers wrote." The pattern of this case reveals recurring issues. Hearings were often held in a piecemeal fashion over the course of weeks, months and sometimes years."

For example, one issue surfaced in 2009 and lingered until at least Feb. 5, 2015, the lawyers wrote.

Another complication is that Arias' trial judge held frequent, lengthy discussions with lawyers out of earshot of jurors and the public. The court reporters documented those talks, but the large amount of material involved "bogs down the process of reviewing the record," the defense lawyers said.

Court rules normally require that a defendant's opening brief be filed within 40 days of the completion of the record, but Arias' lawyers requested and got extra time.

Arias acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense. Prosecutors said Arias killed Alexander in a jealous rage because he wanted to end their tawdry relationship.

The guilt phase of Arias' trial ended in 2013 with jurors convicting her but deadlocking on punishment. A second sentencing trial began in late 2014 and stretched into early 2015, also resulting in a jury deadlock. That required the judge to impose a prison sentence of natural life.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somalia's president on Saturday urged troops to prepare for a "state of war" against the al-Shabab extremist group blamed for the country's deadliest attack, as the toll reached 358 with dozens still said to be missing a week after the truck bombing in Mogadishu.

The United States is expected to play a supporting role in the new offensive, a Somali military official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

While President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's emergency speech to lawmakers was postponed, he spoke to army units at a training camp on the outskirts of the capital.

Thousands of Somalis gather to pray at the site of the country's deadliest attack and to mourn the hundreds of victims, at the site of the attack in Mogadishu, Somalia Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. More than 300 people were killed and nearly 400 wounded in Saturday's truck bombing, with scores missing. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Army spokesman Capt. Abdullahi Iman said the offensive involving thousands of troops will try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions where many deadly attacks on Mogadishu and on Somali and African Union bases have been launched.

The extremist group has not commented on the Oct. 14 truck bombing, which Somali intelligence officials have said was meant to target the capital's heavily fortified international airport where many countries have their embassies. The massive bomb, which security officials said weighed between 600 kilograms and 800 kilograms (1,300 pounds and 1,700 pounds), instead detonated in a crowded street after soldiers opened fire and flattened one of the truck's tires.

Somalia's information minister Abdirahman Osman has said 56 people are still missing. Another 228 people were wounded, and 122 have been airlifted for treatment in Turkey, Sudan and Kenya.

"This pain will last for years," said a sheikh leading Friday prayers at the bombing site, as long lines of mourners stood in front of flattened or tangled buildings.

Since the election of the country's Somali-American president in February, the government has announced a number of military offensives against al-Shabab, Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist group, only to end them weeks later with no explanation. Experts believe that has given the extremists breathing space and emboldened them in their guerrilla attacks.

Iman, Somalia's army spokesman, told the AP that troops recaptured three towns in Lower Shabelle region from al-Shabab on Friday in preparation for the new offensive.

Somali officials did not give details on what role the U.S. military might play.

The U.S. has stepped up military involvement in the long-fractured Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded operations against the group early this year. The U.S. has carried out at least 19 drone strikes in Somalia since January, according to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The latest U.S. drone strike occurred Monday about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of the capital, the U.S. Africa Command told the AP. It said it was still assessing the results.

Earlier this week, in response to questions about the massive truck bombing, a Pentagon spokesman said the United States has about 400 troops in Somalia and "we're not going to speculate" about sending more.

In April, the U.S. announced it was sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the country in roughly two decades. The U.S. said it was for logistics training of Somalia's army and that about 40 troops were taking part.

Weeks later, a service member was killed during an operation against al-Shabab. He was the first American to die in combat in Somalia since 1993.

Thousands of Somalis gather to pray at the site of the country's deadliest attack and to mourn the hundreds of victims, at the site of the attack in Mogadishu, Somalia Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. More than 300 people were killed and nearly 400 wounded in Saturday's truck bombing, with scores missing. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Croatia's state prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant for the founder of the country's biggest private company as part of an investigation into the retail giant's financial collapse.

State television says the order to detain Ivica Todoric was issued Saturday, days after police raided his home in Zagreb. Croatian media report that he might be in London.

Todoric and his 14 executives are suspected of "criminal acts against the economy and fraud." He has dismissed the accusations as "political."

Agrokor, the biggest retailer in the Balkans, has accumulated some $6.5 billion (5.8 billion euros) in debt. Croatia's authorities have tried to bail out Agrokor to avert a ripple effect on the economy and save tens of thousands of jobs.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi commemorated on Saturday the 75th anniversary of the Battle of El-Alamein in Marsa Matrouh at a ceremony attended by representatives from 35 countries that participated in the famous World War II battle.



The Mediterranean town is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Egypt's second biggest city of Alexandria,

"Today we are in El-Alamein, the land of peace, to commemorate the anniversary of the WWII battle where thousands died, and we renew our vow to keep the peace," El-Sisi said in a speech.

The president said that the sacrifice of thousands of lives at El-Alamein contributed to peace in the world and the Middle East, which is currently witnessing many crises that threaten the nation state itself.

El-Sisi stressed the importance of the international community exerting more effort to meet the legitimate demands of the people, adding that the New El-Alamein City, which is set to be inaugurated, is a model for the importance of peace and development.

The Egyptian president was set to inaugurate New El-Alamein City on Saturday, however, this was postponed in wake of the Western Desert shootout between police and terrorists on Friday. New El-Alamein City is planned to be a residential, touristic, agricultural and industrial hub at investments of EGP 40 billion.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Defence Sedky Sobhi and Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel-Aal, as well as ambassadors from a number of European countries.

During the ceremony, Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Tim Lawrence stressed the importance of the Battle of El-Alamein, praising Egypts role in contributing to peace.

El-Sisi also visited the El-Alamein Military Museum, which has displays including arms used in the historic battle.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch says that suppressing disagreement in the name of civility is wrong.

Gorsuch tells a conference of lawyers meeting near the high court that he's worried that college students with unpopular views aren't "able to express themselves."

The newest Supreme Court justice says civility "doesn't mean suppressing disagreement."

Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and retired Judge Deanell Tacha arrive to discuss civility and professionalism in the practice of law at an American Inns of Court event in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)

The 50-year-old justice joined the high court in April. He filled a seat that had been vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia's death last year.

Republicans who control the Senate refused to confirm President Barack Obama's nominee. President Donald Trump nominated Gorsuch in January and the Senate confirmed him, largely along party lines.

He'd served on the federal appeals court in Denver for more than 10 years.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch attends a discussion about civility and professionalism in the practice of law at an American Inns of Court event in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Attorneys for a former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor accused of molesting dozens of athletes are pushing to have his trial moved out of the Lansing area.

The Lansing State Journal reports that attorneys representing Larry Nassar filed a change-of-venue request because of what they called "inflammatory and sustained media coverage" that they say has made it difficult for Nassar to get a fair trial in the area.

The media attention grew more intense last week when 21-year-old 2012 Olympic Gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney wrote on Twitter that Nassar started assaulting her when she was 13.

Nassar has pleaded not guilty to nearly two dozen charges in Michigan. He has pleaded guilty to three child pornography charges in an unrelated case but has not been sentenced.
Trying to quell accusations that he is ousting activists from the party's left flank, Democratic Chairman Tom Perez told fellow Democrats on Saturday that unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an 'existential threat' to the nation.

'We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history,' Perez said as he addressed the first Democratic National Committee gathering since his February election.

The former Obama Cabinet official blistered 'a culture of corruption' that he said extends to Trump's Cabinet, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he warned that internal ruckuses over party priorities and leadership would distract from the goal of winning more elections to upend Republicans' domination in Washington.

'We have the most dangerous president in American history and one of the most reactionary Congresses in American history,' said (D) Chairman Tom Perez

The chairman's plea comes amid a rift over his appointments to little-known but influential party committees and the 75 at-large members of the national party committee. Perez and his aides plug his choices as a way to make the DNC younger and more diverse, but the moves also mean demotions for several prominent Democrats who backed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primaries and then supported Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison over Perez in the postelection race for party chairman.

Perez spent time during this week's proceedings meeting privately with frustrated DNC members, including some he did not reappoint. He apologized publicly Saturday for not reaching all of those members before he announced his appointments, but he defended his overall aim.

'If someone ever asks you which wing of the party you belong to, tell 'em you belong to the accomplishment wing of the Democratic Party,' he said, 'because you're trying to get s--- done. That's what we're trying to do here, folks. We're trying to move the ball forward.'

Democratic Chairman Tom Perez told fellow Democrats on Saturday that unity is crucial in the fight against President Donald Trump, whom he lambasted as an 'existential threat' to the nation

Republicans, meanwhile, have exalted in the internal wrangle, painting the DNC as incompetently discordant.

'The Democratic Party's message of doom and gloom has left them leaderless and nearly extinct in most of the country,' Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said. 'If Tom Perez wants his party to stick with that same failed strategy, Republicans will gladly keep working to help the middle class by cutting their taxes and fixing our broken health care system.'

To some extent, the Democrats' developments reflect routine party politics after an unusually contentious chairman's race, but they also fit into the ongoing philosophical tussle on the left.

Sanders' backers accused the DNC in 2016 of stacking the nominating process in Clinton's favor and shutting out the Vermont independent who still seeks to pull the party toward his ideology. Those frustrations carried over into the DNC chair race between Perez, the former labor secretary, and Ellison.

Now, Perez's appointees will hold sway over setting the primary calendar in 2020 and, perhaps most importantly, whether the party's superdelegates, including the 75 at-large members, will continue to cast presidential nominating votes at Democratic conventions without being bound to any state primary or caucus results.

Separately, former Attorney General Eric Holder urged the party to play the long game necessary to overcome Republican advantages scored when GOP-run legislatures drew congressional and legislative districts around the country after the 2010 census

Democrats are looking next month to hold the Virginia governor's seat and wrest the New Jersey governor's seat from Republican control. Next year, Democrats need to flip at least 24 Republican congressional seats to regain control of the House. They face an uphill battle in gaining control of the Senate, because they must defend 10 incumbents in states Trump won last November. Democrats also want to increase their gubernatorial roster from the current 15 state executives.

Separately, former Attorney General Eric Holder urged the party to play the long game necessary to overcome Republican advantages scored when GOP-run legislatures drew congressional and legislative districts around the country after the 2010 census.

Holder leads a political action group, with fundraising support for former President Barack Obama, to back candidates in states where gerrymandering gives Democrats an uphill path to majorities. He singled out Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, among other states, where Republicans 'picked their voters' with districts that 'are impressive in their geographic creativity but they are destructive to representative democracy.'

The Supreme Court earlier this month heard oral arguments in a case challenging the Wisconsin districts. Legal analysts expect Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the court's swing vote, will decide whether the court for the first time declares partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A militia group has returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, to defend its presence at the Unite the Right rally in August.

NBC 29 reported Saturday that the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia spoke out against legal efforts to ban the group and other organizations from future demonstrations in the city.

Militia members said they were protecting everyone's right to free speech at the rally and never used any force.

They also drew a stark line between them and members of the so-called alt-right white nationalist movement. Militia member Christian Yingling said "we don't support their beliefs in any way, shape, or form."

The city of Charlottesville and others have filed a lawsuit trying to prevent such groups from returning. Violence erupted in Charlottesville during the rally protesting the planned removal of a Confederate statue.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Kenny Britt's disappointing start with the Browns worsened.

Britt and fellow wide receiver Corey Coleman were sent back to Cleveland last week for missing curfew while the team was in Houston to play the Texans, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Saturday.

The players missed Saturday night's curfew and were told to leave the following morning. They were fined and apologized to their Browns teammates, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on the matter.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Kenny Britt (18) stands on the sideline during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the New York Giants in Cleveland. A person familiar with the situation said Britt and teammate Corey Coleman were sent home last week from the team's game in Houston for a curfew violation. The players were fined and apologized to the team, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on the issue. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

The Browns lost 33-17 and fell to 0-6 and 1-21 in two seasons under coach Hue Jackson.

Britt has not delivered in his first season with the Browns, who signed him to a four-year, $32.5 million contract in March. He has eight catches for 121 yards in four games and has been plagued by dropped passes and penalties.

NFL Network first reported the issues with Britt and Coleman.

Earlier this week, Jackson said there was still time for Britt to salvage his season.

"Obviously, there are 10 games left so yes, he can," Jackson said. "It starts this week. He needs to go out and make plays for the football team, create separation for the quarterback so the quarterback feels comfortable letting the ball go and be a steadying influence among that group as we go forward, and I think he can do that. He has to go do it - he knows it - on a consistent basis. It's a one-week opportunity. Here's his resume this weekend. We'll go from there and keep moving forward."

The 29-year-old Britt has been slowed by groin and knee injuries but is expected to play Sunday against Tennessee. Britt was drafted by the Titans in 2009 and spent five seasons with the team.

Coleman, a first-round pick last year, has missed the past four games with a broken hand. He broke the same hand last season, causing him to miss six games. He finished with 33 catches for 413 yards, hardly the production the Browns envisioned for the No. 15 overall pick.

___

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The scope of inquests into the deaths of 21 people in the Birmingham pub bombings could be widened after permission was granted for a judicial review, according to a law firm.

KRW Law, which is representing the families of 10 victims, called it an important achievement in the ongoing quest for truth, justice and accountability for our clients.

The inquests will explore the circumstances of the deaths of 21 people killed in the IRA bombings of two pubs in 1974.

On the night of November 21, the IRA planted two bombs which ripped through the Tavern in the Town and nearby Mulberry Bush pubs, injuring 182 people.

Birmingham pub bombings

A botched police investigation into the attacks led to the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six  one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

A coroner had ruled out naming alleged suspects in evidence  but campaign group Justice4the21 is fighting to see this overturned and previously said it will no longer participate after the issue of perpetrators was ruled out.

KRW Law said it had applied for a judicial review on the scope of the inquests which has been granted for November 27.

Anurag Deb, from the firm, said: Being granted permission to challenge the Ruling on Scope of the Coroner will enable us to pursue the perpetrator issue before the judges in the Divisional Court, which will engage important points of law relating to the investigations of historic human rights violations  which are all too real to those who are relatives.

Our pledge total has increased today https://t.co/3bigN1SRSN Thank YOU to all those who have generously donated their hard earned money   Justice4the21 (@Justice4the21) October 19, 2017

Julie Hambleton, of Justice4the21  whose older sister, Maxine, was killed in the bombings, said the applications progress was great news.

But she added that the appeal now needed another 50,000 from the public to help put together the next phase of the legal bid.

Ms Hambleton said: We are cautiously optimistic now this decision has come, and hope our great legal system will help us push through this legal mire, so that truth and justice prevail.

Julie Hambleton

She added: The law must always be on the side of the victim.

Unfortunately, where our loved ones are concerned, there has been so much myth and rumour  and the miscarriage of justice with the Birmingham Six. We now need the legal system to come to our aid.

Ms Hambleton added that it remained unacceptable to the victims families, that they  and public donors  had had to pay for their current legal bid.

She said: We shouldnt have to pay to exercise our basic rights, on behalf of our dead loved ones.
John Gosden hopes the decision to sidestep a clash with stablemate Enable will pay dividends for Cracksman in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Since he was placed in the Derby at Epsom and the Irish equivalent at the Curragh, Cracksman has looked seriously impressive when winning the Great Voltigeur at York and the Prix Niel at Chantilly.

He would have been fully entitled to line up in the Prix de lArc de Triomphe three weeks ago, but Gosden relied upon Enable and it looked a wise call after the brilliant filly produced an imperious display.

No Ulysses in Champion Stakes @Ascot but Cracksman, Highland Reel, Barney Roy, Brametot and Cliffs Of Moher among field of ten #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/e2rVJbtcz9  Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 19, 2017

Gosden said: The way Enable was going I discussed it with Mr (Anthony) Oppenheimer (Cracksmans owner-breeder) and we decided it was best to leave her alone in the Arc and to take a good look at the Champion and thats what we are doing.

Asked how he felt Cracksman would have fared in Europes premier middle-distance event, the trainer said: He would have been in the first three and I will leave it at that.

The son of Frankel reverts to a mile and a quarter for the first time since winning the Epsom Derby Trial in late April, but his trainer is confident the drop in distance is not an inconvenience.

He has won over mile and a quarter and is bred to be more of a mile to a mile-and-a-quarter horse, Gosden added. I think he has got the pace for it, (but) you would not want a falsely-run race. Hes done nothing but improve all year, so it would seem rather silly to bypass a race of this importance.

Jockey James Doyle celebrates Barney Roy winning the St James's Palace Stakes

Barney Roy has enjoyed a fine season for Richard Hannon and Godolphin, with his victory in the St Jamess Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot supplemented by placed efforts in the 2000 Guineas, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International.

Hannon is confident of another bold showing on British Champions Day and told www.godolphin.com: Barney Roy comes into this race fresh and well, having had a nice break since he ran at York. We took him for a spin around Kempton Park last week, which he has done before all his previous runs this season, and James Doyle was very pleased with him.

I just hope that we dont get too much rain, but we are very pleased with Barney Roys physical well-being and he looks in great nick.

Sir Michael Stoute saddles Poet's Word in the Champion Stake

Sir Michael Stoute resisted the temptation to saddle Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner Ulysses, who now heads for the Breeders Cup Turf at Del Mar.

In his absence, the master of Freemason Lodge relies upon Irish Champion Stakes runner-up Poets Word.

Stoute said: He will handle it with a bit of cut, but I dont want it too soft.

It was his best effort ever in Ireland. I was thrilled with him and he has really progressed.

Highland Reel is one of two runners for Aidan O'Brien in the Champion Stakes

The Champion Stakes is one of the few major prizes to have so far eluded Aidan OBrien, who sends six-time Group One winner Highland Reel and Cliffs Of Moher into battle this year.

He said: Highland Reel is in good form. Hes had a little break break since the King George (finished fourth) and seems in good form.

It was very soft in the King George and hopefully its not too bad this time.

Cliffs Of Moher just got caught in traffic at Leopardstown (sixth in Irish Champion Stakes) but is in good form.
A young woman and man who vanished in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California during the summer died in a murder-suicide, authorities said.

Two bodies discovered on Sunday in a remote canyon were identified as Orange County residents Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said in a statement.

Autopsies found both had gunshot wounds and evidence at the scene led detectives to believe Orbeso shot Nguyen and then himself, the statement said.

(National Park Service/AP)

It did not suggest a motive but said Orbesos actions remained under investigation.

The bodies were found in an embrace, authorities said earlier this week before formal identifications.

The couple was reported missing on July 28 when they failed to return to a bed-and-breakfast, whose owner believed they went hiking in the vast park sprawling over more than 1,200 square miles of the Mojave and Colorado deserts 130 miles east of Los Angeles.

Later that day, the National Park Service rangers found the couples car, unoccupied, near the Maze Loop Trailhead.

Son Nguyen, uncle of Rachel Nguyen, woman found dead in Joshua Tree with Joseph Orbeso releases family statement about her death. pic.twitter.com/vks6QUux7b  Beatriz La Bruja  (@BeatrizVNews) October 21, 2017

The parks search-and-rescue team immediately began looking for the pair, and the next day the park requested help from the county sheriffs department.

More than 250 searchers on the ground, on horseback, in aircraft and aided by dog teams spent nine days scouring the rugged terrain. More than 10 suffered injuries before the search was scaled back to small teams working weekends.

The bodies were not found until October 15.

Joseph Orbesos father, Gilbert Orbeso, was with searchers who made the discovery.

The sheriffs department said in its statement that deputies were flown to the area that afternoon and homicide investigators were summoned due to suspicious circumstances and visible injuries.

The bodies were removed the next day and taken to the coroners office for identification and investigation.
A second teenager has appeared in court accused of murdering a man in a knife attack outside Parsons Green Tube station.

Shafiq Smith, 18, is alleged to have carried out the fatal stabbing of Omid Saidy, 20, with a 16-year-old accomplice on Monday.

He is also charged with the attempted murder of 18-year-old Oluwafemi Omotosho, who was stabbed after arriving at the scene on a moped. He faces a third charge of threatening Mr Omotosho with a large knife.

The defendant, of Laitwood Road, south-west London, was brought before Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Dressed entirely in grey, Smith spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

He was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at a plea and trial preparation hearing at the Old Bailey on October 25.

Mr Omotosho was seriously injured in the attack and has also been charged with affray and possession of a bladed article, prosecutor Simon Arloff confirmed.

The court heard he had been taken ill and will appear before Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Monday instead.

Police at the scene outside Parsons Green Tube station. (Yui Mok/PA)

The deadly attack took place yards away from where 30 people were injured in a terror attack last month. The victim, from Fulham, was pronounced dead in Parsons Green Lane at 8.30pm.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, has also been charged with murder and threatening another man with a knife.

He appeared in custody at Wimbledon Youth Court on Thursday.

The teenager, from Durham, was injured during the attack and was arrested after being released from hospital.

He was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at the Old Bailey on October 23.

Two females and another male who were arrested at the same time as Smith, on suspicion of assisting an offender, have been released under investigation.
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabes appointment as a "goodwill ambassador" for the World Health Organisation is "surprising and disappointing" given his regimes record of human rights abuses, the UK Government has said.

A spokesman said Britain has raised concerns with the WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus over Mr Mugabes new role, warning that it risks overshadowing the organisations work on chronic diseases.

Zimbabwes leader has long faced European Union and United States sanctions over human rights abuses.

(Themba Hadebe/AP/PA)

Commenting on his appointment, the UK Government spokesman said: President Mugabes appointment is surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him.

We have registered our concerns with WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Although Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on non-communicable diseases."

Civil Society statement on appointment of President Robert Mugabe as @WHO Goodwill Ambassador for #NCDs in Africa https://t.co/tVJ50wywbO pic.twitter.com/tKdWunlZLO  NCD Alliance (@ncdalliance) October 20, 2017

Mr Tedros, an Ethiopian who became the WHOs first African director-general this year said Mr Mugabe could use his role "to influence his peers in the region" and claimed Zimbabwe was "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all.

But despite once being known as the breadbasket of southern Africa, in 2008 a charity released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwes health system and blamed Mr Mugabe for policies that led to a man-made crisis.

Physicians for Human Rights found his government had "presided over the dramatic reversal of its populations access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care".

It went on: The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicising the health sector, to maintain its hold on power.

The report said Mr Mugabes policies had led to the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers.
Egypts interior ministry said on Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and 13 were injured in a shootout with terrorists on Friday in Egypts Western Desert.

The ministry said that 11 police officers, four conscripts and one sergeant were killed in the shootout, and a search is underway for one missing police officer. Four police officers and nine conscripts were also injured.

The ministry also said that 15 terrorist were killed or injured in the attack.

The ministry added that "media outlets should rely on official sources only for information on the incident."

Shortly after the attack, authorities released a statement saying that a number of policemen were killed after terrorists opened fire on security forces as they attempted to conduct a raid on a terrorist hideout in Egypts Western Desert, about 135 kilometres (83 miles) southwest of Giza.

The hours-long shootout took place when an initial security force attempted to raid the hideout, leading to an exchange of fire initiated by the terrorists, who were armed with heavy weapons, according to the Saturday statement.



Later on, Egyptian security forces exchanged fire with the terrorists after combing the area, killing and wounding 15 of them.



"The interior ministry stresses ... that this (incident) will only strengthen its resolve and determination to exert more efforts and uproot terrorism," the statement added.

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At least 54 Egyptian police officers were killed when a raid on a militant hideout outside of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said.

It was one of the largest losses of life for Egyptian security forces since militants began targeting government forces after the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was removed by the military in 2013.

The gunfight began late on Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in the Giza region, about 84 miles from the capital, after security services moved in.

(PA)

At least 52 Egyptian police and conscripts were killed and six more wounded in a gun battle on Friday https://t.co/rEkyFvmYpK pic.twitter.com/xUoCA8TAXf  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 21, 2017

The officials said the death toll could increase.

Police also deployed aircraft to confront the militants, officials said, as clashes continued after nightfall.

No militant group immediately claimed involvement in the firefight.

Egypt has been struggling to contain an insurgency by Islamic militants led by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, centred mostly across the Suez Canal in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula. Attacks on the mainland have also recently increased.

The country has been under a state of emergency since bombings and suicide attacks targeting minority Coptic Christians killed scores earlier this year. Those attacks were claimed by IS.

Egypts Grand Mufti Shawki Allam condemned the killing in a statement on Friday.
A woman has been found dead in Finaghy on the outskirts of Belfast.

Detectives from Serious Crime Branch are investigating the circumstances of the fatality.

The woman, aged in her 50s, was found in the Ardmore Avenue area of Finaghy on Saturday morning.

Woman found dead in Finaghy after neighbours report hearing 'screams'

Spoke to residents & police at scene of murder of woman in Ardmore Park. Anyone with information about the incident should contact police. pic.twitter.com/q3f2xZsuKR  Mairtin O Muilleoir (@newbelfast) October 21, 2017

South Belfast Assembly member Mairtin O Muilleoir said neighbours earlier heard screams.

The Sinn Fein representative said there was real shock and distress in the community.

"I have spoken with residents of Ardmore who were woken by a womans screams around 7am, he said.

He urged anyone with information to contact the police.
A suicide attack has killed 15 army officers west of Afghanistans capital Kabul.

Defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said the attack took place outside the training academy of the Marshal Fahim National Defence University, killing 15 officers and wounding four others.

He added that the attack on foot occurred in the early evening when the on-duty officers were on their way home.

The attack comes after an attack on a Shiite mosque that killed at least 39

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, according to their spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, who said that 27 academy members were killed.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said that the targeting of security forces illustrated the militants isolation.
Stoke have been sucked into the Premier League relegation zone after two goals within 133 seconds earned Bournemouth a first top-flight victory on their travels this season.

Eddie Howes side had lost each of their four away fixtures, but Andrew Surmans opener at the bet365 Stadium was swiftly followed by a Junior Stanislas penalty, awarded after Ryan Shawcross tripped Benik Afobe.

The Potters pulled one back in the second period through Mame Diouf but a 2-1 loss saw them drop into the bottom three following a run of one win from eight in all competitions.

Amid typically blustery Staffordshire weather, Stokes afternoon got bleaker shortly after kick-off. The first of two goals in quick succession originated down the right, where Jordon Ibe spotted Adam Smiths run to the byline. His pull-back to Stanislas allowed the forward to tee up Surman to steer a well-controlled effort into the corner of Jack Butlands net.

It went from bad to worse from a home perspective as just 80 seconds later Stoke conceded a penalty.

Stanislas terrific back-heeled nutmeg of Kurt Zouma released Afobe to run at the returning Shawcross, whose clumsy scissor-kicked challenge felled the Cherries forward. Stanislas had to convince Afobe to let him take the penalty and he made no mistake by placing down the middle to trigger jeers from a disgruntled Stoke fanbase.

FULL-TIME Stoke 1-2 Bournemouth



Bournemouth secure their first away #PL win of the season thanks to goals from Surman & Stanislas#STKBOU pic.twitter.com/C1bR8uNpZ3  Premier League (@premierleague) October 21, 2017

Former Potters keeper Asmir Begovic made a smart near-post stop to deny Diouf but it needed a fine intervention from Butland at the other end to thwart a deflected effort from Ibe, who should have squared for Afobe having been freed by a defence-splitting Stanislas pass.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting nodded an Erik Pieters cross just wide and Shawcross went close with a stretching effort from Darren Fletchers free-kick, but the hosts entered the interval 2-0 behind.

Unsurprisingly Mark Hughes then abandon his back-three system after an ineffective first period where they accommodated their visitors time and space.

Joe Allen should have hit the target having been found by Glen Johnson before the right-back was replaced by Peter Crouch as Hughes sent out another SOS to his towering target man.

Can you do it on a wet, windy day at Stoke, though?



Look what it means! #afcb  pic.twitter.com/grmagjLmrm  AFC Bournemouth  (@afcbournemouth) October 21, 2017

Within four minutes Stoke had pulled one back, though it had little to do with their new arrival. A semi-cleared corner reached Pieters and his ball back into the box ricocheted kindly to Diouf via Simon Francis attempted clearance off Choupo-Moting, and the Senegalese bundled the ball past Begovic with his thigh.

It was a script Stoke had followed so many times in recent years  throwing on Crouch at home in grim conditions to fire up both the crowd and players, and Bournemouth were now having to weather the storm.

Judging by his demeanour on the touchline, Hughes wanted a penalty when Jese Rodriguez tripped over Smiths leg, but the exaggerated fall did little for his case.

There was to be no spirited second-half comeback from the hosts, though, at the start of what they thought would be a run of fixtures to shoot up the division.

What they said

 "It's a huge result for everyone connected with the club."#afcb  pic.twitter.com/CpfkHSiH9C  AFC Bournemouth  (@afcbournemouth) October 21, 2017

Weve got to get back on the horse. We fell off last week and this week and its time to show our mettle. Second half there were some decent performances within the team, without creating the moments. Weve got to go again. Theres no point feeling sorry for ourselves.

I thought we showed the two sides to our game. The football we played first half was excellent. I thought we were very good and had total control. You knew at half-time the game would change with the weather and Crouch coming on so the most pleasing thing is we looked very solid and didnt really give them many clear-cut chances.
MPs should be dragged from Parliament to see Grenfell Towers shell as a reminder of how their decisions caused the disaster, a firefighter has said.

Lucy Masoud, who worked on the recovery operation after the June 14 tragedy, blamed the blaze on Government austerity measures and a contempt for social housing tenants.

Speaking at the Stand up to Racism national conference, the Chelsea-based firefighter said her colleagues would never get over their experiences that night.

A panel of speakers including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and Grenfell Tower survivor Bellal El Guenuni joined her to discuss how the inferno reflected institutional racism and social cleansing.

Around 80 people died when the 24-storey block was ravaged by fire.

Ms Masoud told a packed room at Friends House in central London: What we do know and what we believe is austerity caused that fire.

Had that building not been a social housing building, we know there wouldnt have been so many failures.

Fire deaths were already up 20% before Grenfell. Tory cuts & austerity kill. Lucy Masoud tells #StopRacism17 how 1k London firefighters gone pic.twitter.com/UpimDkXsMW  #NoToWar  (@gazmurph) October 21, 2017

Why did Grenfell have flammable cladding and no sprinklers and only one dry-riser? Because it was social housing and the decision makers dont care about the social housing tenants.

She added: The minute rich people in Kensington and Chelsea decided they no longer wanted to look at an ugly building, those tenants fates were sealed.

Work is now under way to shroud the charred frame of Grenfell in protective wrapping following concern the sight of the wreckage was distressing those who lived nearby.

But Ms Masoud, who was talking on behalf of the Fire Brigades Union at the event, said she disagreed with the decision.

She said: That building as it stands there today in west London is a symbol of this countrys failures.

Its a symbol of how this country treats its social housing tenants and I think every politician, every MP should be dragged from the House of Commons to look at that building and made to see and understand that the decisions they made have led to what took place on June 14.

Grenfell survivor Mr El Guenuni followed her speech by saying the response to the disaster was led by young people from all races, defying stereotypes about social division.

He told the room: During the fire, something amazing happened on June 14.

Diane Abbott was given a standing ovation as she gave the final speech of the event (Yui Mok/PA)

I would say a good 60-70% of people trying to save people that night were actually youth, youth from black heritage, youth from Asian heritage and a lot of Muslim youth, were there risking their lives to save people from the tower.

No matter what religion you were from, what colour you were from, they were there trying to save people.

The shadow home secretary then won a standing ovation as she rose to give the final speech of the event, having been an outspoken critic of how the west London residents were treated.

She called for Britain to learn and relearn the value of solidarity, adding: We have to fight against the social apartheid that this Tory government is forcing on London and other cities and intensifying every day.

We have to fight for decent social housing, we have to fight for a properly funded fire service, but above all we have to fight for justice for Grenfell.
Jose Fonte apologised to West Hams fans for the 3-0 defeat by Brighton which left a huge question mark over Slaven Bilics future.

Hammers boss Bilic admitted his job could be on the line after a humiliating loss at home to the newly-promoted Seagulls.

But defender Fonte said the players must take responsibility and try to bounce back against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Jose Fonte was part of the West Ham side which lost at home to Brighton (Steven Paston/Empics)

We are all disappointed, we are all frustrated and we apologise, Fonte told the club website.

It was not the performance we wanted to produce and it wasnt the performance the fans deserve.

We need to look at ourselves in the mirror because this cannot happen. It happened a few times last season and we have to put this right.

We have got to move on. We have a game on Wednesday and we need to go and beat Spurs because we have to react, we have to bounce back.

The rot set in when Glenn Murray was left unmarked to nod in a Pascal Gross free-kick after just 10 minutes.

Jose Izquierdo curled in the second in first-half stoppage time and Murray finished West Ham off with a 75th-minute penalty.

While they were clinical in attack, Brighton also defended superbly with Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk barely giving 16million Mexico striker Javier Hernandez a kick.

There was a lot of pressure on us in the first half, but we defended well and scored at the right times, early on and just before half-time, which probably killed them a bit, Duffy told Brightons website.

It was still difficult with lots to do in terms of our positioning and defending crosses. Hernandezs movement is world class. You cant switch off, if you do hell get a chance and hell take it.

Theyre three big points, and its a big clean sheet. They had lost once at home, and it was a great performance from the lads.

Weve always believed that we can stay up. Were a hard team to beat and weve had a few new signings that have taken a while to settle in, but theyre now doing brilliantly.
BANJUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - African Petroleum Corp has begun arbitration proceedings over Gambia's decision to strip the company of its rights to explore for oil in two offshore areas.

The Norwegian-listed company said in a statement on Wednesday that two wholly-owned subsidiaries had requested arbitration with the United States-based International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes "to protect its interests in the A1 and A4 licences".

Licence area blocks A1 and A4 are thought to contain up to 3 billion barrels of oil and lie next to licences in neighbouring Senegal, where big discoveries have been made.

Gambia said in August that African Petroleum's licences had expired and were now open for relicensing, accusing the company of failing to meet its commitments -- charges denied by African Petroleum.

"Arbitration is certainly not our preferred route. However, we believe arbitration is necessary to protect our interests in these licences, in which we have made significant investment over the years," the company's CEO Jens Pace said in the statement.

Pace has held talks with Gambian President Adama Barrow, who replaced long-ruling dictator Yahya Jammeh in January, but they have yielded no agreement. Pace said on Wednesday that the company remained open to settling the dispute through dialogue.

Energy Minister Fafa Sanyang said that Gambian authorities had been notified of African Petroleum's move to seek arbitration but could not comment until the justice ministry had a chance to study the case. (Reporting by Pap Saine; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Jane Merriman and David Goodman)
By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Monsanto Co sued Arkansas agricultural officials on Friday to stop a proposed summer ban on a weed killer linked to widespread crop damage beyond the major farm state's borders.

The lawsuit seeks to block the Arkansas State Plant Board from prohibiting the use of dicamba herbicides, manufactured by Monsanto and BASF SE, during summer when the products are meant to be sprayed on soybeans and cotton engineered by Monsanto to resist the chemical.

Growers across the farm belt said this summer that dicamba hit areas other than where it was sprayed, damaging millions of acres of crops that could not tolerate the herbicides. Experts say dicamba is more likely to vaporize in high temperatures in a process known as volatility.

Chemical companies, though, have blamed the damage on farmers misusing dicamba.

To prevent damage, the Arkansas plant board advanced a proposal at a September meeting that put the state just one step away from banning dicamba sprayings after April 15, 2018.

However, the board did not review 14 studies on volatility Monsanto submitted at the meeting, according to the lawsuit.

The board's action hurt Monsanto and its dicamba herbicide brand through the loss of direct sales and indirect business through distribution and licensing agreements, the complaint said.

"The plant board's action disadvantages Arkansas farmers," Scott Partridge, vice president of global strategy for Monsanto, said on Friday.

Terry Walker, director of the plant board, said on Friday he had not seen Monsanto's lawsuit and declined to comment. Board spokeswoman Adriane Barnes also had no immediate comment on the complaint.

Arkansas previously prevented farmers from using Monsanto's dicamba herbicide, called XtendiMax with VaporGrip, in 2017. The state allowed sales of a version made by rival BASF SE .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved use of the herbicides on crops that had emerged from the ground only through next year and could stop sprayings beyond 2018 if farmers suffer another year of damage.

The case is Monsanto Co v Arkansas State Plant Board et al, Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas, No. CV-17-5964. (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Richard Chang)
BEIJING, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Experience shows that foreign interference in crises does not work and China supports the Myanmar government's efforts to protect stability, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday, amid ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

More than 500,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled across the border to Bangladesh following a counter-insurgency offensive by Myanmar's army in the wake of militant attacks on security forces.

U.N. officials have described Myanmar's strategy as "ethnic cleansing". U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmar's military leadership responsible for its harsh crackdown.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that China condenmed the attacks in Rakhine and understands and supports Myanmar's efforts to protect peace and stability there.

China and Myanmar have a deep, long-standing friendship, and China believes Myanmar can handle its problems on its own, he added.

Asked why China's approach to the Rohingya crisis was different from Western nations, Guo said that China's principle was not to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

"Based on experience, you can see recently the consequences when one country interferes in another. We won't do it," he said, without offering any examples of when interventions go wrong.

China does not want instability in Myanmar as it inevitably will be affected as they share a long land border, Guo said.

"We condemn violent and terrorist acts," he added.

Guo's department has been at the forefront of building relations with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who visited China in 2015 at the Communist Party's invitation, rather than the Chinese government's.

Department head Song Tao also visited Myanmar in August and met Suu Kyi.

Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Rohingya insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

The European Union and the United States have been considering targeted sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership.

Punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals are among a range of options that have been discussed, but they are wary of action that could hurt the wider economy or destabilize already tense ties between Suu Kyi and the army. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill)
BEIJING, Oct 21 (Reuters) - China's economy is on track to meet the official growth target for 2017, the head of the state planning agency said on Saturday.

"We expect to achieve the full-year growth target of about 6.5 percent," He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a briefing on the sidelines of China's Communist Party Congress.

Most economists believe actual growth should easily beat the target. The economy grew 6.8 percent in the third quarter of the year, and 6.9 percent in the first half. (Reporting by Kevin You and Meng Meng; Editing by Kim Coghill)
A number of countries around the world have condemned the killing of 16 Egyptian security forces in a shootout with terrorists that took place on Friday in Egypts Western Desert.

France's embassy in Cairo expressed its full solidarity with the people and authorities of Egypt.

We offer our condolences to the families of the fallen Egyptian security forces in the fulfillment of their mission and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Once again, Egypt and its security forces are paying a heavy price in the fight against terrorism, the statement said.

The German Embassy in Egypt also condemned the incident, saying that "nothing can justify such violence."

"Germany stands by the Egyptian people in the fight against terrorism ... and wishes a speedy recovery for the injured," the embassy said in a statement.

Ivan Surkos, the head of the EU delegation in Egypt, expressed "deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives defending the country against terrorism. The EU stands with Egypt."

British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson said in a statement that both Egypt and Britain face the same evil, but we are sure that the world has the ability to defeat it.

The Italian embassy also issued a statement condemning the "gruesome attack."

Jordans King Abdullah II sent a message to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressing deep sorrow for the death of the Egyptian security forces, wishing a swift recovery for those injured and expressing Jordans full support for Egypt in the fight against terrorism.

The kingdom also declared that it will be pulling down its flag at the main entrance of its royal palace from Saturday morning until 6 pm in a show of mourning.

The Bahraini foreign ministry expressed deep condolences for the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

Bahrain affirmed its solidarity with Egypt in its fight against terrorism and its efforts to combat all forms of violence and extremism, and expressed its support for all measures taken to achieve security and stability.

The statement added that Bahrain reaffirms its position in renouncing terrorism in all its forms regardless of motives or justifications, and calls for strengthening international efforts to confront and eliminate this dangerous phenomenon.

Other Arab countries and organisations that condemned the incident include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Palestine, Iraq, the Libyan interim government, Yemen, Sudan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the League of Arab States.

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By Kevin Yao and Meng Meng

BEIJING, Oct 21 (Reuters) - China's economy is on track to meet its official growth target for 2017, the head of the state planning agency said on Saturday, despite a punishing war on pollution which is expected to slash industrial output over the winter months.

China has forced 28 cities in smog-prone northern regions to reduce emissions of airborne particles known as PM2.5 by at least 15 percent from October to March 2017, with some cities expected to cut steel production by as much as 50 percent.

But officials with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said the world's second-largest economy will remain on track.

"We expect to achieve the full-year growth target of about 6.5 percent," He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a briefing on the sidelines of China's Communist Party Congress.

Most economists believe China's actual growth should easily beat the target. The economy grew 6.8 percent in the third quarter of the year, and 6.9 percent in the first half. Last year's growth rate of 6.7 percent was a 26-year low.

China's economy has surprised global markets and investors with robust growth so far this year, driven by a renaissance in its long-ailing "smokestack" industries such as steel and stronger demand from Europe and the United States.

But economists with Societe Generale said in a recent note that the winter output cuts could slash industrial production growth by 0.6-0.8 percentage points and GDP growth by 0.2-0.25 percentage points in the next six months.

Industrial growth slowed to 6.3 percent in the third quarter, from 6.6 percent in the previous period, data showed last week, with the services sector taking up much of the slack.

Prices of commodities like steel, copper and iron ore have turned wildly volatile in China and in global markets recent weeks on fears of possible winter shortages.

China's steel output dropped 3.7 percent in September from a record high the previous month as mills reduced production in line with Beijing's campaign, and analysts predict further declines as winter curbs set in.

However, Zhang Yong, vice-chairman of the NDRC, told reporters that the direct impact was likely to be limited.

"Measures to fight pollution don't have a big impact on economic growth," he said. "Measures to treat pollution have a positive impact on economic development in the long term."

The government has been pushing a restructuring programme designed to "upgrade" its heavy industrial economy, cut pollution and tackle profit-sapping capacity gluts in sectors like steel and coal.

China says it has cut annual crude steel capacity by as much as 110 million tonnes over the last five years, with coal capacity slashed by as much as 400 million tonnes, though some analysts say much of the outdated, inefficient plants are merely being replaced with leaner, cleaner ones.

Ning Jizhe, vice head of the NDRC and also head of China's National Bureau of Statistics, said the country would continue to crack down on steel overcapacity, prevent obsolete plants from restarting and promote more mergers in the sector.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao and Meng Meng; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Kim Coghill and Tom Hogue)
By Ayhan Uyanik

MUNICH, Oct 21 (Reuters) - German police ruled out a political or religious motive behind a knife attack in the city of Munich on Saturday and said a detained man suspected of injuring eight people had mental health problems.

The arrest of the suspect in his 30s brought calm back to the streets of the Bavarian capital after a tense morning. Police had asked residents to stay home until they find the attacker who had fled on a bicycle.

Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that eight people have been lightly injured in the attack and that the suspect was known to police from previous offences, including burglary.

"We have no indication of a terrorist, political, or religious motive," Andrae said. "I assume it is to do with a psychological disorder of the perpetrator."

Police had earlier said they believe the man, who attacked people at several different locations, acted alone.

His victims include a 12-year-old boy and a woman. (Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
Political party leaders in Parliament will meet next week to decide on rectifying the errors in the Local Government Election Amendment Bill.

The meeting was decided when joint opposition parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunawardene proposed that the errors should be rectified through a resolution in the House.

It is better to rectify the errors through a resolution than via amendments so as to prevent the postponement LG polls," he said.

Mr Gunawardene accused the subject minister of attempting to delay the polls.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said would be no need to postpone the elections because the Attorney General's opinion could be sought. Attorney General is in Bahamas and will be in Sri Lanka next week. Therefore party leaders can discuss this matter with him and decide what needed to be done," he said.

Speaker said the amendment could be taken up in the House next week. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)
gideonphoto.com(SANTA ROSA, Calif.) -- Rick Grenis and Bonnie Frazier spent more than a year planning a wedding in northern California's scenic Sonoma County that was to include a weekend of activities for their more than two dozen guests.



But the couple had to make a last-minute change in plans when their venue in Healdsburg was closed due to wildfires that were among the deadliest in California's history raged across the state.



Our venues website said, Closed until further notice, Grenis, told ABC News. That is not what you want to see the week of your wedding.



Grenis, 29, and Frazier, 27, who both live in Oakland, California, got the news just 48 hours before the Oct. 13 date for their nuptials. But they took inspiration from their wedding planner, who was persevering after losing her family's home to the fires this month in Santa Rosa, California.



Wedding planner Brittany Hanson, her husband and their three children escaped their home with just the clothes on their backs.



Days later, Hanson, who said one of her five employees also lost her home in the fires, was back planning weddings for clients like Grenis and Frazier.



"We want to survive out of this," Hanson told ABC News. "We know were in a really bad situation, but we also know if we were removed from this and it was our wedding, wed be devastated and stressed."



"We love weddings," Hanson added. "Thats what we do. We understand the importance of weddings."



Following her lead, Grenis and Frazier went ahead with their marriage ceremony at a different location, near San Francisco.



'We're all here. We're all surviving.'



The California wildfires have charred more than 217,000 acres of land, forced about 75,000 residents to evacuate and damaged or destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.



"People removed from here think the whole thing went up in flames, but wine country is very large," Hanson said. "There are still plenty of us here and a big part of our economy -- hotels and restaurants and food tastings -- comes from the wedding industry."



In Napa County, 732 marriage ceremonies were held and 1,663 marriage licenses issued last fiscal year, Napa County Clerk John Tuteur told ABC News.



Weddings helped to generate $196 million in spending in the Napa Valley area in 2016, according to an economic report released in May by Visit Napa Valley.



Darius Anderson owns multiple restaurants and wedding sites in the Napa and Sonoma county areas. He said this year's wildfires hit the region during its busiest month for marriage celebrations.



"The tragedy of the whole thing is October is traditionally our number one month for weddings," said Anderson. "In this month, weve had 57 percent cancellations."



Anderson's properties survived the fires and he said the first priority for him and other local business owners has been to make sure their employees are safe and taken care of. Their next priority, he said, is to help rebuild the region and make sure people know its beauty remains.



"Long-term we have to let people know that were open for business and the natural beauty and historic value and what makes Napa-Sonoma so charming to people is still here," he said. "We're still focused on our customer base and making sure their experience here is the best they can possibly have."



Many couples are going ahead with their weddings in the area.



Hanson said her company typically does 20 weddings in the month of October alone. So far, only two have been canceled and another two have changed their venues.



"Were all here. Were all surviving," she said. "Everyone is here volunteering. For us to keep going is the best thing we can do right now."



Hanson said people in the wedding industry are going the extra mile to help each other. Some vendors are offering to drive hours to new wedding locations, she said, and wedding planners like herself are helping each other find what they need both for their business and for the larger community.



"One wedding planner donated supplies for 100 kids to my school," Hanson said. "I replied to thank her and she needed 70 volunteers to feed lunch and I said, Done.'"



"We're crisis managers," she added. "That's what we do for a living."



'Planned an entire new wedding in 48 hours'



When the wildfires forced the closure of Grenis and Frazier's planned wedding venue, the groom's brother, Billy Grenis, stepped up to help from across the country in New York City by putting out a call on social media.



The couple confirmed their new venue, a country club in Novato, just outside San Francisco, the night before the wedding.



We took a year or more to plan this and then we basically planned an entire new wedding in 48 hours, Rick Grenis said. It was something that we reminded ourselves throughout the week, that its not about the specific details that we had been planning but the fact that were getting married and that people are still coming to celebrate us.



The smoke from the fires, however, had spread so far that Hanson brought masks for Frazier, Grenis and their guests to wear at the outdoor wedding to protect themselves from smoke.



The bride and groom cancelled their planned rentals of houses for nearly 30 out-of-state guests in Healdsburg so that the homes could be used instead to house evacuees.



They also asked their wedding guests to make donations to fire victims in lieu of wedding gifts. They are making their own donation to help those affected by the fires, and they hope to return one day to their planned wedding destination.



We keep joking that for our 10-year anniversary we can go back and follow the itinerary that we had planned, Frazier said. "We had a whole wine country weekend."



'It was just surreal.'



The fast-moving fires this month caught some wedding-goers by surprise.



Wendy Ross, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was watching groomsmen give toasts at the Oct. 8 wedding of her son, Sam Ross, to Rachel Lieberstein in the Napa Valley area when wind began to pick up and the sky turned red.



"It was a wonderful wedding, everything went perfectly and then the wind started really picking up," Ross told ABC News. "As it started getting dark you could notice a little bit of a glow."



The ceremony and reception took place at a private home overlooking vineyards in the path of the Atlas fire, which struck Napa and Solano counties, and Wendy Ross said that as the DJ began playing music, "bright red flames" were shooting in the sky.



"I noticed [the flames] about 9:50 that evening and by 10:45, we were gone," she said of the 120 guests who evacuated. "It was very, very frightening."



Sam Ross and Lieberstein, now on their honeymoon now in New Zealand, plan to help rebuild their beloved Napa community as soon as they return home.



"We expect to fully immerse ourselves in the rebuilding process when we return next weekend," Lieberstein told ABC News by email. "We have a lot of friends and family in Napa who have already started brainstorming with us on how we can help our community directly."



She added, "We want to help as quickly and efficiently as possible."





Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in the capital as Afghan officials on Saturday raised the number of casualties from the attack to at least 39 dead and at least 41 wounded.

In a statement on its website late Friday, IS group said claimed its fighter Abu Ammar al-Turkmani "detonated his explosive vest among the apostates" during Friday prayers in the Imam Zaman mosque in western Kabul.

The attack was one of two on mosques in the troubled, war-torn country. A suicide bombing in western Ghor province struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers, killing 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, spokesman for the provincial chief of police.

The attacks were the latest in a devastating week that saw Taliban attacks kill scores across the country.

The so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan has taken responsibility for most of the attacks targeting Shia, a minority in Afghanistan whom the Sunni extremist group considers to be apostates. Earlier this year, following an attack claimed by IS on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul, the militant group effectively declared war on Afghanistan's Shiites, saying they would be the target of future attacks.

Several mosques have been attacked following this warning, killing scores of Shia worshippers in Kabul and in western Herat province. Residents say attendance at local Shia mosques in Kabul on Friday has dropped by at least one-third.

The Interior Ministry released a statement Saturday saying it was investigating the attack in Kabul's Dashte-e-Barchi neighborhood. It said the assailant blew himself up as worshippers began their prayers.

Eyewitness Ali Mohammad said the mosque was packed with worshippers, both men and women praying at the height of the Muslim week. The explosion was so strong that it shattered windows on nearby buildings, he said.

Dashte-e-Barchi is a sprawling neighborhood in the west of Kabul where the majority of people are ethnic Hazaras, who are mostly Shia Muslims.

As attacks targeting Shia have increased in Kabul, residents of this area have grown increasingly afraid. Most schools have additional armed guards from among the local population.

Abdul Hussain Naseri, a Shia cleric, condemned the attack and said more security is needed for Shiite mosques in the city.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor province took place in the Do Laina district, according to Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, the spokesman for the provincial chief of police. He said the target apparently was a local commander, Abdul Ahed, a former warlord who has sided with the government. Seven of his bodyguards were also killed in the bombing. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

It has been a brutal week in Afghanistan, with more than 70 killed, mostly policemen and Afghan soldiers but also civilians as militant attacks have surged.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the earlier assaults this week that struck security installations in the east and west of the country.

Funerals were scheduled for Saturday at several cemeteries in western Kabul.



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Gunmen mounted on pick-up trucks and motorcycles killed 12 gendarmes and wounded several in an attack on their base in western Niger, near the Mali border, on Saturday, two security sources said.

The village is a few dozen kilometres from where militants killed four U.S. soldiers in an ambush on Oct. 4 that has thrown a spotlight on the U.S. counter-terrorism mission in Niger, which straddles a large expanse of the Sahara.

The gunmen crossed over the border from Mali and drove up to the village of Ayorou, about 40 km (25 miles) inside, before springing their attack, the security sources said.

"They were heavily armed. They had rocket launchers and machine guns. They came in four vehicles each with about seven fighters," said a security source on the scene.

One of the attackers was killed in an exchange of fire, he added. A spokesman for Niger's military said he could not confirm any details of the attack.

Several Islamist militant groups and well-armed ethnic militia are known to operate in the area near the border with Mali, and there have been at least 46 attacks recorded there since early least year.

However, security officials suspect a relatively new militant group called Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara to have been behind many of them, including the ambush on the joint U.S.-Niger patrol.

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A suspect has been arrested after four people were lightly injured Saturday in knife attacks in the southern German city of Munich, police said.

The man assaulted passersby in several places near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT, inflicting "light" injuries on four people, a police spokesman told AFP.

The suspect detained by police "very strongly" resembles the perpetrator of the attacks, Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said at a press briefing.

According to police, the suspect was captured travelling by bicycle a few kilometres south of where the attacks took place. He did not resist arrest.

The spokesman added that police could not yet definitely say that he was man who carried out the attacks in a neighbourhood close to the centre of Munich.

The suspect was being questioned by police, he said, adding that it was "too early" to determine the motive for the attack.

A total of five men and one woman were attacked "at random" in six different places but only four of them suffered "superficial" injuries, police said.

Police have described the perpetrator of the attacks as a man in his forties with blond hair, wearing grey pants and a running jacket, who had fled the scene on a black bicycle. He was also carrying a backpack and a camping bed roll.

In July 2016, a German-Iranian teenager who police say was obsessed with mass murderers, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself.

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In the past 30 years, the number of wineries in Virginia has increased six-fold. As of 2015, more than 8,000 people worked in the industry full time, up from fewer than 5,000 five years earlier. Also in 2015, wineries and vineyards throughout the state had an estimated economic impact of $1.37 billion.

Vino, it seems, is big business. And that heady growth is good news for more than 60 farm wineries operating in Central Virginia.

October is Virginia Wine Month, a month-long celebration established in 1988 to promote agritourism at Virginias then-40 wineries. In the 29 years since, that number has grown to more than 260, with state officials touting the increase as a key driver of tourism in Virginia.

Wine sales reached a new record level last fiscal year, at over 587,500 cases, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a recent statement. The continued growth of the commonwealths wine industry, one of Virginias fastest-growing agricultural sectors, is a priority for my administration as we work to build a new Virginia economy. Im proud that these vineyards are bringing jobs and tourism to many rural localities across our beautiful commonwealth.

Much of that growth has happened in just the past decade, according to studies from the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office. Between 2010 and 2015, the full economic impact of the wine and grape market in Virginia nearly doubled, rising from approximately $747 million in 2010 to $1.37 billion in 2015. In that same time span, the state added 68 wineries to its roster and nearly 3,500 full-time-equivalent jobs in the industry.

While wineries were exploding, the number of grape-growing vineyards in the area decreased from 386 in 2010 to 338 in 2015, but the total vineyard acreage increased by more than 20 percent. According to Annette Boyd, director of the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office, that consolidation signals a healthy maturation of the state vineyard market.

While Boyd didnt have locally concentrated data, its safe to say that Central Virginia has been a substantial contributor to that growth. Coming in just behind Northern Virginia, Central Virginia is home to the second-highest number of wineries in the state  67, according to a list from VirginiaWine.org.

That may be a far cry from the 400-plus wineries that span Napa Valley in California, but Central Virginia has nonetheless witnessed a renaissance in winemaking in the past five years, according to Neil Williamson, chairman of the Virginia Wine of the Month Club tasting panel. Local wines of recent vintages  particularly red blends and Petit Verdots  are winning accolades across the nation, he said, and were over-represented in this years Governors Cup Awards.

Nine of the 12 wines featured in the prestigious Governors Case this year were from Central Virginia wineries. This acclaim was born from a very energetic new generation of winemakers, Williamson said, working collaboratively rather than competitively across the Monticello Wine Trail, a collective of 33 local wineries in the Monticello American Viticultural Area.

When you have the concentration of wineries that you have here in Central Virginia, you have the opportunity to learn from each other and to share the good and the bad, Williamson said. The Monticello Wine Trail has done a great job in bringing what some might see as competitors together and working toward a common goal of great Virginia wine.

***

Among those winemakers is Matthieu Finot, head vintner at King Family Vineyards, who has been crafting Virginia wines for more than a decade. Finot agrees that a large component of local growth in the industry has come from the synergy amongst winemakers.

We are a bunch of friends, thats the best way to describe it, Finot said. As soon as you remove this potential competition, then you realize we all do the same job and are trying to do something we like that were passionate about.

According to Finot, there is no best winery or best wine in the region, as differences between most establishments come down to style and preference; collaboration thus creates a best practices approach for increasing quality across the board. This sense of collaboration materialized in 2013, when several local vintners came together to create the Monticello Winemaker Research Exchange, which eventually morphed into the Virginia Winemaker Research Exchange. The fruits of that endeavor have been realized in the acclaim thats surrounded Virginia vintages ever since.

Theres a very true sense of community in all of the winemakers in the area, Finot said. We are making world-class wine.

But growing the industry cant be accomplished with high-quality wine alone, Finot said. While most Central Virginia wineries are excelling in agritourism, the next phase of growth has to happen outside of the tasting room. Most farm wineries in the state sell very few bottles beyond the Virginia border.

If we grow, we will grow by getting out of Virginia, Finot said. That means were going to need to tackle other markets and not be only in agritourism. Thats when your wine will be compared to the rest of the world.

***

Sarah Gorman, business manager for Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery, agrees that more sales are needed beyond the tasting rooms themselves, and hopes that the buzz around Virginia wines will translate to higher consumption from Virginians themselves. The percentage of Virginians drinking in-state wine is still disappointingly low, she said.

That, to me, is something I wish we could change  to get Virginians to be drinking it, Gorman said. With the local movement of eating from whats seasonal and local, folks should get on board with doing that with their wine, as well.

Expansion within both local agritourism and production also could be beneficial, but Williamson said that expanding the number of fruit-bearing vineyards could prove challenging, given the three-year period it takes for newly planted vines to become viable.

Gorman agreed, saying it can be hard to convince a grower to invest in an expensive fruit that can have temperamental outputs based on Mother Natures unpredictability.

I think that we still have land that could be good for it, but theres no getting around the fact that its still challenging, Gorman said.

That said, Finot sees Central Virginias wine industry as a fledgling business landscape, noting that Europes own legendary winemaking communities took centuries to fully develop. Only decades into its own industrys growth, and in light of 2017s record-setting grape production across the state, Virginias vines have room to grow.

Weve had a fantastic year in the vineyard, Williamson said. Were going to remember this year as being one of the best years ever.
The entire Dillwyn Town Council is running for re-election, but the Buckingham County towns 240-plus registered voters wont find the candidates names on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Theyre all running write-in campaigns.

Our town clerk retired earlier this year and she pretty much took care of everything for us and kept us up to date, said Linda V. Paige, who is seeking her third term as mayor of Dillwyn. Its one of those things we just missed. We were talking a while back and someone said, Hey, is anyone running for re-election? When do we sign up? Then we realized that we had missed it.

Although the official Dillwyn ballot will appear blank, there are candidates who want the jobs. Besides Paige, Karen Sue Moss, Tora L. Jones, Sharon Baker, Ossie J. Harris III, James E. Tyree and Gilbert W. Reams also are hoping to return to the council.

Their names wont be on the ballot because they missed the deadline to register as candidates, so its a write-in situation, said Margaret Thomas, Buckingham Countys registrar. Weve made some adjustments to the write-in process to make it a little smoother so it wont be much of a problem. There are only about 244 registered voters in Dillwyn, so it wont be that much more difficult.

In larger counties, the need to count write-in votes by hand could slow down the process and create a bit of a headache for election officials.

But Thomas said the write-in status of Dillwyn candidates wont be problem when it comes to vote counting on election night.

The biggest problem is that, to be counted, the oval in front of the line that says write-in candidate has to be filled in, just like the oval in front of a name thats printed on the ballot, Thomas said. The obviously fictitious names we dont bother to count.

Virginia law prohibits write-in candidates in primary elections, which are specifically for determining party nominees. Law also declares that write-in votes are not counted in presidential elections.

However, Virginians have the right to enter the full name of a write-in candidate if the candidate of choice is not on the ballot for state and local elections.

Exact interpretation of the statute is left up to local elections boards. Some require that the names be accurately spelled and include middle initials. In 1993, Sally H. Thomas won election to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors as an independent write-in candidate. In that election, votes for Thomas required the correct spelling of her name.

But Buckinghams elections board has made a few concessions for Dillwyn to make it easier, considering the blank ballot that voters will face.

The elections board has voted to accept different spellings of a persons name, but we cannot accept just the last name, Thomas said. The board has also voted to accept the initials in a name because its been determined no one else in the town would have the same initials and last name. Like Linda V. Paige is running for re-election as mayor. If someone writes in L.V. Paige, those initials would be unique to the candidate.

Paige said that, unlike a city the size of Charlottesville, a town like Dillwyn doesnt always have the staff dedicated to serving the council. Often, candidates are sought out by others who are in office or are stepping down.

Thats how Paige, who has served in public office since 1998, ended up on the Town Council.

Years ago, the mayor came to me and said, We need someone on the council and you were recommended, and I thought, Wow, she recalled. There were six seats open and seven names on the ballot, and I won one of the seats.

When that mayor died while in office, the vice mayor took over and Paige was appointed vice mayor. When the new mayor died, Paige, a cancer survivor, took over the top job.

I thought, Uh-oh! Thats two mayors that have died in office, and look at me, she laughed.

She won her second term as mayor without competition.

No one else wanted to run, so I won my second two-year term, she recalled. Ive been on the council or mayor for 19 years now, and it has its moments. I like the people in the town and I like the fact that weve been able to help some of them.

Sometimes being mayor can be a bit inconvenient. Town residents often call to get help for a variety of issues, from leaking roofs to barking dogs. When the power went out in Dillwyn a few years ago, the town clock went a bit haywire, chiming at inconvenient hours.

The mayor soon heard about it.

It would chime at 6 in the morning and 9 at night, and I got a lot of phone calls from people who wanted it changed, Paige said with a laugh. We get a lot of calls from people who have problems, and we do our best. People know me and they know that if we can fix it, we will fix it.
On Friday, 16 policemen were killed in a shootout with terrorists in the Western Desert

Egypt Saturday cancelled festivities of a bi annual phenomenon of the sun illuminating a statue of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel in Aswan governorate in the wake of the Western Desert terrorist incident that killed 16 policemen Friday.

In statements reported by the state owned MENA agency, Aswan governor Magdy Hejazi said all "activities of celebrations"  due Saturday and Sunday  would be cancelled in solidarity with police martyrs.

Hundreds of tourists and dignitaries were expected to gather at the 3,200-year-old temple to watch the dawn event, when the sun aligns with the temple such that its rays penetrate its sanctuary, located 48-metres inside the temple, and light up the kings face.

One of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, Ramses II had the temple carved into a sandstone mountain on the banks of the Nile to align with the sun twice a year  in February and October  to celebrate his birthday and ascension to the throne.

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A federal judge has found sufficient cause to allow a lawsuit to move forward against an Albemarle County police officer accused of racial profiling during a traffic stop in 2014.

Attorneys representing Officer Andrew Holmes and the county recently filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to rule that the plaintiffs, Bianca Johnson and Delmar Canada, have no case because there are no facts at issue.

In an opinion issued Thursday, Judge Glen Conrad denied part of the motion and found that the plaintiffs presented enough evidence that a jury could reasonably find that Holmes actions in initiating the traffic stop, and then searching the couples home, were motivated by discrimination.

However, Conrad also granted part of the defense motion, finding that there was not enough evidence to show that Albemarle County is liable. Conrad wrote that there was not enough evidence to suggest that the county had an official custom, policy, or practice that caused the deprivation of the plaintiffs rights.

The lawsuit stems from a traffic stop conducted by Holmes on April 26, 2014. Parked near the 7-Eleven on Greenbrier Drive, Holmes was running the license plates of vehicles in the parking lot through a records system.

In his testimony, Holmes said this kind of work is necessary because no one drives around with signs on the side of their car that say Im carrying drugs, according to the opinion.

When he ran the plates of a BMW through the system, it showed the car was registered to Johnson. Remembering her name from a prior call for service, Holmes then searched other police databases for people associated with her.

A man named Delmar Canada showed up in his search, along with Canadas photograph, and information that his license was suspended. When Canada came out of the 7-Eleven and drove the car away, Holmes initiated a traffic stop.

According to dash cam video from Holmes patrol car, Canada said he was not aware that his license was suspended and that he had never received anything telling him it was suspended. Canada told Holmes he had previously paid $1,500 to get his license back after failing to make child support payments, according to the opinion.

While Canada was still stopped, a female officer arrived at the scene and began talking to Holmes. In dash cam video of the conversation, the female officer observed that Canada was driving a nice car, the opinion states. In response, Holmes noted that it was an expensive car.

The next day, Holmes sought a search warrant at the home shared by Canada and Johnson for the notification paperwork that would have been mailed to Canada when his license was suspended.

The opinion noted that, although Holmes had issued citations to more than 50 people in the past for driving on a suspended license, he had never before sought, or executed, a search warrant for a suspension notice from the DMV. There also was no evidence that any other officers at the Albemarle County Police Department had taken such action before.

Conrad wrote that Holmes claimed he had learned from another officer who had attended some sort of gang training that obtaining search warrants in reference to driving suspended notifications could be used as part of an investigative tool.

According to his own testimony, Holmes said he believed that there was the possibility that he would find drugs inside Johnson and Canadas home.

Holmes and two other officers executed the search warrant five days later, after 11 p.m. During the search, Holmes said he found money, but did not find the DMV notice or any narcotics.

Citing statistics presented by the plaintiffs, Conrads opinion stated that in 2015 Holmes arrested 67 people, of whom 59.7 percent were black and 40.3 percent were white. In comparison, all other officers in his sectors arrested 207 people, 38.16 percent of whom were black and 60.87 percent of whom were white.

Conrad concluded that a jury could reasonably infer that Holmes actions had a discriminatory effect and were motivated by a discriminatory purpose.

The opinion said the search warrant was obtained as a pretext to search for something other than the paperwork described in the warrant, namely illegal drug activity.

After reviewing the evidence, a reasonable jury could find that Holmes belief that he would find narcotics in the plaintiffs residence was grounded in the unwarranted and race-based assumption that African-Americans driving expensive cars are likely to be involved in drug trafficking, the opinion stated.

Conrad found that there was not enough evidence to suggest the county had a policy that allowed for racial profiling.

The plaintiffs alleged that Holmes had a history and practice of targeting African-Americans for intrusive searches, and that numerous complaints by African-Americans had been lodged by citizens with the County of Albemarle  against Defendant Holmes, complaining about his conduct in improperly stopping cars and unlawfully searching people and places, according to the opinion.

But in his opinion, Conrad said the plaintiffs did not prove that an unlawful custom or policy existed that would then show a direct causal link between county policy and the alleged racial profiling.

Neither partys attorneys could be reached for comment before press time.

A trial is set for December.
This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. Oct. 20.

Hillary Clinton and other speakers will not receive fees for presentations at the University of Virginias Womens Global Leadership Forum in November.

Clinton is the keynote speaker at the forum, which will explore issues facing women during UVas history and highlight challenges for the next century.

Clinton  a former secretary of state, U.S. senator, first lady and Democratic presidential nominee  will speak on the topic of Women and 21st Century Democracy: The Path Forward.

A spokesman for UVa said no speaking fees or contracts are associated with the event, but speakers will receive reimbursement for travel and lodging.

The Nov. 13-14 conference will feature women leaders from local, national and international organizations.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe will introduce Clinton. Other scheduled speakers include Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe; Dr. Vivian Pinn, a 1967 graduate of UVas School of Medicine who recently had a building on Grounds renamed after her; and UVa President Teresa A. Sullivan, the first woman to hold the office.

In addition, former leaders in Rwanda, Iceland and Kosovo will speak in sessions on health, political power and the workforce. More than 20 countries will be represented, according to UVa.

Tickets for the event will be available through a lottery to UVa students, faculty and staff beginning Oct. 26. The Newcomb Hall Theater at UVa will host a remote viewing.
The Indian Banks Association (IBA) has questioned the UIDAI's authority in directing banks under the Aadhaar Act. (Photo: AFP)

Mumbai: While Aadhaar-issuing body Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been coercing banks to open enrolment and updation centres, the Indian Banks Association (IBA) has questioned the nodal bodys authority in directing banks under the Aadhaar Act, said media reports.

In a letter to the ministry of electronics and information technology, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the department of financial services, the IBA said that only the RBI has the authority to issue directives to banks under the Banking Regulation Act, sources told Mint.

This report comes just a day after the UIDAI said only about 2,300 branches of private and public sector banks have opened Aadhaar enrolment and updation centres within their premises as against the targeted 15,300 branches by October-end.

The Aadhaar-issuing body previously extended, till October 31, the deadline for banks to open Aadhaar enrolment and updation centres in at least 10 per cent of their branches.

In July, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had asked private as well as public banks to open Aadhaar enrolment and updation facilities. Later, it extended the deadline by a month and said it would impose a penalty of Rs 20,000 per uncovered branch after September 30.

According to a copy of a circular seen by Mint, the Aadhaar centres shall be operated by banks directly inside branch premises without involvement of any private Aadhaar enrolment agencies.

The IBA in its letter also drew attention to issues associated with banks creating an Aadhaar database and using it for KYC purposes. Aadhaar enrolment is not the primary role of banks. We are awaiting clarity from both RBI and government whether we should take directives from an external authority to do Aadhaar enrolment as part of banking activity, a source told the paper.

Meanwhile, the UIDAI has also been emphasizing on the linking of banks and Aadhaar numbers, the deadline for which is December 31. In an RTI reply, the RBI however revealed that it has not issued any instruction so far regarding mandatory liking of Aadhaar number with bank accounts."

These issues raise questions regarding the authority controlling Aadhaar and the extent of its jurisdiction in legal terms.
According to new legal documents, Cathriona White, who claimed she became suicidal after Jim Carrey gave her herpes created an elaborate extortion scheme with fake medical records to make it seem she was clean before she met the star. According to TMZ.com, Carrey now claims that his ex-girlfriend had herpes before they met, but changed the facts.

Carrey adds that she got her friends medical records showing a clean bill of health, and then altered them to make it appear the records were hers.

The new documents were filed by Carrey in connection with a lawsuit filed by Whites family, who claim Cathriona committed suicide after she contracted the disease from the actor.
We had earlier reported that ministers of BJP party  Tamilisai Soundarrajan and Pon Radhakrishnan  have condemned the makers of Mersal for ridiculing the Digital India initiative and the implementation of GST through the dialogues in the movie. Members of the film fraternity including Pa. Ranjith have expressed their opinion that there is nothing wrong in talking about societal issues in the movie.

However, it is being reported that the makers of Mersal are receiving threats and are pressurised to remove the scenes that criticises the initiatives of BJP. According to latest developments, the producers of Sri Thenandal Films have given word to Pon Radhakrishnan that they would be removing or muting those scenes that address Digital India and GST.

In Mersal, Vijay also talks about how Singapore has a comparatively low tax rate and provides better medical facilities than India. Many doctors have expressed their dissatisfaction over including alleged wrong facts. In addition to that, the Indian Medical Association has decided to boycott Mersal by spreading pirated links. The association is all urging fellow professionals and paramedic staffs to the same. By doing so, the collections of Mersal might get affected, they say.

Many filmmakers feel that their freedom of speech has been curtailed due to this move. This has also sparked the debate whether films should have scenes that bear political remarks or not.
Chennai: Amid reports that the producers of Vijay starrer Mersal are under intense pressure from certain political leaders to delete portions critical of the Central and state governments, the fans of the star have hit back by posting the 'offensive' clip on the social media and daring the politicos to prevent their hero's 'socially important' message from reaching the masses. What if you delete? We will go ahead and share it, said a whatsup post that carried a video clip of that 'provocative' Vijay scene.

The state BJP leaders, particularly president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Rajya Sabha member L.Ganesan, have slammed Vijay for his scathing remarks on GST and the healthcare system in a high-voltage scene in Mersal that has been drawing applause in the theatres, and outside. Translated, the star rhetoric runs thus: 'When Singapore charging a mere seven per cent GST can provide free healthcare to its people, why can't our government that takes 28 per cent GST give us free medical services? GST of 12 per cent for medicines but no GST for liquor that turns our mothers into widows! There's no oxygen cylinder in our country's number-one hospital! They say it's because the supplier (of oxygen cylinder) has not got his dues for two years!

'In another government hospital, four patients died because of power cut during their dialysis! There's no power back up there! A child in the incubator died after bandicoot bite and that can happen only in our place! The sight of the government hospital scares the people more than the disease itself. And that fear, precisely, is the investment for the private hospitals..' The climax scene outside the court hall, with the hero in handcuffs after being arrested for killing a doctor and three others involved in unethical practices in a corporate hospital, is reportedly bringing the roof down in the theatres with the audience cheering. Outside, it has predictably ruined sleep for some in the saffron camp.

From where do these people get the guts to attack the Central Government? thundered state BJP chief Tamilisai, while her colleague Ganesan cautioned that such cinema could make law-abiding citizens lose faith in the government and they could end up in 'mersal', nervous fear. The producer of the film, Murali Ramaswami, is the son of late Rama.Narayanan, who was a DMK legislator apart from being a well-known producer-director. While DC's attempts to contact him failed till late Friday night, there were reports he was under pressure to have the 'offensive' portions deleted. The film will lose much of its zing without that scene but we must sympathise with the producer if he chooses to succumb to pressure. After all, we in this industry cannot carry on after offending the powers-that-be, rued a top Kollywood personality requesting anonymity, referring to reports that Central Minister Pon Radhakrishnan was particularly annoyed at Kollywood's anti-Centre rhetoric-Vijay's Mersal, Kamal's twitter and so on.
The Telugu film industry is planning to shut all their activities in November to protest against the GST. According to some industry folks, the Tamil film industry is planning a similar kind of bandh in November, and the Telugu film industry wants to follow suit.

The recent GST (Goods and Services Tax) was openly criticised as it created huge losses for the industry. So, the Tamil film industry wanted to make the protest big and were planning to shut the industry while requesting the Telugu industry to do the same.

We are still talking with the Tamil producers and others before taking a decision, says P. Kiran, President of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce.

We are also in talks with other film industries from the North like Marathi and Bengali, says C. Kalyan, Chairman of the South Indian Chamber of Commerce. He adds that the Tamil industry is getting levied an additional tax of eight per cent from the state government apart from the GST.

On the other hand, he shares that the West Bengal government did a favour to their film industry with the state government withdrawing its nine per cent tax, which means that the industry has to pay only the other 9 per cent to the central government.
There is a quiet in the night. The roads are cleared of all the debris. My dogs have a smile on their face as they sigh and slip into a safe slumber inside my home. I can once again smell the frangipani flowers as I walk around the community where I live in Bangalore. As I go for a walk, some of my neighbours look away when they see me as, I am the anti-Hindu chap who appealed for a cracker free Diwali. Diwali is behind us and the explosions have died, but the debate has been ignited again.

The debate started with the Supreme Court (SC) ban on the sale of fire crackers in Delhi. The SC ban seems to have worked as it has been reported that the noise and smoke levels on Thursday were much lower than in previous years until about 6 pm. While the Air Quality Index (AQI) value on Thursday was 319, terming it in very poor category, the AQI last Diwali had touched a severe level after recording an index value of 431. This year the online indicators of the pollution monitoring stations in the Capital glowed red, indicating 'very poor' air quality, means that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on prolonged exposure to such air, as the volume of ultra fine particulates PM2.5 and PM10, which enter the respiratory system and manage to reach the bloodstream, sharply rose starting around 7 pm on Thursday. Real time pollution data also looked alarming. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's RK Puram monitoring station recorded PM2.5 and PM10 at 878 and 1,179 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively, at around 11 pm Thursday. The pollutants violated the corresponding 24-hour safe limits of 60 and 100, respectively, by as much as 10 times.

The SC has come under attack for its ruling by experts who contend that this is a knee jerk reaction not based on science. Anil Suri, a PhD in chemistry from Durham University, UK, and a materials scientist based in Aalborg, Denmark, whose research interests lie in carbon nanotubes and graphene, penned a detailed article titled 'Diwali Cracker Ban: When pseudoscience guided decision-making' where he explains the flaws of the SC ruling. He says that the months of pre-winter crop burning, and dust from construction contributes to air pollution more than one day of fire crackers during Diwali. He also goes onto expound the 'benefits' of fire crackers, including how the burning phosphorous cleanses the air of vectors that carry diseases like dengue. In conclusion, he rues the fact that Hindu traditions are under attack.

My intention is not to question the wisdom of Dr. Anil Suri, the cultural and religious sentiments of the Hindus or defend the judgement of the SC. It is merely to point out that pollution levels are alarming in India and anything that contributes to it has to be re-examined - irrespective of religious sentiments. It is difficult to pray when you are choking for air! The recent 'State of Global Air 2017' report has stated India now accounts for the maximum number of premature deaths from air pollution in the world. Not only has India surpassed China, a study by medical journal The Lancet, had also said that the air we breathe in India is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution.

The fact remains that while Diwali is a joyous festival, the by products of the joy are air pollution, noise pollution, and large quantities of waste. The world in general and India is reeling under the effects of global warming resulting in climate change events that is having effects on our health and food production. Given this scientific reality, will it hurt our faith if we desist from the thrills of lighting fire crackers? Will our Gods be upset if we only light lamps around our homes, and not emit phosphorous into the air? Will our children be cross with us if we tell them that instead of burning fire crackers this year, that money will be used to feed some hungry children in an orphanage.

Evolving societies re-examine prevailing norms - if celebration, like burning fireworks is leading to harm, then it needs to be questioned. Will the celebration during Diwali diminish because we do not burn firecrackers? Will the planet smile with or frown with despair when we persist and burn fire crackers? The planet needs hope, and we Indians need to question the logic behind creating more pollution. Diwali signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Let's hope the spirit of Diwali is restored.
This is an unnecessary controversy

This is a most unfortunate development. The Taj Mahal has got every record, for the construction, the land grant and even for the marble. The land belonged to Raja Jai Singh, who happens to be Shah Jahans cousin. Shah Jahans mother was from the royal family of Marwar. Taj Mahal is the climax of every Mughal architectural inheritance.

I have worked behind the revival of more than 100 temples and have a good idea about Shiva, Ganapathy and Vishnu. But I have not heard of Tejo Mahalaya, which is supposedly a Shiva Temple.

I have seen the insides of Taj Mahal, there are just a lot of empty rooms inside it, which were constructed to elevate the height of the structure. This is an unnecessary controversy.

 K. K. Muhammed, Former Regional Director (North), Archaeological

Survey of India.

People have been claiming that every monument in India is a Hindu temple

I doubt Vinay Katiyars credentials. Time and again people have been claiming that every monument in India is a Hindu temple. Even if the Taj Mahal wasnt a UNESCO world heritage site, we must not forget that it has been a part of our history and heritage. We must protect it from getting dragged into controversies. Also, another scary thing is vandalism. I feel that the security should be doubled so that the beautiful monument doesnt get vandalised.

 Anil Dharker, columnist and writer

One should celebrate the heritage that the structure comes with

It is absolute foolish to drag a historical monument down like this. One should celebrate the heritage that the structure comes with. The monument generates income for the state and the country. Taj Mahal was built by Indian craftsmen for the Indians. Political parties should recollect the recognition that the monument has received worldwide. It has become synonymous to India for many foreign tourists.

Anuradha Reddy, co-convenor, Intach Telangana

The Taj Mahal isnt a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of heritage

Removing the Taj Mahal from the list of seven wonders isnt going to change the number of tourists visiting the attraction. The move is unnecessary. We need to take examples from progressive nations like France, where religion isnt a priority.

We have been known and recognised as a secular nation and this move seems to break tag. The Taj Mahal isnt a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of heritage; all monuments are. The facilities for the tourists who visit the monument can be bettered and renovated. It is a tourist spot that gathers a lot of crowd. This move is hideous and dangerous for the countrys progress as a secular nation.

Araathu R., Writer

'The claim has several loopholes

The claim has several loopholes. It is doubtful that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalya since anyone who has any knowledge of Vaastu Shastra can tell that a double dome structure cannot be associated with ancient temple architecture. Besides, the land on which the Taj Mahal stands belonged to Raja Jai Singh. He sold the land to the Mughals for a handsome price. Had it been an important temple, he would have never attempted this blasphemy. Its resemblance to the description in the Quran also proves the theory otherwise.

It is a pity to see that we are fighting over the authorship of a structure which contributes majorly towards Indias tourism income. Such debates not only disturb the communal harmony of the nation, but also affect the overall fabric of society.

Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, Founder, Heritageshaala
Chennai: A family of seven attempted suicide in the private hostel they ran near Sholinganallur along the IT corridor-Rajiv Gandhi Salai on Thursday night. All seven members including four children under the age of 10 years are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Perungudi, police said. The family comprising Engaiya (65), an ex serviceman, his daughters Megha, Chinna Vengamma, grand children, Nudheek, Nishita, Naga Chaitanya and one-year-old Sivapriya lived in the working womens hostel run by the family. Engaiyas wife died when his eldest daughter was five years old, police said.

The family hails from Andhra Pradesh, police said. On Friday morning, hostel occupants found them lying unconscious on the terrace of the hostel. Semmenchery police rushed to the scene on information and moved them to a private hospital nearby. A suicide note, written in Telegu was recovered beside them in which they had mentioned that no one is responsible for their suicide, an investigating officer said.

According to Semmenchery inspector, MG Sundar, the family had mixed poison in a soft drink and consumed it. Preliminary investigations have suggested no clear motive behind the suicide attempt, police said adding that they are probing if there is a possible financial constraint. All seven of them are out of danger and are recovering well, police quoted the doctors as saying. Further investigations are on.
Hyderabad: The driver of an Uber cab was allegedly masturbating while driving a customer to the airport. The customer, a 25-year-old techie from Delhi, took to Facebook to publicly shame the cab driver for his actions.

The incident, which took place at about 7.40 am on Thursday on the Outer Ring Road, left the woman feeling helpless as she had no option but to continue the ride as the ORR was deserted at the time.

He slowed down the car to about 50 kmph and kept glancing at the rear view mirror. After five minutes I realised what he was doing, she said in her Facebook post.

She added that she began screaming at the driver and asking him to stop the car. He stopped only after repeated threats. She then clicked a picture of his and told him that she would go to the cops.

The customer is a native of Delhi who recently moved to the city for work. She was on her way to the airport to take a flight back home for Diwali at the time of the incident.

Speaking to this paper, the techie said that she thought that Hyderabad was much safer than Delhi, but she no longer believed so.

The victim contacted a womens helpline upon landing in Delhi. They could not transfer the call to the Hyderabad unit. I tried filing an FIR at the Safdarjung police station in Delhi, but they refused to accept it since the incident happened in Hyderabad, she said.

The woman is attempting to file an FIR online, and she has also written to the Hyderabad police. The Hyderabad police said that the complaint had been forwarded to the Cyberabad police, but I have received no response since then. Once I reach Hyderabad I will file a formal complaint, she said.

The woman also called out Ubers non-existent driver verification system. She said that two executives from Uber got in touch with her and informed her that the driver had been fired.

A representative of Uber said, Whats been described has no place in our company. The driver partners access to the Uber app has been barred.

SHE team waits for complaint

Members of Hyderabads She Teams say that they will wait for the complainant to return to the city and file a formal complaint before taking action against the driver.

This incident has happened at a time when the #MeToo campaign is at its height, with thousands of women sharing their stories of harassment and abuse on social media. The 25-year-old has also made a mention of this in her post.

Two days back I was hopeful as I, along with hundreds of women I know, chose to speak about sexual harassment. Today I shudder to think of how many of those #MeToo statuses were because of the same vile men who repeated their actions only because we were too scared to speak up, she posted.
The villages where the Pakistani firing and shelling wreaked havoc in the civilian population include Baaz, Madyan, Dolanja, Odoosa and Gawalta, the police officials said. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Srinagar: An Army porter was killed and two women were injured in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district on Saturday.

The Army and police officials said that the Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortars to target the Indian forward posts and civilian areas in Uri sector and adjoining Kamalkote sub-sector in violation of the ceasefire understanding.

The Indian troops, they added, retaliated strongly and effectively by using similar calibre weapons. In Muzaffarabad, the officials said that the firing was initiated by the Indian troops and that the Pakistani troops only retaliated to unprovoked Indian action.

A 22-year-old porter Syed Abbas Hussein Shah was critically injured in the Pakistani firing. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility but he died on way, said the officials.

The victim had been engaged by the Army to work at one of its forward posts known as Shankar Chowki along the de facto border.

The villages where the Pakistani firing and shelling wreaked havoc in the civilian population include Baaz, Madyan, Dolanja, Odoosa and Gawalta, the police officials said.

An 18-year-old resident Nasreena Banoo was injured when a mortar fired from across the LoC landed near her home in Madyan. She received splinter injured and was removed to Uris sub-district hospital where from she was first shifted to Baramullas district hospital and then to Srinagars Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), said the officials.

Another woman identified as Asifa Begum received a bullet wound in Kandi Barjala village of Uri later during the day.

The exchanges which began at 11 am continued intermittently till the reports last came in. The Army said that the Pakistani firing and shelling was abrupt and unprovoked.

On October 18, eight civilians were injured in Pakistani firing in Jammu and Kashmirs twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

The officials had said that the Pakistani troops started targeting the Indian forward locations in Poonchs Balakote and Mendhar and Rajouris Manakote areas with small arms and mortars at around 6.30 am on that day.

Some of the mortar shells landed in civilian areas, injuring, at least, eight persons, they said.

As per official statistics, the Pakistani troops have violated the November 2003 ceasefire understanding along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir as many as 228 times in 2016 and 506 times, so far, this year.
The Election Commission had on March 23 frozen the name AIADMK and its election symbol after the factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of the R K Nagar bypoll. (Photo: PTI/File)

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minister K T Rajendra Balaji has said nobody can shake the AIADMK as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports the party.

Expressing confidence that Chief Minister K Palaniswamis camp would get the two leaves symbol, the State Dairy Minister said, The symbol will come to EPS camp... there is no doubt about it.

Addressing a party meeting here late last night, he said as along as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is with us, nobody can shake our party... nobody can destroy AIADMK....

He asserted that no one could oppose the ruling AIADMK, including the DMK.

He claimed that 92 per cent of general council members supported the Palaniswami camp.

The Election Commission had on March 23 frozen the name AIADMK and its election symbol after the factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of the R K Nagar bypoll, necessitated by the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Chief Minister Palaniswami, however, revolted against Sasikala. On August 21, rival AIADMK factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly seven- month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the deputy chief minister.

Balaji had earlier courted controversy when he alleged that private dairy firms mixed harmful chemicals in milk.
The CBI has written to the government for reconsideration of its 2005 decision. (Photo: File| MoD)

New Delhi: The CBI has written to the government for reconsideration of its 2005 decision and to allow the agency to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court in the Bofors case challenging quashing of an FIR in the alleged scam, officials said.

In a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the CBI conveyed that it wanted to file the SLP challenging the Delhi High Court order of May 31, 2005 quashing all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.

Government officials said the CBI was in favour of filing the SLP in 2005 but the then UPA government did not give its nod. Legal experts feel that the agency will have to do a lot of explanation for condoning the lapsed time period of over 12 years.

The then Delhi High Court judge R S Sodhi had on May 31, 2005, quashed all charges against the Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand - and the Bofors company and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

Before the 2005 verdict, another judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice J D Kapoor (since retired) on February 4, 2004, had exonerated late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of the IPC against the Bofors company.

On Wednesday, the CBI had said it would look into the "facts and circumstances" of the Bofors scam mentioned by private detective Michael Hershmam, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, claimed in television interviews recently that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc".

Hershman, who was in New Delhi last week to address a conference of private detectives, also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.
7 Delhi Police personnel had been suspended for allegedly allowing Sukesh Chandrashekhar, an arrested middleman in the EC bribery case, to shop in a Bengaluru mall, where he had been taken for a court hearing, the police said on Friday. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Seven Delhi Police personnel had been suspended for allegedly allowing an arrested middleman in the Election Commission (EC) bribery case to shop in a Bengaluru mall, where he had been taken for a court hearing, the police said on Friday.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar was arrested on April 16 in New Delhi for allegedly taking money from AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dhinakaran to bribe EC officials in connection with the dispute over the AIADMK poll symbol - 'two leaves'.

Chandrasekhar was escorted by the Delhi Police to Mumbai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru for court hearings between October 9 and 16.

He had a court hearing in Mumbai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru on October 9, 12 and 16 respectively.

According to a report submitted by the Income Tax department to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, Chandrasekhar was allowed to roam and shop in a mall in Bengaluru and even carry out business deals, said a senior police officer.

Dependra Pathak, Chief Spokesperson of Delhi Police and Special Commissioner of Police (traffic), said, "An inquiry was ordered yesterday and the seven police personnel of the 3rd Battalion will remain suspended till it is over. Delhi Police will take stringent action."

The suspended police personnel were Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajesh, head constables Jeevan and J George and constables Nitin Kumar, Keshav Kumar, Dharmendar and Pushpender, the police said.

Another officer said the Crime Branch and the 3rd Battalion were considering initiating a probe in the matter and were likely to complete the inquiry within a day or two.

It is being probed whether Chandrasekhar had bribed the police personnel or was it an error of judgement on their part to allow him to roam in the mall.
Hubballi: The state government is facing fresh trouble over its Tipu Jayanti celebrations scheduled for November 10 with Union Minister of State for Skill Development, Anant Kumar Hegde, writing to the Chief Secretary not to mention his name in the invitation cards of the departments and district administrations organising these events.

The five-time MP and hardcore RSS member had written a similar letter to the Uttar Kannada district administration in the run -up to the Tipu Jayanti celebrations last year too. Many senior BJP leaders have come out in his support, claiming the celebrations are a political gimmick to help the Congress government impress the minorities ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.



Two years ago the Tipu celebrations had sparked violence in the state, but the government appears unfazed and is keen on holding them again this year. Already upset by the killing of members of saffron outfits in the state, the BJP plans to intensify its agitation against the celebrations to mark the birth anniversary of the Tiger of Mysuru, Tipu Sultan.

It believes they will only encourage jihadi elements and organisations like the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity.

"The BJP has always opposed celebrating Tipu Jayanti. We cannot tolerate such programmes being held for an anti-national leader, who was against Kannada language. Our party will ban his birth anniversary celebrations if it comes to power," BJP leader, Prahlad Joshi said in Hubballi.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged the Centre to exempt handmade products from the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax(GST). In a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday, Siddaramaiah said: "I am writing this to raise a very critical issue that the GST council should take note of and decide on a priority basis." He said he has received representation from a committee constituted by Gram Seva Sangh, consisting of noted activists including Prof Ashis Nandy, Uzramma and Shyam Benegal, seeking exemption from GST for various handmade items produced and marketed by producer cooperative societies and their federations. Siddaramaiah said that noted theatre activist Prasanna had undertaken a 'satyagraha' and hunger strike against GST on many handmade products for the past few days in Bengaluru.

The CM said that imposition of GST on such products has had an adverse impact on the livelihood of artisans engaged in producing such products, adding the issue raised by the activists needs serious consideration.
"Karnataka CM should take moral responsibility for this scam because he misused tax payers amount and caused a huge loss of Rs 457 crore," Yeddyurappa said. (Photo: PTI/File)

Bengaluru/New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Power Minister D K Shivakumar of being involved in a "mega scam" of about Rs 447 crore relating to the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), a charge the Congress refuted as "baseless".

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid a penalty of Rs 447 crore to the Centre for re-allotment of a coal block despite it having no such liability, following the coal scam verdict of the Supreme Court in August, 2014.

"We charge both of them with receiving kickbacks for making this payment," he said and demanded a CBI probe.

Rejecting the charge, the state power minister said in New Delhi, "Yeddyurappa is misleading the public...This will boomerang (on the party). We are ready for any kind of probe and even a public debate on the issue."

"The decision to pay the penalty to the central government was taken in the interest of the state and not for personal gain," he told reporters in the national capital.

The amount was paid to ensure reallocation of the Baranj coal block in Maharashtra for the smooth supply of coal to power units in the state, he added.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao too rubbished the BJP's charge, saying the party should stop making such allegations to "score political points" in the run-up to the Assembly polls slated for next year.

The opposition BJP, citing documents, alleged that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as chairman and director of KPCL respectively had "failed miserably in their duties to protect KPCL and allowed loot of taxpayers' money of Rs 447 crore".

Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister, demanded that the matter be handed over to the CBI for investigating the role of the chief minister and all those involved in the alleged scam.

The BJP said KPCL and Kolkata-based Eastern Mineral and Trading Agency (EMTA) formed Karnataka EMTA Coal Mines Ltd (KECML) with 24 per cent and 76 per cent stake respectively in 2002, and when the central government allotted six coal mines to KPCL in 2003, it in turn executed the lease in favour of KECML.

In the wake of the coal scam, the Supreme Court cancelled all coal mining licences, including those of KECML, and levied penalties, the senior BJP leader said.

Maintaining that KPCL did not object to or counter the claims made by KECML, Yeddyurappa said, "KPCL woke up just 48 hours before the deadline of December 31, 2014. It wrote to KECML on December 30 saying it (KECML) was liable to pay the entire amount and directed it to make the total payment."

"Shockingly, within 24 hours of writing the letter, on December 31, KPCL paid Rs 110 crore towards penalty and claimed it was 24 per cent of the amount, despite no demand having been made on KPCL to make the payment," he said.

"Most shockingly on March 16, 2017, KPCL made the balance payment of Rs 337 crore, despite a contempt plea that is pending in the Supreme Court, and related matters before the high court," he added.

On February 2, 2015, the central government had filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against KECML over non-payment of the penalty.

Defending the payment made by KPCL, Dinesh Gundu Rao of the Congress told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid the money to the coal controller under protest and also filed affidavits in the Supreme Court and the High Court that the

payment was being made without prejudice to KPCL's rights to recover the money from EMTA.

"Since the matter is sub-judice, BJP should stop making any allegations," Rao said.

The fresh salvo by the BJP against the chief minister, comes days after it accused Siddaramaiah of "illegally denotifying" land resulting in a loss of Rs 300 crore to the public exchequer, and filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Rejecting allegations of denotification, Siddaramaiah called it an attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the assembly elections early next year.

Karnataka Power Minister Shivakumar is under the lens of the income-tax department, and around 80 premises linked to him have been raided over the last one month.

"I will respond at an appropriate time. Let the investigation be completed," he said when asked about the raids.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde should not have written the letter as he is a part of the government. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: In a letter to Karnataka Chief Ministers Secretariat and Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner, Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde asked them to not include his name on the list of invitees for the programmes during the Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state.

"(I have) Conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist," the BJP leader said in a tweet.

Conveyed #KarnatakaGovt NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic & mass rapist. pic.twitter.com/CEGjegponl  Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) October 20, 2017

The event will be held on November 10.

Reacting sharply to the step taken by Hegde, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said he should not have written the letter as he is a part of the government.

Siddaramaiah further added that the invitations would be sent to all the leaders in the Centre and state and it was their call to either accept or reject the invitation.

The CM said, "As part of government he shouldnt have written it. The invitation will be sent out to all central and state leaders, up to them to accept or reject."

Talking on the King of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, Siddaramaiah said the event is being turned into a political issue and that Tipu had fought all the four wars against the British.

The CM said, "It is being made into a political issue. There were 4 wars against British and Tipu fought them all.

BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje came in support of Hegde and called Tipu Sultan anti-Kannada and anti-Hindu.

Karandlaje said Tipu was anti-Kannada & anti-Hindu, all the Kannadigas are opposing it."

The BJP MP also accused the Karnataka government saying that Tipu Jayanti is being celebrated for vote-bank politics.

She said, "Told govt you shouldn't celebrate Tipu Jayanti from govt's side but they are into vote-bank politics."

Even for the Tipu Jayanti in 2016, Hegde had asked the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada not to include his name in the programme invitations.

The BJP in Karnataka has been opposing state-sponsored Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

With inputs from ANI.
Bengaluru: Former IAS officer S.M. Jamdar suspects that journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh and academic M.M. Kalaburgi were murdered because of their support for a separate religious tag for the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community. Mr Jamdar told reporters here on Friday that he too was receiving threats for participating in the movement and was being provided security by the government. He recalled that a month before she was murdered, Gauri had published a 21 -page edition supporting the cause of a separate religious tag for the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community. Mr Kalaburgi too had backed the cause. Enough blood has been shed on this issue, Mr Jamdar said.
Actor Kamal Haasan on Friday threw his weight behind the makers of Vijay-starrer 'Mersal', asking those opposing the just-released Tamil movie over references to the GST to 'counter criticism with logical response'. (Photo: PTI | File)

Chennai: Veteran actor Kamal Haasan on Friday threw his weight behind the makers of Vijay-starrer 'Mersal', asking those opposing the just-released Tamil movie over references to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to "counter criticism with logical response".

In a Twitter post, Haasan said: "Mersal was certified. Don't re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks," he said.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

Haasan had a few years ago threatened to leave India in wake of protests against his film 'Vishwaroopam'.

References to the GST in 'Mersal' have not gone down well with the BJP. The party objected to what it termed "untruths" about the central taxation regime in the film and demanded that the references be deleted.

Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded the removal of the "untruths" about the GST, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1, while his party colleague H Raja claimed the film exposed Vijay's "anti-Modi hatred".

"The film producer should remove the untruths regarding the GST from the film," Radhakrishnan told reporters in Nagercoil.

His remarks came a day after the BJP's state unit made a similar demand, charging the filmmakers with making "incorrect references" about the central taxation regime.

Earlier on Friday, superstar Rajinikanth-starrer 'Kabali' director Pa. Ranjith came to the defence of the 'Mersal' crew, questioning the BJP's logic of demanding the cuts.

Ranjith said there was no need for removing the scenes on GST as demanded by the BJP.

The CPI(M) has described the BJP's criticism an "attack on freedom of expression".
Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, a day before it closes for the winters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi prayed to Lord Shiva at Kedarnath in Uttrakhand for development of India and well-being of the people of the country.

Modi visited the hill shrine of Kedarnath on Friday.

The revelation was made by the Prime Minister on Twitter when asked by a user about what he prayed for at the shrine.

"India's development and well-being of all Indians," the PM tweeted.

Modi visited the famous temple before laying the foundation stone of five projects in the region.

Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, a day before it closes for the winters, Modi said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation.

This was his second visit to the temple in 2017, he went to Kedarnath last on May 3.

Read: Was stopped by Cong to reconstruct Kedarnath as Gujarat CM: Modi

Modi also attacked Congress saying that the party which was in power in the state, had not allowed him as Gujarat Chief Minister to reconstruct the hill shrine, Kedarnath after flash floods devastated it in 2013.
When the trip ends, only the riders name and the route are left on the app.

Hyderabad: Major lapses from cab aggregator Uber have surfaced after the 25-year-old victim attempted to file a complaint with the police. It is said that Uber delayed in responding to her.

The victim in her latest Facebook post has highlighted many flaws in the app that make it impossible to independently file a complaint without Ubers help.

She stated that the driver was addressed in the app with a single alphabet called B which made it difficult for her to lodge a formal complaint. They confirmed that their team is currently rectifying all profiled drivers who have single alphabet as first name.

When the trip ends, only the riders name and the route are left on the app. This makes filing cases or tracking cars difficult. There is no information left regarding the vehicle number or drivers contact details. In this case, the 25 year old was left with no option but to wait for Ubers response.

Earlier SMS alerts used to be sent allowing us to have a copy, her post noted. Uber has stopped this.

She noted that since she ended the trip, the route followed by the cab was deleted by Uber from its database, making it hard for the police to know the exact route.

The Cyberabad police is tightening its grip on Uber on these lapses. These instances are common.

A few weeks back we had a driver taking a passenger through a wrong route, added Vishwaprasad, DCP.

Uber did not responded on the flaws. However, it stated, This is a regrettable incident. We will continue to support officials in their investigation.
Hyderabad/New Delhi: The RBI on Saturday dismissed reports that it was not necessary to link national identity card numbers, known as Aadhaar numbers, to bank accounts.

The confusion was caused by the RBIs reply to an RTI query, which stated that it had not issued any circular/notification to bankers to seed Aadhaar details with bank accounts, but that the Centre had issued the order to curb money laundering.

The RTI query was filed by a website seeking copies of either the circular or notification issued by the RBI on seeding of Aadhaar and bank accounts.

Responding to the query, the RBI stated: The government has issued a Gazette Notification GSR 538 (E) on June 1, 2017 in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, interalia, making furnishing of Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number (PAN) mandatory for opening a bank account. It may be noted that Reserve Bank has not yet issued an instruction in this regard.

Mr M.S. Kumar, general secretary of the Federation of Bank Employees, said the RBI had issued guidelines based on the governments order to all bankers to seeding Aadhaar details with the bank accounts. Though the RTI reply says the RBI did not issue any such circular or notification, it issued has guidelines, he said.

On Saturday, the RBI said in a statement: The Reserve Bank clarifies that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017.

The RBI said that anti-money laundering rules announced in June 2017 have statutory force and banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions.
New Delhi: The Congress attempt to set up a mega anti-BJP front in Gujarat began to take shape with the influential Patidar community leader Hardik Patel assuring his support to the proposed front saying  We are anti-BJP, we will back Congress to defeat BJP.

The party also kept the doors open for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP despite the fact that it had ditched the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls.

As Congress made rapid strides to marshal support, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the best bet for the ruling BJP will be rushing to Gujarat on Sunday. With the Election Commission taking its own time to announce Gujarat poll dates, the Prime Minister would again inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts.

This will be Mr Modis third visit to Gujarat in a month. Mr Patels statement to support Congress has disrupted the ruling BJPs reported moves to woo the Patidar community and Mr Patel.

Top Congress leaders Ashok Ghelot state election-in-charge and Bharat Singh Solanki, state unit chief on Saturday reached Delhi to meet the Congress vice-president. Mr Thakor, who accompanied the Gujarat Congress leaders met Mr Gandhi and announced his decision to join the party.
Hyderabad: Increasing debt burden forced a 40-year-old farmer to end his life in Medak district. The farmer, Golla Anjaiah, consumed poison and committed suicide, said the police.

Golla Anjaiah from Konpaur village wasmarried to Bakkamma. He had leased three acres of land from his mother-in-law, Amruth-amma, and was cultivating cotton. He also borrowed Rs 7 lakh for his younger daughters marriage in June 2016. However, the crops did not yield expected results, which caused him to lose money.

Depressed over this, he consumed poison on Monday. His family members rushed him to the Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad where he breathed his last on Friday morning. Based on a complaint, a suspicious death case has been registered.
Vijay in a still from the Aalaporan Thamizhan track from Tamil movie 'Mersal'.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling BJP came under fire on Saturday for demanding cuts to an Indian film, claiming it showcased anti-Modi hatred.

A scene in the Tamil-language film Mersal shows a character delivering a fiery monologue in which he attacks the governments failure to provide free public healthcare despite charging a national goods and services tax (GST) of up to 28 per cent.

Mersal had a gargantuan day one opening worldwide, and is reported to have earned Rs 22.5 crore from Tamil Nadu theatres alone.

BJPs Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan had on Thursday called for deleting the scenes which have reference to the GST and the digital India initiative of the BJP government, Union minister of state Pon Radhakrishnan also backed her demand. The film producer should remove the untruths regarding GST from the film. He has assured me the offending scenes on GST and Digital India will be removed from the film, claimed the Union minister.

Though Tamil superstar Vijay hasnt yet reacted on the Tamil Nadu BJPs demand for cuts in the movie, superstar, Kamal Haasan, came out in support of the film.

Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks. Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response, Kamal Haasan tweeted, wading into the controversy that erupted after the movies release.
New Delhi: A war of words on Saturday broke out between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhis Twitter resurgence after a news agency suggested bots or web robots can produce automated mass retweets.

Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani took to the microblogging website to suggest that the retweets were from fake accounts abroad.

Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh, she said in a tweet which tagged the media report.

Questioning whether automated bots were mass retweeting Mr Gandhis tweets, the report said that on October 15, OfficeofRG retweeted US President Donald Trumps tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug.

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged bots with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice-presidents tweets.

An Internet bot is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet. However, the veracity of report could not be independently ascertained.

Rajeev Shukla, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gandhi family loyalist, jumped to the party vice-presidents defence, saying social media connects the whole world and retweets originating from Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia should not be considered out of place.

They (the BJP) are afraid of Rahul Gandhi and his popularity, he said.
On Wednesday, a week before US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is to arrive in India in what looks like a familiarisation visit to the region  he is due to visit Pakistan and Afghanistan as well  after assuming charge, he made a speech showing great friendship with India at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. We should welcome Mr Tillerson with warmth and pursue any practical ideas of common interest he may have, but be conscious that we today find ourselves in a world approaching a pluri-polar status. That basically means that, unlike in the bipolar Cold War era, interlinkages of many kinds will be reached among each other by key nations and there are no defined camps held down by immutable rules of security politics.

In that sense, possibilities of promiscuous behaviour are distinct in todays world. Nations like America, Russia, China and India will have multiple irons in the fire at any time as they seek to push their national interest. But still, there may be a degree of natural convergence, whether always in the strategic direction or not, among countries that have a tradition of consciously pursuing the democratic ideal.

India and the United States will often find themselves on the same page, but when they dont, theres no need for undue anxiety that our divergences in one sphere will mar other areas of understanding, or that all differences must be of a long-term nature.

Mr Tillerson said in this period of angst, India needs a reliable partner on the global stage, and the US is that partner. Similar ideas have been expressed earlier  to the extent India is now called a major defence partner of the US. The two countries have worked fairly closely for nearly two decades, including in defence, counter-terrorism, trade enhancement and cybersecurity.

But theres no gainsaying that close US-China ties have also existed since the 1970s, and Chinas current status as a major economic power owes not a little to Americas support, and that the US-Russia relationship is not all antagonism, though confrontation has a more visible profile in that equation.

While speaking warmly of India, Mr Tillerson did not fail to point out that Pakistan was a major US partner, and that all relations stand on merit. This needs to be appreciated and understood here. The secretary of state has urged close cooperation between India and the US in the Indo-Pacific region. Some quarters wrongly see this as a call to isolate China. Indeed, such a venture initiated by any country against a major entity is doomed to fail. As a separate paradigm, however, there is much scope for India and the US to work closely in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mumbai Parsi community is objecting to the proposed route of the underground railway as it passes under a couple of fire-temples and under the well between Churchgate and Flora Fountain, known as Bhika-Behram, no kuo. (Representational image)

You succumbed to his persistence

Spent time you had to waste 

Victim to his insistence 

But one cant fault his taste...

From Aas Paas Rhymes

by Bachchoo

My Dear Bawajis and Banuon, Wallas and Wallis,

Four score and seven years ago... no, sorry, 1,200 years ago, our ancestors, landed in Sanjan, Gujarat, fleeing the harshness of the Arab conquest of Persia. There is some story about the king of the territory demonstrating the lack of space in his kingdom by calling for a brimful cup of milk. Then the Zoroastrian leader of the boat-people called for a lime and squeezed it into the milk  and lo and behold the milk curdled, as milk must, and became yoghurt, causing the king to repent and say: We need a bit of yoghurt, you are welcome.

I have always thought this story somewhat improbable. Why would the king think that a boatload of immigrants would flood his schools with kids and his National Health Service hospitals with their halt and lame? Besides, Arab-Gulf boats landed in Gujarat every day without passports, to flog their dates and coffee beans.

Whatever the truth of the story, our ancestors did settle in Gujarat and after a few hundred years of feudal bliss were induced by the British, who had set up their factories in Surat, to forcibly sell opium to the Chinese and then to migrate to the islands of Salsette and Vashi and build the city of Bombay.

The migrant Parsis were identified by the places in Gujarat from whence they came or by where they settled  so we have the Billimorias from Billimore, the Surtis from Surat, the Poonawallas (who should of course change their name to Punewallas) and the Sodabottletopwallas who obviously come from an obscure village in Kutch called Sodabottletop.

My family names dont originate from territories. My grandmothers name was Saklatwalla and I always thought her family came from a place called Saklat. I recently discovered that there is no such place and the name originates from the family trade which imported jute from Bengal and milled it into sack-cloth in Mumbai  hence Sackclothwalla  gedd it?

My mothers maiden name was Antia. It has nothing to do with a trade in ants but, I fancy, from the possibility that a remote ancestor traded with the port of Antioch.

The surname Dhondy, traced back to its Avestan and Gujarati roots means stone-breaker. My ancestors were either master-builders in then Bombay or they could have been convicts.

I incline to the former origin, on the evidence that my grandfather and his brother were builders and have even left a building called Dhondy Terrace in Byculla  now sold through the family having fallen on bad times.

I expect by now you are asking why I am writing this open letter!

Its an urgent matter, stimulated by the news that Mumbai is planning to build an underground railway system, which would go from Colaba in the south to Bandra and further in the north. On reading about it, I came across several reports that our Mumbai Parsi community is objecting to the proposed route of the underground railway as it passes under a couple of fire-temples and under the well between Churchgate and Flora Fountain (I am sorry, I cant remember the new names these landmarks now go by) known as Bhika-Behram, no kuo.

The Parsis gathered in numbers at this well as it is regarded by some as sacred and reputed to make wishes come true. I have passed it on foot and by bus a thousand times. There are always Parsis praying at its periphery and placing offerings of sandalwood, garlands and fruit.

In my short and happy youth I too would carry sticks of sandalwood to the fire-temple on holy days to contribute to the sacred fire within. My maternal grandfather always maintained that the priests would clandestinely gather these offerings and sell the sticks back to the sandalwood merchants. They may, as he insisted, have done it through greed or, to give them the benefit of the doubt, to save the planet from an excess of carbon dioxide.

But to get to the point, I have been in London through the installation of a couple of Metro railway systems, most recently the underground named, through British perverseness, The Overground. Each time a system is planned or built there are reports of possible subsidence and damage to buildings above.

I now read that Mumbai Parsis or a fragment thereof, are to appeal to the Prime Minister and launch court proceedings to change the route of the proposed Metro. It may be that they can provide evidence in court from accredited civil engineers and surveyors that the tunnelling will cause the collapse of the fire-temples. This to my mind would be a legitimate cause for concern and the court would have to weigh up the public good accruing from the railway against the supposed injury to the sentiments of the Parsi temple-goers.

Yet my friends, this is not what the reports say. I have heard of no surveys which condemn the fire-temples to destruction. I have read of two specific Parsi objections. One says that the underground will disturb the magnetic field between the sacred fire in the temple and the earth. The other is that the underground will cause the streams which feed the Bhika-Behram well to dry up and stop it fulfilling wishes.

I think both these objections are nonsensical. There are no magnetic or gravitational fields between the fires and the earth and monsoon waters will undoubtedly fill the well. I pray that the Parsi community, so prominent in its advocacy of forward-thinking  in science, politics, law and social reform  does not publicly embrace or endorse the sort of nonsense which claims that ancient India had flying saucers, nuclear bombs and pioneered head transplants. Have some pride in our vaunted progressiveness,

Your humblest servant, fd.
Washington: Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives recognising the religious and historical significance of the festival of lights, Diwali to millions of Indian-Americans.

The resolution was introduced Friday and has the backing of five other lawmakers.

Co-sponsored by Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Tulsi Gabbard, Ami Bera and Joe Crowley, the resolution has been sent to the House Foreign Relations Committee for necessary action.

Read: Donald Trump hails Indian-Americans, celebrates Diwali at White House

While Bera, Jayapal, and Khanna are Indian-American lawmakers, Gabbard is the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress and Crowley is a top Democratic Congressman.

"I'm proud to introduce this resolution recognising Diwali's religious and historical significance for millions of Indian-Americans," Krishnamoorthi said.

For Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains in the United States and across the world, Diwali represents a time for giving thanks and celebrating the triumph of light over darkness as well as good over evil, he said.

Noting that this year many members of the Congress will celebrate Diwali in the US Capitol for the first time, the resolution expresses its "deepest respect" for the Indian-Americans and the Indian diaspora across the world on the occasion.

Read: Ivanka Trump wishes Happy Diwali, says looking forward to her India visit

It acknowledges and supports the relationship of collaboration and respect between the US and India, recognises and appreciates the religious diversity in both the countries and throughout the world.

In a separate statement, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and co-chair Bob Paduchik wished the "Hindu, Jain and Sikh friends a happy festival of lights."

"During the festival, we hope those who celebrate are surrounded by family and friends as they practice the religious traditions of this meaningful holiday," she said.

"The lightening of diya on Diwali is a joyful celebration of the triumphant victory of light over darkness. We as Republicans embrace and continue to support religious freedom in our great country and encourage sharing these traditions with our very diverse communities," McDaniel said.

For Congressman Gregory W Meeks, Diwali is the "boldest, brightest, and the most widely-observed Hindu festival."

"Diwali affords individuals ... an occasion to reflect on what they are doing to enlighten, to open, and to lift themselves, their families, neighbours, friends, communities, and country into the bright light of peace, progress, and prosperity for all people and all nations," he said.

"This is why Diwali is for everyone to let the light of awareness shine within themselves and from themselves outward to others," Meeks added.

Another Congressman John Sarbanes said: "By lighting the diya, or lamp, Diwali reminds us that the good will outlast evil, that knowledge will triumph over ignorance."

"To all those who are joining in this observance, I wish you and your families a wonderful and heart-warming celebration," he said.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, centre, and other Catalan leaders take part in a march to protest against the courts decision to imprison civil society leaders, in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday (Photo: AP)

Madrid: Spain on Saturday said that it will move to dismiss Catalonias separatist government and call fresh elections in the region in a bid to stop its leaders from declaring independence.

Speaking after an emergency Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his government had no choice after the administration of Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont acted in a way that was unilateral, contrary to the law and seeking confrontation in holding a banned independence referendum in the northeastern region.

Taking Spain into uncharted legal waters by using Article 155 of the constitution, which allows Madrid to wrest control of rebellious regions, Mr Rajoy said he was asking the senate to give him permission to dissolve the Catalan parliament and call elections within a maximum of six months.

Mr Rajoy said his government had taken this unprecedented decision to restore the law, make sure regional institutions were neutral, and to guarantee public services and economic activity as well as preserve the civil rights of all citizens.

He is also requesting that all of Mr Puigdemonts government be stripped of their functions, which in principle will be carried out by (national) ministers for the duration of this exceptional situation.

The national senate will now have to agree to these unprecedented steps  a process that will take about a week. Mr Rajoys conservative Popular Party holds a majority in the senate. As the measures enjoy the support of other major parties, they are highly likely to pass.

Catalonia sparked Spains worst political crisis in decades with the chaotic referendum on October 1, which Mr Puigdemont said resulted in a 90 per cent vote in favour of breaking away from Spain. But turnout was given as 43 per cent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from the vote, which had been ruled illegal by the constitutional court, while others were hindered from voting by a police crackdown.

The measures take the country into uncharted legal waters, and come just a day after Madrid won powerful backing from the king and the EU in its battle to keep the country together.

King Felipe VI on Friday had blasted what he said was an unacceptable secession attempt and said the crisis sparked by the regions banned referendum must be resolved through legitimate democratic institutions.

Autonomy is a hugely sensitive issue in semi-autonomous Catalonia, which saw its powers taken away under Spains military dictatorship. Home to 7.5 million people, the region fiercely defends its own language and culture.

Meanwhile, the website of Spains constitutional court  which ruled the independence referendum in Catalonia illegal  was forced down on Saturday following threats from cyber-activists.

Hackers from the loose-knit collective Anonymous  which has targeted a string of high-profile targets around the world in recent years  had threatened cyber attacks over the Catalan crisis.
Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office. (Photo: Facebook)

Lahore: A Pakistani woman journalist who was allegedly kidnapped while pursuing the case of an Indian engineer two years ago has been rescued, officials said. Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have 'forcibly disappeared' while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said Friday evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

"Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody," Iqbal said, adding that tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

"Zeenat Shahzadi today has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe," rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadi's brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

"Helping an Indian prisoner - Hamid Ansari - in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her," Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had said.

"My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national," he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Court's Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian national Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November, 2012.

She secured in August, 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansari's mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful.

"Zeenat received threats from unknown persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansari's mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help," Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years' imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and 'spying'. He is still in jail.

The rights activists, especially former secretary general Human Rights Commission of Pakistan I A Rehman, have voiced for the release of Ansari, saying since he has served his sentence, he ought to be set free now.
Islamabad: The growing ties between the US and India has irked Pakistan which feels insecure, officials here said.

A foreign ministry official said Pakistan had been trying to convince the US to stop relying too much on India especially on the Afghanistan issue but there had been no real success so far.

Just before his visit to Pakistan, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson sent a strong message to Islamabad that his country wanted to deepen co-operation to counter the growing Chinese influence in Asia. Mr Tillerson, who is expected to arrive in Pakistan next week, described India as a partner in a strategic relationship.

Another official at the foreign ministry said that Pakistan planned a give all policy during talks with the top US diplomat to save the Pak-US alliance.

We cannot afford to give away the US to India. They are already in a marriage of convenience. For the past few weeks, we have agreed to all their (the US) demands to woo them. At this point, we are ready for a give all policy. Lets admit, we may be able to live without the US but that wont be too easy, he said.
A group of Muslim women, who had performed 'aarti' of Lord Rama and recited 'Hanuman Chalisa' (a holy book hailing Lord Hanuman) at Varanasi on the occasion of Deepavali, was ''excommunicated'' from Islam by prestigious Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband.



The seminary said that the women had performed an ''un-Islamic'' act, as in Islam none except the 'Allah' (Almighty) was worshiped.



''Islam does not allow worship of any other God, except Allah,'' said a senior cleric associated with the Saharanpur-based seminary, which is known for issuing 'fatwas' (religious decrees) on issues relating to the women and society.



The cleric, however, said that the women could return to their faith if they sought forgiveness from the Almighty.



The women said that they had not done anything wrong. ''We have been doing so for the past several years. It is a part of our composite culture. It is foolish to think that one leaves his or her religion simply by worshiping gods of a different faith,'' said one of the women.



The seminary had recently termed uploading of photographs on social media sites by women as un-Islamic' and had issued a 'fatwa,' saying that women should not get themselves photographed unless there was some necessity.



Earlier, it had banned doing of eyebrows by women, saying that doing eyebrows and cutting hair were not in accordance with the tenets of Islam.



The seminary has created a record of sorts in issuing fatwas. Many of its diktats have come under sharp criticism from women's activists and Muslim organisations. The seminary, however, defended them, saying it merely answered queries on the basis of the 'Shariat' (Islamic law).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects here and hit out at the Congress, saying he was not allowed to carry out redevelopment work after the 2013 deluge when he was Gujarat chief minister.



Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, he said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation.



Serving people was true service of the lord, the prime minister said after offering 'rudrabhiskek' at the high altitude shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.



Modi, who had visited the shrine in May this year, laid the foundation stones of five major reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri. These include improved facilities for devotees, construction of retaining walls and ghats at the Mandakini and Saraswati rivers, an approach road to the shrine and reconstructing Adi Guru Shankaracharya's tomb which was devastated in 2013.



He described the projects as ambitious and expensive but said there would be no dearth of funds to ensure that they are completed in a time-bound manner.



As chief minister of Gujarat, he said he had offered to take the responsibility of reconstructing areas surrounding the temple when the tragedy had struck in 2013, killing thousands of people.



People from different states had perished and he could not stop himself from rushing to the state after the disaster, he said.



"I expressed my wish to carry out reconstruction work at Kedarnath to the then chief minister of the state who agreed in principle.



"In my excitement I shared the development with the media and within an hour TV channels flashed it, causing a storm in New Delhi. They (UPA government) viewed the development with a kind of alarm as they thought the Gujarat chief minister will now reach Kedarnath and mounted pressure on the then state government not to agree to my request."



The then chief minister had no choice but to issue a statement saying it did not need the help of the Gujarat government, Modi said.



"I went back disappointed. But perhaps Baba (Lord Shiva) had decided that the responsibility of doing reconstruction work at Kedarnath should be assigned to no one else but to Baba's son," he said.



The chief minister at the time was Vijay Bahuguna, who was with the Congress but is now with the BJP.



Modi also got nostalgic remembering the days spent in Garurchatti near Kedarnath before entering politics.



"Some acquaintances I met today reminded me of my time spent in Garurchatti. They were important moments of my life. I wanted to settle down permanently in this soil and spend all my life at Baba's feet. But Baba perhaps willed it differently.



"He perhaps did not want me to spend all my life at the feet of just one Baba and sent me out to serve 125 crore people of the country as their service is the true service of God," he said.



Modi had visited in May when the portals of the Himalayan shrine were reopened for devotees after remaining closed for six months for the winters.
Egyptian security officials say at least 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, have been killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout near Cairo.



The officials today said that the exchange of fire took place late yesterday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza governorate, about 135 kilometers from the capital after security services moved in.



The officials say the death toll could increase.



They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.



Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement on the raid late yesterday but didn't provide a death toll.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot "pursue peace" with Pakistan in a way that "cuts his own security", a top Trump administration official has said, asserting that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.



Ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's maiden visit to India and Pakistan next week, the official, with an insight into the administration's policy over South Asia, was responding to questions on what India could do to bring peace and stability in the region, in particular with Pakistan.



"It's clear to everyone that Prime Minister Modi wants peace in the region, but he can't pursue peace (with Pakistan) in a way that cuts against his own security. So that (having peace talks with Pakistan) is up to his judgement," the official, requesting anonymity, told PTI yesterday.



"We want India and Pakistan to talk. We think that is so important for them to talk and to build confidence and to get on a path to regional security and stability which we know would bring both countries to unprecedented levels of prosperity," he said.



Noting that South Asia and the bridge in central Asia is one of the least economically integrated areas of the world, he said that there is tremendous potential to be unleashed.



"And what we hope is that the dialogue, continued dialogue, continued efforts to generate a higher degree of understanding to convince those in Pakistan, including the Pakistani army, that it is really in their interest to build confidence to open commerce and to achieve the kind of peace that would lead to prosperity," the official said.



After a series of setbacks India received from Pakistan, including the one after the Pathankot terror attack, the Indian government has decided not to talk with Pakistan unless it stops supporting terrorists against it, he said.



India's policy now is "talks and terror" cannot go together, as was articulated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament, which has been repeated several times since then, the official said.



"I think India has to make its own judgement on that. And India will be the best judge. Certainly, President Trump has great respect for Prime Minister Modi and his wisdom, and leadership ability," the official added.




The CBI's move, urging the government to reverse its decision on not going forward in the Bofors case, has once again brought the three-decade-old scam into the limelight.



In a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training, the CBI has sought reconsideration of its 2005 decision and to allow it to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the quashing of the FIR against the Hinduja brothers in the case.



The Congress-led UPA government had denied permission to the CBI in 2005, to challenge the Delhi High Court order quashing proceedings against the Hinduja brothers. According to CBI officials, they were keen to pursue the case but were denied permission. The Delhi High Court had earlier exonerated former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case.



The CBI letter comes days after private detective Michael Hershmam claimed that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.



Following Hershmam's claims, the CBI issued a statement on Wednesday, saying it would look into the "facts and circumstances" of the Bofors scam mentioned by the private detective.



BJP MPs had raised the scam in Parliament several times to counter Congress charges against the Narendra Modi government.



The Bofors scam had recently echoed in the proceedings of a Parliamentary panel too. The CBI told a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting that the agency wanted to pursue the case against the Hindujas, but it did not get the approval from the government.



The CBI had told the Parliamentary panel that it had conveyed in June itself that it was of the view that a special leave petition should be preferred against the High Court order.



The PAC had also asked the Ministry of Defence in July to trace all missing files related to the Bofors scandal after the latter said some audit paragraphs should be omitted during the review, as they could not locate the documents.


The Islamic State group said it carried out a gun and bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Kabul on Friday that killed at least 39 people, including children.



"The martyrdom-seeking brother Abu Ammar al-Turkmani ... succeeded in immersing himself with an explosive vest in a temple of the polytheists," IS said in a message on Telegram.



"He detonated his vest among the crowd."



The Sunni extremists of IS have carried out a spate of bombings against Shiite worshippers, whom it regards as apostates.



The attack, which was one of two targeting mosques in Afghanistan on Friday, capped one of the country's bloodiest weeks in recent memory, with more than 180 people killed.
Normal life in Kashmir was affected today due to a strike called by separatist groups to protest against braid chopping incidents even as authorities imposed restrictions in several areas of the city as a precautionary measure, officials said.



Schools, shops and other business establishments remained closed due to the strike called by separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik.



Public transport remained off roads but some private vehicles could be seen plying in the civil lines area of the city, the officials said.



The separatists had called for a shutdown against the increasing braid chopping attacks in Kashmir over the past one month.



The Srinagar District Magistrate said restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC would continue to remain in force parts of the city as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident.



The areas where restrictions have been imposed are police stations Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, M R Gunj, Safakadal and partially in Kralkhud and Maisuma, he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that the government was committed to the welfare of policemen and their families.



Siddaramaiah was speaking at the police commemoration day celebrations at KSRP grounds at Koramangala here.



"The government is committed to the welfare of policemen and their families as cops are constantly on duty, before and after untoward incidents. In the last two years, the government has redressed pay disparity grievance of the policemen, besides providing housing facilities to them. The government has provided canteen facility and promoted a large number of lower rung staff," he said.



The chief minister said that a permanent venue would be allotted to organise the police commemoration day celebrations from next year.



"The government has also decided to construct a stadium for sporting activities for the policemen," he said.



Siddaramaiah paid homage to 370 policemen and soldiers who laid down their lives while on duty. As many as 12 policemen from the state had sacrificed their lives while serving.



He stressed the need to use latest technology for prevention and detection of crimes.



"The trend of using latest technology to commit crimes is on the rise. It will be difficult to prevent such crimes if the policemen fail to use technology. Cops should concentrate on tackling organised crimes and bust rackets," he said. The chief minister requested the media to cooperate with the investigating agencies.



"Media wants to report instant developments, follow-ups and alerts. Probe agencies refuse to share investigation details as it affects the probe. Media houses should understand this difficulty and cooperate with the police," he said.



Home Minster R Ramalinga Reddy, DG&IGP RK Dutta, ADGP (KSRP) Bhaskar Rao and other senior officers were present.




Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that his government would mention the name of Union Minister of State for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde in the official invitation for the Tipu Sultan Jayanti fete on November 10. It was up to the union minister to attend the celebration or not, the chief minister said.



It is not proper for a union minister to make such a statement. We (the state government) will mention his name (in the invitation) as per the protocol. It is up to him (union minister) to attend or not, Siddaramaiah told reporters.



Hegde, through his personal secretary, had communicated to the chief ministers secretariat that he considered Tipu Sultan as anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada and hence, he did not want to be associated with the celebration.



The state government is celebrating Tipu Sultan Jayanti at the district level across the state on November 10. As Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, protocol mandates that Hegdes name be included in the invite for all government programmes organised in the district.



Related:

Don't include me in Tipu Jayanthi invite, says Ananth Kumar Hegde

Shobha asks DCs not to include her name in Tipu Jayanti invite
Tamil Nadu Minister K T Rajendra Balaji has said "nobody can shake" the AIADMK as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi "supports the party".



Expressing confidence that Chief Minister K Palaniswami's camp would get the 'two leaves' symbol, the State Dairy Minister said, "The symbol will come to EPS camp... there is no doubt about it." Addressing a party meeting here late last night, he said as along as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is with us, nobody can shake our party... nobody can destroy AIADMK...."



He asserted that no one could oppose the ruling AIADMK, including the DMK. He claimed that 92 per cent of general council members supported the Palaniswami camp. The Election Commission had on March 23 frozen the name AIADMK and its election symbol after the factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of the R K Nagar bypoll, necessitated by the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa.



Chief Minister Palaniswami, however, revolted against Sasikala. On August 21, rival AIADMK factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly seven- month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the deputy chief minister.



Balaji had earlier courted controversy when he alleged that private dairy firms mixed harmful chemicals in milk.
A senior RSS worker was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Saturday.



The police said Rajesh Mishra, who was actively associated with the RSS, was sprayed with bullets by three motorbike-borne assailants while he was inside his shop near his village in the district.



Mishra, also a journalist who was associated with a leading Hindi daily, died on the spot, while his brother Amitesh suffered serious injuries and is said to be in a critical condition.

The murder sparked tension in the area and people came out onto the streets to protest.

Security personnel were deployed in strength at the village as a precautionary measure, the police said.



District police officials said that two of the assailants have been identified and a massive hunt has been launched to nab them.



Mishra, a source said, had exposed the local sand mafia and had also received threats in the past.



"We are probing all angles," a senior police officer said.
The BJP on Saturday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar of causing a loss of Rs 417 crore to the exchequer to favour a Kolkata-based coal mining company.



This is the biggest loot of public money I have seen in my political life, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa told a press conference, releasing documents in support of his claims. He demanded a CBI probe.



In September 2002, KPCL joined hands with Eastern Minerals and Trading Agency (EMTA) to form a joint venture called Karnataka EMTA Coal Mines Limited (KECML). KPCL held 26% stakes in the venture.



In 2003, the firm was allotted six coal mines at Kiloni, Manoradeep and Baranj in Maharashtra, to be supplied to 1,000 MW thermal power station at Ballari. Siddaramaiah serves as KPCL chairman and Shivakumar as vice-chairman.



In September 2014, the Supreme Court cancelled 40 coal blocks, when irregularities in their allocation came to light, including six of KECML.



The court levied a penalty of Rs 295 per ton of coal produced between October 2008 and September 2014, when KECML had mined 1.41 crore tonnes. This added up to Rs 417 crore payable to the ministry of coal. The company received a notice from the Chandrapur (Maharashtra) collector in October 2014, seeking payment of the levy before December 31, 2014. KECML, however, responded saying KPCL, being the allottee, was liable to pay.



On December 30, 2014, the KPCL wrote to the joint venture company, asking it to pay up. However, the very next day, on December 31, 2014, the KPCL paid Rs 110 crore. What happened in 24 hours that KPCL volunteered to pay up? What was the deal struck? Yeddyurappa said.



Further, in March 2017, KPCL paid the remaining Rs 337 crore.








#WATCH #CCTVVisuals: Minor girl allegedly molested in #Mumbai on Oct 17, beaten up as she protested. Case registered by Nehru Nagar Police pic.twitter.com/Qo2T8VZCN4  ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2017

A minor girl was molested and beaten up by a youth in Nehrunagar area of Kurla suburb here.The incident took place on October 17. However, a video of the incident, captured by a CCTV camera, went viral on Saturday.The CCTV footage showed passersby remaining mute spectators. The girl was seen repeatedly being hit by the man before she fell down. Then, some people reached out to help her. The girl has sustained fractures on her nose."I was going to my tuition classes when the incident took place. I was beaten up till I fainted," the victim told a TV channel.According to the police, a group of youths who were seated inside a parked autorickshaw were arguing among themselves loudly. The victim asked them not to make noise.One of the youths could not take the reprimand and beat her up. The youth had a metal object in his hand and this injured her nose badly. The suspect threatened the girl and fled.The suspect, identified as Imran Shaikh, was arrested by the police. However, he is out on bail. The police have registered a case."This is a serious incident, we have asked the police to take strict action," said Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission.




An army porter was killed and a girl wounded in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of north Kashmir on Saturday.



A defence spokesperson said Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Kamalkote, 110 km from here, at around 11 am.



"Indian soldiers retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for over an hour. The army has started a combing operation in the area," he said.



There has been a sharp rise in ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army this year with 600 violations reported till the beginning of this month. Nine civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in these incidents.



The number of violations was significantly less - 228 - for 2016, according to the army data.



On October 12, an army personnel and a porter were killed and six others injured when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch district.



A senior army officer said they expect the ceasefire violations to continue as Pakistan has been relentlessly trying to push heavily armed militants into India with nefarious intention of disturbing peace and cause casualties on security forces in the hinterland.



However, well aware of the new strategy of Pakistan, we have strengthened anti-infiltration grid. Whenever the militants try to infiltrate, they would be either killed or forced to retreat, the defence spokesperson said.
At least 10 people were killed and 13 injured after a truck toppled in the Sangli district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday.



The victims are said to be labourers from the Maharashtra-Karnataka bordering areas.

The accident occurred near Manerajuri village on the Tasgaon-Kawathe Mahakal highway between 2 am and 3 am.



The truck was loaded with stone slabs and was also ferrying people, reports stated.

The driver lost control and the truck toppled while negotiating a curve. The truck was on its way to Karad in Maharashtra from Karnataka.



Local media reports said that the workers took the truck as no buses were available due to the Maharashtra State Transport employees strike.However, there is no official confirmation.

Dr Pallavi Saple, the dean of the Government Medical College in Sangli, confirmed that 10 people were killed and 13 injured.



"Two injured are admitted in a hospital in Tasgaon while 11 others are in a hospital in Miraj," she said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday came out with a clarification that the linking of Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts was mandatory in cases under the prevention of money-laundering rules.



The central bank's move followed reports that quoted a Right to Information Act (RTI) reply given by it that "so far it has not issued any instruction on linking the 12-digit biometric number with bank accounts by December 31."



Setting the record straight, a RBI release said: "The Reserve Bank clarifies that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to a bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, published in the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017."



These rules have statutory force and, as such, banks have to implement them without waiting for further instructions.



The government has made it mandatory to link bank accounts with Aadhaar before the deadline of December 31. Hence, bank accounts not linked to Aadhaar will cease to become operational.



In its fight against tax evasion, the government said it has made it mandatory to quote the Aadhaar number for opening bank accounts.



It had also made Aadhaar compulsory for 135 schemes (of 35 ministries) including free cooking gas (LPG) to poor women, kerosene and fertiliser subsidy, targeted public distribution system (PDS) and MGNREGA.



However, the Supreme Court restricted the use of Aadhaar to six schemes, where the government provides benefits or subsidy to individuals.



The RTI query before the RBI was filed by news website money life.in. The RTI query also asked if the central bank had the Supreme Court's permission for mandatory linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar.



The RBI, in its reply, said it has not filed any petition before the Supreme Court, which has said Aadhaar is not illegal and privacy is not absolute.



The RBI reply led to reports that made out that the government and the RBI were not the same page.



While banks have been threatening their account holders to furnish UIDAI-issued Aadhaar to experience seamless banking experience or face suspension of their accounts, RBI has made it clear that it has not issued instructions regarding mandatory linking of the two.



Saturday's clarification by the RBI was to stop confusion by news items, bank officials said.



The RTI query had asked the RBI to provide a copy issued by it for mandatory linking of Aadhaar number of their customers with their bank account.



The RBI's reply was: "The government has issued a Gazette Notification GSR 538(E) dated June 1, 2017, regarding Prevention of Money laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, inter-alia, making furnishing of Aadhaar (for those individuals who are eligible to be enrolled for Aadhaar) and PAN mandatory for opening a bank account. It may be noted that the Reserve Bank has not yet issued an instruction in this regard."




Hundreds of people from different walks of life in the US have participated in a prayer vigil for the safe return of a 3-year-old Indian girl who disappeared nearly two weeks ago in Richardson city in Texas.



Sherin Mathews vanished on October 7 after her adoptive father Wesley Mathews told police he left her outside their home at 3 am as punishment for not drinking her milk.



The special needs toddler, according to the reports, was adopted by the Indian-origin couple from an NGO in Bihar's Nalanda last year.



Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested for suspected child endangerment for the treatment of his daughter Sherin. He was taken into custody after reporting the incident to authorities and has been released on bond, according to police



While police in Richardson city in the US state of Texas are yet to make a breakthrough in the case, the FBI has seized nearly 50 items, including cellphones, laptops, a washer and a dryer from the home of Sherin.



A vigil was held for the safe return of Sherin. A priest placed a sign outside the Mathews' family home calling on the girl's parents to "tell the truth."



Her parents both remain "uncooperative," according to police.



Attendees were holding signs like "stop hiding" and "bring her peace".



"Come out and tell the truth so everyone can move on and have peace. Our heart and tears goes to this sweet little girl. Wherever you are God keep you with peace...please mom come out and speak up..you will be the one going to be with a broken heart that will never be repaired," said Saly Cherian, a resident attending the vigil.



"My eyes are filled with tears to see the unity of religions and cultures," said Suji Paris Long, who organised the vigil.



"The fact that the mom isn't even helping definitely frustrates me," said Kim McManus, another person attending the vigil.



"The story just doesn't add up. But I am just continuing to hold on to hope," McManus said.



Investigative experts feel it is what the public is not seeing that could be the most important to a resolution in the case.



"There is no question that most of what the FBI and law enforcement are doing, you don't know about," said Alex del Carmen, a Criminologist with the Tarleton State University.



Del Carmen, who guides investigators on what to look for in cases like the one involving Sherin Mathews disappearance, said, "hundreds of people that are working on this case 24/7 trying to piece it all together because there is the presumption that she in fact is alive".



"But looking at past statistics involving older and similar events, 12 days missing is a lot of time, the clock is against the individual coming out of this thing alive," said Carmen. "The odds are against her."



"Investigators are going to look at every single angle," said Carmen. Digital evidence like emails, texts, google searches in any case helps investigators understand if there is any motive.



Reliable sources said that the parents of the girl are involved in another legal battle. Court documents reveal Sherin Mathews' parents will go to trial in February for a crash they were involved in September 2015.



The person suing them claims Sherin's father, Wesley, was behind the wheel and failed to slow down and or stop, crashing into the back of the Plaintiffs car. The person suing them is asking between USD 100,000 and USD 200,000 from the Mathews in damages.
Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) shot at a history-sheeter in the leg after the latter attacked the police in a bid to escape on Saturday.



The incident occurred at Soladevanahalli, North Bengaluru, in the morning. The injured rowdy, Raja Dorai (24), is a resident of Sanjaynagar in Old Baiyappanahalli.



CCB sleuths were pursuing him as they had information that he, along with a few others, had plans to bump off a member of a rival gang.



The sleuths received information that Dorai was spotted in Soladevanahalli and a police party left to apprehend him. When the sleuths confronted Dorai, he attacked constable Narasimhamurthy with his dagger in a bid to escape.



Inspector Prakash Rathod warned Dorai to drop his weapon and surrender and fired a round in the air.



When Dorai did not heed to his warning, Rathod shot Dorai in his right leg and took his constable to safety. Narasimhamurthy sustained cut injuries. The constable and the history-sheeter were shifted to a hospital for treatment.



Joint Commissioner of Police, N Satheesh Kumar, said, Raja Dorai was shot in the leg by CCB inspector Prakash Rathod of the organised crime wing in a bid to defend his team.



There are eight cases, including attempts to murder, assault and extortion registered against Dorai in five police stations in East Bengaluru and in Whitefield division. Dorai is a history-sheeter at Indiranagar police station.

History-sheeters shot at in the leg this month



October 11 - Southeast division police shot at history-sheeter Karthik who was on the run after he killed a software engineer in a road rage in Madivala recently.



October 16 - Halasuru police shot at history-sheeter Karthik after he attacked a policeman near Halasuru lake.



October 18 - History-sheeter Vasu was shot at and caught by the CCB police when he attacked a constable at Mariyappanapalya in Jnanabharathi.
Two groups of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers on Saturday vandalised illegal stalls and drove hawkers away at the Thane and Kalyan suburban stations here.



The attack comes in the wake of the September 29 stampede on the Elphinstone Road-Parel foot overbridge in which 23 people were killed and 38 injured.



The MNS - which is trying hard to gain political footing once again - had taken up the issue of clogged passageways on suburban stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region because of illegal hawkers.



On October 5, party chief Raj Thackeray had set a 15-day deadline to the Railways to clear the illegal stalls.



"I have given an ultimatum of 15 days....and if it does not happen, on 16th day my people will do it...and MNS as a party and MNS workers would not be responsible," he had said after meeting A K Gupta, general manager of Western Railway, and D K Sharma, general manager of Central Railway.



On October 11, Raj had also met Ajoy Mehta, commissioner, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, on the issue.



Over the last fortnight, the Railways and civic administration removed hundreds of illegal hawkers. However, they were back in business again.



As the news of the Thane and Kalyan station incidents spread like wildfire, illegal hawkers were seen vacating premises in other stations.



"They did not leave the area so we acted against them this morning," said Avinash Jadhav, president of the MNS's Thane unit.



The Congress and the NCP targeted the Devendra Fadnavis government and accused it of helping the MNS.



"The government was aware of the threats of the MNS. But, the chief minister is hand-in-glove with the MNS and hence, north Indians are allowed to be tortured," Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said.



"How can the government remain silent over the threat," said Leader of the Opposition in the Council, Dhananjay Munde, of the NCP.




Union minister of state for Skill Development and Uttara Kannada MP Ananth Kumar Hegde on Saturday warned chief minister Siddaramaiah against printing his name in 'Tipu Jayanthi' invitation and said that he would disclose the complete details of the ruler on the stage. He was talking to the media person in Sirsi.



Hegde said, "This year also I have asked chief minister to not to print my name in Tipu Jayanti celebration. If they still go ahead in printing my name by citing protocol, I would attend the event and shout slogan against the ruler on the stage. I will disclose the bad history of Tipu in front of Siddaramaiah only. I would dare him to stop me if he can."



Along with Anant Kumar Hegde, few other BJP leaders have also demanded not to print their name in the invitation.
Twitter exploded with trend warfare on Saturday as Union minister Smriti Irani mocked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, triggering a backlash that rode on a Tamil-pride wave over a Vijay film.



Trending top since morning, #RahulWaveInKazakh and #TamiliansVsModi had the twitterati in a comic tizzy, as cinema, politics, economics and the North-South divide battled for eyeballs.



But firing the first salvo was Smriti, taking one big swipe at Rahul over the sudden surge in his Twitter popularity.



She had retweeted an ANI analytical report that seemed to suggest that most retweets for Rahuls official handle @OfficeOfRG had a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian origin.



Quick to grab the analysis, Smriti tweeted this pregnant query: Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan??

Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday questioned the sudden spike in Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis popularity on Twitter.



Smriti, who rarely misses an opportunity to take on the Gandhi family ever since she lost the 2014 polls from Amethi to Rahul, sarcastically remarked that perhaps the Congress scion was planning to sweep the polls in Russia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.



The BJP MPs barb followed a news report that wondered whether Bots, a software application that helps automated mass retweeting, was behind the rise in Rahuls popularity on the microblogging site.



The reportage analysed closely the October 15 retweet of the Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG), which said, Modi ji quick; looks like President Trump needs another hug. It was in response to US President Donald Trumps tweet, praising better relations with Pakistan and its leaders. Rahuls tweet spiraled to 30,000 retweets.



Its digital examination revealed, stated the report, that Bots, containing a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian feature, were routinely RT-ing Rahuls tweets.



Trading barbs



The Congress, however, jumped to the defence of their vice president.



Congress leader Sanjay Jha retweeted a post that said the story was based on 10 Bots that were activated four days ago, but that Rahul's tweet is six days old.Twitter exploded with trend warfare on Saturday as Union Minister Smriti Irani mocked Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, triggering a backlash that rode on a Tamil trend over a Vijay film.



Trending top since morning, #RahulWaveInKazakh and #TamiliansVsModi had the twitterati in a comic tizzy, as cinema, politics, economics and the North-South divide battled for eyeballs.



But firing the first salvo was Irani, taking one big swipe at Gandhi over his sudden surge in Twitter popularity. She had retweeted an ANI analytical report that seemed to suggest that most retweets for Gandhi's official handle @OfficeOfRG had a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian origin.



Quick to grab the analysis, Irani tweeted this pregnant query: Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? In seven hours straight, the tweet had garnered 7,700 likes and 4,900 retweets. The political bait was thrown and the scene was set for a classic Twitter war.



In clinical detail, ANI had dissected an October 15 retweet by @OfficeOfRG. That handle used a US President Donald Trump tweet praising American-Pakistani relations to deliver this punch: Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug. The 30,000 retweets for this remark was what caught everyone's attention.



Stating from reports that Gandhi had recorded a resurgence on social media, Irani was instantly drawn to the ANI report that analysed just why the popularity was soaring: Automated bots were on a mass retweet drive.



For Gandhi's social media team, the top-trending #TamiliansVsModi offered the perfect platform for a counter salvo. Tamil film buffs were in a defiant mood, angered by the Tamilnadu BJP's demand for cutting out a scene against GST in superstar Vijay's latest movie 'Mersal.'



The Rahul tweet was aimed directly at the prime minister: Mr Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal. By late Saturday evening, the tweet had gained 36,000 likes, 17,000 retweets and over 5,500 replies, all set to take the battle to Sunday and beyond.




A group of Muslim women, who performed aarti of Lord Rama and recited the Hanuman chalisa (a holy book hailing Lord Hanuman) at Varanasi on Deepavali, was "excommunicated" by Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband.



The seminary said the women had performed an "un-Islamic" act because, according to their religion, no other god except Allah was worshiped.



"Islam does not allow the worship of any other god, except Allah," said a senior cleric associated with the Saharanpur-based seminary, which is known for issuing fatwas (religious decrees) on issues relating to women and society.



'Seek forgiveness'



The cleric, however, said that the excommunicated women could return to their faith if they sought forgiveness from the Almighty.



The women, for their part, maintained that they had done nothing wrong. "We have been doing this for the past several years. It is a part of our composite culture. It is foolish to think that one leaves his or her religion simply by worshiping gods of a different faith," one of them said.



The seminary had recently termed uploading of photographs on social media sites by Muslim women un-Islamic and issued a fatwa. It said women should not get themselves photographed unless there was a necessity. Earlier, it had banned women from shaping their eyebrows. It said plucking eyebrows and cutting hair were not in accordance with the tenets of Islam.



The seminary has created a record of sorts in issuing fatwas. Many of its diktats have come under sharp criticism from women's activists and Muslim organisations. The seminary, however, defended them, saying it merely answered queries on the basis of the Shariat (Islamic law).
RSS outfit Swadeshi Jagran Manch has asked the central government not to commit on e-commerce during the next round of negotiations at Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as it would adversly impact traders and policy issues.



The 20th round of negotiations at the RCEP will start in Incheon, South Korea, from Sunday.



In a letter addressed to union minister of commerce and industry Suresh Prabhu and union minister of electronics and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, SJM All India Co-convener Ashwani Mahajan has expressed concern on learning from news reports that e-commerce chapter is expected to be concluded during this round.



We know any commitment on e-commerce in RCEP will be of great impact for our retailers, especially small retailers in India, many of whom are already adversely affected by mostly MNCs run e-trading portals. The proposals in RCEP include removal of tariffs on e-trading, which will severely impact the retailers as well as customs duty revenues and, therefore, government spending, Mahajan wrote in the letter, which was released to the media.
The Congress high command is in a bind over allotting a party ticket to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singhs son, in violation of its one family, one ticket norm for the Assembly elections early next month.



This would be the last election for octogenarian Virbhadra, who is desperate to accommodate his son, Vikramaditya Singh, to carry forward his political legacy. At the same time, the Congress high commands move to overlook its stated norm of one family, one ticket will be fodder for the Opposition BJP, which has accused the grand old party of nepotism.



The Congress can ill afford to ignore Virbhadra, and it would soon be clear whether the high command will make an exception to its rules for the old warhorse.



Virbhadra held parlays with party vice president Rahul Gandhi to accommodate his son from the safe seat of Shimla (Rural), which he vacated for Vikramaditya, who is presently the Himachal Youth Congress president. Sources said the chief minister has remained adamant in the face of opposition from Congressmen, who have been opposing the move.



CMs tantrums

The chief minister, who has been embroiled in graft scandals and is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate, has been throwing tantrums ahead of the Assembly elections.



He also threatened not to contest the elections if the party did not clip the wings of HPCC president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, his bete noire. The Congress did just that as it could ill afford a headless party with just a few weeks until the state goes to polls  the party removed Suku as Himachal election campaign committee chief and appointed Virbhadra in his place. Virbhadra even managed a major share in ticket allotment.



In the past two decades, no government has repeated a term in office in the hill state.
The rains this time around wreaked havoc in the city, and in certain extreme cases resulted in the loss of innocent lives. There has been a lot of discussion on the severity of rains particularly in the last two months, which effectively brought the city to its knees. Here's what a cross-section of people feel should be done to avoid a repeat of the disaster next year.



The enormity of the problem comes to the fore while interacting with people living in low lying areas that bore the brunt of the rain damage. B N Ratnakar from HSR layout says that the rains this time around were quite extreme and the city was ill prepared for it. He attributes it to the flaws of civic agencies such as the BBMP and BWSSB.



The technical flaws, he says, are plenty: Faulty routing of storm water, lack of proper de-silting of drains prior to the rains, excessive accumulation of garbage in the form of plastic and non-biodegradable items such as thermocol and construction material.



Ratnakar feels a comprehensive assessment of the drainage system could provide a solution to the problem along with an early weather warning system.



Asad Raza Nasser, a resident of Ejipura says the rains started late this year and most of it was seen during the last few weeks. For him, commuting proved to be a major trouble during this time as the roads apart from being flooded were also dug up in many places. He says the authorities were not at all prepared and the drainage system is at most unreliable.



Pradeep Krishnamurthy, however, feels that the authorities alone cannot be blamed as the city saw unprecedented rains this year. According to him, people contributed to the mess as well by dumping garbage at major choke points and many commercial establishments. Residential houses have blatantly encroached storm water drains, he points out.



Suma Reddy says that although the rains were indeed unprecedented, this cannot be used as an excuse by authorities as they failed in taking necessary measures. De-clogging of drains and prior planning could have mitigated some of the havoc caused.



Tirumal Boppana feels back to back rains with no respite left no room for the soil to absorb the rain water. Over concretization, disconnected SWD network, garbage dumping, encroachments, reduced capacity of lakes and lack of rain water harvesting implementation are the causes, according to him.



Ishani Mishra, a New Horizon College lecturer staying in Indiranagar, feels the rainfall was excessive compared to last year and lots of trees were uprooted in her area. The chaos and damage affected students and teachers alike, disrupting their academic schedules. To avoid a repeat of the mess next time, she stresses on proper planning. An early weather warning system will contribute in a big way, she feels.



Poulomi Sarkar, a resident of BTM layout, says: It rains every year, but not this much. I commute daily by walk, and especially at the Silk board junction it became very dangerous due to water logging and rash driving by people. The government must ensure timely completion of projects and focus on road maintenance. She also insists on an early weather warning system.



Most people are certain that the focus of BBMP and BWSSB for the next season should be on ensuring proper and quick drainage of rainwater. Steps must be initiated immediately in this regard to avoid the same mess the next year. Besides, timely weather updates and a comprehensive early weather warning system available in developed cities, are must-haves for the year ahead.






The waste weir near the lake in Varthur has breached, leading to draining of the water from the lake.



According to officials from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the breach, which occurred two weeks ago, was caused due to heavy and incessant rain over the past few weeks.



Water pressure increased due to heavy and continuous rain, said P N Nayak, engineer member, BDA.



He added that the bund and other structures near the lake are around 40 years old and the rain aggravated the situation.



Villagers, however, suspect it was the handiwork of officials of the minor irrigation department.



Villagers believe the breach will help the irrigation department since water can now flow towards the pipelines laid for the Kolar water project, said Jagadish Reddy Nagappa, a designated lake warden.



He added that the water has receded to around 25% near the village and is flowing downstream. The villagers are worried since they use this water for their crops.



Nayak said this will not affect farmers. The flow is still continuing, he added.



He added that work to restore the weir will start from Monday.Jagdish, however, said that by the time work begins, water would have drained out of the lake. He also said that he has been sending complaints with photos of the breached weir to BDA authorities for the past 15 days but no action has been taken.



DH News Service




The state government has instructed police officers part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to report back to their original postings and parallelly monitor the probe into the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.



The move comes more than six weeks after the journalist was gunned down on her doorstep in West Bengalurus Rajarajeshwari Nagar on September 5. The SIT has only released hazy sketches of two men who rode up to Gauris residence and one of them apparently shot her dead.



At a meeting on October 19, Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar reiterated that SIT officers must devote attention to cases at their respective police stations apart from investigating Lankeshs murder.



The 21-member SIT led by Inspector General of Police B K Singh had started the investigation on September 6. A week later, 40 more senior police officers joined the team to fast-track the investigation. Thus, 61 senior officers along with lower-rung policemen have been working relentlessly from the CIDs Palace Road headquarters to solve the murder mystery.



A few senior police officials have taken leave to get back to their offices in Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura as they need to submit charge sheets in various other cases. They need to attend court hearings, too.



A DySP-rank officer who did not want to be named said he had to file 11 charge sheets since he joined the SIT besides attending court hearings in a few other cases. Hes taken leave for five days.



We have tasks other than investigating this (Gauri) case. We just have to supervise the investigation while our subordinates will go about the job, a senior SIT officer said.



SIT hasnt given up probe



Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, reiterated that the SIT had not given up the probe into Gauris murder.



Reports that the SIT has given up the Gauri murder case are baseless. The SIT is probing the case from various angles.



The SIT has already gathered important leads, he told journalists after attending the Police Commemoration Day celebrations at the KSRP ground in Koramangala. Police cannot share the details of the investigation into important cases. The media should cooperate with the police in dealing with such cases.



Siddaramaiah said disclosing the details of the Gauri case could affect the probe.



DH News Service
The Del Mar Farmers Market (DMFM) has awarded three scholarships for 2017. The recipients must be either vendors or family members that work half to full-time at the market and are enrolled in college classes. The nonprofit market began the scholarship program in memory of an early market manager, Mary Maciel, and has given over 100 educational grants over the years.

This year, one of the scholarships went to Qing Wang, known as Clarissa at the market, who, with her husband, Ray, started a farming business in 2004. They have grown about 2,000 different fruit trees since then. They also raise turkeys and chickens for eggs, and offer a variety of greens at Rays Subtropical at the market. With so many exotic produce items, Clarissa and Ray can always report on the nutritional value of each item and suggest ways to prepare them. When Ray had a medical emergency recently, Clarissa was so inspired by the care the nurses and physicians provided, that she decided to apply to nursing school at Mt. San Jacinto College. I have been pretty busy working at our farm and taking care of our son, Dillon. In two years he will go to college. I will have extra time, so studying on the weekdays while working with my husband at the Del Mar Farmers Market on Saturday is a perfect match.

Nursing is the goal for another recipient, May Nou Nhiayi. May Nou helps her father, Neng, at the French Bakery Le Rendez-Vous, selling breads, pastries and desserts. Her interest in nursing is rooted in a sense of caring for her family. Itll be a new experience for me. I chose nursing because I could learn how to make people feel better and about which treatments they need. May Nou is attending Mira costa College.

A repeat recipient of a DMFM educational scholarship, Fabian Huertas, is the market manager. He is studying business marketing at Cal State San Marcos. A deans list student, graduating in spring 2018, Fabians goals for the market are to make an appealing destination for all, and to create a beautiful atmosphere at the current location at the Shores and soon at the new Del Mar City Hall.

The second oldest market in the county, DMFM donates 100 percent of net profits to support not only the educational goals of the vendors, but also other Del Mar nonprofit groups. When people shop at the DMFM, they get not only fresh, local produce and beautiful flowers, but the satisfaction of helping the market give back to the community. Saturdays 1-4 p.m., at 225 9th Street, Del Mar. Visit delmarfarmersmarket.org
By Carolina Moreno

20 October 2017

CAROLINA, Puerto Rico (Huffington Post)  Christian Romero sat in near darkness in the stairwell of his apartment building. The glare from his phone illuminated his face, as he swiped through photos of his late brother Romsy.

I feel like a part of me is missing, Romero, 28, told HuffPost. He spoke calmly, but his eyes bore the weight of countless sleepless nights. He was older than me by a year and three months. We literally grew up together, hand by hand, doing the same things, going to the same places.Romsy Romero died on 5 October 2017. His brother says doctors told the family they suspect he was infected with leptospirosis, an animal-borne bacterial disease that can be fatal if not properly treated in time.In the four weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, leaving the island largely without power and with limited access to drinking water, doctors fear Romsys case is hardly unique.On Thursday, Puerto Rico state epidemiologist Carmen Deseda announced there are 74 suspected leptospirosis cases reported in October. The number significantly surpassed its average of 60 reported cases a year for the disease. Four of the suspected 74 cases resulted in death.The Puerto Rican government continues to assuage public fears as they await formal confirmation of deaths related to the disease, but doctors told HuffPost the U.S. territory is ripe for an outbreak of leptospirosis and other endemic diseases on the island if more aggressive preventive action isnt taken soon. [more]
6 October 2017 (UvA News)  Gradual environmental changes due to eutrophication and global warming can cause a rapid depletion of oxygen levels in lakes and coastal waters. A new study led by professors Jef Huisman and Gerard Muyzer of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) shows that microorganisms play a key role in these disastrous regime shifts. The researchers findings were published in the journal Nature Communications on 6 October 2017.Regime shifts are abrupt, large and persistent changes in the structure and function of ecosystems triggered by gradual changes in environmental conditions. Regime shifts have been described for a large variety of ecosystems. One type of regime shift may occur in lakes and coastal waters when a rapid depletion of the dissolved oxygen concentration leads to a lack of oxygen, which is detrimental to most aquatic organisms. Although this phenomenon is well known, the underlying mechanisms causing the transition from oxic to anoxic conditions are not fully understood.

Shifts in microbial composition

Scientists from the UvA and the University of Edinburgh developed a mathematical model to investigate interactions between the microbial species composition and the dissolved oxygen concentration. They discovered that lakes can be in two alternative stable states: one in which the lake is rich in oxygen, and another in which it lacks oxygen. Transitions from the oxic to the anoxic state occur in the form of a regime shift. When the oxygen influx is gradually reduced, at first oxygen-producing cyanobacteria and algae still persist and the lake remains in the oxic state, explains first author Tim Bush. Below a critical threshold, however, sulfate-reducing bacteria and photosynthetic sulfur bacteria take over. These cause an increase in sulfide concentrations, which then kills the cyanobacteria and rapidly flips the lake from an oxic to an anoxic state.

Reversal to oxic conditions not easy

One of the implications of this regime shift is that a return to oxygen-rich conditions is not easy. The system displays hysteresis. Once the water has turned anoxic, high sulfide concentrations maintained by the anaerobic sulfur bacteria stabilize the anoxic conditions. As a result, returning to the former oxic conditions requires a much larger oxygen influx than the influx that originally brought the system into its anoxic state.

Lakes and seas

The researchers monitored a small lake with seasonal anoxia in the deeper water layers to investigate these model predictions. The lake displayed hysteresis in the transition between oxic and anoxic conditions, with changes in microbial community composition in agreement with the model predictions. Similar phenomena have been observed in eutrophied coastal waters, where anoxic conditions and high sulfide concentrations have led to mass mortalities of fish, molluscs, and many other species. The authors indicate that similar oxic-anoxic regime shifts have probably occurred at a global scale in the Earths geological past, when vast areas of the ocean became oxygen-depleted during periods of global warming and high atmospheric CO2 concentrations. According to professors Huisman and Muyzer, several aspects are still not fully understood or cannot be quantified in detail. However, these results provide a warning that continued eutrophication and warming of lakes and seas may push these ecosystems beyond a critical tipping point, causing rapid transitions from oxic to anoxic conditions that are not easily reversed.

Funding

This research was supported by the UvAs Systems Biology research priority area, the European Research Council, the China Scholarship Council and the US Army Research Office.

Publication details

Timothy Bush, Muhe Diao, Rosalind J. Allen, Ruben Sinnige, Gerard Muyzer & Jef Huisman: Oxic-anoxic regime shifts mediated by feedbacks between biogeochemical processes and microbial community dynamics in Nature Communications 8 (Article number: 789), 6 October 2017. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00912-x.

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Organisers of a public meeting next week want to draw attention to what they call the hidden problem of homelessness in Donegal.

The seminar, Housing and Homelessness: Donegals Hidden Problem, takes place at 7.30pm, Thursday, Oct. 26th, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny.

Speakers will include Father Peter McVerry of the Peter McVerry Trust; Declan Dunne, CEO of the Respond Housing Association; and David Hall, CEO of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association.

Thomas Pringle, independent TD, is sponsoring the seminar and will serve as co-chairperson.

Homelessness has now reached every part of Ireland and is on the rise in Donegal, as rents and house prices continue to increase alongside the rate of distressed mortgages, Deputy Pringle said. We can no longer ignore it and must hold the government to account for their wholly inadequate response to the crisis and their wholly inadequate policies, which have caused homelessness in the first place.

The conference is free and open to the public.

The idea for the conference came about through a group of Donegal citizens who were concerned about what they saw as the lack of open discussion and debate on issues of housing and homelessness in Donegal and the west of Ireland.

All our group ever wanted to do is say there's an issue here and we want to talk about it, Alan McMenamin, a member of the organising committee, said.

He said homelessness too often is considered an issue solely for Dublin and other cities, but this is not the case.

Organisers believe the focus on homelessness in Dublin overshadows the larger issue, and does a disservice to those in our region who are struggling, who have lost their family homes, who have become homeless, who have lived in homeless or emergency accommodation and ultimately have had their rights to housing eroded.

The groups aim is to highlight the need for open and transparent debate across the north west, and to identify problems surrounding housing and homelessness.

Among the issues that concern them are the lack of uniform means of reporting and recording homelessness, which they believe tends to leave the number of homeless people underreported, especially in rural areas.

Organisers want to see the right to housing enshrined as a basic human right in the Irish Constitution, giving the necessary resources to statutory agencies, local authorities and housing bodies to have this as the primary focus of their energies.

Deputy Pringle agreed. Its time to have a conversation on the need for a social housing programme alongside the right to housing as a means to prevent such a crisis from developing again, he said.

He said Fine Gael policies have failed to provide for the basic need of people in Ireland to be housed in safe and affordable accommodation. Still, there is no sign of any substantial social housing programme to address this ongoing crisis.

Mr. McMenamin said, We want a more open and creative approach to the problem, as traditional approaches are not working.
The youngster kept turning the crank, which powered a blower that fueled a hot fire at Landmark Park Saturday  a sight that made Tommy Chavers nostalgic.

Thats how my grandchildren got started, turning that crank, the Wiregrass Forge member said.

Several members of Wiregrass Forge, a local blacksmithing club, were on hand for Landmark Parks annual Fall Farm Day. Chavers said the club normally meets on the third Saturday of each month to work on projects at members homes but joined the farm day to help generate interest in the craft.

(Its) to pass it down to these guys so they cannot lose the skills, said fellow Forge member Victor Estes. If we lose the skills, nobody will know how to do this stuff. Like Tom said, passing down the heritage.

Chavers enjoys passing down the skill since remnants from his own childhood inspired him to dive into the hobby/trade.

My dad had an old anvil, and I went to (a) Blountstown (festival) 25 years ago and seen them doing a demo, he said. Joined the Florida group and found out the Alabama group does more training, so I joined the Alabama (group). I used to drive from Panama City to Enterprise for our meetings, but now Ive moved to Hartford.

Most demonstrations involve making small things like nails, but back when blacksmithing was a necessary trade, nails were worth huge sacrifices.

In the northern England states, when the colonists moved out west, theyd burn their house down because they were going after the nails, Chavers said. They would sift through the ashes for nails because it was so labor-intensive. Theyd take horseshoes and make nails.

To make a nail, which Forge members did for several of the demonstrations, the Smiths heated long pieces of iron in a large metal bowl. Once the metal glowed, they hammered the iron against anvils, rotating the piece of iron to ensure an even formation.

If the metal cooled before the nail was finished, they would reheat the metal and hammer away again. If the fire cooled too much, the Smiths would turn a crank that powers a blower used to add oxygen to the fire.

Forge members have even created the tools used in the shows.

Chavers said children love the blacksmithing demonstrations, even though most can only participate in small tasks with the supervision of parents for safety and insurance reasons.

But the demonstrations appear to be accomplishing the main objective of inspiring new generations. Chavers said Forge has about 35 members, with the youngest being 18.

The blacksmith demonstrations were one of just a few flashbacks to the past at the annual Fall Farm Day. Attendees also watched several quilting and farming demonstrations, including the conversion of sugar cane into syrup and corn shelling.
The death has occurred of Margaret Breen (nee Timmins) of "Salmon Leap" Lower Point Road. Margaret passed away peacefully on September 14 in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital surrounded by her loving family. Margaret was predeceased by her parents, Rosanne and Harry, brother, Vincent and infant son John.

Margaret was born in 1936 and was the third of four children. She grew up in the Laurels and attended Castletown girls school.

On June 5 1955 she married the love of her life William.

They had recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary, which she was extremely proud of.

Shortly after they were married, they moved to the Coastguards where they spent many wonderful years raising their family, two daughters and three sons.

Margaret began working in Hallidays and later worked in the Ecco where she spent almost 20 years.

She really enjoyed working there and made many great friends.

She was a skilled knitter and especially loved to knit Aran jumpers for her family.

Margaret also enjoyed reading and watching the soaps on television.

She was a fantastic cook and loved to have her own home grown fruit and vegetables or a freshly caught fish from the river to prepare.

For many years Margaret and William owned a mobile home at Gyles Quay.

She had very fond memories of taking her children and grandchildren there for summer holidays. Margaret loved to see the children having fun on the beach. She would often take a morning stroll to the pier to visit her friend Angela Seery for a cup of tea and a chat.

At the weekends Margaret enjoyed going to the Clubhouse for a dance to her favourite songs. In later years she enjoyed going to Spain with her daughter Olive.

She loved being able to swim in the sunshine and relax.

Before her illness took its toll, Margaret loved to have her hair done by her granddaughter Lorraine and go to town. She loved to meet her friends for a catch up while doing her shopping.

As her health began to fail and she was unable to go to town, all her family and friends would call to her.

She loved to have visitors who she still managed to treat with apple tarts, tea and great company.

Margaret was a very warm and caring person.

She loved people and had great time for everyone.

Even up to very recently she enjoyed playing cards and board games with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She loved to laugh and have fun.

Margaret had a smile that would light up the room and was always the heart and soul of the family.

Her passing is deeply regretted by her loving husband, William, daughters Olive and Majella, sons, Pat, Liam and Gerard, sisters, Maureen Leavy and Ann Duffy, grandchildren and great grandchildren, extended family and friends.

After reposing at her residence, Margarets remains were removed to Saint Josephs Redemptorist Church where her funeral Mass was celebrated by Fr Brendan Callanan.

Readings were read by her son in law Robert Hedjes and her niece Paula Walsh. Prayers of the Faithful were led by her grandchildren, Lauryn Smith, Jason Breen and Jack Mc Mahon.

The Offertory gifts and symbols of Margarets life were presented by her sisters Maureen Leavy and Ann Duffy and her daughters Olive Mackin and Majella Breen.

The beautiful music was provided by organist Olivia Finnegan and the soloist was Margarets grandson Padraig Breen, which she would have been very proud of.

The eulogy was read by her granddaughters Lorraine Smith and Laura Breen.

After Mass, Margarets remains were laid to rest in Kilcurry Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Months mind Mass will take place on October 22nd in St Josephs Church at 12.30.
Gerard Butler was hospitalized after he tried to use a traditional method to relieve himself of muscle soreness while filming scenes for his new disaster film Geostorm.

The Olympus Has Fallen actor told Lorraine Kelly about the scary incident during an appearance on her ITV talk show. The 47-year-old said that he pushed himself to the limit while performing stunts for the film, and after five weeks of wearing a 65-lb spacesuit for the film, he decided to inject himself with bee venom in an attempt to ease his sore muscles but landed himself in the emergency room instead.

"I had heard of this guy injecting bee venom, because apparently it has many anti-inflammatory compounds," he told the host. He invited the guy over to New Orleans, where they were filming the movie and remembered finding the treatment "interesting" because of how painful it was.

Butler went on to say that the person administering the dosage injected him with 10 shots containing venom from 23 bees, which gave him a horrible reaction. "I kind of enter this anaphylactic shock! It's awful, creepy crawlies all over me, swelled up, hearts going to explode. But I go through it, and then I find out he gave me 10 times too much," he added.

The actor explained what went wrong by pointing out that the number of injections that was administered to him should have been given over a duration of 10 weeks. One might expect that going into anaphylactic shock would discourage a person from trying something so dangerous again but despite his brush with death, Butler decided to undergo the treatment again but things didn't go as planned, and the actor found himself in the ER again.

Bee venom has been used as an alternative medicine to relieve muscle pain for hundreds of years. The practice, known as bee therapy or apitherapy, involves using live bees and placing them on swollen or inflamed parts of the body. Nowadays, the venom is simply injected and is allegedly used to cure a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Butler can't seem to catch a break from the emergency room at the moment. Earlier this month, the Scottish actor was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with minor injuries. Butler was sent somersaulting 30 feet in the air after a woman rammed her car into his motorbike.

Watch Butler's interview below:
Whomever told you that a T5 YMS visa requires a job doesn't know what the heck they're talking about and really needs to go and review their knowledge of that visa class. Avisa requires specific work sponsorship, avisa does not - the whole point of the T5 is for young people to come to the UK as a holiday maker and work, as much or as little as they choose (if they choose to work at all) while they're here.According to the Official Home Office Guidance , all your wife needed was to be aged 18 to 30, have 1,890 in savings, and be able to show proof of Canadian citizenship. There is no mention of a required job offer.Now, in regards to the Spouse Visa process, you've got part of the process correct.Your wife completes the application and attends biometrics in Toronto (I'm assuming that that's where she is at the moment).From Toronto,sends the application and all supporting documents to Sheffield. The people who do the biometrics should have the facilities available to help her submit everything via courier... when I did my biometrics in Vancouver, the people doing my paperwork had a stash of DHL packaging and waybills to send my application package to the consulate in New York (North American applications were still being handled there in mid-2012.... they were shifted to Sheffield in late 2012/early 2013) and they had extra waybills and packaging that I could purchase to include in my application package in order to have everything sent back to me via courier.... I took note of the waybill tracking number so I could track my package once my stuff was sent back to me.There is no public access to the Sheffield processing centre so you aren't able to submit the application in-person... mail or courier access only.There may or may not be communication from the Home Office in regards to the progress of the application... do not worry if your wife doesn't hear from them when they receive her documents or during the processing phase - it's nothing personal against you or your wife... they tell everyone that they'll be notified as their case progresses and, more often than not, they don't follow up on the application's progress.I know for myself, I didn't receive a "docs received" email but I did receive a "your application is being organised to be sent to an Entry Clearance Officer for consideration" email and then heard nothing back until they notified me that my visa had been approved and my passport was en route back to me. That said, they've changed their tune in regards to the way they notify applicants about how their application is decided. They are deliberately vague and no longer say outright what the decision is during the email - just a "decision has been made" statement. Applicants must then wait for their stuff to come back in order to find out the decision... if no refusal letter is included, the applicant should check every page of their passport to see if there is a vignette attached to one of the blank pages... it won't necessarily be on the first blank page from the front so it's advisable to check the passport to see if they have put in the visa (mine was about 6 pages in... I've got mild OCD so this bothered me a little bit but I was just happy to receive my visa so I was o.k.)One other word of note... don't bother spending your hard earned  on the pay-per minute "Help" line... it's staffed by a 3rd party company that is wholly unrelated to the Home Office and the call centre can provide very little useful information in regards to specific applications.
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AUSTIN  Medical marijuana dispensaries are moving quickly to begin operations in Texas, with at least three companies expecting to be open by early 2018.

Cansortium Texas, a branch of Miami-based Cansortium holdings, was awarded the states first medical marijuana license on Sept. 1, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety website. Cansortium Texas will operate the Knox Medical dispensary in Schulenburg.

Jose Hidalgo, CEO of Knox, said cannabis is now being grown at the location in Schulenburg and will be ready for distribution by the end of the year.

The plants look healthy, Hidalgo said. They look great, and the cultivation is moving ahead, and we are expecting to harvest sometime in early December.

Under the Compassionate Use Act, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015, licensed dispensaries will be allowed to grow and sell medical marijuana to Texans with a rare form of intractable epilepsy.

For those out there who think this is a slippery slope, they have to understand that multiple neurologists need to be involved, and they both have to agree that this is a last resource, Hidalgo said. Its not even just normal epilepsy, its intractable epilepsy, which is really serious. The patients that are waiting for this, they really need this medicine.

Compassionate Cultivation and Surterra Texas are also awaiting final reviews by the Texas Department of Public Safety before being awarded licenses, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman. The Texas Legislature is requiring DPS to issue at least three licenses, but no more than the number of licenses necessary to ensure reasonable statewide access to low-THC cannabis.

The dispensaries will only be authorized to market cannabidiol, a type of low-THC cannabis that doesnt produce a high and can treat a number of physical and neurological disorders.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

There wont be a storefront location where cannabis can be purchased in the state. Rather, the dispensaries will serve as hubs for delivery services across the state to patients and physicians, in accordance with the state law.

The companies will also be required to pay a $480,000 fee to get initially licensed in Texas. Then they face a renewal fee of almost $320,000 every two years.

Hidalgo said he thinks his company is helping people by being in Texas.

We founded the company to be a patient-centric environment, Hidalgo said. Were all about helping the patients and providing the most pure and highest quality medicine. We do so in Florida and Puerto Rico, and were ready to do that in Texas.
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The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has chosen CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams as its incoming chairwoman-elect for 2018, the chamber announced Friday.

Texas Capital Bank regional Chairman Shaun Kennedy, who was chairman-elect this year, will lead the group beginning in January. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and has served on the Texas Bankers Association board of directors.
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If his experience is any indication, Ryan Sprott does not consider walls to be much of a barrier.

Since 2011, Sprott has taught Advanced Placement world history and humanities electives at the International School of the Americas, a magnet school housed at North East Independent School Districts Lee High School. As the years passed, he collaborated more and more with Laurie Smith, who taught English next door.

Eventually, they decided it only made sense to take the next step  remove the wall between their classrooms and team up. Now, the pair teach a two-period class that combines AP world history and English, a hybrid format that asks sophomore students to make persuasive arguments based on historical evidence through speeches, simulations and other projects.

Students affectionately call the hybrid course EngWHAP. Sprott said it allows them to challenge those artificial walls between the disciplines that have been erected in education.

Humanities Texas, an Austin-based nonprofit, honored Sprotts innovative teaching Friday with the James F. Veninga Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award, a statewide recognition for educators who excel in the subject area.

A panel selected Sprott from nearly 700 applicants across Texas. The award came with a $5,000 check for him and $500 for the school.

As we become an increasingly global world, more connected, there may never be more of an important time for the work that we do as humanities teachers, to help people recognize what makes us unique as humans, but also what binds us together, Sprott told a group of teachers gathered in San Antonio for a workshop on the U.S. Constitution. I think the humanities is the place where that really happens.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who presented the award to Sprott, said humanities teachers help students lay a groundwork of knowledge and develop critical thinking skills.

He invites his students to consider different perspectives and empathize with people of different cultures and beliefs, Castro said. In the moments that were in now, we understand how important that is for our students to appreciate.

The history-English class was not the first instance of Sprotts hands-on approach to learning. In 2007, he co-founded the Borderland Collective, an education and art project at Texas State University. Sprotts involvement inspired the creation of a humanities elective course at ISA focused on divisive contemporary issues, such as immigration and energy policy.

As part of that class, Sprott takes his students on trips to conduct fieldwork  this year, if enough money is raised, he plans to take his students to the Permian Basin in West Texas.

The purpose of the class, offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors, is to learn how to have civil discourse about polarizing problems in society.

When you disagree with somebody, how do you have a conversation about that, and how do you find those points of agreement? Sprott said. How can you still value this person as a human being, although their perspective may be different than you?

lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba
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WASHINGTON  An appeals court panel here has declined to order the federal government to immediately allow an abortion for an undocumented teenager it is detaining, instead giving the Health and Human Services Department 11 days to find a sponsor to take custody of the girl.

The courts 2-1 decision allows the Trump administration to maintain its policy of not facilitating abortions for undocumented minors in its custody. It also further delays the 17-year-olds quest to end her pregnancy and increases the risk that she will run out of time to have the procedure.

The teenager, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, is 15 weeks pregnant. Texas, where the teen is detained, bars most abortions after 20 weeks.

Lawyers for the teenager said in court Friday that it would be difficult to find a government-approved sponsor to take custody of their client, a Central American immigrant being held in a special detention facility in Texas for minors caught entering the U.S. illegally.

If the government does not find a sponsor, such as an adult relative in the U.S. who can care for the girl, the case would revert to a lower court judge who ruled Wednesday that the government should facilitate an abortion for the teenager without delay.

The governments appeal of that ruling led to Fridays decision. Any subsequent order by the lower court judge would also be subject to appeal.

Shes already suffered weeks of delays, which the government has no business doing. said Jennifer Dalven, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the girl.

The teen has been seeking an abortion since late September, shortly after she was apprehended and learned that she was pregnant.

The appellate ruling by GOP-appointed judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Brett Kavanaugh allows the judges to avoid issuing a hasty decision in a case that involves complex areas of immigration and abortion law.

Judge Patricia Millett issued a sharply worded dissent to the decision, calling the majoritys ruling wrong and unconstitutional.

There are no winners in cases like these. But there sure are losers, Millet wrote. Forcing her to continue an unwanted pregnancy just in the hopes of finding a sponsor that has not been found in the past six weeks sacrifices J.D.s constitutional liberty, autonomy and personal dignity for no justifiable governmental reason.

The panels decision noted that government lawyers acknowledged that the girl possesses a constitutional right to obtain an abortion in the United States.

ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri urged the court not to set aside its obligation to protect the teens constitutional right to abortion just because she may eventually obtain a sponsor and said the government is not acting in the teens best interest.

They are supplanting their decision about what she should do with her pregnancy, Amiri said.

The government says it has a policy of refusing to facilitate abortions for undocumented minors, a departure from the Obama administration, which allowed them.

The Health and Human Services Department, which oversees undocumented minors taken into custody near the border, is trying to promote child birth and fetal life, according to court filings in the case.

Officials have said the 17-year-old could voluntarily return to her home country and seek an abortion or find a sponsor in the U.S.

But during oral arguments Friday, the government acknowledged for the first time that abortion is illegal in the girls homeland. Her native country has not been released by the court in order to protect her privacy.

Were not putting an obstacle in her path, Catherine Dorsey, the government lawyer representing HHS in the case, told the judges Friday. Were declining to facilitate an abortion.

Dorsey told the appeals court that the government had over the past month identified two potential sponsors  both relatives  but they had fallen through. The government performs background checks on potential sponsors, a process that could take weeks or months.

During oral arguments, the judges questioned the governments stance, noting that undocumented immigrants in other types of federal custody  including adults in immigration detention and federal prisons  may seek elective abortions at their own expense.

Even if she has that right, we dont have to facilitate it, Dorsey said.

Millett also pointed out that forcing the teenager to return home might clash with her legal right to seek asylum in the U.S. The teen has said her parents abused her in her native country.

Underscoring the significance and interest in the case, Chief Judge Merrick Garland agreed Friday to livestream audio of the oral argument for the first time in 16 years.

Roughly 40 people gathered Friday morning in front of the Health and Human Service Department to demand justice for Jane.

The constitutional right to abortion does not depend on your immigration status, said Georgeanne Usova, legislative counsel for the ACLU.

Usova said the group wasnt just fighting for this young woman, but every woman in government custody.
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Every evening, Henry Galindo goes to sleep wondering what his mother felt in the last few minutes of her life, and every morning, before his eyes even open, the same agonizing thoughts surface.

After he gets out of bed, he walks to his closet and finds the pillow his mother, Idalia Molina, slept on the night before she was shot and killed.

The pillow still smells like her, two months after her husband, Douglas Rodriguez, walked into the bathroom on a Saturday morning as she was getting ready and shot her twice  once at point-blank range in the heart, the second time in the head.

Rodriguez then pulled Molina on top of him and shot himself in the head. They were found lying in the shower stall later that day.

Its still something thats with me every day, Galindo said. It is a vivid memory and question in my mind about what those last few seconds were like, how scared she would have been, what she was thinking about, the pain she experienced.

Molina was planning on leaving her husband, her son says. Just a few days prior, she had looked at apartments and condos with her second son, Daniel, and paid a deposit for a new apartment.

You never think youre going to be the person whose parent is murdered, Galindo said. I feel like Im in a Dateline episode and Im searching for answers. It doesnt feel real.

Last year, 11 women were killed by intimate partners in Bexar County, according to a report released Friday by the Texas Council on Family Violence. The county had one of the highest numbers of domestic violence homicides in the state, the report found.

In total, 146 women were killed in Texas last year in domestic violence killings, including 28 in Harris County  which had the most domestic violence homicides  and 13 fatalities each in Dallas County and Tarrant counties, according to the report compiled by the Austin-based nonprofit.

The report does not measure the domestic violence killings per capita. Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Bexar counties are also the four largest counties in the state.

In Bexar County, domestic violence homicides have doubled in recent years: from five in 2014 to nine in 2015 to the 11 last year.

Statewide, domestic violence homicides have steadily increased before dropping last year. In 2011, 102 women were killed throughout the state, compared with 158 in 2015, the highest number of deaths in Texas since the council began releasing its report, and 146 in 2016.

Officials  including Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, San Antonio Assistant Police Chief James Flavin and Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood  unveiled the latest numbers during a news conference at San Antonio Police Department headquarters.

We are immensely saddened by the tragic loss of life and we remember the families of those who lost loved ones and we especially want to remember the 146 families who lost a loved one this year, Gloria Terry, the council CEO, said in a news release.

When a tragic loss like this happens, it reminds all of us how dangerous domestic violence can be to a family and a community and how much more work there is to be accomplished to ensure victims find help and safety before its too late, she said.

The release of the 2016 Honoring Victims Report, which was compiled from media reports and data from the Texas Department of Public Safety and other local law enforcement agencies, coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is October.

According to the report, the youngest domestic violence victim in Texas last year was 15 years old and the oldest was 92. Most women who were killed were between the ages of 20 and 39.

Forty percent of the women killed had ended the relationship, like Molina, or were in the process of leaving when they were murdered. Most were killed in their home by a perpetrator using a gun.

An additional 24 family members and friends  including 13 children  were killed during these crimes, as well, the report stated.

Marta Pelaez, CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services Inc., which runs The Battered Women and Childrens Shelter, said advocates need to focus on supporting survivors, holding abusers accountable and challenging the underlying attitudes and beliefs that feed violent behavior.

Together we strive to make violence a part of our past and we redouble our efforts to educate the public and try to prevent domestic violence fatalities in the future, Pelaez said in a news release.

For Galindo, the past two months havent gotten easier. He, along with his brother, Daniel, and his sister, Evelyn, are still searching for answers. They have a copy of the preliminary four-page police report and have requested copies of photos from the crime scene.

His mothers birthday, Oct. 12, was particularly difficult. She would have been 67. Galindo doesnt want to think about Christmas.

I dont see it getting any better, Galindo said. I dont see a light at the end of the tunnel. Its just dark. Its just dark right now.

Idalia Molina, affectionately called Ida, was born and raised in San Antonio, where she was a cheerleader at La Salle High School and attended St. Francis Academy.

Most of her life, she was an administrative assistant in school districts throughout Texas, including San Antonio Independent School District.

Galindo has many fond memories with his mother, but among his favorite is the recollection of sitting on the floor watching her put on makeup and get ready for the day.

She was someone who lit up the room, Galindo recalled. You never saw her not looking gorgeous. She liked to entertain and she liked to have her family around her.

Galindo moved away for college, but when he came home, he always enjoyed getting up early at 6:30 a.m. and spending time with his mother, who was also an early riser.

She would make coffee and breakfast tacos and we would talk and laugh, Galindo said. It would just be the two of us.

Molina was an avid shopper, whether at Chicos or Goodwill. She loved to hunt for bargains and find items to decorate the house with, recreating photos from magazines.

She was also a social butterfly, adding her childrens friends on Facebook and regularly commenting on their posts, even if she didnt know them. During the holidays, she welcomed members of the military into her home when they could not be with their own families.

Days after Molina was killed, the family held a rosary at Porter Loring Mortuaries, where several friends and acquaintances gathered to remember her. The general manager at the Chicos she regularly shopped even showed up.

She was just a radiant person that everyone wanted to be around, Galindo said. She was stunning.
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The latest Alamo fight is being waged over the airwaves and via social media, through protests and news conferences, with dueling websites and a state GOP resolution suggesting there are forces at work to diminish the shrines message.

At stake is not only Land Commissioner George P. Bushs ambitious effort to re-imagine the site of the 1836 siege but perhaps his own political ambitions.

Some Bush critics who most recently have seized on the possible move of the marble and granite Cenotaph in Alamo Plaza honoring the slain Alamo defenders  are trying to recruit a strong opponent to the incumbent in the March 6 Republican primary, which coincidentally falls on the anniversary of the battle between Alamo defenders and Mexican troops.

Were looking at a few candidates, said Rick Range, a retired teacher and firefighter who is co-founder of the Save the Alamo Committee. If something happens to that Cenotaph, it would take a miracle for him to get re-elected.

The Cenotaph proposal is a hot-button detail in a multiyear, potentially $450 million plan that Bush said is aimed at restoring honor and dignity to a historic battlefield that attracts visitors from around the world but is a bit of a hodgepodge.

A bustling urban center with little on-site security aside from a scattering of Alamo Rangers, the plaza also features a snow-cone stand and is across from tourist attractions, including Tomb Rider and Ripleys Haunted Adventure.

The carnivallike attractions are in three state-purchased buildings that eventually will become a museum to house treasures, including a collection of Alamo artifacts donated by superstar musician Phil Collins.

The Cenotaph, built about a century after the battle, might be moved to restore open space to the historic site.

The state has appropriated $100 million toward the master plan so far, plus $6.5 million for crucial restoration and day-to-day operations. The city has committed $38 million. Of the estimated $450 million cost, about $200 million is expected to be raised privately by the nonprofit Alamo Endowment.

Bushs Republican predecessor as land commissioner, Jerry Patterson, said the Alamo would be THE issue in a contested race.

Nobody cares about the (General) Land Office. Nobody knows we have a Land Office, Patterson said. But when you put the Alamo into the mix, things change dramatically.

Patterson, who has been critical of Bush, said he wont run against him. But he said hes looking for somebody who can win in a race against Bush, a formidable candidate who is from the fourth generation of the Bush dynasty that includes his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; uncle, former President George W. Bush; grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush; and late great-grandfather, Prescott, who served as a U.S. senator from Connecticut.

The incumbent has one announced opponent, land surveyor Davey Edwards.

Bush said his focus isnt on politics, although his campaign is running radio ads saying hes saving the Alamo. Hes in a comfortable political spot, with $2.8 million in his campaign account after getting 73 percent of the vote in the 2014 GOP primary and nearly 61 percent in that years general election against little-known opponents.

Politics is always a part of government, and my critics will always be there, but Im focused on doing something historic, something great, that honors and brings dignity to the most important battlefield in Texas state history, Bush told the San Antonio Express-News.

Efforts to recruit a strong opponent show the passions stirred by proposed changes to the Alamo.

Wont be a Disneyland

There has been speculation on social media that Bush wants to change the Alamos name. Not true, he said. He has weathered firestorms over ousting the Daughters of the Republic of Texas from a longtime role in running the site, and a proposal, widely opposed and now tabled, for glass walls to define the historic battlefield.

There are websites, including Ranges Save The Alamo, that vociferously oppose the Alamo plan. Bushs forces have countered with their own websites  including one thats also called Save The Alamo  devoted to debunking myths.

The State Republican Executive Committee surprised Bush with a resolution saying there are forces at work to remake or Reimagine the history of the Alamo and diminish its inspiriting message while the property around it undergoes renovation to increase profit from tourism.

The resolution urged that decision-makers affirm and reemphasize the historic significance of the 1836 battle, voluntarily commit to transparency even with regard to nonprofit entities that are part of the Alamo management structure, and ensure the site is not infringed upon by entities, including the United Nations.

Bush said all three already were being done. James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, said he was pleased with Bushs affirmation that the battle would be primary in private conversation and his emphasis on it in public comments, including at an Alamo news conference on a cannon restoration project.

Some prominent officeholders are reluctant to wade into the fray. Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, didnt respond to a request for comment.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wasnt so hesitant, saying, The Alamo is one of our states most precious historic treasures. I want to ensure that the funding appropriated by the state for the preservation and restoration of the Alamo is used to emphasize the historic impact of the 1836 battle on the development of Texas as a nation and a state.

Patterson is critical of a Bush management style that he sees as faltering, and he expresses concern over transparency in a management structure that includes a strong nonprofit element. Bush says he has been deeply involved and has worked for more transparency than is required by law.

Even Patterson, however, doesnt buy into some of the criticism that has been lofted about plans for the Alamo under Bush.

To be fair, really, its reached the point now where some of the critics are near-absurdity. Its not going to be a Disneyland. Its not going to be taken over by the U.N., Patterson said.

Harsh critics

No one has opposed the plans primary focus to repair and restore the circa-1760s Alamo church, whose walls, built over decades without internal structural reinforcement, appear to be buckling under the weight of a 1920s concrete roof.

Even critics like Lee Spencer White, founder and president of the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association, say there are some aspects of the Alamo plan she can embrace. She thinks its story can be better told; shed love to see a world-class museum.

But the future of the Cenotaph looms as a key flash point.

Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, sent letters to Bush and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg urging them to reconsider moving the Cenotaph, saying its current location near the Alamo helps tell the story of sacrifice and bravery of those who gave their lives for freedom.

White is incensed about the possible relocation of the Cenotaph, skewering Bush at a recent Alamo protest over the issue.

Go back to Florida and save the manatees. Well take care of the Alamo, White said at the protest, adding in an interview, If he doesnt change his mind and do the right thing, which is leave the Cenotaph alone and try to work with the grass roots, Ill do all I can to make sure that hes not re-elected.

Bush, who meets much of the criticism with equanimity, bristled at the go-back-to-Florida comment.

Im a native Texan. I was born in Houston. I have two boys that are third-generation Texan. Im a military veteran. Went to Rice and University of Texas School of Law. So I take offense to those remarks, Bush said. And I want my children, and I want the children of Texas, to understand what the price of freedom truly is. Its not something thats handed to you. You have to put on a uniform, which Ive done, and youve got to go and serve.

Some predict that any political blowback could extend to Nirenberg, who with Bush will have say over the final plan, including design and security elements. The two serve on an executive committee at the top of a structure to implement the plan, with completion targeted for 2024.

I think George P. Bush is jeopardizing his future career. I think this is going to come back to Nirenberg the next time the mayors position comes up, said Allen Tharp, president of the San Antonio Tea Party. People arent going to forget this.

Tharp questioned the projects estimated price.

We think theres certainly no justification for that type of huge expenditure, and then theres a lot of talk that the goal is to change the message of the Alamo to where the Alamo is not about conflict, its about unity, Tharp said. The Alamo is a fort, and it is about a battle to the death. Its not a bunch of Girl Scouts sitting around a campfire singing kumbaya.  It just sounds like political correctness gone haywire.

Bush said he doesnt recall making a comment about the Alamo being about unity, emphasizing his commitment to historical accuracy. Nirenberg said the site is part of a public square and that he hopes it will bring people together in one place to remember our history. If thats not unity, perhaps we need to redefine what that is.

Focus on history

Nirenberg and Bush said the focus of the Alamo plan is to properly honor the historical site, with the 1836 battle remaining the focal point. They said politics shouldnt drive the discussion. Nirenberg emphasized that location of the Cenotaph hasnt finally been determined, while Bush said, It actually sits on city property, so ultimately it will be a city decision.

It is a sad day in Texas history if politics determine our caretaking of the Alamo, Nirenberg said. Asked about any concerns over a political backlash, he said, I am here to make decisions in the best interest of the public, and thats what Ill continue to do. If I had to concern myself with every threat that someone made, we would never get work done.

The imposing Cenotaph was dedicated in 1940 as a monument to those who died in the battle. Some of the defenders remains were burned nearby at the direction of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. One proposal would have the Cenotaph moved south to be near at least one of two funeral pyres described in historical accounts. A final resting place of those burned remains has never been archaeologically confirmed.

I would fight it (moving the Cenotaph), no matter what. That is our family cemetery. That is our headstone, said White. Thats where the bodies of the defenders lay (before being burned). Their blood soaked that ground. The souls left their bodies in that spot. That memorial needs to stay in that spot.

Nirenberg said if the goal is to restore the historical footprint of the Alamo to the best extent possible, then the Cenotaph logically would need to be moved. He said it would be restored and placed somewhere it can be revered and serve its purpose of recognizing the fallen.

I believe that from the initial review of the plan it makes sense to do that, Nirenberg said. However  we are listening to concerns and objections and will determine as part of that process where its ultimate location on the map will be. All options are on the table at this point.

Express-News Staff Writers Scott Huddleston and Patrick Danner contributed to this report. pfikac@express-news.net | Twitter: @pfikac
A federal judge threw out a lawsuit against the federal government by an immigrant from Mexico who alleged that his rights were violated when he was held in Bexar County Jail for 76 days without charges.

But the mans separate lawsuit against Bexar County is still ongoing.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled in June that the Sheriffs Office violated the rights of Julio Trujillo Santoyo, an immigrant from Mexico who was booked on an assault charge that was later dismissed but was held for more than two months because of a clerical error.

Garcia found that the jail has authority to only detain someone suspected of committing a state crime and should not have honored a detainer request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold Trujillo on suspicion of being in the country illegally, a civil matter.

Bexar County has asked Garcia to reconsider that decision, but in a ruling Wednesday, the judge said hes waiting until the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans decides another case that will likely address whether county jails violate the Fourth Amendment when they hold people ICE wants to investigate and possibly deport.

Next month, the 5th Circuit will hear that case, an appeal of Garcias injunction halting key portions of Texass Senate Bill 4, also known as the sanctuary cities law, including a provision that penalizes local officials who dont honor ICE detainers.

Trujillo was arrested in March 2016 on an assault charge but was held for 76 days after the charge was dismissed. He was eventually turned over to ICE and pleaded guilty to a charge of re-entering the country illegally, then deported, according to court filings.

In his Wednesday ruling, Garcia dismissed Trujillos claims against the federal government, writing that ICE did not violate his rights when it sent the jail a detainer request, which the county was not required to honor.

An attorney for Trujillo said hes considering whether to appeal that decision.

jbuch@express-news.net | Twitter: @jlbuch
BANDERA  Plans to bring a Best Western hotel to the city that styles itself the Cowboy Capital of the World are advancing despite a move by city leaders this week to sharply reduce the incentives proposed for the San Antonio firm behind the project.

I feel very confident that the project is going to be built, said Gene Liguori of Showcase Development on Friday. Its going to be an awesome addition to Main Street, Bandera.

The venture was first discussed in 2013. Liguori initially sought $1 million from the city and other inducements to construct the 46-room hotel with a restaurant, conference center and ground floor retail at 711 Main St., where the Frontier Hotel and Purple Cow Saloon stood until a fire destroyed them in 2012.

Members of the City Council and Bandera Economic Development Corp. voiced support for that scenario in July, and the council directed an attorney to see if the city could issue $1 million in bonds to fund it.

But Mayor Suzanne Schauman distanced herself from the incentive package in advance of Wednesdays joint workshop of the council and the BEDC board, after which the parties said they agreed on a new, scaled-back proposal.

We would never have invested $1 million to get the hotel, Schauman had said last week. I do want to see the hotel, but not at the citys expense.

Illness kept her from attending the special council meeting that followed Wednesdays workshop, where the council directed its lawyer to draft the revised agreement. A final council vote on it is expected next month.

We reached some terms of agreement but we didn't approve it, said Councilwoman Rebeca Gibson, who presided at the meetings Wednesday. I feel like we're in a good place.

The new incentive plan calls for 10 years of city property tax abatements on the $4.9 million hotel, starting at 100 percent the first year and dropping 10 percent annually, officials said, noting the incentives end if Liguori sells the property.

In addition, they said, all bed taxes collected at the hotel are to be rebated to Liguori, who must use the estimated $30,000 a year for marketing that promotes Bandera and Bandera County.

Liguori agreed in return to create at least nine full-time jobs, to utilize environmentally friendly design and construction methods and to not lease retail spaces at the hotel to national chains, among other things.

Separate from the city tax refunds, the BEDC is offering $12,000 annually to be used for hotel staff development, he said.

The citys inability to sell $1 million in bonds doomed the original incentive proposal, Liguori said Friday.

That was kind of our ask Liguori said. The goal is to make the project feasible, and the incentive package we negotiated (Wednesday) makes it very feasible.

A new marketing study, which painted a rosier forecast on hotel patronage than a former study, made the reduced incentives easier to swallow, he said. It projects revenues topping $1 million in the hotels first year of operation by drawing many customers who currently patronize hotels in other nearby communities, Liguori said.

Niranjan Bhakta, who owns Bandera Lodge, expressed skepticism at Wednesdays meeting about the revenue forecast  and concern that his business would suffer from the presence of a new, city-subsidized competitor.

The City Council doesnt want to listen to us, he said Friday. They say, Were going to have a national brand. I told them my property was a Best Western when they built it in the 1980s, but they took away the license because it didnt generate enough revenue. Then it became an Econolodge, which also is a national brand, but local business couldnt support that either, so they took it away. Thats why it became an independent.

Liguori contends his three-story Best Western, which will open in February 2019 if plans proceed on schedule, wont harm existing local hotels because they are at a different price point.

His target clientele are displaced customers who currently stay in hotels in Boerne and Kerrville, because Bandera doesnt have what they want.

Bandera County Commissioners are slated to consider a request for incentives for the project next week.

zeke@express-news.net
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AUSTIN  U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised Texas lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott for taking a tough stance against illegal immigration and defended a controversial state law that outlawed sanctuary cities.

In a speech to law enforcement officials Friday, Sessions commended the state for passing Senate Bill 4. The law gives police officers greater freedom to ask people about their immigration status and mandates cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The law went into effect Sept. 1, but parts of it are tied up in the courts. The Department of Justice filed a brief earlier this month in favor of the law.

I am confident that Texas will prevail in court, Session said. But I would urge every so-called sanctuary jurisdiction to reconsider their policies.

Sessions did not directly call out Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who has said her city would not honor some federal requests to hold immigrants in jail. She was among those at the event.

Vowing to get rid of what he called the most generous immigration laws in the world, Sessions outlined the Trump administrations immigration policies, released earlier this month. They include funding of the planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a crackdown on the influx of Central American minors and limits on funding to sanctuary cities.

Trump last month put an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gave young immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents a work permit and a reprieve from deportation.

Its the kind of bold agenda that the American people have been waiting for, Sessions said. It is reasonable, and it will work.

Sessions said such policies are necessary to carry out law and order in the country. He highlighted several crimes involving immigrants living in the country illegally, including the 2011 death of Houston police officer Kevin Will.

Johoan Rodriguez, who was not a legal citizen, was intoxicated and drove his vehicle through a police barricade, killing Will. Rodriguez was sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Officer Wills last words were telling someone to get out of the way of the car, Session said. He died protecting innocent people.

The sound of dozens of protesters in front of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas echoed through the room as Sessions delivered his speech.

Some held signs of Sessions dressed as a Klansman. They also laid down a sheet designed to look like a white robe and hood, and protesters stomped on it.

Lizeth Urdiales, 22 of Austin, was recovering from surgery, but wanted to support her friends and family at the protest.

Im just here participating and taking it slow, but also doing what I can, she said. With everything that Ive been through, I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to be here for my friends and my family and my community. Its important for all of us to take up that opportunity.

Urdiales said she does not agree that the U.S. immigration system is as generous as Sessions claims.

I know what its composed of and what its like to go through, she said. The U.S. policy is complicated to exclude countries with black or brown people.

Astrid Dominguez, immigrants rights strategist for the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement that Sessions remarks were fraught with scare-mongering, misinformation and scapegoating.

In fact, the only undisputable statement Mr. Sessions made today was that law enforcement is not the problem, she said. He is the problem. Gov. Abbott is the problem. President Trump is the problem.

Staff Writer Paul Cobler and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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At this point, its a pattern: District 6 Councilman Greg Brockhouse will disparage a proposal, arguing pointedly about process or particulars, then end up voting for it in the end.

It happened in June, with support for the Paris climate accord; in August, with the removal of a Confederate statue from downtown Travis Park; last month, with the provision of legal aid to the poor; and this week, with an offer of an incentives package to a local credit union.

The cumulative effect is an odd impression of a contrarian who follows the crowd. One City Hall insider quipped about Brockhouse, Hes a poor mans version of Ted Cruz, except less effective, less liked and just as opportunistic.

At the very least, the freshman councilman can appear to be seeking attention, perhaps to run for higher office  yet alienating himself from his colleagues in the process.

On Friday, Brockhouse disputed hes grandstanding at the expense of collegiality, while not exactly tamping down a persistent rumor that hes gunning to unseat Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

Debating is not grandstanding, Brockhouse said. For far too long, not enough has been said at City Hall. I think we get better as a result of debating. I think we get better policies.

Many of his complaints, he added, are triggered by the mayors tendency to exclude others on big decisions.

Am I naturally at this point oppositional to Ron on core issues? Yes, I am, Brockhouse said. I dont think Ron is including people.  Hes got a vision for the city and hes executing it. He won the race and hes earned the right to do it. But I dont think hes earned the right to be a monarch.

Nirenberg declined to comment on Friday.

Brockhouses attacks against the mayor began soon after both took office in June, beginning when Brockhouse maneuvered wildly on a resolution to support the Paris accord. After attacking the mayors placement of the item on the councils first agenda and supporting a motion to delay its passage, Brockhouse ultimately voted for the resolution.

The objection that I raised was the mayor coming at the last minute and saying, Here, do this, Brockhouse said. I think its a pretty stark reality that Ron Nirenberg is doing what Ron Nirenberg wants to do, and hes not including the council.

Two months later, Brockhouse again was complaining that Nirenberg had hijacked a process, this time in order to fast-track the removal of a Confederate monument in Travis Park. The mayor had chosen to change the rules, he said, by circumventing the Historic Design and Review Commission.

Again, he did not adhere to the process, Brockhouse said. He should have gone to the HDRC.

Using complaints about process as ammo against an agenda is a time-honored tradition at City Hall. Less common is taking potshots at that agenda only to embrace it in the end.

Ultimately, Brockhouse voted to remove the monument, he said, because I listened to the people.

It can be unclear sometimes to whom Brockhouse is listening. His anxiety last month that the citys funding of immigration services would help undocumented immigrants might have made sense if he were listening to conservatives. But then he voted for the funding.

Brockhouses most flamboyant flip-flop might have come this week, when he joined the rest of council in voting to give Credit Human a package of tax abatements and rebates totaling $5.9 million to construct a new headquarters at The Pearl.

A month earlier, Brockhouse had told San Antonio Express-News reporters Richard Webner and Patrick Danner: The time has come to end the incentivizing of the Broadway corridor.

On Thursday, explaining his support on the dais, Brockhouse cited a net benefit to the city of about $7.7 million over the next two decades.

This is a bottom line deal that makes sense over the long haul, and thats where we have to as a body make sure that is communicated a little bit better, I think, he said. Because I can go out on television or radio and say, hey, end this area and stop it, never give a dime to anybody, right? But if the dime is working for me, and its returning something, I think the residents should know that.

Brockhouse added, Ill admit, in my passion for subjects, it may come across as if its fact. Im not trying to ever say that I have the facts or I have all the answers.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
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Alfred Giles came into the world as a sickly child of aristocrats in the suburbs of London. Sixty-seven years later, he left the world as a healthy Texan and renowned architect across South Texas and even beyond the border.

His legacy continues in the structures he designed, many still preserved and toured, and in the lives of his descendants: ranch owners who still live on Giles 13,000-acre Hill Country plot.

Weve always been an English family in the middle of a lot of German people, said Robin Giles, 74, Alfred Giles grandson. Of course, theyre our best friends now, but that part was always a bit unusual.

Whether squinting up at a massive structure, hands shading eyes, or viewing one from afar as an outline in the sky, thousands of people in South Texas and northern Mexico have gazed upon Giles craftsmanship.

Mary Carolyn Hollers George grew up staring wide-eyed at his magnificent San Antonio buildings, wondering about the mind behind them. When she was in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin and charged with writing a thesis for her art history degree, she set out to find the answer to her musings.

They told me to look at every building I admired growing up, and they turned out all to be by Alfred Giles, said George, now a local expert on Giles who has written books about him.

From the Edward Steves Homestead in King William to nearly the entire downtown of Comfort to the Banco Mercantil in Monterrey, Mexico, Giles work on more than 100 buildings has flourished through the decades with a style that is decidedly Victorian but, apart from that, timeless.

The buildings just called themselves to my attention, George said, adding that theyre impressive but not ostentatious.

Later, that style would reverberate as a perfect metaphor for Giles legacy  a man of great architectural reach but one who did not boast and as such is often forgotten in the grand scheme of San Antonios history.

Born in Hillingdon, England, in 1853, Giles grew up with a case of rheumatic fever, an inflammatory disease that causes a range of symptoms from swollen joints and high fevers to raging rashes and involuntary body movements. He was educated at the University of Londons Kings College and moved to Texas in 1873 in search of warm weather to soothe his ailment. Nursed back to relative health by the San Antonio sun, he started his own architecture firm at 114 W. Houston St. just three years later and quickly rose to become the most prominent architect in the city.

It was perfect timing, George said.

In the late 1870s, there was an industrial boom in San Antonio. The citys population swelled from 12,000 in 1873 to 161,379 in 1920, according to George. In 1877, the first train crossed through San Antonio  and the railroad industry took off from there, transporting building materials that aided in the boom.

Giles first project was the Edward Steves Homestead, a mansion in the King William neighborhood that was established in 1876. The San Antonio Conservation Society acquired the home in the early 1950s. Vincent Michael, executive director of the society, called it the most famous landmark of the Victorian period in San Antonio and the jewel of King William.

Even among a row of grand, Victorian-style homes, the mansion-turned-museum stands out. At 7,258 square feet, its three stories are capped with a mansard roof supported by paired brackets. Rope molding lines the round-headed windows outside. And inside, the pocket doors and winding staircase demonstrate what George called exquisite woodwork.

While Giles style was practical and lauded for its restraint, symmetry and sureness, he did add quiet, inventive details.

There are a lot of nuances in this house that make the quality of life better, said Randy Dodds, who gives guided tours of the home for the Conservation Society. This is really out of the box.

Dodds pointed out the staircase, which widens around the turns, twisting the wall in a parabolic curve to accommodate for the extra space. Giles designed the walls as such to make it easier to travel up or down.

George said Giles aversion to the ostentatious is what you call good taste.

The people that didnt want to show off their wealth went to him. He was very much part of the elegant world in San Antonio, she said. Now, the people that do have the money are building such dreadful, pretentious things, its not to be believed. I think these historic buildings give us a link to the past and what was important.

Six years after Giles marriage in 1881 to Anne Laura James, he purchased a 13,000-acre ranch near Comfort and named it after his hometown in England: Hillingdon. Giles became invested in the land, traveling by mule or oxcart to Comfort, then taking the train from there to San Antonio to carry out his work. The ranch is still named after his hometown.

In some ways, Texas seeped into Giles. He brought in Angora goats and Aberdeen Black Angus cattle to the ranch. He joined the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and was a founding member of the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association.

But throughout his life here, it is said that Giles never lost his British accent, and in all his portraits he wears the clothes of a well-kept, refined Briton.

He was quite a well-dressed, very mannerly man. I dont remember my dad ever saying he got mad and lost his cool. He always seemed to be a very collected man, said Robin Giles, the grandson, who was born and raised and still lives on the Hillingdon Ranch.

Alfred Giles died Aug. 13, 1920, at age 67. His family members are now farmers with the twang of Texas countrymen and a passion for family and the land upon which they were born.

People find out about him, and we become a little more important, said Robin Giles, displaying the humbleness of his grandfather. We amount to something because we come from him, but other than that, were just a bunch of ranchmen out here.

Robin Giles generation has made a living from the land. All his cattle are also direct descendants from Alfred Giles original cattle, with no breaks in the breeding.

While he grew up hearing stories from his father about his grandfathers architectural gifts to San Antonio, Robin Giles said he cant help but feel that the real gift his grandfather gave them is the ranch itself. He credits Giles with instilling in his children to never let the land go.

To people like us, thats the greatest thing on earth: to live and make a living and die on a piece of land, Robin Giles said. The family has kept this land together, and the land has kept the family together.

On Oct. 7, the family celebrated 130 years since Alfred Giles purchased the ranch. They expected a crowd of close to 1,000 people.
She will be followed by speakers talking about issues such as successful agribusiness, the drone revolution, an insight from Indonesia, the BJD program, early weaning to improve productivity, tropical legume mixes for quality and sustainable pastures, Rio Tinto and the cattle industrys relationship, and a video presentation by Gina Rinehart on opportunities and challenges for pastoral businesses in the Kimberley and Pilbara.
The brand imagines the farm of the future as being completely energy independent  a farm that produces not only food, but also the biomass it needs to generate the energy it uses to run its operations and power its tractors and other machinery.
Harvey Weinstein's psychologist has said only "time will tell" if he has made progress in therapy.

Harvey Weinstein

The 65-year-old disgraced producer is set to finish out-patient sessions in Arizona on Saturday (21.10.17) after sources claimed he was to be treated for sex addiction following the allegations that he sexually harassed over 40 women in a 30-year period.

His psychologist - who has refused to be named - has informed celebrity news site TMZ that Harvey has taken the "intense therapy" treatment sessions "seriously", and when asked whether he has made progress since entering therapy a week ago, the medical expert responded: "Time will tell."

They added that Harvey "was able to focus on his therapy despite a ton of distractions. He showed up for all the meetings and was fully engaged," and squashed early reports that suggested Harvey was angry at the allegations and was "spinning out of control", insisting they were "not true".

However, the psychologist admitted that Harvey's medical team had addressed the producer's "anger".

And they said that Harvey's medical team focused on "dealing with his anger, his attitude toward others, boundary work and the beginnings of work on empathy."

They continued: "There were things that triggered [Weinstein's] anger and our job was to help him recognize where it was coming from and how to control it. But he was not venting about some conspiracy to get him. It was an appropriate display of anger."

Though Harvey will end his therapy sessions on Saturday, TMZ also reported that the movie mogul will continue to reside in Arizona for four weeks.

Harvey has vehemently denied claims published by the New York Times newspaper earlier this month that he had harassed a string of female employees over a 30-year time span, and has vowed to take legal action.
Katie Price has cancelled her upcoming show in London, just one week after she pulled out of a scheduled appearance in Manchester.

Katie Price

The 39-year-old star was due to appear in Wimbledon, Greater London, on Saturday (21.10.17), but on the morning of the scheduled performance she took to Twitter to let her fans know the show would not be going ahead, due to "unforeseen circumstances".

She wrote: "Due to sudden unforeseen circumstances unfortunately the show for tonight in Wimbledon is cancelled. To my fans I am sorry I won't be there (sic)"

The news comes just one week after she was forced to pull out of her show in Manchester, citing an "urgent family matter involving the police and one of her children" as the reason for her cancellation.

It then later transpired that her son Harvey, 15, was involved in a "blackmail plot", where an anonymous email was sent to her management company, threatening to "smash Harvey's face in" unless she paid out 50,000 and delivered an Armani dress to an East London property.

She said: "I'm terrified. This is clearly a blackmail threat, and I need to be at home with my family."

Whilst a source added: "This is all the more horrifying for Katie because she has experienced threats against her children before. On three separate occasions she has had to get the police involved.

"The thought of anyone harming the kids sickens her to the core, and until the police have caught the perpetrator, she feels she just can't leave them.

"Katie is really shaken by this and is hoping against hope that the police catch this person as soon as possible. She knows they will be living in fear until they do."

Sussex Police have confirmed they are investigating and urged Katie's family to stay together at all times.

As of the time of writing, it is unknown if Katie - who also has Junior, 12, Princess, 10, Jett, four and three-year-old Bunny - cancelled her Wimbledon show as a result of the blackmail scandal.
President Vladimir Putin has threatened U.S. media operating in Russia, saying Moscow would retaliate if U.S. officials put restrictions on Russian media in the United States.

The comments from Putin came October 19 during an appearance at a meeting of Russian and international foreign policy experts known as the Valdai Discussion Club, held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Officials with Russian state-funded media, including the RT TV channel formerly known as Russia Today and the news website Sputnik, say those organizations' American units have been ordered to register under a decades-old law known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The law was passed in the 1930s aimed at limiting the spread of Nazi propaganda in the United States.


Alesha Dixon was "deeply saddened" by Sir Bruce Forsyth's death.

Alesha Dixon

The 'Britain's Got Talent' panellist - who previously worked with the showbiz legend for three years when she was a judge on 'Strictly Come Dancing' - was distraught when the veteran broadcaster passed away in August because he was a great friend and source of "advice and support" for her.

She said: "I was deeply saddened by [his death]. It really affected me. He played a massive part in my life, he gave me priceless advice and support over the years and I'll always love him."

The 38-year-old beauty, who won 'Strictly' in 2007, sparked controversy when she quit the ballroom show to join the 'BGT' panel in 2012, but she's still a big fan of the BBC contest and can't wait to tune in to the new series.

Asked if she'll be watching, she said: "Absolutely, I was a fan of the show even before I was on it. My friend Aston [Merrygold] is doing it so I want to see how he gets on and I'm friends with Mollie [King] too."

Alesha - who has three-year-old daughter Azura with partner Azuka Ononye - recently stepped in as a guest judge on 'The X Factor' and though she had a great time and was well-received by the audience, it isn't a job she wants permanently.

She told OK! magazine "I was waiting for everyone to start attacking me but the reaction was the opposite. Simon [Cowell] and I have a really good relationship, we laughed all day. I was honoured they asked me, but I have no plans to join the show. I'm very, very happy on 'Britain's Got Talent'."
The All Pakistan Textiles Mills Association (APTMA) has called for implementing the Prime Minister Export Enhancement Package in its true spirit apart from initiating steps, such as providing uninterrupted energy supply to textile units, to ensure ease of conducting business to make Pakistans exports competitive in the international market.The textile industry contributes 62 per cent in total exports of the country and provided 15 million direct and indirect employment to 15 million, APTMA chairman Aamir Fayyaz Sheikh told a recent press conference.

The All Pakistan Textiles Mills Association (APTMA) has called for implementing the Prime Minister Export Enhancement Package in its true spirit apart from initiating steps, such as providing uninterrupted energy supply to textile units, to ensure ease of conducting business to make Pakistan's exports competitive in the international market.#

He stressed on the need for evolving an export-led policy and availability of energy at regionally competitive prices for economic turnaround. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Ghanas ministry of trade and industry has set up a taskforce to clamp down on activities of textile pirates. The taskforce, which includes representatives from security agencies and the ministries of defence, trade and industry and national security, will increase border monitoring, particularly the eastern border at Aflao, and raid suspected warehouses.It will, however, not monitor market centres.

Ghana's ministry of trade and industry has set up a taskforce to clamp down on activities of textile pirates. The taskforce, which includes representatives from security agencies and the ministries of defence, trade and industry and national security, will increase border monitoring, particularly the eastern border at Aflao, and raid suspected warehouses.#

The task force has representative from the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the registrar-generals department, the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) and local textile manufacturing companies.At the inauguration of the task force in Accra recently, minister of trade and industry Alan Kyerematen urged the taskforce to fight piracy and smuggling in the textile industry with tact and commitment just like the war against illegal mining. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Pakistan government has notified the Duty Drawback of Taxes Order 2017-18, effective immediately. The announcement is in pursuance of the Prime Ministers Package of Incentives for Exporters approved by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet to provide duty drawback of taxes collected from manufacturing cum exporter units.

As per the notification issued by the Textile Division, ministry of textile and commerce, the Order extends to the whole of Pakistan including Export Processing Zones. The duty drawbacks under the Order shall be allowed for exports GDs filed on or after July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

While 50 per cent of the rate of drawback shall be provided without condition of increment, the remaining 50 per cent of the rate of drawback shall be provided, if the exporter achieves an increase of 10 per cent or more in exports during performance year (FY 2017-18), as compared to the base year (FY 2016-17), the notification said.

The Pakistan government has notified the 'Duty Drawback of Taxes Order 2017-18', effective immediately. The announcement is in pursuance of the Prime Minister's Package of Incentives for Exporters approved by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet to provide duty drawback of taxes collected from manufacturing cum exporter units.#

The actual rate of drawback against the remainder 50 per cent shall be determined on the basis of annual performance of the exporter, but in order to improve her/his cash flow, the disbursement shall be allowed on the performance during July-December 2017, subject to submission of a bank guarantee that the exporter will return the excess amount, in case his/her annual exports are less than the amount of drawback paid to him/her, it added.

Further, an additional 2 per cent drawback shall be allowed for exports to non-traditional markets i.e. Africa, Latin America, non-EU European countries, Commonwealth of Independent States and Oceania.

The manufacturing cum exporting units availing the drawback have to be registered with the Textile Division and use Textile Divisions online portal to follow subsequent Circular issued by State Bank of Pakistan. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Shima Seiki Italia S.p.A, an Italian subsidiary of leading Japanese computerised knitting machine manufacturer, in conjunction with its Romanian sales agent, KNIT-TEX ROM, is set to hold a private expo in Arad, Romania, from October 25 to 27, 2017. Shima Seiki is also the pioneer in complete garment manufacturing technology called Wholegarment.On display will be a line-up of Shima Seikis computerised flat knitting machines ranging from conventional shaping machines to the latest Wholegarment knitting machines.

Shima Seiki Italia S.p.A, an Italian subsidiary of leading Japanese computerised knitting machine manufacturer, in conjunction with its Romanian sales agent, KNIT-TEX ROM, is set to hold a private expo in Arad, Romania, from October 25 to 27, 2017. Shima Seiki is also the pioneer in complete garment manufacturing technology called Wholegarment.#

The flagship MACH2XS series Wholegarment knitting machine features Shima Seikis original SlideNeedle on four needlebeds as well as the patented spring-type sinker system. The SWG-N2 series compact Wholegarment knitting machine is a versatile line-up capable of producing a variety of small items and accessories as well as technical textiles.SRY features loop pressers capable of producing unique knit-weave hybrid fabrics. The SSR series features Shima Seiki benchmark technology in a compact, economical package. A wide range of gauges will also be on display, from the ultrafine 18G SIR to the NSES coarse gauge machine in 3G.Demonstrations will be performed on the SDS-ONE APEX3 3D design system that is at the core of Shima Seikis Total Knitting System concept. With comprehensive support of all stages throughout the knit supply chain, APEX3 integrates knit production into one smooth and efficient workflow from planning and design to machine programming, production and even sales promotion. Especially effective is APEX3s capability to improve on the planning process with virtual sampling. Photo-realistic simulation capability minimises the need for sample-making, effectively reducing time, material, and cost from the sampling process. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
HON PM BAINIMARAMA SPEECH AT THE 2017 PRIME MINISTERS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS





The Honourable Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Lands and Mineral Resources;Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps;The Chairman, Board of Directors and CEO of Investment Fiji;Sponsors of the 2017 Prime Ministers International Business Awards;Distinguished Guests;Ladies and Gentlemen.Bula Vinaka and a very good evening to you.What a remarkable last two weeks weve seen in Fiji.For the very first time, our official national Fiji Day celebrations were held in the West in Nadi, where thousands of Fijians came out to commemorate our 47th Anniversary of Independence.Earlier this week, Fiji welcomed hundreds of international delegates to Nadi, where the world saw the largest pre-COP meeting ever, putting us in the best possible position to make COP23 a momentous and historic occasion. And only two nights ago, celebratory fireworks lit up the skies as Fijians came together to celebrate Diwali. The momentum continues this evening at the beautiful Grand Pacific Hotel with the 2017 Prime Ministers International Business Awards.I wasnt able to attend last years events due to my work abroad, so Im glad I have the chance to be with all of you this year at tonights ceremony before I head off to Germany to take up the enormous responsibility of the COP23 Presidency.Ive spoken with many of you in the past, and my Government has worked together with many of the businesses represented here before, so youre all well aware of my firm belief in the value of a thriving business and investment community in Fiji. Contributions from the private sector not only drive a nations economic growth, they also drive societal progress, and Im proud that so many private sector partners in Fiji have been part of my Governments work to build a more prosperous and more caring Fiji.Tonight, we not only acknowledge the contribution of our exporters in nation building, but we also celebrate their success. And tonight, we give special and well-deserved recognition to those exporters who have done wonders in putting Fijian Made products and services in markets around the world.We will honour those businesses that, like Fiji itself, have punched above their weight. We recognise those businesses that have been truly innovative, and that have produced a quality of product or service that has made our nation proud. We will honour those that dared to push the limits and those that have embraced sustainability and inclusivity in their businesses.In fact, the theme for this years awards is Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth, reflecting Fijis push to not only build a vibrant economy, but to build one that raises the bar for responsibility and resilience.My Governments ambition is to create an economy that is not only viable in the medium and long term, but also environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.Coming straight off the heels of our Pre-COP discussions in Nadi, I could not think of a better and more fitting theme for tonight than one of sustainability. During my address on the first day of Pre-COP, I spoke to hundreds of delegates from over 68 countries, telling them how we are working to transform Fijis economy for a more sustainable futurea future that will help Fijians improve their quality of life and adapt to the worsening effects of climate change.I have many exciting developments to report from the past few days. New partnerships and grants are not only going to help Fiji adhere to our principled development strategythey will help us lay the foundation for a truly sustainable future that can inspire other nations around the world to do the same.With the help of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, we will soon bring clean power to many of our remote rural communities that are not part of our national electricity grid.And with blended finance from the Asian Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund and my Government, we will pave the way for a more resilient water and waste management system to serve over 300,000 Fijians in the Suva-Nausori-Lami corridor.Further, by creating our own Green Bond through our Ministry of Economy and the Reserve Bank with the assistance of the World Bank and IFC, Fiji will now be the only emerging economy in the World and only the third sovereign, after France and Poland, to raise such bonds. This will mean that funds raised through these bonds will be specifically utilized only for climate adaptation measures and to build resilience in our economy while reducing our carbon footprint.As a Government, we are also taking ambitious independent action. My Governments Green Growth Framework aspires to guide developments in Fiji to be both inclusive and sustainable. The Fiji 2020 Agriculture Sector Policy Agenda which is part of our National Development Plan, is guiding our vision of creating a sustainable commercial agriculture industry. And our Tourism Development Plan will pave the way for sustainable development in the largest foreign exchange earnertourismwhich, by no coincidence, is fueled by our reputation as a country with pristine environment. Making it even more critical that we protect it.Tonight, I urge all of you to incorporate sustainability into your business plans. It is imperative that we realize the importance of a sustainable and green economy. For the future of Fijis economy and the future of our children, we must strike a balance between development and sustainability.By adopting a sustainable business model, you will not only serve Fiji, and invest in our future, but you will also be helping your businesses to adopt innovation, new technology and be more prepared and resilient in an ever-changing global environment and more extreme climate. And by embracing a commitment to sustainability, you will help to build on the momentum that we are seeing out of our pre-COP. For as more nations, international investors, multi-lateral agencies, multilateral development banks and NGOs see the progress that we are making here in Fiji, the more they will want to become involved in the Fijian success story that we are building together.The importance of exporters in any economy can never be emphasized enough. It is also through your hard work; the Fijian economy continues to thrive. You all have played a crucial role in turning the Fijian economy as one of the best performing economies in the Pacific, fueling eight straight years of economic growth.It is predicted that this growth will continue if we stay on the current path of policy consistency, stability, modernity and inclusive growth.Our economy is robust and vibrant. The unemployment rate sits at 5.5 percent  the lowest its been in 15 years. Our first quarter tourism earnings stood at more than 370 million dollars  an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2016  setting us on a path to transform tourism into a 2.2-billion-dollar industry by 2021. And our foreign reserves currently stand at more than 2.4 billion dollars  the highest its ever been and an amount that is sufficient to cover 5.9 months of imports.Today, I am proud to say that Fijian exporters have risen above all challenges, turned their weaknesses into their strengths, paved their way into new markets, and also contributed to raising our levels of foreign exchange. It is your hard work that also contributes to ordinary Fijians having a better standard of living.Today, we have an economy that is more inclusive, sustainable, diversified, and resilient than ever before. As you strive to succeed, you lift up all of Fiji with you. For that, I thank you.Ladies and Gentlemen, while I am proud of what we have achieved so far, there is no room for complacencya lesson that successful business-people know all too well. We have to work harder and stay focused on the current path to further enhance sustainability, viability and prosperity.Neither the Government nor the private sector can move the nation forward alone. To continue our progress, we need a true Fijian spirit of collaboration. We need to work side by side, sharing ideas and inspiring each other. Together, we will transform Fiji into more than just a shining example for the Pacificwe will become a nation that every global citizen will look to as a champion on critical issues and an example of sustainable development.I wish you all a wonderful evening.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.
HON PM BAINIMARAMA SPEECH ON THE OCCASION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF SHANGRI-LAS FIJIAN RESORT & SPA





The General-Manager of Shangri-La Fijian Resort and Spa;Representative of the Owners of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts;The Management Team of Shangri-Las Fijian Resort and Spa;Invited Guests;Ladies and Gentlemen.Cola Vina and a very good morning to you all.Im delighted to be here this morning at Shangri-Las beautiful Fijian Resort and Spa as we celebrate a half century of excellence in service from one of Fijis most historic and renowned hotels.Id like to begin by acknowledging our traditional landowners and community representatives from the Tikina of Cuvu. Without your vision and your commitment, none of what we celebrate today would be possible, so thank you for being with us this morning.This beautiful property is far more than just a Resort, it is a true piece of Fijian history. I remember as a youngster this resort was simply called The Fijian and since those early days, your resort has not only been a proud fixture of our Tourism Industry, it has been a shining example of what a business can achieve.Your relationship with the Tikina of Cuvu has set a very high standard for every operator in our Tourism Industry as  for decades  your resort has served as a model partnership between a business and a local community. Youve shown how to create a win-win situation that benefits developers, ordinary Fijians and all of Fiji.And, as others have followed your example, youve indirectly helped bring prosperity and development to communities throughout Fiji.In the early years, before we emerged as the world-class tourism destination we are today, your hotel was a bench- mark for setting standards for the service and innovation. Indeed it was an inspiration to many of the properties that emerged in the Tourism Industry in Fiji. Every Fijian appreciates your contribution to building up our Tourism Industry and enhancing our reputation as unique island destination.But youve done more than simply promote Fiji, youve played a big part in helping protect our environment today and for future generations.Your marine education centre is the only one of its kind in Fiji, along with your dedicated community engagement programme under your brands Embrace Care for People and Sanctuary Care for Nature projects. You have my sincere thanks for the work you do to help protect our environment and raise awareness on environmental issues. Indeed such initiatives compliment my Governments efforts on the domestic and international fronts to bring about more awareness and action in protecting our ecosystems, our oceans and tackling climate change.We have been given the privilege as the first island country in the world to have the presidency of the UNFCCC negotiations.So you can be rest assured that when I am in Bonn in a few weeks time as President of COP23, I will be highlighting and bringing to the fore the challenges that we as Fijians, as Pacific Islanders face and what we all as global citizens can do to bring about tangible outcomes for the whole of humanity.As you all know, weve just celebrated Fijis 47th Anniversary of our Independence, so the history of your resort nearly matches the history of our own beloved Fiji. And as Fiji has developed, more so now than ever before, so has your resort. Your recent investment and development is testament to the confidence and belief you hold in Fiji. Your recent investment and development shows your willingness to work with my Government to improve our nations productive capacity and provide more opportunities to Fiji and the Fijians.In the years ahead, I look forward to continue growing Fiji alongside all of our partners in our Tourism Industry, including your resort, as we keep on our steady journey forward, welcoming investment, driving development, growing our economy and bringing greater opportunity into the lives of every Fijian.Looking back on the 50-year history of the Shangri-La Fijian Resort and Spa, you all have every reason to celebrate. You have every reason to be proud of the benchmark youve set for our Tourism Industry, and I am certainly proud of your legacy.Since the Shangri-La has taken up ownership of this Resort, youve grown from 108 rooms to 442, you are now home to five restaurants, a spa, three pools and your most recent addition  which Im sure has been a big hit with your younger guests  Fijis largest inflatable water park.All combined, these facilities make your resort the largest single hotel in Fiji, and Im very glad to be told that you plan to become even larger in the years ahead.Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary. As you look to the next 50 years, I assure you that my Government will continue to support the development of your resort and your partnership with the Fijian people. I wish you all a wonderful celebration.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.
NEW ORLEANS, LA--(Marketwired - October 20, 2017) - Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until December 12, 2017 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE: JILL), if they purchased the Company's shares pursuant to its March 9, 2017 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

What You May Do

If you purchased shares of J.Jill and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit http://ksfcounsel.com/cases/j-jill-inc-nyse-jill/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by December 12, 2017.

About the Lawsuit

J.Jill and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On October 11, 2017, J.Jill disclosed a downgraded guidance for Q3 2017 relating to total company comparable sales and gross margin. However, in its Registration Statement filed in conjunction with its March 9, 2017 IPO, the Company touted its unique business strategy as one that was expected to insulate the Company from adverse industry trends and allow for continued growth in gross profits. On October 12, 2017, following the prior day's disclosures, the Company's shares closed at $4.86 per share -- more than 62% below its IPO price only seven months prior.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include the former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

206 Covington St.

Madisonville, LA 70447
MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of 500th anniversary of the most significant reform of the Catholic Church leading to the Protestant Reformation, an Australian priest excommunicated for supporting women priests, has launched a radical program to reform the Catholic Church.

Father Greg Reynolds, founder of Inclusive Catholics, a liberated fringe group of Catholics disillusioned with, and disenfranchised from, the institutional church, is calling for parishioners across the globe to take greater responsibility for their local church.

His plan is for parishes to establish what he calls a 'House of the Laity' to empower church-going Catholics to take responsibility for the life of their parishes.

"The House of the Laity is a structure whereby Catholics can have an official voice in how their parishes are run; currently, there is none," Fr Reynolds said.

Fr Reynolds has launched a crowd-funding campaign to develop a kit for Catholic laity to establish their own House of the Laity and run their local parish in partnership with the parish priest.

The kit will include a step-by-step guide of how to implement a House of the Laity.

"I believe most priests would welcome the support that this initiative would provide them," Fr Reynolds said.

"Currently, all the responsibility of the governance of a parish falls on the shoulders of the local priest; parishioners can only advise through a parish council."

"With vocations dwindling, and an ageing clergy, this responsibility is becoming more and more onerous. Establishing a House of the Laity will mean that the load is more justly shared and then there can be more genuine co-responsibility between the priest and the laity."

Fr Reynolds is calling on interested Catholics to help fund the development and distribution of the kit worldwide.

"Martin Luther took a very brave step when he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, on 31 October 1517, opposing abuses of the time. However, without that step the church might still be selling indulgences," he said.

"In the wake of the revelations of various inquiries internationally into horrendous clerical abuse, a further serious reform is now urgently required."

To contribute to the crowd-funding campaign to develop and distribute the House of the Laity Kit for Catholics go to: https://www.gofundme.com/help-renew-the-catholic-church

Image:

http://distribution.medianet.com.au/Download/Document?j=887758&s=2&k=525156

Caption: Father Greg Reynolds

Media enquiries:

Sally Gibson

+61 (0)409-197-717
Vaimo, a Stockholm, Sweden-based provider of of omni-channel solutions, received a follow-on investment from transcosmos inc.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Founded in 2008 by CEO David Holender, Vaimo provider of commerce solutions to B2B and B2C merchants, brands and manufacturers. In 9 years, the company has deployed more than 400 websites on the Magento platform, has over 300 employees, in 15 offices in 12 countries worldwide.

transcosmos formed a capital and business alliance with Vaimo in September, 2015, to enable merchants to venture into the e-commerce market in Europe and to enable Vaimo clients to enter Asian markets.

Going forward, transcosmos will further strengthen its partnership with TRANSCOSMOS (UK) LIMITED, its sales/business base in London, U.K., and transcosmos Information Systems Limited (TCIS), the U.K.-based call center/BPO services company that has service offices in the U.K., U.S., Hungary, Romania, Poland and the Philippines, enabling the delivery of its e-commerce services through the integration of Vaimos commerce solutions delivery capabilities and TCISs operational capabilities.

FinSMEs

21/10/2017
Seeking to put an end to the confusion, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday issued a clarification on the linking of Aadhaar to bank accounts, saying that it is a mandatory requirement.

In the notification, the RBI said, "Some news items have appeared in a section of the media quoting a reply to a Right to Information Act application that Aadhaar number linkage with bank accounts is not mandatory."

Various media reports had suggested that the RBI had replied to an RTI query saying that the linking of the 12-digit biometric number with bank account is not mandatory yet."

RBI clarifies that linking Aadhaar to bank accounts is mandatoryhttps://t.co/u2U6I8ZfRZ  ReserveBankOfIndia (@RBI) October 21, 2017

The Reserve Bank clarified: "Linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in the Official Gazette on 1 June, 2017."

The RBI further said that the rules issued by them have statutory force and "banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions."

According to reports, in the RTI application filed by Moneylife India, the RBI had replied: "The Government has issued a Gazette Notification GSR 538(E) dated 1 June 2017 regarding Prevention of Money laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017, inter-alia, making furnishing of Aadhaar (for those individuals who are eligible to be enrolled for Aadhaar) and permanent number (PAN) mandatory for opening a bank account. It may be noted that Reserve Bank has not yet issued instruction in this regard".

The last date to link Aadhaar and bank accounts is 31 December, 2017.

The linking is a process over and above the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms already followed by the banks.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in August had said that 524 million Aadhaar numbers had been linked to 736.2 million bank accounts in India.

Banks accounts in India are already linked to the tax-related Permanent Account Number (PAN), which is mandatory.

The finance minister had outlined a "one billion-one billion-one billion vision" for the country.

"That is one billion unique Aadhaar numbers linked to one billion bank accounts and one billion mobile phones. Once that is done, all of India can become part of the financial and digital mainstream," Jaitley had said.

The RTI query further asked whether RBI had Supreme Court's permission to link Aadhaar with bank accounts. In its reply, RBI said it had not filed any such petition before the Supreme Court.

With inputs from IANS
Only a few weeks ago, Salman Khan was mired in a controversy on the reality show Bigg Boss 11 which he hosts, when one of the evicted contestants Zubair Khan filed a complaint against the Bollywood superstar, accusing him of threatening on the show. Now, a woman named Shabnam Sheikh has filed an FIR against Salman's bodyguard Shera accusing him of a gang rape threat, reports India Today.

According to the report, Shabnam claims that Shera asked her to settle the Zubair Khan case. She further said that Salman's bodyguard threatened her with gang rape if she doesn't settle the case.

The FIR was lodged at the Khar police station and has been filed under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code. The police has already started probing the matter.

Here are images of the FIR:

However, Shera refuted all such allegations and denied knowing or meeting Shabnam.

Zubair Khan was said to be a distant relative of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim. In one of the episodes, Salman lashed at him for his unpleasant behaviour, especially with other room mates. He called Zubair names like "nalle ka don" (don of the gutter) and said that he "will make him a dog", reports India Today.

In a report by India Today, dated 9 October, Zubair had spoken about how Salman allegedly disrespected him on the show.

"I give Salman an open challenge  do what you want to do. I will fight against him till the end. Usse shauk hai logon ki beizzati karne ka. I did not say anything in the Bigg Boss [house] because I didn't want to disrespect him in the front of camera, but he disrespected me. Colors channel has spoiled my image [by saying] that I am some don's relative, I won't name him. I am only a film producer and an undercover reporter. I am part of the journalist fraternity," said Zubair.
Vijays Atlee-directed Mersal had stirred a huge controversy before its release, when it did not get an NOC from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). Finally, at the last minute the AWBI gave the NOC, but the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) took more time and finally issued a censor certificate a few hours before the films release on Diwali day. In recent times, no film in India has been cleared a day before its theatrical release!

Mersal had a gargantuan day one opening worldwide, and is reported to have earned Rs 22.5 crore from Tamil Nadu theatres alone. The Hindu quotes Tiruppur Subramaniam, a leading distributor and exhibitor in Tamil Nadu as saying, Yes, the first day collection of Mersal is somewhere between Rs 22 -24 Crore in Tamil Nadu alone. Clearly it has surpassed the opening of Rajinikanths Kabali and Vijays earlier film Theri.

The critics may not have liked the film as it is said to be a mish-mash of earlier hits like Kamal Haasans Apoorva Sagodharagal. However Atlees packaging and Vijays triple role as father and sons, as well as his charisma have helped it to do extraordinary business, especially in Tier 2 towns and rural areas. One of the highlights of the film is Vijays direct dig at the way the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as 'Digital India' initiatives have been implemented in the country.

One of the characters in the film says that GST in Singapore is just 7 percent and medical treatment is free, while in India it is an all time high  28 percent  and corporate hospitals continue to milk poor patients. The dialogues compare India with Singapore, which also implemented GST, but in a humane manner. The character goes on to say public health in India has failed, and asks if our leaders will be treated in government hospitals when they fall sick. Please note one of the writers of the film is Vijendra Prasad, SS Rajamoulis father and the writer of both installment of Baahubali, who is said to be close to the BJP.

In another scene, hero Vijay and his side kick comedian Vadivelus characters are in Paris when someone tries to rob them. Vadivelu in his inimitable style opens his wallet and tells the thief that its empty, thanks to Digital India.

The punch lines, delivered by a superstar like Vijay in an emotional manner, are being lapped up by film crazy audiences in the state. These scenes have received the most response as the audience cheered and clapped, as GST is a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu. Notably, GST has been opposed by Jayalaithaa when she was alive and was the chief minister, but subsequently after her death, the new AIADMK regime caved in and agreed in toto with the central government. According to political observers, Vijay, who is nursing political ambitions understands that the best medium to reach across to the electorate is cinema. In another scene in the film, he is equated with none other than the legendary actor and politician MGR.

Tamil Nadu BJP president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has demanded the deletion of anti-GST dialogues from Mersal. Tamilsai said, People who saw the film were offended by the incorrect statements on GST and digital payments, which are policy decisions taken by the Union government, after lot of study. Celebrities like Vijay should not be making incorrect statements passing judgement on it. That will lead to people misinterpreting the whole exercise (sic)."

BJPs TN Youth Wing leader SG Suryah posted tweets countering Mersal's claims on GST in Singapore. It seems only the BJP's state leadership in Tamil Nadu is interested in deleting scenes from the film; the national leadership is yet to make an official comment. The ruling AIADMK government in the state is keeping a studious silence, as they do not want to rub Vijay fans the wrong way at a time when local body elections are near. Vijay himself had met chief minister E Palaniswami at his residence and last Sunday, and they seem to have hit it off.

Meanwhile, the latest we hear is that doctors in Tamil Nadu want to boycott the film for its bad portrayal of the medical field especially doctors who are portrayed as main villain and stooping to even murder for making money. The doctors' association will not watch the film in theatres; instead, they will only watch pirated versions!

Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan of the BJP said, The film producer should remove the untruths regarding GST from the film. He has assured me the offending scenes on GST and Digital India will be removed from the film. But there is no official word from Sri Thenandal Films and Murali Ramasamy, the producers of Mersal. Murali himself is very influential; his father, the late Ramanarayanan, was a director, producer and former DMK MLA.

Vijay's father SA Chandrasekhar  veteran director, producer and actor  said in an interview to a Tamil channel, Mersal has been cleared by the CBFC . There are BJP-nominated members who could have protested at that time but why didn't they ask for those dialogues to be removed then? Why does the BJP have a problem now? I'm not talking as Vijay's father but as a person who knows the rules and regulations regarding CBFC. A section within BJP too had raised its voice against demonetisation and GST. So why target Vijay now?

Kamal Haasan, too, came out in support of the film, and asked that the film should not be re-censored.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

The buzz in trade circles is that even if the scenes pointed out by BJP are to be cut, it will take days, as it has to be re-censored. Till then, the controversies will help Mersal to gross between Rs 65 to 70 crores in Tamil Nadu during the five day-long Diwali weekend and make it a mega blockbuster!
Chennai: Actress Disha Patani has replaced Shruti Haasan as the lead in the upcoming Tamil historic drama Sangamitra.

Disha took to Twitter on 21 October to share her excitement about joining the project.

"Really very excited for Sangamitra'. Can't wait to start shooting for this wonderful film," Disha tweeted.

Really very excited for #Sangamitra  Cant wait to start shooting for this wonderful film... https://t.co/bUGDAbmeep  Disha Patani (@DishPatani) October 21, 2017

Earlier, Shruti Haasan walked out of the project stating that she did not receive "a full bound script and a proper date calendar." Producer Hema Rukmani of Thenandal Studios later issued a statement and said, "Shruti Haasan didnt opt out. We decided that we could not work together effectively."

This year, the entire Sangamitra team (along with Haasan) appeared at the Cannes Film Festival and showcased their project. Rukmani had said during the festival, "We've received a lot of queries from [the] Chinese and other distributors. Everyone has shown a lot of interest in the film."

However, according to some reports, soon after Haasan called it quits, the makers had approached Patani. But due to the pre-production of the film, which includes intricate art designing, costumes, and set-up  enough to match the eighth century setting of the story  the makers didn't officially announce it.

Helmed by Sundar C and produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film will also be released in Telugu and Hindi. It will also star Jayam Ravi and Arya, will have music by AR Rahman.

The shooting for Sangamitra starts in December this year.

(With inputs from IANS)
Rajinikanth's 2.0 makers Lyca Productions are in final negotiations to take over the production of Kamal Haasan's Indian 2 directed by ace filmmaker Shankar, who is currently busy with the post-production work of 2.0.

The announcement of Indian 2 was made at the grand finale of Bigg Boss Tamil in September 2017 amidst much fanfare. Kamal Haasan revealed that veteran Telugu producer-distributor Dil Raju would bankroll the film under his home banner Sri Venkateswara Creations.

"Dil Raju has backed out of the project after AM Ratnam, the producer of the 1996 film Indian, demanded a hefty paycheck as royalty. Since the remuneration of Shankar and Kamal Haasan already costs a bomb, Dil Raju was quite apprehensive about shelling out another lavish payment as a royalty fee," informs a source privy to the development.

"Lyca Productions has already initiated talks and is in the final round of discussions to gain control of the project. The movie will be made in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi by Lyca itself," the source adds.

Kamal Haasan teamed up with Lyca Productions for the trilingual comedy-adventure Sabaash Naidu in May 2016 before the project was put on the backburner after Haasan fractured his leg after a fall. Haasan has repeatedly maintained that he will resume shooting Sabaash Naidu.

Lyca Productions is currently gearing up for the grand audio launch of 2.0 in Burj Park, Dubai on 27 October. If Indian 2 materialises, it will be another mega-budget production for Lyca after 2.0, which is touted to be the costliest film ever made in Asia.

The grapevine is abuzz in K'town that ace lensman Ravi Varman, who has earlier worked with Shankar in Anniyan and Kamal Haasan in films such as Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and Dasavatharam, has been signed as the cinematographer for Indian 2.

"I got a line for Indian 2 three years ago. I developed the theme two years ago, and now I've decided to do it finally. I felt that it had to be done now. I had a hunch that Indian 2 will be my next film when I started work on Rajinikanth's 2.0," director Shankar had said during the Bigg Boss Tamil finale.

"We're launching our film on a grand stage. This show is being watched by six-and-a-half crore Tamils living across the globe. I've never had an opportunity to launch any of my films like this. It's surely a never-seen-before occasion," Kamal Haasan had said after announcing the project during the Bigg Boss finale.
I survived a three-kilometre walk in rural Kashmir earlier this week with no worse than a few suspicious glances.

That might seem like no big deal even in a generally troubled place like Kashmir. But it was remarkable. No, it wasnt the lurking threat of a gunbattle or bomb blast that made it remarkable. It was paranoia.

Those who have dealt with paranoia know that it can be more fearsome than a warzone. And so it seems to be becoming in Kashmir right now.

Such is the paranoid atmosphere that, although I was unharmed during that walk, I dont remember feeling such unease on a village lane in broad daylight except in 1990 or in specifically dangerous places. Even in urban areas, one has rarely experienced such unease except during certain funerals or stone-pelting episodes.

A series of 'braid-chopping' incidents have generated this widespread paranoia over the past month. A large number of women (some say more than a hundred) have stated that their hair has been cut, often near or within their own homes.

Some say the culprit was dressed in black. Others say they saw no one. There is even talk of a spray that leaves women semi-conscious for a while.

It has been the most common topic of conversation in Kashmir, and several persons have been attacked on suspicion of being 'braid-choppers'.

Mob vigilantism

Word tends to spread extremely fast in Kashmir, and responses too are often instantaneous. So, little mobs have gathered at many places when someone has raised an alarm about having caught a 'braid-chopper'.

The result: Several persons who turned out to be just passing by have been murderously assaulted. There was an attempt to burn one suspect, and to drown another.

The police has blamed all this on mass hysteria. The imputation appears to be that women  possibly in deep but otherwise repressed depression  are cutting their own hair.

Ironically, this line has been backed by even some of those who have in the past promoted mob mobilisation against the government. But others have mocked the government for being helpless. Many Kashmiris blame the army for the braid-chopping. This theory suggests that the forces are generating a scare so that no one would give shelter to a stranger.

The latter explanation is offered even by some of those who know that the trend of 'braid-chopping' had already occurred in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and in parts of the Jammu division such as Doda, Samba, and Kathua.

Tradition of rumours

Kashmir is not new to rumour-fuelled paranoia. When Jersey cows were first introduced in the 1960s, most people would not touch them because rumour had it that they had been bred with pigs  which are taboo in Islam.

Even during the peak of militancy in the 1990s, there was a wave of rumours about ghosts. Those rumours too were attributed to the forces, based on the presumption that the rumour kept frightened people indoors after dark.

That would seem plausible on the face of it. The current paranoia, however, has had a different effect. It is causing violence against strangers. It has brought to the surface a breakdown of social trust  not to speak of trust in the government, or of general restraint or compassion.

Despite extraordinary turmoil, violence and terror over much of the past three decades, most rural stretches of Kashmir have by and large been able to go about their normal chores during daylight  although, in most areas during the 1990s, some level of panic did set in around sunset, or even a couple of hours before.

The kind of paranoia that has developed over the past few weeks is different. Any stranger is liable to be attacked now. Someone even reported that his own cousin aggressively asked him what he was doing in the area near that cousins house. This would have been unthinkable even during the 1990s, for family, even the very extended family, traditionally meant a great deal in Kashmir.
New Delhi: Environment Pollution Control Authority's decision to ban the use of generator sets has met with a lukewarm response in Delhi. Trade bodies and resident associations suggest that practical changes should be made in the order to absorb its impact on normal life.

The order which bans the use of generator sets in Delhi barring some essential services comes at a time when the National Capital's ambient air quality dipped to the very poor level. The authority issued the order on Tuesday.

The Times of India reported, "Announcing the measures, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) clarified that the ban on diesel generator sets was being implemented only in Delhi, as the rest of the NCR was yet to find suitable alternatives. The ban won't apply to essential services such as hospitals, mobile towers and Metro. However, generators can't be used at weddings, housing societies and malls."

Ashok Agarwal, an advocate in Delhi High Court felt that the order is going to be difficult to implement. He also likened the order with that of the Supreme Court which banned bursting of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on Diwali.

"Only recently, the Supreme Court banned the selling of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. But in the end many firecrackers were burst in Delhi on Diwali. It is difficult to ban with such orders," Agarwal told Firstpost.

He said that the blanket ban on generator sets may result in negative impact on life in Delhi.

"Adequate homework should be done before passing such orders," he said.

The lawyer said that a separate norm regulating emission for generator sets already exists, which makes the ban questionable.

"What would happen to the norms that already exist? Would this ban be effective even on the generator sets which follow those norms? If yes, then what is the point in having such norms?" he asked.

Central Pollution Control Board had set separate emission norms for petrol, kerosene and diesel generators in 2013 through the Gazette of India.

But Ashutosh Dixit, a functionary in United Residents Joint Action, a common platform for resident welfare associations in Delhi said that the ban should be seen only as an emergency measure and not a permanent one.

The EPCA imposed ban will be in force only until 15 March 2018.

"It is very much likely that emergency measures may create problems for some sections of the society. But it is to be remembered that to have a better future we need to sacrifice a bit in our present. We should not expect that a better future would be served to us on a platter," Dixit said.

But he accepted that there are indeed some practical problems which this order is going to cause on the daily lives of the people in Delhi.

"The main problems are to be faced by high-rise residential colonies which use lifts. If power back up such as generator sets are not available with such societies, then lifts may stop mid-way in case of sudden power cut and cause serious problems to the people in them," Dixit said.

He said that solutions for such problems are to be sought for. The housing societies should approach the authorities to discuss such problems.

"There is a technology I know of, which allows lifts to slide down even if suddenly the power supply goes off. The housing societies should be given time to attach such technology in their lifts," Dixit said.

He said that even if such technology is used, the problems to be faced by old and the physically challenged people in moving from one floor to another during load-shedding hours would remain.

"If these problems are sorted out we do not think that this ban would affect housing societies in any other way because we do not suffer long load-shedding periods in Delhi," Dixit said.

Agarwal said that the shopping malls are likely to be the worst sufferers of this order.

"Air supplied through air-conditioners are the only source of air for most of the shopping malls in Delhi. If there is no power back up by generator sets than people inside them may just suffocate," he said.

Kanchan Zutshi, who heads the environment committee of Punjab Haryana and Delhi Chambers of Commerce and Industries welcomes the move to ban generator sets but said that people should be given time to make alternative arrangements.

"I know some shopping malls do not depend on generator sets, but avail uninterrupted power supply from power distribution companies. Affected institutions should come together and seek time from the authority to make such alternative arrangements," Zutshi said.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her son Tejashwi Yadav in connection with its money laundering probe into the railway hotels allotment case dating back to the UPA-I rule, official sources said.

They said while Tejashwi has been summoned on October 24, Rabri has been called on 27 October for questioning in the case.

While Tejashwi, a former Bihar deputy chief minister, had been grilled once by the central agency for more than nine hours, Rabri had skipped the summons at least four times.

The agency is probing members of the Lalu Prasad Yadav's family and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In July, the Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a criminal first information report and conducted multiple searches on the properties of Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is also a former Bihar chief minister, and others.

The CBI FIR alleges that Lalu Prasad Yadav, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister.

Lalu Prasad Yadav was railway minister between 2004 and 2009.

The ED had registered a criminal case against Lalu Prasad Yadav's family members and others under the PMLA, based on the CBI FIR. It had earlier questioned Sarla Gupta and others. The CBI has also recently recorded the statements of Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav in this case.

The ED is investigating the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies in this case, officials have said.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay and Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC managing director PK Goel.

The CBI FIR was registered on 5 July in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as 'quid pro quo'.
Jammu: Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday that the army has to remain prepared to counter any Dokalam-like situation along the Sino-India border.

Rawat, while speaking to reporters at a function here, also said that the mountain strike corps, designated as 17 Corps, was being raised as a "force of deterrence" and the process of its establishment was on schedule.

Asked if the 17 Corps was being established to counter China, Rawat said, "Why should we say it is against whom? It is for deterrence and deterrence is against any threat that may confront the nation."

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the setting up of the 17 Corps in the latter part of 2014. So far, one division comprising nearly 25,000 soldiers has been raised for the corps, which is at present headquartered at Ranchi.

Once the raising of the 72 division is complete, the corps will be based out of Panagarh in West Bengal. Asked if there was any possibility of a Dokalam-like standoff with China in any other part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Rawat said, "We have to remain prepared".

The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Dokalam started on 16 June after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.

Rawat, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function where he presented the President's Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, also said that the security situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving.

"I think the security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now in the Kashmir Valley is possibly highlighting the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he said.

The army chief said that the "ups and downs" in terrorism keep happening. "We will keep eliminating terrorists, and some wayward youth, because of the social media campaign of radicalisation, will come and join," he said, adding that most of them were now operating overground and were surrendering.

Asked about the reopening of terror training camps across the LoC, Rawat said that they were never closed. Militants were stationed in the training camps even then as they are today, he said.

On whether the army will again carry out surgical strikes to dismantle the terror camps across the border, Rawat said, "We have already said that surgical strikes were a method (to deal with terror infrastructure across the border). There are other methods also."

The army chief also said that the enquiries into the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota had been completed and action taken. "Punishments are being awarded to the people who are found guilty. Nobody is spared," he said.

Asked about his reaction to the statement of Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa that his country wants to have peaceful relations with India, Rawat said the military has a task and it will continue to perform the task.

"Any talks or anything that has to be done, will be decided at the political level. If the political hierarchy takes a political call, we will continue to perform and do our tasks that has been entrusted to us," he said.

Talking about whether the militancy graph has gone down after initiatives under the 'Operation Sadhbhavana', Rawat said, "Winning hearts and minds (of people) is part of any counter insurgency strategy and our nation has been following it rightly."

"Success has been achieved through Operation Sadhbhavana which is evident the way you see the goodwill of schools in carrying out competitions. There are any number of people joining and supporting the campaign," he said.

Asked whether the army was planning to close down Army Education Corps (AEC), Rawat said the instructions to close it down had come. However, he also added that, "If we have to close down AEC, it will take time. It is being discussed."

The AEC is a programme run by the army that develops soldiers and officers of all ranks in a variety of disciplines. The centre provides education in both combat and non-combat operations.

Rawat said action was being taken to secure all military establishments and garrisons.
Srinagar: An army porter was on Saturday killed and a girl injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamalkote sector of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.

"There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area," an army official said.

A civilan working as a porter for the army was killed "when the Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, the official said.

The Indian army personnel were giving a "strong and befitting" response to the ceasefire violation, he said.

Meanwhile, sources said a girl was also injured in the Pakistani firing. She was taken to a hospital in Uri town for treatment.

There has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year.

On 12 October, an army jawan and a porter were killed and six others injured when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and shelled forward areas along the LoC in the Poonch district.

Eight civilians, including a two-year-old girl, were injured on 18 October when Pakistani troops shelled civilian hamlets and forward posts along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Earlier this month, a Home Ministry official had said that Pakistani troops targeted Indian territories more than 600 times till 30 September. Eight civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in the firing.

It is the highest number of ceasefire violations in nearly a decade, the official said.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir had come into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday said the houses of MLAs were being attacked with grenades in a bid to create fear among the people but security forces were dealing with the situation bravely.

He was referring to the attacks by terrorists on the houses of People's Democratic Party (PDP) legislators Aijaz Ahmad Mir at Wachi in Shopian district and Mushtaq Ahmad Shah in Tral area of Pulwama district on Thursday and Friday respectively.

"Anti-national elements are trying their best to create a turmoil-like situation. Houses of our MLAs are being attacked with grenades as every attempt is being made to create fear among the people," Singh said on the sidelines of a police function organised on the occasion of 'National Police Day'.

The function was held to to pay homage to the personnel who laid down their lives in the service of the country.

"In this proxy war, terrorists, stone pelters and other such elements are busy and so are the police, government and other security forces (to counter them)," he said.

He said the security forces were dealing with the situation bravely and those involved in such incidents would be dealt with in accordance with law.

He was replying to questions about stone-pelters attacking the house of a Kashmiri Pandit in south Kashmir's Kulgam on the night of Diwali, a video of which went viral on social media.

The deputy chief minister lauded the role of police and other security forces in fighting the proxy war and said they are doing a tremendous service to the nation.

"In the fight against terrorists, cross-border infiltration and shelling, the security forces are tackling the challenges bravely despite the hostile atmosphere. Last

year, turmoil was created with the sole intention to hinder the progress of the state," he said.

He paid homage to the police personnel killed in the line of duty, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayoub Pandit who was lynched to death by a mob at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and Army officer Lt Umar who was abducted and killed by terrorists.

Singh led senior police officers and other ranks in laying wreaths at the police martyrs memorial here and also inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by the police. He handed over gifts among the family members of those killed.

Inspector General of Police, Jammu, SD Singh Jamwal, in his address, appealed to people to work should-to-shoulder with security forces to fulfill the mission of those killed in the line of duty.

He read out names of all the police personnel killed in the past year and said 42 officers and personnel belonged to Jammu and Kashmir.

"We will keep their sacrifice in mind and work with the same zeal and dedication to serve the country," he said.
Srinagar: Eighteen people have been arrested for allegedly assaulting three army personnel accusing them of being braid choppers in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said on Saturday.

"Police have so far arrested 18 accused, including the main conspirators in the case, and recovered cash, ATM cards and mobile phones looted from the Army men," a police spokesman said.

Three Territorial Army men were mercilessly assaulted by a mob on 18 October.

"A police party was rushed to the spot and after strenuous efforts, the injured army men were rescued," the police spokesman said.

During investigation, it surfaced that the men were on their way to the Sheeri market area, the spokesman said.

"They boarded a bus from Kitchama. Qaiser Bilal, a known stone pelter, also boarded the same bus. Bilal hatched a conspiracy to get the army men killed by falsely accusing them of being braid choppers. He raised an alarm near Sheeri Market and got a violent mob attack them," the spokesman added.

He said that certain elements have been using the braid-chopping incidents to disrupt peace and order in the valley, spread animosity between people and the security forces, and create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty forcing women to remain confined to their homes so that the radical religious agenda of these elements are realised.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has finally cracked the whip against vigilante groups and arrested over 50 people involved in instigating mobs against innocent victims who were mistaken as braid choppers in different parts of the Kashmir valley.

The mysterious braid chopping incidents have created massive scare across the valley with close to 200 incidents being reported from different areas. Earlier an almost same number of cases were reported from the Jammu region.

The scare forced people to patrol the streets during nights and nearly every stranger had to face the music for being around, if he was caught in an area, where they could not explain their presence, due to different reasons since last one and a half month.

The police in Sopore town of north Kashmir said on Saturday they have arrested at least 12 people after a 'mentally unsound' person became the target of mob fury, who was mistaken to be a braid chopper. The video went viral on social media sites and the incident was widely loathed by people, who blamed the police for inaction and those who indulged in vigilante-style justice.

The victim, Wasim Ahmad Tantray, who is being treated at Srinagar's SHMS hospital, was beaten and nearly burnt by an angry mob on the suspicious that he was a braid chopper.

Tantray, an orphan, was sleeping in a local mosque in Mazbug village of Sopore when locals apprehended him. Dozens of villagers pounced on him around 3 am and dragged him out from the mosque and started beating him.

"After we identified these man we launched nocturnal raids and arrested 12 people," Sopore SSP Harmeet Singh Mehta told Firstpost. "More arrests are expected. We won't tolerate this nonsense," Mehta said.

Across the length and breadth of Kashmir, a frenzy has taken over the streets. Self-appointed vigilante groups are turning against their own people. As incidences of braid chopping mount, innocent victims are falling prey to this hysteria.

The opposition National Conference staged a protest march against the governments failure to prevent the braid-chopping incidents on Saturday.

Ali Muhammad Sagar, a senior leader of the National Conference, told Firstpost that the state government led by PDP-BJP coalition government has failed to even assure the people that they are safe even inside their homes.

"When you have such strong police force how come there has been no let-up in the cases. Why are people taking law and order into their own hands?" Sagar asked.

Earlier this week two Territorial Army jawans, who were travelling in a bus, were dragged out by people and beaten ruthlessly in Sheeri area of Baramulla district, who accused them of being braid choppers.

When the police started investigating the case they found out a local youth who was travelling in the same bus had instigated people, said SSP Baramulla Imtiyaz Hussain.

Hussain said the police has arrested 45 people involved in incidents of "vigilante justice" and more people are expected to be arrested in coming days.

"There have been 11 cases in Baramulla some victims have claimed that those who cut their braids had a certain kind of spray. We have checked with doctors and laboratories no one is ready to accept this theory most of these cases have taken place inside houses... many of these victims are facing some kind of depression," he said. "There is fear being created by some vested interests to create law and order situation."

The police in the border district of Kupwara said on Saturday they have arrested six youth from Reddi village of Chowkibal area for thrashing a suspected braid chopper, who was identified later as a Territorial Army soldier. Locals had, on 17 October, caught hold of a suspected braid chopper and beat him up after a braid of a girl was chopped.

CPM leader MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said the movement of women, especially of girls, has been restricted and their attendance in educational institutions have been affected since the incidents of braid chopping have starting coming in from different parts of the valley.

The government has "miserably failed" to investigate and demystify the plaguing menace that has disturbed the social order, Tarigami said.

Police have arrested 14 people in Srinagar for allegedly spreading rumours of braid chopping.
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday said he has the support of the people and the Congress party, even after being named as an accused in the 2013 solar panel scam.

"I am surprised why Vijayan decided to go forward like this (order a judicial probe). Now that the special Assembly session has been called on 9 November to table the judicial report, I am least perturbed as there is nothing more in the report than what he (chief minister) announced at his press meet earlier this month," Chandy told IANS.

"Let the report be made public. I have got complete support of my party at all levels," he said in his first interaction with the media after the accusation was made.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had ordered setting up of a judicial commission headed by Justice G Sivarajan with Chandy being named as the prime accused based. Chandy said Vijayan and his party would have to pay a heavy price for "this goof up".

The solar scam made headlines in 2013 with the arrest of Saritha Nair and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan, who had allegedly conned businessmen by claiming high-level connections, including with Chandy, who was then the chief minister.

On 11 October, Vijayan called a press conference and announced the findings of the commission and also the action that the state government had taken by registering criminal, corruption and even sexual harassment charges against Chandy.

"I don't fear the contents of the report as even political party leaders have been unable to provide any sort of evidences," Chandy said.

He said apart from the support by party leaders, he had also been offered legal assistance by them. "I will take up the matter legally, while the political form of protest will be decided by the United Democratic Front (UDF)," Chandy added.

A Special Investigation Team led by Director General of Police Rajesh Diwan had been ordered to be set up to investigate the cases, but even after 10 days, Vijayan has not been able to come out with the government order announcing the probe. It has apparently been sent for a third legal opinion.

The two-time former chief minister, Chandy turns 73 on 31 October. He has been a legislator from Puthupally constituency in Kottayam district since 1970.
Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad is scheduled to be the chief guest at a Congress programme on Saturday to celebrate the birth anniversary of first Bihar chief minister Sri Krishna Singh, making the future political move of the grand alliance partners clear after the JD(U) broke away.

Sri Krishna Singh, also called Sri Babu, a freedom fighter, had served as the first chief minister of the state from 1946 to 1961. The birth anniversary programme of Sri Babu is slated to be a major joint show by the Congress and the RJD.

It makes the future plan of Sonia Gandhi's party in Bihar clear after chief minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) quit the grand alliance in July and aligned with the NDA. "RJD president Lalu Prasad is the chief guest at the birth anniversary function of Sri Krishna Singh at the Samrat Ashok convention centre in Patna," interim president of Bihar Congress Kaukab Kadri told PTI.

Replying to a question, he said, "We have a natural tie- up with Laluji, who is a tall leader of the secular forces." Former union minister Akhilesh Singh, who has switched over to the Congress from the RJD and is a frontrunner for the post of Bihar Congress chief, is scheduled to be the chairman at the programme. Singh, who served as a union minister of state in the UPA-I government, said he had been organising Sri Babu's birth anniversary programmes every year since 2000, when he was a minister in the Rabri Devi government in Bihar, and added that leaders of other political parties were always invited to these events.

RJD state spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari said no programme was scheduled for Sri Babu's birth anniversary at the party office and added that all the party workers would attend the event where Lalu Prasad was scheduled to be the chief guest. Hoardings of the event with photographs of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad have been put up in the city.

L P Sahi (98), veteran freedom fighter and an associate of Sri Babu, Congress general secretary and in-charge of Bihar affairs C P Joshi, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, senior Congress leader Shakil Ahmad Khan are scheduled to attend the event, along with a host of state Congress leaders.

Kadri and Singh said all Congress legislators, including former state party chief Ashok Choudhary, has been invited to take part in the event. Choudhary, however, denied receiving any invitation.

"I have neither received any invitation nor did anybody telephone me in this regard," Choudhary, an MLC, told PTI. His colleague in the state legislative council, Dilip Kumar Chaudhary, too said he had not received any invitation for the Saturday event. The two, along with Tanvir Akhtar and Ramchandra Bharti, of the six Congress MLCs in the state, are moving together and are believed to be inclined towards joining hands with Nitish Kumar.

The four MLCs were present at the centenary celebrations of the Patna University on 14 October, which were attended by prime minister Narendra Modi. On the occasion, Kumar had taken a swipe at Choudhary by wondering whether his presence at the event would cost him his party membership.

The grand alliance broke up when Kumar resigned over a graft charge against the then deputy chief minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav and later joined hands with the BJP to form a new NDA government in the state. After the disintegration of the grand alliance, the state Congress, which has 27 MLAs and six MLCs, has become a divided house with one section headed by Choudhary inclined towards Kumar, while another faction led by Kadri and Singh tilted towards Lalu Prasad.
"That boy did it. They kountered him. When they kounter you, your hands are tied behind you. All your bones are crushed, your sex is a terrible wound. Killed by police in an encounter unknown male age 22..."

So goes Mahasweta Devi's iconic short story, Draupadi, the title of this essay, and our lives. But in India, we call it love. Sex is dirty, tabooed, unspeakable. In Kya Kehna (2000), a film on premarital pregnancy, our hero and his heroine look at each other intensely, pause to hug in a characteristically filmy fashion despite all that time wasted sheepishly sprinting in the lush meadow, lolling and rolling through the grass to portray the experience of foreplay.

A string of pink and blue pullovers slowly takes us to the site of this unspeakable crime  here, we find not the hero and heroine, but two arms, furiously intertwined. After this interesting trope of arm-wrestling, the camera is back on Saif Ali Khan, the hero. He is now naked (or bare-chested, which is as far as imagination is allowed to travel), panting, and curiously dispassionate. The sex ends. By the next scene, Preity Zinta, the heroine, is already pregnant. Was this love?

Such silences and erasures in India are not limited to Pahlaj Nihalani or, for that matter, Bollywood. Sex is unspeakable because it is so shameful. A similar destiny is forced on survivors and victims of sexual harassment and violence. Only worse. In December 2012, Jyoti Singh Pandey, a paramedical student, was raped and assaulted in the capital city and lobbed from a moving bus. She did not survive. Neither did her name, for quickly, Jyoti became Nirbhaya and in a subsequent documentary, India's Daughter.

Were Jyoti to survive, said Sushma Swaraj, presently Minister of External Affairs of India, she would be a zinda-laash, a living corpse. Even if a victim of sexual violence survives biological death, as Jyoti Singh did not, statements like Swaraj's reinforce the pernicious idea that it is still a social death to have been subjected to it. This, in turn, consolidates the dangerous silence on sexual violence and harassment, ensuring that it remains India's most under-reported crime.

But sexual violence and harassment are all around us, as close as reflecting on ourselves. It is a culture embedded in the jokes we make, the memes we find amusing, the films we watch and cherish. Our culture may treat it with a diffident silence or try to neutralise it with humour, but for women, queer individuals, and often, men, harassment and sexual violence are routine realities.

"Pyaar se de rahe hain, rakhlo," says Salman Khan innocently in a memorable scene from Dabangg (2010), "varna thappad maar kar bhi de sakte hain." (Keep this for it is given out of love, or I will have to give it by assaulting you) Rajjo, the female protagonist in the film, retorts by saying, "Thappad se darr nahi lagta sahib, pyaar se lagta hai." (It is not your threat that I am afraid of, but your love) Or, your love is a terrible wound.

Earlier this week, in a campaign initiated by actress Alyssa Milano, women began sharing experiences of sexual harassment and violence with the additive  'me, too'. Milano's tweet read: "If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."

If youve been sexually harassed or assaulted write me too as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n  Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

What was to follow was an almost cathartic torrent of pain, and as one would hope, coping. Slowly, but steadily, social media platforms across the world took the face of this campaign of awareness, as women tweeted and posted vivid narratives of their experiences. The silence was shattered, but this was not done with unthinking humour or indifferent cliche  it was, and remains, an effort of reflection and solidarity.

If it ever needed saying, the 'magnitude' of the problem emerged in its arresting pervasiveness. Sexual violence could never be, as many have tried to assert, annotated to a particular class, caste, or ethnic community  it could not be employed to further political persecution against refugees, as underway in Europe, or in the case of India, lower-caste, working-class migrants to metropolitan cities.

Was this perception the reason that the rape and murder of Surekha Bhotmange, a lower-caste woman, by men of dominant castes in Khairlanji went almost unnoticed? As a society, sexual violence is our collective burden to engage with, and so are our solidarities. Harassment and violence are not isolated, exceptional realities affecting a 'kind' of victim against a 'kind' of perpetrator, but simply the everyday and everywhere in their magnitude.

The perpetrators can be men we are friends with, men we work with or under, men we are intimate with, men we do not know, men we know so well that we trust them with our childhoods. Survivors survive, but they carry the burden of violence in memory that seems impassably perpetual to them. The texture of these voices came to be enhanced by similar narratives from sexual and gender-queer individuals, and eventually, many men. Sexual violence is disproportionately gendered, but if men, too, can be sexually harassed and assaulted, should we be talking about masculinity?

That sexual violence is, above all, about masculine power and dominance against everything diverse and different.

Some of us asked other, more uncomfortable questions. What could solidarity with women in India's most conflict-ridden zones like Kashmir be? Saying 'me, too' did not effortlessly mean that everyone would speak in the same voice, and nor should it imply so. The meaning of solidarity is to come together in shared experience, however incongruent and heterogeneous. This, the #MeToo campaign accomplished without alienating, because it consciously chose to listen and empathise.

The women, queer persons, and men who narrated their diverse yet remarkably shared experiences of sexual harassment and assault did so towards giving people "a sense of the magnitude of the problem". In other words, survivors of sexual violence were appealing to the moral sense and conscience of the public, particularly the men who perpetrate or trivialise that very violence. Predictably, in several quarters, the campaign has come under trenchant attack for doing precisely that. Men have complained that the awareness 'feels like harassment' (as Salman Khan felt "like a raped woman"?), that the campaign is a ploy of the 'ugliest women claiming to have been daily eve-teased and molested', that it is, to put it succinctly, 'male-bashing, fake feminism'.

By themselves, such responses demand engagement. But more important than engagement or appealing to the moral sense of the harasser is to continue the difficult work that the campaign has initiated with incredible ease  building solidarity among survivors of sexual violence, taking comfort from courage and critical lessons from collective pain. Relatively difficult to address, however, have been men sympathetic to the campaign, with whose contradictions the campaign has been comfortable, perhaps too comfortable. Their voices are expressed in apologetic terms and always, always a conscious distancing from that which they are apologising for.

The 'nice, remorseful' man will decry the markedly visible actions of the 'abusive' man, but refuse to acknowledge that he, too, is as invested in the same structures of sexual harassment and assault. No professed distance can wish this complicity away. Here is, therefore, making another disclosure  I have benefitted, and continue to, from my privilege as a gender-conforming man. I was never asked to know the difference between a 'good' and a 'bad' touch because it was never considered to be of any relevance. I have never been asked to dress a certain way, at home or beyond its safety, or to time myself by the sun because darkness can be dangerous in ways worse than death. I can fear for my physical safety, but never sexual harm because no sexual harm is supposed to be too tremendous to dwarf the fullness of my being. I have, more often than often, been treated to complaints of the 'friend zone'. I have often not bothered to engage with them. I have witnessed sexual harassment, and sometimes, I have looked away  whether it was done consciously or otherwise does not make it less unpardonable. In all your experiences of sexual violence is my privilege of not having to say 'me, too', and in that, I have been as culpable. This is responsibility beyond comfortable apology. It is not hollow guilt, but I am guilty. 'Me, too'.
Srinagar: Two persons, including a "mentally challenged" man, were on Friday rescued from a mob which tried to kill them suspecting them of being braid-choppers, in Sopore and Hazratbal areas of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Friday.

The police received information that residents had nabbed an alleged braid-chopper in Fruit Mandi area of Sopore, 52 kilometres from Srinagar, a police spokesman said.

"A police party immediately rushed to the spot and found that a mob was beating a person ruthlessly. The miscreants was trying to set the person ablaze. Some miscreants were trying to run a tractor over him," the spokesman said.

The victim, Wasim Ahmad Tantray, was rescued by the police team, he said, adding that Tantray was "reportedly mentally challenged".

"Tantray was immediately rushed to a hospital in Sopore. As the condition of the injured is stated to be critical, he was referred to a hospital in Srinagar," the spokesman said.

He said the police has registered an FIR and identified the culprits involved in the incident.

Meanwhile in another incident, police rescued a man from a mob in Hazratbal area in Srinagar.

The man had gone to the shrine to offer pre-dawn prayers when he was caught by a group of people on the suspicion that he was a braid-chopper.

"The person tried hard to satisfy the people around him that he is not a braid-chopper, but had merely come to the shrine for prayers," the police said in a statement.

However, they refused to believe him and beat him up. They also tried to drown him in the Dal Lake to force him confess he was a braid-chopper, according to the police.

"The police party in a very professional manner rescued the person from being lynched," the police added.

More than 130 braid-chopping incidents have been reported from parts of Kashmir over the past one month, but no arrest has been made so far in connection with the incidents.

Special investigation teams have been formed to nab the culprits involved in such incidents, which has led to panic among people, especially the women.

The police has announced a reward of Rs six lakh for any information leading to the arrest of braid-choppers.
Mohali: Almost a month after the killing of a senior journalist and his mother, Punjab Police on Saturday released photographs of five suspects who carried out a recce of the victims' house.

The photographs, procured from CCTV camera footage, showed five suspects  of whom three were turbaned  roaming around the house of the victims on the evening of 22 September, police said.

Senior journalist KJ Singh and his bed-ridden 92-year-old mother were found dead at their Phase 3 B2 residence on the afternoon of 23 September.

According to the post-mortem report, 64-year-old Singh had received around 17 stab injuries while his mother was strangulated to death. Police had said Singh's throat was slit.

"We have released photographs of five suspects. They appear to be young," HS Atwal, the Mohali SP and member of the special investigation team set up to probe the case, said on Saturday.

Police investigation has revealed that these suspects were making a video of the journalist's house on the evening of 22 September.

The victims' relatives and other people have already been questioned in connection with the killings. The victims' car which had been missing since the killings was also yet to be traced.
Mumbai: State-run buses were back on roads in Maharashtra after four days as employee unions withdrew their strike which was declared "illegal" by the Bombay High Court late on Friday evening.

The high court had directed the employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), mostly bus drivers and conductors, to end their stir to press for pay hike and resume work immediately.

Citing the high court order, the agitating unions called off their strike and the employees started reporting to work from late Friday night, according to officials.

The MSRTC employees, numbering over one lakh, had been demanding salary in accordance with the 7th Pay Commission recommendations. The Diwali-eve stir had caused hardship to thousands of long-distance passengers planning to travel to their hometowns during the festive season.

"Following the order, the unions of the corporation called off the strike and employees started reporting to their respective depots. However, it will take a few more hours for operations to become normal," said a senior MSRTC official.

Nearly 25 percent of the services were operational by 8 am on Saturday and the rest are expected to hit the roads by by afternoon, he said.

The decision to call off the agitation, which started from 16 October midnight, was taken during a late night meeting of the core committee of the striking unions.

A joint letter issued by various representatives of the bus workers unions said the stir is being called off following the high court order.

The representatives said they were hopeful a committee appointed by the state government, comprising the finance secretary, the transport secretary, the transport commissioner and the MSRTC MD, would address their issues within a time-frame.

In the late evening order, Justice SK Shinde had directed the committee to submit its interim report by 15 November and the final report on 21 December.

The high court was hearing two PILs seeking that the stir be declared illegal.

Nearly 65 lakh people travelled by MSRTC buses every day, the petitions said.
A minor girl was assaulted by a man in Mumbai on 17 October, according to media reports. The bystanders did not come to the help of the girl and merely stood there looking.

#BREAKING - A minor girl was sexually assaulted in Mumbai's Nehru Nagar. Onlookers watched in silence. pic.twitter.com/qIHnwa6st9  News18 (@CNNnews18) October 21, 2017

The incident, in which the girl suffered a fractured nose after repeatedly being hit for asking the accused and his friends not to indulge in loud arguments, was captured on CCTV.

According to a police official, the incident took place near SRA Building in Shramjeevi Nagar, Chembur at 7 pm, when the victim was going to her class with a friend at Adarsh Nagar in Thakkar Bappa Colony in Chembur.

"The accused hit her on the nose with a metal object, after which she collapsed on the ground, with her nose bleeding profusely," he said.

A case was registered under IPC Sections 324 and 506 at the Nehru Nagar Police station. According to CNN-News18, the accused, identified as Imran Shahid Shaikh, was arrested and let out on bail. He was charged with assault because the girl's claim of being molested could not be verified.

Reacting to the worrisome incident, Congress leader Sanjay Jha said, "as someone who lives in Mumbai, this is so unlike the city. It is shocking and disturbing to me. Maybe we are witnessing the changing face of Mumbai. Something is significantly going wrong."

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC condemned the incident and also defended the BJP-led NDA government in Maharashtra.

"We have certain social responsibilities as a bystander. I am not absolving the administration of providing security. It is also a matter of mindset and that needs to change. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured the women of Mumbai that the perpetrators will be caught and brought to justice," the fashion designer-cum-politician said.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Brinda Adige, a Bengaluru-based social activist, suggested that to tackle the problem of bystander apathy, a Karnataka-type "Good Samaritan Act" needs to be passed in the country.

With inputs from PTI
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot "pursue peace" with Pakistan in a way that "cuts his own security", a top Trump administration official has said, asserting that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.

Ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's maiden visit to India and Pakistan next week, the official, with an insight into the administration's policy over South Asia, was responding to questions on what India could do to bring peace and stability in the region, in particular with Pakistan.

"It's clear to everyone that prime minister Modi wants peace in the region, but he can't pursue peace (with Pakistan) in a way that cuts against his own security. So that (having peace talks with Pakistan) is up to his judgement," the official, requesting anonymity, told PTI on Friday.

"We want India and Pakistan to talk. We think that is so important for them to talk and to build confidence and to get on a path to regional security and stability which we know would bring both countries to unprecedented levels of prosperity," he said.

Noting that South Asia and the bridge in central Asia is one of the least economically integrated areas of the world, he said that there is tremendous potential to be unleashed.

"And what we hope is that the dialogue, continued dialogue, continued efforts to generate a higher degree of understanding to convince those in Pakistan, including the

Pakistani Army, that it is really in their interest to build confidence to open commerce and to achieve the kind of peace that would lead to prosperity," the official said.

After a series of setbacks India received from Pakistan, including the one after the Pathankot terror attack, the Indian government has decided not to talk with Pakistan unless it stops supporting terrorists against it, he said.

India's policy now is "talks and terror" cannot go together, as was articulated by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament, which has been repeated several times since then, the official said.

"I think India has to make its own judgement on that. And India will be the best judge. Certainly, President Trump has great respect for Prime Minister Modi and his wisdom, and leadership ability," the official added.
Srinagar: Opposition National Conference on Saturday held a protest rally in Srinagar against the Jammu and Kashmir government's "failure" in nabbing the culprits behind the alleged braid-chopping incidents in the state.

The rally, led by party general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, began its march from the party headquarters at the Nawa-e-Subah complex in Srinagar. It was intercepted by the police and stopped from progressing towards Lal Chowk.

"The government knows who the real culprits are but still continues to maintain silence on this conspiracy. The government has failed miserably to ensure protection of our mothers, sisters and daughters," Sagar said at the rally.

Reminding Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of the situation in Kashmir, Sagar said, "It is not only our party which has taken to the streets all over the Valley, but others have also joined the movement to remind the government of its primary responsibility to protect the lives and dignity of its people."

He said people, irrespective of political affiliations, have spoken out against the government's inability to tackle the spree of alleged braid chopping incidents.

Nothing concrete has been achieved even after nearly 100 incidents of braid chopping, Sagar claimed.

"We have been on the forefront of reminding this government but it seems to be on a mute mode. It is really shocking how Mehbooba Mufti, a mother with two daughters, continues to ignore the pain and agony of our women folk," he said.

The party demanded that the culprits be brought to justice immediately.
New Delhi: In her first foreign visit as defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman will travel to the Philippines on Monday to attend a South Asian defence ministers' meeting which is likely to review the regional security architecture including China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

During her three-day visit, Sitharaman is likely to hold bilateral talks with her counterparts from a number of countries, defence ministry officials said.

The ADMM (ASEAN defence ministers' meeting)-Plus meeting on 23-24 October is expected to deliberate extensively on the situation in Afghanistan and Syria besides China's growing military presence in the disputed the South China Sea.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and it's eight dialogue partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.

The two-day meeting will discuss ways to enhance defence and security cooperation among the member nations to effectively counter various transnational security challenges facing the region.

Sitharaman is likely to assert India's position on the issues at the gathering.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, a number of ASEAN member countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei have counterclaims.

India has been supporting freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The ADMM-Plus is also likely to discuss enhancing maritime cooperation among the member countries, officials said.

The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in 2010. The defence ministers then had agreed on five areas of practical cooperation to pursue under the new mechanism, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations.
Srinagar: A civilian was killed on Saturday in heavy shelling and firing by the Pakistan Army on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said

A porter working for the Indian Army was killed and a girl injured in the shelling and firing in Uri sector which started at 11.30 am.

"The Indian military is retaliated strongly and effectively," police sources said.

On 18 October, four civilians were injured during ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Army on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The injured included three labourers and a woman in the Mankote area, a police officer had said.

Due to heightened tensions between the two Armies on the LoC, no traditional exchange of sweets and greetings took place on Diwali.
Pakistan's new high commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Saturday, ANI reported.

"Broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during the interaction. However, no specific case came under discussion," ANI quoted Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying. Mahmood is also expected to meet NSA Ajit Doval in the coming days, The Times of India reported.

According to media reports, this is the first major diplomatic engagement between India and Pakistan after Mahmood was appointed Islamabad's envoy to India in May 2017, succeeding Abdul Basit.

According to The Times of India, Swaraj raised concerns over cross-border terrorism as well as asked the high commissioner to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

Indian businessman Kulbhushan Jadhav's imprisonment in Pakistan was also raised by Swaraj, reported Geo TV.

According to the report, Swaraj asked Pakistan to drop all charges against the Jadhav and repatriate him to India.

Notwithstanding strain in ties between India and Pakistan over a host of issues, including cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Swaraj has been taking a sympathetic approach in granting medical visas to Pakistani nationals.

With inputs from PTI
By Apoorva Sripathi

How many times have we heard parents, family members, friends and the media proclaim that 'Delhi is unsafe for women'?

Now, Thomson Reuters Foundation's latest poll seems to confirm what we've been telling each other all along  that Delhi is indeed unsafe. The poll, which surveyed 380 experts on women's issues, ranked the national capital as the worst among 19 megacities for sexual violence and harassment of women alongside Sao Paulo.

Which makes this poll based on perceptions and not solid data. The report also makes a reference to the December 2012 rape case, which not only prompted thousands of people to protest demanding gender justice and equality, but is also a journalist-favourite while writing about rape in the country. As Rukmini Shrinivasan, editor of data and innovation for HuffPost India, noted in a piece for The Hindu in 2015, after December 2012, the media began to report every complaint of sexual crime in greater detail. Every day, it seemed to me, a woman was being pulled into a car and raped or sedated and abducted from a busy market. It was a perception that she didnt trust and decided to investigate with data (more on this later).

Let's forget about perceptions and even data for a moment and look at what really makes a woman feel safe or unsafe in a city.

Sometimes it's a feeling, which is where this poll comes into play. Mallika Taneja, a Delhi-based theatre artiste, knows that feeling too well. A couple of years ago, Taneja created a one-woman show called Thoda Dhyan Se, a darkly comic send-up of all the little precautions women are warned to take in 'bad' places. It begins with Taneja either in her underclothes or nude, declaiming, Thoda dhyan se rehena chahiye, aapko pata hai na zamana kharab hai? Jab aapko pata hai zamana kharab hai to thoda dhyan se bas. (You should be a little careful. You do know the world is a bad place, right? When you know the world is a bad place, then you should be a little careful, thats all.)" What does Taneja think of this proverbial bad place for women and how it has scored in these polls?

Taneja says, "Every time my phone is out of juice, I feel so, so, so scared [in Delhi] if Im out late at night. Its not possible for me to relax, because I won't be able to call anybody if I get into trouble. And the probability of getting into trouble is very, very high. All of these things we say about the city are absolutely true; it's not like someone's trying to malign it. Delhi has done enough for all of these things to be said about it. Delhi is unsafe when compared to other Indian cities. The aggression of Delhi is really quite unique."

Here's the thing about perceptions and the feeling of safety  it differs from person to person. Writer Mridula Koshy, who has lived in and written about Delhi for decades, feels safe there. Like Taneja, she says that harassment on the streets and in public spaces is constant, but adds, "Delhi feels quite safe to me because it's a very public city, because every other corner is a gathering place. We have so much of life happening out in the open. Even if you take a walk at night, there are people all around. When you talk about harassment, I don't live in fear in Delhi."

What does the data say about how unsafe Delhi is for women? According to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi reported the highest crime rate (184.3 percent) compared to the national average of 53.9 percent. Even when it comes to sexual offences, Delhi stands first (43.6 percent) followed by Odisha (22.2 percent).

But are numbers to be trusted? Take the Safe Cities Index 2017 (a report from The Economist Intelligence Unit), which placed Delhi at 43 (above Mumbai at 45) and Karachi at 60. Or even NCRB's 2015 report, which puts Jodhpur (13.4 percent) above Delhi (11.6 percent) when it comes to the rate of rape per lakh population.

And what if you live in a place where womens safety perceptions are just as heated as they are about Delhi? Kavita, the digital head at Khabar Lahariya and anchor of The Kavita Show, who travels frequently between Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh) and Delhi for work, says she initially thought women in Delhi were safer than in Bundelkhand but "I've noticed that it's not true. Only last week, an autowala tried to take me to a wrong area in Delhi. I deeply feared for my safety. The statistics are not entirely lying. I feel its a lot more unsafe than the statistics say."

When we talk about rape and sexual harassment, there's always a notion that it's by a stranger lurking in a dark corner on the streets. For many people, Delhi particularly represents this. Actually, in 95 percent of all rape cases, the offender knew the victim. This is according to 2015 NCRB data, which should put the stranger-on-the-street theory to rest.

Koshy unpacks this narrative a little more. "The hatred and fear of working class people definitely contributes to seeing rapists as strangers and contributes to the 'I can't get in an auto or taxi at night because I'm a woman alone' refrain. In fact, lots and lots of my friends and I use autos and taxis at night. I think that we need to bring attention to the understanding that rape or sexual harassment mostly happens within families and within circles of acquaintances. That kind of sensationalised coverage that 'Delhi is the rape capital of the world' definitely intersects with the story of the working class rapists."

In 2014, Rukmini Shrinivasan, did a six-month-long investigation, analysing cases that involved sexual assault in Delhis six district courts in 2013, interviewed judges, police, public prosecutors, the accused and their families, the complainants, and others involved. She writes that this gave rise to a "complex picture of the nature of sexual assault" in Delhi  "a city that has come to be known as Indias 'rape capital'."

Shrinivasan says the citys concentration of media adds to its perceptions and that "it's not ideal but it isn't to be discounted either, because of the sense of how you experience a city." A reason why she started looking at stats was because of all the perceptions and she wanted to know "if this really was how I should feel about the city." Shrinivasan says a lot of it wasn't justified "because media reporting is deeply problematic as it's usually a regurgitation of the FIR" which is "a very contentious document. I did feel that reality didn't actually measure up to my perception."

But perception-based surveys look like they're here to stay, such as this recent survey of 20,597 households across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai by the IDFC Institute, which noted that 87 percent of Delhi households worry if some aren't home by 9 pm. IDFC conducted this survey because there's no data to measure how safe people think their neighbourhoods are.

Here, data is important because it can help shape efforts to allocate funds, to find out the gap in crime occurrences, how much is the difference between incidents and how they're reported But not all crimes are reported, especially those that are sexual. In that sense, data doesn't give us the full picture. For Shrinivasan, the solution then is to look for "better data", such as "good national representative surveys about experienced sexual assault", so "measuring that against reported crimes and comparing it by different cities will give you a good understanding of the level of reporting in different cities." She says, for Delhi, "it's more closely tracked than in other cities and it [Delhi] sees a huge gap between reporting and reported crime."

So, it's difficult to attribute women's perceptions of safety to actual crime rates, and other factors like how accessible public spaces are, acquittal rates, safe spaces in public or even changing social norms. A Gallup data survey in 2011 showed that women feel less safe than men in developed countries and offers this thought thats too long to be on a poster but should be  "gender gaps in perceptions of physical safety point to underlying social issues that economic progress and better policing often fail to adequately address."

Unfortunately, the perception of safety is what inflects womens everyday and lifelong choices.

Kavitha, with characteristic wit, compares the everyday lives of women in backward Bundelkhand to those of women in Delhi. I've seen that women in many pockets of Delhi have the same restrictions to freedom as women in Bundelkhand  like wearing a ghoonghat, constantly having to wear dupattas and having to take permission from the patriarch. Except they call this measures of safety.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
Lucknow: A Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker was shot dead on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, police said.

The incident occurred when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants shot at the 35-year-old, Rajesh Mishra, also a journalist working with the Dainik Jagran Hindi daily, who was sitting at his brother Amitesh's shop in the Karanda area.

Locals and passers-by rushed the two to a nearby hospital where Rajesh was pronounced brought dead.

Amitesh, 30, is said to be in critical condition.

A senior police official said Rajesh was an active RSS member and was also working as a contractor.

So far, no details have emerged in the initial probe but added that they were talking to the family of the deceased.
New Delhi: Congress leader and chairman of the parliamentary panel on external affairs Shashi Tharoor has said the government should increase the number of diplomats and asserted that there was a need for a separate exam for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

"Brazil has 1,200 people in foreign services, if you look at the number when it comes to China they have something like 6,000 people, the US has 20,000 people. I am not saying we can be like the US or even like China. But 800 is far too modest a number and it needs to be increased," Tharoor told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the panel earlier this week.

The committee on external affairs in a report had also expressed "grave concern" over the IFS strength, noting that there were only 770 IFS officers against the sanctioned strength of 912.

The committee was of the view that the size of India's diplomatic corps "is inadequate considering the tasks and challenges before the ministry and nation".

Pitching for lateral entry into the IFS, he said there has been an increase in intake for the foreign service in the last year or so but those people would be ready for

productivity after 10 years of work experience.

"We are saying you need some people now to make up for your efficiency. So we can think about lateral entry and facilitating the entry of NRIs," he said.

Making a case for a separate exam for the service, Tharoor said those golden days are over when the IFS was seen as the elite service and one had to be in the first ten of the UPSC ranks to opt for it.

"But equally, we are getting people into the foreign service, who never wanted to be in the service. The kind of qualities that are needed in a diplomat are very different from others. So there is need for separate exam for it," he said.

For becoming a diplomat one needs to have some interest in world affairs, some flair for languages among other qualities, he said.
Rameswaram: Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Thalaimannar coast in their territorial waters early Saturday, police said.

The police said according to the information received by them, the Lankan naval men arrested the fishermen from Pamban near Rameswaram for poaching in their waters and also seized their boat.

They would be produced before the Mannar judicial magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody, they said.

In another incident, seven fishermen from Tuticorin district, who were allegedly smuggling ration items to Andaman and Nicobar islands were rescued by the Lankan fishermen, after their boat developed a snag and capsized off Jaffna early this morning, the police said.

The fishermen were taken to Jaffna and the officials of the Indian government informed about their detention.

It was not known whether they would be arrested or released by the Sri Lankan authorities, they said.
London: British prime minister Theresa May greeted the Hindu community on the occasion of Diwali, saying the festival is the celebration of the way of life, showing Hindu culture at its very best.

In a message read out at Diwali celebrations organised by leading NRI businessmen Hinduja brothers at their London residence on Friday night, May said, "Diwali gives us all the opportunity to reflect on life, teach respect and honour and to reflect on the events of the past in order to change the future".

"Diwali is the celebration of the way of life, showing Hindu culture at its very best," she said in her message.

The message was read out by Britain's Secretary of State for international development Priti Patel who pointed out that Prime Minister May is in Brussels, "fighting for our national interest in the negotiations on Brexit".

In the message, the prime minister also noted that the Hindu community makes a vital contribution to life here across the UK as well as Europe. "Our culture has been strengthened by the great variety of religious celebrations that now occur throughout the year," she said.

Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson who spoke on the occasion, said, "I have an Indian mother-in-law, whose name is Deep  which means light. And, indeed, Diwali is also an opportunity to celebrate my mother-in-law".

"In this time in our politics when there is ever so slightly too much gloom emanating from some of our media about this country and about our prospects (about Brexit), I think it is all the more valuable that we celebrate this wonderful festival of light chasing away darkness and ushering in a new mood and a new spirit of hope this Diwali," he said.

GP Hinduja, co-chairman of the Hinduja Group said, "Diwali is the festival of lights when you have to forgive and forget everything that has happened in the past, forget the enemies, forget all wrongdoings and start a white and good chapter with everyone".

Baroness Sandip Verma noted that Diwali has now become absolutely a fabric of British society. "Every year our celebrations get bigger and better," Verma said, adding that these celebrations are open for everyone.

India's High Commissioner to the UK YK Sinha also spoke on the occasion.
Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anantkumar Hegde has asked the top officials of the Karnataka government to not include his name in the programme invitations for Tipu Jayanti.

In a letter addressed to the chief secretary of the state and the deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada district, Hegde directed them to not invite him to the "shameful event" to mark the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan on 10 November. Making the request public on Twitter, Hedge said Tipu Sultan was "knwon as (a) brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist".

Conveyed #KarnatakaGovt NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic & mass rapist. pic.twitter.com/CEGjegponl  Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) October 20, 2017

The Times of India reported that Hegde, a five-time MP for Uttara Kannada, has vehemently opposed the state-sponsored celebrations of Tipu Jayanti since its inception in 2015. However, protocol mandates that his name be included in invites for all government events held in the district, the report said.

The letter, dated 14 October 2017 and shared by Hegde on Friday, was penned by Hegdes personal secretary who added, "The instructions may be brought to the notice of all departments in the State celebrating Tipu Jayanti."

In 2016, Hegde had said he condemned state government celebrating Tipu Jayanti "despite stiff opposition" from a section of the people, according to The Hindu. Tipu, he claimed, was "against Kannada language and was anti-Hindu", the report said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned Hegde's letter, saying he should have not written it considering the fact that he is a member of the central government.

As part of govt he shouldn't have written it: Karnataka CM on A.Hegde's letter asking to not include his name in Tipu Jayanti celebration pic.twitter.com/rrsiBDIh8C  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

It is being made into a political issue. There were 4 wars against British & Tipu fought them all: Karnataka CM on Tipu Jayanti celebration pic.twitter.com/omBFJJcUSz  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

This is not the first time Hegde's comments have led to a controversy. In March 2016, the RSS member had sparked a controversy over his reported remarks allegedly linking Islam to terrorism.

"Until we eradicate Islam from the world we will not be able to eliminate terrorism from the world... Islam is a bomb placed to disrupt world peace. As long as there is Islam there will be no peace in the world," News18 had quoted him as saying.

For his inflammatory speech in Sirsi town, Hegde was booked under Section 295 A (intent to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.

In January 2017, Hegde was once in the news for assaulting doctors, after CCTV images of the incident went viral. Hegde was reportedly furious at the staff of the private hospital for not extending proper treatment to his mother. He was booked for causing damage to property in medical facility, and under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Bangalore Mirror reported.

The outspoken politician has previously also faced multiple cases of rioting and inciting violence. In 1993, he was first accused of rioting, unlawful assembly and promoting enmity, when he was alleged to be involved in the Bhatkal riots, The Indian Express reported.
Editor's note: This is the first in a four-part series on translation efforts in India; we begin with a look at some contemporary efforts.

Translation efforts seem to almost always come out of passion, especially in the Indian publishing space. Take the Murty Classical Library, launched in January 2015 which aims to make available the great literary works of India from the past two millennia or the new Indian Novels Collective which felt young readers needed to access the rich literature in Indian languages. The collective is now in the process of translating 100 novels from across India with a special thrust on Hindi.

Very few publishers in India focus on translation with the vigour and discipline that for instance, the Oxford University Press does. The academic press which has been in India for over a century now, recently announced its plans to enter Indian languages with translations of its back titles to Hindi and Bengali. This is an interesting development that yet again makes the case for India as a rich, prime player in the translation game, where books travel into the English speaking world and away from it as well, into Indias various languages. Much the way classics of various languages can enrich English, so too can local languages gain from English.

Kolkata-based Seagull Books is a unique gem, as well as a delightful aberration in the Indian translation story. Seagull, which publishes world literature and sells translation across the globe, is an important player not just in India. It is also the third largest publisher of translated fiction in the United States of America!

On a global scale, another new game-changer is afoot. In October 2015, AmazonCrossing announced a whopping $ 10 million commitment to translating books into English and in the same year emerged as the largest publisher of translations in the USA. Earlier this year, AmazonCrossing opened up its submissions to 13 languages including Hindi and Bengali.

Nurturing of translation talent in India is also a relatively new and interesting space. Sangam House, an international writers' residency, has been at the forefront with various initiatives. For instance, The Simurgh Project on Words Without Borders brings Kashmiri poetry out to the world and it all started with a nine-day workshop in Srinagar and Pahalgam that brought together translators, poets, scholars and writers. In June 2017, Sangam hosted the Yali Translation Workshop where MT Vasudevan Nairs Manju was translated from Malayalam to Tamil by R Shalini with N Sukumaran, Vivek Shanbhags Ghachar Ghochar was translated from Kannada to Hindi by Ajai Kumar Singh with Rahul Soni, from Kannada to Konkani by Ramesh Lad with Damodar Mauzo, poets Lal Ded, Rupa Bhawani, Arnimal and Habba Khatoon were translated from Kashmiri to English by Neerja Mattoo with Arshia Sattar, Rahul Soni and Poorna Swami.

Says Arshia Sattar of Sangam House, It is always important to nurture translators. We always need translations to read from other languages and other cultures, the more we have, the luckier we are. It's also important to nurture a community of translators, so that we can share our trials as well as our triumphs. Our work gets better when we talk to each other about our work, our positions, our techniques, our tricks.

"The project came about like so many other projects  the stars were right. What that means is that people who were interested in the same things got together, we found a generous and committed funder who also cares deeply about sharing literature across languages and we were ready to go. It's about planning and pulling people together and then you need a large dollop of luck  that's where the stars come in, she said.

At the IIT Madras, the Department of Humanities and Social Studies is abuzz as it prepares for an event of great significance that includes three events around the idea of translation. Professor Srilata K and Professor Swarnalatha R elaborate: Mapping the Ahampuram is a set of three events really, all organised around the thematic of womens writing in Tamil. As part of the mornings inaugural, the Tamil writer R Meenakshi will be releasing a book of poems by the writer Sakthi Arulanandam which was published with the help of a grant from IIT Madras. Dr V Padma (Mangai) will then deliver the keynote address.

Following this, the event will feature two panel discussions, one on the important theme of women writing the body. There is a history to this, the duo explains, Not many years ago, some of our participating writers received threats and hate mail for daring to write about their bodies and sexualities. This is perhaps the first time these writers are meeting again after that. The other panel is meant to debate the question of what it means to be a woman writer, the politics of writing as a woman  both topical questions for feminism, especially in our context.

In the afternoon, the organisers have planned a translation workshop where registered participants can (under the guidance of Prof Azhagarasan from the University of Madras) try their hand at translating a set of carefully curated writings by participating writers.

In the evening, there is a screening of the film SheWrite by professors Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar from TISS, Mumbai. This film weaves together the narratives and work of Tamil women poets: Kutti Revathi, Salma, Malathi Maithri, Sukirtharani  all of whom are participating in the event. This event is open to all, as is the mornings session.

Asked if they see a gap even within the academic space as far as the craft of translation is concerned and if they hope to address that wit this event, the say, Certainly, yes, there is a gap. Academia is quite a different sort of beast from anything hands on  be it writing or translation. And yet, of course, it feeds off the work of writers and translators! There is certainly an interest among academics in the question of translation, since so many of the literary texts we read even in English Studies, have travelled into English from other languages. Today, we read Neruda and Marquez as part of the canon almost. We cannot and must not forget that they had other histories and that someone, some gifted translator out there, has made it possible for us to read them! We also see this translation project as an attempt to foreground the significance of those Tamil women writers whose writings are relatively unknown to the Anglophone world. This, we hope, will help the academia to include more regional voices in the 'canon' of Indian writing.

The writer is the founding editor of The Madras Mag
Editor's note: Under the norms of the caste system, Dalits were denied the pen. Before the advent of Dalit literature in India, much of Dalit history was oral in nature. Their lives were not available to them in written form, and even when available, it was a depiction by those who had no experiential connection with Dalits.

It was Dr BR Ambedkar who stressed on literary assertion as a means to struggle against the caste system. Thus began the ceaseless movement of literary assertion by Dalits, who went on to write powerful stories about their lives. It marked a resurrection of their experiential world, which had been appropriated by the pens of Savarnas.

Poems, stories, novels, biographies, autobiographies produced by Dalits established a new body of literature in which, for the first time, the downtrodden took centrestage. People who had been denied what humanity considers the basics, started to transform the lives of others like them, through the written word.

As this movement of literary assertion by Dalits grew stronger, the unseen side of India  the side that is brutal and inhumane  became visible to the world. Maharashtra was at the forefront of this revolution that has, over the last six decades, helped transform the worldview about Dalit lives. Almost all of the writers who shaped the early theoretical discourse of Dalit literature were from Maharashtra and in this series, we revisit the lives and works of 10 distinguished Dalit writers from the state  and their impact on the literary world.

In this third column, we look at the literary legacy of Baburao Bagul.

***

Those who by mistake were born here

Should themselves correct this error

By leaving the country! Or making war!

 Baburao Bagul

It was the winter of 2014 in Nagpur, and I was reading English Literature for my Bachelor's degree. Until then, all the short stories I'd read had been restricted to those of Brahmin and upper caste authors, who wrote in English. Then, Dr Prakash Kharat, a writer of compelling Marathi short stories, introduced me to short stories written by Dalits in Maharashtra. He told me about Baburao Bagul and gave me one of Baguls early short story collections, Jevva Mi Jaat Chorali (When I had Concealed my Caste; 1963). The book was old, the pages yellowed and torn. Dr Kharat told me, "Get a copy made and return the book to me; it's a rare one."

Unlike my previous experiences of reading short stories in English, Bagul's words made me feel unsettled and discomfited  yet there was a sense of belonging in my heart. It's a rare feeling when someone makes you feel uncomfortable, and yet close, to his/her words. Perhaps it is because the writer in them does not live in imagination but in the world of you  brutal and merciless yet hopeful; as a reader, you cannot dig in, but wish to swim across. My first reaction after reading Bagul's stories was: I know these people, I have seen them and I do not want to revisit them, as theirs is a world of suffering. But the greatest insight that Bagul offered me through his stories was the revelation of the source of that brutality, that suffering: the caste system. The greatest strength of his stories was that his protagonists always had an identity, and the ability to rebel. And Bagul's gift to the world of literature  especially Dalit literature  was that he provided the theory to their anger, rage, restlessness, compassion, hope and vision of life, caught amid the inhumane, chaotic circumstances of the caste system .

Bagul was born in Nasik on 17 July 1930, the period during which Babasaheb Ambedkars anti-caste movement was gaining momentum; it was the same year in which Ambedkar led a famous protest in Nasik in front of the Kalaram Temple. In 1963, when Baguls magnum-opus, Jevva Mi Jaat Chorali, was published and fell like a bomb on the Marathi Brahminical literary circle, Shankarrao Kharat, Anna Bhau Sathe and Bandhu Madhav (a pseudonym of a Dalit PSI), were writing short stories about Dalit lives that were widely read. Contrary to their writing styles and narrative approaches, Baguls depiction of people in his stories was harsh, passionate, vigorous, and full of hope to persuade (them to) rebel in life. This was also the time when Brahmin critics of Dalit literature did not give much importance to it.

Bagul's appearance on the literary scene was a breakthrough: not only did he challenge the prejudiced views of Brahmin writers on Dalit literature but he also consequently provided a theory to the narratives of Dalit writers. His second short story collection, Maran Swast Hote Aahe (1969; Death Is Becoming Cheaper) is another seminal work that secured his position as one of the greatest writers in the language of Marathi. The tone of stories in this collection was that of terror as readers were introduced to the harshness of lives around them. It was the world of destitutes, women in brothels, goons, beggars, slum dwellers that Bagul explored, depicted, and captured in his words. Unlike Manto, who came from the 'outside', and lived in (then) Bombay for a while and wrote about the people here, Bagul has shared his life with them, was one of them. This is why you may not like his protagonists, as they are merciless visionaries. But you also cannot ignore them as they introduce you the barbarism of caste in your society. Bagul's characters so powerfully inject the reality of caste society in your heart as you read about them, that you cannot remain silent within.

Toni Morrison brilliantly explained the conscience of a Black writer within her when she said, "My vulnerability would lie in romanticising blackness rather than demonising it; vilifying whiteness rather than reifying it. Bagul seems to us, through his stories, to have achieved this splendour of conscience that Morrison is talking about, in which we  as readers across castes  neither like nor hate his characters (brutish and compassionate at the same time) as they stand in front of us like a mirror in which our caste inheritance is clearly visible to us. It is because his characters do not romanticise casteism but demonise it and then so sharply communicate that demonisation to us that it appears to us as ours. One of the stories from Death Is Becoming Cheaper is Kavitecha Janma (The Birth of Poetry), the remarkable illustration of a Dalit man who wants to pursue a life of the mind but is caught amid material infatuations and family ties. Neither can he avoid them nor does he want to be swayed by them. The story symbolises the entire dilemma of a Dalit youth of that time who wanted to live the life of the mind as they were fully aware of the past and aspired to create a new future for themselves and their generations. In the story, despite being caught amid the horrible domestic situation, the protagonist still aspired to be Kabir.

Baburao Bagul as a man, writer, and poet was a visionary. Not only did he realise the need to get rid of casteist attitudes but he dreamt of discovering that human being who had been lost and mutilated by the caste society. He did that in his stories. Veda Aadhi Tu Hotas (You Were There Before Vedas) was a poem by Bagul that for many people in Maharashtra, scholars and writers alike, is the anthem of human beings, a theory that we need to rediscover the human within us. I saw this poem, framed and placed in many houses, offices in Maharashtra. Such was the greatness and strength of the verses.

Here it is:

You lived before the birth of the Vedas

even before the birth of the Almighty

looking at the frightening material world

pained and anxious

you raised your hands and prayed

those prayers went to make the Vedic verse,

it is you who celebrated the birth of all gods, and

named them happily

oh the mighty humans, you named the sun

and the sun got its identity,

you named the moon

and the moon got its fame

only you gave a name to this world

and it was accepted with honour

oh the creative, the genius humans,

you are the cause

because of you so beautiful, so lively is the world.

Yogesh Maitreya is a poet and translator. He is the founder of Panther's Paw Publication, an anti-caste publishing house. He is pursuing a PhD at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Mumbai: The Congress and the NCP slammed the MNS for forcibly evicting illegal hawkers from a railway bridge and claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is "hand-in-gloves" with the Raj Thackeray-led party.

"The chief minister was well aware of the threats given by Raj Thackeray and given his track record, the chief minister should have ordered the round up of MNS workers

before their given deadline ended.

"But, the CM is hand-in-gloves with the MNS and hence, North Indians are allowed to be tortured," Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters in Mumbai.

He added that the government has failed to enforce the Street Vendors Act, which seeks to protect hawkers.

"Had they enforced it, there would have been a survey done and illegal street vendors would have automatically been evicted by law. However, the chief minister is protecting goondaism," he said.

"The CM should take action against MNS workers or the Congress will hold protests to protect the rights of street vendors," Nirupam added.

Thackeray had on 5 October met railway officials and had submitted a list of issues related to Mumbai locals with a deadline of 15 days.

"If things don't get better, we will see," Thackeray had said.

NCP leader Dhananjay Munde questioned if the "violence" by MNS workers was in connivance with the chief minister.

"What Raj Thackeray's party workers did can be analysed later. The first question is what has the government done after 23 people lost their lives on Elphinstone bridge. Was responsibility fixed on those responsible," the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council questioned.

"The chief minister keeping silent despite a threat by Raj Thackeray and now his men indulging in violence raises a doubt and makes us question if there is connivance between both of them," he added.

A group of activists claiming to be affiliated to the MNS on Saturday drove away more than two dozen illegal hawkers from a railway bridge in Thane.

Around 25 activists descended on the Satis bridge this morning and evicted the hawkers, numbering about two dozens, who were selling their wares there.
Kolkata: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy has received an invitation to attend the birthday party of BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha, fuelling further speculation about his growing proximity to the saffron party. Sinha's birthday party is scheduled to be held in Kolkata on 25 October.

"Every year, apart from the BJP leadership, we also invite the leaders of other political parties to the birthday party of Rahul Sinha. This year, we have invited Mukul Roy also as he is one of the most respected politicians of Bengal. We are hopeful that he will attend the programme," said a BJP leader who is also one of the organisers of the event.

Roy had resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the TMC earlier this month. Last month, he was suspended from the TMC for six years for indulging in "anti-party activities" after he had announced on 25 September that he would quit the party.

Subsequently, Roy had described the BJP as a secular party and said the TMC would not have tasted success without the backing of the saffron outfit at the national level in its initial years
Ahmedabad: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday declared its first list of candidates for eleven Assembly constituencies in Gujarat including Rajkot (West) while stating that it would not contest from the seats where it is weak.

Rajkot (West) is currently represented by chief minister Vijay Rupani. AAP is going to field businessman Rajesh Bhut from the seat.

Delhi minister and AAP's Gujarat election in-charge Gopal Rai told reporters that the names were finalised at a meeting of the party's political affairs committee in Delhi on Friday.

There are a total of 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat. The election schedule is yet to be announced.

The constituency-wise candidates announced by the AAP on Saturday are: Anil Verma (Bapunagar), Ramesh Patel (Unjha), Rajesh Bhut (Rajkot (West)), JJ Mewada (Danilimda), Nimeesha Khunt (Gondal), M D Manajaria (Lathi), Arjun Rathwa (Chhota Udepur), Rajendra Patel (Padra), Hanif Jamadar (Karjan), Rajiv Pandey (Pardi) and Ram Dhaduk (Kamrej).

Of these, nine constituencies are currently represented by BJP MLAs, while Danilimda in Ahmedabad and Chhota Udaipur are with the Congress.

"We will be fighting these elections with a pledge to rid Gujarat of BJP. We had earlier said we will fight against the BJP on select seats. We want to give a direct fight to the ruling party, and we will not contest from any seat where we are weak and where there is possibility of division of votes which may help the BJP," Rai said.

Among AAP's candidates, Manajaria is a retired deputy collector and Mewada is a retired deputy superintendent of police. Verma is an educationist while Rathwa, Patel and Khunt are social activists.

Rai said the party will contest from only those seats which fulfil the criteria decided by its high command. Candidates for more seats would be declared in coming days.

He asserted that AAP's contest is against the BJP and it will not end up helping the ruling party by eating into Congress' votes.

"Congress appears to be more scared of the AAP than the BJP as some of its leaders say that the AAP is here to help the BJP.

"To form the government in Gujarat, a party needs to win 92 seats. AAP has fielded candidates on 11 seats. We have not touched other 171 seats yet. If Congress give us guarantee and publicly pledges that it will defeat the BJP on all these remaining seats, we will limit ourselves to 11 seats," he said.

Rajkot (West) constituency was chosen particularly as the AAP wanted to give fight to the BJP in its "fortress", he said.

Narendra Modi had contested from this seat when he became chief minister for the first time, and so did Rupani after he became chief minister replacing Anandiben Patel.

"A few days ago, some businessmen and traders, who are predominant in this constituency, met us and said they have been badly hit by the GST. Rajesh Bhut is a businessman and will contest against Rupani. On 29 October, we will hold 'Chunauti Sabha' (Challenge Rally) there," the AAP leader said.
Ahmedabad: Hoping to garner support of various communities in Gujarat polls, the state Congress on Saturday invited Patidar quota stir spearhead Hardik Patel, Thakor community leader Alpesh Thakor and dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to join hands with the party to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Apart from these leaders, the Congress also hinted at forging a pre-poll alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP and bringing on board Chhotu Vasava, the lone JD(U) MLA from the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki expressed confidence that the party would easily win over 125 seats, out of total 182, with the "support and blessings" of all these leaders and parties.

"Though the BJP is trying its best to win the polls, it will not succeed in stopping the Congress' victory march to Gandhinagar.

"We respect as well as endorse the cause for which Hardik Patel is fighting. I appeal to Hardik to support the Congress during the polls. We are also ready to give him a ticket if he wants to fight elections in the future," Solanki told reporters.

"Similarly, we also invite Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani to join hands with the Congress. I also invite Chhotu Vasava, who helped us in the Rajya Sabha polls, to support the Congress," he said.

Though the NCP had "betrayed" Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls, the party's doors are still open for them if they also want to overthrow the BJP from Gujarat, he added.

In the Rajya Sabha polls, two NCP MLAs claimed to have voted for BJP candidate Balwantsinh Rajput despite their promise to vote for Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

JD(U)'s lone MLA Vasava, whose party has formed the government in Bihar with the support of BJP, had voted for Ahmed Patel, who eventually won the election.

Vasava had said after the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat in August this year that he had decided to vote for the Congress candidate as he was "unhappy" with the ruling party's works for the poor and tribal population that he represents.

He was elected from Scheduled Tribe-reserved Jhagadia assembly seat in Bharuch district in south Gujarat.

Solanki also claimed that some Aam Admi Party (AAP) leaders from Gujarat were also in contact with his party and may join hands with it ahead of the polls.

Senior AAP leader Kanubhai Kalsariya had met Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit to central Gujarat early in October.

"Just like Kalsariya, many other AAP leaders are in touch with us. They may join the Congress soon," Solanki claimed.

He claimed that his party has emerged as a strong contender in the upcoming polls.

The Congress is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years.
New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state party chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the Congress.

Thakor, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.

Thakor said he and his supporters would formally join the Opposition party at a massive rally in the state capital Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi would fly down especially for the rally.

"It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess," Thakor told reporters.

He added, "Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP."

Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the "dictatorial and inhuman" BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, "I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so."

"However, the Congress would have to first convince how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise," Patel told IANS.

Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, "I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organisations and leaders in the state."

Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal(United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days - Hardik, Alpesh Thakor, and Jignesh Mevani, to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP," Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.

He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. "PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress."

"We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 percent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 percent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution," he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.

Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 percent additional reservations is approved.
Patna: The Congress and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Saturday came together on the 130th birth anniversary of Bihar's first chief minister and freedom fighter Sri Krishna Singh and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prasad was the chief guest at the birth anniversary programme of Singh, which was organised by the Congress.

The BJP and its allies held a separate programme, a little away from the venue of the Congress' event, to recall the contributions Sri Babu, as Singh was known.

The event was attended by Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad and other NDA leaders.

Away from the political programmes, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joined Governor Satya Pal Malik and Assembly Speaker Vijay Chaudhary in garlanding Singh's statue at the secretariat premises.

Making clear the future political move of the grand alliance after Kumar's JD(U) broke away from the coalition, Prasad spoke about his close relations with the Congress and the Congress leaders, in turn, praised him.

"The Congress is an all-India party and we (RJD) are solidly together with each other," Prasad said and urged the Congressmen to avoid fighting among themselves after whoever was elevated to the post of the party's state unit chief.

He also made a scathing attack against the prime minister over demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which he said had created woes for the common man.

The RJD chief alleged that central agencies such as the CBI, ED and Income Tax were after him and his family "on the direction of the BJP". But when the rise in turnover of a company owned by BJP chief Amit Shah's son during the NDA rule came under the scanner, he was not even questioned by these agencies, he added.

Prasad also used the opportunity to hit out at Kumar. "He (Kumar) is finished politically after joining hands with the BJP," he claimed.

The Congress leaders present on the occasion, including former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, former Kerala governor and MP Nikhil Kumar and Akhilesh Singh, in turn, heaped praise on Prasad.

"Laluji has courage. Stopping the chariot of (LK) Advaniji (in October, 1990) was not a small thing," Meira Kumar said.

The host of the programme, former RJD leader Akhilesh Singh, who is now with the Congress, said, "Laluji has always been a well-wisher of (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi and (vice-president) Rahul Gandhi."

Singh, who was a minister in the UPA-I government, is also an aspirant for the Bihar Congress chief's post.

Asked about inviting Prasad as the chief guest at the function, he shot back, "At a Congress event, should we invite the BJP, RSS or Nitish Kumar, instead of a trusted friend like Lalu Prasad?"

The anniversary of Sri Babu served as an opportunity for a major joint show by the Congress and the RJD. It makes the future plan of Sonia Gandhi's party in Bihar clear after Kumar's JD(U) quit the Grand Alliance in July and aligned with the NDA.

Meanwhile, addressing the NDA programme, Sushil Modi launched a blistering attack against the Congress and the RJD.

"The Congress and the RJD, who are celebrating Sri Babu's birth anniversary, are in reality the killers of his dream. Their joint rule at the Centre had led to the closure of his pet project, the Barauni refinery," he alleged.

On the other hand, the NDA government under Narendra Modi had not only rejuvenated the Barauni refinery, but also taken steps for its expansion, the BJP leader claimed.
Andipatti (Tamil Nadu): Tamil Nadu minister KT Rajendra Balaji has said "nobody can shake" the AIADMK as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi "supports the party".

Expressing confidence that Chief Minister K Palaniswamy's camp would get the 'two leaves' symbol, the state dairy minister said, "The symbol will come to EPS camp... there is no doubt about it."

Addressing a party meeting in Andipatti late on Friday night, he said as along as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is with us, nobody can shake our party... nobody can destroy AIADMK...."

He asserted that no one could oppose the ruling AIADMK, including the DMK.

He claimed that 92 percent of general council members supported the Palaniswamy camp.

The Election Commission had on 23 March frozen the name AIADMK and its election symbol after the factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of the RK Nagar bypoll, necessitated by the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Chief Minister Palaniswamy, however, revolted against Sasikala. On 21 August, rival AIADMK factions led by Palaniswamy and Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly seven-month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the deputy chief minister.

Balaji had earlier courted controversy when he alleged that private dairy firms mixed harmful chemicals in milk.
New Delhi: Union minister Smriti Irani today hit back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his comments referring to a court barring a news portal from publishing articles on a company owned by Amit Shah's son, saying a person "out on bail" was "mocking" the courts.

The information and broadcasting minister also said the Congress leader's attempts would not help his party win the Gujarat Assembly polls and wished Rahul Gandhi on the occasion of the Gujarati New Year.

"A person out on bail mocks the courts. Lage raho Bhai Gujarat phir bhi haroge (keep trying brother, still you will lose in Gujarat)?? Saal Mubarak (Best wishes for New Year) (sic)," she said in a tweet, referring to the Congress vice president being on bail in the National Herald case.

Earlier, apparently targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Rahul Gandhi had fired a fresh salvo over the controversy surrounding Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's company.

"Mitron (friends), will not speak about 'Shah-zada', nor will let anyone speak," he had tweeted in Hindi, referring to an interim injunction granted by an Ahmedabad court on a criminal defamation plea filed against news portal 'The Wire' by Jay Shah.

He had also tagged a news report "Ahmedabad court injunction: 'The Wire' barred from writing on Jay Shah"  along with his tweet.

Jay Shah had recently filed a criminal defamation case against The Wire after it published an article claiming that the turnover of a company run by him saw a huge rise after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

An Ahmedabad court had, on Monday, restrained the portal from publishing or broadcasting reports based on the article published by it regarding Jay Shah's firm.

Both the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly questioned Modi's "silence" on the issue.
In recent weeks, Rahul Gandhi has attracted a huge social media audience, especially on Twitter where he has gained more than one million followers in the last three months. His official Twitter account 'OfficeofRG' has seen a rise in retweets as a means to engage social media audience more effectively.

However, according to a Times of India report, automated bots could be the reason behind the mass retweeting of Rahul Gandhi's tweets.

The report cites a 15 October tweet where he retweeted US president Donald Trump's tweet on US-Pakistan relations. In response, Gandhi wrote that "Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug'". It quickly garnered attention and was retweeted several times over with 30,000 retweets currently.

Modi ji quick; looks like President Trump needs another hug pic.twitter.com/B4001yw5rg  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 15, 2017

The alleged bots with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian feature indicate that fake followers were retweeting the Congress vice-president's tweets, according to The Economic Times. A closer inspection of the Twitter accounts showed they had less than 10 followers and retweeted random subjects from around the world, including those of Rahul Gandhi. The timelines were also filled with just retweets and no original tweets.

This information has come to light at a time when reports of the Congress party engaging with big data firm Cambrige Analytica, which ran US president Donald Trump's communications campaign in the 2016 presidential election, have surfaced suggesting the party is already preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to Business Standard, the company reportedly said an Indian Opposition party got in touch with it but declined to reveal the party's identity.

According to Moneycontrol, the company works on a data-driven strategy to target voters on social media, analysing online user behaviour and connecting the dots across different citizen databases.

As the issue of "bots" retweeting Gandhi's tweets gained traction, '#RahulWaveInKazakh' began trending on Twitter. Here are a few reactions:

In their desperation to crown Rahul Gandhi, Congress bought him some love from Russia too! #RahulWaveInKazakh https://t.co/fjhLTjEkI7 pic.twitter.com/g2cER4d4rQ  Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) October 21, 2017

Failing to create RaGa wave in Gujarat, pappu @divyaspandana created fake wave in Kazakh,@OfficeOfRG congrats for bots#RahulWaveInKazakh pic.twitter.com/rkJxcWB61k  Adv. Dhaval Nakhva (@dhaval8456) October 21, 2017

#RahulWaveInKazakh congress needs Russian Indonesian ppl to rt raga pic.twitter.com/A36liSvpx3  ankita Sood (@ankitaSood13) October 21, 2017

A recent Hindustan Times analysis also showed surpassed his rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, in September averaging 2,784 retweets as against 2,506 for Modi and 1,722 for Kejriwal. Meanwhile, the BJP played down Gandhi's rise on Twitter. Party IT cell chief Amit Malviya said the Congress leader's performance should be compared to Union minister Smriti Irani's and not Modi, whose "account has a dignified presence".

Also Read: Proclaiming the rise of Rahul Gandhi based on a few borrowed witty tweets is really amusing, doesn't mean much
tech2 News Staff

Google has celebrated the achievements of the 19th century Indian explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a Doodle to mark what would have been his 187th birthday. He was born in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand in 1830. Disguised as a Tibetan monk, Rawat walked from his home region of Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang. In the 19th century, the British were hungry for cartographic details of Tibet. But Europeans were not welcome everywhere at that time.

About a century and half ago, a young Nain Singh Rawat who hailed from the Kumaon region of what is now in Uttarakhand, set out for a journey that no one had dared before  to survey Tibet.

Rawat was prominent among a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration. He determined the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, mapped the Tsangpo, and described in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

The terrain was tough, resources rudimentary, and yet Rawat, who often travelled in the guise of a Tibetan monk, managed to determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, map the Tsangpo river, and describe in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

"He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2000 steps, and measured those steps using a rosary. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel and mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers," Google said.

A thirst for knowledge, which was also key to fulfilling political goals, and the need for secrecy led to them to create a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration. They were known as Pundits. Rawat was prominent among them. But his journey served more purposes than achieving immediate political goals of the British. His mapping of the eastern course of the Tsangpo helped establish the fact that this big river in Tibet and Assam's Brahmaputra were actually the same.

In 1865-66, Rawat travelled almost 2,000 kilometres from Kathmandu to Lhasa and then to Lake Manasarovar and back to India. His last and greatest journey was from Leh in Ladhak via Lhasa to Tawang in 1873-75. Rawat's contributions did not go completely unrecognised. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him the Patron's Medal in 1877. The Indian government brought out a postage stamp featuring Rawat in 2004.

Google's Doodle on Saturday portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels  solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side. Rawat died of cholera in 1882.

Today's Doodle is not a typical artwork as most Doodles are. Instead, it is a photograph of a papercut silhouette diorama made by Indian papercut artists Hari and Deepti. Readers can check out more of their artwork on their Instagram profile. The Doodle appears only in India.

With inputs from IANS
IANS

Google has launched a new bug bounty programme for security experts where the company will pay $1,000 for finding security flaws in Android apps and then reporting it to Google researchers. "The Google Play Security Reward Programme recognises the contributions of security researchers who invest their time and effort in helping us make apps on Google Play more secure," the tech giant said on its website late on Thursday.

All Google's apps are included and developers of popular Android apps are invited to opt-in to the programme being run in partnership with HackerOne. "Through the programme, we will further improve app security which will benefit developers, Android users and the entire Google Play ecosystem," the company said. For now, the scope is limited to RCE (remote-code-execution) vulnerabilities and corresponding POCs (Proof of concepts) that work on Android 4.4 devices and higher.

"This translates to any RCE vulnerability that allows an attacker to run code of their choosing on a user's device without user knowledge or permission," Google said. This is how it works. Researcher identifies vulnerability within an in-scope app and reports it directly to the app's developer via their current vulnerability disclosure or bug bounty process.

App developer then works with the researcher to resolve the vulnerability. Once the vulnerability has been resolved, the researcher requests a bonus bounty from the Google Play Security. "The programme will evaluate each submission based on the vulnerability criteria. A reward of $1,000 will be rewarded for issues that meet this criteria," Google said. "We are unable to issue rewards to individuals who are on US sanctions lists or who are in countries (Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria)," it added.
tech2 News Staff

Anyone can track the applications used by a person or their location with a modest budget of $1,000. This allows employers or suspicious partners to track and individual for a paltry sum, apart from intelligence agencies. The targeting allowed by modern advertising networks allow malicious individuals to track movements of an individual, as well as find out their interests by tracking which applications they are using. Essentially, those purchasing advertisements can use the purchase nefariously for individual surveillance.

Researchers from the University of Washington (UW) have demonstrated the approach. The lead author of the paper, Paul Vines says, "Anyone from a foreign intelligence agent to a jealous spouse can pretty easily sign up with a large internet advertising company and on a fairly modest budget use these ecosystems to track another individuals behavior."

Someone using this approach first has to get the user's mobile advertising ID, also known as the MAID which is linked to each individual smartphone. The MAID can be obtained by snooping in on the target while they are using an unsecured wi-fi network, or by gaining temporary access to a secured wi-fi router used by the target. This steps de-anonymises the targeting and delivery of the advertising.

After that, the attacker can serve a number of hyperlocal advertisements, which are only served when the target is at a particular location. These ads can be used to track the movements of the target during a commute, or when they are visiting a sensitive location. The targets do not even need to tap on the ads, the researchers were able to track users within 8 meters of their location by just looking into the back end and seeing which ads were being served when and where.

The research was conducted to help the advertising industry formulate steps to improve their security and privacy measures. The paper is to be presented on 30 October at the Association for Computing Machinerys Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society.
Kabul: Suicide bombers struck two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday prayers, a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province, killing 63 people at the end of a particularly deadly week for the troubled nation.

The Afghan president issued a statement condemning both attacks and saying that countrys security forces would step up the fight to eliminate the terrorists who target Afghans of all religions and tribes.

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e-Barchi neighborhood where he detonated his explosives vest, killing 30 and wounding 45, said Major General Alimast Momand at the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bombing in Ghor province struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers and killed 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, the spokesman for the provincial chief of police.

In the Kabul attack, eyewitness Ali Mohammad said the mosque was packed with worshippers, both men and women praying at the height of the Muslim week. The explosion was so strong that it shattered windows on nearby buildings, he said.

Local residents who rushed to the scene to help the victims were overcome with anger and started chanting, Death to Islamic State, which has staged similar attacks on Shiite mosques in recent months.

Abdul Hussain Hussainzada, a Shiite community leader, said they are sure that Afghanistans Islamic State affiliate was behind the attack. Our community is very worried, Hussainzada told The Associated Press.

Dasht-e-Barchi is a sprawling neighborhood in the west of Kabul where the majority of people are ethnic Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims, a minority in Afghanistan, which is a Sunni majority nation.

As attacks targeting Shiites have increased in Kabul, residents of this area have grown increasingly afraid. Most schools have additional armed guards from among the local population.

The so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan has taken responsibility for most of the attacks targeting Shiites, whom the Sunni extremist group considers to be apostates.

Earlier this year, following an attack claimed by Islamic State on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul, the militant group effectively declared war on Afghanistans Shiites, saying they would be the target of future attacks.

Several mosques have been attacked following this warning, killing scores of Shiite worshippers in Kabul and in western Herat province. Residents say attendance at local Shiite mosques in Kabul on Friday has dropped by at least one-third.

Members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan militant group, who are in Afghanistan in the hundreds, have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province  an ancient term for what today includes parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor province took place in the Do Laina district, according to Nizami, the police spokesman. Nizami says the target apparently was a local commander, Abdul Ahed, a former warlord who has sided with the government. Seven of his bodyguards were also killed in the bombing.

In his statement, president Ghani said the days attacks show that the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans.

It has been a brutal week in Afghanistan, with more than 70 killed, mostly policemen and Afghan soldiers but also civilians as militant attacks have surged.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the earlier assaults this week that struck on security installations in the east and west of the country.

Overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, the Taliban killed at least 58 Afghan security forces in attacks that included an assault that nearly wiped out an army camp in southern Kandahar province.

And on Tuesday, the Taliban unleashed a wave of attacks across Afghanistan, targeting police compounds and government facilities with suicide bombers, and killing at least 74 people, officials said.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat a resurgent Taliban since US and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a counterterrorism and support role.
Cairo: At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers have been killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the Friday's incident and said some of the "terrorist" attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Santiago: International experts announced Friday that Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer, but could not conclusively determine if he was assassinated by late dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime.

Neruda, a celebrated poet, politician, diplomat and bohemian, died in 1973 aged 69, just days after Pinochet, then the head of the Chilean army, overthrew Socialist president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup.

The writer, who was also a prominent member of the Chilean Communist party, had been preparing to flee into exile in Mexico to lead the resistance against Pinochet's regime.

He died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

The subsequent death of former president Eduardo Frei at the same clinic, where he had come for a routine operation, reinforced the thesis that Neruda was murdered.

"The (death) certificate does not reflect the real cause of death," Aurelio Luna said at a news conference on behalf of a panel of experts, referring to the official explanation that cancer killed the famed writer.

The group of 16 experts from Canada, Denmark, the US, Spain and Chile, 12 of whom worked in Santiago while the rest worked from abroad, could neither confirm nor rule out the hypothesis that Neruda was murdered.

"We do not have that definitive conclusion, we do not have the determination that there was indeed intervention of third parties," said investigating Judge Mario Carroza, who is handling the case.

The experts discovered bacteria that is already being studied in labs in Canada and Denmark, and could offer more insight into the cause of Neruda's death.

"We are waiting to precisely establish the origin and whether it is bacteria that comes from a laboratory, modified and cultivated for the purpose of use as a biological weapon," Luna said.

Following the exhumation of Neruda's remains in 2013, studies in Chile and abroad discovered Staphylococcus aureus, a highly-infections bacteria that can be lethal, but not conclusive evidence that it was the cause of death.

The investigation began in 2011 after Manuel Araya, Neruda's former driver and personal assistant, claimed that he was given a mysterious injection in his chest just before he died.

"Neruda was assassinated," Araya told AFP in 2013.

His assertion is supported by the Neruda family, which maintains a lawsuit seeking to clarify the circumstances of Neruda's death.

Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years, installed a regime that killed some 3,200 leftist activists and other suspected opponents.

He died in 2006 at age 91 without ever being convicted for the crimes committed by his regime.

Neruda won the Nobel prize in 1971 "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams," in the words of the award committee.

He is remembered especially for his sensual, longing love poems.
Beijing: Experience shows that foreign interference in crises does not work and China supports the Myanmar governments efforts to protect stability, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday, amid ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

More than 500,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled across the border to Bangladesh following a counter-insurgency offensive by Myanmars Army in the wake of militant attacks on security forces.

UN officials have described Myanmars strategy as "ethnic cleansing". US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmars military leadership responsible for its harsh crackdown.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Partys international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that China condenmed the attacks in Rakhine and understands and supports Myanmars efforts to protect peace and stability.

China and Myanmar have a deep, long-standing friendship, and China believes Myanmar can handle its problems on its own, he added.

Asked why Chinas approach to the Rohingya crisis was different from Western nations, Guo said that China's principle was not to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

"Based on experience, you can see recently the consequences when one country interferes in another. We won't do it," he said, without offering any examples of when interventions go wrong.

China does not want instability in Myanmar as it inevitably will be affected as they share a long land border, Guo said.

"We condemn violent and terrorist acts," he added.

Guo's department has been at the forefront of building relations with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who visited China in 2015 at the Communist Partys invitation, rather than the Chinese governments.

Department head Song Tao also visited Myanmar in August and met Suu Kyi.

Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Rohingya insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

The European Union and the United States have been considering targeted sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership.

Punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals are among a range of options that have been discussed, but they are wary of action that could hurt the wider economy or destabilise already tense ties between Suu Kyi and the army.
He, however, asserted the state govt should also respect its limits that it's not their job to run universities.
Beijing: Foreign leaders cant think they can get away with meeting exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama just because they are doing it in a personal capacity, as they still represent their government, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday.

China considers the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, to be a dangerous separatist. The Nobel Peace Prize winning monk says he simply seeks genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

Visits by the Dalai Lama to foreign countries infuriate China, and fewer and fewer national leaders are willing to meet him, fearing the consequences of Chinese anger, though some have tried to placate Beijing by saying they are meeting him in a personal not official capacity.

Zhang Yijiong, who heads the Communist Partys Tibet working group, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that there could be no excuses to meeting the Dalai Lama.

"Although some people say, the Dalai is a religious figure, our government didnt put in an appearance, it was just individual officials, this is incorrect," said Zhang, who is also a vice minister at the United Front Work Department, which has led failed talks with the Dalai Lamas representatives.

"Officials, in their capacity as officials, attending all foreign-related activities represent their governments. So I hope governments around the world speak and act with caution and give full consideration their friendship with China and their respect for Chinas sovereignty," he added.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a "peaceful liberation" and has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun the Dalai Lama, using economic means to punish those who allow him in.

China strongly denies accusations of rights abuses in Tibet, saying its rule has brought prosperity to what was a remote and backward region, and that it fully respects the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

China also insists that Tibet in an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries.

Zhang, who worked in Tibet from 2006-2010 as a deputy Communist Party boss, said that Tibetan Buddhism was a special religion "born in our ancient China".

"Its a Chinese religion. It didnt come in from the outside," he said.
Beijing: Chinas ruling Communist Party continues to hold talks and maintain contact with its North Korean counterpart, a senior official said on Saturday, describing the two countries' friendship as important for regional stability.

While the United States and its allies, and many people in China, believe Beijing should do more to rein in Pyongyang, the acceleration of North Koreas nuclear and missile capabilities has coincided with a near-total breakdown of high-level diplomacy between the two.

China, Pyongyangs sole major ally, has said it will strictly enforce UN Security Council sanctions banning imports of coal, textiles and seafood, while cutting off oil shipments to the North. China accounts for more than 90 percent of world trade with the isolated country.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Partys international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that its exchanges, communication and dialogue with the Norths ruling Workers Party of Korea were continuing.

"China and North Korea are neighbours and the two have a traditional friendly cooperative relationship," Guo said.

Maintaining, developing and consolidating those ties not only accord with both sides interests, they also have "important meaning" for regional peace and stability, he added.

Exchanges between the two parties play an important role in developing overall China-North Korea relations, Guo said.

"Our party and the Workers Party of Korea have traditional friendly exchanges. When and at what level these exchanges happen depend on both sides need and both sides convenience," he added, without elaborating.

Guo did not directly answer a question on when the departments head, Song Tao, last met with any North Koreans.

The department is in charge of the partys relations with foreign political parties, and has traditionally served as a conduit for Chinese diplomacy with North Korea.

The Workers Party of Korea on Wednesday congratulated China on its 19th Communist Party Congress despite the increasingly frayed relationships between the allies as China tightens sanctions over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme.

Though China has been angered by North Koreas repeated nuclear and missile tests and demanded they stop, Beijing also sees the United States and South Korea sharing responsibility for rising tensions with their military drills.

North Korea is likely to be at high on the agenda when US president Donald Trump visits China next month for talks with President Xi Jinping.
Washington: US president Donald Trump is expected to pressure Chinas president when they meet next month in Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea out of a belief that Xi Jinpings consolidation of power should give him more authority to do so.

Trump leaves 3 November on a trip that will take him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. It will be his first tour of Asia since taking power in January and one with a major priority: Preventing the standoff with North Korea from spiralling out of control.

Xi is immersed in a Communist Party Congress expected to culminate in him consolidating his control and potentially retaining power beyond 2022, when the next congress takes place.

Trump believes that Xi should have even more leverage to work on the North Korea problem.

The presidents view is you have even less of an excuse now, said one official. Hes not going to step lightly.

Trump wants to gain some serious cooperation from China to persuade Pyongyang to either change its mind or help deprive it of so much resources that it has no choice but to alter its behavior, the official said.

Trump has heaped praise on Xi in recent weeks in hopes of gaining Chinese cooperation and has held back from major punitive trade measures.

In an interview with Fox Business Networks Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants to keep things very, very low key with Xi until the Chinese leader emerges from the party congress.

I believe hes got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea. Well see what happens. Now with that being said, were prepared for anything. We are so prepared, like you wouldnt believe, Trump said in the interview, to air on Sunday.

Trump has traded bitter insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, using his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September to dismiss Kim as a rocket man on a suicide mission for his repeated nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. He said if threatened, the United States would totally destroy North Korea.

Kim in recent weeks said the United States would face an unimaginable strike from North Korea if provoked.

CIA chief Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that North Korea could be only months away from gaining the ability to hit the United States with nuclear weapons.
Washington: The United States president said during a meeting in Washington on Friday with the UN Secretary-General that that global body had not fulfilled its enormous potential but was beginning to do so.

Donald Trump made his remarks at the White House Oval Office after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The United Nations has this great ... power to bring people together like nothing else. It hasn't been used. You are starting to really get your arms around it," Trump told Guterres, Efe reported.

"And I have a feeling that things are going to happen with the United Nations like you haven't seen before."

Guterres, for his part, said a modernised UN and a strong US engaged based on its traditional values - freedom, democracy and human rights - were essential in a "messy world."

Trump and Guterres hosted a high-level gathering during the UN General Assembly in September that was focused on reforming that 193-member body, a task that is a priority for the White House.

At that time, the US president praised initiatives being spurred by Guterres to help ensure a more efficient UN operation.

Prior to his 20 January inauguration, then President-elect Trump lamented on Twitter that despite the UN's tremendous untapped potential it was currently just a "club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."

Last week, the Trump administration said it was pulling the US out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, accusing that specialized UN agency of showing an "anti-Israel bias" and also citing the need for "fundamental reform" and "mounting arrears" at that world-heritage organization.

Guterres, who recalled the important role the US had played since UNESCO's founding, said then that the decision was deeply regrettable.
Tokyo: Japan's leader may have made the right call after all, if not for his country than for himself. Media polls indicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition will handily win a general election on Sunday, possibly even retaining its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house of Parliament.

Japanese voters may not love Abe, but they appear to want to stick with what they know, rather than hand the reins to an opposition with little or no track record. Uncertainly over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear arsenal may be heightening that underlying conservatism.

"I buy into Abe's ability to handle diplomacy," said Naomi Mochida, a 51-year-old woman listening to Abe campaign earlier this week in Saitama prefecture, outside of Tokyo.

"I think the most serious threat we face now is the North Korea situation. I feel Prime Minister Abe has been showing the best tactics to handle the situation, compared to other politicians including past prime ministers."

Abe dissolved the lower house a little more than three weeks ago on the day it convened for a special session, forcing the snap election. The timing seemed ripe for his ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting.

Support for Abe's Cabinet, the standard measure of a government's popularity in Japan, had bounced back from summertime lows. The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray than usual after its leader had resigned. Holding off would only give a potential rival, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, more time to organise a challenge.

The election is "mainly about the Abe administration trying to lock in its position ... and with success, get Prime Minister Abe re-elected as president of the LDP in September and rule until after the Tokyo Olympics, until 2021," Michael Green, a Japan expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, said on a call with journalists.

Koike, her hand forced by Abe's decision, hastily launched a new party to contest the election. Her Party of Hope briefly stole the limelight from Abe, attracting a slew of defectors from the Democrats. Its populist platform includes phasing out nuclear power by 2030, and putting on hold an increase in the consumption tax due in 2019.

But Abe's gambit appears to be paying off. The initial excitement for the Party of Hope has waned. Koike, the party leader, decided not to run for the 465-seat lower house and won't even be in Japan on election day. She is heading to Paris for a global conference of mayors that will discuss issues such as climate change.

The Democratic Party has imploded. Its more liberal members have launched yet another grouping, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which is now outpolling the Party of Hope.
Mogadishu: Somalia's deadliest ever attack, a truck bomb in the capital Mogadishu, has now killed 358 people with 228 more injured, the government said late on Friday, a major jump in the fatality toll.

A truck packed with explosives blew up in Hodan on 14 October, destroying some 20 buildings in the bustling commercial district, leaving scores of victims burned beyond recognition.

Several experts told AFP the truck was probably carrying at least 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of explosives.

"The latest number of casualties 642 (358 dead, 228 injured, 56 missing). 122 injured ppl flown to Turkey, Sudan & Kenya," Somali minister of information Abdirahman Osman tweeted.

The figures mark a sharp increase in the toll, which earlier this week was put at 276 dead and 300 wounded.

The attack has overwhelmed Somalia's fragile health system, and allies from the US, Qatar, Turkey and Kenya have sent planeloads of medical supplies as well as doctors, with all except the US also evacuating some of the wounded.

Death tolls are notoriously difficult to establish in Mogadishu, with families often quickly taking victims away to be buried.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility, but Al-Shabaab, a militant group aligned with Al-Qaeda, carries out regular suicide bombings in Mogadishu in its bid to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed government.

The group has a history of not claiming attacks whose scale provokes massive public outrage.

Already more than 100 unidentified people have been buried who were burned beyond recognition.

While the rapid burial is partly due to Islamic culture, the Somali government also has no proper morgue nor the capability to carry out forensic tests to identify the victims.

Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed vowed on Wednesday to step up the war against Al-Shabaab, saying that the attack showed "that we have not done enough to stop Shabaab."

"If we don't respond to this now, the time will surely come when pieces of flesh from all of us are being picked up off the ground. We need to stand up together and fight Al-Shabaab who continue massacring our people," he said.

However it was unclear what Farmajo  who came into office eight months ago also vowing to eliminate Al-Shabaab  planned to do to stop the militants from carrying out such attacks.

The previous most deadly attack in Somalia killed 82 people and injured 120 in October 2011.
Berlin: Four people were lightly injured Saturday morning in the southern German city of Munich by a man wielding a knife who fled the scene, said police, adding possible motives were unknown.

The man attacked passersby in five places near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT, inflicting "light" injuries on four people, a police spokesman told AFP.

We are searching for the offender with all police officers available. Until now we know nothing about the motivation. #Rosenheimerplatz  Polizei Munchen (@PolizeiMuenchen) October 21, 2017

The perpetrator of the attack "is still on the run", the local police said on their Twitter account, where they also called on residents to stay inside.

It added, "no life-threatening injuries" were suffered by the victims.

Local police described the perpetrator of the attack as a man in his forties, wearing grey pants and a running jacket, who fled on a black bicycle. He was also carrying a backpack and a camping bedroll.

"We are searching for the perpetrator of the attack with all available police" Munich police said on their Twitter account, adding that for the moment the possible motives for the attack remained unknown.

In July 2016, a German-Iranian teenager who police say was obsessed with mass murderers, shot dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself.
Geneva: Shock and condemnation continued on Saturday after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was named a "goodwill ambassador" for the World Health Organization by the agency's first African leader.

The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy falls apart. Mugabe also faces United States sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

"The decision to appoint Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador is deeply disappointing and wrong," said Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, a major British charitable foundation. "Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for."

Ireland's health minister, Simon Harris, called the appointment "offensive, bizarre." ''Not the Onion," tweeted the head of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, in a reference to the satirical news site.

With Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia announced the appointment at a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases.

Tedros, who became WHO's first African director-general in 2017, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" on the issue. He described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies." A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press.

Two dozen organizations  including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research UK  released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the conference, to no avail. UN agencies typically choose celebrities as ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they hold little actual power.

Zimbabwe's government has not commented, but the state-run Zimbabwe Herald newspaper called the appointment a "new feather in president's cap."

The southern African nation once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwe's health system, saying Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. Mugabe's policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

The 93-year-old Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has come under criticism at home for his frequent overseas travels that have cost impoverished Zimbabwe millions of dollars. His repeated visits to Singapore have heightened concerns over his health, even as he pursues re-election in 2018.

The US in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.
United Nations: Nearly 5,90,00 Rohingya refugees have been admitted to camps in Bangladesh and 3,20,00 refugee children among them are threatened by water-borne diseases and desperate living conditions, a UN spokesman said Friday.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 5,89,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since alleged retaliation following a deadly rebel militia attack on 23 August against police posts, said Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman.

Just over half of the new arrivals in Bangladesh are staying in Kutupalong Expansion, he said. It was described as a single large site where aid partners are working with authorities to improve road access, infrastructure and basic services.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said nearly 7,000 of the refugees had been admitted to Bangladesh after spending up to four days stranded near the border. "Thousands more are believed to be on their way from Myanmar."

The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are taken by bus from the border to a transit center, where the UNHCR and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter, Haq said.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said that desperate living conditions and water-borne diseases are threatening more than 3,20,000 Rohingya refugee children, he said.

A new report by the agency said most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and unsanitary makeshift settlements.

Despite an expanding international aid effort led by the government of Bangladesh, the report said that the essential needs of many children are not being met, the spokesman said. "UNICEF is also calling for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Rakhine State, as well as for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access."

A pledging conference for donors next Monday in Geneva was announced earlier this week. Officials said they hope to raise $434 million to aid Rohingya refugees and their hosts, some 11.2 million people in all. So far it is only 26 percent funded.
Washington: A bipartisan group of 21 American Senators have called for sanctions against Myanmar and suspension of military aid in the wake of more than 500,000 Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh due to alleged human rights violations by the security forces.

In a letter to Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Senators called on Myanmar government to immediately end its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingyas, permit safe access to Myanmar for journalists, humanitarians, and United Nations fact-finding mission personnel; and work to address the root of this conflict by affirming support for the report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.

The bipartisan letter by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was signed by 21 senators. The letter calls for "tangible actions against the Myanmarese government to end the violence, help the Myanmarese people, and make clear that there will be consequences for those who commit such atrocities against civilians."

The signatories of the letter include senators Todd Young, Jeff Merkley, Susan Collins, Ben Cardin, Thom Tillis, Patty Murray, Marco Rubio.

The senators believe that the Myanmarese government will not take the steps without significant international pressure.

They have urged Haley to work to suspend all international military weapons transfers to the Myanmar's military and to impose strong multilateral sanctions against specific senior military officials associated with the gross human rights abuses.

"We also ask that you request the United Nations to launch an investigation to document human rights abuses that will facilitate holding perpetrators in the Myanmarese government and its security forces accountable," the letter said.

"To accomplish these objectives, we encourage you and Secretary General Antonio Guterres to travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh to bring attention to this crisis. We also ask you to push for a strong United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," it said.

Early this week, a bipartisan group of as many as 41 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling on the United States to take significant actions to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

In the letter, lawmakers asked the US take further diplomatic steps to bring the persecution of the Rohingya people to an end by declining to grant any visas to members of Myanmar's security services until humanitarian access is granted to those displaced in Myanmar.

They also urged the Secretary of State to utilise existing sanctions laws with respect to those engaged in human rights abuses, and encouraging countries to suspend arms sales to Myanmar.

The letter also urges the Trump administration to support the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State that carried out a year-long study into conflict in the area.

"We ask that you take meaningful steps with respect to the Myanmarese military and other entities engaged in abuses," the lawmakers said.

"At a minimum, we trust that you will suspend all waivers of visa ineligibility pursuant to the Block Burmese Jade Act until the military allows unfettered humanitarian access to internally displaced persons in northern Rakhine State," they said.
Damascus: Syrian troops and militia retook the desert town of Al Qaryatain from the Islamic State group on Satuday ending a three-week-long fightback by the jihadists, state media said.

It was the latest in a string of reverses for Islamic State in Syria in October that on Tuesday saw US-backed forces capture its emblematic bastion Raqa.

The jihadists had seized Al Qaryatain on 1 October in a surprise counteroffensive against the Homs province town which they had lost to Russian-backed government forces in April 2016.

"Units of the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with allied forces have restored security and stability in the town of Al-Qaryatain after eliminating the Daesh terrorists," the state SANA news agency reported, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said that more than 200 jihadists had pulled out of the town during the night, withdrawing into the vast desert that stretches all the way to the Iraqi border.

There was no immediate word on the fate of the town's residents during Islamic State's three-week reoccupation.

Al-Qaryatain was a symbol of religious coexistence before the civil war broke out in 2011, with some 900 Christians among its population of 30,000.

But during their first eight-month-long occupation of the town in 2015-16, the Sunni Muslim extremists of IS repeatedly targeted its Christian minority.

IS abducted 270 Christians, transporting them around 90 kilometres into the desert and locking them up in an underground dungeon. They were freed 25 days later.

The jihadists also destroyed parts of a monastery in the town and reduced a fifth-century mud brick church to rubble using explosives and bulldozers.

Government forces are engaged in twin Russian-backed offensives against IS, mopping up the last pockets it still holds in the desert and pushing down the Euphrates Valley towards the Iraqi border in the east.
Washington: The US has said it would continue to work with Russia on issues that serve its national security interest, expressing hope that the two countries would team up to confront the Syrian crisis and the North Korean aggression among others.

Maintaining that Russian interference would not be tolerated, the White House said on Friday the onus lies with Russia as to what type of relationship they want with the US.

"A lot of that depends on Russia, and what type of relationship they want to have, and whether or not they want to be a good actor or a bad actor," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.

"We are going to continue trying to work with them on certain things that are very important, particularly for national security. On things like Syria, North Korea, the US would like to be able to work with them to confront some of those threats."

"Some of that will be determined by the actions that Russia takes and how they want to be perceived," she said in response to a question on remarks made by former US president George W Bush in New York this week.

In his speech, Bush was critical of President Donald Trump but refrained from naming him.

"The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other... Russian interference will not be successful; foreign aggression, including cyber attacks, disinformation and financial influence, should never be downplayed or tolerated," Bush said.

Sanders said the Trump administration agrees that Russian interference should not be tolerated.

"Do we agree that Russian interference shouldn't be tolerated? Absolutely. And we've said that many times before, and certainly would argue that has been repeated at least a dozen times from this podium," she said.
With Netflix shares at record levels and a multibillion-dollar plan to expand its original content platform already in place, the streaming giant stood its ground on Friday despite actor Sean Penns warning that the release of a new documentary about notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo could endanger his life.

Netflix released The Day I Met El Chapo as scheduled Friday, despite the assertion by Penns lawyer that blood will be on their hands if this film causes bodily harm. The Oscar-winning actors representatives argued the documentary, which centers on the October 2015 meeting between Penn, Joaquin Guzman Loera and actress Kate del Castillo, could place his life in jeopardy because it implies he worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to facilitate El Chapos arrest, according to multiple reports.

Netflix is standing behind its El Chapo docuseries at a time when executives are touting a plan to pour even more resources into original content offerings. The California-based company spent about $6 billion on content in 2017 and said it will spend as much as $8 billion in fiscal 2018.

The series launched today so it is already available on the platform. We do not share any numbers on costs, a Netflix representative said in a statement.

The streaming giant declined FOX Business request for details on production costs for the documentary, which consists of three episodes. However, a prominent documentary filmmaker, who spoke to FOX Business on condition of anonymity, estimated that the docuseries likely had a budget in the low to mid seven-figure range.

While Netflixs dispute with Penn played out in the media, the companys stock price hit its highest-ever level, rising as high as $202 before settling at $194.16 as of market close Friday. Shares boomed after executives detailed price hikes for new and existing subscribers.

Penn was given the opportunity on multiple occasions to participate in The Day I Met El Chapo and did not do so. The events surrounding the now-infamous meeting have been well covered, including by Penn himself in Rolling Stone and his many public comments since. The only new ground were breaking with this series is to give Kate a chance to finally tell her side of this stranger-than-fiction story.

Del Castillo helped broker the initial meeting between Penn and El Chapo, which took place just days before the drug lords arrest. Penn documented their meeting in a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone, which was published hours after El Chapos capture.

It is reprehensible that, in their ongoing, relentless efforts to gain additional attention and publicity, Ms del Castillo and her team (who have zero firsthand knowledge) have sought to create this profoundly false, foolish and reckless narrative, a Penn spokesman told the New York Times. The notion that Mr Penn or anyone on his behalf alerted DoJ to the trip is a complete fabrication and baldfaced lie. It never happened, nor would there have been any reason for it to have happened.

Aside from The Day I Met El Chapo, Netflix has produced several documentaries, including the Chefs Table and Last Chance U series. Original series like House of Cards and Stranger Things have earned critical acclaim and helped to drive growth in the companys subscriber base, which rose to nearly 110 million globally as of September.
If you've hit one of the major milestones on the way to retirement, age 50, it's time to hunker down and take a good look at savings habits.

The result of a lifetime of money habits will soon make itself abundantly clear. If you set a retirement savings target but have been neglecting it, you need to dust it off for a careful review. aYou should be looking at your plan periodically, at least every three years,a says Dick Bellmer, past president of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.

Once youave reacquainted yourself with the financial destination you want to reach, take these steps in your remaining pre-retirement years to make sure you get there.

1. Set realistic goals

First item for consideration: Your savings and investments thus far. Hopefully, youave been stashing funds away consistently, making maximum contributions to things like 401(k) plans and IRAs, as well as other accounts.

How much is enough? That depends on your lifestyle and expenses, potential medical bills and the kind of support youall have from, say, a pension plan and Social Security. But, as you review your savings goals, be careful not to set the bar too low. According to Fidelity Investments, investing professionals recommend that you reach retirement with savings of at least 10 times your last full yearas worth of income from work. But nearly three-quarters of Americans underestimate that need, a Fidelity survey found.

aPeople typically donat downsize,a says Harold Evensky, CFP professional in Coral Gables, Florida. aItas not uncommon for them to spend more in retirement than less.a

2. Call in the experts

It may be a good idea to seek a little professional guidance to ensure youare setting realistic goals. When the Employee Benefits Research Institute asked people in a survey what was the most helpful thing they did to save, most said it was hiring a financial adviser.

Ray Ringston, 79, says hiring his financial adviser was one of the best moves heas made. aIave never been interested in the money game,a says Ringston, who calls the prospect of managing investments aboring.a

Instead, Ringston hired an independent investment adviser to do the job. aHeas done exceptionally well, and I believe heas trustworthy. If I had to do it over again, I would have tried to find someone in my 40s.a

3. Take advantage of catch-up contributions

One of the first things a pro will encourage you to do is to keep saving. If youare still working and over 50, there are ways to catch up. You can begin putting more money into tax-sheltered retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs. In 2017, individuals age 50 or older can save up to $24,000 in a 401(k) and up to $6,500 in an IRA.

Take advantage of these opportunities. aItas not hopeless!a says Dee Lee, CFP professional and author of aWomen & Money.a

To illustrate, Lee describes a couple who decide they need to do some belt-tightening. If each contributes $10,000 a year to a 401(k) plan, theyall have about $90,000 each after seven years, assuming the money grows by 7 percent a year.

Now for the caveat: In order to earn that 7 percent, youave got to be willing to take on some risk. Historically, stocks have earned just over 10 percent a year, while bonds have clipped along at roughly 5 percent. If youare unwilling to invest in stocks, you may well wind up short of your goals.

aThe question besides aWhat do you need?a is aWhat is your risk preference?'a Bellmer asks. aIt doesnat matter that you might need a 10 percent rate of return. You might not be able to handle the risk associated with that.a

Nevertheless, bold or not, planners will say most people in their 50s are too young to flee to the safety of cash instruments. aThis is not the time when you go to cash,a says Ellen Rinaldi, chief security officer at mutual fund group Vanguard and the firmas former head of investment counseling and research. aYou may stay 50-50 in stocks and bonds. But youare going to need growth in your portfolio.a

4. Time your exit

Savings and investments alone may not be enough to adequately fund your retirement. Planning means making some vital life decisions, too.

You may want, or need, to delay retirement. If so, youall have plenty of company. These days many workers are opting to adownshifta into retirement by working part-time or workng longer than theyad originally planned. A September 2016 Bankrate survey found that 70 percent of Americans plan to work aas long as possible.a And only around half expect that will mean retiring in their 60s.

Delaying retirement doesnat just mean the potential for more earnings. It also affects Social Security benefits, which are based both on your earnings and age you start tapping into them. If you were born by 1938, you qualified for full benefits by age 65. But individuals born after then will have to wait longer a up to age 67 for those born after 1960. If you draw benefits earlier, youall see reduced benefits over your entire lifetime.

Meanwhile, other retirement funds, such as a 401(k), IRA and Roth IRA, generally make you wait until age 59 1/2 before you can cash out. If you jump the gun, youall usually owe a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty.

One bright spot: You may find it easier to find work, or stay at your current job, as you get older. Instead of pushing older employees out the door, many companies are finding that they need to retain experienced individuals to fill staffing gaps, says Tim Driver, CEO of RetirementJobs.com.

aItas a supply-and-demand issue,a he says. aThereas a much lower supply of younger people coming into work. Then, because of longevity, thereas a whole new need for people to work longer. People find they didnat save enough. Work is a fundamental and new part of retirement.a

5. Tackle debt

Part of the equation when you quit work is lingering debt. By the time youare 50, one big debt hurdle you may have left to clear is your mortgage.

Once, mortgage-burning parties were common, a fun way to celebrate the achievement of owning your home free and clear. But that rite of passage is becoming less common. Nearly 7 out of 10 households in the 55-to-64 age bracket had mortgage debt in 2011, according to a study from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

There are arguments both for and against paying off your mortgage as quickly as possible. You may well be able to earn more plowing money into the stock market. That, of course, is the argument made on paper. In real life, most retirees find it too difficult to quit and keep paying for their home.

aIt comes down to whether you look at your home as a home or an investment vehicle,a Vanguardas Rinaldi says. aBut going into retirement with a large mortgage is not the best situation.a

6. Prepare for the unexpected

Safeguard your finances against unexpected medical costs. Some hefty medical bills can quickly eat up a lifetime of savings.

A couple in their mid-60s will need $275,000 to cover health care costs in retirement, according to a 2017 Fidelity Investments estimate. Then thereas the stratospheric cost of extended care at nursing homes. A report from Genworth says the median annual cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home is $85,776 in 2017. With that in mind, retirement planning must include some consideration of future medical costs.

One option is long-term health insurance, which pays for extended medical care including such things as nursing and assisted living a which can be expensive. aIt has to be easily affordable not just for today, but for whole premium period,a says Marilee Driscoll, founder of Long-Term Care Planning Month, a public-awareness effort each October.

Ray and Pat Ringston decided long-term care insurance was too pricey. But they did safeguard against health care costs by purchasing an insurance policy that supplements their Medicare benefits with extra prescription drug coverage.

aRetirement is like a two-edged sword,a Ray Ringston says. Youare looking over your shoulder, he says, concerned that something drastic could happen to you or your partner that could wipe you out financially. But youare also enjoying the freedom of doing what you want.
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) CEO Mark Hurd explained why more companies are going to start turning to cloud technology.

I think in the case of cloud, because cloud has characteristics of overall lowering total cost of ownership for a company, it tends to be where you see a lot of projects moving forward. Most companies today are trying, really, to lead with cloud, move to cloud first, he told FOX Business Maria Bartiromo on Wall Street Week Friday.

Cloud technology gives companies access to a shared pool of computing resources, which allows enterprises to store and process data, according to Oracles website. Hurd went on to describe how cloud technology can benefit businesses.

The technology is driving the technology. It is autonomous. There is no labor. There is no patching. There is no tuning. It is done by our computer capability, our technical capability. You frankly just eliminate tons of costs, and you accelerate the task and therefore all those benefits accrue in price. And it's a lower price, significantly, for the customer, he said.

Hurd also discussed how his company has profited from the selling of cloud technology.

Over the past several quarters, you know, we've been getting bigger, meaning our revenue has been growing and our growth rate has really been accelerating, meaning our growth rate has actually been going up. And so, last quarter was -- as we get bigger, we'll probably start to grow slower, just models. But right now, we're growing faster than any scaled cloud company in the industry.

Oracle is currently looking to displace the software company SAP (NYSE:SAP) as the world leader in enterprise applications.
At a time when Venezuela faces an economic crisis, a spiraling crime epidemic and political unrest, Mary Anastasia O'Grady, editor at the Wall Street Journal, says Cubas firm grip on power is the reason why the country hasnt collapsed.

The reason the government hasnt collapsed is because number one, they have the intelligence networks that were built by the Cubans, O'Grady told Stuart Varney on the FOX Business Networks Varney & Co.

Cubas subdued policies have also been used to stifle the Venezuelan population, she said.

One of the reasons they have this close alliance with Cuba is Cuba knows how to spy on people monitor people [and] repress people. They use all of those tactics to keep the country in line, she said, adding that they also have control of all the weapons and military. They have increased the size of the National Guard to the same size as the military and the single role of the National Guard is to repress the population, she said.

In her opinion, the only way Cuba would exit Venezuela is if there is a revolution.

I think one of the reasons why they keep saying, oh we are going to have another election, is because as long as they think theres a hope alive among the Venezuelan people that there is an answer at the ballot box, they will not have this civil war, she said. I think every time they go through one of these exercises where basically they show there is not an option at the ballot box, [it] increases the odds that there is going to be a very violent rebellion at some point  we dont know when.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the defeat of Islamic State fighters in their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa as "a critical breakthrough" in a worldwide campaign against the militants.

On Friday, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced Raqqa's liberation from Islamic State after four months of battles and said the city would be part of a decentralized federal Syria.

"Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control," Trump said in a statement.

"The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight."

Trump said the U.S. campaign against Islamic State, which was launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, would soon enter a new phase, in which the United States would "support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again."

"Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people," he said.

Trump's statement made no mention of the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He also did not spell out how the United States would support local security forces.

A White House spokesman said U.S. policy towards Assad "remains the same." U.S. officials have said Assad has no future governing Syria and U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said last month a stable Syria was not possible while he remained in place.

The fight against Islamic State has taken place amid a wider, multi-sided civil war between Assad's government, which is backed by Iran and Russia, and an array of rebel groups supported by other powers, including the United States.

Experts believe the defeat of ISIS at Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain any insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples with defining a comprehensive strategy in Syria.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France's military would continue its fight against Islamic State in Syria, but that the fall of the militant group's bastion in Raqqa needed to lead to an inclusive political system to restore stability. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Jeff Mason; Editing by Chris Reese)
Roman Polanski's sexual assault victim made an impassioned plea Friday to end the fugitive director's four-decade legal saga, saying she felt more abused by the legal justice system than by the man who she said drugged, raped and sodomized her when she was 13.

"The trauma of the ordeal that followed was so great that, you know, the brief encounter with him that evening that was unpleasant just faded and paled," Samantha Geimer said outside a courtroom in Los Angeles Superior Court. "It just wasn't as traumatic for me as everybody would like to believe it was."

Geimer asked Judge Scott Gordon to either dismiss the case outright or sentence the Oscar winner to the six weeks he served in prison during a court-ordered evaluation before he fled the country on the eve of sentencing in 1978.

"I implore you to consider taking action to finally bring this matter to a close as an act of mercy to myself and my family," Geimer said.

She also called for an end to "a 40-year sentence which has been imposed on the victim of a crime as well as the perpetrator."

In downplaying the crime and saying she empathized with Polanski, Geimer took a position at odds with some sexual assault victims. Victims and their advocates have been outspoken recently about lenient sentences in sex abuse cases.

Gordon, who praised Geimer for her courage and elegant words, said he would take the matter under consideration.

He has consistently ruled against Polanski's repeated requests for similar outcomes and has said the director must appear in court to resolve the case.

Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee, who has insisted Polanski return to court to put the matter to rest, opposed Geimer's plea. Victims have a wide range of rights but cannot dictate the outcome of cases, she said.

Geimer was critical of the district attorney's office for its stance and for not investigating allegations that a former prosecutor not assigned to Polanski's case improperly influenced the original judge in the case.

"If I was standing here saying, 'Throw the book at him, I want him in jail for life,' my opinion would count," Geimer said. "When I'm standing here saying, 'I'm fine and nothing you can do to him will help me or anybody else,' suddenly it's the state not me that counts. It's a really hypocritical view."

Polanski contends he is the victim of judicial misconduct because the now-deceased judge who handled the case suggested in private remarks that he would renege on a plea agreement. It called for no more time behind bars for the director after he spent 42 days in a prison undergoing a diagnostic screening.

The hearing Friday was part of an effort by defense attorney Harland Braun to unseal testimony by the now-retired prosecutor in the case, who is believed to have testified in a closed session about backroom sentencing discussions.

Geimer, 54, had long supported Polanski's efforts to end the case that limits his movements to three European countries, but it was the first time she spoke in favor of him in court.

She said she had suffered four decades of insults and mistreatment and has been hounded by the news media.

The original judge in the case asked if she was part of a mother-daughter prostitution team, the former district attorney suggested she had been paid off and others said she was a lying gold digger and a drug-dealing Lolita who trapped Polanski.

She said does not dismiss Polanski's responsibility and does not view him as a victim, but has empathy for the way he's been treated by the legal system and feels his family has suffered.

"I'm standing here saying he's served his sentence," Geimer said after the hearing. "He owes me nothing. He owes the state of California nothing except to show up here eventually. I wish he could show up and feel he could be treated fairly, but I don't know if that will ever happen."

Polanski has been fighting for years to end the case and lift an international arrest warrant that confined him to his native France, Switzerland and Poland, where he fled the Holocaust.

The warrant prevented him from collecting his Academy Award for best director for his 2002 film "The Pianist." He was also nominated for 1974's "Chinatown" and 1979's "Tess."

Geimer said she received a letter of apology from Polanski years ago after a documentary came out on the crime and the director's life.

Polanski, now 83, had been shooting photos of the girl at Jack Nicholson's compound in the Hollywood Hills when he gave her champagne and part of a sedative pill before raping her, according to grand jury transcripts. Nicholson was not home at the time.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for dropping drug, rape and sodomy charges.

Polanski agreed to pay Geimer over $600,000 to settle a lawsuit in 1993.

The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sex abuse, but Geimer went public years ago.

She wrote a memoir titled "The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski" four years ago. The cover features a photo shot by Polanski.

In Polanski's memoir, "Roman" he described the incident as a romantic one and referred to making love with the girl before being interrupted when Anjelica Huston, who had dated Nicholson, returned to the house.

Geimer said she was offended by the way Polanski described it.
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein responded to Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyongo claims that she was sexually harassed by the movie mogul.

Weinstein, through a representative, denied the allegations in a statement released Friday, the AV Club reported.

Mr. Weinstein has a different recollection of the events, but believes Lupita is a brilliant actress and a major force for the industry. Last year, she sent a personal invitation to Mr. Weinstein to see her in her Broadway show Eclipsed, the statement read.

Weinstein is reportedly in Arizona completing a rehab program for sex addiction, the AV Club reported.

LUPITA NYONGO DETAILS HARASSMENT FROM HARVEY WEINSTEIN: I THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING AT FIRST

The 12 Years a Slave star detailed her experience with Weinstein in a lengthy op-ed to The New York Times that was published Thursday.

Nyongo wrote Weinstein invited her to his Connecticut home in 2011 while she was a student at the Yale School of Drama.

After having lunch with him and meeting his young children, they entered his private screening room with a large group. Eventually, he asked her to go to a bedroom with him and propositioned her for a massage.

"I thought he was joking at first. He was not," the actress wrote.

Nyongo said she gave him a massage instead but when he tried to remove his pants, she insisted she leave.

She described several other encounters with him over the years, including some propositions.

It was not until she became an Oscar winner in 2014 for her role in 12 Years a Slave that Weinstein apologized for his behavior and agreed to show her the respect she deserves.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN EXPELLED FROM MOTION PICTURE ACADEMY

She said she later declined an offer to appear in one of his movies.

Nyongo was the latest A-list star to speak out against the disgraced movie mogul. Recently, The New York Times and The New Yorker Magazine released exposes detailing Weinsteins sexual misconduct spanning over decades.

Weinstein was fired from the company he founded with his brother Bob, the Weinstein Company and was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MSNBC star Rachel Maddows latest anti-Trump conspiracy theory was so outlandish that even the dependably liberal HuffPost criticized it as "so flimsy that it could be debunked by a quick glance at a map."

On Thursday evening, "The Rachel Maddow Show" opened with a somber 25-minute diatribe that attempted to connect the tragic ambush attack that killed four American soldiers in Niger to the latest version of President Trumps proposed travel ban, which included the nation of Chad. Maddow essentially claimed that the inclusion of Chad, which recently pulled its troops out of Niger, in the revised travel ban resulted in extremist attacks such as the one that left four Americans dead.

The HuffPost, which is so anti-Trump that it refused to even cover him in the political section during the early stages of his campaign, published a story headlined, "What the hell was this Rachel Maddow segment?" The MSNBC host proclaimed that Chads pullout from Niger "had an immediate effect in emboldening ISIS attacks," but the HuffPost easily shot down her theory.

Colby College Department of Government assistant professor Laura Seay told the HuffPost that "any expert" would have said Maddow's conspiracy theory was "crazy" and the pullout of Chadian troops isnt necessarily related to the Trumps travel ban.

"Everybody that I know is appalled by this. I would like to think that Maddow's researchers are more responsible," Seay told the HuffPost.

While the MSNBC host called the tragic attack on American troops "absolutely baffling," Seay said it was actually "almost inevitable," because it's such a remote and hostile area.

"The attacks that have increased can be traced back to militant group Boko Haram, which is based just across the border in Nigeria," the HuffPost reported, citing the Council on Foreign Relations and accounts from local residents.

"The Rachel Maddow Show" declined to comment to HuffPost but the host addressed the situation on Friday nights episode.

"Over the course of the day today, lots of people have been very upset with me for reporting that last night, which is fine. I didnt know you cared. But the upset over my reporting doesnt mean that anything I reported wasnt true," Maddow said. "Everything I reported was true."

Maddow continued: "Now, this doesnt mean that Chad withdrawing their troops was necessarily the cause of what happened to those U.S. troops who were ambushed. That ambush is being described by the Pentagon as a shock."

The HuffPosts Willa Frej wrote that Maddow built "myths" using unrelated or unreliable information and "reduced the story so thoroughly that it lost any semblance of the larger truth."

Maddow has seen increased viewership as the triggered left tunes in to watch her condemn Trump on a nightly basis, butit seems the MSNBC host this time went too far for one of the most liberal publications in America.
Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard dumped his agent Friday after he was accused of sexual assaulting young men more than a decade ago.

The 14-year-old Netflix star, who was represented by APA agent Tyler Grasham, cut ties with the agency after the allegations became public this week, the Los Angeles Times reported. Wolfhard also cut ties with the agency.

Grasham was fired from APA on Friday following the string of accusations against him.

Tyler Grashams employment with APA has been terminated effective immediately, Manfred Westphal, APAs head of communications, told the Los Angeles Times.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN DISPUTES LUPITA NYONGOS SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS

Cameron Boyce, 18, star of the Disney Channel movie Descendants also fired Grasham as his agent on Friday. Its not clear if he cut ties with APA.

In light of the allegations he (Boyce) felt it necessary to part ways with Tyler Grasham, Boyces publicist told the Los Angeles Times.

In a Facebook post on Monday, actor-turned-filmmaker Blaise Godbe Lipman accused Grasham on Monday of giving him alcohol when he was a teenager and sexually assaulting. Lipman alleged the agent harassed him and spread rumors in an effort to tarnish his career.

I was young and desperately wanted acceptance within my industry, Lipman wrote. His threats felt very real. Although my initial reaction yesterday and today was to not make this about me, theres no better time.

Following Lipmans allegations, at least two other men spoke out about their experiences with Grasham. They claimed the agent came on to them and sexually harassed them, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

JENNA JAMESON SLAMS PLAYBOY FOR FEATURING FIRST TRANSGENDER PLAYMATE

APA, which describes itself as one of the largest diversified talent agencies in Los Angeles, condemned the allegations against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein last week.

We denounce this conduct in any form, and our sadness and support for the victims who have courageously come forward cannot be understated. We all must commit to eradicating such abhorrent behavior in our community, the agency wrote in a statement.
A California artist claimed Roman Polanski sexually molested her when she was 10 years old and has started a petition to get the Polish director booted from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Marianne Barnard wrote in her Care 2 petition that the controversial director molested her after she was photographed by him at Will Rogers State Beach in Southern California. The artist claimed the director asked her to take off her bikini top then bottoms before he molested her.

STRANGER THINGS ACTOR DROPS AGENT ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT; DISNEY STAR FOLLOWS SUIT

Barnard also claimed her mother, who was present at the photo shoot, arranged the ordeal. The artist believed her mother was paid to walk away from the incident so she could pay for a Ph.D.

After it happened, I didn't say anything to anyone. I wish that I had been brave enough to speak out, tell a friend, their parent or even a teacher, the artist wrote. Maybe if I had, the other girls wouldn't have been molested by Polanski (a convicted statutory rapist) also. That's a terrible heartache to carry.

Barnard asked online users to sign the petition to have Polanskis board membership revoked from the Academy. More than 12,500 people have signed the petition as of early Saturday afternoon.

She said the petition was motivated by the Academy's decision last week to expel disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein from the board following a string of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations against the movie mogul.

It is a small consequence for him considering his crimes and the great amount of harm he has caused me and his other victims, Barnard wrote.

Barnard listed the four other women who have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against the contentious director.

We've stayed silent until now. We feared. But, we can no longer be silent and allow this man who sexually assaulted little girls to enjoy fame, recognition or an honored place in history, Barnard wrote.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN DISPUTES LUPITA NYONGOS SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS



Barnard is the latest woman to come forward with allegations against the Oscar-winning director. Earlier this month, Renate Langer, a German woman, said she was assaulted by Polanski when she was a teenager in 1972.

In August, another woman, who identified herself only as Robin, said the director sexually victimized her in 1973 when she was 16.

Polanski, 84, served 42 days in prison before fleeing to France from the U.S. after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a minor in California. His victim, Samantha Geimer, was 13 at the time.

Geimer said Polanski drugged, raped and sodomized her at Chinatown actor Jack Nicholsons Hollywood Hills home in 1977.

This summer, Geimer asked a Los Angeles judge to drop the 40 year old case against Polanski, who can only travel between France, Switzerland and Poland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The owner of a Massachusetts coffee shop said she was closing the business due to the backlash following her daughters controversial comments about cops on Facebook.

Kato Mele, the owner of the year-old White Rose Coffeehouse in Lynn, Mass., told The Daily Item she was closing the store so I can stop being harassed.

Ive lost my business and Ive lost my daughter. I dont know how this story just keeps building, but I need people to leave me alone, Mele told The Daily Item. Im closing my business so I can stop being harassed."

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL APOLOGIZES FOR IMAGE OF BLACK GIRL IN 17TH CENTURY TODDLER LEASH

Mele tried to make amends with police after her daughter, Sophie, the stores manager, wrote on her personal Facebook page last weekend that the business would never host a Coffee with a Cop event.

The post started a debate that took a different turn when Sophie called police officers bullies and racists. In turn, social media users called for people to ban the coffeehouse.

Mele fired her daughter and wrote police an apology, calling the remarks distasteful, biased and hateful. She invited officers to the shop Monday for coffee.

SKINNY DIPPERS DISRUPT MASSACHUSETTS WEDDING RECEPTION

"I don't agree with what she said. It is not my opinion. I should never have been linked to my business and that's where I parted ways with my daughter, in regards to the business," Mele told The Daily Item.

However, police did not show up, and the regular morning customers did not either.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
It makes no sense for a nation to treat its enemies kindly and its allies harshly. Any nation that tries this foolish approach will see its enemies grow stronger and more dangerous, and will lose its allies when it abandons them.

Yet for eight years, the Obama administration followed this upside-down policy, and received contempt and bad behavior in return from nations around the world. And now, unfortunately, the Trump administration is following this policy with Iran, by not taking sides to prevent the Iraqi government from using military force against our Kurdish allies.

Following a Sept. 25 vote by the Kurds in Kirkuk calling for independence from Iraq, Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed militias moved north into the Kurdish province to take control from the Kurdistan Regional Government. Iraqi troops and Shia militias seized the last district in Kirkuk on Friday from Kurdish fighters, known as the Peshmerga, after a three-hour battle.

The Kurds had controlled Kirkuk since 2014, when Iraqi troops fled the forces of the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS. While remaining part of Iraq, the Kurdish province operated with a high degree autonomy.

The Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum sparked fears that Kurds in neighboring areas of Iran, Turkey and Syria would want to seek independence as well and unite to form a new nation  an idea opposed by all the those countries and Iraq.

The Iraqi Kurds have been loyal U.S. allies in our fight against Al Qaeda and ISIS, and have fought bravely and effectively. American troops have fought and died with our Kurdish allies defending Iraq and we have spent blood and treasure trying to build reliable partners in Iraqs Security Forces.

But the Iraqi forces are also supported by Iran, including that nations Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department earlier this month.

And Iran is clearly an enemy of the United States, Israel and many of our Arab allies. It is a state sponsor of terrorism and an oppressor of its own people, with particularly harsh restrictions on women, homosexuals and Christians. President Trump has sharply criticized the nations conduct and has threatened to withdraw from the agreement designed to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Its in Americas interest to have good and peaceful relations with and between the Kurds and the Iraqis, despite Irans support of Iraq. But we shouldnt abandon our Kurdish allies to achieve this goal.

The man most responsible for the failure of the U.S. to give adequate support to the Kurds is Brett McGurk, President Trumps special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS. He held the same position in the Obama administration and has been allowed to keep his job.

President Obama replaced one of our most respected military leaders  Marine Corps Gen. John Allen  with lawyer McGurk. While serving as envoy to Iraq, McGurk has presided over the Iranian takeover of whats left of Iraq.

Shamefully, the State and Defense Departments followed McGurks strategy and gave tacit approval for the Iraqi government and its Iranian allies to move against our dedicated Kurdish friends.

McGurk told U.S. officials and Iraq, Turkey and Iran that he could convince the Kurds not to hold their independence referendum. He told U.S. and Kurdish officials that he could stop Baghdad from using military force against the Kurds. He failed on both accounts.

As President Trump has noted, Iran received $1.7 billion from the Obama administration for signing the nuclear agreement with the U.S. and other nations

Just imagine the sight of those huge piles of money being hauled off by the Iranians waiting at the airport for the cash, President Trump said. McGurk was one of the U.S. officials who handed over that money to the Iranians.

One of the leaders of Iranian forces backing Iraq against its Kurdish citizens is Qassem Soleimani, who commands the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. He is a terrorist who has been killing Americans for years in Iraq and is still doing it through the Taliban in Afghanistan. Half a world away from the NFL, Soleimani also disrespects our flag, having his forces walk on it in parades.

Last month, the Kurds believed that being a proven ally of the United States against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda and ISIS would result in America recognizing their referendum for independence from the Iraqi state.

But the hard-line that McGurk took against our Kurdish allies  warning them harshly against their peaceful independence referendum  had the effect of convincing the Iranian-backed militias and the political leadership in Baghdad that they had a green light to enter Kirkuk. In the words of former Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, this criticism may have emboldened Baghdad to take a harsher posture than it otherwise would.

For the last decade, Ive briefed Army Generals H.R. McMaster (now President Trumps national security adviser), David Petreaus (who became CIA director) and Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno on the strong influence of Irans Revolutionary Guards on Iraqs security forces.

But for years, McGurk has been downplaying this influence.

On Oct. 1, a highly lethal roadside bomb called an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) reappeared in Iraq after six years. It killed Army Spec. Alexander Missildine and wounded another U.S. soldier. Its reappearance was a warning from Iran: the Islamic Republic is prepared to begin killing Americans again. The EFP is the signature weapon of two Revolutionary Guard-led militias in Iraq.

Scandalously, these militias receive paychecks and equipment from both the U.S.-backed Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. Its Brett McGurks responsibility to provide that information to the president and Congress, because its a violation of the Leahy Law. That law was enacted to keep U.S. funds and equipment from security forces involved in human rights violations. Qassem Soleimani is smiling.

If President Trump wants to push back against Iran he should do so in the Kurdish areas of Iraq. This is where he can stop Iran from creating its highly coveted land bridge through Iraq and from eventually controlling northern Iraq as well. Stopping Iran here would save lives, save alliances and give credibility to Americas commitment to our allies. We can do that by working with our only authentic allies in the region, the Kurds.

Our Kurdish allies need strong American support and our Iranian enemies need to know we are serious about them and serious about supporting our friends.
In Syria, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, millions of people remain displaced and countless souls are physically and psychologically scarred. Throngs of children are without families or homes, entire villages and farming communities no longer exist, and cities are in ruins.

Fallout from the seismic Syrian civil war and upheaval besets the Middle East. Aggressor regimes and extremist groups have capitalized upon the chaos and despair.

It will be very difficult at this late juncture to get Americas Syria policy right, but the moral and strategic stakes are too high to keep getting it wrong. Instead of slouching toward a fatally flawed paradigm, the Trump administration should conduct an urgent policy review, such as it did for North Korea and Iran.

U.S. efforts in Syria are hampered by a narrow focus on defeating ISIS and corollary downplaying of the threat posed by the bloodthirsty Syrian regime and its allies; inadequate attention to atrocities and the plight of civilians; and failure to tackle the complexities and prepare for the future.

Obama administration officials were mostly idle and mute as the civil war and the tragic human toll escalated out of control. They did little or nothing in response to the Bashar Assad regimes slaughter, disappearances, systematized torture, starvation sieges, and use of barrel bombs, heavy artillery and chemical weapons on civilians.

Even worse, the Obama administration deferred to Russian peace plans while resisting calls for strong sanctions on Syria, a humanitarian corridor and serious assistance for vetted pro-democracy rebels. This had the effect of buying the brutal President Assad time  often when time was running out for him.

Worse still, the Obama administration continued to defer to Russia and to suggest a constructive role for Iran, even after Iranian militias and Russian air forces entered the war on Assads side.

The vacuum created by U.S. and United Nations neglect allowed Iran and Russia  along with extremist groups from the al Quds unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to al Nusra, to Hezbollah, to ISIS  to seize the day.

As ISIS metastasized, the Assad regime and Russia shrewdly positioned themselves as the best alternative to Islamist terror, even though they left ISIS mostly alone while brutally assaulting non-ISIS rebels and civilians.

By the time of President Trumps inauguration, the wishful thinking of the Obama administration  that Russia could be a partner in fighting ISIS, that Iran could play a constructive role in Syria and Iraq, and that the Syrian people could coexist with a regime that caused so much horror and pain  were obvious delusions.

Iran had already doubled down on its violent and destabilizing activities. Russia had worked against American interests and assisted Assad at every turn.

The new Trump foreign policy and national security team at first seemed to chart a better course. It imposed significant new sanctions. It responded with limited military actions when pro-Assad forces used chemical weapons and threatened the American-led coalition.

With clarity that departed from Obama administration relativism, the Trump administration emphasized that there can be no peace, stability or justice as long as Assad remains in power and that Russia and Iran support his killing his own people.

But Russia again seized the day when it orchestrated the first Astana Conference, where it pushed a proposal for "de-confliction zones" to be enforced by Russia, Iran and Turkey. While skeptical about Russian intentions, the Trump administration didnt provide alternatives.

The Syrian opposition knew where this would lead. Ceasefires sponsored by the Obama administration and Russia had allowed Assad to consolidate military gains and regroup. After a convenient lull in the action, regime forces had attacked opposition forces that stood down, along with defenseless civilians.

One need only look at "de-confliction zones in Idlib and elsewhere to know that Astana conferences serve similar purposes. Assad has locked down victories in the west and turned to the north and east. Civilian casualties have soared as pro-government forces have launched bombing raids in areas designated for protection.

Having mostly defeated the Arab awakening opposition, pro-Assad forces targeted ISIS, but with the goal of beating other powers to the punch in taking ISIS-held territory. Now that ISIS is on the run and Syrian Kurds and the U.S. coalition have driven ISIS out of Raqqa, we are likely to see Syrian regime forces turn on the Kurds, as Iran-embedded Iraqi forces did in Kirkuk.

Populations fleeing ISIS in Syria and Iraq face serious abuses of Iranian and other militias. As the Hudson Institutes Michael Pregent points out: Iran has sold itself as a responsible actor in Iraq and many Americans still downplay Irans significant and deleterious role in the Iraqi security forces, intelligence apparatus and ministries.

Ultimately, Iran wants a contiguous land corridor from Tehran to Baghdad to Damascus to Beirut. Russia wants to capitalize on its success in saving Assad and its now major presence in the Middle East. Turkeys and Jordans increasing cooperation with Russia are testimony to Russian boldness and leverage.

Given all of this, the U.S. and U.N. need their own bold initiatives and assertion of leverage. Instead, there has been an increasing inclination to accept Assad as inevitable, and to view Russia and Iran as troublesome but necessary partners in the war against ISIS.

Although President Trump is improving relations with Sunni states that can counter Iran, and just announced strong penalties on the Iranian Guard Corps, sound strategy for Syria is desperately needed.

Accepting the status quo in Syria is a bad idea and will only make things worse, for nothing is stable in that land of suffering. Assad will find new ways to oppress, terrorize and murder opponents and civilians. Exhausted Sunni moderates, who we need on our side if were to defeat Sunni-Islamist terrorists, might once and for all lose faith in the free world."

In addition, Iranian Shiite proxies will gain new strongholds and moderate Shiites will be pressed to join them. Although diminished, disparate anti-regime forces will continue to fight. Let us not delude ourselves into believing that as long as we defeat ISIS we can find some kind of equilibrium.

Early priorities of a new U.S. policy toward Syria should be: trying Assad for war crimes; deterring Russia and Iran; paying more attention to civilian suffering and casualties; forming safe zones; and pressing wealthy Gulf States to help refugees. It is far past time to consider the big picture and the long game.
Editor's note: The following column originally appeared in The Resurgent.

The brouhaha over President Trumps phone call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson has gotten even worse in recent days. After Chief of Staff John Kelly inserted himself in the debate, Kelly, himself a Gold Star father, became the subject of attacks from the left.

What have we become as a country when we use the families of fallen soldiers as weapons to attack political opponents? Or attack these families to protect politicians on our own side?

Not all of the families of fallen soldiers are going to say things that patriotic Americans agree with. Cindy Sheehan, the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, is a prime example of a Gold Star mother who says things that are offensive to many other Americans.

The bottom line, however, is that they have the right, as American citizens, to express their opinions. As Americans who have sacrificed a family member, they have paid an unusually high price for the right to speak their minds freely. Their opinions should be respected, if not necessarily agreed with.

Can we resolve the issue of the phone call to Mrs. Johnson without calling either President Trump or Cowanda Jones-Johnson a liar? Yes. Its surprisingly easy to guess what happened when we lay aside political grudges and preconceptions.

Keep in mind that first-person witnesses to an event are notoriously unreliable. This is especially true in cases where the individuals are under stress and distracted. Neither side recorded the call so both only have their fallible human memories and impressions to fall back on.

My best guess as to what happened is that President Trump made the call to Sgt. Johnsons widow in good faith and went off script, as he tends to do. What seemed to be an innocuous comment to the president and Gen. Kelly was taken differently by the Johnson family and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fl.).

One of my favorite philosophies is Hanlons Razor, which advises, Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. This advice applies to both sides in the current debate.

First, liberals should acknowledge that Donald Trump would not intentionally act so callously toward the widow of a fallen American soldier. The fact that Gen. Kelly now backs up Trumps claim is a powerful argument that Trumps statement may have been misheard or misinterpreted.

Second, Trump supporters should not assume that the family is intent on using the death of Sgt. Johnson to embarrass and attack the president. To assume that a grieving family would lie about what they heard the president say, knowing that it would cause Sgt. Johnsons name to be dragged through the mud and that family members would be subjected to personal attacks in their time of grief, defies logic.

Kellys statement seems to support the idea that the president unintentionally misspoke. Recalling the words of Gen. Joseph Dunford after the death of his own son in Afghanistan, Kelly said, He was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that one percent. He knew what the possibilities were because we were at war. And when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth, his friends. Thats what the President tried to say to the four families the other day.

Thats what the President tried to say.
How times have changed. But you know what? Now theyre changing back again, just remember that! Nothing encapsulates President Trumps message at the recent Values Voter Summit more than those words.

When the president addressed the summit last weekend in Washington, religious liberty was front and center in his speech. Perhaps more than any other president in recent history, he chose to squarely address the issue and not shy away from the social conservative base.

In America, we don't worship government  we worship God, President Trump boldly proclaimed. We defend our Constitution. We protect religious liberty. We treasure our freedom.

The president continued: Religious liberty is enshrined in the very first amendment of the Bill of Rights. And we all pledge allegiance to  one nation under God. This is Americas heritage, a country that never forgets that we are all are  all, every one of us  made by the same God in Heaven. Indeed. Let us not forget this.

Values Voter Summit attendees were thrilled to see the president promote religious freedom in his speech. But even more significant than his words are his actions  policies that reflect the promises he made during the election campaign.

President Trump mentioned three clear steps he has taken to protect religious liberty domestically. The message to socially conservative voters was clear, and they will not forget it.

? He signed an executive order to ensure the Johnson Amendment does not interfere with the First Amendment and allow government workers to censor sermons or target our pastors or our ministers or rabbis. The Johnson amendment, named after then-senator and future president Lyndon Johnson, was made a provision of the U.S. tax code in 1954. It bars most nonprofit organizations, including religious institutions, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

? His Justice Department issued guidance explaining how religious liberty should be protected.

? He took action to protect the conscience rights of groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor, observing that the Little Sisters of the Poor and other people of faith, they live by a beautiful calling, and we will not let bureaucrats take away that calling or take away their rights. The nuns challenged an ObamaCare mandate that insurance plans must cover contraception.

True, religious freedom was not as much of a concern domestically until policies from the Obama administration and the courts placed the freedom to live according to our beliefs in the political crosshairs. Historically, politicians made promises to gain the important evangelical vote but rarely delivered with actual policies. The Trump administration is breaking with history and is laboring to keep its commitments.

President Trump went on in his remarks to specifically mention the importance of faith and religion in public life 19 times  not counting references to the idea by other terms. He quoted George Washington in noting that religion and morality are indispensable to Americas happiness, really, prosperity and totally to its success. It is our faith and our values that inspires us to give with charity, to act with courage, and to sacrifice for what we know is right.

The president observed that the American Founders invoked our Creator four times in the Declaration of Independence, and Benjamin Franklin reminded his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention to begin by bowing their heads in prayer.

In an era when public prayer and displays of faith are so readily attacked, social conservatives were heartened to hear this reaffirmation of the role religion has played  and is still playing  for the public good of our country.

That the president recognizes the important social role of institutions of faith is a welcome turn from the Obama administration.

The Obama administration irrationally insisted on harassing the Little Sisters of the Poor and other faith-based groups, including threatening them with tens of millions of dollars in fines unless they yielded to the Department of Health and Human Services ObamaCare contraception mandate.

Yet the Federal Emergency Management Agency continues to deny disaster assistance to churches simply because they are religious institutions. Work still needs to be done to ensure that our First Amendment and the new Justice Department religious liberty guidance is followed both with regard to the FEMA policy and in other areas.

One of these other areas is the Middle East. As the president recognized, ISIS has ruthlessly slaughtered innocent Christians, along with the vicious killing of innocent Muslims and other religious minorities, and repressive regimes must restore political and religious freedom for their people.

While a genocide in the Middle East has been recognized, assistance has been slower in coming. Under U.S. policy, Christians are still being funneled through United Nations-run refugee camps in the Middle East. At these camps  as if they were not already traumatized enough by barely escaping genocide  the Christians are regularly subject to violence and mistreatment at the hands of Islamists.

This can change by directing U.S. assistance away from the U.N. and to organizations providing aid directly to these Christian communities. We must do more on this issue. If the government of Hungary can devote financial assistance and a high-level government post to this specific concern, the United States should be able to do so too.

Yes, a lot changed over the last eight years. America went from being a zealous advocate of religious freedom and human rights for all people, to being a promoter of special rights for a few. But you know what? Now those times are changing back again. We have the ability to promote and protect religious freedom both here and abroad  just remember that!
Congressional testimony by President Barack Obamas former ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, about the unmasking of U.S. citizens names she requested in hundreds of foreign intelligence intercepts by the National Security Agency, has raised new questions about how the sensitive information was ordered up, and subsequently handled.

Power spoke to the House Intelligence Committee on Oct. 13 behind closed doors, and what she said is still cloaked in secrecy. But on Oct. 17, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, who also sits on the Intelligence Committee, told Fox News: Her testimony is they [the unmasking requests] may be under my name, but I did not make those requests. Gowdy said little else about the session.

The sheer volume of such requests submitted to U.S. intelligence authorities in her name was already unusual. But if she did not initiate them, then who did, and why? Was the resulting information delivered to Power, as the normal protocols of handling such constitutionally-protected information require? Was she even aware of the gush of highly sensitive and secret information solicited under her name?

So far, Power has not responded to queries on those issues, which were emailed by Fox News to her Harvard University office on Oct. 19.

According to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, a Fox News contributor, if someone submitted unmasking requests in Powers name without her knowledge or consent, it would be potentially criminal.

Unmasking involves asking U.S. intelligence authorities to fill in the redacted names of U.S. citizens whose comments are caught up in the NSAs foreign intelligence intercepts, which are routinely removed to protect their Fourth Amendment rights. Such revelations are supposed to be relatively rare, clearly justified and tightly controlled.

The issue flared, however, after the unmasked name of the Trump administrations disgraced former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, was leaked in connection with conversations with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.

Concerned at the leakage of unmasked names, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has been delving into what happened, and how to prevent abuses.

In May, the House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed the unmasking requests of three former senior Obama administration officials: Power, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and CIA Director John Brennan. Power agreed in July to appear before the House committee; Rice spoke to the committee in closed-door session on Sept. 6.

Powers role in the unmasking affair was highlighted by Nunes in a July 27 letter to Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats. In the letter, the House committee chairman cited an unnamed Obama Administration official for the high volume of their unmasking requests, noting that this officials position had no apparent intelligence-related function. The official was widely believed to be Power, something she never denied.

In August, Nunes wrote to the head of the National Security Agency, Adm. Michael Rogers, asking for the total number of unmasking requests made by former deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, during the 13 months prior to President Trumps inauguration.

With the exception of career-CIA officer Brennan, the other persons are a group of politically-appointed Obama loyalists, all serving at various times during his administration on the National Security Council.

Rhodes was on the NSC as a deputy national security advisor throughout Obamas two terms, from 2009-2017. He was profiled in the New York Times Magazine last year as Obamas foreign-policy guru, especially on Iran. He told the Times, I dont know anymore where I begin and Obama ends.

Rice served during Obamas first term, from 2009-2013, as his ambassador to the U.N., a post Obama designated as cabinet level. During Obamas second term, Rice served as head of the NSC, with Rhodes as one of her deputies.

Power, a former journalist, served during Obamas first term on the NSC, designing and running a body called the Atrocities Prevention Board. She kept a seat on the NSC during Obamas second term, while also replacing Rice from 2013-2017 as U.N. ambassador.

Interestingly enough, for purposes of congressional inquiries into the unmasking issue, all three of the politically appointed former Obama administration officials  Power, Rhodes and Rice  have something else in common: lawyers who served alongside them in the Obama White House, adding another layer of insider complexity to the issue.

In July, for a meeting with investigators from the Senate Intelligence Committee, Power was represented by David Pressman, a former Obama administration official, who was described in news accounts at the time simply as her attorney. At the time, Pressman declared, among other things, that any insinuation that Ambassador Power was involved in leaking classified information is absolutely false.

As reported by Fox News on Sept. 12, Pressmans ties to Power were closer and rather more extensive than simply legal representation. He had worked intensively with Power during most of the interval under scrutiny in the unmasking probe.

Until last November, Pressman was one of Powers closest associates at the U.S. mission to the U.N., sharing an office suite with Power and serving for two years, from 2014-2016, as her alternate, with the rank of ambassador, on the U.N. Security Council. In that position, he had access to daily intelligence briefings, and dealt with such sensitive issues as the Middle East and Russian aggression in Ukraine.

When Pressman resigned from the administration the week before the election, to go into private practice, Power praised him as having been her partner.

It was a partnership that arrived at the U.S. mission by way of the White House, where Pressman and Power (and Ben Rhodes) overlapped on the National Security Council, during Obamas first term. In 2011, Pressman and Power coauthored an article for the White House blog about Obamas creation under the NSC of the Atrocities Prevention Board, which Power chaired, and on which Pressman also had a seat.

The personal connections dated back even earlier. Power, in the acknowledgments to her 2008 book Chasing the Flame, praised Rhodes for his daily support and listed Pressman among her close friends.

As Fox News noted, congressional investigators might usefully have tapped Pressman for insights into the inner workings of the U.S. mission during the period of the many unmaskings under Powers name, had Pressman not been acting as Powers attorney.

Now, however, Pressman has apparently stepped aside, at least for the time being, from that role. A spokesperson for Pressmans law firm, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, told Fox that Boies Schiller Flexner LLP continues to represent Ambassador Power, but added: David Pressman was one of the lawyers that represented the Ambassador for her Senate appearance; other lawyers at the firm are representing the Ambassador for the purpose of her House appearance.

Boies Schiller Flexner did not respond to queries about the identities of the other lawyers who are now representing Power. But when Power appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Oct. 13, the lawyer representing her was Michael Gottlieb, from Boies Schillers Washington office.

Gottlieb has also been acting as an attorney for Ben Rhodes, whom he represented for an appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee in July. Rhodes has not yet testified to the House Intelligence Committee, but it is considered likely he will have that opportunity.

As it happens, Gottlieb is another veteran of the Obama White House, where he served during Obamas first term as an associate counsel, leaving in 2013.

No additional information has surfaced on who at Boies Schiller might also be representing Power. But if service in the Obama administration is a qualifying credential, the firm has a pool of former Obama administration legal talent on tap, including at least three other former associate counsels to Obama.

Susan Rice has been represented, via a different law firm, by another former star of the Obama administrations legal firmament, former White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler. Now a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, Ruemmler is described on the firms web site as having been President Obamas chief lawyer and one of his most senior advisers. She worked for almost six years in the Obama administration. First, she worked at the Department of Justice and then from 2011-2014 she worked at the White House, attending high-level conclaves along with officials such as Power and Rice.

When Ruemmler left the administration in 2014, the New York Times profiled her as someone who had held powerful sway at the Obama White House. Among other things, the Times reported that Ruemmler took a hard line in internal debates about keeping executive branch documents secret  a line that contributed to Mr. Obamas transition from promising greater transparency to being criticized even by his own allies for excessive secrecy.
Johnson & Johnson has won its appeal of a record $417 million verdict in a lawsuit brought by a California woman who claimed she got ovarian cancer from using the companys talcum powder.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson cited errors and jury misconduct when she overturned the fourth-largest jury award of the year, according to Bloomberg News and The Associated Press.

The ruling comes after a Missouri appeals court on Tuesday voided a $72 million talc cancer verdict, adding momentum to Johnson & Johnsons defense against thousands of similar lawsuits, Bloomberg reported.

Nelson also ruled there wasn't convincing evidence that Johnson & Johnson acted with malice and the award for damages was excessive.

Plaintiff Eva Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powder's potential cancer risks. She used the company's baby powder for feminine hygiene on a daily basis beginning in the 1950s until 2016 and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, according to court papers.

She died after the jury announced its verdict in August.

Her attorney, Mark Robinson Jr., vowed an immediate appeal, according to Bloomberg.

"We will continue to fight on behalf of all women who have been impacted by this dangerous product," he said.

The company said it was pleased with the ruling, The AP reported.

"Ovarian cancer is a devastating disease  but it is not caused by the cosmetic-grade talc we have used in Johnson's Baby Powder for decades. The science is clear and we will continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder as we prepare for additional trials in the U.S.," spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said, according to The AP.

The sum awarded to Echeverria was the largest ever against Johnson & Johnson in a talcum powder case.

The appeals court in Missouri cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that placed limits on where injury lawsuits could be filed, saying state courts cannot hear claims against companies not based in the state where alleged injuries occurred, The AP reported.
All five living former U.S. presidents will be attending a concert Saturday night in a Texas college town, raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush are putting aside politics in contrast with President Donald Trump, who has vowed to help Texas and Florida for as long as it takes but has criticized Puerto Rican leaders while suggesting aid there won't be unlimited.

Having so much ex-presidential power in one place is unusual. George H.W. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said all five of Saturday night's attendees haven't been together since the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas in 2013, when Obama was still in office. He didn't answer a question about whether Trump was formally invited.

The concert features the country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. It's happening at Texas A&M University's Reed Arena in College Station, home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility, though he participated in the coin flip at February's Super Bowl in his hometown of Houston.

George W. Bush was Texas governor before leaving for the White House and now lives in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

"It's certainly a triple, if not a homerun, every time," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something that's not political, they can rake in big money."

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said those attending Saturday's concert were always going to be viewed more favorably since polling consistently shows that "any ex-president is seen as less polarizing than the current president."

"They can't get away from the politics of the moment," he said of current White House occupants. "Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nation's grandfather."

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas' Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, eventually unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal." In it, George W. Bush says, "People are hurting down here." His father, George H.W. Bush, then replies, "We love you, Texas."

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both affected the U.S. Virgin Islands. Organizers expanded the fundraising campaign to help those storm victims, too.
The Air Force could recall up to 1,000 retired pilots after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at addressing what the Pentagon has described as an "acute shortage of pilots."

The order, which Trump signed Friday, amends an emergency declaration signed by George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Under current law, the Air Force is limited to recalling just 25 pilots. The order signed by Trump temporarily removes that cap for all branches of the military.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, said in a statement that the Air Force is currently "short approximately 1,500 pilots of its requirements."

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to 3 years," Ross said. "The pilot supply shortage is a national level challenge that could have adverse effects on all aspects of both the government and commercial aviation sectors for years to come."

In August, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson confirmed that the service was short 1,555 pilots of its requirements, including 1,211 fighter pilots.

The Air Force does not currently intend to recall retired pilots to address the pilot shortage. We appreciate the authorities and flexibility delegated to us, Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman, told Fox News.

At the time, Wilson announced the Air Force was increasing incentive pay to officers and enlisted crew members for the first time in 18 years.

The service also expanded its aviation bonus program to apply to include pilots who were out of contract.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon widened his assault on the Republican establishment Friday night, saying former GOP President George W. Bush had the most destructive presidency in U.S. history.

Bannon's scathing comments at the annual California Republican Party convention came about a week after Bush denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of isolationism and "nativism," which Bannon espouses, have clouded the nation's true identity.

"There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's," Bannon said.

He also said Bush has no idea whether "he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president, amid boos in the crowd at the mention of Bush's name.

Bannon made the remarks in a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his earlier calls for an "open revolt" against establishment Republicans. He called the "permanent political class" one of the great dangers faced by the country.

Bannon, a late-arrival to Trumps presidential campaign who was ousted last month from his White House post, got a standing ovation at the conclusion of his speech in Anaheim.

Since leaving the White House as Trumps top political adviser, Bannon has returned to Breitbart News and embarked on an effort to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional Republicans whom he thinks have slowed or blocked Trumps legislative agenda.

Bannon has for weeks basked in the victory of social conservative Roy Moore over establishment candidate Sen. Luther Strange in Alabamas GOP Senate runoff.

And at a speech last weekend in Washington to social conservatives, Bannon declared war on establishment candidates, particularly lose seeking reelection next year.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the Southern California hotel where Bannon spoke, chanting and waving signs including one with a Nazi swastika. The protesters were kept behind steel barricades on a plaza across an entrance road at the hotel, largely out of view of people entering for the event. No arrests were reported.

Bannon also took aim at the Silicon Valley and its "lords of technology," predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years. He called the threat to break up the nation a "living problem."

He also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans, in a state that Trump lost by over 4 million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics. In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

"You've got everything you need to win," he told them.

While Bannon is promoting a field of primary challengers to take on incumbent Republicans, the GOP has been fading for years in California.

The state has become a kind of Republican mausoleum: GOP supporters can relive the glory days by visiting the stately presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, but today Democrats control every statewide office and rule both chambers of the Legislature by commanding margins.

Not all Republicans were glad to see Bannon. In a series of tweets last week, former state Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes said he was shocked by the decision to have the conservative firebrand headline the event.

"It's a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf," Mayes tweeted

Political scientist Jack Pitney, who teaches at Claremont McKenna College, said he doubted the speech would color the 2018 congressional contests, which remain far off for most voters.

More broadly, he said Bannon's politics would hurt the GOP, including among affluent, well-educated voters who play an important part in county elections.

"Inviting him was a moral and political blunder," Pitney said in an email.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. soldier at the center of the political fight between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman was laid to rest on Saturday.

Mourners filled the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale, as the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson held the arm of an Army officer as she led her family inside.

The family asked reporters remain outside.

Johnson, 25, was one of the four U.S. Special Forces  or Green Berets  killed in the Oct. 4 ambush by militants linked to the Islamic State group in Niger. Three other soldiers were killed in the attack.

For an hour before the service on Saturday, Debbie Valin and her teenage daughter, Michelle Sawn, stood outside the church holding a U.S. flag.

We are here for the military. We are grateful for the people who serve, Valin told reporters.

Fred Walker, a Marine veteran, planted small flags along the driveway to the church.

Its about doing the right thing for the soldiers. They are not acknowledged enough, he said.

A public viewing was held at the church on Friday night.

According to the Miami Herald, the evening was focuses solely on Johnson, a father of two with a third on the way.

He was remembered as a leader and a lovable, humble, peaceful person.

A college scholarship fund for his children  Ahleeysa, 6; La David Jr., 2; and a daughter expected in January. The GoFundMe account had raised more than $634,000 in donations as of early Saturday afternoon.

The fight between Trump and Rep. Frederica Wilson has taken the focus off Johnson. It began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Johnsons widow, Myeshia, in a phone call that her husband "knew what he signed up for" and didn't appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnson's aunt. Wilson was riding with Johnson's family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone. She was principal of a school Johnson's father attended.

Trump tweeted Wilson "fabricated" his statement and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her "wacky" and accused her of "SECRETLY" listening to the phone call.

Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, entered the fray on Thursday. Kelly asserted that the congresswoman had delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she "talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building," rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

Wilson, who is black, fired back Friday when she told The New York Times "The White House itself is full white supremacists."

The retorts persisted on Saturday morning, with Trump tweeting: "I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Prompted in part by high-profile complaints about police use of force, the U.S. government in recent years has allocated tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for body cameras for state and local police departments  and those states and municipalities have invested millions of their own dollars as well.

But a study released Friday reveals that body cameras have little to no effect on police behavior. Officers wearing the devices act similarly to those who dont, the study concludes.

And there is no significant difference in citizen complaints about camera-wearing officers versus those without cameras, the study says.

Evidence of their effectiveness is limited, researchers David Yokum, Anita Ravishankar and Alexander Coppock conclude about the cameras in their report, titled, Evaluating the Effects of Police Body-Worn Cameras.

The study tracked more than 2,000 Washington, D.C., police officers  half with cameras, half without  for 18 months. The research team then tallied their use-of-force situations, civilian complaints against them, etc., and examined whether cameras affected the results.

But every measure showed the differences to be insignificant.

The results call into question whether police departments should even be adopting body-worn cameras, especially given their high cost, Harlan Yu, a consultant with Upturn, a Washington nonprofit that examines technologys effect on society, told the New York Times. Yus group was not involved in the study, the Times says.

"The results call into question whether police departments should even be adopting body-worn cameras, especially given their high cost."  Harlan Yu, consultant with Upturn, a nonprofit that examines technologys effect on society

Police departments investing in body cameras should not expect dramatic reductions in the use-of-force complaints, or other large-scale shifts in police behavior solely from the deployment of this technology, study director Yokum, of The Lab @DC, told the Washington Post.

So if you are a police department thinking that this technology on its own is going to be something to cause big shifts on those two dynamics, this would be a cause to recalibrate your expectations, Yokum said.

Washington, D.C., police Chief Peter Newsham told the Times he was surprised by the results because he was expecting the use of cameras to at least have an impact on those officers who might be more inclined to misbehave.

If the cameras have any value at all, the chief told the Post, its likely to be in helping clarify details of controversial cases  such as whether a suspect is armed or not when officers arrive at a crime scene.

Sgt. Matthew Mahl, chairman of the D.C. police labor union, told the Post that he too expected the studys conclusions to be different.

I honestly thought that complaints would have come down, Mahl told the newspaper. Were spending all this money to realize that everything is the same. Maybe thats a good thing, that weve been doing things right from the beginning.
President Trump resumed his feud Saturday with Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson over his condolence phone call to the widow of a recently killed U.S. soldier, urging the news media to keep reporting on the wacky Florida congresswoman.

I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party! Trump tweeted.

The feud started after Wilson listened to a phone call Trump made Monday to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of fallen Army Sgt. La David Johnson, then claimed that the president told Johnson that her deceased husband knew what he signed up for.

Johnson was one of four Americans killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger.

After several Trump tweets and Wilson TV interviews earlier this week, White House Chief of Staff retired Gen. John Kelly on Thursday publically criticized Wilsons involvement in the call, suggesting shes trying to politicize the matter.

I feel very sorry for him because he feels such a need to lie on me and Im not even his enemy, Wilson said Friday about Kelly's remarks, in a New York Times interview. I just cant even imagine why he would fabricate something like that. That is absolutely insane. Im just flabbergasted because its very easy to trace.

Wilson didnt label Kelly a racist in the interview but claimed that others in the White House are.

They are making themselves look like fools, she also said. They have no credibility. They are trying to assassinate my character, and they are assassinating their own because everything they say is coming out and shown to be a lie.

Kelly said he was broken-hearted by Wilsons involvement in the call. During his remarks, Kelly also criticized Wilson by recalling her comments during the 2015 dedication of a FBI field office in Miramar, Fla.

He said Wilson talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million, to build the building, and she sat down.

And we were stunned, stunned that she'd done it," Kelly said of Wilson's remarks during the event. "Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned."

But video of that event, released on Friday, showed that Wilson did not talk about the buildings funding, but instead spoke of her own efforts getting legislation passed that named the building after the fallen agents.
President Trump is declining to offer specifics on how well planned or last minute Chief of Staff retired Gen. John Kellys appearance was Thursday in the White House briefing room, following criticism of Trumps condolence call to an Army widow.

Hes a very elegant man, Trump said during an interview with Fox Business News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, when asked whether Kellys appearance was expected.

He was so offended, because he was in the room when I made the call and so were other people, said Trump, according to a transcript of the interview, set to air Sunday. And the call was a very nice call.

Kelly spoke to White House reporters after Trump on Monday called the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, killed with three other U.S. soldiers Oct. 4 in Niger.

The call was followed the next day by Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson saying Trump told Johnsons widow that her deceased husband knew what he signed up for.

Trump, in the interview, also dismissed Wilsons suggestion that Kelly, whose son was killed in Afghanistan, was forced to make public statements to keep his job, amid rumors Trump is unhappy with Kelly's job performance.

He didn't want this job, Trump said. He is a man who felt this was important for the country.

The president also said Kelly is doing a fantastic job and that Kelly thought Wilsons public comments and seeming politicization of the issue were not acceptable.

However, Trump did not say who made the decision for Kelly to speak in the briefing room, where he said he was heartbroken by the turn of events.

Trump on Saturday also resumed his feud with Wilson over his call, calling her wacky and saying that shes killing the Democratic Party.
President Trump on Saturday called for his own Justice Department to publicly release who paid for a salacious dossier that includes unverified allegations about his connections with Russia.

In an afternoon tweet, the president drew attention to how two officials at Fusion GPS, a political research firm behind the dossier, invoked the Fifth Amendment before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

Officials behind the now discredited Dossier plead the Fifth, the president tweeted. Justice Department and/or FBI should immediately release who paid for it.

The dossier, authored by former British spy Christopher Steele, claims that the Russian government had collected compromising information on Trump for several years. The document was circulated among journalists in 2016 and provided to the FBI.

Trump has called the report false.

Fusion GPS has gone to court in an attempt to block a House committee subpoena for the companys banking records.

FIRM BEHIND TRUMP DOSSIER GOES TO COURT TO BLOCK HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR BANK RECORDS

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., had issued a subpoena on Oct. 4 for those TD Bank records. But, according to documents reviewed by Fox News, Fusion is seeking a "temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction" to block the release of those records.

Fusion's filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claimed that complying with the subpoena would "deny Plaintiff and its clients their rights to free speech and expressive association as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution."

However, committee Republicans say Fusion is not a media organization and not entitled to the same protections.

Fusion has refused to tell congressional committees who paid for the dossier or reveal its sources.

Fusion GPS co-founder Peter Fritsch and top lieutenant Thomas Catan were subpoenaed to appear before the committee in a closed-door session on Wednesday but asserted their right not to testify.

Fritsch and Catan took the Fifth on every question posed by committee members. Another co-founder, Glenn Simpson, is under subpoena for a later date.

That move was expected.

On Saturday, the president also seemed to reference Facebooks recently announcement that it believes Russian operatives spent more than $100,000 on Facebook ads during the election.

Keep hearing about tiny amount of money spent on Facebook ads, he said. What about the billions of dollars of Fake News on CNN, ABC, NBC & CBS?

FUSION GPS OFFICIALS TAKE THE FIFTH IN TRUMP DOSSIER INTERVIEW ON CAPITOL HILL

He also took aim, yet again, at his formal presidential campaign rival.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on Presidential Election than I did," Trump tweeted. "Facebook was on her side, not mine!"

Earlier this month, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday they have "hit a wall" in trying to probe the origin of the dossier, as the committee forges ahead with its investigation into Russias interference and possible collusion with Trump campaign associates in the 2016 election.

North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the committee, said the committee has made a number of unsuccessful attempts to contact Steele and hopes he will cooperate.

Those offers have gone unaccepted, Burr said. The committee cannot really decide the credibility of the dossier without understanding things like who paid for it, who are your sources and sub-sources.

Fox News' Alex Pappas and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
President Trump said Saturday that he intends to allow the release of long-classified files on the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, a move that could shed light on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades.

The National Archives has until Oct. 26 to disclose the remaining thousands of never-seen government documents on the 1963 assassination, unless Trump changes course and tries to block their release.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened, Trump tweeted Saturday morning.

However, to what additional information the president was referring was unclear.

The CIA and FBI, whose records make up the bulk of the batch, won't say whether they've appealed to the Trump administration to keep them under wraps.

"The American public deserves to know the facts, or at least they deserve to know what the government has kept hidden from them for all these years," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy, said in an email to The Associated Press.

It's unlikely the documents contain any big revelations about Kennedy's killing, said Judge John Tunheim, who was chairman of the independent agency in the 1990s that made public many assassination records and decided how long others could remain secret.

Sabato and other JFK scholars believe the trove of files may provide insight into assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the killing.

During the trip, Oswald visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies.

His stated reason for going was to get visas that would allow him to enter Cuba and the Soviet Union, according to the Warren Commission, the investigative body established by President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, much about the trip remains unknown.

Among the protected information up for release is details about the arrangements the U.S. entered into with the Mexican government that allowed it to have close surveillance of those and other embassies, said Tunheim, a federal judge in Minnesota.

Kennedy experts also hope to see the full report on Oswald's trip to Mexico City from staffers of the House committee that investigated the assassination, said Rex Bradford, president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, which publishes assassination records.

The White House didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The FBI declined to comment on whether it has asked Trump to keep the files hidden. A CIA spokeswoman would say only that it "continues to engage in the process to determine the appropriate next steps with respect to any previously-unreleased CIA information."

Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, unless the president asserts that doing so would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations. The still-secret documents include more than 3,000 that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been released previously, but with redactions.

The files that were withheld in full were those the Assassination Records Review Board deemed "not believed relevant," Tunheim said. Its members sought to ensure they weren't hiding any information directly related to Kennedy's assassination, but there may be nuggets of information in the files that they didn't realize was important two decades ago, he said.

"There could be some jewels in there because in our level of knowledge in the 1990s is maybe different from today," Tunheim said.

The National Archives would not say whether any agencies have appealed the release of the documents.

The Archives in July published online more than 440 never-before-seen assassination documents and thousands of others that had been released previously with redactions.

Among those documents was a 1975 internal CIA memo that questioned whether Oswald became motivated to kill Kennedy after reading an AP article in a newspaper that quoted Fidel Castro as saying "U.S. leaders would be in danger if they helped in any attempt to do away with leaders of Cuba."

"Oswald might have had a clear motive, one that we have never really understood for killing Kennedy, because he thought that by killing Kennedy he might be saving the life of Fidel Castro," said Philip Shenon, a former New York Times reporter who has written a book about Kennedy's assassination.

Some of the files will likely remain under wraps, experts say.

It's unlikely the National Archives will release some IRS records, including the tax returns of Jack Ruby, the man who killed Oswald, Bradford said.

Sabato said he also suspects that some key records may also have been destroyed before the 1992 law ordered that all the files be housed in the National Archives.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Before the devastation of California's fires and Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a key segment of the economy, the construction industry, was struggling with a worker shortage.

Now the 1-2-3 punch of natural disasters near major metropolitan areas is expected to make building projects even more time consuming and expensive.

"We've already got a very volatile, super pressurized, super stretched industry, and just having natural disasters just adds to the pressure," said Eric Holt, assistant professor at University of Denver's Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate & Construction Management.

Labor is most pressing. It is projected that for every five retiring skilled tradespeople, only one is entering the industry, according to an Economic Impact Report commissioned by the Association of General Contractors.

THE LATEST: OFFICIAL: CALIFORNIA FIRE LOSSES TOP $1 BILLION

The industry lost hundreds of thousands of workers in the recession.

"They moved into different industries, they wanted something more stable and so now that the housing is coming back, and we need all those people back, they're not here," Holt said.

He said employers are trying to make up for it by offering training, better pay and benefits. For example, the Colorado Homebuilding Academy is a nonprofit operating in industry-donated space. Builders and grants foot the $1,400 cost of Construction Skills Boot Camp for each student who pledges to go into construction.

Hairstylist Angie McKevitt is one student hoping to turn the experience into a new career.

"(I) always wanted to learn more about construction, and this is time for a job change in my life," she said.

McKevitt meets one of several targets the industry is after -- administrators are hoping to get more women in the program. They are seeking high school graduates not bound for college, military veterans returning to civilian life and previous criminal offenders. The latter, because a steady, good-paying job has been shown to reduce recidivism.

The school expects to triple its number of graduates this year. Companies benefit with stream of workers, graduates who already have basic skills.

HURRICANE HARVEY CAUSED HOUSTON TO SINK

When it comes to supply, Holt says there will be "opportunistic entrepreneurs." People in one region may see an opportunity to buy plywood at $30 a sheet, throw it in a U-Haul to drive it to a hard hit area and sell it for $90. They may also move to a natural disaster areas to seek out work.

Oakwood Homes, which builds communities in Colorado and Utah, has its own manufacturing facility to try to keep costs down. The company, which expects to bring in close to a half a billion dollars in revenue this year, also keeps supplies stockpiled near sites.

Chairman and CEO Patrick Hamill says, "With the two hurricanes that we just experienced, as well as even the fires in California, (we're) really worried about some availability. So, we've increased the supply at our facilities from 35 days to approximately 100 and 125 days, just so that we make sure we have the materials."
A civil rights group on Friday called unconstitutional a Houston suburb's hurricane repair grant program that says residents cannot boycott Israel as a condition of receiving any money.



The American Civil Liberties Union said it's considering legal action against the city of Dickinson over its Hurricane Harvey repair grant program, which will provide money to people whose homes and businesses in the city were damaged.



The grant program's application has a section in which individuals have to acknowledge they "will not boycott Israel during the term of this agreement."



"The Supreme Court has made very clear that participation in political boycotts is fully protected by the First Amendment," said ACLU staff attorney Brian Hauss.



The boycott language was included to comply with a new state law prohibiting Texas agencies from contracting with companies boycotting Israel, said David Olson, the city attorney in Dickinson, located about 30 miles southeast of Houston.

The law, which took effect Sept. 1, prohibits all state agencies from contracting with, and some public funds from investing in, companies that boycott Israel.



Olson said it's unclear if the new law applies to the city's grant program, funded by more than $1 million in private donations for victims. The confusion exists because once the city took control of the money, it became public funds and Dickinson had to create a grant program to distribute them, he said. The city classifies individuals receiving the grants as independent contractors.



"We're just trying to do what's right, comply with state law and make sure the residents get every benefit that we can lawfully give them," Olson said.



Dickinson was one of the areas hardest hit by Harvey's torrential rainfall in late August. More than 7,300 homes in the city were damaged, displacing about 7,900 residents.



Dickinson is waiting to hear back from state officials on whether the law applies to the city's grant program and if it doesn't, "then there's no reason for us to have it in the agreement," Olson said.

"The city does not take a political stance on the (boycott) itself. They are not for or against it," he said.



Hauss said the main issue in this case is the state law and the ACLU's belief that the law is "fundamentally unconstitutional."



Twenty-one states, including Texas, have passed laws that prohibit them from entering into contracts with individuals or companies participating in a boycott of Israel. Earlier this month, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit in Kansas on behalf of a teacher challenging that state's boycott law.



"The state cannot condition government benefits, ranging from disaster relief to just access to government contracts, on the forfeiture of ... First Amendment rights," Hauss said.



Olson said Dickinson officials hope to have heard back from the state by next Tuesday's city council meeting so a decision can be made on whether to change the grant program's no boycott requirement.
A Florida toddler had to be rescued by firefighters after he accidentally locked himself inside a hot vehicle, a dramatic video showed.

Apollo Rubin, 2, reportedly grabbed the keys from his mother while outside a mall in Orlando, climbed inside the family's SUV and locked himself inside.

"Went to shut the door. Apollo grabbed the key from (my wife's) hand as she shut the door. We heard the click when Apollo hit the lock on the fob," Ken Rubin, Apollos father, told Click Orlando.

POLICE INVESTIGATE 3RD SUSPICIOUS DEATH IN FLORIDA COMMUNITY

The couple called over a police officer who was in the parking lot and asked for their help. The fire department was called in to assist while Rubin called the SUV's manufacturer as well.

The fire department tried to get Apollo to open the door but the young toddler was busy playing inside the vehicle. After a half hour, the young boy became flushed and sweaty. A few minutes before he was rescued, Apollo began to cry.

"Well the next thing that's going to happen is he's going to be passed out and we don't want that," the firefighter told the boy's parents.

With no other choice, the firefighters broke open the car window and released Apollo. Ken Rubin recorded the rescue on his cellphone.

AIRMAN WHO WENT MISISNG IN 1977 FOUND LIVING DOUBLE LIFE IN FLORIDA

Apollo was examined after the ordeal but paramedics determined the toddler was unharmed.

The Rubins told FOX35 they hope their experience would help others in the future.

"Orlando Police Department and fire department both showed up right away on the spot and helped us out, so we're very grateful they were there to help us and they're our heroes for the day," Rubin said.
A Las Vegas police officer and U.S. Army veteran who was among the 58 people killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history provided instructions ahead of his death.

Charleston Hartfield, 34, was buried Friday following private graveside services. His burial came after a funeral that drew more than 2,000 family members, friends and police and military officers, with honors that included a motorcade down the Las Vegas Strip.

The married father of two was off-duty and attending the Oct. 1 concert where a gunman opened fire from a hotel room.

LAS VEGAS SHOOTING DETAILS STILL MURKY AS MANDALAY BAY ORDERED TO KEEP EVIDENCE

However, a year before his death, Hartfield began a computer file detailing the instructions for his funeral.

If youre reading this, then Ive been called home, Hartfields note read. The file was found by his wife, Veronica, following his death.

Nothing I type will make this any easier, so I will get to the facts. My largest request: Please do not allow anyone to wear black. Black is totally depressing and I dont want anyone expressing their sorrow over my passing, Hartfields instructions read.

Hartfield asked that Nina Simone and Johnny Cash songs also be played during his funeral.

I would like for everyone to enjoy themselves. And remember me for who I was. The truth only. None of that stuff about how great I was. Only real stories, the officer wrote.

Everyone broke that rule over the next hour.

Friends, his cousin, brother and sister, and police and military officials including Brig. Gen. Zachary Doser, the head of the Nevada Army National Guard, characterized the man most called "Chucky" as an inspiration, a mentor and a quick wit.

Doser praised Hartfield, who at age 34 had accumulated 17 years of military service in Iraq and with a quartermaster unit in the Nevada Guard, as the epitome of "everything good about being an American."

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo called Hartfield, an 11-year police veteran, a remarkable officer killed by an unremarkable person.

COUNTRY STARS HONOR LAS VEGAS SHOOTING VICTIMS AT CMT ARTISTS

Investigators have not determined what motivated the shooter, Stephen Paddock, 64, a retired accountant, real estate investor and high-stakes gambler, to plan and execute his attack.

Lombardo said Hartfield 's death was considered on-duty because he tried to shield, protect and shepherd people in a concert crowd from danger.

"That night, in a hail of gunfire, Charlie's last actions spoke for him," Lombardo said. "He took actions to save lives."

Hartfield asked to be buried in a veterans area so he could continue to protect the U.S. with the other buried veterans.

The only way I would like to be placed in the ground is if its in a veterans area. That way myself and the crusty old vets can hold formations and continue to protect and serve our great country once more, Hartfield wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The violent MS-13 gang has been linked to a wave of recent killings in New York's Long Island suburbs. That's why police believe that human remains found in one location could lead to more grisly discoveries.

Police in Nassau County on Long Island say they have found several spots in a 27-acre park in the hamlet of Roosevelt that may be gravesites for the gang's victims.

The process is slow due to the terrain and growth, Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad told reporters.

Fitzpatrick said one set of male human remains has been found, but has not been identified. He would not reveal how long the remains have been in the area.

MS-13 GANG MEMBERS IN NEW YORK HACKED TEEN TO DEATH TO BOOST 'STATURE,' POLICE SAY

There are a couple other spots that we have interest in and we will look at them slowly but surely, he said, noting that one detective broke his ankle while searching.

Fitzpatrick added that police dogs have had positive responses to areas they were interested in.

Police said they received a tip about the remains from the Department of Homeland Security.

Members of the MS-13 gang, which originates from El Salvador, have been charged in recent killings in Long Island immigrant communities.

More than 20 killings in Long Island have been blamed on the gang since the start of last year.

MS-13 'INITIATION KILLINGS': LURED TO A PARK BY GIRLS AND HACKED TO DEATH WITH MACHETES

As of last September, police estimated that there are around 400 MS-13 gang members operating in Suffolk County and more than 320 of them were arrested with the help of immigration agents, the New York Times reported.

The county has taken in 4,728 minors who came by themselves from Central America since October 2013 to June 2017, the newspaper also reported, citing federal data.
Police in Tampa, Fla. believe the killing of a 20-year-old autistic man Thursday night is linked to two other suspicious deaths in the same neighborhood.

Anthony Taino Naiboa's family said he was taking a bus home from work and had gotten off at the wrong stop in the Seminole Heights neighborhood. They said he was about to walk home when someone shot him.

Naiboa's death was the third murder to take place in Seminole Heights in the previous 10 days. On Oct. 9, Benjamin Mitchell, 22, was shot to death about 100 yards from where Naiboa's body was found. On Oct. 13, the body of 32-year-old Monica Caridad Hoffa was found in a vacant lot.

At a news conference Friday, interim Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan said it was "clear to me" that all three deaths were connected.

Police have warned neighborhood residents not to walk alone at night. And they've asked residents to leave porch light and other external lights on at night.

"Now we have someone terrorizing the neighborhood," said Dugan, who asked the public to examine surveillance video of a man seen walking in the area when Mitchell was killed.

Naiboa's mother, Maria Rodriguez, told Fox 13 that she became worried when her son wouldn't answer his phone Thursday night.

"I kept calling and calling. No answers, it went straight to voicemail," she told the station.

Dugan said officers patrolling the area Thursday night heard the shots that killed Naiboa and rushed to the scene, only to find him dead.

"You can imagine the frustration of these officers to hear gunshots and not be able to find this person," the interim chief said. "[The victim] was in the prime of his life and was taken instantly."

Investigators have few leads. Officers have blanketed the neighborhood, are talking to residents and showing them the video of the man walking.

"I'm convinced we are going to catch this person," Dugan said. It's frustrating and it makes me angry they are able to vanish so quickly."

The FBI and the Hillsborough and Pinellas county sheriff's officials have pledged support to the investigation. Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477 (TIPS).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox13News.com.
Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is expected to announce a state of war against al-Shabab, the extremist group held responsible for last weeks deadly truck bombing that killed at least 358 people, an official said on Friday.

The U.S. is anticipated to back the move, according to an unnamed military official. This comes after the U.S. carried out a drone strike on Monday against the terror group.

Somalia military personnel will work to push al-Shabab fighters out of strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions, according to Capt. Abdullahi Iman, Somalias army spokesman.

The announcement comes after thousands gathered at the attack site on Friday to pray. At least 56 people are still missing and more than 200 wounded.

US DRONE STRIKE TARGETS AL-SHABAB AFTER SOMALIA ATTACK

A huge explosion from a truck bomb went off in a crowded street in capital city of Mogadishu last weekend. Some residents said it was the most powerful blast theyd heard in years.

As the death toll continued to rise, local hospitals in the area became overwhelmed with victims. More than 70 critically injured people were airlifted to Turkey, leaving behind anxious relatives who prayed for their recovery.

The country's president declared three days of mourning and joined the thousands of people who answered the call from hospitals for much needed blood donations.

POPE DEPLORES SOMALIA BOMBING THAT KILLED OVER 300

"This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past," said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital.

The Somalian government described the attack as a "national disaster" and laid blame on al-Shabab.

"They don't care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers and children," Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said. "They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians."

The U.S. condemned the bombing, calling it a cowardly attack. The United Nations special envoy to Somalia said the attack was revolting.
Catalonian separatists won a razor-thin majority on Thursday, with the three separatist parties winning a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament.

But the snap regional election failed to clarify the way forward, as parties seeking Catalonia's independence will be a majority in the new parliament but a pro-union party got the most votes.

Still, ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont celebrated the results from Belgium on Thursday -- the same country he sought refuge in after Spain issued European arrest warrants for him and other separatists in November.

Puigdemont also said that he's ready to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in any location but Spain, because that's where he's facing arrest. In addition, Puigdemont also said he wants guarantees to return to Catalonia and be reinstated as the region's leader.

In response, Rajoy said he expects a "new era based on dialogue" will begin in Catalonia following the snap election, adding that he will talk with the region's new leaders as long as they don't violate Spain's Constitution.

The election comes after the Spanish government took control of Catalonia when separatist lawmakers, led by Puigdemont, declared independence in October.

Spain invoked its never-before used constitutional amendment to take control of the region, giving it the ability to sack Puigdemont and his cabinet as well as authorize the government to curtail the regions parliamentary powers. Spain's Constitutional Court officially annulled the Catalan parliaments independence vote in November.

European neighbors  including Italy, France and Germany  have condemned the independence declaration and rallied behind Spain.

In light of the election, here's what you need to know.

What is Catalonia?

Located in the northeast region of Spain, Catalonia is largely independent with its own culture and language. Its one of the richest and most industrialized areas of the country with a heavy emphasis on manufacturing, according to the BBC.

The region, which includes Barcelona, is home to about 7.5 million people.

Valuing its autonomy, Catalonia has its own parliament and executive, called Generalitat in its language.

Why do they want independence?

Because of its own cultural identity, those in favor of Catalan independence have pushed for the region to become separate from Spain. Supporters also believe that they have given more to the Spanish government than they have gotten back.

The push for independence raises questions of the future of democracy and democratic rule, Pamela Radcliff, a University of California, San Diego professor and modern Spain historian, told Fox News. Whats being contested between Spain and Catalonia, one of the things is different visions of what defending democracy looks like.

SOME SEPARATIST-MINDED CATALANS URGE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Radcliff said that its very possible that neither side has much incentive to compromise.

The region held a referendum on Oct. 1.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Barcelona around the Catalan regional government palace to celebrate the independence vote. They chanted for the Spanish flag to be removed as live music played.

The regions parliament voted to establish an independent Catalonia with 70 votes in favor of independence, 10 votes against and two blank ballots. Opposition leaders had left the chambers in protest before the vote.

How did the Oct. 1 vote go?

Catalonias parliament voted for independence after an Oct. 1 referendum with about 90 percent of the 2.3 million people who voted choosing independence, according to Catalan officials. However, fewer than half of the eligible voters participated in the highly contested referendum.

About 900 people were treated for injuries after voting turned violent when Catalan civilians and Spanish police clashed.

Andrew Dowling, an expert in Catalan history at Cardiff University in Wales, said that an independence declaration by the Catalan parliament is symbolic without border and institutional control and no international support.

PRO-INDEPENDENCE CATALANS: 'I'VE NEVER FELT SPANISH'

The declaration "will see the fracture between hardliners and the pragmatic people in Catalonia who are already seeing an economic fallout," Dowling told The Associated Press.

But Spains Constitutional Court officially annulled the Catalan independence vote on Nov. 8.



What has been Spains response?

Spain's top court declared the Oct. 1 independence referendum illegal, and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had warned that the governments first move will be to remove Puigdemont from power when the Senate granted him the special powers under Article 155.

Rajoy said what is happening in Catalonia is a clear violation of the laws, of democracy, of the rights of all, and that has consequences.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-independence protesters demonstrated in the streets of Barcelona and called for the Catalonia region to remain a part of Spain.

Rajoy reportedly refused help from outside civil-society groups and lawyers to mediate negotiations between the two factions. He has also declined to engage in talks with Catalan leaders.

There is no possible mediation between democratic law and disobedience and unlawfulness, Rajoy said.

What is Article 155?

Spain invoked a clause of its constitution after Catalonia forged ahead with its plans to secede from the country that would take away the regions autonomy.

Catalonia's refusal to backtrack from its independence threats triggered Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, the government said, which allows central authorities to take over control of any of the countrys 17 regions. Its a provision that hasnt been used in the four decades since democracy was restored in the European nation.

OUSTED CATALAN LEADER SAYS HE IS NOT SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM, SUPPORTS SNAP ELECTION



An English translation of the constitution states that if an autonomous community breaks the law or disregards the constitution, the Spanish government can  after following certain procedures  take the measures necessary in order to compel the [community] forcibly to meet said obligations, or in order to protect [Spains] general interests.

Rajoy's cabinet met in a special meeting to approve measures to take direct control of the Catalan region under Article 155. The Senate gave him the power to do so.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he would be willing to shoot criminals himself after sidelining the police 10 days ago in his deadly war on drugs.

He made the comments Friday and they come after he put the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in charge of his anti-drug war on Oct. 11 amid claims of human rights abuses against the countrys police, Sky News reported.

"Those who rape children, who rape women, those sons of... if you don't want the police, I am here now, Duterte said, according to Sky News. I will shoot them. That's true! If nobody would dare it, I will pull the trigger."

DUTERTE: CHIEF JUSTICE, ANTI-GRAFT CHIEF FACE IMPEACHMENT

At the same time, the notorious leader said he may call on the police again to fight the drug war.

Let us see, six months from now. If things get worse again, I will say to these apes: 'Go back to this job. You solve this problem of ours'," Sky News quoted Duterte as saying about the police.

Since taking office in June 2016 more than 7,000 people have been killed in a brutal crackdown on drug, with Duterte saying he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts, according to Sky News.

A spokesman for the Philippine DEA conceded that the agency wasnt up to the task.

DUTERTE SAYS HE WON'T COOPERATE IN ANTI-GRAFT BODY'S PROBE

"If the President so decides, we will welcome that, spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon said, according to Sky News. We are strained. Definitely it will be an uphill climb."

During his presidential campaign Duterte vowed that 100,000 people would die in his crackdown on drugs, Sky News reported.
At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said Saturday, in one of the single deadliest attacks by militants against Egyptian security forces in recent years.

The officials said the exchange of fire began late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135 kilometers (84 miles) southwest of Cairo.

The firefight began when security forces acting on intelligence moved against a militants' hideout in the area. Backed by armored personnel carriers and led by senior counterterrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the officials.

The officials said what happened next is not clear, but indications suggest that the force ran out of ammunition and that the militants captured several policemen and later killed them. One officer managed to escape in his armored vehicle, they added.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants. The death toll could increase, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Those killed included two police brigadier-generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels.

The last time Egypt's security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when militants from the extremist Islamic State group carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai peninsula, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed.

An official statement issued Saturday said Friday's incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures or lack of coordination. The officials said prosecutors will look into whether the police's counterterrorism agents failed to inform the military of the operation or include them.

The heavy loss of life, moreover, will now likely lead to the restructuring and streamlining of the country's counterterrorism effort, with better coordination between the police, military and security agencies high on the list of objectives, said the officials.

Egypt's Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, announced a much lower death toll, saying that 16 were killed in the shootout. It added that 15 militants were killed or injured.

An audio recording purportedly by a policeman who took part in the operation was circulated online late Friday. The policeman, apparently using a two-way radio, was heard in the nearly two-minute recording pleading for help from a higher-ranking officer. The authenticity of the recording could not be immediately verified.

"We are the only ones injured, sir," the policeman said. "We were 10 but three were killed. After their injury, they bled to death, sir."

"They took all the weapons and ammunition," he added, "We are now at the foot of a mountain."

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of the Islamic State group. A local affiliate of the extremist group is spearheading an insurgency whose epicenter is in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Attacks by militants have significantly increased since the 2013 ouster by the military of an Islamist president, who was freely elected but whose one-year rule proved divisive. Attacks have also spread outside Sinai and into the country's mainland and areas close to the porous Libyan border to the west.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April, following a spate of suicide bombings targeting minority Christians that have killed more than a 100 since December. The attacks were claimed by ISIS.

Egypt blamed the attacks on the Christians on militant cells trained and armed in neighboring Libya, where mostly Islamist militias, including extremist groups like IS, control territory or maintain a foothold in the vast, oil rich nation. In response, Egypt has stepped up security along its desert border with Libya, where it supports an eastern-based army general fighting militant groups.

In July 2014, gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a border guard post in Egypt's western desert in a brazen assault that killed 21 troops deployed close to the Libyan border.


Malta's government on Saturday offered an "unprecedented" 1 million euro ($1.18 million) reward and full protection for anyone with information on who killed an investigative reporter with a car bomb.

The government statement called the Oct. 16 car bomb slaying of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, whose reporting on corruption targeted the prime minister and other top figures on the southern Mediterranean island, a "case of extraordinary importance."

It said, in an "unprecedented measure," it was offering the sum to "whomever comes forward with information leading to the identification of those responsible" for her slaying.

"The government is fully committed to solving the murder ... (and) bringing those responsible to justice," the statement said.

SONS OF MURDERED MALTA JOURNALIST CALL FOR PM TO RESIGN, REJECT $1M REWARD

The Maltese government offered a reward in a bank heist case a few years ago, but this was believed to be the first time it posted a reward in a murder case. In the last 10 years, there have been 15 Mafia-style bombings or similar attacks in Malta, and many of the crimes have gone unsolved.

Top European Union officials have denounced Caruana Galizia's slaying as an attack on journalistic freedom and insisted that rule of law prevail in the tiny member nation. Malta is widely considered a tax haven and a tempting venue for those looking to launder or hide ill-gotten gains.

The blast, which blew up the car Caruana Galizia was driving not far from her home, stunned the island's citizens, who eagerly followed her blog on corruption to see which business, financial or political figures were the latest in her sights.

Her husband and her three sons  including one, Matthew, who is an investigative journalist himself  didn't immediately comment on the government's move Saturday. But earlier in the week, the family said Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had asked for their "endorsement" for offering a reward.

Their reply: "This is how he can get it: show political responsibility and resign ... for failing to uphold our fundamental freedoms" to the point where their mother "no longer felt safe walking down the street." They also called on the government to replace the top police commissioner and the attorney general so "then we won't need a million-euro reward and our mother wouldn't have died in vain."

MURDERED REPORTER, DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA, MADE MANY ENEMIES

Caruana Galizia had dug out Maltese links to the Panama Papers leaks, writing, among other articles, that Muscat's wife had an offshore account that was used to move money from high-level Azerbaijan figures. The Muscats denied having such an account and any wrongdoing.

Several other top officials, including a minister and Muscat's chief-of-staff, had launched libel suits against the slain journalist.

In the statement Saturday, the government also said information could be passed on confidentially to the police and still be eligible for the reward as long as it "is corroborated with other independent evidence which would lead to the identification of the person or persons who committed this act."

FBI agents and Dutch forensic experts are helping Malta with the homicide investigation.
Spains prime minister moved Saturday to invoke a never-used constitutional article that would strip Catalonia of its autonomous power, calling it a last resort to restore order.

Catalonia's president responded by making a veiled independence threat, telling lawmakers to come up with a plan to counter Spain's "attempt to wipe out self-government."

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he wants the countrys senate to allow central ministers to take over functions from all members of the Catalan leadership, effectively dissolving the prosperous region of its government. It would also take control of the regional police, finances and the public media.

He blamed separatists for pushing the central government to take the unprecedented measures.

Rajoy is also seeking the Senate's approval to assume the power to call a regional election -- something that only Catalonia's top leader can do now.

"There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders," Rajoy said Saturday. "It is my wish to call elections as soon as normality is restored."

Rajoys Cabinet met in a special meeting Saturday morning to approve measures to take direct control of the Catalan region under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. Under Article 155, central authorities are allowed to intervene when one of Spains 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law. It has never been used since the 1978 Constitution was adopted.

The meeting came almost three weeks after Catalan citizens voted for independence in a controversial referendum that was ruled illegal by the countrys Supreme Court.

In a televised address late Saturday, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called Rajoy's plans to replace him and his cabinet an "attempt to humiliate" Catalonia and an "attack on democracy." He called on the regional parliament to "debate and decide on the attempt to wipe out our self-government and our democracy, and act accordingly."



Puigdemont called Rajoy's move the "the worst attack" on Catalan people and institutions since Gen. Francisco Franco's abolishment of Catalonia's regional government in 1939.



Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who opposes independence without a valid referendum, called Rajoy's measures "a serious attack" on self-government in Catalonia. Others went further. Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell accused Spain's central authorities of carrying out a coup.



"Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government," Forcadell said, calling it "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."



CATALONIA'S PUSH FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN: WHAT TO KNOW

The vice president of the Senate says a session next Friday will vote on the measures. Conservative senator Pedro Blanco told reporters a special commission of 27 senators will make a first assessment of the measures Tuesday. He said Puigdemont can appeal the moves by appearing before the commission before noon Thursday or by sending an envoy.

Rajoy's ruling Popular Party has an absolute majority in the chamber and is expected to receive wide support from opposition senators for measures to protect Spanish unity.



In response, protesters wrapped in red-and-yellow Catalan flags flooded the streets of central Barcelona on Saturday, holding up signs calling for freedom.



About 450,000 people joined the protest, according to police, although an anti-secession group put the number at 85,000. The demonstration had originally been called to protest the detention of two pro-independence activists who are awaiting possible sedition charges, but it turned into an outcry over Rajoy's takeover move.



"We are here because the Spanish government made a coup without weapons against the Catalan people and their government institutions," said Joan Portet, a 58-year-old protester.



The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials held a disputed independence referendum on Oct. 1. They then declared that the result -- strongly in favor of independence -- gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain even though the vote itself had numerous problems.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the Catalan referendum.



Albert Rivera, head of the pro-business Citizens party, said he backed Rajoy's measures because Catalonia needs to restore legal security so companies can remain in the region. Hundreds of companies have transferred their registered headquarters out of Catalonia to other areas in Spain, fearing the chaos that independence -- or the fight over it -- could bring.



Basque nationalists and the far-left Podemos party were among those in Madrid opposing the government's move.



"We are in shock about the suspension of democracy in Catalonia," said Podemo's Pablo Echenique, vowing to work to oust Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party.



Barcelona resident Rosa Isart said the Spanish government's determination to prevent Catalonia from leaving reminded her of Franco's dictatorship decades ago.



"It seems unbelievable that I have to see this again, because of the incompetence of these politicians who don't know how to speak to each other," Isart said.



Others were sympathetic to Rajoy's plan. Barcelona resident Carlos Assensio agreed with Madrid, given the separatists' refusal to abide by Spain's laws.



"If we don't respect the law, this could be a total anarchy," said the 65-year-old.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Middle East this weekend, he'll hope to achieve something that has eluded top American diplomats for a generation: sealing a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would shut the doors of the Arab world to neighboring Iran.

While the United States strives to heal the rift between the Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and resolve civil wars in Yemen and Syria, Tillerson is the Trump administration's point man on an even more ambitious and perhaps even less likely geopolitical gambit.

U.S. officials see a new axis that unites Riyadh and Baghdad as central to countering Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly as the Iraqi government struggles to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way. He arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and planned to visit Qatar on Monday.

The effort to wean Iraq from Iran and bond it to Saudi Arabia isn't new, but U.S. officials are optimistically pointing to a surer footing they believe they've seen in recent months. They're hoping to push the improved relations into a more advanced phase Sunday when Tillerson participates in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh.

Tillerson will seek Saudi financial generosity and political support for Iraq, its embattled northern neighbor. Two U.S. officials said Tillerson hopes the oil-rich Saudis will contribute to the massive reconstruction projects needed to restore pre-IS life in Iraqi cities such as Mosul and lend their backing to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He is treading delicately among a host of powerful countries on Iraq's borders which are increasingly trying to shape the future of the ethnically and religiously divided nation.

The officials briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly preview Tillerson's plans.

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Nevertheless, the relationship is still plagued by suspicion.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter-century, and earlier this year unblocked long-closed border crossings. But the emergence of arch-Saudi rival Iran as a power player in Iraq continues to gnaw at Riyadh and Washington.

Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, following last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

President Donald Trump wants to see "a stable Iraq, but a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran," H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, said this past week. He suggested Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role.

The U.S. view is that the alternative may mean more conflict in Iraq, which endured years of insurgency after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion and ethnic warfare when the Islamic State group rampaged across the country in 2014.

"Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other," McMaster said Thursday at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is something they share with groups like ISIS, with al-Qaida. They pit communities against each other because they use tribal and ethnic and sectarian conflicts to gain influence by portraying themselves as a patron or protector of one of the parties in the conflict and then they use that invitation to come in and to help to advance their agenda and, in Iran's case, I think is a hegemonic design."

Trump and his national security team have framed much of the Middle East security agenda around counteracting Iran, which they see as a malign influence that poses an existential threat to Israel and other American allies and partners in the region. They also accuse Iran of menacing the United States and its interests at home and elsewhere in the world.

Shortly after taking office, Tillerson identified improving Saudi-Iraqi ties as a priority in the administration's broader policy to confront and contain Iran. Officials say he has devoted himself to the effort.

On his second official trip abroad, Tillerson in February canceled a planned "meet and greet" with staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to focus on the matter, according to one of the officials who previewed Tillerson's current trip.

Tillerson's decision to skip that gathering was widely criticized at the time as a sign of disengagement with his employees, but the official said Tillerson adjusted plans to speak by secure telephone to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the Iraq rapprochement.

Tillerson, according to the official, implored al-Jubeir to visit Baghdad as a sign of Saudi goodwill and commitment to the effort to defeat IS, which then still held about half of Mosul.

Al-Jubeir agreed. Two days later, he made a surprise trip to the Iraqi capital. He was the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in 27 years.
The USS Ronald Reagan sailed into a South Korean port Saturday following week-long joint naval exercises that North Korea brands a rehearsal for invasion.

Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of Naval Forces Korea, said aboard the nuclear- powered aircraft carrier that that the drills enhanced the allies' ability to coordinate operations.

The five-day drills that ended Friday involved fighter jets, helicopters and 40 naval ships and submarines from the two countries training for potential North Korean aggression. In an apparent show of force against North Korea, the United States also sent several of its advanced warplanes, including four F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and two B-1B long-range bombers, for an air show and exhibition in Seoul that began on Tuesday.

The purpose of those exercises and operations are to enable the combined defense of the Republic of Korea and have them throughout, Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, U.S. Commander of Carrier Strike Group Five, said, according to Reuters.

Whether we had any interaction with North Koreans, we had no interaction with any North Korean forces at any point during this exercise, Reuters quoted Dalton as adding.

The Ronald Reagan and its strike group of ships docked in Busan.

NORTH KOREA CALLS US MILITARY DRILLS NEAR PENINSULA 'REHEARSAL FOR INVASION'

Local South Koreans greeted the sailors in traditional dress, Star and Stripes reported.

There was also a large sign saying U.S. troops go home and an accompanying song greeted the sailors at the naval bases front gate, the paper reported.

Jeong Jun-ho, 15, of Busan, jumped out of his familys car to watch the Ronald Reagan pull into port.

Im scared about this; I dont like war, he told Stars and Stripes.

The drills came ahead of President Donald Trump's first official visit to Asia next month that's likely to be overshadowed by tensions with North Korea.

North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said Saturday that the latest naval drills have driven the situation of the Korean Peninsula to a "touch-and-go situation" and accused the allies of "getting frantic with the move to start a nuclear war."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LOUDOUN COUNTYDemocratic Attorney General Mark R. Herring and GOP challenger John Adams on Friday morning debated gay marriage, the law, business growth and whether Herring has been too political in office.

The two appeared before the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne to answer questions about issues on the chambers public policy agenda. It was their second and final debate before the Nov. 7 election.

Herring cited his endorsements by business groups and called himself a pro-business, pro-opportunity attorney general, tying himself to Gov. Terry McAuliffes administration economic successes and capital investment announcements. Adams countered by reminding the chamber audience that Herring opposes Virginias right to work law, which makes it illegal for an employer to require union membership.

Herring attacked Adams over his conservative stances on social issues, saying Adams wants to ban abortion in all cases.

John is fixated on conservative social issues. Weve had experience with that and it wasnt good, Herring said.

Adams replied: I think Mark is fixated on social issues. Im fixated on the law. The law matters.

Despite policy disagreements, the race for attorney general has remained civil. Herring, a former state senator, is seeking a second term. Adams, a white-collar litigation supervisor at McGuireWoods, is a first-time candidate.

Herring was, at one point in his term, thought to be a possible candidate for governor this year. He opted to seek re-election.

Adams, a former federal prosecutor, stayed after the debate to chat with reporters and lamented on Twitter that the Herring campaign would not agree to a livestream. Herring left the debate without taking a question from an Associated Press reporter who approached him.

The issue of gay marriage has been a factor in the race. Adams, an opponent, argues that regardless of his personal position, he would have defended Virginias voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

Herring gained national attention by opposing it, and the the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law of the land.

When asked Friday about whether an attorney general should have discretion in which laws to defend, Herring responded that the attorney general should not defend a state law in rare, rare instances when it conflicts with a federal law or the Constitution.

On Virginias same-sex marriage ban, Herring said, I looked carefully at the law, took an independent view and concluded if Virginias marriage ban came before the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court would likely strike it down.

I had to think about, well, in what circumstances is it appropriate for an attorney general to take up the side of the challengers. And I thought in this case it was exactly the right thing to do. Because the fundamental right to marry of so many Virginians was at stake and because of our own unique history on getting landmark civil rights cases wrong and going all the way up to the Supreme Court defending things like school segregation, [and a ban on] interracial marriage.

Adams called Herrings move a problem because Herring didnt uphold a law passed by the citizens.

Herrings position was an unbelievable position for a lawyer for a client to take, Adams said. Virginia was entitled to have its attorney general defend the case. ... He got on the other side and sued his own client.

Adams also noted that Herring, as a state senator, voted against legal same-sex marriage.

Its politics, ladies and gentleman, Adams said. When he was a senator, politically, it was worth voting for and supporting that amendment. And politically he changed his mind when he was the attorney general. And that has to stop.

The candidates discussed other issues including drug addiction, judicial vacancies and efforts to combat Medicaid fraud. Adams brought up two recent news reports about Herrings office, one being a decision by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the legislatures watchdog, to do a review of the attorney generals office.Adams said that should include a look at how Herring used money from a settlement to give raises to select political appointees and his chief of staff, Kevin OHolleran, who managed Herrings 2013 campaign for attorney general.

Herring called the JLARC reviewpushed by Republicanselection-year shenanigans and added: Maybe John got some of his buddies in the General Assembly to push a review through a few weeks before the election.

Adams responded: I dont really have that many buddies in the General Assembly. Ive never been in politics before.

Adams also referenced a complaint made to the Office of the State Inspector General about how Herrings office handled a 2016 settlement in a lawsuit filed against Dominion Energy over the death of a little girl who drowned at Dominion-owned Lake Anna. He said the inspector generals office is investigating.

Dominion brought the state into the lawsuit. Then-state senator and now U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin, a Democrat and political ally of Herring, represented the girls family and had filed suit against only Dominion. Dominion argued that the state should be responsible for any financial judgment against the company, and the fraud complaint alleges that Herrings office did not challenge Dominions claim.

Of a $5 million settlement, Dominion paid $1 million while the state paid $4 million. McEachins law firm received $2 million of the settlement. Herrings office has defended the agreement, saying the governor and numerous lawyers inside the office and outside the attorney generals office agreed with how it was handled.

(804) 649-6061
The Free Lance-Star has had a series of outstanding editorials recently. They covered tax cut/budget, the need for pipelines and, sometime back, the Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals, or DACA, being ruled outside the powers of the president.

It's that last one that's of real interest. Per an Associated Press story in the FLS, the attorneys general of several states have filed suit against President Trumps executive order on DACA. The story also noted that current, and possibly future, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring filed a separate suit on the same issue.

Now let's look at this carefully: the Supreme Court ruled that the executive order on DACA by the previous president was outside his powers, and not legal. The current president issued an executive order establishing an end to the program. Now, various attorney's general are suing to try to continue an illegal act?

Not being an attorney, I guess I'm missing some legal abstraction that's at stake here. On the other hand, any attorney will tell you that legal action takes time, and time is money.

So, as they teach in law school: who benefits? It's an election year, and one suspects that the abstract legal point is energizing the base. Now the real question: who's paying the legal fees? The election campaigns? The political parties? I'd rather bet it's the taxpayers. How do we get a refund?

I don't believe that any politico who expects the taxpayer to pay for their re-election effort doesn't deserve their office. Mr. Herring certainly isn't putting us first.

William Moore

Ladysmith
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Media outlets and political parties around the world are closely following the ongoing 19th CPC National Congress, with many expressing admiration for China's development under the CPC's leadership.

Media outlets and political parties around the world are closely following the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with many expressing admiration for China's development under the CPC's leadership.

In an article about Wednesday's opening of the 19th CPC National Congress, Cuban official newspaper Granma described Chinese President Xi Jinping as "the uniter of the world's largest political organization" and lauded the "success of the reforms he undertook with his colleagues over the past five years."

The Chinese leader has also promoted "a more active diplomacy that has enabled the Asian nation to become more involved in mechanisms and decision-making processes worldwide," it added.

Another Cuban state media organization, the Prensa Latina news agency, applauded China's call for global unity to combat climate change and its pledge that China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion.

In Nepal, political party leaders are also closely watching the CPC national congress, China's most important political event in five years.

Agni Sapkota, a senior member of the Communist Party of Nepal, told Xinhua he believes the event will chalk out new strategies that will further strengthen cooperation with other countries.

"Nepal, as a friendly and close neighbor of China, expects more Chinese support and goodwill," he added.

Ramchandra Pokhrel, a senior member of the Nepali Congress party, said the CPC national congress will make major foreign policy decisions that will be "the matter of interest to the whole world."

To Mahendra Pandey, a senior member of the Communist Party of Nepal and the former foreign minister, "President Xi Jinping's vision to develop good relationships and establish peace around the world is inspiring."

An Egyptian expert on Chinese affairs, Adel Sabry, noted that Xi draws the world's attention for his emphasis on global cooperation, and Egypt can benefit from the Chinese experience in "preserving its political structure and theories."

In Nigeria, a group of intellectuals held a discussion in Abuja on the global significance of the 19th CPC National Congress, with the attendance of Chinese ambassador Zhou Pingjian.

Labaran Maku, a former information minister, urged developing countries to set national goals and vigorously pursue them as China has been doing over the decades.

"The CPC has proved to be a very good party with a great ideology and a mission to serve the people," said Shehu Sani, a Nigerian senator.
Petroleum supply expected to be plentiful from 2018

VietNamNet Bridge - No longer solely dependent on imports, Vietnam now can make petroleum products to satisfy domestic demand at its local oil refineries.

















It is estimated that, due to economic growth in the next five years, the total petroleum demand in Vietnam would be 6.5 million tons and 8.5 million tons of DO.

It is estimated that, due to economic growth in the next five years, the total petroleum demand in Vietnam would be 6.5 million tons and 8.5 million tons of DO.Vietnam has one operating oil refinery, Dung Quat, which can churn out 2.746 million tons of petrol and 3.068 million tons of DO.The investor is planning to expand the oil refinery to raise the capacity from 6.5 million tons of crude oil to 8.5 million tons. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by 2021.The second largest source of petroleum supply is Nghi Son Refinery which will be put into commercial operation in 2018. With designed capacity of 10 million tons of crude oil a year, it can provide 2.3 million tons of petrol and 3.7 million tons of DO.The condensate plants PV Oil Phu My, Sai Gon Petro, Nam Viet Oil and Dong Phuong can provide 690,000 tons of petrol a year.

From 2018, the total petroleum supply from the two largest oil refineries in Vietnam would be 6 million tons of petrol and 7 million tons of DO, equal to 92 percent and 82 percent, respectively, of domestic demand.



Vietnam will import 0.8 million tons of petrol and 1.8 million tons of DO from regional countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and China.



The use of domestically made petroleum products will bring benefits to both distributors and consumers. The products that BSR (Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company), the operator of Dung Quat, is providing have great competitive advantages compared with imports.



Petroleum distributors will not have to worry about exchange rate fluctuations if they distribute Dung Quats products (when importing products, they have to make payment in US dollars).



They also can ask for flexible deliveries, and shorten the time for transportation and procedures. And they do not have to pay import tax.



To boost sales, BSR plans to sell products at the storehouses it rents, especially in the south, apply different delivery forms and increase transport by land, according to BSRs general director Tran Ngoc Nguyen.



A report from the Vietnam Oil and Gas Institute shows that BSR's petroleum products have better quality than the Vietnamese standards.



According to Vietnamese standards, the maximum sulfur content of petrol is 500 parts per million but BSR petrol has sulfur content at 30-135 per millionths, lower than the required 500 per millionths.



Vietnam's standard allows up to 2.5 percent of benzene and aroma in petrol, with the content of benzene in BSR petrol 1.15 -1.46 percent.





RELATED NEWS

Foreign investors gunning for petroleum retail market

Can a Japanese conglomerate rescue Vietnams Nghi Son oil refinery?





Chi Mai
A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
Here is a look at public meetings scheduled for Corvallis and Benton County for the coming days.

Monday

 The Corvallis School District has set a long-range facilities planning session for 6:30 p.m. at Franklin School, 750 N.W. 18th St.

Tuesday

 The Benton County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 9 a.m. in the county boardrooms, 205 NW Fifth St., Corvallis. The agenda includes an update on jail operations, a discussion of development code amendments, a presentation on Hatch Labs and updates from the commissioners on their recent activities.

 The Corvallis King Legacy Advisory Board meets at 5:15 p.m. at Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 NW Highland Ave.

 The Corvallis School District has set a long-range facilities planning session for 6:30 p.m. at Cheldelin Middle School, 987 NE Conifer Blvd.

Wednesday

 The Corvallis Police Department is hosting a coffee with a cop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oregon State University campus Dutch Bros., 661 SW 26th St. Officers from all divisions of the department will be on hand to answer questions and hear concerns.

 The Corvallis School District has set a long-range facilities planning session for 6:30 p.m. at Garfield Elementary School, 1205 NW Garfield Ave.

Thursday

 This months Preservation Pub will discuss the rescue, rehabilitation and renaissance of the Whiteside Theatre. The free program at the Old World Deli, 341 SW Second St., features George Pearson, former chair of the Whiteside Theatre Foundation, as the keynote speaker.
Climate protection discussion : BonnLAB: What everybody can do

Beuel The professional network Spiderweb for working influences is inviting everybody who is interested to the BonnLAB for an information evening about what everybody can do to protect the climate.

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The Working for climate change information evening takes place on Monday, October 23, at 6.30pm. Lecturers are Vera Kunzel, consultant for adjustment to climate change for Germanwatch, Britta Horstmann, scientific officer for environmental politics and resource management at the German institute for development politics, and Nadine Thoss, project leader for communal climate partnerships at the service point Communes in One World.
Helpfulness is more than a word : Modern Samaritan: Bonn man helps tourist couple

Bonn In all the every day stress, they still are around: People who selflessly help others, spontaneously. Like it happened to Colin Ashby and his wife. The two tourists were looking for their car to no avail, when Bonn man came to their rescue in Poppelsdorf.

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They still exist. The helpful people. Who dont need to be talked into helping. A few weeks prior to St Martins Day a Bonn man excelled with a good deed. He was not on a horse like St Martin but in a modern vehicle when he helped Colin Ashby and his wife, spontaneously. The tourist couple came from France to visit Bonn.

As a young student, Ashby had lived in the federal city during the summer of 1956. More than 60 years later he wanted to retrace the steps of his student days and visit his former student digs. They parked their car near the Jagdweg and walked through Poppeldorf towards the castle. After visiting the sight they got confused with the street names and could not find the place where they had left their car. For an hour and a half they strayed through the quarter - unfortunately to no avail. Until a red Suzuki stopped. The driver recognised the need of the visitors and spontaneously offered to help.

What good luck that this friendly and helpful gentleman came our way, says Ashby. He drove Ashby and his wife through the streets until they found their car again. Just like St Martin the man remained incognito. Who it was or what his name was - I dont know, but I thank him from the bottom of my heart, Ashby wrote to the General-Anzeiger.
kacylee at 21-10-2017 07:02 AM (5 years ago) (f)

It was praise, worship and thanksgiving to God yesterday at Canaanland, Otta, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (LFCWW) .

It was praise, worship and thanksgiving to God yesterday at Canaanland, Otta, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (LFCWW) .

The leadership and members of the church came out in large number to thank God for averting a plane crash that would have involved the Presiding Bishop of the Church, Bishop David Oyedepo and his wife.



It was the third time Bishop Oyedepo would be involved in near air mishap.



Narrating how this third and most recent accident happened , a pastor in the church, Adebisi read the report from the aircrafts pilot, Captain Samuel Adegoga.



The main malfunction we had in the Cyprus-Israel flight was a stabilizer twin-motor failure. During the said flight that we had the twin motor failure, the auto-pilot could no longer exert the desired pressure to keep the aircraft in the required altitude for stability flight.



The captain disconnected the auto-pilot, took and returned the aircraft to the required altitude for that phase of the flight. Because the aircraft was out of trim during this takeover, the aircraft abruptly pitched off with much pitch force.



 The captain counteracted it with a pitch down force. These counter forces caused turbulence and movement in the cabin and cargo hold. Heavy items in the cargo section fell from their compartment, making a loud noise,  the pilot wrote.



 We thank the God of this commission for making the pilot to react promptly. Similar failures in the past have resulted in fatal accidents due to lateness of pilots reaction,  Adebisi added.



However, while the pilot saw the incident as mechanical malfunctioning, Bishop Oyedepo said the averted air disaster was a spiritual attack.



He went on to explain that a few days before he embarked on the journey, his father in the Lord and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye had had a revelation about the incident and came over to his house unannounced to pray for him.



Bishop Oyedepos words: According to the word of God, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord will hit the earth, there will be a restoration of sonship and fatherhood to the body of Christ.



 On Friday preceding the journey that we made, my father in the Lord showed up at 6:30 early in the morning and saw a vision and wasnt sleeping, and said, Lord, Lord, why seek the living among the dead? No, no So, he took off and landed here before 6:30am. No, there was no idea that he was coming, and there was no discussion after it. The heart of the father will be drawn to the heart of the son to defend.



 Understand what Im saying. You dont have inheritance in a pastor; you dont have in a teacher. Many of us have teachers all our lives. Did they share anything with you when they died? Did any teacher write your name in his will? You only have an inheritance with a father. A good man leaves an inheritance for his children to inherit. Fatherhood is not an accolade, it is a revelation. So, that was not technical failure, it was a spiritual attack that Jesus averted.



Every prophet sent to you is ordained a father. Elisha shouted: My father! My father! He was the son of Sherphat. Elijah was not his biological father, but he was a prophet sent to himEvery prophet sent to you is sent as a father, not as brother, not as an uncle, not as a friend. I have enjoyed this kind of covering all my life. 



Corroborating the testimony of Bishop Oyedepo, his second son, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, the Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, Lokogoma, Abuja said this on October 8 : Very early last week Tuesday, Daddy G. O (Pastor Enoch Adeboye) went to Bishop Oyedepos house unannounced, no telephone calls.



Daddy G.O said God told him to go and pray for Bishop. Pastor Isaac further said the message was so urgent that Daddy G.O came without Mummy G.O (his wife), it was that urgent. So Daddy G.O was just entering everywhere and praying.

On Friday of the same week, Bishop,his wife and three other keys members re on their way to Israel, when suddenly, I mean suddenly, the auto pilot failed in the air but the Everlasting Arms showed up, miraculously brought them down, no scratch.



Among the gospel musicians who ministered at the special thanksgiving service were Evangelist Bola Are, Evangelist Adelakun and his Ayewa group . The leadership and members of the church came out in large number to thank God for averting a plane crash that would have involved the Presiding Bishop of the Church, Bishop David Oyedepo and his wife.It was the third time Bishop Oyedepo would be involved in near air mishap.Narrating how this third and most recent accident happened , a pastor in the church, Adebisi read the report from the aircrafts pilot, Captain Samuel Adegoga.the pilot wrote. Adebisi added.However, while the pilot saw the incident as mechanical malfunctioning, Bishop Oyedepo said the averted air disaster was a spiritual attack.He went on to explain that a few days before he embarked on the journey, his father in the Lord and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye had had a revelation about the incident and came over to his house unannounced to pray for him.Bishop Oyedepos words: According to the word of God, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord will hit the earth, there will be a restoration of sonship and fatherhood to the body of Christ.Every prophet sent to you is ordained a father. Elisha shouted: My father! My father! He was the son of Sherphat. Elijah was not his biological father, but he was a prophet sent to himEvery prophet sent to you is sent as a father, not as brother, not as an uncle, not as a friend. I have enjoyed this kind of covering all my life. Corroborating the testimony of Bishop Oyedepo, his second son, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, the Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, Lokogoma, Abuja said this on October 8 : Very early last week Tuesday, Daddy G. O (Pastor Enoch Adeboye) went to Bishop Oyedepos house unannounced, no telephone calls.Among the gospel musicians who ministered at the special thanksgiving service were Evangelist Bola Are, Evangelist Adelakun and his Ayewa group .

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 21-10-2017 07:02 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero
Danville community leaders quizzed school superintendent Stanley Jones and his administrative staff about test scores, accreditation results and ways they could aid the school system during a community engagement luncheon Friday at the school board offices.

Representatives came from such local businesses as Noblis and American National Bank, as well as the Danville Science Center, the local YMCA and the Danville Sheriffs Office.

 I know that all of us care about education, Jones, who has been with the school district since 2015, said in opening remarks.

Much of the meeting was devoted to a presentation explaining the Virginia school accreditation process and Danvilles 2017 results from Executive Director for Accountability and School Improvement Melissa Newton. Only three of Danvilles 10 schools were accredited in 2017, according to the September report.

Newton spent part of her presentation showing that the results didnt tell the whole story about Danville test scores. Using a line graph, she showed that average test scores had hovered close to state averages during the last several years  dipping only slightly below the minimum pass rate in several subjects.

 Our kids are not bottomed out, Newton said. If anybody ever says that, thats not the case. We are moving and following the state trend. We are just not where we need to be at.

Newton asked attendees for their help in talking about the issues facing the school district. She asked them to stay informed and to talk about ways the school system was improving.

Jon Horin, representing the Noblis non-profit, said the schools had huge challenges, but he believed almost all people in the room were willing to donate resources from their organizations.

 There is a huge part of this community thats anxious to help, that just need to have the opening in place, Horin said.

Speaking after the event, Horin said he appreciated hearing about the school division directly from the source.

 So, when the community comes to us, well all be on the same page, Horin said.

The school division will hold a second engagement luncheon in January.
SCHUYLER  For many fans of the 70s show The Waltons, seeing Richard Thomas, who played John Boy, in real life was a dream come true.

On Friday, more than 75 people from around the world stood in front of the Waltons Hamner House for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off the three-day Waltons Mountain Museum 25th Silver Anniversary in Schuyler.

[Meeting Thomas] was the only thing on my bucket list, said Sinead Reilley, who traveled from Ireland with her family for the anniversary celebration. The whole thing to be in Schuyler, to see everything to do with The Waltons and to see Richard Thomas is just the icing on the cake.

The famous family drama The Waltons was based on Nelson County native Earl Hamners novel Spencers Mountain, inspired by his experiences growing up in Nelson County during the Great Depression. The show  which aired from 1972 to 1981  followed a family living in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the Depression through the eyes of son John Boy, an aspiring writer.

Hamner died in 2016 at age 92, but his house and the museum long have been destinations for admirers. Longtime fans of the show Ray Castro, Carole Johnson and Kirstin DeMaio bought Hamners house in August to keep Hamners legacy alive. It was Castro who invited Thomas to the festivities.

For me, its more about preserving Earls legacy and working with the museum in preserving the legacy, Castro said of this weekends events. Its about making their experience to Schuyler a more memorable one and for fans to enjoy for decades to come.

The weekend celebration marked the first time Thomas had returned to the Hamner house since 1973. Thomas, like Hamner, won an Emmy for his work on the show portraying John Boy, who Hamner modeled after himself.

Thanks for showing up. Im very touched, proud and happy to see you all, Thomas said before cutting the ribbon Friday.

Special guests for the weekend included Hamners sister Audrey Hamner; his nephew Harold Hamner; Tammi Bula, who played Marcia Woolrey in The Waltons; and Jesse Rutherford, who is a candidate for the Nelson County Board of Supervisors East District seat, which includes Schuyler.

Thomas said its been too long since he last visited Schuyler.

Im so amazed at how many people are here. Im shocked, Thomas said. [Fans have] been so patient waiting, and they come from so many different places. Its fantastic.

Later, hundreds more fans lined up inside the Waltons Mountain Museum to meet, take a photo and get an autograph from Thomas. The autograph event only was open to members of the Friends of Waltons, a membership for the museum.

Im on cloud nine. Its wonderful, said Marie Sloan, who traveled from Winfield, West Virginia. I couldnt think by the time I got up there what I wanted to ask him. I told him it was nice to meet him.

William and Amy Hornaday were on their way from Colonial Williamsburg to Rushville, Indiana, and happened to stop by the event. Theyve watched the show since they were kids.

Its surreal when you see them on the TV all the time, William Hornaday said. This was just a spontaneous thing on the way back home. We never knew it existed, and now were official members [of the museum].

The anniversary also marked the opening of The Pony Cart Room, a new exhibit at the museum based off the episode The Pony Cart Room. According to the Hallmark Channel, the episode featured John Walton's 90-year-old aunt coming to visit the family and annoying everyone when she insists on everyone doing everything her way. In the episode, characters Ben Walton and Martha Corrine build a pony cart. The room features the cart from the episode in a background setting of a house from the episode.

[The Pony Cart Room] is amazing. Its wonderful to have new life at the museum, said volunteer Wade Tallant, of Roanoke. Its a great opportunity for the community and the state of Virginia.
To the editor:

The news media and the Democrats accuse President Trump of ending subsidies to insurance companies for low-income insurance coverage. That is not true. What Trump is doing is obeying constitutional law.

When Obamacare was enacted, the subsidies were approved by Congress but they never approved the funding. Article 1 of the Constitution states that all funding must originate in the House of Representatives and be passed by Congress. President Obama ordered the Treasury to pay the subsidies even though he did not have the constitutional authority to do so.

A new fiscal year begins in October, and President Trump said that if Congress wants the subsidies to be paid, they will have to pass a law providing the funding as required by the Constitution. That is exactly what he should have done. Now it is up to Congress to do its job.

RAY F. LAWSON

Danville
SACRAMENTO, CALIF.  The Data Coalition , an advocacy group for widespread standardization and publication of government data, hosted its annual California Data Demo Day on Thursday, Oct. 19, featuring panels of experts who work for and with the states legislative and executive branches of government.

Lance Christensen, chief of staff for California Sen. John Moorlach, sat on the legislative panel and showed up with a whole bunch of paperwork: a couple of thick blue binders, some weighty reports, another book of rules that barely fit in a pocket. He plunked it all down on the table and told the civic tech vendors, lawmakers and policy wonks in attendance that the stacks contained important public info about Californias budget, info only available in outdated paper formats kept at the capitol in Sacramento. Essentially Christensen brought the props to show that despite Californias progressive values and booming tech industry, gov tech at the state level still has much room for improvement.

If I were to say go find the budget, outside of a Google search, could you really find it? Christensen asked the room.

He went on to note that if business owners, thought leaders or any other residents of California wanted certain budget info, You have to drive to the capitol and spend a day picking this up. He lifted a bulky binder to illustrate.

Indeed, a duality emerged throughout the event. Everyone in attendance  from government employees to politicians to technologists to lobbyists  voiced support for open data practices, while at the same time acknowledging that California could do a better job of execution.

Thats not to say no progress has been made in recent years. There was a sense of optimism in the discussions, a sense that state leadership is committed to doing its best to improve but is, of course, limited by challenges. The events keynote speaker California Sen. Richard Pan described how the failure of SB 573 , which would have required the state to support open data and hire a chief data officer, had to do with politics but ultimately led to discussions that resulted in most of what the bill was asking for coming to pass, including the hiring of a chief data officer

Pan also emphasized that the power of open data lies in not just transparency but also in its potential to improve efficiency within government.

Through open data, we want to empower government to make decisions and see what the results of those decisions are on the public, Pan said.

He said the best way to ensure that open data culture becomes entrenched in California is to develop better tools that the public will want to use to engage with government. Christensen, the chief of staff who brought all the papers, called for the public to show up at hearings, ask questions about why certain open data isnt readily available and put videos of politicians answering on Facebook or other platforms where they can be shared.

Jan Ross, Californias deputy treasurer for technology and innovation, had the clearest examples of how open data practices in California are steadily improving, pointing to many of the open data and transparency efforts taking place within her department under the leadership of Treasurer John Chiang. Those efforts include the DebtWatch portal , which provides detailed information about $1.5 trillion of debt issued by state and local governments over the past 30 years.Its dry information, to be sure, but Ross talked about how citizens concerned with the government loaning taxpayer money in service of infrastructure and other projects could use the portal to see exactly where in their communities the money had gone, how it had made things better.

You can see where this impacts your community and why you should care about it, Ross said.

The challenges discussed included finances  especially for cities that did not generate as much revenue as major metros like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Another hurdle, experts said, is the sheer mass of data government collects, which can be cumbersome  as can finding ways for dozens of disparate public agencies to funnel that much data into a unified format.

If the government chooses to publish its data, to standardize its data, said Hudson Hollister, executive director of the Data Coalition, the tech community can do amazing things with it.

Arguably, the best indicator for open data's bright future in California was the seemingly total acceptance that more gov tech companies are popping up with simpler ways to use tech to further open data uses.
In the aftermath of the massive flooding in the Houston, Texas, region brought on by Hurricane Harvey and its accompanying 50-plus inches of rainfall, there is talk and some action on what do for the next big storms.The House recently approved a disaster relief bill that would forgive $16 billion of debt for the troubled National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is more than $25 billion in debt, but lawmakers also are eyeballing multiple-loss properties  those that flood repeatedly and cause multiple insurance claims to be filed.Of NFIPs 5 million total policies, the multiple insurance claims account for just 2 percent, but those add up to about 30 percent of flood claims. But addressing this problem comes with controversy.Taking away insurance for those properties would make it the way it used to be according to a source  meaning compassion and assistance would be lacking  and what you would end up with is coverage that is unaffordable, preventing people from getting covered and resulting in fewer people paying their own way. Relief, after a disaster, would then come in the form of direct assistance through appropriations.Because of the concerns in both the House and Senate, that bill may be doomed.There are also bipartisan efforts to work toward solving the problem through mitigation. Agencies like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers report great success with mitigation programs. FEMAs hazard mitigation programs generate a yield of $4 saved for every federal dollar spent, and the Army Corps of Engineers reports 6.48 to 1 return on investment in its flood control program nationally.If you look at those returns and consider the fact that the biggest price tag under [the Disaster Relief Fund] is not homes or grandfathered properties, its the replacement of infrastructure  schools, roads, bridges, utilities, libraries  and hazard mitigation does not keep water off the built environment, said Dan Delich, a water resources consultant in Texas.There is a place for elevating homes, but elevating 10 homes costs $1 million. Conversely, if you take that million and give it to a well-run levy district, the district might be able to protect a thousand properties, according to Delich.He said FEMA could and should undertake this type of project, but at some point there was sort of a policy decision that FEMA would do the non-structural work and the Corps of Engineers would take care of the big systems.Levies and dams do fail, but there has been tremendous success in the Lower Mississippi Valley and in Dallas, Delich said. Two years ago we had 35 trillion gallons of rainwater come down on Texas, and the Corps and local projects yielded $13.3 billion in losses avoided.David Conrad, a consultant who served with the Association of State Floodplain Managers as principal investigator on a national study of federal programs, said the answer to the problem goes way beyond whether to insure, but needs community focus on using available resources for high-risk areas and moving toward rational floodplain management.Simply denying the availability of insurance still leaves the building  often occupied  and puts emergency responders in harms way, Conrad said, and if the building truly shouldnt be there then we should use resources to remove or at least elevate it.He said in the fervor to develop the area decades ago, nobody saw the big picture. The Army Corps purchased about 24,000 acres within the floodplain and built the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. About 14,00 acres then remained in the floodplain and was left in private hands. Up cropped beautiful subdivisions, some of the nicest, most desirable neighborhoods in the region, right there in the flood zone.Conrad said the that even with that amount of rainfall, the flooding should have been foreseen. After Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, which dropped as much as 40 inches of rain, and storms since, it was clear that the odds are high that this much rainfall can hit any part of the region.And to label storms the 500-year flood or 1,000-year flood, and not develop a strategy that is focused on assuring the conveyance for large amounts of runoff, some storage to assist the timing of the releases, and to recognize that continued encroachment on the floodplain is just inviting increasing damage, Conrad said.Even the Army Corps was late to recognize that these buildings were becoming constraints on their flood management, Conrad said. The challenge is going to be for everyone to look at the realities. Federal funding is increasingly hard to get. Buyouts are one too; elevation is another.There are things that can and should be done, said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, and they arent that complicated.Simply zoning for compatible use is one of those things that wasnt done in Houston, known for its disdain for zoning. Think about the situation with Barker and Addicks reservoirs, where you had more than 3,000 homes evacuated simply for the normal operations of those reservoirs, Berginnis said. How in the heck was that allowed to happen? Zoning could have easily fixed that. You zone those areas so you dont put houses there.He cautioned too about such larger flood-control measures, saying they are engineered to a certain flood condition, and with sea-level rise and a warming planet, that is risky. To invest billions in structural measures where the future is uncertain but on a bad trajectory doesnt make a lot of sense.Berginnis echoed Conrads sentiment about the 100-year flood standard, calling it inadequate as a protection of elevation or even representative of where flooding happens. He noted that much of the flooding happened outside of the floodplain.Also, counting on the federal government for flood-control needs is inadequate, and many jurisdictions successfully mitigate flooding with local programs and local dollars.Charlotte, N.C., two years ago launched a retrofit program that allows residents to elevate or otherwise flood-proof their homes, and its funded locally. Minnesota has spent $500 million in state funds on a damage reduction program. You cant just leave it to the feds, Berginnis said. It just wont get the job done.
(TNS) -- Maryland has given transportation pioneer Elon Musk permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system known as a hyperloop that Musk wants to build between New York and Washington.Hogan administration officials said Thursday the state has issued a conditional utility permit to let Musks tunneling firm, The Boring Co., dig a 10.3-mile tunnel beneath the state-owned portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, between the Baltimore city line and Maryland 175 in Hanover.It would be the first portion of the underground system that Musk says could eventually ferry passengers from Washington to New York, with stops in Baltimore and Philadelphia, in just 29 minutes. Marylands approval is the first step of many needed to complete the multibillion-dollar project.Gov. Larry Hogan toured a site in Hanover that aides said could become an entry point for the hyperloop. The state does not plan to contribute to the cost of the project, aides said.Hogan said on Facebook he was incredibly excited to support the project proposed by Musk, founder of the electric car company Tesla and the rocket firm SpaceX.This thing is real. Its exciting to see, Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn said. The word transformational may be overused, but this is a technology that leapfrogs any technology that is out there today. And its going to be here.The Boring Co. thanked officials for their support and declined to comment further.Musk announced on Twitter this summer that he had received verbal approval from government officials for his giant East Coast infrastructure project.At the time, leaders of major cities along the route said they had not granted permission of any kind. But Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said she was excited to hear more.Hogan announced his support for the project on Thursday. He posted photos of himself, Rahn, Boring Co. executives and Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh touring the fenced-off site near the intersection of Maryland 175 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Hanover where the tunneling is expected to begin.Administration officials said they will treat the hyperloop like a utility, and permitted it in the same way the state allows electric companies to burrow beneath public rights-of-way.We have all sorts of utilities beneath our roadways, Rahn said. In essence, this didnt need anything more than a utility permit.Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the vast majority of the lines in the project will run under existing state highways.It was not immediately clear Thursday what environmental review or other permitting procedures must be completed before the company breaks ground.It will be done in an environmentally sound and safe fashion, as are all state highway administration projects in Maryland, Mayer said.More than two-thirds of the 35-mile Baltimore Washington Parkway is owned by the federal government, which as of Thursday had not publicly granted permission for the hyperloop system.The Boring Co. aims to reduce traffic congestion by creating a low-cost, efficient system of tunnels. The company has developed tunneling machines it says will drill quickly through soft soils at a fraction of the cost of traditional tunneling.The hyperloop technology uses electric motors and magnets to transport train cars through a low-pressure tube.The firm has proposed building a similar hyperloop in Southern California.Rahn, the transportation secretary, said the Boring Co. will start with two 35-mile tubes between Baltimore and Washington.Rahn said the company hopes to assemble its drilling machines at the Hanover site.
DNA evidence has long been a valuable tool in criminal investigations, and matching a defendants genetic material with a sample found on a weapon or at a crime scene has impressed many a judge and jury. But as new types of DNA analysis have emerged in recent years to interpret trace amounts or complex mixtures that used to be dismissed as hopelessly ambiguous, the techniques are coming under fire as overly ambitious and mistake-prone.





See the Source Code You can see the code for the Forensic Statistical Tool on GitHub.





A federal judge this week unsealed the source code for a software program developed by New York Citys crime lab, exposing to public scrutiny a disputed technique for analyzing complex DNA evidence.Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York lifted a protective order in response to a motion by ProPublica , which argued that there was a public interest in disclosing the code. ProPublica has obtained the source code, known as the Forensic Statistical Tool, or FST, and published it on GitHub ; two newly unredacted defense expert affidavits are also Everybody who has been the subject of an FST report now gets to find out to what extent that was inaccurate, said Christopher Flood, a defense lawyer who has sought access to the code for several years. And I mean everybody  whether they pleaded guilty before trial, or whether it was presented to a jury, or whether their case was dismissed. Everybody has a right to know, and the public has a right to know.Capronis ruling comes amid increased complaints by scientists and lawyers that flaws in the now-discontinued software program may have sent innocent people to prison. Similar legal fights for access to proprietary DNA analysis software are ongoing elsewhere in the U.S. At the same time, New York City policymakers are pushing for transparency for all of the citys decision-making algorithms, from pre-trial risk assessments, to predictive policing systems, to methods of assigning students to high schools.An article ProPublica co-published with The New York Times on Sept. 4 detailed the growing doubts about the Forensic Statistical Tool, which New York City created to determine the likelihood that a given defendants DNA was present in a mixture of multiple peoples genetic material. According to the crime labs estimates, FST was used to analyze crime-scene evidence in about 1,350 cases over about 5 1/2 years. It was phased out at the beginning of this year in favor of a newer tool.A coalition of New York City defense lawyers has called for a review of all cases that may have been affected by either FST or a second disputed analysis method, called high-sensitivity DNA testing. The state inspector general, which acts as the labs ombudsman, has received the lawyers request but has not yet announced whether she will launch an investigation.The crime lab, which is part of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, did not oppose ProPublicas motion, but maintains its support of its technology. I want to be very clear that OCME continues to stand behind the science that the FST source code operationalized, and that we will continue to defend FST, Florence Hutner, general counsel for the medical examiners office, wrote to the judge on Oct. 6.She added that the lab agreed to full disclosure of the expert affidavits because the redactions had exacerbated the substantial misunderstanding of fundamental aspects of the FST source code that is reflected in multiple published criticisms of that code.ProPublicas motion came in a federal gun possession case,. Johnson was staying with his ex-girlfriend in the Bronx when police were called to her apartment and found two socks wedged between the refrigerator and the wall, one containing a black pistol and the other a silver revolver. By FSTs calculation, the DNA found on one gun was 156 times more likely than not to contain Johnsons genetic material. DNA from the other gun had an overwhelming likelihood of 66 million.In that case, Caproni became the first judge to order the lab to hand over the code for examination by the defense, but her protective order barred attorneys and experts from discussing or sharing it. Nathaniel Adams, a computer scientist and an engineer at a private forensics consulting firm in Ohio, reviewed the code for the defense and submitted an affidavit that was partially redacted before being made public. The correctness of the behavior of the FST software should be seriously questioned, he wrote in an unredacted section.ProPublicas motion, filed on Sept. 25 with the help of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School, argued that the judge should vacate that protective order because of the profound importance of this technology to the integrity of the criminal justice system, and the overriding public interest in transparency.This ruling finally enables ProPublica to gain access to the code in order to report on this matter of vital public concern, said Hannah Bloch-Wehba, a supervising attorney in the MFIA clinic, following the judges order. As law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on algorithmic tools in the criminal justice system, it is all the more important that the press and public have access to the information critical to understand what the government is doing and hold it accountable.FST was invented by employees of the crime lab and programmed by software consultants. The lab began using it in 2011 to analyze complex mixtures of DNA left behind at crime scenes. About 50 jurisdictions as far away as Bozeman, Montana, and Floresville, Texas, also sent samples to New York City for testing. When defense attorneys challenged FSTs results in court and sought access to the programs source code, the crime lab has previously refused, saying it was proprietary.Although almost all judges have allowed FST results as evidence in court, one state judge, Mark Dwyer of Brooklyn, ruled them inadmissible in two cases in 2014. Dwyer, now presiding in Manhattan, excluded FST evidence from two more cases this week. While prosecutors in both cases said DNA evidence analyzed with FST showed that the defendants violated gun possession laws, Dwyer said in court on Oct. 16 that his doubts about the programs acceptance in the scientific community persist, especially since the New York lab is no longer using it, and no other lab has adopted it.New information about the development of the FST source code and some of its purported weaknesses surfaced this past July in the cases before Dwyer in an affidavit by Eugene Lien, a technical leader in the DNA lab, whom the prosecution was using as an expert. After the lab started using FST for casework in early 2011, he and his colleagues discovered a problem with the programs math that could skew a tests results, according to Lien. Because of this, the FST program was taken offline and portions of the software were re-coded, he wrote.The lab did a performance check of the new version before resuming casework with it in July 2011, he went on, but lab officials did not inform the state oversight commission about the change, nor did they run another full validation study on the program.The letter to the state inspector general from the group of defense lawyers cited Liens account, saying it contained damning admissions about the labs lack of transparency. They also theorized that the recoding Lien described could itself have led to one problem identified by Adams  the exclusion of potentially valuable data from FSTs calculations of likelihood ratios. Characterizing Adams criticisms as merely cosmetic rather than substantive, the lab has contended that FST calculations were reliable.Besides ongoing criminal cases in New York City involving FST, Capronis decision to unseal the source code may also affect another legal fight for access to a proprietary DNA software system. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation intervened in a case in Californias appeals court on Sept. 13 in support of a defendants right to review the source code behind a commercially available DNA analysis program called TrueAllele.Its a major credit to the court, the parties and ProPublica that the source code used in Mr. Johnsons case will now be subject to public scrutiny, said Brett Max Kaufmann, a staff attorney for the ACLU who is working on the California appeals case. We urge other courts to follow this example when hearing cases involving similar types of evidence.Outside the courtroom, some New York City lawmakers are seeking more public review of algorithms and their impacts. On Oct. 16, the New York City Councils Committee on Technology held a hearing about a proposed bill calling for all city agencies to publish online the source codes for algorithms that they use in decision-making. As an example of the danger of relying on algorithms, witnesses and a committee report cited ProPublicas 2016 investigation that found racial bias in a software program used by courts to decide whether its safe to let defendants out on bail.These tools seem to offer objectivity, but we must be cognizant of the fact that algorithms are simply a way of encoding assumptions, and their design can be biased, and that the very data they possess can be flawed, the bills author and the committee chair, James Vacca, said at the hearing. I have proposed this legislation not to prevent city agencies from taking advantage of cutting-edge tools, but to assure that when they do, they remain accountable to the public.The committee heard from defense lawyers and others who support the bill as well as representatives from Mayor Bill DeBlasios Office of Data Analytics and the citys Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, which both oppose it in its current form. After the hearing, Vacca told ProPublica that he would revise the bill to address criticisms he had heard about confidentiality concerns, and also to clarify that the proposal applies to both programs developed by third-party vendors and software developed in-house by city employees. Vacca said he is determined to pass a law on this issue before the end of his term.To my knowledge, we are the first city, and the first legislative body in our country, to take on this issue, Vacca said during the hearing. And as with so many other things, Im hoping that New York City will set the example for others throughout the world.
(TNS) -- People used to laugh at my suggestion that computer viruses were being planted and user info was being purloined by the same companies who sell us security software. These products are intended to safeguard our computers, our identity and online activities, by remotely snooping over our cyber-shoulders (with permission).But of late the fox-in-the-henhouse mentality has been gaining credibility in our politically disturbed world. As when we hear about distant hackers in Russia and China faking Facebook identities (she seemed like such a nice girl, and werent those puppies cute!) to plant viruses and disrupt elections.Consider the growing fears and revelations surrounding Kaspersky Lab, a leading seller of antivirus software, spawned in Moscow by a KGB-trained operative, Eugene Kaspersky.Revelations have come out about Russian cyber-espionage hacks conducted through the Kaspersky platform on a global scale, extracting secrets and tools from our National Security Council (and maybe the CIA, too?)On Oct. 5, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that the personal computer of a National Security Agency contractor (stupidly loaded up with classified documents) had been hacked by Russian agents using backdoor access through Kaspersky security software. The breaches, which occurred back in 2015, were first discovered (and shared way back then with the NSA) by computer spies in Israel who had wormed into the networks of Kaspersky Lab, the New York Times reported And this is rich: The bad guys narrowed their search and discovery of useful dirt by looking for key phrases like Top Secret and Very Important. Well never use those terms again! (Wait, too late!)While Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab has called these allegations unfounded, the U.S. government on Sept. 13 banned its software from any U.S. government or military computer.On the home front, Best Buy, Office Max, and Office Depot have all stopped selling Kaspersky products. And they are offering customers a free swap-out and installation of other security software. Act fast, as some deals with one-years free replacement service may run out at months end!For any consumers or small businesses that are concerned about privacy or have sensitive information, I wouldnt recommend running Kaspersky, counseled Blake Darche, a former NSA cybersecurity analyst who now steers the cybersecurity firm Area 1.Until last week, Kaspersky Lab was still basking in the halo glow of trust by association with National Public Radio. A leading underwriter of Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Kaspersky was celebrated with the on-air salute: Giving 400 million users the power to protect their money, privacy, computers and mobile devices from cyber theft viruses and other online threats. Learn more at Kaspersky.com.But then on Oct. 12, the morning after new revelations about Kasperskys dark web connections, the NPR spots abruptly ceased. Kaspersky would no longer frolic in underwriter land with Subaru, Novo Nordisk, and the latest art house film project of the Weinstein Company. NPR spokesperson Isabel Lara soft-pedaled that the end had been long in coming: The prior funding ended earlier this month and the credit schedule ran its course. But come on!A leading proponent of ban-Kaspersky legislation, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) has argued that because Kasperskys servers are in Russia, sensitive United States data is constantly cycled through a hostile country. Russian law requires telecommunications service providers such as Kaspersky to install communications interception equipment that allows the FSB (Federal Security Service) to monitor all of a companys data transmissions.In truth, government snooping authorizations also apply to U.S. software companies thanks to the Patriot Act. Also questionable, reported British website theregister.co/uk , are the CIAs investments (through In-Q-Tel) in security start-ups FireEye, Interset, ArcSight, and Silver Tail Systems.So what are other acceptable security software options? Some endorsers, like PC Magazine , are sticking by this 20-year operation, arguing that Kaspersky makes great products and is innocent until proven guilty. And in truth, a slew of testing labs here and abroad have top-rated Kaspersky security programs for their skills at scanning computer traffic, ratting out malware, and ransomware.But even PC Mag grants that theres room at the top for Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, Symantec Norton AntiVirus Basic, the light but tough Webroot Secure Anywhere AntiVirus, and the multi-device-protecting McAfee AntiVirus Plus.Consumer Reports tester Rich Fisco said its no longer difficult to make a switch. You run the uninstaller, wait for it to say that its done and then reboot your computer.However, he warns that Windows Defender Antivirus built into Windows 10 is a different story: You can disable it but you cant uninstall it. And if you ever reinstall (from a disk or USB recovery drive) the operating system for a laptop that had been preloaded with Kaspersky antivirus software, the Kaspersky software will be reinstalled along with the rest of the operating system.
Felipe Massa says he would be interested in a role with Liberty Media once his F1 career ends.

After 16 seasons on the grid, the 36-year-old is fighting for his Williams cockpit against 2018 contenders Robert Kubica, Paul di Resta and Pascal Wehrlein.

Although he retired at the end of last season only to surprisingly return, Massa seems unhappy his place is now in doubt.

"I have nothing to say," the Brazilian said when asked about Kubica and di Resta's 'shootout' test in Hungary last week.

"I'm focused solely on my job."

Many in the paddock believe Williams has already decided to oust Massa. The driver said he is simply waiting for the British team's decision.

"There were no new negotiations," he said.

"Of course, when I talk with the team I state my position clearly, but I think they know perfectly well what I can do. From my side I'm sure that they need me."

Massa said he is hoping for Williams' decision before his home race in Sao Paulo early next month.

His departure would also mean that there are no Brazilians on the 2018 grid.

"Of course it would be bad because Brazilians love formula one and they want to cheer for their driver. But let's see how things develop," he said.

If he does retire from F1, Massa has been linked with a move to Formula E.

But he was also asked if he might be interested in a consultancy role with F1 owner Liberty Media.

"If I can help, and they are interested in my help, then of course we can talk," he said in Austin.

"But at the moment I am completely focused on racing, because it's what I love most and what I've done all my life. But for the future, everything is possible."

(GMM)
F1 could be set to team up with the popular internet streaming service Netflix.

Germany's Welt newspaper reports that Liberty Media is in talks with the American internet company, with a deal having the potential to revolutionise how F1 is broadcast.

"Liberty Media has been trying to expand the presence of formula one in multimedia channels," said F1's commercial boss Sean Bratches.

"We are talking to Netflix about a collaboration from 2018 onwards," he added.

Bild newspaper also quoted Bratches as saying: "The internet is of great importance to us. We are in the development phase."

The reports said a deal for live broadcast rights is not initially likely, with Netflix expected to instead show other feature content, highlights and replays.

"We've seen a lot of activity this year," said McLaren boss Zak Brown, who is a F1 marketing expert.

"They (Liberty) are trying new things, really engaging with the fans. If we get that right and have hundreds of millions of fans around the world, that creates an eco-system for more sponsors and healthier teams," he added.

(GMM)
Artists Randall Kane and Jason Payne create a mural called Urban Renewal on the Murrow Boulevard overpass over Church Street in Greensboro, NC on September 20, 2017. The mural, whihc was commissioned by the Fisher Park Neighborhood Association, will span both sides of the 8,000 square foot overpass. The main subject of the mural are daisies, which symbolize innocence and purity, Kane said.
GREENSBORO  When Gerald Gupton first learned his son was in the intensive care unit at Wesley Long Hospital, he assumed Garry Gupton had been mugged.

He didnt know his son was about to face a first-degree murder charge in the death of 46-year-old Stephen White, he testified Friday at his sons trial in Guilford County Superior Court.

Hey, Mr. Gupton, he heard when he answered a phone call from an unknown number, Gupton recounted for jurors. This is Zack. Have you heard about Garry?

Zack Riggs was one of Garry Guptons best friends. They had known each other since high school and hung out regularly, according to testimony.

Gerald Gupton, who lives in Connecticut, had just left his son that morning after a five-day visit to Greensboro, he testified. They had spent Nov. 4-8, 2014, hanging out, watching movies at the theater and going out to eat. He was sitting on his couch telling Garry Guptons stepmother, Rita, about his visit and now sharing that story with Riggs.

Riggs interrupted, telling Gupton that his son was in the hospital surrounded by officers.

Gerald Gupton hung up the phone and told his wife, Ive got to get back to Greensboro.

Gerald Gupton recapped the moment as part of his testimony Friday, the 15th day of his sons capital murder trial.

Garry Gupton, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in Whites death. White was found on Nov. 9, 2014, in Room 417 of the Battleground Inn. He had been set on fire.

Garry Gupton admitted to the jury Thursday that after having sex with White, he strangled and beat him before setting a comforter on fire and leaving it next to Whites unconscious body.

The men had met on Nov. 8, 2014, at Chemistry Nightclub, a gay bar and lounge.

Gupton has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He faces a possible death sentence if found guilty.

Gupton had been outside the hotel screaming about Middle Eastern terrorist groups and bombs when police found him. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and a first-degree burn on his nose.

He was taken to Wesley Long Hospital, where Dr. Patrick Wright diagnosed delirium and other issues.

There, Garry Gupton called Riggs, according to testimony.

Riggs told jurors he rushed to the hospital, but police sent him away.

All Riggs was able to tell his friends father later that day was that Garry Gupton was handcuffed to a hospital bed and there had been a fight and a fire.

Gerald Gupton testified he began his 12-hour trip back to North Carolina while trying to reach the police.

He told jurors that, in his conversations with lead Detective Richard Montgomery, he learned that his son was bisexual.

Youre making it sound like a gay hookup and Garry isnt gay, Gerald Gupton told Montgomery.

Friends testified Friday that Garry Gupton told them he thought he was gay.

Gerald Gupton told jurors about how his son was born via C-section after the family was forced out of their house because of carbon monoxide. Growing up, he failed to hit normal milestones like learning to walk and talk on time, his father testified. Before he turned 5, doctors diagnosed juvenile diabetes.

Garry Guptons friends testified that when his blood-sugar levels fluctuated, he could become agitated, confused and dazed.

His father testified that his son had trouble in school and was bullied.

Garry can be awkward, Riggs testified. He said things at the wrong time and his jokes werent appropriate.

Riggs ex-girlfriend Danielle Jamison agreed. Jamison and Gupton moved in together after Riggs and Jamison broke up.

His sense of humor was off the walls, Jamison said. It would not be in relevance to what we were talking about.

Garry Gupton smiled as his friends described him.

They all agreed he was honest, peaceful and as close to them as their own families.

Raymond Buddy Kennedy said he met Garry Gupton in middle school and they slowly became friends. They hung out daily.

Defense attorney Ames Chamberlin asked Kennedy if Garry Gupton was still his friend.

Until the day I die, Kennedy said.

Kennedy was one of 12 people who testified Friday, most being friends and family.

Jurors also heard from a doctor, Whites ex-boyfriend and the taxi cab driver who picked up White and Garry Gupton and took them to the Battleground Inn.

Chamberlin was in the middle of questioning Gerald Gupton when Superior Court Judge Michael Duncan ended the trial for the day.

The trial will resume at 9:30 a.m. Monday with at least two days more of testimony expected.
The Brunswick School water polo team put forth a dominating effort in the first game of its trip to California, rolling to a 17-3 win over Lynbrook from San Jose, Calif., Friday in the first round of the Freeman Memorial Tournament at Monte Vista High School.

Playing in an outdoor pool, the Bruins jumped out to leads of 4-0 and 6-1. Nico Apostolides and Gavin Molloy each recorded hat tricks, while Thacher Scannell, Kyle Yelensky, Danny Taylor and Tate Robinson had two goals apiece.
GREENWICH  When Christine Lai drives around Greenwich with her 13-year-old son, she constantly narrates what she is doing.

Im turning here; Im making a left turn. I have to cross this lane of traffic. Im watching those cars, she says. See those people? That car is breaking. Thats what it means.

Lai doesnt know if her son will ever drive. But she does know that his autism means her son has to be taught and repeatedly practice many lessons that neurotypical teens would pick up more easily.

Helping individuals with autism reach adult milestones  like driving, going to college or getting a job  was the subject of a panel discussion moderated by The New Yorker Editor David Remnick this week at Greenwich Country Day School. Sponsored by the nonprofit Next for Autism, the panel followed a screening of the documentary How to Dance in Ohio, which explores the lives of autistic young adults.

The films producer and director Alexandra Shiva, who participated in the panel, said she was interested in exploring coming of age with autism after meeting a friends daughter who was on the spectrum.

Her parents talked a lot to be about how there is so much focus on cause and cure but not enough on what happens when kids grow up, she said.

The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, tells the story of a group of autistic young adults who spend three months preparing for a formal dance organized by their clinical psychologist in Columbus, Ohio. At therapy sessions they learn how to talk to people they dont know, ask a date to an event, and even dance the Wobble, in preparation for an evening that will challenge their social and communication skills.

This film is an incredible opportunity to look at young adults with autism going into adulthood, said Ilene Lainer, Next for Autism president and co-founder. I find it a wonderful journey.

A neurodevelopment disorder, autism can produce social, cognitive and communication impairments ranging from mild to severe. It is often identified in young children who may be avoidant, have abnormally developing language skills or difficulty with facial expressions or other social cues, among other characteristics. It is estimated one in 68 children in the U.S. has autism, according to the National Institute of Health.

According to Lainer, more than half a million teens with autism are expected to transition into adulthood over the next decade. When young adults reach age 21, they are no longer eligible for public school and other programs for autistic children, leaving some autistic individuals and their families struggling to figure out what is next.

Remnick and his wife Esther Fein have an 18-year-old daughter with autism named Natasha. She is nearly non-verbal and can only express her needs and wishes in primitive ways, her parents say.

Its really important for scientists to be doing research on the causes and potential cures for autism, said Fein. We also need advocates in Washington who are pushing for policy  insurance policies, educational policies, long-term living policies  that meet the needs of people with autism and even other developmental disabilities. But right now, people with autism need programs. They need ways of feeling involved in the community, ways of having jobs, of having places to live.

Remnick and Fein are both Next for Autism board members and live in New York City.

We live in a moment now, its a very hard moment, said Remnick, who has been editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and reported on topics such as Russia and the Middle East, interviewed multiple presidents and published six books. I think people are struggling to figure out ways they can express their solidarity and humanity... Compassion is not on the tip of everybodys tongue; lets just put it that way. So when groups that come along that are as serious and as decent as Next for Autism  I can name a whole bunch of other ones, but were here for that one tonight  they can show concrete help. For some people that means time, for other people that means money, and for a lot of people it means showing up, like they did tonight, and a watching a movie to see something, to feel something that they didnt see yesterday.

Next for Autism serves the New York metro area with programs in New York City and Westchester County that integrate autistic individuals into their neighborhoods through mentoring or internship opportunities, among others. Communities can better support individuals with autism by being more inclusive and welcoming, Lainer said.

Lai, a Next board member from Greenwich, described receiving dirty looks when she was out with her autistic son if she could not control his behavior. Some people whispered behind her back that she was a bad mother, or her son a bad child.

Now that her son is older, she wants the same things for him as her normally developing 11-year-old son.

What do we want for their future? We want them to live independently, we want them to have a job or some sort of meaningful activity, she said. We want them to have friends, we want them them to romantic interests, we want all the things we want for our typical children for our children on the spectrum.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
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GREENWICH  On March 16, 1968, more than 100 GIs from Charlie Company flooded into My Lai in search of Viet Cong. What they found were women, children and old men, none of whom were fighting age or combat ready.

Still, Lt. William Calley told his troops to shoot, and they followed orders. Over a few hours, Americans murdered more than 500 civilians in cold blood and at close range. Some of them took the carnage a step further, raping their victims before dealing a final blow.

This is the narrative that dominated news cycles in 1969, and that persists in our historical memory today. It is also the story Ken Burns tells in his new 18-hour documentary, The Vietnam War. Along with millions of Americans, local veterans have watched the series as it has aired on PBS over the past few weeks. For some, its been a welcome addition to Vietnams documentation. But for others, it has revived frustrations about how the war  and its soldiers  have been depicted for half a century.

At his Old Greenwich home, Edward Vick gave another perspective on My Lai  one only afforded to those who actually served. Nuanced voices are rarely represented in documentaries like The Vietnam War, Vick said, which tend to chronicle what happened, instead of truly explaining conditions that could have driven American men to such vile actions.

They dont tell the whole story from every angle, Vick said. Its almost like lies of omission.

Vick remembered traveling along a tributary of the Vam Co Dong River in the Mekong Delta during Operation Giant Slingshot. As a naval officer, he headed two patrol boats, each of which had four gunners.

During the day, Vick and his soldiers would go into villages on pacification missions, vaccinating children and facilitating humanitarian relief.

Men with wide grins would wave at his crew as they left the docks. That night, the same men would shoot them.

Thats the kind of village that My Lai might have been, Vick said.

He remembered the Viet Congs black uniforms; they were the same pajama-like clothes worn by civilians. When foe masquerades as friend, its not always easy  or even feasible  to tell them apart.

Vick is not an apologist for My Lai. He believes that the soldiers from Charlie Company should have served jail sentences and condemned their deadly actions.

Im not forgiving any of that behavior, he said. All Im saying is that it is really f---ing scary on one of those rivers in the dark.

Burns and co-filmmaker Lynn Novick may have spent a decade compiling information for their Vietnam War series, but Vicks time commitment is even more substantial: He has thought about his service in Southeast Asia nearly every day for 50 years. When Burns chose what to emphasize about the conflict, Vick said, he really picked the low-hanging fruit.

In the documentary, U.S. sins are writ large with very little social background, Vick said. He remembered preparing for nuclear war and practicing duck and cover drills at school as a child. But more than that, he emphasized the human rights violations that were committed in Hanoi, which Burns barely mentions.

Vick acknowledged part of the problem is that no historical record exists on the North Vietnamese side, so the documented chronicle is woefully unbalanced. The United States aired its dirty laundry through the free press, he said, whereas Hanoi only allowed propagandists to publish skewed information. Even today, in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the government has final approval on requests to interview not only officials, but also private citizens, which affects what stories documentarians can tell.

Context is everything in these things, and I think Ken Burns did a wonderful job of creating a context where through naivete, stupidity, selfishness and ego we stumbled into a generational catastrophe, Vick said. And I am admittedly biased, but I reject that.

Too many wars to cover

While The Vietnam War is already being called canonical, criticism of the series reaches far beyond Vicks armchair. In a Los Angeles Times Op-Ed, novelist Aimee Phan claimed that Burns reaffirmed the pre-existing narrative about the war, with little new information, insight or perspective. Jeffrey Kimball, who has penned four books on the conflict, wrote that Burns and Novicks  treatment of diplomatic, political, international, and other important facets of the war leave something to be desired.

According to Kimball, where Burns and Novick excelled was in their collection of personal war stories. But even there, they did not catch everyone.

Nobody ever does my time, said Roger Paulmeno. The war doesnt exist after 70.

Paulmeno, who lives in Old Greenwich, joked that the documentary covers his tour for about two seconds.

Despite being in-country during Richard Nixons term as president, Paulmenos time represented anything but a decrease in American involvement.

Like other veterans who hoped volunteering would mean safer jobs, Paulmeno enlisted to avoid being drafted. Though he still didnt expect to survive, he thought joining the Army was better than staying in the Bronx, where crime rates were soaring.

I figured I was either going to die in the projects or die in Vietnam, he said. It didnt matter. I figured if I go to Vietnam, at least I get paid.

In the field, he was assigned to a platoon with a life expectancy of three weeks. When he arrived, he was the 13th oldest in the platoon; by the time he was wounded in action, he was the third oldest.

Paulmeno was medically evacuated to Japan, where his mom called to inform him that he was dying. They had gotten the telegram that morning, she assured him.

To his familys shock, he survived and was sent stateside to recover. His parents drove all the way from New York to visit him at a hospital in Texas. When his father caught a glimpse of his son, he fainted.

They compare combat to mostly women being raped, Paulmeno said. How do you prepare for that?

Kip Burgweger has another story  one that doesnt fit within the jungle setting overwhelmingly favored by historians and filmmakers. Now a Cos Cob resident, in the early 1960s Burgweger was a student at Yale when he enrolled in ROTC. Though the war didnt escalate until 1965, he already had friends whose names were getting called in the late 1950s.

Burgweger was part of a detachment that nicknamed itself the new guinea forces, because they were guinea pigs for a program spearheaded by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara that provided nontraditional on-the-job training.

When he landed in Saigon in late November 1965 to work in intelligence, he was placed in a role that should have been filled by a captain. He was a second lieutenant.

The management system was just out of sync, Burgweger recalled. I wasnt thinking so much about, We cant win. I was thinking, What is the matter with these people? 

His station held a sporting competition in which half the entrance money went to the winner and the other half to buying sandbags to shield GIs from bullets. The government hadnt sent any.

In Saigon, Burgweger faced another kind of war. He was surrounded by friendly  or at least apathetic  faces, but that didnt mean safety. He and his friends avoided Vietnamese street food because they feared it might be poisoned, and sometimes, a grenade made its way into American vehicles.

Every now and then, there would be somebody who was trying to kill you, Burgweger said.

Even if he had tried, Burns could have never given a full representation of the Vietnam War, the local veterans said. From the soldiers view, the variety of experience was just too vast.

You cant touch on everything, Paulmeno said. He could have made a 20-hour documentary on one day in Vietnam.

Information and misinformation

According to RTM member Bob McKnight, troops rarely traveled more than 20 miles during their tours, and each theater was different, which means theres no single, cohesive, chronological narrative of the war.

But McKnight still appreciated that Burns was trying to tell a story that has long been hushed.

Its cathartic, and in a way it explains a lot that we wondered about, and now its just out there for all to see, he said.

At Greenwich High School, McKnight overheard conversations about whether to flee to Canada or enroll at a university  any university  to avoid service. When he decided to take a year off from college, he was drafted almost immediately.

His mother didnt speak to him for months.

But eventually, she overcame her anger and wrote to him once he was stationed abroad. Like other soldiers who received letters from home, he could learn about his familys fates from those, but it was harder for GIs to get their hands on news of national or international importance. Usually, their only outlet was Stars and Stripes, an American military newspaper run by Defense Media Activity.

We had no other real source of information, and we couldnt do a whole lot about it, said Robert Moore, a Stamford resident who served as an infantry rifle platoon leader in the jungle during monsoon season.

Moore was in-country as an officer when the first Pentagon Papers published in 1971. He didnt know about them at the time.

Instead, he lay in a hammock each night, shivering himself dry so he could finally sleep after climbing up and down muddy hills all day. The hammock was a necessity: On the ground, there were leeches waiting to suck his blood.

He heated his C rations with C4, and soon learned not to use toothpaste. The enemy could smell it, indicating where to shoot.

Moore was in a firefight approximately every week.

When we ran into men, they were armed and either carrying supplies or providing perimeter security for some kind of encampment, he said. And we would fire them up in a heartbeat.

But when it came to women and children, his troops were cautious, Moore said, even when it was clear they were gathering supplies for the Viet Cong. He had been at Fort Benning when Calley was court-martialed, and he was sensitive to anything that remotely resembled improper use of force.

For Moore, it was the U.S. governments duplicity  recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson and Nixon making damning confession to their closest advisers  that took him aback in Burns documentary.

My major takeaway from the series is everybody lies, and it was appalling to me how early informed people in Washington, including both Johnson and Nixon, knew that we couldnt win, he said. I think I had no inkling that leaders had decided probably four or five years before I went into the service that the war was unwinnable.

McKnight had a similar epiphany while watching the first four episodes of the documentary.

My generation, the Baby Boomers, are going to be the last generation to trust the United States government, he said.

But despite his disillusionment  and the aftereffects of combat, which during an interview at a local McDonalds led him to sit in a corner, near an exit, where he could see everything around him  McKnight emphasized that he doesnt regret his service. But that doesnt mean he has no discomfort about the time he served.

I dont think anybody just took a life casually, he said. After we had a firefight, there was a regret because we looked down and saw people our age, or younger.
Ruth Bernard Yeazell cant kick the habit: When she tours a museum or gallery, she needs to read a paintings title, even before she looks at the canvas itself. She knows her process is not ideal, and she feels repentant. But its instinct.

Out of this guilty recourse, Yeazell  the Chace Family Professor of English at Yale University  has penned a book. Picture Titles: How and Why Western Paintings Acquired Their Names, explores the relatively short history of adding titles to paintings, which for the most part spans only 300 years, Yeazell said.

From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Yale Alumni Association of Greenwich will co-host Yeazell for a talk in the Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library. The event, which is free to the public, is part of a series pioneered by YAAG last year.

Were trying to bring a diversity of speakers and areas of interest, said John Kim, YAAGs president.

On Sunday, Yeazell will explain how middlemen have often had a hand in titling well-known paintings, and how artists approach authorship differently. In her 40-minute lecture, she plans to underscore a few icons from the 18th century through to today, including Jacques-Louis David, J.M.W. Turner, Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns.

Over the years, artists have had varied involvement in their paintings titles. Pablo Picasso, for example, thought finding titles was for dealers and curators; his language was visual, Yeazell said. But there were exceptions, and when he did choose to label his works  like his masterpiece, Les Demoiselles dAvignon  he got angry when they were later rebranded.

It didnt matter, unless it mattered, Yeazell said.

Yeazell was originally inspired to pursue a timeline on painting titles when she was writing her last book on 17th-century Dutch painting. Her editor marked her manuscript for minor inconsistencies in titles.

Yeazell complimented him for doing his due diligence, but she said, that ironically, the titles he was fact-checking were not real, in a historical sense; most of them had been assigned not by the artist, but instead by someone centuries later.

It was that lightbulb that went off, she said. And then I began asking myself, When did artists begin titling their paintings regularly?

The answer is fairly simple. When patronage was popular, titles were nonessential. The patron knew what he or she was commissioning, and there was no need for a descriptive plaque in their homes.

I doubt if most people put titles on the paintings they hang on their walls, Yeazell joked.

But as the art market became more public and entrepreneurial, buyers were less involved in the creative process and searched for an access point into completed art that they considered for purchase.

For some, that became a title.
NEW HAVEN  Sen. Richard Blumenthal has accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of violating its policy of not arresting undocumented persons at sensitive locations, which is spreading fear in those communities.

The senator, along with 19 others, has introduced legislation that would address this, while they also sent a letter to the acting head of Homeland Security to clarify its position.

John Morton, the former head of ICE in 2011, issued a memo that directed his agents to avoid certain sensitive locations, when making arrests or searching suspected undocumented persons, unless approved by a supervisor or to respond to exigent circumstances.

Those locations include schools, places of worship, hospitals, rallies and demonstrations.

Blumenthal and others at a press conference Friday at the Columbus Family Academy in the Fair Haven neighborhood stressed the fear that such arrests instill in residents.

Ice agents, even in New Haven, have conducted a series of events that may violate these policies and we want to make sure that there is respect for the law and that New Haven and Connecticut are protected against these draconian and abusive policies, the senator said.

We will stand strong to protect the rule of law and to compel the administration to respect its own rules, he said.

Early on in the Trump administration, it reaffirmed the sensitive location policy, but also specifically said it would not avoid the interior of courthouses as requested by several states.

In June, Conneticut Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers asked the new administration to view courthouses as sensitive locations and not allow ICE officials to take custody of individuals in the public areas of these facilities. Immigration attorneys have reported that those arrests have continued, including in New Haven and Danbury.

Advocates at the press conference said there was an alleged attempt by ICE to enter a church in Danbury, but the agency refrained from doing so.

A spokesman for ICE said he knows of no violations of the sensitive location policy in Connecticut.

NPR reported last month that a couple in Texas was put into deportation proceedings after Custom and Border Protection agents escorted them to a Corpus Christi hospital where their 2-month old son underwent an emergency operation.

Other reports include the detention of six men in Virginia as they left a church homeless shelter; the removal of a woman from a hospital in Texas with a brain tumor to place her back in detention and the arrest of a father after he dropped his daughter off at school in Los Angeles.

Dr. Suzanne Lagarde, executive director of the Fair Haven Community Health Center, said the fear in Fair Haven is having a negative impact on their clients health.

It is critically important to us that our patients feel safe within our four walls. We have spent 45-plus years trying to promote that and there is no question that over the past 10 months, that trust has been eroded somewhat. We try fervently to continue to reiterate to our patients that they are safe, Lagarde said.

She thanked the stakeholders from Yale New Haven Hospital, the city, the legal community and advocates who have been working for months to help the undocumented in New Haven.

While the press conference was called to address the sensitive location policies, school and medical personnel also talked about the needs of Puerto Rican citizens starting to pour into New Haven to live with relatives given the destruction of the island by Hurricane Maria.

Lagarde said the situation on the island is a humanitarian crisis. We are doing what we can. Despite what you are hearing from Washington, what we are hearing what is on the ground there is still horrific, she said.

While President Trump gave himself a 10 in the U.S. efforts to help Puerto Rico, Blumenthal said: I would give him a minus-10.

Karen Jarmoc, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said immigrants are a particularly vulnerable and unique population.

She said what they find is abusive partners often use immigration status as a way to control, as a way to threaten women.

Jarmoc said what the 18 domestic violence centers are finding is that undocumented victims are not seeking shelter for fear they will be part of a data base that will be shared with ICE.

She said one woman left transitional housing, taking her four U.S. children with her, because of this concern. Jarmoc said the information is fully confidential, according to law.

Abie Benitez, director of instruction for the New Haven Public Schools, said schools are the first place where immigrant families learn about democracy, where they learn the American way is one of inclusion and not exclusion.

She said the fear that their parents will be deported is not fair for children.

The end of DACA, Defered Action for Childhood Arrivals, also impacts young people who are graduating from the schools, as well as some of their teachers, she said.

We need these people. They are part of their community and they continue to help us understand many things that we as U.S. citizens may not understand about that fear growing up, Benitez said.

On the issue of students coming from Puerto Rico to the city schools, the number so far is 46, ranging from elementary grades through high school .
In a few days, Christians will mark the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It is said that on 31 October 1517, the Augustinian friar and Catholic priest, Martin Luther, nailed a list of 95 theses  academic propositions he wanted to debate  to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany; a small town where he taught theology at the local university.

While historians argue there is a lack of evidence for this dramatic action, it is certain that on that day Luther sent his list of theses to the Catholic Archbishop of Mainz.

Sending his letter, he was provoking a public debate about some of the central tenets of the Christian faith. However, whether he intended it or not, his action was a match that sparked a series of new religious movements that flashed across Europe.

But Luthers stand  faithful to his conscience, intellectual convictions, interpretation of Scripture, and grounded on the highest of ideals of Christian discipleship  came at a profound cost. In decades that followed, the religious unity of Western Europe was shattered as Christians broke with each other over the meaning of Christian doctrine.

Sadly, warring religious parties quickly became religious warring parties. For nearly a century and a half, Europe bled as Christians fought each other in the name of God. And though military battles that marked the wars of religion ended in the 1650s, everyone from Ireland to Poland-Lithuania still remained someone elses religious enemy.

For so long the story stopped there: Christian pitted against Christian in the name of the God who is love. We drew the line oftentimes at loving the Christian Other in the name of being faithful to our own communities, beliefs, and traditions. We trumpeted the exclusivity of Gods inclusive love.

But, thank God, the story doesnt end there. As Christians, we are not only people of faith, we are also people of hope and charity. We trust in a God who heals and restores; we make the audacious claim that God will bring light from darkness and transform death into life. We hope in the God who knits broken people back together again. And what we profess about Gods work in us as individuals, we believe that God does for us as a community.

In the last 50 year,s we have seen the restorative dimension of Gods grace at work among us. After centuries of mutual recrimination, fear, and hostility, things began to change. Human limitations and failure could not impede the Spirit of God calling us individually and corporately to conversion.

For people who believe that in the beginning was the Word, we began conversations. We started to talk to each other, and not simply about each other. More importantly, we began to listen. Christians  Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant  found that the many areas of agreement, especially about fundamentals of the faith, far outweighed places of doctrinal difference. And once we began to speak to each other, we began to work together to advance the cause of justice: to aid the poor, the weak, and the marginal. It was the Gospel imperative that we all, as Christians, shared.

Thus as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, there is much to lament in what took place between Christians in the last five centuries. There was much evil and animosity; there was much bloodshed and sin. We must acknowledge that part of our history; because it is also part of the story of our redemption. But more importantly, there is so much more for which we need to give thanks. Despite our misguided actions and frailty, our limitations and narrow-mindedness, the healing power of Gods grace always triumphs in the end. And regardless of what prompted it, we are always better, stronger, and holier for our encounter with the grace of the living God.

So to my brothers and sisters in Christ  heirs to the legacy of Luther and the Reformation tradition  I wish you a blessed anniversary: may it be an occasion for you, and all Christians, to become more like the One whom we all profess to follow.

The Rev. Jordan Lenaghan is executive director of University Religious Life at Quinnipiac University
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News

VIDEO: Residents rescue child dangling from highrise in China after head gets stuck in window

The toddler was alone in the house after his family went out, so he went out to the balcony of the house on the fifth floor, slipped and hung from his head.




Haiti - Education : Follow-up of sanctions against fraudsters to State exams 2017





Thursday a meeting around the follow-up of the sanctions provided against the fraudsters (candidates or schools) to the state exams 2017 was held between Meniol Jeune, the Director General of the Ministry of National Education, the members of the State Examinations Commission and other senior executives of the Directorate General.



Meniol Jeune said he hoped that the education community and the general population would be informed by next week about the sanctions they are considering against the fraudsters to State exams claiming "We must respect our commitments and send a clear signal to all those who break the rules and operate outside the standards set by the Ministry."



The National Bureau of State Examinations (BUNEXE) in conjunction with the Examinations Commission has identified a list of fraudsters deserving a clear warning or sanction from the education sector regulator. Depending on the seriousness of the fault, a penalty scale ranging from a warning to the suspension of participation in State examinations or the outright withdrawal of the permit issued to schools is envisaged.



The Ministry recalls that the Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE) must collaborate in this process and provide all proven cases of fraud in their region.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Economy : Haiti Open Data a small revolution in the country





This week at the Marriott Hotel in Port-au-Prince, Tessa Jacques, the Director General of the Center for Investment Facilitation (CFI), in the presence of President Jovenel Moise and his wife Martine, Koldo Echebbaria Representative of the Inter-American Bank Development Bank (IDB), members of the diplomatic corps, investors, entrepreneurs and representatives of the private business sector, officially launched the "Haiti Open Data" internet platform, a unique and powerful bilingual tool, which took several months of work done with IDB support and in partnership with a dozen local and international institutions, which provides crucial and necessary data to establish an investment plan in Haiti.



The data can be exported and is automatically updated. Data from international sources is automatically updated by an international firm "Knoema", the technical partner of the CFI which developed the platform.



The Head of State welcomed the establishment of this information platform which is a response to the inaccessibility of reliable data in Haiti that are facing both investors and other private sector actors Today, thanks to this platform, interested parties can access the data and download it in a few minutes. This platform offers direct and real information and reliable and exploitable data on Haiti [...] This is a big step towards this much-desired modernity," said President Moise.



The CFI Director renewed her commitment to promote and facilitate private investment in the country. "This new step in the CFI's mission is part of the Moise/Lafontant government's vision to strengthen support for current and future investors. One of its responsibilities is to set up an information system based on the compilation, organization and dissemination of economic and commercial information produced on Haiti as well as in Haiti and abroad," adding "We are also working with our partners to identify bottlenecks in a number of administrative procedures in order to propose reforms to simplify these procedures for the benefit of investors, entrepreneurs and the public administration."



"The Inter-American Development Bank encourages any initiative to facilitate, develop or encourage entrepreneurship in Haiti. Entrepreneurship is the path that certainly leads to economic progress and development. The launch of the Haiti Open Data platform brings data and valuable information to Haitian and foreign investors. This is a small revolution in a landscape where there has always been a lack of information," declared Koldo Echebbaria, the IDB Representative.



To access the Haiti Open Data website copy this link into your browser: opendata.investhaiti.ht/?lang=en



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19867-icihaiti-economy-project-investing-in-haiti-open-data.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19624-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Economy : IDB President, on a follow-up visit of the actions of Government





Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) was visiting Haiti this week to see the various actions taken by the Moise - Lafontant administration across the country.



Thursday, during a joint briefing with President Moise , one month to the day after their meeting in New York https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22166-haiti-new-york-positive-meeting-between-moise-and-the-idb.html Luis Alberto Moreno expressed his satisfaction with the various actions already taken by the government team for the development of Haiti.



He welcomed positively the will of the Head of State translated including through public service decentralization initiatives, the fight against corruption and reform of public administration.



At the end of this meeting Luis Alberto Moreno promised to take the necessary steps to support the implementation of the priorities of the new administration of Haiti.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Caribbean Cup U-17 : Our Grenadiers humiliate Cuba

As part of the Caribbean Cup, the Haitian Under-17 selection (U-17), after the win [3-0] against Puerto Rico https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22434-icihaiti-caribbean-cup-u17-grenadieres-crush-puerto-rico-[3-0].html our young Grenadiers have humiliated Cuba [3-0] on the lawn of Sylvio Cator stadium, thanks to a triplet of Dumornay Melchie Daelle who qualified our girls for the grand final. Rendezvous Sunday, October 22 against Bermuda at 7:00 pm at Stade Sylvio Cator See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22286-haiti-caribbean-cup-u-17-our-grenadieres-are-preparing-for-the-final-phase.html



Electricity 24/24 will be financed by the private

Friday, on the sidelines of the 9th Caribbean Forum on Renewable Energy in Florida https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22449-haiti-politics-9th-caribbean-forum-on-renewable-energy.html Evenson Calixte, special adviser for Energy of the Presidency, has revealed that the financing of the promise of President Moise to provide electricity within 24 months 24/24 throughout the Haitian territory... will not be a public but private financing. He said he also had talks with several partners willing to grant concessional loans to rehabilitate the EDH and to enable the company to generate income.



Parliament convened in extraordinary session

Monday, October 23, Deputies and Senators are convened in extraordinary session "[...] This special session will be devoted to the ratification of international agreements, the vote of a draft law and the choice of 3 members to represent the Haitian Parliament in Permanent Electoral Council [...]" confirmed Youri Latortue, the President of the National Assembly. It will also be question of the new UN Mission Minujusth and changes made in the 2017-2018 budget.



Winair will resume its flights...

The Caribbean regional airline, Winair, has announced plans to resume operations in many destinations following hurricanes Irma and Maria. For Haiti, Winair will resume flights between Curacao and Haiti, Haiti and St Maarten, Curacao and St Maarten and Haiti and Curacao from 31 October.



225 tons of rice from the Artibonite for canteens

225 is the number of tons of rice Artibonite that the World Food Program (WFP) has just bought for its program of school canteens.



PetroCaribe : Soon filing of the investigation report

Senator Evalliere Beauplan, President f the Special Senate Committeeresponsible for further investigation on the use of PetroCaribe fund announces that the report is being finalized and will be presented Thursday, October 26 at the office of the Upper House.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Published on 2017/10/20 | Source

Added episode 4 captures for the Korean drama "Avengers' Social Club" (2017)

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Directed by Kwon Seok-jang

Written by Hwang Da-eun, Kim Yi-ji

Network : tvN

With Lee Yo-won, Ra Mi-ran, Myung Se-bin, Lee Jun-young, Jang Yong, Choi Byung-mo,...

20 episodes - Wed, Thu 21:30

Also known as: "Buam-dong Revenge Social Club", "Avengers Social Club" and "Revenge Social Club" ( , bok-su-ja so-syeol-keul-leob)

Synopsis

This webtoon adaptation tells the story of three women from different walks of life - the daughter of a chaebol, an ahjumma in a fish market, and a housewife - come together to enact revenge.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/10/11

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by Andrew Walden

Mailbox?

No.

The federal case against Katherine and Louis Kealoha begins in 2004 with the theft of thousands of dollars from two children.

From pgs 6-10 of indictment:

Misappropriation of Trust Funds

13. In or about 2004, while employed as a private attorney, K. KEALOHA was appointed by the Hawaii state court as trustee and guardian for two minor children (R.T., then age 12, and A.T., then age 10). The state court further ordered K. KEALOHA to create individual trust accounts for R.T. and A.T., and to deposit over $167,000 to be held in trust for the benefit of R. T. and A. T. Pursuant to a state court order, all disbursements and transactions associated with these trust accounts were to be approved by both K. KEALOHA and her co-counsel in the state court guardianship case ("Attorney 1").

UPDATE: 'Attorney 1' is either Jim Bickerton or House Speaker Scott Saiki.

14. In or about May 2004, K. KEALOHA opened two separate trust accounts for R.T. and A.T. ("the Trust Accounts"), each containing over $83,884 in trust proceeds, but (in contravention of the Hawaii state court order) identified only herself as the trustee and authorized signatory on the Trust Accounts.

15. Between May 2004 and February 2012, without notice to or approval from R.T., A.T., or Attorney 1, K. KEALOHA used almost all the funds in the Trust Accounts to pay the personal expenses of L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA, including:

a. On or about January 4, 2008, K. KEALOHA pledged one of the Trust Accounts as collateral for a $50,000 personal loan to K. KEALOHA from ASB ("ASB x3126");

b. On or about March 1, 2008, K. KEALOHA pledged one of the Trust Accounts as collateral for a $38,500 personal loan to K. KEALOHA from ASB ("ASB x3296");

c. On or about January 12, 2009, K. KEALOHA withdrew $4,500 in cash from a Trust Account;

d. On or about March 19-20, 2009, K. KEALOHA pledged one of the Trust Accounts as collateral for a $55,082 personal loan from ASB ("ASB x5383"), and used a cashier's check to transfer $20,000 from ASB x5383 to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses;

e. On or about March 31, 2009, K. KEALOHA withdrew $3,300 in cash from a Trust Account;

f. On or about May 18, 2009, K. KEALOHA transferred $5,200 from a Trust Account to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses, including their home mortgage payment;

g. On or about May 18, 2009, K. KEALOHA withdrew $900 in cash from a Trust Account;

h. On or about May 18, 2009, K. KEALOHA caused an online transfer of $1,000 from a Trust Account to pay for personal expenses;

i. On or about June 22, 2009, K. KEALOHA transferred $6,500 from a Trust Account to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses, including their mortgage payment;

j. On or about June 26, 2009, K. KEALOHA withdrew $2,000 in cash from a Trust Account;

k. On or about June 26, 2009, K. KEALOHA transferred $4,000 from a Trust Account to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses;

l. On or about August 5, 2009, K. KEALOHA withdrew $1,100 in cash from a Trust Account;

m. On or about March 19, 2010, K. KEALOHA used all the remaining the funds in a Trust Account - over $55,000 - to pay off the outstanding loan balance on ASB x5 3 83;

n. On or about May 17, 2010, K. KEALOHA transferred $1,000 from a Trust Account to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses;

o. On or about July 12, 2010, K. KEALOHA transferred $2,440 from a Trust Account to pay for L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal expenses, including the cost of refinancing their home;

p. On or about January 21, 2011, K. KEALOHA transferred $203 from a Trust Account to pay for overdraft charges on L. KEALOHA and K. KEALOHA's personal bank account; and

q. On or about January 4, 2012, K. KEALOHA used all the remaining funds in a Trust Account - over $49,000 - to pay off the outstanding loan balance on ASB x3126.

16. On numerous occasions in 2011 and 2012, Attorney 1 asked K. KEALOHA about the status and disposition of the Trust Accounts. K. KEALOHA provided false and misleading information to Attorney 1 about the Trust Accounts, and concealed the fact that K. KEALOHA and L. KEALOHA had misappropriated almost $150,000 from the Trust Accounts. For example:

a. On August 2-3, 2011, K. KEALOHA sent emails to her alias, "Alison Lee Wong," which she then forwarded to Attorney l's law firm, in order to make it appear that K. KEALOHA was actively working towards closing out R. T. and A. T. 's guardianships.

b. On August 7, 2011, K. KEALOHA sent an email to Attorney l's law firm claiming that "Alison" had "put together the final accounting [for R. T. ]" and had called R. T. regarding signing the necessary documents to finalize R. T. 's account.

c. On or about September 26, 2011, K. KEALOHA sent an email to Attorney l's law firm, claiming she "plan[ned] on meeting with Alison [Lee Wong]" in several days to "go over the documents that [R.T.] dropped off."

d. On or about October 26, 2011, using the alias "Alison Lee Wong," K. KEALOHA sent a fraudulent email to Attorney l's law firm regarding closing out R.T. and A.T. 's guardianships, and falsely represented that Alison Lee Wong was "making sure all necessary documents are signed."
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed that he face trial on indictment on all matters. Stock picture: Getty Images

A man accused of raping a Spanish student in Dublin was refused bail yesterday when he was returned for trial.

The 18-year-old victim, who had come to Ireland earlier this year to live with a host family, was allegedly taken to waste-ground in the south side and raped in a tent on July 15.

The accused, who is from Dublin but cannot be named for legal reasons, faced his seventh hearing when he appeared before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court.

He was served with a book of evidence by Garda Bryan Hunt and Judge Blake made an order sending him forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court.

Initially the 24-year-old was charged with one count of rape, false imprisonment and threat to kill or cause serious harm to the woman at the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend.

Three additional charges were subsequently brought against him - two additional counts of raping the teenager and one charge of sexually assaulting her.

The accused, described by the defence as having a "difficult life", made no application for bail at his first court appearance on July 21, but yesterday he did apply.

Plead

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed that he face trial on indictment on all matters.

Judge Blake told him that if he intended to rely on an alibi at his trial, he must notify the prosecution within 14 days.

The accused twice replied "No" when asked if he understood and, during a recess in the hearing, it was explained to him by his solicitor Tony Collier.

He has not yet indicated how he will plead.

Gda Hunt objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and fears he would not turn up for his trial.

The accused was accompanied to court by his mother and it was proposed by the defence that he would live with her at her house if he was granted bail.

Pleading for bail, Mr Collier asked the court to note his client still enjoyed the presumption of innocence and the State's case has yet to be tested in terms of admissibility of evidence.

He said the man would abide by strict bail terms, but his family could not provide a significant independent surety.

The court heard the accused was on social welfare and has had significant engagement with psychiatrists and psychologists.

Judge Blake refused bail and ordered that the accused should be sent forward for trial in custody. The defence indicated that the man may now apply to the High Court for bail.
Ibrahim Halawa's family have spoken of his delighted reaction to his release from prison in Egypt, and how they expect him back at their Dublin home by Monday or Tuesday after being locked up for four years.

His father, Hussein Halawa - who is Imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland - told the Herald of his son's reaction after he spoke to him by phone late on Thursday night.

Expand Close lbrahim Halawas father Hussein and sister Fatima celebrate his release. Photo: Collins Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp lbrahim Halawas father Hussein and sister Fatima celebrate his release. Photo: Collins Dublin

"When he spoke to me, he said, 'My father, I'm free, I'm free, I'm free. Now I can see everything'," said Mr Halawa.

"He couldn't believe that he was finally out of prison.

"He kept asking his sister, 'Is it a dream or is it true'. He just kept asking that."

Acquitted

Expand Close Fatima with a photo of her freed brother. Photo: Collins Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Fatima with a photo of her freed brother. Photo: Collins Dublin

Although the 21-year-old was freed from prison in Cairo on Thursday, he cannot return to Ireland until after the weekend due to passport issues.

It is understood that Ibrahim, from Firhouse, needs to get an official stamp on his Irish visa from the immigration ministry.

However, Friday and Saturday are weekend days in Egypt, meaning the office will not be open until tomorrow.

Reacting to his release, Ibrahim posted a message online. "Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air , walk freely and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart," he wrote.

"But I miss one thing and it's being home.

"I wanna thank the team at the embassy who worked very hard. The ambassador Sean O'Regan, former ambassador Damien Cole, Shane Gleeson, Vincent Herlihy.

"Thank you to everyone who helped. I love you all."

Ibrahim was arrested in Cairo and held in prison for four years on charges relating to a 2013 protest in the Egyptian capital.

He was acquitted of all charges on September 18, following a succession of delays in his trial.

Ibrahim's sister Fatima said they had expected to hear he was free on Thursday afternoon and, as the evening drew on, they had begun to lose hope.

"By 10, we all went up to bed," she said. "Suddenly we heard Dad on the phone.

"He was quite loud - which was unusual - screaming in a way.

"We're thrilled, it's amazing, really. It just feels so good and as a family we're really delighted,"

The family will hold a party when Ibrahim returns from Egypt, although they say the most important thing is to ensure he returns healthy, both mentally and physically.

Fatima said what her brother has been through may have taken its toll and his health is the top priority for everyone in the family.

"Everything he is experiencing is as if it is for the first time," she added.

Formalities

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs revealed that Ibrahim's return is expected to be completed by the end of the weekend.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade welcomes the confirmation that Ibrahim Halawa has been released from prison and is finally at liberty," he said.

"He is being supported by the Irish ambassador in Cairo, Sean O'Regan, and his team.

"There are a small number of formalities to be completed before Ibrahim departs Egypt.

"Ibrahim will continue to receive the assistance of the Irish Embassy in Cairo, and a member of the embassy team will accompany him on his journey back to Ireland when he is ready to travel.

"It is hoped that the remaining formalities can be resolved once the relevant offices in Cairo reopen after the weekend there."
Conor OHora leaves court after being charged with harassing the news anchor and having obscene images. Photo: Douglas O'Connor

A Dublin man has been charged with harassing RTE news anchor Sharon Ni Bheolain and possessing child pornography.

Conor O'Hora (40) appeared in court accused of harassing the Six One presenter over several months three years ago, as well as two counts of having child pornography "images and text conversations".

Expand Close Sharon Ni Bheolain. Photo: Maxwell Photography / Facebook

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He is facing trial over the allegations and his case has been adjourned for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Judge Michael Walsh granted him bail subject to conditions after hearing there were no garda objections.

Images

Mr O'Hora, with an address at Heather Walk, Portmarnock, is charged with one count of harassing Sharon Ni Bheolain (46) on a number of dates between October 20, 2013 and February 16, 2014.

He is also charged with possessing text conversations and images of child pornography on the same dates.

The offences are alleged to have happened at various locations within the State.

A detective garda sergeant told Dublin District Court that he arrested the accused on Infirmary Road near the Criminal Courts of Justice in the capital at 10.37am yesterday.

"In relation to all charges after caution, the accused had nothing to say," the sergeant said. He added that Mr O'Hora was handed copies of the charge sheets.

The court heard the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment on all charges, but a signed plea of guilty will be accepted in the district court if that arises.

Mr O'Hora has not yet indicated how he intends to plead.

Judge Walsh granted bail in the accused's own bond of 1,000 with no cash lodgement required.

The conditions are that Mr O'Hora continues to reside at his home address, notifies gardai of any change of address and has no contact directly or indirectly with the alleged victim or anyone involved in the investigation.

He was also told he must keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

The judge granted free legal aid after Mr O'Hora's solicitor, Philip Hannon, handed a statement of the accused's financial means in to court.

The sergeant said he was aware of this and had no objections to legal aid.

Restriction

Judge Walsh read out the bail conditions to the defendant and asked: "Are you going to give me an undertaking to do that?"

Mr O'Hora replied: "I am, your honour."

The judge adjourned the case to December 1 for the preparation of a book of evidence.

He told Mr Hannon that the usual reporting restrictions applied in relation to children, and "otherwise, the matter will be treated like any other case".

Mr O'Hora, dressed in a pink shirt, grey jumper and dark trousers, did not address the court during the brief proceedings.

Ms Ni Bheolain was not required to be present in court for the case.

The prosecution comes following an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Andrew Roddy and wife Gill Campion were on honeymoon in the Maldives when tragedy struck.

The heartbroken mother of a Dublin man who died while snorkelling with his wife on their honeymoon in the Maldives may have to wait until next week before his body is returned home.

Andrew Roddy, who had just turned 30, died in tragic and unknown circumstances on Tuesday while enjoying the dream holiday with his wife, Gill Campion.

It is now likely that his mother, Marion, who lives in Killester, will have to wait until next week before she can organise his funeral.

"He's such a long way away and Gill's father and sister are with her now, but it could be days before they can bring him home," family friend Mary King said.

Ms King said she cannot understand how Andrew, who was Marion's only child, died.

"I really don't know what happened, and I want to know," she said.

"Andrew was very fit and he was a strong swimmer. I don't know if he had a heart attack or something, but he has no history of any heart trouble.

"Maybe he was stung by a jellyfish or something. I will have to wait for the post-mortem to find out."

Ms King said initial test results in the Maldives following the death proved inconclusive.

"There will be a handover of information between the authorities in the Maldives and in Ireland, but it's just vital for Marion that she finds out what happened to her son," she said.

Staff at Mr Roddy's former secondary school are said to be shocked at his sudden death.

He attended St Paul's College in Raheny, where his interests in business and accounting were encouraged by teacher Jennifer Cummins.

Smiling

"Andrew was a star pupil, and I will always remember his smiling face," she told the Herald.

"He was a lovely boy and the school is in shock since learning about what happened.

"We were reading about it in the staff room on Thursday after the news broke and none of us can believe it. Our hearts are broken.

"When you see his smile in his wedding photographs it is the same smile he had when he was in school.

"After 12 years you don't remember every pupil, but I will always remember Andrew. He was a bright kid. My heart is broken.

"Our deepest condolences go out to his family. We just can't believe it."

Mr Roddy's wife is from Portmarnock. She and he met while they were working at the New Ireland Assurance Group.

They were married two weeks ago, and he had sent photo and updates of their honeymoon time back to his mother.

Ms Campion told her that while they were swimming in the sea she turned back and could not see him.

"I turned around and Andrew was gone," she said.
Editor's Note This is a weekly column called Odds and Ends, a Saturday roundup of the most significant digits buried in the Bristol Herald Couriers stories. From shocking statistics to demonstrative data, Odds and Ends seeks to provide context, analysis and insight to numbers in the news.

5:

Years ago, stories of people using the synthetic drug known as bath salts to get high made national news.

The height of the bath salts scare occurred when the story of a man in Miami, who started eating the face of a homeless man before he was killed by police, made the news.

Now, an East Tennessee State University professor is studying the effects of the drug, which is not often seen these days in the Mountain Empire.

Dr. Brooks Pond, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETSU, said the research will answer pertinent questions regarding the long-term toxicities of the drug.

The recipe for bath salts goes back well before 2012. According to Forbes, the drug was first formulated in France in the 1920s, but then disappeared until it was rediscovered by an underground chemist in 2004.

The drug typically comes in a packet, which can cost anywhere from $25 to $60, according to Forbes.

Read more about the study of the substance.

750,000:

Homes that can be powered by the pumped hydro-power storage station in Bath County, Virginia.

The station, the largest of its kind in the United States, stores energy in the form of water. When electricity is in high demand, water is released from an upper reservoir to a lower reservoir through tunnels, spinning turbines to produce electricity.

A similar model has been proposed for Southwest Virginia.

According to the Department of Energy, all but two states [Delaware and Mississippi] use hydropower for electricity, with some states relying on the source far more than others. Washington State, for example, gets about 74 percent of its electricity from hydropower.

Even with the Bath County station, most of Virginias energy comes from natural gas, coal and nuclear.

Check out more about the Bath County Station and the proposed site in Southwest Virginia.

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Infinity? The twinkling lights at Bristol Motor Speedway this winter will certainly feel endless.

Employees are busy stringing lights for the annual Speedway in Lights, which will illuminate the speedway with 200 displays starting on Nov. 17. The displays are themed and allow people to drive a four-mile route through music and lights.

Thomas Edison, the inventor who developed long-lasting carbon filament lamps, is credited as the first person to string a Christmas tree with modern lighting. In late December 1879, Edison invited people to his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, to view the lights, according to Gizmodo. The official demonstration took place on New Years Eve.

Preparations for the holiday season are ramping up. Dont miss out.

Reece Ristau is a data and general-assignment reporter for the Bristol Herald Courier.
BRISTOL, Tenn.  A hearing will be held next week to consider motions to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Sunnybrook residents who want to keep an Intimate Treasures store from locating at the entrance to their neighborhood.

The motions to dismiss were filed by Mark Hatfield, the owner of Intimate Treasures, the city of Bristol, Tennessee, and its Board of Zoning Appeals. The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Friday at Sullivan County Chancery Court in Kingsport.

Hatfield wants to close his Pennsylvania Avenue store and build a new one at 1926 Volunteer Parkway.

The lawsuit challenges an April decision by the citys Board of Zoning Appeals that the property fits into the current general business zoning because it isnt classified as adult-oriented. To be considered adult-oriented, at least 51 percent of merchandise must be sexually oriented.

Sunnybrook residents Ritchie and Roma Phillips disagreed with the boards ruling and filed a petition in May seeking a writ of certiorari, which would order a lower court to deliver its record in a case so a higher court can review it.

The Phillips attorney, Ricky Curtis, said earlier the BZA would have to produce transcripts of its April meeting and Hatfield would need to produce tax returns and sales receipts for the items he sells in his other stores because the board only took the stores sales receipts into consideration and not its stock when it made its ruling.

The motions to dismiss the petition say the Phillips suit does not comply with the technical requirements of Tennessee law so the trial court doesnt have any jurisdiction to review the boards decision.

Bristol Tennessee City Attorney Danielle Kiser said Friday that she could not comment on active litigation.
This letter is more for Tennessee state representatives than for my fellow voters. They need a wakeup call to remind them that we elected them to see that our collective will is honestly and fairly done. With that said, it is way past time for a serious talk about cannabis and hemp.

It has been more than proven to be wrongfully labeled the "demon drug, gateway drug and pure unadulterated evil. Hemp, pot's wonderful cousin, also befell that status only because it looks" like its medicinal cousin. Its many uses and cash crop opportunity for Tennessee's small farms remains a fleeting dream. Nobody can really tell us why cannabis became so vile that it deserved the status as a Schedule 1 drug. Perhaps Big Pharma had a hand in it? It cannot be patented or sold for thousands of times its worth.

A handy little fact that deserves mention is that, unlike demon alcohol, not one soul ever died from driving under the influence of pot. Its wide and varied yet even unknown benefits far outweigh any of the false bad things so many politicians still like to believe about it.

As a disabled veteran with chronic pain, so many like me could benefit, especially since the VA is slowly taking away our pain medication and leaving us with nothing to help. The thousands of children, just like the special needs child we have, who could benefit from extracts of this wonderful drug, remain waiting for the one thing that could help. I invite our state representatives to poll voters. Besides a cash infusion for our state, perhaps even our tax rate could come down?

There are millions of jobs and dollars just waiting. What are our state representatives waiting on? Need a wakeup call? Here it is!
Catawba County Commissioner Sherry Butler has been appointed to serve on the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force (JWTF) as a county commissioner. Butlers term begins immediately and will expire June 30, 2019.

The Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force provides statewide leadership for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Considered a national model of an effective legislative task force, the JWTF partners with legislators, health care providers, community leaders and other key stakeholders to develop a profile of the burden of heart disease and stroke in North Carolina; to publicize that burden and its preventability; and to develop a comprehensive statewide plan to prevent heart disease and stroke.

The 27-member task force includes six legislators, health professionals, survivors, members of volunteer and governmental organizations, one business leader, one news director, and three appointees from within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Members of the task force are appointed by the North Carolina governor and the North Carolina General Assembly with recommendations from the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

I am honored and humbled by the appointment to serve on the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force, Butler said. This particular task force is near and dear to my heart, because my husband passed away at the age of 55 due to complications from an enlarged heart. The opportunity to be involved in helping eliminate the burden of heart disease for others is very inspiring to me.

For more information about the JWTF and its Start with Your Heart campaign, visit www.startwithyourheart.com.
I was pleasantly surprised by the reception it got, says Fatima Wajid, 18. Shes referring to the two-day Twitter campaign #SouthAsianArtists that she led with Bangladeshi artist Esha (who goes by only one name), which received over 2,000 submissions from over 100 artists across five countries  India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

We were inspired by campaigns such as #DrawingWhileBlack and #LatinoHispanicArtists. We wanted to create a similar platform for a community that we did not see much of in popular visual arts sphere, says the Pakistani design communication student.

Some artists responded with fan art that reinterpreted existing heroes, superheroes and comic book figures; others submitted pop art peopled by new characters that were flamboyant, sassy and inspired by the visual language and culture of their creator; still others were contemporary art works that took on issues of gender, race, marginalisation and sexuality and would have been at home in a gallery anywhere in the world.

Nineteen-year-old Pakistani artist Amina Maliks Three Stages of Life, for instance, is a powerful commentary on sexuality, patriarchy and feminism.

I keep colour differences in mind because they are important markers of ethnicity, says Southampton-based Indian illustrator Anshika Khullar, 23, explaining her half-Indian Harry Potter. We desis hardly see ourselves represented as protagonists or heroes. Plus, I wanted to show a happy, healthy, interracial family. It was great to be part of a hashtag created to celebrate brownness.

Other artists works showed dark-skinned ballerinas, fat and short Bharatanatyam dancers and superwomen in hijab.

Young artists want to see themselves in their creations and the hashtag is a reflection of this, adds artist and curator Veeranganakumari Solanki. Boundaries are becoming more porous, but we still want to be rooted in our culture, she adds.

Aside from exposure and feedback, the spotlight on South Asian artists saw many of them receive new commissions and invitations to collaborate on visual art projects. Others, like Malik and US-based Indian illustrator Akshay Varaham, received so many requests for prints that they are now working to set up e-stores where their work can be bought.

Wajid hopes the momentum will grow and spread.

The supportive atmosphere has let artists gain confidence and the world has now been exposed to a talented subculture within the online art community, she says. Now we wait to see if the world is ready for this art.

The new male gaze

Ishfaq Zamans interpretation of the pop culture icon from the 1940s, Rosie the Riveter (inset), is very Indian. The look is complete with a bindi and a nose pin. (Ishfaq Zaman )

Rosie the Riveter, a pop culture icon from the 1940s, was a bulked-up woman in bandanna and overalls, meant to boost the morale of women working in factories and shipyards during World War II. We can do it, she said.

Over the years, she became a feminist icon too, and was reinterpreted multiple times, to represent marginalised women, African-Americans etc.

Ishfaq Zamans Rosie is a dark-skinned Indian with black hair tied up in a bun, wearing a kurta, bindi and nose pin.

Her Keep moving is both feminist and literal  the character was created by the Bengaluru-based illustrator for a realty portal specialising in homes on rent.

Ive never really been able to connect with popular art because I never saw myself in it and this is what I wanted to change. This is where South Asian artists fill the gap. All we need to do is keep our roots in mind, says Zaman, 26.

Space Boots is a desi galactic warrior who wears a salwar kameez, dupatta, a bindi and bangles. (Ishfaq Zaman )

Also in Zamans portfolio is Space Boots, an Indian superwoman and galactic warrior. She wears a salwar kameez complete with dupatta, bindi and bangles, and carries a blaster in one hand and has a belt of explosives around her waist.

You dont associate South Asian characters with superheroes and it is even harder to imagine women in those roles, Zaman says.

So I drew Space Boots as a tribute to the Indian woman. Shes wearing what she is comfortable in and can defend whats hers without help from any man.

The hashtag, Zaman says, finally gave his work some exposure.

What I feel best about is that people havent stopped commenting about how much they like the work, he says.

Their comments make me feel accomplished because my aim was to make everyone feel included.

Life as we know it

Titled Ownership of your Body, Amina Maliks painting exhorts women to be proud of their body. (Amina Malik )

Amina Malik is only 19, but the young Pakistani tells eloquent tales on canvas.

One painting, titled Three Stages of Life, shows a woman holding a rotating moon, to represent menstruation, in the first stage. The second shows a woman giving birth. The third is the life itself  her women are trapped in barbed wires and shawls, hemmed in, constricted.

I want my paintings to celebrate womanhood and encourage women to take ownership of their bodies, says Malik, currently studying sociology in Illinois.

I realised that virtually nobody was showing women of South Asian descent, Malik adds. I know my paintings make people uncomfortable but thats not my aim. I try not to draw faces because its not about some women, its about all of us and I want that underlined. Through #SouthAsianArtists, I was able to let others know that they are not alone and pay tribute to the women who have inspired me by bringing attention to their struggle.

Besides comments that praised her art, some also asked if they could buy prints of her work. One of them said shed pay for the print to be shipped to the UK; I was overwhelmed by that, Malik says.

Behind the veils

Growing up, Syeda Faiza hated her culture but later realised that she was only consuming arts that fuelled her rage. Through her art, she portrays characters most Muslim children can relate to. (Syeda Faiza )

As a Bangladeshi-Muslim illustrator living in England, I am proud of my heritage and culture, says Syeda Faiza, 25. This wasnt always the case. Growing up, I hated my culture and my skin colour, because at home I was told to wear the hijab, and outside I was told that this was wrong. Then I realised that I was consuming only those cartoons and comics that fuelled my rage.

So Faiza decided to show people what her world was really about, and explain to them that where she came from wasnt a bad place, just another part of the world.

She is currently working on art for a fairy tale where a girl in a hijab befriends a creature in a fantasy land.

A lot of her characters are women in hijab; most have dark skin and black hair.

Syeda Faiza also draws trendy women in hijabs so they can embrace their culture. (Syeda Faiza )

Her painting, Patterned Scarves, shows hijabi fashionistas.

A series titled World Desserts shows an Indian woman with a bowl of gulab jamuns, a hijabi woman with baklava, an English woman with Victoria sponge and cookies, suggesting that behind their differences there remains the universality of being women, human.

Art is a great leveller, and my aim is to connect with children so they wont hate themselves for being from a certain community or place as I did, she says.

I want them all to be proud of their culture and heritage.

Building bridges

Akshay Varaham gives us Bharatanatyam dancers who are short, fat and dark. Why should all dancers be petite, demure and fair? he asks. (Akshay Varaham )

Akshay Varaham gives the Hindu deity Krishna a dark brown hue instead of the usual blue. In an interesting take on gopis and devotion, at either side are love-struck men. Its not just Krishna, Varaham shows most Indian deities as dark-skinned rather than pale.

He also gives us Bharatanatyam dancers who are short, fat and dark.

Why should all dancers be petite, demure and fair? asks the 20-year-old US-based illustrator.

Growing up in Tamil Nadu, a Muslim in a predominantly Hindu neighbourhood, Varaham decided early on that he would draw his own lines. He picked Sufism for its focus on spirituality rather than religious dogma.

Akshay Varahams portrayal of flamboyant, brown, veiled characters makes South Asians feel more included. (Akshay Varaham )

And art became one way, he says, for me to explore the Hindu heritage of my state and bridge the gap between the two faiths. Also gay, much of his work has an LGBTQ element too. Art helps me accept myself, he says.

Reactions have been positive.

People tell me the way I portray South Asian bodies, figures and cultures makes them feel more accepted, which is my goal, he says. Closeted LGBTQ South Asians, mainly Tamil people, also talk to me about how I helped them feel validated and loved, which is the kind of support I would have liked growing up.

Through #SouthAsianArtists, Varaham has received a couple more commissions than usual and had commenters asking if they can buy prints of his work online.

I am already working on making that possible, he says.

I also got a job offer for a film-related project. Were still discussing details, but thats exciting.

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The Congress reached out to opposition parties in Gujarat on Saturday with an eye on an anti-BJP front and received a shot in the arm as other backward class (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor said he will join the party.

The party is also confident of securing the support of Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old leader leading the influential Patidar communitys stir for reservation in education and jobs.

The Congress is trying to get Dalit rights campaigner and lawyer Jignesh Mevani on board too.

Both leaders are vocal critics of the BJP government in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state, where assembly elections are due this winter.

The moves are aimed at boosting the Congresss prospects in a state where the party is out of power for 22 years.

Mevani, at 36, is a young leader such as Patel and is spearheading a movement for Dalits, who comprise about 8% of the states population.

The 39-year-old Thakor, who heads the OBC, ST, SC Ekta Manch and founder of the Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena, announced his intentions after meeting Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi will take part in our rally on October 23 and I will join the Congress, he told reporters.

Congress president Sonia Gandhis political secretary Ahmed Patel, who recently won a hard-fought battle for a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat, party general secretary in-charge of the state Ashok Gehlot, Congress state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki were among leaders who attended the crucial meeting.

Thakor had ruled out any support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which too is planning big for the Gujarat elections. He said the people have only two options  the BJP or Congress.

His organisations have carried out booth management exercises in 182 assembly constituencies.

The developments came a day before Prime Minister Modis visit to Bharuch to inaugurate a ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

The Election Commission has not announced the poll schedule but officials indicated the counting of votes in Gujarat will be held on December 18 along with Himachal Pradesh, the other state going to the polls.

The Congress has accused the poll panel of delaying announcing the poll dates under pressure from the BJP. For its part, the BJP alleged that the opposition party was questioning the commissions judgement.

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One person died in Madhya Pradesh after getting injured in Hingot war, a tradition observed a day after Diwali, in Gautampura area, about 59km from Indore.

Over three dozen people were injured in the Hingot war on Friday evening.

Three of those injured seriously were referred to Indores MY Hospital, where one of them died on Saturday. The deceased, who was a farm labourer, has been identified as 30-year-old Kishore Chouhan. He had come from Barwani districts Dahta village to watch the spectacle.

In Hingot war, group of villagers from two villages  Turra group from Gautampura and Kalgi group from Rungi village  attack each other with burning hingots (a hollow fruit stuffed with explosive powder and hurled on the other side ).

Anil Kumar Verma, town inspector, Gautampura, told HT that one Kishore died and 36 others were injured in the Hingot war. He said after the post-mortem examination of Kishores body, it has been handed over to his family.

According to local sources, the warriors fought the Hingot war on Friday evening for nearly 90 minutes. Thousands of people had gathered in the village to watch the spectacle of Hingot missiles dazzling the night sky. Every year people get injured while participating or watching this dangerous tradition. Some people have died in the past also due to injuries in Hingot war, said local sources.

Most of the three dozen injured were taken for treatment to local health facilities, while three seriously injured were rushed to the MY Hospital Indore. Kishore who died on Saturday had gone to see the spectacle when he was hit by one of the Hingot missiles. He received injuries on his head and face. After taking him to local hospital, he was referred to Indore for treatment, where he died

(with inputs from Hema Tiwari from Indore )

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Actor Shammi Kapoor (1931-2011) made his way to the hearts of many with his high-octane energy, uncountable expressions and dance moves  that are still etched in the memory of Bollywood lovers in India and abroad. The actor was said to be ahead of his time, and his portrayal of a romantic hero is still the inspiration of many upcoming actors. Mention his name and one is sure to start humming Yahoo! Chahe Mujhe Koi Junglee Kahen (Junglee; 1961). Soon his powerful scenes from films such as Teesri Manzil (1966), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), An Evening In Paris (1967), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), and many others will start replaying in your minds screen.

Today, October 21, marks the 86th birth anniversary of Shammi Kapoor, who was born as Shamsher Raj Kapoor  second of three sons born to the illustrious actor-director Prithviraj Kapoor and wife Ramsarni Kapoor. Raj Kapoor was the eldest son and Shashi Kapoor was the youngest.

Shammi Kapoor with brothers Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor and father Prithviraj Kapoor.

Did you know Shammi Kapoor was internet savvy? Reportedly, the actor started using internet even before it came to India. In fact, he was also the founder of several internet organisations. I discovered internet before you got internet in India. You got in 1995... VSNL. I took it up as a hobby. I am on Apple and they gave us a website called eWorld. The British telecom gave us a line through VSNL, even though VSNL was not available at that time (1994). That was an eye-opener...something completely new. And by the time internet came to India, we were already first-marchers... already sab kuch dekh liya tha (I had seen everything, already), he was quoted as saying.

There are many such interesting facts about Shammi Kapoor, who was lovingly called the Elvis Presley of India. Heres listing some of them, on his birth anniversary:

1. Shammi Kapoor spent his early years of childhood in Calcutta (Kolkata) and Peshawar, in Kapoor Haveli.

2. The actor started his journey in showbiz as a junior artist, with his fathers company Prithvi Theatre in 1948, and earned Rs 50 as a monthly salary.

3. He started his film career in 1953, and had quite a few low-budget releases in the year. Jeewan Jyoti was the first one to release among them. He never got a launch like any star kid, and had to struggle hard to find his foothold in the industry.

Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz in the film Brahmachari (1968).

4. Reportedly, the actor fell in love with belly dancer and Egyptian actor Nadia Gamal. They met while at a vacation in Sri Lanka, but later the two broke up. He also proposed popular actor Mumtaz to marry him, but the latter declined the proposal. In an interview, Mumtaz said, I was only 18 years old when he told me that he wanted to settle down with me. I was getting several film offers and I didnt want to marry so early in my life. It was a very straightforward thing. He proposed and I politely said No. That was it. I respected him a lot...

5. The actor used to describe himself as shaukeen, and the reason was his fondness for a good life. In fact, he started smoking when he was in class six; and preferred a specific brand.

6. On 24 August 1955, he married actor Geeta Bali, in a temple, after just four months of meeting each other. Interestingly, Shammi Kapoor telephoned his parents to inform them about his marriage, after the temple ceremony. And, Hari Walia  who produced Coffee House (1957), their first film together  was witness to their marriage.

Shammi Kapoor tied the knot with Geeta Bali on 24 August 1955.

7. When Shammi Kapoor was working in the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), he decided to experiment with his image of a suave actor. He told his wife (Geeta Bali), If this makeover fails, I will become a tea plantation manager in Assam. But luckily for him the makeover worked, and pretty well.

8. Who doesnt love the song Yahoo... from the film Junglee. But, not many know that his knees were bruised badly while shooting the sequence where hes seen coming down the snow-covered hill.

9. During the premiere of the film Junglee, actor Rajendra Kumar after watching the film told Shammi Kapoor that it was an, Okay film. I think it will run for six weeks. But the film turned out to be a huge hit, and when the latter met Kapoor at the films jubilee celebration, he commented: I was only joking.

Shammi Kapoor worked with his grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor in the film Rockstar, which was also his last film.

10. His last film was director Imtiaz Alis Rockstar (2011). Reportedly, actor Ranbir Kapoor, Shammi Kapoors grand-nephew, convinced his uncle to work in this movie.

11. After playing the role of a romantic hero in Andaz (1971), the actor was seen playing various avatars in films such as Hero (1983), Vidhaata (1982), Zameer (1972), Chamatkar (1992), Hukumat (1987), Prem Granth (1996) etc.

12. Shammi Kapoor was open to experimentation. After starring opposite Saira Banu, in her debut film Junglee, and romancing her again in Bluff Master (1963), he played her father almost a decade later in the film Zameer.

Shammi Kapoor tied the knot for the second time with actor Neila Devi Gohil in 1969.

13. After Geeta Bali succumbed to small pox in 1965, Shammi Kapoor went into depression. They have two children  Aditya Raj Kapoor and Kanchan. In 1969, he married actor Neila Devi Gohil, who belonged to the royal family of Bhavnagar, Gujarat. And the condition he lay was that she will never bear a child and would be a doting mather to Aditya and Kanchan.

14. While shooting for Shakti Samants An Evening in Paris, Shammi Kapoor gave the famous helicopter shot and refused to use a body double for the same, even after Samant insisted. Both gave hits like Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), An Evening in Paris (1967), and Paagla Kahin Ka (1970).

15. He was a good swimmer but the broke two ribs during a diving shot for the film Budtameez (1966).

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Origin, the latest novel by Dan Brown and the fifth in the Robert Langdon series, opens with Edmond Kirsch, a 40-year-old tech magnate and futurologist, preparing to reveal an astonishing breakthrough that will challenge the fundamentals of human existence. He asks to meet Bishop Valdespino, Rabbi Yehuda Koves and Allamah Syed al-Fadl, who have just finished attending the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in Catalonia. Sitting in an ancient repository of sacred texts in the famed library of Montserrat facing the Holy Trinity, as he describes them sardonically, Kirsch tells himself It (the revelation) will not shake your foundations. It will shatter them.

Juxtaposing the spiritual and the scientific is a theme that runs through the Robert Langdon series, which includes Angels & Demons and the bestselling The Da Vinci Code, and it is more pronounced in Origin. Dan Brown maintains that even as the two realms frequently clash there is a spiritual aspect to science. I do believe that the deeper we delve into the impending new sciences, the more we will discover that the answers we discover are more spiritual in nature, he tells us. That exploration assumes importance also because of the repercussions of the religion versus science divide in a country like India. Brown says India is not alone in its feeling that science and religion are at loggerheads. The same is true in my country.

I do believe that the deeper we delve into the impending new sciences, the more we will discover that the answers we discover are more spiritual in nature.

He says he enjoyed a deeply inspirational visit to India two years ago. I have spent substantial amounts of time reading about Hinduism in the wake of that visit. With the last four books set in the Vatican, Paris, Washington, DC, and Florence would he consider setting a novel in India, after all there is no dearth of the religious iconography that holds such appeal for Langdon here? I still do not feel qualified to write a book about the religious iconography in India, but I am still learning, Brown says.

In Origin, the author sets up a scenario in which Langdon has to solve a case after an event he is attending at the Guggenheim Museum, where Kirsch is to make his revelatory presentation, and it ends in catastrophe. As in the previous books of the series, he has to crack codes, this time connected to modern art and particularly Of Mice and Men. A reader mainly of non-fiction, Brown is partial though to the Steinbeck classic of 1937 and has said that he loves its descriptive power.

Browns own ability for graphic description  all art, architecture, locations, science and religious organizations in this novel are real says one of the introductory pages to Origin  is backed by painstaking research. The writing process for Origin he has said was akin to launching a science experiment. With evolution, creationism and artificial intelligence being the central ideas explored in Origin, Brown read extensively on the subjects and formulated questions he had about these. He then spoke to artificial intelligence scientists, modern art curators and religious clerics for the answers, besides spending time in Spain where the novel is set. It is not really until I get a lot of research done that I first begin to do an outline, he has said.

Robert Langdon is the man I wish I could be. Langdon is far braver than I am  and he also has a far more interesting life. Of course we share an intellectual curiosity for all things arcane.

Browns writing regimen is rigorous, and explains his prolificity. I work 7 days a week, 365 days a year, at 4am. For me this is the time of the day with least distractions and the time at which I feel most creative, he tells us. Occasionally, he puts on a pair of gravity boots and hangs upside down to help him relax and concentrate. Yes, I do still use gravity boots  although now it is more of an inversion table, says the disciplined writer.

In comparison, his protagonist, Robert Langdon, the Harvard professor of religious iconology and symbology, would seem to have a terribly exciting life. In Origin, he has run-ins with artificial intelligence, is in a skirmish in the Sagrada Familia and goes hunting for codes that can crack a computer in the company of the ravishing director of the Guggenheim Museum. How much do Brown and Langdon have in common? Robert Langdon is the man I wish I could be. Langdon is far braver than I am  and he also has a far more interesting life. Of course we share an intellectual curiosity for all things arcane, says Brown.

Author bio: A senior writer based out of Bengaluru, the author specialises in food, travel and lifestyle writing

From HT Brunch, October 22, 2017

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The Indian Banks Association (IBA) has questioned the jurisdiction of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in issuing directions to banks under the Aadhaar Act, according to two people aware of the matter.

IBA has written to the ministry of electronics and information technology, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the finance ministrys department of financial services, arguing that only the central bank is empowered to issue directives to banks under the Banking Regulation Act, the two people said on condition of anonymity.

On July 14, UIDAI first asked banks to open Aadhaar enrolment and updating facilities in at least a tenth of their branches by the end of August.

Later, it extended the deadline by a month and said it would impose a Rs 20,000 fine per uncovered branch after September 30, the Press Trust of India reported on September 5, citing UIDAI chief executive Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

Now, in another directive on October 7, UIDAI has made it mandatory for banks to act as both the Aadhaar registrar and enrolment agency.

Banks will no longer be able to engage with private agencies for Aadhaar enrolment of their customers, it said. Banks shall complete the task of setting up Aadhaar enrolment and update centre in 15,200 bank branches by October 31.

The centres shall be operated by banks directly inside bank branches without involvement of any private Aadhaar enrolment agencies, said the circular, a copy of which has been reviewed by Mint.

The latest revision mandating that Aadhaar enrolment be done by banks directly comes after they had started on-boarding private agencies for the opening and updating of Aadhaar accounts.

State Bank of India (SBI) had already appointed 400 agencies for Aadhaar enrolment. The bank will now have to rework the strategy and allot its existing staff to do the process, said Neeraj Vyas, deputy managing director at Indias largest lender. We are looking to set up 3,000 centres across rural and semi-urban areas.

Spokespersons for UIDAI and IBA declined to comment. Emails sent to RBI and the department of financial services went unanswered.

The IBA letter also flagged issues involved in banks creating an Aadhaar database and using it for know-your-customer purposes, said one of the two people cited earlier.

Aadhar enrolment is not the primary role of banks. We are awaiting clarity from both RBI and government whether we should take directives from an external authority to do Aadhaar enrolment as part of banking activity, said this person.

UIDAI is authorized to ask banks to act as an enrolment agency after the government amended the Aadhaar regulations, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

The amendment gave UIDAI powers to ask any central or state agency or bank that provides a service requiring an individual to show an Aadhar number to also ensure enrolment of such individual who is yet to be enrolled (for Aadhaar) or update their Aadhaar details, by setting up enrolment centres at their premises.

Some experts challenge this view. According to S D Kelkar, former legal head of SBI, the amendment is framed under Section 54 (n) of the Aadhaar Act.

The section deals with the general rule-making powers of UIDAI, which include laying down terms and conditions for the appointment of registrars, enrolling agencies and other service providers. It, however, doesnt empower UIDAI to make it mandatory for banks to enrol Aadhaar customers, Kelkar explained.
Chinas economy is on track to meet the official growth target for 2017, the head of the state planning agency said on Saturday.

We expect to achieve the full-year growth target of about 6.5%, He Lifeng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a briefing on the sidelines of Chinas Communist Party Congress.

Most economists believe Chinas actual growth should easily beat the target. The economy grew 6.8% in the third quarter of the year, and 6.9% in the first half. Last years growth rate of 6.7% was a 26-year low.

Chinas economy has surprised global markets and investors with robust growth so far this year, driven by stronger demand from Europe and the United States and a renaissance in long-ailing smokestack industries such as steel.

The worlds second-largest economy has been undergoing a restructuring process designed to upgrade its heavy industrial economy, cut pollution and tackle profit-sapping capacity gluts in sectors like steel and coal.

Chairman He said China cut annual crude steel capacity by as much as 110 million tonnes over the last five years, with coal capacity slashed by as much as 400 million tonnes.

The state had to find new jobs for as many as 1.1 million workers from the two industries over the period, he said.

China promised last year to cut steel capacity by as much as 150 million tonnes over the 2016-2020 period, with coal set to shed another 500 million tonnes of annual output capacity.

China was also on track to meet its target to find 13 million new urban jobs over the course of this year, He said.
Iraq said on Saturday it was increasing oil exports from the southern Basra region by 200,000 barrels per day to make up for a shortfall from the northern Kirkuk fields.

The output from Kirkuk fell this week when Iraqi forces took back control of oilfields from Kurdish fighters who had been there since 2014.

The increase in Basra exports keeps Iraqs total output within the quota agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the oil ministry said in a statement citing Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi.

He said 200,000 barrels per day would be shipped from Basra on top of the usual volumes exported daily of more than 3.2 milllion barrels.

These additional volumes will be produced until the northern oil output goes back to its previous level, he said.

In comments made later to reporters in Baghdad, he expected Kirkuk output to return to last weeks level very soon.

An oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday Iraq would not be able to restore Kirkuks oil output to last weeks levels before Sunday because of missing equipment at two of the largest fields of the region, Avana and Bai Hasan.

Until these shutdowns, the northern oil region exported about 530,000 barrels per day, of which about half came from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the rest from the disputed Kirkuk province, claimed by both the Kurds and the Iraqi central authorities.

A shipping agent monitoring crude arriving from northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean export terminal of Ceyhan said flows were unchanged from Friday, at 213,000 bpd.

The crude exported from Ceyhan is carried by a pipeline across Iraqi Kurdistan and then Turkey.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces deployed in Kirkuk in 2014, when the Iraqi army fled in the face of an advance by Islamic State militants. The Kurdish move prevented the militants from taking control of the oilfields.
Politicians like to please which is why populism comes easily to them. The opposite is also true. Policies or decisions that are painful are viewed as signs of rectitude and good governance. In India were accustomed to governments taking the easy way out rather than the tough decisions necessary.

However, a recent decision by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi shatters the belief governments act responsibly with a high vision in mind. According to the Press Trust of India, the Delhi government has decided that residents of different localities will be given the power to decide whether neighbourhood liquor shops can continue or be shut down.

A beguilingly simple process has been devised. If you believe a liquor shop is a nuisance  whatever that might mean  all you need do is approach your MLA or district administration, who will then call a meeting of the Residents Welfare Association which will, in turn, by majority vote, decide its future. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has said this process can be initiated by 10% of residents.

Well, I have little doubt many, if not most, liquor shops will be closed. The argument will be they are responsible for creating drunkards and spreading alcoholism. But thats specious, if not foolish. The existence of alcohol or its sale is not the problem. Its the inability of some human beings to drink in moderation that is the cause. Closing down nearby liquor shops will not prevent a drunkard or alcoholic procuring from one thats further away.

However, this is an appalling decision for more fundamental reasons. It allows the power of a brute majority to decide that what they dont like cannot be permitted. Unfortunately, whether hypocritically or honestly, the majority of Indians always claim not to drink and to be in favour of making alcohol difficult, if not impossible, to buy. Yet those who drink have a right to be able to buy alcohol easily and without trekking long distances. This, for many, is the hallmark of a cosmopolitan society.

Now, after this precedent will the Delhi government give the power to vegetarians to ban the sale of meat or restaurants that serve it in local communities? Logically that could follow. And what about the power to prevent Muslims from buying or renting properties in your neighbourhood? Or Dalits? Might that be next? After all, many, perhaps even a majority of Hindus, would prefer not to live beside either.

Bombay already has housing communities where Muslims find it impossible to rent or buy although its never admitted thats because of their faith. It has others where, more openly and even, occasionally, boastfully, non-vegetarians are not permitted. Do we really want to import such ghastly behaviour? Bombay, admittedly, is embarrassed but unable to rectify the situation. Now Mr. Kejriwal and his government seem to be opening the door, willingly and with their eyes open, to something similar in Delhi.

I wonder if Mr. Kejriwal realises that an enlightened government is one that doesnt pursue populism but acts in a higher interest. This is why governments abolish the death penalty even though theres a popular clamour to retain it or decriminalise homosexuality despite the fact most voters carry deep-rooted prejudices they rarely hide. If he drank he might accept theres a bigger principle in permitting liquor shops to function than in allowing the narrow-minded to shut them down. Perhaps this is what the Romans meant when they coined the phrase in vino veritas?

The views expressed are personal

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Gandhis three closest political colleagues were Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and C. Rajagopalachari (known popularly as Rajaji). A younger nationalist once referred to them as the Mahatmas heart, hand, and head respectively. Nehru, as Gandhis heart, carried the Mahatmas message to a wider public through his own charisma and oratorical skills. Patel, as the Mahatmas hand, built the nationalist movement at the grassroots, running the Congress party and organising major satyagrahas too. Rajaji, as Gandhis head, provided moral and intellectual counsel.

Recently, while working in the archives of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, I came across a fresh example of Rajajis acuity and intelligence. In 1937, Congress governments had come to power in many provinces of British India. Indians now had, for the first time, a limited measure of self-rule, generating much nationalist fervour among the youth, manifested in, among other things, the widespread display of the tricolour that the Congress had adopted as the National Flag. This had the identical colour scheme as the flag which independent India later adopted as its own; the only difference being that where an Ashoka chakra now is, in the middle, there was then a charkha, or spinning-wheel.

In October 1938, a year after the Congress Ministries had been formed, Rajaji wrote to Gandhi that it has become a far too common occurrence, and therefore deserving of notice at your hands, to set up the National Tri-coloured Flag in such a manner as to indicate rivalry with or predominance over the religious flags and other symbols exhibited on occasions of religious worship and festivities. While we all desire that the National Flag should be a symbol of unity and determination to achieve uninterrupted progress in all directions, we should be undoing this very purpose by trying to make rivalry between the National Flag and other flags and symbols connected with religion and which should predominate on occasions of religious ceremony.

Rajaji was then Prime Minister of the Government of Madras. He was, of course a thoroughgoing patriot himself, yet he worried that the enthusiasm of some of our workers in promoting the flag everywhere and on every occasion had, as he told Gandhi, served in fact to develop an opposition in some quarters to the National Flag which did not exist before.

Rajaji was concerned about this excess of zeal among young nationalists and where it might take the country. It seems as if, he wrote to Gandhi, ever so many of the movements for which you were responsible are liable to be misconstrued and misdirected, unless you are always ready to re-explain, re-interpret and prevent misdirection. I particularly fear the consequences of doing anything to create a rivalry between the National Flag and the religious symbols of either Hindus or Musalmans or of others. The tendency of setting up the National Flag on temple cars and temple towers offends my sense of the universality of religion and the incongruity of trying to nationalise God.

As always, Gandhi took Rajajis ideas seriously. Notably, he replied to his colleagues letter not in private but in public, through the columns of his journal Harijan, where he referred to the Prime Minister of Madras merely as a correspondent. After excerpting the relevant sections of Rajajis letter, Gandhi drew the readers attention to what the tricolour was supposed to stand for. The flag has been designed, he remarked, to represent non-violence expressed through real communal unity and non-violent labour which the lowliest and highest can easily undertake with the certain prospect of making substantial and yet imperceptible addition to the wealth of the country.

Such was the ideal; but the reality was a different matter. So, wrote Gandhi, as the author of the idea of a national flag and its make up which in essence the present flag represents, I have felt grieved how the flag has been often abused and how it has even been used to cover violence. He agreed with Rajaji that since the flag is not a religious symbol and represents and reconciles all religions, it had no place in religious processions, or temples or religious gatherings.

Gandhi insisted that the flag as a symbol of non-violence must also mean humility. Although the Congress was then in power in seven out of nine provinces in British India, Gandhi said that in the present state of tension, I would not hoist it on Government buildings or municipal offices unless it is accepted not merely by an overwhelming vote but unanimously.

This fascinating exchange is now forgotten, and I resurrect it here because it speaks directly to the present. For it shows that Gandhi, whom we call the Father of the Nation, would have been appalled by the attempt to make all Indians forcibly and continuously worship a flag that he had himself played a key role in designing. Gandhi would have been horrified by how the self-styled nationalists of today use threats, coercion and even state power to force citizens to display and bow down before the national flag. He would not have wanted temples, churches, mosques, offices, schools and colleges to mandatorily fly the flag every day or at a certain height.

The nationalists now in power in India are consumed by hatred and vengefulness. They use the flag only as a cover to promote division and violence. Gandhis patriotism, on the other hand, was inclusive and constructive. Rather than induce an unthinking worship of the flag, he sought to redirect Indians to the ideals for which the flag stood  namely, non-violence, humility, communal harmony, and the dignity of labour ideals, which, 70 years after Independence, we are not even remotely close to fulfilling.

Ramachandra Guhas books include Gandhi Before India

Twitter: @Ram_Guha

The views expressed are personal

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Keeping in line with Uttarakhands decision to phase out the revenue police system, around 95 villages in Almora district have recently been added to the jurisdiction of the regular police.

Uttarakhand has a dual policing system in which civil officials of the revenue department have powers and functions of the police and are known as revenue police. Although regular police are established in the state, yet in some hill pattis, the jurisdiction of the police is yet to be extended to and the revenue officials perform functions of police like the arrest of offenders and investigation. While the sub-divisional magistrate and patwaris run the revenue police, the regular police come under the superintendent of police or senior superintendent of police.

In the state, around 61.19% area comes under the revenue police while 38.81% area comes under the regular police. This shows that village areas are still governed by the revenue police.

In 2013, the Uttarakhand government had tried to phase out the revenue police and replace it with regular police. The move, however, met stiff opposition from social activists.

However, the ambit of the regular police has been steadily increasing and areas such as Danya in Almora have been added to the jurisdiction of the regular police after a double murder in 2012.

In 2013, the then Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna had said that the losses in Kedarnath after the 2013 tragedy could have been minimized had the area been under the jurisdiction of the regular police, which has better communication facilities, logistics and resources.

Puran Rawat, deputy inspector general of police, Kumaon Range, said that new areas were being brought under regular police in view of the changing law and order situation. The growing population, influx of outsiders is posing new challenges in governance, said Rawat.

Former Uttarakhand director general of police, AB Lal said that the Uttarakhand High Court had earlier said that why should Uttarakhand be deprived of regular and standard policing in all parts, but nothing much has been done till now. Pressure is increasing on many far-flung areas due to new challenges and more parts are being brought under regular policing, he said.
NEW DELHI: About a century and half ago, a young Nain Singh Rawat who hailed from the Kumaon region of what is now in Uttarakhand, set out for a journey that no one had dared before -- to survey Tibet, a Google Doodle on Saturday highlighted.

The terrain was tough, resources rudimentary, and yet Rawat, who often travelled in the guise of a Tibetan monk, managed to determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, map the Tsangpo river, and describe in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2,000 steps, and measured those steps using a rosary. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel and mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers, Google said.

The Doodle marks what would have been Rawats 187th birthday. He was born in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand in 1830.

In the 19th century, the British were hungry for cartographic details of Tibet. But Europeans were not welcome everywhere at that time. A thirst for knowledge, which was also key to fulfilling political goals, and the need for secrecy led to them to create a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration. They were known as Pundits. Rawat was prominent among them.

But his journey served more purposes than achieving immediate political goals of the British. His mapping of the eastern course of the Tsangpo helped establish the fact that this big river in Tibet and Assams Brahmaputra were actually the same.

In 1865-66, Rawat travelled almost 2,000 kilometres from Kathmandu to Lhasa and then to Lake Manasarovar and back to India. His last and greatest journey was from Leh in Ladhak via Lhasa to Tawang in 1873-75.

Rawats contributions did not go completely unrecognised. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him the Patrons Medal in 1877. The Indian government brought out a postage stamp featuring Rawat in 2004.

Googles Doodle on Saturday portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels -- solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side.

Rawat died of cholera in 1882.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police in a joint operation with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) have detained three men who are suspected to be involved in the killing of a police constable in Kashmirs Kulgam district on October 14, officials said Saturday.

The three men, all from J&K, were travelling in the Jammu-Tawi Express and were detained near Medta City in Nagaur district on Thursday. They had boarded the train from Ahmedabad.

According to the senior officials of the Rajasthan Polices anti-terrorism squad (ATS), one of the men is a named accused in the attack on a police vehicle in Kulgam in which constable-driver Khurshid Ahmad Tak was killed.

The men were detained on Thursday. One of the detained suspects, Sohail Khan Gani is a named accused in the killing of Ahmad on October 14, said inspector general of police, ATS, Biju George Joseph.

The police said that the men were detained after a tip off by the J&K Police.

The trio had boarded the train at Ahmedabad and identified themselves as apple merchants. It is yet to be ascertained whether the two others with Sohail had any role to play in the attack, said Joseph.

Officials from the Rajasthan ATS informally questioned the trio to determine whether they were planning to carry out any illegal activities in the desert state.

The men were handed over to the J&K Police. They have been taken back to the state, the IG said.

Ahmad died of bullet injuries he had sustained when militants opened fire at a police team that was returning from a medical camp.

Despite being injured, Tak displayed conspicuous act of courage by successfully taking the vehicle out of arch of fire and saved lives of others. He attained martyrdom in the process, a J&K Police spokesperson had said.
On October 1, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) staff spotted a Mexican woman crying in the check-in area of Terminal 3 of Delhi airport. When asked why she was crying, she said she had come to the airport using an app-based taxi service and had left her wallet, which had her travel documents, in the cab.

She noticed the missing wallet after entering the terminal and was unable to contact the driver.

It happened at 8:45pm on October 1. We took down the details of driver and asked him to come back to airport. Within an hour, he came back and handed her wallet back with the documents intact. The lady was able to catch her flight to Paris and appreciated the prompt response, said a CISF official, who asked not to be named.

From reuniting children and parents who get separated, to helping passengers in finding their lost bags, CISF has been helping air travellers at Delhi airport, busiest in the country, prevent their journey from turning into a nightmare.

On October 6, we received a request from Kolkata airport that a passenger had mistakenly taken someone elses baggage and was heading for Delhi. As soon as he landed, we intercepted the passenger and recovered the bag. There are many such cases every day and we ensure that bags are restored to the original owners, said the officer.

In 2016, CISF recovered lost items worth 5.57 crore at Delhi airport, of which items worth 1.78 crore were handed back to the passengers immediately, while rest were kept at the airport. This year, till July, items worth 2.5 crore have already been recovered at Delhi airport.

Air travellers tend to forget a large variety of items, from costly phones, foreign currency to cameras, wrist watches and bags.

To minimise the harassment and trouble faced by these passengers, CISF has taken an initiative where the staff are given monthly targets to return lost items to their owner before they board their flights.

Before the new initiative, the found items were handed over to the airport operator and passengers were asked to claim it from there, which was a time-consuming process.

The new system of tracking down the owner is a passenger-friendly initiative and has received positive feedback. We have formed teams especially to monitor unidentified item at the airport and trace the owner. The team works in coordination with the control room, where another team scans CCTV footage to trace the owner, the official added.

BOX:

**usually electronic items such as mobile, laptops and tablets are recovered at the airport.

**passengers also tend to forget wrist watches and cameras.

** In winters, CISF are also recovering jackets left behind by passengers.

** Bag containing cash and jewellery has also been recovered.

2016

Item Quantity Value (In INR)

Cell phone 1,876 1.03 crore

Laptop 1,169 2.7 crore

Camera/wrist watch 335 7.2 lakh

Wallet/currency/jewellery 809 1.4 crore

Passport/pan card 193 11,100

Jacket/bag etc 938 9.4 lakh

Total items 5,320 5.3 crore

2017 (till July)

Item Quantity Value (In INR)

Cell phone 634 73 lakh

Laptop 481 1.1 crore

Camera/wrist watch 167 11.5 lakh

Wallet/currency/jewellery 349 31.3 lakh

Passport/pan card 47 11,188

Jacket/bag etc 595 16.2 lakh

Total items 2,273 2.5 crore

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You can continue to share cab rides in Delhi as the government has decided not to ban it. It is instead tweaking draft taxi rules in favour of the service.

Changing its stand, the Delhi government has removed a clause from the draft rules that prohibited share or pool rides as they were not permissible under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

In fact, to bring the entire cab aggregator network under the organised sector, the government decided to frame a separate policy, which would be different from the City Taxi Scheme, 2017.

Titled as the Licensing and Regulation of App Based Cab Aggregators Rules, 2017, these guidelines will govern cab operators such as Ola and Uber, which currently are plying without licences in the absence of any rules. The City Taxi Scheme, 2017, on the other hand, will be for the economy and deluxe taxis such as the kaali-peelis.

The rules, which are still being drafted, will remove surge pricing. For this, the government is fixing a maximum fare, charging beyond which would attract heavy fines.

The new rules will allow only those cab aggregators to ply who have a minimum of 100 taxis attached with them. An aggregator will have to take the licence from the transport department the cost of which would vary from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 5 crore for a period of five years depending on the number of taxis attached.

NEW RULES FOR CAB AGGREGATORS  A licence to operate as an aggregator will be mandatory

 Minimum 100 vehicles shall be aggregated on one licence.

 No limit on the maximum number of vehicles

 The aggregator will be liable to pay Rs 1 lakh for not reporting to the local police an offence committed during a journey

 The draft rules go silent on sharing of cab rides

 Government to set an upper limit of fare exceeding which shall invite a fine

 Installation of panic button in cabs, drivers with PSV badges and fixed working hours will have to be ensured by the aggregators A licence to operate as an aggregator will be mandatoryMinimum 100 vehicles shall be aggregated on one licence.No limit on the maximum number of vehiclesThe aggregator will be liable to pay Rs 1 lakh for not reporting to the local police an offence committed during a journeyThe draft rules go silent on sharing of cab ridesGovernment to set an upper limit of fare exceeding which shall invite a fineInstallation of panic button in cabs, drivers with PSV badges and fixed working hours will have to be ensured by the aggregators

There are around 1.5 lakh Ola/Uber taxis plying on city roads. The number has increased manifold in just less than two years. A regulatory framework has to be brought to make them legal, an official said.

In case a passenger reports a misconduct amounting to an offence during the journey, it will be the aggregators responsibility to file a police complaint.

Non-reporting of any offence to the police will attract a fine of Rs 1 lakh for each complaint.

The aggregator will have a portal for registration of complaints, including those that are criminal in nature.

Installation of panic button in cabs, drivers with PSV badges and fixed working hours will have to be ensured by the aggregators The government will also build a 24x7 control centre for monitoring the cabs.

The new rules, however, are being opposed by taxi unions, which are against giving permits to app-based taxis as they feel it would adversely affect their business.

Shared rides must be stopped until amendments are made in the Motor Vehicles Act. We have also requested the government that non-Delhi registered cabs should not be allowed to be aggregated with app cab aggregators, said Inderjeet Singh, president of Rajdhani Parivahan Panchayat.

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The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) is exploring options to take into account the levels of six gaseous pollutants in the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi from the next winter.

It would give the Supreme Court-mandated panel a more holistic view of the Capitals pollution scenario, based on which the Graded Response Action Plan could be enforced.

As of now, Delhis AQI is primarily based on two parameters  PM2.5 and PM10  that dominate air pollution in the region. On certain days their levels shoot up nine to 10 times above the permissible limits in winter.

This is the first time we are implementing the GRAP based on the AQI, which takes into account the levels of two primary pollutants  PM10 and PM2.5. We dont want to disturb this setup as of now. But we are exploring options to include the levels of six other gaseous pollutants in the Delhi-NCRs AQI from 2018 winter, said Sunita Narain, a member of EPCA and director of the Centre for Science and Environment.

Even though PM10 and PM2.5 have been found to be the primary pollutants in the citys air, the levels of some gaseous pollutants such as SO2, NO2 and Ozone among others spike occasionally after festive seasons because of cracker bursting and unfavourable meteorological conditions.

A task force of the Central Pollution Control Board headed by the member secretary of the countrys apex pollution monitoring is, however, constantly keeping a track on the levels of all the six gases round the year.

The National Air Quality Index takes into account eight pollutants, including PM10, PM2.5 and six other gases. But as the levels of particulate matter exceeds several times the permissible limit in Delhi-NCR we take into account these two as far as regions AQI is concerned, said A Sudhakar member secretary of CPCB.

Firecrackers are loaded with a range of metals such as aluminium, strontium, copper and barium apart from the usual ingredients such as black powder, dextrin, paper and glue, which upon bursting emits a range of gases and pollutants such as SO2, NO2 and other compounds.

Experts, however, said that till Saturday, there had been no incidents of sudden spurt in the levels of any of the gases barring one incident, in which the level of carbon monoxide had shot up in one of the monitoring stations. It was, however, momentary and primarily because of the calm winds.

The levels of PM10 and PM2.5 shoot up several times above the permissible limits. But the levels of NO2 and SO2 seldom cross the permissible limit. Even if they cross they remain within the safe range and never hit the very poor or severe levels, said D Saha head of the air quality laboratory of CPCB.

For instance the level of NO2 touched 146 micrograms per metre cube at Anand Vihar around 3 pm on Saturday. It was in the moderately polluted zone. It is considered good if NO2 stays below 40 micrograms per metre cube.

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At first glance, 26-year-old DJ Aamish aka Varun Khullar looks like your regular disc jockey  making the crowd dance to his tunes, and enjoying himself hugely while doing so. But if you move a little closer, you see something thats completely unexpected, so much so that it takes a few moments for the brain to process the information relayed by the eyes.

This DJ, whos making everyone groove, is sitting in a wheelchair!

The first thought that flashes across your mind is: whats his story? A brief conversation reveals that this man is something of a pioneer. Hes Indias first disabled DJ, and only the second such person in the world after American house DJ and producer Paul Johnson. And, hes all set to open Time Out 72  a multi-genre music festival in Goa (December 27-29) that will have International artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Martin Garrix.

Varun recounts, In June 2014, I became paralysed from waist down after a car accident. I was on a road trip with my friends, when my car suddenly went off the hill, and was crushed from one side. My friends suffered various injuries; I barely escaped death.

Unconscious for three days, Varun woke to the news that he wouldnt ever walk again. I was [at first] in denial, but then my mother started crying and I couldnt see her shattered like that. In that moment, I suddenly felt this wave of determination in my body, and I told my mother, Everything is fine. I am fine. The memory is still fresh in my mind, like a wound thatll never heal, says Varun.The next two years were spent in being a prisoner in his own home, going out only for physiotherapy. Music became Varuns only release; it also gave him an idea of what the future might look like.

Its the only nightclub that is fully accessible for the differently abled. I wish there were more people with a vision like Mr Suris. And may be more nightclubs, though there cant be another Kitty Su

Being a disc jockey (DJ) is something that always appealed to Varun. From his college days to his post-graduation, he spun records for friends parties. Also, while doing my Masters in mass communication from Amity, I decided to take up DJing as a career. I joined a DJ school in south Delhi, called Sounds of Soul, he says. After the accident, stuck at home, he held on to his DJ dream. I used to spend my time reading and researching on how to be a DJ. With time, as I got better, I slowly started to socialise with friends. I also learned to drive, which gave my confidence a huge boost, says Varun. As his confidence returned, Varun was ready to kick-start his career, and he wanted some more DJing lessons. But rejection was waiting for him. I was looking for institutes to join, to resume my training for being a DJ. In the beginning, some of them rejected me because of my condition, while some institute buildings were not accessible to people in wheelchairs. After a while, I finally got accepted in ILM Academy, Gurgaon, and went there for three months, says Varun.

I have always believed in equal opportunities for all. I want to change the perception of India being a non-exclusive country. And as they say, charity begins at home. Varun is a talented, passionate and hardworking, I am glad he is a part of the Kitty Su team now: Keshav Suri, executive director at Lalit hospitality group

The next battle was fighting preconceived notions: that a disabled person cant be a disc jockey. Also, Varun wanted to be hired for the right reasons. I didnt want people to give me a job just because Im in a wheelchair. I didnt want people to see me as a hapless victim. If I got a job, then it would be because of my talent and hard work, he says.His tenacity paid off  Varun has been one of the resident DJs at Kitty Su, The Lalit, Connaught Place, for the past one month. He says that being a DJ, playing to a large crowd, gives meaning to his life. Ive had the best nights of my life here, says Varun, in his avatar as DJ Aamish. People appreciate me because of my music, not because am in a wheelchair.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more

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The fathers of the three infant petitioners, who approached the Supreme Court of India in 2015 against the use of fireworks that pollute the air, are happy with the courts decision to ban the sale of crackers in Delhi-NCR.

The order helped bring down the use of crackers in the city this Diwali to some extent. But they feel the journey has not ended yet and there is more to achieve.

Though we are happy we managed to achieve something, it is still not the destination for us, says Amit Bhandari, father of 20-month-old Aarav, who was one of the three infant petitioners.

Though this Diwali was somewhat better than the previous one, we still have to strive for a much better Delhi, Bhandari told HT from Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

One of the reasons why Bhandari would move out of Delhi around Diwali was the high pollution levels.

Its not that I have not burst a single cracker in my life but a few years ago, I realised Delhi as we knew it is a thing of past and its the people who are to be blamed, he said.

Bhandari came to Delhi about 14 years ago.

My children have had been having cough and cold every other month and their doctor blamed it on pollution. I remember my friends from Mumbai would gush about Delhis green cover; now all they talk about is Delhis pollution. They avoid coming to Delhi around Diwali, he says.

Since we have spoilt Delhis air, its we who need to make it better, and this court case is a step in that direction as its not about just these three kids but deals with a larger issue at hand, he says.

Apart from Aarav, the other petitioners were Zoya Bhasin (29 months), and Arjun Gopal (18months).

Bhandari feels the people of Delhi need to make an effort to improve Delhis air.

We have to stop looking at courts and it is the people who will have to act sensibly. It is a continuous endeavour and we will pursue this case and take it to its logical conclusion, he says.

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When it comes to fashion and beauty trends, celebs often pave the way. With celebrities like the Kardashian sisters, Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, and Emma Watson opting for an unusual pixie, or a chic fade, uncanny hair styling is becoming the new normal. According to experts, increased experimentation by celebrities, complemented by developing technology and extensive use of social media has been contributing towards the rapid evolution of the industry.

Arpit Jain of Auraine Botanicals, which brought GKhair, a global hair care brand to India, said that the last decade had witnessed a drastic makeover in the hair industry. Previously people never expected much for their hair and were hesitant to experiment and to try new products or colours. But, they are doing that right now - be it a haircut, colour, styling, hair treatment, he said.

Actor Sonakshi Sinha made news when she traded her tressed for a bob.

For instance, a fad was triggered when Emma Watson chopped off her long Hermoine locks right after she completed filming the Harry Potter series, to get a pixie crop. Closer to home, people followed Anushka Sharmas cropped hair look from PK. A slew of new hair trends can also be credited to the social media bloggers who have played an important role as influencers. Jain added that there was a visible shift from classic hairstyles to trendy alternatives like an angled bob, or going for neon coloured hair. New looks are inspiring people from different walks of life, he said.

The rapidly developing technology has transformed everyday use products like shampoos and conditioners into now catering to all kids of needs, be it cleaning the scalps, repair frizzy ends, repair hair condition, or conditioning the scalp. The contemporary hair products come with UV protectors, heat protectors, with added moisturizers and natural oils which are essential for healthy hair. Sanjay Dutta from the Looks Salon franchise said the use of nano-technologies and bio-technologies were no longer unheard of. They are now being used by premium brands across the world, he said.

Keratin treatments, hair extensions, hair correctors along with new innovative hair tools like hair dryers, tongs, wands and irons are becoming daily use objects. Todays salon visiting crowd is beauty conscious as well as aware. This has encouraged salons to use latest products that are backed by latest technology, Dutta added. The development in the industry has opened up styling avenues not just for women but also men, who are now turning metrosexual in their outlook. They are no more just swapping designations with women in beauty industry. Men are becoming more aware and experimental with their looks, Dutta said.

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What do you think about India? Asked inspector Tejpal to a tourist in Ajmer, once, who replied, India is a beautiful country, but. I prodded him further and he added, We feel bad that there is rubbish thrown everywhere, shares Tejpal recalling the incident that gave a new perspective to his life  to adopt the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, and volunteer for his vision of a clean India.

Haryana-born Tejpal, who is presently with Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as a Hindi Translator, has shot a short film (2 minute 11 seconds) titled Swachhta Film, in Itanagar (Arunachal Pardesh), highlighting a cleanliness drive in North East Frontier of the Force. At a program organised at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, recently, he was felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the best short film in a competition organised by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign.

Tejpal being felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the best short film in a competition organised by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign.

I brainstormed with the unit on the script and also involved the locals at the village in Arunachal Pradesh, explaining them about the importance of cleanliness. They would earlier throw garbage on the streets; a habit that changed after the sensitisation drive Tejpal, Inspector , ITBP

The film-making process, as Tejpal explains, comprised participation of locals from Itanagar's Ganga Village. We initiated a cleanliness campaign, in and around the campus area. I brainstormed with the unit on the script and also involved the locals at the village in Arunachal Pradesh, explaining them about the importance of cleanliness. They would earlier throw garbage on the streets; a habit that changed after the sensitisation drive.

How did he manage to balance his time between film-making and rendering his responsibilities in the force? We took breaks in between our duty and shot the film in a days time. My seniors supported me in this endeavour. Editing was the most difficult aspect of film-making because of my little knowledge in the sphere. But I managed to pull that off, too, because main chahta hoon ki humara Bharat saaf rahe (I want my India to be clean country).

A scene from Swachhta Film by ITBP inspector Tejpal.

A few scenes from the film show the police force, among the locals in Arunachal Pradesh, pledging in favour of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Movement). When PM Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014, I was overjoyed on hearing about the initiative. His speech  on his vision for India  has also been incorporated in the beginning of the film, to encourage everyone to work towards making this vision a reality, he adds.

Tejpal, who wishes to continue his efforts towards making India a clean country, says, Hume lagatar kaam karte rehna chahiye (We should continue to strive to achieve the goal of a clean India). I will personally continue to work for the cause by spreading awareness about the mission of Clean India, among the citizens. And, I hope to take the drive to my home town Rewari, Haryana, too, he adds.

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New Delhi: This Diwali, hospitals across the city had fewer people coming in with burn injuries to their emergency department as compared to previous years. And, the people who came in had less severe burns.

In fact, the five nodal government hospitals designated to treat burn patients saw a 75% decline in the number of people who came into their emergency department on Thursday night.

The five hospitals  Lok Nayak, Guru Teg Bahadur, Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and Deen Dayal Upadhaya  reported 179 burns cases last night as compared to a total of 704 cases these hospitals had received previous year during Diwali.

Safdarjung hospital, which has one of the best burns unit among the government hospitals, received a total of 55 patients with Diwali-related burn injuries, with most not requiring admission. Only five patients had burns severe enough that we had to admit them, said the hospital spokesperson. In 2016, the hospital had seen 300 cases of burn injury on the night of Diwali.

Lok Nayak hospital received 10 cases as compared to 71 in 2016. Of the 10 patients, we had to admit only four, who had suffered more than 10% burns. Even then, the burns were concentrated on the limbs. In fact, this year in all the nodal government hospitals, the number of admissions were less, said Dr JC Passey, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, which is responsible for issuing public awareness messages on Dos and Donts for burn injuries every Diwali.

Guru Teg Bahadur hospital (which caters to the entire trans-Yamuna region) had 40 cases of burns injury as compared to 175 the year before. At Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, 45 patients came in with burns injury as compared to 60 last year. Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital received 29 patients with burns injury as compared to 98 the year before.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) received no burn injury case on Thursday night.

This year, there has been a sharp decline in the number of patients coming in with burn injuries, the number of admission are also fewer indicating that the burns were less severe. This can only be attributed to the ban on sale of crackers, said Dr VK Tiwari, medical superintendent of RML hospital. He worked in the burns and plastics department of Safdarjung hospital till recently.

There has been a declining trend over the years showing that people take precautions. There had been a significant decline when the school-children were made to take an oath. But, for the last two or three years it has remained almost the same, he added.

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Did you know that talking about goat plague did more to stop the spread of Ebola in West Africa than all the public service messages about not eating infected monkeys and bats?

While science and data must drive global health policies, making the messages relatable is equally vital.

India, which is facing its own communication challenges when dealing with both infectious and chronic health threats, needs lessons in cultural contextualisation.

Well-meaning public health communicators, for example, should stop using the phrase kangaroo care when teaching women in rural India how to hold newborns to their chests to warm them and reduce risk of newborn death, because most women in remote areas have never even heard of the kangaroo and cannot possibly understand its relevance to childcare. Instead, experts say, using a monkey as a metaphor would work far better in this context.

The Ebola virus outbreak of 2014  16 is a perfect example of just how damaging mixed messages can be to health care and disease containment efforts.

When the virus first began to spread in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone  it would eventually claim 11,000 people in the biggest such outbreak so far  global responders used lessons from past outbreaks in isolated parts of rural Central Africa, ignoring the regional and cultural context of West Africa.

They blamed the rapid spread of the disease on traditions such as eating monkeys, bats and other game meat that could be infected, and ritualistic burials that involved washing of the dead.

What they didnt realise was that, while that had been true in remote Central Africa, what was fuelling the epidemic this time around was people-to-people transmission, most often via caregivers.

The garbled messaging of the initial months of Ebola 2014 was in some cases outright dangerous, says Sierra Leone-based British anthropologist Dr Paul Richards, author of Ebola: How a Peoples Science Helped End an Epidemic.

How did experts get it so wrong?

The whole thing was driven by a great deal of panic. People made instant decisions on what should be done based on scientific literature on Ebola outbreaks in central Africa, and translated it into health messaging without actually paying attention to what has happening on the ground, said Dr Paul Richards, a Sierra Leone-based British anthropologist, speaking at the Uppsala Health Summit on Tackling Infectious Diseases, in Sweden.

The summit saw experts across sectors recommend collaborative policies that could be adapted by countries and communities to quickly report and contain potential outbreaks.

Since Ebola is infectious but not contagious  it doesnt spread through air like the flu epidemic  no one expected it to spread as quickly as it did. Then, as tens of thousands became infected, experts grimly predicted millions would be infected and thousands would die within months. They were wrong on both counts.

Once responders got the message right, incidences began to plummet and the infection did not spread to even 100,000.

True or false?

The garbled messaging of the initial months of Ebola 2014 was in some cases outright dangerous, said Richards, a professor at Njala University in central Sierra Leone who specialises in the Mano River region where Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia intersect. The Mano River region was ground zero for the 2014-16 outbreak.

The message about bushmeat causing infection risk, for instance, backfired. People thought, Im a Muslim, I dont eat bushmeat or live near a forest, so Im not at risk of Ebola. But they were at risk if they were nursing a patient with Ebola who they thought had malaria or Lassa fever, Dr Richards said.

Messaging was part of the problem; the bigger failure was slow response.

The first case was traced back to December 2013, but the governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone didnt officially notify the World Health Organization until May 2014. The WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern on August 8, making it the third PHEIC after the H1N1 pandemic in April 2009, and the resurgence of polio after its near eradication in May 2014.

High community participation saw Ebola incidence fall fastest in rural south-east Sierra Leone, even though the region got less aid and technical assistance. This was mainly because it had been communicated effectively to them just how crucial it was to quarantine those affected. (Getty Images)

The Ebola epidemic had been bombing along for nine months before there was an international response and then everything came at once, which made people think that things were a lot worse than they really were, said Richards.

Control measures that were able to contain the disease in remote parts of central Africa failed to contain the infection breaking out in urban and rural areas across three countries.

Once the infection spread to Europe and North America, there was a whole new wave of panic fed by news headlines, social media and so on, after which it was almost impossible to get any context back into the situation, said Dr Richards.

Localising info

Outbreak! The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976, during two simultaneous outbreaks, one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the other in what is now South Sudan. Ebola was transmitted to people from the bodily fluids of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines. It spread among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people. Ebola kills half the people that it infects. Treatment is still restricted to supportive care, rehydration and symptomatic relief. In the wake of the 2014-16 epidemic, the biggest so far, pharma company Merck created an experimental Ebola vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, that has been declared highly protective. The best weapons against Ebola remain awareness, and containment of those infected. (Source: World Health Organization)

The epidemic was finally contained by intensifying tried-and-tested methods and building on local knowledge.

We talked to communities in rural areas about goat plague (peste des petits ruminants or PPR), which is a viral disease in goats that spreads through contact with body fluids. Many people in Sierra Leone and Liberia had lost their goats to PPR after the civil wars of the 1990s and they knew how to protect healthy goats by quarantining sick animals, said Dr Richards, who authored the book, Ebola: How a Peoples Science Helped End an Epidemic.

Once their experiences were used to illustrate the problem, people understood.

An old granny would get up and say, In the old days we had smallpox and we would always take the sick out to the farm huts and look after them there and stop their infecting others. They already had the tools to deal with Ebola once you got the right message. And the right message was talking about PPR rather than talking about monkeys and bats and all the rest of it, said Dr Richards.

Once they saw the risks, villagers quickly started using quarantine and adapted their burial rituals to lower infection. It takes about six weeks to three months for a local community to understand the nature of the infection risks, to find local models, said Dr Richards.

High community participation saw Ebola incidence fell fastest in rural south-east Sierra Leone, even though they got less aid and technical assistance. Motorbike taxis began ferrying blood samples, diagnostic results and, most crucially, data to help trained researchers do last-mile surveys and analyse information in real time from remote areas.

This helped us develop methodologies that were highly effective in the local context and we could build the Ebola Response Anthropology Platform that put true and reliable information online within 24 hours, said Dr Richards.

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Blade Runner star Sean Young is the latest celebrity to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.

The 57-year-old actor has claimed that the movie mogul exposed himself to her in the early 1990s while working on Love Crimes, which was produced by Miramax.

I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me. My basic response was, You know, Harvey, I really dont think you should be pulling that thing out, its not very pretty., she said on the Dudley and Bob with Matt Show podcast.

Young said she never worked with Weinstein again post the alleged incident.

Then never having another meeting with that guy again, because it was like, What on earth? she said.

Young also said her reputation took a hit after she rejected Weinsteins alleged advances.

Two more women were due to go public on October 20, 2017 with horrifying details of sexual attacks they say they were subjected to by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. They include a case being investigated by Los Angeles police of an Italian model and actress who says the 65-year-old producer raped her after dragging her into the bathroom of her hotel suite in Beverly Hills in 2013. (AFP)

The minute you actually stand up for yourself in Hollywood, youre the crazy one. I think thats why a lot of women dont come out and didnt come out about their experiences about that kind of lewdness and ridiculousness with Harvey, she said.

Till now, more than 40 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexually inappropriate behaviour, since a New York Times report first revealed allegations of abuse spanning decades.

Weinstein has since been removed from his company and his wife, Georgina Chapman, has separated from him.

The Los Angeles Police Department has announced that the Robbery Homicide Division has interviewed another potential sexual assault victim, an unnamed Italian actress.

New York police have already launched two active sex crime investigation into Weinstein, and Londons Metropolitan police are looking into allegations made by three other women.

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An Army porter was on Saturday killed and a girl injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamalkote sector of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area, an army official said.

A civilian working as a porter for the Army was killed when the Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, the official said.

The Indian army personnel were giving a strong and befitting response to the ceasefire violation, he said.

Meanwhile, sources said a girl was also injured in the Pakistani firing. She was taken to a hospital in Uri town for treatment.

There has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year.

On October 12, an army jawan and a porter were killed and six others injured when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and shelled forward areas along the LoC in the Poonch district.

Eight civilians, including a two-year-old girl, were injured on October 18 when Pakistani troops shelled civilian hamlets and forward posts along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Earlier this month, a Home Ministry official had said that Pakistani troops targeted Indian territories more than 600 times till September 30. Eight civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in the firing.

It is the highest number of ceasefire violations in nearly a decade, the official said.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir had come into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday said that they have arrested 73 people for raising false alarm on braid chopping and creating disturbances across Kashmir Valley.

Of the 45 arrested in north Kashmirs Baramulla, 18 were charged with assault on three Territorial Army men in Sheeri while 16 were held in Boniya, six in Delina and five in Singhpora.

Seventeen others were arrested in Srinagar for spreading rumours and instigating people to pelt stones at security forces and 10 were taken into custody in Kupwara for thrashing an army man.

One person, belonging to a political party which the police did not reveal, was arrested in south Kashmirs Anantnag for enacting a hair-chopping drama to create law and order problem.

A police spokesman said the arrested were trying to achieve three objectives: disturb peace and order in the Valley, to create animosity between people and security forces, especially the state police, and to force women inside homes by creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

Some of the arrested also raised slogans hailing Zakir Musa, the al-Qaedas Kashmir chief, he said.

Allegations of braid chopping  a phrase used to describe the mysterious phenomenon of several women claiming that unknown men attack them and cut off their hair  started in September from south Kashmir, and spread to all the districts of the region.

Over 100 such cases have been reported, creating chaos and fear among women in the Valley, with no clarity on why or how it has been happening.

In most cases, women allege that they were sprayed with some chemicals knocking them unconscious before their braids were chopped off.

Baramulla

During investigation, police learnt that a notorious stone-pelter Qaiser Bilal Bhat hatched a conspiracy to get three Territorial Army men killed by falsely accusing them as braid choppers.

When the three army men reached Sheeri market, Bhat raised a hue and cry, and got a violent mob to gather and attack them, the spokesman said.

Police said they arrested 18 persons and recovered looted cash, ATM cards and mobile phones from them.

Police arrest a youth during a protest against the growing incidents of braid chopping in Kashmir, in Srinagar on Saturday. (PTI)

Kupwara

The spokesman said that the 10 arrested in Kupwara were part of an unruly mob of miscreants who had caught hold of an Army man of 3rd JAKLI (Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry) and accused him of being a braid chopper in Redii Chowkibal of Kupwara on October 17.

Some miscreants had alleged that an Army man after committing the offence had boarded the armys CASPER vehicle deployed on road opening party duties, he said, adding that police intervened and saved the injured soldier.

Miscreants also started pelting stones on the police team during the intervention, the officer said.

Investigations proved that neither the lady whose braid was chopped off nor any of her family members had seen any army personnel either in the house where the incident took place or elsewhere. No person has claimed to have seen the Army personnel running from the house towards the road where the CASPER vehicle was stationed, he said.

Srinagar

In Srinagar, police said eight persons were arrested from Batamaloo area in Shaheed Gunj sub-division while six others were held from Noorbagh area of Maharaj Gunj subdivision of Srinagar city in different raids by the police.

These miscreants were spreading rumours on braid chopping and were causing panic among the people... to instigate general public for protest and stone pelting, the spokesman said.

Anantnag

In Dooru area of south Kashmirs Anantnag, police said Bilal Ahmad Mir, belonging to a particular political party, enacted a hair chopping drama to create law and order problem. He also said that his finger was hurt when he tried to catch the attacker.

Police found he managed to muster support by using a megaphone, although the case turned out to be a hoax.

Later, police found that he had injured his fingers at his workplace.
Sikhs have had a presence in Canada for nearly 110 years, but their involvement in the North American nations politics has been briefer: After 40 years of being denied the vote, they were enfranchised in 1947, about a month after India gained independence and that event was certainly a factor as Ottawa wanted to forge amicable relations with the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government in New Delhi.

Seven decades after gaining that right, the community marked a historic high on October 1 this year as 38-year-old Jagmeet Singh, member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament became the first visible minority, not to mention the first person of Indian origin and Sikh heritage, to take the reins of a major federal party, the New Democratic Party or NDP. At his victory event in a Toronto hotel ballroom, the nearly 500-strong crowd, almost half of whom were Sikhs, burst into raucous cheers as the young politician, known for his immaculate wardrobe, style and proudly wearing a turban, garnered over 50 per cent of the approximately 66000 votes cast in a multipolar contest.

As an analysis in the daily Toronto Star noted, in the early 1900s, a leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation or CCF, precursor to the NDP, had once said the community was sadly out of place in the country. More than a century later, that past of discrimination and demonisation has given way to a demonstration of the communitys political chops.

Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan speaks at a Vaisakhi celebration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on. (Photo Courtesy PMO Canada)

This isnt the first time the NDP, traditionally the third party in Canadian politics and one that has never held power federally, has played a part in Sikhs making history in Canada. The first Sikh to be elected to a provincial assembly was Munmohan Singh Sihota in 1986 as he won a mandate in British Columbia or BC. Sihota went on to become the first Sikh minister in a provincial Cabinet in 1991. Nine years later, Ujjal Dosanjh became the first Sikh Premier of BC.

What Aids The Rise

Curiously enough, even though in the United States Dalip Singh Saund entered the House of Representatives from a California district in 1957, the level of political success Sikhs are enjoying in Canada with four members in Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Cabinet and now Jagmeet Singhs emergence, is unparalleled elsewhere in the world.

A number of factors contribute to this phenomenon. Among those is Canadas much vaunted liberal tradition, and as Nelson Wiseman, professor of political science at University of Toronto puts it, a fairly open system. Shachi Kurl, executive director of the opinion research foundation, Angus Reid Institute, seconds that sentiment: To this point, Canadians have very much taken the principle everyone is equal very much to heart. In a late June survey, Angus Reid found that 96 per cent of Canadians would vote for woman for Prime Minister, and 85 per cent for a gay person; while the corresponding numbers of American preferences for their President are 90 and 63 per cent. Curiously though, the numbers for those supporting a person wearing a religious head covering, as in the case of Jagmeet Singh, are fairly similar  56 per cent in Canada and 53 per cent in the US. Five days after Singh was elected NDP leader, the Institute found that seven-in-ten Canadians are saying they themselves would consider voting for a national party leader who wears a turban and carries a kirpan. Such tolerance, though, isnt quite evident in the Francophone province of Quebec, where overt religious attire is frowned upon.

Beyond Liberalism

The extreme right, which remains outside Canadas political mainstream, is also obviously averse to such developments. During a meet in Brampton in September, one woman, Jennifer Bush, accused Singh of promoting Sharia, in a video that went viral. Rise Canada, a group that is apparently Defending the Rights of all True Canadians, states that other threats include fundamentalist Sikh influences. At this time, the NDP is a distant third in polling for Federal power, and just how this dynamic will play out if Singh manages to gain steam closer to the 2019 elections, will be a test of the Canadian platform of plurality.

Here, in an electoral district, a party will allow you to recruit members and you can go basically among your own ethnic, religious, national minority members who are known to you and through extended family networks you can make members. And bring them to a nomination meeting, says Shinder Purewal, professor of political science at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Dosanjh, who was a product of Indias secular democracy, doesnt take kindly to the Sikh label, as he says, Its part of me, but it doesnt define me. But he believes among the principal reason for the communitys rapid rise in Canada is the system of choosing candidates. In Britain, a party presidium elects candidates, while in America, primaries matter. In Canada, its the partys convention, of the sort Jagmeet Singh mastered. The elites in parties dont have too much control. In that sense, Canada provides a very democratic setup, he says.

Shinder Purewal, professor of political science at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC, agrees, Here, in an electoral district, a party will allow you to recruit members and you can go basically among your own ethnic, religious, national minority members who are known to you and through extended family networks you can make members. And bring them to a nomination meeting. Not surprisingly, Jagmeet Singhs campaign had signed up 47,000 new members, out of the 124,000 that were eligible to vote in the leadership race. Finally, he received over 35,000 votes, nearly thrice the number commanded by the runner-up.

The attraction Sikhs have for politics is mutual, as Wiseman says, Weve moved to a system where the parties dont really have that many long-term committed partisans. And then when they have selections of leaders and nominate candidates, the parties are very keen to sign up as many people as they can in a short order of time.

The Role Of Pioneers

But other factors have also mattered in the community mobilising itself in Canadian politics. In shifting the paradigm, there was role of the pioneers, among them Moe Sihota. And Harbance Herb Dhaliwal, who in 1997 became the first Sikh federal cabinet minister. Herb Dhaliwal says the politicisation of the community started in the late 1980s. Both he and Sihota showed the community it could play a meaningful role. Dhaliwal says, One of the ways to have their issues dealt with is if they play a very active role in politics.

Sikhs in Canadian Politics 1907: Legislation disenfranchises those not of Anglo-Saxon parentage, depriving Sikhs of voting rights. Harsher immigration rules introduced.

Legislation disenfranchises those not of Anglo-Saxon parentage, depriving Sikhs of voting rights. Harsher immigration rules introduced. 1947: Just about a month after Indias Independence, Indo-Canadians get the right to vote in Canada.

Just about a month after Indias Independence, Indo-Canadians get the right to vote in Canada. 1967: Immigration policy relaxed, new wave of settlers begin arriving.

Immigration policy relaxed, new wave of settlers begin arriving. 1986: Munmohan Sihota is the first Sikh elected to a legislature in Canada as he enters the British Columbia assembly.

Munmohan Sihota is the first Sikh elected to a legislature in Canada as he enters the British Columbia assembly. 1991: Sihota becomes the first Cabinet Minister in a Canadian Government, as he takes over Labour and Consumer Affairs portfolio in British Columbia.

Sihota becomes the first Cabinet Minister in a Canadian Government, as he takes over Labour and Consumer Affairs portfolio in British Columbia. 1993: First Indo-Canadians elected to Canadian House of Commons.

First Indo-Canadians elected to Canadian House of Commons. 1997: Herb Dhaliwal becomes first federal minister of Indian origin.

Herb Dhaliwal becomes first federal minister of Indian origin. 2000: Ujjal Dosanjh becomes the first person of Indian origin to become the Premier of a Canadian province, British Columbia.

Ujjal Dosanjh becomes the first person of Indian origin to become the Premier of a Canadian province, British Columbia. 2011: Tim Uppal, becomes the first turbaned Sikh to be part of the federal Cabinet, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Tim Uppal, becomes the first turbaned Sikh to be part of the federal Cabinet, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 2015: A record four Cabinet Ministers are appointed by new PM Justin Trudeau, including Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan.

A record four Cabinet Ministers are appointed by new PM Justin Trudeau, including Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan. 2015: Bardish Chagger becomes the first Sikh woman to join the federal Cabinet.

Bardish Chagger becomes the first Sikh woman to join the federal Cabinet. 2016: Sabi Marwah is the first Sikh to be nominated to Canadas upper chamber, the Senate.

Sabi Marwah is the first Sikh to be nominated to Canadas upper chamber, the Senate. 2017: Jagmeet Singh becomes the first Sikh leader of a federal political party as he wins the race for leadership of the New Democratic Party.

It wasnt just about elected positions, but also participating in the process, populating major campaigns. By being engaged, they gained some political power and learnt the political game, Dhaliwal feels. For instance, Sukh Dhaliwal (no relation), who worked in Herb Dhaliwals campaign, is now an MP. Herb Dhaliwal was part of the first group of Indo-Canadians to be elected to the House in 1993. That trio included Gurbax Malhi, the first turbaned Sikh MP, to accommodate whom Parliament had to reframe its rules regarding headwear in the chamber.

That political shrewdness of the community has paid off, according to Kurl. Jagmeet Singhs unprecedented victory is a high water mark but this is part of a journey, she says: Its part of a progression, of clean shaven mona Sikhs, to Sikhs who were back benchers and not necessarily on the front bench but wearing their turbans in the House of Commons, to defence minister Harjit Sajjan, who is a turbaned Sikh and now we have a federal leader.

Herb Dhaliwal, the first Sikh to be appointed to Federal Cabinet in Canada, with Justin Trudeau prior to the latter becoming Prime Minister of Canada. (Photo Courtesy Herb Dhaliwal))

These developments were accompanied by a growing Sikh population in the country. They number around 500,000 at this time, growing from less than 10,000 before 1971 to about 455,000 per the 2011 Census. That makes for nearly the same numbers as in the US, where the total population is almost 10 times that of Canada, and equal to that in the United Kingdom, which has 30 million more people. The sheer numbers and the sheer political acumen and political involvement; theres been a real understanding that this is a very savvy, politically astute community and each party has embraced that, Satwinder Bains, director of the Centre for Indo Canadian Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley, says. The volume of presence ensures Sikhs are not an unknown quantity in the nation, bringing Canada to this lightning moment in its cultural landscape. We have surpassed the settlement stage and are now in the integration stage, she says.

The Number Game

Population distribution also matters. Sikhs account for three-fourths of the 20 Indo-Canadian MPs in the current House of Commons, more than double the number after the 2011 elections. Sikh voters are numerous and concentrated enough to dominate some constituencies or ridings in the suburbs of Toronto and Vancouver, like Brampton, Mississauga and Surrey, and even in cities like Calgary and Edmonton in the province of Alberta. In fact, in nearly ten contests in the 2015 federal elections, the top two or even three candidates in a seat were Sikhs. This is their version of a demographic dividend.

The sheer numbers and the sheer political acumen and political involvement; theres been a real understanding that this is a very savvy, politically astute community and each party has embraced that, says Satwinder Bains, director of the Centre for Indo Canadian Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley.

While Sikhs have traditionally been allied to the Liberal Party, Conservatives made inroads as the party governed Canada between 2006 and 2015. And now, with Jagmeet Singh, a flow towards the NDP cannot be discounted. As Wiseman suggests, Its a matter of numbers and if you decide to band together as a group and youre not fussy about which party you are banding together for or which candidate, your primary criteria is that they are Sikhs, that is a factor.

Unfortunately, theres also a dark side to this success. Among the organising principles for the community may well have been the issue of separatism, as pro-Khalistan elements remain politically active in Canada, seeking power to advance their agenda. These elements have made a very well organised and concerted effort to attempt to occupy the highest echelons of Government, Dosanjh argues. I think theres absolutely no question that there is an influence of separatist politics that in Canada has had quite a predominant role, the former Premier and Federal Minister says. Many of them have backgrounds in secessionist families. Others believe organisations that once focused on the old country have learnt to leverage the system, as Purewal says, They concentrated on Indian politics and India-related issues, about a Sikh homeland, the 1984 affair. Finally they realised they have enough people and they can actually win nominations.

While the NDP has refused to release a detailed breakdown of each candidates vote in the leadership race, earlier fundraising trends suggest that the hardcore bloc may have contributed heavily, with larger amounts being raised in places like the Greater Toronto Area and Metro Vancouver. In fact, leading pro-Khalistan activists in Canada have told this writer they were canvassing for Jagmeet Singh, providing money and supporters. This does not mean Jagmeet Singhs campaign was aware of this effort or that he has separatist sympathies. But instances like his reluctance to disavow portraits of Talwinder Singh Parmar, considered the principal planner of the Air India terrorist bombing in 1985 being glorified in some gurudwaras, may give the appearance of pandering to this section.

Regardless, Jagmeet Singhs ascendance further normalises the community within Canadian politics, and provides the first visible minority leader with a shot at becoming Canadas next Prime Minister. But whether the remarkable progress of Sikhs up the greasy pole of Canadian politics earns such an emphatic pinnacle, will only be known two years later.

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The Bihar government has decided to hand over the investigation of soil scam case, allegedly involving Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tej Pratap Yadav, to the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB).

The scam relates to the alleged purchase of soil worth more than Rs 90 lakh by Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park in Patna from a firm associated with Yadav without floating any tender.

Then purchase was made during Yadavs tenure as minister of the forest and environment department, which controlled the biological park.

The decision to hand over the probe to the VIB comes a week after the Patna high court directed the Bihar government to file an action taken report in the soil scam case within six weeks.

A division bench of the high court had passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking an independent inquiry, either by the CBI or a judicial commission. On October 13, the division bench of chief justice Rajendra Menon and justice A K Upadhyay sought a status report from the government on the inquiry into the soil purchase scam.

Petitioner RS Singh Sengar, an advocate, had complained of gross irregularities in the purchase of soil for the beautification of the biological park. He alleged that the soil was lifted from a site near Ram Jaipal Nagar Mor, where Patnas biggest mall is being constructed by a firm  LARA Projects Private Limited  in which Prasads wife Rabri Devi and their younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav are shareholders .

Sengar has named chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, principal secretaries of the environment and forest, urban development departments and Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park director Nand Kishore, among others, as accused.

Vigilance sources, however, said the department was yet receive any communication from the state government to conduct the probe.

The land for the proposed mall is under the scanner of the Income Tax department, CBI and the Enforcement Directorate as it is allegedly linked to the IRCTC hotels-for-land scam case of 2006 when Prasad was the railway minister.

The construction of the mall has since been stopped by the Union environment and forest ministry.

Soon after senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who is now deputy chief minister, alleged irregularities in the purchase of soil on April 5, the Bihar chief secretary asked the state forest department to furnish documents related to the deal.

On April 21, however, the chief secretary said no evidence of irregularities was found in the initial investigation by the biological park. He said the firm which supplied the soil claimed that it was sourced from five different places.

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A 22-year-old civilian was killed on Saturday in heavy shelling and firing by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla district, an army spokesperson said.

Abbas, resident of Kamalkot (Baramulla) employed with the Army lost his life in an unprovoked firing at around 11:30 a.m, he said, adding that the Indian side strongly retaliated to the attack.

An 18 year-old Nasreena Bano of Marian village was also injured in the firing.

Due to heightened tensions between the two Armies on the LoC, no traditional exchange of sweets and greetings took place on Diwali.

(with inputs from agencies)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot pursue peace with Pakistan in a way that cuts his own security, a top Trump administration official has said, asserting that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.

Ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons maiden visit to India and Pakistan next week, the official, with an insight into the administrations policy over South Asia, was responding to questions on what India could do to bring peace and stability in the region, in particular with Pakistan.

Its clear to everyone that Prime Minister Modi wants peace in the region, but he cant pursue peace (with Pakistan) in a way that cuts against his own security. So that (having peace talks with Pakistan) is up to his judgement, the official, requesting anonymity, told PTI on Friday.

We want India and Pakistan to talk. We think that is so important for them to talk and to build confidence and to get on a path to regional security and stability which we know would bring both countries to unprecedented levels of prosperity, he said.

Noting that South Asia and the bridge in central Asia is one of the least economically integrated areas of the world, he said that there is tremendous potential to be unleashed.

And what we hope is that the dialogue, continued dialogue, continued efforts to generate a higher degree of understanding to convince those in Pakistan, including the Pakistani army, that it is really in their interest to build confidence to open commerce and to achieve the kind of peace that would lead to prosperity, the official said.

After a series of setbacks India received from Pakistan, including the one after the Pathankot terror attack, the Indian government has decided not to talk with Pakistan unless it stops supporting terrorists against it, he said.

Indias policy now is talks and terror cannot go together, as was articulated by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament, which has been repeated several times since then, the official said.

I think India has to make its own judgement on that. And India will be the best judge. Certainly, President Trump has great respect for Prime Minister Modi and his wisdom, and leadership ability, the official added.
The Gujarat Congress reached out on Saturday to Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mewani, activist leaders who could bring crucial support ahead of the state elections due in a few months.

Patel, Thakore and Mewani have led powerful campaigns against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government for their communities.

If Hardik Patel wants to contest elections in future, the Congress is ready to give him ticket. Jignesh Mewani is leading an agitation for the rights of Dalits and Alpesh Thakore is fighting issues like corruption and alcohol addiction. The Congress invites them to join hands with us, said Gujarat Pradesh Congress committee president Bharatsinh Solanki at a press conference.

Patel, 24, who has been at the forefront of an agitation for reservation benefits in college admission and government jobs for his otherwise politically influential Patidar community, is yet to reach the age in which he is allowed to contest election.

While Patel has said he has no intention of contesting elections, Mewani  who emerged as a Dalit leader in the wake of the Una flogging incident  told HT that his movement has a political perspective but he would respond to the Congress invitation after consulting community members and organisations.

Thakore, who has been leading OBC, ST and ST Ekta Manch, was not available for comment.

I do not intend to contest elections. We want our right (OBC status) and we will continue to fight for the same, said Patel.

The BJP, which has announced a Non-Reserved Category Educational and Economic Development Board and Commission to placate the agitators, has been portraying Patel as a Congress agent.

I am against the RSS and BJP ideology, which is out to wipe out democracy from India. My movement is social as well as political. But I will respond to the Congress after consulting my community, Mewani told HT.

Solanki also said that AAP leaders like Kanu Kalsaria, a former BJP MLA from Mahuva, and others are in touch with Congress.

Chhotu Vasava (JD-U MLA) had supported Congress in the Rajya Sabha election. We invite him to to join us. Also, if the NCP, which did not support us in the RS elections, wants the Congress to come to power, we are ready to think for an alliance, Solanki added.

Vasava, who is close to rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, had mobilised voters in the tribal belt ahead of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis Navsarjan Yatra in central Gujarat earlier this month.

The two MLAs of NCP, which so far has contested assembly elections in the state in alliance with the Congress, had voted for the BJP in the August RS elections. The party has announced to contest from a maximum number of seats this time around.
The government is collecting DNA samples from the kin of 39 Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State in Mosul more than three years ago at the suggestion of some parliamentarians and Iraqi authorities as part of a fresh effort to determine their fate.

A letter sent by the external affairs ministry to officials in Punjab, the state to which most of the missing men belonged, said the samples are needed urgently as a team is set to visit Iraq on October 23.

Sources familiar with the developments told Hindustan Times that after numerous mass graves were found in areas of Iraq liberated from the IS, some MPs and politicians had urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to ensure that DNA samples were collected from the relatives of those men to help in the search.

Iraqi authorities too wrote to Indian officials some time ago that DNA samples would help explore all possibilities in the search.

Taking these two strands into account, the external affairs ministry decided to request the governments of the states, to which the missing men belonged, to take DNA samples of their relatives, said a source.

A second source said the latest development doesnt mean any finality in our search for the missing Indians. The source added, We are still looking for them.

Read more: No evidence that 39 Indians missing in Iraq are killed: Sushma Swaraj

The government continues to classify the 39 workers kidnapped in June 2014 as missing. The government has also taken a position that as long as it doesnt have conclusive proof they are dead, it would like to believe they are alive, sources said.

The families of some workers from Punjab were informed by the local administration over phone on Friday evening to visit the nearest civil hospital on Saturday to provide blood samples.

Nine families from Amritsar district, who went to the forensic department of the Government Medical College, were unable to give blood samples as the facility did not have the proper equipment. Officials said they would be recalled once the equipment is available.

On Saturday, the Punjab health department collected blood samples from kin of three missing men from Gurdaspur district.

P Ashok, the under secretary (states) in the external affairs ministry, had on October 18 directed Gurdaspurs deputy commissioner to collect the blood samples at the earliest.

Senior medical officer Sanjeev Bhalla said after orders were received from the deputy commissioner, three teams went to Tallianwal, Rupowali and Talwandi Jhuran villages to collect blood samples from the relatives of Malkait Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Dharminder, who are among the missing men.

Kamaljeets mother, Mohinder Kaur (62), told Hindustan Times a health department team came to her home and collected blood samples from her and her husband.

This fresh development has once again built a new hope in our hearts as we have full faith in the words of Sushma Swaraj, who repeatedly assured us that our son is alive and the government will leave no stone unturned for his safe return, she said.

Read more: Syria has no information about 39 Indians who went missing in Iraq: Envoy

Other relatives were worried by the development, especially because of the uncertainty that has surrounded the fate of the men.

Gurpinder Kaur, whose brother Manjinder Singh is among the missing, said, It is natural for the grieving families to worry as the administrative authorities have not disclosed the reason behind the DNA test. We dont know much about the sudden move.

Normally, blood samples are collected at the initial stage in such cases. Maybe the government is late in collecting the samples and it has asked to do so now, said Gurpinder, who has been leading efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the workers.

Sarwan Singh, the brother of Nishan Singh who belongs to Amritsar district, said, In such a situation, I can only pray for the life of my brother.

At one point, the government had said six sources had confirmed that the workers were alive. But the government was never directly in touch with the abductors.

In July, Swaraj said minister of state VK Singh, during his visit to Iraq, had been told the missing Indians were being held at Badush prison near Mosul. But Iraqi authorities subsequently said the jail had no inmates when the area was recaptured from the IS by pro-government troops.

On March 11, the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces, announced it had found the remains of 500 prisoners executed by the IS in Badush prison.

Sources in the Iraqi armed forces involved in the liberation of Mosul said there was a strong likelihood the abducted Indians were killed by the IS in the surrounding desert, just like other prisoners.

This information and the location of the prison match the account of Harjit Masih, the sole Indian from the group of 40 kidnapped in Mosul who managed to escape. Masih has told several media outlets the others were gunned down in the desert near Badush on June 15, 2014.

(With inputs from Surjit Singh in Amritsar)
Britains opposition Labour Party wants India to allow international human rights monitors to visit Jammu and Kashmir to verify reports of violations since the current situation in the state needs to be sorted out.

Emily Thornberry, shadow foreign secretary, told members of the Indian Journalists Association here on Friday that if India has nothing to fear, it should allow human rights monitors into the state.

Impressing by its performance in the June general election, the partys views on key issues such as Brexit, its relationship with India and the Indian community has been under more focus.

Thornberry, 57, who under Britains shadow government system would be the foreign secretary if Labour won the election, spoke on a range of issues, including party leader Jeremy Corbyns criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

She highlighted the fact that it was a Labour government in office when India became independent in 1947, and that she was elected from the Islington South and Finsbury seat, once held by Dadabhai Naoroji  the first Indian elected to the House of Commons.

Our current position on Kashmir comes from a concern for human rights. We hear a kaleidoscope of stories, from the extremes to the less extreme. The human rights of Kashmiris continue to bubble up. I have spoken to the (Indian) high commissioner about this.

Kashmiris want to live in peace. That should be our starting point. I know there are people in India who say these stories are exaggerated or indeed downright lies. And if thats right, it does seem to me that India has nothing to fear from allowing human rights monitors into Kashmir in order to be able to support that it isnt true, she said.

Refraining from going beyond the official position  that the issue needs to be settled by India and Pakistan, and that Britain had no role  Thornberry said: It is our place to keep saying that it needs to be resolved in a peaceful way. This is not radical, this is common sense.

Thornberry said she had sympathy for India suffering terrorism, and so many of those terrorist attacks do seem to come from Pakistan, but added that despite the profound problems in Pakistan, it would not be right to term it a terrorist state.

On Corbyns criticism of Modi, Thornberry insisted the Labour leader was a pragmatist, but one who would not hold back on issues of concern such as human rights. Corbyn had, in the past, opposed Modis travelling to Britain, but then met him during the prime ministers November 2015 visit.

Modi is a democratically elected leader of the biggest democracy in the world. He is the legitimate leader, so we begin with that. I have been in many meetings with Jeremy with people who would seem to be our friends and with people who would not seem to be our natural allies.

He (Corbyn) is always the same  he will always criticise where he believes criticism should be levelled. And what you see is what you get. It would not be right to say he is not a pragmatist and would not be right to say that he wishes to turn his back on one of the most important countries. So yes I imagine the meetings (between Corbyn and Modi) would be heated, but I think thats the way it should be. Proper friendships have to be based on honesty, she said.

Thornberry, however, was critical of Modis record on economic reform: Despite the reform agenda promised by Prime Minister ModiI believe he once said that the government has no business to be in business. We have not seen the anticipated wave of privatisation.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Indias banking sector, which remains dominated by state-owned institutions, accounting for 70% of all the lending in India. I dont doubt that UK-India trade ties will remain strong after Brexit, but we need to be clear eyed and realistic about how much can be achieved.

A Labour government would ensure that human rights would be fully embedded in trade negotiations with India after Brexit, she said, and went on to temper her comments about how the world needs Indias leadership and is crying out for Indias leadership, particularly with the decline of the United States and Indias leading role in tackling climate change.

The Labour party added two Indian-origin MPs to its group in the House of Commons in the June election  Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill  taking the tally to seven in the 12-member group of Indian-origin MPs.

According to some analyses, Labour has been losing sections of its traditional base in the Indian community to the Conservatives in recent years, but besides the two new MPs, its five Indian-origin MPs won with increased margins in the June election.

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Google marked Indian explorer Nain Singh Rawats 187th birth anniversary on Saturday with a Doodle featuring an illustration of a silhouette of a man looking over mountains.

Rawat, born in 1830, belonged to the Johar Valley of Kumaon in Uttarakhand. He was the first to find the location and altitude of Lhasa .He mapped the course of Tsangpo river and the trade route between Nepal and Tibet.

The Doodle, designed by Hari and Deepti Panicker, portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels  solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side, reads Googles description of the explorer.

Rawat, who was recruited by the British for mapping, used to disguise as a Tibetan monk and walk as far as Kathmandu in Nepam, Lhasa in Tibet and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. He concealed instruments like a compass in his prayer wheel and hid his travel records as prayers. His pace during his travels remained uniform and he measures his steps using a rosary.

Rawat was also recruited by German geographers, the Schlagintweit brothers, in 1855, according to an NDTV report.

He was awarded the Patrons Medal in 1877 by the Royal Geographical Society for his explorations. British Colonel Henry Yule advocated for awarding Rawat and spoke about him during the medal presentation ceremony. He said the explorer is not a topographical automaton, or merely one of a great multitude of native employees with an average qualification. His observations have added a larger amount of important knowledge to the map of Asia then those of any other living man, a Frontline article said.

A book on Rawat titled Asia Ki Peeth Par (On the Back of Asia) was published in 2006, illuminating the writings and life of the 19th century Indian explorer.

Rawat died of a heart attack while visiting Jagir, a village gifted to him by the British, in 1895.

Google marks significant events and honours the achievements of people from different walks of life. On Thursday, the Doodle marked the 107th birth anniversary of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the first astrophysicist to have won a Nobel Prize for his theory on the evolution of stars.
Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh on Saturday said the houses of MLAs were being attacked with grenades in a bid to create fear among the people but security forces were dealing with the situation bravely.

He was referring to the attacks by terrorists on the houses of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators Aijaz Ahmad Mir at Wachi in Shopian district and Mushtaq Ahmad Shah in Tral area of Pulwama district on Thursday and Friday respectively.

Anti-national elements are trying their best to create a turmoil-like situation. Houses of our MLAs are being attacked with grenades as every attempt is being made to create fear among the people, Singh said on the sidelines of a police function organised on the occasion of National Police Day.

The function was held to pay homage to the personnel who laid down their lives in the service of the country.

In this proxy war, terrorists, stone pelters and other such elements are busy and so are the police, government and other security forces (to counter them), he said.

He said the security forces were dealing with the situation bravely and those involved in such incidents would be dealt with in accordance with law.

He was replying to questions about stone-pelters attacking the house of a Kashmiri Pandit in south Kashmirs Kulgam on the night of Diwali, a video of which went viral on social media.

The deputy chief minister lauded the role of police and other security forces in fighting the proxy war and said they are doing a tremendous service to the nation.

In the fight against terrorists, cross-border infiltration and shelling, the security forces are tackling the challenges bravely despite the hostile atmosphere. Last year, turmoil was created with the sole intention to hinder the progress of the state, he said.

He paid homage to the police personnel killed in the line of duty, including deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Ayoub Pandit who was lynched to death by a mob at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and Army officer Lt Umar who was abducted and killed by terrorists.

Singh led senior police officers and other ranks in laying wreaths at the police martyrs memorial here and also inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by the police. He handed over gifts among the family members of those killed.

Inspector General of Police, Jammu, S ]D Singh Jamwal, in his address, appealed to people to work should-to-shoulder with security forces to fulfil the mission of those killed in the line of duty.

He read out names of all the police personnel killed in the past year and said 42 officers and personnel belonged to Jammu and Kashmir.

We will keep their sacrifice in mind and work with the same zeal and dedication to serve the country, he said.
The hardline Hurriyat Conference asked the youth on Saturday to show restraint over braid-chopping attempts by miscreants in Kashmir, saying the suspects should not be attacked.

No one should attack or deal with any suspected person as there are more chances that their associates and colleagues may take advantage of this and malign the situation as reported from several places, the Hurriyat Conference, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, said in a statement.

We need to keep close vigil on such elements as they are desperate to spoil our sacred movement and divine ethical values, the statement added.

Referring to incidents wherein many innocents were thrashed including the Sopore incident where a mentally- challenged person was nearly set ablaze, the Hurriyat said, It is extremely unfortunate, sad and frightening.

It is a well-planned ploy to deviate our attention. In crucial times, we need to take care of all this, as conspiracies are being hatched to create chaos and anarchy in society, it said.

The separatist group requested the youth to follow the guidelines laid down by the outfit and said they were duty-bound to keep watch over these elements involved in assault on women.

We have asked to constitute Mohalla committees and hand over all suspected persons to credible members of committee for investigations, recording statements and for future course of action so as no innocent is implicated or guilty is allowed to leave by the authorities, the statement read.
A man was reduced to his immediate identity. To a thing. Never treated as a mind a glorious thing made of star dust. Hyderabad Central University (HCU)s Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide note lit a fire across Indias varsity campuses in 2016.

Even as HCU simmered over the administrations inept handling of the case and discrimination against Dalit students, protests erupted in two other premier public varsities  Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU)  over the arrest of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition.

Earlier this year, students in DU clashed with rightwing groups over their right to free speech. In September, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students held fierce protests against the university administrations failure to act on a case of molestation and victim-shaming.

Such ferment on campuses gave Yousuf Saeed, an independent filmmaker, archivist and author, an opportunity to capture not just the belligerent mood but also the issues that are enraging students.

The immediate trigger for Campus Rising was the 2016 JNU incident when some TV channels showed students seeking aazadi... it was assumed their slogans were anti-India, Saeed says.

Filmmaker Yousuf Saeed says the life of a documentary filmmaker remains difficult. If I put out 20 proposals, three will manage funding. Indians dont appreciate documentaries because of lack of exposure, and so viewership is limited, he says. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

The New Delhi-based director felt the demand for freedom was seen from a very narrow perspective; it was actually a result of deep dissatisfaction on issues such as casteism, feudalism, religious fundamentalism and corruption. These underlying causes, Saeed felt, were underplayed by the media and so students were condemned as anti-national.

I started looking at the concept of freedom in university spaces and interviewed students on it, Saeed, an alumnus of the Jamia Millia Islamias AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, explains. Freedom can never be a standalone concept. So discussions moved into issues of discrimination and suppression of thought.

After speaking to students of seven universities, Saeed says he began to feel that all educational institutions inculcated patriarchy, corruption and nepotism, and that Indias falling quality of education and research was also linked to the lack of freedom of speech and the shrinking space for debate.

Interestingly, for Saeed, the film became a recalibration of his own views.

When I was in university, I was disdainful of students who participated in politics and leadership. I couldnt figure out how they found time to study. This has probably been the thinking of many people who consider universities or colleges as institutions for career-making, he says.

But, he realised, political participation by students is critical. One of the reasons why the Muslim community doesnt have young leaders is because there is a restriction on student politics in institutions such as Jamia Millia Islamia and AMU, Saeed says.

Watch Basant (1997), a short film by Yousuf Saeed

Campus Rising (73 minutes) is also different from Saeeds existing body of work, which has revolved around culture and science. He did 45 episodes of Doodarshans science programme Turning Point. Earlier films included Khayal Darpan, exploring the development of classical music in Pakistan post-1947, and Khusrau Darya Prem Ka, a modern-day docu-drama on 14th-century poet-composer Amir Khusrau Dehlavi.

He is the prime mover behind Ektara, a collective of media and art professionals based in Delhi, and Tasveer Ghar, a digital archive for collecting, digitising and documenting materials produced by South Asias exciting visual sphere.

Despite his body of work, Saeed says the life of a documentary filmmaker remains difficult. We are always caught between marketing and production, he says. If in a year I put out 20 proposals, only three will manage funding. Indians dont appreciate documentaries because of lack of exposure, and so viewership is limited.

Filmmaker and festival organiser Sanjay Joshi feels that movies such as Campus Rising are critical for a new audience. Many would say that the film does not capture the views of the other side. But this is an artists response to what is happening on the ground and raises important questions on caste, gender and the education system, says the national convener of the Cinema of Resistance Initiative.

Thanks to digital technology, we can screen these films in small towns and villages. It is in these areas that such films will spark discussions and thats a huge, huge bonus.

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Union minister Smriti Irani hit back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday for his comments referring to a court barring a news portal from publishing articles on a company owned by Amit Shahs son.

Information and broadcasting minister Irani said the Congress leaders attempts would not help his party win the Gujarat assembly polls even as she wished Gandhi on the occasion of the Gujarati New Year.

A person out on bail mocks the courts. Lage raho Bhai Gujarat phir bhi haroge (keep trying brother, still you will lose in Gujarat)?? Saal Mubarak (Best wishes for New Year) (sic), she said in a tweet, apparently referring to the Congress vice president being on bail in the National Herald case.

A person out on bail mocks the courts. Lage raho Bhai Gujarat phir bhi haroge  Saal Mubarak https://t.co/WQJI9i1NaH  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 20, 2017

Earlier, Gandhi had taken a veiled dig at PM Narendra Modi and the BJP after a controversy erupted over a company owned by Jay Shah, son of the ruling partys president.

Mitron (friends), will not speak about Shah-zada, nor will let anyone speak, he had tweeted in Hindi, referring to an interim injunction granted by an Ahmedabad court on a criminal defamation plea filed against news portal The Wire by Jay Shah.

He had also tagged a news report -- Ahmedabad Court injunction: The Wire barred from writing on Jay Shah -- along with his tweet.

Jay Shah had recently filed a criminal defamation case against The Wire after it published an article claiming that the turnover of a company run by him saw a huge rise after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

An Ahmedabad court had on Monday restrained the portal from publishing or broadcasting reports based on the article published by it regarding Jay Shahs firm.

Both the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly questioned Modis silence on the issue.
Political parties and the film fraternity in Tamil Nadu lashed out at the BJP on Saturday for trying to muzzle criticism and creative expression in the country, and rallied behind makers of film Mersal who have been asked by BJP leaders to remove scenes that convey wrong impression of GST.

As the issue is gathering steam, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram and DMK working president M K Stalin, and actors Kamal Haasan, Arvind Swamy and TN Film Producers Association voiced their support for Mersals makers, including director Atlee and actor Vijay.

BJPs TN chief Tamilisai Soundarrajan had on Thursday objected to scenes in the film that convey wrong impression about GST and Digital India and sought their removal.

The scenes mock the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India initiatives launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While one scene compares the GST in India and Singapore, another takes a potshot at Digital India initiative.

As the films producers are believed to have expressed willingness to cut the scenes, politicians and the industry rushed to their support.

In a jibe, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to slam Modi, saying, Mr Modi, cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Dont try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal.

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

Rahuls wordplay hits spot on at Modis another major monetary measure  demonetisation (replacing of Rs 500/1,000 notes with new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes)  effected in November last year, following which Modi had asked everyone to go the cashless and digital for financial transactions.

Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram took a dig at the BJPs attempts to silence criticism. Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising the governments policies, he tweeted.

Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

Union minister of state, Pon Radhakrishnan, the lone BJP MP in Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu, reiterated Soudarrajans demand, asking if a film was meant for everyone, why was it attacking only one party?

Does that mean that Chidambaram has funded the movie? But we are not saying this at all. There are factual inaccuracies in the film that need to be deleted, he said.

DMKs Stalin too hit out at the BJPs efforts at muzzling criticism, saying it was contrary to democratic principles. The DMK always stands for freedom of speech and creative expression, he tweeted.

Film stars such as Kamal Haasan, Khushboo, Arvind Swami and others questioned the attack on artistic freedom.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks, Kamal Haasan tweeted.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

By consolidating taxes,GST is making ppl aware of their https://t.co/c3b9RS4Tlw people will ask the govt for their due.What's wrong?#Mersal  arvind swami (@thearvindswami) October 20, 2017

TN Film Producers Association general secretary and actor, Vishal said in a statement issued here on Saturday that political leaders asking for removal of certain scenes in movie Mersal is direct conflict of interest of freedom of expression.

A political party cannot decide what scene or a dialogue should be in a movie. If that is the case, then what is the use of having a censor board? he asked.

In recent years, filmmakers have come under attack by Hindu, nationalist-outfits in what is developing into a hot debate over need for factual and political correctness in fictional work against creative freedom.

Sanjay Leela Bhansalis upcoming Padmavati has come under attack and threats from Rajput outfits, which claim the film portrays wrong notions of queen Padmavati, a 14th century Chittor in Rajasthan.

Also, since last year, several films, including Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Shah Rukh Khans Raees and Dear Zindagi, came under attack from such outfits which opposed the role of Pakistani artistes, following which the practice has been stopped.

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Suspected militants targeted the houses of three locals  two PDP workers and an army jawan, according to sources  in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir late on Saturday, leaving a tailor injured and ransacking the other places.

In Pulwama, they barged into the residence of PDP zonal president Muhammad Ashraf, who was not in, in Dadsara village of Tral, and ransacked the place, leaving windowpanes broken, sources said. None were injured.

In the same district, two-three militants (not clear whether it was the same) ransacked the house of Territorial Army jawan, Ishfaq Ahmad at Zasoo Tahab village.

Ahmad was not at home. Only his wife and child were there. The militants fired shots in the air and left, sources said.

In the third incident, five-six masked men with AK weapons broke the windows of the house of PDP worker Fayaz Ahmad Mir, a tailor, in Wachi of Shopian and beat him up outside his residence, leaving him injured.

The incidents come just a day after militants had hurled grenade on the house of Tral MLA, Mushtaq Ahmed Shah. The gunmen also fired some shots before fleeing.

Police and security forces cordoned off the villages and started search operation.

The PDP governs the state in alliance with the BJP.

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It is around 9:30pm. A dozen young men, armed with sticks, knives and small axes have gathered at a small four-way intersection in a congested locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. The autumn night is chilly and the men light a bonfire before turning to their phones for their task  protecting the locality from the scourge of what they call braid choppers.

Providing them live updates is a group on instant messaging platform WhatsApp titled Anti-Braid-Chopping Squad, comprising 35 local people who have volunteered to keep vigil against the mass panic and hysteria sweeping Kashmir that have sparked violence and pushed law and order to the brink of collapse.

Every night we are hearing about braid-chopping incidents. Our sisters and mothers are being targeted  they are not safe even inside our homes. We cant let this happen. We have taken it upon ourselves to safeguard their honour, says Mohammad Hakim* (30), one of the leaders of the vigilante group.

He continues, Social media, especially WhatsApp has helped us connect a lot to youth who want to work against braid-choppers. For the last four days, no one in our group has slept for a minute till 4am. Its a routine  there will be an attack attempted at one house or the other. And we have to run.

Such vigilante groups of local men have mushroomed in the past month across Kashmir that has seen at least 100 incidents of braid chopping, where women allege unknown assailants have sprayed a chemical to knock them unconscious and then, cut their braid.

The hysteria around the bizarre phenomenon swept north India earlier this year but didnt stoke tensions as much as it has done in the Valley. With complaints mounting, the police are under increasing pressure but have not arrested a single suspect, instead blaming alleged victims for not cooperating.

The frustration has given way to vigilante groups that have thrashed, maimed and harassed people  foreigners, tourists, soldiers  who are deemed suspicious. Even on Diwali, mobs in Srinagar tried to drown a man it suspected of braid chopping. A day later, vigilante groups tried to set on fire a mentally-challenged person.

A man from one of the vigilante groups wields his morning star, a home-made club with nails protruding at one end  his weapon of choice to defend locals from the braid chopping menace. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

I believe criminal and anti-social elements have joined the fray, or some men are settling personal scores with women, and they are ensuring that confusion and mayhem continue in Kashmir, said Nayeema Mehjoor, former journalist and chairperson of the state commission for women.

Back at Zakura, the night is young and the men have taken their positions. A few kilometers from Hakim, a section of the areas vigilante group  six men armed with sticks  is keeping a check on the traffic. Every car or motorbike coming into the locality was stopped and identity of travelers verified.

With a grimace, Hakim adds, Last night, at 2:30am, we missed the culprit by a few minutes. Today or tomorrow he will come in our hands. And, we will not beat him up. We will ask him what is his motive and who has sent him to do this.

The men closely coordinate their activists on WhatsApp. The group has four administrators and representatives from four areas of the locality.Whenever suspicious movement is reported from any area or a woman shouts from some house, the particular representative puts an alert on the group and we run towards the spot, said Tariq* (25), one of the vigilantes.

He is holding in his hand a stick, onto which he has fitted heavy, rusty nails. This wont kill the braid-chopper, but injure him. He cant run after I hit him with this, he says.

Protests over braid chopping have paralysed the state with shutdowns, stone pelting and road blockades. Many, including the opposition, blame chief minister Mehbooba Mufti for not doing enough to protect women. But state police, who this month doubled the bounty for information on braid chopping to six lakh rupees, say they are helpless.

None of the victims or their family members, talk clearly about what happened. There is immense hullabaloo but cooperation to take investigation forward is lacking, inspector general of police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan, told reporters on Monday.

We are trying to establish what the motive is. We will start a process of scientific investigation in these incidents, added Khan.

In the middle of all this, the common Kashmiri, especially women, are gripped by fear. It appears like a diversionary tactic by the state to keep Kashmiris busy with something trivial, away from the pressing political issues. Even my three-old daughter keeps saying ki choti kaatne waala aaega(braid chopper will come), said a woman, who did not want to be named.

Back at Zakura, Hakim and his friends have spent five hours patrolling the narrow maze of streets that make up the locality but to no avail. But around 2.30am, the lull breaks. An alert rings on the group that a suspected braid-chopper has been spotted at a home in the vicinity. The men run towards the house, their whistles meant to alert people reverberating in the air.

The woman in the house said the braid-chopper, whom she could not clearly see in the dark, had climbed through the veranda and attempted to come inside the bedroom. But the woman saw him first and started screaming, says Suhaib*, one of the vigilantes.

A pick-up truck is spotted chugging along on an adjacent road and the vigilantes, in the heat of the moment, decided to chase it on foot  believing that the alleged assaulter escaped in it. One of them even throws his axe at the vehicle, missing it by inches. They fail but are confident about the next challenge. We missed him even today. Lets see tomorrow, Hakim says.

*Names have been changed on request

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A special CBI court here on Saturday allowed Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Sudip Bandopadhyay, accused in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, to go abroad for his official UNO General Assembly tour.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court allowed Bandopadhyay to go abroad following the Orissa High Courts order to the lower court to consider the TMC MPs passport issue for his official UNO General Assembly visit.

The court permitted the TMC leader, who appeared before the court on Saturday, to use his surrendered passport for the purpose of foreign visit.

It allowed him to leave India for abroad from October 27 to November 1 and resubmit the passport with the court positively on November 8.

The TMC MP was arrested by the CBI sleuths from Kolkata in January this year for his alleged involvement with the Rs 17,000 crore Rose Valley chit fund scam, which is being probed by the agency under the Supreme Courts directions.

Currently, he is on bail granted by the Orissa High Court on health grounds.

The CBI has arrested another TMC MP, Tapas Pal, for his alleged involvement in the scam.
A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, who was also associated with the ruling BJP and a Hindi daily, was shot dead in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur district on Saturday morning, triggering violence in the area.

Police said around 7am two bike-borne miscreants pumped six bullets into Rajesh Mishra (35) at his construction-material shop at Bramhapura village. He died on the spot.

An agency report said the deceased was also a journalist with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran.

Rajeshs brother Amitesh Mishra, who was sitting with him, suffered serious bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in nearby Varanasi. His condition is stated to be critical.

Police suspect personal enmity could be the cause behind the attack. They also claimed to have indentified the killers.

We have identified the suspects and we believe they will be arrested today, ANI quoted ADG Law and Order Anand Kumar as saying.

Enraged over the killing, agitated locals soon hit the streets and vandalized four vehicles in Mishra Bazar area of Ghazipur. Police, however, soon brought the situation under control by pacifying the agitators, assuring them that the assailants will be arrested soon.

Inspector General Of police Varanasi Zone Deepak Ratan reached the spot to oversee the law and order situation. Heavy police force has been deployed in the village as precautionary measure in view of prevailing tension in area.

Police said personal enmity appeared to be the cause of the attack. Superintendent of police Somen Verma said several teams had been deployed to crack the case.

Empty cartridges of 9mm revolver were recovered from the spot, indicating that the assailants were professional criminals, police said.

(With agency input)
Seven members of an Indian cargo vessel were on Saturday rescued by Sri Lankan fishermen, according to the spokesperson of the Sri Lankan Navy.

A group of Sri Lankan fishermen had found the Indian cargo vessel heading for the Maldives. They rescued the crew members and handed them over to the Sri Lankan Navy, Navy spokesman Commander Lankanatha Dissanayake said.

The Navy has also announced that they had on Friday returned six Indian fishing trawlers to India. The Navy had seized the trawlers for allegedly poaching illegally in Sri Lankan waters.

Since September this year, Sri Lanka had returned 32 Indian trawlers.

The six trawlers were escorted by the Navy and handed over to the Indian coast guard vessel Rani Gaidinliu, the Navy said.

In a separate development, four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Thalaimannar coast in their territorial waters, police said.

The police said according to the information received by them, the Lankan naval men arrested the fishermen from Pamban near Tamil Nadus Rameswaram for poaching in their waters.

They would be produced before the Mannar judicial magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody.
Amid an all-out attack on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly using bots to popularise his tweets, he hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, this time defending Mersal, a Tamil film that ridicules the Goods and Services Tax and the Digital India campaign.

Countering the BJPs opposition to some scenes in the film, the Congress leader tweeted, Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal.

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

In the film, popular Tamil actor Vijay is seen mocking the new tax regime and the Digital India campaign. BJPs state president in Tamil Nadu TN Soudarrajan had demanded that all those scenes which convey wrong impression be removed.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also lashed out at the BJP and tweeted, Agree! Let's fix the problems with GST instead of re-censoring a movie..

BJP leaders however, focused their attack on alleged bots used by the Congress to boost Gandhis tweets, an allegation countered by the party.

Information and Broadcasting (I&B) minister minister Smriti Irani tweeted, Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh, as many alleged bots had Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristics.

In sports, this would come under Doping.... hey wait! does dope remind you of someone, tweeted Rajyavardhan Rathore, MoS (independent) for youth affairs and sports.

In sports, this would come under Doping.... hey wait!does dope remind you of someone  https://t.co/xulfk1ENtI  Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) October 21, 2017

In turn, Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi took digs at Irani, indirectly referring to her defeat against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the last Lok Sabha polls. Troll Minister please remind us the last election YOU sweeped? You can't be so jobless so as to now check RTs&followers! Joke is on you, Chaturvedi tweeted.

Troll Minister please remind us the last election YOU sweeped? You can't be so jobless so as to now check RTs&followers! Joke is on you. https://t.co/34P2WMA4kE  Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) October 21, 2017

Gandhis earlier tweet on a court order regarding BJP chief Amit Shahs sons business evoked an angry response from the BJP, with Irani taking digs that such attempts cant win Gujarat polls. A person out on bail mocks the courts. Lage raho Bhai Gujarat phir bhi haroge.. Saal Mubarak, Irani tweeted after Gandhi responded to a report on a Gujarat court barring publication of news on Jay Shah on Friday. Elections in Gujarat, where the Congress is out of power for more than twenty years, are due this year.

Quoting the news report, Gandhi said on the micro-blogging site, Friends, will not speak about Shah-zada, nor will let anyone speak, in an apparent attack on Modi and BJP brass.

While Gandhis tweet also had a pun on demonetisation, an exercise vehemently opposed by the Congress and many other Opposition parties he, however, found support from leaders like former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, who tweeted, If I was Rahul Gandhi Id be rubbing my hands with glee.The planted stories, the coordinated attack all highlight how worried he has the BJP.

If I was Rahul Gandhi Id be rubbing my hands with glee.The planted stories, the coordinated attack all highlight how worried he has the BJP  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 21, 2017
A section of the top leadership of Bangladeshs ruling Awami League is upset about external affairs minister Sushma Swarajs plan to meet former premier Khaleda Zia during her visit to Dhaka this weekend.

The Awami League leaders believe Swaraj could meet a delegation from Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as recent actions of the widow of president Ziaur Rehman were not conducive to bilateral relations.

We cant understand why the Indian foreign minister should meet Khaleda Zia, a top Awami League leader, who did not wish to be named, told Hindustan Times.

She (Zia) cancelled her scheduled meeting with Pranab Mukherjee when he visited Bangladesh as the Indian president and snubbed him, said the leader familiar with decision-making at the highest level of the Awami League.

She is not even the leader of opposition in Bangladesh anymore, he added, explaining the rationale within his party on why a meeting between Swaraj and Zia would be inappropriate.

Zias BNP boycotted the January 2014 general election.

Swaraj can surely meet a BNP delegation but not Khaleda Zia, who has been proclaimed guilty in two criminal cases pertaining to corruption and anti-state activities, the leader said.

Swaraj is visiting Bangladesh during October 21-22 to co-chair the fourth meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee, which is expected to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral ties.

Protocol allows any visiting foreign minister to meet top leaders of the opposition parties as well as ruling members, and Swaraj meeting the BNP chief will send a positive sign that India believes in democratic practices, said a Dhaka-based political observer.

Swaraj met Zia during her last visit to Dhaka in June 2014 after the Narendra Modi government came to power, he said. At the time, the Modi government was making efforts to reach out to all sections of Bangladeshi society.

The impact on Bangladesh of an unprecedented influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar is expected to come up in Swarajs discussions with top Bangladeshi leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina whom she will meet on October 22.

The scheduled meeting between Swaraj and Zia has come as a surprise to many in Dhaka and lend grist to rumour mills as the BNP leader had been in London since July 15 for medical treatment.

Zia, who returned to Dhaka on Wednesday, reportedly met senior Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan Army officials along with her son Tarique Rahman, the senior vice-chairman of the BNP, while in London.

The meetings were extensively reported in the Indian and Bangladeshi media and photos showing Zia attending Pakistans Defence Day celebrations in the countrys high commission in London as a special guest went viral on Facebook.

Zia and three others have been accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable funds. Prosecutors say she and the others took 31.5 million taka (about $400,000) from the Zia Charitable Trust, named after her late husband who was assassinated in 1981.

Zia and four others, including her son, have also been accused of embezzling 21.5 million taka, money which prosecutors say should have gone to an orphanage set up in the memory of her husband. Zia has dismissed all the charges against her.

Bitter political rivals, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia have alternated in power for most of the past two decades.

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Taj Mahal is a part of Indias heritage and people are proud of it, Union tourism minister KJ Alphons said on Saturday, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks earlier this week that a country cannot progress if it is not proud of its heritage.

The ministers remarks came amid a political slugfest triggered by Sangeet Som, the controversial BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, after he described the 17th century monument as a blot on Indias culture because it was ordered built by emperor Shah Jahan who imprisoned his father. That statement, denounced by opposition parties and public intellectuals, was also incorrect because it was Shah Jahan who was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. A day later, senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar waded into the controversy, saying the Taj was originally a temple to Lord Shiva called the Tejo Mahal.

The honble Prime Minister had the last word (on this issue). He said we are very proud of our heritage. Taj is part of our heritage, Alphons said in an interview to Hindustan Times.

We have made it very clear that we are very proud of Taj. Its a star tourist destination in India, he said, refusing to get drawn into his party colleagues statements.

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, is among Indias top tourist draws but has received a barrage of negative comments from senior BJP leaders, including UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who said last June that the ivory-white marble mausoleum didnt represent Indian culture.

Alphons, a bureaucrat-turned-politician who was inducted into the NDA government last month and given independent charge of the ministry of tourism, spoke on a range of issues. He reiterated the Central governments stand to divest its shares from ITDC-run hotels, saying the government has no business to be in business. The minister suggested that hotel Ashoka in the national capital might stay with the government.

I guess Ashoka hotel (in the capital) cannot be sold for the simple reason that it is worth thousands of crores. I dont think any hotel chain would be able to buy it. So, obviously, we would possibly keep that property. How we are going to run it is a different issue on which the Cabinet will take a call.

We are in the process of divesting other hotels. We are not even calling it disinvestment because in all the cases we are transferring them back to the state governments because the land belongs to them. Alphons, however, added that no decision had yet been made.

Alphons spoke of the countrys heritage and philosophy that draw foreign tourists. Talking about the variety India offers in terms of art, music, textiles, and culinary, Alphons said, If you go abroad, you find the food pretty boring, I mean in most countries. They have the same dishes- steak, steak and steak. In India, every district has its own huge culinary tradition.

The minister, who had earlier said tourists could fulfil their desire to eat beef in their own country before coming to India, maintained that it was for each state to decide their eating or drinking habits. Why should the government of India dictate it?

Asked if demonetisation had any bearing on the tourism sector, Alphons said, As per our calculation, domestic tourism has not really come down. People are travelling a lot. Their number is increasing at a very, very healthy rate.
The CBI has sought permission from the government to challenge in the Supreme Court a 12-year-old order of the Delhi high court in Bofors case.

The CBIs move, in effect, will revive the Bofors pay-off scandal.

We have asked the government to reconsider its earlier decision of not allowing the agency to challenge the HC order in the top court, said a senior CBI official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The earlier decision was taken when the UPA government was in power.

The CBI has written to the ministry of personnel, the administrative ministry of the probe agency, in this regard, the official said.

The Delhi high court order on May 31, 2005 quashed all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.

Sources said the CBI was in favour of filing a Special Leave Petition against the HC order but due to denial of sanction from the government it could not move further.

Sources said even if the agency now gets sanction to file the SLP, it will have to request the SC to condone the delay, which is normally a period of three months.

The then Delhi high court judge RS Sodhi had on May 31, 2005, quashed all charges against the Hinduja brothers  Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand  and the Bofors company and criticised the CBI for its handling of the case saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

Before it, another judge of the Delhi HC judge, Justice JD Kapoor (since retired) on February 4, 2004, had exonerated late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of the IPC against the Bofors company.

It was allegedly that to get an order for supplying Bofors long range guns, the Swedish company paid bribe to the tune of Rs 64 crore to Indian officials and politicians.
Hyderabad Police arrested an Uber driver on Saturday for allegedly masturbating while ferrying a 25-year-old woman.

The arrested accused Prem Kumar, 26, is the owner and not the driver of the car. He was driving on that day as regular driver was not on duty, said deputy commissioner of police P Viswa Prasad.

According to the complaint, the woman took the taxi around 7 am for Hyderabads Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. She was planning to take a flight to New Delhi. The driver slowed down the car on entering the Outer Ring Road, and the woman noticed him unzipping his pant and masturbating.

In the FIR, the complainant admitted to have felt disgusted by the act, and shouted at him to stop the car. But he kept on driving.

The DCP said the driver checked on his behaviour only after she threatened him with a police complaint.

She stopped the trip and later lodged a complaint at Safdarjung Police Station on October 19, after reaching New Delhi.

The Delhi Police forwarded the complaint to the Hyderabad cops, who tracked down the driver.

Prasad further said Uber did not respond to a mail sent by the commissioner of police in the case.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who underwent angioplasty at the premier AIIMS hospital in Delhi, was discharged on Saturday.

Naidu, 68, had undergone an angiography yesterday which showed a significant blockage in one of the main arteries and to treat the condition a stent was placed, a senior doctor said.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) authorities said that all his parameters are normal. Naidu has been advised complete rest for three days and not have any visitors during this period.

Naidu had visited the AIIMS for a complete body checkup after becoming the vice president in August. Some tests had pointed to problems related to the heart following which the procedure was performed.

The procedure was done under the supervision of Professor Dr Balram Bhargava of the Department of Cardiology.
Civil rights group Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Saturday condemned the Rajasthan governments move to bring an ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction and has demanded that it be repealed.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7 by Vasundhara Raje government seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction. It also seeks to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

PUCL state general secretary Kavita Srivastava said said the import of the ordinance was to silence the media and to prevent the judiciary from exercising its judicial function of setting the criminal law in motion.

What is the government trying to hide from the public? The PUCL demands that the Government repeal this ordinance. The PUCL will challenge this ordinance in the Rajasthan High Court, she said.

It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court, Srivastava said.

PUCL national vice president and former Inspector General of Police (jail) Radha Kant Saxena said the Ordinance was a sinister attempt by the government to curb right of speech and expression guaranteed under the Indian Constitution and to thwart the citizens right to access criminal justice system in cases of complaints against abuse of law by public servants.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant.

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment. (WITH PTI)

.
Mithai, a stray dog, adopted by a French research scholar at Amity University in Jaipur last year and taken to France in May, has come back and will now live at the Jalandhar farmhouse of the scholars friend.

The canine could not adapt to the climatic conditions in France, says Myriam Baibout, who had adopted the stray.

It was a cold intervening night of January 3 and 4, 2016, when Baibout (28), a PhD student of biosciences, saw the puppy crying outside her studio apartment at the university campus.

The puppy was trying to go closer to the bonfire lit by the security guard. It did not have its mother or its siblings around, says Baibout, who had taken the dog up to her room.

Under warmth and care, the female puppy grew into a healthy and strong dog. Baibout named the puppy Mithai.

In France there is a tradition of naming dogs born in the same year with the same letter. For 2016, the letter was M. My friend suggested that I should name it Mithai as it means sweet, she says.

In May this year, when Baibout had to go to France for an extended duration, she decided to take the dog to keep it at her house in Bordeaux, France.

She arranged for the documents for the dog to travel to France. A blood sample was sent to France for test against rabies, she says.

But the dog could not adapt to the climatic conditions in France and her health started deteriorating. A number of attempts by vets to help the dog acclimatize also failed. So, Baibout finally decided to bring her back. She reached India on October 13 but for four days, the dog remained stuck in the procedures at the airport.

The officer insisted that the health certificate of the dog was not from a government vet. In France,

a certificate issued by a private vet was as valid as one from a government vet. After several calls to officials and ministries, the dog was released, she says.

Ruchi Singh, a friend of Baibout and her neighbour at the university campus, has agreed to keep her.

The dog will stay in Ruchis in-laws have a farmhouse in Jalandhar and Ruchi herself will be moving to to the city after her husband, also in Jaipur, completes his studies.

Baibout says shes in India for a month. She has a year and a half of her doctorate studies left and will keep coming back to complete her thesis. Its painful for me to part with her but thats the best for her. Ill keep coming back from time to time to see her, she says.
The Rajasthan governments ordinance, which shields public servants from prosecution for on-duty action without prior sanction, will institutionalise corruption, said the opposition Congress, but ministers said the move was meant to protect officials from false allegations.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, brought on September 6 and published in the gazette the next day, bars courts from taking up private complaints against public servants, such as serving and former judges, lawmakers, ministers and officials, without the governments sanction.

The media is also barred from naming an accused till the government gives its nod for investigation.

The newly introduced section 228-B of the Indian Penal Code makes it a criminal offence on the part of anyone who discloses identity of public servants, and provides for two years imprisonment and fine, if convicted.

The intent of the government is blatantly clear; they are trying to institutionalise corruption and intimidating anyone who questions government, said Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot.

This will be a huge setback to public scrutiny. It is a draconian law and we will oppose it within and outside the assembly.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, in a series of tweets said, Rajasthans BJP government is acting autocratically by making arbitrary changes to the criminal procedure code. The changes not only stops probe, it also bars media from reporting on any case of corruption. This is being done to shield the corrupt.

It reveals how BJP is not at all serious about fighting corruption or maintaining transparency in governance. Putting restrictions on media is very unfortunate and a new kind of censorship and assault on press freedom. The only logic behind these decisions is to hide the scams, to save all involved and to make sure, nothing comes in public domain. Rajasthan BJP government is taking all steps to prepare the ground for encouraging corruption and to keep people in the dark about it, Gehlot said.

Amendments in the existing law are wholly unjust. It will not only snatch away powers of the courts, but its an onrush upon the freedom of speech of the people of the state. These amendments are absolutely unconstitutional. One will be left with no option if police will refuse to register an FIR against a public servant, Devkinandan Vyas, advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur said.

Vyas said the present amendments will lead the state towards authoritarianism and autocracy.

Ritesh Sharma of LegalMitra, an NGO which mainly deals with legal issues, said that depriving people of their right to approach the court under section 190 and 156 (3) CrPC against arbitrary act of non filing of FIR by police would further complicate the criminal justice system.

The ordinance is expected to be brought in the assembly on Monday or Tuesday for approval. The ruling BJP has 162 of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan.

Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) state general secretary Kavita Srivastava said the aim of the ordinance was to silence the media and prevent the judiciary from setting criminal law in motion.

State home minister Gulab Chand Kataria said the ordinance would protect officials from media probe and ensure smooth functioning in government offices. Media intervention causes inconvenience and results in delays in work, he told reporters in Udaipur.

Parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore said, We have brought the ordinance to shield government servants from unnecessary harassment and false allegations. Sometimes people file false cases to defame public officials and prevent them from doing their work. He said Maharashtra had enacted a similar law.

Rathore said former judges had been brought in the ambit of the ordinance as they often head committees and commissions.

WITH
Maverick, dangerous, enfant terrible are some of the adjectives attributed to independent filmmaker Qaushiq Mukherjee, who goes by the name Q. Last year, he became Indias first filmmaker to bag a Netflix Original release, for a seven-figure deal, for his English-language film Brahman Naman. The Bengali filmmaker spoke to HT about his next projects and the challenges ahead for indie filmmakers.

Q. Your social media post looking for a female actor has given rise to speculations that you have started casting for the Hindi version of Ludo (Q co-directed the Bengali film with Nikon). You had been working on its Hindi script. Tell us about the film.

A. I cannot disclose anything about this new project, not even which film it is. We are never into pre-film promotions. All I can tell you is that its going to be in Hindi and English. It took nearly two years to write the script, which is complete now. Shooting, however, is yet to begin. We expect to complete it by the end of this year and early next year. So, it is expected to release next year.

Read: Hansal Mehta, Q team up for Garbage

Q. What happened with the documentary on writer Nabarun Bhattacharya? There is significant interest among his readers since the release of the trailer.

A. This has so far been screened at festivals in Rome and Dharmashala, apart from few private screenings. We know we would not get as good distribution as for Gandu and Tasher Desh but we are trying to ensure a modest distribution. We hope to release the film before the Kolkata International Book Fair next year.

Q. The Netflix Originals release for Brahman Naman created enthusiasm among independent filmmakers in India. Tell us about the distribution scene in the digital world.

A. Its getting critical. Digital marketing opened up new avenues for indie film makers, who, otherwise get no chance of release in theatres in India. However, the scene is changing. The mainstream, realising the potential of the digital space, has invested heavily in it and has started grabbing that space as well. Salman Khan movies and reality shows are already all over the digital space. It has just become the TV. Indie filmmakers face greater threat of their work getting lost in a crowd.

Read: Comedy Squared: What makes Vir Das and Q Indias best comic talents? Ask Netflix!

Q. What are the prospects of international distribution?

A. Not very enthusiastic. The European film market has crashed. The one important thing about the European market is that these countries treat art as art and does not necessarily invest depending on prospects of financial returns. But the situation has been bad of late, including in the UK. France and Germany seem to be the only viable options for international distribution right now.

Q. How do you think indie makers in India should respond to the present censorship and distribution scenario in India?

A. The censor policy of the existing government is going to prompt more indie makers to look for alternative distribution channels. The present regime seems to allow no space to ideas alternative to or contesting their narrative. Anything that does not fit in the schemes of the regime in New Delhi will get no space. But there is no one-dimensional way to fight it. Indie filmmakers will need to continuously evolve new strategies, as the mainstream will continue to grab whatever space the indie makers curve out for themselves. Its a relentless struggle.

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Did you always want to alter your dreams and be in charge of the shape they are taking? A new research can help increase your chances of having lucid dreams and doing just that. A lucid dream is a dream during which the dreamer is aware of dreaming while its still happening and can control the experience. Although many techniques exist for inducing lucid dreams, previous studies have reported low success rates, preventing researchers from being able to study the potential benefits and applications of lucid dreaming.

Dr Denholm Aspys research in the University of Adelaides School of Psychology is aimed at addressing this problem and developing more effective lucid dream induction techniques. The results from his studies, now published in the journal Dreaming, have confirmed that people can increase their chances of having a lucid dream. The study involved three groups of participants, and investigated the effectiveness of three different lucid dream induction techniques:

1. Reality testing - which involves checking your environment several times a day to see whether or not youre dreaming.

2. Wake back to bed - waking up after five hours, staying awake for a short period, then going back to sleep in order to enter a REM sleep period, in which dreams are more likely to occur.

3. MILD (mnemonic induction of lucid dreams) - which involves waking up after five hours of sleep and then developing the intention to remember that you are dreaming before returning to sleep, by repeating the phrase: The next time Im dreaming, I will remember that Im dreaming. You also imagine yourself in a lucid dream.

Among the group of 47 people who combined all three techniques, participants achieved a 17% success rate in having lucid dreams over the period of just one week - significantly higher compared to a baseline week where they didnt practise any techniques. Among those who were able to go to sleep within the first five minutes of completing the MILD technique, the success rate of lucid dreaming was much higher, at almost 46% of attempts.

The MILD technique works on what we call prospective memory - that is, your ability to remember to do things in the future. By repeating a phrase that you will remember youre dreaming, it forms an intention in your mind that you will, in fact, remember that you are dreaming, leading to a lucid dream, says Dr Aspy, Visiting Research Fellow in the Universitys School of Psychology. Importantly, those who reported success using the MILD technique were significantly less sleep deprived the next day, indicating that lucid dreaming did not have any negative effect on sleep quality, he says.

These results take us one step closer to developing highly effective lucid dream induction techniques that will allow us to study the many potential benefits of lucid dreaming, such as treatment for nightmares and improvement of physical skills and abilities through rehearsal in the lucid dream environment, Dr Aspy says.

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More chefs are returning their stars. It was a surprising one-two punch announcement issued just after Chiang celebrated the restaurants seventh anniversary this week, and one that continues to reverberate in Singapores dynamic fine dining community.

In a two-page letter to his fans and followers, Chiang explained he wants to retire at the peak of Restaurant Andre, which holds two Michelin stars and is currently ranked No. 2 on Asias 50 Best Restaurant list just behind Indian restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok. I wish to kindly return my Michelin stars and also request to not be included in the 2018 edition of the Michelin Guide Singapore, reads an excerpt, typed in bold font.

Following Michelin Guides expansion in Asia, I understand that Michelin will soon launch new editions in Bangkok and Taiwan (where my other restaurant RAW is located in Taipei). As my hope is that RAW will be the pure place where I can focus on educating, developing others, and cooking after my retirement from Restaurant ANDRE, I also request that RAW not be included in the Michelin Guide Taiwan (or Taipei).

Chiang is the latest chef to give back his Michelin stars and request omission in the next guide. Last month, French chef Sebastian Bras made international headlines for asking Michelin to be stripped of his three-starred status, citing the enormous pressure of having to meeting the rigorous standards every day.

A few weeks later, owners of the Boath House in Nairn, Scotland likewise walked away from their Michelin star by announcing plans to turn the restaurant into a casual dining destination. It appears that Singapores loss will be Taiwans gain as the Taiwanese chef also revealed plans to return to his birthplace like a prodigal son.

After thirty years of a professional culinary career, returning to where I was born forty years ago has always been my dream, passing on everything I have to the next generation in Taiwan and China is my duty, and providing young chefs a better education and culinary culture is an urgent priority for me.

...we have achieved everything we wanted to achieve. The last service at Restaurant Andre will be Feb. 14, 2018. Chiang was short on details, but also noted hes working on new projects for 2018 and 2019.
The agrarian conflict in Maharashtra continued to escalate as farmers outfits organised protests across the state on Friday.

The groups demanded that the Devendra Fadnavis-led government be booked for aiding and abetting farmer suicides. They have also demanded a blanket loan waiver, along with the implementation of minimum support prices as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission Report.

According to the coordinator of the steering committee Ajit Nawale, protest marches were held outside the tehsildar offices in Ahmednagar, Nashik, Beed, Parbhani, Amravati, Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Dhule, Jalgaon and Pune.

Farmers leader, Raghunath Dada Patil told HT that if the farmers demands are not meant, they will approach the court under section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows for a police investigation of the case.

He said the farmers even submitted request letters to the local police stations demanding that the state be booked for cheating and abetting farmer suicides.

Farmers issues in the state gained significance earlier this year after a strike in June resulted in the state government declaring a loan waiver of Rs34,022 crore.

However, the government subsequently imposed a cap on loan waivers of Rs 1.5 lakh per family and introduced new criteria for the eligibility for waiver benefits.

This is likely to reduce the total number of farmers eligible for the waivers from 69 lakh to 62-65 lakh, and the waiver amount from Rs34,022 crore to Rs25,000 crore.

Farmers outfits have opposed these changes.

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The Mumbai police and other security agencies were on high alert after CCTV cameras captured a foreign national taking photographs of Wankhede stadium from multiple angles, ahead of the first one-day match between India and New Zealand, which is slated for Sunday.

Reason: Stadium officials were reminded of the November 26, 2008, terrorist attacks, which was facilitated by the reconnaissance carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) mole David Coleman Headley.

Headley aka Dawood Sayyed Gilani adopted a false identity and lived in Mumbai for more than a year-and-a-half.He scouted landmark locations that were to be attacked by Pakistani terrorists. He surveyed these targets, shot hours of videos and made note of their GPS coordinates.

Now, highly-placed sources in the Mumbai police told HT that CCTV cameras filmed a foreign national, who appeared to be a tourist, outside the stadium.

Officials were alerted to his presence during a routine check of the CCTV camera system earlier this week.

It is customary for stadium security officials to run a check on more than 300 cameras installed inside and outside the stadium, including washrooms, a week before scheduled matches.

Security officials analysing the footage said the man took photographs from various angles, including the access points on the western flank.Officials immediately informed the Marine Drive police about their suspicions, said sources.

They also handed over the CCTV camera footage to the police to aid their investigation, said sources. The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and central intelligence agencies were also roped in and a massive hunt was launched to trace the man.

Mumbai police commissioner Dattatreya Padsalgikar confirmed the development, but refused to divulge details, saying nothing incriminating was found.

A senior police official told HT that the man, who is from a western European country, was tracked down to a hotel in Colaba and questioned about the purpose of his multiple visits to the stadium. He said he was fond of photography and was searching for the perfect angle. This is why he clicked photographs at different points, said the officer.

The police checked his antecedents with the concerned embassy in New Delhi and let him off, the official added. Security arrangements have been scaled up following the incident.

Sources said snipers will be deployed in the nearby buildings to keep an eye on the crowds in and outside the stadium during the match.

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A 16-year-old girl was left with a fractured nose after she was assaulted by a man in her neighbourhood in full public view, allegedly after she protested his passing lewd comments at her, at Kurla-Nehrunagar in Mumbai, police said on Saturday

The incident, which took place on Tuesday, was captured on a CCTV camera. The video, purportedly showing Imran Shahid Shaikh (19), who was known to the girl, attacking her, has gone viral on social and mainstream media.

The police had lodged a case on the basis of a complaint from the victim.

While Shaikh (19) was arrested and released on bail by a court earlier this week, the police on Saturday evening pressed a new charge of molestation under section 354, IPC against him and took him in custody afresh, senior police inspector of Nehrunagar Police Station Pramod Khoparde said.

The video footage showed a man repeatedly hitting the girl, who slumped to the ground. The passersby did not come to her help before the man had left the scene.

#WATCH #CCTVVisuals: Minor girl allegedly molested in #Mumbai on Oct 17, beaten up as she protested. Case registered by Nehru Nagar Police pic.twitter.com/Qo2T8VZCN4  ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2017

According to a police official, the incident took place on October 17 near the SRA Building in Shramjeevi Nagar at around 7pm when the girl was going to her class at Adarsh Nagar in the Thakkar Bappa Colony, Chembur with a friend.

When she was near the building, she saw a group of youths, seated inside a parked autorickshaw, arguing loudly. The girl asked them not to make noise and then walked some distance with her friend, the official said.

However, enraged at being rebuked by her, Shaikh came out of the autorickshaw and hit her repeatedly, he said.

Shaikh hit her on the nose with a metal object, after which she collapsed on the ground, bleeding from the nose profusely, the official said, adding that Shaikh then threatened her and fled the spot.

The people, who witnessed the incident, did not stop Shaikh from beating her, he said.

The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was found to have suffered a nose fracture, the official said.

The girl, however, told national TV channels that Shaikh was harassing her for the last few days and that when she complained to her mother about it, she sent her elder sister to talk to the mans mother.

However, nothing changed and Shaikh continued to pass vulgar remarks at her whenever she was on her way to attend classes.

I had told all of this to the police but they recorded something else in the statement. The police also told us not to file a case and instead, go for a compromise. We were also offered money to shut up, the girl claimed.

When asked whether the incident happened due to harassment, Khoparde said the victim did not mention any such thing in her complaint.

We have called the girl to record further statement in this case. If some new facts surface, charges will be added against the accused, he added.
A prominent street food vendor from Borivli was arrested on Friday evening for molesting a 50-year-old foreign national in Powai.

Police said the accused, Vijay Gadwi, confessed to having molested several other women in the city.The woman told police she was molested on June 24 outside Powai Plaza.

While she and her husband were walking home from a nearby restaurant at night, Gadwi rode up on his bike, groped her and fled. An onlooker driving a WagonR followed the accused for 15 minutes, but couldnt keep up with him.

After the police main control room was informed about the incident, the Powai police registered a case.

Police sub-inspector Sachin Wagh, deputy commissioner of police ND Reddy and senior police inspector Anil Pophale started scrutinising CCTV camera footage of the area. However, the police team could trace the accused only till R-City Mall in Ghatkopar.

Police found CCTV camera footage of Gadwi molesting another woman in Powai. Through their network of informers, they found out that he lived in Borivli.

The police said Gadwi, a divorcee, did not come home every night. They laid a trap and nabbed him.

Gadwi confessed to having molested women since the past four to five months, said a police officer, who did not wish to be identified.Gadwi said he would take advantage of crowded areas during festivals such as Ganpati and Navratri to molest women, the officer added.

He was booked under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was produced in court and remanded in police custody.

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The city woke up to a smog-laden sky on Friday as it recorded its worst post-Diwali air in three years. However, the air quality improved significantly on Saturday as a result of the dispersion of pollutants accumulated by firecrackers.

The level of tiny particulate matter  small particles predominantly a part of dust 10 microns in size that can penetrate deeper into the lungs and enter the bloodstream  were five times the safe limit at 487 microgrammes a cubic metre (g/m3) throughout Friday as against the permissible levels of 100g/m3, according to the National Air Quality Index recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for Mumbai.

The pollutant measuring indicator  air quality index (AQI)  recorded by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) was 316 (very poor) on Friday morning that increased to 319 (very poor) by the evening. While the city recorded relatively cleaner air on Diwali day compared to the past two years with an AQI of 204, 319 on Friday was the worst since 2015 for the day after Diwali.

Mumbai recorded high pollution levels last Diwali (October 30, 2016), with an AQI of 278 (poor) on Diwali day and 315 (very poor) the day after.

In 2015, the city recorded an AQI of 279 (poor) on Diwali day (November 11) and 313 (very poor) the day after.

On Saturday, the city recorded an AQI of 190 (moderate) and SAFAR predicted 176 (moderate) for Sunday.

The CPCB also released 24-hour average AQI levels for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region between Thursday and Friday with Mumbai recording 249 (poor  prominent pollutant PM10), Navi Mumbai recording 100 (satisfactory  PM10 prominent pollutant), and Thane recording 332 (very poor  prominent pollutant ozone).

AQI level from 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401 and above is severe. The post-Diwali AQI levels in Diwali were severe at 500+, Pune with very poor AQI at 314 and 340 very poor at Ahmedabad.

Researchers said air pollution built up rapidly in the citys air between Thursday and Friday owing to three factors. The wind direction over the city changed from sea breeze to warm air from the land leading to pollutants getting stagnated in the citys air. The wind speed also became slow thereby allowing pollutants to be suspended longer. There was rapid increase in local emissions owing to firecrackers suddenly since October 18, leading to hazy conditions, said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. On Saturday morning, the emission load from crackers reduced significantly and air quality is likely to remain in moderate category till Monday.

He added that the share of toxic PM2.5 (smaller particles of the size 2.5 microns that can enter our respiratory system fast and easy) in PM10 was high confirming that emissions were indeed s result of maximum fire cracker use. Winds are expected to remain south-easterly (warm and calm) until Sunday leading to poor air quality and cleanup thereafter, he said.

On Diwali day (October 19) PM2.5 concentration was found to be 99.4g/m, falling under the poor category and post Diwali day (October 20) PM2.5 concentration was 143.1g/m, which was very poor .The safe limit for PM2.5 is 60g/m. The highest levels of PM2.5 were observed between 10pm Thursday and 3am Friday.

Officials from CPCB said while Mumbai fared far better than other megacities with similar population, the weather factors did not favour a cleansing of Mumbais air a day after the festival. The indication that PM10 levels are significantly high is an indicator of high vehicular pollution combined with external combustion from firecrackers. If we take a conscious decision to not burst crackers in coming years, it will strongly help improve Mumbais air quality, said D Saha, additional director, CPCB.

Doctors said if people with existing respiratory issues with discomfort post Diwali should visit their nearest doctor immediately. The smog settled in the citys air is dangerous as the tiny particles can aggravate already existing lung problems. Even if there allergic symptoms such as redness of eyes and nose, an immediate visit to your physician is necessary, said Dr Sanjeev Mehta, pulmonologist, Lilavati Hospital in Bandra.

Crackers burst well beyond 10pm time limit

Noise levels were much higher this Diwali than last year with the highest decibel (dB) level at 117.8dB, almost as loud as a thunderclap, at Marine Drive at 11.30pm, according to NGO Awaaz Foundation.

Last year, noise levels were at 113.5dB. However, in 2013 and 2015, levels were as high as 124dB and 123.1dB.

Anti-noise campaigners said that while there were not too many people bursting crackers on Thursday night, festivities went on till 1am at some locations and throughout the night till early Friday morning at other locations in the city, even with police presence.

According to noise rules, the extension for noise limits on Diwali is only for loudspeakers till 12am, and not firecrackers, which are allowed only till 10pm.

The trend of reducing noise pollution over the past several years continued in Mumbai this year, although peak decibel levels beyond 10pm increased from last year, said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation.

She added that up to 10pm, there was very little cracker use. Post 10pm there was an increased use of noisy crackers at Marine Drive, and noise levels were near constantly more than 100dB. The noisy crackers used were mostly anars with added crackling sound, and exploding aerial crackers. There were very few atom or serial bombs used this year, she said. Peak noise levels continued until the police substantially shut down firecracker use by about 12.30 am, although stray violations continued.

Citizens took to social media portals to file complaints with the Mumbai police about firecracker noise till 5am Friday.

The Mumbai police twitter handle had several complaints from Worli, Parel, Bandra, Andheri, Kandivli, Dahisar, Powai and a few areas along the eastern suburbs that noisy crackers were being burst through the night.

There is no issue that people burst crackers till 10pm. The problem we face is that at various areas within the city surrounded by buildings and flyovers, the noise echoes, making it louder than it already is. My family could not sleep till 3am until three police complaints ensured that the crackers were stopped, said Raju Patankar, Lower Parel resident.

Officials from Mumbai police said they did receive complaints but there were no major violations on Thursday night. All complaints were dealt with in less than half an hour. We had our staff patrolling all promenades and within city limits, stopping people from bursting crackers post 10pm. Celebrations were much quieter than previous years, said Deepak Deoraj, deputy commissioner of police (operations) and Mumbai police spokesperson.

Abdulali added that rather than banning crackers, the state government needs to ensure that the Controller of Explosives in Nagpur identifies that decibel levels on each cracker post noise monitoring by the state pollution control board. This will set a precedent for not only Mumbai but the entire country to celebrate the festival responsibly and avoid crackers that are either too loud or have dangerous chemicals in them, she said.

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Family members of 13-year-old girl, who died on Friday after she slipped into a hot-mix plant in Chhajarsi village in Noidas Sector 63, demanded justice for the victim, saying administration should take stern action. Police have registered a case and the owner of the hot-mix plant is absconding.

Kritika Mishra, who was studying in class 8 at Nav Saraswati High School, had gone out on Friday morning to fetch cow dung for Govardhan Puja. She lived in a rented accommodation in Chhajarsi with her grandparents, mother and 10-year-old brother.

In view of the financial hardships, the family had moved to Chhajarsi village in Noida two years ago from Kanpur. Kritika was three years old when her father, a driver, died after a prolonged illness.

After my husbands death, my in-laws refused to help us. So I shifted to Noida with my father who works as security guard and earns 8,000 a month to support me. I was also working at a factory as labourer, but stopped going there due to poor health in the last six months, said Kritikas mother Rinki Mishra.

Rinki said that Kritika had been doing well in studies and understood her hardships. She was sure that her daughter would bring a good future for the family because of her academic excellence.

Kritika had gone along with her brother Himanshu, who later told us that she slipped. Her face had been disfigured in the plant. It was tragic, and I want justice for her, said Rinki.

Kritika was a topper in her class and would get trophies in various competitions, Rinki added.

I am sad I could not provide her a bicycle to go to school, said Anil Dubey, Kritikas maternal grandfather.

After the incident, none of the officials visited the family to extend their support, the family claimed.

Rahul Singh, a resident of the area, said that this was not the first time such an incident has taken place. Over the years, many cattle slipped into it. The plant has been operating and it has no boundary walled to prevent such accidents, he said.

District magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar, BN Singh said, We have sought explanation from Noida Authority as to why the plant was being run. Appropriate action will be taken against those who are found guilty. Moreover, after submission of the report, we will also think of providing financial assistance to the family members.

Singh also said that the plant has been sealed several times earlier, but now it has to be investigated as to what led to its resumption. Locals of the Chhajarsi village told Hindustan Times that the plant has been functioning for the last 15 years.

Meanwhile, the pollution control board has also been sent notice to submit the reports of such plants operating illegally in the district. Within a weeks time, the investigation will be completed. Action will be taken accordingly, said the district magistrate.

Akhilesh Pradhan, station house officer, Phase-3 police station, said, We have registered a case under section 304A (casuing death due to negligence) of Indian Penal Code in this regard, but no one has been arrested so far. The plant has been sealed. The owner lives in Delhi and has been absconding. Our team raided his house, but no one was present.

Chhajarsi village is a densely populated area near Sector 63, Noida, and a majority of its residents are labourers working in different factories nearby.

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Rival claims for appropriating the political legacy of Bihars first chief minister Sri Krishna Sinha, saw two parallel functions being organised in the state capital on Saturday to mark the late leaders 130th birth anniversary.

On the one hand, Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh organised a function at Gyan Bhawan in nothern Patna, at which RJD chief, Lalu Prasad, was chief guest. It was attended by BPCC acting president Kautab Quadri, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and AICC leader Shakeel Ahmad, among others.

A separate function was organised at S K Memorial by NDA leaders, which was attended by among others Bihars deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and former minister and MLC Mahachandra Prasad Singh.

Modi used the occasion to hit out at the Congress and Lalu Prasad, a former Bihar chief minister, saying the two entities had shattered the dreams of Sri Babu. Lalu Prasad and Congress had a big role in closure of Barauni refinery, Barauni thermal power station and the fertilizer factories, he added.

Without taking the name of Akhilesh Singh, the deputy CM took a dig at him, saying, he invited such a person to be the chief guest who in his 15 year tenure as CM left no stone unturned to tease Sri Babus family members. He did so to stake his claim for the post of state Congress president.

Singh had been organizing Srikrishna Singhs jayanti function every year and this year he invited Lalu Prasad to be chief guest at the function.

Modi said the present NDA government in Bihar, in which he was deputy CM, was committed to fulfill the dreams of Sri Babu. The work of Barauni fertilizer factory will begin in November. When the NDA first came to power in Bihar in 2005, it started production in Barauni thermal power station, said Modi.

Speaking on the occasion, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi said instead of just remembering Sri Babu on his birth anniversary, people should propagate his thoughts and ideals among the masses..

Sri Babu brought in land reforms laws and worked against the zamandari system. He allowed entry of Dalits at Deoghar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva but even today, temples are washed after a Dalits visit, said Manjhi.

He took a dig at Lalu Prasad and said that instead of introducing welfare measures for others, he definitely served the welfare of his sons and daughters by making them millionaires.

Earlier, Meghalaya governor Ganga Prasad inaugurated the function. Speaking on the occasion, Mahachandra Singh demanded that the state government recommend Sri Babus name for Bharat Ratna and rename Patna University after him.

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The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and other government hospitals in Chandigarh recorded 141 injuries due to bursting of crackers on Diwali.

Even as UT director, health services, Rakesh Kashyap maintained that the high court restrictions on bursting of crackers had a positive effect in terms of Diwali-related emergency cases at government hospitals, the injuries saw just a marginal dip from 153 last year.

Of the 37 patients who came to the PGIMER with eye injuries, 16 were from the tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula) while 19 came from other parts of the region. As many as 35 of these injuries were reported on the day of celebrations.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram said: More than 50% of the patients suffered grievous eye injuries.

Eleven of these patients required surgical intervention to salvage the eye. Most of them were from out of town.

Dr M Dogra, the head of ophthalmology department, PGIMER, said 19 patients were below the age of 16, the youngest being a seven-year-old from Kharar.

Also, bystanders outnumbers those bursting the crackers when it came to eye injuries. While 11 patients were injured which lighting crackers, 26 were bystanders.

It is unfortunate that those who are not even directly involved with bursting of crackers become the sufferers, said Dr Jagat Ram.

Suggesting a way out, doctors gave an example of other countries, including Australia, where people are not allowed to burst crackers outside their homes.

The Mohali civil hospital in Phase 6 received a total of 18 cases of burns and minor eye injuries. Among 16 cases of burns, 11 were of children.

Fortunately there was no major injury. All patients were discharged after administering first aid, said senior medical officer Surinder Singh.

Meanwhile, Dr G Dewan, deputy medical superintendent of Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, said: No major injury was reported in the hospital. It seems Green Diwali campaigns had a positive impact.
A Jharkhand woman, whose daughter allegedly starved to death last month because the familys Aadhaar and ration cards werent linked, was attacked by villagers, activists and local sources said on Saturday.

Koili Devi apparently travelled eight kilometers from her village Karimati in Jharkhands far-flung Simdega district to seek shelter at the home of an activist, Taramani Sahu, in Patiamba village in Jaldega block on Saturday morning.

I was in Ranchi when my family called me to say Koili Devi had arrived at my home after her family was attacked for defaming the village, Sahu told Hindustan Times.

Koili Devis11-year-old daughter, Santoshi Kumari, died on September 28 after allegedly starving for four days because her family was struck off the government welfare rolls for not linking their ration card with Aadhaar. The family had not received any ration since February after their ration card was allegedly cancelled due to a failure in Aadhaar seeding, but subsisted on doles and the midday meal Santoshi would get at her school.

The allegations surfaced this week and sparked outrage, forcing the government to order a probe. The local administration has denied that starvation killed Santoshi and claimed that she was suffering from malaria. State food minister Saryu Roy has also said that Aadhaar cards werent necessary to get rations.

Simdega deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri confirmed that he had received complaints that Koili Devi was attacked and asked the police to provide security to her family.

Although villagers have said that no such incident occurred in the village, we are providing necessary security to the family, Bhajantri told Hindustan Times. Koili Devi returned to the village after police protection was provided. She alleged the local ration dealer, whose licence was cancelled after the controversy surfaced, orchestrated the attack along with some other villagers, said activists.

Read more: Central team to probe death of Simdega girl: Union minister Paswan

Koili Devi also disputed the district administrations report that fixed malaria as the cause of Santoshis death, saying she never gave her thumb impression on the document, as claimed by the three-member probe team.

My daughter did not die of malaria, she was crying for rice while breathing her last. I have not given my thumb impression on any such report saying that she died of malaria, she was quoted as saying by activists. Bhajantri said that he would have to verify the allegations as he wasnt a part of the three-member team.

A local government health worker was also suspended, triggering allegations that the action was motivated by a video that showed the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) Mala Devi as saying that she didnt know that Santoshi was suffering from any disease. Bhajantri said Mala Devi was suspended after the administration found she did not perform her duties properly.

The state government has pushed for Aadhaar seeding for all welfare schemes in line with the Centres plan of using the controversial 12-digit biometric identity number to weed out fakes and duplicates from welfare rolls. Last month, the administration declared that 1.1 million people had been struck off the rolls as fakes or duplicates.

But activists have flagged a number of implementation snags with the seeding process, especially in far-flung areas with feeble internet penetration, and say genuinely poor people might be denied their entitlements because of the rush in seeding. The Supreme Court has repeatedly said the Aadhaar number could not be made mandatory to access benefits.

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After the BJP Tamil Nadu state unit president, Tamilisai Soundarajan raised objection to GST being shown in a negative light in Vijays recent release Mersal, the film fraternity has come forward to support the movie. Kamal Haasan, Pa Ranjith, PC Sreeram, Sri Vidya, Sarath Kumar are just few of the celebrities who have stood up the film. Kamal Haasan tweeted, Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.

Opposition Vice President Rahul Gandhi also showed his support for the film. The Office of Rahul Gandhi tweeted Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Dont try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

#Mersal

Freedom of speech caught by the throat.  pcsreeram (@pcsreeram) October 20, 2017

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

I hope @ThenandalFilms ll not delete any scenes regard to GST & Digital Money. Last night I witnessed No Mute or Delete on any scenes.  J Anbazhagan (@JAnbazhagan) October 21, 2017

Director Pa Ranjith also supported the film and told the media, I dont think there is a need to remove portions in Mersal that addresses the GST and other issues. When these scenes are played in the theatre, there is a lot of claps as people appreciated and supported them. Politicians should take the hint and reconsider these issues.

PC Sreeram, cinematographer tweeted, Freedom of speech caught by the throat, while Sarath Kumar tweeted, A film which is CERTIFIED by censor board cannot be questioned. If questionable , why censor board at all? #Mersel

Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Nagma Morarji, J Anbazhagan and many from the film industry joined the chorus in supporting the film.

However, speculation is rife that the producer of the film might submit a written request to the Central Board of Film Certification to cut four scenes. However, this hasnt happened so far. On the other hand, Mersal earned Rs 51 crore gross on opening day.

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The Mersal vs Modi issue seems to have come to an end. The Vijay-starrer will go forth without any cuts as of now, however, producer Thenandal studios has released a statement in which they explains that they are ready to remove the controversial scenes. The statement also spoke about how the filmmakers met with senior BJP members including Tamilisai Soundarrajan. During the meeting, they explained to the politicians that their film was only about a mans dream to provide good healthcare services to his people.

The statement read, Thalapathy Vijay starrer Mersal, directed by Atlee is our 100th film and released on Diwali this year. The film has turned out to be successful not just in India, but worldwide as well. We thank the fans who have made this film a success. Mersal is the result of hard work put in by Vijay, director Atlee and their entire team, and we would like to thank them.(sic)

The statement also explained how the filmmakers managed to release in a race against time. Even before the film released, there were many controversies surrounding it. Yet, with great difficulty we managed to release the film on time. Mersal is supported by crores of rupees and a lot of hard work by the technical team. Just after days of release, the film is yet again surrounded by controversies and this has hurt us. Mersal is not against anyone. The essence of this movie is a doctors dream to be able to give good quality healthcare for citizens in his country. Our only aim as a production house all these years was to deliver a good entertaining film. If anyone was offended due to our film, I would accept their hurt as my own.

The statement continued, The members have accepted our explanation with magnanimity. BJP member Tamilisai Soundarrajan was also present during the meeting. The members appreciated our straight-forward approach to the issue at hand. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts. They were right from their point of view. We are ready to remove scenes that offend anyone.

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Vijays Mersal has fallen prey piracy as several download links have surfaced on torrent sites. Even after the filmmakers have taken strict measures, torrent sites such as piratebay, Tamilrockers and more are circulating torrent files. This comes right after the film was slammed by BJP members for a scene about GST.

At a glance, about 8000 people have downloaded the movie from piratebay alone. Tamilrockers seems to be currently setting up a new host site, however, people have downloaded the film from tamilrocker.fi (proxy server) as well. Especially after the Mersal vs Modi controversy, there are separate download links for deleted/to be deleted scenes.

The film, also starring Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabu and Nithya Menon centres around a corrupt doctor and medical system. The controversial scene itself speaks about how the government has failed its people even after levying high amount of taxes.

Screenshot of Mersal links on Piratebay

Screenshot of Mersal link on Tamilrockers

The scene alone was leaked on Twitter as well and has since gone viral on social media. Now, movie goers have credited PM Modi and his government for giving unwanted political attention to an otherwise entertaining movie.

The film collected Rs 50 crore in Tamil Nadu in three days and became on the fastest films to hit the mark. Reports suggest that it has collected Rs 75 crore (approximately) worldwide after holding well in USA, Australia, Malayasia and UK.

You could read our review of Mersal here.

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Salman Khan is back this weekend on Bigg Boss 11 to guide all the contestants onto the right path. Making a stylish entry for Weekend Ka Vaar, he talks about this Diwali having been the most peaceful and pollution free Diwali ever. He begins by taking names of contestants who remind him of different festivals. Arshi reminds him of Naag Panchami, Hina - Dahi Handi, Shilpa  Holi and Akash reminds him of Easter.

Contestants are given a task to rank each other on a scale of 1 to 10 on the basis of their popularity and contribution inside the house, with consensus, and a list is created giving due importance to Salmans suggestions.

On one hand, Salman reprimands Akash for wasting food in the Luxury Budget task despite repeated warnings. On the other hand, he praises Hiten, calling him someone who is absolutely balanced.

Salman calls Hina and Arshi to the Sultani Akhada where they vent out all their frustrations towards each other.

The show will also welcome its first set of wildcard entrants, ousted contestant Priyank Sharma and YouTube cringe-pop sensation, Dhinchak Pooja.

Bigg Boss 11, Weekend Ka Vaar airs at 9 pm on Colors.

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A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they were leaving their base in Kabul on Saturday, the defence ministry said, as militants step up their deadly attacks across the war-torn country.

It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, taking the total death toll to more than 200, with hundreds more wounded.

The attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the ambush but the Taliban has been involved in the previous four attacks on police and military bases this week.

This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding four, defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP.

Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city.

The minibus was carrying army trainees to their homes from Marshal Fahim military academy, Almas told AFP.

The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their attacks on security installations with devastating effect and Islamic State continue to target Shiite mosques.

NATOs Resolute Support mission tweeted that the latest incident was an attack on the future of Afghanistan and its security forces.

This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win against Afghanistans security and defence forces, it said.

It was the fifth time since Tuesday that militants have launched a major attack against Afghanistans beleaguered security forces already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban-claimed assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday.

Insurgents blasted their way into the compound using two explosives-laden Humvees -- a tactic used in three separate attacks this week -- officials said.

The militants razed the base in the Chashmo area of Maiwand district to the ground, according to the defence ministry.

On the same day Taliban militants besieged a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Ghazni, attacking it for the second time this week.

Afghan security forces have faced soaring casualties in their attempts to hold back the insurgents since NATO combat forces pulled out of the country at the end of 2014.

Casualties leapt by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.

The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as shockingly high.

The attacks included assaults on a military hospital in Kabul in March which may have killed up to 100 people, and on a base in Mazar-i-Sharif in April which left 144 people dead.
China on Saturday warned world leaders and politicians against meeting the Dalai Lama, saying it would be perceived as a major offence as the spiritual leader is a separatist trying to carve out an independent Tibet.

Foreign officials also cant get away by saying they were meeting the exiled Tibetan leader in a personal capacity as they still represent their governments, Zhang Yijiong, who heads the Communist Partys Tibet working group, told reporters on the sidelines of the party congress here.

Any country, or any organisation of anyone, accepting to meet with the Dalai Lama, in our view, is a major offence to the sentiment of the Chinese people, said Zhang, who is also an executive vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party.

After fleeing China in 1959, he established a so-called government-in-exile, whose goal and core agenda is the independence of Tibet and to separate (from) China. For decades, the group headed by the 14th Dalai Lama has never stopped such attempts, he said.

Though Zhang did not mention any particular country, China has repeatedly protested against the Dalai Lamas contacts with top Indian leaders such as former president Pranab Mukherjee. Beijing has also protested against the Tibetan leaders visit to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is claimed by China.

Zhang, who led failed talks with the Dalai Lamas representatives, spoke in Chinese at a news conference on the margins of the national congress of the Communist Party that is expected to give President Xi Jinping a second term.

He said any meeting between the Tibetan leader and foreign officials contravenes their governments commitment to recognise the Chinese government as the sole legitimate body representing the country.

The fact is that there is not a single legitimate government in the world that recognises the so-called Tibet government-in-exile. Although the Dalai Lama has been received by certain officials, the governments that those officials work for actually dont recognise his group, he said.

Officials, in their capacity as officials, attending all foreign-related activities represent their governments. So I hope governments around the world speak and act with caution and give full consideration to their friendship with China and their respect for Chinas sovereignty, he added.

I hope the governments of foreign countries can speak and act cautiously (on this matter). They need to take the friendship with China and the respect to Chinas sovereignty into consideration.

So it is inevitable for China to state strong opposition when the 14th Dalai Lama visits foreign countries and even is received by some senior officials.

Zhang made it clear that, in Chinas view, foreign officials cannot get away by saying they were meeting the Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk in a personal capacity.

Although some (foreign officials) say the Dalai is a religious figure, our government didnt put in an appearance, it was just individual officials, this is incorrect, he said.

According to Zhang, the number of foreign officials willing to meet the Dalai Lama is dwindling. Now, he often can only make speeches at universities or conduct some religious activities, he said.

Beijing was furious when the Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year  which China claims as part of south Tibet  and alleged New Delhi was trying to undermine its interests by using the Nobel laureate.

The Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh had a negative impact on India-China ties. India should observe commitment on Tibet-related issues and should not use the Dalai Lama to undermine Chinas interests, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said in April.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a peaceful liberation and has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun the Dalai Lama since then. China also strongly denies accusations of rights abuses in Tibet and that it fully respects the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetans.

(With inputs from agencies)
The appointment of Zimbabwes President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been denounced by human rights groups.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Mugabe, 93. He is blamed in the West for destroying his countrys economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.

In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all.

The former Ethiopian health and foreign minister, who was elected last May as WHOs first African director-general, added: Today I am also honoured to announce that President Mugabe has agreed to serve as a goodwill ambassador on NCDs for Africa to influence his peers in his region to prioritize NCDs.

Iain Levine, deputy executive director for programmes at Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter: Given Mugabes appalling human rights record, calling him a goodwill ambassador for anything embarrasses WHO and Dr Tedros.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO chief was seeking broad support for the agencys work.

Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health, he said by e-mail.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch, issued a statement late on Friday criticising the choice by WHO, a United Nations agency. The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa  and its health system  into a basket-case.

The notion that the U.N. should now spin this country as a great supporter of health is, frankly, sickening, Neuer said.

He noted that Mugabe himself had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment three times this year rather than in his homeland.

Western diplomats also voiced surprise at the appointment and said they were unaware of the decision-making structure behind it.
The death toll in the Shiite mosque attack in Kabul has jumped to 56, officials said Saturday, as the Afghan capital reels from the latest deadly violence.

The toll from yesterdays Imam Zaman mosque attack has increased to 56 killed, including women and children, and 55 wounded, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.

Officials had previously put the number of dead at 39 and 45 wounded in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group, which belongs to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

The lone suicide attacker struck as worshippers gathered for evening prayer on Friday at the mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city.

It was one of two deadly mosque attacks in the country on Friday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

The second assault happened in the impoverished and remote province of Ghor where a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 20 and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said.

People expressed anger at the governments inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of the countrys civilian deaths in the first half of the year.
A week after U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a blistering speech about Irans Revolutionary Guards, the most powerful military and economic force in the Islamic Republic has shown it has no intention of curbing its activities in the Middle East.

In defiance of other world powers, Trump chose in a speech last Friday not to certify that Tehran is complying with a pact to curb Irans nuclear work and singled out the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing Tehran of destabilising the region.

A senior IRGC commander said after the speech Trump was acting crazy and was following U.S. strategy of increasing the shadow of war in the region.

Irans Shiite militia proxies have made formidable military gains in recent months in Syria as well as Iraq, stretching from northern Iraq to a string of smaller cities and this week, after the Trump speech, re-captured the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

In the short-run clearly Trump has increased the power and aggressiveness of the IRGC, said Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian Studies programme at Stanford University.

The IRGC cant back down from a street fight. Their domestic and regional prestige is predicated on the fact that they fight a good fight and they dont back down.

The day after Trump spoke, the head of the Guards al Quds overseas operations, Major General Qassem Soleimani, travelled to Iraqs Kurdistan region. He held talks about the escalating crisis between Kurdish authorities and the Iraqi government after a Kurdish independence referendum.

The niece of the late Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, Alaa Talabani, told the al Hadath TV channel that Soleimani met with members of her family on Saturday. He had come to pay respects to Jalal, a former Iraqi president and founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party who died this month.

Other Iraqi and Kurdish officials told Reuters Soleimani held meetings with Kurdish leaders to persuade them to retreat from Kirkuk ahead of the Iraqi army push into the city.

I dont deny that Mr. Qassem Soleimani gave us the advice to find a solution to Kirkuk, she said. He said Kirkuk should return to the (Iraqi) law and constitution and to have an agreement about Kirkuk and give up the intransigence about the referendum which was a decision not thought out.

LIGHTNING ASSAULT

Within days, Irans mostly Shiite allies in Baghdad launched a lightning assault, pushing Kurdish fighters out of disputed territories such as Kirkuk and consequently strengthening Irans hand in Iraq.

Commanders of the Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, have accused Iran of orchestrating the Shiite-led Iraqi central governments push into areas under their control, a charge senior Iranian officials have denied.

A video posted by the Kurdish Rudaw channel online on Wednesday showed an Iraqi Shiite militiaman loyal to Iran hanging a picture of Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Kirkuk governorate office.

Iran, which has a large Kurdish minority, has reason to be wary of Iraqi Kurdish independence. It fears it might encourage its own Kurds, who have also pushed for separatism.

After the independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25, videos posted online showed hundreds of people celebrating in the streets in the Kurdish areas of Iran.

FRONT-LINE PLAYER

Regional analysts say the emergence of Iran in Iraq, Syria, Kurdistan and Lebanon, where it wields influence through its allied Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah militia, means Tehran has become a front-line player in the region which Washington could not afford to ignore.

Trumps stupidity should not distract us from Americas deceitfulness ... If the U.S. tears up the (nuclear) deal, we will shred it, said Khamenei. Americans are angry because the Islamic Republic of Iran has managed to thwart their plots in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries in the region.

Speaking after Trumps speech, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards aerospace division, said: From the start of the Islamic revolution ... (presidents) have increased the shadow of war in the region ...

Dear brothers and sisters today Trump is acting crazy to gain concessions through this method.

The ramping up of tension could put the two countries on a collision course in the Gulf where clashes have only been narrowly avoided in recent months.

Small boats from the Revolutionary Guards navy veered close to U.S. naval vessels in the Gulf at least twice this year, prompting the U.S. military to fire warning shots and flares.

In August, an unarmed Iranian drone came within 100 feet (31 meters) of a U.S. Navy warplane, risking a crash, according to a U.S. official.

Some recent naval showdowns between Iran and the United States took place near the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway where up to 30 percent of global oil exports pass annually.

During the presidential campaign last September, Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that harassed the U.S. Navy in the Gulf would be shot out of the water.

POTENTIAL FLASHPOINT

The Guards could also target U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria through tens of thousands of loyal Shiite militia fighters without directly acknowledging a role in any attacks.

The IRGC can claim ignorance of Shiite militia attacks against the U.S. military, said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who has done extensive research on the Guards.

In early October, an American soldier was killed in Iraq by an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, a type of roadside bomb which was often used by Irans Shiite militia proxies in Iraq, according to the U.S. military.

This is the first time that weve seen it used in this area, U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, a coalition spokesman, said. Dillon said the U.S. military has not yet concluded who carried out the attack.

Dozens of American soldiers in Iraq were killed and injured by EFPs used by militia groups linked to Iran after the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. forces, according to the U.S. military.

Asked about the threat posed by Shiite militias allied with Iran in Iraq and Syria, particularly after Trumps speech, Dillon said: Were always assessing the threats no matter where they come from. During certain announcements or certain dates or when certain events happen, we make proper adjustments.

Trumps new plan, observers say, will also weaken a group that had made progress in curbing the Guards political and economic ambitions in recent years: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the pragmatist politicians in his cabinet.

Since becoming president in 2013, Rouhani and members of his cabinet repeatedly pushed back against the Guards economic influence and involvement in political matters.

Now, Rouhanis push against the Guards has been tempered because of the hardening in Trumps approach to Tehran, regional observers said. What this has done is that even those who were critics are now defending the Revolutionary Guards, said Nasser Hadian-Jazy, a political science professor at Tehran University.
A man with a knife attacked eight people in Munich on Saturday and then fled, police said. The suspected assailant, a local German already known to police for theft and other offences, was arrested a few hours later.

No one was seriously hurt in the attack that started at around 8.30 a.m. in the Haidhausen area, east of downtown Munich. Police said they believe it was not a terror attack, they suspect instead that the assailant had psychological problems.

The lone attacker apparently went after passers-by indiscriminately with a knife, police said. He attacked eight people in all, including a 12-year-old child, at different sites. They mainly had superficial stab wounds and in at least one case had been hit.

About three hours later, police arrested a man matching a description they had issued based on witness reports. They said he was heavy, unshaven with short blond hair and had a black bicycle and a backpack.

The 33-year-old suspect, who was carrying a knife when he was arrested, was already known to police for bodily harm, drug offenses and theft, city police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters.

The suspect didnt immediately give police any information on his motive.

There are absolutely no indications at present of a terrorist, political or religious background, though we can only rule things out when all the questioning is finished, Andrae said. Rather than that, we believe that the perpetrator had psychological problems.

He said police have no serious doubts that the suspect was the assailant, and that there was no longer any danger to the public.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it is not the governments business to tell a woman what to wear, seemingly referring to Quebecs ban on face coverings that was okayed by lawmakers on Wednesday.

According to a report by The Guardian, the Prime Minister also said on Friday his government was studying the implications of the law: As a federal government, we are going to take our responsibility seriously and look carefully at what the implications are.

Rights groups say the ban, which prohibits citizens from covering their faces while giving and receiving state services, marginalises Muslim women who wear burqa or niqab in the mainly French-speaking Canadian province.

While the law, which takes effect by July 1, 2018, does not specify which face coverings are prohibited, the debate has largely focused on the niqab worn by some Muslim women, which covers everything but the eyes.

People affected by the law would include public-sector employees such as teachers, police officers, hospital and daycare workers.

Well said @JustinTrudeau @CanadianPM Otherwise, how different are we from those who do tell women what to wear or not to wear?  Alexander Bain (@bain88_bain) October 20, 2017

Why is someone not allowed to enter a bank with a motorcycle helmet on? it's a security risk. No one should be allowed to be unidentifiable.  London Writer (@LondonWriter41) October 20, 2017

Like France, which passed a ban on veils, crosses and other religious symbols in schools in 2004, Quebec has struggled to reconcile its secular identity with a growing Muslim population, many of them North African emigrants.

We are just saying that for reasons linked to communication, identification and safety, public services should be given and received with an open face, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard told reporters in the provinces National Assembly.

We are in a free and democratic society. You speak to me, I should see your face, and you should see mine. Its as simple as that, he said.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it was deeply concerned by the laws passage and was looking at its legal options.

This legislation is an unjustified infringement of religious freedoms, said executive director Ihsaan Gardee.

The law allows for exemptions under certain circumstances, although it did not provide details. Regulations setting out how the new law will be enforced are yet to come.

Asked in the federal parliament whether he would challenge the law, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who represents a Montreal district, said he would continue to ensure all Canadians are protected by the countrys charter of rights and freedoms, while respecting the choices that different legislative assemblies can make.

France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have imposed restrictions on the wearing of full-face veils in public places, with Denmark on track to set its own ban.

Right-wing extremist groups and some local French-speaking media in recent years have targeted Quebecs Muslims as part of a broader debate on the accommodation of religious and cultural minorities in the province.

Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in Quebec in recent years. In January, six people were killed in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque. A French-Canadian university student has been charged as the sole suspect.

Trudeau has previously has spoken about womens rights and gender quality, and wrote an article earlier this month about why he is raising his sons to be feminists.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Philippine law enforcement agents have arrested a woman who tried to spread radical ideas and recruit hundreds of foreigners to reinforce pro-Islamic State rebels occupying a southern city, the justice minister said on Wednesday.

Karen Aizha Hamidon, the widow of a former leader of a small extremist group in Mindanao, was arrested by special agents at her home in a Manila suburb a week ago and has been charged with inciting to rebellion, Vitaliano Aguirre told a news conference.

Hamidon is accused of using social media and messaging apps to call on foreigners to join the siege by an alliance of Islamic State loyalists in Marawi City, a battle that has lasted nearly five months.

The military says the conflict, the biggest security crisis in years in the Philippines, is now in its final stages and has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly rebels.

This is a welcome development in the fight against terrorism, Aguirre said.

Agents found she had made 296 posts in chatrooms on Telegram and WhatsApp calling on Muslims in the Philippines, India and Singapore to come to Marawi to establish a province of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, he said.

There were also about 250 names, mostly foreigners, in her phonebook who were suspected of being Islamic State sympathisers.

Dressed in a black burqa, Hamidon was paraded before the media but was not allowed to speak. Her laptop, mobile phones and electronic gadgets were being looked at by experts for forensic investigation.

Hamidon, a Muslim convert, was married to Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias Tokboy, the former leader of radical group Ansar Al-Khilafa. He was killed in a gunfight with police in January.

Aguirre said she was also linked to Singaporean and Australian extremists, both of whom are in detention in their countries.

But counter-terrorism expert Sidney Jones cast doubts about whether Hamidon had been effective. Jones said her presence in chatrooms of Islamic State supporters was not welcomed, her credibility had been questioned and some participants blamed her for the arrests of radicals.

Everyone hates her and thinks shes a spy, Jones said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed an upcoming meeting of the Astana process on the Syrian conflict in the Kazakh capital in late October, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

During their phone conversation, Putin and Erdogan talked about joint efforts within the Astana process, including the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria, and further coordination towards resolving the Syria situation, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Astana talks are brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran. In mid-September, the three countries agreed to post observers on the edge of a de-escalation zone in northern Syrias Idlib region largely controlled by Islamist militants.

Putin and Erdogan also said the agreements reached between Russia and Turkey in Ankara in late September were being successfully implemented, particularly in trade and economic relations.

Overall, the conversation was business-like and constructive, directed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and interaction on the regional agenda, the Kremlin said.

The Russian-Turkish trade relationship has been affected by their dispute over supplies of Turkish tomatoes to Russia which Moscow is yet to fully restore. This dispute has been adding risks to Russian grain trade with Turkey.

Russia, once the largest market for Turkish tomato producers, said this week it will allow purchases of 50,000 tonnes of Turkish tomatoes from only four Turkish producers from Dec. 1.

The announcement came several days after Turkey, the second largest buyer of Russian wheat, said it had imposed a requirement for additional approval of Russian agriculture supplies by the Turkish authorities.
A strong smell of blood and flesh permeated the Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul on Saturday hours after dozens of Shia worshippers were slaughtered by a suicide bomber during evening prayers.

Broken glass and dust covered the red carpet, soaked in the blood of the men, women and children who had been praying on Friday when the attacker blew himself up, causing carnage in the cavernous prayer hall.

At least 56 people were killed and dozens wounded in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group -- one of two deadly mosque attacks on Friday -- capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

The windows of the mosque were broken, and blood and human flesh were spattered everywhere and you could smell blood and human flesh inside the mosque, Ibrahim, who rushed to the mosque after the blast, told AFP.

This is absolutely barbarism. What kind of Islam is this? They are attacking worshippers at the time of prayers, even mosques are not safe for us to pray.

Hours after the suicide bomb the Taliban fired two rockets at the headquarters of NATOs Resolute Support mission in the heavily fortified diplomatic quarter of Kabul. There were no reports of casualties but the attack underlined the worsening security in the country.

Early Saturday dozens of anxious relatives, some of them crying, stood outside the mosques main gate which had been cordoned off by heavily armed police, as they waited for news of the whereabouts of their loved ones.

Worshippers covered in blood

An eyewitness told AFP that the attacker detonated his explosive device among the worshippers towards the end of the prayer session.

It was one suicide bomber packed with explosives and hand grenades wrapped around his body, the man told AFP.

The dead and wounded were taken to hospitals around the Afghan capital but eyewitnesses complained to local media that it had taken emergency services more than an hour to arrive at the scene.

Hundreds of sandals littered the entrance to the mosque, left behind by the worshippers killed and wounded in the latest deadly attack on a Shiite mosque.

A woman wearing a hijab sobbed as she crouched on the ground searching for the shoes of her brother and young nephews who died in the attack.

I was in the mosque bathroom when I heard a blast. I rushed inside the mosque and saw all the worshippers covered in blood, Hussain Ali told AFP shortly after the explosion.

Some of the wounded were fleeing. I tried to stop someone to help me help the wounded but everyone was in a panic. It took ambulances and the police about an hour to reach the area.

The force of the blast shattered all the windows of the mosque. Its walls and ceiling were covered with dark blood spatters and peppered with shrapnel.

Several men moved around the room picking up dozens of coloured prayer beads and Koran holy books left on the floor.

What kind of Muslim they are? What is our government doing? Rasoul, a shopkeeper in the area, told AFP through sobs.

We are tired of living here, we are not even safe inside the holy sites.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to attend a landmark meeting between officials from Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at improving relations between the two countries and countering Irans growing regional influence.

The chief US diplomat flew into King Salman Air Base a little more than a week after US President Donald Trump unveiled a strategy to contain Iran and compel Tehran to agree to close what he charged are flaws in the multinational 2015 deal designed to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Tillersons only official meeting on Saturday was a working dinner with Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir. He was stopping in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of a six-day trip that will also take him to Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland.

His talks in Sunni Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia and in Qatar were expected to be dominated by the topic of Shiite-dominated Irans growing regional influence.

Iran-backed militias have helped turn the tide of Syrias civil war in the governments favour and they have played leading roles in Iraqs battle to recapture Islamic States self-declared caliphate.

This week, they aided Iraqi security forces in seizing the oil-rich area of the northern city of Kirkuk as part of an effort to crush a bid for independence made by the Kurdish minority.

Washington and Riyadh also allege that Iran is supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen against pro-government forces that are supported by a Saudi-led military coalition backed by the United States. Yemens grinding civil war was expected to be high on Tillersons agenda.

On Sunday Tillerson is due to attend the inaugural session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, a body whose creation was promoted by the Trump administration to bolster relations between Saudi Arabia, Irans main regional rival, and Iraq, whose majority Shiite-dominated government has close ties with Tehran.

During his visit Tillerson is also expected to explore the possibility of renewing a push to end a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia and other US Arab allies, although he has conceded he is not optimistic.

In an interview on Thursday with Bloomberg, Tillerson blamed Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt for the lack of progress toward ending the four-month-old crisis.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused Qatar of supporting hardline Islamist groups and cosying up to Iran at the regions expense. Doha denies the allegations.

Its up to the leadership of the quartet when they want to engage with Qatar because Qatar has been very clear - they are ready to engage, said Tillerson, who forged close ties to the Gulf Arab countries in his former position as CEO of Exxon Mobil.
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska - America within a few years could be extracting oil from federal waters in the Arctic Ocean, but it won't be from a remote drilling platform.

Federal regulators are taking comments on a draft environmental statement for the Liberty Project, a proposal by a subsidiary of Houston-based Hilcorp to create an artificial gravel island that would hold production wells, a processing facility and the start of an undersea pipeline carrying oil to shore and connections to the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Supporters like its chances. A final decision is in the hands of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. President Barak Obama in December signed an executive order designating the bulk of U.S. Arctic Ocean waters off-limits to future oil and gas leasing. But President Donald Trump in April signed another order aimed at reversing the policy. Opponents say Arctic oil should stay in the ground, where it won't add greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and the melting of sea ice. They say spills are inevitable and can't be cleaned up in Arctic waters.

Opponents also question Hilcorp's safety record. State authorities this year fined the company $200,000 for violations at another production site. Hilcorp also waited several months to address an undersea pipeline leaking processed natural gas in Alaska's Cook Inlet.

The company confirmed the leak in February and lowered pressure in the line but waited until April to make repairs because of the threat to divers from floating ice. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to date has found no evidence the leak harmed birds, fish or marine mammals.

Hilcorp did not respond to requests for comment.

The latest project is on federal leases originally sold in the 1990s. Hilcorp proposes to create the island about 15 miles east of Prudhoe Bay, North America's largest oil field. Trucks would travel by ice road to a hole cut in sea ice and deposit 83,000 cubic yards of gravel into 19 feet of water to create the island. A wall would fend off ice, waves and wildlife.

The island, about 5.6 miles offshore, would have room for 16 wells.

Oil would reach shore by a pipe encased in a second pipe and equipped with a leak detection systems. It would be buried to prevent gouging by moving ice.

At the end of production, the company would remove equipment and the wall and let waves and ice dismantle the island.

Liberty would be the 19th artificial drilling island in Alaska, including four in state waters. Andy Mack, commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources, said the experience in state waters should give people comfort about Liberty's effects on marine mammals and the environment.

"Each of these facilities on its own, frankly, they're not giant fields," Mack said. "But they're all very, very important to the economy of Alaska."

Blake Upshaw of the Center for Biological Diversity said spills are inevitable and cannot be cleaned up in Arctic waters.

"Oil companies have guaranteed safe operations to communities in Valdez, the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Barbara over the years," he said, "and we all know how projects in those locations turned out."

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will collect comments on its draft environmental review until Nov. 18.
A federal regulator criticized Wells Fargo for engaging in unfair and deceptive practices and failing to manage risks, and said it had not set aside enough money to pay back the customers it harmed.

The confidential report, prepared by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and reviewed by the New York Times, criticizes Wells Fargo for forcing hundreds of thousands of borrowers to buy unneeded auto insurance when they took out a car loan, as well as its handling of the problems once they were detected.

The regulators' report, sent to the bank this week, is preliminary. Still, it represents the latest blow to the reputation of Wells Fargo, the United States' third-largest bank and one that was once regarded as being among the best run in the country. The bank is still trying to recover from a scandal in which its employees created millions of credit card and bank accounts that customers had not requested, eventually leading to the ouster of the bank's chief executive and millions of dollars in regulatory fines.

Wells Fargo is facing turmoil across the company. On Friday, the bank said that four foreign-exchange bankers in its investment banking unit had left and another executive had been reassigned. The moves were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said, citing anonymous sources, that they were part of a regulatory investigation into the bank's foreign-exchange operations.

While Wells Fargo has one of the largest consumer banking businesses in the United States and is the country's largest mortgage lender, it has a comparatively small investment bank and trading operation. Those operations were mostly inherited from Wachovia, which Wells bought in a fire sale transaction at the height of the financial crisis.

The comptroller's findings on unneeded auto insurance could have a significant impact on Wells Fargo. The report stated that the bank had most likely underestimated how much it would cost to reimburse harmed customers. And it could force the bank to curb, or at least more closely monitor, its practices across the entire company.

Wells Fargo's improper auto insurance practices came to light in July, after the Times obtained an internal report prepared for the bank's executives. That analysis showed that more than 800,000 people who took out car loans from Wells Fargo were charged for auto insurance they did not want or need, typically because they already had coverage.

That internal report said the costs of the unneeded insurance, which covered collision damage, had caused some 274,000 Wells Fargo customers to fall behind on their car loans, and almost 25,000 vehicles were wrongly repossessed. Customers on active military duty were among those hurt by the practice.

In the comptroller's report, regulators said management at the bank's auto loan unit, Wells Fargo Dealer Services, had ignored signs of problems in the business such as consumer complaints, focusing instead on sales volume and performance. The report described its management of compliance risk - essentially the ability to abide by regulations and best practices - as "weak." It noted that Wells Fargo in 2015 had characterized the risks associated with this business as "low."

Wells Fargo has set aside $80 million to compensate the 570,000 customers it said were harmed by receiving auto insurance they didn't want. The comptroller's office said that the amount was inadequate and that the bank might have to pay out substantially more as additional victims were identified - partly because Wells Fargo's analysis of how much money it needed to set aside excluded many years when the insurance was being imposed.

The report does give Wells Fargo's management credit for taking action after identifying the problems at the auto loan unit, such as hiring legal and consulting firms to assess customer harm, changing staff at the operation and notifying regulators.

The comptroller's findings are likely to affect how Wells Fargo does business, not just in the auto lending operation but across the bank. The comptroller's office said it would require Wells Fargo to ensure that all of its business units had effective systems in place to identify and prevent risky practices.

Catherine Pulley, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman, said in a statement that the bank had made significant changes in recent months to strengthen controls and oversight of insurers and outside vendors with which it does business.

"We are also working to enhance our customer care program and improve complaints resolution," she said. "We will continue to work with regulators on the remediation and make improvements to our auto lending business to build a better Wells Fargo."

Wells Fargo stopped the auto insurance program in September 2016.

Once the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency makes its findings formal, Wells Fargo will have time to correct the problems. A spokeswoman for the comptroller's office declined to comment on the report.

The report did not mention penalties or fines. The comptroller can impose penalties for violations of laws or unsound business practices in an attempt to deter violations and encourage corrective measures.

Last year, the comptroller's office came under scrutiny for its own failures to supervise Wells Fargo. A report in April by the office's ombudsman concluded that the agency "must continue our efforts to improve and refine the agency's supervisory program, to sharpen our early warning processes, and to enhance our supervisory capabilities."
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With new subdivisions moving to Dayton and the city projected to more than quadruple in population in a few short years, city leaders now are putting plans in place to get ahead of any transportation issues that might arise.

"This could include building new roads or expanding existing roads, and the possibility of a bypass," said City Manager Theo Melancon.

At the Oct. 16 regular meeting of the Dayton City Council, two traffic study proposals were presented by Kelly Hajek, P.E., of Madison, Wisc.-based Strand Associates, Inc.

One proposed study would focus on traffic on Waco Street, which starts to the south on FM 1960/W. Clayton St. near Jose's Mexican Restaurant and travels northwest for several blocks before ending near the city's new public safety buildings on N. Cleveland St./SH 321. The second study would center on the main thoroughfares in town -- US 90, SH 321, SH 146 and FM 1960.

"Based on discussions with Theo and with the prior city manager, we were told the city would like to look at Waco Street and make improvements to alleviate traffic problems on SH 321, and also to provide direct access from the back side of the new public safety facility (on SH 321) and to connect to the high school and Tram Road on 321 with one major intersection," Hajek said when pitching the plan for the Waco Street study.

That study would collect traffic data at the Waco St. intersection with FM 1960 and Tram Road at SH 321. The data would be used to prepare a traffic analysis that would look at the existing conditions and how traffic operates and how it would look in 10 years if no changes are made.

"We would also look at how it would be if Waco Street is extended and widened, and what that would do to traffic in 10 years," Hajek said.

The Waco Street study, if prepared by Strand Associates, Inc., would cost the city $16,000 and take three months to complete.

Hajek did not provide an cost for the overall study or a timeline of when it could be complete. She said it is based on the main thoroughfares, though intersection flows where the thoroughfares intersect with major streets would certainly be a factor. She explained that the overall study would include alternative concept plans for different possibilities for improvements to different intersections in town, like US 90 at SH 146, FM 1960 at SH 321 and Winfree St.

"We could also work with the Houston-Galveston Area Council [of Governments]. They will provide demand modeling to communities like Dayton," she said.

The city, if it opts for that particular overall study, could shave off part of the expense by allowing city employees to conduct the turning movement counts at major intersections. That would take off around $8,200 from the fee. Another $1,900 could be saved by forgoing the HGAC demand modeling, Hajek said. After hearing both presentations, Mayor Jeff Lambright questioned the wisdom of separating the Waco Street study from an overall traffic plan.

"I think we should look at the whole picture," he said.

He asked if the trains that run through the city are included in the overall study.

"We want to make sure that is not left out. It's not a real big problem but it seems to be pretty popular," he said.

Public input will also have to be part of any traffic study the city approves, Lambright said.

"Without some public input, I don't think these studies are going to do us good. We have to give the people a chance to discuss it. They drive it every day," he said.

The mayor suggested that the city should request proposals from other firms before making a decision.

"I think it's worth it for us to do our due diligence and get some companies to submit proposals," he said.

Melancon suggested reshaping the scope of work for any new traffic study proposal. Council then voted to table both traffic study proposals.

In other news, the council unanimously approved eight change order payments totaling $203,263 to Christensen Building Group as a final payment for work on the new public safety building on SH 321. One change order, Melancon explained, was a reconciliation of accounts. Another was a change to doors on the fire station to include glass.

The council also approved hiring the firm of Paychex to handle some of the city's human resources needs and agreed to two of three suggested changes to the city's handbook.

City Attorney Brandon Davis explained that one of the handbook changes cleaned up language regarding the city's drug and alcohol policy. Another stated the city's rule regarding no smoking in city buildings and vehicles. Those two were approved by council.

Another proposed change to the handbook related to sick time paid to employees who leave employment with the city. Davis explained that if they leave in good standing, they would be paid sick time up to 40 hours. The reason for the change, he said, was based on a suggestion made by former interim city manager Kerry Lacy who thought it would be a good recruiting tool. That handbook change was tabled because there was some confusion about the wording of the handbook change.

Council also approved the final plat of Malak RV Park, located on SH 146, south of Brown Road, after the developer had paved nearly all of its parking spaces and 300 feet from SH 146 leading into the park.

Three Dayton Police Department employees were also promoted at the beginning of the meeting. John Coleman, who has served as patrol sergeant for many years, is now the captain serving under Police Chief John Headrick. Eric Ibarra was promoted to patrol sergeant and Shane Burleigh was promoted to lieutenant of investigations.
The gathering of the faithful had been a regular practice for more than a year, but this one was different. Every one had been affected by Hurricane Harvey, probably the worst natural disaster in Houston history.

Some homes were flooded. Some people evacuated to a safe zone. And others who had not been physically impacted seemed shaken by the sadness, loss and trauma wrought in the storm's aftermath. Yet, this group thought it was the right time to come together.

In the summer of 2016, some congregants of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church and several Turkish-American Muslims in Houston, myself included, decided to join in a different approach to deepening our interfaith understanding. The idea was to share our sacred scriptures by choosing a topic and related versesduring a gathering at a participant's home.

Interfaith gatherings (at least in my experience) invariablyinvolve food. We were not only reading and reflecting together but also eating together with the host honoring guests like Prophet Abraham did when he prepared a meal for the strangers who came to his house. After all, the participants of our group, whether Christian or Muslim, traced their histories of hospitality, submission and sincerity back to Abraham.

I was offered the role of moderator for our sessions. Every participant was expected to read a passage from his/her holy text And then, rather than a scholarly interpretation or exegesis rooted in centuries of tradition, they share what they personally understood from it. Then the other participants would talk about their understanding of that particular text, even though that text is not theirs.

The first meeting was, as I recall, a bit of all kinds of feelings: We started excited and nervous, continued as respectful and insightful, and ended the session amazed and determined for more sessions.

When fellow organizer Kathy Herrin and I discussed these study groups initially, we never imagined it would be sustainable.

Our third meeting had been scheduled for Sept. 9, a few days a post-Harvey Houston seemed to get back to "routine." A week before I checked in with several friends in our study group. To my surprise and sadness, some of them were struck by Harvey.

As our meeting day was approaching, I needed to choose a topic but was not able to find one. I realized that I was going through the trauma that everybody else was - my friends, patients and colleagues. After some reflection and talking with Kathy, we decided to invite everyone to choose a passage that really spoke to them duringHurricane Harvey. We wondered what nurtured them spiritually and continued to provide solace, hope and determination in the face of this enormous event.

One who was stranded in his home several days shared first. He said that reaching out to help those in need is like reaching out to God Himself and finding Him next to those people. He found the similarity of the principles from Christian and Islamic traditions to be striking. Matthew 25:35-40 and a hadith reported from Prophet Muhammad emphasized a teaching expressed in different words:

When we give food to hungry, water to thirsty, shelter a stranger, or visit the sick, we would indeed find our Lord next to them, and it is as if we have done it to Him.

"I saw things during this hurricane I have never seen before," said a participant whose home was immensely damaged. "I want to take a more proactive role now. As a professional, I always want to be in control. But when my house was flooded and I saw people's help, I realized that God is the one who really is in control."

She also "felt overwhelmed by people's kindness." The passage that spoke to her was Philippians 4:4-9:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

Have trust in God

One member and his family were safe and sound, but he recalled how anxiously he was running from here to there to ensure that he had covered the to-do list.

"After I have done all preps for the hurricane, I knew it was time to fully trust in God and leave everything to Him," he said. "I wanted to turn fully to God in the depths of those dark moments and the unknown."

He found comfort in Quran 2:155-157:

"And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who when disaster strikes them, say, 'Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.' Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the (rightly) guided."

"When my mother died, I felt so lonely, even though, I was surrounded with my family and friends," one participant related. "I grabbed a Quran and read the first verse I found. Interestingly, it is the same verse that also brought tranquility to me during hurricane."

It was Quran 9:40:

"If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out (of Makkah) as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, 'Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.' And Allah sent down his Sekine (tranquility) upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is exalted in might and wise."

It is well worth noting the similarity between Sekine (tranquility) in the Quran and Shekhina (the presence of God) in the Rabbinic literature.

"When I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the catastrophe, I looked out to God's help," another participant said. "When I saw people helping, I realized that it was God who was helping through them. I saw those people as hands of God. Since we are days and nights struggling through water that surrounded us, the following verses (from Isaiah 43) were my comfort:"

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I am the Lord your God."

She also thought that people's help was truly a gift. But, she also realized that allowing those people to help is a gift to the ones who are helping. At this moment, we remembered the foot washing that our Episcopalian participants do every year on Maundy Thursday to honor and remember how Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. Even though Peter did not want this at all, it was exactly what Jesus did. In reflecting upon this, we realized that letting others serve and help is a great gift to them.

'Inside the ark'

One of our study group participants had to evacuate his family for several days to the Turquoise Center, a Turkish community center. He did not know what to expect when they returned home.

"As flooding started, I wanted to turn to the Quran to see what is in there about flood," he said. "I found the story of Noah. A story that is also mentioned in the Bible. In this story, some people were saved because they were in Noah's ark, yet, others were drowned. I wondered whether we were inside the ark or outside. While thinking through this anxiously, I saw so many people trying to help others. They were like little 'Noah's arks' who were saving people. Then, I knew well in my heart that we were inside the ark."

Another friend said, "My house was flooded. I lost a lot, not everything, but a lot. But those were the things that probably were obstacles between me and God. Then I remembered the following passage in the Bible. Now, might I find new ways of approaching God after losing my possessions?"

From Matthew 19:23-26:

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' "

As we departed with joy, I was astonished and inspired by faith and how each participant connected the respective teachings both to their own life and to Hurricane Harvey, and at how our holy scriptures continue to unfold in meaningful and fresh ways and dimensions, even centuries after their times of revelation.

Ali R. Candir is a staff chaplain and imam at the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center.
A former Houston police officer was indicted Friday on felony charges in the shooting of an unarmed neighbor after a fight between their dogs last October - the first time an HPD officer has been charged as a result of a shooting since 2004.

Jason Loosmore, 32, is accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after shooting Casey Brown, 22, who is still recovering from extensive wounds. The officer shot Brown three times with a handgun, hitting him in the chest and stomach.

"He used his badge and gun to try and settle a personal score," said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, in a news release shortly after his indictment. "The community, through a grand jury, decided the officer broke the law."

The last HPD officer indicted in an on-duty shooting was Arthur Carbonneau, who was charged with murder in March 2004 for causing the death of 14-year-old Eli Eloy Escobar.

Professor James Douglas, a Texas Southern University law professor and president of the Houston Branch of the NAACP, said the charges are an indication that times have changed in Houston.

"The district attorney should be commended. Obviously, one of the big problems we have is sometimes we have officers who think they are above the law, and we have a district attorney now who understands no one is above the law, including law enforcement officials," said Douglas. "The last few police chiefs had the right attitude about improper actions by officers, and in the past, the problem had been getting the district attorney to get some charges to the grand jury."

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo noted that while the majority of the 5,200 HPD officers conduct themselves in an honorable manner, the public should be assured the department will thoroughly investigate misconduct.

"What this demonstrates is no one is immune from accountability, and the police department played its role, the DA played its role, the grand jury played its role, and now a court and a jury will be a final arbitrator on this matter, which is the way its supposed to work."

Arrest warrant issued

Loosmore was off duty on Oct. 13, 2016, but was wearing his badge around his neck and carrying his duty weapon as he walked his dog around 6 p.m. in southwest Houston. When Brown's dog became aggressive, the officer told investigators he knocked on his neighbor's door to verify whether Brown's dog was vaccinated. Loosmore claimed that Brown's canine had bit his dog. Brown eventually came outside and a fight took place between the men.

At an afternoon news conference, Natasha Sinclair, chief of the Harris County District Attorney's Office civil rights division, declined to go into specifics of the case but said they take cases such as Loosmore's seriously.

"We believe whether you are a citizen, former police officer, or a current police officer the law applies equally and we will go wherever the evidence takes us," Sinclair said.

A warrant has been issued for Loosmore's arrest, but he was not yet in custody, Sinclair said. He resigned from HPD on April 10, about seven months after the shooting.

"We respect the grand jury's decision and the process, and I can't say much more because Mr. Loosmore is no longer a member of the department," Acevedo said. "It's important for the community to realize that this indictment was based on an investigation and evidence obtained by the Houston Police Department, and the investigation that was provided to the District Attorney's Office which ultimately led to the indictment.''

Yolanda Smith, executive director of the NAACP Houston branch, welcomed the rare charge and credited the Ogg administration for listening to community concerns.

"We're pleased that the District Attorney's Office under Kim's leadership has moved the case forward to even seek an indictment, because so many times in the past we didn't have that kind of leadership and police misconduct cases were dropped before being brought to the grand jury, and swept under the carpet," Smith said. "We totally agree with the DA's statement that the off-duty officer took matters into his own hands to settle personal matter, and we'll wait the outcome of what a jury decides."

'It was foolish'

The Houston Police Officers Union is not representing Loosmoore because he resigned, officials said. "That's between him and his criminal defense attorney," said Doug Griffith, a vice president of the union.

A number of Houston police officers privately questioned Loosmore's decision to go to the neighbor's home to demand the vaccination records.

"I'm not surprised he got indicted, because I thought it was foolish for him to do that," said an HPD officer who asked not to be identified. "Why didn't he get someone else to handle it? Why didn't he call the police?"

Police officers must refrain from using their police powers in private matters, the officer said "You don't play policemen with your business,'' the officer said. "The best thing you could do is call the police, and have the health department check for the vaccination records."

St. John Barned-Smith, Brian Rogers and James Pinkerton contributed.
More than 300,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into Buffalo Bayou from a broken pipe near the intersection of Gessner and Briar Forest on Thursday and Friday, Houston officials said.

Two sections of the south bank of the bayou, eroded by Hurricane Harvey floodwaters, collapsed Thursday, rupturing a 42-inch sewer pipe near 9602 Longmont, affecting the immediate area and up to 300 feet downstream.

A 21-inch pipe that connected to the larger line also ruptured due to a bank failure just downstream, said Alanna Reed, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works and Engineering.

The incident does not affect the safety of the city's drinking water and appears not to have interrupted wastewater service for customers in the area.

Crews were working Friday to finish a project to divert the sewage that otherwise would have flowed through the lines, an undertaking Reed said was made difficult by the unstable ground along the waterway swollen by weeks of releases from Addicks and Barker reservoirs after Hurricane Harvey.

"We're looking at up to six months to get everything, one, stabilized and, two, deciding what's going to be next," Reed said. "Are we going to put these wastewater lines under the street instead of along the bayou? We know rain is going to come and this could happen again."

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires cities to notify residents of any sewage spill larger than 100,000 gallons or in excess of 50,000 gallons if it occurs in an area with private drinking water wells. This was the first notification Public Works published during or after Harvey. Officials asked residents to avoid swimming in the area and to bathe and wash clothes as soon as possible if they come into contact with raw sewage.

Thursday's rupture pushed the total spills caused by Harvey to 231 in Harris County, and the total gallons of raw sewage spilled in connection with the storm to more than 3.6 million gallons, according to TCEQ. The agency considers four sewage treatment plants in the county still inoperable, two months after Harvey made landfall.

Houston's Turkey Creek and West District plants are both back online after being submerged during Harvey. Residents on the west side were asked for several days after the storm to limit their water usage to prevent overloading the compromised treatment plants.

Reed said the city has no cost estimate for the repairs that were required at either facility, or for the repairs ongoing related to the bayou bank failures.

Alex Stuckey contributed to this report.
AUSTIN - Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed Friday he is investigating an undisclosed number of debris removal companies he said "may be overpromising and under-delivering" on services across battered Southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

His office stopped short of saying what companies they were looking into and in what cities. But the "czar" in charge of the state's storm recovery effort said the state needs to ensure haulers are picking up the mounds of trash quickly as cities try to clean up and move on from the storm's destruction.

"It's time to find out why some are moving too slowly, and why some are refusing help that would remove debris faster," said John Sharp, A&M University's chancellor who chairs Gov. Greg Abbott's Commission to Rebuild Texas.

The promise of investigation into contracted hauling companies came at the behest of Sharp out of concerns that some haulers are slow-walking the job. He made the request to Paxton, whose office is now soliciting comments from local governments about their experiences with haulers.

Areas across the battered region are still trying to clean up after Harvey tore through parts of the state and dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some areas. The torrential rain has caused many to gut their homes, businesses and schools, leaving massive piles of decaying debris needing to get picked up and disposed of.

Trash removal could take months, according to officials, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who last week commended Solid Waste Management employees for their work managing "the cleanup of this overwhelming and emotional debris field."

In Rockport, where the Category 4 hurricane first hit Texas, 35 percent of all homes and businesses were destroyed. There, about 800 cubic yards of debris had been removed as of this week.

Attempts to reach Sharp for more details about areas that have made complaints were routed to the attorney general's office. A spokesman there declined to say how many companies it is looking into or what towns and cities are experiencing slower than expected results from contractors removing mounds of debris.

The attorney general's office said it is specifically examining the "representations" some of the haulers have made about debris removal and whether they are fulfilling their obligations.

"Texans are working hard to clean up after Hurricane Harvey, and these companies should do the same. They cannot sign contracts with local governments, and then change the price or not deliver services," Paxton said.

In addition to accepting complaints about hauling companies, his agency is also asking people to report instances of price gouging. His office is combing through more than 5,000 complaints ranging from inflated prices on items like water and or gas during and following the storm to excessive pricing for repairs or rebuilding of flood-damaged homes.

The agency has filed just three lawsuits, but a spokesman said the attorney general's office expects to take legal action against more price gougers in the coming weeks.

The three lawsuits Texas filed against alleged price gougers took on Robstown Enterprises Inc. doing businesses as Best Western Plus Tropic Inn in Robstown; Encinal Fuel Stop, a Chevron-branded gas station just outside Laredo; and the Bains Brothers, owners of Huffines Texaco in Carrollton.
WASHINGTON - Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is holding up the confirmation of a controversial White House budget official to ensure more disaster relief for Texas, according a senior aide in his office.

The move has angered Christian conservatives who support the nomination of Russell Vought to be Mick Mulvaney's right hand man at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought, a conservative activist, was recently criticized by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for his views that Muslims have a "deficient theology" and "stand condemned" because they do not accept Jesus Christ as the son of God.

FreedomWorks Vice President of Advocacy Noah Wall released a statement Friday attacking Cornyn, accusing him of "putting his earmarks before the fiscally conservative Trump nominee."

A Cornyn aide said the hold - an unusual Senate maneuver - is only to ensure that Mulvaney comes through with the money.

"Senator Cornyn has no concerns with this nominee personally and has been supportive of him to date," said the aide, speaking on background. "However, promises were made from OMB to fully support Texans as they continue to recover from Hurricane Harvey and he's going to make sure those promises are kept."

Cornyn himself confirmed the hold, which he put in place earlier in the week, in a tweet Friday responding to a report in the online news site Axios, which first reported the hardball move.

"Solely to ensure the next #Harvey aid request from OMB will satisfy Texas's needs IDed by @GovAbbott @tedcruz & me..." Cornyn wrote.

Senate rules grant all senators wide latitude in placing holds on presidential nominees. As the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, Cornyn also has considerable influence over the floor schedule.

The Cornyn aide said Trump and Mulvaney were made aware of Cornyn's hold, which he will drop when he's sure the next aid package will satisfy Texas's needs.

Congress to consider

The dustup came to light a day after Trump agreed to a new storm relief package with money earmarked specifically for people hit by Hurricane Harvey. The unspecified sum is expected to come before Congress in November, meaning Vought's nomination might have to wait another month.

The money Texas is seeking would be in addition to $36.5 billion in general disaster aid that the Senate was poised to approve next week for Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other areas hit by natural disasters.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers in Washington signed a letter earlier this month seeking $18.7 billion in funding specifically for relief and recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey.

Cornyn said he met Thursday with Trump and Mulvaney and obtained a "commitment" for additional aid aimed at Texas. He did not mention any conditions tied to Vought's confirmation.

Axios said it was not clear how Cornyn phrased his demand, but that "his message has been heard loud and clear by top Trump administration officials."

Abbott's accusation

The pending disaster aid package was approved by the House last week after Abbott accused the Texas delegation of getting "rolled" by not securing more money specifically for the victims of Harvey, which struck the Gulf Coast in August, before subsequent hurricanes that hit Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Texas lawmakers said that though the bill provided money for all the areas hit by natural disasters, including the California wildfires, at least $15 billion could be claimed by Texans, who were the first to be hit and file claims through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Abbott also was assured by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy last week that Congress would soon pony up more money specifically for Texas, where damages are expected to top $100 billion.

So far, the state has benefited mainly from a $15.25 billion emergency appropriation that Congress approved in September.

Cornyn and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also praised Friday's announcement by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that they are allocating an additional $57.8 million to help Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey.

Keeping pressure on

The new grant is provided through HUD's Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery Program. Combined with grants already allocated to Texas from disasters that occurred in 2015 and 2016, HUD's support of long-term disaster recovery in the Lone Star State now totals more than $371 million.

Briefing Texas reporters Thursday, Cornyn said it is important for the Texas delegation - the largest Republican delegation in Congress - to keep up the pressure.

"I don't want the federal government to kick the can down the road, because as time goes by there are other competing demands, as we have seen with other hurricanes and natural disasters," Cornyn said. "I don't want people to forget about Hurricane Harvey and the state of Texas."
The Pentagon is trying to determine whether U.S. forces involved in a deadly ambush in Niger this month diverted from their routine patrol to embark on an unapproved mission, military officials said Friday.

The questions have come up because the U.S. and Nigerien soldiers on the patrol have given conflicting accounts about whether they were ambushed or were attacked after trying to chase Islamic insurgents, according to military officials from both countries.

The episode has engulfed the White House in crisis and prompted demands from members of Congress for answers about what the soldiers were doing before the attack Oct. 4.

In interviews with both the Defense Department and the New York Times, Nigerien military officials said that a lightly armed convoy of about 50 Nigerien and U.S. soldiers gave chase to Islamic insurgents on motorcycles until the men crossed the border into Mali, then returned later to ambush the troops.

U.S. service members, by contrast, insisted they did not chase the insurgents but simply "noticed" them in the vicinity of the village of Tongo Tongo, Defense Department officials said. It was not until the troops interviewed village leaders and were on their way to their base, by the American account, that the insurgents ambushed the convoy, overwhelming the soldiers.

The inconsistencies are at the heart of why the Pentagon has not been forthcoming with details about what happened in Niger, according to U.S. military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation. Four Americans were killed in the attack, including three Green Berets, as well as four Nigerien soldiers. Two Americans and six Nigeriens were wounded.

Mission protocol

The contradictions added to the major questions emerging about the attack: Had the soldiers acted beyond their planned mission without first gaining approval? And if they were given permission, who granted it?

Military officials have said the troops were on a reconnaissance patrol, which means they almost certainly were out to collect information on al-Qaida and Islamic State groups operating in the area; the U.S. military has a list of Islamic State leaders it is targeting. For that mission, the commander of the U.S. team would have needed approval from at least one or two higher levels - a subcommand in Chad and a task force commander in Germany, where the U.S. Africa Command is based.

Once in the field, if the team wanted to change the mission to pursue a suspected al-Qaida or Islamic State leader, the team leader would need to conduct a risk assessment and call for permission from his higher headquarters, according to current and former senior officials at the Africa Command who described how its soldiers conduct operations.

The team would not have had "carte blanche to do whatever" it wanted, said Brig. Gen. Donald C. Bolduc, who until June commanded Special Operations forces on the continent.

Military officials said the team members might have believed they were facing only a low risk of threats, which could have created a false sense of security that led them to go out with inadequate support.

'Advise and assist'

Beyond the question of what, exactly, the soldiers were doing in that remote border region of Niger to begin with was that of whether Defense Department officials have been forthcoming about the mission.

Under the existing authorities, U.S. ground forces are not allowed to conduct unilateral direct-action operations in Niger or most other countries in Africa, and the Pentagon continued to insist that it was not involved in combat operations there.

"Our missions are advise and assist," Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told reporters Thursday. "We're not directly involved in combat operations.

"We're not involved in direct-action missions with partner forces."

But if the U.S. troops were giving chase to suspected Islamic insurgents to the Malian border, that would most likely qualify as a direct-action mission, military experts said.

What both U.S. and Nigerien troops agree upon, officials from both nations said, is that on Oct. 4, what was supposed to be a routine patrol of a hostile border area in Niger crisscrossed by bands of armed terrorist groups - at least one of them loyal to the Islamic State - went wrong.

The village chief is in custody, a Nigerien official said. A few others are also in custody being questioned by intelligence officials. The FBI is investigating the attack, a U.S. law enforcement official said.

Both U.S. and Nigerien military officials believe the insurgents were most likely affiliated with Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui, who operates a group that has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State. They have yet to confirm that.

More than two weeks after the ambush, its repercussions showed no signs of abating. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters Thursday that he might subpoena the Defense Department for answers. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to Capitol Hill on Friday to meet with McCain as well as another member of the committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Mission creep in Africa

The U.S. counterterrorism fight is "morphing" to places like Africa, Graham said after meeting with Mattis, adding that "we don't want the next 9/11 to come from Niger."

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is taking up a long-awaited debate about authorizing military force against the Islamic State.

Senators will question Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Mattis in an open hearing Oct. 30 about whether the administration thinks it is necessary for Congress to pass a new authorization for use of military force, or AUMF, to replace existing AUMFs that date to the early years of the George W. Bush administration. The hearing is seen as a precursor to a more congressionally driven legislative effort to write an AUMF that can draw enough Republican and Democratic support to pass.
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ALTUN KUPRI, Iraq - Iraqi troops seized a town from Kurdish forces after a brief but intense firefight on Friday, capping a dramatic week of maneuvers that saw the Kurds hand over territory across northern Iraq.

By evening, the Iraqi forces were in full control of the town of Altun Kupri though Kurdish forces, known as the peshmerga, were still shelling the town.

Altun Kupri is the latest town to be retaken by federal authorities from Kurdish control after Baghdad made clear this week that it was planning to roll back Kurdish forces' gains during their joint war against the Islamic State group and revert the border lines to the 2014 map of Iraq.

Kurdish authorities appeared intent on making the Altun Kupri their symbolic last stand against the more powerful Iraqi army, after the peshmerga withdrew from other so-called disputed areas peacefully earlier in the week.

"The Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces have resisted heroically in this confrontation and have recorded a great honor," the Kurdish general command said in a statement released around noon.

A commander of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is fighting alongside the government troops, said there were no orders to advance beyond Altun Kupri and enter the country's autonomous Kurdish region.

Ercuman Turkmen, the PMF commander, said from inside the town that his forces were being targeted by sniper fire. He spoke to The Associated Press by phone. The fight for Altun Kupri was the first instance of sustained clashes and artillery fire since the Iraqi force on Monday took back the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

At the town hospital, an AP reporter counted six civilians killed and 15 wounded. It was unclear how they sustained their wounds, or if there were other casualties.

The town, with a population of about 9,000, was mostly empty as many residents fled the fighting.

A resident said he had left a day previously, anticipating the clashes, but had to return Friday to rescue his brother, who was stuck without a vehicle.

"I saw homes were hit by shelling," said Mohammed Sadreddine, an employee for the local water authority. He found shelter in Kirkuk.

The boundaries of the country's autonomous Kurdish region have long been a source of conflict between Baghdad and Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, and the changes this week were the most dramatic to occur since 2014, when the peshmerga took over positions abandoned by Iraqi forces in the face of advancing Islamic State militants.

The province of Kirkuk is home to Iraq's second- greatest reserves of oil and its capital, also called Kirkuk, is a multi-ethnic city that is home to 1.2 million Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.
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PRAGUE - The centrist ANO movement led by populist Andrej Babis decisively won the Czech Republic's parliamentary election Saturday in a vote that shifted the country to the right and paved the way for the euroskeptic billionaire to become its next prime minister.

With all votes counted, the Czech Statistics Office said ANO won in a landslide, capturing 29.6 percent of the vote, or 78 of the 200 seats in the lower house of Parliament.

"It's a huge success," the 63-year-old Babis told supporters and journalists at his headquarters in Prague.

'Maverick outsider'

Babis is the county's second-richest man, with a media empire including two major newspapers and a popular radio station.

Although he was a finance minister in the outgoing government until May, many Czechs see him as a maverick outsider with the business acumen to shake up the system. With slogans claiming he can easily fix the country's problems, he is, for some, the Czech answer to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Since the leader of the strongest party usually gets to form a new government, Babis could be the country's next leader despite being linked to several scandals - including being charged by police with fraud linked to European Union subsidies.

The charges will likely make it difficult for Babis to find the coalition partners he needs to build a parliamentary majority. He has invited all parties that won seats for talks.

In a blow to the country's political elite, four of the top five vote-getting parties Saturday had challenged the traditional political mainstream. Some have exploited fears of immigration and Islam and have been attacking the country's memberships in the EU and NATO.

The opposition conservative Civic Democrats came in a distant second Saturday with 11.3 percent of the vote, or 25 seats. They were the strongest mainstream party. The Social Democrats, the senior party in the outgoing government, captured only 7.3 percent - 15 seats - while the Christian Democrats, part of the ruling coalition, won only 5.8 percent support or 10 seats.

The Pirate Party won seats for the first time, coming in third with 10.8 percent of the vote, while the most radical anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, anti-EU party, the Freedom and Direct Democracy, was in fourth place with 10.6 percent support. The two parties won 22 seats each.

EU skepticism

Babis' centrist movement stormed Czech politics four years ago, finishing a surprising second with an anti-corruption message. Babis has also been critical of the EU and opposes setting a date for when his country would adopt the shared euro currency.

Like most Czech parties, ANO also rejects accepting refugees under the EU's quota system.

But Babis played down his euroskeptic views after his victory.

"We're oriented on Europe," he said. "We're not a threat for democracy. I'm ready to fight for our interests in Brussels. We're a firm part of the European Union. We're a firm part of NATO."

A record nine parties and groupings made it into Parliament.
KABUL, Afghanistan - Suicide bombers struck two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday prayers, a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province, killing at least 63 people at the end of a particularly deadly week for the troubled nation.

The Afghan president issued a statement condemning both attacks and saying that country's security forces would step up the fight to "eliminate the terrorists who target Afghans of all religions and tribes."

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e-Barchi neighborhood where he detonated his explosives vest, killing 30 and wounding 45, said Maj. Gen. Alimast Momand at the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bombing in Ghor province struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers and killed 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, spokesman for the provincial chief of police.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack, the latest in a devastating week that saw Taliban attacks kill scores across the country.

The U.S. government strongly condemned the attacks.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. "The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country.".

In the Kabul attack, eyewitness Ali Mohammad said the mosque was packed with worshippers, both men and women praying at the height of the Muslim week. The explosion was so strong it shattered windows on nearby buildings, he said.As attacks targeting Shiites have increased in Kabul, residents of this area have grown increasingly afraid. Most schools have additional armed guards from among the local population.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor province took place in the Do Laina district, according to Nizami, the police spokesman. Nizami says the target apparently was a local commander, Abdul Ahed, a former warlord who has sided with the government. Seven of his bodyguards were also killed.

In his statement, President Ghani said the day's attacks show "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans."
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Cheshire Had Looked at Joining Northern Berkshire School Union

CHESHIRE, Mass.  Town officials reached out to the Northern Berkshire School Union 43 about possibly joining its superintendency union this past May or June.

However, the town was told it would have to leave the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District before going any further.

Selectman Edmund St. John IV told his colleagues on Tuesday that he had contacted Jonathan Lev, superintendent of the four-school union, about possibly joining. He had done that as a followup to an inquiry by the Advisory Board, which was looking for ways at the time to keep the school operating.

"The school union would not do anything unless Cheshire basically was removed from the district agreement," St. John said. "They can't go out and poach members when there is a viable agreement."

With the regional school district agreement amendment process under way, the town of Cheshire has been looking at other arrangements.

The Northern Berkshire School Union is made up of the elementary schools in Clarksburg, Savoy, Florida and Rowe; the four schools share administrative services, a superintendent and special education services. They each have their own school boards and budgets.

Town officials found that reopening the now-closed Cheshire Elementary School would likely cost more than $6 million but they are still open to other options.

"I just think it is important for people to understand that we have contacted other districts and are looking at all of our options," Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said.

St. John added that changing the agreement, let alone leaving the district, is no easy feat and that the town would need Adams' approval to make changes or depart.

"It is complicated and cannot be figured out in a single meeting," he said. "No town can unilaterally make a decision. Cheshire can't leave on its own and Adams can't boot us out."

On Friday, St. John clarified that he had brought up the spring conversation to show that the town had been seeking options in the wake of the school's closure and that any further movement in that direction would have to be taken up by the amendment committee.

In other business, the town received a handwritten letter from one of its younger residents who wanted to air her grievances about Spectrum's channel dropping  especially Nickelodeon.

"If you shut down Nick, I will be so mad at you. We are losing all of our childhood characters," Ella wrote. "Bring back Time Warner or no money for you. Do not expect to get another note."

St. John agreed with Ella's sentiment and noted a lot of residents are upset about coming channel changes.

"I agree with her concern I have a 3-year-old who loves Nick Jr.," he said. "Unfortunately, we can't bring back Time Warner."

Highway Superintendent Blair Crane said Main Street and Windsor and Wells Roads will be painted Sunday night.

"I will be out most of the night it sounds," he said. "They estimated it would take seven to eight hours depending on how it goes."

Editor's note: This article and headline have been clarified to indicate the inquiries to the school union took place some months ago. That was not clear during the discussion at Tuesday's meeting.




iciHaiti - Diplomacy : Two new Ambassadors accredited





This week, President Jovel Moise received at the National Palace the credentials of two new Ambassadors accredited to Haiti. They are Ambassador Serbu Gentiana of Romania and Ambassador Ladislav Straka of the Slovak Republic.



The two new ambassadors renewed their country's commitment to work to sustain ties of friendship and strengthen cooperation with Haiti.



President Jovenel Moise, for his part reassured these Ambassadors of his will to work for the harmonious development of relations between Haiti and these two friendly countries.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Photo above shows Caltex Brand Manager Arnel Reniedo congratulating Caltex-Transformers promo winner Christine Joy Favor wholl drive away with a brand new Camaro.

Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), recently awarded the grand winner of True Power from Within with a brand new 2017 Chevrolet Camaro RS A/T and Php100,000 worth of Caltex Starcash to go with it. The nationwide promotion for Caltex customers was in conjunction with Michael Bays latest Transformers installation, Transformers: The Last Knight.

The lucky winner, Christine Joy Favor, shared that she is a regular Caltex customer as it offered convenience through the many Caltex stations near her home in San Pedro, Laguna. Christine shared how she could not contain her excitement when she got the news during office hours.

I never win in promos so I was a bit hesitant to believe and the first person I called was my mom. When things settled in, I was jumping for joy. Caltex is amazing for this, and I am all the more excited to make use of their top-quality fuels and the good service they are known for, shared Favor.

With the Transformers movie tie-up, CPI made every customers trip to their local Caltex station even more rewarding as an instant souvenir of a Transformers: The Last Knight collectible tumbler was available for customers at Php120. This was after any fuel purchase of Php500 during the promo period.

We always make it a point to reward our loyal customers through a variety of promos. Our tie-up with the latest Transformers movie gave them an added experience to their regular top-ups. We are just as elated as the winner and we hope to make more people happy through more promotions, said CPI Country Chairman Louie Zhang.

Caltex Platinum with Techron, Caltex Silver with Techron and Caltex Diesel with Techron D deliver enhanced engine protection, maximized power and improved fuel economy.
Imperial Valley News Center

Raqqa's Liberation from ISIS

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "We congratulate the Syrian people and the Syrian Democratic Forces, including the Syrian Arab Coalition, on the liberation of Raqqa. The United States is proud to lead the 73-member Global Coalition that supported this effort, which has seen ISISs so-called caliphate crumble across Iraq and Syria. Our work is far from over but the liberation of Raqqa is a critical milestone in the global fight against ISIS, and underscores the success of the ongoing international and Syrian effort to defeat these terrorists.

"In January, ISIS was actively plotting terrorist attacks against our allies and our homeland in Raqqa. Nine short months later, it is out of ISISs control due to critical decisions President Trump made to accelerate the campaign. Over the last seven months, millions of people have been liberated from ISISs brutal rule and working with our partners on the ground we are setting the conditions to enable people to return home.

"We cannot forget that this accomplishment also came at significant costs. The Syrian Democratic Forces suffered many losses along the way and we join them in mourning the lives lost. We also mourn the U.S. service members, and others from the Coalition, who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life to rid the region of ISIS and protect our homeland.

"ISIS cruelty and barbarity cannot be overstated. We witnessed ISIS deliberately and consistently using civilians as human shields and leaving behind mines to maim and kill children and other civilians seeking only to return to their homes or schools. The barbaric nature of ISISs tactics left many scars and we are supporting stabilization efforts in liberated areas to help these communities heal.

"While we continue the fight to ensure ISIS is defeated militarily where it remains in Syria, the U.S. and other Coalition members are making every effort to remove explosives left by ISIS and to get critical humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. We are also supporting the efforts of the Raqqa Civil Council and other local Syrian actors to re-establish basic security and deliver essential services to stabilize communities, refurbish schools, and help facilitate the safe and voluntary return home of displaced Syrians.

"This also marks the beginning of a new phase in the Syrian conflict. As we and our partners push toward the territorial defeat of ISIS, we will continue to seek to de-escalate violence across Syria. Reducing violence in Syria will allow the United States, our allies, and partners to focus even more on advancing UN-led diplomatic efforts, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, aimed at reaching a genuine political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people.

"ISISs loss of Raqqa does not mean our fight against ISIS is over. The Global Coalition will continue to draw on all elements of national power  military, intelligence, diplomacy, economic, law enforcement, and the strength of our communities  until all Syrians have been liberated from ISIS brutality and we can ensure that it can no longer export its terror around the world. The Coalition will continue its relentless campaign to deny ISIS safe haven anywhere in the world, and sever its ability to recruit, move foreign terrorist fighters, transfer funds, and spread false propaganda over the internet and social media. We are confident that we will prevail and defeat this brutal terrorist organization."
Imperial Valley News Center

Terrorist Attacks in Afghanistan

Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns the October 20 terrorist attacks in Kabul and Ghor, as well as the other attacks carried out across the country this week.

We commend the Government and security forces of Afghanistan for their response to these attacks, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed.

In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering. The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country.
Imperial Valley News Center

Alarming Situation Near Kirkuk, Iraq

Washington, DC - The United States is concerned by reports of violent clashes around the town of Altun Kupri in northern Iraq. We are monitoring the situation closely, and call on all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm.

In order to avoid any misunderstandings or further clashes, we urge the central government to calm the situation by limiting federal forces movements in disputed areas to only those coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government. We are encouraged by Prime Minister Abadis instructions to federal forces to protect Iraqi Kurdish citizens and to not provoke conflict.

The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status  they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution. Until parties reach a resolution, we urge them to fully coordinate security and administration of these areas. To that end, all parties should engage in dialogue now on the basis of the Iraqi constitution, as Prime Minister Abadi offered and the Kurdistan Regional Government accepted publicly.

The United States remains committed to a united, stable, democratic, and federal Iraq, and committed to the Kurdistan Regional Government as an integral component of the country. We will continue working with officials from the central and regional governments to reduce tensions, avoid further clashes, and encourage dialogue.

We also remain determined to finish the fight against ISIS in Iraq and call on the Iraqi Government to redouble its efforts with the Global Coalition until that task is done.
Governor Brown Announces Appointments

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:

Danielle Anderson, 31, of Camarillo, has been appointed to the California State Independent Living Council. Anderson has been executive director at the Independent Living Resource Center of Santa Barbara since 2014. She was a community living advocate at the Independent Living Resource Center of Ventura from 2013 to 2014. Anderson served as a staff services analyst at the California Department of Health Care Services from 2012 to 2013 and as a management services technician at the California Department of Rehabilitation from 2008 to 2012. She was a project assistant at the California Health Incentives Improvement Project from 2007 to 2008. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Anderson is registered without party preference.

Marcia Chauvin, 78, of Clearlake, has been reappointed to the 49th District Agricultural Association, Lake County Fair Board of Directors, where she has served since 2007. Chauvin was an administrative assistant for Clear Lake Church of the Nazarene from 1992 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chauvin is a Republican.

Kim Hansen, 59, of Kelseyville, has been appointed to the 49th District Agricultural Association, Lake County Fair Board of Directors. Hansen has been an executive assistant at the Lake County Association Realtors since 2015. She was a human resource assistant at L-3 Communications from 2014 to 2015 and at Ixia Communications from 2010 to 2012. Hansen was a recruiter at Volt Workforce Solutions from 1989 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Hansen is a Democrat.

Thomas Turner, 41, of Lakeport, has been appointed to the 49th District Agricultural Association, Lake County Fair Board of Directors. Turner has been an independent contractor since 2015 and resident manager at the Northport MH and RV Park since 2010. He was a residential and commercial electrical foreman at R.C. Electric/C.R. Electric from 2007 to 2010 and warranty manager and superintendent at Reynen and Bardis Communities from 2004 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Turner is registered without party preference.
STD testing: What's right for you?

Rochester, Minnesota - Sexually transmitted diseases are common, but the types of STD testing you need may vary by your risk factors. Find out what's recommended for you.

If you're sexually active, particularly with multiple partners, you've probably heard the following advice many times: Use protection and get tested.

This is important because a person can have a sexually transmitted disease without knowing it. In many cases, there aren't any signs or symptoms. In fact, that's why many experts prefer the term sexually transmitted infections (STIs), because you can have an infection without disease symptoms.

But what types of STI testing do you need? And how often should you be screened? The answers depend on your age, your sexual behaviors and other risk factors.

Don't assume that you're receiving STI testing every time you have a gynecologic exam or Pap test. If you think you need STI testing, request it from your doctor. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and what tests you'd like or need.

Testing for specific STIs

Here are some guidelines for STI testing for specific sexually transmitted infections.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea

Get screened annually if:

You're a sexually active woman under age 25

You're a woman older than 25 and at risk of STIs  for example, if you're having sex with a new partner or multiple partners

You're a man who has sex with men

You have HIV

You've been forced to have intercourse or engage in sexual activity against your will

Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening is done either through a urine test or through a swab inside the penis in men or from the cervix in women. The sample is then analyzed in a laboratory. Screening is important, because if you don't have signs or symptoms, you can be unaware that you have either infection.

HIV, syphilis and hepatitis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages HIV testing, at least once, as a routine part of medical care if you're an adolescent or adult between the ages of 13 and 64. Younger teens should be tested if they have a high risk of an STI. The CDC advises yearly HIV testing if you are at high risk of infection.

Hepatitis C screening is recommended for everyone born between 1945 and 1965. The incidence of hepatitis C is high in this age group, and the disease often has no symptoms until it's advanced. Vaccines are available for both hepatitis A and B if screening shows you haven't been exposed to these viruses.

Request testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis if you:

Test positive for another STI, which puts you at greater risk of other STIs

Have had more than one sexual partner (or if your partner has had multiple partners) since your last test

Use intravenous (IV) drugs

Are a man who has sex with men

Are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant

Have been forced to have intercourse or engage in sexual activity against your will

Your doctor tests you for syphilis by taking either a blood sample or a swab from any genital sores you might have. The sample is examined in a laboratory. A blood sample is taken to test for HIV and hepatitis.

Genital herpes

No good screening test exists for herpes, a viral infection that can be transmitted even when a person doesn't have symptoms. Your doctor may take a tissue scraping or culture of blisters or early ulcers, if you have them, for examination in a laboratory. But a negative test doesn't rule out herpes as a cause for genital ulcerations.

A blood test also may help detect a past herpes infection, but results aren't always conclusive. Some blood tests can help differentiate between the two main types of the herpes virus. Type 1 is the virus that more typically causes cold sores, although it can also cause genital sores.

Type 2 is the virus that causes genital sores more often. Still, the results may not be totally clear, depending on the sensitivity of the test and the stage of the infection. False-positive and false-negative results are possible.

HPV

Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer while other varieties of HPV can cause genital warts. Many sexually active people become infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but never develop symptoms. The virus typically disappears within two years.

There's no routinely used HPV screening test for men, in whom the infection is diagnosed by visual inspection or biopsy of genital warts. In women, HPV testing involves:

Pap test. Pap tests, which check the cervix for abnormal cells, are recommended every three years for women between ages 21 and 65.

HPV test. Women over 30 may be offered the option to have the HPV test along with a Pap test every five years if previous tests were normal. Women between 21 and 30 will be given an HPV test if they've had abnormal results on their Pap test.

HPV has also been linked to cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and mouth and throat. Vaccines can protect both men and women from some types of HPV, but they are most effective when administered before sexual activity begins.

At-home STI testing

Gaining acceptance and popularity are at-home test kits for certain STIs, such as HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea. For home STI testing, you collect a urine sample or an oral or genital swab and then send it to a laboratory for analysis.

Some tests require more than one sample. The benefit of home testing is you're able to collect the sample in the privacy of your home without the need for a pelvic exam or office visit.

However, tests done on samples you collect yourself may have a higher rate of false-positive results, meaning the test indicates you have an STI that you really don't have. If you test positive from a home test, contact your doctor or a public health clinic to confirm the test results. If your home test results are negative, but you're experiencing symptoms, contact your doctor or a public health clinic to confirm the results.

Positive test results

If you test positive for an STI, the next step is to consider further testing and then get treatment as recommended by your doctor. In addition, inform your sex partners. Your partners need to be evaluated and treated, because you can pass some infections back and forth.

Expect to feel various emotions. You may feel ashamed, angry or afraid. It may help to remind yourself that you've done the right thing by getting tested so that you can inform your partners and get treated. Talk with your doctor about your concerns.
USS Preble, USS Halsey Depart Pearl Harbor for Deployment

Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii - The guided-missile destroyers USS Preble (DDG 88) and USS Halsey (DDG 97) departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for a regularly-scheduled deployment, Monday.

Preble, with embarked helicopter detachment from Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 37, and Halsey will join the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) for a routine deployment to conduct maritime security, forward presence, and theater security operations in the 7th and 5th fleet areas of responsibility.



"The U.S. Navy carrier strike group is the most versatile, capable force at sea," said Rear Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, CSG 9. "After nearly a year of training and integration exercises, the entire team is ready as a warfighting force and ready to carry out the nation's tasking."



Preble last deployed from March to October of 2015. This is Halsey's first deployment with Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG).



"The crew has done a lot of hard work to prepare ourselves for deployment with the strike group," said Cmdr. David Reyes, Halsey's commanding officer. "Team Halsey is confident and focused on accomplishing the mission that we have successfully trained for. We are ready to answer all bells."



TRCSG's deployment is an example of the U.S. Navy's routine presence in waters around the globe, displaying commitment to stability, regional cooperation and economic prosperity for all nations.



Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego for a regularly scheduled deployment, Oct. 6, to the U.S. 7th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.



Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is part of U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet constantly coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security, and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations.
Terrorist Attack Against Egyptian Security Forces

Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack against Egyptian security forces near the Bahariya Oasis yesterday, which killed dozens of Egyptian personnel and wounded many others.

We offer our profound condolences to the families of the deceased and the government and people of Egypt, and extend our best wishes for the full and speedy recovery of those injured.

The United States stands with Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism.
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Harvey Weinstein has issued a response to Lupita Nyong'o's op-ed in The New York Times, which saw her join the growing list of stars accusing the Hollywood producer of harassment and assault.

The piece saw her detail her initial meeting with Weinstein in 2011, where he invited her to his Connecticut home on the pretence of watching a film with his family. Shortly after it started, she writes that he "insisted" in front of his children that she follow him and was led to his bedroom.

She then claims he asked for a massage, before stating he wanted to take off his pants. "I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that," Nyong'o wrote.

After a further alleged proposition at a restaurant, the actor felt her career was under threat. Nyongo said she had blamed herself and attempted to forget about her experiences, but that she felt "sick in the pit of my stomach" since The New York Times' bombshell report saw multiple women come forward, with many more following in their wake.

Weinstein has since denied the claims through a statement made by a representative, making her one of very few actors Weinstein has responded to directly - he also issued a response denying allegations made by Ashley Judd.

"Mr. Weinstein has a different recollection of the events, but believes Lupita is a brilliant actress and a major force for the industry," the statement reads (via Variety). "Last year, she sent a personal invitation to Mr. Weinstein to see her in her Broadway show Eclipsed."

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Actress and director Asia Argento has said she was forced to leave her native Italy after speaking out about an alleged sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.

The 42-year-old said she had temporarily moved to the German capital of Berlin to escape the climate of tension in her homeland.

One of the first of more than 50 women to speak out about Weinstein, Ms Argento told the New Yorker magazine that he sexually assaulted her in a hotel room 20 years ago, when she was 21.

But she was subsequently criticised by some sections of the Italian media for not coming forward sooner about the alleged assaults, despite hesitation being common among survivors for fear of reprisals, among other reasons.

Conservative newspaper Libero published an op-ed by Renato Farina, with the headline: First they give it away, then they whine and pretend to repent.

While Argento was giving an interview about the assault accusations, journalist Mario Adinolfi tweeted the actress was attempting to justify high-society prostitution.

The politician and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, a friend of Ms Argentos former partner, said: I have the feeling that he was actually assaulted by her.

 Kate Winslet did not thank Harvey Weinstein on purpose when she won an Oscar

After moving to Germany, Argento told Rai 3s Cartabianca show: Italy is far behind the rest of the world in its view of women."

She said: I dont see what I can do there - Ill come back when things improve to fight alongside all the other women... I didn't have to courage to speak until now because you see what happened, 20 years after the attack?

Ms Argento later posted on Twitter that she has sued for defamation, although she did not spe

Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Show all 42 1 /42 Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Harvey Weinstein Harry Weinsteins reputation as one of Hollywoods leading executives was long cemented in stone. The acclaimed movie mogul, who produced Oscar-winning films Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, and The Artist, clocked up box office successes and accolades aplenty. But this has quickly changed since a chorus of women have come forward to accuse the Hollywood producer of sexual harassment and assault. Since the New York Times bombshell report disclosed sexual harassment and rape allegations against the film mogul dating back decades, Weinstein has been fired from his namesake company, expelled from the Oscars and has had his wife leave him. Weinstein has apologised for having caused a lot of pain but has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Annabella Sciorra The Sopranos actor alleged Weinstein raped her after shooting The Night We Never Met, a 1993 movie that Weinstein produced. Similar to the stories told by other women, Weinstein drove the actor home, only to reportedly burst into Sciorra's apartment and start unbuttoning his shirt. He shoved me onto the bed, and he got on top of me, Sciorra said. I kicked and I yelled. Weinstein then allegedly locked her arms and forced sexual intercourse on her. After the incident, Sciorra found it increasingly hard to get work, many filmmakers saying 'We heard you were difficult', something the actor claims was because of the 'Weinstein-machine'. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Natassia Malthe The model and actress, who has appeared in around 50 films, said she met Weinstein at a BAFTA after party in 2008 while she was working as a spokeswoman for LG. She told a press conference in New York that she felt pressured into telling Weinstein she was staying at the Sanderson Hotel after being put on the spot. Malthe, now 43, said after her shift on February 10 she went back to her room and went to sleep, but was awoken by "repeated pounding" on her door, from someone yelling: "Open the door Natassia Malthe, it's Harvey Weinstein." Feeling humiliated, she said she opened the door. She alleged Weinstein began implying sex would get her a role in an upcoming film while semi-undressed and then he began to masturbate. "I was sitting on the bed talking to Harvey when he pushed me back and forced himself onto me. It was not consensual. He did not use a condom," she said. AP Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sean Young The actor, best known for her role in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, said that Weinstein exposed himself to her in the early 1990s, when she was starring in the Miramax-produced Love Crimes - a production company that Weinstein headed at the time. "I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me," she said. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really dont think you should be pulling that thing out, its not very pretty.'" Young never worked with Weinstein again after the incident. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lupita Nyong'o In an op-ed for The New York Times, the Oscar-winning actor said she was invited to Weinsteins family home in Connecticut on the premise of watching a film shortly after they met in 2011. But she said shortly after it started he "insisted" in front of his children that she follow him and she was led to his bedroom. The Kenyan-Mexican actress, now 34, said she felt pressured into giving him a massage after he offered her one. "Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants," she wrote."I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that." Over the years that followed, he continued to get in touch, Nyong'o said, and when she declined another proposition she felt her career was threatened. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lena Headey Writing on social media, the Game of Thrones actor claims she first met Weinstein at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 where, after taking her for a walk by the water, he made some suggestive comment and gesture. Headey claims she bumped into Weinstein years later where he kept asking her questions about her love life. She alleges that, when Weinstein invited her to his hotel room to show her a script, the "energy shifted. The actor notes how, after saying she was not interesting in anything but the work, Weinstein was furious, apparently marching her back to a lift, "grabbing and holding tightly to the back of [her] arm." She claims that, after paying for her car, he whispered in her ear: "Don't tell anyone about this, not your manager, not your agent. Headey finished the post, writing: I got in the car and I cried. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Laura Madden Madden, a production assistant who worked at Miramax for a decade, told the Times that Weinstein allegedly prodded her for massages at hotels, a common theme among the sources the Timess reporters spoke with. On one occasion, she claims she locked herself in his hotel bathroom, sobbing Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Judd recounted for the Times how Weinstein allegedly harassed her while she was filming Kiss the Girls in 1996, inviting her to his hotel room and asking her for a massage, then inviting her to watch him shower. Judd first went public with the allegations in a 2015 interview with Variety during which she discussed the experience without naming the producer involved. She described Weinsteins alleged behaviour as coercive bargaining; I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask, she told the Times AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rose McGowan McGowan reportedly reached a previously undisclosed $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997, over an incident that occurred in a hotel room Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mimi Haleyi Mimi Haleyi said she was assaulted by Weinstein in what appeared to be a child's bedroom in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s. She said she was aspiring to work in television and film production when she was first introduced to him at the London premiere of The Aviator around two years earlier and he helped her get experience on the set of a TV show being produced by The Weinstein Company. But, she added, he repeatedly hassled her and even tried to force himself through her front door in an effort to get her to join him on a trip to Paris. At one point he allegedly forcibly performed oral sex on an aspiring production assistant while she was on her period. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emily Nestor Nestor had been temping at the Weinstein Company for only one day in 2014 when Weinstein allegedly offered to boost her career in return for sexual favours, according to the Times. She declined and reportedly complained of his behaviour to colleagues, who later passed the information on to senior executives. An internal Weinstein Company document cited by the Times describes Nestors encounter with Weinstein as follows: She said he was very persistent and focused though she kept saying no for over an hour Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ambra Battilana In March 2015, Battilana, an aspiring model and actress, was reportedly summoned to Weinsteins office on a Friday night to discuss her career. According to a police report cited by the Times, Battilana claimed she was assaulted by Weinstein, who grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt. Weinstein later claimed that Battilana had set him up, according to colleagues of his who were interviewed by the Times. The Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, later declined to press charges, and according to the Times, made a payment to Battilana. On 5 October, the International Business Times reported that after Vance dropped the charges, he received $10,000 from Weinsteins lawyer Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lauren OConnor Lauren OConnor, an employee of the Weinstein Company, penned a memo to executives alleging a toxic environment for women at the company. The memo cited numerous incidents of Weinstein harassing or coercing women who worked for him. She expressed fear that Weinstein was using her and other female employees to facilitate liaisons with vulnerable women who hope he will get them work. That same year, Weinstein allegedly reached a settlement with OConnor Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Kate Beckinsale The actor, who starred in the Weinstein Company films Serendipity and The Aviator, alleges that she was invited to Weinsteins hotel room at the age of just 17. When she approached the door, the producer reportedly greeted her dressed in just a dressing gown. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him, she wrote on Instagram. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Gwyneth Paltrow The actor alleges that after he cast her in the title role of the film Emma when she was 22, he took her to his hotel room, placed his hands on her and suggested massages. I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified, Paltrow told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Asia Argento Italian actress Asia Argento has alleged that in 1997 Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly told him to stop. When I see him, it makes me feel little and stupid and weak, Argento told The New Yorker. After the rape, he won. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Cara Delevigne The British model and actress penning an Instagram post claiming that Weinstein had ordered her to kiss another woman in his hotel room, and tried to kiss her on the lips. AFP/Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Ashley Judd Ashley Judd said she rebuffed Harvey Weinsteins unwanted sexual advances by offering to consent only after she had won an Oscar. When she was initially invited to a meeting with Weinstein, Judd said, she was surprised to learn the producer was in his hotel room - a tactic that recurs in other womens accounts. Echoing the accounts of other women, Judd said Weinstein suggested she give him a massage and then invited her to watch him shower. After a volley of nos she said she would only after she wins an Oscar, fleeing after making the comments. Reuters/Mike Segar Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Judith Godreche French actress Judith Godreche said when she was 24 Weinstein invited her to his hotel room and asked to give her a massage. The next thing I know, hes pressing against me and pulling off my sweater, she told the New York Times. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Mira Sorvino The Oscar-winning actor said she found herself in a hotel room with Weinstein in 1995 where he started massaging my shoulders, which made me very uncomfortable, and then tried to get more physical, sort of chasing me around. According to an interview in The New Yorker Weinstein subsequently arrived at her apartment late at night and she had to call a friend to come over to pose as her boyfriend in order to get Weinstein out of the house. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Katherine Kendall The actress said Weinstein undressed and chased her around a living room when she was just 23. She subsequently felt that telling others meant Ill never work again and no one is going to care or believe me, she told the New York Times. WireImage Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Tomi-Anne Roberts As an aspiring actress and working in a restaurant in New York, Tomi-Ann Roberts encountered Weinstein who encouraged her to audition for one of his films back in 1984. She subsequently went to meet him and found him naked in the bath and invited her to get naked and get into the bath with him, she told the New York Times. She said she left feeling manipulated. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Myleen Klass It has also been alleged that the disgraced film producer propositioned Myleene Klass with a sex contract at Cannes Film Festival in 2010. One of the singer and television personalitys friends reportedly told The Sun, Klass had told Weinstein to f*** off. Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Sophie Dix Sophie Dix, best known for her role as Captain Sadie Williams in Soldier Soldier, described her encounter with Weinstein when she was 23 as the single most damaging thing thats happened in my life. She told The Guardian Weinstein had pushed her to her bed and was tugging at her clothes. She rushed to the bathroom to escape, but when she came out she found him standing there masturbating. I quickly closed the door again and locked it, she said. Then when I heard room service come to the door I just ran. Rex Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lea Seydoux The actor and director claims she had to fight off Weinstein after he brought her to his hotel room during what she remembers to be 2012. He suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself. Hes big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted, she wrote in The Guardian. AFP/Getty Images Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Claire Forlani British actress Claire Forlani wrote on Twitter that she had evaded Weinsteins advances on five occasions at the age of 25. At meetings with the Hollywood a-lister, she says massage was suggested, and that Weinstein had boasted of all the women hed had sex with. Mark Douet Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Florence Darel French actress Florence Darel claimed Weinstein relentlessly pursued her in the mid 1990's and propositioned her while Eve Chilton, his wife at the time, was in the hotel room next door. I was astonished, she told People magazine. When you have someone so physically disgusting in front of you, continuing and continuing as though this was all perfectly normal What happened to me may not be illegal but it was inappropriate. Very inappropriate. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lysette Anthony Lysette Anthony, who starred as Marnie Nightingale in Hollyoaks, has claimed Weinstein raped her in the late 1980's after turning up to her London home in the late 1980s. She described the disgraced film producers alleged attack as pathetic and revolting and said it left her feeling disgusted and embarrassed. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Dawn Dunning Dunning said she met Weinstein in 2003 when she was 24-years-old and the disgraced film producer suggested she have a threesome with him and someone else. She told the New York Times Weinstein got angry when she refused. Youll never make it in this business, she said he told her as she left. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Arquette was already well known for her role in Desperately Seeking Susan, when she said she met Weinstein at his hotel to pick up a script in the early nineties. Weinstein was dressed only in a dressing gown, and tried to put her hand on his erect penis. Speaking to the New York Times, Arquette said as she left she told him: I will never be that girl. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Emma de Caunes Caunes, a French actor, claimed Weinstein took her to his hotel room in 2010 supposedly to retrieve a book he was making into a film, but once there he went into the bathroom. De Caunes said he then emerged naked, with an erection and told her to lie on the bed. She fled the room. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Zoe Brock Model Zoe claimed that she had to lock herself in a bathroom at Weinsteins hotel in 1997, after the mogul had sent all of the assistants out of the room, and then appeared naked. I was alone with Weinstein, she told ITVs This Morning programme. He very quickly left the room and came back naked. He chased me naked. Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Barth Actress Jessica Barth described an encounter with Weinstein in 2011 in an interview with The New Yorker in which she said Weinstein veered between offering her roles in films and demanding a naked massage. She alleges the producer said to her: So, what would happen if, say, were having some champagne and I take my clothes off and you give me a massage? When she tried to leave, he then promised to give her the number of a female executive at the company. He gave me her number, and I walked out and I started bawling, Barth said. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Romola Garai The actress told The Guardian she felt violated after she went to a meeting with Weinstein at the age of 18 and he met her in his hotel room wearing nothing but a dressing gown. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Heather Graham Graham claimed that during a casting opportunity in the early 2000's Weinstein had told her he had an open relationship with his wife. He could sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town. I walked out of the meeting feeling uneasy, Graham told Variety. There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there. Graham was never hired to work in a Weinstein film. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Jessica Hynes Spaced and W1A star Jessica Hynes tweeted about an encounter with Weinstein earlier this week, but subsequently deleted the tweet. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Lucia Evans The actor told The New Yorker that after a meeting to discuss casting her in various projects, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont. She added: Hes a big guy. He overpowered me. I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louisette Geiss The former actress said she met Weinstein to pitch a film script she was working on. During the meeting, Weinstein allegedly went out and reappeared naked and got into a jacuzzi where he masturbated in front of her and said he would make the script into a film if she stayed and watched. Getty Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Liza Campbell Liza Campbell, a British writer and artist, alleged that Olympically ugly Weinstein asked her to join him in the bath and began getting undressed at a hotel. In a piece for The Times, Campbell claimed she was forced to sprint to the door to escape. Rex Features Harvey Weinstein: his accusers Louise Godbold Writing in a blog post, Louise Godbold, a non-profit director in Los Angeles, said her encounter with Weinstein took the form of an office tour that became an occasion to trap me in an empty meeting room. She said then Weinstein was begging for a massage, his hands on my shoulders as I attempted to beat a retreat.

Other women who have come forward with alleged stories of sexual assault and rape have spoken out against the treatment of Ms Argento.

Jessica Chastain tweeted she was disturbed by the victim-blaming and added Ms Argento should be acknowledged for starting this conversation & removing Harvey from power.
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Ed Sheeran has revealed that his year-long break from the music industry, announced in October 2015, was due to struggles with substance abuse.

The musician opened up about his decision on the latest episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, airing tonight, and how his issues stemmed from the difficulty of coping with newfound fame.

"I think you need to, when you get into the industry, adjust to it  and I didnt adjust because I was constantly working on tour," he confessed (via People). "And all the pitfalls that people read about, I just found myself slipping into all of them. Mostly, like, substance abuse."

"I never touched anything. I started slipping into it, and thats why I took a year off and buggered off," he added.

"I didnt really notice it was happening. It just started gradually happening, and then some people took me to one side and were like, Calm yourself down.' Its all fun to begin with, it all starts off as a party and then youre doing it on your own and its not, so that was a wake-up call and taking a year off."

"I focused on work, and I can't work under the influence. I can't write songs under the influence. I can't perform under the influence. So, the more I worked, the less [that happened]," he continued. "I've worked my whole life to get to where I am, and you can't lose that over something that you do in your spare time."

 Ed Sheeran performs Shape of You at Glastonbury

Back in 2015, Sheeran said he wanted a year off to, "get rid of my iPhone, get rid of internet, get a Nokia 3310 and just go off into the wilderness somewhere for a bit. Even if it's just a month without contact with other people."

He was recently forced to postpone the Asian leg of his world tour after breaking both arms and a rib in a bicycle accident, after being warned pushing himself to perform could destroy his ability to play the guitar.

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Are you reading this in your pyjamas? Perhaps while snuggled up in an armchair sipping a cup of tea? Maybe youre even on your way to the shops.

Well the chances are, you wont be the only one.

A new study has discovered just how much we wear our pyjamas when were not sleeping.

Recommended Emirates introduces moisturising pyjamas for First Class passengers

According to research by department store Liberty, PJs are now completely acceptable daywear, whether for lounging around at home or out and about in public.

14 per cent of people change into their PJs before eating their dinner in the evening, and 13 per cent of women consider going shopping in their sleepwear perfectly acceptable.

90 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed admitted to wearing pyjamas while relaxing at home.

Perfectly acceptable, most people would agree. But perhaps more divisive is the finding that one in six Brits change into their PJs on planes (whether this is for long or short-haul flights isnt clear), and incredibly, three per cent of us have worn sleepwear at work.

This may sound shocking to some, but sleepwear as outerwear has been a dominant trend for the past few years, with celebrities such as Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and Rihanna showing just how stylish it can look.

Rihanna rocks pyjama-chic

Despite that, incidences of people wearing pyjamas in supermarkets have sparked controversy in the past.

Earlier this year, a man called for Tesco to ban shoppers from wearing PJs in store.

The pyjama row erupted after a customer posted a message on the supermarkets Facebook page asking managers to enforce new rules alongside a picture of two women wearing dressing gowns.

However, Tesco branded the ordeal not a big issue.

When it comes to comfort, whether you prefer wearing baggy trousers and a T-shirt, a matching flannel set, a nightie or a onesie, its hard to beat pyjamas.

Let the loungewear love continue.
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Fast food fans, rejoice - you may soon have more choice of where to get your burger and fries fix thanks to the UK revival of multinational chain, Wimpy.

Yes, the fast food joint is planning a huge UK expansion in the hope of getting back to their glory days.

In the 70s, there were over 500 Wimpy restaurants across the UK. But then McDonalds came on to the scene in the 80s and Wimpys numbers dwindled to just 80 branches.

But now, Wimpy is going to try and reverse its decline, announcing plans for expansion and investment.

We do have some exciting new plans in terms of continued expansion and an investment programme, a Wimpy spokeswoman told the Daily Star Online.

Not many details have been revealed, but further plans will be announced around February to May 2018, another spokesperson added.

However, with well-established giants like McDonalds, Burger King and KFC ruling the high street, not to mention trendier chains like Five Guys and Shake Shack having entered the scene in recent years, its going to be a hard market to break into.

Whats more, the British public are a lot more health-conscious than we were 50 years ago, and a lot more emphasis is placed on where food has come from.

That said, the nostalgia factor may help bring in older people - or hipster millennials whod be all over a potentially retro vibe.

The first Wimpy opened in 1954 at Lyons Corner House in London and soon became known for its burgers and chips.

A few decades later, the chain had dominated cities and towns across the UK.

But as American fast food chains moved in, the British public fell out of love with Wimpy, and after several attempts to revive the restaurant, its success eventually waned.

The company is currently owned by Famous Brands, which is based in South Africa. Whether Wimpys comeback will be a winner or not remains to be seen.
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InterContinental Hotels (IHG) has enjoyed a boost in quarterly sales as European markets recovered following recent terrorist attacks.

The group, which owns brands including Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn and runs over 5,000 hotels, said that it saw average revenue per room increase by 2.3 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter.

Growth was strongest in China where revenue per room rose by 7.8 per cent.

In Europe, it grew by 7.1 per cent as tourism bounced back. IHG said this was encouraged by double digit growth in Belgium and Turkey.

Meanwhile, following a string of terrorist attacks in France last summer, IHGs revenue per room rate in the country was up by 6 per cent year-on-year. Revenues in London also grew 7 per cent.

The US is the groups largest market by room numbers. Its revenue per room rate there was up by 0.8 per cent.

The company said that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma had a mixed impact on revenue figures.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Displacement activity together with the relief and reconstruction efforts benefited our franchise business. But performance across the managed estate was negatively impacted by the cancellation of group bookings at some hotels, IHG said in its trading update.

Chief executive Keith Barr said: Despite macro-economic and geopolitical uncertainties around the world, we remain confident in the outlook for the remainder of the year.

In September, IHG launched a budget chain of hotels in the US called Avid Hotels. Mr Barr said of Avid: With over 150 written expressions of interest and more than 50 applications in the first four weeks of our franchise sales, demand from owners has exceeded our original expectations.
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Four police officers have been cleared of gross misconduct after a teenager died in a moped crash as he was followed by two unmarked patrol cars.

Henry Hicks was fatally injured when his scooter collided with traffic in Islington, north London, on the evening of 19 December 2014.

The 18-year-old was trying to evade the unmarked cars at the time of the crash and died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the findings of a separate inquest jury.

Recommended Police review laws on how they chase suspects on mopeds

All four officers, granted anonymity during the inquest and hearings, faced allegations they breached standards of professional behaviour in that they failed to follow orders and carry out instructions.

The misconduct hearing panel, led by an independent chair, spent four days considering the evidence, the Metropolitan Police said.

The panel determined the behaviour of the officers did not breach professional standards, and that the officers were not engaged in a pursuit, despite the narrative verdict recorded at the inquest.

Mr Hicks's sister, Claudia said the family are beyond disappointed by the ruling.

We don't understand how the panel can have reached a different conclusion to that of the inquest jury, she said through the charity Inquest.

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We won't stop fighting for accountability for Henry's death. We miss him every day.

In June last year, an inquest jury ruled that the teenager was trying to get away from officers following him, and that it was a police pursuit as defined by the force's standard operating procedure.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission also found that the officers conducted a pursuit without authorisation from a senior officer in the control room.

It is the opinion of the investigator that the officers also did not consider the risks to Henry of the pursuit or make any considerations as to whether he may have been a juvenile, the watchdog said last year.

Following the latest hearing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin extended his thoughts and sympathies to the Hicks family.

Recommended Police officers cleared over death of restrained mental health patient

Police officers fully understand that they will be asked to account for their actions, especially in the circumstances where a young man dies, he said.

Mr Martin said the panel had given full consideration to all the evidence in making their determination.

When the jury returned its narrative verdict at the inquest last year into Henry's death the Met carried out a thorough review of our pursuit policy, and we have continued to keep it under review ever since, he said.

We have a clear duty to the public and all our staff who serve the public to make sure we have the very best training and policies to support our officers on the ground.

The inquest at St Pancras Coroners' Court last year heard Mr Hicks was found with seven bags of skunk cannabis following the crash, and was also in possession of multiple phones. The teenager had no criminal convictions.

The jury found that alongside his attempt to avoid police, his speeding and swerving in combination with the powerful 300CC moped he was riding were contributory factors to the fatal collision.

The narrative conclusion reached by the jury read: Henry David Hicks died as a result of a road collision on Wheelwright Street. Immediately prior to this collision Henry David Hicks was aware that plain clothes police officers were in unmarked vehicles driving at whatever distance behind him and wanting him to stop. This was a police pursuit, as defined by the Metropolitan Police Service standard operating procedures.
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A damning report has accused one of the UKs biggest abortion providers of paying its staff bonuses for encouraging women to go through with a termination.

The allegations concerning the Maidstone branch of the Marie Stopes International clinic emerged in an inspection report by the Care Quality Commission, the official health service watchdog.

The clinic said it is categorically untrue that staff bonuses are linked to the numbers who proceed with abortions  but the report found a cattle market culture where staff felt encouraged to ensure women went through with abortions because it was linked to their performance bonus.

There are 70 Marie Stopes clinics across the UK, where private terminations cost between 546 and 2040 including a consultation, depending on how advanced the pregnancy is. However, around 90 per cent of the abortions carried out at the clinics are performed on the NHS.

At all 70 clinics, inspectors found evidence of a policy which saw staff call women who had decided against a termination to offer them another appointment while they were still in the early stages of pregnancy.

Staff told CQC inspectors the Maidstone clinic was like a cattle market and described a very target-driven culture, with around 70,000 patients a year being seen for abortions and other sexual health services.

The report also found that parents, partners or friends of pregnant women who might persuade them to think again about the termination were seen as an inconvenience and that their presence was strongly discouraged.

 Thousands march in Dublin to change abortion laws

Inspectors also raised concerns that girls under the age of 16 were undergoing abortions without being made fully aware of the consequences and risks.

It said: Staff without appropriate safeguarding training were making decisions about the treatment of children attending the clinic.

Inspectors also uncovered minutes of a meeting which referred to a company-wide focus on DNPs  Did Not Proceed women who had decided not to go through with an abortion  who would then be called and offered another appointment  a policy the QCQ found to be company-wide.

The watchdog said it had visited a Marie Stopes clinic in Maidstone since the last inspection and found some improvements but could not confirm whether the bonus incentive was in place.

Clara Campbell from the charity Life, said: This exposes the true income-seeking nature of the abortion industry.

A conveyor-belt culture has pervaded the industry for many years and Marie Stopes International is a good example of this.

She said that abortion providers were putting profits before people while claiming to act in the best interests of women, and called on the Government to intervene.

Conservative MP Fiona Bruce said she was shocked at the reports findings.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Abortion clinics are taking advantage of pregnant women by seeking to do as many abortions as they can, rather than seeking to give genuine, non-directional counselling and advice, she said.

Richard Bentley, managing director of Marie Stopes, said: Its true that our team members are measured against key performance indicators (KPIs) that relate to quality and client care.

"However, none of these KPIs relate to client numbers, and it is untrue that any member of our staff receives a performance related bonus for the number of clients they treat.

Informed choice is at the heart of our charitys mission, and every woman we serve is talked through her options before booking an appointment and again at the clinic.

We follow a stringent consent process, and we will not proceed with a procedure if we have any doubt at all that a woman is unsure of her decision.

In December 2016 the CQC highlighted more than 2,600 serious incidents in Marie Stopes clinics nationwide, reporting that MSI failed to follow basic safety procedures and leading to a temporary halt in surgical abortions.
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A pregnant British woman, who took her Polish husband's surname, has been ordered to prove she is from the UK in order to receive free NHS treatment.

Emma Szewczak-Harris received a letter from Cambridge University Hospitals foundation trust after attending an appointment at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The letter, titled "failure to provide proof of identification and residence", asked the 26-year-old to provide evidence for the hospital to "assess whether you are eligible for free NHS treatment".

The Cambridge University graduate, who is eight months pregnant, believes she was targeted because of her "Polish-sounding" name.

Ms Szewczak-Harris, who was born and raised in the UK, uses her Polish husband's surname alongside her maiden name.

"I just received the letter just completely out of the blue. I had had no request for information previously. Never having used the NHS for anything else have I had to prove anything," she told The Independent.

"I was never asked in person, and I sound British and look stereotypically British so I cant think of any other reason. It seems like someone saw my name and it was flagged up."

She added: "It just seems like a real oversight on their part. I had to be registered with a GP to get a hospital appointment, they have my hospital number, so they could have found this information very easily.

"I was particularly shocked because the letter said I had 'failed' to provide, but I have never been asked."

She said she was also alarmed by the implications for other women receiving the letter who were less assured of their right to prenatal care.

"I was just very concerned for all the other woman who might not be so sure of their right to treatment as I am. It implies if I'm not able to provide the information then I will be refused treatment," she said.

"Dealing with that kind of bureaucracy right now - I'm not going to take my passport into hospital with me, I dont have time to do that now, Im nearly nine months pregnant."

An Addenbrooke's spokesperson said the letter was "part of a pilot scheme to stop overseas patients getting certain types of free healthcare on the NHS".

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A Cambridge University Hospitals spokesman said: "The Department of Health has asked the trust to pilot a scheme to allow us to better monitor and collect payment from overseas patients who are not eligible for free NHS treatment.

"This brings us into line with national NHS guidelines and how many other trusts operate."

It comes some months after charity Doctors of the World warned vulnerable pregnant women were putting themselves at risk because they were too frightened to seek NHS care due to their immigration status.

NHS guidelines state that no woman must ever be denied, or have delayed, maternity services due to charging issues.

But hundreds of asylum seekers, trafficking victims and undocumented migrants are not seeking antenatal care because they are afraid they will be charged thousands of pounds or reported to the Home Office, according to the charity.

The Department of Health said its guidance was clear that while NHS Trusts were expected to recover costs from people not eligible for care because they were not UK residents, urgent treatment should never be denied or delayed while this status was established.

It confirmed non-clinical information was shared between health agencies and the Home Office to trace immigration offenders, but said this information was under strict control and only shared when there is a legal basis to do so.

A department spokesperson said: Hospitals in England are legally obliged to check whether patients are eligible for NHS treatment and recover costs where charges apply  but our guidance specifically says that maternity care should never be denied or delayed while a patients eligibility is established."
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Storm Brian has caused flooding in some coastal areas on Ireland's south-west coast.

Limerick city appears to be one of the areas worst-hit, with the River Shannon having overflowed.

In Galway city, temporary flood defences erected close to the Spanish Arch landmark proved effective, though the waters came close to reaching some properties. There have also been reports of flooding on roads in other south and west coastal areas.

Many popular visitor locations, such as the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare, have been closed to the public on Saturday due to the weather warnings.

"Do not visit, it is unsafe and extremely dangerous," said a warning on the venue's website.

In Britain, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for winds across areas of Britain, including Wales and southern England up to the Midlands, which will remain in place until midnight.

Forecasters have said the storm is due to a weather bomb over the Atlantic, an unofficial term for a low pressure weather system which sees pressure drop rapidly across a 24-hour period.

Flood preparations are underway and the Environment Agency has set up steel flood barriers in Fowey, Cornwall, ahead of the storm, which looks set to batter southwest England.

 Storm Brian is set to hit the UK

Western and southern coastal transport routes and communities are likely to be affected by large waves and spray, with potential for flooding of properties, the Met Office states, warning the storm could cut power to areas.

Some transport disruption is likely across the whole warning area, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.

The storm struck the western coast of Ireland late on Friday, just days after Storm Ophelia left three people dead and thousands without power.

In the afternoon, strong to gale force Northwest winds will develop countrywide with severe gusts around coasts. Heavy showers or longer spells of rain, with thundery downpours, will continue to feed in across the country, it said.

Wales is facing winds of up to 70mph and seven flood warnings have been issued for the southwest coast, including Aberystwyth.

Natural Resources Wales has warned people to stay vigilant as strong winds are likely to combine with high tides Friday evening into Saturday affecting much of the coastline.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every 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parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA

Ben Lukey, national flood duty manager for the Environment Agency, warned against taking unnecessary risks during the storm.

We urge people to stay safe along the coast and warn against putting yourself in unnecessary danger by taking storm selfies or driving through flood water  just 30cm is enough to move your car.

Network Rail has warned passengers to plan ahead for possible disruption and to check trains are running as scheduled.

Arriva Trains Wales and Network Rail have put emergency speed restrictions in placed on most of the routes across Wales and the borders.

British Airways has cancelled 20 short-haul flights in and out of Heathrow to slow the arrivals rate at the airport, but passengers affected have been notified and rebooked on alternative flights.
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At least 54 police officers have been killed during a raid on a militant hideout in one of the deadliest firefights involving Egyptian security forces in recent years.

Officials said that the gun battle began late on Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 84 miles south-west of Cairo.

Security forces acting on intelligence were moving against a militants hideout in the area. Backed by armoured personnel carriers and led by senior counter-terrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the officials.

They said what happened next is not clear, but added that the force likely ran out of ammunition and that the militants captured several policemen and later killed them.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants, and warned the death toll could increase.

Those killed  20 officers and 34 conscripts  included two police brigadier-generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant-colonels.

Egypts interior ministry announced a much lower death toll, saying in a statement read over state television that 16 were killed in the shootout. It added that 15 militants were killed or injured, later releasing photos of some of them.

The last time Egypts security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when Isis carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and more than 100 militants were killed.

Egyptian security forces rest on top of an armoured vehicle near the site of the attack (AFP/Getty Images)

An official statement issued on Saturday said the latest incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures or lack of coordination.

The officials said prosecutors will look into whether the polices counter-terrorism agents failed to inform the military of the operation or include them.

Two audio recordings, purportedly by policemen who took part in the operation, circulated online late on Friday. One police officer, apparently using a two-way radio, was heard in the nearly two-minute recording pleading for help from a higher-ranking officer.

We are the only ones injured, sir, the policeman said. We were 10 but three were killed. After their injury, they bled to death, sir.

They took all the weapons and ammunition, he added, We are now at the foot of a mountain.

The second recording was purportedly by an officer warning others. I cant identify any direction. Only planes can see us. Take care everyone, he was heard saying, adding that militants were pursuing them.

The authenticity of the recordings could not be immediately verified.

The heavy loss of life will likely lead to the restructuring and streamlining of the countrys counter-terrorism effort, with better coordination between the police, military and security agencies high on the list of objectives.

Its also likely to be cited by government critics as a vindication of their long-held argument that suppressing freedoms, jailing opponents and cracking down on civil society does not, as the pro-government media insists, help in the war against terror.

Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Show all 20 1 /20 Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Egyptian soldiers collect personal belongings of plane crash victims at the crash site of a passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Egyptian soldiers collect personal belongings of plane crash victims at the crash site of a passenger plane bound for St. Petersburg in Russia that crashed in Hassana, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry photo, made available on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, showing Metrojet Airbus A321-200 flight 7K9268 flight recorder on display at an undisclosed location in Egypt Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Mourners lay flowers at Pulkovo International Airport outside St. Petersburg. Russia on 1 November mourned its biggest ever air disaster after a passenger jet full of Russian tourists crashed in Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. Flags were at half mast on the parliament building, in the Kremlin, and on other official buildings in honour of the victims, most of whom were from Russia's second-largest city of Saint Petersburg Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt People pay their respects at the entrance of Pulkovo airport outside St. Petersburg, during a day of national mourning for the plane crash victims Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Debris from the plane crash in Egypt Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt A piece of an engine of Russian MetroJet Airbus A321 at the site of the crash in Sinai, Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt The crash site debris Flight 7K9268 crashed in the Sinai peninsula, in all probability killing every one of the 224 people on board AFP/Getty Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt The crash site debris Debris lies strewn across the sand at the crash site EPA Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Relatives in St Petersburg Relatives react after a Russian airliner with 217 passengers and seven crew aboard crashed, as people gather at the Kogalymaviais information desk at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg on 31 October AP Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Relatives in St Petersburg A relative of a passenger of MetroJet Airbus A321 at Pulkovo II international airport in St Petersburg, Russia, 31 October 2015. EPA Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt The plane's journey The plane's last recorded radar position above the northern Sinai peninsula Flightradar24 Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Where it crashed A satellite view from Google Maps of the rough area where the plane crashed, in the mountainous Hassana region of the Sinai peninsula. Google Maps Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt The plane The Metrojet's Airbus A-321 with registration number EI-ETJ that crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula REUTERS/Kim Philipp Piskol Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt The plane The crashed Airbus A321 at Domodedovo international airport, outside Moscow,, on 20 October Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Relatives at in St Petersburg A relative of a passenger on MetroJet Airbus A321 at Pulkovo II international airport in St Petersburg EPA Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Relatives at in St Petersburg Relatives of passengers of MetroJet Airbus A321 at the Crown Plaza hotel in St Petersburg EPA Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Bodies being repatriated An Egyptian soldier prays as emergency workers prepare to unload bodies of victims from a police helicopter to ambulances at Kabrit military airport on 31 October. AP Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Bodies being repatriated Ambulances line up as emergency workers unload bodies at Kabrit military airport, 20 miles north of Suez, on Saturday AP Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt Bodies being repatriated Egyptian paramedics load the corpses of victims into a military plane at Kabrit military air base by the Suez Canal on October 31, 2015 AFP/Getty Images

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of Isis and could also have been launched by the Islamist Hasm Movement.

Isiss Sinai province affiliate is spearheading an insurgency based in the peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The US condemned the attack, in a statement issued by its State Department, offering profound condolences to the families of the deceased and the government and people of Egypt... at this difficult time.

The incident comes a few days after militants staged a daylight attack in the heart of el-Arish, the largest city in the Sinai Peninsula, attacking a church and a nearby bank and reportedly making away with some $1m. Seven were killed in the assault last Monday.

Attacks by militants have significantly increased since the 2013 coup that ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was freely elected but whose one-year rule proved divisive.

Attacks have also spread outside Sinai and into the countrys mainland and areas close to the porous Libyan border to the west.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April, following a spate of suicide bombings targeting minority Christians that have killed more than a 100 people since December. The attacks were claimed by Isis.

Egypt blamed the attacks on the Christians on militant cells trained and armed in neighbouring Libya. In response, Egypt has stepped up security along its desert border, where it supports rival Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar.

Associated Press
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Robert Mugabe has long faced international sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

However, the World Health Organisation's new chief is making Zimbabwe's President of 30 years a goodwill ambassador.

With Mr Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus told a conference on non-communicable diseases that he had agreed to be a goodwill ambassador on the issue.

Mr Tedros, an Ethiopian who became WHO's first African director-general this year, told delegates in Uruguay that Mr Mugabe could use the role to influence his peers in his region.

In his speech, Mr Tedros described Zimbabwe as a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

Two dozen organisations, including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research UK, released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were shocked and deeply concerned and citing his long track record of human rights violations.

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Mr Tedros on the sidelines of the conference to no avail.

The southern African nation once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwe's health system, saying that Mr Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care, the group concluded.

The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicising the health sector, to maintain its hold on power.

The report said Mr Mugabe's policies led directly to the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers.

The US in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

As the world's longest non-royal head of state, Mr Mugabe is also subject to EU economic and travel sanctions, which additionally apply to his wife and Zimbabwe's defence ministry.

UN agencies typically choose celebrities as ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they hold little actual power.

Last year, the UN dropped the superhero Wonder Woman as an ambassador for empowering girls and women after the decision drew widespread criticism.

Associated Press
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The UK Government has led the criticism of the World Health Organisation (WHO) after it named Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador.

A spokesman said the United Nations agencys decision was surprising and disappointing and risked overshadowing work undertaken globally by the WHO.

WHOs director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said he was honoured to announce the 93-year-old would serve as an ambassador to help tackle non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

Speaking at a conference in Uruguay, Dr Tedros described Zimbabwe as a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all and said Mr Mugabe could influence his peers in his region.

But activists inside the country said it was absurd to give the role to Mr Mugabe, who has been accused of ruining his countrys health system and regularly flies abroad for his own medical treatment.

Human rights and health groups also pointed to Mr Mugabes long track record of human rights violations.

Mr Mugabe has been accused of violent repression, election rigging, and presiding over economic ruin during his 37 years as Zimbabwean leader. He has also been blamed for a health crisis that has pushed doctors to strike and left hospitals without medicine.

Given Mugabes appalling human rights record, calling him a goodwill ambassador for anything embarrasses WHO and Dr Tedros, said Iain Levine, a Human Rights Watch director.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch, described Mr Mugabes appointment as sickening.

The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalised human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa and its health system into a basket-case, he said. The notion that the UN should now spin this country as a great supporter of health is, frankly, sickening.

The Government has complained to the WHO about Mr Mugabes appointment.

The UK, the European Union and the US each impose targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe and travel bans and asset freezes on Mr Mugabe, citing his governments rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

President Mugabes appointment is surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him, said a UK Government spokesman.

He added: We have registered our concerns with WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Although Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on non-communicable diseases.

 Zimbabwe police violently break up anti-Mugabe protests

The Movement for Democratic Change, the main opposition party in Zimbabwe, described the appointment as laughable.

The Zimbabwe health delivery system is in a shambolic state, it is an insult, spokesman Obert Gutu told AFP. Mugabe trashed our health delivery system. He and his family go outside of the country for treatment in Singapore after he allowed our public hospitals to collapse.

Zimbabwean activists said Mr Mugabe had left the countrys health system in tatters and voiced incredulity at the appointment.

Salani Mutseyami, a spokeswoman for the campaign groups Zimbabwe Vigil and Restoration of Human Rights, told the Daily Telegraph: That is absolutely absurd. It shows the lack of interest that the UN might have towards what is really going on in Zimbabwe.

Twenty-six health bodies from around the world, including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research UK, released a joint statement condemning Mr Mugabes new role.

They said health officials were shocked and deeply concerned to hear of this appointment, given President Mugabes long track record of human rights violations and undermining the dignity of human beings.

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Mr Tedros on the sidelines of the conference, which was attended by Mr Mugabe.

Zimbabwe was once one of Africas most prosperous nations but suffered a dramatic decline under Mr Mugabes rule.

In 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwes health system and said the presidents policies had led to a man-made crisis.

The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its populations access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care, the group concluded. The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicising the health sector, to maintain its hold on power.

The report said Mr Mugabes policies led directly to the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers.

The US and European Union have each imposed targeted sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes on Mr Mugabe and close associates, citing his governments rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

Human Rights Watch says Mr Mugabes government continues to violate human rights without regard to protections in the countrys 2013 constitution and has intensified repression against thousands of people who peacefully protest human rights violations and the deteriorating economic situation.
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The JFK files Donald Trump announced the release of contain thousands of documents related to the assassination of the late President stored in the national archives.

Mr Trump announced: Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK files to be opened.

Speculation mounted among his critics that Mr Trump might have readily agreed to release the files in order to distract from the ongoing investigation into his alleged ties with Russia  although their publication was required by law following the 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act.

This law  prompted partly by the Oliver Stone movie JFK, required the files, which run to millions of pages, many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents, to be published by 26 October, exactly 25 years after it was passed.

Over the years, the national archives has released the bulk of the documents, although some of them remain partially redacted. However, one final batch remains unreleased, and only the President has the authority to extend the secrecy of the documents past the deadline if he believes national security could be compromised by their opening.

Mr Trump has not yet said whether the remaining files will be released with partial redactions or in their entirety.

Pressure had grown on the President from historians and journalists to authorise the release of the files  with reported counter-pressure from the CIA Director Mike Pompeo to extend the secrecy of the documents for another 25 years.

Political consultant Roger Stone, a confidante of Mr Trumps, told Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones he had spoken to the President to urge him to release them.

I had the opportunity to make the case directly to the President of the United States by phone as to why I believe it is essential that he release the balance of the currently redacted and classified JFK assassination documents, Mr Stone said.

A very good White House source  not the President  told me that the Central Intelligence Agency, specifically CIA director Mike Pompeo, has been lobbying the President furiously not to release these documents. Why? Because I believe they show that Oswald was trained, nurtured and put in place by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr Stone, who wrote a book about the conspiracy theory that President Lyndon B Johnson, Mr Kennedys Vice President, was involved in the assassination, said he had not been given any indication as to Mr Trumps intentions after he made his case for the documents release.

He did not tip off his current decisionbut he was all ears. He took it all inI think hes going to do the right thing.

In pictures: JFK anniversary Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: JFK anniversary In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-9.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-8.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-7.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-6.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-5.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-4.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-3.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-2.jpg Reuters In pictures: JFK anniversary dallas-1.jpg Reuters

Some Republican politicians had also pushed for the files to be released, including Representative Walter B Jones and Senator Charles E Grassley, who introduced resolutions asking Mr Trump to reject any claims for the continued postponement.

Mr Kennedys assassination on 22 November 1963 rocked the world and speculation overwhether the hit by Lee Harvey Oswald was authorised by another party has never gone away.

Mr Trump is no stranger to the conspiracy theories that have swirled ever since the shocking day when the popular President was gunned down while sitting next to his wife as they were driven through the streets of Dallas.

Recommended Donald Trump to allow release of classified files on JFK assassination

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr Trump made an unfounded claim that the father of Republican rival Senator Ted Cruz was associated with Oswald  a claim he has never reneged on or apologized for.

Experts who have studied the assassination in detail believe there are around 3,100 previously unreleased files containing tens of thousands of never-before-seen material, some of which pertain to Oswalds six-day trip to Mexico City around two months before the assassination.

Oswald, who had been monitored by the CIA, was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby on 24 November, just a month after the Kennedy assassination.

Some believe the papers might show the extent to which the CIA was aware of the relations between Oswald and the Cubans and Soviets.

Ive always considered the Mexico City trip the hidden chapter of the assassination. A lot of histories gloss right past this period, said Philip Shenon, a former New York Times reporter and author of a book on the Warren Commission, the congressional body that investigated the assassination.

Oswald was meeting with Soviet spies and Cuban spies, and the CIA and FBI had him under aggressive surveillance. Didnt the FBI and CIA have plenty of evidence that he was a threat before the assassination? If they had acted on that evidence, maybe it wouldnt have taken place.

These agencies could be afraid that if the documents all get released, their incompetence and bungling could be exposed. They knew about the danger of Oswald, but didnt alert Washington.

Jefferson Morley, a former reporter who has written extensively about the Kennedy assassination papers, said the remaining documents might include files on senior CIA officers from the 1960s who probably knew details of the agencys surveillance of Oswald in Mexico City.

Mr Morley told the Washington Post he was keen to read a never-before released transcript of testimony given by James Angleton, the CIAs chief of counterintelligence from 1954 to 1975, before the Senate in September 1975 investigating abuses committed by the intelligence community.

The majority of historians who have studied the assassination do not believe the release of the documents will lead to any new bombshells or conclusive pieces of information on the assassination.

There's going to be no smoking gun in there, Gerald Posner, the author of Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK, told CNN. But anybody who thinks this is going to turn the case on its head and suddenly show that there were three or four shooters at Dealey Plaza  it's not the case.

Oswald did it alone, Mr Posner said. But what the files are doing and why they're important to come out is they fill in the history of the case and show us how the FBI and CIA repeatedly hid the evidence.

Mr Posner said conspiracy theories about the CIA and mob working together to assassinate a head of state are true - but the target was the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, not Mr Kennedy - whose brother Bobby was also assassinated in 1968.

They tried seven times and they couldn't even wound him...they couldn't get rid of Castro, but somehow these same guys who were an 'F' there pulled off the perfect crime in Dallas, and 54 years later we can find not a shred of evidence about it. I just don't buy it, he said.

Ken Hughes, a researcher at the University of Virginia, told CNN the files could reveal more about US involvement in the attempts to assassinate Castro as well as the US-approved coup of South Vietnamese leader Ngo inh Diem in 1963.

There's a lot for conventional historians - we non-conspiracy theorists - to look forward to, he said.
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Peru has become the latest country to legalise marijuana for medicinal use.

The majority of Peru's congress approved the legalisation supported by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski by 68 votes to five.

Cannabis is normally prescribed for conditions like muscle spasms, chronic pain, PTSD, epilepsy and cancer.

Originally the law was controversial due to Perus problem with drug gangs involved in its cocaine production. The country is the second-largest cocaine producer in the world.

Proponents emphasised that the measure is aimed at extracting components from marijuana to address specific ailments.

The proposal was sparked due to a police raid of in February that a group of parents who producing cannabis oil for children with cancer and severe cases of epilepsy.

Where cannabis is and isn't legal Show all 10 1 /10 Where cannabis is and isn't legal Where cannabis is and isn't legal UK Having been reclassified in 2009 from a Class C to a Class B drug, cannabis is now the most used illegal drug within the United Kingdom. The UK is also, however, the only country where Sativex  a prescribed drug that helps to combat muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis and contains some ingredients that are also found in cannabis - is licensed as a treatment Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal North Korea Although many people believe the consumption of cannabis in North Korea to be legal, the official law regarding the drug has never been made entirely clear whilst under Kim Jong Uns regime. However, it is said that the North Korean leader himself has openly said that he does not consider cannabis to be a drug and his regime doesnt take any issue with the consumption or sale of the drug MARCEL VAN HOORN/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal Netherlands In the Netherlands smoking cannabis is legal, given that it is smoked within the designated smoking areas and you dont possess more than 5 grams for personal use. It is also legal to sell the substance, but only in specified coffee shops Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal USA Although in some states of America cannabis has now been legalised, prior to the legalisation, police in the U.S. could make a marijuana-related arrest every 42 seconds, according to US News and World Report. The country also used to spend around $3.6 billion a year enforcing marijuana law, the American Civil Liberties Union notes AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Where cannabis is and isn't legal Spain Despite cannabis being officially illegal in Spain, the European hotspot has recently started to be branded, the new Amsterdam. This is because across Spain there are over 700 Cannabis Clubs  these are considered legal venues to consume cannabis in because the consumption of the drug is in private, and not in public. These figures have risen dramatically in the last three years  in 2010 there were just 40 Cannabis Clubs in the whole of Spain. Recent figures also show that in Catalonia alone there are 165,000 registered members of cannabis clubs  this amounts to over 5 million euros (4 million) in revenue each month Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Uruguay In December 2013, the House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill legalizing and regulating the production and sale of the drug. But the president has since postponed the legalization of cannabis until to 2015 and when it is made legal, it will be the authorities who will grow the cannabis that can be sold legally. Buyers must be 18 or older, residents of Uruguay, and must register with the authorities Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Pakistan Despite the fact that laws prohibiting the sale and misuse of cannabis exist and is considered a habit only entertained by lower-income groups, it is very rarely enforced. The occasional use of cannabis in community gatherings is broadly tolerated as a centuries old custom. The open use of cannabis by Sufis and Hindus as a means to induce euphoria has never been challenged by the state. Further, large tracts of cannabis grow unchecked in the wild Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Portugal In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize the use of all drugs, and started treating drug users as sick people, instead of criminals. However, you can still be arrested or assigned mandatory rehab if you are caught several times in possession of drugs Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Puerto Rico Although the use of cannabis is currently illegal, it is said that Puerto Rico are in the process of decriminalising it RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal China Cannabis is grown in the wild and has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria. But, officially the substance is illegal to consume, possess and sell Getty

Pro-government politician Alberto de Belaunde said before the vote: "Science is on our side, the regional current is on our side. Let's not let our fears paralyse us."

Peru joins other South and Central American countries Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina who have legalised the drug for medicinal and scientific purposes.

The bill, which will allow the regulated production of cannabis oil, will be written into law within the next two months.
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A Republican politician has sparked outrage after asking about the legality of quarantining HIV patients.

Betty Price, a Georgia state representative, whose husband Tom Price was Donald Trump's former health secretary was speaking at a House Committee Meeting about health care access in her state.

What are we legally able to do? she asked. "I don't want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it... What would you advise, or are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?"

Ms Price was questioning the director of the HIV/Aids Epidemiology Section at the Georgia Department of Public Heath, Dr Pascale Wortley, who avoided the direct issue of quarantine while discussing other prevention plans.

Shortly after her comments, GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organisation, released a statement demanding an apology from Ms Price.

Its president, Sarah Kate Ellis said: Comments like those made by Georgia State Representative Betty Price fly in the face of that progress, and of basic decency."

She added: This language coming from anyone is totally unacceptable, but coming from a medical doctor and a Georgia State Representative it is reprehensible."

World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indian NGO volunteers light candles in the shape of a ribbon during an awareness rally on the eve of World Aids Day in Agartala, the capital of northeastern state of Tripura, India World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Government health workers wear masks as they display a streamer during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila, Philippines REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Filipino women wear colourful costumes during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indonesian students hold a rally to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS at a university in Surabaya JUNI KRISWANTOJUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures An Indian college student poses alongside placards during an event at a local hospital to raise awareness about AIDS on the occasion of World Aids Day AFP PHOTO STR/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures People Living with HIV AIDS (PLHA) lie on the street during a protest demanding the revival of focus on India's AIDS programme which has been on the decline in the past few years, in New Delhi AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAINSAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures A red ribbon placed at the Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, Spain, by the Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Madrid (COGAM) EPA/J.P. GANDUL World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures South Korean middle school students hold umbrellas as they form a giant red ribbon during a ceremony to mark World AIDS Day in Seoul AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JEJUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Pakistani people hold placards as they attend a rally to create awareness in Peshawar Arshad Arbab/EPA

Ms Price is an anaesthesiologist and according to her official biography has served on the boards of the Medical Association of Atlanta and the Medical Association of Georgia.

In the US 1.1 million people in the US are currently living with HIV and one in seven are unware of thier status according to the centre for disease control prevention.

While Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price proposed a budget that threatened huge cuts HIV and AIDS funding under the National Institutes of Health.
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Hillary Clinton has condemned Donald Trumps dangerous Twitter tirades, while describing the President as a creep.

The defeated presidential candidate was wearing a surgical boot during her appearance on the Graham Norton Show, which followed a series of media appearances on her UK book tour.

"I was running down the stairs in heels with a cup of coffee in hand, I was talking over my shoulder and my heel caught and I fell backwards, she explained, praising the care she has received under the NHS.

"I tried to get up and it really hurt. Ive broken my toe."

When asked how she felt about Mr Trump criticising her book on Twitter, Ms Clinton said she ignores most of his tweets but was concerned about those on international affairs.

The most dangerous thing he does is conduct diplomacy on Twitter, she added. So he is trading insults with Kim Jong-un, which is just like catnip for Kim Jong-un.

He just loves the idea that hes in a Twitter insult-fest with the President of the United States.

He does things that are not only upsetting but kind of inexplicable.

 Barack Obama implies Trump has set US back 50 years in first political speech for a year

Mr Trump has been accused of raising international tensions with tweets directed at North Korea, Iran, China and other nations.

Having repeatedly taunted North Korean dictator Kim during escalating nuclear tests, Mr Trump hinted at military action earlier this month, writing: Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of US negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!

The President has also recently posted tweets wrongly attributing a rise in Britains crime rate to international terrorism and spreading conspiracy theories involving the FBI, Russia and the Democrats.

Ms Clinton, who has entered barbed exchanges with the President on social media, said it would be impossible to respond to all of his tweets because there are so many.

She added: I do respond when I think what he has said is hurtful and unfair, and really causing problems for people.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Ms Clinton gave the example of the recent hurricane that struck Puerto Rico, when she urged Mr Trump and his administration to increase relief efforts on Twitter.

Reliving her shock defeat in last years presidential election, which is the subject of her book What Happened, the Democrat said she felt terrible and so responsible for her opponents victory.

Ms Clinton said he played a different game in televised debates, adding: He loomed over me.

"I knew he was there and I regret not saying, You are not going to intimidate me, back off you creep!

The former Secretary of State also told how she tried to avoid attending Mr Trumps inauguration alongside other former first ladies and presidents.

Ms Clinton said she and her husband contacted the Bush and Carter families before confirming their attendance.

I wanted him to rise to the occasion of being our President and a President for everybodythat didnt happen, she added, calling Mr Trumps inaugural speech a dark and divisivecry from the white nationalist gut.

George W Bush was also said to be unimpressed, reportedly calling summing up the speech with the verdict: That was some weird s**t.


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Donald Trump has announced he intends to allow the release of the long blocked and classified files on the John F Kennedy (JFK) assassination.

The announcement, made against the advice of the National Security Council, has prompted claims the President is seeking to distract the public from a series of negative stories.

The declaration was made on Twitter, with the President saying: Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.

The decision was met with a mixed response.

This is enough to distract from Trumps lies, investigations and incompetence, said sociologist Dr DaShanne Stokes. Of course Trump will allow it.

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, said the release will prove I was NOT involved, ending rumours and speculation. I was in the third grade.

But political scientist Larry Sabato said: Thank you. This is the correct decision. Please do not allow exceptions for any agency of government. JFK files have been hidden too long.

Prof Sabato, author of a book on the Kennedy assassination, has long campaigned for the documents to be released.

It is hoped the publication of the 3,000 files could provide new insight into a trip to Mexico taken by alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald just prior to the shooting.

Security officials reportedly fear some documents compiled in the 1990s could contain information on more recent intelligence operations.

Trumps language suggested the move could still be blocked but the public announcement has heightened anticipation of releasing the files.

The Kennedy assassination documents are due to be released by the National Archives on 26 October but it was reported Trump would not allow them to be made public.

The President is the only person in government with the authority to block the documents publication.

The 1963 killing of Kennedy shocked the world and has long been shrouded in controversy and conspiracy theories  many people believe there was a second gunman.

Oswald was shot dead by gunman Jack Ruby before he could be tried.

During last years election campaign, Mr Trump used a conspiracy theory about the assassination to attack his rival, Ted Cruz.

Referencing a story run by National Enquirer, which linked Mr Cruzs father, Rafael Cruz, and Oswald, Mr Trump told Fox News: His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswalds being, you know, shot.

I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous... What is this, right prior to his being shot, and nobody even brings it up. They dont even talk about that. That was reported, and nobody talks about it.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

I mean, what was he doing  what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? Its horrible.

Mr Cruz immediately dismissed the claim as garbage.

Experts believe that even the full publication of the documents is unlikely to quell the extensive conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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Former Vice President Joe Biden has found the feud between Republican Senator John McCain and Donald Trump laughable, according to the New York Times.

The idea that Trump is going to intimidate John McCain? Give me a break, Mr Biden said in an interview with the newspaper. Mr Biden served as vice president to Democratic President Barack Obama.

Mr McCain has received praise from Democrats as he has continued to voice his misgivings about several of Mr Trumps policies and objectives.

During a speech in Philadelphia last Monday, Mr McCain questioned half-baked, spurious nationalism in Americas current foreign policy.

To abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems, he said, is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

The war of words between the senator and the President escalated on Tuesday when Mr Trump replied, I fight back. The US leader also continued to bemoan Mr McCains decision to vote against a bill that would have dismantled Obamacare.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Mr McCain, a former prisoner of war who is currently battling brain cancer, simply responded: I have faced tougher adversaries.

Mr Biden said McCains speech was, to him, a message to the country.

I think he was delivering a message to the country, to his colleagues and to any of the opinion makers that would listen, and that is, Look, this is serious stuff, our role in the world is not guaranteed, democracy is not guaranteed, we know how to do this and, damn it, wed better focus and know whats at stake, Mr Biden told the Times.
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Donald Trump will not visit the UK this year, the White House has confirmed.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it "still hasn't been determined" whether the US president would make a full state visit to Britain, following reports a planned trip had been downgraded.

Prime Minister Theresa May made the offer of a state visit - an honour usually reserved for a president's second term - seven days after his inauguration in January, when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House.

It prompted a wave of criticism and threats of mass protests.

Recommended Donald Trump has insulted the UK one too many times

Mr Trump has subsequently visited France and Germany, but the president has yet to fly to London and diplomats were said to be discussing plans for a less controversial working trip, which would mean Mr Trump did not meet the Queen.

Ms Sanders told a press briefing that Mr Trump was would visit Britain "sometime next year".

Asked if the trip would be "a working visit or a state visit", the White House press secretary said: "That still hasn't been determined. We're still going back and forth with our allies there. And once we have those travel details outlined and determined, we'll certainly let you know.

"But they've made the invitation for the President to come. We've accepted and we're working out the logistics."

She added: "We anticipate that it will be sometime next year. But at this point, there's no other details beyond that."

Theresa May talks with Donald Trump during the G20 leaders' summit in Hamburg (REUTERS) (Reuters)

Mr Trump was reported to have told Ms May earlier this year that he would not make a state visit to the UK until he is guaranteed a warm welcome.

More than 1.8 million people signed a petition against his invitation and House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told MPs that Mr Trump should not be allowed to address Parliament.

London mayor Sadiq Khan also opposed the visit, saying he was not sure it is appropriate for our government to roll out the red carpet for such a controversial figure.

A Downing Street spokesman said earlier this month: Our position on the state visit has not changed  an offer has been extended and President Trump has accepted. Exact dates for President Trump to visit have not yet been arranged.
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Donald Trump has said the end of the Isis caliphate is in sight following the recapturing of the Syrian city of Raqqa from the terrorist group  but Isis continues to hold significant territory in Iraq and Syria.

Terror attacks in the UK and other Western countries are also likely to increase despite Isis being driven out of its de-facto capital, analysts have warned.

I am pleased to announce that the Syrian Democratic Forces, our partners in the fight against Isis in Syria, have successfully recaptured Raqqa  the terrorist groups self-proclaimed capital city, Mr Trump said in a statement. With the liberation of ISISs capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.

The President said the US would now support local security forces and de-escalate violence across Syria.

Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honours the will of the Syrian people, Mr Trump added.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

But despite the Presidents assertions, the retaking of Raqqa by a US-backed Syrian force has not mitigated the global terror threat, experts have said.

Along with still holding large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, Isis still has control over pockets in Egypt and Libya and has affiliates operating in countries including Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

And even as it does lose significant strongholds such as Raqqa, the terrorist group is finding new ways to lure in recruits without the promise of an Islamic state, according to analysts.
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Steve Bannon has launched a scathing attack on George W Bush, calling his presidency the most destructive in history.

The former White House adviser made the remarks following Mr Bushs speech in New York earlier this week, in which he denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of nativism had clouded the nations true identity.

Mr Bannon told the California Republican Party convention Mr Bush had embarrassed himself and did not know what he was talking about.

The chairman of right-wing news website Breitbart, said Mr Bush has no idea whether he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president.

The remarks came during a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his call for an open revolt against establishment Republicans.

There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bushs, Mr Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of the former presidents name.

Mr Bannon also called the permanent political class one of the great dangers faced by the country.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Bannon also took aim at Silicon Valley and its lords of technology, predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years.

He called the threat to break up the nation a living problem.

Mr Bannon also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans in a state that Donald Trump lost by more than four million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics.

In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

Youve got everything you need to win, he told them.

Mr Bannon ended his speech to a standing ovation. But not all Republicans were glad to see him.

In a series of tweets last week, former state Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes said he was shocked by the decision to have the conservative firebrand headline the event.

Its a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf, Mr Mayes tweeted.

Additional reporting by PA
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A former White House Press Secretary has revealed how George W Bush behaved when confronted with the distraught mother of a dying soldier.

It comes as pressure continued to mount on Donald Trump for his treatment of the families of four US Special Forces troops killed in Niger.

Mr Trump criticised the conduct of former Presidents and said most of them didnt make personal calls to families of the deceased. The claims were quickly found to be false.

Recommended The FBI is now investigating deaths of four US soldiers in Niger

They were given even less credence by Dana Perino, who accompanied Mr Bush as he visited critically ill servicemen in hospitals.

In an account that was published by the Chicago Tribune in 2016 but has recently gained renewed attention, Ms Perino described an occasion when the Republican President was visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

While there, the mother of a dying solder reacted badly to his visit.

She yelled at the President, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in that hospital bed, Ms Perino wrote.

She continued: I noticed the President wasn't in a hurry to leave - he tried offering comfort but then just stood and took it, like he expected and needed to hear the anguish, to try to soak up some of her suffering if he could.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Later, as we rode back on Marine One to the White House, no one spoke.

But as the helicopter took off, the President looked at me and said, That mama sure was mad at me. Then he turned to look out the window of the helicopter. And I don't blame her a bit."

Mr Trump, who has presented himself as a champion of the military, is accused of reacting slowly to the deaths of Green Beret Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson and Dustin Wright and La David Johnson, killed in the West African country of Niger.

He is also alleged to have told the widow of Sgt Johnson: He knew what he signed up for.

Questions remain over the circumstances of their deaths, and the FBI is now involved in the ongoing investigation.
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The White House has said it is highly inappropriate for the media to question a four-star general like White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

If you wanna go after General Kelly, thats up to you, but I think that if you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that thats something highly inappropriate, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

She and others in the Trump White House refer to Mr Kelly by his military title, but he is not serving in a military capacity as he is in his role as Chief of Staff.

She was speaking during the daily news briefing and was asked about Mr Kellys claims yesterday regarding Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

Controversy was sparked when Mr Trump reportedly called the pregnant widow of one of the soldiers killed in Niger, Sergeant La David T Johnson, and said: You know, he mustve known what he signed up for.

The details of the conversation between the President and Myeshia Johnson were revealed by Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson on CNN.

Ms Wilson said: When [Ms Johnson] got off the phone, she said, He didnt even know his name. He kept calling him, Your guy.

Mr Trump vehemently denied the Congresswomans interpretation of the conversation.

Mr Trump also went on Fox News Radio and said to the best of my knowledge, I think Ive called every family of somebody thats died, and its the hardest call to make ... As far as other representatives, I dont know, I mean you could ask General Kelly, did he get a call from Obama?

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He was referring to when White House Chief of Staff and retired Marines General John Kellys son Robert, a Marine Second Lieutenant, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010.

Yesterday, Mr Kelly addressed the flurry of controversy.

He said he had advised the President to say Mr Johnson was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew he was getting into by joining that one per cent.

The former Homeland Security chief also referenced a 2015 speech by Ms Wilson.

Calling her an empty barrel, Mr Kelly said the Congresswoman had made a new FBI building in Miami, Florida about her rather than the two agents for whom the building had been named.

He said he was stunned she took credit for securing $20m in funds for the building construction.

As CNN reported she took credit for shepherding legislation naming the FBI building after two FBI agents who were killed in a 1986 gunfight, she did not claim credit for helping to fund the building, according to the video.

Ms Sanders said Mr Kelly Sanders stands by his claims about Ms Wilson.

She also said the Congresswoman had quite a few comments that day that weren't part of that speech and weren't part of that video that were also witnessed by many people that were there  what Gen. Kelly referenced yesterday.

However, she did not provide any proof of exactly what else Ms Wilson allegedly said that day.
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If North Korea's Kim Jong-un suddenly vanished or died, the CIA would keep quiet, its director has claimed.

Mike Pompeo told security officials at a Washington conference that the spy agency would not say anything publicly were something to happen to the communist despot.

"With respect, if Kim Jong-un should vanish, given the history of the CIA, Im just not going to talk about it," he told the Foundation for Defence of Democracies forum.

"Someone might think there was a coincidence. You know, there was an accident. Its just not fruitful."

His comments were originaly reporrted in the South China Morning Post.

Mr Pompeo was referring to the US agency's history of involvement in plots to overthrow leaders in countries including Iran, Congo and Chile.

It comes months after North Korea claimed the CIA had tried to assassinate Mr Kim with the help of South Korean intelligence agencies.

It did not provide any evidence to back up its claim.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Pompeo did warn however that North Korea is just months away from perfecting its nuclear capabilities and said Donald Trump was prepared to use military force against the pariah state if necessary.

"They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving their objective of being able to strike the US," he said.

Recommended North Korea is not interested in diplomacy until a missile can hit US

But he insisted there was a difference between having the ability to fire a single nuclear missile and the ability to develop an arsenal of such weapons.

Speaking at the same event, US National Security Adviser HR McMaster said: "We are in a race to resolve this short of military action."

He added: We are not out of time, but we are running out of time."
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China has refused to condemn the government in Burma over the Rohingya crisis and claimed foreign intervention does not work.

The international community has widely condemned the military response to an incursion by Rohingya militants, which has seen around 600,000 refugees flee from Burma into neighbouring Bangladesh.

China, a powerful neighbour to Burma, said it supported the countrys efforts in "safeguarding peace and stability".

 Drone footage shows thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar

Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the Chinas International Department, said Beijing condemns "violence and terror acts", apparently referring to the Rohingya militant attacks that sparked the Burmese military clearing operation.

But numerous Rohingya refugees have described being subject to horrific violence, including against unarmed men, women and children, which the UN has described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Without citing examples, Mr Guo said: Based on experience, you can see recently the consequences when one country interferes in another. We wont do it.

China supports "Myanmar's efforts in safeguarding peace and stability in this region and hoped all areas, including Rakhine state, will realise peace, stability and development," Mr Guo told reporters at the Communist Party National Congress.

He added: "China and Myanmar are friendly neighbouring countries joined by rivers and mountains. China will be affected if there's any unstable situation in Myanmar."

The two countries are also connected by an oil pipeline, which supplies China's landlocked Yunnan province. The 479-mile pipeline starts at the Bay of Bengal in Rakhine state in western Burma.

Rohingya refugees  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young girl and a baby wade through mud after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma on 10 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees walk through a camp in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after arriving from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures A young Rohingya refugee gathers firewood after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya refugees wait for sacks of rice to be distributed in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees arrive on a boat in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh after crossing from Burma on 8 September Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees react after being re-united with each other after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Getty Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees walk along the remains of a road after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh on a boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees wade through water after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Myanmar Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Rohingya Muslim refugees stand in the rain after arriving in Whaikhyang, Bangladesh by boat from Burma Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indian children hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma EPA/Raminder Pal Singh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organisation, listen to their leaders' speeches against Burma's persecution of Rohingya Muslims, during a demonstration in Karachi Reuters/Akhtar Soomro Rohingya refugees  in pictures Hundreds of Iranians take part in a protest against violence in Myanmar after weekly Friday prayers, in Tehran EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh Rohingya refugees  in pictures Indonesian Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the alleged persecution of the Rohingya minority in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia EPA/Ali Lutfi Rohingya refugees  in pictures Members of an Islamic organisation shout slogans against the Burma government during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA

China has consistently argued against intervention or condemnation of Burma, in contrast to Western states that have discussed the prospect of sanctions.

At a UN Security Council meeting last month, Britain, France and the United States demanded an end to what they called ethnic cleansing, while China's ambassador called for patience.

Additional reporting by agencies
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New Zealand's new prime minister called capitalism a "blatant failure", before citing levels of homelessness and low wages as evidence that "the market has failed" her country's poor.

Jacinda Ardern, who is to become the nation's youngest leader since 1856, said measures used to gauge economic success "have to change" to take into account "people's ability to actually have a meaningful life".

The 37-year-old will take office next month after the populist New Zealand First party agreed to form a centre-left coalition with her Labour Party. They will be supported by the liberal Greens.

Recommended This is why Jacinda Arden is good news for New Zealand

New Zealanders had been waiting since 23 September to find out who would govern their country after national elections ended without a clear winner.

Ms Ardern has pledged her government will increase the minimum wage, write child poverty reduction targets into law, and build thousands of affordable homes.

Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Show all 14 1 /14 Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Hokitika Gorge Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Lake Tekapo Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Mount Cook Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Waiau River, Hanmer Forest Park Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Fox Glacier Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Lake Wanaka Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Milford Sound Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Marlborough Sounds Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Fiordland National Park Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Abel Tasman National Park Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Split Apple Rock, Abel Tansman National Park Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Larnach Castle Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island View from Larnach Castle over the Otago Peninsula Getty Best sights on New Zealand's South Island Queenstown Getty

In her first full interview since becoming prime minister-elect, she told current affairs programme The Nation that capitalism had "failed our people".

"If you have hundreds of thousands of children living in homes without enough to survive, that's a blatant failure," she said. "What else could you describe it as?"

Lacinda Ardern receives a standing ovation as she arrives at Parliament after agreeing a deal to form a coalition government (Getty Images)

Incumbent prime minister Bill English, whose National Party has held power for nine years, has said his party grew the economy and produced increasing budget surpluses which benefited the nation.

But Ms Ardern said: "When you have a market economy, it all comes down to whether or not you acknowledge where the market has failed and where intervention is required. Has it failed our people in recent times? Yes.

"How can you claim you've been successful when you have growth roughly three per cent, but you've got the worst homelessness in the developed world?"

The Labour leader said her government would judge economic success on more than measures such as GDP.

 Jacinda Ardern becomes the youngest female Prime Minister of New Zealand

"The measures for us have to change," she said. "We need to make sure we are looking at people's ability to actually have a meaningful life, an enjoyable life, where their work is enough to survive and support their families."

Ms Ardern, who became Labour leader just two months ago, will be the youngest female premier of any developed economy in the world.

The leader of New Zealand First, Winston Peters, said his party had opted for change from the status quo as he announced his party would enter coalition with Labour instead of the National Party.

The Green Party will support the coalition but will not be part of the government.
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Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont has delivered a scathing response to Mariano Rajoys hardhitting plans for direct rule in the troubled region, calling them the worst attack on Catalan institutions since the dictator General Franco ordered the end of our autonomy.

What we decide through voting is to be wiped out by the government in their offices, Mr Puigdemont claimed.

He said the Catalan parliament would hold an emergency debate on this attempt to destroy our autonomous government, our democracy.

Also speaking in Spanish and English, he described Catalonia as an ancient democratic nation and claimed that the EUs founding values were at risk.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Rajoy had outlined plans that would see the regions separatist leaders removed from office, including Mr Puigdemont, and the local parliament stripped of much of its power.

In a significant upping of the stakes in his bid to rein in the regions pro-independence rulers, Mr Rajoy has said that although the Catalan parliament will not be dissolved immediately, its functions will be limited to avoid measures contrary to the constitution.

 Catalonia: Spanish Prime Minister approves measures to strip region's autonomous powers

Ministries in Madrid will oversee the management of the Catalan administration, as well as directing the Catalan local police forces and, probably, the regions public television and radio channels.

The Nationalist movement was, predictably, in an uproar at their imminent loss of regional power. An estimated 450,000 people attended a major demonstration in Barcelona, which initially asked for the freedom of two jailed separatists but merged with protests against direct rule.

There could have been dialogue, instead weve got state intervention, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, viewed as a non-aligned moderate, said during the demonstration. Carme Forcadell, president of the Catalan parliament, described Mr Rajoys measures as a de facto coup detat.

The Spanish Prime Minister also confirmed that regional elections would be called within a period of six months or as soon as institutional normality is restored.

All of these measures are to be carried out under the unprecedented auspices of Article 155 of the constitution, which allows Madrid to impose direct rule, and are pending a vote from the Spanish Senate, where Mr Rajoys ruling Partido Popular (PP) party has a majority.

Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Show all 17 1 /17 Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man faces off Spanish Civil Guards outside a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police form a security cordon around the Ramon Llull school in Barcelona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police evict a young woman during clashes between people gathered outside the Ramon Llull school in Barcelona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Spanish Civil Guard officers break through a door at a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Spanish National Police clash with pro-referendum supporters in Barcelona on Sunday AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Crowds raise their arms up as police move in on members of the public gathered outside to prevent them from voting in the referendum at a polling station where the President Carles Puigdemunt will vote later today Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters People confront Spanish Civil Guard officers outside a polling station Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Three man hold each other as they try to block a Spanish police van from approaching a polling station AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A woman shows a ballot to a Spanish Civil Guard officer outside a polling station Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man wearing a shirt with an Estelada (Catalan separatist flag) and holding carnations faces off with a Spanish Civil Guard officer Reuters Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Police try to control the area as people attempt to cast their ballot at a polling station in Barcelona Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A man is grabbed by officers as police move in on the crowds Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Two women argue with a Spanish National policeman during clashes between Catalan pro-independence people and police forces at the Sant Julia de Ramis sports centre in Girona EPA Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Sant Julia De Ramis in Spain Getty Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Confrontation outside a polling station in Barcelona, where police have tried to stop people voting AFP/Getty Images Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters A Spanish National Police officer aims a rubber-bullet rifle at pro-referendum supporters in Barcelona AP Catalonia independence referendum: Riot police clash with voters Riot police clashed with voters as polls opened in Barcelona Sky News

Mr Rajoy was notably scant on specific detail and long on justification for direct rule in his speech, concentrating principally on a broad-brushed display of the whys and wherefores of stripping the Catalan government of its power.

We are not ending Catalan autonomy, but we are relieving those who have acted outside the law of their duties, Mr Rajoy said.

He explained the aim of the measures was to restore legality, normality and social goodwill to Catalonia.

Mr Rajoy underlined he had the support of both the Socialist Party, which heads Spains opposition, and by the fourth largest party, Ciudadanos. But the left-wing Podemos coalition called the measures authoritarian and a botched job, and one middle-ranking member of the Socialist Party executive, Nuria Parlon, has resigned over the implementation of Article 155.

It is also strongly rumoured that the Nationalist coalition will vote for Catalonia to break away from Spain in parliament next Friday, the same day that Madrids measures are expected to be confirmed by the Senate.
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Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy has outlined hardhitting plans for direct rule in Catalonia that will see the troubled regions separatist leaders removed from office, including premier Carles Puigdemont, and the local parliament stripped of much of its power.

In a significant upping of the stakes in his bid to rein in the regions pro-independence rulers, Mr Rajoy has said that although the Catalan parliament will not be dissolved immediately, its functions will be limited to avoid measures contrary to the Constitution.

Additionally, although the main body of the regions administration would continue as normal,the roles of the Catalan Ministers who had been dismissed would be handled by ministries and officials from Madrid.

Mr Rajoy also confirmed that regional elections would be called, within a period of six months, or as soon as institutional normality is restored.

All of these measures are to be carried out under the unprecedented auspices of Article 155 of the Constitution, which allows Madrid to impose direct rule, and are pending a vote from the Senate, the upper house of Spains parliament.

Mr Rajoys ruling Partido Popular (PP) party has a majority in the Senate, and it would therefore be highly unlikely they are blocked.

Mr Rajoy was notably scant on details and long on justification for direct rule in his speech, essentially limiting his much-anticipated package of specific measures to a broad-brushed description of the whys and wherefores for his governments substitution of the nationalist ministers.

He accused the separatists of liquidating the Spanish Constitution and failing to respect local laws when they rushed legislation permitting a referendum on independence through the Catalan parliament in early September.

We are not ending Catalan autonomy, but we are relieving of their duties those who have acted outside the law, Mr Rajoy said.

 Catalonia: Spanish Prime Minister approves measures to strip region's autonomous powers

Mr Rajoy said he had been forced to take these measures, because no government of any democratic country can accept that the law be violated, ignored and changed.

He explained their aim is to restore legality, normality and social goodwill to Catalonia, and he appealed to companies to stop leaving the region. Well over 1,000 businesses have moved their legal headquarters out of Catalonia in the last month.

It later emerged the government will be able to substitute members of the local Mossos dEsquadra police force - strongly criticised outside Catalonia for their alleged lack of cooperation in stopping the banned October 1st referendum - with officers from the Guardia Civil or National Police. It is also thought likely that regional state media, much criticised outside Catalonia for its pro-separatist stance, will be overseen by Madrid.

Although Mr Rajoy underlined he had the support of both the Socialist Party and Ciudadanos, Spains fourth largest political grouping, the measures were described as authoritarian and a botched job. by the left-wing Podemos coalition.

Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Demonstrators block a Guardia Civil vehicle as they try to leave the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Demonstrators react as they try to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A demonstrator reacts as he tries with others to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Spokeswoman of the Catalan pro-independence anticapitalist party "Candidatura d'Unitat Popular - CUP" (Popular Unity Candidacy), Ana Gabriel, talks to the media in Barcelona Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Republican Left of Catalonia party's (ERC) Member of Parliament Joan Tarda (C) attends a demonstration outside the regional Economy Ministry in Catalonia during a police search for documents connected with the organisation of the Catalan independence referendum, in Barcelona EPA/Alejandro Garcia Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A man holds pro-referendum poster next to a Spanish Civil Guard who stands in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona. The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid's ban and a court ruling deeming it illegal Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People hold placards reading "Democracy" as they protest in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A crowd of protesters gather outside the Catalan region's economy ministry after junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove was arrested by Spanish police during a raid on several government offices, in Barcelona Reuters/Albert Gea Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People holding 'Esteladas' (Catalan pro-independence flags) attend a protest near the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government Lluis Gene/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People demonstrate on a Spanish Civil Guard Police car outside the Catalan Vice-President and Economy office as police officers holds a searching operation inside David Ramos/Getty Images

The Nationalist movement was, predictably, in uproar at their imminent loss of regional power and a major demonstration is planned this evening in Barcelona in defence of rights and freedoms. All of the top separatist leaders, as well as Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, viewed as a non-aligned moderate, will attend.

Mr Puigdemont is expected to make a formal response to the governments measures in a speech later this evening. Spains attorney general also warned today, though, that any attempt by the regional premier to declare Catalan independence would be treated as rebellion, which carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

It is also strongly rumoured the Nationalist coalition will vote for Catalonia to break away from Spain in Parliament next Friday, the same day that Madrids measures are expected to be confirmed by the Senate.
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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has approved implementing Article 155, which would allow his Madrid government to take back some powers from Catalonia.

The decision was taken after a special cabinet meeting, three weeks after the semi-autonomous region held a controversial independence referendum.

Mr Rajoy is seeking approval from the Spanish Senate strip powers from Catalonia. He added that he wanted elections to take place in the region and could dissolve the Catalan Parliament within six months.

He said the powers of the Catalan administration will be transferred to the Spanish government, but insisted that he did not want to use the powers to rule Catalonia directly.

Mr Rajoy's government is activating a previously untapped constitutional article to take control of the region.

Government has had to apply Article 155 of the constitution. This is only applied in exceptional circumstances. Spain was on the verge of applying this article previously but it was not necessary as we returned to a legal situation," he said.

"In this case things are different because no government of any democratic country would accept this modification of the law and one party imposing their will on the other. This is why we have decided to impose this article."

The statement followed an independence referendum in the region earlier this month, which was declared illegal by Mr Rajoy's government and the Spanish Supreme Court.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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It led to violent clashes between police and voters trying to enter polling stations. But of the 42 per cent of people who voted, the majority opted for independence.

Catalonias leader, Carles Puigdemont, had argued the result of the referendum gave him a mandate to pursue independence.
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Police have reportedly apprehended a suspect after a knife attacker wounded multiple people in Munich.

Authorities launched a manhunt after six people were attacked on Saturday morning in the Rosenheimer Platz area of the Bavarian capital.

Four people are thought to be injured but none sustained life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said: "We have arrested a person who very strongly resembles the description by witnesses, but we cannot confirm that he is the attacker."

Earlier, Munich police urged residents to stay indoors while the attacker remained at large.

The suspect was described as an unshaven, "corpulent" man in his 40s, with medium blonde hair.

He was reportedly wearing grey trousers, a green jacket and a backpack with a rolled up sleeping mat and fled the scene on a black bicycle.

Munich police said they had received conflicting reports of the direction in which the attacker fled.

It was unclear whether the man arrested is the same man in the police descriptions.

The police department said on Twitter that officers were looking for the man "with all available police forces" but that his motive remained unclear.
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Spanish police have launched an investigation into 800 British holidaymakers who have made food poisoning claims against hotels in the Balearic Islands.

They suspect that people maybe trying to fraudulently claim compensation, as the hotels question passed all health inspections and only a few of the holidaymakers visited a doctor.

Holidaymakers in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza were apparently targeted by claim farmers who would promise large pay-outs through compensation if they made the claims.

At the time, British law only required tourists to provide a receipt of medicine from a chemist to prove they had a stomach bug.

Speaking about their investigation, Spanish police said the claims made by British tourists caused significant economic damage.

The investigations carried out by the National Police have allowed the identification of about 800 British tourists supposedly affected by food poisoning in establishments of the Balearic Islands," they said.

They filed complaints through 77 law firms that would have orchestrated a possible criminal network based on false claims that have caused significant economic damage to the Spanish and Balearic tourism sector.

These alleged intoxications occur despite the fact that Balearic hotels have passed all health inspections satisfactorily, including some carried out by the English tour operators themselves who then proceed to handle the claim.

Spanish police also said that since opening the case a number of food poisoning claims from the UK which were pending have now been withdrawn.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The investigation comes less than a fortnight after a British couple were jailed for lying about suffering food poisoning on two successive trips to Spain.

Paul Roberts and Deborah Briton, from Wallasey, went on all-inclusive summer trips to the Globales America resort in Mallorca with their children in both 2015 and 2016.

They later claimed nearly 20,000 from Thomas Cook, saying they suffered from severe gastric illness on both holidays.

Roberts was sentence to 15 months in prison and Briton to nine months.
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Builders have discovered a secret basement in Josef Fritzls guesthouse almost a decade after he was jailed for keeping his daughter captive.

The notorious Austrian rapist imprisoned Elisabeth in a cellar, sexually assaulting her thousands of times over a 24 year period and fathering seven children with her. The case made headlines around the world.

But it now appears that he had built another concealed basement at his guesthouse just outside the city of Salzburg.

Workers found a staircase behind an improvised wall while measuring the building, according to local media. It was part of a routine building inspection.

It is unclear whether police will investigate the building.

Fritzl ran the Seestern guesthouse along with his wife Rosemarie in the town of Unterach am Mondsee before the couple moved to Amstetten in 1996.

There, he would keep his eldest daughter as a sex slave in a cellar, which included a kitchen and bathroom.

She was also forced to bear his children without any medical help.

Three were sent "upstairs" as small children and lived relatively normal lives looked after by Fritzls unsuspecting wife.

The serial rapist told Rosemarie that Elisabeth had run away to join a religious sect and had dumped her newly born children on her parents doorstep. This was the same story he told to social services.

Whatever became of Elisabeth Fritzl? Show all 3 1 /3 Whatever became of Elisabeth Fritzl? Whatever became of Elisabeth Fritzl? 338454.bin Aged 18 when her father imprisoned her, Elisabeth Fritzl had seven children by him Whatever became of Elisabeth Fritzl? 27204.bin 2008 AFP Whatever became of Elisabeth Fritzl? 151483.bin Footage from 2009 shows Josef Fritzl being lead away after being sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital AP

The other four were not allowed to leave the cellar which resulted in the death of one baby boy when Fritzl let the child die from breathing problems rather than call a doctor.

He then cremated his infant son in a wood-burning stove.

That property converted into a block of flats and the basement filled with cement by Austrian authorities, after Fritzl was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes against his daughter.

He is currently being held in a special facility for mentally abnormal criminals at Austria's Stein prison.

Elisabeth, 51, has a new identity and lives in Village X near to the house where she was held along with her remaining children.
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Norways three most senior cabinet roles are now all occupied by women.

In a cabinet reshuffle yesterday it was announced that Ine Eriksen Sreide, 41, will become the countrys first female foreign minister.

She joined Prime Minister Erna Solberg and finance minister Siv Jensen, meaning that three women occupy the top three government jobs.

Were not the first in the world but it is a page in Norways history that is being written, Ms Solberg told a press conference.

Ms Sreide has served as defence minister since 2013 when the conservative right won a narrow victory in elections.

She will replace Brge Brende, who last month was appointed as president of the World Economic Forum.

The politician has been an active member of Norway's Conservative party since university but previously worked as a local TV producer and lawyer before eventually moving into a career in politics.

Winners and losers in gender game Show all 2 1 /2 Winners and losers in gender game Winners and losers in gender game 8330.bin Winners and losers in gender game 7703.bin

She will be replaced by Frank Bakke-Jensen, who is currently minister of EEA and EU affairs.

Norway is renowned for prioritising gender equality. In 2016, the country was ranked third in the the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report.

However, The Philippines, Switzerland and Liberia have already got a similar political makeup.
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The Airbus A318 is an odd little plane: short, stubby and unpopular.

While many aircraft are designed with a possible stretch (extending the fuselage to increase the number of seats), the smallest member of the Airbus family is a shrink-of-a-shrink.

The extraordinarily successful Airbus A320 entered service three decades ago. Seven years later, its stretched sibling appeared: the A321, which has quietly become a game-changer aircraft on medium-haul routes, and a particular favourite on US transcontinental flights.

The first shrink was the A319. It held 156 people in low-cost configuration, two dozen fewer than the mother ship. Popular for a while, it signalled easyJets switch from Boeing to the European planemaker.

On occasion, easyJet would fly it with six seats bearing a large X, with passengers forbidden from occupying them; that took the official capacity down to 150, so it could be staffed with three, rather than four, cabin crew.

If the A319, A320 and A321 are the small, medium and large, the A318 is the extra-small. It is certified for a maximum of 136 passengers, and typically is configured to carry many fewer. British Airways has one with 32 seats which it uses for the flagship London City-New York JFK route. Numbered BA1, it is known as son-of-Concorde.

Like Concorde, the A318 has very few airline customers. The only time I have flown on one was on Air France (the biggest airline customer for the jet). It was from Heathrow to Paris on a Saturday evening, a very off-peak departure for which a very small plane was ideal. But the costs-per-seat are much higher than for longer versions of the jet, which is why only one per cent of the A320 family ever built are A318s.

I mention this because it helps to explain the remarkable news this week that Airbus and the Canadian regional-jet maker Bombardier have decided to team up on the latters C-series project.

Bombardier, which has endured severe financial turbulence in recent years, has pinned its aviation hopes on the CS-100 and CS-300. These twin jets are significantly bigger than previous regional planes, with up to 133 and 160 passengers respectively. If you were paying attention earlier, you will see that they more or less match the A318 and A319 for capacity.

They burn a lot less fuel, too. Which helps explain why Delta put in a firm order for 75 planes, with an option on 50 more. At list price, that represents $9bn (6.8bn). But Delta is thought to have negotiated a discount of at least two-thirds, taking bill down to an attractive $3bn (2.2bn).

Too attractive, declares Boeing. The Seattle planemaker accused Bombardier of dumping planes well below cost, thereby disrupting free and fair trade.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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These duties are the consequence of a conscious decision by Bombardier to violate trade law and dump their C Series aircraft to secure a sale, said the manufacturer. "This dumping in our home market was not a situation Boeing could ignore."

The US Department of Commerce concurred, proposing a levy of 220 per cent on each plane, plus 80 per cent anti-dumping duty. Suddenly Deltas deal looked like costing an unattractive $12bn (9bn).

Careful what you wish for, Boeing. Just after midnight, British time, on 17 October, a press conference was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal to end hostilities between Bombardier and Airbus. (Appropriately, this is the hotel where John Lennon recorded Give Peace a Chance.)

In a single bound, Airbus has taken a 50.01 share in the C-series and promised an assembly line for the plane alongside its existing factory in Mobile, Alabama.

Tom Enders, chief executive of Airbus, called the deal a win-win for everybody. The joint ventures argument is that since the aircraft will be put together in the US (albeit from largely imported components), it will be American made and therefore free of duty.

Boeing doesnt see things quite like that. Its executive vice-president and general counsel, J Michael Luttig, tweeted: The announced deal has no impact or effect on the pending proceedings at all. He contends that the anticipated 300 per cent penalty will apply to every imported part, or it will not be allowed into the country.

The undisputed winners, as so often in aviation, will be the commercial lawyers. Yet the midnight move by Airbus and Bombardier will disturb the equilibrium of the aviation empires. With Embraer of Brazil, Comac of China and Sukhoi of Russia becoming serious players, the passenger who vows If it aint a Boeing, Im not going may find it increasingly tricky to find their chosen brand of aircraft.
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A tourist has been dubbed "reckless" by Icelandic authorities after posting a viral video showing them making a death-defying hike on a canyon ledge.

The footage, posted on YouTube, shows the unnamed hiker traversing a narrow ledge high up the Fjaorarglijufur canyon in southern Iceland - without any safety equipment. Though short, the 15-second clip shows the dangerous ascent as as the hiker makes their way across a narrow ledge before the camera pans up to reveal the location.

Shortly before reaching their destination, the hiker's camera shows them in a precarious position surrounded by sheer drops, the ledge barely wider than their feet.

The Fjaorargljufur canyon and the Fjaora river - where it was filmed - runs for 1.2 miles, with drops of 330 feet.

But while the footage may show Icelands landscape in a good light, tourist organisations and guides in the country were quick to point out the dangers of the hikers actions: to themself, other visitors and the surrounding nature.

A local tour guide, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Independent that the hikers behaviour was pretty reckless, and that they must have ignored ropes supposed to prevent tourists from walking there.

Before the ropes were put up, he said, it was a popular place to walk. Justin Bieber filmed his recent I'll Show You video there.

"The nature is getting torn up in that area because people don't respect boundaries," he said. "Now this person has made a video of their stupidity and posted it online, it will probably motivate more irresponsible tourists to do stupid things."

He added that hikers who cross safety ropes are damaging vulnerable ecosystems.

Iceland isn't the only place where tourists are damaging the landscape. Conservationists in Ireland have recently pointed to potential damage from increased tourism to the delicate ecosystem of the Skellig Islands, brought about following the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Southern Iceland is popular with hikers due to its natural beauty (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Promote Iceland, the countrys main tourist board, told the Mail Online: We strongly recommend that viewers explore our country using recognised footpaths, or those approved by a certified guide.

"Tourists can take our 'Icelandic Pledge', which gives a great overview of how to enjoy Iceland safely and how to be a responsible and considerate tourist. We encourage everyone who comes to Iceland to take it and share with their friends."

Skaftafell in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Simon Barnett, director of walking development at the Ramblers, told The Independent that even hiking legitimate paths can be dangerous. If youre walking in mountainous regions, its vital to be prepared for more challenging weather - especially in winter. It becomes even more important than ever to be properly equipped as conditions can vary dramatically from valley to mountaintop.

"Dont push yourself beyond your limits and be prepared to cut your walk short if you start to tire or the weather is worsening and you arent completely confident of your skills or equipment. Its also sensible to leave a copy of your planned route with someone, and let them know when you get home safe.

"Heading to the hills can be one of the most amazing experiences, but its important to be prepared, armed with all the skills you need and well equipped.
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As winds of up to 70mph and stormy seas batter the southern half of Britain, Storm Brian is causing widespread travel disruption.

Several Brittany Ferries services from Portsmouth and Plymouth today have been cancelled ahead of the intense low-pressure system. Because these western Channel links are long sailings, there will be a knock-on effect for the rest of the weekend.

P&O Ferries is warning that Dover-Calais services on Saturday are being delayed by up to an hour because of bad weather.

Irish Ferries sailings between Holyhead and Dublin, and between Fishguard and Rosslare, have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

Train operators and Network Rail are putting in speed restrictions on many lines, particularly near to coasts.

The biggest problems are in Wales, where speed restrictions have been imposed on many lines. Some services have been curtailed to avoid delays building: the mid-Wales service is starting and ending at Wolverhampton rather than Birmingham, while the West Wales to Manchester line is only going as far as Crewe.

Great Western Railway is warning "trains are expected to be delayed by up to 40 minutes and some service alterations may need to take place.line between South Wales and London". Between 10am and 6pm, speed restrictions will be in force along the length of the South Wales main line. Disruption on services to and from London was expected anyway because the closure of the Severn Tunnel for engineering work.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

Southeastern Trains in the eastern half of Kent are affected, as are South Western Railway services in Hampshire and Dorset  where empty trains have already been running to checking for line obstructions.

As the day proceeds there could be further problems with fallen trees and other debris blocking lines and damaging overhead wires.

British Airways has cancelled 20 flights to and from Heathrow because of the need to slow the arrivals rate at the UKs busiest airport. They are all short-haul departures, including round trips to Aberdeen, Dublin, Geneva, Madrid, Milan and Nice. Affected passengers have been notified and rebooked on alternative flights.
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Arriva Trains Wales are advising NOT TO TRAVEL along the Cambrian Coast route for the rest of the day: the closure of the railway in north-west Wales was just one of the effects of Storm Brians battering of southern Britain.

Railways close to the coast were badly affected. High winds brought down trackside trees twice on the line between Southampton and Fareham in Hampshire, while debris blown onto the lines near Christs Hospital in Sussex became entangled beneath a train.

The main London-Gatwick-Brighton line was subject to a 50mph speed limit, with numerous trains cancelled to avoid delays building up.

One frustrated traveller, Dan Waters, was trying to get from Southampton to Bristol and tweeted: Its my mates 30th. At this rate I should get there by his next birthday.

(Met Office (Met Office)

GWR, the train operator, replied: This is due to crew displacement caused by a tree on the line earlier.

Many Irish Sea and Channel sailings were cancelled or delayed. The Met Office warned that sea area Dover, covering the busiest stretch of coastal water for shipping, was expecting a Southwesterly storm force 10, veering westerly and decreasing gale force 8.

On the P&O Ferries link to Calais, delays built to three hours.

Services from Cairnryan in south-west Scotland to Northern Ireland operated, but the main A77 road close to the port was closed because of severe flooding.

British Airways cancelled 20 flights to and from Heathrow. because of a requirement to slow the arrivals rate at the UKs busiest airport.

They were all short-haul departures, including round trips to Aberdeen, Dublin, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Nice and Stockholm. Affected passengers were rebooked on alternative flights.
A 'super' cow family is breaking records for longevity and consistent transmission of exceptional breeding genes for Henry O'Keeffe's spring calving herd on his North Cork dairy farm.

The 'Odetta' breeding line succession has produced sires for some of the leading AI centres in the country, and bulls and heifers have been sold to scores of Irish breeders over the past three decades.

Bulls from the herd offered at IHFA shows and sales over the years have consistently sold for prices in the top five.

Earlier this year the Radney herd, which calved down 115 cows and heifers in 2017, was named Spring Calving Herd of the Year in the Cork Holstein Friesian Club.

The club recently hosted a field evening for club members at the farm at Knockilla, Freemount.

The herd, which had a yield average of 8,124kg at 3.94bf and 3.78pr in 2016, is largely made up of four 'families' of cows - Odetta, Gerrard, Deborah, and Ostrictch - of which the former is a rare leader across the Holstein breed in Ireland and abroad for performance and gene transmission.

"The herd was depopulated in 1987 and when I was restocking I decided to start the pedigree herd," says Henry on the decision which laid the foundation of "a very lucky" breeding policy on the farm.

"I bought the first Odetta cow from Mary Burns (Kanturk) at that time, and her successors have turned out to be super cows.

"She wasn't a big cow, but she has bred great cows that make up nearly a quarter of the herd today."

A daughter of the cow by Barold Rock Seal had 16 calves, and became the first cow in the herd to yield over 4pc protein. Radney Merci Odetta 4, in her 15th lactation, is predicted to yield 7,451kg at 3.70 bf and 3.75pr, having maintained a record of regular calvings and passing on the exceptional Odetta genes.

Some of the cows now milking in the herd are third- and fourth-generation followers of the founders, and the original quality traits have continued down the line.

The "queen" of the herd is Radney QUR Odetta, an 11-year-old cow, with five daughters now milking in the herd, explained Henry.

She hit yields of almost 11,600kg at 3.88bf and 3.75pr in 2013 and 11,000kg at 4.71bf and 3.88pr in 2015.

Each of her daughters is high in yields and good solids, and no wonder she has earned the title of the "Queen" in the herd with followers like Radney MIW Odetta 2 (10,328kg, 3.96bf, 3.63 pr), Radney DUT Odetta (10,409kg, 4.70bf, 3.80 pr), Radney DUT Odetta 6 (9,435kg, 3.67bf, 4.05pr), Radney RXO Odetta (9,549kg, 3.83bf, 3.72pr) and first lactation Radney MWL Odetta 3 (7,721kg, 4.05bf, 3.78pr).

The "queen" also has a son and grandson currently in AI to further spread the breeding line.

"The Deborah and Gerrard families are all really good cows, but the Odettas are super," says Henry.

Flushed

The top cows in the herd are flushed each year, with calves being born from up to three-quarter of the embryos.

The focus on high protein production and consistency of generations of maternal breeding has been recognised by breeders across the country when purchasing bulls, as shown in the prices achieved for Radney Breeding Bulls at the annual sales.

At the 2017 IHFA Premier Bull Sale, three bulls from the herd sold for a combined total of 8,250, while a previous sale recorded 5,500 for a Radney-bred bull.

"Most of the bulls are sold at home - I usually only take a few to the sales each year - and I have a lot of repeat customers who have been coming back for years. One man has bought 18 bulls over the years" says Henry.

Bulls from the herd are currently available from both Dovea AI and Eurogene AI centres. The herd is also a regular target for dairymen searching for quality in-calf heifers which are largely off the farm sales each season.

"It is great to get customers coming into the yard to buy bulls and heifers and especially when previous buyers come back, because that shows that they are happy with the value they are getting," adds Henry.

His son, Liam, is studying agricultural science in college and looking forward to becoming the next generation running the farm to continue the herd record into the future.
Like farming, politics also has its seasons. So autumn brings us the political conferences where the party loyalists gather and mingle to consider policy and political plots.

If you like your politics - and I do - they have a certain compelling side. Fianna Fail were at it this past weekend, back at their old haunt in the RDS. Next month will see the Fine Gael faithful make the trip to Cavan, on November 9 and 10, while Sinn Fein will also hold court back at the RDS on the following weekend.

Up to very recent times these events used to command a lot more media attention. There was usually an hour-long, mind-numbing leaders' speech, full of multitudinous aspirations, most of which were happily never again heard of.

But we live in busier and quicker times. So, often these events do not get much airplay beyond the political bubble. That is probably as it should be. But all of that being said, they can throw up matters of longer-term interest. At lunchtime on Saturday, the London-based politics professor, Dr Tim Bale, addressed the Fianna Fail faithful and had some very interesting things to say.

Prof Bale charted the slow struggle of the British Conservative Party to re-build following the fall of Maggie Thatcher in 1990. Since Fianna Fail's electoral meltdown in February 2011, he has been advising them to good effect and they had him back this weekend to give an update.

Naturally, he referred to Brexit, reinforcing many of the grim things we already know. "The bad news is that there is no good news."

But he focused on what happened in the UK during the so-called "snap election" of June 8. This proved a calamity for Prime Minister Theresa May as voters utterly rejected her claims that she was calling this election, two years after the last one, to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations.

British voters saw her election gambit "entirely as a self-interested move" by the Conservative Party - and they accordingly punished her. The message was simple for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail: efforts to "catch each other on the hop" by causing an early election would very probably backfire on the party deemed responsible for causing such an election.

The second pointer to be taken from the UK election was that "campaigns do matter". There was a posh assumption that parties were often just going through the campaign motions with little effect on the election outcome. But all the research now points out that voters are making up their minds later and later, very many deciding in the final week, but a sizeable number leaving their decision until polling day. In Britain last summer, Theresa May had a very bad campaign while Labour's Jeremy Corbyn had a much better than expected campaign.

Another big out-take was that it is wrong to bank too much on the cult of the leader. Bread-and-butter policy issues must be addressed, and voters suspect parties which put too much emphasis on the leader of trying to hide things. The same can be said of negative campaigning - the Tories did too much slagging off of Labour and it backfired.

You don't need to be a politics professor to see his point that general elections are always about the economy. These issues must be addressed in a fairly specific messages. A party which goes "too catch-all" risks being seen with a sort of "Vote for us and get a free kitten." That, of course, means destroyed credibility.

These lessons to be taken offered much food for thought.

John Downing is an Irish Independent political correspondent
Studies have shown that farmers who have a designated successor for their farm business are considerably more motivated to drive on their businesses than those who do not.

When the topic of 'no successors' is discussed, many think of farm families who have no children, but the real 'no successor' story concerns farmers with children who are not interested in farming or taking over the farm business.

A recent survey stated that 50pc of farmers have no successors. I often wonder about such results, as these surveys pose the succession questions to farmers and not the successors.

The farmer might have a successor in mind, but that child/successor may have a different plan altogether. Therefore, there may be many more farm businesses without successors.

Most adult children are interested in getting ownership of the land but many have no interest in a career in farming. This situation has prompted me to consider why many farm businesses have no successors and look at the options open to farmers.

Here are the five main reasons why 50pc of Irish farms have no designated successor:

1 Farm Size / Viability

The average Irish farm is approximately 40ha and the average income in 2011-2016 was 25,362. Clearly this is not an attractive career for today's millennials, who are attracted by the bright lights of the city and the salaries/ modern working conditions in the Googles and Apples of this world.

However, larger, developed farm businesses will provide the income and standard of living expected in today's world.

2 Discouraged by parents

Children from farm families are very well represented at our universities and ITs. We all remember our parents encouraging us to get a good education as there is no living out of farming. Today it important that parents know the possibilities for the farm business and educate or encourage their children appropriately.

3 Generation gap is too short

Even on viable farms a 25-year-old successor may not relish the thought of working with 55-year-old parents for 15 years until they reach a pension age. This is a new problem caused by people living longer and the funding of more extravagant lifestyles in retirement.

Perhaps parents who want the family farm business to continue should consider exiting the business at an earlier age to give the necessary freedom to successors.

4 Lifestyle

Like it or not, farming is a tough physical job, and many of today's millennials simply choose not to live the lifestyle irrespective of the salary. This is just a fact of life.

5 Career choice

The ease of access to third-level education and the globalisation of the workforce provides a multitude of choice for today's children; they are fully entitled to explore their dreams and ambitions in other careers.

The challenge here is to make farming a more attractive career so at the lease it is considered by our best and brightest.

What are the options for the farmers whose children choose a different career path? For me to advise these farmers, their farm business must first be categorised into a) viable or b) non-viable farm businesses.

Viable farm businesses

If your family have spent generations building a viable farm business and you are now faced with no successor to continue this progress there many options to consider.

The first consideration is to continue the business, and the first step is to replace oneself. A farm manager could be employed to run the farm or one could enter a partnership with a young farmer or another farmer.

This type of arrangement would suit a well-developed, profitable farm business. The farmer can build in whatever involvement he or she chooses - in fact the 'no successor' children with zero interest in physical farm-work may also become involved in the management of the business, physically or remotely.

Imagine a 200-cow dairy farm now run by an ambitious young trained farmer who is in partnership with the retired dairy farmer and his son or daughter who works as a surgeon in New York.

This was not common in the past because the size and viability of Irish farms would not support all parties.

I foresee more of this type of arrangement in the future and who is to say that the surgeon's children mightn't one day return to be full-time farmers on the family farm again.

Non-viable farm businesses

If the family business is not generating enough profit to attract a partner or simply there is no desire to continue the farm business, then the options are simple.

Sell, long-term lease, plant with trees or transfer the farm to the non-farming children.

Many farmers shy away from being proactive and making the big decisions about their land. Instead they hide behind a will, or worse again, do absolutely nothing.

It is vital for farm owners to face up to their responsibilities in respect of succession, given that they were designated to manage the family silver for a generation.

Get the relevant advice, and remember that the non-farming children can also be successful successors of the family farm business.

Mike Brady is a Cork-based agricultural consultant and land agent email: mike@bradygroup.ie
Businesswoman Deirdre Foley is seeking that the buyers of Clerys store cover all of her firm's legal and other costs in its legal action against a State agency.

This is disclosed in new accounts for Ms Foley's D2 Private Ltd which confirm that the company recorded a loss of 324,591 last year.

This followed the company recording a loss of 774,155 in 2015.

At the end of December last, D2 Private Ltd's accumulated profits had reduced to 449,556. Its cash pile had decreased from 2m to 778,638 last year.

Ms Foley's D2 Private Ltd currently has an application before the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn a High Court ruling last year dismissing the company's challenge against a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) investigation into the circumstances around the redundancy of 130 workers at Clery's in June 2015.

Ms Foley has a 20pc share in the purchaser of Clerys store, Natrium, and has been the public face of the firm.

As a result of that investigation, Ms Foley is facing a charge of impeding a WRC inspector and three counts of breaking protection of employment laws.

The hearing in the case is due to be heard next year at Dublin District Court.

The Clery workers were made redundant by the operator of the business, OCS Operations Ltd.

In the D2 accounts, a note sets out Ms Foley's and D2 Private's stall in relation to the roles of the firm and Ms Foley in the redundancy of the Clerys workers. The note states: "Neither D2 Private Ltd nor any employee of D2 Private, including Deirdre Foley, was ever the employer of those employees at OCS Operations Ltd who were made redundant in June 2015."

The note adds that "nor was D2 Private, Deirdre Foley or any other employee of D2 Private ever a director of OCS Operations Ltd and nor did they ever purport to act in the capacity of a director".

The note states that the appeal of the High Court decision by D2 Private is supported by Natrium.

The note adds that 'an indemnity has been sought from Natrium Ltd in respect of all legal and other costs".

Earlier this year, An Bord Pleanala gave go-ahead for a 150m redevelopment of Clerys after trade union Siptu withdrew its opposition against the plan following Ms Foley reaching a deal with former Clerys workers.

It was reported at the time that the workers were to share a compensation package of more than 1m.

The new development will create 3,990 jobs.
Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, former President of the High Court; Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice and Equality; and Detective Superintendent Patrick Lordan, Head of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, at the Insurance Ireland Fraud Conference in the Convention Centre Dublin. Photo: Keith Arkins

Plans to set up a specialist unit within the gardai to fight insurance fraud are at an advanced stage.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the new unit would be paid for by insurance firms.

"While this proposal is not without its challenges, I understand that talks between Insurance Ireland and the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau about the initial proposal are at an advanced stage," he told the Insurance Ireland annual fraud conference.

The idea is to set up a counter-fraud unit modelled on the UK's industry-funded Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department at the City of London Police.

Former President of the High Court Nicholas Kearns told the conference he supported the idea of a dedicated anti-insurance fraud division being set up within the gardai.

Any fears that an outside body would end up with some influence or control over the gardai could be overcome with a levy imposed on insurers to pay for this, and this money then used by the State to fund the new garda unit.

Mr Kearns, who has been appointed by the Government to head up the Personal Injuries Commission to compare award levels here with those internationally, said fraud was paying a huge part in the cost of insurance.

The cost of fraud was estimated at 200m a year. But the true cost was probably a multiple of this if the cost of exaggerated claims is added in. He said exaggerated claims were fraud also.

Insurance companies were perceived as an "easy target" for a pay-out of 10,000 to 15,000.

The risks of detection when false claims were made are low, which acts as a powerful incentive to make a false claim.

"There is a general feeling that there is no downside."

And Mr Kearns said insurers were allowing themselves to be "blackmailed" and were too eager to settle too many cases at the doors of the court instead of fighting them.

The former President of the High Court said a small handful of lawyers were sullying their profession.

"Malicious cases are tainting the reputation of the legal system and some of the profession." And judges came in for criticism in cases where they decide the claimant has lied and the evidence was unreliable.

He said the judiciary seems to be unaware that there is a protocol in place between the gardai and Insurance Ireland that requires insurers to report suspect claimants to the gardai, instead of having papers sent to the DPP.

Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan, of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, said some people justified making false claims as they see it as a payback because they believed they were overcharged by the insurance industry due to steep premium rises.
Unilever has received offers for its margarine and spreads unit from bidders including a consortium of Bain Capital and Clayton Dubilier & Rice, according to people familiar with the situation.

A group consisting of Blackstone Group LP and CVC Capital Partners also made an offer for the underperforming spreads business, valued at around 7bn, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is confidential.

Buyout firm Apollo Global Management has placed a bid alone, they said.

KKR & Co and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte also are interested in the asset, the people said. Initial bids were due last Thursday.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co, a US agricultural-trading house, said earlier in the month it was not bidding for the unit after the 'Sunday Times' newspaper reported that the Chicago-based company could team up with a private equity to bid for some of the operations.

Selling the unit is part of Unilever's effort to focus on faster-growing businesses such as Pukka Herbs tea and Sir Kensington's condiments after it fended off an unwanted takeover approach from Kraft Heinz.

Preparations for the company's exit from the spreads business are fully on track, chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly said on Thursday on an analyst call following third-quarter results.

The unit's brands include Flora and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

Representatives for Unilever, Blackstone, CVC, CD&R, Bain, KKR and Apollo, declined to comment. Representatives for GIC didn't respond to requests for comment.

Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch maker of Magnum and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and headed by chief executive Paul Polman. fell short of estimates for its third-quarter revenue growth, blaming bad weather for curbing demand for refreshments.

The company's underlying revenue rose 2.6pc, compared with the 4pc median estimate of analysts who were surveyed by Bloomberg.

In North America, revenue by that measure was down 2.9pc.

Bloomberg
North Asian buyout fund MBK Partners has also expressed interest in buying the business, the people said. Photo: Brendan Cullen

Pearson is in advanced talks to sell its English language training business to a consortium including Baring Private Equity Asia and Chinese private equity fund Citic Capital Holdings, according to people familiar with the matter.

A deal could value Wall Street English, which offers language training to adults in centres throughout China, at about $390m (331m), including debt, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential.

North Asian buyout fund MBK Partners has also expressed interest in buying the business, the people said.

Pearson announced in February it hired Moelis & Co to seek partners for Wall Street English. It acquired the business in two transactions in 2009 and 2010 for a total of about $237m.

CEO John Fallon has been selling assets to raise cash after a bet on the company's education business hit turbulence.

The company sold its stake in Penguin Random House this year after auctioning off the 'Financial Times' newspaper and a 50pc holding in the Economist in 2015.

Pearson is now battling a slowdown in the market for textbooks amid falling US college enrollments.

There is no certainty the talks will result in a deal, and details may change, the people said. Representatives for Baring Private Equity, Citic Capital, MBK Partners and Pearson declined to comment.

Wall Street English operates more than 400 learning centers in 27 countries, according to its website.

More than 180,000 students are currently enrolled.

Bloomberg
Beds, table service, and a cocktail bar will be some of the luxurious additions to the cinematic experience at the newly refurbished Stella Cinema in Rathmines.

The Stella Theatre has been in existence for 94 years and when it opens on October 31 it will be unveiled in all its original 1923 glory, with a single screen and restored original features including a decorative ceiling.

Theater Director Karl Geraghty describes it as a "grown-up cinema" and a "proper luxury cinema".

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio 1 he said, "There's going to be fresh food- small plates - and the food will be brought to your table at the start of the film."

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There will be luxury furniture including armchairs and ottomans and even beds down by the screen.

The first floor has been restored and will be the Stella Cocktail Club, a sister of the Vintage Cocktail Club in Temple Bar, accessible to both people attending the movie and anyone who just wants a drink.

The cinema originally catered for 1200 but there is now space for 217 people so there is a lot more room.

"It's a lot more luxurious," said Karl. "I don't think there's anything like it in Ireland. People are completely blown away by it."

Speaking about the restoration, he added, "A huge amount of love and care and attention went into it to the point where when you come into the cinema you see the screen and the curtains and they got photos of some of the details on the cinema that had been destroyed and had been on the wall where the screen is. They restored those details, pillars and a reed feature behind it, even though nobody will ever see it. There's that level of detail."

There will be late night screenings and the film choice for the first screening is up for public vote. The options are: Casablanca, The Dark Knight Rises, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pulp Fiction, Carrie, Intermission, Ferris Beuller's Day Off and Cinema Paradiso.

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A children's sailing lesson was cut short as Storm Brian moved on to the east coast this afternoon.

The group of around 15 children were rescued from the sea as weather conditions deteriorated.

Independent.ie understands that the sailing class was organised on the water this morning, but they ran into difficulties due to the strong storm winds at around noon.

Storm Brian swept over the country this morning, with Met Eireann warning people to expect heavy downpours and strong winds for the rest of the day.

Dangerous situation in @dunlaoghaire harbour averted after sailors rescued from small boats overcome by wind & waves #stormbrian #rtenews pic.twitter.com/sKN0rTT2HL  Joe Mag Raollaigh (@joemagraollaigh) October 21, 2017

A spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard confirmed to Independent.ie that Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard and a lifeboat were tasked to assist the boats involved.

"There were a number of children involved, up to 15 or 16 I believe," a spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard said.

"The sailing club assisted them back in. We just assisted the helpers of the last few from the sailing club."

It is understood four children had to be rescued from the boats, which were subsequently abandoned.

The boats were later seen crashing against the east pier in Dun Laoghaire.

All children were reported to be safe and well.

The Irish Coast Guard issued a warning last night to the public to stay away from exposed beaches, cliffs and piers, harbour walls and promenades along the coast during storm conditions.

A status orange wind warning is currently live for the coasts of Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford and will remain in place until 10pm tonight.

Southeast winds of up to 65km/h and gusts of up to 110km/h are expected throughout the day, while up to 55mm of rain is expected over a 24 hour period.

If you see someone in difficulty in the sea or on shore dial 999 or 112 and request the Irish Coast Guard.
A man has been charged with harassing RTE news presenter Sharon Ni Bheolain and possession of child pornography.

Conor O'Hora (40) appeared in court accused of harassing the newsreader over several months three years ago, as well as two counts of having child pornography "images and text conversations".

He is facing trial on the charges, and his case was adjourned for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Judge Michael Walsh granted him bail subject to conditions after hearing there were no Garda objections.

Mr O'Hora, with an address at Heather Walk, Portmarnock, Dublin, is charged with one count of harassing Ms Ni Bheolain on dates between October 20, 2013, and February 16, 2014.

He is also charged with possessing text conversations and images of child pornography on the same dates.

Garda Sergeant Padraic Hanley told the court he arrested the accused at Infirmary Road near the Criminal Courts of Justice at 10.37am.

"In relation to all charges after caution, the accused had nothing to say," he said.

The court heard the DPP had directed trial on indictment on all charges, but a signed plea of guilty would be accepted in the District Court if that arises.

Mr O'Hora has not yet indicated how he intends to plead.

Judge Walsh granted bail in the accused's own bond of 1,000 with no cash lodgement required.

Conditions are that the accused continues to reside at his home address, notifies gardai of any change of address, and has no contact directly or indirectly with anyone involved in the investigation.

He must also keep the peace and be of good behaviour, the judge said. The judge granted free legal aid after Mr O'Hora's solicitor Philip Hannon handed a statement of the accused's financial means in to court.

Judge Walsh read the bail conditions to the defendant and asked: "Are you going to give me an undertaking to do that?"

"I am, your honour," he replied.

The judge adjourned the case to December 1, for the preparation of a book of evidence.

He told Mr Hannon the usual reporting restrictions applied in relation to children, and "otherwise, the matter will be treated like any other case".
The role of doctors and nurses is to heal and care for patients, and not to bring about their death through procedures such as abortion, Bishop Kevin Doran warned.

Dr Doran, who is chair of the Bishops' Group on Bioethics and Life, stressed that the role of a healthcare professional never includes "intentionally bringing about the death of the patient, either by some action or by failing to act".

He said it would be helpful if the healthcare sector explored the difference between accepting death and causing death.

Doctors and nurses, he noted, are given a unique access to the human body for the express purpose of preventing and healing illness and to provide care for those who cannot be healed.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Bishop Doran asked why it is assumed that medical staff whose whole focus in life is healthcare should be prepared to take life through abortion.

"There is nothing in the ethos of healthcare that would remotely suggest that doctors or nurses should be involved in killing," he said.

He was speaking at a conference on abortion, the law and disability, which the Irish Bishops jointly hosted with the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in the UK.

Dr Doran resigned from the board of the Mater Hospital in Dublin in 2013 after it confirmed it would comply with the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, which allows for limited abortion.

Questioning the use of prenatal diagnosis, he warned that it was increasingly being used as a means of "screening out babies who, in the eyes of adults, should not be brought to birth".

"Unborn children are people too; so why would unborn children with disability be discriminated against by someone making a decision that they shouldn't live?" he asked the Irish Independent.

Other speakers at the conference included psychiatrist Professor Patricia Casey, who questioned the claim that abortion does not harm a woman's mental health.

Tracy Harkin of support group Every Life Counts spoke about how best care can be achieved for parents who are given a poor prenatal diagnosis for their child.

Trinity College Dublin Professor of Law, Gerry Whyte, warned that a decision to delete the Eighth Amendment could lead to a situation where the hands of the Oireachtas and the judiciary were tied, when it came to the question of protecting foetal life.
Second-level schools in Dublin are being particularly badly hit by teacher shortages because of the housing crisis across the city.

There is a general lack of qualified teachers in a wide range of subjects, including Irish, home economics, and maths.

Science - particularly physics and chemistry - and modern languages are also being badly hit by the shortage.

Rising enrolment in second-level schools is creating the demand for more teachers.

However, many qualified teachers have taken career breaks to work in the Middle East where they can build up deposits for homes on the back of tax-free salaries.

The problem of filling vacancies is particularly acute in the capital, because of the difficulties staff face in trying to find affordable accommodation on a teacher's salary.

Delegates at the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principal (NAPD) offered anecdotal evidence of teachers turning their back on opportunities in Dublin to take up positions elsewhere.

A large, fee-paying school in the capital advertised in recent weeks for a maths teacher and a science teacher.

However, it received no applications for the science post, and only one for the maths jobs.

In another typical example, a south-Dublin school recently wrote to parents to advise that, despite several attempts, it couldn't find a home economics teacher to cover for a maternity leave.

NAPD president Cathnia O Muircheartaigh raised the issue directly with Education Minister Richard Bruton at the conference.

Mr O Muircheartaigh warned the minister the situation was so serious that "we could be looking at cancelling student activities or being unable to release teachers for professional development".

NAPD director Clive Byrne told the Irish Independent that the high cost of housing was affecting people's willingness to live in the capital.

He said teachers were being "attracted to positions around the country other than Dublin, where accommodation was more available and affordable".

Mr Byrne referred to the UK and the "London allowance" which is paid to public servants such as teachers to compensate for higher living costs in the city, but there was no such system in Ireland.

A number of initiatives are already in place, or under consideration, to address teacher shortages, such as encouraging retired teachers back into the classroom, but they are playing catch-up with the problem.

Mr Bruton said yesterday that among the new measures being considered was the use of the Springboard upskilling programme to encourage homemakers, with third-level qualifications, to consider returning to the labour market as a teacher.
A fire officer has told of the moment he arrived at the scene of a tragedy during Hurricane Ophelia, only to realise the casualty was his cousin.

Sub-officer at Clonmel Fire Station Paddy Pyke was working in the area with a colleague when they received an alert to attend the Ardfinnan-Cahir road in Tipperary.

Speaking on last night's Late Late Show, Mr Pyke said he realised when he arrived at the scene that his cousin Michael Pyke was involved in the incident.

The 31-year-old man had stopped his car to clear a tree from the road, when a second tree's limb fell and struck him.

Michael, the youngest in a family of 11, suffered fatal head injuries.

"On the day in question I would have attended the scene with Carol," Paddy Pyke told Ryan Tubridy.

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"It wouldn't have been normal for me to attend that area, the only reason I was there was because the decision was taken that nobody should travel alone that day.

"Carol was fielding calls the entire time en route to the incident and taking notes, so I was driving.

Expand Close Friends and family, including girlfriend Nollaig Hennessy (centre, holding frame) at the funeral of victim Michael Pyke in Co Tipperary yesterday. Photo: Provision / Facebook

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Whatsapp Friends and family, including girlfriend Nollaig Hennessy (centre, holding frame) at the funeral of victim Michael Pyke in Co Tipperary yesterday. Photo: Provision

"But on arrival at the scene, once I heard the name of the casualty, I realised it was a first cousin of mine."

Paddy Pyke described his cousin Michael as being "mammy's white-haired boy".

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"Michael was the youngest from a large but very close family.

"He had seven sisters and three brothers.

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"He grew up to be a large man, six foot two, he was a large man but he was a gentle giant.

"He didn't have to know your name before he'd help you, he didn't care who you were.

"Unfortunately, on the day itself, Michael was trying to help when he was struck by the limb of a tree that fell. "

Speaking at his funeral, Michael's sister Linda said she was sure "the best seat in heaven" was now reserved for her younger brother.

"Michael, what can I say? We are heartbroken," she said.

"You were the best son, brother, uncle, friend and boyfriend [to Nollaig]."

Linda added that the entire family was comforted by the fact that Michael, the youngest in the family, "was back in the arms of our mother [Moira]".

"Michael, you will always be in our hearts - and you will never, ever be forgotten," she added.

Linda said Nollaig Hennessy, her brother's partner, was devastated by the loss of the 31-year-old.

Ms Hennessy referred to the "gentle giant" as her "adventure buddy".

"We are now on different paths, but I know you are never far away. Love you always," she said.

Ms Hennessy took a framed copy of a photograph taken during one of her hill walks with Mr Pyke to the altar.

Clogheen Parish Priest Fr Bobby Power said that, from chatting to the Pyke family, he realised that Michael was "the white-haired boy who could do no wrong".

"[Michael was] a quiet man and a gentle soul who always thought of others," he said.

Prayers made reference to the two other families who lost loved ones during the height of Storm Ophelia: Clare O'Neill, from Aglish in Waterford, and Fintan Goss, from Ravensdale, Co Louth.
The owner of a specialist tree nursery in North Cork, who lost up to 10,000 trees during Storm Opehlia, has pleaded with the Minister for Horticulture for vital support.

Joe Ahern who owns Fana Nursery in Ballyhooly had thousands of trees flattened on Monday during Storm Ophelia and is hoping that Storm Brian doesnt wreak further havoc this weekend.

Were still counting the number of trees destroyed by Ophelia. Its a pain-staking process. Everywhere we look there are trees down. It could be as many as 10,000 trees lost at a potential cost of up to 100,000 to the business. It has the potential to buckle us.but for now were focused on rescuing what stock we can and looking ahead, said Joe Ahern.

And he told Independent.ie that other nursery owners across the country suffered similar damage.

Its everywhere but as a percentage of total stock we seem to have been hit the hardest. Storm Ophelia destroyed over a quarter of our total number of trees, its devastating, really devastating, said Joe.

Gusts in excess of 130 km per hour ripped through rows of trees, including oak, birch and laurel.

Almost 70 percent of the nurseries Pyrus Chanticleer stock was wiped out. Intriguingly the gusts bulldozed through some rows while leaving others beside them relatively untouched. In some cases, the trees were snapped completely at their base such was the strength of Mondays winds.

These were trees which were first planted between five and 10-years-ago. Literally thousands of man-hours have gone into them. Its heart-breaking to see them bent, twisted and lying on the ground. It was like a vortex hit them throwing them around the place. Weve never seen anything quite like it in our 15-years of business, explained the father of two.

While insurance cover is available for those in the tree nursery sector the annual premium costs would swamp a nursery the size of Fana and so the business will have to incur the costs unless the State can assist.

As a sector were crying out for help. Like there was literally nothing I could have done to prevent this or protect my stock. When other sectors suffer excessive storm damage on this scale they can apply to a support fund, we need to be able to do that too, said Joe.

And he continued: If Minister Andrew Doyle (Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture) is serious about supporting our industry, having our back and limiting the amount of non-indigenous trees and plants coming in from other countries then we must surely get a helping hand at difficult times like this.

He added: Its little wonder than there is a shortage of new entrants into the nursey plant business in Ireland today. If supports arent forthcoming now then some growers may go out of business. All were asking for is some help in our hour of need.

A second nursery, Annaveigh Plants, in New Inn, Co Tipperary also had damage to an estimated 10,000 trees caused by Storm Ophelia.
Kieran Alexander (57) was walking on the Ballyroan Road in Rathfarnham when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on January 18 last at around 1pm.

A man who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while out walking is hoping to track down the man who saved his life.

Kieran Alexander (57) was walking on the Ballyroan Road in Rathfarnham when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on January 18 last at around 1pm.

A Good Samaritan stopped and was able to successfully administer CPR with successful resuscitation, ultimately saving his life.

"A guy driving by jumped out of the car, realised my heart had stopped and applied CPR immediately. Apparently you have a window of about five minutes with sudden cardiac arrest and if you don' receive CPR in five minutes there is no way back," Mr Alexander told Independent.ie.

But luckily the man was on the scene quickly and the alarm was raised. An ambulance was dispatched and Mr Alexander was rushed to hospital.

"I knew nothing about it until I woke up in hospital eight days later," he said.

Mr Alexander went on to spend eight days on intensive care and a number of months in the cardiac rehab clinic and now has a defibrillator in his chest.

"I came out with my life and that's the bottom line," he said.

"The survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is minimal... it was a complete stroke of luck, 20 yards on and I would have been turning up a little side road and nobody would have seen me," he added.

The man passing by undoubtedly saved his life the financial advisor said.

But the dad-of-two has gone on to make a full recovery and is keen to track down the man who saved him.

"I'm trying to track him and down and say thank you and also to say 'how are you, I made it I'm here'," he said.

"Because even if he tried to enquire [about his condition] he never would have been able to find out due to data protection," he added.

The happy coincidence of his saviour passing at exactly the right time was not the only twist of fate on the day the Knocklyon man fell ill however.

An old phone he uses when out walking to listen to the radio has not been able to receive calls for a number of years but on the day his daughter, Joanne, tried the phone on the off-chance when she was wondering where her dad was.

"A Dublin fire officer answered it and it worked for a minute or so and he got long enough to tell her what had happened and she was able to tell him my details," Mr Alexander said.
"I have the strength now to not let this wrong define me or overcome me with total despair," says Clare Stewart of the tracker mortgage scandal that darkened five years of her life, robbing her family of a sense of security.

With a full-time job in media advertising and two young children, she admits to a sense of disbelief at being caught up in a spiralling financial saga that now looks set to involve around 30,000 bank customers. Financial adviser Padraic Kissane has estimated that those affected are owed "half a billion euro and rising".

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is to meet the banks' chief executives on Monday, warning that the situation is "unacceptable".

"We are not talking about consumer matters here - we are talking about the lives of citizens that have been badly hurt in too many numbers by the way in which this issue has been dealt with historically, and by how it is now being dealt with," he said.

Financial experts have grown increasingly frustrated by the delay.

A Dublin-based lawyer is hoping to bring a test case to the High Court next year to fight for compensation for those affected.

"It's going to be a David versus Goliath battle with the banks," said Niall Kiernan of Lawlor Partners.

"The Central Bank is not doing much about this so people feel the need to instruct their lawyers."

He acknowledged that with "limitless resources" the banks can afford the most expensive representation - however the case will be decided by the High Court on its merits and Mr Kiernan remains confident that right will prevail over might.

Ulster Bank admitted to Ms Stewart last January that she was one of their customers affected by the tracker mortgage debacle - but she is still waiting for redress.

She and her husband, Stephen, bought their four-bed semi-detached house near Wicklow town in 2006 at the peak of the Celtic Tiger boom. They took out a mortgage with Ulster Bank on a tracker rate of 1.15pc above the ECB rate for the life of the loan.

Six months in, the couple decided to heed the extensive advertising campaigns urging customers to lock in to fixed rates.

"We decided to fix for two years to give us peace of mind," said Ms Stewart.

In August 2008, she miscarried four months into pregnancy and around this time, their fixed-rate period expired. Overnight, their payments jumped substantially by 300.

"We were shocked," she said, explaining that the couple asked the bank what could be done and they were told that trackers were no longer available.

"I was in a very dark place and I didn't have the energy to fight the banks," she said.

"If I am honest I was afraid of them due to the economic climate and the worry of losing our home.

"At this time, I never thought for one moment that Ulster Bank would have deliberately denied us our contractual right to a tracker."

Ms Stewart went on to have a baby in 2009 - but her pregnancy was marred by financial worries.

"I just couldn't enjoy it," she said.

A year later, husband Stephen lost his job amid the recession and having used up their savings, the couple were by now "exhausted," she said.

In 2010, they restructured their repayments and struggled on, though it was intensely stressful.

Ms Stewart has retained letters from Ulster Bank querying the cost of their childcare and even of their Sky TV subscription at 25 - while all the time they were being unknowingly overcharged by the bank to the tune of between 350 and 500 per month.

By now distrustful of the banks, Ms Stewart began to pay the mortgage manually each month - but for a period of 12 months, the bank system failed to pick it up automatically so she received letters within 10 days of each payment demanding payment.

A neighbour urged her to fight Ulster Bank since he had the same mortgage terms and conditions and had managed to get his tracker restored, but again Ms Stewart felt she could not.

In 2012, the couple got back on their feet after Stephen regained employment and were back in a situation where they were making full payments on their mortgage again.

Last year, Ms Stewart had a second child - but says her financial situation caused her to leave a seven-year age gap between them.

"But the silver lining was this time I enjoyed my pregnancy because I was determined to," she said.

"Ulster Bank took a lot of control of my life for a long time and I am angry about that.

"I am thankful that my first girl was too young in 2009 to remember the rows, the stress and many sleepless nights caused by the unnecessary pressure caused by this debacle."

She said she felt "isolated and ashamed" because of their financial situation.

Finally, she got in touch with Mr Kissane who has been battling the banks on the issue of trackers since he first learned of it in 2009.

The bank told her nothing could be done, until a letter arrived last January restoring the couple's tracker mortgage. Their monthly repayments dropped instantly by 500.

Nevertheless, Ms Stewart estimates that the couple made 81 overpayments to the bank. "This is a huge body of work, the banks created it themselves by overcharging customers," said financial adviser Mr Kissane of the scandal.

"They should be trying to sort this out yesterday."
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has hit back at Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martins claims that the Fine Gael leader is a right-wing elitist.

In a sign of the deteriorating relationship between the Minority Government partners, Mr Varadkar used his inaugural speech at the Fine Gael presidential dinner as party leader to directly attack Mr Martin.

At the dinner in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, the Taoiseach said Mr Martins party believe people on average and middle incomes are the so called elite.

Mr Varadkar said Fine Gael rejects such a characterisation and insisted the party will never apologise for standing up for people who get up early in morning, who work nights and weekends, who aspire for something better for themselves and their families.

It's their taxes that fund public services and keep our welfare system afloat and they deserve a break. And they know which party is on their side, he added.

The Taoiseach said the Fianna Fail leader was a formidable politician who has seen it all.

He became a TD during the Haughey era, he became a Minister during the Ahern era, and he became an expert during the Cowen era. And he's spent the last seven years learning to be the new kid on the block, Mr Varadkar added.

The Taoiseach also attacked Labour, Sinn Fein and the miscellaneous.

In reference to Labour Party TD Alan Kellys cup of coffee budget comments, Mr Varadkar said: Some of them have tried to dismiss this budget as only providing a cup of coffee a week for people.

Id advise these latte socialists to think again about where they buy their coffee. Because if you cant be trusted to spend your own money carefully, how can you be trusted with other peoples?, he added.

The more serious point is that these same politicians opposed any reductions in the USC and income tax.

They seem to want to prevent working people receiving any benefit at all. They dont believe that working people or the middle class are even worth a cup of coffee.

Some of them have tried to dismiss this budget as only providing a cup of coffee a week for people.

Mr Varadkar said the arc of our aspirations was evident in the budget which he said points towards fairness and reward and aspiration.
Although the date for the next general election has yet to be decided, Sinn Fein is the first party out of the traps in issuing its opening pitch for support.

In the typical style of Boris Johnson, who is known himself to enjoy an expensive bottle of wine, Gerry Adams yesterday set out his stall in the form of a lengthy essay published on his personal blog.

Entitled 'Serpents Tales of Forked Tongued Politics', Mr Adams cited Fianna Fail and two of the North's unionist parties as using animal euphemisms to describe Sinn Fein.

The DUP, Mr Adams explained, likened his party to alligators.

It didn't though.

Party leader Arlene Foster described Sinn Fein as "crocodiles" during the assembly elections - but Mr Adams, to be fair, isn't a stickler for detail.

The Sinn Fein president then turns his attention to Fianna Fail after the party's Meath West TD Shane Cassells opted for the term "serpents" at last week's ard fheis when ruling out the prospect of a FF/SF coalition.

"Last Friday evening one Fianna Fail TD, who was arguing against any future coalition arrangement with Sinn Fein, tried to go one better by telling an enraptured FF audience 'you don't deal with the serpent by inviting it into your bed'," Mr Adams wrote.

Most good essays have a beginning, a middle and an end.

And indeed, Mr Adams's own political manifesto gets down to business early.

He insists that the myriad of serpent-type attacks on him and his colleagues in recent weeks is because they are viewed as a political threat.

"Micheal Martin, looking over his shoulder at the increasing electoral strength of Sinn Fein, north and south, is desperate to stymie the growth of Sinn Fein," the Louth TD said.

"We are an electoral threat to the status quo. That cannot be tolerated. In the search for wayward Fine Gael votes Teachta Martin cannot be seen to be soft on the Shinners. Heaven forbid."

Without a doubt, it's been a bad week for the leader of the Sinn Fein movement.

Leaving aside his gaffe surrounding the 30 bottle of wine, he has faced accusations from Dublin that he in particular is responsible for blocking efforts from his Northern 'leader' Michelle O'Neill to strike a deal with the DUP that would finally give the people of the North a government.

It's an allegation he denies - but Dublin insists Mr Adams would prefer direct rule from London than getting back into bed with Mrs Foster and co.

But there are two more false and equally extraordinary assertions made by Mr Adams in his 1,300-word dissertation.

Firstly, he claims that it was Fianna Fail and Fine Gael who refused to enter into meaningful engagements with his party after the last election.

Sinn Fein was in fact the first mainstream party to step off the field in a clear attempt to force its two major rivals to form a grand coalition. It was a move that nearly worked too.

Secondly, Mr Adams writes that "we are the party of and for dialogue".

Perhaps he is giving away early what the slogan will be on the Sinn Fein posters and leaflets during the election campaign. "The party of dialogue".

With the rights for "An Ireland for All" and "A Republic of Opportunity" already bought out, Mr Adams might be running out of ideas.

Try get that slogan to wash with the many men and women within Sinn Fein who attempted to speak up about a culture of bullying, misogny and intimidation - and yet there was apparently nobody prepared to listen.

Or run it by the likes of IRA rape victim Mairia Cahill, who was dismissed and ridiculed by some within Sinn Fein when she made her allegations known.

Nobody expects Sinn Fein to be perfect, Mr Adams.

But people do expect not to be taken for complete and utter fools.
Further education and the cost of living are among the reasons why 65pc of babies are being born to mothers aged between 30 and 39.

New Central Statistics Office data revealed that on average, mothers are giving birth to their first child at almost 31 years of age.

Three decades ago, women were almost five years younger when they had their first baby.

Meanwhile, more than 23,000 children born last year were out of wedlock, according to the CSO's 'Statistical Yearbook of 2017'. The statistics track everything from births and marriages to crime and potato farming.

Cliona Loughnane of the Women's Council of Ireland (WCI) said the rising age of mothers followed decisions made by women and by families in modern Ireland.

"It's about when it's right for a woman to have a child," Ms Loughnane said. "It's a gradual increase [in age] and Ireland is following a general trend that is happening around Europe.

"Part of that is higher education attainment, so that will probably delay when women decide to have a family."

Ms Loughnane added that women may also be considering their careers before settling down with a family. However, she said it was often a decision made by a couple, and not just the woman.

Elsewhere, the data revealed that homeowners are spending almost three times as much of their weekly income on rent and mortgages than they did in the 1980s.

In 1980 just over 7pc was spent on housing costs.

However, this jumped to 18.2pc in 2010 and rose again to 19.6pc in 2016. Housing expert at Dublin Institute of Technology Dr Lorcan Sirr said the lack of supply was one of the biggest factors in this upsurge in cost.

"The big issue is that our population has increased significantly since 1980 - over a million - and yet we haven't had an increase near that in the number of houses, so it doesn't go," he said.

Dr Sirr added that the wages of workers had not kept up with the rise in cost of housing, particularly with the commercialisation of the housing market.

He said the number of council houses had dropped significantly in that period, while mortgages from banks come at a much higher cost than a council or a building society.

Meanwhile, the proportion of income being spent by homeowners on food has been slashed in half in the same period, from 27.7pc to 14.7pc.

Influx

Dermott Jewell of the Consumers' Association of Ireland told the Irish Independent that the influx of supermarkets and frequency of weekly and fortnightly bulk shopping had contributed to this drop.

He said shopping locally on a daily basis was much more prominent 30 years ago.

"That was a time when we did not have an Aldi or a Lidl, supermarkets which are cheaper right across the board," Mr Jewell said.

"There has been a change in how the price index works.

"The habit (in the 1980s) was not to go to a supermarket on a weekly or monthly basis. It (shopping daily) was only for convenience but it was not going to do anything for your budget."

Other notable statistics include that more than 1,000 same-sex marriages were recorded in 2016.

The county with the lowest number recorded was Roscommon, with two same-sex marriages in the year.

The Roscommon-South Leitrim constituency was the only one to vote 'no' in the 2015 marriage referendum.
Most schools under Catholic patronage dont go into the realities of anal sex, says Eoin Keegan (25), from Firhouse in Dublin who is HIV positive.

Fifteen to 16-year-olds are, generally, introduced to gay sex through really aggressive hardcore pornography.

They dont realise that the men performing in these videos are trained pros. Chances are, if they try and repeat what they see, they are going to bleed really badly. Anal bleeding, minus condoms, is one way you get HIV.

Parents should have a conversation with their children when they come out about the realities of gay sex and what they have to do to protect themselves. Do they not have to take responsibility for the health and safety of their gay kids?

A survey of the general population, undertaken by HIV Ireland this year, uncovered some worrying findings. Twenty percent of 18-to-24-year olds incorrectly thought HIV could be passed through the sharing of a public toilet seat, 24pc believed HIV could be transmitted by kissing, while 11pc incorrectly thought it could be transmitted through coughing or sneezing.

Only 19pc of respondents reported correctly that the risk of someone who is taking effective HIV treatment passing it on through sex is extremely low, while 10pc of people stated that they wouldnt feel comfortable working with a colleague who was HIV positive.

Eoin includes his status on his Grindr profile. He is sometimes the only poz on the island.

Reduce your search to people under 30 and you can get all the way to the west coast of Canada before finding another.

The reactions, he says, are varied.

I dont get called a poz whore that often. Maybe once every couple of months, I am told Im worthless, that Im going to die. But its mainly silence. Irish guys are good at the polite ignore.

More often than not, Eoin finds himself having to educate those who contact him.

People ask me really basic questions, like where they can get tested. These are men, in their 30s, whove been sexually active for a decade. But you have to educate.

Eoin has lost friends who implied he deserved the illness due to his perceived sexual history.

What I love is that people expect me to tell them, says Eoin, but no one ever asks me when was I last tested.

But as Eoin concludes; James Baldwin once said that not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

Not getting tested is not going to change your status. If you are having sex without being tested, you are more of a liability than I am.

Most transmissions come from men who have never been tested.
There have been calls for a second Garda station in the town

There were many interesting aspects to emerge from the recent annual public meeting of the Joint Policing Committee.

Perhaps the most interesting and novel proposals was for the establishment of a Garda sub-station in the town centre, which was made by Cllr Mark Dearey.

It is easy to dismiss such a proposal and see it as pie-in-the-sky, unrealistic nonsense.

Why would Dundalk need a second Garda station?

Obviously there are budgetary issues which will make it difficult for the provision of a second Garda station or even a sub-station in Dundalk.

There has been Garda station closures throughout rural Ireland in recent years and the reopening of the Garda Station in Stepaside in Dublin has become a hot political potato.

For those considerations alone, the opening of a sub-station in Dundalk's town centre seems unlikely.

However when you look behind the reasons for making the proposal, the reasoning is well founded and should be explored further with a task set to Garda management and the local authority to come up with a creative solution.

Retailers in the town centre are concerned about the lack of Garda presence on the main streets of the town centre and the lack of engagement from the Gardai in responding to their calls.

On many occasions traders in the town call upon the Gardai for their services. These calls are not normally 999 emergency calls which require a blue light and wailing siren response but are still genuine calls for assistance.

The scale of drug use in the town is a concern and traders are obviously worried when drug users are taking drugs and discarding needles in plain sight of their premises.

This problem is a daily occurrence in parts of the town and traders are frustrated at the level of support and assistance they are getting from the Gardai.

Senior Garda management have acknowledged that they see merit in having a sub-station in the town centre which will provide more visibility on the streets for their members and assist in improving their relationship with traders and improve their customer service profile with the general public in dealing with services provided by the Gardai such as passport applications.

The reality however is that a sub-station will be a pipe-dream unless it is really embraced by local Garda management and the local authority and they are imaginative and determined in their approach.

Neither have infinite budgets, indeed both have far smaller budgets and manpower than they would ideally like, but if both parties really put their minds to it they could come up with a creative solution in finding a suitable premises in the town centre which would be open from 10am to 5pm six days a week to provide Garda services in the town centre.

It won't be an easy argument to win with Garda management and they will need strong support from local government if there any hope of a sub-station being provided
Dundalk comedian Lisa Casey has been shortlisted for the Irish Comedian of the Year Awards after making it through the semi-finals in Belfast recently.

The 26 year old from Ard Easmuinn will vie for the top prize at the Vodafone Comedy Festival

Lisa has been making a name for herself on the comedy circuit with her stand up and sketches which gives a no holds barred look at life as experienced by a young woman in contemporary Irish society.

Lisa was short listed for the Funny Women Awards in 2016. She also won the Corrupt Comedy Competition at 2016's Hardy Har Comedy Festival. Two years ago she was a finalist for the Budweiser Dream Job competition.

The Irish Comedian of the Year final is due to take place in Galway on Monday, October 30 at the Vodafone Comedy Carnival.
The School of Business & Humanities at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), has launched its Entrepreneurship Guest Lecture Series 2017 with an exciting programme of guest lectures and panel discussions from leading academics in the field as well as dynamic entrepreneurs.

The lecture series is for DkIT students from all disciplines and is also open to the general public.

It is an opportunity to listen to individuals and their entrepreneurial journeys as they detail their successes, failures, and any lessons they have learned along the way.

It is provides a forum for students to explore entrepreneurship as a viable career option, not to mention a great opportunity for them to network.

The first guest lecture was delivered by DkIT Social Care graduate Mark McCormack who spoke about his experience as founder of a new social enterprise, Create The Great In You which is focused on youth empowerment among transition year and leaving certificate students.

Chris Gordon, CEO of the Irish Social Enterprise Network and BCorp Ireland, showcased social entrepreneurship and gave students more insight into the skills required to start a career in this area.

The lecture series is part of DkIT's continued strategy to introduce students from all backgrounds to enterprise learning environments to help nurture desirable graduate attributes such as creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and of entrepreneurship.

In 2016, DkIT was identified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as one of leading institutes in Ireland for embedding entrepreneurship in higher education and featured in a published case study of best practice.

More recently DkIT was named national winner of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2017 for its development of the BSc.(Hons) in Engineering Entrepreneurship programme.

DkIT Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation, Angela Hamouda who led the organisation of the Guest Lecture series, said: 'I am delighted to welcome such esteemed entrepreneurs and leading academics to participate in our lecture series.

'We have a vibrant programme of speakers from a variety of backgrounds and wide ranging topics from social entrepreneurship to family business. 'I am confident that our students wll be inspired and learn from these shared experiences as they plan and consider their future careers.'

Upcoming lectures this semester include:

'Changing Views on Entrepreneurship and implications for policy and practice', by Simon Bridge, Thursday October, 19th: 'Minority Entrepreneurship', by Professor Thomas Cooney, Thursday 7th December.

This will be followed by a continued series in Semester 2. Anyone interested in attending any of these events, please contact Angela Hamouda (Angela.Hamouda@dkit.ie).
Last week's budget is 'good news for families here in Louth who will have a solution to their housing needs,' Louth Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick has said.

The allocation of 1.9 billion to housing programmes will meet the needs of 25,500 households in 2018, he said.

He said the 2018 Budget represents an increase of 46% on 2017. A large element of this funding (1.14 billion) is for the delivery of almost 5,900 social homes through a range of construction and acquisition programmes.

'The balance of the funding will be used to add additional tenancies, and maintain existing ones. This will be done by funding the existing Rental Accommodation Scheme and the Housing Assistance Payment.

Louth County Council has the funding available to increase the housing supply in Louth.

'To further increase supply the Minister announced the establishment of Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI). He has allocated 750 million of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund available for commercial investment in housing finance.'

'To get up and running quickly, HBFI will draw on the extensive skill and expertise in residential development funding that currently resides in NAMA,' Deputy said.

'The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and NAMA are already supporting the commercial delivery of 30,000 houses and apartments over the period to 2021 and these additional funds have the potential to fund the construction of an additional 6,000 homes.

'The real way to tackle homelessness and to make housing more affordable for everyone is to increase housing supply. This budget will see an increase in funding for Homeless Services a further 18 million to over 116 million to ensure that emergency accommodation and other supports are available to those who need them.

'An increase of 31 million has been allocated to the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme bringing the total to 115 million. This will deliver an extra 4,000 social housing homes next year.

'The Housing Assistance Payment Scheme will be increased by 149 million in 2018, enabling an additional 17,000 households to be supported and accommodated in 2018 while we steadily increase our housing supply.

'Changes to the vacant site levy will mean developers need to get on with the task of developing lands urgently or risk seeing the levy they pay on their undeveloped sites increase dramatically.

'This will stop the hoarding of development land here in Louth" the Fine Gael TD said.

'The message from Government to vacant site owners is clear - to have the levy lifted, they need to get on with developing your lands urgently.

'Fine Gael is determined that everyone has an opportunity to a home of their own, that's why we're committed to creating a functioning housing market, unlike the boom and bust that we have witnessed in the past.

'We are committed and determined to a long term, sustainable housing model that provides security for tenants,' Deputy said.
Cannabis herb, with an estimated street value of more than 5,000 was uncovered during the search of a property in Greenacres last week. Dundalk gardai confirmed that one man was arrested in relation to the find of what was believed to be a 'substantial amount of cannabis herb and drug paraphernalia' at the premises on Thursday last.

Meanwhile, there were a number of drugs seizures during the major multi agency checkpoint held north of Dundalk on Wednesday last. The checkpoint was set up at Major's Hollow as part of Operation Sonnet, and saw several searches taking place of vehicles, where drugs where uncovered.

The checkpoint was also focused on illegal immigration, and gardai confirmed that a number of people were 'returned' after the operation. Gardai and Dundalk Fire service attended the scene of an overturned vehicle at Carrickarnon on Sunday The car, an Audi A4 was on its roof across the old AI/NI and was blocking the road just 15 metres across the border.

The road was closed for a time before the vehicle was removed and towed away. Gardai confirmed there were four people arrested on suspicion of public order offences over the last week.

There were also three motorists arrested on suspicion of drink driving offences.
Bernie Bingham conducts the Dundalk Brass Band at Diwali-Festival of Lights held in Blackrock Community Centre

Aswati Santhosh, Sona Sani and Merin Thomas at Diwali-Festival of Lights held in Blackrock Community Centre

Ankitha Francis Joseph and Ann-Maria Sebastian at Diwali-Festival of Lights held in Blackrock Community Centre

Swapna Sarita Mishra and Pallabika Das at Diwali-Festival of Lights held in Blackrock Community Centre

The Diwali Festival was marked in Blackrock when the Kalinga Academy of Social Sciences Ireland (KASSI) hosted a cultural event to mark this festival of light on Saturday October 7, in Blackrock Community Centre.

Presenters Mr. Manju Roy and Dr. Anjana Satpati were welcomed by Dr. Pardeep Sayal to what proved a spectacular and colourful event where performers from majority of Indian states along with performers from various Irish dancing school participated.

Special Odia dance performer Dr. Natali Rout, winner of various world awards travelled from the United Kingdom and won the heart of everybody in the audience. Dundalk Brass Band was in full swing and played the National Anthems of India and Ireland along with a popular tunes.

Performers from the Mona Roddy Dancing School Irish Dance, Corrigan White Irish School of Dancing Irish Dance, South Indian School of Dancing and from many individual performers from the age of 4 years onward delighted the audience as did the singing of local teacher Jebun Nahar.

This event was attended by Honarable Mrs Vijay Singh, Ambassador of India in Ireland,

Declan Breathnach TD attended, along with Councillors Emma Coffey and Maria Doyle, who lit the candles for special prayers. Candles were also lit by two of the local Irish dancers to wish every body Happy Diwali.

Dr. Dilip Mahapatra, chairman, explained the objectives and goals of KASSI and thanked everyone for attending.

Mr. Durgesh Tiwari and many more worked very hard to organise what proved a most entertaining evening.

The evening ended with mouth watering special Indian dishes dinner and a raffle draw, which was supported by Euroasia, Mystique Beauty salon, Dr. Dhara Mishra and Dr. Dilip Mahapatra

The event was sponsored by Lugh Medical centre, M L Quinn construction, Dexascan and bone metabolism unit, New Ireland Assurance, Lyca Mobile, and RK marketing.
A Louth man accused of IRA membership and directing the activities of the dissident organisation denied buying Shamrock glucose in his alleged capacity as an IRA member, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Seamus McGrane (63), of Little Road, Dromiskin, County Louth has pleaded not guilty to membership of the IRA between January 18th, 2010 and May 13th, 2015.

He has also denied directing the activities of an unlawful organisation, styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, between the dates of April 19th and May 13th, 2015.

Detective Garda Colm Finnerty, of the Special Detective Unit, told prosecuting counsel Tara Burns SC that on April 15th 2015 Mr McGrane was interviewed by gardai under Section 2 of the Offences Against the State Act.

The section allows a court to draw inferences from a suspected person's failure or refusal to answer questions regarding alleged IRA membership.

The court heard that Mr McGrane denied he was a member of the IRA.

Det Gda Finnerty said that the accused man was also asked if he had ever bought Shamrock glucose in his capacity as an IRA member and he again denied membership.

Previously, the court had heard an audio recording of a conversation between Mr McGrane and Donal O'Coisdealbha in the snug of a Dublin pub that had been bugged by garda detectives in which the accused man spoke of using Shamrock glucose to manufacture explosives.

Earlier, the court heard 'belief evidence' from Chief Superintendent Sean Ward that the accused man was a member of the IRA between the dates in question.

Detective Garda Noel Mohan, Dundalk garda station, told prosecuting counsel Tara Burns SC that he saw Mr McGrane in Dundalk at republican marches commemorating the 1916 Rising every year from 2011 to 2015.

He said that men convicted and jailed by the Special Criminal Court also attended these marches.

The court was told that the prosecution had closed its case.

Michael O'Higgins SC, for Mr McGrane, said the defence was not going into evidence.

Following closing speeches by both defence and prosecution, judgement was reserved until October 31st.
The long awaited rates review for business premises in the town has been welcomed by Cllr Mark Dearey, who runs the Spirit Store public house on George's Quay.

The Green Party councillor said that the review 'will definitely help' hard pressed town centre traders.

He anticipated that, similar to what has happened in other counties, 'around 60 per cent will end up paying less and 40 per cent will pay more.'

'It will probably have a minor impact on most businesses. I don't think they will be cracking open the champagne or losing sleep either way.'

The review is based on a new system whereby it is set on the actual value of the property and will 'reflect the way which retail has shifted out from the town centre.'

He described the new system as 'very helpful and clear which will help businesspeople understand how the rate is set.'

'It is based on the property sales value put on the property by the valuation office and will be reviewed every give years unlike the current system were there hadn't been a review for thirty or forty years.'

'It marks a very, very significant improvement for the system,' he said.

He welcomed the inclusion of a provision to take turnover into consideration for certain businesses such as petrol stations and public houses/

'Pubs have lost so much value in recent years and a lot of them are unsellable,' he noted.

The rates apply to all commercial premises and everyone who owns one must pay even if it is empty.

'There is now only a 50 per cent rebate for owners of vacant premises and this will be a very heavy burden on people who are left with a premises which they can't let.'

He revealed that he intended tabling a motion for the November meeting of Louth County Council for the local authority to begin taking Compulsory Purchase Orders on properties which are derelict and lying idle.

Citing the north end of town as an area which is suffering from dereliction, he said the Council should use the expertise it had acquired through using the CPO process to acquire vacant houses to take an innovative approach to tackling the blight of empty commercial premises.

He felt that there were a number of vacant premises in the town centre which could be transformed into badly needed student accommodation or developed into small units for digital enterprise, for example.

'A lot of these properties will never become commercial or retail outlets again - they have been lying idle for ten years or more and have been bought and sold a number of occasions. The owners will also get a rates bill but if they don't do anything with the building, they will get a 50 per cent rebate.'
Over 24,500 in cash suspected to be linked with criminal activity was seized by Revenue officers in Dundalk last Thursday.

Two houses in the Dundalk area were searched by Revenue officers, supported by members of An Garda Siochana as part of an intelligence-led operation targeting the illegal importation, supply and sale of tobacco products,

The money was sniffed out by Revenue's detector dog Bill who uncovered more than 24,500 in cash. This money is suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity, and was seized in accordance with the proceeds of crime legislation.

At a sitting of Drogheda District Court on Friday officers were granted a three month detention order to facilitate further investigation.

Members of the public who feel they have information that someone is evading tax or is involved in smuggling, are urged to report it. Contact Revenue's Confidential Freephone 1800 295 295.
There were three Wicklow winners at the Network Ireland annual awards, which took place in the Druid's Glen Hotel on Friday, October 6.

Audrey Dalton of Pawtrait Photography won the Blink Design Award in the Arts Section while the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Molly Comish of Dignity Packs Ireland. Molly Williams of Hidden Valley Holiday Park in Rathdrum won the highly commended award in the CPA Ireland Skillnet Established Small Business Category and Leigh Williams from Wicklow Brewery in Redcross was a runner-up.

A delighted Audrey Dalton said the win was a 'great validation that you're on the right path with your dream' and said she had met the 'most wonderful women' through the network, who have provided her with great support. Molly Williams said she was 'extremely proud and honoured' to have won the highly commended award and said that, with Hidden Valley currently in expansion mode, the business will be

When it came to the Outstanding Contribution Award, Rebecca Harrison, Network Ireland President and MD of Fishers in Newtownmountkennedy, said it wasn't difficult coming up with a worthy winner.

'Molly, while still a schoolgirl, has achieved so much and helped so many with founding Dignity Packs Ireland. Her story of starting small with her tip money and how it's hit a chord with so many people and now she has sponsorship and awards to beat the band' said Ms Harrison.

Earlier in the day, top international speakers from the business world addressed Network Ireland's annual conference, which was also held at Druid's Glen.

There were over 250 delegates present and speakers at the conference included Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ireland, Her Excellency Hana Mottlova, and Wicklow business women Catherine Fulvio from Ballyknockan and Rachel Doyle from the Arboretum.

Cllr Gerry Walsh, Cathaoirleach of Greystones Municipal District and Chair of Wicklow County Council's Economic Development and Enterprise Support, Strategic Policy Committee, welcomed everyone to Wicklow and congratulated Network Ireland President Ms Harrison on bringing this national event to Wicklow. The Wicklow branch of Network Ireland will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, November 21, in Fishers from 7 p.m., where Elaine Madigan, creator elegant jewellery and traditional watches, will share her story.
The owner of local convenience store Candy's Gala, Carnew is off to the Big Apple for Christmas after winning a trip for two at the annual Gala Conference.

Michael Kelly of Candy's Gala won the trip as part of a prize draw at the annual conference, which took place at the Malton Hotel, Killarney.

The conference also incorporates the Gala BEST awards ceremony and a trade expo, which features almost 80 suppliers.

The trip to New York includes a five night stay at the four-star Fitzpatrick Hotel in Manhattan, as well as 1,000 spending money.

Mr Kelly said: 'I'd like to say a big thanks to Gala Retail for such an incredible prize. I'm looking forward to heading off to the Big Apple before Christmas.'

The Gala Conference brings together all the retailers in the Gala Group for an inspirational day of motivational speeches, a trade fair and an update on the Gala business and new initiatives.

The event was launched by a panel of Irish sporting greats, including Tracey Piggott and former Munster player, Frankie Sheahan.
A significant number of people took risks by the coast last Monday during Hurricane Ophelia.

This was according to Dermot Macaulay Greystones Coastguard. He said that volunteers were patrolling Wicklow to Shankill for the duration of the storm, with a nationwide red alert in place.

'There were people down piers and on beaches with children' said Dermot. They also encountered four teenagers who wanted to go in for a swim. 'We advised people to stay away from the sea. Some people chose to ignore it. There was a significant amount of people taking risks.' He said that the majority of people they spoke to took their warnings seriously and left.

'We went out at 12 and thought we'd be finished by 6 p.m. but we had to carry on until midnight,' said Dermot. 'If someone got washed in there's not a lot we could do. You can't launch a boat in that weather.'

In Bray, seven people availed of overnight accommodation in Fassaroe Community Centre, and a further seven in Wicklow Homeless Five Loaves on Albert Walk.

'We had a number of volunteers helping out,' said a representative of the community centre. As well as the seven sleeping over, one or two came in for food and a shower.

They were overwhelmed at the centre by the generosity of the public who dropped off supplies all throughout the day.

Deputy John Brady said that they are now trying to secure more permanent accommodation for the people who stayed in Fassaroe on Monday.

At Five Loaves, the cook was serving up hot meals all day, and the seven people staying over got fold-up beds delivered by the civil defence.

There was a good atmosphere at the Albert Walk facility, despite the confined spaces.

The jolly atmosphere continued to the following morning when a hot breakfast was served. Members of the Order of Malta called in on Monday night to check everyone was okay.

There were no major incidents in the north Wicklow area, but trees did come down on Bray's Herbert Road, Vevay Road, King Edward Road onto an ESB cable, Cookstown Road in Enniskerry into ESB cables, and on Blacklion Road in Greystones as well as Sea Road in Greystones. Trees also came down on the grounds of Oldcourt House on Vevay Road.

Electricity supply was affected in large areas of Bray for most of the afternoon and evening. The Department of Education announced yesterday evening that schools and colleges will re-open today (Wednesday).
Multi-award winning German jazz pianist Michael Wollny has taken the European jazz scene by storm in recent years thanks to the electrifying spontaneity of his live gigs and a series of highly-acclaimed recordings.

From tender ballads to wild rollercoaster rides, the ideas come thick and fast, each almost tripping over the last as Michael Wollny pursues his trademark for unpredictability.

In similar vein to his late ACT stablemate Esbjorn Svensson, Wollny melds jazz, rock, pop and classical music with thrilling invention as he brings excursions into Alban Berg, Edgard Varese, the Twin Peaks soundtrack and the Flaming Lips alongside original compositions penned by the trio in their lauded releases Weltentraum (2014) and Klangspuren (2016).

The current line-up features his long-time collaborator and fellow composer Eric Schaefer on drums, while double bass player Christian Weber was recently singled out by The Wire as being "one of the most interesting players on the European electro-acoustic improv scene.

The group play the Droichead Arts Centre on Saturday October 28.
Leo Varadkar, Enda Kenny, Gerry Adams, Michael D Higgins, Bono, Liam Neeson, Martin O'Neill, Ireland's world famous list could go on and on.

But when it comes to someone that world leaders really want to engage with and explore new ideas about the very future of the planet - they ring a chap at Beaulieu Cross on the Termonfeckin Road and ask him to fly half way around the planet for a chat!

Philip McCabe can hardly believe the company he keeps. Be it world leaders, ministers, kings and princes, he has become accustomed to rubbing shoulders with them all.

Philip is entering his second year as President of Apimondia - basically the world organisation of beekeepers.

He readily admits that Ireland is way behind when it comes to realising how important bees are to the planet - and it's not just bees that are endangered - it's all insects.

He tells of a meeting with Prince Albert of Monaco some time ago. The prince wanted a quick few lines to sum up how endangered insects are in general in the present world.

'I told him, years ago when I used to drive from Dublin to Galway, I'd arrive there and the first thing I'd have to do was to clean my windscreen and the front of the car because it would be covered with dead insects. Do that journey now and that does not happen. It's simple,' he stated.

And when you stop and think about it - he's spot on.

'Sometimes I think Malachy McCloskey (Boyne Honey) is the only person that knows me in this country,' he states.

All over the planet, bees are huge business. In the Arab countries, they pay $150 a kilo for raw honey to feed race horses. In the US, business values hit 115bn. European countries are doing all in their power to learn more.

'They are all at a level we can't imagine,' Philip states. He has spent time in Russia, Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia this year and Finland is next. They wanted him in China last weekend and he couldn't make the trip.

Beekeepers get paid for pollination in some places. It means more bees, more honey, more insects, more birds - saving the planet.

'We had Prince Albert over in the summer to Drogheda and the local schoolchildren did a project on biodiversity but most ended up doing projects on fish, because they couldn't source enough insects - and that's around here.'

He has just returned from the 45th international Apimondia congress in Istanbul in Turkey. Over there they know their business and in 2016 exported 10,000 tonnes of honey.

Philip brought a couple of locals with him for the congress and their jaws dropped when they saw the place. 13,000 people attended from 129 countries around the world. 'It was massive,' he explained, adding that ministers were coming up and asking him how Enda Kenny was keeping! They even got to see original Whirling Dervishes.

Various speakers addressed many issues, but huge emphasis was put on the fact that honey is the original 'energy' drink - long before the present day brands.

While Philip heads up the organisation, the team behind him spread the planet, from Japan to the US, Australia to all parts of Africa.

The group was formed in 1897 and the basic aim is to promote scientific, ecological, social and economic beekeeping development around the world and more and more conservation is a huge topic.

The name Apimondia is a compound word made from api, referring to honey bees, and mondia, meaning the world.

Philip still has two years to run on his four year term as president and in that time will do all he can to continue to promote the survival of the bee population.
Louth County Council has no plans to altar its current arrangement for the former O'Reilly Brothers property in Narrow West Street, it has been revealed.

In a notice of motion, Mayor Pio Smith asked the council to outline the future plan for the property.In response, the council said a large portion of the property is currently occupied by St Vincent de Paul for us in the selling of donated goods to raise finance for it's charitable work.

'The council has no plans to alter this arrangement and expects to use the remainder of the property as storage or office accommodation when the refurbishment of the Drogheda Civic Offices get underway,' it added.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Smith said: 'That's fair enough but I think Narrow West Street is dying on its feet. We're all hoping we'll be included in the Living City initiative plan. I think the council needs to have more longterm plans for the building and how it's going to develop in the future.'

He went on to say that as far back as 2007, a report said the town will never win a Tidy Towns competition as long as Narrow West Street and the old derelict Mill across the river remain as they are.

Supporting the motion Councillor Frank Godfrey said something needs to be done to provide quality shops on Narrow West Street.

The motion was also supported by Councillor Kevin Callan who said there have been a number of quick, short term projects in this area of town, such as the clean up of Old Abbey Lane, but he agreed a more medium to long term plan is needed.

Councillor Oliver Tully also supported the motion and agreed that an overall plan was needed for Narrow West Street.

Senior Engineer Pat Finn said the council have taken action under the dangerous structures act in Drogheda and this included buildings in Narrow West Street.

Cllr Smith asked whether the council could ask Anthony Abbott King to come to the next meeting. 'He was working on plans for this area and gave a presentation on it,' he said. 'I would like to see him come and address the meeting. I would also like to see the outcomes of the enforcement orders served.'
A multi-milion euro school campus, to cater for students from two special schools, is to be created on 4.5 acres of land on the Cement Road in Drogheda.

The site, adjacent to the Pitch and Putt club, will be a state-of-the-art building and comes after years of effort.

The campus will serve St Ita's on Crushrod Avenue and St Mary's Special School in Drumcar and will meet the needs of children in Drogheda, Mid and North Louth, Meath and North County Dublin.

"I am frankly estatic with this development which is the result of my determined campaign launched when I was Mayor of Drogheda in 2010 and almost concluded in my term as Cathaiorleach of Louth County Council which concluded three months ago,' Cllr Paul Bell stated this week.

He says there has been 'immense' goodwill shown towards the project from Irish Cement, the Department of Education and Louth CC.

'There is a total desire to do the right thing for the children of St Ita's and St Mary's, both having outgrown their existing facilities at Crushrod Avenue and Drumcar which have been chronically overcrowded and deemed unsuitable for the past several years,' he said.

He says there are some technical issues to resolve, but the next phase is set to come rapidly and that includes planning and the continued support of the council to deliver the project.

'I wish to sincerely thank senior management of Irish Cement Limited, the executive officers of Louth County Council as well as the Department of Education, the patrons and staff of St Ita's special school and St Mary's, Drumcar for their support and encouragement of my work on the children's behalf. I feel deeply humbled and privileged to have served those citizens providing and in need of special education,' he added.

For Archdeacon Jim Carroll, chairperson of the Board of Management at St Ita's, it's a day that has been years in the making.

With 145 pupils, it has long since outgrown its site on Crushroad Avenue and they've been working on a new home for some years.

'Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny came to see us a few years ago and he asked then Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to come along and he said he was very much disposed to a new building but the site was the problem,' he explained.

St Ita's is a regional school and has a very experienced and talented staff, as well as huge community support.

'The goodwill in all of this has been great, from councillors, TDs and senators, they've all supported us,' the Archdeacon added. 'We must especially thank Cllr Paul Bell and Louth CC on behalf of the department.'

He said this is the 'first step' in a major project.

When St Ita's school was opened officially in September 1966 by Mr. Donagh O'Malley, the Minister of Education, it was the first permanent school for children with specific needs to be built north of Dublin.

It consisted of four large classrooms and an occupational therapy room.

Prior to the school development, pupils with special needs attended a section of St Brigid's school on Bothar Brugha for four years, thanks to the intervention of then Monsignor, JF Stokes, who devoted part of the school to the children.

The new school was built at a cost of 60,000, designed by Turlough Lynch, assisted by Mr Boyd Barrett, and was built by the Tredagh Building Company. It had four teachers and was due to cater for 80 children.

St Mary's School is based in Drumcar and is a recognised special national school operating under the Department of Education and Science (DES). It also caters for a wide area.
Some 166 participants turned out to walk the annual River Valley Walk in aid of the Irish Cancer Society recently, an event that has raised more than 100,000 for the society in its 11 year history.

The event is organised by local woman, Margaret Harris who decided to raise money for the society after receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2003.

Margaret is still going strong 14 years later and leads the way in the 5k walk through the valley which has grown from just 30 participants in its first year to 166, this year.

So far, this year's event has raised 4,000 to add to the fundraising pot and the money is still coming in from the event.

Margaret thanked everyone who took part in the event this year and all the local businesses who supplied prizes for the raffle, as well as her volunteers and in particular, her right-hand woman, Kathleen Corby.

Peacock's restaurant also deserves special mention as they provide much needed refreshments for the tired walkers after the event.

Among the other primary sponsors of the event are the local Dunnes Stores, Supervalu and Centra as well as Fyffes, Keoghs Crisps and Keelings.

Last year, the walk broke the 100,000 barrier in its 10th year and The Irish Cancer Society honoured Margaret for her efforts and continue to be grateful for her great commitment to the charity.
The Fingal Baha'i community will join millions of people around the world in celebrating the 200th anniversary of its founders birthday this weekend.

Inspired by the teachings of Baha'u'llah, who was born on October 21 1817, the community will celebrate the occasion at Malahide Rugby Club on Saturday.

Baha'u'llah was born in the city of Tehran, Persia. He suffered imprisonment, torture and exile for His beliefs and teachings at the hands of the Persian Shah and Sultan of Turkey before finally being incarcerated for life in the Ottoman penal colony of Acre, now in modern day Israel.

Alison Maloney, a young member of the Fingal Baha'i community living in Swords said: 'Baha'u'llah taught that God is one, that God is the source of the world's great religions and that mankind is one. He proclaimed 'the earth is one country and mankind are its citizens' and promoted the elimination of racial, religious and social prejudice by declaring 'ye are the leaves of one branch and the fruits of one tree.'

Sarah Wilson, a representative of the Swords community said: 'His writings proclaim that man is essentially spiritual by nature; that men and women are equal in the sight of God; that education is a right to be enjoyed by all children; promotes economic principles for the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty.'

'It calls for the adoption by governments of an auxiliary international language as a practical measure for the establishment of international peace by promoting understanding and dialogue between peoples of the world; promotes the establishment of an international parliament to administer the affairs of an increasingly interdepended global community; and calls upon his followers to pursue a life dedicated to the betterment of the world and service to humanity.'

In this bicentenary year world political and religious leaders have paid tribute to Baha'u'llah's contribution to the furthering of international peace and reconciliation. International scholars and leading academics have acknowledged the uniqueness of his writings.

Alison added that 'the Fingal Baha'i community is looking forward to the bicentennial celebration and we are extending an open invitation to the people of Fingal who may like to join us'.

The afternoon of celebration at Malahide Rugby Club runs from 3pm to 4.30pm. Further details from Ray Maloney at 089 7001917.
Fingal Local Enterprise Office (LEO) has launched the country's biggest Student Enterprise Programme, with over 2,000 secondary school students eagerly committing to establishing their very own new business.

With the guidance of experienced business mentors provided by the LEO, the savvy students will develop their own actual businesses, researching, resourcing, and trading services and products.

Now in its sixteenth year, the Student Enterprise Programme will this year, see over 22,000 students compete on the national stage.

There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide and Fingal LEO co-ordinates and presents the largest number of participants every year, for a place in the County Finals in March 2018.

Category winners will then advance to the National Final, in April 2018.

The secondary schools programme is sponsored, for the ninth consecutive year, by the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board.

Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise, in Fingal said: 'Every year we see a fantastic array of innovative and exciting new business ideas emerging from Fingal students that participate in the Student Enterprise Programme.

'I am delighted that we have such a wealth of young entrepreneurial talent coming through.'

Mr Geoghegan added: 'The programme is unique in that it gives young people an opportunity to learn at first hand how they can put their business idea into practice.'

Putting context on the significance of supporting student enterprise, Paul Reid, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council added: 'The bulk of new jobs in Ireland are being created in local and small businesses.

'In order to maintain a healthy local economy and create jobs, it is imperative that we encourage a strong entrepreneurial culture.

'Fingal County Council, through the Local Enterprise Office, is determined to ensure that the next generation of entrepreneurs are given every encouragement and stimulation to pursue their dreams. That's what the Student Enterprise Programme is all about.'

The programme is still open for secondary school entries, further information is available by e-mailing serena@aboutcommunications.ie or by visiting www.studententerprise.ie / facebook.com/pages/Fingal-Student-Enterprise-Award
Fingal-based fresh fruit producer and supplier Keelings has raised 15,556.50 for Dyslexia Association Ireland.

Founded in 1972, the Dyslexia Association of Ireland works with people affected by dyslexia, by providing information, offering appropriate support services, engaging in advocacy, and raising awareness of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty, which affects the capacity for fluent and accurate reading and spelling skills with approximately 10% of the population affected.

Keelings hosted a number of fundraising events throughout 2017 in aid of the charity, which were widely supported by Keelings staff.

David Keeling, CEO of Keelings Retail said: 'We are delighted to have raised funds for 'Dyslexia Association Ireland'. The DAI are doing a fantastic job for people that live and work with Dyslexia.

'I would also like to thank the staff at Keelings who got behind each fundraising event and showed great enthusiasm and support. All proceeds from the fundraising event go to DAI.'

Rosie Bissett, CEO of Dyslexia Association of Ireland said: '"This fantastic result wouldn't have been possible without the brilliant staff at Keelings. I would like to thank everyone who generously gave up their time and kindly donated to the DAI.'.
A young man who spat blood at a female garda and door staff of a late bar claimed his drink was spiked on the night.

Bartosz Swieca (25) started to argue with the door staff of Empire Bar on Main Street in Swords in the early hours of the morning. When Garda Amanda King arrived, he spat blood at her and failed to desist in his behaviour, Swords District Court heard.

Gardai required further assistance to arrest him as he continued with his violent behaviour. The defendant, of Wickford Hall in Swords pleaded guilty to being intoxicated, using threatening and abusive behaviour and refusing to comply with garda direction on Main Street in Swords on July 1st. He has no previous convictions.

The court heard he had made contact with the arresting garda Amanda King to apologise for his behaviour. Defence solicitor Morgan Redmond said the 25-year-old doesn't drink much alcohol and is into fitness. 'It was completely out of character and he believes his drink was tampered with on the night.

'He lost control. It is not behaviour he would normally indulge in,' said Mr Redmond, handing in a reference from the defendant's former employer. 'You won't see this behaviour again and he is generally a good character,' Mr Redmond said, adding the defendant is anxious to avoid a conviction. Judge Dermot Dempsey said if the defendant comes up with 400 as a charitable donation by the end of October he will take a certain course.
The Government has confirmed its commitment to delivering Metro North and said that the funding for the project will be laid out in its upcoming 10-year Capital Plan but those hoping for an early arrival for Metro will be disappointed with still 10 years to wait before anyone from Swords can hope on the Metro and head to Dublin Airport or the City Centre.

In its latest four-year Capital Plan, the Department of Transport has laid out its spending plans and reaffirmed its commitment to Metro North but 2021 remains the date for the beginning of construction on the project and it will be 2027 before it is completed and ready for use.

Announcing the plan, Minister for Transport, Shane Ross TD said: 'With today's four-year capital envelope, we are progressing preparation of the Metro North; construction work on this project will start in 2021, with passenger services starting in 2027.'

There was no indication of the funds required to realise the project in the new plan but the Minister said those details will be fleshed out in a ten-year plan, due to be published 'in the coming months'.

He said: 'The 10-year capital plan to be published in the coming months will include the funding for the period to complete this significant addition to public transport. I also expect to include a number of other significant major investments in that forthcoming 10-year plan.'

The new capital programme also includes funding to progress the further electrification of the northern rail line to Balbriggan that will eventually take the Cart service to north Fingal.

Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) who is a long-time campaigner for Metro North said he had 'lost count' of the amount of times the Government had announced the project and it was time for 'action not words'.

His party colleague, Deputy Darragh O'Brien TD went further and dismissed the announcement as Government 'spin'.

Deputy O'Brien said: 'Fine Gael and Labour let down the people in this region when they broke their firm promise to deliver on the Metro during the last election. At that time, Metro North had a comprehensive business analysis, planning permission and a Railway Order, with a capacity of 20,000 passengers per hour; Metro North was ready to begin development.

'Even after announcing a scaled-back version which included changes to the proposed route, it is yet to go through the planning process. Despite being announced time and time again, there has been absolutely no action over the past five years to deliver on the Metro North project. It's hypocritical to re-announce a project with no map for delivery.'
Vastly outnumbered and cut off from supply lines with only rudimentary weapons at their disposal, 155 men under the command of the brilliant and courageous Commandant Pat Quinlan held out for a week in the Congo of 1961 as they endured what has become known as 'The Siege of Jadotville'.

This December, those men will finally get the recognition they deserve as they are awarded medals for their courage during that fateful week and a Malahide school has played a pivotal part in winning that long overdue concession to the soldiers and now wants the State's highest military honour to be awarded to the Jadotville men's Commandant, Pat Quinlan.

Pat's son, Michael works at Malahide Community School where students recently wrote no less than 1,074 letters to An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar demanding the Medal of Honour for Commandant Pat Quinlan.

It was their letter writing campaign last year along with a similar campaign in a Galway school that won a meeting with Enda Kenny at the end of his tenure in Taoiseach which moved the retiring Fine Gael leader to write a more than 50-year wrong and announce on his very last day in office that all the men of Jadotville would receive a medal of recognition for their conduct in that fateful week back in 1961.

Michael Quinlan and the whole school community were united in the effort by campaigning history teacher at the school, Kevin Manning who invited Michael's brother and Pat's other son to the school last week to deliver a talk on the events of Jadtoville to Transition Year students.

His talk was preceded by the showing of the film based on those events starring Jamie Dornan and following the screening, Leo Quinlan who became a Commandant in the Irish Army just like his father, spoke to the Fingal Independent.

He explained how the film and his talk complimented each other in telling the story of Jadoville.

'The students will have seen the film and I expect now that they will fully understand the film. The film could only touch on two days of the battle and the talk will give the reality of it and the lead into what happened, the aftermath and the real story. 'While the film itself, the veteran's tell me, is about 95% accurate including the battle scenes, the talk will kind of put the icing on the cake and dot the i's and cross the t's so to speak.'

Talking about his father's role in the Siege of Jadotville, Leo said: 'He was 42 years of age at the time and he, like the rest of the company had never been in action before. It was a big shock to them, I imagine but as history shows they acquitted themselves not only well, but extraordinarily well.

'My father seemed to have an instinct for strategy both on the ground and in terms of tactics. He was good at his job but so were his officers and his men - they were absolutely superb. When you think he had to maintain the morale of 155 guys under a terrible situation and even more so at the end of the battle, when he had to go and negotiate a cease fire in the absence of any instruction of guidance from any higher authority - on his own as a Commandant, dealing with a minister for a foreign Government. 'He negotiated a ceasefire that protected the lives of his men and then during six weeks of captivity he had to keep morale high. And of course, after that he was back in action again. He had to be a leader of a certain ability - a very high ability - to manage all of that.'

Asked if his father ever talked about the events of Jadotville, Leo said: 'He didn't talk about it for a few years. A lot of the Jadotville fellows never spoke about it.

'When I was working with some of the veterans, I didn't know they were at Jadotville for a few years. It's not they were ashamed of it, it's just they were hurt by the lack of recognition they got when they came back. Then as I got older and I started to make my own place in the army, my father did start to tell me things about it and the veterans started to tell me things. By the time I was a Commandant myself, I knew practically everything about it.'

Because the week of resistance ended in a negotiated ceasefire, the soldiers who endured that extraordinary week so valiantly were never recognised for their efforts and the story was largely buried for decades. But despite that, Pat Quinlan never expressed any malice towards the powers that be that may have suppressed the story.

Leo said: 'He never said anything bad of anybody in higher authority - all he talked about was his men and the tactics and the lessons to be learned from it and how good his men were.

'He never spoke ill of anybody which, in later years, I failed to understand why he didn't but that was him. He tried to try to keep me informed about the best tactics to use in perimeter defence situation - we used to discuss it almost as equals because I was then educated but he had the practical experience. He thought of it as a learning experience and he wrote about it in his diary and letters to people.'

While it is hoped a Medal of Honour may be awarded to Pat Quinlan before a ceremony in his native Kerry at the end of this month to honour him is held, that remains to be seen. What is certain now is that all the men of Jadotville will be officially recognised for their efforts by the State in December and that already means a lot to the Quinlan family.

Leo explained: 'It's fantastic to get final recognition for the men. You have probably 40 of the 155 still alive and for them personally and for their families and the families of deceased veterans, it's really, really fantastic and brings closure to the whole business.'

He praised the Malahide students for their role in the campaign, saying: 'It is amazing what they have done here. You just look around you and see #medal4Quinlan all over the walls. This kicked off in a community college in Galway who are here today.

'They kicked off the medal of recognition campaign for Jadotville with the powers that be and this school immediately picked up on it and went at it big time last year and this year again. I understand that in recent weeks, 1,074 letters from here were sent to the Taoiseach calling for a posthumous medal for Commandant Pat Quinlan - it's quite amazing actually.'

Leo said that what his father did in that week in the Congo is a 'source of great pride' for his family.

He said: 'It is a great source of pride, because the more I read about it and find out about it, the more I realise what a difficult task it was that he was faced with and yet, he came through it. The big thing about all of this is that my father always felt that the decisions he made brought home everybody alive. It would have been very easy for him to make a different decision and they would have all been killed - that was the harsh reality.'

Leo's brother, Michael has the catering contract in the Malahide school and was touched by the school's involvement in gaining recognition for the men of Jadotville.

He reflected that many of the men that fought so bravely in Jadotville were no older than the students listening to his brother's talk.

Michael was only 10 when Jadotville happened but remembers a lot of misinformation circulating at the time and even remembers going to a special Mass for 'the souls of the men who were killed at Jadotville'. Thankfully, none of his father's company died that day and a couple of months later he would be reunited with his father.

It was not until both men were much older that Jadotville was discussed and Michael said his father was 'always disappointed that the people he recommended for medals were totally ignored'.

He said he had been 'surprised and delighted' by the school's campaign for recognition of the men of Jadotville but said he won't believe that medals are being awarded until he sees it happen. He said: 'Why it has been ignored for so long is a mystery to me, it really is. They should have been honoured long before now. The tactics they used that week are being taught in military colleges around the world to this day.'
World Mental Health Day was recently marked in Gorey with a coffee morning in the Loch Garman Arms.

The event was organised by the mental health charity GROW to help promote mental health awareness. It was one of thousands of events held around the globe to mark a day which this year had the theme of mental health in the workplace.

Ellen Ryle, co-ordinator of GROW in Wexford, said the event was about highlighting the importance of looking after mental health, as well as physical health. It also served to highlight the mental health supports that are available locally, and emphasised the message that 'you are not alone'. Sincere thanks went to all who attended, and those who donated towards the tea and coffee, cakes and scones. Thanks too went to the team at the Loch Garman for their hospitality.

GROW holds free weekly peer support meetings in Gorey for anyone aged over 18 who is struggling with any aspect of their mental health. Meetings in Gorey are held in Gorey Community School on Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m. and upstairs in Tesco (beside the electrical section) on Thursdays at 10 a.m.

GROW also has groups in Arklow, Enniscorthy and Wexford. For details, visit www.grow.ie or call the GROW infoline on 1890 474 474 or Ellen on 087 2291718 or email ellenryle@grow.ie. Alternatively, if you are in a crisis and want to talk, contact the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123.
Members of the Gorey Polish Cultural Association recently gathered in the Loch Garman Arms to hand over a cheque for 1,000 to Cycle Against Suicide.

Daniel Dragosz organised a team of eleven men and one woman, including eight Polish and four Irish to undertake the Hell and Back challenge in Bray.

The team, and the members of Gorey.pl, two of whom ran the race, raised 500, and Salesforce, the company Daniel works for, added another 500.

A spokesperson for Gorey.pl said that Cycle against Suicide is about being able to ask for help and so is the Hell and Back event. 'Without help it is almost impossible to go through "hell" and come out on the other side,' she said. 'This is the reason we picked Cycle Against Suicide. As Gorey.pl Polish Cultural Association we understand how difficult and lonely life can be sometimes and how important it is having someone to talk to.'

Compliments went to the team who braved icy water, mud, high walls, and narrow pipes. They formed a great team and helped each other to finish the race.
Deciding on which secondary school to attend is always a big decision for any sixth class pupil, but the recent open evening at Gorey Community School no doubt helped many make up their mind.

Principal Michael Finn had visited 21 primary schools in the locality in the weeks before to invite the pupils along to the open evening, and as usual, the response was overwhelming.

'The place was jammed,' said Mr Finn. 'They came in droves. People locally are aware there is a high volume of pupils looking to get in to the school, so there was huge interest.'

In his speech to the visitors Michael emphasised the importance of getting applications in on time. 'For the last couple of years, if your application was late, you didn't get a place,' he said. 'That's such a disappointment for parents and pupils when it comes in late.'

The deadline for applications is Friday, November 10, at 3 p.m. There are 275 spaces for first years in 2018, and places are allocated according to the school's enrolment policy. Siblings of current pupils are accepted first, and then pupils from feeder schools determined by the proximity to GCS.

The open evening included displays on various subjects offered, and the wide range of extra-curricular activities and student supports. There was great interest in the Irish stream, or Sruth, not just from Gaelscoil pupils.

Michael said there was particular interest in the subject options, and he said that in 99 per cent of cases, the students get the subjects they choose.
Bishop Denis Brennan recently visited Taiwan to attend the Apostleship of the Sea Conference in his capacity as Bishop Promoter in Ireland for the Apostleship, with issues including human trafficking high on the agenda.

The Glasgow-founded Apostleship of the Sea serves seafarers from across the world, regardless of belief, nationality or race.

Since its foundation in 1920, The Apostleship of the Sea has set up service centres in many ports around the world for church workers and volunteers to inquire after the welfare of fishermen and offer much-needed assistance.

The 24th World Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea, attended by Bishop Brennan, had a theme of 'Caught in the Net', and was dedicated to themes relating to fishing and human trafficking, and aimed at those within the industry who find themselves 'entangled in nets in which they experience difficulties and need rescuing'.

The themes considered expressed the care and attention of the Apostleship of the Sea not only to analyse natural resources, but also and above all human resources, in particular fishermen who find themselves working in inhumane conditions and who often fall into the hands of organised crime.

Fr Bruno Ciceri, Vatican delegate for the Apostleship of the Sea, official of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and expert on these themes, was the chief organiser of the Conference.

In his opening address, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican, noted that 38 million people were engaged in fisheries worldwide, 90% of them working in small scale fisheries, largely in Asia and Africa.

'Flags of convenience' still make identifying ownership difficult, said the Cardinal.

'Abuses are still present including cases in the fishing industry of forced labour and human trafficking. Exacerbating the problem is the practice of some fishing vessels being at sea for months or years, making it difficult for fishermen to report abuses,' he said.

Cardinal Turkson said the work of the Congress was essential, both to better understand the lives of those who depend on the sea and to see how they can benefit from the evangelising work of the Apostleship of the Sea.

Delegates heard from Max Schmid of the Environmental Justice Foundation on the shocking effect of illegal fishing on fishermen including those not having work contracts, not feeling free to leave the vessel, cases of sexual and violent abuse and even executions at sea.

He lauded the work of AoS in ports around the world to secure justice for seafarers where fishermen had suffered abuse.

Speaking about the Conference on his return, Bishop Brennan paid tribute to the huge amount of work done daily across the world by port chaplains who are available to seafarers each day in all parts of the globe. He cited in particular the work being done tirelessly by Rose Kearney in Dublin, her fellow workers, chaplains and volunteers.

'A smiling face, a helping hand, a listening ear, this is the ministry of many throughout the world to seafarers.

'It is silent unseen work, but work that is vital for the welfare of so many who transport to us so much, who supply us with food and goods and who have needs themselves, from a simple word of encouragement to a need to speak of difficulties, fears or abuses,' said Bishop Brennan.
Councillors voted unanimously to send a letter of support to the people of Catalonia following the actions of police and the Madrid Government, following the region's recent independence referendum.

In a motion Cllr Fionntain O Suilleabhain called for Wexford County Council to send its solidarity to the parliament and people of Catalonia following the actions after the recent referendum. Cllr O Suilleabhain said: 'It's very hard to imagine that in 2017 900 people could be injured while casting a vote.'

Cllr Deirdre Wadding seconded the motion. Cllr Pip Breen said he found it strange that one year on from when Ireland celebrated its rebellion centenary when a united Ireland was fought for, that the council should be supporting a motion calling for a divided Spain. He said 200,000 people marched in Spain for a united country the previous weekend.

Cllr Keith Doyle said the way the Catalan people were treated was bordering on fascism. He said: 'We can't get into a situation where we are having solidarity with a parliament.'

Cllr Malcolm Byrne described the actions of the Madrid Government as completely counter productive and wrong. 'I have friends in Barcelona and my sister lives in Madrid. My view is that we should send out a message to say that we don't condone the actions.'

Cllr Robbie Ireton said the council should mind its own business and stay out of internal Spanish politics. 'It's nothing to do with this county and its people. If he wants to make a statement let him away with it.'

Cllr Deirdre Wadding said Ireland spent last year celebrating the self determination of our nation in breaking away from an imperial power. 'Spanish history is extremely imperial,' she said, adding that the Catalan people, through their language and culture, qualify and meet the criteria of being their own nation. 'We should be supporting the self determination of a people who voted 90 per cent in favour of having an independent nation. Our country was born in a revolution so I support this call.'

Cllr Michael Sheehan also harkened back to 1916 when, he said, a group of renegades who didn't have the support of the people rose up and won independence. Cllr Davy Hynes agreed that the rights of a people to self determination is something that councillors should support. Cllr Oisin O'Connell said the ugliness has been on the side of the Madrid government.

Cllr Byrne seconded the motion, which was passed by majority.
Julian de Spainn of Conradh na Gaeilge and Peadar O Conchubhair of Craobh Ghuaire from Kilanerin, who met Minister Michael D'Arcy TD (centre) at Clinic na Gaeilge 2017 at Buswells Hotel on Kildare Street

Members of the Irish-speaking community from Wexford met their local representatives last week to voice their concerns around funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, as Clinic Na Gaeilge came to Kildare Street in Dublin.

The 10-hour mobile clinic at Buswells Hotel saw Peadar O Conchubhair from Gorey and others sit down with Minister Michael D'Arcy TD to ask for his support for an Irish Language and Gaeltacht Investment Plan which they say could create over 1,150 new jobs.

Representatives from 27 constituencies across Ireland travelled to the capital to meet 83 TDs, Senators, and representatives in a bid to secure funding of 5.3 million for the plan in Budget 2018.

'Clinic na Gaeilge brings the voice of the Irish-speaking community to the seat of power, where they can air the local issues that matter to them most,' said Peadar. 'It was good to sit down as Gaeilge with Michael and encourage him to make investment in the Irish language and in the Gaeltacht a priority for the Government in Budget 2018.'

Dr Niall Comer, president of Conradh na Gaeilge, said that the Irish Language and Gaeltacht Investment Plan has been agreed by 87 Irish language and Gaeltacht groups, and would create over 1,150 new jobs.

'It will also provide essential resources towards the language planning process, and afford the public many opportunities across the country to use Irish,' said Dr Comer. 'Irish language and Gaeltacht employment authorities have seen their resources slashed by up to 70 per cent since 2007. It is time to honour the programme for Government and invest in our Gaeltachts and in our language.'
Alternatives to using Roundup to kill Japanese knotweed across the county will be explored after Cllr Deirdre Wadding called for the move in a motion.

Cllr Wadding initially sought for an outright ban on the spray, but this was changed to limiting the use of the chemical on our roadsides.

She said there is a body of evidence highlighting the detrimental impact of using the spray on wildlife and on soil, adding that a French court recently upheld an action taken by a French farmer against its producer.

Cllr Anthony Kelly seconded the motion. Cllr Ger Carthy said most people are aware that there is a serious problem with invasive Japanese knotweed in County Wexford.

Cllr Malcolm Byrne said councillors need scientific advice before they can make a decision.

Cllr Robbie Ireton asked what alternatives to the chemical are available, adding that there can't be a situation where tourists visiting the county are confronted with the sight of weeds all along our roads and footpaths.

Cllr Jim Moore said the area is already regulated and people have to be certified to use Roundup.

Cllr Oisin O'Connell suggested changing the motion to read a ban on the habitual use of Roundup by the local authority.

Cllr Tony Dempsey asked for the environment section to present a review of Roundup to councillors.

CEO Tom Enright said there are different types of systemic weed killer available to use. He said Roundup burns the leaves and goes into the roots, killing Japanese knotweed. Mr Enright said banning Roundup outright would cause huge restrictions for Wexford County Council staff.
Lisa Byrne of the Presentation Centre in Enniscorthy with artist Anne Manning at Anne's recent sculpture demonstration in the centre. The Presentation Centre is one of the venues supported by the council's arts plan for County Wexford

An ambitious and far reaching plan for the arts in County Wexford was outlined by Wexford Arts Officer Liz Burns at the meeting.

The 2018-2022 plan she has developed follows a detailed consultation process including the Creative Wexford Report and the Three Sisters 2020 Culture bid proposal. Ms Burns said the Arts department has consulted a wide range of organisations, artists and arts focus groups, along with local and national arts organisations.

She said the council's vision is for a vibrant, dynamic and engaged creative arts sector.

Director of Services John Carley thanked Ms Burns and the Arts team for their work on the plan.

Mr Carley said: 'The plan will make the artist and the citizen central to our artistic life. We have a very good offering of art forms and art communities, both amateur and full time. Arts and culture tell a lot about who we are as a people and I think we have a very good arts offering in our county.'

Ms Burns, who is a year into her role, said the county's arts 'infrastructure' is quite advanced, adding that there is a great arts scene from professional to amateur, spanning theatre to art and music in County Wexford. The development of small, niche festivals including a film festival, is an encouraging sign, she said, adding that the arts play an important societal role also through working with older people and youths.

'When people think of Wexford they think of music festivals. We plan to develop all its infrastructure and also support other infrastructure.'

The arts plan commits to continuing support for arts organisations across the county including Wexford Opera House and St Michael's Theatre in New Ross, The Presentation Arts Centre, Wexford Arts Centre and Gorey School of Art.

Several goals outlined in the plan will be supported by an annual operational plan. Wexford Arts Office will have direct responsibility for some actions, while others will involve working in partnership with various council departments and arts stakeholders, along with public agencies. A mid-term review will be undertaken in 2020.

A new Arts Council investment strategy for 2017-2019 will see an increase in investment in the arts in the county, which was welcomed by councillors.

A small festivals fund and a fund for the development of a film festival was also sought. Ms Burns said youth arts hubs, film, music, drama and street art performance will be developed.

'Wexford abounds in cultural heritage and has a unique biodivesity,' she said, adding that the council will celebrate the Norman Way through the arts and will continue to support artists.

'The majority of artists live on the poverty line so we have to look at how we can support them in a strategic way through bursaries, training or networking.'

Chairman Cllr John Hegarty praised Ms Burns for her presentation. Cllr Jim Moore said: 'I think everyone in the arts world in Wexford will welcome this very ambitious plan. We were at risk of losing funding for the arts before so it's great that we've made the decision to continue to support the arts. I think the integration of all the local authorities and developing frameworks and accessibility also not only for artists to display their work across the whole county.'

He welcomed the Music Generation programme saying it is difficult to measure the success of the arts.

Cllr Malcolm Byrne said often council documents are left on the shelf gathering dust, but he said he is confident that Ms Burns, with her enthusiasm and energy, will ensure the tenets of the plan are carried through into action.

Under the plan Wexford County Council will work with Music Generation and Wexford Music Education Partnership to provide long term performance music education in primary and secondary schools and in youth and community organisations throughout the county. With cash backing from U2, Music Generation, Ireland's national music education programme, has revealed that Wexford will receive 600,000 in philanthropic funding from the band and The Ireland Funds over three years to increase access for young people to high-quality, subsidised vocal and instrumental tuition.

Operating on a 50/50 matched-funding basis, the Wexford Music Education Partnership will also generate a further 600,000 in funding locally over the three year period.

In applauding the work of Ms Burns, Cllr George Lawlor cautioned that amateur dramatic and musical societies need to be funded. 'The amateur performance sector is extremely strong. It's the first taste that young people get of performance and the arts and it's where most of the public get their first appreciation of the arts, particualrly in Wexford town. There is a lot of interlinking between the various bodies. We spend 100,000 a year on the show. Wexford Light Opera Society bring 7,000 people to our performances of the year at a very reasonable rate.

'There are a lot of musical societies in rural areas like in Rathangan. We have a huge and very successful amateur drama scene in this county and the Bridge Players who won a magnificent All Ireland prize a couple of years ago. There is a tendency to focus on the professional and on the obscure instead of the arts people are involved in join a daily basis.'

Cllre Davy Hynes welcomed how Wexford Opera House has become more welcoming to amateur performance groups, stressing the mental health benefit that performing has for people.

Cllr Deirdre Wadding said a film industry could be further developed in the county, alluding to the success of Ashford film studios in County Wicklow. She also suggested that libraries could host spoken word events and musical performances more often.

'Wexford is an extremely artistic place and community to live in. We did an amazing job with the Three Sisters, carrying ourselves forward as the jewel in the crown in the region and for me that's Wexford town. This is why we needed an arts officer for so long.'

Cllr Tony Dempsey said as a former teacher he knows the importance of the arts as a developer of confidence. He asked Ms Burns to consider making a presentation to the Junior Council.

Cllr John Hegarty said Music Generation is a very exciting programme. He said all of the county's arts community have been involved in the plan.

Cllr Michael Sheehan said there are many established festivals in the county which receive funding from Wexford County Council which can financially support themselves. 'It's time to cut the umbilical cord. It's the old adage of the squeaky wheel that gets most of the oil.'

Cllr Sheehan suggested that festivals could be supported for a maximum period of three years.

Ms Burns said her plan is 'funding permitting', adding that niche, small festivals will require funding to develop. She called for a festival policy to be developed as there is duplication currently.

CEO Tom Enright described the arts plan as excellent and very timely as the council has committed millions of euros towards developing the Market House venture in Gorey and Wexford Arts Centre as part of both towns' urban renewal plans. Mr Enright said the arts will also form a considerable part of plans for Enniscorthy and New Ross also.
The Luna Boys were the stars of the show at the recent Rock barn dance organised by Tara Rocks and Kilanerin GAA Clubs.

Around 400 revellers turned out at the Rock for a great night of music and dancing in a barn generously provided by John and Beatrice Kinsella.

Jim O'Connor of Tara Rocks said that the night went very smoothly, and the band and DJ went down very well with the crowds. Taxis and lifts were organised afterwards to get everyone home safely. He said that plans are already in train for booking a headline band next year.

Tara Rocks are raising funds for the community centre which will be built at the community field at the Rock. Jim said that they plan to break ground on the new building before Christmas. 'The whole community has been fundraising really well for it over the last few years,' he said.

Kilanerin GAA is raising funds to pay off the costs of the recently completed Astroturf pitch, so both clubs were very grateful for the support. Sincere thanks went to all who attended, and all who helped with preparations beforehand.
Ireland's 40 per cent Renewable Electricity target is likely to be achieved in the short term by wind farms that already have planning permission, but are not yet built.

For the first time, Eirgrid has quantified the installed renewable electricity generation capacity required to achieve the 40 per cent target which is between 3,900 and 4,300 MW and secondly, Eirgrid also states that the renewable electricity generation capacity already built and installed is 3,150 MW.

To achieve the 40 per cent target, approx 500 turbines generating 1,000 MW are required to be installed in the country.

To put the prospects of achieving or exceeding this target into perspective, Kerry alone has 200 turbines permitted, not yet installed, to generate roughly 400MW.

Of those, 113 are currently under construction in Kerry, according to Kerry County Council's own figures as of last May.

Based on replies to Freedom of Information requests from four west coast county councils, details of the number of turbines granted planning permission, but unbuilt, are not available.

This needs to be verified by a higher authority. This essential information requirement is a main finding of the report.

Is Ireland continuing to accept new planning applications without knowing the generating capacity that has already got planning and remains unbuilt? These planning permissions are typically of 10 years duration with extensions of duration being given.

Government Policy has not put a ceiling on the number of wind farms to be allowed in the country or in any particular county.

This results in an imbalance of developments into rural areas with 70 per cent of wind generated electricity being generated by six west coast counties.

At the extreme of this trend is North Kerry, a landmass roughly a quarter of its county large but currently producing 10 per cent of the entire nation's wind-generated electricity.

This is with only half of the total number of turbines (270) that have planning permission in North Kerry actually installed.

The vital electricity export capacity is a bottleneck, the essential increase of interconnector capacity needs to be actively considered in the short term to match the pace of the wind turbines being rolled out.

When the 40 per cent target renewable generated electricity of 4,300 MW is achieved, it is possible that renewable generated electricity will frequently exceed demand (at night-time, demand falls to 2,500 MW - Eirgrid Smartgrid Dashboard) requiring much increased export capacity.

We are currently exporting 500MW of excess electricity every night to the UK mainland which is the maximum capacity of the sole interconnector at present.

This is before we reach the 40 per cent target level of renewables generation.

If the excess electricity cannot be exported, it will probably be necessary to compensate producers for having to switch off turbines. This becomes more serious if the 40 per cent target is over achieved.

Such excess exported renewable electricity production is highly-subsidised electricity currently costing 70 per MW while the benchmark cost is 45 per MW (according to the Commission for Energy Regulation's figures for this year and next).

In return, Ireland receives electricity from the UK, so we are paying a subsidised high rate for electricity for export while receiving cheaper electricity in its place.

Consideration of the possible impacts of wind farms on Ireland's 5Bn Tourism industry are just coming to the fore as the prevalence of wind farms increase.

The cost of electricity to the consumer will increase under the present 15-year Public Service Obligation (PSO) subsidy as the proportion of Ireland's electricity generated by renewables increases.

Meanwhile, the cost of the PSO levy paid by the consumer in 2017/18 is approx 460 million, figures released by the CER reveal.

In 2008 Eirgrid budgeted to spend 4 billion in taxpayers' money by 2025 in extending the electricity transport network, increasing the carrying capacity with new high-powered pylon lines in order to transport the substantial increase in wind generated electricity to the east of the country and to new interconnectors for export.
Provac staff at the 20th anniversary celebration dinner at the Ferrycarrig Hotel

A Wexford-based company, which emerged from a near-disastrous fire more than a decade ago, is celebrating its 20th year as the leading high-tech vacuum solutions provider in Ireland.

In that time, the name Provac Ltd. has become synonymous with vacuum technology excellence throughout Ireland, Europe and further afield.

A small company with a big reach, it continues to develop and grow and provides sustainable employment in Wexford.

And in an era of uncertainty and volatility, Provac has achieved two decades of innovation and steady growth.

Provac began operations in 1997 in Wexford town providing vacuum pumps and components to Irish industry where vacuum is an essential ingredient.

Provac's customer base includes companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, semiconductor and coating industries as well as R&D institutions and university laboratories.

The company's range of product offerings has expanded over the last two decades in response to customers' evolving expectations and industry demands.

Operations are driven by directors James and Helen Delaney, supported by a team of 12 highly-skilled service engineers, technicians, and administrative personnel.

Over its 20-year history Provac has survived many challenges.

In 2004 the company suffered devastating damage resulting from a fire in the Kerlogue Industrial Estate which could have wiped it out.

Instead, Provac came back stronger, developing their prototype substrate transfer system for the Russian R&D market and established close co-operation with microscopy and laser companies in Moscow, supplying vacuum chambers, fittings and equipment and successfully selling the substrate transfer Wafermove Pro into institutions in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Following the financial crash, the company pro-actively concentrated its efforts on service, both on-site and in-house, achieved Quality Management System accreditation ISO9001:2008 and were awarded the Ulster Bank National Business Achievers award for innovation and technology.

Reflecting on the achievements of the last 20 years James Delaney said, 'we constantly seek ways to improve what we are doing in order to satisfy the needs of our customers and bring the company to a new level. Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts.

'It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivating them to do their best to achieve it.'

'Anniversaries are opportunities for reflection' said Helen.

'If you ask me what are the main issues that confront us now , I would say that they are the same as they were 20 years ago, no third-level in Wexford, a shameful scarcity of multi-national manufacturing companies in our county and the underdevelopment of Rosslare Europort.

'But anniversaries are also a time to build and strengthen and with our 'can-do' attitude, I believe the future is bright for Provac'.
The emergency services, community volunteers, utility companies, the Government and state agencies deserve praise for their response to Hurricane Ophelia which battered much of the country on Monday.

Often the Government and our local authorities have been criticised for their response to potential and unfolding disasters but in this case the systems put in place have worked remarkably well.

The hurricane caused devastating damage across vast swathes of the country that will likely cost many millions of Euro to fully repair.

However, the early warnings from Met Eireann and the Government's National Emergency Co-ordination Group almost certainly saved many more people from serious injury or worse.

We won't learn the full toll of Ophelia for several days - perhaps even weeks - but even at this early stage we can say with some certainty that the State's response prevented even greater damage and destruction.

Irish people often have a blase attitude to weather warnings but the Government's efforts to hammer home the safety message meant that by Sunday everyone should have been well aware of what lay in store.

In the face of such looming threats it's not unusual to see schools and public sector offices and facilities closed but it was encouraging to see the private sector looking after the safety of their staff.

Across Ireland, businesses - from major chains to small shops - closed for the day and it was reassuring to see that, for once, the pursuit of profit took second place to people's well-being.

The many businesses that opened their doors to shelter the homeless from the wrath of the storm should also be applauded.

Local authorities in the affected areas also did sterling work providing constant updates on the fast unfolding situation.

Our state bodies are frequently - and often justifiably - criticised for their inability to work together efficiently. The reaction to Hurricane Ophelia shows that when the chips are down our state agencies can pool their resources and co-operate in a productive and streamline manner.

If we can take one positive from the storm it's that, though it is a shame that it takes a crisis to prove it.

The greatest praise however must go to the thousands of selfless men and women who risked their lives on Monday to keep the rest of us safe.

Be they members of the emergency services, volunteers on sea and land rescue teams, local authority workers or staff from bodies like the ESB or Irish Water, they all deserve our sincere thanks.

While hundreds of thousands of people followed the Government's advice and sheltered in their homes these brave, altruistic men and women were out, braving the very worst of the weather, striving to keep their communities safe.

To them, from all at this paper, we say a heartfelt well done and a sincere thank you.
The main highlights of the Budget 2018 are as follows.

CORPORATION TAX RATE: The Minister reiterated in his Budget speech that the 12.5% Corporation Tax rate will remain in place.

VAT: The 9% VAT rate on tourism and services sector is retained. An increase in the VAT rate on sunbed services from 13.5% to 23% was announced. A VAT refund scheme is being introduced to compensate charities for the VAT they incur on their inputs. This scheme will be introduced in 2019 in respect of VAT expenses incurred in 2018.

BREXIT LOAN SCHEMES: A new loan scheme of up to 300M was announced to assist SMEs with their short-term working capital needs to put in place the necessary changes to help their business grow into the future. Brexit response loan schemes were also announced for the agri-food sector.

STAMP DUTY: The rate of Stamp Duty on commercial property transactions increases from 2% to 6% with effect from midnight on 10 October 2017. A Stamp Duty refund scheme relating to commercial land purchased for the development of housing is to be introduced subject to certain conditions including a requirement that developers will have to commence the relevant development within 30 months of the land purchase.

7 YEAR PROPERTY CGT RELIEF: The 7-year period for which owners had to retain qualifying assets to enjoy full relief from Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is reduced to 4 years. Accordingly, owners can sell qualifying assets between the fourth and seventh anniversaries of their acquisition and still obtain full relief from CGT on such chargeable gains.

INCOME TAX: There were no changes to the Income Tax rates. The exemption limits, tax credits and standard rate bands applicable for the tax year 2018 are set out in detail under the Personal Tax Facts section. A number of changes have been made to the rates and bands for USC which are set out in detail under the Personal Tax Facts section. Medical card holders and individuals aged 70 years and over whose aggregate net income is less than 60,000 will pay a maximum USC rate of 2%.

TAX CREDITS: The Minister has increased the Earned Income Credit by 200 to 1,150. The Home Carer Credit has also been increased by 100 to 1,200.

EXCISE DUTIES: Excise Duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes is being increased by 50c with a pro rata increase on other tobacco products and an additional 25c on roll your own tobacco. This will take effect from midnight on 10 October 2017. Tax on sugar sweetened beverages is to be introduced on 1 April 2018. The tax will apply to sugar sweetened drinks with a sugar content between 5-8 grams per 100ml at a rate of 20c per litre. A second rate will apply for drinks with sugar content of 8 grams or above per 100ml at 30c per litre.

SOCIAL WELFARE: A 5 increase on all weekly Social Welfare payments was announced together with a further 5 increase in the State pension. These changes will take effect in the last week of March 2018. The Christmas bonus payment of 85% will again be paid to all Social Welfare recipients in 2017.

DRUG PAYMENT SCHEME: The drug payment scheme threshold is to be reduced from 144 to 134 per month. Prescription charges have been cut from 2.50 per item to 2 with the monthly cap decreasing from 25 to 20 for medical card holders under the age of 70.

For information on changes made in Budget 2018 contact Jim Doyle on 053 9170507 or email jdoyle@rda.ie
Respects were paid to the late President Liam Cosgrave, who was described as a man of great integrity who drove the country forward, at last week's meeting of Wexford County Council.

Cllr Jim Moore lead the tributes for the country's first Taoiseach, who was laid to rest two days previously. He said the late President gave a lifetime's service to the country even after all he endured in his youth.

'He has left us a great legacy,' Cllr Moore said, saying the council expressed its condolences to his family.

Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan said Mr Cosgrave was a Taoiseach in the best sense of the word, who, along with his father William T who was a founding member of Sinn Fein, made Ireland a better place.

'He was a man of great integrity. It was a hallmark of both his private and his professional life,' proposing that a book of condolences be opened for him, which Cllr Larry O'Brien seconded.

Sinn Fein Cllr Johnny Mythen said he wanted to be associated with the councillors' comments.
Two giants of Irish traditional music come together for a rare performance at this year's John Dwyer Weekend which is taking place in Waterford beginning on Friday night.

The trad music festival is named after a former New Ross sergeant, John Dwyer. It runs in Waterford from Friday to Sunday.

This is seventh year of the John Dwyer Trad Fest which is run in conjunction with the Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford.

John himself, is originally a Cork man but New Ross has been his home for over 40 years now.

He performs on Friday night at 8 p.m. in a gala concert at St Patrick's Gateway Church featuring Dylan Foley, Jack Tatly, Derek Hickey, Padraig McGovern, John Blake, Mairead Hurley and many more. Admission is 12, or 10 for senior citizens or students.

The 'kings' of concertina and fiddle will put on a rousing performance that any lover of traditional music will not want to miss on Saturday night at St Patrick's Gateway Church, at 8 p.m. at 8 p.m. Tickets cost 15 or 12 for senior citizens or students.

Noel Hill is one of those standard-setting voices in Irish music today.

Few musicians in any field or in any generation achieve a position where both audiences and experts agree on their preeminence and mastery of an instrument; Noel Hill's virtuosity has firmly established him as the defining Irish concertina player of our time.

Frankie Gavin is the most celebrated Irish fiddle player of all time and has performed and recorded with rock legends The Rolling Stones, jazz Legend Stephane Grappelli and world renowned violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin amongst many others.

He is considered by most to be the most virtuosic fiddle players in the Irish tradition.

They will be joined on Saturday night of by Brian McGrath on piano for what will be certainly one of the most unforgettable performances of the festival to-date. Tickets cost 15 and the concert begins at 8 p.m.

There are pub sessions in various venues across the city along with numerous Irish musical events and workshops.

On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. music and dance workshops take place at Gaelscoil na nDeise, Carrickpherish. Admission is 25 for instrumental classes, 15 for dance class, 10 for beginner whistle.

For information, contact johndwyertradweekend@outlook.com or 087-9664436

There are fiddle classes with Aidan O'Donnell and Dylan Foley; concertina classes with Mairead Hurley and Jack Talty and accordion classes with Derek Hickey (TBC), while there will be banjo classes with Brian McGrath (TBC) and tin whistle classes with Ann Marie Grogan.

A tin whistle class for total beginners will also take place on Saturday from 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.

Flute classes with John Blake, uilleann pipes classes with Padraig McGovern and sean nos danc classes wiith Irene Cunningham are also planned.

At 3.30 p.m. the final of U-18 composition competition - sponsored by Custy's Music Shop, County Clare, takes place at Dooley's Hotel.

This competition is open to U-18 traditional musicians on all instruments.

The winning tunes will be chosen by John Dwyer himself.

On Sunday at 2 p.m. a farewell session featuring John Dwyer and friends takes place at Dooley's Hotel on Waterford quay.
Arsher Ali as Phil and Rafe Spall as Luke in The Ritual

The Hangover downs shots with Deliverance and the Blair Witch Project, and blood flows more readily than the booze, in David Bruckner's horror thriller.

Laced with Nordic mythology and laddish banter, The Ritual is a grim tale of hapless thirtysomething pals, who get horribly lost in a Scandinavian forest and come face-to-face with a malevolent force that drives them to the brink of despair.

You won't need a map and compass to navigate each twist in Joe Barton's script, adapted from the novel by Adam Nevill, or discern the order in which thinly sketched characters are most likely to meet a grisly demise.

The winding path to carnage is familiar and Bruckner's picture employs gallows humour to acknowledge these horror tropes as well as alleviate tension, like when the pals stumble into a tumbledown shack under the rain-sodden cloak of darkness and discover their temporary refuge is festooned with ancient runes.

'This is clearly the house we get murdered in,' quips one of the gang.

'It's not as bad as our uni accommodation,' retorts another, hoping to lighten the mood of grim foreboding as lightning flashes through broken windows.

Tragedy stalks early scenes as five drinking buddies - Dom (Sam Troughton), Hutch (Robert James-Collier), Luke (Rafe Spall), Phil (Arsher Ali) and Rob (Paul Reid) - fail to agree on a destination for their next lads' weekend.

They leave the pub and Luke and Rob pop into a late night off-licence to grab more booze.

Unwittingly, they walk into a bungled robbery.

Luke cowers unseen at the end of an aisle while Rob faces the thieves and is hacked to death for refusing to hand over his ring.

Six months later, the remaining quartet heads to northern Sweden to honour Rob's memory by hiking through the barren, picturesque wilderness.

'You know what they have on walking trails in England?' whines Dom. 'Pubs.'

He subsequently twists an ankle and alpha male Hutch suggests they head back to their lodge by taking a short cut through a dense forest.

Ignoring a signpost that reads This Is A Very Bad Idea, likely lads Hutch, Luke, Phil and an increasingly ill-tempered Dom head southwest through the tightly packed trees.

As night falls and thunder rumbles overhead, tempers fray and the four friends are plagued by nightmarish visions that gnaw away at their sanity.

The Ritual resists the temptation for cheap, jump-out-of-your-seat scares to focus on a sustained build-up of tension.

Bruckner's approach works, tickling our discomfort till the underwritten characters' fears are realised in a climactic bloodbath augmented with digital effects.

Pleasing on-screen rapport between the central quartet, who trade potty-mouthed barbs with relish, papers over some of the more ludicrous and fantastical aspects of the plot.

Realism takes a hike and is never seen again.
When people are well, they do well. This is a major reason for any employer or manager to have a wellbeing programme in the workplace. This is also supported by the facts and numbers. Most people spend up to half (and for some even more) their waking hours at work.

We have a work life, a home life, a social life and an internal world. They are all inter-related. If we can learn how to meaningfully and sustainably be at our best in one area, we can more easily expand that to all areas.

With the economy rising and moving towards full employment, it is more important for employers to offer the best support and opportunities to their staff. 7 out of 10 employees are more likely to stay with an employer that is interested in their wellbeing. High staff turnover can be damaging and costly and affect overall performance often putting more stress on those that stay. Well-designed effective programmes are also shown to significantly reduce absenteeism, healthcare costs and compensation claims and more than cover their costs.

In 2014, more than 4 million working days were lost in Ireland due to absenteeism. The most common reasons were back pain and anxiety and depression. These are stress related.

Most wellbeing at work programmes focus on mental health, fitness and weight loss and nutrition. But it is not just about what is done in and by the organisation. For wellbeing programmes to meaningfully work they should enter into the heart and culture of the organisation and into the heart of everyone that works there. Management must walk the walk and bring wellbeing into their own lives and make staff wellbeing a priority day to day.

As Richard Branson says, 'If you look after your staff, they will look after your customers. It's that simple.' This moves the discussion beyond the costs of poor health or even retention of talent. Happy and well-looked after staff make great Ambassadors for your business. They are more engaged and creative. They are more inclined to stay. They will be cooperative, kinder and more supportive of one another. Cooperative teams make one and one equal eleven. Valued employees take pride in what they do.

When people are stressed. it impacts on their physical and mental health. It affects their ability to concentrate and connect well with others. Multi-tasking and stress are shown to reduce creativity. Concentration, innovation and good communications are key considerations in maintaining our edge in this fast-paced world of global business, particularly in the sectors Ireland is strong in .

Ireland is now the 5th most competitive economy in the world. This is great news and a tremendous achievement for a small country such as ours. However, more than a half a million people are on anti-depressants. And other signs of high stress are all around us. If we want to stay there and enjoy the fruits of our hard work, we must look at finding and maintaining better balance in work and life.

If you don't have a wellbeing programme and if stress, absenteeism, increasing healthcare costs and morale are issues, or if you simply want to improve innovation and be more competitive, having an effective wellbeing strategy and programme may be the answer.

This will help employees work more effectively. This will give them tools and know how and create a culture where they can more easily look after themselves. Your staff are your greatest asset. Look after yourself. Look after them. When they are well, they in turn will look after each other and your customers.
Rahtdrum Community First Responders have organised a special fundraiser taking place in Jacob's Well this weekend.

The Texas Hold 'Em Charity Poker Tournament takes place on Saturday, October 21, and is open to all members of the public.

The tournament starts at 8.30 p.m. and refreshments will also be served.

Tickets cost 40, plus a max of three buy-ins at 10 each.

The maximum spend is 60. All support on the night will be gratefully received. Rathdrum Community First Responders would also like to thank everyone who donated raffle prizes.
Wicklow's east coast managed to avoid the devastation caused to other parts of the country by Storm Ophelia, with fallen trees presenting the greatest hazard.

Wicklow County Council's Severe Weather Co-ordination Group met throughout Monday to consider and review the response of the relevant agencies to Storm Ophelia.

Non-essential council services were closed for the day, including libraries, playgrounds and skateparks and motor tax and planning departments.

On Sunday the Department of Education and Skills announced that schools throughout the country would be closed for both Monday and Tuesday.

Tesco and SuperValu branches were open Monday morning but shut early in the afternoon to avoid the worst of the storm. Banks, shops and cafes in most towns and villages were also closed for the duration of the day.

Cllr Shay Cullen, Cathaoirleach for Wicklow Municipal District, said the local authority was well positioned to deal with any problems caused by the storm.

'Wicklow might not have fared as badly as other counties but it was still very dangerous, with real heavy gusts of wind. There were lots of fallen trees and branches between Roundwood and Newtownmountkennedy. The clean-up only really starts today (Tuesday) because the weather yesterday was just too bad.

'There were a few people out and about, even after all the warnings, but thankfully nothing too serious happened. I have to compliment Wicklow County Council, especially the Roads Department. They kept everyone up to date with reports of any fallen trees. They were very well prepared.'

Council crews, the Fire Service and Civil Defence were busy throughout Monday and late into the night responding to calls for assistance from the public.

On Tuesday council staff were involved in the removal of a toppled tree which was blocking the road near Blainroe. Drivers had been warned to avoid the roads, particularly due to the threat of fallen cables.

There were power outages in Rathdrum, Brittas Bay, Newtownmountkennedy and Wicklow town. By Tuesday morning an estimated 9,000 homes and businesses still didn't have power.

A spokesperson for ESB acknowledged that it could take days to restore power in some areas.

During the ex-hurricane, members of the public were advised by the Coast Guard to avoid any visits or walks to coastal or cliff areas, though people were spotted along Wicklow Harbour and the Black Castle during the height of the storm.

Irish Water has incident plans in place and crews on standby to deal with the effects of Storm Ophelia.

On Monday morning every Fire Crew in County Wicklow was placed on standby so they would be able to respond quickly to any emergencies. Countywide, the Fire Services dealt with 20 incidents, all minor in nature. By Tuesday afternoon Knocksink Wood remained closed, as were some tracks in Wicklow Mountains National Park.

However the public are again being warned to brace themselves for the possibility of another storm hitting the coast late Friday or early Saturday. A weather watch has been put in place for guidance.
West Wicklow's managed to avoid the devastation caused to other parts of the country by Storm Ophelia, with fallen trees and electricity cables presenting the greatest hazard.

However, motorists were still being advised to take care over the coming days when driving because of the number of trees and branches destabilised by the storm.

Cllr Edward Timmins, Cathaoirleach for Baltinglass Municipal District, said the local authority was well positioned to deal with any problems caused by the storm.

'The main concern was fallen trees and that happened on practically every road here. The N81 was blocked for a period of time, so were the regional roads and lots of back roads around Dunlavin, Grangecon, Baltinglass, Kiltegan and Hollywood.

'Wicklow County Council staff were on standby all of the day. Wicklow is a very tree dense county which was going to make local roads all the more dangerous once the storm came.

'There were some power outages due to electricity cables being taken down by toppling trees. The electricity in Grangecon went at around 12 noon on Monday and was still out by lunchtime today (Tuesday). These power outages meant some people living in rural areas with their own wells had to do without water for a period.

'People by and large were sensible and stayed at home. Wicklow County Council were well prepared for any damage caused.'

There were reports of trees down between Kiltegan and Baltinglass at Baraderry Road, passable with care and the Baltinglass to Talbotstown Road had to be closed for a period due to a dangerously overhanging tree.

Fallen trees also closed off the N81, Grangecon to Dunlavin road and the L756 from Hollywood to Dunlavin, while a tree blocked the road between Ballymore and Blessington.

Council crews, the Fire Service and Civil Defence were busy throughout Monday and into late into the night responding to calls for assistance from the public.

There were power outages in Baltinglass, Blessington, Grangecon, Donard and Dunlavin, amongst other towns and villages.

By Tuesday morning an estimated 9,000 homes and businesses still didn't have power. A spokesperson for ESB acknowledged that it could take days to restore power in some areas. Assistance from the UK and France has also been sought to speed up the process.

Cllr Gerry O'Neill was far from happy with the condition of the Naas to Blessington road, which is under the control of Kildare County Council.

'I wrote to the Kildare County Manager recently to tell them to look after their part of the road.

'There are always trees and branches hanging dangerously over the road. The Kildare council just seem to stop at Naas and don't bother with the rest of the road, even though it is their responsibility. That stretch of road needs urgent attention and It's a miracle that someone hasn't yet been killed there,' said Cllr O'Neill.

He too praised Wicklow County Council for their response to the storm.

'The council were well prepared. The last storm we had local people come out to do what they could but Storm Ophelia was just too powerful and too dangerous for that. We got off quite lightly, though I do know of a shed roof in Donard which was blown off and landed on another home.'

Irish Water had incident plans in place and crews on standby to deal with the effects of Storm Ophelia.

On Monday morning every Fire Crew in County Wicklow was placed on standby so they would be able to respond quickly to any emergencies. Countywide, the Fire Services dealt with 20 incidents, all minor in nature.

However the public are again being warned to brace themselves for the possibility of another storm hitting the coast late Friday or early Saturday. A weather watch has been put in place for guidance.

Wicklow County Council's Severe Weather Co-ordination Group met throughout Monday to consider and review the response of the relevant agencies to Storm Ophelia.

Non-essential council services were closed for the day, including libraries, playgrounds and planning departments.

On Sunday the Department of Education and Skills announced that schools throughout the country would be closed for both Monday and Tuesday. Tesco, Dunnes Stores and SuperValu branches either remained closed for the day or opened early Monday morning before shutting early in the afternoon to avoid the worst of the storm.

Banks, shops and cafes in most towns and villages were also closed for the duration of the day.
Cllr Vincent Blake, Chief Officer David Walsh, Cllr Tommy Cullen and Brena Dempsey, HSE Head of Health and Wellbeing, at the vaccine launch

Councillors Tommy Cullen and Vincent Blake both received a vaccine injection at the launch of the flu vaccine campaign in Baltinglass Community Hospital.

HSE Community Healthcare Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow chose to launch the 2017/2018 campaign from Baltinglass.

Chief Officer, David Walsh, said Cllr Cullen and Cllr Blake showed great leadership by getting the vaccine.

While addressing senior management, clerical administration and healthcare workers, Mr Walsh said: 'When we are making decisions, we have to think about not only ourselves but also our co-workers and the people we come into contact with. This year I was very happy to get the vaccine,

'I am delighted that Cllr Cullen and Blake joined me in that, because it is very important that we get the message out right across the community. This is very practical and positive public health initiative that we can all contribute to.'

Dr Rita Lawlor, HSE Immunisation Coordinator, spoke about the vaccination programme and explained that vaccination clinics have been arranged at different times to accommodate both early morning and late evening shifts.

Sharon Maher Clinical Nurse Manager Infection Control emphasised the importance of the flu vaccination for all service users, healthcare workers and for anyone over aged 65 and or over six months of age with a long term illness or with lower immunity.

She described the flu vaccine as a safe and effective a way to help prevent flu infection.

HSE Head of Health and Wellbeing, Brena Dempsey, thanked all of the residents and staff of Baltinglass Community Hospital, the HSE Management Team, Healthcare Workers and the local community for attending the launch.

She encouraged everyone to get vaccinated as it not only protects from getting the flu, it also prevents you from giving the flu to someone who is already weakened from fighting an illness. 'I care, I took action and I would encourage you all to do the same,' said Ms Dempsey.
A 30-year-old woman who drove a man who loved her into a deep harbour, where he drowned, has lost an appeal against her conviction for murder.

Marta Herda, of Pairc Na Saile, Emoclew Road, Arklow, knew her passenger could not swim when she drove her Volkswagen Passat through the crash barriers at South Quay, Arklow shortly before 6 a.m. on March 26, 2013.

Herda had pleaded not guilty to the murder of 31-year-old Hungarian man Csaba Orsos but a jury at the Central Criminal Court found her guilty and she was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on July 28, 2016.

The Central Criminal Court heard that the Polish waitress escaped through the driver's window at the harbour but her colleague's body was found on a nearby beach later that day. A post-mortem exam found that 31-year-old Csaba Orsos died from drowning and not from injuries related to the crash.

The trial heard that the handbrake had been applied before the car entered the water and that the only open window was the driver's.

Herda moved to appeal her conviction on 17 grounds, broadly including the issue of recklessness; Whether or not the driving into the river was accidental or deliberate; If it was deliberate, whether 'assault manslaughter' was still open to the jury; 'Alleged confessions' and the judge's charge to the jury with regard to circumstantial evidence.

However, dismissing her appeal in the three-judge Court of Appeal on Thursday, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said all grounds of appeal were rejected.

Herda began sobbing and embraced a number of family members and friends after the judgment was delivered.

Speaking outside court, Herda's sister Monika said: 'I think this was a ridiculous decision. Marta had an unfair verdict in my opinion and in the opinion of our family and our friends.

'We are sorry about Csaba but what happened after and now with that verdict is not fair for Marta. That's why it's not the end for now. We will wait for the Supreme Court,' she said.

Mr Justice Mahon said Herda was a Polish national who came to live in Ireland at the age of 19. She had a reasonably good, although not perfect, command of the English language, her second language, and she told gardai that she had a good understanding of English but 'might need help with some words'.

Although she did not give evidence herself, her counsel, Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC, said Herda asserted at all times that this was a terrible accident, that she did not deliberately drive into the water and that her command of the English language was a matter of great importance.

She claimed to have little or no recollection of events leading up to driving into the water including how the deceased came to be in her car and that aspects of statements made after the incident, and another three to four months later, did not convey information which the prosecution said they did.

Mr Justice Mahon said it was difficult to see how the trial judge's instructions to the jury in relation to murder/manslaughter could have been clearer. He said it was 'fanciful' to suggest that driving a car off a harbour pier into deep water at speed was deliberate but at the same time was not intended to kill or cause serious injury to Mr Orsos.

He said the only category of manslaughter that could be relevant to the case was that of gross negligence manslaughter and the trial judge 'comprehensively and appropriately' charged the jury in relation to that.

He said it was difficult to identify a single aspect of the defence case which was not referred to by the trial judge in the course of his 'lengthy charge'. It was 'generously referred to' throughout his charge and in his summary of the evidence there was a reference 'in almost every paragraph' to Mr O Lideadha's cross examination of various witnesses.

Mr Justice Mahon said the decision to admit the evidence of two nurse witnesses was correct. They were 'disinterested witnesses who were persons of integrity'.

Mr Justice Mahon said it was arguable, if not likely, that words attributed by a nurse to Herda to the effect that Mr Orsos did not believe she would drive the car into the water ('he didn't think I would do it') constituted an admission or an inference that she had done so deliberately.

The same might equally be said of what Herda said to a garda, after formal caution. She said: 'I remember I turn and not go for beach. I remember I hit accelerator and I think I have enough of this, I have enough of him, I can no longer take this. All I see is his angry face and screaming. I know that I drive to water. I could not take it any more.'

Mr Justice Mahon said there was no requirement for a corroboration warning 'as the confession evidence (if indeed it amount to such) was not without corroboration'. Firstly, he said both statements were capable of corroborating each other and secondly, additional evidence of corroboration could be found in the speed of the vehicle as it drove through the harbour area and, possibly, the use of the handbrake to brake the vehicle, instead of the foot pedal.

Furthermore, suicide had not been an issue in the course of the trial and, in any event, if the motivation for driving the car was indeed suicide, such could not amount to a defence to a charge of murder in circumstances where the instrument used to achieve that purpose was a motor car in which the deceased was a passenger.

During the appeal, which was heard in July, Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Grehan SC, said the case 'really was crystal clear' and there simply had not been the legal controversies in the trial the defence were now seeking to rely on.

'Marta Herda deliberately drove into the sea,' Mr Grehan said. 'The car was used as an instrument of murder. Whether she achieved that with a gun or a sledgehammer doesn't matter.'

He said the car drove straight down a road that was 'more like a runway' than a roadway, leading straight down to the docks and to a 200 metre straight stretch of pier.

The car, which could only have been travelling 'at great speed', travelled straight down the road, straight through two barriers and straight into the water.

Mr Grehan said there was no question of carelessness and no suggestion she lost control or skidded or did not see the barriers. There was no sign of any attempted evasive action apart from a 13-and-a-half foot handbrake skid mark which, Mr O Lideadha accepts, Mr Grehan said, was probably pulled by Mr Orsos.

He said she knew Mr Orsos had a 'mortal fear' of water and of water getting into his ears.

He said Herda made contact with Mr Orsos on the morning in question. She 'lured' him into her car and minutes later he's at the bottom of the estuary in Arklow, he said.

'Anything after that was an attempt to explain away the inexplicable.'

Mr Grehan said there was a very short interval - around 15 minutes - between the last of Herda's three phone conversations with Mr Orsos that morning and the moment she was seen running, soaking wet, up the harbour 'shouting rape'. During the trial it was noted by Mr O Lideadha that there was no suggestion she had been raped.

Mr Grehan said she was 'caught out on lies' in terms of the contact she had with Mr Orsos and how he got into her car. Furthermore, she had a 'very convenient loss of memory' in terms of how the car ended up in the river.

He said there was a low point in the trial when one of the witnesses who had given evidence of hearing a woman shouting rape was recalled 'expressly on Ms Herda's instructions' to 'put her character on the stand'.

He said Herda did not give evidence herself but the jury saw 'hours and hours' of her garda interviews. The jury could see, he said, what her 'use and command' of the English language was. She was very articulate, Mr Grehan said, and it was difficult to write down everything she said because of the 'manner of her delivery'.

Her first statement to Gardai taken on the day - when the event was perceived to have been a terrible accident where somebody drowned - Herda gave the impression Mr Orsos was some kind of 'stalker' or somebody who was giving her unwanted attention.

In her second statement, she said she knew Mr Orsos to be a 'Hungarian gypsy' and that she knew 'how they are with women'. They 'keep them (women) in one room for a month. I thought he might take me,' she stated.

The whole import of the statement was to cast Mr Orsos as somebody pursuing her and giving her unwanted attention, Mr Grehan said.
A Wicklow girl who returned home to Ireland this summer after spending time based in Toronto has been selected to appear on this week's RTE Winning Streak game show.

Jade Morrissey (23) of Gortlum in Brittas, has generously pledged to give some of her winnings to her mother, Tanya.

Jade, the eldest of seven children, said: 'My mam has done an amazing job rearing us all, and she gave me the Winning Streak ticket as a birthday present. She is very special and we owe her so much. I will treat her to a big holiday, or whatever she wants.'

Jade popped out of the sitting room for a minute during the Winning Streak show on Saturday night when she heard her grandmother, Ruth Farrell, scream.

'I didn't know what going on I was got an awful fright. I had forgotten I had sent in my three star Winning Streak ticket and my Grandmother got very excited when my name was called out. I couldn't believe it. I am thrilled and my phone hasn't stopped buzzing since.'

Jade lived in Toronto with her boyfriend, Nick Russell, for eight months earlier this year but the couple came back to Ireland in July

'I surprised my family and came back on my birthday. Living abroad was a great experience but we were homesick.'

Jade is working for a local auction agency and lives with her grandmother and granddad, Ruth and John Farrell.

She will have huge support with her this weekend including all her siblings, the youngest who is only three, her Mum, step Dad, Pat Nolan, and 87-year-old great aunt Mary Adger.

'So we will have all the generations present,' said an excited Jade in advance of her appearance on the show this Saturday evening. Five contestants will have a chance to win cash, cars and luxury holidays, while one will get a chance to win 500,000.
Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council; Brendan Martin, County Librarian; Michael Nicholson, Catherine Wright, Deidre Whitfield, Cllr Shay Cullen and Dianne Sheridan, President of Wicklow and District Chamber at the old Ulster Bank premises on Thursday

It will cost over 3 million to renovate the former Ulster Bank in Wicklow town into a library, including the acquisition costs.

Wicklow County Council officially announced the purchase of the premises at the Upper Mall on Thursday.

The property has been vacant since 2015 when the Ulster Bank branch in Wicklow town closed.

The modern building consists of 1,234 square metres and six different floors. The spacious premises will allow for the development of a quality service, with additional space available for improved reader services and facilities and archival material.

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Edward Timmins, said: 'I am delighted that the purchase of the former Ulster Bank building will allow the Council to develop a fantastic new library for the people of Wicklow town which will replace the much-used existing library at the rear of the Courthouse.'

Cllr Shay Cullen, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, congratulated everyone involved in the successful negotiations to acquire the building.

He said: 'the residents of Wicklow town and surrounding areas are great supporters of the existing library and I have no doubt that they will continue to support the new library in even greater numbers. It will also lead to an imprpoved service.'

The existing building which currently houses Wicklow Library was acquired by the courts service close to a decade a go.

The search for a suitable building to house a state-of-the-art library has been ongoing for some time now. Wicklow County Council secured finance from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to purchase the old Ulster Bank building.

Council officials are hopeful that the new Wicklow town library, once up and running, will prove as successful as the Arklow Library opened in April 2016 and will experience a similar surge in membership.

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council, paid tribute to Michael Nicholson, Director of Service, and Brendan Martin, County Librarian, for their foresight in pursuing the acquisition of the former bank premises and their determination over the past couple of years to conclude its acquisition.
Gay Mitchell, former TD, MEP, Government Minister and Lord Mayor of Dublin, was in Roundwood Parish Hall last week to host a seminar entitled 'Politics in Ireland.'

The event was organised by Roundwood Active Retirement Group, in conjunction with Unique Media, a communications agency, and was funded by The Older Persons' Fund at The Community Foundation.

It was an intergenerational civic initiative led by Roundwood Active Retirement Group linking in with the younger generation to understand how the political system works.

Participants were informed of how to best influence the system and ensure that their needs and the needs of society as a whole are met. The aim of the seminar was also to promote greater civic participation by the younger generation.

During the seminar, Mr Mitchell described how the political system works in Ireland and Europe and answered a range of questions from attendees.

He is currently Political and Public Affairs Adviser with Unique Media, a company co-founded by Breda Brown, who is originally from Roundwood.
A representative of Enterprise Ireland will address a business information evening hosted by Wicklow Town and District Chamber later this month.

Other speakers at the event in Tinakilly Country House Hotel on Monday, October 23, will include the Minister for Health Simon Harris and the newly appointed Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Frank Curran.

The programme for the evening is aimed at small and medium enterprises. Last year the event was very well attended and this year's programme has been developed to meet the demand for a similar type of seminar targeted at assisting local business development.

Other speakers will be Jennifer O'Brien, Business Coordinator of Astron Engineering who will speak on 'Our experience in exporting with Enterprise Ireland', Nick Ashmore, Chief Executive of The Strategic Banking Corporation on 'A government initiative to assist small business to access finance', Sheelagh Daly, CEO of Wicklow Local Enterprise Office on services available to your business from LEO, Sandra Quinn, Intreo on 'Job Path and Job Bridge grants available to take on additional employees' and Tom Murphy, Director of Services Wicklow County Council Economic Development Team who will outline their current strategy to attract commercial and industrial development.

The Enterprise Ireland representative will give an account detailing their agencies role in Enterprise development in this region.

The information meeting gets underway at 6.30 p.m..

To book a place, register in advance by emailing susana@wicklowchamber.ie on or before Friday, October 20. Registration will commence at 6 p.m.

It is advisable to book in advance as last year the Seminar was fully booked up with over 170 businesses attending.
Former actress Heather Kerr has joined the list of ladies accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse, alleging he forced her to touch his genitals.

Kerr, who once appeared on U.S. sitcom The Facts Of Life, came forward with her accusations during a press conference in Los Angeles yesterday.

She claimed the disgraced producer forced her to touch his genitals during a meeting in Hollywood in 1989, when she was in her 20s.

"He had this sleazy smile on his face," she recalled. "Because he was sitting so close on this couch I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. The next thing I knew he unzipped his pants and pulled out his penis.

"My heart started pounding. My mind started racing. How do I deal with this? How do I get out of this? Am I going to get out of this? How is this happening?

"He then grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him and forced my hand onto his penis and held it there. I was frozen with fear, trying to remain calm, trying not to freak out because, after all, there was nobody else in the office."

According to Kerr, Weinstein told her "this was how things worked in Hollywood", explaining he would take her to parties and "show me who I needed to sleep with", after first finding out "how good I was".

She said she quit acting shortly after her encounter with the producer, who is now reportedly seeking sex addiction treatment as more and more women come forward with sordid tales of their experiences with him.

"I felt so powerless, because he is, after all very powerful and very well known and very successful," Kerr added. "I didnt think anyone would believe me. I was nobody. Why would they believe me?"

The former actress is being represented by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who has also been retained by Louisette Geiss, who recently accused Weinstein of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

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The actress and screenwriter fought back tears during a press conference in Allred's office last October 10, as she recalled a meeting with the movie mogul at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where he greeted her wearing a bathrobe and told her he could "greenlight" her script if she agreed to watch him masturbate.

Also on Friday, Blade Runner star Sean Young added her own story to the throng of reports of inappropriate behaviour by Weinstein during an interview with the Dudley And Bob With Matt Show podcast.

"I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me," she said, recalling a meeting in the early 1990s. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really don't think you should be pulling that thing out, it's not very pretty'."

Sean vowed never to work with the producer again after the encounter.

Weinstein, who has "unequivocally denied" allegations of non-consensual sex, is currently under investigation by police in the U.K. and Los Angeles.
A former actress has told how she gave up her career after allegedly being sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein, saying he told her it was necessary for success in Hollywood.

Heather Kerr said she was an aspiring actress in her 20s when the now disgraced movie mogul forced her to touch his genitals during a Hollywood meeting in 1989.

She said Weinstein told her this was how things worked in Hollywood and that any actress you can think of this is how they made it.

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Ms Kerr, now 56, gave up on her ambitions shortly after the alleged meeting, which she detailed during a press conference with high profile womens rights lawyer Gloria Allred.

He had this sleazy smile on his face. Because he was sitting so close on this couch I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. The next thing I knew he unzipped his pants and pulled out his penis, Ms Kerr, who waived her right to anonymity, said.

My heart started pounding. My mind started racing. How do I deal with this? How do I get out of this? Am I going to get out of this? How is this happening?

He then grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him and forced my hand onto his penis and held it there. I was frozen with fear, trying to remain calm, trying not to freak out because, after all, there was nobody else in the office.

She added: He told me that first Id have sex with him and then he would take me to parties and show me who I needed to sleep with after that, but that he first needed to know how good I was.

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The actress, now living in Washington state, had appeared in NBC sitcom The Facts Of Life but she left Hollywood and said she told the story to only a very few people over the years.

I felt so powerless because he is, after all, very powerful and very well known and very successful. I didnt think anyone would believe me. I was nobody. Why would they believe me?, she added.

Her claims fall outside the statute of limitation in California, but police in Los Angeles are investigating the claims of an Italian actress who said she was raped by Weinstein in a hotel near Beverly Hills in 2013.

Weinstein, who has unequivocally denied allegations of non-consensual sex, is also being investigated in the UK by the Metropolitan Police.

Several women have alleged the producer sexually assaulted them while stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie are among those accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment.

Ms Allreds daughter is lawyer Lisa Bloom, who was advising Weinstein following the initial accusations in the New York Times, but she quit soon afterwards.
Islamist militants have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities. Stock picture

Armed militants killed at least 30 police officers in a shootout during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert, security sources said yesterday.

A number of suspected militants were also killed.

Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an Isil affiliate that has killed hundreds of security forces since 2013.

Islamist militants have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities.

Sources said authorities were following a lead to a hideout deep in the desert thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the capital since last year.

A convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle was ambushed from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices, a senior source in the Giza Security Office said.

The number of dead was expected to rise, sources said.
A senior official in China's Communist Party has claimed that high-ranking members had plotted to topple President Xi Jinping.

China Securities Regulatory Commission chairman Liu Shiyu said a group of former political heavyweights who had been snared in Mr Xi's corruption crackdown had sought to "seize state power".

Since he assumed power in 2012, Mr Xi has launched a war on corruption which has proved popular among ordinary Chinese. But critics say it lacks transparency and is a tool to sideline opponents.

The Chinese president has previously denied that there was a "power struggle", but Mr Liu's comments were in contrast to the party's carefully crafted image of unity.

Among the officials named by Mr Liu was former Politburo Standing Committee member and security chief Zhou Yongkang.

He also named Bo Xilai, the party chief of the south-western city of Chongqing who was brought down in 2013 in a high-profile scandal.

Others included Sun Zhengcai, who was only recently expelled from the party amid corruption allegations, two military officers and a former presidential aide.

"They had high positions and great power in the party, but they were hugely corrupt and plotted to usurp the party's leadership and seize state power," Mr Liu said.

It is not the first time that a senior official has alleged friction in the Chinese leadership, however Mr Liu's comments appear to be the first to name officials.

It is unclear if he was suggesting that the men acted together or separately.

Wang Qishan, a senior official who spearheads Mr Xi's anti-corruption drive, had told state media last year of officials "seizing party and state power".

Mr Liu made his comments on the sidelines of the Communist Party's congress, the 19th to be held since it first met in 1921.

Mr Xi is expected to strengthen his already considerable power at the political gathering. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the International Department of China's Communist Party, said China will not join other nations in condemning it for what many consider a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims (AP)

China supports Burma in "safeguarding peace and stability" and will not join other nations in condemning what many consider a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims.

Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the ruling Communist party's international department, told reporters that Beijing condemned "violent and terror acts", an apparent reference to attacks by Rohingya rebels on Burmese security forces.

Beijing has long-standing close ties to Burma's military leaders who ran the country for decades, and Mr Guo emphasised what he called friendly relations between China's communists and political parties in Burma on China's southern border.

He said those ties are based on the principle of non-interference and said China believes Burma's government and people are "capable of handling" the situation without outside help.
A 15-year-old boy stabbed in a knife attack has died in hospital.

Kyron Webb was severely injured in the attack on Tuesday night in Manchester. He died on Friday.

Police have launched a murder inquiry and two teenagers, aged 17 and 16, remain in custody for questioning.

A boy of 13 and a man aged 18 who had been arrested have both since been released and eliminated from police inquiries.

Detectives are continuing to appeal for the public's help to work out exactly what happened in the incident, shortly after 7.10pm on Tuesday on Worsley Avenue in Moston, north Manchester.

Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry, from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "This was a horrific attack on a teenager which has resulted in tragedy.

"My heart goes out to Kyron and his family during this extremely difficult time. I can't imagine what they are going through and we are doing all we can to support them.

"We will not stop until those responsible are brought to justice and I would like to appeal directly to the public to please come forward with any information you have.

"We know the area was busy at the time of the attack and it's likely someone saw something that they don't necessarily realise could prove vital to our investigation. If you saw something, please call us.

"A boy's life has been taken away and his family deserve answers."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 9908 or 101 quoting the reference number 1969 of October 17 2017, alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Spanish government has secured opposition support for dissolving Catalonia's parliament and holding new elections there in January in its bid to defuse the regional government's push for independence.

The Socialists, the main opposition, said yesterday they would back special measures to impose central rule on the region to thwart the secessionist-minded Catalan government and end a crisis that has unsettled the euro and hurt confidence in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who wants opposition support to be able to present a united front in the crisis, has called an emergency cabinet meeting today to pave the way for Madrid establishing central control in the region.

The government would not confirm whether January elections formed a part of the package, with Mr Rajoy saying only that the measures would be announced today.

However, a government spokesman saw regional elections as likely.

"The logical end to this process would be new elections established within the law," said government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo at a weekly government press conference.

It will be the first time in Spain's four decades of democracy that Madrid has invoked the constitution to effectively sack a regional government and call new elections.

Madrid yesterday stressed the move was not about taking autonomy away from Catalonia but temporarily imposing direct rule until a government was elected that would act within the law.

Mr Rajoy wants as broad a consensus as soon as possible before taking the step, which has raised the prospect of more large-scale protests in Catalonia, where pro-independence groups have been able to bring more than one million people out onto the streets.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, a former journalist who is spearheading the secession campaign, has refused to renounce independence, citing an overwhelming vote in favour of secession at a referendum on October 1.

Catalan authorities said around 90pc voted for independence though only 43pc of voters participated. Opponents of secession mostly stayed home. Spanish courts have ruled the referendum unconstitutional, but Mr Puigdemont says the result is binding and must be obeyed.

After Mr Rajoy announces the direct control measures, Spain's upper house will have to approve them in a session that could take place on Friday, a Senate spokeswoman said.

Actions could range from dismissing the Catalan parliament and government, to a softer approach of removing specific heads of department.

The uncertainty surrounding the future of the region has rattled the euro. European Union leaders this week offered their support for Mr Rajoy at an EU leaders summit in Brussels.

But the EU says it will not act as a mediator and the crisis is for Madrid and Barcelona to resolve.
A flower seller reportedly rescued a woman from being gang raped by 25 men.

Gaia Guarnotta was walking through Florence when she was approached by a group of drunk boys at 11.30pm near Piazza della Republica, she wrote in a Facebook post.

The 25-year-old said the men began by joking and asking for a selfie before the mood changed.

At some point, I can't even explain how they surrounded me, but they started saying phrases like come with us, we'll show you a good time, 25 against one is a good night, we'll have a gang bang, we'll make you enjoy it', she said.

After she refused, the photographer from Livorno said she was called a stupid b**** and a whore before being dragged by the arm.

They chucked their drinks and straws over me and one of them, or maybe a couple of them, spat on me or tried to spit on me, while all the others were filming on their mobile phones."

As she struggled to get away Hossein Alamgir, a flower seller from Bangladesh, stepped in and took her to safety, she wrote.

She added: Obviously, as soon as they saw me leave with him they started calling me an arab c***-sucking whore.

Mr Alamgir gave her a handkerchief, took her to get something to eat and drink and handed her a rose.

If Hossein had not been here that evening I would not have been able to tell my story now," she wrote. "Not knowing how to thank him, I gave him a passport photo of mine so that he could remember forever the face of the girl he saved that night.

Thanks God there are people in the world like Hossein, who help without wanting anything in return. His is a face I will never forget.

Mr Alamgir has lived in Florence since 2005, according to Direttanews. The 58-year-old confirmed he had been given a photo to remember forever the girl I saved.

He said he approached the group after seeing Ms Guarnotta becoming frightened. Telling the scumbags to leave her alone, the flower seller grabbed the crying woman by the arm and quickly took her away.

Ms Guarnotta said she had decided to post her story to show why feminism is important.

The media says foreigners are evil, that misogyny doesnt exist, that men and women are equal, that they have the same rights and freedoms, but we know it is not like this, she wrote.
Former President Barack Obama speaks at a rally with New Jersey Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Jim Murphy in Newark, New Jersey

Former US president Barack Obama has called on fellow Democrats to reject the politics of "division and fear".

Stepping into the political spotlight for the first time since leaving the White House in January, Mr Obama did not mention President Donald Trump in two campaign speeches, but he did tell crowds that they could send a message to the rest of the country in forthcoming elections.

Earlier another former President George W Bush also attacked "bullying and prejudice" while defending immigrants and trade in a New York speech that appeared to be another critique of President Trump.

Mr Bush (71) used a rare public address to discuss nationalism, racial divisions and Russia's intervention in the 2016 election, all flashpoints of his fellow Republican's nine-month White House tenure.

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"Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children. The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them," Mr Bush said at the Bush Institute's National Forum on Freedom, Free Markets and Security.

He told a rally in Virginia: "Why are we deliberately trying to misunderstand each other, and be cruel to each other and put each other down? That's not who we are."

Mr Obama, who was campaigning with the party's gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey, added: "Our democracy's at stake, and it's at stake right here in Virginia."

Like Mr Obama, Mr Bush did not name Mr Trump, but he attacked some of the principles that define the 45th president's political brand.

Mr Bush said: "We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America."

He added: "We've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seem more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.

"We need to recall and recover our own identity. To renew our country, we only need to remember our values."

Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states electing new governors this year and those November races will be considered a bellwether of Democrats' strength in the face of Mr Trump's victory last year.

Mr Obama said: "Some of the politics we see now we thought we put that to bed. That's folks looking 50 years back. It's the 21st century, not the 19th century."

The first black president offered himself as proof that the country could move forward, telling the crowd in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, that he is a distant relative of Confederate president Jefferson Davis on his mother's side.

"Think about that," Mr Obama said.

Mr Trump has used nicknames to demean opponents, such as "Crooked Hillary" for Democrat Hillary Clinton and, more recently, "Liddle" Bob Corker for a Republican senator who dared to challenge him.

Mr Bush, president from 2001 to 2009, emphasised the important role of immigrants and of international trade, two policy areas that Mr Trump has cracked down on while in office.

"We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability, and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism," Mr Bush said.

Asked whether the speech was aimed at Mr Trump, a spokesman for Mr Bush said the long-planned remarks echoed themes the former president had discussed for years.

Mr Bush touted US alliances abroad, something Mr Trump has called into question, and he denounced white supremacy, which critics accused Mr Trump of failing to do quickly and explicitly earlier this year.

Mr Bush described a decline in public confidence in institutions and a paralysis in the governing class.

Mr Bush said Americans were the heirs of Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, as well as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"This means that people of every race, religion, and ethnicity can be fully and equally American," he said. "It means that bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed."

Mr Trump has had a rocky relationship with the Bush family. He belittled former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who was an early opponent of Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, and has criticised George W Bush for the war in Iraq and for presiding over the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Mr Bush said globalisation could not be wished away "any more than we could wish away the agricultural revolution or the industrial revolution".

He also had harsh words for Russia and seemed to take aim at Mr Trump for playing down Moscow's intervention in the US election.

"According to our intelligence services, the Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other. This effort is broad, systematic and stealthy," he said.
Thousands of Somalis gather to pray at the site of the country's deadliest terror attack (AP)

Somalia's president is expected to announce a "state of war" against the al-Shabab extremist group after last week's truck bombing which killed 358 people in Mogadishu.

The United States is expected to play a supporting role in the new offensive planned by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali military official said.

The president's emergency speech has been postponed after the death toll of Somalia's deadliest attack rose to 358, while dozens remain missing.

Somalia's army spokesman Capt Abdullahi Iman said the offensive involving thousands of troops will try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions where many deadly attacks on Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and on Somali and African Union bases have been launched.

The extremist group has not commented on the truck bombing last Saturday, which Somali intelligence officials have said was meant to target the city's heavily fortified international airport where many countries have their embassies.

The massive bomb, which security officials said weighed between 600 and 800 kilograms (1,300lbs and 1,700lbs), was instead detonated in a crowded street after soldiers opened fire and flattened one of the truck's tires.

Somalia's information minister Abdirahman Osman said 56 people were still missing. Another 228 people were wounded, and 122 had been airlifted for treatment in Turkey, Sudan and Kenya.

"This pain will last for years," said a sheikh leading Friday prayers at the bombing site, as long lines of mourners stood in front of flattened or tangled buildings.

Since the election of the country's Somali-American president in February, the government has announced a number of military offensives against al-Shabab, Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist group, only to end them weeks later with no explanation.

Experts believe that has given the extremists breathing space and emboldened them in their guerrilla attacks.

Capt Iman, Somalia's army spokesman, told AP that troops recaptured three towns in Lower Shabelle region from al-Shabab on Friday in preparation for the new offensive.

Somali officials did not give details on what role the US military might play.

The US has stepped up military involvement in the long-fractured Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded operations against the group early this year.

The US has carried out at least 19 drone strikes in Somalia since January, according to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The latest US drone strike occurred Monday about 35 miles south-west of the capital, the US Africa Command said. It said it was still assessing the results.

Earlier this week, in response to questions about the massive truck bombing, a Pentagon spokesman said the United States has about 400 troops in Somalia and "we're not going to speculate" about sending more.

In April, the US announced it was sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the country in roughly two decades.

The US said it was for logistics training of Somalia's army and that about 40 troops were taking part.

Weeks later, a service member was killed during an operation against al-Shabab. He was the first American to die in combat in Somalia since 1993.

AP
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has described former US president George W Bush as bumbling and inept, criticising his "destructive" presidency from 2000-2008.

Mr Bannon's scathing remarks were a retort to a speech by Mr Bush in New York earlier this week, in which the 43rd president denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of "nativism", isolationism and conspiracy theories have clouded the nation's true identity.

But President Donald Trump's former adviser, speaking to a capacity crowd at a California Republican Party convention, said Mr Bush had embarrassed himself and did not know what he was talking about.

The remarks came during a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his call for an "open revolt" against establishment Republicans.

Mr Bannon said Mr Bush has no idea whether "he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president".

"There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's," Mr Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of the former president's name.

Mr Bannon also called the "permanent political class" one of the great dangers faced by the country.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the hotel where Mr Bannon spoke, chanting and waving signs - one displaying a Nazi swastika.

The protesters were kept behind steel barricades on a plaza across an entrance road at the hotel, largely out of view of people entering for the event. No arrests were reported.

Mr Bannon also took aim at Silicon Valley and its "lords of technology", predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years.

He called the threat to break up the nation a "living problem".

Mr Bannon also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans, in a state that Donald Trump lost by more than four million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics.

In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

"You've got everything you need to win," he told them.

Mr Bannon ended his speech with a standing ovation.

He is promoting a field of primary challengers to take on incumbent Republicans in Congress. But in California, the party has been fading for years.

The state has become a kind of Republican mausoleum, where supporters can relive the glory days by visiting the stately presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Today, Democrats control every state-wide office and rule both chambers of the Legislature by commanding margins.

Not all Republicans were glad to see Mr Bannon.

In a series of tweets last week, former state Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes said he was shocked by the decision to have the conservative firebrand headline the event.

"It's a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf," Mr Mayes tweeted.

California Republicans have bickered for years over what direction to turn - toward the political centre or to the right.

Mr Bannon also argued that the coalition that sent Mr Trump to the White House, including conservatives, Libertarians, populists, economic nationalists and evangelicals, could hold power for decades if they stay unified.

"If you have the wisdom, the strength, the tenacity, to hold that coalition together, we will govern for 50 to 75 years," he said.

Most of the state's governors in the 20th century were Republicans, and state voters helped elevate a string of Republican presidential candidates to the White House.

But the party's fortunes started to erode in the late 1990s after a series of measures targeting immigrants, which alienated growing segments of the state's population.

In 2007, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger warned members that the party was "dying at the box office" and needed to move to the political centre and embrace issues like climate change to appeal to a broader range of voters.

In 2011, a state Republican Party committee blocked an attempt by moderates to push the state platform toward the centre on immigration, abortion, guns and gay rights.

The decline continued. Republicans are now a minor party in many California congressional districts, outnumbered by Democrats and independents.

State-wide, Democrats count 3.7 million more voters than the Republicans.

Political scientist Jack Pitney, who teaches at Claremont McKenna College, said he doubted the speech would colour the 2018 congressional contests, which remain far off for most voters.

More broadly, he said Mr Bannon's politics would hurt the party, including among affluent, well-educated voters who play an important part in county elections.

Mr Pitney said: "Inviting him was a moral and political blunder."
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Clinton, Assange and the War on Truth By John Pilger October 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - On 16 October, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired an interview with Hillary Clinton : one of many to promote her score-settling book about why she was not elected President of the United States. Wading through the Clinton book, What Happened, is an unpleasant experience, like a stomach upset. Smears and tears. Threats and enemies. "They" (voters) were brainwashed and herded against her by the odious Donald Trump in cahoots with sinister Slavs sent from the great darkness known as Russia, assisted by an Australian "nihilist", Julian Assange. In The New York Times, there was a striking photograph of a female reporter consoling Clinton, having just interviewed her. The lost leader was, above all, "absolutely a feminist". The thousands of women's lives this "feminist" destroyed while in government - Libya, Syria, Honduras - were of no interest. In New York magazine, Rebecca Trainster wrote that Clinton was finally "expressing some righteous anger". It was even hard for her to smile: "so hard that the muscles in her face ache". Surely, she concluded, "if we allowed women's resentments the same bearing we allow men's grudges, America would be forced to reckon with the fact that all these angry women might just have a point". Drivel such as this, trivialising women's struggles, marks the media hagiographies of Hillary Clinton. Her political extremism and warmongering are of no consequence. Her problem, wrote Trainster, was a "damaging infatuation with the email story". The truth, in other words. The leaked emails of Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, revealed a direct connection between Clinton and the foundation and funding of organised jihadism in the Middle East and Islamic State (IS). The ultimate source of most Islamic terrorism, Saudi Arabia, was central to her career. One email, in 2014, sent by Clinton to Podesta soon after she stepped down as US Secretary of State, discloses that Islamic State is funded by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Clinton accepted huge donations from both governments for the Clinton Foundation. As Secretary of State, she approved the world's biggest ever arms sale to her benefactors in Saudi Arabia, worth more than $80 billion. Thanks to her, US arms sales to the world - for use in stricken countries like Yemen - doubled. This was revealed by WikiLeaks and published by The New York Times. No one doubts the emails are authentic. The subsequent campaign to smear WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief, Julian Assange, as "agents of Russia", has grown into a spectacular fantasy known as "Russiagate". The "plot" is said to have been signed off by Vladimir Putin himself. There is not a shred of evidence. The ABC Australia interview with Clinton is an outstanding example of smear and censorship by omission. I would say it is a model. "No one," the interviewer, Sarah Ferguson, says to Clinton, "could fail to be moved by the pain on your face at that moment [of the inauguration of Trump] ... Do you remember how visceral it was for you?" Having established Clinton's visceral suffering, Ferguson asks about "Russia's role". CLINTON : I think Russia affected the perceptions and views of millions of voters, we now know. I think that their intention coming from the very top with Putin was to hurt me and to help Trump. FERGUSON : How much of that was a personal vendetta by Vladimir Putin against you? CLINTON : ... I mean he wants to destabilise democracy. He wants to undermine America, he wants to go after the Atlantic Alliance and we consider Australia kind of a ... an extension of that ... The opposite is true. It is Western armies that are massing on Russia's border for the first time since the Russian Revolution 100 years ago. FERGUSON : How much damage did [Julian Assange] do personally to you? CLINTON : Well, I had a lot of history with him because I was Secretary of State when ah WikiLeaks published a lot of very sensitive ah information from our State Department and our Defence Department. What Clinton fails to say - and her interviewer fails to remind her - is that in 2010, WikiLeaks revealed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had ordered a secret intelligence campaign targeted at the United Nations leadership, including the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and the permanent Security Council representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK. A classified directive, signed by Clinton, was issued to US diplomats in July 2009, demanding forensic technical details about the communications systems used by top UN officials, including passwords and personal encryption keys used in private and commercial networks. This was known as Cablegate. It was lawless spying. CLINTON : He [Assange] is very clearly a tool of Russian intelligence. And ah, he has done their bidding. Clinton offered no evidence to back up this serious accusation, nor did Ferguson challenge her. CLINTON : You don't see damaging negative information coming out about the Kremlin on WikiLeaks. You didn't see any of that published. This was false. WikiLeaks has published a massive number of documents on Russia - more than 800,000, most of them critical, many of them used in books and as evidence in court cases. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter CLINTON : So I think Assange has become a kind of nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator. FERGUSON : Lots of people, including in Australia, think that Assange is a martyr for free speech and freedom of information. How would you describe him? Well, you've just described him as a nihilist. CLINTON : Yeah, well, and a tool. I mean he's a tool of Russian intelligence. And if he's such a, you know, martyr of free speech, why doesn't WikiLeaks ever publish anything coming out of Russia? Again, Ferguson said nothing to challenge this or correct her. CLINTON : There was a concerted operation between WikiLeaks and Russia and most likely people in the United States to weaponise that information, to make up stories ... to help Trump. FERGUSON : Now, along with some of those outlandish stories, there was information that was revealed about the Clinton Foundation that at least in some of the voters' minds seemed to associate you ... CLINTON : Yeah, but it was false! FERGUSON : ... with the peddling of information ... CLINTON : It was false! It was totally false! ... FERGUSON : Do you understand how difficult it was for some voters to understand the amounts of money that the [Clinton] Foundation is raising, the confusion with the consultancy that was also raising money, getting gifts and travel and so on for Bill Clinton that even Chelsea had some issues with? ... CLINTON : Well you know, I'm sorry, Sarah, I mean I, I know the facts ... The ABC interviewer lauded Clinton as "the icon of your generation". She asked her nothing about the enormous sums she creamed off from Wall Street, such as the $675,000 she received for speeches at Goldman Sachs, one of the banks at the centre of the 2008 crash. Clinton's greed deeply upset the kind of voters she abused as "deplorables". Clearly looking for a cheap headline in the Australian press, Ferguson asked her if Trump was "a clear and present danger to Australia" and got her predictable response. This high-profile journalist made no mention of Clinton's own "clear and present danger" to the people of Iran whom she once threatened to "obliterate totally", and the 40,000 Libyans who died in the attack on Libya in 2011 that Clinton orchestrated. Flushed with excitement, the Secretary of State rejoiced at the gruesome murder of the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi. "Libya was Hillary Clinton's war", Julian Assange said in a filmed interview with me last year. "Barack Obama initially opposed it. Who was the person championing it? Hillary Clinton. That's documented throughout her emails ... there's more than 1700 emails out of the 33,000 Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya has cheap oil. She perceived the removal of Gaddafi and the overthrow of the Libyan state - something that she would use in her run-up to the general election for President. "So in late 2011 there is an internal document called the Libya Tick Tock that was produced for Hillary Clinton, and it's the chronological description of how she was the central figure in the destruction of the Libyan state, which resulted in around 40,000 deaths within Libya; jihadists moved in, ISIS moved in, leading to the European refugee and migrant crisis. "Not only did you have people fleeing Libya, people fleeing Syria, the destabilisation of other African countries as a result of arms flows, but the Libyan state itself was no longer able to control the movement of people through it." This - not Clinton's "visceral" pain in losing to Trump nor the rest of the self-serving scuttlebutt in her ABC interview - was the story. Clinton shared responsibility for massively de-stabilising the Middle East, which led to the death, suffering and flight of thousands of women, men and children. Ferguson raised not a word of it. Clinton repeatedly defamed Assange, who was neither defended nor offered a right of reply on his own country's state broadcaster. In a tweet from London, Assange cited the ABC's own Code of Practice, which states: "Where allegations are made about a person or organisation, make reasonable efforts in the circumstances to provide a fair opportunity to respond." Following the ABC broadcast, Ferguson's executive producer, Sally Neighbour, re-tweeted the following: "Assange is Putin's bitch. We all know it!" The slander, since deleted, was even used as a link to the ABC interview captioned 'Assange is Putins (sic) b****. We all know it!'. In the years I have known Julian Assange, I have watched a vituperative personal campaign try to stop him and WikiLeaks. It has been a frontal assault on whistleblowing, on free speech and free journalism, all of which are now under sustained attack from governments and corporate internet controllers. The first serious attacks on Assange came from the Guardian which, like a spurned lover, turned on its besieged former source, having hugely profited from WikiLeaks' disclosures. With not a penny going to Assange or WikiLeaks, a Guardian book led to a lucrative Hollywood movie deal. Assange was portrayed as "callous" and a "damaged personality". It was as if a rampant jealousy could not accept that his remarkable achievements stood in marked contrast to that of his detractors in the "mainstream" media. It is like watching the guardians of the status quo, regardless of age, struggling to silence real dissent and prevent the emergence of the new and hopeful. Today, Assange remains a political refugee from the war-making dark state of which Donald Trump is a caricature and Hillary Clinton the embodiment. His resilience and courage are astonishing. Unlike him, his tormentors are cowards. Follow John Pilger on twitter @johnpilger - http://johnpilger.com
John Brennans Police State USA

By Mike Whitney

October 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Did the United States warn Russia to stay out of Syria?

Yes, they did.

Did they tell the Russians that if they joined the war against ISIS and helped Bashar al Assad the US would make them pay a heavy price?

Yes.

Did US agents and diplomats warn their Russian counterparts that Russian troops would come home in body bags and that the western media would launch a propaganda campaign against them?

Yes, again.

Did US officials say the western media would concoct a phony story about Russian hacking that would be used to persuade the American people that Russia was a dangerous enemy that had to be reigned in with harsh economic sanctions, provocative military maneuvers, and threats of violence?

No, but its not hard to imagine a scenario in which the CIA would pursue such a strategy. After all, the Intel agencies, the media and the entire political establishment have been hammering on Russia for over two years now. Isnt it possible that elements of these three factions decided to pool their resources in order to poison the publics perception Russia? Hasnt the US government dabbled in these type of psychological operations (PSYOPS) many time before?

Of course, they have. And in prior incidents, the facts were fixed to fit the policy just as they have been in this case. For example, the Bush administration had already decided to topple Saddam long-before they cooked up their fake stories about mobile weapons labs, Niger uranium, aluminum tubes and Curveball. Doesnt the same rule apply here? Havent the facts about collusion, Pokemon Go and Facebook all been concocted after-the-fact to support the original thesis, that Russia meddled in the election?

But were getting ahead of ourselves. What we know is that high-ranking members of the US State Department and Pentagon threatened Moscow prior to Russias military intervention in October, 2015. US diplomats made it clear that if Russia helped the Syrian government, Washington would use the media and its other assets to retaliate. According to Russias Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Maria Zakharova:

We were asked to pass on to you the most serious warnings that Russia will be hurt by its actions.. We will make sure that Russia really knows what pain isKeep in mind that everything you do will be manipulated by the media which will cancel out the real (positive) effects of your work. ..You are going to fight terrorists, but you will be made to look like the bad guy. These threats were delivered to us many times in 2015 as part of the discussions with the Russias Representative of Foreign Affairs and his international counterparts. (During Kerry-Lavrov meetings) Were talking about the worlds elite who told us these things. When we told them exactly what targets we planned to strike, they launched a disinformation media campaign against us. Officials from the White House and State Department directly threatened to hurt us. They promised that wed come home in body bags not only diplomatic representatives but also the Secretary of Defense..The US showed us that the strongest military has unlimited rights to create evil in the world. (See the whole interview on YouTube .

Zakharovas admission is interesting for many reasons. First, it confirms that the US did not want to see the jihadist extremists defeated by Russia. These mainly-Sunni militias served as Washingtons proxy-army conducting an ambitious regime change operation which coincided with US strategic ambitions.

Second, Zakharova confirms that the western media is not an independent news gathering organization, but a propaganda organ for the foreign policy establishment who dictates what they can and cant say. When Zakharova says, everything you do will be manipulated by the media, she is tacitly acknowledging that the MSM works in concert with the US government shaping a message that best achieves US imperial objectives. In this case, the obvious goal is the removal of Bashar al Assad and the partitioning of the state consistent with US plans to redraw the map of the Middle East. Russian intervention derailed that plan which is why Russia is despised.

Third, Zakharovas comments suggest a motive for the Russia hacking campaign. Russia has become an insurmountable obstacle to Washingtons plans for global hegemony. It has blocked US progress in Ukraine and rolled backed US proxy-forces in Syria. Additionally, Russia has united the countries in Central Asia (EEU) and threatens to economically integrate Europe and Asia into the worlds biggest free trade zone spanning from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Heres a quote from Putin that explains whats going on:

Russia is an inalienable and organic part of Greater Europe and European civilization. Our citizens think of themselves as EuropeansThats why Russia proposes moving towards the creation of a common economic space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, a community referred to by Russian experts as the Union of Europe which will strengthen Russias potential in its economic pivot toward the new Asia.

Putins dream of Greater Europe is the death knell for the unipolar world order. It means the economic center of the world will shift to Central Asia where abundant resources and cheap labor of the east will be linked to the technological advances and the Capital the of the west eliminating the need to trade in dollars or recycle profits into US debt. The US economy will slip into irreversible decline, and the global hegemon will steadily lose its grip on power. Thats why it is imperative for the US prevail in Ukraine a critical landbridge connecting the two continents and to topple Assad in Syria in order to control vital resources and pipeline corridors. Washington must be in a position where it can continue to force its trading partners to denominate their resources in dollars and recycle the proceeds into US Treasuries if it is to maintain its global primacy. The main problem is that Russia is blocking Uncle Sams path to success which is roiling the political establishment in Washington.

The US wants to retaliate for the defeat of its proxy army in Syria but its not prepared for a military clash. Not yet, at least. And, keep in mind, Washingtons Sunni proxies were not a division of the Pentagon; they were entirely a CIA confection: CIA recruited, CIA-armed, CIA-funded and CIA-trained. The defeat is not a loss for the US Military, but a blot on the record of CIA Director John Brennan, the architect and main proponent of the failed project to remove Assad. Brennans whole scheme has gone down in flames.

Why is that important?

Because it suggests that Brennan had a strong motive to strike back at Moscow. He had a dog in the fight, and his dog lost. And since he couldnt win on the battlefield, his only choice was to launch an asymmetrical attack via the media. Isnt this where the Russia hacking idea originated?

If it did, then there should be footprints that lead back to Brennan himself, the primary source of the psyops. Check out this excerpt from The Washington Times:

What caused the Barack Obama administration to begin investigating the Donald Trump campaign last summer has come into clearer focus following a string of congressional hearings on Russian interference in the presidential election. It was then-CIA Director John O. Brennan, a close confidant of Mr. Obamas, who provided the information  what he termed the basis  for the FBI to start the counterintelligence investigation last summer. Mr. Brennan served on the former presidents 2008 presidential campaign and in his White House. Mr. Brennan told the House Intelligence Committee on May 23 that the intelligence community was picking up tidbits on Trump associates making contacts with Russians. Mr. Brennan did not name either the Russians or the Trump people. He indicated he did not know what was said. But he said he believed the contacts were numerous enough to alert the FBI, which began its probe into Trump associates that same July, according to previous congressional testimony from then-FBI director James B. Comey. (Obama loyalist Brennan drove FBI to begin investigating Trump associates last summer, The Washington Times)

So it all started with Brennan, the resentful Intel chief who got his nose bloodied by Putin in Syria and decided to seek his revenge. But then Brennan needed to conceal his lead-role in the drama by drawing other agencies into the loop, so he included the FBI, the NSA and DIA. The strategy helped to obfuscate the real braintrust in the hacking affair, John Brennan.

According to Mother Jones, it was not the FBI that initiated the Trump-Russia connection.. but ..Former CIA Director John Brennan says he was the one who got the ball rolling.

Indeed. Brennan appears to be the central figure in this political fiasco, the source from which many of the spurious accusations originated. It was Brennan who first intimated that members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents prior to the 2016 elections.

I was aware of intelligence and information about contacts between Russian officials and U.S. persons that raised concerns in my mind about whether or not those individuals were cooperating with the Russians, either in a witting or unwitting fashion, and it served as the basis for the FBI investigation to determine whether such collusion [or] cooperation occurred, Brennan stated in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in May.

This is a deliberate mischaracterization of what Brennan was actually doing. He was spying on the members of the rival party to gain a political advantage. This is how police state operates. How is it that no one in the media or on Capital Hill has condemned this egregious attack on the democratic process?

So far, none of the four investigations on Capital Hill have produced even a shred of evidence supporting Brennans claims. Just last week, during a press conference with the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr bluntly stated,

The committee continues to look into all evidence to see if there was any hint of collusion. Now, Im not going to even discuss any initial findings because we havent any.

Theres no proof of collusion at all. So whats Brennans real motive here? Whats driving this silly propaganda campaign that has failed to produce any verifiable evidence after a massive 10-month, no-holds-barred investigation involving both Houses of Congress, the establishment media, four intelligence agencies and an Independent Counsel?

The absence of evidence suggests that Russia hacking narrative is a sloppy and unprofessional disinformation campaign that was hastily slapped together by over confident Intelligence officials who believed that saturating the public airwaves with one absurd story after another would achieve the desired result, that is, persuading the American people that evil Putin is trying to sabotage our pristine democracy and that Donald Trump is not only the countrys lousiest president ever, but also a Russian agent.

Thats not to say, that Brennans psyops has not been successful. It has been, amazingly successful. According to a recent CBS Poll, a majority of Americans (57%) now believe that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. In contrast, only 34 percent of Americans dont believe there was any Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

What the numbers dont explain, however, is how ones own political ideology shapes the results. For example, 71 percent of Democrats believe that Russia interfered, while a mere 18 percent of Republicans agree. In other words, ones own prejudices (about Trump and Russia) have a much greater impact on ones opinion than either facts or evidence. Propaganda campaigns try to exploit public bias to effectively manipulate perceptions. The CBS polling data shows that they have succeeded in that regard.

The US government has a long history of (as Robert Parry says) cherry-picking or manufacturing evidence to undermine adversaries and to solidify U.S. public support for Washingtons policies. That is certainly the case here. Most of the so-called evidence is nothing more than baseless accusations that appear momentarily in the headlines only to vanish a week or so later. Brennan and Co. appear to be exploring new frontiers in state propaganda, propaganda that relies less on semi-credible events or evidence than on incessant repetition of far-fetched allegations (Facebook, Google, Pokemon Go) that reiterate the same underlying claim of Russian meddling. The difference between the fabrications that led up to the war in Iraq (mobile weapons labs, Niger uranium, shadowy connections to al Qaida and aluminum tubes) and those of Russian hacking suggests that the perpetrators of this charade are convinced that frequency trumps credibility. The American people are being carpet-bombed with dodgy, almost-comical disinformation to see if it has the intended effect. Recent surveys indicate the plan is working.

The loosening of rules governing the dissemination of domestic propaganda (In 2013, Obama gutted the Smith Mundt Act unleashing of thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs for domestic U.S. consumption in a reform initially criticized as a green light for U.S. domestic propaganda efforts. (Foreign Policy Magazine) In 2016, Obama paved the way for more domestic propaganda by passing the Orwellian-named Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act as part of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. Ostensibly, the bill lays the groundwork for responding to fake news overseas, but in reality, it marks a further curtailment of press freedom and an ambitious attempt to suppress accurate, independent information.) The loosening of rules governing the dissemination of domestic propaganda coupled with the extraordinary advances in surveillance technology, create the perfect conditions for the full implementation of an American police state. But what is more concerning, is that the primary levers of state power are no longer controlled by elected officials but by factions within the state whose interests do not coincide with those of the American people. That can only lead to trouble.
The Military Instinct: The Human Race as Feral Dogs By Fred Reed October 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - As Washington bombs Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Iraq, and Syria, militarily threatens Russia, Venezuela, North Korea, and China, sanctions Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Iran.. one may wonder: Why? Are wars about anything, or just wars? In modern times, a reason of sorts is thought decorous, yes: Ruritania is threatening us, or might, or does something wrong, or Ruritanians dont think rightly about the gods. We must kill them. And yet everywhere in all times, almost miraculously, some reason for a war is found. It would seem that wars are not about anything, but just what we do. Recently the collapse of the Soviet Union appeared to offer a prospect of extended peace. There seemed nothing left to fight about, at least on any scale. Yet the United States quickly launched a half dozen wars of no necessity and threatened others. Why? Because wars are what we do. It may surprise many people to learn of evidence for a genetic foundation of human behavior. This should not be surprising. Dogs form packs, mark territory, and bark furiously at strange dogs. So, it seems, do people. An empire is just the result of these canine instincts.. Consider conservatives, as they are more relevant to the fighting of wars. (Liberals appear as genetically determined,) Conservatives tend to be tribal, intensely loyal to their grouprace, country, ethnicity, religious faithwhich in national terms becomes patriotism. They lack empathy. They see the world in terms of threats, conflict, and dominance. They favor capitalism and the Second Amendment, revere the military, speak of blood and soil, oppose taxation of themselves to give to the less fortunate. An important point here is that these traits clump together, although there is no logical connection. For example, one might rationally favor ownership of guns as necessary to self-defense yet oppose having a large military as unnecessary. One might favor a large military in what appeared a dangerous world, yet favor extensive governmental charity as what one might see as common decency. Yet this almost never happens. If you tell me that you oppose abortion, with confidence I can predict that you fit the description above of a conservative. If you tell me that you oppose the Second Amendment, I can be pretty sure that you favor abortion, acceptance of immigrants, marriage of homosexuals, and so on. We all have access to the same information about the world, to the internet, the same books and newspapers, and we all live in very much the same society. Yet liberals and conservatives arrive at sharply differing conclusions from identical evidence. This suggests an innate predisposition. Soldiers invariably fit the conservative pattern, prizing loyalty to their units and to their country, seeing threats everywhere, and becoming alarmed easily. For example, if an ancient Russian prop-driven recon plane, technically a bomber in the Fifties, flies near England, fighters will leap into the air to intercept it, grrr, woof, though the idea that the Russians would send one ancient bird to bomb Britain is lunatic. It is very like dogs barking frantically at a passing pedestrian. People in general seem designed to think about small groups, not countries of millions of people. It is impossible to think of, say, Russia as millions of individuals, especially when we have never seen even a single Russian. The almost invariable response is to compress a whole nation mentally into a sort of aggregate person. As I write, America is barking at North Korea, said to be a rogue state threatening several other countries. Countless men from the President through Congress to growling patriots in bars are saying angrily that We can wipe North Korea of the face of the earth. Well show the bastards. North Korea consists of twenty-five million people of whom perhaps fifty might want to attack anybody at all. The lets-nukem menalmost always men, who are genetically more truculent than women, which is also true of dogsthink of the whole country as one pudgy man with a bad haircut. We must punish North Korea makes sense to them in these terms. Exactly why several million children in kindergarten need to be burned to death does not enter their minds. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter A great deal of international behavior makes sense, or at least makes no sense but does it in a consistent manner, if you look at the history of empire. This too appears to be instinctive, and therefore presumably genetic. Throughout history menagain, always menhave formed armies and set out to conquer, usually at the price of unspeakable bloodshed, lands they didnt need. Sometimes the plunder brought a degree of benefit, seldom commensurate with the cost, but often not. Over and over and over, one country conquers its neighbors, sometimes forming large empires but often small ones almost lost to history. Then a new one arises and bursts the bubble of the first. This is instinctual as a dog peeing on a hydrant. We see this now. The United States has no need for an empire of perhaps eight hundred military bases around the globe or to fight constant and exhausting wars for places it doesnt need or even like. America has no need of Afghanistan, for example, and is there only to keep China outthat is, from the instinct for empire. Again, peeing on hydrants. The lack of empathy usual in conservatives, in soldiers, appears all through military history, from the practice of putting cities to the sword to todays indiscriminate bombing. It results from the tribal instinct. A fighter pilot will in time of peace be a good citizen, perhaps a good father, obey the laws and, should an earthquake occur, work tirelessly to save the trapped. Yet order him to bomb a crowded city in a country that has done nothing to deserve itBaghdad, for exampleand he will do it and pride himself on having done it. The behavior is innate and immutable, unchanged over the millennia, but today we seem to need to pretend to decency. Militaries and intelligence agencies, the chief vessels of brutal behavior, have become very sensitive to revelations of what we now call atrocities. Actually atrocities are what militaries normally do. The norm now is to employ euphemistmscollateral damage-and to insist that atrocities are isolated incidents. Today governments, to maintain public support for the wars, or as least to discourage attention, carefully censors photos of disemboweled children or the CIAs torture chambers. But the butchery continues as it did among stone-age savages. Pilots still bomb cities. The CIA tortures and probably enjoys it. Plus ca change, plus ca doesnt. There is a slight difference. Militaries now know they are doing wrong, This is why soldiers become furious when persistently asked about atrocities. They would rather you not know. Yet the bombing continues and from the less politically careful conservatives come cries of, Untie the hands of our soldiers, and Let the military do its job. It is innate. We do what we do because it is how we are. Fred, a keyboard mercenary with a disorganized past, has worked on staff for Army Times, The Washingtonian, Soldier of Fortune, Federal Computer Week, and The Washington Times.
America's Scramble for Africa



By Finian Cunningham



October 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The ugly row over whether President Trump disrespected the young widow of a fallen American soldier has overshadowed a bigger issue. That is, the increasing number of US military operations across the African continent.



Two weeks ago, Sgt La David Johnson (25) was killed along with three other US special forces troops when Islamist militants ambushed their patrol in the West African country of Niger. Trump got into hot water this week about reported offhand comments he made to the widow of Green Beret Johnson. The president denies he said anything disrespectful. Although the dead soldier's family says otherwise. In all the media controversy over what Trump said or didn't say, questions about what US troops are doing in Niger are unfortunately overlooked. Not just Niger, but in dozens of other African nations. It is reckoned from US army data that there are thousands of special forces and other military personnel carrying out up to 100 missions at any given time in some 24 African states. That's nearly half of all the countries comprising the African continent. US special forces and surveillance drone operations are deployed in Niger, Chad, Mali and Sudan which all run along the southern Sahara desert. Further south in sub-Saharan Africa, US military are operating in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Uganda, Ethiopia and, of course, Somalia, where they are involved in a state of war against Islamist al Shabab militants. The deployment of US troops in Africa was first stepped up under President GW Bush when his administration formed AFRICOM in 2007, a whole US command dedicated to the continent. Subsequently, under President Barack Obama, the American deployments increased further. Now under President Trump, the US force presence is reckoned to be at its highest level yet. The official explanation is that American soldiers, Navy and air power, as well as CIA clandestine operations, are there to counter terror groups, who could plan and mount strikes on Europe and North America. True, there are several dangerous terror networks active in various African states, from al Shabaab in Somalia, to Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Qaeda in the Maghreb. The latter has affiliates in Algeria, Mali, Chad and Niger where the US troops were killed recently along with a number of local forces they were supporting. But there is more than a suspicion that the US is using the cover of combating terrorism to conceal and project its real objective, which is to exert its influence over African nations. One observation for raising doubts is that the problem of these terror groups has actually grown more rapidly after the US troops started to be deployed in larger numbers under President Bush. Echoes of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria here. When Trump hosted several African leaders last month in New York during the UN annual congress he told them that his American investor friends were hotfooting it to the continent "to make a lot of money". Typical of Trump, everything is reduced to filthy lucre. Now he may have been trying to charm his guests with a little light-hearted banter, but there's much more to the joke. Africa is indeed seen as the continent of the future owing to its prodigious and still largely untapped resources. The trouble for America and other Western powers is that China has stolen a march on them in terms of cultivating investments and harnessing resources across Africa. Under President Xi Jinping, China has investment projects worth an estimated $60 billion in dozens of African countries. This is way ahead of what the Americans or Europeans have invested. Earlier this year, China opened its first ever overseas military base, in the East African country of Djibouti. That's still small news compared with the reported 46 military bases that the US has across the continent. Beijing said its new military facilities in Djibouti are to secure vital shipping routes against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. That may be partly true. But there is also the factor of China wanting a security foothold in a continent where it has staked so much of its future economic growth plans. The big difference between the US and China is that while Beijing has devoted most of its resources to developing trade and industry with African states, Washington's emphasis is on military relations. China has gained much respect from African nations for its genuine commitment to partnership. It is bringing capital and technology to Africa and gaining access to natural resources of oil and gas, metals and other minerals. Unlike the old European colonialism, China's involvement in Africa is based on partnership and mutual development. For access to raw materials, China has built schools, universities, telecommunications and transport networks, which are all helping the continent reach its huge potential. The Americans like the Europeans are stuck in an "extractive mentality" when it comes to Africa. But today, American capitalism is broke. It can't even invest in its own nation never mind Africa. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Trump speaks for American capitalism. Knowing the rich resources possessed in Africa's earth and its people, Trump salivates over the prospect of making big bucks. But the Americans aren't prepared to spend the investment money needed to harness the rewards. That's where the US military muscle comes in. In place of proper economic investment, diplomacy and political partnership, Washington is using its military edge to encroach on Africa  under the guise of "fighting terrorism". That's not to say that American troops aren't confronting terror groups. They are, as the deadly firefight in Niger shows. But the real purpose for increasing US military strength in Africa is about securing American strategic economic interests "on the cheap" by using military power as opposed to deploying financial commitment in the way that China has. The Americans want to have military firepower in place across Africa in the event of a sharp confrontation with China. China is seen as the global rival to failing US economic power. If relations turn really nasty  as they could over any number of issues, from North Korea to territorial disputes in the South China Sea  the US wants to have military ways to cut China off in Africa. Like the Europeans in a previous century, the Americans are in a "scramble for Africa". This time the scramble is all about cornering countries and resources from China's legitimate expanding bilateral interests with African nations. However, America's militarism in Africa will bring no benefit to the countries. As in other parts of the globe, the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, the pattern clearly shows that terrorism burgeons where US military operations occur. Besides, American capitalism is not motivated by developing Africa for its people. It's about making profits for Wall Street and rich investors like Trump. The real danger is that this militarism will lead to another point of confrontation with China if the latter's economic interests are threatened, as they were when US and NATO forces bombed Libya in 2011 for regime change. It's such a crying shame that American widows are having their hearts broken for a mission that is totally fraudulent  and getting no thanks for it from a callous Commander-in-Chief. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. This article was originally published by - Sputnik -
EU Hypocrisy Spins out of Control over Catalonia By Finian Cunningham October 21, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a poignant case of double standards when he noted how the European Union is turning a blind eye to Catalonias independence bid  in stark contrast to the blocs interventionist policy elsewhere. Most notably, Putin contrasted the case of Kosovo which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Then, the EU fervently backed Kosovos breakaway declaration from the Serbian republic out of deference to Washingtons policy of dismembering the former Yugoslavia. So, evidently, the case of Kosovo is an acceptable secession according to the EU, but not it seems in the case of Catalonia. We could also cite Crimea, although the political circumstances are very different. Crimea held a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation in March 2014  after the elected government in Kiev was overthrown in a violent coup. The point about Crimea is this: the EU has never stopped harping on about what it says is the illegality of the Crimean referendum and Russias alleged nefarious destabilizing role. The EU has slapped several rounds of economic sanctions on Russia leading to a grave deterioration in relations. Nevertheless, arguably, the Crimean referendum was constitutionally held, whereas the Kosovo secession came about following NATO military aggression towards Yugoslavia. But despite this hyper-interventionism by the European bloc in the internal affairs of Ukraine, including the clandestine backing of the Kiev coup in February 2014, the EU leaders are strangely mute on a crisis within their own bloc regarding Spain and Catalonia. The Spanish northeast region, centered on Barcelona, held a referendum on October 1, which in spite of a vicious police crackdown on the orders of the central government in Madrid, returned a majority vote in favor of independence. The Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has since rejected the referendum result out of hand and is now moving to cancel the Catalonian regional administration, headed up by Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. Rajoys ruling Popular Party has shredded the Catalonian plebiscite as illegal, saying it violates the Spanish constitution. Rajoy has refused to countenance any negotiations with Puigdemonts regional administration unless the referendum is repudiated  a move which would be humiliating. The policy of Madrid amounts to heavy-handed repression. Yet that this repression is taking place within a European Union member state is a cause of much disquiet. While the EU governments bite their lips on the Catalonian matter, by contrast they seem to always jump to condemn Russia over alleged repression of minor protests organized by the dubious dissident Alexei Navalny. Admittedly, the Catalonian issue is weighed with complicated legal argument. It is arguable that the Catalans are acting outside of the constitution by unilaterally holding the referendum. Pro-independence Catalans would counter that their hand was forced owing to years of reluctant attitude in Madrid to address their separatist aspirations. There is also a substantial electorate in Catalonia which is against independence from the rest of Spain. However, what is instructive here is the expedient stance taken by the EU towards the Spanish-Catalonian dispute. When Mariano Rajoy attended the EU annual summit before the weekend, he was roundly greeted by other leaders who closed ranks in support. As a Reuters report headlined: Catalonia finds no friends among EU leaders. French President Manuel Macron said it was an internal private matter for Spain and expressed unity with Premier Rajoy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the confrontation must be resolved within the constitution of the Spanish state  thus delegitimizing the Catalonia referendum, as per Madrids position. Its an internal Spanish matter, reiterated Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Reuters also quoted a senior EU diplomat, who revealed the cynical calculus being made by the various government leaders, by saying: There is not much to gain from backing Barcelona and a lot to lose from angering Madrid. It was perhaps the equivocating European Council President Donald Tusk who took the prize for shallow expedience. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter It is not on our agenda, said Tusk to media reporters. All of us have our own emotions, opinions, assessments but formally speaking there is no space for an EU intervention [in the Spanish-Catalonian dispute]. Of course, the tacit concern here is that the EU does not want to exacerbate separatist movements elsewhere across the 28-member union. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker admitted that Catalonia could be a domino effect, providing precedent for further secessionist calls within Belgium, Italy and Scotland. Furthermore, if Brussels were to mediate in Spain it could find itself accused of interfering in sovereign affairs, thereby adding fuel to populist and Eurosceptic parties that have emerged like a hot rash across Europe, from the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, to Hungary and lately in Austria and Czech Republic with Sebastian Kurz and Andrej Babis, respectively. Politically, the agnostic view of the EU toward the Catalonian question might be understandable based on vested interests of European governments. But where is the principle in that position? By ignoring the issue, the EU leaves itself open to criticism of being unscrupulous and of peddling double standards. After all, the blocs foundational principles state that it shows solidarity with the democratic rights of minority groups within the union. Speaking at the Valdai discussion forum in Sochi this week, Putin not only pointed out the glaring hypocrisy and double standards of the EU with regard to Catalonia and Kosovo. He also said that the EUs meddling in the internal affairs of Serbia back in 2008 served to unleash the politics of separatism across Europe  that has come back to haunt Brussels. At a time when EU leaders are struggling to maintain political and moral authority in the eyes of their electorates, their self-serving and cowardly pandering toward Madrid over Catalonia is another grievous blow to their image. All the self-righteous declarations by European governments about democratic principles is seen to be little more than idle rhetoric that can be discarded at any moment if it is expedient to do so. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. This article was originally published by - SCF -
For the first time in 65 years, Huddersfield Football Club have beaten Manchester United 2-1 in English Premier League stunner on Saturday.

Huddersfield Town ended Manchester Uniteds unbeaten start to the season as Jose Mourinhos side fell five points behind league leaders Manchester City at the John Smiths Stadium.

United had only conceded twice in eight league games this season, but they doubled that tally in five first-half minutes following two sloppy mistakes that were punished by the home team.

Juan Mata gave the ball away to Aaron Mooy in midfield and after he fed Tom Ince, whose shot was saved by David De Gea, the Australian was first to the rebound to sweep home from 10 yards as the United defence watched on.

Then Swedish defender Victor Lindelof  on as a substitute for the injured Phil Jones and making just his second Premier League appearance  misjudged a goal kick by Jonas Lossl and Laurent Depoitre raced onto the loose ball to round De Gea and double the Terriers lead on 33 minutes.

Mourinho made a double substitution at half-time, bringing on Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the former gave United hope with 12 minutes remaining, nodding in a terrific cross by the otherwise quiet Romelu Lukaku.

But despite a nervy finale and with United enjoying almost 80% of possession, the Terriers clung on to record their first league win against United since 1952 and end a run of six league games without a victory.
The Amnesty International has said the Federal Government must investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of the killings in Plateau State and other parts of the country.

The AI said the killings had worsened because the Federal Government failed to bring the perpetrators to book, urging the devastated communities not to go on a reprisal.

Over 27 persons were murdered in Nkiedonwhro community in the Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by unknown gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

The killings, which occurred from last Friday till Sunday, happened barely 48 hours after the state government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The military, through the Nigerian Air Force, had on Thursday deployed its troops and fighter aircraft  L-39ZA and EC-135  in the area to curtail the crisis.

The air force spokesperson, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, had said the step was a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari to the air force on the Plateau incident.

The AI Nigeria Director, Osai Ojigho, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, said the killers struck with impunity because none of them had been arrested and successfully prosecuted.

She added that the police must step up in its constitutional responsibility of protecting the citizens so as to end the  over-militarisation of the country.

Ojigho said, The first thing is that killings in any part of Nigeria should not be tolerated at all. Why there is impunity on the part of these killers is because no one has been successfully investigated and prosecuted. So, the killings continue.

So, until the government empowers and directs the police to actively maintain peace and order as well as ensure that cases reported in this wise are investigated and the perpetrators brought to book, the killings will continue.

We have always advocated that the police should be allowed to do their job. We have seen the over-militarisation of functions left to be handled by the police. In this situation where the military is said to be involved, the polices role still has not disappeared.

Ultimately, it is the police that should prosecute these killers and offenders and not the military. As long as we call on the authorities to rise to their work, we say to the communities that there is no need for a reprisal.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Definitely, Here is another reason to believe Nigeria will be great. AY Makun just launched himself outside the Boundaries of Africa.

The Veteran Comedian, AY Makun hosted on CNN Marketplace Africa and he recounts how his movie 30days in Atlanta made it to Guinness Book of Record, and how he financed all his Nollywood movies..

source: Instagram
Boko Haram ambushed a military convoy in Damboa, Borno State, on Thursday, killing at least three soldiers.

The attack would be the second against the military within a week as last Friday, one soldier was killed while nine others were injured when the terrorists overran a military base in Marte, near Lake Chad.

According to AFP, Thursdays attack was targeted at an Army Commanding Officers convoy travelling between Damboa and Maiduguri, the state capital.

Quoting a senior military officer, AFP reported, We lost three soldiers in the ambush by Boko Haram terrorists. The terrorists, in their large number, opened fire on the convoy of the commanding officer of 81 Battalion.

Five other troop members were injured in the intense battle that broke out when soldiers engaged the attackers.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media, said the arrival of reinforcements forced the rebels to retreat.

Corroborating the officers account, a commercial bus driver who was also caught in the ambush, Sani Mato, said, I was one of those trailing behind the military convoy when Boko Haram opened fire and soldiers responded with fire.

The soldiers were able to repel the attack but lost three men. Five were also injured.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The father of the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Elder Olutayo Soyode, says in spite of his daughters position and the exalted office of her husband, he dreads going to Aso Rock for a visit.

He said going to the villa was like going to jail, given the way his movement would be monitored and he would need to sign various forms before he could go out, for security reasons.

Speaking in an interview with Punch on Friday, the 74-year-old said he loved to be free and he wasnt the type to sit in one place and be watching television under heavy security.

Soyode, who was a close associate and son-in-law to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, explained that it was the will of God that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo rose from being a university lecturer to become the Vice-President, and that all her daughter wanted to be was a confectioner despite being a qualified lawyer.

He recalled that by the time his late wife, (Dolapos mother) was delivered of Dolapo in the United Kingdom where they met, he was believing God to have a male child, as it was customary in his family to have a male as their first child. However, he said if she had been a male, he might not be as close to her as they are today.

When asked how often he visits the villa to see his daughters family, he said, I dont go there often. Going there is like going to jail, as far as Im concerned. Its like locking me up. The way you see me, do I look like someone that can be kept in one place and before I could go out, I have to sign papers and there would be plenty phone calls? I would just run mad, because Im not used to such.

Im a free man. That place (Aso Rock), is a very good place but Im not the type to live there, so I dont go there often. Anytime I go, I do give them time, like telling them I was coming for two days. I dont even live with them. Let us say we are in Abuja now, you possibly cant visit me for this interview. They wont allow you to come in, and if you have to, you would have to sign different papers.

If I go there, I would be there alone, watching television. I cant do that. I would rather stay where they can visit me and anybody can see me.

In the interview, Soyode also spoke about his relationship with the late Chief MKO Abiola, the trick he deployed to get late Chief Awolowo to allow him marry his daughter, and what had changed about him as the father of the wife of the Vice-President, among other issues.

Source  PUNCH
A Nigerian soldier who left the army because he was afraid to die in Sambisa forest while facing Boko Haram terrorists has been caught stealing a car.

Thirty-four-year-old Lance Corporal Abubakar Isiaka who deserted the army because he was listed among the soldiers to fight Boko Haram in Sambisa forest as he was afraid of his life has landed in trouble.

According to a report by NewTelegraph, Isiaka who abandoned his duty post and kissed goodbye to the Nigerian Army as he didnt want to lose his life fighting the terrorists was recently caught after he allegedly snatched a car belonging to another man.

Attempting to explain why he deserted the army, Isiaka said that he was tired of watching his friends and colleagues die at the war front, in the hands of Boko Haram men.

He said: I was not officially dismissed from the Army. I decided not to go to work anymore when I was posted to Sambisa Forest to tackle the Boko Haram sect. I was among Nigerian soldiers that went to the Sudan Peace Keeping Mission. It was upon my return to Nigeria that our commandant noticed that I was still agile and gallant.

He then sent me and some of my friends to Sambisa Forest. I lost most of my friend in that battle. I then decided to leave the battle; I didnt return to the army base since then.

After walking away, Isiaka didnt return property of the army. One of the items he went away with was his uniform. He started using the uniform to commit crime. He was eventually arrested along with his partner, an ex-convict, identified as Saheed Akangbe, 24.

Isiaka and his partner in crime were presented to journalists by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Odude. They were both arrested for allegedly snatching a Toyota Camry car. Odude said that both men specialized in snatching different kinds of cars from unsuspecting owners.

One of the cars allegedly recovered from them is a Toyota Camry car, marked KJA 89 ER. They were arrested in Ibadan, on October 22, around 11:20pm, at Iyana-Offa, Lagelu area of Ibadan. The duo allegedly confessed to series of car snatching operations in Ogun, Lagos, Oyo, and other neighbouring states.

Asked what he had been doing since he walked out on the Nigerian Army, Isiaka said: I usually lead my friends with my army uniform to find buyers for our stolen cars. I was always well settled. It was my friend, Ismail Adeosun, who is still in Abeokuta Prison that asked us to bring that Toyota Camry car to Ibadan for sale. It was unfortunate that when we got to Ibadan later in the day, we couldnt get the buyer before we were arrested.

Recollecting how they were arrested, Akangbe, said: We were asked to come to Ibadan with the stolen car to deliver to a buyer; but on getting to Ibadan, we couldnt locate the person that our friend asked us to call. It was late in the night; we decided to sleep inside the car till the following morning, unfortunately, while we were sleeping, a night guard walked over and asked us to come down from the vehicle. On sighting my partner with army uniform, he apologised and went away. He later returned with policemen.

Odude said: Isiaka and Akangbe had since confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects are a Toyota Camry car, three cut-to-size guns, 20 live cartridges and an expended cartridge. Odude, who said that he was determined to rid Oyo State of criminals, disclosed that he has strengthened security measure in the state. This action, he noted, would ensure that people in the state, have a crime free environment, most especially in these ember months.

He added: This is the time some criminally- minded persons will be looking for all means to carry out various forms of crimes in order to raise money to spend during the Yuletides period; were ready for them!
Bright Chimezie, who was recently charged as a co-defendant alongside the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has urged the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to imprison the Director of the Department of State Services in the state.

Chimezie, in a motion which he filed before the court on October 19, 2017, argued that his continued detention by the DSS constituted an act of contempt of the courts judgment, which was delivered on May 24, 2017.

He contended that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who delivered the May 24 judgment, had also ordered the DSS to pay him compensatory damages of N5m for illegally detaining him.

Through his lead counsel, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who filed the motion on his behalf, Chimezie urged the court to jail the DSS director for disobeying the said judgment.

A supporting affidavit to the motion, deposed to by Ahmed Sadiya, stated that Chimezie was arrested by the operatives of the DSS at the applicants home in Uyo on October 14, 2016.

It stated that since his arrest, the DSS had neither released him on bail nor charged him with any offence until recently when the charges against Kanu were amended.

It claimed that Chimezie filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit, marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1046/2016, before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.

It stated that the DSS filed a counter-affidavit to the suit, admitting that the applicant was truly arrested in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State by its operatives, on October 14, 2016, but contended that the case could not be heard in Abuja.

The supporting affidavit added that the suit in Abuja was therefore discontinued and a fresh one with suit number  FHC/CS/UY/61/2017  was filed by the applicant before the Uyo Division of the court.

It stated that after the case was heard on merit, Justice Ojukwu made an order on May 24, 2017, directing the DSS, Akwa Ibom State Command to release the applicant and pay compensatory damages of N5m to him on account of the agencys detention of the applicant from October 14, 2016 till the date the judgment was delivered.

With the DSS having allegedly failed to obey the court judgment, Chimezie, therefore prayed in his motion for, An order committing the Director, Department of State Services, Akwa Ibom State Command, Uyo, to prison for having disobeyed the order of this honourable court made on May 24, 2017, which ordered the release of the applicant on bail and the payment of N5, 000,000.00 (five million naira) only as compensatory damages to the applicant.

Meanwhile, the DSS failed to produce Chimezie when Kanu and others trial in which he was recently joined as a co-defendant came up before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 17.

The trial could not also go on because of Kanus absence.

Justice Nyako adjourned until October 20, ordering Kanus sureties to produce him in court on that date or face the consequences.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday withdrew himself from a case centering around the leadership tussle in the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The judge, who announced his withdrawal from the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1556/17 in the open court, said his decision was based on a petition dated October 18, 2017, written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdu Kafarati, against him.

The said petition, titled, Petition Against Handling of Suit FHC/L/CS/LC56/2017: Adeyanju & ORS vs INEC, PDP & ORS by Hon. Justice Ibrahim N. Buba, was signed by the PDP National Vice-Chairman, South-West Zone, Dr. Eddy Olafeso.

On Friday, the court premises was besieged by a host of placards-bearing protesters, demanding the judges withdrawal from the case.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: Justice Buba is a Senator Buruji Kashamus agent; Is Justice Buba bigger than the Supreme Court?; Justice Buba unfit to dispense justice; Save us from the wickedness of Justice Buba; Justice for sale in Bubas court, among others derogatory words.

Counsel for the plaintiffs in the suit, Ifeoma Esom, in a chat with journalists at the end of the proceedings, expressed displeasure at the turn of event, describing the protesters as jobless people hired by politicians to blackmail the judge.

This is blackmail by politicians against the judiciary. This is just a situation where politicians have decided to gang up against the judiciary just to stop a judge from doing his job, Esom said.

The controversial suit was filed by the Ogun State delegation to the PDP national convention.

Listed as the plaintiffs were a member of the PDP National Working Committee, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju; the PDP youth leader in Ogun State, Femi Alao; and delegates to the convention, Daisi Akintan and Alhaji Idris Muniru.

Others were the chairmen of Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Shagamu local government areas of Ogun State  Chief (Mrs.) Tuke Omotara, Alhaji Badejo Abiodun and Otunba Kola Akinyemi  respectively.

Among the 31 defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission; the PDP; and the PDP National Caretaker Committee and its Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A teenage schoolboy has shot dead two other students at his school in Goiania, Brazil, local media say.

The boy, thought to be 13 or 14, launched the attack at his private school after midday (14:00 GMT).

At least four students were injured and are in hospital in the city in Goias state, central Brazil.

A police colonel is quoted as saying the boy may have been bullied and that police are investigating whether that motivated the attack.

The suspect is reportedly from an army or police family, and went home to pick up the weapon before carrying out the attack.

He is now in police custody.
The father of the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Elder Olutayo Soyode, says in spite of his daughters position and the exalted office of her husband, he dreads going to Aso Rock for a visit. He said going to the villa was like going to jail, given the way his movement would be monitored and he would need to sign various forms before he could go out, for security reasons.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, the 74-year-old said he loved to be free and he wasnt the type to sit in one place and be watching television under heavy security.

Soyode, who was a close associate and son-in-law to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, explained that it was the will of God that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo rose from being a university lecturer to become the Vice-President, and that all her daughter wanted to be was a confectioner despite being a qualified lawyer.

He recalled that by the time his late wife, (Dolapos mother) was delivered of Dolapo in the United Kingdom where they met, he was believing God to have a male child, as it was customary in his family to have a male as their first child. However, he said if she had been a male, he might not be as close to her as they are today.

When asked how often he visits the villa to see his daughters family, he said, I dont go there often. Going there is like going to jail, as far as Im concerned. Its like locking me up. The way you see me, do I look like someone that can be kept in one place and before I could go out, I have to sign papers and there would be plenty phone calls? I would just run mad, because Im not used to such. Im a free man. That place (Aso Rock), is a very good place but Im not the type to live there, so I dont go there often. Anytime I go, I do give them time, like telling them I was coming for two days. I dont even live with them. Let us say we are in Abuja now, you possibly cant visit me for this interview. They wont allow you to come in, and if you have to, you would have to sign different papers. If I go there, I would be there alone, watching television. I cant do that. I would rather stay where they can visit me and anybody can see me.

In the interview, Soyode also spoke about his relationship with the late Chief MKO Abiola, the trick he deployed to get late Chief Awolowo to allow him marry his daughter, and what had changed about him as the father of the wife of the Vice-President, among other issues.

Excerpts from interview below:

In this interview the father of the wife of Nigerias Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Elder Olutayo Soyode, speaks on life as a son-in-law to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, her daughter, what he knew about late Chief MKO Abiolas travails among other issues

How does it feel to be the father of the wife of the Vice President?

I dont have any special feeling because I have been in politics for a long time. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was my father-in-law, who is the President Nigeria never had, as far as Im concerned. I was by his side and I worked with him full time. I have been in the limelight for a long time and so all these are just icing on the cake.

How did you meet your wife, Chief Awolowos daughter?
The basic concept behind workers compensation is to provide coverage for injuries or illnesses that result from a workplace accident. No fault or negligence needs to be proven. The employer pays for the insurance, and the business is covered for work-related accidents.

This product shouldnt be overlooked by a self-storage owner if the business has any employees. Mishaps occur, even in the safest and cleanest environments. While you cant always prevent them, you can be prepared and protected.

There are multiple benefits to workers comp insurance. For facility owners, it protects against lawsuits; for employees, it provides medical care and compensation for lost income. The coverage is designed to ensure that those injured or disabled while on the job receive proper recompense, negating the need for lawsuits, regardless of whos at fault. Additionally, theres dependent coverage for injured workers or even those who die because of a work-related accident or illness.

Mandatory Coverage

Though workers comp is required in nearly every state, the laws and requirements vary. Businesses that meet certain criteria must provide coverage for their employees or they could face fines and other serious consequences.

Many owners go to great lengths to protect their facilities with specialty coveragesproperty, general liability, flood, earthquake and many othersdesigned specifically for self-storage. Each coverage and policy is essential in its own way. This is no different for workers comp. For example, general-liability coverage has exclusions relating to the injury of an employee. If your jurisdiction requires workers comp, these exclusions apply, whether or not you have a policy. Therefore, this very important coverage must be considered a mandatory part of your insurance portfolio.

Whos Covered?

When considering your workers comp needs, the real question lies in determining who qualifies as an employee and needs to be covered. By definition, an employee is someone hired to perform services under the direction and control of another person or company, known as the employer. An employer is any person or entity who gives direction to and exercises control over a worker. This means if you hire an independent contractor, he could be considered an employee for purposes of coverage under your policy, even if hes not technically on your payroll. This is why its important to work with an insurance agent who specializes in self-storage and can work with the insurance company on your behalf.

When hiring staff, follow your states statutes and purchase adequate insurance to protect your business. When hiring licensed independent contractors or subcontractors, ensure they carry adequate insurance to reduce your liability in the event of a vendor-exposure claim. Hiring friends and family may be an attractive idea since they may be less expensive and you already have a great relationship with them; just make sure you follow the same protocols. Whether its a friend, family member or business partner, if someone is injured at the facility, it could become costly and cause hard feelings between all parties.

Financial Impact

The cost of a workers comp has many variables. The premium is based on several factors, such as facility location, payroll, class code, experience modifications and number of employees.

Additionally, coverage is an auditable policy, so if you underestimate your payroll, youll owe additional premium at the end of the year. If you dont complete the necessary audit forms, the carrier may create its own calculation, which will probably result in additional cost to your business. On the other hand, if you overestimate your premium, the carrier may apply a credit to the following years insurance renewal, reducing the total expense.

Most owners exclude themselves from workers comp coverage. This is done for various reasons but primarily because they wouldnt file this type of claim against themselves. Since the premium is based on annual payroll and number of employees, eliminating the owner can lower the cost. Most owners prefer to use their own healthcare benefits for coverage in the event of an accident or injury, which can save premium dollars.

Finding an Agent

When selecting an agent to help you with insurance coverage, find a carrier who has experienced claims handling. If an employee gets hurt on the job, you want him to recover and get back as quickly as possible. Your business relies on staff showing up to work healthy. The way a claim is handled could impact how soon an employee returns to work. Not only is responsiveness important, you want a carrier who has access to a wide variety of healthcare networks that are experienced in treating on-the-job injuries.

Workers comp is a vital, reasonably priced product that should be purchased if you have one or more employees. Talk to your insurance agent to ensure you have the correct coverage in place. Workers comp will give you peace of mind while protecting your business and employees.

Melanie Wichelman is an account executive with Universal Insurance Programs, which has created and provided specialized insurance coverages to the self-storage industry for more than 20 years. For more information, call 800.844.2101; visit www.universalinsuranceltd.com.
What Is a Micromanager?

A micromanager is a boss or manager who gives excessive supervision to employees. A micromanager, rather than telling an employee what task needs to be accomplished and by whenwill watch the employee's actions closely and provide frequent criticism of the employees work and processes.

Key Takeaways A micromanager adopts a corporate management style that focuses on the day-to-day performance of individual teams and workers.

While micromanagement may produce some immediate response, it tends to lower company morale and creates a hostile workplace.

Once identified, a micromanager can take steps to improve their leadership style and adopt a more macro approach.

Understanding Micromanagers

Micromanagement is a form of leadership that may produce results in the short-term, but it hurts employee and company morale over time. Usually, micromanaging has a negative connotation because an employee may feel that a micromanager is being condescending towards them, due to a perceived lack of faith in the employee's competency.

Also, a manager who implements this management style creates an environment where their team develops insecurity and a lack of confidence in its work. In the absence of the manager, the team may find it difficult to function.

A micromanager will usually use up most of their time supervising the work of their direct reports and exaggerating the importance of minor details to subordinates; time that could have been used to get other important things done. Although micromanagement is easily recognized by others in the firm, the micromanager may not view themselves as such.

In contrast to a micromanager, a macro manager is more effective in their management approach. Macro-managing defines broad tasks for direct reports to accomplish and then leaves them alone to do their work. Macro managers have confidence that the team can complete the same task without being continually reminded of the process.

Signs of Micromanagement

Signs of micromanagers include but are not limited to:

Asking to be CCd on every email

Occupying themselves with the work assigned to others, thereby, taking on more work than they can handle because they believe they can do it better

Looking over the teams shoulders (both literally and figuratively) to monitor what each member is working on

Constantly asking for updates on where things stand

Wanting to know what each team member is working on all the time

Delegating not only what needs to be done, but how it should be done, leaving no room for the team to take their own initiative

Never being satisfied with the deliverables

Focusing on details that are not important

From the list provided above, it is easy to understand that a micromanager struggles with meeting deadlines since work has to be redone repeatedly, and valuable time is spent poring over inconsequential details. Team members eventually become frustrated and resentful as their work is undermined at every stage, and they have no autonomy over how to run an assigned project. Because team members' skills and development on the job are stunted, the micromanaging style of leadership is ineffective.

Ways to Reform a Micromanager

A micromanager who has identified themselves as such can take a number of steps to break this habit:
Peter Coppinger and Daniel Mackey of Teamwork.com were crowned at the IT@Cork Leader Awards at the Maryborough Hotel.

The awards, of which the Irish Examiner is a media partner, saw 300 of Corks top tech professionals gather to celebrate achievements within the sector over the last 12 months. Mr Coppinger said it was humbling to win in front of companies and individuals for whom he had great admiration.

Theres something special about receiving an award in our home town where the Teamwork journey first began and continues to prosper today. Were very grateful to IT@Cork for this acknowledgement and for the important work they do in promoting the IT space in Cork, he said.

Mr Mackey said it was a great way to mark 10 years for Teamwork. Its been a fantastic experience to start this business from Cork and were excited to continue growing our business from here, he said.

Teamwork.com is a SaaS (software as a service) application suite designed to help take the pain out of running a business.

Founded in 2007, turnover has continued to increase at the cloud-based business management applications firm year-on-year and clients include PayPal, eBay, Disney, Forbes and Spotify.

Headquartered in Blackpool, Cork, the firm employs 138, with 26 working remotely in 15 countries.

Teamwork expects to reach $20m (17m) in revenue this year. The firms bosses have earned acclaim for assisting other IT professionals, as well as promoting the sector and the Cork region nationally and internationally.

Other winners were Solo Energy for the Smart Technology Innovation Award, and Abtran, which won Multinational of the Year.

VMwares KickStart won the Technical Training Programme award, while Twister Wristwear won Tech Start Up of the Year.

Cork Internet eXchange won a One To Watch award, and Scoil Nioclais National School an Excellence in Education Award.

Chair of IT@Cork, Caroline ODriscoll said: Peter and Dan are incredible entrepreneurs and should be immensely proud of all they have achieved to date as they celebrate 10 years at Teamwork. We greatly admire their courage, fortitude and can-do attitude in building a global business from their base in Cork.

IT@Cork represents more than 300 member companies with over 30,000 employees.
The number of vehicles imported from Britain rose from 45,454 in 2015 to 69,571 in 2016.

In the first nine months of this year alone, 70,000 such vehicles were registered.

Kerry Fianna Fail TD John Brassil is warning that a crisis is looming for the Irish motor industry, as the number of imported cars from Britain rises.

Mr Brassil received a parliamentary reply from Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe saying that the number of cars imported into Ireland from Britain increased by 53% between 2015 and 2016.

The trend has continued into 2017, with a further 69,439 registered by the first nine months of the year, said Mr Brassil.

By the end of September, nearly the same number had registered as in the whole of 2016.

This is a direct result of the collapse in sterling, following the decision of the British people to vote to leave the European Union.

While the number of cars being imported has dramatically increased, the latest CSO figures show that sales of new cars in Ireland have fallen.

Car sales declined by 10% in the first nine months of this year, with 121,595 new cars licensed in the year to September.

Mr Brassil added: Irish car dealers, of both new and second-hand cars, are very fearful about what this surge in imported cars into the State will result in.

Even with paying VRT, it is, in many cases, cheaper to travel to the UK and purchase a car there. The net result of this is stagnation in the sales of new cars and the bottom falling out of the second-hand car market.

He called on Mr Donohoe to urgently convene a meeting with those in the motor industry to develop a national response to this wave of cheap cars flooding the Irish market.
The issue was raised with Education Minister Richard Bruton ahead of the progression of his school admissions legislation that has already been discussed at committee stage in the Oireachtas.

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) president, Cathnia O Muircheartaigh, said there were many diverse views and traditions among members at the organisations annual conference.

NAPD wants a fair, transparent and realistic national admissions policy for all. We want an end to the fair day system of multiple applications by parents, which make the planning of school placement almost unworkable, he said.

The problem has long been highlighted by schools, particularly in areas with tight capacity in local schools and some students are offered places in more than one school. If their parents do not notify the school, or schools, that they do not plan to attend, other children are left with no place until principals find out some students have enrolled somewhere else instead.

The legislation published last year by Mr Bruton would authorise him or a successor as education minister to get involved in exceptional circumstances in areas where there are persistent problems of many students being unable to get school places.

Mr O Muircheartaigh, who is principal of Colaiste Pobail Osrai in Kilkenny, also raised the issue of access to all-Irish second-level education.

He believes every child in the State has a right to access second-level education through Irish, but said there were many areas where hundreds of children attend all-Irish schools in or outside the Gaeltacht but where second-level provision does not exist or has very limited spaces.

Mr Bruton told delegates at the NAPD conference they should be given greater autonomy on deciding the kind of continuous professional development their teachers should undergo in the coming years.

The Department of Education spends around 100m a year to cover teacher absences on a range of training programmes, but he said 85% of the courses are dictated by the department or other education agencies.

Really, the centre of gravity has to be changed, where...leaders within schools identify the direction of travel. They should be shaping the types of professional support that their staff are getting to achieve [their schools] goals, he said.

Of course, as we go down this road of greater trust, greater autonomy, greater devolution, it will put a stronger focus on the need for governance and accountability.
However, sergeants and inspectors have put the ball squarely in the court of the Government to enter negotiations to prevent the matter taking a legal route.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors is scheduled to meet, for the first time, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan on November 8 at the same time the associations national executive will seek legal advice from their solicitors on the matter.

AGSI branch representatives from around the country met yesterday at which they objected to the Governments decision to bring in legislation to reflect the findings of a government review of Garda industrial relations.

The Murphy Report said the Garda associations should not be considered as trade unions and should not be allowed to take industrial action. The Garda Industrial Relations Working Group did recommend that the associations have access to industrial relations mechanisms but did not suggest gardai should have a unique wage negotiating system.

AGSI general secretary John Jacob: Essentially, John Murphy is telling us: Yes, you can have access to the WRC [Workplace Relations Commission] and the Labour Court, but you cant strike or you cant have access to an independent pay review structure, while other bodies can strike and can take industrial action.

The Murphy group, set up as part of proposals to avert the Garda strike a year ago, comprised senior civil servants, Garda management and the WRC, but did not include garda associations, independent legal experts or the Policing Authority.

Following the publication of the report, the Government agreed with its recommendations and said it would draft legislation to implement them.

Mr Jacob said the association would now seek legal advice on taking an action before the High Court.

We have to examine whether we are being disadvantaged by this process, he said. It may well be that, after legal advice, we dont have a legal argument, but it would be remiss of us not to consult legal expertise to determine are we being treated fairly or unfairly.

He said the national executive is meeting on November 8-9, at which they would request their solicitors, DAC Beachcroft, to provide it with legal advice on the matter.

After repeated requests, he said the association had secured its first meeting with Mr Flanagan on November 8.

This is not a meet and greet. We will be bringing our concerns to the table for him to address, said Mr Jacob.

He said the AGSI recognised the Government had a problem with the prospect of gardai striking or taking industrial action. However, he said these were fundamental union rights and that without them an association cannot progress their cause. If they do not give us the right to strike then they have to give us some other way of advancing our case, said Mr Jacob.

He said there was a special pay review mechanism in the North and in England that police could use and that this was also being denied to gardai.

We would prefer to negotiate with the Government about this rather than considering legal action.

The AGSI meeting yesterday also prepared for the ballot, being issued next Monday, on the new public service pay deal.

The result of that ballot is also due on November 9. AGSI is recommending acceptance.

The Garda Representative Association yesterday said 63% of its members that voted had accepted the deal.

Only a third of eligible members took part.
Mr Donohoe described the motorway between the counties as a necessity as he moved to allay concerns raised by interested parties at the meeting.

He said the route was part of the Governments commitment to an integrated plan for the entire country.

He described the M20 as the main missing link in our national road network.

Theres an acknowledgement in Government we need to do it, he said. It makes national sense. The Government has pledged 5m for the planning and tendering phase of the massive project.

However, Mr Donohoe declined to comment on a potential start date for the motorway.

Im very much aware of the importance of the [tendering] contract, he said. Experience has taught me that if I begin to put in place construction dates and start dates, in relation to when the project will begin and finish, before it gets planning permission, that it could create difficulties in the planning process.

I want to emphasise, the Government is committed to the building of that project and the competition of the road. We think its a vital part of our national response, not only to Brexit, but how we realise the potential of our country.

Moving to allay further concerns that the Government wasnt focused enough on developing the countrys regions outside the capital, he said: If our response back to the challenges and opportunities that we have is a [solely] Dublin response, that will be a national failure for us. We have to have a national response.

Mr Donohoe told the meeting at Limericks City Hall that the economy is moving to full employment.

I think its likely that we will move to a situation of full employment, but Im by no means taking it for granted, given all the different changes that we are managing at the moment, he said.

I believe better days are ahead. I believe we do have it within our grasp, next year, to get to a point potentially for full employment in our country.
Mr Flanagan, speaking at Insurance Irelands fifth fraud conference in Dublin yesterday, said that he is determined to address the problem.

He said escalating costs of insurance cover in recent years had led people to change their mindset, and exaggerated, opportunistic insurance fraud is one of the factors contributing to rising premiums which have affected people so severely.

This Government has taken action to address those escalating premiums, said Mr Flanagan.

In July 2016, we established the Cost of Insurance Working Group, initially under the chairmanship of [Local Government] Minister Eoghan Murphy and more recently chaired by [junior finance] minister Michael DArcy.

I am pleased to report that a sub-group is looking at this very issue and the report will be finalised in the coming weeks which should outline the steps that can be taken to allow for this information-sharing to take place in a way that will be compliant with the new General Data Protection Regulation.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan of the National Economic Crime Bureau (NECB) said a sub-committee of the Cost of Insurance Working Group should be in a position to send its report on information sharing to the steering group soon. He said the group is examining the sharing of information and intelligence between insurance companies.

The group has yet to decide if only people with convictions for fraud would be included or if it would also include people suspected of fraud. The sub-committee is currently in discussions with the Data Protection Commissioner on the issue.

On the proposal for an industry-funded unit to prevent and detect insurance fraud, Mr Flanagan said the NECB was in discussions with Insurance Ireland about the matter.

He said the NECB has visited the City of London Police to examine its Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department system and that the City of London Police has visited Dublin.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Dubliner, 21, who was freed late on Thursday night, will return by commercial flight but will be accompanied by the Irish ambassador to Cairo.

There was a broad welcome for the news that Mr Halawa has been released, a month after his acquittal.

The Taoiseach expressed delight at the release of Mr Halawa from prison in Egypt. Speaking as he arrived at the second day of the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Leo Varadkar said Mr Halawa spent far too long in jail and appealed for his privacy to be respected.

Mr Halawa, who was detained in 2013 at the age of 17, was released from prison after being acquitted last month of all charges relating to demonstrations in Cairo.

Mr Varadkar said: I am really, really delighted to hear that Ibrahim Halawa has been released from prison. He is receiving full consular assistance at the moment. We are helping him to get back to Ireland, where he will be reunited with his family and hopefully he will get on with his life and get on with his studies. He spent far too long in a different prison but I am delighted that he is now out. I would ask people to respect his familys wishes for privacy.

The Irish ambassador to Egypt, Sean ORegan, confirmed that Mr Halawa was released at approximately 11pm Irish time last night.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney also said he is delighted that Mr Halawa has been released after his long and difficult ordeal.

He said: This is a great moment for Ibrahim and his family  a moment for celebration, and a moment for savouring freedom, and I want to wish Ibrahim Halawa and his family all health and happiness for the future.

I know that Ibrahim and his family have asked for privacy during this time and I hope that this will be respected. Ibrahim has been through a lot, and I think we all need to give him the time and space that he needs.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has said that she hopes Mr Halawa will be home in Ireland soon.

My understanding and hope now is it will be fairly quick, said Ms Zappone. The most extraordinary thing, of course, is that he has been acquitted and he is now free and that he is coming home to his family.

President Michael D Higgins, who is on a State visit to Australia, welcomed Mr Halawas release. In a statement, President Higgins said: The release of Ibrahim Halawa will come as a great relief to his family. It will be welcomed by all those who were concerned for him in his long ordeal of imprisonment. I wish Ibrahim Halawa well on his journey home.

Sinn Fein Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan expressed her delight at the news of his release: Great news coming out of Cairo. Ibrahim Halawa is free after four years of illegal imprisonment, but now focus is on getting him home.

Fianna Fail spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Darragh OBrien welcomed the release of Mr Halawa from Egyptian prison late last night.

I and my colleagues in Fianna Fail are relieved and delighted to learn of Ibrahims release from prison, said Mr OBrien.
Tens of thousands of people, mainly women, who took time out to raise children or care for elderly relatives are being denied higher rates of the contributory pension due to anomalies in the system.

This means some women are losing as much as 35 per week, as payments are calculated from the date a person first began work and do not take consideration of time taken out to care for family.
Dean Seery, aged 21, had earlier been arrested arising out of a drunken incident. He was released after six hours in Mayfield Garda Station and driven by gardai to Popes Quay, as the young man said he would stay with his grandmother.

However, shortly afterwards, he burgled the pizzeria and walked out with the drawer of the till containing coins and notes and went over to a quay wall. He was visible from Bridewell Garda Station.
Raymond Heffernan of Mount Brosna, Mayfield, Cork, appealed unsuccessfully against his failure of the driving test for the 17th time.

I am driving 49 years, I never had an accident in my life, I never even had a parking ticket. I was failed ever before I got into the car. I want justice, Mr Heffernan yesterday stated at Cork District Court.

I am 67 years old. I think it is a joke. I think it is high time I got justice.

There is a vendetta against me.

Mr Heffernan called a witness, Darren Mullane, a driving instructor trainer.

Judge Brian OShea asked Mr Mullane: Are you saying that a vendetta is extant?

Mr Mullane replied: Yes.

The driving instructor added: This is his 17th fail. He is after being sponsored by a Cork radio station.

Mr Heffernan then made a number of references to an appearance on Red FM with Neil Prendeville.

Judge OShea said he had asked the appellant to set out the only matters he could take into account: Any allegations of procedural impropriety in the conducting of the test.

The judge said there was no such evidence and he had to dismiss the appeal.

The judge noted that, in the test taken on September 15, Mr Heffernan had two grade 3 faults. One would be sufficient for an outright fail.

Mr Heffernan also had 11 grade 2 faults. Eight of them would result in a fail.

After he dismissed the case, the judge said he felt he should comment on the involvement of Red FM in this case.

There is a perception of conspiracy in the mind of the appellant. It is shared by his witness.

Given all the heartache, this court is outraged that a local radio station would fuel this fire.

Judge OShea said it was hard to find words for the actions of the radio station in the case but he added: Words that come to mind are thoughtless, dangerous and downright stupid.

Solicitor Edward OHanlon represented the Road Safety Authority in the case and Mr Heffernan represented himself.

Judge OShea said that because the appellant was representing himself he was giving him some latitude but, after repeated accusations by Mr Heffernan of perjury by RSA witnesses in similar cases taken by him over the years, the judge warned he was not going to allow the court to be used as a forum for mud-slinging.
The first things he asked us for was his bedroom and the fridge, said his sister Somaia. He told us: Have my room ready and the fridge full when I get home.

His bedroom is here ready for him so we can do that. And well fill the fridge  well give him the bill later. He can pay us in the chores we saved up for him.

Speaking at the family home in Firhouse, Dublin, which was awash with wellwishers yesterday, Somaia said they were still overwhelmed with joy at the news of Ibrahims release.

The family received an indication there might be developments on Thursday but, after 9pm, with no news emerging from Cairo and the weekend shutdown looming on Friday, they resigned themselves to another wait.

However, then shortly before 11pm, when all but their father had headed for bed, they heard the phone ring and then the delighted roars of their father. Ibrahim was on the other end of the line, shouting: Dad, Im free. Ive left prison. Im free.

Hes over the moon, hes just so happy. He just cant express how happy he is. He is trying to enjoy every minute and take it all in, said Somaia.

She and sisters Fatima and Omaia were all arrested with Ibrahim, then 17, during a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Cairo where they were holidaying with relatives in August 2013. Since the sisters were freed three months later, they have campaigned tirelessly to secure Ibrahims release. The mass trial which saw him charged and tried along with almost 500 others finally concluded a month ago, with Ibrahim being cleared of all charges.

He remained in prison, however, as procedural delays prevented his release.

We still dont have much detail of when he will leave Egypt because he overstayed his visa so there are travel documents to sort out and other paperwork but we hope it wont be much longer, said Somaia. Were just telling him to relax and enjoy this moment and well see him soon.

Despite the international publicity Ibrahims case has generated, the family are hopeful of a low-key homecoming. His mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and only left hospital hours before she learned of her sons release.

Earlier, Ibrahim posted a message on Facebook, in which he shared his delight at being free.

Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air, walk freely and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart, he wrote. But I miss one thing and its being home.

He also expressed his thanks to the Irish embassy team in Cairo and everyone who helped him.

The Egyptian embassy in Ireland welcomed Ibrahims release, and said it had been working in closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The embassy said: Our efforts were only part of the continued efforts of both political leaders, their governments, and the respective ministers of foreign affairs seeking to overcome the challenges related to this matter.
Paschal Donohoe avoided calling for a Garda probe and said he did not want to undermine any possible future investigation.

Speaking in Limerick, he said the Government would be pursuing the matter with the banks to try to find a speedy resolution for affected customers.

Asked if the Central Bank required more legislative powers to put pressure on banks to urgently compensate affected customers, the minister said: The governor of the Central Bank [has] commented on the powers that are available to him under current legislation. He made the point that those powers are sufficient for dealing with the many issues that are there now.

But legal change cannot deal with retrospective matters  it can only deal with challenges that we have now and ones that are developing. I will comment on options that might be open to me, after I have met the banks on this issue.

The minister said: Its shining a light where we were, not only in our past, but also where we are now. Its not acceptable to the Irish Government; this matter needs to be resolved, and Ill be emphasising that to all the [bank] chief executives. And, at a point in the future, if necessary, Ill outline options that will be open to the Government on the matter.

Mr Donohoe is to meet the chief executives on Monday.

He said: I will be emphasising to [the banks] that this is unacceptable; that we are not talking about consumer matters here. We are talking about the lives of citizens that have been badly hurt in too many numbers, by the way in which this issue has been dealt with historically, and by how it is now being dealt with.

He said the banking sector needs to change and that, we need to see quick progress on the tracker mortgages situation.

The status of the probe from the Central Bank, and the testimony from many of our citizens that have been so badly affected and hurt, by the way in which the tracker mortgage issue has been dealt with, is now obvious to all.

For me, it shines a light into the culture of our banking system for a period, but what is now of concern to me is that it also shines a light into the status of our culture in Irish banking now.

Mr Donohoe said the banks need to respond back to this difficulty with greater urgency than they are at the moment.

In Brussels, meanwhile, the Taoiseach said he wants to wait and see to allow Mr Donohoes meeting to take place before commenting further.

On the tracker issue, we have nothing new to say, I have nothing to add to what I have said already but what will happen next is that Mr Donohoe will meet with the bank CEOs on Monday and Wednesday and I think we will see what they have to say at that point and take it from there.
Pearse Harvey, festival co-founder, shares some of his magic moments

Buddy Rich, 1986

Buddy Rich had his flight delayed and diverted to Shannon Airport. They had to drive from Shannon to Cork with a garda escort in record time because the concert was put back to one oclock in the morning.

Everyone stayed. No one left the theatre. To fill the gap, the pick-up group was more than a pick-up group  it was Spike Robinson and Louis Stewart and a combination of other musicians.

Everyone was on a high. The bar stayed open. It was a magical concert. Unforgettable. They played their hearts out, as Buddy Rich would demand. He was a good taskmaster.

He died shortly after [April 1987]. He was like a wound-up doll.

Buddy Rich on stage at Cork Opera House in1986. Picture: Eddie OHare

They put him and his drum-kit on a big rise behind the band so he was surrounded by other musicians.

He leapt from that onto the stage, as if it was the start to his day. Sure I suppose it was, in a sense, for him.

For his age, his agility and fitness seemed incredible. He gave the impression that he was more like a PE teacher than an advanced-age musician.

Sonny Rollins, 1981

Sonny Rollins was a revelation. He laid on an unforgettable exhibition of technical virtuosity which, allied to a bewildering capacity to improvise with the greatest of ease, left his audience spellbound.

His performance, albeit a bare hour, and not long enough by half for some punters and he was given a deafening ovation at the end of what was truly a wonderful concert.

Dizzy Gillespie, 1990

Gillespies 15-piece outfit was a multicultural ensemble that featured a wide strata of exotic jazz talent, as well as his regular combo, Mario Rivera on reeds, Ed Cherry on guitar, John Lee on bass and Ignacio Berroa on drums.

True to form, the Opera House concert was a wild success, though we could have heard a lot more from the man himself, who was content to favour a set of conga drums over his trumpet.

Stevie G, DJ

Jimmy Smith and Clyde Stubblefield, 2004

Jimmy Smith was the elder statesman of the Hammond organ, absolute legend. He was very old when he played the festival. He did a night in the Everyman, and the Everyman would be a very respectful, Jazz-playing crowd, music connoisseurs.

It was in 2004, before everyone was using their phones every two seconds, but people still had the technology.

Stevie G

The official people take a few pictures at the start and then put away the cameras.

There was someone taking a picture a bit too long though  and there was a flash in the camera  while he was playing.

He was tiny, very frail; he died soon after [February 2005], but he got up from the keyboard and he said: Do you wanna take a picture of this? and he was giving the fist sign.

He was tiny and he was in his late-70s. Everyone just stood still.

There were no more pictures after that.

There was another guy Jimmy Smith played with that night, arguably one of the most important musicians of all time.

Hes the late, great Clyde Stubblefield. He was James Browns go-to drummer alongside Bernard Purdie. Purdie was meant to play that gig, but he got sick so Clyde came instead.

A bunch of us  we were all young fellas  brought along our records to get signed.

They signed the records and got a great kick out of it: All you young kids have our records. This is great.

After an initial frosty relationship with hip-hop, some of the jazz guys have seen in the last 20 years that its given them a new lease of life.

Some of the money is rolling in for them from publishing because its hard to sample now without paying your dues.

Pat Horgan, former jazz festival chairman

John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, 1981

John Dankworth and his wife Cleo Laine had a top room at the Metropole Hotel. They had played at the Opera House. After their concert, they went to change in their rooms at the hotel when they saw three faces outside the window on whatever floor they were on  the fourth or fifth.

These guys were tapping on the window. Cleo Laine opened the window. They said: Were students from the local university. We cant get in. Would you mind letting us in? Theres only a few of us. Apparently, there was about 15 of them marched through eventually. As they were passing through, the last one of the students asked: Are ye here for the jazz festival?

Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth were two world-renowned jazz figures.

It was after that it was decided to put axel grease  which the hotel maintenance man got from the garage next-door  on the downpipes on the Harley Street side of the Metropole. That put a stop to it.

Barney Kessel and Blarney Castle, 1982

There were three red-hot guitar players who were touring the world  Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis. They were called The Great Guitars.

Barney Kessel liked to play and was here for practically the entire weekend. He had met some local guys and he was drinking in the hotel bar until maybe two oclock in the morning.

He asked the night porter: Hi, I need the keys, Barney Kessel. The night porter didnt know who Barney Kessel was. He said: Look, sir, Blarney Castle wont be open until tomorrow morning.

He mistook Barney Kessel for Blarney Castle!

Dick Feeney, DJ, Dublin South FM

Marco Petrassi and Shorty Rogers, 1982

I remember standing outside the Metropole door. I think it was a Friday afternoon. The place was crowded. It was real carnival stuff. There was a lorry coming along MacCurtain St and on the back of it was a band which included Harry Connolly and Marco Petrassi, pictured, on trumpet. Marco was a tremendous trumpet player; back in the 1950s, the Petrassis had a chip shop on North Main St.

A great hero of mine was Shorty Rogers was standing alongside me, a lovely man.

He was one of the tops. He appeared in films. He had great big bands. He was a marvellous trumpet player, bandleader, composer, orchestrator. We were just enjoying the whole scene, and he turned to me and he said, You know that trumpet guy has great chops.

Marco Petrassi passed away, 27 September 2017.

Sean Brophy, DJ, Dublin City FM

Mose Allison Trio, Everyman Palace Theatre, 2007

Mose Allison was a fantastic pianist and songwriter. He would have influenced people like Van Morrison. When I saw him he was about 80 years of age [his 80th birthday was a couple of weeks later]. He gave a fantastic performance even though he was fairly frail looking. He didnt do anything more than he had to do. He just played the set  90 minutes. He was preserving his energy to play the music. It felt like he was saying a prayer where youd forget something if you didnt keep going.

Bernard Casey, former jazz Festival chairman

Alison Moyets road manager, Cork Opera House, 1985

Bernard Casey

Generally the artists were fabulous people to deal with over the 40 years. Its their managers who are the problems, and their road managers in particular. The artists are on tour, especially if theyre on tour in Europe, they pick up a road manager. They can be picky. I remember for Alison Moyet backstage, the whole corridor had to be cleared when she went from the dressing room to the stage. Nobody was allowed on the wings or anything like that when she was singing.

Harry Connolly

- The only musician to play in all 40 Cork jazz festivals

We were trying to get Oscar Peterson for about seven years. Eventually, he came in 1987. He came off the plane with his group. He didnt say a word. He was brought to the Opera House for his sound check.

Harry Connolly

He didnt say a word. He was brought to his hotel. Not a word. He arrived for the gig about 15 minutes late. Not a word. We were inside in his dressing room. It was before he went on stage. He said: Where is the cheque? They were his first four words in Cork. We talked to Oscar after and he was saying when he played Toronto in the nightclubs, theyd be saying how good he was. He said, It didnt matter. Always get paid up front first.

Tony Sheehan, artistic director, Triskel Arts Centre

Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Cork Opera House, 2005

The Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra was part of a double bill with McCoy Tyner, two of the most influential living jazz masters on the same stage on the same night. Cork was European Capital of Culture at the time. We had managed to secure significant funding for the jazz festival to really go the extra mile. The only perk I asked for was that I got to introduce McCoy Tyner.

"Festival director Jack McGowran went one better and said: Introduce both of them. This was the era of George Bush and the Iraq War. Charlie made a stand against this on stage. I remember his version of This is Not America, that unforgettable adaptation that he made. Of course, Charlie passed away a few years ago. Weve lost a true jazz legend.

"That night, that packed house, that atmosphere, and that sense of physical strength that Charlie was able to put into the music. Unforgettable. 

McCoy Tyner, Cork Opera House, 2005

McCoy Tyner, on his own, on piano. He is one of the true greats of jazz. I got to watch the concert from the side of the stage. I was barely 20 feet away. I couldnt really hear the music because if you cant hear the monitor you cant really hear whats being projected out onto the stage, but I could hear the piano and I could see and feel his movements, his famous left hand  the way he has carved that unique sound.

His sheer articulateness with the piano, the fluency of the music even the way he would use the pedal or the way he would keep time or mess around with beats.

The jazz festival committee decided to give him a lifetime achievement award. I had to give him a clock. McCoy was walking off stage so I had to walk him back out to the centre of the stage and made the presentation. He took the clock. We were walking back off stage and we started having this conversation about the clock: The clock doesnt work. Maybe it needs to be wound. Or is it a battery clock? 

Dino Saluzzi, Felix Saluzzi, Anja Lechner, Triskel Christchurch, 2013

It was 2013. We were now open in Triskel Christchurch. We had restored our church into a beautiful, 300-seat venue. You know what the festival is like... Everyone is around town. Theres a real buzz. Every pub has music in it. There are trails. Its nuts. Except in Christchurch. You come in and youre going into this quiet environment  this 18th century, beautiful baroque church that has been specially redesigned as a concert hall, and it has one of the finest acoustics in the country.

Our main gig that night was a trio  the bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi, his brother Felix Saluzzi [tenor sax, clarinet] and the world-famous cellist Anja Lechner. They were playing music from a project they did together  Navidad de los Andes. It was a blend of art, tango, classical, saxophone, cello sound, bandoneon. Dino began to tell one of his stories about children at play in the mountains, all of this he conjures up. The place was packed  it was stuffed with people and you couldnt hear a pin drop.

He got so low at one stage that you could actually hear him breathing, as he picked out the notes. He took us on the most unforgettable journey. It was one of the most beautiful moments Ive had in this church, this sanctuary for music, in the middle of the noisiest weekend in Cork.
School board meets tonight

The Teton County School District No. 1 school board meeting is today at 6 p.m. As with all regular monthly board meetings, it will be held at the districts administrative offices at 1235 Gregory Lane.

Public comment by students defending their teachers and parents views on politics in school are expected. Since the fate of teachers Carin Aufderheide and Jess Tuchscherer is not on the public meeting agenda, public comment will be taken relatively early in the evening. The time limit to speak is 2 minutes.

According to Wyoming statute 21-7-110, a school board may suspend or dismiss any teacher or terminate any continuing contract teacher for incompetency, neglect of duty, immorality, insubordination, unsatisfactory performance or any other good or just cause.

School board policies address religion in schools and staff involvement in political campaigns, but nothing specifically covers the place of politics in classroom lessons.

Any candid discussion between school board members is likely to happen in an executive session. However, any vote on the suspension or termination of a teachers contract will need to be made in public.
At least 130 local Rockwell Collins Inc. jobs could be affected by a potential transfer of aftermarket production, possibly to facilities in the Philippines, employees told the Winston-Salem Journal on Friday.

Josh Baynes, senior media relations manager for Rockwell, confirmed Friday that company officials have begun discussions with its union employees and their leadership at its Winston-Salem facility.

The Journal is not identifying the employees because they fear losing their jobs and possible severance packages.

The bad part about all this is that we dont know when the cuts could come  it could be tomorrow, two weeks, whenever, one employee told the Journal. Weve been kept in the dark if were going to be offered a severance package or See you later. 

Employees said the bulk of affected workers are based at Rockwells operations near Smith Reynolds Airport in the plastics molding and shaping departments for aircraft seating.

They said engineers and employees in tooling related to their department could be affected, whether involving the transferring of their job or being shifted to another local job that pays less.

Baynes said employee conversations involve Teamsters 391, based in Greensboro. Teamsters officials could not be reached for immediate comment.

As far as what exact positions, thats still be evaluated, Baynes said. We are still in the decision-making process, and negotiations with our union are a key part of that process.

At 130 jobs, it would represent 8 percent of Rockwells Winston-Salem workforce of 1,600 that the company, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, inherited April 13 from spending $8.6 billion to buy B/E Aerospace Inc.

On Sept. 4, Rockwell confirmed plans to be sold for $23 billion to aerospace giant United Technologies Corp., with United absorbing $7 billion in Rockwell debt. There had been industry and analyst speculation of such a deal for about a month prior to the announcement.

The United-Rockwell deal is projected to close in the third quarter of 2018, pending regulatory and shareholder approval.

The day after announcing the potential sale to United, the top executive of Rockwell pitched a bigger-is-better message to local employees as they braced for more uncertainty.

There will be no local impact on staffing levels, Kelly Ortberg, Rockwells chairman, chief executive and president, told the Journal on Sept. 5. The combined company will be larger and more stable and give employees more opportunity to grow the overall business and leverage our research and development capabilities.

In July, Rockwell announced plans to transfer an undetermined number of production line jobs from a plant in Everett, Wash., to the Philippines and to a facility in Kansas, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The Philippines facility would gain two lines and the Kansas facility one.

The newspaper reported the Everett job transfers would be completed in September 2018.

In order to better support our customers longer-term production needs and keep similar product lines together, Rockwell Collins has the made the decision to move some of the products that it assembles in Everett to other facilities, Baynes said in a statement to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

On Friday, Baynes said any potential changes in Winston-Salem are unrelated to product-line moves this year in Everett and the pending acquisition of Rockwell Collins by UTC.

Employees said they were informed by Rockwell officials that the potential transfer of production and ancillary jobs is being driven by lower offshore labor and production costs.

They have been laying people off slowly, and production has been decreasing since Rockwell Collins took over, one employee said.

Rockwell and UTC Aerospace Systems would be integrated to create Collins Aerospace Systems. Ortberg will serve as Collins Aerospaces chief executive, while Uniteds Dave Gitlin would be president and chief operating officer.

Ortberg said that there are no non-core businesses in Winston-Salem and no product overlaps with United in Winston-Salem.

In a question-and-answer disclosure to Rockwell employees, the company predicted $500 million in cost savings, including $100 million of unrealized savings from the B/E acquisition, within the first four years of integration.

Many of those synergies will come from supply chain improvements and the elimination of public company costs, Rockwell said. While there will be some headcount reductions, primarily at the corporate level, the vast majority of employees will not be impacted as a result of the acquisition.

Our company will work closely with any potentially impacted employees and, as may be required by any local laws, consult with regional or national works councils or other employee representatives before any final decisions are made.

As rumors surfaced Aug. 5 that United was interested in buying Rockwell, analysts speculated that if such a deal occurred, part of it would involve United spinning off or selling off non-core operations.

Greg Hayes, Uniteds chief executive, hinted at such an eventual possibility.

Once we have completed the integration of Rockwell Collins and made progress toward reducing leverage back to historical levels, we will have an opportunity to explore a full range of strategic options for UTC, Hayes said.

United generates about half its sales from aviation through its Pratt & Whitney and aerospace divisions. The company also makes Otis elevators and Carrier air conditioners.
Emtiro Health formed through joint partnership

Northwest Community Care Network of Winston Salem and Partnership for Community Care Network of Greensboro have formed Emtiro Health, a joint venture.

Emtiro Health will focus on building on the experience of Partnership for Community Care Network, known as P4CC, and Northwest Community Care Network, known as NCCN, to provide population health management services to patients, providers and payers.

The joint organization will have an office in Winston-Salem and one in Greensboro.

P4CC and NCCN were formed as part of Medicaids Community Care of North Carolina program about 20 years ago.

Jim Graham, president and chief executive of Emtiro Health, said that the joint venture will support providers and payers with the goal of achieving improved outcomes and patient experience at a lower cost of care.

Fran Daniel

Forsyth Tech to accept applications for startups

Forsyth Technical Community College is accepting applications for its Small Business Launch Challenge. Applications will be accepted Nov. 15 through Dec. 31 for business startups.

The next session for the challenge will be from Feb. 1 through mid-May. Applications are available at http://www.forsythtech.edu/courses-programs/for-businesses/small-business-center/launch-challenge/.

The Launch Challenge is the result of a collaborative effort among all six colleges and universities in Winston-Salem.

Fran Daniel

U.S. Labor fines Asheboro company for back wages

The U.S. Labor Department said Friday that El Club Mexicano Inc., a national food distribution company based in Asheboro, has agreed to pay $136,266 in back wages and damages to 47 employees.

The payments are the result of a federal Wage and Hour Division investigation determining overtime and other violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The company was found to have misclassified employees as independent contractors, and subsequently failed to pay them minimum wage or overtime.

The company also failed to pay employees overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a work week.

As a result, 47 employees were found due $68,133 in minimum wage and overtime back wages, plus an equal amount in damages, totaling $136,266.

The investigation also found El Club Mexicano hired minors, ages 14 and 15, to operate a forklift and paper box bailer, both for which the FLSA prohibits use by workers under 18. The agency assessed the company $6,638 in civil money penalties for the child labor violations.

Richard Craver
Two Winston-Salem men were convicted this week on federal charges that they committed more than $1 million in health care fraud through a company they started in Jacksonville, Fla.

Shawn Thorpe, 30, and Ruben McLain, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Each man faces a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Thorpe and McLain have not yet been sentenced.

According to court papers and the news release, McLain was convicted on health-care fraud charges in 2011 and was declared an excluded provider in 2012, meaning that he was not allowed to bill federal health care programs, such as Medicaid, for any services. But according to federal prosecutors, thats exactly what he did, using Julian Winchester as an alias.

Thorpe and McLain started Coastal Bay, a company that provided medical care to Medicaid patients. Thorpe never told anyone in the Medicaid program that he was working with someone who had been excluded from participating, according to the news release. As Julian Winchester, McLain hired and fired people, saw patients and performed other management duties. He also traveled from his home in Winston-Salem to Jacksonville, Fla., to help with Coastal Bay operations.

According to court papers, McLain used Coastal Bays corporate credit card to make routine purchases at restaurants, furniture stores, gas stations and other places in North Carolina, even though Coastal Bay had no operations in the state. McClain and his immediate family received more than $10,000 in direct payment withdrawals from Coastal Bay business accounts.

Coastal Bay received $1.2 million in reimbursements from Medicaid because of McLains alleged fraud, according to court papers. Coastal Bay got $211,311 in reimbursements from Medicaid because of Thorpes alleged fraud, federal prosecutors alleged.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Floridas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Mehta and Jay Taylor are prosecuting.
KENNESAW, Ga.  A new battle line has formed in the national debate over Civil War flags and symbols  this time at a Georgia school not far from a mountaintop where Confederate soldiers fired their cannons at Union troops more than a century ago.

The school near Kennesaw Mountain last month invited fifth-graders to dress up as characters from the Civil War.

A white student, dressed as a plantation owner, said to a 10-year-old black classmate, You are my slave, said the black childs parent, Corrie Davis.

What I want them to understand is the pain it caused my son, Davis said of her child, who did not dress up that day. This is bringing them back to a time when people were murdered, when people died, when people owned people.

Davis recorded an emotional video in which she explains how she was affected by what happened to her son. It has attracted about 70,000 views on Facebook. The distraught mother said she met with school officials, but was dismayed when they refused to promise that they would never conduct a class in that way again. The issue could come to a head in a couple of weeks, when Davis plans to bring it up at a regularly scheduled school board meeting.

No student was required to dress in period attire and any student that did so was not instructed, nor required, to dress in any specific attire, school system spokesman John Stafford said in a brief statement. Cobb County school officials havent said whether the annual Civil War Day will continue next year at Big Shanty Intermediate School.

However, the note sent home to parents before the event said it creates a more realistic simulation when dressing in Civil War clothing.

Its suggestions included overalls  which Davis believes could have been meant to represent the clothing worn by slaves.

BE CREATIVE and use your resources to ensure that your costume is as accurate as possible, the Georgia schools note informed parents. It included a small picture of a man in Civil War dress with what appears to be one of several flags used by the Confederate States of America.

If theyre requiring that the costume be as accurate as possible ... some kid is going to come to school dressed as a plantation owner, Davis said in her video. My son is going to be looked upon as a slave at the school.

The best way to help students learn about difficult historical events such as the Civil War is to create an environment in which they can talk about them and learn different perspectives, said Andy Mink, a former Virginia teacher and now vice president of education programs at the National Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen teaching.

I think the best reason to teach history is to teach empathy, said Mink, who works with schools nationwide on teaching strategies.

The question we have to ask is whether or not dressing in a particular outfit is really achieving a learning outcome of some kind.

Davis said she doesnt object to learning about the Civil War. Im simply saying the way in which you are going about teaching this standard is offensive, she said.

Earlier this month, students in Georgias largest school system, Gwinnett County, were asked in a class studying the rise of Nazism to come up with ideas for mascots that might have been used as propaganda for the Nazi party. Gwinnett County schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said it wasnt appropriate, and that the matter was being addressed with the teacher.

Davis said she wont back down in her effort to stop the dress-up aspect of the schools Civil War Day.

What they can do is say, Were not going to do this anymore, Davis said. It is mind-boggling to me that no one will say that.
Dear Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III:

I am so sorry to have criticized you for not taking any press questions during your August visit to our city, Winston-Salem. Belatedly, I have come to realize you are an undercover brother of the press, as you subtly hinted at Georgetown University and before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bless your heart.

I wont tell a soul about your undercover status.

Southern manners mean everything, as well you know as an Alabama native. My column criticizing you after your recent visit failed that standard. Please forgive my lapse. I didnt realize then that we are really soul-mates.

Praising free speech at Georgetown last month, you invoked my beloved Martin King and his strong words against segregation. Critics might say they cant remember you standing up for Kings radicalism back in the day, but hey, thats just critics. Sad.

Look, political correctness and safe spaces on campuses and all the rest have run amok. We should appreciate our First Amendment rights, as you so eloquently said in your prepared remarks for Georgetown:

As you exercise these rights, realize how precious, how rare, and how fragile they are. In most societies throughout history and in so many that I have had the opportunity to visit, such rights do not exist. In these places, openly criticizing the government or expressing unorthodox opinions could land you in jail or worse. ... The right to freely examine the moral and the immoral, the prudent and the foolish, the practical and the inefficient, and the right to argue for their merits or demerits remain indispensable for a healthy republic. This has been known since the beginning of our nation ... And let me be clear that protecting free speech does not mean condoning violence like we saw recently in Charlottesville. Indeed, I call upon universities to stand up against those who would silence free expression by violence or other means on their campuses.

Right on, my brother!

And when you testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, you so sagely played it cool on free speech, lest youd out yourself as a brother of the press and bring down your dear leaders ire for consorting with, as he called us, the enemy of the American people.

But some of us ink-stained wretches know youre a fellow traveler. Youre a sly one. And you held your own before your former Senate colleagues.

That mean and nerdy lawyer lady, that Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, pressed you Wednesday. She wanted to know whether you would jail reporters in hunting those leakers for your boss. But, boy oh boy, you were coy as any Roy, as even The Washington Post reported on your words:

Well, I dont know that I can make a blanket commitment to that effect. But I would say this: We have not taken any aggressive action against the media at this point. But we have matters that involve the most serious national security issues, that put our country at risk, and we will utilize the authorities that we have, legally and constitutionally, if we have to.

Some critics, of course, didnt get your testimony, including that failed comedian and Harvard honors graduate, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota (what is it about that state?). And that pesky Alliance for Justice claimed you evaded questions on the Russia investigation, voting rights, President Trumps travel ban, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the firing of James Comey, freedom of the press, and LGBTQ discrimination.

They just did not get it.

But I, for one, caught your meaning when you said: Maybe we  we always try to find an alternative way, as you probably know, Sen. Klobuchar, to directly confronting a media person. But thats not a total blanket protection.

This media person understands, Mr. Sessions, and I wont hog the blanket on this matter.

If you have to press a judge to jail me for refusing to identify you as my source on this column, I will gladly go, knowing jailing journalists is part of your undercover plan, your quiet revolution. If allowed, I will proudly paste your photo on my cell wall. I will tell my fellow prisoners that our greatest presidents  John Tyler, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon  would have been as proud to have you as our nations top lawyer as our current president is.

Dont worry about all that bullying President Trump is giving you. Thats just his way of saying he loves you. Just as your supposed bullying on free speech is your way of saying you love us newspapermen. You sneaky devil, you! I know youre just trying to get a few of us sent to jail, hoping the controversy will have a boomerang effect, getting your boss off your back on this leaker crackdown.

Brilliant plan on your part, sir.

Yours in justice.

And never injustice,

jr
Scorecard panelists rate news events on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being negative and 10 being positive. This weeks event: President Trump takes credit for ISIS giving up.

Jim Monroe: 9. It is totally correct that he take credit for this. If the past nine months had gone the way that the past eight years went, he would surely be getting the blame.

He has given the military direction and support. He has changed the rules of engagement, allowing the commanders on the ground a higher level of autonomy so that they may carry though and finish the job. In the previous administration, the military had only token support and our country had become an international laughingstock. The best security we can have is a strong and supported military.

Suzanne Carroll: 2. And come December, Trump will take credit for being Santa Claus. Pompous donkey, I mean elephant.

Mike Walker: 7. Trump is correct, to a point. We are more effectively prosecuting the war against ISIS. He oversells his role, as usual.

Tony Gagliardi: 8. I have no problem with the claim. If it was not for his administra-tions endorsing the prosecution of this war, ISIS would not be leaving. President Obama certainly could not make such a claim.

Charles E. Wilson: And I take credit for Burgoynes surrender to American forces on Oct. 17, 1777. President Trumps harmless boasting deserves a score of 1.

Last year, at the Commander-in-Chief forum on MSNBC, Trump said the generals of the U.S. military were embarrassing to America. He also said that the generals had been reduced to rubble. Trump has previously said he knows more about ISIS than the generals. Apparently the generals learned a lot from Trump in the last few months.

Don Witte: 0. Talk about a narcissistic person who lives by the credo of never apologizing and does not care about the common person in any way, shape or form. Trump first and everyone else far down the list.

Pat Blankenship: 10. This is one issue that Trump can actually take some credit for.

Under President Obama, Valerie Jarrett oversaw the Defense Department and, along with Obama, micromanaged with little success the war effort against ISIS, just as Lyndon Johnson micromanaged the disastrous war in Vietnam.

Trump knows nothing about warfare and, thus, has been smart enough to allow his military commanders, as well as their subordinates on the battlefield, the flexibility to be creative in developing and implementing war-fighting strategies and tactics that really work and that, hopefully, will ultimately destroy ISIS. All this without the prior approval of civilian bureaucrats in Washington. Good job.

JoAnn Dunn: 8. Throughout several years of the Obama presidency, most news broadcasts carried videos of truckloads of ISIS fighters waving flags and guns as they took over one area after another in the Middle East. Their expansion was rapid, and it seemed nothing could stop them.

When bin Laden was killed, there were weeks of kudos in print and on TV about what a great achievement this was for Obama. On the other hand, President Trump has been in office less than a year, and we no longer see pictures of ISIS fighters celebrating victory. Instead we hear reports that ISIS strongholds have been retaken and their influence is dramatically reduced.

What President Trump can take credit for is turning military decisions over to our military leaders, recognizing that they know more about operations abroad than he does. Perhaps ISIS wouldnt have had so much success in the first place if Obama had done the same.

Khaetlyn Grindell: ISIS was already losing power before Trump took office.

Frankly, I think the presidents inability to follow through on his campaign promises makes him desperate to take credit for something. My score for Trump is the same as his number of achievements: 0.

Anne Wilson: 0. This erratic, pathetic man has no clue and is in no position to be functioning as president of the United States. His outrageously inflated ego and complete lack of empathy and wisdom interfere with his judgment.

John Harrison: 6. ISISs long awaited defeat in Raqqua in the heart of its caliphate is a blow to prestige and ability to radicalize and recruit. The U.S. forces involved deserve congratulation and acknowledgement of their efforts.

But lets not get too excited. ISIS is tentacular and will remake itself elsewhere. There may also be a lesson to heed from Iraq where similar joint Iraqi-Kurdish forces having taken Mosul are now skirmishing with each other. Claiming credit for anything in the Middle East imbroglio seems like a risky business.

Linda Hill: 10. This is huge. ISIS is giving up and President Trump is celebrating this victory, as well he should. He has put the right people in place and followed the rules of engagement (paraphrasing President Trumps words).

Even Sen. John McCain is thawing toward the president. McCain mentioned in his comments that the U.S. lost ground during the eight Obama years and alluded to Obamas softness in dealing with ISIS. It is no secret that the military was not fond of Obama and his policies in the Middle East.

The president promised during his many campaign speeches that he would go after ISIS with a vengeance and he has delivered on that promise.

The other good news is that the Dow is up since President Trump took office a little over eight months ago. Amen.
Iraqs Supreme Justice Council on Thursday ordered the arrest of Kurdistan Regional Government Vice President Kosrat Rasul on charges of provocation against Iraqs armed forces.

The court order [BBC report] comes after Rasul has spoken out against the increased military presence of Iraqi forces in northern parts of the country. The Kurdish forces have been working with Iraqi forces in expelling Islamic State militants in the country, but fear that Iraq will begin to crack down on any independence notions the Kurds might have.

A spokesperson for the judiciary stated [DW report] that Rasuls comments were viewed as a violation of Article 226 of the penal code [materials].

In mid-September Iraqs Federal Supreme Court temporarily suspended [JURIST report] the Kurdistan Regional Governments independence referendum vote that was set to take place September 25. The referendum eventually did take place with 92 percent of the voters voting Yes [JURIST report] to secede from Iraq and create an independent Kurdistan.
Kathleen Wynne moves to sue Brown for defamationTHE CANADIAN PRESSFirst posted: Friday, October 20, 2017 01:02 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 20, 2017 04:43 PM EDTTORONTO - Ontarios premier took another step toward a defamation lawsuit against the provinces Opposition leader Friday after he refused to retract comments suggesting she is personally on trial.Kathleen Wynnes lawyer demanded in a letter last month that Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown withdraw comments he made a day before the premier testified as a witness at a trial in Sudbury, Ont., involving two provincial Liberals facing Election Act bribery charges.Brown had told reporters he hoped Wynne would give answers about the scandal maybe when she stands trial and went on to describe her as a sitting premier, sitting in trial.After receiving the lawyers letter, Brown said he would ignore her baseless legal threat. When asked to explain why, he said it was a sad day for Ontario to see the premier debased and humiliated by testifying in court.Wynnes lawyers followed up Friday with another letter to Brown saying it constitutes a notice of libel.Browns comments about the premier being debased and humiliated are another defamation, her lawyers wrote.Our letter of September 13, 2017 was intended to provide you with an opportunity to partially mitigate the damage you have done with a retraction, an apology, and an undertaking to refrain from making any further defamatory statements about Premier Wynne, Jack Siegel and Sheldon Inkol wrote.Not only did you refuse to make a retraction or to apologize, you chose to compound the problem by making further defamatory statements. Accordingly, a legal action will now be commenced against you for defamation.Browns status as leader of the Progressive Conservatives increased the likelihood that his statements would be repeated by others, therefore increasing the potential harm to the premiers reputation, the lawyers wrote.The stubborn refusal to retract the comments has put Brown on the hook for potential aggravated and punitive damages, the lawyers wrote.They warn Brown that he must preserve all relevant documents, because if Wynne proceeds with a lawsuit he will be required to disclose them all.Browns office has not yet indicated how he will respond to the libel notice.
Student walkout over 'speak American' teacher remarksTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSFirst posted: Friday, October 20, 2017 01:36 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 20, 2017 01:40 PM EDTCLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J.  Students at a high school in a heavily Hispanic district have staged a walkout to protest a teachers comment that a Spanish-speaking student should instead speak American.Dozens of students walked out of Cliffside Park High School on Monday after a video clip surfaced in which a teacher admonished a student for not speaking English.Men and women are fighting. They are not fighting for your right to speak Spanish, the teacher said in the video . They are fighting for your right to speak American.Some of the students told The Record they were disciplined for participating in the walkout and were given punishments ranging from detention to multiday suspensions.The administration thought I did that to insult them, said sophomore Sean Hughes, who said hes facing a lot of disciplinary action for the walkout. I did that for my friends because they come from different ethnicities and I dont care if Im white, Im going to stand up with them.School officials didnt respond to requests for comment.Sophomore Filipp Vasconcellos received a Saturday detention.I feel like it was an attack on the First Amendment, he said. Its just wrong that they decided to discipline us for standing up for what we believe in.Another sophomore who was given detention, Waygner Vasquez, said he felt it was wrong to discipline students who protested, as many didnt leave school grounds.In response to an open records request, the school district told the newspaper on Thursday that a freshman and a junior received suspensions this week. The reasons were not released.The district superintendent said Wednesday that the Board of Education is investigating the teachers comment and would make a decision about the teachers status within the week.Students at Cliffside Park High School in New Jersey protested after video of a teacher telling students to 'speak American' surfaced online. (Instagram/rosa_coo)[youtube]aDoZLaoeBuY[/youtube]
A new report based on the Panama Papers reveals how Africa's politicians, generals and business leaders are systematically siphoning off billions of dollars and parking the money offshore.The investigative report, "The Plunder Route to Panama", highlights how Africa's leaders are doing more than accepting bribes from foreign companies or evading tax. Rather, they are systematically setting up power structures run by favored friends or family members to steal billions of dollars and store the loot outside of their countries, the report finds. This cuts budgets, hinders development and keeps people impoverished.The investigation by a consortium of African journalists was inspired by the Panama Papers, a massive leak of documents of offshore accounts and companies that included the names of numerous African politicians. This new report attempts to follow the trail back to Africa to see where the money came from."We often point fingers at foreign multinationals that come to make a fortune here in Africa," Maxime Domegni, a Togo journalist involved in the investigation, told DW. "But this investigation shows the extent to which African oligarchs are complicit in plundering the continent."Carried out by the African Investigative Publishing Collective, Africa Uncensored and Zam magazine, the report takes a detailed look at seven African countries: Togo, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa and Botswana.Togo, for example, is home to vast reserves of phosphate directly managed from the offices of president Faure Gnassinge, whose family have ruled the West African country for 50 years. Togo earns 40 percent of its export earnings from the mineral, which is crucial for making fertilizers. The investigation found that phosphate would generate more wealth if it weren't being sold for two thirds of the going rate to a "shady" shipping family called Gupta. (The consortium behind the report is researching if this Gupta family is connected to South Africa's Guptas - more about them below.)"We are critical of the total lack of transparency in the management of the phosphate industry in Togo," said journalist Domegni. In a country where more than 80 percent of the population live under the poverty line, "those benefiting from [phosphate] are those who manage the country with the complicity of their friends," he said.more
ANSLEY  When Guy Mills Jr. became increasingly frustrated by no longer having access to the information and parts he needed to fix most of his own farm equipment, he got involved in the right to repair movement.

He never expected the interview requests from national and international publications and a documentary crew that followed or that he would host international engineers on his Ansley area farm.

The real issue I had with the whole thing is private ownership, Mills said Tuesday as he and modern technology guided his John Deere combine through a soybean field northeast of Mason City. I think in America, its something weve taken for granted ... private ownership rights.

That issue and access limits to repair instructions and parts for todays high-tech equipment and devices became clear to Mills after he bought a new John Deere tractor three years ago. Soon after his son James started reading the ownership manual, he told Mills they didnt really own the whole tractor.

Thats when they discovered a Wired magazine story about the effects of copyright restrictions on consumers ability to repair many types of high-tech equipment.

Mills relayed his concerns for agriculture to officials of the Nebraska and National Corn Growers associations. He wrote op-ed pieces for the Custer County Chief and a resolution that the Custer County Corn Growers adopted to send to the Nebraska association. The resolution also was adopted by Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Growing attention

Mills has since been featured in a July 3 TIME magazine story and photos, was filmed on his farm for a Motherboard documentary still to be scheduled on an HBO channel, and was contacted by The Economist newspaper in London. He hosted German mechanical engineers from Volkswagen and, with help from other movement leaders, has followed progress of Massachusetts legislation to address right to repair issues related to rising health care costs.

Mills said right to repair issues are tied to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a copyright update passed by Congress in 1998 and effective in October 2000 that was done in part to better protect intellectual property.

Right to repair advocates say it also has allowed manufacturers of high-tech products that run on copyright-protected software and/or with brand-specific parts to make it difficult for consumers or independent repair businesses to fix things.

Concerns about planned obsolescence have brought together an interesting coalition of right to repair supporters that includes farmers, health care providers and environmentalists worried about the hazards of all those throwaway things.

Mills said the act also means owners of some equipment and devices cannot make changes or innovations. If we had that law in the past, maybe Orville and Wilbur Wright wouldnt have built their airplane, he said.

Mills worries that those innovation limitations negatively impact U.S. economic growth. He intends to ask Federal Reserve officials to study that issue.

Rising costs

Mills said the inability to fix his own equipment is costly in many ways. It takes more time and travel to always go to a company-approved service and parts provider, and he often must buy new parts instead of repairing older ones.

There were several such broken parts in the back of his pickup Tuesday, including a slip clutch from his John Deere combine that was replaced by a new one costing $550.

Mills said that if an alternator went bad years ago, a repair might require removing three bolts, pulling it apart and installing a $35 part. Now, we have to pay $1,200 for a whole new one, he said.

When his combine refused to shut off in 2016, Mills said, We had to drive five hours to find the brain for it and it was the only one in the state.

He quickly gave credit to the John Deere technicians who came running to get the unit quickly installed, but said that service is very expensive.

In tough times, one way farmers survive is to do the repairs themselves to keep the costs down. We dont have that option now, Mills said.

Another big factor in the parts access and costs issues is the lack of vigorous competition in farm equipment manufacturing. They dont want you to fix your own things, Mills said.

He added that while his concerns are with John Deere because it is the brand of equipment he uses, right to repair issues extend across many high-tech industries.

Whats next

Mills understands the companies interest in protecting their product research and development investments, but said consumers need the option to fix their own equipment to control costs.

He listed several steps toward finding a middle ground: Congress must revisit the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Federal Reserve should look at the acts economic growth impacts and state legislatures must pass right to repair legislation on the contract law-related issues.

Mills added that those actions still wont address the lack of manufacturing competition.

As he finished harvesting his soybeans and started picking corn this week, Mills said he still is surprised to get phone calls or emails from journalists, engineers and others who want a Nebraska farmers point of view on the right to repair.

I had no idea it would ever grow into something like this, he said.
MILLER  Miller American Legion Auxiliary 351 will host its annual Fall Turkey and Ham Dinner with homemade pies from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Miller Community Hall.

Tickets for a quilt and afghan will be for sale. The dinner is $10 for ages 13 and older and $5 for ages 6-12. Proceeds will support the projects the Auxiliary does at the Grand Island Veterans Home and Medical Group. The auxiliary also sponsors two girls for Girls State and two scholarships for local seniors.
As annual enrollment for Obamacare insurance approaches on Nov. 1, the law itself and the people who have come to depend on it for health coverage are both facing an uncertain future.

President Donald Trumps recent executive actions affect the complicated insurance mechanics of the Affordable Care Act, and they havent been well explained in the news media. This column will explain how those changes affect you.

Congress has tried but has not been able to repeal and replace the law that has brought health insurance to some 10 million Americans who buy insurance on the state shopping exchanges and about 10 million more who gained access through Medicaid expansion.

The failure of Congress to pass the repeal and replace legislation did not mean, though, that the law would remain intact.

In mid-October Trumps executive action hollowed out a big chunk of the ACA, throwing insurance marketplaces into a tizzy and possibly resulting in higher prices and less coverage for many. In the end, the presidents actions may succeed in gutting the law that has divided so many Americans.

To understand this, lets take a step back. Legislators who wrote the law knew that a big reason people did not buy health insurance was cost. Most middle class families without employer coverage struggled to pay the premiums in the so-called individual market where they had to shop. Those at the bottom of the income ladder either qualified for Medicaid or did without insurance. About 44 million Americans did not have insurance when the law took effect four years ago.

The ACA tried to make it easier to buy coverage, and Congress did that in two ways. It required insurers to cover all people  sick or well  who applied for coverage in the individual market and offered two kinds of subsidies to help those with lower incomes.

One comes in the form of tax credits the government advances to shoppers who buy Obamacare  compliant policies that meet certain rules and regulations, such as offering 10 essential benefits. Prescription drug coverage is one. Those subsidies are based on a familys income and phase out when a familys income exceeds 400 percent of the federal poverty level or about $98,000 for a family of four and $48,000 for a single person. People with lower incomes receive the largest subsidies. Those tax credit subsidies are not affected by Trumps order.

The other subsidy is called a cost-sharing subsidy, sometimes referred to as a CSR and aimed at Americans whose incomes are at or below 250 percent of poverty, about $62,000 for a family of four and $30,000 for an individual. They reduce the amount of out-of-pocket spending for people who get them. Those who qualify pay less for the coinsurance, deductibles and copayments a policy may require.

These are the subsidies on the chopping block. The president said the government will not continue funding them which means the government simply will not pay insurance companies for reducing the out-of-pocket costs to policyholders. Policyholders will still get the subsidies unless Congress changes the law. Insurers will have to swallow the losses, at least for now.

If you get those subsidies, youre not off the hook, though. Insurance companies anticipated that the president would axe the subsidies and they increased their premiums for most or all Obamacare policies, including the silver plans, the ones people must buy to receive the extra help with cost sharing.

The Congressional Budget Office just projected that premiums before the tax credits are applied would increase on average by about 20 percent. In some states average rate increases have been much higher.

So who will be hurt the most by the Trump administrations latest move which some experts argue undermines the stability of the health law?

Insurance companies have already prepared for this and have cushioned the blow to them by charging higher premiums to everyone who buys in the individual market. People with incomes under 400 percent of poverty will still receive their tax credits, which will reduce their higher premiums, and they will continue to get their CSRs.

Those in the individual market who have higher incomes and receive no tax credits to lower their premiums will feel the most pain. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 44 percent of buyers in the Obamacare market did not qualify for tax credits. Thats almost 7 million people.

Ironically, it is these unsubsidized folks who have complained the loudest about Obamacares big premiums and deductibles, says Washington D.C. insurance consultant Robert Laszewski. They will now have even more to complain about.

The administration wants to let them buy cheaper policies that cover far less than Obamacare insurance. In a future column I will discuss this and other moves that will further unwind the Affordable Care Act.

If you buy coverage in the individual market, how will you and your family be affected? Write to Trudy at trudy.lieberman@gmail.com.

Trudy Lieberman is a contributing editor to the Columbia Journalism Review who has taught public affairs reporting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Liebermans Rural Health News Service columns are provided through the Nebraska Press Association in cooperation with The Commonwealth Fund.
KEARNEY  The Kearney Catholic Marching Band will be first to perform, and Kearney High School Marching Band will be last to perform today (Saturday) during the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association Marching Band Contest at KHS.

Todays competition is the 35th-annual Bandmasters contest, and the first time it has unfolded at Kearney High School. KCHS will perform at 1:30 p.m., and KHS will conclude the Bandmasters Contest at 7:45 p.m. with awards to follow at 8:30 p.m.

KCHS and KHS bands are among five marching bands from Hub Territory that are competing at todays contest.

The 160-member KHS Marching Band, under the direction of Nathan LeFeber and Rick Mitchell, hopes to put an exclamation point on its marching season with todays performance. This year, KHS fielded the outstanding drum line, won first in AA and took the sweepstakes trophy at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Band Day contest. KHS also earned a superior rating at the Lincoln Public Schools contest and was judged superior and won second at the Harvest of Harmony contest in Grand Island.

KCHS was first in Class C and fielded the outstanding color guard at UNK.
Is China marching towards the worst world war in history? MAX HASTINGS examines how the new superpower became emboldened AND embittered - and how its leaders' desire for global domination may lead to a conflict with America

By Max Hastings for the Daily Mail 21 October 2017With the busy lives that everybody leads and one eye on the clock for when Tesco shuts, you might have failed to notice that Beijing has this week been hosting the 19th Congress of the Communist Party.Some 2,300 unswervingly loyal apparatchiks have gathered to cheer to the rafters President Xi Jinping, the most powerful man in the world.Those last few words may cause some people to demand: but what about Donald Trump It is true that the leader of the United States commands a much larger nuclear arsenal, and that his country is still richer and stronger than China . But Trump  thank goodness  is constrained in his excesses by advisers and cabinet members who have thus far prevented him from starting a war. America's system of checks and balances is (sort of) working.In China, by contrast, there are no checks and balances, and there will be even fewer after this weeks slavish Congress, in which a cult of personality has soared to extraordinary heights. President Xi wields almost absolute authority, amid ever more draconian restrictions on dissent and free speech, even within the Party hierarchy. China needs heroes, he has written, such as Mao Tse-tung.He thus celebrates a predecessor whom almost everybody outside China recognises as the greatest mass murderer of the 20th century, even ahead of Adolf Hitler.The American strategy guru Edward Luttwak warns that China poses a greater threat to world peace than the U.S. because of its leaders lack of accountability. The only institution that retains any influence is the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).While President Xi talks to the world (without being much believed) about his desire for China to be a good neighbour, part of the fellowship of nations  his commanders become ever more hawkish.Hundreds of billions are poured into armies, fleets, missile forces, with the defence budget rising by 10 per cent last year. The country has established its first overseas military base, in the port of Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, and now boasts a navy that sails the Red Sea and the Baltic.Some 60,000 people are employed in military cyber-operations of scary sophistication: four years ago, 140 attacks on U.S. institutions were traced to a single PLA unit in Shanghai. The Chinese own a formidable satellite-killer capability, which could inflict critical damage on American communications.Chinese people seem ready to applaud their armed forces new activism: their big movie hit of 2017 has been Wolf Warrior 2, about a Chinese soldier mowing down his countrys enemies abroad, on a more lavish scale than does Britains James Bond.Here is the Heavenly Kingdom, among the oldest and greatest civilisations on earth, seeking to reassert long-lost might and majesty.Young Chinese are taught that their ancestors possessed a civilised, literate culture five centuries before Julius Caesar invaded Britain.Around the world such thinkers of that era as Confucius or military pundits like Sun Tzu are quoted respectfully to this day.While Europe was still in the Dark Ages, under the Tang and Song dynasties China was a united empire that issued paper money, invented clocks and gunpowder, and built ships that roamed oceans. Emperors created architectural and artistic masterpieces that Europeans scarcely matched even after the dawn of the 15th-century Renaissance.Today, the Chinese reason: why should we continue to follow the dictates and to swallow the insults of the West?The U.S. Navy still claims dominance of the Pacific, as it has done since 1945. Both Washington and Tokyo question Chinas right to extend its frontiers in the South and East China Seas.Above all, the West resists Beijings insistence on reclaiming Taiwan, where Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists established a bastion under American protection after they lost the Civil War to Mao in 1949.The Chinese refer to their century of humiliation which began with the Opium Wars, during which in 1860 an Anglo-French army pillaged one of their greatest artistic masterpieces, the imperial Summer Palace outside Beijing.This symbolic climax of Western barbarianism stands close to the head of a catalogue of historic grievances that feeds Chinas modern sense of victimisation, and which it is determined to repair.Influential academics on both sides of the Atlantic fear that the mounting tensions between China and the U.S. and its allies could lead to conflict  a potentially catastrophic war  in the decade or two ahead.The latest of such seers is Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations at LSE. He writes in a new book, The Improbable War: A Sino-American war could prove to be the most ruinous the world has ever witnessed, if not in terms of loss of life, then certainly in terms of the disruption it would cause to the world economy, particularly if the conflict were at least partly conducted in space.And Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College London, declares in his new work, The Future Of War, that armed conflict between great powers is almost certain to continue wherever there is a combination of an intensive dispute and available forms of violence . . . at first it may bear little resemblance to our common views of war, but any continuing violence has the potential to turn into something bigger.Freedman means, of course, that a new great power clash is likely to start with an escalating, yet invisible and noiseless, cyber-exchange, which could deliver a pre-emptive strike against the enemys high-tech weapons systems, or even more broadly its civil infrastructure, for instance electricity grids and telecoms networks.In 1991, an American expert on security and cyber-warfare wrote a futuristic novel suggesting the possibility of an electronic Pearl Harbor surprise assault. This has since become technologically more plausible.Almost no nation  perhaps not even North Korea  is eager to launch a nuclear first strike, justifying annihilatory retaliation. But many Americans, in and out of uniform, are apprehensive about the danger of a cyberwar first strike.Both Chinese and U.S. commanders fear that failure to knock out the others high-tech information and weapons-guidance systems early in a confrontation could fatally weaken the loser if hostilities heated up.Consider the effect if, for instance, a Chinese cyber-thrust disabled the catapults on a U.S. aircraft carrier: a 12 billion platform would suddenly become impotent.Nobody suggests that either Chinas President Xi at his most authoritarian, or Americas President Trump at his most unstable, seeks a big war.But Christopher Coker is only one of the pundits who urge the peril of reprising 1914, when Austria and Germany precipitated a huge conflagration because they started out with illusions that they risked only a small one, with Serbia.This is a comparison I made myself a few years ago to a delegation of Chinese military men visiting London, who asked if I saw comparisons with 1914, about which I had just published a book. I suggested that the huge irony of what happened a century ago was that if Germany had not gone to war, it could have achieved dominance of Europe within a generation through its industrial and technological superiority.Surely nothing at stake in the South China Sea or with Taiwan, I said to the Chinese, is worth risking all that you have achieved by peaceful means? A Chinese officer, obviously unconvinced, responded: But we have claims!In my own travels in China, I have often been impressed by how much real popular feeling exists, albeit stoked by propaganda, about the separation of Taiwan.Beijing has a case to rule the island, whose right to independence rests solely on the fact that it has existed as a separate society for 70 years because the Americans had the power to make it so.Today, the U.S. can no longer expect to get its own way about absolutely everything, as its relative power declines and that of China increases. Yet few Americans are reconciled to this reality  least of all President Trump.China watchers believe that President Xi, his personal power strengthened by this weeks 19th Congress, may start throwing his weight around in ways that could generate a crisis  for instance, setting a time limit for the return of Taiwan to Beijings control.In the South China Sea, there are constant tensions and potential flashpoints between the Chinese building new bases in previously acknowledged international or Japanese waters, and American warships and planes asserting rights of navigation.There is a real prospect of Japan not merely rearming but seeking nuclear weapons in response to the threat posed by North Korea, which Beijing seems unwilling or unable to defuse. China is morbidly fearful of regime collapse in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, followed by Korean unification and a U.S.-South Korean army on its Yalu river border.Christopher Coker in his new book argues that China, like Russia, is psychologically crippled by its own firewalls against open debate, and thus finds it extraordinarily difficult to relate to other nations, or to see things from others points of view.Neither China nor Russia has allies, and thus both lack the long experience almost every Western nation enjoys of working with neighbour states, confiding in friendly governments.Beijing sees things through a narrow nationalistic prism which makes it hard for its leadership to guess how an antagonist might act in a confrontation. The same can be said of President Trump, the most historically ignorant man ever to occupy the White House.In January, I compared his personality to that of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, whose erratic behaviour did so much to cause world war in 1914, and others have since suggested the same match.None of the academics I cite above suggests a major war is inevitable. Some argue that Chinese ambitions are more economic than globally strategic; that the countrys internal difficulties and resource shortages  especially of water  will constrain its growth and keep President Xi too busy at home to gamble disastrously abroad.Yet the combination of Donald Trumps muddled mix of isolationism and aggression, alongside President Xis unconstrained dictatorship, poses grave dangers to stability and peace.We should not underrate the risk that a Chinese general or admiral might lash out on his own initiative or overplay his hand by firing on U.S. warships or aircraft.In the recent past, there have been episodes in which Chinas commanders have taken dangerous and provocative actions without reference to Beijing  for instance, launching a new satellite weapon or testing a stealth aircraft with great fanfare while a U.S. defence secretary was in town.Again and again, escalation has been averted by wise caution mostly on the part of the Americans, but sometimes also on that of the Chinese.Statesmanship, which requires steady diplomacy and constant horse-trading, is indispensable to keep us safe. Yet this is becoming ever harder to come by when the U.S. government is weekly making wastepaper of international agreements and China is flexing its muscles.On one side, we see a rising power impelled by a centuries-old sense of grievance; on the other, the U.S., with a sense of global entitlement no longer compatible with the aspirations and might of others.In 1910, Brigadier Henry Wilson, commandant of the British Armys staff college, told his students there was likely to be a big European war. One of his audience remonstrated, saying that only inconceivable stupidity on the part of statesmen could make such a thing happen.Wilson guffawed derisively: Haw! Haw! Haw! Inconceivable stupidity is what you are going to get.So the world did. And could again.
ALVO (AP)  The Nebraska Auditors Office has accused a woman of embezzling $265,000 from two small communities and is examining spending at a third village where she worked.

Ginger Neuhart, 60, has been charged with felony theft by deception in Cass County in connection with missing funds from Alvo, a village about 20 miles east of Lincoln. But she served as a clerk and treasurer for several Nebraska communities, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

The Auditors Office this week detailed more than $160,000 it said was misappropriated from the village of Memphis, dating to 2005. A similar letter to Alvo officials outlined $105,000 in unauthorized payments over seven years.

Officials said its possible for missing funds to go unnoticed for years in such small communities because audits arent required at the village level. State law defines a village as a community with a population between 100 and 800 residents.

Investigators say Neuhart told them last month that she had been altering her paychecks from Alvo, Memphis and Ithaca. She told them she had to do so because she thought her services were worth more, according to arrest records.

The Auditors Office also alleged Neuhart presented the village boards with falsified treasurer reports, which led the boards to believe the villages had more money than they did.

Alvo had not been conducting audits because it cost significantly more than what Neuhart was being paid, said Dave Morgan, a member of the Village Board. He also said the village trusted Neuhart.

I assume people are who they say they are, until something else happens, Morgan said.

Small communities should require checks to have two or more signatures, bring someone from the outside to review bank records and conduct periodic audits, said Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities.

There are definitely protections to take, and there are villages that take them, Rex said. Cases like this are demoralizing for other city clerks who do work really hard for the sake of public service.
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Men walk near destroyed buildings as thousands of Somalis gathered to pray at the site of the country's deadliest attack and to mourn the hundreds of victims, at the site of the attack in Mogadishu, Somalia Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. More than 300 people were killed and nearly 400 wounded in Saturday's truck bombing, with scores missing. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Lambda Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority for Women Educators held their October meeting at the home of Marlene Koglin on Oct. 2.

Co-President Cindy Tranmer called the business meeting to order.

Nebraska Alpha Delta Kappa President, Barb Graham, was the guest speaker. Barb gave a short report on what was happening at the state level in Alpha Delta Kappa.

During the meeting, members were encouraged to register for the Founders Day Brunch being hosted by Upsilon chapter in Omaha. The date for the brunch is Saturday, October 21.

Co- President Elect Nancy Knoell informed members that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Bridge will be sponsoring a candle light vigil on October 11. The members of Lambda chapter also decided to donate an item for the Bridges Silent Auction, which will be held in November.

October is also Alpha Delta Kappa month. Members of Lambda chapter were encouraged to acknowledge this by doing something for teachers or schools.

For the chapters altruistic project, members brought non-perishable/non-refrigerated foods for Health and Human Services. Chapter members also discussed the possibility of applying for a grant from Thrivent Financial Services. The grant would be used for an additional altruistic project.

Each chapter was to submit a distinguished project report to Alpha Delta Kappa. Co-President Cindy Tranmer shared the report that she wrote for this.

The Lambda Chapter Executive board provided dinner for the meeting.
Altrusa held a meeting at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at Lutheran Family Services at 1420 E. Military Ave. Twelve members were present.

President Sue Maly introduced Michelle Padilla, program director. She spoke to the group about their services and gave a tour of the facility. Lutheran Family Services offers services for children  behavioral health  and for the community.

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska impacts over 45,000 people annually. They employ over 360 employees and celebrate 125 years of service. Services are offered in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Wichita, Kansas, also.

After the tour, Altrusa held a business meeting in the conference room. Jane Petersen, secretary, read the August and September minutes which were approved. The treasurers report was read and filed.

Lou Stover and Carol Tremain were hostesses.

Members are bringing jams and jellies for the upcoming holiday season for Meals on Wheels.

Kay Bevington is chairman of the Fall Holiday Luncheon and Boutique, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at First Lutheran Church on East Military Avenue.

Discussion was held on last-minute details to be completed for the event. Tickets are $8.

Rhoda Holstine introduced the Tri Phi member from Midland University. The sorority helps Altrusa each year with the luncheon.

The next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at the home of Jane Petersen.
Concerns have been raised over the future of a veterinary laboratory in Kilkenny that serves the whole of the south-east which has a shadow hanging over it.

Speaking in the Dail this week, local Fianna Fail TD, Bobby Aylward, said: The Programme for Government states that the 'next generation of farmers must be supported, to generate farm income, while positioning Ireland as the highest quality food producing nation in the world'.

There is huge concern in Kilkenny and elsewhere that the six remaining veterinary laboratories may be under threat of closure by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

This is a question that I have been asking the Minister for more than 12 months. We have a laboratory in Kilkenny that serves the whole of the south east down as far Waterford, taking in Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Laois and south Kildare.

We have been awaiting a report on the matter for over 12 months. There is a shadow hanging over the laboratory and the people working in it.

These laboratories provide an essential service for the farmers of this country and must be retained. Why is the Minister dragging his feet on this?

Why is he not publishing the report and putting the matter to bed for once and for all? It is an essential service that must be retained in Kilkenny to serve the area to which I referred.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: I am afraid I cannot answer it but I will ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, to contact the Deputies and to provide them with some information.
Throughout the day on Saturday local residents have the opportunity to test drive a brand new Ford vehicle, while also raising funds for Archbishop Bergan.

Charlie Diers Ford at 2445 North Broad Street is hosting their 18th Drive 4UR School event, which will benefit Archbishop Bergans activities and transportation programs.

This is a program that Ford Motor Company offers for dealers to take advantage of, and we have been doing these test drive events since Ford started the program, Maggie Diers Yost said.

Ford Motor Company began the program in 2007 and Charlie Diers has been participating ever since, helping local high schools and charities raise money one test drive at a time.

We love doing these and we think it is very important, Diers Yost said. It is great to have so many members of the community show up, and its so easy.

The Drive 4UR School event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Charlie Diers and for every test drive Ford donated $20 toward Bergans activities and transportation programs up to $6,000.

Sometimes people think they have to give money, but its not that at all, Diers Yost said. You just show up fill out the form, drive around the block, and go on your merry way.

According to Diers Yost, the goal is to reach 300 test drives on Saturday to reach the cap of $6,000, which will also help Charlie Diers Ford reach a significant milestone within the program.

During this event if we get more than 200 people we will surpass the 5,000 test drive mark, Diers Yost said. We have pumped about $100,000 into the area through these test drives in partnering with Ford.

Whatever the total amount raised ends up being, it will all go towards Bergan activities and transportation programs.

The funds ae going directly to our activities and transportation programs so that benefits basically every single student that we have in our system all the way from our Early Childhood Education Center all the way up to seniors in high school, Bergan Activities Director Chris Rainforth said. Everybody uses those programs in some form or fashion.

Bergan has previously partnered with Charlie Diers for the event multiple times in the past for the fundraiser, which has proved a resounding success.

It helps give the kids opportunities and it is super easy, it takes less than 30 minutes for someone to go out there and do a test drive so it works really well, Rainforth said.

Attendees will get the opportunity to drive a number of brand new Ford vehicles, and there is no sales pressure at the event. All drivers must be 18 years old and only one driver per address is allowed.

Although separate addresses are required for each participant, according to Diers Yost those weary of getting behind the wheel of a brand new vehicle need not worry.

Sometimes people are nervous to drive a new vehicle, but you dont actually have to be behind the wheel, she said. So four people could come and three could be passengers and one could drive and that will be $80 towards the charity, they all just have to have different addresses.

Rainforth and other members of the Bergan Booster Club will be on site throughout the day as well as Bergan students who will be assisting with registration.

The event will take place rain or shine.

Hopefully the weather will hold out and we will have a good turnout, Rainforth said.

For Diers Yost, and Charlie Diers Ford the Drive 4UR School events are a great way to give back to the community and have been more successful than she could have imagined.

When Ford announced this program years ago, Charlie hopped on board right away and we have been doing them ever since. To get to drive number 18 and 5,000 test drives for charity for Fremont is really exciting, she said.
(Adds quotes, details, context)

By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market".

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for several decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Tension remained high after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from the thaw with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes closer ties would help rollback Iran's influence in the region. "The best example of the importance of cooperation between our two countries is the improvement and stability trend seen in the oil market," said Falih, to applause from the audience of Iraqi ministers, senior officials and businessmen.

Falih and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir held talks earlier this year in Baghdad, paving the way for visits to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and popular Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Iraqi oil ministry said Falih and his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luaibi, agreed to cooperate in implementing decisions by oil exporting countries to curb global supply in order to lift crude prices.

OPEC, Russia and several other producers have reduced production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2017, helping to boost oil prices. The cutbacks should continue until March 2018.

Falih called for increased economic cooperation between the two countries at all levels, saying Saudi Arabia is implementing measures to facilitate the flow of goods and services between the two countries.

A Saudi commercial airplane, operated by Flynas, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 27 years.

In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Ros Russell)
(Adds crude flow from northern region)

By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Iraq said on Saturday it was increasing oil exports from the southern Basra region by 200,000 barrels per day to make up for a shortfall from the northern Kirkuk fields.

The output from Kirkuk fell this week when Iraqi forces took back control of oilfields from Kurdish fighters who had been there since 2014. The increase in Basra exports keeps Iraq's total output within the quota agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the oil ministry said in a statement citing Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi.

He said 200,000 barrels per day would be shipped from Basra on top of the usual volumes exported daily of more than 3.2 milllion barrels.

"These additional volumes will be produced until the northern oil output goes back to its previous level," he said.

In comments made later to reporters in Baghdad, he expected Kirkuk output to return to last week's level "very soon".

An oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday Iraq would not be able to restore Kirkuk's oil output to last week's levels before Sunday because of missing equipment at two of the largest fields of the region, Avana and Bai Hasan. Until these shutdowns, the northern oil region exported about 530,000 barrels per day, of which about half came from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the rest from the disputed Kirkuk province, claimed by both the Kurds and the Iraqi central authorities.

A shipping agent monitoring crude arriving from northern Iraq to the Turkish Mediterranean export terminal of Ceyhan said flows were unchanged from Friday, at 213,000 bpd.

The crude exported from Ceyhan is carried by a pipeline across Iraqi Kurdistan and then Turkey.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces deployed in Kirkuk in 2014, when the Iraqi army fled in the face of an advance by Islamic State militants. The Kurdish move prevented the militants from taking control of the oilfields.

(With additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in London, writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Stephen Powell)
(Adds Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi heading to Saudi Arabia)

By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market"

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Tension remained high after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

With a thaw in relations, Falih said a joint committee is "working on measures to speed up the establishment of an economic partnership and to reactivate cooperation and economic complementarity."

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes a stronger relationship with Baghdad would help rollback Iran's influence in the region. Iraq lies on the fault line between Shi'ite Muslim power Iran and the Sunni-ruled countries that are its regional arch-rivals, chief among them Saudi Arabia.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi left Baghdad on Saturday for a visit to Saudi Arabia, his second to the kingdom this year, his office said in a statement.

His talks with Saudi officials will focus on efforts to rebuild Iraq after the war on Islamic State and fostering economic and trade cooperation, the statement said. Abadi will visit other Middle Eastern countries after the kingdom, it said.

"The best example of the importance of cooperation between our two countries is the improvement and stability trend seen in the oil market," said Falih, to applause from the audience of Iraqi ministers, senior officials and businessmen.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Iraqi oil ministry said Falih and his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luaibi, would cooperate in implementing decisions by oil exporting countries to curb global supply in order to lift crude prices.

OPEC, Russia and several other producers agreed a pact at the start of 2017 to cut production in order to boost oil prices. The cutbacks should continue until March 2018.

Falih called for increased economic cooperation between the two countries at all levels, saying Saudi Arabia is implementing measures to facilitate the flow of goods and services between the neighbours.

A Saudi commercial airplane, operated by Flynas, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 27 years.

In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Ros Russell)
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While Trump has been prevented by his saner advisors from carrying out some of his insaner ideas  he hasnt ordered the torture of suspected terrorists, turned Afghanistan over to mercenaries, or tried seriously to force Mexico to pay for a border wall  his first nine months in office are littered with abandoned international treaties and renounced obligations.

Trump has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, handing China a gift in its attempts to dominate its neighbors; the Paris climate accords, setting back efforts to combat global warming; and now UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias just as that organization was selecting its first Jewish head, Frances former culture minister Audrey Azoulay. Trump didnt quite withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, but he did refuse to certify that it is in Americas interest and threatened to withdraw in the future if it cannot be toughened in ways that Iran is unlikely to accede to. Now Trump is making impossible demands of Mexico and Canada during negotiations over the future of the North America Free Trade Agreement, leading many observers to suspect he is deliberately sabotaging a treaty that has fostered closer ties among the three nations of North America.

In all these instances, Trump has acted in the face of nearly unanimous opposition from Americas allies, isolating the U. S. in a way that it has never been isolated in the post-1945 era.

George W. Bush was denounced as a unilateralist for invading Iraq without the blessing of the United Nations or NATO, but he did have a coalition of the willing made up of 31 nations, even if most of them provided only token support. For his decertification of the Iran nuclear deal, by contrast, Trump has assembled a coalition of perhaps three other nations  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The move was roundly denounced by Britain, France and Germany  three of America most important allies  and even many current and former Israeli security officials believe that it is misguided, because for all its limitations the deal is constraining Irans nuclear program. Israel was the only nation supportive of the U.S. move to leave UNESCO, but even it was caught off guard by the decision. And Trumps withdrawal from the Paris climate accords places the United States in the company of precisely two other nations: Syria and Nicaragua.

Alienating allies is going to backfire because we depend heavily on other nations for our own security. Exhibit A: Chad. This tiny nation has been an important partner in fighting Islamist terrorists in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet over the objections of the State and Defense departments, Trump included Chad on the revised list of nations whose citizens are not allowed to enter the United States. Now Chad has withdrawn its troops from neighboring Niger, where it was working with the U.S. to fight Boko Haram terrorists.

Trump has been similarly high-handed and capricious on the domestic front. The only major piece of legislation passed during his administration so far is a bill tightening sanctions on Russia that he opposed. His attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act  which he seems to object to principally because it was created by his predecessor  have failed spectacularly. He cant get Congress to fund his big, beautiful border wall. So he has resorted to rule by executive order  precisely what he criticized Obama for.

Obama goes around signing executive orders, Trump said in February 2016. He cant even get along with the Democrats  . Its a basic disaster. How much more of a disaster is the Trump presidency? Trump has signed more executive orders at this point in his administration than any president since Lyndon Johnson, who racked up legislative achievements Trump can only dream of.

Some of Trumps executive orders have been helpful in rolling back needless regulations that hinder the economy, but his most recent order could be a disaster for Americans who have received health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. On Friday, Trump ended $7 billion in insurance subsidies intended to defray the cost of insuring low-income Americans, which will by all accounts lead to a spike in individual insurance rates. Trump has been predicting that Obamacare would collapse, and he now seems intent on making this a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The good news is that the checks and balances provided by Congress, the courts and the media have largely worked, but we are a getting a lesson in the vast powers inherent in the American presidency. Acting thoughtlessly and willfully, Trump is jeopardizing our prosperity and security. We can only hope that he does not top himself by demonstrating that he has the authority to launch a nuclear war  something that his unhinged rhetoric against North Korea is making more likely.
PRESS RELEASE

Texas Lawyer Files Bar Grievance Against Comey Could Lead to Disbarment and Criminal Charges

Oct. 20, 2017 (EIRNS)Texan lawyer Ty Clevenger filed a Bar Grievance this week against former FBI chief James Comey in New York, where Comey was formerly an attorney and remains licensed to practice law, according to a report in the Washington Times. The filing says that Comey "gave materially false testimony to Congress" in regard to the investigation of Hillary Clintons email investigation, and violated several New York Rules of Professional Conduct, including possible destruction of evidence. "The action could mean Comey loses his law licenseand is opened up for criminal prosecution."

On September 28, 2017, Comey testified he had not predetermined the outcome of the Clinton probe before she was interviewed by FBI agents. However, in an August 31 letter from Senator Charles Grassley to current FBI Director Christopher Wray, Grassley wrote: "Comey began drafting a statement to announce the conclusion of the Clinton email investigation in April or May of 2016, before the FBI interviewed up to 17 key witnesses, including former Secretary Clinton and several of her closest aides. The draft statement also came before the Department entered into immunity agreements with Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson, where the Department agreed to a very limited review of Secretary Clintons emails and to destroy their laptops after review. In an extraordinary July announcement, Comey exonerated Clinton despite noting there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information."

Grassley also noted that two FBI officials testified regarding the earlier draft letter by Comey. Clevenger says in his grievance: "The FBI released a document that corroborated their [the two FBI agents] testimony. Insofar as Comey gave materially false testimony to Congress, it appears he violated Rules 1.0(w), 3.3(a)(1), and 8.4 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct," Clevenger writes.

Sputnik notes that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, speaking on October 18 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in regard to Comeys firing:

"I dont think its been fully understood the significance of the error Comey made on the Clinton matter. [This is the first time Ive seen] where the Department of Justice prosecutors were involved in an investigation, and the investigative agency announces the closure of the investigation,"

adding that when Comey testified on that occasion, hed said he thought hed done the right thing and would do it again."

Clevengers grievance extends also to former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and private attorney Beth Ann Wilkinson, saying he believes they too should be held responsible for their involvement in efforts to destroy evidence sought by Congress and private litigants.

"Comey has testified he felt pressure from Lynch to downplay the significance of the Clinton email investigation. Given her level of involvement, it appears highly likely Lynch participated in the decision to destroy the laptops belonging to Mills and Samuelson. At the very least, Lynch should be asked to respond to my grievance and explain her role, if any, in the destruction of the laptops,"

Clevenger explained.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday:
PRESS RELEASE

Former Federal Prosecutor Rips Malevolent Mission of Mueller and Team

Oct. 20, 2017 (EIRNS)Citing the admonition of the great Associate Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson (also the Chief United States Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals) that it is the search for justice which should drive prosecutors, Sidney Powell, former federal prosecutor and past president of the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit and of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, charges in a biting opinion column in The Hill that "justice" is not on Special Prosecutor Robert Muellers agenda.

"What was supposed to have been a search for Russias cyberspace intrusions into our electoral politics has morphed into a malevolent mission targeting friends, family and colleagues of the president. The Mueller investigation has become an all-out assault to find crimes to pin on themand it wont matter if there are no crimes to be found. This team can make some,"

she writes.

Powell singles out Muellers lead investigator, Andrew Weissmann, and his handling of the Manafort prosecution. Weissmann has a track record of his convictions being overturned by the courts for his tactics, and now Manafort is being targeted as "simply a small step in Weissmanns quest to impugn this presidency or to reverse the results of the 2016 election.... Muellers rare, predawn raid of Manaforts homea fearsome treat usually reserved for mobsters and drug dealersis textbook Weissmann terrorism. And of course, the details were leakedanother illegal tactic.

"Weissmann is intent on indicting Manafort. It wont matter that Manafort knows the Trump campaign did not collude with the Russians. Weissman will pressure Manafort to say whatever satisfies Weissmanns perspective. Perjury is only that which differs from Weissmanns view of the evidencenot the actual truth,"

Powell charges.

You can despise Trump, but, she warns. "turning our system of justice into a political weapon is a danger we must guard against."
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. State Department Admits That Terrorists in Syria Use Chemical Weapons

Oct. 20, 2017 (EIRNS)The State Department issued a travel warning for Syria on Oct. 18 which reports what the U.S. government has never admitted before: Terrorist groups in Syria use chemical weapons. "No part of Syria is safe from violence," the warning says.

"Small arms fire, improvised explosives, artillery shelling, airstrikes, kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, and the use of chemical weapons transpire with little or no warning, significantly raising the risk of death or serious injury. "

In the paragraph that follows, it reports that

"Tactics of ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and other violent extremist groups include the use of suicide bombers, kidnapping, small and heavy arms, improvised explosive devices, and chemical weapons."

The State Department admission did not go unnoticed in Moscow.

"This is the first official recognition by the [US] State Department not simply of the presence, but, I emphasize, the use of chemical weapons by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in that part of Syria to commit terrorist attacks, about which we repeatedly warned,"

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said this morning, reports Sputnik News. In Idlib province,

"only one case of the use of chemical weapons is known in Khan-Sheikhun," Konasehnkov recalled.

"However, the U.S. accused government troops of [conducting] this chemical attack. And those who [actually] organized it, they called a moderate opposition,"

Konashenkov said.
Where do you find a posse of bestselling novelists in L.A.? At Jennifer Egans Thursday reading at ALOUD at the Central Library for her latest, Manhattan Beach. The audience included Jade Chang (The Wangs vs. The World), Cynthia DAprix Sweeny (The Nest) and Eden Lepucki (California)  all there to enjoy the conversation with Egan about her book. The discussion was moderated by Marisa Silver (yes, another bestselling author). What a literary force! Im books editor Carolyn Kellogg; welcome to this weeks newsletter.

THE BIG STORY

When novelist Stefan Kiesbye and his wife heard their dog banging on their bedroom door in the middle of the night, they thought it was because hes a restless rescue. But Kiesbye, who teaches at Sonoma State, got up anyway to check on him. An hour later, the Kiesbyes were in the car, driving through the fire consuming their neighborhood in Santa Rosa. Heres Stefans beautiful essay about the fires.

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GEORGE SAUNDERS

George Saunders won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday for Lincoln in the Bardo, his novel of Abraham Lincoln mourning the death of his son, surrounded by ghosts. In our review, David L. Ulin called the book remarkable . a book of singular grace and beauty, an inquiry into all the most important things: life and death, family and loss and loving, duty and perseverance in the face of excruciating circumstance. Heres our story of his win. In his acceptance speech, Saunders said, in part, We live in a strange time. The question at the heart of the matter is simple: Do we respond to fear with exclusion, and negative projection, and violence, or do we take that ancient, great leap of faith, and do our best to respond with love, and with faith in the idea that what seems Other is actually not Other at all, but just Us, on a different day. (Heres a video).

A JOURNALISTIC FORCE

Oriana Fallaci was a fearless journalist who got her start as a teenager in post-World War II Italy and soon was reporting around the world, including in Vietnam and Iran. Harpers magazine editor James Marcus, who translated Fallacis imperfect novel Inshallah, reviews the new biography Oriana Fallaci: The Journalist, the Agitator, the Legend and provides insight into what made the likes of Orson Welles praise her sharp, Tuscan eye.

George Saunders (Chris Jackson / AFP/Getty Images )

BESTSELLERS

Entering our nonfiction bestseller list this week at No. 7 is From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty. The owner of an alternative funeral home, Undertaking L.A., Doughty is a leader of a movement to get Americans to think about death differently, and this book explores some of those alternatives. Shell be talking to me about it  on one of the Days of the Dead  Nov. 1 at ALOUD at the Central Library.

MORE BOOKS

The Woman Who Smashed Codes tells the story of Elizebeth Friedman, a World War II-era codebreaker whose contributions were almost lost to history. We talk to author Jason Fagone about his book.

In 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, author Loren Rhoads chronicles the worlds most remarkable cemeteries. She came to Stories Books & Cafe this week, and Agatha French went to get the scoop on cemetery tourism.

Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird has been pulled from the school curriculum in Biloxi, Miss., because the book makes people uncomfortable, according to the school board.

To take the photographs for their new coffee table book Wise Trees, Diane Cook and Len Jenshel traveled the world for two years. Agatha French takes a look.

An Aztec dancer at Dia De Los Muertos 2016 in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times )

carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com

@paperhaus
Fired Fox News anchor Bill OReilly paid $32 million to settle a sexual harassment claim just before he signed his last contract with Fox News.

A report in the New York Times published Saturday said OReilly made the settlement to Lis Wiehl, a longtime contributor to his program, who alleged that OReilly forced her into a nonconsensual sexual relationship and sent her sexually explicit material.

The settlement  a staggering figure for a sexual harassment case  was made in January, according to the news report, just before OReilly signed a new four-year contract that would pay him $25 million annually to continue as host of his top-rated prime-time program The OReilly Factor.

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A representative of Fox News parent 21st Century Fox acknowledged that it knew about the settlement, but said the company was not aware of the financial terms at the time.

When the company renewed Bill OReillys contract in February, it knew that a sexual harassment lawsuit had been threatened against him by Lis Wiehl, but was informed by Mr. OReilly that he had settled the matter personally, on financial terms that he and Ms. Wiehl had agreed were confidential and not disclosed to the company, the representative told the Los Angeles Times.

OReilly denied the allegations to the New York Times. I have never mistreated anyone, he said, suggesting that his downfall was politically and financially motivated.

OReillys new deal included a stipulation that any further sexual harassment allegations made against him could lead to his termination.

That came just a couple of months later in April, when psychologist Wendy Walsh filed a new complaint with 21st Century Fox. She accused OReilly of reneging on a commitment to get her a position as a paid contributor at Fox News after she rejected his advances at a 2013 dinner meeting at Hotel Bel-Air.

OReilly, long the highest rated personality on the cable news network, was fired on April 19. Walshs complaint had followed the disclosure in the New York Times that a total of $13 million in payouts were made by OReilly and Fox News to five women who asserted they were sexually harassed or verbally abused by the host over the last 16 years.

Debra Katz, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who specializes in sexual harassment cases, said the reported size of the settlement amount for Wiehl is tantamount to a class-action suit.

Katz said a settlement of that size typically includes a promise to withdraw the allegation. Its done as a way to put a hammer over the individual who signs so they will never come forward and disclose the allegations, she said. If she does, the person who has settled for an obscene amount of money can pull the declaration and say she recanted.

Mark Fabiani, a representative for OReilly, told the New York Times that 21st Century Fox was well aware that Wiehl had signed a sworn affidavit repudiating the allegations against him.

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Fabiani said the New York Times report on Wiehls complaint is based on leaked information provided by anonymous sources that is out of context, false, defamatory, and obviously designed to embarrass Bill OReilly and to keep him from competing in the marketplace.

The disclosure of the new settlement is likely to derail any hopes OReilly had of making a television comeback. There has been chatter among TV news business insiders that OReilly was looking to get back on the air, possibly as a commentator or host with the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

OReilly recently started TV appearances to promote his new book Killing England, including on his formal rival Sean Hannitys Fox News program. He has also given interviews to NBCs Today and CNN.

The revelation of the settlement is yet another obstacle in 21st Century Foxs efforts to get past the sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed the company since former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against the divisions founding chief executive, Roger Ailes, who died in May.

While 21st Century Fox has aggressively investigated harassment claims and settled a number of them  including $20 million for Carlson  the company continues to be beleaguered by the issue. The treatment of women in the media and entertainment business has also become a hot topic of national conversation due to the recently revealed claims of harassment and sexual assault against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

For 21st Century Fox, the matter has intensified British regulators scrutiny of its proposed $15-billion deal to take full ownership of Sky TV in the United Kingdom.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio

ALSO

Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard leaves APA as his agent is fired amid claims of sexual assault and harassment

Women in animation industry demand change in Hollywood amid sexual harassment scandal

Investigation launched after actress tells LAPD she was raped by Harvey Weinstein

UPDATES:

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from OReillys representative on the New York Times report.

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comment from a representative for Bill OReilly and background information about 21st Century Foxs handling of previous sexual harassment allegations.

This article was originally published at 12:55 p.m.
DES MOINES | Lori Peter shares her devastating experience with opioid addiction often, and all over Iowa.

Everywhere she goes, she brings her son.

Kelly John Peter is forever 24 years old and cannot tell his own tale of heroin addiction because two years ago that addiction claimed his life.

This is my son, Lori said, holding up the urn and fighting back tears while speaking this past week at a hearing on opioid addiction, hosted by state lawmakers at the Iowa Capitol, because of the opioid epidemic.

Kelly John Peter became addicted to heroin after first abusing opioid painkillers that he took from his parents medicine cabinet, Lori said.

The number of opioid deaths in Iowa is not as dire as other states. Iowa ranks near the bottom of the country in the rate of opioid deaths per capita, far below the worst-hit state, West Virginia, which experienced more than 800 opioid-related deaths in 2016, according to the states Health Statistics Center.

In Iowa, there were 180 opioid-related deaths in 2016, according to the state public health department. That number is more than triple the number of Iowas opioid-related deaths in 2005.

We do have an epidemic in this state, said David Heaton, a state lawmaker from Mount Pleasant. Heaton led the two-day hearing on opioid addiction and co-chairs the Iowa Legislatures health care budget committee.

Heaton pledged that the committee will produce some form of legislation for the 2018 session, which starts in January. He said unlike previous attempts, he hopes lawmakers are successful in passing some measures that will help address opioid addiction in the state.

More than half of U.S. states require prescribers to consult the states Prescription Monitoring Program, or PMP; Iowa does not. The PMP can help prescribers catch individuals who attempt to obtain opioid painkillers from multiple sources.

At least 17 states have established limits on the length of opioid prescriptions, according to the Washington Post; Iowa has no limit. Limiting the length of opioid prescriptions can drive down the number of prescriptions.

There are needle exchange programs in 33 states; Iowa does not have a program. Advocates say needle sharing programs prevent the spread of infectious disease and create an avenue for people with addiction to seek treatment.

Forty states have a so-called Good Samaritan law, which provides immunity for an individual who contacts the authorities or emergency personnel to notify them of another individual who has overdosed; Iowa does not.

I think we really fumbled the ball this last session, said Chuck Isenhart, a state lawmaker from Dubuque who sat on the legislative panel during the two-day hearing. Im pretty confident there are people in Iowa who are dead because we fumbled the ball.

Of the myriad lawmaking options discussed over the two days, the PMP was most prevalent.

According to state officials, less than half of Iowa prescribers are registered to use the states program. Just 4 percent of dentists use the program.

In additional to a general pushback against mandates, some prescribers have complained Iowas program is too cumbersome. The state is in the process of upgrading the system.

We are operating with an Atari when there is a PlayStation 4 available, said Andrew Funk, executive director of the state pharmacy board.

The many speakers who advocated for mandating use of the PMP say it can save lives by preventing individuals from accumulating high volumes of opioid painkillers.

This is a tool that they can use for more information about the patient. So we would certainly support any way that makes it easy to register and easy to access the PMP, said Mark Bowden, executive director of the Iowa Board of Medicine.

Lori Peter, who lost her son to opioid addiction, said she also worked in health care for 22 years doing prior authorizations for a Dubuque medical clinic. She implored lawmakers to make PMP use mandatory.

If my physician finds checking PMP cumbersome and difficult, I sure as hell dont want him as my doctor, Peter said. Thats very basic.

Lee Leighter, with the state public safety department, praised the states PMP and also encouraged lawmakers to mandate its use.

Leighter also said law enforcement should be able to access the program. Twenty-nine states have no restrictions on law enforcement access to the states PMP, or allow for access during active investigations, according to Temple Universitys Policy Surveillance Program.

Iowa is among 15 states with the most restrictive access: law enforcement must obtain a warrant to access the states PMP.

Opponents of expanding law enforcement access to PMPs cite privacy concerns.

I think, practically, it would save some lives, Leighter said. The taxpayers of Iowa have been paying me for 24 years. If you can trust me with criminal histories, but not the PMP, then there is a problem.

Legislators have in the past introduced a bill mandating PMP use, but it did not garner sufficient support.

Neither did a bill introduced last year by Isenhart that would create immunity for individuals who call authorities to report an overdose.

Multiple speakers at the hearing advocated for lawmakers to try again so Iowa can join the 40 states with Good Samaritan laws for opioid overdose reporters.

Among the testimonies also were some calling for caution. Some speakers warned against lawmakers over-correcting and causing unintended consequences with new laws.

This is a big deal and I dont want to minimize that, said Dr. Bret Ripley of Des Moines University. But I also want to remind you that the vast majority of doctors, your doctors, are people of good will who are trying to help you.

A similar caveat was issued by Thomas Greene, a state senator from Burlington and a pharmacist.

Ive been a patient advocate for 45 years and I will continue to be, said Greene, who was part of the legislative panel. We have got to address abuse and misuse issues. ... But we cannot take a position that all opioid use is wrong. I mean there are people who need it, who have chronic pain issues.

Heaton was adamant lawmakers will proceed carefully and thoughtfully, but that they will craft legislation that he said must pass.

We will put a bill together and this time we will not be turned back, Heaton said forcefully. Theres so many things to look at, but Ill be damned if Im going to back off this time.

Lori Peter said the cost of inaction is high. She implored lawmakers to act when they convene in January.

Please, in the name of my son and all the other people that have died and are suffering, please make changes, Peter said. All it can do is save lives.
James Cagney is remembered best for playing tough-talking gangsters in Warner Bros. movies in the 1930s and 40s, which, according to Cagney, a loving and cartoonish small-scale bio-musical playing at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, is exactly how he didnt want to be remembered.

After years of portraying one dumb, trigger-happy, woman-slapping Irishman after another, as his character complains in the colorful period dialogue of Peter Colleys book, Cagney started his own production company so he could take on more nuanced roles  ideally involving tap-dancing, the skill that launched him in showbiz. But the public just cried out for more tough guys. This was his great tragedy.

Or so Cagney suggests, not altogether convincingly, in between lively tap numbers choreographed by Joshua Bergasse and performed by the small but energetic original cast that made the musicals off-Broadway run a hit last year. We expect a certain amount of tragedy from a bio-musical: Our sense of fairness requires that a person who reaches dizzying heights also should fall hard. At least as presented here, Cagneys rise to fame was effortless, a series of lucky breaks. (Bob Hope! What are you doing here at the Times Square Automat? Hope: Well, Jimmy, I heard of a Broadway role that would be perfect for you  theyre looking for a redhead!)

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Cagneys family supported him. He didnt cheat on his wife. He never got addicted to anything. Its hard to muster schadenfreude for a movie star who wished hed played fewer gangsters. But if Cagney never quite finds a storyline as a drama, its enjoyable as a celebration of its subjects lesser-known talents. The musicals subtitle could have been: The Tough Guy Who Was a Song-and-Dance Man at Heart.

Robert Creighton reprises the title role of the old hoofer who got lucky in the movies. Short and blocky, as the real Cagney was, Creighton is a delightfully agile dancer with a pleasing tenor. He co-created this musical and also wrote three songs in its score, including the charmer Falling in Love. (Christopher McGovern supplied others, which are rounded out by a selection of 1940s numbers by George M. Cohan.) Its obvious that Creighton takes great joy in portraying the singing, dancing Cagney  and maybe not quite so much joy in being the guy who won Americas heart with lines like Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or Ill give it to you through the door.

Accordingly, Cagneys entire Hollywood oeuvre has been compressed into two efficient numbers, leaving plenty of time for tap routines. We see faithfully re-created bits from his early vaudeville career, his performance as Cohan in the 1942 movie Yankee Doodle Dandy (which earned him an Oscar) and his World War II-era USO shows. This extreme focus conveys the impression that, except when he was holding a pistol or roughing somebody up on a soundstage, Cagney was pretty much continuously tap-dancing.

Jeremy Benton, Danette Holden, Josh Walden and Ellen Z. Wright all shine in supporting roles that, if not especially nuanced, demand near-constant costume changes and a range of accents. The pleasure they take in their broad characterizations of old-timey Americans is hard to resist, as is Bill Castellinos cheerful and fast-paced direction.

The one character written in more than one dimension is Jack Warner (the spot-on Bruce Sabath), a despot who answers the phone with the catchphrase Make me happy! and proudly refers to Warner Bros. as the San Quentin of the studio system. He tries to use Cagney like a paper doll. But even this foil ultimately comes off like a caricature, a harmless, even lovable blowhard. And Warners scenes with his besotted secretary, Jane (Holden), who trots after him trembling with desire, must have seemed less creepy and ill-advised before the Harvey Weinstein stories broke.

         

Cagney

Where: El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankersheim Blvd., North Hollywood

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 2 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; ends Oct. 29

Ticket: $25-$75

Info: (818) 508-4200 or CagneyTheMusical.com

Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

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Lupita Nyongo relates her story of inappropriate Harvey Weinstein encounters

Lupita Nyongo with her Oscar after winning Best Actress for 12 Years a Slave at the 86th Annual Academy Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

With stories about women allegedly harassed by Harvey Weinstein surfacing all around her, Oscar winner Lupita Nyongo decided she couldnt keep her own story squashed down any longer.

She thought the things that had happened were unique to her, not a larger pattern of what she on Thursday called sinister behavior. She blamed herself for much of it.

I had shelved my experience with Harvey far in the recesses of my mind, joining in the conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years, Nyongo wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times.

The 12 Years a Slave actress was still at Yale School of Drama when she and Weinstein crossed paths at a 2011 awards ceremony in Berlin, where he was introduced to the then-aspiring actress as the most powerful producer in Hollywood. Dinner companions told her he was a good man to know in the biz, but someone to be careful around because he could be a bully, she wrote.

The interactions that followed between her and the producer went back and forth between seemingly appropriate and uncomfortably inappropriate, Nyongo said.

The invitation to screen a movie with Weinstein and his children at his Connecticut home turned into a restaurant lunch where he tried to bully her into drinking alcohol, she wrote, followed by him cutting short her viewing of the movie after 15 minutes and taking her to his bedroom where he offered to give her a massage. She said she flipped the situation around.

I began to massage his back to buy myself time to figure out how to extricate myself from this undesirable situation, the actress said. Then he wanted to take off his pants, she wrote.

He couldnt make it to see a production she was in, but invited her to bring anyone she wanted to see a staged reading of Finding Neverland, one of his. Dinner followed, with her friends relegated to a non-Harvey table.

The talk was shop the whole time and Harvey held court with ease. He was charming and funny once more, and I felt confused about the discomfort I had previously experienced, Nyongo said.

Lupita Nyongo accepts the supporting actress Academy Award for her work in 12 Years a Slave on March 2, 2014. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A couple of months later, he invited her to a screening of W.E. followed by a trip to the Tribeca Grill, which she said she assumed would be another group meal. It was not. His assistants, she said, had seemed uncomfortable as they set up the logistics with her.

Before the starters arrived, he announced: Lets cut to the chase. I have a private room upstairs where we can have the rest of our meal. I was stunned, Nyongo wrote. I told him I preferred to eat in the restaurant. He told me not to be so naive. If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing. He said he had dated Famous Actress X and Y and look where that had gotten them.

She declined, and his tone changed, she said. As he escorted her out, sans meal, she checked in with him to make sure they were still good after shed said no.

His response, according to the actress: I dont know about your career, but youll be fine, he said. It felt like both a threat and a reassurance at the same time; of what, I couldnt be sure.

They didnt cross paths again until the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, which she was attending in support of 12 Years a Slave.

At an after-party, he found me and evicted whoever was sitting next to me to sit beside me, she wrote. He said he couldnt believe how fast I had gotten to where I was, and that he had treated me so badly in the past. He was ashamed of his actions and he promised to respect me moving forward. I said thank you and left it at that. But I made a quiet promise to myself to never ever work with Harvey Weinstein.

Our business is complicated because intimacy is part and parcel of our profession; as actors we are paid to do very intimate things in public. Thats why someone can have the audacity to invite you to their home or hotel and you show up.  Lupita Nyongo

The following year, after her Oscar win, he tried to get her in one of his films, showering her with talk of a star-vehicle film in the offing for her later if shed first take a role in a Weinstein Co. movie shed already turned down. She held firm.

When she first met the now-disgraced producer, she wrote, she was entering into a community that Harvey Weinstein had been in, and even shaped, long before I got there. He was one of the first people I met in the industry, and he told me, This is the way it is. And wherever I looked, everyone seemed to be bracing themselves and dealing with him, unchallenged.

Since then, she said, she hasnt encountered treatment like that from anyone else. Still, she talked about the often-blurry lines in the workplace known as Hollywood.

Our business is complicated because intimacy is part and parcel of our profession; as actors we are paid to do very intimate things in public, wrote Nyongo, who is now 34. Thats why someone can have the audacity to invite you to their home or hotel and you show up. Precisely because of this we must stay vigilant and ensure that the professional intimacy is not abused.
Third generation shoemaker Pedro Garcia was in Los Angeles this week to celebrate the opening of a temporary Nordstrom shop-in-shop, as the Spain-based company aims to further develop its business locally.

In recent years this has been one of our main markets, Garcia said of California, pointing to a coastal climate mirroring where the company is based. The idea is to keep developing the business, going a little bit more deep even though we know that we dont want to go crazy with production. We want to keep delivering the quality we deliver.

Garcias grandfather, also named Pedro Garcia, started the business in 1925, building a brand focused on the tradition of craftsmanship thats been passed down to now the companys third generation. The quality and style hasnt gone unnoticed with the label seen on celebrities such as Lana Del Rey, Drew Barrymore, Emily Blunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. The line  ranging from flats to heels  are made in the companys factory in Elda, Spain, and sold at retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, Net-a-porter, Neiman Marcus and David Jones among others.

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The company this week celebrated the temporary pop-in at Nordstroms new store at Westfield Century City. Garcia will be in Scottsdale, Ariz., today at Nordstroms Scottsdale Fashion Square pop-in and then will fly to the Houston Galleria next week for the third Nordstrom pop-in.

Garcia, who serves as creative director, runs the business with his sister Mila, who serves as chief executive officer

The companys desire is to now understand the U.S. market even better so that it may refine its business strategy, Garcia said. The company is also weighing its options for pop-ups in either New York or Los Angeles.

This is something we have right now on the table with my sister, developing a business plan for the next three, four years, Garcia said. I would say the pop-up strategy, we are still deciding what [market] goes first. Obviously, America is one of our main goals.

Part of the plan also calls for collaborations. A collection with Temperley London for London Fashion Week could be due out as early as the end of this year, with a Lane Crawford capsule expected to arrive within the month.

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When screenwriter Jason Micallef was house-hunting, he was ready for a challenge.

I looked for a major fixer-upper or tear-down, he said. He found it, in the form of a two-bedroom house next to the Silver Lake Reservoir. Although the house itself was unimpressive, Micallef climbed the hillside behind it to find an expansive panorama of the reservoir. The view was incredible, he said.

It was the vista that dictated the redesign of his home.

Working with architects Andrew Holder and Claus Benjamin Freyinger of the Los Angeles Design Group, Micallef embarked on a three-year renovation project that flipped the traditional floor plan.

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The open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen are on the uppermost level, with the bedrooms below. Micallef, who grew up in rural Virginia where flood zones meant most homes were elevated above carports, felt comfortable with common areas on the top floor.

The top level of this newly remodeled home in Silver Lake maximizes views of the reservoir. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )

Micallef, who had lived in the same apartment building as Holder in West Hollywood more than a decade before, called on his old friend when he was ready to begin renovations. Although the top floor includes a large deck and walls of glass to maximize the view, the second floor provides a visual surprise.

Both the front and back of the house prominently feature a cockeyed window inspired by Bauhaus-trained architect Marcel Breuers asymmetrical windows at the former Whitney Museum (now part of the Met) in New York.

This torqued window was inspired by Marcel Breuers design for the former Whitney Museum. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )

After a louvered window was proposed and rejected by the city, the architects suggested indenting the window.

For Micallef, who is used to multiple rewrites on a project, the lopsided windows were an improvement and a parallel to his professional life.

Instead of being upset whenever reality intervenes, you jump past that point and find a solution, he said.

Home@latimes.com

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When the first California bullet train pulls out of San Jose one day, a crucial part of the journey will be a 13.5-mile tunnel beneath the winding peaks and valleys of Pacheco Pass.

Trains will run at top speed along a straight and level route beneath the Diablo Range, shooting through the nations longest and most advanced transportation tunnel.

But the massive scope and complexity of the tunnel are at the heart of new concerns about the viability of the state project.

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A Times analysis has found that tunnel construction could exhaust the $5.5-billion budget for the entire 54-mile segment from Gilroy to Chowchilla.

Some of the worlds top tunnel experts put the cost of the tunnel at anywhere from $5.6 billion to $14.4 billion, reflecting the high cost of boring through tricky geology and seismically active areas.

The Gilroy-to-Chowchilla route also requires a 1.5-mile tunnel just east of Gilroy, itself a major infrastructure project.

This is not good news for taxpayers of California, said William Ibbs, a UC Berkeley civil engineer who has consulted on similar rail projects around the world. Tunnels are expensive.

Engineers at the California High-Speed Rail Authority are cautious but not worried. We dont see any problem, said Scott Jarvis, chief engineer.

The authority said it is too early to have its own cost estimate because it has not done enough geological investigation and engineering analysis, said Randy Anderson, the agencys tunneling expert.

He added that engineering for previous tunneling for water lines shows they are in the ballpark.

But if construction costs grow and exhaust the projects budget, it could jeopardize plans for building the initial operating segment from San Jose to the Central Valley.

State officials acknowledge that unless they demonstrate a financially successful starter system, private investors will not commit money to help build the rest of the line to Los Angeles.

At best, the rail authoritys existing funds are stretched thin. It has $21 billion to build the starter system.

The funds include $6.8 billion from a 2008 bond, $3.2 billion in federal grants, $5.3 billion from Californias greenhouse gas fees through 2024, and $5.2 billion from bonds issued against greenhouse gas fees after 2024.

The plan to issue bonds supported by future greenhouse gas fees is the weak link.

Michael Thom, a public finance expert at USC, said those funds are not a reliable source of revenue. I cant imagine a reason why a rational investor would take that risk.

The rail authority initially planned to start building from Los Angeles but abandoned that plan in 2016 because it was too costly  ironically because of tunnels under the San Gabriel and Tehachapi mountains.

Under the current plan, the state wants to begin the 240-mile starter system in San Jose and end in an almond orchard south of Wasco. The state estimates the system would begin operating in 2025 and carry about 3 million passengers a year.

The rail authoritys optimistic timetable estimates that the entire Los Angeles-to-San Francisco system, passing through Palmdale, Bakersfield and Fresno, will start running in 2029, requiring a 1.3-mile tunnel under the heart of San Francisco and potentially 36 miles of tunnels under the Southern California mountains.

The need to build the starter systems 13.5-mile tunnel was identified earlier this year.

Until late last year, officials had considered building five shorter tunnels. But that plan cut too close to the San Luis Reservoir, according to federal records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The cost of the tunnel could significantly drain the available funds to build the starter system, based on estimates from outside experts.

Bent Flyvbjerg, a University of Oxford professor who has studied high-speed rail projects around the world, estimated the cost could range from $5.6 billion (with a 50% chance of a cost overrun) to $14.6 billion (with a 20% chance of a cost overrun).

He based his estimates on data from more than 500 international tunnel projects. On average, an equivalent tunnel would cost $7.6 billion, he said

An executive at one of the nations leading engineering firms, who was not authorized to publicly comment on the state rail plan but is knowledgeable about the project, estimated the cost would run from $10 billion to $12 billion, based on recent experience with long tunnels in difficult geology.

Herbert Einstein, an MIT civil engineer and expert on tunnel construction, put the cost at roughly $6 billion  saying that was on the low side, based on his experience in other projects.

The cost will be related directly to the construction schedule, he said, and when time goes up, so does cost.

Nobody  including state officials  disputes that the proposed timeline is ambitious.

Under the current timeline, according to some experts, the system will miss by more than a year the 2025 deadline to start carrying passengers, assuming there are no major problems.

The final environmental plan, which sets the exact route, is supposed to be adopted next year, and only then can the state begin soliciting bids and awarding a construction contract.

The contract process will take at least another year.

Once a contract is issued, the builder will have to order a custom-made tunnel boring machine, which takes about one year to build and set up at the site.

The authority would need at least three years to bore the tunnel, possibly much more, and then three more to outfit it with high-voltage electrical systems, ventilation, signals and track, according to outside experts.

Jarvis, the authoritys chief engineer, said the states timetable is aggressive and may have to be revised. We are reviewing the schedule, he said.

Meeting deadlines will depend on the geology of the route.

The rocks in the Diablo Range were left when the Pacific tectonic plate dove under the North American plate. It was like a knife cutting slices off a block of cheese, leaving a jumble of inconsistent rocks up and down the California coast.

Manual Rodriguez, left, and Victor Rodriguez collect drill cuttings and rock chips along the Pacheco Pass in Hollister. (Josh Edelson / For The Times )

Geologist Craig Riddle checks rock chip samples along the Pacheco Pass in Hollister. The California High Speed Rail Authority is doing geological drilling in preparation for a 13.5-mile tunnel that is expected to be built. (Josh Edelson / For The Times )

The tunnel  which in some spots will be 1,000 feet below ground  will have to traverse hard sandstone interspersed with weak shale, a geological structure known as the Franciscan Complex.

Within that melange are hard boulders of metamorphosed basalt and chert, among other knockers, as geologists call them.

Darrel Cowan, a University of Washington geologist who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Diablo Range, said: You can be tunneling through this and you can run into a knocker the size of a car or a house. It is like a fruitcake  a rock type that does not provide the stability you want for tunneling.

As the route passes near the massive San Luis Reservoir, the tunnel will cross the Ortigalata fault, which is estimated to have the potential for a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Tunnels through faults require detailed and costly engineering.

Anderson said he is familiar with the Franciscan melange. The rail authority is not only doing exploratory boring along the route, but also reviewing the engineering records of two underground water tunnels in the area.

We have looked at some of the production rates, and they are pretty good, said Anderson, the rail systems tunnel expert.

The engineers were able to dig about 70 feet per day, but in some places progress was slower, he said.

At 70 feet per day, two boring machines would take just over three years to complete the bullet train tunnel  based on operating six days per week without any breakdowns or slowdowns.

Outside experts, however, are skeptical that construction crews could keep to the current schedule and budget.

Tunnels are more prone to sharp cost increases, because you have limited flexibility, said Ibbs, the Berkeley engineer. If you hit a gas pocket or sand or water, you have to fix that before you can go any further. You are basically boxed in.

The rail authority is building bridges, viaducts, trenches and rail bed along a 29-mile stretch from Madera to Fresno, and has contracts for additional work to south of Wasco.

The rail authority recently disclosed cost estimates that showed its construction work on that stretch is headed for a $1.7-billion overrun. The Pacheco tunnel is not included in that cost increase.

It is also far behind schedule.

Nine years ago, voters were told in a bond measure that the entire Los Angeles-to-San Francisco system would be completed by 2020. The date for a partial system later slipped to 2022, and then 2025.

Critics say a lot of the current problems could be solved if the state reconsiders an old 1990s plan to go over the Altamont Pass, a lower passage to the Bay Area that lies west of Tracy.

There was a moment when they should have looked at alternatives, said Elizabeth Alexis, a cofounder of a Bay Area watchdog group.

But now the authority must live with the financial consequences of past decisions. Among the most important is the Pacheco Pass tunnel and how to pay for it.

Between now and the day the first passengers ride, issues like this will occur dozens and dozens of times, said Martin Wachs, a UCLA transportation expert who serves on a state-appointed peer-review panel for the bullet train. Many in my field have expected costs to rise, because there are uncertainties  and usually those increase costs.

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @rvartabedian

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State regulators have, for now, closed a conflict-of-interest complaint against Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez.

The decision does not exonerate Rodriguez or free him from the issue indefinitely. It has more to do with how cases are handled by the states Fair Political Practices Commission.

In light of Mr. Rodriguezs criminal indictment in Los Angeles County, the commission is closing this matter without prejudice, Galena West of the FPPCs enforcement division wrote in a letter Friday.

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In the conflict complaint, the charter school network Rodriguez co-founded alleged that he may have improperly authorized the transfer of $265,000 in school funds to a nonprofit that he ran.

An attorney working for Partnerships to Uplift Communities said that so far the charter network had found little to no evidence that services were provided to the schools in exchange for the funds.

The complaint noted that there may be an additional conflict regarding $20,400. That payment was made by Rodriguez, using PUC Schools money, to a private fundraising firm in which he might have had an ownership interest.

The letter closing the claim was addressed to Jim Sutton, an election-law attorney who is representing Rodriguez. The board member also has a criminal defense attorney.

PUC Schools has alerted the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is expected to investigate the potential conflict of interest. The issue also could be examined by prosecutors if they determine that a crime may have been committed. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office declined to comment about the matter.

At the very least, the FPPC decision means Rodriguez wont have to deal with an investigation by the commission while facing charges for alleged campaign-money laundering.

Per policy, we wont open a case while theres a pending felony case, Jay Wierenga, communications director for the commission, said in an explanation provided in advance of the official letter.

The felony case has no apparent connection to the conflict-of-interest allegations.

In the criminal complaint, Rodriguez is accused of reimbursing 25 campaign donors with nearly $25,000 of his own money during his successful 2015 run for the school board.

Rodriguez potentially faces more than four years in jail if convicted of three felony counts and 25 misdemeanors, one for each illegal contribution. Prosecutors contend that Rodriguezs actions prevented voters and the public from knowing the true source of support for his campaign.

Rodriguez is due to appear in court Tuesday.

After being charged in September, he resigned as school board president but retained his L.A. Unified seat. Rodriguez is part of a 4-3 majority supported by charter school advocates.

Earlier this week, Rodriguez told The Times he would not be able to comment on either the criminal case or the conflict filing.

howard.blume@latimes.com

@howardblume
A man who says he was defamed on Facebook by a fellow college student filed a lawsuit Friday against the woman in Los Angeles, alleging she falsely accused him of raping her.

The plaintiff in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit is identified only as John Doe and the defendant as Jane Roe. He lives in San Diego County, and she resides in Los Angeles County. Both attend Westmont College near Santa Barbara, according to the complaint, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The suit states that on Thursday, Roe wrote on Facebook, Only a few people know this, but almost two years ago I was raped. I was at a party with people I thought were friends and I was even kind of friends with the guy who did it.

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She posted the plaintiffs full name, and her allegations are false, according to court papers.

Ms. Roes statement was read by people who reside in and around Los Angeles County, and also people who are students, faculty and staff at Westmont College, according to the lawsuit, which says the plaintiff has suffered a loss of his reputation and felt shame because of the posting.

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The war on drugs has taken a disproportionate toll on people who are poor, black or Latino, community activists have long lamented.

Now that marijuana is on the brink of legalization in California, Los Angeles leaders want to make sure that disadvantaged people can cash in.

L.A. has been crafting regulations to permit a wide range of marijuana businesses as the state prepares to legalize the sale of recreational pot. Under a proposal drafted by outside consultants and released this week, the city would provide extra help to some people seeking to run cannabis businesses, in an attempt to address the uneven effects of the drug war.

For so long, people that were black, people that were Latino, we have paid the price for this business, City Council President Herb Wesson, who is African American, said at a recent community forum in Watts. And as we move this into the legal realm, it is important to us that we have a piece of the action.

Local governments cannot give preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity under California law, a fact that Wesson quickly acknowledged at the Watts forum.

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Instead, the L.A. program would benefit poor people who have been convicted of a marijuana crime in California, poor people whose immediate family members have been convicted, people with low incomes who live or have lived in neighborhoods that were heavily affected by marijuana arrests, and companies that agree to help disadvantaged applicants.

This is not about race, said Donnie Anderson, cofounder of the California Minority Alliance, which advocates for the inclusion of people of color in the marijuana industry. This is about communities that were hurt by the failed war on drugs.

Without such a program, youd just have corporate people getting into the industry, Anderson said. Wheres the justice in that?

Under the proposed social equity program, the city would provide different levels of assistance to the four categories of eligible applicants, with the maximum assistance going to poor people convicted of marijuana crimes. However, the city could still deny marijuana licenses to people convicted of violent or serious crimes as outlined in state law.

People in the program could get help applying for city licenses, training employees and finding vacant city properties  those that are not suitable for affordable housing  to rent at free or reduced rates. The city would also help people expunge old convictions for marijuana crimes. And L.A. would also waive or defer fees and provide startup loans at low rates.

In addition, cannabis businesses run by wealthier applicants could get tax rebates if they help disadvantaged entrepreneurs by providing them floor space, mentoring or other assistance.

Because L.A. is allowing marijuana businesses only in limited zones, entrepreneurs have been eager to get city approval quickly, before the available space is snapped up by other businesses. Existing pot shops that have been operating in line with an earlier set of city rules are first in line for licenses. After that, the city will start handing out licenses to other applicants.

Under the proposal, for every general applicant who gets a license, the city would give out one license to someone participating in the social equity program  a rule meant to ensure equitable participation in the industry, according to the proposal.

The recommended rules, which were drafted by the consulting firm Amec Foster Wheeler with the help of city staff, are expected to be vetted by a council committee later this month. The firm also analyzed geographic and racial disparities in marijuana arrests in Los Angeles and identified which neighborhoods had been disproportionately affected.

In addition to assisting disadvantaged applicants, the proposed rules would also require new cannabis businesses to ensure that at least half of their workforce are people with low incomes, residents living in the heavily affected neighborhoods, or those who have been convicted of a marijuana crime and their family members.

The proposed rules would also set aside 20% of city revenue from taxing marijuana businesses to help pay for community beautification, drug treatment and other services for communities heavily affected by marijuana arrests. The consultants also recommended that the city streamline the approval process for all marijuana businesses to make it less time consuming and costly.

Marijuana industry groups such as the United Cannabis Business Assn., which have closely tracked the proposed regulations, were still reviewing the newly released proposal Friday but applauded the idea. Adam Spiker, executive director of the Southern California Coalition, said the consultants had spent so much time trying to get this right.

This is about who was most affected by the war on drugs, and what can we do, as the city of Los Angeles, to make that right? Spiker said, quickly adding, Or try to make that right. People going to prison, their kids going to foster care  theres no way to right those wrongs.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily
An 8-year-old Palmdale boy who prosecutors said died after months of torture and abuse was suffering from BB gun injuries to his neck and groin area, skin was missing from his neck and there was trauma to his genitals when he arrived at the hospital, an emergency room nurse testified this week.

There were abrasions. There were open wounds . There was skin missing off the top of the neck, so there were multiple injuries on Gabriel [Fernandez]  head to toe, Registered Nurse Alison Segal testified in court Friday, according to KABC-TV.

Segal was on duty at Antelope Valley Hospital when Fernandez was transported to the hospital on May 22, 2013, after paramedics arrived at the boys home to find him not breathing. His skull was cracked, three ribs were broken and his skin was bruised and burned. He had BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin. Two teeth had been knocked out.

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The boys mother, Pearl Fernandez, 31, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 35, were indicted in July by a grand jury on a charge of murder and a special circumstance of torture in Gabriels death. The couple, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, could face the death penalty.

Aguirre is currently on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, while Pearl Fernandezs trial is still pending.

Grand jury testimony revealed that Pearl Fernandez had called 911 after she and Aguirre allegedly beat Gabriel for not picking up his toys. After the beating, the boy went silent and stopped responding.

During Fridays testimony, Segal said that Gabriels condition was so critical that she could not do a comprehensive assessment because he had to be rushed to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, according to KABC.

They had to resuscitate him with extreme measures, she said.

Gabriels death sparked a larger probe into the county Department of Children and Family Services, which found that there was a long history of reports of abuse in the boys home.

In the months before Gabriel was killed, several agencies had investigated allegations of abuse without removing him from the home.

In March, a Los Angeles County judge ruled that four social workers should stand trial on child abuse and other charges. Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar said that red flags were everywhere during the months before Gabriel died and that the social workers mishandled evidence of escalating abuse and failed to file timely reports on what was happening in the boys home before he was allegedly killed by his mother and her boyfriend. The judge said the workers conduct amounted to criminal negligence.

All four have pleaded not guilty.

Aguirres trial will continue on Monday.

carlos.lozano@latimes.com
Its that time of year in Southern California.

The National Weather Service on Saturday issued a red flag warning, indicating extreme fire danger, from Santa Barbara to San Bernardino counties for the next three days as higher-than-normal temperatures and Santa Ana winds combine to create volatile conditions.

An excessive heat watch will remain in effect in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties through Tuesday. Temperatures on Sunday are expected to range from the mid-80s at the beaches to the lower to mid-90s in inland areas, with northwest winds of 15-25 mph.

Temperatures are expected are expected to climb into the triple digits throughout the region, beginning Monday, forecasters said.

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The red flag warning puts firefighters on alert for the possibility of rapid or dramatic increases in wildfire activity. A high-pressure system is expected to bring the hottest temperatures on Monday and Tuesday as well as moderate Santa Ana winds.

This is traditionally the time of year when we see these strong Santa Ana winds, said Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott in a statement. And with an increased risk for wildfires, our firefighters are ready. Not only do we have state, federal and local fire resources, but we have additional military aircraft on the ready. Firefighters from other states, as well as Australia, are here and ready to help in case a new wildfire ignites.

Southern Californias hot and dry conditions come as firefighters begin to stand down from a series of massive wildfires that devastated Northern Californias wine country, claiming more than 40 lives and taxing resources.

Stoked at times by 50-mph winds, there have been 18 large wildfires in Northern California that have displaced about 100,000 people and destroyed approximately 7,700 homes and other buildings since Oct. 8, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some of those fires merged as about 11,000 firefighters struggled to establish containment lines and prevent the spread of the flames.

As of Friday morning, there were still seven large wildfires burning in the region, but firefighters had achieved near full containment, or were close to doing so, on all of them, according to Cal Fire.

A high-pressure system will peak over California on Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munroe. Northern California will also have higher-than-normal temperatures but not enough to warrant a red flag warning.

UPDATES:

8:45 a.m.: This article was updated with new information from the National Weather Serivce.

This article was originally posted at 2:40 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2017.
CEDAR FALLS | Officials with the Iowa Supreme Court have announced the justices will travel to Cedar Falls on Thursday, Nov. 2, to hear oral arguments in case brought to them on appeal.

The proceedings are part of an effort by the Judicial Branch to better help the public understand the court process by having the justices convene in venues outside of Des Moines.

Attorneys will make oral arguments before the high court at 7 p.m. in the Cedar Falls High School auditorium, 1015 Division St., in the case of the State of Iowa vs. Jason Gene Weitzel, which originated in Floyd County District Court and was reviewed by the Iowa Court of Appeals.

Rockford man arrested on assault, terrorism threat charges ROCKFORD  A Rockford man was arrested Sunday on domestic assault, threat of terrorism and o

The defendant appealed the district court's judgment and sentence based on his guilty plea to charges of domestic abuse assault, possession of methamphetamine, carrying weapons and operating while intoxicated.

The Iowa Court of Appeals vacated the convictions finding that the district court did not adequately advise defendant of 35 percent criminal surcharge penalties applicable to each offense.

The Iowa Supreme Court has granted the state's request for further review of the court of appeals decision.

A public reception with the Supreme Court justices will follow the oral arguments.
F. Gary Gray was standing on a South L.A. street, filming a scene for the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, when the acclaimed director received a phone call from one of the men depicted in the movie.

Marion Suge Knight was on the other end of the line, and he was angry, according to testimony by detectives this year. Knight, the Compton-born former rap mogul who founded Death Row Records, was furious about his depiction in the film and the fact that he had not received any compensation, court records show.

Eventually, Gray hung up. At least two more phone calls came, but Gray ignored them. A text message soon followed.

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I will see u in person  u have kids just like me so lets play hardball, Knight, 52, wrote, ending the message with a pair of expletives and a racial slur, according to court records.

The messages left Gray so shaken that he spent nearly two days dodging questions about the incident during a grand jury hearing this year, according to transcripts made public for the first time Friday afternoon.

During the hearing, Gray repeatedly said he could not remember anything about the messages, according to a copy of the transcripts reviewed by The Times. At one point, Gray seemed to have difficulty even recalling details about the film hed directed, which was nominated for an Academy Award and received numerous other tributes.

The directors testimony  or lack of it  illustrated the level of fear Knight had instilled in Gray, Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Barnes told the grand jury.

Hes so afraid he came in here and lied under oath, Barnes said. Hes perjuring himself because hes that afraid.

The February hearing resulted in grand jurors indicting Knight on a charge of threatening Gray with death or great bodily injury, one of several turns in a now years-long legal saga for Knight, who is also awaiting trial in separate homicide and robbery cases in Los Angeles County.

Dominique Banos, a defense attorney who is representing Knight in the criminal threats case and is also part of the defense team in his pending homicide trial, said she does not believe the phone from which the text messages were sent actually belongs to her client.

The gang references in the texts sound like law enforcement language, said Banos, who also pointed to Grays testimony as a sign her client should not be indicted.

It was basically just feeding the grand jury what it needed to be fed in order to get an indictment, she said of the testimony of police officers contained in the transcripts.

Banos also said she believes the threats case was filed in order to bolster the prosecutions hopes of winning a conviction in the homicide case.

Prosecutors say Knights frustration with the N.W.A film boiled over in January 2015, when he rammed his Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck into two men outside Tams Burgers in Compton after a dispute on the set. Terry Carter, 55, died of his injuries. Another man, Cle Bone Sloan, was seriously injured but survived.

Knight surrendered a short time later and said he was acting in self-defense. In a court filing made public this month, Knight contended his former business partner and N.W.A member Dr. Dre paid $20,000 to have him killed, arguing that a hit man was present at Tams on the day of the killing.

An attorney for Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, said the accusation was absurd.

Knight has also been charged with stealing a camera from a photographer in Beverly Hills in September 2014. He has pleaded not guilty in each case.

In the text messages sent to Gray on Aug. 8, 2014, Knight used gang terminology and made reference to other N.W.A members, according to the transcripts.

Im from Bomton, Knight wrote, using well-known Bloods slang. Im a Blood criminal street gang member from the city of Compton  Time has arrived Faith in God keep ppl safe. The Devils Money cant save No 1.

Knight is a member of the Mob Piru set of the Bloods gang, according to detectives. He also wrote that he would make sure Gray, Young and Ice Cube  another N.W.A member and actor whose real name is OShea Jackson  would receive hugs, slang for physical violence, according to testimony given by detectives.

You seem to have a black hole memory when it comes to this individual incident.  Prosecutor Cynthia Barnes, while questioning director F. Gary Gray

When police arrived at the film set, Gray seemed extremely agitated as well as extremely frightened, according to the testimony of Los Angeles Police Det. Jason Cook, who responded to the scene that day.

Gray told detectives Knight had threatened his family and members of the film crew and that he was angry over his portrayal, according to Cooks testimony.

In the movie, Knight  played by actor R. Marcos Taylor  is a powerful and often-menacing figure. During a scene inside a recording studio, Knight threatens another N.W.A founder, Eazy-E, and then watches as two men beat him up. In another scene, Knight repeatedly pistol-whips a man for taking his parking spot.

In the grand jury hearing, Gray was evasive when asked by a prosecutor whether Knight was depicted as violent in the film, only acknowledging that the character took part in a fight scene. The director repeatedly said he could not remember anything about the phone calls, text messages or any communication he had that day with Knight.

I cant say I remember being threatened by him specifically, Gray said, according to the transcript.

On several occasions, prosecutors scolded Gray for dodging questions. Gray was ordered into two separate hearings about his refusal to answer questions, but transcripts of those proceedings were not available Friday.

As the hearing continued, prosecutors expressed their frustration.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Valerie Aenlle-Rocha asked Gray to detail the films he had directed, which include the most recent installment of The Fast and the Furious series and the South L.A.-based Friday. She asked him to name the actors involved in each film, then questioned how he could remember all of that but draw a blank when it came to the incident with Knight.

At another point, Aenlle-Rocha asked him if he had been using drugs that might have affected his memory on the date he received the calls and texts. The director said no.

Gray did not want to be involved with the case in any way, according to testimony from Los Angeles County Sheriffs Sgt. Richard Biddle, the lead investigator in Knights homicide case. Biddle said he had trouble serving Gray with a subpoena to appear at the grand jury hearing, ultimately tracking him to Los Angeles International Airport as the director was about to board a flight out of the country.

Gray asked the homicide investigator to escort him in and out of a downtown courthouse during the grand jury proceedings to protect him from reporters and Knights gang members, according to Biddles testimony.

Youre a bright guy. Youre smart, Barnes told Gray during the grand jury hearing. You remember a lot, and you seem to have a black-hole memory when it comes to this individual incident.

james.queally@latimes.com

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

For more crime and courts news in Southern California, follow us on Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT and @marisagerber

ALSO

HBOs The Defiant Ones a fascinating look at musics odd couple

Suge Knight hires new attorney to represent him in criminal threats case

A&E documentary Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. takes a fascinating  and authorized  look at the rappers too-short story

UPDATES:

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Knights attorney.

This article was originally posted at 7:45 a.m.
Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer, best known for his environmental activism, is stepping up support of immigrant rights with a $2.3-million donation to the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center and seven other organizations.

The gift from Steyers nonprofit, NextGen America, will support a national legal services network to help recruit and train more advocates for immigrants. About $90,000 will help the UC center hire a full-time immigration attorney for a year at UC Riverside, where Steyer visited Friday.

NextGen also plans to help the UC center share its legal services model with schools across the country. The center, launched by UC President Janet Napolitano in 2015, is the nations first and only university system to offer free legal services to immigrants and their families who are in the country illegally.

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From increased ICE raids to the repeal of DACA to the Muslim travel ban, Donald Trump and his administration are systematically attacking the immigrant community, Steyer said in a statement Friday. Many live in fear that at any moment they will be ripped away from their family with no one in their corner to defend them. Our partnership with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center will allow more students and their families, in California and across the nation, to seek the legal guidance they not only need but have a fundamental right to receive.

Maria Blanco, the UC centers executive director, said the support comes at a crucial time for vulnerable immigrants  especially the nearly 800,000 young people who have received temporary reprieves from deportation and access to work permits under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Last month, the Trump administration announced it would end the program but gave Congress a six-month window to save it. California is home to the nations largest number of DACA recipients  about 223,000, nearly twice as many as the next largest, in Texas. About 4,000 UC students are immigrants without legal status.

Blanco said nearly 1,000 young people nationally and about 280 in California each day are losing their DACA status, subjecting them to possible loss of jobs or deportation. Its really creating a lot of stress, she said.

She said she hoped that Steyers contribution  the centers first private donation not to come from traditional immigrant rights groups  would inspire others to follow suit. Last year, Napolitano pledged $2.5 million over three years, but Blanco is looking for funding to sustain the center after that. Cases soared to about 800 in the 2016-17 academic year from 362 the previous year.

Since the election and especially the rescission of DACA, a wider section of people concerned about access to higher education and opportunity are becoming more aware that heres a generation we may lose if there arent a whole series of programs for them, she said.

Natasha Fain, NextGen legal consultant and human rights attorney, said as many as 20% of vulnerable immigrant students could be eligible for permanent legal status. She said she would work with UC to develop webinars, tool kits and other ways to help campuses understand why and how to help provide legal services to those students.

Theyre American students who have grown up here, Fain said. Were going to support them and treat them with the same dignity we treat other American students.

Other legal services grant recipients are the UC Davis School of Laws Immigration Law Clinic, UC Hastings Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Asian Americans Advancing Justice  Asian Law Caucus, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Center for Community Change, American Immigration Lawyers Assn. and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabe
The slaying of five dozen people in Las Vegas did little to change Americans opinions about gun laws.

The nation is closely divided on whether restricting firearms would reduce such mass shootings or homicides, though a majority favors tighter laws as it has for several years, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The massive divide on stricter limits remains firmly in place.

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The survey was conducted from Oct. 12-16, about two weeks after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired on a crowded musical festival across the street from his hotel room, killing 58 and wounding hundreds more before killing himself. Its the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

In this latest survey, 61% said the countrys gun laws should be tougher, while 27% would rather see them remain the same and 11% want them to be less strict. Thats similar to the results of an AP-GfK poll in July 2016.

Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, but just a third of Republicans, want to see gun laws made stricter.

Kenny Garcia, a 31-year-old resident of Stockton, Calif., and a former gun owner, said hes torn about whether tighter gun laws would lead to a reduction in mass shootings.

Thats the hard part, Garcia said. How do you control something like that when you have no idea where its coming from, whether you control the guns or not?

Still, hes frustrated by easy availability of some devices  such as the bump stocks used by the Las Vegas shooter to make his semiautomatic guns mimic the more rapid fire of automatic weapons.

They give people access to these things, then they question after something horrible happens, but yet the answer is right there, he said. It just doesnt make sense.

About half of Americans said they think making it more difficult to buy a gun would reduce the number of mass shootings in the country, and slightly under half said it would reduce the number of homicides.

About half felt it would reduce the number of accidental shootings, 4 in 10 that it would reduce the number of suicides and only about a third said it would reduce gang violence.

Alea Leonard, a 21-year-old data analyst and full-time student, said shes torn about whether gun laws should be more strict, in part because different parts of the country have different experiences with crime.

Here, I feel like everyone should be able to carry a .22 [caliber handgun] on them, said Leonard, who lives in Orange County. Her neighborhood, she said, has a high crime rate and in the five months since she moved there, a 14-year-old was shot in the back of the head.

She grew up in California, but spent some summers in Wyoming. She never before felt the need to have a gun but is now researching what it would take to carry a firearm.

There are indications of a generational divide on the issue. Most of those in the survey who are younger than 30 said they believe stricter gun laws would result in fewer mass shootings, homicides and accidental shootings.

The poll also found that a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling gun control. Trump is the first president since Ronald Reagan to address the annual meeting of the National Rifle Assn. One of his sons has voiced strong support for easing restrictions on gun silencers.

The poll also showed Americans divided over which party, if either, they trust to handle gun control. Close to a third give Democrats the edge while 28% prefer Republicans, and 31% say they dont trust either party.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,054 adults was conducted Oct. 12-16 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
This week feels like as good a time as any to indulge, in ice cream (its still ice cream weather in Los Angeles!), in craft beer, in giant bowls of spicy noodles, or in excellent sushi. And lucky for us we live in a city that has it all, and much more.

Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold gets whomped over the head with flavor by the battera sushi at the Old Pasadena restaurant Osawa, the subject of this weeks restaurant review. For craft beer lovers, beer writer John Verive takes a look at the current six-pack craft beer trend. And Ive got the lowdown on this weeks restaurant news, including a new noodle shop called Killer Noodle from the folks behind the Tsujita restaurants (its called killer for a reason), and a West L.A. expansion for Chinatown hot chicken restaurant Howlin Rays.

Then theres the kind of indulgence you make for yourself at home. Food editor Amy Scattergood reviews Mexican Ice Cream: beloved Recipes and Stories by Fany Gerson, and shares a recipe for some truly special burnt milk ice cream. And Test Kitchen director Noelle Carter has recipes for the best pancakes, and 127 of our favorite restaurant recipes. So whether you get whomped over the head with flavor at a sushi restaurant, or whip up a batch of pancakes for dinner, enjoy!

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 Jenn Harris

ITS ALL ABOUT THE UNEXPECTED

Head sushi chef Yutaka Kudo prepares the chefs special sushi plate at Osawa in Pasadena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )

This week, Jonathan considers Osawa, the Old Pasadena restaurant known for its elaborate bento boxes and shabu shabu. You can order excellent battera sushi too (just ask for it since its not on the menu), but Jonathan suggests looking at the daily specials menu. Osawa he writes, is an easy place to be a secret connoisseur.

MEZCALS RISE

Brothers Javier and Jaime Mateo started their mezcal company in L.A. with one case, in one liquor store. Writer Sarah Jo Portnoy has the story behind the rise of the company, and how they ended up selling their mezcal at every Trader Joes in California.

RECIPE FOR TEACHING

Chef instructor Charles Negrete outside L.A. Kitchen. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times )

After working at some of the best restaurants in the city, ex-drug addict chef Charlie Negrete decided to become an instructor for L.A. Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that trains formerly homeless or incarcerated adults along with kids aging out of the foster care system for kitchen jobs. Writer Zan Romanoff shares Negretes story, and how he is helping others by teaching.

CHEF REMEMBERED

Jitlada chef Tui Sungkamee died Wednesday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

The Los Angeles food world is in mourning. Suthiporn Tui Sungkamee, chef and co-owner at the lauded Jitlada restaurant in Thai Town, died Wednesday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 66. Jonathan Gold included Jitlada on his 101 Best Restaurants list every year. And the restaurant was a favorite for many Los Angeles chefs and food lovers. Sungkamee was one of this citys great talents, and his masterful ability to deliver heat elevated this citys Thai food scene. He will be missed.

MARKET REPORT

(Noelle Carter / Los Angeles Times )

In her weekly market report, Noelle considers persimmons. You can find an increasing variety of the fruit at farmers markets through fall and winter. And Noelle has plenty of suggestions for how to use them, including on a cheese platter or in a number of baked goods.

The 2017 edition of Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants is coming out soon, online on Oct. 23 and in print on Oct. 29. Will we have a new No. 1? Good question. The Gold List, the launch party for this years 101 (previously called Bite Nite) is set for Oct. 23 at the MacArthur Los Angeles. Get tickets here. And, of course, heres the 2016 list.

The Daily Meal, the food and drink website under the editorial direction of Colman Andrews, is now one of our partners. Check out its new 2017 list of the the countrys 101 best pizzas and other stories, recipes and videos.

Check us out on Instagram @latimesfood

Check out the thousands of recipes in our Recipe Database.

Feedback? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at food@latimes.com.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Oct. 21. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Sea-ger! Sea-ger! Sea-ger!: The Dodgers gave L.A. something the city hasnt had since 1988: a starring turn in the World Series. As they prepare, theyre waiting to see how two-time All-Star shortstop Corey Seager will respond to treatment for an injured back. Seagers availability is one of few question marks for this team. Los Angeles Times

Inspirational story: Enrique Hernandez was a hero for the Dodgers on Thursday night, with three home runs, including a grand slam. Back home in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Monica Gonzalez watched her sons heroics on a generator-powered TV. Los Angeles Times

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The fans: It had been more than a quarter of a century since the Dodgers made it to the World Series  when a Kirk Gibson home run made grown men and women weep like children  and these fans were not going to miss out on a chance for their generations moment of history. Los Angeles Times

College Republicans: Campus conservative leaders said Donald Trumps election boosted their numbers even if it intensified hostility toward them. But its also sparked a bruising battle, to be decided at the state party convention this weekend, that mirrors the larger national struggle between GOP establishment insiders and insurgents inspired by Trump. Los Angeles Times

His war: Steve Bannon, who has threatened to launch election challenges to Washington Republicans who failed to back the presidents agenda, comes to California, and some in the GOP are wary. Los Angeles Times

Why here? Despite the GOPs clear weaknesses in blue California, Bannon still sees a potential gold mine. Sacramento Bee

Rain helps with the fires: Weve been battling Mother Nature the whole time, and to have her finally relent and give us the rain we needed to put this thing out, it felt like the end scene of the movie where you feel like youve survived, one fire official said as rain started falling in wine country. It gave some respite to the firefighters who have been battling flames that have scorched more than 240,000 acres, killed 42 people and caused more than $1 billion of insured losses. Los Angeles Times

Allowed back in: Residents in Santa Rosa are returning to the ruins of Coffey Park, the hardest-hit area in the firestorms. Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Some sense of normalcy: The recovery effort begins among the wineries, with big decision about whether to pick grapes and when to reopen the wine tasting centers. Napa Valley Register

Wildfire aftermath: Advice to those who lost their homes: Keep a diary. New York Times

Testing: The California Bar Exam remains one of the toughest tests out there. Wall Street Journal

The big dig: Transportation pioneer Elon Musk has received permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system known as a hyperloop  but in Maryland. Los Angeles Times

Building boom: Thanks to a construction boom over the past four years, the city has nearly doubled the number of hotel rooms within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center to 4,637 rooms. But officials insist more are needed. Los Angeles Times

Mystery solved? So who was patient zero in the San Diego hepatitis outbreak that has killed 18? It was apparently a homeless man from El Cajon. San Diego Union-Tribune

From Disney to the White House? Is Bob Iger going into politics? Inside the cat-and-mouse game. The Hollywood Reporter

End of an era: Elvira is retiring from Knotts Scary Farm. Orange County Register

Home viewing: Five movies about the delusions of Hollywood. The New Yorker

THIS WEEKS MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. A bone shard, a molar, an artificial hip  the grim task of finding victims of the California fires. Los Angeles Times

2. Despite clear risks, a Santa Rosa neighborhood that burned down was exempt from state fire regulations. Los Angeles Times

3. A family of four tried to outrun the firestorm. Only three made it. Los Angeles Times

4. One of the most powerful journalists In Hollywood is accused of protecting Harvey Weinstein for years. The Huffington Post

5. Harvey Weinstein appears to be done in Hollywood. But what about Lisa Bloom? Los Angeles Times

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEKS GREAT READS

Fresh beginning: He went to prison with a life sentence at age 17. Two decades later, he had to start his adult life. Los Angeles Times

A different L.A.: What if the Getty, instead of hiring a New York firm to design a single billion-dollar museum complex on a hilltop overlooking the 405 Freeway, had instead built five $200-million campuses, each in a different (ground-level) section of the city and each by a different architect? Or 10 with a price tag of $100 million each? Or 100 at $10 million per? How might the cultural history of Los Angeles or contemporary architecture be different? These are questions architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne is asking. Los Angeles Times

Hate group: Some Southern California white supremacists have been tied to violence, including an attack in Huntington Beach. But why no criminal charges? ProPublica

Plus: More on that Huntington Beach attack, which targeted OC Weekly journalists. OC Weekly

Checking in: Beyond the impressive architecture and antique charms, this downtown L.A. hotel has a grim history of death. Curbed Los Angeles

LOOKING AHEAD

Tuesday: The World Series starts at Dodger Stadium.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
In 2012, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told a university audience that the challenge for the Supreme Court for the next 50 years would be how we [adapt] old, established rules to new technology.

That comment is usually quoted in connection with technological changes that have required the court to expand protections for personal privacy. For example, in 2014, in an opinion by Roberts, the court held that police generally must obtain a warrant before searching the smartphones of people they had arrested.

But sometimes a shift in technology can change the legal rules that come into play, potentially working against the legitimate needs of law enforcement. Thats the case with a dispute the court has agreed to hear involving an attempt by federal prosecutors to obtain emails of a suspect in a drug investigation.

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Although the government obtained a warrant based on probable cause, and although the alleged criminal activity apparently occurred in the U.S., a federal appeals court held that Microsoft didnt have to turn over the emails because they happened to be stored at a data center in Ireland.

The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law under which the warrant was issued  the Stored Communications Act of 1986  cant be enforced outside the United States. Neither explicitly nor implicitly does the statute envision the application of its warrant provisions overseas, wrote Judge Susan L. Carney.

Carney noted that when Congress passed the law, electronic communications werent ubiquitous or global. But todays internet effectively eliminates the distance between the computers connected to it, raising the question of whether emails that can be instantly accessed from the United States should really be considered as existing overseas.

In a concurring opinion, Judge Gerard E. Lynch acknowledged that employees of a firm such as Microsoft can provide the relevant materials to the demanding government agency without ever leaving their desks in the United States. Lynch suggested that Congress should revise this badly outdated statute.

Its true that Congress could amend the Stored Communications Act to make it clear that companies must comply with warrants such as the one in this case. But the Justice Department believes that the court can spare Congress the trouble by holding that information obtainable with the click of a computer mouse is subject to the law as it exists. We agree.

Sometimes technology companies are right to resist requests for cooperation from law enforcement. We supported Apple, for example, when it opposed a demand by the Justice Department that it devise technology to help the FBI break into the locked iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. But in this instance, the governments case is reasonable.

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Countless research papers and government reports have said it, but the wildfires in Northern California this month brought it home: Climate change is fueling larger, more frequent and more devastating wildfires in the state, and communities have to start making themselves safer now.

Two of the three largest wildfires in Californias history have happened in the last four years. This years fires in wine country have been the deadliest in the states history, with 42 victims so far. Northern California is now experiencing the kind of wildfires that have rampaged through Southern California in recent years: fast, ferocious blazes that can wipe out suburban neighborhoods.

As higher temperatures and prolonged droughts bring more fires, models predict that the greatest property damage will be in the wildland-urban interfaces where developments abut foothills, forests or other open land. Roughly 6% of the state falls into this category, mainly in coastal Southern California, the Bay Area and the increasingly developed Sierra foothills.

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California has to reckon with the fact that continued sprawl into previously undeveloped areas puts life and property at risk. This is not easy. The state has an extreme housing shortage, and its simpler in the short term to keep building outward than to redesign cities for greater density. But the threat of climate change has to force California to change the way it grows.

Starting this year, cities and counties are required by state law to develop policies to address the risks that climate change poses to their communities. That should force communities vulnerable to more frequent wildfires to evaluate how  or whether  new homes can be built safely on the urban edge.

The state requires that new buildings in zones deemed by the state to be at high risk of fire be made with fire-resistant materials, such as tile roofs. The state and local governments should also consider requiring older homes and buildings in high-risk zones to be retrofitted.

Unfortunately, urban areas often werent included by the state in its designated high-risk zones because, well, nobody expected a wildfire to sweep through a city. State officials are now revising the maps, and the fires around Santa Rosa must surely be a wake-up call that suburbia has to be made more fire resistant.

Californians also must recognize that making their communities more resilient to more intense wildfires will be an expensive, long-term proposition. That means removing dead trees and excess brush to reduce the fuel for fires. That means educating residents about how to protect themselves  like California practices for earthquakes, communities in high-risk zones should be developing wildfire drills. That means investing in fire-resilient communication and alert systems.

The risk of a major wildfire is growing for more California neighborhoods. State leaders, communities and residents must do a better job planning for them.

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Orange County at center of fundraising in Californias most contested races By Sarah D. Wire More than half of the money raised for the most contested House races in California is going to candidates in Orange County, another indication of its starring role in the Democratic effort to win back control of the House next year. Of the 80 or so challengers in California, 27 are running in Orange County. A Los Angeles Times analysis of this years campaign finance filings found it is also where the cash is going to: About $15 million of the nearly $28.5 million raised this year for 13 key races went to candidates in just four Orange County districts: Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown plans climate trip to Vatican, Belgium, Norway and Germany By Chris Megerian (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown has mapped out a busy European travel schedule that includes attending the next United Nations conference on climate change in Bonn, Germany. While the White House declares war on climate science and retreats from the Paris Agreement, California is doing the opposite and taking action, Brown said in a statement. We are joining with our partners from every part of the world to do what needs to be done to prevent irreversible climate change. Roughly two dozen public events are planned over 10 days, starting with a speech at a Vatican symposium on Saturday. Brown wont be the only California politician at the conference. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) is speaking later that day, and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) is scheduled to appear Friday. After the Vatican, the governor is bouncing between Germany and Belgium, plus a stop in Norway to meet with scientists. Hes holding press conferences with the president of the European Parliament and the minister-president of Baden-Wurttemberg, a German state that has collaborated with California on an international climate pact. Once the Bonn conference begins, much of Browns focus will be on how states, provinces and other local governments can tackle climate change absent stronger action from national leaders. He was named a special advisor to the U.N. conference for states and regions earlier this year. Brown is scheduled to appear with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Nov. 11 and speak at numerous other events, a packed itinerary much like the one he kept at the Paris climate conference two years ago. His last event is expected to take place Nov. 14. Facebook

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California business tax incentive program should end, legislative analyst says By Liam Dillon California no longer should give specific tax incentives to businesses and instead should provide broad-based tax relief, the states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office said in a new report. The analysts office examined California Competes, a program that began four years ago to give tax credits to businesses looking to move to the state or remain here, and found it puts existing companies that dont receive the awards at a disadvantage without clear benefits to the overall economy. Picking winners and losers inevitably leads to problems. In the case of California Competes, we are struck by how awarding benefits to a select group of businesses harms their competitors in California, the report said. We also think the resources consumed by the program are not as focused as they should be on winning economic development competitions with other states to attract major employers that sell to customers around the country and the world. California Competes has allowed the awarding of nearly $800 million in tax credits. The legislative analyst found that more than a third of the credits awarded through California Competes resulted in no change to the overall economy and put the states existing businesses at a competitive disadvantage. The analyst couldnt assess the value of the remainder of the credits because its impossible to know how businesses would have reacted had they not received them. California Competes is scheduled to end next year. The analysts office recommends replacing it by lowering business taxes overall or, should lawmakers want to keep it, tailor the program more narrowly to focus on attracting and retaining high-value companies. Facebook

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Electric companies found at fault in North Bay fires wont be able to pass costs onto residents under proposed bill By Liam Dillon Jason Miller, 45, plants an American flag on the charred remains of his house in Coffey Park. He had lived in the Santa Rosa neighborhood for 23 years. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) If electric utilities are found at fault in the recent wildfires in the North Bay, a group of state lawmakers want to ensure they dont pass along their costs to residents. Victims of devastating fires and other customers should not be forced to pay for the mistakes made by utilities, state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said in a release. Hill is one of four Bay Area legislators who said they plan to introduce a bill when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January to block any effort by utilities found at fault to recoup any costs from ratepayers. Investigators have not identified the cause of the wildfires that ripped across Northern California this month that left more than 40 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed. But the lawmakers said their legislation is motivated by San Diego Gas & Electrics efforts to recover costs from wildfires in that region a decade ago. Co-authoring the bill with Hill is Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael). Facebook

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Proposed initiative would end early release for some crimes, allow more DNA collection By Patrick McGreevy (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) A coalition including police officers and prosecutors on Monday proposed a California state initiative that would end early release of rapists and child traffickers and expand the number of crimes for which authorities could collect DNA samples from those convicted. The ballot measure is sponsored by the California Public Safety Partnership, and would reverse some elements of Proposition 47, which was approved by voters in 2014 and reduced some crimes deemed nonviolent from a felony to a misdemeanor. The proposed initiative would add 15 crimes to the list of violent crimes for which early release is not an option, including child abuse, rape of an unconscious person, trafficking a child for sex, domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. These reforms make sure that truly violent criminals stay in jail and dont get out early, said Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert, a leader of the coalition. The initiative would also allow DNA collection for certain crimes, including drug offenses, that were reduced to misdemeanors under Proposition 47. Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) said there have been 2,000 fewer hits matching DNA to cold cases annually in recent years. He cited one case from 1989 involving the murder of two young girls in Sacramento that was solved last year by DNA taken from a man in a drug case before those were excluded from DNA collection. If that case happens today, right now, it does not get solved, said Cooper, a former sheriffs captain. Changes in law also made theft of goods valued at less than $950 a misdemeanor, so some criminals are committing serial thefts and keeping each one to $949 or less, Cooper said. The initiative would make serial theft a felony. The measure also mandates a parole revocation hearing for anyone who violates the terms of their parole three times. A Whittier police officer was recently murdered by a parolee who had violated parole five times, said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Craig Lally, who supports the initiative. A representative of the group behind Proposition 47 said it was not reasonable to blame the ballot measure for an uptick in some crimes in some parts of the state. Fluctuations in crime have much more to do with economic and social policies and practices, said Tom Hoffman, a spokesman for the group Californians for Safety and Justice. Its so much more complicated than one piece of legislation as an issue. The proponents of the initiative need to collect signatures from 365,880 voters by the end of April to qualify the initiative for the November 2018 election. Facebook

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When men with power go too far: After years of whispers, women speak out about harassment in Californias Capitol By Chris Megerian Tina McKinnor, left, Sadalia King, Amy Thoma Tan, Jodi Hicks and Sabrina Lockhart have come forward to talk about their experiences with sexual harassment at the Capitol. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) It started with a dinner invitation from a former assemblyman more than twice her age. He had offered his services as a mentor, but his hand reaching for her knee under the table revealed other intentions. Then came the late-night phone calls and unexpected appearances at events she had to attend for her job in the Capitol. Fresh out of college, Amy Brown did what she thought women were supposed to do in these situations  she reported him. The former assemblyman accused her of slander, an experience that left her so humiliated that she left Sacramento for a new job in San Jose. I immediately got the hell out of town, Brown said. I felt like the people  the person  I was relying on for advancement in my career was preying on me. Stories like these have taken many forms through the years. Sometimes its a professional meeting that turned inappropriately sexual, or its a groping hand on a backside. In one case, a woman said a lawmaker masturbated in front of her in a bar bathroom. No matter the details, each story involves a man with power  the kind of power bestowed by voters, an influential lobbying client or a supply of campaign cash. And instead of wielding that power to shape politics or public policy, the man used it to proposition women or to touch them inappropriately. Read More Facebook

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Big jump in the number of House challengers isnt great news for California Republicans By Christine Mai-Duc So far this year, 80 challengers have reported raising money across California for the 2018 midterm elections, more than triple the number who had done so at this point in the 2016 election. Collectively, theyve raised more than $14.9 million, and 70% of that has gone to the four Republican-held districts in Orange County that Democrats consider key to their chances. There havent been this many congressional challengers in Californias House races this early in the game since at least 2003, and that could be bad news for Republican incumbents. Read More Facebook

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Californias Senate culture doesnt encourage women to file complaints. Heres how that could change By Melanie Mason Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), shown in September, acknowledged that the Senate could improve its procedures for reporting misconduct. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In 2014, reeling from scandals that led to the suspension of three Democratic senators, Californias state Senate changed its policies to make it easier for employees, members and the public to sound the alarm about misconduct. A Times analysis of those rule changes shows a lack of follow-through to make reporting complaints more accessible. And the lawmaker who worked on changes in the Senates operations after that scandal says more could have been done. Then-Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) suggested at the time that the move would lead to positive cultural change and strengthen the integrity of this great institution. But as the Capitol now soul-searches over allegations of widespread sexual harassment, the current legislative leaders acknowledge the culture still does not encourage women to file complaints. The Senates effort to reform itself three years ago  and how it fell short  is instructive as both legislative houses embark on a new round of self-improvement. Read More Facebook

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Have you experienced sexual harassment in government or politics? Tell us your story If you work in government or politics and have experienced sexual harassment, wed like to hear from you. Please tell us your story using the form below. We will not share your personal contact information. Facebook

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California Assembly Speaker applauds Capitol staffers bravery in going public with complaint against assemblyman By Melanie Mason Gyore spoke publicly for the first time about a 2009 complaint she filed against Bocanegra. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said Friday that the experience of a staffer who filed a complaint eight years ago against now-Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra illustrates why the Capitol culture must change. Elise Flynn Gyore told The Times about her experience filing a complaint against Bocanegra, who was then a legislative staffer, after she said he groped her and followed her in a manner she found threatening at a 2009 after-work event in a Sacramento bar. The Friday morning story in The Times was the first time she had spoken publicly of the incident and the complaint, which resulted in Bocanegra being disciplined. I appreciate Ms. Gyores bravery in bringing this incident forward. We have to change the culture in the Capitol and in society and her experience shows why, Rendon said in a statement Friday afternoon. How incidents of harassment were handled in the past can inform our current efforts to improve the system and to build a future where these injustices are prevented before they happen and no employee has to fear harassment or abuse. Bocanegra, who was first elected in 2012, is part of Rendons leadership team, serving in the position of majority whip. A top lieutenant to Rendon, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), also chimed in with support for Gyore on Friday. I dont know Elise Gyore. But, I believe her & Im grateful for her bravery. This is unacceptable.  Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) October 27, 2017 Former Speaker John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles), who led the Assembly from 2010 to 2014, said he was unaware of the complaints existence until The Times report. He said he had never heard of any complaints  formal or informal  against Bocanegra, nor had he witnessed any inappropriate behavior from the Pacoima Democrat. Also on Friday, the organizers of We Said Enough, a recently launched campaign against harassment, thanked Gyore for sharing her story. This is an act of true courage  and we support every woman who chooses to do so. Sadly, this story is just one example of how the existing system fails victims and survivors. We are resolute in our call for action, the group said in a statement. The groups organizers added that they are calling for an overhaul to the complaint process  such as confidential reporting, an independent oversight body and whistleblower protections  to better guard against harassment. Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown says California Republicans have slavish adherence to their partys tax plan By John Myers (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) Gov. Jerry Brown took aim at the sweeping tax overhaul plan in Congress and Californias Republican delegation on Thursday, saying their support of the plan is wrong economically and morally. Brown, who joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a conference call with reporters, aimed most of his fire at the provision to cancel deducting local and state taxes paid from federal taxes. Both governors said it could have a profound impact on their states bottom lines. Brown criticized Californias 14 Republican House members for their Thursday budget vote, which allows for a $1.5-trillion deficit to help finance tax cuts. I know there is a lot of slavish adherence to the Republican leadership, Brown said. Its bad for California. Theyre doing a disservice. California and New York taxpayers have long been able to deduct the cost of paying local and state taxes from their federal tax liability. Both governors said Thursday they believed the effort by President Trump and Republicans to be at least somewhat motivated by their states voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump last November. Its using a handful of states to finance the tax cuts for their states, Cuomo said. Brown, who sent personal letters to all California GOP members of the House urging them not to go along, said the proposal was particularly unfair in light of how it would not apply equally to corporations. Its a gross manipulation of our tax code, he said. Its a Hail Mary pass by the Republicans. Facebook

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Heres why Republicans could help send Dianne Feinstein back to Washington  even if they cant stand her By Mark Z. Barabak Its the voters like Republican Larry Ward  conservatives who feel voiceless and adrift, bobbing like red specks in a blue sea  who could help usher the 84-year-old Dianne Feinstein back to Washington with a new lease on her Senate seat. Like most voters here in El Dorado County, Ward supported President Trump. He cant understand why Democrats and the media pile on and keep him from cutting taxes and fulfilling a campaign pledge to repeal Obamacare. He certainly doesnt think Feinsteins been too kind to Trump  the argument made by her newly announced challenger, Kevin de Leon. The state senator from Los Angeles and others on the left were spitting fire a few weeks back when Feinstein allowed as how she hoped, given time and a radical transformation, Trump might end up being a good president. Read More Facebook

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Car runs into immigration protesters outside Rep. Ed Royces district office By Sarah D. Wire  A vehicle drove into a group of protesters outside of GOP Rep. Ed Royces office in Brea on Thursday afternoon, but no injuries have been reported to police so far. (Tony Mendoza / Unite Here) A vehicle drove into a group of protesters outside GOP Rep. Ed Royces office in Brea on Thursday afternoon, but no injuries have been reported to police so far. The alleged driver, 56-year-old Daniel Wenzek of Brea, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked and released pending further investigation, according to Lt. Kelly Carpenter of the Brea Police Department. Organizers say several hundred people were protesting outside Royces office, many of them arriving on buses after a morning news conference with elected officials and labor leaders in Los Angeles MacArthur Park. They were trying to deliver letters to Royce (R-Fullerton) about what losing temporary protected immigration status would mean to them, said Andrew Cohen, a communications specialist with the organization Unite Here. Read More Facebook

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California Secretary of State Alex Padilla backs Gavin Newsom for governor over former colleague Antonio Villaraigosa By Seema Mehta California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the highest-ranking Latino in a statewide elected position in California, endorsed Gavin Newsom for governor on Thursday. Padilla said he had known Newsom for more than a decade and admired his track record as mayor of San Francisco and now lieutenant governor. Its always important to [have] leaders that are committed and get it done, and thats what Ive seen in Gavin Newsom over and over and over again, Padilla said, speaking to dozens of Newsom supporters at a union hall in downtown Los Angeles. The endorsement was seen as a slap at former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is one of Newsoms top rivals in the governors race. Padilla was president of the Los Angeles City Council during the two years Villaraigosa was a member of the body, and for the first six months of Villaraigosas tenure as mayor. But the two men have never been viewed as close allies. They come from different power bases for Latino politicians in Los Angeles  Villaraigosa from the Eastside and Padilla from the San Fernando Valley. They also have not supported each others political pursuits. In 2001, Padilla backed James Hahn over Villaraigosa in the mayoral race. In 2006, Villaraigosa backed Cindy Montanez in a state Senate race over Padilla. Padilla said he has a relationship with all of the top Democrats running for governor. This is a tough one because I do know Antonio Villaraigosa and I know John Chiang and I know Gavin Newsom, but I think that because of whats happening in the political environment at this time, this isnt one where we can sit back, Yeah. OK. Cool, lets see who wins and well work with whoever, Padilla said. If there is a candidate I believe is best for the future of California, Im compelled to weigh in and thats what Im doing today. Luis Vizcaino, a Vilaraigosa spokesman, said the announcement was to be expected and noted that Padilla had a leadership role in Newsoms short-lived 2009 gubernatorial campaign. The only surprise here is we thought Alex had endorsed Gavin months ago considering he was Gavins Campaign Chair the first time he ran for governor, Vizcaino said in an email. Villaraigosa and Chiang, the state treasurer, have also received key endorsements from Latino politicians. Villaraigosa has the backing of the Latino Caucus in the state Legislature, former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Lucille Roybal-Allard. Chiang has won the support of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar. Updated at 2:07 p.m.: This post was updated to add a comment from Villaraigosas campaign. Facebook

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Californias Rep. Paul Cook picked to lead Foreign Affairs subcommittee By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) has been named chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) made the announcement in a news release Thursday morning following the former subcommittee chairman Rep. Jeff Duncans (R-S.C.) departure from the committee this week. As a former Marine Corps colonel, Rep. Cook is deeply committed to defending U.S. interests worldwide. I look forward to working with him to continue holding the [Raul] Castro and [Nicolas] Maduro regimes [of Cuba and Venezuela, respectively] accountable for their brutal repression, while increasing U.S. commercial opportunities throughout the hemisphere, Royce said in a statement. California holds several leadership positions on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) is the chairman of the Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats subcommittee. Rep. Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks is the highest ranking Democrat on the Asia and the Pacific subcommittee and Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles is the highest ranking Democrat on the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations subcommittee. Facebook

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GOP tightens restrictions on Rep. Dana Rohrabachers subcommittee because of scrutiny over his Russia connections By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Dana Rohrabacher speaks to Russian lawmakers at a meeting in the Russian parliaments lower house in Moscow in 2013. (Misha Japaridze / Associated Press) The congressional subcommittee led by California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) is being heavily monitored by GOP leaders because of allegations the Orange County congressman has been overly influenced by his connections to Russia. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) will be more involved in guiding the direction of the subcommittee that is in part responsible for examining U.S. policy in Russia, said a senior congressional aide who asked not to be identified in order to discuss internal committee matters. Rohrabacher has long said that the United States needs a better relationship with Russia, puzzling colleagues who have speculated privately about why hes willing to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Connections between Rohrabacher and Russian officials have been newly highlighted as Congress investigates Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Read More Facebook

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Californias GOP members vote in favor of Republican budget, paving way for tax overhaul By Sarah D. Wire All 14 California House Republicans on Thursday voted in favor of the GOPs budget, which paves the way for overhauling the U.S. tax system. The budget, which allows for a $1.5-trillion deficit increase that sets the stage for President Trumps tax cuts, passed 216 to 212, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats in opposing it. At the root of their objection is the potential repeal of the federal deduction for state and local taxes, which would hit especially hard in wealthier states like New York and California. Gov. Jerry Brown had implored the GOP members not to support the budget, saying there hasnt been enough time to fully understand what it will mean to the estimated 1 in 3 Californians who claim the deduction. Democrats are targeting nine of the states 14 Republican-held districts, and have said theyll make the elimination of the tax deduction an issue in the campaign. Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale said he voted for the budget because hes been assured that a fix will be made to the tax plan that will address or offset the potential tax increase caused by the elimination of the tax deduction. The tax plan is scheduled to be unveiled next week. Still worried about it, still working on it, Knight said after the vote. I am confident [it will be fixed], but Ive also said that is my No. 1 priority, so if we cant get it fixed then were going to have problems. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown urges California GOP House members to vote no on budget bill: First lets get the facts By Sarah D. Wire Gov. Jerry Brown implores each GOP member of California delegation to vote no on budget today over end of state and local tax deduction. pic.twitter.com/bkCihAtvFG  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) October 26, 2017 Gov. Jerry Brown implored Californias GOP House members to oppose their partys budget bill over a provision that will end a deduction for state and local taxes used by one in three Californians. In letters to each Republican member of the California congressional delegation, Brown asked the members to at least ask for more time to learn the specifics of the plan. First lets get the facts. Then, debate the issue. And then we can decide whats the right thing to do, Brown says in his letter. The potential repeal of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction  the federal income tax deduction for state and local taxes paid  would hit especially hard in wealthier areas. The vote is scheduled to take place Thursday morning. Facebook

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Six female California lawmakers back Dianne Feinstein in Senate race By Sarah D. Wire Assemblywomen Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, right, and Susan Talamantes-Eggman in May. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Six California Assembly committee chairwomen endorsed Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday over their state Capitol colleague, Senate leader Kevin de Leon. In a statement released by Feinsteins campaign, Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), Blanca E. Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) said the state needs Feinstein in these uncertain and difficult times. We are proud to endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been an inspiration for all of us. The first woman to serve on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Feinstein is now the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. In that position, she is defending California against the Republicans and the Trump administration on critical issues like immigration, womens rights, federal judicial appointments, LGBT rights, civil rights, and gun control, they said. De Leon is the highest-profile Democrat to announce plans to challenge Feinstein in her bid for a fifth full term. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon vows to back Medicare for all, signaling key issue in 2018 Senate campaign By Sarah D. Wire State Senate leader Kevin de Leons opening salvo in the U.S. Senate race against Sen. Dianne Feinstein takes on one of the main frustrations progressives have voiced with her, a refusal to support single-payer health care. I believe that every family, it doesnt make a difference who you are or where you come from, deserves to have quality healthcare. It is a universal right, De Leon says in a video released by his campaign Wednesday. Its not the exclusive privilege of the elite and the wealthy. The concept of single-payer healthcare has grown in popularity among Democrats since the 2016 election, with some members of the so-called Sanders wing of the party urging Democrats to use support for it as a litmus test in 2018. Such a program is unlikely to become law while Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Feinstein has said she doesnt support expanding Medicare to the entire population at this stage and has cited the cost of doing so as a reason. If he were elected, De Leon would join Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and 15 other Democratic Senators as co-sponsors of the bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Facebook

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Sen. Kamala Harris wont back federal spending bill without DACA fix By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she wont back a bill that allows the federal government to spend money unless Congress has a legislative fix to address the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children. I will not vote for an end-of-year spending bill until we are clear about what we are going to do to protect and take care of our DACA young people in this country, Harris said. Each day in the life of these young people is a very long time, and weve got to stop playing politics with their lives. President Trump announced in September that he was giving Congress until March before the program would shutter and recipients would begin losing work permits and protection from deportation. An estimated 200,000 of the nearly 800,000 recipients of the Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals program live in California, giving the Golden State an outsized stake in resolving their legal status. Harris spoke at a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday with other members of the California delegation to urge quick action on the issue. It is absolutely urgent that we pass the legislation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said. We are determined that the Dream Act will be the law of the land before the year is out. Democrats and Republicans are negotiating the details of a fix, and when something could pass. Pelosi has hinted that if Republicans dont have the votes within their party to pass the end-of-year spending bill, which Congress has to pass to keep the government open, Democrats will offer their votes  for a price. Facebook

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Rep. Dana Rohrabacher gets a second Republican challenger By Christine Mai-Duc A second Republican is jumping in to challenge GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, and hes pitching himself as an alternative for conservatives who are fed up with Rohrabachers controversial antics. Paul Martin, 52, is a freelance writer and self-proclaimed Reagan Republican who lives in Costa Mesa. Rohrabacher is himself a former speechwriter for Reagan. Martin grew up in Anaheim with an Italian immigrant mother and a Mexican American father, and says hes opposed to many of the policies coming out of the Trump administration. Ive had enormous struggle with the rhetoric thats coming out of Washington, D.C., and even more so with the rhetoric that comes out of Dana Rohrabachers mouth, Martin said in an interview. Its just not in the spirit that I grew up with. Following President Trumps travel ban announcement, Martin started the Christian-Muslim Alliance, a campaign aimed at fostering dialogue between people of different faiths. He describes himself as a raging centrist on a personal blog, where hes criticized Trumps response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., and Rohrabacher for taking money from the National Rifle Assn. Still, Martin says hes a true conservative who wants to focus on issues of human dignity and bring better-paying jobs to the district. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott send a message with their World Series bet By John Myers (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) As governors of states hit hard by natural disasters, the leaders of California and Texas hope to send a message with their wager on the outcome of the World Series. The winner will receive food or drink from either Californias wine country or Houstons best barbecue joints. The bet, made Tuesday before the start of the first World Series game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros, came with a request from both Gov. Jerry Brown and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for tourists to come back to those regions as soon as possible. While we dont expect to have to send any vino to Texas, we hope travelers from all over the world  yes, even the Lone Star State  will continue to visit California, said Brown in a written statement. If the Dodgers win, Abbott will send Brown Texas-style barbecue and a six-pack of Houston-brewed beer. Should the Astros prevail, Brown has promised wine from the Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino regions. Texas and California are recovering from some of the worst natural disasters our states have ever encountered, Abbott said in a joint statement from the two governors. As we work to overcome these challenges, our two states are united by Americas pastime as we cheer on our home teams in the World Series. Go Astros! Facebook

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California Assembly to hold public hearings to address sexual harassment By Melanie Mason Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, right. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) The California Assembly will hold public hearings next month to address sexual harassment in the Capitol, Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday, as allegations of pervasive mistreatment continue to ripple through Sacramento. The announcement comes one day after the California Senate announced it has hired lawyers and human resources consultants to investigate allegations of widespread sexual harassment and evaluate Senate procedures. In a joint statement, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova) and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) said that sexual harassment of any kind is intolerable. The lawmakers say a three-pronged approach is necessary to confront the issue: changing a climate that has been permissive to sexual harassment, offering victims have a safe place to discuss complaints and ensuring that sexual harassment is dealt with expeditiously and that the seriousness of consequences match the violations committed, they said in a statement. Vowing a comprehensive effort to address these issues, lawmakers said there will be public hearings in November to discuss how the Legislature can tackle the issue. The panel, tasked to discuss harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention and response, is chaired by Friedman and was formed in June, though it has not yet met. The panel is a subcommittee of the powerful Rules committee, chaired by Cooley, which functions as the chambers de facto human resources department. As we move forward, we must remember that the bottom line is harassers need to stop their abusive actions, the statement said. The rest of us need to call out harassment and abuse by its name and stigmatize this behavior each and every single time we see it. Adama Iwu, who helped organize the public letter published last week decrying an atmosphere of sexual harassment in the Capitol, said she and some of the women who signed the letter were concerned if any victim would be asked to testify with no legal guarantee against retaliation. Furthermore, we are concerned about the divergent paths of the Assembly and Senate, Iwu said in a statement. It is imperative that we work with outside experts, as part of a public independent review with whistleblower protections, to address the pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the Capitol community. Meanwhile, the trade association representing lobbyists, the Institute of Governmental Advocates, said in a statement Tuesday that it unequivocally supports [the women who signed the letter] and any other person in our Capitol community who has suffered harassment. Dates for the hearings, which are expected in late November, have not been set. Facebook

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Recall effort against Sen. Josh Newman still on track after too few voters request to remove their names from petitions By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), left, listens to debate in June on a measure to change the rules governing recall elections. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Of the more than 70,600 voters who signed petitions to hold a recall vote on state Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton, only 849 asked that their signatures be withdrawn by the deadline, clearing a major hurdle for an election on whether to oust the Democratic lawmaker, officials said Tuesday. Opponents of the recall needed to get more than 7,000 voters to withdraw their signatures to deprive supporters of the 63,593 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot, under a new system approved recently by the Democratic-controlled Legislature that slows down the process. Sen. Josh Newman has spent months lying to his constituents by claiming people were duped into signing the recall petition against him, and with todays tally, he has been unmasked again as a pathological liar who is unfit to hold office, said Carl DeMaio, a Republican activist heading the recall drive. We eagerly look forward to voters having a chance to vote him out for his lies and his decision to increase the gas tax. Newman won a close contest last November in a district formerly represented by a Republican. He was targeted for recall by Republican activists for voting in April for a $52-billion transportation plan that raises gas taxes and imposes a new annual vehicle fee. A successful recall would deprive Democrats of a supermajority in the Senate. Once Secretary of State Alex Padilla certifies that there are sufficient valid signatures based on the data collected Tuesday, the new process calls for him to notify the state Department of Finance, which will be given 30 business days to prepare a cost estimate for the recall election. Once the estimate is prepared, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee will have 30 calendar days to review and comment on the estimate, said Sam Mahood, a spokesman for Padilla. On the following business day, the secretary of State will certify to the governor that the recall has qualified for the ballot. That could happen as late as Jan. 11 if the reviews take all the time allotted. Gov. Jerry Brown must then call an election to be held 60 to 80 days later, or within 180 days if there is a regularly scheduled election within Senate District 29 during that period. There will be a June 2018 primary election for the Assembly districts that make up the Senate District, so Brown could consolidate the Senate recall vote with that state primary. However, the new, longer process could end up being abandoned if supporters of the recall are successful in a lawsuit alleging the new rules are improper. At the same time, opponents of the recall have filed a lawsuit to block the recall, alleging petition circulators misled voters by saying their signatures would help repeal the gas tax. The underhanded methods used to qualify this recall likely represent one of the worst cases of voter fraud in California history, said Derek Humphrey, a consultant for the Newman campaign. Now, millions of tax dollars will be wasted to redo an election the Sacramento special interests lost barely a year ago. Its a shameful waste of money that voters will soundly reject and vote to keep Josh Newman fighting for them in the state Senate. Facebook

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Rep. Devin Nunes announces investigation into Obama-era uranium deal By David S. Cloud House Republicans are opening investigations of the Obama administrations 2010 decision to approve the sale of American uranium mines to a Russian-backed company, and California Rep. Devin Nunes is at the forefront. Nunes (R-Tulare), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said at a news conference that his panel and the House Oversight Committee would jointly probe the deal, which President Trump has called the real Russia story. Nunes and other Trump supporters have raised the 7-year-old uranium deal while four congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III are looking into Russia interference the 2016 election and whether Moscow had any direct links to the Trump campaign. Read More Facebook

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Former deputy director of California tax agency says he was fired for whistleblowing By Patrick McGreevy The state Capitol (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A former deputy director of the state Board of Equalization said Tuesday he was improperly fired this month after cooperating with a state Department of Justice investigation into allegations that agency officials improperly used public resources. Mark DeSio was fired Oct. 12 as the director for external affairs of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which recently was split off from the board in an agency shakeup. He has filed a whistleblower complaint and appeal to the state Personnel Board seeking reinstatement to his position. He alleges the agency before its split up was rife with nepotism and that there is improper hiring and use of employees from one fund to instead help elected board members in field offices. For more than a year, DeSio gave information about the BOE to the Department of Justice and several state agencies and auditors, right up until the time of his firing, said a press release from his attorney, Mary-Alice Coleman. Despite being pressured, DeSio refused to engage in certain activities. DeSios job was threatened multiple times during the course of his employment. In April, Gov. Jerry Brown called for a Justice Department probe of allegations that employees of the state Board of Equalization misused state resources assigning high-paid tax auditors to tasks such as directing traffic for community events promoting elected board members. Brown also set in motion steps that broke up the agency in June, putting the five-member board in one office, and tax collection and appeal system in two other offices. At the time, Brown cited serious problems of mismanagement identified in a Department of Finance audit of the agency, which is responsible for collecting $60 billion in tax revenue annually. DeSio said he has also provided information on alleged improprieties to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which investigates political wrongdoing. Days before he was notified of his termination, DeSio said he told Department of Justice investigators that the board had misused 30 information officer positions as personal staff for board members. He also said supervisors overruled him when he refused to hire 10 new call center employees from funds not set aside for that purpose. He said 10 people were hired even after Brown had revoked the agencys hiring power. DeSios complaint alleges that in August 2016, board member Jerome Horton pressured DeSio to promote a particular employee who was funded by DeSios office, but actually worked in Hortons office. When DeSio refused, saying the employee was not the top-scoring candidate, the complaint says Horton became angry and his chief of staff threatened DeSio. Board Executive Director David Gau, the complaint alleges, contacted Desio and told him to either do what Horton wanted or be fired. After meeting with Department of Finance auditors, DeSio said he was contacted by Horton in November 2016. Horton demanded to know what DOF had asked and what documentation Desio had provided in response. DeSio said he refused to disclose what he gave the auditor. Horton threatened DeSio, saying, I only need one more vote to take you out, the complaint alleges. Horton disputed the allegations. If he has filed a complaint, the facts will show that I had an excellent professional relationship with Mr. DeSio and the allegations are not true, I had nothing to do with his termination, Horton said in a statement. Gau did not immediately respond to requests for comment. DeSio also alleged multiple cases of nepotism in the agency. In one example, he alleges agency officials improperly orchestrated the hiring of the man whose wife worked for a top manager at the agency. Updated at 3 pm to include comment from Board member Jerome Horton. Facebook

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Want the Sierra Clubs endorsement? Here are its standards By Chris Megerian The Sierra Club is setting some ground rules for California gubernatorial candidates that may want its endorsement. No. 1 on the list is independence from the oil industry, which has been a fault line in the Capitol during debates over climate change policies. This year, given how important Californias role has become to the nation for leadership on the environment, it made sense to lay out in advance what some of the overall characteristics that the endorsement committee will be looking for in candidates, said Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California. Other requirements include independence from the tobacco and e-cigarette industry and a commitment to public health, environmental equity and transparency. Facebook

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California Senate hires investigators to look into sexual harassment allegations By Melanie Mason California Senate leader Kevin de Leon will hire two outside firms to look into allegations of a widespread culture of sexual harassment in the state Capitol. De Leon announced Monday he has hired the law office of Amy Oppenheimer to conduct an external investigation into harassment and assault allegations, and the consulting firm CPS HR Consulting to review Senate policies on harassment, discrimination and retaliation. De Leon also sent letters to lobbyists in the Capitol community detailing how existing rules protect non-employees. Theres always more employers can do to protect their employees, De Leon said in a statement. Everyone deserves a workplace free of fear, harassment and sexual misbehavior and I applaud the courage of women working in and around the Capitol who are coming forward and making their voices heard. The women behind an open letter sent last week calling out a pervasive culture of mistreatment in the political industry said that De Leons actions were insufficient. More than 140 women, including legislators, Capitol staff, political consultants and lobbyists, signed the letter. To find the truth and rebuild trust, we need a truly independent investigation, not a secretly hand-picked self-investigation, said Adama Iwu, a government affairs director for Visa who spearheaded the campaign. We need full transparency. How was this firm selected? Who will they report their findings to? What exactly are they investigating? Is the Assembly involved? Meanwhile, the women who have signed the letter, who have coalesced into a group called We Said Enough, announced they were formalizing their advocacy efforts on Monday by launching a nonprofit organization. The group plans to hold forums to outline a plan of action for improving how harassment and abuse complaints are reported, investigated and addressed. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon has millions in state campaign accounts that cant be rolled over to his Senate race By Patrick McGreevy State Senate leader Kevin De Leon has millions of dollars socked away in state campaign accounts, but federal law prohibits him from rolling over the money into his federal campaign for the U.S. Senate. So what options does the Los Angeles legislator have as he puts together a campaign to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, in next years election? Read More Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown heads to Washington to talk about the threat of nuclear war Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: What happens next in Sacramentos discussion of sexual harassment is important By John Myers Theres a big, challenging question beyond the initial shock of sexual harassment stories told by women working in California politics: What happens next? On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we discuss the allegations that have emerged from an open letter first reported by The Times on Tuesday. And a key part of the next chapter is how legislative leaders and the states major political parties respond to the concerns raised in the letter signed by more than 140 women. We also take a closer look at the new effort by wealthy activist Tom Steyer to demand impeachment proceedings against President Trump, and whether the San Francisco Democrat is thinking seriously about jumping into the U.S. Senate race. And with Gov. Jerry Browns action on hundreds of bills complete, we offer up a few notable decisions in those final signings and vetoes. Im joined by Times staff writer Melanie Mason and Marisa Lagos of KQED. Facebook

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Sen. Tom Cotton chides Californians: Your sanctuary cities werent enough, you had to have a sanctuary state instead By Phil Willon Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton addresses the California Republican Party at its fall convention in Anaheim. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton told California Republicans they should expect better days ahead, in part, because of liberal overreach by California Democrats on taxes, immigration and other issues affecting the daily lives of working-class Americans. Cotton invoked the memory of former president and California governor Ronald Reagan as a guiding light, and ridiculed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as a harbinger of doom. All it takes is a little new thinking applied with old principles. The principles of Ronald Reagan, Cotton told a packed ballroom at the California Republican Partys fall convention in Anaheim on Saturday. Cottons keynote address hewed toward traditional conservative themes and was peppered with light moments and witty jabs about the Democrats grip on California politics. When Jerry Brown has to veto your legislation because its too liberal, you might have to take a look in the mirror, Cotton told the crowd. It was a big departure from the speech the night before by GOP firebrand Steve Bannon, President Trumps former political strategist. Bannon unleased attacks on former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He told Republicans they needed to rise up in California or else the progressive left and lords of the Silicon Valley would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years. Cotton, who at 40 is the youngest member of the U.S. Senate, is widely believed to be eyeing a run for higher office. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, he was the most active politician on the breakfast circuit, visiting the South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire and California delegations. California, of course, is home to more than 5 million Republican voters and has been a wellspring of political cash for GOP presidential candidates. Cottons message of hope has been a running theme throughout the three-day GOP gathering as the state party tries once again to turn things around in left-leaning California. The partys share of the state electorate has fallen to 26% and no Republican has been elected to statewide office since 2006. Cotton, however, told the party faithful to remain upbeat. Californias Republican members of Congress play a pivotal role in Washington, and there are ample opportunities to rekindle the partys presence in Sacramento and throughout the state. Cotton zeroed in on the new gas tax and vehicle fee hike in the state, which would raise $5.2 billion annually for transportation and mass transit improvements, saying it would hurt ordinary Californians. If you live in West L.A. or San Francisco and you have the money to afford a Tesla, maybe youll be OK, Cotton said. What about the farmer in the Central Valley who has a pickup truck and needs to fill it up three times a week? He also took shots at the so-called sanctuary state law signed this month by Gov. Jerry Brown, which will limit law enforcement agencies from questioning and detaining people for immigration violations. Your sanctuary cities werent enough, you had to have a sanctuary state instead, Cotton said. So all your citizens will face greater danger no matter where they live. Before he took the stage, the state GOP played a short video introduction of the Arkansas senator, focused on his experiences serving as an Army officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Washington, Cotton was a harsh critic of President Obama and is considered a hawk on national defense. During a hearing in June, Cotton also openly mocked the idea of the Trump administration colluding with Russia. Facebook

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticizes Gov. Brown, lauds Trump at California GOP convention By Seema Mehta McCarthy is lauding Trump for his "character and vision and understanding," compares him to Reagan. #cagop17 pic.twitter.com/AlyvgOvQWF  Seema (@LATSeema) October 21, 2017 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) on Saturday blasted Gov. Jerry Brown over Democrats positioning the state as the liberal resistance to President Trump and for legislative efforts to circumvent the presidents policies. Brown, he warned, could be viewed similarly to southern governors who sought to pick and choose which federal laws to uphold during the civil rights era. He focused on Browns recent signing of a bill to make California a so-called sanctuary state, which will limit law enforcement agencies from questioning and detaining people for immigration violations. I dont think history will be very kind to Gov. Brown, McCarthy told a few hundred delegates and guests at a luncheon at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim. California is a critical part of Democrats efforts to retake the House of Representatives, with a focus on seven Republican-held districts that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Only one of the Republican representatives of those targeted districts had appeared at the convention as of Saturday afternoon, Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine. McCarthy said Vice President Mike Pence raised $5 million for the efforts to protect the seats during a recent three-day fundraising trip through California, but he did not otherwise go into detail about the congressional battle expected in 2018. He instead lashed out at Republican members of the state Legislature who voted for Democratic policies. My advice to those Assembly members in Sacramento: You will not win a majority by thinking youll be Democrat-light. You will win the majority by showing the differences in the party, McCarthy said. You will not win the majority by voting against your own principles on a Democratic policy, and let Democratic targets vote no. You will not win the majority if youre concerned about being able to stand behind a podium with a Democratic governor instead of giving the freedom to Californians across this entire state. McCarthy did not name the members he was speaking about, but it was clear he was referring to Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) and other Republicans who voted for an extension of the states cap-and-trade program this year. Mayes stepped down as Assembly Republican leader under pressure from others in his party who were upset over his vote for the climate change program, which requires companies to purchase permits to release greenhouse gases. McCarthy spoke a day after former Trump White House advisor Stephen K. Bannon addressed the group. Bannon has declared war on the GOP establishment, of which McCarthy is a member. McCarthy did not push back at Bannons remarks, which included criticism of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Rather, McCarthy lauded Trumps vision, compared him to former President Reagan and pointed to economic gains and regulatory reform since Trump took office. What a difference nine months and one election makes, McCarthy said. What a difference: A man who ran for president on issues and keeps his word and actually enacts the things he promised to do. Trump has tried to enact many of his campaign promises but has been unsuccessful on several priorities, including a travel ban on citizens from Muslim-majority countries and a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Tax reform is the latest priority on the Republicans agenda, and McCarthy promised that Congress would push a package by Thanksgiving that includes lowering rates for small businesses and corporations, and simplifying the tax code from seven income tax brackets to three. He also spoke out in support of one of the more controversial parts of the proposal: eliminating the deduction of state and local taxes. I dont think its fair for somebody else to subsidize poor management in California, McCarthy said. Look at the entire [tax reform] bill when it comes out, you will pay less. But no longer can Sacramento say, Im going to raise the rates just because Ill have the federal government subsidize it. They will have to be held accountable for when they want to raise taxes. Facebook

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Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who clashed with Trump during the election, goes after him again in California By Phil Willon Khizr Khan at the National Union of Healthcare Workers conference in Anaheim on Saturday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq who feuded with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Saturday criticized the Trump White House for its clash with a widow of a fallen soldier this week. Khan, speaking to reporters after addressing a National Union of Healthcare Workers conference in Anaheim, said the families of all military members killed in combat deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, especially in the days and weeks immediately following the death of their loved one. It was disappointing to see the behavior of [the White House], Khan said, before criticizing Trump administration officials for standing in front of the cameras and providing a defense for the indefensible behavior. Khans comments came just days after the uproar over Trumps call to the widow of Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson of Florida, one of four U.S. soldiers who died in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson of Florida was with Johnsons wife, Myeshia Johnson, in a car when the widow took Trumps call on speakerphone. Wilson publicly described Trumps comments as insensitive, saying he suggested that the sergeant knew what he was getting into when he joined the Army. White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, whose son was killed in combat, defended the presidents comments, saying that he advised Trump on what to say and that the president was trying to praise Johnsons unselfish military service as well as offer words of comfort to his widow. Khan avoided attacking Trump directly or expanding on his remarks, saying he will address the controversy in more detail after Johnsons memorial services. The clash between Khan and Trump ignited after Khans speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. There, Khan ripped into Trump, then the Republican nominee for president. Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son the best of America. If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America, Khan said at the convention. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities  women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country. Trump responded by questioning whether Khans wife, who stood by her husbands side during the couples high-profile appearance, was silent because of her Muslim faith. The controversy ignited by Trumps jabs at a Gold Star family dragged on for days, and he drew rebukes from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). During his speech to the healthcare union Saturday, Khan lamented the loss of civility in national political discourse and pointed squarely at the president. He said the current White House has sown division by attacking immigrants and belittling political rivals. Facebook

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California Teachers Assn. votes to endorse Gavin Newsom for governor By Seema Mehta Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with participants of a march in Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide in April. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The politically influential California Teachers Assn. on Saturday endorsed Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for governor, praising his support for public schools and his promise to hold charter schools more accountable. Gavin has long supported increased funding for education and is committed to making investing in students a top priority as governor, CTA President Eric Heins said in a written statement Saturday. He supports a public education system that attracts, not attacks, teachers, universal preschool and affordable college for all. The move is not entirely surprising given the antagonism between one of Newsoms top Democratic rivals, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and teachers unions in California. Villaraigosa launched his career as a union organizer, including for United Teachers Los Angeles, and labor played a critical role in getting him elected to office. But after he tried to gain control of Los Angeles schools, he questioned policies fiercely guarded by teachers unions, such as seniority protections that resulted in regular layoff notices to younger teachers who tend to staff the most challenging schools. He grew to support using student test scores to evaluate teachers and other overhauls opposed by union leaders. Villaraigosa, who eventually gained control of more than a dozen struggling city schools through a nonprofit, ultimately blasted the citys teachers union where he once worked as the largest obstacle to creating quality schools. The teachers association also passed over Democrat Delaine Eastin, a long-shot candidate who jumped into the 2018 governors race last year. Eastin, who served as Californias state superintendent of public instruction, has vowed to put education at the forefront of her campaign. The key question going forward is how much CTA plans to invest in the governors race and how it plans to spend it. In 2014, the union spent $12 million to defeat Marshall Tuck, a huge sum in an obscure race to be state superintendent of public instruction. A Democrat and former charter school leader, Tuck was hired by Villaraigosa to run the nonprofit that oversaw his schools. Tuck, who narrowly lost his race in 2014 against an incumbent, is running for state superintendent again in 2018. CTA on Saturday also endorsed his opponent, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond). Facebook

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Bannons mention of Sen. John McCain, George W. Bush draws boos at California GOP convention By Seema Mehta  Former Trump White House advisor Stephen K. Bannon ripped into former President George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain Friday night at the California Republican Party Convention in Anaheim, saying there has not been a more destructive presiden Mere mentions of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) drew loud boos and catcalls as former Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon derided the GOP leaders in his address to California Republicans on Friday night at their fall convention in Anaheim. Bannon, who runs the far-right website Breitbart News, blasted Bush for his harsh assessment of Trump and his policies, which the former president delivered at a policy seminar in New York on Thursday. Bush suggested that Trump has promoted bigotry and falsehoods, violating this countrys values. President Bush to me embarrassed himself. Speech writers wrote a highfalutin speech, Bannon said. Its clear he didnt understand anything he was talking about.  Just like it was when he was president of the United States. Bannon, who was ousted from the White House in August but said he considers himself Trumps wingman, didnt stop there. He ripped into Bush, saying he allowed China to grow as a world power under the premise that global engagement might shepherd the county toward democracy. Theres not been a more destructive presidency than George Bushs, Bannon said. Bannon also had no love for McCain, who has openly clashed with Trump and helped torpedo Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The crowd at #CAGOP17 just booed George W. Bush and John McCain. "Hang him!" one man yelled about McCain.  Seema (@LATSeema) October 21, 2017 He praised McCains military service, but said as a politician, Hes just another senator from Arizona. The boos from the crowd of Republican donors and activists show how much the state party has changed as its influence has waned and its numbers have dwindled in California. The brand of conservatism belonging to Bush and McCain resonated with Californias GOP voters during their presidential campaigns. Both men forged deep ties with the states Republican elected leaders and donors, raising tens of millions of dollars here for their political campaigns. In California, Bush received 1.1 million more votes in the November 2004 presidential election than Trump did last November. McCain received almost 600,000 more votes in the November 2008 presidential election than Trump received in the state in 2016. Read More Facebook

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College journalists say covering Bannon at GOP convention prepares them for Yiannopoulos on campus By Anh Do Student journos Amy Wells + Brandon Pho of #CalSrateFullerton say peers are interested in party politics, esp info collected by young ppl. pic.twitter.com/b2MikBGnQD  ANH DO (@newsterrier) October 21, 2017 Student journalists Amy Wells and Brandon Pho from Cal State Fullerton teamed up outside Anaheims Marriott Hotel as night descended, assigned to cover Stephen K. Bannons speech and protesters targeting him. We dont underestimate how movements can pull in more youth, especially if they hear other youth pushing it on social media, said Pho, a sophomore majoring in journalism. Were always on the lookout for more policy to dig into because we have a lot of undocumented students on our campus and theyre way aware of national issues, added Wells, a senior pursuing a journalism degree. Pho and Wells said reporting on the small crowd of protesters will prepare them for much larger turnouts when provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos visits their campus at the end of this month. While Bannon is more provocative, he doesnt have the reach of someone like Milo who knows how to engage an online audience, said Pho, 19. We learn from watching how different public figures do outreach. Wells, 22, described the nights gathering as having the feel of a college campus protest. And of course, that feels familiar, with people here maybe figuring out what to do next. Small steps. Facebook

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Indivisible members rally ahead of Stephen K. Bannons speech to California Republicans By Anh Do Michelle Fowle, founder of The Resistance - Northridge, Indivisible, along w 100 supporters, launch protest vs. #SteveBannon in #Anaheim. pic.twitter.com/1yEdrUm9Si  ANH DO (@newsterrier) October 21, 2017 Growing up as a Republican in Southern California, Michelle Fowle said she automatically registered to join the party because her parents were also members. I didnt know the right civics, recalled the Northridge activist, 50. I didnt really know women died for the right to vote. I just voted for whoever I saw on signs, or whose names I remembered. Now Fowle is the founder of The Resistance - Northridge, Indivisible, which united supporters outside the California GOP convention in Anaheim on Friday to protest an appearance by Stephen K. Bannon. She joined a crowd of about 50 people across the street from the Anaheim Marriott on Friday night as they denounced President Trumps former advisor. They were separated from conventiongoers by metal barriers and a cordon of private security guards while police officers observed from nearby. Information and exposure and understanding show us that he is dangerous. Hes a very, very good manipulator, Fowle said of Bannon. His goal is to try and get rid of established Republicans and bring in more extreme people. Bannon is using whatever base Trump has left to recruit. Carolyn Criss, a retired film industry researcher, drove from Sherman Oaks to protest. Bannon is a clear danger to our democracy, she said. Criss said Trumps election awoke her dormant activist tendencies, and she now regularly attends protests against the president. She said she thought Bannons visit was an effort to amplify his voice while also helping the GOP raise money. I really hope the GOP just wants to make some money off him and doesnt believe what he says, she said. Facebook

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California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to protect workers who exercise right to free speech By Mina Corpuz San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, left, take a knee during the national anthem in a 2016 game against the Rams. (Daniel Gluskoter / Associated Press Images for Panini) A California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would help protect workers from employer retribution for exercising their right to free speech. Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) said Friday that the state should be a sanctuary for free speech, including the kind that some might find offensive. He said he will introduce a measure when the Legislature is back in session in January. It doesnt matter if youre Ben Shapiro speaking at UC Berkeley, a brave female employee standing up to misogyny in her workplace through the #MeToo movement, or a Dallas Cowboy playing in California this Sunday, he said in a statement. The Constitution does not limit speech based on value judgments so long as it doesnt harm others. Stern said the presidents attempt to urge NFL owners to fire players who kneel during the National Anthem is a troubling attack on the 1st Amendment. The Constitution trumps Trump, he said. Americans of all political stripes ought to stand up and defend it. The legislation would also help public institutions fund security for events that could include offensive speech. Public institutions and law enforcement shouldnt have to bear the cost of ensuring constitutional protections for such events, Stern said. Stern, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is part of the ongoing work to define hate speech and find a way to address it while upholding the Constitution. Facebook

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Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom fights NRA over gun control law in federal court By Patrick McGreevy Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Tim Berger / Times Community News) Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the courts to lift an order that blocks Californias ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines, which was approved in November by voters when they passed Proposition 63. In June, a federal judge in San Diego ruled in favor of a request by the National Rifle Assn. to temporarily delay the magazine ban until the court could make a final decision on the law. U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez wrote then: If this injunction does not issue, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of otherwise law-abiding citizens will have an untenable choice: become an outlaw or dispossess ones self of lawfully acquired property. In a friend-of-the-court filing, Newsom and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence argued the ban on large-capacity magazines is needed to help prevent the occurrence of high-fatality gun massacres, and to reduce the bloodshed when these tragedies occur. Newsom, a candidate for governor, sponsored Proposition 63 with the law center. Its a tragic reality that as time passes, we are presented with more and more evidence on the devastating power of large-capacity magazines, which are consistently the accessory of choice in mass shootings for mass murderers, Newsom said Friday in a statement, predicting the federal courts would uphold the ban. Facebook

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State GOP leader says the new gas tax and high poverty rate make Democrats vulnerable in California By Phil Willon California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte, center, addresses GOP delegates at the state partys convention in Anaheim on Friday. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times) California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte kicked off the state GOPs fall convention with a speech to delegates that outlined why he thinks Democrats will be vulnerable in the upcoming 2018 elections. Brulte zeroed in on the new gas tax and policy declaring California a sanctuary state  both approved by Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic-controlled Legislature and both, he said, unpopular with California voters. He said Democrats have tried to deflect voter attention from these issues, as well as Californias high poverty rate and an uptick in crime, by continually attacking President Trump. Here in California, the reason they want to talk about Donald Trump is because they dont want to talk about the record they created, Brulte said. They broke it. They own it. If Donald Trump were not president, we would still have 22% of Californians living below the poverty line. Thats not Donald Trumps fault. Thats the Democrats who control California. The state GOPs three-day convention at the Anaheim Marriott will kick off in earnest Friday night when Trumps former political strategist, Steve Bannon, takes the stage for a keynote address to delegates. Facebook

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Far-right blogger Chuck C. Johnson gave bitcoin donation to Dana Rohrabacher By Christine Mai-Duc Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) speaks to Russian lawmakers at a meeting in Moscow in May 2013. (Misha Japaridze / Associated Press) Right-wing blogger and provocateur Chuck C. Johnson gave Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) a $5,400 campaign contribution weeks after he said he helped arrange a meeting between the Orange County congressman and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The donation, the maximum amount allowed by law, came in the form of bitcoin, a virtual currency. Johnson, who previously was banned from Twitter after soliciting donations toward taking out a prominent black activist, is listed on campaign finance forms as a self-employed investor who lives in Rosemead. Rohrabacher campaign spokesman Jason Pitkin confirmed the donor was the same person who helped arrange the Assange meeting. Johnson also recently sat in on a meeting between Rohrabacher and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in the Capitol. Pitkin said they discussed Assanges legal situation and cannabis policy, among other things. Rohrabacher previously said Assange had emphatically stated that the Russians were not involved in hacking the 2016 elections but claimed his plans to bring the information directly to President Trump have been thwarted by White House staffers. Pitkin said Johnson approached the Rohrabacher campaign shortly after his trip to London and said he wanted to donate. He said, Do you take bitcoin? and I said, I think we can,  Pitkin recalled. The campaign then set up a bitcoin wallet to receive the funds, Pitkin said. Rohrabacher is not the only California House candidate this cycle who has accepted contributions in bitcoin. Democrat Brian Forde, who is challenging GOP Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine, reported raising more than $59,000 in bitcoin donations between July 1 and Sept. 30. Facebook

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Government needs more women, Nancy Pelosi says By Colleen Shalby Nancy Pelosi has 30 years worth of insight for women starting out in politics. Shes run into plenty of naysayers over the years, but said she hasnt let other peoples doubt stop her. Her advice for those at the beginning of their career is simple. Know your purpose, she said in an interview Wednesday night before a Summit event hosted by the Los Angeles Times and the Berggruen Institute. The House minority leader said she hopes more women will run for office, calling their participation a necessity for government and the future. Whether its education, the environment, equal rights, womens health  whatever it is. Master your subject. Have a plan on how you will implement your ideas and you will attract support. Facebook

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This Los Angeles representative spent $105,500 on Hamilton tickets By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Tony Cardenas asks a question of Lin-Manuel Miranda during a town hall at Panorama High School in Panorama City. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Hamilton fever has caught at least two Los Angeles area members of Congress whove used campaign funds to purchase tickets to the hit musicals run at the Hollywood Pantages. Rep. Tony Cardenas campaign and his political action committee Victory by Investing, Building and Empowering PAC spent $105,500 in April buying tickets to the show, which is playing in L.A. until Dec. 30. Two fundraisers using the approximately 400 tickets have raised more than $300,000, a spokesman for the congressmans campaign said. For both Cardenas campaign and the PAC, the tickets were the single most costly expense of the year. Basically they saw this as an opportunity to have a nice fundraising opportunity and go to a show that celebrates American democracy, campaign spokesman Josh Pulliam said. The Los Angeles Democrat is friends with the father of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning creator of Hamilton. When the show opened in Los Angeles in mid-August, Miranda spoke to nearly 1,000 students in Cardenas largely Latino San Fernando Valley district . He raffled off some tickets to the show as an online fundraiser in September. Miranda has a history of supporting Democrats, and Hamilton has been used as a fundraiser before. In July 2016, Hillary Clintons presidential campaign hosted a special showing of the musical for donors, with a starting ticket price of $2,700. Cardenas held two fundraisers tied to the show. Miranda did not attend either event, Pulliam said. Pulliam said a few dozen tickets went to people in the community as gifts. He also raffled off some tickets to the show as an online fundraiser in September. Cardenas isnt in a particularly tough race for 2018. A Democrat and a Green Party member have filed to run in his district, but neither have raised or spent enough to require them to file campaign finance reports. Cardenas most recent report, which covers what he raised and spent in the last three months, shows he raised $232,389 and had $481,049 in the bank as of Sept. 30. Its fairly common for lawmakers or candidates to use sports events or concerts as major fundraising opportunities, especially when big names such as Taylor Swift or Bruce Springsteen play concerts in Washington. Rep. Maxine Waters campaign spent just under $11,000 on tickets to Hamilton in August. Reached by phone, the Los Angeles Democrat seemed surprised reporters were asking about the tickets. She said her campaign made $110,000 at a fundraiser using the tickets. Everybody does it, whether its a concert or a baseball game, she said. Several conservative groups have targeted Waters, an outspoken critic of President Trump, for the 2018 election. She won in 2016 with 76% of the vote over Republican Omar Navarro, who is challenging her again. In a statement released by her campaign, Waters stressed that fundraising at an event means the campaign doesnt have to rent space or buy food. These fundraising activities are similar and sometimes less expensive than the amount of money a candidate would spend to host a fundraising dinner within a private room at a restaurant or hotel  once you factor in associated catering costs, she said. The price for the Hamilton tickets was similar to what one would have to pay at these venues. There was nothing improper or unusual about the expenditure. Facebook

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California Republicans increase security at state convention ahead of Steve Bannon speech By Seema Mehta (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press) The California Republican Party is ramping up security at its weekend convention in anticipation of protests at the Friday night keynote speech by Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Trump and the executive chairman of Breitbart News. Part of providing a good experience for our convention goers is assuring your safety, state party Executive Director Cynthia Bryant wrote in an email to attendees on Thursday describing the security measures. Attendees will pass through metal detectors and their property is subject to be searched before they are allowed to enter the ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott, where the speech and dinner are taking place. Weapons, noisemakers and signs are prohibited. We did not make the decision for the additional security lightly and we know that it does impact your convention going experience, Bryant wrote. I sincerely regret that. Its a level of security rarely seen at political party gatherings in California. Convention attendees were also screened when Donald Trump, then a candidate seeking the GOP presidential nomination, appeared at the spring 2015 convention in Burlingame. That decision was made in consultation with the Secret Service, which had already begun protecting Trump. That convention attracted large-scale protests that at times turned into tense stand-offs between activists and police officers. Bannons speech is also expected to draw protests. Bannon, a conservative media leader, promoted Breitbart as a platform of the alt-right and needled establishment Republicans when Trump selected him to be the chief executive of his 2016 presidential campaign. His views as a nationalist, economic populist and nativist indelibly shaped Trumps message to voters. Once Trump was sworn in as president, Bannon was named White House chief strategist. He was a divisive figure in the administration, disparaging his colleagues to the media before he left the White House in August. He has since declared war on the GOP establishment, including supporting challengers to incumbents and other candidates backed by Trump. Facebook

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L.A. County Supervisors unanimously back Sen. Feinstein for reelection By Sarah D. Wire L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times) The five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have all endorsed Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senators campaign announced Thursday. The announcement comes as factions of California Democrats begin weighing in on the Senate race between Feinstein and state Senate leader Kevin de Leon next year. Its a snub for De Leon, a native Angeleno who has represented part of the city for more than a decade in the Assembly and state Senate. Sen. Feinstein has been our strong partner on the critical issues confronting L.A. County  homelessness, healthcare, and transportation. Her support for our county hospitals, including her commitment to our new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, has been essential to our countys healthcare system, Board Chairman and 2nd District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement. Ridley-Thomas said the board members support Feinstein -- including the lone Republican on the board, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who said in a statement that California needs Feinstein in the Senate. Ive worked with Sen. Feinstein for many years. Shes extremely knowledgeable and always prepared on the tough issues we confront. Shes a problem solver we can count on now and in the future, Barger said. Feinstein already has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which traditionally backs incumbents. Soon after he announced a challenge, De Leon was endorsed by Democracy for America, the progressive political action committee formed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in 2004. Facebook

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Northern California wildfires mean thousands of families will flood the regions already strained housing market By Liam Dillon Tom and Shelly Lanning, from left, talk with Lannings mother, Jeannie Anderson, on Oct.17, 2017. The Lannings have been staying with Anderson since they lost their home in wildfires. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Even before devastating wildfires struck Northern California last week, the regions housing market was in crisis. Home values and rents already were at or near record highs, and decades of slow construction has left few homes available for the thousands of displaced residents. The number of new families flooding the market is giving rise to fears of widespread displacement and even higher costs. The scope and magnitude of the rehousing is unfathomable, said Larry Florin, chief executive of the nonprofit Burbank Housing, one of Santa Rosas largest low-income housing providers. If you take 3,000 units being demolished in a market that was already dramatically constrained, its hard to imagine whats going to happen, where people are going to go. Read More Facebook

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California lawmaker wants to ban secret settlements in sexual harassment cases after Weinstein scandal By Melanie Mason State Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), shown speaking at a 2016 news conference for ending the statute of limitations for rape, wants to ban confidentiality provisions from sexual harassment settlements. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) A California state senator says she intends to introduce a bill next year to ban confidentiality provisions in monetary settlements stemming from sexual harassment, assault and discrimination cases. Secret settlements in sexual assault and related cases can jeopardize the public  including other potential victims  and allow perpetrators to escape justice just because they have the money to pay the cost of the settlements, Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) said in a statement Thursday. This bill will ensure that sexual predators can be held accountable for their actions and ideally prevent them from victimizing others. The measure comes after revelations of decades-long alleged sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Some of those incidents were obscured from public view thanks to monetary settlements whose terms required confidentiality. The issue has a renewed resonance in Sacramento after scores of women working in state politics renounced a pervasive culture of harassment and abuse in the Capitol in a public letter this week. Leyva told the Times she intends for her proposed settlement ban to include both private employers and public ones, such as the Legislature. 9:41 a.m.: This post was updated to specify Leyvas proposal would apply to private and public employers. This post was originally published at 8:54 a.m. Facebook

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Nancy Pelosi: Its your problem if you dont recognize that women are ready to do any job By Colleen Shalby Nancy Pelosi knows what it feels like to have to prove herself in politics simply because shes a woman. She says she experiences the pressure every day. But its your problem if you dont recognize that women are ready to do any job, the House minority leader said in an interview before a Summit event hosted by the Los Angeles Times and the Berggruen Institute on Wednesday night. When she decided to run for a leadership position in Congress, Pelosi said a man questioned her move. As if a woman had to be told she could run, she recalled. We just laughed and said poor babies. In the midst of a growing sexual misconduct scandal centered on Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, many women are sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault. No industry has been spared  women at Californias Capitol signed an open letter Tuesday outlining pervasive harassment in Sacramento. Pelosi said she wasnt prepared to share a so-called me too moment, but she thanked the women who have. The sheer numbers speak eloquently to the fact that we should get to zero tolerance, she said. Facebook

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Watch: The View from California political panel with John Myers Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers hosted a panel discussion about the view from California as part of our L.A. Times and Berggruen Institute Summit series. Joining him were state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), Republican strategist Luis Alvarado, UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck and Alma Hernandez, executive director of SEIU California. We also had a conversation with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Watch that here. Facebook

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Watch: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi talks to the L.A. Times House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) spoke Wednesday about her view of national news, working with the Trump White House and the future of the Democratic Party. The event was co-hosted by The L.A. Times and the Berggruen Institute. Following that conversation, Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers hosted a panel discussion about the view from California. Joining him were state Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), Republican strategist Luis Alvarado, UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck and Alma Hernandez, executive director of SEIU California. Watch that here. Facebook

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Kevin de Leon: My whole life, Ive been told to wait my turn and know my place You know, my whole life, Ive been told to wait my turn and know my place. Well, its Californias turn to lead. And Californias place to be a shining example for the world and a stark contrast to the failures of Washington.  State Senate leader Kevin de Leon, kicking off his U.S. Senate campaign Read More Facebook

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Pelosi, in Los Angeles visit, calls on Congress to pass Dream Act By Makeda Easter Rep. Nancy Pelosi meets with young immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called on the GOP-controlled Congress to pass the Dream Act by years end. Pelosi appeared at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights with community leaders and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients in Los Angeles. The San Francisco Democrat said she has confidence Republicans and Democrats will be able to work together to pass the Dream Act. President Trump said we had shared values when we spoke to him, Pelosi said. I trust that he will honor that commitment because the American people want him to do so. The Democratic leader had conversations with Trump about continuing DACA after his heartless decision to end the program. Pelosi said that President Reagan was great on immigration and noted his immigration agenda protected a larger percentage of people than President Obama did with his executive order regarding DACA. She added the last three Republican presidents strongly acknowledged the value of immigration to America. A majority of the estimated 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children live in California. These newcomers make America more American, Pelosi said. She noted there have been a handful of Republicans who support forcing a Dream Act vote via a procedural move. Still, her party is in the minority. You can have all the conversation in the world that you want, but youve got to have the votes, she said, encouraging moderate Republicans to support the Dream Act. She was joined by Democratic Reps. Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles, Judy Chu of Monterey Park and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Downey, the first Mexican American woman elected to Congress and original co-author of the Dream Act. Roybal-Allard said the so-called Dreamers have lived in this country, they have grown up here, they have pledged allegiance to our flag. To do anything else but to protect them by passing the Dream 
A St. Paul man wanted on federal charges for dealing heroin has been picked up in Cerro Gordo County.

Manley Foster Humphries, 66, was pulled over by the Iowa State Patrol for speeding the morning of Friday, Oct. 13, according to court records. Humphries ticket indicates he was going 83 mph in a 55 mph zone in Cerro Gordo County.

Humphries and three others were indicted in federal court in September for distributing heroin and cocaine in Minnesota, according to court documents.

The indictment says Humphries distributed more than 100 grams of heroin.

Humphries was being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail, but has since been transferred.

 Ashley Miller
Former Trump administration strategist and GOP agitator Stephen K. Bannon on Friday told California Republicans, whose state party has fallen in membership and political influence, that their salvation lies in putting aside their differences and getting to work  just as theyd done to help move President Trump to his surprise victory in November.

We have a problem with understanding how to win. Nothing else matters, Bannon told hundreds of Republican delegates gathered in Anaheim for the state partys fall convention. If you want to take your state back  you have to roll your sleeves up.

Welcomed with a standing ovation, Bannon clung to themes of economic nationalism in his speech, putting the interests and fortunes of American workers ahead of the Republican establishment. He laughed off the small number of protesters outside, saying their liberal message would repel voters and help Republicans keep their targeted congressional districts.

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Bannons fiery remarks evoked both praise and consternation among Republicans at the convention at an Anaheim hotel. Few state or federal elected officials attended his speech. But it was a popular ticket among the partys most conservative members, as was demonstrated when Bannons harsh criticism of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was greeted with boos in agreement.

A few dozen anti-Bannon protesters  outnumbered by police and reporters  chanted outside the hotel, riled by the person widely considered to be one of the primary architects of Trumps victory in November.

National and state Democrats pounced before Bannons appearance, arguing that it showed how out of step the California GOP is with the states voters.

Steve Bannon is a race-baiting thug masquerading as a pseudo-intellectual, said Eric Bauman, chairman of the California Democratic Party. Bannons speech Friday also drew out the divide among California Republicans over whether embracing or rebuffing Trump will improve the partys fortunes in the state.

Bannon is a uniter, not a divider. With the establishment working with instead of trying to crush the conservative movement, we win! said former state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly of San Bernardino County, a favorite of the states tea party members.

Michelle Fowle, left, and Sandra Vanderloh join a small group of protesters outside the Anaheim Marriott. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

But Republican political consultant Luis Alvarado said Bannons appearance at a state party event sends the wrong message. He noted that four Republican members of Congress from Orange County, where the convention is being held, represent districts that voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and are being targeted by Democrats in 2018.

I see a downside if the party embraced what Steve Bannon is selling, Alvarado said.

In California, Clinton beat Trump by more than 4 million votes in November. Opinion polls show the president remains widely unpopular in the state.

Bannon was widely regarded as one of Trumps most influential strategists during the campaign, driving the then-candidates embrace of economic populism and nativism. Once in the White House, he made no secret of his disdain for the Republican establishment, speaking about the deconstruction of the administrative state and creating a new political order in the country a month after Trump took office.

Since being ousted from the White House in August, Bannon has said hes launched a season of war against those Republicans he believes have impeded Trump and his America First agenda.

In Anaheim, Bannon took special aim at laws enacted by Californias Democratic legislators to counter the presidents agenda, such as the so-called sanctuary state bill Gov. Jerry Brown signed this month.

Trust me, if you do not roll this back, and Im talking about the people in this room, 10 or 15 years from now the folks in Silicon Valley and the progressive left in this state is going to try to secede from the union, Bannon said.

Thus far, Republicans in Californias congressional delegation have not felt Bannons political wrath, but the anti-establishment uprising that swept Trump into Washington has also inflamed a divide within the state GOP.

Republicans face a rocky path if they hope to rekindle the party in California. Democrats hold nearly a 19-percentage-point edge in voter registration. California voters have not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006, and Democrats hold super majorities in both legislative chambers, allowing them to raise taxes without a single GOP vote.

phil.willon@latimes.com | Twitter: @philwillon

seema.mehta@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATSeema

Updates on California politics

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Clad in black, nearly two dozen Burbank Unified teachers and their families stood in front of City Hall Thursday evening with signs calling for better wages and working conditions.

The protest was held as contract negotiations continue between the Burbank Teachers Assn. and the Burbank Unified School District for the 2016-17 school year. It was also held 30 minutes prior to a school board meeting.

Several teachers spoke during the meeting, urging the board and district to approve a 2% raise as educators face the combined rise in cost-of-living and healthcare expenditures.

Nicole Drabecki, a physical education teacher at Jefferson and Edison elementary schools, said during the board meetings public-comment period the salary hike would help alleviate some of the pressure placed on teachers.

Being a teacher is challenging and hard; it takes a lot of work to educate todays students, she said. The workload that you give us is overwhelming and stressful.

In addition to being overworked, she said many teachers have spent hundreds of dollars of their own money to buy school supplies for their students. Drabecki said she spent $900 this year alone on sunscreen for her students.

Lori Adams, a math teacher at Burbank High School, told board members that growing classroom sizes have also been difficult on teachers. She said language in the teachers contract regarding the size of a class needs to be reexamined by the district.

Theres one word we want in there, that our class-size average should be based on the site, not the districtwide average, she said.

Because schools have different numbers of students, setting the average size of a class tailored to each campus instead of using a districtwide standard would create better parity, Adams said.

According to the California Department of Education, the average class size for Burbank is 28.3 students per one teacher. Meanwhile, the state average is 25.4, and the county average is 25.7.

Diana Abasta, the teachers union president, called on the district to reexamine its approach toward the budget. She said the current numbers are based on a worst-case scenario for the district, causing any potential raises to be stymied.

Abasta asked for the district to bring in teachers to help with the budgeting process.

Do not let fear continue to shape the vision of our students education, she said.

Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill said hes open to sitting down with teachers and discussing the budget, saying he doesnt want to fight every single year over contract negotiations. He said its clear teachers dont think the process has been collaborative with the district, and he wants that to change.

I think its important for us to work together, sit down and look at the budget, he said.

Hill brought up the possibility of opening up the districts books and holding town hall meetings to discuss the budget and take a look at how money is allocated.

Board member Charlene Tabet echoed Hills sentiments, saying both groups should come together to discuss the budget more in-depth. She said she wants to see suggestions the union may have for budget allocations the district may have overlooked.

If its going to help matters  I would be in favor of that, she said.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
The cast of the musical Cagney stopped by the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank recently to get a first-hand look at some of the places where the late actor James Cagney was filmed.

During the tour, the performers visited Hennesy Street, New York Street and some of the other sets and locations where the Vaudeville star-turned-movie actor once performed in front of the cameras.

The musical is being presented at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood through Oct. 29. Cagney was originally produced off-Broadway in New York at the York Theatre and Westside Theatre for 14 months, starting in April 2015.

This whole show started with my obsession with his movies, said Robert Creighton, who plays Cagney in the musical. Ive watched every single one of those movies that you can get your hands on, some of them multiple times. So to be walking, standing and being around where he was, its really cool.

Riki Kane Larimer, the musicals producer, said she was asked by Kate Edelman Johnson  whose father, Louis Edelman, produced the movie White Heat, which featured Cagney  to bring the show to Los Angeles.

Larimer was hesitant at first, saying Los Angeles is not a theater town, [its] a movie town, but she quickly remembered that Cagney is a musical about the movies.

She also said she wanted Cagney to be performed in L.A. the way it was performed during its run in New York and did so by bringing the original cast to the El Portal Theatre.

I wanted it to be exactly what we did in New York, and it is exactly what we did in New York, Larimer said.

Johnson said she considers Cagney to be one of the greatest performers of all time and was mesmerized by the musical. She added that to see the cast tour the Warner Bros. back lot gave her a feeling of hope that people will continue to remember and honor classic Hollywood.

It makes me feel like theres something thats going to happen to keep it going, Johnson said.

For more information about Cagney or to order tickets, visit elportaltheatre.com.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Drew Angerer/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- The Los Angeles Police Departments Robbery Homicide Division says it has interviewed a potential victim of a 2013 sexual assault allegedly involving Harvey Weinstein, as the woman's attorney held a news conference on Friday to discuss the investigation.



David Ring said his client, an Italian actress, spoke briefly with Weinstein at a Los Angeles-based film festival in February 2013, and later in the evening, the producer allegedly "bullied his way into her [hotel] room."



"Her greatest regret is opening that door. She had no idea what was coming, he said of the allegation. What happened to her was really horrible. Its had a humongous, huge impact on her life."



Ring declined to identify his client or discuss specifics of the case, except to say that it is under investigation by the LAPD. He added that it was "premature" to discuss a potential civil lawsuit against Weinstein.



New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce Thursday said New York City police have referred allegations against the disgraced film mogul to other police departments, though it was unclear whether the LAPD investigation pertained to one of those cases.



The referrals were made to jurisdictions in the United States and overseas based on calls to a police hotline about Weinstein, Boyce added.



Police declined to discuss specifics.



Several calls have been received on our CrimeStoppers Hotline regarding Mr. Weinstein, Boyce said. None of those calls have alleged any criminal conduct within the New York City area.



Complaints about Weinstein cannot be pursued locally if they involve events that occurred outside New York City.



More than three dozen women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including harassment and assault, but he has not been charged with a crime.



The movie producer has acknowledged inappropriate behavior, but has "unequivocally denied" any allegations of non-consensual sex, his spokesman said.



Weinstein, 65, was terminated by the Weinstein Co. in the wake of the allegations, though he later offered his resignation. ABC News confirmed that he is also pursuing a claim that he was wrongfully fired.



In addition, he was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Producers Guild of America has voted to begin termination proceedings against him. A final determination will be reached next month. On Thursday the board of British Film Institute voted to strip Weinstein of its prestigious BFI Fellowship honor, which he was awarded in 2002.



"Sexual harassment, abuse and bullying is unacceptable under any circumstances. Everyone working in the film industry  in any industry  should be safe and respected in the workplace. We wholeheartedly support those brave enough to come forward and speak out," the board said in a statement. "The film industry needs more women represented on every level, on and off screen."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
MASON CITY | At this week's city council meeting, City Administrator Brent Trout reviewed the city's current development agreement with Gatehouse Capital, who wants to build a new hotel downtown as part of the River City Renaissance Project.

One of the main financial aspects of that agreement is the city's commitment to $750,000 in pre-construction funding. That money would be used for work like a title and survey review, environmental studies, geotechnical work and other tasks, according to the agreement.

Trout confirmed at Tuesday's city council meeting that this money, along with the $150,000 the city gave Gatehouse in the pre-development agreement, is the total amount of financial risk the city is facing moving forward.

Mayor Eric Bookmeyer and council members, however, noted several aspects of the project would have to turn out negatively for the city to lose $900,000.

The $900,000 is still part of the same $4.2 million loan the city is projected to give to Gatehouse for the hotel, At-Large Councilman Paul Adams told the Globe Gazette Friday.

"The requirement is (Gatehouse founder/CEO David Rachie) has to have work done and invoices submitted to have that money given," Adams said.

The first $120,000 for pre-construction funding will be disbursed in $30,000 increments during the first four months, according to the agreement. Then, the city will disburse up to $630,000 to Gatehouse as it continues pre-construction work.

Councilman Travis Hickey said at Tuesday's meeting that he had concerns about whether Rachie and Gatehouse Capital had personally invested money into the hotel. Trout responded that any work would not have to be provided to the city, as that is not included in the agreement.

Hickey and Rachie could not be reached for comment by phone Friday.

John Lee, councilman for Mason City's First Ward, said in an email he doesn't share Hickey's concerns. He admitted there is some risk, but thinks Trout and city officials have done a good job negotiating with Gatehouse.

"The amount, although a lot of money, is a small portion of the overall project (River City Renaissance Project) and is still a part of the $4.2 million we are allocating to Gatehouse." he wrote. "If our money helps move the project along quicker, then I am happy to supply some money up front."

No matter how much money is ultimately dedicated to pre-construction funding, a lack of state money or a "no" vote on either of the project-related ballot items in the general election would essentially stop the project, council members said.

Trout visited the Iowa Economic Development Authority on Friday, and presented an update on the project. Board members commended Trout and his staff for his work, and seem poised to award Mason City between $7 million and $10 million in funding, given the ballot items pass.

Adams and Lee both said the public's vote on Nov. 7 is vital.

"We need a 'yes' on both items," Adams said. "It would be disappointing if it didn't pass ... We're just hopeful that people have the information and make an educated vote."

"I become very concerned about the future of Mason City without a yes vote by us," Lee wrote in an email. " A yes vote is more than accepting the project; it also shows potential businesses that Mason City is a progressive city, and a forward thinking city."
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As the crowds arrive, Serafin Cienfuegos, left, and Corey Klass from Nicks restaurant add finishing touches to plates of banana flan and butter cakes during the Taste of Laguna at the Festival of Arts grounds on Thursday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
When Judy Franco was appointed to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board in 1980, she didnt imagine that 37 years later she would still be representing Area 5.

She said she had dropped hints about stepping down at the end of her current term, but when she announced Tuesday that she wouldnt run in the 2018 election, some observers nevertheless were surprised.

Franco, 80, said she needed to clear up rumors about why the school board may have preferred one map over another in adjusting trustee zone boundaries in time for next years election.

In one proposal, labeled Map B, Franco and board President Karen Yelseys current addresses would be in the same zone, Area 5, resulting in the possibility of them running against each other in a future election.

Some critics of the other proposal, Map G, speculated it was created to help them avoid a possible faceoff. Yelsey and Franco denied that.

I didnt want to make the announcement, but I was sick and tired of hearing innuendo of reasons why we chose Map G, Franco said Friday. It made me very angry, and the blame was somehow not put on me but on Yelsey by many people, and its totally untrue. It irritated the devil out of me.

Criticism aside, Franco said she had previously promised her husband that she wouldnt run for another term so they wouldnt have to schedule trips around school board meetings.

Franco will complete her time on the school board in December 2018.

During her tenure, Franco has seen the district close multiple elementary schools, embrace a growing number of Latino families from Costa Mesas Westside, and deal with controversy surrounding a Mariners Elementary School Gold Ribbon Award and the transition from the controversial Swun Math to new math materials.

Recently the district settled a lawsuit alleging that its election system, in which the seven trustees are chosen by voters throughout the district, violates the California Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit led to the district decided to change the system so trustees will be elected by voters in each zone.

Franco said her career development was an organic process, beginning as a teacher, transitioning into a PTA president at Newport Elementary School and later being appointed to a seat on the school board, though she didnt expect to stay long. But she was elected to the seat the following year and has been there since.

It wasnt a dream of mine, it just sort of happened, she said. Every time the election was coming up, Id get phone calls from people and so I continued to run.

During her first year as a trustee, she went into learning and listening mode until she found her voice, she said.

In an interview Friday, state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) called Franco a real trouper for the school district and the Republican Party. He said he recalled bumping into her during a conference in San Diego where he could tell she took her job seriously and loved it.

Two of her passions have been establishing sailing as an official sport and program in Newport-Mesa and taking on a leadership role for Youth and Government, an independent study program.

Sean Boulton, who started working in the district in 1999 and is now principal of Newport Harbor High School, credited Franco with helping establish sailing as an official sport.

Its a unique feature in Newport-Mesa because of her, he said. It takes hoops and steps to establish a sport like that, and she gave us the clarity to make it official.

Shes given her life to these schools.

In 2001, Franco was diagnosed with breast cancer but remained active in the district. She said she has missed about 12 meetings throughout her time on the board.

Trustee Martha Fluor, a board member since 1991, described her colleague as a mentor and a true dedicated warrior with an immense amount of knowledge.

One of her strongest assets is that shes truly [a] committed board member, Fluor said. There were times she was going through cancer treatments early on when shed come to board meetings even in the midst of chemo and radiation.

During her tenure, Franco said, she learned to resist criticism as long as she remained dedicated to her philosophy of making sure that programs, resolutions and motions were for the good of students.

When she finishes her final term next year, the board will be in good hands, Franco said.

Its a good balance with a breadth of knowledge, she said.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella
For the third year in a row, a team of volunteer medical professionals from Adventist Health Glendale delivered care and facility improvements to the hospitals sister medical site in Armenia, serving more than 2,000 underprivileged people during their time there.

With continued logistical support from the Armenia Fund, a nonprofit humanitarian aid group, Adventist brought more than 50 volunteer missionaries to provide various medical services at Noyemberyan Hospital in Armenia for a week last month.

Maria Mehranian, the Armenia Funds president, said the hospital makes great improvements with every visit, increasing its medical capabilities with personnel and infrastructure.

Our ultimate goal is to create more sustainable, ongoing care and specialized services in that hospital, so things dont die down because were not there, Mehranian said. We want to build it out so that there are doctors that are prepared and equipped with the latest technology in medicine that can provide services to people that really need them.

According to Mehranian, the primary care clinic saw 2,015 patients this year with the help of medical specialists in cardiology, pulmonology, pediatrics, neurology, pathology and cytology.

Arby Nehapetian, regional chief medical officer for Adventist Health in Southern California, said the exponential improvement in services at Noyemberyan Hospital have lifted the facilitys profile in the region, and he saw people now traveling from all over Armenia to get care at Noyemberyan.

Apart from providing important services, Nehapetian recalled how the medical staff helped in a unique way. One of his patients, having just undergone surgery, asked the doctors if he could have the disposed medical gloves used during the procedure.

His daughter was going to have a wedding, and he wanted to keep his hands clean from the walnut-oil stains on his hands he got from working in the fields, Nehapetian said. We were floored, and one of the nurses started crying. We gave him a whole box of gloves to take home.

Vahan Cepkinian ran an orthopedic clinic for his second time at Noyemberyan and saw about 270 patients. He helped perform a few procedures on individuals with masses on their backs and extremities that prevented them from enjoying everyday activities.

He recalled helping remove an overgrown mass in the hand of one patient who couldnt hold a hammer for work and felt self-conscious about shaking hands.

Its these types of stories that provide desire to return, Cepkinian said. It was great to be a part of a team of such wonderful medical professionals, and I definitely would do it again.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Glendale police were searching a La Crescenta neighborhood for a suspected burglar Friday morning, resulting in two schools being placed on a brief lockdown.

The incident occurred sometime around 9:25 a.m. in the 4900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for the Glendale Police Department, said a witness in the area had reported a possible residential burglary.

In addition to patrol vehicles, an airship was called to help search for the supposed suspect.

As a result of the police activity, nearby Valley View and Monte Vista elementary schools were placed on a brief lockdown.

Typically, anytime theres police activity, schools would go into a lockdown out of an abundance of caution, said Kristine Nam, communications director for the Glendale Unified School District.

Its unknown if an arrest was made in connection with the possible burglary. Lightfoot said Glendale detectives were not releasing any additional information.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
Kevin Roberts, president and chief executive of Adventist Health Glendale, formerly known as Glendale Adventist Medical Center, will leave his leadership role at the hospital on Nov. 3 to pursue other opportunities, according to Adventist officials.

In a memo to employees, physicians, volunteers and board members, Beth Zachary, chair of the Adventist Health Glendale board, wrote, I want to thank Kevin for his leadership and acknowledge the good work he and his team have accomplished to expand access and improve care for the Glendale community.

As the board chair as well as president and chief executive of Adventist Health, Southern California Region, Zachary will serve as the interim chief executive while the search for a permanent leader is underway, hospital officials said.

Roberts said he has appreciated his time at the hospital since he was appointed to lead the facility in September 2011.

Adventist Health Glendale is a terrific hospital with an inspired mission, amazing people and a rich legacy of healing, Roberts said in a statement. I know that this hospital will continue to thrive and succeed and that its best years are still ahead.

mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @lamarkkellam
I read recently that Glendale has been awarded a $354,500 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

I was riding my motorcycle north on Brand Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon. I was stopped at a red light next to a beautiful black BMW. All the windows were tinted so dark I could see my reflection in them except the drivers side window. It was down and the young man driving was smoking and talking on his cellphone.

The light turned green and the car accelerated to well in excess of the speed limit with its altered exhaust heralding the acceleration. He made it to the next red light and he was still on his cellphone.

It made me wonder: What amount of education would change this young mans behavior? The answer I arrived at was none. I think the only thing that would alter the young mans outlook on life was to get a ticket with enough draconian consequences that he would actually think twice about his behavior. Big dollar fines. Maybe impounding the car.

My suggestion is move the education money in the grant to enforcement and move on.

Jim Kussman

Glendale

--

I am responding to Daniel Platts Oct. 14 letter about moving out of Glendale, after 12 years of living here, because of the bad drivers.

We all have our own personal stories, but I guess this one encapsulates it for me: I was stopped for a pedestrian in the crosswalk (the horrors!) and, as the elderly lady with shopping cart was at the edge of my front bumper, the man driving the car behind me started to honk. Im sorry, I did have the option of hitting her, but in my opinion that wasnt the right decision.

So, Im putting a bumper sticker on my car to warn the people behind me: I brake for pedestrians.

What a concept!

Nora Barsuk

Glendale

--

Re: Residents demand more study of renewable-energy alternatives to Grayson Power Plant renovation, Oct. 18. Thank you to reporter Jeff Landa for his recent article highlighting the many voices of concern in our community regarding the plan to renovate  and in the process expand the capacity of  the gas-powered Grayson Power plant.

My family lives  and my child attends school  a little over a mile from the plant. Asthma once almost cost my son his life. Living with such pollution, with freeways and a fossil fuel plant down the street, really matters to us. Here at our home, thanks in part to incentives from the city, we have gone solar and invested in battery storage. We are doing everything we can to make our home and our community cleaner and greener. We want Glendale to invest in this vision too!

We have a chance now to do something visionary. Lets look at ways to power our city for the next 100 years that rely much more heavily on a mix of renewable energy and battery storage solutions. We want our City Council to take a moment to pause  not to jump on an inevitable fossil-fueled train that is easily laid out for us by folks at Stantec, but to commission an independent study of clean-energy alternatives to gas-fire power. Lets use the incredible new technology at our fingertips, talk to mayors of cities like Lancaster and consult with smart people in our own city who are experts in this field to bring forward a new way of doing things here that puts us on the map of innovation. If our little house in the Rancho can do it, Glendale can too.

Monica Campagna

Glendale

--

Last Monday, I watched Stantec present the environmental impact report for the Grayson Power Plant project to the GWP Commission. A Stantec employee presented their analysis of the project for two hours. The finished buildings aesthetics and the noise of construction was given the same time as the large increase in emissions of greenhouse gases and toxins.

The phrase the banality of evil by political theorist Hannah Arendt came to mind. This was her impression of seeing a worker from WWII Germany on trial. His job was but one part in a long series of steps that led to the extermination of millions of people. As he described it, his job was to send trains to their destination as efficiently as possible. He wasnt doing the killing. By distancing people from the consequences of their actions, great evil can be done by the most ordinary of people.

Likewise, the employees at GWP and the consultants at Stantec are fulfilling the requirements of the city of Glendale. But the world is heating up quickly, we are on the 14th straight year of the hottest year on record, Northern California is on fire, we just had one of the worst hurricane seasons in history, the great barrier reef is bleaching, and these people want to build a new oversized fossil fuel plant that fails renewables standards. These people are designing a power plant and they are doing it as efficiently as possible. They dont see that they are complicit in the outcome. Unfortunately, the outcome in this case is the extermination of life on earth.

Stopping climate change is possible, and it starts right here with you and me.

Burt Culver

Glendale

--

I am a Glendale resident living less than a mile from the Grayson Power Plant. My wife and I just bought a home here to raise our daughter (less than 2 years old). Theres a school nearby for her, and I frequently work at Disney down the street, so the Grayson Power Plant project is a nightmare for us. We would be breathing in the added toxins all day  at home, work and school. How could our city be so backwards and reckless in 2017?

We need incentives to add solar panels to homes to reduce consumption to counter the need for outdated and obsolete fossil-fuel-burning turbines. This would certainly be cheaper than this $500-million plan that generates far more energy than we currently need. Consumption rates are predicted to go down, not up. Please help us shed light on this disturbing and reckless proposal and help us transform it into something forward thinking, clean and sustainable.

Jack Cusumano

Glendale

--

Disney chief executive Bob Iger laid off workers in 2016 and is expected to lay off more in 2017. I offer three things Iger should consider that if followed could possibly prevent layoffs and create Disney expansion:

1. There is a Nazi-like religious defamation show airing that may be alienating many of Disneys viewers. Perhaps Iger should consider pulling the show off the air. Whistle blowers can contact ruskman78@yahoo.com.

2. The media, some celebrities, and Hollywood in general these days tend to be bigoted, biased and bullying. Iger should discourage and take a stand against such behavior and refuse to air it. Any school system will confirm that bullying is a major problem. And yet, these bad lessons are being taught to our children by supporting such behavior. Is supporting this possibly alienating any of Disneys viewers?

3. The last thing Iger should want to do is to lay off workers who get the job done. Crashing stats in any area is the responsibility of the executive, not the workers. Find those executives whose stats are down and lay them off. If Iger wants to cut costs 10%, then to both save the staff and accomplish cost reductions, he should consider having the executives take a 15% cut in pay and have the workers take a 5% cut in pay until the dangerous condition is over, rather than laying off more workers. With a $44-million-plus annual compensation package, Iger shouldnt be too badly hurt, and it would set a great example.

Rus Mann

Glendale

--

The city of Glendale once again disappoints its residents with its retrograde actions. The city continues to defy the 1978 California Solar Rights Act, even after the state Attorney Generals office notified it of noncompliance in 2010 (GNP article published March 1, 2010). Then, to prove that it can be wrong on solar policies every time, it plans on building more fossil fuel-burning capacity regardless of environmental impact, earthquake safety or economics.

And the citys retrograde actions are matched by inactions. For example, almost a year after the passage of Proposition 64, Glendale has yet to take action to enable cannabis businesses in the city. The city could set up the rules to allow these businesses to operate legally and produce substantial tax revenues beginning Jan. 1. But instead it prefers for the industry to remain in other cities and underground, with Glendale having no effect on how it is conducted and receiving no benefit from it.

It is time for the city of Glendale to ditch fossil fuels and look to new revenue sources such as taxes on cannabis, carbon and sugary beverages.

Scott Peer

Glendale

--

The Glendale City Council passed a law this year that holds residents who own a secondary dwelling unit, or are planning on building a secondary dwelling unit, to stricter standards than what is allowed by the state. Residents in Glendale are now restricted to keep the size of their unit limited to 500 square feet compared to the states limit of 1,200 square feet. The only ones being affected by this law are the people who already owned granny flats larger than the new limit. It is hurting the residents of our city more than it is doing good.

My family has owned a 521-square-foot secondary dwelling unit for years now with the same tenants. Now, we are being threatened that well have to reconstruct the unit just because of the extra 21 square feet. Not only do we have to pay a lot of money to get it fixed, we are being forced to kick out our elderly tenants until it is fixed. I strongly feel this law is silly and unfair and that Glendale should follow the states size limit for secondary dwelling units instead.

Amin Minasian

Glendale

--

The Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn.s annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 25, will highlight different aspects within our city. Got a question or concern regarding Glendale? Councilman Vrej Agajanian is guest speaker, and this would be an opportunity to ask.

Since Glendale is in the process of developing its first Public Art Master Plan, Community Arts Resources Vice President Tamara OConnor will give a brief presentation about its future in our city. Public Art has many facets and therefore public input is vital. It can enhance a city if done properly.

We are also planning to have a crime report from the Glendale Police Department.

The new school districting process will be addressed by Greg Krikorian, GUSD board member.

This all takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Brand Library Auditorium, 1601 W. Mountain St. It is a community meeting open to all Glendale residents. To sweeten it up, refreshments will be served afterward.

Carol Brusha

Board member

Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn.
I was recently divorced, pushing 50 and ready to get out there again. Except this time around, I had herpes.

I had been married for 17 years and I was eager to rejoin the world of the dating. I signed up for Match.com. I was struck by how slick some of the profiles were, as if guys were using head shots as their profile pictures. I performed a search as a male looking for female to see the kind of competition I was up against. All the women seemed so fit and attractive, and they all proclaimed their love of hiking and yoga.

I grew up in L.A. It was hard; I was chubby and an ugly duckling. I lived in beach-adjacent Hawthorne, where it seemed all girls my age looked bikini-ready and all boys were ready to hit the surf at any moment. It took me a long time to become comfortable in my own skin. And now I wasnt willing to take a step backward in the self-confidence area. I wanted to project myself as attractive, intelligent, financially and emotionally stable. I wasnt going to let the fact that I had had two kids and was in the size 14 clothing range deter me. My game plan was to get myself out there, meet whomever I could meet and see if there was potential.

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Match.com is like that proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what youre going to get. There are a lot of frogs and no guarantees of meeting any princes. I ended up meeting a guy I really liked, and he liked me too. He lived relatively close, in the San Fernando Valley. We had a few dates, and after date four or five, it was obvious we were going to end up in the bedroom. I decided it was time for The Talk. It took me all the courage I had in me to tell him I had herpes. He was appropriately thankful for my honesty and then he ghosted me.

Being the impatient and highly sensitive person that I am, I sent him a message that basically said, Its OK if you dont want anything to do with me, but have the nerve to come out and say so. Even though I knew it was fruitless, I still went on to say that I thought we had a lot of chemistry and it would be a shame to throw it all away. I did manage to get a response out of him, which was that after being married for 20 years, this time he was going to do it right. I guessed that also meant not with a side of herpes.

I swore to myself I would never, ever put myself through that again.

I didnt care if I had to be alone for the rest of my life, I wasnt going to have The Talk with anyone else. Feeling both humiliated and determined, I Googled until I found a website called Positive Singles, a dating site for people with herpes or other STDs. Feeling wounded and gun-shy, I created an empty profile and just poked around on the site. I read some of the forums; I eyed a few profiles. Like before, I checked out the competition  again with the hikes and the yoga. I defiantly stated my lack of interest of yoga in my profile and instead focused on what I hoped would reflect a person with a lot to give  but not herpes, because, well, this was a dating site for people who already had it.

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I found out that a dating website is a dating website is a dating website.

More frogs  the married guy just looking for sex (No profile picture? Wont give me your cellphone number? No, thank you.), the guy who had one too many margaritas before I got to the restaurant (Granadas in Burbank), the guy who admitted he wasnt honest about his past because it included swinging and BDSM.

I met one guy I really, really liked. He lived in North Hollywood, just a short hop down Victory Boulevard. He was a musician, he made me laugh like crazy, but in the end, his highly political and anti-Semitic Facebook posts made me realize he was also unstable.

Then I met F. Hes was a SoCal native, like me. He had been married almost 20 years, like me. He didnt do yoga, but he did like to hike; I liked him enough that I figured I could look past that. Best of all, I would never have to have The Talk with him. Turns out, even though he has herpes, hes completely asymptomatic. Lucky duck.

We spoke many times on the phone before meeting in person. Despite living north of Los Angeles, he drove all the way down to meet me so we could meet and have coffee.

After a few months of dating, we moved in together. Weve been together now for almost two years. Hes kind, hes intelligent, I love how his sense of humor complements mine.

I remain cautiously optimistic about our future.

And I am very thankful that at this point, I never have to have The Talk again.

L.A. Affairs chronicles the current dating scene in and around Los Angeles. If you have comments or a true story to tell, email us at LAAffairs@latimes.com.

MORE L.A. LOVE STORIES 

She dumped me. By text.

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As America increases its military footprint in some of Africas most dangerous trouble spots, confronting extremist affiliates of Al Qaeda and Islamic State, the risk of intelligence failures and more combat deaths is mounting.

U.S. special forces who accompanied Nigers military at a meeting of village leaders in Tongo Tongo on Oct. 4 were working in the countrys treacherous western borderlands, a region of shifting tribal allegiances, opaque motives and ethnic grudges going back decades, all feeding into a growing jihadi problem.

Four Americans and five Nigerien troops died after leaving Tongo Tongo and being ambushed and heavily outgunned by fighters armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. The militants are believed to be from a Malian-led militia, Islamic State in the Greater Sahel, which declared allegiance to the overall militant organization in 2015.

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One error appears to have been downplaying the danger. The Tillaberi and Tahoua regions in western Niger have been under a state of emergency since March, as Niger has confronted the Islamic State offshoot, led by Malian extremist Abu Walid Sahrawi. U.S. forces have been present in the region to advise and assist Nigerien forces.

It was reported that both Nigerien and U.S. forces underestimated the risks in the area, which was a mistake, since multiple deadly attacks were recorded in the past year against Nigerien forces, said Rida Lyammouri, a Washington-based independent analyst on violent extremism.

On Saturday, gunmen mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles killed 13 Nigerien paramilitary police and wounded several others in an attack on their base in southwestern Niger, not far from where the U.S. advisors were killed.

The United Nations has cataloged 46 attacks by extremists in western Niger since February 2016, including a February attack that killed 15 Nigerien soldiers and one a year ago that killed 22 Nigerien forces at a refugee camp.

While a U.S. military investigation in Niger seeks answers on what went wrong and reevaluates procedures, Nigers interior minister, Mohamed Bazoum, said intelligence failures were to blame for the nine deaths. He said Islamic State in the Greater Sahel is more entrenched in local communities than are government forces.

For us here in Niger, we believe it was especially human intelligence that was lacking, Bazoum told French radio Thursday. This is an area where [extremists] were able to be more present than us, to inspire fear, and they certainly have elements who were able to give them very precise information.

The operation was more of an information mission than anything else, and was not very vigilant and did not conduct a mission with the view that it could have to deal with such an attack, he said.

(Paul Duginski / @latimesgraphics )

Adam Sandor, an analyst at Centre Francopaix in Conflict Resolution and Peace Missions at the University of Quebec in Montreal, said the attack was well-planned, citing local sources who said the extremists had visited the area several times.

Essentially, the attackers are believed to have been scoping out and planning the attack and must have a knowledge of local communities in the area. Local communities most likely shared with them the information regarding the Nigerien Armed Forces operating with foreigners or military advisors in this space, he said.

From the testimonies that we have about the attack, it seems the U.S. trainers felt that the villagers in Tongo Tongo were stalling, which struck them as a little bit odd. At that moment, they should probably have high-tailed it out of there.

Leaders of Tongo Tongo village have been arrested, amid suspicions they were delaying the departure of the Nigerien and U.S. forces to pave the way for the attackers.

America has 6,000 troops in 50 countries across the continent, according to the Department of Defense, although many of the missions are charged with guarding U.S. embassies. The counter-terrorism deployments include an estimated 1,000 special operations forces, many posted in high-risk locations such as Somalia, Mali and Nigeria. An estimated 800 troops are in Niger.

The U.S. also operates a string of drone bases throughout Africa, including one in Niger.

Despite the substantial troop footprint, U.S. forces operating in often-austere environments do not have robust support systems.

Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of U.S. Africa Command, documented to Congress in March his forces lack of needed resources on the continent. Only about 20% to 30% of requirements for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights are being met, he said, and there are insufficient military helicopters to help locate missing, wounded or killed service members.

Alex Thurston, Sahel analyst and author of a book on the Nigeria-based militant group Boko Haram, said Americas footprint in Africa began expanding with George W. Bushs presidency and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

One big factor is the assumption that took hold after 9/11 that any ungoverned space was a potential Afghanistan and any small group was a potential Al Qaeda and everything had to be nipped in the bud very early. That assumption draws them further and further in, so they feel they have to have some kind of presence wherever theres a jihadist group, Thurston said.

The U.S. sometimes doubts the capacity of African governments to deal with these problems, sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly, he said.

Analyst Laura Seay, a political scientist from Colby College in Maine, said the mission in Niger had been operating in difficult conditions and terrain. Members of Congress have chosen or been led to believe that advise and assist missions like the one in Niger are low-risk. They arent, and these types of missions, where we have large numbers of American forces on the ground but technically not at war in places most Americans cant locate on a map are increasingly common and, in some cases, increasingly dangerous, she said in a series of tweets.

Sadly, it was almost inevitable that something like this would happen somewhere, and its likely to happen again, she said.

In Somalia, Navy Seal Kyle Milliken, 38, was killed in May accompanying Somali forces approaching a compound occupied by the Shabab, the Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group. The group, which has proved nimble and adaptable in years of hardened battle against a U.N.-backed African force, AMISOM, and Somali armed forces, threatens to retake territory with the planned withdrawal of AMISOM forces beginning later this year.

Millikens death was the first U.S. combat death in Africa since the Black Hawk Down episode in 1993, when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in Somalia and 18 U.S. soldiers were killed.

The Shabab is the deadliest of Africas terrorist groups and is believed to be responsible for the countrys worst terrorist attack: At least 358 people were killed Oct. 14, and 56 are still missing. The attack came weeks after a U.S. drone strike killed 10 civilians, including three children, in Bariire, west of Mogadishu.

The U.S. has carried out at least 60 drone strikes in Somalia since January, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, killing up to 510 people, including at least 38 civilians.

The Shabab has killed 2,745 people in 2017, carrying out 987 of the continents 1,827 incidents of violent extremism in the first nine months of the year, according to the analytical group African Center for Strategic Studies.

The U.S. has about 400 troops in Somalia and stepped up its military involvement after President Trump widened the powers of American troops to take offensive action this year.

The Shabab also has a presence in Kenya, where it launches regular attacks, including the 2013 Westgate shopping mall massacre that killed at least 67 people, and the 2015 Garissa University College attack, where 147 people  mainly university students  were killed. The terrorist group is believed to have a presence across East Africa.

Boko Haram, operating in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and southeastern Niger, was responsible for 2,232 deaths in the first nine months of the year, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

In Mali, myriad armed extremists operate, including Islamic State in the Greater Sahel and its rival the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, formed in March from several Al Qaeda-linked extremist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. In 2012, Islamist militias took over half of the country before the French military drove them out of major cities.

The militias range freely across rural areas, crossing borders at will, launching operations in Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, including attacks on hotels and resorts popular with foreigners. The U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, on Friday warned of a credible threat of a terrorist attack in the city.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where myriad rebel groups vie for control over mineral resources, a new organization emerged recently declaring fealty to Islamic State.

By comparison, Niger is one of the more stable countries in the region, making it the U.S. choice for a drone base being built outside Agadez, in central Niger, that will launch strikes across the region.

The Tongo Tongo attack has focused attention on Sahel leader Sahrawi, who was a spokesman for one of the extremist groups that conquered the northern Malian town of Gao in the 2012 fighting. He has a history of swapping sides and financing his operations through kidnappings.

He has recruited fighters from among the Fulani nomads in western Niger, exploiting ethnic rivalries with the Daoussahak people in the region, some of whom have formed a militia called the Movement for the Salute of Azawad. Both Niger and France have used the group as a proxy force to fight Islamic State in the Great Sahel, deepening ethnic animosities.

Abu Walid is a mover and a shaker. This is someone who has been reportedly amping up attacks in the Mali-Niger borderlands, in part in order to demonstrate his fealty and capacities to support the IS, Sandor said, referring to Islamic State. Abu Walid has the required local contacts and a background in kidnapping for ransom. Its probably one of the main mechanisms of his groups financing.

Sahrawi has held several foreign hostages and could be living off the multimillion-dollar proceeds, he said.

It is not known which Malian extremist group is holding American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was kidnapped in Niger a year ago and is believed to have been taken to Mali.

The Sahel offshoots links to Islamic State do not appear to be close, and the group is a nimble, fast-moving organization, not set on holding territory. Analysts said it was not yet certain the Tongo Tongo attack was carried out by the terrorist group.

Even if an IS unit is behind it, the branch is not as strong and powerful as many assume they are, said Lyammouri, the analyst. Militants in the area are made of small mobile units and constantly changing locations.

When U.S. and Western forces intervene in Africa, jihadi movements seek to discredit them as corrupt outsiders interested in exploiting local people or backing despised regimes. Their task is made easier when drone strikes kill civilians or when local security forces routinely ignore legal norms and harass, arrest or kill people.

The arrest of Tongo Tongo village leaders, Sandor said, could exacerbate tensions particularly if there are any accusations of abuse by the Nigerien military or the gendarmerie [police] of the people who are interrogated.

Thurston warned that scaled-up military action in Africa could become a lightning rod and potentially even a trigger for recruitment.

I think it makes ordinary people nervous and confused. If people start to see that as neocolonialism or an infringement on their rights, it might encourage them to join some of these jihadist movements, he said.

Despite the horror reverberating across the U.S. over the deaths of the four American servicemen, analysts see the U.S. as unlikely to wind back military operations.

The U.S. most likely will not draw back because of this incident. U.S. engagement and support to Niger has been going on for many years. Niger is important to the U.S. because of the ongoing fight against Boko Haram, Lyammouri said.

Niger is also strategic to fight all sorts of trafficking in the region, so the U.S. and other Western allies cannot afford to see Niger being destabilized.

Times staff writer W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT

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Dozens of men gathered in a dust-blown graveyard Saturday to pay their last respects to 83-year-old Karbalai Mohammad Anwar Noori, one of at least 50 people killed in a suicide bombing the night before at a nearby mosque in western Kabul.

As Nooris sons and nephews fought back tears, a tall, turbaned cleric stood above the mound of freshly turned dirt where the shroud-wrapped body was laid to rest. Speaking into a microphone, he invoked the words of Imam Jafar Sadiq, the sixth imam in Shiite Islam.

Those who worship must be cautious and clever, said the cleric, Abdulaziz Amiri. It is not only up to the security forces to protect us. We must be prepared at all times and ready for any possible attack.

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Threats are increasing for Afghanistans Shiite Muslim minority, the targets of a spate of recent attacks that have highlighted the governments inability to secure places of worship and added a troubling sectarian dimension to the countrys long-running conflict.

In the first nine months of this year, 84 Afghan Shiites were killed and 194 wounded in attacks against mosques or religious gatherings, according to United Nations figures.

Those numbers rose sharply after Friday evening, when a suicide bomber hurled a grenade at worshipers before blowing himself up near the front of the crowded Imam Zaman mosque, which sits along a busy road in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. Dozens were wounded, officials said.

As in many of the previous attacks  including two at Shiite mosques in Kabul over the summer  Islamic States South Asia affiliate claimed responsibility for the bombing. The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and accuses Afghan Shiites, particularly members of the Hazara ethnic group, of fighting against the militants as part of pro-government militias in Syria.

Shira Ahmad weeps at the funeral of his father, Karbalai Mohammad Anwar Noori, who was among at least 50 people killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Kabul on Oct. 20, 2017. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

The bombings have become so common that even the perpetrators have seemed to lose track of them. On Friday, Islamic State incorrectly said it had attacked the Imam Zaman mosque for the second time  confusing it with a Kabul mosque by the same name that it had attacked in August, killing about 40 people.

At funerals across Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Saturday, grieving Shiites said they understood the threats but would not cease observing their faith.

Of course people are worried and scared  every attack is a massacre, said Nooris son, Ali Khan Noori, 44.

But as mourners filed away from the cemetery, Noori pushed back gently against the clerics admonition.

My father is martyred  I am not upset about that, he said. But it is the governments responsibility to provide security, not the peoples responsibility.

Shiites, who make up less than 20% of Afghanistans population, were rarely singled out for attacks in the decade after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, a Sunni fundamentalist regime. But since 2011, the annual Shiite religious festival of Ashura has been attacked almost every year, according to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based research organization.

The biggest attack against Shiites came in July 2016, when Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bombing at a Hazara-led protest in Kabul that killed more than 80 people, wounded hundreds and sparked a major grass-roots protest movement demanding that President Ashraf Ghanis government do more to secure religious sites.

Last month, weeks before Ashura, the government recruited civilian guards and distributed weapons at hundreds of Shiite houses of worship, a controversial move in a country that is awash in guns and has often struggled to control private militias.

Blood stains the walls of the Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, after a suicide bomber struck on Oct. 20, killing at least 50 people. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

The limits of that policy were clear at the Imam Zaman mosque, where five guards armed with aging automatic rifles did not detect the suicide bomber  carrying multiple grenades  as he entered through a gate along a busy road, walked across a small courtyard, up a flight of steps and made his way toward the front of the prayer hall.

Witnesses said the bomber waited until the moment that the evening prayer began, when worshipers were bowing to the floor, to launch one grenade across the room and detonate his suicide vest.

Blood was splattered across the walls and bits of hair and flesh were stuck to the ceiling. The walls were pocked with holes, probably from ball bearings that were packed into the bombers vest. The blood-soaked carpets were torn off the floors and rolled up in the courtyard, attracting flies.

The blast threw Mohammad Daoud, a civilian guard posted behind a set of sandbags at the entrance to the prayer hall, off his chair and into a concrete wall, though he wasnt injured. Daoud acknowledged that the addition of weapons from the government had not kept them safe, and that many people still entered the mosque without being thoroughly frisked.

It is not respectful to search people all the time when they come to pray, he said. If a terrorist makes it all the way up the stairs, what can we do? Its difficult to stop them.

In a paper published last month, the Afghanistan Analysts Network warned that armed, lightly trained civilians would not be able to stop a major attack against a crowd of worshipers. But government officials have indicated the civilian guards would remain in place for the time being.

All in all, the plan looks much more like a symbolic act of reassuring the Shia communities that the government is doing something, rather than achieving a real improvement [in] security, the group wrote.

The mosque attack came at the end of a week that saw more than 200 Afghan civilians and security personnel killed. On Saturday evening, another suicide bomber struck outside a military training academy as army officers were on their way home, killing 15 people, according to Defense Ministry officials. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Many Shiites responded with resignation when asked about the deteriorating security.

We cant stop praying, Daoud said. We cant close the gates of the mosque and stay home. If I were to be killed defending this place, it would be an honor.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia
East Asia is tense. North Korea is lobbing missiles over Japan and engaging in a war of words with the United States. China is flexing its muscle as its leader, Xi Jinping, consolidates his power.

Against that backdrop, Japanese voters are expected to stick with the status quo Sunday in a snap election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks likely to win. The election has already reshaped the Japanese political landscape and increased the likelihood that Abe will realize his long-cherished goal of reforming the countrys constitution to legalize Japans Self-Defense Forces.

Heres whats you need to know:

Why is this happening now?

Prime Minister Abes Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) rules in a coalition with Komeito, a smaller party. When Abe called the election, his coalition held more than two-thirds of seats in Japans House of Representatives  a supermajority, allowing the coalition to start amending the constitution and unilaterally pass legislation. In the general election, Abe is hoping he can preserve that supermajority, or even expand it. Its a risk, especially given that the LDP already occupies a strong position.

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The elections timing caught many by surprise. The LDP has been dogged by scandals in recent months. Critics have accused Abes government of arranging a land deal for a favored kindergarten operator, and of providing government support for a family friends veterinary college. In July, Abes approval rating dipped to 36%. It has since recovered, but doubts about his leadership remain.

Fortunately for Abe, his opposition is in disarray. Japans center-left Democratic Party, formerly its largest opposition party, disbanded after the election was announced. It threw its support behind the center-right Party of Hope, which is led by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and is less than a month old.

But if the LDP isnt popular, neither is anyone else. Abe figured that by calling the election now, he could take advantage of his opponents weaknesses.

The weakness of the opposition was the major factor here, said Sheila Smith, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike greets her supporters during a campaign appearance Wednesday in Saitama. (Behrouz Mehri / AFP/Getty Images )

Will Abe remain in power?

Almost certainly.

Abes strongest challenge has emerged from Koike, the Tokyo governor. Charismatic and media savvy, she defected from Abes party last year in a successful run for governor. Her new party, the Party of Hope, has sought to unite voters skeptical of the LDP.

But theres a catch: Koike wont resign as Tokyos governor to run with her party in the election, citing an obligation to complete her term as governor. That means she cant become prime minister.

Its a strange proposition, said Mireya Solis, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Youre asking voters to vote for the Party of Hope, while the face of the party is not a contender to occupy the top position.

With the election looming, Koike also hasnt had time to field candidates in all of Japans competitive districts. Many of Abes legislators will not face a Party of Hope candidate at all.

Koikes struggles to recruit arent accidental. By calling the election early, Abe gave her party little time to prepare.

All of this leads most analysts to agree that Koike is unlikely to claim the majority from Abe. The question isnt whether Abe will win or lose, but rather his margin of victory. Koikes goal is to claim more seats  not to win outright.

If this election is more of the same, why does it matter?

The election has transformed Japans opposition. The collapse of the Democratic Party was a seismic event. The Democratic Party and its predecessor, the Democratic Party of Japan, have been the face of Japans opposition for almost 20 years. The Democratic Party is the only party besides the LDP with experience governing Japan. Its destruction means Japans two major parties  the LDP and the Party of Hope  are both conservative.

This leaves left-leaning voters without a major-party choice. On Oct. 2, the Democratic Partys former deputy leader, Yukio Edano, announced a new center-left party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. It remains small.

As a result, constitutional reform just got a lot more likely. Japan has never amended its constitution, which was written by American occupation forces after World War II. Its controversial Article 9 renounces the use of force as means of settling international disputes.

Abe wants to tweak that provision by explicitly legalizing Japans de facto military, the Self-Defense Forces. Koikes Party of Hope is open to revising Article 9 as well. If both the government and the largest opposition party support constitutional reform, Abe may get his wish.

Abes party has always advocated for constitutional revision, even when it wasnt a practical reality, said Smith. Now the debate has begun. Japanese politics are catching up with the issue.

In the long term, barring a shock on Sunday, conservative forces will likely emerge stronger in Japan. Eventually, this may lead to a more muscular Japanese foreign policy.

The United States and Great Britain have each seen an election-night surprise. Might it happen in Japan too?

Populist fever has pulsed through developed world democracies in the last year and a half. The LDP, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955, is the quintessential establishment party. Might it suffer the same setbacks as the establishment elsewhere?

It doesnt look that way. Although a large number of voters remain undecided  in a recent poll, 54% of respondents hadnt picked a candidate in their district  Japan lacks a credible populist challenger. Koikes party, while new, doesnt threaten the existing order.

Explanations for Japans resistance to populism run the gamut. Analysts have pointed to its lack of immigrants (1.5% of Japans population was foreign-born in 2015, compared with 13.4% in the U.S.), its electoral system (which privileges the rural vote) and a recent brush with anti-establishment rule in the late 2000s, widely viewed as a failure.

Angst over North Korea may also be driving voters into the arms of the familiar. Though Abe has been beset by scandals, his approach to the North Korea issue  tough, but not bellicose  has won him admirers. He has deepened cooperation with traditional allies South Korea and the United States, and has refrained from taking actions that might inflame tensions.

In a debate on Oct. 8, he emphasized continuity: Id like to win a public mandate for my current policy regarding North Korea, which is to thoroughly pressure the regime, he said.

With Japan on edge, it stands to reason that voters may want to stick with a known quantity.

The North Koreans are now shooting medium-range missiles over the top of Japan, with military purpose and with abandon, said Smith. Japans security environment has deteriorated. Its just a fact.

DeButts is a special correspondent.

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MASON CITY | Congressman Steve King discussed DACA, health care and President Donald Trump's proposed tax plan during a stop in Mason City Friday.

Trump has set March 5, 2018, as the end date for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, has told Congress to figure out what to do concerning its nearly 800,000 recipients.

The GOP lawmaker said he's unsure of what action Congress will take, but maintained his stance that children born to two people residing in the country illegally should be deported.

He also said he continues to disagree with Trump on the issue, one the president seemingly took a hard line with on the campaign trail last year.

"I think his stance on this issue has lost him some political capital," King told the Globe Gazette.

Another hot issue Republicans and Democrats have fought over during the past several months is health care. King said he has heard from many people who have suffered under the Affordable Care Act, and said it's time to get something passed.

"It is on Congress to help all Iowans and Americans and repeal Obamacare," he said.

One of the most important issues to King, however, is the tax reform legislation Trump has proposed. Under the current proposal, the number of tax brackets would be reduced from seven to three. The corporate tax would fall from 35 to 20 percent.

It also lowers the maximum small business tax rate to 25 percent, now at 39.6 percent.

King supports the current plan, adding he believes the corporate tax cuts would help stimulate the economy.

"Let's get 'er done," King said, adding it is vital for Congress to act soon to help businesses and individuals save money and spur economic growth.

King was in Mason City to speak with high school students at the Mason City Chamber of Commerce, where he discussed his political career and experiences working in Washington, D.C.

The meeting was part of the Youth Investing Energy in Leadership Development, or YIELD, class. Students who are part of it have been identified as future leaders by their teachers and administrators.

King talked about his hectic days on Capitol Hill, saying he spends one-and-a-half to two hours skimming the news each morning, and then sometimes has to take part in up to 20 meetings a day.
Authorities in Niger said that unknown assailants killed 13 soldiers Saturday in the West African country.

The attack occurred in the town of Ayorou near the border with Mali, according to a government communique. It said five others were wounded.

This is the latest unrest to hit Niger, where four United States service members were recently killed in an ambush by extremists. The country has suffered attacks not only from the local Al Qaeda affiliate but also from a relatively new group calling itself Islamic State in the Sahel. That group is believed to have attacked the Americans and left four soldiers from Niger dead.
At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo was ambushed, officials said Saturday. The ensuing firefight was one of the deadliest for Egyptian security forces in recent years.

Two police officials told the Associated Press that the exchange of fire began late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 84 miles southwest of Cairo.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

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The firefight began when security forces acting on intelligence moved against a militants hideout in the area. Backed by armored personnel carriers and led by senior counterterrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the officials.

The officials said what happened next is not clear, but added that the force likely ran out of ammunition and that the militants captured several policemen and later killed them.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants. The death toll could increase, they added.

Those killed included two police brigadier generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels.

Egypts Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, announced a much lower death toll, saying in a statement read over state television that 16 were killed in the shootout. It added that 15 militants were killed or injured.

The last time Egypts security forces suffered such heavy losses was in July 2015 when militants from the extremist Islamic State group carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai peninsula, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed.

An official statement issued Saturday said Fridays incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures or lack of coordination. The officials said prosecutors will look into whether the polices counterterrorism agents failed to inform the military of the operation or include them.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of Islamic State. A local affiliate of the extremist group is spearheading an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.

The United States condemned the attack in a statement issued by the State Department, offering profound condolences to the families of the deceased and the government and people of Egypt ... at this difficult time.

The incident comes a few days after militants staged a brazen daylight attack in the heart of el-Arish, the largest city in the Sinai Peninsula, attacking a church and a nearby bank and reportedly making away with some $1 million. Seven people were killed in the Monday attack.

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UPDATES:

11 a.m.: This article was updated with details about the firefight and victims, context and after the State Departments response.

4:10 a.m.: This article was updated to raise the death toll from 14 to 55 policemen.

This article was originally published at 12:10 a.m.
Former Marine Kevin Howard claimed scores of kills as a sniper volunteering this year with a militia fighting Islamic State in Syria.

He wanted to help people, Howard had said this summer, especially Christians who were being persecuted for their faith just as they had been in areas where he had fought with the Marines in Iraq.



For the record: This story reported that Taylor Hudson lived with a couple in Syria and became engaged with their daughter. She was a local resident but not the couples daughter and her family broke off the engagement.

But this fall, Howard and a fellow American volunteer, Taylor Hudson, grew disillusioned with the U.S.-backed militia and decided it was time to leave the battlefield and return home. But that decision launched both men on an uncertain and still unfolding journey that highlights the odd nature of their role as soldiers fighting for a cause, not a country.

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Earlier this month, Howard, 28, a heavily tattooed veteran from San Francisco, disappeared after crossing the border in Iraq. His friend Hudson then had to decide: Stay in Syria or go to Iraq in hopes of finding his missing comrade?

I dont know what my situation is going to be once I cross the border into Iraq, Hudson said Thursday from a home where he was sheltering with friends in Syria.

Americans have a history of volunteering to fight overseas, but the war in Syria presents distinct problems and challenges. The U.S. State Department advises against volunteering to fight with U.S.-allied Kurdish and Syrian militias, and the U.S. is under no obligation to aid such fighters if they get in trouble. But if the volunteers manage to return to the U.S., they face no legal consequences.

Of the several hundred such volunteers who have served since the Syrian civil war began six years ago, some died on the front line. According to local estimates, several dozen remain fighting in Syria. Others returned to the U.S. after their tours of duty, where would-be volunteers quiz them about the dangers they faced.

When Howard joined the Syriac Military Council, known as the MFS, last year, he was well aware of the risks. He made one stipulation: He would fight as a sniper team with Hudson, 33, from Pasadena, whom he trained with and trusted. Commanders agreed.

In July, when they spoke with the Los Angeles Times on the front line in Raqqah, they were encouraged. Militia fighters had broken through the citys ancient wall and were gaining new footholds in Islamic State territory.

Days later, their unit was targeted by deadly Islamic State suicide attacks. An Assyrian fighter was shot and killed on patrol. Their missions became more ragtag, assembled at the last minute. Hudson insisted he leave the front line to get treatment for his hand, injured by shrapnel in June. He traveled north to the militias training academy in Tal Tamr, expecting to rejoin Howard in Raqqah in a few weeks.

But Hudson never returned. Commanders refused to allow Hudson back to the front, he said, and began pushing Howard to shift south toward the worsening battle in Dair Alzour. Each heard that the other had been killed. Howard eventually persuaded commanders to transfer him where Hudson was so they could leave Syria together. But then, Hudson said, they were detained at the academy.

An MFS spokesman insisted that the pair were absolutely not jailed and that we always appreciate the will of Westerners to join our fight and cause.

Last month, a paralegal friend of Howards back in the U.S., Jeanette Carlisle of Fort Worth, tweeted a plea for help to U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. Could the military, she asked, rescue Hudson and her friend?

While we join you in your concern for Mr. Howard, U.S. forces here are fully engaged in an international effort to defeat ISIS, and unfortunately are not resourced for or tasked with checking on Americans who make this dangerous choice for themselves, Dillon wrote back, referring her to the State Department. ISIS is another name for Islamic State.

Hudson was desperate to leave. He still felt driven to help Syrian friends and a family that had sponsored him, but he was burned out.

I had to come up with a formula to estimate how many of my friends I had seen shot. It was over 500, he said.

He said he was told by a contact at the State Department that the pair could seek help from U.S. forces based in Kobani, on the northern border. But he and Howard were turned away.

They talked to us like we are criminals, Howard wrote in a message Oct. 9. We need help.

Dillon said in an interview that it wasnt the militarys responsibility to rescue American volunteers in Syria.

The State Department has been very clear in discouraging non-official travel of Americans to the combat theater, he said. Barring direct orders from higher authorities, the U.S. military is neither resourced for, nor charged with, search/rescue efforts for Americans who have voluntarily traveled into Iraq and Syria, which he said poses potential risk to military personnel and resources otherwise dedicated to the defeat of ISIS.

Dillon did say that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was looking into the matter of Howard and Hudson, but a State Department official noted that the department has no consular presence in Syria  our ability to provide consular assistance to individuals who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who die in the conflict, is extremely limited.

He declined to comment on the cases of Howard and Hudson, citing privacy concerns.

After the pair failed to get help in Kobani, Hudson said they returned to Tal Tamr, where he got his passport back and was allowed to leave after signing paperwork absolving the militia of responsibility for his safety. But militia leaders still held Howard, seizing his passport because he had been such a high-profile fighter, Hudson said. When Hudson last talked to him by phone Oct. 13, Howard said militia officials had moved him east to Hasakah.

He was afraid they were going to just drive him to the Iraqi border and dump him in the middle of nowhere, Hudson said of his friend.

The next day, he learned what had happened to Howard.

The militia released a photo and video of Howard crossing the border into Iraq at Faysh Khabur. Although Howard remained incommunicado, by Thursday the U.S. Consulate in Irbil confirmed to friends and family that Howard was being held by Kurdish officials in that northern Iraqi city, and that they should be able to secure his release in a few weeks.

Howards mother, Susan OLeary of Grants Pass, Ore., said Saturday that she was contacted by consular staffers in Irbil who said they had visited her son at a nearby detention center. His spirits were high, his health was good, and hes looking forward to getting home, she said.

She added that her son knew he was going to get picked up when he got back into Iraq for visa violations connected to his entry into Syria from Iraq. Such violations often trigger a fine. Word is, it can range from $5,000 to $10,000, OLeary said.

She noted that Howard, after risking his life to help the militia effort, now has to pay to get out of the Middle East. No heros welcome. No pay at all. They did this because they wanted to fight ISIS. They are not mercenaries. I wish people clearly understood that, she said.

The U.S. Consulate is arranging an exit visa for Howard, a repatriation loan to pay the fine, a plane ticket and enough money to get home, OLeary said. The process could take months.

Hudson, meanwhile, is still in eastern Syria, trying to figure the safest route home. In a phone interview, said he didnt regret volunteering to fight.

It was worth it. Saved a lot of lives, he said. But he added, Im PTSDd out. Im done. Ive got to go home.

His advice to other prospective volunteers: Know what youre getting into.

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LEDYARD | A couple of weeks ago, many in a small town in Kossuth County learned one of their farmers had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

So they decided to do what they know best: help that farmer, 55-year-old Dave Christ, harvest his corn and soybeans this fall.

Lloyd Eichenberger, one of the farmers who helped organize the effort, said about 15 farmers showed up with their own combines to bring in 90 acres of soybeans in three hours this past Wednesday.

The Christs' farm lies about 4 miles south of downtown Ledyard, he added.

"David is just a super swell fella," Eichenberger said. "He would do the same thing for anyone else."

The Christs' involvement downtown made it a easy decision, he added.

Donna Christ, Dave's wife, manages the Ledyard Country Store, Eichenberger said. She's the go-to for helping to organize community events in a town of just under 150 people, he added.

"When people got a church event or anything, they call Donna," he said.

Donna, 51, said she and Dave were blessed by the support. She said helping others in her community is something she feels she should do.

"We're blessed to live where we live," she told the Globe Gazette by phone from the Country Store Friday. "I'm kind of a person who likes to 'give,' and it's kind of challenging to 'take,' but we're so blessed."

Sam Belz, pastor of the Bethany Evangelical and Reformed Church in Ledyard, took pictures of the farmers working and said prayers at a dinner following the harvest Wednesday.

Belz commended the community for its work, and said he simply served as the emotional outlet for several farmers who volunteered.

"I was just the go-between, that's what pastors are good for in a situation like this," he said.

Donna, who was moved to tears when discussing the farmers' help Friday, again thanked the Ledyard community, which she says is like family.

"It was totally humbling and amazing," she said. "We're just above and beyond grateful."
A 47-year-old Bethlehem man has been identified as the pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle in Allentown and later died at the hospital, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said Friday night.

Carlos Moreno-Cosmo was pronounced dead at 8:18 p.m. Thursday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, the coroner's office said in a news release. He died of multiple blunt force injuries; the manner of death is still pending the outcome of an investigation, according to the release.

The incident was reported at 7:47 p.m. Thursday in the 1900 block of West Hamilton Street, authorities previously said. The driver of the car was male and didn't appear hurt, an Allentown police captain said earlier Thursday.

Police haven't released the identity of the driver and the vehicle he was driving. Police are assisting the coroner's office in the investigation.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
TROPHIES

Thanks to donations from the Two Rivers Health & Wellness Foundation and the Easton and Palmer Lions Clubs, youngsters in the Easton Area School District will have their vision tested on the spot, quickly identifying those who need glasses. The grants allowed the Family Connection of Easton to buy a handheld SPOT Vision Screener, which performs tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism in a few seconds. Before now, the evaluations took weeks of testing at each school.The nonprofit group serves thousands of students and familiesthrough health and wellness screening, parenting and after-school programs, and other services.

Led by Mayor Bob Donchez and Councilman J. William Reynolds, Bethlehem is following through on a plan to revitalize the city's north side neighborhoods. The program, called Northside 2027, will look at ways to promote reinvestment, counter property blight and provide tax incentives. The partnership will bring together the city, the Bethlehem Area School District, Moravian College and local businesses to try to deal with increases in rental properties and the poverty rate. The city expects to spend $50,000 for a consultant to study the neighborhood's needs, including converting rentals back to owner-occupied homes and revisiting stalled redevelopment projects.

TURKEYS

U.S. Rep. Tom Marino's expected promotion to the nation's "Drug Czar" was torpedoed this week. The Washington Post and CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" reported that Marino, a Republican from Williamsport, Pa., was the prime backer of a bill in 2016 that weakened the Drug Enforcement Administration's ability to cut the flow opioid painkillers to "pill mills" around the country. On Tuesday President Trump said Marino had withdrawn from consideration for the post. The legislation, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, raised the threshold by which the DEA could intervene and seek penalties against drug distributors, pharmacies and physicians suspected of moving large quantities of painkillers. Marino, whose campaign accepted nearly $100,000 from the pharmaceutical industry, continued to defend the bill, saying it struck a balance between patients' pain-relief needs and aggressive tactics by the DEA.

LANTA bus drivers are calling for action against a growing threat -- the increasing number of

In the most recent incident, Bethlehem resident John Gardner was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly hitting a driver in the head with a coffee mug. A group of drivers is asking their employer, the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, to step up to protect them. Drivers say they often face aggression for confronting passengers who might be cheating on fares, such as selling discounted passes for disabled riders. Drivers also encounter disruptive people who are drunk or under the influence of drugs, those who want to bring food and drinks aboard, and road-rage altercations. The authority will consider bringing back protective screens for drivers -- something that was tested a few years ago but didn't win favor with most drivers.
A Mountmellick woman who was roaring and shouting in the street in an alleged dispute over stolen money has been given the probation act, having completed some voluntary work with the Portlaoise Tidy Towns group.

Fiona OCallaghan (39), Patrick Street, Mountmellick, first came before the district court in July, where Judge Catherine Staines vowed to get tough on people who make a nuisance of themselves in public.

At that court, Inspector Eamonn Curley gave evidence that on July 8 this year, the gardai received a 999 call to attend at OMoore Place, Portlaoise.

There were around 50 people in the area, including children, and the accused was sitting in a parked vehicle shouting out the window at another person, trading insults.

She then got out of the car and attempted to run at the person, but the gardai tried to hold her back.

She became abusive towards the gardai and was arrested.

She had 42 previous convictions.

Said Judge Staines to the accused: How do you think the people in Portlaoise feel, if theyre out for a walk or to go to the shop and they have to hear you roaring and shouting?

Replied the accused: Its not acceptable and I do apologise for how I acted.

Judge Catherine Staines asked the probation officer, Ms Ann Walsh, whether the accused would be suitable for community service, but Ms Walsh replied she would not be due to the level of methadone she is on.

Defence for the accused, Ms Josephine Fitzpatrick said that her client previously had drug difficulties, but was now on 95ml of methadone and providing clean urinalysis.

Judge Staines then suggested that the accused do some form of voluntary work, perhaps with the local Tidy Towns group.

She said she had been considering a one-month prison sentence, as she had no doubt that the people of Portlaoise are fed up with public order offences of this nature.

The judge then adjourned the matter to October 12, telling the accused to complete at least 50 hours voluntary work for her community.

At last weeks court, Ms Fitzpatrick handed in a letter from Portlaoise Tidy Towns confirming the accused had completed some hours voluntary work.

Judge Staines said she was satisfied the accused had done enough hours and done the work well.

She applied the probation act, section 1.2.
Dublin and midlands hospital management are to meet shortly on how to execute a downgrade of Portlaoise hospital as part of a big shakeup in hospitals across Laois, Kidlare and Dublin, a Laois TD has claimed.

Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley told the Leinster Express that he has seen a copy of a plan for Portlaoise and other hospitals drawn up by Dr Susan O'Reilly, chief executive of the HSE's Dublin Midland Hospital Group (DMHG).

The group includes the Midlands Regional Hospitals in Portlaoise and Tullamore, Naas General Hospital, Tallaght Hospital and St James in Dublin. The plan is understood to have huge implications for all these hospitals because it will direct many emergency referrals to Tullamore and the Dublin hospitals.

Dr O'Reilly's plan has been kept under wraps for some time but it was sent to the Minister for Health Simon Harris because of its controversial recommendation to downgrade Portlaoise. Dep Stanley described the document he has read as a plan to Downgrade Portlaoise Hospital. Naas hospital is likely to be bypassed.

The plan to downgrade it is in the final draft of the 'Strategic Plan' for the Hospital group. This is due to be discussed with senior management next Wednesday. Both the HSE and the Government have been foot dragging in publishing this for over two years," said the Sinn Fein TD.

"The document states: 'we will develop a 24/7 GP referred medical assessment unit and a 12/7 local injuries unit in the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise in line with national clinical care programmes models of care.'

"So its clear whats intended, an 8am to 8pm minor injuries and a medical assessment unit.

"They commit to expanding 'emergency department capacity, principally in Tallaght and Tullamore'. So upgrade these and downgrade Portlaoise," Dep Stanley told the Express.

The Laios TD, who also represents parts of Kildare, called for action.

"This plan needs to be stopped in its tracks and its up to government to act immediately. I raised this again with the Minister for Health Simon Harris last week and he replied that it being reviewed in detail by his department. This is simply play acting," he said.

Laois TD Charlie Flanagan is one of the most senior Ministers in Government and he has opposed downgrade in the past. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has an intimate knowledge of the hospital because he was Minister for Health during the crisis that engulfed the maternity services at the hospital.

Dep Stanley believes the issue is a matter for Government.

"The ball is in the Government court, he said.

Dep Stanley believes the plan has been on the desk of the Minister for Health Simon Harris for some time. He has expressed reservations about downgrading Portlaoise.

A Medical Assesment Unit was built in Portlaoise at at cost of 5million in 2016. The building is only partially used and the Assesment Unit has never been opened.

Staff at Portlaoise hospital believe that if 24/7 emergency care is removed there is little future for some other acute services such as maternity and paediatrics. They fear all move elsewhere with the loss of A&E.

HSE MANAGEMENT REFUSE TO COMMENT
The HSE's management group that oversees hospitals in Laois, Offaly, Kildare and Dublin has refused to comment on the leak of its own report which has huge consequences A&E and other services to the people of the four counties.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) submitted revised plans for Portlaoise and other bigger hospitals in its area to the Minister for Health Simon Harris in late 2016.

Since then neither the Minister or the DMHG has commented on its contained. Both parties have also refused to publish the plan despite numerous requests.

Now the so-called Strategic plan has been leaked to Laois Sinn Fein TD for Laois Brian Stanley. He claims it recommends that the A&E will be removed from Portlaoise while Naas General emergency could also be bypassed. FULL STORY HERE.

Asked for a response, the DMHG continues to treat the process as confidential. It issued a one line response to the Leinster Express but did not deny the report.

We do not comment on any plans that remain unpublished," said the single line statement from the DMHG.

The DMHG has previously said that it would consult with the public on the plan's implementation and not on its recommendations.

Dep Stanley also claimed that a meeting of management from Portlaoise, Tullamore, Tallaght, St James and Naas hospitals is imminent to discuss the execution of a plan.

The Minister for Health has the final say on what happens to Portlaoise and other hospitals. Under health legislation the HSE does not have the power to proceed with downgrade without it being cleared by Minister.

The Minister has yet to give the plan his backing in public despite having the report for more than a year.

The DMHG's Chief Executive Dr Susan O'Reilly has previously said that any changes will be carried out in line with the best clinical advice and with patient safety as the priority.

The first steps to downgrade Portlaoise date back 2011 when the Fine Gael Labour government gave the green light to remove A&E from a number of small hospitals.

This led to the resignation of the now Government minister, Denis Naughton, to resign from Fine Gael because of the loss of emergency services from Roscommon Hospital.

Momentum gathered pace to downgrade for a second time after the crisis that engulfed the Portlaoise maternity unit in 2014. This led to a report from Hiqa, the health watchdog, which made many negative findings about the safety of services. It recommended that the HSE produce a plan for Portlaoise.

The DMHG say the subsequent plan is now with the Minister.
Laois family doctors have launched a scathing attack on HSE's Dublin Midlands Hospital Group management after the leak of a report which confirms plans to downgrade Portlaiose hospital and make other dramatic changes to hospitals in Dublin, Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

A statement issued by the Laois GP group to the Leinster Express says doctors are not surprised by the contents of the report leaked to Laois TD Brian Stanley. The Sinn Fein TD has obtained a copy of the report which health authorities and the Minister for Health Simon Harris have refused to publish.

Among the big recommendations is the removal of 24/7 A&E (Emergency Department) services from the Midlands Regional Hospital (MRH), Portlaoise. FULL STORY HERE

While angry at the downgrade recommendation, the GPs are not surprised at its contents but are shocked by management's refusal to engage with doctors or the public.

"We have repeatedly warned of such details. We remain shocked and disappointed that management of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group did not engage at any point in the development of their plan with local stakeholders or GPs," said a statment.

The repeated an appeal to management and Minister to look at other options. If the leaked plan is proceeded with the doctors believe services for women and children will be cut.

"We remain vehemently opposed to any downgrade of services at MRH Portlaoise. We strongly recommend that Minister Harris review the alternative plan drafted by local clinicians comprising of hospital consultants and GPs which provides a sustainable plan for future services at MRH Portlaoise.

LAOIS DOCTORS PLAN FOR PORTLAOISE HOSPITAL HERE

"We believe that this alternative plan could provide a template to sustain services at other small hospital around the country. It is indefensible that management propose to remove services from an area with a rapidly growing population. Their plan will mean the closure of Paediatrics and Maternity at MRH Portlaoise," said a statement.

They reserved their main criticism for the HSE's hospital management that oversees Dublin and the Midlands.

"Dr Susan OReilly (DMHG CEO) and her team have so far failed to provide any reasonable justification to downgrade services. Given the current lack of capacity in acute hospitals and the crisis within the emergency departments nationally it is absolutely unreasonable to close services at MRH Portlaoise," the said.

HSE REFUSE TO COMMENT ON LEAK STORY HERE

The now Taoiseach Leo Varadkar criticised the 'drift for many years' that had been allowed to happen at the Laois hospital when he visited in 2015.

The first steps concrete steps to downgrade Portlaoise date back 2011 when the Fine Gael Labour government gave the green light to remove A&E from a number of small hospitals.

This led to the resignation of the now Government minister, Denis Naughton, from Fine Gael because of the loss of emergency services from Roscommon Hospital.

Momentum gathered to downgrade for a second time after the crisis that engulfed the Portlaoise maternity unit in 2014. This led to a report from Hiqa, the health watchdog, which made many negative findings about the safety of services. It recommended that the HSE produce a plan for Portlaoise.

The DMHG say the subsequent plan is now with the Minister for Health. Its chief executive has always maintained that any change will be based on the best clinical advice and be in the interest of patient safety.
It is a place haunted not so much by the ghosts of those imprisoned within, but by the words they left behind on the walls.

Deep inside the dusty bowels of Raqqa's stadium -- an infamous ISIS headquarters from where the terror group is said to have plotted attacks on the Western world -- are a series of makeshift cells.

Some, squat toilets, have been converted into solitary confinement or torture chambers. Yet one room stands out, with names and time served etched onto the white walls, where ISIS held those they suspected of betrayal or espionage.

Most eerie are a series of sentences, scrawled in English in weak ballpoint pen, just above one of the holes militants punched through the walls, allowing them to move between the rooms without using the more perilous corridors. The tiny manifesto reads:

"If you are reading this, there are four main reasons why you are here. 1. You did the crime and were caught red-handed. 2. Using Twitter GPS locations! Or leaving GPS locations upon switched upon "turned on" the mobile phone (sic). 3. Uploading videos and photos from a sensitive WIFI internet source, i.e. you need your Amir's permission which you didn't get. 4. A suspect! Off the street! The Police have a good reason to do this! Be patience! Be Patience! Be Patience! The enemy of the Muslims Satan will do every whispering while you stare at the wall or the floor."

Just above it is the name of Hussam al Khwaj, "killed 25/2/16." Elsewhere, the names of former occupants can be seen alongside the length of their time incarcerated. Abu Maria - 113 days. Abu Hussein Duar (In Russian), writes "nightmare" under his name. Abou Karam, from France. It isn't clear who was released and who executed.

Endless shells litter the floor, along with rubble and crude homemade targets -- circles on paper that ISIS fighters clearly used to practice their aim.

The battle to liberate Raqqa has been a global fight, and through the stadium walk a few international volunteers. One of those is Mike from the UK, whom I met a few months ago, and doesn't really want to answer the toughest question they face now: how do they get home? (The way out is a minefield of borders between states that only half-exist, and closed airspaces).

Another volunteer, 24-year-old John from Colorado, is less concerned about that. He left his sleepy job in customer support for an IT firm, but never expected he would be on the frontline in Raqqa.

"It's sad now that we are not fighting any more", he admits, adding he enjoyed it. "(I got) like 70 meters (from ISIS), you could see them running in the street. Better than sitting in the desert drinking tea, so yeah."

The fighting wasn't as intense as he expected, he says, adding "a lot of American money went into the bombing." He had no military experience and doesn't intend to join on his return. I ask whether he will go back to computing: "Probably not that," he replies.

Down the corridor, they drag a large metal sheet away from the mouth of a deep shaft in the concrete floor. One fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the US-backed group that defeated ISIS, drops a large rock down it followed by a lit paper to show how deep this underground network runs.

What is startling about Raqqa is less the destruction -- ISIS leave most cities in that state of repair, and the coalition bombing spared few buildings -- but the utter absence of human life.

Even in the Old City of Mosul, Iraqis crept back in quickly even as the fighting continued. Here, there is nobody.

The SDF warned locals not to return as the city is heavily mined, and that warning has been heeded. Absolutely nobody is here at all, bar the victors.

Perhaps the only building that was spared total evisceration is the national hospital -- possibly because ISIS held hundreds of human shields inside, before a deal with the SDF meant they were taken away by foreign fighters as they fled, one SDF soldier said.

In fact, the SDF has been very speedy at collecting even ISIS bodies: we saw only one in the streets. The other fighters -- the locals who surrendered in a deal about a week earlier -- have met a rosier fate.

An hour's drive away, up the road around the dust and squalor of a refugee camp where most have fled to live in poverty, are a set of new and shiny white tents, marked with the name of a prominent British charity.

Inside live 200 ISIS fighters and their families. We are not allowed to talk with them, but they sit apart from the other displaced, their fate even more uncertain.
State funding guidelines for fertility treatment for couples who cannot afford treatment will be available by the end of the year.

This will include the criteria by which a person or a couple can receive financial assistance towards their IVF treatment.

This is new ground for the government as there is no public system in place yet to allow for IVF treatment  however, it is estimated that one in six couples will experience infertility in Ireland.

Minister for Health Simon Harris will look towards established international public funding models such as those in the UK and Europe for guidance.

Calls have already been made to ensure the scheme is not limited to persons with a medical card, including from Kildare South TD Fiona O'Loughlin.

I strongly believe that financial support should not be limited just to those on medical cards, many of the 'coping classes' who require IVF find themselves in a very difficult position financially and require financial support too, said Deputy O'Loughlin.

We all have friends and family members who have gone through gruelling IVF cycles and removing some of the financial strain associated with the process would be very beneficial. The recent TV series The Babymakers featured two couples from Newbridge and I think it gave viewers a real insight into how emotionally fraught and expensive IVF is for people.

A statement from the Department for Health to the Leinster Leader in relation to the issue of a public funding model said  the Minister for Health intends to revert to Government by the end of this year with proposals for a potential model of public funding for AHR treatment for the Government's consideration and decision.

As such no specific decision has been made at this time in relation the parameters of any potential public funding model, including what eligibility criteria may be included.

Meanwhile, in terms of the new legislation required, it stated that it is needed to protect, promote and ensure the health and safety of parents, and children born as a result of AHR treatment, as well as other parties who may be involved such as donors and surrogates.

Consideration of the welfare and best interests of children born through AHR is a key principle underpinning the Scheme.

This will include the provision of a Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority as a dedicated, independent body to oversee this sector.

It will ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way. It will outline the conditions relating to the donation of gametes (sperm cells) and embryos for use in AHR treatment by others and or for use in research. And the specific conditions under which surrogacy in Ireland will be permitted, including a requirement for all surrogacy agreements to be pre-authorised by the AHR Regulatory Authority.

The scheme also sets out a court-based mechanism through which the parentage of a child born through surrogacy may be transferred from the surrogate to the intending parent(s).

It will also specify the conditions under which research involving embryos, embryonic stem cells and induced stem cells may be permitted, subject to obtaining a licence from the AHR Regulatory Authority.
The Irish Constitution has its fair share of quaint anachronisms, turns of phrase and ideas that mark it out very much as a document of its time.

It was written when the Catholic Church essentially ruled holy, devout Ireland and there was a strict social code in place about the proper and accepted ways of living ones life.

One of these is Article 41.2, which says the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.

This article has deservedly attracted much criticism in recent years, as being sexist and restrictive, most notably to women and their right to pursue a career in the workplace.

It also fails to recognise the modern family dynamic whereby men may choose to pursue the roles of full-time homemakers and carers, and fails to offer them the same Constitutional protection in that position.

There have been, unsurprisingly enough, calls to get rid of this article, although it would take a referendum to do it  and undoubtedly there would be resistance from some quarters, perhaps especially among those who would prefer a return to 1930s societal values.

The sad thing, however, is that having such clauses in the Irish Constitution  the document meant to be a guiding light with regards the civil wellbeing of Irish citizens  is no guarantee that the rights they are meant to protect will be vindicated in practical terms. This came to mind last week with the shocking revelations, post-Budget, regarding contributory pension level inequalities.

The contributory pension is calculated by the Department of Social Protection by dividing the sum of the total PRSI contributions made during ones working life by the number of years between when someone started working and when they become entitled to claim the pension.

Naturally, this method of calculating the pension level disadvantages women, especially those now reaching retirement age.

Many of these women would have quit their jobs upon getting married  perhaps involuntarily, if they were hit by the civil service marriage bar  or on the birth of their first child.

They often did not return to the workforce until their children were reared, if at all. They were living their life within the home and not neglecting their duties there, as the Constitution authors would expect. Different times, different societal norms.

The farcical situation that some of these women are now facing was highlighted on Liveline last Wednesday, when the case of a woman losing out on 35 a week because she worked part-time as a student was aired.

There are thousands of women so affected because they stayed at home, as was normal at the time, to rear children or care for elderly parents.

When we see that the State is essentially robbing pensioners of much-needed euros every week because of that fact, we really have to ask, where is the protection of Article 41.2?

Two wrongs need to be righted here. Full pensions equality must be guaranteed by the government. And secondly, that hypocritical Constitutional article must be scrapped, because as well as being inappropriate in a modern context, it patently hasnt done anything for the sectors of society to whom it promised protection.
A new Kildare business is to host a Hallowe'en ghost walk.

The new owners of Firmount House, who opened a cafe there during the summer is running a ghost tour at the house. The Northern Ireland Paranormal Research Association (NIPRA) are hosting a four hour walk on October 25 and the October 29.

Owner, Eilin OCarroll said the tour (8pm to 12 midnight walk) on the 25th sold out immediately and they have just added a second date, October 29.

We believe that will be a sell out too, she said last week.

Firmount has an interesting history, to say the least. It was a WWI hospital, TB sanatorium, and its original owners dying of consumption within three weeks of each other in the 1700s.

The NIPRA believe the house is haunted by several ghosts including and old matron from the TB sanatorium times.

Firmount will host a Christmas market on December 10. There has been huge interest in the event, said Eilin.

Wednesday to Saturday (10am to 5pm) and Sunday (11am to 4pm).
THREE lives were lost in Ireland on Monday as result of Storm Ophelia. Yet there were still those who, in the aftermath, commented that we all overreacted to Ophelias threat.

The fact that national and local government along with media organisations across the country took this ex-hurricane so seriously will no doubt have played a huge part in helping to minimise the loss of life or serious injury to members of the public.

In Limerick the local authority must be singled out for the stellar work they did to inform the public of the various risks associated with Ophelia as it made its way towards us. The same must be said for this Saturday morning's council reaction to Storm Brian.

Working in collaboration with the national emergency coordination group, Limerick City and County Council were on the ball over the course of last weekend.

Regular press releases and updates meant that the Limerick public took this storm seriously.

The fact that local businesses closed across the city and county showed that safety was paramount.

The public heeded the very clear warnings with most remaining in their homes until the storm passed.

The so-called overreaction to the storm threat very simply meant that Limerick was safe from harm.

Had we been uninformed and blase things had the potential to be very different.

At 3pm on Monday afternoon I watched as the corrugated iron roof of a neighbours workshop was lifted and blown away with ease by the severe gusts.

Across the city and county, trees that were rooted for years were shifted and torn from the ground leaving gaping trenches behind them.

Electricity wires were brought to ground, homes lost power and falling branches were widespread.

Forgive my bias but Fintan Walsh along with the Leader team did a fantastic job keeping on top of the multitude of updates and quickly changing scenarios over the course of the weekend and throughout Monday.

The work done by Met Eireann was clear. The same meteorologists were on our TVs and radios for what seemed like days without a break.

They got it right.

Irish people are great in a scenario such as that we experienced on Monday.

Social media was ripe with witty commentary but always laden with genuine concern for neighbours and friends.

There was real sense that we were taking heed of the warnings.

The credit for this must go to all those who helped to present the public with a very clear understanding of what was coming.

Those who commented in relation to the over-reaction seemed to feel let-down that wider devastation didnt occur.

The families of those who lost their lives on Monday know all too well the power that Ophelia had to bring tragedy to this country.

Therefore, we must be thankful to every individual who worked tirelessly over the days leading up and during Storm Ophelia.

Their dedication and clear messaging meant that Limerick and much of the rest of the country were guided through that vicious storm with great care.

We dont give credit enough and in the case of Storm Ophelia, those who had a job to do did it to the fullness of their ability and as a result lives were saved.

Building up a Capital Limerick

RTE's Cathy Halloran will comperes the next Capital Limerick lunch event which is set to see a discussion involving Irish rugby captain, Niamh Briggs, former EU Parliament President, Pat Cox, RTE correspondent, Joe Little and EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 winner and CEO of NewsWhip, Paul Quigley.

Capital Limerick is an organisation for Limerick people based in Dublin who are united around the aim of promoting and enhancing Limericks profile and reputation as one of the states prime economic and socio-cultural hubs, and as a centre for leadership in business, sports, politics, technology and culture.

One of the organisers of Capital Limerick, Clair Hayes, an associate solicitor in commercial law firm Matheson, says the group wants to promote and drive the commercial and socio-cultural profile of Limerick back to the heights which they consider to be nothing less than its rightful place.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative last year Hayes said: Limericks greatest era is to come. Capital Limerick is about mobilising those of us based in Dublin who are united around that aim and seeing how we can help and get involved in the recovery and resurgence that is already visible.

The event takes place at 12 pm on Friday, 3 November 2017, in the InterContinental Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
A MAN who is accused of robbing 200 from a jewellery store in Limerick city has been declared unfit to stand trial.

It is alleged the 30-year-old defendant threatened a female member of staff with a large knife after he entered a premises in the city centre on March 10, last.

At Limerick Circuit Court, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Anthony Kearns, who is attached to the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin, said he had examined the defendant a number of times after concerns were expressed about his mental health and his ability to enter a plea.

He said the accused man suffers from a Schizo defective disorder and that he also has an intellectual disability. He added he has an IQ which places him the lowest percentile in the country.

Dr Kearns told Mark Nicholas SC, defending, he found the defendant to be very incoherent and that he was not able to consider the charges in any reasonable way when he examined him.

The witness said he did not believe the defendant is capable of instructing his legal advisers or of following court proceedings.

When asked by Mr Nicholas, Dr Kearns agreed the accused mans problems are chronic and are compounded by his use of illicit drugs.

He said he did not believe that detaining him at the Central Mental Hospital was an option as it would not be an effective use of resources.

He added that it would not be of benefit to him.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told the defendants illnesses can be treated with regular medication but Dr Kearns said he did not believe he would attend any outpatient appointments to receive his medication.

While not disputing the medical evidence, John OSullivan BL prosecuting, pointed out that suffering from a mental disorder does not, in itself, preclude someone from going on trial.

Having considered the evidence of Dr Kearns, Judge ODonnell said he was satisfied the defendant is unfit to be tried.

The matter was adjourned for review to allow the judge to consider what action to take.
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Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown had a policy of kicking political candidates off city commissions the moment they entered a race.

Brown, now a Chronicle columnist, recoiled at the idea that anyone would run a campaign and hold a low-level government position at the same time. His successors, Gavin Newsom and Ed Lee, also made a practice of asking their appointees to leave once they pulled candidates papers.

But because the rule was never written down, it wasnt really enforced  and eventually, candidates ignored the tradition.

As a result, several people who are currently running for office serve on commissions, and a debate is brewing in City Hall over whether they should be allowed to keep their seats. Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who wants to resurrect and cement Browns policy, will formally ask the city attorney to draft a measure.

The legislation Peskin is contemplating would force city and regional commissioners out once they decide to run for office.

Among the people this law would affect are two competitors to succeed Supervisor Mark Farrell in District Two: Nick Josefowitz, who serves on the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and Kat Anderson, a Recreation and Park commissioner who also works for the Pacific Media Workers Guild, which represents some Chronicle employees.

Theyre in good company. Theodore Ellington, a contender to represent District 10 next year, serves on the Human Rights Commission. City College Board candidate Victor Olivieri is a Veterans Affairs commissioner, and his opponent, Angeles Roy, is an immigrant rights commissioner.

I would not have permitted it, said Brown, who argued that commission posts create the appearance of a conflict of interest for candidates. Brown expressed particular concern about high-profile appointees  on, say, the planning or the police commission  who might vote on projects involving people who had backed their opponents.

Browns policy led the former mayor to eject friend and foe alike. His appointee, Dennis Herrera, stepped down from the Police Commission because he had filed papers to run for city attorney.

Once Brown issued that edict, everyone adhered to it, said Peskin, who has sparred with Brown on other things, but adamantly agrees with this rule. In most instances, people just resigned.

District Eight candidate Rafael Mandelman was among those voluntary departures. He quit his appointed position at the Board of Appeals  which gives final review on the approval or denial of permits, licenses and other city decisions  when he ran for supervisor against Scott Wiener in 2010.

I think there was an expectation that I should leave, said Mandelman, who is currently running for the same district office against appointed Supervisor Jeff Sheehy.

Ellington, the human rights commissioner, said he will step down as soon as a replacement is found.

Olivieri, by contrast, said he could not imagine a political situation that would compel him to leave the Veterans Affairs Commission.

Im honored to serve on the commission and proud to be able to advise the mayor and Board of Supervisors on a wide variety of issues that affect the veterans in our community, he said.

Peter Keane, who chairs the citys Ethics Commission, said he would support Peskins policy, but that it should be applied with discretion. Certain commissions are fairly innocuous, he said, while others present an obvious conflict.

If you have someone running for office who serves on the Arts Commission, thats really different from being on the Planning Commission, which awards development contracts, Keane said.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
On this date in ...

1917: "Monster Mass Meeting For Liberty Loan" screamed the headline, perhaps in response to the recent story placing the blame for Albany's falling behind in war bond subscriptions on the city's middle class. The event was to take place in three days in Capitol Park, complete with addresses by former New York Gov. Martin H. Glynn and the Rev. Dr. George Dugan, as well as a performance of patriotic songs from the Capitol steps by students of Albany public schools.

1967: Speaking at the state conference of the NAACP in Albany, former president of the group Eugene T. Reed attacked President Johnson for "escalation for our participation in the infamous Vietnam war" and accused Gov. Rockefeller of showing "a limited understanding of the problems of black people" in his support of the proposed state constitution. Reed praised Johnson for doing more than any other president for "the cause of civil rights" but lashed out at him for sending "our boys and our tax dollars" to a foreign place for some unclear purpose instead of utilizing the potential to make democracy work here.

1992: North Greenbush Councilman John Ramahlo Sr. won the latest battle in his murder case when a Rensselaer County judge closed a hearing to decide whether his statement to police and other evidence would be admissible at his upcoming trial. In his statement to authorities, obtained by The Times Union in January, Ramahlo said he placed a chloroform-soaked tissue over his estranged wife's face as she slept so he could rifle through papers in her purse lying on the bed. However, the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory metallurgist said he did not intend to kill her, and defense attorneys called her death "a tragic accident."

Want to read more about the Capital Region's past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today's events? See http://blog.timesunion.com/history.
Even as four political parties throw their weight behind Joko Widodo running for re-election, Indonesia's president isn't committing.

While the election in Southeast Asia's largest economy won't be held until April 2019, parties are already gearing up for what will be a lengthy -- and potentially divisive -- campaign. A early test of the staying power of Widodo, known as Jokowi, will be local elections in June next year.

Asked several times in an interview on Saturday if he intended to seek another term, Jokowi was coy. Instead he smiled and said he was focused on working with his ministers.

"I am now just concentrating on the job, on the tasks the people have entrusted me to do," Jokowi told Bloomberg Television's Haslinda Amin on a hilltop overlooking Lake Toba, a volcanic crater in northern Sumatra. "Regarding the upcoming presidential election, I'll leave it to the people," he said.

Former Jakarta governor Jokowi, 56, is the first president to come to power from outside the political elite, gaining support with pledges to improve people's daily lives while making it easier to do business by streamlining regulation and tackling graft. He has presided over an economy that regained an investment grade sovereign debt rating and has focused on improving infrastructure in the world's largest archipelago, but has also faced difficulties in parliament and more recently criticism from hardline Islamic groups.

"Right now all parties are concentrated on the upcoming 2019 presidential election," Jokowi said. "Well, go ahead. For me, I will concentrate on work," he added. "If the people want to judge me as doing well, please do. If the people want to judge me as doing not well, then also go ahead. The people have the right to judge. Don't ask me."

Jokowi cited as his achievements so far shifting funds from fuel subsidies toward infrastructure, health care and education. He also mentioned his tax amnesty, which he said unearthed $370 billion in previously undeclared assets.

"All leaders must want to bring prosperity to the people," he said. "Our biggest vision is to work on the foundation. This is very important. Upgrading the infrastructure, fixing the infrastructure, building infrastructure. In the next stage we want to build our human resources. That's the focus."

Jokowi's popularity remains high -- a September survey by Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting put his approval rating at 68 percent -- and after a tricky first few months he cemented his hold on parliament, where he has the support of parties holding more than two thirds of seats.

Golkar, the second-largest party in parliament behind Jokowi's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, has backed him publicly to contest the election in 2019. Hanura, a coalition partner, has thrown its weight behind Jokowi, citing the government's success in pushing infrastructure projects and its focus on development, the state-run Antara News Agency reported in August. Two smaller parties also back him.

Still, while Jokowi's infrastructure push is popular with voters, some feel he has not done enough to create jobs or improve the cost of living, according to Djajadi Hanan, a director with survey company SMRC. "If we narrow it down we find one big weakness," he said. "People feel that the price of basic goods is still very high."

"If the government can perform well with the economy then the reward will be there. But at the same time, if they do not do their homework over the next two years then it's possible his approval rating will decrease."

And he would face a difficult battle if he were to seek re-election. His rival in 2014, Suharto-era general Prabowo Subianto, could challenge again, and has been courting the Islamic vote in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Prabowo was a key backer of Anies Baswedan's successful campaign this year for Jakarta governor. Jokowi's one-time ally Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, lost the election in a campaign marred by religious tensions. An ethnic Chinese Christian, Ahok was later convicted of blasphemy for comments he made about the Koran, and jailed.

Race and religion may play a large role in the 2019 vote. Jokowi in late July was granted new powers to outlaw mass organizations. He banned Hizbut Tahrir, citing its support for a Muslim caliphate and other activities that deviate from Indonesia's state principles, known as Pancasila.

Some opposition parties criticized the move, and his actions could give leeway for opponents to again raise questions about his Islamic credentials. Days before the 2014 election, Jokowi made a dash to the holy city of Mecca after he fended off allegations over his religion and ethnicity during the campaign.

In any election campaign Jokowi would need to deal with the rise of more radical religious groups, according to Tobias Basuki, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta. "He is open to attack particularly with Jakarta now being held by the opposition," Basuki said.

Still, Jokowi described Islam in Indonesia as tolerant, pluralist and modern.

"I think people should see that," he said, describing as "small problems" recent incidents of religious intolerance. "I think a country the size of Indonesia with a total population of 250 million people, 17,000 islands, 714 ethnic groups, it's a huge country."

He also brushed off implications for the presidential vote from the Jakarta election. "That's not a religious issue," he said.

"The issue in the Jakarta governor election was an issue of politics, not an issue of religion," Jokowi said. "Islam in Indonesia is a tolerant Islam, a pluralistic Islam, a modern Islam, a moderate Islam."

---

Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin and Karlis Salna contributed.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm Pearson, Simon & Warshaw, LLP announces that it has opened an investigation into the cause of the Northern California wildfires. Further, the firm has setup a hotline to assist victims of the fires. The law firm is ready and able to assist those affected by the fires in Napa County (Atlas Fire and Partrick Fire), Sonoma County (Tubbs Fire, Pressley Fire, Pocket Fire and Nuns Fire), Mendocino County (Redwood Complex and Potter Fire) and Yuba County (Cascade Fire).



These devastating fires have ravaged the region since October 8, 2017 and are only partially contained. With over 100,000 acres burned, thousands of local residents and businesses have been and continue to be displaced. The loss of 34 lives and almost 3,000 homes is unprecedented. Cal Fire reported on October 17 that 4,078 structures have been destroyed and 238 have been damaged in Sonoma and Napa counties. Cal Fire also estimates full containment to take place on October 20, 2017.

Pearson, Simon & Warshaw partner Bruce Simon is a Bay Area native who has worked in Santa Rosa and grew up going to the Russian River. For Mr. Simon the devastating fires hit close to home, Being born and raised in San Francisco, the ongoing fires and their impact on our community is tragic. Mr. Simon continued, I have many friends and family in the areas affected by the fires, and personal safety is the first priority. Rebuilding lives, homes and businesses will involve lots of questions about insurance and who is responsible for the devastation. Our firm stands ready to assist.

If you have been impacted from the Northern California fires and need legal assistance, feel free to call our hotline (877) 391-8300 or send an email to our dedicated email, fire@pswlaw.com for a no-charge consultation.

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WASHINGTON - The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services wrote in a newsletter Friday that it had "a total of 72 guidance documents that have been rescinded due to being outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective - 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and 9 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)." The documents, which fleshed out students' rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act, were rescinded Oct. 2.

A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos did not respond to requests for comment.

Advocates for students with disabilities were still reviewing the changes to determine their impact. Lindsay Jones, the chief policy and advocacy officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, said she was particularly concerned to see guidance documents outlining how schools could use federal special education money removed.

Now Playing: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos The Education Department wants to change how campuses deal with sexual assault by making it harder to accuse someone of committing sexual crimes. The Obama-era "Dear Correspondence Letter" has now been replaced with "Questions and Answers" to guide schools on dealing with sexual misconduct cases. The new measure will affect every college, university, and K-12 school. Video: Wibbitz

"All of these are meant to be very useful . . . in helping schools and parents understand and fill in with concrete examples the way the law is meant to work when it's being implemented in various situations," said Jones.

President Donald Trump in February signed an executive order "to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens," spurring Education Department officials to begin a top-to-bottom review of its regulations. The department sought comments on possible changes to the special education guidance and held a hearing, during which many disability rights groups and other education advocates pressed officials to keep all of the guidance documents in place, said Jones.

This is not the first time DeVos has rolled back Education Department guidance, moves that have raised the ire of civil rights groups. The secretary in February rescinded guidance that directed schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity, saying that those matters should be left up to state and local school officials. In September, she scrapped rules that outlined how schools should investigate allegations of sexual assault, arguing that the Obama-era guidance did not sufficiently take into account the rights of the accused.

"Much of the guidance around [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] focused on critical clarifications of the regulations required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and provide them a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment," Scott said in a statement. "Notwithstanding the actions taken by the Department today, the regulations still remained enforced; however they lack the clarification the guidance provided."

The special education guidance documents rescinded this month clarified the rights of disabled students in a number of areas, including making clear how schools could spend federal money set aside for special education. Some, like one titled "Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools," translated the legal jargon into plain English for parents advocating for their children. Some of the guidance documents that were cut had been on the books since 1980s.

Jones said it is not unusual for new administrations to update documents or to eliminate redundancies, but she had never seen so many eliminated at one time.

"If the documents that are on this list are all covered in newer documents that were released - which sometimes does happen - that would be fine," said Jones." Our goal is to make sure that parents and schools and educators understand how these laws work and the department plays a critical role in that."
CAIRO - Dozens of Egyptian police were killed in clashes with militants in the country's western desert on Friday, one of the deadliest attacks this year suffered by Egypt's security forces fighting persistent and spreading Islamic militancy.

At least 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout about 80 miles from the Egyptian capital, the Associated Press reported, citing security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Several other local media reported similar death tolls.

The violence was a stark indication of a core challenge facing the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a vital American ally in the Middle East. Ever since he led a military coup to oust the elected Islamist government of Mohamed Morsi four years ago, Sissi has portrayed himself as a linchpin in the fight against terrorism. In the name of combating the Islamist militancy, critics say he has suppressed political and social freedoms, and jailed thousands of Islamists. Egypt is one of the world's largest recipients of American military aid, a large portion of it designated to fight terrorism.

Yet the militancy is growing - and spreading. In the past year, hundreds of Egyptian security forces have been killed combating an Islamic State affiliate based in the northern Sinai, whose cells have also targeted minority Christian communities and bombed churches in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas. In recent months, another group called the Hasm Movement also has targeted security officials and judges, adding a deadly new dimension to the security threats facing the country. The insurgency has continued even as Egypt's military and police forces claim to have killed thousands of suspected terrorists.

In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry acknowledged Friday's operation but said the gun battle resulted in 16 policemen being killed and 13 injured. The ministry also reported that 15 militants were killed. But Western diplomats and security officials described the death toll as in the dozens with few militants, if any, being killed. It was unclear whether the Interior Ministry was referring to its own personnel killed and not a total that included forces from other security-related branches.

If the higher death toll is true, it would be the single deadliest assault on Egypt's security forces by Islamist militants in recent memory.

The incident took place late Friday after security forces received intelligence that suspected Islamist militants were at a hideout in the Baharia Oasis, south of the capital. As they approached, they were ambushed by gunmen using rocket-propelled grenades and bombs.

No group yet has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The militants, according to local media reports, belonged to Hasm, which Egypt's security forces claimed to be the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement led by Morsi that is now outlawed. But analysts say there is no conclusive evidence that Hasm is officially linked to the Brotherhood, though some Hasm members are said to be Brotherhood members who now favor violent means to oppose the government.

Last month, at least 18 policemen were killed when a suicide bomber targeted their convoy near the North Sinai provincial capital of Arish. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State's affiliate, known as Wilayat Sinai, which has been waging a four-year insurgency against the government mostly in northern Sinai. Last Sunday, six soldiers and two dozen militants were killed in assaults on military outposts there.

With the Islamic State eviscerated in Iraq and Syria, regional security officials and analysts say the group's affiliates are asserting themselves and seeking to carve out potential new safe havens for its fighters. Egypt and other parts of North Africa are among the key areas of the world the group has made or is seeking to make inroads.

The ongoing insurgency, coupled with economic austerity measures imposed by Western donors, has spawned frustration and anger at the government - at a time when Sissi is widely expected to run in next year's presidential elections.

The State Department said in a statement Saturday that it strongly condemns the attacks. "The United States stands with Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism."
Isabella L. Karle, who was once told that chemistry was not a "proper field for girls" but went on to help her husband, Nobel laureate Jerome Karle, devise a pathbreaking method for determining molecular structure, died Oct. 3 at a hospice center in Arlington, Virginia. She was 95.

The cause was a brain tumor, said her daughter Louise Karle Hanson. Dr. Karle, who along with her husband spent more than six decades at the Naval Research Laboratory in Southwest Washington, resided in the Lake Barcroft area of Fairfax County.

Jerome Karle shared the 1985 Nobel Prize in chemistry with the mathematician Herbert Hauptman, also a colleague at the NRL, honoring "their outstanding achievements in the development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures." Isabella Karle, a crystallographer, received the National Medal of Science in 1995, bestowed by President Bill Clinton, among other major honors in her field.

The Karles worked side by side at the NRL's Laboratory for the Structure of Matter, accumulating a combined 127 years of federal service. "I do the physical applications, he works with the theoretical," she once told The Washington Post. "It makes a good team. Science requires both types."

Before the prize-winning work that the Karles pursued with Hauptman in the 1950s, scientists could discern molecular structure only through the time-consuming and painstaking process of X-ray crystallography, in which X-rays were reflected off a molecule and their patterns then examined.

The Karles' "direct method" permitted scientists to use mathematics to discover molecular structure via a less circuitous route, saving time and gaining precision.

For many years, the method languished, unnoticed by other scientists. "It was Isabella's work that drew attention to its usefulness," according to a tribute to the couple by the NRL, which credited her with preparing the way for "the analysis and publication of the molecular structures of many thousands of complicated molecules annually."

Among those molecules were toxins and antitoxins; drugs to treat bacterial infections, malaria and heart ailments; anticarcinogens; and explosives.

"It is almost impossible to give an example in the field of chemistry where this method is not being used," a judge for the Nobel Prize remarked when Jerome Karle's award was announced.

Isabella Helen Lugoski was born in Detroit on Dec. 2, 1921. Her father painted the numbers and letters on city trolley cars. Her mother ran a restaurant and sewed automobile upholstery for Detroit carmakers.

In her youth, the future Karle drew inspiration, her daughter said, from a female high school chemistry teacher and from a biography of Marie Curie, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who, like Karle's parents, was born in what is now Poland.

Karle's career required her to overcome the discouragement of another teacher, she once told an interviewer, Elga Wasserman; this teacher advised her on the impropriety of chemistry as a topic of study for young women.

She went on to study chemistry at the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1941, a master's degree in 1942 and a PhD in 1944. She met her husband in a physical-chemistry lab where alphabetical seating dictated that the two of them - Karle, Lugoski - would sit next to one another.

After working on the Manhattan Project during World War II, Karle joined the NRL in 1946, two years after her husband was hired there. Early in her career, she studied molecules in the vapor state. Both Karles retired in 2009.

Isabella Karle's honors included the 1988 Gregori Aminoff Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the 1993 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science (worth $250,000), and the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award. She was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Her husband died in 2013 after 71 years of marriage. Survivors include their three daughters, who are all scientists, Louise Karle Hanson of Ridge, New York, Jean Karle Dean of Vienna, Virginia, and Madeleine Karle Tawney of Lake Barcroft; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

When Jerome Karle received the Nobel, he said he hoped the honor would one day be extended also to Isabella.

"I can't think of anyone," he told the Associated Press, "who is more qualified than my wife."
Catalan separatists say Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy doesn't know what he's getting himself into as he moves to quash their campaign for independence.

As the government in Madrid prepares to deploy its most powerful legal weapons, three leading members of the movement in Barcelona said Rajoy isn't equipped to achieve his goals and risks a damaging entanglement in hostile terrain. They reckon they have enough support among the Catalan civil service and police to thwart Spain's plan.

Rajoy's Cabinet meets in Madrid on Saturday to consider specific measures to reassert control over the rebel region, a process set out in the Spanish Constitution that's never yet been tested. Among the top priorities is bringing to heel the Catalan police force and deciding what to do with President Carles Puigdemont. The plan still needs approval by the Senate, so it could be another two weeks before Spain can take any action.

"This is a minefield for Rajoy," said Antonio Barroso, an analyst in London at Teneo Intelligence, a company advising on political risk. "The implementation on the ground is a risk for him when the government may face some regional civil servants who don't cooperate."

The three Catalan officials -- one from the parliament, one from the regional executive and one from the grass-roots campaign organization -- spoke on condition of anonymity due to the legal threats against the movement.

It all comes down to Article 155 of the constitution, a short passage that gives the legal green light for Spain to revoke the semi-autonomy of Catalonia. Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said at a press conference in Madrid on Friday that it would be applied in a "prudent, proportionate and gradual manner."

The problem for Rajoy is that the separatists already proved with their makeshift referendum on Oct. 1 that they can ignore edicts from Madrid with a degree of success. That means he will need to back up his ruling with people on the ground, and it didn't work as planned the last time around.

The Catalan police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, ignored orders to shut down polling stations before the illegal vote on Oct. 1. After Rajoy sent in the Civil Guard, images of Spanish police beating would-be voters were broadcast around the world.

Mossos Police Chief Josep Lluis Trapero is a local hero, his face worn on T-shirts at separatist demonstrations. When he returned this week from an interrogation in Madrid, where he's facing possible sedition charges, staff greeted him with hugs and applause.

How the rank-and-file would respond to their boss's ouster is just one of the questions hanging over Rajoy and his ministers as they gather on Saturday.

"If the government decides to intervene in the management of Mossos, which isn't a scenario we want, we hope they do something surgical," said Valentin Anadon, a spokesman for the Catalan police's largest trade union. "The government wants to restore stability, so they don't need to go into the internal structure of the force."

To be sure, Rajoy has the Spanish police on his side, as well as the army in the final instance. And the central government has already imposed strict controls on payments by the regional administration since last month, restricting the flow of Catalan government subsidies to sympathetic media organizations and civic groups.

But the three separatist activists said that Madrid is likely to meet resistance every step of the way if they parachute in outsiders to run the Catalan administration. That will make it difficult to change the editorial line of public television and radio channels that have been instrumental in drumming up support for independence.

One person familiar with the government's plans said that Madrid could withhold the salaries of regional officials to force them to comply.

Then there's the situation on the streets.

Separatist campaign groups have drawn up plans to disrupt the Spanish economy, already forecast to grow more slowly because of the standoff in Catalonia. Hundreds of companies have already shifted their domiciles out of the region.

In a signal to Madrid of their potential, protesters fired warning shots. They shut down all the major highways connecting Barcelona with the rest of Spain for several hours. On Friday, they called on supporters to withdraw symbolic quantities of cash from Catalan banks.
Provoking global head-scratching and more than a little outrage, Robert Mugabe, the longtime president of Zimbabwe - who faces international sanctions for human-rights abuses including violent crackdowns on political dissent - has been appointed as a "goodwill ambassador" for the World Health Organization.

The outcry rocketed around the world after this week's announcement and seemed centered around one primary point: Can you be a "goodwill ambassador" if the world widely regards you as a violent, tyrannical despot?

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian who became the first African to hold the post this year, made the announcement at a Uruguay conference on noncommunicable diseases, saying Mugabe would be an advocate for fighting diseases like cancer and diabetes in Africa.

He described Mugabe's Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies" and told attendees that Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" on the issue.

The Noncommunicable Disease Alliance - representing a lot of the other people at the conference where Mugabe's appointment was announced - immediately condemned the move.

NCD members were "shocked and deeply concerned to hear of this appointment, given President Mugabe's long track record of human-rights violations and undermining the dignity of human beings," the alliance said in a statement. " . . . While we support WHO and Dr. Tedros in their ambition to drive the NCD agenda forward, we are unable to recognise President Mugabe as a champion for NCDs."

The appointment "embarrasses" WHO and its director, said Iain Levine, the deputy executive director for program for Human Rights Watch.

In a statement to the AP, the U.S. State Department said "this appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity."

The unofficial response on Twitter was just as strong: "Who next, Kim Jong Un," quipped one person, referring to the despotic president of North Korea.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of United Nations Watch and a human rights activist wrote: "Shame on you, @WHO, for legitimizing brutal tyrant Mugabe, who devastated the health system of Zimbabwe & flies abroad for his health care."

Like Neuer, many found it odd that a man accused of destroying Zimbabwe's health care system is now speaking out on global health issues.

As The New York Times wrote in 2009, a delegation from Physicians for Human Rights "found that the Mugabe regime destroyed the country's health care system and pursued policies that ruined what had been a vibrant agriculture, depriving all but a tiny elite of proper nutrition, water, and a sustainable livelihood. One result has been a cholera epidemic and the spread of other diseases."

The hospitals in Zimbabwe have gotten so bad, many have said, that Mugabe flies to other countries for medical treatment.

A 2008 U.S. diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks said the Zimbabwean president was battling prostate cancer, according to Reuters. The cable said his physician urged him to step down from office to heal.

He celebrated his 90th birthday in a Singaporean health clinic. On state television, officials said he was "as fit as a fiddle" and that the out-of-country visit was for a long overdue cataract surgery. But he spoke slowly and had a "puffy" appearance, according to Reuters, adding to the rumors.

The Zimbabwe Herald called the nonagenarian's recent appointment a "new feather in President's cap" and said he would "spearhead the fight against noncommunicable diseases."

Goodwill ambassadors hold little power, but usually travel the world, using their celebrity to champion their organizations' key issues, in this case, noncommunicable diseases like cancer and diabetes. Both Ricky Martin and Shakira have been goodwill ambassadors for UNICEF, for example. And Mugabe will replace former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

But it is by no means a lifetime post.

Some goodwill ambassadors have sparked controversy before - and been fired. Wonder Woman was fired as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, for example, after a large outcry that a white woman in skimpy clothes who solves most her problems with violence wasn't a good role model for girls.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump plans to spend at least $430,000 of his personal funds to help cover the mounting legal costs incurred by White House staff and campaign aides related to the ongoing investigations of Russian meddling in last year's election, a White House official said.

The Washington Post reported last month that the Republican National Committee had spent roughly that amount to pay lawyers representing Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., in the multiple investigations.

The White House official said Trump's pledge is not meant as a reimbursement to the RNC, but that it does not preclude Trump from doing that at a later time or for increasing the amount available for his aides.

The official requested anonymity to discuss the president's plans, first reported by Axios, because Trump is not prepared to make a formal announcement.

The arrangement drew immediate criticism from Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, who suggested on Twitter that it is rife with potential conflicts.

"A potential witness or target of an investigation (and boss of investigators) paying for legal fees of other potential witnesses or targets?" Shaub wrote.

The White House official said many issues remain to be resolved, including how the money will be accessed and who can request it. Legal costs of White House and campaign aides are expected to balloon well beyond what Trump is putting forward.

Russia meddling - and other related issues - are being investigated by Special counsel Robert Mueller as well as and House and Senate committees.

The RNC reported last month that it paid $100,000 to Trump's personal attorney John Dowd, and $131,250 to Jay Sekulow, another member of his legal team.

The party is also covering the mounting legal costs for Donald Trump Jr., spending nearly $200,000 on lawyers who helped him prepare for testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Those payments included more than $166,000 to attorney Alan Futerfas.

The RNC is using a pool of money stockpiled for election recounts and other legal matters to pay the costs of Trump and his son.

RNC officials concluded that it is permissible for the party to pay for the president's legal fees, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Separately, party and administration officials are working to determine whether executive branch staff members could have their legal fees defrayed by the RNC or private legal defense funds.

- - -

Tjhe Washington Post's Matea Gold contributed to this story.
WASHINGTON - The White House signaled to Senate Republican negotiators Friday that they want to include retroactive relief this year for both individuals and employers subject to the Affordable Care Act's insurance mandate in a bipartisan health bill, according to individuals briefed on the matter, a request that is sure to anger Democrats.

Key White House officials are hoping to shift to the right the proposal crafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., which would restore subsidies to help offset out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans buying ACA plans in exchange for further flexibility in how states regulate health coverage.

The individuals briefed on what the White House privately signaled to Senate Republicans were granted anonymity to describe closed-door talks that had not been announced publicly. They said that the nothing was final and that the negotiations were ongoing and could change rapidly.

While the moves were part of what could become a more extended negotiation, the White House requests - which also include providing states with broader leeway - would derail the carefully crafted bipartisan package unveiled this week.

The move to suspend federal enforcement of the current insurance mandates is an anathema to Democrats, who view the requirements as integral to the law's success. All taxpayers must now provide proof of insurance coverage or face a penalty: the current fine is $695 per adult and $347.50 per child - up to $2,085 per family - or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater. Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees that don't offer coverage face a fine of $2,260 divided by 12, times the number of total full-time employees minus 30. These businesses also face a fine if federal officials determine the plans they offer are either unaffordable or don't provide adequate coverage.

The White House declined to comment immediately. In a statement, Alexander said, "This is the normal legislative process with people of different views saying what they are for and against. Something close to the Alexander-Murray proposal is likely to become law this year because the President himself asked us to develop this short-term solution so people aren't hurt by a chaotic insurance market."

In a statement of his own, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said, "The administration was involved in the Alexander-Murray negotiations every step of the way. There is a broad bipartisan agreement that can pass the Senate right now. The administration should support it instead of floating other ideas that would further the sabotage both parties are trying to reverse."

Insurers have described these mandates as critical to ensuring that enough healthy people buy coverage, which in turn translates into a broader risk pool. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that repealing the individual mandate this year would translated into 15 million fewer insured Americans by 2026, though several experts have questioned whether this requirement provides as powerful an incentive to sign up as the CBO has consistently estimated.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, 6.5 million taxpayers paid $3 billion in ACA penalties for not having insurance in 2016.

Larry Levitt, vice president for special initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said in an interview that while it's "hard to tease out how much of an effect the individual mandate has had" on coverage, removing it even for a year could prompt some insurers to exit the ACA market.

"This would be a classic poison pill," Levitt said, adding, "it would be ironic if a bill aimed at stabilizing the market would destabilize the market."

While Trump signed an executive order his first day in office instructing federal agencies to provide Americans with relief from the ACA, the IRS just informed tax professionals this week that they need to provide proof of insurance with tax returns filed for 2017.

"The 2018 filing season will be the first time the IRS will not accept tax returns that omit this information," the IRS announced in its Oct. 17 notice.

Trump has sent mixed signals about the substance of the Alexander-Murray plan, which was released on Tuesday. At first, he seemed to embrace it, before later backing away. In general, he has seemed supportive of trying to come up with a bipartisan deal of some kind.

Senate Democrats have been pushing their Republican counterparts to bring the plan as it was released on Tuesday to the Senate floor for a vote. But GOP leaders have been more circumspect and have declined to commit to doing so.

Trump ended the subsidy payments known as CSRs, arguing they were funded illegally. But he appears open to Congress passing a measure to appropriating funding for them - provided Republicans get adequate concessions from Democrats. The payments, which cover roughly 7 million consumers, would cost taxpayers about $7 billion in 2017 if they were funded through the end of the year.

The measure won new support on Thursday, giving it 12 Democratic senators and 12 Republican senators as co-sponsors.

But it remains far from clear that Alexander and Murray will be able to hash out compromise that can win the support of most Republicans. With majority support from his own ranks, Republicans close to the process predict, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will not bring the bill up for a vote.

At the same time that the administration is negotiating with lawmakers, it is defending its decision to cut off the cost-sharing reduction payments in federal court. Attorneys general for 18 states and the District of Columbia are seeking a temporary restraining order in the United District Court for the Northern District of California that would force the federal government to continue making the payments.

In a brief filed Friday, acting assistant attorney general Chad Readler filed a motion asking for the court to reject the plaintiffs' motion for preliminary relief, saying their claims are "unlikely to succeed," they "have not demonstrated an imminent risk of irreparable harm" from the cutoff in payments and because the public interest weighs "heavily against a judicial decree mandating the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars in unappropriated taxpayer dollars every month."

Lawyers for both sides will argue their case before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in a hearing on Monday.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against SCANA Corporation (SCANA or the Company) (NYSE:SCG) for possible violations of federal securities laws between January 19, 2016 and September 22, 2017, inclusive (the Class Period). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares during the Class Period should contact the firm prior to the November 27, 2017 motion deadline.



To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here.

You can also call Brian Lundin, Esq., of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or you can e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, throughout the Class Period, SCANA made false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose, adverse information regarding the construction of its project to build nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in South Carolina, assuring investors that costs spending was prudent and substantial progress was being made, even when cost overruns and other delays began to materialize.

On July 31, 2017, the Company announced that it would abandon construction of the nuclear project because of cost overruns and delays. On August 4, 2017, the South Carolina Attorney General announced the opening of an investigation into the Companys abandonment of the nuclear project. On the same day, South Carolina state senators called for a special legislative session to investigate SCANA. On September 22, 2017, the South Carolina Attorney General publicly requested that the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division launch a criminal investigation into the project. When this information reached the public, SCANAs stock price fell materially, which caused investors harm according to the Complaint.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, Esq., a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethics rules.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/
THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (Zenyatta or Company) (TSXV:ZEN) announces the resignation of Kenneth Stowe from the Board of Directors of Zenyatta.



Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO stated, The Board of Directors and management would like to thank Mr. Stowe for his contribution to the Company. His experience and advice has been very important to the advancement of Zenyatta and we are very grateful. We wish him the very best.

The Company is presently reviewing a short-list of potential Board candidates and we expect to add at least one member in the coming weeks.

To find out more on Zenyatta Ventures Ltd., please visit website www.zenyatta.ca.



Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward looking information and Zenyatta cautions readers that forward looking information is based on certain assumptions and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of Zenyatta included in this news release. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, metallurgical processing, project development, reclamation and capital costs of Zenyattas mineral properties, and Zenyattas financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with Zenyattas activities; and other matters discussed in this news release and in filings made with securities regulators. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Zenyattas forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on Zenyattas forward-looking statements. Zenyatta does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by Zenyatta or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To find out more on Zenyatta Ventures Ltd., please visit website www.zenyatta.ca or contact the Company at info@zenyatta.ca or Tel. 807-346-1660.




The topic of opioid abuse and addiction has been a very visible part of the national conversation in recent months. If you havent been touched in some way by this insidious epidemic, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. If so, count yourself as fortunate  fortunate that someone you know as a parent, spouse, child, friend or co-worker hasnt yet been caught in the destructive spiral of opioid addiction.

Why insidious? Because unlike other forms of drug abuse, addiction to opioids often begins with the honest and compassionate desire of a health care provider to ease pain and suffering after an injury or procedure. Unfortunately, some people are prone to becoming dependent on these drugs.

And those who arent still can unknowingly feed the epidemic by leaving pain medications unsecured in medicine cabinets or under the bathroom sink, where drug-seeking family members or visitors can  and do  look for them.

No sector of our society is immune. Opioid misuse, addiction and overdose can be found in boardrooms and back alleys, among the highly educated and the homeless. Like any epidemic, it is blind to where you live or how much you earn.

More Information The San Antonio Express-News and The University of Texas at San Antonio are sponsoring a town hall on the opioid crisis Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Buena Vista Theater at the UTSA Downtown Campus, 501 Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. This Town Hall will be moderated by Dr. Francine S. Romero, Associate Dean for the College of Public Policy at UTSA. The panelists are: Dr. Colleen Bridger, director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District; Dr. Bryan Alsip, Chief Medical Officer of University Health System; Dr. Timothy Grigsby, an assistant professor of community health at UTSA; and Josh Green, a youth peer recovery leader at Rise Recovery. See More Collapse

Opioids can come in prescription form, such as Vicodin, or as an illegal street drug like heroin.

In August, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Ron Nirenberg appointed a Joint Opioid Task Force to decrease overdose deaths due to opioids. We are the co-chairs of this task force. Our first meeting on Aug. 8 brought together public health experts, medical and pharmaceutical professionals, first responders, policymakers, educators, advocates and other community stakeholders.

Members of this task force are experts in their fields and dedicated to finding practical, creative and evidence-based solutions to this problem. Our goal is to slow the spread of this epidemic and reduce the frequency of opioid overdose deaths in Bexar County.

Our subcommittees are working on the following objectives:

Arming first responders with overdose reversal medications: Naloxone prevents death from opioid overdose. It can be injected or administered as a nasal spray. It works by blocking the effects of opioids in the brain. Throughout the country there has been a push to ensure that first responders carry naloxone.

Currently, San Antonio firefighters and paramedics/EMTs carry naloxone (and use it to reverse overdose an average of five times a day), but only a handful of law enforcement officers do. Our plan is to work with law enforcement to provide naloxone to a greater number of first responders.

Thanks to Senate Bill 1462, passed by the Texas Legislature in September 2015, anyone can purchase naloxone without a prescription from a participating pharmacy. With this program, people can keep the drug on hand in case of an emergency.

Increasing participation in the state drug-monitoring database: While most physicians have a legitimate desire to treat pain when prescribing an opioid medication, their clinical decision is primarily based on the information they have  and the truthfulness of their patient. Many addicts are adept at physician-shopping for drugs.

One of the best tools available to providers is one that too few are using. The Texas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is an online database that collects and monitors prescription data for controlled substances, including opioids, dispensed by a pharmacy in Texas or to a Texas resident from a pharmacy in another state. This allows providers to monitor a patients prescription history, which can identify possible patterns of misuse. Several states have similar databases that Texas providers can access via this program. Just as important, checking the database can open the door to meaningful conversations with patients about the safe and proper use of these drugs, and other ways to manage pain.

Unfortunately, statewide, only about 45 percent of licensed physicians and 22 percent of licensed dentists have signed up to use this tool. The task force will work to get more providers enrolled and encourage increased use of this asset.

Spreading the word about best practices for prescribing and dispensing opioids: Technology has made it much easier to have best practices at our fingertips. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a free app that contains interactive guidelines and a dose-equivalent calculator for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. The app even suggests some scripted talking points to help providers have these sometimes difficult conversations with patients.

Beyond digital solutions, we want providers to be educated and informed about evidence-based guidelines and best practices regarding pain medication. The task force will work with the Bexar County Medical Society, the San Antonio District Dental Society, the Bexar County Pharmacy Association and health care training institutions to increase the availability of educational resources and training opportunities, whether continuing education or changes to the curriculum for professional schools.

Educating the community about the risks of opioids: Everyone has a role in combatting opioid abuse, and our task force is very much a public health campaign. We will be promoting community awareness about the risks of opioids, including heroin, with an emphasis on young people. One critical component in this campaign is how to dispose of unwanted, leftover pain medicines.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency will have collection sites throughout the city from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday as part of its National Drug Take-Back Day. You can find a collection site at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov.

The MedDropSA program, operated by the San Antonio Water System and the city of San Antonio, holds collection events during the year. An event last month collected 2,825 pounds of drugs  bringing the total to 42,868 pounds since the program began. Look for upcoming events at www.saws.org/meddropsa.

Increasing access to treatment services: Anyone who seeks treatment should be able to access it. For people without health insurance (nearly 20 percent of us), the average wait is one month to get into a treatment program. We will be working on improving access to treatment services and getting the word out on how people can find them.

It will take a comprehensive approach of enforcement, education, treatment and vigilance among the medical community to reduce supply and demand, prevent addiction and alter the publics perception of these drugs. They arent, as many believe, harmless but rather powerful and potentially dangerous medicines to be used sparingly, with the highest degree of caution and concern. It may require that we as a society rethink how we understand and treat pain.

With hundreds of overdose deaths each year in our state, and many thousands of lives profoundly altered by addiction, criminal arrest, damaged careers and shattered families, it is in our communitys best interest to make this epidemic the priority it deserves to be.

Dr. Bryan Alsip is executive vice president and chief medical officer of University Health System, and Dr. Colleen Bridger is director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
ANAHEIM  Steve Bannon, President Trumps former chief strategist, expanded his season of war against a GOP establishment Friday night by ripping party leaders and adding a new economic enemy  the lords of Silicon Valley.

In a stream-of-consciousness, 41-minute speech before 500 people at the California Republican Party convention, Bannon, who has returned to his post as chairman of Breitbart News, lumped the valley in with the lobbyists, consultants, and corporatists and globalist elites as part of the political establishment ruining the country.

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In Bannons economic nationalist view, the high-paid people in Silicon Valley think they get a special deal by getting all the benefits of a free society while leaving it to other Americans to defend those values by sending their children to the miliary. Americas industrial heartland was gutted, Bannon said, because China gamed international trade deals that helped Silicon Valley, Wall Street, Hollywood and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the people who are working two jobs are the ones who got screwed.

No corner of the Republican establishment was safe from Bannon. He took shots at former President George W. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Arizona Sen. John McCains vote to stop the Obamacare overhaul, and even Fox News, which he said is part of the professional wrestling world of cable news. Many in the audience booed the references to Bush and McCain.

But Bannon pointed to the Senates budget resolution bill, with its prospects of steep tax cuts, as a sign his tough-love message was starting to work.

The Republican establishment is finally getting the joke: Theyre going to have to step it up, he said.

The latest skirmish was an expansion of a growing war between the Republican Party establishment that Bannon wants to destroy and the more conservative, nationalist right flank he embodies.

Bannon has been barnstorming the country to raise money to challenge incumbent Republicans he has deemed to be insufficiently conservative.

Bannon strikes fear in the partys establishment because not only did he help Trump pull off an upset in the 2016 election, but in Alabamas recent Senate primary, he threw his weight behind Roy Moore, who defeated GOP Sen. Luther Strange, who was backed by Trump and McConnell.

But some in the mainstream are fighting back, sparked by an unlikely leader in Bush. During a speech Thursday in New York, Bush excoriated Trump and Bannon without naming them.

We have seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty, Bush said. Weve seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.

Bannon said Friday that Bush has no ideas what he was talking about ... he has no earthly idea of whether hes coming or going. Just like when he was president of the United States  a line that drew applause and cheers.

Many Republicans said the divisive Bannon is the last thing the California GOP needs at a time when they hold no statewide offices, are a super-minority in the Legislature and can count only 26 percent of registered California voters as fellow party members.

They see it as raw political math: Bannon, as the presidents campaign architect and former top strategist, is synonymous with Trump, and Trump is wildly unpopular in California, where only 27 percent of voters approve of the president, according to a September Public Policy Institute of California survey.

Bushs speech gave the establishment permission to fire back at Bannon and defend the partys core ideals, said Mike Madrid, a GOP consultant. He was incensed that the state party gave a platform to Bannons brand of conservatism.

This is not conservatism. This is nationalism. Its racist. Its ugly, Madrid said in an interview. Its a complete bastardization of conservatism.

After Bannon was announced as the keynote speaker, Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley (San Bernardino County), tweeted that its a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf.

Were not in a place in California to be in a civil war, Mayes, the former GOP Assembly leader, said in an interview Friday. We have to be united to get out of the death spiral were in.

Having Bannon keynote the state party convention highlights the shrill personal politics that you see in Washington, Mayes said. In California, we need to build relationships with people who are not Republicans. I dont think Mr. Bannon is the person to help us do that.

But Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney, said many of the conventions attendees like Bannon because theyre frustrated with the pace of change in Washington.

The partys best bet for revival in the short term in California is the president succeeding in Washington  which requires Congress to get with the program or to get out of the way, Dhillon said. And thats what Bannon represents.

To many at the convention, Bannon was a rock star, the man who, against all odds, helped elect a Republican president.

Ken Campbell, a Tea Party activist from Lincoln (Placer County), said Bannon is a hero to rural conservatives who walk out the door with their pocket Constitution, their Bible and their gun. Country, God and our freedoms. I think Steve Bannon being here is going to help the party.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
An afternoon subway ride turned violent when a passenger was assaulted after telling a fellow straphanger he stepped on his foot, police say.

The attack occurred on a southbound R in Brooklyn around 3:45 p.m. on Friday, October 20th. The NYPD says the victim, a 30-year-old male, and the male suspect were on the train when the suspect stepped on the victim's foot. According to police, "When the victim confronted the individual, the individual did punch the victim in the face. As a result of being punched in the face, the victim fell to the ground, while on the ground the individual did kick and punch the victim in the head and face."

By the time the train got to the 4th Avenue and 36th Street station, the suspect fled and took a southbound D train.

The victim was taken to Lutheran Hospital in critical but stable condition.

Police released an image of the suspect, describing him as 17-19 years old, 5'10" and 160 pounds, and last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans, white sneakers, and a black book bag.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782)

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
The MetroCard, that flimsy piece of plastic that's bedeviled so many New Yorkers in its time on this Earth, might finally be headed for the great trash heap in the sky according to a pair of reports. Just uh, not that soon.

The New York Post reports that the MTA is planning on scrapping the MetroCard entirely by 2023, in favor of a system that lets riders waive their spacephones, credit cards or "tap cards" in front of electric scanners. And while 2023 sounds very far away at the moment, the paper also reports that by 2019, 500 subway turnstiles and 600 buses will be outfitted with the electronic entrance technology.

The paper says that the MTA board is getting ready to vote on handing a $570 million contract to local company Cubic Corp, to build a system similar to the ones that London, Toronto and Chicago use for their mass transit fare readers.

The Daily News also reported that the board is set to vote on handing Cubic the MetroCard-killing contract, and that when the system is completely finished, it will allow commuters to get on subways, buses and even pay fares on the Metro-North and LIRR. The whole system would be set up by 2020 according to the reports, giving the authority three years to phase MetroCards out entirely.

"Itll make everybodys life easier," riders advocate on the MTA board Andrew Albert told the News. "Itll make transfers much easier. Itll bring the system into the 21st century."

The death of the MetroCard has been planned for some time now, with the MTA originally announcing in 2014 the card would be no more by 2019. That plan got pushed back to 2022 one year later, and now it seems the cards won't be completely gone until 2023. Still, earlier this year, scan-based technology was seen getting tested at a pair of lower Manhattan subway stations, so the slow death march appears to be moving. Hopefully by then we'll also have a subway system worth swiping into.
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," he continued. "Numerous delays can occur before and after patients reach the hospital which lead to this treatment target being missed."This study assessed whetherThe observational study prospectively enrolled 896 patients with STEMI between 2012 and 2016 that were treated at Insituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires and Sanatorio Anchorena in Buenos Aires.Hospital admission occurred by three routes: 1) patients arrived at the emergency department by their own means (211 patients); 2) ambulance delivered patients to the emergency department (325 patients); 3) ambulance delivered patients to the cath lab (emergency room bypassed) (360 patients).In group 3, an ambulance doctor conducted an ECG on arrival at the patient's home or public place. If STEMI was the diagnosis, the ECG was transmitted using WhatsApp on a smartphone to a cardiologist at the hospital to confirm the diagnosis and prepare the cath lab.On arrival at the hospital by ambulance, patients were taken directly to the cath lab and did not stop in the emergency department.Treatment times and outcomes were compared between patients who received an ECG diagnosis of STEMI in the emergency room (groups 1 and 2) and those who received an ECG diagnosis by ambulance staff and were directly transferred to the cath lab (group 3).The primary objective was to determine if direct transfer to the cath lab led to quicker treatment. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the impact of direct transfer on improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction during hospitalisation, length of hospital stay, and mortality.The researchers found that the time between symptom onset and treatment was significantly lower in group 3 (150 minutes) compared to groups 1 and 2 (200 minutes) (p <0.001).The overall mortality rate of all STEMI patients in the study was 2.23%. Mortality was significantly lower in group 3 (0.83%) compared to groups 1 and 2 (3.17%) (p <0.001). Patients in group 3 had a shorter hospital stay (4.88 days versus 5.58 days; p <0.001) and better left ventricular ejection fraction at discharge (51% versus 48%; p <0.03) than those in groups 1 and 2.Dr Lalor said: "We found that notifying the cath lab in advance using WhatsApp and transferring patients directly from the ambulance, bypassing the emergency department, led to quicker treatment and better outcomes for patients with STEMI. Advanced notification enables hospital staff to prepare the cath lab and the doctor is ready to start primary angioplasty when the patient arrives."He continued: "Using WhatsApp on a smart phone is a cheap and easy way for ambulance and hospital doctors to communicate and we will be rolling this procedure out to other hospitals in Argentina."Dr Alberto Fernandez, scientific programme coordinator of SAC 2017, said: "This is a very easy way to improve the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in our country. Given the very long distances between centres that have percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) facilities, particularly in cities in the interior of the country, the opportunity to call the interventional cardiologist and prepare the cath lab could improve the prognosis of patients."Dr Fernandez continued: "In the last registry of AMI in Argentina (ARGEN-IAM-ST), the median delay between pain and hospital admission was 2.5 (1.2-5.6) hours and in-hospital mortality was 8.8%. This data shows that all efforts to improve the outcome of patients will be very important."Professor Michel Komajda, a past president of the ESC and course director of the ESC programme in Argentina, said: "Time delay to treatment has a significant impact on survival of patients with STEMI.This study highlights one strategy to reduce delays. Other strategies include increasing public awareness of common symptoms and the importance of calling the emergency services, or the use of ambulances with doctors who can deliver first aid including thrombolysis if access to centres with interventional facilities is too far as developed in my own country."Source: Eurekalert
A candidate for appointment to the Montana Supreme Court failed to disclose on her application that she had been removed from a case.

Cynthia Ford, a law professor at the University of Montana, was ordered removed from a civil case filed in U.S. District Court in Billings in 1998. Ford, who is one of six applicants seeking to succeed retiring Justice Mike Wheat, answered no on the applications question about being sanctioned.

That question reads: Have you ever been found guilty of contempt of court or sanctioned by any court for any reason? If so, provide the details.

The case in question is Jackson National Life Insurance Co. v. Leenknecht Financial Services. Ford is listed as one of three lead attorneys representing Jackson National Life Insurance, the plaintiff.

According to the docket, Judge Jack Shanstrom granted defense motions to strike the plaintiffs experts and order sanctions against the plaintiff for failure to obey a discovery order. The judge held Ford and her client jointly and severally liable for $6,367. The judge also ordered Ford immediately removed from the case in July of 2000. The case was closed in 2002.

Al Smith, executive director of Montana Trial Lawyers Association, said its very uncommon for judges to order an attorney removed from a case in a civil matter.

It happens really rarely, that I know of, Smith said.

Smith said he does not know Ford personally but said she has a reputation as a skilled law professor.

Reached Thursday by phone, Ford said she had no recollection of the sanction or the case.

I have no memory of this. Nineteen ninety-eight was a long time ago, she said.

When read portions of the summary of the case provided on the docket, Ford said she did recall some aspects of the case: She remembered apologizing to the judge for a delay in complying with a discovery request, and that the delay was because her client had not provided her with sufficient information.

I remember I made a conscious choice to take the blame and throw myself under the bus, rather than to disclose client  I dont want to say misconduct  but lack of cooperation, Ford said.

Ford said she could not comment further on the case without first reviewing it. Because of the age of the case, full documentation of the case is unavailable online.

I remember being embarrassed by this, and then thats that, she said.

Ford said she had tried to be thorough while completing her application for the Supreme Court appointment. For instance, she contacted a Bozeman attorney, Geoffrey Angel, to ask whether he thought her handling of a separate case warranted disclosure on the application, and he said no. Ford did not elaborate on how her handling of the separate case might have raised questions, saying she was unclear on that issue herself. Angel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Im sure not trying to hide anything, Ford said.

Ford added that she had been going through a divorce while the Jackson National Life Insurance case was active, and that it was a challenging time for her personally.

She said she planned to review the case and notify the board reviewing applications, the Judicial Nomination Commission, of her omission if she decided it was appropriate.

No negative public comments have been submitted on Fords application for the Supreme Court appointment. Ford has no public disciplinary actions against her listed with the states Office of Disciplinary Counsel.
Sending in firefighters to try to stop the Lolo Peak fire while it was still relatively small this past summer would have been almost like a suicide mission according to Jordan Koppen, a fire information officer for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Thats because the fire started in such remote, heavily forested and steep terrain that there would have been no way to escape quickly if the fire acted erratically due to wind or other factors, he said. He added that more aerial drops of retardant wouldn't have stopped the blaze because the thick tree canopy in that area would have stopped the retardant from hitting the undergrowth below.

So the early days, when it comes to conditions like that, its super-steep and rocky terrain, he said on Friday. And theres no escape routes or safe zones. So if you take crew members up in a helicopter and drop them off on Lolo Peak and they go into this fire and the fire blows up, where are they going to go? We cant afford to put peoples lives at risk just to try and save these homes if theyre down at the bottom. Its just not worth human lives.

Koppen said there were also hundreds of snags (dead standing trees in danger of falling over) per acre in the area. A falling snag killed 29-year-old firefighter Brent Witham on Aug. 2 as he worked the Lolo Peak fire.

We didnt want to put anybody in danger because we were tapped out on the resources as it was because we were having so many fires in the area, including the Rice Ridge and the Sapphire Complex, so you can imagine all the resources that were out there, Koppen said. There was a lot of active fire behavior.

Koppen spoke to a large group as part of the 2017 Timber Tour, hosted by the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerces Forest Resource Committee.

The Lolo Peak fire started on July 15 due to lightning and eventually burned nearly 54,000 acres southwest of Missoula. In the wake of the fire, as usual during severe fire seasons, there was an outcry from many citizens asking why the fire wasnt stopped early on before it got so big, choked the surrounding valleys with smoke, forced the evacuations of thousands of people and contributed to the burning of two homes.

On Thursday, Koppen defended fire managers decisions with regard to how the fire was dealt with.

It started up in really forested land, Koppen said. It was really hard for fire agencies or the Forest Service to even get up in that area. Thats what were trying to emphasize to people. We really didnt want to put people up there because theres no escape routes or safety zones. We already had one fatality up there and that was after the fact.

"But it was one of those situations where we had a lot of other fire ignitions because of a lightning storm that came through," he continued. "And how are we going to effectively put a fire out when its out in the middle of nowhere and theres no escape routes and to keep those fires safe?

Resources were already stretched thin, he said, and fire managers have to make tough decisions.

Its a challenge, those decisions that we have to make to keep everyone safe, he said. Thats our priority is bringing everyone home to their families every night. Thats what were trying to do with fire suppression is protect these homes.

Even a much heavier aerial attack, with more bucket drops of retardants, wouldnt have stopped the blaze from spreading, according to Koppen.

Thats just it, its so thick up there, if you drop retardant or anything up there, its not going to go down to the ground, he explained. Its going to keep up in the canopy because its so overgrown. Thats one of those things. Weve been suppressing those fires for over 100 years, and when we let it go like that, and keep suppressing those fires, its going to get thicker and thicker.

Koppen said fire managers went through and talked to as many property owners they could reach to give them advice on how to protect their property.

Most people took that advice, but some didnt, Koppen said.

Byron Bonnie with the Bitterroot Resource Conservation and Development Area spoke of the benefits of thinning work done around homes. He said that people need to treat at least a 100-foot ring around their property, otherwise it will probably all be for naught.

"A hundred feet is crucial, he said. And its not that far.

Bonnie said that in the aftermath of the Roaring Lion Fire that burned south of Hamilton in 2016, he and other fire managers studied properties that had been thinned. He said many homes were saved because property owners had thinned their property, but eight homes still burned within the thinned area. Thats because burning embers probably rained down on the houses and found something to ignite.

It could have been brush underneath a deck, or it could have been a broom propped up against cedar siding, he said. It could have been a door mat.

Despite exceptions to the rule, Bonnie said that property owners in the wildland urban interface would be wise to have their property thinned as a precaution. There are even federal grants available to pay for the work.
DECATUR -- When people ask Dr. Peter Paulson what church he attends, he has the standard answer. Well, the church with the red door, he said.

Grace United Methodist Church has been a part of Decatur for 150 years. Although it has several features that make it recognizable, such as the a loud bell heard near the center of town and a large metal cross towering over the church campus, it is often identified by the red door.

Located on N. Main St., the building may be easily noticed by its physical characteristics, but Grace United Methodist Church has made a name for itself through the people that make up the congregation.

Look outside any window and youll see a personal mission field, said lead pastor Sig Bjorklund. We are right in the heart of the action. And the needs are very real.

The church will be celebrating their anniversary during one service at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22. After the service, the congregation will continue their fellowship with a meal. We will be eating, because Methodist people like to eat, said Carol Perry.

Perry is the chairperson for the anniversary celebration. She has invited Rev. Jan Griffith, assistant to the bishop of Illinois Great Rivers Conference, to speak during the special service. The day will also include a slideshow with images of the churchs past. Certificates will be distributed to members of the congregation for special milestones.

Jan. 17, 1867, was the origin date for the church. It began as the Franklin Street Methodist Episcopal Church on the corner of Cerro Gordo and Franklin streets. Two years later, the church moved to a new building on the corner of Franklin and Eldorado streets and was renamed. In 1906, the congregation moved to its final location, on the corner of N. Main and King Streets. Grace United Methodist Church was now home.

In 1934, the church was destroyed by fire, and endured a second fire eight years later. The congregation quickly rebuilt the church after both disasters.

The church grew through the years, motivating them to expand. The current building was erected in 1985.

For years, the church has provided programs for the community and beyond. They collaborate with Old Kings Orchard Community Center to help local families. Bjorklund and his wife Beth McLaughlin have conducted prayer walks in the area.

Anybody we encounter, if they would like us to pray for them, we do, Bjorklund said. Otherwise we pray for the neighborhood, for the people, the Good Samaritan Inn, Gods Shelter of Love, or OKO.

The church is also active with childrens programs through parks and after-school programs. They have combined student activities and youth ministers from other churches as well.

The congregation has discussed moving the church to an area other than downtown, but always decides against it.

We are committed to staying here, Bjorklund said.

Bjorklund said the church vision affirms their decision to remain in the neighborhood. To serve and honor God. We dont want that to get lost.

During the year, the church has been celebrating their past and looking ahead to the future.

He still has wonderful things yet to come, McLaughlin said. The best years are always ahead of us.
CARO -- Tuscola County Clerk Jodi Fetting will host an open house next month to showcase the new voting machines that counties in the Thumb will be using.

The open house will run from 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 at the H. H. Purdy Building, located at 125 W. Lincoln St.

Fetting was among a select few who stepped up when Secretary of State Ruth Johnson asked for help in selecting new voting machines.

The State Administrative Board approved 10-year contracts with three vendors for optical scan voting systems that read and tabulate paper ballots marked by voters. The vendors selected included Dominion Voting Systems, Election Systems and Software, and Hart InterCivic.

Then, each of Michigan's 83 county clerks consulted with the city and township clerks in their county to select one of the three vendors.

Each of the five Thumb counties and 57 other counties selected the Dominion Voting Systems.

The new equipment includes ballot tabulators, accessible devices for use by voters with disabilities and election management and reporting software.

According to Fetting, the new voting machines will use digital optical scan technology that will increase ease of use for voters and election officials as well as offering speed and convenience of the latest ballot scanning and election night reporting technology while at the same time, featuring a paper ballot that can be gone back and looked at if necessary.

In Huron County, voters will use the new machines during the Nov. 7 for city council seats in Bad Axe and Caseville, and a bond issue in the North Huron School District.

In Tuscola County, the new machines will be used for a bond issue for the Kingston School District, and a Dayton Township millage issue.

Sanilac County will not have an election in November.
PIGEON  It may sound like a playful word, but it is quite powerful.

Gerrymandering  manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favor one political party  is a practice that has been used for hundreds of years. However, a grassroots organization would like to amend the state constitution in the name of fairness.

Representatives for Voters Not Politicians (VNP) held two town hall meetings Thursday at the Pigeon District Library, to discuss the gerrymandering process and proposed redistricting reform amendment to the Michigan State Constitution. In order to get the measure on the 2018 state ballot, the group must secure a total of 315,654 valid signatures by Feb. 2.

Deb Streu, educator for VNP, told attendees that the organization's core belief is that voters should choose their politicians, not the other way around.

"Gerrymandering threatens democracy," she said.

Added Streu: "A politician's main priority is getting reelected. We believe that they should get reelected because their constituents like what they've done and want to reelect them, not because the scales are tipped in their favor."

In hopes of securing the required amount of signatures, VNP officials have been holding town hall type gatherings across the state. They site fairness, demographic change, manageability of districts, and responsiveness as reasons why the public should care about a change to the current process, where state legislators are responsible for shaping the district maps.

Streu explained that if a candidate knows his or her district is gerrymandered in such a way that they are highly likely to win, the biggest challenge is to get through the primary. Primaries, she said, are where candidates play to the most extreme factions of their party.

"If they make it through the primary, and they're in a gerrymandered district, they're a shoe-in," Streu said. "And now you've elected somebody who's at the far end of the spectrum and we end up with the Hatfields and the McCoys trying to govern us, because they're so far apart."

"If we want them to be responsive to us, we need to have the elections be truly competitive in November, not decided in August at the primary level," she added. "When politicians divide you on demographics, they are not as likely to listen to you."

Six states have sought litigation concerning this issue. Michigan is one of a handful of states where the people can make constitutional amendments, which VNP is currently pursuing.

The group's proposal is to give the authority for drawing voting district boundaries to an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, similar to ones that have been set up in California and Arizona. The commission would be made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and five independent officials, who all would be selected similar to how a jury would be.

"They developed this because they wanted power to be in the hands of the voters, not the politicians," Streu said. "They wanted it to be fair, they wanted it to be independent, and they wanted it to be transparent."

Since late August, VNP has collected over 200,000 signatures in every one of Michigan's 83 counties. For more information, visit www.votersnotpoliticians.com.
The Tribune will publish Self-Help, information in the Upper Thumb area on a space-available basis. Each notice should be limited to 30 words. Please mail or bring information, clearly marked, to the Huron Daily Tribune, 211 N. Heisterman St., Bad Axe, 48413, call 989-269-6461 or email hdt_news@hearstnp.com.

Bariatric

 Bariatric Support Group meets the third Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the Birch Room at Scheurer Hospital. Call Jean Phillips at 989-872-2772.

Grief

 GriefShare features nationally recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions include "The Journey of Grief," "The Effects of Grief," "Your Family and Grief," "Why?" and "Stuck in Grief." For more information, call Chaplain Londa at 989-545-8357.

 Spousal loss grief group meets from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month at the Holiday Inn Express in Bad Axe. For more information contact Pam Christe or Sue Gentle at Heartland Hospice 989-667-3440 or 800-275-4517.

 Grief Support meets second Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. at Caro Community Library. Please call Sue or Pam at 800-275-4517 for more details.

 Grief Support meets last Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. for dinner at Franklin Inn in Bad Axe. Call 1-800-635-7490 ext. 4134.

 Grief Support meets at noon on the first Tuesday of the month at Eddie G's in Marlette. Call United Hospice Service for more information at 800-635-7490.

Multiple Sclerosis

 Multiple Sclerosis support group meets at 11 a.m. on the second Monday of each month at Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe, third floor classroom. Call Marilyn at 989-428-3499 for more information.

 Multiple Sclerosis support group meets bi-annually at Scheurer Hospital, and focuses on education and support. Contact 989-453-5222.

Substance abuse

 To find Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the area call 800-230-4085.

 Family member or friend addicted? Call Families Anonymous. Familes Anonymous is a 12 step program to aid families with substance abuse or behavioral problems. Meetings are every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at 206 Scheurmann St. in Essexville. For inquiries, call 989-553-4962.

 Thumb Area Narcotics Anonymous meets Mondays from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at the Caseville United Methodist Church. For inquiries call 800-230-4085.

 Thumb Area Narcotics Anonymous meets from 7 to 8:15 at the Port Austin Bible Campus on Thursdays.

Suicide support

A support group for those affected by suicide will be provided from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the Huron County Senior Center at 150 Nugent Road in Bad Axe. If you are interested in attending, or for more information, please call Lisa Schoettle, MA, LPC, NCC at 989-975-0190.

Women's

support group

 Huron County SafePlace will be offering free support groups to women on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Transportation via Thumb Area Transit and child care for these support groups will be available by calling SafePlace. These meetings take place in Bad Axe, please call for additional information or to make your reservations 989-269-5300.

 For information on meetings of the Woman's Christian Temperance (self-control) Union, call Marie at 989-975-2465. It is a support group for people with addictions.

Cancer support

As an affiliate of the American Cancer Society, "I Can Cope" meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Wilson Education Center at Scheurer Hospital. The group focuses on education, camaraderie and compassion. For more information, call 989-453-5222.

Caregiver Support

 Harbor Beach Community Hospital and Human Development Commission caregiver and support group meets from 9 to 11 a.m. the third Tuesday of every month. Susan Arthur, LLBSW from Human Development Commission is the facilitator. This is held at the Administration Building Conference Center at the Harbor Beach Community Hospital at 147 South First Street in Harbor Beach. To register please call 1-989-673-4121 or just stop in.

 Caregiver Connection provides support for those caring for loved ones. Meetings are the second Thursday of each month from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at Wilson Education Room at Scheurer Hospital. Lunch provided.

 Huron County Family Caregiver Support Group meets from 10 to noon the second Tuesday of the month at Human Development Commission, 150 Nugent Road in Bad Axe. For more information, contact Merry at (989) 673-4121.

Alzheimer's support

Tuscola County Alzheimer's and Family Caregiver Support Group meets from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Human Development Commission Intergenerational Building, 430 Montague Avenue in Caro.

For more information, contact Merry at 989-673-4121.

Parkinson's

support

Living with Parkinson's Support Group meets from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at the Holiday Inn Express in Bad Axe, 55 Rapson Lane West.

For more information, call 989-864-3779.

Community

supports

Community Support 101 will meet at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of every month at The United Protestant Church in Port Austin. The group is open to anyone in recovery or struggling with relationships and who hopes to increase communication skills, compassion, forgiveness and freedom. For more information, call 989-738-5322.

Weight Loss

support group

TOPS Chapter meets every Wednesday evening at the Huron County Senior Center in Bad Axe. Weigh-in is at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting is at 6:15 p.m. Take off pounds sensibly. Call Rose at 989-551-2711 for more information.

Addiction

screening

Narconon can help you take steps to overcome addiction in your family. Call today for free screenings or referrals, 877-841-5509
NORWALK  U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., sat down with a dozen residents to discuss the future of the now dismantled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in Norwalk City Hall on Wednesday evening.

Its trying to predict the future with an uncertain and unpredictable president, so Ill do the best I can, Himes said.

He began by painting a picture of the intensifying problems employers and universities will face if DACA  a policy allowing undocumented residents who moved to the U.S. as children to legally enroll in college, secure jobs and pay taxes that is set to expire March 5  is not replaced with a similar policy.

Employers would have to scramble for new employees, and universities would have to begin rescinding financial aid.

Thats massively disruptive, Himes said. The politics around DACA is potentially poisonous for the president and for Republicans. ... So I have some confidence that there will be a legislative fix for this, most likely in the early part of next year. However, he acknowledged he could make no guarantees.

Representatives of Connecticut Students for a Dream, Parents of Students for a Dream, Make the Road Connecticut and the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants were present at the conversation, including DACA recipients and their parents.

Eric Cruz Lopez, an undocumented student at the University of Connecticut and an organizer for Connecticut Students for a Dream, described an array of options legislators will navigate as they craft a replacement for DACA. Potential Democratic concessions include border enforcement, funding for the border wall, and mandatory e-verification. Many DACA activists urge pushing for legislation without any such concessions  a clean Dream Act.

Where do you stand on these different compromises? Cruz Lopez asked.

Himes said not all of the concessions President Donald Trump has demanded will happen, but neither would legislation without compromise.

A clean Dream Act will not happen, he said. You can count on me to fight like hell. Im just being realistic with you right now.

Himes indicated moral justification would be a guiding factor for him as talks progress. I mean, separating families  theres no moral justification for that, he said. But he would be willing to compromise on finding better ways to discourage the travel of unaccompanied minors into the United States.

Other questions included whether the government monitors social media.

If youre here, youre in the eyes of the law a U.S. person entitled to constitutional protections, regardless of your status, Himes said. They would require a warrant to look into your social media or look into your phone.

However, Alicia Kinsman, of the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, cautioned such issues could become fraught at the countrys borders and if a social media page is public, it is open to everyone.

Since the legislative replacement for DACA is still in the early stages, Himes promised another conversation once a proposal came forward. Lets do exactly this meeting again, he said.

Himes finished by suggesting a next step for those who want to keep DACA protections intact: Pressuring Republican legislators in districts that could be persuaded to support such legislation, such as Maine and New Jersey.

These are persuadable people, he said. And the more advocacy these groups can bring to bear on those persuadable people, the faster this will get done.

Julio Lopez-Varona, director of Make the Road Connecticut, was not satisfied with the congressmans answers to his questions. I think our focus is to protect our communities, and there wasnt a clear answer that itll happen, he said. By protecting the community, Lopez-Varona referred to legislation that would not separate families or use criminal records to choose who could stay and who would be deported.

Cruz Lopez thought his questions were answered to the best of Himess knowledge, but seemed shaken by the politicans blunt assertion that a clean Dream Act would not happen. That was something that caused me a little bit of fear, he said. Because as someone who has been at the negotiating table, when you start out willing to compromise, you end up very far away from where you wanted to be  against your favor.

However, both agreed they were happy to be having an honest conversation. We appreciate that the congressman is being open to at least listening to us, Lopez-Varona said.

rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetz
Editor's note: The Herald & Review each day is listing a reason the Decatur region is loved. We're profiling people, places and history that are special to our region  and that make it a great place to live. See more here.

The Children's Museum of Illinois is a world of interactive education, inviting young minds to explore exhibits designed to draw out their curiosity and learn  and have a lot fun, too.

The nonprofit Children's Museum of Illinois has been a Central Illinois attraction since it was founded in 1990 in the Macon County Conservation District's Education Center.

Like the children who first experienced its wonders 27 years ago, it has grown so much since then. In 1995, with rising popularity, the current site was developed, and the museum moved into its new 20,000-square-foot home overlooking Lake Decatur at 55 S. Country Club Road in Scovill Park, adjacent to Scovill Zoo.

The museum's exhibits have changed and evolved over the years, encouraging children ages 3 to 12 to view a world larger than their own. From Luckey's Climber in the middle of the building that takes kids from the first to the second floor to displays that teach about food, grocery shopping, television broadcasting, health or construction, the museum keeps kids on the move physically and mentally.

The museum also hosts a variety of activities such as Kidstock, Happy Noon Year!, Cocoa and Cookies with Santa, Duck Derby, Halloween Hoopla, Easter egg hunt, a Maker Space and Music at the Museum, to name just a few events that keep families coming back year round. Schools from throughout the area bring field trips during the year.

The museum keeps growing, too. In July, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation announced a $3 million grant to build a two-story exhibit focused on law enforcement. The 7,000-square-foot expansion will be called "Heroes Hall."

Child Magazine has named the Children's Museum of Illinois one of the top 25 childrens museums in the country, a ringing endorsement for the efforts of the museum's many volunteers and employees.

The museum's website says it best: "The museum contributes to the communitys quality of life as an educational facility, visitor attraction, family activity destination, and site for volunteerism."
The Trump administration is giving the Air Force the option to return through voluntary programs as many as 1,000 retired pilots to active-duty service, the Pentagon announced.

Through an executive order signed Friday, the measure gives the service more leverage as it attempts to combat the growing pilot shortage in its ranks.

"The Air Force is grateful for additional authority as it works to address its pilot shortage," Air Force spokeswoman Erika Yepsen said in a statement.

"We can't provide specific details about how we will implement this new authority until we receive guidance from the secretary of defense [Jim Mattis]," Yepsen said.

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"However, as the Air Force pursues a variety of initiatives to counter the shortage, it will take care to balance new accessions with voluntary programs for retired and senior pilots to ensure the service maintains a balance of experienced aviators throughout the coming years," she said.

Officials stress that returning to active duty is strictly voluntary, and the service does not intend to implement a stop-loss measure.

"This is an amendment to an existing authority we already had," an Air Force official told Military.com on background Friday.

"We have authorities for a whole bunch of things -- doesn't mean we use them," the official said during a telephone call.

And the measure may not be as advantageous as it may seem.

"To recall pilots to active duty, we have a zero sum game  the training pipeline is finite," the official said.

"A [pilot] training seat is a training seat. I don't think this will do us some good unless you can bring people on for staff jobs [too]," the official said.

That's because -- even with the latest measure -- the service doesn't intend to put older pilots back in the cockpit.

"We can't get 20-plus years out of an old guy the way you could with a new guy," the official said.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein have said the service was 1,555 pilots short by fiscal 2016, including 1,211 total force fighter pilots.

As a result, the Air Force laid out plans earlier this month to welcome back retired pilots into active-duty staff positions.

The service, through the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty Program, or VRRAD, encourages pilots who had held a job in the 11X career field to apply before Dec. 31, 2018.

In an effort to address the increasing pilot shortage, Wilson in July signed off on the program, which aims to fill flight staff positions with those who have prior pilot experience and expertise, thus allowing active-duty pilots to focus on training and missions.

Pilots under the age of 60 who retired within the last five years in the rank of captain, major or lieutenant colonel can apply for VRRAD. The Air Force wants to fill 25 positions for an active-duty tour of one year.

Other initiatives the service is -- and has repeatedly been -- trying: bonuses.

The Air Force this summer announced it is increasing its flight incentive pay and aviation bonus programs -- with bonuses of up to $455,000 over 13 years for some fighter pilots.

The bulk of initiatives come at a time when the Air Force is losing many pilots to the commercial aviation industry.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

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A funeral service was scheduled for Saturday morning at Christ the Rock Church in Cooper City, Fla., for U.S. Army Sgt. La David Terrence Johnson, one of four Green Berets killed in Niger on Oct. 4.

On Friday night, mourners gathered at the church for a public viewing, the Miami Herald reported.

According to the newspaper, the evening was focused solely on Johnson, a 25-year-old father of two children, with a third on the way, who was remembered as "a G.I. Joe," "a leader," and "a lovable, humble, peaceful person."

There was no mention, the Herald reported, of this week's verbal feud between U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., and President Donald Trump, which was sparked when Wilson commented on remarks that Trump reportedly made during a condolence phone call to Johnson's widow, Myeshia Johnson.

The Herald reported Friday that after Johnson's death, Wilson established a college scholarship fund for his children -- Ah'leeysa, 6; La David Jr., 2; and a daughter expected in January. The GoFundMe account had raised more than $627,000 in donations as of early Saturday.

Three other soldiers were killed in the Niger attack:

-- Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, whose funeral was held Sunday in his hometown, Lyons, Ga.

-- Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash., whose funeral was held Wednesday in Fayetteville, N.C. Black will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Oct. 30, WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., reported.

-- Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio, whose funeral was held Thursday in Fayetteville, N.C.

A memorial service for all four soldiers is scheduled for Nov. 7 at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun reported.

The four Green Berets were among a group of U.S. and Nigerien troops ambushed by about 50 Islamic extremists. Two other soldiers were injured in the attack, and nearly 10 Nigerien troops were also killed.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has said that his department is investigating the circumstances that led to the attack.

U.S. and French troops have been providing training and support to the militaries of Niger and other vulnerable African countries where Islamic extremism has grown.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
An Indigenous airman, who had to cut his braids when first joining the Air Force two years ago, is now one of the first in...
The White House added more confusion Friday to the controversy over what President Donald Trump did or didn't say in a phone call earlier this week to a Gold Star widow.

Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said on the "Fox & Friends" show that she had read a transcript of the phone call, and it showed the president correctly trying to console the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson by stressing his honorable service to the nation.

Johnson and three other members of the 3rd Special Forces Group were killed in an ambush in the African state of Niger on Oct. 4.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later that there was no transcript.

"There's not a transcript of the call," Sanders said at a testy White House briefing. "I believe she [Lara Trump] was responding to reports and things she read. I haven't spoken directly to her."

The briefing then devolved into a confrontational back-and-forth on what Trump actually said, whether the family was right to be offended, whether Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, was lying about the phone call, and whether retired Marine Gen. John Kelly was lying about Wilson.

Lara Trump, who works for Trump's re-election campaign and is the wife of Trump's eldest son Eric, seemed certain that she had read a transcript, although she did not say where or when she read it.

Fox News' host Ainsley Earhardt asked Lara Trump, "You read the transcript. What were your thoughts?"

"From what I have seen, this is a clear case of the media not doing their job," Lara Trump responded.

"Whenever you read exactly what he [President Trump] said, he said, 'Your husband went into battle, you know, knowing that he could be injured, knowing that he could be killed and he still did it because he loves his country and he did it for the American people,' " Lara Trump told Earhardt.

"I can't think of a better way, quite frankly, to express my gratitude to someone than by saying something like that," Lara Trump said, "and yet they conveniently leave off the last part of what was said."

Wilson, a long-time friend of the Johnson family, said that Trump in his phone call to the family on Tuesday said that Sgt. Johnson "knew what he was getting into, but it still hurts."

She said she was riding in a car with the 24-year-old widow, Myeshia Johnson, and other family members when the call came in.

She said that a "master sergeant," presumably on the casualty detail, had put the call on speaker phone.

Wilson later said that the family was offended by the tone and content of Trump's remarks, and she told CNN that Trump was "cold-hearted and he feels no pity or sympathy for anyone."

Cowanda Jones-Johnson, Sgt. Johnson's mother, backed up Wilson. She told The Washington Post Wednesday that she was present during the call.

"President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband," Jones-Johnson said.

In a Tweet on Tuesday, Trump said that Wilson "totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!"

In another Tweet late Thursday, Trump said, "The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!"

Earlier Thursday at a White House briefing, Kelly, the White House chief of staff, harshly criticized Wilson for listening in on the call and commenting on what was said, but he did not directly contradict her account that Trump had told the family that Sgt. Johnson "knew what he was getting into."

Kelly said he had initially advised Trump not to make the call, but then told him of his own experience when his son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert Kelly, was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010.

He said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, who would become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told him that Lt. Kelly died among friends doing what he wanted to do.

Kelly said Trump delivered a similar message to Sgt. Johnson's widow: "He knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted. And he was where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to be, with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken."

In criticizing Wilson, however, Kelly appeared to make incorrect statements about another incident -- the 2015 dedication of an FBI field office in Miami.

He charged that Wilson ostentatiously sought at the dedication to claim credit for raising funds for the building.

Kelly said that an empty barrel makes the most noise, and he called Wilson an "empty barrel."

Video of the event found by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel does not show Wilson talking about funding. Instead, she spoke about pushing fast-track legislation to name the building after two slain FBI agents.

On CNN Friday morning, Wilson said, "You know, I feel sorry for General Kelly. He has my sympathy for the loss of his son. But he can't just go on TV and lie on me. I was not even in Congress in 2009 when the money for the building was secured. So that's a lie. How dare he?"

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
DEXTER, MI - Hundreds of Washtenaw County residents have died from opioid overdoses in recent years, and community leaders are meeting again with citizens to determine how to address the crisis.

Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry L. Clayton and U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell are hosting a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 at Mill Creek Middle School, 7305 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road in Dexter.

They are seeking input and having a conversation about what to do about the opioid crisis, which has killed more than 300 county residents since 2011.

The number of Washtenaw County residents who have died from overdoses has increased in recent years.

There were 34 opioid overdose deaths in the county from January through July, according to the Washtenaw County Public Health. There were 30 during the first seven months in 2016.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and codeine.

The Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and Public Health departments, the Washtenaw Health Initiative Opioid Project, Home of New Vision, National Alliance On Mental Illness, Corner Health Center, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, University of Michigan Health System, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, several area school districts and elected officials are among the people and groups partnering with the sheriff's office.
YPSILANTI, MI - Eastern Michigan University General Counsel Gloria Hage believes board policies should accurately reflect the practices at the university.

That's why updating the EMU Board of Regents' policy regarding free speech for the first time since 2003 was so important, particularly at a time when colleges and universities grapple with how to protect the First Amendment on campus while accommodating safety concerns that come with bringing in controversial guests.

The Board of Regents approved amendments to its current free speech speaker policy during its regular meeting on Friday, Oct. 20 by a unanimous vote.

"The framework around campus free speech and campus protests has evolved since 2003, of course, and in the past couple of years it has evolved very rapidly," Hage said.

The amendments to the policy remove provisions for speakers, including: "speaker(s) must not urge the audience to take action which is prohibited by the rules of the University or which is illegal under federal, state or local law," and "Any acts that are disruptive to the normal operations of the University including classes and University business or infringe upon the rights of others will not be tolerated."

The amended policy states that EMU's goal is "for all University events to be orderly and peaceful so as many persons as possible can participate in and benefit from an open exchange of ideas."

"Because events can sometimes raise security concerns, the University will strive to ensure safety while protecting the First Amendment rights of members of those who wish to participate in on campus events," the new policy language reads. "Accordingly, the University will promulgate reasonable rules and regulations surrounding the use of its campus facilities with the dual goals of protecting the First Amendment Rights of members of its community and safety and security of persons paramount."

The language also clarifies that speaker events can be hosted by faculty, staff, student organizations and other groups. The former policy language specified that a recognized student organization is the only group able to invite speakers to campus. The amended policy also removes "student organization" from the beginning of the policy's title "Student Organization Free Speech and Speaker Policy."

While that has been the board's policy, Hage noted that third parties outside of the university have been able to rent indoor spaces on campus to bring in speakers in the past.

"That's one of the places where the policy needed to be updated to be consistent with practice," she said. "We have allowed third parties outside the community to rent our facilities, so that's not a change in practice, that's clarified in the policy."

Employees who work at a variety of different facilities on campus are in charge of taking requests for renting spaces and bringing in speakers. While basic questions about availability are always addressed before a request is approved, each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

"Generally, our approach will be to find a way for that speaker to come onto campus," Hage said. "The circumstances under which we would say a blanket 'no' would be very limited and I can't really speak to those now. It's a broad free speech policy and through our procedures, those are designed to bring speakers to campus, not to disallow them.

"Safety and security for an identifiable reason would be a reason to deny it," she added.

EMU proposed the changes to the policy as colleges and universities across the country - and Michigan - maneuver through challenges of providing a forum for free speech on their campuses.

Michigan State University currently is being sued in federal court after it turned down a request in August for the National Policy Institute to host speaker Richard Spencer at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in mid-September. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Cameron Padgett, a 23-year-old student at Georgia State University who organizes campus visits for Spencer.

MSU's denial of the white nationalist group's request to rent space on campus was not based on "viewpoint discrimination," but rather the likelihood of violence, the university said in a September court filing.

The University of Michigan, meanwhile, hosted controversial author Charles Murray last week. He was met with chants, music, intentionally annoying cell phone sounds, an overhead projector displaying an arrow pointing to him along with the words "white supremacist," and hostile questions from students during his visit on Oct. 11.

Murray endured a barrage of accusations from students who picked apart his controversial 1994 book "The Bell Curve," while taking in protests for about 45 minutes before he was able to start his speech.

There were no arrests at the event, which featured a heavy police presence. Nobody was ejected from the venue and Murray was able to finish his speech after many of the protesters left.
The federal government says drug money was everywhere.

Investigators found thick stacks of $100 bills held together by rubber bands, totalling $533,252, according to forfeiture documents filed in federal court Monday, Oct. 16.

Most of it was found in a Warren home leased by Jim T. Lattner after his girlfriend, Julii Larrie Johnson, 34, of Oak Park, who sometimes stayed in the house, was shot and killed outside the home on Jan. 13, 2017.

Lattner, according to the court filing, "was uncooperative, cursed at the detectives, and refused to accompany officers to the Warren Police Department" when they arrived.

He has prior cocaine and heroin possession with intent to deliver convictions from 1997 and 2003. He served nearly six years in prison for the 2003 conviction, and was on lifetime probation, according to online Michigan Department of Corrections records.

Warren police detectives served a search warrant following Johnson's homicide on Jan. 13. They found a total of more than $500,000 in cash in a pair of pants lying on the floor in the master bedroom; in a dresser drawer, a nightstand; plastic bags stashed inside a "disguised box" and a duffel bag in the garage, the court filing says.

And there was more.

Investigators returned on Jan. 14 to search Lattner's white 2016 Ford F-150 pickup truck registered to Lattner's mother, who lives in Detroit, according to federal investigators.

Warren police found hidden compartments installed in the dashboard, where airbags are usually installed.

There was an "actuator that raised the hidden compartment through the passenger dashboard ... a power source connected to the actuator, and a small electronic receiver, and wire antenna allowing the actuator to be triggered remotely ... " the complaint says.

Police found over $12,000 in cash, a bag of marijuana, two cell phones, a 9-millimeter Ruger with an "obliterated" serial number.

The federal government in March charged Lattner with illegally transporting of a firearm. He's out on bond and his case is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 22.

Police searched the seized cellphones and found text messages indicating Lattner was involved in drug dealing. He hasn't been charged with any drug-related crimes.

Some of the text messages police say they read:

I swear on my daddy them people bettr not NEVAAA ask me nuthg bout yo selling dope ass. I'm gone let thm know u FENTANYL KING ...

I hope he not in that stash house

If I brng police ... it gone get real ugly 4 all of yal up there. I will tell them it's dope man caemr wash, yal wash same cars evryday ...

I hope they up therw takn pictures of all yal DUMB DRUG DEALERS ...

Police often seize assets and cash they believe is the product of illegal activity, including drug dealing.

According to the forfeiture filing, trained K9's "indicated" a narcotics odor coming from the cash during a "money sniff" performed following the search.

Between 2013 and 2015, Lattner filed income taxes once. He claimed to have $6,440, of which $656 was income earned in 2013, according to the government.

It's not clear whether Lattner plans to fight the forfeiture actions.

His Detroit-based attorney, John F. Royal, told MLive he was unaware of the forfeiture filing on Thursday.

"Sorry, I can't help you out," he said.

Forfeiture filing:

Macomb County prosecutors have charged three people, Marcie Tashonnie Griffin of Eastpointe, Eric Malcom Gibson of Detroit and George Gerald Rider of Huntington Woods, with the murder of Lattner's girlfriend.

Warren police say Griffin, who was Rider's girlriend at the time of the shooting, previously dated and had a child with Lattner.

Lattner excercised his Fifth Amendmant right not to incriminate himself and declined to testify at the prelimary hearing for the accused killers, the Macomb Daily News reported.

That case hasn't gone to trial. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Nov. 6.
FLINT, MI - Flint Mayor Karen Weaver is calling her meeting with White House officials this week "a good first step" in addressing the city's water infrastructure needs.

In Washington D.C. on Thursday, Oct. 20, Weaver met with representatives from the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the Director of Urban Affairs and Revitalization Policy, Domestic Policy Council, Congressman Dan Kildee, and staff members of Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, according to a release from the city.

Discussing the "critical infrastructure needs in urban communities," the meeting particularly focused on the distribution of safe, reliable and affordable water, according to the release.

"We know that keeping lines of communication open with the White House is critical to addressing the needs that still exist in Flint," Weaver said in a statement. "We are still recovering from the water crisis and are still on bottled and filtered water. We need our leaders in Washington to know that we need their help in fortifying our failing U.S. urban infrastructures. We cannot continue to fund this through rate increases passed on to our residents, but we can use this rebuilding as an opportunity to train and employ them."

The next steps, the mayor said, involve more meetings over the next month between city representatives and White House Intergovernmental Affairs officials representing each of the federal agencies relevant to Flint's health, infrastructure, environmental and economic development needs.

Weaver was extended the White House invitation after penning an open letter of solidarity to Carmen Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, commiserating over Flint and San Juan's lack of clean water and treatment from the government, according to the city.

The mayor previously met with President Donald Trump during his visit to Ypsilanti in March, and a year prior with former President Barack Obama when he flew to Flint in 2016.
BELMONT, MI -- Beware of door-to-door salespeople offering free, on-the-spot testing for PFAS.

The Kent County Health Department, Rose and Westra and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have each received reports from residents of a salesperson offering to test their drinking water for PFAS for free.

The salesperson offered results in minutes, and then told the residents their water their water was "poisoned," according to a news release from the health department.

The salesperson then told their residents they needed a $5,000 water filter to treat the water, officials said.

Testing for PFAS cannot be done on-the-spot.

"On-the-spot testing for results: that doesn't exist," said Mel Brown, DEQ spokeswoman. "That science does not exist."

Officials are asking residents to be vigilant as the DEQ continues to investigate the extent of groundwater pollution from a growing number of Wolverine World Wide tannery waste dump sites.

Sludge dumped in the Rockford and Belmont areas contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances called PFAS, which were used in Scotchgard to waterproof shoe leather. The toxic, carcinogenic chemicals have leached into the groundwater and are being detected in water wells.

No lab in Michigan is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to test for PFCs and PFAS.

There are companies that will collect drinking water samples and send them to an approved EPA lab for analyses.

The Kent County Health Department does not test drinking water for PFAS, and the DEQ does not sample drinking water for residents that would like to have the testing done as a precaution.

Officials are asking residents to ask door-to-door salespeople questions:

-Is the test the solicitor wants to do meet U.S. EPA 537 standards? Can they prove it?

-Is the filter they are trying to sell meet NSF P473 standards? Can they prove it?

"I would encourage people to check the BBB website to see if there have been complaints about this business or the salesperson," said Phil Catlett, president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Office of the Better Business Bureau. "But I wouldn't stop there."

Residents also should conduct a Google search for reviews, Catlett said.

Cannon and Plainfield townships require solicitors to have a permit. If they can't produce one or residents suspect a scam, call the Kent County Sheriff's Department at 616-632-6100.
Cyrus Pallonji Mistry | Former Chairman, Tata Group | Net worth: Rs 69,400 crore

I am being sacked, said a text message by the-then Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry to his wife Rohiqa on October 24, 2016 - the day when a board meet resulted in Mistry unceremonious ouster from the conglomerate. In a blog penned by former Tata Sons senior executive Nirmalya Kumar, who was also asked to leave at that time, just five minutes before the board meeting Tata Sons board member Nitin Nohria had informed Mistry about the impending resolution.

Cyrus, as you know the relationship between you and Ratan Tata has not been working. Therefore, Nohria continues, Tata Trusts have decided to move a board resolution removing Cyrus as Chairman of Tata Sons, Kumars blog post states. In a post published on his personal blog today, Kumar has made a clear mention of the chain of events on the fateful day of Mistrys sacking as Tata Sons Chairman.

Post that, Nohria told Mistry he has the option of resigning or facing a resolution for his removal at the upcoming board meeting. To this, as per the blog post, Ratan Tata interrupted to say he is sorry that things had reached this stage.

Kumar further writes that Mistry calmly responded saying Gentlemen, you are free to take it up at the board meeting and I will do what I have to do. Post this, he sent the aforementioned text to his wife before heading to the board room at 14:00.

Board meets to oust Mistry

The blog post goes on to mention that Amit Chandra, another Tata Trusts' nominee, apprised the board that at a meeting of Trust Directors held earlier in the day it was agreed to move a motion to request Mistry to step down as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons. The reason he stated was, because they (Tata Trusts) had lost confidence in him for a variety of reasons.

In response to this, the post mentions, Mistry argued that the Articles of Association required a 15-day notice before taking up such an item for the board's consideration, and as such, the board's present action was illegal. However, Chandra responded saying the legal opinion obtained by the Trusts revealed that such a notice was not necessary.

After this, he proposed Vijay Singh to be elected as the Chair for the remainder of the board meeting. Despite repeated protests by Cyrus on the illegality of events, the posts says, Venu Srinivasan seconded the proposal. Ishaat Hussain and Farida Khambata said they would abstain on this motion to replace Mistry with Singh as Chair for the meeting. It was also proposed that Ratan Tata would be appointed interim chairman.

A quick vote was taken with six members (Ajay Piramal, Amit Chandra, Nitin Nohria, Ronen Sen, Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh) voting for, while Farida Khambata and Ishaat Hussain abstained. Vijay Singh was installed as Chair for the meeting.

The post adds that each of the resolutions was voted on in turn. While different board members proposed and seconded the individual resolutions, the voting pattern was identical across them. Khambata abstained on each, Mistry objected to each as being illegal, while the others voted for them.

It was all over in minutes, no explanations and no opportunity for Cyrus Mistry to prepare a rebuttal, Kumar said in the blog post.

What followed the meeting?

By 15:00, Mistry returned to his office and begun packing his personal effects. He queried Subedar (FN Subedar, Chief Operating Officer), on whether he needs to return the next day. Subedar checks with Ratan Tata and reports that it was not necessary.

The post says that Mistry then called his childhood friend and top notch lawyer, Apurva Diwanji, for counsel. Diwanji arrived within 10 minutes and asked for the Tata Sons Articles of Association.

Post this, Mistry was whisked off to an associates office nearby so that he could get away from the media.

Kumar mentions they knew they needed a public relations agency and a lawyer immediately. However, he adds that Tata had already engaged six major public relations companies and booked many prominent lawyers in the country by then.

At 17:00, Tata Sons released a press statement announcing Mistrys ouster and Ratan Tata being made interim chairman.

Immediately, the news broke across all Indian TV channels and spreads like fire on social media. It was also reported that three members of Mistrys top team had been asked to put in their papers. While not the Chairman of Tata Sons, Mistry was still its board member and the Chairman of the Board of Directors at most of the major Tata Group companies. The media also started speculating whether Mistry would step down as chairman of these companies.

CEOs being fired is always news, despite it not being a terribly uncommon occurrence. What made the firing of Mistry so unusual was that Tata Group had a history of only six Chairman over 148 years, the post states.

Kumar, also adds, that Mistry was veted after a careful process that took over a year, and by assuming the role at the age of 46, he was expected to serve for 20-30 years.

In general, the Tata Group is renowned for its values, which did not encompass a hire and fire policy. Most senior Tata executives were consummate insiders, having usually served their entire career with the Group, he mentions in his post.

The initial contract under which Cyrus was serving as Chairman had been passed via a Tata Sons shareholder resolution. It was due to expire on March 31, 2017. Instead of the sudden, no warning dismissal, the post states that the board could have just let the clock run out in five months.

Group Executive Council gets disbanded

After taking over as Chairman, Mistry had taken a year to put in place his leadership team. Called the Group Executive Council (GEC), it comprised of two old Tata hands and three people recruited from outside the group. Kumar was also hired to head strategy for the Tata Group.

During the board meeting at Tata House, Kumar with two of his GEC colleagues Harish Bhat and NS Rajan, were on a panel taking questions from around 100 young Tata executives on the groups big data initiative.

The blog mentions that it is when Rajan went away and returned to inform them about Mistrys ouster that they came to know. They later got to know that along with the Chairman, all three outsiders on the GEC (Rajan, Kumar and Madhu Kannan) have been let go.

Subedar, later, called all three to inform them that their services were no longer required.

The aftermath

The post mentions this was the beginning of a furious two months, where Kumar worked harder than ever with Madhu Kannan to help Mistry wage a battle against the enormously powerful Tata machinery until it moved on to the courts.

Kumar says that despite pressure, only two Tata CEOs - Bhaskar Bhat and Harish Bhat - have had anything negative to say about Cyrus Mistry in the press.

And, even they, were remarkably muted in their criticism. Under the circumstances, what better performance review could Mistry have received as Chairman of Tata Sons? says Kumar concluding the post.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was shown black flags by BJP workers during an inauguration ceremony of the new vegetable market and parking facility in Baramati about 120 km from Pune on Friday evening.

BJP workers from the local unit were reportedly angry and disappointed after the NCP-led municipal council did not mention the names of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, district guardian minister Girish Bapat and other senior BJP leaders on the invitation card.

District police said that as soon as NCP chief rose to address the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, BJP workers allegedly showed black flags to register their protest.

"Around 25 BJP workers were evicted from the venue and were arrested under the relevant sections of IPC and later released on the bail," said a senior police officer.

The officer said that there were women supporters who were let off with a warning.
Search engine giant Google on Saturday celebrated the 187th birth anniversary of intrepid Himalayan explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a special doodle.

Born in 1830, Rawat hailed from the Johar Valley of Kumaon in present-day Uttarakhand and was one of the first Indians who explored the Himalayas for the British.

He was part of a select group of indigenous surveyors in the second half of the 19th century, also known as pandits, who explored regions to the north of India.

Due to the prevailing geo-political situation in the world, explorers vied with each other to map the vastness of Central Asia and understand its people and customs.

The British wanted to gain knowledge about the entire Indian sub-continent and began the Great Trigonometrical Survey for the purpose. As part of the project, natives from Indian border states were trained to be surveyors.

This was done as the neighbouring countries, particularly Tibet, as they did not allow the entry of westerners. These surveyors were trained rigorously and learnt to disguise themselves as traders or holy men.

Rawat also undertook the explorations disguised as a Tibetan monk and walked from Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang.

He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2000 steps. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel, mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers to avoid detection.

Rawat was the first man to survey Tibet and determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa. He mapped the Tsangpo, known as Brahmaputra in India, and described in detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung. He also mapped a large section of the Brahmaputra and the trade route through Nepal to Tibet.

He was first recruited in 1855 by German geographers Schlagintweit brothers. He also travelled to Lakes Manasarovar and Rakas Tal and then further to Gartok and Ladakh with them.

His last and greatest journey was from Leh in Ladhak via Lhasa to Assam in 187375, before his death in 1882.

He bagged a number of awards for his work from the Royal Geographic Society (RGS). The Society of Geographers of Paris awarded Rawat an inscribed watch. Government of India bestowed two villages as a land-grant to him and in 2004, a postage stamp dedicated to him was also released

The doodle, designed by paper cut artists Hari and Deepti Panicker, is a silhouette diorama illustration, depicting Rawat with a tripod stand looking over the horizon as the Sun hangs behind the majestic mountains.
Consumer Reports said that Tesla Inc had apparently misunderstood the "average" reliability rating the magazine assigned to the electric carmaker's Model 3 sedan this week, calling it generally "positive" for an all-new vehicle.

Tesla criticised the rating on Thursday, saying "it's important to note that Consumer Reports has not yet driven a Model 3, let alone do they know anything substantial about how the Model 3 was designed and engineered."

The rating for the Model 3, which is lower priced than earlier Tesla models and aimed at giving the Silicon Valley automaker mass market appeal, was part of magazine's annual survey of new vehicle reliability.

The survey predicts which cars will give owners fewer or more problems than their competitors, based on data collected. Its scorecard is influential among consumers and industry executives.

"Tesla seems to misunderstand or is conflating some of what we fundamentally do," the magazine, sometimes called the buyer's bible for car shoppers, said in a statement.

"Tesla appears unhappy that CR expects the new-to-market Tesla Model 3 to be of average reliability, which is generally a positive projection for any first model year of a car," the magazine said.

Tesla launched production of the Model 3, its newest car, over the summer.

Consumer Reports said its rating was based on 2,000 consumer survey response about Tesla models. It also noted that its survey listed Tesla's Model S sedan as the magazine's top rated car with "above average reliability for the first time ever."

Palo Alto, California-based Tesla said earlier this month that "production bottlenecks" had left it running behind in ramp-up plans for the Model 3, which is still short in supply with long waiting lists for deliveries.

"As with all the cars we review ... we will thoroughly test and evaluate the Model 3 with the same care and scrutiny we apply to all the cars we test just as soon as we can get one - we're waiting patiently along with other consumers," Consumer Reports said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping chat as they walk along the front patio of the Mar-a-Lago estate after a bilateral meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX34M80

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to pressure China's president when they meet next month in Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea out of a belief that Xi Jinping's consolidation of power should give him more authority to do so.

Trump leaves Nov. 3 on a trip that will take him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. It will be his first tour of Asia since taking power in January and one with a major priority: Preventing the standoff with North Korea from spiraling out of control.

Xi is immersed in a Communist Party Congress expected to culminate in him consolidating his control and potentially retaining power beyond 2022, when the next congress takes place.

Trump believes that Xi should have even more leverage to work on the North Korea problem.

The president's view is you have even less of an excuse now, one official. He's not going to step lightly.

Trump wants to gain some serious cooperation from China to persuade Pyongyang to either change its mind or help deprive it of so much resources that it has no choice but to alter its behavior, the official said.

Trump has heaped praise on Xi in recent weeks in hopes of gaining Chinese cooperation and has held back from major punitive trade measures.

In an interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants to "keep things very, very low key" with Xi until the Chinese leader emerges from the party congress.

"I believe he's got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea. We'll see what happens.A Now with that being said, we're prepared for anything. We are so prepared, like you wouldnt believe," Trump said in the interview, to air on Sunday.

Trump has traded bitter insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, using his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month to dismiss Kim as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission for his repeated nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. He said if threatened, the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea.

Kim in recent weeks said the United States would face an "unimaginable strike" from North Korea if provoked.

CIA chief Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that North Korea could be only amonthsa away from gaining the ability to hit the United States with nuclear weapons.
A bipartisan group of 21 American Senators have called for sanctions against Myanmar and suspension of military aid in the wake of more than 500,000 Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh due to alleged human rights violations by the security forces.

In a letter to Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, the Senators called on Myanmar government to immediately end its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya; permit safe access to Myanmar for journalists, humanitarians, and United Nations fact-finding mission personnel; and work to address the root of this conflict by affirming support for the report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The bipartisan letter by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was signed by 21 senators. The letter calls for "tangible actions against the Myanmarese government to end the violence, help the Myanmarese people, and make clear that there will be consequences for those who commit such atrocities against civilians."

The signatories of the letter include senators Todd Young, Jeff Merkley, Susan Collins, Ben Cardin, Thom Tillis, Patty Murray, Marco Rubio.

The senators believe that the Myanmarese government will not take the steps without significant international pressure.

They have urged Haley to work to suspend all international military weapons' transfers to the Myanmar's military and to impose strong multilateral sanctions against specific senior military officials associated with the gross human rights abuses.

"We also ask that you request the United Nations to launch an investigation to document human rights abuses that will facilitate holding perpetrators in the Myanmarese government and its security forces accountable," the letter said.

"To accomplish these objectives, we encourage you and Secretary General Guterres to travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh to bring attention to this crisis. We also ask you to push for a strong United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya," it said.

Early this week, a bipartisan group of as many as 41 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter yesterday to the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling on the United States to take significant actions to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

In the letter, lawmakers asked the US take further diplomatic steps to bring the persecution of the Rohingya people to an end by declining to grant any visas to members of Myanmar's security services until humanitarian access is granted to those displaced in Myanmar.

They also urged the Secretary of State to utilise existing sanctions laws with respect to those engaged in human rights abuses, and encouraging countries to suspend arms sales to Myanmar.

The letter also urges the Trump administration to support the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State that carried out a year-long study into conflict in the area.

"We ask that you take meaningful steps with respect to the Myanmarese military and other entities engaged in abuses," the lawmakers said.

"At a minimum, we trust that you will suspend all waivers of visa ineligibilities pursuant to the Block Burmese Jade Act until the military allows unfettered humanitarian access to internally displaced persons in northern Rakhine State," they said.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
March 13, 2008

Above All



Air Force is 'Above All'

The Air Force has a new advertising campaign to recruit the next generation of Airmen as well as better inform people about the Air Force mission: "Above All."

To me it seems like the design and slogan were stolen from this:



Germany Above All

On meaning and becoming of the German people's hymn



Heinrich Gerstenberg

Munich, German Empire, 1933

Posted by b on March 13, 2008 at 14:22 UTC | Permalink

Comments
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Courtesy of Jacob Ford|Odessa American

The Hindu Association of West Texas celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights on Sunday It is celebrated by Hindus to commemorate the triumph of good in all things.

The local celebration will feature children's performances, popular Indian folk dances and a dinner of authentic Indian cuisine.
When you hear the phrase tax reform coming out of Washington, what comes to your mind? Huge tax cuts for the rich and bigger profits for corporations, right?

To many Americans, tax reform has become synonymous with corporate fat cats getting away without paying their fair share. This is a shame. Its standing in the way of Americans getting a raise.

In its current form, our tax code kills American jobs and pushes American businesses to move to China, Canada and Mexico, among other places  all while rigging the system for the politically connected and powerful through tax subsidies, special carve-outs, and complexity that benefits those who can afford expensive lawyers and accountants.

It is well past time for an update. Washington has not significantly changed the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years.

Tax cuts and simplifications for individuals will be an important part of tax reform. But what if I told you the average American stands to gain the most from updating the business tax code? Youd be skeptical, right?

Yet its true. Despite what opponents of tax reform would like you to believe, the historical evidence is clear: When business taxes go down, workers wages go up.

President Donald Trump endorsed this truism in a recent speech to Heritage Foundation members, pointing out that a lower business tax rate will likely give the typical American household around at $4,000 pay raise. And thats a conservative estimate.

The Presidents Council of Economic Advisors recently released a report showing that updating the U.S. business tax code to compete with other countries around the world could boost workers wages by $4,000, and as much as $9,000 a year.

I know some people are still skeptical, but economic theory and the historical record support the presidents claim.

Businesses dont just raise wages due to a sense of corporate benevolence. Rather, wages rise when the demand for workers increases. This forces businesses to increase wages out of self-interest, to keep their employees from being hired away by competitors.

American corporations pay a federal income tax rate of 35 percent  one of the highest in the world. If tax reform can lower that rate to 20 percent, American businesses and the workers they employ will be globally competitive again. Businesses will invest more, hire more workers, and be forced by the laws of supply and demand to raise wages.

This is exactly what happened over the past decade and half in neighboring Canada. In 2007, they began lowering their corporate tax rate, and guess what? Wages grew significantly faster in Canada than other comparable countries.

Most economic researchers agree. A recent review of 10 separate studies published between 2007 and 2015 concluded that, when corporate taxes are cut, workers receive almost all of the benefit through higher wages.

According to research from Boston University, updating the tax code would result in a roughly $3,500 wage increase for every working American. Similar reforms have been modeled by the Tax Foundation, finding an increase in wages for an average household of around $4,000 a year. And analysis from Marquette University shows that tax reform could increases wages for an average family by as much as a $14,000 a year. Thats a big raise!

Policy wonks and researchers can debate which of these estimates is most accurate until the cows come home, but the key takeaway is clear. Updating the business tax code will raise wages.

Tax reform is not just for the rich and powerful. Tax reform that both lowers rates and removes tax subsidies and complexity will bring with it higher wages, more jobs and better opportunities for all Americans.

Those who dismiss any tax reform effort as just tax cuts for the rich are both defending the status-quo economy and doing a disservice to working Americans who stand to get a raise from tax reform.
A colleague who teaches at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, and has spent many years working for the Republican party, recently directed my attention to what she called the most offensive post ever.

I thought Nancy Bocskor was exaggerating until she referred me to an online piece titled Why I Am Not Raising My Daughters to be Feminists, which, even at first glance, makes it sound like raising girls is like raising veal. The anti-feminist writer announces, I will not teach my (three pre-teen daughters) that they need to demand equal rights, because in America, they already have them. He goes on to declare that he will not teach them that abortion is about my body, my choice, because it is not.

The piece was written by Mark Tapson, who says the thought of his little girls seeing themselves as part of a victim class struggling to overcome imaginary oppression is just terrible. He will teach them to find validation as productive members of society so that they dont have to seek it marching with a juvenile, vulgar mob ...

Tapson sneers that women face only imaginary oppression yet simultaneously wants his daughters to defend themselves  with words, martial arts, and yes, with guns too  so that bad men will think twice about, or deeply regret, messing with them.

Apart from what my friend Sarah Appleton calls life-long daddy issues, the father of these girls isnt offering his daughters much. While there might be more offensive posts out there, this one is chilling. He is not offering his daughters a workable perspective on womens lives. Sure, youre a woman who wants to own a gun, you can own a gun, but you dont have to; you want to bear and raise children, you can, but you dont have to.

I put Tapsons ideas to my friends on Facebook who took him up on several points.

Amy Hartl Sherman asks, If its all imaginary why does he have to teach them to fight?

Michelle King echoes Amys point, Are they treated equally or do they need to be taught to defend themselves because, in reality, they are not equal? Anti-discrimination laws, argues King, dont create equality. Laws do nothing to ensure equality but state that you cannot discriminate against women in hiring practices, housing, credit, etc. Laws simply provide legal recourse if you are discriminated against  IF you can prove it.

Teaching someone to defend themselves is fine, agrees George Sebastian-Coleman, But when your goal is not prevention but only that their attacker will  deeply regret, messing with them you are not seeking to protect your daughters, but putting a price on their being hurt. Im sure his assaulted, beaten, 75-cents-on-the-dollar daughters will deeply appreciate that the men of the world thought twice and deeply regret their condition.

Few of us started out as feminists. Playwright Patricia Wynn Brown said that while her father taught her to fight, injustice in life taught her that Change requires words, demonstrations, legislation  and helping women like his daughters find solidarity with women like me.

Theres no feminist orthodoxy except making sure that girls and women are guaranteed rights over our own bodies  and the right to make our decisions.

If you want to be an astronaut, a librarian, a mechanical engineer, a corrections officer, a chef, a senator, a dog-walker, an artist, a stay-at-home-parent, a bus-driver, a dress-designer, an architect, a teacher, a coder, a nurse, a pilot, a doctor, a real estate agent, an attorney, a therapist, a butcher or the president, you can but you dont have to because nobody has the right to force you into any of these roles against your will. Nobody. Not your daddy or mommy or religious leader or teacher or partner or boss or anybody. You get to choose for yourself.

As my friend Lisa Adams puts it, there is hope. Tapsons daughters, she said, Wont find feminism. It will find them.
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Democrat JB Pritzker spent $21 million on his gubernatorial campaign through the end of September and recently opened his tenth campaign field office. The billionaire spent more money on staff and consultants last quarter ($1.5 million) than any of his primary opponents raised.

The spending appears to be paying off. A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of 1,154 likely Democratic primary voters has Pritzker with 39 percent of the vote, far ahead of the rest of the pack.

Chris Kennedy, who has struggled to raise money and hasnt run any TV ads to date, was at just 15 percent  a whopping 24 points behind the frontrunner Pritzker. Word is going around that one of Pritzker's own recent polls had him ahead of Kennedy by 17 points.

State Sen. Daniel Biss, who has had more success at raising money than expected, but appears to be hoarding most of it for later, was at just 6 percent in the poll taken Oct. 17-18 with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

The other two Democrats, Tio Hardiman and Bob Daiber, each polled at just 1 percent. 47 percent of the polls respondents were made to mobile phones by live callers. Automated calls were made to landline users.

Is it over? No. The primary isnt until March. With 36 percent of Democrats currently undecided, somebody could still make this a race  but that somebody is gonna have to run a better campaign than they are now. And right now, the only person running a full-on campaign operation is Pritzker.

There will be plenty of polls in this race, the Kennedy campaign claimed, but clearly there's a reluctance among Democratic voters to support JB. After spending more than $20 million and being unchallenged on TV for months, that he can only get about a third of the electorate to support him shows that voters are looking for fundamental change. They recognize JB is an extension of the status quo. There's a long way to go until March and we're confident that when voters tune into the race and hear Chris Kennedy's message, we win.

If you look at Kennedys poll that he released in July, its Kennedy-Pritzker matchup had Pritzker at 38 percent, which is about the same place as he is now. Kennedy was at 44, but this new poll shows he has dropped like a rock  perhaps because he isnt on TV and doesnt have nearly the ground game that Pritzker does. Either way, the margin is whats important, and the margin is huge.

Pritzker leads in every region of the state. Hes at 39 percent in Chicago, 42 in suburban Cook County, 37 in the suburban collar counties and 39 Downstate. Kennedy does best in Chicago and the collars, at 18 percent. Biss does best in suburban Cook, where he lives, at 11.

Biss slightly outpolls Kennedy 13-12 among 18-24 year olds, but Pritzker takes the traditionally low-turnout (particularly in off years) demographic with 27 percent. Pritzker leads his two top rivals Kennedy and Biss among women 39-15-5, and among men 40-16-8. More women (39 percent) are undecided than men (33 percent).

The poll found that 56 percent of Democrats have a favorable impression of Pritzker, while 7 percent have an unfavorable opinion. Another 16 percent hadnt yet heard of the billionaire and 21 percent were neutral.

Kennedys favorables were 41 percent, and his unfavorables were just 4 percent. But 30 percent hadnt heard of him and another 25 percent were neutral, signaling that if he could ever raise any real money he might possibly be able to make this a race. But that clock is ticking as Pritzker continues to spend millions.

Kennedy does best among the 65 and over crowd, with 17 percent. And his favorable numbers are significantly higher among respondents aged 55-64 (42 percent) and 65+ (43 percent). That makes sense since those folks would have been alive when Kennedys father Robert and his uncle John were in the public eye.

According to the poll, 69 percent of Democrats have not yet heard of Sen. Biss. Surprisingly enough, thats actually more than the 66 percent who hadnt heard of Bob Daiber and the 60 percent who hadnt heard of Tio Hardiman, although Hardiman did run against Pat Quinn in the 2014 Democratic primary.

Just 13 percent of Democrats gave Biss a favorable rating, compared to 3 percent who rated him unfavorably and 15 percent who were neutral. Both Hardiman and Daiber had slightly higher favorable ratings than Biss (15 percent for each).

It seems like everything in politics has been on an accelerated timetable this year, so Biss had better do something fast.
A Santa Clara police officer shot and wounded a suspected car thief when the suspect rammed a patrol car after he was pulled over and attempted to escape, police said Saturday.

The suspect, Omar Gomez, 24, of San Jose stole the car from a Sunnyvale home shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, police say, prompting authorities in that city to issue a bulletin with a description of the car.

A patrol officer spotted the vehicle at 1:40 a.m. on El Camino Real in Santa Clara. He and another officer stopped the car at the intersection of Scott Boulevard, police said.

The officers got out of their vehicles, and thats when the driver put it into reverse and rammed the front of the patrol car, said Lt. Dan Moreno of the Santa Clara Police Department. Then he put it in drive and revved the engine. He was heading toward the officer when he fired.

Moreno said the officer, whose name was not released, fired more than one shot because he feared for his life after the suspect failed to listen to commands.

The officers provided Gomez with first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to a local hospital. He underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition Saturday.

Gomez, who does not possess a drivers license, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, driving a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and violating his parole on an earlier burglary conviction.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on routine paid administrative leave while the investigation continues, Moreno said.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
For all our complaints about the state budget crisis and the state debt, there's one appalling fact.

We really don't know how large the debt is.

The exact amount of a debt, as any bill-paying individual certainly understands, is at best a difficult moving target, if not an impossible task altogether. Now take your household budget and add a bunch of zeroes. That's the state of Illinois.

The best the state can really do is give us a guess at what the deficit actually is. There is a state law that requires agencies to report the aggregate amount due on their bills. The report is due Oct. 1. The report contains information through June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

By the time those numbers  and thats all the report includes -- are made available to the comptroller's office, they're well out of date.

The state also has a law assigning a 1 percent penalty to bills that are 90 days past due. That law was enacted as a sort of preventative measure. The penalty is so onerous, its very existence was supposed to prevent its use. But that hasn't happened and the report doesnt identify how much of the debt falls into that category.

A worst-case scenario took place in May. The governor's Office of Management and Budget revealed a pile of unpaid invoices. The state's past-due amount grew by $1 billion that day.

A bill to alleviate the issue passed through the Illinois legislature. The Debt Transparency Act, HB 3649, would require agencies to report three amounts monthly: the amount of bills being held, the bills for which there are appropriations (because some bills are accrued without funds being appropriated), and the bills subject to late-payment interest penalties.

The fact that we don't presently have any idea about the latter two items is ridiculous. It's even worse than what you might consider a classic example of governmental nonsense.

The bill sounds like it should have been a slam dunk. Who would be against requiring responsible reporting of vital financial information?

Gov. Rauner vetoed the bill. While acknowledging it would be good to provide more transparency about the states financial condition, he said, This legislation more closely resembles an attempt by the Comptroller to micromanage executive agencies, and complained about the amount of time the reporting would require. And the information provided, he added, would be decreasing marginal.

That from a businessman. To suggest Rauner would accept this reporting arrangement in his own businesses is ludicrous. To present himself as fiscally responsible and reject a bill spelling out requirements for that responsibility is disingenuous, a word we find ourselves using about the governor more often than we'd like.

As our state's financials stand at this point, Illinois taxpayers spent $2 million a day merely on late payment fees and interest because of the states bill backlog. Even amid a mountain of waste, that's a significant amount.

Legislators return to Springfield on Tuesday for a veto override session. In April, the House supported the bill with a 70-40, and the Senate voted 37-16 in favor of the bill in May. There's every reason to believe the bill will become law. But there's also reason enough to remind voters and legislators about its importance.

Debt transparency itself solves little. There's still plenty of heavy lifting needed to further reduce the state's obligations.

But this will act as a good start.
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STAMFORD  For the last two weeks, a man has followed Quentin Ball, the new executive director of an organization that counsels survivors of sexual assault, everywhere she goes.

People throughout Fairfield County are eager to talk about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein  and thats fine with Ball.

I havent gone to any kind of event or function in the past couple of weeks without this being one of the principal topics of conversation, she said, which I think is incredibly encouraging.

In August, Ball, 41, took over as head of the Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education, a nonprofit that last year reached more than 20,000 adults and children in lower Fairfield County with its prevention programs. The center counseled 160 sexual-assault victims who called its anonymous hotline.

Ball hopes the dialogue sparked by allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein,

including the Me Too campaign on social media, will encourage more victims to feel comfortable sharing stories of sexual assault, a term that covers sexual harassment and inappropriate touching, as well as rape.

I am profoundly hopeful and positive about the way people are coming out of the shadows and talking about things that have happened to them, she said. Its not easy. Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie held onto it for 20 years, and theyre incredibly powerful and have all the resources in the world at their fingertips, she said.

What Me Too, a hashtag women and some men have used to share their experiences, has shown is these stories are not uncommon, Ball said.

More Information Sexual assault in Connecticut Term includes sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, child sexual abuse, incest and rape. 26% of women are sexual- assault survivors 24% of rape victims who never came forward said they felt ashamed 19% of all residents experienced sexual assault Help hotline If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education hotline 24 hours a day for a confidential conversation in English at 203-329-2929 or in Spanish at 888-568-8332. See More Collapse

Nearly 20 percent of Connecticut residents, male and female, have been sexually assaulted, according to the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, which also reports that 24 percent of rape victims who never came forward didnt because they were ashamed. Many will never go to the police.

Stamford saw a rise in the number of reported rapes in 2016, which police attribute to victims feeling more empowered to come forward. The Stamford Police Department handled 29 rapes in 2016, versus 19 in 2015, according to FBI data.

Weinstein, who The New York Times reported earlier this month had reached settlements with several women, is accused of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact by actresses and women who worked for him. After another article appeared in The New Yorker alleging sexual assault, Weinstein was fired from the Weinstein Co., which he co-founded. Locally, Weinstein, who owns homes in Westport, was removed from the Avon Theaters Film Advisory Board.

The number of actresses who have shared their run-ins with Weinstein keeps growing, and includes Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Mira Sorvino and Asia Argento. In The New York Times last week, Lupita Nyongo shared her encounter with Weinstein at his Westport home while she was a student at the Yale School of Drama. He asked to give her a massage in his bedroom, and when she countered with an offer of giving him a massage instead, he tried to take off his pants, the actress wrote.

The celebrities who have come forward are credited with emboldening the Me Too movement.

Social media is the vehicle that blew so much of this open, and its also been the vehicle that people feel pretty comfortable reaching out on, Ball said. It allows users to feel more empowered and also hide a little behind your computer. It provides that extra boost to people who might not feel comfortable face-to-face revealing something thats happening to them.

Yet it has also led to in-person talks, like the ones Ball has about Weinstein.

I dont think I had ever had the conversation with my girlfriends about the ways weve been harassed sexually or the things that men had done to us sexually, she said. In the last week or two, Ive been having these conversations with my girlfriends like, I was at this party and this particular thing happened or I was just reading a friends Facebook post where she listed 20 different things that happened to her and I had no idea.

Ball, who replaced eight-year executive director Ivonne Zucco and was chief strategy officer at a Bridgeport charter school, has been on the job less than three months, but already has a vision for what she hopes to accomplish, including rebranding with a new name that emphasizes hope and survivorship.

Before the Greenwich resident started, the center had received $100,000 from Impact Fairfield County, a womens philanthropic group, to train nurses to administer forensic kits, also called rape kits, at Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich hospitals. The center received 40 calls on its hotline last year from Stamford Hospital.

Hospitals often wont have a nurse working who is certified with rape kits, so victims will sometimes need to wait for six to eight hours before the kit can be administered, Ball said. The wait can turn away victims who would otherwise consent to it.

The center counsels victims of violent attacks and also workplace harassment. It can answer many questions through its hotline and will meet victims anywhere. No matter the concern, Ball said, the first step is always listening.

The first thing we do with any of our clients is we validate their feelings, she said. Thats consistent across all our clients, regardless of what theyre going through. We let them talk and we listen to what they have to say.

The next step is going over options, such as contacting human resources, locating an office discrimination policy or contacting an attorney.

Were aware there are many shades of sexual harassment and sexual assault, but theyre all legitimate and they all need to be addressed in appropriate ways, Ball said. We have people who come in who arent dealing with harassment in the office and it just festers.

eskalka@stamfordadvocate.com
KABUL - Three rockets were fired into the city's fortified "Green Zone" early Saturday morning, where two of them exploded near the NATO compound housing U.S. military personnel and other foreign forces.

A few hours later, a suicide bomber attacked a busload of military cadets, killing 14 of them, by detonating explosives near the entrance gate of the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, about seven miles from the NATO complex.
Maryland's Department of Transportation has given conditional approval to the construction of a tunnel from Baltimore to Washington, giving a boost - or hype, depending on the viewpoint - to entrepreneur Elon Musk's plan to build a super-high-speed transportation system.

The agency said Musk's the Boring Company can dig miles of tunnel under state roads to be used for the privately financed Hyperloop.

The decision was soon followed by a tweet from Gov. Larry Hogan, R, who videotaped a message backing the budding tunnel builder's plans to bring "rapid electric transportation to MD - connecting Baltimore City to D.C."

Transportation experts and engineers were left weighing what one U.S. official termed the "visionary/charlatan ratio" when it comes to Musk and his latest grand plan. Is it the beginning of something brilliant - or brilliant marketing hype?

The project will start near Fort Meade, in Anne Arundel County, said Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer. About 10 miles of tunnel will be under the state-owned portion of Interstate 295, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, he said.

"It's called a utility permit. That's all they need to do the digging," Mayer said. "It's a private company, privately financed. The costs to the state will be extremely limited, if anything at all. The state has been working with them for multiple months on the permit process."

The idea of digging a long tunnel - it's roughly 35 miles from Penn Station to Union Station, though the actual route hasn't been revealed - is not far-fetched, said Mike Mooney, a tunneling professor at the Colorado School of Mines.

"This is not outside the realm. It's conceivable, certainly," Mooney said.

"Is it a big project? Sure," he added. But that's by U.S. standards, where five miles is considered the high end. "It's not a big project globally."

Technology has dramatically improved tunneling, and in vast Chinese cities, or in Qatar's capital Doha, subways, road tunnels and other projects might hit 50 or even 100 miles of digging within a five-year span, Mooney said.

Tunnel boring machines can cut through the earth, sometimes just tens of feet below the surface, leaving cement supports behind and causing no damage to the roads or buildings above, he added.

So Washington-area commuters could soon be inching along in traffic as Musk's cheekily named the Boring Company inches below at 100 or 150 feet a day, or potentially faster if Musk's promised technical upgrades to the digging process materialize

"The knock on tunneling is it's expensive. It's more expensive than surface transportation. So anything that can be done to bring innovation to drive costs down is a good thing," Mooney said.

But big questions remain on costs - to build the project and to use the system, which would work by shooting pods in vacuum-sealed tubes at high speeds.

Jose Gomez-Ibanez, a professor of Urban Planning at the Harvard Kennedy School, said he counts himself in the skeptical camp, but he does not count out Musk, who has succeeded against long odds in the past.

"I can't understand why going that fast is going to be easier in the tube than through the air," Gomez-Ibanez says. "There's a reason why trains have lost out to planes over longer distances, and that's in part because it's hard to maintain a really high quality right of way," in this case an airtight vacuum tunnel.

"You've got to respect this guy, because he's really got a record for making things that other people were skeptical about happening," Gomez-Ibanez said of Musk, the electric car pioneer and rocket builder. But the "reality of so much infrastructure" will provide a major hurdle for the Hyperloop, he said.

That could translate to costs that may be "prohibitive to the general public," said Kevin Chang, an assistant professor and transportation engineer at the University of Idaho.

And as with any mode of transportation, safety issues need to be thought through, Chang said. "If there's an unforeseen crash that occurs along the corridor, how do you mitigate the loss of life?" he said.

Still, as an engineer, he's excited by the prospect - and the freedom it could give people to live where they want.

Musk said this summer on Twitter that he had "verbal govt approval" to build a pod-and-tube transportation system, and one of his super-high-speed pod-and-tube transportation systems, known as a Hyperloop, could make the trip from New York to Washington in 29 minutes.

"I might consider working on one end of the route, and living on the other end," Chang said.

Musk also announced this summer that he had completed the first segment of his first tunnel, in Los Angeles. Another firm, Hyperloop One, is also pressing hard on the idea.

But last week's announcement left more questions than answers.

Maryland officials did not immediately have information on what is involved in the conditional approval or whether any environmental reviews are necessary for the project. Mayer referred questions on the construction timeline, costs and sources of funds to the Boring Company, which declined to answer them, relying instead on a short statement released by the state.

"The Boring Company would like to thank Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the White House Office of American Innovation for their support," the company said. In March, President Donald Trump appointed his son-in-law, senior adviser Jared Kushner, to lead the office.

A White House spokesman said the innovation office served as "a guide to the process and helped convene meetings and calls when appropriate" to advance the broader Hyperloop project.

As for the District of Columbia, a spokesman for the District Department of Transportation, Terry Owens, said: "We have had conversations with the Musk people. . . . We're trying to better understand the concept as it's been developed so far."
WESTPORT  After being denied a free coffee, a Bridgeport man cursed out employees and customers at a local Starbucks, police said.

Westport police were dispatched to the Starbucks at 1 Parker Harding Plaza on Oct. 17 on reports of an unwanted party.
Fox News ran a story on Oct. 8 about a decorated Vietnam War Navy SEAL and glass artist who created an enormous presidential glass seal he hoped to give to President Donald Trump. On Thursday, 11 days later, the network retracted the story after being told the Trump supporter never served in Vietnam at all, much less earned commendations for his service.

In the segment, John Garafalo said he served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Navy SEAL team. Fox News reported that he also received two Purple Hearts and about two dozen other medals for his service.

The man's claimed record turned out to be a fabrication. It was first discovered by former Navy SEALs. Both these SEALs and family members of Garofalo contacted Fox News about the story, according to the Navy Times.

Don Shipley, a retired SEAL, told the Navy Times that he contacted Fox on Oct. 9, the day after the story ran.

But the story was still on the news outlet's Facebook page on Thursday, Oct. 19. By then it had amassed 1.5 million views.

Fox published a correction on Thursday.

"All of Garofalo's claims turned out to be untrue," Fox's correction stated. "The fact is that he did not serve in Vietnam. He was never a U.S. Navy SEAL. Even though he showed us medals, Garofalo was not awarded two Purple Hearts or any of the other nearly two dozen commendations he claimed to have received, except for the National Defense Service Medal."

"Fox News not withdrawing that story has drove me nutty," Don Shipley, a retired SEAL who tracks down and exposes bogus military service claims and was the first to obtain official records disputing Garofalo's story, told the Navy Times.

A Fox spokesperson told the Navy Times it would run an on-air correction on Sunday.

In the retracted segment, Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas repeatedly praised Garofalo for his service.

ALSO Trump gives Puerto Rico response a grade of 10 out of 10

"Garofalo is used to working under pressure," Llenas said. "The Vietnam War veteran served seven years as a member of the nation's first Navy SEAL team. He was awarded 22 commendations, including two purple hearts."

"You are a hero," Llenas told him.

"God bless John Garofalo," another anchor said. "We certainly hope maybe the president is listening."

Shipley said he reached out to Llenas via Facebook, telling him that Garofalo was not a Vietnam War veteran.

"You can turn this story around," he told Llenas, according to the Navy Times.

In its correction, Fox News said that, "Over the last two weeks, we've worked with Garofalo's family and the National Personnel Records Center to get to the bottom of a military past that Garofalo had claimed to be covert."

Garofalo served in the Navy from Sept. 6, 1963, to Sept. 6, 1967, according to military records obtained by the Navy Times. He told the newspaper he's been lying about being a Vietnam veteran and a Navy SEAL for years.

"It got bigger and bigger," Garofalo told the newspaper a telephone interview. "What I did I'm ashamed of, and I didn't mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs."
It's been little more than three weeks since a pair of investigative reports, first from the New York Times and then from the New Yorker, exposed decades of sexual harassment and assault claims against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

In the wake of those stories, Weinstein issued a long, scattered statement in which he begged for "a second chance in the community," referenced Jay-Z lyrics and declared he would take on the National Rifle Association.

"I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it," he said in his Oct. 5 statement. "Though I'm trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go."

Soon after, Weinstein reportedly flew to Arizona to check into a sex-addiction rehabilitation center. Since then, more than 40 women have come forward to accuse the disgraced film producer of grossly inappropriate behavior. Through them all, Weinstein - or at least his representatives - mostly stayed quiet. Aside from an Oct. 5 interview with the New York Post, in which Weinstein insinuated that Ashley Judd had leveled accusations against him because she was "going through a tough time right now," his team has hewed to generic rebuttals that do not name the accusers.

"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein," read one such statement to CNN, after Cara Delevingne joined the list of Weinstein accusers. "Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances."

That changed this week. On Thursday, in an op-ed for the New York Times, the Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o detailed a pattern of predatory behavior Weinstein had directed at her, starting when she was still a student at the Yale School of Drama. One day, she said, Weinstein invited her to his home in Westport, Connecticut, ostensibly to screen a film with his family; before the movie ended, he insisted she leave the room with him.

"Harvey led me into a bedroom - his bedroom - and announced that he wanted to give me a massage. I thought he was joking at first. He was not," Nyong'o wrote. "For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe."

What followed, Nyong'o said, was encounters over the next several years in which Nyong'o continued to assert her boundaries, only to have them pushed or disregarded by Weinstein. It culminated in a meal in New York in which Weinstein propositioned her - and then, when she turned him down, hinted that her acting career would suffer, she wrote.

"I share all of this now because I know now what I did not know then. I was part of a growing community of women who were secretly dealing with harassment by Harvey Weinstein" Nyong'o wrote. "But I also did not know that there was a world in which anybody would care about my experience with him. . . . He was one of the first people I met in the industry, and he told me, 'This is the way it is.' And wherever I looked, everyone seemed to be bracing themselves and dealing with him, unchallenged."

For unknown reasons, Weinstein issued a more specific statement in response to Nyong'o's essay, calling her out by her (first) name and stating - as she had already done in her New York Times piece - that she was the one who invited him to New York to see her Broadway show.

"Mr. Weinstein has a different recollection of the events, but believes Lupita is a brilliant actress and a major force for the industry," a representative for Weinstein told E! News in a statement. "Last year, she sent a personal invitation to Mr. Weinstein to see her in her Broadway show Eclipsed."

The second sentence of the statement has drawn outrage from people who accused Weinstein of victim-blaming. But the statement as a whole has raised eyebrows from many who have suggested there was a racial element to singling Nyong'o out, while remaining silent or issuing generic denials regarding his more than 40 other accusers. Nyong'o is, so far, the only black woman to have accused Weinstein of inappropriate sexual harassment.

Many of those accusing Weinstein of racism, on top of everything else, failed to mention he had also specifically refuted claims by Ashley Judd, in the early days of the ever-growing controversy. Still, they asked: Why had Weinstein not said anything specifically about Gwyneth Paltrow after she accused him of making advances on her in a Beverly Hills hotel room under the guise of a work meeting? Or after Angelina Jolie alleged she had "had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth" and vowed never to work with him again? Or after TV journalist Lauren Sivan recalled Weinstein had once masturbated into a potted plant in front of her at a New York restaurant and club, an account that was later corroborated by the club owner?

A representative for Weinstein did not immediately respond to requests for further comment Saturday, including questions about which events Weinstein had "a different recollection of" in his statement.

Since the scandal has exploded, Weinstein has been fired from the Weinstein Co., which he co-founded. The allegations and public discussion of Weinstein's behavior have also prompted scores of people outside Hollywood circles to share their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault on social media using the now-viral hashtag #MeToo.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave a speech last week that deserves to be heard or read by every American. McCain talked about what it means to be American, with all of its blessings and its obligations, and what America means to the world.

McCain was being honored with the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for his efforts to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.

Press coverage of the event focused on McCains veiled shot at the Trump administration for shirking Americas leadership role in the world: To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of earth for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

That was the money quote, but there was much more, including a condemnation of the blood and soil rhetoric of neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville, Va., in August:

We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did. We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we dont. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldnt deserve to.

Context is as important as content. McCain, 81, has been given what he calls a very poor prognosis for an aggressive brain cancer. He appears to be writing the last chapter of an extraordinary life. He has gone from Naval Academy wild man to heroic prisoner of war to maverick Republican senator to conventional Republican nominee for president who, despite his Country First slogan, chose the spectacularly unqualified Sarah Palin as his running mate.

He is now back in maverick mode, casting the deciding vote against his partys Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill in July. He voted against GOP tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 because they were fiscally irresponsible and tilted to the rich. He might do it again.

President Donald Trump was unhappy with McCains remarks, saying, Im being very, very nice but at some point I fight back, and it wont be pretty. To which McCain replied, I have faced tougher adversaries.

John McCain needs no lecturing on patriotism or duty. But his country still needs him.

 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Voters across several Bexar County jurisdictions will consider initiatives on sales tax, compensation for elected officials and a bond election as early voting opens Monday in Texas.

The ballot also features seven state constitutional amendments, including a proposed tax break for spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty.

Every eligible voter in Bexar County can come to the polls to vote on the state amendments, said Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen. That includes voters registered in jurisdictions with no local races or propositions.

Early voting concludes on Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.

Converse

City Councilwoman Deborah James is challenging Mayor Al Suarez, who was elected in 2007 and is seeking a sixth two-year term.

Suarez said he wants to continue what he sees as a period of growth in the city. He cited Converses infrastructure and low property taxes as areas of strength for the city.

James, who represents Place 6, appeared to refute Suarezs claim about infrastructure, citing plans to deal with what she called an overall lack of upkeep, if elected.

She also opposes annexation, voting unsuccessfully in March against a plan to annex land in San Antonios extraterritorial jurisdiction, which will triple Converses size by 2033.

Ive always said and always will believe it should have gone to the voters, James said. The council shouldnt have made that decision. I dont think infrastructure-wise we can do it. I looked at our budget and did my own research and felt we couldnt handle it.

More Information State propositions on the ballot Proposition 1 would give property tax breaks to some partially disabled veterans or surviving spouses on homes donated by charity under market value. Proposition 2 would make several changes related to home equity loans, including a lower cap on loan fees. The amendment would also remove some limitations on home equity loans and change refinancing options. Proposition 3 would require governor-appointed officeholders to step down at the end of the legislative session, even if their job lacks a replacement. The current provision allows incumbents to stay in office until a replacement gets sworn in. Proposition 4 would require that courts notify Texas' attorney general if a lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of state laws. Proposition 5 would broaden the definition of a "professional sports team" so as to allow minor league teams, motorsports and golf organizations to hold charity raffles. Proposition 6 would give property tax breaks to spouses of first responders killed in action until they remarry. Proposition 7 would authorize banks and credit unions to offer people incentives to save money, allowing "prize-linked savings accounts" to hold raffles. See More Collapse

Suarez defended the annexation move, which city officials said will quadruple property tax revenue. The Converse Fire Department also currently provides coverage to part of the area to be annexed.

This was a well-planned, thought-out expansion, Suarez said. Because of the relationship we had with (then-)Mayor (Ivy) Taylor and (Bexar County) Judge (Nelson) Wolff, we sat down and saw areas that would benefit the area of Converse economically.

Converse voters will also vote on amendments that City Manager Lanny Lambert said are essentially housekeeping measures to keep the charter up to date.

That includes a measure that would allow for an annual update of the city boundary map, which some see as necessary to handle an upcoming period of extensive annexation. City boundaries currently get reviewed every five years.

Voters will also consider a measure that would allow the City Council to establish a salary for the mayor and council members. The positions are unpaid, through the mayor receives a $300 monthly travel stipend and council members receive $200.

Three council seats are also on the ballot.

Incumbent Kathy Richel faces Ray Garcia and David Hayes in Place 1, while Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Droneburg is being challenged by Shawn Russell for the Place 3 seat. The vacant Place 5 seat is being sought by Joan Lindgren and Jeff Beehler.

Windcrest

Mayor Alan Baxter is facing a challenge from Dan Reese, former chief of Windcrests volunteer fire department. Two other council seats in Windcrest are contested, including a six-person race for the Place 5 seat.

Reese said Baxter has used his position to basically decimate the volunteer fire department. He also said the citys infrastructure has been neglected in recent years.

Baxter was not available for comment.

As for the council races, Place 4 incumbent Rick Cockerham is being challenged by Frank Archuleta, a former mayoral candidate.

Jan Leaders, who was appointed to the Place 5 seat in August, will face five opponents: Randy Bristow, Joan Pedrotti, Elizabeth Dick, Kimberly Wright and Rusana Brooks.

Voter will also decide on a proposition that says the City Council could call a bond election in May to raise money for street repairs, asking voters if they are in favor of moving forward with the idea.

A separate proposition would reauthorize a local sales and use tax, at a rate of a quarter of a percent, to fund street maintenance and repairs.

Leon Valley

Voters will consider in a special election whether to adopt a home rule charter, giving the city more local autonomy.

As a general law city, Leon Valleys authority is set out in state codes. The proposed charter, which can be later amended, sets up a basic form of government, increasing the City Council size by a seat, lengthening mayoral and council terms from two to three years and establishing term limits.

Schertz

Three City Council seats are on the ballot in the suburb northeast of San Antonio.

In Place 3, Councilman Scott Larson, a business process analyst, will face Danielene Salas, a senior analyst and seven-year city resident. Salas currently is an alternate member of the citys board of adjustment.

Place 5 Councilman Robin Thompson, a pastor at Babcock Road Christian Church and vice president of operations for the Schertz-Cibolo-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce, is facing David Scagliola, an adjunct professor and senior instructor of math, statistics and operations management for Park University at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

Place 4 Councilman Cedric Edwards, who serves as mayor pro tem, is unopposed.

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

Gary Inmon, SCUC ISD board president who is seeking re-election in Place 5, is being challenged by Grumpy Azzoz, a former Schertz councilman, and retiree Charles Huff.

Ed Finley, a former trustee, is running unopposed in Place 4. He will replace Mark Wilson, who decided not to run.

Place 6 Trustee David Pevoto and Place 7 Trustee Amy Driesbach are also running unopposed.

Green Valley Special Utility District

Four candidates are running for three at-large positions on the board of directors of the water utility that serves portions of Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties. The candidates are Donnovan Jackson, Christina Miller, Jackie Nolte and Nicholas A. Nick Sherman.

Bexar County Emergency Services District 10

The district, which provides emergency response services to residents on the far Northeast Side, will have two propositions on the ballot. Both propositions deal with the districts plan to acquire a tract of land containing the Harmony Volunteer Fire Department Service Area, including the portion of the city of Elmendorf that is located in Bexar County.

Staff Writers Jeff Flinn and Richard Erickson contributed to this report. | jscherer@express-news.net
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Bexar County voters can choose among two incumbents and three challengers for two open seats on the board of the San Antonio River Authority.

Only two positions representing Bexar County at large on the authoritys 12-member board are open for the Nov. 7 election, with early voting beginning Monday.

SARA manages the San Antonio River, maintains flood control dams and operates wastewater treatment plants in downstream counties. Its territory covers Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties.

SARAs nearly $242 million budget is funded through a property tax of 1.73 cents per $100 of assessed value, with cap of 2 cents set by the Texas Legislature.

Board secretary Hector R. Morales, who has served since 2005, is running for reelection. So is Lynn Murphy, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2016 after the death of former board member Sally Buchanan.

Newcomers are Deb Bolner-Prost, Skye Curd and Joseph F. Nazaroff.

The election comes during a period of success for SARA, whose staff applied for and recently won the Thiess International Riverprize, often called the Nobel Prize of rivers. The San Antonio River beat out rival rivers in Alaska, the Philippines and the UK.

Instrumental in that win were the Mission Reach and Museum Reach projects, which combined ecological restoration with public art, walking and biking trails and, on the Mission Reach, kayak chutes to enhance the river for paddlers.

SARAs current major projects include the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project and restorations of Alazan, Martinez and Apache creeks on the citys West Side. These projects also involve county and city resources.

Morales, 72, worked in the Civil Service for 26 years and was in the Texas Air National Guard for 29. Hes also served in leadership roles at his local VFW post.

In a phone interview, he referenced his 12 years of experience on the board and said he wants to continue SARAs successful stewardship of the river while maintaining fiscal responsibility. He said hes interested in keeping the tax rate stable or even lowering it.

In supporting work on the Museum and Mission reaches and now San Pedro Creek, Morales said he wants to make sure that the projects benefit San Antonio residents as well as tourists.

We can promote a lot of economic benefit and show people around the country that we do exist and we do have a place here, he said.

Curd, 37, said she wants to bring a commitment to transparency and public involvement to the office. She described her relative youth as an asset in helping SARA find new ways to use social media and other tools to reach people who might not ordinarily think of the river.

Curd serves on the Westside Creeks Restoration Oversight Committee, where she had an advisory role on a recent Elmendorf Lake restoration project. There she saw first-hand the connections between environmental health, public safety and economic growth, she said.

Some of SARAs top environmental priorities, Curd said, should be educating businesses and residents to dispose of waste properly and encouraging the greater use of low-impact design features that allow more stormwater to infiltrate the ground instead of carrying pollutants to the river.

Bolner-Prost, 64, served on the Olmos Park City Council from 2011 to 2015 and is now on the board of the San Antonio River Foundation, a nonprofit that works with SARA by raising money for projects, including Confluence Park where the river and San Pedro Creek converge on the South Side.

She said her love for the river goes back generations, with her mothers side tracing its lineage to the first Canary Islander families who settled San Antonio. She wants to ensure the San Antonio River watershed has adequate flooding protection and continue SARAs efforts to promote green design that lets more water infiltrate the soil.

Informing Bolner-Prosts approach is her experience in marketing, advertising and statistics. Her main business is Prost Marketing Inc., whose clients have included the city of San Antonio and University Health System. She said she would apply this experience to SARAs budget.

Im a strategic planner, she said. To me, how you set your revenues is you have to put down what your strategic goals are and what that costs.

Nazaroff, 66, retired last November after running a union commercial printing and supply store called Ideas Unlimited. He serves on the board of the Leon Valley Economic Development Corp.

Nazaroff describes himself as a fiscal conservative in favor of balanced growth. He said Bexar County residents have a moral imperative to protect local waterways from illegal dumping and inadequate stormwater structures.

When I walk the rivers along the River Walk area and the Mission Reach, its a time for me to enjoy with my friends and family, he said. Its a time to rejuvenate the emotional and spiritual side of me.

Murphy is an attorney whose SARA biography describes her as the CEO of the medical billing firm Integrity Ancillary Management. She did not return multiple emails and calls to her office requesting an interview.

bgibbons@express-news.net | Twitter: @bgibbs
According to the World Banks 2017 Worldwide Governance Indicators, published in September, Armenia has improved in standing in all but one of the six indicators measured  Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism.

In 2006, Armenia was ranked 38th globally. Five years later, in 2011, its ranking had improved to 44th place.

Armenia has since slipped to 25th place in terms of political stability for 2016. (Readers will remember that in July 2016, the armed Sasna Dzrer group seized a Yerevan police building, holding it for two weeks before surrendering to authorities).

Armenias ranking in the other five indicators are as follows:

Voice and Accountability  2016 (31), up from 28 in 2011.

Government Effectiveness  2016 (50), up from 49 in 2011

Regulatory Quality  2016 (63), up from 58 in 2011

Rule of Law  2016 (50), up from 42 in 2011

Control of Corruption  2016 (33), up from 29 in 2011

200 countries are represented in the survey that is published every five years.
Federal authorities revealed new details Friday about the rescue of a Bengal tiger cub in San Diego: he was recovered in one of the largest wildlife trafficking sweeps across Southern California.

Monitor lizards, several coral species, king cobras, Asian "lucky" fish and exotic songbirds were among the exotic animals rescued, and sixteen suspects were charged in "Operation Jungle Book." That included the adorable cub that has already captured the hearts of San Diegans.

[G] San Diego's Cutest Critters

We are combatting an ever-growing black market for exotic animals. An insatiable desire to own examples  both living and dead  of these vulnerable creatures is fueling this black market, said Acting United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown, in a statement.

In the past several months, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office have filed a series of cases that show the scope of the underground market for exotic wildlife. This black market threatens to decimate vulnerable species, said prosecutors.

Luis Eudoro Valencia, 18, has pleaded not guilty to smuggling the tiger cub into the U.S. after border officials found the tiger lying on the passenger-side floor of his car in August. He claimed he bought the cub on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico for $300. If convicted, Valencia faces up to 20 years in prison.

This is a truly international problem that threatens the survival of iconic species and vulnerable animal populations," added Brown.

A second man, Eriberto Paniagua, 21, is accused of conspiring with Valencia and others to knowingly import the tiger cub into the U.S. He faces similar charges.

The tiger cub is a male about five to six weeks old and in good health, according to experts.

Since the tiger was rescued from an alleged smuggling attempt on Aug. 24, he has settled snugly into his new home at the San Diego Zoo.

The cub is now living with a Sumatran tiger cub rejected by his mother, flown in from the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Authorities hope the pair will bond and socialize together so both cubs can grow up to be healthy tigers.

In the San Diego Zoo's most recent tweet, the now 21-pound tiger can be seen sucking at a bottle of milk.

At 21 lbs. #RescueCub still gets a with his solid meals . pic.twitter.com/FcXMwH3hNO  San Diego Zoo Safari (@sdzsafaripark) October 11, 2017

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will hold a conference to demonstrate the broad range of species that are being smuggled into the country. They will also recognize the work of law enforcement and community partners in the fight to stop wildlife trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Wildlife trafficking does not stop at international borders, and it is our duty to protect imperiled species both at home and abroad, said Ed Grace, USFWS Acting Chief of Law Enforcement, in a statement.

Prosecutors said some of the rescued animals are now receiving care at the Los Angeles Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Global, the Turtle Conservancy and the STAR Eco Station.

"Together, we are saving imperiled animals while bringing to justice those who attempt to profit from the illegal wildlife trade," added Grace.


A senior congressional aide who has been briefed on the deaths of four U.S. servicemen in Niger told NBC News the ambush by militants stemmed in part from a "massive intelligence failure."

The Pentagon has said that a force of 40 to 50 militants ambushed a 12-man U.S. force in Niger on Oct. 4, killing four and wounding two others, NBC News reported. The U.S. patrol was seen as routine and had been carried out nearly 30 times in the six months before the attack, the Pentagon has reported.

The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly, said the House and Senate armed services committees have questions about the scope of the U.S. mission in Niger, and whether the Pentagon is properly supporting the troops on the ground there.


Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a speech Saturday to police chiefs from across the country gathered in Philadelphia, said forging new relationships between local and federal authorities will help reduce crime in communities across the country.

It was the first of two speeches Sessions will give this week in a city that his Department of Justice has publicly battled for most of the last nine months over Philadelphia's sanctuary city approach to immigration enforcement. His appearances are part of a weeklong conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Sessions spoke about the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods program and other initiatives to reduce violent crime by the Department of Justice, including the use of federal prosecutors to aid in cases by local authorities.

"Forging new relationships with local prosecutors and building on existing relationships will ensure that the most violent offenders are prosecuted in the most appropriate jurisdiction," Sessions said. "But our goal is not to fill up the courts or fill up the prisons. Our goal is not to manage crime or merely to punish crime. Our goal is to reduce crime."

Sessions has had a rocky relationship with some of America's large cities during his tenure at the DOJ, with Philadelphia among the most notable.

He and Mayor Jim Kenney have traded barbs over the city's local immigration enforcement policies. The Trump Administration's DOJ has consistently labeled Philadelphia as in violation of federal requirements for notifying federal immigration officials when city police comes in contact with undocumented immigrants.

The city has argued that it meets all of demands of the federal statutes and any of the Trump Administration's additional requests are not only not required by law, but would hurt the ability of local police to fight crime.

The City of Philadelphia is suing the DOJ in federal court over the disagreement.

In his speech, Sessions talked about local and federal cooperation in crime-fighting efforts.

"Partnering with community leaders, and taking the time to listen to the people we serve really works. I remember, when I was a U.S. Attorney, my office prosecuted a gang in Mobile. When the case was over, community leaders asked for a community meeting to talk about how we could further improve the neighborhood," he said. "We developed a practical plan based on the requests of the people living in the neighborhood. It was a city, county, state, and federal partnership using existing resources to fix the community."

A large group of protesters, describing their demonstration as "Abolition Weekend," held a rally outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center at noon during the Sessions speech. Police say at least two officers were injured during confrontations with some of the protesters and that arrests were made, though they did not reveal the exact amount.


A 3-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he was shot in the head by his 6-year-old brother inside a home in the Tioga section of Philadelphia Saturday afternoon, according to police.

The shooting occurred inside a house on the 3600 block of N. 18th Street at 3:04 p.m. Police say three brothers, ages 3, 6, and 12, were inside the home alone at the time. The 6-year-old boy grabbed a handgun inside the second floor bedroom and opened fire, striking his 3-year-old brother in the left side of his forehead, police said.

Neighbors heard the gunshot and called the child's family. The toddler was then taken to Temple University Hospital by police where he is currently in critical condition.

"To come home to hear about this is very disturbing and I hope and pray that he's going to be alright," said Charlene Aiken, a neighbor.



Police continue to investigate the shooting and are awaiting a search warrant for the home. No arrests have been made and police have not yet determined who the gun belongs to or how the child was able to get it.


Two police officers were injured while several protesters were arrested during a demonstration outside the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Center City Saturday afternoon.

A group of protesters, describing their demonstration as "Abolition Weekend," gathered on Arch and 12th streets near the Pennsylvania Convention Center around noon where the conference is taking place. On a Facebook page promoting the rally, organizers outlined the reason for the protest.

"The International Association Of Chiefs Of Police is coming to have their national convention in Philadelphia," they wrote. "However, we are clear of the damage that these individuals inflict on communities across our country. This weekend, we are standing up, saying no more, and laying the groundwork to abolish this corrupt system of policing we have in the United States."



The protesters carried signs that included the words, No Good Cop in a Racist System, No War on the Poor, Abolish the Police, and IACP has love 4 Nazis. They also repeatedly chanted, "If we don't get it, shut it down," and "No racist police. No justice no peace."

One woman who witnessed the protest expressed confusion regarding what the purpose of the protest actually was.

"Martin Luther King stood for something," she said. "What do you stand for? What are you doing?"



Many of the protesters refused to speak on camera. One protester talked to NBC10's Aaron Baskerville however.



"Minority groups don't get their due respect and there is no one held accountable for when actions are taken," she said.

Chuck Fleeger, a police officer from College Station, Texas who is attending the IACP conference, suggested that the protesters have a conversation with law enforcement.

"Let them have their conversation right now," Fleeger said. "I'm from another state. The dialogue that they need to have is they need to have dialogue and relationships with their police department."

At some point during the demonstration, a scuffle broke out between some of the protesters and officers, police said. At least two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police also said several protesters were arrested though they did not reveal how many. They were taken to 9th District police headquarters on 401 N. 21st Street where a crowd of protesters gathered.

During Saturday's protest, Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke to police chiefs from cities across the country who are attending the IACP conference, and encouraged them to forge new relationships between local and federal authorities. Sessions is expected to speak again during the conference's conclusion on Monday.


Kicking windows, screaming, and throwing candy across a Philadelphia 7-Eleven, a woman tried  in vain  to leave the convenience store where she was being held against her will.

A clerk locked her and another woman inside the store along 5000 block of Frankford Avenue over suspicion they had shoplifted the night before.

The lock-in eventually escalated into an alleged assault when the woman and a Philadelphia police officer scuffled on the floor. Police allege both women assaulted other people stuck inside the store and threatened to burn the place down after spraying lighter fluid.



The Oct. 1 incident now has the women  20-year-old Lashae Whitaker and 28-year-old Tiera Brown  facing felony assault charges. The city police department's Internal Affairs Division is also reviewing the case.

Witnesses to the lock-in recorded video of the women trying to leave the store and the resulting disorder. The footage was posted to YouTube and other social networks.

Under Pennsylvania law, store owners and clerks are allowed to detain customers suspected of shoplifting as long as they have probable cause.

Both women were arraigned earlier this month. Whitaker remains in jail on $20,000 bail, according to court records.

Max Kramer, Whitaker's attorney, said Friday he believes the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office filed unnecessary charges in the case.

Attempts to reach Brown at her home and by phone were not successful.


Mourners remembered not only a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman but his three comrades who died with him.

Some of the 1,200 mourners exiting the church after Saturday's service said the portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was joined on stage by photographs of Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to the Islamic State. Johnson's family asked reporters to remain outside for the service.

"We have to remember that one thing - that it wasn't just one soldier who lost his life," said Berchel Davis, a retired police officer who has six children in the military. He said the preacher and Rep. Frederica Wilson both made that a part of their talks. "That was a good gesture on everyone's part."

He and others said the fight between Trump and Wilson was never mentioned during the service.

Johnson's pregnant widow, Myeshia, had held the arm of an Army officer as she led her two young children and her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The modern hymn "I'm Yours" could be heard coming from inside.

Johnson's sister, Angela Ghent, said after the service that "it don't feel real" that her brother was killed.

"It hasn't hit me yet, I haven't had time to grieve," said Ghent, who last spoke to her brother a few weeks before he died. She said she was glad mourners got to hear about her brother's love for bikes and cars, not just his military service.

The fight between Trump and Wilson had taken the focus off Johnson, whose widow is due to have a daughter in January. Sgt. Johnson told friends she will be named La'Shee. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, already had a 6-year-old daughter, Ah'Leeysa, and 2-year-old son, La David Jr. An online fundraiser has raised more than $600,000 to pay for the children's education.

Johnson's mother died when he was 5; he was raised by his aunt. His family enrolled him in 5000 Role Models, a project Wilson began in 1993 when she was an educator where African-American boys are paired with mentors who prepare them for college, vocational school or the military.

"We teach them to be a good man, a good husband and a good father. Sgt. Johnson typified all of those characteristics," said mourner Carlton Crawl, a public school consultant who is one of the program's mentors.

In 2013, a year before he enlisted, Johnson was featured in a local television newscast for his ability to do bicycle tricks, earning the nickname "Wheelie King." He said he learned his tricks by going slow.

"Once you feel comfortable, you could just ride all day," he told the interviewer.

The war of words between the president and Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Myeshia Johnson in a phone call that her husband "knew what he signed up for" and didn't appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnson's aunt. Wilson was riding with Johnson's family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone. She was principal of a school Johnson's father attended.

Trump tweeted Wilson "fabricated" his statement and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her "wacky" and accused her of "SECRETLY" listening to the phone call.

Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, entered the fray on Thursday. The retired Marine general asserted that the congresswoman had delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she "talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building," rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

Wilson, who is black, fired back Friday when she told The New York Times: "The White House itself is full white supremacists."

The retorts persisted on Saturday morning, with Trump tweeting: "I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!"
Firefighters are working to contain a 100-acre brush fire which sparked amid climbing temperatures and dry, windy conditions Saturday off State Route 94 in San Diegos East County.

The fire  dubbed the Church Fire by Cal Fire officials  began around 1:20 p.m. Saturday at 36624 Highway 94 and Church Road in Campo, a community located about 60 miles east of downtown San Diego. The location is less than three miles away from the Golden Acorn Casino.

A brush fire burning off SR-94 and Church Road in Campo led to evacuations for residents living on BIA 10 and BIA 15. This is raw footage from the scene.

Sunday morning, firefighters surrounded 75 percent of the fire, working to contain the fast-moving blaze spreading in medium fuels. By Sunday evening, the fire was 90 percent contained.

Earlier, officials said there was an immediate threat to some homes in the area and an evacuation order was issued for Church Road, south of SR-94. Residents have since returned home.

CAL FIRE at scene of a wildland fire 36624 Hwy. 94. IC reports 30-50 acres, moderate ROS, medium fuels. #ChurchFire  CAL FIRE/SAN DIEGO COUNTY FIRE (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) October 21, 2017

EB/WB SR-94 is closed from Live Oak Rd to BIA/15 Rd due to a brush fire. #SDCaltransAlert  Caltrans San Diego (@SDCaltrans) October 21, 2017

NBC 7 reached out to security at Golden Acorn Casino and an employee said there were no evacuations issued for the casino. He said they could see and smell the smoke from the Church Fire from the casino.

Saturday's firefight was swift.

Officials, heeding precautions during high-risk, dangerous fire conditions expected to linger in San Diego through at least Tuesday, immediately called for a full response by ground and air, fearing the blaze's potential to grow quickly.

Both Cal Fire and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) have increased their staffing this weekend in preparation for wildfires.

Were utilizing a number of our resources that weve had in place for the last couple of weeks in anticipating of this weather pattern coming in, a Cal Fire official told NBC 7 at the scene of the fire.

He said about 100 firefighters were tackling the Church Fire.

The temperature in Campo was in the mid-80s when the blaze began. Fire officials said the biggest challenge was the wind which was gusting at about 10 to 12 mph Saturday afternoon.

Were used to living with high temperature and low humidity throughout the year in San Diego County but the real factor for us is the winds," Cal Fire public information officer Kendal Bortisser said.

He said that had this fire happened on Sunday when Santa Ana winds will be stronger, things could've gotten much worse, faster.

"We're cautiously optimistic," said Bortisser. "Our crews are doing a great job, making great progress from the air and the ground, and we'll stay out here as long as we need to."

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

No other information was available.
The school board in Biloxi, Mississippi, has pulled "To Kill a Mockingbird" from an eighth-grade reading list after receiving complaints about wording in the book, NBC News reported.

Last week, Kenny Holloway, the board's vice president, said there was language in the book that "makes people uncomfortable."

"We can teach the same lesson with other books," Holloway said, according to the The Sun Herald newspaper. "It's still in our library. But they're going to use another book in the eighth-grade course."

The Biloxi School District didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
More than 450 people join in celebrations at Newbury Racecourse

HUNDREDS of people danced the night away to celebrate Diwali at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday.

Men, women and children  young and old  enjoyed the traditional festival, which is one of the most significant in Indian culture.

They were entertained by dhol performers, belly dancing by Chantel Phillips, Bollywood performances, an ethnic fashion show and dance performances by children from the West Berkshire Indian Society.

Afterwards they gathered in the Grandstand to witness a dazzling 15-minute firework display, followed by a three-course Indian buffet consisting of Karahi Chicken, Shahi Paneer, Achari Aloo Baingan, rice, salad and flatbreads.

There was also a raffle with a number of prizes on offer and those who still had the energy got back on the dance floor as a disco ended the night.

This was the ninth year the West Berkshire Indian Society has held its Diwali celebrations in Newbury.

The event has grown in both attendance and popularity over the years, originally starting in a small venue, moving on to the Corn Exchange and now at the racecourse.

One of the organisers, Fahiman Saujani, said: We are just recovering after a very action-packed and eventful weekend.

The event went spectacularly well and there were many dignitaries in attendance.

We also had great weather on the day, which was a bonus.

This year, like every other year, the function was attended with keen interest by both the local community and the ethnic Indian community.

It has become a regular event in the social calendar in Newbury now, which is testament to the vibrancy and growing diversity of the town.

Throughout the evening we try to share our culture, cuisine, art forms and traditions with the local community and to also provide a home away from home for the ethnic Indian communities and particularly the children to get an understanding and exposure to the Indian culture and stay connected with their roots.

Our Diwali event fulfils both these objectives as endorsed by the attendance from both local and Indian/Indian-British communities.

Hindus across the world celebrate Diwali in honour of the return of Lord Rama from exile of 14 years after he defeated Ravana.

To honour and celebrate Lord Rama, and to illuminate their path, villagers light Diyas (lamps) to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.

Diwali means series of lights.

It dates back to ancient times in India, as a festival after the summer harvest in the Hindu calendar.
By Online Desk

CHENNAI: Thenandal Studios Limited has confirmed signing actress Disha Patani, one of the lead heroines in Sushant Singh Rajput's hit biopic drama 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', to play the lead role in fantasy-epic 'Sangamithra.'

Set in the 8th century AD, the Rs 400 crore movie, is a tale of the trials and tribulations of Sangamithra and her journey to save her kingdom.

Also starring top Tamil actors Arya and Jayam Ravi in pivotal roles, 'Sangamithra' will be directed by filmmaker Sundar C and is touted to be the next 'Baahubali', in terms of grandeur.

"We are delighted to have Disha Patani play the titular role. 'Sangamithra' is our dream project. It's a larger-than- life period film with great technicians. Currently, the pre- production work on the film is going on in full swing. We expect to go on the floors from December," Producer Hema Rukmani told PTI.

Though reports last month had stated that Disha was likely to be cast in the titular role, it is only now that confirmation about the same has come in.

Disha in a still from the 'MS Dhoni' bipic. (YouTube screengrab)

"Disha Patani was finalized by the team almost a month back. Since the pre-production of the film, which includes extensive concept art designing and wide-ranging costume selection to match the eighth century backdrop, is consuming a lot of time, the makers have maintained a stoic silence about signing her," sources close to the film told the media last month.

Thenandal Studios Limited, who were until now busy with the release of their 100th production, Vijay-starrer 'Mersal', is currently caught up in a huge political controversy with BJP leaders in the state demanding cuts on scenes from the film where GST, digital India and Hindu religion are allegedly criticised.

Disha took to Twitter to share her excitement about joining the project.

Really very excited for #Sangamitra Cant wait to start shooting for this wonderful film... https://t.co/bUGDAbmeep  Disha Patani (@DishPatani) October 21, 2017

First look of 'Sangamithra' (Twitter@ThanandalFilms)

Earlier this year, Shruti Haasan had walked out of the project after the film was announced at the 2017 Cannes, stating that she did not receive "a full bound script and a proper date calendar." Producer Hema Rukmani later issued a statement and said, "Shruti Haasan didnt opt out. We decided that we could not work together effectively."

Shruti Haasan had underwent training in martial arts in London as part of the preparation to play the title role in 'Sangamithra'. She had also promoted the film at the Cannes 2017 Film Festival, where the first look featuring Shruti as warrior queen was released to an encouraging response. Here is what her offical spokesperson said about why Shruti had chosen to drop out:

Khusbhu Sundar had earlier confirmed that 'Sangamithra' will go on floors from December, 2017 after Sundar C completes work on 'Kalakalappu 2', a sequel to his super-hit comedy 'Kalakalappu'. Starring Jai, Jiiva, Catherine Tresa and Nikki Galrani as leads, 'Kalakalappu 2' has music composed by Hiphop Tamizha.

All you need to know about 'Sangamithra'

Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman will score the Sanghamitra music, while cinematography will be handled by National Award-winning Thirunavukarasu.

Anju Modi, who designed costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Ramleela' is the costume designer, Kamalakannan will be in charge of VFX and Oscar winner Resul Pooutty will do the sound design of Sanghamitra. National Award-winning Sabu Cyril is the producton designer.

(With PTI inputs)

CHENNAI: Thenandal Studios Limited has confirmed signing actress Disha Patani, one of the lead heroines in Sushant Singh Rajput's hit biopic drama 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', to play the lead role in fantasy-epic 'Sangamithra.' Set in the 8th century AD, the Rs 400 crore movie, is a tale of the trials and tribulations of Sangamithra and her journey to save her kingdom. Also starring top Tamil actors Arya and Jayam Ravi in pivotal roles, 'Sangamithra' will be directed by filmmaker Sundar C and is touted to be the next 'Baahubali', in terms of grandeur. "We are delighted to have Disha Patani play the titular role. 'Sangamithra' is our dream project. It's a larger-than- life period film with great technicians. Currently, the pre- production work on the film is going on in full swing. We expect to go on the floors from December," Producer Hema Rukmani told PTI. We introduce @DishPatani as our beautiful princess #Sangamitra. shoot to start soon @Hemarukmani1 @actor_jayamravi @arya_offl @aditi1231  khushbusundar (@khushsundar) October 21, 2017 Though reports last month had stated that Disha was likely to be cast in the titular role, it is only now that confirmation about the same has come in. Disha in a still from the 'MS Dhoni' bipic. (YouTube screengrab)"Disha Patani was finalized by the team almost a month back. Since the pre-production of the film, which includes extensive concept art designing and wide-ranging costume selection to match the eighth century backdrop, is consuming a lot of time, the makers have maintained a stoic silence about signing her," sources close to the film told the media last month. Thenandal Studios Limited, who were until now busy with the release of their 100th production, Vijay-starrer 'Mersal', is currently caught up in a huge political controversy with BJP leaders in the state demanding cuts on scenes from the film where GST, digital India and Hindu religion are allegedly criticised. Disha took to Twitter to share her excitement about joining the project. Really very excited for #Sangamitra Cant wait to start shooting for this wonderful film... https://t.co/bUGDAbmeep  Disha Patani (@DishPatani) October 21, 2017 First look of 'Sangamithra' (Twitter@ThanandalFilms) Earlier this year, Shruti Haasan had walked out of the project after the film was announced at the 2017 Cannes, stating that she did not receive "a full bound script and a proper date calendar." Producer Hema Rukmani later issued a statement and said, "Shruti Haasan didnt opt out. We decided that we could not work together effectively." Shruti Haasan had underwent training in martial arts in London as part of the preparation to play the title role in 'Sangamithra'. She had also promoted the film at the Cannes 2017 Film Festival, where the first look featuring Shruti as warrior queen was released to an encouraging response. Here is what her offical spokesperson said about why Shruti had chosen to drop out: .@shrutihaasan on why she had to opt out of #Sangamithra pic.twitter.com/NTNyrKGMl8  Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) May 29, 2017 Khusbhu Sundar had earlier confirmed that 'Sangamithra' will go on floors from December, 2017 after Sundar C completes work on 'Kalakalappu 2', a sequel to his super-hit comedy 'Kalakalappu'. Starring Jai, Jiiva, Catherine Tresa and Nikki Galrani as leads, 'Kalakalappu 2' has music composed by Hiphop Tamizha. All you need to know about 'Sangamithra' Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman will score the Sanghamitra music, while cinematography will be handled by National Award-winning Thirunavukarasu. Anju Modi, who designed costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Ramleela' is the costume designer, Kamalakannan will be in charge of VFX and Oscar winner Resul Pooutty will do the sound design of Sanghamitra. National Award-winning Sabu Cyril is the producton designer. (With PTI inputs)
US investigating reports that Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland

A senior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people, the Associated Press reported.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 29F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Daimler lifted the outlook for its trucks division for a second time in three months on Friday while its overall profit fell on costs related to diesel-engine updates, vehicle recalls and restructuring.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) at Daimler Trucks, the group's second-largest unit by revenue, will significantly exceed year-ago levels after jumping by a third to 614 million euros ($725 million) in the July-to-September period, the company said.

Daimler and rivals in the truck industry including Sweden's Volvo and Volkswagen have seen rising demand this year for commercial vehicles.

In late July, Daimler said it expected EBIT at trucks operations to be flat after previously guiding for profit to fall below 2016 results.

"Truck growth is in full swing, and order books are going from strength to strength," said Bernstein analyst Max Warburton who has an "Outperform" rating on Daimler stock.

Quarterly truck orders at Daimler surged 47 percent thanks to strong demand in North America and Asia where the German manufacturer is a market leader, and increased 11 percent in Europe, according to Warburton.

Volvo's shares hit a record high on Friday as it also raised its outlook for truck markets on both sides of the North Atlantic this year and forecast a further strong recovery in 2018.

Daimler shares were flat at 68.92 euros as of 1207 GMT.

GROUP COSTS BITE

Group operating profit at Daimler meanwhile slipped to 3.98 billion euros from 4.04 billion a year earlier, including 523 million euros in one-time costs.

Daimler spent 223 million euros last quarter to update over three million Mercedes diesel-engine models in Europe to curb pollution and help avert driving bans.

It added another 230 million euros to fund a recall of more than 1 million Mercedes models worldwide to address potential unintended airbag deployments.

Besides another 70 million euros for trucks restructuring, Daimler said it also needs to spend 100 million euros to fund a planned reorganisation of its passenger-cars and trucks units.

"If special items are excluded, Daimler delivered excellent results, with trucks and luxury cars being the main drivers," said LBBW analyst Frank Biller who has a "Buy" recommendation on the shares.

Third-quarter sales of luxury Mercedes-Benz cars rose 7.9 percent to a record 573,026 models, powered by strong demand for sport-utility vehicles such as the GLA and GLC models and the E-Class.

That beat the 1.2 percent gain to 499,467 autos at rival BMW, which Mercedes last year eclipsed as the world's biggest premium automaker by sales and the 3.6 percent rise to 471,850 cars at Volkswagen's Audi brand.

The group stuck with its guidance for a significant increase in group EBIT this year and said it expects EBIT at its finance arm to also significantly beat year-earlier levels, having previously guided for earnings to rise only slightly.

Separately, Daimler has asked the European Commission to act as a principal witness in investigations of an alleged collusion among German carmakers to be exempt from potential fines, finance chief Bodo Uebber said on an earnings call.

The European Union and German antitrust regulators have been investigating whether Daimler, VW, BMW, Porsche and Audi colluded to discuss prices, suppliers and standards to the detriment of foreign carmakers.

"In principle, this is about possible antitrust agreements (among German carmakers) that have been discussed in the media some time ago," Uebber said, declining to be more specific.
Sri Lanka plans to restrict the import of three-wheeler taxis, supplied mostly by an Indian automaker, due to their increasing involvement in the fatal accidents, the Transport Minister said. Sri Lanka has over 1.2 million three-wheeler taxis, popularly known as trishaws, plying on its roads which have also become a major self-employment avenue.

"We have over a million trishaws and our roads cannot take any more," Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament. "About 18 percent of the fatal accidents involve a three-wheeler," de Silva said.

The three-wheelers, popular among younger drivers, are mostly supplied by Indian automaker Bajaj Auto. Due to the high number of road accidents from three-wheelers, there has been a growing public demand to restrict their driving licences to those above the age of 35 years. More than 85 trishaw drivers operating in the capital Colombo were killed in the first seven months last year. According to police statistics, about 124 trishaw passengers had been killed in the same period.

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South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co Ltd said it is reconsidering establishing a joint venture in China due to diplomatic tension between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U.S. missile defence system.

South Korea's fourth-biggest automaker by sales signed a letter of intent last year to build cars in China with Shaanxi Automobile Group Co Ltd, headquartered in Xian.

But the Chinese automaker has not pushed for the project since Seoul's decision earlier this year met with an anti-Korean sentiment in China, Ssangyong said. The system is intended to deter any attack from North Korea, but Beijing objects to the potential reach of the system's radar into Chinese territory.

"We are considering outsourcing and other ways to make cars in China," a Ssangyong spokesman told Reuters.

Ssangyong, owned by Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, currently exports cars to China making them subject to heavy import duties. Only a small portion of its exports are destined for China.

"It has been cancelled. This (joint venture) project no longer exists," an official from Shaanxi Automobile's strategic development department said, declining to comment further.

Asked whether the venture had been cancelled, Ssangyong's spokesman said the project was not completely over.

Ssangyong joins a number of Korean firms whose businesses have been affected by the political row. Hyundai Motor Co's sales have fallen sharply in China while most of Lotte Shopping Co Ltd's hypermarkets in the country have closed.

Even before the row, the prospect of Ssangyong producing cars in China was uncertain. Due to excess auto production capacity, China's industrial policymakers are no longer so enthusiastic about foreign automakers forming joint-ventures.

In January-September, Ssangyong reported an 8 percent increase in domestic sales compared with the same period a year prior. Exports, which make up a quarter of total sales, fell 29 percent.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Tata Tigor Comparison Review
New Delhi: Joining the Aadhaar seeding debate, public sector banks' officer union has demanded that mandatory linking of biometric identity number should be put on hold till such time the Supreme Court comes out with a clear directive.

Another organisation All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has also registered their protest against instructions given by some of the banks to designate certain branches as special cells for enrolment of Aadhaar.

The government should make it clear before the common citizens of the country that the seeding of Aadhaar is purely voluntary and not mandatory, All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) said in a statement.

"The advisory to this effect should also be passed to all the stakeholders. We also demand that the government should look for alternatives or add more workforce into banks to implement Aadhaar related works in the public sector banks," AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco said.

Earlier in the day, Reserve Bank of India said linkage of biometric identity number Aadhaar with bank accounts is mandatory.

The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts.

AIBOC further contested that the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was meant to cover targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services that were paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Moreover, it said the Aadhaar Act prescribed that enrolment was entirely voluntary.

If the act of getting an Aadhaar card is voluntary under the law, it wondered, how can the government make it mandatory for continued access to banking and telecom facilities that were not covered by the Act in the first place.

At a time when the resources of the public sector banks are under severe strain, employing their resources on Aadhaar seeding will further constrain them in their efforts of recovery of NPAs, which eventually will further deteriorate the health, it said.

"At present, this work is being done by some private agencies and bank premises are being used by them. Latest instructions are to disengage these private agencies and entrust the Aadhaar enrolment/updation work entirely to the bank staff," AIBEA said.

This is unacceptable since the bank staff are overburdened due to inadequate recruitment and increased volume of work of implementing various government schemes, among other things, it said.
Jammu: Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday that the Army has to remain prepared to counter any Doklam-like situation along the Sino-India border.

Rawat, while speaking to reporters at a function, he also said that the mountain strike corps, designated as 17 Corps, was being raised as a "force of deterrence" and the process of its establishment was on schedule.

Asked if the 17 corps was being established to counter China, Rawat said, "Why should we say it is against whom? It is for deterrence and deterrence is against any threat that may confront the nation."

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the setting up of the 17 Corps in the latter part of 2014.

So far, one division comprising nearly 25,000 soldiers has been raised for the Corps, which is at present headquartered at Ranchi. Once the raising of the 72 division is complete, the Corps will be based out of Panagarh in West Bengal.

Asked if there was any possibility of a Doklam-like standoff with China in any other part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Rawat said, "We have to remain prepared".

The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam started on June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.

Rawat, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function where he presented the President's Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, also said that the security situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving.

"I think the security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now in the Kashmir Valley is possibly highlighting the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he said.

The Army chief said that the "ups and downs" in terrorism keep happening.

"We will keep eliminating terrorists, and some wayward youth, because of the social media campaign of radicalisation, will come and join," he said, adding that most of them were now operating overground and were surrendering.

Asked about the reopening of terror training camps across the LoC, Rawat said that they were never closed.

Militants were stationed in the training camps even then as they are today, he said.

On whether the Army will again carry out surgical strikes to dismantle the terror camps across the border, Rawat said, "We have already said that surgical strikes were a method (to deal with terror infrastructure across the border). There are other methods also."

The Army chief also said that the enquiries into the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota had been completed and action taken.

"Punishments are being awarded to the people who are found guilty. Nobody is spared," he said.

Asked about his reaction to the statement of Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa that his country wants to have peaceful relations with India, Rawat said the military has a task and it will continue to perform the task.

"Any talks or anything that has to be done, will be decided at the political level. If the political hierarchy takes a political call, we will continue to perform and do our tasks that has been entrusted to us," he said.

Talking about whether the militancy graph has gone down after initiatives under the 'Operation Sadhbhavana', Rawat said, "Winning hearts and minds (of people) is part of any counter insurgency strategy and our nation has been following it rightly."

"Success has been achieved through Operation Sadhbhavana which is evident the way you see the goodwill of schools in carrying out competitions. There are any number of people joining and supporting the campaign," he said.

Asked whether the Army was planning to close down Army Education Corps, Rawat said the instructions to close it down had come.

However, he also added that, "If we have to close down AEC, it will take time. It is being discussed.

The AEC is a programme run by the Army that develops soldiers and officers of all ranks in a variety of disciplines. The centre provides education in both combat and non-combat operations.

Rawat said action was being taken to secure all military establishments and garrisons.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is set to celebrate the controversial Tipu Jayanti on November 10. The last two years have seen a backlash from opposition parties and protests in Kodagu district.

This time around, BJP leader and Union Minister for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde wrote to CM Siddaramaiah's secretary asking the government not to include his name with anything related to the event. Hegde had in 2016 condemned the state governments plan to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, former ruler of princely state of Mysuru.

Tipu Sultan was a tyrant. He massacred thousands of Hindus and committed atrocities on the people of Kodagu, said Hegde.

Meanwhile, the incumbent Congress government claims that Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter and that celebrating his birthday is not minority appeasement as is being claimed by the BJP.
New Delhi/Chandigarh: Families of 39 Indians missing in Iraq for three years have been asked to submit DNA samples following the discovery of mass graves in the worn-torn country, leading to fresh fears over their safety.

A family in Punjab, where most of those missing hail from, told News18 that they received a call from the Sub Divisional Magistrates office on Friday evening, asking them to visit a certain forensic lab for blood test. Gurpinder, the sister of a missing Indian, said eight family members were present at the lab, but were not told why the samples were being collected.

Sources told News18 that the DNA samples were being collected after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote to the government of four states where the missing Indians hail from  Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.

Sources, however, added that the move should not lead to any speculation on their status, adding that the DNA samples were being collected to dispel rumours.

The Centre has refused to declare the missing Indians dead without conclusive evidence. In a passionate defence of her ministrys position, Sushma Swaraj had told Parliament in July that declaring anyone dead without proof is a sin that I won't commit."

India had requested Iraq to investigate further when mass graves were found in Mosul after it was liberated from Islamic State control on July 9. Responding to the request, Iraqi authorities asked for DNA samples to be sent to be matched with the remains found in the mass graves, sources said.

Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh had visited Erbil in Iraq for leads on the missing Indians, following which Sushma Swaraj said the search would continue as the Indians were spotted in Badoush Jail in early 2016. The Iraqi army recaptured Badoush Jail in March, but reports of the jail being destroyed had led to fears over the missing Indians safety.

Forty Indians working in Iraq were kidnapped by the Islamic State in June 2014. One of them  Harjit Masih  managed to escape and claimed that the 39 others were killed in the desert near Badoush soon after being abducted.

The government rejected Masihs version of events and said one mans claim is not proof enough to declare the Indians dead.

During his visit to India in July, Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim Al-Jafari had said his country would continue to follow-up on this subject as if they were alive. This is what we must believe.
Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police have arrested a cab driver who allegedly behaved indecently during the ride of a woman passenger.

The woman, a resident of Kondapur of Gachibowli area in Hyderabad, took the cab in the morning of October 19 for airport to catch a flight to Delhi, a police release said.

"The driver started behaving strangely as soon as the car entered the Outer Ring Road. He slowed down the car and drove in an odd manner. He started staring at her through the rearview mirror and to her shock, she realised that the driver unzipped his pant and was masturbating in full public view," the release said by the police said.

The woman threatened him to call police after which he behaved himself and dropped her at the airport, it said. Soon after landing at the Delhi airport, the woman called 1091 helpline besides lodging a complaint with Safdarjung police station. She had also posted her complaint on a social networking site, it said.

Arrested accused Prem Kumar, he is owner and not the driver of the car. He was driving as regular driver was not on duty:Vishwa Prasad, DCP pic.twitter.com/k6LiPQIZno ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

The complaint has been received by Cyberabad Police and the complainant has been contacted. She was requested to send an e-mail complaint, it said.

The Cyberabad Police registered a case of sexual harassment and other concerned charges under the IPC, it said.

"The DCP, Madhapur formed two special teams and identified the car and the accused driver. The owner-cum-driver has been arrested within no time and he is being remanded to judicial custody," the release said.

The negligence of the cab service would also be probed, police said.

"In this connection it is very pertinent to mention that Cyberabad police attach a great importance to the aspect of women safety and security especially in the IT Corridor Area. The police have promptly registered the FIR and swiftly brought the offender to book," the release added.
Chennai: Superstar Kamal Haasan has come out in support of Vijay-starrer Mersal, which has been facing opposition over references to the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Haasan said those opposed to the film must counter criticism with a logical response.

Mersal was certified. Don't re-censor it," the actor said on Twitter.

"Counter criticism with a logical response. Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks," he said.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks. Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

Haasan had a few years ago threatened to leave India in wake of protests against his film 'Vishwaroopam'.

References to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 'Mersal' have not gone down well with the BJP. The party objected to what it termed "untruths" about the central taxation regime in the film and demanded that the references be deleted.

Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded the removal of the "untruths" about the GST, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1, while his party colleague H Raja claimed the film exposed Vijay's "anti-Modi hatred".

"The film producer should remove the untruths regarding the GST from the film," Radhakrishnan told reporters in Nagercoil.

His remarks came a day after the BJP's state unit made a similar demand, charging the filmmakers with making "incorrect references" about the central taxation regime.

Earlier on Friday, superstar Rajinikanth-starrer 'Kabali' director Pa. Ranjith came to the defence of the 'Mersal' crew, questioning the BJP's logic of demanding the cuts.

Ranjith said there was no need for removing the scenes on GST as demanded by the BJP. The CPI(M) has described the BJP's criticism an "attack on freedom of expression".

(with PTI inputs)
Mumbai: A minor girl was molested by a youth in a Mumbai street last week. The girl was beaten up when she tried to raise an alarm.

The incident, which was captured on a CCTV camera, took place on October 17.

In her complaint filed at Mumbais Nehru Nagar Police Station near Kurla, the girl said that she was on her way to tuition classes when the boy hurled stones at her. He assaulted her after she raised an objection.

I was going to my class. These boys were inside an auto and were passing lewd comments. They often pass such remarks. When I told them to stop, they argued with me. One of them punched me in the face and I fainted, she told CNN-News18. The victim hoped that the police will slap stringent actions against the culprit.

The girl also alleged that the boys family members threatened her family and asked them to withdraw the complaint.

A case under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of IPC has been registered.

A senior police officer said they are examining the CCTV footage and investigations are underway.
Srinagar: An Army porter was today killed and a girl injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamalkote sector of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.

"There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area," an army official said.

A civilian working as a porter for the Army was killed "when the Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate firing, the official said.

The Indian army personnel were giving a "strong and befitting" response to the ceasefire violation, he said.

Meanwhile, sources said a girl was also injured in the Pakistani firing. She was taken to a hospital in Uri town for treatment.

There has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year.

On October 12, an army jawan and a porter were killed and six others injured when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and shelled forward areas along the LoC in the Poonch district.

Eight civilians, including a two-year-old girl, were injured on October 18 when Pakistani troops shelled civilian hamlets and forward posts along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Earlier this month, a Home Ministry official had said that Pakistani troops targeted Indian territories more than 600 times till September 30. Eight civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in the firing.

It is the highest number of ceasefire violations in nearly a decade, the official said.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir had come into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
The November issue of Playboy magazine, the first to be published since the death of founder Hugh Hefner, features a transgender model as its Playmate of the Month. It's happening for the first time in the magazine's 64-year history.

French fashion model Ines Rau features in the magazine's November centerfold and appears completely naked apart from a pair of red velvet heels, reports The Sun.

Ines has appeared in Playboy before, but now she has become the first official transgender playmate.

The 26-year-old also has an eight-page spread in the publication and in one shot, she has posed wearing a pair of iconic bunny ears.

Having worked with Balmain, featured on the pages of Vogue Italia and walked in fashion shows around the world, Ines said she hopes that her appearance in Playboy will encourage other transgender women that they can do anything.
Los Angeles The Los Angeles police is investigating a possible sexual assault case against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein - the first one involving him in the city.

According to police spokesman Sal Ramirez, the department has interviewed a sexual assault victim who reported an incident that occurred in 2013, reports independent.co.uk.

Ramirez says the investigation is going on and he could not answer any questions about when the interview or incident took place.

Police in New York and London are also investigating the allegations of sex abuse in those cities over Weinstein.

"Mr Weinstein obviously can't speak to anonymous allegations, but he unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex," his representative Sallie Hofmeister wrote in a statement.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment or abuse by more than three dozen women, including several top actresses including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Several of the incidents, according to the victims, happened at hotels in Beverly Hills, which does not have an open investigation into Weinstein.
Mumbai Actress Richa Chadha, who minces no words when she talks about social issues, says it's important for people to keep the discussion on about sexual harassment all the time, instead of only when it's "trending".

The social media has been abuzz with a Metoo campaign, as part of which women from across the world have been expressing their experiences with sexual harassment.

Richa told IANS: "First, I would like the media to carry a consistent campaign against sexual harassment, verbal or otherwise, not just discuss it in a hurry when it's a 'trending' topic."

Secondly, she feels, "Men all over the world need to recognise the privilege they have in that, they can wear what they want, do whatever they want, go wherever they want, hang out with who they want without anyone questioning their character".

"The axis of the world is tilted in favour of the man. And I am not surprised by women contributing to the MeToo campaign," added the actress, who has featured in films like Fukrey and Masaan.

The campaign is in the wake of the sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein by a long list of actresses including Lupita Nyong'o, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Los Angeles Actress Lindsay Lohan, who earlier defended accused rapist Harvey Weinstein, says she didn't receive any public support from "most women in America" when she was in an abusive relationship with former fiance Egor Tarabasov.

While over three dozen Hollywood actresses have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, Lohan took to Instagram on Wednesday to clarify why she stood behind the movie producer, reports usmagazine.com.

"Whatever anyone says, I am for women empowerment as if most women in America cared how I was abused by my ex fiance. When not even one person stood up for me while he was abusing me," Lohan wrote alongside a screenshot from the movie Parent Trap.

The Mean Girls star accused Tarabasov last year of attempting to strangle and kill her.

"You could only imagine what it feels like to come out as a strong woman, but acknowledge this, we all make our own choices and wake up in our own beds in the morning. I prefer to go to my home and wake up alone. Be strong let us not blame anyone as karma will always takes its toll," she added.
Ahmedabad: The Congress attempted to get its caste equation right in poll-bound Gujarat on Saturday by offering election tickets to three fiery and charismatic young leaders  Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani.

The offer received a bitter-sweet response with Patidar leader Hardik Patel rejecting it and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor announcing his decision to join the Congress after meeting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Dalit rights champion Jignesh Mevani remained non-committal.

In a day of hectic developments, the BJP, too, managed bring on board two Patidar leaders, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, who promptly denounced former aide Hardik as a "Congress agent".

Responding to the Congress offer on Twitter, Hardik Patel, the convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), said he had no ambition to contest elections. All we want is our rights and justice, he tweeted within minutes of the ticket offer by Bharatsinh Solanki, the Gujarat unit chief of the Congress.

                ,         Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) October 21, 2017

Commenting on Thakor's decision to join the Congress, Patel tweeted:

Best Of Luck Alpesh Thakor Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) October 21, 2017

Alpesh Thakore, who met Rahul Gandhi hours after being offered the ticket, said he would join the Congress on October 23. "Rahul Gandhi will visit Gujarat on October 23. I will join the Congress then," he told reporters in the national capital. Thakore was accompanied by senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.

In a day of fast-paced developments, the BJP, too, attempted to set its caste equation in order with Patidar leaders Varun Patel and Reshma Patel joining the party after meeting Amit Shah.

Varun and Reshma were among the prominent faces of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar quota agitation and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the stir.

After joining the BJP, the Patidar leaders told reporters that Hardik had become a "Congress agent" and was trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government. "Our agitation was about getting reservation under the OBC quota, not about uprooting the BJP and bringing the Congress to power. While the BJP always supported the community and accepted a majority of our demands, Congress is only trying to use Patels as a vote bank. We do not want to be part of such malicious conspiracy," Reshma Patel said.

"This agitation was not of Hardik Patel's alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. Varun and I are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfil our demands," she said.

According to Varun Patel, the Patidar community will never allow the Congress party to take over the reins of Gujarat by inciting Patel youths. "The BJP government (in the state) held talks with us in the past to resolve various issues. However, the Congress never held such talks, as they were not committed. We have decided to join BJP because we do not want to run the agitation by becoming Congress agents," he said.

Moments later, Hardik Patel said in a tweet he that will continue to fight for the people.

          !!            !! Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) October 21, 2017

The one yet to reveal his cards is Jignesh Mevani, convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch. Speaking to News18, Mevani said he would meet representatives of other Dalit welfare organisations before taking a decision. Yes, I did hear about the offer. We will sit with members of Dalit organisations over the next few days and take a call. However, I am certain about one thing  the current Gujarat government ought to be removed from power.

Hitting out at the Congress, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the party was using the young leaders for vote bank politics.

Over the past couple of years, the three young leaders from the Patidar, OBC and Dalit communities have made quite an impact in Gujarat, drawing huge crowds to their rallies. OBCs account for about 51 percent of the Gujarat population and are likely to impact as many as 110 seats out of the 182 in Gujarat Assembly.
New Delhi: Counting for the Gujarat Assembly elections will be held on Monday and keeping a close watch will be neighbouring Rajasthan.

For, this time, both the Congress and the BJP banked on two Rajasthanis to lead their charge.

While the Congress picked Ashok Gehlot, a 66-year-old veteran politician from Jodhpur and two-time Rajasthan CM, the BJP gave the campaign reins to Bhupender Yadav, its 48-year-old parliamentarian from Ajmer.

Both these men have the ear of their party's respective top brass. Gehlot is said to be close to Ahmed Patel  the second most important person in the Congress after the Gandhi family, while Yadav is a trusted aide of BJP chief Amit Shah.

Both Gehlot and Yadav, have served as members of various Parliamentary Standing Committees and both hold key positions in the central leadership of their respective parties  as national general secretaries. They are known to have strong organisational skills, adept at getting the caste equations right and juggling egos of various leaders.

Yadav proved his mettle in the 2014 Jharkhand Assembly elections, where he was a joint in-charge. Under his leadership, the BJP formed a majority government for the first time since the state's formation. He later delivered mixed results for his party in Bihar, but bounced back to play an instrumental role in the party's mammoth victory in Uttar Pradesh elections this year.

Gehlot, on the other hand, ensured his party's triumph twice in Rajasthan and recently headed the screening committee for Punjab Assembly elections, where the Congress won a comfortable majority.

These similarities aside, the careers of both the political leaders intersect at interesting junctures.

Gehlot is said to have been appointed as the Gujarat in-charge owing, partly, to his turf war with Sachin Pilot. It is said that Gehlot was moved to Gujarat to allow Sachin Pilot his way in Rajasthan for some time.

A respectable performance by Gehlot in Gujarat will cement his position not just in national politics, but in his home state as well to emerge as a challenger to CM Vasundhara Raje.

For Bhupender Yadav, who has risen to great heights within his party in a short span, another comfortable win for the BJP may cement his position further in the central leadership. The BJP has been trying to project and nurture Yadav as an OBC face in the Hindi heartland.

The outcome of elections today, therefore, will decide the future of the 4.35 crore-strong Gujarat electorate and two Rajasthanis.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria has defended the government's decision to pass an ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in the state from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.

People keep putting out false allegations against public servants. Even if it is a completely baseless allegation, the harm would have been done. Therefore, we have put some restrictions but if the truth in the claims can be verified after a limited period of 180 days, which is stipulated in the Bill, action would be taken," said Kataria.

Reacting to the order, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said, We are shocked by the way that the government is trying to institutionalise corruption. They are trying to safeguard the interests of the corrupt. You can't report an alleged scam unless you get the government's nod. This shows that they are not ready to stand against corruption, in fact, they support it. We will protest in the assembly and in the streets."

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also seeks to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe is obtained.

No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant," reads the ordinance which provides 180 days immunity to the officers.

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicizing in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday held the Sangh Parivar responsible for the death of Mohammad Akhlaq, the Uttar Pradesh resident who was beaten to death by a mob in September 2015 on suspicion of consuming beef.

The CM also launched a direct attack on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, saying the Right-wing leader views people from the minority community as "jihadis".

"The BJP is trying to play the communal card and the RSS is leading it. People are being divided in the name of religion and caste. The Sangh Parivar is peeping inside people's kitchens. That's how Akhlaq was killed," Vijayan said at the inauguration of the Jana Jagratha Yathra led by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

"Mohan Bhagwat sees people from the minority community as jihadis. The people of Kerala and the Kerala government does not support this," he said.

Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Vijayan said, "Diwali was celebrated across India. But what did we see in Ayodhya? People dressed as Ram, Sita and Lakshman were being flown in a helicopter. Yogi Adityanath and his ministers fell at their feet.

"The name Yogi does not suit him. During BJP's Kerala Yathra he said Kerala should learn how to run hospitals from UP. He spoke about child death rate. Kerala has kept it in check. We are competing with developed nations on this parameter," Vijayan added.

The LDF yatra comes days after the BJP concluded its Kerala-wide 'Janaraksha Yathra' and includes two marches  one by CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran from Trivandrum and another by CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from Kasaragod. The LDF yathra will conclude on November 3.

Speaking at its inauguration, Vijayan said the BJP does not believe in the federal structure. "They are not ready to accept the federal structure. They follow policies of the RSS; there is no democracy, no federal structure and no secularism. They are not ready to discuss issues with states."

Weighing in on the Taj Mahal controversy, Vijayan flayed BJP leader Vinay Katiyar for his statement that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple.

"It all started when Yogi Adityanath omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in the state. It showed that...they cannot tolerate the name Shahjahan, who built the historic and heritage structure. In which direction our country is headed to?," the Kerala CM said.

Vijayan said the BJP was "targeting" Kerala as it had been able to "resist their policies and ideas". "Kerala is the only state where BJP-RSS are not able to do what they want. Their stand is that they will not spare the state which is not accepting their policies and ideas. The yathra led by Amit Shah was to destroy the state."

"Kerala has seen a lot of rallies. A rally's success or failure is decided by the people's response. There was no response from the people for the BJP's yatra," the CM said.

"In any of the BJP-ruled states, other parties would not have been granted permission for a yatra. We gave them permission and protection. This is where Kerala stands out."
Bengaluru/New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Power Minister D K Shivakumar of being involved in a "mega scam" of about Rs 447 crore relating to the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), a charge the Congress refuted as "baseless".

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid a penalty of Rs 447 crore to the Centre for re-allotment of a coal block despite it aving no such liability, following the coal scam verdict of the Supreme Court in August, 2014.

"We charge both of them with receiving kickbacks for making this payment," he said and demanded a CBI probe. Rejecting the charge, the state power minister said in

New Delhi, "Yeddyurappa is misleading the public...This will boomerang (on the party). We are ready for any kind of probe and even a public debate on the issue."

"The decision to pay the penalty to the central government was taken in the interest of the state and not for personal gain," he told reporters in the national capital. The amount was paid to ensure reallocation of the Baranj coal block in Maharashtra for the smooth supply of coal to power units in the state, he added.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao too rubbished the BJP's charge, saying the party should stop making such allegations to "score political points" in the run-up to the Assembly polls slated for next year.

The opposition BJP, citing documents, alleged that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as chairman and director of KPCL respectively had "failed miserably in their duties to protect KPCL and allowed loot of taxpayers' money of Rs 447 crore".

Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister, demanded that the matter be handed over to the CBI for investigating the role of the chief minister and all those involved in the alleged scam. The BJP said KPCL and Kolkata-based Eastern Mineral and Trading Agency (EMTA) formed Karnataka EMTA Coal Mines Ltd (KECML) with 24 percent and 76 percent stake respectively in 2002, and when the central government allotted six coal mines to KPCL in 2003, it in turn executed the lease in favour of KECML.

In the wake of the coal scam, the Supreme Court cancelled all coal mining licences, including those of KECML, and levied penalties, the senior BJP leader said.

Maintaining that KPCL did not object to or counter the claims made by KECML, Yeddyurappa said, "KPCL woke up just 48 hours before the deadline of December 31, 2014. It wrote to KECML on December 30 saying it (KECML) was liable to pay the entire amount and directed it to make the total payment."

"Shockingly, within 24 hours of writing the letter, on December 31, KPCL paid Rs 110 crore towards penalty and claimed it was 24 percent of the amount, despite no demand having been made on KPCL to make the payment," he said. "Most shockingly on March 16, 2017, KPCL made the balance payment of Rs 337 crore, despite a contempt plea that is pending in the Supreme Court, and related matters before the high court," he added.

On February 2, 2015, the central government had filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against KECML over non-payment of the penalty.

Defending the payment made by KPCL, Dinesh Gundu Rao of the Congress told reporters in Bengaluru that KPCL paid the money to the coal controller under protest and also filed affidavits in the Supreme Court and the High Court that the payment was being made without prejudice to KPCL's rights to recover the money from EMTA.

"Since the matter is sub-judice, BJP should stop making any allegations," Rao said.

The fresh salvo by the BJP against the chief minister, comes days after it accused Siddaramaiah of "illegally denotifying" land resulting in a loss of Rs 300 crore to the public exchequer, and filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Rejecting allegations of denotification, Siddaramaiah called it an attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the assembly elections early next year.

Karnataka Power Minister Shivakumar is under the lens of the income-tax department, and around 80 premises linked to him have been raided over the last one month. "I will respond at an appropriate time. Let the investigation be completed," he said when asked about the raids.
New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram has attacked the BJP over the controversy surrounding Tamil star Vijays latest movie Mersal.

Chidambaram said soon the government will soon make a law wherein only documentaries praising the government will be allowed.

Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today, the former Finance Minister tweeted.

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

Earlier, superstar Kamal Haasan has come out in support of Mersal and said those opposed to the film must counter criticism with a logical response.

Mersal was certified. Don't re-censor it," the actor said on Twitter. Haasan had a few years ago threatened to leave India in wake of protests against his film 'Vishwaroopam'.

References to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 'Mersal' have not gone down well with the BJP. The party objected to what it termed "untruths" about the central taxation regime in the film and demanded that the references be deleted.

Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded the removal of the "untruths" about the GST, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1, while his party colleague H Raja claimed the film exposed Vijay's "anti-Modi hatred".

"The film producer should remove the untruths regarding the GST from the film," Radhakrishnan told reporters in Nagercoil.

His remarks came after the BJP's state unit made a similar demand, charging the filmmakers with making "incorrect references" about the central taxation regime.

Earlier on Friday, superstar Rajinikanth-starrer 'Kabali' director Pa. Ranjith came to the defence of the 'Mersal' crew, questioning the BJP's logic of demanding the cuts.

Ranjith said there was no need for removing the scenes on GST as demanded by the BJP. The CPI(M) has described the BJP's criticism an "attack on freedom of expression".
Cairo: At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert on Friday, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the incident and said some of the attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

Security forces, who are hunting down Islamic militants in the region, were ambushed late Friday on a road to the Bahariya oasis, some 200 kilometers southeast of Cairo, according to the interior ministry statement.

According to a source close to the security services, the convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

There has not yet been a claim of responsibility. A false claim by the small extremist group Hasm, reported by multiple local media, spread on social media soon after the attack.

But the group's official Twitter feed, where it routinely shares statements, has been dormant since October 2.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

The Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition movement, has long denied involvement in violence.

Mohamed Morsi was elected as Egypt's first civilian president in 2012, but the army overthrew him a year later following mass protests against the divisive Islamist's rule.

Since then, an extensive crackdown on the group has left it in disarray with competing wings that have disagreed on whether to use violence, after police quashed their protests.

Analysts say a section of the Brotherhood has encouraged armed assaults against policemen in Egypt.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, none of the militant groups claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Authorities have also been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the violence.

The Islamic State group's deadly attacks on the military and police include a recent assault on a checkpoint in Sinai on July 7 that killed at least 21 soldiers.

The group has maintained a steady war of attrition with sniper attacks and roadside bombings.

But unlike their parent organisation in Iraq and Syria, they have been unable to seize population centres in the peninsula bordering Israel and Gaza.

In October 2015, IS claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from the popular South Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
London: Cambridge University is planning to introduce an official register to record relationships between lecturers and students as part of its crackdown on harassment and misconduct cases.

While there is no law forbidding university tutors from engaging in a relationship with students over the age of 18, it is generally frowned upon as part of the code of conduct of most British universities.

Now, Cambridge University, one of the world's best-known universities, plans to go a step further.

The prestigious university in England will unveil a new policy that will make it compulsory for professors to register any sexual liaison with a student that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.

They could then be barred from teaching those students or marking their work.

In a statement, the university said that "as part of a series of new initiatives to encourage behaviour change around sexual misconduct", it will publish new guidance "on consensual staff-student relationships", the Daily Telegraph reported.

"The policy, designed to ensure the quality and clarity of every student's academic experience in Cambridge, discourages such relationships, particularly where there is a real or perceived conflict of interest. For example, where the staff member might be involved in marking the student's assessments.

"The policy stipulates that any such relationships have to be disclosed by the staff member to the university and the staff member must withdraw from any professional duties that could lead to accusations of unfair or preferential treatment," the statement said.

The policy is officially titled "Breaking the Silence", and also includes "Good Lad Initiative" workshops that aim to tackle chauvinist attitudes, particularly among sporting and social societies. It forms part of a so-called "zero tolerance" campaign, the first major initiative of Cambridge University's new vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope.

Personal relationships covered in the policy could also include "remote" contacts between staff and students such as text messaging and other social media.

The university has indicated that the scheme has been a long time in the planning but was given a boost this year when it received a funding worth 87,000 pounds.

It hopes the decision to officially record "consensual" relationships between staff and students will help combat concern that academics can use positions of power to seduce students, male or female.
Santiago: International experts announced Friday that Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer, but could not conclusively determine if he was assassinated by late dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime.

Neruda, a celebrated poet, politician, diplomat and bohemian, died in 1973 aged 69, just days after Pinochet, then the head of the Chilean army, overthrew Socialist president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup.

The writer, who was also a prominent member of the Chilean Communist party, had been preparing to flee into exile in Mexico to lead the resistance against Pinochet's regime.

He died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

"The (death) certificate does not reflect the real cause of death," Aurelio Luna said at a news conference on behalf of a panel of experts, referring to the official explanation that cancer killed the famed writer.

Doubts emerged in 2011, when his former driver and personal assistant claimed Neruda was given a mysterious injection in his chest just before he died.

Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years, installed a regime that killed some 3,200 leftist activists and other suspected opponents.

He died in 2006 at age 91 without ever being convicted for the crimes committed by his regime.
Islamabad: China has asked Pakistan to provide additional security for its long-serving envoy in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from an outlawed extremist separatist group, media reports said on Saturday.

The request was made in a letter written to the Ministry of Interior on October 19.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who has also asked Pakistan to immediately arrest a militant who wanted to "assassinate" Chinese ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing.

Ping said that Yao is facing threats to his life from a militant, Abdul Wali, who belongs to the banned East Turkestan Independent Movement, which largely operates from China's Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan. It is suspected that Wali has entered Pakistan from China.

China asked Pakistan to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in Pakistan. It has also asked Pakistan to "arrest the terrorist and hand over to us (China) as soon as possible".

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC. Pakistan's Interior Ministry and the Chinese embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Beijing: At first glance, it seems the perfect solution to the world's most dangerous standoff: Find a way to get China to use its enormous influence to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear bombs.

The countries, after all, share a long, porous border, several millennia of history and deep ideological roots. Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of Chinese soldiers, including Mao Zedong's son, died to save North Korea from obliteration during the Korean War, and China is essentially Pyongyang's economic lifeline, responsible for most of its trade and oil.

The notion of Chinese power over the North  that the countries are as "close as lips and teeth," according to a cliche recorded in the 3rd century  is so tantalising that Donald Trump has spent a good part of his young presidency playing it up.

The reality, however, is that the complicated, often exasperating, relationship is less about friendship or political bonds than a deep and mutually uneasy dependency. Nominally allies, the neighbors operate in a near constant state of tension, a mix of ancient distrust and dislike and the grating knowledge that they are inextricably tangled up with each other, however much they might chafe against it.

This matters because if China is not the solution to the nuclear crisis, then outsiders long sold on the idea must recalibrate their efforts as the North approaches a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the US mainland, something the CIA chief this week estimated as only a matter of months away.

"The North Koreans have always driven China crazy," says John Delury, an expert on both countries at Seoul's Yonsei University, "and, for their part, the North Koreans have always felt betrayed by China. But both sides need each other in elemental ways."

THE VIEW FROM CHINA: "KIM FATTY"

One clue about how Chinese see the North can be seen in two widespread nicknames for the overweight, third-generation North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un: Kim Fatty The Third and Kim Fat Fat Fat.

As China rises as an economic, military and diplomatic heavyweight whose reach extends from the Americas to Asia, many here resent being dragged down by an impoverished, stubborn, Third World dictatorship that allows its people to go hungry while its leader lives in luxury and expands a nuclear arsenal that could lead to war with Washington.

North Korean missile tests hurt trade and tourism and strengthen the US presence in a region that China believes it should dominate. North Korean nuclear tests set off earthquakes near the Chinese border and raise fears of radioactive contamination.

There's also scorn for the North's brutal, nepotistic brand of socialism, and displeasure that North Korean aggression led South Korea to allow on its territory a US anti-missile system that Beijing says can be used to spy on its operations.

This growing disdain is reflected in China's willingness to permit criticism of the North in the press, and to allow tougher sanctions at the U.N. Beijing has suspended coal, iron ore, seafood and textiles from the North.

Although North Korea takes pride in its ability to absorb pain, be it war, famine, sanctions or condemnation, China's tougher line will rob Pyongyang of key sources of foreign currency.

Still, nothing China has done offsets its underlying fear that too much external pressure could collapse the government in Pyongyang. The nightmare scenario for Beijing is North Korean refugees flooding into its northeast after Seoul takes power in Pyongyang and US and South Korean troops occupy lands that were once considered a buffer zone.

"It is true that China loathes North Korea and vice versa  at the societal level, the leadership level and the governmental level," Van Jackson, a North Korea specialist and lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, wrote earlier this year. "But China's 'emotions' toward North Korea don't drive its policy."

Beijing has also argued that it has less power over North Korea than people think. Some observers question whether China could force a change in the North, short of military intervention, even if it wanted to.

North Korea relies on China for most of its oil, and outsiders have long argued that the best way to cripple the North's economy and force it to submit would be to persuade Beijing to cut that flow.

But even this may not work.

North Korea gets its oil from China out of convenience, not necessity, according to Pierre Noel, an energy security specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

"Would it be good news for North Korea if the oil stopped flowing? No. Is it likely to cripple the economy and force the government to change course on their foremost strategic priority? No. There are ample hydrocarbons in North Korea to substitute for those it imports from China."

THE VIEW FROM NORTH KOREA: "PROFOUND MISTRUST"

One way to gauge Pyongyang's feelings for Beijing is to consider that Kim Jong Un has yet to visit his only major ally, a country that accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade, since taking power in December 2011.

His late father, Kim Jong Il, hated to travel but went to China eight times during his rule, and Chinese leaders reciprocated with trips to Pyongyang.

Since communication at the highest levels has now virtually disappeared, Kim Jong Un feels little need to pay attention when Beijing calls on him to stop testing nukes and missiles.

In fact, North Korea has seemingly sought to humiliate Beijing by timing some of its missile tests for major global summits in China.

Last month, North Korean state media accused Chinese state-controlled media of "going under the armpit of the US" by criticising Pyongyang. In May, the North vowed to "never beg for the maintenance of friendship with China (or risk North Korea's) nuclear program which is as precious as its own life, no matter how valuable the friendship is."

It can be argued that the North Korea-China relationship never really recovered from Beijing's decision in 1992 to establish formal diplomatic relations with Seoul.

But a big part of North Korea's "profound sense of mistrust" and "long-term effort to resist China's influence" stems from the 1950-53 Korean War, according to James Person, a Korea expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. The war is often seen as the backbone of the countries' alliance, he said, but the North blamed the failure to conquer the South on Beijing, which had seized control of field operations after the near-annihilation of North Korean forces.

In the 1970s, with North Korea pushing the United States for a peace treaty to replace the Korean War cease-fire that continues today, Washington chose to work through China.

By so doing, US officials failed to see the limits of Chinese influence in the North, Person wrote last month on the 38 North website.

"Yet, nearly four decades later, asking China to solve the North Korean problem remains Washington's default policy for dealing with Pyongyang." This, he said, is "a recipe for continued failure."
Washington: CIA chief Mike Pompeo has said a US-Canadian couple kidnapped by militants in Afghanistan had been held for five years inside Pakistan before being freed, contradicting the Pakistan Army's claim that the hostages were rescued shortly after entering the country from Afghanistan.

"The couple had been held for five years inside Pakistan," Pompeo on Friday said during a wide-ranging discussion at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington-based think-tank.

His remarks contradict the Pakistan Army which had said in a statement that the hostages "were captured by terrorists from Afghanistan during 2012 and kept as hostages there."

Caitlan Coleman, an American citizen, and her husband Joshua Boyle, a Canadian citizen, were kidnapped in 2012 in Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip.

Coleman, 31, was pregnant at the time of the abduction. All of the couple's three children were born in captivity.

The Pakistan Army statement issued on October 12 did not identify the group which had held the family captive, but the US leadership have blamed Haqqani Network as the perpetrators.

After the recovery of hostages, the Pakistan military officials emphasised the importance of co-operation and intelligence sharing by Washington.

"The success underscores the importance of timely intelligence sharing and Pakistan's continued commitment towards fighting this menace through cooperation between two forces against a common enemy," the Army statement said.

The operation came at a time when Pakistan is trying to rebuild bilateral ties frayed after President Donald Trump accused the country of sheltering terror groups.

Trump, in August, had accused Pakistan of harbouring "agents of chaos and terror" and the "very enemy US forces have fought in Afghanistan" for the past 17 years.

Last week, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had said his country was ready for a joint operation with the US to destroy the Haqqani Network if it provides evidence about the presence of safe havens of the dreaded terror outfit in Pakistan.

The Haqqani network has carried out a number of kidnappings and attacks against US interests in Afghanistan.

The group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

US officials believe Pakistan's spy agency ISI maintains close ties with the Haqqani Network and provides safe havens to its top leadership.

"I think history would indicate that the high expectations for the Pakistanis' willingness to help us in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism should be set at a very low level," the CIA chief said.

President Trump has "made it very clear that we are going to do everything we can to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table. To do that, you cannot have a safe haven in Pakistan. The intelligence is very clear," he warned.

Pompeo said, "to achieve the objective that the president has set forth in Afghanistan, the capacity of terrorists to cross the Afghan border and freely hide in Pakistan is prohibited in our capacity to deliver that and so the mission is to ensure that safe haven does not exist".
Washington: US President Donald Trump said Saturday he will allow long blocked secret files on the assassination of John F Kennedy to be opened to the public for the first time.

The November 22, 1963 assassination  an epochal event in modern US history  has spawned multiple theories challenging the official version that Kennedy was killed a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.

So the release of all the secret documents has been eagerly anticipated by historians and conspiracy theorists alike.

Trump's announcement followed reports that not all the files would be released, possibly to protect still relevant intelligence sources and methods.

But Trump appears to have decided otherwise.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," he said in the tweet.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

The files are due to be opened in their entirety Thursday nearly 54 years after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas  unless the US president decides otherwise.

Millions of classified Kennedy files have been made public under a 1992 law passed in response to a surge in public demand for disclosure in the wake of Oliver Stone's conspiracy-heavy movie on the assassination.

But the law placed a 25-year hold on a small percentage of the files that expires October 26.

Some reports put the number withheld at 3,100. Tens of thousands of files that had been released with portions blacked out are also set to be fully declassified.

TRAUMATIC TURNING POINT

Kennedy was only the fourth US president to be cut down by an assassin's bullets, and his death at age 46 proved a traumatic turning point as the United States headed into a period of turbulence over civil rights and the Vietnam War.

The shocking images of Jacqueline Kennedy cradling her mortally wounded husband in the back of an open presidential limousine froze the moment in the public consciousness.

A ten-month investigation led by Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren concluded that Oswald, a former Marine who had lived in the Soviet Union, acted alone when he fired on Kennedy's motorcade, hitting the president with two shots, one through the upper back and the other in the head.

Oswald, arrested two hours later after murdering a Dallas police officer, was shot to death two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby as he was being transferred from the city jail.

The Warren commission's finding was challenged in 1979 by a special House investigative committee that concluded Kennedy was "probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy" and there were likely two shooters.

TRUMP'S CONSPIRACY THEORY

A welter of conspiracy theories have arisen over the years, variously blaming Fidel Castro, the Mafia, the KGB, Lyndon Johnson and the CIA.

Oliver Stone's controversial 1991 movie "JFK" managed to implicate Johnson, the Mafia and the CIA.

Trump himself tapped into the public fascination with the case during last year's presidential campaign, bizarrely linking Republican rival Senator Ted Cruz's father to the Kennedy assassination.

"His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald's being  you know, shot," Trump said in a May 2016 telephone interview with Fox News.

"I mean, what was he doing  what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting?" Trump continued. "It's horrible."

Cruz called the accusation "nuts."

"Yes, my dad killed JFK, he is secretly Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard," he said sarcastically, speaking to reporters at a campaign event in Indiana.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff recalled that history Saturday, retweeting Trump's announcement and asking "does this mean Ted Cruzs father will be exposed?"
Out of 28 students enrolled at the Omega School during the 2014-15 school year, only one received a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
Tokyo: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Saturday vowed to step up pressure on North Korea to protect the Japanese people as he wrapped up an election campaign dominated by threats from Pyongyang.

Polls show Abe and his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are clear favourites to win Sunday's election, handing him a fresh mandate for his hardline stance on North Korea and "Abenomics" growth strategy.

Abe's coalition is on track to win around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house of parliament, according to a projection published by the Nikkei daily.

If the polls are correct, 63-year-old Abe is on course to be the longest-serving premier in post-war Japan, the world's third-biggest economy and key US ally in Asia.

In a final and passionate campaign speech at Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district, Abe pledged to apply so much pressure on North Korea that the regime would change its ways and ask for negotiations.

"What is needed is strong diplomacy," said Abe, vowing to work with both US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to achieve his goal.

He cried: "We must not yield to the threat of North Korea" which has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and fired two missiles over the country.

"We are the ones who can defend people's lives, protect our happy way of life, and open the future for our children and our nation," he pledged, referring to his LDP party.

Throughout the short 12-day campaign, the premier has railed against Pyongyang, keeping a hawkish stance and backing the US line that "all options" are on the table.

Abe enjoys only lukewarm public support but the weak and fragmented opposition has been unable to make inroads into his poll lead.

The two main opposition parties -- the "Party of Hope" created by the media-savvy Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party -- are trailing far behind, predicted to win around 50 seats each.

'Koike's gambit'

Aside from North Korea, many voters regard the economy and reforming the costly social security system as their priority concerns, as Abe has struggled to revive the once world-beating Japanese economy after five years in power.

Abe says his trademark "Abenomics" strategy of ultra-loose monetary policy and big fiscal spending is the best way to pep up the economy, which is weighed down by debt and struggling with deflation.

He has also pledged to use part of the proceeds from a planned sales tax hike to fund free childcare in a bid to get more women into the workplace.

Koike wants to scrap the tax hike, arguing it would throttle a recovery that has seen Japan's longest stretch of growth in a decade.

In a last-ditch appeal to voters, Koike urged voters to help build an opposition force big enough to serve as a counterweight to the powerful Abe.

"Look at consumer spending. You cannot say Abenomics has borne its fruits," Koike said

"This election started in a chaotic rush and it is already coming to an end," she said. "If things stay the same, you will have to accept an unchecked Abe regime."

Koike enjoyed a blaze of publicity when launching her new "Party of Hope", but the bubble appears to have burst for the popular 65-year-old former newscaster, partly because she declined to run herself for prime minister.

"Every party has to have, to be credible, a candidate for prime minister and she would have been it but then she walked away and it is a ship that suddenly has no captain," Michael Cucek from Temple University told AFP.

Another brand-new party, the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party, appears to have some momentum going into the poll and could do better than expected.

With little suspense over the overall outcome, the main tension is over whether Abe and his junior coalition partner Komeito will retain their two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament.

This is significant because it would enable Abe to propose changes to the US-imposed Constitution, which effectively limits the military to a self-defence role and forces Japan to "renounce war".

One less predictable factor in the election is the weather as a typhoon spirals towards Japan, expected to dump heavy rains on most of the country on polling day.

This could weigh on turnout, with a lower participation rate seen as beneficial for Abe, whose supporters are more committed.
Beijing:Foreign leaders can't think they can get away with meeting exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama just because they are doing it in a personal capacity, as they still represent their government, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday.

China considers the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, to be a dangerous separatist. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk says he simply seeks genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

Visits by the Dalai Lama to foreign countries infuriate China, and fewer and fewer national leaders are willing to meet him, fearing the consequences of Chinese anger, though some have tried to placate Beijing by saying they are meeting him in a personal, not official capacity.

Zhang Yijiong, who heads the Communist Party's Tibet working group, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that there could be no excuses to meeting the Dalai Lama.

"Although some people say, the Dalai is a religious figure, our government didn't put in an appearance, it was just individual officials, this is incorrect," said Zhang, who is also a vice minister at the United Front Work Department, which has led failed talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives.

"Officials, in their capacity as officials, attending all foreign-related activities represent their governments. So I hope governments around the world speak and act with caution and give full consideration their friendship with China and their respect for China's sovereignty," he added.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a "peaceful liberation" and has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun the Dalai Lama, using economic means to punish those who allow him in.

China strongly denies accusations of rights abuses in Tibet, saying its rule has brought prosperity to what was a remote and backward region, and that it fully respects the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

China also insists that Tibet in an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries.

Zhang, who worked in Tibet from 2006-2010 as a deputy Communist Party boss, said that Tibetan Buddhism was a special religion "born in our ancient China".

"It's a Chinese religion. It didn't come in from the outside," he said.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday said its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but dismissed as "speculative" the reports in media that the two discussed the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Foreign Office issued a statement after reports in media claimed that Swaraj asked Mahmood to drop all charges against Jadhav and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties.

46-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April for his alleged involvement in espionage and terrorist activities. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on India's appeal.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria on Saturday confirmed that Mahmood met Swaraj on October 17 but asserted that it was a routine meeting by the diplomat who recently assumed office as Pakistan's new High Commissioner to India.

"While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative," Zakaria said.

He also said that the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

"The Minister and the High Commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations," he said. He said it is "customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on the local dignitaries."
Istanbul/Ankara: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States on Saturday, castigating Washington for what he said an "undemocratic" indictment against his security detail.

His comments may further dash hopes of a quick resolution to an on-going diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies. Both Ankara and Washington have cut back issuing visas to each other's citizens as ties have worsened.

"They say the United States is the cradle of democracy. This can't be true. This can't be democracy," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

"If arrest warrants are issued against my bodyguards in absentia ... in the United States, where I went upon invitation, excuse me but I will not say this is a civilised country."

A US grand jury in August indicted 15 Turkish security officials over a brawl between protesters and Erdogan's security personnel during the Turkish president's visit to Washington in May. Erdogan has said the indictment was not binding for Ankara.

The row deepened after Turkish authorities arrested two US consular staff, both Turkish nationals. In May, a translator at the consulate in the southern province of Adana was arrested and two weeks ago a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worker was detained in Istanbul.

Both are accused of links to last year' failed coup. The US embassy has said the accusations are baseless.
Sydney: Thousands of people rallied around Australia on Saturday urging the legalization of same-sex marriage, one week before final ballots can be submitted in a contentious postal survey on the issue that has divided the country.

The largest crowd was in Sydney, where organizers said between 5,000 and 10,000 people gathered in front of Central Station before marching along one of the city's biggest roads to Victoria Park.

"It's a good reflection of the enthusiasm of people," Australian Marriage Equality's Tiernan Brady said. "They are very determined, very positive and not complacent."

Other rallies in favour of same-sex marriage were held in the northern city of Brisbane and the central hub of Alice Springs.

Rallies organised by the Coalition for Marriage, the lead campaigner against same-sex marriage, also were held across the country.

The coalition, which includes the Australian Christian Lobby and other religious groups, encouraged those who haven't returned their surveys to do so.

"We're so pleased so many people have engaged with this process and we encourage those who haven't to tick 'no' and put it in the post," spokeswoman Monica Doumit said.

Though the postal ballot is non-binding, a yes vote is expected to lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage which could further fracture the government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Ballots were mailed out from Sept. 12, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics recommending all votes be returned via the postal service by Oct. 27.

The latest update from the ABS, issued on Oct. 17, showed almost 11 million postal votes had been returned, about 68 per cent of the total distributed.

The result is expected on Nov. 15.
Beijing: China has said that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's assertion to shore up ties with India and his criticism of Beijing smacked of "bias", as a state-run media termed it as an attempt by Washington to lure New Delhi to counter-balance Beijing.

Ahead of his first visit to India, Tillerson said the US "will not shrink from China's challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the US and our friends."

"In this period of uncertainty and angst, India needs a reliable partner on the world stage. I want to make clear: with our shared values and vision for global stability, peace and prosperity, the US is that partner," Tillerson had said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies - a Washington-based think tank.

Playing down his criticism of China and remarks to deepen ties with India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters on Thursday that "many media are very interested in the development of relations between India and the US".

"We are happy to see the development of relations between these countries as long as they are conducive to the peaceful development of the region and enhancement of relations among the regional countries," he said.

On Tillerson's remarks branding China a "predatory rule breaker" specially in the South China Sea and leaving countries in debt, Lu said US should take more objective look at Chinas development.

"China steadfastly upheld the international order with the UN at the core and based on the purposes and principles of UN charter we will firmly uphold the multilateralism yet we will also firmly safeguard our own interests and rights," he said.

China hopes that Washington can look Chinas development in objective way as well as China role in the international community, Lu said.

US should "abandon its biased views on China and work with it towards the same goal to uphold the momentum for a steady and sound China relations," Lu said.

"Although the US State Department claims that the US-India relationship is in response to 'negative Chinese influence in Asia', Washington understands that this expression is more political rather than practical," Hu Zhiyong, a fellow researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of International Relations, told Global Times.

"The US is surely aware of the fact that Sino-US relations outweigh US-India relations. Tillerson's way of speaking was just to comfort India before Trump's scheduled visit to China in November," said Jiang Jingkui, director of Peking University's South Asian Languages Department.

Hu noted that the US policy making in South Asia is cantered on Afghanistan, with the focus more on regional stability rather than simply containing China. For that reason, to effectively safeguard Afghan stability, the US still needs China's assistance, he added.

"In Washington's new South Asia policy as sketched out by Tillerson, the US intension of turning New Delhi into a stronghold to counterbalance Beijing could not be more obvious," an article in state-run Global Times said.

It is not hard to comprehend such a move, which the US has been practicing for quite some time, it said.
A teacher explains to her students the basics of using their iPads at the Steve Jobs school. The Steve Jobs schools in the Netherlands are founded by the O4NT (Education For A New Time) organisation, which provides the children with iPads to help them learn with a more interactive experience. (Image: Reuters)
A Reedsburg man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a long-term care center in the town of Pacific.

Joel Nesler, 29, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree sexual assault on Oct. 17. Columbia County authorities received a report the day before alleging that at a Dungarvin care facility for people with disabilities, where Nesler was a care worker, he had assaulted a female client.

Nesler is being held in Columbia County Jail awaiting official charges from the district attorneys office.

Dungarvin has provided services to individuals with disabilities across the country for the past 40 years, State Director Julie Josephitis said of the St. Paul-based organization. We take seriously the safety of the people we support. All staff are subject to pre-employment background checks in accordance to regulations.

Citing privacy concerns Josephitis declined to comment on any details regarding Neslers hiring, length of time with the company or specific nature of care provided at the facility.

Prior legal issues for the organization in Wisconsin, according to online court records, have been limited to financial disputes and one civil case against a former employee. The lawsuit, which was dismissed in December 2013, was filed by Dungarvin against former employee John Herrera, who the company claimed breached his contract regarding invasion of privacy by contacting authorities and media about a man housed in Baraboo, who was a violent, mentally ill convict who allegedly attacked at least 10 employees.
Officials from a United States development agency were last week forced to pull down an American flag in Marozva Village in rural Murewa, in Mashonaland East, following protests from their hosts.



The officials from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) had gone to Murewa last Thursday to present a $150 000 grant to an orphanage that caters for close to 800 children.



Washington, through USADF, provided the grant to Heather Chimoga Orphan Care.

As part of the official procedures preceding the presentation ceremony, USADF staff had raised the American banner side-by-side with the Zimbabwean flag, but this did not go down well with their hosts, who included Members of Parliament, government officials, a representative of the district administrator and staff from the Presidents Office who felt they could not sit behind an American flag, which they regarded as a symbol of imperialism.



To enable the ceremony to proceed, they had to give in. By then, some of the invited guests had left the scene in protest, among them Zanu PF proportional representation lawmaker, Nkatazo Matirangana.





Contacted for comment, Matirangana said she had to leave to attend to some urgent business in the capital city.



No, I didnt have any issues with the flag. I dont know if there were other people who later had issues with it. I had to leave early because I had to attend Parliament. And they had moved the event to a later time, so I could not wait, she said.

USADF country programme coordinator Doreen Chimwara said they had no issues with removing the flag because it had no impact on their business.



For us, we are focused on the community and them being able to make business. We are not interested in politics. Everybody matters to us and we want to work with everyone, she said.



Heather Chimoga Orphan Care chief executive Albert Mukondwa said he was happy that the matter was resolved amicably to enable the ceremony to go ahead.



Stakeholders managed to resolve the issue and everything went well and it was not blown out of proportion, he said.



During the ceremony, USADF provided a grant of $150 000 to orphanage.

Its the second time that Heather Chimoga Orphan Care has received support from the foundation.



USADF is an independent United States government agency established by congress to support African-owned enterprises which improve lives in poor and vulnerable communities in Africa.



It provides grants of up to $250 000 for operational assistance, enterprise expansion and market linkage to early stage agriculture, and energy and youth-led enterprises that benefit underserved communities in sub-Saharan Africa.



Relations between Zimbabwe and the US government are frosty.

Harare accuses Washington of meddling in its domestic affairs, particularly sponsoring opposition parties to effect a regime change.



The accusations have, however, not stopped Washington from assisting desperate communities in Zimbabwe, including engaging in efforts meant to arrest the spread of the HIV/Aids pandemic.



It is, however, not the first time that incidents of this nature have occurred as a result of the frosty relations.



In 2011, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had to abandon a $5 million housing project in Mbare after a Zanu PF-linked militant group  Chipangano  blocked the project.

The then mayor Muchadeyi Masunda said they had to move the project to Dzivaresekwa.

In 2014, some legislators got into trouble after attending a signing ceremony for community projects that were meant to benefit their localities.



The legislators were subsequently branded the dirty dozen for hobnobbing with their American benefactors. Daily News
Smoking Pot May Not Be

as Safe as You Think
A federal appeals court Friday blocked a 17-year-old immigrant being held in a federal detention facility from getting an abortion days after a lower court ruled she must be allowed to get one "promptly and without delay," the Hill reports. In a 2-1 decisionthe Los Angeles Times reports it was split between Republican-appointed judges and a Democrat-appointed judgethe court ruled the government must release the teen known only as Jane Doe to a sponsor by 5pm Oct. 31, at which point she is free to get a legal abortion. However both the judges and the teen's lawyers admit it will be hard, if not impossible, to find a government-approved sponsor by the deadline, according to the Washington Post. If a sponsor can't be found, Jane Doe's case will return to court.

Judges seemed reluctant to make a sweeping ruling on immigrant rights under such a tight time constraint. Jane Doe, who has been trying to get an abortion since last month, is 15 weeks pregnant. Texas, where the teen is being held, bans abortions after 20 weeks. The ACLU, which is representing Jane Doe, argues the government is violating her constitutional right to an abortion. The government argues that while the teen may have that right, the government is under no obligation to "facilitate" her abortion. (A judge pointed out the government does facilitate abortions for adult women in immigration detention or federal prison.) The government's Office of Refugee Resettlement is now being overseen by E. Scott Lloyd, who has a history of antiabortion activism and who court papers show has been personally trying to convince teens in shelters not to get abortions. (Read more abortion stories.)
Multiple sources say Republican lawmakers may be setting their sights on Americans' retirement accounts to pay for tax cuts, specifically to the business tax rate. The New York Times reports Republicans are expected to release a tax reform plan sometime in the next few weeks, and that plan could include a drastic reduction in the amount of money workers are allowed to put into 401(k) accounts. Workers are currently allowed to contribute $18,000 annually to 401(k) accounts ($24,000 if they're over 50 years old), but sources say Republicans are considering capping contributions at $2,400 annually. It's unclear if the cap would also apply to IRAs, which are currently limited to $5,500 annually ($6,500 for workers over 50), according to the Wall Street Journal.

The idea is that because income put into a 401(k) or IRA isn't taxed until it's withdrawn years later, lowering contributions would generate immediate tax revenue for the governmentan estimated $115 billion in 2018. But that represents less than 8% of the tax cut planned by Republicans, and industry groups worry it will reduce the amount of money Americans save for retirement. One person working to preserve retirement savings during the tax reform process tells the Hill capping contributions at $2,400 could be "devastating for long-term retirement security." It would also likely be massively unpopular with middle-class workers. Republicans are so determined to cut taxes on the wealthy that theyre willing to tax the retirement accounts of millions of middle-class Americans, Sen. Chuck Schumer says. (Read more 401(k) plans stories.)
Confusion around the attack that left four US soldiers dead in Niger earlier this month continues, with the Pentagon investigating whether the soldiers had left a routine patrol to chase insurgents without the proper approval, the New York Times reports. US soldiers say they "noticed" insurgents in the area while conducting a patrolone the Pentagon says the team has conducted nearly 30 times in the past six months, according to NBC Newsbut did not chase them. US soldiers say the insurgents later ambushed them. But Nigerien military officials say the team, which included Nigerien soldiers, chased the insurgents across the Mali border only to be ambushed on their way back. A mission to go after insurgents would have required approval from higher-ups and would complicate the Pentagon's claim that the US isn't involved in combat operations in Niger.

The conflicting accounts given by US soldiers and the Nigerien military are just one more question surrounding the Oct. 4 attack, questions that include information as basic as what US troops are doing in a remote corner of Niger in the first place. A senior congressional aide briefed on the attack says the whole thing represents a "massive intelligence failure." The aide says the mission was being carried out without any overhead surveillance and without a "quick-reaction force" to step in if things went bad, which they did. He says the attack could have been much worse if French fighter jets hadn't shown up. A Pentagon spokesperson says any talk of intelligence failure is "speculation" while an investigation is still underway. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports at least 12 Nigerien troops were killed by insurgents in an attack Saturday along the same border with Mali. (Read more Niger stories.)
Three men were arrested for an alleged shooting that took place about an hour after white nationalist Richard Spencer's University of Florida speech ended Thursday, and Gainesville police say the men yelled "Heil Hitler" before shots were fired. Tyler Tenbrink and brothers Colton and William Fears, all from Texas, have been charged with attempted homicide, CBS 4 reports. The three had spoken to the media supporting Spencer and his views hours before the shooting; police say after the speech ended, they were in a Jeep and started making Nazi salutes and shouting at people near a bus stop who were holding anti-Nazi signs, the AP reports.

One of the victims hit the Jeep's back window with a baton, after which it stopped and the Fears brothers, threatening to kill the protesters, allegedly urged Tenbrink to shoot, which he allegedly did. The shot hit a nearby building, and police say the three suspects then drove away. They were picked up later after victims called police and gave their license plate number. Police say Tenbrink admitted to shooting; he is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. They also say at least two of the men have connections to extremist groups. (Ohio State on Friday denied a request from Spencer to speak at the school.)
The World Health Organization has chosen a new "goodwill ambassador" whose human rights abuses have left him with very little goodwill internationally: Robert Mugabe. The 93-year-old president of Zimbabwe was chosen by new WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to help fight non-communicable diseases like strokes and asthma across Africa, the BBC reports. The Guardian reports that the appointment was condemned by multiple governments and human rights groups, which pointed out that health care in Zimbabwe has collapsed under Mugabe's regimeand that Mugabe has been regularly leaving the country to seek medical treatment elsewhere.

"The decision to appoint Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador is deeply disappointing and wrong," says Dr. Jeremy Farrar of the Wellcome Trust, a British charitable foundation, per the AP. "Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for." A group of around two dozen other health organizations said they were "shocked and deeply concerned" by the appointment. A spokesman for Zimbabwean opposition party MDC described the appointment as "laughable." "Mugabe trashed our health delivery system," he said. (Read more Robert Mugabe stories.)
Authorities on Friday officially closed their investigation into the death of Kenneka Jenkins, who was found "frozen solid" in a freezer in the unused kitchen of a Chicago-area hotel Sept. 10, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. According to the Chicago Tribune, Rosemont policeafter a thorough investigation that included interviews with 44 people, dozens of hours of surveillance footage, forensic analysis on multiple cellphones, and morehave determined the 19-year-old's death to be accidental, stating there is "no evidence that indicates any other conclusion." Police say none of the conspiracy theories about foul play floated on social media "were supported by facts," CNN reports. Police say there is no evidence Jenkins was forced to drink or take drugs at the party where she was last seen.

Jenkins' family doesn't appear satisfied with the conclusion of authorities. Along with the closing of the investigation, police released documents related to the case on Friday. Lawyers for Jenkins' mother say the "graphic and disturbing" photos of Jenkins' body in the freezer "inexplicably show portions of Kenneka's body exposed" and "raise more questions ... than they answer." Photos of Jenkins' body in the freezer show her with her jean jacket still on but her shirt pulled up "exposing her breasts." This could be the result of what scientists call "paradoxical undressing" in which a hypothermia victim removes clothing despite freezing to death. A medical examiner had already concluded Jenkins died from hypothermia with no signs of internal or external trauma. In a statement, police called her death "especially sad." (Read more Kenneka Jenkins stories.)
Historians and amateur sleuths hoping to see the last sealed records pertaining to the JFK assassination got some apparent good news on Saturday. President Trump tweeted that he will allow their release, though he left some ambiguity: "Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump wrote. As the Washington Post notes, that leaves open the possibility that Trump will change his mind before an Oct. 26 deadline, if intelligence agencies make a persuasive case to keep them sealed. Nor does Trump's tweet specify that he will release all of the records.

All of this pertains to thousands of documents about the 1963 assassination compiled by US intelligence agencies that remain under government wraps. The government stipulated 25 years ago that all would be made public by Oct. 26 of this year and that only the president would be able to rescind that order. A report in Politico earlier this week suggested that intelligence agencies are concerned about protecting reports that were compiled in, say, the 1990s. Not because they contain some bombshell about the assassination itself but because their release could expose agents who still might be operating, as well as general "spycraft" strategy. (Read more JFK assassination stories.)
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Fitchburg startup Kiio is getting a double boost from WEA Trust, the not-for-profit Madison company that provides health insurance plans for public employers throughout Wisconsin.

Kiio is getting a $1 million investment from WEA Trust as well as a three-year contract to provide services designed to help people with lower back pain.

Its the biggest partnership Kiio has received up to now, CEO Dave Grandin said.

From our perspective, its huge, Grandin said. Were very excited about it. Its a testament to their belief  in our technology.

Kiios wireless sensor measures muscle strength and endurance. Grandin said the technology can screen a patient to determine the type of back pain and offer the appropriate exercises to do at home to ease the pain.

It tracks the patients progress, records pain levels and will tell the patient to stop doing the exercises if theyre not working, he said.

Grandin said the program can help people with low back pain avoid surgery or unnecessary medication.

Low back pain is the No. 1 reason for prescription opioids, Grandin said.

WEA Trust president and CEO Mike Quist said the partnership is part of the organizations effort to offer members effective and affordable health care.

Were excited about Kiio because their individualized care solution transforms the way members interact with health care, Quist said.

Grandin said WEA Trust plans to use Kiios platform to communicate with its members about other issues, as well. If the organization wants to provide generalized information to members with certain conditions, it can analyze claims and program data to identify people with those conditions  such as asthma or diabetes  and send them information through an app on their cellphones.

Our platform is secure, Grandin said. Its a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant way to communicate with their member base.

Kiio has 16 employees, all in Fitchburg.

The company has raised $4.5 million so far, and convertible debt raises the total to $6 million. Grandin has said he plans to seek funds from venture capital firms in 2018.

Kiio also is working with the U.S. Department of Defense on a pilot project aimed at determining if an enlistee is likely to suffer chronic tendinopathy, and if so, to track how well the patients treatment is working.
New Delhi:

Karan Johar has all reasons to feel on top of the world as this was his first Diwali after he had been blessed with a pair of beautiful twin Yash and Roohi. The filmmaker made this festival of lights extra special as the day also marked the five years of his 2012 blockbuster 'Student of the Year'.

According to reports, Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, three proteges of the film dropped by KJo's residence to celebrate Diwali along with the fifth anniversary of the film.

The 'Dear Zindegi' actress added some further twist as she took to her Instagram account to introduce KJo's bundle of joy Yash and Roohi to the world. She posted a beautiful picture of herself, Yash and Roohi and spoiled KJo's grand plan to introduce his munchkins on next birthday of Saif-prince Taimur Ali Khan.

Amid a bunch of adorable clicks from SOTY team, the endearing click of Yash and Roohi surrounded by their family including daddy Karan, granny, Hiroo Johar and sis Alia is making people feel like Aww! The picture is overloaded with too much cuteness to take your eyes off.

Also Read | In pics: Bollywood stars' Diwali celebration

While this heart-melting picture is doing rounds on social networking sites, Karan too has posted a series of stills from his 2012 release 'Student of The Year'.

In one of his posts, the filmmaker got extremely emotional and wrote, "#SOTY .5 years ago we released a film.and it will always be one of my most special filmsnot because I made my best filmbut I made my best relationshipswith these three beautiful people.Sid, Varun and Alia will always be so close to my heart.I thank them for teaching me to love with abandon and live knowing they will always look over me.I love you now and forever! aiaiai. Alia too had a special message for Karan as she tweeted, Love you @karanjohar my father my friend.. thank you for making this day happen! Couldnt have asked for a better opening to my story :). For Sidharth and Varun, she wrote, And to the best boys ever! @S1dharthM @Varun_dvn so happy we started off together and were totally clueless together Y love you both aiai."

After such a mind-boggling flick from this power-packed team, fans and followers are looking forward to another blockbuster anytime soon.

Here we bring you some of those cute and happy moments, the stars shared on this auspicious eve of Diwali.

Also Read | Kaun Banega Crorepati 9: THIS Orissa based contestant wins Rs 50 lakhs

We shot Radha on the first day & I remember how nervous @varun_dvn, @aliaa08 & me were. SOTY will always be special. Thank You @karanjohar pic.twitter.com/tnJ8poFkG4  Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) October 19, 2017

la famille YY A post shared by Alia aai (@aliaabhatt) on Oct 19, 2017 at 6:04am PDT

#SOTY #5yearsofsoty #happydiwali ....loves of my life! @varundvn @s1dofficial @aliaabhatt A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) on Oct 19, 2017 at 2:23am PDT

Five a A post shared by Alia aai (@aliaabhatt) on Oct 19, 2017 at 4:51am PDT

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Los Angeles:

'Blade Runner' star Sean Youngis became the latest celebrity to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.

The 57-year-old actor has claimed that the movie mogul exposed himself to her in the early 1990s while working on "Love Crimes," which was produced by Miramax.

"I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me. My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really don't think you should be pulling that thing out, it's not very pretty.'," she said on the Dudley and Bob with Matt Show podcast.

Young said she never worked with Weinstein again post the alleged incident.

"Then never having another meeting with that guy again, because it was like, 'What on earth?'" she said.

Young also said her reputation took a hit after she rejected Weinstein's alleged advances.

Also Read | In Pics: Alia introduces KJo's little twin Yash and Roohi to the world

"The minute you actually stand up for yourself in Hollywood, you're the crazy one. I think that's why a lot of women don't come out and didn't come out about their experiences about that kind of lewdness and ridiculousness with Harvey," she said.

Till now, more than 40 women have come forward to accused Weinstein of sexually inappropriate behavior, since a NewYork Times report first revealed allegations of abuse spanning decades.

Weinstein has since been removed from his company and his wife, Georgina Chapman, has separated from him.

The Los Angeles Police Department has announced that the robbery Homicide Division has interviewed another potential sexual assault victim, an unnamed Italian actress.

Also Read: SRK shakes a leg with Ranbir on 'Bole Chudiyaa, Bole Kangana'

New York police have already launched two active sex-crime investigations into Weinstein, and London's Metropolitan police are looking into allegations made by three other women.

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New Delhi:

The Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that the security situation in Kashmir valley has shown improvement and the recent incidents of terror showcase the frustration of the terrorists.

The Army Chief while addressing a press conference in Jammu on Saturday said that radicalization is taking place, it is a worldwide phenomenon and the army are addressing it seriously. Commenting on the NIA raids in Kashmir valley, Gen Rawat added that the army is following govt's approach & NIA raids is part of it, whatever success it achieved will emerge in future.

The general rounded up by saying that the military has a task & we will continue to perform that task, decision on any talks has to be decided politically.

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New Delhi:

Ahead of the upcoming Gujarat elections, renowned OBC leader Alpesh Thakore announced that he would soon join the Congress. He made this announcement after meeting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday.

Convenor of the Gujarat OBC Ekta Manch, Alpesh Thakore seems to have a strong appeal among backward classes. He has also worked actively on drug de-addiction in the state.

Accompanied by Congress general secretary in-charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot and state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki, Thakore met party vice-president at the latters residence on Saturday evening.

Rahul Gandhi would be coming to our rally on October 23 and I will join the Congress party, Thakore said after meeting Gandhi.

ALSO READ | Gujarat elections: Patidar leaders Reshma Patel, Varun Patel join BJP

The Congress had been wooing caste-based leaders Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mavani and Thakore in poll-bound Gujarat, with Solanki inviting them to join hands to defeat the ruling BJP. The Congress is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years.

Meanwhile, Patidar leaders Reshma Patel and Varun Patel joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, ANI reported.

Both the leaders met BJP president Amit Shah at the party office in Ahmedabad before joining the party.

ALSO READ | Hardik Patel: 'Gujarat election is about 6 crore Gujaratis, not BJP and Congress'

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New Delhi:

Patidar leader Hardik Patel kept the Congress guessing on Saturday after being invited by the grand old party to join hands against BJP in the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. Hardik Patel, however, said that although he believes it is necessary to unite against BJP, it isnt only a BJP-Congress election and 6 crore people of Gujarats future depend on it.

He also said that constitutionally, neither can he contest the elections nor does he intend to do so. Apart from Hardik Patel, Thakor community leader Alpesh Thakor and dalit leader Jignesh Mevani were also invited for a pre-poll alliance.

Although I believe we must unite against BJP, this isn't a BJP-Congress election but of 6 crore people of #Gujarat: Hardik Patel pic.twitter.com/TWmDXjjbHC  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

If that was not enough, the Congress also hinted at an alliance with Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad on Saturday, state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki expressed confidence that the party would easily win over 125 seats, out of total 182, with the "support and blessings" of all these leaders and parties.

Constitutionally speaking, I can't contest election and I don't need to, in the first place: Hardik Patel pic.twitter.com/NvlACG0xzI  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

"Though the BJP is trying its best to win the polls, it will not succeed in stopping the Congress' victory march to Gandhinagar. "We respect as well as endorse the cause for which Hardik Patel is fighting. I appeal to Hardik to support theCongress during the polls.

ALSO READ: Hardik Patel, aide detained in 'assault' case in Gujarat

We are also ready to give him a ticket if he wants to fight elections in the future," Solanki told reporters.

"Similarly, we also invite Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani to join hands with the Congress. I also invite Chhotu Vasava, who helped us in the Rajya Sabha polls, to support the Congress," he said.

If Hardik Patel wants to contest election, then Congress invites him to do so: Bharat Solanki, #Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President pic.twitter.com/R424kmSQRS  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

Though the NCP had "betrayed" Congress in the RS polls, the party's doors are still open for them if they also want to overthrow the BJP from Gujarat, he added.

In the Rajya Sabha polls, two NCP MLAs claimed to have voted for BJP candidate Balwantsinh Rajput despite their promise to vote for Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

READ: MP: Hardik Patel detained on way to Mandsaur to meet farmers

JD(U)'s lone MLA Vasava, whose party has formed the government in Bihar with the support of BJP, had voted for Ahmed Patel, who eventually won the election.

Vasava had said after the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat in August this year that he had decided to vote for the Congress candidate as he was "unhappy" with the ruling party's works for the poor and tribal population that he represents.

He was elected from Scheduled Tribe-reserved Jhagadia assembly seat in Bharuch district in south Gujarat. Solanki also claimed that some Aam Admi Party (AAP)leaders from Gujarat were also in contact with his party and may join hands with it ahead of the polls.

Senior AAP leader Kanubhai Kalsariya had met Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit to central Gujarat early in October. "Just like Kalsariya, many other AAP leaders are intouch with us. They may join the Congress soon," Solankiclaimed. He claimed that his party has emerged as a strong contender in the upcoming polls. The Congress is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years.

With PTI inputs

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New Delhi:

A war of words broke out between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's rising popularity on Twitter after news agency ANI suggested 'bots' or web robots that can produce automated mass retweets were behind it.



Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani took to the microblogging website to suggest that the retweets were from fake accounts abroad.



"Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh," she said in a tweet which tagged the media report.

Questioning whether automated bots were mass retweeting Gandhi's tweets, the report said that on October 15, 'OfficeofRG' retweeted US President Donald Trump's tweet praising American-Pakistani relations with a caption 'Modi ji quick, looks like President Trump needs another hug'.

Modi ji quick; looks like President Trump needs another hug pic.twitter.com/B4001yw5rg a Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 15, 2017

The tweet quickly reached 20,000 retweets and currently has touched 30,000, the report claimed, adding a close analysis of this tweet showed that these alleged 'bots' with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic were routinely retweeting the Congress vice president's tweets.



An Internet bot is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet.



However, the veracity of report could not be independently ascertained.



Rajeev Shukla, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gandhi family loyalist, jumped to the party vice president's defence, saying social media connects the whole world and retweets originating from Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia should not be considered out of place.



"They (the BJP) are afraid of Rahul Gandhi and his popularity," he told TV channels.



Another Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh said it is unimportant how many times a tweet has been retweeted. He said what is important is the issues Rahul Gandhi has been highlighting through his tweets.



"BJP is not answering...Where is the chowkidar? Why is he not speaking about how the turnover of a company owned by Shahzada's son rose 16,000 times in a year. Why are they not answering...Why are they not answering questions raised by him (Gandhi) about farmers? Why?" Singh said.



He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on a web portal's report that the turnover of a company owned by Jay Shah, BJP chief Amit Shah's son rose exponentially after the party came to power at the Centre in 2014. Jay Shah has filed a criminal defamation case against the portal--The Wire.



He rejected the news agency's claims that 'bots' were behind the perceived rise in Gandhi's popularity on Twitter.



"There is nothing like that," he said.



Union minister Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted: "In sports, this would come under ?Doping?.... hey wait!??does ?dope? remind you of someone ??"

In sports, this would come under aDopinga.... hey wait!Ydoes adopea remind you of someone Y https://t.co/xulfk1ENtI a Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) October 21, 2017

Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP's IT cell, asked a TV news channel why the Congress has to "buy" support for Rahul Gandhi.



Irani also retweeted the reactions of other netizens, including Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar who tweeted, "Desperate times call for desperate measures ?".A

Desperate times call for desperate measures ? YY https://t.co/MkPa2glDmi a Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@rajeev_mp) October 21, 2017

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New Delhi:

Reacting to Union Minister Anantkumar Hegdes letter asking to not include his name in Tipu Jayanti celebrations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that invitation will be sent out to all central and state leaders and it is up to them to accept or reject it.

Karnataka CM said that as part of government Anantkumar Hegde shouldn't have written it.

Siddaramaiah added that the whole issue has been made political and there were four wars against British and Tipu fought them all.

In a letter, Hegde claimed that Tipu was against Kannada language and was anti-Hindu. The BJP in Karnataka has been opposing State-sponsored Tipu Jayanti celebrations in previous years as well.

In 2016 November, Hegde was among those arrested in Uttara Kannada district for opposing the Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said that Tipu was anti-Kannada and anti-Hindu, all the Kannadigas are opposing it. Shobha added that she had told government that they shouldn't celebrate Tipu Jayanti from government's side but they are into vote-bank politics.

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New Delhi:

Issuing a fatwa against Muslim women who performed Aarti (prayers) on Diwali in Varanasi, renowned Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband on Saturday said they cannot call themselves Muslim-Ulema if they have worshipped other Gods.

While speaking to the news agency ANI, one of their representatives said, "If anyone worships any god except Allah they don't remain Muslim-Ulema."

The diktat came days after some Muslim women performed Aarti on the Diwali eve in Varanasi. The Muslim Mahila Foundation and Vishal Bharat Sansthan organised the event on October 19 to promote communal harmony.

One of the group leaders, Nazneen Ansari said, "Shri Ram is our ancestor. We can change our name and religion, but how we can change our ancestor? Singing in praise of Lord Ram not only bridges the gap between Hindus and Muslms, but also reflects the generosity of Islam.

ALSO READ: Posting photos on Facebook and social media un-Islamic, says Darul Uloom Deobands new fatwa

Earlier, the Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa on Wednesday prohibiting Muslim men and women from posting their or their families' photographs on social media sites.

In the fatwa, it was stated that posting photos of self or family on social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp is not allowed in Islam.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Darul Uloom Deoband issues fatwa imposing ban on eyebrow plucking

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New Delhi :

Vice President (VP) of India M Venkaiah Naidu was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi for a routine check up on Friday.A

As per authorities in the AIIMS, the VP had to undergo an angiography test following which a stent was placed to treat his condition.

The test was necessary as Naidu's blood pressure and sugar levels were found higher than normal.A A A

"He (Naidu) was brought to the hospital in the evening. He is fine and will undergo certain tests. He will be discharged tomorrow (Saturday)," said a senior doctor.A A

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu underwent an angiography test at #AIIMS in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/FX0hi99xoV a All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) October 20, 2017

However, the doctors at AIIMS said there was nothing to worry and that he would be discharged by Saturday afternoon.

Mr Naidu was admitted to AIIMS at around 8 am in the Cardio-Neuro Centre.

The procedure on him was carried out under the supervision of Cardiology Professor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Balram Bhargava.

Tests had pointed to some problems related to the heart, following which the procedure was carried out on Friday.

A

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

A shootout near Cairo led to the death of nearly 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, said Egyptian security officials. The shootout occurred during a raid on a militant hideout near the city.

The officials said on Saturday that the exchange of fire took place late on Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza governorate, about 135 kilometers from the capital after security services moved in.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan: US condemns twin terror attacks on mosques

The officials say the death toll could increase. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Egypts Interior Ministry issued a statement on the raid late on Friday but didnt provide a death toll.

READ: Pakistan: 38 people injured in twin blasts in Baluchistan

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New Delhi:

Fifteen Afgahnistan army trainees cadets were killed when the bus they were traveling in was targeted in a suicide bombing in Kabul on Saturday afternoon. The explosion happened in PD5 district of Kabul city at about 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon. The ministry of defense's spokesman Dawlat Waziri confirmed the death toll and said four others were wounded.

According to sources the blast was at the entrance gate to the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, near Qambar square. The cadets were trainees from the Daud Khan Military Hospital.

Sources said a mini bus carrying cadets was targeted in the suicide bombing. This comes just hours after an early morning rocket attack hit Kabul.

At least three rockets were fired at foreign facilities at about 6 AM on Saturday morning. This also comes less than 24 hours after a deadly suicide bombing at the Imam Zaman mosque in Dast-e-Barchi in Kabul city that killed at least 39 people.

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New Delhi :

The US today condemned the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and Ghor province in which at least 63 people were killed. During Friday prayers, suicide bombers yesterday struck a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghorprovince.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," State Departmentspokesperson Heather Nauert said. The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts toachieve peace and security for their country, she said.

In a statement, Nauert strongly condemned yesterday's attacks, as well as the other attacks carried out across thecountry this week. She hailed the Afghan government and its security forces for their response to the attacks.

"We commend the government and security forces of Afghanistan for their response to these attacks, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed," the spokesperson said.

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e-Barchi neighbourhood where he detonated his explosives vest, killing 30 and wounding 45, said Major General Alimast Momand at the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bombing in Ghor struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers and killed 33 people, including awarlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, the spokesman for the provincial chiefof police. No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack, the latest in a devastating week that saw Talibanattacks kill scores across the war-torn country.

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Lahore:

A Pakistani woman journalist who was allegedly kidnapped while pursuing the case of an Indian engineer two years ago has been rescued, officials said.

Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have forcibly disappeared while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said on Friday evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody, Iqbal said, adding tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

Zeenat Shahzadi today has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe, rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadis brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

ALSO READ: Danish freelance journalist Kim Wall's head found in the sea of Copenhegen

Helping an Indian prisonerHamid Ansari -- in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her, Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had told PTI.

My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national, he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Courts Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian national Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November, 2012.

She secured in August, 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansaris mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the persons imprisonment or detention is lawful.

Zeenat received threats from unknown persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansaris mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help, Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and spying. He is still in jail.

The rights activists, especially former secretary general Human Rights Commission of Pakistan I A Rehman, have voiced for the release of Ansari, saying since he has served his sentence, he ought to be set free now.

ALSO READ: Malayalam journalist Sanjeev Gopalan beaten and stripped by Kerala police

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New Delhi:

Following a knife attack in Munich in which four people were injured, the German police have arrested a man suspected to be the attacker.



The police say the suspect hit five men and one woman around Rosenheimer Platz in East Munich.



A police spokeswoman said the detained man strongly resembled descriptions provided by the witnesses.



"We have arrested a person who very strongly resembles the description by witnesses, but we cannot confirm that he is the attacker," Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said.

Also read: France: 2 killed in Marseille's Saint-Charles station knife attack; police shoot attacker



Police had not been able to establish any motive for the attack. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, added Martins.



Witnesses described the suspect as an unshaven man in his 40s wearing grey trousers, green tracksuit top and carrying a backpack and sleeping mat.



Also read: ISIS claims responsibility for brutal Russia knife attack that injured 7 people

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2017-10-21 20:47:07

Verses



To Theodote.



Theodote was beheaded by the sword,



A pure sacrifice offered to God.



Sts. Theodote and Socrates (Feast Day - October 21)



To Socrates.



Socrates hastened to behold You, O Word,



Beheaded for You Socrates possesses the crown.



Saint Theodote contested during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus (222-235). The daughter of noble parents, she was from the Pontus area of the Black Sea. She went to a hermitage, and there she lived a life of quietude. Later she revealed herself to be a Christian, and was captured by the Governor of Cappadocia. Having confessed her faith in Christ, she was suspended and scraped. After this she was put in a fiery furnace.



Because she was preserved unharmed by the grace of Christ, she was delivered over to the Governor of Byzantium. Then from Byzantium she was brought to Ancyra, where Socrates the Presbyter was.



When the pagan Greeks had a public feast to worship the idols, then the divine Socrates, filled with divine zeal, went and toppled the sacrificial altar on which the sacrifices were made. For this the thrice-blessed one was beheaded, and received the crown of martyrdom.



Saint Theodote was also urged to sacrifice to the idols, but unpersuaded, she was struck by the sword and died, receiving from the Lord the crown of martyrdom.



paraklisi





 
paraklisi

By St. Jerome(Written in Bethlehem in the year 390)1. Before I begin to write the life of the blessed Hilarion I invoke the aid of the Holy Spirit who dwelt in him, that He who bestowed upon the saint his virtues may grant me such power of speech to relate them that my words may be adequate to his deeds.For the virtue of those who have done great deeds is esteemed in proportion to the ability with which it has been praised by men of genius. Alexander the Great of Macedon who is spoken of by Daniel as the ram, or the panther, or the he-goat, on reaching the grave of Achilles exclaimed "Happy Youth! To have the privilege of a great herald of your worth," meaning, of course, Homer. I, however, have to tell the story of the life and conversation of a man so renowned that even Homer were he here would either envy me the theme or prove unequal to it. It is true that that holy man Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, who had much intercourse with Hilarion, set forth his praises in a short but widely circulated letter. Yet it is one thing to praise the dead in general terms, another to relate their characteristic virtues. And so we in taking up the work begun by him do him service rather than wrong: we despise the abuse of some who as they once disparaged my hero Paulus, will now perhaps disparage Hilarion; the former they censured for his solitary life; they may find fault with the latter for his intercourse with the world; the one was always out of sight, therefore they think he had no existence; the other was seen by many, therefore he is deemed of no account. It is just what their ancestors the Pharisees did of old! They were not pleased with John fasting in the desert, nor with our Lord and Saviour in the busy throng, eating and drinking. But I will put my hand to the work on which I have resolved, and go on my way closing my ears to the barking of Scylla's hounds.Read the complete article 
Illinois offered itself to Foxconn as the perfect location for a planned LCD panel factory. Foxconn didnt bite. It will put the plant, and up to 13,000 jobs, in southeastern Wisconsin.

Strike one.

Illinois offered itself to Toyota and Mazda as the ideal site for a joint venture, which will employ as many as 4,000 workers. The Toyota/Mazda search team reportedly has rejected Illinois. The factory apparently is headed to a Southern state.

Strike two.

On Thursday, Amazon closed the bidding among cities for its new second headquarters, which will house as many as 50,000 workers. Mayor Rahm Emanuel makes a compelling argument for Chicago, and his bid is backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner offering incentives. So its a lock, right? Because who ever says no to Illinois?

Another swing and 

A lot goes into a corporate investment decision, mostly done behind closed doors, which means we dont know all the factors. But we know about Illinois perilous public finances, and the states reputation for being unfriendly to employers.

We also recognize a pattern when we see one. Illinois was just bypassed by two significant manufacturing projects. We dont want Chicago to lose the Amazon deal, or another big fish, because Illinois is considered a lousy place to invest.

State leaders, starting with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, need to speak out and take concrete actions during the fall veto session to show employers, starting with Amazon, that Illinois understands their businesses and will help them grow and add jobs here.

Private investment is the states lifeblood. Workers are taxpayers. Chicago is a vibrant, global capital of business, but state government is in distress, snowed under by at least $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.

The rap on Illinois: It has the lowest credit rating of any state, high taxes, onerous regulations on businesses, and prohibitive workers compensation rules. Springfield took two years to pass a budget, which isnt balanced, and is borrowing money to pay down a chunk of $16 billion in unpaid bills. These problems scare away investment because decision-makers hate uncertainty. They dont want to worry about future tax increases or political gridlock.

Foxconns decision feels like a direct snub of Illinois. The company said it wanted to be near Chicago and OHare International Airport, which it will get in Racine County  without having to deal with Illinois dysfunction.

Toyota and Mazda crossed Illinois off the list, having decided the proposed site in Rochelle, about 80 miles west of Chicago, isnt shovel-ready, according to Greg Hinz of Crains. The other negative factor, he reported, is Illinois is not a right-to-work state. That status doesnt bar union organizing, but says workers are not compelled to join or pay dues to a union. Foreign auto plants in the U.S. dont want union workforces.

Maybe Foxconn, a Taiwanese company, thinks the same way. Wisconsin is a right-to-work state. In fact, Illinois is surrounded by them. This would be the time for Illinois to consider right-to-work status. If the Democrats in control of the General Assembly wont go there, they need to find other ways to make the state more attractive to employers. Example: Rauner took office with a turnaround agenda that included making substantive changes to workers compensation.

... There are plenty of positive signals Madigan and Cullerton can send to improve the states reputation, starting with an acknowledgment that their combined 86 years in Springfield hasnt prepared them for this competition. As weve repeatedly suggested, they should step down from leadership and make room for new ideas. Because Illinois has to project a new image.

Foxconn rejected Illinois. So did Toyota and Mazda. Thats 17,000 jobs going elsewhere. Chicago is the right location for Amazon. Thats 50,000 more jobs at stake. The General Assembly opens its latest session on Tuesday. What will lawmakers do to make Illinois attractive to jobs and investment?
MILWAUKEE  Manufacturing remains the cornerstone of the American economy, but we cannot take that for granted. If we want to ensure Wisconsin and Americas continued manufacturing strength, the U.S. Congress should pass common sense, comprehensive tax reform.

Wisconsin benefits from the important role that manufacturing plays in our economy. Equipment manufacturers alone support about 100,000 jobs in Wisconsin, and generated almost $11 billion for our economy last year. Nationwide, the equipment manufacturing industry supports almost 1.3 million jobs.

Our industry includes a wide variety of businesses. Some equipment manufacturers are publicly traded, multinational corporations with multiple facilities in the United States and around the world. Other equipment manufacturing businesses are privately held, and might have plants in one or two states. Still others are smaller, family-held businesses that have stretched across several generations.

But what unites all of these businesses is their desire for sensible tax reform. We asked our members this year to consider a variety of reform options under consideration. The response was overwhelming: Equipment manufacturers say the tax code must be simpler and provide lower tax rates for all types of manufacturing businesses. And if we want tax reform to have a meaningful impact on our economy, it must also be permanent.

Comprehensive tax reform is important because in the three decades since the last major reform, the tax code has become increasingly convoluted, and it is more complex and uncompetitive than ever as a result.

At the same time, other countries  from industrialized nations to emerging competitors  have reduced their business tax burden to support their own manufacturers, who compete against our manufacturing businesses.

Our elected leaders have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the tax code and put American manufacturers on a more competitive footing. Improving the competitive environment for American manufacturers also means protecting U.S. manufacturing jobs, and shoring up the potential growth in manufacturing jobs in the future.

The plan put forward by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, the White House and other leaders in Congress offers a good start: It would reduce the tax burden facing both those big manufacturers as well as small, family businesses. It would encourage investment in new machinery and no longer penalize multigenerational family businesses. At the same time, these proposals promise to make navigating our thicket of a tax code more straightforward for equipment manufacturers.

Those are worthy goals that Congress should advance on an expedient and bipartisan basis.

To be clear, tax reform is not a silver bullet for our economy. Our leaders in both Madison and Washington have more work to do to rebuild Americas infrastructure, help our rural economy, train our future workforce, and ensure that U.S. companies can compete fairly all over the globe.

But permanent, comprehensive tax reform is an essential step toward building an economy that puts equipment manufacturers in Wisconsin on a level playing field with their competitors across the globe. That is a worthwhile goal, one which our leaders in Congress should seek to achieve by the end of this year.

Speaker Ryan and the White Houses good start on reform would reduce the tax burden facing big manufacturers as well as small, family businesses. It would encourage investment in new machinery and no longer penalize multigenerational family businesses.
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Southwest Airlines wants to get mainland Americans lei'd.

The budget airline announced late Thursday night on Twitter that it would soon offer flights to Hawaii.

"Hawaii is an important place for Southwest Airlines because so many people count on us to take them everywhere they want to go reliably and affordably,'' Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said in a statement, according to USA Today. "We're ready and excited to address a request we've heard for years."

TAKE FLIGHT: Southwest Airlines selling cheap flights out of Houston as low as $49

Now Playing: If you are planning on flying between Oct. 31-Dec. 19 or Jan. 3-Feb. 14, then plan to fly Southwest Airlines. Southwest is about to have one of its biannual ticket fare sales, meaning flights between certain dates are going to be drastically cheaper. The sale covers all flights Sunday-Thursday in the listed date range and is applicable for most international and domestic flights. The sale ends on Thursday at 11:59pm. Video: Wibbitz

Southwest plans on using the new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, which has wide seats and more leg room, for the trips between the mainland and Hawaii starting sometime in 2018, USA Today added.

The news of the flights comes just days after the airlines announced its big three-day sale ending Thursday night.

It is unclear what airports will offer the flights to Hawaii but let's hope Houston's Hobby Airport is one of them.
WASHINGTON  One of President Donald Trumps top economic advisers says elimination of the state-and-local-tax deduction would actually put middle-class taxpayers in Connecticut in a better financial position  if the entirety of the Trump tax plan is enacted.

If you look at the complete picture, absolutely, thats what everyone should expect from this, said Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, in a meeting Thursday with regional reporters here.

Hassetts assertion flies in the face of Democratic lawmakers from Connecticut, who argue that elimination of the state-and-local tax  SALT, for short  deduction would wreak havoc on the finances of middle-class taxpayers statewide.

Its just wrong, said Rep. Elizabeth Esty. It would be an enormous transfer from high-income states like ours to states like Texas and Florida, which are already trying to take our jobs  I will fight it tooth and nail.

The Republican plan would consolidate tax brackets from seven to three, with the top rate going from 39.6 percent to 35 percent. The bottom rate would go from 10 percent to 12 percent.

It would also reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, which the White House claims would add $4,000 in income to the average American household.

And it would double the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples.

Possible modifications

The future of the SALT proposal remains in doubt, with Trumps top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, saying it is not a red line for us in the same way as the must-have corporate tax deduction.

Hassett, a conservative Ph.D. economist who advised the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney, is the chief of Trumps in-house economics think tank.

In the meeting with reporters, he shied away from predicting whether the SALT measure would get included in the final legislation or wind up on the cutting-room floor. Lawmakers also are discussing modified versions of the SALT elimination.

The Trump plan is essentially an outline, with the details to be filled in by congressional tax writers. As such, the exact impact on middle-class taxpayers wont be known until crucial blanks  such as location of brackets on the income ladder  are filled in.

Nevertheless, Hassett offered a spirited defense of the SALT change. Asked what happens if the numbers dont add up for middle-class homeowners in Connecticut, Hassett said: I dont think thats possible. They will work.

He echoed the words of lawmakers from states without income taxes like Texas that their taxpayers are, in effect, subsidizing taxpayers from states like Connecticut.

Government should take its finger off the scale and be neutral toward how the state decides to interact with its citizens, he said. Right now, its favoring the states that have large governments and large taxes. So I think the economic reasoning behind (the SALT elimination) is pretty sound.

Esty and tax experts pointed out that Connecticut is among the states that send more tax dollars to Washington than it gets back in federal aid. According to an Associated Press study earlier this year, Connecticut gets back 83 cents on each dollar that goes to the IRS, one of the nations worst rates.

Hassett said his confidence that middle-class taxpayers in Connecticut and other such states would benefit is based on all elements of the GOP plan working in unison.

What were proposing is we eliminate a whole bunch of the complex deductions, simplify so that people will be able to fill out their taxes hopefully on a postcard, and give them a big standard deduction to replace those complexities, he said.

The aim, he added, is to make sure middle-class taxpayers are better off with a lower marginal tax rate.

Much-used deduction

Tax experts say that while the average taxpayer in Connecticut might see a tax reduction if the GOP plan is enacted, the homeowner who depends on the SALT deduction would see taxes rise. And more taxpayers in Connecticut use the SALT deduction than the nation as a whole  41 percent in Connecticut compared to 30 percent nationwide, according to one study.

The average SALT-deduction claim in Connecticut was $19,664 in 2015, according to the study by the Government Finance Officers Association.

We are finding more people in Connecticut are more likely to see taxes go down than up, but is unlikely that people who rely on the SALT deduction will see taxes go down enough to offset loss of it, said Kim Rueben, senior fellow at the non-partisan Tax Policy Center.

Hassett acknowledged that taxpayers who have depended on the various SALT deductions for decades may be justified in their anxiety.

Switching out SALT for a lower marginal rate might not appear to make much difference, and youd say why did you bother, you left me in the same place?  Hassett said.

But now, when you work an extra hour, youre going to get to keep more of that, he said. So you get an economic efficiency effect out of this trade.

Esty remains dubious.

We are a state that pays for our schools, parks, environmental protection, and libraries, Esty said. We believe in those things and we invest in them with property and income tax dollars.

Loss of the SALT deduction would mean sacrificing a lot of money for middle-class families, and doubling the standard deduction will not make up for it, Esty said.

dan@hearstdc.com
WEST HAVEN  Democratic mayoral candidate Nancy Rossis campaign has charged in complaints to four city and state agencies that signatures on at least two absentee ballot applications for the Nov. 7 General Election appear to have been forged.

But City Clerk Deborah Collins and representatives of Mayor Ed OBriens campaign  including the mayor, himself  said they dont believe that any signatures were forged.

The two applications, filed on behalf of Highland Street resident Sharon Alling and her son Robert R.J. Alling, both bore the signature of Antoinette Russo, Mayor OBriens mother and a volunteer for his campaign, under a declaration that says she provided assistance.

Sharon and Robert Alling both said in sworn, notarized affidavits included with the complaints that they did not sign their applications dated Oct. 3. They also said they dont know Russo and they believe their signatures were forged.

Collins said that to her eye, after looking at absentee ballot applications filed by each Alling for the September primary and the upcoming general election, as well as their signatures on the affidavits, all but one of the signatures appear to match.

The one that doesnt is for Robert Allings application for an absentee ballot for the primary, which was provided to them by Rossis campaign, she said.

The Rossi campaign initially filed complaints with Police Chief John Karajanis, Milford States Attorney Kevin Lawlor and the Elections Division of the Secretary of the States Office.

It later filed one with the State Elections Enforcement Commission at the direction of the Secretary of the States Offices, which said it did not investigate such cases, said Rossi campaign manager Michael Last.

I saw the signatures. Nothing was forged. I know my mother wouldnt forge anything, said OBrien, who is running a write-in campaign against Rossi and Republican City Councilman David Riccio after losing to Rossi in a Sept. 12 primary.

This is just typical, OBrien said. Im certainly confident that my team has not messed with the absentee ballots.

Russo did not return calls for comment on Thursday or Friday.

Lawlor could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for the State Elections Enforcement Commission said she could neither confirm nor deny whether a complaint had been filed.

Police spokesman Sgt. David Tammaro said the Police Department had yet to open a case or assign officers to investigate the complaint.

I dont know what happened, said Rossi. I honestly want the police to get involved and I want the Secretary of the States Office to look into it, she said.

I would like an observer from the Secretary of the States office ... to just monitor everything as its going on, Rossi said.

We would like this issue investigated as soon as possible since it is very possible and probable that this is a citywideissue with the absentee ballot process, Last wrote in the complaint letter.

In a subsequent emailed statement, Last said he had requested that the absent ballot system and process in West Haven be investigated and that a monitor be assigned to ensure a fair, honest and transparent election.

The absentee ballot abuse in West Haven has been a serious concern for many years, he wrote. To my knowledge, this is the first time people have actually come forward to file a formal complaint of fraud. This is a serious issue, and I hope it is investigated quickly and people are held accountable for their actions.

Several members of the Rossi team lost in the September primary as a result of absentee ballot votes, he said. These candidates actually won on the voting machines but ended up losing when the absentee ballots were counted. How do you win on the voting machine and get beat 3-1 in absentee ballots  now we know.

According to Last, the issue came up in this case when former City Councilman Mitchell Gallignano, who is running for his old spot on Rossis ticket, went to the home of the Allings, who are his neighbors, to see whether they wanted absentee ballot applications for the General Election, as they had received for the primary.

The Allings told him they already had received ballots, said Last and Gallignano. But when Gallignano asked them where they obtained the ballots, they said the ballots had just arrived in the mail.

According to state elections law, voters must file signed applications before receiving absentee ballots.

Sharon Alling reiterated in an interview outside her house Friday evening that neither she nor her son asked for or signed the absentee ballot applications  although she acknowledged that they have since sent the absentee ballots back to the city and voted.

I did not sign it, she said of the absentee ballot application. The only paper I signed was when Mitch came over before the primary, she said.

When a reporter pointed out that her signatures on the two absentee ballot applications and the affidavit looked similar, she said, They must have had it from one of my old ones.

Im just getting aggravated with this whole thing, said Sharon Alling.

Id just like to know who did it, thats all, she said.

Collins said that in order for them to receive an absentee ballot, somebody would have to apply for it. She said that when she looked at the various signatures for the Allings, they all look the same.

Could this lady be mistaken? she asked. I dont know. ... Im thinking that maybe the woman was confused.

But she questioned, If you got a ballot and you didnt request it, why would you send it back?

I kind of take it personally, like theyre slamming my office, said Collins, who ran on OBriens party-endorsed ticket and won in the primary, which means shes running on Rossis ticket in the General Election.

OBriens campaign manager, Brent Coscia, said, I can say this, unequivocally, that Eds mom, a 75-year-old lady with (multiple sclerosis), did not forge anybodys signatures.

Im not saying the lady is lying, he said of Alling. She may have forgotten that she applied for it.

But he said he thought there was more going on than meets the eye and he raised the possibility that Alling simply might not want to tell Gallignano, her neighbor, that someone else had beaten him to the punch to obtain absentee ballots for them.

I just think it was a simple misunderstanding, he said. I welcome the investigation  absolutely, 100 percent. Lets see what the truth is. Lets get to the bottom of it.

Riccio said that the entire AB ballot process in Connecticut has to be reviewed, from applications distribution to the way the ballots themselves are counted. There are too many ways of skewing the true intent of absentee voting, he said.

West Haven seems to be consistently under this microscope and it was only a matter of time before a questionable situation would arise. Until solid evidence or facts are convincingly presented to me and are verified as an actuality, I ... cannot implicate or accuse anyone of such wrongdoing.

But the great people of our city deserve a campaign that is invigorated with issues and plans, he said. Instead, we are amidst a cloud of questions.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday led the flag-off of the campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Tony Nwoye in Onitsha.Buhari, represented by Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, told a huge crowd that gathered at the All Saints Cathedral field that he had so much love for the state.He enjoined the people of the state to ensure the partys candidate, Nwoye who he described as the best, was elected on November 18.The vice president led a huge number of bigwig politicians from the party, including 12 governors, 10 senators, 17 ministers, five deputy governors, the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo during the rally.Osinbajo said, Buhari loves Anambra State. This is one state that is dear to him. When he ran for president the first time, he chose one of your sons, Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate, when he ran the second time, he chose your son too; Edwin Umezuoke as his running mate. It is because of this love that the president himself went to negotiate for the second Niger Bridge, and that is why that bridge is in the budget today.Anambra was among the first state to benefit from our home grown school feeding programme. We will not make any promise that we will not fulfill. If you make the right choice, you get the right result. That is why we are giving you Tony Nwoye, Osinbajo said.National Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie-Oyegun while addressing the crowd said APC was ready to remove the government in power in the state, and that it would not be a new feat for it as it has removed a sitting government before and was ready to do so again in Anambra.He insisted that the only option for the Igbo nation to take their proper place in Nigeria was to be connected to the centre by joining the APC.Nigeria is standing on a tripod, and one leg of that tripod is missing, and that one leg is Igbo. We need Anambra, I insist that the only sure path for the Igbos to national leadership is to join the APC, he said.Meanwhile, Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha has begged Anambra people to give him a brother-governor to be with him in Abuja to strengthen his lone voice during arguments among the partys governors caucus.Okorocha who spoke at the rally said, During arguments, I look around and am the only person, whereas El-rufai is there causing trouble, I see Governor Lalong trying to defend his people, I see Ajimobi, but I am the only voice for Ndigbo. I beg you to please give me a brother-governor.The partys candidate, Dr Nwoye during his speech called on the people of the state to take him by his words as they remain his bond. He said he would work hard to return Anambra to the path of greatness again if elected next moth.He said Education and job creation would constitute the major trust of his government as he would work to boost the standard of education by slashing fees, payment of bursary and ending youth joblessness.The high point of the rally was the handing over of the APC flag to the candidate, Nwoye by the national chairman of the party.Similarly, the National chairman of People for Democratic Change(PDC), Alhaji Mudi Waziri has handed the flag of the party to its standard bearer, Peter Chibike for the same election.Waziri who was represented by the state chairman of the party, Hon Isaac Onuka said the presentation was symbolic, urging the candidate to fly the partys flag in the election with dignity, but insisting that only God makes a leader, and as such, it would not challenge whoever wins the November 18 election.Chibike said Anambra needed someone with passion, foresight and strength to take her to the next level of development, and that he represents that perfectly.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Comrade, APC, Timi Frank has advised an official of the Lagos APC chapt...



Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Comrade, APC, Timi Frank has advised an official of the Lagos APC chapter, Joe Igbokwe, to stop his verbal attack against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.





In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, Frank reminded Igbokwe that the media cannot be an alternative court to try and convict perceived political opponents.





Frank dared the APC Lagos spokesman to present to the world if he has any evidence against the Waziri Adamawa or keep silent forever.





Has Igbokwe lost the address to the EFCC office in Lagos or Abuja? What stopped him from going there with all the evidence to convict Atiku?





He would have achieved more maximum publicity by furnishing the EFCC with the evidence of corruption against the former Vice President, Frank said.





He insisted that Igbokwes latest lazy propaganda is not original; if enemies repeat falsehoods a million times, it will never be the substitute for evidence of corruption against Atiku and indeed any other.





Rabbies infected political Rottweilers like Igbokwe should ordinarily be ashamed of their dirty roles in politics and for bringing our democracy into ridicule.





The greatest tragedy is for a politician to forget his origin and insult his roots because of political opportunism, which has become his area of competence.





Politicians that seek survival by being mercenaries deserve more pity than condemnation because honour and principles mean nothing to them in this world.





God couldnt have been kinder to Atiku Abubakar. He has survived more vicious political enemies before, and the latest Joe Igbokwe wouldnt make any difference.
Thirteen Nigerians have been arrested by the Police in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, for various crimes.

Thirteen Nigerians have been arrested by the Police in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, for various crimes.According to BangkokNation, the Nigerians were arrested at about 10 a.m on Wednesday by a team of police officers led by acting Immigration Bureau commissioner, Pol Lt-General Sutthipong Wongpin, after searching six buildings of a condominium complex on Romklao road in Klong Sam Prawet subdistrict of Lat Krabang district.Sutthipong said the search on the six buildings was conducted based on information obtained from two Nigerians the police earlier arrested for internet love scam.They found 19 Nigerians living at the condominium. Six of them were found to have unlawfully entered the country and five of them had overstayed their visas.Sutthipong said two other Nigerians were suspected of being involved in the romance scam. Police also seized 15 passbooks, seven notebooks, 12 phones, one tablet and nine passports from the suspects.Sutthipong said the two romance-scam suspects also had Facebook accounts in other names and used western mens photographs as their profile pictures.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insisted on Saturday the Catalan giants cannot be used by either side of a political battle over Catalonias drive to gain independence from Spain.A powerful symbol of Catalonia across the world, Barca have been caught in the political crossfire in the weeks following an independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid, was marred by violence.We are not an instrument to be manipulated for political interests, whatever they may be, Bartomeu told club members at Barcas annual general meeting. Nobody can appropriate our badge or flag.Barca have backed Catalonias right to self-determination, but refused to position themselves on either side of the independence debate.Bartomeu took an unpopular decision to play Barcas match against Las Palmas behind closed doors on October 1 as the referendum took place after La Liga refused to postpone the match.He described that decision as one of the hardest he has made in his three years as president, but claimed Barca were not losing touch with their core Catalan fanbase.No one can doubt Barcas commitment to the Catalan community. We defend the principles of democracy, the right to decide and free expression.And Bartomeu condemned the imprisonment of two pro-independence civil society leaders Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart on charges of sedition.It is unacceptable that in this century there are people in prison for their political ideas.However, the Catalan National Assembly and Omnium Cultural groups, led by Sanchez and Cuixart respectively, rejected invitations to the directors box at the Camp Nou for Barcas Champions League match against Olympiakos on Wednesday in protest at the clubs neutral stance.The other major point of order for Bartomeu was the passing of Barcas accounts for the 2017/18 season that are expected to show record revenue of 897 million euros ($1.06 billion).And Barcas accounts are set to be further boosted by a naming rights deal to aid the cost of a 600-million-euro renovation project for the Camp Nou and surrounding areas.The negotiations to find a name for the Camp Nou are going well, said Bartomeu.He said an extraordinary meeting will be called in the first half of 2018 for members to vote on the naming rights deal.
The Bayelsa State Government, on Saturday, lent its support to the ongoing military training operation and its community relations component by the Nigerian Army in the Niger Delta.Governor Seriake Dickson urged the people of the state to discountenance the rumour that the exercise, christened Operation Crocodile Smile II, which includes free medical care, would endanger the health and safety of the people.In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Agbo, in Yenagoa, Governor Dickson made the call while receiving a letter of commendation from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.The governor, who described the rumour as unfounded, urged Nigerians not to panic, rather cooperate with the military in discharging its medical outreach and community support initiatives.Reiterating his administrations commitment toward sustaining the prevailing peace, security and stability in the state, Dickson assured the Nigerian Army and other security agencies of greater support in the discharge of their constitutional duties.He explained that the state government had donated a large expanse of land for the building of a barrack in Yenagoa and a Forward Operations Base at the western senatorial district to enhance security.The military and other security agencies are a force for good and I want to use this opportunity to call on community leaders to continue to support the military.We cant have a Nigerian military that is coming here to inject people with poisonous substances.That is not the army we have. This is our own army. These are our brothers, friends and fellow Nigerians, who mean well for all of us. Dickson said.The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, commended Dickson for the invaluable support to his administration.Buratai said the support included the provision of land for building a barracks, a Forward Operation Base and creating a conducive environment for the Army to tackle insecurity in the state.Delivering a letter of appreciation from the Nigerian Army, he lauded the people of Bayelsa for their understanding, cooperation, and pledged that the Army would redouble efforts in tackling security challenges in the country.The Chief of Army Staff, in the letter intimated Dickson of the Armys intention to carry out its medical outreach programme and donation of educational materials to various communities.
Twelve paramilitary police were killed Saturday in a fresh attack in Nigers restive southwest bordering Mali, Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum told AFP.There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations, said Bazoum, adding that the raid took place in the Tillaberi region. In October a raid claimed the lives of four US and four Niger soldiers.
President Muhammadu Buhari says African leaders must speak with one voice, independent of foreign influence to achieve economic integration, development, peace and security on the continent.Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.Buhari was speaking at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.The presidential aide said that the two presidents, who met on the margins of the 9th D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.Buhari said that leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.He assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of AU that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.In his remarks, Conde praised Nigerias leadership on the continent, particularly Buharis great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, where Guinea boasts of 25 per cent or more of the worlds known bauxite reserves.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday led the flag-off of the campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr To...

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday led the flag-off of the campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Tony Nwoye in Onitsha.









He enjoined the people of the state to ensure the partys candidate, Nwoye who he described as the best, was elected on November 18.





The vice president led a huge number of bigwig politicians from the party, including 12 governors, 10 senators, 17 ministers, five deputy governors, the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo during the rally.





Osinbajo said, Buhari loves Anambra State. This is one state that is dear to him. When he ran for president the first time, he chose one of your sons, Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate, when he ran the second time, he chose your son too; Edwin Umezuoke as his running mate. It is because of this love that the president himself went to negotiate for the second Niger Bridge, and that is why that bridge is in the budget today.





Anambra was among the first state to benefit from our home grown school feeding programme. We will not make any promise that we will not fulfill. If you make the right choice, you get the right result. That is why we are giving you Tony Nwoye, Osinbajo said.





National Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie-Oyegun while addressing the crowd said APC was ready to remove the government in power in the state, and that it would not be a new feat for it as it has removed a sitting government before and was ready to do so again in Anambra.





He insisted that the only option for the Igbo nation to take their proper place in Nigeria was to be connected to the centre by joining the APC.





Nigeria is standing on a tripod, and one leg of that tripod is missing, and that one leg is Igbo. We need Anambra, I insist that the only sure path for the Igbos to national leadership is to join the APC, he said.





Meanwhile, Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha has begged Anambra people to give him a brother-governor to be with him in Abuja to strengthen his lone voice during arguments among the partys governors caucus.





Okorocha who spoke at the rally said, During arguments, I look around and am the only person, whereas El-rufai is there causing trouble, I see Governor Lalong trying to defend his people, I see Ajimobi, but I am the only voice for Ndigbo. I beg you to please give me a brother-governor.





The partys candidate, Dr Nwoye during his speech called on the people of the state to take him by his words as they remain his bond. He said he would work hard to return Anambra to the path of greatness again if elected next moth.





He said Education and job creation would constitute the major trust of his government as he would work to boost the standard of education by slashing fees, payment of bursary and ending youth joblessness.





The high point of the rally was the handing over of the APC flag to the candidate, Nwoye by the national chairman of the party.





Similarly, the National chairman of People for Democratic Change(PDC), Alhaji Mudi Waziri has handed the flag of the party to its standard bearer, Peter Chibike for the same election.





Waziri who was represented by the state chairman of the party, Hon Isaac Onuka said the presentation was symbolic, urging the candidate to fly the partys flag in the election with dignity, but insisting that only God makes a leader, and as such, it would not challenge whoever wins the November 18 election.





Chibike said Anambra needed someone with passion, foresight and strength to take her to the next level of development, and that he represents that perfectly.
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, debunked rumours making the rounds that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission raided his Lagos home and found funds in different currencies stashed in vaults.He also attempted to dispel rumours that a youth corps member, who was said to be his mistress, had a set of twins with him.Amosun on Friday described the allegations as unfounded and a concoction of idiots while speaking at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, during a Town Hall meeting of stakeholders for the states 2018 Budget.The meeting was organised by the states Ministry of Budget and Planning for the purpose of collecting inputs from all stakeholders and building them into the preparation of the 2018 Executive Appropriation Bill.The governor used the opportunity to address the allegations against him.The governor threatened to find the purveyors of the rumours and falsehood against him, and make them face the wrath of the law.He accused some unnamed politicians, whom he said were jostling to govern the state in 2019, of being behind the allegations against him.The governor said that instead of those aspiring to govern the state to sell their manifestoes to the electorate, they resorted to hiring people to concoct falsehood in the vain hope that lies and rumour mongering would help the governorship aspirations of their masters.Amosun explained the rumour that he had a set of twins was so strong that his mother-in-law called him to ask him if it was true or not.He said his wife, Olufunso, also heard the rumour.Professing his love for Olufunso, who he said had been his wife for 26 years, the governor said he had never had a girlfriend, let alone had one with a set of twins.He described having one wife as challenging in Nigeria now, adding that he had no plans to have a second wife.Speaking on the proposed 2018 Budget, the governor promised to make judicious use of it when it is finally approved.He said that his administration would ensure the completion of all ongoing projects in the state by the end of his tenure in office.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday reiterated his administrations commitment to the creation of an enabling environment and making Ni...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday reiterated his administrations commitment to the creation of an enabling environment and making Nigeria an attractive place for business and investment.Buhari made the pledge, in his statement, at the ninth summit of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey.He said it was his belief that only economies that promoted trade and attracted investment grew at more sustainable rates.The President said, Nigeria is committed to, and is actively pursuing a policy of trade and investment facilitation for growth.The gains from trade are reflected in greater competitiveness, improved productivity, job creation, consumer welfare, and prosperity.Economies that grow fastest and at more sustainable rates are those that actively promote trade and attract investment.We are committed to creating an enabling environment and making Nigeria an attractive place for business and investment.Buhari said having identified trade as the engine of economic growth and development, developing countries must continue to enhance the enabling environment for it to thrive.He, therefore, urged governments of developing countries to encourage their respective economic agencies to be more active in participation at executive meetings organised by the oganisations secretariat.I am pleased to inform you of positive market developments currently in Africa that will support our efforts as members of the D-8 to enlarge our markets, facilitate our trade and investments, and develop our economies.In Africa, we are on the threshold of finalising negotiations to establish the first ever Single Market for Trade in Goods and Services on our continent, in the Continental Free Trade Area for Africa. This will be a win-win for all, including member countries of the D-8.As partners, I urge that we work together to support this effort of the African Union that will have a positive effect on global economic development and integration, he added.As the D-8, Buhari said member countries needed to intensify their activities with a view to enhancing various measures and incentives introduced to promote trade and assist the business communities to invest in their countries.He added that they needed to work hard to establish integrated manufacturing structures and markets.Earlier, Buhari had thanked the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, for his concern during his recent health challenge.He assured him and other leaders that he had recovered from the challenge.I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, for your concern and sympathy during my recent health challenge from which I have recovered, not least because of your prayer and the prayers of many other well-wishers and sympathisers , he said.The President again condemned the July 2016 failed coup in Turkey.He assured the government and people of the country that Nigeria would continue to stand side by side with all peace-loving people of Turkey and elsewhere, for the defence and promotion of democracy and peoples choice.
The Presidency responded to the dismissal of President Muhammadu Buharis administration as a failure by former President Goodluck Jonat...

The Presidency responded to the dismissal of President Muhammadu Buharis administration as a failure by former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that the former president has no moral ground to criticise Buhari.Receiving a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship aspirant in the forthcoming national convention of the party, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Jonathan had said the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by Buhari had not recorded any achievement after two years, adding that the ruling party was feeding Nigerians with lies and propaganda.Those who are giving us some kind of names, what have they done? Jonathan queried, saying that the Buhari government had taken propaganda and lies to professional level.The former President recalled that his administration was severely criticised for increasing the pump price of petroleum from N67 to N97 at a time that global crude price was going for over 100 dollars.The pump price was later reduced to N87 when the price of crude oil dropped and they attacked us that it was supposed to be lower.Those who criticised my administration are not talking again now that the global crude oil is about 53 dollars per barrel and the pump price of petrol is N143.But the Presidency yesterday explained to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan why the generality of Nigerians accepted the increase of petrol price from N89 per litre to the current N143 in good faith.The Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said it was all down to the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari.When petrol went to N145 under PMB, Nigerians held their peace, unlike when they shut the country in 2012. The difference is trust. Simple, Adesina tweeted yesterday in response to Jonathans statement on Thursday.An APC chieftain, Mr.Osita Okechukwu, also advised Jonathan to quietly retire to any part of the country he chooses and stop challenging the APC and the Buhari government to a public debate.Okechukwu, who is the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), told newsmen that the Jonathan Administration failed the nation, leaving major infrastructure to decay while public funds were freely looted.He challenged the former President to point to any project he was able to complete during his six years in office as President.Okechukwu said: The President was very clear that the man (Jonathan) left almost an empty treasury, which is why we have a huge infrastructure deficit.The world knows that almost all the infrastructure that Jonathan inherited went bad. We are challenging him to show us one project he completed.Is it the Green Field refineries? He told us on May 13, 2010 that he was going to build three green field refineries at $23 billion.The contract was awarded to the Chinese under Public Private Partnership. One was to be located in Bayelsa, one in Lagos and the other in Kogi State.We challenge him to show us the three green field refineries or tell us where the money he voted for the projects is. I am talking about a time when our Excess Crude Account was in the excess of short $17 billion.The Chinese came back and told him they were going to contribute about 80 per cent of the three green field refineries. We have not seen any of them.If we had seen the three green field refineries which he publicly announced, the billions we lost in importation of refined petroleum products and the gross unemployment engendered by the looting of that fund would have been avoided, and that is what we are talking about.Before and during his regime, there was money voted for the cleaning of Ogoni environment that was degraded by oil spill.It is the Buhari regime that started that project now. Did he do anything there? Did he complete the East/West Road? That is a road that covers the nerve centre of the Niger Delta where he comes from.If there is any project that he promised to implement and he did, he should tell us.Dont forget that the average price then was about $100 per barrel. I dont see how he can be calling for a public debate, because I am talking of just one region.Even the development he did in the Nigerian airports, is it commensurate with the amount of money voted or the amount of money borrowed? He said he did this or that. Is it commensurate with the amount of money voted?If I were in his shoes, I would retire to the village or any city of my choice and keep my cool, because if he talks of a debate, we will bring out what happened during his time.The fact that his wife was coming to claim $15 million, saying it was out of her hand work as First Lady and permanent secretary in Bayelsa State. Is it that other Nigerians are not working hard to be worth $15 million? So, let us not go into his matter.We are not talking of Diezani who was Minister of Petroleum under his government, who failed to do anything to develop the Niger Delta and rather resorted to illegal accumulation of wealth.I have great respect for him as a former President and being gracious enough to accept his defeat. But if he wants to open the vault, then we can go back and open the Pandora box for him. So, let us leave it at that.The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State expressed disappointment at the statement made by Jonathan.Spokesman for the party, Abayomi Adesanya, believes Jonathan has not recovered from the shock of his defeat in the 2015 election.For the avoidance of doubt and for clarification that is known to the public though, Jonathan plunged Nigeria into this present quagmire of unprecedented corruption and economic crisis, Adesanya said.If I were Jonathan, I would keep quiet and beg for forgiveness from Nigerians and God, rather than making uncomplimentary comments about the present government.
A family member of the man that jumped into a lagoon in Lekki Lagos says the man left his Ondo State residence three days ago to attend a...

A family member of the man that jumped into a lagoon in Lekki Lagos says the man left his Ondo State residence three days ago to attend a church programme at the Redemption Camp.The man identified as Adekunle Oluseyi was gathered took off his clothes, phone, wristwatch, wallet, band and shoes before jumping into the water around 9:58am.It was also gathered that before jumping into the lagoon, he was sighted by a pedestrian on the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, who alerted officials of the Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCCI).Following the information, the LCCI officials, it was gathered checked their Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage and realised it was true, before alerting emergency workers.According to sources, Oluseyis wallet contained two Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and there was no cash inside.From his telephone record, the last person he spoke to was a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).It was however unclear what took him to Lekki, giving the distance from the Redemption Camp to the bridge.Efforts to establish from the family if he suffered depression or was being hunted failed as the man declined further comments.As of 6:30pm on Friday, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Lagos Waterways Authority (LASWA) were yet to find Oluseyi.In an interview with our Correspondent at the scene, General Manager LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu said search and rescue was ongoing, adding that all he could say at the moment was that the man was missing.He said: We cannot say whether he is dead or alive. All we can say right now is that he is missing. It is confirmed that the man jumped into the lagoon. LASWA, LASEMA and Marine Police have been searching for him since we got the distress call from LCCI.From the CCTV footage, he suddenly pulled off his clothes and shoe. He looked to be sure there was no one around him and and jumped into the lagoon.We are making efforts to find him alive or recover the body. His family has been contacted and all items found on him have been handed over to the police.
A high-ranking North Korean diplomat told a non-proliferation conference in Moscow on Friday that the countrys nuclear weapons were aim...

A high-ranking North Korean diplomat told a non-proliferation conference in Moscow on Friday that the countrys nuclear weapons were aimed at the U.S. and at no one else.We believe that the U.S., but not any other country, may mount a nuclear attack, Choe Hui, the Head of the North Korean Foreign Ministrys Department on North American Affairs said.Our nuclear programme and weapons are aimed at the U.S., the diplomat said in comments carried by Russian state news agency TASS.Our nuclear response will aim at the U.S., but not any other third country.Russia and China have the closest diplomatic relations with the insular communist state of North Korea.The U.S. and its allies South Korea and Japan have been increasingly alarmed in recent months about the potential for a nuclear war with North Korea. (dpa/NAN)
Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide led by Barr. Roland Oweilaemi Pereotubo has warned that the present military offensive against the peacef...

Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide led by Barr. Roland Oweilaemi Pereotubo has warned that the present military offensive against the peaceful and defenceless communities in the Niger Delta region will spark off another crisis in the region.

The IYC President handed down the warning in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Alaowei Cleric, Esq.





The IYC claimed that several Ijaw riverine communities in Edo and Ondo States have been tipped for invasion by the military under the cover of Operation Crocodile Smile 11.





The IYC said the ongoing military drill in the Niger Delta code named: Operation Crocodile Smile II has become a launch pad for the Federal Government to invade peaceful Niger Delta communities.





The IYC also condemned the destruction of Ajakurama Community allegedly by the military in its entirety.





The IYC stated that the excuse the military gave in destroying the Community is unjustifiable.





According to IYC, The recent unprovoked invasion of Ajakurama Community in Edo State is a manifestation of the military planned invasion of Ijaw communities in the riverine areas in the name of looking for militants camps.





While noting that there is no militants camps in Ajakurama community, the IYC called on military hierarchy to call its officers to order stressing that theyre creating an unnecessary tension in the region.





What we need in the Niger Delta is development. Instead of embarking on a fruitless ventures in the name of military drill, the Government should use the money to fund developmental projects in the creeks.





President Buhari should not let the military to derail the ongoing peace process in the region with its war of aggression against the riverine communities.





Ijaw people are not at war with the Federal Government. The military should not instigate crisis in the region.
It was praise, worship and thanksgiving to God yesterday at Canaanland, Otta, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (LFCW...

It was praise, worship and thanksgiving to God yesterday at Canaanland, Otta, the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (LFCWW) .The leadership and members of the church came out in large number to thank God for averting a plane crash that would have involved the Presiding Bishop of the Church, Bishop David Oyedepo and his wife.It was the third time Bishop Oyedepo would be involved in near air mishap.Narrating how this third and most recent accident happened , a pastor in the church, Adebisi read the report from the aircrafts pilot, Captain Samuel Adegoga.The main malfunction we had in the Cyprus-Israel flight was a stabilizer twin-motor failure. During the said flight that we had the twin motor failure, the auto-pilot could no longer exert the desired pressure to keep the aircraft in the required altitude for stability flight.The captain disconnected the auto-pilot, took and returned the aircraft to the required altitude for that phase of the flight. Because the aircraft was out of trim during this takeover, the aircraft abruptly pitched off with much pitch force. The captain counteracted it with a pitch down force. These counter forces caused turbulence and movement in the cabin and cargo hold. Heavy items in the cargo section fell from their compartment, making a loud noise,  the pilot wrote. We thank the God of this commission for making the pilot to react promptly. Similar failures in the past have resulted in fatal accidents due to lateness of pilots reaction,  Adebisi added.However, while the pilot saw the incident as mechanical malfunctioning, Bishop Oyedepo said the averted air disaster was a spiritual attack.He went on to explain that a few days before he embarked on the journey, his father in the Lord and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye had had a revelation about the incident and came over to his house unannounced to pray for him.Bishop Oyedepos words: According to the word of God, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord will hit the earth, there will be a restoration of sonship and fatherhood to the body of Christ. On Friday preceding the journey that we made, my father in the Lord showed up at 6:30 early in the morning and saw a vision and wasnt sleeping, and said, Lord, Lord, why seek the living among the dead? No, no So, he took off and landed here before 6:30am. No, there was no idea that he was coming, and there was no discussion after it. The heart of the father will be drawn to the heart of the son to defend. Understand what Im saying. You dont have inheritance in a pastor; you dont have in a teacher. Many of us have teachers all our lives. Did they share anything with you when they died? Did any teacher write your name in his will? You only have an inheritance with a father. A good man leaves an inheritance for his children to inherit. Fatherhood is not an accolade, it is a revelation. So, that was not technical failure, it was a spiritual attack that Jesus averted.Every prophet sent to you is ordained a father. Elisha shouted: My father! My father! He was the son of Sherphat. Elijah was not his biological father, but he was a prophet sent to himEvery prophet sent to you is sent as a father, not as brother, not as an uncle, not as a friend. I have enjoyed this kind of covering all my life. Corroborating the testimony of Bishop Oyedepo, his second son, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, the Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, Lokogoma, Abuja said this on October 8 : Very early last week Tuesday, Daddy G. O (Pastor Enoch Adeboye) went to Bishop Oyedepos house unannounced, no telephone calls.Daddy G.O said God told him to go and pray for Bishop. Pastor Isaac further said the message was so urgent that Daddy G.O came without Mummy G.O (his wife), it was that urgent. So Daddy G.O was just entering everywhere and praying.On Friday of the same week, Bishop,his wife and three other keys members re on their way to Israel, when suddenly, I mean suddenly, the auto pilot failed in the air but the Everlasting Arms showed up, miraculously brought them down, no scratch.Among the gospel musicians who ministered at the special thanksgiving service were Evangelist Bola Are, Evangelist Adelakun and his Ayewa group .
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has criticized the Federal Government for allegedly interfering in the judiciary.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has criticized the Federal Government for allegedly interfering in the judiciary.

Speaking at a ceremony in Port Harcourt, for the opening of the 2018 Legal Year, Governor Wike accused the Federal Government of oppressing judges in the country.





Governor Wike alleged that the Federal Government deliberately and systematically intimidated judges, with total disregard for the independence of the Judiciary as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.





In addition to the alleged intimidation, Governor Wike also criticized the government at the centre for neglecting judicial officers and also failing in the area of reforms over the last two and a half years.





I will say what I want to say and there is nothing anybody can do about it.





What is clear here is that there is a systematic intimidation of the Judiciary by the Federal Government.





It is the governments desperation to create an atmosphere of fear amongst Judges which is the soul of the Justice system and lay the grounds for the politicization of the Justice system.





Judges can no longer attend public function for fear of being victimized.





The danger of the intimidation of Judges is the poor quality of justice at the tribunal where Judges are directed to compromise, Wike said.
The Nigerian Army on Saturday said its troops had killed three Boko Haram insurgents at Missini village of Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno.The Director Army Public Relations, Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman, said in a statement issued in Maiduguri.Usman said that the insurgents on Friday laid ambush for a military patrol team at Missini village along Dikwa-Ngala Road.He added that the troops repelled the attack, killed three insurgents and recovered ammunition from the scene of the attack.Troops of 3 Battalion under 22 Brigade on Friday, 20th October, 2017; at about 11:30am, while on routine patrol came under Boko Haram terrorists ambush close to Missini Village along Dikwa  Ngala Road, northern part of Borno State.The gallant troops cleared the ambush and neutralized three Boko Haram terrorists.The team recovered one AK-47 rifle with registration number KO357026 and 39 rounds of 7.62mm Special Ammunition from the terrorists, Kukasheka said.
Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigeria-born underwear bomber who is serving a life imprisonment in the United States of America for terror...

Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigeria-born underwear bomber who is serving a life imprisonment in the United States of America for terrorism, has filed a suit against the US government for allegedly denying his free speech and religious rights.Abdulmutallab,30, was jailed for trying to set off a bomb in his underwear during a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.He is being held at the United States Penitentiary-Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado,USA.The convict, in the suit filed in a Colorado federal court, claims authorities of the prison are violating his constitutional rights by not allowing him to communicate with the outside world or practice his religion as a Muslim.He also alleges that the authorities are repeatedly force feeding him during a hunger strike using excessively and unnecessarily painful methods.Besides,he accuses the Justice Department of restricting his communication, including not allowing him to talk to his nieces and nephews since his solitary confinement was based on a special administrative measures imposed on national security grounds.According to him, white supremacist inmates are also let loose to harass him during prayer times.His counsel, Gail Johnson, said in a statement that prisoners retain fundamental constitutional rights to communicate with others and have family relationships free from undue interference by the government.He added: The restrictions imposed on our client are excessive and unnecessary, and therefore we seek the intervention of the federal court.The Northwest Airlines flight that flew him from Amsterdam to Detroit on the fateful day had 289 people on board.
As former president Goodluck Jonathan continues to receive flaks from all angles following his criticism of the Muhammadu Buhari administ...

As former president Goodluck Jonathan continues to receive flaks from all angles following his criticism of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu has vowed to expose him if he continues to attack the president.Okechukwu asked Jonathan Jonathan to quietly retire to any part of the country of his choice and stop challenging the APC and the Buhari government to a public debate.He also threatened to open the pandora box on the former president.Okechukwu told The Nation in a telephone interview that the former President cannot challenge the current government to any public debate because his government failed the nation, leaving major infrastructure to decay, while public funds were freely diverted.He challenged the former President to show the nation any project that he was able to complete during his six-year in office as President, adding that even the development he did at the nations airport was not commensurate with the money voted for such projects.Okechukwu who was reacting to a statement by the former President that the APC won the 2015 election using lies and propaganda and challenging the party to a public debate in its achievement in office said: Mr President was very clear that the man left almost an empty treasury, consequent unpinned which we have a huge infrastructure deficit.The world knows that almost all infrastructure that Jonathan inherited went bad. We are challenging him to show us one project he completed.Is it the Green Field refineries. He told us on May 13, 2010, that he is going g to build three greenfield refineries at $23 billion. The contract was awarded to the Chinese under Public Private Partnership. One was to be located in Bayelsa, one in Lagos and the other in Kogi state.We challenge him to show us the three greenfield refineries or tell us where the money he voted for the project is. I am talking at a time when our Excess Crude Account was in the excess of short $17 billion. The Chinese came back and told him they were going to contribute about 80 percent of the three greenfield refineries. We have not seen any of them.If we had seen the three greenfield refineries which he publicly announced, the billions we lost in the importation of refined petroleum products and the gross unemployment engendered by the looting of that fund would have been avoided and that is what we are talking about.Before and during his regime, there was money voted for the cleaning of Ogoni environment that was degraded by oil spill. It is The Buhari regime that started that project now. Did Jonathan do anything there, did he complete the East/West road? That is a road that covers the nerve Centre of the Niger Delta where he comes from.If there is any project that he promised to implement that he has done, he should tell us. Dont forget that the average price then was about $100 per barrel. I dont see how he can be calling for a public debate because I am talking of just one region.Even the development he did in the Nigerian Airports, is it commensurate with the amount of money voted or the amount of money borrowed? He said he did this or that. Is it commensurate with the amount of money voted?If I am in his shoes, I should retire back to the village or any city of my choice and keep my cool because if he talks of a debate, we will bring out what happened during his time.The fact that his wife was coming to claim $15 million saying it was out of her handwork borne out of being the First Lady and a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa state. Is it that other Nigerians are not working hard to be worth $15 million. So, let us not go into Jonathan s matter.We are not talking of Dizeani who was Minister of Petroleum under his government who failed to do anything to develop the Niger Delta, rather resorted to an illegal accumulation of wealth. I have great respect for him as a former President and being gracious enough to accept his defeat. But if he wants to open the vault, then we can go back and open the pandora box for him. So, let us leave it at that.APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi could not be reached for the partys official reaction as at the time of this report, but he was quoted as saying that the former President may have been misquoted.Bolaji was quoted as saying I doubt that President Jonathan actually said these words you have reported because he would be exposing himself to reactions that would not be edifying of his status as a statesman by so doing. Secondly, I know the former President to be of even temperament.Only a few days ago, I read that he was counselling his party on the choice of Chairman and Publicity Secretary. Statements like these wouldnt represent an example of the kind of attitude he was canvassing. But if he truly said that I will say with due respect that he may need to commission a more dispassionate study of how and why APC won the 2015 Presidential elections.To say that APC won the election simply by deceiving the people would be too simplistic and may even be interpreted as an insult to the millions of Nigerians that voted the APC into power.
Timothy Grossi

NORTH BERGEN -- A former North Bergen public works director on Friday admitted he ordered subordinates to run campaign errands on the township's time, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced.

Timothy Grossi pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree misapplication of entrusted property and property of government before Superior Court Judge Margaret M. Foti in Hackensack, Porrino's office announced. Foti indicated that she would not sentence the 77-year-old Grossi to jail time due to his poor health, Porrino's office said.

Grossi was indicted in 2012 after a slate of North Bergen township commission candidates running against an incumbent slate headed by Mayor Nicholas Sacco posted a video on YouTube appearing to capture township employees removing campaign literature from homes.

Grossi had faced a sentence of five years in state prison recommended by prosecutors under a plea agreement with Porrino's office. However, the judge indicated on the record in court that she intends to suspend the sentence due to Rossi's health when he is officially sentenced on Dec. 8.

Grossi will be permanently barred from public office or employment in New Jersey, Porrino's office said.

Porrino said Grossi admitted directing on-duty DPW workers to drive in township vehicles to the Hudson County Clerk's office to perform errands related to his "personal political activity in the township" and unrelated to township business. The activity included picking up and dropping off challenger badges.

Grossi's lawyer, Jeffrey Garrigan Jr., said his client admitted that, because of his poor health, he sent his secretary on a campaign errand that he should have run himself, and that the prosecution would have been able to prove anything more than that.

"My client plead guilty to a significantly reduced charge, mostly because he was very sick and recognized that it would be best for his health and his family for him to plead guilty," said Garrigan, adding that his client had undergone quadruple bypass surgery with subsequent heart problems. "He didn't deserve to be in jail for what he did."

In 2012, former DPW Superintendent James Wiley pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit official misconduct, admitting he ordered township employees to do hundreds of hours of work at his home and to work on campaigns, all while collecting pay from the township, Porrino's office said. Wiley had been scheduled scheduled for sentencing Oct. 27, though it was unclear Friday whether that would go forward as scheduled.

In 2015, Porrino said, former public works supervisors Troy Bunero and Francis Longo were convicted of conspiracy and official misconduct for ordering township employees to work on election campaigns and to do chores for them or their boss, Wiley. Each was sentenced to five years in prison.

"Grossi was one of the top officials in the North Bergen Department of Public Works, but this guilty plea will make him a convicted felon, just like the three supervisors under him who previously pled guilty or were convicted at trial," Porrino said in a statement. "By arrogantly abusing the power entrusted to him and exploiting public workers for political purposes, Grossi promoted a culture of corruption within his department, a culture we exposed through our investigation."

Porrino urged people with knowledge of official abuses to call a toll-free tip line at 1-866-TIPS-4CJ, or to log onto the Division of Criminal Justice homepage.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Eight or nine men surrounded a man and physically assaulted him in New Brunswick early Saturday, Rutgers University police said.

The men ran in an unknown direction after they attacked the victim around 2:20 a.m. on Bishop Place, adjacent to College Avenue, police said. They said no weapons were used in the assault.

The victim, described only as being "affiliated with Rutgers," was treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries and then released.

Police said they did not have descriptions of the suspects. They ask anyone with information or who was in the area at the time to call the police department's detective bureau at 848-932-8025.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
This is the home stretch of the Jersey City local election, and while there have been no big October surprises in the mayoral contest, there are attempts to induce mild eyebrow-raising that will probably have little or no effect in fate's grand scheme. In fact, we are experiencing more heat in council races, specifically Ward E, than in the main event.

The "release the tape" scenario that may provide a hiccup in the Mayor Steve Fulop versus rival Bill Matsikoudis struggle has been playing out for weeks. These past few days the drum has gotten louder in direct proportion to the dwindling campaigning days. This plays very Nixonian and, who knows, perhaps it involves 18 minutes of a recording that isn't missing?

In a quick nutshell, months after Fulop took office, a couple of well-known administration aides allegedly attempted to influence the awarding of a city contract to an energy consultant. The hook here is that a phone conversation about the effort was "accidentally" recorded on the city's business administrator's voicemail.

It gets better. This came to light during the deposition of two city employees in an ongoing lawsuit brought by a city employee.

You never know what dopey antics will lead to a lawsuit that in turn reveals other Abbot and Costello shenanigans that are frowned upon in a government setting. It seems more the rule than the exception in Hudson County. Below is what the Insider wrote back in November 2015 about the lawsuit that triggered this Jersey City controversy.

STICKS AND STONES

In the news this week is a lawsuit by Daniel Wrieden, a historic preservation officer, brought against Jersey City and former Deputy Mayor Anthony Cruz for violating his free speech rights, creating a hostile work environment, discriminating against him because of his sexual orientation and retaliating against him. The accusations against Cruz came while he was director of the city's Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce.

According to The Jersey Journal, Cruz, who makes a $117,662 salary, referred all questions to city spokesman Ryan Jacobs, who did not return a request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Wrieden claims Cruz referred to him as "that f***ing weirdo," and "consistently" used a slur usually aimed at gay men and created such a hostile work environment that Wrieden contemplated suicide.

The Insider gave you a hint of some of this trouble in an Oct. 5 column's Insider Notes entry:

"-- Other issues this week concerns the moving of Anthony Cruz from director of the city's Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce to head of the Recreation Department. The question is why? This was done with little fanfare as to not draw any criticism during Hispanic Heritage Month, which oddly and mockingly falls between two months, September and October.

"While everyone is spinning that Cruz is sorely needed in recreation, there are HEDC sources who say the move was made to improve the director's people skills. If true, I'm just curious as to how those skills will improve in recreation where the folks may be quite a bit more sensitive?"

If you recall, the Recreation Department opening became available when the agency's director, Ryan Strother, was dismissed in August after it became known that he hired a sex offender.

It appears the vetting process for high city positions is broken or the brain implants are not functioning properly.

In essence, Cruz and his apparent lack of office or human etiquette brought us the "release the tape" movement. Unless Fulop is guilty of something that is Emperor Ming sinister or criminal, the big mistake here is that at the start of his first term the mayor hired or was stuck with some real Bozos. Then again the buck stops ...

BULLDOGS

No one expects him to release anything that is open to interpretation before an election, despite a judge's rulings, just as you don't want a citywide property revaluation concluded prior to ballot casting. It's as much primal instinct as those who want the exact opposite, no matter how it's cloaked.

As far as this being a turning point in the election, it falls way short. Even if it is released days before the election, it is doubtful that the electorate will be influenced by the various interpretations of what it all means.

CivicJC, a good government nonprofit, is at the center of all this and, like a bulldog that won't let go of the bone, uses public meetings, opinion letters and social media to demand that Fulop make the voicemail public. It has even taken it further by announcing yesterday that a letter was sent to the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey and the state Attorney General asking those offices to probe the matter.

Barbara Camacho, acting head of CivicJC, writes: "This letter serves as a formal request to the Division of Criminal Justice Department and Financial Crimes Bureau to commence a comprehensive investigation into the alleged offenses in the public procurement process in Jersey City as it relates to an RFP for an energy aggregation consultant. These alleged offenses perverted the public trust in a regulated process; it cannot be underscored enough that the alleged corruption completely undermined the procurement process and requires a comprehensive and immediate investigation ..."

Eventually we will surely hear the voicemail and what, if anything, is done about it would only be conjecture. I'm surprised the voicemail hasn't already been leaked, unless the present publicity is a better alternative.

Let's somewhat segue into the next tidbit by noting that "former" Fulop campaign adviser Tom Bertoli's name was dropped by the employees who were "inadvertently" recorded. Bertoli told the Journal he has no idea why his name was used. We'll get back to Tom a few paragraphs down.

ANOINTING

On Wednesday it was publicly announced that Downtown Committeewoman Candice Osborne, who is not seeking re-election, endorsed attorney Rebecca Symes, 36, a former general counsel for real-estate investment firm Dixon Advisory, to replace her on the City Council. It's a nice coup for Symes. Here's what Osborne says about her anointment of Symes:

"To replace me on the City Council I want someone who will work hard, who will be pragmatic and who understands Downtown Jersey City. While I am certain many of the candidates possessed two of the three characteristics that most mattered to me in this election, I feel that only one person successfully demonstrated all three of them to me."

Those three characteristics are having a strong work ethic, being pragmatic (about how slow government works) and understanding Jersey City (with Osborne rejecting the notion that you must be a lifelong resident to run for City Council).

I'm just curious, which of these characteristics do the other candidates lack?

Osborne struck me as someone who couldn't wait to get out of the political rat race and could care less about who takes her place despite Facebook photos of the two together. Her replacement will come from five individuals with strong personal backgrounds. This ward is a bit tougher to predict than the others. The only thing certain is there will be a runoff.

On Monday I attended the Ward E forum of candidates at School 4 on Brite Street. They were all "progressive" Democrats in this nonpartisan race. If they lived in different wards they could have been running mates. Instead, they are duking it out.

Nick Grillo, 36, is a strong candidate because he's been around the longest, even at his age. He has good support from old Jersey City, about six of the 25 available ward districts -- including voters in the Villa Borinquen housing complex, the 400-unit Unico Towers and probably the old Village neighborhood.

A criminal defense attorney Jake Hudnut, 34, is running on the Matsikoudis ticket. Feisty, Hudnut is someone trying to standout. At the forum, he was easy to pick out with matching tie and socks. He is also the most likely to carry brass knuckles, willing to openly criticize Fulop - on education, he insists there should be education advocates in City Hall noting that the mayor's position changes with the weather, backing school reform candidates one year and teachers union candidates the next. Hudnut also views his rivals as a bit spineless for not also going after the mayor.

He is not shy and does cover a broad spectrum of concerns in the ward, from tax abatements and storm water management to modern urban street design stressing pedestrian safety to PATH improvements.

Madeleine Giansanti Cag, 47, is an attorney, which is strange because she appears to be a nice person, like your next door neighbor with a sense of humor. She says she walks the neighborhood with two kids and the family dog and when able, has biked the area - it is why she appreciates the need for safe streets.

The candidate says there are examples of how many concerns can be dealt with by observing what other New Jersey municipalities have done to solve problems. There's no big campaign spending here and her chances are extremely slim but I like mentioning her.

RIVALS

Now we come to the point were there is a bit of electricity. James Solomon, 33, teaches at New Jersey City University and Hudson County Community College. He is a survivor of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the experience may have imbued him with the progressive spirit and getting involved in public policy. He does stuff like pushing the local Evict Trump/Kushner movement.

At the School 4 forum Solomon referenced, without all the detail, Dixon Advisory contributing $10,070 to "Fulop's" Jersey City Democratic Organization since 2013. He noted that Symes by name.

Dixon and three of its top officials -- including Symes -- gave Fulop's re-election campaign a total of $4,500 in 2014. Dixon also gave $500 to Council President Rolando Lavarro in August 2014 and $800 to Osborne in January. Symes gave the Jersey City Democratic Organization (JCDO) $2,600 in December 2013.

In response Symes said she wished she had $10,000 and then referred to her platform which I presume deals with her call for "community-driven development, make our city more resilient, increase transparency, and get money out of local politics with campaign finance reforms." I guess this covers the previous paragraph. Unfortunately, this was as exciting as it got.

A column or two ago I mentioned that Symes sees Solomon as a threat and may target him. Yet from what I've seen Hudnut also accuses her of having close ties to developers. She has hired Vision Media, the tough, Hudson County Democratic Party traditional political PR firm. She also seems to have Bertoli on her side. It appears Bertoli moved from assisting Grillo.

Guess who always had Bertoli on her side. Yup, outgoing Councilwoman Osborne. Can you connect the dots? Is there anything wrong with this? No but does Osborne really recognize a star in the making? Or is the problem - for some folks - that Solomon is anti-development?

Symes and Solomon know each other, having once shared a commute. I would venture to say they are products of Democratic Party leadership training. Who knows? What is certain is that they see each other as their biggest rival. The Osborne endorsement probably annoyed Solomon, a lot. It could annoy him enough to - I don't know - run a Harley Davidson through her campaign headquarters window, metaphorically speaking.

Watching them on stage, my instincts tell me that these two people want to be future mayors of this city. They are strong-willed, easy-going public speakers and sound like very early versions of Fulop.

Will Downtown become Jersey City's cradle of mayors?

INSIDER NOTES

-- Matsikoudis has done some cable campaign ads but oddly there have been no mailings that I have seen, yet. Has cord cutting diminished the effectiveness of cable? I'm not sure of the campaign strategy here, other than door-to-door and face-to-face efforts. Is it and social media enough? We're close to finding out.

-- Some are wondering if a Fulop win would provide strong enough coattails to drag along someone like Ward C council candidate John Hanussak. Then again Hanussak said he is likely to win his race on the first ballot. Guess incumbent Richard Boggiano should just sit this one out. Kidding Rich.

-- At the start it seemed as if Ward A candidate Joe Conte, 61, a former head of the Jersey City Democratic Organization, had a shot at the runoff just by being the only white (gasp) candidate among the four people running. Conte has been somewhat quiet and people are rethinking their assessment of his chances. Democratic committeewoman Denise Ridley, 34, is a likely runoff favorite. We'll have to wait for the full picture.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Agustin C. Torres' columns appear on the nj.com opinion website on Saturdays and occasionally in the print edition of The Jersey Journal.
Jersey City is trying to prevent the release of a recording at the center of a contract-steering allegation involving former allies of Mayor Steve Fulop.

The recording according to city officials is a voicemail that contains an accidentally recorded conversation of former Fulop allies discussing efforts to steer a city contract to a company called Good Energy.

Judge Mary K. Costello ordered the city to hand over the recording, which is three-years-old, for an ongoing harassment case filed by city employee Dan Wrieden against Jersey City and Anthony Cruz, the director of the city's housing, economic development and commerce department.

Wrieden is seeking a copy of the recording as evidence in his case, in which he alleges Cruz improperly demoted him.

Fulop argued that the news of the recording is times to hurt him in the upcoming mayoral election.

James B. Daniels, an outside attorney hired by the city, has asked Costello to reconsider her order, saying that releasing the recording would violate the state's wiretapping law.

Daniels' letter argues that the recording is not a voicemail, saying, "There is no evidence that the recording was made by means of a telephone, either equipped with a recording or voicemail feature, or otherwise."

Should Jersey City just release the recording?

Vote in our informal, unscientific poll and tell us how you voted in the comments.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- There's a gubernatorial election going on in Virginia, and the White House is throwing its weight behind the Republican nominee.

President Donald Trump endorsed Ed Gillespie, a former lobbyist, congressional aide and Republican Party leader. Vice President Mike Pence attended a rally for him and helped him raise money.

New Jersey is the only other state that will elect a governor next month, but neither Trump nor Pence have uttered a word in support of the Republican nominee Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

"This is a state that is decidedly Democratic," said Krista Jenkins, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University and director of its PublicMind survey research group. "The powers that be have looked at the state and decided it's not worth spending the money at this point."

So as Democratic nominee Phil Murphy calls on an all-star team of Democratic politicians, led by former President Barack Obama, Guadagno gets no help from an administration controlled by her own party -- even though Gov. Chris Christie is a strong supporter of Trump.

"Trump wants to stay away from the Republican Party in New Jersey right now, which is dragged down by the Christie brand name, and the administration thinks it has a better chance to swing things in Virginia," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public policy at Princeton University.

"Right now the Trump administration can't afford another endorsement loss and headline reading that he could not deliver the vote," he said.

Republican consultant Chris Russell said he wasn't concerned about Trump's absence.

"You can't get hung up on those things," Russell said. "You worry about things you can control."

Guadagno said she would not vote for Trump last year after the release of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" video showing the GOP presidential nominee making lewd comments about women.

She is getting help from the Republican Governors Association, which spent $1.6 million on ads and direct mail, twice as much as the Democratic Governors Association spent on behalf of Murphy, according to disclosures with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

"This is a race about New Jersey issues like taxes, and Phil Murphy's promise to raise them," Guadagno spokesman Ricky Diaz said. "It's a bad sign for Phil Murphy that he has to bring in President Obama to campaign for him because it shows he's having a problem energizing his supporters to vote for him like our last Goldman Sachs Governor Jon Corzine back in 2009."

The Trump-controlled Republican National Committee donated $23,675 to the New Jersey Republican Party last month, though it also gave almost $500,000 to a New Jersey firm for media, Federal Election Commission disclosures show. The RNC gave $685,830 to the Virginia Republicans.

The Real Clear Politics poll average gives Murphy a 16.5-percentage-point lead over Guadagno, almost triple the 5.6-point lead Virginia Democratic nominee Ralph Northam holds over Gillespie.

"Gillespie has a pretty good shot at winning. That's the difference," Republican consultant John Feehery said.

So the administration is going all in there.

"The president sent me here to ask the people of Virginia to do everything in your power to elect Ed Gillespie as your next governor of Virginia," Vice President Mike Pence said at a rally earlier this month.

.@EdWGillespie is pro-jobs, pro-growth, pro-American energy, pro-life, & pro-2nd Amendment. If you name it, Eds on the right side of it. pic.twitter.com/on9gj2NTGp  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 14, 2017

President @realDonaldTrump sent me here for 2 reasons: to say thanks for the support & to elect @EdWGillespie the next Governor of Virginia! pic.twitter.com/Ub8PwXItie  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 14, 2017

Well said Mr. President! Looking forward to sharing your message about @EdWGillespie directly with an excited crowd tonight in SW Virginia! https://t.co/1u63ftGUrl  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 14, 2017

The Democrats in the Southwest part of Virginia have been abandoned by their Party. Republican Ed Gillespie will never let you down!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2017

"Vote Ed Gillespie!" President Donald Trump tweeted out a week earlier.

Pence also sent out a fundraising email on Gillespie's behalf.

"Democrats across the country are focusing on this race because they will treat a win in this election as a barometer for 2018," Pence wrote. "In order to win this race and ensure the Democrats do not gain any steam, Ed needs our help."

Furthermore, there are more Trump Republicans in Virginia than in New Jersey. Republicans in Virginia support the president by 81 percent to 15 percent. New Jersey Republicans are less enthusiastic, backing him by 72 percent to 22 percent, according to recent Quinnipiac University polls.

"The presence of Trump and Pence in New Jersey is likely to hurt Guadagno rather than help," said Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University. "Virginia has a greater percentage of Trump supporters than New Jersey does within the Republican Party. There could be a calculation that Gillespie could possibly win and for Guadagno, it's too far for her to come back."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
PENNS GROVE -- Two handguns were taken off the borough's streets by police during two separate arrests, authorities said.

Officers made a motor vehicle stop Oct. 13 around 9:50 p.m. and arrested two men, according to Penns Grove Chief of Police John T. Stranahan Sr.

Jonathan Dickey III, 26, of New Castle, Del., was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a handgun, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of a firearm while committing a drug offense, according to the chief.

The handgun allegedly in Dickey's possession was a .380 caliber semi-automatic, Stranahan said.

He was taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township, after being charged.

The driver of the vehicle Dickey was in was a Florida man who was charged with traffic violations and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, according to the chief, and later released.

The second handgun was confiscated when officers responded to a fight on Oct. 15 around 6 p.m., according to Stranahan.

Niyesha Griffin, 31, of Wilmington, Del., was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.

The handgun that police allegedly confiscated from Griffin was a .380 caliber semi-automatic weapon, Stranahan said.

Griffin was also taken to the county jail after being charged.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
ALLOWAY -- Deanna Joseph's history of neglect and addiction caused her to permanently lose custody of her first four children and see custody of her next two children given to their fathers.

But the state's child welfare agency apparently had no objection when, after a brief jail stint last year, Joseph moved back in with the father who was raising her youngest child, Kayley.

On Aug. 26, Kayley, 2, died from a lack of oxygen, possibly while trying to escape her car seat hours after Joseph got high and nodded off in the vehicle, authorities say. Now, a child advocacy group is sharply questioning how the state could have allowed Joseph to have contact with her daughter after her troubled history.

New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake has issued an in-depth statement about DCF's history with Joseph, saying the agency was "troubled about the circumstances surrounding" the death.

She said Kayley's father had legal and physical custody of the girl, and DCF was aware that Joseph was living with them in her home in Alloway, where they appeared to be doing well.

But the head of a national child advocacy group said that the explanation leaves some serious questions unanswered.

"I find the case shocking," said Marcia Robinson Lowry, founder of A Better Childhood, whose lawsuit against the state resulted in ongoing court-ordered monitoring of New Jersey's child welfare system. "The question I have about it has to do with why she continued to have the kind of close relationship with the girl that she had."

Meredith Schalick, a clinical professor of law at Rutgers-Camden, said the case appears to be a difficult one for the agency's Division of Child Protection and Permanency because of Joseph's addiction.

"I tell my students the hardest job in state government is being a DCPP caseworker. I couldn't do it. I couldn't sleep at night. You're trying to predict the future" and working with the most vulnerable children, she said. "The second hardest job is the judge hearing these cases."

'How many children and how many times'

According to Blake, between 1997 and 2008, the department investigated six allegations that Joseph was neglecting at least one child but found that all the claims were "unfounded."

During that period, Joseph was arrested six times and convicted of possession of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, according to court records.

The first substantiated neglect allegation came on Aug. 3, 2008, when police found Joseph passed out in a vehicle with drugs while two of her three children were home alone overnight. The children were removed from her custody, as was her newborn child the following year.

She permanently lost her parental rights to all four children by 2011, Blake said.

In 2013, Joseph gave birth to her fifth child, whom Blake referred to by the pseudonym Jimmy. For the next two years, the court repeatedly removed and returned him to the custody of one or both parents.

Some may criticize DCF for returning children to parents with troubled pasts, but that's how the system is supposed to work, according to Schalick. She is a former policy director for the state child welfare agency who also spent 20 years representing children in child protection cases and other legal proceedings.

People have a right to their family, she said, and the government is only allowed to keep children from their homes if a judge finds their health and safety are at risk. And even then, the focus is on fixing the issues and getting the kids home.

"It's about what can the government do to reunify this family," she said.

The limits of abuse

For instance, after Joseph was arrested for passing out while Jimmy was in the bath in 2014, she was referred to psychological and substance use evaluations, counseling programs, and parenting skills classes. After she completed them, Jimmy was returned to her care, Blake said.

There is no maximum number of times a parent can go through this process, Schalick said, though the court can weigh the parent's history.

"That's a big criticism of the system: how many children and how many times," Schalick said. "But there are some limits. It doesn't go on forever."

One limit is based on the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act, Schalick said. The law says that if a court determines a parent has committed serious crimes or has had parental rights involuntarily terminated in the past, then DCF does not necessarily have to try to reunify the family.

A spokesman for DCF declined to say whether Joseph agreed to sign over her parental rights in 2011 or lost them involuntarily.

Lowry said she questions whether Joseph should ever have been allowed to have custody of Jimmy and Kayley after losing her older children, even if there were signs she was doing better.

"This is a case that should have called for special attention because the mother had such a long history with the program," Lowry said. "It raises questions about how DCF reaches decisions about when to take a child."

Should the case have been left open?

In June of 2015, in the months between her plea and sentencing in the 2014 neglect case, Joseph gave birth to Kayley. Her father is Thomas J. Freeman of Alloway, according to Kayley's obituary.

DCF learned that Joseph had tested positive for drugs at that time, but Kayley was allowed to stay with her parents, Blake said. Lowry said it is an unusual decision.

However, Blake said the agency instituted a "safety plan" that required Joseph to be supervised by relatives whenever she was with Kayley, as well as Jimmy, who was returned to his parents' care that summer.

Joseph began her year-long jail sentence in October and, Blake said, judges awarded custody of both children to their fathers. That December, the child protection cases were closed, ending the DCF rules about supervised contact.

Lowry said DCF should have considered keeping Kayley's case open so they could monitor the girl when her mother was released from jail, given her previous issues.

Schalick said that once the case was closed, DCF had no ability to go check on Kayley without receiving a tip about neglect.

"The idea is that the government should only be knocking on your door if there's an allegation something is wrong," Schalick said. "It's a quasi-police action."

The state's child welfare agency also generally does not have the funding to keep cases open for years after the children have been returned to their families, Schalick said.

After getting out of jail in the summer of 2016, Joseph started living with Freeman, who had legal and physical custody of Kayley, according to Blake. The pair was engaged in October of 2016, she noted.

No signs of neglect

It's not clear exactly when DCF staff first learned Joseph was having contact with Kayley again, but Blake said a caseworker looked into their living arrangement in February.

A judge sent the caseworker to check if it was suitable for Jimmy to visit his mother for overnights. Blake said the caseworker learned Freeman and Joseph were living together in a suitable home, employed, and had no recent contact with police.

Lowry said that while DCF was investigating the couple with Joseph's son in mind, the caseworker would have been legally required to report any signs that Kayley was neglected. Blake said the department never received any allegations of neglect involving Kayley after the initial positive drug test.

A DCF spokesman declined to say whether there were any restrictions on Joseph's contact with her daughter in the girl's custody order.

Is there a problem with the system?

"I know the system is going to learn something from this," Schalick said of the ongoing DCF review. "But I'm not sure it's going to be a big lesson, because it seems like things happened the way you'd expect" given that Joseph appeared to be in recovery.

Addiction makes everything harder, Schalick said, because a parent can be doing well one day and relapse the next. However, she said, it wouldn't be easy for DCF to argue to a judge that a recovering addict shouldn't have custody just because of the chance of a relapse.

"We all know that family member who's struggled through three, four, five times in rehab," she said.

Lowry is hoping that the case will also be reviewed by the federal monitor of New Jersey's child services. The supervision was part of a 2003 settlement with Lowry's nonprofit, which argued that the system was failing foster children.

The monitor's reports have found the state has met some goals, Lowry said, but the latest report said the quality of case work, including meeting with parents and assessing whether a child can return home, fell short.

Schalick said she believes the individuals in the child welfare system are doing their best but there's "no excuse" for a child's death.

"It's the worst nightmare of child protection workers, that it's the kid you worked with or had on your caseload," she said. "You feel so awful and responsible."

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
FAR HILLS -- They came with their own bartenders in black ties, tables covered in patterned tablecloths and even their own custom-made bars.

"If you do something, you do it all the way," said Keith Fitting, 66, of Basking Ridge, as he stood before his handcrafted cherry wood bar fitted perfectly in the back of red SUV. "It's an excuse for a cocktail party for thousands of people."

Throngs of tailgaters descended on Moorland Farm Saturday for the 97th annual Far Hills Race Meeting for the richest day of steeplechase racing in the country.

Platters of cheese, petite sandwiches, salads and fried chicken filled rows of tailgating spots as patrons sipped on bubbly in long-stemmed glasses.

"We try to do it more like grown-ups," said Katherine Gargiulo, 32, of Madison who brought two bartenders to cater for her friends as they placed bets on the day's seven races. "We're celebrating this great part of New Jersey that not a lot of people think about."

Organizers estimated nearly 40,000 spectators filled the bucolic borough of Far Hills for the event. More than 1,600 tailgating spots were sold. Proceeds from the race benefit the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.

Races began at 1 p.m. with the total winnings at $800,000. The Grand National race, with a purse of $400,000, is the richest steeplechase race in the country.

"Come on, come on!" patrons yelled from the paddock as the first few races took off Saturday.

In previous years, dozens have been arrested for unruly behavior but police have cracked down recently, pushing that number down. About 250 officers from Far Hills, Bedminster, the Somerset Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police were on hand. The number of arrests on Saturday wasn't immediately available.

The Far Hills race began as a fox hunting event in Montclair in 1870. In 1916, the event moved to Moorland Farm -- where it's still held today -- and eventually became known as the Far Hills Race Meeting.

One of the chairmen of the event, Ronald Kennedy, said it started as a thank you day to the property owners who let the horse events run through their land.

"At the time they came down in carriages," he said. "Over the years, the sport has grown."

And so have the crowds.

Across from the lavish spreads and next-level tailgating in the hilltop area, a rowdier crowd danced on the backs of pick up trucks blaring music in the infield section.

Red solo cups lay strewn on the grass as some race-goers stumbled across the field, holding on to friends and strangers. A line of food trucks lined one area offering empanadas and other fried foods. Others played beer pong as EMTs and officers stood nearby.

"You see the best and worst of some people," Fitting said. But for him, there were no solo cups for his tailgate. "I'm not drinking 20-year-old Scotch out of plastic," he laughed.

Longtime attendee Alice Chapman-Minutello said so far the day had been calm and no passerby had swiped at any of her bottles of champagne or fresh-made cookies this year.

"There's a strong police presence which we welcome," she said. Her family has has the same tailgating spot on the hilltop for 35 years.

"I call it my version of an adult picnic," she said. "We've got a perfect view."

The winners of the events were:

The Gladstone: #6 Menancing Dennis

The Harry E. Harris:#7 Whitman's Poetry

The Foxbrook Champion Hurdle: #5 Zanjabeel

The Grand National: #7 Mr. Hot Stuff

The Appleton: #5 Lyonell

The Peapack: #9 Lady Blanco

The New Jersey Hunt Cup: #7 Where's the Beef

Patti Sapone contributed to this report.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1  103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1  102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.

Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
Brandon Morgan, who is in his early 30s, and Jeremy Davis, 20, are accused of robbing a 39-year-old woman at gunpoint in the 3800 block of Havana Place about 12:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 2017, according to New Orleans police.(NOPD)
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
What about the judges who jailed the victims Cannizzaro bullied? | Opinion
Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House with an announcement Tuesday night. Trump is looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party may be waning. The former president had hoped to use the GOP's expected gains in last week's elections as a springboard to win his party's nomination by locking in early support and keeping potential challengers at bay. Instead, Trump now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates in last week's midterm elections.
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It is reported that the vast majority of child welfare cases involve some form of domestic violence. Because of this, the state of Iowa began the implementation of the Safe and Together Program in August 2015.

Safe and Together Program is an initiative by Iowa State University, funded by Iowa Department of Human Services, to bring focus on child welfare and safety in domestic violence cases. The Child Welfare Research and Training Project in Human Development and Family Studies partners with David Mandel and Associates, a child welfare consulting group, to deliver the Safe and Together Program to all child welfare professionals in Iowa.

The purpose of this model is to bring together and train DHS social workers, victim advocates and other child welfare partners to focus on three areas: keeping children safe and together with the non-offending parent, partnering with the non-offending parent and intervening with the perpetrator to reduce risk and harm to the child.

Leah Kinnaird, a human services specialist and domestic violence response coordinator in Human Development and Family Studies at University of Iowa, said Its a philosophical change in how were approaching families. We need to stop blaming victims for the wide variety of reasons that they are present in those relationships and start asking, What presents the safety risk to children? And that is perpetrators behavior. So we have to start there and have that be our focus.

She added that one example of this change is switching the intervention process to treating situations as assessments, rather than investigations.

Historically, we would try to go in and figure out if a particular incident had happened on a particular day, Kinnaird said. Really, good social work is about doing a thorough assessment of the family overall. So not just, Did this incident happen, but is there a history of domestic violence?

The program treats these assessments as ways to look at comprehensive patterns of abuse: physical, verbal, economic, emotional or other types, and how those behaviors impact the children.

A violent assault is traumatic for kids, but so is a four-year history of hearing their parent called bad names and being afraid to invite their friends over because one of their parents is violent and angry, Kinnaird said.

While keeping children safe is the Department of Human Services primary concern, the Safe and Together Model goes beyond safety, helping DHS work with non-offending parents and advocates to help the victims heal from trauma while increasing stability and nurturance for the children.

Iowa Department of Human Services Social Work Supervisor Terri Naegele said the Iowa Department of Human Services is changing the way it responds to families experiencing domestic violence.

Domestic violence can be involved in many types of child welfare cases, and poses physical and emotional dangers to children.

The new Safe and Together model that DHS is using supports new ways of understanding domestic violence and how it impacts kids, and promotes improved skills to ensure the safety and well-being of children, Naegele said. A major shift with this model is moving away from holding the victim parent accountable for the ongoing safety of the children, to better engaging and also holding accountable the abusive parent.

Through DHS, and the court is setting the same expectations for both parents, it encourages a more comprehensive assessment of risk, safety and protective factors, and helps the abusive parent gain better parenting skills by participating more in the process. It also looks more closely at the strengths and specific actions the domestic abuse survivor can take to promote safety and well-being of their children.

The new Safe and Together Model relies on coordination and collaboration with community partners. This child-centered model is consistent with the mission of child welfare agencies and allows child welfare workers a better capacity through enhanced interviewing, case planning, assessing and safety planning skills.

The model is being implemented through a continuum of trainings for all levels of DHS child welfare workers. And a 10-member, multidisciplinary team of professionals, called the Connect and Protect team, is available to consult on difficult domestic violence cases in western Iowa.

These teams include child protective workers, domestic violence advocates and private service provider partners from western Iowa. Since the implementation of the program, the CAP team has consulted about 17 child welfare cases.

I am a member of the team of professionals working to change the focus of our practice in our service area and around the state, Naegele, who is also western service area CAP team leader, said. I am excited and encouraged by the change in my colleagues perspectives and approaches to working with families experiencing domestic violence. By focusing on the victim parents strengths and specific actions, while holding the perpetrator to the same standards for ensuring the childrens safety and well-being, we are helping to make families stronger.

Catholic Charities Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Program is also a collaborative member of this initiative and two staff belong to the CAP team. Katie Choquette, domestic violence coordinator and a CAP team member, said since implementing the Safe and Together Model, the organization has received 60 referrals from DHS.

Because of this, we are able to reach out to survivors and offer them the services that they may need, she said. Our goal is to help these individuals navigate the juvenile court system, assist them in finding safety and stability, as well as offer support.

Advocates from Catholic Charities have been working closely with staff from DHS to provide clients with the support and resources they may need to stay safe and assist the child welfare workers with insight on the perspective of the domestic abuse survivors for service needs.

If you or anyone you know is a victim/survivor of domestic violence and needs assistance, please call the Catholic Charities Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program crisis line at 712-328-0266 or toll free 1-888-612-0266.

 This report cites information provided by Iowa State University.
CLARINDA  Representatives from mental-health related organizations recently came together to consider becoming a member of a national organization to help address needs related to mental health.

Those at the meeting Oct. 6 learned more about creating a National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter for Southwest Iowa.

We have a community of consumers who would benefit, said Berneeta Wagoner of Southwest Iowa Families, based in Clarinda, which is where the meeting was held.

NAMI is a community-based mental health organization, with chapters across the country, who raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available in the area. NAMI began in 1979 in Wisconsin among families with members with mental-health needs.

Judy Davis, from NAMI in Des Moines, was in attendance and further explained the organization and needs to start a chapter.

One service NAMI has is called Family to Family, a 12-week course to instruct family members on how to live with relatives with a mental-health diagnosis. The goal of the course is to provide possible solutions to families caring for ones with mental-health needs.

Peer to Peer is a 10-session course for adults with mental illnesses who can be more informed of their condition and how to productively live.

Youve got the energy, Davis said to those in attendance about creating a chapter. You are the Energizer bunny.

According to NAMIs website, there are 13 chapters in Iowa. Council Bluffs had been the location for a NAMI chapter, but it has since dissolved.

A group of people in Centerville created a NAMI chapter after fears a crisis-support facility in town would lose a significant amount of its funding. The facility is similar to Turning Point in Clarinda. Since the creation of NAMI, Centervilles chapter has two support groups that meet weekly.

Davis said there are some formalities that would need to be determined to establish a Southwest Iowa NAMI chapter. Each chapter must have a bank account, mailing address and a phone number for a chapter contact. Individual membership fees must also be paid.

Davis said of the Iowa chapters, five of them have staff members, the rest all use volunteers.

There are creative ways to answer the phone, Davis said about volunteer chapters.

A United Way grant helped fund the start-up of NAMI in Decorah in northeast Iowa.

Iowa Department of Human Services Suzanne Watson was at the meeting and was supportive of a NAMI chapter. Based in Council Bluffs, Watson is director of the southwest Iowa territory that includes Page, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties.

She said its possible her resources could assist in creating the chapter, as along as its intended for a significant number of people.

Although the meeting was held in Page County, those in attendance agreed the Southwest Iowa chapter could be utilized by the same counties as Watsons territory. The chapter should not imply its intended for one specific place through its name.

Another meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. this upcoming Friday at Southwest Iowa Families, 215 E. Washington St., in Clarinda.
Jill Ford of rural Malvern was wearing a T-shirt on Friday morning that, sadly, others never get to try on.

The lettering on Fords shirt indicated she is a breast cancer survivor.

Not everyone has a chance to wear this, Ford said.

She herself never thought breast cancer would target her since there was no family history of such an illness.

Breast cancer can affect anyone, she said. That was the last thing I was expecting  breast cancer.

Ford was a featured speaker at the annual Pink Out Day in Malvern, attended by about 40 people, including Mayor Mike Blackburn, who made a proclamation.

This event, over the years, has been sponsored by Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and its breast health center.

In honor of the occasion, businesses around town decorated their window fronts with pink designs recognizing breast cancer awareness.

Fords road to recovery wasnt always easy, especially at a time when she was beginning a new career. Yet, she was determined to become a survivor.

You do everything you can to get through it, Ford said, adding that all women should get mammograms.

You have to make time for it, she said.

Those with the illness also dont want pity from loved ones, she added.

A total of 23 businesses showed support by making pink designs on their store fronts. Pink is the color of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Awareness is bringing positive change, said Donna Hubbell, vice president of quality and patient services at Jennie Edmundson.

By virtue of this awareness, women are seeking treatment sooner and the survivor rates are better, said Hubbell, who attended Fridays event.

Meanwhile, there are two events in Council Bluffs today in support of breast cancer awareness: CB Jazzercise, 301 W. Broadway, is holding pinkercise classes and a pub crawl will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. in the historic 100 Block of West Broadway.
Just before they got to Nebraska a couple weeks ago, a Utah couple walking from Georgia to Oregon learned that they would face an added challenge: Theyre expecting a baby.

We are carrying our first child across the nation with us, Kolton Rackham said.

Amanda Autrey, 26, and Rackham, 24, shared the news with their 3,600-plus followers on their Facebook page, 2918 Miles, on Oct. 11.

Well keep going, and well finish, Rackham said in an interview, adding that the decision took a lot of thought.

If anything health-threatening comes up, he said, we prioritize our family. We prioritize Amandas health with the baby or babies.

The couple are walking to raise awareness and money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Autrey said she struggled with suicidal thoughts and wanted to share her story.

They began the trek May 1 in Tybee Island, Georgia, and hope to reach Newport, Oregon, by the end of the year.

They have logged about 1,300 miles so far and have approximately 1,600 more miles to go.

They were in Hamburg, in southwest Iowa, when they learned Autrey was pregnant. Since then, they have passed through several Nebraska cities. They accepted a ride near York, Nebraska, along with a place to stay last week.

We told him we didnt do rides forward, Rackham said.

They gladly accepted a ride to York, where they stayed in a garage with a wood-burning stove and a futon. They spent the day there before they were dropped off in the same spot where they were picked up to continue the walk.

They camp out when they arent offered a place to stay. They are often offered free meals at restaurants.

One of the most amazing things is to see how kind and generous people really are and how much they really do want to help, Rackham said.

They so far have raised $1,369 for Make-A-Wish and $1,994 for the suicide prevention group.

Autrey said she always had wanted to do a long walk. During a January mentoring class the two were attending, the speaker said 2017 is the year to be bold. Autrey turned to Rackham and said, Were going to walk across the United States this summer.

I just looked over and said, OK, Rackham said.

The couple have GoFundMe, Make-A-Wish and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention pages for donations.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.  Amelia Earhart

Im not great at saying goodbye, but Im pretty much a champ at being straight-forward about things, so here we go: Im leaving the Telegraph. My last day is Wednesday.

Ive fallen head-over-heels in love with taking photos, but its nearly impossible to work 40 hours a week and run a photography business on the side. Especially with the unpredictable schedule that comes with journalism. I cant very well be in the middle of a shoot when news breaks, can I?

Sorry, I know were doing your senior photos, which are a pretty big deal, but theres this fire and I have to leave now isnt something people want to hear.

I had been mulling over my options for a couple of months when a friends mom, JoAnne Hoatson, reached out to me a few weeks ago. She needed part-time help at her marketing business, Studio Pear, and I needed a part-time job. Ill be taking on the role of social media director, so Ill be handling social media branding and promotion for local businesses.

I wont be giving up writing completely. You may still see my name in The Telegraph occasionally as a freelancer. Ill also be blogging and will continue to share my photography online at www.kamiestephen.com and on my Facebook page. If you want to keep in touch, my email is kamie@kamiestephen.com, Im @kamiestephen on Instagram and @kamiejstephen on Twitter.

This isnt a decision I came to quickly. Frankly, I still have a few doubts and so much fear. The problem is that when you become a part of this industry, it gets a part of you that it holds onto forever. Making the decision to leave has been like trying to break up with someone whos incredibly important to me  for someone else.

In the last nearly three years, I've become an accomplished writer and photographer. I've grown exponentially and have 25 awards to my name, but for me, this job has always been more about the experiences then the accolades.

Ive had so many amazing opportunities  interviewing big names like Jenna Bush Hager; sharing the stories of those who arent as famous, but equally as important; and getting to take photos at Miss Nebraska and countless other events. I even got to travel to Pennsylvania for a story that absolutely changed my life.

When I put it that way, Im really feeding into the idea that this is a glamorous career. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isnt. Ive sat through multi-hour meetings and tried to interview people who definitely did not want to talk to me. Ive had to stand by as homes burned to the ground and listened to the wails of loved ones at the scenes of fatal accidents. Those things are far from glamorous. They are part of the job, but probably the easiest part to give up and, in some cases, the hardest to forget.

The sound a person makes when theyve lost someone is primal, filled with pain and desperation, and impossible to forget. It finds its way back to the front of your memories when you head to a similar scene.

Its something you never want to hear to begin with, and if you do, you hope you never hear it again. At the same time, youre reminded of how loved someone can be and how precious life is, something that we seem to forget. It teaches you to be a little more careful, to love a little harder and to be a better human.

I feel like being in journalism has made me a better human.

It gave me an opportunity to share other peoples stories as well as a chance to share my own. You encouraged me when I opened up about my struggle with obesity (down 30 pounds!) and embraced me when I decided to be blunt about living with mental illness.

Youve allowed me to find my place in the community and supported me while Ive discovered my passions. You sent me notes of encouragement and, on occasion, well-thought-out hate mail (some of you got incredibly creative). Most importantly, you allowed me to tell your stories.

For all of those things, I am forever grateful.
OGALLALA  A judge warned a man Friday of harsh consequences should he return to Keith County District Court. Little did he know, the man would return before the session ended and would be forcibly removed from the building.

Aaron Suppes, 26, pleaded no contest to third-degree assault and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He was sentenced to time served. As of June, he had spent 166 days in Keith County Jail, said his attorney, Gary Krajewski.

Keith County Attorney Randy Fair said that between March 2016 and Friday, Suppes had mostly been in jail in Keith and Lincoln counties.

Krajewski said Suppes planned to move to a Colorado ranch with his grandmother.

Hopefully he will get some services there as well, Krajewski said.

Judge Donald Rowlands agreed that Suppes, who has past been identified by multiple court officials as mentally ill, needs medication.

Still, Rowlands warned him, Obviously, if you come back to court again, the court will have to do something more serious.

Suppes re-entered the courtroom minutes before the days last criminal hearing. He stayed after speaking with Krajewski  who represented the last defendant  and through the last hearing. After the hearing, Rowlands asked that he be removed from the courtroom.

Eventually, Suppes was forcibly removed by Keith County sheriffs officials, Sheriff Jeff Stevens said. Stevens said that while Suppes grandparents were ready to take him to Colorado, he refused to go with them.

Instead, he was transported back to prison. Stevens said he expected Fair to file more charges.

Suppes was first arrested in March 2016, after he knocked over a woman at a rural convenience store near Brule. He escaped in the womans vehicle and drove out of Keith County, Fair said.

In bordering Lincoln County, State Trooper J.J. Connelly had pulled over a different vehicle when Suppes drove up, cranked the steering wheel and drove at the trooper, Connelly said at the time. Suppes missed Connelly but hit the other car instead.

About a year later, Suppes was sentenced in Lincoln County to 60 days in jail and two fines for attempted assault on an officer with a motor vehicle, a felony, and his first DUI, a misdamenor. He had spent most of the year incarcerated.

It was unclear Friday why Suppes had remained incarcerated between March and now; Krajewski did not return a phone call for comment later in the day.
VALPARAISO  The United States, state of Indiana and the Region are all facing a shortage of physicians.

State and local officials say they have a remedy: medical residencies, the post-graduate training doctors must do before they can become licensed to practice. Currently, much of Indiana lacks slots for medical residents, causing doctors to leave the state for training.

"Northwest Indiana does not have a residency program," said Beth Wrobel, CEO of Valparaiso-based HealthLinc and member of the state Graduate Medical Education Board.

That board met this week at HealthLinc to discuss efforts to increase medical residencies in the state and Region. Representatives of Northwest Indiana hospitals and community health centers were on hand.

In Northwest Indiana, East Chicago, Gary and North Township already have shortages of primary care providers, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while Gary and the low-income population of north Lake County lack mental health professionals.

In response, a group of Region hospitals and community health centers have formed a consortium to host medical residents. The partnership could support as many as 165 residents in such specialties as OB-GYN, psychiatry, general surgery and family, internal and emergency medicine, starting as soon as 2019.

The group received a $75,000 grant from the state to study the feasibility of the program. The state still has $7 million in funding available for residency programs.

Residents boost economies

The state of Indiana will need an additional 817 primary care physicians by the year 2030 to meet the demand created by population growth, the aging population and the increase in the insured rate under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report from the Robert Graham Center.

Indiana currently ranks 38th in the nation in active physicians, the Association of American Medical Colleges found. Nationally, the shortage of primary care doctors could reach 43,100 by 2030, according to the association, while the dearth of specialists could exceed that number.

The state Graduate Medical Education Board was formed in 2015 to address this issue. The group provides funding for residency programs, program expansion and residents who aren't federally funded, as well as technical support for new residency programs.

Angie Vincent, a project director for Tripp Umbach, a health care consultancy firm that assists the board, said these programs can benefit the health and economy of a given area.

"You are having students and residents living in your community. You have to provide housing to them. They may live here, start a family here," she said.

She noted that each physician who establishes a practice in a state generates $2.2 million in economic impact, including $300,000 in regional tax revenue, and creates an average of 14 jobs. A resident who opens a practice in an underserved area creates $3.6 million in health care utilization savings, she said, as patients who regularly visit their primary care doctor avoid costly emergency room visits.

Physicians are likely to stay and practice in the area where they did their residencies, Vincent said.

"You want to get someone from here, who goes to K-12, undergraduate and medical school here. Then they end up doing a residency here," she said. "You have a 70 percent chance they're likely to practice here. They're connected here. They have families."

'It's important to grow our own'

Vincent said hospitals often spend tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars recruiting doctors from out of state, only to see them leave for new jobs after a few years.

"It's important to grow our own," Wrobel said.

Vincent said hospitals that host residents are considered teaching hospitals, giving them increased cachet among the public. She said residents also improve health care overall at a facility by engaging the doctors who train them.

She and Wrobel noted that the least healthy parts of the state, according to the County Health Rankings, are the ones without residency programs. Northwest Indiana is among them.

The catch with all this is that residency slots require federal funding.

"We're in an environment where the federal government is broke," said state Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, who authored the bill to expand residencies in Indiana. He also noted that medical residents don't help reduce health care costs.

"There is a downside to graduate medical education: It is expensive. Residents order more tests, work slower, don't see as many patients," he said.

The funding issue is why, the board members say, health care entities must garner the backing of the public and legislators.

"The federal government won't fund all of these," Vicent said. "It's going to take community support to keep these programs going."
Felicia Hall describes herself as energetic, positive, loud and lively. Those traits helped her become a contestant on "The Price is Right" this summer. The show featuring Hall will air Oct. 26.

Hall, a native of Gary, is a flight attendant with Frontier Airlines. She and four co-workers decided to be in the audience on their day off, not expecting to be contestants. The five flight attendants were seated behind the contestants' podium when Hall's name was called to "come on down."

"Waiting to be a member of the audience was a lot different than I expected," Hall said, a graduate of West Side High School and Indiana University Northwest. "They have several tapings that day and you don't know which taping you will be a part of. They allow 250 people in the studio for each taping.

"We were outside waiting for four hours," Hall said. "Then they fit you into a group, 50 at a time and talk to you to see how energetic, exited you are."

Hall said you really don't know if you are going to be picked for contestants row until they call your name, during the taping. "That excitement and surprise you see on people's faces on TV is real. We have no idea."

Hall added that it is so loud and you can't hear anything there so they are basically holding up a card with your name on it for the next contestant to be called.

Hall said she was picked toward the end of the show but she cannot reveal if she ever got out of contestants row or if she was able to play a game or not.

"We have to sign forms stating we won't reveal any of that before the show is aired on television," Hall said. "It's been hard not to talk about it with friends."

Hall said she was really surprised when they said her name but thinks her profession as a flight attendant helps.

"I have a calm demeanor, but I am very energetic and full of life. This profession suits me," said Hall, who is now based out of Denver for her job. Her father, Dennis Hall, lives in Miller and her grandmother and aunts have lived in Gary for more than 60 years.

Being called to contestants row also meant she got to meet host Drew Carey during the taping of the 60-minute show, which took about 90 minutes to tape.

"He came down and talked with me and I introduced him to my co-workers," Hall said. "We got a group photo together. He told me he knew of Gary, Indiana, and The Jackson Five."

Hall said she was so upbeat for the entire taping and was so tired afterward.

"I always dreamed of being on a gameshow and I always wanted to be on TV," she said. "I wanted to do it for the excitement of the audience and the free prizes."

Hall said every contestant that is called is given a cash prize, whether or not you make it on stage.

"You have beat so many odds to be one of the eight so they reward you," Hall said. "The other flight attendants were so excited for me and I was overjoyed with excitement. I literally lost my voice from screaming."

Hall said she does wish she could have taken photos during the show but no cellphones are allowed during the taping.
SCHERERVILLE  Plans for a mock presidential debate in his young daughter's classroom prior to the last election worried Omar Estwani.

At that point, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump already had declared, I think Islam hates us. Estwani, a Muslim who lives in Winfield, said he was concerned that the planned classroom debate might stir up similar sentiments. He asked the school to allow his daughter to sit out the activity.

Local Muslims sometimes face a backlash following events such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center towers, and more recently, rhetoric from the country's president, who has had often-harsh things to say about their religion, Estwani said. He and his cousin, Ferass Safadi, recently represented the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center in a Conversations With Your Muslim Neighbor program at the Dyer-Schererville branch of the Lake County Public Library.

Sometimes, it seems almost as if being anti-Muslim is something to be proud of, Safadi noted.

The Dyer-Schererville program, which offered participants a chance to learn more about Islam and Muslims' contributions to society, is one of a growing number of programs aimed at breaking down barriers by giving folks a chance to talk to people who might not share their religion, culture, racial identity or sexual orientation.

Locally, the Lake County Public Library offers Meet Your Neighbors, a series of programs aimed at focusing on the diversity in the community, said Chris Rettig, the Dyer-Schererville branch manager. They include Mexican folk dance demonstrations, genealogy workshops and an upcoming event about local cemeteries.

Region residents willing to travel to Indianapolis will get a chance to check out a human book when To Indy With Love brings the Human Library project to the state capital. The free program, which touts a philosophy of Don't Judge a Book by its Cover, will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 3 at 924 S. Shelby (Fountain Square).

The Human Library is a worldwide initiative designed to break down social barriers while challenging stereotypes and prejudices through conversation. The Human Library got its start in 2000 in Denmark and has spread to 90 countries.

For Estwani and Safadi, Conversations With Your Muslim Neighbor gave them the chance to dispel some of the misconceptions about their faith.

The best way to reduce prejudice is to meet Muslims, Safadi said, allowing non-Muslims to lose their preconceptions of Muslims, many fueled by inaccurate portrayals and stigmas that have burgeoned ever since hostages were taken at the American Embassy in Iran.

Most conservative media portray Muslims as a threat, and that's the farthest thing from the truth, said Safadi, a Valparaiso High School grad, adding the U.S. is a place we love and cherish.

Safadi, who is principal of the Knowledge Gate School at the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center in Crown Point, conducts three or four outreach programs annually across the Region. That means he typically fields a question about terrorism, forcing him to point out that the reality is Muslims are law-abiding citizens, but he welcomes the queries, regardless, noting they are the purpose of the events.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't find the questions troubling given media reactions to terrorist acts. He cited the Las Vegas mass shooting as a a recent example.

What is the next event that is going to happen that is going to draw us in? he asked rhetorically. While Muslims are praying for the victims, he said that many would have the same fear as any investigation unfolded: Who is behind this? And please, God, let it not be a Muslim name.

The Muslim terrorists have the same problem Stephen Paddock had, Safadi said. They have mental issues, he observed.

It takes time and patience, said Safadi, who holds an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago, but he said he believes eventually Muslims will gain acceptance just as Irish-Americans, Jewish-Americans and Asian-Americans did before them, when people will not generalize about them and stereotype them.

The Islamic Center will hold a 25th anniversary celebration in December (a specific date hasn't been determined) in addition to its annual open house during Ramadan. He's confident people who know Muslims will set the record straight.

At the end of the day, the truth will set you free, he said.

America is going through a challenging time, he said. These programs help alleviate that feeling there is a threat."
GRIFFITH  Two Northwest Indiana high schools were honored with top state awards for advanced placement classes by the University of Notre Dame's Advanced Placement Teacher Investment Program.

Griffith High School was named the School of the Year for 2016-17.

Griffith did a phenomenal job of increasing participation in its AP program," program Director Karen Morris said. "We looked at the support of the administration and all-over culture of creating opportunities for career-readiness and found Griffith excelled there, too.

Griffith High also had the AP-TIP IN Math Teacher of the Year, Marilyn Brunk, for her class, computer science principles.

"I was truly honored to have won that award. It was very unexpected," Brunk said, adding that the class made its debut last year with the most successful start of an AP college board class.

She noted that 1.4 million computer jobs are projected by 2020, and that only 400,000 will be qualified to fill them.

Hammond's Morton High School's Chris Jagadich was named AP-TIP IN English Teacher of the Year.

"The students really get excited about the financial incentives, while teachers really appreciate all the resources the program offers," he said.

Griffith High School Principal Brian Orkis said the kids have accepted the AP culture, along with the challenges it brings.

"This is a tremendous honor for the entire school community, staff and students," he said.

Brunk said her students really enjoy the class.

"They told me that they love this class because it is project-based," Brunk said. "They love having the freedom to create and design their own games and then writing the code to make their games work."

Morton's Jagadich stressed that, in the end, it is up to the students to pounce on the opportunities offered by the program  something that Morton High students consistently do.

"There are no shortcuts to develop rational thinking, nor does popular culture emphasize the importance of sustained thought," he said.

AP-TIP IN's mission is to get Indiana students ready for college by providing rigorous, college-level English, science and math courses.

The program seeks to boost the number of students taking these Advanced Placement courses and to increase the number of qualifying scores.

"Too often academic achievements are under-reported, (and) that is unfortunate," said Griffith Public Schools Director of Finance and Operations George Jerome.

During the last school year, 19 Indiana high schools participated in the program.

"More than 760 students in these schools achieved a score of 3, 4, or 5 on nearly 1,990 AP math, science and English tests, thereby becoming eligible for college credit for those college courses," according to a news release from the Notre Dame Institute for Educational Initiatives.

For added incentive, students earn $100 for each qualifying exam score in eligible courses.
GRIFFITH  Sharon Scott has since remarried, but theres not a day that goes by where she doesnt wonder who killed her late husband.

I want to know who and I want to know why, Scott said.

She kept every local newspaper clipping detailing the day Paul Chamness was shot dead in broad daylight while in his companys parking lot in Griffith, ready to start his shift on July 10, 1994.

Even then, Griffith police had few leads. All they know is that Chamness, 44, drove the same route every day from his Hegewisch neighborhood in Chicago to Griffith, where he worked as a truck driver for Bulkmatic Transportation Co.

That day, someone decided to follow him into the companys parking lot. Another company employee witnessed some of what happened, police said.

The witness said two black men in a dark-colored 1980s boxy-style vehicle, possibly a Mustang, pulled up beside Chamness and drove around the lot before circling back.

Then the shots rang out.

Chamness was shot four times  once in both the chest and abdomen and twice in the back  either with a .38 special of .357 handgun.

When Griffith police arrived moments later, at 11:34 a.m., he was fighting for his life. He later died at a local hospital.

Could this have been a case of road rage on his way into work?

It would just be speculation on my part, Griffith Police Cmdr. Keith Martin said.

We dont think it was a robbery, he added. His wallet was there. Valuables were not taken. It appears that the person may not have even got out of the car when they shot him.

A witness told police Chamness arrived in his personal vehicle, a 1989 teal green Ford Ranger with an Illinois license plate, and parked it next to the company truck he was assigned to drive that day, according to Griffith Detective Jim Sibley.

After the shooting, Sibley said the suspect car was seen leaving the parking lot to the south to 35th Avenue and then to northbound Cline Avenue.

Detectives worked tirelessly to find a vehicle that matched the description, but in 1994, police still were handwriting out police reports, Martin said.

Newspaper records show Chamness had been with the company for about five years at the time.

I want to know what happened. He was a good worker. He was always there when they needed him, said Scott, 69, who now lives southwest of Kankakee, Illinois.

Scott said she knew Chamness for 28 years. They met when she was 18. He was 16.

He was a very easy-going person. Hed give you the shirt off his back if you needed it," she said.

The two were married seven years.

Times archives show weeks after his death, Griffith police announced Bulkmatic was offering a $5,000 reward for information that led to Chamness killer.

Nothing has been uncovered since we put the case away, Martin said. If anybody were to come forward, wed pick it up from there.
ST. JOHN  A plan for cars having their own condominiums in town is driving forward.

Local resident Mike Gelatka returned to the St. John Plan Commission last week for another study session regarding his project to build car condos in the triangle-shaped property his family owns just north of Aspen Cafe, at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Wall Street.

Its unique and positive for the town, Gelatka said. A landmark of some sort. Something this town would have that no one else in the area does.

In front of the same board several months ago, Gelatka first presented his idea for a concept that already exists in Naperville, Illinois, called Iron Gate Motor Condos. He said Iron Gate is like "a kind of automobile enthusiasts' country club."

Gelatka is using the same architect who designed Iron Gate for his project, which is dubbed Crossroads Motorplex.

That architect, Steve Hansen, said the interior of the units are as much as a showplace as the cars themselves.

Like a museum, he said.

Hansen said one owner transformed his unit to resemble a vintage gas station.

Preliminary plans call for 37 units, but that could change, according to Gelatka.

Plan Commission President Michael Forbes, who said he paid several visits to Naperville to see how Iron Gate operates, said the development would be a positive move for the neighboring St. John Mall.

Planning Director Rick Eberly agreed, calling it a wonderful concept.

Gelatka plans to start marketing Crossroads Motorplex and will have to appear before the board of zoning appeals and the Town Council for use approval prior to presenting more to the plan commission.
HAMMOND  The city's redevelopment commission reached a settlement earlier this year with the two firms it filed suit against in relation to the demolition of the former River Park Apartments complex.

The site of the former complex has since been developed into an office, hotel and retail complex known as Oxbow Lading.

Last year, the Hammond Redevelopment Commission filed a lawsuit in Lake County Superior Court against Dore & Associates Contracting Inc. and Amereco Inc., doing business as Amereco Engineering Inc. According to that lawsuit, Dore & Associates was hired in 2006 to demolish and excavate the site of the former complex and Amereco was paid to oversee the project.

According to the settlement agreement and release, obtained by the The Times of Northwest Indiana through a Freedom of Information Act Request, $30,000 was to be paid on behalf of each of the defendants, for a total of $60,000. The agreement, however, also states that the two companies "deny all allegations of liability made in the Action but intend to avoid ongoing litigation and resolve this matter."

The original lawsuit claimed debris was left behind at what was supposed to be a shovel ready site. Last year, the attorney representing the city, Dave Westland, said the city would be seeking somewhere north of $300,000 because that was how much the problems with the debris have cost the city to that point.

The filings by the defendants in the case, however, pointed the finger at the city and its monitoring of the site after the demolition for any damages that may have occurred.

Last year, Chief of Staff Phil Taillon, then executive director of planning and development for the city, said extra money had to be spent by Hammond after debris was discovered at two sites purchased by companies at Oxbow Landing. Another parcel, he said, was sold at a reduced price because of potential debris problems at the site.

The settlement agreement, which contains confidentiality clauses, calls for each side to bear their own costs and attorneys' fees. Last year, the city entered into an agreements with the law firm of Westland and Bennett P.C. in which the firm was to be paid one-third of anything it was able to recover in the case.
Many motorists have had the heart-stopping experience of a police car bearing down on them and then veering off at what seems like the last moment to continue racing ahead down the road.

The initial fear can quickly turn to frustration as the question arises: "Don't police officers have to obey traffic laws like the rest of us?"

The answer to the question is yes and no, according to Captain Dave Bursten, chief public information officer with the Indiana State Police Department.

Police officers and others driving authorized emergency vehicles have a "duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons," he said citing state law (Indiana Code 9-21-1-8).

These drivers are also not protected "from the consequences of the person's reckless disregard for the safety of others," according to the law.

But, that said, state law does allow officers responding to emergency calls in authorized emergency vehicles the right to disregard some rules of the road. These rights include the ability to park or stand on roadways, pass through red lights or stop signs after slowing as necessary for safety, and, perhaps most notably, exceed the speed limits.

While the law says these rights apply only to emergency vehicles using audible or visual signals, police vehicles are not required to be equipped with lights visible from the front of the vehicle.

Sgt. Ann Wojas, who serves as the public information officer for the Lowell state police post, said there are calls when it is more appropriate not to have lights and sirens on.

"It's different on each call," she said.

There are also drivers who do not know how to react properly when they see a vehicle with lights and sirens, Wojas said.

"Everybody violates multiple traffic laws every day," Bursten said of those keeping a close eye on police cars.

He said he drives his marked police car on Interstate 465 around Indianapolis, and traffic around him regularly exceeds the speed limit by 10 mph or more.

Lawmakers cannot predict all situations, thus the laws serve as guidelines to appropriate behavior, Bursten said.

"This is not a license to drive the vehicle recklessly," he said.

Something in the Region left you baffled or just plan curious? Send an email to Bob Kasarda at bob.kasarda@nwi.com and he'll do his best to find the answer and report back in a future column.
Dublin and Midlands Hospital Management are to meet shortly on how to execute a downgrade of Portlaoise hospital as part of a big shakeup in hospitals across Laois, Offaly, Kidlare and Dublin, a Laois TD has claimed.

Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley told the Leinster Express that he has seen a copy of a plan for Portlaoise and other hospitals drawn up by Dr Susan O'Reilly, chief executive of the HSE's Dublin Midland Hospital Group (DMHG).

The group includes the Midlands Regional Hospitals in Portlaoise and Tullamore, Naas General Hospital, Tallaght Hospital and St James in Dublin. The plan is understood to have huge implications for all these hospitals because it will direct many emergency referrals to Tullamore and the Dublin hospitals.

Tullamore Hospital regularly has some of the highest number of people waiting for admission on trolleys and the proposed closure of A&E in Portlaoise could have a further negative impact on those figures.

Dr O'Reilly's plan has been kept under wraps for some time but it was sent to the Minister for Health Simon Harris because of its controversial recommendation to downgrade Portlaoise. Dep Stanley described the document he has read as a plan to Downgrade Portlaoise Hospital. Naas hospital is likely to be bypassed.

The plan to downgrade it is in the final draft of the 'Strategic Plan' for the Hospital group. This is due to be discussed with senior management next Wednesday. Both the HSE and the Government have been foot dragging in publishing this for over two years," said the Sinn Fein TD.

"The document states: 'we will develop a 24/7 GP referred medical assessment unit and a 12/7 local injuries unit in the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise in line with national clinical care programmes models of care.'

"So its clear whats intended, an 8am to 8pm minor injuries and a medical assessment unit.

"They commit to expanding 'emergency department capacity, principally in Tallaght and Tullamore'. So upgrade these and downgrade Portlaoise," Dep Stanley told the Express.

The Laois TD, who also represents parts of Kildare, called for action.

"This plan needs to be stopped in its tracks and its up to government to act immediately. I raised this again with the Minister for Health Simon Harris last week and he replied that it being reviewed in detail by his department. This is simply play acting," he said.

Laois TD Charlie Flanagan is one of the most senior Ministers in Government and he has opposed downgrade in the past. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has an intimate knowledge of the hospital because he was Minister for Health during the crisis that engulfed the maternity services at the hospital.

Dep believes the issue is a matter for Government.

"The ball is in the Government court, he said.

Dep Stanley believes the plan has been on the desk of the Minister for Health Simon Harris for some time. He has expressed reservations about downgrading Portlaoise.

A Medical Assesment Unit was built in Portlaoise at at cost of 5million in 2016. The building is only partially used and the Assesment Unit has never been opened.

Staff at Portlaoise hospital believe that if 24/7 emergency care is removed there is little future for some other acute services such as maternity and paediatrics. They fear all move elsewhere with the loss of A&E.
By PTI: Cairo, Oct 21 (PTI) At least 16 policemen, including 14 officers were killed and six others injured during clashes with terrorists in Egypts Giza city, officials said.

The policemen were killed in exchange of fire with the terrorists in el-Wahat desert in Giza yesterday, they said.

The police forces received information about a number of terrorists hiding in the desert area. Clashes erupted when they tried to arrest them and they exchanged fire.

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The Ministry of Interior said in a statement late yesterday that a number of policemen were killed and injured, and some terrorists also died in the ensuing crossfire. However, it did not clarify on the number of casualties on both sides.

Earlier reports said that 14 police officers were killed and eight others were injured during the clashes.

Terrorist attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in Egypts restive North Sinai province, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. PTI YES CK

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Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain today said that 383 police personnel including 56 BSF jawans and 42 officials of Jammu and Kashmir police have lost their lives in line of duty since September last year.

By Press Trust of India: As many as 383 police personnel, including 56 belonging to the BSF and 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir, have laid down their lives in the line of duty in last one year, Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain said today.

Addressing the Police Commemoration Day, where Home Minister Rajnath Singh led the nation in paying tribute to martyrs of police forces, Jain said the 383 police personnel were killed while performing various duties across the country from September 2016 to August 2017.

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Among these police personnel, 76 belonged to the Uttar Pradesh Police, 56 belonged to the BSF, 49 were from the CRPF, 42 from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 23 belonged to Chhattisgarh, 16 were from West Bengal, 13 each belonged to Delhi and the CISF, 12 each were from Bihar and Karnataka and 11 from the ITBP.

Majority of the police personnel died while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxals and other law and order duties.

The day is observed to pay homage to 10 policemen killed in firing by Chinese troops in 1959 and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting India's unity and integrity.

Observed as Police Commemoration Day, October 21 commemorates the sacrifices of the 10 policemen while defending India's borders with China in 1959, a statement issued by the Home Ministry said.

The Indian police personnel were responsible for manning the 2,500 mile-long border of India with Tibet until the autumn of 1959. On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in North Eastern Ladakh in preparation for further movement of an Indian expedition which was on its way to Lanak La.

While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs, the third one comprising two police constables and a porter did not return, the statement said. The remaining forces were mobilised next morning in search of the missing personnel.

A party of about 20 police personnel led by Karam Singh, a Deputy Central Intelligence Officer (DCIO) rank officer, proceeded on horseback while others followed on foot in three sections. At mid-day, the Chinese Army personnel were seen on a hillock who opened fire and threw grenades at the Indian party, the statement said.

Since there was no cover, most personnel were injured. Ten of the brave police personnel were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the incident. Bodies of the 10 personnel were returned by the Chinese on November 13, three weeks after the incident.

The bodies were then cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh.

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The annual conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January, 1960 decided that October 21 would, henceforth, be observed as Commemoration Day in all police lines in the country to mark the memory of these gallant personnel, the statement said.

It was also decided to erect a memorial at Hot Springs, and that members of police forces from different parts of the country trek to Hot Springs every year to pay homage to the gallant martyrs.

Since independence, 34,418 police personnel have sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the integrity of the nation and providing security to people of this country, the statement said.

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Four Omaha-area men were sentenced in federal court this week on child pornography charges.

Keith B. Noden, 45, of La Vista was sentenced to four years in prison for possession. After he is released, he must be on probation for five years. He admitted to authorities that he had downloaded child pornography, and officials found that he had searched for it.

Patrick Amen, 31, of Omaha was sentenced to six years for receiving child pornography. Authorities found 200 videos with children ages 2 to 12 years engaged in sex acts. He also must be on probation for five years.

Joel Palmer, 39, of Omaha was sentenced to 12 years for possession and will serve 15 years on probation. He had received a two-year sentence for a previous child pornography conviction, and after he was released he again downloaded images and shared them with a Florida woman. The FBI cybercrimes task force found nine videos and 59 images on his electronic devices.

All three of the men, sentenced Monday, must register as sex offenders.

On Friday, Martin Hanson, 50, of Omaha was sentenced to five and a half years for possession. He must serve five years on probation and pay $5,000 for victims of trafficking and exploitation offenses. Officials found 10 videos on his computer, and he admitted to using search terms to target preteen children.
Xavier Holiday was shot at 5:52 p.m. at 16th and Ohio Streets. Police said a witness told them that three men ran into a house, shot Holiday in the leg and then ran out the back door before fleeing in a car.
Eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa could be slightly colder and snowier this winter.

Paul Pastelok, a meteorologist and long-range forecaster for AccuWeather, The World-Heralds weather consultant, said temperatures in the Omaha area should be 1 to 3 degrees below normal, and snowfall may be up to 10 inches greater than last year.

Still, the predicted snow amount would be below the norm.

It could be worse, but I think its going to be cold, and you could get more snow, Pastelok said.

The average daytime high and overnight low temperatures in the Omaha area for December through February are 35 degrees and 17 degrees.

Another 3 to 6 degrees below normal, he said, would be a real cold winter.

Pastelok said the average snow total for the Omaha area from October through April is 25 inches. He said Omaha totaled 10 inches last winter. For this winter, hes calling for 20 inches.

The colder air could be blamed on a possibly weak La Nina system, which has a 55 percent to 65 percent chance of developing over Pacific Ocean waters before winter sets in, the National Weather Service said.

A La Nina could produce quick-moving storms tracking out of Canada into the Midwest.

The weather service office in Valley was more cautious with its winter prediction for the region.

Meteorologist Cathy Zapotocny said the weather services data predicted 33 percent chances for above-normal, normal or below-normal precipitation and temperatures. Weather in the Midwest frequently is transitioning, she said, leaving the regions ever-changing conditions a challenge to accurately forecast.

Our part of the country is always difficult to forecast for, Zapotocny said.
By PTI: Jamshedpur, Oct 21 (PTI) The Jharkhand government today said Aadhaar card was not mandatory to collect food grains from the public distribution system after a 11-year-old girl allegedly died of starvation.

Local activists had alleged that the girl died of starvation on September 28 after her family was denied ration for the want of an Aadhar-linked ration card.

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"Aadhaar card is not mandatory. Any card, including a drivers license and voter ID card or any specified card, is permissible for procuring food grains," the states Food Minister Saryu Roy said.

A toll free number-?1800 212 55 12--had been set up to lodge complaints regarding ration distribution, Roy said, adding that grain banks would also be set up in every block.

Meanwhile, a fresh probe announced by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on October 17 had found that the girl died of malaria, officials said.

The first probe by a three-member team, which was constituted on October 6, also examined the case and found the girl died of malaria, they said. PTI BS COR PVR PR AAR

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Donations are being accepted for a brick path outside Conestoga Elementary School in Murray, Nebraska, that honors a family of six killed one year ago Friday when the familys home was destroyed in a fire.

The path leads to the Mike and Michelle Speer Family Performance Area, which includes a pavilion adjacent to Conestogas Cougar Hollow outdoor classroom, said Principal Eric Dennis.

Mike and Michelle Speer, both 36, and their four girls  Elli Perez, 11; Adilynn, 7; Emma, 5; and Anniston, 2  died Oct. 20, 2016, when a fire destroyed their two-story home in rural Nehawka in Cass County. The three older girls attended Conestoga.

The girls loved music and they loved to sing and dance, Dennis said. Nature is the theme of our outdoor classroom, and that reflects the Speer family, too, because the girls loved to hunt and the girls loved to fish with their dad.

Dennis said the addition of the performance pavilion was made possible by a donation from the Michelle Speer Family Foundation that was matched by Union Pacific Railroad, where both parents worked. A fountain was installed Thursday.

Four swings, one for each girl, were also installed. Six trees, one for each member of the family, have also been planted.

The area includes a lot of symbolism, Dennis said. Its a great spot to sit, enjoy nature and reflect.

For $75, a brick on the path will be engraved with a donors name. To order a brick, submit payment and the engraving request to Conestoga Elementary, 104 E. High St., Murray, NE 68409.

For more information, contact Dennis by email at edennis@conestogaps.org.
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By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 21 (PTI) Lauding the role of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in meeting challenges in the state, Revenue and Relief Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri today asked the force to adopt a more humanitarian approach when dealing with people.

Addressing the Police Commemoration Day Parade function here, Veeri said the police force was "one of the best" in the country.

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"You have taken on many roles successfully and people have a lot of expectation from you. You should adopt a (more) humanitarian approach when dealing with common people," he said at the function skipped by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Veeri, the chief guest at the parade, said Mufti could not attend the event as she was not well. Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for Forest Mir Zahoor, senior civil administration and police officers attended the parade.

Veeri recalled the role of the police force in disaster management, saying the rescue operations carried out by them during the 2014 flooding were "appreciated by one and all".

The police force has a multi-dimensional role and it should be prepared and trained for varied challenges, he said.

Director General of Police S P Vaid said the police force was always ready to meet any challenge and has trained its personnel keeping in view the present and the future needs.

He praised the police force for successfully bringing the situation under control during the massive unrest following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani last year.

Vaid said the force has taken on militancy effectively.

He said a number of militant commanders have been killed this year, but added that many police personnel also had to lay down their lives to ensure safety and security of the people.

Thanking the state government for being sensitive towards the police force, Vaid appreciated the steps talken by the government for the welfare of the police personnel.

Later, they paid floral tributes to the fallen police personnel at the police martyrs memorial. PTI MIJ ABH

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In a shocking revelation, Tamil Nadu Dairy Minister Rajendra Balaji said on Friday that there were close to 40 MLAs in DMK, who were sleeper cells for AIADMK's Palaniswami faction and would support EPS in the event of a floor test.

By Pramod Madhav: Only a few months after Rajendra Balaji alleged that milk produced by private companies was adulterated with harmful chemicals to increase its shelf life, the Tamil Nadu Dairy Minister has made yet another shocking revelation.

Balaji said on Friday that there were close to 40 MLAs in DMK, who were sleeper cells for AIADMK's Palaniswami faction and would support EPS in the event of a floor test. He implied that just in case, Dinakarana got the support of 40 MLAs during a floor test, these 40 MLAs from DMK (backing EPS) would make the equation of power even again.

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The Tamil Nadu minister was, however, in no mood to explain whether Chief Minister Palaniswami knew about this support from these sleeper cells.

Meanwhile, a senior DMK leader called Rajendra Balaji's claim nothing but 'hot air' and advised him to start thinking about anti-defection laws and the AIADMK's stance against DMK before making such unreasonable claims.

Balaji, who is known to shoot from the hip, has only brought embarrassment to his party and the EPS government is now likely to distance himself from his remark and term it his 'personal comment'.

During an event to celebrate AIADMK founder MGR's birthday, the minister had boasted that nothing could harm the EPS government as long as Modi was in power. "Until Modi is there, we have nothing to worry about. Whatever trouble we face, PM Modi is there to help us", Balaji said.

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Oregon will receive $1.7 million as part of a consumer protection settlement over faulty General Motors ignition switches, installed in various car models between 2004 and 2014, that led to hundreds of deaths and injuries.

Oregon is receiving only a small part of the $120 million, multi-state settlement because the number of affected vehicles sold here was relatively small. GM has said there were 64,930 affected vehicles in Oregon, of which 44,836 have been repaired pursuant to a recall, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

The Justice Department will retain the money from the settlement, which was announced earlier this week. Typically, consumer settlement funds go to the Justice Department's consumer protection and education account, while consumer restitution money goes into a client trust fund. In this case, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum will get some discretion, said the agency' spokewoman, Kristina Edmunson.

In early 2014, GM issued a recall for some 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other small cars with ignition switches that could turn to the "off" position while the vehicle was underway, disabling a car's power steering, power brakes, and the sensor that controls airbag deployment.

When accidents took place with the ignition in the "off" position, some vehicles' airbags failed to deploy. The defect left 124 people dead and another 275 injured. GM failed to issue any recalls until 2014 despite having known about the problem a decade earlier, according to the lawsuit filed by the state in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The settlement with 49 states and the district of Columbia comes on top of previous penalties and payouts of some $2.5 billion. It does not resolve a class action suit still underway.

Edmunson said the Justice Department is not aware of any deaths or injuries related to the defect in Oregon.

-Ted Sickinger

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger
The forced resignation of Salam Noor, Oregon's deputy superintendent for education, would seem to be a political two-fer for Gov. Kate Brown.

First, sacking Noor helps give the impression that Brown means business when it comes to reversing the state's worsening performance in K-12 education, reflected in declining test scores and increasing chronic absenteeism as The Oregonian/OregonLive's Betsy Hammond reported. Second, the change gives her the opportunity to declare to Oregonians that yes, she does, in fact, have a vision for education.

The move fails on both counts. Brown's automatic response to failures under her leadership has been to jettison the department head. So getting rid of Noor simply continues her pattern of deflecting blame. Her education vision, as laid out in a recent letter to her education cabinet, largely gussies up plans or programs that have long been in the works. But most important, Brown herself has clouded her own education strategy with a mess of contradictory actions. She signed legislation hobbling accountability metrics. She recommended only partial funding for an educational measure she endorsed. And she blocked efforts that would have directed more money to students' needs, rather than employee benefits. If Brown is serious about digging out of this educational crisis, she must figure out how to back up her words with the policy, funding and follow-through that so far has eluded her.

Consider her emphasis on accountability. In her letter, she notes the importance of measuring student achievement and outcomes. The key way that the state tracks such progress is through standardized tests given to students in third through eighth grades, and to high school juniors. Participation is so important for accurately measuring and comparing schools' success in educating students that the state pledged to meet a 95 percent participation threshold as part of its plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

One problem: In 2015, Brown enthusiastically signed a bill pushed by the teachers union that allowed students to opt out of taking such tests for any reason whatsoever. Not surprisingly, students did. As a result, some schools had such low participation rates that administrators cannot draw any meaningful conclusions from the data they do have. That means the state cannot reliably measure whether schools are successfully teaching students grade-level material or accurately measure if they are closing the "achievement gap" between white, higher-income students and minority or low-income students. So much for accountability.

Editorial Agenda 2017

Boost student success

Get Oregon's financial house in order

Help our homeless

Honor our diverse values

Make Portland a city that works

Expand access to public records

________________________

Read more about the editorial board's priorities for Oregon.

Consider, also, Brown's proposed budget earlier this year. The governor in 2016 enthusiastically endorsed Ballot Measure 98, which called for increased investment in dropout prevention and career and technical education in high school. She has routinely highlighted the opportunities that career and technical education opens up. But after the measure passed, she recommended devoting less than half the money that the measure called for. The Legislature was more generous - though still considerably short of the ballot measure.

Even her personnel choices reflect muddled objectives. Six months after becoming governor, Brown named Lindsey Capps as her chief education officer, tasked with providing strategic leadership and coordinating education strategy spanning pre-kindergarten through college and career.

But Capps has zero experience as an educator. A former lobbyist and teachers' union official, Capps has been lauded for his collaborative style and professional demeanor. But when close to 10,000 students a year are dropping out of school and graduation rates are among the worst in the nation, selecting a non-educator as chief education officer sends a curious message. Capps' annual salary is $143,000.

Brown later added another six-figure-salary position - education innovation officer - and appointed longtime superintendent Colt Gill to the post. His task was to focus on stemming the drop-out rate and helping more students graduate. But Gill lacks his own budget to carry out such functions. Gill, who is assuming Noor's duties on an interim basis, makes more than $185,000.

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.

Meanwhile, Brown continues to duck the most pressing issue facing education - and social services and public safety and health care and child welfare and any other public function: The ever-escalating burden of the Public Employees Retirement System. Because the pension system carries a $25 billion unfunded liability, all public employers are making higher contributions to the system with larger spikes expected for years to come. That means fewer dollars will go to hiring teachers, counselors and reading specialists and more will go to the PERS system.

Instead of immediately attacking the problem, however, she and other Democratic leaders said reform will have to wait. Until 2019.

That's time for another 20,000 students to drop out of high school. That's time for another two rankings showing how low Oregon's graduation rate has fallen. And that's time that Oregon students don't have.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
BY KEITH K. DAELLENBACH

Today marks the opening of the first new public park in Clackamas County in well over a decade. The Madrone Wall Park, located along Oregon Scenic Highway 224 between Carver and Barton, is an amazing, 44-acre civic treasure that had been closed to the public for the past 20 years.

In fall of 1997, without any public communication, the county launched an ill-conceived plan to blow up the basalt cliff there and use it as a quarry. This kind of thing bothers me. As an engineer, I appreciate carefully considered resource extraction to build a society. However, some treasures should be preserved for all time. Our non-profit organization doggedly pursued the land as a park. We knew we were on the right side of history because this county property was the only public land along the lower Clackamas River bluffs and it could serve as an anchor site for a future park.

We took the long view and did not let setbacks distract us. We set our mission early and stuck to it: Stop quarrying and development, reestablish recreational access, work for permanent protective status and be a long-term parks advocacy partner. We were audacious -- by nature, climbers are -- and we pressed on through years of working with some antediluvian government officials who essentially told us to go pound sand. We found it was easier to sustain standing for something people could get behind -- creating a public park -- than simply standing against the quarry.

We fostered working partnerships with public servants. Going up against a monolithic City Hall seemed impossible, but we never forgot that individual people make or break an outcome. To be honest, navigating the bureaucratic tactics of postponement, obfuscation and stalling was not fun. I am grateful to live in a country where a free and independent press holds public officials accountable.

When supposed environmentalist allies told us our direction was wrong, we floated above it and steamed ahead. When officials spouted inaccurate or misleading information, we corrected the record. We were a core group of committed activists with the tenacity for a relentless, protracted campaign in which giving up never seemed like a viable option.

Being an all-volunteer band of zealots, we were able to outlast and, in some cases, outlive our opponents. We were not going anywhere and we could not be fired. In the end, we found capable and visionary public servant partners with the current leadership of Clackamas County Parks.

I was sustained through many years by thinking about future generations, like our young son, who long after I'm gone will wonder at their place in creation, challenge themselves on hikes or climbs, make new friends and learn from nature. Our idea of a public park prevailed and I predict someday this site will form the basis for a future park along the lower Clackamas River bluffs. For all those activists out there, don't lose heart, keep fighting the good fight, never give up and good luck!

Keith K. Daellenbach is the director and founder of the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee. He lives in Northeast Portland.

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There's no hiding the devastation of the Eagle Creek fire, which torched nearly 50,000 acres of forest along the Columbia River Gorge and led 2,000 people to flee their homes. As the fire's burned since Sept. 2, Oregonians have pleaded for answers while they watched wildlife habitat, beloved trails and historic landmarks go up in flames.

Yet when it's come to the 15-year-old charged with starting the massive blaze, law enforcement officials have aggressively worked to hide the process from public view.

Though the suspect was identified the day the fire started, Oregon State Police refused to release his name. Agency officials confirmed that decision ran counter to their typical practice of releasing suspects' names in high-profile cases.

Then, the Hood River County district attorney quietly scheduled what should have been a well-attended public hearing and arraigned the youth, who faces criminal mischief and four other charges.

A press release on Thursday explained that the agencies "will have no further comment until the case has been resolved." They did not provide any basic information. Not the date of the arraignment. Not his name. Not his lawyer's name. Not his parents' names. Especially galling, the agencies implied they won't provide the date, time or location of his next hearing, where it's possible an agreed-upon deal could be blessed by a judge and the teen could be sentenced.

By state law, that's all information the county's Juvenile Department could release. In fact, if the Vancouver youth was in custody, the department is typically required to release all of it.

State law also spells out that while juvenile records must remain confidential, juvenile court proceedings are open to the public. And while some counties are better than others, most courts across the state are willing to acknowledge and publicly post when such high-interest defendants are headed to court. But that's not what's happening and Oregonians should be concerned.

It's also nothing like how law enforcement officials handled the massive fire at Woodburn High School five years ago. There, the local police released public documents within days after three 15-year-olds were accused of setting a fire inside a classroom that caused more than $5 million in damage. The documents included the boys' names, their lawyers' names and details of the alleged crime, including that they'd started the fire and then tried to put it out.

Soon after, the boys' lawyers released the date of an arraignment, where they were charged as adults and faced a Measure 11 crime of first-degree arson. The boys, who also faced an angry community, eventually received a plea agreement that treated them as juveniles.

Law enforcement officials say they've concealed the name of the teen charged in the Eagle Creek fire out of concern for his safety. But Oregon State Police have not investigated any credible, specific threats against the teen or his family. In the past, the agency's Capt. Bill Fugate pointed to various angry and violent comments on social media as a reason why the police agency didn't identify the youth. While many comments have indeed been nasty, knee-jerk internet screeds shouldn't dictate law enforcement's decisions on whether to disclose information that is of great interest to the public.

Other experts following the case say Hood River County officials are likely weighing the public interest in providing the information against how it might hurt the youth's mental health or his ability to learn from his mistakes and move on.

That's understandable. And despite their anger and frustration, a good number of Oregonians say they're satisfied the issue is now before the court, where they trust it will be handled fairly. Yet most folks favor that resolution believing that the justice system is a public one.

Having "your day" in court is not simply a requirement for the accused. It is the long-standing and necessary step in our legal process that also provides victims with information, accountability and some emotional resolution.

Oregonians from the area who were most affected by the Eagle Creek fire deserve that access. Same for the 150 hikers and campers who spent a scary night in the wilderness as the fire raged around them. So, too, for members of the media, whose job is to be in those courtrooms reporting to help ensure cases are handled fairly -- not just for that one defendant, but also future defendants who may face similar charges or other crimes.

The judge assigned to this important case has the power to put these proceedings back before the public and share the information that the law allows. If that doesn't happen, the system stands to risk losing the public's trust. And with the Eagle Creek fire, Oregonians have lost enough already.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
A retired Portland Public Schools teacher was found guilty Friday of sexually touching six Oregon City middle school students while he was substituting as their gym teacher over the course of one day in 2015.

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Jones said he found the girls' testimony to be compelling, detailed and credible.

They described during the two-week trial how Norman Scott, now 66, touched their breasts, thighs, bottoms and other parts of their bodies while they were in seventh grade at Gardiner Middle School. Most were 12 at the time.

Jones said he couldn't conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Scott was guilty of abusing two other students because both initially reported that Scott hadn't assaulted them.

The judge said he thought it was unlikely that the girls had colluded to bring false accusations against Scott. It was the first and only time Scott had been at the school.

"The possibility of accidental touchings is just not reasonable," Jones said. "There are too many incidents for there to be one accident after another, after another."

He found Scott guilty of third-degree sexual abuse and harassment. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16.

The trial included testimony from more than two dozen people, including the students, some of their parents and the school's principal and vice principal.

Scott waived his right to a jury trial and chose not to testify in his own defense. He was indicted in June 2016, arrested the next month and posted $100,000 bail the same day. He has been out of jail custody since then.

The judge allowed him to remain out on bail pending his sentencing, with conditions that include no contact with any children other than his infant grandchild.

Scott taught for 36 years as a health and physical education teacher with Portland Public Schools. He taught at Sellwood Middle School and later Grant High School before retiring in June 2012.

He worked off and on as a substitute teacher for the next three years in the Lake Oswego, North Clackamas and Oregon City school districts until the allegations at Gardiner Middle School surfaced, said Clackamas County Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott Healy.

Scott groped the girls over the course of four coed gym class periods from the beginning to the end of the school day on Oct. 5, 2015, Healy said.

Nelson ordered girls and boys to perform unfamiliar warmup exercises before playing kickball, Healy said.

One exercise had students of the same gender pairing up, with one student doing a type of stretch while another student crawled underneath them. Some students said they saw Scott touching the hips of girls who were stretching to arch their bottoms higher into the air and that he stared at their bottoms.

Another exercise again had students pair up by gender, sit on the floor back to back with their arms interlocked and try to stand up.

One girl said Scott stood over her during that exercise, reached down and grabbed her breast to pull her up. Another student said during the next class period, Scott grabbed her breast and upper thigh, with his thumb pressed against her crotch during the same exercise. She said he did this two or three times.

A third girl from a PE class earlier in the day said Scott rubbed her back twice while she was helping take attendance, rubbed her shoulder and at one point ran his hand through her hair and remarked that it was pretty. She walked away from him at one point, but he followed her.

A fourth student said she asked to go to the bathroom before her class ended, but Scott refused to let her go. He put his arm around her and grabbed her bottom, Healy said.

Other girls reported Scott hugged them, rested his hands on their hips and stared at their breasts, Healy said. During the warmups, students reported being divided by gender and that Scott spent the majority of the time with the girls.

Some of the girls reported to the principal the same day that Scott touched them. He was pulled from the class by the vice principal by the end of the day because of the allegations, Healy said.

When interviewed by police, Scott denied touching any students inappropriately and claimed he had grabbed a few students by the elbows to help them up, the prosecutor said.

"The bottom line is that the repeated nature of this and the manner in which these girls are touched, it wasn't an accident," Healy said.

Defense attorney Jacob Houze said Scott was falsely accused. He noted inconsistencies and contradictions in the students' statements, such as one telling her mother that she was grabbed on one side, but telling police she was grabbed on the other side.

The students were "just wrong" in their accounts, Houze said.

Four staff members were in the gym during at least two of the class periods, but none reported seeing any students touched inappropriately, he said. The vice principal had been sent specifically by the principal to look for any abuse during the eighth period, he said, and testified that he didn't see anything improper despite watching the students' exercises.

Houze also said Oregon City police didn't conduct a thorough investigation and didn't set out "to find out what really happened." Police didn't interview students who may have witnessed the abuse or students from an all-boys gym class to see if they had done the same warmup exercises.

"We have each accuser's individual allegations, which are rife with contradiction, dramatic inconsistencies and none of them enjoy a shred of corroboration," Houze said.

Healy said there may be some discrepancies in some students' statements, but each student was "crystal clear" and consistent in how Scott touched them.

State records show Scott has an active teaching license to teach in grades from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade that expires in 2020.

Scott filed a $10,000 lawsuit in July 2015 against Portland Public Schools accusing the district of wrongly complaining to the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission about a text he sent a student four years earlier. The student was also a teaching assistant and Scott was asking her in the message if she knew where some teaching materials were, Scott's attorney told The Oregonian/OregonLive at the time.

The commission dismissed the school district complaint in February 2015. Scott's civil suit was also dismissed in December 2015, court records show.

Scott also made headlines in 2009 when a Grant High School student uploaded a four-minute video onto YouTube of Scott teaching a sex education class for 10th-grade students. He was wearing a condom on his head and a pair of red underwear over his pants with a hole in the middle.

The school district told him to never teach that way again.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Senate President Peter Courtney stripped state Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, of all his committee assignments Friday, a drastic move taken because of "ongoing workplace issues which Sen. Kruse has failed to resolve," Courtney said.

Because lawmakers can only amend and otherwise shape bills in committees, the move effectively takes away Kruse's power to influence legislation. Courtney described the discipline as "unprecedented."

When The Oregonian/OregonLive asked Courtney whether Kruse was disciplined for inappropriate touching, Courtney said "the personnel issues have been identified in this conversation." He also confirmed that Kruse's previously known violation of smoking in his Capitol office was a factor.

The sanctions come days after Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, posted on Twitter that she had been subject to inappropriate touching by at least one Senate Republican. She did not identify anyone by name. Gelser was not available for comment Friday afternoon.

"The inappropriate behavior I completely categorically deny," Kruse, 66, said in an email. "The smoking still is an issue that I will not deny."

Kruse denied having inappropriately touched Gelser and said that, to the best of his knowledge, the sanctions he is facing and Gelser's accusations of inappropriate touching are "not connected."

Lore Christopher, head of human resources for the Legislature, said no formal or informal complaints have been filed against Kruse.

Kruse, a farmer who was first elected to the Oregon House in 1996 and the Senate in 2004, faced fines last year for smoking cigarettes in his fourth floor office, despite being told not to do so by state regulators.

Gelser posted her tweets Monday after former Senate Republicans spokesman Jonathan Lockwood accused her of taking campaign donations from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who many women have accused of sexual harassment and even rape (he denies unwanted sexual contact).

Weinstein donated gave $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Oregon during the 1995-1996 election cycle, a decade before Gelser was elected to the Legislature.

On Twitter, Gelser shot back that she had taken no such donations. She asked Lockwood if he would make sure no member of the Senate Republican Caucus "inappropriately touches or gropes" female lawmakers and staffers.

I have no $ from HW. Will u ensure no member of ur caucus inappropriately touches or gropes female members and staff in Cap?  Sara Gelser (@SenSaraGelser) October 16, 2017

Gelser later tweeted that sexual harassment occurs in the Capitol "despite formal complaints." She declined to name who she was accusing.

"I've been a good 'team player.' Enough. I'm not naming names, but naming the reality," Gelser tweeted.

I've followed the appropriate process under the rule. I've been a good "team player." Enough. I'm not naming names, but naming the reality. https://t.co/2nHEt60Yrz  Sara Gelser (@SenSaraGelser) October 19, 2017

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
A Sunset High School student has filed a federal lawsuit against the Beaverton School District, alleging school officials failed to prevent another student from sexually assaulting and harassing her while they rode a school district bus in October and November last year.

The student also contends the district failed to investigate the reported assaults and harassment and doesn't adequately train its bus drivers to report unlawful or improper conduct to protect their student passengers.

The lawsuit contends a boy, identified as "I.F.,'' engaged in "sexually offensive groping, touching and penetration,'' causing the girl pain, emotional distress and psychological suffering over the two months.

The negligence suit, brought by the girl's mother, was filed Thursday against the school district, the superintendent, Sunset High's principal, vice principal and the student accused of the misconduct. It seeks up to $28 million dollars in noneconomic damages, as well economic and punitive damages.

The suit also urges a judge to require the school district to take immediate steps to prevent sexual assaults on its buses, including requiring a daily review of bus video recordings and mandating that drivers report any "sexualized behavior'' to school officials.

Spokeswoman Maureen Wheeler said Friday the district hasn't been served with the lawsuit and can't comment on the pending litigation. She declined to answer any other questions raised by the suit.

The girl's family learned of the alleged harassment at the end of November and notified , Beaverton school officials and police, said attorney Kevin Brague, the plaintiff's lawyer. The Washington County District Attorney's Office declined to prosecute, Brague said.

The suit alleges the district failed to investigate or determine what had occurred or take any steps to prevent such an assault from happening again even if authorities decided not to pursue criminal charges. At the very least, the bus driver should have noticed the behavior and separated the two students on the bus, Brague said.

"The fact that this went on for such a period of time without anyone intervening is grossly negligent,'' Brague said.

The unidentified boy accused of committing the alleged sexual harassment and assaults, according to the suit, confessed to Sunset High vice principal Shawn Davitt, but no discipline followed, Brague wrote in the suit. The boy remained a Sunset High student through last school year, but now attends another school, Brague said. He didn't know the circumstances of the move.

The girl is identified as a special education student and remains at Sunset High.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Stephanie Yao Long

Tiny homes have captured the imagination of nearly every demographic in the U.S. There are retirement tiny homes and homestead tiny homes. There are starter tiny homes and luxury tiny homes.

And, increasingly, there are tiny homes for the growing number of homeless people on the West Coast.

Portland experts estimate that the city needs more than 2,000 units for low-income people to substantially make a dent in the homeless population. That has spurred a housing bond, a push for permanent supportive housing and new shelter beds.

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Stephanie Yao Long

It has also gotten Portland officials and residents thinking about how tiny homes could fit in.

Here are some of the ways tiny homes are being used and brainstormed for homeless people in Oregon and around the country.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger

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Mike Zacchino | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Multnomah Countys creative problem solving department wants to roll out a pilot program this year that installs 30 taxpayer-funded tiny homes in backyards across the city. Families with children who are homeless, or on the brink of homelessness, would rent the tiny homes from the property owner for at least five years. Then, the property owner can do anything with the granny flat -- its fully theirs.

Read the story

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Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly has ordered city code enforcement to deprioritize cracking down on people illegally living in tiny homes and RVs on private property. In the long-run, Eudaly wants to propose an ordinance that would allow people to allow people to live in tiny homes in yards around the city. Until then, property owners are allowed three tiny homes or one RV to be occupied.

Read the story

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Stephanie Yao Long

Portland is trying out a model of temporary housing for homeless women that lets them have their own space, rather than living in a shelter. The Kenton neighborhood approved the tiny home village in the first vote of its kind in the city. The 14-pod village opened in June for its pilot year.

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Mike Zacchino

Dignity Village, Hazelnut Grove and Right 2 Dream Too are all homeless communities that house at least some of their residents in self-built tiny homes. Dignity Village, now approaching 20 years in North Portland , is connected with a nonprofit homeless services provider. Hazelnut Grove grew organically in its spot at the intersection of North Greeley and Interstate avenues. It is still trying to gain protection from the city so it can stay in its spot permanently.

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Stephanie Yao Long

Right 2 Dream Too moved from West Burnside at the Chinatown gates to city-owned property between the Willamette River and Moda Center over the summer. Residents who work shifts to run the rest stop, where people can sleep for 12 hours at a time, live in new tiny homes built with donated materials and volunteer labor.

Read the story

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Rachel Rippetoe | The Register-Guard

Eugene also turned to tiny home villages in an effort to move people out of tents on public property. One of the minds behind the idea said the 30-person village was a faster moving project than waiting for major multistory building development: A major point made by the tiny house movement is that there is very little to pay for once you have one. This makes the question of government subsidy versus occupant payment less relevant than it has been, said Andrew Heben.

Read the story

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In Texas, Austin built a 27-acre village with various types of tiny homes and services. Portland's Dignity Village is roughly one-third of an acre. Rents range from $90 per month to $375 per month, with utilities covered for the first three months after residents move in.

Read the story
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump says he doesn't plan to block the scheduled release of thousands of never publicly seen government documents related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

"Subject to the receipt of further information," he wrote in a Saturday morning tweet, "I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened."

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

The National Archives has until Thursday to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy's 1963 assassination. The trove is expected to include more than 3,000 documents that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been previously released but with redactions.

Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, but Trump has the power to block them on the grounds that making them public would harm intelligence or military operations, law enforcement or foreign relations.

"Thank you. This is the correct decision. Please do not allow exceptions for any agency of government," tweeted Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy, who has urged the president to release the files. "JFK files have been hidden too long."

The anticipated release has had scholars and armchair detectives buzzing. But it's unlikely the documents will contain any big revelations on a tragedy that has stirred conspiracy theories for decades, Judge John Tunheim told The Associated Press last month. Tunheim was chairman of the independent agency in the 1990s that made public many assassination records and decided how long others could remain secret.

Sabato and other JFK scholars believe the trove of files may, however, provide insight into assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the killing, during which he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies. Oswald's stated reason for going was to get visas that would allow him to enter Cuba and the Soviet Union, according to the Warren Commission, the investigative body established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but much about the trip remains unknown.

Longtime Trump friend Roger Stone, who wrote a book alleging that Johnson was the driving force behind Kennedy's assassination, had personally urged the president to make the files public, he told far-right conspiracy theorist and radio show host Alex Jones this past week.

"Yesterday, I had the opportunity to make the case directly to the president of the United States by phone as to why I believe it is essential that he release the balance of the currently redacted and classified JFK assassination documents," Stone said, adding that "a very good White House source," but not the president, had told him the Central Intelligence Agency, "specifically CIA director Mike Pompeo, has been lobbying the president furiously not to release these documents."

"Why? Because I believe they show that Oswald was trained, nurtured and put in place by the Central Intelligence Agency. It sheds very bad light on the deep state," he said.

After the president announced his decision, Stone tweeted: "Yes ! victory !"

The files that were withheld in full were those the Assassination Records Review Board deemed "not believed relevant," Tunheim said. Its members sought to ensure they weren't hiding any information directly related to Kennedy's assassination, but there may be nuggets of information in the files that they didn't realize were important two decades ago, he said.

"There could be some jewels in there because in our level of knowledge in the 1990s is maybe different from today," Tunheim said.

The National Archives in July published online more than 440 never-before-seen assassination documents and thousands of others that had been released previously with redactions.

Among those documents was a 1975 internal CIA memo that questioned whether Oswald became motivated to kill Kennedy after reading an AP article in a newspaper that quoted Fidel Castro as saying "U.S. leaders would be in danger if they helped in any attempt to do away with leaders of Cuba."

Story written by Jill Colvin for The Associated Press.
Timothy R. Holycross was convicted Friday of attempted aggravated murder by detonating a pipe bomb outside his estranged wife's house.

No one was injured, but the blast sent shrapnel nearly 100 yards and damaged some of the siding on the home and parts of a neighboring apartment building.

Holycross was found guilty of six counts of attempted aggravated murder, manufacturing a destructive device, possession of a destructive device, first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and violation of a stalking protective order.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 1.

Timothy Holycross

Holycross set off the bomb at 1:20 a.m. May 19, outside the home on the 2900 block of 22nd Place in Forest Grove. Renee Holycross, 53, and a male acquaintance were inside, according to police.

He left the scene before police showed up.

A stalking order filed in Benton County bars Timothy Holycross from contact with his estranged wife, Herb said. Court records show Timothy Holycross filed for divorce in Washington County in February.

Forest Grove Police Department detectives along with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Portland Police Bureau Bomb Squad, Washington County District Attorney's Office and the Oregon State Crime Lab worked together on an investigation, eventually arresting Holycross in early June.

Everton Bailey Jr. contributed to this report.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger
The air quality of Delhi-NCR was already in the danger zone before Diwali due to pollutants from sources like vehicular emissions and burning of stubble in states like Haryana and Punjab.So the ban on cracker sale was hardly any reason to cheer.

By Parbina Purkayastha: While people welcomed the Supreme Court judgment ahead of Diwali banning sale of firecrackers in Delhi and NCR, the move achieved little success with air quality in Delhi the morning after the festival deteriorating alarmingly.

Pollution levels in sensitive areas such as Anand Vihar and Mandir Marg crossed all limits asa PM 2.5 and PM 10 was beyond 900 in these places and in other localities, pollution levels were beyond 400, which is severely hazardous. An air quality index (AQI) which shows 50-100 is good, but the AQI has risen alarmingly in most part of the capital after Diwali. The index measures concentrations of ozone, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

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Until the afternoon of the day after Diwali, busy areas of the capital were covered with smoke, making it difficult for people to open their eyes and breathe smoothly. The AQI outside the Mausam Bibhag office on Lodhi Road, which is surrounded by trees and known for its greenery, was also 500 for the better part of the day.

"The situation is pretty bad. People are complaining of a burning sensation in nose and chest congestion. Number of patients have increased suddenly in emergency departments due to intense coughing. Even though bursting of crackers has reduced, symptoms are still prevalent", said Dr Balhotra of Ganga Ram Hospital.

When India Today spoke to citizens on whether they could feel any change in the quality of air, most of them admitted that while it was difficult to breathe, it was better than the case had been in previous years.

"Let's also agree that in the earlier years, we were inhaling bad air almost a week prior to Diwali. This year, it was only for a few hours and we woke up to relatively clearer skies and roads", said Saloni Sharma, a teacher.

Doctors in most hospitals said that there was a spurt in the number of respiratory cases but the count was fewer compared to previous years.

An AQI reading recorded on Lodhi Road.

"As compared to other years, the cases recorded last evening were fewer. While there was some difference, there was heavy smog in the morning", said Dr Balhotra.

As far as cases related to the bursting of firecrackers are concerned, Delhi Police said that the difference was marginal. As many as 204 FIRs were registered this year as compared to 242 in 2016.

The air quality of Delhi-NCR was already in the danger zone before Diwali due to pollutants from other sources like vehicular emissions and burning of stubble in neighbouring states like Haryana and Punjab. On the day of Diwali this year, Delhi observed relatively noise-free evenings, which did make a little difference.

WATCH VIDEO | Despite cracker ban, Delhi sees massive increase in pollution levels after Diwali

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By PTI: Jammu, Oct 21 (PTI) Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today presented the Presidents Standard to 47th Armoured Regiment, and asked the Armed forces to be ready for security challenges on the countrys borders and in the hinterland.

Gen. Rawat, on the behalf of President Ram Nath Kovind, presented the honour to 47th Armoured Regiment at a mega function at Sunjwan Military Station in Jammu city today.

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The Standard is an award for unit heroism. It serves to inspire men and kindle the hopes of the future, and above all strengthen the bonds of allegiance towards the regiment, read an official press release here.

The 47th Armoured Regiment, also known as Penetrators, was honoured in recognition of its commendable services.

Led by Parade Commander Col. Anubhav Gairola, the Armed units presented a parade of tanks and gave salute to the Army Chief after they received the Presidents Standard.

47th Armoured Regiment was raised at Babina in Uttar Pradesh on November 15, 1982 and it was the first armoured regiment to be equipped with Russian T-72 tanks.

The regiment has served in various armoured formations in the Western, Southern, Northern and South-Western Commands during its 35 years of glorious service.

The regiment has participated in all the major operations of Indian Army including Operation Trident (1986), Operation Vijay (1999) and Operation Parakaram (2001).

During its tenure in the Northern Command from 2002-06, the regiment participated in operation Rakshak where it executed multifarious operation tasks like demining, road opening, deploying surveillance detachments and providing quick reaction teams.

Not only this, the regiment also effectively participated in internal security duties at Sonipat in Haryana during anti-Mandal Commission riots.

Speaking to the troops here, the Army chief urged them to remain ready as they are facing multifarious challenges on the security front, from ensuring safeguard of the borders to the internal security.

"Today there are various challenges before Indian Army. The challenges include security of the long borders in India, internal security and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. In all these situations, Indian Army has to be always ready," he said.

"I feel fortunate to be presenting Presidents Standard to 47th Armoured Regiment whose responsibility has increased after receiving the honour," Rawat said.

He also paid tributes to Savar Parshotam Reddy of 47th Armoured Regiment who had laid down his life in line of duty during his attachment with 27 Rashtriya Rifles in 2002-03.

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"He made the supreme sacrifice in the operation and made the Indian Army and his regiment proud of him," he said.

"The morale of the regiment is high which can be seen from your report card of participation in most important operations in the country," he said.

The Standard presentation ceremony showcases a mounted parade by the regiment on the T-72 tanks with clock-work precision.

The occasion was graced by Lt. Gen. D R Soni, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-Chief) of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) Artrac and Lt. Gen. Surinder Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Command. PTI AB ARK

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As per the release, "The foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries will co-chair the fourth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission during the visit.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, will visit Dhaka on Sunday, for a two-day official visit.

Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh confirmed the news.

"Sushma Swaraj is paying an official visit on the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali", said the press release.

As per the release, "The foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries will co-chair the fourth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission during the visit.

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It also says, Sushma is expected to meet the Bangladeshi leadership and also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry, and cultural organisations.

The release notes that it is her second visit to Bangladesh and comes soon after the state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April 2017.

"The visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh, and further strengthening of these ties," reads the release.

Earliar on October 3, Finance Minister of India, Arun Jaitley, also visited Dhaka for a 3-day official tour at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Abul Maal Abdul Muhith.

During Jaitley's visit, Bangladesh signed a $4.5 billion third Line of Credit (LoC) agreement with India.

Jaitley and Muhith jointly inaugurated a new scheme for cashless transactions in visa services run by the State Bank of India on behalf of the High Commission of India.

The two ministers of neighbouring countries also inaugurated the Dhaka representative office of the EXIM Bank of India at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on October 4.

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Trinity Episcopal Church in Bay City will observe the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles, with Choral Evensong at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. The service of Evensong is made up of hymns, prayers, scripture readings, canticles, organ music and a choral anthem. Much of the service is sung.

The Senior Choir of Trinity Church will sing the service assisted by several guests. Other participants include the Rev. Susan Rich, officiant; Bradley Wiechelman, cantor; Jett Whitehead, acolyte and lector; Nicholas Schmelter, organist, and Robert Sabourin, conductor.

Choral music includes Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B-flat by C. V. Stanford (1852-1924). The anthem is Ye Servants of God by Noble Cain (1896-1977). Stanford's canticle setting is among the most popular in the repertoire. The entire Bflat service, including canticles for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer and a Mass setting, stimulated church music when it was introduced in 1889. The anthem by Cain received wide popularity among American sacred choral programs. It is scored for SATB choir with quartet and baritone solo. Cain was active in Chicago and, at one time, served the faculty of Northwestern University.

Hymns for the service are Blessed Feasts of Blessed Martyrs (Alta Trinita Beata) harmonized by Charles Burney (1726-1814), Hearken to the Anthem Glorious (Laus Deo) by Richard Redhead (1820-1901), and Lo! What a Cloud of Witnesses (St. Fulbert) by John Gauntlett (1805-1876).

Organ music is Meditation from Trois Improvisations by Louis Vierne (1870-1937) and "Epilogue" by Healey Willan (1880-1968)

The service is open to the public and free of charge. Trinity Episcopal Church is located at 815 N. Grant Street at the intersection of Grant and Center Avenue. Barrier-free access is off the church parking lot on the building's west side. Friends of Music will host a reception following the service. For more information call 989-892-5813
Construction on the new $7 million downtown streetscape will be completed on Nov. 15, fully opening up access to Main Street.

But the project will not be completely finished. The Midland Area Community Foundation kicked off a crowd funding campaign on Wednesday with the goal of raising $50,000 to add amenities to downtown. If the community raises the full amount, the $50,000 will be matched twice -- by the community foundation and through a Michigan Economic Development Corp. grant, said Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the foundation.

Money will go toward installing two fire pits with moveable seating, six permanent checker/chess tables and 12 permanent benches downtown.

"Our 25-year-old streetscape was deteriorating, there was safety concerns, and we found there were so many new uses for downtowns in the past 25 years," said Selina Tisdale, director of community affairs for the City of Midland.

If the campaign reaches its crowd funding goal by Dec. 1, Michigan Economic Development Corp. will donate a matching grant through its Public Spaces Community Places program, Mortensen said.

The brick and mortar construction of the streetscape project was funded almost entirely by three major foundations -- the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow, Charles J. Strosacker and Rollin M. Gerstacker foundation. Another $1 million came from the Downtown Development Authority reserve funds and construction management budgets.

"We have some challenges that our foundations gave to us in getting more of our communities involved in owning their downtown and contributing to this streetscape," Tisdale said.

Donations can be made online at: www.patronicity.com/midland, sent to the Midland Area Community Foundation or taken to the foundation in person.

"The community foundation only accomplishes our goals through the support of donors, but we have a history of involving the community," Mortensen said.

A gathering space under the Poseyville Bridge will also be designed with a $100,000 donation from Dave Kepler and Bill Stavropoulos, Tisdale said.

"It is going to be an amazing addition to an already great streetscape project," Tisdale said. "It will be a new gathering space that will bring people from the East End into the core restaurant area downtown."
Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentences include other fees imposed by the state. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

The following people were sentenced recently in Midland County's 42nd Circuit Court by Judge Michael J. Beale or Judge Stephen P. Carras:

 Scott Alan Bohlman, 26, Dutch Drive, was sentenced for felonious assault. The offense occurred on April 25 in Midland. Carras sentenced Bohlman to one year in jail and the weapon used is to be forfeited.

 Daniel Neal Callan, 37, Jerome Street, was sentenced for larceny in a building and third-offense drunken driving. The offenses occurred on June 27 and May 9 in Midland. Carras sentenced Callan to 210 days in jail with credit for 95 days, $1,500 costs, five years probation in the MiHope program, to attend Tri-Cap and to a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Callan previously was convicted of drunken driving on Oct. 31, 2000, in the 75th District Court, and of impaired driving on Nov. 6, 2006, in the 74th District Court and on June 15, 2012, in the 42nd Circuit Court.

 Bryan Keith Dice, 32, Sanford, was sentenced for fourth-degree fleeing police. The offense occurred on May 2 in Jerome Township. Carras sentenced Dice to 270 days in jail with credit for 157 days, $1,250 fines and costs, five years probation in the MiHope program, not to have contact with known felons and to a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

 Christopher Warren Fitrakis, 42, Kalamazoo, was sentenced for failing to comply with the sex offender registration act and failing to comply with sex offender reporting duties. The offenses occurred on Nov. 4 in Midland. Carras sentenced Fitrakis to between 18 months and eight years in prison for the first offense, and to between 18 months and four years for the second offense, with credit for 102 days each.

 Jessy Jo Frederickson, 25, South Eight Mile Road, was sentenced for fourth-degree fleeing police. The offense occurred on June 4 in Lee Township. Carras sentenced Frederickson to one year in jail with credit for 42 days, and $1,000 fines and costs.

 Charles William Westerfield, 45, East Pine Street, was sentenced for nonsufficient funds for a check written for between $100 and $500. The offense occurred on July 11, 2016, in Midland. Beale sentenced Westerfield to 10 months in jail with credit for 148 days, $450 costs, a $500 fine which is suspended, $473.20 restitution and three years probation.
Heading into the final weeks of the 2017 Community Campaign, United Way of Midland County is reporting pledges of $3,756,512. These pledges represent 78 percent of the overall campaign goal, but United Way is counting on the community to help reach this year's goal of $4.8 million.

"We're blessed to live and work in a community that so generously rises to these challenges," said Diane Postler-Slattery, 2017 campaign chair. "However, we still have work to do to reach our goal and help everyone reach their full potential."

Many local organizations reported excellent progress this week, United Way reported.

Midland County Public Schools have pledged a total of $38,257 and counting, as pledges are continuing to roll in. Through penny wars, doughnut incentives and morning impact announcements, local schools have had fun while staying focused on how lives are impacted through United Way.

Ieuter Insurance focused on how everyone can make a difference, and that no donation is too small. Thanks to their employees' generosity, Ieuter Insurance has already exceeded its goal and reached 100 percent staff participation. Ieuter continues to host special events for United Way, such as a massage day and jeans days, and it also created an incentive for employees who increased their donation by 10 percent to be eligible to win a free vacation day.

Additionally, a number of small businesses and nonprofits have reported great increases in their campaigns through innovative fundraising events. For example, Disability Network of Mid-Michigan is inviting the community to take part in its "Give Change. For Change" fundraiser benefiting United Way on Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grab that old mason jar, check between the sofa cushions, gather up your loose change and stop by Disability Network at 1705 S. Saginaw Rd. to drop off a donation.

"Our local businesses, schools and non-profits are tremendous community advocates. They live here, work here and are integral to our community's success," said Ann Fillmore, executive director of United Way of Midland County. "Their commitment to our community is inspiring."

Every single one of us has something to offer to make our community a better place, United Way state. It said many give generously of their finances to make a difference in the lives of others, thousands turn their passion into action by serving as a volunteer and others speak in support of those who many not have a voice.

"Thank you to everyone who is working so tirelessly to support our community through United Way," Fillmore said. "Real lives are changed each and every day because of your generous support."

The 2017 Community Campaign will continue through Oct. 30. For more information, visit unitedwaymidland.org.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

Thursday, Oct. 19

9:38 a.m. -- A mailbox in the 2600 block of Isabella Street was damaged.

11:10 a.m. -- A deputy assisted Michigan State Police troopers with the investigation of a sexual assault in Mills Township.

7:24 p.m. -- Police responded to a complaint about animals in the 3200 block of Washington Street.

8:56 p.m. -- Property was stolen from the 1300 block of Glen Road.
Friday was the final day of testimony in the case of a 1991 cold case homicide, with the defendant opting not to take the stand.

Michael Todd McIntyre, 52, New Hudson, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder in connection with the homicide of Diane Ross. Ross, 43, was attacked by an assailant about 1 a.m. Aug. 7, 1991, while sleeping in her North 11 Mile Road home, just off M-20. Her killer used a broken pool cue to beat her in the head.

Defense attorney Leland Burton questioned McIntyre on the record without the jury present about his intentions to take the stand. McIntyre said he did not want to testify.

Burton also made a motion for a directed verdict, asking Midland County Circuit Court Judge Stephen P. Carras to dismiss the case. He said prosecutors had failed to produce direct evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, linking his client to the killing.

Assistant Attorney General Oronde Patterson pointed out evidence including testimony of a woman who said McIntyre told her he had hit an older woman and might have killed her, as well as testimony from another witness about an argument that Ross had on the telephone with someone. He also said a bottle of quarters collected for Ross' grandson was stolen from the home and a large number of quarters, one of which had a fingerprint of Ross' daughter, was found in McIntyre's car.

"We have a tremendous amount of other evidence in this case showing Michael McIntyre caused the death," Patterson said.

Carras denied the motion.

Patterson and Midland County Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks called several witnesses Friday -- Michigan State Police crime lab workers who tested items for fingerprints and DNA, Midland County Sheriff's Detective Brent Benzing and retired Michigan State Police Detective First Lt. David Minzey.

Minzey, who conducts violent crime scene analysis and criminal personality profiles, testified there was a tremendous amount of blunt force trauma.

"It is an attempt to make the victim answer for some perceived wrong," he said, adding it shows rage and is indicative of a male in his late teens or early 20s.

The assault to the face suggests some finer relationship between the victim and the attacker, Minzey said. He also said there might be a pretense of the victim owing the attacker something, or the victim got between the attacker and something he wanted.

"Whoever was involved in this assault and the victim knew one another," Minzey said, adding robbery would have been low on the list of motives for the attacker.

Closing statements in the case are planned for Monday.
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By PTI: Toronto, Oct 21 (PTI) People living in developing countries might struggle with rising cases of inflammatory bowel disease due to increasing industrialisation, warns a study published in The Lancet journal.

IBD affects over 0.3 per cent of the population in North America and Europe.

"IBD is a modern disease, growing in prevalence in North America, Europe and Australia since the 1950s," said Gilaad Kaplan, an associate professor at University of Calgary in Canada.

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Researchers found that as countries in Asia, South America and the Middle East have become industrialised, IBD has emerged and its incidence is rising dramatically.

At the turn of the 21st century, it became a global disease, researchers said.

"Over the past 100 years, the incidence of IBD in western countries has climbed and then plateaued," said Gilaad Kaplan, an associate professor at University of Calgary in Canada.

"Our research shows that countries outside the western world now appear to be in the first stage of this sequence," Kaplan said.

Researchers studied data from all population-based studies reporting on the incidence or prevalence of IBD since 1990.

"As newly industrialised countries become more westernised, we can clearly see that the incidence of IBD is also rapidly rising," said Siew Ng, PhD, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

As IBD becomes a global problem, researchers are hopeful that a co-ordinated solution to prevent and treat IBD around the world could be possible.

"Future research should focus on identifying environmental risk factors observed during the early stages of industrialisation," Ng said. PTI APA UZM

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NORMAL  OSF HealthCare marked its planned expansion into north Normal by praying, delivering brief remarks and turning spades filled with dirt on Friday afternoon.

A groundbreaking ceremony for OSF's $5 million medical office building took place at 1765 Bradford Lane with about 70 representatives of OSF, the town of Normal, building owner Cullinan Properties Ltd., and the McLean County Chamber of Commerce attending.

OSF representatives noted that work already had begun.

"The site utilities are nearly 100 percent complete, the foundation is nearly complete and next Monday we'll begin work on underground utilities within the building," Cullinan Senior Project Manager Kyle Essex told The Pantagraph after the ceremony. Cullinan, which will own the building and lease it to OSF, plans to have the building enclosed Dec. 15 and complete in mid-June, Essex said.

"We plan to open the building in July," said Tracy Pogue, OSF vice president of ambulatory integration and development.

The goal of the 13,125-square-foot building is to serve an area that is medically underserved, Pogue said.

Advocate BroMenn Medical Center is 3 miles to the south. The closest OSF facility is OSF HealthCare Center for Health at Fort Jesse, which is 4 miles to the southeast.

"We looked at our patient demographics and many patients come to OSF facilities from this area," said Dr. Lamont Tyler, OSF regional director for specialty physician practices. OSF hopes to serve those patients closer to their homes while attracting new patients, said Tyler and Dr. Richard Ginnetti, OSF regional director for primary care physician practices.

"We're trying to improve access for patients," Ginnetti said.

The building, in Constitution Trail Centre northeast of Main Street and Raab Road, will include primary care provided by four patient care teams, with each consisting of a physician, nurse, advance-practice nurse and medical office assistant. A behavioral health specialist also will see patients there, Ginnetti said.

The building will include 24 patient exam rooms, a PromptCare clinic, patient case management space, a conference room, X-ray, lab and waiting room.

After the building is fully operational, about 30 full-time employees will work there, Ginnetti said. Some will relocate from other OSF facilities; some will be new hires, he said.

"We need state-of-the-art facilities like this to recruit (medical) providers," Ginnetti said.

OSF PromptCare at 1701 E. College Ave., Bloomington, will move to Bradford Lane, making room in the former PromptCare space for expanded podiatry and orthopedics, Tyler said.

"Accessibility to health care is very important to the success of our town," said Normal City Council member Jeff Fritzen.

Not only will the facility meet health care needs in north Normal but it also will continue the area's development, which includes the opening last July of the Radisson Hotel and the planned opening early next year of Sky Zone, City Manager Mark Peterson said.

Fritzen noted that OSF's groundbreaking came during the same week when OSF confirmed that it wants to build a $25 million, 51,000-square-foot medical office building on the OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center campus, 2200 E. Washington St., Bloomington.
BLOOMINGTON  Five years after telling the story of Abraham Lincoln's ascent from lawyer to politician, Guy Fraker wants readers to see what he saw while writing it.

"I traveled those 14 counties (of the 8th Judicial Circuit, where Lincoln practiced), including a lot of the roads Lincoln used, said Fraker of writing his first book, "Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency." "I decided to help people get on those roads, enjoy the landscape and see the story of Lincoln up close.

The result is Fraker's new book, "Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: A Guide to Lincoln's Eighth Judicial Circuit," out this fall.

Like his first book, "Looking for Lincoln in Illinois" is available through Southern Illinois University Press, but the books are otherwise very different, said Fraker, of Bloomington. In fact, he hopes readers who enjoy one will seek out the other.

"I would think anybody who gets this book would be interested in learning more about the subject matter," Fraker said, "and people who have read the first book will be interested in seeing these pictures and places.

The new book includes 94 photos of the circuit as well as maps and directions to help readers re-create Lincoln's travels. Though a full trip around the circuit is hundreds of miles long, the book breaks it down into bite-sized chunks.

None of the roads are highways. Theyre all back roads, and about two-thirds of them are the same roads Lincoln used," said Fraker. "Theres a road from Urbana to Danville thats never been paved, and you can almost feel the presence of Lincoln.

Fraker, a retired attorney, is traveling the state to promote the book, including a lecture 7 p.m. Tuesday at the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington.

Central Illinois is not only historical because of its impact on Lincoln, but its a very interesting place we should enjoy more," he said. "These roads take you to interesting places and scenes you wouldn't ordinarily see.
Senate intelligence committee investigators have spoken with several Russians who attended a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr., a sign that the matter remains a significant focus for lawmakers looking into potential coordination between Trump associates and Kremlin-linked operatives during the presidential campaign.

Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, told CNN that the panel has interviewed some of the Russians who were at that meeting, which Trump Jr. attended after being promised dirt on the Clinton campaign and being informed that the Russian government wanted his father to win the presidency. Paul Manafort, who was then the Trump campaign chairman, along with the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting.

The intelligence committee has previously met with both Kushner and Manafort, but has not yet brought in Trump Jr. Burr said the committee is "sequencing" its interviews to speak with everyone else "involved in the meeting before we know exactly what we want from Don Jr."

Burr, R-North Carolina, would not say which Russians, or how many, investigators have spoken with. Committee officials declined to comment further.

At the same time, a second Senate panel, the judiciary committee, which met privately with Trump Jr. last month, is trying to finalize plans to bring the President's son in for a public hearing -- something one committee source said could happen as soon as this month.

Eight people attended the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, including British music publicist Rob Goldstone, as well as four people present as part of the Russian contingent: Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, translator Anatoli Samochornov and Ike Kaveladze, who works for the Russian oligarch who initiated the meeting.

CNN reported earlier this month that Akhmetshin was added the morning of the meeting at the request of Veselnitskaya, who wanted him present because of his knowledge about the Magnitsky Act -- US sanctions that Moscow wants lifted -- according to an email exchange between Veselnitskaya and Goldstone.

Veselnitskaya's talking points for the meeting obtained by CNN show her focus was on the sanctions -- a matter of significant interest to the Kremlin -- with only a passing mention to the Clinton campaign.

But emails leading up to the meeting between Trump Jr. and Goldstone paint a different picture.

"The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father," Goldstone wrote.

"I love it," Trump Jr. responded.

Representatives for the Russians at the Trump Tower meeting either declined or did not respond to requests to comment.

Trump Jr. has downplayed the matter. The President's son said Veselnitskaya began the meeting by talking about "individuals connected to Russia" who were funding Clinton but she provided no details the support those claims, and the bulk of the meeting focused on the Magnitsky Act.

"To the extent they had information concerning the fitness, character or qualifications of a presidential candidate, I believed that I should at least hear them out," Trump Jr. said in a statement to the Senate judiciary committee.

Investigation close to finished?

The June 2016 meeting is one focus of the Senate intelligence committee probe, as lawmakers continue to search for any links between Trump associates and Russians tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some Republicans on the panel, like Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, believe the committee is close to reaching a dead end on the issue of collusion.

"The whole Russia thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election," Trump said at the White House this week, as he has in many past instances. "There has been absolutely no collusion. It's been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it because I think the American public is sick of it."

But Democrats say there is far more to investigate -- including the circumstances around the Trump Tower meeting. And the senators want to bring Kushner, along with Manafort, back to Capitol Hill for another round of questioning.

"The members of the committee have not even had a chance to talk to the vast majority of those individuals, and we could tick through those names -- you know the names as well as I," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chairman of the committee, said Thursday. "We're going to, again, let the facts take us where the truth leads."

Burr said the committee is making progress but did not say if he agreed with Risch that the investigation is at a point of "diminishing returns."

"The list of folks that we have to talk to is smaller than it was when we started," Burr told CNN. "It'll be over when we finish. And so -- and so there's no chunking of people off the list because we see a pattern as to what the final product looks like."

He added, "We have a responsibility to check to check everybody that might have any information that's pertinent to the areas that we're looking at. We're not going to stop until we've seen all of them."

CNN's Pamela Brown contributed to this report.
SPRINGFIELD (AP)  Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has outlined more than $200 million in cuts it wants to make to Illinois' new budget, including to human services, agriculture programs and transportation.

The cuts were presented in materials Rauner's budget office gave to legislative caucuses.

Democratic Rep. Greg Harris of Chicago said the cuts include $89 million to human services programs, including autism services, after-school programming, and immigrant and refugee services.

Harris questioned the governor's priorities. Harris noted that many of the programs with cuts are those that the governor has repeatedly targeted over the years.

"It's the usual list of things he has tried to zero out each time he gets the chance," Harris said. "While I am glad he did not totally eliminate them this time, it's the same groups and same programs that are critical investments for the state."

Rauner spokeswoman Patty Schuh said the governor was obligated to make the cuts.

"The governor received a budget $1.7 billion out of balance and has to take action where possible to begin reducing that structural imbalance," she said.

Other cuts include $85 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation, $41 million to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and $21 million to the Department of Agriculture.

Rauner's administration said more cuts will need to be made, because the budget is still $1.5 billion out of balance.
"Usually it's like people running through poppy fields or whatevernobody actually does that. We were aiming for something honest," Jake Gylenhaal offers when explaining how he, Liya Kebede and 4-year-old Leila (along with It director Cary Fukunaga) arrived at the concept for the just-released video for the latest Calvin Klein Eternity fragrance. It features the nuclear family in a beach house, with waves lapping outside, lazing on minimalist furniture repeating stanzas of e.e. cummings' "i carry your heart with me" poem to each other; not a poppy in sight. The print campaign in turn was shot by Willy Vanderperre and signals the first foray of Raf Simons into the beauty and fragrance arm of Calvin Klein, where he notably has control over all iterations of the brand.

Calvin Klein created Eternity in 1988 to conjure a mood of family and permanence ( after his go-go '70s and '80s, he was focusing on the familial bond and togetherness, albeit one most likely ensconced within spotless ecru walls and greige upholstery). Jake, Liya, and Leila join the likes of Ed Burns and Christy Turlington (who with a rotating cast of male models was the original face as well as through the '90s up to last year) in the pantheon of Eternity. But this new iteration feels like something of a turn to be sure. For starters, the mixed family is a first for Eternity and Halley's-Comet-rare for a global fragrance campaign, certainly with the presence of a behemoth like CK. Also, the inclusion of the e.e. cummings piece in the story, though not a direct decision of Simons' (Gyllenhaal explains they arrived at it during filming to see what Leila responded to) it feels very in keeping with Simons' fascination with post-war American iconography and pathos (though my heart is a mostly earnest love poem, less the horror film fare he proposed for his fantastic spring show).

It was also not lost on the small audience gathered at a SoHo hotel for a preview last night that Jake's role as doting (and achingly well-lit) hot-dad-on-his-day-off in the campaign couched rather neatly with the latest dad-watch industrial complex fixation on his recent comments in a People Magazine interview where he (rather benignly) hinted at his desire to have a family of his own some day. If that wasn't some kind of incredibly cynical sub-marketing move on the Stronger actors' part, than the latest campaign at least shows that he's more than ready to play the part, e.e. cummings or otherwise (if he has anymore fragrance campaigns in the future, might we suggest cummings "i like my body when it is with your [body]").
Saturday Link Love is a feature where I collect and post links to various articles Ive come upon over the past week. Feel free to share any interesting articles youve come along as well! The more the merrier.

The Danger of President Pence, on The New YorkerHe just inhabits a different reality. Its very difficult for him to lay aside the social agenda. Hes a zealot.

The Orphan I Adopted from Uganda Already Had a Family, on CNNOnce, someone suggested that I just not tell anyone what she had told us. Other times, I was told that it was my Christian duty to keep her and raise her in the proper faith.'

I Have Been Raped by Far Nicer Men than You, on The RootNah, thats just my dude Milton, he responded, as if this man hadnt made himself known to me.

The Myth of Judeo-Christian Values, on the Stonekettle StationThere is it, Judeo-Christian values. Undefined. Unexplained. Unspecific.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 21 (PTI) The Congress and the NCP slammed the MNS for forcibly evicting illegal hawkers from a railway bridge and claimed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is "hand-in-gloves" with the Raj Thackeray-led party.

"The Chief Minister was well aware of the threats given by Raj Thackeray and given his track record, the chief minister should have ordered the round up of MNS workers before their given deadline ended.

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"But, the CM is hand-in-gloves with the MNS and hence, North Indians are allowed to be tortured," Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters here.

He added that the government has failed to enforce the Street Vendors Act, which seeks to protect hawkers.

"Had they enforced it, there would have been a survey done and illegal street vendors would have automatically been evicted by law. However, the chief minister is protecting goondaism," he said.

"The CM should take action against MNS workers or the Congress will hold protests to protect the rights of street vendors," Nirupam added.

Thackeray had on October 5 met railway officials and had submitted a list of issues related to Mumbai locals with a deadline of 15 days.

"If things dont get better, we will see," Thackeray had said.

NCP leader Dhananjay Munde questioned if the "violence" by MNS workers was in connivance with the Chief Minister.

"What Raj Thackerays party workers did can be analysed later. The first question is what has the government done after 23 people lost their lives on Elphinstone bridge. Was responsibility fixed on those responsible," the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council questioned.

"The Chief Minister keeping silent despite a threat by Raj Thackeray and now his men indulging in violence raises a doubt and makes us question if there is connivance between both of them," he added.

A group of activists claiming to be affiliated to the MNS today drove away more than two dozen illegal hawkers from a railway bridge in Thane.

Around 25 activists descended on the Satis bridge this morning and evicted the hawkers, numbering about two dozens, who were selling their wares there. PTI MM RMT BAS

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Patna: Heavy damage was incurred when a fire broke out in a building on Ashok Rajpath across from the B. N. College on Thursday morning gutting a furniture store on the ground floor while also causing severe smoke and water damage to other shops and residences in the building.

As reported, the fire apparently started in the furniture shop and before it could even be noticed, flame spread fast across the shop soon engulfing other business establishments in the premises. Realizing the danger, people living in the building hurriedly evacuated it promptly.

More than a dozen fire trucks were brought in to battle the blaze and after more than an hour, the situation was finally brought under control.

The damage in the furniture store alone was said to be in several crores.

Authorities are investigating the cause of fire though once again, it is said it was caused by an electrical short circuit in the furniture shop.

No one was said to be hurt in the incident.
Secretary Tillerson says Europe can do business with Iran

10/20/17

Source: Press TV

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the US is not opposed to European countries doing business with Iran, contradicting President Donald Trump's belligerent rhetoric against Tehran. Tillerson's remarks in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday came one week after Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal and left its fate to the US Congress.



Iran-European Union relations



"The president's been pretty clear that it's not his intent to interfere with business deals that the Europeans may have under way with Iran," Tillerson told the Journal.



Trump has threatened a "total termination" of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran unless Congress tightens sanctions on the country, which could make business with Tehran even harder.



Since the implementation of the deal, international banks have avoided handling Iran-related transactions for fear of falling foul of complicated US regulations.



Trump, which took office a year after the Iran accord came into force, has consistently voiced strong opposition to the deal. According to Iranian officials, Trump warned European businesses against dealing with Iran during the G20 summit in Germany in July.



The other parties - the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China - say they remain committed to the nuclear deal and are opposed to a re-imposition of sanctions on Iran.



European trade with Iran has surged since the nuclear deal went into effect in January 2016, but many companies appear to be having second thoughts about business with the Islamic Republic.



In his interview, Tillerson purportedly addressed those worries, saying that Trump was not opposed to their Iran dealings.



"He's said it clearly: 'That's fine. You guys do what you want to do," the Journal quoted the top US diplomat as saying.



Tillerson, however, said little about the fate of Boeing contracts to sell passenger planes to Iran or General Electric's agreements to sell equipment and technologies to Iran's energy sector.



Boeing reached an agreement with Iran Air in December for 80 aircraft valued at $16.6 billion, based on list prices. Iranian officials have said the deal's value is closer to $8 billion.



Iran Air CEO Farzaneh Sharafbafi maintained last week that the aircraft order was still safe even if the US left the nuclear deal.



Trump alone cannot actually terminate the agreement but withdrawal by the US would render it virtually meaningless.



Speaking at a conference in Moscow on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed any unilateral change to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the nuclear accord is called.



Lavrov said any unilateral changes to the deal "could bury this agreement, which is vital for strategic stability and nuclear non-proliferation."
Iranian General Reportedly Played Key Role In Swift Takeover Of Iraq's Kirkuk

10/21/17

Source: RFE/RL

A top Iranian military commander traveled to northern Iraq to urge Kurdish leaders to withdraw from Kirkuk in a move that Kurdish officials said played an important role in enabling Iraq's government to swiftly retake control of the city from Kurds this week.



Major General Qassem Soleimani

(Source: Aseman magazine)

Kurdish lawmakers said Major-General Qassem Soleimani, commander of foreign operations for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, met leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish political parties in Iraq and an ally of Tehran, in the city of Sulaimania the day before Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on Kirkuk.



Reuters reported that Soleimani told the Kurdish leaders that their Peshmerga forces would not be able to beat Abadi's troops, which had backing from the West and regional powers Iran and Turkey. He also warned them to withdraw from Kirkuk or risk losing Tehran's support, Reuters said.



The Iranian general reminded the lawmakers about late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's harsh putdown of a Kurdish rebellion in 1991, Reuters quoted the Kurdish political leaders as saying.



"Soleimani's visit...was to give a last-minute chance for the decision makers not to commit a fatal mistake," Reuters quoted one PUK lawmaker as saying.



Ala Talabani, a leading PUK official, said the Iranian general only provided what she described as "wise" counsel in his meetings with Kurdish leaders.



"Soleimani advised us ... that Kirkuk should return to the law and the constitution, so let us come to an understanding," she said on the Arabic language TV station al-Hadath.



Kurdish Peshmerga commanders have accused Iran of orchestrating the Shi'ite-led Iraqi central government's push to retake control over Kirkuk and other areas that came under Kurdish control when the Peshmerga ousted Islamic State militants from the region in recent years.



Iranian officials have denied the accusation.



Reuters quoted an official close to Iranian President Hassan Rohani as saying that the move by Kurdish leaders to hold a referendum on independence, which was resoundingly approved in their northern automonous region and areas around Kirkuk last month, had prompted worries in Tehran that Baghdad would permanently lose control of the critical oil fields around Kirkuk.



Abadi rejected the Kurdish independence referendum as illegal and launched a campaign to retake control of Kirkuk, which fell quickly to Iraqi government forces on October 16 after less than expected resistance from Peshmerga forces.



Soleimani's role in the struggle over Kirkuk emerged as the two main Kurdish parties in northern Iraq cast blame on each other for their devastating loss of the city.



The Iranian general has become a well-known presence in Iraq, often seen in television footage from the frontlines in battles against IS, where he served as an adviser to Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces that Tehran funds and arms.



Soleimani in his visit with Kurdish leaders apparently exploited a division between the two main Kurdish parties over both the referendum and the crisis in Kirkuk, which the Kurds consider to be the heart of their homeland.



Before the referendum, the PUK had accused its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), of putting Kurds at risk of Baghdad's military intervention by pushing too hard for the independence vote.



Soleimani at that time warned PUK leaders that a vote on secession -- which Iran feared would encourage its own Kurdish population to agitate for greater autonomy -- would be risky.



On October 6, barely a week after the vote, Soleimani attended the funeral of PUK leader Jalal Talabani.









Qassem Soleimani at the funeral of PUK leader Jalal Talabani



Iranian officials told Reuters that Soleimani met with PUK leaders after Talibani's funeral and urged them to withdraw from Kirkuk, saying that in exchange Tehran would protect their interests.



An Iraqi intelligence source confirmed to Reuters that Soleimani played a role in convincing PUK leaders not to resist Baghdad's advance on Kirkuk.



The KDP afterwards accused the PUK of betraying the Kurdish cause by capitulating to Iran and striking a deal to withdraw.



Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, who heads the KDP, blamed the PUK for the swift fall of Kirkuk, saying the evacuation of the city was forced by "certain people in a certain party."



The Peshmerga command, which reports to Barzani, said that Peshmerga divisions that were loyal to the PUK abandoned their positions as the Iraqi government forces advanced on Kirkuk. It accused the PUK of "a great and historic treason" -- a charge the PUK strongly denied.



With reporting by AP and Reuters
Mr Kwaku Kwarteng, the Deputy Minister of Finance, says Government is willing to provide the enabling environment to improve insurance performance by facilitating the regulator; National Insurance Commission, to promote research into the insurance business.



He said the industry should, therefore, position itself to benefit from government policy interventions and the huge opportunities that existed in the agricultural, manufacturing, real estate and telecommunications sectors to expand the frontiers of economic growth and stability in Ghana.



Mr Kwarteng said this in a speech read on his behalf at the First General Insurance Conference 2017 in Accra, on the theme: Transforming the General Insurance Industry in Ghana through Self-Regulation, Financial Capacity and Business Innovation.



Mr Kwarteng said the theme was no doubt in conformity with governments objective to improving the reach and depth of financial services delivery.



He commended the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) and the General Insurance Council for instituting the Annual National General Insurance Conference.



He said business innovation was one of the useful tools at the disposal of insurance companies for improving performance adding that new ideas would have to be implemented and new products developed to meet changing needs.



Mr Kwarteng said the current insurance penetration rate of two per cent was below the African average of 3.5 per cent and the figure, in respect of General Insurance, could even be lower.



The Insurance Act, 2006 (Act 724) mandates the National Insurance Commission to undertake sustained and methodical public education on insurance to improve insurance penetration, he said.



He said the GIA had a fundamental responsibility to self-police and deal with rogues in the industry and ensure that members did what was right in order to prevent undue interference from the regulator.



He expressed the hope that conference deliberations would not only serve as a means of fully utilising the advantages of self-regulation and building financial capacity but also provide the platform for discussing topical issues on insurance in general.



Mr Kwarteng said: The Insurance Industry has provided employment opportunities and more importantly, its traditional role of risk management has provided financial security to businesses and families.



He said governments focus on economic management, through private sector-led production, could not be achieved without the development of the insurance sector.



Mr Kwame Ofori, the Second Vice President and Chairman of General Insurance Council, said it was worthy to note that the GIA had embarked on a number of self-regulation measures, one of which was the three-tier customer complaints management system, which has the insurance company as the first point of call, thereafter, the GIA and then the National Insurance Commission.



He said the GIA at its AGM resolved to address undercutting through self-regulation and that the mode was presently being worked.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana, unlike many African nations such as Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, may not have experienced civil war since independence in 1957 but one thing for sure is that the country is fighting a war which is as serious as a civil war, and that is the fight against the canker of corruption.



This war, if not exaggerating, can be likened to the fight against famine in nations like Somalia, natural disaster in South East Asia, among others.



Corruption remains a major socio-economic canker facing the country, stifling its efforts towards providing a decent livelihood for all its citizens.



The absence of civil war means Ghanaians have not had to flee their country in their numbers overnight to other nations to seek shelter as refugees, and experience the harsh conditions associated with being a refugee.



But there are harsh conditions they equally face from the corruption war, which is arguably one of the reasons for poor service delivery in many institutions, particularly those owned by the state.



Each year, millions of Ghana cedis of taxpayers hard-earned cash are reportedly siphoned by a few individuals who see the act of occupying a public office as a lucrative means to create, loot and share the states resources entrusted to them.



One area where corruption or fraud against the state has flourished over the years has been in the field of procurement.



The field of procurement within Ghana has also been identified as one with no licensing and strong sanctions regime, hence the growing impunity with which procurement processes are abused, especially in the public sector.



In the words of Information Minister Mustapha Hamid, It is generally agreed that the biggest source of wastage is through public procurement.



According to Professor Douglas Boateng, Board Chairman of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), procurement accounts for about 70 percent of all government of Ghanas spending per annum.



Nature Of Public Procurement



Procurement activities, particularly in government circles done mostly on single or sole-sourcing basis, have reportedly been associated with massive fraud against the country by a handful of individuals who are fortunate to occupy top positions in a government of the day.



Cronies and party faithful, friends and loved ones are reportedly mostly preferred when it comes to the award of procurement contracts, even if on technical grounds they are not qualified for such contracts.



Cases



Some of the recent cases include the GH3.6 million Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus rebranding deal, the $510 million Ameri energy deal.



The Ameri energy deal, according to a report by the committee tasked by the Energy Ministry, was over-priced by $150 million, while the Smarttys bus branding deal, on the other hand, was reportedly overpriced by GH1.5 million.



In 2015, a total of 10 persons, including the Pharmacy Director of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Elizabeth Bruce, were interdicted over alleged procurement-related malpractices which revealed the misappropriation of GH946,574.29 at the Pharmacy Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.



The forensic audit into the operations of the pharmacy department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was commissioned by the then Health Minister, Sherry Ayittey, and it revealed that bad procurement processes and collusion by suppliers were used in misappropriating the amount.



Such misappropriations are considered a rip-off of the state, and they, to a large extent, deny the masses the needed social amenities.



In some instances, service quality in some institutions, including health facilities, have reportedly been poor simply due to misappropriations.



Need For Reforms



The high level of corruption and its constant link to procurement and supply chain activities has given rise to the need for reforms of the procurement profession in Ghana.



There have also been calls for the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), an institution that oversees states departments, ministries and agencies procurement processes, to be repositioned to enable it truly fight fraud within the sector.



With the right partners, the government of Ghana must accelerate procurement-related human capital development, especially within the public sector, Prof Boateng urged.



Prof Boateng has predicted that procurement shall become one of the most important functional instruments for industrialisation and socio-economic development in emerging economies like Ghana by 2025.



CIPS Joins



On October 9, 2017, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Ghana opened its Ghana bureau at Labone, a suburb of Accra, as a testament of its preparedness to help professionalise procurement in the country.



Stella Addo is CIPS Country Manager in Ghana, and she stressed that with the high spate of wastage of state resources through public procurement, there was the need for some key policy reforms going forward.



Sanctions and Licensing regime



Among the policy reforms CIPS  a UK-based global professional body for procurement and supply chain management  is advocating in Ghana are a comprehensive and strong licensing regime for procurement professionals.



CIPS Ghana is also advocating for a strong sanctions regime which should include the revocation of licenses to be issued to such professionals in the event that they misconduct themselves in the course of discharging their professional duties.



What we want to add on in terms of what we are doing is that we want to move to the extent that we get our members professionally trained and licensed; thats the next level that CIPS coming to Ghana is going to work to move at simply there is a lot of malpractices going on, there is a lot of misprocurements, there is a lot of people who are not doing things professionally, she told DAILY GUIDE.



And we believe that first they have to be professionally trained, we have to know that we have the right people in the right places doing the procurements.



So we will be doing a lot of stakeholder meetings and finding out from both in the MMDAs and things what are their qualification levels and what are their skills and experiences, she stated.



Madam Addo added, Those who have already done our courses, then we can now license them and then after the licensing if anybody misbehaves we can revoke the license.



Those who dont have the CIPS qualification, we will find out the level of education that they have done and then we also have switch-wish courses which we call corporate awards which CIPS runs.



She explained that we have to make sure that are the right people with the right skills are working at the MMDAs.



CIPS has about 800 members in Ghana and several technical university students are being brought on board to boost the professionalisation drive of the organisation.



Why Sanctions And License?



CIPS Ghana is of the strong view that the absence of a sanctions and licensing regimes is greatly to blame for the misprocurements and alleged fraud in the sector, thus, stemming the tide requires introducing sanctions.



Review



CIPS has also called for the review of the current Public Procurement Act, Act, 2003 (Act 663) to ensure that the needed measures are put in place.



Thus, with procurement reportedly contributing significantly to the wastage, it is becoming more and more important to stem the tide.



Govts Response



Apparently in response to the numerous calls for reforming the procurement sector due to the plentiful of allegations of fraud, President Akufo-Addo upon assuming power in 2017, appointed Ghanas first ever Procurement Minister, Sarah Adwoa Safo, whose responsibility is to ensure proper value for money procurement. Madam Safo has been working to ensure accountability in procurement processes within the public sector, and has with the support of cabinet directed that public procurement exceeding GH50 million should be forwarded to the president for approval.



An expert in procurement law has, therefore, been nominated to take care of the business of fleecing the state through public procurement, Mr Hamid stated while trying to justify the appointment of Madam Safo at the time.



With the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration desire to pursue industrialisation vigorously under its one-district one-factory policy and the provision of many pro-poor policies such as the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative, Deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng, underscored that it has become necessary for the state to reduce revenue leakages and wastage.



But, CIPS strongly believes to achieve success in fighting the procurement-related frauds requires a licensing and sanction regime, one thing government has not been able to do.



Madam Stella Addo with Duncan Brock, CIPS Fellow and Director at the commissioning of the office in Labone



Madam Addo displaying to DAILY GUIDE a book on the global standard for procurement and supply

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The driver of the gas truck which was involved in the Atomic Gas explosion in Accra Ussif, has died.



The Chiarman of the Gas Tanker Drivers Association, Shafiu Mohammed, confirmed his death in a telephone interview with peacefmonline.com.



According to Mr. Mohammed, the drivers were in a meeting at Kpone in the Greater Accra Region yesterday, Thursday, 19th October when Ussif asked for water to quench his thirst.



"After drinking the water, he immediately collapsed and we rushed him to the Kpone General Hospital where the doctor pronounced him dead.



Shafiu Mohammed could not however reveal the cause of the drivers demise.



About six people have perished following the gas explosion that occurred at Atomic Junction in Accra on Saturday.

This was confirmed by the Deputy Public Relations Officer of Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Billy Anaglatey.



As we speak, six people died due to this fire, he said, adding that about 35 others sustained various degrees of injury.



It is unclear whether all the six died from burns, following reports that a vehicle knocked two students down as people run for their lives.



A report is yet to be made public after Preliminary investigations into the gas explosions that hit two fuel stations at Atomic Junction in Accra were concluded by the Ghana National Fire Service.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A half dozen people, including a Catholic priest, were arrested at today's protests against the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline in Lancaster County, say protestors.

Ann Neumann, spokeswoman with Lancaster Against Pipelines, said the arrests occurred around 3 p.m. during a non-violent gathering of about 60 protestors on land owned by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, a religious community, at the site of the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline construction in West Hempfield Township.

Lancaster Against Pipelines protest. @PennLive pic.twitter.com/eGi6DbIC9C

-- Mark Palczewski (@Mark22Photos)

Brett Hambright, spokesman for the Lancaster district attorney's office, said the six protestors - four men and two women - were first warned to vacate an easement area. After a few minutes, the six remained and were arrested. They were placed in zip ties and taken to the state police barracks for processing. None were among the 23 people arrested at the site Oct. 16.

They were released by about 6:30 pm., and will be mailed summons for their next court appearance, he said.

The interaction with police was peaceful and the individuals were cooperative, Hambright said. Names will of those charged were not going to be released today, he said.

The protestors arrested were blocking access by pipeline workers to the road to the Catholic sisters' field, which is the same site where 23 people were arrested Monday, Neumann said.

"Our objective was to stop construction to bring awareness that this pipeline is completely unnecessary and the sisters have a lawsuit against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that says this pipeline violates their religious freedom, their deeply held religious beliefs," Neumann said.

After the arrests, construction workers began working, she said.

Today, protestors gathered for a morning church service before efforts to stop construction.

Lancaster Against Pipelines gathering in West Hempfield Twp, Lancaster County. @PennLive pic.twitter.com/rvtryZAYOB  Mark Palczewski (@Mark22Photos) October 21, 2017

The Catholic order of nuns is suing the federal agency that approved the project, along with Williams Partners LP, the Oklahoma company building the pipeline to transport gas from the Marcellus Shale region of the state.

A federal judge ruled Oct. 13 that the construction could start, even those the sisters' lawsuit is still pending.

"We have been given no choice by this corporation and its allies, our government, but civil disobedience. We are afraid to put our bodies between this construction equipment and our future," she said.

Lancaster Against Pipelines is asking the attorney general to step in with an injunction to halt construction until the sisters' lawsuit is decided.

Christopher Stockton, Williams Partners spokesman, issued this statement Saturday:

We respect the rights of people to protest, but our focus remains on constructing this important, federally-approved infrastructure in a safe, efficient manner. We will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local authorities to ensure protestors and our employees are protected during the construction process.

This vital project will deliver economic growth and help millions of Americans gain access to affordable Pennsylvania-produced, clean-burning natural gas. In fact, the construction of this project is resulting in a $1.6 billion increase in economic activity and directly or indirectly supporting about 8,000 jobs. That is why this project has received tremendous support from thousands of Pennsylvanians who recognize the value of energy infrastructure to the economic future of the state. Sufficient access to affordable natural gas supplies keeps our energy costs low and supports thousands of good-paying jobs, in addition to helping America lead the world in combatting climate change.

While there are some who broadly challenge the value of natural gas, the truth is the growth in natural gas production has helped the U.S. become more energy independent, while reducing its carbon emissions more than virtually any other nation in the world. Thanks to American-made natural gas, U.S. CO2 emissions have plummeted to 20-year lows, providing the reliability and flexibility need to supplement the growth of more renewable energy sources.

On Monday, protestors were arrested after blocking movement of a backhoe to stop the start of construction on the land owned by a Catholic order of nuns.

After the arrests, work began on construction of the gas pipeline began on land about a mile south of Route 30.

The last person arrested in the Oct. 16 protest was charged today after being identified, Lancaster Online reports. He wasn't immediately arrested because he had been taken to a hospital for breathing issues. They were charged with defiant criminal trespass, and most were released on their own recognizance or unsecured bail.
A state Senate committee has approved a legislative amendment that would bar children on the state's CHIP program from getting coverage for transgender heath care services.

The bill, HB 1388, was introduced into the House in May with the intention of re-authorizing the CHIP program before it expires in December. The program provides healthcare coverage to children of low-income Pennsylvanian families.

But the bill's path took a contentious turn this week after Sen. Donald White, R-Indiana County, added an amendment that would prohibit the program from covering gender re-assignment surgery or gender transition services, including outpatient hospital visits, counseling, and prescription drugs.

The amendment was approved by the Senate's Banking and Insurance Committee, which White chairs, in a 14-1 vote on Wednesday. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate Appropriations committee.

On Friday evening, in a phone interview, Sen. Lawrence Farnese, D-Philadelphia said the amendment was discriminatory and tainted an important bill that would otherwise have bipartisan support. Farnese was the sole dissenting senator in Wednesday's vote.

"In Pennsylvania, right now, we still discriminate against people for who they love," Farnese said. "We should not take the next step and discriminate against children for who they are."

Farnese said he is hopeful the amendment will be stripped from the bill before it's finalized.

White, the amendment's author, did not respond to a message left with aides on Friday afternoon.

In a statement posted Thursday on his website, White stressed that state funds should not support transgender health services.

"It is completely inappropriate to use state funds to pay for sex change operations for children," White stated. "I believe that is a position that is strongly endorsed by a vast majority of Pennsylvanians."

The bill, prior to White's amendment, passed the House in a 194-0 vote in June.

The following senators voted to approve the bill, as amended, on Wednesday:

Sen. Donald White, R-Indiana County

Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Blair County

Sen. Joseph Scarnati, R-Jefferson County

Sen. Thomas Killion, R-Delaware County

Sen. Daniel Laughlin, R-Erie County

Sen. Thomas McGarrigle, R-Chester County

Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Allegheny County

Sen. Elder Vogel, R-Beaver County

Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County

Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming County

Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia

Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton County

Sen. James Brewster, D-Allegheny County

Sen. Christine Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia

CHIP provides coverage to 175,000 Pennsylvania children.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected. HB 1388 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, not the House Appropriations Committee.
WILLIAMSPORT -- A sophomore pre-med student's contention that two Penn State administrators should be held in contempt for trying to circumvent a federal judge's order is meritless and should be denied, the university says.

The student identified as John Doe remains fully enrolled at Penn State and will be until the Aug. 18 order of Judge Matthew W. Brann is modified or lifted, the university stated Friday in its response to the contempt motion filed in U.S. Middle District Court.

Doe contends Danny Shaha, interim assistant vice president for student affairs, and Karen Feldbaum, interim director of the Office of Student Conduct, should be found in contempt of the August order.

He cites a Sept. 25 email from Shaha notifying him that a Title IX panel's June finding that he violated the Student Code of Conduct and the sanctions it imposed had been withdrawn and that he would be retried Wednesday before a new panel.

The panel found he had engaged in nonconsensual sex with a student identified as Jane Roe in her dorm room on Sept. 7, 2016. She is in the same seven-year pre-med program that is affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

The preliminary injunction Brann issued in August prevented Doe from being suspended this semester and banned from campus housing and the pre-med program.

Doe is prohibited from having any contact with Roe, and he claims he has adhered to that restriction.

Penn State says issues Brann raised in his order about the adjudication procedure used in the Doe case will be addressed by the new hearing.

The new panel will be provided with an unredacted version of Doe's response to the charges, Doe and Roe may submit questions to be asked, and both will have the opportunity to participate in the hearing by video or audio.

The inability to confront his accuser was an issue Doe raised about the initial hearing.

Penn State's adjudication procedure in sexual misconduct cases is to have an investigator prepare a report that is submitted to the panel. The report the panel received from Katharine Matic, the Title IX investigator, included a redacted version of Doe's response to the charges.

The new panel will receive Doe's full response, but he claims Matic's report contains redactions of Roe's statement to residential life.

In asking Brann to deny the contempt motion, Penn State pledges that if Doe again is found responsible for sexual misconduct, the imposition of sanctions will be stayed until the court approves them.

Doe, a California resident who denies Roe's allegations, would have the opportunity to appeal the panel's decision, the university say

The hearing issue is part of a lawsuit in which Doe charges Penn State with favoring women over men in adjudicating sexual misconduct cases. He also raises due process and a breach of contract issues.
By Jim Hertzler

On Nov. 7, voters across Pennsylvania will weigh in with a decision on a ballot question aimed at the elusive goal of homeowner property tax relief.

Cumberland County Commissioner Jim Hertzler (PennLive file)

Specifically, the question before voters is a proposed constitutional amendment, overwhelmingly approved by the General Assembly in two consecutive sessions, that seeks to empower state lawmakers with the constitutional authority to authorize all local taxing jurisdictions to "exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property" within each of these jurisdictions.

The amendment, if approved, expands upon an existing and partial "homestead exclusion" overwhelmingly approved by Pennsylvania's voters in November, 1997 -- precisely 20 years ago.

Ostensibly, the new constitutional amendment would lead Pennsylvania's property tax-weary citizens to believe that homeowner property taxes will somehow magically disappear if the question is approved.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Because, the real question behind the question is: how? And whether and when our state lawmakers will actually grant local jurisdictions viable alternative revenue options to reduce and/or eliminate property taxes.

Because, unless we shut down our courts and our jails, close our schools, and eliminate the full range of county, municipal and school district services, local jurisdictions have no way to dramatically reduce, let alone eliminate, homeowner property taxes without an alternative revenue source. Even if we wanted to, we are barred by another constitutional provision from increasing commercial property taxes to reduce homeowner property taxes.

The truth is, for well over four decades there has been enough rhetoric to send thousands of balloons skyward in the debate over how to finally reform Pennsylvania's antiquated system of local government finance; to make our local taxing structure more broad-based and fairer - to finally relieve the burden of the inequitable property tax, a levy which, in too many cases, has been blamed for literally taxing people out of their homes.

And yet, here we are, 20 years after the first "homestead exclusion" amendment was overwhelmingly approved by Pennsylvania's voters; a constitutional provision that, except for relatively modest homeowner school property tax relief from slots gaming, never came close to being fully implemented by school districts, or to being implemented at all by counties and municipalities. Pennsylvania's counties are still waiting for action by the General Assembly to enable us to implement the 1997 amendment, as we remain hamstrung by a straightjacket of state law that only allows us to levy property taxes.

But, the new ballot question does raise new hope: hope that an honest discussion can ensue; hope that positive action may finally result.

First off, an honest discussion must begin with the truth of the challenge. The total local property tax bill in Pennsylvania - for schools, counties and municipalities - is more than $18 billion, according to two year old data. A very preliminary estimate of the homeowner portion of that tab is about $11 billion.

And while we credit the advocates of proposals like Senate Bill 76/House Bill 76 for their untiring efforts aimed at completely abolishing school property taxes, the bane of many of our collective constituents, those proposals call for a substantial and consequential tax shift: one that would increase Pennsylvania's state personal income tax (PIT) by 60 percent, from 3.07% to 4.95%, expand the state's sales tax base by roughly $5 billion by taxing currently untaxed products and services, and increase the sales tax rate from 6% to 7%.

While our statewide county commissioners association has not taken a position on either SB 76 or HB 76, we have, for a number of years, advanced a proposal calling for what we believe would be a good start to finally achieving some meaningful property tax relief.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all proposition, our proposal would grant counties the option, where it would work and make sense, of either a capped county-based sales tax of up to one percent, a capped county-based Personal Income Tax (PIT) of up to one percent, or a capped county-based Earned Income Tax (EIT) of up to one percent for the sole purpose of slashing property taxes.

Our plan is revenue-neutral, meaning that all new dollars generated could not be used for anything other than property tax reduction, via the homestead exclusion, property tax or rent rebates, or across-the-board millage rate reductions. The objective is twofold: 1/ to ensure that counties cannot use the new revenues to increase spending; and, 2/ to ensure that the state continues to provide adequate funding to counties for the programs and services it mandates.

We respectfully call upon our state legislators, whether or not the new homestead exclusion referendum is approved, to work with counties to fashion a responsible plan that will actually work to relieve property taxes. After all, no matter the jurisdiction, it's all coming out of the same property taxpayer's pocket.

And, as such, we also respectfully request that the perceived perfect not be the enemy of the possible.



Our property tax-aggrieved homeowners -- especially many of our seniors on fixed incomes -- have waited long enough.

Jim Hertzler, a member of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, serves as the chairman of the Assessment & Taxation Committee of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP). He writes from Carlisle.
By PTI: London, Oct 21 (PTI) British Prime Minister Theresa May greeted the Hindu commnity on the occasion of Diwali, saying the festival is the celebration of the way of life, showing Hindu culture at its very best.

In a message read out at Diwali celebrations organised by leading NRI businessmen Hinduja brothers at their residence here last night, May said, "Diwali gives us all the opportunity to reflect on life, teach respect and honour and to reflect on the events of the past in order to change the future".

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"Diwali is the celebration of the way of life, showing Hindu culture at its very best," she said in her message.

The message was read out by Britains Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel who pointed out that Prime Minister May is in Brussels, "fighting for our national interest in the negotiations on Brexit".

In the message, the prime minister also noted that the Hindu community makes a vital contribution to life here across the UK as well as Europe.

"Our culture has been strengthened by the great variety of religious celebrations that now occur throughout the year," she said.

Britains Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who spoke on the occasion, said, "I have an Indian mother-in-law, whose name is Deep - which means light. And, indeed, Diwali is also an opportunity to celebrate my mother-in-law".

"In this time in our politics when there is ever so slightly too much gloom emanating from some of our media about this country and about our prospects (about Brexit), I think it is all the more valuable that we celebrate this wonderful festival of light chasing away darkness and ushering in a new mood and a new spirit of hope this Diwali," he said.

G P Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group said, "Diwali is the festival of lights when you have to forgive and forget everything that has happened in the past, forget the enemies, forget all wrongdoings and start a white and good chapter with everyone".

Baroness Sandip Verma noted that Diwali has now become absolutely a fabric of British society.

"Every year our celebrations get bigger and better," Verma said, adding that these celebrations are open for everyone.

Indias High Commissioner to the UK Y K Sinha also spoke on the occasion. PTI AK/HSR UZM ZH UZM

--- ENDS ---
By Eugene Robinson

One person who obviously didn't know "what he was signing up for" is President Trump. Others include Trump voters who believed they were electing a decent human being to be commander in chief.

Eugene Robinson (PennLive file)

What Trump reportedly said to the grief-stricken widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, who gave his life for his country, is not some kind of minor miscue or media-fueled distraction. It speaks to the core issue of Trump's character and demonstrates, as clearly as any incident to date, his unfitness for the office he holds -- and dishonors.

Johnson and three other U.S. soldiers -- Staff Sgt. Jeremiah "J.W." Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright -- were killed Oct. 4 in Niger, apparently ambushed by Islamic State-affiliated militants. Exactly what happened is unclear, and Congress should be as dogged in investigating these deaths as it was in probing Benghazi.

For 12 days, Trump said nothing, not even a tweet, about the four Americans killed in action, and had no contact with the loved ones they had left behind. Pressed by reporters to explain his silence, Trump reacted by slandering his predecessors, especially President Barack Obama, falsely claiming that they, too, neglected to console the families of the fallen.

Trump then placed a phone call to Myeshia Johnson, La David Johnson's widow. The truism "better late than never" is not always true.

According to two people who overheard the call, Trump told Johnson that her husband "knew what he was signing up for" although his death must still be painful. One witness who confirms these were Trump's words is the woman who raised Johnson as a son, Cowanda Jones-Johnson.

The other is Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Fla., who was with the family when Trump called.

Wilson was so dumbfounded and angry that she quickly called Trump out publicly for what he had said. Trump tweeted a denial and said he had "proof," but of course produced none. The president has shown himself to be such a liar that it's impossible to take his word over almost anyone else's.

Wilson was furious because instead of lessening Myeshia Johnson's grief, Trump had deepened it. Surely that was not his intent. But mindless cruelty is still cruel.

Offering succor to the families of service members killed in the line of duty is one of the most solemn exercises a president must undertake.

It is a task requiring, above all, a sense of humility. "In the hope that it may be no intrusion upon the sacredness of your sorrow, I have ventured to address you this tribute to the memory of . . . your brave and early fallen child," Abraham Lincoln wrote to the parents of a deceased Union soldier.

Unlike true leaders, however, Trump seems to associate humility with weakness. When confronted with an error, big or small, he never just says, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I apologize," and leaves it at that. He always seeks to deflect responsibility. Somebody else is really at fault. Others who came before him have done worse. Bad people in the media are treating him unfairly.

Trump is a weak, narcissistic man in a job that requires strength and empathy. I'm not sure that empathy is a concept he even understands. He acts as if he believes that feeling someone else's pain is strictly for losers, not winners.

None of this is a surprise. We learned a lot about Trump during the campaign when he attacked the Khan family, who lost a son in Iraq, for having the temerity to criticize him politically. We have a president who believes that making the ultimate sacrifice for the nation is less important than supporting or opposing Trump.

The Post reported Wednesday that earlier this year, Trump phoned the father of Army Sgt. Dillon Baldridge, who was killed June 10 in Afghanistan. In the course of the conversation, Trump offered to send the father a personal check for $25,000 -- but did not follow through. The check was finally sent this week only after The Post asked about it.

Sadly, that's typical Trump. He makes a grand promise, which allows him to feel big and generous -- which is the whole point. Even in interactions with Gold Star families, it's all about him. Later, having played the role of Trump the Munificent, he forgets about it and goes in search of the next opportunity to shore up his fragile ego.

No one should expect him to grow in office. He's 71. At that age, either you have compassion, self-knowledge and a conscience, or you don't.

Eugene Robinson is a columnist for The Washington Post. His work appears on Saturdays on PennLive.
A text containing a kissy face. A butt grab. A male colleague rubbing a hand up and down the back of a female lawmaker as he tried to get her to change her vote on a piece of legislation. Comments about a lobbyist's legs and breasts. A hand lingering too long when admiring a staffer's necklace. Having a male lawmaker ask for a hug.

Female state lawmakers, current and former, and both lobbyists and legislative staffers offered up those examples when asked if they experienced anything at the state Capitol that compared to the accusations that have been racking up against Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein the past two weeks.

But they also shared stories they have heard about sexual encounters between male lawmakers and younger female staffers and lobbyists hoping to get ahead in the male-dominated statehouse.

Few wanted to speak openly about this part of the culture at the Capitol for this story unlike in California, where more than 140 women legislators, senior legislative aides and lobbyists emboldened by Weinstein's sexual assault scandal stepped forward to complain about men groping them, touching them without their consent and making inappropriate comments about their bodies or abilities.

Instances of sexual misconduct recently came to light in other state capitals as well.

In Rhode Island, an inquiry has been launched into a female lawmaker's claim that a higher-ranking male lawmaker told her sexual favors would allow her bills to advance.

In South Dakota, a former state lawmaker and lobbyist shared their experiences of sexual harassment and rape with people they knew from work.

Longtime Philadelphia-based lobbyist Holly Kinser doubted that women who work in Pennsylvania's Capitol would speak out about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and misconduct inside and around its ornate halls because they need their jobs. Unlike the actresses speaking out about Weinstein, they are not sitting on millions of dollars in their bank accounts.

Still, she said, "if we don't make a revolution out of this Weinstein stuff, that would be really depressing. It's time to treat people appropriately, and a lot of the inappropriate behavior needs to stop."

Kinser said that she has been the victim of inappropriate comments and sexual harassment in and around the Capitol for more times than she chooses to remember over the past three decades.

READ MORE: Hollywood's 'Animal House' era is over with Weinstein allegations | Charlie Gerow

"Yes, my [expletive] has been grabbed. I've had someone approach me too closely in an elevator. Yes, that's all happened," she said. "But for me, the bigger thing is this bully harassment culture where the reason many people say I was successful is they accused me of sleeping with a governor and mayors, which never happened."

But she said no one seems to have a problem when male lobbyists are close to a certain leader and take them out to dinner every night but a woman lobbyist doing that would be viewed differently.

She recalled when she was starting out in government relations, she always - except the one time when she went out to dinner with then-House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, who she later married - had male lobbyist friends accompany her to dinners with lawmakers.

"I had to protect myself in a way boys didn't have to protect themselves," Kinser said.

All four legislative caucuses and the executive branch agencies have policies that prohibit workplace harassment and require mandatory training with varying frequencies. They all say they take complaints of sexual harassment seriously.

The Senate emails its policy out to senators and staffers annually and requires them to sign it and return it. The topic is also covered in new House employee trainings and reinforced during the representatives' annual ethics training that began over the past decade, long before the Weinstein story broke.

But that doesn't stop this behavior from happening, those interviewed for this story say. All admit men can be victims too, but more often it is experienced by women.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington County, said she lives by the motto that you have to teach people how to treat you.

She sharpened her skills in doing that earlier in her life while working as an actress and model in Los Angeles. She experienced the unwanted sexual advances and being propositioned only to lose jobs because she walked away.

"I never tolerated or played that game," she said. "I'm lucky I have never been in a position where my livelihood depended on making a decision like that and feel terrible for women in those positions. What do you do? Lose your home? Lose your career? Lose whatever or do you just grin and bear it."

In the Senate, a couple of incidents happened to her that she doesn't consider to be sexual harassment but clearly was not something that would have happened to a man.

She received a text from a male House colleague asking for information that came with a kissy face on it.

"I instantly replied in all caps, 'NO KISSY FACE!' That was it," she said. "You have to draw your line."

Another time, a colleague said to her, "OK sweetie," to which she replied, "No problem, snookie, pookie, poo." Both chuckled and that was the end of it, she said.

"I come back with humor with those things but I come back instantly with a clear message that that is not what I'm going to tolerate," Bartolotta said.

While complaints of sexual harassment or misconduct often are kept confidential under the guise of "personnel actions," occasionally cases involving public officials do make it into the media.

One of them involved allegations of unwanted advances raised against former state Sen. John Peterson by a page and other women back in 1996. He went on to be elected to Congress.

It was that incident that helped the Senate prepare its workplace harassment policy, said Drew Crompton, chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County.

Since then, he said there have been some complaints that have arisen but he said, "thankfully, they are incredibly infrequent" considering the chamber employs 800 people. But he can't recall anyone being fired specifically for sexually harassing someone over the past two decades.

Sometimes, complaints of sexual harassment or misconduct can be the result of miscommunication. Some of them result from encounters outside the building. Some might involve past consensual relationships. Social media also can be at the root of some complaints.

Still, Crompton said all complaints are investigated and taken seriously. Another way the Senate demonstrates its interest in the fair treatment of women is by having females occupy the chamber's top staff positions as Senate secretary, chief clerk and human resources manager. They are all people female employees in the chamber can turn to if they feel they are the victim of workplace harassment, among other reporting avenues.

"When women get to be the highest people in their offices, that sends the right messages to women," Crompton said.

But if you look around the Capitol and you look around any room in it, women are usually in the minority. That lends itself to an old-boys club environment where women, particularly younger ones, might have a tendency to go along to get along, those interviewed said.

Some say it's no different than other workplaces where power is involved, except as Pittsburgh-based lobbyist Vanessa DeSalvo said, "Because politics is very public, we just see it more often there" at the Capitol.

READ MORE: The cost of sexual harassment: The biggest and costliest cases

She continued:

"

I've always attacked those situations directly. The reality is, we need to make sure we are bringing new generations into public life with the knowledge of what is appropriate, and what is not. Men have to stand up and call out their peers who are behaving inappropriately. And, of course, harassment will diminish as we get more women involved as leaders in business and in politics."

Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland County, and former Rep. Mauree Gingrich both said as lawmakers, they never experienced anything overtly sexually inappropriate at the Capitol.

But like others, they have heard the stories of women, particularly legislative staffers, who did.

Gingrich shared that she mentored freshmen female lawmakers to teach them the ropes and even going so far as to teach them how to greet a male legislator by approaching them in a professional manner to avoid their tendency of coming in for a hug.

Nonetheless, Delozier said she would be disappointed if the problem was so pervasive at the Capitol that a groundswell of people stepped forward to complain about sexual misconduct involving lawmakers like what happened in California.

"I would feel very betrayed in the fact that I think the Republicans and Democrats we work with would have a better sense in this day and age," she said.

Then again, Gingrich said, "Power does things to people and there is power in a lot of positions in the Legislature."
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant delivers the State of the Province address in Fredericton, N.B., on Thursday, January 26, 2017. The premier of New Brunswick says he's going to meet with the province's lieutenant-governor on Monday at a time when his party has "accomplished" its current mandate. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
In this undated photo released by the Montgomery (Ala.) Police, policer officer Anderson Gordon poses for an official photograph. Gordon was killed in 1997 when he was shot by Torrey Twane McNabb fleeing a bail bondsman. The state attorney general's office says it has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let the execution of 40-year-old Torrey Twane McNabb proceed as scheduled. (Montgomery (Ala.) Police, via AP)
By PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Oct 21 (PTI) The workers at Tata Steels Netherlands unit have expressed concerns over a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian steel major and the German giant Thyssenkrupp to combine their European steelmaking operations into a joint venture.

The Central Works Council (CWC) of Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN) said in its newsletter this week that it was concerned about the lack of its involvement in the ongoing negotiations and the fear of job losses at the Netherlands site.

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"The number of jobs will be greatly reduced, and will go beyond the suggested figure of 4,000 job losses across the joint venture (JV) as a whole. Current indications are that the new company plans to outsource large swathes of the support services to low-wage countries," the CWC said.

"The CWC believes that this envisaged 50-50 joint venture (JV) will be a very difficult business to manage because both parties, in the Netherlands and in Germany, will do all in their power to defend their interests against this new business. The resistance to this JV in Germany is at least as great as in the Netherlands, and this does not augur well for the future," it noted.

Tata Steel workers also believe it remains unclear how the new business will be financed and where the liabilities will be placed in the business.

It also highlighted the support offered by the Netherlands unit to Tatas troubled UK operations as a factor to consider.

"TSN has remained a healthy business despite the continuous support it has provided in the form of dividend payments to the shareholder in order to enable its sister company in the UK to continue operating," it notes.

The CWC has warned the board that it will not "simply roll over and accept decisions" by the shareholder which are not good for the company?s employees in the Netherlands.

Works councils are considerably powerful entities in Europe and their approval will prove critical for Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp to clinch a final deal.

Last month, the two companies announced plans to merge their European steelmaking operations and creating a new JV of around 42,000 employees, with 10,000 based in the Netherlands.

"The joint venture offers us the opportunity tocreate a stronger new business which is able to grow and produce more hi-tech and high-quality products for the world?s most demanding customers," said Hans Fischer, CEO of Tata Steel European operations, in response to the CWC?s objections.

He said the company had entered a period of due diligence when all the concerns of all stakeholders will be taken on board.

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"Tata Steel will follow due process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as we progress in the transaction. Our employees have worked hard to make our European business more sustainable over recent years and we have achieved a lot through improvement programmes," he said.

Both companies believe the merger will help tackle over- capacity in Europes steel market in the face of cheap imports from countries like China and subdued construction demand. PTI AK ZH

--- ENDS ---
FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, New Zealand Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern addresses a press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. When an Australian journalist wanted to find out how to correctly pronounce the name of Ardern, New ZealandAos incoming prime minister, he unwittingly went straight to the top. According to the New Zealand Herald, Tiger Webb of AustraliaAos ABC Radio called the New Zealand Parliament on Friday, Oct. 20, to find out how Jacinda Ardern pronounces her surname. Webb was transferred to the Labour PartyAos offices, and none other than Ardern herself answered the phone. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)
Police secure the area at Rosenheimer Platz square in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. Police say a man with a knife has lightly wounded several people in Munich. Officers are looking for the assailant. Munich police called on people in the Rosenheimer Platz square area, located close to the German city's downtown, to stay inside after the incident on Saturday morning. (Andreas Gebert/dpa via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, the Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, center left, shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Gen. Ali Ayoub, center right, during a ceremony to sign a joint memorandum of understanding for developing cooperation and coordination between the two countries' armies in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. State news agency SANA said the memo provides for exchanging military expertise and intelligence and technology information in a way that can boost the two countries' capability for fight terrorism. (SANA via AP)
Former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, right, and his wife, Katherine Keahola leave federal court in Honolulu, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. Kealoha and his wife, a city prosecutor, have pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Puglisi on Friday released Louis and Katherine Keahola on $100,000 bond each. They entered the pleas Friday after a federal grand jury indicted both of them in a public corruption case. Authorities claim the couple used their positions to bilk clients and relatives out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their lavish and overextended lifestyle and then used their power to target anyone who threatened them. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
FILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, during his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, South Africa. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has long faced United States sanctions over his government's human rights abuses, but the World Health Organization new director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus is making the longtime African leader a "goodwill ambassador" Friday Oct. 20, 2017.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, a carry team of soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), carry the transfer case during a casualty return for Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, of Lyons, Ga., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Oct. 5, 2017. U.S. and Niger forces were leaving a meeting with tribal leaders when they were ambushed on Oct. 4 and Wright and three other soldiers were killed. There were about a dozen U.S. troops and a company of Niger forces, for a total of about 40 service members in the joint mission. (Pfc. Lane Hiser/U.S. Army via AP)
An ''estelada'' or Catalonia independence flag is carried during a march to protest against the National Court's decision to imprison civil society leaders, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. The Spanish government moved decisively Saturday to use a previously untapped constitutional power so it can take control of Catalonia and derail the independence movement led by separatist politicians in the prosperous industrial region. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Security officials in Egypt say at least 55 policemen killed in a shootout during a raid on militant hideout near Cairo.

By India Today Web Desk: Egyptian security officials say at least 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, have been killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout near Cairo.

The officials said on Saturday that the exchange of fire took place late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza governorate, about 135 km from the capital after security services moved in.

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The officials say the death toll could increase and according to media report, the police also deployed aircraft to confront the militants.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement on the raid late Friday but didn't provide a death toll.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since bombings and suicide attacks which targeted minority Coptic Christians killed scores earlier this year.

Those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group.

(With inputs from AP and more details awaited)

--- ENDS ---
Ilene Poses holds a sign at the SRC meeting Thursday calling for the SRC to be disbanned. Read more

The School Reform Commission is on track to self-destruct by the end of the year, and Mayor Kenney and City Council are in active talks to shape what the succeeding governing body will look like.

Sources with knowledge of the discussions say Council is likely to introduce legislation  possibly by early November  proposing a change to the City Charter to create a school board whose members are selected by the mayor and approved by Council.

The SRC dissolution "is a done deal," said one source, who, like others, declined to be publicly identified because of the delicate political nature of the talks. There are many moving pieces in the Council conversations, but the sources said legislation sooner rather than later is a safe bet.

Joyce Wilkerson, the SRC chair, on Thursday night said the five-member panel could soon vote on its future, though she made no promises around an issue that has been gaining public momentum for months. Wilkerson said the SRC was in talks with various players about the issues surrounding dissolution, but declined to say who they were or describe the nature of the talks.

The Council legislation, which is expected to have Kenney's support, would pave the way for the SRC to vote itself out of existence by the end of the year, as required to have the changes take effect for the 2018-19 school year. Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania's education secretary, would certify the dissolution by Jan. 1; city voters would consider a charter change in the May election, and presumably bless it.

A new school board would then be put in place for the next school year. If the SRC dissolves without the charter change, Kenney would appoint a nine-member school board.

Risks remain, and the talks are still ongoing, but it appears to be Philadelphia's moment to seize back control of the school system that the state formally took over in 2001.

The city has funded increasing shares of the district's budget in recent years, and is in a position of relative financial strength.

Harrisburg is locked in a budget battle and on weak financial footing generally. Republican legislators typically cool to Philadelphia have no formal say over the dissolution, and Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, has been clear about his support for local control.

If Wolf is not reelected in 2018, the delicate political calculus could change. Right now, the SRC presumably has the votes it needs to dissolve itself, with a majority of its members appointed by Kenney and Wolf.

The SRC, with three members chosen by the governor and two selected by the mayor, was created in a time of fiscal and academic tumult for the Philadelphia School District. State control was supposed to mean more money for city schools, and for a time, it did, though that has not been the case in recent years.

City schools have made some progress academically, but on the whole, they still face enormous challenges. And financially, the district is in a stronger position than it has been recently, though it projects a deficit of nearly $1 billion over the next five years.

Who pays for that shortfall is on everyone's mind.

Dissolution would change some things, but it would not touch a problem unique to Philadelphia: The body governing the schools would lack taxing power.

Lauren Hitt, Kenney's spokeswoman, said she would not comment on rumored legislation but said the administration has long researched school governance "and how to most fairly provide the resources and stability Philadelphia schools will need to succeed in the near- and long-term future."

Kenney has previously expressed reservations about whether walking away from the SRC gives Harrisburg license to fund the district at lower levels. But it seems clear that the state has neither the appetite nor the pocketbook to do more.

"If the city of Philadelphia is going to be the largest funder of the district, what does that mean and how does that shape other changes that have to come with a billion-dollar increase?" Hitt asked.

City Council President Darrell Clarke, a vocal proponent of local control, declined to speak about the timeline or any potential legislation. Jane Roh, his spokeswoman, underscored the city's commitment to the district, and said Council "will continue working hand in hand with Mayor Kenney to make sure Philadelphia public school students have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive."

Antoine Little, chair of Our City Our Schools, a coalition of organizations pushing for an end to the SRC, said he was pleased by the public and private movement, but not yet declaring victory.

"It's a step in the right direction," said Little, father of four children in district schools. "We're going to keep the pressure on until it's actually dissolved."

Steve Miskin, spokesman for the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, seemed doubtful that an end to the SRC would help the district.

"If the SRC is dissolved, the new school board, as it was previously, is fully appointed by the mayor, and does anyone really think that will improve the performance of the schools and provide better opportunities for the students?" Miskin said in an email.

Sen. John Eichelberger (R., Blair County), chair of the Senate Education Committee, said he was aware that the SRC was likely to vote itself out of existence soon.

"I think the people in state government would have some concerns about relinquishing control," Eichelberger said. "A lot of things in Philadelphia have not gotten accomplished because there's so many inner-city battles that keep them from getting accomplished. There's a lot of territorial wars down there."

Eichelberger, who took heat earlier this year for suggesting that students in urban districts struggle to succeed in college and should pursue vocational studies instead, said the SRC structure allows for a "broader view," but said he likes Kenney and would support the shift to local control if it had a solid process behind it.

But, he said, it will have consequences.

"I think it would hurt the chances of continuing that kind of financial support," Eichelberger said of SRC-era funding levels. "I think it would work against them."
When he was in his mid-20s, Mel Heifetz made a pledge to himself that if he ever became successful, he would give back, and that the object of his generosity would be the gay community.

Successful he was, and now, about to turn 82, the Center City real estate investor is converting 26 of his Center City residential properties into a grand act of charity. On Friday, Heifetz announced that he has gifted them to the Philadelphia Foundation, which will in turn sell them and place the proceeds in an endowment. The expected $16 million from the sale plus cash will join Heifetz's existing $4 million donor-advised fund at the Philadelphia Foundation, and investment income earned on the money each year will go toward LGBT groups.

"This is really a fulfillment of a pledge I made to myself almost 60 years ago," Heifetz, a fulfillment, he admits, that has left him "quite emotional and tearing up, which at 82 is easy to do."

Others in the LGBT community are also feeling emotional.

"This massive donation from Mel is a game-changer, and it will change LGBT advocacy in this region not just for decades, but for all time," said State Rep. Brian K. Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat.

Heifetz is a well-known supporter of LGBT and liberal political causes on a local and national level. In 2005, he paid off the mortgage of the William Way LGBT Community Center, and at least part of what he would like to see this new gift do is to lift philanthropy in the gay community generally.

When he gets notes of thanks for his generosity, Heifetz demurs.

"I say, 'Don't give me your thanks, donate $25 to any organization that supports our community.' If only we could get people to come forward and support our community," he said, "we would be a lot stronger and have a lot more representation."

"I often draw an analogy between Jewish and LGBT philanthropy," says Chris Bartlett, William Way's executive director. "There is an expectation in Jewish philanthropy that people will step up to heal the world. Jewish institutions have put in place that expectation. The LGBT community has to have the same seriousness of purpose. I think part of Mel's frustration is that many in the LGBT community haven't been convinced of the need to invest in LGBT causes, so they give to the opera or the orchestra."

Heifetz's presence in the community has, Bartlett said, "made the case to many other donors that we are worthy of that investment."

Heifetz  who is distantly related to violinist Jascha Heifetz  grew up in South Philadelphia (at Seventh and Wharton Streets, then Eighth Street and Snyder Avenue), the son of two hairdressers. He was working by the age of 8 or 9, cleaning his parents' salon and selling door to door with his father. He served in the Army, then studied real estate at Temple University. He left college after less than a year to learn on the job. He bought his first property in his 20s in South Philadelphia for $600 and rented it for $50 a month, and two or three years later bought a five-unit apartment building at 22nd and Locust Streets for $24,000.

"I still own it today," he said, "It brings in $60,000 a year."

And then he remembers.

"Well, I did own it. Until yesterday," he says, turning to Pedro A. Ramos, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, which has long existed to manage both its own endowment as well as donor-advised funds of others.

"It's a real estate success story," said Ramos of Heifetz.

Now the money will go to work in the service of charity. Heifetz's fund at the Philadelphia Foundation is called the GLBT Fund of America and will support groups that work on civil rights, social justice, and health needs. (The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, operates under the auspices of the Philadelphia Foundation.)

But given all of the accomplishments of the last decade or two  same-sex marriage, just to name a major one  one might wonder: Is giving to LGBT causes less critical than it once was?

"No, it's even more critical now," said Heifetz, who himself has a partner. "We are literally under attack by our own government. The government and the unnamed person [President Trump] have hired people whose first requirement seems to be that they have to have a dislike for homosexuals, and they have to promise to do everything they can to exclude us from any benefits. The number of things they've already excluded us from  every day, they seem to add something else. And I'm sure at the end of the list is gay marriage. One more appointment to the Supreme Court will probably fix that. And it's a shame after spending your whole life wanting to see your community achieve the same equality everyone else has.

"This is not the America we grew up with," he says, echoing himself more softly. "Not the America we grew up with at all."

Heifetz says that after him, the GLBT Fund of America will be shepherded by a trustee or two who will keep it true to his intent, and that even after making his gift, he "won't be eating hot dogs on the street at $2 apiece. I live a very middle-class lifestyle, and I'm happy with that."

Despite the generosity, no one who knows Heifetz was surprised that he "would give away his life's wealth for the betterment of the community," says Sims.

"It's just an extension of how he has lived every year I've known him and longer. Giving back is as much a part of his day as getting up and going to work."
Mayor Kenney speaks and wells up at a gathering hosted by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia to thank the diverse coalition that made the Philadelphia regions bid for Amazon HQ2 possible. Read more

So, the pitch has been made.

Amazon, come hither.

I know I'm far from the only one who looked at our all-out, everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink courting of the mega corporation Thursday at the Barnes Foundation with a little embarrassment. We do come on strong. A billion-dollar tax break in a bow? You got it. The fawning of everyone who's ever done business here or held office? Sure. No problem.

Our case is strong, too.

For weeks, my colleagues have been laying out the merits  our historical significance, our transit and ready land, our growth and potential for more, our indomitable character.

And others have offered reasons why Amazon should find a different landing spot for its second home  it could broaden our already immense gap between rich and poor. It could make an affordable city Bay Area-expensive. It could help the new arrivals at the expense of the people who have been trying to make it here for so long without the billion-dollar breaks.

"It's like a little village here," my friend Fergus Carey told me when I first arrived here 15 years ago. That's a sentiment that made me first fall in love with this town  and still shapes the way I feel about it. You may know Fergie from his shock of white hair, his bike festooned with bells, and the homey bars he opened that have been fixtures in the city's arts and culture scene for decades.

When I think about Amazon, I think about what's been happening to the Irishman's eponymous bar on Sansom Street, where they're literally building a luxury tower around his spot. For so long Fergie's stood like a beacon on that once-desolate street.

He rolls with it. And he won't budge.

But hey  if any newbies upstairs decide they want a Guinness or a star turn on the live-band karaoke stage, everyone's welcome.

The village endures.

Still, the Ferg, like many, is of two minds about our potential corporate takeover.

"Will it be a little village, or a really expensive little village nobody could afford?" the sage barman asked. "Everything has a cost."

That applies to Amazon, too, I thought walking up the street to the Reading Terminal. I was going to see the Meat Man. Like Fergie and me, Nick "Meat Man" Macri is a transplant. He bought in 15 years ago from Toronto, first for school, now with a butcher shop in Reading Terminal. The Terminal, of course, rightfully makes it into every single pitch for this city.

And on Friday, as the market was holding a press conference to celebrate its 125th anniversary and talk about its future, the Meat Man was building his own  moving his growing business, La Divisa Meats, to a new spot in the market. A nice one, by the window.

The Meat Man was feeling contemplative.

"Great. Come to our city with your big company," he said. "But don't support just that big company. Support small businesses. Become part of a neighborhood. Support the city from the bottom up, not the other way around. And don't put gum on my counter."

The Meat Man hates that. They should have had the Meat Man write the ad copy.

He's right: Look, I'd be thrilled if Amazon came here. So would Amazon. This city makes you fall in love with it, like it or not.

But we're not suckers here. There are strings attached. Big ones, when it's a billion bucks.

If Amazon comes here, it wins our culture, our restaurants, our neighborhoods, our beauty, and our weirdness and grit. If it gets the Navy Yard, which for the last several years I have used as a personal running track, I will cede that ground for the good of the city.

"Relax, Mike, you'll always be able to run at the Navy Yard," Prema Katari Gupta, a senior vice president of Navy Yard Planning & Development  a Connecticut transplant herself  assured me Friday. (I could almost hear her eyes roll over the phone.)

But if our number comes up, Amazon is going to have to make a commitment to dig in. It'll get more than just the tourist brochures. It'll get our struggling school system, our deeply entrenched poverty, an opioid crisis like almost nowhere else. We could use that Amazon cachet. We could also use the help. The city must demand it.

So here's my pitch: I know every city is pushing its good bars and good food and its cast of characters and story to tell. But is there another city in the country that combines our historical importance, indomitable character, and a transformation built on our own organic, gritty, can-do attitude?

Amazon could do good works here, if it wanted. There's unquestionable value in that.

So I hope to see you around, Amazonians. Just don't gum up our counters.
Gary Creagh, 66, was charged by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office with running an illegal street lottery. Read more

The locations were nondescript: unmarked buildings in impoverished Philadelphia neighborhoods, sometimes containing little more than a table, some folding chairs, and a coffee pot.

But behind the unremarkable facades, prosecutors alleged Friday, was an extensive and intricate network of illegal street lotteries, 40 places where people could place small-change bets  with the profits allegedly helping the ring's boss, Gary Creagh, buy luxury cars and lavish apartments from New York City to Las Vegas to Miami.

Creagh, 66, was one of nine people charged in the alleged conspiracy, District Attorney Kelley Hodge said at a news conference. She called the long-running numbers racket "truly a family affair" because Creagh's son, daughter, and nephew were charged alongside him.

Court records did not list an attorney for Creagh, who faces counts including corrupt organization and conspiracy. Someone who answered a call to a cellphone number listed for him quickly hung up Friday afternoon.

Sgt. Jerry Rocks said Creagh's operation had managed to stymie previous investigations for decades, largely because Creagh had insulated himself with a layer of subordinates.

Deputy Commissioner Dennis Wilson said the case "was really a thorn in the side" of law enforcement.

Authorities were circumspect about what broke the case open. But the long-running scheme, according to prosecutors, worked like this: Two employees typically manned the betting locations, mostly unmarked buildings in neighborhoods ranging from Point Breeze to North Philadelphia. As in the state's lottery system, bettors would place wagers on whether certain numbers would be selected. But in the illegal lottery, bets could range from 10 cents to $20, and winners would earn a tax-free 700-1 return, as opposed to the 500-1 yield from the state's lottery system.

Daily revenue at some locations ranged from $200 to $1,500 per day, six days a week. One location, on the 5800 block of Kemble Avenue in East Germantown, raked in at least $14,000 in revenue per month.

Prosecutors said Creagh, who owned an $850,000 house in Moorestown, also owned a $1.5 million property in New York City, a $1 million property in Las Vegas, and at least $3.25 million worth of property in Miami. Between 2011 and 2014, prosecutors said, Creagh deposited more than $3 million into his personal bank accounts, $490,000 of which was in small amounts of cash.

Assistant District Attorney Raymond Driscoll said he believed the windfall came straight from Creagh's sophisticated gambling racket.

"I'm unaware of any legitimate income Mr. Creigh had," Driscoll said.

Creigh's bail was set at $250,000 unsecured, according to court records. His next court appearance, a pretrial conference, was scheduled for next week.
By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Oct 21 (PTI) Navratna CPSE National Aluminium Company Limited is faced with coal shortage leading to closure of three units of the companys captive power plant and curtailment of production.

While the aluminium major required at least 17,500 MT of coal everyday, it is getting only 13,000 MT from Bharatpur mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.

The company had to close down three units of its captive power plant, a Nalco official said adding that each of the units has a production capacity of 120 MW.

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"The coal crunch is affecting Nalco and its profitability," Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand said on the sidelines of a function here.

He said he has sought immediate solution to the coal crisis.

The company is able to run its refinery by borrowing 120 MW power from GRIDCO.

Only 875 of 980 aluminium smelter pots are in operation due to lack of power supply, the official said.

Nalco has a provision of stocking 5 lakh MT of coal, but only 70,000 MT is now in the store, which may meet requirement of only six days.

State Energy, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick said, "I will take up the matter with the authorities and Coal Ministry." PTI AAM NN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Oct 21 (PTI) Navratna CPSE National Aluminium Company Limited is faced with coal shortage leading to closure of three units of the companys captive power plant and curtailment of production.

While the aluminium major required at least 17,500 MT of coal everyday, it is getting only 13,000 MT from Bharatpur mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.

The company had to close down three units of its captive power plant, a Nalco official said adding that each of the units has a production capacity of 120 MW.

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"The coal crunch is affecting Nalco and its profitability," Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand said on the sidelines of a function here.

He said he has sought immediate solution to the coal crisis.

The company is able to run its refinery by borrowing 120 MW power from GRIDCO.

Only 875 of 980 aluminium smelter pots are in operation due to lack of power supply, the official said.

Nalco has a provision of stocking 5 lakh MT of coal, but only 70,000 MT is now in the store, which may meet requirement of only six days.

State Energy, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick said, "I will take up the matter with the authorities and Coal Ministry." PTI AAM NN LNS

--- ENDS ---
Farmers, who have been agitating against the Rajasthan government's bid to acquire land in Jaipur's Neendar village, celebrated the festival of Bhai Dooj at the protest venue on Saturday.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Farmers, who have been agitating against the Rajasthan government's bid to acquire land in Jaipur's Neendar village, celebrated the festival of Bhai Dooj at the protest venue on Saturday.

These farmers from Jaipur's Neendar village have been protesting for 19 days to prevent the land from being acquired by the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA). The JDA, farmers claim, wishes to acquire land so that it can be used for building housing complexes to help it earn revenue.

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Earlier, these farmers had even celebrated Diwali at the protest site by lighting earthen lamps.

Hundreds of farmers, who claim they will be rendered homeless if the JDA goes ahead with its plan to acquire land in Neendar, have been protesting by standing neck-deep inside pits dug at the protest site. The protests have been going on since October 2.

After several rounds of talks with representatives of the JDA remained inconclusive, as many as 800 farmers, 500 of them females, have been on a hunger strike at the protest site. The agitation, termed Zameen Samadhi Satyagraha by the protesting farmers, has so far failed to achieve any breakthrough.

PROTEST TO CONTINUE UNTIL ADMINISTRATION RELENTS

The farmers say they will continue to protest until the state administration agrees to not acquire their land.

"Our point is that we will not give our land because we do not have any land to give. We will bury ourselves in this land itself, but not give an inch of it to the government", a protesting farmer said to India Today.

Representatives of agitating farmers had claimed that any further talks would be held with the government only.

"Talks with the JDA have failed. Now we will not indulge in any (further) discussions below ministerial level", Dr. Nagendra Shekhawat, convenor of the Farmers' Sangharsh Samiti said.

WATCH VIDEO | Working hard to ensure greater income for farmers: PM Modi in Gujarat

--- ENDS ---
China's Communist Party leader Zhang Yijiong said any country that meets with the Dalai Lama commits "a major offence to the sentiment of the Chinese people".

By India Today Web Desk: If foreign leaders think they can get away with meeting the Dalai Lama just because they are doing it in a personal capacity, they are very much wrong. This is basically what a senior Chinese official had to say on the topic.

Zhang Yijiong, leader of the Communist Party's Tibet working group, told reporters that there could be no excuses to meeting the Dalai Lama.

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"Any country or any organisation of anyone to accept to meet with the Dalai Lama in our view is a major offence to the sentiment of the Chinese people," he said.

"Although some people say, the Dalai is a religious figure, our government didn't put in an appearance, it was just individual officials, this is incorrect," said Zhang, who is also a vice minister at the United Front Work Department, which has led failed talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives.

"Officials, in their capacity as officials, attending all foreign-related activities represent their governments. So I hope governments around the world speak and act with caution and give full consideration their friendship with China and their respect for China's sovereignty," he added.

WHY SO ANGRY?

To China, the 77-year-exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize is a 'dangerous separatist'.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a "peaceful liberation", and the Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Ever since, China has pressured foreign governments to shun the Dalai Lama, using economic means to punish those who allow him in.

The Dalai Lama's visits to foreign countries also infuriate China. Fearing the consequences of China's anger, fewer and fewer national leaders are willing to meet him.

Though some have tried to placate Beijing by saying they are meeting the Dalai Lama in a personal not official capacity, China's retort is that they still represent their government.

China strongly denies accusations of rights abuses in Tibet, saying its rule has brought prosperity to what was a remote and backward region, and that it fully respects the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.

Zhang, who worked in Tibet from 2006-2010 as a deputy Communist Party boss, said that Tibetan Buddhism was a special religion "born in our ancient China".

"It's a Chinese religion. It didn't come in from the outside," he said.

China also insists that Tibet in an integral part of its territory and has been for centuries.

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(With inputs from Reuters and PTI)

--- ENDS ---
New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck and Emmy-winning actress Elisabeth Moss (of Mad Men and Handmaids Tale fame) may seem like unlikely friends, until you dig a little deeper into their backgrounds. Both attended Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica and spent summers at the School of American Ballet in their youths. Moss and Pecks career paths diverged when the former fell in love with acting and Peck went on to study at SAB full time, eventually becoming the star we know today. Now, the pairs artistic pursuits are uniting in an exciting new project.

According to Deadline.com

, Moss will produce a documentary featuring Peck and her work curating BalletNOW, last summers star-studded, critically acclaimed program at Los Angeless Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Peck was the first woman to lead BalletNOWs programming, and she brought together dancers from companies including The Royal Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Paris Opera Ballet, putting them on stage with tappers, clowns and break dancers (sometimes simultaneously).

The film will go behind the scenes, showing the days leading up to the BalletNOW performances and featuring Peck in all her dancing and directing glory. Steven Cantor, whose name you may remember from his 2016 documentary Dancer about Sergei Polunin, will direct the yet-untitled documentary. Vulcan Productions, headed by Paul G. Allen, whose arts patronage is wide and well known (the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is a frequent funder of Pacific Northwest Ballet), acts as co-producer with Moss.

The film doesnt yet have a premier date, but we do know that it will air on Hulu. Deadline.com reports that Peck and Moss have a shared commitment to bringing ballet into the mainstream, to break ballet out of its rarified environs and engage a new generation of dance fans via social media and even word-of-mouth campaigns at local universities.

Well have to wait and see if the documentary will be a major step in achieving this goal. Undoubtedly, Mosss Emmy Awards, TV fans and 300k+ Instagram followers will help.
Traffic on the Las Vegas Strip paused for a moment Friday as a blocks-long police motorcade passed the site where an off-duty officer was among 58 people killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, reports the Associated Press.

People crowded pedestrian bridges over Las Vegas Boulevard in the casino corridor as a phalanx of more than 50 police motorcycles led a pickup truck bearing the flag-draped casket of Officer Charleston Hartfield to a church in Henderson.

About 100 people, most taking photos and video, watched the motorcade pass the Mandalay Bay resort and the site of the Oct. 1 massacre.
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Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) isnt messing around with Trumps Twitter games and insults. She is calling out Trumps White House for being full of white supremacists.

The New York Times reported:

Ms. Wilson, in an interview on Friday, called Mr. Kelly a liar and hinted strongly that the altercation, prompted by a call from President Trump to the widow of a fallen black soldier, was racially charged.

The White House itself is full of white supremacists, she said.

.

They are making themselves look like fools. They have no credibility, she said. They are trying to assassinate my character, and they are assassinating their own because everything they say is coming out and shown to be a lie.



Rep. Wilson is correct. The Trump administration is embarrassing itself, by following what is now a very familiar script. The President lies. A member of his staff tries to bail him out of trouble by lying. After both of these lies are exposed, the White House Press Secretary looks like an idiot by doubling down on all of the lies, because the president can never apologize or admit that he is wrong.

The whole scene is pathetic. It is pathetic that a president with clear racist beliefs cant see past his own bigotry to console the family of a fallen hero. It is pathetic that the White House has been reduced to a place where lies are treated as truth to protect a small mans fragile ego, and it is pathetic that America has to suffer this backward fool.

Rep. Wilson is Trumps worst nightmare. She is a strong woman who isnt playing his games. She is speaking truth to a nation, and shining sunlight through the clouds of Trump lies, which is what makes her exactly what Donald Trump fears the most. A leader with a backbone who doesnt buckle when standing up for whats right.
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Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters shot back at Donald Trump and Chief of Staff John Kelly on Saturday, telling Kelly he should apologize for protecting the president and lying about Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

Waters took Trump and Kelly to task in a series of tweets on Saturday, going after Trumps tweets today, which called Rep. Wilson wacky. She also dismantled Kelly for being overtaken by the filth wreaking from the Trump White House.

Trump has no business calling anyone wacky when his own Sec. of State is ashamed of him and thinks hes a moron.  Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 21, 2017

What is it about the Trump White House that transforms everyone into liars?  Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 21, 2017

Even the most honorable people are not immune to being overtaken by the filth wreaking from the Trump White House day after day.  Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 21, 2017

Gen. Kelly, you earned 4 stars & had a successful career. Now youve fallen prey to a moron in an effort to protect his career. Apologize.  Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 21, 2017

At the end of the day, Americans can both respect the enormous contributions John Kelly and his family have made for this country and be outraged by his continued effort to smear Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and the family of fallen Sgt. La David Johnson  all to protect Donald Trump.

If anybody should understand what it means to honor fallen U.S. soldiers, its Kelly, which is what makes his defense of Trump after he offended a grieving widow so puzzling. Instead of giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, Kelly should be defending the Johnson family against the presidents attacks.

But as Rep. Waters said on Saturday, Kelly appears to have fallen prey to a White House in which lying to the American public to protect Trump is a job requirement. In other words, if he wants to keep his job, he must sacrifice some of his integrity.

Gen. John Kelly has spent his entire life and career putting country over partisan politics. He shouldnt stop doing that now.
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Despite the fact that the Republican Party has devolved into a raging dumpster in the age of Donald Trump, the president took to Twitter on Saturday morning to escalate feud with Frederica Wilson and accuse her of killing the Democratic Party.

In a tweet, Trump called the Democratic Congresswoman wacky and said he hopes the fake news media keeps talking about her.

I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

While this war of words may play well to Trumps shrinking core of supporters, he should be careful what he wishes for. The longer this feud goes on, after all, the more the American people see that Trump doesnt have the capacity as a human being to see outside of himself  a glaring flaw for a commander-in-chief.

This back-and-forth will also continue to put the focus on the tragic ambush in Niger, which NBC News reports came after a massive intelligence failure. It took the president 12 days to say a word about the fallen service members, and when he did he chose to use the opportunity to lie about his own greatness.

Meanwhile, as Trump accused Congresswoman Wilson of killing the Democratic Party on Saturday, it is he who is singlehandedly destroying the Republican Party, according to pre-2018 polling.

In a recent CNN poll, Democrats have a stunning 14-point lead in a hypothetical contest between a generic Democratic candidate and a generic Republican candidate. RealClearPolitics pegs the average Democratic lead over the GOP at a little over nine points.

There is no doubt that the thin-skinned president will continue to ratchet up attacks on the Democratic congresswoman for revealing his insensitive remarks to a fallen soldiers widow, but it his Republican Party that is in shambles.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Federally funded health clinics have faced funding cliffs before, but never like this.

In the past, Congress quickly agreed to funding solutions for federally qualified health centers. These clinics serve low-income patients and boast bipartisan support because they save the rest of the health care system money.

But this year, Congress has failed to pass legislation addressing a funding cliff that could leave the centers without 70 percent of their usual funding.

If Congress fails to act, an estimated 9 million patients would lose access to care and 50,000 would lose their jobs, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Lathran Woodard, CEO of the S.C. Primary Health Care Association, said federally qualified health centers have been around for about 50 years. South Carolina has 22 such centers, some of which operate multiple offices. They serve about 8 percent of the state's population.

"Were living off of last years money," Woodard said.

Woodard said the centers get two pots of money from the federal government. One of those pots is secure, but the other, which makes up about 70 percent of their federal funding, expired Sept. 30. The centers are waiting to see if Congress will act to guarantee their funding for next year.

To qualify for federal funding, the centers must meet strict requirements. They have to offer care on a sliding-fee scale, based on a patient's ability to pay.

Almost 375,000 individuals use the health centers in South Carolina, according to the primary health care organization. About 27 percent of them lack any insurance, and 35 percent are enrolled in Medicaid. The rest have Medicare or some kind of private insurance.

Community Health Centers Operational Funding A graphic from the National Association of Community Health Centers explains how a funding cliff would affect federally qualified health cente

Sue Veer is the CEO of Carolina Health Centers Inc., which serves about 27,000 people in Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda counties. Veer has advocated for the funding before South Carolina's congressional delegation. The funding cliff comes as her health system is seeing more patients and is looking to expand into rural areas in need of primary care.

She said Carolina Health Centers receives $4.2 million from the federal government and delivers $30 million worth of care. She said members of Congress have expressed support, but she doesn't know what will happen next.

"We can never say 'sure' until the signature is on the bill," Veer said. "But I feel confident in how the health centers perform and the services they bring."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is among the centers' supporters, a spokesman for his office said. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also supports them. His office said in a statement the centers are important to rural areas of the state.

"Sen. Scott looks forward to reviewing the funding proposal in the next few weeks," a Scott spokeswoman said in a statement.

Woodard said she has faith Congress will fix the funding cliff, but she is urging health centers to have a back-up plan.

Even if Congress approves funding by the end of the year, the waiting game has already hurt centers. Their relationships with lenders are in jeopardy. Recruitment is tough with unsure funds, Woodard said. Veer said it has been difficult to plan ahead.

Some centers declined to give interviews because of concerns about inciting panic among their employees.

A spokeswoman with the Fetter Health Care Network said its leadership would not discuss the funding cliff.

Fetter serves more than 17,000 patients in the Lowcountry. The network has asked the public to raise the topic with legislators via social media.

I just took action to support my health center - click here to do the same and show why you #ValueCHCs. https://t.co/5y0PRt52et  FetterHealthCare (@FetterHealth) October 12, 2017

Woodard said newer centers are likely to struggle more with a slash to their budgets because they depend more on federal funds.

Funding for the health centers was in President Donald Trump's executive budget, Woodard said, but no federal budget has been passed so far.

"They can take care of this," she said. "They can fix it."
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Search engine giant Google today celebrated the 187th birth anniversary of intrepid Himalayan explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a special doodle.

Born in 1830,

Rawat hailed from the Johar Valley of Kumaon in present-day Uttarakhand and was one of the first Indians who explored the Himalayas for the British.

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He was part of a select group of indigenous surveyors in the second half of the 19th century, also known as pandits, who explored regions to the north of India.

Due to the prevailing geo-political situation in the world, explorers vied with each other to map the vastness of Central Asia and understand its people and customs.

The British wanted to gain knowledge about the entire Indian sub-continent and began the Great Trigonometrical Survey for the purpose. As part of the project, natives from Indian border states were trained to be surveyors.

This was done as the neighbouring countries, particularly Tibet, as they did not allow the entry of westerners. These surveyors were trained rigorously and learnt to disguise themselves as traders or holy men.

Rawat also undertook the explorations disguised as a Tibetan monk and walked from Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang.

He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2000 steps. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel, mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers to avoid detection.

Rawat was the first man to survey Tibet and determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa. He mapped the Tsangpo, known as Brahmaputra in India, and described in detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung. He also mapped a large section of the Brahmaputra and the trade route through Nepal to Tibet.

He was first recruited in 1855 by German geographers Schlagintweit brothers. He also travelled to Lakes Manasarovar and Rakas Tal and then further to Gartok and Ladakh with them.

His last and greatest journey was from Leh in Ladhak via Lhasa to Assam in 1873?75, before his death in 1882.

He bagged a number of awards for his work from the Royal Geographic Society (RGS). The Society of Geographers of Paris awarded Rawat an inscribed watch. Government of India bestowed two villages as a land-grant to him and in 2004, a postage stamp dedicated to him was also released

The doodle, designed by paper cut artists Hari and Deepti Panicker, is a silhouette diorama illustration, depicting Rawat with a tripod stand looking over the horizon as the Sun hangs behind the majestic mountains. PTI NKS AAR

--- ENDS ---

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Across South Carolina, from the coast to our mountainous state line, new and expanded trails have certainly made a lot of headlines in recent months. Here are just a few of the exciting developments: Read moreEditorial: From the SC coast to the mountains, welcome progress on new trails
Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House on Tuesday, looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party is waning. Read moreTrump prepares to launch 3rd campaign for the White House
MIAMI  Deep down, Michelle James knew something was wrong when she ran her hand along the side of her left breast and felt a hard, well-defined, almond-sized lump.

But there was no reason to panic. After all, it wasn't James' first scare.

In November 2014, doctors had found a mass during a routine mammogram, that time in her right breast. But it was small, and doctors found it wasn't cancerous. They waited and monitored it, but by late 2015, nothing had changed. James was in the clear.

This would be the same, she thought.

But something bothered her. It was December 2016, and her next mammogram wasn't for another 10 months. So she called her general practitioner and asked her to move it up.

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"I actually felt something, and I really wasn't sure what it was," she said. "But because I was feeling something, it got me thinking I really need to have them look at this."

She prayed to God for a negative result.

But a few days after her biopsy in May, James was about to leave her office at Miami Dade College's Wolfson campus when the radiologist called.

"Is this a good time to talk?" she asked.

James stopped. She sat down. She said yes. And she braced herself for the diagnosis she knew was coming.

She didn't cry. Instead, she turned her focus to her new immediate future.

"Okay, what's next?" she asked the radiologist. "I'm going to get through this. I need to know what's next."

'More for me to accomplish?'

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James didn't tell a lot of people at first.

For about two weeks, only her mom knew. She didn't want to tell her brother until she met with the oncologist and had a plan. And though she was very matter-of-fact when telling her mom, James was scared.

Penned in her black notebook, on the day of her diagnosis, she asked God whether this diagnosis and journey would end in death.

"I don't want to die. I want to live: Isn't there more for me to accomplish here God?" she wrote. "Even as I write it on paper I feel  I feel like it's not quite real. I know that will change."

And it did.

But she stayed calm, keeping faith in God and praying to Him.

"The fact that I had this unexplainable peace meant I was going to be OK," she said. "If it meant I was going to pass away, God was going to see me through that, too."

Days after her diagnosis, she went to see Dr. Danny Yakoub, a Miami surgical oncologist. In his office, Yakoub pulled up her medical record, brow furrowed, before turning to look her in the eye as he began to spell out the next six to 12 months: chemotherapy, a lumpectomy or mastectomy, radiation and BRCA tests that can determine the likelihood a woman will develop breast cancer in the future.

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And with that, for the first time, James burst into tears.

After a few minutes and several deep breaths, Yakoub asked James about her support network and whether she was a woman of faith.

Yes, James said.

Good, he replied. Patients with faith tend to do better in treatment.

Caribbean currents

As far as breast cancer goes, James, who came to Miami from Jamaica in her mid-20s, was young, just 45 years old, when diagnosed. The median age for diagnosis in the United States is 62, according to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which holds its Race for the Cure on Saturday nationwide, including in Miami.

But research done by Dr. Judith Hurley, a breast oncologist at the University of Miami Health System, shows Caribbean women are at a high risk of finding breast cancer at a younger age. At the core of this are different inherited mutations held by women in the Caribbean.

"There's virtually no overlap," Hurley said. "Each island is incredibly unique."

But what is common is that it's occurring earlier in women throughout the Caribbean, with 63 percent being pre-menopausal. The average age is below 50.

And trying to get some from the region to seek modern medical treatment can be difficult, said Dr. Carmen Calfa, a medical oncologist. Some from the culture are still fearful of side effects of chemotherapy. She said advances in medicine have led to mitigation of these symptoms.

She still sees patients who will seek natural remedies that are less effective, she said. She's had patients drink baking soda, believing that would help while the cancer advances, sometimes to the point where it can't be stopped. If a woman wants to try natural remedies, Calfa recommends discussing it with an oncologist.

"It's a big mistake, and most of them pay with their lives," she said.

Treatment plan

Though friends mentioned natural remedies, James said she picked the treatment that would give her the best chance.

"I didn't explain it to anybody," she said. "I didn't try to. I thought it was my decision."

And as chemo worked to kill the cancerous cells, God helped her spirits. In church, she'd come in between treatments, leading Sunday services as she had for years at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Hollywood. They were her family. Her pastor came to her first chemo treatment, saying a prayer with her at the start. Members reached out, telling her they were survivors who had kept their stories quiet.

When she got scared, she'd remember her favorite Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"It reassures me. It is comforting to me," she said. "He has plans for this life."

James has since become an advocate, telling others not to skip a mammogram, to do self-examinations and to always check rather than wait.

"Do it now," she said. "Don't let fear stop you. You have power over fear."
"I don't know" are safe words at Rochester's First Unitarian Universalist Church, and they're welcome words in the Frana household, too. Karmen and Drew Frana live in Oronoco with their two daughters, Ella and Rose. They've attended the church for about seven years.

I recently got the chance to gather with all four family members to learn more about their congregation. Early evening light radiated into the living room as we got seated. The family's warmth filled the space.

The Franas first visited the First Unitarian Universalist Church about 2010. "We looked into it more after we had kids," Drew said. The pair's childhood spiritual roots started in the Lutheran and Catholic traditions. Karmen, a Wisconsin native, ended up in Rochester to teach. Drew moved to the area to take a job at IBM. After getting married and having their daughters, the couple was in search of a spiritual home that would be a good fit for them both.

The openness toward spiritual questions was something that intrigued Karmen about the church from early on. "I think there's something out there but I don't know what it is. In our church, I feel that that's OK," she said. "They encourage us to question things and to research things or to say 'I don't know.' I didn't necessarily feel that was OK in the church where I grew up."

For Drew, the sense of community has been a big highlight of joining the Unitarian Universalists. "I really enjoy the people who are there.  That's what really attracted me to the church," he said. "We have people of all different beliefs. Nobody is critical of where other people are on their journeys."

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Karmen added, "It's a really caring community."

The stated mission of the congregation is "to be a compassionate, welcoming community that nurtures spiritual growth and practices justice." The Franas value that this mission is evident in the curriculum of the religion's education program, in which both their daughters are participants.

"I really want my children to be very accepting to other cultures and faiths and people and to have a value for all of humankind," Karmen said. "I think the Unitarian Church does a very good job of instilling those values."

Rose and Ella, the children of the household, both enjoy religious education. It is an interactive space during which kids get to learn and do projects. "I like to learn about different religions. I can share my beliefs, and other people won't be offended by them," said Ella, 11. "I've learned that everybody should be treated respectfully."

The core values of the congregation are outlined in the seven principles shared by all Unitarian Universalist churches. Social justice is central to the identity of the local Rochester congregation.

When reflecting on challenges faced by the church, Drew and Karmen said the recent search process for a new pastor took time, patience and discernment for everyone. It wasn't easy, but the wait paid off as the congregation recently welcomed the Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer and his family to the area.

For the Franas, their involvement in the congregation stretches well outside the confines of Sunday morning. It guides their lives, careers and parenting. "It gives us a basis for how we raise our kids," Drew said. As a teacher, the Unitarian Universalist principles remind Karmen to "keep an open mind and remember that everyone has a story."

When asked about what she most wants the people of southeastern Minnesota to know about the church, Ella said, "It's free-thinking. And it's open to everyone."

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Worship services are held at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. each Sunday during the school year. To read about the congregation, visit uurochmn.org or call 507-282-5209.
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk envisions a time in the near future when long-distance travelers on Earth can hop on a rocket to go across the globe in less than an hour.

But before Musk can set his plans in motion, there are a few down-to-Earth logistics questions he'll have to answer first.

Under the plan announced last month by Musk, passengers would board a large rocket and spacecraft system known for now as BFR. The rocket would hurtle passengers into space, before the first-stage booster returns to Earth and the spacecraft and second-stage continues on to touch down at its destination.

A video Musk showed during his keynote speech at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, said the maximum speed of the vehicle would be about 16,000 mph. That would make a trip from New York to Shanghai as short as 39 minutes.

Questions remain about some technical details of the transport system, as well as what kind of market it would serve. But several analysts said Musk's vision at least forces people to think out of the box about supersonic or hypersonic passenger travel. (Supersonic flight is anything faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 1; hypersonic is generally regarded as Mach 5 or faster.)

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Boom or bust?

Musk's ideas, and the actions behind his ideas, broaden minds about the "future of movement," said Megan Ryerson, an assistant professor of city and regional planning and electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

"And I think that is exciting, even if there are a lot of kinks to work out," she said.

Here are some of those considerations.

The sonic boom that ripples outward after the first-stage booster lands would probably force the takeoff and landing areas to be several hours outside of major metropolitan areas the system is intended to serve.

That could make travelers think twice about whether a rocket trip would be worth it. The video shown by Musk at last week's space conference depicts a group of passengers boarding a speedy ship to reach a floating platform with the rocket far off the coast of New York City.

The computer-generated animation also shows the rocket landing on a similar floating platform far off the coast of Shanghai.

"You may end up saving some number of hours, but you would have to get to the launch site, and then you'd have to launch and then you'd have to arrive at the destination," said Richard Wirz, a professor at UCLA and director of the university's Plasma and Space Propulsion Laboratory. "There would have to be hours on either end of you embarking and disembarking on your trip."

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Ryerson said passengers already have to decide that kind of trade-off when determining whether to travel a potentially further distance to a larger airport with nonstop flights, versus a closer, but smaller airport that offers trips with more layovers.

"While a trip to the rocket launcher might be longer for some people, presumably you would make all that up with the time savings in the air," she said.

'Niche market'

On the plus side, the flights themselves would be very fast: Musk said in his presentation that most long-distance trips would take less than 30 minutes and that passengers could reach anywhere on Earth in less than an hour.

Several analysts pointed to the supersonic Concorde jetliner as an example of a speedy, but expensive, transportation option whose tiny market was not profitable enough.

The plane could cut travel times in half, but it was ultimately challenged by high maintenance costs, limited routes and ultra-high ticket costs. After 27 years of service and a catastrophic fatal crash in 2000, the Concorde touched down for the last time in 2003.

"It was very much a niche market," said Ray Jaworowski, senior aerospace analyst at market research firm Forecast International. "I don't think a whole lot has happened in the intervening years to change that."

Although speed is an important factor, airlines rank range, operating costs and seating capacity as more important considerations when determining which aircraft to purchase, Jaworowski said.

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Musk has said the cost of a seat on the BFR will be "about the same" as full fare economy class in an aircraft.

A new crop of supersonic jet developers is banking on technological improvements in materials and computing to decrease construction costs. But analysts say the market for extremely fast air travel will be limited, at least initially, with the first aircraft to be supersonic likely to be business jets.

Versatile rocket

Boom Technology Inc., a Centennial, Colo., startup, plans to build a supersonic jetliner called the Boom. Aerion Corp. of Reno, Nev., has been working with Airbus to develop the A2, a supersonic business jet.

Even NASA is interested in the concept of supersonic planes. Last year, the agency partnered with aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp. to create a preliminary design for a Quiet Supersonic Transport, or QueSST, experimental plane.

SpaceX has made landing rocket boosters back on Earth seem routine, but the company will have to scale that technological achievement up to achieve reliable service for everyday travelers.

The idea of a rocket that can serve many markets  point-to-point travel on Earth, missions to the moon and to Mars, as well as low-Earth orbit launches  is the "holy grail of the space industry," said Jim Bell, professor at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration and president of the Planetary Society space advocacy group.

Bell said overcoming some of these technical hurdles could be a tall order. But he noted that many people had doubted SpaceX's ability to land first-stage boosters on floating droneships in the ocean. SpaceX has landed 16 boosters so far, nine of them at sea.

"I don't think it pays to bet against Elon Musk at all on this stuff," he said.
A Rochester man accused of driving drunk in a crash last summer that left another man with a traumatic brain injury has been sentenced in the case.

Justin Darrell Roe, 24, was charged in May with three felony counts of criminal vehicular operation and one count each of felony fifth-degree drug possession and gross misdemeanor DWI.

He pleaded guilty in August to one of the criminal vehicular operation charges; in exchange, the other counts were dismissed at Monday's sentencing in Olmsted County District Court.

A prison term of a year and a day was stayed for three years; Roe was sentenced to one day in jail, with credit for one day already served.

He was placed on electronic home monitoring for 60 days, ordered to successfully complete programming recommended by probation, complete 50 hours of community work service and pay restitution in an amount to be determined.

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The charges stem from a crash shortly after 3 a.m. July 23 at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Second Street Southwest in Rochester.

A vehicle was up against the stoplight pole on the southeast corner of the intersection with heavy driver side damage and a smoking engine. The driver, a 19-year-old man from Rochester, "was not acting right," witnesses and paramedics said at the scene.

A pickup also at the scene had minor front end damage.

Police allegedly noticed a strong odor of alcohol when speaking with Roe  the driver of the pickup  after the crash. He said he'd gone to a friend's house after getting off work about 5 p.m. July 22 and "drank a lot of beers," the complaint says, in addition to doing about four lines of cocaine.

Roe said they went downtown to a bar, then he decided to go home. He tried getting a taxi, the court document says, "then decided to drive instead for some reason." He wasn't sure how long he drove around, and didn't remember anything until after the crash; Roe believed he blacked out from the alcohol, the document continues.

He failed field sobriety tests at the scene; an open can of beer was found in a cup holder in the front console.

Roe allegedly said he bought some psychedelic mushrooms earlier from a friend, but didn't take any of them. Detention deputies found a clear plastic bag with mushrooms inside when Roe was checked into the jail, the report says.

A blood sample obtained via a warrant and sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis indicated a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.211 two hours after the crash.

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The victim's medical records describe a spleen laceration, a probable traumatic brain injury , mild cognitive inefficiencies including memory difficulty from the probable TBI, post-traumatic headaches and impaired hearing.

The man told investigators he'd been out playing Pokemon Go in the Kutzky Park area and was heading home, driving east on Second Street.

He stopped for the red light; when it turned green, he let his foot off the brake and started to roll into the intersection.

"Almost immediately" after the victim's car entered the intersection, the pickup collided with him, the complaint says, striking the driver's side of his car and pushing it nearly a foot into the interior of the vehicle.

The man said he climbed out of his car on the passenger side and remembers getting into the ambulance, but that's the last thing he remembers until he woke up in the hospital several hours later.
RED WING  A man accused of frightening several people with a shotgun, then telling a woman he "had a bullet for her head," was sentenced Friday.

Frederic Jay Ward, 47, of Pine Island, was charged after the incident with one count each of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence, both felonies; and three misdemeanor counts of domestic assault.

He pleaded guilty in August to two of the misdemeanors; the three remaining counts were dismissed at sentencing.

Ward was sentenced to two days in jail, with credit for two days already served, and placed on probation for a year.

In addition, Goodhue County District Court Judge Douglas Bayley ordered him to undergo chemical dependency evaluation/treatment and domestic violence counseling.

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The investigation began May 20, when a teenager called law enforcement to report Ward "was going crazy and throwing things," the complaint says.

Deputies who responded to the scene learned that Ward had accused a woman of having an affair while on a business trip earlier in the week.

The morning of the 20th, the woman woke up to Ward "smashing her phone over her head, shattering it," court documents say, then backhanded her across the face.

Ward then allegedly took a shotgun from the house and drove to the house of the man he believed she was "cheating" with. Ward told the woman later that he was going to kill the man, the report says.

When the woman went to the home of her daughter, Ward showed up there "and was dragging her around the house and pushing her into things," the victim said, then told her he had a bullet for her head.

Another man at Ward's home said Ward told him, "I have a gun, get out of the house," after returning home.

That man and the teenage caller confirmed the victim's version of events; those two and the man Ward claimed he was going kill all told authorities they were afraid of Ward.

Deputies ordered Ward out of the house at gunpoint; the unloaded shotgun and broken cell phone were recovered in the trunk of a car at the property.
A car ride with a man whom police were looking for turned into felony drug charges for a Rochester woman, court records show.

Jami Christine Lotti, also known as Jami Christine Bradshaw, 26, made her first appearance Wednesday in Olmsted County District Court, where she's been charged with two counts of third-degree drug sale, a felony.

She remains in custody in lieu of $60,000 unconditional bail and is due back in court Oct. 31.

The case against Lotti began Tuesday, when investigators with the Rochester Police Department were assigned to find a 29-year-old man who has an active felony warrant out of Illinois. The man wasn't identified in the complaint against Lotti.

Investigators saw the man leave a motel about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday; he drove away in a van with Lotti as the passenger.

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After the traffic stop to arrest the man, officers smelled marijuana coming from the van, the reports say, and marijuana " shake ," or remnants, was on the center console.

A search of the vehicle allegedly recovered a pill bottle containing a plastic bag with 2.9 grams of methamphetamine, a bag with 1.8 grams of cocaine and a bundle of more than 20 small plastic bags.

The pill bottle  which carried a label for medication prescribed to Lotti  was inside a pink makeup bag, court documents say, which also contained a digital scale. A wallet on the passenger seat held $680 in cash and a Minnesota library card in Lotti's name. More small plastic bags were found in a purse.

Lotti denied selling drugs, and told an investigator the items "ain't my (expletive)." She reportedly said the man she was with sells drugs, but she wasn't present for any of his drug deals.

She then changed her story, the complaint says, and said she has been present for his deals. Lotti allegedly said she has used drugs, but never sold drugs.

Her criminal history reflects four felony convictions since 2013, including fifth-degree assault, domestic assault, stalking and fourth-degree assault of an EMT.

The fifth-degree count was the result of her role in a 2015 stabbing .
Thakor said Congress VP Rahul Gandhi will attend the Janadesh Sammelan rally his party is scheduled to organise day after tomorrow.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: Alpesh Thakor, the convenor of the OBC, ST and ST Ekta Manch, will join the Congress on Wednesday in the presence of its vice-president, Rahul Gandhi.

The move comes just weeks ahead of an Assembly election in Gujarat, where OBCs account for 54 per cent of the population.

Thakor said Rahul would attend the Janadesh Sammelan rally his party is scheduled to organise day on Wednesday in Ahmedabad. He has claimed that more than 5 lakh people will attend.

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Today, Thakor told India Today that Rahul Gandhi said he and the Congress were fighting for the same cause.

Sources say he has asked for a ticket from Bav in Banaskantha

Thakor, who has spent the last three years raising issues such as unemployment, de-addiction and loan-related issues of farmers, has already said he'll leave no stone unturned to defeat the BJP, for which Gujarat has long been a stronghold.

Rahul Gandhi would be coming to our rally on Oct 23 and I will join the Congress party: Alpesh Thakor,OBC Ekta Manch #GujaratElections2017 pic.twitter.com/ItBZ8ofzfU- ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

Alpesh Thakor said today that activist leaders Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani were his friends, and that they would fight the BJP together.

The Congress had invited Patel, Thakor, Mewani and Chhotu Vasava to join it in the fight against the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly polls. Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki made the announcement at a press meet earlier today.

But when Hardik Patel was asked about the offer, he said said the election wasn't a fight between the two biggest parties.

"Although I believe we must unite against the BJP, this isn't a BJP-Congress election. This is an election of the 6 crore people of Gujarat," he said.

"We want (a) clarification on their promise of giving us 20 per cent reservation," he added.

WATCH | Gujarat elections 2017: Congress, BJP locked in a tug-of-war for supremacy

--- ENDS ---
Student Senate President Sarah Brakebill-Hacke brought a stack of 15 pizzas to a recent on-campus meeting at Rochester Community and Technical College. No sooner than they hit the table, the boxes were empty.

This, she thinks, is indicative of a broader "food insecurity" issue many community college students experience and is the reason she and the Student Senate unanimously voted this week to move $20,000 as "emergency food aid" for the student body.

The money will be used to provide once per week on-campus meals and snacks each day for RCTC students, as well as funding for all student clubs to provide food at their meetings.

"And that's not enough," Brakebill-Hacke said, noting this is something that will act as a temporary fix, until a permanent solution is found on campus.

Her suspicion that this was an issue for RCTC students only was reinforced by recent data released by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, citing that as many as 56 percent of students surveyed on community college campuses are food insecure, meaning access to nutritionally adequate food is limited or uncertain.

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Brakebill-Hacke called those numbers "daunting."

So, the students are doing what they can in the mean time to make food easier to access.

The first $10,000 will go toward the weekly meals, snacks and food for clubs. The remaining $10,000 will go to the Student Senate's health and safety committee so they can determine how to "strategically" use the money.

"We want to place food in strategic locations," Brakebill-Hacke said, noting the Learning Center is a central location on campus where students gather for tutoring. "Because they're going there to learn and increase their grades, so we want to make sure that they're able to focus."

Working for change at the state level

In the mean time, RCTC students and others from around the state are working to make overarching changes for Minnesota community college students, in partnership with Lead MN , a student organization representing community college students throughout the state.

They voted on Friday to support "tuition-based meal plans through on-campus cafeterias or flex dollars" on community college campuses, similar to what many four-year colleges, including the University of Minnesota, offer, Brakebill-Hacke said. The resolution was added to the organization's platform document, she said, which won't create any policy change just yet.

For now, it's about raising awareness of the issue at the state level so administrators will take notice, and, hopefully, she said, take action.

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Locally and statewide, some schools are responding with efforts such as food shelves. RCTC opened a food cupboard for students called Hive Supply , which allows students to pick up an allotted number of groceries each week. The food is donated by local organizations, including Channel One.

Minnesota State has responded to students in a pinch with Student Emergency Fund grants , which allow students to receive funds to cover "unexpected emergency expenses."

Part of the problem is a discrepancy between two-year and four-year residential schools, Brakebill-Hacke said. Most community colleges, with the exception of those that offer on-campus housing, don't offer meal plans, which often allow students to use loans or grants to help pay for food.

"Food needs to be part of grants, loans and scholarships, just like it is for four-year universities," she added.

But RCTC does not have a food plan. It brings in private vendors to supply its two cafes and one coffee shop, said Nate Stoltman, RCTC director of communications. Students aren't able to use financial aid at those locations.

The money the Student Senate authorized for the "emergency food aid" comes from a Student Life fund every student pays into when they pay their tuition and fees , Stoltman said. The use of that money is at the students' discretion, but they do have to comply with guidelines set at the state level. They couldn't, for example, Stoltman said, send a check to a fundraiser helping a non-RCTC group.

A lack of awareness

This is an issue that's just making its way onto people's radar, thanks, in part, to the Wisconsin HOPE Lab Study. But the overarching problem is it's not something anyone tracks, one of the lab's authors, Jed Richardson, told the Post Bulletin in May .

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Without that data, Richardson told the Post Bulletin, it often is difficult to get school administrators or human service organizations to channel money to the organization. Though the data collection for how far-reaching this problem is is just beginning, he said one thing already is clear: if students are struggling with basic necessities such as food and housing, it's difficult for them to put their full focus on school work.

"They're doing exactly what they can and should to get ahead, but being hungry while working and in college is tough," Richardson said.

And community colleges are set to experience what Richardson called the "perfect storm" because they have a sizable number of students and are on the lower end of state funding.

Stoltman called the Student Senate move a "great step," adding, "we're trying to really put forth resources that are going to help them," noting the school's counselors and connections to the county, law enforcement and legal aid.

"These are touchy situations, people don't want to admit they don't eat; they don't want to admit they're couch surfing," he said. "But, we know that for students to be successful, they need to eat; they need to have a roof over their heads, and they need to have people who are watching out for them."

"We're Minnesotans, and it's in our culture to sometimes be too proud to ask for help," Brakebill-Hacke, said.

But it's something she said people need to keep talking about, including with the administration, if anything is going to change.

"We are going to fix this problem as a team," she said. "They can do their part to make our education more affordable and make our experience comprehensive. In the meantime, we'll keep feeding people."
If Rochester started collecting a portion of tax-increment financing approved for projects without housing or large multi-unit projects, it could see more than $500,000 per year to help fund affordable housing.

The proposal to the Rochester City Council, which includes the estimate, would follow a similar effort already seen in the Riverwalk Apartments project, which plans a 152-unit complex near the entrance of Mayo Field. The project will not include affordable housing, but the city expects to collect about $1.9 million during a 25-year TIF term, which could be used to help create affordable housing.

"That was a new approach for us and becomes kind of a model," Rochester Assistant City Administrator Gary Neumann told the city council during an affordable housing discussion on Sept. 18.

The council is set to continue that discussion at 3:30 p.m. Monday during its committee-of-the-whole meeting in city council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE.

While the city cannot alter current TIF agreements, staff used existing development projects to estimate what could be collected under the proposed policy as development moves forward in the city.

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The proposal to tap into 5 percent of approved TIF funding is just one of the suggestions on the table for the council to review. Other recommendations include:

 Continuing to use housing TIF districts to require 40 percent of units be affordable to people earning 60 percent of the area median income, which would be a family with an annual income of about $41,000. In 2015, 713 affordable units were created with the requirement, which could also require 20 percent of the units be affordable to people earning 50 percent of the area median income.

 Requiring 20 percent of smaller housing projects with TIF agreements to have units affordable to people earning 60 percent AMI, or require 10 percent to be accessible to people earning 50 percent AMI. The requirement could have added affordable housing to the 501 on First and Urban on First projects.

 Partnering with the Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority or Rochester Area Foundation to create affordable single-family homes.

 Requiring affordable units be included when developers seek to go beyond defined density limits when building apartment complexes downtown. The suggestion is 10 percent of the units beyond the set limit be affordable. In the last 10 years, such a policy would have added 28 affordable housing units.

In addition to reviewing staff recommendations on housing policy, the council also is slated to receive a presentation from Dave Dunn, Olmsted County's HRA director.

Moving the committee of the whole meeting to the council chambers allows seating for more members of the public. The Sept. 18 informational meeting on the issue was attended by members of several local groups that have voiced concerns about the lack of affordable housing.

On Wednesday, members of CURE  Communities United for Rochester Empowerment  presented a letter to Mayo Clinic staff, asking for a meeting with CEO Dr. John Noseworthy. After that event, members were encouraged to Monday's council meeting.
Via Twitchy, the hilarious story of a lefty whofor reasons unknownventured into South Dakota and saw firearms. The lefty is Samuel Sinyangwe, who describes himself this way on Twitter, where he has more than 96,000 followers:

Black Activist. Data Scientist & Policy Analyst. Stanford Alum. Co-Founder, Campaign Zero | Mapping Police Violence | OurStates.

This was his tweet, which was retweeted enthusiastically by fellow liberals3,777 times and counting, along with 4,842 likes:

Just landed in Sioux Falls. THEY ARE SELLING GUNS IN THE AIRPORT. pic.twitter.com/l5REcfs2iy  Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) October 20, 2017

Any person of normal acumen can probably surmise that they dont sell guns at the Sioux Falls airport, and a number of better-informed people tried to set Mr. Sinyangwe straight. In the meantime, though, libs went crazy, as documented on Twitchy. For example:

I cant bring a full size bottle of shampoo on the plane, but they can sell guns AT the airport?  https://t.co/utfYhOKTdO  Lesley Beckworth (@lesbeckworth) October 20, 2017

South Dakota, a place I will never set foot. https://t.co/4HEtl6vku2  Reclaiming My Time (@JesseRikart) October 20, 2017

Somehow, I dont think that will cause the people of South Dakota to wail and gnash their teeth. This one is my favorite:

White privilege! Why? I guess because everything in the world is white privilege. Liberals arent big on specifics.

In the photos that Mr. Sinyangwe tweeted, you can see that the airport booth belongs to Last Chance Auction Company. I googled the company and dialed Last Chances phone number. Even though it was after 7 p.m., the owner, Rich Larson, answered the phone. He is the guy you can see in the leftys photos and, of course, he knew about the Twitter storm. He confirmed what anyone with the barest knowledge of guns and gun laws would have predicted:

* They werent selling guns at the airport. Pheasant season opens tomorrow, and out of state hunters are flocking into Sioux Falls, many via airplane. So Larson wanted to promote an upcoming auction of items from a private collection that includes guns, knives and other items. His idea was that when the auction opens online tomorrow, hunters with little to do in the evening can go online and bid on firearms. The auction concludes October 26.

* Whoever wins the auction as to a particular firearm, some days from now, will have the gun sent to a federally registered firearms dealer in his area, per federal law. A background check will be conducted before he can possess the firearm.

* In South Dakota, as in many other states, there is a law that governs how guns must be displayed at gun shows. Last Chance Auction Company complied with South Dakotas gun show law by securing the triggers of all of the firearms that were displayed. No one could have stolen a gun (let alone bought one), loaded it with ammo and started firing it.

* The airport arrangement was particularly secure, since Last Chances booth was within ten feet of one manned by the Sioux Falls Police Department.

Part of what is going on here is that coastal liberals think that people in places like South Dakota are both dumber than they are, and more prone to violence. Actually, that is the opposite of the truth, in both respects. In South Dakota, where I grew up, most people are familiar with shotguns and rifles, know how to use them, and dont irrationally freak out if they encounter a few, even at an airport. And the violent crime rate is vanishingly low.

At some point during the day, a reporter from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, South Dakotas dominant and liberal newspaper, asked Rich Larson whether he knew that his modest auction booth was all over Twitter. The Argus Leader ran a story headlined: No, firearms werent for sale at Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Friday.

As it happens, Rich Larson not only runs an auction company, he also has a radio show on Saturday morning on the big Sioux Falls station, KELO, AM 1320. Richs show is called The Chant. It runs from 8 to 9 a.m., Central time, and Rich invited me to come on as a guest tomorrow, some time after 8:30. I think we are going to have some fun at the expense of lefties whoas usualhave no idea what they are talking about. You can listen at the link.

UPDATE: Poor Mr. Sinyangwe still hasnt figured it out. Consider this exchange with one of his left-wing Twitter followers from just a few minutes ago, and try to wrap your head around the cosmic stupidity on display:
Yesterday, Rep. Frederica Wilson claimed that John Kellys comments about President Trumps condolence call to the Gold Star family of Sergeant La David Johnson were an attempt to save his job as White House chief of staff. Wilsons office then declared that she would have no further comment on this controversy. It stated:

The congresswoman will not be making any further comment on the issue because the focus should be on helping a grieving widow and family heal, not on her or Donald Trump.

This, of course, is where the focus should have been all along.

Wilson has not kept her promise to keep the focus on the widow and her family. Instead, she has opted to keep digging, and in the most obnoxious manner possible. She has accused Gen. Kelly of racism.

Specifically, according to Wilson, Kellys characterization of her is an empty barrel is racist. She said:

Okay, thats a racist term too. Im thinking about that one. We looked it up in the dictionary because I had never heard of an empty barrel and I dont like to be dragged into something like that.

Wilsons statement is self-refuting. She grew up the Miami area during a time of intense racism. She probably has heard every racist epithet in the book. The fact that she never heard of any empty barrel is strong evidence that it is not a racist term.

Even Lawrence (stop the hammering) ODonnell, who tries to support Wilsons thesis by invoking the fact that he grew up in Boston in a setting similar to Kellys, admits that empty barrel was not part of the racist jargon he heard. Watch him try to talk his way around this problem in the video posted here.

In fact, there is nothing anti-black about the term empty barrel. Wilson may not have heard of it before, but others have  from Gen. Kelly himself. He used the phrase to describe Rep. Luis Gutierrez when the Illinois congressman called Kelly a disgrace. As we noted at the time, Kelly responded:

As my blessed mother used to say, Empty barrels make the most noise.

Gutierrez is not black.

Those who cover Kelly know that empty barrel is a favorite Kelly put-down having nothing to do with race. Indeed, Kellys statement seems to assume familiarity with his use of the term by at least some members of the press conference.

It was inevitable that a hack like Wilson would play the race card, notwithstanding her promise not to engage further in this dispute. By doing so, she further discredits herself.

America has no sympathy for those who, when losing an argument they started, reflexively accuse their adversary of racism. The act has become tired.

And when, as with Rep. Wilson, the assertion of racism is self-refuting, the act only confirms the mindlessness of the actor.
The Czech Republics parliamentary election represented yet another rebellion against Europes political elites. The winning party, ANO, is considered centrist and won nearly 30% of the vote. Its leader, Andrej Babis, is a billionaire and has been described as a Czech Donald Trump. The Associated Press reports:

The centrist ANO movement led by populist Andrej Babis decisively won the Czech Republics parliamentary election Saturday in a vote that shifted the country to the right and paved the way for the euroskeptic billionaire to become its next prime minister. With virtually all votes counted, the Czech Statistics Office said Saturday that ANO won in a landslide with 29.7 percent of the vote.

***

In a blow to the countrys traditional political elite, four of the top five vote-getting parties Saturday were ones that have challenged the traditional political mainstream.

The Pirate Party finished third in the voting, which should tell us something. Expressing the condescending attitude that voters across Europe are rejecting, the AP tells us that Some [parties] have exploited fears of immigration and Islam. Of course immigration can never be a legitimate issue, rather it is simply a matter of exploiting fears. But immigration skepticism is a majority view: Like most Czech parties, ANO also rejects accepting refugees under the EUs quota system.

A second story, this one from Germany, illustrates what so many Europeans are rebelling against: Germany: Full Censorship Now Official.

A new German law introducing state censorship on social media platforms came into effect on October 1, 2017. The new law requires social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to censor their users on behalf of the German state. Social media companies are obliged to delete or block any online criminal offenses such as libel, slander, defamation or incitement, within 24 hours of receipt of a user complaint  regardless of whether or the content is accurate or not.

We all know where employees of social media companies are most likely to detect libel or incitement, especially when they are trying to avoid a 50 million euro fine. A recent case illustrates what the German government has in mind:

Meanwhile, the district court in Munich recently sentenced a German journalist, Michael Sturzenberger, to six months in jail for posting on his Facebook page a historical photo of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, shaking the hand of a senior Nazi official in Berlin in 1941. The prosecution accused Sturzenberger of inciting hatred towards Islam and denigrating Islam by publishing the photograph.

Europeans cant revolt fast enough, or thoroughly enough.
If we were ever to get to the bottom of actual collusion in the course of the 2016 election, it would be that of the Democrats with the Fusion GPS smear outfit. Kim Strassels Wall Street Journal column updates the story of the appearance of two Fusion GPS principals before the House Intelligence Committee. In The case of Fusion GPS, I noted the intention of company witnesses to claim the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination to maintain their silence. They refuse to tell the committee who paid for the infamous Trump Dossier or whom their clients were. Kim now reports that they proceeded to do just that on Thursday. In the heart of her column Kim explains:

[Fusion GPS is] the firm behind the infamous dossier accusing Donald Trump of not just unbecoming behavior but also colluding with Russia. Republicans are investigating whether the Fusion dossier was influenced by Russians, and whether American law enforcement relied on that disinformation for its own probe.

But Fusions secret weapon in its latest operation is the Democratic Party, whose most powerful members have made protecting Fusions secrets their highest priority. Senate Democrats invoked a parliamentary maneuver in July to block temporarily Mr. Browders public testimony. Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic ranking member on the Intelligence Committee, has been engineering flaps to undercut and obstruct Mr. Nuness investigation. Democrats on the House Ethics Committee have deep-sixed what was meant to be a brief inquiry to clear Mr. Nunes so as to keep him sidelined.

Then there is the intel committees meeting this week. Despite the spin, forcing Fusion to appear was Republicans only recourse after months of stonewalling. Fusions letter ludicrously claimed that Mr. Nuness subpoenas were invalid, which essentially forced the committee to show otherwise. It was a question of authority.

Florida Rep. Tom Rooney put the Fusion attendees through a series of questions not out of spite but to clarify finally just what topics the firm is refusing to talk about. The Fifth Amendment doesnt provide protection against answering all questions. It only protects against providing self-incriminating evidence. It is therefore revealing that Fusion took the Fifth on every topicfrom its relationship with British spook Christopher Steele, to the history of its work, to its role in the dossier.

The untold story is the Democrats unprecedented behavior. Mr. Rooney had barely started when committee staffers for Mr. Schiff interrupted, accused him of badgering witnesses, and suggested he was acting unethically. Jaws dropped. Staff do not interrupt congressmen. They do not accuse them of misbehavior. And they certainly do not act as defense attorneys for witnesses. No Democratic lawmakers had bothered to come to the hearing to police this circus, and Mr. Rooney told me that he wont be doing any more interviews without a member from the minority present.

Private-sector lawyers also tend not to accuse congressmen of unethical behavior, as Mr. Levy did in his letter to Mr. Nunes. But Fusions legal eagle must feel safe. Hes former general counsel to the Senates minority leader, Chuck Schumer. He has also, Im told by people familiar with the committees activities, more than once possessed information that he would have had no earthly means of knowing, since it was secret committee business. Consider that: Democratic members of Congress or their staff providing sensitive details of an investigation to a company to which the committee has given subpoenas.
I watched all 18 hours of the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick/Geoffrey Ward documentary The Vietnam War. Ten years in the making, it draws on enormous resources to fix our history in falsity. It seeks to endow the war as portrayed by the antiwar left with the status of the authorized version. A credulous consumer of the antiwar literature of the era, I began to get a clue around about the time the NVA had its tanks rolling toward Saigon in 1975. Burns affords us access to views expressed by our Vietnam vets featured in the documentary ranging all the way from A to B.

Burns of course has the suffocating cultural apparatus of the left to support his documentary. Todays Star Tribune, for example, includes an article on documentary producer Lynn Novicks appearance with featured documentary talking head Tim OBrien at Macalester College. Who has the will or knowledge to resist? Operating in good Orwellian fashion, the Burns crew seeks to control the future by controlling the past and demonstrate that those who control the present control the past.

Knowledgeable students of the war have begun to talk back. The purpose of this series has been to draw attention to their work. Stephen Morriss Weekly Standard essay The bad war makes an important contribution, as does the two-part essay by Mac Owens that I noted here earlier this week. I quoted Yales Professor Charles Hills unamused view of the Ken Burns version here. In his ten years working on the documentary Burns somehow never got around to interviewing a vet like Minneapolis attorney Tim Kelly, who speaks for the many expressing simple pride in their service. I quoted Tim in my Notes on the Ken Burns version.

City Journal has now posted Mark Moyars essay A warped mirror. Moyar is a leading scholar of the war. Despite the documentarys pretense to fairness and detachment, Moyar finds that it promote[s] an agenda, in ways glaringly obvious to veterans though not readily apparent to those too young to have lived through the war. Burns and Novick wish to show that America fought a war that was unnecessary and unwinnable, and that it did so out of national hubris. Moyars essay embeds useful links (such as this one to John Del Vecchios critique) and adds valuable perspective to the literature on the documentary.
Congress today extended invitation to caste-based leaders including Patidar leader Hardik Patel to jointly contest the Gujarat election. Hardik Patel, however, has said that Gujarat election is not a Congress-BJP fight.

By India Today Web Desk: Patidar leader Hardik Patel today kept the Congress guessing after the grand old party invited him to join hands to fight the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat election.

Responding to a question about Congress's offer to jointly fight against the BJP, Hardik Patel said that the Gujarat election was not a fight between the two biggest parties.

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"Although I believe we must unite against the BJP, this isn't a BJP-Congress election. This is an election of 6 crore people of Gujarat," Hardik Patel said in Ahmedabad, adding that "we want clarification on their promise of giving us 20 per cent of reservation."

In response to another question, Hardik Patel said, "Constitutionally speaking, I can't contest election and I don't need to in the first place... Whosoever wins in Gujarat election, ultimately it is going to be a win for Gujarat."

THE CONGRESS' OFFER

Earlier, the Congress invited Hardik Patel, Chhotu Vasava, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani to join it in the fight against the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly polls. Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki made the announcement at a press meet earlier in the day about the party's invitation to these caste-based leaders.

Solanki said, "All options are open. Those who come with Congress can contest on their own, with Congress supporting their candidature, or they can also contest under Congress symbol."

If Hardik Patel wants to contest election, then Congress invites him to do so: Bharat Solanki, #Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President pic.twitter.com/R424kmSQRS- ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

(With inputs from Gopi Maniar in Ahmedabad)

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Question: I was given a Tiffany twisted baroque pearl necklace by someone whose mother wore it as her wedding jewelry. It is described as an 8-strand freshwater torsade Paloma Picasso piece. I would appreciate information about Paloma Picasso, torsade and the necklaces worth.  L.B., Galloway Township

Answer: Born in France in 1949, Paloma Picasso is the daughter of artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Her career as a Parisian fashion designer began in 1968, and she later worked for couturier Yves Saint Laurent.

In 1980, Paloma began designing jewelry exclusively for Tiffany & Co. of New York City, renowned since 1837 for its luxury jewelry, watches, crystal, silver, fine china and fashion accessories. She later added fragrances and cosmetics to her Tiffany lines.

Palomas jewelry collection is offered annually in Tiffanys Blue Book, Americas first mail-order catalog, published since 1845.

The torsade is a decorative twisted cord, braid, ribbon or strand often used as a hat ornament. Necklaces and bracelets consisting of multiple strands of beads or pearls twisted loosely together in a ropelike form are also called torsades.

Recently, a similar Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. baroque pearl torsade necklace fetched $425.

Question: I own an interesting toy, purchased as a gift for my granddaughter at an antiques show years ago. It is a brown mohair bear, 23 inches long and 17 inches high, positioned on all four feet atop a red-wheeled metal platform with black rubber tires. The bears glass eyes are brown and it wears a red collar with matching leash that, when pulled, produces a growl. A yellow tag marked Steiff is on the bears ear. My granddaughter enjoyed riding on her bears back when she was young.

A friend told me you answered a question about a Steiff toy earlier this year, and I hope you can tell me something about Steiff, my bear and its worth.  E.C., Mount Laurel

Answer: Your toy riding bear, also known as a ride-on-bear, was made by Steiff, a German-based, family-owned toy company founded by Margarete Steiff (1847-1909) in 1880.

A seamstress with disabilities who initially made and sold small, elephant-shape pincushions, Steiff later designed and produced many stuffed animal toys.

In 1902, she introduced her famous teddy bears, still renowned worldwide for their workmanship and high-quality design.

Steiff riding bears were produced from the late 1940s to 1957 in eight sizes. The model you described, built on an iron frame, is listed as having been introduced in 1947.

Collectors who search for childrens old riding toys or Steiff bears want clean examples in very good condition with original fabrics, no fur loss, perfect embroidered nose and mouth stitching, glass eyes and often an original collar and leash with working growler intact.

Last year, a riding bear like yours with a Steiff trademark button-in-ear sold for $375.
Instead of people leaving her life after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Dawn Comeauxs family doubled in size.

Comeaux, 54, of Pleasantville, knew some of what was ahead of her when she was found to have Stage 2 breast cancer in August 2015. What helped her weather the storm of tests, treatment and recovery was having the family she was born into and the family she chose at Gildas Club of South Jersey.

One in eight women in the United States will get a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, but many are surviving their diseases. In addition to the physical journey, breast cancer survivors and patients say having support for the emotional and psychological effects can make all the difference.

When I became a member, I made some new friends, Comeaux said of joining Gildas Club. I look forward to seeing them every week, because we can talk, laugh, cry and check on each other.

Gildas Club South Jersey, based in Linwood with locations at AtlantiCare and Cape Regional Medical Center, provides emotional and psychosocial support to anyone touched by any type of cancer, said Erin McAllister, programs director.

Men, women, children and families can get help and support from support groups; programs and activities like yoga; nutrition and lifestyle workshops; educational lectures, Pilates; childrens Noogie Land and bereavement services, all designed to help patients, families and caregivers cope with whats happening.

In treatment, you trust in your medical team and do what youre told and hope it cures you, but the psychosocial aspects of cancer, nobody is there for that except you and your family, McAllister said. There are so many challenges to mental health and well-being. Thats where Gildas can help.

Comeaux said she knew what Gildas Club was, but never thought she would become a member as a survivor. Cancer wasnt new to her family, as her father died from throat cancer and her mother died from kidney cancer right before her own cancer diagnosis.

The incidence of residents newly diagnosed with breast cancer was 131.5 people per 100,000 from 2009 to 2013, according to the state Department of Health. Mortality rates remained lower at a rate of 23.4, but breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women.

For Comeaux, her diagnosis came with surgical removal of the cancer in her left breast, chemotherapy, radiation and a myriad of medications she continues to take.

Physically, she lost her hair, her nails turned black, she got sores in her mouth, she became sick from chemotherapy, her body ached and she had to live for more than a year and a half with a surgically placed port in her chest to get medications easier.

In addition to that, she and her children, siblings and boyfriend dealt with the overwhelming anxiety, fear and anger that come along with her cancer battle. Rosa Martinez, 67, of Hammonton, knew those feeling all too well after she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2010.

When my doctor told me it was cancer, it surprised me so bad, Martinez said. I had always gotten my mammogram, got it the year before, and I thought this lump I felt was just fluid, because that happened to me a lot years ago. So they said it was breast cancer, and I was scared.

Martinez and Comeaux are members of the same Gildas Club support group that meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon at the organizations AtlantiCare location in Egg Harbor Township.

Over the years, the two have grown close to all the other members in their group, which included people at the beginning of a diagnosis, in the middle of treatment or in remission and recovery. Its also included women who have died from breast cancer, another reality of the disease.

Theyve lost two friends, Georgina Georgi McCully and Vivian Bush, within the last year.

Despite the aches and pains, physically and emotionally, they go through now, they both stay involved with Gildas Club in their survivorship and use their knowledge of breast cancer to help others.

Comeaux said shes looking forward to attending the Pleasantville High School Reunion Class of 1981 in a few weeks, something she might have not been able to do had she not treatment when she did. Martinez always pushes her daughter to get her annual mammograms and testing, knowing what the alternative could be.

Before cancer, I was a very different person, but this changed me, Martinez said. I used to get upset over everything, I had no patience. Im calmer now. This changed my life and Im at peace with myself, and Im just trying to help people.
MILLVILLE  Friends, family members and colleagues joined at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds on Saturday to remember loved ones lost.

The sky filled with balloons before the third annual Cumberland County Out of the Darkness Community Walk, raising awareness of those who died by suicide.

Each person walking had a sticker on, showing who they were honoring. For Brian, For Jake, For Mom, some read.

We must create a culture that is smart about mental health, that is willing to talk about mental health and be prepared with resources, said Elizabeth Roithmayr, the New Jersey area director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The walk is held in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and aims to fight suicide and raise awareness about mental health. The walk raised about $14,000 so far and will continue to bring in donations until the end of the year. About 400 people signed up to walk this year.

The money raised for the walk and up until the end of the year will stay in the county and be allocated to 29 local services, Roithmayr said.

Ashleigh Ruff, the chairwoman of the event who works with the county Department of Human Services, said she has gotten calls about deaths by suicide in the area and the event helps draw attention to preventing it.

This kind of event helps people cope with others and heal, she said.

Jennie Martorano, a teacher at Vineland High School, spoke along with her 20-year-old daughter, Andrea, about how their familys life was affected by suicide. Jennies husband and Andreas father, Thomas, died by suicide in November 2012.

He was a detective in the city police department and worked in security at the high school. He was 46.

Moving forward is what we need to heal, Martorano said. Its our elephant in the room  one that I inherited for life.

They talked about what they remembered of Thomas and how he affected their lives. Andrea spoke about her father and the man she remembers him to be, and Jennie said hes remembered for being a great dad.

Both touched on the importance of addressing the issue, raising awareness, having support services for survivors and knowing when to reach out to someone who might be in need of help.

Only together can we find a way to stop more causalities, Andrea Martorano said.

The event also aimed to help raise awareness about how to help people who are in need.

There was a memorial video playing with a photo montage of those lost, and resource tables throughout the fairgrounds with different agencies set up giving out information.

The agencies included guidance centers, mental health services, addiction services and teen services centers.
ATLANTIC CITY  Whether the majority of voters in the city believe the resort has been on the rise or on the downturn could determine who becomes the mayor of this city for the next four years.

Incumbent Republican Mayor Don Guardian, as he campaigns for a second term, plugs the city as a place emerging stronger after the resorts finances have been stabilized and drawn the interest of investors. If re-elected, he says, that vision will continue.

Guardian cites saving the city from bankruptcy and bringing new projects, such as South Jersey Gas, Stockton University and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to the city, as additions to the citys image of rebuilding.

I had an aggressive list when I came in, before I knew the state of the finances, he said. I knew that we had to get out of the casino business being our primary concern.

But Democrat Frank Gilliam has a different take  the city is stuck in a depressing hole of debt and needs saving, caused in part by casinos and bad governing. Gilliam said he wants to focus on development, lowering taxes and boosting employment in the city, if elected mayor.

The city should gather to discuss how to re-establish the city as a place for people of all ages to come and stay, he said.

Weve lost our identity because of gaming, Gilliam said. If everyone got to the table, Atlantic City would find its way.

Either way, theres a lot at stake for Atlantic City with the upcoming race Nov. 7, as it nears the completion of its first year under a state takeover, including uncertainty about the citys future. Gubernatorial candidates Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, a Republican, could both make a decision to end the state takeover of Atlantic City.

On the ballot, four mayoral candidates are fighting for the title of the citys next mayor. But its the two major-party candidates, both already serving as elected officials in Atlantic City government, who appear to be the two facing off. And the candidates view of where the city has been for the past four years is starkly different.

Whoever is elected the next mayor will have to bring a positive relationship with the state and a clear vision for Atlantic Citys future, said Matthew Hale, associate professor of political science and public affairs at Seton Hall University.

The most important thing is going to be the relationships with the state and figuring out what is the pathway forward for Atlantic City beyond simply gambling, he said. Whoever is elected mayor needs to confront and address those issues in innovative and different ways.

Guardian and Gilliam have debated over several key issues this election, including the citys tax rates, finances, the citys image and what both have done with their time in office.

Before he was elected in 2013 as the citys first Republican mayor since 1990, Guardian served as director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authoritys Special Improvement Division.

Gilliam is an Atlantic City native who has been a city councilman since 2009, re-elected to his at-large seat in 2013.

Hale said its not reasonable to think the city can get back to thrive as it used to, unless the model changes.

If one thing is clear, though, the two major-party candidates clash  they have spent time taking jabs at one another and attacking each others past decisions or voting record, along with publicly insulting one another.

Both, however, have cited the need to move away from focusing just on gaming.

If re-elected mayor, Guardian has said he hopes to continue working for a sustainable city budget and to reduce property taxes. He also said he sees more development coming to the city during the next four years, bringing more life to the southeast inlet for housing and boosting businesses in the city.

Guardian has said new businesses and homes built will help address the tax problem, along with an expected increase in casino revenue next year. Gilliam has cited the need for bringing in a non-biased entity to audit the citys finances and tax rate to figure out what the real numbers are, he said.

With less than three weeks until the election, Guardians campaign has brought in $87,898 in total contributions and has spent $67,750, according to recently filed state Election Law Enforcement Commission reports. Gilliams campaign has totaled $130,098 in contributions and has spent $57,411, according to ELEC reports.

When voters head out to the polls Nov. 7, not only will they cast their votes for the next mayor, but the next state governor, district legislators and three at-large Atlantic City Council seats.

Three of the council candidates are running on Guardians ticket, while three are running on Gilliams ticket. There is one Independent candidate also running for an at-large seat.

Joseph Polillo, running as an Independent, and Henry Hank Green, running on the Green Party, also will be on the ballot for mayor.
PM Modi on Sunday will inaugurate a project that is expected to revolutionise Saurashtra and South Gujarat. The ro-ro ferry service between Gogha and Dahej is first of its kind.

By Mayuresh Ganapatye: If one intends to travel from Saurashtra to South Gujarat, it usually takes 10 hours by road. To reduce the travel time, Gujarat government is starting ro-ro ferry service which will be available to public and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday - October 22.

PM Modi had plans to bring out the ferry service when he was chief minister of Gujarat. A lot of businessmen travel from Bhavnagar to Surat. These people will be benefited once the ferry service kicks off.

Photo: Twitter - @Ports_GMB

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The ro-ro ferry service will reduce the time of travel from 8-10 hours to only 30 minutes. The ferry can accommodate a 1,000 passengers and can even carry 150 vehicles.

This service will save expenditures on fuel and also reduce the number of road accidents.

Once Gogha terminal gets fully operational, state government is planning to connect Mumbai via this ferry service in its next phase.

This entire project is being handled by Gujarat Maritime Board. Saurashtra Environment Pvt Ltd has got the contract of the first phase of ro-ro ferry service between Gogha to Dahej.

Photo: Twitter - @Ports_GMB Photo: Twitter - @Ports_GMB

As per information that is initially lingering, the passengers have to shell out Rs 600 for one-way trip between Gogha and Dahej.

The company has plans to start an online booking service as well along with pickup and drop service and pre-booking service.

After inauguration of ro-ro ferry service, PM Modi himself will be addressing a rally and inaugurating seven public projects.

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If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Army chief Bipin Rawat has said that radicalisaiton is not limited to a particular country. It is a global phenomenon, which the armed forces are taking seriously.

By India Today Web Desk: Army chief General Bipin Rawat today said that Islamic radicalisation was a global phenomenon and it was being done through social media. Addressing the media in Jammu, General Rawat also said that the security situation was improving in the Kashmir Valley.

News agency ANI quotes General Bipin Rawat as saying, "Radicalization is taking place. It is a worldwide phenomenon and we are addressing it seriously."

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"Jammu and Kashmir government, police and administration are concerned, trying to ensure that people are weaned away. It is happening due to social media," General Rawat said.

The Army chief's comments have come after he reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He was briefed by the Chinar Corps Commander on the latest operations and overall security scenario including the Line of Control.

Responding to a question about the security situation in Kashmir, General Rawat said that the recent trends suggested that terrorists were frustrated at the intensity of the operations carried by the forces. "Security situation in Kashmir valley is improving. What is happening, just shows the frustration of terrorists," General Rawat said.

With regard to NIA raids on separatist leaders in Kashmir Valley, General Rawat said, "In Kashmir, we are following the government's approach. The NIA raids are part of it. Whatever success is achieved, will emerge in future."

On the question of resuming dialogue with Pakistan, the Army chief said, "The military has a task and we will continue to perform that task. Decision on any talks has to be decided politically."

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Kabul, Oct 19 : At least 43 soldiers were killed and another nine wounded on Thursday in a coordinated attack by the Taliban on a military base in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives in a vehicle at the military base in Maiwand district. This was followed by armed clashes with the troops stationed in the camp, Defence Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Radmanish told Efe news.

This was the third large-scale attack against the Afghan forces this week.
Sonderborg/Copenhagen (Denmark), Oct 19 : "I am a big zero", proclaims the badge worn by Peter Rathje, Managing Director of Project Zero A/s, that is working on the mission to make this Danish city carbon neutral by 2029.

"No, I didn't have any issues wearing the badge for the first time or later," Rathje told this visting IANS correspondent.

Project Zero is a public-private partnership in the city of 75,000 souls (It also has 440,000 pigs and 250,000 hens). The ultimate aim is to attract investments, tourists, people to live in the city and also create green jobs.

Project Zero is meant to transit Sonderborg from a farming, industry and knowledge economy to a green business economy.

The carbon neutrality is to be achieved by efficient use of energy with 722,000 tonnes of emissions in 2007 as the baseline mark.

"Project Zero is one of the three lighthouse projects of Sonderborg. The purpose is to make Sonderborg a great place to live and work," Mayor Erik Lauritzen told a group of visiting international journalists.

The other two lighthouse projects are converting the city's harbour front into a residential neighbourhood and converting the city into a tourist destination.

According to Rathje, energy efficiency was the main aim of the project which is being achieved by limiting energy demand through rationale use, sourcing renewable energy for the remaining demand and using fossil fuel, if necessary, as efficiently and cleanly as possible.

"Between 2007 and 2016 the carbon reduction was 35 per cent and now the target is to achieve 50 per cent reduction by 2020. During this period, around 800 jobs were created in construction, energy consulting and green district heating," Rathje explained.

Speaking about the roadmap for achieving the 2020 target, Rathje said energy efficiency would be improved through retrofitting of houses, offices and commercial buildings, as also generating solar power and by setting up biogas plant and onshore wind turbines.

Rathje said two biogas plants are being set up while the public transport buses now run on biogas.

He said several homes have gone for retrofitting at an average investment of 21,000 euros, creating new jobs and also saving energy consumption by 45 per cent per household.

In order to sustain the green focus, children are taught waste is valuable and can be recycled or used in a different form.

On the other hand, Denmark's capital city Copenhagen is targeting to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025 -- four years ahead of Sonderborg.

According to Copenhagen Mayor Morten Kabell, the biggest challenge was asking the Danes to do away with their cars and switch over to public transport and cycles.

"I sold the official car and come to office on an e-bike," he added.

Kabell is one of the seven Mayors of Copenhagen, which has a population of around 600,000.

According to Kabell, using a cycle is a faster way to commute and the city administration has reduced the number of car parking slots to discourage the use of cars and to promote public transport and cycles.

"For distances of five-seven kilometres people here pedal their cycles. We would want that to go up to 10 km. People can also use e-bikes," Kabell said.

A sizable number of Danes in Copenhagen commute to work on cycles. The bicycle lanes are broad and the administration is planning to widen them to avoid gridlocks and also discourage the use of cars.

"Cars occupy space and also transport only one person on average. You have to plan a city where cars can be used. There the people can buy cars and drive," he added.

"We are a growing city. The city is growing by two per cent per annum. The challenge is building infrastructure, schools and other facilities," Kabell said.

Speaking about achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, Kabell said as per the current plans, the city will achieve 92 per cent of the target by that time.

"Working out schemes to achieve the balance eight per cent will not be difficult," he said confidently.

Copenhagen aims to be the first city in the world to become carbon neutral by 2025.

"So far we have achieved 33 per cent of our target. Property owners have been asked to provide for district heating and cooling in their buildings," Kabell said.

The city is benchmarking its emissions against 2005 levels. A biomass power plant is also being built and is expected to be operational in 2020 so that 80 per cent of the city's district heating system will be carbon neutral.

According to Kabell, separation of waste at the household level is in place with the municipality giving containers to segregate the waste so that the organic waste could be used in the biomass plant.

The city's streetlights have been changed to energy efficient LED bulbs and the majority of the garbage trucks run on gas.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan was in Denmark at the invitation of Danfoss A/S. He can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
United Nations, Oct 21 : The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is concerned about intensified fighting between the Taliban and the Islamic State-Khorasan in eastern Afghanistan, which has triggered new displacements, said the world body on Friday.

There are more than 2,000 newly displaced people, adding to the 5,000 people that were displaced by the fighting that started five days ago in Nangarhar province, UN spokesman Farhan Haq quoted local sources as saying.

Ambulances are currently on standby and the World Health Organization has dispatched additional supplies to cover a total of 2,000 patients, said Haq.

OCHA said it will continue to provide humanitarian assistance, wherever access permits
Ottawa, Oct 21 : The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) might consider a ban on laptops from checked baggage on planes due to a fire risk under a proposal being recommended by a global air safety panel, a media report said.

The ICAO, a Canada-based UN organisation, will decide on the move at its meeting later this month, the CNN report said.

Even if the organisation endorses the proposal from its Dangerous Goods Panel, which is making the recommendation, it would be up to regulators in individual nations to pass rules to enforce it.

According to the panel's proposal, an overheating laptop battery could cause a significant blaze in a cargo hold that fire fighting equipment aboard the plane would not be able to extinguish which could "lead to the loss of the aircraft".

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not commented on the proposal. But it is represented on the panel that is supporting the ban, and its research on the risk of fires from laptops is included in the proposal.

The concern that lithium batteries pose a fire hazard on planes is not new, reports CNN.

There have been studies on the risk of fires on planes posed by lithium batteries going back years. In 2015 US airlines banned hoverboards from their planes due to concerns about the fire risk posed by their lithium batteries.

The fear that terrorists could try to hide explosives in laptops prompted the US Department of Homeland Security to ban laptops from the cabin of planes coming from certain international airports earlier this year.

However, those rules banning laptops from cabins have been removed for most of those airports due to new screening procedures.
Kabul, Oct 21 : Three rockets were fired onto a diplomatic area in Kabul on Saturday, Afghan police and witnesses said.

"The attack occurred at around 6.10 a.m., and the rockets struck localities in Police District 10 and Police District 9," a witness told Xinhua news agency.

However, there were reports of any casualties or injuries.

One rocket reportedly hit a wall at an embassy and two others exploded close to Resolute Support headquarters, Tolo News quoted the police as saying.

Saturday's incident comes after two suicide attacks took place on Friday in Kabul and Ghor province resulting in the deaths of at least 70 people.

In Kabul, a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside the Imam Zamam mosque in a neighbourhood predominantly populated by the Shia Hazara minority, reports Efe news.

The bomber was standing among the congregation. The attack killed 39 people and injured 45 others, according to the Interior Ministry.

About an hour before the blast in Kabul, a suicide attacker detonated explosives at the Khwajagan mosque in the Du-Layna district of Ghor province.

The attack occurred as an important anti-Taliban militiaman, Fazal Hayat Khan, and his men were praying inside, provincial authorities said. At least 31 people were killed.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the three incidents.
New Delhi, Oct 21 : Google has celebrated the achievements of the 19th century Indian explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a Doodle to mark what would have been his 187th birthday.

Disguised as a Tibetan monk, Rawat walked from his home region of Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang.

In the 19th century, the British were hungry for cartographic details of Tibet. But Europeans were not welcome everywhere at that time.

Rawat was prominent among a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration.

He determined the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, mapped the Tsangpo, and described in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

"He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2000 steps, and measured those steps using a rosary. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel and mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers," Google said.

Google's Doodle on Saturday portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels -- solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side.
Govardhan (Mathura), Oct 21 : Govardhan Puja was held in a major way in most temples of Braj, with elaborate 'Annakoot' or community feasts with hundreds of dishes, including sweets, namkeens and vegetables offered to Goverdhan Parbat by devotees.

Govardhan Puja commemorates the lifting of the Goverdhan hill by little Sri Krishna to protect 'Brajbasis' from the wrath of Indra Dev.

This year Goverdhan Puja was held for two days, stretching up to Saturday.

"Govardhan", meaning the nurturer of cows -- symbolising Lord Krishna, is worshipped during the festival.

Goswami Nandan Shrotriya of Sri Mathuradheesh temple said a specially prepared brinjal vegetable called "gadd" was in big demand as part of the Annakoot.

Annakoot draws lakhs of pilgrims from across the world to the temples in Vrindavan, Mathura, where the devouts conduct the 21-kilometre "parikrama" (circuit) of the holy hill.

"Annakoot falls on the first day of the fortnight of the waxing moon, also known as Shukla Paksha, in the Hindu month of Kartik," elaborated Pandit Jugal Kishor, a local priest.

The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for smooth traffic and maintaining cleanliness in the region.

"The weekend crowd from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab via the Yamuna Expressway was here and big feasts were held at most of the temples," Jagan Nath Poddar, the convener of Friends of Vrindavan, told IANS.

Govardhan hill is, as per Hindu mythology, made of cow-dung and the community offers prayers at the hill with sweets and milk.

The immersion in the river or ponds takes place the next day on "Bhai Dooj", said another priest, Acharya Madhukar Chaturvedi.

"These days, for convenience's sake, replicas of Govardhan hill are made on bullock carts which can be easily towed to the river the next day for immersion ceremony with lots of music, dance and the customary pujas," he added.

In Agra, the main celebrations were centred around Belanganj, Kamla Nagar, Balkeshwar and Jaipur House.

In view of the huge demand, the vegetable prices have seen a nearly 25 per cent increase.

"For preparation of the special sabzi called "Gadd" - a kind of mixed vegetable, the families buy a wide range of common and exotic varieties of vegetables. This leads to increased demand. Besides, vegetable markets also remain closed a day after Diwali, leading to further shortage," said Acharya Chaturvedi.
Chennai, Oct 21 : The BJP on Saturday drew flak for demanding removal of references critical of GST from Tamil film "Mersal", with DMK Working President M.K. Stalin saying the BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism was against democratic principles.

In a tweet, Stalin posted: "BJP's attempt to muzzle criticism is contrary to democratic principles. The DMK always stands for freedom of speech & creative expression."

Actor Kamal Haasan, who is nurturing political ambitions, in a tweet said: "'Mersal' was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks."

It may be recalled that Haasan had faced problems during the release of his film "Vishwaroopam" four years ago.

The film, which released worldwide on January 25, 2013, was deferred by two weeks in Tamil Nadu following protests by Muslim outfits and an alleged involvement by the then state government.

"7th of February a few years back made me understand how people's love can make an artiste win against tyranny. Was humbled and stay that way," Haasan had tweeted.

During that time, Haasan had even threatened to quit India when his film faced problems.

Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the BJP's demand for removal of dialogues critical of the GST from "Mersal".

"Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal," Gandhi said in a tweet.
Islamabad, Oct 21 : Pakistan on Saturday said its new envoy in New Delhi discussed the current state of bilateral relations with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj when he met her earlier in the week.

"The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in a statement on the meeting Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood had with Sushma Swaraj on October 17.

"The Minister and the High Commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations. While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion."

In a statement, Zakaria said it is customary for newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on local dignitaries.

He added that "reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative".

Indian media reports had suggested that Sushma Swaraj raised India's concerns over cross-border terrorism and asked Islamabad to quickly bring to book the accused in the 2008 Mumbai and last year's Pathankot terror attacks.
Srinagar, Oct 21 : A teenager was injured in a firing incident by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district on Saturday, officials said.

Police said protesters resorted to heavy stone pelting at the security forces in Machow area of Badgam district during protests against braid chopping incidents in the Kashmir Valley.

Informed sources said security forces used tear smoke canisters to disperse the protesters but as the mob swelled up resorting to more violence, the security forces opened fire in which a 16-year old teenager was injured.

"The teenager, identified as Arsalan, has been shifted to hospital for treatment," a police officer said.

Separatists had called for a valley-wide protest shutdown on Saturday against the growing incidents of braid chopping.
By PTI: Ghazipur (UP), Oct 21 (PTI) An RSS worker and journalist Rajesh Mishra was today shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants, who also wounded his brother, in Uttar Pradeshs Gazipur, police said.

The assailants, who came brandishing firearms, shot at Mishra (40) when he and his brother Amitesh were at their shop in Brahmanpura Chatti area where they sold building material, circle officer Hridayanad Singh said.

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Mishra was associated with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, one of the largest selling newspapers in the country.

Mishra, who was shot in the head, was declared brought dead at the district hospital. His brother, who was shot in the abdomen, has been referred to a Varanasi hospital for further treatment.

Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anand Kumar said in Lucknow that two of the attackers have been identified. "Of the three assailants, two have been identified, and soon all of of them will be arrested," he added.

Shantanu Bhowmik, a journalist working with a local news channel, was beaten to death while covering a clash in Tripura last month.

Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics, was shot dead in Bengaluru by unidentified assailants on September 5. Police are yet to make any arrest in the case. PTI COR NAV SMI RT SK SK

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi/Ahmedabad, Oct 21 : Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the party. The ruling BJP got a boost as two leaders from Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.

Thakore, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.

Soon after, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, Patidar leaders closely associated with the PAAS movement, joined the BJP, profusely praising the ruling party which they suddenly found to have considered all their demands.

"We were fighting for the community and not working as agents of any political party or to broker their ambitions," Reshma Patel said. Asked if they were not acting as agents of the BJP, both claimed their fight right from the beginning was for the community and to support whoever backed the Patidars' cause.

Alpesh Thakore, meanwhile, said he and his supporters would formally join the Congress at a massive rally in state capital Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi would fly down specially for the rally.

"It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess," Thakore told reporters in Delhi.

He added, "Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP."

Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Hardik Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the "dictatorial and inhuman" BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, "I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so."

"There is no talk of joining the Congress. I have said earlier also that the Congress would have to first convince us how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise," Patel told IANS.

"Our agitation will continue even if the Congress comes to power if our demands are not met," he said, adding that he had maintained this several times.

PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhania told a Gujarat TV channel, "A couple of ambitious people joining BJP or leaving the Patidar movement won't have any impact on us."

Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, "I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organizations and leaders in the state."

Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal-U and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days - Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani - to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP," Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.

He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. "PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress."

"We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 per cent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 per cent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution," he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.

Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 per cent additional reservations is approved.
Austin (Texas), Oct 21 : Five former US Presidents will be attending a concert on Saturday night in a Texas college town, to raise money for relief efforts after devastation by a hurricane in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, a media report said.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush are putting aside politics for the concert being held at Texas A&M University's Reed Arena in College Station, home to the presidential library of the elder Bush.

The move is in contrast to President Donald Trump, who has vowed to help Texas and Florida for as long as it takes but has criticized Puerto Rican leaders while suggesting aid there won't be unlimited. Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which made landfall after Harvey and Irma had battered other areas, ABC News reported.

George H.W. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said all five of Saturday night's attendees haven't been together since the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas in 2013, when Obama was still in office. He didn't answer a question about whether Trump was formally invited.

The concert features the country music band Alabama, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer 'Soul Man' Sam Moore, gospel legend Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

The elder Bush, at 93, has a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility.

George W. Bush was Texas governor before leaving for the White House and now lives in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haiti's 2011 earthquake.

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of "poor leadership," and later tweeted that, "Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes" while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first-responders and military personnel wouldn't be able to stay there forever.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas' Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, eventually unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as "One America Appeal."

A website accepting donations, OneAmericaAppeal.org, was created with 100 per cent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico. Both affected the US Virgin Islands.
Washington, Oct 21 : President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will allow the National Archives to release thousands of pages of secret government documents on the John F. Kennedy (JFK) assassination, a media report said.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted at 8.35 a.m., the New York Post reported.

Assassination experts say the secret records may reveal new details about what the CIA knew of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City weeks before he shot Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

The National Archives is required to release all of its JFK documents by Thursday, 25 years to the day after President George H.W. Bush signed the the JFK Assassination Records Act. Under the act, Trump can withhold part or all of the documents if he decides some "identifiable harm" weighs against disclosure.

Eighty-eight percent of the Archives' five million pages of JFK material are already public. Another 11 per cent are partly public, with sensitive portions removed. One per cent of the records are completely secret.

Oswald visited the Mexico City embassies to apply for visas that would let him return to the Soviet Union, where he lived from 1959 to 1962. The CIA watched both embassies closely. But assassination experts are convinced the CIA and FBI haven't disclosed all they knew about Oswald's Mexico City trip.

The Warren Commission A appointed by President Lyndon Johnson A determined a year after the assassination that Oswald acted alone.

But alternate theories about the assassination abound. A 2013 Gallup poll found 61 percent of Americans believe Kennedy's assassination was a conspiracy.

The President is the only person in government with the authority to block the documents' publication.

The 1963 killing of Kennedy shocked the world. It has long been shrouded in controversy and conspiracy theories, with many people believing there was a second gunman.

Oswald was shot dead by gunman Jack Ruby before he could be tried.
Kabul, Oct 21 : At least 15 people were killed and four were injured on Saturday in an attack by the Taliban on a military academy in Kabul, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance to the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, Spokesperson Dawlat Waziri told Efe news.

The bombing came a day after two suicide attacks at Afghan mosques left at least 80 people dead.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the attack targeted a minibus that was carrying army personnel during a short-term training session.

The wounded, all military personnel, were hospitalised, according to the statement. The attack site has been cordoned off.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack via Twitter as their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a combatant has carried out the attack.
Riyadh, Oct 22 : United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the Gulf countries' rifts with Qatar, Al Arabiya reported.

This is his second visit to the region in recent months as he seeks a breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis gripping the region.

Saudi Arabia leads Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt in the decision to sever ties with Qatar in mid of this year over allegations of the terrorism support by the later.

Qatar has denied such accusations. The US official toured the region in July and failed to convince those countries to set for a talk to end their disputes.

Besides Qatar, Tillerson is expected to review regional issues in Yemen and counterterrorism efforts, according to a statement by the US State Department.

The US official will also attend the first meeting of Saudi-Iraqi coordination meeting in Riyadh, held as part of Saudi's approach to improve ties with the country to counter Iran power in Iraq.
Wine Fermenting in GOfermentor "The GOfermentor provides better control of fermentation parameters, minimal exposure to air, and automated cap management, thereby producing better extraction, better color and ultimately better quality wine. Our goal is better quality wine." says Dr Vijay Singh co-owner of the GOfermentor

The GOfermentor, a revolutionary new technology for winemaking, features a patented dual-chamber single-use plastic liner that requires no washing, saving water, time, and labor. The automated punch mechanism extracts more color and body from the grapes without any human effort needed. The wine can be gently pressed out using the integral press. This may eliminate the need to purchase and operate an external press.

We will donate the equipment, all you need to buy are the disposable bags that you use. Each GOfermentor can handle up to 1 ton of grapes per batch. There is no set-up, or plumbing required. You can be up and running in hours.

Its important for us to make quality wines sustainably, said Dr. Vijay Singh, designer and co-owner of GOfermentor. Thats why our GOfermentor system could revolutionize the way wine is fermented and produced with minimal waste.

The patented GOfermentor technology was tested in 2014 in 16 wineries in the USA, Spain, and Australia with overwhelmingly positive results. Rental units were offered in the 2015 season and many improvements were made based on user experiences. With the technology now proven, commercial GOfermentors were made available for sale in 2016 and a number are now in commercial winery operation in the USA, Spain, and Italy. Many red varietals have been studied - Tempranillo, Mencia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Foch, Petite Syrah, Grenache noir, Pinot noir, and others. Also, whites such as Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay. Winemakers responded enthusiastically to the ease of installation  the GOfermentor can be set up in just a few minutes  and the automated punchdown was one of the most popular features. The sanitary aspect of the single-use liner was popular with testers, particularly because it eliminates washing. The integral press was used by many wineries and gave good results.

The GOfermentor utilizes a closed system which helps protect against insects and contamination. The GOfermentor prevents air from contacting the wine, minimizing the need for sulfite additions. Overall, the fermentation parameters in the GOfermentor were similar to those observed in conventional fermentors. Tasting panels and winemakers rated the wines made in the GOfermentor as better than those made using conventional technology, with comments such as fruitier, fresher, and softer mouthfeel. This was achieved at a fraction of the cost and labor required using traditional fermentors. The trial done at VITEC in Spain and University of Torino in Italy provided the most comprehensive data with varietals run side-by-side with control fermentations.

The GOfermentor can consistently make wine of better quality than traditional technology, said Meera Singh, sommelier and co owner of GOfermentor. For more details on the technology and the free offer please visit their website here.

About GOfermentor

The GOfermentor brings 21st century technology, developed originally for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, to modern winemaking. This technology dramatically reduces the capital and operating cost for a winery. No cleaning is required. The GOfermentor provides better control of fermentation parameters, minimal exposure to air, and automated cap management, thereby producing better extraction, better color and ultimately better quality wine. Our goal is better quality wine.

http://www.GOfermentor.com

sales(at)GOfermentor(dot)com

(877) 377 5359
Launched by Tynax Inc., a leading patent broker since 2003, the Patent Library currently has more than 30,000 patents available to members spanning many technology sectors. Greg Benoit, Tynax CEO says were getting a very positive response to this initiative from patent holders and you will see the library grow to more than 100,000 patents by the end of 2017.

Anyone thats filed a patent will testify that the process takes years, costs money, and the results are unpredictable at best. Smaller companies often spend millions of dollars prosecuting patents of their own, but find those patents to be useless when theyre attacked by a competitor.

David Smith, founder & chairman of Tynax, says one problem with patents is that you dont know which ones you need until you actually need them. Now members can simply check out patents from the Patent Library. We can help members find the patents they need with pinpoint accuracy. Its no longer necessary for startups and mid-size companies to spend huge amounts of time and money building their own patent portfolios.

The Patent Library offers a welcome return for patent holders who earn revenues when their patents are checked out by Tynax members. We help members choose from thousands of quality, mature patents, says Benoit. Some of the patents in the Patent Library were developed by small companies and individual inventors, but Benoit points out that some of the highest quality patents were developed by R&D groups in large corporations and research labs.

When a company finds itself in a patent dispute, it needs patents covering inventions that have been adopted by its opponent. The Patent Library is built to accommodate research documents known as claims charts that identify where a patent could be used. The Patent Library helps inventors monetize their patent assets, but also provides a marketplace where researchers can monetize their claims charts, says Benoit. The ability to search thousands of patents and claims charts is essential to matching members with the patents they need.

Tynax Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based corporation that has been developing its online platform and brokering patent transactions since 2003.

Patent Library is a trademark of Tynax Inc.
Spectrum Autism Services Recent research doesn't support the theory that people with autism are predisposed to violent behavior.

Following the recent shootings in Las Vegas, crime analysts have been grasping for answers to explain the motive behind Stephen Paddocks decision to stockpile weapons and shoot so many innocent victims in his heinous crime spree. Clearly, something was seriously wrong with Paddock. And, while experts scratch their heads looking for answers, the underlying cause for Paddocks deranged behavior is NOT AUTISM as one pundit suggests.

Conjecturing about a possible connection between autism and gun violence in an attempt to justify an insane act is pure speculation, and not based on fact, said Fran Templeton, CEO and owner of Spectrum Autism Services, a firm based in Fort Worth, Texas that specializes in education, socialization and vocational skill training for people living with autism. Research recently published by the Harvard Review of Psychiatry doesnt support the theory that people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are predisposed to violent impulses or behavior. Unfounded speculation regarding ASD and mass shootings only serves to underscore the fact that few people understand the autism.

An expert in autistic behavior, Fran Templeton is a mother of a 37-year-old autistic son, and has devoted her life to helping others who live with ASD. As a teacher and consultant with more than thirty years experience working with hundreds of individuals who are autistic, Templeton has dealt with many patients on all levels of the autism spectrum.

To appreciate the unlikelihood of an autism and violence connection, one must understand ASD. A neurological-developmental disorder, someone with autism receives and processes information differently than others meaning that ASD is a physical condition, NOT a mental illness. And, while people with autism may experience some communication disorders, that doesnt mean they cant think and relate to others. In fact, some of the worlds brightest minds had behaviors that put them on the autism spectrum  Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Wolfgang Mozart, Michelangelo, Sir Isaac Newton, to name a few. And, when considering the impressive list of accomplishments from these individuals, it is apparent that while a person with autism may process information differently, someone living with ASD can certainly make profound contributions to society.

People living with autism can think and act differently depending on the degree to which their brain is affected with the disorder. Typically, autism affects a persons verbal and non-verbal communication. ASD can also be characterized by restricted and repetitive behaviors interests and/or activities and resistance to changes in routine. Often, someone with ASD also tends to form ritualized patterns of verbal and non-verbal behavior, and can become hypo/hypersensitive to sensory environmental stimuli.

While communication, expressing feelings, reacting to the emotions of others and empathy skills can sometimes be a challenge for people on the spectrum, people with ASD are not loners. Most are aware they are challenged in this area, so while they may appear withdrawn, autistic people want to engage in friendships  just like everyone else. In fact, their strong desire to connect with others, keeps people on the spectrum deeply bonded to family and friends.

Bottom-line, having autism does not make a person violent or dangerous. Numerous research studies  specifically analyzing the relationship (or lack thereof) between someone with autism and violent behavior -- prove that people with ASD are not predisposed to violence. In fact, a person with autism is no more likely to engage in violent behavior than a person who is not on the spectrum.

Unfortunately, the number of mass shootings, bombings and other violent crimes has increased over the years, and the reasons behind the rise of these crimes is as varied as the type of individuals who commit them. When it comes to vicious acts, one thing that can be said with certainty: autism is not a mental illness, and having ASD does not cause violence.

So, for those theorizing that autism could be the underlying reason behind Paddocks actions, unfortunately, as it is said in Texas, sorry, that dog wont hunt.

To learn more go to the Spectrum Autism Services website at http://www.spectrumautism.com, or checkout our social media profile: https://www.facebook.com/SpectrumServices/. You can also follow us on Twitter @SpectrumAutism1.

About Fran Templeton and Spectrum Autism Services:

The mother of a 37-year-old son with autism, Fran Templeton is the CEO and owner of Spectrum Autism Services, a company based in Fort Worth, Texas serving adults with autism who are transitioning from high school to work. Devoting her life to helping people on the ASD spectrum, Templeton has personally worked with hundreds of children and adults with autism during the past thirty years. For more information, go to: http://www.spectrumautism.com
SignResource, a leading national sign manufacturer, announced that it has hired Steve Morris to the position of VP Sales  Western US.

Mr. Morris has over 10 years of petroleum industry experience including working in brand identity development, canopy and site installations, and financial services. Mr. Morris will provide his knowledge and experience in supporting SignResources branding programs and its dedication to superior quality and service.

Located at the Houston office of SignResource, he reports to the President Scott Van Ness. Steves industry experience across a wide variety of national branded sites is a tremendous addition to SignResource and a valuable resource to our customers said Van Ness.

Mr. Morris has performed all phases of construction, manufacturing, and finance to petroleum marketers and wholesale suppliers. His extensive and in-depth knowledge about branding solutions will benefit SignResources customers nationwide.

Mr. Morris is a member of PEI and several state and regional petroleum associations. He is a 2002 graduate of Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas.

In conjunction with Mr. Morris becoming Vice President of Sales  Western US, we have also promoted Jeff Ogle to the position of Vice President of Sales  Eastern US. Van Ness stated, Jeff has been a key contributor to our growth and success. Im excited to have him take on this new level of leadership. Our sales team will continue to grow as we service our growing customers with focused attention.

About SignResource

SignResource is one of the largest West Coast manufacturers of brand identification products in the signage industry. It specializes in rebranding and reimaging programs for corporations in the United States and Canada.

SignResource provides turnkey services to its national and regional petroleum customers including surveys, permitting, installation, project management, value engineering, manufacturing, and sign maintenance. It operates customer service centers in Knoxville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California to support its national petroleum customer base across all U. S. time zones. For more information, please visit the companys web site at http://www.signresource.com.

Mr. Morris can be reached by phone at 832-904-8014 or by email at smorris(at)signresource.com. Mr. Ogle can be reached at jogle(at)signresoruce.com or by phone at 865-771-5676.
Mindray introduces its Neuromuscular Transmission (NMT) Module for its Passport 17m and 12m monitors. Mindray has become a leader in the complete perioperative continuum with comprehensive monitoring solutions, anesthesia delivery systems, and point-of-care ultrasound, said Wayne Quinn, President of Mindray North America. According to recent third-party market reports, Mindray now accounts for on

In conjunction with the opening of the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting in Boston today, Mindray announces the introduction of its Neuromuscular Transmission (NMT) Module for its Passport 17m and 12m monitors. The NMT Module provides a stimulus to a nerve in the hand and measures the response to that stimulus. The response provides an indication of the level of muscle relaxation in the patient under a neuromuscular blockade.

Like all of the measurements made within the Passport monitoring system, NMT information can be integrated onto the display and exported to the anesthesia information system or hospital EMR.

At Anesthesiology 2017, Mindray will showcase its Care Path Solutions, supporting hospital initiatives toward better outcomes, improved efficiencies, and patient satisfaction. The Passport monitors will be shown with the innovative T1 Transport Monitor/Module which operates as a module within the ORs Passport monitors, then can serve as a transport monitor moving with the patient to the recovery environment, supporting improved workflow.

The Boston meeting will also provide the opportunity to showcase the A7 Anesthesia Workstation with the Optimizer suite to assist in the reduction of anesthetic gas use and a range of point-of-care ultrasound systems to support the needs of the anesthesia professional, from needle placement to cardiac monitoring with TEE in the cardiovascular OR. Guest physicians will be demonstrating ultrasound scanning technique in the booth.

Mindray has become a leader in the complete perioperative continuum with comprehensive monitoring solutions, anesthesia delivery systems, and point-of-care ultrasound, said Wayne Quinn, President of Mindray North America. According to recent third-party market reports, Mindray now accounts for one of eight anesthesia machines delivered in the U.S. The continuing stream of new releases of capabilities for our popular Passport monitoring solutions reinforce our commitment to the anesthesia market. The OR gives us the opportunity to showcase all of our solutions, coming together to meet the needs of the anesthesia provider.

About Mindray

Mindray is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide. Mindray maintains its global headquarters in Shenzhen, China; North American headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey; and multiple development facilities and offices in major international markets including an ultrasound Innovation Center in Silicon Valley. Mindray supplies a broad range of products across three primary business segments, patient monitoring and life support, in-vitro diagnostics, and medical imaging systems. For more information, please visit http://www.mindray.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Scot Carriker

Strategic Marketing Manager, Perioperative Care

Mindray North America

800 MacArthur Blvd.

Mahwah, NJ 07430

(201) 995-8667

s.carriker(at)mindray(dot)com
A police team had sprung into action acting on a tip-off that 25 cows were being illegally transported from Gulvady area via Basrur in Kundapur taluk.

Of the 25 cattle, which were inhumanly stuffed inside the vehicle, 11 were found dead.

By Nolan Pinto: A police constable was injured during an attempt to arrest cattle smugglers in Kundapur town of Karnataka.

The incident took place in front of the rural police station on October 17.

Police had sprung into action acting on a tip-off that 25 cows were being illegally transported from Gulvady area via Basrur in Kundapur taluk. The team had planned to intercept the vehicle, carrying the cattle, over the Gulvady bridge. However, the accused succeeded in fleeing from the spot.

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Barricades were then put up in front of the rural police station to block the vehicle from proceeding further.The vehicle, however, broke the barricades and sped. The vehicle was later found near the Gulvady bridge. Of the 25 cattle, which were inhumanly stuffed inside the vehicle, 11 were found dead.

A case was registered in Kandlur police station and the main suspect identified as Moideen was later arrested.

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FloodGate Medical is the leading talent acquisition solution in the medical industry.

Wrapping up a record year of double-digit growth, FloodGate Medical, the leading talent acquisition solution in the medical industry, has been recognized in LinkedIns annual ranking of the Top 10 Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agencies across the globe. FloodGate was ranked in the Specialist Boutique category for North America.

Josh Heuchan, FloodGates founder and CEO, expressed his gratitude. Our ultimate mission and purpose is connecting great people with great companies who accomplish great things together. We consider this a high honor and recognition that we are living out our passion daily. To think that our company is #9 among so many great recruiting firms is really gratifying, and a testament to all the teams hard work.

And we literally could not have done it without the engagement of all our LinkedIn connections  our clients, candidates, friends, and colleagues, past and present. So a big thank you to them all. Lets keep engaging.

LinkedIn takes into account the company and employee reach and engagement, recruiter effectiveness and content marketing power of search and staffing firms across LinkedIn worldwide. They do this by investigating thousands of data points for more than 60,000 Search and Staffing companies listed on LinkedIn. The data for the 2017 ranking was collected from September 1st 2016 until August 31st 2017.

FloodGate Medical is the leading talent acquisition solution in the medical industry. After 15 years in the medical recruiting space, they have completely reinvented the recruiting process through constant evolution, innovation, and customizing solutions. They engage in high-powered talent acquisition by partnering with the top medical companies across the country to obsessively find and match the best candidates to the best jobs.
Levinson Law Group, a Carlsbad personal injury law firm, has announced an opportunity for students of La Costa Canyon High School. The firm is arranging a $1,000 scholarship for the student who best exemplifies a sincere dedication to community leadership to be funded by the Max and Anna Levinson Foundation. The scholarship winner will be chosen by the La Costa Canyon High School Counseling Department. Only graduating seniors who will attend community college are eligible. The scholarship grant is consistent with the Levinson Law Groups interests in supporting our community, in rewarding students who best exemplify community leadership, and in investing in a better tomorrow by promoting education today.

Community leadership is of the utmost priority to the Levinson Law Group, as the firm is particularly passionate about helping those who help others thereby bettering the community as a whole. Education is one of the cornerstones of the firm, as they believe in doing everything in their power to encourage the best out of youth seeking to better their lives through secondary education. The scholarship is specific to those who are attending community college, as the $1,000 will go a long way in support of tuition and books, and to diversify opportunity, as the majority of scholarship opportunities are only available to students who demonstrate academic excellence and who wish to attend four-year universities.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a high-speed high-impact vehicle collision at the hands of an impaired, distracted, or reckless driver, call Levinson Law Group today. Their compassionate, trusted, and devoted Carlsbad personal injury attorneys are willing to go above and beyond to deliver you the assistance you need when you need it the most: when tragedy strikes. Schedule your first, free consultation with the firm by calling (760) 742-5221.
Shriners for Children Medical Center Opens in Pasadena, CA

After 65 years of giving children and families the specialized medical care they need, Shriners Hospitals for Children  Los Angeles has closed and has opened a new state-of-the-art medical center located in Pasadena, CA. Shriner for Children Medical Center is one of the first facilities in the Shriners Hospitals for Children network to be created specifically to meet the rigorous demands of our rapidly-changing health care system.

On October 19, 2017 Administrator Lou Lazatin, Nurses, Surgeons and U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony of our Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) right before our first surgery case at the Medical Center. Our ASC has two state-of-the-art ambulatory surgical suites with 4 post-anesthesia care units. The entire pre and post op area is decorated with multicolor gumdrops that cover the entire ceiling to distract and minimize patient anxiety.

Katherine Au, M.D. who specializes in congenital and post-traumatic hand reconstruction performed the last surgery case at our Los Angeles location and was the first doctor to perform the first surgery here at the Medical Center. This successful surgical procedure was performed on a three year old patient, Sofia. Dr. Aus surgical procedure consisted of a left thumb polydactyly reconstruction. This procedure took Dr. Au no more than three hours to conclude. A Polydactyly of the thumb is common in all races, and about 20 percent of them occur bilaterally; Patients with polydactyly of the thumb show very diverse manifestations, from a rudimentary floating type to a complex one.

Sofia and Mom expressed how excited they were to be the first to be treated at the Medical Centers ASC. Mom, Mrs. Pillado, said, My experience was great. The staff at Shriners for Children Medical Center is friendly and welcoming. The day before my daughters surgery we were able to participate in an activity taking place outside the medical center. There were tons of kids and parents, all coloring, taking pictures and picking out Halloween costumes. This really helped ease my daughters anxiety, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Our medical Center is built with that in mind. We specialize in pediatric care and our building is a clear indication of that. At Shriners for Children Medical Center our families are at the heart of our medical team.

About Shriners for Children Medical Center

Shriners for Children Medical Center specializes in orthopaedic conditions, prosthetics and orthotics, hand disorders, burn scars, and cleft lip and palate. Our facility encompasses a primary care clinic, ambulatory center and a rehabilitation clinic. We provide world-class care to children under 18 regardless of the families' ability to pay.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501  (3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by laws. For more information, please visit the hospital website at SHCLA.org.

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Buyers and Sellers of Four Rivers Harley-Davidson Without George Chaconas, this deal never would have happened!-Sellers of Four Rivers Harley-Davidson

Performance Brokerage Services, a new car and Harley-Davidson dealership broker is pleased to announce the sale of Four Rivers Harley-Davidson in Paducah, Kentucky from Jerry Carter and Jack Fares to Eric Sternberg and Eddy Soberon. Four Rivers Harley-Davidson was purchased by Jerry Carter and Jack Fares in 2005 and was built into one of the nations largest Harley-Davidson dealerships. The dealership has won 15 Bar & Shield awards from Harley-Davidson Motor Company, recognizing hard work and a commitment to its customers, employees and the Harley-Davidson franchise. Jerry and Jack were seeking retirement and hired George Chaconas from Performance Brokerage Services to represent them and offer their Harley-Davidson dealership for sale. Following the sale, the sellers commented If not for Georges marketing efforts, tenacity, relationships and negotiating skills, this deal never would have happened. We are very happy with the services provided and would highly recommend George Chaconas and Performance Brokerage Services if you are ever considering selling your dealership.

Nearly one year after their flagship purchase of Tifton Harley-Davidson in Georgia, Eric Sternberg and Eddy Soberon acquired Four Rivers Harley-Davidson. Eric and Eddy both have extensive backgrounds in Harley-Davidson dealership ownership and management and just a year ago, decided to become partners. They will keep the name Four Rivers Harley-Davidson and continue to operate at its current location at 3005 Old Husbands Road in Paducah, Kentucky. When asked about the services provided by George Chaconas and Performance Brokerage Services, buyers commented, This is our second Harley-Davidson dealership that George has helped us purchase. In both cases, if it wasnt for Georges professionalism, persistence, follow up, discipline and commitment, we are very confident that these transactions would have never closed.

George C. Chaconas, the exclusive agent for this transaction and the head of the National Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services commented, Jerry and Jack had an incredible run at Four Rivers Harley-Davidson and it was an honor assisting these gentlemen with accomplishing their goals. Their legacy and commitment to the community will be carried on by Eric and Eddy, who exemplify the same passion and enthusiasm for the Harley-Davidson brand, employees and customers. I thank all 4 gentlemen for the opportunity to have been involved in another miracle and these life changing events.

About Performance Brokerage Services

Performance Brokerage Services, an auto dealership broker, specializes in professional intermediary services to buyers and sellers of automotive, Harley-Davidson and Powersports dealerships.

The company offers a different approach to the automotive, Harley-Davidson and Powersports industries by providing complimentary dealership assessments, no upfront fees, no reimbursement of costs and is paid a success fee only. Performance Brokerage Services gets paid only after the client gets paid.

With over 25 years of experience, the company utilizes an extensive network of industry related accountants, attorneys, hundreds of registered buyers and enjoys longstanding relationships with most of the auto manufacturers and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The intermediaries at Performance Brokerage Services have been involved in well over 600 transactions. Pledging loyal and unwavering representation, confidentiality is vigilantly protected during the selling process and after the transaction closes.

With corporate offices in Irvine, California, six regional offices in Utah, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario, and a dedicated Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division, Performance Brokerage Services provides its clients national exposure with local representation. For more information about the services offered by Performance Brokerage Services, visit https://performancebrokerageservices.com.
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By India Today Web Desk: Kaun Banega Crorepati 9's Friday episode was quite a happening one. Thursday's rollover contestant Sunil Kumar Tandi from Odisha played exceptionally well and won Rs 50 lakh on the show.

Later, in the episode, under the special segment - Nayi chaah nayi raah, host Amitabh Bachchan introduced social activist Chetna Gala Sinha, who is working to empower the women in drought-hit areas of rural India.

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Chetna's life is an inspiration to many. She shared her story on the show, where she said that she had never thought that after completing her studies in Mumbai, she will get into farming or stay in a village. While she was in college, Chetna got associated with the Jai Prakash Narayan-led movement that inspired to bring a change, which was not possible by staying in Mumbai.

Chetna founded Mann Deshi Foundation in 1996 in Mhaswad. The foundation runs a bank and also provides rural women with skills, knowledge, and essential support to become successful entrepreneurs. They also have a community radio, which highlights their success stories is also run by rural women. Mann Deshi has a business school and a special business school on wheels, that provides training to those women, who are unable to come to their center.

Chetna's husband Vijay Sinha, son Prabhat and few women from Mann Deshi Foundation were on also the show. The women shared their success stories with Big B and also spoke about how Chetna and Vijay have brought a change in their lives.

Chetna was accompanied by actor Ayushmann Khurrana on the hot seat. Ayushmann was totally in awe of Amitabh Bachchan, and said that it was a dream come true for him, as he has been watching the show since his childhood. Ayushmann also recited a poem Mukhaute, written by him. Big B could relate to the poem and said that it was quite relevant to film actors like him and Ayushmann.

Chetna won Rs 50 lakh on the show, which will be utilised for making bandharas for irrigation purposes and distributing bicycles to girls who drop out after class seven, as they don't have means of transportation to travel to other village for higher education.

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The ambush that resulted in the deaths of four US service members in Niger earlier in October has been attributed in part to a "massive intelligence failure," a senior congressional aide told NBC News.

About 40 to 50 ISIS-affiliated militants reportedly ambushed a 12-person squad of US soldiers, killing three Green Berets and one soldier near the Niger-Mali border. Two others were wounded during the assault.

The operation, meant to establish relations with local leaders, was believed to be low-risk, and was viewed as routine after being conducted about 30 times in recent months.

The aide also said US forces did not have ample overhead surveillance support and no quick-reaction force  an emergency-response team  for the mission. French fighter jets, which reportedly arrived within 30 minutes of the call going out, played a crucial role in the fight, according to the aide.

A diplomat said that French officials were frustrated with the mission, particularly because they had limited intelligence and no contingency plans, Reuters reported.

Although multiple Defense Department offices have launched investigations into the incident, the aide noted that one of the scenarios being looked into was whether the US soldiers were intentionally delayed in the village they were visiting. He said that the soldiers were pursuing men on motorcycles, who lured them into the ambush, according to NBC News. There, they were met with rocket-propelled grenades and improvised vehicles outfitted for combat.

Another report suggested that the soldiers were ambushed while walking back to their unarmored vehicles, after their meeting with the village leaders. One senior US intelligence official said to ABC News that US troops detected something was wrong when they saw two motorcycles race out of the village: "Hair on the back of the neck stood up," the senior official said.

The soldiers then felt they were being stalled by the village elder, the official continued. When they were finally leaving, the militants attacked from both sides of the road.

"This was sophisticated," the official said, "Our guys not only got hit hard, but got hit in depth."

When the dust settled, around 21 militants were killed. The militants were later buried at the Malian side of the border, ABC News reported.

"So while this was a tragedy, what's gotten lost is how well our people acquitted themselves," the official continued, "We lost four but at least 21 from their side died."

On Friday, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that although he couldn't give details on the attack, the soldiers had "died in the defense of America."
The embassy also told its own staff members to stay away from seaside hotels in Dakar.

A message, issued on Wednesday to US citizens in the country, warned them "to be vigilant when visiting establishments and staying at hotels frequented by Westerners due to a credible threat related to potential terrorist activity in Dakar".

It went on to advise US nationals to "review your personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings," while banning embassy personnel from staying at the seaside hotels until the first week of December.

The Canadian government on Thursday issued a similar warning to its nationals in the west African nation.

Unlike many of its neighbours Senegal is not known to have suffered from terror attacks.
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READ MORE: Nivea reacts to controversial ad in Africa after backlash and racism claims

Ghanaian celebrities such as Ama K. Abebresse and Fuge ODG have condemned the billboard, accusing the skincare company of capitalism, thus seeking to make money out of blacks by encouraging them to bleach.

On Friday, Ghanaian Afro-pop rapper, M.anifest weighed in on the matter, suggesting that Africa's have become staunch believers of colourism.

In a tweet on Friday, he said until that changes, capitalists will always exploit Africans to make money.

"Africans. We might not have invented colorism but we're such staunch believers. Until that changes capitalism will always use it against us," he said.

Meanwhile, the company has reacted to the concerns of activists who are calling for a boycott of Nivea products.

We recognize the concerns raised by some consumers regarding a NIVEA product communication in Ghana and take them very seriously. Our intention is to never offend our consumers, the company said in a statement.
In an interview with Deloris Frimpong Manso on the Delay Show, Guru said he was nearly killed after he unknowingly consumed poison given to him by a close friend.

And Zionfelix.net has exclusive pictures of the metals the pastor removed from his throat and stomach after they realised a friend had used juju on him.

I only realised I was poisoned when I was going on stage and saw changes in my voice and funny feelings within my stomach. I did all the check-ups in the world and doctors were even amazed because they couldnt find anything in my throat. I had difficulties in talking. I get choked when I try talking.
He denied being responsible for the incident despite a DNA test confirming he was guilty.

Reports say he insulted the victim saying: If the court says the DNA fits, then I have to call the girl a prostitute. Anyone who supports this girl who claims to have been raped is the dirtiest person on earth.

The rape incident is said to have happened in April after he dragged the 23-year old woman from the tent she was sharing with her boyfriend at a campsite near the city of Rhine.

Eric X stormed the tent with a machete and ordered the ladys boyfriend to stay where he was.

He then dragged the girl a few yards into a meadow at the Siegaue Nature Reserve and raped her.

In August, he was assigned to the psychiatrist to be examined for mental illness.

He confessed to killing his brother-in-law in a dispute about the inheritance of a family member.

After killing his brother-in-law, he fled to Germany through Italy.
Citing the high court order, the agitating unions called off their strike and the employees started reporting to work from late Friday night, according to officials.

By Press Trust of India: State-run buses are back on roads in Maharashtra after four days as employee unions withdrew their strike which was declared "illegal" by the Bombay High Court late last evening.

The HC had directed the employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), mostly bus drivers and conductors, to end their stir to press for pay hike and resume work immediately.

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Citing the high court order, the agitating unions called off their strike and the employees started reporting to work from late Friday night, according to officials.

The MSRTC employees, numbering over one lakh, had been demanding salary in accordance with the 7th Pay Commission recommendations. The Diwali-eve stir had caused hardship to thousands of long-distance passengers planning to travel to their hometowns during the festive season.

"Following the order, the unions of the corporation called off the strike and employees started reporting to their respective depots. However, it will take a few more hours for operations to become normal," said a senior MSRTC official.

Nearly 25 per cent of the services were operational by 8 am today and the rest are expected to hit the roads by by afternoon, he said.

The decision to call off the agitation, which started from October 16 midnight, was taken during a late night meeting of the core committee of the striking unions.

A joint letter issued by various representatives of the bus workers unions said the stir is being called off following the high court order.

The representatives said they were hopeful a committee appointed by the state government, comprising the finance secretary, the transport secretary, the transport commissioner and the MSRTC MD, would address their issues within a time- frame.

In the late evening order, Justice SK Shinde had directed the committee to submit its interim report by November 15 and the final report on December 21.

The HC was hearing two PILs seeking that the stir be declared illegal.

Nearly 65 lakh people travelled by MSRTC buses every day, the petitions said.

--- ENDS ---
The ad which appeared in West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal has seen a bunch of criticism on social media. Negative reactions have trailed the campaign on Twitter and Instagram.

A press statement released by Nivea in a bid to explain its intention has done little to address the concerns regarding its skin lotion product which is developed to ensure a lighter complexion of its African audience.

London-born Ghanaian rapper, Fuse ODG was among the mass of critics who attacked the idea behind the advert which was also shown on the television. In a letter to the company, he challenged the insensitive ad due to the fact that it was encouraging black people to bleach their skins, earning him commendation from a fan and dancehall musician, Shatta Wale. Both were seen to have supported his criticism.

"For those of u claiming the word "fairer" mean beautiful TakeDown ya SelfHate billboards in Africa. #BlackIsBeautiful."

A Twitter user Nora Rahimian wrote this in response, "First @Dove, then @niveauk. Shout out @FuseODG for always calling attention to things like this."

"Bleaching is killing and destroying our women, we don't need anymore ads on it. Nivea #PULLITDOWNNOW Thanks my bro @FuseODG," Shatta Wale also wrote on Twitter.

Ayodeji Rotinwa, a journalist based in Nigeria felt the advert will spur those who look up to Akinnifesi as a role model to opt for a fairer skin tone, threatening the whole idea of being black.

"The first time I saw the ad, I thought it was problematic," he said.

"Omowunmi Akinnifesi is not that fair to begin with. But in my opinion, for someone who girls look up to and isn't too fair or too dark, to then come out and say, 'fairer is better!' ... people already aspire to be like you," Rotinwa added in an interview with NPR News.

ALSO READ: Viral video of exuberant white youth resisting police arrest stirs emotion in black America

The incident is hardly the first of its kind for Nivea. Earlier in April 2017, it came under widespread attack for a tagline "White is Purity" which it used in marketing a deodorant.
The President, who was speaking at the first batch of commissioned officers at the Military Academy and Training School, urged them to exhibit exemplary conduct.

READ MORE: Ghanaian soldiers in Lebanon accused of sexual misconduct

Safeguard and protect the territorial integrity of the nation and its citizens, and not to use your position to antagonise the very citizens whose sacrifices have made your training possible," he said on Friday.

"Indeed, you owe it a duty to the nation to work towards ensuring its peace, stability and development.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces also urged the new officers to remain conscious of their responsibilities towards the people of the nation, whose security they would be charged to protect.

He urged the new officers to acquire more knowledge in the era of fast-paced technology.

As young officers, you must be desirous of acquiring more knowledge, so you are not overtaken by the changing tides, in this fast-paced technological era. The sky must be your limit in your quest for information and knowledge, he added.

The President also reminded them that they are being commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces, which has carved a niche for itself, over the years, as a unique, disciplined and professional Armed Force, nationally and internationally, in the discharge of its duties.
The controversial counsellor made the comments on Joy's "Ghana Connect" show on Friday.

READ MORE: Female prison warder caught having an affair with inmate

"It is greed not love so when they say it is romance, I don't know where the romance is coming from. People are looking for what is not there and they are hiding in the name of love to disgrace themselves," he said.

"So when you hear somebody is defrauded, legally it is wrong, but socially it is right," he added.

The three, Opoku Agyemang, Moro Musah and Sabina Adzre, are said to have defrauded 16 Britons women into falling in love with them and taking huge sums of money from them.

Addressing the media at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, 17 October, Deputy Director of Ghanas Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), Nana Antwi that the Operation Grateful which led to their arrest was successful through the joint collaboration of Ghanaian security authorities and the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA).A joint, simultaneous operation to arrest and search premises here and in the UK has been undertaken this morning, Nana Antwi said, adding that A certain Opoku Agyemang has been arrested in the UK.

READ ALSO: MP in trouble for teaching constituents how to give a woman good sex

"This investigation has been led by EOCO together with officers from the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), backed by uniformed police.
READ MORE: Minority kicks against closure of radio stations

The latest move comes after the minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, met Members of Parliament over the matter.

National Democratic Congress MPs have decried the fines as an attempt to monetize free speech.

However, the NCA has received praises for strict enforcement of its laws.

A total of 131 radio stations, both commercial and community, were fined for not renewing their radio license and annual subscription fees.

Defaulting Commercial FM Broadcasting Stations that were fined by the NCA have also had their fines reduced by 50%. They have 30 days from 20th October 2017, to pay the 50% reduced penalties or have their authorizations revoked, a statement from the NCA said.

It is the expectation of the Ministry and the Authority that all defaulting FM stations will take advantage of this opportunity and ensure compliance within the shortest possible time, the NCA added.

Of the 131, 34 radio stations have had their license revoked.

READ MORE: Radio Gold staff appeals for funds to pay fine

The statement urged radio stations whose license have been revoked to petition the minister for a review.
"In practical terms, it will be used to improve forecasts of strong storms, cyclones or waves for all coastal activities", Daniele Hauser, a French scientist working on the project, told AFP.

Understanding the interaction between the oceans and the atmosphere will also help to model and tackle climate change, scientists said.

The satellite will include two radars: a French system designed to measure direction and wavelength of ocean waves, and a Chinese version focusing on wind strength and direction.

The satellite is the first to be jointly constructed by France and China.

The project was originally envisaged as a joint programme for the French and European space agencies.

But an increasingly close working relationship between France and China on space technology over the past ten years prompted the switch to the unprecedented collaboration on CFOSAT, said Hauser, who acknowledged there was also a "political component".

Wang Lili, China's project manager on the satellite, said: "We partnered with France because we were certain of the support of both states, but also because of France's expertise in wave analysis."
The interior ministry said 56 people were killed and 55 others wounded in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group -- one of two deadly mosque attacks on Friday -- capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

"The windows of the mosque were broken, and blood and human flesh were spattered everywhere and you could smell blood and human flesh inside the mosque," Ibrahim, who rushed to the mosque after the blast, told AFP.

"This is absolutely barbarism. What kind of Islam is this? They are attacking worshippers at the time of prayers. Even mosques are not safe for us to pray."

People expressed anger at the government's inability to protect its citizens in the Afghan capital, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of the country's civilian deaths in the first half of the year.

"If our government officials cannot protect us they have to resign and let other competent officials take charge," an eyewitness told AFP.

In recent weeks more than 400 civilians were given training and weapons to boost security at Shiite mosques in Kabul, which have been targeted by IS militants, but Ibrahim said women entering the Imam Zaman were not checked.

"We believe the bomber had worn a woman's long veil and sneaked into the mosque and detonated himself among the worshippers," said Ibrahim, a community leader.

Hours after the suicide bombing, the Taliban fired two rockets at the headquarters of NATO's Resolute Support mission in the heavily fortified diplomatic quarter of Kabul.

There were no reports of casualties but the attack came after the militants launched four deadly assaults on police and military bases in recent days.

A suicide bomber also killed 20 people and wounded 10 at a mosque in the impoverished and remote central province of Ghor on Friday, the interior ministry said.

Including the victims of the two mosque attacks on Friday, the death toll for the week stands at around 200.

Early Saturday dozens of anxious relatives, some of them crying, stood outside the Kabul mosque's main gate, which had been cordoned off by heavily armed police, as they waited for news of the whereabouts of their loved ones.

'Worshippers covered in blood'

An eyewitness told AFP that the attacker detonated his explosive device among the worshippers towards the end of the prayer session.

"It was one suicide bomber packed with explosives and hand grenades wrapped around his body," the man told AFP.

The dead and wounded were taken to hospitals around the city but people complained that it had taken emergency services more than an hour to arrive at the scene.

Hundreds of sandals littered the entrance to the mosque, left behind by the worshippers killed and wounded in the latest deadly attack on a Shiite mosque by IS, who belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

A woman wearing a hijab sobbed as she crouched on the ground searching for the shoes of her brother and young nephews who died in the attack.

"I was in the mosque ablution area when I heard a blast. I rushed inside the mosque and saw all the worshippers covered in blood,"Hussain Ali told AFP shortly after the explosion.

"Some of the wounded were fleeing. I tried to stop someone to help me help the wounded but everyone was in a panic. It took ambulances and the police about an hour to reach the area."

The force of the blast shattered all the windows of the mosque. Its walls and ceiling were covered with dark blood spatters and peppered with shrapnel.

Plastic sandals were caught in the razor wire on top of the perimeter wall after being flung out the windows.

Several men moved around the room picking up dozens of coloured prayer beads, Koran holy books as well as chunks of plaster and shards of glass on the floor.

"What kind of Muslims are they? What is our government doing?" Rasoul, a shopkeeper in the area, told AFP through sobs.
Officials from 35 nations paid their respects in a ceremony at a Commonwealth cemetery on Egypt's Mediterranean shore that holds the remains of more than 7,000 soldiers from the victorious British-led force.

In a speech, the British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, hailed "the sacrifices of those who gave their lives here... and thanksgiving for acknowledgement that, in the end, evil will not prevail".

"This will be a place to remember those who fallen 75 years ago but also remembering those who are still dying and falling," said Casson.

Casson paid his respects to "especially those who lost their lives in this despicable terrorist attacks yesterday" in an ambush in Egypt's Western Desert that medical and security sources said killed at least 35 policemen.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was scheduled to attend events in El Alamein on to mark the anniversary, but an AFP reporter did not see the strongman leader at an open-air ceremony involving foreign dignitaries.

Sisi's office said he had cancelled his participation in a number of other engagements.

The World War II Battle of El Alamein -- which began on October 23, 1942 -- pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

The defeat of the German and Italian troops put an end to the ambitions of Hitler and Mussolini to take over the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning," British leader Winston Churchill said famously in the wake of the victory.

The event on Saturday was attended by representatives from Commonwealth countries that made up the Allied force, including Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and those who were their sworn enemies at the time.
"It's time to declare independence," said Jordi Balta, a 28-year-old stationery shop employee, adding there was no longer any room for dialogue.

The protest in the centre of the Catalan capital had initially been called to push for the release of the leaders of two hugely influential grassroots independence organisations, accused of sedition and jailed pending further investigation.

But it took on an even angrier tone after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced his government would move to dismiss the region's separatist government, take control of its ministries and call fresh elections in Catalonia.

Municipal police said 450,000 people rallied on Barcelona's large Paseo de Gracia boulevard, spilling over on to nearby streets, many holding Catalonia's yellow, red and blue Estelada separatist flag.

Protesters greeted Puigdemont's arrival at the rally with shouts of "President, President." The rest of his executive was also there.

"The Catalans are completely disconnected from Spanish institutions, and particularly anything to do with the Spanish state," said Ramon Millol, a 45-year-old mechanic.

Meritxell Agut, a 22-year-old bank worker, said she was "completely outraged and really sad."

"They can destroy the government, they can destroy everything they want but we'll keep on fighting."

Catalonia is roughly split down the middle on independence, but residents cherish the autonomy of the wealthy, northeastern region, which saw its powers taken away under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

As such, Madrid's move could anger even those against independence.

Barcelona's Mayor Ada Colau, who opposes the independence drive, tweeted: "Rajoy has suspended the self-government of Catalonia for which so many people fought. A serious attack on the rights and freedoms of everyone."

As a police helicopter hovered above, protesters booed and gave it the finger.

"I wish they would just go," said Balta, looking up at the sky.

The Spanish government's proposed measures still have to be approved by the Senate.
She was in fact waiting for European Council President Donald Tusk, with whom she was to hold talks to try to break the deadlock in Brexit negotiations.

Internet users quickly drew parallels between the image and May's isolation, both within the Brexit talks against the 27 other EU nations, and within her own Conservative party, where she is under pressure after losing the party's majority in parliament in June snap elections.

"Theresa May sitting alone in an EU summit. The picture looks like a metaphor for how her negotiations are going," wrote one Twitter user.

"I genuinely thought this was a stock image representing absolute loneliness. But no. It's our Prime Minister in Brussels today," said another tweet.

"Poor Theresa May", wrote the left-wing Huffington Post.

"Just when things were looking up for her after getting the 'green light' to begin talks about a future trade deal between the EU and the UK, a photo of her sitting alone at a table in Brussels gets turned into an unfortunate meme."
MSRTC employees have ended their four-day-long strike after Bombay High Court's order but there are hardly any commuters boarding buses.

By Pankaj P. Khelkar: Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees have ended their four-day-long strike after Bombay High Court's order.

On Saturday morning, the bus depots saw little hustle-bustle after the strike was called off but during Diwali, the depots were as empty as a ghost town. Thousands of passengers were left to go nowhere and waited for the strike to end.

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Now that the strike has ended, the state transport buses are back on roads but they are running empty making only a few fares out of the rounds.

BUS STRIKE ENDS BUT BUSES RUN EMPTY

Today, a few passengers were seen coming to the bus depots to board MSRTC buses. The economical fares make these buses the lifeline of Maharashtra.

Talking to India Today, the smiling passengers felt exhilarated now that they can travel after the strike has ended. Many were able to find the joy again of boarding the affordable and reliable means of transportation.

MSRTC, HIGH COURT AND STATE GOVERNMENT

While the end of the strike brought happiness for commuters, the MSRTC employees seemed to be heartbroken as the Bombay HC passed strict strictures against them, terming their agitation as illegal.

The state government was also at the receiving end with strictures against them as well.

The Bombay HC said the state government failed to address the demands made by MSRTC employees. Now as per the Bombay HC order, a high level committee has been constituted under whose guidance both the parties will have to discuss and submit a primary report on the demands of MSRTC employees by November 15, 2017. The final report is to be submitted by December 21, 2017.

PLIGHT OF BUS DRIVERS

The bus drivers, talking to India Today shared their plight.

The president of Pune Bus Employees Union -- Chandrakant Shitole -- said that they have faith in the judiciary and that is why they have called off the strike.

Few of the drivers of the buses who were heading to their native places in Vidharbha said that if compared with other state transport departments, MSRTC has a poor pay scale, and this is the main reason they had gone on the strike.

There are 1.25 lakh MSRTC employees in Maharashtra and 18,000 buses, and everyday, around 75 lakh passengers use MSRTC buses.

MSRTC is considered as the lifeline of the rural Maharashtra as it connects even the remotest villages in the state.

--- ENDS ---

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For the study, which was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers looked at data gathered through oral rinses and penile swabs from 4,493 guys aged 18 to 69. The researchers found that high-risk oral HPV infection, specifically HPV 16, was six times more common in men than women.

Heres the thing: HPV infections are so unbelievably common that almost everyone will carry one type of strain during their lifetime, according to the CDC. However, some strains are more sinister than others.

About 70 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, commonly known as throat cancers, are caused by HPV, according to the National Cancer Institute. More than half of cancers stemming from the middle and back of your throat are linked to HPV 16.

In most cases, your body will fight off the virus and clear it from your body in one to two years, but past research has found that men are less likely to clear the oral HPV infection than women.

Some guys are at a higher risk than others, too. Black men, plus guys who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day, currently use marijuana, and reported 16 or more vaginal or oral sex partners in their lifetime had the greatest chances of a high-risk oral HPV infection, the researchers found.

Plus, men who had genital HPV were four times more likely to also have an oral infection compared to guys who didnt have genital HPV, the study found. Past research solidifies this link: A study published in JAMA Oncology found that of the 45 percent of men that tested positive for genital HPV infection, 25 percent of them also carried at least one high-risk strain.

But only 11 percent of eligible men have received the HPV vaccine, while only 6 percent of adult men report completing the HPV vaccine series, the JAMA study found.

Thats a problem, since getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself against the cancers caused by HPV. The CDC currently recommends men receive the vaccine through the age of 21, while men who sex with men should extend that to age 26.

Non-cancerous HPV can sometimes cause warts in your mouth or throat. But often, it doesnt usually present any symptoms until it causes more serious health issues, and currently, theres no way of knowing if youll develop cancer or other health problems if youre infected, says the CDC.

And if you have been diagnosed with HPV? Theres not much you can do to minimize your risk, Ted Teknos, M.D., chairman for the Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery at Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center, recently told Mens Health. If your HPV does lead to cancer, the good news is that theres a high chance youll be cured of it, he says.
That's why you're happily doing with that your partner, what you swore to your friends to never do in a relationship.

Of course no one is judging here. We perfectly understand that those are some of the things that happen when love is on the brain.

That's the explanation for why this Japanese princess chose to be with her fiancee, even though it would cost her her place in the Japanese monarchy.

And it is exactly what once gave birth to the #NeverAgainBro hashtag on Twitter, where babes and guys are reminiscing on some of the hurt they suffered for being 'too in love.'

Even long before Twitter, men and women have been doing crazy things because they were in love. Just ask Adam, for example. Or ask everyone who took part in the war that ensued when Prince Paris fell in love with Helen who was betrothed to King Melanaus of Sparta and stole her back to Troy.

Helen and Paris of Troy portrayed by Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger in the movie 'Troy' [Credit - LegendLoveStory] Pulse Nigeria

So, as it has been since the days of old, it remains till this day. Adam and Prince Paris may be long gone, but love is still making people do outrageous things, and here are some of them, provided by young Nigerians.

1. Scammed my parents

"I scammed my parents for money in Uni and bought my boyfriend a 43K wrist watch.

"I actually do not regret it." - Adeola.

2. Elope

"I and my boyfriend had an agreement that if any of our parents say no to us getting married, we will elope, get married and have a child before returning.

"He's a Muslim, I'm a Christian.

"Thank God the relationship broke up before it got to that." - Shalewa.

A man and his girlfriend take a selfie [Credit: Videoblocks] Pulse Nigeria

3. Help my crush get her crush

"I was a poet back in High School. I'll write poems for my crush to give her crush." - @iamtopmaestro on Twitter.

4. Spent my allowance on calls

"My daily allowance in uni was about 3k per day.

"I spent most of that calling my boyfriend who was abroad at the time.

"I couldn't afford most of the stuff I needed. Of course, we didn't end up marrying each other." - Olamide.

Men cheat, women cheat but women forgive more than men do. Muswada

5. An apartment for his sidechick

"I borrowed nearly half a million for him to rent an apartment because he got a new job in a new city.

Dude actually moved into the new apartment with his baby mama." - @therealsoba on Twitter.

6. Lost my prized guitar

"I'd saved all my stipends to buy a guitar and because I was eyeing one babe, I gave the guitar to her brother who has never returned it till this day.

"Of course, I never even got to date the babe. Smh" - Chinedu.

7. A dangerous inter-state trip

"Drove from Lekki to Ife around 10pm to pick up a girl cos she claimed no transport. Got there, babe's phone was switched off." - @Prodeegy on Twitter.

You may find out that you are actually your boyfriends side chick [Credit: Peathegee Inc / Getty] Pulse Nigeria

8. Risked my relationship to meet my ex

"I had not properly gotten over my ex and I actually still loved him despite having another boyfriend who was, to be honest, very caring and nice.

"So I agreed to travel all the way from Jos to Lagos by road to meet my ex after lying to both my boyfriend and my NYSC supervisor.

"He cancelled the trip at the last minute. I really would have gone because I was still so in love with him.

"Not anymore." - Judith.

Woman stares blankly into space [Credit: All This] All This

9. Risked my education for him

"I abandoned my med classes to do final year project for final year engineering student.

I'd wash clothes, cook and clean daily." - @Yemithatiscray on Twitter.

10. I was just her airtime supply

"Then I dated Nurphisat Busty. Ha mo ma jiya o! [How I really suffered!]
But "just because your marriage is over it doesn't mean it was (or you are) a failure," says Rebecca Hendrix, LMFT, a couples' therapist in New York.

"Give yourself credit for the love you did give and the time you did stick it out."

That said, an emotional struggle isn't the only one that comes with divorce, you also have to navigate the often complicated process of legally splitting.

"Going through a divorce can be stressful and overwhelming," says Hendrix. "It's a change to your life, to the structure, to how you define yourself, to where you call home."

Luckily, not all divorces look the same. And while there are a few main steps every divorce has in common, there are options when it comes to filing for divorce and what the process ultimately looks like. "The process of filing for divorce can be done with or without an attorney," says Ariel Sosna, partner at Van Voorhis and Sosna, LLP. and certified family law specialist. "People have the choice of proceeding through mediation, using a collaborative approach, attempting settlement, or litigating." I

n other words, it can be done without lawyers or courtrooms or with the presence of legal experts to help you deal with some of the headaches and smooth over some of the rough spots.

No matter which route you choose, there are four main steps in a divorce you should know:

1. FILE

The first thing that happens in a divorce is that one partner puts it in writing (legally called the Petition and Summons) and informs their spouse (by serving them the papers). Many states have no fault divorce laws, which means you don't have to provide a legal reason to the court for why you want the split, says Sosna. To figure out what the deal is in your state, you can hit up the judiciary online to get specific instructions and forms.

"The most important thing you can do to protect yourself in a divorce is to react quickly and not let a bad situation continue," says Sosna. Waiting too long to act on things like custody or seeking financial support could hurt you later on in the process. For example, if you're the one moving out of the house, waiting months to seek legal help if your spouse is keeping you away from the kids will look bad to a judge. "When in doubt, talk to an attorney and figure out a plan of action early in the process," Sosna says.

2. RESPOND

After being served, spouse number two files a Dissolution Response. At this point, if you haven't already, it's a good idea to talk to a lawyer to discuss your options. "An attorney can help give an outline of what would happen in court, what you can do to protect yourself, and what documents are a good idea to have in hand." To keep finding an attorney from feeling like one more emotional process to heap on to your already full plate, start by asking your social networks for tips. "Look for recommendations from people you trust, research attorneys through online reviews and articles," says Sosna. You also shouldn't be afraid to date around a bit. "Find an attorney who reflects your concerns," she says. "They are not going to be your therapist or best friend, but a good relationship and trust are important."

3. START NEGOTIATING

Next up, both you and your partner must disclose all of your financial information, including income, assets, and debts," says Sosna. If that's a little more complicated than writing down your bank account balance, get a lawyer involved. There are a variety of situations when an attorney can help resolve things like if there are more complex finances, such as stock options or business ownership," Sosna says. "Certainly, anytime communication with your spouse has broken down to the point that finances and other issues in the divorce cannot be negotiated any longer, that's when an attorney is most needed."

4. REACH AN AGREEMENT

Finally, you and you ex reach a legal judgment, whether you get there through mediation, or a trial in front of a judge. After that, the agreed upon terms don't generally go into effect immediately, and the exact timing can vary from case-to-case.
So they launched a study to explore all occurrences of death during pregnancy, not just those directly related to obstetric complicationswhich was how the National Center for Health Statistics defined "maternal death" at the time.

The further they probed, the more they checked and rechecked, the more undeniable it became: These women weren't dying only of traditional causes like thromboembolism; they were being killed. Shot. Strangled. Beaten to death. By husbands, boyfriends, lovers. By the fathers of their unborn children.

Horon and Cheng's findings, published in the March 21, 2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that homicide was in fact the leading cause of mortality during pregnancy and the first postpartum year, accounting for one out of five deaths. Simultaneously, a study in the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health found that an astounding 43 percent of maternal deaths over eight years in Washington, D.C., were homicides. Compounding the problem: Nearly half of those cases were not included in D.C.'s Center for Health Statistics. In essence, they were invisible. The D.C. study's chilling title was "Hidden from View."

The medical community was stunned. How could this be happening under everyone's radar? More important, why was it happening at all? But the numbers didn't generate headlines until nearly two years later, when a pregnant Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. Her body was found the following April in San Francisco Bay, and her husband, Scott, was arrested for murdering her and their unborn son, Conner. The cold-blooded nature of his crime generated exponentially more press than the studies had, in part because it seemed so aberrant. Operative word: seemed. Experts who were carrying out research spurred by the 2001 findings knew better.

While the Peterson case held the stage, those very findings were written up by a few media outletsincluding a three-part series in The Washington Post in 2004. Once Peterson received a death sentence in early 2005, though, interest in other, less-prominent maternal murders subsided.

Why wasn't there more outrage? Jenny Davidson, CEO and executive director of Stand Up Placer, a battered women's safe house in Auburn, California, feels the reason is twofold. Studies document how we become desensitized to violence against women because our popular culture is literally saturated with it. Secondly, we have an "it couldn't happen to me" resistance to hearing about men killing their partners. And, says Davidson, "we frequently hold victims more accountable than we do perpetrators."

Meanwhile, research continued, some of it suggesting that even the disturbing 2001 numbers might vastly underrepresent the problem. Because studies differ in demographics, tools, and methods, a meta-analysis of intimate-partner violence, or IPV, during pregnancya major risk factor for maternal homicidefound estimates ranging from 1 percent to an astonishing 50 percent. One researcher recently called IPV during pregnancy "a health and safety issue of epidemic proportions." Adding frustration to fear: Methods for recording maternal deaths are incomplete and vary from state to state.

Then this spring, a rigorous, decadelong study of traumatic injuries among women of childbearing age was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It found that pregnant women are more likely to suffer violent traumaand are twice as likely to die after traumathan nonpregnant women. So despite years of calls for more research, education, and intervention on this problem, after thousands more women carrying unborn children died at the hands of their partners, essentially no progress had been made since 2001. The paper was presented on May 6, one week before Mother's Day.

SEEDS OF TROUBLE

It often starts with a belittling comment, maybe a shove during an argument. Later, a veiled threat... and then a threat acted upon. Of the 1.5 million women sexually or physically assaulted by an intimate partner in 2015, 324,000 were pregnant when attacked, or about 21 percent, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. IPV and murder are closely linked because abuse tends to escalate. Isolated "incidents" can become more frequentand pregnancy can change the equation for the worse, making IPV more likely, not less. Estimates of the percentage of women assaulted during pregnancy by a partner who said he had never done it before range from 16 to 25.

Even in the upbeat context of fertility and pregnancy tracking app community boards, stories of assault surface. Often headlining their posts with phrases like "Is this abuse?" Women describe emotional and physical battery by their partners. "I'm afraid to bring anything up to my husband about things that are bothering me," writes one woman who is four months pregnant. "He never hears what I have to say till after he's done screaming at me, throwing stuff, or hitting... I just fear he will one day hurt our baby because he doesn't know how to control his anger." Another asks, tellingly, "Do you believe if a man hits you once he'll do it again?"

Why do these assaults happenand lead so often to murder? Research has begun to illuminate the who and how of maternal death. Both IPV and partner homicide during pregnancy cross ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic lines. As for the manner of death, gunshot is most common, but anecdotal evidence shows a variety of methods, from stabbing to strangling.

Certain types of pregnancies make violence more likely too. Women with "mistimed" pregnanciesthe couple planned to have children, but latersuffer IPV at more than twice the rate of those with planned pregnancies. Even more dire is when a pregnancy is "unwanted" by the father; those women are victims of IPV at three times the rate of those carrying a child both parents want and have planned for. At Scott Peterson's trial, his sister-in-law testified that when she asked him about his impending fatherhood, he looked at her and said, "I was kinda hoping for infertility."

Take the case of Karen*, described by a counselor from a shelter. She was lying in bed with a man she was seeing and casually admitted she "might be late." They discussed what they might decide to do about it. And then something flipped. The man, who had never been abusive before, began brutally hitting her around her genitals, even shoving his hand violently into her vagina, seemingly trying to end the pregnancy. She drifted in and out of consciousness as the savage beating continued. After the man left her to die, she crawled to a phone and called a friend, who took her to the hospital.

There, like many victims of IPV, she lied, telling doctors she had fallen. She had a shattered pelvis and was hospitalized for months. Karen left using a walker, told she could never have children. She kept this toxic secret for two years, until going to a safe house for battered women to tell her story. She went not to take actionthe man was long gonebut for support from people who understood. Her experience shocked even the seen-it-all workers at the safe house. But Karen was also lucky, in a way: She escaped with her life.

Many others have not. Even as we went to press, the body of a 31-year-old teacher in Maryland had just been found in a shallow grave; her boyfriend has been charged with her murder. According to family and police, she was four months pregnant with his child.

WHY MEN KILL THEIR OWN

Many men feel anxious about impending parenthood, but few become violent. The majority of those who do are already abusivethough typically only toward their partners, and most don't have a criminal record. That can make them hidden time bombs waiting to go off. In addition to worries about money or commitment issues, there can be other triggers as well, says Cheng. "Sometimes the man feels jealous of the attention the baby is getting, or will get, or he feels that he is losing control of his freedom."

For certain men, those emotions can make pregnancy feel like a crisis. In general, batterers tend to be controlling and possessive, according to domestic-violence pioneer Susan Hanks, Ph.D. They seek total mastery over not just their partner's life, but their own, she told a documentary filmmaker in 1998. The twist is that often these men are abnormally dependent on women and threatened by any move toward independence their partner might make. In their eyes, a pregnancy gives the woman more power and autonomy. Not only is she now in command of a large part of his futurehe might have a child to supportbut in nurturing another life, she appears to be taking a step away from him and toward her own wishes and goals. In reality, of course, she has actually become more dependent on him: Physically, she feels vulnerable, and financially, she's looking at two decades of raising a child.

Many abusers, however, also come to realize that a pregnancy means "he's got her," says James Dugo, Ph.D., a psychologist in Des Plaines, Illinois. Dugo has worked for 40 years counseling what he estimates to be more than 8,000 men who battered their partners. "The stakes are higher for the mother. It's not likely she'll report the father of her unborn child, let alone put him in jail." Having heard the same story from so many men, Dugo adds bluntly: "They know what they can get away with." But what might make a man unexpectedly "snap," as Karen's boyfriend did? There is still no crystal ball, Dugo says. "Violent men share certain factorsincluding growing up in an abusive household and having low self-esteembut plenty of men have those traits and don't become batterers, and we don't know why. A lot more research is needed."

THE WOMEN WHO STAY

For every woman like Karen, whose attack did come out of the blue, there are many who had been abused but chose to remain with their partners and lie about the cause of their injuries. From the outside, this can seem inexplicable. However difficult it is to disengage from such a relationship, wouldn't a pregnancy provide added impetus for a woman to leave, to protect herself and her unborn child? As with men, the answers are complicated and layered.

Emily* lived through violence during pregnancy not once but six times, with each of her children. The first assault occurred on her wedding night, when her new husband beat her in their honeymoon suite. "I was in total denial and shock," she says. When she became pregnant, Emily hoped it would change things and the "incidents" would stop now that her husband was becoming a father. He made an effort to avoid her stomach when he hit her, and she convinced herself that the pregnancy gave her some crumb of control.

Now, looking back, Emily describes her mindset as "brainwashed. You're traumatizedyou cling to the idea of that perfect little world, and you want so badly to remain a family." She finally left the marriage out of fear for her life and now works at a safe house for battered women and their children, where she often hears the same words from those who come seeking shelter.

Researchers who study "battered woman syndrome" call that mixture of denial, trauma, and loss of control "learned helplessness." The term originated in studies in which dogs were randomly given electrical shocks inside their cages yet didn't try to escape even when the cage doors were left open. Researchers theorized that the dogs' experience of unpredictable pain essentially rewired their brains so that they felt helpless to change their condition. Experts who study abuse think that similar brain modifications occur when women are assaulted over time: Nothing they do cures their pain, and they feel incapable of changing anythingor of leaving.

Now combine that possible shift in brain chemistry with the usual aspects of pregnancy, says Chivas Mays, a housing manager at the Stand Up Placer women's shelter. "The hormones, the fatigue, the stress, and wanting to have faith in the father of your childit becomes more understandable why so many women are reluctant to leave."

Mays, who herself was physically and sexually assaulted by the father of her unborn child, also believed (as many abused pregnant women do) that becoming a parent would change him. Then there is the shame and embarrassment factor, she adds. Many pregnant women who are assaulted ask themselves, "What kind of a mother would let this happen to her?" And worry about sharing custody with their abusive partner if they reveal the truth. What's more, trying to escape may put their life in even greater danger. The majority of IPV homicides occur when women try to leave, or succeed in leaving, their abuser. It can seem as if there's no way to escape.

A SHADOW EPIDEMIC

With these kinds of numbers, how is it that the scope of this intimate violence remains so hard to tease out, except in isolated studies of one particular area and period of time? One big reason is that there is no clear nationwide method for reporting maternal homicides. States vary in the way deaths of both mother and fetus are recorded, as well as in the kinds of information included. Until 2003, the U.S. Standard Death Certificate issued by the National Center for Health Statistics did not ask whether a woman was pregnant when she died. In that year, partly as a result of the Peterson case, the center added a check-box for pregnancy status. At first only four states used it in place of their own versions; by 2009 that number had risen to 25. As of this year, all 50 states' forms have a space to note pregnancy, but some are included under "other circumstances" and therefore still difficult to tally electronically.

Adding to the confusion are studies that show many doctors and medical examiners don't bother to mark the pregnancy status box when the cause of death is other than obvious "maternal causes" like hemorrhages. And 77 percent of the deaths occur in the first 20 weeks, when a fetal death certificate is not required. So while a woman who dies from, say, gestational diabetes is clearly a "maternal death," getting a picture of all deaths during pregnancy entails cross-checking medical examiners' reports (an autopsy after a lethal gunshot) with doctors' records, death certificates, and other sources.

That lack of numbers makes it hard to change health policy to prevent IPV by, for example, requiring that doctors at trauma centers ask about IPV when a patient is pregnant (studies continue to show this is done only in a minority of cases). It's a catch-22: Evidence is needed to enforce change, but when many women hide IPV and the database of maternal homicide is incomplete, that evidence is elusive.

HOPE GROWS

There are bright spots in this grim landscape. Cheng notes that there have been inroads in IPV awareness among the medical community, as more doctors learn how to uncover signs of IPVoften by just asking the right questions. Some experts point out that pregnancy is actually an optimal time for physicians to identify violence in a relationship, because a pregnant woman is seeing health-care providers more frequently (commonly 12 to 13 prenatal visits) and building a trusting rapport with them.

We're also learning more about how to ask questions. Simply asking a woman if she has been "abused" is not only vague but can seem judgmental. Studies show that when women are probed about specific behaviorsDoes your partner talk down to you? Does he control your finances, or your contact with friends or family? Has he ever hit you?a more accurate picture emerges. One study found that 38 percent of women changed their answer about abuse from "no" to "yes" when follow-up questions about particular acts were asked. Such interventions may help ferret out partners who have been emotionally, but not yet physically, abusive.

Cheng urges medical schools to incorporate IPV training into the regular curriculum, and "while that is starting, we have a long way to go," she says. "Doctors, and especially obstetricians, have a unique opportunity to help women have safe relationships and pregnancies. We need to educate our patients about resources they can turn to if there are problems." With that knowledgeand the growing research on maternal death-by-partnerperhaps many more women and their unborn children can survive and thrive.

HOW TO GET HELP

If you worry that you, or a friend or family member, may be caught up in a potentially dangerous relationship, here's where to start.

"IS IT ABUSE?"Many women aren't clear on what constitutes abuse. Go to getdomesticviolencehelp.com to access the HITS screening Tool, a simple five-question test that aids you in evaluating the dynamics in your relationshipand whether to seek help.

A WAY OUTInformation on the website of the national coalition against domestic violence (ncadv.org) can walk you through the process of leaving an abusive relationship, including dealing with police and lawyers and finding a safe house. The group also has a national hotline for confidential advice: 1-800-799-SAFE.
The president was represented by Prof. Abubakar Abdulrasheed, the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC).

He explained that reason for the summit is to tackle major problem facing the education sector.

According to Buhari, this is with a view to restore education to its lead role of human development game-changer.

My government will not allow the country to miss the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) train, the driving force of which is education.

Any success recorded in education will have a ripple effect on every other sector of our life, he said.

The President also warned against excessive display of intolerance, rancour, hostility, mutual suspicion and all such acts capable of causing social unrest in the country.

He said: Those who fan embers of division must refrain from the unacceptable tendencies; retrace their steps and learn to live together with one another.

President Buhari added that the government will only recognize legitimate aspirations of the citizens but should be done with good faith, within the bounds of rationality and without infringing on the rights of others.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof Sulyman Abdulkareem, reminded the graduating students that the economic climate inNigeria is unfavourable.

He said how the students comport themselves in the trying times goes a long way in testing the ideals for which the institution is known.

The will to win, means nothing without the will to prepare; adding that as ambassadors of Unilorin, they must be diligence and reduce quest for materialism.

The VC said that a total of 9,018 students graduated from the University out of which there are 89 first class, 1,932 Second Class Upper Division, 3,727 Second Class Lower Division, 1309 Third Class, 117 Pass and Two Aegrotats.

ALSO READ:5 things we learnt as Buhari addressed the world

Also speaking at the ceremony, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, call on the University to adjust their curriculum to meet modern day needs of labour and the world.

Ahmed, who was represented by Dr Amina Ahmed, Kwara Commissioner for Tertiary Education, urged the graduates to be job creators rather than job seekers.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

Buhari was speaking at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.

The presidential aide said that the two presidents, who met on the margins of the D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Buhari said that leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

He assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of AU that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.

ALSO READ: Buhari pays pension to former Biafran police officers

In his remarks, Conde praised Nigerias leadership on the continent, particularly Buharis great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.
According to Premium Times, Maina, the former chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, was accused of allegedly diverting N100b.

He was appointed by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2010 to organise the countrys pension system.

A source who spoke to Premium Times also said that the former Pension Reforms boss, was sacked by the Federal Civil Service Commission on the orders of the Head of Service.

The source said He should not have been reinstated. Doesnt Mr. Maina have a case in court? The rules provide for action to be taken only after the courts have dispensed of the case fully.

Further investigation also revealed that Maina was charged to court by the EFCC on July 21, 2015, alongside Stephen Oronsaye.

ALSO READ: Fayose threatens to drag Osinbajo to court

Reports say he fled the country to United Arab Emirates, where he started plotting for his return.

According to a top official of the EFCC, We are still looking for him. He is a wanted man. He ought to be arraigned with Oronsaye and the rest but he disappeared.

Reports also allege that Maina wants to become the Governor of Borno state, following the flooding of his posters on social media.
According to the President of the group, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu, Buhari has lost the vigour with which he began.

Gujungu said that the alleged corruption case involving the Secretary-General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayo Oke shows that Buharis war against corruption has lost steam.

He also said Many people voted for this government because of the personality of the President and I believe many of them were not disappointed with the way the government started by hitting the ground running in terms of its anti-corruption crusade.

However, the vigour with which the President started the war on corruption seems to be losing steam.

Maybe corruption is fighting back. But President Buhari needs to keep up the steam because the fight is losing steam.

Take for example the case of the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, Amb Ayo Oke, who were suspended since April this year and investigated by the Acting President and the Attorney General of the Federation and the National Security Adviser.

The report of the probe has since been submitted to Buhari but he has continued to keep mute over it when Nigerians are dying to see action taken against the officials.

Unfortunately, as in other high profile corruption cases, he has chosen to keep silence over the matter, which is generating tension in the land.

It is unfair and unhelpful to the anti-corruption fight. The attitude of Mr. President gives the impression that he has given up on the fight against corruption and this is quite unfortunate to say the least, he added.

ALSO READ:Governor Ortom backs President

The Arewa Youths Forum leader also said Buhari must know that many Nigerians are not happy with his governments response and handling of the controversial issue. Nigerians need to be assured that the President is not shielding his own people, those around him.

They want to see him fight corruption no matter whose ox is gored so as to win their support. That is the only way to go.
By PTI: Karachi, Oct 21 (PTI) A Pakistani court has handed down an unusual punishment to a 34-year-old man for hitting a policeman with his motorcycle ? standing at a traffic signal for two hours every Friday for a whole year holding a placard on speed awareness.

Muhammad Qasim was convicted of rashly riding a motorbike and injuring a constable deployed for former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharrafs VVIP movement on September 27, 2015 in the port city of Karachi.

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A Judicial Magistrate sentenced Qasim to stand on the busy MA Jinnah road holding a placard inscribed with the message: Be careful! Driving negligently and carelessly can kill every Friday for two consecutive hours till October 11, 2018.

"I was told by the magistrate to either repeat this exercise for 12-months or go to jail," Qasim said.

Five policemen testified against Qasim, telling the judge that the accused was riding against traffic.

When the motorcycle struck the constable, the riders also fell down and were immediately arrested by other policemen.

"If the court had sent me to jail, I would have been declared a criminal. I am thankful to the judicial magistrate for showing some compassion. I have no problems standing for two hours every week holding this banner and it is also a lesson for others," Qasim said. PTI CORR UZM ZH UZM

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Onuigbo disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja at a climate change walk programme organised by Ecolife Conservation Initiative, an NGO as a pre-event to mark the International Day for Climate Change Action on Oct. 24.

Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, said the bill would address challenges of climate and environment in the country.

He said that the bill would also provide a legal framework for the mainstreaming of climate change, seek responses and actions into government policy formulation.

He said that the bill had passed through first and second reading in the House, adding that it would soon be considered by stakeholders at a public hearing.

With the passion the Speaker and Senate president are having towards ensuring that the law is being passed, I am sure that this bill will become law by second week of November.

The bill has gone through first and second reading on the floor of the House on Thursday, Oct. 19, and the bill is also going to get everyone involved because climate change issues concern every citizen, he said.

Onuigbo however advised all the Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as other stakeholders to support the government in ensuring that the environment was protected.

Mr Henry Akwitti, the National President of the NGO, said that the walk programme was to create awareness about climate change and educate FCT residents on steps to take to reduce carbon emission and develop climate-resilient pathways.

Akwitti said that the programme was to commemorate this years International Day for Climate Change Action marked on Oct. 24 annually.

ALSO READ:Dogara calls for improved welfare for security agencies

We all are aware that climate change is a very important subject matter considering its devastating effects as we have seen in case of floods, drought, famine and practically all spheres of human life.

Therefore, our environment must not be ignored, we must protect our environment for better and healthy life, he said.

He said that the organisation was focused in achieving environmental stability through sustainable green projects and massive public campaign.

He called on Nigerians to imbibe the culture of keeping the environment clean to promote environmental health.
Gov. Seriake Dickson urged the people of the state to discountenance the rumour that the exercise, christened Operation Crocodile Smile II, which includes free medical care, would endanger the health and safety of the people.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Francis Agbo in Yenagoa, Dickson made the call while receiving a letter of commendation from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

Dickson, who described the rumour as unfounded, urged Nigerians not to panic, rather cooperate with the military in discharging its medical outreach and community support initiatives.

Reiterating his administrations commitment toward sustaining the prevailing peace, security and stability in the state, Dickson assured the Nigerian Army and other security agencies of greater support in the discharge of their constitutional duties.

He explained that the state government had donated a large expanse of land for the building of a barrack in Yenagoa and a Forward Operations Base at the western senatorial district to enhance security.

The military and other security agencies are a force for good and I want to use this opportunity to call on community leaders to continue to support the military.

We cant have a Nigerian military that is coming here to inject people with poisonous substances.

That is not the army we have. This is our own army. These are our brothers, friends and fellow Nigerians, who mean well for all of us. Dickson said.

The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, commended Dickson for the invaluable support to his administration.

ALSO READ: Militants say Operation Crocodile Smile is a scam

Buratai said the support included the provision of land for building a barracks, a Forward Operation Base and creating a conducive environment for the Army to tackle insecurity in the state.

Delivering a letter of appreciation from the Nigerian Army, he lauded the people of Bayelsa for their understanding, cooperation, and pledged that the Army would redouble efforts in tackling security challenges in the country.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanua, made this known in Abuja.

Adesanya explained that component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE conducted an attack on a location in Urga area close to Konduga.

Previous intelligence reports, gathered through Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions by NAF ISR platforms, had indicated the presence of a large number of insurgents in Durwawa settlement in the outskirt of Urga.

Accordingly, one Alpha Jet aircraft was detailed to carry out air interdiction on the target and overhead the location, the aircraft acquired and attacked the target twice with bombs.

ALSO READ: 70 lecturers quit UNIMAID over incessant Boko Haram attacks

Subsequently, Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the aerial attack set off a fire, causing damage to the insurgents structures within the settlement and neutralizing most of the insurgents while a few of them fled the location, he said.
The spate of kidnapping of police officers has sorely embarrassed Idris; more so because the police should ideally be the one watching over folks and stopping kidnappers from abducting anyone.

A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) who was abducted in Niger State earlier in the week, only just secured his release.

Aliyu Amos is a Superintendent of Police and DPO of Sarki Pawa Divisional Headquarters in Niger State.

The police top brass says Amos was rescued alongside four others, by Special Forces.

That means no ransom exchanged hands between the abductors and the police institution, according to police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood. But not everyone is always this fortunate.

Amos abduction brings to the fore the vulnerability of police officers in Nigeria. Some are attacked and killed in the line of duty when not abducted. A handful never make it out of the kidnappers den.

"Our officers have to be concerned about their personal safety first because this issue is becoming an embarrassment, IGP Idris hollered into a gathering of State Police Commissioners in Abuja last Wednesday.

Idris also added that State Police Commissioners will henceforth be held to account if any police officer is abducted like a fowl on their watch.

Idris said; Commissioners would be held liable for any policeman that is just picked up like a fowl or anything, it is very annoying.

In September, Emmanuel Adeniyi who is a State Assistant Commissioner of Police in Zamfara, was kidnapped alongside his orderly and family members.

The incident occurred in Kaduna State.

ALSO READ: Misau says IGP is dating female officers

Kidnapping has morphed into a billion dollar industry in Nigeria with ransom payments and camps for the kidnapped, becoming the order of the day.

For the moment, the IGP considers the abduction of police officers very annoying and embarrassing.
The stakeholders made the call at a meeting attended by party elders, members of National Assembly, State Assembly, elected council chairmen and party executives from all levels in the state.

According to them, the progress recorded in the fight against insurgency, corruption and infrastructural development at the state and national levels were laudable.

Addressing the meeting on behalf of the state government, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba-Jimeta said Adamawa Government is interested in seeing that Buhari contested for second time in office to fully deliver on his transformation programmes.

As far as Adamawa is concern, Buhari and Osinbajo are our candidates for 2019.

The standard practice worldwide is for a performing president to serve his two-term in office.

Abba-Jimeta, who noted the representation of people from Adamawa in Buhari government, urged Buhari to look into the panel report on suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr David Babachir and reinstate him if he is not found wanting.

Abba-Jimeta lamented what he described as desperate moves by some APC members in the state to create problem between the state government and the Federal Government just to score cheap point.

He said the state APC government has been working in line with the party manifesto and has so far delivered in areas of infrastructure, healthcare, education and agriculture.

Sen. Binta Masi, Rep. Abdulrahman Shuaibu and Adamawa Assembly Deputy Speaker, Mr Emmanuel Tsamdu, who spoke on behalf of Senators, House of Representatives members and Adamawa Assembly members, said they were okay with the resolutions at the stakeholders meeting and would work towards its actualization.
"You have done a very, very spectacular job at the United Nations," Trump said. "You need talent, and he's got the talent."

"I have to say the United Nations has tremendous potential. It hasn't been used over the years nearly as it should be," Trump said.

Trump added that he has "a feeling that things are going to happen with the United Nations that we haven't seen before."

The meeting was expected to focus on UN reform.

"I'm a true believer that we live in a messy world but we need a strong, reformed and modernized UN," Guterres said.

"We need a strong United States engaged, based on its traditional values -- freedom, democracy, human rights," he added, in what could be perceived as a barbed remark.

During Trump's maiden speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Trump distanced himself from a vision of US policy that promotes liberal values abroad.

He instead appealed for "each nation to use sovereignty as the basis for mutual cooperation.

This was the UN chief's first full formal meeting with Trump at the White House after a brief encounter with the US president in April.

During that visit to the White House, Guterres met with US national security adviser HR McMaster and dropped by the Oval Office, but there was no joint appearance with Trump.

Guterres held a bilateral meeting with Trump during the UN General Assembly session in New York last month during which the US president also led a high-level meeting on UN reform.

UN sources said they expected the Middle East peace process, North Korea, the Iran nuclear deal to be among the issues raised.

Guterres is also concerned by US threats to cut funding to the world body.
"Unfortunately this evening a suicide bomber detonated himself among the worshippers inside a mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of Kabul city," Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP.

Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish confirmed the attack toll on Twitter.

"I was in the mosque bathroom when I heard a blast. I rushed inside the mosque and saw all the worshippers covered in blood," Hussain Ali told AFP.

"Some of the wounded were fleeing. I tried to stop someone to help me help the wounded but everyone was in a panic. It took ambulances and the police about an hour to reach the area."

Social media users launched an online campaign calling on people to donate blood for the wounded being treated at two hospitals.

Police initially said a gunman entered the Imam Zaman mosque in a heavily Shiite neighbourhood in the west of the city and opened fire on worshippers.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the grisly attack but recent assaults on Shiite mosques in Afghanistan have been carried out by Islamic State militants, who belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

In the second assault, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a Sunni mosque in the impoverished and remote central province of Ghor, killing at least 20 and wounding 10, Danish said.

A senior local police commander who is believed to have been the target of the attack in Dolaina district was among the dead, district governor Mohsen Danishyar told AFP, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Danishyar put the death toll as high as 30.

Multiple attacks

The attacks cap one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory, with more than 120 people already killed and hundreds more wounded in four separate Taliban attacks on police and military bases.

Including Friday's victims at the two mosque attacks, the death toll for the week now stands at more than 180.

In three of the Taliban attacks the assailants used bomb-laden Humvees stolen from Afghan government forces to blast their way into targets, as militants step up direct attacks on security installations.

The last attack on a Shiite mosque in Kabul happened on September 29 as Muslims prepared to commemorate Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar.

Six people were killed when a suicide bomber posing as a shepherd blew himself up near Hussainia mosque, one of the biggest Shiite centres in the city, as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers.

An attack on another Shiite mosque in the city on August 25 killed 28 people and wounded around 50 others.

Four attackers who set off explosions and fired gunshots laid siege to the mosque in the north of the capital for four hours as dozens of men, women and children had gathered for Friday prayers.

In recent years, the Taliban and Islamic State jihadists have repeatedly targeted the minority Shiite community, who number around three million in overwhelmingly Sunni Afghanistan.
"They were victims of tremendous violence during the dictatorship,"Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, one of the symbols of the Grandmothers' struggle, told AFP.

"It was terrible, so sordid, to imprison opponents and to give away their children, to have them adopted illegally. Without their fight for the truth, we would never have known," said Montoya Carlotto, the 114th recovered child.

The women, now aged in their 80s and over, lost either a son or a daughter to forced disappearances for opposing the military regime, and in many cases, their babies that were born in captivity.

They believe as many as 500 children were given up for adoption to relatives or associates of the regime. Their parents were among the 30,000 murdered by the junta.

'Guido'

For 36 years Ignacio was called Ignacio Hurban, before Argentina discovered the existence of "Guido", the name his mother had given him in jail before she was killed.

A pianist from Olavarria, a small town in the Argentine Pampa, he was catapulted into the limelight on August 5, 2014: The "Grandmas" president, Estela Carlotto, had just found her own grandson.

Ignacio Hurban was suddenly bombarded with the name Guido and appeared smiling in front of photographers and television cameras.

If it sounded like a fairytale ending to a tragic story, it was the beginning of a nightmare for Ignacio.

"They had been looking for me for 36 years. For me and other recovered grandchildren, it's different -- there was no waiting. For the one being searched for, the story begins the day he is found. And that's a shock!"

"There were fantastic moments," after meeting his grandmother. "But for me, it was like an accident -- which has a before, and an after. A tragedy. I had to rethink my whole relationship with my adoptive parents."

He has, however, taken the name of his father, Montoya, and that of his mother, Carlotto.

The 39-year-old pianist decided to continue "living the quiet life" in Olavarria with his wife and their first child Lola, born a year ago. He continues to see his adoptive parents.

At the end of October, he will leave for a concert tour that will take him to the United States, Barcelona, Rome and Paris. His story has been a boost to his career.

Since becoming a father, he said he has a better understanding of what led his grandmother and others like her to campaign on the Plaza de Mayo.

A sister group, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, campaigns alongside the Grandmothers, who have set up a DNA bank with samples of their own DNA to ensure that anyone who suspects they are one of the missing children can come forward.

Gaping wound

The 124 recovered children have responded in various ways to their "dramatic" stories.

"Some have broken away from those who raised them, others like me continue to see their adoptive parents. Some have changed either their first or last name, or in some cases not."

Two embarked on careers in politics and became members of Argentina's Congress.

For Ignacio, there was no question of changing his name, rejecting the one Argentina gave him, "which was foreign to me."

"Guido is a character in a collective construction," he said.

His grandmother most often calls him "Pancho", the nickname given by his friends. He has learned to call her "Granny."

"What will become of this fight when the 'grandmothers' are no longer here?" he asked.
An Egyptian court in September acquitted Halawa and 51 co-defendants, including three of his sisters, who were released while on trial in November 2013 before they travelled back to Ireland.

The security official told AFP that authorities had "verified that (Halawa) was not wanted in connection with any other case, and that no arrest warrant had been issued against him, so he was released".

Halawa posted on Facebook: "Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air, walk freely and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart. But I miss one thing and it's being home."

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he was "delighted" to hear of Halawa's release.

"The government is helping to bring him back to Ireland, to reunite him with his family and allow him to get back to his life," he said in comments carried by Ireland's national broadcaster RTE.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)

Indore, Oct 21 (PTI) A 30-year-old man today succumbed to the injuries he sustained during hurling of burning Hingots (a hollow fruit stuffed with gunpowder) during the annual Hingot festival at Gautampura town, around 55 kms from here, police said.

Kishore was one of the three injured who suffered severe burn injuries and was admitted to a government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital, a police officer said.

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He had sustained injuries to his head, a doctor of the M Y Hospital said.

The doctors treated rest of 33 injured at the venue of the Hingot fight last night and sent them home, he added.

Hingot War is an age-old tradition of residents of Gautampura, which is observed a day after Diwali. In this exercise, warriors are categorised in two groups namely Turra of Gautampura and Kalgi of Rungi village, who attack each other with burning Hingots.

Hingot, a jungle fruit, is emptied and stuffed with gunpowder, coal and brimstone and then hurled at rival groups like a burning missile during the festival. PTI HWP LAL MAS RMT

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He expressed confidence that they had detained the perpetrator of the attacks and that there was no longer any threat to the public.

Andrae said the man has so far refused to speak to police and his motive remains unknown.

But "absolutely no element" of the investigation leads police to believe it was a politically or religiously-motivated act of terror, he said.

The man attacked people with his knife at random, causing light injuries to eight people: a 12-year-old boy, six men and one woman, said Andrae.

Six of the people were Germans, one Italian and one Romanian.

Most of the injuries were superficial cuts.

The attacks occurred in six separate locations near Rosenheimer Platz in the eastern part of the city centre at around 0630 GMT. The suspect then fled by bike.

During the several hours he remained at large there was a palatable sense of panic in the city, with police urging residents to stay indoors.
"The number of injured is still around 70," she added.

A day earlier another corpse was discovered in the central city of Coimbra, which was badly hit by the fires that broke on Sunday and have since been brought under control with the help of rain and calmer winds.

It was the second time Portugal has been hit by deadly forest fires in four months.

In June, 64 people died in the central Pedrogao Grande region, in what were the deadliest wildfires in the country's history.

On Wednesday, interior minister Constanca Urbano de Sousa resigned over the government's handling of the problem.

The Portuguese government which has been strongly criticised for its management of the crisis is set to hold a special cabinet meeting on Saturday.
By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 21 (PTI) A mechanical engineer, who is currently pursuing PhD, was arrested for stealing bicycles from the campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Powai and selling them through online classified site, police said today.

The accused, a Byculla resident was arrested by the team of Powai police from the entrance gate of IIT Powai on October 16.

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Police have recovered at least seven costly bicycles from him, which were sold to the customers staying at Vikhroli, Walkeshwar, Byculla, Parel in the city and Kopri in neighbouring Thane using a free local online classified site, an official said.

A 25-year-old student of IIT Powai had approached the police station with the complaint of her bicycle theft on October 5, he said.

During the investigation it was revealed that since last few months there were some more incidents of bicycle theft in the IIT Campus, he said.

Accordingly police formed a special team to nab the accused.

On October 16, police team got information about the accused coming to the campus and nabbed him from the spot, he said.

During interrogation it came to light that accused was a mechanical engineer and had left the job in January 2017 to complete his Ph D, he added. PTI DC RMT

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Associated Press, October 21, 2017

Suicide bombers have struck two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday prayers, a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province, killing at least 72 people.

The deaths come at the end of a particularly deadly week for the troubled nation.

The Afghan President issued a statement condemning both attacks and saying the country's security forces would step up the fight to "eliminate the terrorists who target Afghans of all religions and tribes".



Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2017 shows the scene inside a mosque after an attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo: Xinhua/Barcroft Images) Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2017 shows the scene inside a mosque after an attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo: Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e-Barchi neighbourhood, where he detonated his explosives vest, Major General Alimast Momand said.

Fatalities from the attack had risen to 39 dead, with 41 wounded, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said.

The ministry's press office said in a statement it was investigating the attack at the Imam Zaman Mosque.

It also said the assailant blew himself up as worshippers began their prayers.

The Islamic State (IS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not provide evidence.

The suicide bombing in Ghor province struck a Sunni mosque  also during Friday prayers  and killed 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said spokesman for the provincial chief of police Mohammad Iqbal Nizami.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a devastating week that saw Taliban attacks kill scores across the country.

In the Kabul attack, witness Ali Mohammad said the mosque was packed with worshippers, both men and women praying at the height of the Muslim week.

The explosion was so strong that it shattered windows on nearby buildings, he said.

Local residents who rushed to the scene to help the victims were overcome with anger and started chanting "death to ISIS", a reference to the IS group which has staged similar attacks on Shiite mosques in recent months.

Abdul Hussain Hussainzada, a Shiite community leader, said they were sure that Afghanistan's IS affiliate was behind the attack.

"Our community is very worried," Mr Hussainzada said.

Mr Hussainzada, the spiritual head of Afghanistan's ethnic Hazaras, said the suicide bomber had positioned himself at the front of the prayer hall, standing with other men in the first of dozens of rows of worshippers before exploding his device.

Brutal week sees more than 70 killed

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor province took place in the Do Laina district, according to Mr Nizami.

Mr Nizami said the target apparently was a local commander, Abdul Ahed, a former warlord who has sided with the Government. Seven of his bodyguards were also killed in the bombing.

In his statement, President Ashraf Ghani said the day's attacks show "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks, but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans".

It has been a brutal week in Afghanistan, with more than 70 killed, mostly policemen and Afghan soldiers but also civilians as militant attacks have surged.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the earlier assaults this week that struck on security installations in the east and west of the country.

Overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, the Taliban killed at least 58 Afghan security forces in attacks that included an assault that nearly wiped out an army camp in southern Kandahar province.

On Tuesday, the Taliban unleashed a wave of attacks across Afghanistan, targeting police compounds and government facilities with suicide bombers, and killing at least 74 people, officials said.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat a resurgent Taliban since US and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a counterterrorism and support role.
By the late 1920s, as the Great Depression struck, however, authoritarians in the Japanese Army and Navy assumed ever-greater command over the nations direction. In 1932, a gang of naval officers assassinated Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai for denouncing the militarys unchecked power. Subsequently, all meaningful resistance to the militarys control of national politics ceased. 6 The Army already had triggered the invasion of Manchuria and was now hell-bent on conquering China and possibly eastern Russia. By 1938, 70 percent of Imperial Japans budget was allocated to the military. 7

Internationally, the League of Nations and the United States decried Japanese belligerence in China but failed to act in any meaningful way. The League and the United States were discredited in Japanese eyes because they failed to back up their moral disapproval with action. . . . Japan seemed increasingly impervious to the dictates of world opinion. 8 Similarly, the system of naval limitation treaties had served to check the great naval powers, but by the second London Naval Conference in 1936, Japan no longer cared about foreign opinions and walked over efforts to limit its ambitions. By 1941, Japan believed in its own destiny and that the Wests resistance was mere rhetoric. Hence, a drive to the south to seize the priceless natural resources of the Dutch East Indies was seen as necessary and not necessarily risky. The Americans would be crushed in a rapid and limited war over territories in which they seemed to have little true interest.

Japans conquest and annexation of southern French Indochina, however, enraged the United States and its allies. The Americans, British, and Dutch already had implemented a sweeping embargo of key resourcesmost notably oil and metalsto an island nation dependent on imports, but the United States 1941 freeze of Japanese assets abroad cut off Japans ability to trade. 9 Having lost 90 percent of its oil imports, and with a military government backed by the most powerful navy then in Asia, Japan believed it had no choice but war.

Devastating blows at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, Guam, Malay, and the Dutch East Indies shocked not only Western powers, but even the Japanese with how rapidly they secured their ambitions. The Imperial Japanese Navys key investments in aircraft carriers and their air wings, long-range, wakeless torpedoes, and night warfare ensured its initial maritime superiority. Still, within the first year of the war, the navys liabilities became clear: poor maritime logistics; submarines used as scouts instead of commerce raiders; little investment in antisubmarine warfare; few reservists; slow training programs; and an overstretched battle fleet. 10

The U.S. Navy exploited these weaknesses to dramatic effect by combining a sequential and a cumulative strategy to destroy Japanese maritime power. 11 In the sequential island-hopping campaign, the United States leveraged its industrial might to develop better aircraft, aircraft carriers, and escorts in massive quantities. The Navy furthered its advantages by using advanced refueling and logistics procedures it developed in the interwar years to create mobile task forces unreliant on fixed bases. 12 This mobility allowed the Americans to strike rapidly and unpredictably across the Pacific in ways unthinkable to the Japanese.

The Navys most important advantage was its culture of tactical innovation and decentralization. Whether pioneering the combat information center or developing the modern carrier-based task group, the Americans initiative and flexibility permitted them to consistently overcome obstacles in ways unthinkable or ignored by the Japanese. Imperial Japans famously well-educated and disciplined officers suffered under their inflexible structure. They were too tribal, overly hierarchical, and poor at improvisation during crises. 13 By focusing on U.S. strengths and exploiting Japanese weaknesses, the Navy defeated the Japanese throughout its sequential campaign.

Nevertheless, it was the U.S. cumulative strategy against Japans shipping fleet that most devastated Japans maritime power. U.S. submarines decimated Japanese merchant shipping, the arterial system fueling the imperial body. The United States recognized Japanese weaknesses in antisubmarine warfare and their failure to adopt the convoy system. U.S. submariners destroyed 90 percent of Japanese shipping with little resistance, stranding the prized Dutch East Indies oil for which Japan had launched the war. As losses mounted, Japanese units were forced to restrict operations and shift to the south, refueling directly in Indonesia. This caused a dangerous dispersion of forces in a fleet already spread thin and massively outnumbered. Without oil, the Imperial Japanese Navy ceased to be a fighting force by the end of 1944. The U.S. Navy had gained maritime supremacy.

China Today

At the beginning of this century, a new maritime power dawns in East Asia. China, long plagued by internal division, economic backwardness, and external manipulation, recaptured the mantle of power in Asia and has become the global economys growth engine. 14 Despite Chinas emulation of Western economic models since Deng Xiaoping, however, it has remained an authoritarian state. The U.S. Navy, as the frontline guardian of international free trade and maritime security, has become the focus of Chinese military policy. Chinas Han nationalism and Confucian appeals to historic greatness have rallied the public behind an ever more aggressive foreign policy characterized by bilateral bullying, duplicity, and sowing discord in U.S.-supported groups such as the Association of South East Asian Nations. Examples such as its aggressive buildup of reclaimed islands in the South China Sea, its provocative harassing of Japanese vessels near the Senkaku Islands, and its unilateral declaration of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea reveal Chinas disregard for the rules and norms of a system it regards as prejudicial to its security and exercise of power. Chinas need for a massive naval buildup is dubious unless it has grander ambitions for regional hegemony.

Despite the Chinese militarys technological prowess, especially in the missile, cyber, and electronic domains, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is experiencing growing pains akin to those of the Imperial Japanese Navy. As such, many tactics, procedures, and competences are in their embryonic stages. For example, China remains in the stages of proto-jointness, classifying exercises where multiple branches operate near each other as joint. China also suffers from rigid command structures and a lack of delegated authority. Problems with damage control, command-and-control networks, antisubmarine warfare, and the employment of submarines are similarly significant.

Comparing Imperial Japans Rise to Chinas

Crucially, in the areas most applicable to the exercise of modern sea power, contemporary China and Imperial Japan are remarkably similar: militant nationalism; economic preeminence in East Asia; a burgeoning string of overseas bases; a sustained, technologically advanced naval buildup; no peer regional competitors; the relative waning of the established powers; and mass propaganda characterized by cognitive dissonance and double speak. 15 There are differences. Most notably, China is not an island reliant on maritime trade, and it has the potential to be the industrial and economic equal of the United States.

Chinas contempt for crucial international agreements and institutions, such as the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, echoes Imperial Japans disregard for the League of Nations and arms limitation treaties. Unlike the 1930s, however, the United States currently sits at the apex of a collaborative international system that is drastically different from the imperialist structure that birthed Meiji Japan. As such, the United States can count on resources, norms, and relationships that will attempt to restrain systemic disruptors in ways that did not exist when Imperial Japan attempted Asian hegemony.

War in 1941 with Japan does not mean war with China is unavoidable or even a likely outcome. It is crucial that all parties accept that the United States is but one side of a complex relationship, one that can be derailed regardless of the right choices and the best aspirations.

Sea Power Lessons for Today

 Embrace Emergent Forms of Warfare and Exploit Chinese Weaknesses. Todays disruptive technological environment resembles what U.S. naval planners in the 1920s and 1930s faced as the aircraft swiftly evolved from feeble reconnaissance vehicle to devastating monoplane. Visionary factions foresaw the need to pivot from the big-gun battle line and to aircraft carrier aviation as the next evolution of maritime warfare. Many now mock those battleship stalwarts, and yet today the U.S. Navy grapples with a similar debate on the relevance of its current iteration of the one-platform-centric model. 16 Todays Navy must learn the lessons of this previous debate and adopt them more vigorously than the Navy of 1929 did. In that year, when the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) launched a successful attack on the Panama Canal, or in a 1938 exercise when then-Vice Admiral Ernest J. King surged his carriers behind a storm front to suddenly burst forth and shatter the defenses of San Francisco Bay, it was obvious that new forms of warfare had arrived. 17

The U.S. Navy must remain vigilant to shifts in warfighting and never fall behind. Great navies were rendered impotent when HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906; hypersonic missiles, cyber weapons, drones, and a myriad of other emergent technologies could transform warfare today. Research, innovation, and experimentation must be accelerated if the U.S. Navy is to recapture crucial lost ground, both in traditional technologies such as antiship missiles and potentially revolutionary capabilities such as cyber weapons and artificial intelligence.

The U.S. Navy also must focus on key Chinese oversights brought about by the PLANs rapid naval expansion and relatively insignificant combat experience. Massive expansions often focus on the new while neglecting traditional, less exciting, but crucial equipment and capabilities such as logistics, reserves, training, intelligence, basic research, and antisubmarine warfare. 18 The PLAN shows signs of such flaws. The U.S. Navy must develop targeted tactics and equipment that leverage such weaknesses just as it did against the Japanese.

 Hone Tactical Ingenuity and Flexibility. The U.S. Navys greatest advantage in combat remains its belief in commanders intent and a decentralized warfare construct that does not overburden any single node with excessive responsibility or criticality. From distributed lethality to multidomain battle, there are many opportunities for warfighters to showcase the battlefield brilliance and creativity that have long been the calling cards of the U.S. Navy. China, like Imperial Japan, uses much more rigid, centralized structures that inhibit initiative and are prone to stumbling, unable to seize unfolding opportunities. Innovative, decentralized tactics executed with commanders intent will prove decisive if U.S. and Chinese fleets clash and therefore must be perfected now.

 Embrace and Enforce the International Maritime System. The U.S. militarys unprecedented strength rests on the international system of political and economic alliances that it constructed following World War II. Friend or foe, no nation must be permitted to skirt or override international law without the prescribed punishments. As Imperial Japans precedent makes clear, the United States can bemoan Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea endlessly, but if there are no consequences for its actions, China will view these words as mere rhetoric, as did the Japanese. On many occasions moral utterances were substituted for policy and made the excuse for doing nothing. 19 U.S. maritime superiority is the key to inhibiting aggression in the Pacific because the U.S. Navy is the ultimate arbiter of these rules and must enforce them when breached. The lack of enforcement was the principal reason Imperial Japans radicalism vaulted so quickly from emperor worship to martial dictatorship as the West failed to counteract Japans repeated breaches of international law. China must not be similarly emboldened by inaction.

 Use Treaties to Preserve the Status Quo. Just as the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Chemical Weapons Convention have been enormously successful, formal naval limitations remain relevant to securing maritime security for the United States, its allies, and global commerce. Given the Japanese precedent, agreed limitations on maritime warfare capabilities offer a peaceful solution that would ensure the United States and its allies security interests while permitting China to build a reasonable maritime force. Such agreements could focus on antiship missiles, cyber capabilities, and amphibious forces. By limiting an arms race, the United States secures an acceptable status quo, reduces the risk of misperception, promotes transparency, and binds itself with China in a positive framework that ensures mutual prosperity. So long as international pressure and enforcement remain consistent, the treaty system can work as it did with Imperial Japan until 1936 when Western enforcement faltered.

 Retain the Size and Quality Necessary for a Global Fleet. As diplomacy failed, the United States suffered greatly by allowing its fleet to wither as Japan rearmed in the 1930s. Roosevelt was acutely aware of the intimate relationship between the effectiveness of diplomacy and available military force, and the lack of available military clout was a factor in his restraint in issues where his internationalist tendencies would have led him into action. 20 The United States cannot deter if it lacks the credible combat power to do so. Renewed calls for a larger navy, of 355 ships or more, are appropriate and necessary if the United States is to retain maritime superiority and defend the international system on which global prosperity rests.

 Retain All Options. As Imperial Japans example reveals, when a previously abused and oppressed nation achieves significant levels of wealth and power there is an alarming temptation to upset an established international system. As a result, the U.S. Navy and its allies must check Chinas latent belligerence before a tipping point is reached. Imperial Japans example is crucial in understanding how best to accomplish this. All means must be considered: treaties, alliances, sanctions, embargoes, asset freezes, shows of force, and war.

The United States cannot shy from war and be perceived as the paper tiger that Imperial Japan saw it as before World War II. As former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas Moorer said following Pearl Harbor, The thing that impressed me the most was the psychological impact of being told, every minute, Now dont do anything to provoke the Japanese, whatever you do dont do anything to provoke the Japanese  Commence firing! 21 The United States cannot be imprisoned by the mind-set of peacetime, fearful of every step and utterance. Not every spark leads to fire. As the arbiter of international security, it also must be the enforcer.

Contemporary China seeks to assert its claims of dominion in Asia and threatens to undermine the global system of alliances led by the United States and secured by the maritime superiority of the U.S. Navy. China also threatens established norms that have fomented global economic growth over the worlds oceans and provided a framework for the peaceful resolution of competing maritime claims. Using its experience with Imperial Japan as a reference, the U.S. Navy must arrest efforts to undermine the peaceful status quo in the Pacific and prevent China from following Japans perilous path.



1. Andrew Gordon, A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), 72-73, 98.

2. Gordon, A Modern History of Japan, 73, 121. 3. H. P. Willmott, Empires in the Balance: Japanese and Allied Pacific Strategies to April 1942 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982), 29-30.

4. Ibid., 32.

5. Stephen Howarth, To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy, 1775-1998 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999), 339.

6. Ian W. Toll, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 (New York: W. W. Norton, 2012), 87.

7. Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 (New York: Random House, 1987), 300.

8. Willmott, Empires in the Balance, 52.

9. Toll, Pacific Crucible, 116; Edward S. Miller, Bankrupting the Enemy: The U.S. Financial Siege of Japan before Pearl Harbor (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007), 2.

10. W. David Dickson et al., On Seas Contested: The Seven Great Navies of the Second World War (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014), 185-90.

11. RADM J. C. Wylie, USN, Military Strategy: A General Theory of Power Control (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014), 24. From Admiral Wylies theories on strategy: The sequential, the series of visible, discrete steps, each dependent on the one that preceded it. The other is the cumulative, the less perceptible minute accumulation of little items piling up on top of the other until at some unknown point the mass of accumulated actions may be large enough to be critical.

12. Willmott, Empires in the Balance, 115.

13. Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945 (New York: Cooper Square Press, 2000), 526-27.

14. Chinas Contribution to the Global Economy, China Daily, 16 January 2017. China has contributed roughly 30 percent of global GDP growth over the past decade despite being only 15 percent of Global GDP.

15. Howarth, To Shining Sea, 372.

16. LT Jeff Vandenengel, USN, Too Big to Sink, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 143, no. 5 (May 2017).

17. Willmott, Empires in the Balance, 113.

18. Dickson, On Seas Contested, 174, and Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, 301.

19. Willmott, Empires in the Balance, 107.

20. Ibid.

21. Howarth, To Shining Sea, 390-91.

Lieutenant Stefanus , a graduate of the Duke University NROTC program, is the training officer at Amphibious Squadron Six in Norfolk, VA. He previously served on the USS Anchorage (LPD-23). He won the Naval Institutes General Prize Essay Contest for 2016.
It may be a bit much to invoke Gustav Meyrinks Golem  the indomitable clay creation that destroyed everything in its path, alive but soulless  but the lurching, paradoxical maneuvering of Ecuadors president, Lenin Moreno, does lend itself to literary comparisons.

Moreno served as vice president for six years under Rafael Correa, the popular and charismatic founder of political party Alianza Pais. In April 2017, he was narrowly elected as the successor to this left-wing administration, which oversaw the most stable political period of Ecuadors democratic history.

During his presidential campaign against the conservative banker Guillermo Lasso, there were signs that Moreno was distancing himself from Correa. But at the time, these subtle political shifts seemed necessary to win an extremely tight race on a continent where the once-powerful Left is now ailing.

Now, just 120 days into his four-year term, Moreno is in the midst of executing a shocking breakaway from both the Alianza Pais platform and its supreme leader, Correa. This political turnaround is complicating Ecuadors democratic transition and unraveling his party. At risk is nothing less than the will of the people.

The outstretched hand

Elected by just 2.3 points over Lasso, Moreno knew his administration would face serious challenges  among them, governing a highly polarized nation.

To tackle them, candidate Moreno seemed to think that demonstrating autonomy from Correa was a must-do. On the campaign trail, Moreno promised voters national reconciliation, an outstretched hand and continuity with change. Commentators took to calling this stratagem the de-Correafication of Ecuador.

Once in office, that process expanded. The president has now engaged every social and political force that Correas administration had considered the opposition, from the indigenous movement to the financial sector and media conglomerates.

Moreno has also held talks with opposition parties and the Ecuadorian Business Committee, a lobby that had urged the Correa government, which spent heavily on social welfare, to curb public expenditures.

Pivot time

Conversation led to action. Moreno acceded to financial sector demands that private banks be allowed to work with digital cash. In Ecuador, all electronic payments had previously been controlled by the central bank.

He also agreed to introduce reforms to the Communications Act that will protect freedom of expression, acquiescing to calls from media companies that for years did battle with Correa.

Finally, in a nod to austerity, the new president cut civil servant salaries, even though Ecuador ranks among the Latin American nations with the lowest public debt.

Such moves have worried the Alianza Paiss base, who fear that the president is subverting Correas self-declared citizens revolution. If so, hes doing it without any clear political or economic vision. Morenos policies are so incongruous that the right-wing Lasso recently offered to lend the president his economic plan.

Both ruling party and opposition

It didnt take long for Moreno and his powerful predecessor to begin publicly clashing.

In June, Correa began to editorialize the Moreno administration in opinion pieces in El Telegrafo newspaper. On Twitter, he implicitly criticized the president as having either a short memory or acting in bad faith.

Moreno responded in kind. In a public meeting in June, he said, Now we can breath freely, slowly we will all shed our sheep-like behavior. He added that the table is not sethe [Correa] could have been a bit more reasonable about leaving things in better condition.

The former president quickly took to the internet to condemn the presidents intractability, saying that Morenos actions would undo El Correismo  Correas self-titled political movement  bow to corporate interests and kill Ecuadors citizen revolution.

Adding to the chorus was Morenos own vice president, Jorge Glas, a Correa insider. In an Aug. 2 public letter, he protested President Morenos rapprochement with conservative forces.

All this has fueled the new presidents move to break away from El Correismo, even though just months ago Ecuadorian voters opted in favor of Correas legacy.

The resignation, in August, of several senior officials from El Correismos progressive wing showed that the government and the political movement were drifting farther apart. Today, under Moreno, Alianza Pais is in the strange position of being both the ruling power and the opposition.

Scandal or political convenience?

Adding fuel to the fire are explosive revelations that at least 18 Ecuadorian officials have been implicated in Brazils massive Odebrecht scandal.

The international bribery scheme has now taken down several senior members of Correas administration, including Vice President Glas. He stands accused of leading a network of civil servants who accepted US$33 million in corporate kickbacks.

Moreno could ask for no better excuse to isolate his Correa-friendly veep. On Aug. 3, one day after Glass critical open letter, the president stripped the vice president of all official powers. On Oct. 2, Glas was arrested, and he is now in preventive detention while under investigation.

Moreno did promise to battle corruption, and his anti-corruption front had seemed likely to please many sectors of society that are frustrated with public malfeasance.

However, his efforts now appear less targeted at weeding out corruption than at undermining Correas legacy. Glas is in jail, but the economic powers that be, such as the South American financial conglomerate Grupo Eljuri  a key Odebrecht player  have remained immune from prosecution.

Among Lassos electoral base, 81 percent now rate his administration positively. Morenos policies have also been welcomed by people in major urban hubs like Quito and Cuenca, where the administrations approval rates have risen since June.

Referendum time

It was in this already tangled context that Moreno called for a plebiscite, theoretically a grassroots-inspired way to address national concerns. The president asked citizens and parties from across the political spectrum to submit questions that they wanted the government to help answer.

Of the almost 400 proposals received, the government will go to referendum next year with just seven questions. Among them will be to roll back capital gains taxes aimed at limiting land speculation and whether to undo Correas rollback of presidential term limits.

The selection process confirms the marginalization of Alianza Paiss issues  he accepted just three of the partys congressional leaders 33 submissions, alienating his own legislative bloc  and the resurgence of bankers, private media, traditional party leaders and financiers in Morenos coalition.

Rather than continue his predecessors legacy of reforms, Ecuadors president seems keen to wield his popular mandate as a weapon to kill El Correismo once and for all.

Leer en espanol.

Soledad Stoessel, Postdoctoral Researcher, Latin American Political Processes., National University of La Plata

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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Taking a dig at the Centre, Chidambaram said there will be a law soon going by which documentaries praising government policies will only be allowed.

By India Today Web Desk: Former finance minister P Chidambaram today took a dig at the Centre saying there will be a law soon going by which documentaries praising the government policies will only be allowed in the country.

His remark comes a day after the BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) Tamil Nadu chief asked for cuts to be made to Tamil film Mersal.

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In his tweet, Chidambaram said, "BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today".

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today.

Earlier, actor Kamal Haasan defended his Kollywood colleague Vijay, after the BJP's Tamil Nadu chief asked for cuts to be made to his new film, Mersal.

"Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies", he added in another tweeted.

Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies.&; P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

Tamilisai Soundarrajan, BJP's Tamil Nadu president, said some scenes in actor Vijay's Diwali release Mersal show GST and Digital India in a bad light. She had asked for cuts to be made in the film.

Earlier, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson used North Korea as a metaphor to criticise BJP leaders, after the saffron party's state unit chief asked for cuts in actor Vijay's new movie, Mersal.

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By PTI: Kolkata, Oct 21 (PTI) A depression that caused moderate to heavy rain in most parts of Gangetic West Bengal lay centred near the city this morning and the Met department forecast more precipitation till tomorrow.

The depression over southeast Jharkhand and adjoining north Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal moved east-northeast- wards overnight and lay centred over Gangetic West Bengal and neighbouring areas, about 60 km westnorthwest of Kolkata at 5.30 am, the Met department said today.

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The system is very likely to move east-northeastwards-- and weaken gradually into a well marked low pressure area by tomorrow morning.

It is likely to cause heavy rain in Gangetic West Bengal and the north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, the weatherman said.

Moderate to heavy rain occurred at most places in Gangetic West Bengal since yesterday.

With Bhai Phonta (Bhai Dooj) being celebrated today many people were inconvenienced owing to the inclement weather. Bhai dooj is a festival in which sisters pray for their brothers well-being.

The metropolis recorded 44.7 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am today, the Met department said.

Burdwan and Asansol recorded 65 and 64 mm rainfall respectively, while Diamond Harbour recorded 54.3 mm during the same period. PTI AMR RG AAR

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By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Oct 21 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has said greater co-operation between India and the US would help boost agricultural production and yield promising results for both countries.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in collaboration with the Iowa State University organised a special session on agriculture as part of the World Food Prize meetings this week. Naidu was visiting the US to attend the meeting.

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"Agricultural cooperation between the US and India allows the two countries to exchange innovative ideas and promote technical knowledge that has the power to boost agricultural production and yield promising results for both countries," Naidu said at a business round-table meeting organised by the USISPF in Iowa.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss areas where the US industry may be able to work with the Andhra Pradesh government in providing Agricultural Extension services to farmers and to transfer the latest technical knowledge to the farming community, introduction of high yielding varieties, imparting training to farmers to improve skills and knowledge to boost up the agricultural production and productivity.

The meeting was attended by a delegation of the Indian government as well as representatives from John Deere Financials, PepsiCo, US Department of Agriculture, US India Foundation, GrainPro, Pioneer, and the Global Food Banking Network.

The discussion focused around US-India investment and trade opportunities and challenges with members of the Indian government, along with US industry representatives in the agriculture and food sectors.

"There are great opportunities for collaboration between the US and Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has demonstrated leadership in the Indian food and agriculture industry by leading the way in initiatives such as mega food parks and cold chain development," USISPF president Mukesh Aghi said.

With the aim to start 500 new IT firms in Andhra Pradesh in the next 12 months, Naidu met with representatives from around 80 IT companies from all of US.

In his visit to Iowa university, he also enquired about crop genetics and discussed methods to improve agricultural productivity. PTI LKJ UZM

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Indian companies place orders worth $600 million for US crude, which is likely to increase by nearly $2 billion in the near future.

With India keen on diversifying its crude oil sourcing at competitive rates, domestic companies have opened up to the US spot market.

According to officials, orders worth $600 million have already been placed by the Indian companies so far, which is likely to increase by nearly $2 billion in the near future.

This is also seen as a move in line with the Trump administrations policy to reduce the US trade deficit. Indias exports to the US stand at $72 billion, while it imports come to around $30 billion.

Officials said India also faces an advantage of buying the US crude at least $2 a barrel cheaper than that supplied by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).

Experts said that proximity to India still makes the West Asia a favourable source than the US, as unless fuel is swapped, the transportation cost is a huge burden.

We have already contracted 7.85 million barrels of crude oil, for an overall contract worth about $450 million, from the US market. In fact, US crude oil imports have the potential to increase bilateral trade by at least $2 billion, said an official close to the development.

While Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is set to source 3.9 million barrels for the Paradeep refinery, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) are set to source 2.95 million barrels and 1 million barrels, respectively, for their Kochi and Visakhapatnam refineries.

According to a Reuters report, the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) has also bought its first crude oil cargoes from the US, which include 1 million barrels each of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and Eagle Ford crude. This is expected to arrive in India by November.

Diversification of the market will be good as demand for crude in India is set to grow by at least 4-5 per cent per annum, compared to a global average of 1.5 per cent. US crude has never come to India before, but it can be effectively used for many Indian refineries like Jamnagar and Paradeep, which are equipped to handle complex mixes of crude oil, including sweet, sour and heavy crude, said Anish De, partner and lead, energy and infra advisory, KPMG.

Out of the total order by state-run companies worth $450 million, IndianOil has already imported 1.6 million barrels. The company is planning to process the US crude at its Paradip, Haldia, Barauni and Bongaigaon refineries.

We want to get over the buyer and seller relationship. It should be mutually beneficial with responsible pricing. As a consumer, we would like to import from those who offer us competitive pricing, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union oil minister, said.

This can be seen as a shift in focus towards the US by India from Opec, which has a share of 86 per cent of crude oil and 75 per cent of natural gas imports to India.

According to reports, Iraq surpassed Saudi Arabia as the largest exporter of crude to India. While Iraq contributed about 23 per cent of Indias imports, Saudi Arabia supplied about 17 per cent in May.

On Indias changing its import strategy, Opec secretary-general Sanusi Mohammad Barkindo said, This is a global market. Since December of 2015, the US has lifted the ban on exports and, therefore, you have been seeing a gradual rise in export numbers. Of course, Asia remains a prime destination for exports, particularly sweet crude.

Barkindo added both Opec and independent producers in the US have a shared responsibility of restoring stability in the crude oil market.

Indian companies, both public and private, have made sizeable investments in US shale assets with a total investment of approximately $5 billion. The first contracted LNG by GAIL is expected to be delivered in January 2018, through which the US expects to reduce the trade deficit between both the countries.

Photograph: David Mdzinarishvilli/Reuters.
Delhi airport, the countrys busiest, runs out of slots due to runway capacity constraints.

There will be very few new flights from Delhi this winter as the country's busiest airport has virtually run out of slots.

The Delhi airport sees over 1,200 flights daily and its three runways can handle 67 aircraft movements per hour. While the terminal expansion is facing delays, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has expressed its inability to allow more flights due to runway capacity constraints.

A senior executive from a private airline said hardly any new slots have been allocated to carriers for the winter schedule.

"Delhi airport is going the Mumbai way," he said.

Among the lucky ones to get slots are Alitalia, VietJetAir and Jet Airways, for international services.

DIAL did not comment for the story.

Last year, the Delhi airport handled over 55 million passengers and traffic grew 21 per cent - which was the fastest rate among all airports handling 40 million passengers annually in the world.

Traffic at Mumbai airport, the second-busiest in the country, grew 9.9 per cent as limited slots led to addition of few services. This fuelled growth in Delhi and airlines like Vistara and AirAsia made it their hub but a rapid growth strained the airport's infrastructure.

A few months ago, UK's air traffic control submitted its recommendations to improve ground infrastructure and air navigation procedures at Delhi and the same have been accepted.

"The civil aviation ministry is working with DIAL on measures to handle more flights at Delhi," said Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra. He said discussions are also on with the air force for opening airspace under its control for civilian flights.

A large part of the airspace around Delhi is under air force control, thus restricting corridors for civilian flights. Also, the three runways at Delhi do not see simultaneous take-offs or landings because of design issues and arrivals are separated by three miles.

"There are slot constraints at Delhi but it is not that none is available," Mohapatra added.

The congestion at Terminal I is creating problems, too.

"The Terminal 1D at Delhi is already saturated, resulting in serious impact on airline operations and customer experience. Expansion of terminal will take another two to three years. The process of deciding which airline will move to T2 has taken more than 12 months, creating development challenges. Opening of Hindon air base for passenger flights faces challenges due to surface access, higher prospect of bird strikes and splitting airline resources at yet another location," aviation consultancy CAPA said in its report.

CAPA has warned of serious capacity challenges for Indian airports as domestic airlines are expected to induct 350-400 planes over the next five years.

"Airlines are already facing challenges securing overnight parking bays. This will become increasingly difficult with so many aircraft scheduled for induction over the next five years. As metro airports become saturated, airlines will have to deploy more capacity to Tier-II cities over the next three years," CAPA has said.
Perumal Murugan's Songs Of A Coward reminds Uttaran Das Gupta of Orwell's Animal Farm and Ionesco's The Rhinoceros.

Both works, as well as Murugan's stark poetry, are poignant for our times, when political figures build personality cults around themselves and demand absolute loyalty.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Tamil poet and novelist Perumal Murugan is a cat lover.

His poetic journey began when he was eight or nine years old with a poem, Poonai nalla poonai, on a favourite cat. (He revealed this in a speech delivered in New Delhi on August 22, 2016.)

Like many feline lovers, he is not too fond of dogs.

This is evident in his new book of poems, Songs Of A Coward, where the poet's personal preference is a narrative leitmotif and as a thematic preoccupation.

Dogs and canine creatures such as wolves are antagonists and bearers of disease.

For instance, The Howls, which begins with a rabid dog arriving at a settlement: Piercing through/the dense midnight dark/that had dry leaves for eyes/came a rabid dog.

This sick dog bites other dogs, which in turn bite cattle and chickens and domestic dogs. These creatures, in turn, bite humans: Men grew fearful/Those who ventured out/...rushed back in with bloody wounds.

The final image of the poem is devastating: Drooling tongues/Howls/Packs of rabid dogs.

This reminds one of two seminal works of literature: George Orwell's Animal Farm and Eugene Ionesco's The Rhinoceros.

Orwell's 1945 novel is an allegorical critique of Stalinist Russia set on the eponymous animal farm, where pigs -- representing the Bolshevik elite -- capture power after driving the original human owners away.

In Ionesco's absurdist play, all characters except the protagonist Berenger -- a sort of a common man -- turns into rhinoceroses, representing the conformism demanded by Fascism or Nazism.

Both works, as well as Murugan's stark poetry, are poignant for our times, when political figures build personality cults around themselves and demand absolute loyalty.

The Howls is also a close cousin of zombie genre movies, where all characters become rabid, flesh-eating monsters.

The conditions under which Murugan has produced this book, with 210 short poems, provide a hint to his preoccupations.

In January 2015, following widespread controversy over his novel Madhurobhagan, during which he was forced to render an apology for his depiction of the rituals of the Ardhanareeshwarar temple in Tiruchengode and court cases were initiated against him, Murugan declared himself dead.

On a Facebook post, he wrote: 'Perumal Murugan the writer is dead. As he is no God, he is not going to resurrect himself. He also has no faith in rebirth. An ordinary teacher, he will live as P Murugan. Leave him alone.'

The poems in this book, as its subtitle suggests, are 'poems of exile'.

Their translator Aniruddhan Vasudevan, who also translated Madhurobhagan as One Part Woman, writes: 'He (Murugan' wrote these poems during that period of exile when he was struggling to find his bearings, trying to make sense of all that was happening in his life and how it might affect his existence as a person and writer...'

'They record private emotions, acute vulnerability and a constant sense of acutely moving around a space to see how hospitable, inhabitable and welcoming it might be -- or not.'

A sense of unease permeates the early poems of the book.

In A Strange Beast, Murugan's narrator is acutely aware of the reactions of people he meets: My very existence becomes a threat/to anyone I meet.

The poem goes on to describe his transformation from a regular person to a threatening beast: Someone has painted over my head/a pair of horns everyone can see/Someone has turned me into a strange beast. (Echoes of Kafka?)

He also knows how he inconveniences his antagonists: For some, my beard is an inconvenience /For some, my writing is an inconvenience/For some, my existence is an inconvenience (A Drop of Bother).

But this book is also a journey, from uncertainty to certainty, from death to resurrection, from disease to therapy.

In the speech, with which I began this review, Murugan describes a personal crisis between December 2014 and January 2016: 'I couldn't so much as scratch a line... I couldn't read a thing... I realised the full meaning of the Tamil phrase nadaipinam (a walking corpse)'.

What is a writer if he has declared himself dead? But, it is through writing that Murugan makes a rebirth: 'As I started to write, I began to revive little by little, from my fingernails to my hair. It was poetry that saved me.'

The therapeutic nature of writing is not unknown: Wordsworth described it in Tintern Abbey; writing is used extensively in therapy.

Murugan's 'death' was a choice -- unlike say Pansare, Dabholkar, Kalburgi, or Lankesh.

To give in to despair is perhaps a cop out, but to write also requires enormous courage.

The poems in this book are not that of a coward. Murugan isn't a coward; perhaps, he is a cat.
'What lies at the core of Abe's stance is Japan's crisis management ability amid the increasingly tense North Korean situation,' says Rajaram Panda.

After Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo dissolved the Lower House more than a year before its term was to expire, the country goes to the polls on Sunday, October 22, to elect new members.

This sudden development has raised the critical issue of possible power shifts and the vision of the new government. These issues have engaged different political parties to place their priorities to policies before the people.

Leading political parties such as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Komieto, a new party the Kibo no To (Party of Hope) formed by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin no Kai and minor ones such as the JCP, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Kokoro are in the fray vying for voters' heart with slogans.

The broad policy prescriptions and campaign slogans of these parties are: LDP for resolutely defending the county in the wake of impending threat from North Korea's missiles besides reviewing Article 9 of the constitution; Kibo for a reset for Japan, Komeito for reducing the burden for education, JCP for working together to open a new future for the country, Ishin for destroying the old politics and create a new one, the Democratic Party for honest politics, the SDP for bringing out the potentials of the constitution, and Kokoro for a message for the next generation.

LDP leader Abe -- known for his hawkish stance on defence and security issues -- adopted the slogan 'Resolutely defending this county' with resolve 'to defend the lives, property and happy existence of the public.'

What lies at the core of Abe's stance is Japan's crisis management ability amid the increasingly tense North Korean situation. Abe therefore justifies the need for political stability.

The LDP's junior coalition partner, Komeito, chose to focus on reducing the financial burden faced by parents.

To meet its objectives, Komeito's campaign pledge is to make pre-school education free of charge and expanding grant-in-aid scholarships for university students.

Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To used the catchphrase 'A reset for Japan', stressing that the country deserves a change of administration.

Joining hands with Kibo, Nippon Ishin no Kai stresses the renewal of politics, choosing 'Destroy old politics. Create new politics'.

The newly launched Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan seeks honesty in politics and aims to corner Abe for his alleged involvement in scandals over Morimoto Gakuen and the Kake Educational Institution.

The SDP seeks protection of the country's constitution and is against Abe's attempt to amend Article 9.

As regards Kokoro, it is unclear what message it wants to send to the next generation.

What transpires from the above is that the Opposition is in disarray and unlikely to pose any real challenge to LDP-Komeito combine.

There is a new twist to the realignment of political forces when rumours surfaced that Koike's Kibo might consider joining the LDP in forming a coalition after the results are out.

It is also suspected that Koike could have been harbouring a scenario when once inside the government she can engineer to oust Abe from office and take political control of the government.

It would be wrong to expect that Abe would not be aware of such intentions and offer Kibo a window to join the government.

Abe's aim would be to secure a combined majority in the 465-seat house of representatives even with reduced numbers and is unlikely to enter into any understanding with Koike's Kibo.

What are the major issues, besides the ones mentioned above, that the public would keep in mind while voting and may determine the election outcome?

Broadly, there are four major issues: Restarting nuclear reactors, increasing consumption tax from the present 8 to 10 per cent from October 2019, addressing the social security issue, revival of the sluggish economy and constitutional revision.

First, restarting the nuclear reactors following the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in March 2011 that led to closing down all 54 reactors, nuclear as a source in Japan's energy mix has remained a policy debate.

The issue is whether to restart reactors No 6 and No 7 at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc's Kashiwazki-Kariwa nuclear power plant cleared the new safety standards by Japan's nuclear regulation authority.

While Abe has set the target of drawing 20 to 22 per cent of total power generation from nuclear energy and is therefore keen to reactivate reactors, Kibo wants 'zero nuclear power' by 2030.

Second: Constitutional revision, especially Article 9, is one of Abe's policy priorities. This is not easy as the process of amending an article is very complicated.

What best Abe could do is to reinterpret the provision flexibly which could enable him to achieve his objective without an actual amendment.

He has already moved a step forward with his policy of collective self-defence.

Koikes Kibo questions Abe's proposal to revise the constitution to stipulate a rationale for the existence of the self-defence forces in Article 9.

Third: While the LDP and Komeito want to raise the tax rate from 8 to 10 per cent in October 2019 as planned, other Opposition parties cross swords on this.

The LDP-Komeito combine plans to utilise the revenue resulting from the tax hike on the social security system that would focus on all generations and not the current system that puts the emphasis on elderly people.

Ishin, CDPJ, JCP and SDP are opposed on the ground that the hike in the tax burden could dampen personal consumption.

Abe plans to use the tax money to help revive the country's sluggish birth rate and aging population.

Japan faces a serious demographic challenge owing to the declining fertility rate, leading to a population imbalance.

Fourth: The issues of 'acceleration of Abenomics' and stress on 'productivity revolution' are other priorities for Abe's LDP which plans to raise productivity dramatically with advanced technology.

To counter Abenomics, Kibo announced its economic strategy called Yurinomics which does not excessively rely on monetary easing and a fiscal stimulus injection, but focuses on eliciting vitality in the private sector.

This is a new dimension introduced in the election battle.

Analysing all the above factors, it transpires that in view of the disunity in the Opposition, Abe is likely to return to power without any hiccup.

Dr Rajaram Panda is currently Indian Council for Cultural Relations India Chair Visiting Professor at Reitaku University, Japan.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are author's own and do not represent either of the ICCR or the Government of India.

IMAGE: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie with Prime Minister Narendra D Modi at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad, September 14, 2017. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter
'Xi's emphasis on enhancing conventional military deterrence capabilities, joint operations and power projection are likely to increase friction points with India as with other nations,' points out China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.

President Xi Jinping delivered a more than three hour-long speech at the beginning of the 19th Communist Party Congress at Beijing on Wednesday, October 18.

As with previous congresses, the primary focus of this gathering as well is to direct ways to further the Communist party's political ideology as well as to enhance the people's welfare.

Nevertheless, it also has significant view on the foreign policy direction that China takes in the next five years, but also for the foreseeable future.

By providing a long-term view of a 'new era' till roughly 2050, China's leadership has assured the foreign policy establishment to brace for the long haul and prepare appropriate initiatives to further China's interests.

Being realistic and aware of challenges that the country will face, the political leadership has signaled that reform of global governance structures shall be the focus for the foreseeable future.

After it became the 2nd largest economy in 2010, China, along with other countries like India, have nudged the International Monetary Fund to enhance the voting rights successfully.

Such efforts are likely to be further intensified by China in the future -- nudging the envelope further and suggest a long-term contest with the dominant power, the United States.

International and regional levers of power are likely to be contested actively by China, either unilaterally or in conjunction with like-minded parties. Specific mention by Xi in his speech about multipolarity signify towards this direction.

'Community of common destiny' was reiterated at the outset of the guidelines to the foreign policy section.

Proposed initially by Zheng Bijian -- the architect of the China Rise thesis in 2002 -- the new concept of 'community of common destiny' includes a set of norms and guidelines in foreign policy such as peaceful co-existence, dialogue process, win-win outcomes, economic development, multipolarity, economic liberalisation, cultural diversification and opposing hegemony.

Xi also called for building a 'new type of international relations'.

While implementing these could pose several problems for Chinese diplomats -- specifically at times when China's rise in the neighbourhood is seen brushing aside sensitivities in the region -- a long-term norm building could posit China against an increasingly self-centered United States.

Thus, China is bracing for this 'soft contest' with the US for the short to medium term.

China's Communist party reiterated the 'five pillars' foreign policy strategy evolved over a decade ago -- that is emphasising on major powers, neighbours, developing countries, multilateral arrangements and soft power projection.

This suggest a hierarchical, power-based working mechanism prioritising some countries over the others in pursuing diplomatic goals.

Despite at times implicit animosity towards the US, China's leadership is signaling that relations with Washington would be crucial for Beijing.

For countries like India, this approach suggests benign neglect unless New Delhi enhances its comprehensive national power.

Xi reiterated his pet project that of One Belt One Road, first mentioned in September 2013 and enhanced with the participation of 29 countries leaders at the May 2017 summit meeting in Beijing.

In terms of foreign policy, the OBOR provides an opportunity for China to expand in Europe, Asia and Africa by stressing developmental issues, exporting capital and excess industrial capacities although many of these areas are prone to terrorism and sovereignty claims suggesting to many challenges to tackle.

At the economic diplomacy level, by signaling that China henceforth will promote mergers and acquisitions of its State-owned enterprises into global conglomerates, and creating brand names in future, Xi is expanding the work of the foreign policy establishment.

Also, their security abroad will also become gradually the responsibility of China's foreign and military establishments.

With terrorist threats increasing in recent times, targeting scores of Chinese businesses and personnel in Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Asia, Africa and other regions, protecting Chinese abroad has already emerged as a major task for Chinese missions abroad.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to replace State Councilor Yang Jiechi although in the Chinese decision-making structures, the foreign minister is not a Politburo member nor of that of the Standing Committee of the Politburo except in the 1950s by Zhou Enlai.

With the Politburo Standing Committee deciding China's foreign policy strategy, the foreign minister is left to implement the decisions taken by this body.

This has resulted in the relatively weak position of the foreign minister with major pronouncements made by Xi or Premier Li Keqiang in recent times.

As part of the capacity build-up of foreign policy, China plans to raise over a hundred huge think-tanks to provide timely advice to the party-State.

Taking a cue from Xi's address at the 19th party congress to prevent and be prepared to address crises situations, the demands on both the foreign ministry as well as the think- tanks is expected to grow substantially in the coming decades.

While no specific mention of India appeared in the 19th party congress work report, the road map for China's future trajectory suggests an increasing assertiveness in disputed border areas, balancing China's role in South Asia and the Indian Ocean regions, cooperation between China and India in the multipolar world.

Xi's emphasis on enhancing conventional military deterrence capabilities, joint operations and power projection are likely to increase friction points with India as with other nations.

Srikanth Kondapalli is Professor in Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledges the applause at the Chinese Communist Party's 19th party congress in Beijing, October 18, 2017. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters
Union minister Anantkumar Hegde has conveyed to the Karnataka government not to invite him to the "shameful" event of Tipu Sultan Jayanti on November 10.

"(I have) conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist," Hegde said in a tweet on Friday.

The Bharatiya Jnata Party leader had also written a letter to the chief secretary and the Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner, asking them to direct the state government not to include his name in the programme invitations to mark the birth anniversary of the 18th century ruler of the princely state of Mysore.

Reacting to Hegde's letter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he should not have done it as he was part of the government.

"As part of the government, he shouldn't have written it...Invitation (for Tipu Jayanti celebration) will be sent out to all central and state leaders, up to them to accept or reject," he told reporters in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Siddaramaiah also flayed the BJP for politicising the issue.

"There were four wars against the British and Tipu fought them all," he said, while claiming that Tipu was a "freedom fighter" who helped liberate India from the yoke of colonialism.

State Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "Any MLA or MP will be invited to an event happening in his or her constituency."

"It is a protocol, and has been done earlier and will be continued in future too... To attend Tipu Jayanti or not is up to Hegde," he added.

In 2016, Hegde had flayed the state government for celebrating Tipu Jayanti despite opposition from some sections of the society living in coastal belts of the state and Kodagu areas, claiming that the ruler was "against Kannada language and anti-Hindu".

Subsequently, Hegde was arrested for threatening to disrupt celebrations in Uttara Kannada district.

The minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship has been in thick of controversies for his anti-Islam comments and assaulting a doctor in his district a few months ago.

The government's decision to celebrate the day on November 10 last year had drawn much criticism from the BJP and the RSS, who termed this act of the Congress as "minority appeasement".

The Siddaramaiah-led government is all set to celebrate Tipu Jayanti despite widespread protests and violence that had marred celebrations in the last two years.
Pakistan on Saturday said its high commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but dismissed as "speculative" the reports in media that the two discussed the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Foreign Office issued a statement after reports in media claimed that Swaraj asked Mahmood to drop all charges against Jadhav and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties.

Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April for his alleged involvement in espionage and terrorist activities. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on India's appeal.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria confirmed that Mahmood met Swaraj on October 17 but asserted that it was a routine meeting by the diplomat who recently assumed office as Pakistan's new high commissioner to India.

"While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative," Zakaria said.

He also said that the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

"The minister and the high commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations," he said.

He said it is "customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on the local dignitaries."
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to "interfere" in the just-released movie Mersal, saying cinema was a "deep expression" of Tamil culture.

The comments came a day after Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded removal of dialogues portraying what he termed as "untruths" about the Goods and Services Tax in the Vijay-starrer movie.

"Mr Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal," Gandhi said in a tweet.

On Friday, Radhakrishnan had demanded the removal of the "untruths" about the GST, rolled out by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government on July 1.

"The film producer should remove the untruths regarding the GST from the film," Radhakrishnan had said.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan and national secretary H Raja, have strongly opposed references to the movie and claimed dialogues in it were "highly inappropriate".

Against the background, Chidambaram tweeted, "Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies."

"BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today," the former Finance Minister said in another tweet.

Parasakthi was the debut film of yesteryear top star Sivaji Ganesan in 1952 and the dialogues were written by DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who was then a budding leader in the party and a screen writer.

The super-hit movie had powerful dialogues espousing reformist and egalitarian ideals. Chidambaram had asked what would happen if the movie were to be released on Saturday.

Replying to the tweet, Tamil Nadu BJP leader and national secretary H Raja said if that were to happen, people would not allow the government to run temples by quoting a popular dialogue from it.

Raja was reiterating the stand of the BJP and right-wing outfits that the state government should stop administering temples and hand them over to devotees.

Raja also claimed that the film exposed Vijay's "hatred" for Modi.

Soundrajan, who has been opposing the references to the GST, in a tweet said, "MERSAL ridicules Dedicated Doctors disheartened/ambulance drivers shown corrupt/doctors should take 5rupees while the actor gets crores??"

AISMK chief and actor Sarath Kumar tweeted: "A film which is CERTIFIED by censor board cannot be questioned. If questionable, why censor board at all?#Mersel."

Taking to Twitter, Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan said, "Mersal was certified. Don't re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks."

Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress stood for freedom of expression.

"Remember: @INCIndia stands for freedom of expression, in or out of power. Creative freedom is only safe in the hands of those who value it," he tweeted tagging Rahul Gandhi.

Image: Poster of the film. Photograph: Courtesy @MersalFilm/Twitter
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that the army has to remain prepared to counter any Doklam-like situation along the Sino-India border.

Rawat, while speaking to reporters at a function in Jammu, also said that the mountain strike corps, designated as 17 Corps, was being raised as a "force of deterrence" and the process of its establishment was on schedule.

Asked if the 17 corps was being established to counter China, Rawat said, "Why should we say it is against whom? It is for deterrence and deterrence is against any threat that may confront the nation."

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the setting up of the 17 Corps in the latter part of 2014.

So far, one division comprising nearly 25,000 soldiers has been raised for the Corps, which is at present headquartered at Ranchi. Once the raising of the 72 division is complete, the Corps will be based out of Panagarh in West Bengal.

Asked if there was any possibility of a Doklam-like standoff with China in any other part of the Line of Actual Control, Rawat said, "We have to remain prepared".

The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam started on June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.

Rawat, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function where he presented the President's Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, also said that the security situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving.

"I think the security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now in the Kashmir Valley is possibly highlighting the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he said.

The army chief said that the "ups and downs" in terrorism keep happening.

"We will keep eliminating terrorists, and some wayward youth, because of the social media campaign of radicalisation, will come and join," he said, adding that most of them were now operating overground and were surrendering.

Asked about the reopening of terror training camps across the LoC, Rawat said that they were never closed.

Militants were stationed in the training camps even then as they are today, he said.

On whether the Army will again carry out surgical strikes to dismantle the terror camps across the border, Rawat said, "We have already said that surgical strikes were a method (to deal with terror infrastructure across the border). There are other methods also."

The Army chief also said that the enquiries into the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota had been completed and action taken.

"Punishments are being awarded to the people who are found guilty. Nobody is spared," he said.

Asked about his reaction to the statement of Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa that his country wants to have peaceful relations with India, Rawat said the military has a task and it will continue to perform the task.

"Any talks or anything that has to be done, will be decided at the political level. If the political hierarchy takes a political call, we will continue to perform and do our tasks that has been entrusted to us," he said.

Talking about whether the militancy graph has gone down after initiatives under the 'Operation Sadhbhavana', Rawat said, "Winning hearts and minds (of people) is part of any counter insurgency strategy and our nation has been following it rightly."

"Success has been achieved through Operation Sadhbhavana which is evident the way you see the goodwill of schools in carrying out competitions. There are any number of people joining and supporting the campaign," he said.

Asked whether the Army was planning to close down Army Education Corps, Rawat said the instructions to close it down had come.

However, he also added that, "If we have to close down AEC, it will take time. It is being discussed.

The AEC is a programme run by the army that develops soldiers and officers of all ranks in a variety of disciplines. The centre provides education in both combat and non-combat operations.

Rawat said action was being taken to secure all military establishments and garrisons.

Photograph: Indian Army/Twitter
'We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions.'

'We look forward to welcoming him in India next week for detailed discussions on further strengthening of our partnership,' the MEA said on Friday.

Archis Mohan reports.

India has described Wednesday's speech by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as a 'significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future'.

Tillerson is scheduled to visit India next week.

A statement from the ministry of external affairs on Friday hailed the speech and also sought to underline the congruence of views between India and the US on China's assertiveness in the South China Sea, as well as New Delhi and Washington DC's misgivings over Beijing's 'One Belt, One Road' infrastructure project.

South Block sources said that the OBOR, the South China Sea, and even the Doklam military standoff between India and China could come up during Tllerson's discussions with the Indian leadership.

In his speech on October 18 to a think-tank, Tillerson said the US is India's 'reliable partner.' He criticised China for 'provocations' in the South China Sea and also its 'predatory economics' through its OBOR initiative.

Advocating stronger India-US relations for the next 100 years, Tillerson said China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly. He said that 'in this period of uncertainty and somewhat angst, India needs a reliable partner on the world stage'. He said the US is that partner.

While Beijing criticised Tillerson for his 'biased views', the MEA said in New Delhi on Friday: 'Secretary Tillerson has made a significant policy statement on India-US relations and its future. He brought out its various strengths and highlighted our shared commitment to a rule-based international order.'

'We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions. We look forward to welcoming him in India next week for detailed discussions on further strengthening of our partnership,' the MEA said on Friday.

In his five-nation, week-long, tour next week, Tillerson is scheduled to visit India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Switzerland.

His first stop will be Saudi Arabia where he will meet leaders to discuss Yemen, the ongoing Gulf crisis, Iran and a number of other important regional and bilateral issues, state department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in Washington on Friday.

Tillerson, Nauert said, will then make his inaugural visit to South Asia as secretary of Sstate, reaffirming the Trump administration's comprehensive strategy towards the region.

In Islamabad, he will meet with senior Pakistani leaders to discuss America's continued strong bilateral cooperation, Pakistan's critical role in the success of US President Donald J Trump's South Asia strategy and the expanding economic ties between the two countries, she said.

The exact dates of his visits to Islamabad and New Delhi are yet to be announced.

In New Delhi, Tillerson will meet with senior Indian leaders to 'discuss further strengthening of our strategic partnership and collaboration on security and prosperity' in the Indo-Pacific region, Nauert said.

In his speech on Wednesday, Tillerson said Beijing has, at times, undermined the international, rules-based order even as countries like India operate within a framework that protects other nations' sovereignty.

'China's provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that the United States and India both stand for,' he said.

While the US seeks constructive relations with China, Tillerson said it will not shrink from Beijing's challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the US and its friends.

Tillerson said his visit to New Delhi next week 'could not come at a more promising time for US-Indian relations and the US-India partnership'.

US Treasury monitoring India's policies

India ran a trade surplus of $23 billion with the US, reports Anup Roy.

India's rising foreign exchange reserves and trade surplus with the United States have attracted the attention of the US treasury department, which will now take an interest in India's macroeconomic policies.

'Treasury will be closely monitoring India's foreign exchange and macroeconomic policies,' said the October issue of the US treasury publication Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States.

India is one of the 13 largest trading partners of the United States, and as of June 2017, ran a trade surplus of $23 billion with the US, which the department termed 'significant'.

Traditionally, emerging markets have maintained foreign exchange reserves at more than their required levels, but India has been more aggressive in this regard.

The US treasury publication said while India's foreign exchange reserves were 16 per cent of its gross domestic product, lower than many of the US's trading partners, India's reserves as a percentage of short-term external debt are at 412 per cent, the second-highest among all major trading partners of the US.

Short-term debts are those obligations that mature in a year.

In the April issue of the same publication, India came on top of the list in short-term external debt coverage, with 427 per cent of the liabilities covered.

'Over the first half of 2017, there has been a notable increase in the scale and persistence of India's net foreign exchange purchases, which have risen to around $42 billion (1.8 percent of GDP) over the four quarters through June 2017,' the report said.

India has a significant bilateral goods trade surplus with the United States, totalling $23 billion over the four quarters through June this year.

The criteria for coming into the focus of the US rreasury are 'net purchases of foreign currency, conducted repeatedly, totaling in excess of 2 per cent of an economy's GDP over a period of 12 months'.

'India is very close to meeting this criterion for the four quarters ending June 2017, with net purchases of foreign currency slightly below 2 percent of GDP,' the report said.

Since then, the Reserve Bank of India has stepped up its reserves accumulation and India's reserves now stand at $400.3 billion.

At the end of June, when the Treasury study was conducted, reserves stood at around $362 billion.

Reserves in Korea, India and Taiwan are currently at or near all-time high levels.

Clearly India's foreign exchange reserves are in excess of what can be considered adequate.

Although there is no one rule to measure reserves adequacy, emerging markets have been aggressively building up reserves in excess of their current needs, observed the report.

India's reserves are now at more than 13 months' imports, against its below seven-month import in 2013.

The reserve adequacy, going by the metrics of the International Monetary Fund, differs from one country to another. Generally, for India, reserves of seven months are considered adequate.

However, economists say the accumulation of India's reserves is the result of a huge fund inflow and if the funds flow out for any reason, the central bank will have to actively intervene to protect the rupee and in such times reserves will eventually may get drained out.

IMAGE: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks about the US relationship with India for the Next Century at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC think-tank, October 18, 2017. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Absence of Narendra Modi in Gujarat after he became the prime minister created a leadership vacuum in state BJP. The situation was exploited by the Congress in local body elections and also by caste-based leaders. Together, they pose a serious challenge to the BJP in Gujarat election.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Gujarat today - third time in October, ninth time this year and about a dozenth time in the past one-and-a-half years. Narendra Modi's Gujarat itinerary included inauguration and and laying down of foundation stones of a number of projects worth over Rs 1,140 crore in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts.

This could be PM Modi's last visit to Gujarat before the Election Commission announces poll dates for the state. The poll panel has already clarified that the election process in Gujarat will be over by December 18, the date of counting of votes for Himachal Pradesh polls.

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PM Narendra Modi previously visited Gujarat on October 8 and also on October 16. The increased frequency of PM Modi's visits to Gujarat is clearly a part of the BJP'selection strategyin the state, where it is facing some serious challenges.

IMPACT OF NOTE BAN, GST

Demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax did not go down well with the Gujarati traders and businessmen. They have consistently raised their voice against the sudden implementation of note ban and the GST.

However, after the GST Council gave some relaxations to traders earlier this month, PM Modi declared in Gujarat that amended rules brought early Diwali. Ahead of the GST Council meet, PM Modi had held a longish meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi.

Amit Shah had to cut short his ongoing Gujarat visit to come to attend the meet. PM Modi reportedly asked the Finance Minister to make sure that the GST Council agreed to give certain relaxations, which were considered crucial in view of Gujarat elections.

A CONGRESS UNDERCURRENT?

The BJP has not recovered from the jolt it received in Gujarat with Narendra Modi shifting from Gandhinagar to New Delhi as prime minister in 2014. Modi's absence created a vacuum in Gujarat BJP's leadership which still persists.

In the subsequent elections to local bodies, the Congress has not only closed the gap, but in some cases has taken over the BJP since 2014. The Congress had already managed to improve its vote share in the last Assembly election over the previous state polls.

In the 2009 Gujarat Assembly polls, the gap between the BJP and the Congress was 9.49 per cent, which stood at 9 per cent in 2012 while Narendra Modi was still ruling the state. The electrifying electioneering by Narendra Modi gave the BJP a huge jump from 46.5 per cent votes in 2009 to 59.1 per cent in 2014. The Congress' share reduced from 43.2 per cent to 32.9 per cent over the same period.

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But, the Congress has effected a complete reversal of fortunes in the panchayat and municipality elections. In 2010, the Congress controlled one district panchayat with 44 per cent vote share, while the BJP ruled 30 district panchayats with 50.26 per cent votes.

In 2015 - first panchayat polls after Modi became the prime minister - the Congress came back with a bang, winning 24 district panchayats with 47.85 per cent of the polled votes. The BJP could manage to win only six out of 31 district panchayats with 43.97 per cent votes.

Out of 230, the number of taluka panchayats won by Congress jumped from 26 with 42.42 per cent votes in 2010 to 134 with 46 per cent votes in 2015. The BJP's tally reduced from 150 with 48.51 per cent to only 67 with 42.32 votes in 2015. The impact of Modi's absence on the BJP in Gujarat was telling.

Sensing this undercurrent, Congress leader and political advisor to party president Sonia Gandhi, Ahmad Patel had earlier this year said, "If we don't win this election, we may not win another election again in Gujarat." If his recent focus on Gujarat is any indication, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, too, seems to believe that this is the best chance for the Congress to get back to power in the state.

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CASTE POLITICS IN GUJARAT

In 2014, Modi had won from both Vadodara and Varanasi parliamentary constituencies. He chose to represent Varanasi in the Lok Sabha. The Vadodara seat came to the BJP's fold but this meant that there was no electoral connect between PM Modi and his home state Gujarat.

Many players suddenly became dominant and occupied centre-stage in Gujarat politics. Patidar leader Hardik Patel campaigned extensively across the state drawing huge crowds. Hardik Patel demands a quota for Patels under the OBC category. The Patels are not classified as OBC in Gujarat.

Patels constitute 12 per cent of Gujarat's population. They have been a dominant voice in Gujarat's politics and business. But rising unemployment among the youth has given credence to the voice of Hardik Patel, who is back in Gujarat after having been externed for a year following a case of sedition.

Hardik Patel has galvanised the community members to such an extent that powerful Patel community leaders, including state ministers Nitin Patel and Saurabh Patel, were not allowed to hold public rallies earlier this year in Gujarat. They had to cancel their rallies in Patel-dominated areas.

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OBC AGITATION

On the other hand, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor has launched a parallel campaign against attempts to accommodate Patels for quota benefits. Alpesh Thakor is the president of OBC SC ST Ekta Manch and Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena.

In his rallies, Alpesh Thakor claims that OBCs, SCs and STs constitute 78 per cent population of Gujarat. He alleges that despite forming an overwhelming majority in Gujarat, these three communities have been ignored by the BJP government in the last 22 years. Alpesh Thakor is now joining the Congress.

The Census data of casts is available only for 1931, according to which the OBC community forms over 40 per cent of Gujarat's population. Some other reports say that their share in Gujarat's population could be as high as 54 per cent. The BJP cannot afford to antagonise the community and dream of winning the election.

DALIT ANGER

Dalits are also angry, particularly after the Una incident. Youths of a family were thrashed by some self-styled cow vigilantes as they suspected that the Dalits had killed the cow, which they were skinning as part of their profession.

The incident led to widespread condemnation of the BJP government led by Anandiben Patel. Lawyer-turned-Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has been canvassing to unite his community to stand against the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat election.

Anandiben Patel was removed as the chief minister of Gujarat after the Una incident. However, mishandling of the Hardik Patel episode was also one of the reasons for her sacking, which was presented by the BJP as a case of retiring from active politics on account of age.

Mevani has raised several incidents of brutality against Dalits in Gujarat since the Una incident, which proved to be a flashpoint. On one occasion last year, Dalit protestors surrounded the homes of Dalit MP Kirit Solanki and Asarva MLA Rajnikant Patel in Ahmedabad last year.

With GST relaxations and a strong base among the OBCs, PM Modi and Amit Shah hope to keep them electorally loyal to the BJP. But Patels, Dalits and Muslims may still create problems for the BJP in Gujarat election. Together, they constitute about 32 per cent of Gujarat's population.

WATCH VIDEO | Working hard to ensure greater income for farmers: PM Modi in Gujarat

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A top Trump administration official asserted that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.

A top Trump administration official said Narendra Modi cannot pursue peace with Pakistan in a way that uts his own security.

By Press Trust of India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot "pursue peace" with Pakistan in a way that "cuts his own security", a top Trump administration official has said, asserting that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.

Ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons maiden visit to India and Pakistan next week, the official, with an insight into the administrations policy over South Asia, was responding to questions on what India could do to bring peace and stability in the region, in particular with Pakistan.

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"Its clear to everyone that Prime Minister Modi wants peace in the region, but he can't pursue peace (with Pakistan) in a way that cuts against his own security. So that (having peace talks with Pakistan) is up to his judgement," the official, requesting anonymity, told PTI on Friday.

"We want India and Pakistan to talk. We think that is so important for them to talk and to build confidence and to get on a path to regional security and stability which we know would bring both countries to unprecedented levels of prosperity," he said.

Noting that South Asia and the bridge in central Asia is one of the least economically integrated areas of the world, he said that there is tremendous potential to be unleashed.

"And what we hope is that the dialogue, continued dialogue, continued efforts to generate a higher degree of understanding to convince those in Pakistan, including the Pakistani army, that it is really in their interest to build confidence to open commerce and to achieve the kind of peace that would lead to prosperity," the official said.

After a series of setbacks India received from Pakistan, including the one after the Pathankot terror attack, the Indian government has decided not to talk with Pakistan unless it stops supporting terrorists against it, he said.

India's policy now is "talks and terror" cannot go together, as was articulated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament, which has been repeated several times since then, the official said.

"I think India has to make its own judgement on that. And India will be the best judge. Certainly, President Trump has great respect for Prime Minister Modi and his wisdom, and leadership ability," the official added.

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By PTI: New York, Oct 21 (PTI) Scientists have developed a vaccine that targets dozens of pneumonia causing bacterium strains and anticipates future versions of the bacteria, providing the "most comprehensive" coverage of pneumococcal disease such as sepsis and meningitis.

The vaccine has the potential to significantly lower the number of deaths caused by the disease, according a the study published in the journal Science Advances.

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In 2004, pneumonia killed more than two million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2015, the number was less than one million.

The new vaccine, which is under development provoked an immune response to 72 forms of S pneumoniae - including the 23 mentioned above - in lab tests on animals.

The new vaccine provokes a strong immune response and is engineered in a way that makes it easy to add sugars for a broad immune response, researchers said.

Key to the technology is a liposome - a tiny liquid- filled bubble made of fat - that acts as a storage tank for the sugars, they said.

Since the sugars are not covalently bonded, it is possible that the liposome could host all of the sugars that identify individual strains of S pneumoniae, researchers said.

"We have made tremendous progress fighting the spread of pneumonia, especially among children. However, if we are ever going to rid ourselves of the disease, we need to create smarter and more cost-effective vaccines," said Blaine Pfeifer associate professor at the University at Buffalo in the US.

Traditional vaccines completely remove bacteria from the body. But we now know that bacteria - and in a larger sense, the microbiome - are beneficial to maintaining good health, researchers said.

The team added proteins at the surface of the liposome which, together with the sugars, provoke immunotherapy.

Researchers performed tests on mice and rabbits, and noted that the new vaccine stimulated an immune response to 72 of the more than 90 known strains of S pneumoniae.

"We now have the ability to watch over bacteria and attack it only if it breaks away from the colony to cause an illness," said Charles H Jones, from University of Buffalo.

"That is important because if we leave the harmless bacteria in place, it prevents other harmful bacteria from filling that space," Jones said. PTI APA UZM

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KENT  Last year, Hayley Dunham took the day off from work to ensure she was at her computer the minute tickets went on sale for the first fan festival devoted to the long-running show Gilmore Girls.

But, she still wasnt able to get one of the 1,200 passes sold for the weekend-long event in Washington Depot, the town credited with inspiring the show.

The minute it took me to start typing in the credit card, they were sold out, said Dunham, who has a tattoo near her wrist inspired by the show. The words, in omnia paratus, were made famous by members of the fictional secret society at Yale University, the lead character Rory Gilmores alma mater.

This March, though, Dunham waited at her computer again and was successful.

She and her mom, Susan, were two of 1,500 fans from across the country that secured tickets for this weekends festival, which Dunham said might have been because the festival moved to a larger space in Kent.

Gilmore Girls, which aired from 2000 to 2007 on the WB network, followed the relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter in a small Connecticut town. It had a strong following that has only grown in the years since it went off the air, thanks to the shows syndication and a four-episode revival released last November on Netflix.

This years festival kicked off Friday morning when flocks of fans, many wearing Gilmore-inspired shirts, sweatshirts and even homemade buttons, gathered at the towns center to check in for the three-day event.

Many festival goers, even those who didnt come as a pair like the Dunhams, said the mother-daughter element in the show was a main reason it became so special to them.

I see a lot of mothers and daughters and it makes me think of (my daughter), said Diane Fuller, who came from Bedford, N.Y., to volunteer at the festival. It was our tradition. Shed say Mom, the Gilmore Girls are on and wed go sit down and watch it.

The weekends schedule included panels with members of the cast and crew, screenings of important episodes and activities inspired by the show at local businesses. The events go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Some fans traveled from as far as Kansas or California to celebrate the show, many saying they were excited to get a taste of the small town life they had watched in Gilmore Girls.

The Dunhams even said they chose their current home in Brunswick, Maine, when moving from Massachusetts a few years ago, because it reminded them so much of the shows fictional town of Stars Hollow.

Its like every-town USA, Susan Dunham said. Its what you want your town to be.

Emelie Burl, a Washington Depot native who volunteered at the festival both years, said the town often sees Gilmore Girls tourists even when there wasnt a festival focused on the show. But the number of fans who visit the area has grown over the last few years, she added.

Stacey Grimsley, owner of SoDelicious Bakery, said she noticed a resurgence of people in Kent watching the show once they heard theyd be hosting the festival this year.

Both Burl and Grimsley added that they were happy to get involved because of the positive atmosphere of the festival.

This is a blast and Im a fan of the show, Burl said. Its like 1,500 of the happiest people in the world in one weekend.

aquinn@newstimes.com
WINSTED  U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, came to Winsted Friday afternoon to discuss and speak out against the budget resolution recently passed by Senate Republicans, warning that it could increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion and/or lead to cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

The Senate passed a budget resolution Thursday, which outlines a potential path forward for government spending in the 2018 fiscal year.

The resolution would allow for the national debt to be increased by $1.5 trillion, according to Vox.com. Its passage allows Republicans to pass a tax reform bill through budget reconciliation, which would require only 51 votes and thus eliminate the need for bipartisan support.

The budget offered in the bill would theoretically be balanced  deficits would be offset by projected economic growth and spending cuts, according to the New York Times. The cuts exist only on paper, without legislation to achieve them at this point in time, the Times reported.

Blumenthal warned about the potential $1.5 trillion increase in the national debt, the potential elimination of the tax deduction for writing off state and local taxes  also approved by the Senate Thursday, according to the New York Post, although not yet law - and the possible reduction of Medicare and Medicaid funding by more than $1 trillion.

According to USA Today, (o)ver the next 10 years, the budget calls for $473 billion in cuts from Medicare and $1 trillion from Medicaid.

The fact is  were going to have look our children in the eyes and say to them were creating an additional debt of 1.5 trillion dollars. We are putting you 1.5 trillion dollars further in debt, just so we can take these tax cuts, said Blumenthal. In my view, that is unconscionable.

The possibility of increasing the deficit reverses the traditional Republican position on the issue, Blumenthal said.

The American people could be well-forgiven for being a little bit befuddled about whats happening. This budget blueprint, which blows the deficit up $1.5 trillion, from a party thats committed to fiscal responsibility, said Blumenthal. It makes no sense unless you see who is benefitting  and thats Donald Trump, and the people around him, and the top, wealthiest people in the country.

Blumenthal said most Connecticut residents would not see their taxes reduced if the plan put forward by the Trump Administration is passed into law. According to the New York Times, the plan calls for a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent and eliminates the estate tax, among other measures.

I guarantee that in Connecticut, there are very, very few people who will see tax cuts. Most people  weve done the numbers  will see increases in taxes, said Blumenthal. Middle class people will see increases in taxes.

Winsted residents in attendance expressed their disagreement with the plan Friday, as they stood in a semi-circle with Blumenthal on the sidewalk in front of Town Hall.

Blumenthal suggested that they reach out to relatives in other states and ask them to contact their representatives in opposition to the possible tax plan.

(Trump) is borrowing to benefit himself, from our children, said Blumenthal. But we have a decision to make, because we in the Congress represent you, and I think we just need to make people aware of what the real facts are and pay attention.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
TORRINGTON  Four clients from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, attended Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities team training session at Camp Wah-nee, where they were each paired with a service dog who meets their specific needs.

The people and their dogs will graduate in a special and always poignant ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m, at Camp Wah-nee, 126 Wahnee Road, Torrington.

In addition to the clients, this team training class included Drs. Joanne Stapleton and Lucille Ferrara from Pace University, Pleasantville, N.Y., and a representative from the DAs office in Poughkeepsie. These three are learning what it takes to handle a facility dog, a canine whose training and temperament allows them to become a member of the staff, working in various ways with many demographics.

The DAs office has had Bosch, an ECAD facility dog, as a member of its staff for three years. In addition to working in the courtroom when needed, Bosch also works with the Family Services department.

Pace University will now have facility dog Spirit, who was deemed the right dog for the job by Lu Picard, co-founder and director of programs of ECAD. Having a facility dog on campus will augment a program launched by the College of Health Care Professionals (CHP) in 2016. The mission of this program, of which ECAD has been an integral part, is educating interprofessional health care providers on service dogs and therapy animals to meet the palliative care needs of patients with visible and invisible disabilities.

To date, more than 500 health profession students - undergraduate nursing students, and graduate physician assistants and nurse practitioner students - have been educated through master classes on selected aspects of this important and unique curriculum.

Drs. Singleton and Ferrara said, We are not just talking the talk about assistance animals, we are walking the walk. We are completing this intensive in-residence training to prepare us for our work in animal assisted interventions with Facility Dog Spirit, an educated Service Dog. Both are leading Pace Universitys College of Health Professions and Lienhard School of Nursings Canines Assisting in Health Program.

Lu Picard, will present each team with their Public Access Certification at the ceremony. Picard co-founded ECAD with her husband Dale Picard in 1997. It is one of the most highly regarded not-for-profits of its kind in the Assistance Dog field. ECADs home base is on Newfield Road in Winsted, where the construction of a new training and wellness center is now underway and expected to be completed by mid-2018.

The four clients participating in this team training are benefiting from ECADs Open Doors Program, which addresses ECADs mission: to help people with disabilities lead lives with more independence and mobility through the assistance of a specially educated Service Dog. Disabilities addressed in this session are MS, Cerebral Palsy and Friedrichs Ataxia. Each disability affects movement and balance, the ability to walk, to retrieve dropped items, or to literally, open doors, as well as the isolation that comes with all.

All the service dogs placed in this class have completed 1,500 hours of training and learned the 89 commands that will allow them to meet their persons needs, be they visible or invisible.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served and guests will have a chance to visit with ECAD representatives, and the new graduated clients who will soon be departing for home - together with their new best friend aka Service Dog.
HOUSTON - Sitting on Mary Maddox's back porch, which flooded with 22 inches of water when Hurricane Harvey hit nearly two months ago, is a Lady of the Night plant from Puerto Rico that a friend gave her. Ever since Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, she says, she has paused at the blooming plant when she passes it, rubbing a leaf and saying a prayer for those still without water or electricity.

Often, the prayer is accompanied by frustration with President Donald Trump, whom she voted for and who visited this neighborhood after Harvey.

"He really made me mad," said Maddox, 70, who accused Trump of trying to pit those on the mainland against Puerto Ricans, even though they're all Americans.

"I don't know," said her husband, Fred Maddox, 75. "I think he's trying."

He continued: "It's a problem, but they need to handle it. It shouldn't be up to us, really. I don't think so. They're sitting back, they're taking the money, they're taking a little under the table. He's trying to wake them up: Do your job. Be responsible."

The divide in the Maddox household is one playing out across the country, as those who voted for the president debate how much support the federal government should give Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory without a voting member of Congress that is not allowed to vote in presidential elections.

Some supporters of the president, like Fred Maddox, agree with Trump that Puerto Rico's infrastructure was frail before the storm; that the crisis was worsened by a lack of leadership there; and that the federal government should limit its involvement in the rebuilding effort, which will likely cost billions of dollars. But others, like Mary Maddox, are appalled by how the president talks about Puerto Rico and say the United States has a moral obligation to take care of its citizens.

A survey released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a majority of Americans believe that the federal government has been too slow to respond in Puerto Rico and that the island still isn't getting the help it needs. But the results largely broke along party lines: While nearly three-quarters of Democrats said the federal government isn't doing enough, almost three-quarters of Republicans said it is.

It has been two months since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Gulf Coast states, and more than a month since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico.

On Oct. 3 - two weeks after the storm - Trump toured a neighborhood outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has repeatedly proclaimed, against much evidence, that his administration had a "tremendous" response to Maria. He gave his administration a "10" during a White House appearance with Puerto Rico's governor this week. "I think we did a fantastic job, and we're being given credit," he said.

In fact, conditions remain dire throughout much of the island. Nearly 80 percent of Puerto Ricans still lack electricity, and 30 percent do not have access to clean drinking water.

Here in the Maddoxes' neighborhood of Sageglen, by contrast, life is slowly returning to normal. On Sept. 2, just after the storm, Trump briefly toured Sageglen - a middle-class enclave on the southern edge of Houston - and announced in a cul-de-sac piled with Sheetrock debris and trash bags: "These are people that have done a fantastic job holding it together."

There's still a near-constant sound of construction in the neighborhood, which is filled with ranch-style and modest two-story homes. But there are no longer mountains of debris on the curbs, thanks to the local municipal utility district, which shared the cost of removal with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There are brand-new cars sitting in several driveways, thanks to car-insurance companies quickly totaling flooded vehicles and local dealers offering flood deals.

Those in the neighborhood without flood insurance were able to apply for and receive assistance from FEMA - including the Maddoxes, who recently had $14,000 in federal money land in their checking account.

In the nearly two decades that the Maddoxes have lived in their ranch house on Sagelink Circle, they had seen no need for flood insurance. And, after recently helping one of their daughters pay legal fees for a divorce, the couple's savings isn't what it once was.

"I'm very appreciative to FEMA. I really, really am," said Mary Maddox, who has been married for more than 50 years and raised five children. "I was just so excited when I saw that they loved us."

- - -

On a recent afternoon on nearby Sagelink Court, David Hogg stopped by the driveway of his neighbor Donna Ramirez, showing her the latest handful of screws he had collected from the cul-de-sac.

Hogg and his wife, Patsy Hogg, have had flood insurance for decades after watching water come dangerously close to flooding the first floor of their two-story home soon after they moved to the neighborhood in the late 1970s. They now pay about $450 per year.

Ramirez and her husband also said they thought that they had flood insurance on their home, which they bought a year ago, only to learn weeks after the storm that they did not.

To Ramirez, the role of the government is to broadly coordinate relief efforts and ensure that insurance companies are fulfilling their obligations to policyholders, but that people should take personal responsibility for their property or look to churches or charities for assistance.

"Do other people think that other people should pay for me to fix my house? Because it's not their fault that I flooded," said Ramirez, taking a break from sorting through soggy research documents in her garage.

Ramirez, who describes herself as a "throw-the-dice-type voter," said she reluctantly voted for Trump in November - although her support deepened after meeting Trump in her cul-de-sac about a month ago.

"In person, he's totally different than on TV, and he gave us just such a feeling of confidence, like we weren't forgotten about," said Ramirez, who has one grown daughter. "He talked directly at a lot of people in the crowd, and his word for me was: 'Don't lose hope, you're going to be all right.' "

Ramirez worries that when the government makes money easily available after a natural disaster, there's an opportunity for corruption and a chance that some people will take more than they need. And she thinks that media coverage of the crisis in Puerto Rico has lacked context, especially in reporting that nearly all of the island is still without electricity.

"Guess what? There's a big chunk of the population that lives without electricity all the time," Ramirez said, saying she was sharing the experiences of a friend who has family on the island.

Hogg, 76, nodded his head in agreement: "They never had it. Never had it."

"They don't live deprived, because it's a beautiful environment," she continued. "The weather is nice, the climate is good most of the time, so it's different from here . . . It works there because of the climate. It wouldn't work here."

About 96 percent of Puerto Rico's electricity customers had service before Maria made landfall, according to federal data; many of the rest had no power because of Hurricane Irma two weeks earlier.

Ramirez said the government should encourage those living in the hardest-hit areas to move to the mainland, out of the direct path of hurricanes and into communities with more-reliable infrastructure.

"I object. I object. They should stay where they are and fix their own country up," Hogg responded softly, shaking his head, wrongly referring to the U.S. territory as a separate nation.

- - -

Later in the day, as Hogg and his wife sat in their garage workshop, they again debated where the government's role starts and ends. Patsy Hogg said she's trying to figure out where, exactly, she stands. She's worried about the ever-growing national debt, but she can't stand to see people suffer.

Both are longtime Republicans, although lately they consider themselves first and foremost "Trumpsters." Patsy Hogg described meeting the president and his wife, who gave her a hug, as a blessing from God.

"We love Trump," she said. "We voted for him. We pray for him every day."

The couple agrees that the president needs to be more careful with what he says on Twitter, especially when it comes to Puerto Rico.

But David Hogg, a retired electrical engineer who once worked at NASA, also said that Puerto Ricans' "lack of responsibility is not an emergency on my part." The same goes for Texans without flood insurance, he said.

His wife frowned, stared at him and asked: "So you have no mercy?"

"Uh-uh. No mercy," he said. "They should do what I do: Spend the money, get insurance."

Patsy Hogg said one of their friends at their Baptist church, a retired single woman, didn't have flood insurance when her two-story townhouse flooded and that FEMA quickly provided her with some money.

"I was glad that they did that. That made me feel good," Patsy Hogg said. "She's certainly not destitute, but I'm just really glad that they did that. If that's my tax dollars at work, I'm okay with that."

She then came to her husband's defense: "And he's not really as hardhearted as he sounds. He was very glad when he learned that they had given her money."

The Maddoxes, who live in the next cul-de-sac over from the Hoggs, were away from home when Trump visited. They struggled to get back into the neighborhood until after his motorcade had left.

The couple, both "cradle Catholics" and longtime Republicans, cannot remember a time when they disagreed about politics, like they do now. Mary Maddox has hit the point where she believes Trump needs to be impeached and replaced with someone who will unite and heal the country.

"I get so disgusted," she said, sitting at her dining room table. "He is like a 13-year-old girl, tweeting and everything. I just want him to act his age and be nice to people and bring the country together. I voted for the man, but I'm just - I want our country to be friendly."

Fred Maddox, who is retired from inspecting commercial airline planes, says he doesn't agree with many of the things Trump flippantly says, but he still believes in the president and would vote for him again. He likes having a businessman in office, especially one who's not afraid to speak the painful truth - even if that means publicly calling out Puerto Rican officials during a crisis.

"It's time," he said, "we had someone in there to fight for us."

- - -

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
To the Editor:

I have starting sending letters to our citizenry with a three-points plan: Torrington Public Schools, business community and diversity.

Our public schools are an awesome institution. Staff work hard daily. These are sincere and honest human beings. As a staff of this institution, I decided to take a leave of absence to run for mayor. I want to be the chief executive of our city.

Education has been my main point so far. Education is life. Education makes you grow your mind and imagination. See the past inventors  education made our country and life awesome.

With education, you can be stronger as a person and community. I have been told that I am NOT known and NOT popular and so cannot win. This is an argument that is NOT helpful to the Torrington boys and girls.

You do not need to be known to succeed. Working and thinking hard is key and NOT popularity.

You must believe in yourself, use your mind and imagination. Ideas change the world because you have education. Imagine yourself as a winner daily by thinking and believing in self and surroundings.

We cannot cut our way to sucess in our school system. No data so far has shown that budget cuts do grow education.

We need new line of thinking in our city. We need realignment of forces to correct our schools.

We need businesses. I have written to over 130 businesses to come to our town. I will do much more as a mayor with the power of a seat at the city hall.

Diversity is key too. All must be involved irrespective of sex, status and race  all have a seat at the table. We are all important. I believe in bipartisanship. Ideas win and NOT parties.

I am asking all of Torrington  Independents, Democrats and Republicans - to elect me as the next mayor. I have the stamina, drive and ideas.

 Pastor Dr.Peter J. Aduba, petitioning candidate for mayor, Torrington
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with Interior Ministrys quotes)

By Youssra El-Sharkawy

Cairo, Oct 21 (PTI) At least 50 Egyptian policemen, including officers and conscripts, were killed and several others injured in a gun battle with terrorists during a raid on a militant hideout near Cairo, security sources said today.

The policemen were killed in the exchange of fire with terrorists late yesterday in el-Wahat desert in Giza governorate, about 135 kilometres from the capital.

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The security sources put the death toll of policemen, including officers and conscripts, at over 50.

However, the Ministry of Interior today said that 16 policemen, including 11 officers, were killed in the clashes.

The Ministry said that the police forces killed and injured 15 terrorists during the clashes.

It also said that 13 policemen, including four officers and nine conscripts, were injured and one policeman was missing.

The statement said the National Security sector received information about terrorists hiding in the el-Wahat. Police forces then launched an operation.

The statement said that the forces were looking for terrorists in the surrounding areas.

No terrorist group claimed responsibility of the attack.

Terrorist attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

The military has launched security campaigns in Egypts restive North Sinai province, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. PTI YES ZH CPS

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CHARLOTTESVILLE  Thick tomes on the laws of England. Half a dozen legal dictionaries. Books on Roman law and maritime law.

Those are some of the books Thomas Jefferson thought aspiring lawyers should be reading or using as reference. Now, almost 200 years after his death, the University of Virginia has been working to make the hundreds of books on Jeffersons legal reading list available to the public through an online library.

The book list goes back to the creation of U.Va., a project Jefferson took on after he finished serving two terms as Americas third president.

A voracious reader himself, Jefferson believed the schools library would be the heart of the new university, which opened in 1825.

So he drew up a list of about 7,000 books ranging in topic from agriculture to zoology that he believed the school should have in its collections. At the time, books were pricey, and Jefferson thought part of the duty of the university was to make great works available for study.

Great standard works of established reputation, too voluminous and too expensive for private libraries, should have a place in every public library, for the free resort of individuals, Jefferson wrote of the list of works he drew up.

The books were the starting point for the universitys collection, but they didnt last. Most were destroyed in an 1895 fire that gutted the Rotunda, the same building that was the endpoint of an August torchlight rally by white nationalists whose demonstration in the city the following day descended into chaos.

It was a law librarian at the university who, 40 years ago, got the idea of re-creating the collection of law books Jefferson recommended. Since then, the university has collected 336 of the 375 legal works listed by Jefferson, a lawyer himself. Its those works that are now being put online.

Two hundred years later, were once again creating a different type of library with these books, said Loren Moulds, a librarian at the university who is helping lead the project. Jefferson was dedicated to democratizing information. This is another attempt by us to do something in a library that opens these up and makes them more broadly available.

The books Jefferson selected range in publication date from 1534 to 1825. About three-quarters are in English, though some are in Latin and French. They address topics law students still commonly study today such as wills, contracts and libel, but there are also many books on subjects that arent mandatory today, such as ecclesiastical law.

The collection includes a two-volume set on the trial of Aaron Burr for treason and a 13-volume set on the laws of Virginia. One recently acquired book, Sir Henry Spelmans Of the Law-Terms: A Discourse, which was published in 1684, cost $1,750.

If youre a legal historian, these are a great resource, said Jim Ambuske, who is also helping lead the project. Ambuske said that even though some texts are esoteric, a lot of these cases are still relevant today.

Earlier this year, the project got a grant to help put the collection online, and now two students are using a special camera setup to capture images of the book pages. They use the setup for between 10 and 16 hours a day and get through three or four books each day.

The only time these cameras arent in use is when were sleeping, said Amber Anglada, one of the students assisting with the project.

The aim is for the work to be finished in October or early November. At the same time, those working on the digitization project also want to put the books in context with essays about the librarys history and, more generally, about law in the fledgling nation.

Melissa Gismondi, a doctoral student in history who did that work, said she wanted to explain what Jeffersons vision of law tells scholars about the period of law after the American Revolution.

As for what Jefferson would think of the project, those involved said they hope he would approve.
"They showed the facilities of a small district hospital in Thalasserry, which was compared with a hospital in UP. Everyone understood what was right and wrong," said Vijayan.

By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan lauded India Today TV for its comparison story on hospitals in Kerala and UP. Vijayan was speaking at the inaugural function of LDF-lead Janajagratha Yatra in Kerala.

The septuagenarian said, India Today TV exposed the false claims made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

During Jan Raksha Yatra many senior BJP leaders came to Kerala as a part of their campaign.

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On the second day, Adityanath said that hospitals in Kerala should learn from his home state UP.

However, India Today news channel exposed Yogi's false claims by comparing the condition hospitals in both states.

"They showed the facilities of a small district hospital in Thalasserry, which was compared with a hospital in UP. Everyone understood what was right and wrong," said Vijayan.

During his speech Vijayan showered the BJP and RSS with criticism naming demonotisation, GST and the increasing numbers of attack on minorities.

Vijayan who started off his speech with an attack on PM Modi said that the Centre has failed to deliver on its promises even after 3 years.

"The central policies have benifitted only the corporates and not the common people. The financial reforms which were executed without perspective have landed our economy in trouble", Vijayan added.

--- ENDS ---
CHARLOTTESVILLE  A federal judge has found sufficient cause to allow a lawsuit to move forward against an Albemarle County police officer accused of racial profiling during a traffic stop in 2014.

Attorneys representing officer Andrew Holmes and the county recently filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to rule that the plaintiffs, Delmar Canada and Bianca Johnson, have no case because there are no facts at issue.

In an opinion issued Thursday, Judge Glen Conrad denied part of the motion and found that the plaintiffs presented enough evidence that a jury could reasonably find that Holmes actions in initiating the traffic stop, and then searching the couples home, were motivated by discrimination.

However, Conrad also granted part of the defense motion, finding that there was not enough evidence to show that Albemarle County is liable. Conrad wrote that there was not enough evidence to suggest that the county had an official custom, policy, or practice that caused the deprivation of the plaintiffs rights.

The lawsuit stems from a traffic stop conducted by Holmes on April 26, 2014. He pulled over Canada, who had a suspended license but reported that hed paid $1,500 to get it back. The next day, Holmes sought a search warrant at the home shared by Canada and Johnson for the notification paperwork that would have been mailed to Canada when his license was suspended.

The opinion noted that, although Holmes had issued citations to more than 50 people in the past for driving on a suspended license, he had never before sought, or executed, a search warrant for a suspension notice from the DMV.

During the search, Holmes said he found money, but did not find the DMV notice or any narcotics.

The plaintiffs alleged that Holmes had a history and practice of targeting African-Americans for intrusive searches, and that numerous complaints by African-Americans had been lodged by citizens with the County of Albemarle ... against Defendant Holmes, complaining about his conduct in improperly stopping cars and unlawfully searching people and places, according to the opinion.
A juvenile male suffered injuries that are considered life-threatening in a Friday morning shooting in Richmonds North Side.

Four Richmond Public Schools were briefly put on lockdown after the shooting in the alley behind the 3900 block of Piney Road.

The schools were Ginter Park Elementary, John Marshall High, Henderson Middle and Mary Scott Preschool Learning Center, according to RPS spokeswoman Kenita Bowers.

Richmond police spokesman James Mercante said the schools were on lockdown due to the proximity of the investigation, but at no time was this incident near any school grounds.

The victim of the shooting, who was identified only as a juvenile male, was taken to a local hospital with injuries that are considered life-threatening, Mercante said.

A Richmond police officer was at Chamberlayne and North avenues at about 8:55 a.m. when gunshots were heard, Mercante said.

The officer searched the area and found a juvenile male with an apparent gunshot wound who had walked across North Avenue and was lying on the sidewalk.

Officers located the crime scene in an alley behind a row of apartments on Piney Road.

Detectives interviewed neighbors, and we have some good information for this investigation, said Mercante, adding that police are not releasing the information at this time because they do not want to limit the information coming in.
There will be a historical marker dedicated to Mildred and Richard Loving in Caroline County, the home of the couple whose U.S. Supreme Court case struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

Caroline supervisors on Tuesday approved wording for a Loving marker to be placed just north of U.S. 301 and state Route 721 (Sparta Road).

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources planned to dedicate a marker to the Lovings at that site on June 12, the 50th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision. But two weeks before the ceremony, the location was moved from Caroline to Richmond due to concerns raised by the Lovings grandson, Mark Loving, to Supervisor Jeff Sili. Loving felt that his grandmother would object to the marker describing her as being of mixed black and Native American heritage.

According to Supervisor Floyd Thomas, however, the Lovings daughter, Peggy Loving Fortune, had approved of the markers wording and was upset that it was not placed in Caroline.

After the Richmond dedication, Caroline supervisors voted to place a duplicate in the county, where both Lovings were born and where they returned to live after their marriage. The wording approved Tuesday reads:

Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, of different racial backgrounds, grew up near Central Point, 11 miles east of here. They fell in love and in June 1958 were married in Washington, D.C. After returning to Central Point, they were arrested for violating the states laws against interracial marriage, which made it a felony for interracial couples to leave Virginia, marry, and resume residence in the state. The Lovings were convicted in 1959 at the Caroline County courthouse. The case reached the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, which in 1966 upheld the states laws. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark ruling in Loving v. Virginia overturned all laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
Standing in the former capital of the Confederacy, Americas first black president didnt thunder against the row of Confederate statues on Richmonds Monument Avenue or the hundreds more scattered throughout Virginia.

Instead, former President Barack Obama cracked a joke about his distant relative Jefferson Davis spinning in his grave and said America should claim all its history, the good and the bad.

In his campaign speech Thursday night at a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam and his ticket mates, Obama weighed in, if only tangentially, on the discussions playing out in Richmond and cities across the state over monuments to the Lost Cause and Virginias legacy of slavery.

Ralph believes that if were going to talk about history, that we should do it in a way that heals. Not in a way that wounds. Not in a way that divides, Obama said. We shouldnt use the most painful parts of our history just to score political points.

Obama went on to discuss the duality of Thomas Jefferson, whom he called one of Virginias most famous sons, as a slave owner who also wrote the words that have come to define American ideals of liberty and equality.

We can recognize that even if our past is not perfect, we can honor the constitutional ideas that have allowed us to come this far. And to keep moving toward a more perfect union, Obama said. Thats what America is. Thats who we are.

Obama didnt say whether he believes Confederate statues should stay in prominent public spaces or be taken down. The question has become a dominant cultural issue in the governors race between Democrat Ralph Northam, a Norfolk doctor who currently serves as lieutenant governor, and Republican Ed Gillespie, a Northern Virginia political consultant and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Gillespie, who has said hed keep Confederate statues up and recommends adding context, has gone after Northam for calling to move them to museums, accusing the Democrat of wanting to erase history. In his speech at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, Obama called Gillespies statue argument phony, distraction and divisive.

By defending Northam with a nod to Americas complicated past that didnt address the statue issue head on, Obamas speech in some ways reflected the difficult spot Virginia Democrats find themselves in. Northam and other leaders have been caught between progressive activists pushing for an immediate reckoning with the Confederacys racist elements and polls suggesting that taking aim at statues could be politically perilous.

After this summers violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, organized ostensibly to defend a statue of Robert E. Lee that the city has marked for removal, Northam released a statement saying he supports taking statues down and would be a vocal advocate for that approach.

When Ralph Northam proclaimed his support in August for taking down all of Virginias Civil War statues, and vowed to do all he can as governor to make that happen, he made them an issue in the general election, the Republican Party of Virginia said in a recent news release highlighting poll numbers showing majority support for keeping statues up.

Northam has since walked back his position, saying he thinks communities should have their own discussions about statues and hed take a hands-off approach as governor.

Obama also weighed in on moving forward after the violent rally, but he laid out his proposed remedy in broad terms, with no specific direction on whether statues should stay or go.
To the sharply dressed crowd spilling past her at closing time last Sunday, the woman passed out next to the elevators appeared to have had too many $12 cocktails at Kabana Rooftop bar.

But a paramedic who rushed downtown within minutes knew this was something worse. He pushed back her eyelids, confirming her pupils were tiny. She was only taking about five breaths a minute.

It takes about 15 seconds to recognize whats going on, said Tom Hudson of the Richmond Volunteer Rescue Squad, who was part of the team of paramedics who found her still in her dancing clothes and long, dangling earrings, cradled in the arms of a friend 20 floors below the bathroom where shed nodded off.

This was an opioid overdose, the early stages of a slow bodily shutdown that kills more people in Virginia every year than guns or car wrecks. There have been 19 a week on average this year in the city, where ambulance crews are on pace to treat 40 percent more overdoses than last year and more than twice as many as in 2015.

The Richmond region trails only Roanoke for the highest rate of emergency room visits for opioid overdoses in Virginia over the past five months, according to figures compiled by the Virginia Department of Health. The local rate is more than two times the state average.

Across the state, 2017 is on pace to be the deadliest year yet.

In both a dire indicator of the scope of addiction and a silver lining if theres one to be had, more overdose patients are being revived.

In a growing number of cases, its thanks to the increasing use of naloxone  often referred to by the brand name Narcan  to reverse the effects of opioids.

Its not a cure, but it can be a second chance, said Jim May, who oversees substance abuse programs at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. The general consensus here is more people have access to it, more people have been trained, and its having an impact.

For front-line responders, Narcan is a tool of war. More than 9,000 doses have flowed to local health departments from the state so far this year.

The number of nonfatal overdoses is up more than 25 percent in the Richmond region compared with last year, according to local law enforcement agencies that track them. Deaths in the region are on a similar pace.

People are nodding out in front of their meatloaf and mashed potatoes at home, slumping over in bathrooms and bars. Theyre dying in parking lots and alleys, alone or in front of their children.

Seven times this year, Richmond paramedics have had to use Narcan on a driver after responding to a car crash.

Local jails have been overrun with people locked up and in need of treatment and state morgues have been strained by an influx of bodies in need of processing, a spokesman said.

***

Drug overdoses killed 6,661 people in Virginia in the decade from 2007-2016, and are on track to snuff out nearly 1,200 more lives this year, according to the states chief medical examiners office. And its an epidemic without boundaries, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds.

Hours before the woman collapsed at Kabana, two people had overdosed in one of the motels along Midlothian Turnpike, where rooms go for about $40 a night. Another person had to be revived in Church Hill. This summer, a pregnant woman was found overdosed behind Franklin Military Academy. It was too late for her and the unborn child, as it has been for more than 1,000 others in Richmond and its surrounding counties in the past decade.

Prescription painkiller deaths have remained relatively flat during the past decade, hovering between 400 and 500 a year. But the painkiller epidemic has been surpassed by more potent street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, a prescription drug most often seen manufactured illegally. Fentanyl killed more than 600 people in Virginia last year, nearly triple the count in 2015. In recent months, fentanyl deaths in the state have given way to more heroin overdoses.

The states top health official declared the crisis a public emergency last year. Last month, Richmond-area leaders announced an Oct. 26 summit called to foster regional collaboration.

Getting better at preventing people from dying is a good thing, but its not the solution we seek, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said Oct. 6 at a news conference designed to drum up interest in the event, scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

He had just cited numbers from the Richmond Police Department that demonstrate a dramatic year-over-year increase in the number of nonfatal overdoses, up more than 50 from 245 at that point in 2016.

But those figures might not show the full picture: The Richmond Ambulance Authority had treated 662 overdose patients in the city with naloxone through August of this year, already double those reported by Richmond police through the middle of this month.

Many calls for help are routed straight to emergency services, and the ambulance authority does not contact police for every overdose due to federal patient privacy protections, said Koury Wilson, a police spokeswoman.

Agencies that track overdoses readily acknowledge that their figures are in some ways a low-ball estimate of the opioid epidemic. Its impossible to track the untold number of times naloxone was used by people who bought the revival drug at a pharmacy, or the thousands who received free doses as part of a statewide program. Also unseen are the people who wake up without medical attention, only to continue a potentially deadly behavior.

Because of the lingering crowd outside Kabana, Hudson and his crew loaded the woman  identified by friends and family as a doctor  into a stretcher and hurried her toward the ambulance for treatment.

Inside, the paramedics worked quickly and calmly, attaching a heart rate monitor, checking blood pressure and breathing, finding a vein in her arm. They shouted her name to try to rouse her. The Richmond Times-Dispatch agreed not to identify the patient as a condition of shadowing paramedics.

As Hudson prepared to press the IV needle in her forearm, the people she came with insisted they hadnt seen her with pills or heroin, just drinks.

Hudson pumped in half a milligram of Narcan, a sort of antivenin for opioids, and waited. One eye opened, then fell back closed. Another half milligram.

Narcan works by temporarily pushing opioids out of specific receptors in the brain. Its not effective on any other condition. Here and across the state, naloxone usage by paramedics or emergency rooms jumped by more than 40 percent between 2015 and 2016.

People often never admit they took pills or heroin, Hudson would say later. But if the Narcan brought them back, theres little question of what happened.

The woman receiving Narcan in the back of the ambulance in the middle of downtown Richmond was one of 10 opioid overdoses paramedics responded to last weekend.

Wake up, Hudson and others yelled repeatedly as they worked on her. Wake up.

Still groggy, the woman, who half an hour earlier had been drinking and dancing with friends overlooking the Richmond skyline, opened her eyes and mumbled a few words: Im gonna (soil) myself.

That night wouldnt be her last.

***

The potency of street drugs has increased in the past few years, according to paramedics and medical experts. Fentanyl can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin, so toxic that police wear gloves to avoid touching it.

Narcan wears off faster than narcotics, so patients need multiple doses depending on the strength of the drug. In some fentanyl overdoses, patients are connected to a Narcan drip for as long as 10 hours, said Virginia Poison Center Medical Director Dr. Kirk Cumpston, who also covers shifts in the VCU Medical Center emergency room.

VCU used to declare a critical medical alert, a sort of all hands on deck for the ER, for every suspected opioid overdose.

There came to be so many that we just stopped doing them. ... It was overwhelming, Cumpston said.

Often, he said, overdose patients today have been treated with Narcan and stabilized by the time they get to the hospital. The idea is to give patients just enough to improve their breathing and wake them up slightly, but not enough to trigger vomiting or aggression by waking them up too quickly.

But the solution, the real solution beyond paramedics and doctors and naloxone and all that is treatment of addiction, Cumpston said. And thats the thing that people dont really talk about that they should. Thats the real treatment. The Narcan keeps them alive, but whats missing is access and funding for addiction treatment.

Treatment services have long been inadequate and underfunded, but state public health experts are working to catch up. Even as they do, the growing volume of overdose survivors means a host of new people whose needs can overwhelm the system.

May, of the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, said the agency has seen a dramatic surge in the need for an array of services ranging from medication-assisted treatment to inpatient care.

The agency has already treated 756 people for substance abuse since July 1.

A few years ago, May said he could expect four or five people a day to trickle into the lobby seeking help for substance abuse. That number has soared to 25 and resulted in a triage designed to provide support while people are easing into longer-term treatment and case management.

Where they once hosted 20-30 people weekly, they now see upwards of 180, divided into separate groups that occasionally spill over into common areas and take up an employee lounge on the second floor.

Its unreal, the demand, he said. Were working hard to keep up.

The agency is part of a growing group of community services boards that form the backbone of public mental and behavioral health services in the state striving to provide people who walk in off the street with same-day screening, but the wait to receive treatment for men is between two and three weeks, May said.

Part of a $9.7 million federal grant to the state will put trained workers whove been through addiction in emergency rooms including VCUs, Chippenhams and Richmond Community Hospitals as soon as December. Theyll be assigned to help guide overdose patients toward treatment so they dont leave the ER and go back into the same environment that got them there.

About half of the money is going to expand access to addiction treatment.
ARLINGTON  Right next to Arlington National Cemetery, which draws about 4 million visitors a year, is a national memorial to military women.

It draws about 200,000 visitors a year.

The 33,000-square-foot memorial, known formally as the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, celebrated its 20th anniversary this past weekend with a series of events.

Among those attending events was Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 64, a retired Navy captain who was one of the first women to earn her wings as a naval aviator in 1974. Shes now a resident scholar at the Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Tennessee.

When she was breaking barriers, she said, feminism was in force and we thought the doors were going to swing wide open. Instead, progress has come only in fits and starts.

It wasnt until 2016 that then-Defense Secretary Ashton Carter removed all restrictions on womens service in the military, making women eligible for all positions in all branches, including combat and special operations forces.

Asked about her thoughts on another potential milestone  a first female Navy SEAL  Mariner said it should be based on an individuals ability and aptitude.

If that person is qualified and wants to do that, I think its great, she said. Well get there.

Roughly 3 million women have served in the U.S. military throughout its history, some going back to the Revolutionary War. A goal of the memorial is to have all 3 million included on its official register, a database that includes facts about all of the individual women and their service.

The database is truly our treasure. Its the heart of our memorial, said the memorial foundations spokeswoman, Marilla Cushman, who retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel after a 25-year military career.

So far, though, only about 269,000 women are registered. Women can register themselves through a form on the memorials website. Family members can also register a woman. The registry is not online out of privacy concerns; visitors must come to the memorial to view it.

Cushman encouraged all female veterans to register. She said family members light up when they enter the memorial and retrieve information about their loved ones. Conversely, visitors are disappointed when they look up a family member only to find she isnt included.

Its their opportunity to take their rightful place in history, and it will be there for generations to come, she said.

Though the memorial is located next to the cemetery, and its Classical Revival architecture makes it blend seamlessly with the cemetery, it is not part of the cemetery. It is actually part of the National Park Service.

The park service is responsible for maintaining the exterior of the memorial, but a nonprofit foundation is responsible for funding day-to-day operations, including the exhibits in the education center and the registry.

Cushman said the foundation has financial challenges, like all nonprofits.

Some supporters of the memorial say the challenge is even more stark, and that the memorial, without public funding, faces a real risk of ceasing operations.

A fundraising campaign launched late last year by a group called AcademyWomen on fundrazr.com has so far raised more than $110,000. The goal is $1.5 million.

Katherine Sharp Landdeck, an associate professor of history at Texas Womans University who has researched womens military history, said the memorial fills a valuable role.
By PTI: Kataria defends

(Eds: Updates with Raj govt statement)

Jaipur, Oct 21 (PTI) Civil rights group PUCL today demanded that a Rajasthan government ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction be repealed, even as state home minister Gulabchand Kataria defended the move.

Kataria said the ordinance was brought to check those who intend to put hurdles in the governments work for publicity.

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The Vasundhara Raje government issued the ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from investigation for on- duty action without the state governments prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

State president of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Kavita Srivastava said the amendments and provisos were to "gag the media" and "clipping" the powers of the magistrate to order a probe, investigate or take cognisance of complaints against public servants including judges and magistrates.

"We will go to the high court tomorrow against the governments move. The ordinance should be repealed," she said.

"It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court," Srivastava said.

The state government in a release tonight said there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.

"The state government has maintained a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and there is no provision in the ordinance which gives protection to corrupt officials. The only aim of the ordinance is that no one can tarnish the image of honest officials by misusing section 156 (3) of the CrPC."

Section 156 (3) of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to order investigation following a complaint.

Earlier today, home minister Kataria told reporters in Udaipur that sanction will be deemed granted if there was no decision on the sanction request after the stipulated time period of 180 days.

He said a bill will be introduced in the assembly session beginning Monday to replace the ordinance.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, "No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant."

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If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment. PTI SDA NKS NSD ABH

--- ENDS ---
Voters can use any number of yardsticks to measure the worth of a political candidate: personal character, intellectual horsepower, partisan loyalty, philosophical bent, voting record, management skill, and so on.

Heres another, often implicit: What should the future look like? Four years from now, what would constitute the optimal Commonwealth of Virginia? Will those now running for office steer the Old Dominion toward that optimal state or away from it?

Here are a few out of the many possible aspects of the ideal Virginia in 2021:

A more dynamic economy  one growing at a faster rate than the current 0.6 percent. To that end, the Virginia of the future will impose fewer punitive taxes on business, such as the current BPOL tax, and hamstring companies less by imposing fewer unnecessary regulations. An increase in the number of immigrants, who are twice as likely as native-born residents to start a business, will lead to a spurt of entrepreneurship and job creation.

A more diverse education system. Virginia has all of nine charter schools out of the nearly 7,000 nationwide. North Carolina has 168; even the District of Columbia has 119. Virginia does have a fair number of magnet schools, and many private schools. But in the age of Amazon and Uber, education  particularly public education  has seen almost no disruptive innovation. It would be wonderful to report that the Virginia of 2021 has drawn national acclaim for its surprising new approaches.

Fair elections. Gerrymandering has been a stain on democracy in Virginia, as in the nation, since the Founding. Increasingly sophisticated methods have made it worse. Social trends (demographic shifts, relocations, and mass movements) can offset some of its effects. But the current system still makes a mockery of elections. Two years ago, 122 members of the General Assembly sought re-election. They all won. Four years from now, results like that should be highly improbable, if not impossible.

Smoother transportation. Virginias average commute time continues to inch upward  its now almost half an hour  and is the seventh-worst in the nation. Lawmakers passed a transportation package in the last year of Gov. Bob McDonnells term, and the state is expanding the road network. But building more lane-miles alone is like giving a fat man a bigger belt. Virginia needs other answers as well: public transit (especially in the Richmond metro region), congestion pricing, autonomous vehicles, and perhaps most of all, less restrictive zoning that allows people to live, work, and shop without being stuck in their cars half the day.

An effective mental health system. Every person experiencing a mental health crisis was able to get professional help within 24 hours last year, this paper should report four years from now. Meanwhile, sheriffs around the state are overjoyed that their jails are no longer serving as holding pens for persons suffering with mental illness. A robust system of community service boards has made it possible to avoid warehousing the mentally ill in state institutions, and the commonwealths decision to treat addiction as a disease rather than a crime has helped thousands of Virginians turn their lives around, according to a new report.

Cleaner, more diversified energy systems. The present system of electricity generation and distribution has been called the most complicated machine ever built, and justifiably so. Finding ways to incorporate distributed generation and storage  through home solar panels and batteries, microgrids, and so on  presents an immensely complex technical challenge. Virginias energy providers, Dominion and Appalachian Power, also have sunk billions into developing a reliable grid that many now want to take advantage of, sometimes for free. Still, distributed generation offers many advantages to consumers, the environment, and the commonwealth, and it would be encouraging to report that Virginia is finding ways to make it work.
Stipulated: Criminals should not profit from their misdeeds. But even in an era of sharp political divisions, more than eight in 10 Americans agree that the police should not be able to confiscate your property on the mere suspicion that you have done something wrong. Yet under asset-forfeiture laws  which allow the authorities to seize cash, cars, and more if they think you might be up to something  that happens all too frequently. Many people who lose their property this way are never convicted of a crime. Many are never even charged.

Both the federal government and state governments have tried to reform the system over the past couple of decades, with limited success. President Obamas attorney general, Eric Holder, ended a practice that let police departments make an end-run around state restrictions on asset forfeiture by, essentially, federalizing local cases.

Regrettably, current Attorney General Jeff Sessions has reinstated that practice  drawing fire from both liberals and conservatives. Perhaps because of that blowback, he has decided to appoint a watchdog over the federal asset-forfeiture program. Thats an encouraging move, and we hope the watchdog is given free run rather than being kept on a short leash. There is a great deal to watch.

In announcing his earlier change in policy, Sessions conceded that some abuses have occurred but suggested they are the exception to the rule: In the vast majority of cases, this is not an issue. That is hard to know, and perhaps entirely wrong.
Ralph Northam caused a few chuckles at a public event this week when he tipped his hat to Republican Del. Kirk Cox. I look forward to you being speaker of the House, the Democratic candidate for governor said. The comment assumes Republicans will retain control of the body; Democrats have other plans.

Black and disabled students in Virginia are suspended at far higher rates than white and non-disabled students, according to a new report. The same holds true in the Richmond Public Schools. Its also true, as the reports author notes, that high suspensions correlate with socio-economic challenges. Keeping disruptive students in class interferes with instruction and is not fair to their peers. But its hard to see how throwing a kid out of school can possibly help him. Virginia needs to find a better solution.

Congratulations to Ann Parker Gottwald and her husband, Teddy, who heads up the NewMarket Corp. Their small hotel in Lexington, The Georges, has just received the 2017 New Member of the Year Award from Historic Hotels of America. Ann Parker Gottwald, incidentally, is serving as this years Christmas Mother.

Speaking of the holidays: Every year Juan Santacoloma, the multicultural liaison for Chesterfield, collects toys for children 14 and under to pass out at a celebration called El Juguetazo. The idea is similar to the Richmond Christmas Mother, but the children at El Juguetazo receive gifts given to them by the three kings who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. This years event will take place Jan. 6. If youd like to contribute, you can send presents (no war or violent toys, please) to 9901 Lori Road, Suite 402, Chesterfield VA 23832 or reach out to Santacoloma at santacolomaj@chesterfield.gov.

Now that there are more Starbucks shops in America than there are atoms in the visible universe, $4 coffee has lost some of its cache. So if youre looking to take it to the next level, as they say, head on up to New York, where you can pay $48 for a 10-ounce cup of joe at Eleven Madison Park  or to Southern California, where you can pay $55 for a jar of mud at Klatch Coffee.
African-American men voted in Virginia for the first time on Oct. 22, 1867, exactly 150 years ago. Together with white voters they elected delegates to a convention to revise the state constitution in the aftermath of the Civil War and the end of slavery.

African-Americans regarded the abolition of slavery as making them free in every sense. We claim, then, as citizens of this State, the first state convention of black Virginia men demanded in August 1865, that the laws of the Commonwealth shall give to all men equal protection; that each and every man may appeal to the law for his equal rights without regard to the color of his skin; and we believe this can only be done by extending to us the elective franchise.

Some black men in Norfolk had tried to vote in the spring of 1865, but election officials refused to count their votes because the states constitution then restricted voting to adult white men.

The 1867 election was held under authority of the first Reconstruction Act Congress had passed, and Congress required that black men be allowed to vote in spite of state laws, and also be eligible to be elected. Twenty-four black Virginians won election to the Constitutional Convention of 18671868.

Similar elections and constitutional conventions occurred in most states of the former Confederacy as part of the congressional plan to reconstruct the union and reconstruct Southern society and politics.

The constitution the convention prepared  and that Virginia voters ratified in 1869  created the states first public school system. It made democratic reforms in local government, the origins of the modern board of supervisors form of county government. Also, even before the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it granted the vote to all adult Virginia men. (Virginia women did not get the vote until ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.)

From the ratification of the new Virginia Constitution in 1869 to the end of the 19th century African-Americans participated in politics in spite of opposition from many influential white Virginians. Even while the constitutional convention was in session some of those white men formed the Conservative Party of Virginia. Their stated objective was to make certain that Virginia government would always remain a white mans government.

The exciting future the optimistic black voters of October 1867 envisioned appeared to be within their grasp when a coalition of farmers and working men of both races, known as Readjusters, won majorities in the General Assembly in 1879 and in 1881 elected a governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

The Readjusters made fundamentally important reforms in Virginia. They refinanced (readjusted) the public debt to allow increased appropriations for the new public schools. They reduced taxes on farmers and raised taxes on railroads and some other businesses.

Readjusters founded what became Virginia State University, the first state college for African-Americans, and Central State Hospital, the first state mental hospital for African-Americans. Readjusters also abolished the whipping post, a brutal holdover from slavery times.

And Readjusters repealed a poll tax Conservatives had added to the state constitution. It had made voting too expensive for many poor men, especially African-Americans.

The biracial Readjuster coalition provided the first example of how cooperation of white and black men and women could reshape politics and society in a post-Reconstruction southern state.

Early in the 1880s, former members of the Conservative Party took over the states Democratic Party and defeated the Readjusters in a white supremacy campaign. The public schools survived, but while Republicans displayed indifference to the states African-Americans, Democrats rigged election laws, gerrymandered city council districts, and in 1902 created a new state constitution that re-imposed the poll tax and added other impediments to African-American voting.

The detailed disfranchisement article of the Virginia Constitution of 1902 was actually longer than the entire Constitution of 1776. That shows how important its authors thought it was. From the demise of the Readjusters to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Virginias laws restricted the ability of black Virginians (and many more thousands of poor white Virginians) to vote. That was one of the legacies of opposition to black enfranchisement in the 1860s.

In 1949 political scientist V.O. Key calculated that no state (not even Mississippi)  and in fact no country in the world  allowed such a small portion of its people to vote.

Modern scholarship has disproved old myths that black politicians were corrupt, that black voters were ignorant, that black Virginia men and white men from outside the state controlled the government, and that Virginias first experiment with universal manhood suffrage failed.

It didnt fail. White supremacists destroyed it.
By David Elliott

Editors note: In last Sundays Commentary, Dr. David Elliott, a Richmond trauma surgeon and an Army veteran, wrote about his arrival and first two days in war-riddled South Sudan, as part of a Doctors Without Borders team working in Juba, that countrys capital city. Today, we feature the second and final installment of his story. To read last weeks column, go to Richmond.com.

My third day in Juba started with a hurried breakfast of toast and French press coffee, guzzled as quickly as the gin the night before. I had convinced my colleagues to start early to maximize our operating time, so we packed our Land Cruiser and headed out just after sunrise to the UNs Jebel refugee camp, where wed set up our Operating Theater (OT) and recovery area.

We encountered few South Sudanese other than wild dogs, who felt confident sleeping in the boulevards potholes. A nation the size of Texas, South Sudan has less than 100 miles of paved roads, most of them in Juba. We were finding most of them questionably paved, at best.

We arrived at our Quonset hut trauma center a little after 8 a.m. and set to work immediately. As our logistics crew cranked up the generator and Denis, our French anesthetist, got our first patient ready for surgery, I made rapid rounds on the ward.

Although my one laparotomy patient had died the day before, my other 40-plus patients appeared OK. Most were lobbying to be next up for an operation, as they had been languishing for more than a week with pain and infection  casualties of the recent upsurge in violence in the long-running civil war in South Sudan.

Given their dire circumstances, they maintained a good sense of humor. They especially got a good laugh at my wretched attempt to speak their tribal language: Chewa-leedy? (whats your name?); Winny beh-zhah? (where is your pain?); Gheer buda wally (dressing change today).

The strong coffee had renewed my motivation and stifled my blue funk from the prior evening, when I had learned that my laparotomy patient had died just hours after the abdominal surgery for his multiple gunshot wounds.

My enthusiasm was luckily infectious. Alice, our OT nurse, Denis, the French anesthetist, and our refugee nursing recruits also stepped up the pace. We started working like a well-oiled machine, and dispatched six major surgical procedures before 2 p.m. Morale was greatly enhanced when our new air-conditioner finally started cranking out cold air in the OT.

Id have to treat Marc, our head of mission in South Sudan, to a Tusker tonight for fulfilling his promise about the air-conditioning, which is as rare as diamonds in South Sudan. Tuskers  African beer  were free for us expats with MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders), so it wasnt much of a treat.

I started the days surgery by cleaning out an infected gunshot to a patients upper arm. However, the next case gave me shivers: a single gunshot through both thighs and the scrotum. No bones were fractured, but the infected scrotal injury was extensive. Luckily, none of the family jewelry required sacrifice.

The next three cases were gunshots to the upper thigh, causing compound fracture to the femur in each patient. I placed traction pins under anesthesia in their tibial bones, then hooked each up to traction on the ward. We had no calibrated weight for traction, so we weighed out 15 pounds of sand in plastic buckets for each and used that instead. Next, a quick break for water hydration and a peanut butter sandwich, stuffed in my pocket after breakfast that morning.

***

My last operation of the day piqued my anxiety: another abdominal exploration, on a young woman I will call Nyabol (her name changed for confidentiality).

I knew I could do the surgery, but could our staff keep her alive overnight? Given her multiple gunshots, I had no alternative.

Nyabols abdominal injury was minimal: only two holes in her small intestine, reparable with a few simple stitches. Then I excised a small gunshot entrance wound above her knee, and encountered, to my chagrin, an ugly complex fracture of the lower femur. No simple solution here.

I cut away the dead tissue, and then constructed an external fixator connecting the upper femur to the tibia  a metallic TinkerToy-like frame of pins, rods, and clamps to stabilize the fractured thigh.

We still had an hour before mandatory departure at 3 p.m., after which it was considered too dangerous to travel through the city back to our safe house. That gave us adequate time to watch our post-op patients in the Recovery Room and to evaluate a half-dozen new admissions, additional casualties brought in by relatives when word got out about our Jebel camp trauma center.

The commute back home was interrupted unexpectedly at an army checkpoint. The government soldiers, ethnic adversaries of the civilian refugees we cared for in the UN camp, knew what MSF was doing there.

The two soldiers, one obviously inebriated, harassed our South Sudanese driver for minor discrepancies on his drivers license. Thomas, our boss at the Jebel camp, got out of the Land Cruiser and argued with the soldiers commander, who had walked over to assess the situation.

It became tense when the drunk soldier, armed with a loaded Kalashnikov, began screaming and shoving his finger into the chest of Thomas and our driver.

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and, after 45 minutes, the commander allowed us to proceed back to the expat house. I was impressed by the calmness and restraint shown by Thomas; no doubt my surgeons temper would have started an international incident.

Back at our house, we had an early dinner of samosas and spaghetti. As the darkness of the Juba night set in, reinforcements arrived: Dr. Asoshi from Japan, another experienced MSF surgeon who would help me churn through the complex wounds still facing us in the camp. He told us all just to call him Sushi for short.

Thomas didnt received any phone calls, so I kept my fingers crossed that all the patients we operated on had survived.

***

Medical care and expertise in South Sudan is critically limited. The country boasts neither medical nor nursing schools  and rare university graduates.

Many speak English, but few of our nursing staff knew at first how to run IV fluids, calculate and administer medication dosages, or even take blood-pressure measurements.

MSF provided education and training as part of medical care, and our staff was getting a crash course in life-saving trauma care that should enable them to keep their friends and relatives alive.

On the fourth day of our commute to the Jebel camp, Sushi and I discussed the urgency of our sickest patients and shared stories of our prior missions as we bounced and weaved for 40 minutes along Jubas pothole-strewn excuse for roads.

Disembarking at the Quonset hut in the Jebel camp, we set to work immediately. With two surgeons, work became more manageable: one of us rounded while the other began surgery. One of us could also perform minor wound and fracture procedures in the wards wound-care tent.

Over the next three weeks, the commute, surgery, and patient care, which at first seemed so precarious, became routine  never dull, never impersonal, but standardized to the point where we expats became efficient, the South Sudanese staff proficient, and the patients accustomed to the daily regimen in their temporary home.

Patient cots were placed inches apart, making rounds difficult and the spread of disease problematic, but it maximized the number of patients we could help as our census swelled above 60.

The close quarters produced support and good friendship between patients and their caregiver families, and, combined with my humorous attempts at speaking their language, made for enjoyable morning rounds that sometimes made me feel like a stand-up comic. I felt I had done a poor job if I didnt at least get a few rounds of belly-clenching laughter.

We also received reinforcements of equipment, essential since we rapidly depleted stores of surgical gauze, IV saline, and antibiotics. Additional external fixator parts enabled us to convert all five of our femur fracture patients from traction (necessitating six weeks of strict bed rest) to the TinkerToy frames that enabled them to walk.

Arrival of an electric dermatome enabled us to harvest skin from patients legs and transplant it to complex open wounds to expedite skin closure.

We even received a dental kit, allowing me to operate on a patient with a gunshot to the face: the bullet had fractured his mandible (jawbone), making his entire lower face wobbly and preventing wound-healing.

I stabilized it by wiring his jaw to his upper teeth, using thin wire and dental instruments. This was nonetheless problematic since a) I had never received a single minute of dental training in medical school or surgical residency; and b) this gunshot victim, like many South Sudanese, suffered from poor oral hygiene and only had five teeth in his entire mouth, three of which were loose!

Then came the last 48 hours of our mission, when MSFs agreement with the UN camp management and the Quonset huts previous tenants reached expiration.

***

Dr. Sushi had already flown home to Japan, and I made final arrangements to discharge our last inpatients. At 2:30 p.m. on our penultimate full working day, in walked a distraught couple holding a very gravely ill little girl.

Nyalora had been playing with her sister near their home in Bentiu, 300 miles away, when a stray bullet from nearby fighting struck her in the arm. Her sister ran to get help, but it took two days for her family to find her, collapsed under a bush, in shock from heavy blood loss.

Over the next three days, they wandered the countryside, carrying her in their arms, looking for someone to provide their daughter with medical care. Finally they came upon the International Red Cross, who put Nyalora and five of her family members on a plane and brought her to Juba. Then she was brought to us.

This five-year-old girl had been in shock for six days. Her hemoglobin was 2.5: thinner than cherry Kool-Aid.

Her right arm was dead: the bullet had fractured the arm and severed the artery just beneath the shoulder, and, without blood supply, gangrene had set in. As the infection appeared to be advancing above the shoulder, she really required immediate surgery, but our security rules still required us to leave the camp at 3 p.m.  I could do nothing until morning.

In the last minutes before leaving, I gave detailed instructions to the refugee nurse in charge to give Nyalora blood transfusions, administer antibiotics, and convince her parents to sign a consent to amputate her arm the next morning.

I crossed my fingers that our nighttime hospital staff had learned sufficient Western medical care over the past month to keep little Nyalora alive overnight, but, honestly, I harbored little hope I would return the next morning to find her among the living.

Imagine my surprise when I returned to find her both alive and out of shock. The night staff had amazingly convinced the family not only to consent to surgery, but to donate blood for her as well. All five donated a unit; she was transfused three. The antibiotics had halted the progression of gangrene, although I knew that was only temporary.

On my last full day in the Jebel trauma center, I performed one final operation: amputating Nyaloras arm at the shoulder.

She recovered quickly, walking and eating by the next morning, which was fortunate, since we had to close down our hospital by noon.

Those last few hours in our Quonset hut I spent double and triple-checking Nyalora for bleeding or infection (there was none), saying goodbye to all the remaining patients and staff  and celebrating with Nyabol, my long-standing patient with the complicated knee and abdominal injuries, as she took her very first steps on her fractured leg.

***

We made our final commute from the Jebel camp back to our expat house in a convoy  one vehicle carrying us expats, one all our equipment, and one with Nyalora and her family, for whom Thomas had arranged follow-up inpatient care at a willing and competent Juba facility.

En route, Thomas and I reflected on what our little trauma center had accomplished in the past month.

I read from our OT log: we had performed more than 200 major surgeries on the 76 patients that had passed through our tent-flaps. Three had died. Most of the others would have died if MSF hadnt been there for them.

It might seem like a drop in the bucket: 73 lives saved out of a total population of 12 million South Sudanese. Thats how MSF works: one life at a time. Over time it adds up.

Soon thereafter, my mission in South Sudan ended and I returned home. Thomas kept me informed that Nyalora made a full recovery. In my nine missions with MSF, this was the shortest, but to me it most dramatically demonstrated why Doctors Without Borders exists: being there when someone needs you; saving a life when no one else will; the fine line between life and death.

It was also the riskiest mission Ive been on, but worth every second of danger and discomfort. It made me realize that the greatest rewards in life result when we rise up from our comfortable existence and take a risk, a bold step, for the benefit of others.

Nyaloras parents certainly risked everything they had, wandering the South Sudan wilderness for three days for the sole purpose of saving their daughters life. In a nation beset by poverty and brutality, they displayed the type of courage, perseverance, and humanity we could all emulate.
iStock/Thinkstock(PARKERSBURG, W.V.) -- West Virginia residents are being warned to avoid exposure to the billowing smoke from a fire at an old tool plant now being used for storing plastics.



Firefighters responded to the blaze at a former Ames tool plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday.



No injuries were reported but authorities are warning against breathing in the smoke from the fire.



"It is strongly advised to not subject yourself to the smoke of this fire unnecessarily," Wood County emergency authorities said in a statement.



The factory building was currently being used to store plastics and other articles, according to the statement.



"Initial air monitoring testing completed in the immediate and surrounding area of the fire scene shows air to be within acceptable quality limits," an updated statement from authorities said Saturday afternoon.



The statement added that officials are conducting tests of smoke from the fire, which could contain particles harmful to the respiratory system.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Rahul Gandhi has hit out at PM Narendra Modi after the BJP sought said that the Tamil film Mesal was politically motivated.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has jumped in the row over Tamil film Mersal. Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after BJP called the latest Tamil film politically motivated, Rahul Gandhi said that the party was trying to "demon-etise Tamil pride."

Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, "Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal."

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal- Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

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Earlier, senior Congress leader and former finance minister PChidambaramslammed the BJP for criticising the film. Chidambaram said, "There will be a law soon going by which documentaries praising the government policies will only be allowed in the country."

"BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today," read one of the tweets of Chidambaram.

The attacks by senior Congress leaders came a day after the BJP's Tamil Nadu chief asked for cuts to be made to Tamil film Mersal. The BJP has demanded deletion of some dialogues from the Mersal.

Tamilisai Soundarrajan, BJP's Tamil Nadu president, said some scenes in actor Vijay's Diwali release Mersal show GST and Digital India in a bad light. She had asked for cuts to be made in the film.

MADHUR BHANDARKAR HITS BACK AT RAHUL GANDHI

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar took the Twitter battle to a new level by using Rahul Gandhi's tweet against him.

Quoting Gandhi's tweet, Bhandarkar said when the Congress party workers went about "demonising" his movie Indu Sarkar, Gandhi had chosen to "remain silent".

Sir @OfficeOfRG I m against ban on any film I had expected ur support while ur workers wr demonising #InduSarkar but u chose 2 remain silent https://t.co/a3dipAKl0C- Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) October 21, 2017

--- ENDS ---
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By PTI: (Eds: Incorporating related series)

Chennai/ New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and senior party leader P Chidambaram today hit out at the Tamil Nadu BJP for demanding cuts in actor Vijay- starrer "Mersal", which has apparently mocked the GST.

The comments come a day after Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan demanded removal of dialogues in the flick which he termed as "untruths" about the GST, rolled out by the BJP- led NDA government on July 1.

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"Mr Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Dont try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet which was retweeted by Chidambaram.

Tamil Nadu BJP leaders, including state chief Tamilisai Soundararajan and national secretary H Raja, have strongly opposed references to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the just-released Tamil movie and claimed dialogues in it were "highly inappropriate".

Against the background, Chidambaram tweeted, "Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising governments policies."

"BJP demands deletion of dialogues in Mersal. Imagine the consequences if Parasakthi was released today," the former Finance Minister said in another tweet.

"Parasakthi" was the debut film of yesteryear top star Sivaji Ganesan in 1952 and the dialogues were written by DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who was then a budding leader in the party and a screen writer.

The super-hit movie had powerful dialogues espousing reformist and egalitarian ideals. Chidambaram had asked what would happen if the movie were to be released today.

Replying to the tweet, Tamil Nadu BJP leader and national secretary H Raja said if that were to happen, people would not allow the government to run temples by quoting a popular dialogue from it.

Raja was reiterating the stand of the BJP and right-wing outfits that the state government should stop administering temples and hand them over to devotees.

Raja also claimed that the film exposed Vijays "hatred" for Modi.

Soundrajan, who has been opposing the references to the GST, in a tweet said, "MERSAL ridicules Dedicated Doctors disheartened/ambulance drivers shown corrupt/doctors should take 5rupees while the actor gets crores??"

AISMK chief and actor Sarath Kumar tweeted: "A film which is CERTIFIED by censor board cannot be questioned. If questionable, why censor board at all?#Mersel." PTI VGN RC MP ACB ANB SK ANB

--- ENDS ---
By John Freivalds

Freivalds runs an international communications firm in Lexington.

A Martian friend of mine just visited me. Mars is suffering from solar system warming and he came to check out how it would be living on Earth in the United States.

Before getting on his space ship, he watched a lot of American cable TV off a satellite to try to understand our culture. He asked me can I bring my ray gun with me? I said sure, every American has a right to bear arms; a ray gun is an arm so it would be allowed. Its in the U.S. Constitution. And organizations like the NRA make sure that the Constitution is duly honored.

But I told him there are certain exceptions. You cant take a gun on an airplane. My Martian friend asked is that because of what happened on 9/11? I said yes but he said didnt the hijackers commandeer the airplanes with box cutters, not guns?

The powers that be said anything that can be used as a weapon will be prohibited, even funny liquids. My Martian friend asked does that include sharpened pencils and sharpened toothbrush handles which are used as shivs in prisons? He had been watching cable shows about prison life.

I told him that its OK to bring pencils and toothbrushes on an airplane and as a Martian you could easily go through security as you dont wear clothes or shoes where you could hide weapons.

We talked some more. My Martian friend asked can guns be prohibited anywhere else and the NRA wouldnt complain? I said yes, except at big events that get a lot of publicity like things called the Super Bowl and the World Series. But my Martian friend said there are some 2,000 rock concerts in the U.S. annually which draw crowds of thousands and 36 big NASCAR auto races. Can people bring guns to those?

In most states they can and since there is not a lot of publicity no one pays a lot of attention to what you bring. No one knows where Bristol Motor Speedway is anyway. But didnt a mass killing just occur in Nevada where people could bring guns to feel safe? I responded the shooter had high powerful automatic rifles, fast-loading magazines and shot people from afar.

My Martian friend began to understand. You have a right to bear arms except on airplanes and inside major events that get a lot of publicity. In these you can be safe from gun fire which kills 35,000 people annually. Then my friend asked why dont people live in airplanes and in stadiums hosting big public events where guns arent allowed and thus avoid being shot? I couldnt answer that one. And then he asked why dont they just ban guns everywhere? I responded that would be un-American.

Then he asked me could he buy a gun? I said yes and you can buy as many guns as you want and endless amounts of ammunition. I told him when you go to a store to buy guns you are given a form to fill and the first question is are you a felon (aka a criminal). Just mark no as there are no prohibitions against Martians buying guns.

In fact, you get more scrutiny if you buy a little gun than a high powered rifle with a scope and magazines that holds lot of rounds of ammunition. A huge Bushmaster rifle with a powerful scope even had a poster attached to it which said reach out and touch someone. Or just go to a gun show where you dont get asked any questions except Is it really hot on Mars?

So finally I asked my Martian friend if he wanted to stay here or go back to Mars.

He answered its too dangerous here and I get a feeling that many people here wouldnt like to have any more immigrants and who would want a Martian as a guest worker?
The conversation these days is about whether Confederate statues should be taken down. Heres a question nobody is asking: Which Confederate statues should we be putting up?

We dont ask that flippantly, but rather to pose some questions about Virginias history  and its present. There is one Confederate general who Robert E. Lee thought should be his successor if he fell in battle, a general whose organizational skill was so great that his men were in better fighting trim than any others, a general who was at Lees side at Appomattox and surrendered more muskets than any other (probably because his men were in better fighting trim.) Why is he not on Richmonds Monument Avenue and raised on pedestals across the state?

William Mahone became even more famous after the war than he was during it. He founded the railroad that became the Norfolk and Western Railway. He went into politics and was hailed as the most influential political figure in Virginia since the days of Thomas Jefferson.

Why are there not statues to Mahone in Roanoke and lots of other places?

The answer is instructive. Mahone organized and led the most successful interracial political alliance in the post-emancipation South, according to Jane Dailey, a history professor at the University of Chicago. In time, Virginias conservative  and all-white  establishment regained control of state government and instituted the Jim Crow laws that ruled for nearly a century. Supporters hailed Mahone as a Moses, Dailey wrote in The Huffington Post recently. Opponents, though, compared him to the Roman traitor Cataline.

When the great wave of statue building began in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Mahones progressive, reform-minded politics were deemed so dangerous that Virginians would not even deign to recognize one of Lees ablest lieutenants. Some statue defenders today warn about erasing history. In effect, more than a century ago, the statue builders tried to erase Mahone from history. The only statue to his memory is at the Crater Battlefield in Petersburg where Mahone was hailed in the South as the Hero of the Crater for rallying Confederate forces after Union forces surprised them by tunneling under rebel lines and setting off explosives.

Mahone was, to put it mildly, a colorful character. The son of a Southampton County tavern-keeper, he acquired an important life skill early on. He knew how to play poker. As a student at Virginia Military Institute, Mahone became known for winning large sums from his fellow cadets. He stood just five foot five, but made quite an impression. He spoke in a voice that was described as a falsetto tenor and was such a stylish dresser that his personal tailor once said I would rather make dresses for eight women than a suit for the general.

By the time the war began, Mahone was president of the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad. During the war, he fought at Lees side at all the major battles Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness. After the war, he went back to railroading  and merged a series of short lines into the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio, which ran from Bristol to Salem to Norfolk.

This was a messy business. Richmond business leaders opposed the railroad, historian Virginius Dabney writes, because they feared the AM&O would build up Norfolk and the Southside and Southwest at the expense of the rest of the state. Mahone took on Richmond and won. He also resorted to bribing state legislators. History is not always pretty.

In time, the Financial Panic of 1873 left the railroad ruined, and its assets were eventually sold to Philadelphia financiers, who renamed the line the N&W. We in Roanoke know how the story played out from there. What fewer know is what happened to Mahone. He became a politician.

The issue of the day was what to do about the states massive $45 million debt  mostly run up before the war to pay for roads, canals and railroads. Virginias economy was a wreck. The states establishment insisted that honor compelled Virginia to pay off every cent  a convenient argument because business leaders held many of the bonds.

One leading funder declared hed be willing to close every school in the state for the honor of paying off the debt. This was essentially a forerunner of Massive Resistance.

Others wanted to readjust the debt, arguing that the states creditors should be compelled to share in the general loss occasioned by war.

An entire party sprung up dedicated to readjustment, with Mahone as its leader. The Readjusters were particularly popular west of the Blue Ridge.

The Readjusters won control of the General Assembly in 1879 and elected Mahone as an U.S. Senator. In 1881, Readjusters gained complete control of state government by winning the governors race. The Readjusters did more than readjust the debt. They invested heavily in schools, especially for African-Americans. They increased funding for whats now Virginia Tech  and established its black counterpart, Virginia State. They appointed blacks to public office, and allowed African-American teachers in all-black schools. They abolished the whipping post and the poll tax. With an expanded electorate, Danville elected a black majority to town council that then hired an integrated police force. All this was, of course, unprecedented.

Mahone also did something else unprecedented: He declared himself a Republican, aligning himself with the Party of Lincoln. All that was much too much for many white Virginians. Conservative Democrats set out to redeem the state from what they called Mahoneism. Riding a white backlash to Mahones inter-racial policies, Democrats won back the General Assembly in 1883 and set about repealing the Readjuster reforms. The Democrats accepted the debt settlement, but reinstated the poll tax and wrote tighter election laws that disenfranchised blacks and poor whites alike.

As late as the 1940s, Dailey writes, conservative Democrats still invoked Mahones name to smear opponents who questioned the states segregationist policies. Mahone was hardly a saint  autocratic and no stranger to graft. But here was a Confederate general who tried to build a New South and was effectively erased from history because of it. If we want to put our history in full context, we might want to put up a statue to Mahone.
Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp. (MBC.L,MSBHY.PK) plans to build roughly 10 data centers in Japan by 2022 at a cost of 200 billion yen or $1.76 billion, the Nikkei reported.

Mitsubishi reportedly estimates that these facilities will generate sales of around 20 billion yen to 30 billion yen in 2022. The Japanese company may spend an additional 300 billion yen in the medium term.

The Tokyo-based trading house will form a joint venture with U.S. data center operator Digital Realty Trust for the undertaking, the report specified.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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The People's Union for Civil Liberties said the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 was "a sinister attempt of the Government of Rajasthan to abridge the fundamental right of speech and expression guaranteed under the Indian Constitution."

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: A civil rights group has criticised the Vasundhara Raje government for passing an ordinance protecting serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction

The People's Union for Civil Liberties said the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 was "a sinister attempt of the Government of Rajasthan to abridge the fundamental right of speech and expression guaranteed under the Indian Constitution and to thwart the citizens right to access criminal justice system in cases of complaints against abuse of law by public servants."

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It does so by "introducing 2 provisos to Sec. 156 (3) and Sec. 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and by inserting a new offence in the Indian Penal Code by way of introducing a new clause, Sec. 228-B, which makes an offence termed "disclosure of identity of certain public servants," the group said in a statement.

The PUCL said the "true intention" of the amendments "is to place an complete embargo" on, or "ban" judicial magistrates from ordering the police to investigate complaints about public servants' offences - "or worse, from any investigation being conducted against the said public servant...except without the previous sanction of the government under sec. 197 CrPC."

It said the amendments are "superfluous and unnecessary"

"..sec. 197 already provides protection to public servants by making it mandatory for a court to take cognizance of an offence against public servant only after getting "prior sanction" of the government. The ominous intention (of) the amendment becomes clear when we notice that while sec. 197 uses the term "cognizance" the new amendment refers to the word "investigate," it said.

The Raje government's ordinance also prohibits the publication of news about judges, magistrates or public servants against whom a sanction to hold investigation is pending.

"We will go to the high court tomorrow against the government's move. The ordinance should be repealed," PUCL State President Kavita Srivastava said.

"It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court," Srivastava said.

(Inputs from PTI)

WATCH | State of the State Conclave: How politics transformed Rajasthan

--- ENDS ---
Ram Rahim and Honeypreet, who are locked in separate jails, refused to accept sweets this Diwali. The disgraced godman was, however, offered sweets by his family members who visited him four days prior to the festival of lights.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim never imagined a Diwali without lights, sweets and fanfare.

Ram Rahim did not celebrate the festival of lights this time and remained inside his cell. He neither lit a lamp nor accepted the sweets distributed by the jail staff.

The Sunaria jail administration organises Diwali event inside the jail and distributes sweets among the convicts and undertrials every year. The same was offered to Gurmeet also, but he refused.

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The disgraced godman was however, offered sweets by his family members who visited him four days prior to the festival of lights.

"He appeared upset after hearing fireworks around and did not sleep properly," said a source.

Ram Rahim used to celebrate Diwali amid much fanfare while in Dera Sacha Sauda, which he used to head. He would wear a special Diwali gear and venture out from his Gufa In a specially designed automobile.

Dozens of girls holding earthen lamps on a plate in their hands would welcome him.

His followers used to decorate the Dera complex with lamps and lights. The intensity of the fanfare can be gauged from the fact that Gurmeet Ram Rahim on September 23, 2016 with 1531 Dera followers, had made a Guinness World Record by lighting up to 1.5 lakh earthen lamps.

This record has now been broken by the Uttar Pradesh government which lit 1.70 lac lamps on Choti Diwali on Wednesday.

The Dera chief's wrongdoings not only darkened his Diwali but also two decades of his life which will be spent inside the prison.

His closest aide Honeypreet Insan, currently lodged in Ambala Central Jail, was also not ready to accept the sweets offered by her family members on Wednesday. Sources said, she accepted the sweet box when parents insisted but it is not known whether she ate them or not.

Sources said Honeypreet was in tears when she saw her parents in the jail.She has been reminded to judicial custody till October 23.

--- ENDS ---


RSS worker shot dead in UP

A Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker was shot dead on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, police said. The incident occurred when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants shot at the 35-year-old, Rajesh Mishra, also a journalist working with the Hindi daily, who was sitting at his brother Amitesh's shop in the Karanda area.



Locals and passers-by rushed the two to a nearby hospital where Rajesh was pronounced brought dead.



Amitesh, 30, is said to be in critical condition.



A senior police official said Rajesh was an active RSS member and was also working as a contractor.



So far, no details have emerged in the initial probe but added that they were talking to the family of the deceased.






Three rockets were fired onto a diplomatic area in Kabul on Saturday, Afghan police and witnesses said.

"The attack occurred at around 6.10 a.m., and the rockets struck localities in Police District 10 and Police District 9," a witness told Xinhua news agency.



However, there were reports of any casualties or injuries.



One rocket reportedly hit a wall at an embassy and two others exploded close to Resolute Support headquarters, Tolo News quoted the police as saying.



Saturday's incident comes after two suicide attacks took place on Friday in Kabul and Ghor province resulting in the deaths of at least 70 people.



In Kabul, a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside the Imam Zamam mosque in a neighbourhood predominantly populated by the Shia Hazara minority, reports Efe news.





The bomber was standing among the congregation. The attack killed 39 people and injured 45 others, according to the Interior Ministry.



About an hour before the blast in Kabul, a suicide attacker detonated explosives at the Khwajagan mosque in the Du-Layna district of Ghor province.



The attack occurred as an important anti-Taliban militiaman, Fazal Hayat Khan, and his men were praying inside, provincial authorities said. At least 31 people were killed.



So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the three incidents.
Miracles dont just happen on their own.

If we are desperate, a miracle will happen when we work hard and do the best we can.

For Valaauina Ioane, a mother of two, shes hoping for a miracle as she seeks a job to help support her family.

This life is not about sitting around and expecting a miracle to feed your children and your family from day to day, Valaauina told the Village Voice.

I know life nowadays is all about money, and as a mother, I know that this is the right time for me to find a job.

She said her husband was the only one in the family who worked.

Our eldest son is two years old and the other one is almost one-year-old, Valaauina said.

We live with my husbands family here at Siusega and I know life is getting harder and harder especially when only one person provides for the family.

Valaauina used to work as a babysitter back in the days.

When I got pregnant with my second child thats when I quit, plus its kind of far from where we are staying now.

Now Im ready to find another job and Im looking for the right one for me.

She believes that life is all about money.

This is especially when you live in these areas where we dont have enough land to work on, Valaauina said.

Her biggest challenges are the cost of living, trying to accommodate the expenses for her children and trying to meet the other financial demands.

But Valaauina feels her childrens future is far more important than anything else.

The cost of living is far beyond the moon but every parent should take their children as their first priority.

I tell you, its not easy raising a family but trusting in the Lord makes it easier most of the time.

I think every parent especially mothers do the same because most do not mind the struggles they go through now to make sure that their children are educated and succeed in life.

To be honest, I dont want my children to suffer.

She believes that if we play our part as parents and work for the good of our childrens future then well reap what we sow.

Raising children and guiding them into the right path and education for a bright future is of course everyones responsibility, Valaauina said.

And that belief is not further from the truth because the younger generation are the future of Samoa. If you want to help Valaauina, contact her on 7638304.
The manner in which the New Zealand government had made sure the countrys general elections would not be disrupted in any adverse way, as it was moving along relatively slowly over recent weeks for reasons that could not possibly be avoided, is the sort of performance the Samoan government should both learn from, and indeed emulate.

Held on 23 September 2017, the New Zealand elections struck certain hiccups that took 27 days to sort out, and then on 19 October 2017, Jacinda Ardern, the Labour candidate, who had been declared the overall winner, was duly sworn in by the Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy, as the new Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Shortly afterwards, congratulatory messages started to arrive from world leaders, such as the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, Canadas Justin Trudeau, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, and naturally, the United States President, Donald Trump.

And of course, there was the former New Zealand Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark, who paid tribute to Arderns achievement where she told her, not to forget the Green Party and its leader, Winston Peters.

During an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Clark said: I found Peters to be an exemplary partner from 2005 to 2008.

If Winston gave his word he kept his word. We were never let down, never surprised, Clark explained.

And I think that he very much wants to be treated for the very senior New Zealand politician that he is, and he doesnt want to be taken for granted, ever.

Added Clark: Having good faith and good processes to him, were absolutely everything.

If your partner feels surprised, if they feel something was done in their name that they never agreed to, (now) thats bad. But Jacinda has a very consultative style so Im not anticipating therell be issues there.

Promised Jacinda Ardern: It will be a powerful Government. It will be one that brings real experience.

Now the question is: What about us here in Samoa? What kind of government is the party thats calling itself the Protector of Everyones Human Rights, planning to do for the people of this country, up ahead?

All we know is that soon after this countrys Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, had been taken ill and he was on his way to New Zealand seeking medical treatment, reports emerged that a certain group within the government was in the process of deciding who should take over should Tuilaepa be prevented for whatever reason, from returning to the throne.

The question is: Why would Tuilaepa not return?

Incidentally, it all began when the Member of Parliament, Faumuina Wayne Fong, was quoted in the Samoa Observer on 15 October as having said, there is underground jostling for the position of Prime Minister among certain members but then, he did not explain what he was talking about.

What he said though was that these were dirty politics adding that the members he was referring to have been campaigning for votes should something happen to the Prime Minister, he did not say who those members were.

Said Faumuina: Now I find that absolutely disgusting,

He also said he was invited to join the group but then I rejected the offer adding that I declined it based on so many factors.

The most critical one for me is the fact that these people are power hungry and they are self-centred. They will do anything to get to the helm.

I call it the small party made up of small-minded people, he explained. Here they are, rallying up other people to select a leader when our leader is overseas, getting his medical check up.

He went on to say: These people are driven by the hunger for power, they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

And then two days later, on 17 October, a new story discussing the same fracas, showed up.

Published on that day in the Samoa Observer, under the titled H.R.P.P. rift over claims, the story revealed that the Member of Parliament from Faleata, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, had decided to have his own say in the matter.

He challenged Faumuina to cough up the names of the so-called members of the H.R.P.P. who are conspiring to take over the Prime Ministership role, should something happen to Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

And then he added: This is not right. As a member of the H.R.P.P. party, theres nothing going on that says there is any underground jostling for the Prime Ministership position, as Faumuina has claimed.

Indeed, if Faumuinas views are genuine, Lealailepule continued, then he should name the people he is talking about.

In other words: Who are those members, how many are they, and how are they involved in the campaign for votes?

Leala went on to say: If Faumuina is right, then he should have the courage to come forward, and reveal those members.

But hes not, and thats what I call dirty politics! Thats what you call in Samoa  e togi le moa ae uu le afa.

Leala also said: If Faumuina Wayne thinks he is helping the Prime Minister by doing what hes done, he is not.

He is, instead, adding more pressure on the shoulders of our leader. So for the Prime Minister, he should be reassured that nothing is happening, unless Faumuina Wayne reveals whom he is talking about.

Said Leala: Faumuina Wayne is a good Member of Parliament. He always speaks his mind.

But this time he has gone overboard so that someone should response since our Whip is not here.

Leala went on to reassure that nothing is happening in the party and that everyone is praying for Tuilaepas speedy recovery.

Contacted for a comment, Faumuina said he was not obligated to respond to Lealailepule.

Why did he ask that question if I didnt mention his name? Faumuina said. And if he didnt ask me, then its not his problem.

Faumuina said he declined to divulge who is behind the push and who the members of the group were.

However, he said: I rejected the offer. I declined it based on so many factors, the most critical of which is the fact that these people are power hungry, and they will do anything to get to the helm.

He called it the small party made up of small-minded people.

He also said: Here they are rallying up other people to select a leader, when our leader is overseas getting his medical checkup.Z

We should be up in arms praying for our leader and not do this while hes on his sick bed.

Incidentally, Prime Minister Tuilaepa, has apparently undergone his medical checkup, he is well, and according to his Acting Prime Minister, Papalii Niko Lee Hang, he is expected to arrive back from New Zealand today.

So what is he going to say when hes told that some members of his party have allegedly been engaged in underground jostling for the position of Prime Minister during the time while he was away?

What would he say if he was made aware that members of his party have allegedly been playing dirty politics and campaigning for votes should something happen to him, so that he would be forced to step down from the throne?

We dont know.

That way all we can do now is wait.

In the meantime, may we wish everyone a peaceful and meaning Sunday, God bless!
Fifteen lives have been lost on our roads because of drunk driving.

The alarming statistic has forced the Ministry of Police to rethink the current penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol.

They are looking at tightening the screws and making it tougher on drunk drivers.

This is according Acting Assistant Police Commissioner, Monalisa Tiai, in response to questions from the Sunday Samoan regarding fatalities resulting from drunk driving.

As of 2013 traffic cases lives lost resulting from D.U.I. (driving under the influence). alone amounted to three in Upolu; in 2014, there were four lives lost; in 2015 there was one case; in 2016 it increased again to four and for this year, a total of two in Upolu and one in Savaii, she said.

She told the Samoa Observer via email the penalty should be increased to make people aware that drunk driving is a serious crime and to ensure that members of the community make better decisions in the future."

Drivers are encouraged to think before deciding to drive whilst under the influence of alcohol.

The Acting Assistant Commissioner, however, did not highlight as to how high the increase of the D.U.I. penalty should be.

According to the Road Traffic Ordinance Act section 40 subsection (5), a person who is convicted of an offense against drunk driving is liable to a jail term not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding 50 penalty units.

Ms. Tiai also pointed out that under the Crimes Act 2013 section 92 (5), an alternative charge for murder or manslaughter on D.U.I. related cases can be applied depending on legal advice of the prosecution.

She said the Ministry of Police were also keen on their community awareness approach such as implementing public awareness programs, there were also advertisements specifically for D.U.I. and also community programs to enforce road safety.

The latest drunk driving fatality involving a mother and her four-year-old son in Savaii happened in June 2017.

Supreme Court Justice Mata Tuatagaloa sentenced a man to jail for seven years and five months in relation to the matter.

However, the latest data released by the Ministry of Police stated that only one fatality occurred in Savaii for 2017.

As reported earlier, Sinei Aunei pleaded guilty to two charges of motor manslaughter and one charge of negligent driving causing injury.

According to the probation report, on 31 May, Aunei went with one of his co-workers to his co-workers house in Salelologa and had drinks there."

They were drinking homemade brew from 5:30 in the evening until 7pm."

Then he left to go to his family in Iva when the crash happened."

The Probation officer was told that on the night of the crash, Aunei fell asleep behind the wheel. He did not know when and how the collision happened."

He said he only came to his senses at the Police station.

He accepted that he was highly intoxicated.

As reported earlier, the mother and her two sons were travelling on the car when the accident happened. The mother and her 4-year-old son died instantly while the 17-year-old suffered severe injuries on his face, body and head.

According to the victims impact report read out in open court, the 17-year-old had been badly traumatized.

He misses his mother and younger brother every day.

He still feels pain in his body and he also uses sticks to help him walk.

According to the husband of the deceased, he has difficulties forgetting his wife and his son.

He misses them both every day. He also said he wanted to die when he learned of the accident.

He added he was still angry with the defendant and that he does not want to see the defendant because of what happened.

Although he had accepted the ifoga performed by Aunei, he said he could never forgive him for what he had done to his family. In reading out the aggravating features, Justice Tuatagaloa considered the defendant not accepting the advice from his friend to leave his car.

You were speeding, and you were under the influence of alcohol, said Justice Tuatagaloa.

You have put the lives of all the people at risk on this day. You didnt stop when you hit the back of Ah Likis delivery car.

From Salelologa to Iva is no near place but you went zig zagging and your head lights were not on, pointed out Justice Tuatagaloa at the time of sentencing for Aunei.
Lalu said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it will be a direct fight between the BJP and RJD in Bihar and that the JD-U was completely finished after Nitish Kumar's realigning with the NDA.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has lashed out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, asserting that JD-U has been completely finished after it forged an alliance with the BJP again. Lalu said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it will be a direct fight between the BJP and RJD in Bihar. He said that despite being troubled by the Centre in corruption cases, he would not bow before the BJP.

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"Nitish alias Palturam's politics has been finished. In the upcoming general elections, there is going to be a direct contest between BJP and RJD. Let the Centre create problems for me. I am neither afraid of them nor will I bow before them. Jo darr gaya so mar gaya (He who gets scared, will perish)", Lalu said.

Lashing out at the Prime Minister, Lalu said that Narendra Modi was claiming credit for the development that had been done in the country in the last 60 years by Congress governments.

"PM dusre ke paida kiye hue ladka ko khela rahe hain (PM was playing with the child that was not his own)", he said.

Lalu asked why no notice was served to BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jay Shah when his company's turnover rose 16,000 times in one year from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore. He, however, on a lighter note said that he did not mind being summoned by CBI as they were very hospitable.

WHY NO NOTICE TO JAY SHAH OVER FIRM's BUSINESS DEALS: LALU

"Me and my sons are getting notices by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Why no notice is being served to Jay Shah ? I am eagerly waiting for summons from CBI. They provide me with chewing tobacco whenever I am there", the RJD chief added.

Referring to an RTI query, Lalu said that Amit Shah, who claimed to be from "Teli" community, in fact came from the "Modh Ghanchi" community, which was an upper caste in Gujarat. He alleged that Modi fraudulently put the Modh Ghanchi community into the backward category for political gains. He accused the BJP of trying to change the Constitution and raising issues like cow protection for electoral benefits.

"Amit Shah comes from the Modh Ghanchi community. But now he claims to be from the backward class. Shah is not a Teli", he said.

Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister for calling himself a tea seller, Lalu said that the railway station where he used to sell tea also witnessed the sale of "charas".

WATCH VIDEO | Nitish betrayed public mandate, murdered democracy: Lalu to India Today

--- ENDS ---
The Masiofo, Her Highness Faamausili Leinafo Tuimalealiifano, has been identified as the recipient of a petition allegedly leakedin the ongoing dispute to find a new holder of the Malietoa title.

But she has declined to comment, referring queries from the Sunday Samoan to her lawyer, Fepuleai Patrick Fepuleai.

As counsel for any client, one of my cardinal rules is I do not discuss or comment in public on any client matters, Fepuleai wrote in response to questions from the Sunday Samoan.

This is also a sensitive matter may end up in Court and I do not want to further make matters worse than it is.

Three weeks ago, one group from the Malietoa family made up of Papalii Titiuatoa Malietoa, Papalii Ioane Malietoa and Papalii Malietau Malietoa called on the President of the Land and Titles Court, Fepuleai Ropati Atilla, to investigate the matter.

The group strongly opposes the decision reached by three sides of the family, Malietoa Gatuitasina, Malietoa Talavou and Malietoa Moli for Faamausili Moli to become the next holder of the Malietoa title. The agreement reached in Sapapalii was immediately put into writing and filed with the Court.

This led to the petition in question from the complainants.Papalii Titiuatoa Malietoa, PapaliiIoaneMalietoa and Papalii Malietau Malietoa claimed that their petition had ended up with Her Highness Faamausili and her group before it had even been publicised in the Savali.

It is our opinion that the law is specific on this matter that any petition to the Court is not legal until it has been published in the Savali newspaper, a letter from the complainants reads.

Therefore it cannot be released to the public before that time. We understand from the Savali Office that the September issue of the Savali relating to matters of the Lands and Titles Court will not be published until late October 2017."

We are extremely disappointed and concerned by this unprofessional behavior by someone in the Court and the more unbecoming behavior of the person whom the document was leaked to.

The group had sought full disclosure and had threatenedcivil Court action against the person who received the information.

But a letter obtained by the Sunday Samoan dated 2 October 2017 shows that Her Highness Faamausili strongly rejected the claim from the other party.

The letter is from her lawyer Fepuleaito the lawyer representing the complainants, Unasa Iuni Sapolu.

Fepuleai pointed out that all proceedings in the Lands and Titles Court are commenced on the filing of a petition."

Upon filing, the petition becomes a public document.

Fepuleai said access to the document it is not dependent on being advertised in the Savali before it becomes a public document.

In relation to the matter you raised, we do not accept the legality of your representation."

Would you kindly point out where in the Lands and Titles Act of 1981 or other related legislation does it refer that a petition filed only becomes public document or a public record after it has been published in the Savali?

Fepuleais letter further pointed out that the meeting held on September 21, 2017, was called by her (Masiofo) as the Sao for the Faamausili family."

One of your clients, Papalii Ioane was present with his mother."

There were four matters discussed at the family meeting. The first three matters were related to their family and the fourth matter related to the current case in the Lands and Titles Court relating to the Malietoa title.

As heirs of Malietoa Moli, they were entitled to discuss that matter.

When the dispute over the petition surfaced, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration (M.J.C.A.), Papalii John Taimalelagi, denied the assertion that the document had been illegally leaked.

I am responding in my capacity as the C.E.O. specifically targeting the Petition Process, nothing more, he said.

This is the process. Once a petition is filed and signed, then the parties, swear an oath in front of the Deputy Registrar or Registrar."

Once the fee is paid, it becomes a legal document of the Court."

Then the matter is handled by the Mediation and Registrations Division. They schedule a date for mediation for all the parties and at the same time, the petition is passed over, to the Lands and Titles court."

Its from there summons letters are issued to the other parties or respondents. The summons letters inform them of the petition and a copy of the petition will be attached with the summons letters."

Also in the summons letters, are basic instructions of when the matter is scheduled to be held at the Court. At the same time, the petition is being prepared to be sent over to the Savali for publication."

The petitions are not confidential documents. The petitions are given to the respondents or interested parties as they are entitled to have copies."

The statute requires that the petitions are given to all parties of the petition and as well, its a must to be advertised in the Savali.
Former Cabinet Minister and senior Member of Parliament, FaumuinaTiatiaLiuga, has rejected claimsthat he isthe leader of a group campaigning for votes should the Prime Ministership role be up for grabs.

There is no such thing and its not me, Faumuina said emphatically when he was approached by the Sunday Samoan at the parking lot of a merchandise store.

Although his name has not been mentioned publically prior, Faumuina said he knows about the rumours and implicate him.

He said they are lies.

He said he has been in Parliament and the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) long enough to know such a move would be silly.

That is an amateurish move, he said. That would be the move by someone who does not understand the foundation of the Human Rights Protection Party."

The moment you decide otherwise, you are out of Parliament. You cannot do such a thing and that is clear in the Constitution and mandates of the H.R.P.P.

Last week Member of Parliament, Faumuina Wayne Fong raised the claims and expressed sadness at what he had described as dirty politics within H.R.P.P. He did not say who the members were. But with Prime Minister Tuilaepa SaileleMalielegaoi in hospital in New Zealand since he was evacuated three weeks ago, Faumuina Wayne told the Sunday Samoan these certain members of the Party have been campaigning for votes.

I find it absolutely disgusting, he said.

This is all happening while our Prime Minister is in New Zealand undergoing a medical check up. How can they think like that? These people are driven by the hunger for power they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Faumuina said he was approached but he rejected the offer.

I declined the offer based on so many factors, he said.

But the most critical for me is the fact that these people are power hungry people who are self-centered. They will do anything to get to the helm. I call it the small party made up of small-minded people.

Here they are rallying up other people to select a leader when our leader is overseas getting his medical check up.

Asked for his views, FaumuinaLiugasaidFauimuina Wayne should name who approached him to form up another party within H.R.P.P.

He should name them, but its not me, he said.

I believe that appointments are made by God, people who conspire will not be victorious in the end.

The veteran M.P. added that he doesnt want to judge Faumuina Wayne on his comments.

We cannot judge in case you will be judged and I never comment on that brother, said Faumuina Liuga.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa has been hospitalised in New Zealand for the past three weeks when reports surfaced about underground jostling within the Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) members for the position. Earlier this week, Acting Prime Minister Papalii Niko Lee Hang, told the Samoa Observer that he is investigating reports. He has also reassured the country there is nothing to be alarmed about. He pointed out that views expressed by Members of Parliament were their own, not the views of H.R.P.P.

As far as I know, these are just speculations of a small party who are small minded, he said.

Papalii said he was to meet with Faumuina Wayne to discuss the matter before he reports back to Prime Minister Tuilaepa.

P.M. Tuilaepa is scheduled to be back in the country tonight.
The beautiful Amoa Resort in Savaii was all pretty in pink yesterday morning when their Pinktober High Tea Fundraiser kicked off to a fabulous start.

The event was organized to raise funds in support of families suffering hardship in the fight against cancer and also to raise awareness amongst Savaiians about getting checked early to help prevent spread of cancer.

All too often, cancer victims find out the cause of illness when it is too late but always there is hope when the community come together to find solutions and provide support.

The occasion was a High Tea fundraising event organised by Amoa Resort at Siufaga, the Samoa Cancer Society, Miss Samoa Alumni and E.M.D.

Attendees heard from three guest speakers, breast cancer survivor, Bella Lemisio from Upolu, who spoke about her brush with cancer and how it changed her life in regards to altering her lifestyle habits such as eating healthily and exercising more.

She urged other women to put their health first before anything even as their roles as mothers and career women demand so much of them.

Lagomauitumua Vena Laititi Ah-Hi was another guest speaker who recently returned from Wellington to live in his ancestral home of Auala and is living with prostate cancer.

He spoke candidly about the need for men to change their attitude of indifference and be proactive in seeking a diagnosis early despite hesitations over privacy and also general fear of the unknown.

He spoke openly about having to live with a disability and also the reality of everyday pain and the numerous costly visits of chemotherapy and radiation over the last three years that impacted his family and work life

Finally Dr Nola Gidlow, a doctor in Savaii who provides cancer patients with medical help and support, spoke about preventative measures and the need for everyone to educate themselves.

While there is always the possibility of death, Dr Gidlow said there is also hope when cancer is caught early.
A group consisting mainly of professional chefs, together with a few boutique accommodation owners and a few fortunate home cooks, have just returned from a three week culinary odyssey to China.

They were guests of the Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China and trainees under the Shandong Foreign Trade Vocational College at Taian and Quindao.

Perhaps the most important lesson learnt by the participants of the Culinary Skills Programme for Samoa 2017 was the significant role which food plays in Chinese culture, and the care and attention which is given to: the ingredients; the varied cooking processes, and the overall appearance and presentation of food prepared for guests, which if taken together is intended to bring prosperity, good luck and long life to each individual as well as the assembled group of diners at each and every meal.

The provision and preparation of Food and sharing meals together in China, is not simply fulfilling a basic necessity, but has developed over many centuries as an important occasion for socializing and gathering together as family and friends, and is an opportunity for the host to sprinkle good fortune over their guests in a convivial and pleasant environment.

To start the course preparatory lectures about Chinese history and culture, food science and knife skills were followed by practical training courses given by some of Chinas most eminent culinary experts and Masterchefs and the participants were put through their paces as they tried to replicate the dishes they had been shown.

Fish, Pork, Prawns and Jellyfish found themselves at the mercy of the Samoan chefs, and with great patience (and the maturity borne from great skill) our Culinary Professors offered their comment and suggestions.

Twenty continuous days of culinary training culminated in graduation at two institutions, S.F.T.V.C. and the Shandong Provincial Labour and Employment Training Centrein Jinan,and the conferral of Training Certificates for all 19 Samoan trainees.

They were then treated to a bullet train trip to Beijing to climb the Great Wall of China, where seven of the group climbed through five forts to the Tenth Fortress, while the less hardy were drinking green tea in the car park after climbing to the usual two forts, with a visit to Olympic Park followed the next day by a walking tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Although described by close friends and relatives as simply an eating tour of China, in fact the daily training sessions were exacting and challenging and new skills were learnt and techniques explored, although it must be said that the daily meals were exceptional and an exquisite banquet was provided at lunch and dinner each day as well as an extensive breakfast buffet given the subject matter of the course.

The physical environment of China was remarkable and the sheer scale of the architecture, public facilities, technology and sophistication was a revelation for even the most seasoned travelers in the group, although there were many whose first trip outside Samoa was this once in a lifetime voyage to China.

In terms of the treatment of the group, they were humbled by the extraordinary kindness and generosity of the Ministry of Commerce staff, the teachers from the Shandong Foreign Trade Vocational College and all those who lectured them for their warm welcome and dedicated care during theirentire stay which was a credit to their country and their various training institutions.

We will ever be grateful for such an invaluable and unique opportunity.

At the end of the day the Chinatraining course offered a small glimpse into the hearts of a diverse nation whose modern developments are simply a restoration of the status and rich history of a culture so prominent in ancient times and coming back with a vengeance.

The art of superior culinary culture inChina, is to prepare food meant for others with care, respect and humility, and if so prepared,it will bring joy to those who are partaking and a positive light to that particular part of the world.

As the great philosopher Confucius once said:He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.

We note with gratitude the Samoa Hotels Association and the Samoa Tourism Authority for requesting the training course, and in particular offer our grateful appreciation to the Government and people of the Peoples Republic of China through His Excellency Ambassador Wang XeuFeng and his good lady Madam Tong Xin for their kind assistance, and finally to Zhang Min (Joy); Sun Yang Ting (Ivy) Ziang Ting Ting (Felicity) and Zhang Li Ziao (Fred) our China family for their support and care.
A Board Member of Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Beach Resort in Mulifanua, Magele Hoe Viali, has dismissed reports that the resort is up for sale.

The reports follow the confirmation of negotiations for the sale of the Resorts sister property in Apia, Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Hotel, to an Asian group.

It was not possible to get a comment from the Hotel.

But Magele, in response to questions from the Sunday Samoan, said the reports are not true.

There is nothing like that at all, he said. I have not seen any indication what-so-ever about a sale for the Mulifanua Resort."

The only hotel that I am aware there are negotiations and Im not certain whether the sale has gone through or not but is the Sheraton in Apia."

But not the Aggie Greys Beach Resort in Mulifanua."

Magele, who is the General Manager of Samoa Airport Authority (S.A.A.), sits on the Board of Aggie Greys Beach Resort, as a representative of the Authority.

S.A.A. is among a number of shareholders in the Resort, which includes private companies and the Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.).

There is not even an inkling the Aggie Greys Beach Resort in Mulifanua is up for sale, Magele said.

Its impossible for that to happen. There are a lot of shareholders and most especially government counterparts who own shares at the Resort.

Attempts by the Sunday Samoan to get comments from the S.N.P.F. were unsuccessful.

Documents obtained by the Sunday Samoan from companies online registry indicates the property at Mulifanua remains with the current shareholders.

Samoa National Provident Funds number of shares are 27,927,440; R.M. J Keil Enterprises L.T.D. 100,000; Motor Distributors Samoa Limited 111,525; Simokata Enterprises Limited 145,094; Federal Pacific Finance Limited 111,525; Aggie Greys Hotel Limited 1,879,865; Samoa Airport Authority 2,500,000; David Katzin 4,341,833; Lealiie Rudi Ott 2,154,746; Henry Westerlund 1,000,000; Robert De Courteney 500,000; Roy Lee 500,000; KVA Consultanty Limited 740,875; Digicel (Samoa) Limited 7,755,754; OSM Investments Limited 169,129; Computer Services Limited 144,292 and Parliamentary Pension Scheme 680,272.
Over the last year, the San Diego Convention Center was able to secure enough future bookings to deliver to the city more than 1 million hotel room nights, even without a hoped-for expansion of the bayfront facility.

Those room nights, a barometer for measuring success in filling the center, far exceeded the sales forces goal of 840,000 hotel nights and represent the third year in a row that the goal has been surpassed, according to a sales and marketing report released this week.

But dont expect that booking level this year, warns Tourism Authority CEO Joe Terzi, who points out that 70 percent of the centers capacity over the next 10 years and beyond already has been filled.

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On top of that, San Diegos growing homeless problem has not gone unnoticed by meeting planners, posing a hurdle for the sales team in persuading associations and companies to book a meeting here, Terzi acknowledged in an interview Friday.

He recounted an incident that occurred about a week ago when a meeting planner who was visiting San Diego to consider booking a meeting was attacked by a homeless individual in a hotel bar. He is still hopeful, he said, about securing that groups business.

Homelessness is becoming a more obvious challenge because its very visible and if you get accosted by a homeless person or have to step over stuff on the street, planners will say Im not sure I want to have to deal with this, Terzi said.

Were not the least expensive city, but we have a great product and have always been a safe and secure and clean environment but it we lose that, we could lose our competitive advantage. We feel this is the No. 1 issue we have to deal with now.

Despite the concerns surrounding the growing presence of the homeless downtown, Terzi said he was encouraged that the hepatitis A outbreak has not been a large concern for meeting planners.

I was just in Las Vegas at a big industry meeting where a lot of big buyers go, and we got a few questions but not a lot, he said.

While the hotel room night commitments secured for future conventions was relatively high, the grand total was boosted by a windfall of about 190,000 room nights associated with a three-year deal Comic-Con International signed in July. The current contract with the pop culture convention is due to expire next year.

Among the highlights of the 2016-17 fiscal year report:

The center realized $41 million in revenues compared with $34.8 million in operating expenses.

Lost business amounted to a little more than $2 million in hotel room nights, with more than half that owing to insufficient space in the center or unavailable dates. Almost $400,000 in lost business was because a rival center got the bookings.

A total of 59 citywide meetings and events were booked for future dates  between 2017 and 2030  accounting for 1,091,534 room nights.

Of the 59 bookings, 11, or 19 percent, were new to the city. Examples of new business include the National Grocers Association, Asian American Hotel Owners Association and the American Medical Group Association.

Conventions that came to San Diego last year drew nearly 900,000 attendees who spent an estimated $673.9 million on lodging, meals, transportation and other expenses.

Given San Diegos consistent ranking among the top five convention destinations, city and tourism leaders believe that the center could draw even more business if it could be enlarged to accommodate larger associations that cannot fit in the existing center.

A group of city stakeholders, including hoteliers, business leaders and organized labor representatives, have been meeting in hopes of submitting to the voters next year an initiative that would hike the hotel tax to help pay for a more than $600 million expansion and also fund homeless services and road repairs.

So far no draft proposal has been released, although backers say they would like to put a citizens initiative on the November 2018 ballot.

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lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Drones can take spectacular photos of whales and other marine life  or they can harass them to the point of distress.

To help drone operators observe animals without inadvertently harming them, Alicia Amerson founded the San Diego-based company AliMoSphere, which trains drone pilots to fly safely in marine environments.

She aims to provide guidance about drone flights in wildlife areas, in the absence of clear state or federal rules governing the practice.

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Theres no rule for flying drones over marine wildlife, she said. Its very confusing and vague. Theres just a lot of gray space here. What we want to do, until we have regulations, we want to promote very conscious, safe and reliable flying.

As whale-watching season approaches, more ship captains and private boat owners are deploying drones to view the animals. But the drones may confuse migrating whales, and disturb other marine life.

Drones flown over rookeries can provoke seals and sea lions to flush, crushing or abandoning pups, she said. Hovering too close to cliff-side nests, they can cause sea birds to flee their nests.

However, they can also be useful tools for scientific research and wildlife observation.

One of the great things about this technology is it allows scientists to collect data in 30 minutes that would take a day to collect, Amerson said.

Researchers with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts announced that they recently captured a sample of the exhalation from humpback whales blow using a hexacopter  a method less distressing for the animals than approaching in a boat. Other researchers use them for photographic surveys of the animals.

I think theres a major opportunity to get closer to wildlife to better understand them, to learn about them and to experience them through the use of these drones, said Geoff Shester, California program manager for the conservation group Oceana, who has shot aerial photos of whales with drones. But we want to make sure, before anyone promotes that, to do it responsibly.

Amerson developed the idea for AliMoSphere to help drone pilots navigate those issues. The company provides a three-day pilot training session for drone operators working toward commercial licenses, as well as seminars on the use of drones in whale-watching cruises and conservation areas.

Amerson, 39, became interested in the issue while completing a masters degree in marine conservation and biodiversity at Scripps Institution of Oceanograpy at UC San Diego. For her masters thesis, she studied practices of whale-watching tours along the West Coast. During one of those cruises, she saw something peculiar on the water.

I was on a boat, watching another boat watching a whale, when she saw what appeared to be a strange bird hovering over the whale. I thought, what a funny seagull  then I got my camera out and it was actually a drone, like a robotic seagull.

Thats not uncommon said Christopher FitzSimmons, an education specialist for Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. Whale-watching season now extends nearly year round, as gray whales migrate earlier in the fall  sometimes as soon as mid-November  and boats seek other species such as humpback, blue, minke and fin whales at other times of year.

We are seeing an increase in the use of drones with both private and commercial vessels, he said. There are concerns about safety, and there just isnt enough information.

Two years ago, Amerso completed a California Sea Grant fellowship as a resource consultant for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. In his office, she worked on a variety of projects concerning marine conservation and marine mammal safety. As part of that, she convened a marine wildlife task force for unmanned aerial systems, to establish best practices for flying drones in marine habitats.

Right now, the best rule of thumb is just dont fly over marine wildlife, she said. Just keep your distance. Dont fly close, dont fly overhead. Minimize your exposure time.

Drone pilots should also understand air space regulations and seek information on sensitive areas and wildlife in the areas where theyre operating, she said. They should also maintain the same 100-yard distance that boats must observe near marine mammals. And pilots should educate themselves about air space regulations, and sensitive wildlife in areas where they operate.

Plan ahead to reduce your impact to wildlife  what wildlife you may encounter and any flight restrictions, such as in a sanctuary, Amerson said. Reach out to (wildlife) experts and ask them to identify key disturbance behavior. If you see (animals) acknowledging the drone, you should back off.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Fifteen years ago, executive chef Jeff Jackson at The Lodge at Torrey Pines got an idea to bring together some of his favorite local chefs, ranchers and farmers for a culinary tastings event.

The result was Celebrate the Craft, which returns to the Lodge on Oct. 29. Much has changed in San Diegos culinary scene in the intervening years, so Jackson is marking the 15th anniversary by rolling back the clock and changing up this years format.

For this years event, hes bringing back several of the chefs who participated that very first year, including Michael Stebner (now of Sweetgreen in Lon Angeles) and Christian Graves (now at Citizen Rail in Denver), as well as still-local Trey Foshee (Georges at the Cove), Jack Fisher (Town & Country Resort) and Carl Schroeder (Market Restaurant).

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As in every year past, a portion of proceeds will benefit a farm-focused organization. This years recipient is Slow Food Urban San Diego, a nonprofit that promotes the use of local, seasonal and sustainable foods.

Jackson recently talked about the history of Celebrate the Craft, whats changed, and why San Diego is still in San Franciscos shadow as a food town.

Q: What was San Diegos culinary scene like when you arrived at the Lodge?

A: I moved here in 2001 from Santa Monica, where I had relationships with all the farmers at the farmers market. Here, there were just a handful of chefs who were using local farms. The guy who started it all was Michael (Stebner). His restaurant, Region, was farm to table before that was even a term. He and Jack (Fisher) had a big board out front that listed the farms they used and what they were growing for the menu. Back then, most of the local organic farmers could only grow enough to satisfy their farmers market and food stand customers. Jack was one of the first to talk to farmers and get them to up their game.

Q: Why did you start Celebrate the Craft?

A: It was born out of the idea that I would introduce local chefs to farms and farmers and make that connection. A lot of them came down then, and still do, from Santa Monica as well as Paso Robles, Carpinteria and Montecito. Wed partner each chef with a farmer to cook what the farms had. Guests could see the produce in its raw form, taste the cooked dish, and pair it with wine from a winery. Weve usually drawn about 400 guests every year.

Q: How has San Diegos culinary scene changed in 15 years?

A: The level of cooking has gone up astronomically. Theres so much more talent here, and the same can be said of the local farms. Lots have come, some have gone on, and others are popping up all the time. The whole community has grown exponentially.

Q: This year, youve got more than 20 chefs participating. What are your criteria for choosing who to invite?

A: Ive tried to attract those chefs who are true to the idea of using those farms. Over the years, weve had many of the same chefs and farmers, and to a large extent the same guests. That has created this community where we can all get together and have fun.

Q: Whats new this year?

A: I got tired of the obligatory tasting events where you always get a scallop on a bed of risotto or some other little cutesy thing. This year, well partner three chefs together with a protein to create a more substantial dish. The trios will be working with Kobe beef, pork, rabbit, fish and a vegetable. Jack and James Foran will be the pastry chefs, and Miho Gastrotruck and Mastiff Sausage will do tray-passed hors doeuvres.

Q: How do you think Celebrate the Craft has educated the local dining public about the value of buying local?

A: Ive always said that one reason San Francisco is such a great food town is that the clientele is so demanding. As diners become more educated and appreciative of good ingredients, the more they expect it. As a chef, you cant rest on your laurels. You have to put out the best or your doors wont be open much longer. Were not to that degree in San Diego yet, but there are a lot of people who base where theyll spend their hard-earned money on the products theyre going to receive. Its a very good thing for everybody.

Celebrate the Craft

When: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 29

Where: The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

Tickets: $135 (includes valet parking)

Online: celebratethecraft.com

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
The cars slowed as they approached a berm on the northern outskirts of this small town. A Kurdish peshmerga fighter at the checkpoint, instead of waving them through, began pointing urgently to the left  just as the whistle-boom of a mortar shell, a close one, sounded nearby.

Soon there was more trouble: Humvees and armored vehicles careened in and quickly set up defensive positions behind the berm. Several civilian cars were right behind, their terrified drivers gunning their engines to escape the crescendo of explosions they had just left behind.

The bangs now came from all sides, intensifying into a drum roll as the peshmergas heavy machine guns opened fire at advancing Iraqi forces, accompanied by the bass thumps of the Howitzer artillery at the rear. The high-pitched whines of bullets whizzed past, one smacking into a vegetable stall, another piercing the trunk of a car.

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The clashes Friday between Kurdish forces and Iraqi troops  until now allies in the fight to dislodge Islamic State from Iraq  marked the heaviest round of violence since Baghdad launched an offensive earlier this week to claw back disputed areas also claimed by the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Elite Iraqi special forces, federal police and Iranian-backed paramilitary units known as Hashd al Shaabi engaged Kurdish troops, advancing from Kirkuk to Altun Kupri district, 25 miles northwest and almost halfway to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan regional government.

Throughout Fridays conflict, a drone piloted by the U.S.-led coalition patrolled the skies above, but did not attack any of the belligerents.

America and Kurds are friends. Why arent they bombing Hashd and Iran? asked one peshmerga fighter, whose angry protest was momentarily interrupted by the whistle of an incoming mortar.

The outcome appeared to be a standoff: The Iraqi army announced that its forces had imposed security in the district; a statement released by the general command of the peshmerga said the Iraqi attack had been defeated.

The taking of Altun Kupri, a Turkmen-dominated town on the Zab River that separates Kirkuk from Irbil, is the latest in a series of crushing setbacks for the Kurdish government, which in the last week has lost some 40% of the territory it hoped to include in a future Kurdish state, as well as half of its projected oil reserves.

It is also a troubling development for the U.S.-led coalition, which has lavished both the peshmerga and Iraqi forces with weapons and logistical and air support in the fight against Islamic State. Some of those weapons and vehicles were seen on the front line during Fridays skirmish.

Kamal Karkouki, commander of the peshmerga in western Kirkuk, said in an interview, Iraq attacked the area here with American weapons, and we have to answer them.

They will try to occupy this whole area and move forward, he said.

Spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon said the coalition was aware of the incident and that it was continuing to engage our counterparts in the Iraqi army and the peshmerga to ease tensions  there is also work on the embassy level as well.

The U.S., which opposed a nonbinding referendum last month on Kurdish independence, has insisted it will not take sides. But Dillon said that both peshmerga and Iraqi army leaders, while diverted over the independence debate, were not as responsive or committed to the fight against ISIS  and this has always been our concern leading up to the referendum, and it has certainly played out in that way and more so right now.

Islamic State is also known as ISIS.

Just because ISIS doesnt hold territory doesnt mean theyre not planning attacks or planning nefarious activity all over Iraq, and this is something we have to keep an eye on, said Dillon. Were already seeing the emphasis and the attention on ISIS slipping away.

#Kurd-ish troops cheer when they see an explosion among the #Iraq-i ranks. A sad day for what's left of the country's unity. pic.twitter.com/1gGs7A9z2h  Nabih (@nabihbulos) October 20, 2017

Casualty numbers were not immediately disclosed, but witnesses said at least eight peshmerga had been treated for wounds.

Karkouki later said that his fighters had destroyed five Iraqi Humvees and two tanks, while a reporter in the area saw two peshmerga vehicles burning after apparently taking direct hits from mortar fire, as well as the charred skeletons of three pickup trucks.

The clashes come after a relatively bloodless offensive forced peshmerga units in the past week to hand over oilfields, power plants, airports as well as important border districts to Iraqi forces, almost without a shot being fired. Baghdad is seeking to reimpose its control over areas the peshmerga had seized after Islamic States stunning 2014 takeover of northern Iraq.

But Fridays fighting also signified a further souring of already-tense relations between the Kurds and the Iraq government more than three weeks after the overwhelming Kurdish vote in favor of secession.

Kurdish news outlets have been full of reports of Kurdish neighborhoods facing harassment by Iranian-backed Shiite militias allied with the central government (the reports were dismissed as fake news by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi).

The U.S. State Department said it was concerned by the clashes and appealed for all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm.

The department statement said the Iraqi governments reassertion of authority over disputed areas in the north in no way changes their status they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution.

Meanwhile, in his Friday address, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraqs top Shiite cleric, called on Baghdad to do more to reassure and protect Kurdish citizens.

He also advised Kurdish leaders to unify their ranks and work to get past the current crisis through cooperation with the central government, in accordance with the constitution.

UPDATES:

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the U.S. State Department.

2:50 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.

7:50 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 4:35 a.m.
Rohingya crisis has received prominence in the D-8 summit and they termed the recent situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State as ethnic cleansing, said the media release.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The group of developed nations, D-8, has assured the foreign ministry of Bangladesh all sort of political and humanitarian support towards tackling the Rohingya crisis.

According to international aid agencies and UNHCR, around 600,000 Rohingya refugees, of whom 61 percent are children, have arrived in Cox's Bazar from neighbouring Myanmar to escape murder, rape and hunger amid a violent army crackdown from August 25.

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The group comprising Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey made pledge at the 9th D-8 summit in Istanbul, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

Bangladesh State minister for foreign affairs Mohd Shahriar Alam led the Bangladeshi delegation at the summit on Friday, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Rohingya crisis has received prominence in the D-8 summit and they termed the recent situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State as ethnic cleansing, said the media release.

Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said, Turkish President Erdogan, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the Government of Bangladesh for opening hearts and borders for the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, and appreciated their commendable role and efforts for a solution to the problem.

He spoke passionately on the Rohingya issue at least three times, and admired Bangladesh's role and initiative to shelter them.

POLITICAL STABILITY NEEDED IN MYANMAR

Erdogan emphasised on the need for political stability in Myanmar, and assured its maximum support for the Rohingyas and their host Bangladesh, particularly in OIC and UN, said the statement.

He called upon all to share the huge burden of Bangladesh and he expressed interest in building shelters for Rohingyas along with establishment of field hospitals, health camps etc.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, recalled his recent visit to Bangladesh, and stressed on further mobilising international support to address the crisis. Among others, the First Vice-President of Iran also acclaimed the humane approach of Bangladesh and reassured of their support.

Alam briefed the D-8 members on Bangladesh's "open door policy" towards the dispossessed Rohingyas, and stressed on the five point formula presented by Prime Minister Hasina in the last UNGA.

The meeting was attended by Presidents of Turkey, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Guinea, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Vice President of Indonesia, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, First Vice President of Iran, and Vice Foreign Minister of Egypt along with the Foreign Ministers of most of the member states.

JORDAN QUEEN TO VISIT ROHINGYA CAMPS

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan will arrive in Bangladesh on Monday to visit Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Her visit will underscore the urgent need for a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance, the UNHCR said in a statement.

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Jordan's queen is a board member of the International Rescue Committee and an advocate for UN aid agencies.

"She will meet with women and children who have recently crossed the border from Myanmar and see some of the emergency services offered by the IRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, and other humanitarian agencies on the ground," said the UNHCR statement.

At the end of the visit, Rania will hold a media briefing at Cox's Bazar.

--- ENDS ---
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced plans Saturday to fire the Catalan president and force fresh elections in the separatist-led region, invoking a constitutional clause never used in the four decades since Spains transition from dictatorship to democracy.

It was a drastic crackdown following a flurry of ultimatums, street protests and violence that followed a disputed independence referendum three weeks ago. The unrest has prompted an exodus of banks and businesses from Catalonia, threatening the economic stability of Spains wealthiest region.

Word that Spain would invoke Article 155 of its Constitution  suspending Catalonias regional powers  sent thousands of protesters into the streets of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, and prompted a harsh rebuke from soon-to-be-deposed separatist leaders there.

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We cannot accept this attack, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said, looking ashen in televised address late Saturday. It is incompatible with a democratic attitude and the rule of law.

Outside, protesters called the takeover a coup and chanted, Not one step more!

When Spaniards ratified their Constitution in 1978, survival of the then-fledgling democracy was thought to rest on the devolution of powers to 17 autonomous regions, which run their own health and education systems but rely on Madrid for tax collection and other services. The arrangement reversed the centralized power of the late dictator Francisco Franco.

Rajoy sought to upend that arrangement for the first time Saturday in Catalonia, where the local language and culture were repressed under Franco.

Pending Senate approval late next week, the Spanish central government would take over governance of the wealthy northeast region, replacing all government ministers and taking control of the local police force, known as the Mossos, as well as the public broadcaster TV3, according to a document drafted by Cabinet ministers, a copy of which was obtained by The Times.

The government had to enforce Article 155. It wasnt our desire, nor our intention. It never was, Rajoy told reporters in Madrid. But in this situation, no government of any democratic country can accept that the law is ignored.

Moments after Rajoys speech, people emerged onto balconies across Barcelona, clanging pots and pans together in a chorus of dissent.

On Oct. 1, Catalan separatist leaders presided over an independence referendum which Spanish courts had ruled illegal. Some 90% of ballots cast were for secession, but more than half of Catalans did not participate, and the polling was disrupted by Spanish police.

Puigdemont nevertheless claimed a mandate for independence.

Im a Catalan and only that  not Spanish. They dont represent me, said Ana Carnet, 63, a housewife and pro-independence protester in the Barcelona crowd Saturday. Now our [Catalan regional] government has to do only one thing: declare independence. We are waiting for that.

A small far-left pro-independence party in Puigdemonts ruling coalition has called for an immediate unilateral declaration, and suggested the Catalan government could go into exile across the border in Perpignan, France. Puigdemont said Saturday he would ask the Catalan parliament to convene and debate, in the coming days, what he called the liquidation of Catalonias self-rule.

People wave Catalan independence flags after listening to a 9 p.m. statement by regional president Carles Puigdemont. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images )

But they have less than a week before the Spanish Senate is expected to pass Rajoys Article 155 measures, under which the Catalan parliament would be barred from passing any new laws without approval first by Madrid.

Puigdemont said such limitations were an attempt to humiliate Catalonia. Speaking in the Catalan language, he said Article 155 represents the worst attack on Catalonias democracy since the Franco era.

Then he switched into English, which he rarely speaks in public, and addressed Europeans.

We are doing what we are doing because we believe in peaceful democratic values, Puigdemont said. What we are fighting  what you are fighting for  is exactly the same thing.

At a European Union summit in Brussels this past week, EU officials reiterated their long-held position that Catalan separatism is an internal Spanish matter. They said the bloc would not send mediators.

Rajoy said he was not revoking Catalonias autonomy, but rather restoring normality and coexistence.

He appealed to companies to halt an exodus from the northeast region. Dozens of Catalan banks and other businesses have relocated to other Spanish regions, or have indicated they would do so, if Catalonia breaks away from Spain and thus the EU.

Rajoy reminded Catalans that the whole country has just emerged from a punishing economic recession.

Economic recuperation today in Catalonia is in danger  in evident danger  because of the capricious and unilateral decisions of [separatist leaders] there, Rajoy said.

With 7.5 million residents, Catalonia is Spains economic engine, contributing about a fifth of Spains total gross domestic product and more than a quarter of exports. Its economy is larger than Portugals or Finlands.

Two of the three other main parties in Spains national parliament, besides Rajoys conservatives, have said they support the prime ministers crackdown on Catalan separatists. But the far-left Podemos (We Can) party said it is opposed to Article 155 measures, and wants the Spanish government to allow Catalans to vote legally on their future  like the UK allowed in Scotland in 2014.

The most corrupt party in Europe has 8.5% of the votes in Catalonia and will now govern there, tweeted Podemos MP Pablo Echenique, referring to corruption scandals that have dogged Rajoys conservatives, and the partys share of the vote in Catalonia. A terrible day for any democrat.

In the northern Basque region, which for decades saw its own violent separatist uprising, a spokesman for the Basque Nationalist Party tweeted that Rajoys lax and abusive use of Article 155 sets a dangerous precedent.

Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont speaks Oct. 21 in Barcelona. (Ruben Moreno Garcia / AFP/Getty Images )

Frayer is a special correspondent.

UPDATES:

4:55 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with new details including statements from demonstrators and Catalan officials.

3:45 p.m.: This article was updated with Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont joining demonstrators.

12:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont.

7:30 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.

This article was originally published at 6:45 a.m.
Maryland has given transportation pioneer Elon Musk permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system known as a hyperloop that Musk wants to build between New York and Washington.

Representatives of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday the state has issued a conditional utility permit to let Musks tunneling firm, the Boring Co., dig a 10.3-mile tunnel beneath the state-owned portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, between the Baltimore city line and state Highway 175 in Hanover.

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It would be the first portion of the underground system that Musk says could eventually ferry passengers from Washington to New York, with stops in Baltimore and Philadelphia, in just 29 minutes. Marylands approval is the first step of many needed to complete the multibillion-dollar project.

Hogan toured a site in Hanover that aides said could become an entry point for the hyperloop. The state does not plan to contribute to the cost of the project, aides said.

Hogan said on Facebook he was incredibly excited to support the project proposed by Musk, founder of the electric car company Tesla and the rocket firm SpaceX.

This thing is real. Its exciting to see, Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn said. The word transformational may be overused, but this is a technology that leapfrogs any technology that is out there today. And its going to be here.

The Boring Co. thanked officials for their support and declined to comment further.

At the time, leaders of major cities along the route said they had not granted permission of any kind. But Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said she was excited to hear more.

Hogan announced his support for the project on Thursday. He posted photos of himself, Rahn, Boring Co. executives and Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh touring the fenced-off site in Hanover where the tunneling is expected to begin.

Administration officials said they will treat the hyperloop like a utility, and permitted it in the same way the state allows electric companies to burrow beneath public rights-of-way.

We have all sorts of utilities beneath our roadways, Rahn said. In essence, this didnt need anything more than a utility permit.

Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the vast majority of the lines in the project will run under existing state highways.

It was not immediately clear Thursday what environmental review or other permitting procedures must be completed before the company breaks ground.

It will be done in an environmentally sound and safe fashion, as are all state highway administration projects in Maryland, Mayer said.

More than two-thirds of the 35-mile Baltimore Washington Parkway is owned by the federal government, which as of Thursday had not publicly granted permission for the hyperloop system.

The Boring Co. aims to reduce traffic congestion by creating a low-cost, efficient system of tunnels. The company has developed tunneling machines it says will drill quickly through soft soils at a fraction of the cost of traditional tunneling.

The hyperloop technology uses electric motors and magnets to transport train cars through a low-pressure tube.

Rahn, the transportation secretary, said the Boring Co. will start with two 35-mile tubes between Baltimore and Washington.

Rahn said the company hopes to assemble its drilling machines at the Hanover site.

ecox@baltsun.com

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It occurred to Jen Amos that despite her involvement in community organizations and events that celebrated her Filipino and American identities, she needed something more.

As a Filipino American woman, Ive been told to be or do many things: Be American. Be Filipino. Know your history. Speak Filipino. Know your family roots. Dont ask questions. Visit the Philippines more often. Lighten my skin. Lose weight. Get a stable job. On and on and on. All of these kind, good intentioned suggestions and not once was I told, Just be who you are. You are enough, she says. With The Filipino American Woman Project, we celebrate the Filipino American women as they already are. Our underlying message is: You are enough, and we want to celebrate you by sharing your story.

She started The Filipino American Woman Project last year through her online marketing agency, Social Turtles, and uses Facebook Live to broadcast the show with interviews featuring other women who identify as Filipino and American. After looking online to learn more about the history of women like her, who came before her, and coming up mostly empty, she decided to have women speak for themselves on what it means to be part of this community.

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Amos, 29, lives in downtown San Diego with her fiance and their rescue dog, and is the founder and host of the project, and founder and executive director of her online marketing agency. She took some time to talk about her inspiration for the project, what she hopes people inside and outside of her community can learn from the stories women are sharing, and what its taught her about herself.

Q: Tell us about The Filipino American Woman Project.

A: It was inspired by my personal experiences as an American woman of Filipino descent, and it stemmed from a deep desire to collect stories of those that identify the same way, to have these stories for generations to come.

Q: What led to the creation of a project to tell the stories of Filipino American women?

A: Since middle school, I have battled against being a self-loathing Filipino American woman. Within my own community, I grew up with traumatic experiences of my fathers sudden disappearance, bullying, emotional and financial abuse, and child molestation. In college, I decided to explore beyond my childhood experiences by getting involved with San Diego State Universitys Filipino organization. Throughout my post-college years and young adult experiences, I would occasionally get involved with other Filipino-related community events and organizations. Yet, despite my experiences, I still felt like something was missing. It was then I realized that what I needed wasnt external, but internal. Thus, The Filipino American Woman Project was born.

From my personal experience and observations  and I emphasize personal experience because I do not want my story to be a blanket description for my whole community  Filipino American women (and Filipino women for that matter) are very humble about their work ethic, resilience, history and service to others. So much so, that well do more than we can handle because we dont always know how to communicate when enough is enough. I personally grew up discouraged to speak up or communicate my feelings, especially when I was overwhelmed. I was told that I was weak, complaining or challenging authority. With this project  rather than having a book, a scholar, an organization, a loved one or anyone else speak on our behalf, were putting Filipino American women themselves front and center, to share what being a Filipino American woman means to them.

Q: Why was this something you wanted to do?

A: I have found that storytelling is the most powerful and effective way of connecting with others. In understanding our similarities and differences, we may hopefully find a common ground of community, support and collaboration. There are numerous times where I have felt more connected with someone because I was moved by their story or they were moved by mine. Now that weve created a platform for Filipino American women to do the same, its my hope that at least one more person can feel connected, whether its the influence of a woman sharing her story or the influence of women listening to her. Stories connect. And when were connected, I believe that were empowered to embrace the beauty thats within ourselves and with each other.

As this passion project grows, I, too, am learning to embrace my own story in a broader perspective; to realize that my own sad stories dont define me. I am the author of my life, and I can write a more positive future for myself that doesnt have to include abandonment or abuse. If I can do the same for even one person or facilitate a space for other women to affect one more person in a positive way, then I am glad.

What I love about downtown San Diego...

My little family and I love spending a lot of time together. So we love how Downtown San Diego is a dog-friendly neighborhood.

Q: How does the project function?

A: I first started promoting it through Facebook groups and our responses were almost immediate. What I find most beautiful about these insights is that they are all organic. Filipino American women have approached me and encouraged their friends to share their stories, too. When friends see their friends being interviewed live, they are inspired to do the same. Depending on their location or preference, we interview them in person or online, and all of the stories are available on our Facebook page (https://facebook.com/thefilipinoamericanwoman/videos/).

Q: Why is it important to you to tell stories about Filipino American women, specifically?

A: Its the Filipino American women stories that Im most curious about because I know so little about them. I never knew my grandmothers stories from either my mother or fathers side. I am still learning about my mothers story. I have learned about Filipino and Filipino American culture as a whole, while I was in college. But what about the Filipino American woman? In general, I have no convenient access to stories of women like me. My fiance, whos Caucasian, knows American history very well. One, because its taught in our American school system. Two, it was essential for his career in the military. Three, he just loves history! He has the luxury of being able to research his American history through the Internet, libraries, the plethora of American-based documentaries, in popular culture, and so many other places with ease. For a Filipino American woman such as myself, learning about my history is not as easily accessible.

Q: What do you hope this project does for other Filipino American women?

A: I hope that this project will influence them to celebrate themselves and each other for the amazing women that they are today. For any Filipino American woman that feels misrepresented, I hope that this influences her to share her story. As long as a women living in America is of Filipino descent, our project has a platform for her to share her story. I also hope that the strength and skills we find in storytelling will translate into our professional lives and whatever endeavors we choose to pursue.

Q: How do you think seeing these stories about each other will provide strength?

A: I believe that hearing and engaging with stories on a consistent basis will make us stronger communicators, and having better communication skills is an opportunity to make healthier connections. On a more personal level, I feel like these stories provide me with the strength to honor my parents story of immigration, how they left behind all that they knew in the Philippines to give us more opportunities and options to succeed in America. Now, I admit that the majority of my life being a daughter to immigrant parents wasnt easy, but today I see that it was all worth it. More than ever, I honor my parents sacrifices, resilience, and courage. Im especially learning to honor my mother more, who became a widow with three children under 11 years old to care for.

Q: Whats been challenging about your work with The Filipino American Woman Project?

A: Mainly taking care of myself as a dark-skinned, female minority whos had a long history of being a self-loathing Filipino American woman. It sounds self-centered, but for my close friends and loved ones who know me, I have a strong tendency to put myself last. This passion project is a personal declaration to care for myself first, so in turn, I can better serve others. Secondly, I have to remind myself on a daily basis to practice interdependence, rather than falling into the extreme ends individualism or collectivism. This project is meant to serve as a community for others, but I cant forget that it should also serve me.

Q: Whats been rewarding about that work?

A: Knowing that Ill never not be a Filipino American woman. Its exciting to know that I have a lifetime to work on this potentially, ever-evolving project and grow with the community that may come because of it. I also find that the feedback of Filipino American women is incredibly rewarding. In the few short months we started this project, I have had countless women thank me for doing this. It touches my heart and motivates me every day.

Q: What has it taught you about yourself?

A: Im beautiful just the way that I am. I am always enough.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: My favorite Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (about how There is a time for everything...). This verse reminds me that I have many versions, evolutions, and seasons of myself to look forward to throughout my lifetime. Its exciting. It reassures me that Im always at the right place at the right time because God has a plan for everything in my life.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: That I was born in Yokosuka, Japan, but I am not Japanese, nor do I speak Japanese. I was born on American soil on a U.S. Navy base. Therefore, I am an American.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: A nice day at home or a nice day out with my fiance and our dog is enough for me. I enjoy walking around downtown or Balboa Park with my little family. Many times, I enjoy taking our dog to a nice stroll around Fiesta Island.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick
With the World War II hero seated in the shadow of its looming gray hull, the U.S. Navy on Saturday christened the Hershel Woody Williams, adding another vessel to Americas growing arsenal in the Pacific.

The ships namesake, retired Marine Chief Warrant Officer 4 Williams, received the nations highest decoration for combat bravery for his valorous actions on Iwo Jima in 1945.

Covered by only four riflemen, for four grueling hours Williams wielded six 70-pound flamethrowers against a series of Japanese pillbox bunkers, dodging machine gun fire and returning repeatedly to snatch a fueled-up weapon.

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Charged by Japanese soldiers brandishing bayonets, he engulfed them in fire and kept up his attack, clearing the way for Marines to take the rest of the island.

During his address on a packed General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard pier, the 94-year-old downplayed his battlefield courage.

He instead recalled the sacrifices made by fellow Marines who died on the volcanic island. He mentioned the miracles that played out over the 72 years since he fought there, moments in a life of service that brought the Navy to name a vessel after a West Virginia country boy.

He called his namesake ship  an item of war, but said it really was launched to help keep peace in the world.

Were not an aggressive people. Thats not our nature, he said.

In his speech, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, recollected a push that spanned two decades to get a ship named after Williams, one that ended in 2015 when former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus marked the planned Expeditionary Sea Base for him.

With a large mountaineer contingent in the crowd, Manchin called Williams the greatest friend the state of West Virginia ever had and lauded the retired Marine as a quiet servant of veterans who never asked for anything in return.

With its keel laid on Aug. 2, 2016, the $498 million ship that bears his name is expected to enter service in the Pacific Ocean for Military Sealift Command in February, following a series of sea trials.

Called the Pacific Pivot, the American military continues to beef up its arsenal of warships, support vessels and stealth jets during an era of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and rising maritime rivals such as China and Russia.

Although it can be used to hunt sea mines or launch Special Operations Forces, the Expeditionary Sea Base Williams is more likely to serve as a floating tarmac, warehouse or command and control headquarters.

This Expeditionary Sea Base will provide our leadership with options, said Navy Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, the commander of Military Sealift Command.

The sister ship to the Lewis B. Puller -- currently operating in the Persian Gulf with the Navys 5th Fleet -- the Williams boasts a 52,000-square-foot flight deck that can deploy four MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters or the Marines tiltrotor MV-22 Ospreys.

Built like an oil tanker, it can stow 25,000 square feet of vehicles and equipment, plus 380,000 gallons of fuel and 250 personnel.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Three people suspected of igniting one of the citys worst apartment fires  killing 10 people, seven of them children  must stand trial.

A judge on Friday ordered gang members Ramiro Valerio, Joseph Monge and Johanna Lopez to go to trial, the Associated Press reported. They have pleaded not guilty to murder charges that could carry the death penalty.

Authorities said the men were responsible for a 1993 blaze in Westlake, setting the fire as payback after a vigilant apartment manager took steps to discourage drug dealing inside the building.

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Lopez, who was paying the notorious 18th Street Gang for the right to distribute crack cocaine in the neighborhood, enlisted the other two in a plot to set fire to the building, officials said.

Flames tore through the building, which was largely populated by immigrants from Mexico and Central America, spreading quickly in part due to faulty smoke detectors.

Residents formed human chains to help older neighbors escape. Mothers threw babies out of windows, hoping someone would catch them.

Despite residents efforts, columns of thick smoke claimed a number of lives.

More than 100 residents were displaced, and more than 40 were injured. Three women were killed, including two who were pregnant. The seven children who died ranged in age from 15 months to 11 years.

Valerio and Monge were arrested earlier this year by Los Angeles police. Lopez has been in custody on charges related to the fire since 2011, according to court records.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

@LATBermudez
Police in Louisiana have uncovered a sophisticated, Los Angeles-based identity theft ring, thanks to two men who skipped out on their $7 Waffle House bill, authorities said.

Waffle House employees called police Saturday, saying two men had stiffed the restaurant and driven away in a U-Haul van, Pearl River police said Thursday. Investigators were still taking statements at the restaurant when patrol officers spotted a U-Haul van parked at a nearby hotel, police said.

A passenger ran into nearby woods as officers approached, according to a news release from Deputy Chief Daniel Hunter.

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The officers arrested the driver, and a police dog tracked down the passenger, who also was arrested, he said.

Hunter said a search of the van turned up fake identification and credit cards, credit card skimming devices  and a Waffle House receipt for $7.41.

The investigation revealed a highly sophisticated identity theft scheme operating out of Los Angeles, he wrote.

He said the driver, Stayshawn D. Stephens, 20, of California, and Richard A. Brown, 18, of Indiana, had flown into New Orleans from different states, rented the van in New Orleans, and had installed credit card skimming devices at multiple gas stations in the area to steal customers credit card numbers.

Investigators are working with the Secret Service and more arrests are possible, Hunter said in an email.

Hunter said he did not immediately know Stephens or Browns hometowns.

The police statement said both were arrested on charges of identity theft, bank fraud, monetary instrument abuse and theft by fraud. Additional charges against Stephens include criminal damage to property, driving with a suspended license, fraudulently acquiring credit cards and forgery, while those against Brown include battery on a police officer and resisting arrest by flight.

As long as I am here, we are not going to put up with any of this criminal nonsense, especially from criminals flying in from California and Indiana, Police Chief Johnny JJ Jennings said in the news release. Let this be a lesson on etiquette as well; pay your bill and tip your waitress.

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Concerns that the countywide hepatitis A outbreak could further spread in North County has prompted Oceanside to open a winter shelter Nov. 1, one month earlier than usual.

Alan Lauer, president and senior pastor at Bread of Life Rescue Mission, said he recently received a call from a city of Oceanside official asking about the possibility of opening the mission in November because of the outbreak.

Nobody was as surprised as me, Lauer said about the call. The city in the past had wanted the shelter to not open until Dec. 1, he said.

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The Oceanside City Council approved the Nov. 1 opening at its Wednesday meeting as part of the consent calendar, which read that the shelter could remain open until April 15.

The earlier opening wont mean a mad scramble to get the shelter ready, however

Basically we have almost everything we need to start, Lauer said.

Word of the early start already has gotten out.

Most people are used to coming in the first of November to get interviewed for the shelter, but we immediately started taking peoples information, he said. At this point, we have about 30 of the 50 people already signed up.

The mission is part of the Alliance for Regional Solutions, a coalition of nine cities that formed some years ago to share the cost of providing winter shelters and other services.

The majority of about 490 hepatitis A cases have been in San Diego, and about 35 have been reported in North County. Lauer said there has been concern that with cases appearing in Orange County and with so many cases in San Diego, there has been a fear that more will appear in North County.

Hepatitis A spreads through unsanitary conditions, and the city of San Diego also has taken steps to get people off the street during the crisis. The city recently opened a homeless encampment that holds about 200 people, and on Monday it will begin allowing homeless people who sleep in their cars to stay overnight in a city-owned parking lot.

The Alliance for Regional Solutions provides funding for the Bread of Life shelter program, but Lauer said he expects Oceanside will fund the extra month. The city didnt commit to the funding Wednesday, but Lauer said he expects it will be soon, and he is not holding off on planning the Nov. 1 opening.

Lauer said the shelter usually has to raise money to operate its winter shelter. While Bread of Life receives $11,500 a month from the alliance for the operation, he said they still need to raise about $4,000 a month to operate it efficiently.

People who want to volunteer or donate to the winter shelter can find information at https://bolrescue.org.

Winter shelters that had been operated by Interfaith Community Services in Escondido, Catholic Charities La Posada de Guadalupe in Carlsbad and Operation Hope in Vista have converted to year-round shelters over the past few years.

Winter shelters still are provided in North County at churches participating in the Interfaith Shelter Network. Each church in the rotating network operates a shelter for two weeks during the winter.

Participating churches in coastal North County will open their shelters Nov. 4, and inland North County churches will open theirs Dec. 23.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
Known for living in a laid-back paradise, Hawaii residents showed just how quickly they can move when a hepatitis A outbreak arrived in late June of 2016.

The Aloha State was able to end the viral onslaught in six months, a signifcantly shorter span than has already passed in San Diego and Southeast Michigan where hepatitis A has sickened more than 800 people. The island outbreak killed two people compared with 15 in Michigan and 19 in San Diego so far.

Though some might see these numbers as proof that Hawaii is better at responding to outbreaks, experts say that rather than proving superiority or inferiority, the differences between these three locations actually illustrate a deeper point: No two outbreaks are quite the same.

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Dr. John Ward, director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that while all three public health reactions involved the same threat, the underlying details are different in ways that have affected public health responses.

Outbreaks are unique and, therefore, outbreak responses must be unique as well, Ward said in an email. What works in one community may not in another where there may be different affected populations, a different environment, different laws and regulations.

The source is the biggest single difference between Hawaiis outbreak and those underway among its continental counterparts. Investigators with the Hawaii State Department of Health traced a spike in cases to tainted shipments of frozen scallops served at a chain of popular sushi restaurants, which closed for nearly a month for sanitizing.

No such food source has been identified in San Diego or Michigan. Both of those outbreaks have been caused, investigators hypothesize, by unsanitary living conditions among homeless residents and illicit drug users.

Affected residents in Michigan are more directly similar to those in San Diego, but theyre far from identical. According to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, 49 percent of those infected as of early October in San Diego County were homeless while only 12 percent of those infected in Michigan are homeless. About 64 percent of Michigans cases have been among drug users compared with 46 percent in San Diego.

Still, knowing these similarities and differences in habits and demographics, Ward said, is just not the same as finding a clear source as occurred in Hawaii.

Once the contaminated source is identified, it can be removed from public consumption, removing the risk, Ward said.

But CDC policy calls for quick action even if no source has yet been identified. That clearly happened in all three locations. Written alert notices were sent to doctors and health care systems in all three states shortly after epidemiologists determined that the number of hepatitis A cases had spiked above expected levels.

Local doctors were quickly notified that they needed to vaccinate patients at risk, especially those with liver disease and gay men. But there were significant differences in how quickly health departments told the public that an outbreak was underway.

Though it would be more than a month before investigators traced a surge in hepatitis A cases to shipments of tainted scallops, Hawaiis public health team waited only a few days before warning of an outbreak in a news release. San Diego waited 29 days and Michigan didnt publicly mention an outbreak until March, seven months after the first cases were detected in August 2016.

Jim Collins, director of the Communicable Disease Division at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said there were several factors that made him less comfortable declaring an outbreak publicly.

Initial cases at first appeared to be linked to basement sewer leaks and the total case volume, after ramping up briefly to what could be considered outbreak levels from August through October last year, died down in subsequent months before flaring again in February of this year. The second time around, he said, the spike in case volume was more dramatic than the first appearance was in August 2016.

It took a little time, he added, to understand the characteristics of an outbreak that has been most prevalent among drug users.

There is an inherent delay while cases are confirmed and investigations are being conducted, Collins said. Once the information was gathered and clearly pointed to substance abuse I think we were quick to act.

Ward, the CDC hepatitis director, said how quickly and clearly an outbreak becomes apparent can vary significantly.

We may see more subtle increases  more than expected, but not a drastic increase  and it takes time to investigate the change and identify it as an outbreak before public outreach, Ward said.

Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist and chief of the Disease Outbreak Control Division at the Hawaii State Department of Health, said there was a strong signal in her state when four cases were reported in late June 2016. None had any history of out-of-town travel, the usual source of new hepatitis A infections in the Hawaiian islands. Within just a few days, the number had grown to 12.

The demographic characteristics of these first cases, Park said, looked pretty much like the average Hawaii resident. There were no hints of chronic drug use or homelessness as there were in other states.

In Michigan and San Diego, the public health efforts, as recommended by the CDC, focused first on vaccination campaigns in areas such as homeless shelters and drug-treatment programs that serve the groups most directly affected.

Without knowing at first that the commonality across cases was consumption of tainted scallops, Hawaiis Park said she felt that reaching out to the public quickly just made sense as an investigation tool.

The bottom line is we needed the publics help in identifying what the scope of the outbreak was, Park said.

By all accounts, Hawaiis early warning got results.

Lines quickly formed outside pharmacies as many islanders waited to roll up a sleeve and get a hepatitis A vaccination shot.

According to some media accounts, Hawaii was able to vaccinate 100,000 people in about four months, a pace not seen in San Diego or Michigan. Park said that number may not be accurate because several of the island states largest pharmacies have not yet provided full data on how many doses they administered.

Still, she said, the amount of participation from the public was eye-popping.

I would say we saw almost a three- or four-fold increase in vaccination, Park said.

San Diego saw a similar surge in vaccination in the week after local government and medical leaders gathered in front of the County Administration Center on Harbor Drive to hold a news conference on Sept. 19. Though the county had put out many news releases, and conducted many one-on-one interviews with journalists since the outbreak started in March, the widely-covered show of force seemed to have a significant effect.

The publicly reported number of vaccinations administered jumped from 23,000 to more than 42,000 in less than one week. Given that widespread vaccination is the main strategy for ending hepatitis A outbreaks, such a quick gain was a major victory.

When asked during a recent news conference whether local leadership of all types should have made a bigger public splash earlier in the course of the outbreak, Dr. Eric McDonald, chief of San Diegos Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, said getting the public to pay attention to a public health threat is never a clear-cut process.

Raising public awareness, and the best ways to do that, are always a challenge in public health, McDonald said.

He added that San Diego has not kept to the tried-and-true in trying to break the citys outbreak. A decision to declare a public health emergency on Sept. 1 went a long way toward the goal of raising public awareness.

I think thats certainly something thats unique. Im not aware of any other similar local emergency declaration, McDonald said, referring to San Diegos emergency declaration.

Differences in scale also may have had a lot to do with Hawaiis ability to move quickly. With an estimated population of 1.4 million spread across seven islands, the state is much smaller than San Diego or Southeast Michigan. The comparative size difference, Park said, makes information spread quickly.

Everyone on the mainland talks about six degrees of separation. Theres only like two here, Park said.

Many in the public health community, Park said, are paying close attention to San Diegos and Michigans efforts to contain outbreaks that have been the largest seen in at least 20 years.

San Diegos decision to use foot teams to go into remote locations and vaccinate homeless residents and initiatives such as declaring a public health emergency are of interest for their originality as are increased sanitation efforts around street washing and installation of hand washing stations.

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paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
An RSS worker was shot dead by bike-borne miscreants and his brother injured while trying to save him in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Saturday.

By Press Trust of India: A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker was shot dead by bike-borne miscreants in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Saturday.

Police said that his brother suffered a bullet injury while trying to save him.

Brandishing their weapons, the three assailants attacked RSS worker Rajesh Mishra (40), who is also a journalist, when he and his brother Amitesh Mishra (35) were sitting in their shop in a building in Brahmanpura Chatti on Saturday today morning, said circle officer Hridayanad Singh.

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Mishra was shot in the head. When his brother Amitesh intervened, he was shot in the abdomen, said Hridayanad Singh.

The brothers were rushed to the district hospital, where Rajesh was declared brought dead, while Amitesh was referred to Varanasi for treatment.

Speaking to the media in Lucknow, ADG Law and Order Anand Kumar said that two of the attackers had been identified.

"Out of three assailants, two have been identified. Soon, all of them will be arrested", he added.

We have marked the suspects&believe they'll be arrested today: Anand Kumar, ADG Law & Order on RSS worker& journalist shot dead in Ghazipur pic.twitter.com/nHFAaNWlTI- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 21, 2017

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Another RSS worker shot dead, this time in Punjab's Ludhiana city

--- ENDS ---
An artist who built six diminutive houses as part of an installation  and wanted to see them help with the citys homelessness crisis  says she has been disappointed so far by the city response.

Mimi Lien, a Tony award-winning set designer and 2015 MacArthur genius grant recipient, built the dwellings for a weekend art placement at Horton Park Plaza. She was hoping the 8-by-8-foot units could then be used as shelters for those now living on the streets.

Lien on Friday said the homes are more likely to be broken down after the exhibit closes on Sunday. By Monday, she expects the homes will be handed over to a local theater school for use as stage props.

Lien said several San Diego officials had expressed interest in her offer to reuse the dwellings, but none had followed up on her proposal by Friday afternoon.

It seems to me perhaps quite unlikely that well work something out by Monday, when these have to go somewhere, Lien said of her efforts to repurpose the homes. But its only a few houses. I hope the impact, at this seemingly pivotal time, will be to catalyze (the city) to build more.

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Liens tiny homes  each painted bright red, with a trussed roof and fake chimney, reminiscent of a Monopoly game piece  attracted plenty of attention over their four-day run at the plaza, part of the La Jolla Playhouses Without Walls Festival.

Four times a day between Thursday and Sunday, a crane hoisted up one of the units, swinging it above the upturned heads of dozens of curious onlookers, both housed and homeless, for an aerial crane ballet.

At Horton Plaza Park the art project Model Home created and designed by Mimi Lien is hoisted up sixty eight feet by a crane and then slowly spun to music. Below are five other homes of similar construction where the public is invited to peak into the homes. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Liens decision to stage that dance at Horton Plaza, one of the few places downtown where homeless residents can access a public restroom, was no accident. The New York-based artist said she wanted the installation to sharpen the contrast she had witnessed in San Diegos East Village, where construction cranes working on shimmering penthouses tower over the street-level squalor of homeless camps.

She wanted her art as close as possible to City Hall, where it had the highest chance of grabbing officials attention.

It worked. The exhibit  titled Model Home and sited roughly one block from City Hall  caught the eye of Councilwoman Georgette Gomez, who stopped by this week on her way back from lunch. Jonathan Herrera, Mayor Kevin Faulconers chief homeless adviser, also dropped in. Councilman Chris Ward chipped in by helping Lien research the project.

Lucas OConnor, a spokesman for Ward, said Amikas, a nonprofit with tiny home plans of its own, told the councilman that Liens dwellings were unsuitable for use as a shelter. OConnor said Ward did not challenge the nonprofits suitability assessment. He did not answer a question about whether Ward had pursued efforts to make the units suitable.

Jeeni Criscenzo, Amikass president, said her group offered to help Lien reuse the homes this past summer. But the San Diego-based nonprofit  which is working with the city to find its own site for a tiny home development  eventually bowed out, citing concerns over whether Liens dwellings would comply with city building codes.

Criscenzo said that decision was based solely on misgivings over the quality of the dwellings, which she said could not be upgraded to meet construction standards.

Theres nobody offering competition to our sleeping cabins, she said. The building department is not going to find (Liens units) acceptable.

These are stage props.  You can say its better than a tent, but tents arent acceptable either.

Several homeless residents interviewed at Horton Plaza said they wouldnt pass up a night in one of Liens tiny homes.

Ken Bell, 44, said hed spent time under far worse shelters over the course of three years on the streets.

John Ross, originally from Phoenix, agreed.

I guess its not a bad idea to give them to the theater group, Ross added. Its better than throwing them away.

Still, Id rather have one for myself.

San Diego officials, now mired in a deadly hepatitis outbreak linked to the citys dual homelessness and housing crises, in May faced criticism for turning down a Los Angeles-based developers offer to produce low-income units not much bigger than the ones built by Lien.

Housing officials said the proposed development, set to feature unsubsidized shipping container apartments and 3D-printed urban cabins, was rejected in part because of approvals the plan wouldve needed at City Hall.
The impact John Witherspoon made on public broadcasting reverberated in his home base of San Diego, as well throughout the country and the world.

Mr. Witherspoon became the first general manager in 1967 for what is now KPBS, the local public radio-TV station. His long tenure as professor at San Diego State University culminated in becoming professor emeritus at its School of Communications in 1992.

Mr. Witherspoon died on Oct. 11, of natural causes at his Coronado home, with his family by his side. He was 88.

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Extremely active on a national level, he was pivotal in the creation of the Public Broadcasting Act, which supported noncommercial radio and television. In 1967, he attended the bills signing by President Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington, D.C.

In 1970, Mr. Witherspoon served as the Founding Chair of National Public Radios Board of Directors and, around the same time, Television Activities Director of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

He served as the first general manager of what was then KEBS TV and radio from 1967 to 1970. He was inducted into the inaugural KPBS Hall of Fame in 2010.

Tom Karlo, current KPBS General Manager, said he considers Mr. Witherspoon, co-author of the 1987 book, The History of Public Broadcasting, a giant in the industry.

John always emphasized that KPBS had to be relevant in producing programming that inspires, educates and informs our local audience, said Karlo, who considered Mr. Witherspoon a mentor. He preached covering public affairs, culture and arts  national, international and local  to become a one-stop-shop service. His vision is still the backbone of what we do.

Another great thing John did when he started was applying for the call letters, KPBS. That was a brilliant stroke of branding and marketing.

An avid sailor, Mr. Witherspoon joined the Coronado Yacht Club in 1982 and was Commodore of the group in 2004. He remained a member until his death.

We sailed as family, recalled his daughter, Lynn Witherspoon of Los Angeles. He always had a boat. I remember as a child he loved to turn off the motor because it would become so peaceful. He liked being with nature in a genuine way.

John Patterson Witherspoon was born in Chicago on July 5, 1929, to Walter and Frances Witherspoon. He spent his early years in Pennsylvania and settled with his family in Modesto as a teenager. After studying at Modesto Junior College, he earned his B.A. at the College of the Pacific in 1951.

He served in the Navy during the Korean War, from 1952 to 1955. He was a navigator on the destroyer USS Eversole and received several honors, including the Korean Service and National Defense Service medals. On his return, Mr. Witherspoon earned his masters degree at Stanford in 1958 and continued studies there for two years.

In the mid-1970s, he became founding president of the Public Service Satellite Consortium and consultant to the Western Governors, helping to establish the field of long-distance learning. His commitment to this field lasted through the 1980s and required traveling to a wide range of spots, including Alaska, the South Pacific, China and Washington, D.C.

Johns work professionally and his volunteer work were all around public service, improving society and creating new opportunities for people, said Jacob Adams, Witherspoons son-in-law. He was even-keel and diplomatic; the calm center of the storm  whatever room he was in.

Family members and colleagues alike commented upon his quick wit, excellent facility for language and diplomatic skills.

So many people have said what a gentlemen he was, his daughter said. A gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He never managed by intimidation; he collaborated. He could transcend the details that people considered obstacles because he could see the big picture.

I respected him and loved him so much. My whole life, I admired him so thoroughly. But, especially in the latter part of his life, I realized the most wonderful thing about him was how he demonstrated how important love of his family was.

In addition to his wife, Mercedes, and daughter Lynn, Mr. Witherspoon is survived by his daughter, Leslie Adams of Claremont, two grandsons and a great-grandson.

A private celebration will be held today (o22) in Coronado. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in his honor to KPBS, in care of Alex Kim, 5200 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182.

Beth Wood is a freelance writer.
Five years ago, San Diego voters took a decisive step toward shoring up long-term city finances by approving Proposition B, which gave new city government hires 401(k)-style plans instead of defined-benefit pensions. Proposition B shrewdly exempted police because of the recognition that recruiting and retaining qualified officers would go from difficult to borderline impossible without offering the pensions provided by other law-enforcement agencies.

Since then, San Diego politicians been relatively frugal and smart, realizing that while Proposition B has left the city in much better shape than local governments facing a pension tsunami, city budgets are still burdened by past mistakes  especially by the decisions of past City Councils to intentionally underfund the pension system. Now its time once again to make a decision involving public safety that would cost taxpayers millions yet is completely defensible: giving officers a huge raise to try to end a recruitment and retention problem that has lasted for years and is plainly driven by relatively low pay.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the police officers union have agreed on a plan to give all officers a cumulative pay hike of at least 25.6 percent between July 2018 and January 2020. Officers with more than 20 years on the job would get 30.6 percent raises.

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These pay hikes may seem high. If approved, theyll certainly have a high long-term cost because of how they drive up pension obligations. But the truth is these hikes are crucial if San Diego wants to recruit new officers and prevent existing officers from moving to the many law enforcement agencies with significantly higher pay. The city currently has only about 1,800 officers, far below its goal of 2,040.

Critics of the Faulconer plan are sure to say the mayor is just doing the bidding of an influential employee union. But this narrative ignores reality. California has a shortage of police officers, and competition for new and existing officers is so intense that some agencies offer bonuses of up to $25,000 to officers with experience. After years of failing to deal adequately with this competition for recruits and veteran officers alike, San Diego needs to do the obvious  and show them the money.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
ERIN MASSEY

Staff Writer

ESCONDIDO -- Residents wont see or taste any difference whenthe city begins fluoridating the drinking water, say officials fromother cities that have fluoridated water.

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When you take that drink of water, you really dont tasteanything, said Mike Gilton, an engineer from the South San JoaquinIrrigation District, which fluoridates its water. It would be likeif you had a freight car full of black marbles. Adding one whitemarble doesnt change anything because the amount is so small.

Dave Heumann, associate water quality engineer for the city ofLos Angeles, helped that city start fluoridation two years ago.

Half the people thought we had fluoride in the water before weput it in, he said. And you cant taste it, smell it or see it inthe water.

The Escondido council voted 3-2 Wednesday to lift a 1999 cityban against putting chemicals in city water and voted to begin thethree- to six-month process of fluoridating the citys drinkingwater.

Council members Marie Waldron and Ed Gallo opposed fluoridationand tried unsuccessfully to convince their colleagues to put theissue to a public vote.

The California Dental Association Research Fund offered to paythe initial $140,000 in equipment costs to set up the citys watertreatment plant for water fluoridation, according to John Hoagland,the citys utility manager. The 19,000-member dental association isworking with the California Fluoridation Task Force to raise moneyto implement AB 733, the Statewide Fluoridation Act.

The law requires cities with more than 10,000 water serviceconnections to fluoridate the water once money is available.

California currently ranks 47th in the nation in fluoridation,with less than one-third of its population drinking fluoridated tapwater. The city of San Diego and the Helix Water District are theonly agencies in San Diego County that have started theimplementation but have yet to put the fluoride in the water,according to Ellie Nadler, executive coordinator for the San DiegoFluoridation Coalition.

Escondido officials estimate it will cost about $40,000 eachyear to operate and maintain the fluoridation equipment once it isinstalled, Hoagland said.

Becoming fluoride ready

City officials estimate it will take at least six weeks to comeup with a plan to fluoridate the water and decide whether to hire aconsultant or do the work themselves, said Patrick Thomas, thecitys public works director. He estimated it will take three tosix months to buy and install the equipment, notify the public andbegin fluoridation at the citys Lake Dixon water treatmentplant.

The next step for Escondido is to take a look at the cityswater system to determine the best way to get fluoride into thesystem.

Heumann, who designed the fluoridation system for the city ofLos Angeles, said the citys treatment plant goes through 600million gallons per day and serves 3.6 million people. Los Angeleshad 10 locations that needed fluoridation equipment, he added. Acity like Escondido may only have one location where equipment mustbe installed, he added.

Fluoridation equipment normally consists of a storage tank thatwould hold between 1,000 and 10,000 gallons of fluoride, he said.Many systems also have a day tank, which holds the amount offluoride needed per day. It is refilled by a plant operator eachnight as a safety measure, Heumann added.

The ultimate design of the equipment depends on the type offluoride, he said. The city has three choices when it comes tofluoride. The two solid forms are called sodium fluoride and sodiumfluorosilicate, according to Heumann. They are normally used bysmaller water users and those with well sites instead of a watertreatment plant, he added. Los Angeles opted for the liquid formcalled fluorosilicic acid, he said.

You want to be careful that what you are choosing fits in yoursystem, Heumann said. Each one has an up side and a down side.But 60 percent use fluorosilicic acid and it is the most popularform used west of the Mississippi.

Escondido is leaning toward fluorosilicic acid as well, Thomassaid.

Los Angeles got a good price on fluorosilicic acid because therewere a lot of companies selling it and not many cities buying it,Heumann said.

It is definitely a buyers market, he said. We advertise andall of the big guys came in with bids. There was intensecompetition for our bid and the cost came in under our estimate. Wewere very pleased.

Los Angles pays $200 per ton of fluoride but gets a 20 percentdiscount because the city has rail services which make itstransport easier, Heumann said. He added that Escondido may likelypay $220 per ton but can secure a better price by working with thecity of San Diego to negotiate for a bulk purchase.

Safeguards

Once the fluoride is purchased and ready to pump, there arestill safeguards in place to make sure local water users dont gettoo much fluoride, officials said. There is disagreement on thehealth risks of fluoride but both sides agree that too much of anyelement can be toxic. Excessive fluoride has also been known tocause dental fluorosis, a discoloration of the enamel, officialssaid.

The equipment has numerous safety features in place, including acomputerized monitoring system that continually tests the level offluoride and shuts down the system if it exceeds the limit, Heumannsaid.

No one safety factor covers everything, he added. There areall these different layers that would have to fail all at once tohave problems.

He added that progress in technology has made fluoridation evenmore reliable and now plant operators are required to be certifiedto run a fluoridation system.

The state is always peeking over cities shoulders to make surethey are following fluoridation rules, he said. The stateregulators show up at plants for surprise visits to make sure thecity is not exceeding safe levels of fluoride.

The state also requires Escondido to notify the public and allhealth-care professionals who might be prescribing fluoride tochildren so that no one over-medicates the population, he said.

One of the reasons we have a good water system is the state iswatching, he said. Escondido will not be able to start until thelocal Department of Health Services office signs off.

Contact staff writer Erin Massey at (760) 740-5416 oremassey@nctimes.com.

6/10/01
Could it be that the conservative culture warriors who portray Hollywood as a cesspool of moral bankruptcy have been right all along? Not really. But in the case of Roman Polanski, the Puritan scolds definitely have a point.

Even the French government has backed off its defense of the fugitive director. Polanski, who has dual French-Polish citizenship, fled the United States in 1978 before he could be sentenced on a charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles. He spent the past three decades mostly in France, and officials in Paris reacted angrily when he was nabbed at the Zurich airport. In more recent statements, however, French leaders have taken a much more measured position, saying that justice should run its course.

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But some of Hollywoods most prominent luminaries contend that Polanskis crime  which he acknowledged in a guilty plea  really wasnt so awful. Or that maybe it was a big deal at the time, but now we should let bygones be bygones. Or that maybe its still a big deal, but whatever sins Polanski may have committed are outweighed by the brilliance of his art.

More than 100 movie-business heavyweights  including directors Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Mike Nichols and Pedro Almodovar  have signed a petition calling on Swiss authorities to set Polanski free. Piling chutzpah upon gall, Woody Allen is among the petitioners. You will recall that Allen shocked non-Hollywood sensibilities by acknowledging his romance with Soon-Yi Previn, the daughter of Allens longtime companion, Mia Farrow. At the time, Allen was 56 and Previn was 21.

Actress, comedian and The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg has come under well-justified fire for making a jaw-dropping statement about Polanskis crime: I know it wasnt rape-rape. I think it was something else, but I dont believe it was rape-rape.

Really? The Web site thesmokinggun.com has posted the victims grand jury testimony and Polanskis admission of guilt. Although a plea bargain reduced the charges to unlawful sex with a minor, the documents make clear that what the victim alleged was rape-rape of the vilest kind.

She described being lured by Polanski to the home of actor Jack Nicholson, given champagne and half a Quaalude, feeling intoxicated and frightened, being groped in a hot tub, telling Polanski to stop, being accosted on a couch, telling Polanski again to stop, being violated in ways I cant describe in a family newspaper, and finally weeping as she waited for her assailant to take her home.

Was Polanski filled with remorse? Not when the British novelist Martin Amis interviewed him in 1979. If I had killed somebody, it wouldnt have had so much appeal to the press, you see? Polanski told Amis. But ... (having sex), you see, and the young girls. Judges want to (have sex with) young girls. Juries want to (have sex with) young girls. Everyone wants to (have sex with) young girls!

Ive had no choice but to bleach the color out of Polanskis language. For having sex, he used an Anglo-Saxon vulgarity that I couldnt even think about printing in a family newspaper.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has been circulating the pro-Polanski petition, wrote in an op-ed in the Independent, a London newspaper, that whatever you think about the so-called crime, Polanski has served his time. A deal was made with the judge, and the deal is not being honored. ... This is the government of the United States not giving its word and recanting on a deal, and it is the government acting irresponsibly and criminally.

So the government is to blame? For apprehending an unrepentant sex offender who fled before being sentenced for his reprehensible acts?

The Los Angeles Times quoted Weinstein as saying in an interview that he doesnt believe public opinion is running against Polanski  or that Hollywood is out of step. Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion, Weinstein said, according to the newspaper. We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.

Hollywood was there, all right, whenever the tragedy was distant, the victims were anonymous and the compassionate concert or telethon had acceptable production values that made all the stars look their best. How heroically they rearranged their busy schedules!

The brutalization of one young girl, it seems, leaves Hollywoods big heart awfully cold.

Robinson can be reached at eugenerobinson@washpost.com .
The attacker must have thought he had an easy mark when 15-year-old Ariana Pascarella came running by.

But Ariana, a 5-foot-1-inch girl weighing 117 pounds, fought back when the man pushed her down an embankment in Rancho San Diego. Later, she provided information that led detectives to the man who had attacked her and raped another woman two days before.

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Ariana  a Spring Valley resident who goes by the nickname Ari  has suffered physically and mentally since the Feb. 23, 2008, attack. Her ribs were cracked, and her chronic headaches intensified. She still has nightmares, and she said she was affected deeply when she read a depiction of a rape in a book for a school assignment.

Now 16, she said her way of dealing with the emotional aftermath is to talk to other high school students about the experience.

I need to talk about what happened. I dont want to pretend that it didnt happen, said Ari, a senior at Steele Canyon High School in Jamul.

Sheriffs Detective Pete Carrillo said he admires the way Ari handled herself during the attack and after.

I consider her a hero, he said.

Ari has been giving talks about her attack to high school students through a rape-prevention program offered by the Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit seeking to prevent sexual assaults and domestic violence.

She warns students that an attack can occur even on a Saturday morning on a busy street. She tries to empower other girls, letting them know that they can fight back. It can happen to anyone at any time, she said.

Kat Wager, prevention educator at the center, said Aris story helps reinforce the lessons that she teaches about preventing rape.

It gives her an empowerment tool that she is able to share her story as part of a healing process and to let others know that anybody at any time can be victimized and anybody can be healed by it, Wager said.

Ari, a member of her schools cross-country team, was running on Fury Drive in Rancho San Diego when she saw a man leaning his hands against a recreational vehicle, as if he were stretching before exercising. The man grabbed Ari and pulled her down an embankment, tackling her and pinning her to the ground.

I just went crazy, Ari said. I was screaming, No! and scratching at his face and doing whatever I could.

Ari escaped from her attacker, and got a ride from a woman driving by. After they notified the Sheriffs Department, she returned to the scene with detectives and showed them where the man had pressed his hands against the RV.

Deputies dusted for prints and identified them as belonging to Jason Washington, a 33-year-old El Cajon resident who had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence the week before.

She broke the case open, Carrillo said. That fingerprint could have gotten overlooked if it hadnt been for Aris recall of what happened to her.

Ari didnt remember it until later, but the man had a gun that she was able to kick away during their struggle. The gun recovered at the site was registered to Washington, a 208-pound ex-Marine.

Two days earlier, the same weapon was used in the rape of a 23-year-old Solana Beach woman, who was grabbed from behind as she was walking along Seabright Lane, authorities said. Washingtons mug shot was released to the media and his home was searched. On Feb. 26, 2008, Washingtons body was found in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A suicide note was found in the car, investigators said.

After Washingtons death, the other woman he attacked called Aris father, Jim Pascarella, to discuss whether to file a civil suit against Washingtons estate. Pascarella said he was moved that Aris first thoughts were of Washingtons daughter.

She said, Dad, shes got to live with the fact that her father did this. Im not going to do it,  he said.

The incident deeply affected Ari. Running was difficult because of her injuries, and she found she could no longer enjoy the exercise that helped relieve the stress of her busy life.

I felt like I had this solution that all of a sudden was a cause (of stress), she said.

Eventually, she returned to a full running program, even on the same route where the attack occurred. Now captain of her cross-country team, Ari said she hopes talking to others about the attack will help her overcome her fears.

I want to be happy, she said. I want to be that spirit that seems to be missing.
Read on to find out why Twitterati are posting messages with the hashtag #RahulWaveinKazhakh.

By Poulomi Saha, Ganesh Radha-Udayakumar: Smriti Irani and the BJP are determined to wrest Amethi, Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha's constituency, from the Congress vice-president's grasp. The I&B Minister, who lost to Rahul in the last parliamentary elections, has often taken on the Nehru-Gandhi family's scion.

So why would she post a tweet about a 'Rahul wave?' And a #RahulWaveinKazhakh, of all places?

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The answer is in an ANI report published on Saturday afternoon.

That report, titled 'Bots behind rise in Rahul Gandhi's Twitter popularity?' says "alleged 'bots' with a Russian, Kazakh or Indonesian characteristic" have been "routinely RT-ing the Congress VP's tweets."

'Bots,' or web robots, mass retweet in an automated manner.

ANI notes that these handles have some common features: they "usually" have less than ten followers, only post retweets "comprised of random topics from across the world and those of Rahul Gandhi."

Meanwhile, BJP sources have claimed that close to 85% of the handles retweeting @OfficeofRG posts have less than 1,000 followers. An recent India Today magazine report said @OfficeofRG added a million followers in the short spaces of two months.

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasehar didn't take too long to join the conversation. Nor did Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

Desperate times call for desperate measures ? ?????? https://t.co/MkPa2glDmi- Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@rajeev_mp) October 21, 2017

In sports, this would come under Doping.... hey wait!??does dope remind you of someone ??? https://t.co/xulfk1ENtI- Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) October 21, 2017

Amit Malviya, who runs the BJP's IT cell, also spoke of the Congress' "desperation" in one of a series of tweets. He threw in a James Bond reference, too.

Congress social media head was on a PR overdrive on how she re-launched Rahul Gandhi.. She deployed fake bots! https://t.co/fjhLTjEkI7 pic.twitter.com/iHfTdcIyKh- Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) October 21, 2017

Rahul Gandhi should have known that popularity cant be bought, certainly not from Russia, Kazakhstan. Congress social media dream aborted? pic.twitter.com/0I3c8lDtzC- Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) October 21, 2017

In their desperation to crown Rahul Gandhi, Congress bought him some love from Russia too! #RahulWaveInKazakh https://t.co/fjhLTjEkI7 pic.twitter.com/g2cER4d4rQ- Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) October 21, 2017

And Akhilesh Mishra, the CEO of the NGO BlueKraft Digital Foundation, tweeted what he said was a list of fake handles which were opened in recent weeks. He also posted a graphic which uses follower count as a parameter to categorise handles which retweeted Rahul Gandhi's 'Trump needs another hug' comment.

Handles that RT tweets of Rahul Gandhi- 0 followers, less than 10 tweets,opened in last few weeks.Snapshot of these obvious fake handles.2/3 pic.twitter.com/jjE62qs4qY- Akhilesh Mishra (@amishra77) October 21, 2017

Another factoid in #RahulWaveInKazakh story: A break up of those who RTed his Donald Trump tweet. Almost 90% with less than 1000 followers. pic.twitter.com/dFVMeNW8pp- Akhilesh Mishra (@amishra77) October 21, 2017

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Mishra says on his LinkedIn page that he volunteered for Prime Minster Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign. He later worked for MyGov India, a citizen engagement platform.

"When nothing worked for Rahul Gandhi - neither lame jokes nor fake news - he has finally taken refuge in bots," he said in another tweet.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had this to say.

Wanted bots. Caste, creed, sex, nationality no bar. Basic knowledge of English preferable but not essential. Must have own phone/computer.- Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 21, 2017

It's worth noting that the BJP has itself been accused of building a database of fake handles to boost Narendra Modi's popularity.

CONGRESS' RESPONSE

Rahul Gandhi hasn't responded to the BJP's allegations, but other Congress leaders have.

Rajiv Shukla, an MP, told India Today that the saffron party is worried the Congress is on a resurgence drive ahead of crucial Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Divya Spandana, the chief of Social Media and Digital Communications for the Congress, told ANI: "On Twitter one tweets and what happens after that is not in our control. You will have to speak to Twitter to get clarity."

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But on Twitter, she also called ANI's report "factually wrong."

Story is factually wrong. Can understand your eagerness to please the I&B ministry and the Bots Janata Party. https://t.co/qQfqi6jMfc- Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) October 21, 2017

She didn't explain why, but later retweeted this post by @sidmtweets.

10 bots on which ANI story is based,activated 4 days ago.RGs tweet was 6 days ago.Out of 54K reaction how ANI journo identified only them?- Sid (@sidmtweets) October 21, 2017

Spandana also shot back this tweet at Smriti Irani.

Why do we need them when we have you? ??? https://t.co/2lGH49maeD- Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) October 21, 2017

WATCH | Twitter war: What Smriti Irani said about media report on surge in Rahul Gandhi's social media popularity

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By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 21 (PTI) The Kerala Congress today said it would politically and legally fight the alleged "attempt" by the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state to "tarnish" the image of its leaders over the judicial commissions report on the solar scam.

The partys political affairs committee, which met here today, also decided to seek a legal opinion over the governments decision to initiate criminal and vigilance proceedings against many of its leaders, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy, on the basis of the report.

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It also felt that the governments decision was politically motivated, without adequate consultation and legal scrutiny, Kerala Congress president M M Hassan, who briefed the media about the deliberations at the meeting, said.

The party would launch an intensive campaign against the governments decision, which it said was taken with "ulterior motives", in connection with the report of the Justice G Sivarajan Commission, which investigated the scam, he added.

"The governments decision to seek a fresh legal opinion over the solar commission report itself proves that the first legal opinion in this regard was wrong," Hassan said.

It had been proved that the advocate general and director general of prosecution had given a legal opinion, overstepping the commissions findings, he claimed.

Hassan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the decision to order criminal and vigilance proceedings against the Congress leaders without consulting the law department or his cabinet colleagues.

He also suspected that the developments were part of the LDF governments plans to "elevate" the BJP as the opposition party in the state by destroying the Congress.

The LDF government had, on October 11, announced its decision to order a probe against some Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders, including Chandy, after lodging a case against them, based on the commissions report.

The solar scam is related to the duping of several people ofcrores of rupees by Team Solar, a company floated by prime accused Saritha Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan, by offering solar panel solutions to them.

The commission was appointed by the previous Chandy government itself after the scam triggered a political turmoil in the state. PTI LGK JRK RC RC

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he wants the country's Senate to allow central ministers to take over the jobs of all senior members of the Catalan government.

By AP: The Spanish government announced an unprecedented plan Saturday to sack Catalonia's separatist leaders, install its own people in their place and call a new local election, using previously untapped constitutional powers to take control of the prosperous region that is threatening to secede.

After a special Cabinet session, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he wants the country's Senate to allow central ministers to take over the jobs of all senior members of the Catalan government, including control over the regional police, finances and the public media.

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In an effort to derail the independence movement, Rajoy is also seeking the Senate's approval next week to assume the power to call a regional election - something that only Catalonia's top leader can do now.

Even moderate Catalans were aghast at the scope of the move, and the announcement was met with banging pots and honking cars in the streets of Barcelona. The city's mayor, Ada Colau, who opposes independence without a valid referendum, called Rajoy's measures "a serious attack" on the self-government of Catalonia.

Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell accused Spain's central authorities of carrying out a coup.

"Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government," Forcadell said, calling it "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."

The region's vice president, Oriol Junqueras, urged supporters to join a protest Saturday in Barcelona, the regional capital.

"Against totalitarianism, today more than ever, let's defend democracy and civil and political rights," Junqueras said.

PROTESTS

About 450,000 people protested in Barcelona, according to police, while an anti-secession group put the number at 85,000. The demonstration had originally been called to protest the detention of two prominent pro-independence activists in Madrid who are awaiting possible sedition charges, but it turned into an outcry over Rajoy's move.

Protesters, many wrapped in red-and-yellow Catalan flags, held up signs calling for freedom and the activists' release.

"We are here because the Spanish government made a coup without weapons against the Catalan people and their government institutions," said Joan Portet, a 58-year-old protester.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who will speak on television later Saturday, has threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Click here to Enlarge People wave catalan separatist flags during a demonstration organised by catalan pro-independence movements following the imprisonment of their two leaders, in Barcelona, spain, october 21, 2017. REUTERS

Rajoy said he is using Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution in order to "restore normalcy" in the country, which faces its most grave institutional crisis in decades with Catalonia's independence movement. He said a new regional election in Catalonia should be held in the next six months.

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"There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders," Rajoy said Saturday. "It is my wish to call elections as soon as normality is restored."

Rajoy's party enjoys a majority in the Senate and he has the backing of the main opposition parties to quash independence for Catalonia and maintain Spain's territorial integrity.

Article 155 gives central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law. It's never been applied since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, and Rajoy's conservative government called it a move of last resort.

REFERENDUM

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials held a disputed independence referendum on Oct. 1. They then declared the result - which was strongly in favor of independence - gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain even though the vote itself had numerous problems.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the Catalan referendum. The court's website appeared to be offline Saturday, and a spokeswoman said it had been affected by vandalism. She requested anonymity in line with internal rules.

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Spain's National Security Department said slogans supporting independence for Catalonia had popped up amid cyberattacks on a number of government websites.

Albert Rivera, head of the pro-business Citizens party, said he backed Rajoy's measures because Catalonia needs to restore social unity and legal security so companies can remain in the region. Hundreds of companies have transferred their registered headquarters out of Catalonia to other areas in Spain, fearing the chaos that independence - or the fight over it - could bring.

Basque nationalists and the far-left Podemos party were among those opposing the government's move.

"We are in shock about the suspension of democracy in Catalonia," said Podemo's Pablo Echenique, vowing to work to oust Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party.

Barcelona resident Rosa Isart said the Spanish government's determination to prevent Catalonia from leaving Spain reminded her of the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco four decades ago.

"It seems unbelievable that I have to see this again, because of the incompetence of these politicians who don't know how to speak to each other," Isart said.

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Others were sympathetic to Rajoy's move. Barcelona resident Carlos Assensio said he agreed with Madrid, given the separatists' refusal to abide by Spain's laws.

"For the sake of a good co-existence, if we don't respect the law this could be a total anarchy," said the 65-year-old.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave on a two-day visit to Bangladesh tomorrow during which she will co-chair the Indo-Bangla joint consultative commission meeting to review the bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the ties.

Swaraj will be visiting Dhaka at the invitation of her Bangladesh counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and is expected to meet the leadership there as also interact with the representatives of leading Bangladeshi think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations, a statement from the MEA said.

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"During the visit, Swaraj and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister will co-chair the 4th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission... The visit is expected to afford an opportunity for review of the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh and further strengthening of these ties," it said.

This is Swarajs second visit to Bangladesh and comes after recent trip of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during which India operationalised a USD 4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh to enable implementation of development projects in key areas, including power, railways, roads and shipping.

The announcement of the line of credit was made during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April.

The development is also seen as Indias attempt to counter increasing Chinese influence in Bangladesh, where Beijing is trying to make inroads in infrastructure ventures. PTI PYK ZMN

--- ENDS ---
In the light of bizarre remarks about the Taj Mahal by BJP leaders Sangeet Som and Vinay Katiyar, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that such opinions only showed the party's intolerance.

By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lashed out at the BJP over remarks by its leaders against the Taj Mahal, saying such views only exposed the party's intolerance towards issues that they could not associate themselves with.

Vijayan, who flagged off the Jana Jagratha Yathra organised by the Left Democratic Front from Thiruvananthapuram, criticised BJP leader Vinay Katiyar that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple .

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The chief minister said, "It all began when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in that state. This shows that they cannot tolerate the name Shah Jahan, who built the heritage structure. We have to seriously think which direction our country is headed in".

Before Katiyar, BJP MP Sangeet Som had termed the Taj Mahal a blot on the Indian culture and that its creator wanted to wipe out Hindus.

Slamming the BJP and the RSS, the chief minister of Kerala alleged that the saffron party had a "clear agenda" behind raking up the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Vijayan added, "They are trying to stoke communal tensions in the country by moving towards constructing the shrine." He termed the recently-concluded Jan Raksha Yathra of the BJP in Kerala the party's attempt to create tensions in the southern state.

He attacking the BJP-led central government and alleged that the federal principles had been brazenly violated, in tune with the policy of the RSS, which believed in centralisation of power.

MOHAN BHAGWAT DEFAMING KERALA: VIJAYAN

Vijayan accused RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of "defaming" Kerala after the latter said that the state had become a place for "jihadis" under the LDF government.

The yathra is a statewide campaign that will be led by senior Left leaders. CPI's Kerala secretary Kanam Rajendran leads the southern leg of the yathra, CPM's Kodiyeri Balakrishnan leads the campaign's northern leg. CPI national secratary D Raja flagged off the northern leg of the yathra from Manjeshwar in Kasargod. The purpose behind organising the yathra is to highlight the state government's achievements and counter the BJP's "communal agenda".

Talking to India Today, Kanam Rajendran said, "This is not a negative campaign against any particular political party. The Left Democratic Front is conducting this yathra to tell the truth to the common people of this state. We do not want to degrade anyone, but will expose the communal agenda of some political parties."

The statewide yathra will culminate on the 3rd of November in Kochi. LDF leaders will march through all 140 constituencies of the state conducting public meetings at lower levels. The southern leg of the yathra will pass through assembly constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts. The northern leg will touch upon Kasargod, Kannur, Calicut, Wayanad, Malappuram, Thrissur and Palakkad districts.

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(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)

WATCH VIDEO | Why doesn't Kerala govt put RSS, BJP outlaws behind bars? Yechury answers on red v/s saffron divide

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) A workers group of Tata Steels Netherlands unit has raised concerns over the proposed Tata Steel-Thyssenkrupp merger of their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture.

The major concern of Central Works Council(CWC) of Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN) is that, as per the MoU, the Supervisory Board of TSN will no longer be independent and that TSNs Board of Directors will not be properly constituted, a company statement said.

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However, Hans Fischer, CEO of Tata Steels European operations has assured that the company will follow due diligence in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as Tata Steel progresses in the transaction.

"We have now entered a period of due diligence with Thyssenkrupp following the signing of the MoU," he said.

He said the company has held a number of meetings and had constructive discussions and briefings with groups representing "our employees" including the European Works Council, the CWC and the UK Steel Committee besides the Supervisory Board and Board of Management of TSN

"These discussions are a priority for us as we seek their support for the joint venture. Tata Steel will follow due process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as we progress in the transaction," the CEO said.

On the other hand, the CWC said there is no clarity as to how the new business will be financed and where the liabilities will be placed in the business.

The MoU also raises many other questions, in particular regarding the impact on the downstream activities, it said.

The CWC observes that, "we are at the start of a long and uncertain journey which, based on current indications, is unlikely to turn out well for TSN and its employees".

It has informed the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board of TSN that it will not be supporting these plans.

The CWC said it will draw on the support of external experts and employees of TSN can rest assured that the CWC will not simply roll over and accept decisions by the shareholder which are not good for TSN, and in particular for TSN employees.

The steel workers in Germany are also not in favour of the JV. Last month, post announcement of the JV, thousands of steelworkers had come on streets in protest over the planned merger which is expected to cost up to 4,000 jobs.

On September 20, Tata Steel had signed an agreement with German steel giant Thyssenkrupp to merge their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture. PTI ABI ANU

--- ENDS ---

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Suggestions for getting help in recovering from disaster

Getting help from a mess of bureaucracies, insurance companies and nonprofits can be difficult. Here are some of the best tips from Chronicle writers:

FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Association has continued to expand the number of counties eligible for individual assistance, which allows residents and business owners to apply for grants or low-interest loans to cover various fire-related expenses. Eligible counties include Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma and Yuba.

More areas could become eligible as the fires spread and damage becomes apparent.

Check back on eligibility changes at www.fema.gov/disaster/4344.

Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

People who lost their jobs or had their work hours substantially reduced because of the fires and are not eligible for regular state unemployment benefits can now apply for unemployment benefits under a federal program for disaster victims. This includes people who are self-employed or dont have enough work history to get regular state benefits.

Apply by Nov. 17 at https://eapply4ui.edd.ca.gov or by calling (800) 300-5616.

Applies to Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties.

STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES

Wildfire victims in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma and Yuba counties will have until Jan. 31 to make tax payments normally due Jan. 16. They also will have until Jan. 31 to file a 2016 tax return without penalty. The normal deadline for filing a 2016 return on extension was Oct. 16.

The Internal Revenue Service and Franchise Tax Board also announced extended deadlines for certain business filings and payments.

Fire victims also may be eligible for property tax relief and payment deferrals. To qualify, you must file a claim with your county assessors office within 12 months from the date of damage or destruction and the loss estimate must be at least $10,000.

MORTGAGE PAYMENTS

If you have a mortgage, you are still responsible for paying it, even if the only thing left standing is the chimney. Many lenders will give you a temporary reprieve. The specifics depend on which bank, investor or government agency owns or guarantees the loan.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development declared a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures Thursday on affected homes with mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. The department is also offering forbearance and loan modifications for FHA borrowers.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government mortgage guarantee agencies, will also help fire victims. Freddie Mac is suspending foreclosures and providing forbearance for up to 12 months and waiving penalties and late fees. Fannie Mae will let borrowers stop making mortgage payments for the first 90 days, which banks can extend to 12 months; mortgages will not incur late fees during the payment breaks. Neither agency will report delinquencies to the credit bureaus. Its best to contact the servicer  the company that sends you mortgage statements  to discuss options for relief.

TIPS FOR FIRE VICTIMS

Take care of yourself and family. Get a roof over your head, talk to your employer and get your kids back in school when its possible to do so. Stay in touch with neighbors for information that could affect you. Seek out mental health care if you need it.

Contact your lenders. If you have trouble paying debts besides a mortgage, contact your creditors. Many will work with disaster victims and even put a code on their credit reports so late or partial payments do not negatively impact their credit score.

Contact your insurance agent. Get a copy of your policy, and start trying to understand it. As soon as you can, file a claim. Experts say it never hurts to be first in line. Getting a full payment could take years, but most companies will give you a check to cover urgent needs.

Start creating a list of everything that was in your house, down to aspirin in the medicine cabinet.

Understand that a claim should be more of a business negotiation. Its a vehicle to get you back where you were before, but its not going to drive itself, said Amy Bach, executive director of San Francisco consumer group United Policyholders.

Document everything. As soon as possible, go to your house and take pictures of whats left before the debris is carted away.

Keep records of every expense that could be covered by insurance. Most policies will pay for additional living expenses up to a certain time and dollar limit. This includes hotels or rent, storage and moving expenses. It could also include food or mileage above what you would normally spend. It generally does not cover unpaid time off work.

Also document all interactions with your insurance company and its claims adjusters, including names, dates and details of the conversations.

Dont be victimized twice. Unfortunately, scam artists thrive on people desperate to rebuild after a disaster. Dont give personal information to strangers. Speak only with adjusters with whom you have a scheduled appointment.

Contractor fraud is not uncommon. Be wary of anyone soliciting work door to door. Take your time before making big financial decisions and work only with contractors who can prove they are licensed, bonded, insured and have positive references. Always ask for an end date for any project. The Better Business Bureau is a good place to check for any complaints against a contractor.

On Tuesday, State Farm Insurance Co. reported that it is handling more than 3,330 homeowner claims and 1,130 auto claims because of the Wine Country fires. The company warned that customers should be wary of contractors who ask you to secure building permits, insist on cash payments or who promise discounts using leftover materials.

HOW TO ENTER A HOME AFTER A FIRE

Wear a mask. Make sure it is one that filters ash. Fire can release many dangerous pollutants into the air.

Wear gloves, long sleeves, pants and boots. Soil, dust and scorched metal can harbor pathogens like tetanus that can enter the body even though minor cuts.

Be careful of where you walk. There can still be hot spots burning under debris.

Throw away all food. Even canned goods can be ruined by intense fire.

Keep kids, elderly and pregnant women away. People with a history of heart or lung disease should not be in a fire zone because of lingering pollutants. Even healthy people should watch for symptoms such as coughing, nausea, fatigue and dizziness.

Reporting by Kathleen Pender, Michelle Robertson, Owen Thomas and Audrey Cooper. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
Javier wanted to see it with his own eyes, to confirm that the neighborhood where hed raised his two sons, Santa Rosas Coffey Park, was no longer there.

Nearly two decades ago, he fled Honduras for America after a hurricane destroyed his business and livelihood. He built a life with his wife and children in the middle-class neighborhood that was rather ordinary  except, perhaps, for his lack of U.S. citizenship.

But as the 51-year-old man turned down the road leading to his rented home on Oct. 9, he wasnt prepared for the sight of rows of flattened houses, still smoldering a day after the deadly Tubbs Fire swept through. He got out of the car and held his wife and 20-year-old son.

Moving forward from the Wine Country fires will be challenging for thousands of people who lost loves ones, homes, schools, workplaces or other things. But undocumented immigrants like Javier face special hardships due to their status, advocates said.

Javier, a service-industry worker who asked to be identified only by his first name because he is fearful of being targeted for deportation, cannot seek most traditional federal disaster aid to cope with the loss of his home and possessions. Meanwhile, some undocumented residents have lost out on work because of the fires, and cannot apply for benefits designed for this scenario.

Javier knew all this when he returned to the ruins of his home, but tried to muster an inspirational message. After all, hed restarted his life once before, albeit as a much younger man.

We have to start over. Theres nothing we can do, he said he told his wife and children. Cry as much as you can in the next three days, because we have to rise up and do something for our life.

The lack of assistance for undocumented immigrants troubles advocates and attorneys who worry about the futures of these residents, some of whom are agricultural workers central to the economy of Wine Country, as they navigate an already expensive, housing-strapped region.

In these times, undocumented residents are already vulnerable, already facing a lot of fear and anxiety. Their jobs, homes and lives as they know it are disrupted like anyone else, but they have fewer options, said Tanya Broder, a senior attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.

Theyre already facing a lot of hurdles, she said, and now like everyone else theyre starting over  but with much less.

In disasters like this months wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides money to citizens and certain immigrants to, among other things, obtain short-term lodging, replace essential property and rent a new home. The money  which can in some cases amount to tens of thousands of dollars  is for items not covered by individual insurance.

Undocumented residents who have a U.S. citizen in their household are granted an exception and can apply for aid. But that doesnt apply to Javier, whose two adult children have protection under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Trump is phasing out.

He said he has no savings and makes a lower-middle-class salary on which he pays taxes. He lost $100,000 of property in the fire, he said, and does not have insurance.

I understand it. Im grateful to be alive and I can work. Im strong enough to work, he said. I just want to get a house  a place we can call home and feel comfortable. Thats it.

At the vineyards that draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to Sonoma and Napa counties, the fires have had a deep impact on undocumented workers, said Armando Elenes, a vice president with the United Farm Workers Union.

He said some workers have been laid off as a result of vineyards burning, while others missed out on more than a week of time in the fields and the paycheck that would have come with it.

While U.S. citizens and qualified immigrants in the region can apply for federal funding to cover costs for missed work time, undocumented employees without work authorization cannot. Thats a big blow to the majority of the workers in the regions fields who do not have legal status, Elenes said.

The aid can amount to as much as $450 a week for 26 weeks and is available to people in Sonoma, Napa and other counties affected by the fires.

The fact is you have a high cost of living and workers struggling to make ends meet who dont have a safety net, Elenes said. For them, losing that type of work has a big impact.

Fortunately, he said, the wine harvest was roughly 85 percent finished before the fires hit.

Still, for vineyard workers like Patricia, 52, the loss of work is difficult. The undocumented resident of Santa Rosa, who also asked to withhold her last name, missed out on 10 days of work  roughly $800  at a time when job opportunities are slowing with the approach of winter.

We just imagine we are going to fall further back on everything. Were trying to stretch what we have to make ends meet, she said.

In the days after the fire, immigrant-rights advocates met with undocumented residents in the region to hear stories of their losses of property and jobs. It was from there, said Davin Cardenas, lead organizer of the North Bay Organizing Project, that community groups began to create an independent fund meant to provide financial relief to those who dont qualify for federal aid.

A committee made up of undocumented residents met and created criteria for how the money will be doled out. Cardenas said the group had raised $200,000 and would start distributing money next week.

This is a way we can have an impact on this ongoing crisis, he said.

The existence of the special disaster fund, called UndocuFund, was welcome news to Javier, who is considering his next steps as he and his family stay at a friends home in Rohnert Park. During his hurried escape from Coffey Park, he was able to grab only a few things, including important documents, an iPad and a Bible hes carried with him since he was a young man in Honduras.

A week and a half later, Javier said he is grateful that his family survived the fires. Hes also holding out hope that he will soon be on a path to U.S. citizenship, after applying for a visa available to crime victims who assist police. Javier helped solve a robbery in Sonoma County.

We understand that material things come and go, he said. We understand that we cannot get it back. Theres nothing we can do  we have to move on.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz
In 1976, Los Angeles police stopped Adolpho Lyons for driving a car with a broken taillight, ordered him out of his car, then choked him until he passed out. Seven years later, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Lyons to sue the police for damages but said he could not seek a court order to prohibit choke holds against individuals who werent threatening police, because he couldnt show he would be a future victim.

Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen, was abducted by Macedonian authorities in 2003 and turned over to the CIA, which had mistaken him for someone with a similar name. He was sedated and flown to a secret site in Afghanistan, where he was held for four months, beaten and tortured, until the CIA learned of its error. The agency then released him in a remote area of Albania, with no money, no apology, and no legal recourse  U.S. courts ruled that his suit, if allowed to proceed, might expose state secrets.

Thomas Lee Goldstein, a Marine Corps veteran and former engineering student, spent 24 years in prison for a 1979 murder in Long Beach based on the testimony of a jailhouse informant that federal courts later found to be perjured. Although Los Angeles County prosecutors had known about the informants dubious history and failed to tell defense lawyers, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Goldsteins damage suit in 2009, saying prosecutors are legally immune from suits by criminal defendants.

In his new book Closing the Courthouse Door: How Your Constitutional Rights Became Unenforceable, legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, recently named the law school dean at UC Berkeley, uses those cases and others to shed some much-needed light on an obscure but important drawer in the legal systems file cabinet  rulings on process and procedure that often decide not just who wins and loses but who gets access to the courts in the first place.

As he sees it, the judicial system, particularly the nations high court, has made it harder to defend human rights by narrowing individuals legal standing to sue the government, refraining from wading into disputes with political implications, and expanding official immunity and state secrecy.

Federal courts cannot enforce the Constitution if no one can be sued for violating it, Chemerinsky observes  somewhat of an overstatement, perhaps, but reflective of the current legal climate.

These are not the Supreme Court cases the public is most aware of, like the rulings in recent years allowing unlimited corporate contributions in federal elections and legalizing same-sex marriage. In those cases, the court weighed competing claims of rights and government interests and reached conclusions on the merits, in legal terms, deciding which side should prevail.

By contrast, in the cases Chemerinsky describes, the Supreme Court or lower federal courts dismissed individual claims without deciding, for example, whether the CIA violated el-Masris rights, whether prosecutors illegally withheld evidence from Goldsteins lawyers, or whether the Army violated the rights of James Stanley, a soldier who was unwittingly given LSD in a 1958 medical experiment and saw his lawsuit dismissed.

In such cases, the courts said, there was no need to reach the merits because federal law shielded government officials from suit, or because the litigation would jeopardize a judicially recognized public policy  military secrecy, respect for presidential and congressional authority, or the need to steer clear of the political thicket, as Justice Felix Frankfurter advised in 1946. (The Supreme Court ventured into that thicket in 1964 when it required states to make voting districts equal in population, and the justices will decide this term whether districts drawn to favor one party violate the same equality principle. The thicket apparently doesnt extend to cases that affect the political process, such as the outcome of the 2000 presidential election.)

The book also notes rulings that, while not immunizing powerful entities from lawsuits, have saddled potential plaintiffs with economic burdens  notably the Supreme Courts hostility to class-action suits.

In a pair of 2011 rulings, both written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court dismissed a nationwide sex-discrimination suit filed in San Francisco on behalf of 1.5 million female employees at Walmart and a false-advertising claim on behalf of AT&T customers. Since Walmart had an official policy against sex bias, Scalia said, any discrimination must have occurred at the local level, precluding a collective case against the company. And he said AT&Ts contractual requirement that customers take all grievances to individual arbitration was justified by the need to protect businesses from the intimidating pressure of class actions.

Chemerinsky is an unapologetic liberal, and most of the rulings he criticizes are a product of the conservative majority that has controlled the Supreme Court since the 1970s. The governing philosophy is the doctrine of judicial restraint: limiting the courts role, and preserving their credibility, out of respect for the executive and legislative branches, and for state governments and the voters.

As Scalia put it in a 2015 opinion, a strict limitation on standing to sue the government keeps us minding our own business.

It also shields the government from accountability, Chemerinsky says.

Conservatives as well as liberals should be concerned about the need to limit government power, he writes. Enforcement of the Constitution should never be left to the political process.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @egelko

Closing the Courthouse Door

How Your Constitutional Rights Became Unenforceable

By Erwin Chemerinsky

(Yale University Press; 280 pages; $32.50)
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Authorities suspect that downed PG&E power lines may have sparked the devastating wildfires in the North Bay that have so far killed 42 people. In the past dozen days, about 100,000 people have been evacuated statewide as 21 large fires decimated at least 8,400 structures and burned through more than 246,000 acres. Most of the damage was in PG&Es vast service area.

At this point, we really dont know if Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is at fault. But in some ways, it doesnt matter. After a major tragedy like these fires, we need someone, something to blame. And PG&E is the perfect villain.

This is the company whose negligence led to a natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno seven years ago, a tragedy that killed eight people and injured more than 50. A federal jury found the company guilty of obstructing justice by lying to regulators about its pipeline-testing policy. PG&E was also accused of collaborating with a top state regulator to find a judge who would be more friendly to the company.

So PG&E doesnt enjoy the benefit of the doubt in the North Bay fires. The companys new CEO, Geisha Williams, must craft a delicate strategy in which PG&E acknowledges that skepticism and  if investigators find convincing evidence  somehow accept moral responsibility for the fires without taking on legal responsibility.

At present, were focused on our customers and working safely to restore the last few thousand who are without electric and gas service, company spokesman Keith Stephens said in an email. Thats really where our focus is. Communicating with them and supporting them during the restoration and rebuilding process.

Its early days, and these reviews of what happened will take time, Stephens wrote. Were going to be open and transparent throughout the process and cooperate with reviews with regulators and other agencies.

The liability for the fires could rise to $12 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts estimate  more than the $10.2 billion PG&E paid to creditors in the wake of its 2001 bankruptcy.

Given its past misdeeds, PG&E should pledge that it is committed to finding the truth and sharing information with regulators and consumers on a timely basis, said Kathleen Wailes, an independent consultant and a former senior strategist with the Levick communications firm in Washington.

They must be accountable and transparent, Wailes said. Even when we dont know about what caused the fires, if we were responsible, we will rectify the situation and prevent another tragedy.

In a piece in Sundays San Francisco Chronicle Insight section, Williams noted that PG&E plans to share regular updates on a new website, www.pgecommitment.com.

In some cases, it might be a good idea for the company to show some kind of contrition, said Derek Arnold, a professor at Villanova University who specializes in crisis management.

Depending on both the level of damage the event has caused and the amount of responsibility the company wishes to take for its occurrence, it may have to even apologize, Arnold wrote in an email.

But an organization has to consider the type of apology it wants to go on record for which it is taking accountability, he wrote. The framing of this apology is important to convey the proper tone of contrition.

Another option is to connect the incident to a higher-level problem with greater stakes.

A company can try to transcend an issue by re-framing it from something the public is upset about by moving it to a more abstract idea, Arnold wrote.

Thats what PG&E seems to be doing. Williams said the fires point to the larger threat of climate change, citing recent hurricanes, Californias long drought, and recent record heat in San Francisco. Taken together, she said, those call for new climate strategies that go beyond questions like tree trimming.

Wailes thinks the strategy implicit in Williams responses seems calculated to deflect attention from the fires, to make something else the tallest guy in the room, she said.

But thats not enough. If PG&E really believes climate change is the real issue, then the company should say what it or other companies and the government should do about it, Wailes said.

In any case, PG&E has a very narrow opportunity to get this right  or at least avoid the mistakes of its handling of San Bruno.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Besides PG&Es own archives, Williams has some companies in PG&Es hometown of San Francisco she can learn from.

Wells Fargo squandered its opportunity to make things right. The San Francisco banking giant admitted that employees had apparently created millions of fraudulent accounts to hit aggressive sales targets. The company repeatedly apologized but continued to shield top executives like current CEO Timothy Sloan and the board of directors from any responsibility.

And we continue to hear new scandals emerge from the bank: Wells Fargo allegedly denied loans to Dreamers, young people who came to the country illegally as small children and stayed; overcharged veterans under a federal mortgage refinancing program; and forced as many as 800,000 consumers to buy expensive and unneeded car insurance.

For these reasons, state Treasurer John Chiang, whos running for governor, announced last week that he will continue to ban Wells Fargo from managing the states investment portfolio and underwriting state bonds.

The opaque manner with which the bank continues to do business and the frequency of new disclosures of wanton greed and lack of institutional control makes this decision so clear that there really was no choice at all, Chiang said in a statement.

The same kind of cloud also hangs over PG&E. Already, the company faces lawsuits from homeowners displaced by the fires.

And state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who has pushed to reform PG&E ever since the San Bruno blast, warned that he will try to break up the utility if its negligence caused the fires.

If we find that in this particular case  and we dont know the cause yet  then frankly I dont think PG&E should do business in California anymore, said Hill. Theyve crossed the line too many times. They need to be dissolved in some way, split.

PG&E already knows how to play the villain. For Williams, a utility veteran now thrust into the spotlight, its time to discover if the company can play a new role.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee
Grant Heslov and George Clooney have been friends for 35 years. The struggling actors met in a scene study class during Heslovs summer break from the University of Southern California. The Los Angeles native was 19 and Clooney was 21. Heslov loaned Clooney $100 for his first head shots. They slept on each others couches. And they started writing together, even as they both began to work regularly.

Clooney hit the lottery, his role as Dr. Doug Ross on ER serving as a launching pad into the stratosphere. Heslov, however, realized that an actors life wasnt for him. Although he takes a small part from time to time  his last credit was in 2014s The Monuments Men  writing and producing, including sharing screenplay nominations with Clooney for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and The Ides of March (2011) have become his life.

I love acting, said Heslov, 54, in conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where his and Clooneys latest film, Suburbicon, made its North American premiere. Its so much fun, but its a tough life for a character actor. In the scope of that world, you just dont know when your next job is. There is a lot of uncertainty. What you dont really know when youre an actor, until you do it, you dont realize how little your part is within the whole.

Heslov describes Suburbicon as a little bit of alchemy. It is also a wedding of sorts, a marriage between his and Clooneys original idea to make a film about the first black family to integrate Levittown, Pa., and a 20-year-old satirical murder mystery script by Joel and Ethan Coen.

The Coens wanted George to play the insurance investigator that Oscar Isaac plays now, Heslov says. They never made that film for myriad reasons, but it always stuck with George. We thought about the idea of taking that story and setting it against the backdrop of what was going on in Levittown at that time.

Levittown is never named, but Suburbicon takes place in the late 1950s in a bucolic, heretofore all-white suburb of cookie-cutter houses. As their new black neighbors cope with harassment and nightly protests (which Heslov and Clooney re-create from the historical record right down to an outrageously racist petition demanding the familys removal), the Lodges  patriarch Gardner (Matt Damon), his disabled wife, Rose (Julianne Moore), their young son, Nicky (Noah Jupe), and Roses twin, Margaret (Moore)  are victims of a seemingly random home invasion. That is only the start of the Lodges problems as Nicky notices a growing closeness between his father and his aunt as a claims investigator (Isaac) noses around, making nasty insinuations.

Trying to write in the Coens tone, that was the biggest challenge, Heslov says. The Coen brothers have a very specific tone. We werent trying to copy that with the film itself, but with the script you have to make it as seamless as you can.

We knew when we started that we were going to have targets on our backs, he adds. The film is from a Coen brothers script and people revere them and theres a lot of baggage, good baggage, that they bring with them. That was going to be something we were going to have to crawl through.

And although Heslov might have stopped acting, it is the actors instinct he and Clooney bring to their projects that informs their work, particularly when it comes to casting. Suburbicon is full of unfamiliar names.

George and I like to sort of lift up the rug and find those actors who just have great faces and that you havent seen a million times and that bring more to the role than we were able probably to write, Heslov say. The thing is George and I started off as actors. We love actors and we love to find the guys you feel like you havent seen before, and people that feel real.

Pam Grady is a San Francisco freelance writer. Twitter: @cinepam

Suburbicon (R) opens Friday, Oct. 27, in Bay Area theaters.
Uber cab driver Prem Kumar, who was caught masturbating by a woman on her way to the Hyderabad airport on October 19, has been arrested. She had described the horror she experienced in a Facebook post.

By Ashish Pandey: Cyberabad police has arrested the Uber cab driver, who was caught masturbating while ferrying a woman to the Hyderabad airport recently.

Police have arrested the accused cab owner-cum-driver, identified as 26-year-old Prem Kumar, under Sections 354 A and 509 of the IPC and remanded them to judicial custody. Kumar is a resident of Rangareddy district.

Uber had barred the driver from accessing the taxi app. India Today had reported what exactly happened as the woman narrated her ordeal. The woman, a resident of Kondapur from Gachibowli area of Hyderabad, had taken an Uber cab on October 19 for the city airport, from where she was supposed to catch a flight for Delhi. When the car hit the Outer Ring Road, the driver slowed down the car and started staring at the woman through the rearview mirror. To her utter horror, the woman realised that the driver had unzipped his trousers and was masturbating inside the car in full public view.

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It was only after she threatened him for about 3 to 4 minutes saying that she would call the police that he stopped the car. Disgusted, she got off the vehicle and reached the airport finally in another cab.

As soon as she landed at the Delhi Airport, the woman called 1091 and lodged a complaint with the Safdarjung Police station. She has also posted her complaint on Facebook. The same has been received by Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad. The police contacted the woman after receiving her complaint. The same has been registered as a criminal case under Sections 354 A and 509 of the IPC at Madhapur Police Station. DCP, Madhapur formed two special teams and confiscated the car and arrested the accused driver. The owner-cum-driver has been remanded to judicial custody.

Speaking to India Today after learning of the Uber driver's arrest, the woman said, "I am extemely thankful to the Hyderabad police for arresting him so quickly. I am also grateful to the media - news channels and the social media for raising awareness. The larger question is how do we prevent such incidents from recurring. Uber must come up with concrete answers on how it's changing its mode of functioning to see to it that all drivers are carefully vetted and passenger safety is ensured."

DCP Viswaprasad said that the negligence on the part of Uber would also be investigated in detail. Cyberabad Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya has appreciated the good work of Madhapur police.

UBER CONTACTS AGGRIEVED WOMAN, PROMISES STERNEST MEASURES

The woman, who put up a Facebook post on October 19 narrating the harrowing experience she had to go through, said today that she got a call from Uber, who promised to take all possible measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents. She said, "They discussed a few issues, apart from being apologetic for what happened that day. The Uber team confirmed that it was re-examining all driver profiles that had a single alphabet as first name. The team, I was told, was still discussing internally whether full driver names can be displayed in their app to help ascertain their identity faster."

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The woman added that she asked the Uber team whether it was possible for people to have a copy of the vehicle's number and driver contact details before their trip. This as usually, the vehicle's number and driver contact details get removed from records as soon as the trip is over or it gets cancelled.

She went on to say that when the Hyderabad police was checking the CCTV footage, it struggled to trace the culprit as there was no way to check the exact route taken by the cab. She said she was awaiting a response from Uber on what the taxi service was planning to do about partially completed trips.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, an Uber spokesperson has said, "This is a regrettable incident, and we are all concerned about it. We will continue to fully support law-enforcement officials in their investigation."

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Mumbai woman captures video of man masturbating while looking at her

--- ENDS ---
Corruption can kill.

The fires that laid waste to Californias Wine Country and at least 42 lives were not merely the product of a changing climate and extra-heated winds.

Early reports suggest the failure of Gov. Jerry Brown and his appointees to adequately regulate our public utilities to prevent such fires also fueled the fast-moving flames.

Investigators are examining downed power wires and exploding transformers from Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which were reported on multiple 911 calls, by PG&E workers and by witnesses as the immediate cause of many blazes.

Reports from fire responders, residents and PG&E itself also point to the flames spreading so quickly because of overgrown trees too close to the utilitys power lines.

The Butte Fire in 2015, which destroyed more than 500 homes and killed two people in Calaveras County, was caused by PG&Es failure to cut back a pine tree that hit a power line and sparked the fire.

PG&Es negligence to identify the weakened trees led to bipartisan legislation in 2016, passed unanimously by both houses of the Legislature, to reduce the risks of wildfire from overhead utility lines by clearing out dead trees. The bill required the Public Utilities Commission to identify and map high-risk wildfire hotspots due to overhead utility lines, taking into consideration local governments concerns, so that utilities would have to step up their mitigation efforts in those areas.

Unfortunately, Gov. Brown shockingly vetoed that fire prevention legislation, claiming that the state Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection had a process in place. The furious spread of fires along trees in the path of power lines last week lays naked that claim.

PG&E itself put the blame on hurricane-strength winds and millions of trees weakened by years of drought, contributing to some trees, branches and debris impacting our electric lines.

In fact, winds were only half the level of hurricane force, peaking at 30 miles per hour when the Tubbs Fire started, according to the Bay Area News Group, but overgrown trees as fuel for the fire were all too real. Attorney Frank Pitre, who sued PG&E over the Butte Fire, said its the utilitys very responsibility to identify a weakened tree and remove it before it strikes a power line.

Unfortunately, cronyism in the Brown administration has allowed a long-standing culture of neglect at PG&E to continue undeterred because PG&E and its brethren fear no real consequences.

PG&E has long been the darling of the Brown administration, supplying his top aide, Nancy McFadden, from its executive ranks, as well as his former Cabinet secretary. Its little wonder the unanimous fire cleanup bill was vetoed when McFadden, Browns top legislative adviser, was a former senior vice president at PG&E who left the company with a $1 million payout.

The veto came despite the fact that explosive electric power equipment is among the top three causes of California wildfires.

Brown has also stacked his Public Utilities Commission with PG&E and utility partisans in the wake of corruption scandals that should have shaken the commission to its core.

PG&Es former lobbyist was caught in a pay-to-play scheme with former PUC President Michael Peevey, but Brown did all he could to support Peevey and keep the pro-utility commission pro-utility. He gets things done, Brown said of Peevey, after the scandal broke, calling him a very effective leader.

We often think of public corruption as an academic, antiseptic issue. In this case, it has real-world consequences. Browns refusal to get tough on PG&E and other utilities has led to repeated safety issues that endanger lives.

Consider the San Bruno explosion in 2010 that claimed eight lives and leveled neighborhoods. PG&E neglected gas pipelines and kept shoddy maintenance records. It even took ratepayer money intended for gas pipeline repairs and used it for executive bonuses and shareholder dividends. Emails showed PG&Es lobbyist worked surreptitiously with PUC commissioners to pick its own PUC judge to hear the case. It took a federal conviction this year to reveal PG&E was a criminal.

City officials in San Bruno still wonder why no one at the company was ever punished. Under PUC President Michael Picker, a top former aide of Browns, the commission continues to stonewall the release of documents related to the blast.

Of course, PG&E has been generous to Brown and his causes as well, shelling out six-figure contributions over his term.

The irony is Brown has made combatting climate change his signature issue, but his hostility to regulation has made California more vulnerable than ever to its ravages.

Thats a lesson the next governor should learn as prerequisite for the job.

Jamie Court is the president of the nonprofit nonpartisan group Consumer Watchdog. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.
The practice of journalism has rarely been more critical  or at greater risk  in the United States. Never before has a president of this nation so aggressively attempted to delegitimize and even threaten established news organizations that produce stories that undermine the narrative he is trying to create. Public distrust of the media did not begin with the election of Donald Trump, but his constant drumbeat of fake news and claims of fabrication have only galvanized it.

Yet through the fog of Trumps rhetorical war, several national news organizations  most notably the Washington Post and New York Times  have been doing a great public service with their investigative reporting of the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the many false statements from the Trump White House. If left to the dispatches issued from Trump and his surrogates, Americans would be under the mistaken impression that his son Donald Jr.s summer 2016 meeting with the Russians was all about adoptions, millions of people voted illegally in 2016, the U.S. murder rate was the highest its been in nearly a half century, and his inauguration crowd was the largest in history.

The list goes on and on. The Washington Post Fact Checker has calculated an average of more than four false or misleading statements a day since Trump took office.

What is especially disturbing is that Trump does not merely chastise his critics and watchdogs in the press. As a candidate and now president, he has proposed tangible restraints on press freedom that would be in open conflict with the First Amendment.

He recently suggested that network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that the networks licenses should be challenged and revoked if appropriate. As a candidate, Trump suggested that the nations libel laws should be expanded to make it easier for public figures to sue news organizations. He also darkly hinted that he would go after Amazons sale-tax status as retribution against founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post. As president, he pressed the FBI director to jail reporters who publish classified information.

The good news is that the fact-challenged presidents threats are mostly hollow. The federal government does not license broadcast networks, only individual stations. There are no federal libel laws; they are set by the 50 states.

Still, the president is setting an unmistakable tone that the First Amendment doesnt really matter.

Its frankly disgusting that the press is able to write whatever it wants to write, Trump has said.

Americans should think about what the world looks like where journalists are censored, intimidated or silenced by those in power. Journalists are being routinely killed by repressive regimes in Russia and the Philippines. Critical reports of government wrongdoing in India have led to defamation lawsuits and attacks by mobs. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has presided over a relentless crackdown on press freedom, with journalists being rounded up and imprisoned, since a failed coup attempt last year. It included the recent conviction in abstentia on terrorism charges of the Wall Street Journals Ayla Albayrak, who had been working in Turkey. The Journals editor in chief called the charges unfounded and the conviction wildly inappropriate.

More than 100 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, many by the ruthless factions in the drug trade, and the most favorable interpretation of the government response has been ineffectiveness. Journalists have been tortured or killed at the behest of local officials. A federal office established to prosecute crimes against freedom of expression has resulted in just a few convictions over the past six years.

Last week in Malta, Europes smallest member state, investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed when a bomb placed beneath her car was detonated remotely. Caruana Galizia had drawn the ire of a wide range of politicians, bankers and criminal elements with her exposes on money laundering and myriad other cases of malfeasance. The audience for her blog often exceeded the combined circulation of the nations newspapers. Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose financial dealings were the subject of Caruana Galizias reporting, has asked for FBI assistance in the investigation into her death.

And so it goes around the world. These are dangerous times for many pursuers of the truth about what their governments are doing. Its imperative to note that the imprisonment of and violence against journalists is only part of the toll on freedom. The unseen damage is the stories of public interest that were stopped or never initiated because of the atmosphere of intimidation.

The United States obviously is nowhere near those levels of suppression of press freedom. But this is no time for complacency. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has reported that there have been 31 arrests and 30 attacks on journalists so far this year. Reporters covering protests or rallies have become especially vulnerable, according to the Trackers research. It brings to mind the way Trump whips his crowds into a frenzy with his hate-the-media rhetoric at his rallies, which has resulted in legitimate concerns from journalists at the scene.

The First Amendment cannot be taken for granted in an era where the ostensible leader of the free world seethes that journalists have the freedom to report what they want.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron

Politics and public policy on the agenda

Listening to Trumps America

Who: Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County supervisor, in conversation with John Diaz

What: The former legislator will talk about his travels to three counties in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan in search of answers to Donald Trumps election. He spoke with more than 100 people in these historically Democratic areas that went for Trump in 2016.

When: Monday, Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco.

Tickets: www.commonwealthclub.org.

Californias Big Issues: Do Democrats

Have the Ideas and Resolve to Meet Them?

Who: Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa, John Chiang and Delaine Eastin are on the panel, which will be moderated by John Diaz.

What: The four leading Democrats in the 2018 gubernatorial race have confirmed their participation in a panel discussion on topics that will include health care, immigration, education, housing/homelessness and climate change.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 24, lunch at 11:30 a.m., panel discussion at noon.

Where: City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome St., San Francisco.

Tickets: https://citysummitoctober17.eventbrite.com.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, charged in an interview with the New York Times that Donald Trump was treating his office like a reality show, with reckless threats toward other countries that could set the nation on the path to World War III.

Corker said he is concerned about Trump: He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation. Corker added that the vast majority of our caucus understands what were dealing with here ... the volatility that were dealing with and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep him in the middle of the road.

Corkers interview was followed by a report from Vanity Fairs Gabriel Sherman, who wrote that the situation has gotten so out of control that Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis may have discussed ways to stop Trump should he order a nuclear attack. Kelly has tried to keep Trump focused by intercepting outside phone calls to the White House and restricting access to the Oval Office. Many of Trumps advisers believe he is unstable and unraveling quickly.

Is Trump really unraveling? Are Republican leaders ready to pull the plug? I phoned an old friend, a Republican former member of Congress who keeps up with whats going on. I scribbled notes as he talked:

Me: So whats up? Is Corker alone, or are others also ready to call it quits with Trump?

He: All I know is theyre simmering over there.

Me: Flake and McCain have come pretty close.

He: Yeah. Others are thinking about doing what Bob did. Sounding the alarm. They think Trumps nuts. Unfit. Dangerous.

Me: Well, they already knew that, didnt they?

He: But now its personal. It started with the Sessions stuff. Jeff was as loyal as they come. Trumps crapping on him was like kicking your puppy. And then, you know, him beating up on Mitch (McConnell) for the Obamacare fiasco. And going after Flake and the others.

Me: So theyre ticked off?

He: Not just that. I mean, they have thick hides. The personal stuff got them to notice all the other things. The wild stuff, like those threats to North Korea. Tillerson would leave tomorrow if he wasnt so worried Trump would go nuclear, literally.

Me: You think Trump is really thinking nuclear war?

He: Who knows whats in his head? But I can tell you this: Hes not listening to anyone. Not a soul. Hes got the nuclear codes and, well, it scares the hell out of me. Its starting to scare all of them. Thats really why Bob spoke up.

Me: So what could they do? I mean, even if the whole Republican leadership was willing to say publicly hes unfit to serve, what then?

He: Bingo! The emperor has no clothes. Its a signal to everyone they can bail. Have to bail to save their skins. I mean, Trump could be the end of the whole damn Republican Party.

Me: If he starts a nuclear war, that could be the end of everything.

He: Yeah, right. So when they start bailing on him, the stage is set.

Me: For what?

He: Impeachment, 25th Amendment.

Me: You think Republicans would go that far?

He: Not yet. Heres the thing. They really want to get this tax bill through. Thats all they have going for them. They dont want to face voters in 18 or 20 without something to show for it. Theyre just praying Trump doesnt do something really, really stupid before the tax bill.

Me: Like a nuclear war?

He: Look, all I can tell you is many of the people I talk with are getting freaked out. Its not as if theres any careful strategizing going on. Not like, well, do we balance the tax bill against nuclear war? No, no. Theyre worried as hell. Theyre also worried about Trump crazies, all the ignoramuses hes stirred up. I mean, Roy Moore? How many more of them do you need to destroy the party?

Me: So whats gonna happen?

He: You got me. Im just glad Im not there anymore. Trumps not just a moron. Hes a despicable human being. And hes getting crazier. Paranoid. Unhinged. Everyone knows it. I mean, were in (expletive) up to our eyeballs with this guy.

 2017 Robert Reich

Robert Reich, a former U.S. secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at UC Berkeley. He blogs daily at www.facebook.com/rbreich. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters
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A conservative Republican president voluntarily visits San Francisco, is met with no protest, then climbs on a ferry to passionately lobby for his pro-environment initiatives.

How the Pony Express linked an isolated SF to the country

What sounds like science fiction in 2017 actually happened on Sept. 5, 1972, when Richard Nixon came to town. The president, an enthusiastic consumer of Bay Area mass transit who would ride BART three months later, arrived to advocate for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

President Nixon took a brief ferryboat ride on San Francisco Bay on a windy, sunny day yesterday, The Chronicle reported. (He) posed for pictures on the top deck with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, and said with a grin: Ill never have a better backdrop.

That money quote came in the middle of a presidential re-election run, against Democratic Party nominee George McGovern. But his political motivation that day was to support the pro-environment Gateway West bill, which would turn more than 30,000 acres of Bay Area real estate into protected parkland.

And according to the president, it was the Democrat-controlled Congress that was holding up the proposal.

There is no excuse for further congressional delay, Nixon pronounced during a press conference on the ferry. (Its time to) get Congress to go along with what the majority of the people in this country want  to clean up our environment.

The San Francisco trip was a quick one, with the president arriving at San Francisco International Airport, heading to Fort Point, then taking a quick trip on a Sausalito-bound ferry named the Golden Gate.

The Chronicle reported no protests; just 200 young supporters, probably students, meeting the president at the Presidio with chants of Four more years! Four more years!

The boat tour into the Bay included a group of guests more eclectic than Gilligans Island, with aviator Charles Lindbergh, astronaut Frank Borman, San Francisco Mayor Joe Alioto and future secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld on board.

Nixon spoke to the press from a podium placed inside the ferry, with a presidential seal and a curtain erected behind. He also toured the deck, waving at passing sailboats on the gusty day, while allowing the wind to muss his normally shellacked hair.

The bill, co-authored by Republican congressman William S. Mailliard and Democrat Phillip Burton, passed and was an enormous success. Be sure to thank Nixon when touring the recreation areas current 80,000 acres, which includes Muir Woods, Alcatraz, the Presidio, Crissy Field and the remains of Sutro Baths.

But the boat ride was arguably a dud.

Nixons San Francisco Bay photo ops and fiery messages were quickly upstaged by much bigger news: the slaughter of Israeli athletes by terrorists at Olympic Village.

Terror at Olympics  ALL HOSTAGES SLAIN, the Chronicles headline stated, taking up most of the top third of the page. A photo of Nixon was buried on Page 30.

More bad news: After the ferry ride was over, it was discovered that in the fuss to get the ferry ready for the president, the locked cash box was robbed of more than $800. And a week later, The Chronicle wrote about large taxpayer expenditures for the short political trip.

A 45-minute ride by President Nixon aboard the Golden Gate ferry  cost the Golden Gate Bridge District $10,000, officials acknowledged yesterday, The Chronicle reported. The costs involved painting of the ferryboat so the President would have a photographic backdrop free of rust strains, as well as test runs for the boat ride.

But it was still a good political year for Nixon - maybe his last one.

He was elected that November in one of the largest landslides in recent political history. And along with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Nixon in 1970 signed an executive order for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Remember the that next time you walk through the Marin Headlands, and enjoy the real estate development-free views: The president who resigned in disgrace was also an environmental warrior.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
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Whispers about San Franciscos Proper Hotel have been circling for what seems like years. First we found out that the hotel would breathe new life into a historic flatiron-style building in the desperate-to-be-buzzy Mid-Market neighborhood. Next, news spread that Los Angeles Kelly Wearstler signed on as designer. Then we heard nothing  for a long time.

But good things come to those who wait. The project, now five years in the making, is finally complete. The building  nestled at Market, Seventh, Jones and McAllister streets  was completed in 1904 by local architect Albert Pissis and is now included on the National Register of Historic Places. So its no surprise that the restoration was approached with painstaking attention to original details.

Our historical team used old document fragments, building plans and field measurements to meticulously restore meaningful features, said general manager Lorenz Maurer. No expense was spared to clean the historic facade brick by brick and renovate the existing window frames in order to retain the unique look of the flatiron.

The buildings lavish Beaux Arts bones informed Wearstlers subsequent reimagining of the interiors. Taking a cue from early pre-modernist European styles, the design brings together the Old World with the new in the form of rich textures and deep hues  a wildly colorful feast for the senses.

San Francisco has an artsy, cool, intellectual West Coast vibe, Wearstler said via email. The city is our muse in everything from the palette and materials to contemporary art and rich European influences. Vintage chairs and couches have been reworked, refinished and upholstered with new fabrics, giving them a modern touch. Artwork from emerging local talent (Joe Ferriso and Jonathan Anzalone) also helps bridge the gap between past and present. The hotel feels fresh, but also as though every detail was carefully handpicked ages ago.

The challenge is making sure that the design feels inspired by the buildings history, giving it a new spirit without taking out its soul, Wearstler said. Whether you love it or hate it, one thing is clear the moment you step through the door: San Franciscos Proper Hotel is maximalism at its best, and Wearstlers team has succeeded in returning the building to its former glory.

Allison McCarthy is a San Francisco freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com

Proper Hotel 1100 Market St. (Hotel entrance is at 45 McAllister St.) Rates start at $200 for bunk rooms; $350 for standard rooms; and $850 for suites. www.properhotel.com

Eat & drink: Jason Franey (Campton Place, Eleven Madison Park) leads the hotels culinary programs, while mix masters the Bon Vivants designed the bar program. Villon (seen on cover), the hotels main restaurant, makes a bold statement of elegance with ribbed wood paneling painted a bright sky blue in the main dining area. A two-tone wood checkerboard floor, angled antique mirrors, soaring beveled ceilings and brass accents add to the grandiose vibe. Villon, which is serving up shared plates of Franeys contemporary American cuisine, also encompasses the lobby lounge.

Up on the roof: Soon-to-open rooftop bar and lounge Charmaines will provide sweeping views of the city through floor-to-ceiling glass windows 120 feet above Market Street. Decor will nod to the Viennese Secession art movement, and fireplaces and area rugs will cozy up the outdoor space.

Coming soon: Cafe La Bande at the corner point of the hotels flatiron-style building will offer coffee and pastries in the morning; salads and sandwiches for lunch, and beer and wine.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Lobby as salon: Years of additions and modifications were stripped from the historic building to reveal original columns, crown moldings and a marble floor in the lobby. These restored elements are complemented with Kelly Wearstlers updated European salon-style design. We created a living room-like setting that evokes the comfortable, artful living spaces of the past, Wearstler said.

Cocktails and conversation: Visitors can choose which lobby vignette suits their mood  from an ultra feminine, rose-hued area perfect for a post-shopping cocktail to a Cubist-inspired nook for thoughtful conversation.

Light fantastic: Throughout the hotel, guests will notice reproduction light fixtures by L.A.s Edition Modern in the style of French masters Pierre Chareau and Jean Royere.

History meets modern: Settees in king rooms were inspired by neoclassical architect and designer Gio Ponti. Guest rooms and suites (suite bathroom with checkered tile floor seen below) also mix custom Wearstler-designed wall coverings inspired by vintage European graphics from a variety of countries. Placing four patterns together in a single room was a way to modernize these classic papers and give depth and dimension to each guest room, she said. Outlets and USB ports are strategically built into the furniture; rooms come equipped with Chromecast TVs; and concierge services are available via a mobile app. Mini bars are built into closets and offer small-batch goodies.

Bunk mates: The historic flatiron shape of the building posed a fun challenge for two mini interior-facing rooms on each floor of the hotel. Rather than design a smaller standard-type room for these spaces (170 square feet versus 270 square feet), the team turned each into a sophisticated bunk room. Custom beds are made of ripped walnut with brass ladders and railings. Storage drawers help maximize the space, and each bunk has its own 28-inch flat-screen television. The bunk rooms boast walk-in showers and closet-size mini bars.
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A state appeals court has reinstated a San Francisco cancer patients suit against the makers of Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, which she used for 20 years and later learned that it may have contained potentially lethal asbestos.

Mary Lyons was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a cancer commonly caused by asbestos, in October 2015. In her lawsuit against Colgate-Palmolive, she said she first used the talcum as a young child in the early 1950s, when her mother powdered her after every bath, and continued using it on her own until the early 1970s.
Residents in part of Santa Rosa were allowed to re-enter their neighborhoods Saturday as firefighters neared full containment of a series of blazes that caused mass destruction across Northern California.

The recent rain that swept through the fire zones of Napa and Sonoma counties  more than six-tenths of an inch  gave firefighters a boost in holding containment lines. Full containment for all of the fires is expected by Wednesday.

But a little rainfall and success on the fire line does not mean California is safe from wildfire. Strong winds and hot weather are expected in Southern California over the next few days, officials said.

In the North Bay, residents in hard-hit Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa were allowed to go back to their neighborhood Saturday morning, while those who lived in Coffey Park were also allowed to survey the damage in their area. The fires in those neighborhoods were so intense that they caused tornadoes that flipped cars and uprooted trees. Elsewhere, residents were allowed to return to parts of Sonoma Valley and Geyserville, along with the Bennett Valley and Kenwood areas.

Now Playing: Santa Rosa residents return home for first time after wildfires. Alex Savidge reports Video: KTVU

The deadly blazes across eight California counties destroyed about 8,400 structures, forced 100,000 people to evacuate and killed at least 42 people. Firefighters are continuing to investigate the cause of the wildfires, and at least 25 people are unaccounted for in Sonoma County and three in Napa County.

On Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order allowing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to help local officials remove hazardous debris like pipe insulation and flammable liquids.

The 36,793-acre Tubbs Fire, which destroyed an estimated 5,300 structures in Sonoma County, became the most destructive wildfire in modern state history this week. The fire now is 94 percent contained. The Nuns Fire, which grew almost 2,000 acres Friday night and early Saturday morning to 56,216 acres, is 86 percent contained, while the 51,624-acre Atlas Fire was at 90 percent containment. The Redwood Valley Fire, which killed eight people in Mendocino County, was at 36,523 acres and 95 percent containment.

We are doing our very best to wrap up here  were getting high up in our containment numbers, said Shira Laux, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, which is slowly decreasing staffing in the area.

In Santa Cruz County, the Bear Fire held steady at 391 acres as crews increased containment to 65 percent. Evacuation orders remained in place for certain areas, like Bear Creek Canyon Road. In total, four structures have been destroyed in the blaze and nine firefighters injured. One firefighter remained hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in the incident.

Firefighters are now looking south, where hot weather combined with dreaded Santa Ana winds could spell trouble. The National Weather Service warned of 50 mph gusts in Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz
As much of the marketing world focuses on new ways to woo and dazzle the highly coveted Millennial generation, some companies are setting their sights on an overlooked (at least by advertisers) group: Baby Boomers.

T-Mobile, for instance, recently unveiled a phone plan aimed at people 55 and older. (Boomers are generally defined as being, at this point, between 53 and 71.)

In an occasionally profane 5-minute video posted on Twitter, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said, Im here today to fix something that drives me completely crazy, before criticizing his wireless competitors for deeming Boomers as too old, stuck in the past and not interested in technology or the Internet. He mocked some of his rivals senior phone plans for focusing on big buttons, phone call minutes and outdated flip phones instead of offering smartphones with attractive data plans for them to connect with family and friends.

This generation deserves a little respect, he said.

Some marketing experts say that Legeres rant was valid and that brands, even outside the wireless market, should pay attention.

The group is the forgotten generation, said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc. Marketers have gotten so hot for the Millennial generation that they have essentially ignored Boomers.

Larry Light, a co-author of Six Rules for Brand Revitalization and the chief executive of Arcature, a brand consulting company, added: Theyre just as large as the Millennials in numbers. And they have huge discretionary income.

Right now, its mainly companies that make senior-related products, like life insurance, medical devices and reverse mortgages, that regularly target Boomers. But a few brands, like Mercedes-Benz and Geico, have started courting Boomers by producing commercials that lean on Boomer imagery. In a Super Bowl ad this year, Peter Fonda reprised his Easy Rider persona by putting on a leather jacket  as aging bikers looked on  and drove off in a Mercedes while Born to Be Wild played.

But those ads are the exception, not the norm. Why?

They want to market to the cool segment, the modern segment, the in segment, Light said of marketers, many of whom are Millennials themselves.

In addition, many companies see Millennials as the future. Catch them early enough and you may have a lifelong customer. But thats not necessarily the case, experts say. Tastes and passions change frequently for younger people. But Boomers, once they have connected with a brand, can stay loyal for years, said Scott Gulbransen, director of communications for AARP Nevada.

Technology, automobile, travel and sports-related companies are missing out the most, Gulbransen said, wrongly stereotyping Boomers as out of touch and not interested in the latest gadgets.

Boomers dont want to be left out, he said. They want to learn and use the new technology, and theyre excited by it.

Indeed, more than 60 percent of Boomers owned a smartphone in 2016, according to a report by eMarketer for AARP, and 73 percent of people 50 to 59 owned a smartphone and used it daily.

If I have a Millennial grandchild or child and want to keep up with what theyre doing, those kids are probably not going to call me like I used to call my grandmother when I was a kid, Gulbransen said. So they see it as a tool to connect with family and friends.

AARP even holds classes on how to use smartphones and other technology, and sends a team to the CES trade show each year to review the latest tech gadgets.

Doug Verb, 68, who lives in Las Vegas, rolls his eyes when he hears about the tech-phobic stereotype.

Theyre all missing it, he said of brands. Were here in the millions, and we have more disposable income, time and want to spend money. Yet they dont give us the consideration that they should.

Automobiles is another category where Boomers may feel underserved, Born to Be Wild commercials aside. Passikoff noted that the generation that heralded Earth Day, for instance, would be receptive to ads about electric cars.

Some say the smartest strategy is not choosing between Millennials and Boomers at all.

The big mistake is marketers making an either/or decision, Light said.

Melissa Ziweslin, managing director at the Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, markets to both generations when selling condominiums.

We absolutely like to cast a wide net knowing that it could be a Boomer making a purchase for themselves or making a purchasing decision for a child, she said. We would be remiss not to speak to both audiences.

Experts say the biggest mistake that marketers make is overestimating the value of connecting with Millennials rather than Boomers.

While the Millennials are sharing stuff, Boomers are buying stuff, Passikoff said. If you are a brand, you are in business to make money, and a tweet or share or laugh online doesnt translate into actual bottom-line dollars.

For this reason alone, he said, Boomers are an audience thats worth pursuing in virtually every category.

Janet Morrissey is a New York Times writer.
Facebook, Google and Twitter are one step closer to facing new regulations that would place transparency requirements on a core aspect of their businesses: advertising.

With support from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia unveiled a bill Thursday that would mandate greater disclosure of political ads that run on large Internet services. The proposed legislation was crafted as a response to a Russian-financed propaganda campaign that ran on an array of Web services to spread disinformation and discord during the 2016 election.

While the proposed legislation was expected for weeks, it remained unclear whether the bill would attract Republican support other than McCains and whether tech companies would object to rules that would entangle their ad operations.

Who wouldnt want to know if the ad thats appearing next to your story was actually paid for by a foreign power? Warner said. I dont know what opposition there would be to that kind of disclosure.

During the briefing, Klobuchar and Warner said that the content of online ads, and the people who fund them, remain unknown to the public and because of that the democratic process is vulnerable to meddling. And beyond foreign powers attempting to interfere in U.S. elections, they emphasized that outdated laws have failed to grapple with the evolution of massive online platforms, and the way political speech travels on the Web. The proposed legislation, they said, would be a much needed corrective.

McCain said Thursday that his bill was simply the next frontier in a decades-long fight to force more transparency about money in politics.

For 25 years, Ive been fighting for full disclosure of whats going on. This is a logical step in that direction, he said. Theres no departure from my past.

McCain would not say whether his support might pave the way for more Republicans to come on board. But at least one of McCains allies in the Senate said he is very interested in the proposal. Social media advertising had to be regulated, its the wild wild west, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. When it comes to disclosing who pays for online advertisements, he continued, youve got to try to apply the same rules you would to radio and TV.

The bill would require digital services with more than 50 million monthly viewers to create a public database of political ads that include a description of the targeted audience, the number of views an ad generated, the date and time it ran, its price, and contract information for the purchaser.

The proposal would create a reporting system akin to the one required of television stations by the Federal Communications Commission.

Warner described the legislation as common sense light tough regulation. And he said he hopes that tech companies will work with him and Klobuchar to ensure its passage.

Riva Sciuto, a spokeswoman for Google, said in a statement, We support efforts to improve transparency, enhance disclosures and reduce foreign abuse. Were evaluating steps we can take on our own platforms and will work closely with lawmakers, the FEC, and the industry to explore the best solutions.

Facebook Vice President of U.S. Public Policy Erin Egan said in a statement, We stand with lawmakers in their effort to achieve transparency in political advertising. We have already announced the steps Facebook will take on our own and we look forward to continuing the conversation with lawmakers.

The co-sponsors of the bill touted the endorsements of several civil society groups, including the Campaign Legal Center, the Sunlight Foundation, Issue One, the Brennan Center of Justice, Common Cause and Public Citizen. But some are skeptical that the Honest Ads Act will gain enough political support, given the Republican-controlled Congress and potential attacks from free speech advocates and those who oppose more campaign finance regulations.

A companion House bill was introduced Thursday by Reps. Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Washington, and Mike Coffman, a Republican from Colorado.

Hamza Shaban and Karoun Demirjian are Washington Post writers.
Researchers at UCSF have received a three-year, $1.6 million grant to advance their work using novel gene-editing technology to make human blood cells less susceptible to HIV infection.

The grant, from biopharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences, a global leader in sales of HIV treatments, will fund a team of scientists working to modify the DNA of a type of white blood cell to make them immune to HIV infection.

The cells, called T cells, have long been a focus of researchers seeking to improve HIV treatments. T cells help the immune system fight many diseases, including some cancers and flu viruses. They play a unique role in HIV because the virus targets and destroys T cells, and HIV-positive patients whose T cells become too depleted by the virus will progress to AIDS.

Using a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, the UCSF researchers have already tested dozens of genes believed to play a role in how HIV spreads within the body. They do this by collecting blood samples from HIV-negative patients, altering the DNA of those cells, and then introducing the HIV virus to the modified cells in test tubes. Within two weeks, they can see whether the change to the gene has eliminated the cells ability to become infected with HIV.

CRISPR can be used to modify the DNA of plants, animals and other living organisms. It is considered a groundbreaking method because it is simpler and cheaper than other gene-editing techniques.

This is connecting CRISPR to HIV and opening up whole new avenues of research in understanding the interplay between human genetics and HIV, said Alex Marson, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at UCSF who leads the lab that received the Gilead grant.

The grant, announced this week, will allow Marsons lab to pursue an ambitious goal of uncovering why HIV remains dormant in some cells, only to awaken unpredictably, sometimes years later. Known as HIV latency, this characteristic of the virus is why HIV-positive patients must take antiretroviral drugs  which are only effective in attacking the awake HIV  for life.

The tricky thing about HIV, and one reason its so hard to cure, is that it can hide in the DNA of the human cells, said Joe Hiatt, a doctoral student of medicine and philosophy in Marsons lab and a leader in the research initiative. It becomes DNA and integrates into your DNA.

The problem has perplexed researchers for years. But Marson and Hiatt see potential for using CRISPR to discover which genes control HIV latency. They hope to use the gene-editing tool to create latent HIV cells in test tubes, and then modify the DNA in those cells to see which edits may coax the HIV out of hiding and make it susceptible to drugs. This will be the most challenging and complicated part of the research. If done successfully, it could lead to the development of drugs that target latent HIV  and perhaps cure HIV permanently.

CRISPR technology is potentially revolutionary because HIV is a type of virus that will sneak its own genetic code into the genetic code of the human cell, said Ross Wilson, a scientist at UC Berkeleys Innovative Genomics Institute who is not involved in the grant. Its like hiding a book in a stack at the library, and the book has instructions to build a nasty bomb. To get rid of that information, you need to get it back out of the library. Weve never had the technology to do that inside the living cell until CRISPR came along. Its the first efficient way to do that inside living cells.

It is the first research initiative that Foster Citys Gilead, through its philanthropic program, has funded that involves using CRISPR as a tool in HIV cure-related research. While $1.6 million is not a huge amount, it comes with fewer restrictions than many government grants. The grant will fund a team of five researchers for three years.

It is one of five grants totaling $7.5 million, announced this week, that Gilead has awarded research institutions for HIV and AIDS-related initiatives. The others are to the University of Massachusetts Medical School; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Institute of Human Genetics, French National Center for Scientific Research and University of Montpellier; and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, AIDS and Cancer Virus Program.

A Gilead spokesman said that if the UCSF researchers discover how latent HIV can be targeted by drugs, the company will not necessarily have rights to licensing agreements or other commercial benefits. The grant is from the companys philanthropy program and is meant to support HIV research independent of Gileads business interests, he said.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Oct 21 (PTI) The US today condemned the terrorist attacks on two mosques in Afghanistans capital Kabul and Ghor province in which at least 63 people were killed.

During Friday prayers, suicide bombers yesterday struck a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

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The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country, she said.

In a statement, Nauert strongly condemned yesterdays attacks, as well as the other attacks carried out across the country this week.

She hailed the Afghan government and its security forces for their response to the attacks.

"We commend the government and security forces of Afghanistan for their response to these attacks, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed," the spokesperson said.

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e- Barchi neighbourhood where he detonated his explosives vest, killing 30 and wounding 45, said Major General Alimast Momand at the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bombing in Ghor struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers and killed 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, the spokesman for the provincial chief of police.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack, the latest in a devastating week that saw Taliban attacks kill scores across the war-torn country. PTI LKJ CK

--- ENDS ---
If you missed it ...

In a week when Hollywood promoted six very important characters  #MeToo  this also happened:

American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault said he is retiring Feb. 1, meaning that as of that date (barring a huge surprise), S&P 500 companies will be down to two African American chief executives. In other words, a percentage lower than, say, the votes Evan McMullin received in the 2016 presidential election.

Some stores in Hawaii are keeping Spam locked away because of shoplifters, according to the Washington Post. Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, told the Post she thinks some drug addicts are stealing the canned meat as a way to get quick cash. Cant wait for the commercial: This is your brain on Spam. Any questions?

Lego has finally unveiled four mini-figures, including astronaut Sally Ride, to celebrate NASAs female researchers and explorers. Alas, GeekWire reported that the toy set does not include NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped to inspire the Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures.

All things considered, theyd rather be in Pittsburgh: A Facebook foul-up on Wednesday welcomed users in Pittsburgh and other western and central Pennsylvania cities, which is nice. Except that it welcomed them to Philadelphia, which is not so nice.

Playboy magazine said it will feature a transgender Playmate in November, the first time in its history. Besides having French model Ines Rau, 26, as its centerfold, the magazine also will break with tradition by having a man by himself on its cover. That would be founder Hugh Hefner, of course, who died Sept. 27.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
People who lost homes in the Wine Country fires might be approached by public adjusters offering to represent them in their insurance claims.

While some disaster victims have had good experiences with public adjusters, consumer advocates and the California Department of Insurance warn against rushing into anything. They say policyholders should try working with the insurance company first. If they feel they are being mistreated, they should file a complaint with the Insurance Department and consider hiring a public adjuster or attorney.

Before hiring a public adjuster, consumers should make sure the adjuster is licensed with the Insurance Department and interview former clients.

Public adjusters should not be confused with adjusters who are employed by the insurance companies or independent adjusters, who are hired on a contract basis to represent the company.

Public adjusters represent only the policyholder for a fee. The good ones can help consumers understand their policy, inventory everything they lost, come up with replacement values and negotiate with insurance companies to maximize their reimbursement.

Most charge a percentage of the settled claim amount, typically 5 to 15 percent. We encourage people to get them to work for 7 percent, said Amy Bach, executive director of consumer group United Policyholders.

Bear in mind this is a percentage of the total settlement, not the difference between what the insurance company offered initially and what the public adjuster negotiated.

Most states, including California, license and regulate them. Some limit their fees. California does not, but it does prohibit a public adjuster from charging a fee that would result in customers getting less than they were paid by the insurance company before they hired the adjuster.

This value-added proposition was part of a bill signed into law last year. It was designed to crack down on abuses the California Department of Insurance discovered after getting complaints about public adjusters. They included unfairly charging consumers when taking over partially settled claims, entering disaster areas prematurely to solicit customers, and using high-pressure tactics to coerce distraught consumers to enter into contracts, the department said.

SB488 also clarified when public adjusters can solicit customers. During a catastrophic disaster, they cannot solicit customers until seven calendar days after the disaster ends, emergency responders have left the scene and any evacuation orders have been lifted. (These blackout rules do not apply to adjusters working for insurance companies.)

Solicit generally means contacting individual customers door to door or by phone. During the blackout period, they can truthfully advertise their services and respond to potential customers who initiate contact. The law also gives customers five calendar days to cancel a contract with a public adjuster if the loss was caused by a catastrophic disaster.

Robert Hunter, the Consumer Federation of Americas insurance director, said fire victims should use them cautiously. It all depends on the complexity of your situation and how its going with your company.

If its going well, you can probably handle it yourself. If you feel like you are being given the runaround, constantly delayed or mistreated, and believe the company is acting in bad faith, you might want to hire a lawyer, he said. If your situation is in between, thats where a public adjuster comes in.

Shortly after their house in Calaveras County burned down in the Butte Fire two years ago, James Pesout and his wife, Ann, hired Greenspan Adjusters International to represent them. Its fee will be 10 percent of the final settlement. Pesout said its been well worth it.

For contents coverage, the Greenspan adjuster helped them inventory everything they had lost, down to Q-tips and Phillips screwdrivers, along with each items age and condition. They kept us going. They said, Ill be back in three weeks, here is your homework, Pesout said. They went to the Internet, found prices for everything. The spreadsheet was outrageous.

Pesout had $272,000 in contents coverage. Greenspan evaluated our contents at $450,000, and the insurance company agreed to pay the maximum $272,000, but it took two years.

For the structure, Greenspan took the couples house plans and priced out every single board, gutter and light fixture, Pesout said. It estimated the cost to rebuild at $710,000. The insurance company came in at $430,000. After several rounds of negotiations, the insurance company went up to $585,000 and Greenspan came down to $691,000.

Pesout is now hiring a local contractor to estimate some things that he thinks the insurance company, and possibly Greenspan, are grossly underestimating.

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said, We had very few complaints (about insurance companies) coming out of the Butte Fire in 2015. We had to intervene in some cases. But, by and large, they did a pretty good job. Our hope is they will do a similar good job in the North Bay.

Jones said consumers should try working with their insurance company before hiring a public adjuster.

Jeff Blyskal, senior editor with Consumer Reports, agreed. He said fire victims should talk to a contractor and get an idea what it would cost to replace a home, then get an estimate from their insurance company. If they are very far apart, it might be worth hiring a public adjuster.

Gordon Scott, Greenspans president, said most customers come in before the insurance company has made an offer, usually on the advice of their attorney or accountant.

He compared it to real estate, where buyers are advised to get their own agent and not use the sellers. Its very difficult for one person to be fair when representing both sides, he said.

His firm, based in South San Francisco, usually charges 10 percent of the settlement, but the fee is subject to the size of the claim and the timing of our involvement. If we get involved in the beginning, before there are problems, its subject to a reduction.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender

How to check on public adjuster

To look up a public adjusters license, go to the California Department of Insurance website: http://bit.ly/1QOdPKg

Carefully read the instructions for how to enter the name.

Once on the correct persons page, look under Enforcement Action Description to see if the license is surrendered or expired.

For questions about an adjuster, call the department at (800) 967-9331 or (916) 322-3555.

Ask the adjuster for names of former clients, then call them.
Contributed Photo/ST

Police arrested a woman suspected of critically injuring a child in a hit-and-run Friday afternoon in Oakland after she was involved in a second collision immediately after.

Officers found a child suffering from major injuries in the 800 block of East 15th Street after responding to a report of a vehicle versus pedestrian collision around 1:30 p.m, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Theres just no way around it: This months visits to Davies Symphony Hall by the magnificent young Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbanski constitute the most exciting development on the San Francisco Symphonys horizon in a good long while.

Its not easy to write about Urbanskis remarkable podium gifts without gushing, but lets give it a try. His conducting combines a masterful precision of detail with a command of the broader expanse of even the most challenging repertoire. He seems to have inspired the Symphony musicians to remarkable feats of instrumental prowess even beyond what they normally muster. He brings a charismatic star power to every performance that makes him as thrilling to watch as to listen to.

OK, maybe just a little bit of gush.

Urbanski was back in Davies on Thursday, Oct. 19, for the second of two not quite back-to-back weeks with the orchestra. Just like before, he brought with him a landmark work of midcentury Polish music  in this case, Lutoslawskis beautiful and sturdily built Concerto for Orchestra from 1954  and once again that proved to be the high point of an evening studded with high points.

But Urbanski is an equally remarkable interpreter of the core European repertoire, and he had a peer and partner in cellist Joshua Roman, who joined him for a gorgeous and expressively urgent account of Dvoraks Cello Concerto.

Roman was a last-minute substitute for the scheduled Sol Gabetta, and perhaps one of the only artists whose presence could have salved the disappointment of missing out on her anticipated Symphony debut. With his robust yet fluid string tone, his effortless and almost offhanded technical precision, and the bighearted communicative vigor of his playing, Roman is one of the great instrumental talents to come along in recent years.

And all of those gifts were poured into an account of the Dvorak that was at once emotionally tender and dramatically firm. The broad melodic gestures of the opening movement emerged with a lyrical freedom that never turned gooey on its way to a listeners emotions, and the song-like slow movement was a testament to the warmth and immediacy of Romans playing.

Even the difficult finale, with its hairpin shifts in material and tone, came through with wondrous intensity, helped along by Urbanskis crisply specific leadership and an eloquent contribution right at the end from assistant concertmaster Jeremy Constant. As an encore, Roman gave a luminous account of the Sarabande from Bachs C-Major Cello Suite, offered, he said, as a moment of peace for those affected by the North Bay wildfires.

Dvorak made a meaty first half of the program, but there were more delights after intermission, beginning with a performance of Mozarts Magic Flute Overture that was blazingly fast  Urbanski seemed determined to test just how far he could push the Symphony musicians without mishap  and also silky and inviting. It was one of those great overture performances that left you eager to hear the entire operatic evening it seemed to promise.

Instead, and just as engagingly, we got Lutoslawskis ferocious three-movement orchestral showcase. Just as in Pendereckis Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima two weeks ago, Urbanski seemed to have integrated every minute and measure of this intricate work (he conducts everything from memory), and the result was a formidable display of communal virtuosity.

There was taut responsiveness in the opening Intrada, which begins with a great thwacking tread from the timpani and evaporates some eight or 10 minutes later in a silvery, wispy version of the same music. The dark flurry of the central movement, whirring past like a corps of mechanical drones impersonating Mendelssohnian fairies, was all the more delightful for being so brief.

And in the expansive finale, a sequential combination of passacaglia, toccata and chorale, Urbanski and the orchestra collaborated for a reading of stunning weight, grandeur and theatrical aplomb.

If Urbanski isnt a stone-cold genius of the podium, hes doing an awfully good impression of one. Every future visit by him has now become a must-hear event.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman

San Francisco Symphony: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21. $15-$159. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F. (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org
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AUSTIN, Texas  The five living former presidents appeared together for the first time since 2013 on Saturday at a concert to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush gathered onstage in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, putting aside politics to try to unite the country after the storms.

Texas A&M is home to the presidential library of the elder Bush. At 93, he has a form of Parkinsons disease and appeared in a wheelchair at the event. His wife, Barbara Bush, and George W. Bushs wife, Laura Bush, were in the audience.

The concert featured the country music band Alabama, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Soul Man Sam Moore, gospel great Yolanda Adams and Texas musicians Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen.

Earlier Saturday, President Donald Trump recorded a video greeting that avoids his past criticism of the former presidents and called them some of Americas finest public servants.

This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another, Trump said in the message.

The last time the five were together was in 2013, when Obama was still in office, at the dedication of George W. Bushs presidential library in Dallas.

There is precedent for former presidents joining forces for post-disaster fundraising. George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton raised money together after the 2004 South Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina the next year. Clinton and George W. Bush combined to seek donations after Haitis 2011 earthquake.

Its certainly a triple, if not a home run, every time, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Presidents have the most powerful and prolific fundraising base of any politician in the world. When they send out a call for help, especially on something thats not political, they can rake in big money.

Amid criticism that his administration was initially slow to aid storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump accused island leaders of poor leadership and later tweeted that, Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes while saying that Federal Emergency Management Agency, first responders and military personnel wouldnt be able to stay there forever.

But Rottinghaus said those attending Saturdays concert were always going to be viewed more favorably since polling consistently shows that any ex-president is seen as less polarizing than the current president.

They cant get away from the politics of the moment, he said of current White House occupants. Ex-presidents are able to step back and be seen as the nations grandfather.

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25, eventually unleashing historic flooding in Houston and killing more than 80 people. Shortly thereafter, all five ex-presidents appeared in a commercial for a fundraising effort known as One America Appeal.

A website accepting donations, www.oneamericaappeal.org, was created with 100 percent of proceeds pledged to hurricane relief.

Hurricane Irma subsequently hit Florida and Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, while both affected the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Will Weissert is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  When it comes to grading hurricanes, President Trump is off the mark about Maria.

First, he wont let go of the false claim that Puerto Rico was hit by a Category 5 hurricane. He also errs in citing high grades from a Clinton-era official for the way hes responded to the islands plight.

Trump: They got hit dead center  if you look at those maps  by a Category 5. Nobodys ever heard of a 5 hitting land. Usually by that time its dissipated. It hit right through  and kept to a 5  it hit right through the middle of the island, right through the middle of Puerto Rico. Theres never been anything like that.  Comments Thursday after a White House meeting with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello

The facts: That account is wrong. Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm at 6:35 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, with winds of 155 mph, just short of the 157 mph of a 5. Nor did it rake across the island as a Category 5. It weakened, and left the island some seven hours later as barely a Category 3.

The fact Maria fell just short of a 5 is of no comfort to people on the devastated island, but Trump is distorting the historical record with his persistent mischaracterization.

Past hurricanes, such as Andrew in 1992, have sometimes been upgraded from Category 4 to 5 after further review of damage on the ground, but as of now, the National Hurricane Center lists Maria as an upper limit Category 4.

Trump: We keep being given credit. You know, its very nice that the gentleman who worked for Bill Clinton, when he was president, gave us an A-plus. And that included Puerto Rico. Gave us an A-plus. And I thought that was really very nice. And I think  I really believe hes correct. We have done a really great job.  Comments after Rossello meeting

The facts: James Lee Witt, the Clinton administration emergency chief cited by Trump, says he never gave Trump an A-plus for his Puerto Rico efforts because it is too early to judge them. Trump might be forgiven for thinking he got that praise from Witt, because published reports suggested he did.

But Witt said in an interview that his praise regarded hurricanes Harvey and Irma only. He thought the Trump administration responded effectively to them.

What about Maria? Even today it is yet to be determined whether the ultimate response to that hurricane will get an A, C or F or something else, he said.

Calvin Woodward and Seth Borenstein are Associated Press writers.
WASHINGTON  For years, the Environmental Protection Agency has struggled to prevent an ingredient once used in stain-resistant carpets and nonstick pans from contaminating drinking water.

The chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, has been linked to kidney cancer, birth defects, immune system disorders and other serious health problems.

So scientists and administrators in the EPAs Office of Water were alarmed in late May when a top Trump administration appointee insisted upon the rewriting of a rule to make it harder to track the health consequences of the chemical, and therefore regulate it.

The revision was among more than a dozen demanded by the appointee, Nancy Beck, after she joined the EPAs toxic chemical unit in May as a top deputy. For the previous five years, she had been an executive at the American Chemistry Council, the chemical industrys main trade association.

The changes directed by Beck may result in an underestimation of the potential risks to human health and the environment caused by PFOA and other legacy chemicals no longer sold on the market, the Office of Waters top official warned in a confidential internal memo obtained by the New York Times.

The EPAs abrupt new direction on legacy chemicals is part of a broad initiative by the Trump administration to change the way the federal government evaluates health and environmental risks associated with hazardous chemicals, making it more aligned with the industrys wishes.

It is a cause with far-reaching consequences for consumers and chemical companies, as the EPA regulates about 80,000 chemicals, many of them highly toxic and used in workplaces, homes and everyday products. If chemicals are deemed less risky, they are less likely to be subjected to heavy oversight and restrictions.

The effort is not new, nor is the decades-long debate over how best to identify and assess risks, but the industry has not benefited from such highly placed champions in government since the Reagan administration. The cause was taken up by Beck and others in the administration of President George W. Bush, with some success, and met with resistance during the Obama administration. Now it has been aggressively revived under President Trump by an array of industry-backed political appointees and others.

Beck, who has a doctorate in environmental health, comes from a camp  firmly backed by the chemical industry  that says the government too often directs burdensome rules at what she has called phantom risks.

Other scientists and administrators at the EPA, including Wendy Cleland-Hamnett, until last month the agencys top official overseeing pesticides and toxic chemicals, say the dangers are real and the resistance is often a tactic for deflecting accountability  and shoring up industry profits at the expense of public safety.

Since Trumps election, Becks approach has been unabashedly ascendant, according to interviews with more than two dozen current and former EPA and White House officials, confidential EPA documents, and materials obtained through open-record requests.

Eric Lipton is a New York Times writer.
By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 21 (PTI) The Left parties today said the vilification of the Taj Mahal by BJP leaders exposed their "intolerance" towards matters they could not associate themselves with.

Inaugurating a Jana Jagaran Jatha organised by the ruling CPI-M led Left Democratic Front (LDF) here, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flayed the statement of BJP leader Vinay Katiyar that the Taj Mahal was previously a Shiva temple.

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"It all started when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath omitted the Taj Mahal from the list of important places to visit in that state.

"It showed that...they cannot tolerate the name Shahjahan, who built the historic and heritage structure," he said, adding, "We have to seriously think as regards which direction our country is headed to."

Attacking the BJP-RSS, the CPI(M) leader alleged that the saffron party had a "clear agenda" behind raking up the issue of Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and added, "They are attempting to trigger communal tension in the country by moving towards constructing the shrine."

He slammed the BJP-led central government and alleged that the federal principles had been thrown to the wind, in tune with the policy of the RSS, which believed in centralisation of power.

Vijayan accused RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of "defaming" Kerala with his statement that it had become a place for "Jihadis" under the LDF government.

He also came down on the just-concluded Jana Raksha Yatra of the BJP in Kerala, which was attended by party president Amit Shah among others, and described it as an attempt to create tension in the southern state.

The LDF has organised two jana jagaran jatha, one is being led by CPI state secretary Kannam Rajendran from here and another by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod, to counter the BJPs "communal agenda" and highlight the state governments achievements.

After flagging off the jatha at Manjeswaram, CPI national secretary D Raja, criticising Katiyars remark on the Taj Mahal, said, "Now they (BJP-RSS) want to demolish the Taj Mahal."

He claimed that the RSS had become very influential at the Centre ever since Narendra Modi became the prime minister.

"The RSS is an organisation with a communal and fascist ideology," Raja said, adding, "Now they want to re-write history and their target is the Taj Mahal."

The jatha led by Rajendran is scheduled to conclude at Ernakulam and the one led by Balakrishnan at Thrissur, after criss-crossing all the 140 Assembly constituencies of the state, on November 3. PTI JRK RC RC

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COOPER CITY, Fla.  Mourners remembered not only a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between President Trump and a Florida congresswoman but his three comrades who died with him.

Some of the 1,200 mourners exiting the church after Saturdays service said the portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was joined onstage by photographs of Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to the Islamic State. Johnsons family asked reporters to remain outside for the service.

We have to remember that one thing  that it wasnt just one soldier who lost his life, said Berchel Davis, a retired police officer who has six children in the military. He said the preacher and Rep. Frederica Wilson both made that a part of their talks. That was a good gesture on everyones part.

Johnsons pregnant widow, Myeshia, had held the arm of an Army officer as she led her two young children and her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale.

The fight between Trump and Wilson had taken the focus off Johnson, whose widow is due to have a daughter in January. Sgt. Johnson told friends she will be named LaShee. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, already had a 6-year-old daughter, AhLeeysa, and 2-year-old son, La David Jr. An online fundraiser has raised more than $600,000 to pay for the childrens education.

Johnsons mother died when he was 5; he was raised by his aunt. His family enrolled him in a project Wilson began in 1993 when she was an educator where African American boys are paired with mentors who prepare them for college, vocational school or the military.

The war of words between the president and Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Myeshia Johnson in a phone call that her husband knew what he signed up for and didnt appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnsons aunt. Wilson was riding with Johnsons family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone.

Trump tweeted Wilson fabricated his statement, and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her wacky and accused her of SECRETLY listening to the phone call.

Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, entered the fray Thursday. The retired Marine general asserted that the congresswoman had delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

Terry Spencer is an Associated Press writer.
1 Gun control poll: The slaying of five dozen people in Las Vegas did little to change Americans opinions about gun laws, according to the poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey was conducted from Oct. 12 to 16, about two weeks after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired on a crowded musical festival taking place across the street from his hotel room, killing 58 and wounding more than 540 before killing himself. In this latest survey, 61 percent said the countrys gun laws should be tougher, while 27 percent would rather see them remain the same and 11 percent want them to be less strict. Thats similar to the results of an AP-GfK poll in July 2016. Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, but just a third of Republicans, want to see gun laws made stricter.

2 Body camera study: After a series of high-profile law enforcement shootings, police departments across the nation turned to body cameras, hoping they would curb abuses. By 2015, 95 percent of large police departments reported they were using body cameras or had committed to doing so in the near future, according to a national survey. But a rigorous study released Friday shows that they have almost no effect on officer behavior. The 18-month study of more than 2,000 police officers in Washington, D.C., found that officers equipped with cameras used force and prompted civilian complaints at about the same rate as those who did not have them.
1 Police shooting: The U.S. Justice Department has refused to release a report on the North Charleston Police Department after the shooting death of an unarmed black man by a white officer in South Carolina. The federal agency said it is holding onto the material because of its commitment to respecting local law enforcement, the Post and Courier of Charleston reported. The newspaper filed an open records request for the report sought by North Charleston officials after the 2015 shooting of Walter Scott. The Justice Departments Chaun Eason said the Justice Department no longer releases reports of investigations of local police.

2 Babysitter imprisoned: An Ohio baby sitter who gave the antianxiety drug Xanax to a toddler before leaving to go shop and meet a friend at the movies has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the childs death. Thirty-two-year-old Summer Shalodi apologized Thursday in a Lorain County courtroom and admitted giving 17-month-old Nadia Gibbons the drug while babysitting in December 2015. Shalodi pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter instead of murder in a plea deal.
WASHINGTON  President Trump announced Saturday morning that he planned to release the tens of thousands of never-before-seen documents left in the files related to President John F. Kennedys assassination held by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened, Trump tweeted early Saturday.

Kennedy assassination experts have been speculating for weeks about whether Trump would disclose the documents. The 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act required that the millions of pages  many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents  be published in 25 years, by Oct. 26. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted.

But one final batch remains and only the president has the authority to extend the papers secrecy past the October deadline. In his tweet, Trump seemed to strongly imply he was going to release all the remaining documents. But he also hedged, suggesting that if between now and Oct. 26, other government agencies made a strong case not to release the documents, he wouldnt. Also, Trump was not clear about whether he would publish all of the documents in full, or with some of them redacted.

A National Security Council official said government agencies were urging the president not to release some of the documents. But Trumps longtime confidant Roger Stone told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars this week that he personally lobbied Trump to publish all of the documents.

Stone also told Jones that CIA director Mike Pompeo has been lobbying the president furiously not to release these documents.

Kennedy assassination experts say they dont think the last batch of papers contains any major bombshells. They do suspect the papers will shed light on the activities of Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedys assassin, while he was traveling in Mexico City in late September 1963.

Ian Shapira is a Washington Post writer.
An FIR has been lodged against Shera at the Khar police station for allegedly harassing a woman and threatening her with gangrape.

By India Today Web Desk: Bollywood actor Salman Khan's bodyguard Shera has landed in trouble following an a harassment complaint by one Shabnam Sheikh. An FIR has been lodged against Shera at the Khar police station for allegedly threatening and harassing a woman.

Shabnam has alleged that Shera asked her to settle theBig Boss contestant Zubair Khan's case. She mentioned in the complaint that Salman's bodyguard had also threatened her of gangrape if she doesn't settle the case.The case has been booked under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police have begun investigation in the matter.

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Meanwhile, Shera has denied the allegations made against him and said that he has never interacted to any Shabnam.

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SANTA ROSA (BCN)

Officials with the Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center said today they hope to reopen the museum in the next two weeks following the wildfires in Santa Rosa and other parts of the North Bay.

Currently, professionals are cleaning the air inside the museum at 2301 Hardies Lane with 20 blowers.

SCHULZ' HOME: Wildfire burns home of 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz

After that, professional cleaners will clean the air ducts and the museum's interior, making it safe for staff and artwork to go back in.

Museum officials said then the collections staff will clean the art and reinstall the current exhibitions.

MUSEUM ANNIVERSARY: Schulz Museum to celebrate 10th birthday

The home of Schulz, who created the "Peanuts," burned to the ground in the deadly California wildfires but his widow escaped, her stepson said on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017.

Jean Schulz, 78, evacuated before flames engulfed her hillside home on Monday, Oct. 9 and stayed with a daughter, Monte Schulz said.
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BERKELEY (BCN)

A student jogging on the fire trails above the University of California at Berkeley Thursday fought off a man who sneaked up behind her and tackled her to the ground, campus police said today.

SYMPATHETIC MURDER-SUICIDE: Park hikers may have died in 'sympathetic murder-suicide'

The man tackled the woman, then tried to take off her shorts and fondled her, but she fought him off and he ran away, police said.

The suspect is a man in his fifties, with a medium build, gray collar-length hair, a gray full beard and dressed in khaki pants, according to police.

CAR THEFT: Thieves steal car from Hayward, get it stuck on rock in Concord

Campus police are asking anyone with information about this crime to call (500) 642-0472 during business hours or (510) 642-6760 at other times.
TOKYO  Japans leader may have made the right call after all, if not for his country then for himself.

Media polls indicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling coalition will handily win a general election Sunday, possibly even retaining its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house of parliament.

Japanese voters may not love Abe, but they appear to want to stick with what they know, rather than hand the reins to an opposition with little or no track record. Uncertainly over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear arsenal may be heightening that underlying conservatism.

I buy into Prime Minister Abes ability to handle diplomacy, said Naomi Mochida, a 51-year-old woman listening to Abe campaign earlier this week in Saitama prefecture, outside of Tokyo. I think the most serious threat we face now is the North Korea situation. I feel Prime Minister Abe has been showing the best tactics to handle the situation.

Abe dissolved the lower house a little more than three weeks ago on the day it convened for a special session, forcing the snap election. The timing seemed ripe for his ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting.

Support for Abes Cabinet, the standard measure of a governments popularity in Japan, had bounced back from summertime lows. The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray than usual after its leader had resigned. Holding off would only give a potential rival, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, more time to organize a challenge.

Ken Moritsugu is an Associated Press writer.
BEIRUT  Syrian government forces and their allies regained control Saturday of a predominantly Christian central town that sleeper cells of the Islamic State captured late last month.

The government-run Syrian Central Military Media said the Syrian army and its allies have restored security and stability to Qaryatayn after clearing the town of out Islamic State fighters.

The capture of Qaryatayn came after nearly three weeks of fighting that saw Islamic State capture areas it had earlier lost in an offensive by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militiamen under the cover of Russian air strikes.

Earlier this week, Islamic State lost control of the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate, after a four-month offensive by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Last week, the militant group lost its stronghold of Mayadeen in eastern Syria.

Islamic State still holds parts of Syrias eastern Deir el-Zour province and Iraqs Anbar province, as well as small, scattered pockets elsewhere. The loss of Qaryatayn is another huge blow.

Earlier this month, the Russian military accused the U.S. of helping Islamic State launch a series of attacks against Syrian troops. Moscow said that Islamic State launched a series of attacks in late September week from the area around Tanf near Syrias border with Jordan, where U.S. military advisers are based.

The Russians said the Islamic State attacks near Qaryatayn in the Homs province, and a key highway linking Palmyra and Deir el-Zour, wouldnt have been possible without U.S. intelligence.

The capture of Qaryatayn came as Syria and its strong backer Iran signed a joint memorandum of understanding for developing cooperation and coordination between the two countries armies.

It said the memo was signed between the two countries chiefs of staffs, adding that it provides for exchanging military expertise and intelligence and technology information in a way that can boost the two countries capability for fight terrorism, according to state news agency Sana.

Iran has been one of Syrian President Bashar Assads strongest supporters since the countrys crisis began in 2011 and has sent thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen to boost his troops against opponents.

Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer.
* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020.

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018.

* IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

* Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013.

* Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011.

2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100.

* Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010.

* Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010.

* Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010.

* Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll.

Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The landscape of Staten Island is shifting -- quite literally -- from the development of St. George to new businesses and housing on the South Shore.

Local community boards give residents an opportunity to offer input in the decision-making process for many of these long-term projects.

Community Board meetings are open to the public and afford a great way to learn more about what's going on in your neighborhood and to get involved.

If you have something you would like to speak out about, all you need to do is sign up -- before the meeting is called to order -- to speak in the public session.

The following meetings are scheduled for the week of Oct. 23 to Oct. 27.

COMMUNITY BOARD 1

Arlington - Castleton Corners - Clifton - Concord - Elm Park - Fort Wadsworth - Graniteville - Grymes Hill - Livingston - Mariners Harbor - New Brighton - Port Richmond - Randall Manor - Rosebank - St. George - Shore Acres - Silver Lake - Stapleton - Sunnyside - Tompkinsville - West Brighton - Westerleigh

There will be a Waterfront Committee Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at the board office.

On the agenda: Representatives from the Department of City Planning will be in attendance to update and discuss the proposed Flood Resiliency Text Amendment

The board office is located at 1 Edgewater Plaza, Suite 217, Stapleton. The office phone number is 718-981-6900. The board chairman is Nicholas Siclari; the district manager is Joseph Carroll.

COMMUNITY BOARD 2

Arrochar - Bloomfield - Bulls Heads - Chelsea - Dongan Hills - Egbertville - Emerson Hill - Grant City - Grasmere - High Rock - Lighthouse Hill - Midland Beach - New Dorp - New Springville - Oakwood - Ocean Breeze - Old Town - Richmond - South Beach - Todt Hill - Travis

There are no Community Board 2 meetings scheduled for the week of Oct. 23.

All committee and full board meetings are in the board office, which is located in the Lou Caravone Community Service Building on the campus of Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home, 460 Brielle Ave., Sea View. The office phone number is 718-317-3235. The chairman of the CB 2 board is Dana T. Magee; the district manager is Debra A. Derrico.

COMMUNITY BOARD 3

Annadale - Arden Heights - Bay Terrace - Charleston - Eltingville - Great Kills - Greenridge - Huguenot - New Dorp - Oakwood - Pleasant Plains - Prince's Bay - Richmond Valley - Richmond - Rossville - Tottenville - Woodrow

There will be a General Board Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Woodrow Methodist Church Hall, 1075 Woodrow Rd.

All committee meetings take place at the Community Board 3 office located on the second floor of 1243 Woodrow Rd. All general board meetings take place at the Woodrow Methodist Church Hall located at 1075 Woodrow Rd., 10309. The office phone number is 718-356-7900. The CB 3 board chairman is Frank Morano; the district manager is Charlene Wagner.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Goethals Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing are both experiencing delays Saturday morning due to traffic, according to the Port Authority.

As of 11:40 a.m., both crossings had heavy delays headed into New Jersey due to congestion, the authority said.

Traffic to the Goethals Bridge was backed up to the Clove Road exit on the Staten Island Expressway, while there were delays on both the Korean War Veterans Parkway and the West Shore Expressway headed toward the Outerbridge.

Meanwhile, the Bayonne Bridge is closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

Borough President James Oddo criticized the Port Authority on Friday for its decision to close the Bayonne Bridge on the weekend for its ongoing construction project.

In a Facebook post, Oddo spoke about how families would be headed to New Jersey to pick apples and pumpkins this weekend due to the "spectacular fall weather."

"And guess what? They will email, Facebook and tweet at me on Sunday night and rage how the interchange at Exit 13 on the NJ Turnpike or the approach to the Outerbridge Crossing is utter chaos and rant at how dumb it is not having the Bayonne Bridge open," the post read.

Oddo didn't mention the potential for traffic trying to get off the Island, however.

PA spokesman Steve Coleman responded to Oddo by saying that the Bayonne Bridge was open every Sunday by 3 p.m. over the summer, in addition to major holiday weekends, including the Jewish holidays in September, to alleviate traffic at the other crossings.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It has been five years since Hurricane Sandy devastated the shores of Staten Island, and various events are planned to remember and honor those who lost their lives.

Light the Shore

The Staten Island Interfaith & Community Long Term Recovery Organization will be hosting the annual Light the Shore event, beginning at 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 29.

The event will begin under the fountains and flags at Father Capodanno Boulevard and Seaview Ave.

Now in its fifth year, Light the Shore has become a staple of the Staten Island community that is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

Prayers will be offered for those impacted by the recent hurricanes -- Harvey, Irma and Maria.

Gift cards will be collected at the event to assist evacuees coming to New York City from disaster-impacted communities.

VFW Candlelight Vigil

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9587 of Oakwood will be hosting a candlelight vigil in honor of all the victims of Hurricane Sandy on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.

The event will be held at the SSG Michael Ollis VFW Post #9587, located at 575 Mill Rd. Light refreshments will be offered.

There will also be guest speakers on hand to share their experiences of how their lives were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Staten Island Strong

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Breathe by BMH will be hosting a Staten Island Strong event on Sunday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Midland Beach Parking Lot 9.

The event is meant to celebrate Staten Island's resilience five years after Sandy, while also raising funds to support fellow hurricane victims in other parts of the world.

Monetary donations will be collected electronically to benefit hurricane victims in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and more.

Included in the festivities will be food and drinks, music, Zumba, rock-climbing and more.

Check out our YouTube playlist for related Hurricane Sandy videos:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The National Weather Service is forecasting the weather to be mid 70s and sunny this weekend -- perfect for outdoor fall activities before it starts getting cold.

However, Borough President James Oddo's forecast isn't so sunny -- he's predicting "utter chaos."

In a Facebook post Friday afternoon, Oddo spoke about the "spectacular fall weather" headed our way this weekend and how families will head to New Jersey to pick apples and pumpkins.

But then they have to return to Staten Island.

"And guess what? They will email, Facebook and tweet at me on Sunday night and rage how the interchange at Exit 13 on the NJ Turnpike or the approach to the Outerbridge Crossing is utter chaos and rant at how dumb it is not having the Bayonne Bridge open," the post read.

All summer, Staten Island motorists endured hours of congestion on Routes 440 and 35, especially near the Outerbridge Crossing and Perth Amboy, N.J., while coming back from the Jersey Shore and other parts of the state.

The closure of the Bayonne Bridge added to the congestion, leaving the Goethals and Outerbridge as the only options to return back to the borough.

After much outrage, the Port Authority announced that the Bayonne Bridge would remain open every Sunday evening to help ease the congestion.

Since summer's end, the Bayonne has been closed on Sundays.

"Despite our impassioned plea, I was just told the PA will not keep the Bayonne Bridge open ... so caution to Staten Islanders: You travel this weekend, yet again, at your own (agita) peril," Oddo's post went on to say.

With spectacular fall weather forecast for this weekend, it is likely many folks will head off island to go apple and... Posted by James Oddo on Friday, October 20, 2017

PORT AUTHORITY RESPONDS

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman responded to Oddo's Facebook post by pointing out how the Port Authority opened the Bayonne Bridge every Sunday by 3 p.m. over the summer, in addition to major holiday weekends, including the Jewish holidays in September, to alleviate traffic at the Outerbridge Crossing and Goethals Bridge.

"We've even had extra PAPD officers stationed at the Outerbridge Crossing to make sure any accidents or disabled vehicles are cleared as quickly as possible to minimize any traffic backups," Coleman said.

"That said, we are working diligently to get this project done and there is important construction work that must be done this weekend, since the end of the summer/fall construction season will be here soon. We regret having to close the bridge, but I'm sure Staten Island residents, including those who live around the bridge, want this project done," he said.

"Yeah, a big cement pour scheduled; we get it,'' Oddo concluded. "We'd really hate to delay the Bayonne Bridge project ... oh, wait, the PA is already forever behind schedule."

PERTH AMBOY BLOCKAGE

In July, Perth Amboy police began blocking off local roads, preventing motorists travelling to Staten Island from using them as a way to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic along Routes 440 and 35.

"We have been very clear with the NY/NJ Port Authority in that we will not allow our residential areas to be used as a 'short-cut' to cause gridlock conditions, which pose significant impacts to public safety," Diaz said.

"This has been an issue for year, but this year for several summer weeks, traffic was brought to a standstill on our side streets. Our residents could not leave their homes to get to work and no emergency personnel could enter these streets," she said.

The statement was spurred by a complaint by Councilman Joseph C. Borelli (R-South Shore) about the Perth Amboy Police Department's practice of keeping motorists with New York license plates on Route 440 on their way to the Outerbridge Crossing, and not allowing them to use sides streets though the town.

Borelli countered: "I appreciate her (Diaz) trying to make every effort to avoid traffic through her city, but it's wrong to station police officers on exit ramps and have people sorted out by license plates, where New York drivers are forced to get back on a highway."

LETTER WRITTEN

Borelli, along with his colleagues -- including Borough President James Oddo, Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) Congressman Daniel Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Ron Castorina (R-South Shore) -- expressed their concern "about the behavior of officials in the town of Perth Amboy," in a letter to New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The contingent of electeds are requesting that Schneiderman look into the legality of the actions taken by Perth Amboy and provide an opinion so that New York State elected and transportation officials can pursue a resolution, said Borelli.

Schneiderman didn't respond to an Advance request seeking comment about the letter.
Page Content

On October 20, 2017, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Mr. William Marlin, issued a letter to the Dutch caretaker Minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Mr. Ronald Plasterk, in response to his letter dated October 13, in which the conditions of the Dutch Government to make the recovery funds available were stipulated.

While amidst the urgency of managing the impact of the hurricane, the Government of Sint Maarten has sent various letters to the Dutch Government in which several topics were raised to keep the Dutch Government aligned and give the possibility to comment and complement. The process of drafting the National Recovery Plan was explained in the letter of September 24, which was addressed to Minister Plasterk. On October 1, 2017, a request was made to the same Minister to extend the time for establishing an Integrity Chamber since October 31, 2017 did not seem no longer realistic, due to the catastrophic impact of hurricane Irma and the necessary shift in priorities first towards emergency, followed by recovery.

On Friday, August 31, - the weekend before hurricane Irma - the draft legislation to approve the establishment of the Integrity Chamber was approved by the Council of Ministers and forwarded to the Council of Advice for their advice. The phase of consultations, -between high-level civil servants as was agreed upon in the verdict of the Council of State (July 6, 2017), due to an impasse between the Government of the Netherlands and Sint Maarten-, has been completed. The outcome of the verdict of the Constitutional Court had to be taken into consideration while drafting the legislation. Despite not having a realistic and feasible deadline of October 31, Prime Minister stated that the Government of Sint Maarten will remain committed to finalizing the process as soon as possible, while still awaiting a response to his letter of October 1, 2017.

The Government of Sint Maarten considers it self-evident that there are conditions related to the Dutch financial contribution in terms of checks and balances. In the last letter of October 11, 2017 addressed to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. M. Rutte, the preparatory work that the Government of Sint Maarten has put in place to ensure an effective recovery and reconstruction by means of a programmatic approach, as elaborated upon in the interim report Workgroup National Recovery Plan, was again explained. In this letter, the importance of transparency and accountability was stressed. Establishing an Office for Recovery and Reconstruction tasked with managing the implementation of the initiatives, projects and program that will form part of the final report of the National Recovery Plan combined with a system of controls that will include public tenders, monitoring and evaluations to ensure proper spending of Dutch funds were elements proposed to guarantee these aspects of transparency and accountability. It was even proposed to have the Dutch Audit Chamber audit the projects that are being funded with Dutch financing. The letter concluded with a request of the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Mr. William Marlin to jointly discuss the coordination of priorities of the recovery and reconstruction of Sint Maarten and the Dutch preparedness for (financial) assistance. The Government of Sint Maarten is still awaiting a response to this request.

The position of the Government of Sint Maarten has been reiterated in the last letter of October 20. Again, expressing gratitude for the willingness of the Netherlands to contribute to a sustainable recovery and reconstruction of Sint Maarten to aid towards poverty alleviation and a better future for the population of Sint Maarten and underscoring the importance of integrity and border control. The Government of Sint Maarten cannot agree to have the Dutch Government take over a responsibility that belongs to Sint Maarten. Should this be necessary and needed, support is welcomed. Support should, however, be done within the limits of the existing legal regulations, considering the statutory powers and responsibilities of Country Sint Maarten., thus Prime Minister Marlin.

The importance of having an adequate border control is also underscored by the Government of Sint Maarten. Current arrangements, among which the flex pool with the Royal Marines, ensure a joint and efficient border control, stated Prime Minister Marlin. For the Government of Sint Maarten there is therefore no need to introduce new measures.

In his letter, Minister Plasterk expounded on the willingness of the Dutch Government to assist while elaborating on the conditions that according to the Government of Sint Maarten are unrelated to either the recovery or the reconstruction. The actual details on the financing are, however, lacking in his letter. That is why the government of Sint Maarten in the letter of October, 20 2017, stated: however, it is essential to know what the detailed specifications of the financing entail, among which: what is the total amount that will be made available;for which specific purposes the available funds can be used; which part is a grant and which part is a loan. An estimated funding gap amount of USD 815 million, -based on information available regarding damage assessment in addition to broad stakeholders involvement, by the working group NRP-, was mentioned in the letter of October 11 to Prime Minister Rutte, while five priority areas for reconstruction and recovery efforts were mentioned:

1. Sustainable economic development (including poverty eradication);

2. Education;

3. Maintenance of law and order;

4. Social Infrastructure (which includes Public Health and Public Housing);

5. Institutional Strengthening.

Prime Minister Marlin concludes his letter of October 20: At the end of the day it is about the process for a better future of our country taking into consideration the needs of our population. Establishing a working group National Recovery Plan, which in consultation with stakeholders, was tasked with the responsibility of drafting the vision for the recovery and reconstruction was part of this process. A copy of the interim report National Recovery Plan was attached to the letter of October 11 to the Dutch Government for their perusal and consideration. The recovery and reconstruction is of such importance that the Government of Sint Maarten is prepared to send a delegation, among whom the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, to the Netherlands within the near future for administrative deliberations. The Government of Sint Maarten remains resolute in her position of open communication between the two countries.
[October 20, 2017] SEMI and Effective Training Announce Training Partnership

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMI, the global electronics manufacturing supply chain association, and Effective Training Associates, Inc., a leading global outsource training provider, announced a partnership to offer people skills training to SEMI member companies. The partnership includes Effective Training instructors providing courses on SEMI premises, as well as a special training rate for employees of all SEMI member companies. Success in today's highly competitive world depends not only on a company's technical prowess but also on their team's ability to work with internal and external stakeholders. While the stereotypical image of engineers is fast changing, a survey in 2014 showed that a company's success increases dramatically when engineers are trained in management and communication skills. Recognizing this need in the community, SEMI has teamed up with Effective Training to bring training courses that provide these skills. "I'm excited to introduce the Effective Training Asociates course offerings at SEMI Headquarters which have already been delivered to many of our SEMI Member companies," said Eric Thoe, SEMI's Senior Director of Member Services. "Effective Training Associates' experience and presence in the Bay Area, along with their global reach, makes for an ideal fit with SEMI. The instructors, content, and facilities will deliver a great event, and I look forward to hosting ETA in providing this learning benefit to our valued members."



This partnership was launched today with an inaugural course'Management Essentials.' Sue Smith, CEO of Effective Training, said, "Effective Training is honored to partner with SEMI. Over 20 years of conducting such courses for IEEE members has established us as a most credible resource for the technical community." Effective Training will be offering a course titled 'Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager' on November 1st. For a list of courses, please visit www.effectivetraining.com/calendar/.

About Effective Training Associates, Inc.

Effective Training Associates is a premier talent and career development training company for technical professionals and managers. Headquartered in San Jose, CAthe capital of Silicon Valley Effective Training has trained thousands of professionals onsite at companies across the U.S and the world, as well as through their public workshops. Media contact:

Abhijeet Vaidya

Effective Training Associates, Inc., 1754 Technology Drive, Suite 145, San Jose, CA 95110

Telephone: 408-441-8881

Email: [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/semi-and-effective-training-announce-training-partnership-300540326.html SOURCE Effective Training Associates, Inc.

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[October 20, 2017] Ridley-Tree Cancer Center at Sansum Clinic Unveils Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot

Ridley-Tree Cancer Center unveiled the Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot that is used to enhance environmental cleanliness by disinfecting and destroying hard-to-kill germs, bacteria and superbugs in hard-to-clean places. "Patients being treated here are often immunocompromised as a result of their treatments and susceptible to infectious disease. The microorganisms that cause infections are getting smarter and becoming antibiotic-resistant, which is why we need new weapons like the Xenex robot to destroy them before they pose a threat to our patients," said Matthew Kunkel, Vice President of Oncology Services at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center. "The Ridley Tree Cancer Center is a state of the art facility with leading-edge technology. Using the Xenex LightStrike system to disinfect rooms is an example of our commitment to and focus on patient safety. Hundreds of people enter this facility every day - patients, visitors, doctors, employees and vendors - bringing a whole smorgasbord of contaminants and germs with them. Using the Xenex device enables us to get rid of those pathogens before they can endanger our patients and staff." The Xenex robot, named "Dr. Lightstrike Flash," was purchased by the Ridley Tree Cancer Center thanks to a very generous donation by the Roke Foundation. "Flash" uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores. Th portable disinfection system is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C.diff), norovirus, influenza, Ebola and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.



UV has been used for disinfection for decades. The Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot is a new technology that utilizes pulsed xenon (not mercury bulbs) to create germicidal UV light. Pulsed xenon emits high intensity UVC light which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores. Their DNA is fused, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces. The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in five minute cycles without warm-up or cool-down times. Operated by the hospital cleaning staff, it can be used in any department and in any unit within a healthcare facility, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, bathrooms and public spaces.

The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by numerous health care facilities across the U.S. for helping them reduce their infection rates significantly. Several hospitals have published their C.diff, MRSA and Surgical Site infection rate reduction studies in peer-reviewed journals. More than 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities in the U.S., Canada, Africa, UK, Japan and Europe are using Xenex robots, which are also in use in skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers and long term acute care facilities. About Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors in our community, the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara with Sansum Clinic and Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara recently opened a new world-class regional cancer center, and renamed the institution Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in honor of lead donor Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. Ridley-Tree Cancer Center's highly trained physicians and compassionate staff utilize the latest technology and protocols, and integrate patient support programs and classes to provide every opportunity for successful treatment, recovery and a healthy return to the activities that enrich life. The flagship Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara extends its reach with offices in Lompoc and Solvang to provide patients in mid-Santa Barbara County access to the myriad of services offered, close to home. Xenex Disinfection Services Xenex's patented Full Spectrum (News - Alert)TM pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. Xenex's mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by destroying the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The company is backed by well-known investors that include EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Jaffray Merchant Services, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II and RK Ventures. For more information, visit Xenex.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171020005672/en/

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 Seniorhit a career best .500 and the Indiana volleyball team picked up a five-set victory (25-17, 14-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-9) over Rutgers on Friday at University Gym.Juniorhit over .300 for her fourth straight match and led the Hoosiers with 13 kills and hit .440. The Indiana middle blockersandcombined for 23 kills in the match.Sophomore setterran the offense with 57 assists and fresmantallied 14 digs in the match.The Hoosiers (12-9, 1-8) hit .519 as a team with 15 kills and one error in the opening set and they won it 25-17.In the second set, the Scarlet Knights caught fire and hit .476 with 13 kills to even the match 1-1 with a 25-14 set victory.Rutgers continued that momentum as they went up 2-1 with a 25-22 win in set three. Indiana rebounded as they hit .341 with 16 kills to win the fourth set and force a fifth set.The Hoosiers came out focused in the fifth set as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Leish had four of her 10 kills in the fifth set, including two of the Hoosiers first four points.Rutgers tied the fifth set 6-6, but the Hoosiers went on a 3-0 run, which culminated on another Leish kill to put Indiana up 9-6.Indiana led the last set 11-8 and scored four of the last five points to capture the victory. Huybers and Asdell combined for a block on set point to secure the win for the Hoosiers.Up next the Hoosiers host No. 1 Penn State tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. at University Gym.
Artists from around the region have thrown open their doors this weekend to invite the community in to learn about their craft.

The 11th annual Arts Trail in Queanbeyan-Palerang began on Saturday and continues on Sunday with more than 30 venues open to the public featuring more than 45 artists.

Glass artist Matt Curtis teaches his son Hugo Curtis his craft at Curtis Glass Art Studio. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The event is co-ordinated by the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and cultural director Georgina Perri said people were encouraged to create their own trail from their own interests.

"We encourage you to take the whole weekend to meet the artists, explore the studios and workshops, watch demonstrations, and perhaps add a piece to your own private collection," Ms Perri said.
Books were Amazon's first product and the company often uses them to wedge itself into new markets. Credit:AP But changing Australians' reading habits may be more of a challenge. Books are bellwethers of great symbolic weight, not just because they were Amazon's first product and because the company often uses them to wedge itself into new markets but also because books and bookstores are tightly linked to Australia's sense of itself and to the country's beloved ecosystem of local commerce. Booktopia CEO Tony Nash, centre, said Amazon has already made everyone more competitive. Credit:Rob Homer Big box stores are rare, and independent bookstores are strong: their sales accounted for around 26 per cent of Australia's book business in 2015, according to Nielsen, up from 20 per cent in the late 2000s, more than double the share for independents in the United States.

Romantics (and some booksellers) argue that Australians simply favour local offerings. Cynics (and some economists) argue that many Australians are just wealthy and complacent, unfamiliar with more convenient alternatives that they'll eventually embrace and come to love. Our culture is, and all cultures are, being swamped by outside influences. "We're fighting to defend our voice. Mark Rubbo Regardless, this much is clear: Amazon's arrival is a stress test not just for individual retail categories but also for Australia's own writing and way of life. "Our culture is, and all cultures are, being swamped by outside influences," Rubbo said. "We're fighting to defend our voice." What do you want and when?

Amazon's first "fulfillment centre" in Australia sits at the intersection of several highways about an hour south of central Melbourne. There are food companies and warehouses for Penguin Random House nearby, and inside, room for millions of products. Union organisers say they are watching the location closely to ensure that new hires receive Australia's minimum wage of roughly $18 an hour. But on a recent visit, the warehouse was empty except for a few shelves in the middle of a gray floor. The only employees were construction workers finishing a bathroom. 'Healthy sense of paranoia' What comes next is anyone's guess. Amazon turned down requests for an interview and did not respond to emails with specific questions. The company is known for this sort of thing, preferring buzz to transparency, and here in Australia, that's led to excitement for many who are hoping for an easier, much broader online shopping experience - along with real estate speculation in the warehouse market, the roll-out of a new free delivery service by Australia's postal service, and what the chief executive at one large retailing conglomerate described as "a healthy sense of paranoia".

Booksellers know the feeling. Amazon hasn't explained why it's taken so long to bring its full retail operation to Australia, but Australians have been able to order from Amazon's US site for years, and even with shipping costs, book prices are often equal to or cheaper than what can be found in Sydney or Melbourne. There are other digital booksellers in Australia, too, including Book Depository, an Amazon subsidiary from Britain, and Booktopia, a start-up that nearly went public last year. Tony Nash, the chief executive of Booktopia, which according to the company, controls about 4 per cent of Australia's book market, said Amazon has already made everyone more competitive. Booktopia, for example, now uses conveyors, automatic packing machines and a staff of 150 people to get books into customers' hands, in some cases on the same day they're ordered. 'It's not about price'

"It's not about price," Nash said. Especially in countries with small, widely dispersed populations like Canada and Australia, where 24 million people are spread across a continent the size of the United States, "it's about the logistics". But isolation, as Australians know better than most, can help and hurt. Sean Guy, a manager at The Bookshop in Darwin, said if he lived in a more isolated community like Alice Springs, "I'd probably find it a lot easier to go online for five minutes than call the local bookshop". For most everyone else, he added, bricks-and-books still work. "You'll never be able to beat the prices of Amazon, but you can save on time by going into a store," he said. "And people like supporting local businesses."

Australians buy more books per capita than Americans (based on Nielsen sales figures) and spend more hours reading. 'Have our cake and eat it too' Michael Heyward, the publisher at Text, an independent publisher with a mix of new and established Australian writers, including Helen Garner, said that maybe Australia's built up enough independence to live with Amazon in peace. "I would like to believe we can have our cake and eat it," he said in an interview at his office in Melbourne. But just below his own bookish calm - and the not-so-secret hope that Amazon will help sell more books - there are wider concerns.

"Let's not outsource our minds to the narcissism of the global algorithm," Anna Funder, the author of Stasiland and All That I Am, warned at a booksellers' conference last year. And she's not alone. "People who work in the book industry are agents of culture rather than just instruments of commerce," said Tim Winton, author of Australian classics like Cloudstreet, and one of Australia's best-known writers. "When you take away their role as agents of culture and reduce them to instruments of capitalism, it changes the dynamic." Worst-case scenarios In interviews with more than a dozen booksellers, authors, independent publishers and lawyers specialising in copyright, two worst-case scenarios emerged.

One, widely considered the more likely, involves Amazon convincing Australia's big publishers to provide steep discounts and promises of faster delivery, driving down prices and author royalties for all books and possibly putting independent booksellers' orders at the end of the line. "Amazon controls the negotiating process," said David Gaunt, the co-owner of Gleebooks in Sydney. "If they choose to sell the new Richard Flanagan book at $9.99," he added, referring to Australia's last winner of the Man Booker Prize, who has a new novel out, "we'll sell none". The second nightmare scenario, according to booksellers and authors, is that Amazon will find a way to tilt Australia's labour, tax and import laws in its favour. Stock grants for employees could be used to decrease tax liability, as Amazon has done in Europe. What else Amazon might do is a question lawyers and consultants are gaming out, while lobbying the Australian government, which at this point seems determined to protect its own.

Protecting its own Starting in July, a new digital services tax will be levied on all online purchases of $1000 or less. Netflix, eBay and Amazon will all be affected. Australian lawmakers have also resisted calls from economists on the government's own Productivity Commission to eliminate the country's parallel import restrictions. The rules essentially give Australian publishers a national monopoly over any book they publish. Booksellers are not allowed to import books from another country if the book has been published by an Australian copyright holder within 30 days of overseas release and if the Australian publisher can supply the book within 90 days. Critics say the rules are protectionist and a cause of overpriced books.

But these restrictions, copyright lawyers say, should keep Amazon from stocking its warehouses with cheaper books shipped in from abroad. And they are widely seen by authors as the foundation of Australia's literary culture. Price versus personal interaction Inside the Readings flagship store on Lygon Street, Australian authors get prominent displays on front tables and on the first shelves people see. At Riverbend Books in Brisbane, another independent bookseller well known to publishers and authors, roughly 60 per cent of the books are written by Australians. Would Amazon give local authors the same level of promotion? Will it publish and print its own books in Australia or make sellers of used books more dominant? Will it undermine or compete with the community ethos that bookstores like Readings represent?

"We have a lot of questions," said Rubbo, 69, a quiet, casual man with intense blue eyes who has expanded Readings to seven locations in and around Melbourne over the past 41 years. He said that since the arrival of Borders in 2002, Readings and many other bookstores have strengthened their bonds with local authors and readers. Events are now the norm; Readings will do 260 this year alone. Status quo The strongest independent bookstores, while maintaining a 1990s feel at times, complete with racks of music CDs, are also linked with universities and schools and Australia's well-known writers festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere. Many customers, while open to buying some items from Amazon, seem pleased with the status quo for books.

"I like seeing the physical book itself and the chance to find things you wouldn't find otherwise," said Sonya Theys, 24, who was browsing at Readings one recent evening. Authors are even more zealous. "If literature is a religion, the bookstore is the church," said Alec Patric, an award-winning novelist who also works at Readings. "It's a delicate equilibrium." Amazon's deals with publishers could upset all of that. Rubbo said he has pressed them to keep the playing field even, to not give Amazon any special treatment with delivery time or price. Suzy Wilson, the owner of Riverbend, has made the same case to major Australian publishers. She said she was told not to fret. "They were giving me a bit of a pep talk really," she said.

Major players silent But as negotiations between Amazon and local publishers continue, the major players are staying silent. Penguin Random House and Hachette turned down requests for comment. Michael Gordon-Smith, chief executive of the Australian Publishers Association, sent a statement by email: "We welcome any new ways to get books to Australian readers and any new investment in the Australian industry that is consistent with good corporate citizenship and respect for creators' rights." Wilson and Rubbo both said Amazon's power could bend the will of even the well-intentioned. In their nightmares, they see declining revenues, shuttered stores and silent, dying neighbourhoods. Loading
Supermarket giant Woolworths faces widespread industrial strife with as many as 2000 workers to potentially go on strike in the coming weeks over pay and job security.

Industrial action at four giant warehouses in Victoria and NSW would likely cause serious problems for Woolworths in supplying its supermarkets and liquor stores.

The Woolworths liquor distribution centre at Laverton. Credit:Jason South

The workers are pushing for much improved job security, more full-time work, greater redundancy pay-outs and wage increases of $2 an hour, per year. Depending on their wage and experience that could equate to well in excess of 6 per cent a year.

The National Union of Workers last week applied to the Fair Work Commission for the right to take industrial action at three distribution centres in Victoria and another in NSW.
The reality is Trump is not being reckless with regard to Iran. However, his predecessor, Barack Obama, was.

But to do so betrays a lack of understanding of the nuclear deal (known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) itself, the flawed limits it places on Iran and the adequacy of how it is actually being verified.

Trump's tendency to be impulsive and his antagonistic style have led some commentators to dismiss the merits of this particular decision without examining the details.

US President Donald Trump's "decertification" of the Iran nuclear deal has been the subject of much debate this past week.

Trump used his strongest language yet in lashing out at the government of Iran, calling it a "fanatical regime" that's determined to spread terrorism and aggression around the world. Credit:Al Drago

Desperate for a foreign policy legacy, Obama disregarded his own promises and America's traditional Middle East allies as he bent over backwards in gifting concessions to the Iranian regime during negotiations in 2015. The result was a deal that does not dismantle Iran's nuclear program; it merely temporarily limits and delays it.

The deal's "sunset clauses" lift restrictions after 10 years, after which Iran will be free to resume its nuclear program in full. The deal also doesn't address Iran's ballistic missile program, a key part of any nuclear weapons system. Furthermore, military sites where much of Iran's nuclear research on bomb designs are thought to take place are effectively exempted from inspection, while Iran is allowed to continue working on advanced centrifuges which will vastly speed up its ability to make a bomb when it is ready to do so. Finally, the deal says nothing about Iran's support for terrorism or its belligerent behaviour in the region.

Obama hoped that a tentative welcome back into the community of responsible nations might be the impetus for Iran to start behaving like one. This simply has not happened.

Iran continues to arm and train Houthi rebels in Yemen in addition to spending hundreds of millions of dollars on militias in Syria, where it is an ally of the murderous Assad regime, and in Iraq. Fresh with the estimated US$100 billion in funds freed up by sanctions relief tied to the nuclear deal, it has also increased its annual investment in the proscribed terror groups Hezbollah and Hamas to US$830 million and up to US$70 million respectively.
That individuals are endeavouring to find increasingly bizarre ways to avoid jury service is perhaps to be expected. As Julie Power reports today some of the excuses proffered are lame in the extreme. "My snoring would disturb the court" or "the planets aren't correctly aligned". The result of all these excuses was a significant increase in the number of fines on those trying to evade their duty.

Part of the problem, apparently, is that legal proceedings in some areas are too complex and protracted. Sex or drug trials can now run into months and resemble the seemingly interminable hearing between Jarndyce and Jarndyce in Charles Dickens' Bleak House. Not many would be keen to be called for service for Eddie Obeid's criminal trial in 2019 on conspiracy charges. It is expected to last six months.

For some jurors, legal proceedings are too complex and protracted. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Excuses appear to be influencing the composition of the jury of 12 good men (and women) true. They are likely to comprise more younger, older and unemployed individuals with fewer professionals and middle-aged. A jury ideally should be a representative cross-section of all elements of society. Anything that distorts that is unjudicial.

It is well recognised that some trials are too complex for jury trial. Defamation, financial and tax issues are in that category. Last month the Wagner family suing broadcaster Alan Jones and others for defamation successfully asked for the trial to be heard before a judge alone. Justice Peter Applegarth in his judgment said: "In my view, the size and complexity of the jury's enormous task presents an unacceptably high risk that it will be unable to perform its task, despite its best efforts and despite the assistance of the trial judge in providing redirections and further assistance." In July, NSW Chief Justice Tom Bathurst told The Sydney Morning Herald that the law of defamation "always seemed to me unnecessarily complex". His preliminary view was that it was "important the procedures be simplified" in defamation cases.
Darren Perry at the Kings Billabong near Mildura. Credit:Louise Donges He pointed to a $200 million constraints management strategy, of which just $5 million has so far been spent. The strategy aims to mitigate the effect on landholders of minor managed flooding, allowing water to spill over the bank and replenish flood plains. The federal funds would pay for measures such as relocating bridges and strengthening levee banks. The onus is on state governments to propose projects; just five projects have so far been funded. They must be completed by 2024.

Dr Pittock said the NSW and Victorian governments appeared unwilling to embark on complex negotiations with landholders and their efforts so far "won't let enough water flow down ... to spill and water the flood plain forests". NSW Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said his government was committed to the basin plan but was also "mindful of the need to bring river communities with us". "We know the importance of local input and knowledge in reaching a successful outcome, and that remains our focus," he said. Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville said there must be a "whole of system approach to constraints across the basin" and any benefits achieved "must outweigh any potential costs to Victorian landholders and communities". Dr Pittock also said a private landholder who refused to allow minor flooding on their land had rendered "inoperable" $80 million in taxpayer-funded flood enhancement works upstream of Barham in south-west NSW.

The works involve channels and other structures to direct Murray River flows through the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest, the second-largest red gum forest in the world, to mimic natural floods. But the works, completed in 2013, have only been operated once in a small test event in 2014. "This taxpayer-funded investment has been rendered nearly useless because NSW government [agencies] did not negotiate compensation with one farmer whose land would be periodically inundated," Dr Pittock said. In a joint response the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Forestry Corporation NSW and NSW Crown Land and Water said the works had been expected to operate in six or seven years of every decade. However the test event, and natural floods in recent years, had "provided improvements to the forest health," the agencies said.

Landholders "have been proactive in developing and proposing sensible, locally-driven solutions" to issues associated with the works, they said. It has also emerged that Murray Irrigation Limited, Australia's largest private irrigator, has hiked up the charge to taxpayers of using a key piece of its infrastructure to deliver water downstream. The move has triggered a two-year stalemate with the authority and Water NSW, who refuse to pay what the authority described as a "significantly" increased sum. The agencies had been using spare capacity in the firm's Mulwala irrigation canal, in the NSW Riverina region, to bypass a narrow section of the river known as the Barmah Choke, then deliver water back into the system. At 156 kilometres it is the longest man-made irrigation canal in the southern hemisphere. Authority documents say a lack of access to the infrastructure "may prevent better watering of flood plains below Swan Hill" in north-west Victoria.

Dr Pittock said some companies and irrigators were being "allowed to deny water to downstream communities and the river system". The Murray Irrigation Limited infrastructure was used to supply water to wetlands without flooding farms and other infrastructure, and the company was "holding the environment to ransom," he said. An authority spokeswoman refused to say how much Murray Irrigation Limited was seeking and said negotiations are continuing. The situation "has placed more pressure on the delivery system" but the authority had met all agreed environmental water orders, she said. A spokesman for Murray Irrigation Limited said it was keen to "maximise the use of our water delivery system to achieve strategic environmental goals", adding the canal was recently used to help native fish populations survive a toxic water event. "There has not been a failure to deliver on environmental water requests by this company," he said.

'It was heartbreaking to me' The sight still haunts Darren Perry  Murray crayfish as long as a forearm, crawling from the water "just trying to breathe". It was early 2012 and heavy rain had dislodged fetid water in upstream swamps and lakes, sending it gushing down the Murray. Now it had arrived at Swan Hill. "It's dead water, it deoxygenates the entire river. The water is black, dirty, it smells  it's just terrible," Mr Perry said of the phenomenon, known as a blackwater event.

"[Murray crays] were climbing up trees ... everyone says 'oh look crays, crays everywhere!' People were picking them out of the trees. "It was heartbreaking to me, because I knew they were going to die, and I knew there would be none left in the river." Mr Perry, former chairman of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, said the absence of regular minor floods  enough to spill over the river banks  had allowed the toxic water to build up. "Farmers get their roads cut off or they might get their bottom paddock flooded and say 'no we don't want that'. So you can't raise the river high enough to achieve the proper outcomes," he said. "[But] unless ... that water can get out to the flood plains properly, the system is slowly dying".
When I've experienced a period of unhappiness in my life I've often sought external change  switching my job, hairstyle or even home  only for such feelings to eventually find me again.

After weeks of flipping my thoughts, what became clear is that we cant believe everything we think. Credit:Stocksy

While it would be unrealistic to eliminate our negative thoughts altogether, psychologists have found that dwelling on them excessively can be detrimental both mentally and physically as essential parts of a cell's DNA, its telomeres, become shortened when stressed, affecting the way cells age.

We spend a lot of time thinking negatively. Nearly half our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we are doing  we ruminate on past disappointments, worry about the future, or recall embarrassing moments over and over.

Changing the way I think could be longer-lasting. According to Blackburn and Epel, making changes to our mental habits can protect our telomeres and improve our health. One such strategy is thought awareness, which can build resilience as we learn to attach less meaning to our thoughts. I decided to put such internal awareness to the test through an opposite-thought experiment.

Taking the advice of the late Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, I tracked my most common thoughts and devised a new set.

In the first week of the experiment, I noted and catalogued my thoughts in the notes section of my smartphone. By day seven, the themes were clear: worrying about the future, worrying about what other people think, beating myself up for perceived flaws, comparing myself to others, negatively internalising other people's actions or words, and ruminating on the past.

What was most startling when reflecting on this list was that many things I worry about are outside my control. What people think of me, the future, and what other people do are not things I can change by mulling them over. For the most part I can't control what happens in my life, but I can control how I think about it.

In the second week, I developed an alternative thought to each on my list, and then consciously applied these. Each time I noticed myself falling into the mental loop of worrying about my career trajectory, for instance, I would tell myself, "I'm doing what I can now with what I have." If I found myself lost in thoughts of the past or replaying interactions, I repeated, "Be open to the surprises in the present."
The highest-profile Australian currently imprisoned overseas, Cassie Sainsbury, is detained in Colombia on drug charges. She was arrested at Bogota airport in April with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase.

This week a planned preliminary hearing was suspended until October 20, when the prosecution may formally present its charges against Sainsbury. A trial date has not been set and is at least six months away.

Cassie Sainsbury.

Sainsburys case has attracted abundant media attention, as did the case of Schapelle Corby. But the attention is not serving Sainsburys interests or the interest of justice.

Much of the commercial media coverage and social media commentary on Sainsburys case has been sensational and prejudicial. With each new revelation, Sainsbury is again convicted in the court of opinion, despite the fact that she is awaiting trial in a court of law.
Money reader Scott Andrews has won the Shares Race after maintaining the lead throughout the four-week race with big contributions from European Cobalt, EHR Resources and Living Cell.

He finishes the race with his original $100,000 worth $133,582.

Credit:Govardhan.Kaka

Angie Ellis of 80 20 Investments takes second place after trailing Andrews throughout the race with her portfolio worth $120,830.

Ellis has done well from Synlait Milk, Hub24, GetSwift and Praemium. Money Editor Caitlin Fitzsimmons finishes in third spot with Xero, BigUn and A2 Milk her best performers.
Tents at the pyramids before the battle. At 3.30pm, Chauvel ordered the two regiments closest to Beersheba to mount the 6.4-kilometre charge, the 4th from Victoria commanded by Lieutenant Commander Murray Bourchier and 12th from NSW led by Lieutenant Colonel Donald Cameron  each with just 400 troopers. Their commander, Brigadier General William Grant, told men who had gone 48 hours without water: "Once they smell it, your horses will be so keen to get to the water in the wells of Beersheba they will gallop faster than ever." At 4.45pm, Chauvel gave his famous order, "Put Grant straight at them!". Grant rode to the regiments hiding behind a ridge at the assembly point and shouted, "Men, you are fighting for water. The only water in this desert is at Beersheba. Use your bayonets as swords. I wish you the best of luck  Forward!" "Come on boys, Beersheba next stop!": Captain Jack Davies. The 800 troopers rode their horses to the crest, from where they saw Beersheba across a long, slight slope, flat right up to the trenches. Looking through binoculars Trooper Ion Idriess, who became one of Australia's greatest authors, said: "Hiding in a depression behind the hills was Beersheba, the white dome and minaret of the great mosque and the railway station, barracks and numerous buildings, growing plainer to us."

Captain Jack Davies stood up in his saddle, turned and shouted: "Come on boys, Beersheba next stop!" They trotted down the ridge then cantered. But once the startled Turks spotted them and fired artillery shells, they galloped. Britain's commander-in-chief, General Sir Edmund Allenby When they got within 3 kilometres, machine gunners started firing. But they were riding so fast the Turks did not have time to adjust the artillery sights from long to short range and even machine gunners, let alone riflemen, could not hit the weaving horses that had spread out widely. Then 2 kilometres out, Bourchier screamed "Charge!" and they galloped full pelt, yelling at the top of their voices. Now the horses were only 2 kilometres away. Idriess reported: "We laughed with delight when the shells burst behind our men as Turkish gunners wild with fear forgot to lower their sights".

That fear was explained when "captured Turkish officers told us they never dreamed that mounted troops would be madmen enough to attempt rushing infantry redoubts protected by roaring machine guns and artillery. Yet they just galloped on, their thousand hooves stuttering, coming at a rate that frightened a man  an awe-inspiring sight galloping through red haze  knee to knee  horse to horse  the dying sun glinting on bayonet points". When the horses were only a kilometre away, Turkish officers mistakenly ordered men to hold their fire until the Australians dismounted to fight in trenches  not realising many Light Horsemen would leap over them. Galloping closer with surprisingly few casualties, Idriess reported "the last half-mile was a berserk gallop". Bean continued: "Next the foremost troops were jumping trenches, some dismounting and turning upon the Turks from the rear with bayonet in bloody hand-to-hand fighting." Others galloped ahead to rear trenches, one trooper captured 50 frightened Turks. Some galloped straight to Beersheba. The bewildered garrison quickly surrendered.

Lieutenant Guy Haydon said: "You've never heard such awful war yells as our boys let out, they never hesitated for a moment, it was grand. Riders would roll off or a horse drop but the line swept on. As we neared their trenches, the pace became faster. A bullet hit me high up in the left buttock, just under the belt, lifting me clear off my horse and dropping me sprawling on a heap of dirt and I rolled down into a pit and safety. "But all this time, only a few seconds, men raced their horses through and over the trenches and while some of us were hand-to-hand fighting the remainder had charged through the town. Although it is the heaviest fire I have been under, I never felt less afraid." Captain Jack Davies, who was first into Beersheba, said: "Providence guided me that day as I rode into the town as if I knew all the roads leading into it." Allenby's trick had worked, Davies said, because "I've seen some surprised people in my life and those Turks were certainly not expecting us!". As many of the troopers believed their wonderful horses, aka Walers, had won the day, they were very sad when ordered at war's end to leave their horses behind. "Rather than sell them to locals who treated their horses badly, many of us decided to shoot them instead," said trooper Albert Cornish.
The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself another five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party and called for self-reliance in technology, a stronger military and protection of core interests abroad. At a party congress, Xi gave no sign of plans to change the "zero-COVID strategy that has frustrated Chinas public and disrupted business and trade. He called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that strain relations with Washington and Asian neighbors. Xi is tightening control at home and trying to use Chinas economic heft to increase its influence abroad.
The state opposition has promised a major shift in NSW planning policy should it win government at the 2019 election, saying it will scrap the Berejiklian government's key strategy for delivering housing supply and "tear up" its plans for the controversial Bankstown rail corridor redevelopment.

Opposition planning spokesman Michael Daley slammed the government's core planning process of "priority precincts" as an "ill-considered blunt instrument" for delivering housing supply and infrastructure, and said a Labor government would dump the process.

A map of the proposed areas for redevelopment under the Sydenham to Bankstown corridor strategy, which Labor says it will scrap if elected in 2019.

He accused the government of using the "priority precincts" scheme to concentrate large-scale rezoning decisions within the planning minister's office, while displacing the role of the Greater Sydney Commission as the city's strategic planning body, and sidelining councils.

"It makes [the minister] the person who signs off on rezonings, and that is no way to run strategic planning in the state," Mr Daley said. "At the heart of this is just cheap and nasty mass rezoning."
Hours before his car crash on Monday, Salim Mehajer was inviting followers on social media to caption a photo of him in his Rolls-Royce for a chance to "come for a ride" with him.

The question now is whether all of Sydney is being taken for a ride by the flamboyant 31-year-old property developer.

The former deputy mayor of the now-defunct Auburn Council is fighting legal battles on every front, including multiple charges of electoral fraud which carry a potential prison sentence.
An estimated 350 cattle used a half-finished Bruce Highway upgrade in far north Queensland as a footpath on Saturday, with police closing the road and laying out the red carpet (albeit a soggy one) to allow the cows to escape from their flooded field.

Highway drivers in Helens Hill, about 100 kilometres north-west of Townsville, looked on in awe and most took pictures of the spectacle as farm manager Simon Roberts led his Black Angus cattle on a five-kilometre trek to dry land.

About 350 Black Angus cows were moved to higher ground on Saturday after floodwaters swept through Helens Hill near Townsville. (File pic) Credit:Andrew Campbell

"The water was three metres deep in the paddock in places," Mr Roberts said.
A woman has been cut from the wreckage of her car after crashing into a power pole in Ipswich on Friday night.

The driver's legs were pinned after the front of the car was damaged upon impact about 8.30pm on Redbank Plains Road in Bellbird Park.

The woman was taken to hospital with leg injuries after being trapped inside the wreckage. Credit:Nine News Queensland - Twitter

She was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after fire crews freed her.

Emergency services shut off the power during the delicate rescue operation, but the pole was not extensively damaged.
For most animals, sex is good, and the more the better. But for female Australian jumping spiders, once in a lifetime seems to be plenty.

In a new study, the creature resisted researchers' best efforts to get it in the mood: a comfortable piece of crumpled paper in which to build a home, plenty of baby flies to eat, and a new prospective mate every 10 days.

Here's looking at you: Servaea incana, also known as the Australian jumping spider. Credit:Rowan McGinley

Nothing seemed to work. After mating once they just keep kicking potential new partners in the face and scurrying away.

Researchers believe the behaviour, only now being studied closely, is part of the ongoing battle of natural selection: males want to pass their genes on as many times as possible, while females are after the best DNA for their spider-children.
An 87-year-old Beaufort woman died in hospital on Friday morning following a bus crash last weekend which also claimed the life of another elderly Victorian woman and hospitalised more than dozen other women.

Carmel Mitchell, 71, died at the scene of the crash near Avoca, which occurred last Saturday after the driver of a bus carrying a group of bowls players lost control of the vehicle.

The bus carrying 30 passengers rolled after swerving on the Sunraysia Highway near Avoca. Credit:9 News

Another three women were airlifted to the Alfred and Royal Melbourne hospitals in critical condition following the crash while 13 were taken to Bendigo and Ballarat hospitals with injuries.

A fourth woman was transferred from Ballarat hospital to the Royal Melbourne Hospital when her condition deteriorated.
Beloved mothers, a schoolgirl, a police chief's aunt.

The families of six women killed in the 1980s have remembered who they've lost while pleading for help in solving one of Victoria's most baffling serial killer investigations.

Homicide Squad Detective Mick Hughes with family and friends of six women killed in the 1980s. Credit:Paul Jeffers

All six women  aged 14 to 73  were grabbed seemingly at random and found dumped in scrubland in Frankston and Tynong North, south-east of Melbourne.

Police on Saturday announced a record $6 million in rewards are on offer, $1 million each, for help in solving the string of killings, which occurred during an 18-month period between May 1980 and November 1981.
More than 15 years later, Daniel Andrews' Labor government is looking just as impotent as Haermeyer and his "no discrimination" promise, as long-running industrial tensions and alleged systemic bullying in the MFB and the Country Fire Authority cast a shadow over the Premier's leadership. Peter Marshall, national and state secretary of the United Firefighters Union in 2013. Credit:Angela Wylie The CFA has been under extreme pressure this week after Fairfax Media published the results of an explosive 2016 staff survey that detailed serious sexual assault of women and wider harassment among its non-firefighting employees. So bad was the situation that the report's author herself, Professor Caroline Taylor, is out on stress leave. Anecdotal reports suggest the situation is just as bad in volunteer firefighter ranks. Professor Caroline Taylor is on stress leave. Credit:Simon Schluter

The government is also bracing for a multimillion-dollar lawsuit from 10 or more of the MFB's former inspectors who allege they were denied a safe workplace and were forced to prematurely curtail their careers due to constant bullying and harassment. Several serving and former firefighters, as well as managers and support staff, have said that the problems in Victoria's highly respected fire services stem from two distinct things: culture, and Daniel Andrews' seeming inability to say no to the UFU. Hate mail Lou Mele knew the start to his career as a MFB inspector would be rocky. So did Paul Swain, Stuart McCall and all the others. The UFU was and remains one of Victoria's strongest and most effective unions. Mele, Swain and McCall all knew how vehemently opposed the union was to their new jobs, and were prepared for robust blowback. But they also believed the MFB management, board and relevant ministers would be able to keep things in check. Looking back, the trio can't believe how wrong they turned out to be.

While it was one thing to be the subject of nasty work emails and unflattering "scab" posters at stations, it was another when the bullying extended to home and family. "My 15-year-old son answered the phone at home and was told that his dad was a 'f-----g wog scab c--t'," Mele said, adding that his son invited to the caller to say it face to face. The men say they received a range of dead animals either in the mail or outside their homes. Often Band-Aids were sent as a reminder of their scab status. One time, Swain received a bullet in his letterbox. Their isolation also had an effect at fire scenes where they, as inspectors or commanders, would arrive to take command. Swain recalls encountering great difficulty on several occasions in getting a briefing from firefighters at the scene. This made it hard for him to take control, and effectively sabotaged the MFB's chain of command. "Yet I'd have people who wouldn't talk to me at a scene in front of others call me up later to apologise," Swain said.

McCall had his authority challenged in a direct manner in front of several firefighters when a senior UFU figure repeatedly refused to follow an order. After enduring years of hostility at work, this was the tipping point for McCall. He went on extended stress leave and required extensive counselling. "My career at the MFB was cut short by years because of management and the board's inability to provide a safe workplace. I never got to the positions I thought I could get to," McCall said. The UFU strongly rejects any claims it has "contributed to a culture enabling harassment" and points out that it has never been the subject of any adverse finding in regards to bullying or harassment. Privately, senior UFU figures believe that while the legal threat from the former inspectors may put pressure on a government nervous about opening up another front in the firefighter controversy, it will ultimately fail. In 2012 another former inspector, Philip Klein, took the government to court over bullying and harassment he endured at the MFB. His case was unsuccessful. A MFB spokesman said the brigade was in the process of arranging a meeting with the former inspectors and their legal representatives. While the MFB has "many great people and strengths", it did not shy away from the need for change, the spokesman said.

As for this week's revelations of bullying and harassment among the CFA's back-office workforce, the UFU and its members have taken to social media to portray it as yet another misguided media attack on them. The MFB has committed to meeting with its former inspectors and their legal representatives. A new word "Embuggerance: Calculated delay for the purpose of illustrating power balance." This is not a funky new entry in the latest Oxford dictionary. It is a word employed by a former MFB industrial relations manager, Leigh Hocking, to describe, in an 18-page memo written shortly before he left in 2009, the abrasive industrial climate in the fire services.

Though the document is eight years old, the issues it seeks to deal with loom as large as ever. In particular, Hocking's memo focuses on the power that is granted to the union through what is regularly described as a "consultation by consensus" clause in its Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. This clause makes it incumbent on management to consult and seek agreement from the union on the smallest of changes. According to several past and serving MFB managers, the entire organisation can be brought to a halt if agreement cannot be reached. "The UFU's obstructionist behaviour was so ingrained into the MFB culture as to have entered the local lexicon  and so embuggerance was born and became a term to describe the aberrant behaviours of the UFU in the IR context. It manifests itself in conflict at every opportunity, constant attacks on management credibility, often personalised and wearing down of the other side," Hocking wrote. Hocking's job at the MFB often put him into conflict with the UFU and his views have no doubt been coloured by his role. But the workplace behaviour he describes accords with the accounts provided by former inspectors and acting assistant chiefs. The union's ability to pull the reins at the MFB through consultation by consensus is one of the biggest reasons for the turmoil surrounding the CFA and its acrimonious EBA negotiations in recent years. This has cost Andrews a minister, a chief executive, a chief officer and several board members.

There are many examples of the UFU using its industrial power to stop change at the MFB. Often disputes are had about the smallest of things. One illuminating example can be found buried in the transcripts of old Fair Work Commission hearings. It's from December 2008 and relates to the union using its power to stop the MFB from running diversity workshops. The workshops included training for new recruits in how to deal with the different groups of people they would encounter on jobs. The union's lawyer, now the Greens member for Melbourne in federal parliament, Adam Bandt, never really explained just why the diversity workshops posed a problem. What he focused on in a repetitious grilling of the MFB's diversity manager, Dalal Smiley, was whether the union had been adequately notified about "focus groups". So doggedly did Bandt question Ms Smiley, that Fair Work Commissioner Barbara Deegan had to pull him into line.
"To ALL Sacred Heart College girls, here's a letter from the Graduating Class of 2017," they wrote. "If there's one thing all of us girls have learnt in our high schooling year, it's to just accept who you are. So, we decided to put up these sticky notes and posters to remind you to stay positive, even if it's just for a day. "Feel free to take a post-it note off the mirror if you would like to keep them and if you ever need help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask someone. "One last thing - we would really appreciate it if we could keep the post-it notes off the ground or around the school, just to make the clean-up of any extras a little easier! Lots of love, all the Year 12 girls." 'The reality is, everyone gets bullied'

I was told I was a refugee, a boat person... that's why I left. I had an interview with [the principal] to come here... and I just bawled my eyes out in front of him The Sacred Heart College girls are not the first to come up with initiative, with another Perth high school inspiring Francesca to rally her school friends to execute the same "prank". "I just thought it was a beautiful idea," she said. "I understand muck-up day is a day where you can do bad things to the school but it has consequences. So I thought, let's muck the school up in a pretty way, just for the girls. "Because you know, every girl has been bullied in high school. We've all experienced bullying."

When Francesca makes this comment, neither of her friends disagree. This is a surprise because at first glance, Francesca, Jade and Abbey all come across as vivacious, mature and stunning teenage girls. But as they tell their stories it becomes clear why it was these three girls in particular who pioneered the initiative at their school. "I'm from England and when I first came to Australia, I went to another high school," Jade said. "I was bullied by my best friend, and physically bullied by two boys. I ended up having to leave.

"When I came here, luckily for me, it was a really nice community. "But I still hadn't had a great time. It was very hard. I was very self-conscious because of past comments people had made, and so... that stuck with me for a long time. "I reckon if I was in year nine now and I saw these sticky notes, it would make me feel better. It would remind me that I am who I am, and I can't change that." Francesca agrees. "I'm exactly like Jade. I moved countries as well," she said.

"When I went to my old school, I was bullied because of how different I was. I was from such a different culture and I spoke differently. "The majority of people here have English backgrounds so they're quite fair-skinned. When I came here I was pretty dark. "I was told I was a refugee, I was told I was a boat person. "That's why I left. I had to have an interview with [the principal] to come here, and when I went into his office, I just bawled my eyes out in front of him. "I said 'I just can't do it, I have to leave there'. And he said that's fine. He was going to let me into his school and he said it was going to be so much better.

"And it actually has been. Of course, there's still going to be that same group of girls and they're going to get to you, but it's better." Abbey's story is perhaps the most troubling, but also the most indicative of what Thursday morning's "prank" meant to her. "I didn't move country or anything. I always went to the same primary school and then the same high school, that didn't change," she said. "In year 10, it was coming up to the river cruise dance, and everyone was saying 'I'm not going to eat during the day or else I won't fit into my dress'," "One of my best friends started changing what she was eating because she wanted to look a certain way, and I think that impacted me."

As Abbey goes on, it becomes clear this is an understatement. "I ended up going into hospital because I became really unwell and developed an eating disorder," she said. "I spent a total of about six weeks in hospital throughout all of last year. "Last year I really realised how big of an impact people's words can have. Even if they just say stuff like 'I shouldn't have eaten that' or 'do I look fat in this?' "People don't mean to make other people upset, but then it might make someone think they need to think the same way.

"It affects people for a long time. I still have the exact same struggles I had last year. It's not something that people can just get over. "Constantly emphasising all those messages  that you are your own person, that you don't have to look like anyone else  it's really important. "The younger girls this morning, they can read it themselves and maybe they won't believe it but maybe the more they read it... hopefully it will stick with them a bit more." It's clear the girls' efforts have already made an impact on their school community, with hundreds of parents, alumni and friends of the college expressing their support. Loading
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE

A bizarre rural crime is giving a new look at the silence of the lambs.

The research aims to develop better methods to detect chlamydia in sheep. Credit:Rob Homer

Over the last month farmer Kevin Wise has found 10 lambs shot and butchered on his Gnowangerup property.

Wise's daughter Chantelle discovered the corpses of three sheep and sent photos to her father from her phone who knew immediately something was wrong
In 2008, I went to Laos to take a trip down the Mekong River that separates Thailand from Laos. It was the rainy season and the river was so muddy you could almost walk on it.

Arriving at the capital of Laos, I got a 30-day Thai visa and took a bus to the Thai railway station. There I met an Aussie girl and she asked what I did for a living. I said I wrote books.

What kind of books? she asked.

I said, Books to stop war, and with that, she screamed, No! No! Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming! There must be a war of Armageddon so Jesus can come and rule for 1,000 years! Shed have shot me right there if she had a gun.

In my book, Treachery, I wrote how our planet could be destroyed in a nuclear war. The Russian's Czar Bomb tested in 1960 was 1,570 times more energy than the Hiroshima bomb.

Russian analyst, Konstantin Sivkov, has written in a Russian journal that a super bomb directed at Yellowstones huge 30- by 35-mile caldera would make volcanic cloud of ash that would create crop failure and a food shortage.

But more destructive would be a mega atom bomb dropped on the Dead Sea (that is more than a mile below Dimona, Israel, where Israel stores its atom bombs), combined with the energy of the ignited salt, it would destroy the Earth. Thats because the Dead Sea sits on the Great Rift fault (Sea of Galilee, Dear Sea, Red Sea, Mozambique), and reduce the 2.2 atmospheric pressures on the liquid iron mantle at 6,500 C.

The psychic writer, Ruth Montgomery, born in eastern Illinois, was a friend of Arthur Ford, who, after he passed away, communicated with Ruth through psychic writing, she says. This led to many books about the messages from him and 20 other spirit guides. They told of two alien species that came to occupy the planet between Mars and Jupiter and began a nuclear war that blew up the planet and created the Asteroid Belt. Survivors then continued their war on Mars, which is why the Romans called Mars as the god of war.

Was Jesus God come to Earth or the Son of God? Well Jesus said, I am the Truth, as my Jewish professor of philosophy said in class. Andrew Lloyd Webers Evita sang Dont cry for me Argentina. The truth is, I never left you. Jesus has never left us as we have always had access to the Truth. It has been those in power who have hidden the Truth. Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning revealed the Truth being hidden. Veterans Today revealed 22 veterans of wars are committing suicide every day and the losses and money given out since 9/11 were 20 trillion dollars, the value of all property and land of he US is 20 trillion.

But when Ruth asked why some of their warnings (prophesies) did not occur, the guides said, Man has free will to change things.
Barcelona: The escalating confrontation over Catalonia's independence drive took its most serious turn Saturday as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain announced he would remove the leadership of the restive region and initiate a process of direct rule by the central government in Madrid.

It was the first time that Spain's government had moved to strip the autonomy of one of its 17 regions, and the first time that a leader had invoked Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution  a broad tool intended to protect the "general interests" of the nation.

The unexpectedly forceful moves by Mr Rajoy, made after an emergency Cabinet meeting, thrust Spain into uncharted waters. The prime minister is trying to put down one of the gravest constitutional crises his country has faced since embracing democracy after the death of its dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975.

The steps were immediately condemned by Catalan leaders and risked further inflaming an already volatile atmosphere in the prosperous northeastern region. On October 1, thousands braved national police wielding truncheons to vote in a contentious independence referendum for Catalonia, even after it was declared illegal by the Spanish government and courts.
Geneva: A UN human rights panel has told China that it wrongfully arrested three prominent human rights activists accused of subversion and called on the government to release and compensate them.

The men were arrested as part of a widespread crackdown on human rights activists -- and the lawyers representing them -- that President Xi Jinping unleashed in 2015.

Hu Shigen in the dock. He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years. Credit:Weibo

The UN panel, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, made up of five independent experts, said Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Xie Yang had been punished for promoting human rights.

It said their treatment did not conform with China's obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and urged Beijing to consider amending its laws to bring them into conformity with international norms.
"This has a whiff of August 1945," Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and the CIA, said in a speech. "Somebody just used a new weapon, and this weapon will not be put back in the box." Now, in Ukraine, the quintessential cyberwar scenario has come to life. Twice. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in December, when he told the public that there had been 6500 cyberattacks on 36 Ukrainian targets in just the previous two months and blamed Russian intelligence. Credit:AP On separate occasions, invisible saboteurs have turned off the electricity to hundreds of thousands of people. And the blackouts weren't just isolated attacks. They were part of a digital blitzkrieg that has pummeled Ukraine for the past three years. A hacker army has systematically undermined practically every sector of Ukraine: media, finance, transportation, military, politics, energy. "You can't really find a space in Ukraine where there hasn't been an attack," says Kenneth Geers, a NATO ambassador who focuses on cybersecurity. In a public statement in December, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reported that there had been 6500 cyberattacks on 36 Ukrainian targets in just the previous two months.

Many global cybersecurity analysts believe Russia is using the country as a laboratory for perfecting new forms of global online combat. And the digital explosives that Russia has repeatedly set off in Ukraine are ones it has planted at least once before in the civil infrastructure of the United States. One Sunday morning in October 2015, Yasinsky's phone rang with a call from work. He was then director of information security at StarLightMedia, Ukraine's largest TV broadcasting conglomerate. During the night, two of StarLight's servers had inexplicably gone offline. "One server going down, it happens," Yasinsky says. "But two servers at the same time? That's suspicious." June 2017: Screens inside a retail store in Kiev show a demand for ransom on computers infected by the 'Petya' virus. Credit:Bloomberg Yasinsky quickly discovered the attack was indeed far worse than it had seemed: The two corrupted servers had planted malware on the laptops of 13 StarLight employees.

Yasinsky was struck by the layers of cunning obfuscation - the malware had evaded all antivirus scans and even impersonated an antivirus scanner itself, Microsoft's Windows Defender. After his family had gone to sleep, Yasinsky printed the code and laid the papers across his kitchen table and floor, crossing out lines of camouflaging characters and highlighting commands to see its true form. Beneath all the cloaking and misdirection, Yasinsky figured out, was a piece of malware known as KillDisk. By tracing signs of the hackers' fingerprints, Yasinsky and two colleagues came to the stomach-turning realisation that the intruders had been inside their system for more than six months. Eventually, Yasinsky identified the piece of malware that had served as the hackers' initial foothold: an all-purpose Trojan known as BlackEnergy. Soon Yasinsky began to hear from colleagues at other companies and in the government that they too had been hacked, and in almost exactly the same way - BlackEnergy for access and reconnaissance, KillDisk for destruction. "With every step forward, it became clearer that our Titanic had found its iceberg," says Yasinsky. "The deeper we looked, the bigger it was." An alarm goes off in America

At first, Robert Lee blamed the squirrels. It was Christmas Eve 2015 - the day before Lee was set to be married in his hometown of Cullman, Alabama. A barrel-chested and bearded redhead, Lee had recently left a high-level job at a three-letter US intelligence agency, where he'd focused on the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. Now he was settling down to launch his own security startup and marry the Dutch girlfriend he'd met while stationed abroad. As Lee busied himself with wedding preparations, he saw news headlines claiming that hackers had just taken down a power grid in western Ukraine. Lee blew off the story - he had other things on his mind, and he'd heard spurious claims of hacked grids plenty of times before. The cause was usually a rodent or a bird. The next day, however, just before the wedding itself, Lee got a text from Mike Assante, a security researcher at the SANS Institute, an elite cybersecurity training centre. When it comes to digital threats to power grids, Assante is one of the most respected experts in the world. And he was telling Lee that the Ukraine blackout hack looked like the real thing. Just after Lee had said his vows and kissed his bride, a contact in Ukraine messaged him as well: The blackout hack was real, the man said, and he needed Lee's help. The moment Lee had anticipated for years had finally arrived. So he ditched his own reception and began to text with Assante in a quiet spot, still in his wedding suit.

Lee eventually retreated to his mother's desktop computer in his parents' house nearby. Working in tandem with Assante, who was at a friend's Christmas party in rural Idaho, they pulled up maps of Ukraine and a chart of its power grid. The three power companies' substations that had been hit were hundreds of kilometres from one another and unconnected. "This was not a squirrel," Lee concluded. Lee was struck by similarities between the blackout hackers' tactics and those of a group that had recently gained some notoriety in the cybersecurity world, known as Sandworm. The group's name came from references to the science fiction novel Dune found buried in its code. All signs indicated that the hackers were Russian. Most disturbing of all for US analysts, Sandworm's targets extended across the Atlantic. Earlier in 2014, the US government reported that hackers had planted BlackEnergy on the networks of American power and water utilities. Assante thought it was too early to start blaming the attack on any particular hacker group, not to mention a government. But in Lee's mind, alarms went off. "An adversary that had already targeted American energy utilities had crossed the line and taken down a power grid," Lee says. "It was an imminent threat to the United States." Jeanette Manfra of the Department of Homeland Security speaks while Bill Priestap, of the FBI, right, listens during a congressional hearing on sanctions against Russia. Credit:Bloomberg

On a cold, bright day a few weeks later, a team of Americans arrived in Kiev. Among them were staff from the FBI, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the body responsible for the stability of the US grid, all part of a delegation assigned to get to the bottom of the Ukrainian blackout. The Feds had also flown Assante in from Wyoming. Lee, a hotter head than his friend, had fought with the US agencies over their penchant for secrecy, insisting that the details of the attack needed to be publicised immediately. He hadn't been invited. On that first day, the suits gathered in a hotel conference room with the staff of Kyivoblenergo, the city's regional power distribution company and one of the three victims of the power grid attacks. Over several hours, the Ukrainian company's stoic execs and engineers laid out a blow-by-blow account of the raid on their network. That night, the team boarded a flight to the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, arriving at its tiny Soviet-era airport in a snowstorm. The next morning they visited the headquarters of Prykarpattyaoblenergo, the company that had taken the brunt of the pre-Christmas attack. The attack they described was almost identical to the one that hit Kyivoblenergo. But in this operation, the attackers had taken another step, bombarding the company's call centres with fake phone calls - possibly to delay any warnings of the power outage from customers or simply to add another layer of chaos.

There was another difference too. When the Americans asked whether, as in Kiev, cloned control software had sent the commands that shut off the power, the Prykarpattyaoblenergo engineers said no. That's when the company's technical director, a tall, serious man with black hair and ice-blue eyes, cut in. Rather than try to explain the hackers' methods through a translator, he clicked play on a video he'd recorded on his battered iPhone 5s. The 56-second clip showed a cursor moving around the screen of one of the computers in the company's control room. The video pans from the computer's Samsung monitor to its mouse, which hasn't budged. Then it shows the cursor moving again, seemingly of its own accord, as the engineers in the room ask one another who's controlling it. The intruders had exploited the company's IT helpdesk tool to take direct control of the mouse movements of the stations' operators. Before their eyes, phantom hands had clicked through dozens of breakers - each serving power to a different swath of the region - and one by one, turned them cold. 'The dark side is united' In August 2016, eight months after the first Christmas blackout, Yasinsky left his job at StarLightMedia. It wasn't enough, he decided, to defend a single company from an onslaught that was hitting every level of Ukrainian society. "The light side remains divided," he says of the balkanised reaction to the hackers among their victims. "The dark side is united."

So Yasinsky took a position as the head of research and forensics for a Kiev firm called Information Systems Security Partners. Yasinsky turned it into a de facto first responder for victims of Ukraine's digital siege. Not long after Yasinsky switched jobs, the country came under another, even broader wave of attacks. He ticks off the list of casualties: Ukraine's pension fund, the country's treasury, its seaport authority, its ministries of infrastructure, defence and finance. The hackers hit Ukraine's railway company, knocking out its online booking system for days, right in the midst of the holiday travel season. In the case of the finance ministry, the logic bomb deleted terabytes of data, just as the ministry was preparing its budget for the next year. All told, the hackers' new winter onslaught matched and exceeded the previous year's - right up to its grand finale. June 2017: employees at Boryspil airport in Kiev struggle to counter data-scrambling software that caused disruption across Europe but hit Ukraine especially hard. Credit:AP On December 16, 2016, as Yasinsky and his family sat watching Snowden, a young engineer named Oleg Zaychenko was four hours into his 12-hour night shift at Ukrenergo's transmission station just north of Kiev. He was filling out a paper-and-pencil log, documenting another uneventful Saturday evening, when the station's alarm suddenly sounded, a deafening continuous ringing. To his right Zaychenko saw that two of the lights indicating the state of the transmission system's circuits had switched from red to green - off.

The technician called an operator at Ukrenergo's headquarters to alert him to the routine mishap. As he did, another light turned green. Then another. The operator ordered Zaychenko to run outside and check the equipment for physical damage. At that moment, the 20th and final circuit switched off and the lights in the control room went out, along with the computer and TV. That single Kiev transmission station carried 200 megawatts, about a fifth of the capital's electrical capacity, more total electric load than the 50-plus distribution stations knocked out in the 2015 attack combined. Luckily, the system was down for just an hour before Ukrenergo's engineers began bringing everything back online. But the brevity of the outage was virtually the only thing that was less menacing about the 2016 blackout. Cybersecurity firms that have since analysed the attack say that it was far more evolved than the one in 2015: It was executed by a highly sophisticated, adaptable piece of malware now known as "CrashOverride", an automated, grid-killing weapon. Marina Krotofil, an industrial control systems security researcher for Honeywell who also analysed the Ukrenergo attack, describes the hackers' methods as simpler and far more efficient than the ones used in the previous year's attack. "In 2015 they were like a group of brutal street fighters," Krotofil says. "In 2016, they were ninjas." But the hackers themselves may be one and the same; researchers at Lee's security startup, Dragos, have identified the architects of CrashOverride as part of Sandworm, based on evidence that Dragos is not yet ready to reveal.

'It can happen here' I meet Lee in the bare-bones Baltimore offices of Dragos. Outside his office window loom pylons holding up transmission lines. Lee tells me that they carry power 30 kilometres south - to the heart of Washington, DC. "The people who understand the US power grid know that it can happen here," Lee says. No one knows how, or where, Sandworm's next attacks will materialise. A future breach might target not a distribution or transmission station but an actual power plant. Or it could be designed not simply to turn off equipment but to destroy it. In 2007 a team of researchers at Idaho National Lab, including Mike Assante, used nothing but digital commands to permanently wreck a 2.25-megawatt diesel generator. In a video of the experiment, a machine the size of a living room coughs and belches black and white smoke in its death throes. "Washington, DC? A nation-state could take it out for two months without much issue," Lee says.

An isolated incident of physical destruction may not even be the worst that hackers can do. The American cybersecurity community often talks about "advanced persistent threats" - sophisticated intruders who don't simply infiltrate a system for the sake of one attack but stay there, silently keeping their hold on a target. "Washington, DC? A nation-state could take it out for two months without much issue," says cybersecurity expert Robert Lee. Credit:AAP "If they did that in multiple places, you could have up to a month of outages across an entire region," he says. "Tell me what doesn't change dramatically when key cities across half of the US don't have power for a month." A grid attack on American utilities would almost certainly result in immediate, serious retaliation by the US. Some cybersecurity analysts argue that Russia's goal is simply to show that it's capable of penetrating the American grid - a message warning the US not to try a Stuxnet-style attack on Russia or its allies. In that view, it's all a game of deterrence. But Lee, who was involved in war-game scenarios during his time in intelligence, believes Russia might actually strike American utilities if it ever saw itself as backed into a corner - say, if the US threatened to interfere with Moscow's military interests in Ukraine or Syria. "When you deny a state's ability to project power, it has to lash out," Lee says.

People like Lee have, of course, been war-gaming these nightmares for well over a decade. And for all the sophistication of the Ukraine grid hacks, even they didn't really constitute a catastrophe; the lights did, after all, come back on. US power companies have already learned from Ukraine's victimisation, says Marcus Sachs, chief security officer of NERC. After the 2015 attack, Sachs says, NERC went on a road show, meeting with power firms to hammer into them that they need to shore up their basic cybersecurity practices and turn off remote access to their critical systems more often. "It would be hard to say we're not vulnerable. Anything connected to something else is vulnerable," Sachs says. "To make the leap and suggest that the grid is milliseconds away from collapse is irresponsible." March 2015: A map of the United States shows cyber attacks in real time at the headquarters of Bitdefender, a leading Romanian cyber security company. Credit:Mediafax via AP But for those who have been paying attention to Sandworm for almost three years, raising an alarm about the potential for an attack on the US grid is no longer crying wolf.

For John Hultquist, head of the team of researchers at FireEye that first spotted and named the Sandworm group, the wolves have arrived. Three weeks after the 2016 Kiev attack, he wrote a prediction on Twitter and pinned it to his profile for posterity: "I swear, when Sandworm Team finally nails Western critical infrastructure, and folks react like this was a huge surprise, I'm gonna lose it." 'Your own private space is just an illusion' Yasinsky says he has tried to maintain a dispassionate perspective on the intruders who are ransacking his country. But when the blackout extended to his own home four months ago, it was "like being robbed", he tells me. "It was a kind of violation, a moment when you realise your own private space is just an illusion." When we meet in his company's offices, the next wave of the digital invasion is already under way. The attacks, Yasinsky has noticed, have settled into a seasonal cycle: During the first months of the year, the hackers lay their groundwork, silently penetrating targets and spreading their foothold. At the end of the year, they unleash their payload.

He sums up the attackers' intentions in a single Russian word: poligon. A training ground. Even in their most damaging attacks, Yasinsky observes, the hackers could have gone further - a restraint that Assante and Lee have also noted. "They're still playing with us," Yasinsky says. Many global cybersecurity analysts have come to the same conclusion. "This is a place where you can do your worst without retaliation or prosecution," says Geers, the NATO ambassador. "A lot of Americans can't find it on a map, so you can practice there." (At a meeting of diplomats in April, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went so far as to ask "why should US taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?".) Russia isn't only pushing the limits of its technical abilities, says Thomas Rid, a professor in the War Studies department at King's College, London. The Kremlin meddled in the Ukrainian election and faced no real repercussions; then it tried similar tactics in Germany, France, and the United States. "They're testing out red lines, what they can get away with," Rid says. "You push and see if you're pushed back. If not, you try the next step." What will that next step look like? In the dim back room at his lab in Kiev, Yasinsky admits he doesn't know. "Cyberspace is not a target in itself," Yasinsky says. "It's a medium." And that medium connects, in every direction, to the machinery of civilisation itself.
Santiago, Chile: Pablo Neruda, winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature, did not die of prostate cancer and may have been killed with a toxic substance, a group of international experts said on Friday.

The studies were conducted to clarify whether the Chilean poet died of natural causes, or whether he was poisoned by the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in 1973.

Pablo Neruda Credit:AP

The experts, however, said more analyses were needed to reach a definitive conclusion.

Neruda was buried for the fourth time in 2016, three years after his remains were exhumed to determine his exact cause of death.
Mami Yuli, an Indonesian transgender woman. Credit:Irwin Fedriansyah "In a proxy war - another state might have occupied the minds of the nation without anyone realising. This sort of brainwashing is dangerous, as it skews the mindset of our nation away from our base ideology." Vice President Jusuf Kalla demanded the UN Development Program terminate any LGBT programs, saying the cause contradicted long-standing religious and cultural norms in Indonesia. Mr Oetomo said donors and foreign embassies who support the LGBT community - even indirectly through poverty alleviation programs - must now do so very discreetly. "We had a national gay and transgender meeting and some of the donors said do not put our logo on the banner."

The current climate reminds him of the repressive Suharto era. "It's back to that, that's the reality," Mr Oetomo said. "Funding has become difficult, holding public meetings is not easy." Earlier this month 51 people were arrested at a sauna in Jakarta popular with gay men. Homosexuality is legal in Indonesia, except in the ultra-conservative province of Aceh, which enforces Sharia law. However the men were targeted under pornography laws, which critics argue are too vague. Six have now been formally named as suspects, equivalent to being charged under Indonesian law. "This is at least the fifth raid targeting LGBT people in private spaces in 2017," Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono says. The most notorious of these was in Aceh, when two men received 83 lashes of the cane each after vigilantes broke into their apartment and dragged them to the police after catching them in bed together. Meanwhile Indonesia's parliament is considering national legislation that would ban LGBT content on TV by the end of the year.

And the Constitutional Court is considering amending the criminal code to outlaw extra-marital sex, which would include all gay sex. "I'm obviously concerned because it is a move backwards towards conservatism," Mr Oetomo says. "Activists in our organisation say it it is going to continue until the 2019 (presidential) election. If we get an Islamist president like in Turkey it will become worse." On October 13 the United Nations human rights office expressed deep concern about a wave of LGBT arrests in Azerbaijan, Egypt and Indonesia saying they violated international law. It's this kind of international condemnation that can backfire here. "Since Western countries, particularly the US, are now championing LGBT rights as human rights, the association of LGBT rights with Western schemes to destroy Indonesian culture are aggressively perpetuated and strengthened," Hendri Yulius, a lecturer and researcher of gender and sexuality studies and author of Coming Out wrote in New Mandala.

Indonesia has a long history of embracing diverse sexualities. The Bugis from South Sulawesi recognise five genders, including transgender priests known as bissu. In East Java, the traditional dance Reog Ponorogo depicts the relationship between a warrior and his boy. "These cultures have existed for a long time in Indonesia but people forget it, they think (LGBT) is imported," says transgender woman Yulianus Rettoblaut, who is known as Mami Yuli. Mami Yuli is the much loved defender of the waria, Indonesia's transgender community of biological men who believe they were born with the souls of women. Even casually dressed she is eye catching: crimson lips, a shiny red top and glittery loafers. It's a brave get-up in a conservative Muslim-majority country facing an anti-LGBT crusade. "We don't hide, we came out, I am who I am and we have lived comfortably in the community for years since I started dressing up like a woman."
Beijing: The chief of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front, which has been accused of mobilising spying abroad, has told Chinese living in Australia to respect local laws.

The Turnbull Government will introduce the first law to crack down on foreign interference through agents of influence, which is likely to include harsh penalties.

A member of the Chinese People's Armed Police stands guard near red flags at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Credit:Bloomberg

Asked about allegations in Australia that United Front was mobilising spying in Chinese communities, the United Front's executive vice minister, Zhang Yijiong, responded that overseas Chinese should respect Australia's "culture, history and way of life".

"We ask Chinese overseas to respect the law and regulations of receiving countries and become welcome members of those countries," he said.
AIRPORT:--- Today another major shipment of emergency equipment arrived on Sint Maarten. An Airbus A400 from the French air force landed today on Princess Juliana International Airport bringing shelter homes, police supplies and medical supplies. The shelter homes will be used as temporary housing for people whose home has been destroyed in the hurricane. The shipment also contains important medical supplies and machines such as incubators, echoes and anesthetics equipment.

The Airbus A400 of the French Armed Forces, landed today 11:30 at Princess Juliana International Airport in Philipsburg, Sint. Maarten. The Netherlands and France worked together to provide the island with emergency supplies. Since hurricane Irma hit Sint Maarten on September 6th six major cargoes with aid supplies were shipped to the island by the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Affairs of the Netherlands. At the end of this month, the next shipment will be the Karel Doorman for the third time to supply the island.

For further questions, you can contact Jaap Oosterveer, spokesperson with the mission of the Netherlands in Sint Maarten +31 6 48 10 01 61.

BZK Press Release
Jose Irizarry accepts that hes known as the most corrupt agent in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history, admitting he became another man in conspiring with Colombian cartels to build a lavish lifestyle of expensive sportscars, Tiffany jewels and paramours around...
On a cloudy fall night last week, Beaumont Bordeaux climbed the steps up Centennial Mall, lit a candle and listened to Native drum music and singing. As he listened, the music stirred memories in the 57-year-old Lincoln mans mind.
Algiers, Oct 21, 2017 (SPS) An Algerian parliamentary delegation led by Chairman of the Commission on foreign affairs, cooperation and the national community abroad at the People's National Assembly (Lower House) Abdelhamid Si Afif will take part in the 42nd European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO 2017), scheduled for 21-22 October in Paris, said the Assembly in a communique.

An international parliamentary meeting themed "Decolonization of Western Sahara: What role for Europe" will take place at the French National Assembly on the initiative of MP Jean Paule Lecoq.

Many EU MPs and ambassadors of Africa, Europe and Latin America will attend the conference.

MPs, lawyers and experts in international law will hold plenary sessions and workshops on four main themes: the political situation, the construction of the Sahrawi state in exile, natural resources and human rights. Each session will culminate in a general debate.

The works will culminate in the adoption of many proposals including the setting up of a human rights monitoring group, broadening the MINURSO mission and the setting up of a monitoring group that works in collaboration with the organization in charge of monitoring Western Sahara's resources. (SPS)

062/SPS/APS




Shaheed El-Hafed (refugee camps), Oct 21, 2017 (SPS) -President of Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, said Thursday that the Polisario Front will spare no effort to make successful the mission of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Western Sahara Horst Kohler provided that Morocco shows political willingness.

In a statement to the press after meeting Kohler, the Sahrawi president said that the meeting was direct, positive and important. He emphasized the role the UN should play to complete the decolonization process in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa

Ghali also expressed the Polisario Fronts willingness to cooperate with Kohler, and stressed that the Sahrawi party will spare no effort to make his mission successful provided that Morocco, which has been undermining UNs efforts since 1991 to date, shows political willingness.

Sahrawi president also hoped that Kohler will be backed by the UN Secretary General and Security Council members, notably its five permanent members.

In this regard, he called on the UN to take into consideration the African Unions role as a key stakeholder in the mission of decolonization in Western Sahara." (SPS)

062/SPS/APS




In the past 2 1/2 years, erosion of the Department of Correctional Services has worsened, a 23-year veteran staffer told the Legislature's Judiciary Committee on Friday.

Brad Kreifels, a sergeant at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, testified he has seen staff morale, and inmate and staff safety decline. Wages, mandatory overtime and a perceived lack of support for staff are major factors, he said.

Several staff members and others testified at a Judiciary Committee hearing on an interim study resolution (LR172) by Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart concerning department recruitment and retention efforts.

Later in the day, the Nebraska Justice System Special Oversight Committee met to hear testimony from Corrections Director Scott Frakes and others.

Carla Jorgens, a corporal at the penitentiary, told the Judiciary Committee she was tired and afraid.

"I'm tired of watching my co-workers being taken out of the prison on gurneys," she said. "I'm tired of seeing inmates assault my co-workers."

She's also tired of having to work 10-hour days just to ensure her safety, only to be told she must work six more hours, she said. She watches co-workers work 16-plus-hour days.

"The prisons are not safe to work in for any hours, let alone forcing someone to work 16-plus hours a day," she said.

Several staff members said they can be charged with abandoning their posts if they refuse to work mandatory overtime, even if they have already worked multiple days of voluntary overtime.

"If we are being forced to choose between our family obligations and our jobs, a lot of times our families come in second," Jorgens said. "It shows in our faces and it diminishes our spirit."

Staff, inmates and the public are all at risk, she said.

One of the issues that hasn't set well with some prison staff members is changes in segregation of inmates.

Kreifels said a bill (LB598), passed by the Legislature in 2015, took away some options staff members once had to control inmate behavior. The bill required that as of July 2016, restrictive housing would be limited by rules established by the department.

"The sad truth of the matter is that inmates no longer understand what the word 'no' means," Kreifels said, because they know and staff members know there will be little or no punishment for offenses.

Wishart conducted an email survey Oct. 6, sent to about 1,788 Corrections employees systemwide, including administration, and got 623 responses as of noon Wednesday.

The survey, which was not scientific, showed 38 percent of respondents had worked one to four days of overtime in the past month, 25 percent had worked five to nine days of overtime, and 37 percent had worked 10 or more days of overtime.

Fifty-five percent said they were looking for another job, and 72.5 percent said they would not recommend the job to a friend or family member.

Eighty-two percent said they did not believe Gov. Pete Ricketts supports their needs as a Corrections employee, and 85 percent said the same about the Legislature.

"It's undeniable, after reading through this survey, that we have a pay, morale and leadership issue," Wishart said.

One of the No. 1 solutions that came up in the survey was the need for merit and longevity staff raises, she said. So she's drafted legislation to do that systemwide.

"While I commend the intentions of Director Frakes to tackle staff turnover at ... Tecumseh, and to pay for it through overtime savings, I believe the problems with staff recruitment and retention are not confined to one or two facilities," she said.

Mike Steadman, with the Nebraska state workers union, suggested that the department go through its files of former employees to ask them to return, offering them step raises commensurate with their experience, rank reinstatement, and pared-down training that includes only what is new since they left.

That does not violate the union contract and could be done immediately, he said.

In afternoon testimony to the oversight committee, both Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, who is on the Judiciary Committee, and Nebraska Ombudsman Marshall Lux testified on the importance of legislative oversight.

What continues to happen in Corrections is intolerable and inexcusable, Krist said.

"We don't have 10 years. We probably don't have two. We have a lawsuit facing us from the ACLU," Krist said. "Decisive action with a sense of urgency, I would appeal to you, is necessary at this point."

Several committee members acknowledged the progress the department has made.

Frakes told them the management and day-to-day operations of a prison system are difficult work. And the challenges associated with that often dominate the social commentary and public policy conversations about prisons.

But he reiterated the progress the department has made.

His concern, he said, is that if people focus solely on the challenges, it sends the wrong message to the more than 2,000 dedicated men and women who work there, impacting employee morale. It also sends the wrong message to inmates, reinforcing the perception that nothing is working.

"I can assure you this is far from the truth," he said.

Eight of the state's 10 prisons are successfully filling vacancies and retaining staff, excluding the penitentiary and Tecumseh, he said. But there is still work to do with turnover and compensation.

The hiring bonuses for the penitentiary and Tecumseh should result in fewer vacancies, he said. The merit pay at Tecumseh should reduce turnover.

"I'm incredibly proud of my staff. I feel their pain," he said. "This is my 36th year now of doing this work. And I have experienced ... much of what they talk about in 29 years working in prisons. So I do get it."

The progress the prisons have made is all about the staff, he said.
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STAMFORD  Sekena Moss and Deneen Brown are child care specialists who entered the field under different circumstances but they face the same unpredictable future and the likelihood of being unemployed.

Care 4 Kids, the states child care subsidy program, has helped low-income parents go to work while they care for their children. But the program has been underfunded in recent years and it has slowly stopped accepting new applicants.

The future, some believe, is bleak for the parents who rely on the programs and the providers.

Im turning away families because they cant afford to pay child care, Brown said. With my enrollment down, I need a miracle. Ive never seen it this way before...Ive had slow times before, but this is bad.

The average cost for infant child care in Connecticut is $14,000 a year, according to Natalie Vieira, early childhood policy fellow at All Our Kin, which trains and supports child care providers.

Families are forced to place their children in unregulated and unlicensed care, Vieira said. We have no way of knowing if the setting is meeting the most basic health and safety standards.

Another issue, Vieira explained, is that parents are reducing work hours or leaving their jobs altogether.

Were struggling to advocate for more money because the state is facing such a budget crisis, she said.

Gov. Dannel Malloys latest budget proposal slashes funding by more than $15 million to Care 4 Kids between 2018 and 2019.

Importance of early childhood education

In a 2004 report, Nobel Prize winner James Heckman argued K-12 schooling comes too late and early education can decrease the effects of a poor family environment. He also said that important skills such as persistence and self-control are developed early.

Ninety percent of the brain is basically developed by the time youre 5 years old, said Marc Jaffe, CEO of Stamford-based Childrens Learning Centers (CLC) of Fairfield County.

Jaffe said the state spends roughly $10 billion a year on K-12 education, and more than $300 million annually on early childhood development. He argues that more resources should be focused on better early education for children, including Care 4 Kids, and could ultimately save the state money.

CLC, which is funded by several state and federal resources such as the Connecticut Department of Education school readiness program and the federal Head Start program, provides early education and care for 950 children, Jaffe said. Of those children, 900 are between 3 and 5 years old.

You know theres probably another 900 0- to 3-year-olds who are looking for early childhood education programs, but they dont exist, he said. Were the only program in Stamford serving 0 to 3 that are location-based, and the others are home-based.

When one hurts, the family hurts

Those home-based programs face difficulties of their own. With no new applicants, providers like Moss and Brown  who both live and work in Norwalk  have had to significantly reduce their resources.

Brown, 50, grew up in Stamford watching her mother run a day care and initially wanted to be a teacher. But as she grew older, Brown was drawn to providing child care and has made a career out of it for the past decade.

Moss, 33, qualified for Care 4 Kids for her first child before she became a nurse. She soon found herself in the all-too-common realm of having too high of an income to qualify, but not enough money to comfortably afford child care. After her second child was born, she realized the best way to afford child care was to provide it.

But now her 5-year-old business may soon come to an end.

Its a chain effect, Moss said. Enrollment has dropped and Ive had to make a lot of room for part-time slots because people are only able to afford what they can afford. I had to lower my price to meet people half-way...were not dealing with wealthy people who can just pay for this out of pocket. It directly affects working-class families.

Brown said if things dont change soon, she could be out of business within the next six months.

I dont do it for the money. This is my passion, but at the same time, this is my livelihood and income, she said. I dont know whos to blame, but the people in charge dont see the magnitude of these cuts. They dont see the quality of early childhood care. Parents still thank me in the grocery store and we become family...when one hurts, the family hurts.

tclark@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2265; @TravClark2
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The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is believed by many to be haunted by ghosts, and one family's photo is the latest to attempt to give credence to the ghostly claims.

The Mausling family of Aurora, Colorado was on a "spirit tour" of the 108-year-old hotel on Sept. 16 when John "Jay" Mausling claims to have snapped a photo of what he says appears to be two ghosts.

HAUNTED?: Man's video of a 'ghost' in a South Texas motel goes viral

It wasn't until the family returned home from their visit that they realized two shadowy girls might have been captured on camera. Mausling told Huffington Post that in the photo, the girls seem to be walking up the staircase, adding that there weren't any girls matching their description in their tour group.

"At first I thought maybe a little girl ran by," Jessica Mausling, his wife, told Inside Edition. "I was in shock. How could all of us miss her, especially a little girl in a white gown?"

Huffington Post had Ben Hanson, host of "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files," inspect the Mausling's photo. Hanson told the outlet, "Assuming it's not doctored, it ranks up there as one of the best photos of possible paranormal evidence I've seen."

HOUSTON GHOSTS: Is the Houston Zoo haunted by the ghost of a former daredevil zoo keeper?

Given the Stanley Hotel's history, it's not surprising that tourists often report ghost sightings; the hotel helped to inspire Stephen King's novel, "The Shining." It even offers night spirit tour, noting "The experience will educate you on how to interact with the type of activity many people claim to encounter, but does not intend to prank or scare."

The Mauslings aren't the only ones to share "ghost" photos on social media. Henry Yau of Houston also believes he may have caught a ghost on camera in April 2016 and shared his discovery on Instagram.

By golly! I think I may have captured a #ghost at #StanleyHotel. #EstesPark A post shared by Henry Yau (@ares415) on Apr 12, 2016 at 7:33am PDT

Scroll through the gallery above to haunted places you can stay at.
Contributed photo

STAMFORD  SilverSource hosted its 3rd Annual Autumn Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Stamford Hotel on Oct. 17. The event, which explored technological innovations that will help us all live better as we age, raised critical funds for older adults in need of financial assistance and community support in the area. The annual breakfast event is the primary fundraiser for SilverSource, which serves older adults and their families in Fairfield County.

Over 225 investors, entrepreneurs, and business and community leaders gathered to learn about innovations that will shape the future in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and person-centric design, providing a peek into what things might be like for us all.
University of Connecticut Police Department via AP

STORRS A Georgia woman accused of stealing more than $773,000 from the University of Connecticut by hacking into the school's vendor-payment system is in custody.

Police say 38-year-old Muthini Nzuki of Kennesaw, Georgia, diverted 32 payments meant for computer vendor Dell into her personal accounts between April 13 and May 22.
Lancaster County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Mayo wishes he'd had the department's brand-new portable X-ray scanner a few months ago.

Over the summer, Mayo got a tip that a specific car  a late-model Infiniti  was rolling west down Interstate 80 with about $160,000 in suspected drug money hidden inside.

He spotted and stopped the car, but after getting the go-ahead to search it, his hunt for hiding spots hit a snag: He wasn't sure he was seeing indicators of a false compartment or trap door.

"I do not want to mess up this brand-new Infiniti," Mayo recalled thinking. So he halted his search and let the car go.

Days later, DEA officials in Michigan told him their wiretap of someone in the car confirmed he'd missed the money.

Authorities in Ohio later found the same car with a false compartment filled with six kilograms of cocaine, believed to have been purchased with the money Mayo missed, he said.

The Heuresis HBI-120 X-ray Imager brings an expedient detection tool to drug interdiction, a process that includes a lot of failure over the course of hundreds of traffic stops, Mayo said.

Mexican cartels and other drug traffickers go to great lengths to hide drugs and drug money for cross-country transport, installing false compartments and trap doors opened only by special sequences.

With the seven-pound backscatter imager, Mayo can see organic materials inside the area he's scanning and find them. It detects cash and hard drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, but isn't as good with marijuana, he said.

Mayo and a counterpart, Sgt. Michael Vance of the Seward County's Sheriff's Office, say the scanner and another like it being used in Seward County have saved them time and helped them avoid tearing cars apart in search of contraband that isn't there.

"You don't want to do something that goes too far, and you want to be sure about what you're doing," Mayo said, noting bad searches can wreck cars and could put the county on the hook in tort claims.

Both Vance and Mayo have strict instructions for use of the scanner: They must either have consent to search the vehicle or probable cause to search from a drug dog alert on the car.

The scanner does not work on moving vehicles, and Mayo said it will not be used to scan passing traffic.

The scanner arrived last week. It cost $42,000, paid for with money from the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office's forfeited assets fund, which is comprised of seized drug money.

Before Mayo's scanner came, Seward County allowed him to use the model that office has owned since late summer.

The scanner can save Mayo 45 minutes during a stop, he said, which is crucial when he's on the side of the busy interstate.

Vance finds the scanner particularly helpful when he stops 18-wheelers. During one semitrailer stop, the machine alerted him to baggies similar to cocaine packaging inside boxes in the trailer. The baggies looked different than the truck's other cargo  food, he said.

Sure enough, he found 11 pounds of cocaine inside. And this week during another stop, Vance used the scanner to find 10 pounds of meth.

Many of the drugs and drug proceeds seized in Nebraska are simply passing through on their way to larger communities, but some are destined for the Omaha metro area, a regional distribution point, Mayo said.

Deputies doing drug interdiction in Nebraska are part of a nationwide network of investigators, he said.

Vance's place in the bigger picture was evident during his first stop with the scanner, when he detected a compartment near the firewall inside a car driven by two Californians.

"It was a good feeling to get 25 pounds of heroin off the street."
There was little drama on election night in Iredell County as Republicans won races up and down the ballot.
Romanian border policemen, while on a Frontex mission in Greece have rescued 60 people from an overloaded inflatable boat that was about to sink in the Aegean Sea.

The 60 people were from Sudan Syria, Somalia and Iraq and they were rescued by the border policemen who were sailing in the Aegean Sea on the patrol boat MAI 1104 belonging to the Coast Guard, while on a Frontex mission as part of the Joint Maritime Operation "POSEIDON 2017".As many as 60 people, among whom 19 were children, 14 women and 27 men were boarded on the Coast Guard ship, who said they were coming from Sudan, Syria, Somalia and Iraq.The policemen offered assistance, food and water to the rescued, who several hours later were landed to safety in the Chios Port and handed over to the Greek authorities, for the specific procedures (medical assistance, identification, registration and fingeprinting etc.)Ever since the beginning of this year, Romanian policemen rescued approximately 1,300 people, who were found in danger, on board of such small ships, in the Greek territorial waters.According to IGPF, the "POSEIDON 2017" operation, of which the Romanian border policemen are also part, is financed by the European Union and coordinated by the Frontex Agency.

AGERPRES.
"Romanian Army at the Mall", the first of a series of events organized in celebration of the Romanian Army Day, will take place on Saturday, at the AFI Cotroceni Mall in Bucharest.

Visitors are invited to see a static exhibition of military technique and equipment and also stands promoting a military career and they can also interact with all categories of troops, listen to military music concerts and attending weapon maneuvers, reads a release of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) remitted to AGERPES.

Every year, on October 25, the Romanian military are celebrating the Army Day, when Romanians pay homage to their heroes, army, heroic acts from the distant and more immediate past, and to all those who are wearing the military uniform today and are always on duty.

"The Romanian Army was and always will be at the core of hope of trust of the Romanian citizens, regardless of what challenges history brings upon us. The appreciation that the Romanian military participating in the missions and operations abroad enjoy today contributes to the growing international prestige of our country and are the definite proof that the Romanian Army has important human resources engaged in the national security field," reads the release.

In order to support the good quality human resources, the Romanian Army started an ample endowment process with modern weaponry for all troop categories, so that it will have a modern structure adapted to the needs of today, which will guarantee the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country.
Five Romanian artists were awarded at the XIth edition of the Biennial of Florence - The International Contemporary Art Exhibition, attended by more than 450 artists from all over the world, among whom ten Romanian artists, informs ICR Venice in a press release on Friday.

This year's edition, who ended recently, called "eARTh: Creativity and Sustainability", offered awards for the following categories: drawing and calligraphy, painting, mixed technique, sculpture, ceramic art, textile arts, art jewelery, video art, performance and installation.On October 15, 2017, the international jury, made up of outstanding personalities of arts and culture, awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico Prize to winners in each of the six categories. The five awarded Romanian artists are:Maria Roxana Cioata, the first prize in the ceramic category, with the work "Portrait". Maria Cioata is a member of the Fine Arts Union of Romania, is a ceramist, graphic designer and scenographer. She had both personal exhibitions and participated in collective ones in Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Portugal.Horia Manolache, the 4th prize for the photography category, participated with the work "Joel". Graduate of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Film Making in Romania, he has been awarded numerous international awards and a mention at the "Perimeter of the world" fair in Rayko. His works appeared in major newspapers and magazines such as: Rangefinder Magazine, Forbes, Life, Forbes Up, Lenscratch, Fotorelevance and Huffington Post.Alina Aldea, the 5th prize in the category of drawing and calligraphy, participated with the series of works "Black". She had personal exhibitions and participated in collective ones in Romania, Italy, Japan, Sweden.Ruxandra Sibil Mermeze received the 5th prize in the textile category, with "Column". Born in 1955 in Ploiesti, she graduated the textile section of the Nicolae Grigorescu Institute of Visual Arts, in 1987. She is a member of the Union of Fine Artists in Bucharest. In 1990 he won the U.A.P. award, the textile category. She participated in more than 80 exhibitions all over the world and has organized eight personal exhibitions in Bucharest, Riga, Estonia and Geneva.David Leon Olteanu received the 5th prize in the ceramic category for the work "Universe". Engaged in expressing modularity in art, the artist pays constant attention to the repetition of forms and the module, considered as unit of the installation. Modularity is the intrinsic characteristic of bodies, which is also a way to perceive nature.

AGERPRES .
The Secretary of State with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), Raed Arafat, hopes that the authorities will be able to start testing the RO-ALERT system late this year, while the project is in its acquisition stage right now, and then being tested.

"We hope that the RO-ALERT system tests will begin by the end of this year, because there are many actors involved in this. The first actor is the Government and our side, the second actor are the mobile telephony companies that have to adapt to make their share, and only after that we can start testing, and after testing we will see what the best operating modalities are, because the system does not include a single alert mechanism, but it will be a system that will include the application, and the sell broadcasting part and it may also include connections to the media, so it will be a more complex system," said Raed Arafat on Saturday, while participating in a press conference in Galati.He also stated that besides the RO-ALERT system, there is also the application of the Department of Emergency Situations (DSU), and soon the televisions will be able to issue the warnings issued by the authorities."We have the RO-ALERT system, as right now the project is already in its acquisition stage. After acquisition, in what the implementation is concerned, I am certain that the teams working at the level of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and at the level of the Special Telecommunications Service and DSU are determined to implement it as quickly as possible and to go through testing; besides, this is the application of the department that provides information, and this is also about alerts. In addition, you will see that the national television broadcaster TVR is the first television to start issuing our warnings. We also have an agreement signed with Antena 3 private broadcaster and we will hopefully sign with other televisions to do the same, "Arafat said.The Secretary of State with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Raed Arafat, was in Galati on Saturday, where he participated in the celebrations of the ten-year anniversary of the SMURD Galati Service.

AGERPRES .
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  A shortage of nurses at U.S. hospitals hit West Virginias Charleston Area Medical Center at the worst possible time.

The nonprofit health care system is one of the states largest employers and sits in the heart of economically depressed coal country. It faces a $40 million deficit this year as it struggles with fewer privately insured patients, cuts in government reimbursement and higher labor costs to attract a shrinking pool of nurses.

To keep its operations intact, Charleston Medical is spending this year $12 million on visiting or travel nurses, twice as much as three years ago. It had no need for travel nurses a decade ago.

Ive been a nurse 40 years, and the shortage is the worst Ive ever seen it, said Ron Moore, who retired in October from his position as vice president and chief nursing officer for the center. Charleston Area Medicals incentives include tuition reimbursement for nursing students who commit to work at the hospital for two years.

Its better to pay a traveler than to shut a bed, he said.

Hospitals nationwide face tough choices when it comes to filling nursing jobs. They are paying billions of dollars collectively to recruit and retain nurses rather than risk patient safety or closing down departments, according to Reuters interviews with more than 20 hospitals, including some of the largest U.S. chains.

In addition to higher salaries, retention and signing bonuses, they now offer perks such as student loan repayment, free housing and career mentoring, and rely more on foreign or temporary nurses to fill the gaps.

The cost nationwide for travel nurses alone nearly doubled over three years to $4.8 billion in 2017, according to Staffing Industry Analysts, a global adviser on workforce issues.

The burden falls disproportionately on hospitals serving rural communities, many of them already straining under heavy debt like the Charleston Area Medical Center.

These hospitals must offer more money and benefits to compete with facilities in larger metropolitan areas, many of them linked to well-funded universities, interviews with hospital officials and health experts show.

Along West Virginias border with Pennsylvania, university-affiliated J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown is spending $10.4 million in 2017 compared with $3.6 million a year earlier to hire and retain nurses.

But these costs are part of the facilitys expansion this year, including adding more than 100 beds as it grows programs and takes over health care services from smaller rural providers that have scaled back or closed.

J.W. Ruby, the flagship hospital for WVU Medicine, offers higher pay for certain shifts, tuition reimbursement, $10,000 signing bonuses and free housing for staff who live at least 60 miles away.

Next year, the hospital is considering paying college tuition for the family members of longtime nurses to keep them in West Virginia.

Well do whatever we need to do, said Doug Mitchell, vice president and chief nursing officer of WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals.

Not like other shortages

Nursing shortages have occurred in the past, but the current crisis is far worse. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be more than a million registered nurse openings by 2024, twice the rate seen in previous shortages.

A major driver is the aging of the baby boomer generation, with a greater number of patients seeking care, including many more complex cases, and a new wave of retirements among trained nurses.

Industry experts, from hospital associations to Wall Street analysts, say the crisis is harder to address than in the past. A faculty shortage and too few nursing school slots have contributed to the problem.

Hospitals seek to meet a goal calling for 80 percent of nursing staff to have a four-year degree by 2020, up from 50 percent in 2010. They also face more competition with clinics and insurance companies that may offer more flexible hours.

Health care experts warn that the shortfall presents risks to patients and providers. Research published in August in the International Journal of Nursing Studies found that having inadequate numbers of registered nurses on staff made it more likely that a patient would die after common surgeries.

UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., has invested millions to attract nurses, but still has 300 jobs to fill. At times, nursing vacancy rates in some of its departments have hit 20 percent or higher.

Weve rarely canceled a surgery or closed a bed because of lack of staffing, said Terri Poe, chief of nursing at the hospital, the states largest, which serves many low-income and uninsured residents.

Last year, the medical center covered nearly $200 million in unreimbursed medical costs for patients. It spent $4.5 million for visiting nurses during fiscal 2016, including $3 million for post-surgery services, compared with $858,000 in 2012.

Health care labor costs typically account for at least half of a facilitys expenses. They jumped by 7.6 percent nationally last year, after climbing at a rate closer to 5 percent annually in recent years, said Beth Wexler, a vice president at Moodys. The spending has proved a boon for medical staffing companies like AMN Healthcare and Aya Healthcare.

Missouris nursing shortage reached a record high in 2017, with almost 16 percent  or 5,700  of positions vacant, up from 8 percent last year. Thirty-four percent of Missouri registered nurses are 55 or older.

Our biggest challenge is getting the pipeline of experienced nurses, said Peter Callan, director of talent acquisition and development at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, which is expanding. There are fewer and fewer as people retire.

Last year, the academic medical center hired talent scouts to identify candidates, Callan said. It spends $750,000 a year on extras to attract and keep nurses, including annual $2,000 bonuses to registered nurses who remain in hard-to-fill units and up to five years of student loan repayment assistance. It offers employee referral bonuses and a chance to win a trip to Hawaii.

Smaller hospitals find it much harder to compete in this climate. More than 40 percent of rural hospitals had negative operating margins in 2015, according to The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

In rural Missouri, 25-bed Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital had to offer signing bonuses, tuition reimbursement and pay differentials when staffing is critically low in units such as obstetrics.

They havent closed beds, but have hired less experienced nurses, raised salaries and turned away at least one patient who would have been in its long term care program.

Weve had to try whatever it takes to get nurses here, said Rita Brumfield, head of nursing at the hospital. Its a struggle every day to get qualified staff.
ST. LOUIS  In an effort to keep teachers in the classroom, St. Louis Public Schools is suing at least 32 teachers for leaving before their contracts expired.

In 2015, the school district began requiring non-tenured teachers to agree to pay $3,000, plus 10 percent interest, if they leave the district before the end of their annual teaching contracts. The district says it costs $3,000 to search for and hire a replacement teacher.

This summer, the district filed 32 nearly identical lawsuits against non-tenured teachers who left the district in 2015 or 2016. Many left in July or August of those two years. Teaching contracts usually take effect at the start of every school year, July 1 in Missouri.

The district started suing teachers for breaking the contract provision, called a liquidated damages clause, this year because it hired an additional lawyer, said Patrick Wallace, district spokesman.

An attorney representing about a dozen of those teachers, Emily Perez, contested the lawsuits in court this week, saying that the contracts were not enforceable and that suing for $3,000 was a fundamentally unfair punishment for the teachers, all of whom she says suffered in toxic, unsafe and stressful work environments at St. Louis schools.

These educators also worry that their teaching licenses are at risk. Under state law, schools can file a complaint with the state to suspend or revoke a teachers license for breaking a contract.

Wallace said the district was not currently pursuing that option because the district saw that as an attempt to punish teachers.

What were trying to do is find replacements and not be punitive at this point, Wallace said.

Discouraging departures

It is common for schools to require a fine from teachers for leaving before their contracts expire, said Kelli Hopkins, associate executive director for the Missouri School Boards Association. Its also a practice not limited to Missouri.

Schools impose the fine not just to cover costs incurred in looking for a replacement teacher, but to deter teachers from leaving in the first place, Hopkins said.

It has been my experience that school districts want these policies because they have had more than one teacher leave very late, and thats when they start thinking, This is enough, we need to try to discourage this kind of behavior,  Hopkins said.

Many, if not most, St. Louis-area school districts allow teachers to quit for specific reasons after signing a contract. Reasons may include a serious illness, military service or transfer of a spouse, case by case. Those districts also reserve the right to pursue legal action  including filing charges with the state to revoke the teachers license or seeking a monetary judgment  if a staff member breaks a contract.

At least six St. Louis-area districts  Hazelwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Mehlville, Valley Park, Hillsboro and Jefferson County  have policies that outline fines ranging from $500 to $5,000 for teachers who quit. The fines increase the later the teachers leave, peaking for those who leave after Aug. 1.

Conversely, Valley Park and Jefferson County pay teachers an incentive if they announce their resignations early.

St. Louis Public Schools does not describe the $3,000 fine in its board policies. But the policy says the district may pursue legal action against a teacher and ask the state department of education to suspend or revoke a teachers license.

Only about a couple of teachers a year are disciplined with license revocation for breaking a contract, according to a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Uphill battle

Teacher turnover tends to be higher in urban, high-needs districts such as St. Louis, which frequently have understaffed schools and lower pay. In the last school year, 247 teachers resigned from St. Louis Public Schools, down from 334 the year before. Those figures exclude retirements and firings.

This year, more than 60 teachers have resigned since July. The district currently has about 70 teaching vacancies. At the end of August last year, there were about 177 teaching vacancies for a staff of fewer than 2,000 teachers.

This constant turnover strains school quality. In the 2015-2016 school year, just 83 percent of classes in the district were taught by highly qualified teachers, meaning they were certified to teach their assigned subjects and grade level. In a couple of St. Louis schools, only half of the teachers were highly qualified.

Statewide, 96 percent of Missouris teachers were highly qualified.

Were fighting an uphill battle, Superintendent Kelvin Adams said.

School officials tend to say that teachers leave for better-paying jobs. St. Louis officials also acknowledge its more challenging to teach in urban schools, where there are more students coming to school with trauma and toxic stress. But they point out that teachers do have a chance each spring to resign.

However, several of the 32 teachers being sued say they left St. Louis Public Schools not because it was difficult to teach students, but more because they felt they had no support from administrators.

One teacher said a student punched her in the face and the student faced no discipline from the principal. Another teacher said she faced virtually daily harassment from her principal and coworkers, even after reporting it to district administrators. Another teacher said he saw feces on the walls and rodents in the building where he worked, on top of classrooms crowded with more than 30 students.

Teachers who spoke with the Post-Dispatch did so on the condition of anonymity because they feared the district would seek to revoke their teaching licenses.

None of these conditions are conducive to a qualified teacher saying, Oh, I really want to stay here,  said Perez, who was hired by the American Federation of Teachers Local 420 teachers union to represent former union members in these lawsuits. And wouldnt trying to change that be a better approach for everyone involved  rather than trying to force teachers to stay with a $3,000 penalty?
Thomas Frank, the author best-known for "What's the Matter with Kansas?" who's also a Washington political journalist, places the blame for the election of President Donald Trump squarely on the back of the Democratic Party and its abandonment of working-class Americans.

"They love it when unions work hard for them and give them campaign funds," Frank said in a telephone interview.

"But they aren't deeply concerned with the problems faced by working-class people," he said. "They need to stop taking those people for granted."

What they got in exchange for that neglect was Trump, he said.

Frank will be in Lincoln next Sunday to deliver the 2017 C.A. Sorensen Lecture at the Unitarian Church. His address, "The Age of Trump: How We Got Here," will begin at 7 p.m.

"The Democratic Party used to be very concerned with working-class issues," Frank said. Not so much anymore, he suggested.

Frank has described the change as a shift of political attention from the working class to professionals, "the highly credentialed and creative class."

In the process, he said during an earlier address at the Kansas City Public Library promoting his book, "Listen, Liberal," the Democratic Party became "a party of New Economy winners."

And last November it paid the price, he said.

Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in key industrial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, upsetting Clinton and astonishing most political prognosticators.

"Trump himself may come and go," Frank said during the telephone interview.

"But here's the deal: Trumpism is definitely here to stay.

"Traditional conservatism with all these populist clothes is not going away."

Trump won "without essentially knowing what he was doing," Frank said.

Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz and House Speaker Paul Ryan "know what they're doing," he said, "and they're going to continue to succeed.

"America has changed in lots of different ways," Frank said. "When I drive through Kansas and Missouri, I'm always astonished and depressed by what has happened to small towns."

Frank is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of the University of Kansas.

"The change that is most disturbing to me is the way the middle class has evaporated," he said.

During his Kansas City speech, Frank said the disintegration of the middle class has sparked "outrage and fury around every corner."

Can Democrats win in 2018 when control of Congress will be at stake?

"It will be very hard," Frank said.

"But they certainly can beat Donald Trump" in 2020, he said. However, they cannot do it by "going down the road they've been going," he said, and they will need to choose a nominee "who is good on working-class issues."

"Their present state of powerlessness was made possible by the changes they made."
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The Missouri Legislature has a reputation for passing bills that are later discovered to have mistakes in them. This year, lawmakers were warned in advance that a bill contained a costly mistake, but they passed it anyway. Whats more, Gov. Eric Greitens ignored the warnings and signed it.

As a result, Missouri stands to lose at least $500,000 a year in federal housing funds. That possibility was raised when the Legislature was considering Senate Bill 43 last spring. The bills fiscal note  which estimates budgetary impact  said the state could lose up to $1.2 million a year in federal money. Lawmakers paid no heed.

The money is not the worst thing about Senate Bill 43, which amended the states human rights laws to make it almost impossible to win employment, public accommodation and housing discrimination cases. People claiming discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, sex, national origin, religion, age or disability now have to prove such bias was the motivating factor, not merely a contributing factor. The bill also weakens protections for whistleblowers who call attention to employers unlawful actions.

Greitens signed it on June 30, claiming it brought Missouri laws into compliance with federal law and matched most other states laws. It turns out thats not quite true.

On July 14, an official of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sent a letter to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights officially notifying the state it was out of compliance with four provisions of the federal Fair Housing Assistance Act. The act requires states to have laws substantially equivalent to federal standards. Missouri has until March 2018 to get back into compliance.

From its inception, SB 43 was an embarrassment to the state. It was sponsored by Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, whose rent-to-own business was involved in a racial discrimination case. Romine denied the case was his motivation, pointing out that SB 43 wouldnt retroactively affect its outcome.

After the bills passage, the Missouri chapter of the NAACP issued a travel warning for people passing through Missouri. Social activists warned of possible business boycotts of Missouri similar to those threatened in Indiana and North Carolina after discriminatory laws were passed.

No such boycotts have materialized, but its not hard to imagine companies with socially diverse work forces  say, for instance, Amazon  being put off by Missouris choice to all but enshrine workforce discrimination.

Sen. Ryan Silvey, a maverick Kansas City Republican, reacted to the HUD action by tweeting, This is terrible. We were told SB 43 mirrored Fed rules, not violated them. We need to fix this ASAP!

Yes, they do. They should throw out this entire regressive law. Its not as expensive as the $100 million-a-year tax-break mistake lawmakers made in 2015, but its every bit as shameful.
Todays Chamber of Commerce has existed in Lincoln since the city was 3 years old. Although its name and address have changed a number of times through the years, it still exists as the citys primary business booster, encouraging new businesses while supporting those already here and promoting all sorts of city conventions and events.

On the evening of July 28, 1870, a Wednesday and a week after the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad arrived in Lincoln, a handful of Lincoln businessmen met in a tiny frame schoolhouse, formerly the Methodist church, on the southwest corner of 10th and Q streets. That evening they chose Charles Henry Gere, head of the State Journal Co., located on the southwest corner of the schools block, to be the president of the group to be called the Lincoln Board of Trade.

The same group, with a few more gentlemen, met three days later to formally organize to judiciously advertise and encourage Lancaster County to issue bonds in support of additional railroads in order to create competition which would in turn lower freight rates. Dues were set at $2.50 per quarter. They then specifically endorsed $150,000 of county bonds be used to encourage the Midland Pacific Railroad, which originated in Nebraska City, on the condition that the railroad reach Lincoln by the following year. Midland Pacific, later part of the Burlington, built near what is now Nebraska 2 and met the conditions as set.

Even though the second railroad was created, the Lincoln Board of Trade apparently was deemed ineffective. A new larger group of businessmen met in a University of Nebraska building in 1874 to reorganize as the Board of Trade at Lincoln, with a charter specifically set to expire Jan. 1, 1900. An initial capitalization of $1,000 was divided into $20 shares to finance the group.

In 1878, a number of the Board of Trade members formed a parallel organization known as the Union Club, which was intended to be more of a social club.

In the 1880s, the organization again reorganized with 30 men, which was instrumental in bringing 10 new industries to Lincoln, helped organize West Lincoln and several meat packing firms there and worked to bring the Nebraska State Fair permanently to Lincoln. It boosted its membership to more than 200 and hired its first employee.

The Union Club and the Lincoln Commercial Club merged as the Union Commercial Club, while the Board of Trade quietly disappeared. The new group met at the Lincoln Hotel at Ninth and P, leased John R. Clarks house for offices and meetings, moved in 1897 to the Walsh Hall at 12th and N, and then to the Y.M.C.A./Freie Press Building on the southwest corner of 13th and N.

Yet another reorganization in 1903 brought back the name as the Lincoln Commercial Club which de-emphasized social events.

During these reorganizations, the Lincoln Auditorium opened on South 13th Street with the clubs encouragement. Pledges were then solicited to build a home/office building for the club adjacent to the auditorium. That project did not get traction and the club instead moved to the second floor of the Fraternity Building on the southeast corner of 13th and N streets.

Meantime, several building sites were considered and a land lease was even signed, but ultimately the house built by physician J.D. Leslie in the late 1870s on the northeast corner of 11th and P streets, which was then occupied by a smoke house restaurant, was purchased and razed.

Ground was broken in 1912 and the following year the new Burlinghof & Davis-designed building was completed. The neo-classical, four-story, brick and terra cotta-sheathed steel skeleton's central interior feature was the two-story, 25-foot ceilinged ballroom with surrounding balconies on the top two floors.

Also in 1913, the Commercial Club bought the adjacent hotel annex for $25,000. The new building spurred membership, which reached 1,696 by 1916. The Commercial Club boasted it had brought 85 conventions to the capital city.

In 1920, under Charles Towles presidency, the Lincoln Commercial Club became the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and created a new division called the Sowers Club to promote Lincoln as a trade center. The Junior Chamber of Commerce for businessmen under the age of 35 was created in 1926.

In 1948, consideration was given to selling the building, but a $64,000 renovation was done instead partially funded by selling the north annex building to Walton Ferris for $16,500. By 1967, the 11th and P building had been sold and the Chamber moved to the Lincoln Building at 1221 N St. and now has its offices at 1135 M St.

Today, both the old Chamber of Commerce building at 11th and P and the many-times remodeled annex are part of a three-owner, $12 million project to build the Kindler boutique hotel in the annex which will be connected to the extant Commercial Club Building.
OMAHA  Police are searching for a suspect or suspects in the overnight shooting death of a man in northeast Omaha.

Omaha police say in a news release that officers responded to at about 2:35 a.m. Saturday to investigate a shooting. They found 35-year-old Damon Jackson dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

No arrests had been reported by midday Saturday. Police say there's a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
It turns out that North Korea isn't just a nuclear threat. It's also a cyberthreat, and in some ways, this may be more frightening. Launched largely anonymously, cyberattacks can cripple essential infrastructure -- power grids, financial networks, transportation systems -- and inflict social disorder and political anarchy. Immediate retaliation is difficult.

All this now seems plausible.

Until recently, cybersecurity experts dismissed North Korea's attack capabilities. It was too backward to pose a serious threat. No more. In a lengthy front-page story on Oct. 16, The New York Times reported that cybersecurity experts admit they underestimated North Korea, which has now been tied to some major cyberattacks. This includes the heist of an estimated $81 million of funds from the central bank of Bangladesh.

The Times' story ought to command everyone's attention. It alters the military balance between the United States and North Korea -- and not favorably for the United States. It reported that North Korea has more than 6,000 hackers whose performance is "undeniably improving," according to American and British security experts.

North Korea "can hold large swaths of nation-state infrastructure and private-sector infrastructure at risk," said former deputy director of the National Security Agency Chris Inglis. In part, the North Koreans were instructed and encouraged by Iran, the Times said. But mostly, their gains reflected persistence.

"How can such an isolated, backward country have this capability?" asked a former British government official. "Well, how can such an isolated backward country have this nuclear ability?"

In the Times story, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is quoted, based on the testimony of a defector, as saying in 2003: "If warfare was about bullets and oil until now ... warfare in the 21st century is about information."

Here are some other takeaways from the article:

* The goal in the Bangladesh heist was to divert $1 billion through electronic fund transfers. A clerical error stopped most of the transfer. Still, North Korea allegedly reaped $81 million and earns up to $1 billion annually from ransomware and other digital techniques. These funds dilute the effectiveness of sanctions against Kim's regime.

* North Korea was behind the so-called WannaCry hack -- one of the largest to date -- in May. The ransomware attack shut down hospitals in Britain and affected "banks and transportation systems across dozens of countries." Even now, it's not clear what the hack's intent was, except possibly to stir chaos. Another fortuitous discovery of a software error shut down the hack.

* North Korea is reported to have penetrated South Korea's military computers "to steal war plans." It may also have planted "sleeper cells" in South Korea that, in the event of war, "could be activated to paralyze power supplies and military command and control networks."

Just how the United States can react to North Korea's cyberprowess is unclear. According to the Times, "Hundreds, if not thousands, of American cyberwarriors spend each day mapping the North's few networks, looking for vulnerabilities that could be activated in time of crisis." By some accounts, the United States has planted sleeper cells in North Korea's networks.

But the United States is constrained by its huge commitment to the internet. We are more dependent on the web than the North Koreans. In practice, this means that we are more vulnerable to attacks on it. More systems can be shut down and crippled than in North Korea. Americans think that technological superiority works to our benefit. Here, the opposite may be true.
The worst U.S. foreign policy debacle in the past 45 years was the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Lies, arrogance and incompetence led to hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, 4,486 U.S. service members killed, 40,000 wounded, 6,800 dead from suicide and the country of Iraq a smoldering ruin of pain, anger and hopelessness. All of it needless.

Today, lies, arrogance and incompetence threaten to draw us down the same path. Years of tireless work culminated in an amazing diplomatic achievement: an international agreement that blocked any potential pathway for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon without firing a single shot. Make no mistake, those peace warriors were every bit as much national heroes as the men and women who sacrifice on a military battlefield.

We cannot allow Donald Trump, who wishes to obliterate the agreement, to foment unimaginable human destruction at his whim. That debacle is needless also. Please contact your federal representatives before it's too late to stop the madness.

J. Christopher Blake, Lincoln
They lean heavily through the corners, lock brakes, slip and slide, and spend a lot of time going sideways, just as they did back in the day.

Historic racing cars will be making an appearance at the annual Wheels on Mainstreet event at Mount Maunganui this weekend to coincide with a resurgence in popularity of historic car racing and the appearance of a relatively new category  the historic muscle cars/historic saloon cars group for pre-1977 saloon cars.

Local men Gary Raiti, with his Ford Falcon Hardtop coupe, and Grant Sprague, with his MK1 Escort RS 2000 group one, will be among a group of competitors taking their cars along to Wheels on Mainstreet this year. There will also be a Mustang, Mazda RX2, V8 Capri and 1968 Camaro that also compete.

Gary says HMC/HSC is split into two classes, with historic muscle cars catering to vehicles over 3000cc, and historic saloon cars for small capacity vehicles.

While the V8s have the legs on the straights, the little cars are faster through the turns, making for exciting racing and an enjoyable spectacle for the crowds.

Wheels on Mainstreet is now in its sixth year and has grown so much it is now hosted at Coronation Park.

Event coordinator Straw Lye says anyone with a unique, special or interesting vehicle is welcome to enter.

We usually have around 300 vehicles, including cars, big trucks, bikes and anything with wheels.

Straw, who is also president of the End of the Road Rods and Classics car club in Mount Maunganui, usually takes his 1930 Model A Tourer but it is in the process of being rebuilt so he will have to leave it in the garage this year.

Ive just had major back surgery and Im waiting for a knee replacement, so Im rebuilding my body this year, not the car, he laughs.

Members of the End of the Road Rods and Classics Gold Coast branch will be flying in to judge the winners of best car, bike and truck and best Japanese car and bike. There will also be a prize for the best represented car club and a peoples choice award which spectators can vote for.

Wheels on Mainstreet is on today from 10am with prizegiving at 2.30pm. Vehicle entry is $5 with each entry going in the draw for a $600 travel voucher. Spectator entry is $5 per adult and children under-12 attend free.
Police can now confirm the person who was killed in a crash on State Highway 41 near Tokaanu was a 47-year-old woman.

The woman was riding a motorcycle and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Police would like to thank those members of the public who stopped to provide assistance immediately following the crash, including a doctor and nurse who administered CPR.

Polices thoughts are with the womans family and friends.

The road remains closed while the Serious Crash Unit examine the crash scene.
Visitors to The Incubator have been enjoying the first solo exhibition of a local artist this month.

Tauranga artist Michelle Estall has had several paintings on display at the Historic Village gallery, which represent myths and legends from the areas past.

Ive always loved art. I have a background in graphic design, but Ive always wanted to do painting, says Michelle. It wasnt until my youngest child started going to kindy three years ago that I started doing art fulltime.

She says the subject matter of the exhibition is something shes taken a strong interest in at this stage of her life.

My son was attending Maungaarangi Kindergarten in Welcome Bay, and in their teaching they base a lot of their lessons around seven local legends. They approached me to illustrate some jigsaws for the kids, based on these stories.

Then I thought the pictures would make great paintings. So they were essentially my working drawings for what became the exhibition.

Some of the paintings depict well-known local legends, such as how Mauao came to sit at the entrance of Tauranga Harbour. Others portray lesser-known stories, such as that of Taurikura, a chiefs daughter who turned herself into a lizard out of shame, and travelled to Karewa Island, where she is thought to be the ancestor of the tuatara living there.

Michelle has also painted about the three whales who came to Tauranga Moana and drank from a magic spring, which turned them into the hills of Kopukairoa, Mangatawa, and Hikurangi.

Her next project is working on illustrations for a book by Hinemarie Burton on the legend of Mauao. Hinemarie has also co-authored a bilingual picture book on the story of the whale mountains.

Michelles exhibition is on at The Incubator in the Historic Village from October 6-30. It is free to view during The Incubators opening hours, 10am-3pm weekdays.

The Incubators first solo exhibition programme is funded in part by the Tauranga City Council Community Development Match Fund, in which the council contributes 50 per cent of the costs of a project up to $10,000.

Michelles painting of Taurikura.
Monday is likely to be a wet conclusion to Labour Weekend for those in the Bay of Plenty, with a severe weather watch in place for parts of the region.

A slow-moving front over the far north of the North Island is expected to drift southwards during Monday, then slowly clear the upper North Island by the end of the day.

This front is expected bring rain to the upper North Island during Monday, with the heaviest falls likely in the ranges of the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Rain is expected to become heavy for a time during Monday afternoon and evening, with possible thunderstorms.
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has revealed how the government proposes to use article 155 of the Constitution to intervene in Catalonia to curb the regional government's independence drive.

RELATED NEWS Rajoy prepares to intervene in the Catalan regional government

Measures, which first need to be authorised by the Senado (Spain's upper house), include the dismissal of the Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, his deputy and all the regional ministers. Their roles will be taken over by central government ministers.

Rajoy has not dissolved the Catalan Parliament yet, but has given himself the power to do so and set a period of six months for regional elections to be called. However he hopes, he said, that this can be done "as soon as normality has been restored".

While the Catalan Parliament continues to function, Madrid will have the power to veto parliamentary initiatives.

"Self-rule will not be suspended, but the people who have put the Cataln government outside the Constitution will be dismissed," explained Rajoy at the press conference.
Mid October is, apparently, a favourite time of year for many Brits. While it is hard to deny the sheer sensual beauty of autumn with its great clouds of swirling leaves in fiery colours, the fragrant smell of wood smoke and the slanting golden light, I have a suspicion that there's another far more potent reason for loving the long slow march into winter.

At last the summer holiday season is well and truly over. With the increasing popularity of the staycation - a result of failing airlines, air traffic controller strikes and stagnant wages - Britain in July, August and now September has become more crowded than ever.

Every coastal town and resort, every Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, every National Park has been full to bursting this year and anyone who lives in or near anywhere remotely regarded as scenic - from the Scottish Highlands to the surfing beaches of Cornwall, from the rolling Welsh hills to the flatlands of East Anglia - is fed up to the teeth with tourism.

Infamously the population of the Hebridean island of Skye begged people not to visit during the height of summer. There was, the islanders claimed, nowhere left to stay, eat or even park.

Our own few days in the Outer Hebrides echoed this. Not a single hotel or B&B, from Stornoway in the north to Castlebay at the tip of the island chain and 150 miles south, had an available room and the CalMac ferry - which is the only way on and off the islands - was booked up for days in advance.

In spite of the head of Visit Scotland, Chris Taylor, claiming in the papers that the benefits of bringing in international visitors and increased spending are huge we only witnessed exhausted and bad tempered locals who had reached the end of their tether.

Lumbering campervans (or should that be camperjams?) blocked the single access roads which lace the islands all summer long and once empty beaches were crowded for the first time. The beguiling wilderness of Scotland is on the wane, it seems, and fast.

While we lived in Spain we travelled all over the country and drove several times from the Mediterranean sea to the north Atlantic coast on virtually empty roads. Because we went away out of season we always found a room, a bar, a beach with plenty of space. After this summer that seems harder than ever to believe.

I imagine that Southern Spain, however used it is to its millions of visitors, will also one day buckle under the pressure of seasonal tourism. The selfish truth is that I liked our local seaside town in the Axarquia precisely because it was endearingly unhip and I loved the city of Malaga most when the majority of tourists exited the airport and turned immediately right for Marbella.

So, thankfully, the summer is done. The Scottish islanders can return to farming, fishing, knitting and driving home on quiet roads.

Here in Suffolk we can now visit the coast and Southwold (which has just been voted Britain's best seaside resort much to our horror) without wading through the hoards of holidaymakers.

Our peaceful land has been returned to us - at least until the spring.
Perhaps it's rather naive of me to think that people ought to be able to love, or at least tolerate, one another and live happily ever after in peace and harmony.

That's the message drummed into children at school isn't it? Everyone should be treated equally no matter their origin, size, colour, beliefs, race, politics, etc. etc.

Recently a pro-integration organisation announced a project in Casares aimed at putting a stop to unfounded rumours that get in the way of peaceful coexistence between locals and foreigners.

So the local inhabitants are being informed that the Chinese owner of their corner shop is not really getting away without paying his taxes and that their wait for an appointment with a specialist is not because the system is being clogged up by immigrants. In the same way foreigners are being helpfully informed that their Andalusian neighbours are not really idle layabouts who havent done a days work in their lives.

The thing is that the majority of people know all this anyway but like to cling on to stereotypes as an excuse to keep everyone in their place. Its a lot easier to have people conveniently tucked in their pigeonholes than to face a vast heterogeneous crowd of individuals around us - all unlabelled.

So, in the current Catalonia crisis its useful to think of everyone who seeks independence as arrogant and condescending towards the rest of Spain, using their language as a barrier to shut others out. Things get complicated if you argue that actually wanting to be independent is a valid objective - not to be confused with breaking the law to go about it - and that speaking more than one language can only be positive. Similarly, wanting to keep your country united does not make you a repressive fascist.

But children are coming home from school with their message of tolerance, only to find that ordinary people are being insulted or applauded by the adults around them just because of the flag they choose to carry in the streets.

Even if someone did decide to draw an extra line on the map - which does seem to be the trend these days - lets not let our children down by painting everyone on the other side with the same prejudiced brush.
Update: Man arrested for Butternut Street homicide, Syracuse police say

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Police Department announced it will be holding a news conference Friday night about an open homicide investigation.

Police did not say which case would be discussed, but one person was booked into Onondaga County jail on a murder charge Friday evening.

Hanza Muhammad, 26, is facing second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon charges, according to the county's inmate database. He was booked Friday, though it is unclear which homicide case his arrest is related to.

Also earlier Friday, deputies in Broome County announced they located a vehicle wanted in relation to a Syracuse homicide. One person found inside was taken into custody and sent to Onondaga County for questioning, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies did not name the person and members of the Syracuse Police Department were not able to be reached for further comment.

The news conference is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. in the Public Safety building along South State Street. Officers said Chief Frank Fowler would be addressing questions about the investigation at that time.
A man wanted for a violent rape and murder in Ohio could be in the Western New York Area, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Joshua Gurto

Joshua Dale Gurto, 37, is wanted for the death of 13-month-old Sereniti Jazzlynn-Sky Blankenship-Sutley in Conneaut earlier this month, according to Cleveland.com.

The child was found unresponsive in her home after suffering from cardiac arrest, the news outlet stated. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

An autopsy revealed she suffered blunt-force trauma to her head and body before she died. Police charged Gurto with with aggravated murder and rape after about a weeklong investigation.

But police could not find Gurto to take him into custody, and he remains on the lam.

Officials said the man was last seen near Girard, Pennsylvania, near Erie, according to the Buffalo News. He was seen driving in a Ford F-150 with New York State license plates with an unknown male, the Niagara-Gazette reported.

Gurto is described as 5-feet, 10-inches tall, weighing about 145 pounds. He reportedly has a deformed right ear and misaligned jaw, according to the Daily News.

Anyone with information on Gurto's whereabouts are asked to call 1-866-4WANTED or text WANTED and relevant information to 84711 (tip411).
ROME, N.Y. -- More than a year and a half after a Rome woman was attacked in a business parking lot in an attempted robbery, a man has been taken into custody, the Rome Police Department announced Saturday.

Curtis A. Thompson

Curtis A. Thompson, 19, was charged with second-degree attempted robbery and second-degree assault, police said.

In January 2016, a 79-year-old woman was walking to her car in the parking lot of Black River Shopping Center around 1 p.m. when a man came up to her and tried to steal her purse, police said.

The man attacked her and grabbed at her handbag, but the woman refused to let go, officers said. The suspect, now identified as Thompson, dragged the 79-year-old across the pavement as he struggled to get the bag from her, but took off when the woman would not give up, according to the department.

The woman was injured during the incident but has since recovered, the Rome Police Department stated.

Officers circulated surveillance footage showing the suspect, but Thompson eluded police until a recent positive DNA hit, police said. DNA was collected from the scene immediately after the attack was reported.

Thompson was arrested around 10 a.m. Saturday and is being held at the Rome Police Department until his arraignment.
Camfed, an international non-profit with its headquarters in Cambridge, held a samba busk this morning in Market Square to fight against child marriage. They worked with the Arco Iris Cambridge Community Samba Band to raise funds and awareness for the cause.

The International Day of the Girl was on October the 11th, and since then Camfed has been running a three-month long UK Aid Match appeal. It aims to train women (who have previously been supported in their schooling by Camfed) as 'GirlGuardians' who will mentor young women, and help them remain in education. It focuses on especially poor regions, where "as many as 6 out of 10 girls are married before the age of 18." They see keeping girls in charge of their own futures, rather than letting them enter child marriages, as crucial "in terms of what it can achieve to address child and maternal mortality, raise families out of poverty, accelerate economic development, and help communities deal with climate change." The government will match donations to the appeal. At Cambridge University, students are running their own Camfed fundraiser.

Camfed fights against poverty and inequality by giving young women a chance to take part in educational programmes and helps women tackle gender imbalances through encouraging them to take on leadership roles. Camfed works in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, and since 1993 its programmes "have directly supported 1,876,214 students to attend primary and secondary school."
Blooming Flower BHPian



Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Pune Posts: 175 Thanked: 810 Times

Kolkata to Dev Bhoomi, Uttarakhand: An unplanned road-trip A Teaser Picture from The Trip







Prologue:



Of late, most of my road trips are completely unplanned and hatched out with a twist of a finger without much research on destinations and itinerary. 2016-17 has been a year of road-trips for me as well as my family (my parents). Very often, I found an entirely unplanned road trip is much more enjoyable, thrilling as well as they leave an indelible impact on the mind. They call for more responsibility, ad-hoc day-to-day basis planning, and execution. This year is also marked by prominent changes in my professional life including shifting to new institute in an older, familiar place from an older employer in a newer place. So, the basic two challenges for any of my road trips are the sanction of leaves from the workplace and current financial condition. So, most of the time, these two sole driving factors for touring remain in vague uncertainty and any pre-planning is destined to premature death! Despite this, this FY, we had innumerable long and short road-trips in different parts of India. So, the fun-factor was much more in all the trips. Spanning from Cape (Kanyakumari), Pondicherry, Mysore, Goa, Munnar, Wayanad, Aleppy, Ooty, Hampi-Badami in south belt down to a jinxed Leh-Ladakh, a diverted tour to Rajasthan (travelogue not yet written) to name a few.



Needless to say, Durga Puja is deemed as the biggest festival of Bengal. Naturally, Bengalees, who have to stay outside the state for their livelihood eagerly wait for a week holiday to spend gala-time with their clans in Bengal during this time. I was fortunate enough to get the scope of spending entire Durga Puja after a long time in Bengal as I deliberately switched my job here for personal need. But people with a heart for touring cannot tame their brain not to think of road-trip and instead enjoy festivities from home location. Even if my brain nodded with consent at some point of time, the more I listened to the planned road-trips of other fellow members during Puja vacation the more was the desire to hatch out one plan for me and my parents. Even a 2-day casual leave was playing the master-stroke of getting continuous 10 days leave as per holiday calendar of our office, a rarity, only a service-holder can comprehend! But sudden deterioration of my Dad's health dissuaded me from thinking any further. But he encouraged me and my Mom to go for a road-trip if we wish to do. After a lot of pros and cons calculation, I couldn't resist myself from taking another road-trip. The attraction for Himalaya was doomed when I finally came to Kolkata as infinite Gorkha Land strike was in full swing. But I was obstinate enough, if it is a road-trip it must be somewhere in the Himalayas, be it not to Darjeeling or Sikkim in those tumultuous days. 2 days extra leave was sanctioned by boss immediately and over telephone discussion with Mom zeroed down to Garhwal Himalaya, especially Kedar-Badri in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand which will serve as a good Himalayan road-trip for me with tints of spiritual quest for my mother! So, the selection of destination was locked then and there. And I had only 2-days to plan and arrange everything before we duo (me and my mom) embark on the trip.



Here goes the quickly chalked out original itinerary. It was edited by a small amount to accommodate the situation in the later stage.







The first thing to decide was which car to take. Presuming the condition of the terrain in landslide ridden Kedarnath and Badrinath route, I decided to take our long-trusted Alto 800 as it is a perfect hill-tourer for two people. I discarded Manza for its soft-suspension setting and low GC. Even taking this was not a requirement as Dad was not traveling with us this time. He is very much fond of the comfy back-seat of Manza. On 22nd September, I left from work as usual and drove to my hometown, Tamluk from Kolkata. I had words with the SM of Maruti Suzuki there to attend my car on an urgent basis in the first hour of Saturday. Alto was taken to SVC and some necessary checking and wheel rotation and balancing were done.









The common equipment for any long road trip is always ready in my inventory. I sorted out those to my need and Mom took care of packing. We were supposed to start at 12.00am on 24th September from home. But twist came in the plan in the evening of 23rd September, a few hours before the beginning of our journey. My Dad came back home earlier from his errand. While having supper, he asked ''Can I join you on this trip? Would you mind to take the Manza? Would you mind if I ask you to stop for a cigarette once in a while other than tea & p?" Mom and I both were awestruck by his sudden change in opinion. We readily complied although I was a bit apprehensive how Manza will perform at steep inclines as previously it refused to haul from stand-still at some places. But, I didn't express my thought at the table. So finally, my Dad was in and it was no different from other trips. We both were exceedingly happy because his presence adds to lot of relief for us. So, again extra packing and some necessary alteration took place instantly. The first thing I did just after the Kedar-Badri trip was finalized was to book two tickets for Pawan Hans helicopter service from Phata to Kedarnath. After my Dad was in, I quickly checked the same helicopter, same day, same time had only one seat left. Without any word, I booked it ASAP. Alto was out and Manza was in. Asked our family driver to garage the Alto and take out Manza so that we can start at night by loading the luggage into it. Manza was recently serviced after the Rajasthan trip in July. I just topped up the tyres to proper air pressure.





Day 1: Tamluk to Lucknow



So, we started exactly on 12.30am From Tamluk, West Bengal. Soon we hit NH6 (aka Bombay Road) and Crossed Dankuni on NH2 (NH19), passed by Shaktigarh, Burdwan. Truck traffic was heavy as Durga Puja was ensuing and all trucks will be blocked later on. At Dankuni and Palsit toll plaza, I had to squeeze through the unforeseen, long queue of trucks at midnight. When we were about to reach Asansol, the sky became reddish and soon we saw fresh daylight. It was longer than needed to reach Asansol this time. We had breakfast on the fly without stopping anywhere, except Tea, P and Dad's short cigi-break.









Up to Dobhi, the traffic was overkill to drive through. Two toll plazas before Dobhi were in mess as usual. No dedicated passenger car lane, no proper toll collection. Local JH, BR registered cars were offering mere 20-30 without taking the receipt. We were also asked whether we need a receipt or not. But I didn't buy into their idea and paid full 90 one-time toll with receipt. At each toll plaza, we lost at least 20 minutes.







We were already late. After Dobhi, I tried to maintain constant triple-digit speed through the concrete road. But one must be very careful with the undulations and treacherous culvert joints of NH2 in this stretch which are not easy to gauge at speed. 100km before Varanasi we are welcomed by umpteen numbers of diversions and hell lot of sharp speed breakers. Our Manza had a tough time to save its underbelly from few giants of them.









We decided to stop at BP, Chandauli dhaba to have lunch and refuel. We reached there at 2.10pm; all were hungry. But to our utter dismay, we found the AC was not at all working and even the only empty table had a non-functional ceiling fan. the outside temperature was hovering around 40. My Mom was ready to sit there gauging the level of our hunger. But I quit. Decided to continue to Varanasi and stop at Palki restaurant.











We reached there around 3:00pm and had our branch within 45mins. Initially, my plan was to reach Kanpur which was 1100km from my hometown. But while having the food a quick check on the further route changed the plan a bit. I decided to head to Haridwar via Lucknow as I had to cover about 150km less distance. Moreover, Kanpur and Lucknow both were almost equally distant from Varanasi.



No sooner had I headed towards Lucknow than I was greeted with a 1hr traffic jam at Varanasi exit toll gate. Traffic was damn sloth-moving and the AC at full blower speed was almost giving up in the direct sun and 41 outside temperature. By the time when we left Varanasi we were running very, very late. Tried to maintain steady speed but the ruts created by heavily loaded trucks on the tarmac was detrimental at high speed. We reached Allahabad bypass around 9:00pm and took the detour from NH2 to Lucknow. Before entering Lucknow, we stopped at a nondescript roadside dhaba. It had non-veg options but provided only veg. menu as Navratri ensued.







While having dinner I booked a hotel online near Lucknow station road. The plan was not to enter the city as it would be difficult to get out of it in the morning rush. But that seemed to be the best affordable option with car parking at that moment. We reached the hotel at 11.10pm; being dog-tired we slept without any talk. Trip-meter clocked 1085km.











Day 2: Lucknow to Rishikesh



I got up a bit late and was ready after my parents. It was 8:30am when we checked out from the hotel. Decided to have breakfast from out stock dry foods while in the car. Lucknow to Haridwar, we had to cover less distance compared to the previous day. So, I was not that much worried to munch up miles hook and crook. As soon as I hit the road we were stuck in the deadly Lucknow city station road traffic. Moving 2km took 40mins. Soon we had exit from the city and entered the famous Lucknow-Agra Taj expressway. Cruising at 3-digit speed is a breezing experience here.







After 63km covering through Taj e-way we took detour to Bareli and Moradabad. Roads from here were- 4-laned smooth highway to very bad potholes and crater filled, traffic snarl at Moradabad and the worst before entering Haridwar for 150kms. In between, we stopped at Reliance fuel station for refilling and had lunch at Food Plaza.











Google maps could not show enough intelligence at on-construction Kotwali road blockage near Najibabad (in each trip Google map fails at least once to direct us in proper route). At 8:30pm we didn't even get much local help around. After wasting half-an-hour trying to figure out the exit route finally found a Haridwar bound bus and took the mud-road below the under-construction flyover followed by a sharp u-turn after a rail-crossing to get rid of the road puzzle.



As we were getting close to Haridwar a quick glimpse over the clock made me push further from Haridwar. We could make it to Rishikesh, another 30km. At 10.15pm we crossed the bridge beside Har-Ki-Pauri ghat and bid adieu to Haridwar. Mom just rolled down the windows and offered her customary Ganges-pronam and we proceeded to Rishikesh. We were hungry and stopped again at a non-descript roadside dhaba. We had Tandoor roti and Paneer Masala quickly and left for Rishikesh. Meanwhile, I booked a hotel online just for the night stay. we reached Rishikesh at 11.30pm and checked in the hotel. The AC was found to be an overkill as the outside temperature was around 24that night. Getting fresh, we called it a day and slept.









Day-3: Rishikesh to Joshimath



As usual, my Mom woke up early in the morning and to our usual irritation, she woke us too! But as soon as I stepped into the balcony the morning greeted me with the first view of hills around us.











We got ready and before hopping into the car we decided to visit the Lachhman Jhola bridge. As all these places were visited earlier several times we deliberately skipped them completely to save time. The Lachhman Jhola bridge was at a stone-throw distance from our hotel.



We reached there through a stepped alley from Hanuman Temple opposite to our hotel. We saw the local stone sellers started their morning business of predicting futures, eventually playing the role of astrologer and people for pilgrimage purpose surrounded their shops with utter curiosity and enthusiasm. Freshly prepared tea and dosa was our breakfast in an eatery near Lachhman Jhola.



Of late, most of my road trips are completely unplanned and hatched out with a twist of a finger without much research on destinations and itinerary. 2016-17 has been a year of road-trips for me as well as my family (my parents). Very often, I found an entirely unplanned road trip is much more enjoyable, thrilling as well as they leave an indelible impact on the mind. They call for more responsibility, ad-hoc day-to-day basis planning, and execution. This year is also marked by prominent changes in my professional life including shifting to new institute in an older, familiar place from an older employer in a newer place. So, the basic two challenges for any of my road trips are the sanction of leaves from the workplace and current financial condition. So, most of the time, these two sole driving factors for touring remain in vague uncertainty and any pre-planning is destined to premature death! Despite this, this FY, we had innumerable long and short road-trips in different parts of India. So, the fun-factor was much more in all the trips. Spanning from Cape (Kanyakumari), Pondicherry, Mysore, Goa, Munnar, Wayanad, Aleppy, Ooty, Hampi-Badami in south belt down to a jinxed Leh-Ladakh, a diverted tour to Rajasthan (travelogue not yet written) to name a few.Needless to say, Durga Puja is deemed as the biggest festival of Bengal. Naturally, Bengalees, who have to stay outside the state for their livelihood eagerly wait for a week holiday to spend gala-time with their clans in Bengal during this time. I was fortunate enough to get the scope of spending entire Durga Puja after a long time in Bengal as I deliberately switched my job here for personal need. But people with a heart for touring cannot tame their brain not to think of road-trip and instead enjoy festivities from home location. Even if my brain nodded with consent at some point of time, the more I listened to the planned road-trips of other fellow members during Puja vacation the more was the desire to hatch out one plan for me and my parents. Even a 2-day casual leave was playing the master-stroke of getting continuous 10 days leave as per holiday calendar of our office, a rarity, only a service-holder can comprehend!But sudden deterioration of my Dad's health dissuaded me from thinking any further. But he encouraged me and my Mom to go for a road-trip if we wish to do. After a lot of pros and cons calculation, I couldn't resist myself from taking another road-trip. The attraction for Himalaya was doomed when I finally came to Kolkata as infinite Gorkha Land strike was in full swing. But I was obstinate enough, if it is a road-trip it must be somewhere in the Himalayas, be it not to Darjeeling or Sikkim in those tumultuous days. 2 days extra leave was sanctioned by boss immediately and over telephone discussion with Mom zeroed down to Garhwal Himalaya, especially Kedar-Badri in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand which will serve as a good Himalayan road-trip for me with tints of spiritual quest for my mother! So, the selection of destination was locked then and there. And I had only 2-days to plan and arrange everything before we duo (me and my mom) embark on the trip.Here goes the quickly chalked out original itinerary. It was edited by a small amount to accommodate the situation in the later stage.The first thing to decide was which car to take. Presuming the condition of the terrain in landslide ridden Kedarnath and Badrinath route, I decided to take our long-trusted Alto 800 as it is a perfect hill-tourer for two people. I discarded Manza for its soft-suspension setting and low GC. Even taking this was not a requirement as Dad was not traveling with us this time. He is very much fond of the comfy back-seat of Manza. On 22nd September, I left from work as usual and drove to my hometown, Tamluk from Kolkata. I had words with the SM of Maruti Suzuki there to attend my car on an urgent basis in the first hour of Saturday. Alto was taken to SVC and some necessary checking and wheel rotation and balancing were done.The common equipment for any long road trip is always ready in my inventory. I sorted out those to my need and Mom took care of packing. We were supposed to start at 12.00am on 24th September from home. But twist came in the plan in the evening of 23rd September, a few hours before the beginning of our journey. My Dad came back home earlier from his errand. While having supper, he asked ''Can I join you on this trip? Would you mind to take the Manza? Would you mind if I ask you to stop for a cigarette once in a while other than tea & p?" Mom and I both were awestruck by his sudden change in opinion.We readily complied although I was a bit apprehensive how Manza will perform at steep inclines as previously it refused to haul from stand-still at some places. But, I didn't express my thought at the table. So finally, my Dad was in and it was no different from other trips. We both were exceedingly happy because his presence adds to lot of relief for us. So, again extra packing and some necessary alteration took place instantly. The first thing I did just after the Kedar-Badri trip was finalized was to book two tickets for Pawan Hans helicopter service from Phata to Kedarnath. After my Dad was in, I quickly checked the same helicopter, same day, same time had only one seat left. Without any word, I booked it ASAP. Alto was out and Manza was in. Asked our family driver to garage the Alto and take out Manza so that we can start at night by loading the luggage into it. Manza was recently serviced after the Rajasthan trip in July. I just topped up the tyres to proper air pressure.So, we started exactly on 12.30am From Tamluk, West Bengal. Soon we hit NH6 (aka Bombay Road) and Crossed Dankuni on NH2 (NH19), passed by Shaktigarh, Burdwan. Truck traffic was heavy as Durga Puja was ensuing and all trucks will be blocked later on. At Dankuni and Palsit toll plaza, I had to squeeze through the unforeseen, long queue of trucks at midnight. When we were about to reach Asansol, the sky became reddish and soon we saw fresh daylight. It was longer than needed to reach Asansol this time. We had breakfast on the fly without stopping anywhere, except Tea, P and Dad's short cigi-break.Up to Dobhi, the traffic was overkill to drive through. Two toll plazas before Dobhi were in mess as usual. No dedicated passenger car lane, no proper toll collection. Local JH, BR registered cars were offering mere 20-30 without taking the receipt. We were also asked whether we need a receipt or not. But I didn't buy into their idea and paid full 90 one-time toll with receipt. At each toll plaza, we lost at least 20 minutes.We were already late. After Dobhi, I tried to maintain constant triple-digit speed through the concrete road. But one must be very careful with the undulations and treacherous culvert joints of NH2 in this stretch which are not easy to gauge at speed. 100km before Varanasi we are welcomed by umpteen numbers of diversions and hell lot of sharp speed breakers. Our Manza had a tough time to save its underbelly from few giants of them.We decided to stop at BP, Chandauli dhaba to have lunch and refuel. We reached there at 2.10pm; all were hungry. But to our utter dismay, we found the AC was not at all working and even the only empty table had a non-functional ceiling fan. the outside temperature was hovering around 40. My Mom was ready to sit there gauging the level of our hunger. But I quit. Decided to continue to Varanasi and stop at Palki restaurant.We reached there around 3:00pm and had our branch within 45mins. Initially, my plan was to reach Kanpur which was 1100km from my hometown. But while having the food a quick check on the further route changed the plan a bit. I decided to head to Haridwar via Lucknow as I had to cover about 150km less distance. Moreover, Kanpur and Lucknow both were almost equally distant from Varanasi.No sooner had I headed towards Lucknow than I was greeted with a 1hr traffic jam at Varanasi exit toll gate. Traffic was damn sloth-moving and the AC at full blower speed was almost giving up in the direct sun and 41 outside temperature. By the time when we left Varanasi we were running very, very late. Tried to maintain steady speed but the ruts created by heavily loaded trucks on the tarmac was detrimental at high speed. We reached Allahabad bypass around 9:00pm and took the detour from NH2 to Lucknow. Before entering Lucknow, we stopped at a nondescript roadside dhaba. It had non-veg options but provided only veg. menu as Navratri ensued.While having dinner I booked a hotel online near Lucknow station road. The plan was not to enter the city as it would be difficult to get out of it in the morning rush. But that seemed to be the best affordable option with car parking at that moment. We reached the hotel at 11.10pm; being dog-tired we slept without any talk. Trip-meter clocked 1085km.I got up a bit late and was ready after my parents. It was 8:30am when we checked out from the hotel. Decided to have breakfast from out stock dry foods while in the car. Lucknow to Haridwar, we had to cover less distance compared to the previous day. So, I was not that much worried to munch up miles hook and crook. As soon as I hit the road we were stuck in the deadly Lucknow city station road traffic. Moving 2km took 40mins. Soon we had exit from the city and entered the famous Lucknow-Agra Taj expressway. Cruising at 3-digit speed is a breezing experience here.After 63km covering through Taj e-way we took detour to Bareli and Moradabad. Roads from here were- 4-laned smooth highway to very bad potholes and crater filled, traffic snarl at Moradabad and the worst before entering Haridwar for 150kms. In between, we stopped at Reliance fuel station for refilling and had lunch at Food Plaza.Google maps could not show enough intelligence at on-construction Kotwali road blockage near Najibabad (in each trip Google map fails at least once to direct us in proper route). At 8:30pm we didn't even get much local help around. After wasting half-an-hour trying to figure out the exit route finally found a Haridwar bound bus and took the mud-road below the under-construction flyover followed by a sharp u-turn after a rail-crossing to get rid of the road puzzle.As we were getting close to Haridwar a quick glimpse over the clock made me push further from Haridwar. We could make it to Rishikesh, another 30km. At 10.15pm we crossed the bridge beside Har-Ki-Pauri ghat and bid adieu to Haridwar. Mom just rolled down the windows and offered her customary Ganges-pronam and we proceeded to Rishikesh. We were hungry and stopped again at a non-descript roadside dhaba. We had Tandoor roti and Paneer Masala quickly and left for Rishikesh. Meanwhile, I booked a hotel online just for the night stay. we reached Rishikesh at 11.30pm and checked in the hotel. The AC was found to be an overkill as the outside temperature was around 24that night. Getting fresh, we called it a day and slept.As usual, my Mom woke up early in the morning and to our usual irritation, she woke us too! But as soon as I stepped into the balcony the morning greeted me with the first view of hills around us.We got ready and before hopping into the car we decided to visit the Lachhman Jhola bridge. As all these places were visited earlier several times we deliberately skipped them completely to save time. The Lachhman Jhola bridge was at a stone-throw distance from our hotel.We reached there through a stepped alley from Hanuman Temple opposite to our hotel. We saw the local stone sellers started their morning business of predicting futures, eventually playing the role of astrologer and people for pilgrimage purpose surrounded their shops with utter curiosity and enthusiasm. Freshly prepared tea and dosa was our breakfast in an eatery near Lachhman Jhola. Attached Thumbnails























Last edited by Blooming Flower : 20th October 2017 at 17:03 .
Upon its announcement alongside the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Samsung's DeX platform all but seemed promising. Basically a spitting image of Microsoft's Windows Continuum schtick, DeX turns a Galaxy S8 into a desktop experience, complete with full-size apps and a PC-like ecosystem.

Samsung DeX

But like Windows Continuum, Samsung DeX hasn't really caught on, partly because it requires a $150 DeX dock, and its overall desktop experience feels largely lackluster though decently polished. To put it simply, DeX feels less of "I'm going to buy a Galaxy S8 for this," and more of "this looks cool but I'm probably not going to use it."

Well, that appears to be changing. Samsung has announced that its Galaxy phones and DeX platform are about to face a radical new addition, and it involves Linux.

Samsung DeX To Get Linux Support

Samsung shared details about the Linux on Galaxy app during its developer conference on Oct. 18, and although it's still in a trial phase, it sounds so promising already.

The app, when downloaded on a Samsung Galaxy phone, will enable developers to code in their different Linux distribution while on the go, meaning if they need to test out a function for a software but can't do it on Android, Linux on Galaxy allows them to do just that, and in an entirely native Linux operating system.

But Samsung's real objective is for Linux to complement its DeX platform, enabling developers to code in a much larger display and a more familiar ecosystem, as they would on a regular PC.

"Linux on Galaxy is our innovative solution to bring the Linux experience on PC to mobile, and then further onto a larger display with Samsung DeX," Samsung said in a press release. "Now developers can code using their mobile on-the-go and seamlessly continue the task on a larger display with Samsung DeX."

Linux support for Samsung's DeX platform is still very much a work in progress, but interested users may sign up to receive future updates about the project.

A lot about Samsung's planned implementation of Linux on DeX remains largely unknown at this point, though it's clear that the company wants its DeX platform to be as accessible as possible to developers. But DeX's success doesn't merely depend on accessibility; it needs proper and clever implementations as well. For now, Linux plus DeX sounds like a promising way to revitalize the smartphone's role as a PC alternative, but time will tell if Samsung follows through.

Thoughts? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists have discovered how the rapid growth of cancer cells is associated with the consumption of sugar. The recent discovery could enable other scientists to delve deeper into the mysteries of how cancer cells develop.

Sugar Consumption Causes Cancer Cells To Grow Faster

A new finding published in the journal Nature Communications has indicated that sugar consumption may cause cancer cells to develop faster. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells have the ability to produce energy by converting sugar into lactate, a process known as the "Warburg effect". However, this does not mean that consuming sugar directly causes cancer.

The discovery is related to a nine-year project that began in Belgium in 2008, led by Johan Thevelein of VIB-KU Leuven, Wim Versees of VIB-VUB and Veerle Janssens of KU Leuven.

Warburg Effect

The Warburg effect is a phenomenon that was first observed by Otto Warburg back in the 1920's. This effect is observed in cancer cells when the cells ferment glucose into lactic acid using glycolysis. The cancer cells, unlike healthy ones, require a larger amount of sugar to survive.

Scientists have been trying to study this effect for quite some time now, but they weren't able to figure out whether it is related to the stimulation of tumor growth.

Yeast As "A Model Organism"

Researchers were able to clarify how sugar consumption of cancerous cells is related to cancer development using yeast as a "model organism". Yeast has the same "Ras" proteins commonly found in cancerous cells, according to the researchers.

"We observed in yeast that sugar degradation is linked via the intermediate fructose 1,6-biophosphate to the activation of Ras proteins, which stimulate the multiplication of both yeast and cancer cells. It is striking that this mechanism has been conserved throughout the long evolution of yeast cell to human," said Thevelein.

Thevelein added that more research is still required to figure out the main cause of the Warburg effect and whether it "is also conserved in yeast cells".

Future Research: How To Fight Cancer Cells?

It has been suggested that one of the things scientists can do to kill cancer cells in the body is to starve them to death. This can be done by depriving the cancer cells of glucose intake. However, it is said that cancer cells always find other ways to refill their tanks.

According to a research published in early 2015, decreasing the levels of PARP 14 protein in cancerous cells can be used as a way to starve the cells to death. Also, the good thing about the use of PARP 14 inhibitors is that they would only kill cancer cells without touching the healthy ones.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Malware has been a persistent problem of Google's proprietary Play Store for quite a while, so much so that it's almost laughable compared with the App Store, which, thanks to Apple's highly strict review and monitoring system, rarely has any problems with malware.

Sure, some malicious crapshoots still manage to bypass Apple's tightly wrung app deliberation process once in a while, but the Play Store, by comparison, has had more terrible luck with apps of this nature, and when that happens, it raises several questions about Google's review process: What seems to be the problem? Why are some malware-infected apps still getting through?

No one knows for sure. With that in mind, reports now say it's happened again. Security researchers at Symantec recently discovered a total of eight apps from Google's marketplace secretly added devices to a botnet. These apps functioned as fronts for a "new and highly prevalent type of Android malware" named Android.Sockbot.

Google Play Apps Connected Devices To A Botnet

Google has since removed the apps in question  but apparently not quick enough. They were downloaded and installed in up to 2.6 million devices prior to the shutdown, which really should not have happened in the first place had Google detected them early on in the review process.

Disguised as Minecraft skins for Minecraft: Pocket Edition, the app contained a camouflaged Android.Sockbot malware, which connects devices to servers controlled by the developers. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Symantec said in a blog post that the apps mostly targeted mobile users in the United States, but the malware can be found in several European countries as well.

While the apps did offer Minecraft users the skins they wanted, something suspicious occurred under the hood. They connected the devices to a command and control server that repeatedly pulled in requests to connect the devices to an ad server. But the odd thing was, according to Symantec, the apps didn't actually have any functionality to display ads, which meant that those servers might have just been a ploy to force the devices to participate in a slew of malicious activities.

Google's Questionable Review Process For Apps

How these apps ended up in Google Play undetected is still uncertain. As Ars Technica notes, this is yet another proof that Google is unable to properly filter out malicious apps and is poor at detecting bogus ones before allowing them to be downloaded by practically everyone. In a previous incident just this past August, Google Play shut down three messaging apps after discovering that they could secretly download photos, record audio, and retrieve call logs.

Until Google improves its seemingly impaired review process for apps, it's probably best not to download anything willy-nilly, especially ones that look pretty suspicious.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Remember Instant Apps? It's Google's clever way to address storage limitations and help users avoid bloatware by allowing them to "try" the apps first before downloading them directly on devices.

Instant Apps Gets More Visibility With New 'Try it Now' Feature

On paper, Instant Apps sound useful, but Google hasn't had much time to implement them properly, much less a large-scale rollout. First announced last year and released to all Android developers back in May, Instant Apps let users use certain functions of an app without performing a full install, kind of making apps function like websites in a way.

Now, Google is building Instant Apps into the store through a special "Apps to Try Now" section in the Play Store, where several apps that support the feature are highlighted. Only a handful of apps at present are Instant Apps-ready, such as the New York Times' Crossword game, BuzzFeed News, and other, but Engadget speculates the list would grow soon.

Especially with the rollout "Try it Now" prompts, Google says it would be much clearer than ever which apps support the Instant Apps feature, as opposed to last time where they were only available via trial runs. The company also released a smattering of tools during its I/O developer conference earlier this year, which should aid developers in building more robust implementations of Instant Apps. Ultimately, though, Google wants the experience of Instant Apps to feel indistinguishable from their regular counterparts.

Other Google Play Store Changes

There are a bunch of other changes Google also rolled out for the Play Store, including a revamped games section that now comes with trailers, and a section for new "premium" paid games. The revamped Editor's Choice area is also now live in 17 countries.

Google has also applied some under-the-hood changes that would please developers. For instance, the company will soon reduce its cut of subscription apps from 30 to 15 percent should a subscriber remain with the service for over a year, which means that developers can take in more revenue. This takes into effect in January 2018.

Google is also launching a Play Security Reward Program as a way to encourage cybersecurity researchers to mine the Play Store for potential vulnerabilities, from Google's own apps to popular third-party ones. This involves contacting the developers suppose an issue is found, then that developer contacting Google to reward the one who discovered the problem.

Thoughts about the Play Store? Do you find the idea of Instant Apps particularly useful? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A woman from Texas was literally broken-hearted after her beloved dog, Meha, of 9 years died as a result of congestive heart failure. Joanie Simpson was taken to the emergency room and was diagnosed with 'Takotsubo cardiomyopathy', also known as 'Broken-heart syndrome'.

Broken-Hearted By Meha's Death

Joanie Simpson, now a 62-year-old resident of Camp Woods in Texas, was rushed to the hospital in Houston by a helicopter one morning, after she woke up with a back pain and a feeling of discomfort in her chest.

At first, doctors at the hospital thought Simpson was experiencing a heart attack, as her body had manifested the typical symptoms.

However, tests later showed that she was actually experiencing symptoms similar to that of heart attacks. She was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as "stress cardiomyopathy" and "broken-heart syndrome". Doctors had informed Simpson that the death of her Yorkshire terrier, Meha, had almost took her own life away.

Symptoms Of Broken-Heart Syndrome

According to doctors, broken heart syndrome is a temporary heart condition that is often brought about by stressful situations and traumatic events. Over 85 percent of cases were either caused by a physical or emotional and stressful event that usually precedes the start of the symptoms.

Stressful events can include grief from the death of a loved one, financial problems in one's life, arguments and disagreements, and even fear of speaking in front of a large audience. The symptoms of broken-heart syndrome can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack. They include chest pain or discomfort and shortness of breath.

Simpson's case was featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"The clinical presentation may be identical to that seen in patients with acute coronary syndrome, but the condition is characterized by transient left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction of the apex and midventricle in the absence of attributable coronary artery disease, " the report said.

Simpson's Close Relationship With Meha

Simpson told the Washington Post that Meha was "like a daughter" to her. She would jump into the pool and would also have her own share of hamburger when Simpson and her husband would grill on Friday nights.

Meha's Death

According to Simpson, before Meha's death, she already had plans to have Meha euthanized because she was too sick. However, she said Meha looked like she was doing better at that time, so she decided to cancel the plan. Unfortunately, Meha died the following day, in May 2016.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Teeth found in sediments near a river in Eppelsheim, Germany, are believed to have come from a yet-to-be-identified ancient great ape. Due to intriguing qualities of the canine teeth, questions now arise whether or not the find has an impact on the human family tree.

Intriguing Discovery

On September 2016, two teeth believed to be those of an ancient primate's were recovered in a prehistoric site known for primate fossils since the 1820s. The teeth, an upper right first molar and an upper left canine, are caramel-colored and are amazingly preserved. Evidence suggests that the teeth are about 9.7 million years old.

While the characteristics of the molar line up with those of other fossil finds in the area, the canine evidently exhibits hominin characteristics, suggesting the possibility of its unidentified owner being a very distant ancestor of modern humans. Specifically, the tooth bears a resemblance to the teeth of extinct human relatives Australopithecus afarensis.

Though the discovery is quite intriguing, researchers are very cautious about their interpretation of the findings. That said, it took researchers quite a while before having their findings published. Lead author of the paper published in ResearchGate on Friday, Oct. 19, states that he and his colleagues were left dumbfounded for a year after the discovery.

According to researchers, the tooth is quite unlike any other find in Europe and in Asia, and to describe it in relation to hominin teeth is intriguing, as the current understanding is that hominins, our extinct human relatives, left Africa about 120,000 years ago. This tooth is significantly older than that.

Careful Interpretations

"That would mean that a group of primates was in Europe before they were in Africa," said Herbert Lutz of the Natural History Museum in Mainz, Germany, lead author of the paper.

Still, there is the possibility of this creature having developed the same tooth characteristics due to experiencing the same evolutionary pressures that the ones in Africa did at the same time. However, researchers are very careful about their interpretations.

"We want to hold back on speculation," said Lutz. "It's a complete mystery where this individual came from, and why nobody's ever found a tooth like this somewhere before."

Where Does The Creature Fit In The Family Tree?

The insinuation that the owner of these teeth is of hominin origins does not convince many experts. In fact, paleoanthropologist from University of Toronto Bence Viola isn't even convinced that this tooth is of hominin or hominoid origin, a branch comprising of hominins, chimpanzees, and other apes.

The closest that experts believe the owner of this controversial tooth could be is a species of extinct primate that inhabited Europe and Asia between 7 and 17 million years ago, something that Lutz and his team also point out.

As of now, the owner of the teeth remains branch-less in the family tree. That said, Lutz and his team are only just beginning their examination of the unusual find. Perhaps in a few more years, the speculations may become theories, and the mystery creature could find itself a place in the family tree.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A graduate student in Canada unintentionally discovered a monster that thrives underneath Canadian Arctic sea ice. Get to know the flat-headed monster and why this discovery is incredible.

Monstrillopsis Planifrons

The Monstrillopsis planifrons or "flat-headed monster" is Canada's very first true monster. It is described as having a flat forehead due to the flat protrusion on its cephalic area and is called a monster because it is a part of the Monstrilloida family.

It has eight hairy legs, furry antenna, a single weak eye, has no mouth, and odd-looking genitals. That said, they only grow to just 2 millimeters long, so this is quite the miniscule monster. In fact, as they are part of the Monstrilloida family, they are members of a family of 160 Monstrilloida species.

Samples of the tiny monster are not easy to find because they are extremely small during their larva stage, and during their parasitic stage, they dwell inside other creatures such as clams. Luckily, the woman who discovered them wasn't just in the right place at the right time, but she's also very knowledgeable in the taxonomy of small ocean creatures.

Unintentional Discovery

In 2014, University of Manitoba graduate student Aurelie Delaforge was living in an ice camp in the Canadian Arctic region to gather data for her PhD thesis regarding the causes of plankton blooms under sea ice. By fortunate circumstance, she took ocean samples on a very specific two-month window period when the "monsters" are in their adult form and are hence visible. If she had gotten samples in any other time, she could have missed them in their miniscule larvae or parasitic state.

Fortunately, the creatures kept appearing in her ocean samples, which would suggest that the creatures did not just accidentally drift into the area but are local creatures.

When she shared the "alien" that she discovered in the Canadian arctic to Department of Fisheries and Oceans researcher Wojciech Walkusz, he sent the sample to Mexico, where it was dissected by the world's leading monster identification specialist, Eduardo Suarez-Morales, who confirmed that the creature is indeed Canada's first true monster.

Important Monster

While there are 160 Monstrilloid species, this is only the second Monstrillopsis found in Arctic waters. These creatures are not easy to find and are rarely caught during plankton surveys, which is why this accidental discovery is even more incredible.

As such, this discovery brings forth important information on the life cycle of the creature in such conditions as well as the marine ecosystem in Canadian Arctic waters. Because of this discovery, further examinations in the area could lead to new records for the species.

The paper is published in ZooKeys.

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RACINE  A driver was injured when her car was broadsided in a hit-and-run crash at about 5 p.m. at the intersection of 12th and Racine Street.

According to Racine police, a Kia Soul was heading south on Racine Street from Washington Avenue when it was hit by a silver Pontiac that was heading westbound on 12th Street and reportedly did not stop for the stop sign. After the impact, the Pontiac fled the scene, but left behind was the detached front grill and a license plate, which police retrieved for their investigation.
CALEDONIA  A 39-year-old father on a bicycle ride with his son was killed Friday night after being struck by a car on Douglas Avenue.

With the assistance of the Racine Police Department, the alleged offending vehicle and the driver were located. The driver, a Racine man, was taken into custody and is facing pending charges of hit-and-run causing death, police said.

Identities of the victim and the suspect driver had not been released as of Saturday.

According to a media release from the Caledonia Police Department, police and fire units were dispatched at 9:47 p.m. to the 5400 block of Douglas (Highway 32) near Middle Road for a hit and run, car-versus-bicyclist crash.

When first responders arrived, good Samaritans on scene were performing CPR on the victim, who was riding his bicycle southbound in the roadway while his 15-year-old son rode on the sidewalk alongside him. Paramedics rushed the father to the emergency room at Ascension All Saints Hospital in Racine, but he died from his injuries.

Realizing the severity of the mans injuries, fire officials had called Flight for Life to respond to the hospital in case a transfer to Froedtert Hospital, the regions Level I trauma center, was necessary.

Police reported that after the vehicle struck the victim, it allegedly fled the scene, leaving multiple pieces of debris behind, including the passenger side mirror. Caledonia officers were able to determine that the vehicle was a 2008 to 2014 silver Cadillac CTS.

The suspect vehicle was impounded at the Caledonia Police Department, police said.

Police said the investigation into the crash was still underway as of Saturday and that crash reconstruction specialists from the Wisconsin State Patrol are assisting with the investigation.

If anyone witnessed the crash or has other information regarding the incident, they are asked to contact Capt. Brian Wall of the Caledonia Police Department at 835-4423 ext. 139 or Crimestoppers toll free at 888-636-9330 or 262-636-9330.
The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging is mulling whether to give pay raises to its employees before the agency adds 40 positions over the next four years as it expands services and grows into a budget more than twice the size of the one it currently operates on.

The Council on Aging board on Friday reviewed its employees' salaries and areas in which the COA needs to grow to keep good on director Tasha Clark-Amar's campaign promise last year to eliminate waiting lists for Meals on Wheels and other services for seniors. The Council on Aging won a contentious dedicated property tax election last year that will increase its budget from $3.2 million to $7.8 million annually.

Auditors said a few months ago that the quasi-governmental nonprofit agency might have run afoul of state and federal laws in its campaign for the tax, but the East Baton Rouge Metro Council agreed in June to let the COA start collecting the tax.

James Gilmore, a former assistant chief administrative officer for Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, made a lengthy presentation Friday to the COA's board that broke down employee salaries and positions the agency now hopes to add. Gilmore said he is working without pay as a consultant for the Council on Aging.

Low-level Council on Aging employees, such as care managers who visit seniors inside of their homes and help to assess their needs, are only paid between $23,000 and $27,800 annually. Drivers who deliver Meals on Wheels fare are paid even less.

"I am stunned that this is the price," said board member William Daniel. "This is one of your core things that you're supposed to do."

Most others agreed, and asked Clark-Amar and Gilmore to return for their board meeting in December with more information about how much a 5 percent raise would cost and comparable salary ranges they might consider for Council on Aging employees.

Clar-Amar said the low-paid employees remain at the agency despite their salaries because they like the work they do. She said she worried about the perception of pushing for pay raises at a time when the agency is under heavy scrutiny, and said she wanted to throw the bulk of the 2018 tax money into expanding services.

"I understand the perception," said board member Derek Cole. "But if you have the people, you need to reward them."

While Cole favored an across-the-board pay raise, board member Steven Schilling said certain groups of employees might be in more dire need of a raise than others. Board member and State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle was particularly concerned about rewarding longtime employees before bringing in new hires at higher pay levels.

"Because they've stayed faithful to the agency, they deserve an increase in pay," she said.

Gilmore also walked through the salaries of the highest-paid Council on Aging executives, including Clark-Amar and her leadership staff.

Clark-Amar's annual salary is $101,238, but the presentation showed the national midrange salary for someone in her position is $180,198. Gilmore said the national numbers may have been skewed, as they appeared to be from the private sector and were higher than he expected.

Clark-Amar also hopes to hire a chief administrative officer to help run the Council on Aging, and said her chief operations officer is overextended. The CAO would be another executive level position at a high pay level.

Board members also pondered whether it was worth outsourcing some of the work the Council on Aging does. Clark-Amar proposed beefing up the two-person accounting staff with three additional employees.

But Daniel said the public sector often cannot compete with the private sector in attracting experienced employees such as the governmental accountant the Council on Aging hopes to add. He said the Council on Aging should consider contracting a governmental accountant and purchasing agent rather than hiring people to fill the positions.
Two felons, one from Baton Rouge and the other from Darrow, are heading to federal prison for gun crimes, acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson reported Friday.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson sentenced Tarzareo L. "Taco" Jones, 27, of Baton Rouge, to 70 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The gun, a 9 mm pistol, was stolen from an evidence room at the old Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office. Jones tossed the gun from a vehicle near the LSU campus during a Jan. 8 police chase, Amundson said. He was previously convicted of attempted illegal carrying of a firearm and illegal use of a weapon.

Jackson also sentenced Leo F. Haymond III, 37, of Darrow, to 116 months in prison for firearm, drug and other violations. The drug was heroin. He was arrested in January following a two-hour standoff at a St. Amant home.

Haymond previously was sentenced to 63 months following a 2011 conviction for cocaine distribution.

When he was arrested in January, authorities said he had 22 prior arrests over the past 27 years ranging from armed robbery to possession with intent to distribute an assortment of drugs.
Locals clash with police over motorbike theft

Police fired 11 rounds of tear gas shells in order to bring the situation under control following a clash between police and locals in the district headquarters Gaur today.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps move to pull the plug on billions of dollars in subsidies to insurers to lower deductibles and costs for lower-income Americans has breathed new life into a bipartisan effort to shore up the Affordable Care Acts insurance markets.

The bid, led by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Patty Murray, D-Washington, had foundered amid a last-minute Republican push in September to repeal the ACA, also known as Obamacare. The proposal has found new life  and a dozen Republican co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate  as insurance companies warn of significant premium hikes without the subsidies.

Failure by Congress to authorize the so-called cost-sharing reduction payments, which reimburse insurance companies for cutting low-income patient' out-of-pocket expenses and deductible, would leave insurance providers with a stark choice, said John Maginnis, a spokesman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Our only choices are to raise rates or walk away from the individual marketplace, Maginnis said. Many insurers have walked away from our state. Weve committed to the individual market for 2018, but unfortunately, we are forced to pass these unfunded costs of CSRs on to individual customers as rate increases to make up the difference.

Thats because, even if the federal government doesnt pay the billions in payments to insurers, the Affordable Care Act still mandates they offer the plans with reduced deductibles and lower out-of-pocket costs to lower-income people. With the government no longer covering the tab, insurers would likely pass on the cost to customers through higher premiums.

Louisianans buying health insurance on the individual market who earn too much to qualify for subsidies would likely end up getting hit hardest by rising premiums triggered by Trumps end to cost-sharing payments, said Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, which advocates for low- to moderate-income families.

Taxpayers may get left paying more as well. Many of those buying health insurance on the individual marketplaces receive federal subsidies, which rise with the cost of insurance and cap the amount of money individuals pay in premiums.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast that ending cost-sharing reductions would increase the deficit by $194 billion over the next 10 years as premiums rise and more people receive them. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit think tank focused on health policy, estimated that tax credits for those on the exchanges would cost an additional $12.3 billion next year without the cost-sharing reductions.

Among those signing onto the Alexander-Murray bill? Louisianas Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who was one of the architects of the September repeal-and-replace legislation. Cassidy and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, co-authors on Senate Republicans most recent attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, endorsed the plan in a joint statement Thursday, although they had some caveats.

Without a stabilization package, the market will collapse and advance premium tax credits will spike. This would increase the costs to the American taxpayer," said Cassidy and Graham, who signed on as co-sponsors to the new bill. "However, we recognize this short-term stabilization will not pass unless concerns of the House are addressed.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards joined a bipartisan group of 10 governors in a letter to leaders on Capitol Hill urging them to promptly restore the payments.

The governors, who also included Republicans John Kasich of Ohio and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, wrote that Trumps decision to terminate the payments just before insurance enrollment opens is sowing confusion among consumers and leaving states scrambling to develop solutions to stabilize their insurance markets.

I think its fantastic that Bill Cassidy and John Bel Edwards have found an area of health-care policy they agree on, said Moller, with the Louisiana Budget Project. Clearly this is an issue that should go beyond partisan politics because its going to affect premiums for so many people in Louisiana and across the country. Im extremely glad that Bill Cassidy is working to preserve coverage rather than take it away.

Yet passing the Alexander-Murray bill through Congress could prove challenging.

A number of leading Republicans have characterized the cost-sharing payments as a bailout for insurers, including President Trump, who appeared to both endorse and oppose the proposal in a series of comments this week. And a number of staunch critics of the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans for years pledged to repeal, have expressed concerns about voting to shore up a key part of the law.

We need to end the Obamacare death spiral once and for all, and the Alexander/Murray bill continues the insurance industry bailouts while doing nothing to reform the fatal flaws of Obamacare that are causing premiums to skyrocket, said U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson. The Senate needs to continue working until they get the votes to pass a bill that repeals Obamacare and replaces it with the kind of reforms we passed in the House that lowers health-care costs and lets families, instead of unelected bureaucrats, choose the plan that works best for them.

Maginnis, with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, pushed back against the portrayal of the cost-sharing payments as a bailout for the industry.

Insurers do not profit from these funds; this money simply passes through and goes directly to reduce what eligible members pay for their health-care services, he said.

Blue Cross has already lost more than $200 million on individual market ACA products in the past three years, so the statement by the president that we have made a fortune on Obamacare and (cost-sharing reductions) are insurance company bailouts is simply not true, he added.

In Louisiana, about 58 percent of people who bought their health insurance on the individual exchanges qualified for the reduced-cost plans, nearly 80,000 of the 143,000 people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That leaves the two insurance providers on the states individual exchanges  BCBS and Vantage Health Plans  vulnerable should the payments end. For the 10 percent of individual marketplace customers who dont receive subsidies, steep premium hikes wouldnt be offset with subsidies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Some folks say that a telltale sign that you are getting old, uh, or more mature, is that you begin to get irritated by more and more things that used to be the minor stuff. Loud music was OK back in the day when R&B music would bomb my car and my apartment. Now, when I hear a car thumping down the street, I get a little perturbed. Turn that stuff down, will ya?

Sagging pants. What the hell is on your mind with that? Who wants to see that?

And, of course, there are belligerent children who cant be controlled by parents in the supermarket. I have my thoughts: Just give me a couple minutes with that little so-and-so. Shoot, I would be like my grandmother, who was a biscuit over 100 pounds, but who would only have to glance my way, and all thoughts of bad behavior melted like butter in a hot skillet. Of all the things getting to me right now, its litter. Yes, I said it. Its probably not on most folks' radar, but its on mine. Yeah, this proof that Im skittering down the pathway headed to the land of nearly grumpy old men.

Readers will probably think I have reached my 80th birthday (I really hope I see that one and more) when I mention that litter is high among my grumbling points. But it is really gnawing at me. Heres the burning question I want to ask when I see Styrofoam plates and hamburger wrappers on the street: Isnt there a garbage can where you came from, and wont there be one at your destination?

Do these people throw trash on the floor in the bedroom because they are too lazy to walk to the garbage bag in the kitchen?

Look, Ill make a bet with you. If you will be heading out in the next few minutes to the supermarket, the gas station, bus station, mall, dentist office, nail shop, designer clothes and handbag stores or exclusive jewelry stores, there will be a trash bin either inside or outside. You dont have to use the street, sidewalk or highway.

It drives me nuts when Im driving behind someone and out of the window flies drinking cups, sandwich wrappers, paper plates and other stuff. And, it gets my goat even more when I see it in subdivisions. This is a self-inflicted wound to a neighborhood, to a community, that just doesnt have to be. This is a choice.

I saw this awesome anti-litter sign on the internet: Why are you littering? a) Im stupid. b) I dont care about my city. c) Mommy still cleans up after me. d) All of the above.

Keep West Feliciana Beautiful receives in mini-grant for trash barrels Keep West Feliciana Beautiful has been awarded five trash receptacles through a mini-grant s

That sign should be placed around the city. But, like many other signs of value, it would have bullet holes in it pretty quickly, or some angry litter terrorist would tear it down and throw it in someones yard.

An organization called Keep Louisiana Beautiful says that the state has to spend $46 million a year in litter abatement. And thats a $46 million losing battle. The group says to get their point across, anti-litter activists need to use education, enforcement (fines and threatened jail time), have proper resources available to combat litter and promote personal responsibility.

Its the last one thats the winner. Somehow, people have to buy into the idea of doing the right thing.

Here is a shocking pointe. The Elmers Island Wildlife Refuge, part of an over $200 million federally funded restoration project near Bayou Lafourche, was opened last year. The place looked spectacular. Guess what? At a clean-up there last month, volunteers collected 2 tons of trash. Just awful.

I want something done. Lets take this litter thing seriously. Im not just a grumpy old dude; I want to be a spark for change. As the old quote goes: I wondered why somebody didnt do something, then I realized, I am somebody.

Come on people. Stop littering.

Email Edward Pratt, a former newspaperman who writes a weekly Advocate column, at epratt1972@yahoo.com.
A powerful feedback loop from human to human - not computer to computer - set the market spinning. Credit:PETER MORGAN I realised at once that this was a once-in-a lifetime research opportunity. So I worked late that night and the next, designing a questionnaire that would reveal investors' true thinking. Those were the days before widespread use of the internet, so I relied on paper and ink and old-fashioned snail mail. Within four days, I had mailed out 3250 questionnaires to a broad range of individual and institutional investors. The response rate was 33 per cent, and the survey provided a wealth of information. My findings focused on psychological data and differed sharply from those of the official explanations embodied in the report of the Brady Commission - the task force set up by then President Ronald Reagan and chaired by Nicholas F. Brady, who would go on to become Treasury Secretary. Official explanations

The commission pinned the crash on causes like the high merchandise trade deficit of that era and on a tax proposal that might have made some corporate takeovers less likely. Like the 2016 airport stampede, the 1987 stock market fall was a panic caused by fear and based on rumours, not on real danger. The report went on to say that the "initial decline ignited mechanical, price-insensitive selling by a number of institutions employing portfolio insurance strategies and a small number of mutual fund groups reacting to redemptions". Portfolio insurance, invented in the 1970s by Hayne Leland and Mark Rubinstein, two economists from the University of California, Berkeley, is a phrase we don't hear much any more, but it received a lot of the blame for October 19, 1987. Portfolio insurance was often described as a form of program trading: it would cause the automatic selling of stock futures when prices fell and, indirectly, set off the selling of stocks themselves. That would protect the seller but exacerbate the price decline.

The Brady Commission found that portfolio insurance accounted for substantial selling on October 19, but the commission could not know how much of this selling would have happened in a different form if portfolio insurance had never been invented. In fact, portfolio insurance was just a repackaged version of the age-old practice of selling when the market started to fall. With hindsight, it's clear that it was neither a breakthrough discovery nor the main cause of the decline. In reality, my own survey showed, traditional stop-loss orders actually were reported to have been used by twice as many institutional investors as the more trendy portfolio insurance. In that survey, I asked respondents to evaluate a list of news articles that appeared in the days before the market collapse, and to add articles that were on their minds on that day. Market fundamentals

I asked how important these were to "you personally", as opposed to "how others thought about them". What is fascinating about their answers is what was missing from them: nothing about market fundamentals stood out as a justification for widespread selling or for staying out of the market instead of buying on the dip. (Such purchases would have bolstered share prices.) Furthermore, individual assessments of news articles bore little relation to whether people bought or sold stocks that day. Instead, it appears that a powerful narrative of impending market decline was already embedded in many minds. Stock prices had dropped in the preceding week. And on the morning of October 19, a graphic in The Wall Street Journal explicitly compared prices from 1922 through 1929 with those from 1980 through 1987. The declines that had already occurred in October 1987 looked a lot like those that had occurred just before the October 1929 stock market crash. That graphic in the leading financial paper, along with an article that accompanied it, raised the thought that today, yes, this very day could be the beginning of the end for the stock market. It was one factor that contributed to a shift in mass psychology. As I've said in a previous column, markets move when other investors believe they know what other investors are thinking.

In short, my survey indicated that October 19, 1987, was a climax of disturbing narratives. It became a day of fast reactions amid a mood of extreme crisis in which it seemed that no one knew what was going on and that you had to trust your own gut feelings. Feedback loop Given the state of communications then, it is amazing how quickly the panic spread. As my respondents told me on their questionnaires, most people learned of the market plunge through direct word of mouth. I first heard that the market was plummeting while lecturing to my morning class at Yale. A student in the back of the room was listening to a miniature transistor radio with an earphone, and interrupted me to tell us all about the market. Right after class, I walked to my broker's office at Merrill Lynch in downtown New Haven, to assess the mood there. My broker appeared harassed and busy, and had time enough only to say, "Don't worry!"

He was right for long-term investors: the market began rising later that week, and in retrospect, stock charts show that buy-and-hold investors did splendidly if they stuck to their strategies. But that's easy to say now. Like the 2016 airport stampede, the 1987 stock market fall was a panic caused by fear and based on rumours, not on real danger. In 1987, a powerful feedback loop from human to human - not computer to computer - set the market spinning. Such feedback loops have been well documented in birds, mice, cats and rhesus monkeys. And in 2007 neuroscientists Andreas Olsson, Katherine Nearing and Elizabeth Phelps described the neural mechanisms at work when fear spreads from human to human. Viral rumour transmission We will have panics but not an exact repeat of October 19, 1997. In one way, the situation has probably gotten worse: technology has made viral rumour transmission much easier. But there are regulations in place that were intended to forestall another one-day market collapse of such severity.

In response to the 1987 crash and the Brady Commission report, the New York Stock Exchange instituted Rule 80B, a "circuit breaker" that, in its current amended form, shuts down trading for the day if the Standard & Poor's 500 index falls 20 per cent from the previous close. That 20 per cent threshold is interesting: regulators settled on a percentage decline just a trifle less than the one that occurred in 1987. That choice may have been an unintentional homage to the power of narratives in that episode. But 20 per cent would still be a big drop. Many people believe that stock prices are already very high, and if the right kinds of human interactions build in a crescendo, we could have another monumental one-day decline. One-day market drops are not the greatest danger, of course. The bear market that started during the financial crisis in 2007 was a far more consequential downturn, and it took months to wend its way toward a market bottom in March 2009. That should not be understood as a prediction that the market will have another great fall, however. It is simply an acknowledgment that such events involve the human psyche on a mass scale.
There are nine weeks until Christmas, but a lot less for the arrival of the online retail disrupter, Amazon.

According to Citi's analysts, who were the first to highlight the harsh reality of Amazon's impact on Australian retailers, Amazon is likely to launch its first-party offer in Australia by mid-November, disrupting retailer pricing architecture and driving investment in supply chain, online and delivery.

The second stage of The Glen's $460 million transformation will offer a new contemporary food gallery, to be unveiled in early 2018.

But while individual retail tenants are in the firing line, the shopping centre landlords are internet-proofing the assets with expanded offerings that cannot be bought online.

Amazon has traditionally taken between two and five years to gain traction in a new country, so experts say now is the time for the Australian retail sector, landlords and tenants, to start getting into gear and "Amazon-proofing" the malls. This is in the form of offering food, beauty salons, and general customer-to-customer services that cannot be bought as easily over the internet.
Merger to address demands of Madhesis: Gachchhadar

Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said that the unification of the Nepali Congress and Nepal Democratic Forum (NDF) was aimed at addressing the demands of Madhesi, Tharu and Janajatis.
Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW A philosophy that is misguided Carol Oliver (Letters, 15/10) feels that "if you had nothing to fear, you had nothing to hide", presumably in light of the increasing erosion of privacy by government. But the sentiment that "you have nothing to fear, if you have nothing to hide" is misguided and has never saved groups in society from being persecuted for religious, ethnic and/or economic reasons most of whom had nothing to hide yet still lived in fear of deportation, incarceration and even death. Tirbor Majlath, Greensborough FORUM

A gas equation Bruce Robertson's assertion that the high gas price is due to the greed of the large gas producers has no historical precedent ('Gas wars fire up in Victoria as consumers feel the heat', The Sunday Age, 15/10). The oil and gas price has gone up and down for the past century. When the price increases investment flows, generating an increase in supply driving prices down. With all large capital projects, such as offshore development and Queensland's CSG, the financiers and shareholders demand the project to be underpinned by long-term contracts to de-risk the investment. When these contracts were sold to overseas customers no one complained. The reason being is that huge exploration expenditure was allocated to onshore NSW, NT, Victoria and offshore in the Great Australian Bight. All these investments have been withdrawn. The current high gas price has not attracted investment, solely due to the bans and moratoriums. Donald McMillan, Brookfield, Qld

Real disappointment At last, the real Malcolm Turnbull has emerged. But not quite what we expected. As PM, he turns out to be a rather mediocre barrister. Some time ago he clearly agreed that carbon emissions involved a real cost that justified setting a price on carbon. His current brief appears to be dictated by what has been described as his "praetorian guard". As the ACCC report makes clear, however, energy prices and emissions are separate issues: the former are determined by changes in the market and the impact of privatisation; emissions depend on the fuel source. Meeting our target on the latter requires a clear national emissions reduction target supported by all levels of government. A good barrister would have avoided conflating these arguments. The Coalition's policies are contemptuous of the public's ability to understand policy choices. Both opposition and the public, however, understand very well that combating the real costs of catastrophic storms, fire risks, and increasingly likely loss of the Great Barrier Reef cannot be left in the hands of private energy producers. How many more chances does Turnbull need to show that he's in charge and his party's policies are more than a cobbled compromise? Bill Allan, Melbourne Death of a parrot

Sobering to read ('End of the line for orange-bellied parrot?', The Sunday Age, 15/10) that the orange-bellied parrot could be facing extinction. This elusive bird seemed to favour Point Lonsdale in the past  excited sightings in the scrubby, salty back reaches of a windswept coastal town clinging to the edge of Victoria. Along with the parrot there was the rare Chaffy saw-sedge grass, but now Point Lonsdale is being tamed. Neat houses, new roads, more cars, more dogs. It looks like the parrot has given up here. Let's hope a miracle happens in Tasmania or in a tiny piece of an untouched natural strip of bushland on the edge of Point Lonsdale. Margaret Skeen, Point Lonsdale Expand palliative care There are major problems with the euphemistically titled Voluntary Assisted Dying bill.

First, for all the supposed checks and balances, the vulnerable old, infirm, and depressed would be very much at risk of those relatives and others who see their dying as a matter of convenience and apply pressure or other means to this end. The Sunday Age (15/10) had a cautionary tale on this. Second, if enacted, the next push would be legislative creep broadening it to more classes of people, as has happened in Belgium and The Netherlands. And the checks and balances are weakened or cast aside. Third, the AMA opposes it for good reasons. It would put doctors in an invidious position. They are in the business of saving life, not destroying it. Fourth, it would have a broad and deleterious effect on our culture. It could render suicide for others more acceptable and drive up these numbers. As the AMA says, a much better option is palliative care. Yet it has been seriously underfunded with many dying and having no access to it. So this critical choice is not available. Palliative care should be expanded.

William Frilay, Doreen My life, my choice Father Kevin Burke's observations about the need for greater investment in palliative care are correct (Letters, 15/10) 15/10), but ultimately palliative care should be for those who opt for it. Many people are clamouring for more meaningful choice in how their lives end. With 68 safeguards in place, and input from successful overseas euthanasia frameworks, the proposed Victorian legislation hardly represents an "unproven and dubious model". It seems necessary to repeatedly affirm that assisted dying will not be compulsory  those against it can opt for palliative care or whatever death they wish. Frankly, the constant intrusion of anachronistic religious dogma into secular, humanistic ethical issues is wearing thin. Please consider my simple message: My life. My death. My choice. Daniel Strachan, Wedderburn

Sugar scepticism I note that the Australian Beverages Council said the public should be "deeply sceptical" of the "policy-driven" study that advocates slashing the energy content of sugary drinks. I would like to place on record my deep scepticism of the Australian Beverages Council's view in this matter. Rob Brown, Williamstown Tax a good start Recent events have reminded us that when we faced deaths from gun violence, our government took decisive action. Australia has not had a mass shooting since.

We are staring at the possibility of 155,000 preventable deaths from excess sugar and this is unacceptable by any measure. We need to change how our food is marketed and sold, and a sugar tax would be a sensible start. Perhaps in future a prime minister might look back proudly on the bold steps they took to improve our health. George Darroch, West Footscray Chaos is good The manager of Opposition business, Tony Burke, says the "vibe" of parliamentary question time should be retained ('Cameras on, chaos in the house', The Sunday Age, , 15/10). Burke deserves credit for stating what is obvious: most MPs clearly love the theatrics of question time. And how do the people watching at home feel? Are they really so horrified by what they see? I sometimes tune into the broadcast of question time, but am disappointed when it is from the Senate.

Question time in the upper house is far more staid and dull than the abuse, laughter and howls of protest heard in the lower house. And as for MPs considering the feelings of the visiting school children in the public galleries, kids love a good pantomime. Despite all the disingenuous statements, the nature of question time is unlikely to change, largely because few people seriously want it to. Rod Wise, Camberwell Another side to union Recently I attended a ceremony held under the West Gate Bridge. Hundreds of people were there to commemorate the tragic loss of 35 workers who died when the partially constructed bridge collapsed and killed those working on it, or nearby. Speakers emotionally recalled the terrible tragedy and how they still visualise the faces of friends who died that day  October 15, 1970. The theme was that of workplace safety and how an event like that on the West Gate must never be allowed to happen again. Members of the CFMEU, which ran the event, were there, showing a commendable aspect of their work that runs counter to the reputation with which some people label them.
Of course, #MeToo. From the time puberty hit, and for about two decades afterwards, the frequency tapering off with age. The family friend with octopus hands. The elderly neighbour who one afternoon caught me smoking outside my parents' house and sought to trade his silence for a tongue pash and God knows what else had I not dropped the fag, hands quivering, and rushed inside.

The middle-aged man I hitched a ride with overseas  I should have seen it coming. Hard to say the same about that short guy who stood in front of me at a Midnight Oil concert in the mid-1980s, then swung his arm backwards and grabbed my crotch. As for the driving instructor with the trembling voice and sunken cheeks who, after I pulled the handbrake, leaned in, lips puckered  how could I have anticipated that one?

Easily, in retrospect. No way in hell will my daughters be getting in a car with a male instructor. No driving instructors: that should be protection enough, right? And no hitchhiking. No rock concerts. No family friends. No neighbours. Obviously, no workplace where a tyrannical, man-child with poor impulse control occupies the corner office. So no workplaces, pretty much, not even the Country Fire Authority. No smoking  anything. Because of the time  elevated and paranoid having earlier "inhaled", to borrow Bill Clinton's memorable description  I entered the bedroom of a feverish young man who did not desist at the first "No". Though I place the latter incident in the murky zone, that place of ambiguous, unseemly encounters between young men and women, too slippery to be caught by the term "sexual assault".

One upside to the ubiquity of sexual violence in the lives of girls and women is that with so many and varied examples to consider it's easy to grade the transgressions. Maintain a sense of perspective. It is without a pinch of irony that I say I'm grateful not to be living in Cairo, New Delhi or Sao Paulo, the mega-cities that an international poll, released this week, identified as dangerous for women.
A man has been shot after a confrontation with police at an Adelaide motel.

Police went to the Tollgate Motel at Glen Osmond on Saturday night to speak to a man who alleged hit an officer with his van on Friday.

The male officer is recovering at home after suffering a concussion and a laceration to the back of his head.

The condition of the man was not known.

AAP
As the marriage equality postal vote campaign enters its last weeks, thousands of "yes" voters took to the streets of Sydney on Saturday afternoon in a final push for votes.

Up to 15,000 "yes" campaigners met in Belmore Park and marched towards Victoria Park with bright colours and music, in a bid to encourage remaining voters to mail in their postal forms this week.

The rally kicked off a "National Equality Weekend" run by the Australian Marriage Equality, with marches due to take place across the country in every capital city this weekend.

A Newspoll published earlier this week suggested three in five Australians who have already voted ticked 'yes'.
An increase in longer trials caused a 75 per cent rise last year in the number of fines for people who tried to get out of jury duty without a good reason, including those who claimed the planets weren't aligned and an allergy to airconditioning.

Figures from the NSW Department of Justice reveal juries are dominated by the young, old, underemployed and the retired.

Out of this world: weird excuses for not attending a jury include a lack of aligned planets. Credit:Dionne Gain

Compared with the general population in NSW, for example, there are nearly twice as many people aged 50-59 and 60-69, while there are fewer people between 30-49 than the rest of NSW.

Former criminal lawyer Julia Quilter said the complexity and length of trials had grown enormously, some lasting 12 weeks to six months, and this was making it more difficult for the courts to find jurors willing and able to serve.
Dogs may soon be safe to return to city pubs with a proposal before parliament to protect an old part of Sydney pub culture that has recently been overturned by council rangers and health and safety laws.

Over the past year, there have been several reports of council officials fining drinkers up to $600 for having dogs in pubs, leading many publicans to reluctantly introduce bans.

Peter Philip said he designed his Wayward Brewery's tasting room to be dog-friendly from the start. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Council rangers cite laws that prohibit dogs being within 10 metres of food consumption. But beer, in the eyes of state law at least, is a food too, meaning owners (and publicans) can be fined for a dog being in the front drinking room of a public bar.

Following council inspections and threatened fines to publicans too a number of Balmain's famously dog friendly pubs such as the The London and Dry Dock have been forced to stop allowing dogs after welcoming them for the past 30 years.
Victoria's education boss could be investigated by the Ombudsman over explosive claims she tried to pressure a youth justice executive not to give damaging court evidence against the Andrews government.

Fairfax Media can reveal that a parliamentary committee will refer the allegations involving education department secretary Gill Callister to the state watchdog, paving the way for a potential probe into one of Victoria's most senior bureaucrats.

Education department secretary Gill Callister may be investigated by the Ombudsman. Credit:Justin McManus

The move comes after former Parkville College executive principal Brendan Murray accused Ms Callister of trying convince him to testify in the Supreme Court that youths who had been temporarily sent to the Barwon adult prison could be given an appropriate education qualifications  despite his view to the contrary.

At the time, Mr Murray had been called as a witness by human rights lawyers who were suing the government for the "unlawful" placement of youth offenders into the Grevillea unit of the adult jail.
NC finalises its candidates in all 32 districts

The major ruling party, Nepali Congress (NC), has finalised its candidates to contest in the House of Representatives and State Assemblies elections taking place in 32 districts on November 26.
Police free abducted Indian businessman

An Indian businessman, who was kidnapped from Kanchanrup Municipality of Saptari, was rescued on Friday evening.
I arrived in College Station Jan. 1, 1993, 20 days before the end of the Bush administration, as the first National Archives employee in College Station. My wife, Mary, arrived about two weeks later as a trailing spouse, a moniker that was not quite appreciated. She was the custodian of the Bush Presidential and Vice-Presidential, as well as the Quayle Vice-Presidential audio-visual collection at the National Archives, and the collection traveled to Texas with her.

My job was to convert an old bowling alley into a temporary facility to house the soon-to-be-former presidents papers and artifacts until a permanent facility could be built on the campus of Texas A&M, where Bush had decided to locate a future National Archives Presidential Library. At the time of the presidents decision, we all thought that we would have six more years to prepare  but alas, that was not to be. The president, who had had some of the highest approval ratings of any president, lost a bid for a second term to the governor of Arkansas,

Bill Clinton.

Beginning shortly after the election, a team of archivists  which included Mary and me  was detailed to the White House and began going from office to office within the White House and Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) with tape measures and yardsticks, measuring filing cabinets and trying to estimate the volume of records that would be transferred. Looking back on it, we must have appeared to those who were about to lose their jobs like the undertaker measuring the body.

All the records were palletized on the floors and hallways of the OEOB and then transferred to Andrews Air Force Base, where they were loaded onto C-5A cargo planes and flown to Fort Hood, Texas. Over a two-day period  Jan. 15 and 20, 1992  21 semi-trailer loads of material that had arrived from Washington, D.C., were unloaded at Fort Hood and transferred to College Station. I had made sure that shelving was in place and labeled so the records could be unloaded and shelved in a prearranged location so that nothing was misplaced. The mission of shelving all 11,000 boxes of records and several hundred crates was given to soldiers from Fort Hood, many of whom had served in Desert Storm. They accomplished the task in record time with not one box misplaced.

Warren and Mary Finch at home in Aggieland It all started in 1986 in a shared office at Auburn University, where Warren Finch and Mary Kloser were just two friends pursuing their master

Shortly after the establishment of the temporary facility, an eastern newspaper stated that the Bush administration records were languishing away in an abandoned bowling alley in a backwater town. The director at the time responded that the records and artifacts were not languishing away but were being taken care of and made ready for research by a team of dedicated National Archives employees. He also pointed out that Texas A&M was one of the nations largest and premier land-grant universities. He, Mary and I all graduated from land-grant institutions. He said the greatest insult, however, was the statement that the papers were being housed in an abandoned bowling alley, because the site was not just a bowling alley, but also a Chinese restaurant.

We got to work preparing the records for release and ensuring that the building that was being constructed on the campus would have what we needed to house the records, make this information available for research and be the home of a world-class museum on the life and career of the 41st president. After several years of fruitful effort, on a bright and crisp November morning, we opened to the public for the first time. It was a magical day. On the dais for the opening hosted by the former president and first lady were President Bill Clinton and and first lady Hillary Clinton, former Presidents Ford and Carter, and Nancy Reagan, representing her husband, Ronald Reagan, whose brave battle with Alzheimers did not allow him to attend. Each spoke with admiration of the 41st president. Also present were former first ladies Johnson, Ford and Carter.

In a moving speech, President Bush ended by quoting his great boyhood idol, Lou Gehrig, saying he felt like the luckiest person in the world. The doors opened, and thousands of people poured into the museum. Unfortunately, the staff members were unable to get into the building first, but soon made their way in amongst the crowds.

For Mary and I, what was supposed to be a two- or three-year stint before heading back to a career at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., became a lifelong devotion. We fell in love with the place, the people and the mission of making the records of this important part of American history available to the public. These include the letters that a young George Bush wrote home to his parents during World War II, the diary he kept as U.S. liaison to China and his records from two terms as congressman, as well as his time as ambassador to the United Nations, director of Central Intelligence and vice president and president. We also fell in love with the great Texas A&M University, which has done so much to be helpful over the past twenty years, and the students that make this university so special. If we had it to do all over again, we would not change anything.
Thirty years ago this December, George H.W. Bush made his first official trip to the Texas A&M campus when he was asked to deliver a prestigious national award to the public university for a new program created to combat economic illiteracy.

He had recently finished a term as director of the CIA after serving as the chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the Peoples Republic of China, and he was asked to speak about those experiences.

Less than three years later, Bush returned to Aggieland, this time to speak at DeWare Field House  a gym later torn down to make room for an expanded Kyle Field. It was the day before the Texas Presidential Primary, and the then-candidate was en route to his adopted hometown of Houston 95 miles away.

The friendliness he experienced during those two trips, along with the recognition that Aggies and public service were often fused together, made an impression on the Yale University graduate, World War II hero and former U.S. state representative from Texas, he would later tell The Eagle. Those who knew him, including Aggies who worked on his staff, werent surprised when he later agreed to speak at several events on the College Station campus during his vice presidency in the 1980s.

But it wasnt until a few weeks after he secured the majority popular and electoral votes to win the presidency that an improbable  if not seemingly untenable  idea was posed to the lifelong Republican. Oil tycoon and distinguished Aggie alum Michel Halbouty took the opportunity during a private meeting in the vice presidents office to ask if hed consider building his presidential library and museum on the Texas A&M campus. Not even sworn in as commander in chief just yet, Bush kindly replied that it was too early for such thoughts.

Halbouty  a world-renowned earth scientist and engineer who served as a regent at the school where he earned an undergraduate and masters degree  was persistent. He spoke with then-Chancellor Perry Adkisson, who seized the occasion to quickly get to work in devising a detailed plan with William A. McKenzie, the chairman of the Board of Regents. A steering committee was appointed and at work within weeks. They were organized. They spoke to architects, engineers, educators, students, administrators and fundraisers and toured other presidential libraries. The push turned into a hard, well-executed sell in person 5 months later when Bush again was a commencement speaker at an A&M graduation.

A presidential hangout

That day in May 1989 marked Bushs first foreign policy speech since taking office as president, and it was far from the last time Air Force One would land at nearby Easterwood Airport to deliver a sitting president assigned to address thousands of Aggies and Bryan-College Station community leaders. Because of Bush, President Clinton  joined by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford  came to town to honor him on the day the museum and library were dedicated in 1997. Bushs son  the 43rd president, George W. Bush  was closing out his second term when he took the stage at Reed Arena to advise Aggie graduates on their next step. Barack Obama was at the beginning of his presidency when he was invited by the elder Bush to celebrate volunteerism at a Points of Light event on the campus.

With the exception of the late Ford, those former presidents will come together under one roof on Saturday at Reed Arena  less than a mile from the Bush Presidential Library Center  in a night of solidarity to raise money to benefit victims of recent catastrophic hurricanes Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida and Maria in Puerto Rico.

Following Harveys punishing storm, Bush opted to host a benefit concert rather than carry through with plans for a gala to recognize him and his two decades of service in Aggieland. In typical Bush fashion  which includes a no bragging rule followed by a generous dose of humility  the change in plans have not appeared in any press releases or mentions by Bush officials. In fact, when announced, it seemed fitting to have it close out a two-day event to recognize the 20th anniversary of the Bush Center opening. Already in town would be experts on Bush and his administration to discuss his presidency, current events and the countrys future, as well as some of George and Barbara Bushs grandchildren to speak about public service and from whom they drew their inspiration to help others.

It is vintage George and Barbara Bush to take what could have been an event more focused on the Bush School and the Bush Library and the 20th anniversary of both, but instead to use this occasion as an excuse to bring Americans together to help others, said Jim McGrath, a spokesman for the Bush family. President and Mrs. Bush are truly moved to think this event sold out in less than 24 hours, and their thanks to the former presidents, the performers and certainly the 11,000 audience members who bought tickets knows no bounds.

In an interview prior to the opening of the museum 20 years ago, Bush dismissed what others said about how $40 million was raised eight months ahead of schedule through private donations to build and fill the library and museum. Former U.S. National Archivist Don Wilson, who became the Bush Foundations first executive director, said though Bush didnt ask for a dime, his life and devotion to public service were the only evidence needed. The countries of Japan, Sudan and Kuwait each contributed more than $1 million, while hundreds of others gave generous donations, including Bryan businessman Don Adam, who donated $1 million.

Bush credits Aggies and other supporters from over the years for turning the 90 acres at Research Park on the southwest side of the campus into a historical center that grows knowledge and invites healthy debate on issues important to the world, country, state and community, while also graduating future leaders answering the call to public service. A big part of the draw for Bush when he selected Texas A&M over the University of Houston and Rice University was the promise of academic collaboration through the School of Government and Public Service, he said.

A tour through the Greatest Generation

Twenty-thousand people  world leaders, dignitaries, politicians and public officials, along with athletes, actors, musicians and community members  showed up on a warm, sunny day on Nov. 6, 1997 to dedicate the library and museum. Many then stepped inside to see what had been underway since Bushs presidency ended in early January 1993.

An Avenger dive bomber similar to the one Bush was flying when he was shot down over the Pacific in World War II hangs from the ceiling after visitors take a tour through his family history, complete with a video of him taking his first steps in 1924. Theres also a letter that attendees can read that Bush wrote to his parents  he described himself a sissy for the way he handled the incident, though others would call him a hero. Two of his crew members died, prompting him to write: I sobbed while sitting in my raft. A submarine rescued him, and a short video clip of that also is on display.

Much of the museum is filled with exhibits, information and pictures that the public rarely sees in person, including replicas of the Oval Office and a letter he wrote to his own children prior to Persian Gulf War. His critical role in helping to end the Cold War is featured prominently in the 69,000-square-foot building where a section of the Berlin Wall now stands. Toward the end is the Gate of Kuwait, a 100-year-old door framed in gold and inscribed with the names of Americas Gulf War dead is behind glass  a gift of thanks from the Emir of Kuwait.

Many of the items on display are deeply personal, including a keepsake that Barbara Bush carried in her wallet for 40 years  a four-leaf clover  a newspaper clipping with her engagement photo and a gold charm in memory of daughter Robin, who died of cancer at the age of 4 while the couple lived in Midland.

Suzy Cox, archivist at the museum, said an estimated 92,070 artifacts and 1,533 foreign head of state gifts are available at the museum; however, less than 75 percent of the items have been put on display so far.

More than 44 million pages of records, 2 million photographs, 2,100 hours of audio and 10,000 video recordings are filed at the library, according to library officials.

Well over 3,000 researchers have used the textual archives and audio-visual materials at the library, while countless others have used the online services for use in books and documentaries across the world. Notable onsite researchers include Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former chiefs of Staff John Sununu and Gen. Brent Scowcroft, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, Bush and his daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch.

Like each of those

Researchers, presidential historian Michael Beschloss was among the hundreds invited to speak at the Bush Center over the past two decades. He said visitors to the museum follow a timeline of Bushs life in public service and quickly see how this member of the Greatest Generation made himself politically obsolete.

By helping to end the Cold War, he caused Americans instead to look to a president like Bill Clinton who was more emotionally involved in domestic issues and the domestic economy than a president who was skilled in foreign affairs, he said.

Bush, in his interview with The Eagle in the weeks leading up to the Bush Centers opening 20 years ago, preferred a different take-away for those who make the trip into the museum, which on Thursday saw its 3 millionth visitor.

Id like for someone to walk out of there with a better understanding of what the 41st president was all about, Bush said. Id like them to say after looking through the museum, that they have a better understanding of the historic changes that took place during the four years I was president.

As for how the success of his term will be measured? Bush said hell leave that up to the historians to decide.

Im confident they will get it right, he said. Scholars will go to the library and make up their own minds as to the success and failures.
Lyle Lovett was finishing his summer tour with his Large Band in late August when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. One of his concerts was canceled, another was postponed. He returned to his home in Klein in Harris County to make sure everything was OK here, he says.

At one point we were driving through what seemed to be higher water than normal, the Texas A&M graduate recalled in a Wednesday phone interview. I sat up front with our bus driver to compliment his driving skills, and he said, Yeah, Ive never been in water this deep before. I just thought  gulp. When youre in the middle of it, you dont know exactly what is going to happen.

Lovetts home and family members in the area were spared from the worst of the storm. But just a few miles away, in areas including Cypress Creek and Spring Creek, houses were underwater, he says. We know lots of folks who were affected. Lovetts partner, April Kimble, has cousins in Houston who had to be rescued by boat.

Its just a helpless feeling when you see that water start to come up, he says. And, of course, people were trying to help one another immediately. Its a shame that people had to rise to the occasion, but to see how people did rise to the occasion  the Cajun Navy, lots of the news coverage was just man-on-the-street interviews with people who were putting their jon boat in at the creek, going after people. That sort of helpful spirit  that selfless, what-can-I-do-to-help spirit  is a wonderful thing to see.

Saturdays Deep From the Heart benefit concert at Reed Arena will be Lovetts third since the storm, and hell play a fourth at Bass Hall in Fort Worth with Don Henley and Clint Black in November. He joined fellow Aggie and friend Robert Earl Keen, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton at George Straits benefit on Sept. 12 in San Antonio. He praised Straits leadership in the event and calls him such a gentleman.

It was really fun working with him, Lovett says.  You can tell how somebody is from the way he does things. But to then experience it first-hand is that much more exciting. And man, talk about singing. Im standing next to him, standing a foot away from him and singing next to him, and his voice is as great as ever. That baritone of his could blow over a building, its so strong and clear.

The 59-year-old Lovett also played the Willie Nelson-led Harvey Cant Mess With Texas event in Austin on Sept. 22, with an all-star lineup including Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Edie Brickell and Leon Bridges.

I got an email from Willie before the storm was even finished blowing through, Lovett says. Willie and Paul Simon were on the same email, saying, Lets do something. I wrote right back and said, Count me in.

With both of those events, Lovett said what stood out most is how much the audience and artists wanted to help the cause  the spirit and the generosity of the people in attendance.

This is something I can do, he says. My little part of these shows is not much, but Im honored to have the chance to do something, because so many people stepped up and put themselves in harms way and really rose to the occasion.

The event on Saturday will be Lovetts first time to perform with former President George H.W. Bush in the audience. He has encountered the 41st president and wife Barbara at a number of events over the years, and he notes their strong support for charitable causes in the Houston area. Theyre just such an inspiring couple, he says.

Lovett does have experience playing for presidents, however. He played a inauguration event for Bill Clinton, a few events for George W. Bush  including a Black Tie and Boots inauguration ball  and for Barack Obama.

Just getting to go to the White House  let alone, gosh, meet the president of the United States  those are the kind of experiences that are always awe-inspiring, and theyre absolutely way beyond any experience I could ever have imagined when I first started playing and singing, he says. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Id ever get to go to the White House and play for the president of the United States. So I consider that an honor and a privilege. And Im just really looking forward to this weekend.
Almost 30 years ago, leaders from Bryan-College Station and Texas A&M University came together in a bold effort to bring the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library to this community and to create an accompanying college that would educate and prepare future public servants.

What a brilliant idea that turned out to be! For 20 years now, the Bush Library has been a beacon for Americans wanting to celebrate principled leadership and the values of the American family, and the Bush School of Government and Public Service has been producing leaders of character who are dedicated to improving the world around them.

I am now in my second year as dean of the Bush School. Its still hard to believe Im lucky enough to work here. Its been uplifting to meet and get to know our remarkable students, distinguished faculty members and deeply committed staff. Ive also been able to reacquaint myself with all the great things about Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station. My wife, Betty, and I watched our four children graduate from this remarkable university, and we are ecstatic to be living in this wonderful community. We are truly blessed!

The Bush School is already a great success story. Wonderful people, from community leaders to donors to partners from the other colleges at Texas A&M, have supported us every step of the way. That support allowed us to gain momentum each and every year. We dont plan on slowing down anytime soon.

This year, we welcome another talented class of students, who are committed to following President Bushs footsteps into a life of service to their fellow citizens. The schools reputation for excellence in academics, research and public service is well-established and growing. Our student body is one of the most diverse of any college at Texas A&M, with each student bringing a unique perspective to classroom discussions, research efforts and community service.

This past summer, Bush School students completed internships across the U.S. and around the world. Others chose foreign language immersion programs, while some conducted research projects at home or abroad. Their hard work over the summer enriched their academic experience and further prepared them for their future careers. Throughout the school year, our students also make significant contributions to the local community, demonstrating their commitment to volunteerism and modeling public service.

The Public Service Organization, a student-run organization at the Bush School, ensures that students have the opportunity to give back to this community by organizing projects throughout the year. Because of this organizations dedication, students have been able to interact with and assist members of the Bryan and College Station communities in a variety of ways.

The expertise, experience and energy of our faculty continue to make this a school where scholars and students alike thrive. Widely respected in their fields of expertise and recognized as excellent teachers, our faculty are actively engaged in research related to complex policy issues, providing knowledge and guidance to decision makers at all levels of government and the nonprofit sector. Many have significant experience in government and/or the private sector and use that experience to help guide our students as they try to determine their own future path.

We are especially proud of our graduates impressive record of service and their impact in the public policy arena. It is clear that in the 20 years since its founding, the Bush School has had significant influence on communities, states, the nation and the world, as its graduates gained key positions in government and nonprofit organizations. Their success reflects the breadth of knowledge and unique experiences acquired during their years on campus.

Now, more than ever, we need well-trained, well-prepared, principled leaders who grasp the scope and context of increasingly complex issues. Todays public servants need the skills to grapple with those issues and the character to lead in times of uncertainty. They face a challenging environment, but they are well prepared to excel in that environment. Bush School graduates undertake competitive internships in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. They conduct rigorous research with real-world clients and are blessed with a rich classroom experience focused on critical thinking. For 20 years now, their success has been our success.

They show the world the quality of the people who come here and the quality of the education they receive.

It has been a remarkable first 20 years for the Bush School; I cant wait to see what the next 20 bring. As our college matures, we must maintain a clear focus on our goals and work tirelessly to ensure the Bush School continues to grow in importance as an educational resource for Texas, the nation and the world. I am honored to be a part of this school and to contribute in some small way to the development of the remarkable leaders and scholars who are now part of the living legacy of President George H. W. Bush. I know how proud he is of them. I just hope he knows how proud all of us are to represent him.
The mystery behind what President George H.W. Bush said to Mikhail Gorbachev when he confronted him about the Soviet Union's illegal biological weapon was brought to light with the help of College Station archivists.

"Either you're lying to us, or your people are lying to you."

Tom Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, is quick to praise the staff of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library for performing the meticulous and tedious work that has unveiled this historic moment and more. But equally as quickly, he has qualms.

For example, he pointed to a publicly available Soviet Union transcript of the Malta Summit -- the meeting where Bush and Gorbachev declared an end to the Cold War -- and asked for the classified American version.

"We didn't get the American transcript until 10 years after that," he said. "That's the kind of painstaking review and broken system that we have to improve."

To explain why declassifying information in the U.S. is difficult, Blanton joined three CIA veterans and archivists at the "Unlocking the Mystery: Declassifying the Bush Administration Documents" on Friday afternoon. The panel at the Annenberg President Conference Center was part of the 20th anniversary of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center.

One of the gatekeepers for documents in CIA and presidential library archives is panelist Nancy Morgan, director of Information Management Services. She said the Reagan administration was a sort of turning point. The number of documents associated with subsequent presidencies has drastically increased.

Jim Olson, former directorate of operations for the CIA, said a "mountain" of classified documents formed during his time in the digital age is because of a long-standing culture of liberally stamping documents as "secret." He said some or many of those document may rightfully be sealed, but there was no science or methodology to the decision.

"We classified documents without giving much thought to it," Olson said.

This much, panelist Blanton agreed with. Beyond that the two disagreed, most notably on leakers. While Olson took a firm stance against people such as Edward Snowden, Blanton described leakers as essential, and questioned how detrimental Snowden's actions were.

In a direct exchange between the two, Blanton questioned why the U.S. was listening in on Angela Merkel's cell phone, the news of which was released by Snowden.

"That's just stupid," he said. "It's just bad practice. Bad practices take place in secret vaults."

The line garnered at least a few grumbles from the audience. Olson's response, in which he argued that there needs to be a clear system of checks before information is declassified, garnered a full round of applause.

"There are a lot of things that have to be kept secret for national security," Olson said. "There would be great damage done to our country if these things were released. I think it's totally unacceptable to have people like Snowden running loose deciding...that they can release this information."

Olson, who is also a senior lecturer at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, said it takes time to weigh the dangers of declassifying a document because of how difficult it is to determine the nuanced implications of doing so. He cited the time he tried to get documents relating to Russian WWII spies declassified to use in his class only to be told these Russian spies, now long dead, might still have children or grandchildren who could be affected.

"To call this an imperfect process is probably giving it too much credit," he said, adding that despite this, he still supports efforts in the CIA to declassify documents. It sends the sign that the agency is accountable to the public, he said.

Blanton pointed to different documents that have been classified in the U.S. but are still available through other countries. He said the process of declassification doesn't have to take as long as it does, but so long as the current system is in place, the U.S. will slip further and further behind in releasing documents.

"We need to get out our magic wands from whatever that wand shop Harry Potter went to, brush our wands...and say, 'This body of records needs to go out,'" he joked.
Thai Princess Sirindhorn visits Lumbini (With photos)

Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhron visited Lumbini in Rupandehi district on Friday to mark cultural and religious connection between Nepal and Thailand with the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Cody Hunt's day begins before the sun's. After drinking coffee and catching up on the news, he's usually at his gym by 6:30 weekday mornings before heading to work.

As an investigator with Brazos County's Child Protective Services, Hunt knows having an outlet is crucial in his emotionally demanding line of work: investigating claims of child neglect and abuse.

"You know when to turn it off," Hunt says of reflecting on the details of his days: meeting a 3-year old with bruises on her back, hearing a child's outcry of sexual abuse and listening to a 40-year-old father justify not seeking help for drug and alcohol addiction.

"This job will eat you alive if you don't find appropriate coping or stress management," he says. "You deal with a lot of negative. You see things the general public isn't aware of."

Funding increases

Endorphins released, Hunt is at work and checking emails by around 8:30 a.m., seeing if he's gotten any new cases. His caseload is currently at eight, a number he says is "good." The department's goal is to keep investigators' caseloads under 15, but Hunt says he wants his under 10.

Before Hunt -- who is one of two male investigators in his department -- was hired in December, caseworkers in his unit were handling 60-plus cases.

"[They] must have been getting slammed with five to eight new cases per week," Hunt says, and he thinks it showed: Morale was low, turnover was high.

To address chronic turnover and large caseloads at CPS offices across Texas, the state directed $150 million in emergency funds in December to hire more caseworkers and bump salaries of existing caseworkers by $12,000 annually. Currently, investigator salaries are listed as between $38,16.65 and $40,06.50. They're also paid a $416 monthly stipend. Supervisors and program directors also received raises.

Lawmakers continued in the legislative session to inject money into the Department of Family and Protective Services, which houses CPS, by appropriating money in the state budget to hire 1,100 more caseworkers in 2018 and 2019 and keep the new raises going.

Cristy Gatlin, Brazos County investigations supervisor and five-year CPS veteran, said 11 positions have been filled in the entire Brazos Valley program area, those units are now fully staffed.

"We haven't really had anybody leave since we got the raises," Gatlin said, and those who did mostly got promoted or shifted positions.

"Workers would tend to leave a lot quicker previously," Gatlin said of turnover before the added funding, but less could also be leaving because of a revamped training program.

Lori Johnston, Brazos County assistant district attorney, and Ellen Evans, secretary with the Child Protective Services division of the county D.A.'s office, said there had been a lot of turnover before the increased funding. Evans said she thinks the money the state allocated has helped fill vacant staff positions and led to investigators staying on staff longer.

Johnston said the higher salary makes the application process for the investigator positions more competitive, allowing for managers to pick the best possible applicants.

Evans and Johnston said they used to see investigators from outside the county come here because of the local office being short-staffed, but they haven't seen that as much this year. They said that, now that vacant positions aren't as much of a problem, new staff are adjusting to the jobs, but the state money has led to improvements, and will continue to be a positive force for CPS.

Hunt said he and another investigator hired on the same day are currently tied for the second-most tenured investigators in the office, despite having been hired in December.

"It's crazy I'm kind of considered a tenured worker and I've been here less than a year,"he said.

'Average American family'

Hunt arrived at his first home visit on Oct. 11 around 10 a.m. Like many of his cases, this family lives in Bryan. Though he sometimes gets cases in Grimes, Madison and Burleson counties, most families live in Brazos, and most within Bryan's borders.

Sand, bowls and brushes lay outside the East Bryan apartment, remnants of children's playtime. Inside, a child younger than 5 years old bounces on one of the two couches as he points a Playstation controller at two televisions. Disney Princess coloring books and literature with titles such as What's New at the Zoo? line the floor. A stuffed elephant sits in a crate and faces Hunt as he interviews the father, a young man in his mid-20s who recently hurt his back in an accident.

Hunt asks the parents if they've been communicating any better since he last spoke with them.

"No," the husband says, but they want to try. Hunt gives them some resources -- classes to take as a family -- before he starts his walk through the home. He tells the parents to keep small items off the floors; young children tend to put stray objects in their mouths.

Hunt encourages the father -- who served in the military for four years -- to look into applying for disability benefits and advises the couple to put their children's needs ahead of their own. The visit lasts around 15 minutes, significantly shorter than the 30 to 45 minutes he spends interviewing each member of households when he initiates a case.

Outside, Hunt says he sympathizes with their situation, calling the three children and their parents an "average American family, where they just kind of get beat up by life."

The husband shattered some of his vertebrae in an accident, putting him on long-term bed rest and injecting his family with financial uncertainty. Confined to bedrest, his communication with his wife broke down, mixing stress and tension in their home that continued to build.

"They're young parents with three kids, and they just need a little help," says Hunt.

Hunt, a former Air Force survival instructor, says he's happy the father is considering applying for long-term disability.

"Veterans don't like asking for help," he says.

A rise in reporting

Hunt described his job as half investigator, half social worker. He spends a significant amount of time going to local police stations to pick up police reports and getting medical records from hospitals. He also spends time calling "collaterals," essentially people the parents list as references. These calls help him paint a fuller picture of the families he's investigating.

Gatlin said the majority of investigators' cases deal with involve alleged neglectful supervision, but they also get a lot of physical and sexual abuse cases, as well as drug cases.

Hunt estimated that at least a third of his cases involve drugs or alcohol; he sees a lot who use marijuana, cocaine, crack and methamphetamine.

According to numbers provided to The Eagle, there were about 3,230 reports of abuse and neglect in Brazos Valley reported to CPS in its 2017 fiscal year. Of those, 1,654 reports were filed in Brazos County, the most in the valley, followed by Milam and Grimes counties, with 359 and 355 reports, respectively.

The number of reported incidences have risen alongside Brazos County's population growth. In 2005, when the county's population was, according to the U.S. Census, 163,617, there were 1,075 incidences were reported to CPS. The number of incidences reported to CPS in 2017 is a 53 percent increase from the number reported in 2005.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that roughly 215,000 people lived in Brazos County in 2015.

Empathy through experience

Hunt visits the second home of his Oct. 11 workday after lunch. His next visit is in West Bryan, at the home of a 27-year-old mother of three young children.

The air conditioner pumps through the cold, tidy home as Hunt does another walkthrough. Drawings line the walls, a canvas of the children's self expression.

"I should really get them a chalkboard or something," the mother laughs.

During the interview with Hunt, the mother explains her recent history with the father of her kids: stepping out to visit a friend in the hospital, the mother returned home hours later to learn her children's father, who had gotten drunk while watching them, had called the police and told authorities she had abandoned their children. When the cops arrived they arrested him on an outstanding warrant.

She tells Hunt she makes $9 per hour at a part-time job. She receives $424 per month in SNAP food benefits, she doesn't get any consistent financial support from her children's father. But she provides for her kids, keeps the pantry stocked with food and has a supportive family that helps out with watching the children.

Hunt tells her he's concerned about the cyclical nature of the mother's relationship with the father of their children -- "He ends up hitting me, so we end up leaving each other," she says -- and expresses alarm when she tells him the father pulled a gun on her once in front of their kids.

"You seem like you're a good mom. I need you to look out for them," Hunt tells her. "I think ya'll don't have a healthy relationship. I think you realize it, too."

She tells him she filed for a protective order against the father, and just that morning had filed for child support.

Hunt readily acknowledges the stress of his job; he works out twice a day, once before work and, if he's home early enough, runs a bit around dusk. The job -- the hours, the stress -- is tough.

But, Hunt says, there's beauty in the resilience of the families who are receptive to CPS' help.

Hunt grew up in a family that didn't have a lot of money. His father struggled with addiction and mental illness.

"I know what it's like to sleep on the floor, what it's like to see an angry parent flip a switch and flip out on their kids," he says.

The week following his contact with the two families, Hunt has good news: the veteran father applied for disability benefits and agreed to counseling, and the whole family will receive some of the resources Hunt had told them about. He closed their case.

"You deal with a lot of stressful things, but sometimes it's just one small thing," Hunt said. "One positive goes such a long way in reminding you why you're doing this job."
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a trooper stopped a pickup Thursday on Texas 6 near Westward Ho. The trooper spoke with the driver, Lesley Brooke Vigneri, 40, and noticed she appeared nervous and her breathing was irregular. When the trooper spoke with the passenger, Steven Wade Wikan, 47, he had a shaky voice, an arrest affidavit states. The trooper called for a K-9 to search the car and a probable cause search was executed. According to the arrest affidavit, troopers found three hypodermic needles that contained liquid, two plastic bags containing methamphetamine and several empty plastic bags.
Experts recounted personal memories on Friday afternoon of their time researching the George H.W. Bush administration and talking to the country's 41st president -- revealing a humorous side of the former leader of the free world and discussing Bush's tone of civility.

The panel, "Sharing the Story: Researching the Bush Administration," kicked off the 20th anniversary celebration of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center with laughs and sentimentality as Mary Kate Cary, Jon Meacham, Jeffrey A. Engel and Barbara A. Perry told their favorite elder Bush stories and discussed the roles the library and archives have played in their influential works.

The session at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center kicked off with a short video of outakes from 41ON41, a forthcoming film premiering on Netflix and iTunes that features interviews with 41 of President Bush's best friends. The short video featured interviews with Dana Carvey, Robert Gates and John Sununu, as they recounted the ways Bush would turn jokes on practical jokesters and write funny limericks during meetings with U.N. world leaders.

Engel, an award-winning American history scholar and author of the forthcoming book When the World Seemed New: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War, told the audience about receiving a document on the first National Security Council meeting after Saddam Hussein's decision to invade Kuwait in early 1990.

Eventually, Bush famously came out in defense of democracy and vowed to protect Kuwait from Iraq, but Engel said that idealism was not present in the document he saw.

"That first reaction was not the real reaction," Engel said. "This document was confused. This document had people interrupting each other."

Engel said the document laid out reasons why the U.S. should not care Kuwait had been invaded, But later, at a joint session in front of Congress and foreign diplomats, Bush came out against Iraq and said it would not annex Kuwait. The document Engel had seen, he said, showed the leader's initial reactions, but the administration's later actions show the result of reflection, providing a valuable window into the administration's thought process.

Perry, co-chair of the Miller Center's Presidential Oral History Program and participant in the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush projects, told the audience that Americans are "really nasty" to sitting presidents but tend to think more positively of past ones. Though he ultimately lost re-election to Bill Clinton, Bush's approval ratings climbed from 22 to 56 percent before he left office, bucking the trend that sitting presidents see declining public favorability until after they leave office.

Perry read the audience a quote about Bush being one of the last politicians who could disagree with an opponent without being vindictive.

"If that would be his only legacy, in this day and age we know how important that is," she said.

Before taking questions from the audience, the four panelists thanked the Bush Library and its archives and staff for the help on their work, in a show of appreciation for the now 20-year-old institution.

"None of our work would exist without the archives," said Engel.
It's not a matter of change, but rather one of choices

What works in the grungiest clothes, takes five minutes, and yet proves you are a real American? Right. And the window will close on Nov. 7.

The race for the Place 3 seat on the College Station City Council appears clear cut. Dallas Shipp offers his marketing expertise to bring us out of the dark ages. It is all about luring more businesses to the city, with a little rezoning here, a little there, for better convenience -- chipping away at the older neighborhoods.

He hints Linda Harvell should "recuse" herself from voting with her Southside neighbors who lost a tough battle against a retail corporation and failed to save their Fairview Avenue. Who elected Harvell to represent them but these very people? I doubt that Shipp and Vessali would "recuse" themselves from the upcoming vote on the proposed rezoning to open Ashburn Street as a feeder to University Drive.

In our neighborhood, Shipp and Vessali signs abound, paired in front of stealth dorms, which also abound.

Shipp feels "backed onto a corner" by former College Station mayors who all seem to support Harvell.

Well, duh. They all live here and love it. Harvell lives here and loves it. People move here, live here and love it.

This is not a matter of change, which is inevitable, but choices. Consider giving your property, your homestead, a boost. Vote for better balance on the city council.

Write Harvell and Brick on your hand and go to the polls as if change depends on you -- which it does.

KATHRYN G. LINDSAY

College Station

There are more important religion stories for The Eagle

The headline "Church denies First Communion to girl who wanted to wear pantsuit" is incorrect. The girl was not denied First Communion. The church offered to have the ceremony separate from the class, in her desired attire.

According to the parents, the girl identifies as female, so it's not about that. She did not ask to dress in the boys' required dress code. She wanted to wear something completely different than either gender was required to wear. In the end she was denied participation with her private-school classmates because she informed the school that she wasn't going to adhere to the dress code.

Our local high schools probably send at least a dozen students home a year for wearing clothing outside the dress code. Where are the thousand-word articles on those incidents?

The girl chose (with her parent's encouragement) not to attend her first communion because she couldn't wear what she wanted. I agree with the principal who said the parents were rearing the child wrong.

This article seems much ado about nothing, and has little, if anything, to do with religion. If The Eagle news staff is having issues finding articles about faith to publish in the Saturday edition, give me a call. I can find you articles of import that are actually about religion.

C.R. NUGENT

Bryan
Head of state institute wants to make it fun place to work
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NORWALK  For the last two weeks, a man has followed Quentin Ball, the new executive director of an organization that counsels survivors of sexual assault, everywhere she goes.

People throughout Fairfield County are eager to talk about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein  and thats fine with Ball.

Weinstein, who owns homes in Westport, faces two high-profile accusations of sexual impropriety in the town. Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyongo and comedian Sarah Ann Masse have come forth alleging Weinstein sexually harrassed them at his Westport home, though the police department here has not opened an investigation regarding the allegations because neither has filed a complaint.

I havent gone to any kind of event or function in the past couple of weeks without this being one of the principal topics of conversation, Ball said, which I think is incredibly encouraging.

In August, Ball, 41, took over as head of The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education, a nonprofit that last year reached more than 20,000 adults and children in lower Fairfield County with its prevention programs and counseled 160 sexual assault victims who called its anonymous hotline.

Ball hopes the dialogues sparked by allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, including the #metoo campaign on social media, will encourage more victims to feel comfortable sharing stories of sexual assault, a term that covers sexual harassment and inappropriate touching, as well as rape and incest.

I am profoundly hopeful and positive about the way people are coming out of the shadows and talking about things that have happened to them, she said.

The tip of the iceberg

More Information Sexual Assault in Connecticut Term includes sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, child sexual abuse, incest and rape. 26% of women are sexual assault survivors 24% of rape victims who never came forward said they felt ashamed 19% of residents have experienced sexual assault See More Collapse

After The New York Times reported that actresses and women Weinstein had worked with accused him of sexual harrassment and unwanted physical contact, David Lewiss phone began to ring.

He was the CEO of OperationsInc, a Norwalk-based human resources company, and requests were pouring in from companies asking about training for sexual harrassment prevention and awareness.

My last two weeks, weve had more inquiries for harassment prevention and awareness training and diversity training than in the past two months, he said.

In Lewiss 31 years teaching about sexual harrassment and investigating claims, he has come to learn that most workplaces have an issue. The incidents you hear about are only the tip of the iceberg.

You have the incident, and what happens? Lewis asked. You have to be driven to the point where you feel like you have to say something. And then that has to register to the point where the public becomes aware of it. And thats a very, very high bar. He argues that there are millions of incidents of sexual harrassement that take place every day.

When Elizabeth Comport, a rape survivor living in Norwalk, saw the #metoo campaign flood her social media stream, she also knew that many people werent sharing their stories.

It could be a mom who has her kids as Facebook friends and isnt comfortable with the kids knowing, she said. And so many of us actually have a rapist as a mutual friend on social media.

Thinking of the isolation such survivors may feel in the face of so many stories, she added her own post to the stream of #metoo Facebook statuses. If you want to say #metoo but dont want to say it publicly you can private message me.

She said the first response came within minutes.

Comport believes the number of #metoo posts only hints at the magnitude of the problem. Thats not the actual number, Comport said. The number is far higher. And the people who arent counted because of their silence are just as important.

Not only in the workplace

Beth Breezes first memory of sexual harassment took place long before she joined the workforce. It occurred when she was 8 years old.

The Norwalk resident still remembers waving out the school bus window to see who would wave back when she was an elementary school student in Westchester County. A man with salt-and-pepper hair saw her and took the opportunity to expose himself.

At the time, I was just very confused, Breeze said. I didnt have any brothers, so I didnt quite understand what was happening until the kid behind me yelled, Oh my God! He just showed his penis!

Kari Pesavento, who investigates childrens abuse in the greater Norwalk area, said such incidents are frighteningly common. Her organization, Childrens Connection, has provided services to 120 children throughout Norwalk, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston and Westport in the past year. The national statistics are one in four girls and one in seven boys are victims of sexual abuse before their eighteenth birthday, said Pesavento.

People dont talk about it, she said. They often talk about the symptoms of sexual violence in their lives  the eating disorders, the cutting. But they dont talk about the actual sexual abuse, especially not in lower Fairfield County.

When a child begins acting out of the norm  for example, becoming fearful of a family member or reverting to wetting the bed  Pesavento recommends paying attention and asking questions.

I also promote body ownership, the idea that no one has the right to people in any way that makes them uncomfortable, at a very young age, she said. We tell kids that they have to obey adults and to be polite. But when it comes to this, we dont want them to be polite.

Moving forward

How do we take this beyond a hashtag and into the real world? asked Comport. When #metoo disappears from your news feed, you have to continue to care. These things continue to happen.

Ways to help range from listening to action. Comport suggested reading essays by survivors and advocating for education, Whether its calling schools and asking that health and sex education involve teaching students about consent. Whether its calling colleges and asking that the freshman year seminar include self defense training to hopefully help the pandemic of college rape.

She pointed out that sexual abuse happens to people of all genders and sexual orientations.

What I hope everyone can agree on and start to acknowledge is that this violence affects us all, she said. It has never been acceptable, and by continuing to ignore and excuse it we are failing to honor our humanity.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, you can call the Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education hotline 24 hours a day for a confidential conversation in English at (203) 329-2929 or in Spanish at (888) 568-8332.

Its never too late to get help, said Pesavento. Its never too late to tell.

Reporting contributed by Sophie Vaughan.
WASHINGTON - A District of Columbia appeals court panel has declined to order the federal government to immediately allow an abortion for an undocumented teenager it is detaining, instead giving the Department of Health and Human Services 11 days to find a sponsor to take custody of the girl.

The court's 2-1 decision allows the Trump administration to maintain its policy of not facilitating abortions for the undocumented minors in its custody. It also further delays the 17-year-old's quest to end her pregnancy, and increases the risk that she will run out of time to have the procedure.

The teenager, identified in court papers as "Jane Doe," is 15 weeks pregnant. Texas bars most abortions after 20 weeks.

Lawyers for the teenager said in court Friday morning that it would be difficult to find a government-approved sponsor to take custody of their client, a Central American immigrant being held in a special detention facility in Texas for minors caught entering the United States illegally.

If the government does not find a sponsor, such as an adult relative in the United States who can care for the girl, the case would revert to a lower court judge who ruled Wednesday that the government should facilitate an abortion for the teenager "without delay."

The government's appeal of that ruling led to Friday's decision. Any subsequent order by the lower court judge would also be subject to appeal.

"She's already suffered weeks of delays, which the government has no business doing." said Jennifer Dalven, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the girl.

The teen has been seeking an abortion since late September, shortly after she was apprehended and learned she was pregnant.

The appellate ruling by GOP-appointed judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Brett Kavanaugh allows the judges to avoid issuing a hasty decision in a case that involves complex areas of immigration and abortion law.

Judge Patricia Millett issued a sharply worded dissent to the decision, calling the majority's ruling "wrong" and "unconstitutional."

"There are no winners in cases like these. But there sure are losers," Millet wrote. "Forcing her to continue an unwanted pregnancy just in the hopes of finding a sponsor that has not been found in the past six weeks sacrifices J.D.'s constitutional liberty, autonomy, and personal dignity for no justifiable governmental reason."

The panel's decision noted that government lawyers acknowledged that the girl, who is in the United States illegally, "possesses a constitutional right to obtain an abortion in the United States."

ACLU attorney Brigitte Amiri urged the court not to set aside its obligation to protect the teen's constitutional right to abortion just because she may eventually obtain a sponsor, and said the government is not acting in the teen's best interest.

"They are supplanting her decision about what she should do with her pregnancy," Amiri said.

The government says it has a policy of "refusing to facilitate" abortions for undocumented minors, a departure from the Obama administration, which allowed them.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees undocumented minors taken into custody near the border, are trying to "promote child birth and fetal life," according to court filings in the case.

Officials have said the 17-year-old could voluntarily return to her home country and seek an abortion or find a sponsor in the United States.

However, during oral arguments on Friday, the government acknowledged for the first time that abortion is illegal in the girl's homeland. Her native country has not been released by the court to protect her privacy.

"We're not putting an obstacle in her path," Catherine H. Dorsey, the government lawyer representing HHS in the case, told the judges Friday. "We're declining to facilitate an abortion."

Dorsey told the appeals court that the government had over the past month identified two potential sponsors - both relatives - but they had fallen through. The government performs background checks on potential sponsors, a process that could take weeks or months.

During oral arguments, the judges questioned the government's stance, noting that undocumented immigrants in other types of federal custody - including adults in immigration detention and federal prisons - may seek elective abortions at their own expense.

"Even if she has that right, we don't have to facilitate it," Dorsey said.

Millett also pointed out that forcing the teenager to return home might clash with her legal right to seek asylum in the United States. The teen has said that her parents abused her in her native country.

Underscoring the significance and interest in the case, Chief Judge Merrick Garland agreed on Friday to live-stream audio of the oral argument for the first time in 16 years.

Roughly 40 people gathered Friday morning in front of the Department of Health and Human Services to demand "justice for Jane."

"The constitutional right to abortion does not depend on your immigration status," said Georgeanne Usova, legislative counsel for the ACLU.

Usova said the group wasn't just fighting for "this young woman, but every woman in government custody."

- - -

Rachel Siegel contributed to this report.
NORWALK  It doesnt look like most classrooms.

There are no pre-cut letters or numbers, there are no perfectly straight lines and not everything is spelled correctly. But there is a picture of Frida Kahlo, and Vincent van Goghs Starry Night adorns one wall, admittedly not the usual decor for a preschool classroom.

But thats the point, and the reason for the development of the Early Language and Literacy Initiative (ELLI) approach to preschool education at Stepping Stones Museum for Children  to break the mold of traditional early childhood education and close the achievement gap.

Its about exposing them to all kinds of wonderful things about the world, and building their vocabulary because that matters a great deal, said Margie Gillis, a lead partner in the ELLI program. The more words you know the more words you can learn. Its really high interest, high level vocabulary words that most people dont think a 3-year-old can learn, but they can learn anything theyre interested in really, anything they get excited about theyre open to that. I dont think we have a high enough bar for children, especially children from different economic circumstances, so that call out for language, immersing them in rich language that is very much about the world, not mundane stuff that kids are going to figure out along the way, but things that are really important that allow them to use their language and build their language to figure out how the world works.

Stepping Stones developed the program and opened the ELLI Lab Classroom at the museum in 2012. Now, just five years later, the program has expanded to include preschool classrooms at three Norwalk Elementary Schools, three classrooms at Fairfield University, a classroom in Bridgeport, a summer Camp ELLI experience and, beginning this fall, a toddler program for children 18 to 36 months.

The program recently received accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a designation achieved by less than 10 percent of all childcare centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally, and growth is only slated to continue for the program.

The accreditation, which included the four Norwalk classrooms  ELLI Lab School at Stepping Stones, Fox Run, Naramake and Tracey elementary schools  was achieved just one year after Norwalk Public Schools expanded the partnership with the ELLI program, despite backlash from some parents and teachers who were skeptical about the revolutionary model at the time of the expansion. ELLI was given three years to receive the accreditation, per state standards.

The ELLI program model operates on evidence-based research conducted by Literacy How, a for-profit company that co-developed the ELLI model, that suggests emphasizing literacy at the earliest age is the most effective way of closing the achievement gap later on. It has an adult-student ratio of 1:6 and the lab school has no residential requirements. Developing a partnership with ELLI and Stepping Stones was a clearly defined part of Superintendent Steven Adamowskis three-year strategic operating plan.

When we look at the specific literacy skills as well as what the chronic research says  the ELLI model addresses the preparation gap to close the achievement gap, Chief Academic Officer Michael Connor said in 2016 when the partnership developed. The Norwalk Public School district did not respond to a request for comment on the success of the partnership with the ELLI program.

That research-based emphasis continues to be the thread that ties ELLI together, offering data-based evidence to prove the program works in helping close the achievement gap.

I do a lot of professional development ... its one teacher and one administrator at a time because youre challenging the status quo or the conventional wisdom, Gillis said. The This is how weve always done it attitude that prevails in education often gets in the way of being innovative. So the way we approach it is with one person at a time, showing data. You cant argue with data. It takes the personal subjectivity out of the equation and keeps the focus on the child rather than the teacher or the adult.

Cristina Matos, ELLI director, said Camp ELLI, which just completed its second year, has also helped showcase the success of the program as it provides results in such a short period of time. The program lasts just four to five weeks over the summer, but data from assessments done by ELLI providers shows significant improvement among students who attended the program.

Its a camp experience for children with little or no preschool experience who are entering kindergarten, Matos said. Its open first to students who have no preschool experience and then is open to additional students after that. This year we served over 200 students, 65 students were for Head Start. Our goal was offering these kids opportunities so they can be ready for kindergarten. Over 60 children had no preschool experience that were entering kindergarten, thats a huge number."

Now, as the program continues to grow, Matos said the next step for the program is to go through the rigorous 10-step NAEYC accreditation process for ELLI at Fairfield University.

Well also be meeting with different researchers that are part of our research team from different parts of the country to talk about whats next for ELLI and for those we serve, said Rhonda Kierst, president and CEO of Stepping Stones Museum.

Its a calling, Kierst said. Its more than a job.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
NORWALK  Four Norwalk residents are facing charges after a drug operation was broken up early Friday morning, police said.

The Norwalk Police Departments Special Services Unit sprang a drug bust at an undisclosed location around 5:55 a.m. Friday morning.
NORWALK  A 1-month-old loggerhead sea turtle is large and in charge at the Maritime Aquarium, commanding attention and educating visitors in a new Sea Turtle Nursery exhibit.

The baby loggerhead, which weighs less than one-tenth of a pound and is roughly 3 inches long, appears to have adapted quickly to the 1,000-gallon tank it now calls home, diving deeper and swimming across the surface in seconds.

Of course, the baby turtle had plenty of energy after sleeping during most of the drive from North Carolina to Norwalk earlier this week.

Its already comfortable in the new digs, said Dave Hudson, Maritime Aquarium research scientist. Hes been in since 9:15 (Thursday) night, and weve already seen him dive down and swim around. The transport went great, he slept most of the way ... they tuck their flippers up when theyre resting.

The baby turtle  whose gender wont be known until it reaches sexual maturity in about 15 years  was rescued by the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores after hatching Sept. 17. Staff and volunteers from the North Carolina aquarium inspect turtle nests on beaches to look for newly hatched turtles that, for various reasons, didnt make it out of their nest and back to the ocean.

It takes a lot of energy to get out of an egg, and when youre getting crushed by all your brothers and sisters in the process it can be hard to get out, Hudson said. Some dont make it. So it either lost its way or was still in the nest when it was rescued. When theyre that exhausted, we need to make sure theyre healthy so they have the best chance of survival.

The rescued turtles are raised for a year at loan institutions like the Maritime Aquarium, where they grow to be about the size of a dinner plate before they are returned to North Carolina the following fall for release. That year allows the turtles to grow in strength and size before theyre released, increasing their chance for survival as they navigate the entire open ocean from Long Island Sound to Portugal to the Azores to the Caribbean. After a year in Norwalk, the yet-to-be-named toddler turtle will be released to the Atlantic and the aquarium will repeat the process with another rescued hatchling.

Loggerhead sea turtles, named for their relatively large heads, are carnivores that generally grow to weigh about 300 pounds and are found around the globe in nine population segments. Five of the populations are considered to be endangered, and the other four  including the loggerheads off the U.S. Atlantic Coast, which migrate through Long Island Sound  are considered threatened, according to the aquarium. Their biggest threats are from coastal development that destroys nesting habitats and from accidental capture in fishing gear. The turtles are solitary animals, spending most of their life (they can live to be 80 years old) swimming alone in the open ocean. Only the mature females return to shore to nest and lay eggs.

This is one of the visitors we have in the summers in Long Island Sound, Hudson said. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we are protecting them and helping the public understand how they can make different choices to save these guys.

So, while the baby turtle may be the cutest guest since the meerkats to arrive at the Maritime Aquarium, its presence is for more than just viewing pleasure.

Hudson said some of the rescued hatchlings are released immediately, while others are raised for a year, allowing for a staggered release and the potential for a greater survival rate. Additionally, those that are raised for a year at aquariums allow researchers to learn more about the species, and aquariums to educate the public about conservation efforts and the effects humans can have on sea turtle populations.

We will measure its growth every month, and follow it through the first year of its life, which helps broaden scientific knowledge for conservation, Hudson said. We need to learn more about the physiology so we know how to care for these animals and help them survive ... its a great program for us to be involved in as Im noticing more aquariums and zoos are collaborating more to contribute to research, which is great because we have more resources and more knowledge to contribute to doing really good science.

While Hudson oversees the program, aquarist Brendan Pisarski was tasked with building, maintaining and monitoring the new exhibit which was designed according to specific parameters to replicate the open ocean environment of the Sargasso Sea near the Bermuda Triangle where the turtle will be released.

Ive taken care of larger Loggerhead but never something this small, said Pisarski, who joined Hudson on the trip to North Carolina to meet the experts who started the program and learn more about the species. Pisarski and Hudson even joined fellow scientists and aquarists as they released the baby turtles raised in aquariums during the previous year.

It will be an adventure, Pisarski said. Its going to be great to be part of the program.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
A colleague who teaches at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University and has spent many years working for the Republican party, recently directed my attention to what she called the most offensive post ever.

I thought Nancy Bocskor was exaggerating until she referred me to an online piece titled Why I Am Not Raising My Daughters to be Feminists, which, even at first glance, makes it sound like raising girls is like raising veal. The anti-feminist writer announces, I will not teach my (three pre-teen daughters) that they need to demand equal rights, because in America, they already have them. He goes on to declare that he will not teach them that abortion is about my body, my choice, because it is not.

The piece was written by Mark Tapson, who says the thought of his little girls seeing themselves as part of a victim class struggling to overcome imaginary oppression is just terrible. He will teach them to find validation as productive members of society so that they dont have to seek it marching with a juvenile, vulgar mob.

Tapson sneers that women face only imaginary oppression yet simultaneously wants his daughters to defend themselves  with words, martial arts, and yes, with guns too  so that bad men will think twice about, or deeply regret, messing with them.

Apart from what my friend Sarah Appleton calls lifelong daddy issues, the father of these girls isnt offering his daughters much. While there might be more offensive posts out there, this one is chilling. He is not offering his daughters a workable perspective on womens lives. Sure, if youre a woman who wants to own a gun, you can own a gun, but you dont have to; if you want to bear and raise children, you can, but you dont have to.

I put Tapsons ideas to my friends on Facebook who took him up on several points.

Amy Hartl Sherman asks, If its all imaginary why does he have to teach them to fight?

Michelle King echoes Amys point, Are they treated equally or do they need to be taught to defend themselves because, in reality, they are not equal? Anti-discrimination laws, argues King, dont create equality. Laws do nothing to ensure equality but state that you cannot discriminate against women in hiring practices, housing, credit, etc. Laws simply provide legal recourse if you are discriminated against  IF you can prove it.

Remember why women marched in cities across America? Because our president was taped saying that randomly grabbing women between the legs was fine because when youre a star, they let you do it.

Lets say it wasnt the protesters who were vulgar, just as the women who are describing what they allegedly endured with Harvey Weinstein arent being vulgar.

Teaching someone to defend themselves is fine, agrees George Sebastian-Coleman, But when your goal is not prevention but only that their attacker will ... deeply regret, messing with them you are not seeking to protect your daughters, but putting a price on their being hurt. Im sure his assaulted, beaten, 75-cents-on-the-dollar daughters will deeply appreciate that the men of the world thought twice and deeply regret their condition.

Few of us started out as feminists. Playwright Patricia Wynn Brown said that while her father taught her to fight, injustice in life taught her that Change requires words, demonstrations, legislation ... and helping women like his daughters find solidarity with women like me.

Theres no feminist orthodoxy except making sure that girls and women are guaranteed rights over our own bodies  and the right to make our decisions.

If you want to be an astronaut, a librarian, a mechanical engineer, a corrections officer, a chef, a senator, a dog-walker, an artist, a stay-at-home-parent, a bus-driver, a dress-designer, an architect, a teacher, a coder, a nurse, a pilot, a doctor, a real estate agent, an attorney, a therapist, a butcher or the president, you can but you dont have to because nobody has the right to force you into any of these roles against your will. Nobody. Not your daddy or mommy or religious leader or teacher or partner or boss or anybody. You get to choose for yourself.

As my friend Lisa Adams puts it, there is hope. Tapsons daughters, she said, Wont find feminism. It will find them.
Eagles losing another star player to injury, and the dropoff is steep

How can the Eagles replace one of the NFL's top tight ends?
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low 29F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%.
About a year ago, when the epic budget battle between Gov. Bruce Rauner and state lawmakers seemed to have no end in sight, officials at AARP Illinois decided it was time to step up and do something.

For starters, they decided to go out and ask people over the age of 50 for their thoughts on the standoff.

They were very distraught about the fact that Illinois had gone so long without a budget. And beyond that, the fiscal crisis that Illinois was in  and is still in - was very disheartening to them, says the agencys Director of Advocacy and Outreach Ryan Gruenenfelder.

Next, Illinois AARP created the Enough is Enough campaign to put pressure on elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, from the governor down to state representatives.

The idea was to let them know that the ongoing budget crisis was affecting the lives of average Ilinoisans and that those people were agitated.

One thing that we saw that was happening was that people did not realize there was something they could do about it, Gruenenfelder says. A lot of people that we talked with didnt feel like their voice would matter because of the political gridlock thats been happening over the last few years.

That prompted Illinois AAPR to go out into communities across Illinois and give other residents a chance to share their concerns about the fiscal crisis. They also reached out to NPR Illinois, which has a similar campaign called Past Due, which has been investigating how Illinois is affected by the fiscal crisis and, according to its web site, what will lead the state back to fiscal health and how many decades it will take.

Town hall meetings were held across the state in Champaign, Peoria, Macomb, Carbondale, and other NPR markets. One of them was held recently in Dekalb. Two more are set to follow later this year and others are in the works for 2018.

The town hall forum is coming to Edwardsville on Nov. 16 from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Maple/Dogwood Room at SIUEs Morris University Center.

Were going across the state to give people a voice, not to tell them what to say, said Dina Anderson, communications director with Illinois AARP.

Were coming to Edwardsville to hear what people have to say, to give people a voice.

Illinois AARP will be partnering with St. Louis Public Radio, NPR Illinois and Illinois Issues, a monthly magazine that provides public policy analysis about Illinois issues.

Even though the governor and lawmakers finally put aside their differences and approved a budget in July, the two-year standoff is continuing to take a toll on seniors, non-profit agencies and universities.

The numbers are staggering. The backlog of bills, for instance, stands at nearly $16 billion. And in July, Moodys estimated the Illinois pension deficit itself to be about $251 billion; the pension debt has been pegged at $116 billion.

Those are incredibly large numbers that are hard to get your head around, Gruenenfelder said. We feel like that we need to continue these forums because we need to continue to put pressure on the states leadership to focus on turning this ship around and improving Illinois fiscal situation.

Some universities have seen a huge drop in student enrollment, with many students opting to go to college out of state.

Many non-profit agencies have waited as long as a year for their checks to arrive. At a town hall forum in Moline, a woman with Alternatives for Older Adults told them she received a check last week for $170. The state owes them $150,000.

Those are the kinds of stories that elected officials around the state need to hear, Gruenenfelder said. Town hall meetings like the one in Edwardsville next month will offer people here a chance to tell their stories so that legislators can get the message that approving a budget has not put an end to the states fiscal crisis.

Especially in an election year they need to know that this is something that Illinoisans are watching as people all over the state decide whom they want to vote for, he said.
A second draft of the countys proposed 2018 budget includes $145.4 million in spending, up 8.6 percent over the current budget.

Much of that boost goes to the Madison County Sheriffs Department, the States Attorneys office, the Public Defenders office, and other public safety offices.

Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler touted the additional spending in a press release that also foreshadowed a 6 percent drop  or $2 million  in the countys property tax levy.

The new budget will no doubt change before the County Board votes on a final budget at its Nov. 15 meeting.

But the budget being proposed now includes money for 12 new positions within the Sheriffs Department, Probation & Court Services Department, Coroners Office, and the Public Defender and States Attorneys Office.

The 2018 fiscal year budget gives residents property tax relief and addresses the needs in public safety and the courts, Prenzler said in the release.

Madison County Administrator Doug Hulme said the added positions include two sheriff deputies, two jailers, two public defenders, a deputy coroner, a probation officer in pre-trial release, and four full-time assistant states attorneys, one of which is funded by a grant.

Reached by phone, County Board member Art Asadorian said he supports the additional hiring to bolster law enforcement but will continue to fight proposals such as one to cut the County Clerks budget that he said could jeopardize early voting. Im totally against any cuts to early voting. That is voter suppression, and Im dead set against it, said Asadorian, a Democrat from Granite City.

In recent weeks, a stream of department heads have come before the Finance and Government Operations Committee to plead their cases. Hulme, in the release, said that a common theme has been that there was additional staff needed in public safety and the courts.

Every department involved with public safety asked for more resources for the upcoming fiscal year. This budget will meet some of those requests by adding positions and we are able to do this because of cuts in other areas.

The property tax levy is expected to drop by about 6 percent because voters approved a 2016 referendum to cap property tax revenue at .20 percent rather than .25 percent. Prenzler helped lead the referendum drive last year when he served as Madison County Treasurer. Last year Penzler became Madison County Board Chairman by defeating incumbent Alan Dunstan.

Asadorian has been critical of Prenzlers and the administrations attempts to propose cuts in the budget along with additional hiring and employee raises, coupled with the reduction in revenue.

Weve got fat and we need to cut fat, and thats what we need to look at, Asadorian said. But just cuts because of a campaign promise he made, Im against that.
Cooler weather and pumpkins appearing on doorsteps can only mean one thing  Halloween is just around the corner.

With area communities gearing up for parades and events, trick-or-treat times have also been announced.

In Edwardsville, official trick-or-treating times are from noon to 9 p.m., Monday Oct. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Glen Carbons trick-or-treating time is from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 30.

Maryvilles official trick-or-treating time is from dusk until 9 p.m. on Oct. 31.

As per the annual tradition, the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade begins at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 31 in downtown Edwardsville.

The Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department is also hosting a Halloween Costume Contest at noon on Saturday Oct. 28. Main Street trick-or-treating immediately follows the event. Details can be found at the City of Edwardsvilles website.

While the streets will be full of children and parents over the two-day period, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police and released its annual list of tips to keep trick-or-treaters and their escorts safe during Halloween.

Kids and their parents can have a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treating experiences by following these few, simple safety tips, IFOP President Chirs Southwood said in a press release.

Illinois law enforcement officers urge everyone to make sure the only scares this Halloween are the make-believe kind.

The FOP offers the following Halloween safety tips:

 Children should only go trick-or-treating with a responsible adult. Be sure to follow all local ordinances regarding trick-or-treating times, ages, and areas.

 If you cant accompany your younger children as they trick-or-treat, make sure at least one, and preferably more, responsible adults go with them. Set a curfew for the children and make sure they understand how important it is to arrive back home on time.

 Instruct children that they should never go into a strangers house or car unless their parents or other trusted adults are with them and say its OK. They should never go anywhere with a stranger, and if a stranger tries to make them go somewhere they should scream as loudly as possible and run to safety as quickly as they can.

 Make sure kids know how to safely cross streets  look in both directions, and only use crosswalks or well-lit street corners. Tell them to not cut through back alleys and fields and to stay in well-lit areas with lots of people around.

 Know the route your children will take while trick-or-treating if you are not going with them. Have them check in at set times, either by phone or by stopping back by your residence.

 Make sure your children have costumes that are fire retardant, contain reflective strips or material, do not obstruct their vision or movement, and that any props that depict knives or other sharp objects are made of a dull, flexible material. Have at least one flashlight per group of trick-or-treaters. Try to make each childs costume unique in some way so they can be easily spotted.

 Serve your children a filling meal before they trick-or-treat so they wont be tempted to eat the treats before they get back home. Carefully examine all of the treats before you let your children handle or consume them.

 Several days before trick-or-treating, check the local and state sex offender websites to see if there are any sex offenders living in your area. If there are, make sure your children avoid those homes.

 Remind children that it is wrong to vandalize property or hurt animals.

 To lessen the chance of allergic reactions, try any makeup products on a small area of a childs arm several days before trick-or-treating to see if they have any reaction.

 If you cannot accompany them, having the children carry a cell phone lets them keep in touch and the phones also contain a GPS chip to help locate lost children.

 Drivers, dont use a cell phone or text while driving and do not drive if you are impaired. Pay close attention while driving, especially at crosswalks, intersections, the side of the road, and by parked cars.

 Drive below the posted speed limit in residential areas, do not pass vehicles that have stopped in the road, and pull off the road in a safe spot and turn on your emergency flashers when picking up or dropping off children.

The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States.

With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country.

The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide.

Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 21:06 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2572e10 1 Lifestyle Jakarta-Fashion-Week,Jakarta-Fashion-Week-2018,Indonesian-fashion,designers,fashion,#fashion Free

Entering its 10th year, Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) 2018 makes a point to celebrate diversity, as the annual festival for the first time adapted a theme this year of "Bhinneka dalam Berkarya" (diversity in creating).

Running from Oct. 21 to 27 at Senayan City shopping mall, the six-day event is slated to present hundreds of designers from Indonesia and abroad, including from Australia, England, India, Japan, South Korea and Sweden.

Svida Alisjahbana, JFW head and Femina Group CEO, in her remarks at the opening show on Saturday explained the theme choice to illustrate fashion at its core, which she says is a creative hub of inspiration.

"No other industry encapsulates the importance of having diverse influences and cultural heritage, as well as many different points of view and lifestyle choices as fashion does," Svida said.

The theme this year takes on Indonesia's strength in diversity to spur creativity, she added.

"This is the essence of Indonesia and we will never stray from bhinneka dalam berkarya [diversity in creating]," Svida said.

Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) head Triawan Munaf, who also spoke at the event, underlined his sides commitment to ensuring government support in developing the country's creative industry, which he said was evidently inspired by the nation's rich cultural heritage.

Triawan added that he was continuously inspired by the wealth of creativity across the country, saying that the development of technology had also helped in strengthening the role of culture in influencing new creations.

"Culture is one of Indonesia's mainstays," Triawan said.

Read also: JFW 2018 to feature South Korean brands, singer

Paul Smith, British Council country director in Indonesia, an organization that has supported the annual fashion for six years, echoed the same notion.

Describing Indonesia as the most diverse country in the world, Smith emphasized the importance of nurturing creativity, which can among others be channeled through fashion.

Smith further pointed out the democratic experience of fashion, which he says is present in everyone's daily life to a certain extent, referring to the process of getting dressed even as an art.

"It is a little moment of artistic expression," Smith said.

The opening show presented down the runway 11 chosen Indonesian designers to represent the festival's theme this year. Assorted garments, ranging from wearable designs to avant garde costumes became evidence of Indonesia's fashion potential.

Among them, Ciel's structured fuchsia dress would be a welcomed wardrobe staple, with its flirty one shoulder knee-length easily imagined at parties and special occasions.

Notable fashion house Sebastian Gunawan, meanwhile, presented a feminine mermaid silhouette gown exuding mystery, as the model walked down the runway with an elaborate face-covering headpiece. Bare shoulders are balanced with black long, lace gloves and a matching mesh train lightly sweeping behind.

Sebastian Gunawan design at the opening of Jakarta Fashion Week 2018 . (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

In contrast, Tex Saverio presented an ethereal white gown, intricately decorated within its every inch, the floor length delicate dress features a peplum waistline and a statement cape that stretches out onto a train.

Anne Avantie stayed true to her signature style, presenting a traditionally inspired jumpsuit, fusing kebaya elements with a twist by featuring a batik train that attaches to a waist belt.

A model struts down the catwalk wearing an Anne Avantie design at the opening show of Jakarta Fashion Week 2018. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

Other designers featured were Edward Hutabarat, Sapto Djojokartiko, Major Minor, Bin House, Itang Yunasz, Rinaldy A. Yunardi and Toton. (kes)
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Linkedin Henry Morales Arana (Agence France-Presse) Guatemala City  Sat, October 21, 2017 13:32 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2569826 2 People human-rights,#humanrights,award,#awards,environment,#environment,prize Free

A Guatemalan indigenous leader and environmental activist who is among the finalists to receive a prestigious European human rights award says she owes her fighting spirit to her mom.

"With my mother's milk, I nursed on rebellion, on revolution, on redefining myself," said Aura Lolita Chavez, a 45-year-old Mayan who is among three finalists for the Sakharov Prize handed out by the European Parliament.

Chavez is a leader of the Council of Ki'che' Peoples, which fights to protect native lands, natural resources and human rights from the expansion of mining, logging, hydroelectric and agro-industry companies.

Her mother was a community organizer in the 1960-1996 civil war in Guatemala, during which successive rightwing governments and military regimes fought leftist rebels backed by the rural poor, including Mayan Indians.

The latter accounted for the vast majority of the 200,000 people who died or went missing during the war.

For her trouble, Chavez, 45, has seen her life threatened a number of times.

Her organization was founded in 2007 to counter the effects of a free trade agreement between Central America and the United States.

In 2005, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered that protective measures be taken for her. But Chavez says the Guatemalan government has done no such thing.

In June, Chavez left for Spain after gunmen shot at members of her group who were trying to prevent illegal logging in her native Quiche region, western Guatemala.

Speaking from Spain, Chavez says she and her movement are harassed by mining, hydroelectric and logging companies and also endure conflicts with the army and paramilitary groups in Quiche.

Chavez was nominated for the Sakharov Prize on October 10, along with the opposition movement in Venezuela and jailed Swedish-Eritrean journalist and playwright Dawit Isaak.

Named after the dissident Soviet scientist Andrei Sakharov, who died in 1989, the prize is awarded every year to honor individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression, often falling foul of their governments as a result. The winner will be announced on October 26.

Read also: Indonesian student wins youth debate on human rights in Bangkok

- Woman with a lot of energy -

Chavez is married and has two children. Having to flee is hard for anyone but particularly so for an indigenous woman, the Guatemalan human rights prosecutor's office said in a report.

"For a Mayan woman, it is essential to stay in her birthplace," the report said.

People who know Chavez say she has earned glowing admiration within the indigenous advocacy movement.

"She is a woman with a lot of energy, with many initiatives, with a kind of charisma that few leaders have," said Udiel Miranda, a leader of the Council of Western Peoples, which includes the group that Chavez leads.

Miranda said the fact that she is nominated for the Sakharov Prize at all is a statement to the international community that Guatemala is failing to defend the collective rights of the Mayan people by persecuting its leaders.

"Part of the strategy of neutralizing the movement is to neutralize its leaders. Several cases have been brought against her with the goal of silencing the movement and opposition to the exploitation of natural resources," Miranda added.

During the war, Chavez took part in the insurgency in Quiche.

Many of Guatemala's indigenous people, who make up at least 40 percent of the population -- some estimates put it at 60 percent -- live in abject poverty.

They are used to seeing soldiers around, and to the fear that triggers -- but Chavez wants that to stop. Chavez said she has seen soldiers torture people, massacre them, cause them to go missing, and rape women.

"I dream of the day when the army leaves Quiche," she said.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 20 2017

A special feature in a navigation app, Waze, which identifies road lanes where the odd-even license plate policy is implemented, was launched on Wednesday following an agreement between the company and the Jakarta administration to boost drivers awareness about the policy.

To activate the feature, drivers just need to go to license plate restriction on the app and enter the last two digits of their license number, a Jakarta Transportation Agency official, Fajar Nugrahaeni, has said.

Waze will automatically reroute and give directions to the drivers by considering the even-odd policy, Fajar said on Thursday as quoted by beritajakarta.id.

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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Bogor  Sat, October 21, 2017 14:25 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a256a3d0 1 City #bogor,#Anies-Sandiaga,#JakartaGovernor,#cityadministration Free

Roughly 8,000 civil servants of the Jakarta administration participated in an outdoor tea walk on Saturday morning at the Gunung Mas tea plantation in Bogor, West Java, in an effort to increase their unity and solidarity.

Jakarta City Secretary Saefullah, who coordinated the tea walk, said the annual event was funded by the city budget. This year, the administration had set aside Rp 225 million (US$16,649) for the activity.

Besides going on the tea walk, you can also participate in another physical activity, like playing futsal or volleyball here," Saefullah told the civil servants who had gathered for the event.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno also attended the event along with their families.

Saefullah said it was the first time in five years that a governor and deputy governor had attended the event.

Anies intends to attend the activity every year from now on, as it was beneficial in strengthening the bond among Jakarta's civil servants.

"We will see, it is either me or Pak Sandiaga who will attend this event every year," he said.
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Linkedin Wilson Fache and Abdallah Ibrahim (AFP) Altun Kupri/Kirkuk  Sat, October 21, 2017 08:45 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2562c79 2 World Peshmerga,Kirkuk,Iraq,Kurdish-fighters,Kurdistan-Democratic-Party Free

Iraqi forces clashed with Kurdish fighters Friday as the central government said it had wrested back control of the last area of disputed Kirkuk province in the latest stage of a sweeping operation after a controversial independence vote.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said police, counter-terrorism units and allied militias seized the Altun Kupri region, extending the central government's territory to within 50 kilometres (30 miles) of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.

The two sides exchanged mortar rounds and automatic gunfire but Iraqi forces managed to "hoist the flag on the municipality building", an anonymous security source in Kirkuk city said.

A Kurdish general, Ghazi Dolemri, was killed in the fighting, sources said, while an AFP journalist reported further shelling as Iraqi government forces and Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary forces advanced on Sirawa, five kilometres north of Altun Kupri.

Iraqi forces also said they had retaken the Ain Zalah and Batma oil fields, northwest of Mosul.

-- Days of gains --

The fresh advances came after Iraq's central authorities snatched back control of a swathe of disputed territory from Kurdish forces in a largely bloodless operation launched at the weekend.

The government advances and Kurdish retreat have rewritten the volatile boundaries between the two sides and trashed Arbil's dreams of independence, which soared after a September 25 referendum held in defiance of Baghdad.

The loss of Kirkuk's rich oil fields also dealt a severe blow to the regional government's already parlous finances, heavily dependent on petrochemical exports.

US oil giant Chevron said Friday it had "temporarily" suspended operations in the Kurdish autonomous region.

"We continue to monitor the situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," a spokeswoman said.

"We look forward to resuming our operations as soon as conditions permit."

Iraq's forces have also snatched back areas of Nineveh and Diyala provinces, driving Kurdish forces from positions they seized in the chaos of the Islamic State group's 2014 rampage across northern Iraq and parts of neighbouring Syria.

The agricultural region of Altun Kupri, which means "golden bridge" in Turkish, covers an area of 520 square kilometres (200 square miles) and is mostly inhabited by Kurds and Turkmens.

Security in the Altun Kupri area had been ensured by Kurdish police forces loyal to regional president Massud Barzani ever since the US-led invasion of 2003.

In their bid to halt Iraqi forces, the peshmerga planted explosives that damaged a major bridge linking Kirkuk to their regional capital Arbil over the Little Zab river, according to a local security source.

Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), issued a statement overnight Friday denouncing "the genocide attempt by the Iraqi government" and called on the international community to "put pressure on (world) governments to avoid more catastrophes for the Kurdish people".

-- 'Restoring' authority --

This week's operation was accelerated by rifts between rival Kurdish factions that saw some forces opposed to Barzani -- the architect of the independence vote -- strike a deal with Baghdad to withdraw.

In Baghdad, Haydar Hamada, a spokesman for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said Iraqi forces were pressing on with the operation to impose government control over the disputed areas.

"We will continue restoring the authority of the federal authorities," he told AFP.

But a peshmerga commander in Arbil accused the Iranian-backed Hashed militia of trying to extend the boundaries of the Kirkuk province into Kurdish territory.

While central government forces have met with little resistance as they pen the peshmerga back into the three provinces that make up the Kurdish autonomous region, sporadic clashes have caused some bloodshed.

Peshmerga commander Wasta Rassoul, a member of the PUK faction that opposes Barzani, said 26 Kurdish fighters had been killed and 67 wounded since Sunday.

Tensions between Kurdish and Iraqi forces have pitted two vital US allies in the fight to destroy the Islamic State group against each other.

The two sides have cooperated in the Washington-backed offensive that has seen the jihadists driven from their major urban strongholds into a rump territory along the border with Syria. (**)
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Linkedin Jan Flemr and Jan Marchal (AFP) Prague, Czech Republic  Sat, October 21, 2017 08:30 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2562c26 2 World Czech-Republic,Czech-voters,Brussels,Czech-elections,voters,EU,European-Union,ANO Free

Upset with traditional parties and orders from Brussels, Czech voters were set to hand victory to a billionaire populist dubbed the "Czech Trump" and boost anti-EU parties in a crucial two-day election that kicked off Friday.

Betting on his anti-euro, anti-migrant and anti-corruption ticket, ANO (Yes) movement chief Andrej Babis topped opinion polls by a wide margin ahead of the ballot that ends on Saturday afternoon.

"The anti-corruption drive is the key thing," said Prague pensioner Vaclav Vachel, voting ANO in the Czech capital and unfazed by a fraud indictment Babis faces for alleged abuse of EU subsidies.

"I don't like the EU at all... They're incompetent, those people in Brussels or wherever they are. They're a disaster, this (European Commission chief Jean-Claude) Juncker especially."

Far-right and far-left anti-EU parties are also expected to make strong gains which the polls suggest could lead to a fragmented parliament with up to nine parties, something analysts warn risks creating chaos and disturbing the Czech Republic's system of liberal democracy.

"This election is key to the fate of our country," Babis told reporters after casting his ballot near Prague. "I voted ANO."

ANO has already held key posts in the outgoing rocky centre-left coalition under Social Democrat Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, with Babis serving as finance minister from 2014 to May this year.

A 63-year-old Slovak-born chemicals, food and media tycoon, Babis captured around 25-30 percent support in recent surveys, putting ANO miles ahead of its current coalition partner, the left-wing Social Democrats, who scored just 12.5 percent.

- 'Deep dissatisfaction' -

"For the first time, the majority will go to parties protesting in one way or another against the functioning of liberal democracy as we know it," the leading Hospodarske Noviny daily said in a Friday editorial.

"And for the first time we face the threat that an openly xenophobic, extremist movement will earn more than 10 percent" of the vote, it added, pointing to the far-right Freedom and Free Democracy (SPD) of Tokyo-born entrepreneur Tomio Okamura who won backing from France's far-right National Front.

The daily called the elections a "turning point... both for the country's internal functioning and its anchoring in the European Union", adding that "Czech democracy... has undoubtedly reached a critical point."

Despite their country's economic success, many Czechs who are heavily in debt or working long hours for low wages feel they have been left behind and are turning to anti-system parties to vent frustration, Hospodarske Noviny added.

With unemployment at 3.8 percent in September, the lowest level since 1998, the Czech economy is slated to grow by 3.6 percent this year.

While Babis has vowed to steer clear of the eurozone and echoes other eastern EU leaders who accuse Brussels of attempting to limit national sovereignty by imposing rules like migrant quotas, he favours a united Europe and balks at talk of a "Czexit".

- Le Pen endorsement -

Independent political commentator Jiri Pehe told AFP he could see "instability" or "maybe even chaos" in the wake of the vote as Babis's result could be "less glamorous than expected".

Babis's main rival, Social Democrats leader and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, said Friday he hoped that the future government would ensure that the Czech Republic does not drift to the EU's periphery.

Surveys showed the anti-EU Communists could win 10.5 percent, ahead of Okamura's far-right SPD with 9.5 percent and the anti-establishment Pirates party with 8.5 percent.

Leader of France's far-right National Front Marine Le Pen sent Okamura a letter of support, saying that their parties want to create "a Europe of nations and liberties to which we adhere."

Okamura's staunchly anti-migrant and anti-Islamic rhetoric has surprisingly won him popularity in a country where there are hardly any Muslims.

On Saturday, voting for the 200-member lower house of parliament begins at 0600 GMT and ends at 1200 GMT, with no exit polls scheduled and results expected in the evening. (**)
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Linkedin Damon Wake and Alice Ritchie (AFP) Brussels, Belgium  Sat, October 21, 2017 08:00 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2561ce3 2 World EU,European-Union,Theresa-May,Brexit,Emmanuel-Macron Free

EU leaders threw British Prime Minister Theresa May a lifeline in Brexit talks on Friday, agreeing at a Brussels summit meeting to start preparations for the next stage of negotiations.

EU President Donald Tusk said reports the talks were in deadlock were "exaggerated", hailing a speech May made in Florence, Italy, last month for breaking the impasse.

As expected, the other 27 leaders agreed there had been insufficient progress on the divorce talks to officially move on to the future relationship, delaying the decision to a December summit.

But they took just 90 seconds to approve the start of internal preparations for post-Brexit trade and a transition deal, work that Tusk said would take Britain's proposals on future relations into account.

"My impression is that reports of the deadlock between the European Union and the UK have been exaggerated, and while progress has not been sufficient, it does not mean there is no progress at all," Tusk said.

European leaders struck a broadly supportive tone for May, who has struggled to contain divisions in her government since losing her parliamentary majority in a June election, and appealed to her colleagues over dinner Thursday to help her make headway in the Brexit talks.

A European diplomatic source said: "May asked for a sign, we have given a sign."

-- Macron's money warning --

But May faced an immediate warning from French President Emmanuel Macron that agreement on the financial settlement -- the biggest sticking point in the talks -- was still "a long way off".

"There is major work to be done on the United Kingdom's side," Macron said, adding: "Today we are not even halfway down the road."

In Florence, May promised to maintain Britain's contributions for two years after Brexit to complete the current EU budget period, totalling around 20 billion euros ($24 billion), but EU officials say it should be at least double that.

European capitals are demanding detailed written commitments on finance before consenting to the start of trade talks, fearing that Britain's departure in 2019 will blow a hole in the bloc's budget.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel warned: "We are not going to delay the bill indefinitely."

But May insisted that a detailed accord on the financial settlement must wait until there is a "final agreement" on a future partnership.

Despite that the mood of the talks was positive, particularly with the step forward on trade talks.

The slow progress of the negotiations has stoked fears that Britain could leave the EU in March 2019 without a deal in place, risking economic and legal chaos.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that during Friday morning's Brexit talks, held without May, "the conversation at the table was about what the mandate would be for the negotiations" in the trade phase.

Starting preparations on guidelines for the trade talks now would save time if and when the political decision was taken to move forward in December, with talks possibly starting in January, EU sources said.

And a French presidency source said "scoping work has already broadly started", referring to preparations on the broad areas a deal might cover.

-- More details needed --

Like Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck an optimistic note, saying after Thursday's dinner that she could see "zero indications that we will not succeed" in reaching a Brexit deal.

As well as the financial settlement, the EU wants progress on the rights of three million European citizens living in Britain and the issue of the Irish border.

May said the deal on citizens' rights was within "touching distance", and pressed her colleagues over a dinner on Thursday for "urgent" progress.

"There is increasingly a sense that we must work together to get to an outcome we can stand behind and defend to our people," she told them.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said May "pleaded her case well", but called for more "concrete" positions in the run-up to the December meeting.

A German government source said progress on citizens' rights had gone "very, very far" and crucial future EU-British ties "outweigh the current dispute about finances."

The source concluded: "I believe everyone is aware of that and that is why we are optimistic that we are going to find a solution there -- with theatrical rumbling." (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 20:15 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2572b8f 1 National Susi-Pujiastuti,illegal-fishing,maritime-affairs-and-fisheries-ministry Free

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti plans to display foreign-flagged vessels arrested by Indonesian authorities for fishing violations in the countrys waters.

The minister said her side would use the 10 foreign vessels as museums.

One of the foreign vessels to be displayed is Silver Sea 2, a Thai-flagged giant vessel weighing 2,285 gross tonnages (GT).

This will become clear evidence [of rampant illegal fishing practices in Indonesia] in case there are parties accusing that Minister Susi has lied [about the presence of foreign vessels exploiting fish in Indonesian waters]. This will hopefully open the eyes of the Indonesian people, said the minister as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.

The ministry has sunken fishing vessels caught in its sea patrols. Susi has decided to turn the giant vessels into museums that will be open to the public. This aims to educate people on the importance of joint efforts to combat illegal fishing.

These 10 vessels represent several different countries. They will be displayed to give our people evidence of ongoing massive illegal fishing practices in our country. If we sink them all, there will be no evidence. People will say the minister and Task Force 115 lied, said Susi, referring to the ministrys unit assigned to combat illegal fishing. (ebf)
Philippine-based political scientist Richard Javad Heydarian makes animated gestures during a discussion titled Duterte and the Rise of Populism in Asian Democracies, held at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, on Friday. In his presentation, the De La Salle University lecturer notes that, in foreign policy theory, all populist leaders are trying to be power brokers.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)(CSIS) in Jakarta, on Friday. In his presentation, the De La Salle University lecturer notes that, in foreign policy theory, all populist leaders are trying to be power brokers.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Sat, October 21, 2017 16:09 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a256cfbe 1 National East-Tanjungjabung,Jambi,electronics,police,smuggling Free

Jambi's East Tanjungjabung Police have confiscated two trucks carrying hundreds of contraband electronics worth billions during a recent operation, the provincial police stated on Friday.

The illegal goods, which included Canon cameras and Xiaomi handphones, have an estimated value of Rp 6 billion (US$444,000).

The police said the two trucks were transporting 612 boxes of electronics, with the first truck (license plate BH 8187 HL) carrying 328 boxes and the second truck (BH 8030 MF) carrying the remaining 284 boxes.

The police raided the two trucks as they were passing along Jl. Orang Kayo Hitam in Berbak, East Tanjungjabung, and arrested four people, AND, YB, AT and TS.

Jambi Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Kuswayudi Tresnadi said on Friday that the operation was initiated on information from the public, who had reported a vessel from the Riau Islands that had unloaded a shipment of electronic goods at an East Tanjungjabung port.

The [vessel's] crew could not show proper documentation of their cargo. The goods are being kept at the East Tanjungjabung Police office as evidence, Kuswahyudi added. (ebf)
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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 12:39 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2568f9a 1 National science-and-technology,scientific-development,APASTI,ASEAN,AMMST-17,COST-73,Myanmar Free

Indonesia is set to contribute US$1 million to support scientific development in Southeast Asia, a research ministry official said on Friday at a high-level ASEAN meeting on science in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry secretary-general Ainun Naim said the $1 million fund could be used for a variety of activities, such as capacity-building workshops, training, and joint programs on innovative research.

Ainun represented Indonesia at the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology (AMMST-17), which aims to outline policies based on the 2016-2025 ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI).

In a statement the ministry released on Friday, Ainun said Indonesia was also initiating the establishment of a Southeast Asian Center of Excellence on Disaster Risk Management, Food and Agriculture.

The AMMST-17 is part of the 73rd Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST-73), which commenced on Oct. 12 in Nay Pyi Taw. Indonesia is scheduled to host the COST meeting in 2019. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) South Tangerang  Sat, October 21, 2017 20:02 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2572883 1 City #SouthTangerang,#FBR Free

South Tangerang Police have arrested a man claiming to be a member of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) for allegedly committing theft, extortion and attacking employees of an eel farm in Ciputat.

The suspect, identified as Ahmad Mudohi, reportedly paid a visit to the farm on Friday night with his friend Adi, claiming to be FBR members, and demanded Rp 500,000 (US$37) to be used for a Betawi festival with a receipt as proof of payment, said the polices criminal unit head, Adj.Comr. Alexander Yuriko, on Saturday.

The suspects said they would disrupt their business activities should they fail to meet their demands, Alexander said in a statement.

After one of the employees handed over Rp 100,000, the alleged perpetrators snatched a cell phone. Police officers patrolling the neighborhood tried to catch the suspects, but one escaped.

Alexander said similar incidents had previously occurred in South Tangerang and South Jakarta.

Police seized from the suspect four payment receipts and a cell phone.

The alleged perpetrator will be charged under articles 368, 363 and 170 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on extortion, theft and violence against people and could face a maximum sentence of nine years imprisonment. (wnd)
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Linkedin Frankie Taggart (AFP) Los Angeles, United States  Sat, October 21, 2017 09:00 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2563a7e 2 World Harvey-Weinstein,Heather-Kerr,Hollywood,sex-assault Free

A former actress accused Harvey Weinstein Friday of unzipping his pants and forcing himself on her, as a separate alleged victim publicly repeated rape allegations she had made in a newspaper interview.

Heather Kerr, who appeared on 1980s US sitcom "The Facts of Life," claims Weinstein attacked her during a private meeting when she was an aspiring actress in her 20s.

"He asked me if I was good. I started to tell him about my training and my acting experience and he said, 'No. I need to know if you're good,'" Kerr, who is now 56 and lives in Washington state, told a news conference.

"He said that if he was going to introduce me around town to directors and producers, he needed to know if I was any good. He kept repeating that word."

Kerr described 65-year-old Weinstein's "sly, sleazy smile" as she offered to provide a reel of her acting work, recalling how she started to get a sick feeling in her stomach.

"The next thing I knew, he unzipped his fly and pulled out his penis," she said, adding that Weinstein forced her hand onto his genitals.

"I was frozen with fear, trying to remain calm, trying not to freak out, because, after all, there was nobody else in the office," she said during an emotional statement, consoled by her attorney Gloria Allred as she broke down.

-- 'Greatest regret' --

Kerr described how she pulled her hand away "as casually as possible," but said Weinstein told her that "this is how things work in Hollywood," and that all actresses who'd made it did it this way.

The veteran producer, who resigned from the board of The Weinstein Company this week, having already been sacked as its co-chairman, has so far denied all allegations of forcing himself on his accusers.

An Italian model and actress who says Weinstein raped her after dragging her into the bathroom of her hotel suite in Beverly Hills in 2013 also spoke out about the attack Friday, through her lawyer Dave Ring.

The incident occurred at the Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel after she attended the 8th annual Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest in February 2013, according to the attorney.

"He bullied his way into her room. She has told me that obviously her greatest regret is opening that door. She had no idea what was coming," Ring told a news conference in downtown LA.

The actress, who is exercizing her right to anonymity, first spoke of the attack to the LA Times on Thursday, saying Weinstein had turned up at her hotel "without warning."

"Once inside, he asked me questions about myself, but soon became very aggressive and demanding and kept asking to see me naked," the Times quoted her as saying.

"He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me."

-- 'Extremely scared' --

Ring told reporters the incident "had a humongous, huge impact" on the mother-of-three, who is now 38.

"In a sense, she's relieved to have come forward now, to be able to share what happened with the LAPD, but she's also extremely scared, and rightfully so. She's a mom. She has young children."

He didn't elaborate on the details given in the newspaper interview, however, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.

Los Angeles police have confirmed they are looking into the case -- the sixth rape allegation against Weinstein -- adding to criminal investigations already underway in New York and London.

The latest case deepens the producer's potential legal woes as it falls within the 10-year statute of limitations for the crime, while previous accusations have dated back to a decade or more ago.

Weinstein has become a Hollywood pariah since allegations about his sexual misconduct first emerged last week and he was kicked out of Hollywood's motion picture academy.

The Television Academy's governors voted late Thursday to begin "disciplinary proceedings" that could see Weinstein ousted from that organization as well, leaving him with no voting rights for either the Oscars or the Emmys, while the Producer's Guild is considering following suit.

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who has worked closely with Weinstein for most of his career, admitted in an interview published Thursday he had known for decades about some of Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) Washington, United States  Sat, October 21, 2017 07:45 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a25618c1 2 World US,budget-deficit,tax-cuts,Treasury-Secretary,economic-growth Free

The US budget deficit grew to $666 billion in just-ended fiscal year 2017, according to official data released Friday, after lawmakers took a step toward enacting $1.5 trillion in tax cuts.

The deficit climbed 13.6 percent from a year ago, or by $80 billion, with much of the nearly $4 trillion the US government spent last year associated with caring for the country's ageing population.

The deficit now accounts for 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from 3.2 percent in 2016.

"Growth in spending outpaced growth in tax receipts for the second year in a row as a result of historically subpar economic growth," the Treasury Department said.

But the deficit came in $36 billion lower than forecast halfway through the fiscal year, which ended September 30, officials said.

"Today's budget results underscore the importance of achieving robust and sustained economic growth. Through a combination of tax reform and regulatory relief, this country can return to higher levels of GDP growth, helping to erase our fiscal deficit," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"These numbers should serve as a smoke alarm for Washington, a reminder that we need to grow our economy again and get our fiscal house in order. We can do that through smart spending restraint, tax reform, and cutting red tape," added Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Spending grew 3.3 percent to $3.98 trillion while revenue fell 0.9 percent to $3.32 trillion, while the total federal debt rose to $14.67 trillion.

Higher outlays for social security, Medicare (a government medical program for the elderly), and Medicaid (for the low-income and disabled Americans) as well as interest on the public debt all contributed to the rise in outlays.

Spending on the military rose one percent to $569 billion, and 45 percent in education to $112 billion.

"Higher spending by the Federal Emergency Management Administration for hurricane relief and recovery also contributed to the increase," it added.

-- Trump pushes tax cuts --

President Trump's administration has championed tax cuts which it says will spur economic growth, leading to future tax revenues.

The US Senate narrowly passed a 2018 federal budget Thursday that includes special instructions that allows Trump's party to pass historic tax reforms with a simple majority vote.

Fiscal conservatives worry a tax cut will add to the national debt, but the Trump administration argues that it will give businesses more money to create jobs and boost tepid economic growth, eventually turning in to higher tax receipts.

The Tax Policy Center, a Brookings Institution-Urban Institute joint venture, says the reforms will cost $2.4 trillion in lost federal revenues during their first decade, which raises questions about how they will be financed. (**)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 14:06 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a25699d6 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Batam,Bintan Free

The Tourism Ministry is currently busy promoting weekday tour packages to attract Singaporean tourists to come to Batam  Bintan.

Launched in August, the move has so far been supported by more than 60 industry players in Batam, Bintan and Tanjung Pinang.

As the result, more than 250 types of tours have been made and more than 10,500 promotional tour packages have been sold to Singaporean and Malaysian tourists.

Most of these tourists reportedly opt for leisure, gold and spa tour packages.

In the future, well keep on promoting [the packages] in Singapore and Malaysia, especially in Johor Bahru, said the ministry's Southeast Asia tourism promotion assistant deputy, Rizki Handayani.

When we conducted a consumer selling event in Johro Bahru recently, a total of 200 tour packages were sold within the three days of the event, Rizki added.

The ministrys deputy minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana explained that each tourist area has its own low-season period where the hotel occupancy is below 60 percent, hence it is where the weekday promotion can be implemented.

In Bali, hotels are mostly fully booked on weekends but on weekdays the occupancy rate is probably only around 60 percent"; we can sell the rest of 40 percent through the promotion, said Pitana. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 16:06 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a256cb24 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Mandalika,special-economic-zone Free

The inauguration of KEK Mandalika in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), is seen as a huge achievement for Indonesia Tourism Development Corporate (ITDC), the developer of Mandalika.

ITDC president director Abdulbar M. Mansoer said hes hopeful that KEK Mandalika would be able to create a huge multiplier effect for the locals.

ITDC has so far been developing the infrastructure in the central area, which include 10 new units of homestay, restaurant, cafe and retail shop.

The number will increase along with the ongoing development. In the next five years, KEK Mandalika is estimated to be able to create almost 5,000 jobs, said Abdulbar.

ITDC is also organizing the public area in Kuta Mandalika Beach and developing a micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM) space.

By 2018, ITDC is expected to finish the basic infrastructure project such as a 17-kilometer main road, water distribution pipe and PLN electrical grid.

So far, it has finished working on the first stage of clean water management that uses the Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology, which was first implemented in November 2016.

Regarding halal tourism, NTB is home to Nurul Bilad Mandalika Mosque that adopts the local design of Bayan Mosque in North Lombok and Beleq Sembalun traditional building. This mosque has a total area of five hectares and is able to welcome 5,500 people.

With an integrated service, the process of obtaining an investor permit can be done in three hours. With the total area of 1,175 hectares and the ease of processing the investor permit, we are hopeful that we'll be able to attract more investors, Abdulbar told.

Currently seven investors have signed the MoU agreement with ITDC. Five of them have signed the Land Use & Development Agreement (LUDA) with the total investment of Rp 6.2 trillion (US$459 million).

Moreover, in the near future several investors are set to start their hotel constructions, including Royal Tulip Hotel (by a South Korean investor), Pullman Hotel (by ITDC), Paramount Hotel (by an American investor), X2 Hotel (by an Indonesian investor, and ClubMed Hotel (by ITDC).

ITDC is targeting to provide 1,200 hotel rooms by 2019.

Other than the aforementioned seven investors, ITDC has also partnered up with Vinci Grand Project, a French state-owned enterprise, to develop the 120-hectare Mandalika Street Race Circuit Cluster with an investment value of Rp 6.7 trillion.

In total, the amount of investment that KEK Mandalika has received is Rp 12.7 trillion.

The circuit cluster will be home to seven hotels and a convention center and is expected to be done in 2019. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sat, October 21, 2017 13:07 1851 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a25690f1 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Mandalika,special-economic-zone Free

After 29 years of being in limbo, President Joko Jokowi Widodo finally officiated the Special Economic Zone (KEK) Mandalika in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Oct. 20.

Mandalika is one of the Tourism Ministrys 10 Priority Destinations, also known as 10 New Balis, and the inauguration marks the beginning of tourism development in that area.

For 29 years, Mandalika had been dealing with land acquisition problem. It wasnt until the President released a presidential instruction (inpres) that the regional administration in Mandalika could finally deal with the acquisitions that took only two months to get done.

The development of KEK Mandalika is a huge program and provides job opportunities for the locals.

Moreover, Jokowi wanted for all parties involved in the development to focus on five things. First, ITDC as the developer is the one whos responsible for managing Mandalika.

Second, the design layout should be nice and clear; ITDC also needs to set an area for souvenir shops.

The next one is to strengthen local content over international design, Dont build Spanish-inspired houses. Lombok has a strong architectural style, said Jokowi.

The fourth one is directed toward Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, as the President wanted him to support the presence of cafes, restaurants, homestays and public toilets that fit the international standard.

The last one is to give a timeline for investors, They have to start their investment project within six months, if not then revoke their permit. There are still plenty of investors who want to invest in Mandalika, said Jokowi.

Up to 10,000 rooms are set to be available in Mandalika. Around 2000 of them are going to be built in 2017. Plans are also in store to build a world-class circuit and a convention center that is expected to be done by 2019.

KEK Mandalika is developing the infrastructure worth Rp 250 billion [US$18.5 million] in capital. The investment value is so far at Rp 13 trillion, said Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution who attended the inauguration.

A total of Rp 4.1 trillion of investment is currently pouring in from some developers, including Pullman, Clubmed, Paramount, X2, Royal Tulip, Loth H7, Shaza (Moslem Friendly Cluster) and Vinci Development Cluster. (kes)
(front page)

With US complicity, Baghdad seizes Kurdish city

of Kirkuk

With Washingtons support and weaponry, the Iraqi army and the Tehran-backed Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi seized the city of Kirkuk Oct. 16, as well as the oil fields, military base and airport in the area. The moves come three weeks after an overwhelming vote  93 percent  by Kurds and others in the Kurdistan region, including Kirkuk, for independence. Backed by Washington, Berlin and the European Union, the capitalist rulers in Baghdad, Ankara, Damascus and Tehran demanded the referendum be nullified, or the Kurds would face the consequences.

Thousands of Kurds fled Kirkuk, heading towards the capital Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in the eastern Kurdistan region. Within 48 hours Iraqi forces also took over Kurdish-controlled areas near Mosul, Sinjar and Khanaqin.

Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Regional Governments army, had deployed some 9,000 troops to Kirkuk together with civilian volunteers, vowing to defend the city. Divisions emerged within the KRG leadership. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan officials betrayed Kurdistan by abandoning key fronts, said a peshmerga statement. The PUK along with the Kurdish Democratic Party is part of the Kurdistan Regional Government coalition.

Facing this situation, the remaining peshmerga retreated to avoid a bloody clash with high casualties, possible conflict with other Kurdish forces, and to concentrate their forces to defend the autonomous Kurdish region and its fight for independence.

The durable nation of Kurdistan, the loyal people and volunteers, brave peshmerga, the honorable families of martyrs, said an Oct. 17 statement issued by KRG President Masoud Barzani, the blood your sons gave and continue to give on the freedom path of Kurdistan, the loud voices you raised for the independence of Kurdistan that you sent to all nations and world countries will not be wasted now or ever.

The Kurdistan nation with the power of the brave ones, sooner or later, will eventually reach its right and sacred objectives, the statement said. And now we advocate for the protection of the unity and resilience of the Kurdistan nation and the political parties.

The 30 million Kurds living in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey  the largest nation worldwide without its own state  were inspired by Kurdistans independence referendum victory, which also aroused solidarity from workers throughout the Mideast and worldwide.

Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Irans Quds Force, was in Kirkuk leading the assault. He was designated military adviser to Hashd al-Shaabi by the Iraqi government.

In the beginning the Peshmerga put up a fierce defense, reported the Kurdish news agency Rudaw. But the Hashd al-Shaabi widened their advance, at which point many Peshmerga were wounded and killed. Some were beheaded.

Assault with American weapons

Were not taking sides, President Donald Trump told the media Oct. 16. But Washington opposed the referendum and insists the Kurds submit to maintaining the territorial integrity of Iraq. Not taking sides really meant they backed the Iraqi government and its Tehran-backed allies.

This assault was launched by American weapons, armored vehicles, tanks and other coalition weapons, said an Oct. 15 statement from Peshmerga General Command. These were given to the Iraqi forces under the name of the war on ISIS [Islamic State] while Peshmerga, also in the fight against ISIS, were not given necessary weapons to defend themselves.

The Kurds are amazing, and have been through a lot, but we need to get over our sentimentality, Michael OHanlon, senior fellow at Brookings Institution and former advisor to the CIA, told the Wall Street Journal Oct. 18. Their ambitions inside Iraq are not compatible with a stable internal situation for that country.

Leading up to the military attack, the capitalist rulers throughout the region had launched a blockade and other attacks against the Kurds. The Iraqi regime halted international flights to the Kurdistan region. Ankara announced it is closing Turkeys airspace to flights in and out of Kurdistan and planned to close its border crossings. Both Ankara and Tehran carried out military maneuvers with Iraqi forces on the Kurdish border.

Ankara threatened to join the assault on Kirkuk, claiming falsely that the peshmerga had invited fighters from the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to join them there.

Kirkuk, historically Kurdish, has been claimed by Baghdad since an Arabization policy was carried out in the area by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Baghdad refused to hold an agreed-upon 2007 referendum on Kirkuks status, fearing a majority would vote for inclusion in the KRG. Peshmerga forces stepped in when the Iraqi army collapsed and fled in the face of attacks by Islamic State in 2014, preventing the regions oil fields from falling under IS control.

Taking advantage of the assault on Kirkuk, Islamic State seized two villages north of the city, Makha and Twelay, which had been under peshmerga protection.

Pressure on Kurdish leaders

The squeeze on Kurdistan and assault on Kirkuk opened up public disagreements within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which along with the Kurdish Democratic Party, make up the majority KRG. Bafel Talabani, the son of late former Iraqi President and PUK leader Jalal Talabani, called Oct. 12 for dissolving the Kurdish-led Kirkuk Provincial Council and acceding to Baghdads demands that negotiations must be based on rejecting the referendum results.

But the KDP and many PUK leaders rejected these demands.

After Kirkuk fell, Kosrat Rasul Ali, vice president of Kurdistan and deputy leader of the PUK, said Some apostates abandoned the PUKs doctrine without returning to our partys leadership and became the invaders assistant to obtain some personal, temporary gains.

Kurdish fighters have been the most effective fighting force against the reactionary Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria. Raqqa, the terror groups former capital, fell to Kurdish-led forces Oct. 17.

With the recent defeats of IS, new conflicts have come to the fore, as Washington, Moscow and the capitalist rulers in the region look to assert their conflicting political and economic interests. All oppose the Kurds struggle for independence.
(front page)

Workers face carnage amid capitalist recovery

The broad social and economic assaults battering working people are not fading away. These attacks led millions of workers not to vote in 2016, or to vote for Donald Trump for president, seeking to drain the swamp of Washington politicians of both parties who do nothing to stop the disaster they face.

And the Democrats, the liberal media, some Republicans and the middle-class left, still furious about the election of Donald Trump, continue to try to drive him from office.

Eight years into an official economic recovery, millions continue to face declining incomes and a lack of full-time or decent-paying jobs, especially in smaller cities and rural areas. The metropolitan area that includes Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia, is one of the so-called rust belt regions, where workers switched from supporting Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012  seeking change and not getting it  to voting for Trump in 2016.

There are thousands fewer jobs in the metropolitan area, Eduardo Porter wrote in the New York Times Oct. 11, than there were at the onset of the Great Recession. Hourly wages are lower than they were a decade ago. The labor force has shrunk by 14 percent.

Porter is one of those people who think workers have it rough because theyre just not smart enough to join todays new world. Built on coal and steel, Steubenville and Weirton were ill suited to survive the transformations brought about by globalization and the information economy, he wrote.

Perhaps Porter thinks steel, coal, automobiles, washing machines, toasters and the rest of the products we use all come out of 3-D printers or when you push the print button on your computer, as opposed to being made by millions of workers worldwide.

He says the two working-class cities may be too small to survive.

Arguing that manufacturing is a thing of the past, he claims that opportunity in the information era has clustered in dense urban enclaves where high-tech businesses can tap into rich pools of skilled and creative people. So whats the bottom line for the workers in Weirton? Perhaps the best policy, Porter opines, would be to help them move to a big city nearby.

He thinks all the smart people are moving to New York, San Francisco and the like. So the rest of the country is destined to empty out!

Those with this view think the working class is a danger to their world. Theyre backward, bitter and angry, responsible for Trumps presidency. However, if the overwhelming majority of the population is smart, hip, gig-economy folks in the big cities, how could they have lost the election?

The Weirton Daily Times reports that West Virginias fatality rate from the opioid epidemic in the working class is three times higher than the national average, the highest rate of fatal drug overdoses in the country. And the state has the highest rate of babies born dependent on opioids.

Legislators in Middletown, Ohio, are discussing a proposal to have cops there place a cap on use of the opioid antidote Narcan. If you OD, theyll give you the antidote two times. After that, its three strikes and youre out.

But in New York, the only difference is that the carnage is more and more sharply class divided.

Workers moving from rural areas to the cities will find others, like themselves, confronting worsening conditions. In New York the number of homeless public school students  let alone adults  hit 100,000 last year. Thats 10 percent of schoolchildren.

Sky-high housing costs, stagnant wages, a crumbling subway system, cop brutality  all these and more face workers in the Big Apple.

And opioid addiction and deaths are soaring, especially in the Bronx and Staten Island. Deaths per person are the highest in the Bronx. In Staten Island, the New York Times reports a severe treatment gap for addicts. The few available treatment centers are located precisely where drug use is the lowest, making it hard for people to get help. The soaring number of opioid deaths there has gotten media attention, the Times says, because it involves Caucasian workers.

Trump wont solve the problems workers face, any more than Obama did. Theyre both beholden to the capitalist rulers who seek to boost their sagging profit rates in the midst of a long-term crisis of production and trade, by taking it out on workers. And as millions continue to search for change, the Socialist Workers Party finds widespread openings to discuss the roots of the crisis with working people and growing interest in the partys program and activity.





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(front page)

The Militant helps workers know whats going on

People need to know whats going on politically, Kulwinder Singh told Communist League members Felicity Coggan and Mike Tucker when they went to his home in Mt. Wellington, New Zealand, Oct. 11. Singh had been asubscriber in the past, but fell out of touch with the League. Its not their fault they dont, its the fault of the system that tells them to just shut their mouth and do their job.

He was glad to be back in touch, and got a six-month subscription and a copy of Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? by Socialist Workers Party National Secretary Jack Barnes. He said he would like to join members of the League in taking the paper and books to workers.

The Communist League in New Zealand, as well as the SWP in the U.S. and Communist Leagues in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, is on a nine-week drive to expand the reach of the Militant and books by SWP leaders. At the heart of the effort is knocking on workers doors in cities large and small, discussing the communist movement and its perspectives for fighting the disastrous effects of the capitalist rulers wars and economic crisis. Often this leads to meeting their families and friends, deepening the discussions.

In the past week members in New Zealand sold 10 more books toward their goal of 50, including five on workers doorsteps and two to co-workers.

We are on schedule for the subscriptions at the halfway mark of the campaign, which runs through Nov. 21. But we need to pick up the pace for the books. Party members report real interest in discussions about the struggle of the Kurdish people fighting for independence in the Middle East, the colonial status of Puerto Rico, and the deepening crisis of the two-party system in the U.S.

Joan Porter writes from Philadelphia that a Militant subscriber who works with her at Walmart joined her at a recent Militant Labor Forum there featuring Osborne Hart, SWP candidate for mayor of New York. The co-worker said she really enjoyed the presentation and meeting other workers. She bought Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible? Its the Poor Who Face the Savagery of the US Justice System,and made a contribution to the SWPs $100,000 fall fund drive, which runs concurrently with the Militant and book efforts.

The books Porter mentions, along with Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power and The Clintons Anti-Working-Class Recordare five books offered at a special discount with a Militant subscription. They are written by Barnes and SWP leader Mary-Alice Waters. Its the Poor Who Face the Savagery of the US Justice System is by the Cuban Five, five Cuban revolutionaries who were framed up and imprisoned in the U.S. for up to 16 years for defending their revolution.

Pamela Holmes in London reports that Communist League members and supporters there met Keith Woods, a pharmaceutical plant worker and union member. He told them that the company has been replacing full-time workers with temporary agency staff, increasing the divisions in the workforce. Woods was attracted to the front-page article in last weeks Militant, To Unite the Working Class Would Be Tremendous. And he laughed when he saw the book title Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? They try to make out that were stupid and backward, he said, getting a copy.

Beverly Bernardo writes from Montreal that when she and Michel Prairie knocked on Zahra Yahiaouis door Oct. 12, she was pleased to hear about the Communist Leagues campaign of Philippe Tessier for mayor. She responded enthusiastically when asked if she wanted to see some of the books in French and got Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? She signed up to receive Militant articles translated into French and to get emails about CL activities, so I can keep in touch, she said.

From Chicago Isabella Graham writes that a co-worker who is a new subscriber also got Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power. He and his wife joined Graham after work to look at the books. They bought Puerto Rico  Independence Is a Necessity by Rafael Cancel Miranda, Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? and Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible?

I asked them if they know anyone else they thought would be interested, Graham said. And the next day he brought me $15 for Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power in Spanish for his cousin.

Graham also got a pledge for $10 to the party fund from another subscriber.

In Oakland, California, Carrie Larson reports that a co-worker who got a subscription to the Militant and a copy of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power also got a copy of a SWP statement calling for amnesty for immigrant workers. She told Larson she took a photo of it and sent it to her list of relatives and friends.

If you would like to help get Militant subscriptions and campaign books out, or make a donation to the party fund, contact the Socialist Workers Party office nearest you listed on page 8.





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(front page)

Florida prison officials step up censorship

against Militant

The Florida Department of Corrections has stepped up its censorship of theover the last several months. On Sept. 19 the prison systems Literature Review Committee upheld the impoundment of the July 17 issue. Prison authorities claimed that an article reporting on the fight against censorship of two previous issues  which the committee itself had was a threat to the security, good order, or discipline of the prison.

That same day the Militant received notice that the Sept. 11 issue had been barred. The reason this time? A front-page article on a San Francisco protest against racism and one explaining why working people should defend the right to free speech. Both articles appeared under a banner headline reading, Socialist Workers Party: Protest Racist Attacks!

This censorship is politically motivated and undemocratic, said Militant editor John Studer. As working people are facing more and more attacks from the bosses and their government, the rulers and their prison authorities are afraid there are protests to come. So they clamp down on constitutional rights.

Prisoners have the right to read and consider a wide range of views, to think for themselves, to know what is going on in the world, Studer said. And the Militant has the right for our newspaper and our editorial views to be available to our readers within prison walls.

In the Militants appeal of this latest impoundment, David Goldstein, the papers lawyer, states, Certainly it is not possible that a newspaper can be banned for the words protest racist attacks.

The first article, which had a subhead Join Debate on How to Fight Effectively, contained no support or advocacy of violence or unlawful protests of any kind, Goldstein said.

The second article  with the subhead Liberals, Antifa Combine to Deal Blows to Political Rights  also contains nothing that could justify the censorship, Goldstein said. It criticizes Antifa thugs for attacking supporters of Trump and for intimidating or preventing the exercise of free speech rights.

Since 2013 the Florida prison authorities have impounded more than a dozen issues of the Militant. Most were reversed  and the papers given to the workers behind bars who had subscribed  after the Militant filed appeals with the Literature Review Committee.

So far this year Florida prison authorities have impounded seven issues. The committee reversed three of the bans, upheld three, and are still considering the most recent appeal.

The fight against censorship of the Militant in Florida prisons is part of a broader fight for prisoners right to read political literature. Over the last year the Militant has fought prison censorship at Attica Correctional Facility in New York and Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton, Illinois. Other publications have also faced impoundment, including the San Francisco Bay View; Workers World, which has had multiple issues rejected by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; and Prison Legal News, which has had to fight bans across the country.

In fact, on a number of occasions, Florida prison authorities have sent notices of impoundment of Prison Legal News mistakenly to the Militant.

Militant editor Studer sent a letter of solidarity to Workers Worlds editor after learning of the impoundment of their Aug. 31 issue by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the fourth time this year Pennsylvania prison officials have censored the paper.

All those who support civil liberties, democratic rights, the rights of workers behind bars and the struggles of working people should back your fight against censorship, Studer said.

The Militant has won broad support. Among the groups that have sent statements of support for the Militants fights against prison censorship in Florida and New York are: Amnesty International; Pen America; New York Civil Liberties Union; the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida; Riverside Church Prison Ministry; Heather Ann Thompson, author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy; National Lawyers Guild; and many more.

See the box above for how you can help join the fight against prison censorship.





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(special feature)

Fidel Castro: People like Che exist by the million

Slander against Cuban leaders aimed at revolution

This year is the 50th anniversary of the death of Ernesto Che Guevara, who was killed Oct. 9, 1967, while leading a revolutionary struggle against the military dictatorship in Bolivia.

Even before Guevara went to Bolivia, opponents of the Cuban Revolution were working overtime to promote the myth that Fidel Castro and Guevara had a falling out amid irreconcilable differences. They said Fidel was disillusioned with Ches adventurism, preferring peaceful coexistence. After Guevaras death, they claimed Castro had sent him on a suicide mission to get him out of the way.

These slanders are still promoted to this day. Their purpose is to undermine the Cuban revolution he helped to lead and to foster cynicism. After all, if Fidel Castro, the central leader of the revolution, and Che were backstabbers and murderers, whats the point of fighting to change the world and studying the lessons of the Cuban Revolution?

In 1955 the Argentine-born Guevara joined the July 26 Movement, led by Castro. He was part of the 1956 Granma expedition, where Castro and others returned to Cuba to launch the revolution.

Castro forged a cadre of revolutionists who were able to lead millions to topple the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship in January 1959, establish a workers and farmers government and expropriate the U.S. and Cuban capitalists and landlords. In Fidels judgment, Che became a highly skilled strategist and fighter, the first Castro promoted to commander.

U.S. imperialism never forgave the revolutionary working people of Cuba for being a powerful example to millions worldwide.

For many liberals and Stalinist groups, the Cuban Revolution is an obstacle to their bureaucratic scorn for the working class, and their course of reforming capitalism.

Following Castros death in 2016, the New York Daily News repeated the well-worn slanders that Castro left his old comrade stranded to die in Bolivia.

When Guevara joined the Cuban revolutionary forces he asked one thing, Castro told journalist Ignacio Ramonet in the book My Life, that Castro not forbid me for reasons of state, from going to Argentina to make a revolution there.

Agreed, I said to him, Castro says.

Guevara left Cuba in 1965, seeking to expand the revolution internationally, to help make one, two three Vietnams, a course he and Castro agreed on wholeheartedly. At the request of revolutionary fighters there, he went first to the Congo to aid the anti-imperialist struggle, and then to Bolivia.

Cuban leaders shared Ches views

In 1965, after false rumors circulated in his absence about divisions in the Communist Party, Guevara sent a letter to Castro. Other nations of the world summon my modest efforts of assistance. I can do that which is denied you due to your responsibility as the head of Cuba, Guevara wrote.

When Castro learned about Guevaras plans to go to Bolivia, we suggested he needed more time, not to get impatient, Castro told Ramonet. To wait until the new guerrilla movement there was more established.

But Guevara argued the pre-revolutionary situation in the Southern Cone called for timely action. Castro persuaded him to return to Cuba so they could work together to maximize the chances for success.

We helped Che; we shared his views. At that moment, Che was right. At that moment the struggle could have been spread, Castro told Ramonet. This assessment was born out in the years following Guevaras death when explosive working-class struggles broke out in Argentina in 1969 and Bolivia in 1970.

While in Cuba, Guevara  with Castros help  handpicked the veteran Cuban combatants he asked to volunteer for Bolivia.

After Guevara arrived in Bolivia and the guerrilla nucleus had begun its training, they were stabbed in the back by Mario Monje, head of the Stalinist Bolivian Communist Party. Monje said his party would stop supporting the guerrilla effort unless he was given personal command of the group. And the CP refused any further support.

Fidel did everything he could for the fighters in Bolivia as he did for us in the Congo as he has done for Cuban internationalist fighters everywhere, said Victor Dreke on a 2002 speaking tour in the U.S. Dreke served as second in command under Guevara in the combat mission in the Congo in 1965.

Dreke described Che as a great leader who led by personal example.

He was one of the noblest  most unselfish men Ive ever known, Castro told Ramonet, which would be of no importance unless one believed that men like him exist by the million.

Thats what makes fighting to make a revolution like Cubas in the U.S. today realistic.

Che thought and acted as an internationalist, Socialist Workers Party leader Mary-Alice Waters wrote in her introduction to Ches Bolivian Diary. He knew that only new revolutionary victories elsewhere, especially new socialist advances in the Americas, would change the relationship of class forces internationally and break the isolation that weighed so heavily on Cuba.

That remains true today. And despite the slanders, which continue to circulate, in todays crisis-ridden world growing numbers of workers and youth will be drawn to the Cuban Revolution, discussing how the example set by Castro and Guevara can be emulated.





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Madrid steps up threats, attacks against Catalan national rights

The Spanish government is ratcheting up pressure against the elected government and independence forces in Catalonia with new threats to curtail national and democratic rights for the people there.

On Oct. 16, the Spanish National Court imprisoned Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, who organized some of the massive pro-referendum demonstrations, while they await trial on charges of sedition. More than 100,000 immediately took to the streets in Barcelona to demand their release. Further protests are planned this weekend.

That same day Madrid issued an ultimatum to Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, giving him a deadline of Oct. 19 to declare clearly that he wont seek independence. The alternative is for Madrid to revoke major aspects of Catalonias self-rule.

Puigdemont had declared independence in a speech to Catalonias parliament Oct. 10 only to suspend it a moment later, saying he wants a dialogue with Madrid before enforcing it.

Facing Madrids attacks, and with the main capitalist rulers in Europe and the EU bureaucrats backing the Spanish government, major capitalist banks and corporations in Catalonia are relocating their headquarters elsewhere to avoid losing access to markets both in Spain and across the continent.

On Oct. 1 Madrid sent thousands of Civil Guard and National Police to attempt to halt the independence referendum with violence, but failed to stop it. The vote resulted in a sizable majority for independence, but the turnout was cut to some 40 percent. This is consistent both with previous referendums and poll results, showing less than half the population favors splitting away from Spain.

Madrid has said that it will enter talks with Catalonias government only after Puigdemont acknowledges that both the referendum and the independence declaration violated the Spanish Constitution.

Xavier Garcia Albiol, leader in Catalonia for Spains ruling Peoples Party, has called for banning parties that advocate independence from running in coming elections. This would apply to the three main independence groups, which represent a majority in the Catalan parliament.

The Spanish rulers banned the Basque Batasuna party in 2003, because it called for Basque independence.

In addition to jailing the two pro-independence leaders, Madrid has also put the chief of Catalonias police force on trial for failing to stop the referendum.

Bourgeois and middle-class advocates of independence had illusions that they would get support from the EU bureaucracy and European governments. But the capitalist rulers have no interest in more divisions in an already splintering union.

I wouldnt like a European Union in 15 years that consists of some 98 states, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said in an Oct. 13 speech at Luxembourg University. Its already relatively difficult with 28 and with 27 [after Brexit] not easier, but with 98 it would simply be impossible. The EU bureaucracy in Brussels considers the bloc has 98 major regions.

Both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have personally asserted their support for Spains unity to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The present showdown in Spain and Catalonia come out of two developments. The first is the effects of the global capitalist crisis of production, trade and employment on working people. The steep 2007-2008 downturn increased the economic and class divisions throughout the imperialist world, but more so in Spain, including Catalonia, than in many other countries.

Unemployment reached 25 percent, and more than 50 percent among youth. Temporary jobs became the norm and some workers had their wages cut in half. Public health care and other social services were cut drastically.

In the midst of this the Spanish Constitutional Court in 2010 revoked major aspects of Catalan autonomy, including parts of a 2006 Autonomy Charter that recognized Catalonia as a nation and the Catalan governments powers over the judiciary. It also ruled unconstitutional preferential use of the Catalan language.

The responses to the crisis conditions reflect social class. Catalonia is one of the most economically developed and industrialized regions in Spain with relatively higher living standards. Substantial sections of urban professionals and middle-class layers, university students and many farmers press for independence with the anti-working-class argument that Catalonia shouldnt be saddled with having to subsidize the central government budget and preferential treatment for regions in Spain where workers face lower wages and worse working and social conditions, and would fare better on their own. They form the social base of the pro-independence organizations.

Support for independence is lower in the working class. A July poll by the regional survey agency put it at 28 percent. Over many decades, workers have moved to Catalonia both from the rest of Spain and other countries in search of jobs and improved living conditions. Some dont speak Catalan, and see unemployment, wages, health care, pensions and other social protections as more pressing needs than splitting from Spain.
ANGOLA  Renowned retired Pokagon State Park naturalist Fred Wooley has filed a defamation suit against a host of Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials in Steuben Superior Court.

The civil tort alleges that five DNR officials, in their personal capacity, defamed Wooley by making statements about his conduct with employees. Court records say at least one DNR official characterized his conduct as sexual harassment, referring to alleged activity that took place after Wooley left the DNR.

The case was filed in August and in part seeks unspecified punitive and actual damages.

Attorneys for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are seeking dismissal of the case, claiming Wooley did not file a notice of tort claim against state officials within the 270-day time frame following alleged harm, as required by Indiana law.

Wooleys Angola attorney, Pat Martin, has countered that the alleged defamation occurred outside the scope of the DNR officials employment and was not subject to government tort law.

A hearing on the motion to dismiss has been scheduled for Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. in Superior Court.

Defendants, individually and collectively, by their words and actions, have knowingly and intentionally published false and defamatory statements about Mr. Wooley, the suit says.

Wooley, a nationally known naturalist who many sought for advice in the field, retired from Pokagon in February 2015 and had been with the park since 1980. While employed, Wooley became the face of Pokagon, often acting as the parks official spokesman. He also was instrumental in development within the park over the years because of his love of the property and devotion to its history and mission.

The suit was filed against Dan Bortner, director of Indiana State Parks; Ginger Murphy, deputy director of state parks; Amanda Foor, human resources director of the DNR; Lisa Johnloz, assistant manager at Pokagon; and Ted Bohman, manager at Pokagon.

While the case claims the officials were acting in their personal capacity, it apparently bases the allegations at least in part on documents sought through the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, including one allegedly from Johnloz that the complaint says was shared with Bohman, Foor and Murphy at the insistence of Bortner.

About six months following Wooleys retirement in 2015, the complaint says, Bortner warned Wooley to not visit any DNR property in light of inappropriate conversations and interactions with current employees at the park. On Aug. 15, 2015, Bortner allegedly threatened serious consequences against Wooley if he visited any DNR property. In September 2015, Wooley requested copies of all correspondence about him from the DNR.

Wooley has since attended two very public events at the park after Bortners alleged threat, the July 31, 2016, dedication of the parks pocket museum and Civilian Conservation Corps reunion  which Bortner attended  and the Aug. 21 solar eclipse party, which occurred 10 days after Wooley filed his suit.

Beyond written communication sought by Wooley, the suit alleges Bortner and Foor directed Bohman and Johnloz to spread defamatory statements about Wooley in order to restrict his access to DNR properties and communication with current and former employees.

The suit says Wooley has suffered emotional distress and has had to seek professional help.

The suit asks the court to order the defendants to destroy any documents about Wooley, refrain from limiting Wooleys access to DNR properties and his ability to communicate with current, former and future employees; and stop further publication of defamatory speech about Wooley.

The suit also seeks punitive damages from the defendants for causing emotional distress and damages for direct and consequential costs associated with the litigation.

When sought out, Martin would not comment on the pending litigation.. DNR officials in Indianapolis would not comment.

We do not comment on pending litigation, said Marty Benson, DNR assistant director of communications.

EDITORS NOTE: Wooley writes a regular column for KPC Media Groups Outdoor Life page. KPC Media Group works with Pokagon State Park on staging the annual Pokagon Triathlon and Trail Race.
Frida the rescue dog became a symbol of hope and a hero in the recovery efforts which took place after the earthquake in Mexico last month  and artist Celeste Byers has now commemorated her efforts in vibrant paint.

Byers spent eight days immortalising the golden Labrador on the side of a building in Mexico City.

(Celeste Byers)

Byers design sees Frida surrounded by rainbow colours and dahlias, the national flower of Mexico.

I was inspired by Catholic imagery of the Virgin of Guadalupe where she is radiating light, Byers told the Press Association. I wanted Frida to look holy.

Eight-year-old Frida has found 53 bodies and helped rescue 12 people alive during her six-year career.

Clad in goggles and neoprene booties, her efforts following Septembers quake, which killed at least 369 people, were seen on television and computer screens across the world.

Day 1 painting from a swing stage 4 stories above Mexico City. : @unegsurfer #cdmx #savage #safety A post shared by Celeste Byers (@celestialterrestrial) on Oct 2, 2017 at 9:34pm PDT

Frida is a symbol of hope and inspiration, said Byers. She is a symbol of strength and hope in these times and I painted her to bring positivity to Roma Norte, a very affected area of the city that I love.

Byers said people are coming together to help each other in the wake of the magnitude 5.5 earthquake.

It seems like everyone is doing something to help others in the city, she added. Though there is still more to be done.
When dozens of Hmong women arrive at UW-Eau Claire a week from now, theyll be in for a weekend of discussions centered on leadership and how it relates to the nuances of their identity.

We believe that we are taking these women on a journey, said Caitlin Lee, founder of Hmong Women Summit: The Authenticity Project. Really, the Authenticity Project is a call to leadership, to invigorate the women in our community to see themselves as leaders.

The summit is set for Oct. 27-28 at UW-Eau Claires Davies Center. The theme is Showing Up. The summit, being offered for the second time, will feature two keynote speakers, two award recipients and 15 panelists.

The summit is a time for Hmong women of all ages to come together, learn about leadership and explore related themes, said Lee, an equal opportunity specialist at UW-Eau Claire.

The Hmong Women Summit really came out of the notion of leadership, in our community, in the past being identified as elder males, and really never allowing a space for Hmong women voices to be at the decision-making table, she said. We came to the summit with the notion that we are going to challenge that.

While Lee said she originally thought the summit would be for local women, people came from states such as South Carolina and Massachusetts in 2015, when the summit was first held. This year, a few women from California and some from the East Coast plan to attend, she said, in addition to many Minnesota and Wisconsin women. Including panelists and planners, Lee said she expects about 70 people next weekend.

According to data from the local Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, the Hmong population has grown to more than 3,000 in Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn counties and totals about 3 percent of the city of Eau Claire.

The theme Showing Up is intended to make participants think about active leadership, planning committee co-chair Blia Schwahn said.

Sometimes, people like to be leaders, but only by words or by a title, Schwahn said. But theyre not truly out there doing the work they need to do. Thats why we decided to come up with this theme; being a good leader means you also have to show up.

Panelists will center their presentations on themes related to that topic, Schwahn said.

Keynote speakers are Sia Her, executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, and Mary Thao, an information technology consultant for Marshfield Clinic Health System. Award recipients are Mai Zong Vue, executive director and founder of the Hmong Language and Cultural Enrichment Program, and musician Pagnia Xiong. Their awards are Authentic Leadership Impact and Authentic Emergent Leadership, respectively.

Part of the summit is connecting participants with other Hmong women who have similar interests as attendees and can help them figure out how to achieve their goals.

One of the core things about Hmong Women Summit is connecting our attendees to the idea of mentorship and what that can do for them as a leader, Lee said.

Among the 15 panelists are Eau Claire Councilwoman Catherine Emmanuelle, UW-Stevens Point associate professor Maysee Yang Herr, Walgreens pharmacist Teresa Moua-Her and Oskar Ly, a manager at the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council in St. Paul.
The very enjoyable three-hander, which is Frankie Meredith's first full-length play, tackles issues with a subtle nuance that makes it incredibly engaging throughout. Meredith does not shy away from the sufferings of each character nor attempts to paint them as anything less than flawed. Her writing is understated, mature and engaging. It is real and raw and offers a unique insight into relationships. Harriet Green plays Toni, a woman who loves her girlfriend and is hoping to get that promotion at work. Green offers a raw and heartbreaking turn as the stilted partner. She finds the balance between being first loving and later angry perfectly. Cameron Robertson, who plays Michael, Madeline's dead ex-boyfriends father, does so with an understated hopefulness that is heart-breaking to watch. His terrible dad dancing combined with his obvious mourning is quite wonderful and an asset to Meredith's writing. But it is Peyvand Sadeghian who truly stands out. She shines as the manipulative Madeline, not content on just asking her ex-boyfriend's father for his sperm, instead orchestrating him into a sexual relationship. She should be easy to hate but Sadeghian delivers each line with an undeniable warmth and vulnerability that makes it truly hard to do so.The connection between each actor is solid, each decision made about their relationships impeccable. The actors contrast and bounce off of each other perfectly. The relationships seem natural and are at times heart-breaking. It is as if you are sneaking a peek into another couple's most private moments. There is a believeability and truth on stage that is a wonder to witness. It is Niall Phillips strong direction that allows each nuance to fall into place, each decision made has been done so with strength and clarity. Phillips never allows the drama and tension to overshine the overarching story, allowing for each moment to breathe, and the audience to breath with it. The choices made for the staging were brilliant. The set is open and and simple, decorated with a few autumnal leafs scattered about. Some boxes are placed in each corner of the round staging. Nothing else is needed. The set is as the rest of the production: understated yet beautiful. This symbolic space allows Phillips and Meredith's creation to shine. Nothing is hidden, the ugly truth is out in the open for the entire audience to see at all times, from all angles. Turkey is not a story that shys away from depicting pain so it is quite fitting that each decision made contributed to this overall soul and destruction of the piece, making the show nothing short of stunning.
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Awards are the last things on Rosalie Roz Schnicks mind when she immerses herself in service and philanthropic endeavors in the Coulee Region, because she is focused on her inspiration: her late husband, Ron.

Their 43-year marriage was so close, their interests so aligned, she said, that, after he died in March 2012, In my eulogy to him, I dedicated the rest of my life to honoring him.

Even though she acknowledges that she didnt know at the time what that meant, she knows now as she declares, I want to make every person reach their full potential.

Schnicks dedication to that goal and other community causes resulted in the decision of the Womens Fund of Greater La Crosse to present her with the 2017 Roberta Zurn Outstanding Women in Leadership Award.

The award, which memorializes a retired teacher who left a bequest to the Women's Fund in 2003, honors women who strive to serve others.

The Brain Game

If Schnicks goal of helping every person sounds unrealistic, she doesnt see it that way.

Consider one of Schnicks passions since she joined the Downtown Rotary Club of La Crosse in January 2015: "The Brain Game. The club is the publisher of the book, which has become a juggernaut among parental guides to help childrens brains develop in the crucial period up to age 3.

"Our mission is to have every parent in the world have a book, Schnick said during an interview in her home office on French Island, with its idyllic view of Lake Onalaska.

Everything happens in the first three years, she said, noting that the 2001 book is in its third edition in both English and Spanish, it just became available as an ebook, and has an app coming and a hardcover in the works.

The app will be especially helpful in countries such as Nicaragua, which Schnick learned about through her involvement with Global Partners at the Gundersen Medical Foundation.

Many Nicaraguans cannot read, but a Rotary Club there will sponsor a reading of an audiobook of The Brain Game on a local radio station, she said.

Several of Schnicks causes, especially environmental advocacy, aquaculture and aquaponics, sprang from her 15 years as national coordinator for Aquaculture New Animal Drug Applications and her 28-year career at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse.

That center doesnt get enough credit, said the 75-year-old Schnick, whose work there included developing drugs to protect the health of fish, and influencing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Schnick, a native of Owatonna, Minn., attributes her interest in fisheries and other environmental issues to the fact that her dad, a farmer, took her fishing when she was just 4.

That got me into nature and the environment, she said, and convinced her of the need to protect the environment to safeguard peoples health and recreation at the same time.

'Herding cats'

Sometimes, it was like herding cats, said Schnick, who formed her own consulting firm after retiring in 2010, with clients in France, Norway, Scotland, Texas and Georgia.

She is a strong advocate of aquaponics, which usually involves growing fish and plants together.

With aquaponics, we can raise our own food  and people on food stamps who cant afford much will be able to grow their own, she said.

Her husbands death from a rare form of dementia just nine months after he was diagnosed instilled in her an appreciation of caregivers who helped her during his demise, she said.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for people who are caregivers. They arent paid enough, and they are so skilled, Schnick said, tearing up at the memory of her husbands final months and the support she received from caregivers.

To watch this incredible man die before me was a shock because of their common interests in a variety of things in a relationship in which their minds synced almost as if they were one, she said.

Schnick expressed the wish that everyone could have one day or even one hour of what I had for 43 years with my husband.

Many in the Coulee Region are grateful for the days, hours, months and years Schnick dedicates to service projects.

Gift to community

Shes a wonderful gift to our community, said Chuck Hanson, a La Crosse attorney who sponsored her membership in Rotary.

Roz is a very positive person who looks for ways to serve people, he said. She is a perfect fit for Rotary because it is so involved in so many service projects."

Roz does nothing halfway, Hanson said, an assessment echoed by Catherine Kolkmeier, executive director of the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium who has gotten to know Schnick as a Rotary colleague.

She has energy and enthusiasm  from her politics, to community involvement to her dedication to the community, Kolkmeier said, adding, Im sorry I got to know her just lately. Shes a great person to have in the community.

Schnick has been a major contributor, both financially and physically, to YWCA, said Ruthann Schultz, the YWs executive director.

The YW gave Schnick the Olga Schleiter Award in April to recognize her philanthropy, an honor that moved her to tears, as did the discovery that she would receive the Zurn award.

She knows a lot about a lot of things, Schultz said, making a point that Schnick might quibble with, since her own assessment is that she knows a little bit about a lot of things.

On the political side, Schnick is an avid Democrat who counts among her friends U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, who lives barely a stones throw from her; state Rep. Jill Billings, whom Schnick described as having a true moral compass, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, to name a few.

Schnick experienced a severe health problem with digestive issues after her husband died. The malady brought her in contact with wholistic nutritionist Diane Carrk, whom Schnick credits with saving my life.

Adopting the healthy eating habits Caark espoused, Schnick said she lost 100 pounds and regained her health. They now are co-writing a book about nutrition.

Between her husbands death and her own brush with it, Schnick has found that suffering has helped her find meaning.

Receiving the Olga Schleiter Award from the Y was such a humbling experience for me, but I have this beacon (Ron) driving me, she said. I get out of this much more than I ever give.

No throwaways

Often invoking the mantra of there are no throwaways, Schnick said, Every life has meaning. Every person has the right to the basic necessities of life.

We as a society will be better when everybody has a chance to have a decent life. Zuckoff writes about the need to live with love and compassion, not fear and anger, Schnick said. Think of where society would be  instead of where we are  if we had love and compassion instead of fear and anger.
If Liberia were indeed a country of laws and not of men, by now Slum dog millionaire George Howe would have his sorry self-locked behind bars under a host of fraud related charges including that of misapplication of entrusted funds, Specific Performance, etc.



Having won a U.S.$ 2m bid through fraudulent representation of capabilities of his janitorial services called Libra Sanitation Services located in the slums of Perry Street, expectations were high that this Liberian company chosen to partner with the Ghana-based Zoom Lion to complete the Wehn Town Sanitation Project was going to perform given all the hoopla about Liberian participation.



True to form, but contrary to expectations, Mr. Howe instead went on a spending spree, buying himself a Hummer Jeep, expensive jewelry, and of course splaying cash on a host of girlfriends and hangerons. In the process, he took thousands of bags of cement from CEMENCO and other materials including a few dump and garbage collection trucks from local suppliers which he diverted to his personal use.



Not surprisingly he was unable to complete the project and his contract award was terminated and he was compelled to make some restitution particularly cement which he stored at various places around Monrovia. No longer are his street cleaners seen cleaning the streets of Monrovia as before and it appears his euphoria of sudden wealth is fast vanishing and fears of a return to the drudgery of the slums of Perry Street must be haunting him.



Not surprisingly, desperation has set in. His Patron Charles Taylor is no longer around so his hopes of revival of fortune hinges on one single outcome-the election of Charles Taylor's ex wife as Vice President of Liberia. For his loyalty and perhaps battlefield exploits (killing of innocent civilians) Taylor rewarded him Deputy Ministerial posts at Labor and at Finance.



And like other Taylor loyalists who are posting all kinds of insults, Mr. Howe has come out charging at me like a wild bull in a China shop and probably the only thing that could stop him is CDC's defeat in the runoff Elections. Portraying himself as an accomplished man he goes on to draw my late wife into his line of fire with bogus claims of my not owning a house in Monrovia or anywhere else and by his yardstick I am "useless".



But he pretends to forget that the properties in Gbarnga (rubber farm estate) where he once served guard to Enoch Dogolea and which was illegally occupied and christened V.P. Mansion by his Charles Taylor NPFL, is John H. T. Stewart's property. And George Howe knows this as he once lived in Gbarnga with his mother, the late Mary Howard on the Gbarnga-Ganta Highway not far from me.



This is the same George Howe who, on the morning of April 11, 1996 during the April 6 war in Monrovia, led three (3) heavily armed men to the home of Dusty Wolokolie in Gaye Town Old Road where I was seeking temporary refuge after being displaced on April 10 1996, by the fighting on the By-Pass between Roosevelt Johnson's forces and combined NPFL-ULIMO forces. The house Dusty lived in then (the ground flat) is owned by the mother of Onike Gooding- Freeman and they were all at home upstairs when the incident occurred.



Mr. Howe and his armed posse actually entered Mrs. Gooding's fence and demanded that Dusty come outside to answer for remarks he had made calling his boss Taylor a "terrifying despot".Fortunately for Dusty and me, the two young men in the house, Othello and Paul had gone out and confronted Mr. Howe and his gang while we escaped by scaling two fences and taking a back road behind the American Cooperative School.



While enroute we passed right near the home of the late Bedell Fahn who immediately recognized Dusty and realizing his (Dusty's) predicament, offered him shelter and protection as well which we politely declined and pressed forward to reach the Nigerian Embassy. From a friend's house on the Tubman Boulevard, we made contact with the late Nigerian Ambassador Joshua Iroha who sent a vehicle with two (2) soldiers in board to take us back to the embassy. Even then we had to keep low in the back seat to avoid recognition or detection by Taylor's men as Taylor's home was lying right adjacent to the Embassy.



An ECOWAS delegation was in town and we profited by riding in their convoy to the ECOMOG base where we remained safely out of the clutches of armed marauders like George Howe until the cessation of hostilities.



I have provided this background for the public to know George Howe as an ex NPFL fighter spilled innocent blood and he shall one day be called to account. And let him (George Howe)and his gang of killers be informed that we know what their game plan is all about and this time around, we shall not roll over and play dead or scale fences to escape his wrath. Had Liberia been then a Country of Laws would such have happened?



As we are now seeing, especially the arson attack on the home of journalist Smith Toby of OKAY FM, the armed attack on Liberty Party members in Nimba and other similar assaults in Monrovia, this just a foretaste of what to expect under a George Weah- Jewel Howard Taylor regime.



As Senator Prince Johnson has declared, the election of a George Weah-Jewel Howard Taylor ticket would mean a return to war why because there is definitely going to be resistance to the implementation of Charles Taylor's Agenda of rape, torture, pillage and murder which Jewel has vowed to do.



And if ever such a situation should arise (God forbid) the homeless, the useless and the Slum dog millionaire shall meet at the gates. And what a meet that shall be!

What is your take? Please post your comments below:


President Sirleaf

Unity Party is in a free fall due to the factional battles within its ranks. With such fast degeneracy, the lack of coherence in its central command, porosity of strategy due to massive leak, coupled with the no money syndrome, a George Weah presidency engineered by the witch plutocrat Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is on the horizon.



This writer maintains that the result from the first round of the presidential polls is an indictment of a regime that was blessed with twelfth years to deliver on basic social services and ameliorate the standard of living of the people, but spectacularly failed to address basic survival issues. Instead of focusing on providing practical solutions to nagging challenges, this regime prided itself in fumbling with theoretical postulates and discussing abstract concept void of addressing basic social issues.



The Party does not have the luxury of time to garner the forces and recalibrate in a runoff that is about to decide the final winner of the contestation. In the ranks of the party, the Ellen faction led by Eugene Nagbe and his cohorts are bent on undermining the partys effort simply because they have been shown the exit door by the bravado highliners led by Cllr. Varney Sherman and his poster boy in Chairman Wilmot Paye.



Attempts to put the broken pieces together so the party can emerge as a strong and united force in the runoff is a dream in wonderland, as all sides are expressing unwillingness to smoke the peace pipe for the sake of the general objective. This lack of coherence in the party will cost it the runoff, considering the fact that their opponent in the Coalition for Democratic Change has a sound ground work complimented by a solid internal organization, which has been lacking for the past two elections.



Analysts are quibbling that the sour relationship between President Sirleaf and the party is due to the rift between she and Cllr. Varney Sherman and Chairman Wilmot Paye. The two kingpins of the Party have been embroiled in a conflict with the President since the inception of her second term. According to the two men, their bitterness with the President stemmed from her refused to prioritize the employment of partisans of the party that went in the trenches to secure its victory in 2011.



New hostility between the two men and President Sirleaf took center stage when Cllr. Sherman used his privileged opportunity as orator of Liberias Independence to send volleys of punches to the President for her lethargy in resolving structural issues of governance ranging from corruption to unemployment, poverty etc. As for Chairman Paye, his was during the 2014 Special Senatorial Election when he seized the opportunity to throw nuggets of verbal missiles at the then Heir Apparent, Machiavellian Co President, and the Defacto Prime Minister in Robert Sirleaf for masterminding the prematurely pull out of the Partys candidate in the election.



After recuperating from a life-threatening illness, in recent time, Cllr. Varney Sherman reignited the impasse between he and the President at a program in the Township of West point; he boastfully said that the party does not need the support of the President to win the presidential election, hinging on the argument that he won the senatorial election of Cape Mount void of the support of President Sirleaf.



Many commentators have tagged Cllr. Sherman as a political man who does not know the rules of engagement, or somebody without an understanding of tactic and strategy in politics. His comment of late against the President has further soured the relationship between the Party and the President, and he thus dropped the ball on that issue.



Shermans assertion could prove correct if the party had a massive grassroots support complemented by funds to run its campaign. As it stands, the party lacks the funds to discount, the organizational framework, and the gusto to discount the support of president Sirleaf. Many of their key members are junior ministers in the government who are not prepared to abandon their fat salaries to engage the process with the ferocity of their existence.



In addition to such situation, the Party is experiencing insolvency, as ranks and file are openly scolding the media team for during little to articulate the success of the party to the Liberian people. Aggrieved partisans are saying that the media team lacks depth and spine to take on a Coalition for Democratic Change which has demonstrated superior propaganda firepower during the first round of the presidential polls.



As it stands, a divided Unity Party with all the attendant challenges, is inadvertently delivering the presidency to the CDC on a silver platter. Yes, in the public the elements of the Party will put a brave face, but in private they admit to the disintegration of the Party. Unless there is a dramatic change in the activities of the Party, the clock is ticking towards the end of its hold on power.

What is your take? Please post your comments below:


After the announcements of party tickets of both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress for ensuing Assembly polls on 9 November, the open rebellion by party cadres is spelling trouble for the leadership of both the parties.

The worst affected districts by rebellion in Himachal Pradesh are Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Bilaspur which constitute more than half of the total seats (i.e. 42 seats out of total 68 seats).

BJP had declared candidates for all the 68 seats while Congress has announced candidates on 59 seats and the candidates for remaining 9 seats are likely to be declared by soon.

Many of the strong candidates for the party tickets have been ignored by senior leadership of both the parties, leading resentment among hopefuls as well as party cadres.

In many seats of Kangra, Shimla, Solan, Mandi and Bilaspur districts, the rebels as well as party cadres have openly protested against the partys decision.

In some cases, the candidates along with their supporters have given ultimatum to party leadership to change the selected candidates or else they had threaten to resign and fight the elections against the official candidate as an independent.

Though the party leaderships of both Congress and BJP have cited independent surveys as the basis for allotting tickets but the candidates along with their supporters are adamant on their demand.

There are over 15-20 Assembly segments in the state where the BJP is facing dissent while in Congress, the major infighting is being witnessed on 10-15 Assembly seats.

Some of such seats, where both the parties are facing rebellion, are Shimla, Rampur, Rohroo, Chopal, Palampur, Kangra, Shahpur, Nurpur, Dharamshala, Bilaspur, Jhanduta, Ghumarwin, Mandi, Sundernagar, Dharampur, Solan and Nalagarh.

Even Hamirpur and Una districts are also facing similar situations on 2-3 Assembly segments.

We have developed a mechanism wherein senior leaders of the party are trying to pacify the dissidents, Ganesh Dutt, state BJP vice president told The Statesman.

He said the party is hopeful of resolving the crisis with discussions and the party would score huge victory in the ensuing assembly polls.

It is in the best interests of all that party workers start campaigning for official candidates and ensure their victory instead of working against the interests of the party, he said, adding the party would be able to pacify such candidates and convince them to withdraw their nominations.

Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson IN Mehta said the dissidents should accept the decision of party high command as the candidates have been selected after detailed deliberations with state leaders.

It is the duty of each Congress worker of accept the decision of Central leadership to fulfill Mission Repeat in Himachal Pradesh. However, the senior leaders would hold discussions with such workers and try to quell dissidence over official candidate soon, Mehta told The Statesman.
The Punjab education department on Saturday decided to merge the primary schools having less than 20 students, with those situated within one kilometer (km) radius. Interestingly, as many as 47 such schools facing merger have less than five students. The department has even identified 15 primary schools having less than three students .

However, the school which is situated at a distance of more than one km would not be merged even if the strength of the students is less than 20. An official spokesperson said that the decision will help to maintain student-teacher ratio as the teachers can be deployed where their services are required the most.

Many schools being merged are situated in close vicinity. In some cases, schools share the wall. The teachers of the schools being merged would be deputed in the same district against the vacant posts as per their seniority, said the spokesperson.

It was also disclosed that the state education minister Aruna Chaudhary has directed to start pre-primary classes to boost the standard of government schools and strengthen the primary education infrastructure as well. Apart from this, special budgetary provisions have been made to strengthen the basic infrastructure of government primary schools. Instruction in English medium (optional) would be imparted from first standard in 400 schools of the state, added the spokesperson.

On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly opposed the state education departments move to merge primary schools within 1-km radius. The AAP has suggested the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh to learn from Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to follow AAP governments education model in the state. Through a joint press statement, Punjab AAP c0-president Aman Arora said that the move to merge more than 800 government primary schools should be stopped immediately.

He said that the people of the state have elected the Congress led government with high hopes and they should not be refrain from basic services like education and health. Arora claimed that Delhis government schools result was nine per cent higher than the private schools.

He claimed that the people in Delhi have shown their faith in governments education system resulting more than 900 school children enrolled with only one government school in national capital. The merger will affect close to 800 primary schools in Punjab and will have adverse effects on the education system in the state, he said.
It has now become almost a ritual that appointments made in senior positions in government-run film institutes, especially in Pune, are met with protests on the campus. This is part of a recurring disapproval of administrative decisions from restructuring of the curriculum to a strong resistance to the idea of the government scaling down its financial commitments.

The chain of such incidents reached a high point three years ago with the appointment of a chairman at the FTII in Pune someone whose credentials consisted of his performances in a popular television serial and a few roles on the big screen that virtually went unnoticed. The resentment spilled over from the campus to other areas where directors and writers chose to join hands with the students to the extent of some returning their National Awards.

The institute remained closed for several months without any sign of solution despite several rounds of discussions with students. The strike fizzled out largely because the disruption hit the students more than anyone else. The newly-appointed chairman took charge thereafter but whatever initiative he may have otherwise shown in justifying the appointment had to cope with a drastically reduced tenure. Now there are reports in some quarters of fresh murmurs at FTII over the appointment of Anupam Kher as chairman.

The reasons have not been spelt out but it would appear that there are reservations again over the political connections of someone who has otherwise distinguished himself as an actor, theatre personality, a television host and the head of an acting school. There are obvious doubts about whether the tensions can at all be conducive to a healthy academic climate. The moot point is whether students who have benefited from subsidies and infrastructural opportunities should be so concerned about administrative issues unless these affect their academic programmes in any way. There was a somewhat alarming case of a chairman having, on one occasion, accepted a proposal to allow students to be observers during an interview for recruitment of faculty for the cinematography department.

Fortunately, the dubious concession was subsequently withdrawn. But the environment does not seem to have changed. Equally unfortunate is the veiled impression, often endorsed by directors who may have had long established connections with films schools, that creative work cannot be delinked from some degree of indiscipline. Hence there is a need to take a more liberal view in the case of film schools.

There is the frequent example given of Ritwik Ghatak, head of the Pune film institute in the 1970s, whose personal genius and excellent rapport with students had nothing to do with the way he conducted his own life. Ghatak and his admirers had one thing in common  a passion for the medium. Almost half a century later, the climate has changed. But with facilities as abundant as ever, the governmentrun film institutes ought to be producing a solid bank of trained hands in script writing, sound recording, cinematography, editing, animation and administration. If many belonging to the early batches have gone on to claim positions of their own, the number has been reduced to a trickle in later years.

What has survived is the impression that film schools run, for all practical purposes, by the government though they are described as autonomous should not be treated in the same way as other institutions that are in search of academic excellence. This probably explains the concern expressed in some quarters over reports (or rumours) about privatisation. One indication is that shortterm courses have been introduced as one way of ushering in a self-financing regime. This has evidently not gone down well with those who have thrived on benefits offered in the three-year residential curriculum. It may be one of the issues the new chairman will have to cope with.

But it does augur well for the Pune film institute that Kher has declared unequivocally that he will not be working on a pre-conceived agenda. Whatever fears that a section of students and others may have about his appointment must be seen in the light of the prevailing system in which the chairman simply heads the governing and academic councils that endorse crucial decisions. At the same time, the chairman is not concerned with day-to-day administration.

What Kher brings to the film institute is a vast experience that goes well beyond an acting career covering more than 500 films. It also includes his experience as a student during the institutes best years. Equally significant was his stint at the Central Board of Film Certification that was happily spared the turmoil witnessed during the last few years.

As head of the National School of Drama and his own school of acting, he should have acquired the professional skills that were displayed in ample measure in his performances  it didnt matter whether he was playing the comedian, the villain or the anxious parent in MSD:The Untold Story. He has been a professional more than a political activist with the capacity to extend his skills far and wide, including Hollywood.

The experience and the proven skills should prevail over other questions. The real test is whether he can use the experience and skills to bring the institute back on rails. Nothing else should matter.
He may be set to become the president of Indias grand old party with scores of admirers, but a quick glance at the timeline of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhis Twitter account clearly shows a sudden rise in his popularity on social media in the last few weeks.

While the Congress has attributed the Gandhi scions refreshed avatar for the rise in his number of followers on the micro blogging site, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing some news reports, has said that Rahuls tweets were retweeted through fake profiles and automated bots.

Union Minister Smriti Irani was the first to attack Rahul through a tweet: Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh along with the screenshot of the report claiming that bots were behind Congress leaders popularity.

Perhaps @OfficeOfRG planning to sweep polls in Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan ?? #RahulWaveInKazakh https://t.co/xVanl2mKGh https://t.co/Yhl1oAGqOg  Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 21, 2017

In fact, the report disclosed the account details of several followers based in countries like Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia and all of them were inactive handles.

A perusal of Rahuls timeline revealed that till last month, the number of retweets and likes that his tweets received were in the range of 1,000 to 3,500 but since October, the number has suddenly swelled to around 10,000.

A particular tweet by Rahul mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan was retweeted by over 30,000 people and liked by over 21,000.

Modi ji quick; looks like President Trump needs another hug pic.twitter.com/B4001yw5rg  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 15, 2017

On Saturday, Rahul again mocked PM Modi asking him not to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in actor Vijays film Mersal, which has come under attack from BJP over references to the GST.

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 21, 2017

Within two hours, the tweet was retweeted by over 10,000 people and liked by close to 20,000 people.

As the Congress and BJP locked horns over the topic, #RahulWaveInKazakh quickly became the top trending topic on twitter with the Twitterati trolling the Gandhi scion.

The tremors of a highly enriching UC Berkeley trip is now being felt worldwide, tweeted Anirban Ganguly, Director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation.

Rahul Gandhis Social Media Team Is Doing Great Job. Hes All Set To Win Elections In Russia, Indonesia & Kazakhstan, said a user.

It All Makes Sense Now #RahulGandhis Idea About Artificial Intelligence Was To Have Bots RT His Lunatic Tweets, said another.
Pakistan on Saturday confirmed that its new High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood had recently met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj but denied that any specific case came up for discussion during the talks.

It is customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on local dignitaries. Accordingly, the High Commissioner had a meeting with Indias Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on 17 October, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release, which was also forwarded to the Indian media by the High Commission here.

The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. They took stock of the current state of relations. While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case up under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative, the spokesperson said.

An English daily earlier said India had raised the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav, and asked Islamabad to review its position on the former Indian Navy officer, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on charges of espionage.
Chief of the Indian Army Bipin Rawat on Saturday said the security situation in Kashmir valley was improving and the army was prepared to tackle the growing frustration of terrorists.

Security situation in Kashmir valley is improving, what is happening, just shows frustration of terrorists, said Rawat in a press conference in Jammu.

Army is prepared for every situation, he added.

Asked if India and Pakistan should sit across the table and talk, Rawat said the prerogative lies with the government.

Military has a task and we will continue to perform that task, decision on any talks has to be decided politically, he said.

The Indian Army has intensified its crackdown on terrorists in the valley and some of the top commanders of terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba including Abu Dujana have been gunned down in the last few months.
Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde has refused to be a part of the controversial Tipu Sultan Jayanti to be celebrated on November 10 in Karnataka, officials said.

In the letter dated October 14, the Minister of State for Skill Development has asked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs secretary to not send any official invite for the event which has seen a backlash from opposition parties ever since its conception in 2015.

Hegde had in 2016 condemned the state governments plan to celebrate the event which marks the birth anniversary of the controversial former ruler of princely state of Mysuru.

Despite violent protests and clashes, which claimed the lives of three people Kodagu district in 2016, the Karnataka government decided to celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanti every year on November 10.

The opposition BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have called Tipu Sultan a bigot and a violent king who forcefully converted and massacred Hindus and Christians.

The event has been dubbed as a way to appease minorities by the BJP, a charge denied by the Congress who in turn called the BJP a communal party out to disturb the peace in the state.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry on Saturday said 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

Police received information that a group of terrorists were hiding in al-Wahat area in the desert of Giza, before police forces were dispatched to launch a raid.

However, the statement added, terrorists started firing at the security forces with heavy machine guns from all directions as they approached their hideout, causing 12 officers and four police conscripts dead, 13 injured and one missing.

Security forces have managed to kill or injure 15 terrorists, a number of whom were evacuated by other terrorists who escaped the scene of the battle, according to the statement.

A search had been launched to track and hunt the escaping terrorists, the statement added.

The ministry also said the terrorists used the desert area in al-Wahat as a training place and a launching point for the terror acts they carried out across the country.
An interior ministry statement confirmed the yesterdays incident and said some of the terrorist attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the countrys military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Two students were killed and four others wounded on Friday when one of their classmates opened fire inside a school in the central Brazilian city of Goiania, authorities said.

Police described the shooter as the 14-year-old son of two police officers and said that he used one of his parents service weapons to carry out the attack, Efe reported.

The assailant pulled the gun from inside his backpack and began shooting at random inside a classroom holding roughly 30 students, witnesses said.

The incident happened shortly before midday at Colegio Goyases, a private school in an upscale neighbourhood of Goiania, capital of Goias state.

Paramedics said they took two young women and a boy of around 13 to a hospital in Goiania, while a fourth student in serious condition was flown by helicopter to another medical centre.

The suspect, whose father is a major in the state police, was apparently mad at classmates who mocked him for body odor, witnesses said.

One of the shooting victims had brought the shooter deodorant as a joke, according to the witness accounts.

The preliminary information we received indicate that he (the shooter) was suffering bullying. He got tired of the aggression, took a gun that was in his house and fired the shots, the head of the Goiania state police, Col. Anesio Barbosa da Cruz, told news Web site G1.


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But the tribe has a long way to go
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu could not have found a better time to shoot itself in the foot. The controversial scene in actor Vijays Mersal, which apparently criticises Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet schemes like the GST and the Digital India, have gone viral on social media. The makers of the film, Thenandal Films, might have agreed to silence the contentious dialogues emotionally delivered by Vijay, but the saffron party's protest and criticism have given a much bigger audience for Mersal.

The scene in which Vijay compares the 7 per cent GST in Singapore and 28 per cent GST in India, and criticises the medical facilities available in the government hospitals, elicited cheers from the audience. But now, after the dialogues have been silenced, the two-minute scene is being widely shared and watched on social media.

Why medicines have a GST of 12 per cent, while alcohol, which kills many, doesnt. Singapore, which has 7 per cent GST, offers free health care. A baby died in hospital due to rat bite and four people undergoing dialysis died because of power cut and there was no generator to support. The fear of such incidents in government hospitals becomes the investment of private ones, says the character played by Vijay. The dialogue is an apparent reference to the death of several children due to the lack of oxygen cylinders at a Gorakhpur hospital in Uttar Pradesh.

The controversy on Mersal began on Thursday, a day after the film had hit the screens across the globe. The first salvo was fired by BJPs Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundararajan as she said the scenes related to GST and Digital India must be removed. I still havent watched the film. But those who saw the movie say that there are factual errors in it with regard to GST and Digital India. These schemes were brought for the welfare of the people. These scenes only create a wrong impression in the minds of the people, she told THE WEEK.

BJPs senior leader H. Raja took the controversy to a new level when he called actor Vijay with his full name saying, Joseph Vijays hate campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Raja took to Twitter to call the film as a 'movie made with Christian plot'. Raja went to the extent of asking the actor to clarify his tax filings. It is a lie that healthcare is free in Singapore. School education and healthcare are free for the poor in India. Mersal is Joseph Vijays opposition to Modi. In another tweet, he said: Churches built in TN in last 20 yrs:17500, mosques:9700, temples:370. So what does Vijay want to stop for the building of hospitals.

But the BJPs continuous attacks on the film have pushed the saffron partys image further down in the Dravidian land. Support has started pouring in for Mersal, after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, former Union minister P. Chidambaram, DMK leader M.K. Stalin and veteran actor Kamal Haasan expressed their views through their tweets.

Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, Rahul said "Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal."

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in Mersal. Imagine the consequences if Parasakthi was released today. Notice to film makers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies," Chidambaram tweeted. Parasakthi (1952) produced by AVM productions for which the dialogues were penned by DMK leader M. Karunanidhi criticised the socio-economic conditions prevailing at that time.

Stalin, in his tweet, said that the BJP's attempt to "muzzle" criticism is contrary to democratic principles. "The DMK always stands for freedom of speech and creative expression," he said.

Kamal Haasan tweeted saying, Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Don't silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.

BJPs criticism has brought more audience for Mersal at a time when the state government in Tamil Nadu reportedly seem to be a pawn in the hands of the Centre. In fact, a recent video of Dairy Development Minister K.T. Rajenthira Balaji, that went viral on social media on Saturday, makes it apparent as to how the BJP is indirectly ruling Tamil Nadu. Balaji was seen saying at a party event in Theni, Modi will take care. The government in Tamil Nadu will have its full term. We will get the two-leaves symbol, Modi will ensure that. No one can do anything to usnot even Obama or Trump. Modi will protect us. Delhi is with us.
In September 2015, when 30-year-old V. Ranganathan and his friend entered the sanctum sanctorum of the popular Meenakshi temple in Madurai, the non-Brahmin duo was ridiculed and harassed, not just by temple security guards, but even by priests who claimed that they had spoiled the sanctity of the place of worship.

After two hours of sit-in protests, Ranganthan and his friend were taken into custody. Later, the temples joint commissioner and assistant commissioner spoke to the duo, promising that their demands would be considered. However, they had only onecandidates from all castes should be appointed as priests in temples across the state.

The same demand and protests have been alive since 2006, from the day Ranganathan first stepped into the training academy for archakas (priests) run by the Tamil Nadu government. In the past decade, all his demands had fallen on deaf ears. Now, there is a renewed vigour in his fight thanks to the recent priest appointments by Keralas Travancore Devaswom Board. Kerala had recently appointed 62 priests to perform poojas and rituals in temples administered by the board. Out of the 62, non-Brahmins constituted 36. Out of the 36, six were dalits; the measure was one that instilled fresh hope in the minds of trained priests across the nation.

Even in history, there are parallels in the fight against casteism between the neighbouring states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Demands for temple entry and appointment of non-Brahmin priests in Tamil Nadu temples began after the famous 1925 Vaikom Satyagraha (movement against untouchability in Kerala). In fact, the Vaikom protests, led by Sri Narayana Guru, influenced anti-caste activist Periyar Ramaswamy Naicker in Tamil Nadu; it became one of the milestones for Periyar and his intervention in the Dravidian heartland.

Periyar fought against casteism at the National Training School at Cheranmadevi near Tirunelveli, where Brahmin and non-Brahmin children were segregated. He protested against V.V.S. Iyer, a Congress leader, who helmed the institution. It was in 1939 that Madras Presidency passed the temple entry proclamation, allowing dalits entry into the Madurai Meenakshi temple. As Periyar tasted success in Cheranmadevi, and also saw the passing of temple entry proclamation, he came out of the Congress and began an all out war against Brahmanism.

Then, as it is now, Ranganathans fight to get appointed as a priest in one of the big temples under the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious, Charitable and Endowment (HR and CE) Board, has a strong real-life precedent. I have been fighting since 2006. There are around 206 people systematically trained in accordance with the Agama Sasthra. We are trained to perform poojas both in Tamil and Sanskrit. For centuries now, only sons of Brahmin priests are appointed as archakas in the big temples of Tamil Nadu. Even after the 2006 ordinance which allowed non-Brahmin priests, and our victory in the Supreme Court on December 16, 2015, we still havent received justice. The Travancore Devaswom Boards action gives us hope and relief, Ranganathan told THE WEEK.

Tamil Nadus tryst with priesthood and casteism began in 1939, after the Madras Presidency passed the temple entry proclamation. In 1950, the Tamil Nadu Government came up with the HR and CE Board to man all the big temples in the state, even if there were trustees. In 1971, the DMK amended the Act to abolish hereditary appointment of priests and allow everyone, irrespective of caste, to become temple priests. This was challenged in 1971 in the Supreme Court, in the famous Seshammal vs State of Tamil Nadu. Around 14 writ petitions filed in the court, against the amendment of the HR and CE Act, were heard together and the court also held that the amendment was not wrong. But, then came the confusion when the petitioners argued that the sanctity of the idol and temple would be affected if the poojas were performed by non-Brahmin priests.

The court raised questions on this religious belief too. In 1972, when the Supreme Court came out with this judgment, Periyar quipped, operation successful, but patient dead.

Again, in 2002, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in the Adithyan vs Travancore Devaswom Board case, saying there was no justification in insisting on caste. Later, in 2006, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu passed a GO making all persons with requisite qualifications" eligible for appointment as priests. The order was again challenged in the Supreme Court.

The GO and the ordinance were challenged by the Adi Saiva Sivacharyargal Nala Sangam. The nine-year case witnessed extensive arguments by legal luminaries like former attorney general K. Parasaran. Later, on December 16, 2015, the judgment was delivered and the Supreme Court allowed the status quo to prevail. As a result, the 2006 ordinance passed by the DMK government was not taken down, but the implementation of the GO would depend on each and every individual case as per the merits. "This has created wide litigations and arguments. This is where the non-Brahmin priests, even though they are trained under the Agama principles, cannot be appointed as priests as every individual case differs," tells Manuraj Shanmugasundaram, DMK spokesperson, who has conducted extensive studies on the topic of non-Brahmin priesthood and their appointments in temples.

He says, the case now pivots around the question of whether the government has the authority to legislate on the appointment of priests in temples, or whether such decisions can be protected under the conditions of religious freedom. The legal debate has already come to an end. Now, with Kerala doing it, it is only a question of when the changes will be reflected in Tamil Nadu. When DMK was in power in 2006, the GO allowing non-Brahmins was passed. The DMK had done everything systematically, setting up archaka training schools in six places after taking suggestions from a high-level advisory committee. But, 206 well-trained non-Brahmin archakas are still waiting for appointments in big temples. The appointments in Kerala have shown the way, he says.

Who knows? Ranganathan, who now works as a graphic designer in a private IT company, might find his wish granted sooner rather than later.
A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to poll-bound Gujarat, political equations tilted in favour of the opposition Congress partyAlpesh Thakore of OBC Ekta Manch announced that he would join the Congress on Monday.

After calling on the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Saturday evening, Thakore said that Gandhi would join the rally that he had convened in Gandhinagar, and that he would formally join the Congress then. Gandhi will also address the rally.

Thakore said that their fight was for the poor and the downtrodden, and that the Congress was listening to their voices. Forty-year-old Thakore has been fighting for strict prohibition rules in Gujarat. He has also been raising the issue of unemployment and problems faced by farmers.

Thakore said that he will work to ensure the victory of all 182 Congress candidates. He will join Congress along with his lakhs of supporters.

Thakore's father Khodabhai is the Ahmedabad district president of the Congress. Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki had extended an open invitation to Hardik Patel of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), Alpesh Thakore of OBC Ekta Manch, and Jignesh Mewani, the dalit leader, to join hands with the party.

Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for the last 22 years.

Patel, however, had made it clear that he had no intentions to contest the elections and that nothing less than OBC category reservation for Patidars was acceptable to them. PAAS is believed to have given its set of demands to the Congress.

The Gujarat Congress president also invited Chhotubhai Vasava of the JD(U), and the Aam Aadmi Party. The MLA from Jhagadia, Vasava has a strong presence in the tribal belt. Though the AAP has no foothold in Gujarat, on certain seats, its candidates can get a few thousand votes.

Mewani said that he would take a decision after consulting the community.

Gujarat, with 182 assembly seats, will go to polls by December; the election dates are expected to be announced any time this week.

Congress' invitation to all three young leaders, JD(U) and the AAP, is seen as an attempt to ensure that the secular votes are not divided.

It is also seen as an attempt to put up a united front against the BJP, which is already under pressure due to the Patidar agitation, unrest among the OBCs and the dalits.

For the BJP, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani reacted by alleging that the Congress was using Patel, Thakore and Mewani as a votebank. The BJP leaders also asked the Congress to explain how it would give reservation to the Patidars.

The BJP, citing Supreme Court guidelines, has time and again maintained that reservation cannot exceed 49 per cent.

Following Thakore's announcement to join the Congress, all eyes are on Modi. The BJP is banking on its tallest leader to react to the new equations that are taking shape in his home state.

Modi will arrive on Sunday to inaugurate a ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in south Gujarat. He will also launch a series of projects in Vadodara.

This is the last time that Modi will visit Gujarat, before the Election Commission of India announces dates for the polls in the state. The ECI had come under criticism by the Congress for not announcing the Gujarat poll dates along with that of Himachal Pradesh.
Police in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday arrested 70 people who were part of the vigilante groups that allegedly assaulted some men and soldiers on suspicion of being braid choppers in different parts of Kashmir.

In Sopore, where on Friday a frenzied mob tried to set ablaze a mentally challenged man Wasim Ahmad Tantray on suspicion of being a braid chopper, 12 people were arrested. Tantray was rescued by police shifted to the hospital for treatment.

We have arrested 12 people and 15 other are absconding,'' said a police officer. ''We will arrest them soon.''

He said arrested persons have been booked for attempt to murder, rioting and stone pelting

Police also arrested 18 youth who were involved in stripping and beating Army men after forcing them out of a bus at Sheeri village of Baramulla district on October 18 accusing them of being braid choppers.

When we investigated the case, we found that a notorious stone-pelter Kaiser Bilal was also traveling in the same bus with an intention to get three jawans killed,'' a senior police officer said. ''He stopped the bus at Sheeri and spread rumors that they (Army men) are braid choppers.'' The soldiers, the officer said, were rescued by police after learning about the incident.

Police have also arrested 14 persons for spreading rumors over braid chopping and inciting people for protests and stone pelting in Srinagar.

Police have issued an advisory asking people not to pay heed to rumours about braid chopping as the investigation has revealed that some ''elements are raising false alarms to disturb peace in the valley.

The police said rumours are being spread to create animosity between people and security forces and create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty to confine women folk in their homes.

They raise Zakir Moosa (who heads the Al-qaeda affiliate group in Kashmir) slogans to make their intentions public,'' a police spokesman said. ''People are requested not to pay heed to any rumors, but to help police create a conducive and peaceful atmosphere to restore the confidence in women to overcome the fear.

Meanwhile, normal life was disrupted in Kashmir due to a strike called by separatists against the increasing incidents of braid chopping. Transport and business were impacted and work in offices and schools were also affected.
Jagmeet Singh, an Indo-Canadian lawyer and politician, was recently elevated as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada. Using the slogan love and courage for his campaign, Singh has set his eyes on the federal elections in 2019, and if things go in his favour, he could become the next prime minster of Canada. If so, he will be the first Sikh to do so.

Singh joins the ever-growing list of Indian origin people that are active in Canadian politics. And there are quite a few of them in the current cabinet headed by Justin Trudeau.

[File] Navdeep Bains | Reuters

Navdeep Bains is seen as powerful figure and key advisor in the cabinet because of his closeness to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He is the minister of innovation, science and economic development, and a member of four cabinet committeesagenda, results and communications; growing the middle class; environment, climate change and energy; and defence procurement. Bains was born in Toronto, Ontario to Sikh immigrant parents. He had no political aspirations. He earned his MBA and worked with Nike Canada and Ford Motors before he decided to put his turban in the race as he wasnt happy with the roster of federal Liberal candidates. He became a member of Parliament in 2004.

[File] Harjit Sajjan | Reuters

Harjit Sajjan was appointed the defence ministerthe first Sikh in Canada to hold the positionin Justin Trudeau's cabinet. Born in Hoshiarpur in Punjab, Sajjan moved to Canada with his in the 1970s when he was five years old. His stint with the the British Columbia Regiment and the Vancouver Police department was seen as a key reason to appoint him as defence minister. However, Sajjan has often been in the news for the wrong reasons. In April 2017, Sajjan made false claims regarding Operation Medusaa Canadian-led offensive to remove the Taliban during September 2006 in the ongoing War of Afghanistancalling himself the architect of Operation Medusa. He later tendered an apology after a social media backlash. Most recently, he was caught littering by a Punjabi shopkeeper. In the video, which went viral, Sajjan is seen sitting inside his car and throwing out cherry seeds in front of the shop as the shopkeeper confronts him.

Many had called for Sajjan's resignation based on the Medusa comment and the Afghan detainee issue, but Prime Minister Trudeau has stood by him in full support.

[File] Bardish Chagger | Reuters

Bardish Chagger is the minister of small business and tourism. The 37-year-old is also the leader of the government in the House of Commons and the first woman to hold this position. She was a significant member of the Justin Trudeau Leadership Campaign team. Chaggers parents migrated to Canada in the 1970s, and she was born and raised in Waterloo, Ontario. Although she identifies as a Canadian first, Chagger has said in interviews that she is proud of her Indian heritage.

She started working at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre in Ontario after her graduation. It was only after her stint as the executive assistant to former MP Andrew Telegdi that she stepped into active politics.

Amarjeet Sohi | YouTube

Amarjeet Sohi, the minister for infrastructure, moved to Canada when he was 17. He came back to India when he was 24, but was arrested on suspicion of being a Khalistan fundamentalist and spent nearly two years in jail. After his release, Sohi moved back to Edmonton, Canada. His first tryst with politics came when he campaigned in the Edmonton municipal elections in 2004. He won a council seat in 2007. In the 2015 federal elections, Sohi was chosen as the Liberal Party's candidate and was sworn in as a minister in Trudeau's cabinet after he was elected.
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Education

Albany Leadership Charter High School for Girls

William "Bill" Rivers joined as principal. Rivers previously served as the academic dean and interim principal as well as the academy principal at Albany High School.

Woodland Hill Montessori School

Michelle Edwards was named assistant head of school. Edwards previously served as director of curriculum and faculty development.

Paloma Cuprill joined as business manager. Cuprill previously served as staff accountant at the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the National Employment Lawyers Association.

Financial

First New York Federal Credit Union

Andrea Reed was promoted to manager of lending originations. Reed joined in 2013 and most recently served as a loan underwriter.

Saratoga Financial Services

Ryan Duff joined as a wealth adviser. Duff previously served as a wealth management consultant at a Capital Region financial services firm.

Health Care

Kennedy Ophthalmology Associates PLLC

Erica Archer joined the Schenectady office after completing a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Michigan. Archer completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of Maryland.

Saratoga Hospital

Stephen Sgambati and Lauris Petersen joined as primary care physicians in the Mechanicville office. Sgambati and Petersen will see patients in a temporary office on Route 9 in Malta while renovations are completed in Mechanicville.

nonprofits

Catholic Charities Disabilities Services

Rowena Smith was promoted to associate executive director of operations. Smith previously served as director of quality assurance.

Ann Lamb and Amanda Schermerhorn joined as community supports professionals.

Joy Albert, Julia Bataille, Emily Haas, Felicia Irby and Alex N. Walker joined as direct support professionals.

The New York State School Boards Association

Caroline Bobick joined as a governmental relations representative. Bobick will be a visible advocate for the legislative agenda, review and analyze legislation in assigned committees and maintain contact with school board members around the state.

Northern Rivers Family of Services

Erin Pinchbeck joined as a residential risk manager. Pinchbeck previously served as a residential treatment center supervisor at St. Catherine's Center for Children.

Maureen Bernat was promoted to residential risk manager. Bernat joined in 2009 as a manager in residential programs.

Professions

Barclay Damon

M. Cornelia "Connie" Cahill was named deputy managing partner, effective Jan. 1. Cahill has been a member of the management committee for nine years and is its longest-standing member.

O'Connell and Aronowitz

Matthew Jackson was named a shareholder. Jackson previously served as of counsel and concentrates his practice in the commercial litigation, creditors' rights and bankruptcy, corporate and business law and commercial collections.

Lemery Greisler LLC

Javier J. Mendez joined as an attorney. Mendez will focus his practice in commercial litigation, commercial loan workouts and foreclosure.

Services

DWM Construction & Renovation

Jennifer Boivin was promoted to projects team lead. Boivin joined last year as a project manager.

 Jennifer Patterson
Your golden years are supposed to be the time when you live off your retirement savings, see more of your family and dive fully into leisurely pursuits. Unfortunately, they're also the years when you'll be a prime target of financial scams.

Seniors tend to have savings, steady income from Social Security, money in retirement accounts and other assets, like a home that they own. As they age, older citizens can also become more vulnerable to being fleeced, especially if they live alone, are struggling with illness or begin to show signs of cognitive decline.

"It's why bank robbers go to the bank," said Amy Nofziger, director of regional operations with the AARP Foundation. "Scammers and criminals will go to older adults because that's where the money is, so they're certainly targeted more often than not."

The illegal or improper use of a senior's funds, property or assets is the most common form of elder abuse in the U.S., according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Annual financial fraud losses for older Americans can reach as high as $36.5 billion, according to a 2015 study cited by the CFPB.

Only a small portion of incidents are reported. One study out of New York state shows that for every case of financial exploitation that gets reported to law enforcement, adult protective services or a similar agency, 43 cases go unreported, said Naomi Karp, senior policy analyst at the CFPB's Office of Older Americans.

And the threat isn't just from anonymous online scammers reaching out over a chat box on your computer and offering to vanquish a computer virus, or others posing as IRS agents to demand you pay Uncle Sam taxes with an iTunes gift card. They can be family members and others you know who have easy access to your checkbook or Social Security number.

"Of the crimes that are perpetrated, unfortunately, a lot of them are those known, interested people who have a lot of access," Karp said. "There are just so many ways to get at the money."

Here are some steps seniors should consider to protect themselves from financial fraud:

Keep your ID, checkbook, bank statements, utility bills and other documents with details that could be mined to open unauthorized credit in your name locked or out of view from relatives and caregivers.

Some studies suggest that fraud and theft perpetrated by family members and others known to the victim makes up the majority of the cases of elderly financial fraud, Karp said.

Keeping tabs on your bank and credit cards is key to spotting unauthorized cash withdrawals or charges. Do this by regularly going over your monthly statements.

You can also enlist a trusted family member to do it. Or have them use an app like Mint, which allows users to view bank and card transactions, but not make any withdrawals or charges.

Check your credit report regularly. You're entitled to a free report annually. Get it here: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action

Consider freezing your credit report, which guards against having unauthorized accounts opened.

Contact the three major credit reporting agencies  Equifax, TransUnion and Experian  and ask them to freeze your credit report. Each agency will charge between $5 and $10.

This doesn't prevent you from using the credit cards you already have, though you'll have to ask to pause the freeze if you want to sign up for a new credit account.

Note that the freeze won't stop unauthorized charges on your existing cards.

Among fraud complaints called into the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network last year, 77 percent of them listed the phone as the way that scammers made contact. By comparison, email was cited in 8 percent of complaints, websites in 8 percent, and mail in just 3 percent. Other methods accounted for 6 percent.

The takeaway here? You may reduce the chances of being the victim of financial fraud by screening your calls.

"Stop picking up your phone," Nofziger said. By not answering the phone, you deny a potential scammer "an opportunity to convince you about whatever they're pitching."

Never divulge any personal or financial information to anyone who calls you unexpectedly. Companies and government agencies won't ask for such details over the phone.

Get wise to the scammers' ways.

They share some characteristics, even though they're always changing. They usually pressure you to take action quickly and keep the transaction a secret. And they want you to pay upfront for a promised prize or service, often with a prepaid gift card.

The National Council on Aging, an advocacy group for seniors, has links to common financial scams that are targeting seniors.
Amazon isn't going anywhere.

Well, that's not entirely true. Thursday marked the deadline for cities to submit bids for the companies new headquarters (aka HQ2) with a winner announced sometime next year.

But based on Amazon's real estate moves the last couple of days, it's pretty clear they won't be vacating Seattle anytime soon. On Monday, our friends at GeekWire reported that Amazon would take over the top six floors of the 88-year-old Macy's building on Pine Street.

RELATED: Deadline day comes for Amazon's HQ2 bids

Amazon has long been rumored to be interested in the Pemco Insurance building, and in 2020, the online giant is planning on moving into the 722,000 square feet of office space at the soon-to-be constructed Rainier Square skyscraper in downtown Seattle.

In its request for HQ2 proposals, Amazon acknowledged the reach the company already has in Seattle, with 33 buildings and 8.1 million square feet of office space in the city -- and that was before the Macy's building deal was confirmed.

At the end of 2019, Amazon is projected to occupy over 13 million square feet of office space in the Seattle area. If they were all under one roof, say at the Columbia Center tower, it would require that building to be 642 stories tall, or 566 more than the tower currently has.

RELATED: Guess who's moving into Seattle's new Rainier Square skyscraper

Over 40,000 employees work at Amazon, but unless you're one of them, chances are you don't really know which buildings house "The Everything Store." Since Amazon doesn't make all of its location information public, it's hard to know exactly how much real estate it takes up in the city. But commercial real estate firms in town have pretty good guesses, and with their help we were able to come up with what we believe to be a fairly comprehensive rundown of Amazon's current presence in Seattle.

Check out the gallery above for Google Maps images of Amazon's current Seattle campus. (Note: A few of the Google Maps images are a bit dated, which we've tried to note in the captions.)

Seattlepi.com reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @scohenPI.
Bob's Burgers: "The Wolf of Wharf Street"

FOX, 7:30 p.m.

On Halloween night, Linda tries to impress the kids by taking them to look for a wolf that has been terrorizing the town. Meanwhile, an injured and medicated Bob believes that Teddy has turned into a werewolf.

The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XXVIII"

FOX, 8 p.m.

In the series' annual spooktacular, Maggie becomes possessed by an ancient demon, Lisa discovers a creepy/perfect version of her family in an alternate universe and Homer cannibalizes himself.

Good Witch: Spellbound

Hallmark Channel, 8 p.m.

Original film! A long-forgotten prophecy is unearthed in the basement of city hall. When the things that were predicted to happen actually start to come true, the people of Middleton begin to fear that this might be the year of a horrible curse that could change their lives forever. As Halloween night approaches, Cassie (Catherine Bell) comes to realize that she and Sam (James Denton) might be the key to ending the curse and saving their town. Bailee Madison also stars.

Masterpiece: The Durrells in Corfu

PBS, 8 p.m.

Louisa has an idea to boost Larry's writing career. It doesn't go well. Leslie starts a distillery. Pavlos tries to inspire Margo's spiritual side. Gerry tries out tutors.

Outlander: "A. Malcolm"

Starz, 8 p.m.

After decades apart, will Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) finally reunite and rekindle their emotional and physical bonds?

Wisdom of the Crowd: "User Bias"

CBS, 8:30 p.m.

In the new episode, San Francisco P.D. comes to Tanner (Jeremy Piven) to get Sophe's help on a politically charged murder case following a rally in the city.

The Walking Dead

AMC, 9 p.m.

Season premiere! Now that all of the communities and most of the players have had a good, long look at each other, the time has come for the "All Out War" story arc from Robert Kirkman's comic as Dead reaches its 100th episode  and the premiere does not disappoint. Executive producers have promised a season that is faster-paced and more contained than recent outings. "Watching the first four episodes, (people) will be like, 'See?!'" executive producer Scott Gimple tells us. "But as we go into Episode 5, things shift and then start building up again."

Darrow & Darrow

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9 p.m.

Original film! Claire Darrow (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is a small-town lawyer with a commitment to standing up for the little guy and a passion for the truth. Her talents are admired not only by her associates at her family's law firm, but also by the charming assistant district attorney Miles (Tom Cavanagh). When the owner of a local doughnut shop is arrested for committing an after-hours jewelry store robbery, Claire races to keep him out of jail. But the return of her power-lawyer mom (Wendie Malick) complicates the case and forces Claire to reconsider the estranged mother-daughter relationship.

Masterpiece: Poldark

PBS, 9 p.m.

With Dwight languishing in a French prison, Ross takes a desperate gamble. Drake joins Ross' mission after Morwenna breaks up with him. George jockeys for a triumph in politics.

NCIS: Los Angeles: "Plain Sight"

CBS, 9:30 p.m.

Callen (Chris O'Donnell), Sam (LL Cool J) and Mosley (Nia Long) go undercover at a charity event connected to the theft of a large number of weapons in the new episode.

Ten Days in the Valley: "Day 4: Below the Line"

ABC, 10 p.m.

Jane's (Kyra Sedgwick) certainty that Pete (Kick Gurry) took Lake (Abigail Pniowsky) leads her down a dark path, putting both of them in danger. As Bird (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) digs further into Lake's disappearance, he begins to unravel Jane's lies.

Graves

EPIX, 10 p.m.

Season premiere! Nick Nolte is back as former President Richard Graves, who continues his inward journey in search of the man he used to be before he was president. Season 2 picks up after a year of public protests against his presidential legacy, and Graves' existential struggle is compounded by the arrival of his first grandchild, thanks to daughter Olivia (Helene Yorke), and a new revelation about his son, Jeremy (Chris Lowell). Sela Ward also returns as Graves' wife, Margaret, with Juliette Lewis joining the show in a recurring role as a music manager/producer.

Countdown to Christmas Preview Show

Hallmark Channel, 10 p.m.

Candace Cameron Bure hosts this sneak peek of all 21 world-premiere original movies coming to Hallmark Channel this holiday season. Hallmark Channel's annual Countdown to Christmas  featuring holiday movies all day, every day  begins Friday.

Masterpiece: The Collection

PBS, 10 p.m.

Paul presents his make-or-break collection of gowns. A rival tries to sabotage Nina's starring moment. The body found at Paul's cottage makes more trouble. Billy and Nina make up.

Madam Secretary: "The Essentials"

CBS, 10:30 p.m.

A government shutdown looms in the new episode "The Essentials," and Elizabeth (Tea Leoni) must figure out how to help fund an electrical grid in a Syrian refugee camp before riots break out.

Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide.  TV Guide 2017
Now Playing: They're designed to battle hanger in many of its forms. Video: Food & Wine

Snickers just announced that they are taking the chocolate bar game to the next level. Candy maker Mars is releasing three new flavors of the chocolate bar next summer: Espresso, Fiery, and Salty & Sweet.

The chocolatey company has been replacing Snickers bar names with hunger symptoms like "Hot Mess" and "Space Cadet" for many years, but now, it's changing the recipe of the bar.
Burdett

The sloping vineyards of New York's Finger Lakes region known for producing golden-hued rieslings and chardonnays also are offering a splash of orange wine.

The color comes by fermenting white wine grapes with their skins on before pressing  a practice that mirrors the way red wines are made. Lighter than reds and earthier than whites, orange wines have created a buzz in trendier quarters. And winemakers reviving the ancient practice like how the "skin-fermented" wines introduce more complex flavors to the bottle.

"Pretty outgoing characteristics. Very spicy, peppery. A lot of tea flavors, too, come through," winemaker Vinny Aliperti said, taking a break from harvest duties at Atwater Estate Vineyards on Seneca Lake. "They're more thoughtful wines. They're more meditative."

Atwater is among a few wineries encircling these glacier-carved lakes that have added orange to their mix of whites and reds. The practice dates back thousands of years, when winemakers in the Caucasus, a region at the border of Europe and Asia, would ferment wine in buried clay jars. It has been revitalized in recent decades by vintners in Italy, California and elsewhere looking to connect wine to its roots.

Aliperti has been experimenting with skin fermenting for years, first by blending a bit into traditional chardonnays to change up the flavor and more recently with full-on orange wines. This fall, he fermented Vignoles grapes with their skins in a stainless steel vat for a couple of weeks before pressing and then aging them in oak barrels.

Orange wines account for "far less than 1 percent" of what is handled by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the nation's largest distributor with about a quarter of the market, according to Eric Hemer, senior vice president and corporate director of wine education.
HALFMOON  A physician who allegedly conducted human brain-activity experiments on people associated with the NXIVM corporation has apparently not published a scientific study in years and there is no indication his private research was being overseen by an independent review board, according to a medical expert and records of the National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The state is examining the unusual research conducted by Dr. Brandon B. Porter, who abruptly resigned from his job at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany this week and has been associated with NXIVM for many years. The state Health Department initially brushed off a complaint filed in August by a Vancouver, British Columbia, woman who was associated with NXIVM and said she was traumatized from a bizarre experiment in which Porter showed her videos depicting graphic violence in August 2016. On Wednesday, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was reviewing the Health Department's handling of the complaint.

NXIVM has acknowledged it has conducted human research studies, including for treatment of Tourette's syndrome, although it's unclear that any of the studies sanctioned by the company have been published or peer reviewed.

Also, Internal Revenue Service records indicate a non-profit associated with NXIVM acquired more than $145,000 worth of computers, medical equipment and brain-activity monitors several years ago.

The IRS filings indicate the non-profit, Ethical Science Foundation, was funded at least in part by donations from Clare W. Bronfman, an heiress of the Seagram Company business empire who has described herself as the operations director of the NXIVM corporation. A 2015 IRS form filed by the non-profit listed its "charitable activities" as "Tourettes study  studying the effects of a specific and innovative method has on individuals with Tourettes syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder." The 2015 tax form said its expenses were $32,620.

More for you Women scarred by 'study,' branding

The Vancouver woman, Jennifer Kobelt, 28, said the experiment she was subjected to last year  which had no apparent connection to Tourette's syndrome  took place in a small commercial building in Halfmoon that has been used for years by NXIVM for training and seminars. Kobelt said she was recruited for the study by an assistant of Nancy Salzman, who is NXIVM's president, and that she knew of at least four other women who took part. Kobelt said she was not told what the study was for or what would take place, and that she was not asked to sign any documents indicating she had been informed what the study was about and consented to take part.

Porter drove Kobelt to the building that day, she said, hooked her up to an EEG machine that monitors brain activity and showed her terrifying images and videos of murder, rape and mutilation. She described her ordeal to the Times Union this week and also detailed her experience in a complaint that she filed with the state Department of Health earlier this summer.

In response to the complaint that Kobelt filed with the state Health Department two months ago, the agency sent her a letter saying that what she described was "not medical misconduct."

When asked last week about its standards for human brain studies, an agency spokesman said: "In cases where a study of human brain activity involves the practice of medicine, the physician conducting the study must comply with all standards of professional medical conduct, including the laws regarding informed consent."

Porter's research on Kobelt and other women involved with NXIVM may be subject to ethical rules governing scientific research, according to medical experts.

Kobelt said that Porter routinely monitored the brain activity of her and other women, usually while they were taking part in NXIVM-related "personal development trainings."

Daniel Patrone, a lecturer at the State University of New York at Oneonta and a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Clinical Research & Bioethics, said regulations governing independent oversight of human studies may only apply to research that's associated with institutions supported by federal funding, or performed in support of applications for FDA approval.

Patrone, who provided general background and did not directly address Porter's research, said privately funded research, even if it involves human subjects, "doesn't necessarily qualify as 'regulated research' under federal guidelines."

"In some cases, for instance, physicians have some latitude to try out new, untested procedures without undergoing external review," Patrone said. "But even then, doctors need to have a good reason to think that the experimental procedure is in the best interests of the patient. There's a bright professional and ethical line  it's always the patient's interests and well-being that matter here. A physician's professional judgment isn't license to experiment on people, no matter how important the physician, or anyone else, might think the experiments would be. That's settled medical ethics. It's settled research ethics."

Patrone said scientific standards have also established strict guidelines requiring independent review panels on human research studies to protect participants.

"This isn't just about preventing dangerous or worthless human-subjects' research," Patrone said. "It is about that. But it's also about the fact that with the white coat comes a considerable amount of power in the relationship with patients."

NXIVM issued a statement on its website this week defending its practices in the wake of a New York Times story about Porter's experiment and a secret women's group within NXIVM in which another doctor branded female participants with the initials of NXIVM's founder, Keith Raniere, and a NXIVM associate, Allison Mack.

The corporate statement also noted the company's interest in research, saying: "NXIVM has documented an initial case study of ten individuals suffering from Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disease known to be incurable, who were able to radically reduce, and in some cases completely eradicate, their symptoms."

It's unclear whether Porter was involved in that study or what an "initial case study" is. Bronfman, Porter and Raniere did not respond to requests for comment.

A database run by the National Institutes of Health indicates Porter was involved in at least four scientific studies between 2002 and 2006 related to cellular research, but none of those involved neurology, neuroscience, psychology or psychiatry. There is no indication those studies were connected to the Environmental Science Foundation.

Dr. Arthur L. Caplan, head of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University School of Medicine in New York City, who also reviewed the NIH database, said it's not unusual for non-profits to be used to fund scientific research. Caplan said that he is not familiar with the details of Porter's brain-activity research and had only reviewed press reports on the matter.

Based on the information he has gleaned from the press reports, he said, there may be questions for the state Health Department or other agencies that regulate doctors about whether the research was done according to accepted scientific standards.

"To me there's nothing about this that bears any resemblance to real scientific research other than calling it that, but that doesn't make it so," Caplan said. "When you set up a foundation and sponsor research you want to make sure that you are being responsible because the taxpayers are giving you a tax break for this foundation. So you want to make sure your work is peer reviewed and not just funding some fringe, bizarre, marginal interest that a doctor or scientist might want to indulge."

The state is also reexamining the actions of another doctor associated with NXIVM, Danielle Roberts, who two women said used a cauterizing tool to brand multiple participants in the secret women's group.

According to information referenced in a complaint filed with the state by Sarah Edmondson of Vancouver, at least 20 women associated with NXIVM were lured into the club. The participants were required to provide some sort of damaging "collateral," such as a nude photo or a dark revelation from their past, in order to become part of the club, she said.

Edmondson and another woman involved with NXIVM told the Times Union that they were brought into the club and subsequently branded by Roberts, who then gave them special bandages and advice on helping the wounds heal.

Edmondson said she was told it would be a "tattoo" and that she only learned weeks later that the brand, which she was told was a Latin symbol for "the elements," was actually the initials of Raniere and Mack, whom Edmondson's complaint identified as having "started" the secret women's group with Raniere.

State Health Department officials said they are researching what regulations there may be, if any, governing human branding. In July, they had dismissed Edmondson's complaint, saying the allegations "did not occur with the doctor-patient relationship and should be reported to law enforcement ..."

Edmondson said she contacted State Police, but an investigator told her there was no criminal conduct because the women agreed to be branded.
Among the thousands of firefighters on the front lines of the blazes in Napa and Sonoma counties are 102 female inmates, some of them working 72-hour long shifts in the first days of a firestorm that engulfed California's wine country in flames.

These women are part of a partnership program between the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Cal Fire that trains incarcerated men and women who choose to take part in the grueling, dangerous work of fighting fires.

The men and women must meet the same criteria with minimum custody statutes and a record of non-violent behavior in prison; they're considered a low-safety risk.

Men and women must pass the same physical fitness test that includes being capable of 35 push-ups, 5 pull-ups, 5 chin-ups and a one-mile run in nine minutes or less. And they both perform similar duties on the job.

"All of our inmate crews have one very specific job to do," says Bill Sessa, a public information officer with CDCR. "They cut firebreaks. They work under the direction of a Cal Fire captain and their job is to cut fire breaks that either stop the fire or slow it down or change its direction."

Sessa explains that the inmate crews are made up of 12 to 14 men or women, all carrying about 50 to 60 pounds each of gear when fighting a wild land fire. The lead carries a chainsaw to cut down brush, while others help remove brush and debris with rakes, shovels, and Pulaskis (a cross between a hoe and an ax), until they've created a break six feet in width.

"Think of it as a 14-person mowing machine going through brush," Sessa says.

On the job, they wear the same Nomex fire-retardant suits as firefighters employed by Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service, but theirs are orange, rather than the standard yellow.

Inmate labor in California goes back to the 1940s and incarcerated men helped build the state's roads. Their mission evolved into fire-fighting in the 1960s, and females were incorporated into the inmate fire-fighting program in 1983. In recent years, the program has been made up of about 3,800 inmates who make up 13 percent of the state's firefighting force. About 200 of the inmates are womenthat's 5 percent.

The inmates are paid  $2 for each day in camp and $1 an hour for time on the fire line. The pay is among the highest of the inmate jobs and that's because of the danger on the job. Frank Anaya, 22, died when he fall onto an active chainsaw while fighting a brush fire in San Diego County in June. Mathew Beck, 26, was killed when a tree fell on him as he was clearing brush in Humboldt County. And Shawna Lynn Jones became the first female inmate firefighter to die in the state when she was hit by a falling boulder while helping work a fire in Malibu in 2016. In total, five inmates have died fighting fires in the past 40 years.

"Considering the danger in this job, the injury rate is very low, and to have three fatalities in two years is a true anomaly," Sessa says.

Pay for a civilian firefighter starts at $40,000; by comparison an inmate firefighter makes about $500 a year, according to the New York Times.

"The pay is ridiculous,'' inmate firefighter La'Sonya Edwards, told the New York Times. ''There are some days we are worn down to the core,'' she said. ''And this isn't that different from slave conditions. We need to get paid more for what we do.''

The women train at the California Institution for Women in Chino and then are sent to one of three female-only conservation camps staffed with correctional officers. When they are not fighting fires, these crews do conservation and fire prevention work, everything from clearing brush, taking out stands of diseased trees or maintaining trails. A camp in Malibu provides backup fire support for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The camps are year-round permanent assignments and inmates remain in them, working daily, through the end of their sentence.

CDCR estimates the cost-savings to taxpayers as around $100 million per year, although Sessa says the primary purpose of the program is to not save money but to create roles that help inmates more easily transition back to life in society.

Sessa says, "This is not a vocational program and most of the inmates who volunteer for the duty have no aspiration to become a firefighter. This is a job they choose to do because there are immediate benefits for them to do the job now."

Even if an inmate wanted to pursue a career in firefighting after leaving prison, finding a job could be difficult as most fire departments and agencies don't hire felons.

That said, Sessa says, "I do know anecdotally there are some inmates who went on to work for Cal Fire. I've gone on jobs and I've had captains say they've hired inmates."
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Melania Trump knew her inaugural gown would be part of history and she had a clear vision for her look, asking the designer for something "modern, sleek, light, unique and unexpected."

The resulting vanilla silk, off-the-shoulder gown is now part of the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Melania Trump officially donated the couture piece Friday at the National Museum of American History and it has been added to the popular exhibit that features dresses worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama and others.

"It is now my hope that this piece is one of the many great beginnings to our family's history here in Washington, D.C.," Melania Trump said.

The gown, designed by Herve Pierre in collaboration with Melania Trump, featured a slit skirt, ruffled accent trim from the neckline to the hem and a claret ribbon around the waist. The first lady wore it as she accompanied President Donald Trump to celebratory balls on Jan. 20.

She said after her husband was elected, the family was so busy with the transition that "to be honest what I would wear to the inaugural ball was the last thing on my mind." She said Pierre had just two weeks to create the gown.

She added that he "exceeded my expectations."

Pierre, the former creative director of Carolina Herrera, said it was a fast process, but that "a good conversation, a good collaboration leads to something very good."

Pierre said the two are working on her looks for an upcoming trip to Asia.

"The key for me to be elegant, it's not only to have a beautiful dress, it's to be right for the occasion," he said.

The Smithsonian says the First Ladies Collection has been one of its most popular attractions for more than a century. It features 26 dresses and more than 160 other objects from Martha Washington through Melania Trump. The original exhibit in 1914 was the first Smithsonian display to prominently feature women.

 Associated Press

Ex-DA files to sue Bill Cosby accuser

A former district attorney who declined to press sexual-assault charges against Bill Cosby in 2005 has filed the beginnings of a lawsuit against Cosby's accuser in Philadelphia.

An attorney for Bruce L. Castor says the personal-injury complaint will claim Andrea Constand sued Castor for defamation in 2015 so he would lose the prosecutor's race. The winner, Kevin Steele, had criticized Castor's handling of the Cosby case.

Castor's lawyer James Beasley Jr. told The Philadelphia Inquirer paperwork filed earlier this month will lead to a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

A lawyer representing Constand's attorneys says the potential lawsuit sounds "legally deficient."

Cosby is charged with knocking out Constand with pills and sexually assaulting her at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. He said the encounter was consensual.

 Associated Press

Aldean's rendition to aid Vegas victims

Jason Aldean's moving rendition of "I Won't Back Down" on "Saturday Night Live" will soon be raising money to help victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

The song was made available on Friday. Aldean's representative said all proceeds will be donated to the Direct Impact Fund dedicated to victims of the tragedy.

Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 2 when a gunman fired on the crowd, killing 58 people. Hundreds were injured.

 Associated Press

TV Academy vote on Weinstein set

Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein is facing potential expulsion from the Television Academy in the wake of the growing sexual harassment and assault allegations levied against him.

Per the academy's bylaws, the producer, whose Weinstein Co. is behind Emmy-winning series such as "Project Runway" and Netflix dud "Marco Polo," will be subjected to a vote in November when the academy's board of governors will decide whether to maintain his membership.

Weinstein is accused of harassing dozens of women over three decades and is under investigation in Los Angeles, New York and London.

 Los Angeles Times
A Tomah residence was severely damaged after a garage fire Friday.

Members of the Tomah Fire Department responded shortly after 8:30 a.m. to a ranch-style home at 711 Jefferson St. with heavy flames and smoke coming from the roof of the garage. Tomah Fire Chief Tim Adler said his crew was able to keep the flames from spreading to the living area, but water damage left the entire structure inhabitable.

Neither of the homes two inhabitants, Bruce and Linda Puttkammer, sustained serious injuries. Bruce Puttkammer suffered minor burns to his hand and the top of his head while attempting to extinguish the fire himself.

Firefighting was complicated by an overhead power line that fell into the driveway due to the intense heat and the presence of gasoline and gun powder inside the structure.

Firefighters were able to get inside the residence and rescue a cat. Adler said his department carries a pet rescue kit and with the help of Tomah Area Ambulance Service was able to give the cat oxygen.

We are glad to be able to do what we can when a tragedy happens like this, Adler said. Peoples pets are like family members to them.

Adler said 22 firefighters spent three hours at the scene. Assisting with firefighting efforts were Tomah Area Ambulance Service, Tomah Police Department, Tomah Public Works Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and Monroe County 911 Communication center.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
GE Healthcare, Masergy Announce Solution Interoperability

By Paula Bernier - Executive Editor, TMC

Masergys cloud-based unified communications solution has been verified as interoperable with GEs Centricity health care software. And Masergy is now a member of GE Healthcares Centricity Partner Program, which launched in May of last year.

The Masergy solution is called Global Unified Communication as a Service. It delivers conferencing, instant messaging, video calling, and more. Masergys UCaaS solution, which is based on BroadSoft, also allows for simple adds, moves, and changes, and provided disaster recovery.

The GE offering involved is the Centricity Practice Solution. Its an Electronic Medical Record and Practice Management solution for health care organizations.

In an effort to support and further develop its relationship with GE Healthcare, Masergy recently hired Bob Morton. Hes serving as Masergys new vice president of strategic. Morton was previously with GE, where we worked for 18 years. He held various positions at GE, including chief marketing officer for GE Healthcares finance business

Patient care is driven by communications, and a health cares communications system and content center is vital to this role, Morton said. Masergys UCaaS will help Centricity software users improve operations and patient care by providing flexible communications across all locations as well as a seamless experience for mobile and personal devices  unifying all communications into one transparent system.

New Mexico Orthopaedic is among the users of the GE Healthcare-provided Masergy UCaaS offering. It has replaced its inflexible PBX voice system with the UCaaS solution. That helped it improve patient care and quality, and lower its costs, according to a press release that Masergy issued.

Of course, many companies in many different business verticals leverage Masergy solutions. Calypso Technologies is one of Masergys customers. This company provides financial companies with technology solutions. And Calypso called on Masergy to centralize its global phone system.

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Edited by Mandi Nowitz
[October 20, 2017] Zamansky LLC Investigates Equifax (EFX) For Potential Breaches of Fiduciary Duties to Shareholders

Zamansky LLC announces that it is investigating Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX), for potential breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders. In August 2017, Equifax discovered that it had been hacked and that sensitive personal information of nearly 146 million Americans had been exposed. This massive data breach was so shocking that the Senate Banking Committee convened a hearing at which Equifax's CEO testified. Equifax has since offered credit protection and other services to try to protect and ameliorate any harm done to the victims. On September 18, 2017, a securities class action was filed against Equifax for purchases of its stock. According to Jake Zamansky, investment fraud attorney, Equifax's corporate officers and directors owe their shareholders fiduciary duties which include duties of loyalty. Separate from the securities case,we are examining whether Equifax's recent data breaches may have violated fiduciary duties owed to its long-term shareholders, Zamansky says.



What Equifax Shareholders Can Do If you are a long-term shareholder of Equifax who still holds the stock, please contact us to review or discuss your legal rights. You may, without obligation or cost to you, email [email protected] or call the law firm at (212) 742-1414.

About Zamansky LLC Zamansky LLC is a leading investment fraud law firm with expertise in securities, hedge fund, ERISA and shareholder class action litigation. We are investment fraud attorneys who represent both individual and institutional investors. Our practice is nationally recognized for our ability to aggressively prosecute cases and recover investment losses. To learn more about Zamansky LLC, please visit our website, http://www.zamansky.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171020005770/en/

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[October 20, 2017] UPDATE - Plantronics Honored by Frost & Sullivan With 2017 North American Augmented Reality Technology Innovation Award for Habitat Soundscaping

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plantronics (NYSE:PLT), an audio pioneer and communications technology leader, today announced that it has been named by Frost & Sullivan as its 2017 North American Augmented Reality Technology Innovation Award recipient for Habitat Soundscaping  the companys industry-first service for addressing open office noise and distraction.

Habitat Soundscaping represents a completely new way for businesses to address the significant problem of noise and distraction in open office environments. The service consists of nature-inspired elements  sounds of water, water walls, digital images of streams, and other options  combined with intelligent software that actively monitors for distracting speech and effectively turns it down by amplifying the soothing sound of water in the surrounding area. Frost & Sullivan cites the companys forward-thinking technology and business insight as the basis for the recognition, specifically stating, Plantronics has identified a significant business problem and then applied cutting-edge technology to address that problem. Its Habitat Soundscaping service allows businesses to reap the rewards of open office spaces while minimizing the problems associated with them. Its gratifying to have Frost & Sullivan validate the innovation and augmentation of the open office environments that were making possible with our Habitat Soundscaping solution, said Beau Wilder, Vice President, Innovation Waves and New Products, Plantronics. The days of compromise are gone. Now any company with a workspace that looks gorgeous but is noisy and uncomfortable or architects working-up new open office plans can ensure the space will be peaceful, productive, and conducive to employee well-being with Habitat Soundscaping. About Habitat Soundscaping Habitat Soundscaping uses naure-inspired audio and visuals, coupled with intelligent software to mitigate distractions due to speech  the most common complaint employees have about their open workspaces.



Nature-inspired Audio  Intelligible speech is highly distracting for humans, who are hard-wired to pay attention to speech and fill in any missing pieces of conversation. Research has proven natural water sounds are the most effective means to reduce the impact of intelligible speech while also creating a comfortable, rejuvenating environment to work in. The Habitat Soundscaping service brings these natural water sounds to the open office creating a space that is highly functional and promotes overall wellbeing.



Natural Scenes  The Habitat Soundscaping service uses a combination of natural audio and real waterfalls, or virtual displays of serene landscapes, to help reinvigorate the office. The visuals complement the nature-inspired audio to create a harmonious, multisensory experience. Research has also shown that bringing visual connections to nature into the office can improve cognitive functioning and mood of the people in that space.





Intelligent Software  To reduce distraction, the service actively senses disruptive, intelligible speech and dynamically adjusts the natural sounds in the surrounding work zones in real time to help others stay focused without interrupting any collaboration. It even works at the subconscious level, acoustically incentivizing the right behavior, so that especially loud talkers are encouraged to keep their voices down. The system also automatically analyzes its performance to ensure its running optimally day-in and day-out. Please visit habitat.plantronics.com to learn more about this industry-first solution for open office environments.

In addition to the 2017 North American Augmented Reality Technology Innovation Award, Plantronics was honored to receive Frost & Sullivans 2015 Global Contact Center and Office Headset Market Leadership Award for its continued pursuit of excellence in the professional office headset space. About Plantronics

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. We create intelligent and adaptive solutions that support our customers most important needs: experiencing and facilitating simple and clear communications while enjoying distraction-free environments. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike, and are an optimal choice for open office environments. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that our customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit plantronics.com.



The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc., is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Press Contact:

LeAnne Schrotzberger

Senior Manager, Public Relations

831-420-3139

[email protected]

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LENEXA, Kan. - Lenexa Police released surveillance video Friday evening that shows the latest way suspects are stealing money from people. Police said the technique is called "jugging." Police said the suspects will follow you directly from the bank, after you have taken out cash from the ATM or from a teller inside.
Student in custody after threat made at Park Hill High, school district says A student was taken into custody in connection with a threat made at Park Hill High School, the school district said. School officials said a note was found threatening violence at the school on Friday. The police presence was stepped up at the building as a precaution.

Follow-up on increasing KC metro fear factor over violence against students and a teaching moment about the reality of increased surveillance that might surprise students and oldsters alike . . .
Sprint Needs Temp KC Tech Workers

Who's hiring tech workers in the Kansas City metro? - Kansas City Business Journal It's no secret that employers are looking to fill technology jobs. But which local company is most active in this search? It's Sprint Corp., according to a survey by jobs website Indeed. While Kansas City has a smaller share of tech jobs compared with the largest tech hubs in the U.S., the technology sector is growing to account for a larger portion of openings across the metro area.

Midtown Eco-Devo Crackdown

Westport suspension leaves developers on edge KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's a sunny afternoon, as Steve Benenate sits with a friend outside Westport's staple Broadway Cafe. "It's one of the few places there is where people walk around, and you can talk and visit," Benenate said.

Prison Industrial Fact Check

After 23 Years In Prison, Freed Kansas City Man Trying To 'Believe It's Real' He's not angry. He's been eating everything he can. And he's noticed how distracted we all are thanks to our smartphones. But mostly, Lamonte McIntyre says, he spent most of his time in his first week out of prison after 23 years for a crime he didn't commit: "Trying to force myself to believe it's real," he says.

Here Comes Another Judge

Jalilah Otto, George Wolf become Jackson County Circuit Court judges - Kansas City Business Journal Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens appointed a new judge for the 16th Judicial Circuit, which covers Jackson County. The second such appointment in the last two months. The new judge is Jalilah Otto, who has served as an associate circuit judge in Jackson County since 2014.

Looting The Golden Ghetto

Anvil stolen from Shawnee monument Someone stole an historic anvil from a monument in Shawnee this week. The anvil is believed to weight about 200 pounds.

Kansas City Ruins Country Club Plaza

Developer works out neighborhood concerns, gets approval for Plaza apartments Everything's a go for an apartment project near the Country Club Plaza, one year after nearby residents complained that the proposal was too dense. The Kansas City Council on Thursday approved a plan for a $38 million, 191-unit apartment project on vacant land near St. Luke's Hospital at 44th and Washington streets.

Rich KC Coffee Building Boom

Go inside Messenger Coffee's $4.2M flagship KC location [PHOTOS] - Kansas City Business Journal Messenger Coffee Co.'s vision for a grand flagship location is coming to fruition. The four-year project debuts to the public Saturday in the Crossroads Arts District and gives customers an up-close look at the coffee roasting and bakery operations. (Customers even can watch grains milled on site through a lighted display window.)

Right now we celebrate KB hotness and all these Kansas City MSM links for today. Take a peek:And this is thefor right now . . .
Dr. Ernest Evans: The 2016 Crime Situation in the US and in Kansas City

The FBI has just released its Uniform Crime Report for calendar year 2016, and so it is important to survey the 2016 crime situation both nationally and in Kansas City. With respect to the national situation, there has been a large increase in homicides since 2014. In 2014 there were 14,249 homicides in the US--in 2016 there were 17,250. So, in just two years there has been over a 20% increase in the number of homicides in the US. We have not seen such a large increase in such a short period of time since the late 1960's.This large increase in homicides has not been spread equally among the population. Of the increase of 3,000 in the homicide totals between 2014 and 2016, 1700 were accounted for by black men, women and children homicide victims.Kansas City has generally followed these national trends. In 2014 there were 82 homicides in the city--51 black and 31 other races. In 2016 there were 130 homicides in the city--102 black and 28 other races. So, in KCMO, the black homicide rate has increased sharply since 2014 and the homicide rate for other races has remained static.There are a variety of reasons for this surge in violence in America, particularly in its black neighborhoods, in the past several years. America's gun laws are quite lax by international standards, and the illegal drug trade leads to a great deal of gang-related violence. However, the nation's homicide rate had been declining slowly but steadily since the early 1990's--in 1993 there were 25,000 homicides while, as noted above, in 2014 there were 14,249.Now that we have the perspective of three years since the tragic death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014 there can no longer be any doubt that this incident played a critical role in the crime surge we have been witnessing in the past three years. Brown's death has sparked a major national debate about the relationship between local police forces and the nation's black communities.Much of this national debate was an overdue facing up to unfairness in the way that policing is carried out in different US neighborhoods. However, in the age of the Internet and 24-hour news the debate quickly became sensationalized all too often--and a lot of unfair and inaccurate charges were made against the nation's police officers.These unfair attacks led to two unfortunate consequences, which cumulatively go by the name of the "Ferguson Effect." First, police officers became afraid to do their jobs in black neighborhoods for fear of being accused of racist misconduct--so in many cases they pulled out of such neighborhoods. Nature abhors a vacuum--so the gangs and the criminal elements took over these neighborhoods and unleashed a reign of terror against the residents.Second, all of this negative publicity about police officers resulted in a sharp decline in applicants for police academies and to many officers retiring. Now, virtually every police department in the nation is seriously under strength. That includes the KCPD:Here is the "bottom line," both for KCMO and for the nation as a whole. You cannot fight crime with demoralized, under strength police departments. That fact means that we as a city and as a nation are going to have to do something that has gone out of fashion in our politics lately: Compromise. At both the national and local levels the only way to undo the "Ferguson Effect" is to negotiate agreements to, on the one hand, ensure that police officers who abuse their power are punished for what they do; and on the other hand guarantees that in the adjudication of such charges the police officers in question are given due process and fair media coverage.In conclusion, I am well aware that "compromise" is currently the ultimate "dirty word" in US politics. But if we don't not make some compromises on our national crime situation there is every likelihood that the crime surge we have seen since 2014 will continue.########
Based on final data, the balance of travel services in January-June 2017 posted a surplus of 3,147 million, up 8.5% from a surplus of 2,901 million in January-June 2016. This development is attributed primarily to an increase of 236 million or 6.2% in travel receipts and, to a lesser extent, to a decrease of 10 million or 1.1% in travel payments. The rise in travel receipts in January-June 2017 over the same period of 2016 was driven by an increase in average expenditure per trip by about 25 or 5.3% (January-June 2017: 476, January-June 2016: 451), as well as by a 0.8% rise in the number of non-resident inbound visitors.

Specifically, expenditure per overnight stay increased slightly (by 0.8%) to 68, while the average length of stay remained virtually unchanged year-on-year at 7 nights. The number of overnight stays increased by 5.3% to 59,859 thousand in January-June 2017, from 56,868 thousand in January-June 2016.

Travel receipts

In January-June 2017, travel receipts totalled 4,077 million, up 6.2% relative to the same period of 2016. This development was driven by a 6.7% increase in receipts from residents of the EU28, which came to 2,654 million or 65.1% of total travel receipts, and by a rise in receipts from residents outside the EU28 (up 7.2% to 1,276 million).

In particular, receipts from euro area residents increased by 10.6% year-on-year to 1,640 million, while receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries rose by 1.0% to 1,014 million.

Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany rose by 12.7% to 672 million, as did receipts from France, by 4.5% to 247 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also increased, by 9.7% to 661 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia rose by 17.8% to 129 million, while receipts from the United States also increased, by 1.9% to 273 million.

Travel receipts by trip purpose

Looking at the breakdown of non-resident expenditure in Greece by trip purpose, trips for personal reasons represented the bulk of receipts in January-June 2017, with a share of 92.0% in total expenditure, up from 90.6% in the same period of 2016, as the corresponding receipts increased by 7.8%. Within this category, leisure accounted for the largest share of total expenditure (January-June 2017: 80.7%, January-June 2016: 79.0%), with the corresponding receipts increasing by 8.4% to 3,291 million. Trips for the purpose of visiting family accounted for 5.8% (or 238 million). Receipts from trips for health purposes rose by 96.8% to 24 million. Finally, receipts from business trips dropped by 9.6%, lowering their share in total receipts (January-June 2017: 8.0%, January-June 2016: 9.4%).

Inbound traveller flows

As already mentioned, the number of inbound visitors in January-June 2017, increased by 0.8% to 8,574 thousand, from 8,508 thousand in January-June 2016. This development is attributed to an increase, by 494 thousand or 6.6%, in the number of inbound visitors excluding cruise passengers, which was largely offset by a drop in the number of cruise passengers (down 428 thousand or 40.3%). Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 11.3%, while visitor flows through road border-crossing points declined by 4.1%. Visitors from within the EU28 accounted for 62.2% of the total number of visitors and visitors from outside the EU28 for 30.4% (1). In January-June 2017, visitors from the EU28 increased by 7.9% relative to the same period of 2016. This development is attributed to an increase in the number of visitors from euro area countries by 18.5% to 2,864 thousand, as visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries decreased by 2.3% to 2,467 thousand. The number of visitors from non-EU28 countries rose by 4.2% to 2,609 thousand.

In particular, visitors from Germany increased by 18.0% to 1,048 thousand, as did visitors from France, by 12.3% to 413 thousand. Visitors from the United Kingdom also increased, by 3.2% to 958 thousand. Finally, turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia rose by 15.1% to 187 thousand, whereas the number of visitors from the United States fell by 2.3% to 298 thousand.

Overnight stays

In January-June 2017, the number of overnight stays in Greece totalled 59,859 thousand, up by 5.3% from 56,868 thousand in January-June 2016. This was driven by a 7.5% increase in nights spent by residents of non-EU28 countries, as well as by a 3.9% rise in nights spent by residents of the EU28. The increase in overnight stays by residents of the EU28 is attributed to a 9.2% increase in nights spent by residents of the euro area, as nights spent by residents of non-euro area EU28 countries fell by 3.8%. The number of overnight stays increased by 11.5% for German residents, by 3.8% for French residents and by 10.2% for UK residents. Turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of overnight stays by Russian residents increased by 0.5%, while those by US residents decreased by 0.3%.

Cruises

Since 2012, the Bank of Greece conducts a cruise-specific survey (Cruise Survey) in order to enrich the data collected through its Border Survey. Following a standardised methodology, detailed cruise data for the period January-June 2017 were collected from 16 Greek ports, covering 86.7% of all cruise ship arrivals.

The period under review saw 1,178 cruise ship arrivals (January-June 2016: 1,487) and 1,565 thousand cruise passenger visits (January-June 2016: 1,783 thousand). According to this survey, 90.1% of all cruise passengers were transit visitors, with an average of 2.3 stopovers at Greek ports of call (down from 1.6 stopovers in January-June 2016).

In January-June 2017, total receipts from cruise passengers fell by 7.9%, relative to the same period of 2016, to 163 million. Of this amount, 16 million were already captured in the Border Survey data, as they represent receipts from visitors leaving the country through Greek last ports, while the remaining 147 million concern additional receipts data recorded by the Cruise Survey. he fact that the decrease in cruise receipts was significantly lower than the drop in the number of cruise passenger visits is attributed to an increase in the number of cruise passengers with a Greek home port.

The port of Piraeus ranks first with a share of 48.6% in total cruise receipts, followed by the port of Corfu with 14.4% and the port of Santorini with 7.7%. The seven most important cruise ship ports account for 91.4% of total cruise receipts and 87.1% of total cruise passenger visits.

Total overnight stays ashore increased year-on-year in the period under review by 24.1% to 1,692 thousand, while the total number of cruise visitors fell sharply (by 38.9%) to an estimated 667 thousand, with a negative impact on cruise receipts.

Balance of travel receipts by region

As shown by the Border Survey, travel receipts in the period January-June 2017 amounted to 3,930 million. Five regions accounted for the bulk (88.9%) of total receipts (able 8), namely: the Southern Aegean (921 million), Crete (906 million), Attica (803 million), Central Macedonia (469 million) and the Ionian Islands (395 million). The remaining regions (the Peloponnese, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaly, Epirus, Western Greece, Central Greece, the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 437 million.

Visits to Greece (all 13 regions combined) in January-June 2017 totalled 9,025 thousand. The number of visits exceeds the number of inbound visitors, as travellers may visit more than one region in the course of one trip.

The six most popular regional destinations, accounting for 87.7% of total visits, were: Attica (1,986 thousand visits), Central Macedonia (1,948 thousand), the Southern Aegean (1,497 thousand), Crete (1,367 thousand), the Ionian Islands (597 thousand) and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (519 thousand). The remaining regions (Epirus, the Peloponnese, Western Greece, Thessaly, Central Greece, Western Macedonia and the Northern Aegean) together accounted for 1,112 thousand visits.

The number of overnight stays in Greece in the period under review totalled 58,513 thousand. According to the breakdown into the 13 regions, five regions accounted for 86.8% of total overnight stays, namely: the Southern Aegean (12,701 thousand nights), Crete (12,422 thousand), Attica (11,167 thousand), Central Macedonia (9,407 thousand) and the Ionian Islands (5,111 thousand). The remaining regions (the Peloponnese, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaly, Epirus, the Northern Aegean, Western Greece, Central Greece and Western Macedonia) together accounted for 7,707 thousand overnight stays.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Dimboukas License: CC-BY-SA
May commented that the two countries have a strong commercial relationship as well as mutual support in times of conflict

"Britain and Greece have had strong ties for many centuries," British Prime Minister Theresa May noted on Friday in an exclusive interview with the Greek newspaper "Ta Nea", adding that her country "will examine a new chapter in its relations with Greece and other European countries as Britain redefines its relations with Europe."

Asked about the message she is sending to the thousands of Greeks living in Britain, she stressed: "I want to thank the 70,000 Greek citizens who chose to make Britain their home. We appreciate their significant contribution to our culture and society, our universities and our economy. They should know that we want them to stay in Britain as well as all the other EU citizens."

Referring to the close relationship between Britain and Greece, May commented that the two countries have a strong commercial relationship as well as mutual support in times of conflict. "We are friends in NATO, partners and friends with extensive ties in tourism and education," she said.

Regarding Brexit, she pointed out that "her country is leaving the EU, not Europe."

On her vision for Brexit, she added: "My vision for Brexit is that of a strong, global Britain which has a deep and special partnership with the European Union."

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Rlevente License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ANA-MPA
Haven Real Estate is set to showcase some of its finest real projects in Bahrain - including the Sama Villa and Sama Views Residential Tower developments - during its debut appearance at an upcoming property expo in the country.

Bahrain International Property Exhibition (Bipex) will be held from October 26 to 28, under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Abdulla Al Khalifa at the Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

As a platinum sponsor, Haven Real Estate will be playing a major role at the upcoming event.

The Bahraini group's ultimate aim is to reach and provide for the different needs of its clients in the kingdom.

It aims to provide a desirable and comfortable lifestyle, tailored specifically to meet and even surpass the needs and requirements of the residents through its Sama Villa and Sama Views Residential Tower project, said the company in a statement.

Sama Villa Project, located in the Salmabad area of the kingdom, will be built as an integrated residential compound consisting of 14 villas and boasts unique architectural designs in terms of area and interior design.

Each villa combines the qualities of ideal housing and practical comfort, providing a different style for modern life, said the company.

It will offer four bedrooms, two spacious living rooms, a fully-equipped kitchen along with the dining room, covered parking space for two cars, a housekeeper room, a laundry room, and a storage room, all in a distinct and calm environment, it stated.

Sama Villa is located close to the educational area in the kingdom, only minutes away from Bahrain University, AMA International University, and Bahrain Polytechnic.

In addition, it is close to the most important life necessities like schools and hospitals. An added value is Ikea Bahrain which is only five minutes away from the villas, said the Bahraini developer.

Its other exclusive project - Sama Views - is a 14-storey residential tower located in the most accessible, quiet, friendly neighbourhood of Hidd Area, tagged as the floating city of Bahrain.

Standing tall between the busy street of Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Causeway and the coast, Sama Views stands over 45 m tall boasting contemporary exterior design. It will offer residents a modern lifestyle experience amid a beautiful and relaxing sea view scenery.

It is being designed and created for the ultimate comfort and stability, a safe haven for the customers, it added.

Haven Real Estate CEO said: "Our projects aim first at establishing a lifestyle that we are proud of, not merely providing a residence. Since our earliest stages, we at Haven invested all our efforts in serving our clients and building sustainable relations with shareholders and investors."

"This was driven by our firm belief that customer satisfaction is the main pillar to achieve our vision and goals. The achievements we realised in a short time, including the luxurious housing units and feasible commercial real estates, came as a result of our dedicated efforts and constant support from our clients and shareholders who believed in our journey," he noted.

Bipex chairman Mohammed Khalil Alsayed said: "We are delighted to have Haven Real Estate join us for the first time at the 10th edition of the expo. We look forward to providing a strong platform for their projects which will attract residents and tourists."

"Our efforts this year is to make the exhibition bigger and better than last years exhibition," he added.

Bipex is an annual event that brings together major Bahraini real estate investors, development companies, financial institutions, legal institutions and consumers to showcase projects, reach and discuss and make decisions in an open environment.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain's government has awarded a major contract for the revamping of the infrastructure at Zallaq village district 1056 besides area upgradation work, said a report.



The BD1.28 million ($3.37 million) project will cover the development of the infrastructure, road and drainage network, reported BNA.



Southern Governor Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa announced the infrastructure development scheme at a meeting with Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Abdulla Khalaf, stated the report.



The session which was held at the Southern Governorate was also attended by other officials from the ministry and governorate, it added.
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Bahrain is developing a new economic regulatory framework to support and promote the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan, by defining the rules and obligations for operators to support the Plans goals and deliver the single network policy.

The TRA chaired a key meeting with Batelco, Viva, and Zain recently to discuss the development of technical solutions between Batelco and the other mobile operators that will allow consumers to benefit from better quality mobile services.

The telecom watchdog in Bahrain said it recognises that there is a transitional period prior to the finalization of the economic regulatory framework, during which Batelco will continue to supply wholesale services to mobile operators, said a statement from TRA.

The TRA aims to ensure that during this period Batelcos wholesale products and services meet mobile network operators reasonable business requirements, it stated.

"The National Telecom Plan, which is revised every three years at the highest levels of government, is always a future focused approach geared towards improving the sector for all stakeholders," remarked Sheikh Nasser bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, TRA's acting general director.

"Delivering on government policies that fall under the plan is an essential priority for TRA, and the National Broadband Network is a huge pillar that will contribute to the fourth iteration," he stated.

TRA therefore invited mobile operators along with Batelco to its headquarters to discuss the way forward, to understand mobile operators short term technical goals related to network development, and to ensure that consumers are provided with better quality services during the period prior to the finalization of the economic regulatory framework, explained Sheikh Nasser.

"This meeting was a productive step towards achieving that goal, and the next step for TRA is to finalize the upcoming economic regulatory framework which will support this key reform," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain has signed an agreement with UAE government for allocation of a pavilion at the mega Expo 2020 Dubai event.



This followed directives from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the royal assignment to organise the Bahrains participation in the Expo 2020 Dubai, reported BNA.



"Bahrain takes pride in its experience of participations at similar events," remarked Sheikha Mai, the president of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) after signing the agreement with Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau.



Bahrain first took part in Shanghai 2010 Expo before clinching the silver prize at Milan 2015 Expo, topping fifty other national pavilions.



"Preparations are now in full swing with a specialised team to make its participation a platform to attract Expo 2020 Dubai visitors to Bahrain thanks to its geographic proximity," stated Sheikha Mai, who is also the General Commissioner of Expo 2020 Dubai for Bahrain pavilion.



Bahrain's heritage and human credentials present a different experience as a sustainable tourism-for-development destination, she was quoted as saying in the BNA report.

She pointed out Baca-led efforts to ensure the participation to reveal Bahrains bright image and promote investment potential in the sectors of culture and tourism.
More than 70 people have been killed in twin suicide bombings on mosques in Afghanistan, government officials said.



In Kabul, a suicide bomber killed at least 39 people and injured 45 more when he detonated his explosives among some 100 worshippers in a Shia mosque in the western part of the capital, reported The Guardian citing the interior ministry. Some of the victims were reportedly shot after the blast on Friday evening.



In central Ghor province, a suicide bomber killed 33 worshippers in a Sunni mosque, purportedly targeting a local commander from the anti-Taliban Jamiat party, said police spokesman Mohammad Iqbal Nizami.



There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack.

Abdulhai Khatebi, Ghor provincial spokesman, said the attacker detonated his suicide vest during worship services in the late afternoon. The mosque is in the province's Doleena district.



The US State Department condemned the attacks in a statement Friday, as well as others that took place in Afghanistan earlier in the week, reported the CNN.



"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering," said Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department.



"The US stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country," sated Nauert.



The two attacks are the latest in the country, where Afghan and coalition forces have been squaring off for years with Islamic militants, including the Taliban and ISIS -- both Sunni movements, said the CNN report.



The violence comes a day after Taliban militants stormed a base in Kandahar, in the south, and killed dozens of Afghan troops, it added.
Zirakpur, October 21

A five-year-old child was killed and three persons were injured when they were reportedly hit by a rashly driven car on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway at Zirakpur this afternoon.

The deceased child and an injured, who was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, were yet to be identified. The other injured are Rahul Sharma (14) and his father Rajneesh (44), both residents of Sector 21, Panchkula.

The incident happened at around 3 pm when the four victims were crossing the road near the Park Plaza hotel at Zirakpur. A car coming from the Ambala side reportedly hit them.

It was learnt that the car driver apparently dozed off at the wheel and hit Rahul and his father Rajneesh, who were crossing the road. He lost control over the vehicle and went on to hit two more persons.

The victims were rushed to the GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where a five-year-old child was declared dead on arrival by the doctors.

Rahul and Rajneesh suffered fractures on their right legs. They were seeking offerings to Lord Shani Dev on account of Saturday.  OC
What is the magical power that flowers possess that allows them to change frowns to smiles, to bring comfort in times of sadness and joy to celebrations? Flower bouquets provided by Cosentinos Florist, distributed by Auburn Zontians and Z Club members, worked their magic Wednesday, Oct. 11, downtown and at Auburn High School. Unsuspecting downtown visitors and Auburn High School teachers received two bouquets and a wish for a good day. One bouquet was to be kept and the other petaled forward to someone else along with a positive wish to brighten anothers day. This is the second year Cosentinos Florist and the Zonta Club of Auburn, with its Z Club members, have teamed up to participate in the national Petal it Forward day. Very quickly, downtown Auburn and Auburn High School were ablaze with beautiful colors, pleasant fragrances and big smiles. This simple act of kindness reminded many that there is much to be thankful for even when times are bad, and that goodness still exists even when negativity seems to be running rampant in the world.

Another flower, the single yellow rose, has been the symbol of Zonta International for nearly 20 years. It is used as a symbol of friendship and since 1999, the yellow rose has also been the symbol of Zonta Rose Day. Zonta Rose Day is celebrated on March 8. On this day, Zontians worldwide are encouraged to distribute yellow roses, or items bearing their image, along with information about Zonta International and issues related to improving the lives of women. The goal of Zonta Rose Day is to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities that face women worldwide.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Zonta yellow rose is also a part of the induction ceremony for new members. At the Oct. 12 meeting of the Zonta Club of Auburn, not only did we have the privilege of having outgoing Area Director Victoria Monty in attendance, but she also brought, as her guest, Bonnie Hanse, the incoming area director. Both women are members of the Zonta Club of Cortland. It was an honor to be able to have Monty participate at our meeting by not only speaking to us, but by taking part in the induction ceremony of three new members. Congratulations go to Mary (Mimi) White, Ellie Beck and Diane Mowry on becoming Auburn Zontians. These ladies received their pins, certificates and yellow roses as they were welcomed into the Zonta Club of Auburn during a candlelighting ceremony.

We are excited about our new members and look forward to continuing to grow our membership while continuing to work to advance the empowerment of women through service and advocacy. For more information about our club, membership, the projects we are involved in and the causes we support, please contact Rita Loperfido via email rital@fultonsavings.com, or by texting or calling (315) 515-0701.
Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, October 21

The INLD and the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal (HPBM) today extended support to the indefinite relay fast being jointly observed by commission agents and farmers at the local grain market for the past five days against non-procurement of bajra. The Congress has already lent its support to the protest.

Leader of the Opposition and INLD leader Abhay Chautala said the demands of the protesters are genuine and they would raise the issue in the coming session of the Vidhan Sabha to compel the BJP government to procure the entire bajra crop. HPBM president Bajrang Dass Garg said traders would not hesitate to come on the streets if their demands were not accepted soon.

Earlier, Chautala reached the grain market and met the protesting commission agents and farmers. He criticised Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar for non-procurement of bajra even in his home district. He said the government was bent upon ruining farmers, who would teach Dhankar and other BJP leaders a lesson in the next Assembly elections.

Chautala called upon farmers to expand their agitation to pressure the government. He asked them to put up boards outside their villages with a message that ministers and BJP MLAs are not welcome. This is the best way to convey your message and farmers connected with the Dadupur-Nalwa canal project have already done this in their villages after the government denotified the project land instead of awarding them the enhanced compensation for their land acquired for the purpose, he added.

Chautala decried the government for not implementing the Supreme Courts verdict on the SLY canal even after about a year and forcibly deducting the premium amount from the farmers bank accounts in the name of the Prime Minister Fasal Beema Yojana (PMFBY).

Garg said the government was doing injustice with farmers by not procuring their bajra. Farmers are already passing through a crisis and the government is adding to their woes by not buying their crops, he added.
Sonepat: On Police Commemoration Day here on Saturday, police personnel led by Sonepat SP Satender Kumar paid rich tributes to all officers and constables who laid down their lives while performing their duties. A two-minute silence was observed and reverse arms were presented at the district police grounds. The SP said 379 police officers and jawans of the Indian police forces had sacrificed their lives for maintaining law and order and internal security. OC

Yamunanagar: At the Police Lines, Yamunanagar, tributes were paid to police martyrs, who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The programme was presided over by Rajesh Kalia, SP. He said Commemoration Day is observed every year on October 21, as a patrol party of the CRPF was ambushed by the Chinese forces in Ladakh that day in 1959. He said 370 martyrs belonging to different states are remembered on the occasion. The police personnel reversed their arms and observed two- minute silence. TNS

Kaithal: Sumer Partap Singh, SP, on Saturday paid floral tributes to the martyrs of security forces, who laid down their lives while on duty, at Shaheed Smarak. The SP said from September 1, 2016, and August 21, 2017, 379 jawans of the police and paramilitary forces had attained martyrdom in the line of duty. We are proud of our martyrs and should be ready to make every sacrifice for the sake of the country, he said. OC
Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, October 21

The Congress high command is yet to decide as to who should be given the ticket from Mandi Sadar, but this did not stop Champa Thakur, the daughter of Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, from filing nomination papers from the constituency today. Accompanied by supporters, Champa Thakur took out a procession and urged the people to vote for her.

After the exit of former Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma from the Congress, who joined the the BJP, Champa Thakur had applied for the ticket.

After the Congress high command put its decision on nine constituencies on hold, uncertainty hovered over the fate of Champa Thakur, who has been eagerly waiting for the nod of the party high command to get the ticket. It is learnt that Champa Thakur has been in a quandary as she knows if the party high command changes its mind at the last minute, it will dent her political career. A few days ago, Kaul Singh had declared that Champa Thakur had been given the party ticket against the Congress rebel and sitting MLA, Anil Sharma, who ditched the party before the Assembly elections. Earlier, it was expected that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would join her during the filing of papers in Mandi, but after the Congress high command delayed the decision on ticket allocation, no prominent leader was seen at the procession today.

However, Kaul Singh joined her at the Block Congress Office, urging the party workers to ensure her victory. Striking an emotional chord with the party workers, he said: She is not only my daughter, but yours too. So, leave no stone unturned to ensure that she wins the elections. He said the final decision of the party high command was still awaited. Champa Thakur is the chairperson of the Mandi Zila Parishad (ZP).
Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 21

Minister for Urban Development, the blue-eyed boy of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, today filed nomination papers in Dharamsala. As per the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers, the income of Sudhir Sharma increased manifold in the past five years.

After filing the nomination papers, Sudhir Sharma organised a rally at Dari ground, which was thinly attended as compared to the arrangements made by the minister.

Addressing a gathering, Sudhir Sharma said, I am not a gunda. Opposition leader Kishan Kapoor called me a gunda. He should explain what type of hooliganism I have done in the past five years.

Sudhir said he had brought the Smarty City project, Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) and the second capital status to Dharamsala. The BJP leaders have been opposing all development projects brought by him to the area.

Dharamsala has witnessed massive development in the past five years. A new water scheme worth Rs 27 crore has been implemented, underground dustbins have been installed. I have carried out development in Dharamsala despite opposition from the Shimla lobby and state leadership of the BJP that even moved the High Court against the grant of the Smart City status to Dharamsala, Sudhir said.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 21

A man died and a teenage girl was wounded in Pakistan's ceasefire violations in Uri in north Kashmir's Baramullah on Saturday, the Indian Army said.

The man, a 22-year-old porter named Abbas, was gravely wounded and later died of his injuries.

The Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts at Kamalkote Uri, 110 km from here, at around 11 am and Indian soldiers also retaliated the fire.

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The exchange of fire continued for over an hour. A porter was injured in the firing, defence sources said.

They said that soon after the ceasefire violation, the Army has started a combing operation in the area.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 21

An Army porter was killed and a teenage girl was injured as Pakistan violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Uri sector in Baramulla district today, the Army said.

The Pakistani troops fired indiscriminately on several Indian posts at Kamalkote, Uri, over 110 km from Srinagar, at around 11 am and Indian soldiers also retaliated the fire. A civilian porter, Abbas, 22, hailing from Kamalkote, employed with the Army in the Uri sector lost his life in the unprovoked firing by Pakistan, an official said. Our forces retaliated strongly. An 18-year-old girl, Nasreena Bano, of Marian village was also injured in the Pakistani firing. The girl was shifted to a hospital for treatment, he said.

Local sources said a 45-year-old woman was also injured in the firing. The exchange of fire continued for over an hour and the two sides also used heavy calibre weapons.

This is the second ceasefire violation in the Uri sector in the past two months. On August 13, three soldiers were injured in Pakistani firing in the sector. Days later, one injured jawan succumbed to injuries. There has seen a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year mostly in the Jammu region. According to government sources, Pakistan had violated ceasefire over 600 times  highest in a single year in the past one decade.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 21

National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar today led the opposition partys protest against the state governments failure to make arrests in braid-chopping cases.

Sagar led the protest rally from the partys headquarters here. The rally was intercepted by the police near SK Park and not allowed to move toward the Lal Chowk, the party said in a statement.

The party held the protest against the PDP-BJP governments continuous failures in catching the culprits behind the braid-chopping incidents, it said.

Addressing the rally, Sagar alleged that the state government was maintaining silence despite being in complete knowhow about the real culprits.

It is they who have to ensure protection of our mothers, sisters and daughters but they have failed miserably to ensure their protection. They are only interested in clinging to their chairs which has been their primary goal ever since they came into power, Sagar said.

The alleged braid-chopping incidents in the Kashmir valley have caused a widespread fear and panic as the state government remains inconclusive about the investigation and no suspects have been detained so far.

Teen injured during protests

Srinagar: A teenage boy identified as Arsalaan was injured during protests on the outskirts of Srinagar today. He sustained injuries after the CRPF allegedly opened fire on protesters in the Nowgam area. The boy reportedly threw stones on paramilitary forces during protests against braid-chopping incidents. The forces used tear smoke shells and fired a few rounds to disperse them. During the melee, Arsalan of Kralpora area in Chadoora was struck by a bullet below his left shoulder. He has been admitted to the SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, officials said. tns
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21

Listing the names of police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty this year, Rajiv Jain, Director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), today said that out of the 383 martyrs, 56 belonged to the BSF and 42 were from Jammu and Kashmir.

Announcing the names of those who were martyred across the country from September 2016 to August 2017 at a function here to mark Police Commemoration Day, Jain said 76 belonged to the Uttar Pradesh Police, 56 to the BSF, 49 were from the CRPF, 42 from Jammu and Kashmir Police, 23 belonged to Chhattisgarh, 16 were from West Bengal, 13 each belonged to Delhi and the CISF, 12 each were from Bihar and Karnataka and 11 from the ITBP.

The function was chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who led the nation in paying tributes to the martyrs.

The majority of police personnel were killed while dealing with cross-border firing from Pakistan, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Naxals and other law and order duties.

According to an official release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the day is observed to pay homage to 10 policemen killed in firing by Chinese troops in 1959 and 34,400 others who laid down their lives protecting Indias unity and integrity.

SUBHEAD: That day in 1959

The Indian police personnel were responsible for manning the 2,500 mile-long Indian border with Tibet till the autumn of 1959. On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in north-eastern Ladakh in preparation for further movement of an Indian expedition which was on its way to Lanak La.

While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs, the third one  comprising two police constables and a porter  did not return, the statement said.

The remaining forces were mobilised next morning to search for the missing personnel.

A party of about 20 police personnel led by Karam Singh, a Deputy Central Intelligence Officer (DCIO) rank officer, proceeded on horseback while others followed on foot in three sections. At mid-day, Chinese Army personnel, who were seen on a hillock, opened fire and threw grenades at the Indian party, the statement added.

As there was no cover, most personnel were injured. Ten bravehearts were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the incident. The bodies of the 10 personnel were returned by the Chinese on November 13, three weeks after the incident. The bodies were then cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh.
New Delhi, October 21

Search engine giant Google today celebrated the 187th birth anniversary of intrepid Himalayan explorer Nain Singh Rawat, the first man to survey Tibet, with a doodle.

Born in 1830, Rawat hailed from Johar valley of Kumaon in present-day Uttarakhand and was one of the first Indians who explored the Himalayas for the British.

He was part of a select group of indigenous surveyors in the second half of the 19th century, also known as Pandits, who explored regions to the north of India. Due to the prevailing geo-political situation, explorers vied with each other to map the vastness of Central Asia and understand its people and customs.

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The British wanted to gain knowledge about the entire Indian sub-continent and began the Great Trigonometrical Survey for the purpose. As part of the project, natives from Indian border states were trained to be surveyors.

This was done as the neighbouring countries, particularly Tibet, did not allow the entry of Westerners. These surveyors were trained rigorously and learnt to disguise themselves as traders or holy men. Rawat also undertook the explorations disguised as a Tibetan monk and walked from Kumaon to places as far as Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Tawang.

He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2,000 steps. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel, mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers to avoid detection.

Rawat was the first man to survey Tibet and determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa. He mapped the Tsangpo, known as Brahmaputra in India, and described in detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung. He also mapped a large section of the Brahmaputra and the trade route through Nepal to Tibet.

He was first recruited in 1855 by German geographers Schlagintweit brothers. He also travelled to Manasarovar lake and Rakas Tal and then further to Gartok and Ladakh with them.

His last and greatest journey was from Leh via Lhasa to Assam in 1873-75, before his death in 1882.

He bagged a number of awards from the Royal Geographic Society. The Society of Geographers of Paris awarded Rawat an inscribed watch. The Government of India bestowed two villages as a land grant to him and in 2004, a stamp dedicated to him was also released.

The doodle is a silhouette diorama illustration, depicting Nain Singh Rawat with a tripod stand looking over the horizon as the Sun hangs behind the majestic mountains.  PTI
Yash Goyal

Jaipur, October 21.

The opposition Congress and civil rights group Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) on Saturday condemned the Rajasthan governments ordinance protecting judges and bureaucrats from probe without its prior sanction, alleging that it would give a legal shelter to corruption at the administrative level.

The Vasundhara Raje government had passed an ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also sought to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe was obtained.

Demanding repeal of the ordinance, both threatened to launch an agitation if the ordinance is introduced in the upcoming Assembly session for approval.

Slamming the ordinance, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, I am absolutely shocked by how the state government is trying to institutionalise corruption.

This is ridiculous that no action would be ensured against those officers/employees accused in corruption cases until a prosecution sanction is granted by the government, Pilot said, while pointing out that violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.

State president of PUCL Kavita Srivastava said the amendments and provisos were to gag the media and clipping the powers of the magistrate to order an investigation, investigate or take cognisance of complaints against public servants including judges and magistrates.

We will go to the high court tomorrow against the governments move. The ordinance should be repealed, she said.

It is alarming that the intention is to prevent at the very threshold any possibility of an investigation being ordered by a magistrate when clinching evidence is prima facie brought before the court, Srivastava said.

Defending the ordinance, the government claimed that Rajasthan would not be the first state to bring such amendments to the CrPC and IPC. The Maharashtra government has already done so on December 23, 2015, an official statement said. The government has no intention to protect or shelter the corrupt public servant in any way, the statement added.

The ordinance, which provides 180 days immunity to the officers, reads, No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant. If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted.

The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising in any case the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants.

Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.
Chennai/New Delhi, October 21

Actor Vijay-starrer Mersal, which has apparently mocked the Goods and Services Tax (GST), has pitted the BJP and the Congress against each other in a fierce war of words.

Faced with severe criticism, the film production firm Sri Thenandal Films on Saturday said it was willing to remove those portions that have created misunderstanding.

While several BJP leaders have vociferously demanded the removal of dialogues and scenes making incorrect inferences, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and senior party leader P Chidambaram hit out at the ruling party for silencing critics.

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Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan has demanded removal of dialogues in the flick which he termed as untruths about the GST, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1. The BJPs state unit has also made a similar demand, charging the filmmakers with making incorrect references about the central taxation.

Hitting out at the references, state BJP president Tamilisai Sounderrajan had yesterday said Incorrect references have been made in Mersal about GST... celebrities should desist from registering wrong information among people.

H Raja, partys national secretary, in a series of tweets said the reference to GST only exposed Vijays lack of knowledge of economics. GST is not a new law, he added.

Sounderrajan said, "What do they (the filmmakers) know about GST and its economics... such incorrect references should be removed from the film," she had said.

The Congress jumped to the defence of the filmmakers and criticised the Central Government for attempting to muzzle critics and suppress the freedom of expression.

Mr Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Dont try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal, Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet which was retweeted by Chidambaram.  Agencies
Islamabad, October 21

Pakistan today said its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but dismissed as speculative the reports in media that the two discussed the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The foreign office issued a statement after reports in media claimed that Swaraj asked Mahmood to drop all charges against Jadhav and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties.

Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April for his alleged involvement in espionage and terrorist activities. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on Indias appeal.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria today confirmed that Mahmood met Swaraj on October 17 but asserted that it was a routine meeting by the diplomat who recently assumed office as Pakistans new High Commissioner to India.

While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative, Zakaria said. He also said the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

The Minister and the High Commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations, he said. He said it is customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on the local dignitaries.  PTI

Islamabad rubbishes media reports

The Pakistan foreign office rubbishes media reports claiming that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood to drop all charges against Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on a death row for alleged espionage, and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, October 21

A woman BJP leader from chief minister Adityanaths constituency, Gorakhpur, was arrested recently following his intervention for reportedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000, sources said on Saturday.

According to police sources, the leader, Sarita Singh, is an office bearer of Gorakhpur unit of BJP Mahila Morcha.

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Sources said that sub-inspector Raj Kumars mobile phone was stolen on October 13, for which a suspect, identified as Harshit, was arrested.

During interrogation, Harshit confessed to three mobile thefts. His mother, Rita Pandey, met Sarita Singh at the Cantonment Police Station when she went to bail him out. Singh reportedly promised to have Harshit out of police custody for Rs 50,000.

Pandey paid the money, but when her son still remained in jail, she and some relatives tried to get it back.

On Friday, Harshits relatives approached a neighbour, Prabha Pandey, who took them to chief minister Adityanath, in Gorakhpur at that time.

The chief minister summoned Senior Superintendent of Police Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj to ask him to take action. Singh was arrested after the victim submitted a written complaint.

Police have booked her for cheating and criminal breach of trust.
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, October 21

The BJP in Gujarat is in a quandary with the states three youth icons  OBC Manch convener Alpesh Thakore, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani  who together have a sway over 70 per cent of the voters, deciding to join the Congress.

Soon after state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki issued an open invitation to the trio to join the party, he made arrangements for their impromptu meeting with AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. After the meeting, Thakore announced that satisfied with the assurances given by the Congress vice-president, he had decided to join the Congress. He claimed Hardik and Mevani would follow suit and they would jointly fight the anti-poor, anti-Dalit BJP in Gujarat. He said they would formally join the Congress at a rally on Monday.

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A worried BJP tried to thwart the Congress move with party spokesman Bharat Pandya asking the Congress to spell out under which constitutional provisions was it promising reservation to the Patels. He accused the Congress of misleading the Patels and of blocking a BJP-sponsored Bill in the Rajya Sabha for the welfare of weaker sections.

While young Hardik, 23, has emerged as the face of the Patel community, Thakore, the son of a former Congress MLA, is a prominent leader of the OBCs who constitute more than 50 per cent of the total voters in the state. The flogging of Dalits in Una town by self-styled cow vigilantes last year saw the emergence of Mevani, a young lawyer, as their most vocal leader.

Solanki said if voted to power, the Congress would adopt a resolution in the Assembly to provide 20 per cent reservation to other needy communities and send it to Parliament. An agitation would be launched if the BJP government at the Centre rejected the resolution, he added.
Washington, October 21

India should make its own decisions on the relationship with Iran based on its interests, a top US official has said, days after President Donald Trump condemned Tehran as a fanatical regime and threatened to terminate the landmark nuclear deal.

At the same time, the countries should take a hard look at their business partners in Iran, the senior Trump administration official said when asked about India developing the strategically located Chabahar port in Iran, which will give it access to Afghanistan and then to Central Asia.

India should make its own decisions based on how it sees its interests, the official told PTI.

An agreement on the Chabahar port was inked by India and Iran in May 2016 after detailed discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

As per the pact, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a 10-year lease. Ownership of equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of the 10-year period or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement.

What were asking is for all countries to take a very hard look at who youre doing business with in Iran and to understand who are the beneficial owners of these companies, the US official said, warning against the business deals with Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled companies.

The countries also needed to have a look at what is the relationship of these companies with the groups which had contributed to the scourge of terrorism, the official said, referring to the IRGC.

Earlier this month, the US slapped sanctions on the IRGC for its alleged support to various terrorist organisations.

Countries doing business with Iran also needed to ensure that their economic relationships with Iran did not lead to the strengthening of the IRGC in particular and their ability to do so much harm to so many people, the official added.

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Talks between India and the US in this regard if any are happening through normal channels all the time, the senior administration official said.

Trumps Ambassadorial nominee to India Ken Juster, who is awaiting the Senate confirmation process, is going to just really be a fine representative who understands the importance that the President places on the US-India ties.

And he is going to do everything he can to advance that relationship to a new level, the official said.

Officials from the national security establishment from both the countries are in regular contact and discussed a wide range of issues, the official added.

This includes maintaining the non-proliferation regime and the severe danger of weapons of mass destruction and how to ensure a higher degree of confidence that those most destructive weapons will never be used.

Among other things they also talk about the transnational terrorist threat and how to work together to combat and defeat these enemies of all civilised peoples, the official added.

We also talk about geopolitics broadly and geostrategic concerns to ensure that revisionist powers dont advance their interests at the expense of other countries and that we can ensure that all countries have a free and open access to markets, the official said.

We talk often in geostrategic terms about the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region that allows all countries, especially those that are like-minded in terms of free and open markets and democratic systems...That all countries in the region enjoy the kind of security and prosperity that they deserve, the official said. PTI
Lahore, October 21

A Pakistani woman journalist who was allegedly kidnapped while pursuing the case of an Indian engineer two years ago had been rescued, officials said.

Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when unidentified men allegedly abducted her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have forcibly disappeared while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice Javed Iqbal (retd) said on Friday evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

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Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody, Iqbal said, adding that tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

Zeenat Shahzadi on Saturday has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe, rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadis brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

Helping an Indian prisoner--Hamid Ansari--in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her, Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had told PTI.

My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national, he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Courts Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian national Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November 2012.

She secured in August 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansaris mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, was arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the persons imprisonment or detention is lawful.

Zeenat received threats from unidentified persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansaris mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help, Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and spying. He is still in jail.

The rights activists, especially former secretary general, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, IA Rehman, have raised their voice for the release of Ansari, saying since he had served his sentence, he ought to be set free. PTI
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, October 21

Activists belonging to Raj Thackerays Maharashtra Navnirman Sena today evicted hawkers from Thane and Kalyan railway stations in Mumbai as threatened by party leader Raj Thackeray earlier this month.

We chased away nearly a hundred hawkers blocking the foot overbridges at Thane and Kalyan, MNS leader Avinash Jadhav said. The party workers would crack down on the hawkers if they returned to the spot, he said.

Thackeray had warned railway officials that his party workers would evict hawkers illegally operating from railway stations in and around Mumbai if the authorities did not do so.

Thackerays threat came shortly after a stampede on a foot overbridge at Mumbais Elphinstone Road railway station claimed 23 lives earlier this month.

Railway officials had earlier begun evicting hawkers operating from a number of stations in Mumbai.
Andipatti (TN), October 21

Tamil Nadu Minister KT Rajendra Balaji has said "nobody can shake" the AIADMK so long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to support the party.

Expressing confidence that Chief Minister K Palaniswami's camp would get the 'two leaves' symbol, the State Dairy Minister said, "The symbol will come to EPS camp... there is no doubt about it".

Addressing a party meeting here late last night, he said as along as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is with us, nobody can shake our party... nobody can destroy AIADMK..."

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He claimed that 92 per cent of general council members supported the Palaniswami camp.

The Election Commission had on March 23 frozen the name AIADMK and its election symbol after the factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O Panneerselvam staked claim to it ahead of the RK Nagar bypoll, necessitated by the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Chief Minister Palaniswami, however, revolted against Sasikala. On August 21, rival AIADMK factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly 7-month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the deputy chief minister.

Balaji had earlier courted controversy when he alleged that private dairy firms mixed harmful chemicals in milk. PTI
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, October 21

Tension has gripped Ghazipur after two motorcycle-borne miscreants shot dead an RSS worker and local journalist Rajesh Mishra and critically injured his younger brother Anitesh who has been referred to Varanasi.

Angry youths protesting against the killing of the RSS worker started collecting near the district hospital in large numbers and then started forcibly getting shops to down their shutters.

Police have been rushed to the district to check the law and order problem from escalating any further.

According to the police, the brothers were sitting in their shop early on Saturday when two miscreants on a motorcycle indiscriminately fired at them killing Rajesh on the spot and critically injuring his brother.

The Ghazipur police has registered a case against the two assailants.

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Incidentally, the shooting of an RSS worker in Ghazipur comes days after two masked gunmen on a motorcycle had shot dead senior RSS leader Ravinder Gosain at his residence in Ludhiana in Punjab.
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(1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1)
Lucknow, October 21

Tension gripped Ghazipur today after three motorcycle-borne men shot dead 38-year old RSS worker Rajesh Mishra, a journalist with a national Hindi daily, and critically injured his younger brother. Angry protesters collected near the district hospital in large numbers.They forced shopkeepers to down their shutters.

Rajesh was sitting in his building material shop, a kilometre from his house, when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot, said police sources.

Hearing the shots, his 35-year-old brother Anitesh, working in fields at the rear-end of the shop, came running. He was shot at and rushed to the district hospital and later shifted to Varanasi. His condition is said to be critical.

The Ghazipur police have registered a case and claim to have found useful clues. We have identified the suspects who will be arrested soon, said Anand Kumar, ADG-Law and Order. The Ghazipur killing comes days after two masked gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead senior RSS leader Ravinder Gosain at his residence in Ludhiana.  TNS
New Delhi, October 21

In her first foreign visit as Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman will travel to the Philippines on Monday to attend a South Asian Defence Ministers meeting which is likely to review the regional security architecture, including Chinas growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

During her three-day visit, Sitharaman is likely to hold bilateral talks with her counterparts from a number of countries, Defence Ministry officials said.

The ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting)-Plus meeting on October 23 and 24 is expected to deliberate extensively on the situation in Afghanistan and Syria besides Chinas growing military presence in the disputed South China Sea.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.

The two-day meeting will discuss ways to enhance defence and security cooperation among the member nations to effectively counter various transnational security challenges facing the region.

Sitharaman is likely to assert Indias position on the issues at the gathering.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, a number of ASEAN member countries including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei have counter claims.

India has been supporting freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The ADMM-plus is also likely to discuss enhancing maritime cooperation among the member countries, officials said.

The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in 2010.

The defence ministers then had agreed on five areas of practical cooperation to pursue under the new mechanism, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations. PTI
New Delhi, October 21

On this day 74 years ago, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had announced the establishment of the provisional government of Azad Hind in occupied Singapore in 1943.

Known as Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, it was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic and their allies.

The revered freedom fighter had launched a struggle to free India from the British rule under the banner of the provisional government-in-exile during the latter part of the World War-II.

Bose was convinced that armed struggle was the only way to achieve Independence for India. He had been a leader of the radical wing of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become the Congress president in 1938 and 1939 but was ousted following differences with Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress leadership.

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Under his provisional government, the Indians living abroad had been united. The Indian National Army drew ex-prisoners and thousands of civilian volunteers from the Indian expatriate population in Malaya (present-day Malaysia) and Burma (now Myanmar).

On October 21, 1943, in his address announcing the setting up of the provisional government, he said Indias Army of Liberation was drawn up in military formation on the battlefield of Singapore which was once the bulwark of the British Empire.

He envisioned the Army of Liberation as the future national Army of Free India and exhorted people with the war cry, Comrades! My soldiers! Let your battle-cry beTo Delhi To Delhi.

How many of us will individually survive this war for freedom, I do not know. But I do know this that we shall ultimately win and our task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory parade on another graveyard of the British Empire - the Lal Kila or Red Fort of ancient Delhi, he said.

With the force of arms and at the cost of your blood you will have to win liberty, he said. As soldiers, you will have to cherish and live up to the three ideals of faithfulness, duty and sacrifice. Soldiers, who always remain faithful to the nation, who perform their duty under all circumstances and who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible.

He said the mission of Independence for India was the noblest the human mind could conceive.

I assure you that I shall be with you in darkness and sunshine, in sorrow and in joy. In suffering and in victory. For the present, I can offer you nothing except hunger, thirst, privation, forced marches and death. But if you follow me in life and in deathas I am confident you willI shall lead you to victory and freedom, he said in his address.

Under the provisional government, Bose was the head of the state, the PM and the minister for war and foreign affairs. Captain Lakshmi headed the womens organisation while SA Ayer headed the publicity and propaganda wing. Revolutionary leader Rash Behari Bose was designated as the supreme adviser.

The provisional government was also formed in the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands were reoccupied by the British in 1945.

Boses death was seen as the end to the Azad Hind movement. The World War-II, also ended in 1945 with the defeat of the Axis powers.

On the 75th foundation day today, All India Youth League national president Sanjay Bhattacharya, in a statement, said, We remember the countless martyrs who laid down their lives in the cause for Indias battle for freedom in East Asia. We salute all the participants.  PTI
Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 21

Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora today said expert cyber support available to the assailants in high-profile murder cases was helping them evade arrest.

Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the 58th Police Commemoration Day observed at the PAP grounds here today, Arora said in most such cases, the assailants left no footprints at the crime spot. This is the most challenging part in the investigation. These cases are similar in many ways. The assailants were not known to the victims, they did not carry any mobile phones while committing the crime and they came on motorcycles and left no footprints behind, he said.

When asked about the scrutiny of the CCTV footage on the route followed by the culprits, the DGP said the assailants seemed to have done a survey of the spot much before committing the crime. Since they knew that most CCTV cameras store footage not more than 15 days, they seemed to have done the survey much before executing the crime. During investigations, it was revealed that the routes followed by the assailants before and after the crime did not have CCTV cameras, he said, adding that the launching of multi-agency probe by involving the CBI and the NIA would help them expose the conspiracy behind the killings.

Hinting at foreign hand behind the murders, the DGP raised serious concern over the manner in which some extremist groups are polluting the young minds by disseminating wrong information through social media.

Extremist groups are presenting distorted facts about the sacrilege incidents and also the way the youths should follow to safeguard the interests of their communities. This is fast leading to an alarming situation. We have apprised the state government about it, said Arora, adding that they would launch their own Facebook page and a Twitter handle to interact with the public directly.

Earlier addressing the gathering, the DGP said it was a matter of pride for the Punjab Police that since 1981, 2,719 personnel laid down their lives in the service of the nation. The DGP hailed the decision of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to restore the special family pension of the officers martyred during the militancy period.

Martyrs remembered

Fatehgarh Sahib: The police and district administration today organised a function to mark the day. Paying tribute to the martyrs, Alka Meena, SSP, said it was due to their sacrifice that the state succeeded in tackling militancy. She assured the martyrs families of all possible help to sort out their grievances. Gurpreet Singh GP, MLA, Bassi Pathana, Harpal Singh, District and Sessions Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Daljit Singh Rana, SP (D) were also present.  OC
Jalandhar, October 21

Even as the Indian government has failed to get any conclusive clue on the fate of the 39 men missing in Iraq for three years, their families were today asked to undergo DNA tests, raising concerns.

The families, who said they had got messages through police stations and numberdars, were in a quandary over why the need was felt for such a test.

Kamaljit Kaur of Bath Kalan, whose husband was working in a construction company and was reportedly held captive  along with 38 others, mostly from Punjab  by Islamic State in Mosul in June 2014, said, I was not at home, so the cops left a message. After this, a numberdar came saying DNA tests of my two sons are to be done.

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Manjit Kaur of Rurka Kalan, whose husband Dawinder Singh too is missing in Iraq, said, I got a call from Dhaleta police post to get DNA tests done of my three sons. We have not been given any update and are clueless over the reasons.

Deputy Commissioner Varinder K Sharma said, There have been directions from the MHA to get the samples of children of missing Iraq men taken and sent to Delhi. I think it is just a routine exercise so the DNA tests can be immediately matched in the event of any information.

In Amritsar, too, families were asked to reach Government Medical College. Eight families did reach, but were asked to come on Monday as they did not have the kits for taking DNA samples.  TNS
Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 21

Recommending the cancellation of an FIR against MLA Simarjit Singh Bains after terming it as a clear case of political vendetta, the Justice Mehtab Singh Gill panel has asserted that former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, it seems, was instrumental in having him arrested and tortured.

After going though the statements of Bains and his two witnesses, the panel asserted: The then Home Minister seems to have been instrumental in having Bains arrested and tortured. He was, at that time, a sitting member of the state Assembly. Not only was he representative of his constituency, but the president of a party.

The observation came after Bains categorically told the panel that it was on the asking of the then Home Minister that the then Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, was directed to register a false case against him.

Bains was booked for assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty and other offences under Sections 186, 332, 353, 188 and 149 of the IPC on October 21, 2015.

Bains said he and his supporters took to the streets after an incident of sacrilege took place in 2015. Bains claimed that instructions were given by him to his supporters against blocking traffic or harassing people.

The residence of the then CM was also gheraoed before he was taken to Sector 39 police station in Chandigarh and released at midnight. The next day his house in Ludhiana was surrounded by the police and he was arrested as if he was a hardcore criminal.

Bains alleged that he was victimised and maltreated by the then Akali government for criticising it for its wrongdoings. He said PS Umranangal, the then Commissioner of Police, was directed by Sukhbir to take him in custody and torture him. Justice Gill noticed that Bains claims were supported and corroborated by two other witnesses.

The order forms a part of the third interim report expected to be submitted early next week. Looking into more than 4,000 complaints, the commission has so far detected false implication and political vendetta in more than 62 per cent cases examined.
Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 20

Wherever people fought oppression, Prof K Gopal Iyer, just had to be there. He did not not mind boarding a train, whether or not his seat was reserved, or travelling atop a crowded bus to reach the trouble spot  his meagre belongings stuffed in a sling bag.

Known for his work on bonded labour, peasant movements and land reforms, the 75-year-old peoples scholar passed away in Chandigarh on Thursday. He was suffering from a heart ailment.

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Prof Iyer hailed from Tamil Nadu. But his interest in popular movements took him to Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and other parts of the country. A gold medallist from Patna University, he retired from Panjab Universitys Sociology Department in 2002, where he had been teaching since 1978.

Prof Manjit Singh, his student and later a colleague, describes him as an organic intellectual, who lived among the people, understood their language and culture and shared their suffering with the world.

Progressive thinkers would invariably throng Prof Iyer's house at PU, where any student in distress was received with warmth. Lallan Singh Baghel of the Department of Philosophy calls him a saint-scholar. If studying in his office till late in the night, he would join tables and sleep there. While in the field, he would sleep on gunny bags and eat whatever was given. Scholars like him are rare.

Prof Iyer neither chased projects, nor lobbied for fellowships. His sole pursuit was to understand the masses and their struggle. Invited as a senior fellow by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla in 2010, he abandoned the fellowship after a year. He told me they (institute) wanted to fortify him whereas he wanted to be out in the field, recalls Baghel. Perhaps, that is why he could understand peoples movements so well.

Professor Iyer was well-versed in several Indian languages, says Prof Satish Kumar, his former colleague who retired from HPU, Shimla. He was equally proficient in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Punjabi. Amazed at his command over Punjabi, we rechristened him as Gopal Singh Brar, he smiles.
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, October 21

A retired professor and his son were killed when the car they were travelling in hit a motorcyclist coming from the wrong side and rammed into a bus at Bhindran village on the Patiala-Bathinda road today. Motorcyclist Harwinder Singh (36), who worked as a mechanic, also died in the accident.

Ajit Singh (84), who retired as a professor from the Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, and his son Ramandeep Singh (44), an assistant professor at Government Polytechnic College for Girls, Patiala, died on the spot.

Ajit Singhs wife Mahinder Kaur (80) suffered injuries. They were on the way to Sangrur from Patiala.

Passengers were getting off at the village bus stop when the motorcyclist crossed the road from the wrong side. Car driver Ramandeep Singh, while trying to save the biker, turned towards the left. The car first hit the motorcycle and then the bus, said Ranjit Singh, SHO of Sangrur Sadar police station.

The police have registered a case under Section 304-A of the IPC against Harwinder.
Balvinder

This is the story of an unsung and little-known artist Jagmohan Lal Dhami. An accomplished artist, he gave up his passion for art and entered the freedom struggle of India. He dreamt of a place where creativity could flourish. He, surely, wasnt the only one to harbour the dream; but, what makes his tale worth retelling is its untold artistic delight and the fact that he did not seek any office of profit as a reward for his sacrifices.

While much has been written about the bloody Partition of Punjab and many a creative work has been produced on the subject, the cultural divide it imposed upon us has not been much talked about. Partition inflicted upon us ruthless cultural wounds, but the most painful one, perhaps, was the division of the huge and rich collection of art and artefacts at Lahore Museum. One wonders with what agony would have custodians of the museum divided its collection into two apparently indivisible parts!

Interestingly, our share was first dumped at Patiala and then shifted to School of Arts and Craft in Chandigarh (now Government College of Art) building in 1962. It remained there till 1968 when the new museum was formally inaugurated.

Today, it might sound strange, but most of the valuable collection  from delicate Pahari miniatures to rugged Gandhara sculptures  would lie in the open corridors of the art school.

We were then students at the school and knew a recluse Dhami sahib (as he was addressed by all), as the first official photographer of this temporary home to the bleeding and bruised museum collection. None of us then knew that he was an accomplished artist and a professional photographer, too.

Always clad in simple khadi, Dhami would display his strong Gandhian affinity through a tiny Congress flag that he had put on his bicycle, and on which he would paddle to work every day. A now antique 120-format Rolleiflex camera hung across his shoulder.

Dhamis artistic prowess can be gauged from the fact that he, in the late 1960s, had the privilege to work on a painting that the great Punjabi artist Sobha Singh was finishing in the premises of Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh. Now, why was the maestro working on that masterpiece, a portrait of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh riding a horse, at the museum is an interesting story.

Chandigarhs first Chief Commissioner MS Randhawa, a great art connoisseur, happened to visit Sobha Singh at his home in Andretta, Himachal Pradesh. The artist was working on this painting and a mesmerised Randhawa immediately asked Sobha Singh to sell it to the museum in Chandigarh. He gladly accepted the offer and promised to send it to the museum when it is complete. However, assessing the worth of this yet-to-be-finished but incredible artwork, a far-sighted Randhawa feared that the artist might accept someone elses more lucrative offer. He told Sobha Singh to bring the incomplete painting to Chandigarh and finish it there at the museum itself. We, the students, were to witness this process.

The maestro had finished the painting when a visibly dissatisfied Dhami, an extremely soft-spoken person, whispered to Sobha Singh that the horse on which the Guru was riding seemed to fly, and not rest on the rocky ground. He said the rocks required deeper tones. Sobha Singh was only too glad to give his colour palette and brush to Dhami to do the needful. And Dhami obliged by putting on the painting the last few finishing strokes! Dhamis frank criticism owed itself to the fact that he and Sobha Singh, along with actor Pran, followed the same guru, Delhi-based photo artist JL Lekhi, in the mid-1930s.

Those days, he would shuttle between Delhi and Patiala to learn art and photography. During one such visit, he managed, through W.M. Hutton, an official taxidermist of the Patiala royalty, to show to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh a large-sized charcoal sketch of the Maharaja leading a ritualistic procession in the city.

Flattered by the young boys confidence, the Maharaja called Dhami to his court and gave him a cash prize of Rs 101, a huge amount in those days. Besides, the Maharaja sanctioned him a scholarship of Rs 15 a month to study art at the famous Mayo School of Art, Lahore. The amount was sufficient for both Dhami and his wife to live in Lahore and study art there.

However, after the demise of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1938, Dhamis scholarship money was reduced to Rs 10. Following the monetary crunch and his bent towards the freedom struggle, Dhami left the art school two years later and joined the Congress party.

Back in Patiala, he opened a photo studio for survival and got actively involved in the freedom movement under Sewa Singh Thikriwala, the local pioneer of the nationalistic Praja Mandal Movement.

He, along with the likes of Gian Singh Rarewala, also spent more than 13 months (1939-40) in jail. As he was hounded by the police even after his release, he went to Assam for a short period. It was a tough life there for Dhami, who now had a son to look after too.

After the Partition, Dhami joined the Punjab public relations department as a printer in 1948. In 1965, he shifted to the museum in Chandigarh as its official photographer. Engrossed in his work of documenting artworks and events, he did not pursue his artistic talent with the exhibitionistic gusto that he used to have as a young boy.

The day Giani Zail Singh became President of India in 1982, Dhami passionately told his family of three sons (two of whom are professional photographers) and wife, how during the freedom struggle, both Giani ji and he had walked a long distance from Patiala railway station to a Congress party meeting once as they had no money to hire a tonga. That drive is missing in todays leaders. Do our artists fare better?

PS: Most of the inputs for this piece have been provided by Dhamis youngest son, SM Dhami, a well-known photo artist from Chandigarh. He recently retired as a museum photographer, a post that his father had held till 1980.
Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu

In face of a concerted anti-slavery movement by British public, ongoing since the end of the 18th century, the Slavery Abolition Act was eventually passed by the Parliament in 1833. It outlawed slavery throughout the British Empire. Colonial ingenuity, however, quickly overcame dismay at impending shortage of hands by putting into effect the Great Experiment. Whereby a contracted workforce from certain colonies was hired and shipped across the globe to meet the shortfall at others. It commenced with the plantation colony of Mauritius, an acquisition wrested from the French in 1810, with workers procured from China, Malaysia, Africa, and Madagascar. The largest chunk would ultimately come from India.

On November 2, 1834, following nearly two months on the high seas, the first group of indentured migrants from India sailed into the Trou Fanfaron harbor at Port Louis. Agreements bound the new arrivals to laboring at sugarcane estates for ten long years; five, if they wished to return at their own expense. By the time the Indian Legislative Council ended indenture in 1917, not less than half a million Indian workers from Bihar, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had disembarked at the Mauritian capital. Some came on their own volition, hoping to escape abject poverty back home; others by deception and coercion. The majority chose to stay on after 1917, impacting forever the tiny island-nations history and demographics. Today, approximately 70 per cent of Mauritians claim Indian ancestry.

Mutual ancestry

Recognising its social and cultural importance, Apravasi Ghat, the site in Port Louis where the migrants would land, was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2006. The complex includes a multi-media museum and vestiges of depots and sheds that once housed living quarters and offices. The interpretation centre is named after Beekrumsing Ramlalla, a prominent public figure who first chanced upon the remains of the landing site, and was instrumental in calling for the proper preservation of Indo-Mauritian ancestry records. It was at his behest that a remembrance ceremony was initiated on November 2 in 1970. In 2003 it was declared a national holiday to mark Arrival of Indentured Labourers Day. The Apravasi Ghat is today a popular attraction with visitors, and within walking distance of other sites like the Blue Penny Museum, Central Market, and Le Caudan Waterfront. Stores, eateries and cinemas here are a delightful melange of Indian, Creole, African and European offerings.

Faiths of all hues

Religious diversity is protected by the constitution which prohibits religious discrimination and provides for the freedom to practice or change ones religion. Hinduism is a major religion with nearly 50 per cent Indo-Mauritians as adherents, followed by 26 per cent Christians and over 17 per cent Muslims, while Buddhism is also practiced by a section of Sino-Mauritians. Temples, churches, mosques, Chinese and Buddhist shrines dot the landscape in equal proportion.

At the time of my visit to Ganga Talao aka Grand Bassin in southern Mauritius, finishing flourishes were being applied to a towering scaffold-wrapped likeness of Goddess Durga. Across the road loomed a trident-bearing Lord Shiva, with a height of 108 feet). The idol of the goddess that was being readied for its inauguration following Durga Puja festivities in September-end, is said to be the tallest world-wide. A crater lake ringed with ebony woodlands in Savanne district, Ganga Talao has been a hallowed destination for Hindus since 1898. A lakeside temple honours Shiva as Mauritius Eshwarnath; a Hanuman temple crowns a hillock; a host of other deities sit along the embankment. Hanuman also finds place of prominence in homes; his pedestal shrines, flanked by red flags, practically adorn most house fronts.

Common culinary heritage

The culinary traditions of Mauritius are perhaps the best example of its cultural assimilation. Bustling local markets reveal abundance in fresh seafood, tropical fruits and exotic vegetables of every conceivable shape, size and colour. A hotpot of Indian, French, Creole, Chinese, and African influences, it is the local cuisine that truly and most flavourfully blends this diversity. Regardless of where you are  in a village, on the beach, near the waterfront, at an attraction  you are within hailing distance of any number of vendors dishing out delicious street-treats, mostly vegetarian, from pushcarts, trucks, kiosks, and bicycles.

Soft flatbreads prepared with chickpea flour or wheat flour, both dhal-puri and roti chaud are smeared with rougaille, a much-loved tomato paste, and served with gros pois (butter beans) curry. Freshly pickled fruit and vegetable achaars are another favourite and usually served with rice or roti. Tiny Victorian pineapples sprinkled with chilli flakes and salt are the rage in titbits. Deep fried snacks called gadjacks could include anything from samosas with potato or fish fillings, to di-pain frire, somewhat akin to a bread pakora, to arouille (yam fritters). Boullettes are chicken or shrimp dumplings served in a broth; mine frites is another popular Chinese meal on the go  soya-sauce doused fried noodles topped with chillies and spring onions. Among beverages, alouda tops the charts, a sweet gelatinous drink made with agar agar, basil seeds and strawberry or vanilla-flavoured milk.

That said, by no means are these the only indicators of Mauritius harmonious ethos, so evident and so lightly worn. It spills over into most everything  art, craft, music and festivities included. Sega has the island on its feet and cheering as much as Bhojpuri hit song Langaroo does! As things stand today, there are lessons to be learned from a tiny speck in the Indian Ocean with which we share ties many centuries old.
Kuldip Singh Dhir

Partition remains a gaping hole in the heart of Indian subcontinent. Discourse on Partition has changed radically over the past 70 years. Historians and litterateurs are revisiting it without being trapped by curse of mutual animosity, distrust or polarised perception. They reject binaries and borders in spite of the atmosphere of hatred and bigotry in the country. It was a rewarding experience to see this bottom-line in this eminently readable set of books on 1947 which make a complimentary read. Bishwanth Ghosh gazes at the borders and the people around these. Narendra Luther gives us a heart-wrenching personal account of the harrowing experience of leaving empty-handed his ancestral home with danger and death all around. Rakshanda Jalil, Tarun K Saint and Debjani Sengupta present a miscellany of essays, memoirs and different literary genres from across the borders leaving us ponder over the lessons of history.

Ghosh has chosen to gaze along and across the dividing lines drawn by Cyril Radcliffe. He took merely five weeks to draw a line 553 km long in the West and 4,096 km long in the East of India. Incidentally, new countries were created without demarcating boundaries because Radcliffe Award was made public on August 18. Uncertainty about demarcation added to the mayhem making one million lose their lives, 10 to 15 million leave their homes and one million women abducted. Ghosh visits Attari, Wagha, Hussaini Wala, Dera Baba Nanak and border villages to give us a firsthand impression of past and present of Partition in Punjab. We listen to Bir Bahadur Singh recalling the times when his father beheaded all women members of the family to save their honour form frenzied mobs. Yet, he believes that common man wants peace. He points out that prior to introduction of passport and visa system in 1952, Punjabis would freely walk across the border. Indo-Pak wars hardened the attitudes for some time after which anger and animosity gave way to nostalgia.

Bengal saw less bloodshed in 1947. It was the transfer of population there that was a staggered process. The borders are soft and porous. There are houses where border line runs through the courtyard. There are places where a road divides two countries and the shortcut offered by it is allowed as a harmless concession to the citizens. People exchange pleasantries and often visit each other across Agrtala, Boxanagar, Karimganj and so many other places. In fact, culture is their true identity and nationality a mere technicality. Flag-lowering ceremony on the eastern border is devoid of jingoism associated with Wagha.

Narender Luther is maternal grandson of renowned Punjabi poet Kirpa Sagar. He was living in Rawalpindi since 1946. As a high school student he was a witness to Muslim league agitation of March 1947 which led to wide spread rioting making Hindus and Sikhs flee to India. Narendras mother gave birth to a son on July 21 and in early August they left the Muslim-dominated area in Rawalpindi to shift to an area with concentrated non-Muslim population. They heard Nehrus Independence speech there. His father, who had opted to stay in Pakistan, was asked by his Muslim boss to shift to his sons house disguised as Muslims. They shifted but the prospect of improvement in the situation looked bleak. They decided to leave for India after staying with the Muslim family for over a month.

Luthers boarded a special train from Lahore on October 18, with beds, daily clothes and some eatables. All compartments and roof of the train were occupied with innumerable people and their language. The train was guarded by Gurkha soldiers wielding guns. The slow moving train stopped at various places for extended intervals. Sounds of sloganeering, sights of arson and exchange of fire continued all along its way. The train completed the 50-km distance from Lahore to Amritsar in three days and two nights after surviving five attacks on it. Nine dead bodies were recovered from it when they reached Amritsar.

The anthology edited by Jalil, Saint and Sengupta is neither region specific nor genre specific. It assembles diverse genres from Punjab, West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh, restoring a sense of plurality and responsibility to reactions to the events. Zakkias Sadae Baazgasht describes a situation where riot victims dont have a new country to migrate to. Doosra Kinara by Ashraf examines the communal othering which is accepted unquestioningly by the young today. Amenas Allah-Ho-Akbar underlines disillusionment faced by Muhajirs. Anwar Alis novel Gwachian Gallan gives in new insight that for those at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, Partition meant nothing more than a willing change of religion. Excerpts from Fikr Tonsvis dairy speak with passionate intensity of the bloodshed faced by Punjab. Mirchandani recreates and relives days of Partition through her memories. The interview between dying Nasir Kazmi and Intizar Hussain cherishes memories of what they left behind. Sahir and Javed Akhtars poems speak about the disillusionment that followed independence. Art historian Salima Hashmi dwells on the idea of a home which can be a safe heaven or be a under siege when times change. Asghar Wajahats Jis ne Lahore Nahin Dekhya gives us a glimpse of dilemmas faced by those who decide to migrate and those who refused to do so. Saibal Gupta gives a peep into the Dandakarnkia, Indias largest refugee rehabilitation programme. There are memoirs, short stories and poems from Bangla literature which provide an ironic look at the distortions that 1947 wrought on our psyche and remind us about what partition failed to divide.

Taken together these three books enable us to enter the interstices of 1947 that are liberating and sombre, giving a more nuanced understanding of the vivisection and its afterlife. These make a plea for shifting our focus from annihilating violence to redemptive kindness and wish that governments open up channels of communication and peoples interaction. We must all aim for a continuity into the present of a shared past. Exclusivists might frown at such ambitions but majority of people on either side of the border share this incessant innocent desire.
Pushpa Girimaji

In July this year, I got a message on my cell phone that Rs 10,000 had been withdrawn from my account through an ATM. I was quite shocked because I was home at that time and the ATM card was also with me. I immediately contacted the banks helpline and they assured me that this had happened due to a technical glitch and that the money would be returned to my account. However, the bank did not refund the money and, in the meanwhile, there were several such fraudulent withdrawals from my account. By the time the bank finally blocked my card, I had lost Rs 50,000. Now the bank admits that the withdrawals happened in ATMs outside the country, but blames me for leaking my PIN number. Should I go to the consumer court?

If the bank had paid due attention to your first complaint and blocked the card immediately and given you an alternate card, the damage could have been contained. However, the bank obviously did not even investigate into it and told you that the withdrawal was on account of a computer glitch. So, the bank has to take responsibility for negligence. Besides, the bank failed to comply with the policy of zero or limited customer liability for fraudulent electronic transactions announced by the Reserve Bank in July this year.

In fact, there are two positive factors in your favour. First is the zero liability policy, as per which the customer has no liability in case of fraudulent electronic transactions, where the bank is guilty of contributory fraud or negligence or deficiency. Or where a third party is involved in the fraud, the customer has zero liability if the fraud is reported within three days of getting the SMS alert. So the bank has to compensate you.

Second is the RBI notification widening the scope of the Banking Ombudsman scheme, as per which the Ombudsman not only has the jurisdiction to resolve such cases, but also award compensation for harassment and mental anguish, besides loss of the complainants time and other expenses. This is besides the compensation for any loss suffered as a direct consequence of the banks omission or commission. So, please send a complaint to the nodal officer of the bank, pointing out these facts. If he fails to resolve the matter to your satisfaction within a month, lodge a complaint with the banking ombudsman.

Can you quote any such case resolved by the Ombudsman?

I remember one particular case decided by the Ombudsman during 2012-2013, which is almost identical to your case. Here too, when the complainant first came to know about the fraudulent withdrawal through the SMS received on his mobile, he immediately contacted the bank branch where he had an account. Instead of registering the complaint, the bank asked him to contact the call centre of the bank. The call centre told him that the debit was due to a technical fault and would be resolved within a weeks time. That was, however, not done and illegal withdrawals continued. Then the call centre said they were happening through an ATM outside the country. By the time the bank blocked his card, as much as Rs 1,63,668 had been withdrawn from his account. Subsequently, the bank accused the complainant of having negligently passed on the PIN number to fraudsters. It also argued that the customer had not given the call centre proper details as a result of which they believed that it was a computer error. However, from the recording of the conversation between the customer and the call centre, it became clear that the complainant had clearly mentioned that it was a fraudulent withdrawal and given details, but the call centre personnel had carelessly classified it as a technical error.

The complainant also said he had not disclosed his card information to anyone. Besides, at the time of withdrawal of the money from an ATM in a foreign country, he was in India. Considering the deficiency on the part of the bank, the Ombudsman in this case passed an award asking the bank to compensate the complainant to the extent of unauthorised withdrawals made from his account.

Of course, now with the widening of the powers of the banking ombudsman and the zero liability policy announced by the RBI, you have a much stronger case and you do not have to go to the consumer court as the Ombudsman can award you not just refund of the money lost, but also compensation. The process too is much simpler and faster here.
Ananya Bahl

Within the first five minutes of a walk through the cobbled streets of the Bo Kaap area in Cape Town in South Africa, it becomes clear as to why this place is one of the most photographed neighbourhoods in the city. The streets are flanked on either side by buildings and bungalows  designed in a mix of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian architectural styles  that are painted in a plethora of hues, each one brighter and more vivacious than the other. The feeling one gets is similar to a child walking through Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory  it seems as if one is navigating their way through rows of unending candy that are cascading down Signal Hill  the hillock on which Bo Kaap is perched.

Work in the area was initially started in the 1760s by a certain Mr Jan de Waal, earning it the moniker, Waalendorp. The neighbourhood is a former township and was also subsequently known as the Malay Quarter because of its multicultural populace.

Malaysians, Indonesians and Indians, who came as political exiles and slaves to South Africa from Dutch colonies inhabited this township and brought with them their customs, traditions, clothing and food. They collectively came to be known as Cape Malays. All of these traditions merged together with South African culture to form a unique flavour that visitors get to savour first-hand today.

During the apartheid era, the locals didnt own houses but once that system of governance was abolished, they painted the town not just red but a host of colours, probably as a way to signify and flaunt their newfound freedom. As it turns out, that tradition continues to this day. There are nine mosques in Bo Kaap, out of which, the Auwal Mosque is the oldest  not just in the area but also in South Africa. Its construction began in 1794. The mosques first imam, Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam, was a prisoner on the Robben Island: the same place where Nelson Mandela was held captive.

Its Tana Baru Cemetery is the resting place of many holy scholars like Tuan Nuruman, Tuan Sayeed Alawse and Tuan Guru, and was the first piece of land sanctioned by the government for use as a Muslim cemetery after religious freedom was allowed in the early 1800s. The Bo Kaap Museum is housed in the neighbourhoods oldest building and showcases typical lifestyle of a 19th century Cape Muslim family. Today, Bo Kaap offers visitors an amalgamation of many Asian cultures, and these can be sampled at its various traditional restaurants. Its bohemian attitude is also showcased in quirky start-ups like Monkeybiz, a company working towards the revival of traditional South African beadwork. It works with 300 South African women who come from as far as the Eastern Cape!

Cape Town is known for its multicultural and creative vibe, and there are very few places in The Mother City that embody this combined ethos as perfectly as Bo Kaap does. Its bohemian, diverse and dare-to-be-different style also reflects the concept of the Rainbow Nation a term famously given to its home country, South Africa.

Fact File

Eat: For delectable Cape Malay cuisine, look no further than Bo Kaap Kombuis  sample their bobotie mince pie and also get a dose of history from the family who runs it.

Shop: The new modernist for decor items, Bo-op for African print bags and clothes and the Diamond Gallery for a sparkling Tanzanite collectible.

Do: Sign up for the Bo Kaap cooking tour with Zainie Mibach and learn the nuances of Cape Malay food. Try your hand at the Scootours tours with a big-wheeled scooter or if you prefer a more relaxed trip, head on a vintage sidecar tour with Cape Sidecar Adventures.
Saba Naqvi

I am happy to report that Ram, Sita and Lakshman arrived in Ayodhya in a helicopter for Diwali. Seriously. If you dont believe me, please see the front page of the Delhi edition of The Indian Express on Diwali. Actors playing the part of Ram, Sita and Lakshman were brought to Ayodhya in a chopper for a three-day grand Diwali celebration, whereupon they were photographed with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik, looking pleased as punch.

Actually they were among the 380 artistes from across India and the globe (including Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia) that travelled to Ayodhya at the cost of the state government to take part in the three-day celebration.

I have to give it to Yogi. Hes already taken Uttar Pradesh to such heights that it has apparently broken a Guinness record. Two lakh diyas were lit along the banks of the Saryu river at Ayodhya, really quite a lovely sight, and that in itself was a world record.

By now, most of us who follow the news would know that this lighting diya record is a uniquely Indian category. Before Uttar Pradesh, the record was held by jailed dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. His dera lit 1.5 lakh diyas at an event on September 23 last year. Lets keep our fingers crossed that things go better for Uttar Pradesh than they did for the dera. So far, we have some assurances: a huge Ram statue will come up at Ayodhya and the Taj Mahal will not be demolished (even though its been built on a Shiva temple according to BJPs one-time Ayodhya hero Vinay Katiyar).

I personally have nothing against statues, lighting lamps and doing day-long yagnas. The Chief Minister has said he has bought true Ram Rajya and, till now, there was only Ravana Raj. What I do have a problem with is with children dying in a hospital in Gorakhpur but no matter, maybe the Gods will now hear all our prayers for the poor, the meek, and the helpless.

Meanwhile, the UP Government does occasionally look like a sequence from a religious tableaux, but thats fine with me as well. As a kid, I loved extended all-night Ram Leelas in my neighbourhood.

What I do resent is the manufactured battle that is about to (again) begin over the Ram mandir issue. Essential for any battle to engage the population is that two sides fight. I dont see any purpose in the representatives of the Muslim community trying to fight a battle they have already lost. It would be wiser to make a tactical retreat and say, Dear Yogiji, please build thousands more temples, have statues in every neighbourhood, we respect your religious wishes and with dignity we walk away from the entire Ram temple issue. Do build a great Ram mandir there and pray for prosperity and justice for all. A nice parting shot would be: can we contribute a small token towards the Ram mandir?

Problem is no one listens to me, least of all the clerics of the Muslim community, who like to present themselves as the sole spokespersons. Lets take the argument at face value that the correct thing in such a sensitive matter is to wait for a court verdict. Heres the thing. Even if the verdict is in favour of the Muslim community, we know no mosque can be built on that barren piece of land (although I agree that a moral and constitutional point would have been made).

But Ayodhya in the meantime is a trap that the Muslim community is repeatedly asked to walk into just for the optics that it creates. Its actually a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-dont situation. It would suit the Hindutva forces to project this as a battle against bearded Muslims who resent Hindu faith and are incapable of generosity towards Lord Ram. Dont give them the pleasure. Dont play the part of the Muslim stereotype. Just walk away. Remember that the Ram temple issue only has traction if it can be posited as a victory over Muslims.

The twin cities of Faizabad-Ayodhya are a few hours drive from Mustafabad village, where my fathers hereditary rambling village home is located. Four days after the Babri demolition, I had driven to Ayodhya, where I found the lock on the door of an old mans home that I was searching out. I was pretty heart-broken back then to learn that he had fled.

The man I was searching for not far from the rubble of the mosque was Ansar Hussain, who had been the caretaker of Sundar Bhawan, one of the many Ram temples in Ayodhya, for 45 years. It was a curious arrangement for a devout Muslim to look after a mandir for so many decades, but that is also how life often was in the Awadh belt. But after the demolition, Hussain and his Muslim neighbours had all vanished; I would later hear that Hussain returned after some months and resumed looking after the Sita-Ram mandir till his death about a decade ago. Lets not open those wounds again.
Harish Khare

There is that nano-second, almost an ephemeral moment, when one gets the first sight of Harmander Saheb. And that first sighting stirs in a feeling of spiritual tranquility, despite the vastness of the view, the multitudes of devotees, the sarovar and its suggestion of enormity, and the golden glint. It is a magical moment that transports a pilgrim to a different, a nobler, an elevating universe.

Last weekend, I was in Amritsar at the invitation of Khalsa College; I had readily accepted the invitation because it meant, also, a chance to make the pilgrimage to the Golden Temple.

We had our audience with SGPC officials; got a briefing about the very many splendid community projects the committee undertakes; gratefully received a siropa, a copy of the History of The Sikhs and Their Religion, and a very fine replica of Harmandar Saheb. I felt honoured.

Then, the pilgrimage to the holy shrine. The parikarma. A spot was found for me in the crowded sanctum santorum. For half an hour, I soaked in the mellifluous shabad kirtan rendered by the raagis, as I meditated in humility and reverence. Again, that sense of spiritual tranquility overwhelmed me.

I felt like lingering on, but I did not feel I had the right to overstay, depriving the other devotees of their chance. Despite the hustle-bustle all round, there was that air of blessedness. I felt sanctified.

When I came out, the scene had undergone a kind of transformation; new LED lights, gentle, soothing, tasteful were giving the word dusk a new definition. As the dusky darkness of the evening came knocking, the soft lights enveloped the whole place in a gentle embrace, adding a new layer of aesthetic subtlety to the entire experience.

As is customary, the visitor is also shown the two poles (Nishan Sahebs), one shorter than the other, representing the miri-piri concept, symbolising the deference that the king must make to the priest. Though I was left wondering whether the SGPC hierarchy is able to operationalise this concept in the current context, given the Badals political overlordship.

There were vast crowds; but there was orderliness. Even the schoolchildren, smartly turned out in the Khalsa blue colour uniforms, were well behaved. There was no sense of angry impatience or the helter-skelteredness that one experiences at some other religious places.

********

What took me to Amritsar was an invitation from the historic Khalsa College to interact with its students in the Department of Journalism. The invitation was promptly accepted. Khalsa College is housed in what genuinely qualifies to be an iconic building. It has already been declared a heritage building. Blessed are those who get to visit, study, and teach in this wonderful surrounding. The grandeur and the majesty of the place make a lasting impression.

Khalsa College came up at a time when the old Punjab must have been undergoing great cultural and intellectual renaissance. It was around the time that visionary public figures were setting up different kinds of institutions (The Tribune 1881, Khalsa College, 1892, Dera Beas 1890s).

I am quite sure it was meant as a seat of secular learning and intellectual experimentation. Over the years, it has come to be seen as a nucleus of the Khalsa culture (as the opening line of the official college history proclaims.) The college gets its mojo from the principal of the day, and it has had some very distinguished educationists as its principals.

The current Principal, Dr Mahal Singh, is a very gracious man. Gentle and soft-spoken, he is trying to keep up with the changing times. He took great pride in showing me around the Department of Sikh History and Research. The pride was well placed. Set up in 1930, it is now regarded an essential place for any kind of research on Sikh history, I am told.

What is impressive is that this iconic building is being looked after well. I was informed that a few years ago, the then Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, had made a very generous gift to the college, and the funds are being put to good use to undertake the much-needed renovations.

********

Having spent my childhood in the galis and bazaars of Old Delhi, I felt perfectly at home in the narrow lanes of Amritsar.

In fact, the hustle and bustle felt very familiar and very natural. It was pleasant to note that the streets were clean, and the drains were covered. There were not many signs of decay.

The city seemed at peace with itself and its limited economy, sustaining itself mostly on the pilgrimage tourism.

A visit to Amritsar is also incomplete without a taste of its food joints. Amritsar takes its food seriously. Much against the gentle warnings of my hosts to avoid the bazaar food, I did make the pilgrimage to Chowk Passian to taste the food at the legendary Kesar Da Dhaba. And food at the dhaba lived up to its reputation. The chef was at hand to urge you to eat this, that, and then that. The lassi, the parathas, chhole, kaali daal, baingan da bharta. Food to die for.

An ancient city, findings its anchor around a great holy site, is also trying to change. The new plaza is pleasing; things are less chaotic, as the movement of vehicular traffic has been severely curbed around the Golden Temple complex. There is no thinning of the pilgrims from all over the world. Momos, Dominos pizzas, McDonalds, Cafe Coffee Day, all trying to make a concession to the new taste of the new NRI tourist-pilgrim.

The city was being transformed and beautified by the old Badal regime before it was booted out. It was deemed as the pet project of the former Deputy Chief Minister. I was told that the new government has simply put a full-stop to whatever projects were in the pipeline. This is creating its own difficulties and eyesores. Whatever satisfaction it must have given to the new rulers, the citizens are being put to needless inconveniences. Someone should be telling the new bosses that vindictiveness neither makes good politics nor produces good policy choices.

********

The Sector 18 Market in Chandigarh is touted as the place to buy anything electrical. A visit to this market on the eve of Diwali was educative. The place was teeming with shoppers wanting to buy electric decorative stuff. The traffic police were at hand to insist on some kind of orderly parking of cars.

There was an overabundance of Chinese products, all very reasonably priced  but all packed in nationalistic card-boxes. The one I bought was emblazoned: PAARTH  Love In a Swachh Bharat. It had a drawing of the glittering Shanghai riverfront. The shopkeepers did not shy from telling you that these were Chinese goods and the buyers had no qualms in purchasing the Chinese stuff  notwithstanding the contrived and insincere campaign by the self-styled nationalist forces to boycott Chinese goods this Diwali (because of the Doklam standoff).

To ask the average citizen to not buy Chinese crackers or electric decorative stuff is the height of organised hypocrisy. Vast swathes of Indian economy thrive on imports from China. One very saffronnish-robed anchor even implored Amitabh Bachchan, invoking his sense of patriotism, to not advertise Chinese products.

The takeaway from all this: our nationalism is practical. Our electronic news channels can keep on mega-phoning the ruling partys nationalism hype, but the average Indian remains self-assuredly detached. Perhaps, our citizens are beginning to understand the politicians game of politicising even the sacredness of nationalist sentiments.

I raise my cup of coffee to this detachment. Join me.

kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.com
Pratibha Chauhan in Shimla

Rooted deep in tradition and culture, a majority of the people of Dev Bhoomi, which boasts of a high literacy level, second only to Kerala, have firm faith in their deities whose command determines every single decision of their life. And when the people have such unflinching faith in their deities  their biggest protector  then it is natural for the netas, especially during election days, to seek their blessing.

It is very fascinating to see how every individual takes all important decisions of his life in consultation and approval of his protector, his kul devta (family deity). The influence of the local devis and devtaas in the overall life of the people of the area is far more pronounced in districts like Shimla, Sirmour, Kinnuar, Kullu and Chamba than in the lower belts. It may sound astonishing, but even today majority of the people of Kiar Koti area which is now part of Kasumpti Assembly segment on the suburbs of Shimla believe that at least one vote from their family must go to the Rana or the descendant of the Raja or else they will be cursed, says BJP MLA Suresh Bhardwaj (Shimla Urban).

Anirudh Singh, the scion of the Kiar Koti royal family, is the sitting Congress MLA from Kasumpti and clearly gets the benefit of this faith among the people. Two brothers-in-law of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh  Beer Vikram Sen and Prithvi Vikram Sen  have joined the BJP. Being descendants of the Raja of Junga they too could be beneficiary of this faith among people. Wife of one of them had contested the 2012 Assembly election as an independent from Kasumpti.

Similarly, the Churaha area in Dodra Kawar area of Rohru Assembly segment was known for voting in the elections as per the directive from the local deity Jabbal Narain. Sensing this devotion among the people, the politicians have used it to the hilt in the past as the goor (person through whom the deity speaks) indicates that the people must vote in favour of this candidate or party. Though this trend is on the decline in recent years, it is not completely lost.

The situation in Kullu district, also known as Valley of Gods, is no different. Internationally famed Kullu Dasehra is the perfect example of how deities command respect and are intrinsic in the life of the locals. Use of religion for meeting political ends is the worst crime one can commit, though I am often accused of doing so, says Maheshwar Singh, scion of the erstwhile rulers of Kullu royal family and BJP MLA from Kullu. He is the chharibardar (chief caretaker) of Lord Raghunath and leads the rath yatra of deities during Dasehra festival.

He says there should be no government interference in temple affairs as it should be left to the respective kardaars (caretakers) to manage temple affairs. With the government takeover of the Lord Raghunath temple in Kullu being dragged to court, it would not be wrong to say that religion and politics are inseparable in Kullu. Accused of using religion for maintaining political command, Maheshwar says he and his family would be doomed if they ever tried to use religion for meeting political ends.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is another politician known to have unwavering faith in deities. Known to be an ardent believer of goddess Bhimakali, whose temple is at Sarahan, the erstwhile seat of the rulers of Bushair estate, the Raja makes it a point to pay obeisance before the deity on every Ashtami during Navratras, leaving aside even the most important commitments.

A total of 28 temples in the state are under the control of government as per the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1984. There is a committee constituted by the government for managing the day-to-day affairs of the temple. There is a lot of political interference in appointment of the Trust members of government-controlled temples.

Every neta across the political spectrum starts his election campaign after paying obeisance in the temple of his kul devta or devi (family deity). The upkeep and maintenance of these temples is rather good with the local Minister, MLA or MP making it a point to ensure free flow of money for temple management, irrespective of whether it is under Government control or not.

However, there are many leaders who feel the politicians should stay away from interfering in religious affairs. It is such a pity to see Raj Mahadev deity of Mandi wait for the VVIPs like the CM and other ministers before the Shobha Yatra begins during the Shivratri fair, says an MLA. He strongly feels that religious matters should be left to priests and religious heads.

Govts nazrana

As many as 260 deities congregate at the Dhalpur ground in Kullu town during Dasehra though the invitation is extended to 305 devi-devtaas. Interestingly, the government pays a nazrana to each of these deities, which is determined on the basis of the distance they travel and their status.

There are 28 government-controlled temples in the state. There is a committee for managing the day-to-day affairs of the temple. There is a lot of political interference in appointment of the trust members of government-controlled temples.

How this youngsters plans changed

Roop Singh is a young plus-two-educated lad from a remote village of Badgraon in Bharmour area of Chamba district. He was all set to fly to Rome, having landed a job with an Indian settled there. He got his visa and all other formalities completed and came home to bid goodbye to his family. He presented himself before his deity seeking its protection in an alien land. The goor (the person through whom the deity speaks) warned him: it would not be in his interest to go abroad.

Despite repeated assurances by some friends, that everything will go fine for him, he dropped his plans to fly overseas. While many people told him that he was making a wrong decision, his unwavering faith in his deity made him change his mind. Its a different matter that two years later he landed a descent government job, which only reiterated the familys faith in their deity.

Despite the best of education, good jobs and an equally affluent lifestyle, for most people, their deity is supreme.

Be it my career decision, a job abroad or my marriage, I sought the approval and blessings of my deity each time as the deity is my biggest protector, says Aarav Chauhan, an engineer and management professional based in Berlin. He belongs to Jubbal.
Nonika Singh in Chandigarh

The two appointments that have caused much heartburn and angst among the film fraternity and cinephiles since the BJP-led dispensation came to power at the Centre are perhaps too well known to bear repetition. One thorn in the flesh of those who revel in creative liberty and freedom of expression was taken out only recently, much to most film buffs delight. The exit of sanskari chief Pahlaj Nihalani and entry of Prasoon Joshi was indeed too good to be true piece of news.

Now as Anupam Kher takes over as the new FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) chief, do we hear a collective gasp of relief once again? Indeed, unlike his predecessor Gajendra Chauhan whose elevation was both political and inexplicable, few can have quarrels with Khers enormous talent and creative energy. Even his administrative experience that has seen him at the helm of the NSD and CBFC among other bodies should stand him in good stead. Right now he is making the right noises too about how he would be a facilitator and not a top down administrator.

However, as the baton passes from one BJP loyalist to another many may feel it is not exactly cause for cheer. The sharply divided twitterati was abuzz both with congratulatory notes and snide remarks. Friends of Kher sense in his appointment a refreshing whiff of air. Veteran actor Satish Kaushik, who too like Kher spent six months at the FTII as part of his NSD course, stands happy and proud, a tad boastful of the achievements of his friend and associate of four decades. Others like showman Subhash Ghai, also an FTII alumnus, and Anil Kapoor too nod their heads in agreement. Students, however while conceding, the person cant be separate from his body of work, are in no mood to rejoice, at least not for now. They have already shot an open letter to Kher, just as they did to Chauhan. With Chauhan whose tenure ended on March 3, 2017, of course, the stand-off was rather grave and they did not allow him to function for several months. This time around they are not questioning the new chairpersons credentials. But Khers comments on intolerance, his march against those who returned national awards and his rather condescending attitude towards the institution itself are areas of conflict. Then there is conflict of interest issue. Can a man who is already running an acting school in Mumbai be the chairperson of a government-run institute, questions Robin Joy, president of the student federation, FTII.

Do we sniff more trouble brewing, and more importantly can an institution be defined or undermined by one man alone? Mukesh Khanna, head of Childrens Film Society, doesnt think so. In fact, he couldnt understand the hoopla that followed when Chauhan was chosen to head FTII. As the institute was locked in who will blink first deadlock, students went on a strike which lasted 139-long days. Though they finally did stage a tactical retreat, it is certain that they never acquiesced.

Indeed, Kher or Chauhan are the least of FTII problems. This much even their baiters are ready to concede. What exactly is not right with Indias premier film institute depends entirely on which side of the prism you are examining the issue. From strictly administrative point of view, students overstaying their welcome in the institute is forever a cankerous concern. Students, on the other hand, believe that the administration, especially the director, conveniently shifts the blame of their own shortcomings and lack of proper infrastructural facilities like colour gradation on students. Their open letter lists out many issues, including arbitrary changes in syllabus, logic of running short courses for sheer generation of funds and functioning of credit-based system. The welcome band that greeted Kher during his surprise visit to the institute had put up another grouse on the banner. Whether these grievances will provide fodder to a fresh conflagration or not, students are at best sceptical. Clearly Kher is not moving to a very conducive welcome with open arms atmosphere which many feel has been vitiated not just in past couple of years when Chauhan took charge but much before that too. Strikes are not uncommon in the FTII and actually go back to seventies when the institute produced some sterling actors such as Naseeruddin Shah. But in last few years the institutions prestige and image has suffered deeply.

Can Kher reverse the tide or is the damage irreversible? Surprisingly, even Khanna a BJP man himself, has no hesitation in saying, He can bring it back on the track but the sheen once lost cant be regained so quickly. As for students, well sometime ago they may have felt that the FTII will never be the same again but they dont look back at the time lost with regret or lament. For them, it never was lose-lose situation, just as now isnt a win-win one. But Kher can break through the impasse, provided he walks the talk and proves true to his commitment to sit across and thrash out the matter. Students, who believe the space for dialogue had gone missing might seem recalcitrant, but would only be too happy to reclaim that ground. Till then, perhaps they find meaning and inspiration in Abhijit Naskars words , Take the clapper and become the alarm that the world so desperately needs.





nonikasingh@tribunemail.com
Jitendra K Shrivastava in Patna

One of the reasons why Bihar labourers continue to flock Punjab, Haryana and elsewhere is because the central rural job guarantee scheme has failed to deliver. They earn anything between Rs 6,000 and Rs 15,000 per month depending on their skills. They are able to save too because they get free meals and temporary lodging.

Bihar witnessed devastating floods this year. The labourers from flood-hit regions  Seemanchal, Kosi, Mithlanchal, and Champaran  have streamed into Punjab and Haryana. The East Central Railway had to arrange several special trains from Saharsa to Ambala.

Economist Shaibal Gupta says migration is good for the states economy if it is not caused by distress. In recent times, labourers migration has affected local farming. There is no data as to how many labourers migrate from the state in search of livelihood and how their remittances can help the state economy, says Gupta.

As per 2010 studies of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, 45-50 lakh people of Bihar earn their livelihood in different states of India. Of these, 62% come from rural areas and are mostly daily wagers. Since they dont carry any identity proof, they cant get some of the basic facilities such as a cooking gas connection, ration and health cards. We have many social security schemes, but since there is no available data of the migrants, we cannot hand out government relief, says an assistant labour commissioner rank officer.

Social activist Ranjiv Kumar says states like Bihar must open help centres in cities with a large number of Bihar labourers. These centres can help in finding a job or in offering legal help and guidance. If it happens, these earning labourers might contribute towards the state economy, says Kumar.

Asias biggest
New Delhi, October 21

About a century and a half ago, a young Nain Singh Rawat who hailed from the Kumaon region of what is now in Uttarakhand, set out for a journey that no one had dared beforeto survey Tibet, a Google Doodle on Saturday highlighted.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The terrain was tough, resources rudimentary, and yet Rawat, who often travelled in the guise of a Tibetan monk, managed to determine the exact location and altitude of Lhasa, map the Tsangpo river, and describe in mesmerising detail fabled sites such as the gold mines of Thok Jalung.

He maintained a precisely measured pace, covering one mile in 2,000 steps, and measured those steps using a rosary. He hid a compass in his prayer wheel and mercury in cowrie shells and even disguised travel records as prayers, Google said.

The Doodle marks what would have been Rawats 187th birthday. He was born in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand in 1830.

In the 19th century, the British were hungry for cartographic details of Tibet. But Europeans were not welcome everywhere at that time.

A thirst for knowledge, which was also the key to fulfilling political goals, and the need for secrecy led to them to create a select group of highly educated and brave local men trained in geographical exploration. They were known as Pundits. Rawat was prominent among them.

But his journey served more purposes than achieving immediate political goals of the British. His mapping of the eastern course of the Tsangpo helped establish the fact that this big river in Tibet and Assams Brahmaputra were actually the same.

In 1865-66, Rawat travelled almost 2,000 kilometres from Kathmandu to Lhasa and then to Lake Manasarovar and back to India. His last and greatest journey was from Leh in Ladhak via Lhasa to Tawang in 1873-75.

Rawats contributions did not go completely unrecognised. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him the Patrons Medal in 1877. The Indian government brought out a postage stamp featuring Rawat in 2004.

Googles Doodle on Saturday portrays Rawat as he might have looked on his travels  solitary and courageous, looking back over the distances he had walked, rosary beads in hand, and staff by his side.

Rawat died of cholera in 1882.  IANS
Kabul, October 21

A suicide attacker detonated a car full of explosives on Saturday outside Afghanistans top military training centre in Kabul, killing at least 15 soldiers, a military spokesman said.

Coming after a particularly deadly week for Afghanistans security forces, it was the second major attack in the capital in 24 hours after a suicide attack at a Shiite mosque killed more than 50 worshippers on Friday night.

Army personnel were coming out of Marshal Fahim University when a suicide bomber in a car targeted them. Fifteen soldiers who were there for training were killed and four others were wounded, Ministry of Defence spokesman Dawlat Wazari said.

The university, on the western outskirts of Kabul, is home to the Afghan militarys officer training school and other training academies.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Taliban insurgents have conducted a wave of attacks this week on Afghan forces who have been struggling since most foreign troops left at the end of 2014.

On Thursday, the Taliban stormed a military base in the southern province of Kandahar, killing at least 43 of the 60 soldiers manning the base, which was left in ruins.

Two days earlier, at least 36 security personnel were killed and scores wounded in Taliban attacks on government compounds in Paktia and Ghazni provinces, with a senior provincial police commander among the dead. Reuters
Kabul, October 21

Suicide bombers struck two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday prayers, a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in western Ghor province, killing at least 63 people at the end of a particularly deadly week for the troubled nation.

The Afghan president issued a statement condemning both attacks and saying that country's security forces would step up the fight to "eliminate the terrorists who target Afghans of all religions and tribes."

In the attack in Kabul, a suicide bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque, a Shiite mosque in the western Dashte-e- Barchi neighborhood where he detonated his explosives vest, killing 30 and wounding 45, said Maj. Gen. Alimast Momand at the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bombing in Ghor province struck a Sunni mosque, also during Friday prayers and killed 33 people, including a warlord who was apparently the target of the attack, said Mohammad Iqbal Nizami, the spokesman for the provincial chief of police.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack, the latest in a devastating week that saw Taliban attacks kill scores across the country.

The US government strongly condemned the attacks in Kabul and Ghor, as well as other attacks carried out across Afghanistan this week.

"In the face of these senseless and cowardly acts, our commitment to Afghanistan is unwavering. The United States stands with the government and people of Afghanistan and will continue to support their efforts to achieve peace and security for their country," said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement.

In the Kabul attack, eyewitness Ali Mohammad said the mosque was packed with worshippers, both men and women praying at the height of the Muslim week. The explosion was so strong that it shattered windows on nearby buildings, he said.

Local residents who rushed to the scene to help the victims were overcome with anger and started chanting, "Death to ISIS" a reference to the Islamic State group, which has staged similar attacks on Shiite mosques in recent months.

Abdul Hussain Hussainzada, a Shiite community leader, said they are sure that Afghanistan's IS affiliate was behind the attack. "Our community is very worried", Hussainzada told The Associated Press.

Dasht-e-Barchi is a sprawling neighborhood in the west of Kabul where the majority of people are ethnic Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims, a minority in Afghanistan, which is a Sunni majority nation.

As attacks targeting Shiites have increased in Kabul, residents of this area have grown increasingly afraid. Most schools have additional armed guards from among the local population.

The so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan has taken responsibility for most of the attacks targeting Shiites, whom the Sunni extremist group considers to be apostates.

Earlier this year, following an attack claimed by IS on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul, the militant group effectively declared war on Afghanistan's Shiites, saying they would be the target of future attacks.

Several mosques have been attacked following this warning, killing scores of Shiite worshippers in Kabul and in western Herat province. Residents say attendance at local Shiite mosques in Kabul on Friday has dropped by at least one-third.

Hussainzada, the spiritual head of Afghanistan's ethnic Hazaras, said the suicide bomber had positioned himself at the front of the prayer hall, standing with other men in the first of dozens of rows of worshippers before exploding his devise.

He appeared to be Uzbek, added Hussainzada.

Members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan militant group, who are in Afghanistan in the hundreds, have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province  an ancient term for what today includes parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor province took place in the Do Laina district, according to Nizami, the police spokesman. Nizami says the target apparently was a local commander, Abdul Ahed, a former warlord who has sided with the government. Seven of his bodyguards were also killed in the bombing.

In his statement, President Ghani said the day's attacks show that "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans".

It has been a brutal week in Afghanistan, with more than 70 killed, mostly policemen and Afghan soldiers but also civilians as militant attacks have surged.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the earlier assaults this week that struck on security installations in the east and west of the country.

Overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, the Taliban killed at least 58 Afghan security forces in attacks that included an assault that nearly wiped out an army camp in southern Kandahar province.

And on Tuesday, the Taliban unleashed a wave of attacks across Afghanistan, targeting police compounds and government facilities with suicide bombers, and killing at least 74 people, officials said.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat a resurgent Taliban since US and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a counterterrorism and support role.  AP
OKLAHOMA CITY  Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter urged the federal government Friday to use the same law that brought down the Mafia to investigate opioid manufacturers and distributors.

From a law enforcement standpoint, I believe the most powerful tool we have to fight the opioid epidemic is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Hunter wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The 1970 law, commonly called RICO, allows for the prosecution of criminal syndicate leaders when they order others to commit crimes. It is best known for its use in dismantling the Mafia families of New York in the 1980s.

On both the state and federal level, RICO should be utilized to pursue the continuing criminal enterprise perpetuated by the opioid manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, Hunter wrote to Sessions a day after the attorneys general met in Midwest City.
Two of the four co-defendants in a gang-related beating death cried in court Friday as they testified about watching the victim being tortured over several hours as he repeatedly begged them to spare his life.

Gerald Keith Lowe Jr., 40; Michaela Riddle, 25; and Jeannetta Thomas, 19, are charged with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Courtney Palmer early Nov. 11. Charletha Mack, 40, is charged as an accessory to murder based on claims that she allowed Lowe and Riddle to repeatedly assault Palmer in her home in the 4600 block of North Boston Place and did not notify authorities.

Lowe, Riddle and Thomas are each also charged with kidnapping, while Lowe and Riddle face one count each of desecration of a human corpse and committing a gang-related offense on behalf of the Hoover Crips.

Tulsa police, along with other officials, found a badly burned body in a shallow grave at the northwest corner of 74th Street West and Oklahoma 62 in Muskogee on Dec. 15 after receiving a tip that Lowe was seen there recently.

A report from the Oklahoma State Medical Examiners Office lists the cause of death for Palmer, who was last seen alive overnight Nov. 10, as homicidal violence by multiple modalities.

Many of Palmers facial bones were broken, as were several of his ribs. The document indicates that his body was in a state of advanced decomposition.

Detective Jason White testified that police had tests performed on DNA collected from a sock and a vacuum erection device found in a bedroom at a dilapidated house near the burial site, which he said helped tie Lowe and Riddle to the scene.

Lowe and Riddle, who were in a romantic relationship, reportedly had sex in the bedroom and are accused of using the mattress to cover Palmers body before setting both on fire. White said investigators recovered mattress springs from the burial spot.

Police said Palmer was attacked after he talked to a detective about the shooting that day of his friend Carl Harris at the Tamarack Place apartments in the 61st Street and Peoria Avenue neighborhood.

Fridays preliminary hearing for Lowe and Riddle indicated that Palmers death occurred after the two accused him of setting up a person named Duke, later identified as Harris, which Palmer denied.

Harris, who was hospitalized for at least six weeks due to his gunshot wounds, took the stand before Special Judge Clifford Smith and told Assistant District Attorney Isaac Shields that he didnt think Palmer tried to get him shot. Thomas and Mack, who have waived their rights to a preliminary hearing, also testified against Lowe and Riddle.

Mack said that while she is aware that she faces a lengthy incarceration, she wanted to get justice for Palmer, whom she said was like a nephew to her in part because he had a child with her niece.

They strangled him in my hallway and stomped on him til he couldnt breathe no more, Mack said, beginning to cry. When asked what happened to Palmers body afterward, she said Lowe and Riddle told me not to worry about it.

In cross-examination with Stephen Lee, one of Riddles two attorneys, Mack admitted to initially trying to cover up the crime. Lee also pointed out that detectives issued an arrest warrant in the case for Palmers girlfriend, but White said she was eliminated as a suspect after an interview.

A search warrant affidavit indicates she told White that Riddle said, this is about to be some First 48 stuff when she started to cry after seeing a news report about Palmer being missing. The First 48 is a television show that follows the Tulsa Police Departments Homicide Unit, among other agencies, as it solves cases.

Thomas said she witnessed Lowe and Riddle attack Palmer in the bathroom before she and Riddle briefly left to buy four bags of ice at a nearby convenience store. She said she did not know at the time exactly how the ice would be used but said she saw Palmer lying in a bathtub after being beaten.

She teared up as she told Shields about how she turned away and retreated to a room in the house after seeing blood on Palmers face. When discussing accusations that Palmer set Harris up, Thomas said Palmer repeatedly told Lowe and Riddle that he didnt have nothing to do with it.

She said she later saw Palmer lying in the hallway with a blue dry cleaners bag over his head while Lowe stomped on him and eventually began to choke him. Thomas added that she also saw Riddle pour a pot of boiling water on Palmer before he was taken into the hallway and covered with the bag.

Thomas boyfriend, James Barkins, said he saw Lowes girlfriend hitting Palmer with sticks as he screamed in the bathtub. He said he heard Riddle tell Palmer he aint from Hoover and that he had her f---ed up. Barkins is not charged in Palmers death but has several pending felony cases for which he said he hopes to receive consideration from the state.

During cross-examination with Mark Cagle, Riddles other attorney, Thomas said she was hopeful for the chance of receiving probation in light of providing testimony.

Thomas told Brian Boeheim, Lowes attorney, that she was stunned and shocked by what she witnessed. M.J. Denman, Thomas attorney, said her testimony made clear how remorseful she was about what happened to Palmer.

The preliminary hearing will resume Wednesday so defense attorneys can have time to fully review Palmers autopsy report before it is admitted as evidence.

Here is the Tulsa World coverage of the case so far:
Behind the scenes communications between the governor's office and Oklahoma's oil and gas industry have grown chippy in recent weeks over budget discussions that have included talk of raising the gross production tax to 5 percent.

The oil and gas industry traditionally has received a variety of tax incentives for different types of wells, but the base temporary rate for new wells currently starts out at 2 percent for the first three years before rising to 7 percent.

When word leaked out that the governor and legislature were at least considering the possibility of raising the gross production rate to 5 percent to fill part of the state's $215 million budget hole, the presidents of the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association and Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association sent a letter to Gov Mary Fallin.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Behind-the-scenes communications between the Governors Office and Oklahomas oil and gas industry have grown contentious in recent weeks over budget discussions that have included talk of raising the gross production tax to 5 percent.

The industry traditionally has received a variety of tax incentives for different types of wells, but the base temporary rate for new wells currently starts out at 2 percent for the first three years before rising to 7 percent.

When word leaked out that Gov. Mary Fallin and the Legislature were at least considering the possibility of raising the gross production rate to 5 percent to fill part of the states $215 million budget hole, the presidents of the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association and the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association sent her a letter.

OKOGA and OIPA are writing you today to make clear that we adamantly oppose a fourth round of tax increases on the oil and natural gas industry, OKOGA President Chad Warmington and OIPA President Tim Wigley said in their Sept. 29 letter to Fallin.
Japanese leaders party expected to win elections

TOKYO  Media polls indicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling coalition will handily win a general election Sunday, possibly even retaining its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house of parliament.

Japanese voters appear to want to stick with what they know, rather than hand the reins to an opposition with little or no track record. Uncertainly over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear arsenal may be heightening that underlying conservatism.

Abe dissolved the lower house a little more than three weeks ago, forcing the snap election.

A strong election showing would boost Abes chances of being reappointed to another three-year term as leader of his Liberal-Democratic Party next September, extending his premiership.

Peru poised to legalize medical marijuana

LIMA, Peru  Peru has become the latest country in Latin America to allow the medicinal use of marijuana.

The nations conservative congress approved late Thursday by a 67 to 5 vote legislation allowing the drug to be produced, imported and sold. Lawmakers praised the move as a way to improve the lives of thousands of patients looking to better their quality of life.

The legislation has the backing of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Chile and Colombia also allow medical marijuana while Uruguay in 2013 became the first Latin America nation to allow recreational use of the drug.

Man with knife at mall kills one, injures nine

WARSAW, Poland  A man with a knife stabbed people Friday at a shopping mall in southeastern Poland, killing one person and injuring nine others, police said, ruling out terror or political motives for the attack.

The alleged attacker, a 27-year-old local Polish man, stabbed people at the VIVO! mall in the town of Stalowa Wola. He was detained by shoppers and handed over to police when they arrived, Anna Klee, the regional police spokeswoman in Rzeszow, told the PAP news agency.

He was attacking people from behind, hitting them with the knife, she told the PAP, adding that a 50-year-old woman who was attacked died later in the hospital.

Eight people were taken to hospitals in Stalowa Wola, Tarnobrzeg and Sandomierz, most with serious wounds, including the woman who died, regional police chief Krzysztof Pobuta told reporters. One other person had lighter injuries and another was being treated for shock.

Theres no terrorist or ideological context for the attack, its rather his poor psychological condition, Pobuta said.

Two regions of Italy to vote on greater autonomy

VERONA, Italy  It is greater autonomy  not independence  that two of Italys wealthiest regions are seeking in a pair of referendums Sunday, yet Catalonias secessionist ambitions in nearby Spain loom large over the debate.

While the presidents of Lombardy and Veneto in northern Italy are campaigning on the economic benefits of loosening Romes grip, identity politics also is playing a role, particularly in Veneto, heir to the once-vast Venetian Republic, where a political fringe has never given up on secession even though thats been long abandoned by the governing Northern League party.

Both regions are run by the anti-migrant, anti-Europe Northern League, which has found allies for autonomy in other center-right parties like former Premier Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia and the populist 5-Star Movement.

Both Veneto President Luca Zaia and his Lombard counterpart Roberto Maroni emphasize the legal nature of the referendums, which were approved by Italys constitutional court. In contrast, the Oct. 1 Catalan independence referendum was declared illegal and vigorously opposed by the central Spanish government in Madrid.
NAIROBI, Kenya -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the humanitarian agencies is warning that without an imminent resolution in sight for the crises in South Sudan, more South Sudanese are likely to become refugees in 2018.

More than two million South Sudanese have fled the country so far, seeking safety in Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Around half a million South Sudanese could become refugees in the coming year, based on the current arrival trends in the neighbouring countries. An additional two million remain displaced inside the country.

Majority of refugees are women and children and the new projected influx would swell the ranks of the two million South Sudanese already in exile in the region - bringing the total number of refugees closer the three million mark. If these projections are proved correct, this would be an exodus not witnessed in Africa since the days of the Rwandan genocide.

High level officials from UNHCR, UN OCHA and other UN humanitarian partners briefed diplomats, development and political experts in Nairobi on 17 October on the South Sudans crises and its devastating humanitarian impact. The briefing also highlighted lack of resources as a South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan of USD 1.4 billion to support some 2.1 million refugees by this years end is merely 25 per cent funded - as of September 2017.

There are only three other similar regional refugee appeals in place worldwide for Burundian, Nigerian and Syrian refugees respectively. Globally, only the size and needs of Syrian refugee population are comparable in magnitude to those of South Sudanese.

With over four million people displaced since 2013, the impact of the ongoing conflict on civilians is nothing short of a catastrophe, said Arnauld Akodjenou, UNHCR Regional Refugee Coordinator and Special Advisor for the South Sudan situation. The flight of civilians is like a haemorrhage, draining the country of its most precious resource. He warned that the continued exposure of children and youth lost to a culture of violence does not augur well for long term stability of the country and the region.

We must find a way to comprehensively address the root causes of the conflict, Akodjenou said. The already complex and protracted political crisis has been compounded by new threats, including the proliferation of arms and the emergence of multiple localized fighting factions. He added that the Peace Agreement remains the only tool available for the protagonists and the international community to bring an end to the conflict in South Sudan.

The humanitarian agencies in attendance echoed concerns that situation could further deteriorate. The reality that the conflict was in motion, with shifting lines spread across the country was recognized as an additional factor making the crisis more complex. The situation in South Sudan was characterized as a quintessentially protection crisis, with 7.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The population was said to be exposed to grave acts of violence including sexual violence, razing of homes and child recruitment, while hunger and malnutrition are at historic levels, she said. Displaced persons were assessed as being extremely vulnerable and their capacity to deal with shocks is exhausted. The fact that many South Sudanese were displaced up to seven times, and are exposed to growing food insecurity, high malnutrition rates and the ongoing deadly protracted cholera outbreak was also conveyed.

UNHCRs Africa Bureau Director, Valentin Tapsoba expressed alarm at humanitarian fall out of the crisis which he said was rapidly reaching breaking point Despite the generosity of host countries, which continue to keep their borders open, the pressure on land and resources of host communities is overwhelming, he said. Partners are struggling to provide water, shelter and other basic services.

Tapsoba cited food shortages created by lack of funding. He said that the 25% funding received against the 1.4 billion inter-agency appeal, while generous, represents a drop in the ocean. He noted that the South Sudan crisis is competing for resources with emerging crises affecting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and hurricanes in Latin America.

Other humanitarian agencies warned that the situation of children and youth required special attention, particularly the risk that the latter remained vulnerable to recruitment by fighting factions.

Humanitarian actors operating in South Sudan and all six asylum countries reported increasing challenges as a direct consequence of underfunding in the face of an unrelenting forced displacement trend. This notably operationally translates into elevated malnutrition rates including among refugee women and children; heightened protection risks posed to the physical safety of the displaced and limited access to water, food, health and shelter in hosting areas. UN humanitarian partners also highlighted the need to implement programmes that promote social cohesion in refugee-affected areas, where host communities are bearing a disproportionate load with stretched basic services and heightened environmental degradation.

In the coming weeks, UN and humanitarian partners will evaluate financial requirements for refugee protection and assistance programmes in 2018, while advocating at regional and international level for an urgent revitalization of the peace process in South Sudan which is inclusive of both the needs and views of refugees and IDPs.

The South Sudan situation is currently the Africas fastest growing refugee crisis. At present, over 4 million South Sudanese are displaced (almost 2 million IDPs and more than 2 million refugees), representing around one third of the countrys total population.
On Nov. 1, Linn Benton Food Shares warehouse in Tangent received two truckloads of food and household supplies arranged by the local branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


The 66th Miss Universe will take place in Las Vegas from The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. PT. Contestants from nearly 100 counties will vie to become the next Miss Universe in this years competition (Pictured: Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere  Photo credit: Benjamin Askinas).

The event will conclude with reigning Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere of France crowning her successor.

Tickets for the Miss Universe Final Telecast are now on sale to the public.

Final Telecast:

Women from nearly 100 countries will compete for the opportunity of becoming the next Miss Universe. Contestants will compete in Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Final Question. Emmy award winner Steve Harvey will host the three-hour special programming event.

Showtime: Sunday, Nov. 26; 4 p.m. PT

Sunday, Nov. 26; 4 p.m. PT Tickets: Tickets are available at any Las Vegas Caesars Entertainment Box Office, by phone at (702) 777-2782 and (855) 234-7469 or by visiting Ticketmaster .

Tickets are available at any Las Vegas Caesars Entertainment Box Office, by phone at (702) 777-2782 and (855) 234-7469 or by visiting . Pricing: Tickets start at $31, plus applicable taxes and fees.
Susana Balbo and she is owner of the Agrelo in the Lujan de Cuyo province of Mendoza at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Susana's son and daughter later joined her at the winery in 2011-2012. Venturing outside of Italy today I've always enjoyed the wines of Argentina and today's particular focus I was intrigued by when presented with some samples as the owner and winemaker of these wines is a very successful woman in the wine industry, which we all know is a male dominated industry. Her name isand she is owner of the Susana Balbo Winery , which was established in 2002 in the town ofin theprovince ofat the foot of the Andes Mountains. Susana's son and daughter later joined her at the winery in 2011-2012.

Susana is the first female enologist in Argentina whom graduated from the Don Bosco University in Mendoza, Argentina. She began her wine career working in the wine area of Salta where her workings with the torrontes grape are what grasped the attention of others with her 1st vintage in 1983. Torrontes is an aromatic grape that does particularly well in the higher elevations of Salta and is typically used as a blending grape and Susana was working wonders with it as a single varietal.

Susana is well respected and highly praised wine figure in the Argentinian wine industry. She is known for her innovative spirit working with a variety of barrel sizes during fermentation as well as egg shaped concrete tanks for her premium wines. She also works with wild yeasts for fermentation. Her motto best states it all, where there's a will, there's a wine.

She has received a list of awards including being named Woman of the Year in 2015 by the Drinks Business. Luis Gutierrez of the Wine Advocate named h er barrel-fermented Torrontes as one of the 10 Argentine Wines to Drink Before You Die. She has also been elected three times as President of the Wines of Argentina association.





I sampled 5 of the value wines that Susana Balbo creates called Crios that are very fruit driven wines. The Crios line of wines was named by Wine & Spirits 3 times as the value brand of the year. You can't beat the price. Have you tried them yet?

2016 Crios Torrontes Argentina - Pale yellow, almost clear in the glass with a slight green tinge. aromatics of peaches and green apples. Medium bodied, crisp and delicate on the palate with nice acidity and flavors of guava and pineapples. A tingly touch on the finish. (SRP $15)

2017 Crios Rose' of Malbec Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina Deep pink in color. A dry wine with good body full of ripe raspberries and strawberries and a hint of spice. Make sure to drink in its youth. (SRP $15)

2015 Crios Red Blend Mendoza Argentina - Comprised of 40% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec, 20% cabernet franc and 10% merlot. It's aged 8 months in French oak. Juicy, dark and red fruits with some complexities. A little earthiness and a great price point. (SRP $15).

2015 Crios Cabernet Sauvignon Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza Argentina - Dominated by cabernet sauvignonn with an addition of 5% cabernet franc. Herbal notes on the palate balanced with fresh fruit and spice creating a wine with elegance. (SRP $15)

2015 Crios Malbec Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina - Ruby with purple tinges. Toasty and blackberries on the nose. On the palate there are fresh and juicy berries combined with bright acid and firm tannins ending with a nice finish. (SRP $15)

*Wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own. Pictures copyright of Susana Balbo Winery.





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Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ho Minh Tuan

At an opening ceremony of the Vietnam Endless beauty photo exhibition, Vietnamese Ambassador Ho Minh Tuan said that the two countries have potential to further promote tourism cooperation to mutually benefit their people.



The exhibition helps Czech people gain a better understanding of Vietnam  the country with an imposing landscape and more than 4,000-year old culture, said Mr Tuan.

Visitors to the exhibition can also learn about Vietnams land, people, sea, and islands through more than 100 photos, and enjoy art performances presented by Vietnamese artists in the Czech Republic.



Representatives from the MRD and 80 travel agents of the Czech Republic were also supplied with information packs on tourism potential, tourism development policies, and attractive destinations in Vietnam at a seminar within the framework of the Day.



Vietnamese trade counsellor Tran Hiep Thuong said nearly 10 million Czech people spend holiday abroad annually, yet only 5,000 choose Vietnam. He attributed the small number of Czech visitors to the vast distance, no direct flights between the nations, and a lack of information about tourism in Vietnam. The Vietnam Tourism Day in the Czech Republic was organized to overcome these disadvantages, he said.
Key markets for exports

We will continue to conquer the markets in the US, Australia, and Japan to increase export revenue in the coming time when the production lines in new manufacturing plants will be ready to run at full capacity, Phan Trung Kien, director of Phuc An Nhien Food Co., Ltd. (Ho Chi Minh City), said when talking about exploiting potential export markets.

The three markets mentioned by Kien currently account for 70 per cent of the total export value of vermicelli, dried rice noodles, dried mussel, and rice paper products made by Phuc An Nhien.

The APEC currently makes up 60 and 80 per cent of Vietnams total export and import value, respectively.

Dong Xuan Knitting Co., Ltd. producing textile and garments for export

In many other enterprises, the contributions of these major markets to overall exports also follow similar patterns since the export structure of Vietnam largely concentrates on a handful of specific markets, such as the US, Japan, Korea, and China, that is, on large-scale economies in the APEC.

Over the first nine months of this year, Vietnam has reported eight commodity groups which achieved an export turnover over $1 billion to the US market.

Textile and garment exports reached $9.25 billion, up 9.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, and accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the total export value to the US. The US is the largest market for Vietnamese textile and apparel imports. In 2016, the export turnover of this commodity group to the US hit $11.45 billion, up 4.6 per cent against 2015, making up 48 per cent of the total textile and garment export turnover of the whole country.

Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), said that the growth of textile and garment exports largely stems from major markets in APEC economies, namely the US, Japan, and South Korea.

Meanwhile, footwear exports to the US in the first nine months reached $3.76 billion, up 13.7 per cent compared to the same period last year and accounted for 12 per cent of the total value of Vietnamese goods to the US.

In 2016, total exports reached $175.9 billion. Of this, four markets, including the US, Japan, South Korea, and China, contributed $86 billion.

Specifically, exports to the US grew to $38.1 billion, up 10 per cent; Japan brought in $14.6 billion, up 3.4 per cent; South Korea yielded $11.5 billion, up 29 per cent; and exports to China hit $21.8 billion.

Phone and components exports, despite decreasing by 7.4 per cent on-year, maintained a turnover of $2.89 billion.

Seizing the chance to boost export activities

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), APECs 21 member economies account for 59 per cent of the world population and more than 50 per cent of the total GDP and 57 per cent of global trade, making it an exceptionally sizable and potential market for Vietnamese enterprises.

Promoting trade liberalisation and trade facilitation in the APEC has opened up great opportunities for the business community in Vietnam, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of MoIT's Import-Export Department, said that in recent years, the Vietnamese business community has been taking full advantage of these opportunities to effectively access and exploit the Asia-Pacific market, brought about by the countrys cooperation with the APEC. In particular, Vietnams export turnover to APECs member economies has been increasing steadily, from $98.37 billion in 2014 to over $119.69 billion in 2016.

According to MoIT, 13 out of the 15 free trade agreements signed by Vietnam involve 18 APEC member economies. Seven APEC member economies, namely the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong-China, Malaysia, and Singapore, are among Vietnams top 10 export markets.

Over the first eight months of this year, the export value of aquatic and fishery products to South Korea reached over $475 million, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the same period last year. As Vietnams traditional seafood export markets are increasingly demanding, the South Korean market appears to be more open to Vietnamese exporters.

Nha Trang Seafood-F17 JSC said that over the first half of this year, the companys export value to Korea hit $20 million out of a total $95 million gained from overseas exports.

F17 employs about 2,000 workers. Its net revenue in 2016 reached VND1.107 trillion ($48.77 million), up 37.9 per cent on-year.

South Korea continues to be a key market for the companys strategy to increase its exports in the 2017-2018 period and the next few years, the representative of F17 said.
The G7 interior ministers are meeting at a seafront hotel on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples. (Photo: AFP/Andreas Solaro)

The G7 interior ministers are meeting at a seafront hotel on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples. (Photo: AFP/Andreas Solaro)

"These are the first steps towards a great alliance in the name of freedom," Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said after a two-day meeting with his Group of Seven counterparts, stressing the role of the internet in extremist "recruitment, training and radicalisation."

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the goal was to ensure pro-militant content "is taken down within two hours of it going online".

"Our enemies are moving at the speed of a tweet and we need to counter them just as quickly," acting US Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said.

While acknowledging progress had been made, Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd insisted "companies need to go further and faster to not only take down extremist content but also stop it being uploaded in the first place".

Senior executives from the internet giants and Microsoft attended the ministerial session devoted to the issue but did not offer any explanation on how they might go about clamping down on web extremists.

MILITANTS FLEEING SYRIA

The meeting on the Italian island of Ischia off Naples also focused on ways to tackle one of the West's biggest security threats: militant fighters fleeing Syria. The European Union has promised to help close a migration route considered a potential back door for terrorists.

Tens of thousands of citizens from Western countries travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2016. Some then returned home and staged attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

Minniti warned last week that fighters planning revenge attacks following the recent collapse of the IS stronghold in Raqa could hitch lifts back to Europe on migrant boats from Libya.

The US and Italy signed an agreement on the sidelines of the G7 meeting to share their fingerprint databases in a bid to root out potential extremists posing as asylum seekers.

The group also said international police agency Interpol - which currently holds details of nearly 40,000 foreign fighters - would play a bigger role in information sharing.

Interpol's secretary general Juergen Stock said the agency's global databases could "act as an 'early warning system' against terrorists and crime threats and help close potential loopholes for terrorists".

'DE-RADICALISATION'

Earlier, EU President Donald Tusk promised the bloc would fork out more funds to help shut down the perilous crossing from Libya to Italy - a popular path for migrants who hope to journey on to Europe.

The EU would offer "stronger support for Italy's work with the Libyan authorities", and there was "a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route", he said.

Italy has played a major role in training Libya's coastguard to stop human trafficking in its territorial waters, as well as making controversial deals with Libyan militias to stop migrants from setting off.

Minniti said the G7 ministers had discussed how to go about "de-radicalising" citizens returning from the IS frontline, to prevent them becoming security risks in jails.

UK'S HARD APPROACH

The Group of Seven - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US - said it had also called on the web giants to work with their smaller partners to bolster the anti-extremism shield.

Rudd said the UK government would do its part by changing the law so that those accessing and viewing extremist material on the web could face up to 15 years behind bars.

But Julian Richards, security specialist at BUCSIS (Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies), said the rest of the G7 was unlikely to get behind her on that front.

"The UK's fairly hard approach of introducing legislative measures to try to force companies to cooperate... and suggestions that people radicalising online should have longer sentences, are often considered rather unpalatable and too politically sensitive in many other advanced countries," he told AFP.
There will be concerts with interactive workshops and talks in which German learners from the Goethe-Institutes, PASCH partner schools and universities will get the chance to meet and communicate with the musicians.

With their 2017 debut album Soft Kill, the band represents the voice of a digitalized generation. Like almost no band before they seize on the contemporary spirit and let their songs tell stories of our daily digital life.

Thus their music has a great impact on us, it evokes and carries emotions with typical metaphorical lyrics that rather work as an instrument. The questions the band asks are fundamental to us: Is our life drifting apart to digital spheres? Can our life be as real in virtuality? How do digitalization and humanity fit together?

The quintet from Hamburg underlines that it is not about demonizing digitalization but to accept its importance in its often unromantic everyday life and to set it to music. Can you write love songs for robots? Yes, you can! The bands search for softness and emotionality in a digitalized world is the unique focus of their music.

DER RINGER is powerful, breezy, loud and sensitive. And even without understanding the German lyrics the music sounds digital. The genre of DER RINGER can be located somewhere between indie, pop and punk. They appreciate synthesizer and vocoder effects, like to call themselves soft punk and get labeled with amusing terms like post-punk-pop.

DER RINGER is music from the present that suits the future well. Music that is worth to be shared  on social media and in concert halls. The band is of the most exciting German newcomers. They are playing music for digitalized hearts.

In Vietnam, the band will perform at Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham, Hanoi on October 26; at Nguyen Hien Dinh Theater, 155 Phan Chau Trinh, Da Nang on October 31; at Hue Universitys College of Education, 34 Le Loi, Hue City on November 1; and at Ben Thanh Theatre, 6 Mac Dinh Chi, Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.

Free tickets are available at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi from October 18, at the Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City, N0. 18, Road 1, Do Thanh, Ward 4, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City from October 25.

Entrance is free in Danang and Hue.
The charismatic 37-year-old received a standing ovation from the Labour caucus after forging a coalition with minor parties on Thursday to clinch victory in the Sep 23 election.

"This will be a government of change, it will be a government we can be proud of," she said.

"We have been gifted by the people of New Zealand an opportunity, and it is for us to make the most of that."

Ardern expressed confidence her new government would see out its full term, despite long-standing tensions between junior coalition partners the Greens and New Zealand First (NZF).

NZF leader Winston Peters and the Greens have a rocky history, which descended into name-calling earlier this year when the environmentalists said the 72-year-old's anti-immigration rhetoric was racist.

Ardern insisted Friday that the three groups could work together and said she had faith in Peters, an outspoken maverick whose 40-year career has been punctuated by controversy.

She said Peters, whose declaration of support for Ardern on Thursday tipped the election her way, successfully joined a Labour-led coalition in 2005.

"Labour has been in an agreement with NZF before ... Mr Peters and New Zealand First were a party of their word, that provided stability and we delivered," she told Radio New Zealand.

'STRAIGHT TO THE GRINDSTONE'

Ardern, who took over the Labour leadership less than three months ago and is now set to become New Zealand's youngest leader since 1856, said she was still processing her meteoric rise.

"I probably need a bit of time for quiet reflection before it all sinks in, but for now it's straight to the grindstone," she told TV3.

The new leader said she had received congratulations from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Britain's Theresa May and Canada's Justin Trudeau.

But she kept the celebrations low-key on Thursday night after ending Labour's nine years in the wilderness.

"I headed straight back to my studio apartment in Wellington and had a pot of noodles," she said.

Ardern denied her government was "a coalition of the losers" considering the outgoing National Party claimed 44.4 per cent of the vote, well above Labour (36.9), NZF (7.2) and the Greens (6.3).

"Obviously I'd characterise that as unfair ... We've formed a coalition government based on the majority of votes," she said.

Ardern expects to allocate ministerial portfolios and release detailed policies next week, as well as implement a 100-day plan of high-priority reforms.

These include slashing immigration numbers by up to 30,000 places a year, clamping down on property sales to foreigners and setting a goal of zero carbon emissions.

Coalition parties will also push their own pet reforms, including a Greens plan to hold a referendum by 2020 on legalising cannabis for personal use.

'ROCKY ROAD?'

The markets reacted negatively to the centre-left coalition, with the benchmark NZX-50 index down 2.9 percent and the New Zealand dollar off 1.7 per cent.

Capital Economics analyst Paul Dales said policies such as reducing migration and running tighter fiscal policy were "less growth friendly" than those of the outgoing National Party.

TD Securities strategist Annette Beacher said the new government could also increase taxes and spending, threatening to end a recent run of budget surpluses.

Ardern acknowledged that there were signs of an impending economic slowdown but said it would be attributable to international factors, not her government.

"We will potentially have a rocky road in front of us," she told Newshub.

"If you have an economic outlook that's affected by international markers then it's your job to manage them, but we can't always control what we face. No one blamed the National government for the GFC (Global Financial Crisis), for instance."

Ganesh Nana, chief economist at financial consultancy BERL, said market fears were overstated.

"We probably have to tell the finance markets to chill a little bit, take their morning medication and just realise that the sun still will rise in the east and set in the west," he said.
The local telecommunications market is the scene of fierce 3G competition

The prime minister last week gave in-principle approval to FPT Group and FPT Telecom being strategic investors of EVN Telecom.

EVN Telecom will this month announce its strategic investors after its negotiations with FPT and its affiliate FPT Telecom are finalised.

An EVN Telecom source revealed that the stake to be sold to FPT and FPT Telecom would be more than 50 per cent.

FPT Telecom was already licenced to be a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and is piloting LTE TDD technology.

Mobile business is what we want in our business portfolio and we are enthusiastic in our negotiations with partners. Our investment capital will be 10-times the amount we previously planned to invest in EVN Telecom, said FPT deputy general director Phan Duc Trung Trung.

FPT previously planned to invest VND400 billion ($21 million) in EVN Telecom as the former wanted to use the latters facility to provide mobile service.

The upcoming involvement of FPT and FPT Telecom in EVN Telecom means there would be no chance for foreign entities to be the mobile operators strategic partners.

Previously, EVN Telecom, which is expected to be the first mobile operator to be equitised in Vietnam, announced its plan to sell a 30 per cent stake to a foreign strategic investor. Details of the plan were not revealed then, except that the strategic investor would be a Singaporean or Malaysian firm.

EVN Telecom then also said the foreign strategic investors name would be made public after the company completed its equitisation process in September, this year.

Meanwhile, MobiFones long-awaited equitisation has seen many delays. The company was converted into a one-member company in early July and is still waiting for new government directions. The company planned to sell a 30 per cent stake to investors, including 15 per cent to strategic partners.

Viettel Telecom does not have a clear equitisation plan, as it is trying to complete a restructuring proposal by expanding into other business segments such as mobile handset production.

The long-awaited VinaPhone equitisation is still distant, as VNPT Groups restructuring proposal has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
A Tien Phong Plastic Joint Stock Company plant in the central province of Nghe An. - Photo vneconomy.vn

The final decision will be made at the companys extraordinary shareholders meeting, scheduled for November 30. The management board will need to obtain approval of 65 per cent of shareholders for the change.

The plan came after the company announced the Thai plastic producer Nawaplastic Industries (Saraburi) Co Ltd offloaded its 21.27 million shares or 23.84 per cent ownership in the Vietnamese plastic firm on the stock market (traded under the code NTP) between September 25 and October 12.

Tien Phong Plastic is trading its 89.2 million shares on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange for VND69,000 (US$3.06) to VND71,900 per share during the September 25-October 12 period.

That means the Thai-based plastic producer sold its share for VND1.46 trillion (roughly $65 million), triple its initial investment in 2012.

The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), which represents the Government to monitor the States capital in Tien Phong Plastic, remains the biggest shareholder with a 37.1 per cent stake.

During the 14-trading-day period, there were many put-through trading transactions for Tien Phong Plastics shares with volume ranging from one to nine million and share price varying between VND69,300 to VND71,800 per share.

The identity of the largest buyer has remained confidential, however, it is believed that a foreign investor is buying up the shares.

NTP closed Thursday at VND73,000 per share, having increased by a quarter since its one-year low of VND57,600 per share in early March.

During the five-year investment period, Saraburi received around VND173 billion worth of dividend payouts from the Vietnamese firm. After Saraburi completed withdrawing from Tien Phong Plastic, the two representatives of the Thai company on October 17 asked for the resignation of the Vietnamese firms management and supervisory boards.

Tien Phong Plastic will also discuss the restructuring of the firms management and supervisory boards at the upcoming shareholder meeting. The company also plans to make a 15 per cent advance dividend payout for 2017 performance on November 29.

In the third quarter of 2017, Tien Phong Plastic recorded nearly VND161 billion in its pre-tax profit, a yearly increase of 83.3 per cent.

In nine months, the company earned total VND363 billion in pre-tax profit, an annual rise of 27.6 per cent.
The fledgling budget carrier launched a series of activities to congratulate passengers, particularly women. Supermodel Vo Hoang Yen and Vietjet showcased to passengers a collection of impressive ao dai dresses made by famous designer Thuan Viet to celebrate Vietnamese Womens Day. This was also the first time a catwalk performance took place right at the airport.

Vo Hoang Yen and Vietjets team of models have turned the airport into a vivid catwalk, eliciting the attention of many passengers.

According to designer Thuan Viet, he hand-drew the whole collection of these 10 ao dai which draw on popular Vietnamese myths such as Tam Cam, Son Tinh-Thuy Tinh or Au Co Lac Long Quan and used 3D printing techniques to create the unique designs.

Vietjet passengers have enjoyed the alluring ao dai performance accompanied by the melody of Huong Vietnam .

Not only at the lounge, all passengers of the VJ126 flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi will have a chance to admire the new ao dai collection in-flight, promising an unforgettable flying experience.

Model Thu Hien in her ao dai inspired by Tam from the famous mythical story Tam Cam.

Vietjet girls attracted the attention of passengers on the special occasion dedicated to Vietnamese women.

Supermodel Vo Hoang Yen fascinated passengers with her elegance.

Not only enjoying the fashion performance, passengers of the October 20 Vietjet flights, particularly women, had a chance to receive meaningful gifts, including cosmetics from leading US brand Murad, and took part in a lucky draw for valuable prizes onboard.
 The price of your Virgin Media services may increase during your contract. If this happens, we will notify you beforehand and you will have the option to leave your Virgin Media contract without paying an early termination fee, including where you are in a minimum term contract. If you are purchasing or recontracting your Virgin Media services for a new minimum term at the same time as purchasing or recontracting to an O2 Airtime Plan, and we increase the price of your Virgin Media services, you will have the option to leave your Virgin Media services and your O2 Airtime Plan without paying an early termination fee.





*O2 sim: Each year your O2 mobile Airtime Plan will be increased by the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation announced in February plus 3.9%. If RPI is negative, well only apply the 3.9%. Youll see this increase on your April 2023 O2 bill onwards. Since this increase is provided for within your agreement, you will not be able to leave without paying an early termination fee as a result. See O2 Prices.
The recent Cayuga Museum exhibit, Becoming American: The Italian Immigrant Experience in Cayuga County, was an exceptional example of a community working together to present a program that highlighted our unique journey of hope and success in America. Although the story was about Italian-Americans, it was a narrative about all immigrants who travel to America seeking a better life for their families.

As the exhibits planning committee, we want to acknowledge and to thank the community members who donated their time, money, and talents to make this exhibit so poignant. Visitors were impressed with the scope and the power of memorabilia and how it triggered a fresh look at our family histories. We, therefore, owe a special gratitude to all of the people who entrusted the museum with these precious memories. Their generosity brought honor to all of our families and our community.

Finally, we thank the Cayuga Museums Board of Directors for supporting the exhibit, and the museum staff, Eileen McHugh and Kirsten Wise, for their many hours coordinating and designing the exhibit. Many from the Planning Committee took away a greater understanding of the value of this museum to the cultural life of this community.
Serge Marchand : Two issues that you highlight in Sous nos yeux. Du 11-Septembre a Donald Trump are currently the subject of judicial proceedings in France. Can you talk to us about them? Lets begin with the alleged funding of President Sarkozys electoral campaign by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Thierry Meyssan : When the United Kingdom, France and their allies attacked Libya - a Sovereign state and a member of the United Nations - I set up a government working group in Tripoli to put together the issues that could be raised to recall Paris to order. We gathered together evidence of several cases  Libyan, Tunisian and Egyptian  of funding the 2007 presidential electoral campaign. It is noteworthy that this group included the civil servant that had made payments personally to the emissaries of Nicolas Sarkozy.

Fabrice Arfi and Karl Laske continued this inquiry [1]. As they did not have access to evidence of this agreement, they re-established in detail the circuits for transferring funds.

Contrary to what appeared in the press, there has never been any written evidence of this arrangement but there is audio evidence. Today, someone who collaborated with the Guide Muammar Gaddafi held this information he was thus able to escape Nato prosecution. Today, that someone has been granted asylum in another African state. On the other hand, some transfers of funds can be traced. The Prosecution will easily be able to verify this from information provided by Fabrice Arfi and Karl Laske.

In this matter, the criminal proceedings against Nicolas Sarkozy has clearly funded his electoral campaign violating the ceiling set by law, by funding it through foreign funds to the detriment of his competitors. Nonetheless, these proceedings are unfair because they have been brought against him alone and not the other candidate who also benefitted from this money, although for half the amount that Sarkozy received. If you apply the law, then you must apply it to everyone who meets the prima facie case requirements, or leave Mr Sarkozy in peace.

As I have often publicly declared and written, Segolene Royal was guilty of the same infraction and this was thanks to the help of Roland Dumas Esq., the former President of the Conseil Constitutionnel (the highest constitutional court in France)

Serge Marchand : In your book, you cite Segolene Royal, but you make no reference to the name, Roland Dumas [2]

Thierry Meyssan : Yes thats quite right. The French editor and I came to an agreement not to reveal the names of some French personalities to prevent them bringing defamation proceedings against us. But these names can be read in the publications in other languages. I am going to publish these names on our website, then my editor will not incur any legal liability. The important thing is that the facts that I have related have not been challenged.

As it happens, I contrast Roland Dumas, the anti-imperialist militant for whom I have a deep respect with the same Roland Dumas, the explorer, that we drag around like a cannonball.

Let me get back to what I was saying. Not only do I consider the proceedings as they stand against Nicolas Sarkozy as improper, but knowing that almost every other candidate has also sought money from other foreign governments, and that this has been the practice for years, I think that he has simply been craftier than his competitors and has obtained more than them. Unfortunately, this system is the product of our erroneous conception of Democracy. There is another aspect that no one is talking about that shocks me far more: according to everyone who collaborated with the Guide, President Sarkozy and Madame Royal both pledged that once elected, they would quash the sentencing of Abdullah Senussi in the matter of the UTA 772 flight.

Abdullah Senussi is the brother-in-law of Muammar Gaddafi and was Head of the Internal Secret Services. In 1989, during the war in Chad, he had sponsored this attack which cost the lives of 170 persons. Tripoli considered that it was an act of war and therefore Senussi should not be subject to a criminal sentence. On a personal level, my thinking is aligned to the French judges: that if the act took place during war, then it was not an act of war because it was intentionally targeting civilians. Incidentally, everyone knows that Senussi and I did not see eye to eye on anything.

The pledge to quash this sentence could only mean pardoning the convicted (possible at the constitutional but not the political level) or worse, manipulating the French Justice System (a violation of the President of the Republics constitutional duty). By doing this, Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal have shown that they were both unworthy of this office.

Serge Marchand : The second matter is the Lafarge [3] matter. Former employees are bringing actions against it for not paying them regularly and for purchasing oil from Daesh [4]. Laurent Fabius could be called to testify in investigatory proceedings.

Thierry Meyssan : So here again, we are punched in the face by hypocrisy of gigantic proportions. I do not know if it is the Public Prosecutor that has thus limited the investigation or if it is the judges in charge of the investigation who have clipped their own wings. The real issue is completely different.

The factory at Jalabiyeh (at the Turkish border in the North of Aleppo), was not being used to produce oil rather coke. For two years, the Turkish secret services, the MIT, have chartered trains to deliver it with coal.

The French daily newspaper, Le Monde has acknowledged that the factory was working at full capacity for two years. At that time, you couldnt transport merchandise from this zone to the area controlled by Damascus, all civil construction had been stopped in the jihadist-controlled zone and there were no exports to Turkey. Thus why manufacture and what had become of this cement?

The response is simple. Jihadists used it to build fortifications [5]. We then passed to a war of positions not with trenches, but with underground bunkers. This strategy had been described by Abou Moussab in The Syrian, in a book he published in 2004, Management of Savagery [6].

The quantity of cement that Lafarge produced at Jalabiyeh and sent back to the jihadists is equal to what the German Reich used to build the Seigfried line. There are these bunkers that the Russian Air Forces Army has come to destroy with penetrating bombs.

In 2013, Daesh had still not taken the form of an unrecognized State. The jihadists were divided and dispersed in many groups. However, their military operations were under the de facto coordination of the Nato Land Forces (LandCom) Command Centre at Izmir (Turkey). This meant that they could benefit from advice of Nato engineers to build these installations.

Laurent Fabius was evidently an actor in this operation 

Serge Marchand : Was Nicolas Sarkozy involved in this at all?

Thierry Meyssan : No, not at all. The Lafarge affair began when Francois Hollande, a former partner of Segolene Royal, became President. President Sarkozy had concluded a peace agreement with Syria after liberating Baba Amr where the jihadists had already declared an Islamic Emirates.

At the time then, Laurent Fabius and General Benoit Puga thought that France and its allies were toppling the Syrian Arab Republic and would place General Manaf Tlass in power [7]. At that time Manafs brother, Firas, was the manager of the factory at Jalabiyeh.

Serge Marchand : Both are sons of General Moustapha Tlass, the former Syrian Defense Minister.

Thierry Meyssan : Absolutely, but Moustapha Tlass, has never taken a stand against the Republic nor has he ever supported the jihadists.

It is important that to know that in the past, Hillary Clinton had been the lawyer, then a director of Lafarge and that when Saddam Hussein was in power, this company had worked with the CIA to illegally transport arms to Iraq and to prepare for war.

Clearly, if the investigation were to pay attention to these facts, it would immediately come up against Secret-Defense, the only way to protect the Hollande government from providing an account of the war that it had been involved in organizing in Syria and its relations with the jihadists.

My book deals with all these issues and many more. It leaves me gobsmacked that no judge has had the curiosity to read it.

Serge Marchand : Thank you .
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Throughout producer Harvey Weinsteins sexual-abuse scandal, his brother and Weinstein Company co-founder Bob Weinstein has maintained that, while he knew Harvey was chronically unfaithful to his wife Georgina Chapman, Bob believed his brother was taking part in many consensual affairs, not sexually harassing, abusing, or assaulting women as has been alleged. In a New York Times report published Friday, however, Bob Weinsteins ex-assistant Kathy DeClesis says her former boss should have known his brother was sexually harassing actresses and female employees throughout their working career together. After all, she confronted Bob Weinstein about it herself.

DeClesis says she became concerned about Harvey Weinsteins pattern of sexual misconduct while working at Miramax. A young female employee quit abruptly after an encounter with Harvey Weinstein, reportedly fleeing so quickly that she never claimed the extra shoes under her desk. Bob Weinsteins former assistant alleges she personally handed him a letter from the womans lawyer; the unnamed employee would reportedly go on to receive a settlement. Your brother is a pig, DeClesis recalls telling Bob Weinstein. When asked about the incident, Bob Weinsteins lawyer Bert Fields told the Times, Bob has no recollection of that happening.

The New York Times report also brings to light another allegation of sexual harassment against the younger Weinstein brother, after The Mist executive producer Amanda Segel told Variety earlier this week that Bob Weinstein had allegedly propositioned her and pursued her, despite her clearly stated refusal to date him. Now, Buffy the Vampire Slayer EP Marti Noxon tells the Times that the producer became belligerent when she declined to work on several films he hoped shed take on. According to Noxon, Bob Weinstein told her, I dont know if I really want to work with you, or if youre just the girl who wont have sex with him. In response to the UnREAL executive producers accusations, Weinsteins lawyer says there was nothing belligerent or pressuring in his conversations with Noxon, and it sure as hell had nothing to do with sex.
Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

The current reboot mania has claimed one of the most gorgeously mustachioed men of our generation. Per Deadline, CBS is currently in the process of rebooting Tom Sellecks insanely popular 80s crime-drama series Magnum P.I.  but instead of having the central quartet be all-male, the character of Higgins will be played by a woman. This new Magnum P.I. also deviates a bit from the original premise, with Thomas Magnum being a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. With his fellow vets Theodore TC Calvin and Orville Rick Wright helping him along the way, as well as the disavowed former MI:6 agent Juliet Higgins, Magnum will be patrolling the shores of Hawaii and taking on cases nobody else will. Selleck was reportedly asked to participate in some capacity but rejected the offer. Wow: two Magnums!
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mike Schur, creator of The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation and two other upcoming comedies will also be developing a pilot with Shea Serrano, staff writer at the Ringer and author of the 2015 New York Times best-seller The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed. ABC already has made a put-pilot commitment for the script, which is based on Serranos real life growing up in San Antonio.

Got tired of waiting for there to be more Mexicans on TV so I asked @KenTremendous to help me try & make a family sitcom for ABC about them, the author announced on Twitter. The unnamed shows fictionalized family will include five uncles who all have different perspectives on manhood, which sounds like it could be like the afterlife, a police precinct, and a close-knit town full of cuddly characters all rolled up into one excellent Mike Schur comedy.

got tired of waiting for there to be more mexicans on TV so i asked @KenTremendous to help me try & make a family sitcom for ABC about them pic.twitter.com/0DptymroRQ  Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) October 21, 2017
Waco-based TYMCO Inc., a longtime producer of street sweepers, has secured the rights to provide equipment to the Department of Defense over five years in a deal that could fetch the company up to $53 million.

The contract awarded this week does not guarantee the Pentagon will buy and require delivery of sweepers and scrubbers over the next few years. But if it does have a need for such equipment, TYMCO may provide it, said Ken Young, who runs the company with his brother, Gary Young.

TYMCO has been awarded a maximum $53 million five-year contract for commercial construction equipment, according to a contract report on defense.gov. The competitive acquisition attracted nine responses.

Potential customers are the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies, according to the report.

Every five years, TYMCO submits information on all of its sweeper products to the Department of Defense, which reviews it and decides whether we are eligible and authorized to bid on upcoming needs, Ken Young said. It does not necessarily come with any business attached to it.

Still, having the DODs seal of approval does carry weight, Young said.

TYMCO employs about 160 people at its 125,000-square-foot facility on Industrial Boulevard in Waco, near Lacy Lakeview. It sells up to 500 sweepers annually, most of them priced at $100,000 to $150,000, but some carrying a price tag of $300,000.

We probably sell 20 or so on various government contracts annually, but private contractors represent 80 to 90 percent of our business, Young said. The bulk of our business is one unit at a time.

Long-term customers include the cities of Atlanta, Austin, Las Vegas, Memphis, Portland, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Tyler, according to the company website. TYMCO also provides equipment to international airports in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Orlando, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Business goes up and down. Right now its OK, Young said. Our high point came in 2008-09. Weve rolled back but are still holding our own.

B.W. Young, then of the Young Brothers Construction Co. in Waco, invented the Regenerative Air System, which is the technology behind every sweeper TYMCO produces, according to its website. Conventional broom sweepers swept dirt and debris into cracks. But Young proposed a large portable compressor to blast the roadway surface clean, according to information provided by the company.

Mr. Young developed the idea of a Regenerative Air System that captured dirt and debris in a hopper and reused only centrifugally cleaned air to restart the closed loop Regenerative Air sweeping cycle, the website states.

In the late 1960s, three Young brothers formed separate companies, with F.M. Young retaining the family construction business; R.T. Young taking Slurry Seal International; and B.W. Young incorporating and federally registering TYMCO, The Young Manufacturing Company.
A new food delivery service called Waitr has arrived in Waco, and already has lined up 30 local restaurants it will deliver meals from.

Orders placed through the Waitr app are delivered for a flat fee of $5 each.

Founded in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Waitr has grown to more than 2,800 restaurant partners and hundreds and thousands of users in more than 100 cities. It has seen heavy growth in Gulf Coast states.

From live monitoring of deliveries yielding faster door-to-door service, to the unique ability to provide full-color photography of every menu item from all participating restaurants, there are a number of things that make Waitr stand out among its competitors, launch director Addison Killebrew wrote in a press release.

Customers pay with a credit card, and menu prices are the same on the app as they are in restaurants, founder Chris Meaux wrote in the press release.

Waitr hopes to hire 150 people before the end of the year, and drivers can apply at waitrapp.com/become-a-driver.

Georges, Buzzard Billys, Alpha Omega, Oh My Juice, Backyard and Katies Frozen Custard have already signed up to participate.

Even more will be added in the coming weeks, the company announced.

Bath, kitchen showroom

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, a brand owned by Doug Dwyer and franchised locally by Johnny Snyder, will open a design center at 4710 West Waco Drive. A ribbon-cutting sponsored by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce is scheduled at 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to a press release..

DreamMaker plans to use the design center as a testing location, with the goal of finding new ways the franchise can serve clients, according to the press release.

"Since this is DreamMaker's hometown and headquarters, they're going to use the design center as a training facility, but it's also going to be a design center for my clients," Snyder said in a news release.

There are almost 40 DreamMaker franchises.

Chick-fil-A adds spice

Chick-fil-A is adding a little spice to its menu, and its restaurants in Waco are among those the chain will use as a testing ground.

Its new Spicy Chick-n-Strips will be available at Chick-fil-A locations at 901 S. Seventh St., 4310 Franklin Ave. and in Richland Mall at 6001 W. Waco Drive, the company reported in a press release.

Locations in South Texas and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also will offer the strips, while restaurants in Orlando, Florida, Knoxville, Tennessee, and St. Louis will be among the first to provide the new Grilled Spicy Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, the company reported.

Chick-fil-A said its research indicates 48 percent of consumers are interested in trying chicken entrees with new or unique flavors, and millennials especially crave spicy flavors.

Forbes richest Americans

Forbes magazine has released its annual list of the 400 richest Americans, and the billionaires that appear there have a combined total net worth of $2.7 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion in 2016.

Computer mogul Bill Gates tops the compilation for the 24th consecutive year, with a net worth of $89 billion. He is followed by Amazons Jeff Bezos, businessman Warren Buffett, Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison, the chief technology officer at Oracle.

President Donald Trump came in at No. 248, his net worth of $3.1 billion down $600 million due to a weakening in the New York City retail and office real estate market as well as new information, Forbes reported.

The richest person residing in Texas is also the richest woman in the world: Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. She ranked 13th overall with her value of $38 billion and lives on a ranch in the small town of Millsap, west of Fort Worth, according to Forbes.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ranked No. 95 overall, with an estimated value of $5.6 billion, Forbes reported.

Halloween spending

Halloween is approaching, and Americans will spend $9.1 billion celebrating the holiday, up from $8.4 billion last year, the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics are reporting.

Consumers are expected to spend an average $86.13 per household, up from last years $82.93, and 179 million Americans planning to partake in Halloween festivities, up from 171 million last year, according to the report.

Among those polled, 71 percent will hand out candy, 49 percent will decorate their home or yard, 48 percent will wear costumes, 46 percent will carve pumpkins, 35 percent will throw or attend a party, 31 percent will take their children trick-or-treating, 23 percent will visit a haunted house and 16 percent will dress pets in costumes.
One Wacos oldest and most threatened historic churches now belongs to Wacos most famous couple.

Chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia Vacation Rentals LLC earlier this year bought the abandoned Second Presbyterian Church at 510 N. 13th St., near Sul Ross Park on Jefferson Avenue.

The Queen Anne-style wooden church, featured in a 2015 Tribune-Herald feature on Wacos most endangered historic buildings, was built in 1894 and has mostly been vacant since 1989. It has a soaring vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and ornate woodwork inside.

Magnolia spokesman Brock Murphy did not return phone messages this week seeking comment on plans for the structure. Magnolia has already renovated two historic homes in Waco and McGregor into vacation rentals and is turning the historic Elite Cafe into a new restaurant called Magnolia Table.

Sterling Thompson, a Waco architect who sold the building to Magnolia in February, said he assumes Magnolia will renovate it and put it to good use.

Theyve brought a lot of good things to town and created a lot of business with the things they do, said Thompson, who was architect for the Magnolia Table project.

Thompson had bought the building in 2009 with the idea of a wedding and event venue, but renovation costs and limited parking were a barrier. Still, he said the building appears to be structurally sound aside from one slightly leaning wall.

The inside of it is in pretty good shape, he said. Its got nice beams and vaulted ceiling with original pews and balusters around the choir loft.  My worry the whole time I bought it was that there were a lot of homeless people that would get under there in the crawl space in winter. I was afraid someone was going to set it on fire.

The 2,695-square-foot church and surrounding lot were listed at $25,150 on the McLennan County Appraisal District rolls. Magnolia has also bought a vacant lot and a modest fourplex across North 13th Street.

The old church is a valuable part of Wacos architectural history, said Kenneth Hafertepe, a Baylor University museum studies professor and local preservation expert who is writing a book about historic Waco homes.

He said the only church building he could recall thats older is St. Pauls Episcopal Church, and he knows of no wooden churches surviving from that era.

Its an impressive survival to have made it into the 21st century, Hafertepe said. It has a characteristic church steeple and its a good example of the Queen Anne style. Its not just mail-it-in Gothic Revival. It does express the interest of Wacoans at the time for keeping up with the times.  In terms of architecture it ties in with the style of other Queen Anne houses around Waco.

Queen Anne is a subset of the 19th-century Victorian style, with ornate millwork, decorative shingles and prominent gables.

Hafertepe said the church is simple in design but has nice proportions and detail.

It has a sweet simplicity thats one of the most appealing things about late Victorian buildings in Waco, he said.

The church was built in 1894 for the fledgling Second Presbyterian Church, headed by Angus R. Shaw, newspapers from the time indicate. In the 1920s it became a Seventh-Day Adventist church, and from 1964 to 1989, well-known radio preacher German P. Dixie Fireball Comer led the nondenominational Waco Community Church there. New Beginnings Church also briefly occupied the structure in the early 2000s.

Hafertepe said he hopes Magnolia will keep the buildings key architectural elements.

From a historic preservation point of view the best thing is for an old building to retain its original use: if its a church, to have another church come along. If thats not doable, which seems to be the case here, the idea to have it as a wedding facility is about as good as you can hope for. That makes it logical to retain the original floor plan and retain the distinctive features like stained glass windows.
Waco Independent School District and the citys NAACP chapter will host simultaneous meetings Monday night to discuss the school districts six struggling campuses, five of which are facing the possibility of closure next year after a warning from the state in August.

Those campuses include Alta Vista Elementary School, Brook Avenue Elementary School, J.H. Hines Elementary School, G.W. Carver Middle School and Indian Spring Middle School.

Waco ISDs meeting Monday is the first of three community meetings during the next three weeks to get input on the struggling schools. The Waco NAACP meeting is part of the organizations regularly scheduled monthly meeting, Waco NAACP President Peaches Henry said Friday.

All three Waco ISD meetings start at 6 p.m., with Mondays being held at the Waco ISD Conference Center, 115 S. Fifth St. The next will be Oct. 30 at the City of Waco Multi-Purpose Facility, 1020 Elm St. The last will be Nov. 6 at the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 915 La Salle Ave.

The Waco NAACP meeting is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Texas Rangers Education Center, 100 Texas Ranger Trail.
A founding member of a mom and pop motorcycle group testified Friday that before the Cossacks took over a biker coalition meeting at Twin Peaks and engaged in a deadly shootout with Bandidos, one ran over his wifes foot, they circled her and spit in her face.

Mike Lynch, a self-employed plumbing contractor from Mart, said the Cossacks cause more trouble in the Waco area than the Bandidos ever have.

Lynch, an original member of the Los Pirados motorcycle club, testified Friday in the trial of Jacob Carrizal.

Carrizal, 35, the Bandidos Dallas chapter president, is the first of 154 bikers indicted in the May 17, 2015, shootout at Twin Peaks to stand trial. Nine bikers died and more than a dozen were injured in the clash between the Cossacks and the Bandidos, the dominant biker group in Texas.

Prosecutors have called 24 witnesses during the first eight days of testimony.

Carrizal, represented by Houston attorney Casie Gotro, is charged in 54th State District Court with directing the activities of a criminal street gang and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.

Lynch said his wife, Sandra, also a member of the Los Pirados, which he described as a family-oriented club, helped organize the meeting of the Coalition of Clubs and Independents at Twin Peaks. The group planned to hear from speakers and discuss safety laws and legislation regarding motorcycles.

Lynch, 64, said he has been riding motorcycles since he was 14. The Los Pirados are not a Bandidos support group by definition but wear I support the Fat Mexican shields on their vests out of respect for the Bandidos, he said.

Lynch said when the group was formed, they created a patch and showed it to Bandidos leaders, not to get their permission but to make sure they were not in conflict with other groups.

He said the COCI meeting in Waco was to have been the first here. Most of the others they have attended over the years have been in the Austin area, he said.

Lynch said there is not a Bandidos chapter in Waco, and the Cossacks were starting to exert their force here, laying claim to Waco as a Cossacks town, he said under questioning from prosecutor Michael Jarrett.

He said he knew the Cossacks and Bandidos were in conflict with each other, but said he had more concerns about the Cossacks than he did about the Bandidos.

On the morning of the meeting at Twin Peaks, Lynch said he saw a group of 60 or more Cossacks riding through Waco. He called his wife, who was setting up for the meeting, and asked if the Cossacks were at the meeting. She said they were coming in and taking over the patio area, and he told her to stay out of their way, he said.

Lynch arrived at Twin Peaks and saw the Bandidos ride into the parking lot. Minutes later, he heard a gunshot, followed by bursts of gunfire. He ran for cover and didnt see much after that, until police were ordering his group to the ground and searching them for weapons, he said.

Lynch said he and his wife were arrested in the incident but were not indicted. He said he didnt expect the violence because he has been to functions before with Bandidos and there were no incidents.

I walked into that blind, he said.

Through her cross-examination, Gotro tried to paint the Cossacks as the aggressors and has laid a defensive foundation that the Cossacks crashed the meeting, commandeered the patio area, laid a trap for the Bandidos and ambushed them when they arrived.

In a previous run-in with the Cossacks, Lynch said he and his wife and a few other Los Pirados members were at Twin Peaks and eight or nine Cossacks confronted them, trying to provoke a fight. Much like they did to his wife on the day of the shootout, Lynch said they surrounded him to try to intimidate him.

I didnt rise to the bait. I just walked away from them. I didnt say a word. I didnt want to be around them. I could see they were trouble, he said.

Under redirect from Jarrett, Lynch said he doesnt remember telling a Waco police detective two years ago that there were so many Bandidos in town that day to make a statement that Waco is not a Cossacks town.

In other testimony Friday, Brad Doan, the former Twin Peaks manager, testified about the chaotic day and helped prosecutor Amanda Dillon explain the action captured on several of the restaurants video surveillance cameras.

Doan said just before the shooting, Cossacks left the patio area and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the parking lot just outside the patio.

I never saw anything like that except in the military, he said.

Sensing trouble, Doan called 911 to request police assistance. As it was ringing, he said he heard the first pop from a gun. He then directed his employees into walk-in coolers for their safety.

Prosecution testimony resumes Monday morning.
ASHLAND  The community of Ashland is asked to take part in a short survey about trust in local government that is part of a project Ashland is involved in called Increasing Rural Civic Engagement in the Digital Age.

The objective of the project is to build more responsive rural community through stronger, sustainable, more vibrant engagement. Once a model has been created, the information will be shared with other communities.

The survey about trust in local government is just one facet of the program. The information will be used in developing a social media plan for the community. The survey can be found at http://go.unl.edu/civicengage. The deadline to complete the survey is Nov. 3.

Three communities were selected to participate  Ashland, Nebraska City and Ravenna. The project is being overseen by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Purdue University. Social Media Lab students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha are also involved.

The students visited Ashland on Monday to discuss the use of social media in the community and to tour the downtown area. They visited with several businesses to discuss their use of social media.

A steering committee was formed for each community. Ashlands steering committee includes City Administrator Jessica Quady; Library Director Heather St.Clair; Suzi Nelson, news editor of The Ashland Gazette and Jason Wendt, a member of the Ashland Volunteer Fire Department and Ashland Rescue Department.
"Growing up in the country I really took in nature," she insists. "But I also loved hip-hop because my brother was two years older than me, and when he was 12 he started buying CDs. So a big part of our relationship was hanging out listening to music together." Inspired by '80s acts including Cypress Hill, Ice Cube and N.W.A, at 17 the independent free spirit moved off the farm and into the city of Newcastle, where she started writing rhymes and DJing under the moniker Dusk. This dabbling in the arts paid off for her in 2004, when Australian director Cate Shortland cast her in the breakout hit Somersault. Within two years she had moved to Hollywood and established a reputation for edgy, independent films including 2004's Candy (co-starring Heath Ledger), 2008's Stop-Loss (with Ryan Phillippe, whom she dated from 2006 to 2010), 2009's Bright Star (directed by Jane Campion) and 2011's W.E. (written and directed by Madonna). I MOVED TO LA FOR LOVE  HONESTLY, I WAS AFRAID AND DIDNT KNOW HOW I WOULD BE. IM SINGLE NOW BUT ID LOVE TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS. Geostorm, however, is neither edgy nor independent. The blockbuster, in which Cornish plays a secret service agent, centres around climate change. World leaders react to a series of natural disasters by creating a network of satellites designed to control the global climate. When the satellites start to attack Earth, a scientist (Gerard Butler) is sent into space to uncover the truth.

"It's insane how timely this movie is, because we shot it a few years ago," she says of the film's exploration of global warming. "It doesn't feel that far-fetched any more and it's kind of blowing my mind at the moment." She's not bothered by the suggestion that doing a blockbuster is a departure for her. "I had such a great time on Sucker Punch and Robocop, so I definitely knew I wanted to do another big movie. "The filming process is essentially the same but you get to work with really talented people who have the resources to make what they want to make. And I'm all about empowering women, so it makes me happy that young women will see this movie and go, 'Yeah, it's okay to be vulnerable and also kick some butt!'" She does, however, return to her independent roots in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Here she teams up again with Martin McDonagh, who directed her in the 2012 movie Seven Psychopaths, and her co-star from that film, Woody Harrelson. In Three Billboards, Abbie plays the wife of a small-town sheriff (Harrelson) who's provoked when a resident (Frances McDormand) puts up billboards shaming him for not solving her daughter's murder.

"It's a killer cast so I was just happy to be asked back, regardless of the role," she says. "I was also in awe of Frances McDormand as an actress. I admire her so much and watching her be so vulnerable in this role, with no make-up or vanity, was really inspiring." Abbie also has a key role in the forthcoming eight-part Amazon series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, which stars John Krasinksi as the famed CIA analyst on his first dangerous field assignment. Somehow, between all these acting gigs, she's also managed to become passionate about cooking. "I'm a real foodie. When I travel, I always research restaurants and love seeking out good food and wine. Then one day I was like, 'Why don't I know how to cook?'" "I asked my best friend, [chef] Jacqueline King, if she could teach me and we started spending every Sunday together, with her first taking me to the farmers markets and teaching me how to buy local and seasonal food. We began making up recipes and now we have a cookbook in the pipeline." Not surprisingly, that laser focus helped Abbie find a way back to music, too. In 2015 she returned to Australia as the opening act for acclaimed New York rapper Nas, once again using the name Dusk. "It was the greatest few weeks of my life," she says of her concerts with Nas. As Dusk, she also released two tracks  Evolve, with rapper Jane Tyrell, and Way Back Home. Can she continue pursuing all these interests at the same time? "I'd like to keep going like this, with work and life and music," she says. "And things like the cookbook make me feel very connected and keep my brain active, so it's all fun." Fun is a word she hasn't applied to her personal life during our chat, which begs the question: is it really possible to have it all? "I'm single now but I'd love to get married and have kids when the right guy comes into my life," she responds with a hint of sadness.

Abbie credits her relationship with Phillipe for helping her overcome Hollywood's challenges. "In the end, I moved to LA for love, because Ryan and I really wanted to live together and his two kids were in LA. So I made the move. I'd danced around the issue for a long time because, honestly, I was afraid." "I didn't know if I could be in that Hollywood environment as a country girl from Lochinvar and not feel insecure. When I came here to live with Ryan it turned out that it was really good for me, and for my career as well." She flashes a wicked smile when asked about work getting in the way of dating. "I saw Rihanna in an interview recently, and when she talked about her personal life being sacrificed because of work, she made a joke like, 'This, down here, needs some attention.' " Abbie mimics gesturing at her crotch. "I totally understand that, because it's easy to get work-obsessed. Now I really want to create some empty moments to chill and enjoy life." Sipping the last sip of her juice, she fidgets with a red string around her wrist that suggests an interest in the esoteric Jewish practice of Kabbalah. "My friend gave it to me; every time you want to do something in your life, you just make a knot," Abbie explains. Pausing, she takes in the significant number of knots already in the string. "Obviously I still have lots of things I want to do and make in the world!"
It's around eight o'clock on a Sunday evening and I'm sitting cross-legged on the floor of a Sydney yoga studio while a stranger feeds me vegan chocolate. Oh, and we're both naked. And so are the 22 other women taking the workshop.

This is Rosie Rees' Women's Nude Yoga. By the time we get to the chocolate feeding (part of a sensuality ritual) I've realised that yoga is only a small part of the experience. And while part of me (the cynical, Brit perhaps) is screaming "this isn't what I signed up for!" another part is feeling utterly serene.

Get nude to gain confidence? Credit:Stocksy

Against all odds, Rees has been able to create an environment in which a group of strangers feel comfortable getting naked. Candlelight and ambient music definitely help, as do the heaters, keeping the room at a balmy 25 degrees. But it is Rees herself, sharing stories about her journey, who really sets the scene.

We begin dressed in sarongs and kimonos  but by the time we've all introduced ourselves most of the women in the circle have disrobed. Women have come to the workshop to heal body image woes, or to rediscover a part of themselves long left behind. They come for an experience.
"It's still very tough for them, obviously they (the families) are very concerned," Inspector Darren Somerville said. "Until they (missing men) are located, there will always be some sort of slim hope." On Friday, Mrs McDornan posted on social media to thank everyone who rang, sent messages and had her husband in their thoughts and prayers. We got our boy back yesterday, and he is doing OK considering everything that has happened, the post said. Our love, thoughts and hope are with our slugger families still without their boys, please keep them in your thoughts.

Police have said Mr McDornan is very distressed about the incident and concerned about the welfare of his missing friends and their families. Police vessel Conroy (right) preparing to continue the search for the six missing fishermen on Friday. Credit:Anita Theodorou - 7 News Central Queensland Mr Binder is understood to have attended Nudgee College in Brisbane but now lives in Cairns. Sister Jodie Bidner shared a photo of her brother on social media, telling him to hang in there bro. Adam is strong, stubborn and fit and Im hanging on to the fact that if anyone is a fighter its Adam Bidner, she said in a post.

The siblings mother Kay shared a photo of her son wearing a Superman T-shirt and said: time to use your superpowers Adam. Gold Coast man Mr Sammut had recently bought a unit at Paradise Point with his wife Sharryn. The couple had a young son together. The sea cucumber trawler went down in rough seas off Seventeen Seventy on Monday night. Credit:Google Maps Mr Tonks was yet to be married, but his fiancee Ana James said she hoped he was kicked back on an island with a coconut in hand.

Thats the kind of guy he is, she said in a statement. Fearless and capable of anything. It is understood the pair got engaged just before Christmas last year. Mr Tonks' social media profiles reveal he attended Glen Innes High School in New South Wales and had been a dive instructor since 2010. Fellow crewman Mr Feeney is originally from Western Australia and had previously been a diver for a Broome pearling company while it is understood Mr Hoffman is an uncle to at least two young nieces.

If the bodies of the six missing fishermen are found, the incident will be the worst to happen off the Queensland coast in at least 12 years. Three other tragedies come close to the Dianne. In the most recent incident, the Night Raider trawler disappeared off the Fraser Coast in November 2016. The prawn trawler departed Urangan, at Hervey Bay, on November 11 and headed east. However, the trawler's Vessel Monitoring System, a mandatory system that provides hourly updates on the location of all trawlers in Queensland waters, stopped responding on November 12.

Douglas Hunt has been missing, along with two other men, since November 12. The three crew were never found. They consisted of 38-year-old Douglas Hunt as well as two other men, aged 24 and 60. A decade ago, two vessels collided in Moreton Bay near the mouth of the Brisbane River. The incident took place on September 1, 2007, and involved a 24-foot Four Winns Horizon 2301 and a 5.4-metre Haines Hunter half-cabin runabout. The Four Winns rode up and over the Haines Hunter, killing four of the five people aboard the smaller boat.

The deceased included 36-year-old Gregory McLellan and his 35-year-old wife Yang Sun. The only survivor from Haines Hunter was Wei Chen, but her 42-year-old husband Shengqi Chen and 12-year-old son Dominic Chen were killed. The oldest incident occurred in October 2005, when the Malu Sara, a vessel owned and operated by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, disappeared in the Torres Strait. The vessel became lost in fog while travelling from Saibai Island to Badu Island and was carrying two departmental officers and three passengers. After several attempts to guide the Malu Sara to sheltered water and land, the skipper of the vessel made his last radio call to authorities advising the boat was taking on water and sinking. Five people were on board but only one body was found, 34-year-old Flora Enosa.
Jakarta: Among a trove of chilling declassified documents that reveal the US government's knowledge and support of a campaign of mass murder against Indonesia's Communist Party in the mid 1960s, one "important cable" cites as its source a "reliable Australian journalist".

Australian journalist and historian Frank Palmos, who at the time was the Indonesia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers, has no doubt the secret telegram is referring to him.

Journalist Frank Palmos was one of the first journalists in the western world to write about the communism massacres in Indonesia. Credit:Philip Gostelow

"Then US Ambassador to Indonesia Marshall Green used to laugh I knew much more than he did," Dr Palmos, who is now in his 70s, told Fairfax Media.

Dr Palmos  one of the obvious inspirations for the novel The Year of Living Dangerously, later made into a movie starring Mel Gibson  was among the first foreigners in the world to witness the scale of the purge which killed up to 500,000 alleged communists.
Accused drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury faces six years in a Colombian prison, after reportedly striking a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Ms Sainsbury, 22, was arrested at Bogota's international Airport in April, after allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside 18 separate packages of headphones.

The plea deal has reportedly been agreed to by both the prosecution and the defence, after it was put to the presiding judge in a closed court room today.

According to Nine News, the deal still needs to be signed off on by the judge, who will return on November 1 to make his final decision.
Three white supremacists have been charged with attempted homicide after they argued with a group of people protesting a white nationalist's speech in Florida and fired a shot at them, police allege.

Shortly after self-described alt-right speaker Richard Spencer's address on Friday at the University of Florida - which generated so much controversy that the governor declared a state of emergency days before the event - a silver Jeep pulled up to a group of six to eight protesters near a bus stop and started to argue with them, according to the Gainesville Police Department.

The three men threatened the group, making Nazi salutes and shouting chants about Hitler, police said. One of the people hit the Jeep with a baton, and it pulled over.

Tyler Tenbrink, 28, of Richmond, Texas, jumped out with a gun. A second passenger got out, and Colton Fears, 28, and William Fears, 30, of Pasadena, Texas, encouraged Tenbrink to shoot, according to the Alachua County Sheriff's arrest report, yelling, "I'm going to f--- kill you," and "kill them," and "shoot them".
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 21, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 21, 2017 | 10:14 AM | PADUCAH, KY

Two people were arrested after a traffic stop Saturday morning on John Puryear Drive.



The McCracken County Sheriff's Department says deputies stopped a car just after 2 am for not having proper registration. They spoke to the driver, 59-year-old Roger S. McElveen of Kuttawa and his passenger, 38-year-old Crystal L. Abston, also of Kuttawa. McElveen was arrested after it was determined that his driver's license was suspended.



Deputies say a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia under McElveen's seat and near him. Deputies also say Abston had methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and several prescription medications such as Diazepam, Alprazolam, and Oxycodone. She was also arrested.



According to deputies, both people attempted to hide their items when the vehicle was stopped.



McElveen faces charges of driving on a suspended license, failure to maintain insurance, not having a vehicle registration sticker or receipt, possession of a controlled substance 1st degree(methamphetamine), possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence.



Abston was charged with possession of a controlled substance 1st degree (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance 1st degree (drug unspecified), three counts of possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree, possession of a legend drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence.



They were taken to McCracken County Jail.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 20, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 20, 2017 | 03:52 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A former office manager at a Paducah business pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to embezzling more than $700,000 from her employer.



The U.S. Attorney's Office in Paducah says 39-year-old Kristen Renee Roberts entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to charges of wire fraud and identity theft. According to the plea agreement, Roberts admitted that between June 2009 and October 2016 she used company credit cards for her own personal expenses. She also reportedly used company funds to pay off her own personal credit cards and the personal credit cards of her family.



Roberts was employed as the office manager for Utilities Dynamics on Lovelaceville Road.



The agreement also says Roberts admitted to overpaying herself using direct deposits from the company's bank account into her own account. It says she hid her scheme by creating fake payroll payments to other employees, and by creating fake invoices.



Roberts faces up to 22 years in prison and a fine up to $500,000. She remains free on bond, with sentencing set for Jan. 31.
AS WHKP CELEBRATES NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY...AND OUR 71ST YEAR

Tom Dula: Poor Boy Was Bound to Die

On October 21, 1866, Tom Dula was convicted of the murder of Laura Foster. It was at daybreak that the jury returned the verdict in the Iredell County Courthouse, where it had been moved from Wilkes County. The jury had not received their orders from the judge until about midnight the night before. They deliberated during the night. The defense moved for an arrest of judgment, which was overruled and the judge pronounced sentence: that Thomas Dula be hanged by the neck until dead on November 9, 1866. Former Governor Zebulon B. Vance represented Dula pro bono.

Speculation abounded as to Vances reasons for taking the case, one of the few he ever lost before a jury. Regardless of his motives, he gave a spirited defense and succeeded in twice taking the case to the North Carolina Supreme Court. The crowds of spectators and reporters that appeared in the courtroom were as likely there to see the charismatic Vance as they were to hear the sensational testimony. Ultimately, however, the High Court upheld the conviction and Dula was hanged for the crime in May 1868.

YOU MAY HEAR THE KINGSTON TRIO'S FAMOUS SONG FROM TIME TO TIME...ON REAL COUNTRY
Bluffview Montessori School recently held a fundraiser that yielded a total donation of $1,543.83 for the Virgin Islands Montessori School.

Elizabeth Stevenson introduced the Bluffview community to the VI Montessori School. Stevenson lived in the Virgin Islands and worked at the school that her children attended for four years.

Students and teachers collected change to send to the school as it rebuilds after suffering damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. More information on the school can be found at www.vimsia.org.
A wheel tax proposal is on its way to the Beaver Dam Common Council after receiving the recommendation from all but one Operations Committee member.

If we do this for one to two years, it could have a huge impact, committee Chairperson Robert Ballweg said in a phone interview.

A wheel tax would impose a fee on vehicles that weigh 8,000 pounds or less in the city. If approved by the council, the city would then discuss the tax with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The wheel tax would be collected with annual vehilce registration fees. WisDOT would keep an administrative fee of 17 cents per vehicle.

The tax is proposed as a potential new source of revenue for the city, according to Ballweg. If the city were to implement a $20 per vehicle tax, it could generate an estimated $320,000 annually for the city, which could then go toward city street projects like seal coating and reconstructions. He added that the $20 amount is open to change.

According to the city, the tax could apply to 12,000 to 14,000 registered vehicles.

City Council Member Mick Fischer was the sole member who opposed advancing the wheel tax to the council. When contacted by phone, he said that he does not make comments to the media.

Ballweg said it's possible the wheel tax could have a limited lifespan of two years. After that, the council could review it and decide to if it wants to continue taxing.

Currently there are 17 municipalities and five counties that impose a wheel tax in Wisconsin.

Ballweg said that this should be a topic up for debate for the full council.
A Reedsburg man charged with second-degree sexual assault following an incident with a patient at a Columbia County long-term care center told investigators he was not a willing participant.

Joel Nesler, 29, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court via video from the Columbia County Jail on Friday afternoon, accused of assaulting a female resident at a care facility in the town of Pacific on Oct. 14.

The incident came to the attention of the Columbia County Sheriffs Office on Monday when a deputy was dispatched to the residential home, managed by Dungarvin Wisconsin. The companys regional director introduced the deputy to a client who said she had sex with one of her caregivers on Oct. 14.

The woman told the officer that she had a crush on Nesler since he began working there and that she had hugged him that night, leading to them having sex twice, and him turning her down the third time.

The director told the officer that Nesler had been working at the location for the past two months and at the time of the incident, the other care worker had been in the kitchen.

A Columbia County Sheriffs Office detective met with Nesler on Tuesday. The detective reported Nesler admitted to having sex with the woman, but said, It was against my will, and he hoped it would blow over. According to the complaint, Nesler told the officer he loved his job, but was not in control of his faculties at the time and was afraid the woman would tell on him if he didnt do what she said.

Citing privacy concerns, a representative from Dungarvin declined to comment on Neslers employment status with the company, his length of time as an employee or the type of care provided at the facility.

In court Friday, Judge James Miller ordered Nesler to be released on a $7,500 signature bond, with a condition to have no contact with the woman in question or her residence.

If convicted, Nesler faces up to 40 years in prison.
President Donald Trumps most recent high-profile executive actions  on Obamacare, immigration and the Iran nuclear deal  do three big things.

First, they push Congress to act, which involves more than just calling the bluff of Republican leaders who talked big during Barack Obamas presidency but failed to produce once the GOP controlled both Congress and White House. In a larger sense, Trumps actions point toward restoring a proper balance of power in which Congress makes law on issues that clearly are its constitutional responsibility. The president is using executive authority to pressure lawmakers to exercise appropriate legislative authority.

Second, Trump has reinforced what many of his supporters find most appealing about him  that he can act as a leader not clearly aligned with either party.

And third, Trumps actions galvanize support among some of Washingtons most conservative lawmakers and thinkers, even some who have been highly critical of him in the past.

On the first point, Trump is pressing Congress to act in areas in which Republicans accused Obama of executive overreach.

On Obamacare, Trump cut off the flow of cost-sharing reduction, or CSR, payments to insurance companies. The expenditures never were appropriated by Congress. The Obama administration carried them out to keep Obamacare afloat, regardless of the law. Now Trump has set the stage for a constitutional fix.

On DACA, Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Trump has challenged Congress to come up with a legitimate fix to an Obama executive action that all Republicans saw as overreach. And on the Iran deal, Trumps action opens the door for action in Congress, where Republicans said the issue always belonged, after Obama bypassed lawmakers.

Each action undoes what Obama ought not have done without Congress (CSRs, DACA and Iran), said a conservative lawmaker in a text exchange recently. Restore constitutional government!

On the second point, Trumps actions highlight the fact that a lot of his supporters still see him not as an insider but as an outside force pushing an entrenched, sclerotic Republican Party to act.

That was candidate Trumps pitch to voters, going way back. Trump is about the closest thing to a third-party candidate without having to leave the party, Chuck Laudner, who ran Trumps Iowa campaign, told me in May 2015, when crowds were starting to take Trump seriously.

Not much has changed since then. To a huge chunk of the electorate, Trump is not a Republican, a veteran GOP operative told me recently, after attending focus groups in several states key to next years midterms.

Thats also consistent with what Stanley Greenberg, the Democratic pollster, found over the summer in a Macomb County, Michigan, focus group. What many Macomb voters value about Trump is that he represents an unaligned force in American politics, wrote the Atlantics Franklin Foer of Greenbergs findings.

Its a scenario in which the GOP leaders of Congress are the villains. When Greenberg showed those Michigan voters photos of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, they became visibly angry. Thats also what the veteran Republican operative found. Trumps supporters think its amazing hes getting so much accomplished, seeing how Ryan and McConnell are trying to screw him every day, the operative told me.

Finally, on the third point, Trump is getting high marks from some conservative Republicans and thinkers. When I asked one deeply conservative lawmaker, who in turn polled what other members had told him, he said they are glad to see the president putting Republicans to the test: Will they just talk like conservatives, or will they actually legislate like conservatives?

Some conservative writers who have long criticized Obamas unilateral actions were happy to see Trump begin to undo them. On Obamacare, National Review  which published an Against Trump issue in the primaries and has had a bumpy relationship with the president since  reacted with an editorial headlined Trumps Sensible Health-Care Actions.

On DACA, a lot of conservatives slammed Trump when there were reports he had reached a deal with Democrats Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. But now that Trump has attached a wish list of tough border and interior enforcement priorities to any DACA legalization, many see it as a chance for Congress to take actual action on immigration.

On the nuclear deal, the Weekly Standard, which has at times been a center of NeverTrumpism, published a reaction with the headline, Hes right about Iran. We believe (Trumps) instincts are sound, the magazines editors wrote.

Trumps actions might not work. After all, he is pressuring Congress to act, but that doesnt mean Congress will act, especially when the president is feuding with some key members. But Trumps moves are a step in the direction of fixing some of the worst excesses of the Obama administration  if Republicans will take the opportunity.
If China, Russia, Iran, Britain, Germany, the European Union and the United States have found something upon which they can agree  and that thing is something as important and dangerous as nuclear weapons  perhaps rejecting it outright isnt such a great idea.

President Donald Trump seems inclined to walk away from the landmark 2015 agreement  he called it the worst deal ever when he was a candidate  in which all of the above political entities are signatories, regarding Irans nuclear capabilities. As Iran has a long history of allegations of being a state sponsor of terrorism, and its leaders have questioned Israels right to exist, the fact that Iran and Iranian allies and adversaries would come together for such a pact was a giant step forward in Middle Eastern stability and security.

Did the U.S. unquestionably come out on top on the deal? Not necessarily. Yet, Iran is meeting all of its obligations under the deal, according to International Atomic Energy Agency investigators, who noted some minor violations that quickly were corrected.

President Trump is right that Iran exceeded the limit on heavy water in its possession on two occasions. Both times, international inspectors were able to see that Iran made arrangements to ship the excess out of the country and return to compliance.

Trump and other critics of the agreement point in particular to Irans continuing missile tests, which may or may not defy the United Nations Security Council resolution that enshrined the deal. But those tests do not violate the deal itself.

We would urge the president to look within his own Cabinet, and among our allies, at the world leaders who support the Iran deal: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, have held the agreement to be vital to international security, the New Yorker reported in its issue dated Oct. 23. Not one of those three men would ever be listed as friends of Tehran.

This is not to suggest that any of those three men think its a perfect deal with regard to the national interests of the U.S. or Israel. But it seems safe to say that all three recognize the value of the existing agreement.

We would urge President Trump to ponder the question posed by Global Times, a state-backed Chinese newspaper: If America would overturn a pact it made to the rest of the world, solely because of a transition in government, how can it retain the reputation of a great power?

If the president expects Chinas help in dealing with North Koreas belligerence, walking away from the Iran deal seems like a sure-fire way to get the Chinese to stop returning our calls.

Perhaps this is a negotiating position on the presidents part. He does seem inclined to bring tactics and techniques from his experience in the business world to the presidency.

But, Mr. President, until you get a better deal on reining in Irans nuclear capabilities, dont walk away from the existing deal. It is actually better than no deal at all.
Just in time for Halloween, Star Cinema in Reedsburg is offering a spooky attraction to the theater.

Besides showing scary movies  It, Happy Death Day and Cabin in the Woods  the theater has opened up a haunted house in the lobby of the theater. The haunted house will be open until Halloween Day Oct. 31.

Randy Fusch, part owner of the theater, said he was a collector of animatronics and had a haunted house in his basement.

When we purchased the theater seven years ago I started bringing it down here, Fusch said. As the years went on we kept buying and buying and it got bigger and bigger.

Fusch said many people will walk through the free haunted house after watching a movie. The haunted house is made up of three tents full of scary zombies, witches, clowns and spiders.

Theyre just little jump scares, Fusch said. It brings smiles to people; its something to experience.

Fusch said those who walk through the haunted house will be hesitant at first, but by the end of walking through it will be laughing at the enjoyable experience. Fusch said admission is not required to go through the haunted house.

Its all free; you can walk in, Fusch said. Its something for the kids to do if they are looking for something to do.

In addition to the haunted house, Star Cinema will offer free movies starting Oct. 20-26. Because it is the first time the theater is offering a free movie week, Fusch said the dates may be extended depending on the success of the week. Part of the proceeds from concession stand sales will go towards Special Olympics in Wisconsin.

Walking into the theater, Fusch said he not only hopes people walk through the haunted house and enjoy the movie they watch, but also take notice of the newly hand painted mural above the concession stand, which will feature a Batman theme as well as local themes related to Reedsburg.

It would be neat if they could find a beaver, Fusch said.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. The act governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Staff at the Sauk Prairie School District have worked to meet Part B of IDEA, that requires children ages three-21 receive special education and related services, according to Noelle Sapiro, Executive Director of Special Education and Pupil Services for the Sauk Prairie School District.

Any student identified as needing special education services at school receives an Individual Education Plan which is developed with a variety of staff input, as well as input from the students parent or guardian. The student also gets a say in his or her education plan. A meeting with a students IEP team occur at least once each year and involves different components impacted by the students grade level and disability.

When the student gets closer to high school, the team begins to discuss whether or not the student might need services in the districts 18-21 program, in addition to transition as the student gets closer to graduation.

As a team we discuss whether that student is meeting their goals or if they might need help transitioning into a job or post-secondary education, said Liz Kennedy, transition coordinator for the Sauk Prairie School District. Students have to meet graduation requirements before going into the 18 to 21 program or Cbel  Community-based employment and learning.

Sapiro said there has been a push recently to increase a familys involvement in their students IEP.

Its a way to make sure they have a voice in the process, she said. Parents and families have always been an important part of the IEP team, but the new language in state and federal forms is now realizing and documenting parent and student participation.

Kennedy said the Sauk Prairie School Districts goal is to go above and beyond what is required of it.

Instead of just going for compliance, we are going for best practice, Kennedy said. Not only are we meeting the law, but we are going beyond.

Diane Frey, whose daughter, Ashlea Frey is a senior at Sauk Prairie High School, has been navigating special education requirements, laws and education plans for Ashlea since she was in the early childhood program at Spruce Street School. Frey said her daughter is a complicated gal who has a severe learning disability and a host of other special needs.

Ashleas IQ is significantly lower than someone who is learning disabled, Frey said. Academically her learning skills are at about a first or second grade level but she is in high school.

Frey said her daughter has hypercalcemia with a parathyroid disorder in addition to dyslexia, and receives occupational and physical therapy as well as has speech needs. Hypercalcemia is a condition where the calcium level in a persons blood is above normal. It can cause weak bones, create kidney stones and interfere with how an individuals heart and brain work.

It was very confusing at first, Diane Frey said. When you have a child who is not meeting the milestones you hoped they would, you see the red flags and can be alarmed.

Frey said the first step was getting Ashlea into the district for an evaluation.

It was long and grueling because everyone is trying to figure out what was going on with her, she said. And there are pages and pages of data and scores that make the qualification (for services) happen.

Frey said the district staff was phenomenal helping her through that time.

As Ashlea gets closer to graduation, talks in IEP meetings have centered on life skills and how to prepare her for adulthood.

We are still focusing on her academics and therapy, but we are also preparing her for the 18-21 program, she will enter next fall, Diane Frey said.

Sapiro said district staff work hard with the kids and value any input they receive from their families.

It gives us all a chance to problem-solve, Sapiro said. We always want parents to feel they have a voice and that we want to work with them. And sometimes families feel they need to talk with someone else, and in that case the DPI is a good resource.

Sapiro said parents who walk away from an IEP meeting not agreeing with the districts plan for their child has the right to due process, which typically involves a call to the Wisconsin Department of Instruction.

When an IEP team meets and doesnt come to a consensus thats very rare, Sapiro said. Thats when the students local education agency representative steps in.

Kennedy said it is the job and goal of the school district to help each student reach their potential and set goals.

With special education students, whether they want to be a professional athlete, a teacher or doctor, its not our job to squish their dreams, Kennedy said. Its our job to help them find the path to get there and if they cant get there, then help them identify what is reasonable and similar.

Kennedy said special education is complex and consists of many people and many moving parts.

One of the things I always stress to parents who are going through this for the first time is to be patient and read everything thoroughly, Frey said. It can be hard; there is so much paper. Ashleas IEP is 57 pages long and includes words and things the average person wouldnt understand. But dont be afraid to ask questions, because people truly want to help.
The United Methodist Conference designates October as Pastor Appreciation month. Christ United Methodist Church of Locke and Moravia expresses its appreciation of Rev. Rebecca Laird (Pastor Becky) for the person she is and for the leadership she exhibits. Those who know Pastor Becky appreciate her positive and enthusiastic nature. Her sense of humor and humble nature make all feel comfortable and welcome. Pastor Beckys commitment to social justice and her genuine concern and caring about the welfare of others is greatly appreciated. The congregation of CUMC of Locke and Moravia appreciates the leadership and service that Pastor Becky provides for the church and the community. Her thoughtful and insightful sermons with messages that remind and challenge us to act in ways that serve and help others is greatly appreciated. Some examples of programs offered and supported by CUMC and Pastor Becky that serve the community include: 180 Kid Time after school program for children, Vacation Bible School, scholarships for youth to attend summer camp programs at Casowasco, 4th Sunday service, United Methodist Womens management of the Thrift Shop, United Methodist Mens car washes and spaghetti dinners. CUMC also makes its facilities available to community groups such as a quilting group, Boy Scouts, 4-H club and TOPS.




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Many cities claim to be the oldest continuously inhabited area within a particular region. This is true on every continent in the world, but only one has sufficient evidence to support this claim in Europe: the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The history of Plovdiv stretches back over 8,000 years. Throughout this time, the city has attracted and kept human inhabitants.

The city of Plovdiv is located in the south central area of Bulgaria. It covers an area of about 39.37 square miles and has a metropolitan population of 675,586, making it the second most populated city in the country. This city is situated along both sides of the Maritsa river and is characterized by six hills formed of syenite, an igneous rock that is similar in appearance to granite. Previously, the city sat within seven of these hills, but one was destroyed. Given its historical geographic appearance, Plovdiv is sometimes referred to as the City of the Seven Hills.

History of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Archaeological evidence indicates that the location of Plovdiv has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age. Between 5000 and 6000 BC, the area became a permanent human settlement, and by the 5th millennium BC it became part of the Odrysian kingdom, which was ruled by the Thracian culture. Plovdiv was briefly controlled by Philip II of Macedon, who renamed the settlement Philippopolis. In 46 BC, the Roman Empire gained control of the area, which marked a period of growth and development.

By the end of the 7th century AD, the Byzantine Empire claimed the city for approximately 550 years, with the exception of the period between 812 and 970 AD, when it was part of the Bulgarian Empire. Control of Plovdiv once again switched hands in 1204 AD and the city was incorporated into the Latin Empire. Under this empire, it was designated as the capital of the Duchy of Philippopolis. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the city experienced significant political instability and was conquered by a number of ruling parties, but this ended for when the Ottoman Turks took control of the area in 1371 and made it part of the Ottoman Empire.

During its ancient history and through the Ottoman Empire, Plovdiv was given several names including: Pulden, Eumolpinae, Filibe, Kendros, Philippopolis, Populdin, Thrimonzium, and Ploudin. The first use of Plovdiv was recorded in the 14th century AD.

Independence of Plovdiv

Plovdiv remained under Ottoman rule for approximately 500 years and earned its independence after the Battle of Philippopolis in 1878. After its independence, Plovdiv became the capital of Eastern Rumelia, an autonomous region created by the Congress of Berlin which separated the newly formed Principality of Bulgaria. The country was again united in 1885, at which time Sofia became the new national capital.

As the second largest city in a newly independent country, Plovdiv once again began to grow economically and became an important trading, manufacturing, and banking center. At the beginning of the 20th century, the primary products produced in Plovdiv were food and tobacco. After World War II, more factories were established, and over time the city grew in size.

Plovdiv Today

Today, Plovdiv is home to an international airport, a number of tourism agencies, and a large commercial sector. Additionally, it has developed a significant outsourcing and technology services sector. The city's economy contributes approximately 7.5% to the national gross domestic product (GDP). Formal employment in this city is categorized according to the following industries: manufacturing (36%), commerce (16%), education (8%), healthcare (7%), transport (6%), and a combination of other sectors (27%).

Demographics of Plovdiv

The metropolitan population of Plovdiv is about 675,586. Of this total, approximately 339,077 individuals live within the city limits. The vast majority of this population (nearly 90%) identifies as Bulgarian, which is considered a South Slavic ethnicity that is native to the region. This group is believed to have descended from the Thracian indigenous group, the Bulgars, and the early Slavic Turks make up approximately 5.2% of the population. The third largest ethnic group in Plovdiv is made up of Roma (3.1%). This percentage represents a significant increase from 2001, when the Roma people made up only 1.5% of the population. Other ethnicities found in Plovdiv include Armenians, Jews, Greeks, and other smaller minority groups. The most widely practiced religion in this city is Easter Orthodox Christianity. Other religious groups include Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, and Jews.

Tourism in Plovdiv

Because of its history and culture, Plovdiv is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. The city offers beautiful scenery, ancient ruins, interesting architecture, and modern amenities. Tourists enjoy visiting Plovdiv because it provides a glimpse of life throughout history, beginning with its theater ruins from the ancient era and continuing through to its cobblestone streets from the National Revival period.

One of the most popular tourist attractions is known as the Roman City, one of the two ancient theaters located here. Built at the end of the 1st century AD, this theater is located between two of the famous hills and has a seating capacity of 7,000 individuals. The municipal government and population of Plovdiv are so committed to preserving the long history and culture of this place that the Roman City theater was restored during the late 20th century. Today, it is used for a number of modern festivals, including the International Folklore festival, the Sounds of the Ages rock music festival, and the Open Opera festival.

Tourists also visit the Old Town area, which is home to a unique local architectural style. This style, known as Bulgarian Renaissance, features numerous, long rectangular windows with wooden frames and jewel-toned exteriors. This area of town is also home to a number of museums, like the Regional Ethnographic Museum, which houses over 40,000 exhibits. Other popular tourist attractions in Plovdiv include Eastern Orthodox churches, the Sephardic Plovdiv Synagogue, and the Djumaya Mosque.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration outlined a tax reform proposal that would be one of the largest upward redistributions of wealth in human history. The plan would essentially establish in law what is increasingly apparent in fact: The United States is an oligarchy.

The proposal would reduce the top individual income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, eliminate the estate and gift tax, and allow wealthy individuals to establish pass through entities in which their own personal income, including from wages, would be taxed at just 25 percent.

The release of the tax plan comes at a time of desperate need for hundreds of millions of people in the US. The US territory of Puerto Rico remains submerged without electricity, food, water, fuel or medicine. Houston is devastated in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The industrial Midwest faces an opioid epidemic that takes the lives of tens of thousands each year. Everywhere millions lack adequate health care, education and infrastructure.

While the ruling class makes trillions available for war, bank bailouts, quantitative easing and tax cuts for the rich, it ignores basic social needs with criminal indifference. Just yesterday, both the House and Senate missed a deadline to fund the Childrens Health Insurance Program, meaning that nine million poor children face having no health care in the coming weeks and months.

A flurry of activity is accompanying the announcement of Trumps tax plan, which the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates will reduce federal revenue by $2.4 trillion in the next decade and another $3.2 trillion in the following decade. Corporate tax cuts will produce added corporate revenue of $6.7 trillion by 2037.

On Sunday, Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the rounds of the morning talk shows declaring, with a straight face, that the objective of the president is that rich people dont get tax cuts.

Mnuchin, the administration and Wall Street play the population for suckers.

The abolition of the estate tax alone will net $240 billion by 2027 to those worth over $5 million, just 0.02 percent of the population. Beyond this massive sum, the elimination of any taxation on money passed between generations of aristocrats establishes the oligarchic principle of dynastic rule. Before long, the new nobility will take the logical next step in demanding the repeal of another progressive era reform, the Sixteenth Amendment, which granted congress the right to tax income.

In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle defined the term oligarchy to mean a form of government where the non-rich are absolutely excluded from social decision-making. Under capitalism, the ruling class has taken this definition to a new level. In the US today, the government exists solely as a vehicle for enriching the wealthy and carrying out its domestic and foreign policy goals.

The governments top personnel are themselves billionaires and millionaires. The media, universities, technology companies and trade unions function as subservient semi-official state institutions whose purpose is to suppress social opposition and stifle free speech. The Democrats and Republicans function like factions of the same party that agree on enforcing the interests of the oligarchy.

In response to Trumps tax plan, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told the New York Times Saturday, The president wants to work together. We have a responsibility to find common ground. Senate leader Charles Schumer told Face the Nation yesterday, We want to work with them if they will change You know, they have to consult us. Last month, the Times called for corporate tax cuts in an editorial titled, Want to Make a Deal, Mr. Trump?

As is the norm in American politics, the Republicans are setting the reactionary framework within which the Democrats will likely propose only minor changes before securing the bills passage. Despite issuing official proclamations of opposition to Trumps plan, the Democrats position is dictated by the demands of not only their corporate sponsors who are salivating over Trumps proposal, but also a significant portion of their base in the affluent 10 percent who stand to gain substantially under the plan.

The policies of the American financial oligarchy have already produced unprecedented levels of social inequality, represented in data from a recently released Federal Reserve report:

From 2004 to 2016, the income of the bottom 80 percent of the US declined, with the exception of a bare $1,000 increase in the income of the poorest fifth. Meanwhile, the median annual family income of the top 10 percent increased by $25,100.

The growth in wealth inequality is even starker. Federal Reserve data shows the bottom 90 percent saw their wealth decline drastically from 2004 to 2016. The sharper fall in median family net worth compared to median family income indicates that the vast majority of the population is overwhelmed by the rising cost of living and that even modest income gains are erased by the added cost of health care, transportation, food, housing, education, etc.

The Trump administrations tax proposal will greatly exacerbate social inequality. According to the Tax Policy Centers report, the top 1 percent will see their after-tax annual income rise by 8.5 percent, compared to an after-tax increase of those in the bottom 95 percent of between 0.5 and 1.2 percent.

The tax cuts will increase the debt to over 50 percent of GDP by 2036 and will be used by both parties to demand massive cuts to social safety net programs as well as to Social Security and Medicare, thereby erasing the paltry tax cuts for hundreds of millions of Americans.

The massive growth in social inequality is the product of policies implemented by both parties over the last fifty years. There is every indication that another bipartisan arrangement is in the works, with Trump appearing at rallies with three Democratic Senators calling for tax reform.

The American oligarchy operates with a degree of domination over the government and official institutions that rivals that of the Bourbons and Romanovs. But the political establishment is deeply concerned over the growth of social opposition in the working class, a concern which underlies their campaign to censor and control the Internet. But through its tax plan, the Trump administration is fanning a growing social anger that will take the form of explosive social struggles in the period to come.
Late on Thursday night, the United States Senate passed a budget resolution that paves the way for legislation slashing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and sets a figure of $1.5 trillion for the amount that will be funneled by the US Treasury into the pockets of the super-rich.

The budget resolution does not have legal effect and is not signed into law by President Trump. Instead, it sets the procedural terms for upcoming tax and budget legislation. The main, if not the only purpose, was to permit tax cuts to be enacted under a procedure known as reconciliation, in which filibusters are barred and legislation will require only a bare 51 votes to pass50 senators and the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence.

The vote was split on party lines, 51 to 49, with all 48 Democrats opposing it, joined by only one Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, who wanted even bigger budget and tax cuts than proposed by the Republican leadership. The House approved its own version of the budget resolution on October 5, including provisions for greater cuts in social spending and requiring the tax cut to be entirely offset by spending cuts. It is expected that the House will now approve the Senate resolution, since the Senate figure permitting tax cuts that add $1.5 trillion to the deficit is far more lucrative for the big financial interests that are the driving force of the legislative action.

Neither the Trump White House nor the Republican congressional leadership have released the full details of their tax cut plan, but it will include a huge cut in the corporate tax rate, from the present 35 percent (which most companies avoid through accounting gimmicks) to 20 percent or even lower, the abolition of the estate tax, and other cuts in taxation on the wealthy. There will be tiny cuts in taxes for many middle income families, although some will actually have to pay more. There will be no benefit for the 47 percent of the population whose earnings are so low that they pay payroll taxes but no income taxes.

The budget resolution is something of a misnomer, since the spending levels it sets out for the next 10 years have no legal significance and will be altered, in whole or in part, when actual appropriations bills are passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. But the language and the figures set down in the bill demonstrate the intentions of political establishment as a whole: to usher in a new wave of draconian cuts to essential services that tens of millions of Americans rely on.

The resolution overall calls for $5 trillion worth of cuts over the course of ten years, $1.5 trillion more than what Trump called for this May. Were the budget from 2017 to be extended over the course of the next 10 years that would amount to a whopping 13.7 percent reduction in federal spending.

A large part of the budget cuts would come from Medicaid, $1 trillion, and Medicare, $473 billion. Much of the remaining $3.5 trillion in cuts is unspecified. However, Trumps earlier partial budget gives an insight on a list of possible cuts:

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as Food Stamps, could be cut by roughly $200 billion over a decadethat is a quarter of its budget. The program currently serves 44 million people and was already cut back during the Obama Administration.

Social Securitys Supplemental Security income program, which provides cash benefits to the poor and disabled, could be cut by $72 billion over the decade.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), otherwise known as Welfare, could be cut by $272 billion over the decade.

Federal employees could have their cost-of-living adjustment eliminated and be forced to pay for more of their retirement, eliminating $63 billion.

The Air Traffic Control system could be privatized for $70 billion.

The Environmental Protection Agency would be cut by about 32 percent.

Funding for the arts, medical research and science would be cut by billions. This could include the National Cancer Institute, the National Science Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

These sorts of devastating cuts could push destitute and already penniless people into their graves. It would not be an exaggeration to say that large sections of the country would descend into third-world conditions.

What will not be cut is the military. The only item in the budget that will receive a significant increase is the military, which will be boosted by tens of billions of dollars each year.

Senator John McCain, who initially opposed the resolution, demanding that military spending be increased higher, gave his support to the final version. He said, For too long, draconian budget cuts to the military have crippled readiness and put the lives of our service members in danger.

McCain does not care about the lives of American soldiers. He, and the military-intelligence complex he speaks for, cares about the geopolitical supremacy of the United States as its economic power declines and it prepares to fight its foreign rivals. Only a warmonger could cheer on the rise in defense spending while basic social services of the country are gutted in the most draconian budget in American history.

The Democratic Party, for its part, protested the bill by suggesting several amendments, such as preventing tax cuts for anyone above $250,000 a year in income, banning cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, and banning any tax increases for middle-income families. All of these were voted down.

The Democratic Partys opposition to the Republican bill is of a tactical, not principled, character. The Obama administration reached a series of agreements on budget cuts and tax cuts with congressional Republicans, though not as deep. The Democrats are not opposed to tax cuts or spending cuts, but seek to preserve their shredded credibility as the party of the middle class.

Senate Minority leader Charles Schumer, the favorite senator of Wall Street, postured as an opponent of economic inequality, which he said would be made worse by the Republican tax cut plan. Our economy suffers from massive inequalitywhich is growinga concentration of wealth at the very apex of our countrys elite, he said. The rich are doing well in America. God bless them, Im glad they are. And American corporations are recording record high profitsjust look at the stock market, which reflects that. God bless them too, we hope they do well. But middle class incomes have not risen with the rise in corporate profits or record levels of wealth concentrated among the wealthiest families.

As Schumers language indicates, the Democratic Party celebrates wealth no less than the Republicans. But it voices the concerns of sections of the ruling elite that mass social anger, demonstrated in the initial public protests following Trumps inauguration, will emerge explosively, and materialize as an organized social movement in American politics. They are afraid of the American working class becoming an organized, conscious, force in US politicsa development that would challenge the two-party system and the financial aristocracys grip on society.
Two-and-a-half weeks after the deaths of four US Special Forces troops during a firefight in the landlocked West African nation of Niger, the American media has remained fixated on the ugly controversy surrounding President Donald Trumps condolence call to the grieving widow of one of the soldiers, made as she was driving to the airport to meet his coffin.

Accounts given by both family members and Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who was in the car when the call came over the speaker phone, leave no doubt that the indifference of the billionaire conman in the White House to the death of a 25-year-old African-American soldier from an impoverished Florida town and his incapacity to express empathy for the family came through loud and clear.

Out of his mouth, the phrase he knew what he signed up for to describe the path that led Sgt. La David Johnson to his death had all of the warmth of his attitude toward the layoff of one of his casino employees or the losses his multiple bankruptcies inflicted on business partners. It is of a piece with his tossing of rolls of paper towels to desperate victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Sergeant Johnsons widow was reportedly distraught over Trumps call, noting that the US president did not even know her husbands name.

The episode encapsulated not merely the sociopathic personality of the US president, but the attitude of Americas ruling oligarchy toward the members of the all-volunteer army that it employs to pursue its profit interests by means of military aggression all over the world.

Behind the backs of the American people, the Pentagon has steadily escalated its military intervention in Africa, with between 650 and 800 US troops deployed in Niger and another 400 or more on the ground in Somalia. At least 1,700 US special operations troops are deployed across the continent, more than in any other region of the globe outside of the Middle East. Under the cloak of the war on terrorism, US imperialism is flexing its military might in a bid to counter growing Chinese economic influence in a region rich in strategic resources.

The controversy over Trumps call to the family of Sergeant Johnson was not only politically damaging to the White House, it cut across Washingtons global aims. To put out the fire, the administration called in the White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, whose son was killed by a land mine in Afghanistan in 2010.

There had been widespread speculation in the media that Kelly had remained silent and out of the public eye because of disgust with Trumps handling of the Niger casualties and the presidents attempt to present his own attitude to American war dead as superior to that of his predecessors in the Oval Office.

On Thursday, however, Kelly obligingly turned his sons death into a political asset for Donald Trump, while invoking the supposed superiority of the military over civilian society and its institutions in order to intimidate the media. This tactic included Kellys exclusion of anyone save members of Gold Star families (which have lost loved ones in combat) or reporters who knew such families from questioning him.

It was largely successful, finding immediate reflection in the tone adopted by a cowed media. One of the first reporters daring to pose a question to the general began by giving out the Marine Corps mottoSemper Fiestablishing his loyalty to the military.

The message was further driven home on Friday when it emerged that Kelly had falsely accused Congresswoman Wilson of bragging at a public ceremony about securing funding for a government building in Miami named after slain FBI agents. When a reporter pointed out that his charge was a lie, the White House press secretary responded: If you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that thats something highly inappropriate.

There has always been a certain tension between military and civilian life. Even during the Second World War, when masses of civilians entered the armed forces, GIs referred with a measure of contempt to those not serving as feather merchants. Kelly, however, spoke, with a distinct tone of bitterness and resentment, as the representative of a military caste that has become increasingly alienated from and hostile to civilian society and civilian authority.

They are the best 1 percent this country produces, he said, referring to Washingtons all-volunteer military. Most of you, as Americans, dont know them. Many of you dont know anyone who knows any one of them. But they are the very best this country produces, and they volunteer to protect our country when theres nothing in our country anymore that seems to suggest that selfless service to the nation is not only appropriate, but required. But thats all right.

He went on to compound his defense of the military against supposed civilian contempt and indifference with the expression of extreme right-wing views. You know, when I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country, he said. Women were sacred, looked upon with great honor. Thats obviously not the case anymore as we see from recent cases. Lifethe dignity of lifeis sacred. Thats gone. Religion, that seems to be gone as well.

While the invocation of women and religion as sacred hardly calls to mind the image of Donald Trump, it does resonate, along with the dignity of life, i.e., the banning of abortion, with the key political constituency of the Christian right.

The appointment of Kelly, like that of Gen. James Mad Dog Mattis (ret.) as secretary of defense and active-duty Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security advisor, was supported by the Democratic Party and the media as a welcome turn by the Trump administration. The New York Times referred to the retired and active-duty generals that dominate the Trump cabinet as the adults in the room, while the Washington Post referred to them as voices for moderation and moral authorities.

In reality, these senior career military officers are, if anything, to the right of Donald Trump. They see the pseudo-populist and nationalist demagogy of the US president as a useful instrument for advancing the political agenda of the vast military industrial complex against which President Dwight Eisenhower warned more than half a century ago, and which has since become the dominant force within the American state.

The politics of these generals and ex-generals should come as no surprise. While Kelly hails the one percent, referring to the volunteer troops, many of them economic conscripts brought into the military from poor and working-class backgrounds, he and those like him are part of another 1 percent, drawing down military pensions totaling over $200,000 a year while earning hundreds of thousands more by serving as advisors and board members for military contractors and arms manufacturers.

This intersection of a right-wing military caste and a parasitic capitalist oligarchy under conditions of ever widening social inequality is one of the sharpest expressions of the decay of American capitalism and the thorough erosion of any social or political foundation for democratic forms of rule.

Among Kellys most significant remarks was his denunciation of the Democratic congresswoman who criticized Trumps insensitivity to the family of the slain soldier as part of the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, a definition he undoubtedly would find appropriate for the entire US Congress, the media and other civilian institutions. The full barrels are the barrels of the guns employed by the American military.

The Democratic Party poses no opposition to the growing military domination of the American government. On the contrary, it has promoted it, opposing Trump from the right on issues of foreign policy and accusing him of insufficient deference to the military and intelligence apparatus and a reluctance to carry out a military escalation against Russia.

Congresswoman Wilson, the immediate object of Kellys ire, is an unabashed supporter of the Pentagon in general and US military intervention in Africa in particular. She is best known in Congress for championing legislation promoting US military deployments in Nigeria and elsewhere under the human rights pretext of intervening to rescue kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.

Kellys extraordinary intervention at Thursdays White House press conference constitutes a sharp warning. Anyone who thinks that it cant happen here, that a US government that has sponsored countless coups and regime-change operations around the globe cannot itself become the target of a military takeover, is making a serious political mistake.
German Air Force (Luftwaffe) planes have resumed operations in Syria and Iraq as part of the US-led coalition against ISIS. According to official reports of the armed forces (Bundeswehr), German air force Tornadoes have been conducting reconnaissance flights daily from their new base in Jordan. Military sources told the German press, Full operational readiness was achieved following the transfer of the contingent from Turkey to Jordan.

In June, the German parliament (Bundestag) decided to withdraw the Luftwaffe from Incirlik Air Base and move closer to the war zone, following a series of foreign policy conflicts with Turkey. The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in northern Jordan is around 50 kilometres from the Syrian border and is a base for Jordans air force. Within the framework of Operation Inherent Resolve, US and Dutch military units are already stationed at the base alongside the German Tornadoes.

Full operational readiness means that the Luftwaffe is again providing targets for the air raids carried out by the US-led coalition. The number of aerial attacks has increased considerably since the start of the offensive against Raqqa, the last stronghold of the IS in Syria. The coalition has been supporting the siege of the city, which is being carried out primarily by forces under the leadership of the Kurdish YPG.

The air raids and the shelling of the city by artillery have led to a massive increase in civilian casualties in the Syrian war. According to the United Nations more civilians died in Syria in September than in any other month this year. In light of this bloodbath, the UN called for an armistice at the end of August to allow more than 20,000 trapped civilians to flee Raqqa.

The UN special adviser for Syria, Jan Egeland, said he could imagine no worse place in the world than the neighbourhoods under attack by the coalition. According to media reports, civilian facilities, including schools and the al-Mawasah Hospital, have been repeatedly bombed and hundreds of people killed or injured. Those who did not die through the bullets of the coalition have been forced to eat grass and leaves to survive.

The US government has rejected a truce. The longer the liberation of Raqqa took, the more civilians would be killed by ISthis was the reasoning of the American side.

A report in the German TV magazine Monitor last week underlined the cynicism of this argument. After three months of siege, Raqqa is in ruins. Only shells remain of the citys houses; ruins are everywhere and house-to-house fighting and air raids continue incessantly.

Coalition forces have dropped nearly 30,000 rockets, bombs and other projectiles on the densely populated city since June. According to the absurd figures given by the coalition, only five civilians were killed and a few others were injured during this period.

Such figures fly in the face of numerous reports from the inhabitants of Raqqa. One of them, Abu Ahmad, told Monitor how his relatives were killed by coalition forces while fleeing from ISIS. He reported 21 deaths alone in the house of one relative. In total, six houses were razed to the ground.

Based on such reports, the non-governmental organisation, Airwars, assumes that, according to the most conservative estimates, at least 1,100 civilians have died in the siege of Raqqa. According to Airwars, these are cases which were not only reported, but could also be proved. The actual number of victims is undoubtedly much higher. In view of the massive destruction in Raqqa, one must also assume that thousands are still buried under the rubble.

The German military has been directly involved in these crimes. The coalition attacked a school in the village of al-Mansoura near Raqqa, with German Luftwaffe Tornadoes providing air reconnaissance and target coordinates. In the bombing of the school, dozens, possibly hundreds of people were killed. According to Airwars there were up to 100 refugee families in the school building, which was completely destroyed.

Despite their shared responsibility for war crimes, tensions between the major actors in the anti-ISIS coalition, in particular Germany and the US, have risen sharply in recent months. The tensions erupted most recently over the Iranian nuclear agreement. US President Donald Trumps aggressive attempt to sabotage the deal has been strongly criticised by the German government, which fears for its major business contracts with Iran. It also fears that a further conflagration in the Middle East could endanger the interests of German imperialism in the region.

Against this background of growing transatlantic tensions, the Bundeswehr is preparing to intervene militarily independently from the US. Behind the backs of the population, the German Defence Ministry is working on a rearmament plan, based on the so-called provisional conceptual guidelines for the future capability profile of the Bundeswehr, presented by the responsible department head in the defence ministry, Lieutenant General Erhard Buhler.

According to the guidelines, the German air force is to be put in position to lead a multinational coalition in the next few years, capable of flying up to 350 reconnaissance and combat missions daily. The German air force must be able to maintain aerial dominance over Germany and, together with its allies, establish superiority over an operational area.
A well-attended and well-received lecture was delivered by World Socialist Web Site chairman David North on October 18 at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

North was invited to speak on the historical and contemporary significance of the October 1917 Russian Revolution by the Socialist Society, which wanted to mark the centenary year of this world-changing event.

St Andrews is Scotlands oldest university, founded in 1413, and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its alumni include James Wilson (signatory to the US Declaration of Independence), John Knox and Jean-Paul Marat.

Seventy students studying a wide range of disciplines, from undergraduate to post-graduate level, attended the event. The audience included students from France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United States, Canada and Russia, as well as Britain.

At the conclusion, many stayed behind for discussions lasting almost one hour.

Socialist Society member Jacob, who had organised the event, said: The lecture had the highest attendance weve gathered in the series of meetings. I think one of the great accomplishments of the lecture was that many of the students I spoke to afterwards expressed a new-found interest in learning about the October Revolution. It shows that the political climate is changing, and more and more youth are interested in finding a solution to the crisis of our era.

Jason, another student, said: I did find Mr North humanised Trotsky in a way I hadnt really heard before, and I found that very compelling.

Anna said: I enjoyed the talk very much. I have attended at least one other meeting on the Russian Revolution in the past.

What fascinated me in the talk was the analysis of the falsification of history, and the shift of narrative between the times before and after the fall of the USSR. From the Russian Revolution, I think that young people can learn both the reasons that led to its success, but also why, ultimately, the bureaucracy took control and betrayed the ideals that the revolution has defended.

Leyla said of the lecture, I absolutely loved it, and I say this from a Russian perspective!

I think that David North is a very passionate speaker whose speeches are not tempered by so-called 'political correctness'. It is likely that his speech shocked a number of students, but I am certainly very glad that someone delivered the other side of the story to them in such a passionate and exuberant manner. I honestly was considering not going to that lecture, thinking I would be presented with a boring outline of events that I had learned in history lessons. I did not expect to be revolutionised or made into a socialist!

The lecture honestly made me look at my own long-held beliefs in a different light. Being a Russian patriot has been the defining feature of my character, but the lecture made me think if there was a cause higher than national identity to be loyal to.
On Thursday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo told a conference that the CIA will become a much more vicious agency in fighting against its enemies.

Pompeo made this announcement as part of an interview with the neoconservative think-tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance chairman Juan Zarate. The interview, which started with Zarate proclaiming his excitement over speaking to Pompeo, provided a platform for the CIA director to proclaim his support for the Trump administrations aggressive militaristic policies around the world.

Echoing Trumps recent denunciation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the multilateral agreement that lifted sanctions against Iran in exchange for the severe limiting and monitoring of Irans nuclear facilities, Pompeo claimed the JCPOA failed to curtail Iranian adventurism and malignant behavior. He also claimed Iran was destabilizing the region by arming Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, while adding the nonsensical allegation that these movements have worked alongside Al Qaeda.

The sheer hypocrisy of Pompeos claims is breathtaking. Over the past 50 years the US has played an unparalleled role in destabilizing the Middle East, including through the CIAs role in creating Al Qaeda in the 1980s as part of the fight to overthrow the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the arming of Islamist extremist forces in Libya to overthrow Gaddafi and its continued support for these same forces in the ongoing conflict in Syria.

His claim that Iran and its allies are collaborating with Al Qaeda is particularly nonsensical as the regime in Tehran is Shia, and in conflict with Al Qaedas extreme Sunni sectarianism.

Pompeo, however, does not start from the facts, but instead from the policy objectives of US imperialism and the supposed need to increase the resources allocated to the CIA. As a result, he has concocted a bizarre right-wing narrative in which Iran and North Korea are collaborating with each other and terrorist groups out of a shared hatred of the West.

He claimed that the two countries engage in technology exchange...for the betterment of each of their weaponization programs, and pose a danger to America and its allies. And, furthermore, that the US ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of North Korea gaining a nuclear arsenal.

Such claims have also been made by Trump, who has gone so far as to threaten total destruction of the impoverished East Asian nation. There have also been open discussions about using decapitation squads to execute North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and other top government officials. Only a day prior to Pompeos interview, Trump tweeted that prospects for a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula are greater than they have been in several decades.

In a surprisingly candid statement by Pompeo, he admitted that Kims end-state beyond developing nuclear capabilities and other weapons was simply his continued capacity to go to sleep in a really nice bed in Pyongyang every night.

The clear implications that the CIA director did not draw out is that Pyongyang rightly sees the US as an aggressor and is attempting to ward off an invasion through the development of a nuclear capability.

Pompeo also made several aggressive statements about the need to combat non-state actors and covert Russian info-ops, in which information shared by organizations like WikiLeaks had to be taken down.

Joining in on the neo-McCarthyite scam of unsubstantiated claims that Russian-sponsored social media accounts and WikiLeaks influenced the 2016 election, he added that the threat that future elections will be hacked would continue until there is a new leader in Russia and the primary task of the CIA is to deliver that understanding to the president of the United States.

Pompeos statements reflect the sentiments of a large section of the political establishment and intelligence communities that increasingly see the need to further build up the US intelligence agencies as part of the preparation for war.

Only seven days before his interview at the FDD, Pompeo made similar remarks at the University of Texas at Austin National Security Forum, where he hailed Trump for proving the CIA with the funding, authorities, or policy guidance and allowing the agency to become faster and more aggressive.

The agency, he stated, must be aggressive, vicious, unforgiving, relentless, adding that unceasing risk-taking is foundational to the CIAs activities. He added that the Trump administration was casting off restraints imposed by the previous administration.

The clear implication is that in addition to continuing the global drone assassination program carried out under the Obama administration, the CIA is steadily reconstructing the apparatus of rendition, black sites and torture that made it infamous around the world, while sending its agents and contractors into secret wars behind the backs of the American people.
Spains Socialist Party (PSOE) has taken centre stage in the Spanish ruling elites invocation of Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, paving the way for the suspension of Catalan autonomy and the imposition of an unelected regime in Catalonia.

On Friday, PSOE Equality Secretary Carmen Calvo announced in an interview on national television an agreement with the Popular Party (PP) government and Citizens to dissolve the Catalan regional government (Generalitat) and hold new regional elections in Catalonia in January. This overturns the legal right of regional governments to call such elections, in place since the end of the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

The new elections are part of a plethora of anti-democratic repressive measures being put in place under Article 155 to suspend the regions autonomy. They include the dissolution and reorganisation of the Catalan news channel TV3 and Catalunya Radio, the regional Mossos dEsquadra (Catalan police) and the Education Ministry, accused of indoctrinating schoolchildren in Catalan nationalism, and the possible banning of parties that promote independence. Economy Minister Cristobal Montoro (PP) has already been in control of the finances of the Generalitat since September.

Should the PSOEs elections in Catalonia go ahead as planned by Madrid, they would be held at gunpoint, under the auspices of a regional administration controlled by Spanish police and military units now preparing to move against the Generalitat under the terms of Article 155.

In the interview Calvo declared, Yes, [PSOE] Secretary General Pedro Sanchez is clear that it is necessary to take Catalonia to an election. She complained that there are many things that are happening in Catalonia and they cannot be allowed to happen The Generalitat, the media and the security forces have to be made neutral.

The greatest revolution of humanity is to arrive at democracy, Calvo continued before criticising those who want to attack democracy by fomenting a revolution.

Calvo heads the PSOE delegation that has been collaborating with PP Prime Minister Rajoy and his officials to formulate the concrete measures allowing for the imposition of direct rule. He will spell these out after a cabinet meeting today and submit them to the Senate, controlled by the PP, to be rubber-stamped on October 27.

Should Rajoy invoke Article 155, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has warned he will call a formal vote on independence in Catalonias parliament, if the State Government persists in preventing dialogue and in continuing repression.

In an interview with the newspaper Ara, Puigdemonts predecessor Artur Mas warned that the invocation of Article 155 would be lethal for Catalonia and that new elections without the presence of pro-independence deputies would be a very bad end. The CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) has suggested that it would boycott any election imposed on the region.

At some point the dialogue and negotiation will be absolutely essential, Mas added, and that there are people who have tried to open this gap in the blockade in Madrid, where the current Catalan reality is not accepted.

The president of the Catalan employers organisation, PIMEC, Josep Gonzalez, also called for political dialogue to prevent further damage to the Catalan economy. He bitterly criticised the PP government for amending the law allowing companies to relocate more easily out of Catalonia which had led to the displacement of the Catalan economy.

As the crisis in Catalonia erupted, the pseudo-left party Podemos spread the illusion that the PSOE, which maintains the minority PP government in power, could be pressured to break with the PP. It seized on every occasion to suggest the PSOE would take part in negotiations with the Catalan secessionists and save Spanish capitalism.

It is now clear that negotiations were taking place. But as the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia has revealed, they were between the PSOE and PP, for weeks and in secretover the best way to ignore the pleas of Puigdemont and his faction and impose Article 155.

These involved what La Vanguardia called the plumbersPedro Arriola, a veteran PP adviser for the last three decades under former PP Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and then under Rajoy, and Jose Enrique Serrano, former head of the Cabinet for PSOE Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Serrano was also deeply involved in the unsuccessful attempts to form a government between the PSOE, Podemos and Citizens last year.

According to La Vanguardia, the negotiations became more intense after the televised message of King Felipe three days after the October 1 independence referendum. The last meeting took place on Tuesday shortly before Rajoy and Sanchez left for Brussels for the summit of the European Council.

Following a meeting between Sanchez and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, a PSOE spokesperson said, We have found in Juncker the support of the European institutions, which today is stronger than ever.

The dissolution of Catalonias parliament and the holding of new regional elections alongside other repressive measures is inflaming the situation in Catalonia.

The Board for Democracy, which comprises 60 Catalan political, cultural, employers and union organisations, has called a mass demonstration today, after Rajoy announces his measures. It is demanding the release of the leader of Omnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart, and of the ANC (Catalan National Assembly), Jordi Sanchez, who have been in prison since Monday accused of sedition by the National Court. The Barcelona Provincial Council approved a resolution on Friday calling for the immediate release of Cuixart and Sanchez and for the defence of the institutions of self-government of Catalonia.

The PSOE flag-waving for the PP has also had ramifications on its sister party in Catalonia, the PSC, and Ada Colaus pseudo-left En Comu coalition, that run Barcelona (BComu). PSC deputy spokeswoman in the Catalan Parliament, Alicia Romero, has attempted to defuse hostility to the PSC by claiming we do not support the invocation of Article 155, will not give a blank check to the PSOE in the Senate and by calls for dialogue until the last minute.

Romero called for common ground that would later allow a new government to be formed to encourage businesses to return to Catalonia. For companies to return, what has to be given is political stability and legal security, and that can only come with elections, because the legislature is exhausted. Everything else, whether a DUI [Unilateral Declaration of Independence] or an [invocation of Article] 155, does not return stability, she concluded.

Colau, who relies on the PSC to remain in power declared, If the PSC supports article 155, the worst of the scenarios, this generates tensions throughout Catalonia  and a period of reflection will open in BComu. The mayor repeated the threadbare plea that the PSOE must decide between governing with the PP or working for a government of change.
Mass protests greeted white supremacist Richard Spencer at the University of Florida on Thursday. Spencers neo-fascist backers in the auditorium at the Phillips Center at the University of Florida Gainesville campus faced hundreds of anti-Nazi students and other Gainesville residents.

In advance of the event, thousands, ignoring the advice of university President Kent Fuchs and others to simply ignore Spencer, signed up on a Facebook page, No Nazis at UFProtest Richard Spencer. Hundreds gained entry to the auditorium, where they continuously interrupted the neo-Nazi advocate with chants such as Go Home Nazis!, Go Home Spencer!

The overwhelming rejection of the neo-Nazis came despite efforts to prevent many from entering the center. According to the Miami Herald, only 456 of the 700 seats were occupied. The white supremacists, having paid for the rental, were allowed to determine who could enter, and many were denied permission. These included individuals with anti-Nazi slogans on T-shirts as well as some who had written phone numbers on their arms, an indication that they were prepared for possible arrest.

Samantha Schuyler, who was forcibly prevented from entering, was quoted as saying, I think its racism. Its arbitrary. They told me to leave. Then they dragged me.

Despite these efforts, the white supremacists were heavily outnumbered inside the venue. Only about 15 raised their hands when Spencer called on those who agree with the Alt-Right to identify themselves. Outside, hundreds more marched in protest, chanting We Dont Want Your Nazi Hate, among other slogans. Spencer claimed victory but shut down the meeting 30 minutes early.

In remarks he was able make amidst the protests, Spencer gave further indication of the strategy behind the efforts to build a fascist movement in the US. Echoing similar comments from former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon, Spencer said, I, like millions of other white people in their 20s and 30s now, have a dramatically different lived experience than our parents. Our parents can remember peak America. They can remember the America of 50s diners and ice cream dates and drive-in movie theaters. The establishment media, using remarks like these, calls Spencer and his ilk white nationalists, rather than fascists or neo-fascists.

Spencer and his National Policy Institute have depicted themselves as defenders of free speech and demanded the right to rent facilities at public institutions such as the University of Florida. The Gainesville event was the first one held since the August 12 Nazi rampage at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, which ended with one protester, Heather Heyer, killed after being run down by an auto driven by a neo-Fascist who had come to the event.

President Donald Trump subsequently blamed both the club-carrying fascists, who marched through the campus shouting anti-Semitic slogans, and the anti-fascist protesters for the violence, and said there were very fine people among the neo-Nazis.

The protests at the University of Florida were relatively peaceful, with two arrests and several minor injuries following clashes between a handful of white supremacists and protesters. As the action was winding up, however, a single gunshot was heard at a nearby bus stop. WEAR-TV, a local television station, reported that an argument had led to gunfire when a man, later identified as 28-year-old Tyler Tenbrink, exited a vehicle and fired one shot, which missed its intended targets.

The license plate of the car was provided to the authorities, and Tenbrink and two others, Colton and William Fears, were arrested later that evening about 20 miles north of Gainesville. They were charged with attempted murder. The three men, from Texas, had apparently taunted the protesters with Nazi salutes and pro-Hitler chants before Tenbrink took out his weapon. Tenbrink is reportedly being held on $3 million bond and the Fears brothers on $1 million each.

Earlier in the week, in response to the planned speech at the University of Florida, right-wing Republican Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for Alachua County. On this pretext the authorities mobilized the University of Florida Police Department, the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriffs Department and the Florida Highway Patrol. Hundreds of heavily armed police were deployed on the streets of Gainesville, with roads blocked by cement and dump trucks. Soldiers in riot gear were stationed in the balcony of the Phillips Center during the meeting. The university reported that it had spent more than $500,000 in security measures.

The state of emergency was declared in the name of public safety. As in all such cases, however, it was used both to deter mass protest and also for training purposes for future actions to be directed against the working class.
A poorly-attended protest rally at Western Sydney University (WSU) last Thursday provided another display of the role of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). Like other unions, it specialises in wearing down and stifling its members opposition to increasingly regressive enterprise deals that it makes with university managements.

University workers, and workers everywhere, need to draw definite political lessons from their experiences. Above all, a rank and file rebellion against the corporatised trade unions must be developed, and an independent, unified political and industrial struggle initiated against budget-slashing, advanced preparations for war in the Asia-Pacificwhich involve many of Australias leading universitiesand the abrogation of fundamental democratic rights.

WSU is one of the countrys largest universities, with about 44,000 students and 3,500 staff. Thursdays rally at the Parramatta South campus, attended by barely 100 academics and staff, and no students, was even smaller than the one held at the Parramatta city campus during a similar four-hour NTEU work stoppage last month. The reduced participation reflected the utterly bankrupt perspective, advanced by the union, of appealing to WSUs vice-chancellor Barney Glover to treat staff better.

Due to deep government cuts, the rights of WSU workers and students, like those of their counterparts across the country, are under a major assault. Another estimated 150 jobs are being eliminated, on top of about 250 job losses last year. Administrative staff members are currently being forced to compete against each other for their jobs, often at lower pay. The entire permanent security officer workforce of 41 is being sacked and replaced by contract labour. Academics and students are being forced to accommodate to massive class sizes, huge workloads and ever-greater use of insecure and heavily-exploited casual teachers.

The main thrust of the union rally was to ask NTEU members to write individual messages to Glover, urging him to be more empathetic and to see the wisdom of reaching a good enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) with the NTEU, for the benefit of the universitys image and reputation.

The NTEUs national model for a good EBA is the sellout deal pushed through a bitter membership meeting at the University of Sydney last month. That agreement permits hundreds of forced redundancies via sweeping restructuring plans. It also abandons claims for improved basic conditions for casual staff, allows the creation of 120 teaching-only roles, with heavy workloads, and provides for 2.1 percent annual wage increasesa real pay cut.

Although the Liberal-National Coalition governments latest bill to gouge another $2.8 billion in cuts out of the universities stalled in the Senate this week, the government vowed to impose the cutbacks by other means. But universities are already inflicting the cost-cutting. Managements are working closely with the NTEU and the other main campus union, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), to impose the required measures, at the expense of jobs and decent conditions for both staff and students.

On Thursday, as at last months WSU rally, NTEU officials prevented any genuine discussion or debate. Once again, they refused to allow Socialist Equality Party (SEP) supporters to move an opposed resolution. The blocked SEP motion read:

That this meeting opposes the NTEU sell-out at the University of Sydney and calls for a unified fight by university workers nationally against the Liberal-National governments cuts, and to overturn all the previous cuts imposed by both Labor and Coalition governments over the past four decades. We demand that billions of dollars be poured into education at all levels, from pre-school to tertiary, to guarantee the social right of all young people to a free, first-class education and the social right of all staff to decent, well-paid and secure positions.

While preventing debate on that resolution, NTEU WSU branch president David Burchell claimed that the ongoing restructuring at the university was occurring because the folks who run this place dont have a clue. According to Burchell, the management dont seem to be aware of the consequences of their measures. Later, he said he hoped the rallys messages would cause Glover to engage in quiet reflection on the need to negotiate better with the NTEU.

This set the tone for the proceedings. Not a single NTEU representative referred to the Turnbull governments cuts, let alone the previous $3 billion in cutbacks imposed by the last Greens-backed Labor government. No-one mentioned the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments education revolution, imposed with the full backing of the NTEU, which has compelled universities to compete with each other for financial survival by slashing costs, while enrolling as many high-fee paying students as possible.

Their silence on these issues serves only to cover-up the real source of the attacks on public education, which lie in the enforcement by successive governments, Labor and Coalition alike, of the dictates of the financial markets and major corporations. Unsurprisingly, the NTEU is urging its members to support the return of yet another pro-business Labor government.

NTEU national president Jeannie Rea criticised the Turnbull government for introducing reactionary industrial laws, but said nothing about the trade union movements backing of the enterprise bargaining system. This is because it was imposed by the Keating Labor government in the 1990s, while the further anti-strike Fair Work Australia laws were imposed by Rudd and Gillard in the Labor government of 2007-2010.

New South Wales state NTEU secretary Michael Thomson read a letter from NTEU national secretary Grahame McCulloch, reinforcing the unions main message. McCulloch called for productive bargaining to clinch EBAs like the ones struck at the University of Sydney and seven other universities. Thomson himself hailed the proposed University of Sydney EBA as a good agreement.

The truth is that NTEU EBAs have been the vehicle for facilitating all the government-employer attacks. In its emails urging staff members to attend the rally, the NTEU listed, as one of the current EBA sticking points, managements refusal to restore Teaching Focussed Roles [TFRs] and Career Development Fellowships, which have a proven track-record of stemming casualisation.

This is a lie. The NTEUs own statistics show that since the TFRs were introduced, as part of a previous EBA in 2012, casual employment at WSU has increased from 25 percent to 35 percent of the workforce. Other data shows that 57 percent of WSU employees are now in insecure work. At the same time, academics in TFRs are being exploited as an alternative form of cheap labour.

Despite being denied the democratic right to move the SEP resolution, SEP member Mike Head, a long-standing WSU academic, interjected, objecting to the fact that none of the speakers had even mentioned the sacking of the 41 security officers. Head demanded that a security officer be invited to speak. As a result, Greg Pinchbeck, one of those losing his job, told the rally that all the security guards faced being thrown into the horrible security industry, which has become dominated by low-cost contractors.

Pinchbeck received sympathetic applause, but the NTEU and CPSU have isolated the security officers and refused to mount any fight to defend their jobs. Later, Pinchbeck and other staff members spoke to the WSWS about the issues raised by the protest stoppage.

After the rally, a token march was conducted around the campus to the vice-chancellors office, where a four-person delegation presented a collection of hand-written notes, asking Glover to change direction. The ceremony only highlighted the blind alley being offered by the NTEU.

The authors also recommend:

Australian university unions divide opposition to sell-out deals

[18 October 2017]

Australian university union pushes sellout deals across the country

[30 September 2017]

Australia: National Tertiary Education Union attempts to suppress struggle against job cuts at Western Sydney University

[4 September 2017]
In another tragic workplace shooting, a young temporary part-time worker at the Ford Woodhaven Stamping Plant south of Detroit apparently killed himself on Friday. At the time of his death the worker was facing disciplinary action for alleged attendance issues, according to press reports.

The victim, Jacoby Hennings, of Harper Woods, was 21 years old and had been working at the plant since March. He had reportedly been written up several times previously for being late. According to eyewitness reports Hennings was sent home by management Friday morning and returned later with a gun.

According to other reports the worker was brought to the union offices in the plant, where he confronted the United Auto Workers local shop chairman.

A police spokesman told Channel 7 Action News, There was a labor relations issue. At some point, he presented a gun. Police were called and officers said Hennings turned the gun on himself as they approached.

Reports of a possible bomb at the scene later turned out to be false.

Officials of the United Auto Workers Local 387 at the plant have made no public comments. A call by the World Socialist Web Site to Local 387 has not been returned.

Leonard, a Woodhaven Stamping worker, told ClickOnDetroit, This morning I was on the line getting ready to go, and then one of the part-timers came in late ... It looked like he was under the influence or something. They sent him home. They walked him out.

About an hour-and-a-half later my chairman comes running through. He tells me to drop everything Im doing. Run as fast as you can, there is a shooter in the plant.

I have anxiety real bad, my chest is hurting.

The regularity with which workplace shootings take place in the United States is a symptom of deep societal dysfunction. At this time, it is impossible to say what combination of personal, work or family stresses may have triggered the latest tragedy.

According to his Facebook page, Hennings was married. He had attended Southeastern High School in Detroit, located in an area noted for deep poverty produced by decades of factory closings and auto layoffs.

Friends reported on Facebook reported being deeply shocked by Hennings death. Some expressed skepticism of official police accounts that the young worker took his own life.

The Woodhaven Stamping Plant employs about 420 workers and opened in 1964. Over the years employment has been decimated at the plant, which at one time employed 5,000. The facility builds parts such as door panels, hoods, quarter panels, roofs and tailgates. After the shooting management sent day shift workers home, but planned to resume production on the second shift.

While there is much that still needs to be determined, the tragedy is a further indictment of the UAW, which functions as a tool of corporate management. Autoworkers and, in particular, the younger generation of miserably paid and highly exploited second-tier, temporary and part-time workers do not get the slightest shop floor representation from the UAW.

Stamping plants are known for the high number of injuries and even deaths suffered by workers. Over the years, contract safety language has been eroded or ignored by the UAW. Conditions have further eroded under the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Ford, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) and the UAW. As part of the arrangement, Ford gets advance notice of MIOSHA inspections. The practical effect is to make management and their puppets in the UAW responsible for health and safety conditions with the barest fig leaf of outside monitoring.

Under terms of the 2015 national contract the United Auto Workers agreed to a lower pay scale for second tier workers at Woodhaven Stamping as well as Sterling Axle and Ford's Rawsonville, Michigan facility, arguing this was needed to make the plants competitive and forestall closure. Wages for second-tier workers at those facilities top out at $19.86 an hour, far less than the top pay rate for second-tier workers at other plants.

Further, in exchange for a $300 million investment at Woodhaven Stamping, the UAW agreed that higher paid legacy workers and even second-tier workers would not be eligible for jobs on the new hot metal line. Instead these jobs are essentially a third tier, who start at $9 per hourfifty cents more than the states minimum wage of $8.50and top out at $12 per hour after years of service.

As part of the 2015 agreement, UAW Vice President James Settles signed a memorandum of understanding stating that at Woodhaven and the two other plants an expeditious transformation to an In-progression non-skilled workforce is desirable and will require various joint efforts. It went on to pledge that the UAW would help Ford, in essence, drive out older, higher-paid workers in order to transition to an all low-wage workforce.

The 2015 national UAW contract expanded the number of temporary and part-time workers permitted in the auto plants so the auto companies could quickly downsize their workforces if sales fell. These workers have few if any job protections or benefits. Under terms of the 2015 agreement new temporary workers start at $15.78 per hour and reach a maximum pay rate of $19.28 after four years.

One worker, commenting on the shooting, posted on Facebook, The temporary workers at Ford hours are cut, with little benefits, no sick days, no vacation, no holiday pay, no bonuses, less pay, crappier jobs ... I wonder if that had something to do with him snapping.

It is significant that Hennings death occurred in the presence of the UAW plant chairman. Clearly the young man saw UAW officials as adversaries rather than allies. Indeed, the union functions as a bribed agency of management as further evidenced by the ongoing investigation into corruption of UAW officials. According to court documents, Fiat Chrysler executives skimmed millions of dollars from UAW-Fiat Chrysler joint training funds to pay off top union officials in order to keep them fat, dumb and happy.

The death of Hennings follows reports of widespread sexual abuse by managers and UAW officials of employees at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant. A lawyer for workers in a class-action lawsuit has presented evidence that more than 1,500 female workers were subject to sexual abuse and racial harassment by both Ford management and UAW officials from 2012 to 2014.

Ford settled a separate Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) case for $10.1 million over similar allegations by female autoworkers at the assembly plant and nearby Chicago stamping plant.
After last Thursdays four-hour stoppage and protest rally, Western Sydney University academics and other workers spoke to the WSWS about the escalating attacks on their jobs and basic conditions, and the political issues raised by the role of the trade unions.

Among them was Greg Pinchbeck, one of the 41 security officers being retrenched by the university, and being replaced by contract labour. Pinchbeck has been employed at WSU for 14 years. He started in 2003 as a casual, and was made permanent in 2005. Before that he had worked at Telstra, the former publicly-owned telecommunications company, for 24 years, before being retrenched from there as well.

At my age, I am going to find it very difficult to find another job, Pinchbeck said. This is happening everywhere. Weve been told its this thing called flexibility.

Pinchbeck highlighted the problems that would arise from replacing all the security guards with contractors. Only a director and two regional managers would remain. I know this campus inside out, he explained. I know the people. I know the problems  If we have mobile security contractors and there is a fire on campus, or an assault, it might take an hour to get here.

The security industry has a lot of shonky practices. There are payments under the table, under-payments, employment of people on visas who are not legally permitted to work, and sub-, sub-, sub-contracting. The industrys got a bad name and thats whats going to happen here. You will have people trying to cope with emergencies who wont even know where the buildings are. People are going to get hurt.

Asked whether the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the other campus union, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) were fighting to defend the security workers jobs, Pinchbeck replied: We have had regular meetings with management with both unions, but not a lot has progressed as far as I can see  Now they are talking about approaching Barney [Vice-Chancellor Glover] directly.

Pinchbeck said he had no opinion about the unions calling for the return of another Labor government. I dont think theres any real answer politically, he commented. They are as bad as each other. If I voted it would make no difference. He agreed its the capitalist system itself thats the problem, but said, I really dont know what we are going to do about it.

A medical school academic, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of management retribution, was appalled by the staff cuts.

For example, in the school of medicine we rely on small group learning, she said. We only have a cohort of about 120 to 150 students. We have groups of 10 to 12 students, which is what got us accreditation as a medical school. Now it seems that we wont have enough casuals to do the small group learning, and going back to large groups is a step backward.

We have been told we cant have a Rolls Royce model anymore. We are not going to look at the quality like we used to do. This goes against all the requirements for innovative curriculum and quality teaching.

Theres a huge difference between having a group of 12 students discussing with a tutor facilitating that discussion, and having a 50-student tutorial, where you cant even identify struggling students. If you can identify the struggling students, you can support them and this is what we used to build upon at this university. We used to be famous for our student support, compared to other universities. Now we are taking all this back.

What is happening with the restructure, the so-called Shared Services, is that we are also losing a lot of staff. Many of them dont even have the chance to apply for their positions because of the whole agreement that they have to apply for the same level and the same area that they are working at  We have lost a number of experienced staff and the corporate knowledge is going to go  I am passionate about this.

Speaking about the NTEUs support for the Labor Party, the lecturer said: Im not pro or against Labor. Its about the principles. Im for good quality education, thats whats important, and student support, as much as we can.

She was, however, critical of the last Labor governments education revolution, commenting: Its terrible. Its become a business and everyone now sees it as a business. But its not supposed to be a business. Education and health are the two things that should not be touched. I agree with you that education should be free and first class at every level. We are going backwards in every way.

Two academics from the schools of social science and psychology were troubled by the small size of the rally, but could not see a way forward. What else can we do, except keep fighting back? one asked. What else is there? What do you propose?

WSWS correspondents explained that it was essential to expose the role of the Labor Party and trade unions in tying the working class to the entire capitalist framework of austerity, war preparations and moves toward authoritarian rule, and to provide an alternative socialist perspective. This included making clear the irreconcilable opposition of the genuine socialists of the Trotskyist movement to the betrayal of the 1917 Russian Revolution by the Stalinist bureaucracy.

One of the academics replied: I totally agree that we cant keep going with the capitalist system. But the trouble with a socialist perspective is theres such a strong narrative that its been tried and has not worked. Now, thats not true, we know its not true, but its such a strong narrative and its really hard to fight against that. We know that Trotskyism was the opposite of Marxism, but you have to explain that.
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BUSAN, South Korea  US naval commanders have reiterated Washington's "ironclad" commitment to defend South Korea against North Korean threats as an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier visited a South Korean port following a joint naval drill.

Rear Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of Naval Forces Korea, said aboard the USS Ronald Reagan on Saturday that the drills enhanced the allies' ability to coordinate combine operations.

The five-day drills that ended Friday involved fighter jets, helicopters and 40 naval ships and submarines from the countries.

The drills came ahead of President Donald Trump's first official visit to Asia next month that's likely to be overshadowed by tensions with North Korea.
BEIRUT  The Syrian army and allied forces recaptured a town from Islamic State on Saturday in central Homs province, where the jihadists have lost vast territory in recent months, state media said.

Syrian troops regained control of al-Qaraytan "after eliminating terrorist Daesh groups that had infiltrated it," state TV said using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Earlier this month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State fighters had seized the town from government forces, part of a counter-attack by the jihadists who have come under intense pressure in eastern Syria.
KABUL  A suicide attacker detonated a car full of explosives outside an Afghan military training centre in Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 16 soldiers, a military spokesman said, the latest attack in a particularly deadly week for Afghanistan's security forces.

"Army personnel were coming out of Marshal Fahim University when a suicide bomber in a car targeted them. Fifteen soldiers who were there for training were killed and four others were wounded," Ministry of Defense spokesman Dawlat Wazari said.
The Spanish government decisively decided on Saturday to use a previously untapped constitutional power so it can take control of Catalonia and derail the independence movement led by separatist politicians in the prosperous industrial region.

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said after meeting with his Cabinet on Saturday that the central government needs to take the unprecedented step of assuming control of Catalonia to "restore order" in the face of a secession effort backed by the regional government.

He is proposing that the powers of Catalan officials be taken over by central government ministers and has asked the Senate to allow central ministers to take over functions from all the regional Cabinet members and give him the power to call regional electionssomething that only Catalonia's top leader can do now.

Spain is which facing its most grave institutional crisis in decades with Catalonia's independence movement. Rajoy said a new regional election in Catalonia should be held in the next six months.

"There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders," Rajoy said Saturday. "It is my wish to call elections as soon as normality is restored."

Rajoy's party enjoys a majority in the Senate and he has the backing of the main opposition parties in the move to quash independence for Catalonia and maintain Spain's territorial integrity.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (Photo: AFP)

Article 155 gives central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law. It's never been applied since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, but Rajoy's conservative government says establishing direct control over Catalonia was a move of last resort.

The move is expected to spark angry opposition from both independence supporters and moderate Catalans, who will see it as an attack on their autonomy.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who is to deliver a televised address late Saturday, has threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Catalan grassroots organizations who have been key drivers in the secession bid called the measures "authoritarian" and urged the immediate proclamation of a new Catalan republic.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Other Spanish political parties were also aghast.

"We are in shock about the suspension of democracy in Catalonia," said Pablo Echenique of the far-left Podemos party, vowing to work to oust Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party from the national government.

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials held a disputed independence referendum on Oct. 1. They then declared the resultwhich was strongly in favor of independencegave them a legal basis for separating from Spain even though the vote itself had numerous problems.

Spain's court declared it illegal, police intervention and violence to halt it made it chaotic, turnout was less than half the region's electorate and most opponents of independence boycotted it.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the Catalan referendum.

A cyber attack in support of a 'free Catalonia'

The court's website appeared to be offline Saturday, and a spokeswoman said it had been affected by vandalism. She requested anonymity in line with internal rules.

Spain's National Security Department said slogans supporting independence for Catalonia had popped up amid cyberattacks on a number of government websites.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont (Photo: AP)

The attack on Saturday came as social media accounts linked to the Anonymous hacktivist group had launched a campaign to "free Catalonia."

The spokeswoman says it only affected the court's website and no internal information was compromised. She requested anonymity in line with internal rules.

Spain's National Security Department said late on Friday that an undisclosed number of government websites had been hit in recent weeks with slogans supporting independence for the country's Catalonia region.

In a YouTube video posted by an account linked to Anonymous, the group announced actions that would be rolled out on Saturday as part of an "Operation Free Catalonia."

Spanish opposition against Catalan independence

Spain's opposition parties have agreed to support Rajoy in revoking Catalonia's autonomy as a way to thwart the region's independence drive.

Pro-Catalan independence rallly (Photo: Reuters)

The pro-business Citizens party president Albert Rivera said he backed Rajoy's measures because Catalonia needs to restore social unity and legal security so companies can remain in the region. Hundreds have transferred their registered headquarters out of Catalonia to other areas in Spain, fearing the chaos that independenceor the fight over itcould bring.

Barcelona resident Rosa Isart said the Spanish government's determination to prevent Catalonia from leaving Spain reminded her of the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco four decades ago.

"It seems unbelievable that I have to see this again because of the incompetence of these politicians who don't know how to speak to each other," Isart said.

Catalan activist groups have called for another protest Saturday in Barcelona over the jailing of two pro-independence leaders being investigated on possible sedition charges. Members of the Catalan government, including Puigdemont, plan to join the march.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two letters, to the UN secretary-general and to the Security Council president, on Saturday, following the Israeli retaliation on Quneitra in response to rocket spillover from Syrian in-fighting. The letter stated that "Syria warns again of the the grave consequences of such repeated aggressive acts" and demanded the UN rebuke Israel's actions.

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Syria's Foreign Ministry called the Israeli response "a new chapter" in what it refers to as "the Israeli occupation" of the Golan Heights, and another attempt to support rebel factions in Syria, fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In addition, Syria claimed that Israel's retaliation was a challenge to the Security Council itself, saying that they constitute a violation of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter and the rules of international law and all relevant resolutions.





IDF sapper holding rocket spillover from Syria (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

The IDF announced early Saturday that five rockets were fired at Israel by Syrian artillery cannons, and that it had pinpointed the landings of four of them to open areas in the northern Golan Heights, causing no damage to people or property. The cannons who shot at Israel were then destroyed by the IDF in a retaliatory strike.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that five rockets were fired at Israel in the northern Golan Heights, and that four hits have been identified in Israeli territory. The IDF Spokesperson's Office said, "Even if this is a leak, it is an unusual event, and the continuation of such events will be met with a tougher Israeli response. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its citizens. The IDF views the Syrian regime as responsible to what is happening on the ground. "

(Photo: Avihu Shapira)

The initial alarm sounded a little after 5am in several Golan Heights towns, prompting their denizens to enter shelters. Some 30 minutes after the alarm, residents were allowed to return to their homes.

In retaliation to the errant fire, the IDF attacked three Syrian regime artillery cannons, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.

The attack was carried out using precise Spike NLOS (No Line of Sight), or Tamuz, missiles.

Rocket fired from Syria and landing in Israel recovered still smoking

Iranian army chief of staff visits Syria on Saturday

The Syrian army issued a statement regarding the IDF shelling, saying it came after "Syrian opposition fighters fired mortar rounds that hit an open area in the Israeli-occupied Golan giving the Jewish state a pretext to bomb the army."

The Syrian army added the shelling caused material damage without saying if there were casualties, and warned against such action, adding that it "holds Israel fully responsible for the consequent results".

Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri (L) signing the MoU with his Syrian counterpart Ayyoub

Meanwhile, during Iranian army Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri's visit to Syria on Saturday, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed up upgrade the cooperation and coordination between their two armies.

The Iranian-Syrian collaboration will reportedly focus mostly on training drills, an exchange of combat-centric know-how, intelligence, military technology and anything to do with the two countries' ability to combat terrorism and standing against "Zio(nist)-American schemes."

Syrian Chief of Staff Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayyoub signed the memorandum on behalf of his country.

Syrian and Iranian army chiefs of staff sign memorandum of understanding

In the past few days the Iranian chief of staff conducted a rare visit to Syria, during which he met with top Syrian government and military officials, among them President Assad.
Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market"

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Tension remained high after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran. With a thaw in relations, Falih said a joint committee is "working on measures to speed up the establishment of an economic partnership and to reactivate cooperation and economic complementarity."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday his decision to appoint Yaron Blum as the new coordinator for negotiating the return of POWs and MIAs. Blum served for many years in the Shin Bet security service and during his last years in the Shin Bet was a member of the small team that conducted the negotiations and brought about the release of Gilad Shalit.

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Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on Saturday with the familes of Hisham al-Sayed and Abera Mengistu, two of the three Israelis currently held by Hamas after voluntarily crossing the border into Gaza. He also spoke with the families of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, believed to have died in Operation Protecitve Edge in '14 and whose bodies are held by Hamas. Netanyahu reportedly updated all of them of the appointment and emphasized his commitment to the return of their sons home.

No word yet on whether Netanyahu spoke to the family of Jumaa Ibrahim Abu-Ghanima, a Bedouin Israeli citizen and the third Israeli to be held be Hamas.

L to R: Blum, Shaul, Mengistu and Goldin

All three living Israeli captives are rumored to be mentally ill.

Blum holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Relations. He is a Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Terrorism of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, serves as an advisor on security and terrorism and serves on the board of directors in several companies.

Bloom (Photo: Ido Erez)

"I thank the prime minister for his trust," said Blum following the announcment of his appointment. "I see this role he has given me as a national mission of the highest order."

The Goldin family responded to news of Blum's appointment by voicing their hope that he would succeed in returning the their son home. "Yaron Blum has a great responsibility and a simple taskto meet the values of the IDF and the security establishment and to bring Hadar and Oron back to Israel.

"The government now has an unprecedented opportunity to effectively pressure Hamas and enlist the international community to reach the best prisoner exchange agreement in years.

"It took a long and unnecessary period of two months since Lior Lotan resigned until this evening. We have been waiting for three years and three months for Hadar's return, and the hourglass has run out. Netanyahu, through his new emissary, must return the soldiers now, and he must use all the tools and means available to him so as not to miss this opportunity."

L to R: Gilad Shalit with PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Def. Min. Ehud Barak, upon his release from Hamas captivity (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry)

Not everyone, however, approved of Blum's appointment. The Almagor Terror Victims Association issued a statement, saying, "The appointment of Yaron Blum as the head of the negotiations team for those missing and captives is good news for the Hamas. The Shalit deal gave them a huge achievement with more than a thousand terrorists and murderers released, exactly six years ago. Many of them have returned to terrorism and some of them now serve as Hamas commanders."

As a result, Almagor announced that "we will also be putting together a team, to monitor him and his team."

Last August, former coordinator Yair Lotan announced he was resigning from his post. After performing the job voluntarily for the past three years, Lotan stated upon his resignation that the position is very demanding both professionally and personally, and that it is therefore appropriate to see to a change among those leading such efforts every few years.

Following Lotan's resignation, the families of Shaul Goldin claimed that they had been abandoned by the system and demanded that a replacement be appointed soon.
As the world looked to the Spanish region of Catalonia for a possible declaration of independence, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont did not make such a statement on Saturday, though his claimthat the Spanish government's recent efforts to thwart Catalonia's secession are the worst attacks since Spanish dictator Francisco Francocertainly left an impression.

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Puigdemont, who spoke on television late Saturday, threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Earlier Saturday, the speaker of the Catalan parliament said that Spain's central authorities have made an effective "coup d'etat" in what she called an "authoritarian" attempt to take control of the northeastern region, whose threat to secede has has caused the Spanish government to declare it will be overtaking the Catalan government and stripping it of its authority.

Catalan leader Puigdemont (Photo: AP)

Legislator Carme Forcadell said in Barcelona that Spanish Prime Minister "Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government."

Forcadell said the move is "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."

Rajoy's conservative government is likely to obtain the national Senate's backing next week for extraordinary powers that will allow him to dissolve the Catalan parliament and call an early election. The measures include the sacking of Catalonia's separatist leaders.

Rajoy said the regional parliament will have its powers limited, but will remain in place until new lawmakers are elected in less than six months.

Pro-Catalan independence rally (Photo: AFP)

Earlier Saturday, the Spanish government decisively decided to use a previously untapped constitutional power so it can take control of Catalonia and derail the independence movement led by separatist politicians in the prosperous industrial region.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said after meeting with his Cabinet on Saturday that the central government needs to take the unprecedented step of assuming control of Catalonia to "restore order" in the face of a secession effort backed by the regional government.

Spanish PM Rajoy (Photo: AP)

He is proposing that the powers of Catalan officials be taken over by central government ministers and has asked the Senate to allow central ministers to take over functions from all the regional Cabinet members and give him the power to call regional electionssomething that only Catalonia's top leader can do now.

Spain, which facing its most grave institutional crisis in decades with Catalonia's independence movement. Rajoy said a new regional election in Catalonia should be held in the next six months.

"There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders," Rajoy said Saturday. "It is my wish to call elections as soon as normality is restored."

Rajoy's party enjoys a majority in the Senate and he has the backing of the main opposition parties in the move to quash independence for Catalonia and maintain Spain's territorial integrity.

Article 155 gives central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law. It's never been applied since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, but Rajoy's conservative government says establishing direct control over Catalonia was a move of last resort.

Puigdemont (C) (Photo: AP)

The move is expected to spark angry opposition from both independence supporters and moderate Catalans, who will see it as an attack on their autonomy.

Puigdemont, who is to deliver a televised address late Saturday, has threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Catalan grassroots organizations who have been key drivers in the secession bid called the measures "authoritarian" and urged the immediate proclamation of a new Catalan republic.
Israeli Border Police soldiers thwarted what appears to be the biggest theft attempt in recent years in the South: specifically, the attempt included the theft of tens of tons of agricultural produce from the greenhouses of Moshav Shekef, located near the West Bank Barrier.

67 Palestinians have been suspected of stealing tons of grapes and tomatoes.

Border Police investigators estimate that between 20 and 24 tons of grapes were harvested, as well as 5  7 tons of tomatoes, which they tried to steal.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement of condolence on Saturday, following the deadly terrorist attack against Egyptian security forces on Friday in the Bahariya oasis.

"Israel strongly condemns the serious attack in Al-Ahat, Egypt, and conveys the condolences of the Israeli people to President el-Sisi and the Egyptian people, sending good wishes for the wounded," read the statement.

"There is no difference between the terrorism that harms Egypt and the terrorism that harms other countries. Terrorism will be defeated sooner if all the countries act against it," the PMO statement continued.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States on Saturday, castigating Washington for what he said an "undemocratic" indictment against his security detail.

His comments may further dash hopes of a quick resolution to an on-going diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies. Both Ankara and Washington have cut back issuing visas to each other's citizens as ties have worsened. "They say the United States is the cradle of democracy. This can't be true. This can't be democracy," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. "If arrest warrants are issued against my bodyguards in absentia ... in the United States, where I went upon invitation, excuse me but I will not say this is a civilised country."

A US grand jury in August indicted 15 Turkish security officials over a brawl between protesters and Erdogan's security personnel during the Turkish president's visit to Washington in May. Erdogan has said the indictment was not binding for Ankara.
67 Palestinians from the Palestinian town of Beit Awwa were stopped in an apparent attempt to steal including tens of tons of agricultural produce. The heist was being carried out on Saturday evening by 27 adults and 40 children and teenagers, who together harvested the enormous amount of produce from Moshav Shekef in the Lachish region, near the West Bank Barrier. The heist attempt appeared to be the largest agricultural theft in recent years.

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Border Police officers arrested 27 adult suspects, while the children were released.

Border Police investigators estimate that the suspects picked between 20 and 24 tons of grapes and another 5 to 7 tons of tomatoes, while also damaging greenhouses and agricultural property with the intention of spoiling them.

Suspects caught mid-theft (:  )

X

The suspects led by IDF Border Police (Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit)

According to suspicions, they intended to sell the produce on the local market at Beit Awwa.

A cut in the tarp through which suspects allegedly entered the greenhouse (Photo: Police Spokesperson' Unit)

Border Police investigators are examining how the Palestinians managed to cross the security barrier. Thwy have also confiscated four vehicles allegedly used by the thieves.

Some of the produce suspects allegedly intended to steal

The Border Police praised the rapid reaction of the units that apprehended the suspects, located most of the produce and seized them in the act.





One of the residents of Moshav Shekef responded to the heist, saying, "They waded through water at a height of five and a half meters, entered the greenhouses and vineyards and literally set up their own market.

(Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit)

"They also destroyed the greenhouses. They took advantage of the fact that there are no workers here on Saturday.

"They opened up a market at the entrance to the nearby village and sold it to the residents. The army was summoned to the scene and people were arrested. One of them was caught with NIS 12,000 in cash, apparently after selling the fruits and vegetables."

The resident added that "unfortunately, this is a phenomenon that is repeated almost every day. We are constantly dealing with it, but there is no enforcement. Despite the wall that was built, despite the security measures and despite the army's presence, the thefts do not stop."
SHOSHONE  It was 2:30 p.m. on a Friday when the Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls District received the call.

A fire had started about 7 miles north of Shoshone on the east side of the highway. Within 2 1/2 hours, early-August winds had pushed it to consume 4,000 acres of rangeland as it headed toward homes, a gas pipeline and power poles. Residents were evacuated.

Over the weekend, aircraft were grounded due to smoke from surrounding states. The Mammoth Fire ultimately burned 49,912 acres  destroying one home and several structures  before fire crews contained it days later.

This week, BLM crews and volunteers were working to rehabilitate the burned range in an effort to help it grow back better than before.

Whats really unfortunate is that this fire was a human-start, said Fire Ecologist Joe Russell with the Shoshone Field Office.

And so was the Shoestring Fire, which burned more than 35,000 acres in August north of Wendell. The exact cause of the field offices two largest fires of the summer, however, remains a mystery.

Our fire investigators are really good, and they couldnt find any evidence, BLM spokeswoman Kelsey Brizendine said. And that says something.

The BLMs Shoshone Field Office has noticed an unusual trend of fires starting east of a highway with no known start  typically beginning around the same time of day and in the same weather conditions. Theyre similar enough to suggest arson, but there have been no leads on who might have done this  or why.

What the BLM does know is that its going to take years for the priority sage grouse habitat to fully recover.

Rehabilitation follows fire season

As soon as a fire is safely put out, BLM specialists like Russell go out to the burned range to determine the next steps.

Theyll assess where it burned more intensely, where the range condition may not have been in good condition before the fire, BLM spokeswoman Heather Tiel-Nelson said. And theyll focus their efforts there.

They can also find out where the BLM has done preventive work.

On Thursday, Russell pointed out features of the range while waiting for crews to continue a drill seeding operation along more than 11,000 acres burned by the Mammoth Fire. Just since August, cheatgrass seeds had taken advantage of what little moisture there was, and tiny sprouts had cropped up.

If we did nothing, a lot of this is probably going to be invaded by annuals, Russell said.

Among these: the highly flammable cheatgrass and tumble mustard  and possibly other invasive species.

To compete with these undesirable range species, the BLM is drill seeding perennial grasses, forbs (flowering plants) and bitterbrush. The range before the fire, he said, was in fair to poor condition.

Were trying to use anything thatll basically out-compete cheatgrass, Russell said.

On a good day, and in good soil, the tractors can seed about 100 acres, Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation Specialist Bart Koonce said.

These drills were built in the 50s and 60s, and over time they have been repaired and put back together, he said. The older drills just seem to work much better.

Theyd plant around 30,000 pounds of seed on the Mammoth Fire project alone, Koonce said. In some areas, where lava rock made it too difficult to drill seed, the BLM had already aerial seeded with grasses and forbs.

Clif Bar employees assisted the BLM Friday with the planting of 30,000 Wyoming sagebrush seedlings for National Public Lands Day. But due to freezing cold rain and wind, they were able to work only a couple of hours.

They worked very hard and were a very determined group, Tiel-Nelson said.

The employees may return later to help finish the job, but the BLM will probably end up contracting some of it out.

After Jan. 1, more of the three-year rehabilitation plan will unfold, as the BLM aerial seeds with sagebrush. When the seeding is complete, the BLM will have aerial seeded 38,036 acres and drill seeded 11,036 acres of the range burned by the Mammoth  or Mammoth Cave  Fire, which started Aug 3.

Other rehab efforts

The BLM Twin Falls District has three field offices in Shoshone, Jarbidge and Burley.

Throughout the entire district, about 65 fires burned more than 147,000 acres between March 20 and mid-October.

The Shoshone field office by far had the most fires this summer, Tiel-Nelson said.

After fire season, the Burley field office has two stabilization and rehabilitation plans; the Jarbidge office has five.

In addition to the Mammoth Cave Fire rehabilitation, heres what the BLM has planned for its Shoshone office:

Crestview Fire: The July 3 Crestview Fire burned 1,626 acres near Kimama. The BLM will drill and aerial seed the entire range with a mix of native and non-native species.

Antelope Fire: The 29,491-acre Antelope Fire started July 10 south of Shoshone. The BLM will drill seed 6,116 acres and aerial seed 7,700 acres.

Martin Canyon Fire: The Martin Canyon Fire started July 23 east of Bellevue and burned 2,477 acres. The BLM will aerial seed 2,517 acres. No drill seeding can take place because of the steep landscape.

Shoestring Fire: The BLM will drill seed 8,132 acres and aerial seed 14,000 acres of the 35,704 Shoestring Fire that started Aug. 5 north of Wendell.As of Friday, the Idaho Department of Lands is no longer requiring residents to obtain burn permits for activities outside city limits. The permits are typically required each year from May to October during a closed fire season. The permit is free and good for 10 days after it is issued. Information: burnpermits.idaho.gov.

As of Friday, the Idaho Department of Lands is no longer requiring residents to obtain burn permits for activities outside city limits. The permits are typically required each year from May to October during a closed fire season. The permit is free and good for 10 days after it is issued. Information: burnpermits.idaho.gov.
Health News

Dallas, Texas - Men develop a type of irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, about a decade earlier than women on average, and being overweight is a major risk factor, according to a large new study published in the American Heart Associations journal Circulation.

In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart, or atria, quiver instead of beat to move blood effectively. Untreated atrial fibrillation increases the risk of heart-related death and is linked to a five times increased risk of stroke. In the new research, having the condition more than tripled a persons risk of dying.

Its crucial to better understand modifiable risk factors of atrial fibrillation, said study author Christina Magnussen, M.D., a medical specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University Heart Center in Hamburg, Germany. If prevention strategies succeed in targeting these risk factors, we expect a noticeable decline in new-onset atrial fibrillation.

This would lead to less illness, fewer deaths and lower health-related costs, she said.

Researchers reviewed records of 79,793 people (aged 24 to 97) in four community-based studies in Europe. The participants did not have atrial fibrillation at the outset. Later assessments of their health  with a median follow-up period of 12.6 to a maximum of 28.2 years  showed that 4.4 percent of the women and 6.4 percent of the men had been diagnosed with the condition.

Researchers noted atrial fibrillation:

diagnosis rates jumped when men were 50 or older and women were 60 or older;

developed in about 24 percent of both men and women by age 90;

onset was tied to higher blood levels of C-reactive protein (inflammation marker) in men; and

new atrial fibrillation cases increased more in men than women with increases in body mass index (BMI): 31 percent in men and 18 percent in women.

We advise weight reduction for both men and women, Magnussen said. As elevated body mass index seems to be more detrimental for men, weight control seems to be essential, particularly in overweight and obese men.

Researchers were surprised to find that higher total cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, lowered risk for developing atrial fibrillation, especially in women, although exactly why is not clear.

Due to its design, the study could not shed light on pathophysiological factors causing sex differences in atrial fibrillation risk. The authors also note that atrial fibrillation might have been underdiagnosed at the studys start and later records may not reflect all cases. Strengths of the research include that it studied the condition in the general population and noted how individuals fared over long periods.

Since study participants were from both northern and southern Europe, the findings will probably apply to other Caucasian populations but cannot be generalized to other groups, Magnussen said. However, since BMI in the study was such a strong risk factor for atrial fibrillation, it is likely to also be impactful in other groups, she added.

According to American Heart Association statistics, between 2.7 and 6 million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation, and more than 12 million are expected to have the condition in 2030. Risk factors include body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, previous heart attack or stroke and presence of heart disease.

The study, part of the BiomarCaRE (Biomarker for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Europe) project, was co-funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme and involved researchers from nearly a dozen countries. Additional sources of funding are listed in the manuscript.

Co-authors are Teemu Niiranen, M.D.; Francisco M. Ojeda , Ph.D.; Francesco Gianfagna, M.D., Ph.D.; Stefan Blankenberg, M.D.; Inger Njlstad, M.D., Ph.D.; Erkki Vartiainen, M.D., Ph.D.; Susana Sans, M.D., Ph.D.; Gerard Pasterkamp, M.D., Ph.D.; Maria Hughes, Ph.D.; Simona Costanzo, Ph.D.; Maria Benedetta Donati, M.D., Ph.D.; Pekka Jousilahti, M.D., Ph.D.; Allan Linneberg, M.D., Ph.D.; Tarja Palosaari, M.Sc.; Giovanni de Gaetano, M.D., Ph.D.; Martin Bobak, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.; Hester den Ruijter, Ph.D.; Ellisiv Mathiesen, M.D., Ph.D.; Torben Jrgensen, M.D., Ph.D.; Stefan Soderberg, M.D.; Kari Kuulasmaa, Ph.D.; Tanja Zeller, Ph.D.; Licia Iacoviello, M.D., Ph.D.; Veikko Salomaa, M.D., Ph.D. and Renate B. Schnabel, M.D., M.Sc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
Health News

Scottsdale, Arizona - Eighty percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Institutes of Health. A recent study found more than a quarter of adults reported having low back pain during the past three months. And those are just complaints about the lower back.

"The overwhelming majority of people will experience back or neck pain at some point in their lives," says Dr. Mohamad Bydon, a Mayo Clinic neurologic surgeon. "Back and neck pain are two of the top-five reasons for [individuals] to see their doctor."

The first person that you want to talk to is your primary care provider, says Dr. Bydon. He says treatments generally begin with the least intrusive therapies first. You know, rest, ice packs, heat packs, physical therapy, [anti-inflammatory] injections. And if those things dont succeed in alleviating the pain, then you may need to see a surgeon to discuss the problem.

If surgery does seem to be the best choice for long-term relief, Dr. Bydon says to ask if a minimally invasive surgical approach may be an option. For the right patients, it can offer several advantages.

Back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability. "There are many joints in the back, and each of them can degenerate and can cause pain. And, so, this is part of the reason that people have so many back problems," says Dr. Bydon.

Pain might originate near a bulge in one of the cushioning discs between the bones, called vertebrae. "Generally, bulging discs dont cause enough pain that they need surgery. Beyond a bulging disc would be a herniated disc, where the disc actually herniates out of that bulge and can then proceed to directly compress one nerve root or multiple nerve roots."

Surgery has several goals, including relieving pressure on the nerves without adding to the injury. "In minimally invasive spine surgery, we preserve the midline attachments of the muscles to the tendons to the bones," he explains. Surgical access to the spine may be through a small tube or a tiny cut, but Dr. Bydon says either approach offers the same advantages. "Decreased pain, [decreased] length of stay, increased patient satisfaction, a quicker return to work, and, you know, [it reduces] a lot of the issues that people may have around surgery."

Dr. Bydon says a few proactive steps go a long way toward preventing or minimizing back pain. "Certainly, good posture, of course, strengthening  those are important areas  strengthening of the musculature around the back, those are important areas to help prevent back pain and to help slow down the rate of degeneration."
Health News

Scottsdale, Arizona - Long-term hormone replacement therapy used to be routinely prescribed for postmenopausal women to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy was also thought to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Before menopause, women have a lower risk of heart disease than men do. But as women age, and their estrogen levels decline after menopause, their risk of heart disease increases. In the 1980s and 1990s, experts advised older women to take estrogen and other hormones to keep their hearts healthy.

However, hormone replacement therapy  or menopausal hormone therapy, as it's now called  has had mixed results. Many of the hoped-for benefits failed to materialize for large numbers of women. The largest randomized, controlled trial to date actually found a small increase in heart disease in postmenopausal women using combined (both estrogen and progestin) hormone therapy. For women in this study using estrogen alone, there was no increased risk in heart disease.

Other studies suggest that hormone therapy, especially estrogen alone, may not affect  or may even decrease  the risk of heart disease when taken early in postmenopausal years. However, these studies can be confusing to interpret into practice, since study outcomes can be affected by many factors, such as the ages of the study participants, the time elapsed since menopause and the duration of hormone therapy use. Continued research will help doctors more clearly understand the relationship between menopausal hormone therapy and heart disease.

Risks in perspective

If you're having a tough time with symptoms of menopause but worry about how hormone therapy will affect your heart, talk with your doctor to put your personal risk into perspective. Consider these points:

The risk of heart disease to an individual woman taking hormone therapy is very low. If you are in early menopause, have moderate to severe hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, and are otherwise healthy, the benefits of hormone therapy likely outweigh any potential risks of heart disease.

Your individual risk of developing heart disease depends on many factors, including family medical history, personal medical history and lifestyle practices. Talk to your doctor about your personal risks. If you're at low risk of heart disease, and your menopausal symptoms are significant, hormone therapy is a reasonable consideration.

Risk differs for women with premature menopause or premature ovarian failure. If you stopped having periods before age 40 (premature menopause) or lost normal function of your ovaries before age 40 (premature ovarian failure), you have a different set of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) health risks compared with women who reach menopause near the average age of about 50. This includes a higher risk of coronary heart disease. If you have premature ovarian failure, you'll likely be given hormone therapy to protect against heart disease.

Menopausal hormone therapy risks may vary depending on:

Whether estrogen is given alone or with a progestin

Your current age and age at menopause

The dose, type of estrogen and route, or how you take it (oral, transdermal, transvaginal)

Other health risks, such as your family medical history and cancer risks

Who should not take hormone therapy

If you've already had a heart attack, menopausal hormone therapy is not for you. If you already have heart disease or you have a history of blood clots, the risks of hormone therapy have been clearly shown to outweigh any potential benefits.

How to limit the risks

Talk with your doctor about these strategies to reduce the risks of menopausal hormone therapy:

Try a form of hormone therapy that has limited systemic effects. Estrogen and progestin are available in many forms, including pills, skin patches, gels, vaginal creams, and slow-releasing suppositories or rings that you place in your vagina. Low-dose vaginal preparations of estrogen  which come in cream, tablet or ring form  can effectively treat vaginal symptoms while minimizing absorption into the body. Similarly, hormones delivered through skin patches aren't as extensively metabolized in the body and have less potential for unwanted side effects.

Minimize the amount of medication you take. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time needed to treat symptoms, unless you're younger than age 45  in that case, you need enough estrogen for protection against long-term health effects of estrogen deficiency. If you have lasting menopausal symptoms that significantly impair your quality of life, your doctor may recommend longer term treatment.

Make healthy lifestyle choices. Counter the risks of developing heart disease by making heart-healthy lifestyle choices. Don't smoke or use tobacco products. Get regular physical activity. Eat a healthy diet focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat protein. Maintain a healthy weight. And get regular health screenings to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to detect early signs of heart disease.

Seek regular follow-up care. See your health care provider regularly to ensure that the benefits of hormone therapy continue to outweigh the risks, and for cancer screenings such as mammograms and pelvic exams.

A balancing act

Women of all ages should take heart disease seriously. Among U.S. women, nearly 1 in 3 deaths each year is due to heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.

Most healthy women who are within five years of menopause can safely take short-term hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms without significantly increasing the risk of heart disease. If you experience classic menopausal symptoms, including intolerable hot flashes, vaginal dryness or insomnia, talk to your doctor about how you can relieve troublesome symptoms without putting your health at risk.
Cassia County

Felony sentencings

Susan Zamaro; felony  witness intimidates, threatens, harasses or prevents from testifying in criminal or juvenile case, $495.50 costs, two years determinate time, three years indeterminate time, six days credited.

Verna Francis Serrato; felony possession of controlled substance, $285.50 costs, two years determinate time, two years indeterminate time, 24 days credited, as of 12/22/15: 110 days credited.

David Arauza Sr.; Misdemeanor driving under the influence, guilty, $300 fine, $202.50 cost;, driving without privileges, $300 fine, $202.50 costs, $75 fine, $56.50 costs.

Jolie Kay Clegg; misdemeanor driving under the influence (excessive), guilty, $500 fine, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 170 days suspended, 365 days drivers license suspended, one day credited; misdemeanor injury to a child, adult transports child guilty in vehicle while under the influence, guilty, $157.50 costs, 180 days jail, 170 days suspended, one day credited.

Alexis Dorantes; informal adjustment; felony burglary, dismissed on motion of prosecutor; felony malicious injury to property, misdemeanor injury to property, felony malicious injury to property, $51 costs, 90 days jail time, 70 days suspended.

Merrill Ray Egan; misdemeanor, driving under the influence, dismissed on motion of prosecutor; misdemeanor alcoholic beverage consume or possess open container by driver, dismissed on motion of prosecutor.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this page listed an incorrect charge for Virginia A. Hartney.
New Delhi: National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Saturday ridiculed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for supporting Tamil film `Mersal`.

While talking to ANI, the 49-year-old director said, "I have previously supported films like `Ae Dil Hai Mushkil`, `Udta Punjab,` and I feel that there is selective critism. Why did people not come forward during Indu Sarkar?"

"It is a kind of duplicity that is going on. When my film `Indu Sarkar` was getting released, the Congress demanded ban on the film. They tried to bully me, gherao me and I had to take security for one and a half month from Maharashtra Government. Where was freedom of expression at that time?"

Slamming Rahul, Bhandarkar asserted that one cannot be selective while vouching for freedom of expression.

"This kinds of hypocrisy needs to be stopped," he said.

During the day, Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, by asking him not to "demon-etise" Tamil pride by interfering in what is shown in theatres.

He took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don`t try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal."

His comments come a day after the Tamil Nadu BJP unit objected to Tamil superstar Vijay`s Diwali release, Mersal, for "criticising" the Centre`s flagship schemes, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India.
Lahore: A Pakistani woman journalist who was allegedly kidnapped while pursuing the case of an Indian engineer two years ago has been rescued, officials said.

Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have 'forcibly disappeared' while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said last evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

"Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody," Iqbal said, adding tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

"Zeenat Shahzadi today has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe," rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadi's brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

"Helping an Indian prisoner -- Hamid Ansari -- in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her," Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had told PTI.

"My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national," he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Court's Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian national Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November, 2012.

She secured in August, 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansari's mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful.

"Zeenat received threats from unknown persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansari's mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help," Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years' imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and 'spying'. He is still in jail.

The rights activists, especially former secretary general Human Rights Commission of Pakistan I A Rehman, have voiced for the release of Ansari, saying since he has served his sentence, he ought to be set free now.
Over the last few days Ive seen with a sense of dismay a tu-tu main-main over NDTV censoring its journalists. One of NDTVs senior-most journalists and well-known faces, Sreenivasan Jain, on Tuesday, alleged that a report by him on loans given to companies owned by BJP chief Amit Shahs son Jay Shah was taken down from NDTVs website. This was done in the name of legal vetting he said in a detailed Facebook post.





Once the face of NDTV, Barkha Dutt also said many of her stories were axed. In a series of tweets, she said, yes, axing stories at NDTV not new. And I don't recall said ex colleagues standing up for freedom of press & reporting when some of fought it



Can share @nitingokhale & I were punished for speaking on censorship of our work:@ndtv was hostile to us: we parted. We stuck to our stand https://t.co/nCDsrpKy6G  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) October 18, 2017



She also wrote a long explainer on Facebook too, where she said, "stories are censored in other newsrooms too but who else pretends to be this self-righteous and morally superior."





Nitin Gokhale, whose interview with the former Navy chief was also dropped, tweeted on his similar experiences. The twitter debate turned ugly when Sonia Verma Singh, NDTVs Editorial Director questioned her former colleague on why hed allowed his son to intern in NDTV if he had such an axe to grind.



You brought my son into it, not me. So you stooped low, not me. Good you realised. Debate on issue, not personality. https://t.co/lZ39GEHbQS  Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) October 19, 2017



Seeing the pile-on brigades hullabaloo, Sreenivasan Jain seems to have called truce for the moments. He tweeted in solidarity with NDTV (theyre still his employers) and said not many companies allow dissent from within. Had decided to not respond to noise around my statement - abuse, support, whatever. Journalists tell stories. They are not the story.



Had decided to not respond to noise around my statement - abuse, support, whatever. Journalists tell stories. They are not the story.  Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) October 18, 2017



What was genuinely upsetting was the barbs that flew back and forth were from people Id learnt a lot from and looked up to. Id been part of NDTV for over 7 years and had learnt much of my journalism there.

Why Target NDTV



In the middle of this twitter war, my former boss, a director with NDTV and the managing editor for NDTV.com wondered if some other websites have set up an NDTV beat. (I must say we havent even though Im writing on it now.)



So many stories, such compulsive interest. Have other websites set up an @ndtv beat?  Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) October 18, 2017



She also called out those who seem to have suddenly discovered their lost ethics.



interesting to see some who've shown up at Lost and Found today to reclaim their very righteous Sense of Ethics  Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) October 18, 2017



I tend to agree. That stories are dropped wasnt a eureka moment for anyone. Why such senior journalists chose to speak at a time they did is also something I wont comment on. But there remains the fact that many who knew about these stories being dropped did not speak up earlier and have suddenly found a voice. That said, journalists are after all not Martians - we all have bills to pay and if we chose to live with somethings that are uncomfortable, so be it. Some people couldnt and moved on, others grinned and bore it.



Maybe there are a few people who are favored by the management. Im yet to work in a company that there arent. And about glass ceilings  well, most English language media outfits favor those with public school education and perhaps a degree from Oxbridge or Columbia. That doesnt mean that those who are in decision-making roles are not competent or dont deserve to be there. Perhaps it simply boils down to basic language skills or the fact that they interviewed better. I wouldnt know. I didnt go to public school and am not armed with a foreign degree (not even then ones handed out by the Lajpat Nagar branches here in Delhi).



The charges of nepotism arent then biggest problem here. The perception seems to be that an organization that seems to be fighting for the freedom of press when its owners are raided by the CBI is also sidestepping inconvenient stories  and its this hypocrisy that has evinced such a response.



Are We Willing to Pay for News?



Has the ghost of media censorship, in many cases self-censorship, started tumbling out of the closet? Is press freedom dead? Much humbug is talked on this subject.



As a person who has worked in various media organizations over the past 17 years, there was no ghost  censorship is a reality. But that isnt a government or political party specific problem. From new agencies to TV channels to news websites, there was a side of the toast that was buttered and thats what you went for.



And theres basic economics at work here. For many publications, channels and websites  the smaller ones, at least  the government continues to be the largest source of advertising revenue. And to offend the government of the day would have a serious impact on bottom-lines. Protracted legal battles are expensive and in most cases, it is more economically viable to not run a story, or have it pulled off.



For larger media houses, its definitely better with revenue streams that are diversified but that still means selling advertising, going out to corporates and perhaps not offending them to the extent that your revenues dry up. In case of dealing with political parties, it could simply be a matter of access - do a few negative stories and the sources who would call you with information would refuse to take your calls.



There are some subscription models for news that exist in India but those are few and far between. For most of the mainstream media, in an attempt to get to the numbers, which in turn ensure a minimum revenue to keep the business viable, coverage is routinely dumbed down and dense  in some cases, I fear, even biased. For here even supremely popular products are difficult to monetize.



Subscription based media is thriving in other parts of the world. Publications such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have seen their digital subscriptions swell manifold in the Trump presidency. This has perhaps lent them, not just the moral courage, but also the fiscal muscle to deal with a government that is at loggerheads with them.



If the average Indian reader wishes to be an informed citizen or learn about subjects that they care about and causes they want to mobilize on, they should start subscribing to news outlets based on the quality and depth of coverage. It would stop this mad rush for page views and ratings  headlines would be readable again and not a bunch of keywords and editors would be able to commission reporters to do the stories that are in the greatest public good. There would be no propensity to do paid news and no journalist or organization would need to pray at any altar save the reader.


New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Aggressive young Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakore on Saturday announced he was joining the Congress, as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki urged firebrand Patidar spearhead Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to also join the party. The ruling BJP got a boost as two leaders from Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) shook hands with the party.



Thakore, who has emerged as a strong OBC leader along with Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mewani during the last two years, announced his move in New Delhi after an evening meeting with Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.



Soon after, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel, Patidar leaders closely associated with the PAAS movement, joined the BJP, profusely praising the ruling party which they suddenly found to have considered all their demands.



"We were fighting for the community and not working as agents of any political party or to broker their ambitions," Reshma Patel said. Asked if they were not acting as agents of the BJP, both claimed their fight right from the beginning was for the community and to support whoever backed the Patidars' cause.



Alpesh Thakore, meanwhile, said he and his supporters would formally join the Congress at a massive rally in state capital Gandhinagar on Monday. Rahul Gandhi would fly down specially for the rally.



"It is time to throw out the BJP in Gujarat. Unemployment is a huge problem with lakhs of youngsters without jobs, more than 74,000 farmers are neck deep in debt, illicit liquor flows freely in the state despite prohibition and education and health sectors are in a total mess," Thakore told reporters in Delhi.



He added, "Me, Hardik Patel and Jignesh are all going to join hands with the Congress party to defeat the BJP."



Reacting to the Congress invite to join and offer party tickets, Hardik Patel, who has been publicly saying that he is out to defeat the "dictatorial and inhuman" BJP and had once appealed to Patidars at large to grant the Congress an opportunity, said, "I am not here to contest elections and my age does not permit it, but other PAAS (Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti) members are free to do so."



"There is no talk of joining the Congress. I have said earlier also that the Congress would have to first convince us how they would meet our demand for reservations to the Patidars, otherwise it is only an election-oriented promise," Patel told IANS.



"Our agitation will continue even if the Congress comes to power if our demands are not met," he said, adding that he had maintained this several times.



PAAS leader Dinesh Bhambhania told a Gujarat TV channel, "A couple of ambitious people joining BJP or leaving the Patidar movement won't have any impact on us."



Jignesh Mewani, on the other hand, said, "I am determined to defeat the BJP not only in Gujarat in December 2017 but also in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Whether I will contest the polls for Congress or join the party will be jointly decided by Dalit organizations and leaders in the state."



Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki, meanwhile, also invited members of Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal-U and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form a broad political alliance against the ruling BJP for the forthcoming Assembly polls.



"Congress vijay yatra has begun. This yatra is moving towards over 125 seats. We want to invite the important factors in Gujarat these days - Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani - to come and join Congress in an endeavour to throw out BJP," Solanki told reporters earlier in Ahmedabad.



He said the Congress was open to Hardik Patel contesting elections in the future from its platform. "PAAS workers and leaders are also angry with BJP. We invite Hardik, PAAS workers, leaders and Patidar community to come and join Congress."



"We stand by our proposal of keeping 49 per cent reservations for OBC, SC/ST intact and passing a resolution in the Assembly once in power to provide for 20 per cent reservations to other communities. We will send the resolution to BJP-controlled Parliament and impress upon them to pass our resolution," he said, adding that Congress would resort to agitation if Parliament does not approve its proposal.



Solanki said his party would also approach the Supreme Court to ensure that its proposal for 20 per cent additional reservations is approved.
New Delhi: The influential Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband issued a new 'fatwa' (edict) where prohibiting Muslim men and women from worshipping any other God than Allah.

"If anyone worships any god except Allah, they don't remain Muslim," said Darul Uloom, apparently referring to Muslim women who performed aarti on Diwali in Varanasi.

The fatwa was issued on Saturday.

The development came days after the Islamic seminary asked Muslims to not post their pictures on any social media platform like WhatsApp, Facebook while terming it 'un-Islamic'.

Justifying the move, Shahnawaz Qadri, Darul Uloom Deoband, said, ''Unnecessary uploading of pictures on social media is wrong. Fatwa of Darul Uloom Deoband is appropriate.''

The seminary issued the fatwa days after a person submitted a written question to Darul Iftaa, asking it to explain whether posting pictures of himself or his wife on Facebook and Whatsapp was un-Islamic or not.

In the wake of this query came the fatwa saying that Islam doesn't allow the act.

Reports have it that earlier this month, the Darul Uloom Deoband also issued a fatwa calling ban on women plucking, trimming, shaping their eyebrows and cutting hair.

Darul Iftaa had then clarified that there are ten acts, including eyebrow plucking and hair-cutting which are banned for Muslim women under Islam.
A quick look at top headlines on October 21, 2017:

1. US biased, always tries to create pawns: Jittery China on growing New Delhi-Washington ties

Despite a series of problems with most of its neighbours, China says it is Asian solidarity - and not biased views of the United States - that is the way forward. Read full report here

2. S Sreesanth cannot play for any other country: BCCI

Sreesanth was banned for life following allegations of spot-fixing during an Indian Premier League match in 2013. Read full report here



3. Attention! In Yogi's UP, all officers must stand up with joined hands before MPs, MLAs

This gesture needs to be repeated at the time of departure. Read full report here

4. MSRTC strike called off, state bus services to resume

All state bus services are expected to resume on Saturday morning. Read full report here

5. Messi posts video of son singing in Catalan, Pique replies

The clip on Instagram shows Messi's two-year-old son Mateo singing a nursery rhyme in the regional language. Read full report here

6. CBI seeks to reopen Bofors case

The CBI has written to the government for reconsideration of its 2005 decision and allow the agency to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court in the Bofors case challenging quashing of an FIR in the alleged scam, officials said. Read full report



7. Vasundhara Raje-led Rajasthan govt brings ordinance to shield judges, babus from probes

The Ordinance was implemented on September 7 and is likely to come up for discussion in the coming assembly session to take the form of a Bill. Read full report



8. Man, who brutally killed bartender friend, stuffed body parts in fridge, nabbed

The Delhi Police arrested the prime accused of killing his bartender friend and later hiding his dismembered body inside a fridge in his house. Read full report here
This appeared in Friday's Washington Post.

Once again, the courts have blocked President Donald Trump's travel ban from going into effect. It is hard not to feel a sense of deja vu as the government promises for the third time to appeal the rulings halting the latest iteration of the president's order, watered down from his original "Muslim ban" but still equally pointless.

Trump's third travel ban was set to go into effect on Wednesday, indefinitely limiting entry into the United States from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chadand North Korea, and denying entry to certain government officials from Venezuela. On Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge based in Hawaii stopped the ban from taking effect, with the exception of the provisions targeting Venezuela and North Korea. A federal judge in Maryland followed suit on Wednesday, blocking enforcement of the ban as applied to travelers with "bona fide" ties to the United States.

The Hawaii court found that the revised order likely exceeded the president's power to enforce immigration policy, while the Maryland court ruled that the order violated constitutional protections against religious discrimination. There's a convincing case that the president's decision to permanently limit travel usurps congressional regulations on immigration. But the Maryland judge's ruling takes an aggressive stance in denying the government the deference typically granted by courts in national security cases. Despite the administration's promises that the Department of Homeland Security crafted the third ban using objective criteria, Trump's campaign-trail promises to implement a Muslim ban continue to haunt him in court.

The Justice Department has promised to fight both decisions. It could make its case before either the circuit courts or the Supreme Court  which just dismissed a suit against the second version of the travel ban last week, and will likely do so with another challenge at the end of October when the existing ban on refugee admissions expires.

But why appeal? Just what is it that the government is battling so fiercely to defend? As both judges noted, the administration has failed to provide any evidence that nationality has anything to do with the security threat an individual poses. Analysis by David Bier of the Cato Institute shows that the list of countries included in the ban has little to do with the criteria ostensibly used by DHS to determine where increased vetting is needed. And the ban may actually have harmed security efforts by raising tensions between the United States and Chad, which withdrew hundreds of troops from the coalition battling terrorism in West Africa after reportedly being added to the ban over a lack of passport paper. The State Department is now working to patch the relationship.

The policy alienates many while achieving nothing. It is close enough to the promised Muslim ban that the courts remain hostile to it, but diluted enough that the president no longer trumpets it as an achievement. The government might eventually eke out a victory before the Supreme Court. But at this point, what is there to salvage except for Trump's pride? The wisest move for the administration would be to let the ban fade away.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday said its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but dismissed as "speculative" the reports in media that the two discussed the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Foreign Office issued a statement after reports in media claimed that Swaraj asked Mahmood to drop all charges against Jadhav and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties.

46-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April for his alleged involvement in espionage and terrorist activities. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on India's appeal.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria today confirmed that Mahmood met Swaraj on October 17 but asserted that it was a routine meeting by the diplomat who recently assumed office as Pakistan's new High Commissioner to India.

"While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative," Zakaria said.

He also said that the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

"The Minister and the High Commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations," he said.

He said it is "customary for the newly-posted envoys to make courtesy calls on the local dignitaries."
New Delhi: On this day 74 years ago, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had announced the establishment of the provisional government of Azad Hind in occupied Singapore in 1943.

Known as Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, it was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.

The revered freedom fighter had launched a struggle to free India from British rule under the banner of the provisional government-in exile during the latter part of the Second World War.

Bose was convinced that armed struggle was the only way to achieve independence for India. He had been a leader of the radical wing of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become Congress president in 1938 and 1939 but was ousted following differences with Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress leadership.

Under his provisional government, the Indians living abroad had been united. The Indian National Army drew ex- prisoners and thousands of civilian volunteers from the Indian expatriate population in Malaya (present-day Malaysia) and Burma (now Myanmar).

On October 21, 1943, in his address announcing the setting up of the provisional government, he said India's Army of Liberation was drawn up in military formation on the battlefield of Singapore which was once the bulwark of the British Empire.

He envisioned the Army of Liberation as the future national Army of Free India and exhorted people with the war cry, "Comrades! My soldiers! Let your battle-cry be--To Delhi To Delhi".

"How many of us will individually survive this war for freedom, I do not know. But I do know this that we shall ultimately win and our task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory-parade on another graveyard of the British Empire - the Lal Kila or Red Fort of ancient Delhi," he said.

"With the force of arms and at the cost of your blood you will have to win liberty," he said.

"As soldiers, you will have to cherish and live up to the three ideals of faithfulness, duty and sacrifice. Soldiers who always remain faithful to the nation who perform their duty under all circumstances and who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible."

He said the mission of Independence for India was the noblest the human mind could conceive.

"I assure you that I shall be with you in darkness and sunshine, in sorrow and in joy. In suffering and in victory. For the present, I can offer you nothing except hunger, thirst, privation, forced marches and death. But if you follow me in life and in death--as I am confident you will--I shall lead you to victory and freedom," he said in his address.

Under the provisional government, Bose was the head of the state, the prime minister and the minister for war and foreign affairs. Captain Lakshmi headed the women's organisation while S A Ayer headed the publicity and propaganda wing.

Revolutionary leader Rash Behari Bose was designated as the supreme advisor.

The provisional government was also formed in the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands were reoccupied by the British in 1945.

Bose's death was seen as the end to the Azad Hind movement. The Second World War, also ended in 1945 with the defeat of the Axis powers.

On the 75th foundation day today, All India Youth League national president Sanjay Bhattacharya, in a statement, said, "We remember the countless martyrs who laid down their lives in the cause for India's battle for freedom in East Asia. We salute all the participants."
Srinagar: Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city on Saturday to maintain law and order in the wake of a separatist-called protest shutdown against growing incidents of braid chopping.

"Restrictions have been imposed in Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Rainawari, Khanyar, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud areas," the police said.

The separatist leaders have appealed to people to hand over suspected braid choppers to mosque committees and not to deal with them directly.

The separatists have blamed the police for its failure to nab the culprits.

Shops, public transport and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of Srinagar city.

Private transport, however, moved on uptown and city outskirts.

All exams scheduled for Saturday have been postponed by the University of Kashmir.

There have been over 120 reports of braid chopping in the Kashmir Valley in the last two months, with mobs beating up strangers, tourists and even Army men in plainclothes on suspicion of being braid choppers.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation or MSRTC on late Friday night called off their bus strike. All state bus services are expected to resume by Saturday morning. The decision was taken during an MSRTC core committee meeting late night.

On Tuesday, a day before Diwali, more than one lakh MSRTC employees went on strike demanding a salary hike demanding a 25 per cent pay hike and implementation of 7th Pay Commission. .

Earlier on Friday, the Bombay High Court called the strike "illegal" and directed MSRTC to resume work immediately. Justice S K Shinde also directed the committee, set up by the state government to look into the employees' issues, and submit an interim report by November 15 and the final report on December 21.

"The strike is illegal and they (MSRTC staff) are directed to resume work with immediate effect," the court said.

"The government cannot remain a mute spectator on the strike. This is affecting the public at large, especially during the festive season," it added.

The state government had agreed to an interim hike of 10 per cent, but MRSTC demanded a 25 per cent hike.

Lakhs of passengers were affected by the strike. Nearly 10,000 travellers ply from Mumbai and Pune daily. The state transport ferries over 65 lakh passengers everyday.
Mumbai: The Diwali festival has become merrier for families of 103 slain policemen and army personnel in Maharashtra, courtesy an initiative by a senior IPS officer and actor Akshar Kumar, with the latter contributing over Rs 25 lakh for the cause.

"We made a list of martyr policemen and military/ paramilitary personnel belonging to Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune rural and Solapur rural region. When Akshay Kumar got to know of this initiative, he also decided to join," Kolhapur range IGP, Vishwas Nangre Patil said.

"Akshay Kumar sent a cheque of Rs 25,000 and a signed letter to each of the families which we delivered," the senior IPS officer told PTI.

"Akshay recently sent me a photograph of a small girl weeping beside the coffin of her father. When I broached the subject of helping the slain policemen's families, the actor promptly decided to chip in," Nangre Patil said.

"We are happy that our initiative has made the Diwali of the martyrs families sweeter," he said.

In the letter, Akshay Kumar has lauded the sacrifice made by the martyr for the country.

"I am aware that you must be recalling their lovely memories during Diwali. The tragedy that has befallen your family is immense and I pray to god that you overcome this tragedy with fortitude and usher in the new year," the actor wrote.

"I wish to offer sweets and a small gift for the children to buy books. I request you to accept them," Akshay Kumar wrote.
London: Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) and his wife Erica Schmidt have welcomed their second child.



Dinklage and Schmidt, who have been married for the last 12 years and are known for being secretive about their private lives, are yet to publicly confirm the baby news, reports usmagazine.com.



Schmidt was earlier seen with a baby bump during the couple`s appearance at the premiere of All the Fine Boys, an off-Broadway play she wrote and directed, in March.



Dinklage and Schmidt got married in Las Vegas in 2005.



The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2001.
New Delhi: Bigg Boss season 11 is a show full of controversies but it looks like the controversies aren't limited to contestants anymore. The host of the show, Salman Khan's bodyguard Shera, has been dragged in a controversy as well.

According to reports, a woman named Shabnam Sheikh has come forward and filed a harassment complaint against Shera. The woman has alleged that Shera threatened and harassed her.

Shabman has alleged that Shera asked her to settle Zubair Khan's case and had also threatened her of a gangrape if she fails to do so.

Investigations are being carried on by the police.

Zubair Khan is an ex Bigg Boss contestant who was recently eliminated from the show owing to low number of votes. He was also told to mind his language by Salman Khan and ever since he has came out of the house, has been accusing Salman. An FIR was also launched by Zubair against the superstar.

BollywoodLife.com reports that the FIR was launched at the Khar Police Station in Mumbai. The matter was booked under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

On the other hand, Shera claims that he has never even talked to any woman named Shabnam .
Los Angeles: Blade Runner star Sean Young is the latest celebrity to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.

The 57-year-old actor has claimed that the movie mogul exposed himself to her in the early 1990s while working on Love Crimes, which was produced by Miramax.

"I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants to shock me. My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really don't think you should be pulling that thing out, it's not very pretty.'," she said on the Dudley and Bob with Matt Show podcast.

Young said she never worked with Weinstein again post the alleged incident.

"Then never having another meeting with that guy again, because it was like, 'What on earth?'" she said.

Young also said her reputation took a hit after she rejected Weinstein's alleged advances.

"The minute you actually stand up for yourself in Hollywood, you're the crazy one. I think that's why a lot of women don't come out and didn't come out about their experiences about that kind of lewdness and ridiculousness with Harvey," she said.

Till now, more than 40 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexually inappropriate behaviour, since a New York Times report first revealed allegations of abuse spanning decades.

Weinstein has since been removed from his company and his wife, Georgina Chapman, has separated from him.

The Los Angeles Police Department has announced that the Robbery Homicide Division has interviewed another potential sexual assault victim, an unnamed Italian actress.

New York police have already launched two active sex crime investigation into Weinstein, and London's Metropolitan police are looking into allegations made by three other women.
Mumbai: On Shammi Kapoors 86th birth anniversary, his nephew and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor paid a tribute to the late actor on the social media and remembered him as the "original rebel star".



"Happy birthday to the original rebel star, on his 86th, the late Shammi Kapoor. We all miss your presence, your spirit and specially you," Rishi tweeted on Saturday alongside a photograph of Shammi.



Son of legendary actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni Kapoor, Shammi was born on October 21, 1931, and was brother of late Raj and Shashi Kapoor.



Shammi Kapoor is best known for his roles in films like Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, An Evening in Paris, Bramhachari, Andaz and Sachaai.



He died on August 14, 2011 due to chronic renal failure.
Two town board members are looking to take their political careers to the next level, but only one will succeed in the race for Elbridge town supervisor.

Rita A. Dygert and Vernon J. Richardson have both been on the town board for more than a decade and both will be on the ballot in November. Dygert will run on the Conservative and Independence party lines while Richardson is listed on the Republican and Democratic lines; Richardson defeated Dygert in the Republican primary last month by about 150 votes.

Both Dygert and Richardson entered the race after current Town Supervisor Ken Bush Jr. decided to run for the Onondaga County Legislature. Bush is challenging incumbent Derek Shepard, of Baldwinsville, to represent District 13, which includes the towns of Camillus, Elbridge and Van Buren.

Dygert, 73, has been on the Elbridge Town Board since 2000. At the time she was selected, Dygert said she never intended to make a career in politics, seeking part-time work while she returned to school for management. However, once she got started, Dygert said she just couldn't quit.

"The nature of the work is such that it takes forever to really get anything done ... and there are a number of areas that I believe need to grow," Dygert said. "I just want to be able to help make this community the best that it can be."

In 2011, Dygert became the deputy supervisor for the town. As such, she said she has worked hard to secure grant funding for various projects in the community  including a new pavilion next to the community center  and pursued efforts to consolidate services with the village of Jordan, something she would continue to do as town supervisor.

"It is important to make sure our local government is operating at maximum efficiency ... at the lowest cost possible," Dygert said. "I would like to unify this community ... and I believe the growth of our community and the expansion of our tax base is vital for our future."

On that, Richardson said he agreed.

A native of Elbridge, Richardson, 67, has been a member of the town board for 12 years. He was also on the zoning board of appeals for five years, which he called a "stepping stone" to the town board.

One of Richardson's top priorities as town supervisor would also be to update zoning regulations, he said, making them less restrictive for businesses and property owners. He also would look to consolidate some services, particularly the Elbridge and Jordan fire departments.

"There is a concern with the response time with departments that are further away," Richardson said, noting that the town currently contracts with Jordan. "People would like Elbridge (Fire Department) back on board."

Richardson said the residents ultimately inspired him to run for town supervisor, a position he feels he can fulfill with experience, both from the board and a 32-year career as a contractor.

"(Residents) asked me a long time ago ... to seriously consider running because they thought I could go a good job," he said. "If I get elected, I'm independently minded and my door will always be open. I will always listen to people's concerns and suggestions on how to make our town government better."

Dygert said her history on the board and 30-year career in federal service (primarily with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management) have made her a strong candidate to consider.
TWIN FALLS  A Twin Falls mother has been arrested in the death of her 20-month-old baby.

Police issued a statement Saturday saying 22-year-old Amanda Dunlap was apprehended Friday and booked into the Ada County jail early Saturday morning. Shes facing charges for felony murder and injury to a child.

The investigation began Oct. 8 when police were called to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center about a baby in distress. The child was flown by helicopter to Boise. It died a week later, on Oct. 14.

In their statement, police said theyd release no more information at this time because theyre continuing to investigate.

Here is the citys statement, in full:

October 8, 2017, the Twin Falls Police Department responded to St. Lukes Magic Valley in regards to a 20-month-old child in distress. The child was life-flighted to Boise. The Twin Falls Police Department, with assistance from the Boise Police Department, immediately started an investigation.

On October 14, 2017, the child subsequently succumbed to the injuries. On October 20, 2017, 22-year-old Amanda Dunlap, from Twin Falls, Idaho, was arrested on a warrant for murder and felony injury to a child. Dunlap was booked into the Ada County Jail early Saturday morning.

No further information will be released by our Department at this time as this remains an active investigation. Any further media inquiries should be directed to the Twin Falls County Prosecutors Office.

Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said its too early in the investigation to confirm many details to the media. Its very early, Loebs said. She was just arrested this morning.

Asked about the babys cause of death, the prosecutor said I wouldnt know how to answer that.

Loebs said authorities may make more information available next week, depending on the progress of the investigation.
Rameswaram: Seven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested tonight by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territory.

The seven fishermen had set sail in a country boat from Pamban here in the morning and all of them were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, the police said.

The fishermen were handed over to the police in Talaimannar in the island nation, they added.

The country boat was also seized, the police said.
Bangui: At least 26 people were killed during clashes in a southeast region of the Central African Republic where the government has struggled to assert its authority, the UN's peacekeeping force in the country said on Friday.

Another 11 people were wounded in the violence on Wednesday, which came ahead of a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the country next week.

The clashes occurred in the town of Pombolo, in a region where tensions have flared between Muslim and Christian militias since May in which dozens of civilians have been killed.

Seraphin Embondza, commander of the UN's MINUSCA mission in the country, told the UN radio station Guira FM that the wounded had not yet been evacuated from the town, where no UN troops had been stationed.

The Central African government on Friday called on MINUSCA to show "a deeper engagement and re-evaluate its methods for intervening in order to protect civilians," after troops arrived in the area yesterday.

One of the world's poorest nations, the Central African Republic has been struggling to recover from a three-year civil war between the Muslim and Christian militias that started after the 2013 overthrow of leader Francois Bozize.

The United Nations maintains some 12,500 troops and police on the ground to help protect civilians and support the government of Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was elected last year.

UN chief Guterres is expected to arrive on Tuesday in a visit aimed at drawing attention to a "forgotten crisis" and its heavy toll on aid workers and UN peacekeepers.

"The level of suffering of the people but also the trauma suffered by aid workers and peacekeepers are deserving of our solidarity and heightened attention," Guterres told AFP and Radio France

Internationale in an interview on Wednesday.

Some UN officials have raised alarm over indications of genocide in the country. Guterres said there was "ethnic cleansing" in many parts of the country.
Cairo: At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country`s Western Desert on Friday, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the incident and said some of the "terrorist" attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country`s military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Islamabad: China has asked Pakistan to provide additional security for its long-serving envoy in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from an outlawed extremist separatist group, media reports said on Saturday.

The request was made in a letter written to the Ministry of Interior on October 19.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who has also asked Pakistan to immediately arrest a militant who wanted to "assassinate" Chinese ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing.

Ping said that Yao is facing threats to his life from a militant, Abdul Wali, who belongs to the banned East Turkestan Independent Movement, which largely operates from China's Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan. It is suspected that Wali has entered Pakistan from China.

China asked Pakistan to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in Pakistan.

It has also asked Pakistan to "arrest the terrorist and hand over to us (China) as soon as possible".

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry and the Chinese embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.
Washington: United States President Donald Trump is expected to pressure China`s president when they meet next month in Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea out of a belief that Xi Jinping`s consolidation of power should give him more authority to do so.

Trump leaves Nov. 3 on a trip that will take him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. It will be his first tour of Asia since taking power in January and one with a major priority:

Preventing the standoff with North Korea from spiraling out of control.

Xi is immersed in a Communist Party Congress expected to culminate in him consolidating his control and potentially retaining power beyond 2022, when the next Congress takes place.

Trump believes that Xi should have even more leverage to work on the North Korea problem.

The presidents view is you have even less of an excuse now, said one official. Hes not going to step lightly.

Trump wants to gain some serious cooperation from China to persuade Pyongyang to either change its mind or help deprive it of so much resources that it has no choice but to alter its behavior, the official said.

Trump has heaped praise on Xi in recent weeks in hopes of gaining Chinese cooperation and has held back from major punitive trade measures.

In an interview with Fox Business Network`s Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants to "keep things very, very low key" with Xi until the Chinese leader emerges from the party congress.

"I believe he`s got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea. We`ll see what happens. Now with that being said, we`re prepared for anything. We are so prepared, like you wouldn't believe," Trump said in the interview, to air on Sunday.

Trump has traded bitter insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, using his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month to dismiss Kim as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission for his repeated nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. He said if threatened, the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea.

Kim in recent weeks said the United States would face an "unimaginable strike" from North Korea if provoked.

CIA chief Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that North Korea could be only months away from gaining the ability to hit the United States with nuclear weapons.
Madrid: Nearly 1,200 companies of all sizes have shifted their legal headquarters out of Catalonia to other parts of Spain since the region held a banned independence referendum, Spain's commercial registrar said on Friday.

Between October 2, the day after the contested vote, and October 19 a total of 1,185 companies have relocated hoping to minimise instability, according to figures published by the Commercial Registries of Spain.

The peak was reached yesterday as 268 companies shifted their headquarters out of Catalonia.

Spain's central government announced that day that it would start seizing some of the Catalan regional government's powers after the region's leader declared he could declare independence.

During these three weeks only 52 companies set up shop in Catalonia, a region that accounts for about one-fifth of Spain's economic output and is home to around half a million firms.

The companies that have moved their headquarters include listed firms such as CaixaBank, Spain's third largest lender, and Gas Natural as well as medium as medium-sized firms such as food group Idilia Foods.

A survey by a Catalan association for small and medium sized businesses, Pimec, found that around 1,300 companies that employ up to 250 people have decided to move they legal headquarters out of

Catalonia without necessarily having started the administrative formalities.

About 35 per cent of the companies it surveyed said the crisis over Catalonia independence push has had a negative economic impact on them and 19 per cent said they have frozen their investments or intend to do so.

About two percent of the companies said they had changed banks in recent weeks, without specifying if it was from a bank based in Catalonia to one elsewhere in Spain.

While there have been calls on social media in Spain for a boycott of Catalan products, such as cava sparkling wine, the head of Pimec, Josep Gonzalez, said during an interview with private television

Antena 3 such campaigns "are not desirable for anyone".

"Catalonia supplies goods to Spain, but Spain also buys, or sells, to Catalonia," he added.

Products made in Catalonia include a "significant percentage" of materials that are bought in other regions of Spain," he said.

"If we enter in a dynamic of boycott, it will hurt us all," Gonzalez said.

Spain's central government has slashed its economic growth forecast for 2018 to 2.3 per cent because of the uncertainty sparked by Catalonia's independence drive.
Santiago: International experts announced Friday that Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer, but could not conclusively determine if he was assassinated by late dictator Augusto Pinochet`s regime.

Neruda, a celebrated poet, politician, diplomat and bohemian, died in 1973 aged 69, just days after Pinochet, then the head of the Chilean army, overthrew Socialist president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup.

The writer, who was also a prominent member of the Chilean Communist party, had been preparing to flee into exile in Mexico to lead the resistance against Pinochet`s regime.

He died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

The subsequent death of former president Eduardo Frei at the same clinic, where he had come for a routine operation, reinforced the thesis that Neruda was murdered.

"The (death) certificate does not reflect the real cause of death," Aurelio Luna said at a news conference on behalf of a panel of experts, referring to the official explanation that cancer killed the famed writer.

The group of 16 experts from Canada, Denmark, the US, Spain and Chile, 12 of whom worked in Santiago while the rest worked from abroad, could neither confirm nor rule out the hypothesis that Neruda was murdered.

"We do not have that definitive conclusion, we do not have the determination that there was indeed intervention of third parties," said investigating Judge Mario Carroza, who is handling the case.

The experts discovered bacteria that is already being studied in labs in Canada and Denmark, and could offer more insight into the cause of Neruda`s death.

"We are waiting to precisely establish the origin and whether it is bacteria that comes from a

laboratory, modified and cultivated for the purpose of use as a biological weapon," Luna said.

Following the exhumation of Neruda`s remains in 2013, studies in Chile and abroad discovered Staphylococcus aureus, a highly-infections bacteria that can be lethal, but not conclusive evidence that it was the cause of death.

The investigation began in 2011 after Manuel Araya, Neruda`s former driver and personal assistant, claimed that he was given a mysterious injection in his chest just before he died.

"Neruda was assassinated," Araya told AFP in 2013.

His assertion is supported by the Neruda family, which maintains a lawsuit seeking to clarify the circumstances of Neruda`s death.

Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years, installed a regime that killed some 3,200 leftist activists and other suspected opponents.

He died in 2006 at age 91 without ever being convicted for the crimes committed by his regime.

Neruda won the Nobel prize in 1971 "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent`s destiny and dreams," in the words of the award committee.

He is remembered especially for his sensual, longing love poems.
Mogadishu: Somalia's information minister says the death toll has risen to 358 in the country's worst- ever attack.

Abdirahman Osman says 56 people are still missing from Saturday's truck bombing on a busy street in Mogadishu.

Another 228 people were wounded. Thousands gathered at the attack site today to pray.

Somalia's government has blamed the bombing on extremist group al-Shabab, which has not commented.

Thousands of anguished Somalis have gathered to pray at the site of the country's deadliest attack and to mourn the hundreds of victims.

A sheikh leading the prayers says that "this pain will last for years." More than 300 people were killed and nearly 400 wounded in Saturday's truck bombing, with scores missing.

Long lines of mourners stand in front of bombed-out buildings.

Somalia's government has blamed the al-Shabab extremist group for the attack.

The US military says it carried out a drone strike this week against al-Shabab in Somalia, shortly after the extremist group was blamed for the country's deadliest attack.

The US Africa Command tells The Associated Press that the strike occurred Monday about 35 miles (56 kilometres) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. The US says it is still assessing the results.

Saturday's truck bombing in Mogadishu killed more than 300 people and wounded nearly 400 others.

The US has carried out several drone strikes in the Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against the group early this year.

Al-Shabab has not commented on the truck bombing, which Somali intelligence officials say was meant to target Mogadishu's heavily fortified international airport. Several countries have embassies there.
Madrid: Spain took drastic measures today to stop Catalonia from breaking away, announcing it will move to dismiss the region's separatist government and call fresh elections.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional ministers -- who sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum -- will be stripped of their jobs, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.

Puigdemont's threat to declare a breakaway state "has been unilateral, contrary to the law, and seeking confrontation," said Rajoy, announcing measures that could give the central government direct control over Catalonia's police force and allow for its public media chiefs to be replaced.

Elections for the semi-autonomous region must be called within six months, he added, with Spain's national ministries to take over the jobs of Puigdemont and his team in the meantime.

Tens of thousands of independence supporters have gathered in the tense regional capital Barcelona, with Puigdemont, joining the crowds, due to give his response at 9:00 PM (2100 GMT).

The measures must now pass through the Senate - a process that will take about a week - but Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority there and his efforts to prevent a break-up of Spain have the backing of other major parties.

Catalan government number two Oriol Junqueras reacted furiously, posting on his Twitter account: "Today the PP and its allies have not only suspended autonomy, they have suspended democracy."

And though she opposes the independence drive, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau also deplored the decision, tweeting: "Rajoy has suspended the self-government of Catalonia for which so many people fought. A serious attack on the rights and freedoms of everyone."

Autonomy is a highly sensitive issue in Catalonia, which saw its powers taken away under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

Home to 7.5 million people, the wealthy northeastern region fiercely defends its language and culture and enjoys control over its policing, education and healthcare.

Under Article 155 of Spain's constitution, Madrid has the power to wrest back control of rebellious regions, but it has never used them before.

Rajoy said he had been left with no choice following Puigdemont's refusal to drop his threat to declare independence based on the results of the October 1 referendum, which had been ruled unconstitutional.

"This was neither our desire nor our intention," Rajoy said.

"We are applying Article 155 because the government of a democratic country cannot accept that the law is ignored."

Allowing 54 days for campaigning, new elections would fall in mid-June at the latest.

Separatists of all political stripes, from Puigdemont's conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last elections in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.

Prosecutors said day they would take mop-haired former journalist Puigdemont to court for "rebellion" if he makes any attempt to declare independence, a crime punishable with up to 30 years in jail.

Independence supporters in Barcelona have been gathering for a rally urging the release of two influential separatist activists, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, who are being held on sedition charges.

But Madrid's decision was on the minds of many as the crowds grew.

"I feel totally outraged and extremely sad," said Meritxell Agut, a 22-year-old banker.

"They've trampled on our rights and our ideas as Catalans," she told AFP, adding: "They can destroy everything they want but we'll keep on fighting."

The president of Barcelona FC, one of the world's best- known symbols of Catalan identity, threw his weight behind the region's institutions.

"We must reiterate our absolute support for the democratic institutions of Catalonia chosen by its people," Josep Maria Bartomeu said, urging a "civil and peaceful" reaction to Rajoy's decision.

Puigdemont says 90 per cent backed independence in the referendum, but turnout was 43 per cent as many Catalans who back unity stayed away while others were hindered from voting by a police crackdown.

Catalonia is roughly evenly split over whether to break away from Spain, according to polls, with supporters saying the region pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing that it is stronger as part of a bigger country.

Two weeks of political limbo have already taken a toll on one of Spain's most important regional economies, with nearly 1,200 companies shifting their legal headquarters elsewhere in a bid to minimise the instability.
Barcelona: The Spanish government moved to activate a previously untapped constitutional article today so it can take control of Catalonia, illustrating its determination to derail the independence movement led by separatist politicians in the prosperous industrial region.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Cabinet was meeting to outline the scope and timing of the measures the government plans to take under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution.

The section allows central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law.

It's never been used since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, but Rajoy's conservative government says establishing direct control over Catalonia was a move of last resort.

The goal is "the return to legality and the recovery of institutional normalcy," the prime minister said yesterday.

Rajoy could force the removal of Catalan officials and call early regional elections for as soon as January.

Such actions are expected to spark angry opposition from supporters of independence and moderate Catalans who will see them as an attack on their autonomy.

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials claimed a disputed independence referendum held October 1 gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the controversial referendum.

The court's website appeared to be offline today and a spokeswoman said it had been affected by vandalism of unknown origin.

Spain's National Security Department had warned of potential digital vandalism yesterday and said slogans supporting independence for Catalonia had popped up on a number of government websites.

The Constitutional Court spokeswoman today said only the court's website was not working and no internal information was compromised. She requested anonymity in line with internal rules.

The referendum vote itself was marred by sporadic violence as police took action to shut down some polling locations.

The central government says the results have no legitimacy.

Opposition parties have agreed to support the prime minister in revoking Catalonia's autonomy as a way to thwart the independence drive.

Although the ruling Popular Party has a strong enough majority to get the specific measures passed by the country's Senate, Rajoy has rallied the support of the opposition to give his government's actions more weight.
New Delhi: Growing Indo-US ties may well be making Beijing slightly jittery. With US secretary of state Rex Tillerson appreciating India's efforts for a global rule-based order and accused China of "at times" undermining the same order, China has been harping on Asian solidarity to counter Western 'agenda'.

Tillerson, who will visit India next week, said recently at a the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington that China acted outside international conventions - citing the South China Sea dispute as an example. US President Donald Trump's top diplomat also emphasised on the growing partnership with India and said the leaders of the two counties are committed to building a lasting friendship. In return, MEA appreciated Tillerson's comments. "We appreciate his positive evaluation of the relationship and share his optimism about its future directions," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The growing bond between India and US though has left China feeling the heat. On Thursday, Beijing hit back and accused US of being biased. "We hope the US side can look at China`s development and role in the international community in an objective way, and abandon its biased views of China," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.



On Saturday, an article in the state-run Global Times went a step further and described Indo-US ties as 'more symbolic than substantial.' Harping on China's efforts to develop the region into an economic hub courtesy its controversial Belt and Road initiative, the report said Washington has a habit of creating pawns. "Beijing is never against the US and India upgrading their relationship, but opposes any move that targets China. That only escalates tensions in the region and exposes the White House's calculated ruse to make as many nations as possible into pawns."

Interestingly, it is China that may be making pawns in international circles with its growing proximity to Pakistan. Security and defence experts mostly agree that Beijing sees Islamabad as a strong counterweight to India's rise. It is also China that has repeatedly attempted to throw a blanket on terrorism emanating from within Pakistan - going to the extent of advising India to not focus on Pakistani terrorism. It has also repeatedly blocked India's bid to get UN to deem Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.



Apart from its rather suspect outlook towards South Asia, China's neighbourly relations elsewhere too are rather fragile. The South China Sea dispute with a number of countries has shown Beijing's high-handed approach while its reluctance to pull in North Korea - a volatile nuclear state - has been questioned as well.

Under these circumstances, India's move to build closer ties with US, conduct military drills with Russia, increase bilateral trade with Japan etc are mostly always seen in China as India's bid to counter it rather than a country's bold move on the path of development, prosperity and ensuring its security and sovereignty.
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenias delegation led by minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan arrived in Belarus on October 19 to take part in the 13th session of Armenian-Belarusian intergovernmental joint commission on economic cooperation in Minsk, press service of the ministry told Armenpress.

During the visit minister Suren Karayan and agriculture minister of Armenia Ignati Arakelyan met with Belarusian minister of economy Vladimir Zinovskiy.

At the meeting the officials said the trade turnover volumes of the two countries are not in line with the actual potential of the two states. A special focus was attached on the cooperation with the third countries within the EAEU and the export to the third countries. The sides also discussed the cooperation opportunities within the Meghri free economic zone.

During the meeting with minister of industry of Belarus Vitali Vovk, issues relating to the transportation, agricultural technique produced in Belarus and supplied to Armenia were discussed. The meeting agenda also touched upon the issue of organizing Armenian-Belarusian business forum which will promote the bilateral economic ties.

The Armenian ministers also met with Belarus minister of agriculture and food Leonid Zayats during which they discussed certain issues relating to bilateral cooperation.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Photos of Mercedes car on the streets of Baku appeared in Azerbaijani media behind which a magnet of Armenian flag is attached, the Azerbaijani media report.

The car caused a mess among Azerbaijanis.

The car owner said he didnt know the meaning of the symbol and that it was the Armenian flag.

The law enforcement agencies launched investigation over the case.
STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. During the period from October 15 to 21 the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact by firing more than 2300 shots mainly from small arms at the Armenian positions, the Artsakh defense ministry told Armenpress.

The Defense Army forces control the situation in the frontline and take necessary measures to organize the reliable protection of military posts.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. After the April war it became more obvious that it is impossible to solve the Karabakh conflict by force, Andrey Areshev - expert at the Centre for the Central Asia and Caucasus Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences, told reporters, reports Armenpress.

And this must be clear to all those who loudly announce that this path still exists. The mediators have repeatedly stated that there cannot be a military solution. The experts, including those of Russia, state that unlike other conflicts in post-Soviet space, this is the case when Russia, US and Europe in the face of France are working more or less coordinated, the expert said.

He said Armenia has repeatedly stated that it is ready to pass its part of the path, but it is possible to reach any mutual concession decision only in case of good will demonstrated by all sides.

Andrey Areshev said no military action in the border should remain without a response.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on October 21 convened a consultation aimed at discussing the process of preparation works of three major events to be held in Armenia in 2018  the Francophonie summit, 100th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia and May heroic battles, as well as the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

Earlier according to the Presidents decrees, commissions have been created aimed at organizing the preparation works of these events, their personal staffs have been approved and the commissions were given instructions.

During the consultation President Sargsyan said these three events are very important and they must be held without any shortcomings at highest organizational level. In fact, the Francophonie summit is going to be the major event in Armenia since its independence with the participation of heads of Francophonie state, numerous high-ranking delegations. It is expected that more than 100 delegations and up to 50 heads of state will attend the summit. This is a great event, and its smooth organization must testify the establishment of our state bodies, the President said.

Foreign minister Edward Nalbandian, deputy chairman of the commission created by the Presidents decree, reported on the preparation works of the Francophonie summit which will be held in Yerevan on October 11-12, 2018, as well as on the implementation process of instructions tasked by the President.

Defense minister Vigen Sargsyan, deputy chairman of the commission, reported on the preparation works of event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia and the May heroic battles.

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, deputy chairman of the next commission, reported on the preparation works of the events dedicated to the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan.

President Serzh Sargsyan tasked to sum up all proposals received from concerned bodies within two weeks and submit the detailed plans of events.

The President also gave certain instructions over the organizational works.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Based on the investigation results a number of details have been revealed over the death of solder Aram S. Khachatryan (born in 1998), the Investigative Committee of Armenia told Armenpress.

The soldier received a gunshot wound on October 20, at 12:40, in one of the military units. He has died on the way to hospital.

The investigation results revealed that soldier Aram Khachatryan has become a victim of a murder, the person who committed the crime has been identified.

Soldier of the same military unit, junior sergeant has been arrested in suspicion of murder.

On October 20, according to preliminary reports, Defense Army soldiers Aram S. Khachatryan (born in 1998) and Hrach A. Avetisyan (born in 1997) received fatal gunshot wounds as a result of violating the rules of arms use.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The practice of selling large-scale weapons to Azerbaijan is not right: it doesnt contribute to strengthening Russias role in the South Caucasus, Andrey Areshev - expert at the Centre for the Central Asia and Caucasus Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences, told a press conference in ARMENPRESS.

I have repeatedly said this, also through Russian media. I express my own opinion. I have said this several years ago, but I am also ready to say it now, the expert said.

He said Russia is quite a complex country which has a complex decision-making system.

Obviously, there are facts that contribute to the implementation of such deals: something that I react negatively, he said.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. No precipitation is expected in Armenia on October 22-26, the emergency situations ministry told Armenpress.

Air temperature will increase by 2-3 degrees on October 24-26.
LOS ANGELESIt was at the 2015 Hookie Awards in New York where NakedSword director mr. Pam recalls meeting Viktor Belmont for the first timean introduction that both somehow knew would prove meaningful.

The next night a bunch of us went over to Black Party and he came with usI remember flirting with Viktor, and he was all about the guys, all about the dick, mr. Pam says with a laugh.

They kept in touch, and their paths would soon cross again when she was hired to do some nightlife photography at Midnight Sun, a popular gay bar in San Francisco where Belmont was dancing.

He was so much fun to photographjust knows his angles, and hes not afraid of the camera. He was in a jockstrap showing off his stuff, it was really hot. I was like, God damn, youre amazing! Id love to shoot you sometime!

That sometime is now. When NakedSword realized an upcoming release was perfect for Halloween season, it really opened up concepts and casts and to do something a little less traditional. So I got with my best friend Leo Fortewho is also an excellent writer and camera guy. Hes in love with American Horror Story, so we started going over some creepy conceptsghosts, sex with loved ones who have passed away, cemeteries and all this stuff. And all of a sudden, Viktor came to mind.

The result is Devils Deal & Other Sordid Tales, which released in mid-October and also stars Justin Brody, Casey Jacks, Gabriel Alanzo, Jonah Fontana, Leo Luckett, Pheonix Fellington, River Elliott and Ruckus XXX.

mr. Pam has been there for me since day one, says Belmont. When we first met, she immediately showed me warmth. She told me how she wanted to cast me in something. This was years ago. I then, out of the blue, got an email from her about a shoot that she thought I'd be great for. She kept her word, and we both knew the gravity of the situation. I was a gay man, I shot previous porn before, I'm a very easy performer to work with and I fit the bill for casting. I also happen to be trans.

And while it might seem surprising in this day and age, by accounts it seems to mark the first time in 12 years that a trans performer has appeared in a big production from a major gay studiofollowing in the footsteps of Buck Angel, who was featured in Titans Cirque Noir in 2005.

I generally like to do movies that reflect what Im seeing in the gay community. About 10 to 15 years ago, I was dating more women, and a lot of the butches started to transition from F2M, and it was awesome and hotbut then they all kind of started dating each other, laughs mr. Pam.

Fast forward to now, and I feel like I have two personalitiesI have my dyke side, and then my gay boy faggot side. And all of a sudden, my gay boys are talking about trans guys. Trans guys are more in the clubs, theyre go-go dancing, theyre on Grindr, and my best friends are hooking up with trans guys. Im like, whoa! My worlds are suddenly combining, and my gay guy friends are totally into it. It was just adorable to hear the language thats coming out, like, Oh, I just fucked him in his bonus hole, because gay guys dont like to say pussy.

The director thought of Justin Brody as a potential scene mate, and asked him what he thought.

He said, I actually just started following Viktor on Twitter, I think hes super hot. Ive never been with a trans guy before, but Im totally open to it, I would love to do that. I then asked Viktor if he was comfortable with Justinand if he could take that big dickand hes like, Definitely! They were both totally into it.

The director says they wrote a fun script and started shooting in the Dolores Park cemetery. Brody conducts a seance, and all of a sudden Belmont pulls him out of the cemetery into another world with challenges of sensual desires.

The shoot was a joy. mr. Pam, Leo and Stratten all were so good at making me feel comfortable. Their energy was so fun, and the cadence of production was amazing. And of course, how could I forget my scene partner? Justin Brody is a dream. Sweet, sensitive, sensual. I popped his trans boy cherry and showed him exactly what I could bring to the table. I think you'll find our chemistry pretty electric, Belmont shares.

Justin was quiet when I first met him. Tall, lean, scruffy face and bright eyes. His hands were strong and his voice was soft. I could tell we came from a similar place. We chatted as Leo did our makeup and mr. Pam ran down our shot list.

Belmont recalls the introduction perfectly as if it were its own film, one enhanced by their surroundings.

San Francisco has this beautiful afternoon light that streams through old, warped windows of Bay Area two bedrooms. It makes someone look almost angelic. I could hear the hustle and bustle of Castro Street as he inked in signatures on tax forms and release papers. He was bathing in sunlight. I knew I was staring. He didn't seem to mind, and I think I saw a smile crawl onto his handsome face as we made small talk. From that moment on, I wanted to feel every inch of his skin and devour him whole. Working with Justin left me reeling. I still think about his kiss, and my breath catches in my chest when I scroll past his posts on Instagram.

mr. Pam says Belmont embraced the dark tone of the project.

Viktor actually is really rough in the scene. He kind of beats him up at the beginning. Im like, Okay, can we stop for a minute? Justin, are you okay? she laughs. The phrase topping from the bottom definitely came into play with that scene. It was awesome. It was a beautiful day and a hot scene. Viktor is one of those really talented sex performers that you dont come across that often.

The director says the best porn is always marked by an amazing energy with performers who are really into each other, and natural, pure fuckingwhich this scene really was. Sometimes its really frustrating when theres a scene where the guys are cast because theyre beautiful, but theyre not sexual. Theyre not into each other, the whole scene is a bitch to shoot, and then that gets more views than something like this one, which was just very natural. I had a great time, and I was so turned onwhich sometimes Im not.

If it was up to mr. Pam, she would cast more trans performers more oftenand she hopes this film is the start of a bigger movement. She credits NakedSword CEO Tim Valenti with letting her run with the project.

I definitely think its giving more visibility to the niche sites like Bonus Hole Boys and Jock Pussy. Theyre getting a lot more mainstream play. And NakedSword, we have a really wide variety of content, which I love. I would definitely hope to shoot Viktor again, and I just found out about Luke Hudson, and theres also another guy, Billy Castro, whos been around in our community forever and is a big F2M porn star. I would definitely like to open it up, or maybe even do an entire movie with trans guys.

For Belmont, it would be an opportunity to embrace.

I'd love to shoot more! he says. I want nothing more than to be given the opportunity to work. I love what I do.
LAS VEGASCreators of the Tremor, referred to as the Rock and Roll sex toy, are set to participate in two live cam demonstrations of the products this weekend.

At 3 p.m. EDT Real Time Bondage will present the wild Luna LaVey in a BDSM live broadcast featuring the Tremor; then at 10:30 p.m. EDT the Tremor will be featured on Rocket XXX Radio show hosted by Julie Rocket live from Las Vegas.

Real Time Bondage, a member of the InSex.com network, has featured The Tremor only once before in a live broadcast which featured Ashley Lane tied to The Tremor and forced to orgasm. The Tremor portion of the scene is available on The Tremor PornHub channel here. The broadcast on Oct. 21 will feature the amazing Luna LaVey starting at 3 p.m. Eastern. The live broadcast is free to members of the website, for membership information click here. The Tremor portion of the scene will later be available on the Tremor PornHub channel.

The Rocket Radio show broadcasting on the DemonSeed Radio Network will feature the Tremor live from The Studios Social Club in Las Vegas on Oct. 21; the show starts at 10:30 p.m. Eastern/7:30 p.m. Pacific.

Were very excited for this weekend to showcase The Tremor in these two very differently focused genres, said Pete Housley VP of Naughty Business. This is The Tremor second broadcast with our friends at Real Time Bondage; the first broadcast was mind blowing and we cant wait to see what happens when Luna LaVey encounters the Tremor. Were equally excited to be invited on the Rocket XXX Radio show broadcasting from The Studio here in Las Vegas. The lifestyles community has a great love for products like The Tremor and were excited to be able to let them experience the Rock and Roll features of The Tremor.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
No department of political theory ought to be obligated to establish "a plurality of methodologies and perspectives" by appointing a professor of Nazi political philosophy, if that philosophy is not deemed a reasonable scholarly option within the discipline of political theory.

For a few years in the mid-2000s, David Horowitz was one of the most prominent figures on the campus scene. He didn't have a PhD and he didn't belong to any discipline or department.He was, instead, a hard left activist in the 1960s and part of Black Panther leader Huey Newton's inner circle. Then, after breaking with the Panthers, Horowitz authored his memoir Radical Son, and founded the Center for the Study of Popular Culture (now the Freedom Center ).None of those activities made it onto the radar of academics in the 1990s and just after the turn of the century. Few professors at that time paid much attention to intellectual discourse outside their fields and criticism of the academic enterprise at large. If they came across Horowitz's name and read that he disliked the shift of the humanities toward political matters or that he was a militant Sixties socialist who'd gone over to the Right in middle age, that was enough for them to ignore him.For most of his post-left adulthood, Horowitz had aimed his criticisms at radical politics and ideas generally. He knew that the New Left in the Sixties found the campus a congenial place for protest and utopianism, but it didn't seem to have triumphed there all that much in the following decades. In the 1990s, however, he began focusing more and more on higher education as a particularly vulnerable spot.By 2005, Horowitz was in the education press all the time and speaking on campuses everywhere. The Left could no longer ignore him.For my own part, I witnessed identity and sexuality studies burgeon in the humanities in the late-1980s and thought at the time that nobody outside their little coterie would ever pay attention to them. Other conservative critics of academia laughed about how the humanities in the 1980s and 1990s had become the place where failed Marxist visions settled down to die.David Horowitz thought otherwise.The leftist notions that had lost out in public life (for example, that socialism would work beautifully if only the right people were in power) retired to the quad where tenured radicals could reiterate them to rising generations who didn't know of their record of ineffectiveness. There, Horowitz believed, the professors sent half-educated graduates into society who were enthusiastic about progressive reform and identity politics. Certain zones of the campus (especially the humanities and the various "studies" programs) had become indoctrination centers. If they weren't curbed, the political errors of the past would be repeated in the present.And so Horowitz started his campaign for the Academic Bill of Rights, which was centered on the fate of students who had resisted this indoctrination and were punished for it.When I first heard about it, I'd been tracking Horowitz for several years, trying to figure out why the critiques of this rogue intellectual fit my experience of academia, which often left me baffled. I had been accustomed to the college campus as a liberal/left enclave in American life for so long that I couldn't quite understand how odd that situation is. How could Berkeley, Amherst, Tulane, and Ohio State be zones of progressive change when they aimed to be prestigious, selective, superior institutions?My colleagues talked all the time, too, about teaching other cultures and traditions, fresh perspectives, and critical thinking.was the command. But it took no special insight to see that most of the university doesn't work this way.The "challenge conventional ideas" routine was just that, a routine, a conventional anti-conventionalism, a set and stable anti-foundationalism. And how could it not become so after a few years of practice and the novelty wore off?Horowitz helped me realize that an institution dominated by liberal norms and ideas, but functioning in conservative ways, puts leftist professors in an impossible position. They want a better future-more diversity, fewer bars to personal fulfillment-but they must sustain and repeat an aging past of critical theory while working for a business that, in their own opinion, grows ever more "corporate" and utilitarian.Nobody wants to give up a tenured post, though. The perks and pay are too nice. So they try to accommodate both obligations-the progressive dreams and professional duties. They instruct the young in old things, yes, but at least they're iconoclastic and progressive old things. They work in the special zones of exclusive schools, but at least they can turn parts of the acreage into safe spaces and reserves for marginalized identities. They inhabit one of the most hierarchical habitats on earth, but that doesn't stem the egalitarian, anti-discrimination talk at all.As a result, you can't pin them down. One of the great frustrations over the years has been to watch libertarians and conservatives catch them in one inconsistency and contradiction after another-for instance, their steady insistence on diversity at the same time that conservatives have disappeared from their ranks-and believe they have scored serious hits in academic and public debate. But nothing changes. Liberal professors just shrug and go back to work.This is why the affair of the Academic Bill of Rights is illuminating and deserves to be remembered. Happily for us, Horowitz assembles the story in his just-published volume, The Left in the Universities.When he crafted the campaign, Horowitz never assumed that strong arguments against leftist praxis would accomplish anything. When a good portion of academic belief follows from postmodern axioms against objectivity and rationality, one can't expect academics easily to accept evidence that disconfirms their dogmas.I was once on a national committee setting standards for high school English, and when it came time to draft canons of logic, one member objected, stating that all logical arguments unfold within political contexts. In other words, cogent premises, justified conclusions, and reliable data only go so far. There is always a bigger picture to consider. The consequences of an argument are more important than its validity.The story Horowitz tells in The Left in the Universities is a case study in this "situational" way of thinking and acting. In response to reports of liberal professors bullying conservative and libertarian students, Horowitz had drafted the Bill and set about pressing states and institutions across the country to adopt it. The remarkable element in the narrative is not the document itself, which Horowitz modeled on AAUP principles, nor was it his campaign tactics, which resembled dozens of other left and right advocacy projects.Instead, as he recounts again and again, it was the underhanded, smearing way in which the faculty and administrators went on the counterattack.One episode is exemplary. When Horowitz sent a draft of the Bill to the AAUP for comment and revision, his contacts there ignored him and stonewalled before finally issuing a statement on their website, not to Horowitz himself. They called itThe AAUP especially objected to the demand that schoolsBut, Horowitz countered in his reply,The AAUP also accused the Bill of allowing or, rather, asking for the representation of despicable opinions in classrooms. The actual text of the Bill, however, only requires that schoolsIt is clear from the document that the methodologies and perspectives must meet academic standards; for instance, teaching economics not just from a Marxist perspective but including libertarian and other common, respectable positions as well.But the AAUP distorted this academic plurality into an immoral free-for-all:As Horowitz notes, this was not a misunderstanding. It was an Orwellian accusation. It raises a fantastical prospect ("we must hire a Nazi") in order to sweep the Bill of Rights off the table.The AAUP had no interest in engaging Horowitz. It only aimed to discredit him, and if that meant distorting the plain sense of the document, so be it.There are many more instances of anti-intellectual, anti-academic behavior in The Left in the Universities. Every academic who engages with administrators and colleagues on matters of curriculum and funding and campus events should read it. The essays contained in it date from a decade and more ago, but they display the particular talent Horowitz brought to academic politics in those early years of the century.He identified the issues that caught the faculty in the acute contradictions outlined above, and he devised reforms that led them to expose their double-dealing professional lives so absurdly that one couldn't regard them as responsible, thoughtful people anymore.Horowitz quotes a letter from a Smith College professor who scoffed at his insistence that the classroom not become a site of indoctrination.When Horowitz sits in on a general political science course on industrial societies at Bates College and asks the teacher why she has only one assigned text, an anthology of cultural Marxism, the teacher replies,No allegation of leftist tyranny in the classroom by a conservative or classical liberal is as damning as the words of the professors themselves that Horowitz provoked.
Universities have by and large rendered themselves unable to be policed-sometimes quite literally-and that has not gone unnoticed by the legislators who fund them.Wisconsin's Campus Free Speech Act is just the latest attempt by states to impose some order on institutions by compelling their colleges and universities to take free speech seriously. Thus far, North Carolina is the only state to have enacted it, although several other states have passed less comprehensive free speech legislation.The bill, AB 299, is modeled on draft legislation put forward by the Goldwater Institute. It was passed by the State Assembly in the spring and is, along with a competing bill, currently in committee in the Senate.Predictably, AB 299 has its detractors. Some of them point out the dubiety of government officials telling universities how to conduct their business . State Representative Terese Berceau of Madison attacked the crisis of campus speech as anand disagreed thatAnother, more virulent criticism of the bill comes from Scot Ross, executive director of the leftist group One Wisconsin Now. He stated that the Republican sponsors of the bill "want to make our campuses safe spaces for Republicans to be free of criticism and subject students to sanctions if they speak out." That is simply false, but indicative of the heated rhetoric the Left is using against the bill.But for other Wisconsin citizens, particularly those purportedly served by these institutions, the question about the bill is not "Why?" but "What took so long?"With the exception of Governor Scott Walker's notorious passage of Act 10, which limited the collective bargaining rights of public employees and has, according to Forbes writer Patrick Gleason, saved taxpayers billions of dollars, the state has only tinkered at the margins of higher education reform.Act 10 was followed four years later by the removal of tenure from state statute , meaning that the law would no longer require state universities to have tenure. The most noticeable effect was that UW lost the distinction of being the only system in the country to have tenure protected by law. The authority to set tenure policy, as it does virtually everywhere else, now lies with the Board of Regents, which has affirmed its commitment to maintaining tenure protections.Nevertheless, the legislation led to ineffectual resistance from the Left. Protesters showed up at events brandishing placards that read "Get Politics Out of Education," hardly the right message to garner sympathy for an embattled professoriate.And so, while the free speech bill should not come as a surprise to observers of higher education in the state, institutions within the system have done precious little to dispute its need.Controversy heated up late last year when a UW-Madison course called "The Problem of Whiteness" was thrust into the spotlight after its instructor launched a series of celebratory tweets over the murders of three Dallas police officers. In response, a number of lawmakers, invoking their duty to oversee the prudent management of taxpayer dollars, threatened to withhold funding if the course was not canceled.They also called, albeit a bit faintly, for the offending professor to be fired. That was never going to happen, but it perhaps served as a shot across the bow in the war over the limits of academic freedom and the extension of speech rights outside the context of academe. From an institutional standpoint, it merely allowed the university to assert its commitment to defending the social media rantings of its faculty.Then, in March 2017, Governor Walker's biannual budget initially included a provision-later removed-that would have allowed students to opt out of paying allocable student fees. The rationale was that such fees are being increasingly used to fund student organizations and activities with a decidedly leftist bent. The centerpiece for the opposition was perhaps Madison's "Sex Out Loud" program, but other events across the system covered by these fees, such as UW-La Crosse's "Drag Show" would have done just as well.The bigger problem, however, is that these and other measures are largely symbolic and would do little to ameliorate the problem of the ideological monoculture that persists on Wisconsin's campuses.Student fees are indeed objectionable, but they constitute only a minute fraction of a student's total outlay. And interference with curricular matters, even those treating tendentious and divisive subjects like whiteness, is ultimately antithetical to the reforms these initiatives seek to enact. College administrators have already amassed a fair degree of control over instruction, and anyone seeking true academic freedom, especially those who might deviate from campus orthodoxy, should be wary of adding another layer of oversight. Political winds tend to shift.However, what critics of reforms like these fail to acknowledge is that legislative meddling has all along enabled higher education's thorough politicization, particularly during the Obama years when Democrats imposed numerous mandates on colleges and universities. It is natural to expect this impulse to cross party lines.Such are the stakes of partisanship. To wit, once universities unblinkingly accepted the "guidance" offered by the Office for Civil Rights, it became disingenuous to suggest that measures constraining activism or threatening to pull federal funding, as President Trump did after the Berkeley riot, are beyond the pale.The argument might be made that an institution's student conduct policies should preclude legislative mandates or at least render them superfluous. UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas indeed made that case , asserting the importance of thewhile invokingYet how well that process and other related policies have served our institutions is debatable.In December of 2015, the Wisconsin Board of Regents adopted a policy similar to that put forward by the Committee on Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago. The Regents made clear the university's commitment to free speech, and academic freedom, and that people who violate those freedoms can expect punishment.Not quite a year after passage of this policy statement, though, protesters, abetted by UW police and administrators, disrupted a speech by Ben Shapiro by blocking the stage and yelling "safety" ad infinitum. They left after a period of time, but surely such disruptions cannot be the price of hosting speakers the Left feels to be offensive.The university, in a statement after the event, reminded everyone that itIt also ambivalently expressed disappointmentIt is telling that the statement refuses to specify which attendees it is referring to.For now, we might begin exploring alternative means for allowing speech that challenges current orthodoxy.This past May, Charles Murray spoke at the private Madison Club for the first "Disinvited Dinner" hosted by UW-Madison's Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy. A closed forum such as this has the advantage of actually taking place, since the establishment where the event takes place can control who is admitted. However, as Murray himself noted , the format inhibits the kind of free and open exchange that was once the hallmark of liberal education.In the absence of institutional seriousness in addressing crises like that of free speech, this presently seems like a desirable option. But unless and until our public universities find seriousness, we will have politicians intervening in higher education.
Czech Deputy PM Babis wants to take Czechia out of the EU integration process

22. 4. 2017

cas cteni 1 minuta



Andrej Babis, Czech Finance Secretary, Deputy PM and a powerful oligarch wants to take the Czech Republic out of the EU integration process and intends to move the country to the periphery of the European Union. Babis does not want the Czech Republic to accept the euro and wants to abolish most of the EU subsidies, which, over the past ten years, have formed a third of all the government investment. Babis is particularly irritated by the EU programmes which finance re-qualification for employees and the unemployed. Many of the "soft" EU programmes are nonsensical, says Babis. "There is no need for schooling and re-qualification programmes since the Czech Republic has the lowest unemployment in Europe," says Babis. "It is a pity we have no say over how to use the EU subsidies. We need material investment. The Czech Republic suffers from a large investment deficit."



"I reject the immigration policy of the European Union. We want to have our own immigration policy, which must be quite different from the immigration policy of other countries. We ourselves must be able to say who will be able to work in this country or to whom we will give humanitarian aid. Each state has its own interest, we must fight for Czech national interests. We do not want the multicultural model."



Other Czech government politicians have warned that Babis must not jeopardise further European integration, but it is very likely that Babis and his "ANO" movement will win the general election which will take place in the Czech Republic in October 2017.



Source in Czech HERE

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Power struggle in the Czech Republic

9. 5. 2017 / Jan Culik

cas cteni 5 minut





At the end of April 2017, the Czech Social Democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka decided to dismiss Andrej Babis, his Finance Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, from his governmental posts. Sobotka has publicly accused Babis of committing fraudulent financial operations.



Various international commentators, as far as Croatia or even Pakistan, have praised Sobotka's actions, commenting favourably on what seems to the outside world to be an attempt by the Czech PM to rid Czech politics of corruption. The problem is that the Czech voters are not particularly convinced by Sobotka's actions. 27 years after the fall of communism, the Czech Republic is now yet another post-communist country in East Central Europe which is sending out warning signals that democracy in this region is threatened.At the end of April 2017, the Czech Social Democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka decided to dismiss Andrej Babis, his Finance Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, from his governmental posts. Sobotka has publicly accused Babis of committing fraudulent financial operations.Various international commentators, as far as Croatia or even Pakistan, have praised Sobotka's actions, commenting favourably on what seems to the outside world to be an attempt by the Czech PM to rid Czech politics of corruption. The problem is that the Czech voters are not particularly convinced by Sobotka's actions.





Some context is needed to explain the internal Czech political situation. Andrej Babis is a powerful oligarch who owns most of the Czech food industry and also controls the two most important Czech newspapers, Mlada fronta Dnes and Lidove noviny.



Babis became a serious political player in 2013, as a result of his frustration over the actions of the then right of centre government of Petr Necas, which collapsed in June 2013 amidst serious scandals.



In 2011, Babis entered politics by founding his right of centre, populist "ANO" party and in the general election in October 2013, ANO gained 18.7% of the vote and 47 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, attaining second place behind the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD). A governing coalition of Social Democrats, the catholic party KDU-CSL and ANO was finally formed in January 2014 and has ruled relatively successfully until the present time. The Social Democrats were given the post of Prime Minister, Babis received the posts of Deputy PM and Finance Secretary.



The problem is that Babis is not really a democratic politician. From the very inception, there was a number of conflicts of interest. Babis came to rule the Finance Ministry which at the same time was expected to inspect Babis's enterprises. While assuming a couple of influential political posts, Babis acquired two of the most influential Czech newspapers, apparently dictating to them what they should and should not publish.



Nevertheless, the Czech voters have given Babis a considerable amount of support in recent years. It is not quite clear why Babis should be so popular amongst a large part of the Czech voters, but a Trump-like factor has been probably at play here. Babis speaks in simple, almost inarticulate language (being Slovak, he can hardly speak proper Czech), which seems to work as an anti-dote to the vacous pronouncements by establishment politicians, he declares that he runs the state "like a firm", is hostile to immigrants and refugees and wants to build a border wall against refugees (this is very popular with the Czech public, which is overwhelmingly xenophobic) and makes repeatedly a number of Trump-like pronouncements. He is also supported by the Czech populist extreme right-wing President Milos Zeman.



Sobotka's suddent decision to dismiss Babis has been received with a lot of scepticism and even criticism by both commentators and the general public in the Czech Republic.



The problem is that the popular support of Andrej Babis and his ANO party has been growing steadily. At the moment, ANO is supported by approximately 30 per cent of Czech voters, while electoral support for Sobotka's social democrats is steadily decreasing. The Czech Social Democratic Party is now supported only by some 18-20 per cent of the voters.



A general election is to take place in the Czech Republic in October 2017 and it is widely expected that the Social Democrats will lose and Babis's ANO will win and will be able to form a government without needing a coalition partner.



Within this context, many Czech voters saw Sobotka's decision to dismiss Babis as an act of despair, the aim of which was to try to prevent Babis and his ANO party from winning the general election in the autumn.



While Sobotka was probably right in accusing Andrej Babis of corruption and of shady behaviour, the Czech general public do not find Sobotka's accusations convincing. Babis may well be a bully and a crook, but why is it that Sobotka and his Social Democrats have not been bothered by this until now and have happily ruled the country in cooperation with him for more than three years? Many voters do not understand the technical complexities of the alleged fraudulent financial activities, which Babis is allegedly guilty of, according to Sobotka.



Since Sobotka's decision to get rid of Babis the situation on the Czech political scene has become even more entangled. Vaccilating, Sobotka then decided that he would not sack Babis "because that would turn him into a hero", and announced that his whole government would stand down. However, the Czech President Zeman, who sides with Babis, has decided, quite unconstitutionally, not to cooperate with Sobotka in any of this.



In the meantime, recordings have been published in which Andrej Babis explicitly tells the journalists in his newspapers what to write. These revelations, will probably harm Babis's reputation much more than the accusations of his alleged financial irregularities. Many people were also shocked to see that President Zeman in his blatant attempts to side with Babis and to damage Sobotka and his Social Democrats, was willing to infringe the Czech constitution.



The Czech Republic is not yet suffering by being ruled by an intolerant, authoritarian regime, which is the case in Poland and in Hungary. Nevertheless, it seems to be entering a period of instability and maybe even authoritarian rule, if Babis's ANO wins the general election in the autumn.



It is perhaps disturbing that many Czech voters do not seem to be bothered by the allegations of Babis's allegedly corrupt and illegal practices. However, most Czech voters would probably say that the whole Czech political establishment is corrupt and that both the right wing and the left wing Czech political parties have colluded over many years in creating an unjust political system in which the police and the judiciary does not function properly and the political parties are nothing more but businesses who trade in political influence. So why should the voters suddenly now believe the accusations hurled at Babis by a social democratic PM whose electoral support is quickly dropping?





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Which groups of the Czech population support regressive and xenophobic policies and why?

21. 5. 2017

cas cteni 4 minuty





Czech social democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka recently brought about a political crisis in the Czech Republic when he demanded the resignation of his government coalition partner, Finance Secretary and powerful populist oligarch Andrej Babis, allegedly for his unethical financial transactions. Critics pointed out that the main reason why Sobotka did this may have been his fear that Babis and his semi-authoritarian ANO movement could win the Czech general election in the autumn of 2017 - the electoral support for Sobotka's Social Democrats is decreasing and the support for Babis's ANO had been rising. The extreme right-wing, xenophobic Czech President Milos Zeman has refused to dismiss Babis from his government post, in spite of the fact that the Prime Minister has instructed him to do so, thus infringing the constitution. In the meantime, Sobotka and Babis made an informal compromise agreement, Babis has resigned and has had himself replaced by another person from his ANO movement in the post of Czech Finance Secretary.



It is evident that there is an informal alliance between Zeman and Babis, but who in the Czech Republic supports it and what will happen in the future? Czech social democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka recently brought about a political crisis in the Czech Republic when he demanded the resignation of his government coalition partner, Finance Secretary and powerful populist oligarch Andrej Babis, allegedly for his unethical financial transactions. Critics pointed out that the main reason why Sobotka did this may have been his fear that Babis and his semi-authoritarian ANO movement could win the Czech general election in the autumn of 2017 - the electoral support for Sobotka's Social Democrats is decreasing and the support for Babis's ANO had been rising. The extreme right-wing, xenophobic Czech President Milos Zeman has refused to dismiss Babis from his government post, in spite of the fact that the Prime Minister has instructed him to do so, thus infringing the constitution. In the meantime, Sobotka and Babis made an informal compromise agreement, Babis has resigned and has had himself replaced by another person from his ANO movement in the post of Czech Finance Secretary.It is evident that there is an informal alliance between Zeman and Babis, but who in the Czech Republic supports it and what will happen in the future?





Sociologist Daniel Prokop has analysed this in his article in Novinky.cz:



About a third of the Czech citizens support Andrej Babis and Milos Zeman, says Daniel Prokop. They are mostly 50-69 years old. Less than a half of them are satisfied with their living standards. These are, however, not extremely poor people. They tend to have secondary education and their incomes are slightly lower than the average, which of course in the Czech context means that they earn relatively little.



They look critically at Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic in the era since the fall of communism in 1989. According to 54 per cent of these people, life before the fall of communism was better. They feel there is no equality before the law and they do not have any opportunity to influence political decision-making in the country.



The Zeman/Babis supporters regard the refugee crisis and the "danger of islamisation of Europe" as extremely dangerous for the Czech Republic. They tend to support authoritarian views and authoritarian leaders.



In the category of people aged 50-69, the support of Babis's ANO movement has grown from 22 to 33 per cent over the past year. Younger Czechs, on the other hand, do not support Babis.



Thus, Babis benefits from two social developments in the Czech Republic. The Czech voters aged 50-69 are rather conservative. Over the past few years, some of these people have abandoned their left wing views. In 2007-2009, 31-33 per cent of people in this age group regarded themselves as left wing, now it is only 27-28 per cent of these people.



Between 2007-2016, the overall feelings of dissatisfaction with the post-1989 developments in the Czech Republic grew slightly. In the group of Czech voters aged 50-69, this dissatisfaction grew much more markedly, from 38 to 45 per cent.



Today's Czech fifty- and sixty-year-olds entered the post-1989 era in the first stage of their productive careers. The end of this stage was marked by the economic crisis with all its negative consequences, especially the growth of bailiff confiscations and brutal debt collecting. The salaries have dropped in real value and people have lost their trust in the institutions of the state. They have also seen the disintegration of the traditional right-wing parties in the Czech Republic.



Around the year 2000, a part of the disappointed pre-old-age-pensioner group of people tended to support the communist party. This was probably because at that time, these people still remembered what life was like under communism and they yearned to return to the social security of the communist era. The current group of people aged 50-69 no longer have this experience of life within the communist system.



It is remarkable that these older voters/supporters of Babis are now extremely individualistic ("Everyone should be responsible themselves for how well off they are" - 59 per cent), yet they demand support from a paternalistic state ("The state should guarantee an acceptable standard of living for everyone" - 65 per cent). Just as the voters of all the other populist parties, the supporters of the ANO movement are also disgusted by what they see as "dishonest politicians and dishonest media".



It is not clear whether it would help or harm Babis if he allied himself with Zeman. On the one hand, an alliance with Zeman would attract all the socially conservative left wing voters of the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party to Babis. On the other hand, if Babis fully aligned himself with Zeman, ANO and Babis would thus destroy their potential to attract supporters from all walks of life in the Czech Republic.



It looks as though a minority, but influential group of voters is now forming in the Czech Republic, whose disappointment with the post-1989 developments and whose fears of the future makes them support populist and authoritarian politicians. Zeman and Babis may be encouraging these people at the moment, but this populist group of voters will continue to make its impact on the Czech political scene even after Zeman and Babis have left politics.



Source in Czech HERE









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Czech Republic now seems firmly en route to authoritarian rule

27. 5. 2017

cas cteni 2 minuty

In spite of his corruption scandals, oligarch Andrej Babis now enjoys unprecedented popularity in the Czech Republic



Fearing the growth in popularity of his deputy and his Finance Minister, the powerful oligarch Andrej Babis, the Czech Social Democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka brought about a political crisis in his country, when he accused Babis, his coalition partner, of unethical financial transactions and forced him to leave his post of Finance Secretary (Babis has had himself replaced by a stooge).



Most commentators regarded Sobotka's action as hypocritical and risky. If Babis is such a shady character (which he is), why did the Social Democrats happily work with him in a coalition government for three years?



Luckily for the Social Democratic PM Sobotka, the situation for Babis then became extremely complicated when



Not so. Fearing the growth in popularity of his deputy and his Finance Minister, the powerful oligarch Andrej Babis, the Czech Social Democratic Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka brought about a political crisis in his country, when he accused Babis, his coalition partner, of unethical financial transactions and forced him to leave his post of Finance Secretary (Babis has had himself replaced by a stooge).Most commentators regarded Sobotka's action as hypocritical and risky. If Babis is such a shady character (which he is), why did the Social Democrats happily work with him in a coalition government for three years?Luckily for the Social Democratic PM Sobotka, the situation for Babis then became extremely complicated when recordings were published in which he brutally and in a vulgar fashion attacked his coalition partners and discussed with a journalist from a major newspaper he owns when (not) to publish various compromising material related to his political opponents. Temporarily, it looked that PM Sobotka and the Social Democrats were winning over Babis.Not so.

According to the latest opinion poll, carried out by CVVM between 8th and 18th May 2017, ie. during the political crisis, created by Sobotka, Babis and his "ANO" movement is now supported by 33 per cent of Czech voters in spite of all the revelations, published about his in recent weeks. The support of the Social Democrats has dropped to a record low of 14 per cent.



As the Prague political commentator Jiri Pehe points out, Babis's ANO is not really a political party. It is a one-man show, dominated by a bully. It would be very difficult for the other Czech political parties to work with Babis.



It is necessary - reluctantly - to conclude that the Czech votes do not seem to mind Babis's corrupt practices, his conflicts of interest, his control over the media and his bullying.



A general election will take place in the Czech Republic in October 2017 and it now looks extremely likely that Babis will be able to form a government on his own, without any coalition partners.



We are witnessing a remarkable phenomenon in the Czech Republic: the existing political parties of the right and of the left have basically disintegrated and a large number of Czech citizens now place their trust in an authoritarian, corrupt bully.



Babis wants to take the Czech Republic out of the inner circle of the European Union and move the country to its periphery. He is extremely critical of Brussels. He assumes a strong anti-refugee stance and wants to build a fortified border against the refugees. This attitude of his will be popular amongst Czech voters because the recent terrorist attack in Manchester, England has provoked a virulent wave of islamophobia and hate in the Czech newspapers and on social media in the Czech Republic.



Read more:



Power struggle in the Czech Republic



Which groups of the Czech population support regressive and xenophobic policies and why?



Czech Deputy PM Babis wants to take Czechia out of the EU integration process

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Czech Television has suppressed a hard-hitting TV documentary about Andrej Babis

13. 9. 2017

cas cteni 3 minuty

Update, 16th October, 2017: The film is now not available for viewing anywhere. Serious efforts have been evidently made to make it impossible for Czech voters to see the film before the general election which will take place on 20th and 21st October, which Andrej Babis is expected to win.



The film is now not available for viewing anywhere. Serious efforts have been evidently made to make it impossible for Czech voters to see the film before the general election which will take place on 20th and 21st October, which Andrej Babis is expected to win. Selsky rozum - Zluty baron - Pravda o Andreji Babisovi from Vidlak on Vimeo. In cooperation with Jakub Patocka and other journalists from Denik Referendum, the documentarists Vit Janecek and Zuzana Piussi have made Selsky rozum (Peasant Common Sense) , a hard-hitting TV documentary about the Czech oligarch Andrej Babis, who is poised to win the general election in the Czech Republic in October 2017. Czech Television now refuses to broadcast the film and tries to prevent any of its public screenings. In cooperation with Jakub Patocka and other journalists from Denik Referendum, the documentarists Vit Janecek and Zuzana Piussi have made

The film which has been in the making for the past three years, meticulously records the environmental destruction of the Czech agriculture and the Czech countryside by what it sees as absolutely brutal business practices which are used by Agrofert, Andrej Babis's giant agricultural and food processing business concern.





According to the film which is very well researched, Babis's primary method of working is lying and asset stripping. He places smaller firms in a position of total dependence. Once they do not have any other customers but Babis's firm, Babis brings them to the verge of bankrupcy by denying them fair payments for their products and services. Once these firms are economically on the ropes, Babis buys them for a minimal price and then asset strips them.



This is what results in a systematic destruction of farming homesteads in the Czech countryside which have been lovingly built up by Czech farmers for generations.



Babis has also succeeded in manipulating the system in such a way that his Agrofert concern has become a prime recipient of large EU agricultural subsidies. While in countries such as Poland or Austria, EU agricultural subsidies are available only for small farms, in the Czech Republic, they benefit large agricultural conglomerates and make them incredibly powerful.



Babis's businesses encourage fertiliser-intensive farming in the Czech countryside, which benefits Babis's fertiliser factories. As a result, most Czech farmers now grow only rape using heavy fertiliser practices.



Babis imports inferior cuts of meat from countries such as Poland and Denmark, which are normally used only for the making of food tins for cats and dogs and uses this meat to manufacture his processed meat products. He exclusively employs workers from East European countries such as Romania and Ukraine whom he pays about 3 US dollars per hour, without paying their national and health insurance, alleges the film.



Since Babis and his ANO movement have entered politics he has introduced his "mafioso practices" into Czech political life. Since Babis fully controls the Czech Finance Ministry he is able to use the state bureaucracy to weaken his business competitors. Recently, officials of the Czech state enviromental protection office have been sacked, allegedly so that they cannot start proceedings against Babis's environmentally unacceptable practice.



The 73-minute documentary, coproduced by the film makers and Czech public service television was completed in May 2017, but Czech Television is now refusing to broadcast it. In response to Czech Television's reluctance to air it, the film makers have been trying to organise a series of public screenings of the film, mostly in cooperation with the Czech Green Party. Czech Television has acted against this, pointing out that since it owns the production, no one is allowed to screen it publicly.



The film is nevertheless available for downloading (it is in Czech only) on the uloz.to website here:



https://uloz.to/!XUrR1YKmdW49/selsky-rozum-dokument-fullhd-kvalita-o-podnikani-andreje-babise-avi



Sources in Czech:

A review of the film published in Britske listy

A statement made by the two film makers A review of the film published in Britske listy HERE A statement made by the two film makers HERE

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The Norwegian Consumer Council hired a security firm called Mnemonic to audit the security of four popular brands of kids' smart watches and found a ghastly array of security defects: the watches allow remote parties to seize control over them in order to monitor children's movements and see where they've gone, covertly listen in on them, and steal their personal information. The data the watches gather and transmit to offshore servers is copious and sent in the clear. The watches incorporate cameras and the photos children take are also easily plundered by hackers.

Though many of these defects are the result of sloppiness, some of these vulnerabilities stem from a fundamental design choice in these devices, which are "to give parents peace of mind while their children play freely outside" (AKA to allow parents to spy on children). A device that is intended to allow a remote party to set policy that the user can't override is intrinsically sneaky: by design, these devices are supposed to run processes that the user can never fully know about or terminate. When hackers gain access to these systems, they are able to exploit that design to cover their actions.

These watches exemplify the surveillance technology adoption curve in which abusive practices start with prisoners, move on to migrants, then poor people, then children, then blue collar workers, then white collar workers. Much of the worst abuses of these watches are papered over by exceptionally abusive EULAs that smuggle new one-sided terms into the already massively tilted landscape of license "agreements." Watch for these terms to spread next to low-waged and gig workers who'll have similar functionality embedded in apps or dedicated hardware used to dispatch and track them.

Using these watches can expose your children to permanent vulnerability: even after you quit the service, the companies retain your children's data indefinitely. In recent years, kid-gadget companies have routinely hemorrhaged sensitive data taken from children and their families: in 2015, Vtech lost 6.3 millions records, and in 2017, Cloudpets lost millions more. The companies that make these watches are almost certainly no better at data-handling than the others who've breached recently.



The right to privacy is enshrined in the United Nations convention on human

rights, and children are afforded special protections under the Convention on

the Rights of the Child.63 By continuously monitoring the location and even

conversations of children, this right may be put under pressure. In Norway, the

use of smartwatches for children has been criticized by both the Ombudsman

for Children,64 the Data Protection Authority, and Save the Children,65 citing the

potentially negative effects that surveillance may have on children's development,

and the false sense of security that such devices might provide. The "monitoring" function of the Viksfjord device/SeTracker app is in itself problematic.

Even if one agrees that it should be permissible to listen in on children without

their knowledge, the function enables you to monitor anyone in the vicinity

of the child. This means that the Viksfjord can potentially be used to spy on the

conversations of unwitting people.

#WatchOut

Analysis of smartwatches for children [Forbrukerradet (Norwegian Consumer

Council)]





(via Schneier)
Amid the despair and hunger of a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, Ahmed Ullah watched as a young girl snuck into a food line.

The Canadian aid worker looked on as the orphaned child  just five-years-old, with mental disabilities  tried to get something to eat.

Instead, she was beaten by members of the Bangladeshi military.

"They're treating them worse than animals," Ullah says.

The Kitchener, Ont. resident spent two weeks helping Rohingya refugees in camps near Cox's Bazar, a city and fishing port in south-eastern Bangladesh.

A Rohingya himself, Ullah says the experience was a horrifying nightmare, far worse than the 15 years he spent in refugee camps before moving to Canada in 2009.

Crowds of hungry children swarmed his car at the camps, he recalls, knocking on the windows for food, money  anything to help them survive. And, for many families, draped plastic was their only shelter.

At one point, Ullah was injured in a car accident during the trip, and watched as a woman cried for a help and a man died in front of him while he was waiting for care at a hospital. Even though his injuries were minor, Ullah says he was treated before the refugees.

"As soon as you have this," Ullah says, tapping his Canadian passport, "everybody just treats you all the way up there... I was the priority."

Sitting near the arrivals gate at Pearson Airport after returning to Canada on Friday night, the 24-year-old says he's on a mission to expose the plight of his fellow Rohingya Muslim refugees, members of a long-persecuted religious minority who are fleeing Myanmar.

Since late August, more than 580,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh, driven from their neighbour to the east by violence  a situation denounced by both the United Nations and Amnesty International.

But amid the growing global outcry, a CBC News investigation recently found there are signs several UN figures and other international actors, including a key Canadian official, have been hesitant to pressure Myanmar on the rights of the Rohingya.

Story continues

There are also allegations that some officials ignored warnings of ethnic cleansing altogether, something the UN has rejected.

'They're beating women. They're beating children.'

Regardless of how the crisis began, it has now led to crowded camps and starving families, a situation Ullah believes is even worse than it appears. Bangladeshi support for the refugees is a facade, he alleges, while military violence is the reality.

"They're beating women. They're beating children," he says, his eyes glassy and voice breaking.

Ullah smeared mud on his clothes and tried to blend in with the Rohingya refugees, avoiding the watchful eye of military guards and wandering through areas of the camps typically cut off from international media.

Swiping through photos on his phone of those unnerving walks, he points out one girl he found asleep, half-clothed on a mat outside. "Nobody should be living in a condition like that," he says.

Ullah says he plans to meet with Premier Kathleen Wynne in Kitchener on Monday, in hopes of sharing photos  "evidence" of the horrors within the camps  and to encourage the government to take more action.

"I will die with pride, if this is the last thing I do," he says. "I don't care what becomes of my life. I'll never stop fighting."
A Dalhousie University student is facing disciplinary action over a post she made to Facebook in the summer about Canada 150 celebrations.

Masuma Khan said she was given the option to undergo counselling and write a reflective essay after the Halifax-based school conducted an investigation into a complaint about her online comments, but she says she refused.

"It was really offensive, to be honest, for the university to tell me that they're going to teach me how to talk about racism in a more collaborative way, when racism is very harsh  there's no nice way to talk about it," the 22-year-old Muslim woman said.

"We're going to do everything we can to let Dalhousie know that this is not OK and it's not appropriate."

Post in response to DSU decision

Earlier this year, Khan, who is a vice-president of the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU), put forward a motion that the group not participate in Canada 150 celebrations. The executive passed her motion, saying it wouldn't hold or endorse Canada Day events on campus, describing this year's events as an act of colonialism.

The student union faced a serious backlash over the decision and Khan took to social media in response, writing that "white fragility can kiss my ass. Your white tears aren't sacred, this land is."

The Facebook post has since been deleted.

It prompted graduate student Michael Smith to write a scathing op-ed piece in the National Post, which argued that DSU was censoring anyone opposed to its decision.

Khan's lawyer, Nasha Nijhawan, said the only formal and written complaint she saw was from Smith, but they were told the university had received up to a dozen informal complaints.

Khan said she doesn't regret the online post, but recognizes that it may have hurt some people. That wasn't her intention, she said; she was simply trying to reflect her own experiences dealing with racism.

Lawyer 'surprised' by university's actions

Story continues

Dalhousie's vice-provost of student affairs, Arig al Shaibah, found there was enough of a basis to the complaint to conduct an investigation, according to Khan's lawyer, who has taken on the case pro-bono.

"It was the university's position that the complaint was founded and that Masuma's Facebook post constituted personal harassment under their policy, and that she should have known that her post would have been demeaning to people who identify as white," Nijhawan said.

The university moved to a formal discipline process after Khan rejected their informal resolution, Nijhawan said.

"I'm surprised, I have to say, that a university is taking this position against a student considering how entrenched and really well-established the right to free speech  especially political speech  [is] on university campuses," she said.

"I don't think that there was anything offensive about what Masuma said  even if she did swear."

University won't comment

A Dalhousie spokesperson said the university could not comment on the specifics of any allegations, saying that the matter is "ongoing."

"There is not yet a decision by the university," Janet Bryson wrote in an email, noting that the school's code of conduct ensures students can raise concerns about actions they feel may disrupt their learning environment.

When complaints of this nature are received and there is sufficient information to suggest a potential violation of the code, "we engage in efforts to resolve issues through informal, educational and conversational means," she said.

If that doesn't work, Bryson said the matter is then referred to the university's senate discipline committee, which conducts hearings into all complaints or allegations of violations of academic integrity and non-academic misconduct.

'I'm not apologetic'

Nijhawan said they were told the fact that Masuma was a student leader was a factor in the investigation, but the lawyer was quick to point out that DSU is a separate organization, meaning that Khan does not occupy a formal position of leadership within the university

Last month, a fellow DSU councillor brought forward a motion to seeking to impeach Khan, but it was shot down.

"I'm not apologetic for voicing my opinion and using free speech to tell my support systems on my own social media how I feel," Khan said.

"There's a lot of folks that feel that racism doesn't exist anymore, but I think I'm here to be frank and say, 'Hey, that's not reality.'"

A date for the hearing has not yet been set, Khan said. She's familiar with the process as she was a student panellist on the discipline committee, before being removed once her case was brought forward.

"I'm very comfortable with how the process is going to be, but I am uncomfortable with the subject matter and the fact Dalhousie is legitimizing this claim," she said. "Dalhousie has failed to do so in other instances where there was a lot of violence being created by their students and they did nothing to rectify that.

"I'm not scared, and if anything I'm more motivated to get more things done," she said. "Sorry Dalhousie, that's what's happening."
By Michael Georgy and Ahmed Rasheed SULAIMANIA/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior Iranian military commander repeatedly warned Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq to withdraw from the oil city of Kirkuk or face an onslaught by Iraqi forces and allied Iranian-backed fighters, Kurdish officials briefed on the meetings said. Major-General Qassem Soleimani, commander of foreign operations for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, traveled to Iraq's Kurdistan region to meet Kurdish leaders at least three times this month before the Baghdad government's lightning campaign to recapture territory across the north. The presence of Soleimani on the frontlines highlights Tehran's heavy sway over policy in Iraq, and comes as Shi'ite Iran seeks to win a proxy war in the Middle East with its regional rival and U.S. ally, Sunni Saudi Arabia. Soleimani met leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq, in the city of Sulaimania the day before Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on Kirkuk, according to a PUK lawmaker briefed on the meeting. His message was clear: withdraw or risk losing Tehran as a strategic ally. "Abadi has all the regional powers and the West behind him and nothing will stop him from forcing you to return back to the mountains if he decides so," the lawmaker quoted Soleimani as telling the PUK leadership. The Iranian general evoked late Iraqi president Saddam Husseins massive attack on a Kurdish rebellion in 1991, when almost the entire Kurdish population fled northern Iraq to the mountains, the PUK lawmaker said. "Soleimani's visit ... was to give a last-minute chance for the decision-makers not to commit a fatal mistake," said the lawmaker, who like others interviewed in this story declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. Commanders of the Iraqi Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, have accused Iran of orchestrating the Shi'ite-led Iraqi central government's push into areas under their control, a charge senior Iranian officials have denied. But Iran has made no secret of its presence in Iraq. "Tehran's military help is not a secret anymore. You can find General Soleimani's pictures in Iraq everywhere," said an official close to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. "Now, beside political issues, Kirkuk's oil is a very key element for Iran, which is an OPEC member. Control of those oil fields by Iran's enemies would be disastrous for us. Why should we let them enter the oil market?." "THERE WILL BE CONFLICT" Kirkuk fell to Iraqi government forces on Monday. Their offensive followed a referendum last month in which the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region voted to secede from Iraq against Baghdad's wishes. Kurds have sought an independent state for almost a century, after colonial powers divided up the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and left Kurdish-populated territory split between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. But Iraq's two main Kurdish parties have been at odds over both the referendum and the approach to the crisis in Kirkuk, which the Kurds consider to be the heart of their homeland. The PUK, a close ally of Iran, accused its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), of putting the Kurds at risk of military intervention and isolation by pushing hard for the vote, which won wide approval for independence. Soleimani has been allied to the PUK for years, but the referendum has drawn him even closer to Kurdish politics and expanded Iran's reach in Iraq beyond the Baghdad government. The Iranian general is no stranger to conflicts in Iraq, which fought an eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s. He has often been seen in footage from the frontlines, and Iran has long helped Baghdad to carry out its military strategy through paramilitary Shi'ite militias which it funds and arms. Before the referendum, Soleimani suggested to Kurdish leaders that holding a vote on secession -- which Iran feared would encourage its own Kurdish population to agitate for greater autonomy -- would be risky. "The Iranians were very clear. They have been very clear that there will be conflict, that these territories will be lost," said one prominent Iraqi Kurdish politician who met Soleimani ahead of the Sept. 25 referendum. On Oct. 6, barely a week after the vote, Soleimani attended the funeral of PUK leader Jalal Talabani. Again, he wanted to make sure even his closest Kurdish allies understood the dangers of not withdrawing from Kirkuk, officials said. A senior Iranian diplomat in Iraq and an official in Iran close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office said Soleimani met with Kurdish leaders after Talibani's funeral and urged them to withdraw from Kirkuk and in exchange Tehran would protect their interests. Soleimani met with one of Talabani's sons, Bafel, a few days after his father was buried, one of the PUK officials said. "Soleimani said Abadi should be taken very seriously. You should understand this," the official said. An Iranian source in Iraq said Soleimani was in Kirkuk two nights before the Iraqi government offensive for "a couple of hours to give military guidance." Iraqi intelligence sources said Tehran sent a clear signal to the PUK. "We understand from our sources on the ground that neighboring Iran played a decisive role in making the PUK chose the right course with Baghdad," one Iraqi intelligence official told Reuters. KURDISH DIVISIONS Tensions over the referendum and Kirkuk have deepened divisions between the two main political parties in northern Iraq. The KDP accused the PUK of betraying the Kurdish cause by capitulating to Iran and striking a deal to withdraw. "The Talabani clan were behind the offensive on Kirkuk. They asked Qassem (Soleimani) for help and his troops were there on the ground," said a source close to Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government and head of the KDP. "It is becoming clear that Iran is directing the operations to destroy the KDP." The PUK strongly denies this. Talabani's son Bafel accused the KDP of missing a zero-hour chance to avoid losing Kirkuk by failing to reach a deal over a military base which Iraqi government forces had demanded to take back. "Unfortunately we reacted too slowly. And we find ourselves where we are today," Bafel told Reuters. Two other Kurdish political sources gave a similar account. Iran and Soleimani offered early assistance to northern Iraq's Kurds in the fight against Islamic State, a rallying point for the Kurdish community. But after the devastating loss of Kirkuk, Iraqi Kurds have been left disillusioned. "They (both PUK and KDP leaders) just make decisions on their own and play with peoples lives. In the end, we pay the price," said pensioner Abdullah Ahmed in Sulaimania. "This is a disaster for everyone. Everyone was united against Daesh (Islamic State). Now they are back just looking out for themselves." (Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in London and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

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..Pundicity/JPost..19 October '17..For over two decades, Palestinian terrorists have literally and figuratively gotten away with the murder of dozens of Americans, slaying at least 64 US citizens in a chilling variety of stabbing, shooting and bombing attacks.And yet, despite Washington's undisputed commitment to fighting terrorism, not a single Palestinian perpetrator has been brought to justice for spilling American blood, nor has the Palestinian Authority been held to account.After eight years in which the Obama administration did virtually nothing to pursue Palestinians wanted in connection with the murder of American citizens, essentially giving the terrorists a free pass, now is the time for the Trump administration to take a much tougher line on this critical issue.Indeed, this week marks the 14th anniversary of one of the more brazen examples of anti-American Palestinian terrorism. It was on October 15, 2003, that Palestinian terrorists set off a remotely controlled explosive device on a Gaza road as a US diplomatic convoy passed by. The bomb killed three Americans: John Branchizio, 37, of Texas, John Linde Jr., 30, of Missouri, and Mark Parsons, 31, of New Jersey. One other American was wounded in the blast.Despite the fact that the attack took place in broad daylight and the American vehicles all bore diplomatic license plates, the Palestinian Authority, first under Yasser Arafat and then with Mahmoud Abbas at the helm, refused to take action, preferring instead to allow the murderers to roam free.Not surprisingly, the incident came in the wake of weeks of ongoing anti-American incitement in the official Palestinian media.Just five days prior to the bombing, Palestinian television broadcast a sermon delivered in Gaza in which the preacher threatened "destruction for the United States" and noted ominously, "From this place [i.e.Gaza] we warn the American people that this president is dragging them to the abyss."Incredibly, a year after the attack took place, PA military intelligence chief Musa Arafat told Reuters in September 2004: "Palestinian security forces know who was behind the killing of three Americans in Gaza nearly a year ago but cannot act against the factions while fighting with Israel continues."In December 2008, Israeli forces managed to track down and kill one of the ringleaders of the attack, Muhammad al-Dusaqi, who was a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees. But that can hardly serve as much comfort to the relatives of the US victims, as others involved in the assault continue to evade justice.Indeed, it has often seemed that Israel has done more to raise the issue of Palestinian terrorism against Americans than Washington itself.Earlier this year, on June 9, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met in Jerusalem with US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and handed her a list of Americans who died at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.Among those appearing on the somber registry were Ezra Schwartz, an 18-year-old who was studying in an Israeli yeshiva and was gunned down in a driveby shooting in November 2015, as well as 76-year-old Richard Lakin, who was shot in the head and stabbed in the chest by a Palestinian terrorist in Jerusalem in October 2015.And then, of course, Taylor Allen Force, aged 29, a former US Army officer whom a Palestinian stabbed to death in Jaffa in March 2016.It appears that politics has played a role in Washington's reluctance over much of the past two decades to press the issue, perhaps out of concern that it would drive the Palestinians away from the negotiating table.Take, for example, the Rewards for Justice website run by the US State Department, the goal of which is "to bring international terrorists to justice." Located at www.rewardsforjustice.net, it lists a series of terrorist attacks against Americans dating back to the early 1980s.Inexplicably, in the section devoted to the 2003 Gaza attack, the State Department fails to identify those who carried out the bombing as Palestinians.Instead, it vaguely refers to "those responsible for this attack," as if their identity is unknown.Given America's leverage with the Palestinians, as well as the vast capabilities of US intelligence, it beggars the imagination to believe that Washington cannot be doing more to go after Palestinian terrorists with American blood on their hands.Last year, the US House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing on the issue. Subcommittee chairman Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida), stated, "The committee has counted that since 1993 at least 64 Americans have been killed, as well as two unborn children, and 91 have been wounded by terrorists in Israel and the disputed territories."He then asked Obama's deputy assistant attorney-general Brad Wiegmann a very simple question: "How many terrorists who have killed or wounded Americans in Israel or the disputed territories has the United States indicted, extradited, or prosecuted during this time period?" Wiegmann's answer was telling. "I think the answer is  is none," he said.A change in policy is long overdue and it is time for Washington to pursue Palestinian terrorists who murdered Americans, with the same vigor that it hunts down other terrorists around the globe who target US citizens.There is no reason why the Palestinians should continue to receive any American aid, or their representative offices should be allowed to operate on US soil, while they continue to harbor terrorists who killed Americans.If Donald Trump wants to highlight the differences between his Middle East policy and that of his predecessor, a good place to start would be by taking strong steps to ensure that Palestinians who murdered Americans are brought to justice forthwith.




A courtroom full of friends and family wearing yellow to honor Ashlynne were present when District Judge William Johnson rendered Tom Begaye Jr.'s sentence this afternoon at the Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse.





Begaye, 29, of Waterflow, pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement on Aug. 1 to six charges, including murder, aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping, stemming from the kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder of Ashlynne.





Ashlynne and Ian were kidnapped from near their home in Lower Fruitland on May 2, 2016.





Ian was found several hours later walking alongside a highway near the Shiprock pinnacle, and Ashlynne was found dead on May 3, 2016, in an area north of the pinnacle.





Begaye admitted to the crimes as part of his plea agreement, according to a copy of the agreement.





Ashlynne's parents Pamela Foster and Gary Mike spoke outside the doors of the courthouse following the hearing. Foster read a prepared statement, thanking many people, including the first responders who investigated the case and members of the community who helped search for Ashlynne.





"They have made sure that justice has been served," Foster said while thanking the prosecutors on the case.





She also thanked the members of Congress and Navajo lawmakers who are working to help establish Amber Alert systems on tribal land.





Following Foster's statement, balloons were released in honor of Ashlynne.





During the hearing, both Gary Mike and Foster spoke to the court.





Foster talked about the trauma family members endured as they searched for the children and ultimately discovered Ashlynne had been murdered.





Members of the audience could be heard sniffling as Ashlynne's parents spoke. Many wore yellow T-shirts from the first Ashlynne Mike Memorial Run with an image of the 11-year-old printed on the back.





Employees for the Central Consolidated School District were urged to wear yellow today on a professional development day in honor of Ashlynne, according to a post on the district's Facebook page. The girl was a student at Ojo Amarillo Elementary School in Fruitland.





James Loonam, Begaye's federal public defender, told the court his client did not want to speak during the hearing, but he gave a brief statement on Begaye's behalf. Loonam said Begaye realized the extent of his crimes as he received mental health treatment while incarcerated and that he deserves the sentence of life in prison with no release.





Begaye hopes Ashlynne's family and the community find peace now, Loonam said.





Following the hearing, Gary Mike questioned how Begaye could murder and sexually assault his daughter.





"How can any sane person do what he did to my child?" he said.





He added he was grateful that Begaye had admitted to the crimes so everyone can have closure.





Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Jesse Delmar, executive director of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, attended the hearing. Tom Begaye is not related to President Begaye.





President Begaye said he attended the hearing because he wanted to see justice served, stating no child should die the way Ashlynne did.





He said he was a little surprised Tom Begaye was given a sentence of life in prison instead of the death penalty.





The state of New Mexico does not have capital punishment. But the circumstances of Ashlynne's murder caused it to fall under the 1885 federal Major Crimes Act, which provides for the use of the death penalty in some instances. Essentially, tribes are allowed to "opt in" for use of the death penalty in regard to some crimes committed by one member of a tribe against another. The Navajo Nation traditionally has not exercised that option.





Tribal Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates previously told The Associated Press that Navajo leaders had decided to maintain the tribe's stance against using the death penalty, as the tribe has objected in the past to sentencing defendants to death for cultural reasons.





Tom Begaye's plea agreement paperwork stated the prosecution and defense both recommended the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release.





Navajo leader supported death penalty in case





Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye says he told prosecutors that the tribe would have supported the death penalty for the killer of an 11-year-old girl.





Tom Begaye was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole as part of a plea deal in the 2016 rape and murder of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike. Russell and Tom Begaye are not related.





The tribal leader told The Associated Press he told prosecutors the tribe would have supported the death penalty.





Tribes for decades including the Navajo Nation have almost always rejected that option.





Begaye says his tribe should consider backing the death penalty in killings of children and police officers.





A defense lawyer for a man convicted of sexually assaulting and killing an 11-year-old Navajo girl has said at his client's sentencing hearing that his client is intellectually disabled and was regularly beaten as a child.





Lawyer James Loonam said Friday that Tom Begaye did not offer that information as an excuse for Begaye's actions but as insight.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde


The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is getting desperate, said chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White at a recent news conference.

White said thousands of ISIS fighters are surrendering to Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces.

"They are getting desperate," she said. "Civilians are running towards the Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces, because they know they are the good guys."

Coalition forces have supported Iraqi forces as they liberated Hawija and continue to support the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, as they enter the final phase of the battle for Raqqa  the capital of ISIS' so-called caliphate. "More than 6.4 million Iraqis and Syrians have been liberated from the grip of ISIS, a territory about the size of California," White said.

The coalition will continue to strike ISIS wherever the group raises its head and coalition service members will track foreign fighters fleeing from the region who hope to foment terror in other parts of the globe.

But the credit belongs to the forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria, said spokesperson White. "Local forces in Iraq and Syria have fought valiantly to liberate cities from ISIS," she added. "It is because of their efforts and their tremendous sacrifices that I can say ISIS is on the run."

The government force in Iraq and a cohesive and deadly coalition-partner force in Syria have made the difference in the effort to turn back the terror group. In the last three years the Coalition-trained and backed Iraqi Security Forces have removed ISIS from 87 percent of territory they once held, liberating more than 6.5 million people, including Mosul this July, the largest city ISIS has held.

In Syria, the SDF, a force of Kurds and Arabs, are united in the fight against ISIS. After more than four months of operations, Raqqa is more than 90 percent cleared.

In Raqqa and elsewhere across Syria, our focus remains on reducing risk to civilians, said Colonel Ryan Dillon, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman, while continuing to pursue and defeat ISIS terrorists at every opportunity as they retreat into the remaining held areas in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.
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North Koreas pursuit of nuclear weapons is leading to isolation, ignominy and deprivation, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently told the Security Council. It is a stark lesson for all countries, including Iran, who supposedly seek security and prosperity.
Mariano Rajoy presides the cabinet meeting on Saturday. Juan Carlos Hidalgo (EFE)

More information How the Spanish PM plans to apply emergency rule in Catalonia

In a news conference following a two-hour Cabinet meeting on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced that Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont, his deputy and all the members of the Catalan government will be removed as part of emergency measures to restore the law in the breakaway region.

He also said that elections will be held in Catalonia as soon as possible within the next six months. It is my wish to call elections as soon as normality is restored, said Rajoy.

Both these measures are a result of invoking Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, an obscure provision allowing the central government to take direct control of a regions affairs if the latter is in breach of the law.

This is the first time since the Constitution was ratified in 1978 that such powers have been invoked, and Rajoy said he had done everything possible to prevent this situation, but that he is now forced to act.

There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders, said Rajoy, in reply to a question about whether he fears a backlash of pro-independence sentiment when the measures are rolled out.

The measures will not be implemented yet, as they still require approval by the Spanish Senate next week, Rajoy said.

The measures were drafted with support from the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Ciudadanos, Rajoy added.

Rajoy said that the decision to apply Article 155 is aimed at: restoring adherence to the law in the region; for elections to be held with normality; ensure institutional neutrality; maintain social wellbeing and economic growth; and ensuring that the rights and freedoms of all Catalans are respected.

The autonomy of Catalonia is not being suspended, he continued. The people who have put it in risk are being suspended.

The government had many chances before to apply Article 155, he continued, but we preferred to act with prudence, responsibility and common sense, trying to bring about a change of course. Things could not have been done worse than they have been done by the Generalitat in Catalonia in recent times.

It was not our wish nor our intention to apply Article 155, he told the press. We are doing so because no government, of any democratic country, can accept for the law to be ignored, for the law to be violated, for the law to be changed and for all of this to be done with the intention of imposing their criteria on everyone else.

He added: These measures have been agreed with the PSOE and Ciudadanos. I thank them for their support, which I dont interpret as support for the government, but rather support for the rule of law.

The activation of Article 155 of the Constitution has only one precedent in the history of Spanish democracy: in 1989, when the government of Felipe Gonzalez threatened to use it in the Canary Islands, but he managed to stop the fiscal rebellion of the regional government before taking the matter to the Senate.

The current process in the Senate will take a week to pass, which will give one last window of opportunity for the institutional conflict between Madrid and the Catalan regional government to be resolved without the latters powers being suspended.

The PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos all believe that calling early elections would be the best response by Puigdemont to the rising political, institutional and social tension in Catalonia. But the regional premier has so far rejected that option, and is instead threatening to declare independence unilaterally in the Catalan parliament.

Whats more, Rajoy today stressed that only the Senate can now stop the application of Article 155. As such, the countdown has begun: the measures mediated by the Cabinet to take over the powers of the Generalitat will go into full force in less than a week.

English version by Simon Hunter and Susana Urra.
One of the longest serving political prisoners in Iran, Mohammad Nazari has been taken to a clinic after losing more than 25 kilos (55 pounds).

Mohammad Nazari, who has been on hunger strike for the past eighty-one days, has lost his voice and can hardly walk, human rights websites reported on Friday, October 20.

I am the loneliest prisoner in this city [Rajaee Shahr prison]. Despite 81 days of hunger strike, no one has listened and helped me in this city, Nazari has lamented in a letter reflected in human rights websites and social media.

Nazaris life could end in tragedy due to a prolonged hunger strike, a source with knowledge about his case told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

He has been refusing food since July 30, [2017], to demand a review of his case that could result in his freedom, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But he has no lawyer or family members to help him.

The source added that Nazari was taken to the clinic in Rajaee Shahr Prison, located west of Tehran, a couple of times and received IV shots, but he is being ignored by the officials and that could result in a terrible tragedy.

He is in a very bad condition, said the source. He has all sorts of physical problems and emotional issues. Losing his teeth is the least of his problems caused by the lack of medical attention.

Dont abandon me, pleaded Nazari in his letter. I dont have anyone. My father, mother and brother were laid to rest years ago... Your helping hand is my only hope. Help me. Help me so that my voice can be heard. Help me gain the freedom I am legally entitled to.

Nazari has been behind bars for the past 24 years in several prisons in cities of Mahabad, Urmia, and Rajaee Shahr (Gohardasht) without any leave of absence.

Now, in the 24th year of my imprisonment, I am alone, with no one to rely on, he has written, adding, I am on hunger strike because I have no options left.

Nazari was arrested in city of Bukan, West Azarbaijan province, 24 years ago when he was 23. He was condemned to death for allegedly being a member of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdestan (PDKI). Later, in 1999, he received a pardon that reduced his sentence to life imprisonment.

The informed source who spoke to CHRI has noted that after the penal code was amended in 2013, membership in the PDKI was no longer considered a crime.

Nevertheless, Nazari, now 47, is still behind bars.

Dont abandon me, pleaded Nazari in his letter. I dont have anyone. My father, mother and brother were laid to rest years ago in the cemetery in Boukan. Your helping hand is my only hope. Help me. Help me so that my voice can be heard. Help me gain the freedom I am legally entitled to.

In his letter, Nazari who is an ethnic Iranian Azeri Turk insists that he is seeking nothing, but justice, I want neither freedom nor a furlough; I want the law to be enforced.

According to the law, I should have been released four and a half years ago. But the invisible hands of power and security have prevented the implementation of this law. Now, after 24 years in prison, while I am completely alone and left with nothing, I have no choice but to go on hunger strike.

According to several of his former inmates, the fact that Nazari is an ethnic Azeri Shiite accused of supporting a Sunni Kurd Party (PDKI) has aggravated the sensitivity of his case.

Help me reach my legal right to freedom that they have deprived me of. Anything other than my release, and I will continue my strike until I too pass away and buried in Bukan cemetery where my family is Nazari has concluded his letter.
US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson says president Donald Trumps administration is not opposed to European countries doing business with Iran.

Tillerson's remarks in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday came one week after Trump refused to certify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal with world powers, and left its fate to the US Congress.

"The president's been pretty clear that it's not his intent to interfere with business deals that the Europeans may have under way with Iran," Tillerson told WSJ.

Hes said it clearly: Thats fine. You guys do what you want to do.'

Tillerson said that after working with the Europeans for six months, we will start a more formalized process with them now that the policys been adopted.

However, Tillerson said little about the fate of Boeing contracts to sell passenger planes to Tehran or General Electric's agreements to sell equipment and technologies to Irans energy sector.

Boeing reached an agreement with Iran Air in December 2016 for 80 aircraft valued at $16.6 billion, based on list prices. Iranian officials have said the deal's value is closer to $8 billion.

Iran Air CEO Farzaneh Sharafbafi recently insisted that the aircraft order was still safe even if the US left the nuclear deal, but there is opposition to the deal in the U.S. Congress and its future is uncertain.

Earlier, Trump had threatened a total termination of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic unless Congress tightens sanctions on the country and European allies address US concerns.

A week ago, he announced new sanctions on Irans powerful military elite, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), describing it as the Iranian supreme leaders corrupt personal terror force and militia.

In a coordinated manner, all key members of President Trumps administration have unequivocally supported the White Houses new strategy against Tehran.

Imposing sanctions on IRGC is going to play a pivotal role in the new strategy. However, there are so many complications ahead, US officials have admitted.

It is a difficult, complex intelligence undertaking to sort out which entities are controlled by the Guards, which ones have shareholders, CIA director Mike Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, estimating the Guards control as much as 20 percent of the Iranian economy.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a think tank that contributed research and scholarship to the Trump administrations new strategy on Iran unveiled last week.

But imagine youre a European CEO, or board of directors or a lender. Imagine that youre a businessperson deciding whether it was appropriate to take that risk or not, whether the return was there for your company. I think we can make it even more difficult, Pompeo reiterated.

Meanwhile Tillerson and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said they have discussed their new Iran approach with members of Congress. While a new agreement may not be possible, they said some lawmakers have been receptive, and improving the agreement is worth a try in any case.

Said McMaster: "Nobody's for Iran getting nuclear weapons."

McMaster, who was also speaking at the FDD forum, said the presidents first choice is to get Congress and European allies on board with a pressure strategy that will force Iran back to the negotiating table.

US National Security Adviser specifically went after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as a terrorist enabling body that engages in drug smuggling worldwide.

They [IRGC commanders] are a great narcotics trafficking organization that enrich themselves while poison the world and use that money to create murder, McMaster noted.

Trumps top adviser also insisted that US new strategy is neutralizing all Tehrans actions aimed at destabilizing the region.

Meanwhile, McMaster referred to a number of Tehrans negative impact on Iran and the whole region, including financial support for terrorism, supporting Basha al-Assad crimes,Hostility with Israel, jeopardizing the security of international sea routes, particularly in the Persian Gulf, violating human rights, arbitrarily arresting people with impunity and placing foreigners, including US citizens waywardly behind bars.

Based on reporting by Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AFP and the Jerusalem Post
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Voting of some Ukrainian MPs for the PACE resolutions on Azerbaijan shouldnt damage implementation of the course approved by the leaderships of Azerbaijan and Ukraine for further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in all spheres, first vice prime minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv told reporters in Baku.

He said that not everyone likes positive dynamics in the relations between Kiev and Baku.

So, certain forces, not only outside, but also inside Ukraine, want to harm President Petro Poroshenko, who is pursuing consistent policy towards Azerbaijan, Kubiv said. The voting of some Ukrainian MPs for the PACE resolutions on Azerbaijan is a proof of that.

I would like to bring some clarity to this issue, Kubiv said. The information that all the delegation of the Ukrainian parliament voted for the PACE resolutions on Azerbaijan is not true. Only five of 12 members of the Ukrainian delegation voted for resolutions No. 2184 and No. 2185. Moreover, none of the Ukrainian MPs, who voted for the resolutions, belongs to Petro Poroshenko's bloc. It should be noted that Oleksiy Honcharenko, an MP from Petro Poroshenko's bloc, supported the amendments of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Resolution No. 2185/2017.

Kubiv noted that the Ukrainian MPs who voted for the PACE resolutions on Azerbaijan dont reflect Ukraines official position, and only represent different political forces in the Ukrainian parliament.

The goal of these provocative actions is extremely clear - to damage the policy of Petro Poroshenko, who ensures Ukraines course for European integration in such a way that any negative influence on our strategic relations with fraternal and friendly Azerbaijan is prevented, Kubiv said.

On Oct. 11, PACE adopted resolutions on The functioning of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan report, authored by co-rapporteurs Cezar Florin Preda and Stefan Schennach, and on Azerbaijans Chairmanship of the Council of Europe: what follow-up on respect for human rights? report, made by Belgian MP Alain Destexhe.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Samir Ali  Trend:

Turkeys inviting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as a special guest to the 9th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) once again proves the brotherhood of the two countries, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend.

He said that Azerbaijan is always with Turkey, and Turkey is always with Azerbaijan.

The invitation for President Ilham Aliyev to the D-8 summit shows that Azerbaijan is a leading country in the region, the MP said. The invitation speaks of Azerbaijans growing authority on the international arena. It is also an example of friendship and brotherhood between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Commenting on the speech of President Aliyev at the D-8 summit, Rzayev said the head of state touched upon important issues.

As at all international events, this time, President Ilham Aliyev also spoke about the main problem of Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and underlined that Armenia continues its aggressive policy and evades diplomatic negotiations, the MP added. The head of state noted that historical monuments, including mosques, were destroyed in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. He called on Muslim states to solidarity in this matter.

Azerbaijan is known for its tolerance in the world, however, Armenians destroyed mosques in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Rzayev noted. The president of Azerbaijan has rightly pointed out that no Muslim country should cooperate with a state that destroys mosques. Unfortunately, today, some Islamic states cooperate with Armenia, and this contradicts Islamic solidarity.

The 9th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) was held in Istanbul Oct. 20.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The invitation by President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the 9th Summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation is a clear example of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood, Elman Nasirov, member of the Azerbaijani parliament, told Trend Oct. 21.

Nasirov noted that each such platform is very important in terms of demonstrating the potential of Azerbaijan and informing the international community about the problems faced by the Azerbaijani state.

The president of Azerbaijan, as always, this time also brought to the attention of the participants the information on Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan and its grave consequences, said the MP.

The presidents visit once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan has already been attracted to the events of many important organizations, where it is not a member, and has a fairly high authority on the international arena.

It should be reminded that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, at the invitation of President Erdogan, participated in the D-8 summit held in Istanbul on Oct. 20 as a special guest.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Samir Ali  Trend:

The invitation for Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev to participate in the summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) in Istanbul as a special guest speaks about the presidents growing authority in the region and the Islamic world, Tahir Mirkishili, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, told Trend Oct. 21.

Mirkishili noted that this is also a good example of the Azerbaijan-Turkey brotherhood.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation includes Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria. Two members of the organization, Turkey and Indonesia, are also members of the G-20. The trade turnover between the member countries exceeds $100 billion, noted the MP.

At the G-20 summit held in Antalya in November 2015, the Turkish president also invited the Azerbaijani president, said Mirkishili.

The implementation of global projects initiated by Azerbaijan, the organization of dialogue among civilizations, and the fight against Islamophobia strengthen the countrys role on international cooperation platforms, according to him.

This, on one hand, increases the authority of Azerbaijan on the international arena, and on the other hand, creates opportunities for the formation of new forms of regional cooperation, added Mirkishili.

It should be reminded that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, participated in the D-8 summit held in Istanbul on Oct. 20 as a special guest.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

Trend:

The Azerbaijani First Deputy of Defense Minister, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Najmaddin Sadikov departs for Washington, US to attend Chiefs of Defense Conference on Countering-Violent Extremist Organizations (C-VEOs) to be held on Oct. 24, the Defense Ministry reports.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Next meeting of Azerbaijan-Ukraine intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will be held Nov.13-17, first vice prime minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv told reporters in Baku.

We, together with Azerbaijans Economy Ministry, have already outlined issues to be discussed at the intergovernmental commission's meeting, Kubiv said.

Kubiv also noted that work is underway to prepare the first meeting of Azerbaijan-Ukraine intergovernmental commission on tourism.

In addition, we are preparing for the sixth meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Ukraine, Ilham Aliyev and Petro Poroshenko, added Kubiv.

Ukraines direct investments in Azerbaijan amounted to $25 million, said Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev at the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business meeting in Baku Oct. 20.

He said that currently 116 companies with Ukrainian capital operate in Azerbaijan.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine amounted to $483.2 million in January-September 2017, which is 2.1 times more compared to the same period of 2016.

At the same time, the export of Azerbaijani products to Ukraine increased by 5.1 times from $32.94 million to $166.9 million, while imports of Ukrainian products to Azerbaijan increased by 59.2 percent from $198.74 million to $316.3 million.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Leyla Abdullayeva  Trend:

The Baku Transportation Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has announced an open tender for the purchase of spare parts and warranty maintenance of BARJO wall-mounted sensor video monitor systems.

All those interested to participate in the tender must send their proposals in two copies, signed and confirmed with a seal, in envelopes.

The cost of participation in the tender is 200 Azerbaijani manats.

Account: AZ88CTRE00000000000008147701 TIN: 1503112971 Bank: State Treasury Agency Code: 210005 TIN: 1401555071 Correspondent account: AZ41NABZ01360100000000003944 S.W.I.F.T: CTREAZ22

Bidders should submit the following documents:

- a written application for participation in the tender;

- a bank check on transfer of participation fee;

- tender proposal (must be valid within 30 days from the date of opening the envelope);

- Two-percent bank guarantee (must be valid within 60 banking days from the date of opening the envelope);

- certificate on absence of tax arrears and other overdue obligations from the Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan;

- a copy of financial statement for the last one year of activity confirmed by the tax authorities;

- bank statement on financial condition for 2016;

- companys full name, legal status, charter, country of registration and details;

- certificates of origin and conformity to the relevant goods;

- other documents.

Bidders should submit the abovementioned documents (excluding tender proposals and bank guarantee) until 12:00 (UTC+4), November 13, 2017, while tender proposals and bank guarantee should be submitted in a sealed envelope until 12:00, November 23, 2017 to: 111, Ziya Bunyadov Str., Baku, Azerbaijan.

Contact person: Tural Mahmudov. Phone: (+99412) 404-41-20 (ext. 4185)

Tender envelopes will be opened at 12:00 on November 22, 2017.

Authorized representatives of bidders can take part in the tender.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

Canadas Zenith Energy has announced a further update on the production from well C-21 in Azerbaijans Jafarli onshore oil field.

Zenith Energy is the operator of Azerbaijans largest onshore block of oil fields Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardab.

The most recent production tests carried out recorded a stabilized flow rate from well C-21 averaging approximately 50 barrels of oil per day, said the message from the company.

Earlier, Zenith said well C-21 in Azerbaijan's Jafarli field is flowing at an increased rate of 35 barrels of oil per day following the identification of an additional 7.8 meters of unexploited pay zones.

"We are already assessing a number of other wells across the field where we can replicate the highly successful outcomes accomplished at C-21 and C-26, and, in so doing, successfully work towards achieving our production objective of 1,000 barrels of oil per day by 31 March 2018," said Mike Palmer, chief operating officer of Zeniths local wholly-owned subsidiary in Azerbaijan, Zenith Aran.

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Zenith Aran Oil Company signed a Rehabilitation, Exploration, Development and Production Sharing Agreement (REDPSA) in March 2016 for a block that includes the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oilfields. These fields cover an area of 642.2 square kilometers. Production under the agreement began in August of 2016.

Zenith holds a 80-percent participating interest in the three fields within the contract area, while SOCAR retains the remaining 20 percent. The duration of the agreement is 25 years, with a potential extension of 5 additional years.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 21

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

Uzbekistan hosted the second international scientific and technical conference on innovative developments in the field of chemistry and technology of fuels and lubricants.

The forum was organized by JSC Uzbekneftegaz and JSC Uzneftmahsulot, the Agency for Science and Technology, the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan jointly with the Bukhara and Fergana oil refineries.

The conference was attended by scientists and specialists from Uzbekistan, the United States, Germany, Denmark, Russia, South Korea and Ukraine.

The participants exchanged views on development of pure, high-octane gasoline, the use of innovative developments, the peculiarities of the transition to production of diesel fuel of the Euro-5 standard and other topical issues.

Currently, oil and condensate processing plants with a design capacity of 8.5 million tons per year operate in Uzbekistan. They produce more than 70 types of gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

Kazakhstan's Mynaral company, engaged in the fish processing, is set to reach its design capacity.

The company located in Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan was commissioned in 2014 and is a major project within the framework of the State Program on the forced industrial and innovative development.

The Mynaral fish factory can produce at least 1,500 tons of fish products per year. The total cost of the project is 600 million tenge, while it allowed to open up 200 jobs.

The enterprise produces Balkhash fish (pike-perch, carp, bream, asp, vobla), fish fillet, dried fish, as well as fish meal and fish mince.

The Balkhash fish products are sold both on the domestic market of Kazakhstan and exported to Russia and Europe.

The volume of products produced in 2016 amounted to 664.0 tons. During the 9 months of this year, the production increased up to 769.0 tons.

Zhambyl region akim Karim Kokrekbayev has recently visited the plant located in the village of Mynaral on the shore of Lake Balkhash, the press service of the Zhambyl region akim reports. Here he familiarized with the production process.

The official exchange rate for October 21 is 335.24 KZT / USD.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Nigar Guliyeva - Trend:

Kazakhstan has recorded a sharp drop in demand for potatoes from Uzbekistan.

The Kazakh Agriculture Ministry reported that demand from Uzbekistan has sharply declined since October 2017 due to the beginning of harvesting season in Uzbekistan itself .

The total export of potatoes from Kazakhstan amounted to 107,400 tons worth $17.4 million for the period January-August 2017. Of the total volume 76,000 tons accounted for the harvest of last year.

despite the decline, Uzbekistan remained the main export direction, which imported 106,600 tons worth $17.3 million.

In January-May local agrarians sold more than 78,500 tons of potato to Uzbekistan, which is 1.5 times more than the volume export to the countries outside the EEA.

In the first 5 months of 2017, potato exports brought Kazakhstan $ 13.4 million. the export volume was 79,400 tons of potatoes, including to Tajikistan - 580 tons, Turkmenistan - 159 tons and the rest to Uzbekistan.

As of October 20, 2017, 99.8% of the sown area was harvested, and 3.5 million tons of potatoes were harvested, which is at the level of the gross harvest in 2016.

In 2017, according to local executive bodies, the sown area of potatoes was 179,600 hectares, which is 1,600 hectares less than in the previous year.

The Statistics Committee of the Ministry reported that harvesting volume for 2016 and 2015 were about 3.5 million tons.

However, despite the decrease in demand from Uzbekistan, retail prices for potatoes continued to grow and the price index from October 1 to October 17 this year. was 118.7%.

The statistics show that producer prices from June to September were at the level of 49 tenge per kilogram, while retail prices decreased from 162 tenge per kilogram to 99 tenge per kilogram. In the same period of 2016, producer prices fell from 47 to 45 tenge per kilogram, retail prices dropped from 106 to 81 tenge per kilogram.

The official exchange rate for October 21 is 335.24 KZT / USD.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Ashgabat has hosted a meeting of the council of the joint program of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with participation of national experts in the field of rational water use, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reports.

The meeting participants discussed stages of implementation of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Sustainable Water Management in Turkmenistan project.

The council members drafted a work plan, including such measures as assistance in the operation of diesel pumping units when they are transferred to power supply and the use of solar energy for supplying drinking water to the territories near the village of Bury in Central Karakum.

Cooperation of project specialists and enterprises in the Ahal, Dashoguz and Mary regions producing concrete pipes and slabs is planned.

In particular, the ways of using synthetic cables instead of steel reinforcement in reinforced concrete slabs, the production of plastic sheets for canal lining, as well as special non-pressure concrete and plastic pipes for water supply and drainage were suggested, according to the article.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan was on in Dushanbe with a working visit October 18-20.

Within the framework of the visit, meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Aslov and his deputy Nizomiddin Zohidi were held .

"During the talks, special attention was paid to the preparation of high-level visits", said in the statement of the Turkmen MFA.

The sides noted the importance of cooperation within authoritative international organizations.

During the discussion of issues of trade and economic cooperation, the sides expressed interest in developing relations in the energy and transport sectors.

Earlier it was reported that the construction of the railroad Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan is indicative in cooperation between the two countries.

In November 2016, within the framework of this project, a ceremony of opening a new railway from the Turkmen city of Atamurat to the Afghan settlement of Akin was held.

The new road will eventually connect the Afghan section of Akin-Andkhoy with the Atamurat-Ymamnazar section in Turkmenistan and the Pyandj in Tajikistan, which will boost the trade cooperation.

In addition, plans for the construction of the fourth branch of the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China through Tajikistan are being studied.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 21

By Diana Aliyeva Trend:

Uzbekistan actively participates in the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported Oct. 21.

On Oct. 20, Tashkent hosted the fifth meeting of the ministers of justice of the SCO.

In addition, on Oct. 25-27, it is planned to hold a meeting of chairmen of the supreme courts of the SCO states in Tashkent.

The Uzbek side informed participants of a regular meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators, held in Beijing Oct.17-20, about these events.

At the meeting, representatives from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan exchanged views on the current issues of the SCO activities, including the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) and other joint events.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct. 21

By Diana Aliyeva  Trend:

The introduction of modern mechanisms of legal support for investments in the area of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was discussed at the fifth meeting of SCO member states justice ministers, held in Tashkent.

The meetings agenda also included issues of further intensification of cooperation among the justice ministries of SCO member states to ensure the rule of law, protect the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.

At the initiative of the Uzbek side, a discussion was held on the development of investment legislation, and the creation of additional legal conditions for facilitating investment procedure.

The participants noted the importance of improving the mechanism for providing legal assistance in civil and family issues to the citizens of SCO member states, introducing modern methods of consideration of appeals from individuals and legal entities.

Legal mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of the working groups on interaction in the field of forensic examination and legal services in the SCO member states were discussed at the meeting.

Representatives of SCO member states  justice ministers of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, deputy justice minister of China, as well as representatives of SCO observer states  justice ministers of Afghanistan, Belarus and Iran attended the meeting.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Rice farmers in northern Iran have set a new record in the output volume, harvesting about 2.3 million tons of the cereal grain over the first five months of the current fiscal year (started March 20).

Abbas Keshavarz, an Iranian deputy agriculture minister, has described the output as "unprecedented in decades", adding that suitable climate conditions have contributed to the output surge, ISNA news agency reported.

Simultaneously, the country imported over one million tons of rice to register 79 percent hike in volume terms compared to same period of time last year.

The country consumes about three million tons of rice per year and each Iranian averagely consumes about 38 kilograms of rice annually.

It appears that the high output of rice this year has caused confusion among the importers as about 1.8 million tons of rice was imported into the country. This is while the countrys total imports of rice over the last two years stood at 1.5 million tons.

According to Irans Customs Administration, the country imported worth of $995 million of rice over the first half of the current year, indicating a surge of 109 percent in value terms.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

BPs 2017 Statistical Review says Uzbekistan produced only 2.6 million tons of oil in 2016, which is a miserable amount for a country with a population of 30 million. Oil production is continuously going down for almost two decades.

The lions share of primary energy consumption falls on natural gas (87.6 percent), great values of which the country owns, while oil/oil products make only 5.3 percent.

Uzbekistan has three oil refineries with a total capacity of about 11.5 million tons per year. Refinery throughput is about 3.4 million tons per year, i.e. less than one-third of total capacity. The main oil products are gasoline and diesel fuel, which are mostly consumed in transport and agriculture sectors.

As is clear from abovesaid, Uzbekistan is facing a shortage in crude oil and particularly in end oil products. So far, Uzbekistan has been trying to turn the corner i.e. to cut oil products consumption (especially gasoline) by converting its vehicle fleet to work on compressed natural gas.

Meanwhile, having oil-rich neighbors such as Kazakhstan, Russia and partly Turkmenistan, the country is still searching additional volumes of oil to meet domestic demands.

The bulk of crude is exported from Russia, but it is some kind of overstatement to believe that Russia supplies some great amount of crude to the country. The same is with Kazakhstan.

JSC Uzbekneftegaz plans to import up to one million tons of oil from Russia and Kazakhstan in 2018, the chairman of the companys board Alisher Sultanov has said recently. We plan test pumping of 30,000 tons [of oil] in September and up to 200,000 tons until the end of this year. Next year we are going to receive up to one million tons.

Sultanov has said that Uzbekneftegaz will import this volume during 2018-2020, and from 2021, after launching a new oil refinery in the Jizzakh region, the volume of import will increase to five million tons.

Earlier, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan will be able to deliver up to one million tons of end oil products to Uzbekistan.

However, so far there is no sign that the countrys old and friendly post-Soviet neighbors wish to accelerate the process. It seems that technical matters of oil transportation are in second place after financial ones. Neighboring countries will hardly agree to sell oil at their internal prices.

Thus, to reduce expenses and diversify its oil import, Tashkent should look for new suppliers.

This week, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov has met with Irans Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh in Tehran to study the details of purchasing oil from Iran in the near future.

Noting that Uzbekistan is a land-locked state, Zanganeh said delivery of oil would be carried out by rail, yet the feasibility of other ways should also be assessed. Turkmenistan appears to be the shortest land route.

Another option would be swap operations with participation of a third party.

In September, Iran's crude output climbed to the pre-sanctions level of around 3.848 million barrels per day and is expected to rise to 4.7 million bpd in coming years. Irans heavy crude price averaged $52.27 in September.

According to Uzbekneftegaz, one ton of oil delivered (from Russia) to Uzbekistan by rail costs from $150 to $250. Recently, Iran Railways has decided to offer freight transportation discounts of up to 50 percent on exports of goods from Iran.

In this particular case interests of both sides coincide. Iran could get another customer of its growing volumes of oil, while Uzbekistan will be able to tackle domestic deficiency of end oil products.
Tehran, Iran, October 21

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

In recent weeks around US President Donald Trumps announcement of his new policy on Iran, European leaders have been talking up the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, aka JCPOA, which freed Iran of nuclear-related sanctions.

On October 13, Trump announced at the White House that his administration would declare Iran in violation of the agreement, but stopped short of exiting the nuclear pact altogether. Under law, the US president must periodically recertify that Iran is in compliance with the deal, else Congress would have a way to impose new sanctions on Iran.

However, member states of the European Union have been criticizing Trump for his new approach, stressing that they will stick to the deal.

We fully stay committed to the complete implementation by all sides of the Iranian nuclear deal. We see this as a key security interest for the European Union and the region, said EUs top diplomat Federica Mogherini October 19, as the bloc issued a statement reiterating its support for the deal.

In such circumstances, it seems that the Old Continents policy to yield its weight behind JCPOA stems from their hope for a new deal with Iran on its missile program, which has been the source of much concern to the West, a US-based Iran affairs experts believes.

Despite the perception in Tehran that the nuclear deal is driving a wedge between the EU and Washington, it is not. By being strict on the deal, Washington doesnt mean to pull out of it, but is seeking to ratchet up pressure on the EU to take a harsher stance on Irans missile program. The EU has signaled that it is not reluctant to work on that as evidenced by increasing missile comments made by European leaders, Ali Kushki told Trend October 21.

So, by remaining in the deal the EU is encouraging Tehran to look at the body as a trusted partner for a second deal, most probably the missile program, and at the same time, is implicitly in the same camp Washington wants it to be.

During his speech at the White House, Trump in particular pinpointed Irans Revolution Guards as a key site Washington will be encompassing with sanctions, especially over its missile program.

In response, the Guards issued a statement announcing that Iran will continue boosting its missile capabilities.

Having said that, Kushki noted, one has to wait and see what practical measures the EU takes if the Congress decertifies the nuclear pact, as well. The blocs authentic commitment is verified only if it shields European companies which have entered into business with Iran against the extraterritorial provisions of certain US legislation.
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 21

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The recent summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) which, among others, gathered Iranian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani officials together will be a useful tool in cementing ties between these three strategic countries, an Azerbaijan affairs expert believes.

Especially if the common concerns of these countries, such as security and terrorism are taken into account, more meetings between the leaders can create stronger bonds between the three countries, Dr. Reza Abedi Gonabad told Trend Oct. 21.

Turkey hosted the Summit on Oct. 20 under the motto Expanding Opportunities through Cooperation, taking over the charge from Pakistan.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended the summit.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development of cooperation among member states (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey).

The combined population of the eight countries accounts for about 60 percent of all Muslims, or close to 13 percent of the worlds population.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 20

By Gulgiz Muradova Trend:

Azerbaijan's participation in the 9th Summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation recognizes the role of Azerbaijan as one of the important players in the Islamic world along with Turkey and Pakistan, said Muhammad Asif Noor, director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and president of the Azerbaijan-Pakistan Friendship Forum.

Turkey hosted the Summit on Oct. 20 under the theme Expanding Opportunities Through Cooperation, taking over the charge from Pakistan.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended the summit.

Asif Noor emphasized that Azerbaijan is a major regional player in the energy-rich and strategically significant Caucasus region.

"Both Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy deep rooted relations with highest level of diplomatic, political, economic and strategic relations. The presence of Azerbaijan in the Summit is of both strategic importance and also has long term impact on the expansion of opportunities for the D8 countries wherein Pakistan also holds a prominent place," Asif Noor said.

"With the presence of Azerbaijan in the Summit, the message is clear - Turkey provides ample significance to Azerbaijan in its national, regional and international political world view," he said, adding that Azerbaijan is an important economic player as well, considering the large scale energy projects.

Asif Noor stressed that Azerbaijan's participation in the summit has also a deep meaning and message to the aggressive state of Armenia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Azerbaijans participation in the 9th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) proves once again that the country may play an important role in strengthening of D-8, Naciye Selin Senocak, UNESCO Cultural Diplomacy, Governance and Education Chair Holder at Istanbul Aydin University, told Trend Oct. 21.

Senocak, who is also the director of the Center for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies (CEDS) in Paris, was commenting on the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as a special guest in the D-8 summit held in Istanbul Oct. 20.

Prior to that, Azerbaijan spoke in the UN with important initiatives that can help restoration of peace and can also become an example for the Islamic world, Senocak said.

In her opinion, as long as the Muslim countries don't unite and achieve development, they will be threatened by a split under the influence of external forces.

We shouldnt forget that more than four million Muslims have died so far after the war in the Persian Gulf, she said. The development of Muslim countries can only take place through the strengthening of the D-8.

The expert noted that the idea of creating the D-8, which includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, was expressed by former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.

Unfortunately, after the death of Professor Erbakan, Turkey didnt pay proper attention to the D-8, but paid attention to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is more passive, she said.

She noted that if proper attention is paid to the D-8, it will be able to become as strong as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and may become an alternative market to the EU.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing the D-8 summit, said the composition of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (aka Developing-8) should expand.

Erdogan noted that economic and political ties between the D-8 member countries should also expand.

The Turkish president also said that the D-8 member countries should use their national currencies in trade.
The United Nations said Friday that 589,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25, VOA reports.

Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that just over half of them are staying at a large site known as the Kutupalong Expansion, where aid partners are working to improve basic services, infrastructure and road access.

The U.N. and international partners are struggling to meet the needs of the constantly increasing refugee population. An international pledging conference is set for Monday in Geneva. It aims to raise $434 million to assist 1.2 million refugees through February 2018.

Almost 60 percent of the refugees are children, and the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, says children are particularly threatened by desperate living conditions and waterborne diseases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the Syrian peace process in a phone call, the Kremlin said Saturday, according to Sputnik.

"During a detailed opinion exchange on Syria, [they] assessed as positive the joint work within the Astana process, which has led to the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria," the statement read.

The presidents discussed the outlook for the next multilateral talks on Syria in Kazakhstans capital of Astana and "touched upon practical aspects of further coordination of efforts" to end the war in Syria.

The Kazakh capital has hosted six rounds of talks on Syria since this January that involved both the government and armed opposition. The Kazakh foreign ministry said last week the next round was slated for October 30-31.

The latest negotiations in September have led to an agreement to create a so-called de-escalation zone in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Russia, Turkey and Iran serve as guarantor states of the ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump said in a statement he was "pleased to announce" that the Syrian Democratic Forces supported by the US-led coalition, had "successfully recaptured" the city, Sputnik reported.

He also said that the liberation of Raqqa was a critical breakthrough in the campaign against Daesh, adding that "the end of the ISIS [Daesh] caliphate is in sight."

"We will soon transition into a new phase in which we will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again," Trump stated, adding that the United States and its allies would support diplomatic negotiations to end the violence and allow refugees to return home safely, as well as to "yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people."

The leaders of the terrorists, as well as anyone who supports them, "must and will face justice," Trump concluded.

The US-led coalition confirmed that Raqqa had been liberated from Daesh and congratulated the Syrian Democratic Forces with a victory over terrorist group. The battle for the city has lasted for months.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The US cannot be called civilized since there are serious problems with human rights in that country, the Turkish media quoted Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Oct. 21.

After the US issued warrants to arrest my bodyguards, I cannot call that country civilized, said Erdogan.

He noted that the declared principles of partnership between the US and Turkey do not work in fact.

On June 15, a US court issued a warrant for the arrest of Erdogans bodyguards who dispersed demonstrators in Washington, among whom there were supporters of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Institutional funds, which are designed (not unexpectedly) for institutional investors such as pension funds, have extraordinarily low expense ratios that make them particularly attractive investments. Unfortunately, these funds also have breathtakingly high initial purchase requirements: to qualify as an institutional fund as fund-watcher Morningstar defines it, the minimum initial purchase must be at least $100,000, and many have initial purchase requirements in the millions or even billions of dollars. How can an ordinary investor get shares in such a fund?

Employer-sponsored retirement account

401(k)s and other employer-sponsored retirement plans often have access to institutional funds, especially if the employer is a large one. That's because the total of all the employees' investments in the 401(k) plan may be enough to meet those high initial purchase requirements. Check your available investments for your 401(k), and if one of them has the word "institutional" in the fund name, you're in luck.

If you don't have any institutional funds in your 401(k), ask your plan administrator if it's possible to substitute an institutional version of one of the existing funds. If your company's 401(k) plan is large enough to qualify, there's no reason why you and your fellow employees shouldn't be able to enjoy those ultra-low expense ratios.

Metal bucket full of money

Image source: Getty Images.

College savings plan

State-sponsored college savings plans, also known as 529 plans , sometimes offer institutional funds for their investors. If you've been considering investing in a 529 plan, narrowing your search to plans that offer such institutional funds can save you a chunk of money in fees. However, be aware that some 529 plans require either the purchaser or the beneficiary to be a resident of the plan's sponsoring state. If you already belong to a 529 plan, check its investment options to see if there's an institutional fund in there that you can switch over to.

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Financial advisor

If you buy your investments through a financial advisor, you can get access to advisor-class funds : these aren't quite as cheap as institutional class funds, but they do eliminate some of the fees associated with standard funds. However, advisor-class funds are cheap because the fund managers assume that the advisors themselves will charge you high fees for access. So before you dive into such a fund, question your advisor carefully to find out just what fees you'll pay for the privilege.

A much better option is to choose a financial advisor with a large enough client base to bundle clients' funds to hit the minimum purchase requirements for true institutional funds. If you can find a financial advisor who is willing to do this, it's still important to understand just what fees you'll pay so that you can be sure it really is a better deal than just buying regular funds directly.

Discount brokers, in a way

Discount and deep discount brokers don't usually give retail investors direct access to institutional funds, but they may offer special funds just for clients that have extremely low expense ratios with reasonable minimum initial purchase requirements. For example, Vanguard's Admiral Shares funds have significantly lower expense ratios than other Vanguard funds and have minimum initial purchase requirements of as little as $10,000. As with advisor-class funds, it's important to dig into the prospectus and verify that you're not paying through the nose in some other type of fee to get that low expense ratio. These custom brokerage funds aren't quite as good as institutional funds, but they may be the next best thing.

Keep in mind that just because you have access to one particular institutional fund, that doesn't mean you should snap it up. A fund with poor returns or that doesn't fit your investing goals is a poor choice, no matter how cheap it might be. If you can't find a great institutional fund, just pick up a great standard fund instead.

More From The Motley Fool

At the time of this writing, Wendy Connick had a brokerage account at Vanguard, but she didn't own any Vanguard Admiral shares. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Ever since Amazon (AMZN) created the Amazon Echo, the Siri for the home voice assistant, every company and its brother has rushed to come up with one almost exactly like it.

Take, for example, the Amazon Echo Dot. Like the full-size Echo, it responds to your commands and questions from across the roombut its a tiny, sawed-off one that costs $50. The only difference is that because you dont have the big cylinder, the sound quality is tinny. It makes a fantastic second Echosay, for the upstairs.

Well, now heres Google (GOOG, GOOGL) with its own version of the Dot, called the Google Home Mini. Also puck-shaped, also $50. (Google will also be releasing the Google Home Max, a beefier version with better sound.)

The new Google Home Mini (right) has clearly been inspired by the Amazon Echo Dot (left).

The Dot and the Mini are 90% identical. They both work great. Each has a Microphone Off switch, so you can be sure that its not listening for its trigger word. Both can now distinguish who is making the request, so that it can respond to commands like Play my party playlist and Whats next on my calendar? with the right persons music or info. Both now let you make free speakerphone calls to actual phone numbers (although the Googles call quality is awful).

There are, however, a few differences to note.

In this corner: The Google Home Mini.

The sound is much better. Neither assistant pod will be mistaken for a concert hall. But theres no question that Googles built-in speaker is richer than Amazons.

It talks to Chromecasts and Android TVs. If you spring $35 for a Chromecast (a little receiver stick that plugs into a modern TVs USB jack), or if you have a TV that runs Android TV, you can perform a nifty trick. You can say, Ok Google, show me a video about how to remove contact lenses or Show me funny cat videos or Show me the trailer for the new Avengers movie, and it appears on your TV instantly. As you can see in the video above, its quite magical.

It will someday have a tap-to-talk feature. The top of the Mini is supposed to be touch sensitive. As designed, you could tap it to issue a command (instead of saying OK Google), or tap it to pause music. But just as the Home Mini was shipping, a reviewer discovered a bug in which that button thought that it was being pressed all the time, transmitting everything anyone said in the room to Googles servers. So Google responded by shutting off that top buttons features altogether.

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Google will presumably restore the tap-the-top feature once they get their act together.

And now, in this corner: The Amazon Echo Dot.

Works with more home-automation products, like internet-controlled thermostats, lights, security cameras, and so on. Its a huge list. Googles improving on this front, but Amazons had a several-year head start.

It has an audio output jack. Lots of people love plugging in their nice speakers or sound systems to an Echo Dot, thanks to the standard miniplug on the side (the Google offers nothing similar). That makes it easy to control your music by voiceone of the most luxurious features ever.

Its much easier and more reliable to adjust the Echo Dots volume (left) by turning its ring instead of tapping the sides.

You can see feedback across the room. The Dots LED ring glows in different colors and patterns to communicate different thingsfor example, it glows when its transmitting sound back to Amazon. You can see it from the side, and therefore from across the room. The Googles four LEDs are visible only when youre looking down on the device, which isnt nearly as useful.

You can order stuff. Of course, this is exactly what Amazon hopes youll do, but its still cool. Alexaorder more paper towels.

If youre a Google Play subscriber, maybe the convenience of speaking your desires for music tips the balance for you toward the Google Home Mini. (The argument about Buy a Google Home if you keep your calendar in Google Calendar doesnt really hold water, since the Echo can consult or add events to the calendar systems of Google or Apple (AAPL) or Microsoft (MSFT).

Otherwise, though, the Echo Dot is still the better micro-assistant. (Especially when its on sale for $40for example, on the typical Black Friday, which is in a couple of weeks.)

There will be a lot of people unwrapping these little guys this holiday season.

Both of these devices are delicious enhancements to almost anyones home. Over time, youll find more and more ways that theyre usefuland for only 50 bucks!

Correction: The originally posted version of this story referred to the volume ring of the Echo Dot. That was a feature of the first-generation Dot; the current second-generation Dot has volume buttons on the top instead of the ring.

More from David Pogue:

The Fitbit Ionic doesnt quite deserve the term smartwatch

Augmented reality? Pogue checks out 7 of the first iPhone AR apps

iOS11 is about to arrive  heres whats in it

MacOS High Sierra comes this falland brings these 23 features

T-Mobile COO: Why we make investments like free Netflix that seem crazy

How Apples iPhone has improved since its 2007 debut

Gullivers Gate is a $40 million world of miniatures in Times Square

Samsungs Bixby voice assistant is ambitious, powerful, and half-baked

Is through-the-air charging a hoax?

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, is the author of iPhone: The Missing Manual. He welcomes nontoxic comments in the comments section below. On the web, hes davidpogue.com. On Twitter, hes @pogue. On email, hes poguester@yahoo.com. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email.
President Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan standing behind him

Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead.

The Affordable Care Act, which has survived more attacks than perhaps any law in American history, has been hit again by the Trump administration. And if you get your insurance on the ACA exchanges, you could become collateral damage.

As Republican congresspeople make repeated efforts to repeal Obamacare, the Trump administration has quietly targeted Obamacare in ways big and small. October brought some of the most damaging attacks yet, potentially putting Obamacare exchanges on course to become nothing more than costly high-risk pools -- if they survive at all.

What exactly has President Trump been doing to undermine Obamacare behind the scenes as we've all been focused on his tweeting? Let's take a look at six actions the administration has taken to hasten Obamacare's decline.

chain and padlock wrapped around stack of hundred dollar bills

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Announcing an end to cost-sharing subsidies

Most people know Obamacare subsidizes premiums for lower-income insurance buyers. But there's an additional form of assistance provided by Obamacare: cost-sharing reductions (CSRs).

CSRs, which are expected to total $9 billion this year, pay insurers to cover co-pays and deductibles for policyholders with incomes between 100% and 200% of the federal poverty level, who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the high deductibles of Obamacare policies.

Here's the problem: Obamacare didn't make spending on CSRs mandatory. Congress -- the only branch of government with authority to authorize spending -- must appropriate funds. Congress hasn't done so since 2014, and the Obama administration kept paying, leading to a successful lawsuit by Republicans claiming Obama usurped the congressional power over the purse. A federal judge agreed and ruled that congressional action was required to continue paying CSRS, but suspended the ruling pending appeal.

CSRs continued to be paid, but once President Trump took office, he repeatedly threatened to cut them off before finally announcing on Oct. 12 that CSRs would end.

Story continues

Per Obamacare, insurers still won't be able to charge deductibles -- but the government won't offset their costs any longer. Insurers will likely raise premiums to cover losses, or they may walk away from the Obamacare marketplace altogether.

three young people running outdoors

Trump's executive order may encourage young, healthy Americans to flee the Obamacare exchanges.

2. A damaging executive order

Ending CSRs was the second of a one-two punch, with the first hit coming earlier on Oct. 12 when President Trump signed an executive order changing the rules for association health plans and short-term insurance coverage.

These changes will siphon off healthier people from Obamacare's markets, leaving sicker people behind to drive up premiums. Here's how.

Association health plans allow groups of people to join together to buy insurance. Before Obamacare, association plans could pick which state's insurance regulations applied to them. Their policies often weren't comprehensive, because they'd pick states with relaxed coverage rules. Obamacare made association plans subject to comprehensive coverage requirements by treating them as small businesses.

Trump has announced changes to allow association plans to form more easily -- even among individuals -- and to allow plans to offer cheaper, skimpier coverage. Younger, healthier people may flock to these plans, fleeing the Obamacare marketplaces.

Short-term insurance policies are also exempt from Obamacare's regulations, which is why short-term policies had average monthly premiums of $124 at the end of 2016, compared with $393 average premiums for Obamacare-compliant plans. The Obama administration made it harder for people to buy short-term policies by limiting the duration of coverage to three months and allowing insurers to decline to renew policies.

The Trump administration will change the rule to allow policies to last 364 days and be renewable. This makes these policies a viable Obamacare alternative, so healthier people may opt to buy this coverage and forgo more expensive plans available on Obamacare's marketplaces, which would ultimately raise the costs of insurers and consumers participating in the ACA.

Hourglass against blue background

Image source: Getty Images.

3. Shortening open enrollment

Buyers of individual insurance are allowed to purchase Obamacare policies only during open enrollment. The longer this open enrollment period is, the more people will likely enroll.

Last year, open enrollment ran Nov. 1 to Jan. 31. This year, it will run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 -- less than half the time.

The Trump administration also announced it will shut down the federal Obamacare marketplace overnight on the first day of open enrollment, as well as from midnight to noon every Sunday except Dec. 10.

A shorter open enrollment period means fewer people will get coverage. Since the sickest people may rush to sign up, the pool of policyholders is likely to be more costly for insurers to cover.

blank billboard next to highway

Image source: Getty Images.

4. Slashing advertising budgets

About 40% of uninsured Americans are still unaware of the Obamacare marketplaces, according to a recent Commonwealth fund survey, which means advertising is vital to getting healthy Americans to sign up for coverage.

In 2016, the Obama administration spent $100 million on advertising, and this year, only $10 million will be spent. In addition to this 90% cut in ad funding, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is slashing spending on "navigators," who help people sign up for coverage, by 41%.

As if this weren't enough to discourage new signups, the Trump Administration also spent funds intended to advertise Obamacare to instead make videos telling the stories of people who claim to have been harmed by the law. It goes without saying that these aren't likely to encourage more Obamacare signups.

young professionals sitting at computers taking phone calls on headsets

Image source: Getty Images.

5. Ending HHS cooperation with outreach groups

The Obama administration successfully partnered with outreach groups to target underinsured communities. Cooperation between Health and Human Services (HHS) and 13 national organizations helped to get more than 4 million Latinos covered. As a result, Latinos, who have a historically large uninsured population, experienced the biggest decline in the uninsured rate of any ethnic group.

Now, HHS is cooperating with outreach groups no longer. HHS has pulled out of events with both Hispanic organizations and others, including a health advocacy group in Mississippi. HHS officials aren't attending events, HHS isn't sending information, and outreach groups are shutting down -- which is likely to lead to fewer people enrolling in Obamacare.

hand drawing an X over the letters ACA

Image source: Getty Images.

6. Repeated attempts at repeal

"Repeal and replace" has become a legislative zombie as Republicans continually revive their efforts to end Obamacare despite repeated failures.

This has created uncertainty among insurers -- who are particularly averse to uncertainty -- and as a result, insurance companies were late in negotiating premiums in some states.

When their rate quotes came out, the news wasn't good. Concerns about repeal, the threats to CSRs, and questions about whether Trump will enforce Obamacare's mandate to force healthy people to get coverage all prompted premium increases. Some places, like Wilmington, Delaware, saw premiums rise by nearly 50% for 2018.

Insurers have explicitly said that uncertainty is largely responsible for these dramatic increases.

senior woman with hands folded in front of her chin looking worried

Image source: Getty Images.

What does this mean for you?

What does all of this mean for you? Nothing good if you get insurance coverage on the individual market. The fewer people who sign up for Obamacare, the more likely it is that the pool of covered policyholders will be sicker. Insurers will lose money, premiums will keep rising, and healthier policyholders will keep heading for the hills.

Obamacare premium subsidies shield some insurance buyers from the immediate effects of Obamacare sabotage, because premiums are capped at 9.66% of household income or less for buyers with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.

However, if you're buying insurance on the Obamacare market without subsidies, Trump's efforts to undermine Obamacare will hit your family budget. Your monthly premiums may rise by hundreds of dollars as the insurance pool gets sicker. Even worse, insurers may leave the marketplace, leaving you with no coverage options at all.

If insurance through Obamacare becomes unaffordable or unobtainable, your only options may be to hope you have access to an association plan or short-term plan, go without coverage (perhaps the worst option), or start looking for a job that offers you insurance -- you may end up needing it soon.

More From The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The largest payroll processor in the world, Automatic Data Processing (ADP), is responsible for paying one out of six of workers in the US. But the company has been making headlines recently because its fighting a proxy battle by activist Bill Ackman.

But ADP CEO Carlos Rodriguez told Yahoo Finance he agrees about many of Ackmans pushes for change.

We probably agree on a lot of different things from a thematic standpoint: The need to transform our technology at ADP, the need to be efficient, to improve margins, Rodriguez said. But a lot of the information that he gathered, I think as a result of not talking to the company directly, led him to some conclusions that really were incorrect.

However, Rodriguez emphasized that Ackmans inclusion on ADPs board of directors would be a negative.

We have a very strong, independent board with all the skills necessary  including technology experience  for what the strategy of the company is, he said.

He added that ADP is already undergoing the key initiatives Ackman is emphasizing.

What I would say is that maybe hes a few years late in terms of the ideas that he has, because the board and the management team have been working on the technology transformation, on margin improvement, on consolidating our footprint  a lot of the things that Bill has observed that I think are important for any company to do.

Size isnt necessarily an impediment to success

And as Ackman pushes for a 1200 basis point margin improvement, Rodriguez highlighted the 580 basis point improvement since 2011, with another 500 basis point expansion expected by 2020.

Rodriguez highlighted the companys focus on research and development, on which the company spends $800 million annually, and innovation labs, including 1,000 employees working on next-generation technology.

ADP CEO Carlos Rodriguez discusses the companys proxy battle with activist Bill Ackman

Today we have 83% of our clients on our new cloud technology  We have the number one mobile application in the human capital management space, we have data and analytic solutions that weve put out for our clients  We are believers in the transformation of technology and we are adopters of it, Rodriguez said.

Story continues

Rodriguez also defended the companys large size against attacks by Ackman, who has called ADP a lethargic and inefficient sleeping giant.

Size doesnt have to bring with it bureaucracy, Rodriguez said. There are lots of other very large companies that are nimble and that are still creative and are still growing, like ADP, prove that size isnt necessarily an impediment to success.



Nicole Sinclair is markets correspondent at Yahoo Finance

For more on Yahoo Finances interview with ADPs CEO, please see:

ADP CEO on proxy battle: Its really about growing the top line

Please also see:

Gary Cohn: We wont put conditions on repatriated cash, and were fine with stock buybacks

Gary Cohn: The estate tax is really about small business

Gary Cohn: We have to have a permanent change in the tax system

Mick Mulvaney: The size of the debt concerns me
Greenpeace slammed Amazon earlier this week for its environmental practices -- namely, the fact that it doesn't disclose much about its energy use or materials. But today, the company announced that its largest wind farm yet is up and running. The Amazon Wind Farm Texas, located in Scurry County, Texas, includes over 100 turbines and will generate enough clean energy to power more than 330,000 homes.

This isn't Amazon's first foray into clean energy. The Amazon Wind Farm Texas is among 18 others across the US, and the online retailer has another 35 in planning stages. Not only are they offsetting their carbon footprint, at least somewhat, but they're providing more jobs and contributing to local economies. Kara Hurst, Amazon's Worldwide Director of Sustainability, cites a company-wide goal of eventually powering their infrastructure using solely renewable energy.

It's not clear whether this specific press release is a response to Greenpeace's actions, but Amazon is clearly interested in garnering as much good will as possible, and they're going about it in a great way. People can feel however they want about the company, but it's hard to argue with a project like this. The wind farms also make clear that the retail giant is interested in many more endeavors than solely selling you more stuff than you need and delivering it within two days.

Edit: Amazon reached out to clarify that "the 330,000 number refers to the number of homes that all of our renewable energy projects that are in existence and planned will generate in one year," rather than to one wind farm.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. FCAU is set to report third-quarter 2017 results before the opening bell on Oct 24. The company missed estimates once and beat thrice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive earnings surprise of 23.6%.



Fiat Chryslers shares have rallied 63.8% in the last three months, substantially outperforming the 16.4% growth of the industry it belongs to.

Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. Price and Consensus

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. Price and Consensus | Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. Quote



Factors Influencing this Quarter



For 2017, Fiat Chrysler projects revenues in the range of 115-120 billion ($123.4-$128.8 billion) compared with the 111 billion earned in 2016. The company expects adjusted net profit of more than 3 billion ($3.2 billion), up from 2.52 billion recorded in 2016.



Also, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused Fiat Chrysler of using software to manipulate emissions in vehicles that would have otherwise violated the Clean Air Act. This may result in a large number of recalls.



Earnings Whispers



Our proven model does not conclusively show an earnings beat for that Fiat Chrysler will beat on earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below.



Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Fiat Chrysler is 0.00% as the both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are currently pegged at 50 cents per share. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.



Zacks Rank: Fiat Chrysler carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.



We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



Stocks to Consider



Here are a few other stocks in the auto industry you may consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.



Autoliv, Inc. ALV has an earnings ESP of +1.99% and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company will report third-quarter 2017 financial results on Oct 26. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks (Strong Buy) here.



Horizon Global Corporation HZN has an earnings ESP of +5.82% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. The companys third-quarter 2017 financial results are expected to release on Oct 31.



Magna International Inc. MGA has an earnings ESP of +1.91% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. The companys third-quarter 2017 financial results are expected to release on Nov 9.



Wall Streets Next Amazon



Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCAU) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Autoliv, Inc. (ALV) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Horizon Global Corporation (HZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Update: Consumer Reports has issued a response to Tesla's criticisms: "Tesla appears unhappy that CR expects the new-to-market Tesla Model 3 to be of average reliability, which is generally a positive projection for any first model year of a car." And, "Tesla seems to misunderstand or is conflating some of what we fundamentally do." You can find CR's full response here.





DETROIT  New technology to stream music into dashboards or boost fuel efficiency is making cars less reliable, although electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and the Chevrolet Bolt should fare better than many conventional models, Consumer Reports magazine said on Thursday.

The Consumer Reports survey of 640,000 vehicles owned by consumers showed that all-new vehicles or models with newly updated technology are more likely than older models to have a "wonky engine, a jerky transmission, or high-tech features that fail outright."



Electric cars do away with many of the mechanical systems that prompt consumer complaints about conventional cars, the magazine said. Tesla Inc's Model 3, despite recent production problems, should have "average" reliability because it relies on technology already used on the older Tesla Model S, Jake Fisher, the magazine's head of automotive testing, said on Thursday at a meeting of the Detroit Automotive Press Association.



The Bolt is the most reliable car in the Chevrolet brand, he said.



The magazine's annual survey of new vehicle reliability predicts which cars will give owners fewer or more problems than their competitors, based on data provided by the owners of those 640,000 vehicles. Its scorecard is influential among consumers and industry executives.

But "average" didn't seem to please Tesla, which in a statement on Thursday criticized Consumer Reports. because it previously declared the Model S "to be the best car ever and then revoked the rating after being questioned by Tesla skeptics."







Story continues





"Time and time again, our own data shows that Consumer Reports' automotive reporting is consistently inaccurate and misleading to consumers," Tesla said. It accuses Consumer Reports of conducting tests and surveys that "lack basic scientific integrity." In CR's response on Friday, the consumer organization responded that it conducts a long-established battery of 50 standardized tests  and purchases every car it reviews to avoid any implication of favor.



As for the Model 3, Tesla said, "It's important to note that Consumer Reports has not yet driven a Model 3, let alone do they know anything substantial about how the Model 3 was designed and engineered."



Three points regarding Tesla's criticism:



First, CR in 2015 did in fact briefly bestow its highest-ever rating to the Tesla Model S, giving it 103 points on its 100-point scale. But that was an aberration. The Model S had received an "average" rating the year before  in part because faulty door handles locked testers out of the car. And just months after that top rating, based on survey results from 1,400 Tesla owners, the magazine demoted the car all the way down to "worse than average." By 2017, however, Tesla had pulled its overall rating for reliability up to No. 8 in the brand rankings. In this new survey, Tesla comes in at No. 21.

As for the Model 3: With brand-new models that don't yet have a reliability track record, the magazine's methodology is to make a prediction based on the overall brand's history. CR, in predicting the Model 3, is using the same approach it applies to all other new models, and is transparent about its methodology: "We will make a prediction for a brand new or redesigned model, or a model with insufficient data, based on the manufacturer's track record, history of the previous generation, or similar models that shared the same components. Of course, this is only a prediction, and these scores are not a guarantee of the reliability of any individual car."



And of course, Consumer Reports cannot have driven the Model 3 because Tesla had delivered only 220 of them as of a few weeks ago. CR in its Friday response said, "You can rest assured that we will thoroughly test and evaluate the Model 3 with the same care and scrutiny we apply to all the cars we test just as soon as we can get one  we're waiting patiently along with other consumers."

For the fifth straight year, Japanese automaker Toyota placed first in the magazine's ranking with the most reliable vehicles on average. General Motors' Cadillac brand was last among 27 brands ranked.

With many new cars, customers complain about problems with continuously variable transmissions and eight- and nine-speed gear boxes designed to boost fuel mileage, Fisher said.

Hard to use infotainment systems also continue to annoy customers, Fisher said. But over-the-air updates are helping automakers alleviate problems more quickly, he said.



Reporting by Joe White. Material from Autoblog's archives was used in this report.



Related Video:

Consumer Reports reliability ratings: Tesla bitterly complains, and CR responds originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Oct 2017 08:45:00 EDT.
Elon Musk's week is going pretty great thus far, between meeting the creators of Rick & Morty and now gaining permission to dig even more tunnels -- besides the one he already got the OK to begin digging closer to home in Hawthorne.

Elon Musk's week is going pretty great thus far, between meeting the creators of Rick & Morty and now gaining permission to dig even more tunnels  besides the one he already got the OK to begin digging back closer to home in Hawthorne.

The new tunnel will be a 10.3-mile one that undercuts a state-owned operation of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland,and could eventually become the anchor point for a network that would span Washington to New York, with stops in between at urban centres in Baltimore and Philadelphia, according to the LA Times.

The Boring Company, Musk's tunnel digger operation, is gaining steam with a second boring machine ready to come online and start chewing away at the Earth. Maryland's state has offered Musk a conditional permit so he can start operations, though it's not providing any financial support to the project at this sage. It's probably not a huge risk on Maryland's part, given the limited scope of the initial project  and if this works out, they can always turn the site into a tourist attraction for the start of the world-famous underground hyperloop network.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn told the LA Times that the tunnel really wasn't any different from the various utility access points that it provides permits for all the time, so it wasn't that complicated from a permitting perspective. Still, there's a lot of red tape left to cut through to make a cross-state underground hyperloop an actual reality.

Musk will also have his hands full building a space plane for super speed terrestrial travel, but you know what they say: Two if by underground super-low pressure capsule, three if by low-Earth orbital big f*cking rocket.

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch.

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By Salvador Rodriguez and Jeffrey Dastin SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nearly two dozen major companies in technology and other industries are planning to launch a coalition to demand legislation that would allow young, illegal immigrants a path to permanent residency, according to documents seen by Reuters. The Coalition for the American Dream intends to ask Congress to pass bipartisan legislation this year that would allow these immigrants, often referred to as "Dreamers," to continue working in the United States, the documents said. Alphabet Inc's Google, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Intel Corp, Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], IBM Corp, Marriott International Inc and other top U.S. companies are listed as members, one of the documents shows. Reuters was first to report the news. Amazon, Intel, Uber and Univision Communications Inc [UVN.UL] confirmed their membership, but the other companies did not immediately comment. It is possible that plans to launch the group could change. "We're pleased to join with other organizations in urging Congress to pass legislation to protect Dreamers," Intel spokesman Will Moss said in a statement. Matthew Wing, a spokesman for Uber, said, "Uber joined the Coalition for the American Dream because we stand with the Dreamers. We've also held town halls, provided legal support and launched an online Dreamer Resource Center for any of our drivers." The push for this legislation comes after President Donald Trump's September decision to allow the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to expire in March. That program, established by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allows approximately 900,000 illegal immigrants to obtain work permits. Some 800 companies signed a letter to Congressional leaders after Trump's decision, calling for legislation protecting Dreamers. That effort was spearheaded by a pro-immigration reform group Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg co-founded in 2013 called FWD.us. Many of the companies that endorsed that letter are named as joining the new coalition. The group has planned to take out ads in news publications, though this is subject to change, according to an email last week seen by Reuters. "Dreamers are part of our society, defend our country, and support our economy," said one of the coalition documents, which is being shared by the group to recruit additional companies. A signup form for the group said 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients. Trump campaigned for president on a pledge to toughen immigration policies and build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. He has left the fate of DACA up to Congress. Action may come in December, when Congress must pass a spending bill to keep the U.S. government open. Democrats have considered insisting on help for the Dreamers as their price for providing votes that may be required to prevent a government shutdown. "No politician wants to go home for the holidays and read stories about how this is going to be DACA recipients' last holidays in the U.S.," said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, in an interview on Thursday. He declined to comment on the new coalition. "You will see this continue to escalate until the end of the year," he said. (Reporting by Salvador Rodriguez and Jeffrey Dastin; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Lisa Shumaker)
Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD announced that the FDA has approved its chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), for treatment of refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which includes DLBCL, transformed follicular lymphoma (TFL) and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). The drug was added to Gileads portfolio following the recent acquisition of Kite Pharma, earlier this month.

Notably, Yescarta is the first CAR-T therapy approved by the FDA for the aforementioned indication. The candidate is also under review in the EU with a tentative approval expected in the first half of 2018.

Shares of Gilead have outperformed the industry so far this year. The stock has rallied 13.4% against the broader industrys 12% decrease.

The approval was supported by positive data from ZUMA-1 phase II study. Finds from the study showed that a single infusion of axicabtagene ciloleucel demonstrated an overall response rate (ORR) of 72%, including 51% of patients with no detectable traces of cancer remaining. Also, 95% of patients achieved complete remission at a median follow-up of 7.9 months, who had not earlier reached the estimated median duration of response.

Significantly, this CART therapy will be manufactured at Kite Pharmas state-of-the-art commercial manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California. In the ZUMA-1 pivotal trial, Kite Pharma achieved a manufacturing success rate of 99% with a median manufacturing turnaround time of 17 days.

We remind investors that Novartis A.G. NVS has also received an FDA approval for its CAR-T therapy, Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), in August for the treatment of patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory or in second or later stage relapse.

Additionally, Juno Therapeutics JUNO is developing cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on its CAR-T technologies in partnership with Celgene CELG for healing adults with r/r aggressive NHL, including r/r DLBCL. Hence, Gilead is expected to face an intense competition from these products in the long run.

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Per the companys press release, approximately 7,500 patients in the United States, who have ran out of option to fight the disease, are detected with refractory DLBCL each year. Among them, only 7% achieves a complete remission when treated with the current standard of care.

Hence, given the huge market opportunity open for Yescarta, the company can widely address the vast unmet need of patients suffering from the disease despite approved therapies in the market with such new treatment options brought to the table.

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On October 16th, Huawei announced its latest smartphone, the Mate 10, alongside a Porsche Design-ed version of the same device. In previous years, the phone might have been seen as little more than a me-too clone of Samsung's Galaxy Note. But these days, Huawei believes that its hardware is more than enough to stand up against the smartphone world's "big two." Its status as a major player may not be entrenched, yet, but between flashy product launches and an ever-growing presence on the world stage, it feels almost inevitable.

Huawei's rise began in 1987 when the Chinese company was founded as a niche importer of telephone switches from Hong Kong. Since then, it has learned to develop its own telecoms and networking equipment, becoming the biggest infrastructure firm in the world. In 2016, it raked in profits of $5.3 billion and its handset business, which started in 2008, is now the third-biggest in the world. From the clunky U8100 in 2010, Huawei now has a plethora of Android smartphones tailored to a wide variety of niches.

(It's worth noting that there is one small caveat: typically sales figures look at BKK Electronics' various divisions as separate businesses. BKK, Huawei's local rival, owns Vivo, Oppo and OnePlus, and would probably put Huawei into fourth place if all those divisions were treated as one.)

Huawei's one-two punch of networking technology and handsets has made it a welcome friend of many carriers, especially in Europe. The company's device strategy mirrored the early days of HTC and ZTE, producing white-label devices for networks to badge as they saw fit. But while ZTE has languished at the bottom and and HTC attempted to push its brand into the elite, Huawei stayed the course, flooding the market with handsets of all stripes.

One facet of Huawei's success is its verticality; it has good relationships with many global carriers, producing reliable and low-cost devices that work well with its own infrastructure. Another is that the company rose to prominence towards the latter period of the smartphone boom. It took advantage of the advances (and risks) made by other companies to learn what not to do.

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In 2013, the company's Ascend P6 was launched as a statement of intent for the Chinese company looking to break into the mainstream. The device cribbed plenty of hardware and software flourishes from both Apple and Sony, and retailed for 449 ($531). It was a cheap phone that felt anything but, and while there were obvious compromises, people took it seriously. Our own review said "The takeaway message here is that Huawei means business. With the build quality and core-functionality nuts cracked, most other niggles should be relatively easy to improve."

The Ascend P7 remedied many of the flaws of its immediate predecessor, doubling down on its iPhone-design on a budget ethos. It wasn't going to blow anyone away, not compared to the flagships of the day, but it did what it needed to do well. In the UK, Huawei still uses phones based on the P7, as well as the G6, as the basis for the low-end devices sold by British carrier EE.

Huawei's product strategy is very fragmented, with the company splitting its business into sub-brands that cater to different markets. The Ascend and P marques tackle higher-end customers, with this year's P10 packing a Leica-branded camera, while its Y and Nova names are aimed at lower-end customers. The company also owns Honor, an online-only sub-brand that caters to the sort of enthusiasts who would be tempted by competing phones like the OnePlus. The company can also boast that it was chosen by Google to build the Nexus 6P, the final phone in the Nexus series.

The Mate 10, announced this week, comes with the company's own Kirin 970 CPU that, Huawei hopes, will make it a real player in the silicon stakes. The 970 is designed to do all of the usual things a CPU can do, with the added bonus of on-device artificial intelligence processing. The belief is that local artificial intelligence will help Huawei stake a claim as distinct from Samsung and Apple. Although, much like the Pixel 2, it remains to be seen if customers will care enough to put down money for the Mate 10.

There is a potential limit to Huawei's growth, which is mostly down to the problematic reputation it has outside of China. Specifically, that the company has a deep and long-standing relationship with that country's government. Founder Ren Zhengfei was a senior engineer in the People's Liberation Army and there is a belief that those ties still run deep.

Huawei's ownership structure, too, raises questions about its impartiality, since it is nominally set up as an employee-owned co-operative. In reality, the 80,000 Chinese nationals who work for the company are believed to have no say in its operation. It's also never been clear how much power its trio of rotating co-CEOs have, given their tenure lasts for just six months at a time. The US House Intelligence committee described the situation saying that "many analysts believe that Huawei is not actually controlled by its common shareholders, but actually controlled by an elite subset of its management".

In fact, Huawei has been blocked from bidding on several high-profile contracts in the US as well as elsewhere in the world. For instance, it was given a polite, but firm no when the option of bidding to build America's first responder wireless network was in play. Australia has also thrown up a wall preventing the company from building out its national broadband network on the advice of the security services.

In the UK, Huawei had to open up a Cybersecurity Evaluation Center (HCSEC) that let the UK's security services examine its products. This is backed up with government oversight and an independent audit which, it's hoped, will ensure that Huawei kit remains backdoor-free. Although even that has still left questions as-yet unanswered, since there are issues surrounding the "incomplete delivery of source code."

The general anxiety is that wherever Huawei goes, China's prying eyes will follow. It's not something everyone wants because the nation's policies on free speech and identity are a human-rights nightmare. The country prohibits discussions relating to democracy, imprisons journalists who truthfully report on China's slowing economy and has a blanket ban on pornography. Not to mention all of the geopolitical saber-rattling between the US and China that has continued over the last few years.

As a consequence, Huawei's impressive rise has taken place despite any real penetration into the lucrative US market. There are even green shoots of optimism there, at least for Huawei's smartphone and device business. Recent rumors suggest that AT&T will be the first major US network to carry a Huawei-branded smartphone.

Of course, carrier support is no guarantee of success, especially given the wide number of devices that fail despite such patronage. Andy Rubin's Essential phone, for instance, was a flashy exclusive on Sprint but rumors suggest it's sold fewer than 10,000 units so far. Then there's the fact that selling Android smartphones is a potentially fruitless endeavor these days. Big companies like Sony, LG and HTC have all endured plenty of pain for doing so.

If Huawei has a defense against that, it's the cozy relationship it has with many networks and its infrastructure business. It may not make huge profits building Android devices, but so long as its cheap white-label hardware works well with its own switches, networks will keep buying them.

As for the future, analysts believe that Huawei has a shot at the No. 2 slot, overtaking Apple, in the next few years. Although it's worth noting that, even as a Chinese superbrand, Huawei still faces the same existential threats as the rest of the smartphone world. That includes more upstart, zero-margin Chinese brands that will look to emulate the success of Huawei and BKK. Not to mention the fact that pretty much everyone who wants a smartphone has one already, and signs that the 24-month replacement cycle is coming to an end.

Of course, little matters unless Huawei's phones have the class to woo undecided buyers into making a switch. Thankfully, there are reasons to adopt the devices, including a Leica partnership that is beginning to pay some real dividends. The P10, which launched earlier this year, has some serious imaging chops, and the monochrome mode produces beautiful imagery.

The Chinese company is gradually closing the technical (and aesthetic) gaps that keep it separated from Samsung, Apple, LG and the rest. And as it does, the Huawei name will be brought up in more conversations when people are looking to buy their next devices. The evolution of Huawei's smartphones should rightly make the bigger kids in the playground nervous.
FILE PHOTO: A man walks past the signboard of Kobe Steel at the group's Tokyo headquarters in Tokyo, Japan October 10, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - One of Kobe Steel Ltd's copper plants was being inspected for a possible breach of industrial standards, the government said on Friday, while the company said it was investigating reports it continued shipping products after discovering widespread tampering of product data.

The inspection by the Japan Quality Assurance Organization started on Thursday, a company spokesman told Reuters by phone.

The industry ministry said the inspection was being carried out at a copper tube plant at Hatano, southwest of Tokyo.

If the company's products fail to meet industrial standards set by the government, it would be a breach of law, deepening the crisis at Japan's embattled third-largest steelmaker. Until now, the company had said products it sold with falsified data met safety and other standards but did not meet contract specifications agreed with customers.

Kobe Steel said it would hold a news conference later on Friday on the falsification.

Japan's third-largest steelmaker said on Oct. 8 that it found widespread falsification of data on the strength and durability of products sent to customers. The falsifications stretch back for more than 10 years, a senior executive told Reuters this week.

The company is now subject to a U.S. Justice Department probe while checks continue at hundreds of its clients involved in complex supply chains spanning the globe.

Global automakers, aircraft companies and other manufacturers have scrambled to identify potential hazards in their products because of the falsification.

The company has said no illegality had been found related to the data fabrication and no safety issues have yet been reported.

Kobe Steel is also checking into a Nikkei report that it continued shipping products with falsified data after discovering the cheating in August, the company spokesman said.

Government ministers waded into the fray on Friday, with one saying the government would take an active role in getting to the bottom of a scandal that is tarnishing the image of Japanese manufacturers.

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"This is a problem between companies, but we want to be actively involved in the issues," Hiroshige Seko, minister of economy, trade and industry, told a news conference.

Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii also urged the company to investigate the falsifications and take proper prevention measures.

"It was extremely regrettable," Ishii told a news conference.

No safety problems have surfaced as Kobe Steel attempts to confirm the extent of the data tampering. But in Europe, aviation safety authorities earlier this week issued a directive advising aircraft manufacturers to avoid using Kobe Steel products if they can until checks are completed.

Four Japanese automakers said on Thursday they found no safety issues with aluminium parts supplied by Kobe Steel, allaying some concerns that falsified quality data on products from the steelmaker had compromised their vehicles.

Nonetheless, the company's fate hangs in the balance while checks are being carried out.

It must report to Japan's industry ministry by around the end of next week on any safety concerns and provide a more extensive account of the problems a fortnight later.

Kobe Steel shares fell 1.6 percent on Friday. They have fallen nearly 40 percent since it revealed the problems on Oct. 8, wiping about $1.60 billion off its market value.

Kobe Steel has an extensive role in global supply chains - the company produces engine valve springs found in half the world's cars, according to its website.

It also counts amongst its former employees Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who worked at Kobe Steel from 1979 before entering politics in the early 1980s and who has pushed Japanese companies to embrace international corporate governance standards.

(Reporting by Ami Miyazaki, Yoshiyasu Shida, Yuka Obayashi and Sam Nussey; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
FILE PHOTO: A man walks past the signboard of Kobe Steel at the group's Tokyo headquarters in Tokyo, Japan October 10, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government wants to get actively involved in the issue of Kobe Steel's <5406.T> data fabrications, Hiroshige Seko, the minister of economy, trade and industry, said on Friday, as the company's widespread misconduct has sent a chill along global supply chains.

Kobe Steel, Japan's third-biggest steelmaker, admitted earlier this month that it had falsified specifications on the strength and durability of its products. The falsifications stretch back for more than 10 years, a senior executive told Reuters.

"This is a problem between companies, but we want to be actively involved in the issues," Seko told a news conference, adding that he hoped Kobe Steel would take proper and prompt actions to remedy the situation.

Japan's Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii also urged the company to investigate the falsifications and take proper prevention measures.

"It was extremely regrettable," Ishii told a news conference on Friday.

"We want the company to take measures to make sure that it complies with laws and reinforces safety management," he said.

The ministry has also asked Kobe Steel's customers to ensure the safety of automobiles and planes.

No safety problems have surfaced as Kobe Steel attempts to confirm the extent of the data tampering. But in Europe, aviation safety authorities earlier this week issued a directive advising aircraft manufacturers to avoid using Kobe Steel products if they can until checks are completed.

Four Japanese automakers on Thursday said they found no safety issues with aluminum parts supplied by Kobe Steel, allaying some concerns that falsified quality data on products from the steelmaker had compromised their vehicles.

Nonetheless, the company's fate hangs in the balance while checks are being carried out. It must report to Japan's industry ministry by around the end of next week on any safety concerns and provide a more extensive account of the problems a fortnight later.

(Reporting by Ami Miyazaki, Yoshiyasu Shida and Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Much like flying cars, a T-Mobile/Sprint merger always seems to be on the horizon. Rumors first emerged in 2014 about a deal, only for everything to be called off, with regulators to blame. The grapevine sprouted new stories shortly after the corporate-friendly Trump administration took office, and reached fever pitch just a few weeks ago.

We were meant to expect a formal announcement of a deal in late October, but mercifully, it seems that theres been a last-minute reprieve. Bloomberg is reporting that Sprint, T-Mobile Deal Announcement Is Likely to Be Delayed, with an announcement not expected until November. Lets just keep bumping that date down the road.

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The Bloomberg report says that the deal wont be ready in time for T-Mobile or Sprints earnings later this month, and its a Wall Street faux-pas to release major news (like a merger) just days after an earnings report. Wont someone think of the poor analysts?!

As a result, the ever-knowledgeable people familiar with the matter are predicting a formal announcement sometime in mid-November, giving a few weeks breathing room. The deal is still said to be provisionally arranged: an all-stock transaction that will make Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobiles parent company, the majority shareholder in a combined T-Mobile Sprint operation.

The big question remaining is whether or not regulators will allow a merger to take place. Analysts have argued the case both ways: the industry is functionally competitive right now (for the first time in a decade!), so a merger should be feasible. On the other hand, a merger would remove the cheapest wireless network in America, Sprint, from the picture, and remove downwards price pressure from the marketplace. Right now, T-Mobile and Sprint are forced to compete for the bottom of the market, and T-Mobile, which has far fewer customers than Verizon or AT&T, is forced to use things like unlimited data plans to bribe subscribers away from the big two.

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With Sprint and T-Mobile merging, thats all likely to go away. We can see what happens when you have three equally-sized wireless players by looking at Canada. Competition is low, unlimited plans are nonexistent, and a reasonable plan costs over $100 a month.

Normally, such a mammoth merger would be subject to close scrutiny from the FCC, but the new-look FCC under Trump appointee (and former Verizon lawyer) Ajit Pai has shown no signs of wanting to be tough on big business. Its moved to strike down net neutrality rules, showed no interest in limiting the massive AT&T-Time Warner merger, and is generally viewed as being unlikely to stop a Sprint-T-Mobile merger.

The most we can hope for from the FCC is an order to give up some of Sprints high-band spectrum holdings. John Gilmer, VP of Data Integrity at network intelligence firm Mosaik, previously told BGR hed be very surprised if Sprint doesnt have to sell some of its high-band spectrum as a regulatory condition of any merger.

With the FCC bowing out of competition regulation, it would fall to the Department of Justice to block any merger. Its difficult to say what exactly would happen there: Trumps DoJ hasnt had a coherent policy on large corporate mergers. One thing worth considering is that any merger would almost certainly kill thousands of retail jobs, as duplicate Sprint and T-Mobile stores would merge or close. Thats not a good PR look for a President whos focused hard on job numbers thus far, so any merger might come with some promise of job-creating infrastructure investment, or maybe a new US-based call center.

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You get to a certain age, and if you're remotely vain (and let's face it, you are), you need to have your hair colored fairly frequently. You're hardly alone. Roughly 75 percent of women in the United States color their hair, which today adds up to an $18 billion opportunity for brands like L'Oreal and Clairol.

It used to look that way, anyway. Eating into a growing percentage of these giants' market share is Madison Reed, a four-year-old, 85-person, San Francisco-based maker of affordable "prestige" hair products. These include 45 shades of permanent hair color, 8 shades of hair "gloss," 6 shades of liquid-based root touch-up (for in between coloring sessions), and 6 shades of powder for root touch-ups. The company also more recently began making shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair.

Now Madison Reed is working on what could become its biggest product of all: a chain of real-world "color bars" that it expects will accelerate its business further. Toward that end, the company just raised $25 million in new funding led by Comcast Ventures, an earlier investor, with participation from other previous backers, including Norwest Venture Partners, True Ventures and Calibrate Ventures.

Today, we phoned CEO and founder Amy Errett in Hawaii, where she's attending the high-wattage, low-flying Lobby conference. We asked her about the company's newest round of funding, its color bars, and much more. If you care about consumer packaged goods more generally, keep reading.

TC: You've quietly closed on $25 million that brings your funding to $70 million. Why go with Comcast, which is already an investor?

AE: Comcast was a very small shareholder previously and they just kind of watched our progress. Also, for us, Comcast adds enormous value; our investors there have been super helpful with TV and connections into other media.

TC: How much are you spending on TV? And how else are you marketing Madison Reed?

AE: We spend money on marketing four ways. First, Facebook and Instagram continues to be great for us and we work hard at [cultivating our image on both]. Radio is the fastest-growing channel, including satellite, local, and more recently national. We measure ROI by asking people how they've heard of us and through promo codes. The third is TV, which has been super effective. Fourth are referrals, which is an important part of our business. We put referral cards in boxes, and a lot of people give them out to friends who then get their first box for free. We've been doing it long enough to measure that it's not just that first box (that they use).

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TC: What percentage of your business is recurring, and are people buying one-offs or subscriptions?

AE: Seventy percent of our business is recurring. And yes, we sell two ways. You can buy a single box of color, or you can subscribe. Our hair color kits are only available at our site online; we want to control the user experience. Offline, we sell 12 of our hair colors at Ulta because 50 percent of the [chain is about] hair, so if you're going to pick the one retailer that you believe women visit for their hair needs, that's the one.

TC: Now you'll also be selling your products at your own color bars. Tell us about these.

AE: We had a pop-up in New York for four months earlier this year that we created as a kind of experiment, and it was great. So we opened another color bar in San Francisco in June and beginning in September, we're opening 25 more, all over the place.

TC: How uniform will these be? How many people can they accommodate?

AE: We're targeting around 1,500 square feet for each, and they'll have eight chairs, with four chairs facing each others with mirrors in between. [The sessions are] $60 dollars for 60 minutes. We'll use our own proprietary product.

We've also developed tech around scheduling, merchandise processing, about [tracking and help our customers] who take color quizzes first.

TC: Who will be working at these locations?

AE: Certified licensed colorists. Even our online staff have to be licensed. So these are people who've worked for salons, gotten licensed, then they go through three weeks of training by our master colorists, who educate them about our line and how to use it. After that, we let [them do a test run] with friends and family for a week, who we don't charge. This is a business that's won and lost over quality; we aren't just selling anything to anyone.

TC: Are you profitable? Can you give us any rough estimate regarding your revenue?

AE: We don't discuss either publicly, but I can tell you our business has continued to double on a yearly basis, and those are getting to be significant numbers.

TC: Would you ever make a colourant for men? Something like 20 percent of men get their hair colored, too.

AE: We're running a beta test now.

TC: I'm guessing you've been approached by bigger CPG companies.

AE: We have a lot of folks that are interested in the company. This is an interesting story, and all these [products you see being developed] like hair color are real businesses. People need to get their hair colored.

The company is named after my daughter, so you can imagine that this is personal. I'm dedicated to [this company] and if we do our job well, both [going public] and other options are available to us.

As a former VC, I can attest that anyone who tells you what's going to happen doesn't know what they are talking about.
NCR Corporation NCR reported mixed results for third-quarter 2017. The companys non-GAAP earnings (excluding restructuring, acquisition-related expenses and other one-time items) from continuing operations of 93 cents per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 90 cents and surged 6.9% year over year.

Quarterly earnings also came toward the higher end of the companys guided range of 88-93 cents. The robust bottom-line performancecan primarily be attributed toefficient cost management and a lower share count.

Notably, the stock has outperformed the industry in the last year. NCRs shares have returned 21.8% against the industrys decline of 1.4%.

Revenues

The companys revenues of $1.663 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.683 billion and decreased a marginal 0.8% on a year-over-year basis. The softness in revenues during the quarter was primarily impacted by weakness in the ATM business.

Per the company, ATM orders continue to be negatively impacted by large customer delays in spending in North America, weakness in India, the Middle East and Africa, and the upcoming Windows 10 conversion.

The companys product revenues came in at $657 million, down 7.2% from the year-ago-quarter. However, service revenues increased 3.8% year over year and came in at $1.006 billion.

During second-quarter 2016, NCR modified reportable segments to reflect changes in its structure. The new reportable segments are Software, Services and Hardware segments.

The companys Software revenues on a reported basis were up 2% to $476 million. The increase was primarily due to a 5%, 6% and 3% increase in Cloud, Professional Services and Software maintenance revenues, respectively. Nonetheless, Software license was down 12%. Notably, net ACV during the quarter increased 37% and came in at $16 million in the quarter.

Services revenues increased 3% to $609 million on a reported and constant currency basis. The increase was primarily due to hardware maintenance growth.

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Hardware revenues however decreased 6% year over year on a reported basis to $578 million.

The segment revenues from ATM and SCO declined 16% and 24%, respectively, which negatively impacted the overall hardware revenues. However, revenues from POS surged 19%, while that of IPS remained flat on a year-over-year basis. The increase POS revenues were primarily owingto new products rollout and replacements. On a constant currency basis, Hardware revenues decreased 7%.

Margins

Non-GAAP gross profit for the quarter decreased 1% and came in at $486 million, primarily due weakness in ATM business and unfavorable revenue mix. Further, the non-GAAP gross margin decreased 10 basis points (bps) to 29.2%, mainlydue to lower software license revenue and reduced hardware margins.

Income from operations on a non-GAAP basis was $235 million, up from $230 million a year ago. Also, operating margin expanded 40 bps on a year-over-year basis, primarily due to strong cost control measures, lower employee compensation expenses as well as better productivity.

Non-GAAP operating expenses during the quarter came in at $251 million, reflecting an increase from $261 million in the year-ago quarter.

Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations was $143 million compared with $135 million in the year-ago quarter.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

The ATM and POS manufacturer exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of approximately $405 million, up from $377 million in the previous quarter. Receivables were $1.41 billion compared with $1.32 billion in the previous quarter.

However, NCR has a highly-leveraged balance sheet. The company ended the quarter with $2.98 billion of long-term debt in its book as compared with$3 billion reported in the previous quarter.

In the third quarter, the company generated operating cash flow of $133 million and free cash flow was $18 million.

The company did not repurchase any share in the quarter under review. However, during the nine months ended Sep 30, 2017, the company repurchased $350 million of its common stock.

Disappointing Guidance

NCR reduced revenue and earnings outlook for 2017. Additionally, the fourth-quarter guidance was disappointing.

For the year, the company now anticipates revenues in the range of $6.475-$6.525 billion, lower than previous guided range of $6.63-$6.75 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently pegged at $6.68 billion. The lower-than-expected revenue guidance was primarily due to weakness in ATM market.

Non-GAAP earnings per share are now anticipatedin the range of $3.10-$3.20, lower than the previous guided range of $3.32-$3.42 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $3.37. The decrease in earnings per share was mainly due to lower ATM hardware and attached software licenses.

The company now expects operating cash flow in the range of $745-$775 million (previous guidance $805-$830 million). Moreover, free cash flow is now anticipated to be between $440 million and $470 million (previous guidance $500 million and $525 million). The decrease in the cash flow outlook was mainly due to effect of lower revenues.

Coming to the fourth-quarter outlook, NCR expects revenues in the range of $1.74-$1.79 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.93 billion.

The company expects non-GAAP earnings per share for the third quarter in the range of 83-93 cents. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.11 per share.

Our Take

NCR reported mixed third-quarter 2017 results wherein the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate while thetop line missed the same. Also, the company lowered fiscal 2017 outlook and provided disappointing fourth-quarter guidance. The main reason behind such a weak view was softness in ATM market.

Hence, the lower-than-expected revenues during the quarter poor guidance impacted the share price movement. Shares of the company went down more than 10% in after-hours trading yesterday.

Nonetheless, we expect NCRs POS platform to be a tailwind. The demand for NCRs POS solution is increasing among retailers and restaurant owners as it facilitates the automation of bill payment and accounting. As a result, managers get ample time for customer interaction, leading to increased productivity.

Global research company RBR recently acknowledged NCR as the worlds #1 POS software provider for the retail and hospitality industries. The recognition reflects NCRs portfolio strength as well as improving opportunities in the POS market.

Moreover, continuous product launches and synergies from acquisitions are catalysts. Additionally, continuous deal wins will drive growth.

However, competition from Diebold Inc. DBD and HP Inc. HPQ, and a high debt burden remain concerns.

Currently, NCR carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

A better-ranked stock in the technology sector is Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Applied Materials has an expected long-term EPS growth rate of 17.1%.

Wall Streets Next Amazon

Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.

Click for details >>



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Zacks Investment Research
People's United Financial Inc.s PBCT third-quarter 2017 operating earnings of 26 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a cent. The reported figure was up 8.3% year over year.



Higher revenues and lower provisions primarily led to earnings growth. Growth in loan and deposit balances supported the results. However, higher expenses was the undermining factor.



Net income came in at $90.8 million compared with $73.7 million in the prior-year quarter.



Revenue Growth Offsets Higher Expenses



Net revenues, on a fully taxable basis, were up 11.6% year over year to $385.1 million in the quarter.



Net interest income, on a fully taxable basis, totaled $295.8 million, up 16.4% year over year. Further, net interest margin improved 24 basis points (bps) year over year to 3.04%.



Non-interest income dropped to $89.3 million. The rise in investment management fees, cash management fees and bank-owned life insurance was offset by a drop in all other components and resulted in an overall 1.7% year-over-year decline in non-interest income.



Non-interest expenses increased 7.1% on a year-over-year basis to $237.1 million. Rise in all components except operating lease expense and other non-interest expenses lead to a significant increase in expenses.



As of Sep 30, 2017, total loans were $32.4 billion, up 2.5% from the prior quarter. Further, total deposits increased approximately 2.2% to $32.5 billion from the prior quarter.



Credit Quality: A Mixed Bag

As of Sep 30, 2017, non-performing assets were $190.7 million, up 5.9% year over year. Ratio of non-performing loans to total originated loans increased 5 bps from the prior-year quarter to 0.59%. Further, net loan charge-offs increased 79.2% year over year to $4.3 million.



However, provision for loan losses were $5.6 million, down 33.3% year over year.



Stable Capital Position, Profitability Ratios Improves



Capital ratios of Peoples United displayed mixed results. As of Sep 30, 2017, total risk-based capital ratio climbed to 12% from 11.5% in the year-ago quarter. However, tangible equity ratio was 7.1%, down from 7.2% in the year-ago quarter.



The companys profitability ratios improved. Return on average tangible stockholders equity was 11.8%, up from 10.7% in the prior-year quarter. Return on average assets of 0.84% rose from 0.73% in the year-ago quarter.



Our Viewpoint



Peoples United reported a decent quarter with healthy organic growth. Furthermore, the company is steadily growing through acquisitions, which is likely to continue in the near future, given its strong balance sheet position.



However, escalating non-interest expenses despite initiatives to curb costs are expected to restrict bottom-line expansion in the upcoming quarters.

Story continues

People's United Financial, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

People's United Financial, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | People's United Financial, Inc. Quote

Currently, Peoples United carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Performance of Other Banks



Citigroup Inc. C delivered a positive earnings surprise of 7.6% in third-quarter 2017 on prudent expense management. Earnings per share of $1.42 for the quarter easily outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32. Also, earnings compared favorably with the year-ago figure of $1.24 per share.



The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC reported a positive earnings surprise of 1.4% in third-quarter 2017. Earnings per share of $2.16 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.13. Moreover, the bottom line reflects a 17.4% increase from the prior-year quarter.



M&T Bank Corporation MTB reported third-quarter 2017 net operating earnings of $2.24 per share, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate $2.40. However, earnings increased 5.2% on a year-over-year basis.



Wall Streets Next Amazon



Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.



Click for details >>



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As the embers cool from the recent record-breaking fires in Northern California, the time for reckoning and rebuilding begins.

As state investigators begin to look into what caused the fires in the first place, its the local utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, thats feeling the heat. Cal Fire and the California Public Utilities Commission are investigating potential neglect on the part of PG&E that might have contributed to the fires. One couple has already sued the utility directly.

The suspicion revolves around PG&Es responsibility to make sure their power lines are well maintained and cleared of vegetation. Though the company spends more than $400 million per year on line maintenance, it has been fined in conjunction with other wildfires in the state based on failures to adequately clear the lines.

Read: Its Impossible to Prevent Wildfires. So How Do We Prepare?

PG&E shares have plummeted since the investigations were announced, and Jerry Hill, a state senator, has already called for the utility to be broken up if it is found responsible. Senator Hills district includes San Bruno, where an explosion on a PG&E gas line in 2010 killed eight people.

The California Department of Insurance reported a statewide preliminary estimate of $1.05 billion in insured-property damage  a number that is expected to rise. Other sources report damages of more than $3 billion in Sonoma County alone, which experienced some of the worst damage.

Read: Californias Wildfire Losses Are Estimated at Over $1 Billion, Insurance Officials Say

PG&E is not the only suspect drawing controversy. On Thursday, the Sonoma County Sheriff, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Breitbart, and Buzzfeed engaged in a slanging match over exaggerated allegations that one fire was started by an undocumented immigrant.

The acting director of ICE said the Sheriffs office had endangered the community by refusing to hold the individual on multiple occasions. On his offices official Facebook page, Sheriff Rob Giordano said a statement by ICE was inaccurate, inflammatory, and damages the relationship we have with our community, emphasising that the sheriffs office had acted in accordance with the law.
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell: General Electric (NYSE: GE)  GE reported adjusted third-quarter profit of 29 cents per share, missing estimates by 20 cents a share. GE also cut its full-year outlook to $1.05 to $1.10 per share, versus consensus estimates of $1.53. Chief Executive Officer John Flannery called it a "very challenging quarter," which comes ahead of Flannery's planned November strategic update. Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)  The consumer products giant beat estimates by one cent a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.09 per share. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. P&G said it was able to deliver organic sales growth in a decelerating global market. Honeywell (NYSE: HON)  Honeywell matched forecasts with quarterly profit of $1.75 per share, while revenue was above Street forecasts. Honeywell's results were helped by growth in its aerospace and warehouse automation units. SunTrust Banks (NYSE: STI)  The bank reported quarterly profit of $1.06 per share, one cent above estimates, with revenue also beating forecasts. SunTrust's results were aided by higher net interest income. PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL)  The payments company beat estimates by three cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 46 cents per share. Revenue beat estimates as well, with PayPal's results helped by mobile payments which more than doubled compared to a year earlier. Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN)  Athenahealth reported adjusted quarterly profit of 56 cents per share, six cents a share above estimates. The provider of health-care software saw revenue miss Street forecasts. The company also said it would cut about nine percent of its workforce, a move that would save up to $115 million by the end of next year. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG)  The company came in 19 cents a share above estimates, with quarterly earnings of $2.18 per share. The surgical products maker's revenue also comfortably exceeded Street forecasts. The earnings beat came on the strength of an increase in shipments of the company's flagship Da Vinci robotic surgical systems. NCR (NYSE: NCR)  NCR reported adjusted quarterly profit of 93 cents per share, three cents a share above estimates. The payment processing company saw revenue miss forecasts, however, and it gave weaker-than-expected current-quarter guidance. NCR said orders for its automated teller machines have been impacted by delays in spending from large customers, among other factors. Skechers (NYSE: SKX)  Skechers beat consensus Street forecasts by 16 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 59 cents per share. The footwear retailer's revenue also came in above forecasts and set a record on the strength of the company's international wholesale business, as well as a 4.4 percent increase in comparable-store sales. Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG)  Celgene discontinued a trial for an experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease. The company did not identify any safety concerns, and analysts say the decision likely came because of a lack of efficacy. InterContinental Hotels (London Stock Exchange: IHG-GB)  The hotel operator said hurricanes Harvey and Irma impacted its U.S. revenue during its latest quarter, with revenue per available room in its Americas business up just 0.8 percent. That compares to an increase of 1.9 percent in the same period a year ago for the company behind Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and other hotel brands. Boeing (NYSE: BA)  Boeing is on the verge of winning a $13.8 billion jet order from Singapore Airlines, which said it would finalize the 39-jet order next week. Axon Enterprise (: TASR)  Axon said its financial reports are under review by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The maker of Taser stun guns said the SEC is reviewing its 2016 report, as well as its quarterly filing for the quarter ending this past March 31. Three letters have been sent to the company and the most recent said that the company had not yet provided a substantive response. Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP)  ADP was urged by activist investor Bill Ackman to buy rival payroll processor Ceridian, calling it a move that would allow ADP to attract more customers with a better product. E*Trade Financial (NASDAQ: ETFC)  E*Trade reported quarterly profit of 49 cents per share, short of the 51-cent-a-share consensus estimate. Revenue for the online brokerage firm was roughly in line with Street forecasts. Separately, E*Trade is buying technical support firm Trust Company of America for $275 million. MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM)  The hotel and resort operator's stock was added to the "Conviction Buy" list at Goldman Sachs in a valuation call. Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK)  Bank of New York Mellon was removed from Goldman's "Conviction Buy" list, though it remains "buy" rated. Goldman cited uncertainty about the bank's strategic plan ahead of its Investor Day, which is not scheduled to take place until March 8. Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell: General Electric (NYSE: GE)  GE reported adjusted third-quarter profit of 29 cents per share, missing estimates by 20 cents a share. GE also cut its full-year outlook to $1.05 to $1.10 per share, versus consensus estimates of $1.53. Chief Executive Officer John Flannery called it a "very challenging quarter," which comes ahead of Flannery's planned November strategic update. Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)  The consumer products giant beat estimates by one cent a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.09 per share. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. P&G said it was able to deliver organic sales growth in a decelerating global market. Honeywell (NYSE: HON)  Honeywell matched forecasts with quarterly profit of $1.75 per share, while revenue was above Street forecasts. Honeywell's results were helped by growth in its aerospace and warehouse automation units. SunTrust Banks (NYSE: STI)  The bank reported quarterly profit of $1.06 per share, one cent above estimates, with revenue also beating forecasts. SunTrust's results were aided by higher net interest income. PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL)  The payments company beat estimates by three cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 46 cents per share. Revenue beat estimates as well, with PayPal's results helped by mobile payments which more than doubled compared to a year earlier. Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN)  Athenahealth reported adjusted quarterly profit of 56 cents per share, six cents a share above estimates. The provider of health-care software saw revenue miss Street forecasts. The company also said it would cut about nine percent of its workforce, a move that would save up to $115 million by the end of next year. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG)  The company came in 19 cents a share above estimates, with quarterly earnings of $2.18 per share. The surgical products maker's revenue also comfortably exceeded Street forecasts. The earnings beat came on the strength of an increase in shipments of the company's flagship Da Vinci robotic surgical systems. NCR (NYSE: NCR)  NCR reported adjusted quarterly profit of 93 cents per share, three cents a share above estimates. The payment processing company saw revenue miss forecasts, however, and it gave weaker-than-expected current-quarter guidance. NCR said orders for its automated teller machines have been impacted by delays in spending from large customers, among other factors. Skechers (NYSE: SKX)  Skechers beat consensus Street forecasts by 16 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 59 cents per share. The footwear retailer's revenue also came in above forecasts and set a record on the strength of the company's international wholesale business, as well as a 4.4 percent increase in comparable-store sales. Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG)  Celgene discontinued a trial for an experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease. The company did not identify any safety concerns, and analysts say the decision likely came because of a lack of efficacy. InterContinental Hotels (London Stock Exchange: IHG-GB)  The hotel operator said hurricanes Harvey and Irma impacted its U.S. revenue during its latest quarter, with revenue per available room in its Americas business up just 0.8 percent. That compares to an increase of 1.9 percent in the same period a year ago for the company behind Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and other hotel brands. Boeing (NYSE: BA)  Boeing is on the verge of winning a $13.8 billion jet order from Singapore Airlines, which said it would finalize the 39-jet order next week. Axon Enterprise (: TASR)  Axon said its financial reports are under review by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The maker of Taser stun guns said the SEC is reviewing its 2016 report, as well as its quarterly filing for the quarter ending this past March 31. Three letters have been sent to the company and the most recent said that the company had not yet provided a substantive response. Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP)  ADP was urged by activist investor Bill Ackman to buy rival payroll processor Ceridian, calling it a move that would allow ADP to attract more customers with a better product. E*Trade Financial (NASDAQ: ETFC)  E*Trade reported quarterly profit of 49 cents per share, short of the 51-cent-a-share consensus estimate. Revenue for the online brokerage firm was roughly in line with Street forecasts. Separately, E*Trade is buying technical support firm Trust Company of America for $275 million. MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM)  The hotel and resort operator's stock was added to the "Conviction Buy" list at Goldman Sachs in a valuation call. Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK)  Bank of New York Mellon was removed from Goldman's "Conviction Buy" list, though it remains "buy" rated. Goldman cited uncertainty about the bank's strategic plan ahead of its Investor Day, which is not scheduled to take place until March 8.



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WASHINGTON  President Trump gives himself high marks for his response to hurricane damage in Puerto Rico, even though there is a widespread lack of power and drinking water on the island about a month after the storm struck.

After Trump met with Puerto Ricos governor, Ricardo Rossello, in the Oval Office on Thursday, he spoke to reporters and Yahoo News asked, on a scale of one to 10, how hed grade his handling of the hurricane.

Id say it was a 10, Trump said.

Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20. The storm was a Category 5, the top rating on the hurricane scale. Earlier last month, the island was damaged by Hurricane Irma. Currently, about 78 percent of Puerto Rico is without power and 28 percent of the island lacks reliable drinking water.

After praising his response to the hurricane damage on Puerto Rico, Trump went on to marvel at the magnitude of the devastation.

Id say it was probably the most difficult  when you talk about relief, when you talk about search, when you talk about all of the different levels, and even when you talk about lives saved. If you look at the number, I mean this was, I think, it was worse than Katrina. It was in many ways worse than anything people have ever seen, said Trump.

Earlier this month, Trump said Puerto Rico didnt suffer a real catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.

Speaking Thursday, Trump reiterated his high grade for the storm response after describing the strength of the hurricanes that hit the island.

They got hit by a Category 4, grazed, but grazed about, you know, a big portion of the island.  That was bad, but then they got hit dead center, if you look at those maps, by a Category 5, said Trump, adding, Nobodys ever heard of a five hitting land. Usually by that time, its dissipated. It hit right through. It kept to a five. It hit right through the middle of the island, right through the middle of Puerto Rico. Theres never been anything like that. I give ourselves a 10.

Story continues

Yahoo News also asked Rossello how hed rate the White Houses hurricane response on a scale of one to 10, but the governor declined to offer a numerical grade.

The president has answered all of our petitions.  This is still ongoing, so we expect that thatll continue, Rossello said, adding, We set some very aggressive milestones to restore energy in Puerto Rico  about 30 percent of the energy by the end of the month, by the middle of next month about 50 percent, and so on.

Trump speaks during his meeting with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello in the Oval Office, Oct., 19, 2017. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Trump then asked Rossello to gauge the White Houses response.

Governor, I just want to maybe ask you a question, Trump said. Did the United States, did our government, when we come in, did we do a great job? Military, first responders, FEMA, did we do a great job?

Rossello complimented the Trump administrations handling of the hurricane damage in Puerto Rico.

You responded immediately, sir, said Rossello. We recognize that there are some logistical limitations that we have in Puerto Rico. We didnt have the ports open for a couple of days. We didnt have the airports working at full capacity until about a day or two ago. So, that was always a great limiting step. But if you consider that weve gotten, even with those obstacles, weve gotten about 15,000 DOD personnel in Puerto Rico, about 2,000 FEMA personnel, HHS and others. The response is there.

Rossello went on to acknowledge that we need to do a lot more.

I think everyone over here recognizes theres a lot of work to be done in Puerto Rico. But with your leadership, sir, and with everybody over here, were committed to achieving that in the long run, Rossello said.

Puerto Ricos power grid was in bad condition prior to the storms, a fact which was repeatedly cited by both Trump and Rossello on Thursday. When Trump was asked how long it would take to restore full power to the island, he said it was a good question and would likely take a while.

We have to build a brand new plant or we have to do essentially a renovation thats so large its going to be like a brand new plant. One or the other, were looking at both right now, Trump said. But theres never been a case where power plants were gone. You cant just fix the poles. Theres never been a place where power plants were gone, so its going to be a period of time before the electric is restored.

Read more from Yahoo News:
FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2017 file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at The Weinstein Company and Netflix Golden Globes afterparty in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Weinstein Co.s board said in a statement Tuesday that Weinstein had resigned. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Television Academy says it has voted to begin disciplinary proceedings against disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The academy's board of governors issued a statement Friday declaring that "sexual harassment in any form is abhorrent and totally unacceptable."

The academy, which bestows the Emmy awards, said a hearing has been set for November to consider "action up to and including termination of academy membership."

Weinstein has recently been accused of multiple acts of sexual harassment and assault spanning decades. He has been fired from The Weinstein Co., a TV and movie film production company he co-founded with his brother Bob. He already has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
A Wells Fargo branch is seen in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, U.S. February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) is facing fresh regulatory scrutiny in both its consumer and institutional businesses, according to reports in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on Friday, as the third-largest U.S. bank continues to work through a prolonged scandal over its sales practices.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) criticised Wells Fargo in a nonpublic regulatory report for enrolling borrowers in auto insurance policies they did not request, according to the Times. It said the bank may have underestimated costs related to reimbursing them.

Separately, regulators are looking into Wells' foreign exchange trading business over a matter that caused the departure of four employees, according to the Journal.

Until now, Wells' sales issues have been confined to its consumer-facing operations, where employees created as many as 3.5 million accounts in customers' names without their permission and enrolled borrowers in products they did not want. These ranged from auto insurance to mortgage rate locks.

News of the forex departures suggested the problems may extend further. The Journal said the four were fired as part of a review the bank is conducting across all of its businesses.

Wells Fargo spokeswoman Elise Wilkinson confirmed that employees named in the story  Simon Fowles, Bob Gotelli, Jed Guenther and Michael Schauffler  are no longer with the bank, but declined to comment further.

Wells is trying to help any customers who were wrongly charged for car insurance, bank spokeswoman Catherine Pulley said.

OCC spokeswoman Stephanie Collins said the agency does not comment on individual banks or ongoing supervision.

(Reporting by Dan Freed in New York, Patrick Rucker in Washington and Nikhil Subba and Diptendu Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by Lauren LaCapra and Cynthia Osterman)
Fresh off a bitter proxy battle, there's something for everyone in Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) 's results. While the quarterly report on Friday surpassed Wall Street estimates on earnings, it fell slightly short on sales, largely due to weakness in its Gillette razor business. Strength in its beauty and home-care businesses helped to lessen the impact.The mixed sales results for its fiscal first quarter are likely to give both sides of the ongoing fight between P&G and activist investor Nelson Peltz ammunition in their continued war of words.Share prices fell 1.4 percent in morning trading Friday.Here's what P&G reported compared with what Wall Street expected:EPS: Adjusted $1.09 vs. $1.08 expected by a Thomson Reuters' consensus survey of analysts.Revenue: $16.653 billion vs. $16.698 billion expected by Thomson Reuters.The reported revenue of $16.65 billion shows 1 percent growth from a year earlier. Organic sales, which strips out changes in currency, also rose 1 percent.P&G said the results met its expectations and put it on track to deliver targets for the fiscal year. The consumer products giant is coming off the biggest ever proxy fight, in which it beat Peltz's bid to get on the board by a razor-thin margin . Peltz, who continues to contest the election results , has said regardless of the outcome he will continue to pressure the company. Peltz has criticized P&G for market share losses, lack of innovation and weak sales. The maker of Tide detergent, Gillette razors and Bounty paper towels has argued it's in the midst of a turnaround that will address these complaints. But it says it needs more time to see the fruits of its labor.P&G declined to comment on the ongoing proxy fight directly on its earnings call, but noted it has received investor feedback that it must move faster.The biggest weak spot for the quarter was sales at its Gillette shaving business, which reported a 5 percent drop in net sales. Peltz has said P&G was not quick enough to compete against upstarts like Dollar Shave Club.P&G blamed some of slow-down on lagging category sales in the U.S. and Brazil.Sluggishness in developed regions, along with natural disasters, also slowed sales more broadly, P&G said. It emphasized on its earnings call the opportunity it sees in China, even hosting the call from the country. P&G saw more positive results in beauty and household, offering support for management's argument with Peltz over the company's treatment of smaller brands . P&G has said that focusing on the technological strength of its core products like Tide is more important to its long-term health than gambles on trendier products like those Peltz wants it to acquire. Tide sales helped drive the household division's net sales growth of 2 percent, while strong sales of its premium skincare brand SK-II, aided its beauty business, which saw 5 percent growth.Separately, P&G has pointed to the success of SK-II, which is popular in China, as example of its ability to grow and market a smaller brand.Some analysts though, had been expecting more, particularly as Trian has shined a spotlight on P&G.Organic sales growth was "disappointing relative to expectations that the company would have had a stronger quarter given uncertainty regarding the proxy fight with Trian," wrote analysts an Stifel.P&G tempered lagging sales with improving margins, reporting adjusted earnings of $1.09 a share, a penny above expectations.It expects organic sales growth of 2 to 3 percent for fiscal 2018 and net sales growth of roughly 3 percent. It anticipates core earnings per share growth of 5 to 7 percent."Looking forward, we will drive innovation, productivity and organization transformation to accelerate top-line growth while further expanding our industry-leading profit margins," Taylor said in a statement.Correction: This story was revised to delete an incorrect reference to P&G owning Duracell batteries. It formerly owned the brand. Fresh off a bitter proxy battle, there's something for everyone in Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) 's results. While the quarterly report on Friday surpassed Wall Street estimates on earnings, it fell slightly short on sales, largely due to weakness in its Gillette razor business. Strength in its beauty and home-care businesses helped to lessen the impact. The mixed sales results for its fiscal first quarter are likely to give both sides of the ongoing fight between P&G and activist investor Nelson Peltz ammunition in their continued war of words. Share prices fell 1.4 percent in morning trading Friday. Here's what P&G reported compared with what Wall Street expected: EPS: Adjusted $1.09 vs. $1.08 expected by a Thomson Reuters' consensus survey of analysts. Revenue: $16.653 billion vs. $16.698 billion expected by Thomson Reuters. The reported revenue of $16.65 billion shows 1 percent growth from a year earlier. Organic sales, which strips out changes in currency, also rose 1 percent. P&G said the results met its expectations and put it on track to deliver targets for the fiscal year. The consumer products giant is coming off the biggest ever proxy fight, in which it beat Peltz's bid to get on the board by a razor-thin margin . Peltz, who continues to contest the election results , has said regardless of the outcome he will continue to pressure the company. Peltz has criticized P&G for market share losses, lack of innovation and weak sales. The maker of Tide detergent, Gillette razors and Bounty paper towels has argued it's in the midst of a turnaround that will address these complaints. But it says it needs more time to see the fruits of its labor. P&G declined to comment on the ongoing proxy fight directly on its earnings call, but noted it has received investor feedback that it must move faster. The biggest weak spot for the quarter was sales at its Gillette shaving business, which reported a 5 percent drop in net sales. Peltz has said P&G was not quick enough to compete against upstarts like Dollar Shave Club. P&G blamed some of slow-down on lagging category sales in the U.S. and Brazil. Sluggishness in developed regions, along with natural disasters, also slowed sales more broadly, P&G said. It emphasized on its earnings call the opportunity it sees in China, even hosting the call from the country. P&G saw more positive results in beauty and household, offering support for management's argument with Peltz over the company's treatment of smaller brands . P&G has said that focusing on the technological strength of its core products like Tide is more important to its long-term health than gambles on trendier products like those Peltz wants it to acquire. Tide sales helped drive the household division's net sales growth of 2 percent, while strong sales of its premium skincare brand SK-II, aided its beauty business, which saw 5 percent growth. Separately, P&G has pointed to the success of SK-II, which is popular in China, as example of its ability to grow and market a smaller brand. Some analysts though, had been expecting more, particularly as Trian has shined a spotlight on P&G. Organic sales growth was "disappointing relative to expectations that the company would have had a stronger quarter given uncertainty regarding the proxy fight with Trian," wrote analysts an Stifel. P&G tempered lagging sales with improving margins, reporting adjusted earnings of $1.09 a share, a penny above expectations. It expects organic sales growth of 2 to 3 percent for fiscal 2018 and net sales growth of roughly 3 percent. It anticipates core earnings per share growth of 5 to 7 percent. "Looking forward, we will drive innovation, productivity and organization transformation to accelerate top-line growth while further expanding our industry-leading profit margins," Taylor said in a statement. Correction: This story was revised to delete an incorrect reference to P&G owning Duracell batteries. It formerly owned the brand.



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Afghan soldiers and police who train in the United States go "absent without leave," or AWOL, at far higher rates than those of any other country, possibly jeopardizing efforts to assist Afghan security forces, a U.S. watchdog says.

Out of a total of 320 foreign military trainees who left during courses in the United States from 2005 to 2017, 152 -- or almost half -- were Afghans, a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said on October 20.

The U.S. State Department said that number is "unacceptably high."

SIGAR said the number of asylum seekers among Afghan military trainees rose over the last years as Taliban violence spread across the country and security forces sustained heavy casualties.

Only 27 of the Afghans who went AWOL in the United States have been arrested or removed by U.S. police, SIGAR said, with most of the other 83 either unaccounted for or having fled the country.

"The tendency of Afghan trainees in the United States to go AWOL may hinder the operational readiness of their home units, negatively impact the morale of fellow trainees and home units, and pose security risks to the United States," the report concluded.

Many of the Afghans who seek asylum in the United States say their lives would be in danger if they returned home.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Fri, 11/18 (10:30am ET): How to Write the Best M7 MBA Essays
ash99 wrote:

Professor: In an effort to combat stagnating revenues, an apparel company launched a special six-month advertising campaign, purchasing fifty percent of the poster space on the subway trains of ten major cities. The tactic was risky due to the large outlay of funds required, but the results demonstrate that the campaign was a resounding success. During the months of the campaign, sales climbed to record levels, and the company had the number one ranking in market share.



The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the professor's argument?



(A) What percent of subway riders were aware of the apparel company prior to the campaign?



(B) How profitable was the company during the months of the campaign?



(C) Were revenues throughout the apparel industry stagnant in the months prior to the campaign?



(D) Did any of the companys divisions experience a significant reduction in sales?



(E) At the time of the campaign, did the company significantly increase spending on other forms of marketing?

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

(1) Identify the Question Type

(2) Deconstruct the Argument

(3) State the Goal

(4) Work from Wrong to Right

(E) CORRECT

"Be challenged at EVERY MOMENT."



Strength doesnt come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldnt.



"Each stage of the journey is crucial to attaining new heights of knowledge."



| Please DO NOT post short answer in your post!



Advanced Search : https://gmatclub.com/forum/advanced-search/ Rules for posting in verbal forum | Please DO NOT post short answer in your post! Signature Read More

The question stem asks what would be most useful in evaluating the argument, so this is an Evaluate the Argument question.The professor argues that the advertising campaign was a resounding success. Why? Because during the campaign, sales climbed to record levels and the company grabbed the top spot in market share. This certainly sounds like a desirable outcome, but the professor assumes that this outcome is a result of the advertising campaign. If something else was responsible for these results, then maybe the campaign itself was not a success.Additionally, even if the advertising campaign was responsible for those results, does this mean the campaign was a success? If the gains were not enough to counter the high cost of the campaign, or if the campaign brought about some other unfortunate result (higher operating costs, lawsuits, etc.), then perhaps it was not a success. The author is assuming that the benefits here outweigh the costs.In an Evaluate the Argument question, the goal is to choose a question or piece of information that would make it easier to determine if the conclusion is valid. What would test the authors assumptions here? Maybe something that asked what other factors may have contributed to the companys success during the period of the ad campaign, or something that compared the costs and benefits of the campaign. When considering each choice, it can help to consider what kind of answer you would get to each question: yes/no, a number, a percent? How would that answer help you to assess the authors assumptions?(A) The answer to this question would come in the form of a percentage. By itself, this percentage would not be useful in evaluating the argument, because it wouldnt provide any information about how this measurement changed in response to the advertising campaign.(B) The answer to this question would be some sort of profit measurement, such as Very profitable or The company made $150 million in profits. This would not make it an easier to assess the cost vs. benefit of the campaign, or to determine whether something else contributed to the companys success.(C) This question would have a yes or no answer. At first, this might appear to address an assumption. If the whole industry had stagnating revenue prior to the campaign, maybe the boom the company experienced had nothing to do with the campaign. Maybe it was just part of an industry-wide recovery! However, this would not explain why the companys sales hit record levels, or why it had the number one ranking in market share. That success would remain unexplained, and the argument would not be any weaker or stronger than before.(D) This is another yes/no question. It would certainly be bad if some divisions saw a dip in sales, but it would be hard to say whether this was a result of the campaign. In any case, if one division saw a dip, others must have increased by quite a bit to produce the results described in the premise. This doesnt address the causal assumption or the cost/benefit assumption.. This yes/no question has significant consequences for the argument. If the company increased spending on other forms of marketing, then perhaps the subway advertising campaign was not the cause of the sales success described in the argument. If the company didnt make any other marketing pushes, the authors causal assumption looks more reasonable._________________
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In remarks to the United Nations Security Council, Haley reiterated the presidents position regarding Iranian compliance with the spirit of the nuclear deal, which provided the rationale for his withholding domestic certification of the deal ahead of an October 15 deadline. Iran hides behind its assertion of technical compliance with the nuclear deal while it brazenly violates the other limits of its behavior, and we have allowed them to get away with it, she said, adding, This must stop.

Haley specifically cited Iranian ballistic missile tests as Irans most threatening act and as a clarion call for UN action. In line with the implementation of the nuclear agreement at the start of 2016, the Security Council passed a resolution that called upon the Islamic Republic to avoid the testing or further development of weapons designed to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. This description fits intermediate and long-range ballistic missiles, and yet the Islamic Republic has reportedly carried out more than a dozen launches of such weapons since the conclusion of the nuclear negotiations.

Since taking office, President Trump has sought to put more pressure on the Iranians over this issue, including by imposing additional sanctions on individuals and collective entities with alleged ties to the ballistic missile program. Tehran has replied with defiance, however. Even supposedly moderate figures like President Hassan Rouhani have insisted that the Iranian government will accept no restrictions on its military development, and that ballistic missile stockpiles will continue to grow. In fact, officials have dedicated larger sums of financing to the missile program and have made public claims about its expansion in direct response to pressure from the White House.

In keeping with this trend, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement through the semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Thursday once again promising the further growth of missile stockpiles and development. Irans ballistic missile programme will expand and it will continue with more speed in reaction to Trumps hostile approach towards this revolutionary organization, the statement read in part, according to Reuters.

As well as exerting for more pressure on the missile program, the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on the entirety of the IRGC, in recognition of its contributions to global terrorism. In addition to sponsoring groups like Hezbollah and directly intervening in foreign conflicts through its special operations wing the Quds Force, the IRGC has been credited with nearly all of the countrys recent missile tests, as well as threatening maneuvers in the presence of Western vessels in the Persian Gulf, and a worsening crackdown on activists, journalists, and dual nationals inside Iran.

In her address to the Security Council, Haley made mention of each of this issues, to greater or lesser extent. Iran must be judged in totality of its aggressive, destabilizing and unlawful behavior, she explained, urging the international body to defend peace, security, and human rights in Iran.

The AP notes, however, that the White House faces an uphill battle in trying to get the Security Council to take action with regard to Iran. The councils veto-wielding permanent members are the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China, and the last two of these are allies of the Islamic Republic. However, this does not preclude multilateral efforts by the remaining members along with the European Union and other Western powers to exert pressure on Tehran. Many such actors have already expressed support for the notion of looking beyond the nuclear deal in their Iran policies. And as Iran continues to act out in defiance of pressure from the White House, this support is likely to increase.

Not content with expansion of missile activities, Thursdays IRGC statement also promised the continued confrontation of traditional Iranian enemies, chiefly the US and Israel. And by many accounts, this confrontation is already well underway in places like Syria and Iraq, where the imminent defeat of ISIL could potentially lead to widespread Iranian dominance of the political situation, and thus also to enflamed sectarian conflict.

Fox News made mention of this possible outcome in a report describing how Iran is filling the vacuum that is being left behind in the wake of the fight against ISIL. The report made mention of a possible three-way war among Iranian-backed Shiites, the Sunni minority, and Kurdish separatists.

Conflict with the Kurds is arguably looming closer in the wake of an Iraqi operation to remove the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from the control of anti-ISIL Kurdish forces. This placed the region back under federal authority, but many reports maintain that there was an Iranian hand in the operation and that the Iranian regimes influence over Baghdad puts such re-captured areas effectively under Tehrans control.

The regime has predictably denied an Iranian role in the conflict, but Fox News reported that photos from Kirkuk showed both a prominent Iran-backed Shiite paramilitary leader and the head of the IRGC Quds Force, Major General Qassem Suleimani, as being present at the time of recapture. The report also quoted James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq as saying that the continued integration of Iranian elements into the Iraqi power structure could make Iraq essentially a vassal state of [Irans] just like Lebanon has become.

To whatever extent this is a danger in Iraq, the danger appears even greater in Syria, where the Iranian role in preventing the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad has long been viewed as carving out a permanent foothold in the country both for the Iranians and for Hezbollah. Just as in Iraq, Shiite paramilitaries backed by Iran have been integrated into the diminished armed forces of Syria. And in the case of Syria, the separation between the two factions is even less discernible.

Now, the Associated Press reports that Assad himself has met with the commander of the Iranian army, General Mohammad Bagheri, to discuss further military cooperation between the two countries. Bagheri also met with several other Syrian officials, arguably illustrating the depth of penetration into the Syrian power structure by Iranian military and paramilitary forces.

Ambassador Haley sought to underscore the dangerous effects of such penetration in her appeal to the Security Council on Wednesday, repeating a familiar line about the Islamic Republic: Nearly every threat to peace and security in the Middle East is connected to Irans outlaw behavior. Those threats appear to be on the rise, and it remains to be seen what action will be taken on a global scale to constrain them.
Established in 2008, the ISJ became an official non-profit in 2014. From its home base in Brussels, it has the support of thousands of elected parliamentarians, former officials, and dignitaries. The ISJs goal is to promote human rights, freedom, democracy, peace and stability, and to seek justice for the Iranian democratic opposition.

The ISJ provided information about several cases of spying that have been investigated by counter-intelligence services in Europe in its latest report.

The report reveals that German intelligence services have discovered that the Iranian regime is deeply involved in spreading misinformation about its opponents. It also revealed that the regime has been recruiting former opposition members, and targeting lawmakers. In fact, an Iranian man was accused of spying on a French-Israeli economics professor and a German lawmaker, earlier this year. He was convicted by The High Court in Germany, and the incident was described as a clear attempt to assassinate. Another Iranian was convicted in a German court for spying on the Iranian opposition. The report states, The case of Masoud Dalili (Bahman Afrazeh) is a telling example. He was a former affiliate of the PMOI who had left Camp Ashraf, formerly home to several thousand PMOI members in Iraq. He was subsequently recruited by the MOIS. He was debriefed by the Quds Force in Iraq, who then used him as a guide for the commando-type attack on Camp Ashraf on 1 September 2013, which left 52 members of the PMOI dead and seven taken hostage. Dalili was also killed by the commandos at the end of the operation; they burnt his face to avoid his being recognized.

The Iranian regime has also attempted to smear the image of dissidents. It uses false information to disgrace the viable opposition. The disinformation is focused on the PMOI. Those involved have set up a number of bogus associations and approach parliamentarians in various European countries, pretending to be opponents of the regime and human rights activists. In most European countries, they have been essentially rejected by the parliamentarians, according to the report.

The assassination of 45 year-old Saeed Karimian in April is highlighted in the report. The Iranian TV executive was based in London, and was assassinated while in Turkey on business. It later learned that a Tehran court had sentenced him in absentia to a six-year prison term for acting against national security and spreading propaganda.

The Iranian Intelligence Services, as confirmed by European security services, is more active than it has ever been in Europe, the report concludes, and it highlights that its principle means of operating include physical elimination, character assassination and intimidation. It also shows that its primary target is the Iranian opposition, who are working towards a free and democratic Iran, as well as its supporters. The report also blames the nuclear deal for facilitating such actions.


Chinese officials in Xinjiang have banned the use of ethnic minority languages in schools in at least one area of the autonomous region, Radio Free Asia reports.

Local education officials sent an order to schools in Yining county in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. The order bans the use of any school books or teaching materials written in the languages of the mostly Muslim Uyghur and Kazakh ethnic groups.

It also said that any materials in those languages must be placed in sealed storage." The documents letterhead referred to the education department of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government.

The documents wording may suggest that the ban could spread to a wider area.

The document states: "Schools must not flout these rules by continuing to use ethnic minority-language materials. Any found doing so will be reported to a higher level of government."

Luo Dan is the official named on the document as the contact person for the Yining county education bureau. Luo confirmed to Radio Free Asia that the order is real and is being carried out.

In Luo's words, "The use of all Uyghur and Kazakh-language textbooks and teaching materials in language and literature has ceased."

'All Chinese now'

RFA spoke to an ethnic minority citizen of Xinjiang who asked to remain unidentified. He said official government policy commands respect for minority languages. But he said that for several years, the government has increasingly restricted the use of minority languages in the education system.

In his words, "Right now, math, physics and chemistry are all taught in Chinese. There are still some Uyghur and Kazakh-language textbooks around, but they are gradually disappearing.

"It's all Chinese now," he said.

China says Uyghurs have carried out terrorist attacks in recent years. But experts outside China say it is government has inflated the threat from Uyghurs. Those experts say Chinas increasingly repressive policy in the northwest has led to the growing violence there. Hundreds have died in the violence since 2009.



I'm Caty Weaver.

Qiao Long and Yang Fan produced this report for RFA's Mandarin Service. Luisetta Mudie translated and edited the piece. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

autonomous region - n. an area of partial self-rule within a larger country under a central government

seal - v. to prevent access to something or someplace

letterhead - n. the name and address of an organization (such as a company) that is printed at the top of a piece of paper used for writing official letters

refer - v. to mention (someone or something) in speech or in writing

flout - v. to break or ignore (a law, rule, etc.) without hiding what you are doing or showing fear or shame
New images released by Britains Royal Navy show how future submarines could look and move like real sea creatures.

The designs were created by young British engineers and scientists. They were challenged by the Royal Navy to imagine how future underwater war machines might look.

The engineers and scientists are members of the group UKNEST. This not-for-profit organization promotes science, engineering and technology for British naval design.

The group kept the same requirements used in advanced submarines used today. But the designers added new technological ideas to make them easier and less costly to build, as well as more effective in battle.

Current submarines were designed to perform many roles as a single piece of equipment. But the Royal Navy of the future is expected to operate a family of submarines. This would include many shapes and sizes to carry out different operations. Some submarines would be manned and others unmanned.

The designs included a mothership that would act as a major command and control center supporting other submarines and ships. This submarine, with a crew of about 20 people, would be shaped like a manta ray with wide wings to guide it through the sea. The futuristic mothership would travel to British-controlled waters worldwide, docking with other underwater bases.

The future Royal Navy might also use eel-like unmanned underwater vehicles. The designers imagined these submarines as capable of curving around objects like an eel and disguising themselves as sea lifeforms. They could be launched from the mothership and travel hundreds of miles in near silence.

Some of the naval equipment would be engineered with materials to dissolve after a period of time to avoid being captured by enemies. One image even shows flying missile weapons shooting out of the water like sharks or dolphins.



The submarine design project was called Nautilus 100. It was named after the U.S. Navys USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.

Britains Minister for Defense Procurement, Harriet Baldwin, praised the project. These remarkable designs display the great promise of our young engineers and scientists and the great ambition of the Royal Navy.

She added that the futuristic concepts are an example of what Britains navy could produce to meet future military challenges.

Commander Peter Pipkin is a robotics officer with the Royal Navy. He said that with more than 70 percent of the planet covered by water, there will be more competition between nations in the future to live and work at or under the sea. For this reason, he said the Royal Navy is looking 50 years into the future to find new ways to protect British interests around the world.

If only 10 percent of these ideas become reality, it will put us at the cutting edge of future warfare and defense operations," Pipkin said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on information from the Royal Navy website. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

challenge  v. invite a person to compete in a contest or fight

dock  v. join together with another ship

disguise  v. change the appearance of something so it cannot be recognized

dissolve  v. break down or disappear

ambition  n. goal or aim to do or be something

concept  n. an idea of what something could be
The Pakistani military is building a fence along the 2,600-kilometer border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The military is also setting up forts and other defensive positions on mountain tops in the area.

The work will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Pakistani officials hope it will effectively increase security on both sides of the border.

Afghanistan opposes the fence project. Afghan officials have long disputed the border created in 1893, when Pakistan was a British colony. Officials do not recognize it as an international border.

The Afghan government says a fence would add to the problems of divided families and tribes, mainly ethnic Pashtuns, living along the dividing line.

Pakistan dismisses Afghan objections over the border. Pakistani officials say their country took possession of the area when Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947.

On Wednesday, the Pakistani army flew reporters to the tribal border areas of South Waziristan and North Waziristan.

The two areas share a more than 300-kilometer border with Afghanistan. They are part of the Federal Administered Tribal Areas, known as FATA. Until a few years ago, they were known for sheltering militants blamed for terrorist attacks on both sides of the border.

Pakistani commanders now say security operations have neutralized the threat of militancy in almost all of FATA.

Pakistan new border defense

Crews are building four-meter high chicken wire fences in the border area. On top of the fences, crews are adding barbed wire.

Major-General Nauman Zakaria, a local army commander, met with reporters at a newly-built fort. The commander used the term paradigm change to describe the new defenses. There will not be an inch of international border (here), which shall not remain under our observation by December of 2018, he said.

Zakaria noted that Pakistani troops occupy over 150 positions in the area under his command. He said Afghan forces have only 21 posts on their side because of capacity issues and a lack of armed forces members.

Drone aircraft and other modern equipment are being deployed so Pakistani officials can make sure the border area is being watched 24 hours a day.

Officials expect the new defenses to be ready within the next two years. It will cost Pakistan an estimated cost of $532 million. About 180 of the 750 forts the army plans to build along the border have been either completed or are being built.

Military officials say they have already fenced off more than 40 kilometers of territory where militants are likely to cross the border.

Stronger border controls have been added at the two main border crossings of Torkham and Chaman to document identities of daily crossers.

Area military commanders admit the fencing plan will divide villagers around Chaman. But they say the government plans to offer financial help to some Pakistani families to get them to move.

Yet the country remains under international pressure. Both Afghanistan and the United States say Pakistan has been helping the Taliban and its ally, the Haqqani militant group. They say militants are using Pakistani territory to plot attacks against the Afghan government.

Afghan officials also say militant leaders are on the Pakistani side of the border and are being protected by the Pakistani spy agency.

Pakistan strongly rejects the claims. It says security operations have cleared all areas of militants on its side of the border. In turn, Pakistan says militants have taken refuge in ungoverned Afghan areas and are plotting cross-border raids.

Speaking in Angoor Adda, General Zakaria said the fence will answer both sides concerns "once forever" and help Pakistan have a stable relationship with the neighbors he described as "Afghan brothers."

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Susan Shand.

Ayal Guz reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

barbed wire  n. wires with very sharp points

paradigm  n. a model for something that may be copied

inch  n. a small amount; a form of measurement

capacity  n. ones mental or physical ability

complement  n. something that completes or makes perfect

drone  n. an unmanned airplane or ship

stable  adj. firmly established; not changing

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.


Human Rights Watch is giving the government in Afghanistan and international donors a failing grade in their efforts to educate Afghan girls.

In a report released on October 17, the rights group found that about two-thirds, or nearly 66 percent, of Afghan girls do not attend school.

The report says efforts to educate Afghan girls have weakened as security in the country worsens and international donations decrease.

The findings come nearly 16 years after the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan. The goal of the operation was to remove the Taliban from power for sheltering al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.



The new report is called I Wont Be A Doctor, And One Day Youll Be Sick: Girls Access To Education In Afghanistan. It is based 249 interviews with girls, ages 11 to 18 years, from four parts of Afghanistan.



More girls are attending school in Afghanistan today than under the Taliban. But the Western-supported Afghan government is far from reaching its target of educating all of the girls.



The government estimates that 3.5 million children are out of school, and 85 percent of them are girls. Only 37 percent of adolescent girls can read, compared to 66 percent of adolescent boys.



The barriers girls face in Afghanistan to get an education are many, the report says.



Afghanistan is a country where coed education is not a choice. Boys and girls are almost always taught separately. The government provides fewer schools for girls than boys at both the grade school and high-school levels.



Fewer than 20 percent of teachers are female in more than half of Afghanistans provinces. Human Rights Watch says this creates a barrier because many families who wont let their daughters be taught by male teachers.

Many girls are forced to remain at home, the group notes, because of "discriminatory attitudes that do not value or permit their education.



In addition, with one-third of girls marrying before age 18, many are required to leave school.

Still, many Afghan families are doing all they can to educate their daughters, the report notes.



Human Rights Watch contacted families that moved across cities and even the countryside to find a school for their daughters. Other families separated to give their girls the chance to study.

In some situations, older brothers traveled to Iran to work illegally to pay school costs for their younger sisters back home.



Even when school is free, there are other costs families face when sending their children to school. When money is limited, many families choose to send their sons instead of their daughters to school.



About one-fourth of all Afghan children work to help their families survive extreme poverty. And many of the girls ask strangers for money, weave or sort through waste rather than study.



The Taliban and other militants now control or are seeking to control more than 40 percent of Afghanistans districts. Fighting between Taliban and government forces has pushed thousands of families from their homes. And more than one million Afghans have been displaced within the country.



In areas under its control, the Taliban often limits girls to only a few years of schooling or bans them from education completely.



In disputed areas, girls who want to go to school face increased security threats. The conflict has brought lawlessness as militias and criminal organizations have grown.

The report said girls who attend school in those areas face threats including sexual abuse, kidnapping and acid attacks. They also face targeted attacks and threats against girls education.



Human Rights Watch praised efforts by the Afghan government and international donors to develop community-based education, or CBE. In CBE programs, classes usually take place in homes. This gives children, especially girls, a chance to receive an education in areas far from government schools.



But the group noted that these programs are operated by non-governmental organizations and depend completely on money from foreign donors. And, that makes their financing unpredictable. So they can end at any time without notice.

Among Human Rights Watch's suggestions is the expansion of CBE programs. The group is urging the Afghan government to make them part of its education system and guarantee long-term funding.

I'm Jill Robbins. And Alice Bryant.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

interview  v. a meeting at which people talk to each other in order to ask questions and get information

adolescent  adj. a young person who is developing into an adult

coed  adj. having both male and female students

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

weave  v. to make something (such as cloth) by crossing threads or other long pieces of material over and under each other

district  n. an area or section of a country, city, or town

acid  n. chemistry. a chemical with a sour taste that forms a salt when mixed with a base. An acid has a pH of less than 7. Very strong acids are able to burn holes in things.
Our story today is called The Exact Science of Matrimony. It was written by O. Henry. This story was adapted by Shelley Gollust and produced by Lawan Davis. Here is Barbara Klein with the story.

Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker could never be trusted. One day, the two men decided to open a marriage business to make some quick and easy money. The first thing they did was to write an advertisement to be published in newspapers. Their advertisement read like this:

A charming widow, beautiful and home-loving, would like to remarry. She is only thirty-two years old. She has three thousand dollars in cash and owns valuable property in the country. She would like a poor man with a loving heart. No objection to an older man or to one who is not good-looking. But he needs to be faithful and true, can take care of property and invest money with good judgment. Give address, with details about yourself. Signed: Lonely, care of Peters and Tucker, agents, Cairo, Illinois.

When they finished writing the ad, Jeff Peters said to Andy Tucker: So far, so good. And now, where is the lady?

Andy gave Jeff an unhappy look. What does a marriage advertisement have to do with a lady? he asked.

Now listen, Jeff answered. You know my rule, Andy. In all illegal activities, we must obey the law, in every detail. Something offered for sale must exist. It must be seen. You must be able to produce it. That is how I have kept out of trouble with the police. Now, for this business to work, we must be able to produce a charming widow, with or without the beauty, as advertised.

Well, said Andy, after thinking it over, it might be better, if the United States Post Office should decide to investigate our marriage agency. But where can you hope to find a widow who would waste her time on a marriage proposal that has no marriage in it?

Jeff said that he knew just such a woman.

An old friend of mine, Zeke Trotter, he said, used to work in a tent show. He made his wife a widow by drinking too much of the wrong kind of alcohol. I used to stop at their house often. I think we can get her to work with us.

Missus Zeke Trotter lived in a small town not far away. Jeff Peters went out to see her. She was not beautiful and not so young. But she seemed all right to Jeff.

Is this an honest deal you are putting on, Mister Peters? she asked when he told her what he wanted.

Missus Trotter, said Jeff, three thousand men will seek to marry you to get your money and property. What are they prepared to give in exchange? Nothing! Nothing but the bones of a lazy, dishonest, good-for-nothing fortune-seeker. We will teach them something. This will be a great moral campaign. Does that satisfy you?

It does, Mister Peters, she said. But what will my duties be? Do I have to personally reject these three thousand good-for-nothings you speak of? Or can I throw them out in bunches?

Jeff explained that her job would be easy. She would live in a quiet hotel and have no work to do. He and Andy would take care of all letters and the business end of the plot. But he warned her that some of the men might come to see her in person. Then, she would have to meet them face-to-face and reject them. She would be paid twenty-five dollars a week and hotel costs.

Give me five minutes to get ready, Missus Trotter said. Then you can start paying me.

So Jeff took her to the city and put her in a hotel far enough from Jeff and Andys place to cause no suspicion.

Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker were now ready to catch a few fish on the hook. They placed their advertisement in newspapers across the country. They put two thousand dollars in a bank in Missus Trotters name. They gave her the bank book to show if anyone questioned the honesty of their marriage agency. They were sure that Missus Trotter could be trusted and that it was safe to leave the money in her name.

Their ad in the newspapers started a flood of letters  more than one hundred a day. Jeff and Andy worked twelve hours a day answering them. Most of the men wrote that they had lost their jobs. The world misunderstood them. But they were full of love and other good qualities.

Jeff and Andy answered every letter with high praise for the writer. They asked the men to send a photograph and more details. And they told them to include two dollars to cover the cost of giving the second letter to the charming widow.

Almost all the men sent in the two dollars requested. It seemed to be an easy business. Still, Andy and Jeff often spoke about the trouble of cutting open envelopes and taking the money out.

A few of the men came in person. Jeff and Andy sent them to Missus Trotter and she did the rest. Soon, Jeff and Andy were receiving about two hundred dollars a day. One day, a federal postal inspector came by. But Jeff satisfied him that they were not breaking the law.

After about three months, Jeff and Andy had collected more than five thousand dollars, and they decided it was time to stop. Some people were beginning to question their honesty. And, Missus Trotter seemed to have grown tired of her job. Too many men had come to see her and she did not like that.

Jeff went to Missus Trotters hotel to pay her what she was owed, and to say goodbye. He also wanted her to repay the two thousand dollars that was put into her bank account.

When Jeff walked into the room she was crying, like a child who did not want to go to school.

Now, now, he said. Whats it all about? Somebody hurt you? Are you getting homesick?

No, Mister Peters, she said. Ill tell you. You were always a good friend of my husband Zeke. Mister Peters, I am in love. I just love a man so hard I cant bear not to get him. Hes just the kind Ive always had in mind.

Then take him, said Jeff. Does he feel the same way about you?

He does, Missus Trotter answered. But there is a problem. He is one of the men who have been coming to see me in answer to your advertisement. And he will not marry me unless I give him the two thousand dollars. His name is William Wilkinson.

Jeff felt sorry for her. He said he would be glad to let her give the two thousand dollars to Mister Wilkinson, so that she could be happy. But he said he had to talk to his partner about it.

Jeff returned to his hotel and discussed it with Andy.

I was expecting something like this, Andy said. You cant trust a woman to stick with you in any plan that involves her emotions.

Jeff said it was a sad thing to think that they were the cause of the breaking of a womans heart. Andy agreed with him.

Ill tell you what I am willing to do, said Andy. Jeff, you have always been a man of a soft and generous heart. Perhaps I have been too hard and worldly and suspicious. For once, I will meet you half-way. Go to Missus Trotter. Tell her to take the two thousand dollars out of the bank and give it to this Wilkinson fellow and be happy.

Jeff shook Andys hand for a long time. Then he went back to Missus Trotter. She cried as hard for joy as she had done for sorrow.

Two days later, Jeff and Andy prepared to leave town.

Wouldnt you like to go meet Missus Trotter once before we leave? Jeff asked Andy. Shed like to express her thanks to you.

Why, I guess not, Andy said. I think we should hurry and catch the train.

Jeff was putting all the money they had received in a belt he tied around his body. Then Andy took a large amount of money out of his pocket and asked Jeff to put it together with the other money.

Whats this? Jeff asked.

Its Missus Trotters two thousand dollars, said Andy.

How do you come to have it? Jeff asked.

Missus Trotter gave it to me, Andy answered. I have been calling on her three nights a week for more than a month.

Then you are William Wilkinson? Jeff asked.

I was, Andy said.

Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Have you ever done anything dishonest? What was that experience like? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

QUIZ

Quiz - The Exact Science of Matrimony by O. Henry Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

For Teachers

This lesson plan, based on the CALLA Approach, teaches the learning strategy, make inferences.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

publish  v. to have something you wrote included in a book, magazine, or newspaper

investigate  v. to try to get information about (someone who may have done something illegal)

reject  v. to refuse to love, care for, or give attention to (someone)

federal  adj. of or relating to the central government

inspector  n. a person whose job is to inspect something

partner  n. one of two or more people, businesses, etc., that work together or do business together


15-year-old Alanys Arroyo and her little brothers have been at a school in western Puerto Rico for weeks, but they are not in class.

The Associated Press says they have been living in the school, which is now being used as a shelter. Hurricane Maria flooded their family's home and destroyed most of their belongings.

Her family is far from their friends after being moved from another shelter.

Arroyo was an honor student in the 10th grade when the hurricane hit on September 20. She has been trying to keep up with her studies by reading about the history of the United States and Puerto Rico but said it is hard to pay attention. "The days are long," she said, "I miss studying."

Like Arroyo, most of Puerto Rico's young people are becoming frustrated about missing school.

Hurricane Maria caused widespread flooding and has resulted in at least 48 deaths. Less than 20% of the people have electricity, and 35% are still without drinking water. The storm also destroyed the electrical power system for the island affecting all of the schools.

Puerto Rico has 1,113 public schools with 345,000 students.

About 167 schools have served as community centers where children and older people spend part of each day and receive meals. The education department announced Wednesday that it was raising the number of these schools to 190.

An additional 99 schools are being used as shelters for about 5,000 people. People are sleeping in classrooms like the Arroyo family.

Officials are now working on a plan to reopen the schools. About 70 schools are too damaged to reopen. Some have been hit by landslides. Many schools now have no regular water service. Few, if any, have power.

Teachers were expected to return to their schools Monday to prepare for the reopening of classes. But Puerto Rico's Education Secretary Julia Keleher now agrees that was too soon and only some schools will open. The start date for the whole system has been pushed to October 30 or later.

Universities and trade schools also are closed or on limited schedules. This has forced some young people to wait until they reopen or move to the U.S. mainland to continue their studies.

Nineteen-year-old Luis Sierra was studying to be a chef. Now, instead, he is at a school that is serving as a shelter in the town of Toa Baja. His school says it will not reopen until August. "I've lost this year," he said.

Many students and young people have left for the mainland U.S., although the exact number is not known. Students have had only about six weeks of class since the academic year started August 14 because of damaging storms.

Schools, political leaders offer help

Law schools including Florida A&M and the University of Connecticut have agreed to accept students from Puerto Rico. Miami-Dade County Public Schools has offered to adapt the learning materials and change bus routes to help the incoming children.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has said displaced teachers will not have to pay for documents to work in his state. He ordered that license fees for certain professionals, such as real estate agents and barbers, be suspended for people fleeing the storm.

Puerto Ricos education secretary Keleher would like to get children back to class as soon as possible. But there are competing needs, she said. Kids need their education and parents need them in school so they can go back to work. But schools need repair and cleaning and about 10 percent are still being used as shelters.

"You ask yourself: Is it my rush to get that family out? Because if that family is the family of the child that I am educating, who am I serving here by getting them out faster?" Keleher said in interview with The Associated Press. "We have the goal but it's not the goal at the cost of human beings who are impacted along the way."

One district has already pushed the end of the school year from May 31 to July 15 and may have to extend it further and make the school day longer.

When they do go back to school, many kids will be dealing with the emotions of losing everything to the floods. Some teachers and staff are dealing with the same issues, said Damarys Collazo. She is the principal of the Eleanor Roosevelt School in the Hato Rey area of San Juan.

She says she will try to act like life is normal but realizes that may not be possible for everyone. The reality, she says, is that we are facing a crisis like they have never experienced.

I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Jonathan Evans.

This story uses content from two reports by the Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted the material for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

honor student  n. a student whose work has earned grades above a specific average during a semester or school year

frustrated  adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something

landslide  n. a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill

schedule  n. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

license  n. an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something

real estate  n. the business of selling land and buildings

barber  n. a person whose job is to cut men's hair

impact  v. to have a strong and often bad effect on something or someone

district  n. an area established by a government for official government business
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Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells. The company operates through five segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers REVit, an automated real time stick-slip mitigation system; ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. As of December 31, 2021, the company marketed approximately 301 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the United States, Canada, and in 20 other countries worldwide; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and internationally. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
American International Group, Inc. offers insurance products for commercial, institutional, and individual customers in North America and internationally. The company's General Insurance segment provides general liability, environmental, commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation, casualty, and crisis management insurance products; commercial, industrial, and energy-related property insurance; and aerospace, political risk, trade credit, portfolio solutions, crop, and marine insurance. It also provides professional liability insurance products for a range of businesses and risks, including directors and officers, mergers and acquisitions, fidelity, employment practices, fiduciary liability, cyber risk, kidnap and ransom, and errors and omissions insurance. In addition, this segment offers personal auto and property insurance, such as auto, homeowners, umbrella, yacht, fine art, and collections; voluntary and sponsor-paid personal accident; supplemental health products; extended warranty insurance products; and travel insurance products. Its Life and Retirement segment offers variable annuities, index and fixed annuities, and retail mutual funds; and financial planning and advisory services; record-keeping, plan administrative, and compliance services; and term life and universal life insurance. It also provides stable value wrap products, and structured settlement and pension risk transfer annuities; and corporate- and bank-owned life insurance and guaranteed investment contracts. This segment sells its products through independent marketing organizations, independent insurance agents, financial advisors, direct marketing, banks, and broker-dealers. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ~
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Beijing Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd Guangzhou Branch, AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Asia Limited (Korea Branch), AMO Asia Limited Taiwan Branch (Hong Kong), AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Australia Pty Limited (New Zealand Branch), AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings Unlimited Company, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Ireland Branch, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Anakuria Therapeutics Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Apsis, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., Branch of Johnson & Johnson LLC (RU) in Kazakhstan, C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., Cerenovus Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:Labo USA Inc., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, GMED Healthcare BV (Branch), Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., Hickory Merger Sub Inc., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma LLC, Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceutical Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Japan Branch, Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Branch of Cilag GmbH International, Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Kft. Branch Office, Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd (Branch), Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (DHCC Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. (JAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc. Service Center (DAFZA Branch), Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AB Eesti filiaal (Branch), Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson AG (Zuchwil Branch), Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care Switzerland Branch of Janssen-Cilag AG, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Dominican Republic Branch), Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH (Branch Office), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Belgian Branch) (European Logistics Center), Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Branch), Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Lda, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Limited (Sri Lanka Branch), Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd. Beijing Branch, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Ankara Branch), Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Izmir Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East - Scientific Office, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ - LLC (Lebanese Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Ghana Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC (Kenya Branch), Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC Branch (TSO) (Saudi Arabia Branch), Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson NCB (Belgian Branch), Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Poland sp. z o.o. oddzial w Warszawie "Consumer", Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd. Korea Branch, Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson Y Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, LTL Management LLC, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, Legal Entity Name, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medos International Sarl, Medos International Sarl succursale de Neuchatel (Branch), Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthospin Ltd., Orthotaxy, PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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Chief of UN migration agency has praised Moroccos humanist approach in dealing with African migrants and asylum seekers, saying this policy is exemplary and stands out at the regional and international levels.

The Moroccan policy on migration and asylum is worth praising and shows the willingness to respect migrants rights, said Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing at a conference organized in Moroccan coastal city of Skhirat (Rabat outskirts).

He also voiced IOMs support for the moves made by the government and NGOs to integrate migration into key sectors, including health and local development.

IOM supports Moroccos national migration & asylum strategy, he said, hailing the North African countrys exemplary response to migration challenges.

Although it is still primarily an emigration country, Morocco has increasingly become a transit and also an immigration country. Early this year, the North African country launched a second regularization campaign for migrants and asylum seekers.

Since the 2000s, Morocco has received an increasing number of migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria, and Europe. The first regularization campaign in 2014 allowed over 25,000 migrants to receive a one-year residence permit that may be renewed, including all of the women and children who applied.

Migrants and refugees came from many countries, with Senegalese (25 pc), Syrians (20 pc) and Nigerians (9 pc) being the three top nationalities. Overall 27,330 migrants submitted their application. The 83 local commissions put in place had accepted over 65 percent of the applications.

The national appeals commission increased the final rate of regularization to 92 percent. The regularization campaign was not only combined with a stronger fight against traffickers but also with raids on existing migrant camps.

The regularization campaigns are part of a wider overhaul of Moroccan immigration and asylum policies. The constitution of 2011 underlined the diversity of Moroccos national identity. It included the principle of non-discrimination, the right to asylum and the equality of rights between nationals and foreigners.

Based on a report by Moroccos National Human Rights Council, in 2013 King Mohammed VI called for a revised asylum and immigration policy respecting the human rights and humanitarian needs of migrants.

According to some experts, a crucial factor driving the policy change is Moroccos geopolitical orientation towards sub-Saharan Africa and its positioning as a regional leader. Moroccos vibrant civil society, advocating for migrants rights, and criticizing abuses, discrimination and racism, also played a role.
Mastercard is doing away with the need to sign your name when paying with a credit or debit card.

The company said that from April 2018, it will do away with the need to sign after a purchase with its cards in the US and Canada.

It said over 80% of its store transactions in North America already do not require a cardholder signature at checkout.

Eliminating the need for a signature is another step in the digital evolution of payments and payment security, said Mastercard.

This might sound like a radical proclamation. However, the change matches all of our expectations for fast and convenient shopping experiences.

Easier to pay

Mastercard said consumer research has found that customers believe it would be easier to pay, and checkout lines would move faster, if they did not need to sign when making a purchase.

Security will still remain a priority, and removing the need to sign for purchases will not have any impact on safety.

Our secure network and state-of-the art systems combined with new digital payment methods that include chip, tokenization, biometrics, and specialised digital platforms use newer and more secure methods to prove identity, said Mastercard.

While security remains paramount, we know that convenience is also a large part of what consumers want when they are shopping and paying.

It said removing the need to sign is a move supported by its merchant partners and will provide a more consistent shopping experience to customers.

Now read: Cash is not going anywhere in South Africa
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Polish media report on fall of two missiles on country's territory

Economic downturn worsens in eastern EU due to a spike in inflation

U.S. believes that meeting between Biden and Jinping was strong signal to rest of world

Karabakh MFA welcomes resolution adopted by French Senate

Italy bans facial recognition technology and smart glasses

Germany to establish maintenance center in Slovakia for weapons supplied to Ukraine

Energy Ministry: Russia carried out most massive shooting of Ukraine's energy system since war starts

French Senate passes resolution calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan

Rishi Sunak hints that he will abandon plans to declare China 'threat' to national security

EU supports any call to phase out fossil fuel use

Secretary of Security Council of Armenia receives delegation of EU special envoys, member states

Armenian President Vahagn Khachatryan receives newly appointed ambassador of Cyprus

Zelenskyy's adviser: The situation after Russian shelling is critical

Newly appointed ambassador of Cyprus visits Armenian Genocide memorial

Borrell: EU countries must work together to replenish their military stocks

French Senator: Are the lives of Armenians worth less than the lives of Ukrainians?

Turkey plans to strike targets in northern Syria

Emergency power outages in Kyiv due to explosions

Lavrov calls Zelenskyy's speech at G20 summit performance beyond all regulations and decency

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince embarks on Asian tour

Ukrainian media report missile strikes in number of areas

Chinese 50-year-old man runs marathon smoking

Pashinyan receives delegation of EU special envoys, EU member states on Eastern Partnership

Bloomberg: Paris overtakes London to become Europe's largest stock market

Anti-Iranian rally held in Baku

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Pashinyan's approaches and wordings do not contribute to solving urgent problems

Borrell announces appearance of EU rapid reaction force in 2023

Norwegian Defense Minister pledges $30 million to NATO fund for Ukraine

Italy auctioned biggest truffle for record 184 thousand euros

Serviceman kills fellow soldier in Armenia

Kyodo: 67-year-old Japanese princess diagnosed with breast cancer

Mehriban Aliyeva hurriedly gives up her role of UNESCO 'Goodwill Ambassador' before French Senate meeting

Jeff Bezos says he's ready to give away most of his fortune

Britain to allocate $11.8m to rebuild Ukraine's energy infrastructure

Peskov: Kyiv cannot and doesn't want to negotiate, SVO will continue

Turkey detains another suspect in planning terrorist attack in Istanbul

Tasnim: Iranian authorities released 38 protesters in southeast

Terrorist attack: Number of detainees in Istanbul grows to 50

Armenian FM presents to Europeans consequences of September Azerbaijani aggression

Biden and Erdogan back extension of grain deal

Macron and Erdogan meet on G20 margins

UN: Earth's population is 8 billion people

Indian PM urges G20 countries to find peaceful solution to Ukraine

Minimum wage to rise in Armenia

Ministry: Air pollution level in Armenia up by 30-40% over the past five years

Erdogan and Biden hold talks in Bali

Media: Macron asks Xi Jinping to 'pressure' Putin to return to negotiations

UN: Armenia's population will decrease by 2050

Zelenskyy states that only realistic model of POW exchange is all for all

Ameriabank launches Google Pay, Google Wallet support for card users in Armenia

Argentine President Fernandez feels ill at G20 summit

Ruben Vardanyan receives head of ICRC mission: We must ensure a peaceful childhood for children living in Artsakh

Copper rises in price

Newspaper: Armenian Prime Minister wants to hold referendum on constitutional amendments in spring

Ardshinbank showcases the Google Pay for Android fans in Armenia

Zelenskyy calls not to offer Ukraine compromise with territory and independence

Secretary of State: U.S. stands ready to continue support for Karabakh settlement

Google Pay is a new contactless payment option for Converse Bank customers

French Senate to consider resolution on sanctions against Azerbaijan

Zelenskyy addresses G20 leaders: It's time to stop Russia's war

Karen Vardanyan donated 112 million drams for the medical equipment for National Center for Infectious Diseases

Another four-day parliamentary session begins in Yerevan

Gold declines in value

World oil prices go down

Plans to build 'death pyramid' in London that will hold millions of bodies

Armenian and Georgian Foreign Ministries hold consultations in Tbilisi

Azerbaijani and Iranian FMs hold phone conversation

Steve Jobs' sandals sold for more than $200,000

Armenian PM accuses Azerbaijani leader of terrorizing Armenian civilians

Azerbaijan shells Armenian positions on border again

OPEC downgrades its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2022

White House: Biden and Xi Jinping agree on Blinken's visit to China

CNN: CIA chief Burns meets with SVR director Naryshkin in Ankara

Turkish FM Cavusoglu thanks Ararat Mirzoyan for condolences

Putin signs decree allowing stateless persons to serve in Russian army

Airbus CEO: There is no question of them breaking off trade ties

Armen Grigoryan receives Igor Khovayev

Britain and France sign agreement on strengthening cooperation on illegal migration

US updates its sanctions list for Russia: Milur Electronics LLC, an Armenian company listed

Potatoes prices grow by 20%: expert claims agriculture collapse in Armenia

Peskov says Russian-American talks in Ankara initiated by Washington

Morgan Stanley: UK and euro zone economies are likely to face recession

Xi Jinping hopes for comprehensive dialogue between NATO, the EU and the US and Russia

Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines

Biden calls talks with Xi Jinping at G20 summit frank

WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021

Xi Jinping: China does not intend to challenge the U.S.

Scholz: Adopting a joint G20 summit statement is a tough task

Biden and Xi Jinping oppose use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Nikol Pashinyan receives Russian co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group

IMF head warns of risks for world economy because of rivalry between China and US

Irakli Garibashvili: Georgia is ready to promote in every possible way the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Red Wings airline launches direct flights from Makhachkala to Yerevan

Olaf Scholz: EU should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian countries

Global Leadership Foundation will visit Armenia

Kurdistan Workers' Party denies its involvement in Istanbul terrorist attack

NATO Secretary General says they must not make mistake of underestimating Russia
A person was detained over the case of 19-year-old Aram Khachatryan, who, according to preliminary data, received fatal gunshot wounds as a result of violating the rules of arms use on Friday, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported.

The investigative actions revealed a number of circumstances of the death of Aram Khachatryan (born in 1998).

The serviceman received a gunshot wound to his right shoulder on Saturday at about 12:40 on a fighting position of the defensive site of one of the military units. He died on the way to the military hospital.

The investigation showed that soldier Aram Khachatryan has become a victim of a murder, the person who committed the crime has been identified. Soldier of the same military unit, junior sergeant has been arrested in suspicion of murder.

An investigation is underway.
Algerian Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, on Friday found no convincing answer to a question on his countrys failed economic policy in Africa, compared to Moroccos success in the continent, than to accuse Morocco of using drug money to promote its partnership with African countries.

In response to this irresponsible and yet very serious accusation by the Algerian Foreign Minister, Morocco recalled its ambassador in Algiers for consultation and summoned the charge daffaires of the Algerian embassy in Rabat.

The strong-worded statement issued by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and the moves made immediately after Abdelkader Messahels remarks reflect the serious impact such remarks may have on the already strained relations between Rabat and Algiers.

Abdelkader Messahel, who was participating Friday (October 20) in a debate held by the Forum of Algerian Business Leaders (FCE), accused Morocco of laundering hashish money via its banks in the African continent!

Morocco actually recycles hashish money via its banks in the continent, he said, after an Algerian business leader lamented the lack of Algerian banks in African countries to support Algerian investors, unlike Morocco, which has a strong presence in the continent.

Irked by the businessmans scathing, but accurate observation, the Foreign Minister found no better explanation for his countrys bitter failure in the continent apart from his defamation answer against Morocco, an answer that translates the fury of the Algerian establishment exasperated by Moroccos resounding successes in Africa.

The Moroccan African successes are the result of a vision that is clear, voluntarist and active, having faith in the countries and peoples of Africa and investing in a common future, as pointed out by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in its statement.

In his blunder, the head of the Algerian diplomacy went as far as claiming that African heads of state told him about the money laundering.

He also accused Moroccos flag carrier RAM of involvement in drug trafficking. He said RAM, which has been operating in Africa and serving destinations at times Western companies refused to operate flights to Ebola hit countries, was actually carrying something other than passengers.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry, besides recalling the Moroccan ambassador for consultation and summoning the charge daffaires of the Algerian embassy in Morocco, also referred to actions that the national economic institutions defamed by the Algerian minister, could take.

Moreover, in addition to its successful economic and political moves in the region, Morocco is scoring successes in the Sahara issue, as it has convinced most of the international community of the viability of the autonomy initiative it proposed as a way to overcome the deadlock in the Algeria-kindled regional conflict and consolidate its territorial unity.

These breakthroughs also fuel Algerian officials fury as the billions they squandered to encourage separatism and weaken their Moroccan neighbor proved fruitless.

In this connection, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry pointed out in its statement that while Morocco condemns the Algerian Foreign Ministers allegations, which have reached a level of irresponsibility, unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations, it notes that they coincide with the tour in the region of the UN Secretary Generals Personal Envoy for the Sahara, as well as with the preparations for the EU-Africa Summit, scheduled for late November in Abidjan.

Abdelkader Messahels latest remarks are part of a series of uncorroborated accusations by Algerian officials who are in disarray and who impute the failure of their African policy to their neighbor, Morocco, whose successful south-south cooperation approach with Africa stands in stark contrast to Algerias failure.

The situation makes it difficult for Algerian officials to explain to their public opinion how Morocco manages, without oil and gas resources, to make inroads in Africa while their country lags behind. Their easy response is to blame Moroccos success on cannabis and money laundering!
Adore that old school restaurant? That quirky bar? "Get your ass in here" is a new series highlighting original and extraordinary local businesses that are thriving, but to ensure continued success, need our asses there on a regular basis. Love it or lose it, Milwaukee.

In April, the German dining institution Karl Ratzschs closed after 113 years of service. In August, John Sidoff, the owner of Von Trier, disclosed the German-themed bar and restaurant would transition into a mid-century cocktail lounge. Both announcements prompted scads of feedback through conversation and social media. People were sad, shocked, pissed off.

"I wanted to keep it the same way, but businesses are based on loyal clientele, and if people don't visit and support the space, it just can't continue," Sidoff told OnMilwaukee.

Sidoffs statement stuck with me and eventually inspired this series. He was right. As bummed as I was to hear that the steins, murals and bockwurst were on their way out, I realized I hadnt actually gone to Von Trier in almost a year. And I go out, a lot.

With all of this in mind, I went to Maders yesterday. More specifically, to the restaurants bar, Knights Bar. I am exactly zero percent German, but I grew up in Milwaukee where German culture is everywhere and I appreciate it.

And I dont want Maders to close. Ever.

Gary Eggert, a bartender at Knights Bar since the 80s (he left for a while to pursue a career in photography and returned in 2000), assured me that Maders wasnt going anywhere and that because of its reputation, level of quality and proximity to the new arena it would, if anything, thrive in the future.

"We're not hurting for customers, but we have our slow periods, like anyone else," says Eggert. "We get a lot of business before and after concerts and games. And there's a niche group of people who scour the country looking for German restaurants. They're frickin' German food crazy."

However, a lot of customers  particularly younger customers  who stop in before or after an event are more likely just to have a few beers rather than a German meal. During the week Eggert said most of the people who stop in are tourists or people in Milwaukee for business. In fact, when we sat down at the bar, the first thing he asked us was, "Where are you from?"

Maders looks and feels old school European, with Bavarian decor and authentically-dressed servers. The dining rooms are elegant, but we decided to sit at the large bar, particularly because of the comfortable seating.

Knights Bar has eight German beers on draft and about 16 in bottles. Plenty of non-German beer  along with a nice selection of wine and mixed drinks  are also available. During Happy Hour, everything except bottled beer is discounted.

We stopped in around 4 p.m. and therefore were able to order off the lunch menu. We got the un-German Reuben rolls ($9) and the very-German "Schnitzwich," a wiener schnitzel with tomato jam and Boursin cheese, topped with fried pickles and served on a pretzel roll with a side of warm German potato salad ($9).

The food and service was very good  we particularly enjoyed the fried pickles on the sandwich  and because two people shared both items we left feeling full but not food-coma stuffed that sometimes happens after eating German grub.

Maders history is as stellar as the food, service and decor. In 1902 Charles Mader spent his life savings on a small building on Plankinton Avenue and named it "The Comfort." For 20 cents, a customer could eat a large dinner  and leave a tip. Large steins of "Cream City" beer were three cents or two for five cents, and if a customer spent five cents on beer, lunch was free.

A few years later, Mader moved the restaurant to its current location and soon after it became known as "Mader's."

Right before Prohibition struck, Mader hung a sign in the window of his German pub and eatery that read, "Prohibition is near at hand. Prepare for the worst. Stock up now! Today and tomorrow there's beer. Soon there'll be only the lake."

When Prohibition ended at midnight in 1933, Mader's served the first legal stein of beer in the city.

Maders isnt in jeopardy of closing, but it could only benefit from more weekday support from locals  and some younger customers. Thus, we made a vow to come to Maders, particularly the Knights Bar, more regularly and during the week for happy hour.

After all, if Maders was worth a stop for famous folks like Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, Will Ferrell, Tom Petty, John Belushi and Alicia Keys (among many others whose photographs hang on the walls on the way to the restrooms), its worth a stop for a couple of regular ol' Milwaukeeans.
Forty years after his "oil pool" sculpture became the centrepiece of Tehran's first-ever modern art museum, its Japanese creator returned for its restoration Saturday to find a place "frozen in time". When the Museum of Contemporary Art opened in central Tehran in 1977, just two years before the Islamic revolution, the country's cultural scene was flush with royal patronage. Queen Farah was determined to make Iran a global centre of the arts and gathered masterpieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Andy Warhol -- a collection now valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. She commissioned Noriyuki Haraguchi for the focal point at the foot of the museum's spiral stairway: a large rectangle of thick waste oil that looks like brightly polished black stone. When Farah's husband, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, saw it for the first time, he did not believe it was liquid and ended up with his hand covered in oil. "It was very interesting for me to see my work again here, 40 years later, still standing intact. I was really surprised," Haraguchi, 71, told reporters on Saturday. "I have made about 20 of these oil pools around the world and there is only one place where it has remained intact like this, and that is here," he said, adding that others are now in museum archives. "It feels like time has frozen in this museum since I created this, and it is only me that has aged." Most of the Western artworks in the museum were declared un-Islamic and hidden away in the basement for decades after the revolution -- though some have been put back on display occasionally in recent years. Restoring the oil pool meant fishing out hundreds of items dropped into it over the years, mostly coins. It also needed an additional 800 litres (210 gallons) of oil, having reduced by around an inch. There have been accidents, such as when a foreign musician was due to perform next to the pool but mistook its oily surface for a platform and stepped right inside, museum spokesman Hassan Noferesti told AFP. "For 40 years the staff and visitors have seen this artwork here everyday. It has become woven into the museum's flesh and blood," said its director Ali Mohammad Zare. The pool measures 6.4 by 4.2 metres (21 by 14 foot) , and is 18 centimetres deep, containing over 4,500 litres of waste oil. Though known as the "oil pool" in Farsi, its official name is "Matter and Mind". Asked about the meaning of his work, Haraguchi said it was simply a way of connecting people. "Art should be free, and through art people can communicate, which is the most important thing and the reason why I'm sitting here now," he said, adding he hoped to one day create new works in Iran.
Ghanas President Nana Akuffo-Addo will hold, in coming days, discussions with 14 Togolese opposition parties on the ongoing political crisis that has claimed the lives of a dozen civilians and armed forces since August 19, 2017.

According to Lome-based newspaper LAlternative, Nana Akuffo-Addo already met with Gilchrist Olympio, the countrys historical opponent and main challenger of former president Eyadema, two weeks ago.

The same newspaper reported that Nana Akkufo Addo in another private meeting in Ghana two weeks ago, met with Togos embattled president Faure Gnassingbe to assess the evolution of the crisis and ways forward.

Nana Akkufo Addo is expected to hold discussions next week in Ghana with the 14 opposition parties that are implicated in the crisis in Togo.

Opposition parties readied for a third day of demonstrations on Friday over the rule of President Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africas oldest political dynasty, amid accusations of harsh repression by the security forces.

Damehame Yark, the countrys security minister, told reporters that at least four people were shot dead on Wednesday in clashes between protesters and security forces in the capital Lome and in the second largest city Sokode in the central region. At least 60 people were arrested across the country.

According to Amnesty International, the death toll has risen since August to eight. Activists say it is at least 13.
UPDATE: Maryland Workplace Shooter Captured in Delaware

Radeed Prince killed three and injured two more in Edgewood, Maryland and injured one more in Wilmington, Delaware.

[UPDATE: October 19, 2017 9:00 AM]

A man suspected of a workplace shooting in Maryland that killed three people and critically injured two more has been captured by police in Delaware.

Radeed Prince was caught on Wednesday evening after a short foot chase in Newark, Delaware, after authorities received a tip that he had been seen in a neighborhood. State and law enforcement officials, as well as federal agents, descended on the neighborhood, fanning out to look for Prince.

Three ATF agents spotted Prince on foot near the Four Seasons Parkway in Newark as he was smoking a cigar. When the agents approached him, he ran and dropped a gun, police told ABC News. Prince was then apprehended without incident and authorities received the weapon.

The three individuals who were killed at Advanced Granite Solutions were identified by the Harford County Sheriff's Office as 53-year-old Bayarsaikhan Tudev, 34-year-old Jose Hidalgo Romero and 48-year-old Enis Mrvoljak. The two others injured at Advanced Granite Solutions remained in critical condition Thursday at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, police said.

Prince is also wanted on the shooting of another person in Wilmington, Delaware. Witnesses say Prince entered a car dealership, found the owner's office and shot him twice, once near the head and once in his body, before the gun jammed. Prince then fled the car dealership.

Prince was processed into jail late Wednesday night.
A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they travelled home from their base in Kabul on Saturday, officials said, as militants intensify a deadly rampage that has claimed more than 200 lives this week. It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, capping one of the bloodiest weeks in the war-weary country in recent memory. The latest attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Shiite mosque during evening prayers in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. In an email to journalists the Taliban said it was responsible for the ambush on the army cadets, taking to five the number of attacks on police and military bases this week that involved the insurgents. "This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding four," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP. Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city. "The minibus was carrying army trainees to their homes from Marshal Fahim military academy," Almas told AFP. Security forces blocked the road leading to the scene of the attack as firefighters hosed down the asphalt. The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their assaults on security installations to devastating effect and the Islamic State group targets Shiite mosques. NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan tweeted that the assault on the army trainees was an "attack on the future" of the country and its security forces. "This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win" against Afghanistan's security and defence forces, it said. It was the fifth time since Tuesday that the Taliban have launched a major attack against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces, which are already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions. In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in an assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday. Insurgents blasted their way into the compound using at least one explosives-laden Humvee -- a tactic used in three separate attacks this week -- officials said. The militants then razed the base in the Chashmo area of Maiwand district to the ground, according to the defence ministry. On the same day Taliban militants besieged a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Ghazni, attacking it for the second time this week. Afghan security forces have faced soaring casualties in their attempts to hold back the insurgents since NATO combat forces pulled out of the country at the end of 2014. Casualties leapt by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR. The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as "shockingly high". The attacks included assaults on a military hospital in Kabul in March which may have killed up to 100 people, and on a base in Mazar-i-Sharif in April which left 144 people dead.
A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees as they were leaving their base in Kabul on Saturday, the defence ministry said, as militants step up their deadly attacks across the war-torn country. It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, taking the total death toll to more than 200, with hundreds more wounded. The attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in mosque in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounded 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the ambush but the Taliban has been involved in the previous four attacks on police and military bases this week. "This afternoon when a minibus carrying army cadets was coming out of the military academy, a suicide bomber on foot targeted them, martyring 15 and wounding four," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP. Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city. "The minibus was carrying army trainees to their homes from Marshal Fahim military academy," Almas told AFP. The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their attacks on security installations with devastating effect and Islamic State continue to target Shiite mosques. NATO's Resolute Support mission tweeted that the latest incident was an "attack on the future" of Afghanistan and its security forces. "This attack in #Kabul shows the insurgents are desperate and cannot win" against Afghanistan's security and defence forces, it said. It was the fifth time since Tuesday that militants have launched a major attack against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions. In the deadliest of the recent attacks, around 50 Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban-claimed assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday. Insurgents blasted their way into the compound using two explosives-laden Humvees -- a tactic used in three separate attacks this week -- officials said. The militants razed the base in the Chashmo area of Maiwand district to the ground, according to the defence ministry. On the same day Taliban militants besieged a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Ghazni, attacking it for the second time this week. Afghan security forces have faced soaring casualties in their attempts to hold back the insurgents since NATO combat forces pulled out of the country at the end of 2014. Casualties leapt by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR. The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as "shockingly high". The attacks included assaults on a military hospital in Kabul in March which may have killed up to 100 people, and on a base in Mazar-i-Sharif in April which left 144 people dead.
The Republican-controlled Congress, beholden to the gun lobby, has steadfastly refused to act on even the most rudimentary, common-sense changes to the gun laws, including banning certain assault-style weapons and expanding background checks and wait times.

Let's face it: Americans are not safe. Sadly enough, they do have legitimate reasons to be concerned every time they take mass transit or gather for sporting or music events at arenas and stadiums. Even the slaying of children  as occurred in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2013  wasn't enough to summon Congress to take decisive action.

True, all the legislation in the world isn't going to stop some people from committing atrocities if they are fueled by hate or are emotionally unbalanced or both.

But it could lessen the impact. Tightening the gun laws could save lives, and that should be reason enough to act  and it has to be done on the federal level. Too often, guns are being purchased in states with lax standards and then transported to states like New York with tougher laws. And too often, the gunmen have criminal histories or documented mental health problems, yet they still were able to obtain the guns easily.

It's true the gunman in the Las Vegas shooting doesn't apparently fit the profile we typically see. Stephen Paddock didn't have a criminal record or reported history of a mental illness. But in several of the most horrifying cases  including the slayings in Sandy Hook  the perpetrators were able to obtain assault-style weapons that were once illegal under a federal ban that Congress let expire more than a decade ago. As for Paddock, he owned more than 40 guns and had nearly two dozen of them with him in his hotel suite where he opened fire of a massive crowd at a concert below.

New York lawmakers are now seeking an outright ban on bump stocks. As is, it's illegal to affix a bump stock to a semiautomatic weapon, but the device itself isn't illegal. Gaping inconsistencies and loopholes like this are not making the country any safer.

Of course, tighter gun laws are only part of the answer. Comprehensive solutions are needed, including providing the necessary resources for better mental-health services in this country. One thing ought to be abundantly clear: Doing nothing is not an option. The carnage will continue unless the country acts decisively and in bold ways.

 The Poughkeepsie Journal

When Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl deserted his post in Afghanistan in 2009, he put his fellow soldiers in jeopardy. At least two were wounded in firefights while they searched for him.

And, though Bergdahl had no part in the ill-informed decision by former President Barack Obama to exchange five Taliban prisoners for him in 2014, there can be little doubt that action cost lives, perhaps of U.S. military personnel.

Bergdahl has pleaded guilty in a military court to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. An Army judge is expected to sentence him soon. The disgraced soldier could be sent to prison for life.

What he did was inexcusable, as he should have understood when he walked away from his post. He claims he meant to cause alarm among fellow troops, as a means of drawing attention to what he insists were serious problems  not specified  within the unit.

Not long after he deserted, he was captured by the Taliban. That resulted in the prisoner exchange.

Many veterans of the military have said the single most important facet of their service was their bond with others in their units and their determination not to let their comrades down.

Bergdahl broke that bond. He knew he was doing so.

There indeed was a problem in Bergdahl's unit  him. He should be sentenced to a prison term commensurate with his crime.

 The Leader-Herald, Gloversville

One irony of Washington these days is that a press corps that claims to loathe right-wing political operative Steve Bannon can't get enough of him. The media broadcast his every utterance, cheering on his declaration of "civil war" against Republicans in Congress.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina captured that reality on CBS 's "Face the Nation" Sunday when he said, "You're going to ask me about Bannon, so I'll just go and ask myself." And he replied by giving Republicans good advice on how to defeat Mr. Bannon, his Mercer family financiers and Breitbart campaign operation.

"Yes, so, what is going on?" Mr. Graham asked. "It's a symptom of a greater problem. If we don't cut taxes and we don't eventually repeal and replace Obamacare, then we're going to lose across the board in the House in 2018. And all of my colleagues running in primaries in 2018 will probably get beat. It will be the end of (Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell as we know it."

The host teed up Mr. McConnell, but Mr. Graham elaborated: "Mitch McConnell is not our problem. Our problem is that we promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and we failed. We promised to cut taxes, and we've yet to do it. If we're successful, Mitch McConnell is fine. If we're not, we're all in trouble, we lose our majority, and I think President Trump will not get re-elected."

That's exactly right. Mr. Bannon is recruiting carpetbaggers or multiple-race losers, but they'll have a chance if Republicans can't deliver on their campaign promises. Mr. Bannon's best enablers are the GOP senators who killed health reform: Susan Collins, John McCain, Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski. If they want to make Mr. Bannon a kingmaker, they'll do the same on tax reform.

 The Wall Street Journal
Akere Tabeng Muna, one of Cameroons most prolific lawyers and anti-graft crusaders has officially announced he would run for president in the upcoming presidential election.

The Barrister, who announced his presidential bid in a statement published on his official campaign website, said he is ready to succeed Paul Biya, whom he describes as a former close associate of his father (Tandeng Muna), with whom he says he has a special relationship.

The former Vice-Chair of Transparency International has resigned as Chairperson of the International Anti-Corruption Conference, IACC to avoid any conflict of interest, or any confusion that can arise from his personal ideas and those of the IACC, an official press release dated October 16, 2017 reads.

Calls for Paul Biya to stand for the 2018 presidential election were at the heart of the celebrations of the anniversary of Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement earlier this year.

Despite being the leader of the country for almost 34 years, activists of the party are considering a new seven-year term for the head of state.

Eleven candidates have already announced their candidacy, while John Fru Ndi, the main opposition leader, has yet to confirm his participation in the race.

Tension is still rising in some parts of the country regarding the calls for Biya to run again in 2018.
FILE PHOTO: The construction site of China Zun, planned to be the tallest building in Beijing, is seen amid smog at sunset in Beijing, China July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo (Reuters)

By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Ahmed Tolba

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's security forces suffered one of their heaviest attacks after militants firing rockets and detonating explosives hit a police operation on Friday in the western desert, authorities and security sources said on Saturday.

Three security sources said at least 52 police officers and conscripts had been killed in gun battles that erupted in the remote desert, but Egyptian authorities said only 16 men had died when their patrol came under attack.

Egyptian authorities on Saturday said two police operations were moving in on a suspected militant hideout on Friday when one of the patrols came under fire from heavy weapons in a remote area around 135 km southwest of Cairo.

The interior ministry said 16 police were killed in that part of the operation, and 13 more were wounded. At least 15 militants were also killed in the gun fight. The statement did not give details on any casualties in the other police patrol.

"As soon as the first mission approached the location of the terrorist elements, they sensed the arrival of the forces and targeted them using heavy weapons from all directions," the interior ministry said in a statement.

One security source said the convoy was attacked from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices on the ground.

Security has been a key point for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former military commander who presents himself as a bulwark against terrorism after leading the ouster of president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Sisi was elected on a landslide a year later.

Though he has yet to declare his intentions, Sisi is widely expected to run for re-election in April next year with little opposition. But critics say his popularity has been dimmed because of security and economic austerity policies.

No group made any claim or statement about Friday's operation not far from the capital. But most of the fighting so far between militants and security forces has been in northern Sinai, where an Islamic State affiliate operates.

Story continues

Security sources earlier said the police had been hunting hideout of the Hasm Movement, an Islamist militant group blamed for attacks on judges and police around the capital.

That group has in the past only carried out mostly small operations since it emerged last year. Egyptian authorities say it is the armed militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. Most of its leadership has been jailed in a crackdown under Sisi.

Since Sisi came to power, hundreds of troops and police have been killed in often sophisticated attacks by militants in the northern Sinai region, where Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014.

Last Sunday, at least 24 militants and six soldiers were killed in attacks on military outposts in North Sinai, when more than 100 militants repeatedly attacked security outposts south of the border town of Sheikh Zuweid.

Attacks have mostly hit police and armed forces, but militants have also extended their campaign outside the Sinai, targeting Egypt's Christians with bomb attacks on churches in Cairo and other cities.

(Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Stephen Powell)
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis thanked his French counterpart Friday for France's assistance in the immediate aftermath of a Niger ambush that killed four US troops, as questions mounted in Washington about what happened. French warplanes flew overhead and armed helicopters evacuated the US wounded following the October 4 attack near the Mali border, which is thought to have been carried out by jihadists. The Pentagon chief has previously praised the less than 30-minute French response time after the attack on the joint US-Niger patrol, and officials say it shows how well the two countries' forces are working together. But critics have pounced on the fact that it fell to France to help American troops as evidence the US military did not have adequate force-protection measures in place, and had failed in its intelligence gathering. The ambush, which also killed four Nigerien troops, is sparking growing controversy in Washington as questions swirl about what went wrong, and after it emerged the body of one slain US soldier was not recovered for nearly two days -- and only then by a privately contracted helicopter. "Thank you for your support and for your letter of condolences for our fallen following this attack," Mattis told French Defense Minister Florence Parly. The French minister said she would discuss military operations in Syria after the fall of Raqa, the Iran nuclear deal and counterterrorism efforts in Africa's Sahel region. Speaking to reporters after the visit, Parly stressed the importance of the Iran deal. "There's no way we should leave the Vienna agreement negotiated in 2015 as long as all the conditions made of Iran are being met," she said. During her first Washington visit, Parly also gave a speech at the Center for Strategic International Studies, in which she said letting the deal collapse would sow the seeds of future conflict and be a gift to hard liners. The United States, which has a growing military footprint in Africa, frequently supports French operations in the Sahel -- notably with aerial refueling to French planes and exchanging intelligence with the old ally. Parly said she had also discussed Chad, a Niger neighbor with extensive history of counterterrorism cooperation, with US officials. Trump has placed travel restrictions on Chad citizens, saying it does not adequately share public safety and terrorism-related information and faulting the country for not providing recent examples of its passports. "We mentioned the fact Chad is an important, effective ally engaged in this area of the Sahel and that therefore we must help Chad answer all the questions that have been posed by the US administration," Parly said.
When the ground started shaking in Mexico City on September 19, many people ran out into the street. Not David Arellano. In the middle of performing open-heart surgery on a newborn, the pediatric surgeon just concentrated harder. "The shaking was very violent, very intense. We had to hold down our equipment in the operating room," he said of his experience during the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico a month ago, killing 369 people. Arellano, 57, knows a thing or two about working under pressure. He was also in open-heart surgery when a previous earthquake hit on September 7, and managed to save the life of his nine-year-old patient despite the violent shaking. The second earthquake hit Mexico City even harder, causing 39 buildings to collapse -- including one across the street from Arellano's hospital. He watched as it came crashing to the ground in an enormous cloud of dust. Then he got back to work operating the apparatus keeping his patient's blood flowing. "If you let yourself panic, you'll probably do something stupid. It helped knowing we had a patient connected to a machine" that her life depended upon, he told AFP in his office at the La Raza Medical Center, a public hospital. Video footage from the operating theater that day shows Arellano and his team bracing themselves and the table where their tiny patient lies, their calm literally unshakeable despite the tremors pitching the room back and forth. Arellano performs seven to eight operations a week. He says he has to go in prepared for every possibility, including an earthquake -- something Mexicans, who live atop five tectonic plates, are all too used to. His hospital's earthquake protocol is to evacuate the first two floors. From the third floor up, people are supposed to stay inside and gather at designated meeting points. But the seventh-floor operating room is another story: everyone has to stay exactly where they are. "Shaking or not, these patients are depending on extracorporeal circulation (with a machine) to stay alive. And keeping the machine working depends on the people in the room," he said. - Control your fear - Arellano's second priority that day was to talk to the newborn's parents and reassure them everything was fine -- just as he did on September 7 with his nine-year-old patient's father, Ricardo Garduno. "We were already a nervous wreck because of the operation. It had been five hours and we had no news. Then this powerful earthquake hit. But the worst part was not knowing how she was doing," said Garduno, 34. He remembers the relief that washed over him when Arellano came out after the quake and told him, "Everything went fine." "The fact they remained so calm and professional, I find that very admirable," Garduno said, unable to contain his smile knowing that his daughter is due to be released soon with a clean bill of health. The newborn girl's mother was equally touched. "They just kept operating. They never left," she told Mexican media. Her baby came through surgery fine, but is still under observation for congenital heart defects. Arellano learned the value of keeping a cool head 32 years ago when, fresh out of medical school, he lived through the worst earthquake in Mexican history. That quake -- which, improbably, also struck on September 19 -- killed more than 10,000 people. He was a resident at the time at Mexico General Hospital, where dozens of people were killed, including several of his colleagues. "What I learned that day is that you have to control your panic, because it can kill you," he said. He recalls he was working that day in an annex of the hospital. He walked out as calmly as he could. Other residents who ran reached the main building first -- and were crushed when it came crashing down. "A lot of my colleagues probably would have made it out alive if they hadn't panicked," he said.
A young student at a private school in Brazil shot dead two other children and wounded four more Friday, the emergency services said. There were conflicting reports from the authorities about the ages of those involved. All the victims were 12 or 13 years old, police and the fire department in the central city of Goiana said initially. However, police investigators told AFP that the suspected shooter, who was arrested, was 14 and that students shot could be anywhere from 11 to 16. Speaking on Globo television, a police officer said the assailant was the son of a policeman and that the pistol used was police-issue. Local media reported that the boy had been bullied. "At break time, he took the gun out of his bag and began shooting," an unidentified witness was quoted as saying by G1 news site. "Then everyone began to run." The bloodshed in the state of Goias was a shock in Brazil, where student-on-student shootings of the kind common in the United States are unusual. However, the country is one of the most violent in the world, recording nearly 60,000 homicides a year. Among the frequent victims are children hit by stray bullets in tightly packed favela slum neighborhoods or while in school. Cassio Almeida de Rosa, who works with the Brazilian Public Security Forum in studying violence, said "what's noteworthy" was the access to a firearm at home in this case. Earlier this month, a security guard reportedly suffering from mental illness deliberately set fire to a nursery school, killing himself, nine children and a teacher. About 40 people were injured in the blaze at the nursery school in Janauba, a small town about 370 miles (600 km) from the state capital of Minas Gerais.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia Saturday, his second visit to the region in recent months as he seeks a breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis gripping the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cozying up to Iran. Doha denies the charge. Tillerson made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July. US President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis. But before his arrival at Riyadh's King Salman air base, Tillerson indicated there had been little progress. "I do not have a lot of expectations for it being resolved anytime soon," he said in an interview with financial news agency Bloomberg. "There seems to be a real unwillingness on the part of some of the parties to want to engage." Aside from the Gulf dispute, Iran, the conflict in Yemen and counter-terrorism also are on the agenda in the Gulf, the State Department said. While in Riyadh, Tillerson will also take part in the first meeting of a Saudi-Iraqi coordination council, a sign of warming relations between the Sunni-ruled kingdom and Baghdad as the Saudis seek to counter Tehran's influence in Iraq. His trip will also take him to India and Pakistan.
Me too. More than 10 times, in broad daylight, at night, strobe light; alone, in the company of friends, strangers; in cities, college towns, deserted islands untouched by running water but not by misogyny; within eyeshot, earshot, the crosshairs of CCTV, wrote Amanda Chong, lawyer and poet, on Facebook.

Chong is one of many women in Singapore posting their stories of sexual harassment and assault on social media, along with women in the United States and around the world.

This online movement began on Monday (16 October) when actress Alyssa Milano called upon Twitter users to post Me too if they have had an experience with sexual assault and harassment.

Milanos tweet followed a number of women coming forward with sexual harassment and assault allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. Her tweet has been retweeted 25,000 times since.

If youve been sexually harassed or assaulted write me too as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n  Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

The #MeToo movement was originally created by activist Tarana Burke in 2007. Burke recently told Ebony Magazine that she created the campaign as a grassroots movement to reach sexual assault survivors in underprivileged communities.

Women in Singapore from all walks of life responded to the tweet by sharing their stories.



#metoo molested in an empty

cinema during a film by an adult male stranger. Offered me mentos repeatedly afterwards. I was 15-16.  is seven (@othergodiseven) October 17, 2017

#metoo  assault, once. Harassment, lost count. Standing with all the incredible women and men sharing their experiences.  Simren Priestley (@SimrenPriestley) October 18, 2017

However, at least one woman questioned the emphasis on the victims to speak up rather than the perpetrators.



Story continues

As much as I love and appreciate tjhe #MeToo social media awareness campaign, we should start having a #nametheharraser campaign  Nandhini (@NandhiniBkrish) October 18, 2017

The strong response to the campaign in Singapore suggests that sexual assault and harassment is a common occurrence here.

Some men also responded online, sharing their disgust and concern, tweeting #iwill, a response to the #metoo hashtag, in which people name a specific action they are committing to in order to combat sexual harassment and assault.

#IWill call out rape culture#IWill prevent any and all forms of harrassment#IWill admit that I have been (and am still) part the problem  Peter Lin (@prodigalgeek) October 17, 2017

Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook.
The trial of Michel Gbagbo, the son of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, accused of broadcasting fake news has been postponed on Friday, local media reports.

The 47-year-old was charged in May along with the general manager of influential news portal koaci.com, Laurent Despas, for announcing the disappearance of political prisoners in the country last year.

The Ivorian prosecutor Richard Adou in June dispelled Michel Gbagbos claims stating that no cases of disappearance were recorded in the 2011 post-election crisis.

Michel Gbagbo was sentenced on 10 March 2015 to five years imprisonment for assassination of the State.

Michel Gbagbo, who was a senior lecturer in social psychology at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny University in Abidjan, was later released on bail.

His father, Laurent Gbagbo, ex-leader of the Ivorian Popular Front is now awaiting trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity over atrocities committed in the five-month conflict between 2010 and 2011. He is the first former head of state to have appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and insists he is innocent.

In the 2010 presidential polls, Alassane Ouattara unseated Gbagbo, but the then outgoing president refused to concede defeat, sparking a wave of violence that left around 3,000 people dead.
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Florence, who advanced at a canter over Mason Ho and Kanoa Igarashi only stood up four times today, posting a heat total of 11.67 (versus his 2017 average of 16.53). Im super stoked to be back here and for the waves to be pumping like this, its amazing, Florence said. Its got a little Off-The- Wall feel to it, like its a little bit unpredictable and you see those big ones coming in and you never know if youre going to make it or not.

Surf fans with a fancy for statistics might note that Igarashi posted a combined heat total score of 0.50 points, while Florences own relatively meek points haul was greater than the sum of all of Heat 1s three surfers (Julian Wilson, Leonardo Fioravanti, Caio Ibelli) heat totals. Still, if nothing else, the reigning World Champ will come into Round Three with plenty of energy in the tank, having hardly exerted himself on an otherwise strenuous day.

Smith, whose detractors are quick to point out a perceived heavy-water Achilles heel, won through against a similar lack of genuine opposition with his adversaries, Vasco Ribeiro and Italo Ferreira barely posting five points between them. At this stage its head-down, no looking back and a Round One win is just as important as a win in the Final, Smith said. The conditions are extremely tough out there, its huge. Im very relaxed but I feel like this result in France killed me. I have nothing to lose at this point, if I finish the year second its a great year, if I win the World Title even better, so everything to gain.

Meanwhile, Owen Wright and Filipe Toledos 2017 World Title chances  slim as they were  were extinguished today via a Round Two losses to Ribeiro and Fioravanti, respectively. Wildcard Ribeiro, who posted the days highest wave score of 9.27, earning the days loudest cheer, managed to eliminate Wright  World No. 4  despite having a back-up score of 1.83. An emotional return to Pipeline for Wright, the wave that inflicted career-threatening injury on him two years ago, will be just another compelling story in a historic season for professional surfing.

The overall theme for today was very much survival, making the most of hospitable openings where they presented, and avoiding landing lips at all costs. Josh Kerr, Michel Bourez and Jadson Andre drew shrieks with major closeout sendage, while Bourez finished his heat, a breathless win over Toledo and Andre by getting washed back into the beach, having being forced to abort a paddle-out attempt after a board change. Mick Fanning, who nailed the highest heat total of 15.50, was back on the beach after a board change of his own and with seven minutes to go, publicly contemplated not attempting a return to the lineup. In the end, he didnt manage to get there, despite trying. The afternoons standard caught inside, pre-duckdive prep being to turn 180 and the paddle back toward shore to escape the initial explosion, was testament to just how heavy things were.

While conditions today were the bigger than anything seen at this event for the past four years, one particular similarity to last years edition is particularly notable; John Florence could be crowned World Champion here in Portugal with a win, becoming the first surfer to successfully defend a World Title since Slater in 2011.

But as yet, with a great forecast on hand for the coming days were a whole lot of surfing  and likely dramatic incident  away from that.
A Ho Chi Minh City-based researcher has recently won the third annual ASEAN - U.S. Science Prize for Women.

Nguyen Thi Hiep, researcher and lecturer in biomedical engineering at the International University under the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, received the award on Thursday for her exceptional research on using at-home healthcare solutions to reduce pressure placed upon urban healthcare systems.

The winning was announced by the U.S Mission to ASEAN and the Underwriters Laboratories, on Friday, the Vietnamese Womens Day, according to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.

The US$20,000 cash prize was sponsored by ASEAN, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and American safety consulting and certification company Underwriters Laboratories.

Hiep was honored at an award ceremony in the presence of ASEAN science and technology ministers and senior officials in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Migration from rural to urban areas has put a lot of pressure on healthcare services in big cities, Hiep said a statement.

With smart medical devices and biomaterials, it will be possible to take care of people in their homes.

Hiep added that her work focuses on biomaterials such as bio-glue and needle-less suturing kits for wound healing, which can be easily used to provide more effective first aid.

The 2017 ASEAN - U.S. Science Prize for Women supports promising early-career women scientists in the ASEAN region, and encourages collaboration between ASEAN Member States and the United States around sustainable solutions for urban centers across Southeast Asia.

In the wake of rapid urbanization, many ASEAN cities are now faced with increased pressure on infrastructure and public service and health systems, urban poverty and slums, and shocks resulting from natural disasters, said Jane Bocklage, U.S. Mission to ASEAN Deputy Permanent Representative.

The United States is proud to support women across ASEAN who are harnessing the power of science, innovation, and technology to address these urban challenges across the region.

The ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women is one of the many U.S. initiatives in support of ASEAN and its ten member states, including partnership with ASEAN to support economic integration, expand maritime cooperation, cultivate emerging leaders, promote opportunity for women and address transnational challenges.

Through USAIDs cooperation with ASEAN, the U.S. also addresses the root causes of poverty and instability and strengthens the foundation for prosperity and security.

The U.S. and ASEAN are celebrating 40 years of partnership this year.
Representatives from the Japanese government on Friday handed over emergency aid to Vietnamese authorities, which will transfer them to people in northern localities raged by destructive flooding last week.

The aid, consisting of 40 sets of canvases, 47 water purifiers, and more than 5,000 blankets, arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, where the handing-over ceremony was held shortly after.

Fujita Yasuo, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam, represented the Japanese government to hand over the aid to Tran Quang Hoai, head of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

The embassy official expressed his empathy to the Vietnamese flood victims and hope that the aid could help them mitigate their difficulties.

Vietnams National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, is working hard to make sure the donation could reach flood victims in Yen Bai and Hoa Binh, which suffered heavy rains and floods on October 10-13, as soon as possible.

The Japanese government said it a statement that it decided to provide the aid to Vietnam on Thursday, responding to the Vietnamese governments call and in line with the close relationship between the two countries.

Vietnams northern and north-central regions were hit by continuous downpours, which also triggered floods and landslides from October 10 to 13, with more than 2,600 households having to evacuate during the disaster.

As of October 16, the destructive floods have killed 75 people, injured 38 and left 28 others missing, according to the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control.
By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A majority of Ryanair <RYA.I> pilots at its largest base have rejected management's offer of improved pay and conditions, the airline said on Friday, dealing a blow to its efforts to address a recent pilot shortage.

Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers sparked outrage in recent weeks by cancelling about 20,000 flights after admitting it did not have enough standby pilots to operate its schedule without significant delays.

It responded by promising pilots significant improvements in pay and conditions, exceeding rates paid by rivals, with negotiations to take place with each of its 86 bases individually.

Pilots at London's Stansted Airport rejected the Ryanair offer by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent at Friday evening's vote, the Irish airline said.

"Ryanair will continue to engage with the London Stansted ERC (Employee Relations Council) to understand how it can address their remaining concerns, especially as it will be recruiting new pilots in Stansted from November at these higher pay rates," it said in a statement.

Two Ryanair pilots with knowledge of the vote told Reuters that the turnout was above 90 percent.

The deal included a pay increase for all grades of pilots of about 20 percent and improvements in conditions, two separate sources told Reuters.

Ryanair said in its statement that it would lift captain salaries to 20 percent more than those offered by rival Norwegian Air Shuttle <NWC.OL>.

'PRODUCTIVITY BONUS'

A significant portion of the increase is by way of a "productivity bonus" of between 500 euros and 1,000 euros a month on condition that pilots make themselves available to work three extra days in November and three in December, according to a copy of the letter to pilots that was seen by Reuters.

The bonus also requires pilots to deal directly with the company through the ERC at Stansted. Ryanair does not recognise unions and instead agrees conditions with pilots through ERCs.

Story continues

A number of pilots who have been organising on social media in recent weeks to use the pilot shortage to press for better conditions have demanded a new independent and pan-European representative body.

Ryanair has rejected criticism of its ERC system. A 2007 Irish Supreme Court ruling rejected arguments by pilots that the ERC system did not constitute genuine collective bargaining.

Organisers pushing for pan-European unionisation have told pilots that more than 30 bases have rejected the deal so far, a number of pilots have told Reuters.

A Ryanair spokesman said that figures was untrue and that more than 10 other bases had agreed new pay deals, with the majority of bases yet to vote. He would not provide a breakdown of how many had accepted or rejected deals so far.

"Based on what we have been hearing from Ryanair pilots, this is not a surprise," said British Airline Pilots' Association General Secretary Brian Strutton.

"Stansted is the critical base for Ryanair and I think other bases will now also reject."

(Additional reporting by Conor Humphries and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by David Goodman)
The Iraqi and the Saudi oil ministers Jabar al-Luaibi and Khalid al-Falih open the Baghdad International Exhibition, in Baghdad, Iraq October 21, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily

By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market".

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for several decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Tension remained high after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from the thaw with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes closer ties would help rollback Iran's influence in the region.

"The best example of the importance of cooperation between our two countries is the improvement and stability trend seen in the oil market," said Falih, to applause from the audience of Iraqi ministers, senior officials and businessmen.

Falih and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir held talks earlier this year in Baghdad, paving the way for visits to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and popular Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Iraqi oil ministry said Falih and his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luaibi, agreed to cooperate in implementing decisions by oil exporting countries to curb global supply in order to lift crude prices.

OPEC, Russia and several other producers have reduced production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2017, helping to boost oil prices. The cutbacks should continue until March 2018.

Story continues

Falih called for increased economic cooperation between the two countries at all levels, saying Saudi Arabia is implementing measures to facilitate the flow of goods and services between the two countries.

A Saudi commercial airplane, operated by Flynas, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 27 years.

In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Ros Russell)
dragonfly swarm dragonflies insects bugs

Steven / Flickr

75% of the flying insects on protected lands in Germany seem to have died over the past 27 years.

Researchers aren't sure what's responsible for the decline, but say climate change probably isn't to blame.

Bird populations are now also on the decline.



Bug researchers in Germany are puzzled.

New data suggests the total population of flying insects there has declined a whopping 75% in the past 27 years. And no one knows why.

A study released Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE details a longitudinal study by German researchers to measure "flying insect biomass"  the weight of all flying bugs  in 63 protected spots around the country.

The scientists surveyed places like dunes, grasslands, and forests, using trapping tents to collect over 118 pounds of bugs over the 27 year period. They were expecting to find some population decreases, but this extreme decline, they said, is "alarming".

The most recent Living Planet Index (which measures biodiversity and population trends in fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals around the world) suggested that wildlife abundance on Earth decreased by as much as 58% between 1970 and 2012. Butterfly, bee, and moth populations have previously been shown to be in decline across Europe.

But this widespread insect death struck the researchers as extreme. At the peak of summer heat, when there are usually more bugs out than in the spring and fall, the drop was even more pronounced, and bug counts were down 82%,  that's 7% more than the average decline over the 27-year period.

The lack of insects, of course, also problematic for small critters who eat flying bugs and has ripple effects up the food chain. A majority (roughly 80%) of plants rely on insects for pollination, and birds gobble them for sustenance. German birds are feeling the squeeze on their food supply  new research published Thursday shows that Germany lost 15% of its non-endangered bird population in the past 12 years.

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The researchers aren't sure what's causing this precipitous fall. Across the diverse swath of German habitats studied, all spots saw similar declines, suggesting the decrease had nothing to do with landscape changes. And the scientists don't think shifts in weather, land use, or climate change are valid explanations either. If anything, rising global temperatures should increase bug populations, the authors argue, because insect biomass is "positively related" to temperature, according to their models.

Other experts have pointed out, however, that not all bugs thrive on a warming Earth. The Washington Post reports that an especially warm spring could bring some bugs (like bees) out early, only to starve when there's not enough food.

But the German researchers are zeroing in on one possible explanation for their findings: "Pesticide usage, year-round tillage, increased use of fertilizers and frequency of agronomic measures... may form a plausible cause," they wrote.

More research is needed to know the role the agricultural industry is playing, but the German Farmer's Union is already playing defense. The association's secretary general, Bernhard Krusken, told Deutsche Welle that "considering that the insect count was done exclusively in protected habitats, this shows that it would be premature to quickly point at agriculture."

Regardless of the cause, scientists worldwide have been sounding the alarm about declining insect populations for months.

"If you're an insect-eating bird living in that area, four-fifths of your food is gone in the last quarter-century, which is staggering," Dave Goulson, an ecologist at the University of Sussex, told Science Magazine earlier this year. "One almost hopes" the German trend is unique, he said, and not reverberating around the globe.

NOW WATCH: There are 950,000 species of insects on Earth  but a new discovery has scientists stumped

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By Luciano Costa

SAO PAULO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run electricity company Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais SA has dismissed its business development director, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Cesar Vaz Fernandes's exit will be followed by management changes that will affect at least two other top executives, one of the sources said.

Fernandes declined to comment. Cemig, as the company is known, did not have an immediate comment.

The reshuffle is gradual and will likely culminate with the ousting of Cemig's Chief Executive Officer Bernardo Alvarenga, one of the sources said. Luiz Fernando Paroli, currently at the helm of Cemig-controlled Light Servicos de Eletricidade SA, will likely replace him, the source said.

The CEO replacement is expected to happen in late November or by early December, the source said.

Last month, Reuters reported that the No. 1 shareholder in Cemig had decided to oust Alvarenga and three senior executives after the power utility lost dam contracts and took too long to shed assets. The move should speed up Cemig's pending asset sales, sources said at the time. (Reporting by Luciano Costa; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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By Robert Muller and Petra Vodstrcilova

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Andrej Babis won a thumping victory in Saturday's election as voters shunned traditional parties and gave a mandate to the anti-establishment businessman pledging to fight political corruption while facing fraud charges himself.

Babis's ANO movement got 29.6 percent of the vote, nearly three times as much as anyone else in an election that saw a record nine parties secure seats in parliament's lower house. He now faces the tricky task of finding willing government partners ready to overlook his legal troubles and domineering manner.

ANO is the first party to break a quarter century of dominance by two mainstream centre-right and centre-left parties, highlighting a shift in Europe where a refugee crisis has helped the rise of protest groups.

Babis has promised to bring his business expertise to government. He pledges to resist deeper integration of the European Union and any efforts in Brussels to force the country of 10.6 million to take in refugees.

The dramatic power shift comes as the Czech Republic has enjoyed rapid economic growth, a balanced budget and the lowest unemployment in the EU. Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade.

But unlike ANO, the Social Democrats -- who led a government with ANO and another partner since 2014 -- failed to capitalise on that, and had their worst showing, at 7.3 percent, since the country peacefully split from Slovakia in 1993.

Two other protest movements -- the Pirate party courting unhappy liberals and the far-right, anti-EU SPD -- surged to almost 11 percent each, making them, respectively, the third and fourth largest parliamentary players.

Babis faces tough negotiations after former partners the Social Democrats and centrist Christian Democrats both said on Saturday they could not be in a cabinet with anyone under police investigation.

The runner-up centre-right Civic Democrats also ruled out a government with ANO as well as two other small factions.

Story continues

Babis was undeterred and said he would talk to all parties.

"I believe we will build a government that will be one team," Babis told supporters and journalists at his party's headquarters. "We want to fulfil our programme for a better life in our country."

Drawing comparisons with U.S. President Donald Trump for his business background and anti-establishment message, Babis has maintained his popularity despite charges he illegally received a 2 million euro EU subsidy when he ran his food, agriculture and chemical empire, worth an estimated $4 billion, before entering politics.

He has denied wrongdoing and has also fought back against rivals questioning his past business practices and accusations of conflicts of interest.

His holdings, including interests in national newspapers and a radio station, were placed in a trust earlier this year.

EUROSCEPTICS

Babis's tough EU line and refusal to adopt the euro until the currency zone reforms have played well with eurosceptic Czechs but raised the prospect he may join Hungary and Poland on a collision course with the bloc.

But he also supports EU membership and does not share the relatively illiberal ideology of Budapest and Warsaw.

On Saturday, he said his party was pro-European despite reservations about talk of a two-speed Europe that could sideline countries like the Czech Republic which are not using the euro.

"It is not true that we are any threat. We are pro-European!" Babis said. "I am ready to fight for our interests in Brussels."

At home, he has promised to use growth of over 3 percent to cut sales tax, lower income tax for most workers and ease the burden on companies. He pledges to build more highways in the next four years than what was completed in the past decade.

Whether he can find support for this programme is still a question. If coalition talks with mainstream parties fail, there is also the possibility ANO will form a cabinet with backing from the Communists or the far-right SPD.

President Milos Zeman has said he would allow a month for negotiations before calling a new parliament, the trigger for the current administration to depart.

He told online news website parlamentnilisty.cz he would not object to Babis forming a government even while facing police charges. He also said he would have no objections to talks involving SPD or the Communists.

(Reporting by Robert Muller and Petra Vodstrcilova; Additional reporting and writing by Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet; Editing by Ros Russell and Robin Pomeroy)
By Moussa Aksar

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Gunmen on pick-up trucks and motorcycles coming from Mali killed 13 gendarmes and wounded five more in an attack on their base in western Niger, security sources said on Saturday.

The village is a few dozen kilometres (miles) from where militants killed four U.S. soldiers in an ambush on Oct. 4 that has thrown a spotlight on a U.S. counter-terrorism mission in Niger, a country that straddles an expanse of the Sahara.

Niger's military officials confirmed the attack. The assailants crossed over the border from Mali and drove up to the village of Ayorou, about 40 km (25 miles) inside, before springing their attack, the security sources said.

"They were heavily armed. They had rocket launchers and machine guns. They came in four vehicles each with about seven fighters," said a security source on the scene.

Reinforcements later arrived and stopped them as they tried to cross back over the border, another security source on the scene said, triggering a gun battle. They escaped into Mali and were being pursued, he added.

"Land and air forces are pursuing the assailants with a view to neutralising them," a statement from Niger's military said, confirming the death toll.

In the initial attack one of the assailants was killed in an exchange of fire but others managed to make off with four Nigerien army vehicles, the first security source said.

Since taking over swathes of northern Mali in 2012, and then being scattered by a French-led counter-offensive the following year, Islamist militants have established themselves in lawless spaces across the desert.

They have used these areas as a springboard for a wave of attacks that threaten to destabilise West Africa. Fighters have inflicted damage on military outposts, killed security officials and civilians, kidnapped Westerners and sometimes mounted high-profile attacks on hotels and resorts across the region, including in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

Story continues

Several Islamist groups and well-armed ethnic militia operate in the area along the Mali-Niger border. There have been at least 46 attacks there since early last year.

However, officials suspect many of them, including the ambush on the joint U.S.-Niger patrol, to be the work of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, led by Arabic-speaking north African militant Adnan Walid al-Sahrawi.

He has pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, although the extent of their ties are not known.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, nor the one that killed the U.S. soldiers.

Responding to its ever growing militant threat, Mali on Saturday announced a year extension of a state of emergency.

"I hope we won't need to continue extending the state of emergency," Defence Minister Tiena Coulibaly told reporters. "We hope that before Oct. 31, 2018, order will be restored."

The increasingly fluid, cross-border nature of the militant threat forced the Sahel countries Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso to launch a joint force -- known as "G5 Sahel" -- in July, to try better coordinate policing their deserts.

But it has yet to receive a commitment to more than a fraction of the donor funding that it needs. A U.N. Security Council delegation was in Mali on Saturday to discuss the force.

"This tragedy is one more element that ... underlines the urgency of a strong and determined response through the creation of the joint G5 Sahel force," French permanent representative to the U.N. Francois Delattre told journalists during the meetings.

(Reporting by Boureima Balima; Additional reporting by David Lewis in Nairobi, Cheick Amadou Diouara, Aaron Ross and Tiemoko Diallo in Bamako and Tim Cocks in Dakar; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Robin Pomeroy)
Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 130 S. Sixth St. E., invites you to be part of this "Restorative Justice: A Community Conversation" on Wednesday, Nov. 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Hear from these panelists as they share their varied experience and expertise about our criminal justice system. Learn about the weaknesses and biases of our current system. Be a part of the conversation as we explore potential community-wide alternatives to facilitate healing, growth and restoration. Restorative justice: what is it? How does it work? Could it work in Missoula?
FILE PHOTO: A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in the SOMA district of San Francisco, California, U.S., August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie

Thomson Reuters

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Namibia said on Friday that local home owners listed with U.S. short-term rental service Airbnb Inc risk imprisonment if they fail to register with the tourism regulatory body before the end of this year.

The southern African nation is a long-haul destination for European, American and Asian tourists and the sector contributes around 15 percent to its gross domestic product.

Under Namibian laws, any accommodation establishment with two or more bedrooms is required to register with the tourism board, or face a fine, a two-year jail term or both.

"We need to guarantee the health and safety of guests, but we cannot do that if the accommodation is not registered or regulated," Namibia Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Digu Noabeb told Reuters in an interview.

(Reporting by Nyasha Nyaungwa; Editing by James Macharia, editing by David Evans)

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Spanish forensic doctor Aurelio Luna, together with a group of forensic experts, speaks during a news conference on the report of investigations into probable causes of death of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda in Santiago, Chile October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - International researchers investigating the death of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda raised doubts on Friday as to whether he died of cancer 44 years ago as previously presumed, and did not rule out foul play.

Neruda, known for his passionate love poems and staunch communist views, died days after a coup in September 1973 that ushered in the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Neruda's chauffeur claimed Pinochet's agents took advantage of the poet's illness to inject poison into his stomach as he lay in hospital. Neruda's body was exhumed in 2013 and previous tests have found no evidence of poison but are ongoing.

Spanish forensic specialist Aurelio Luna from the University of Murcia told journalists that his team discovered something that could possibly be a laboratory-cultivated bacteria. It will be analysed, with results expected in six months to a year.

Luna also said that tests indicated that death from prostrate cancer was not likely at the moment when Neruda died.

"From analysis of the data we cannot accept that the poet had been in an imminent situation of death at the moment of entering the hospital," he said.

"We cannot confirm if the nature of Pablo Neruda's death was natural or violent," he added.

Pinochet died in 2006.

Neruda's family and supporters have been divided over whether the case should be closed and his remains returned to his grave near his coastal home of Isla Negra, or whether researchers should continue carrying out tests.

(Reporting by Antonio de la Jara, Writing by Caroline Stauffer, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih made a high profile visit to Iraq on Saturday, calling for increased economic cooperation and praising existing coordination to boost crude oil prices.

In a speech at the opening of the Baghdad International Exhibition, Falih said cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia contributed to "the improvement and stability we are seeing in the oil market"

Falih is the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades. The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Tension remained high after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

With a thaw in relations, Falih said a joint committee is "working on measures to speed up the establishment of an economic partnership and to reactivate cooperation and economic complementarity."

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes a stronger relationship with Baghdad would help rollback Iran's influence in the region.

Iraq lies on the fault line between Shi'ite Muslim power Iran and the Sunni-ruled countries that are its regional arch-rivals, chief among them Saudi Arabia.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi left Baghdad on Saturday for a visit to Saudi Arabia, his second to the kingdom this year, his office said in a statement.

His talks with Saudi officials will focus on efforts to rebuild Iraq after the war on Islamic State and fostering economic and trade cooperation, the statement said. Abadi will visit other Middle Eastern countries after the kingdom, it said.

"The best example of the importance of cooperation between our two countries is the improvement and stability trend seen in the oil market," said Falih, to applause from the audience of Iraqi ministers, senior officials and businessmen.

Story continues

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The Iraqi oil ministry said Falih and his Iraqi counterpart, Jabar al-Luaibi, would cooperate in implementing decisions by oil exporting countries to curb global supply in order to lift crude prices.

OPEC, Russia and several other producers agreed a pact at the start of 2017 to cut production in order to boost oil prices. The cutbacks should continue until March 2018.

Falih called for increased economic cooperation between the two countries at all levels, saying Saudi Arabia is implementing measures to facilitate the flow of goods and services between the neighbours.

A Saudi commercial airplane, operated by Flynas, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for the first time in 27 years.

In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Ros Russell)
FILE PHOTO: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma gestures during the last day of the six-day meeting of the African National Congress 5th National Policy Conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto, South Africa, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo (Reuters)

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has given President Jacob Zuma until Nov. 30 to make submissions before it decides whether to reinstate 783 corruption charges filed against him before he became president, it said on Friday.

The Supreme Court of Appeal last Friday upheld a High Court ruling to reinstate the charges against Zuma. They were set aside in April 2009 by the then-head of the NPA, paving the way for Zuma to run for president later that year.

The ruling by the appeals court amplified calls for Zuma, 75, to step down before his term as president ends in 2019. A spokesman for Zuma was not immediately available.

Zuma has faced a series of corruption allegations, most recently over leaked emails that suggest his friends the influential Gupta family may have used their influence to secure state contracts for their companies.

Zuma and the Guptas deny wrongdoing.

Following last Friday's ruling, the NPA was required to make a decision on the charges, which relate to a 30 billion rand ($2 billion) government arms deal arranged in the 1990s.

Zuma requested the NPA to give him a chance to make representations before deciding whether to proceed against him.

On Friday, the NPA accepted that request but said any further submissions by Zuma should be on issues not previously considered by authorities.

The NPA also asked anti-corruption officials to report on the availability of the witnesses in the case by Nov. 30.

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, welcomed the NPA's action but said in a statement: "We are of the belief that Jacob Zuma is being afforded special treatment .... Any other person would be hauled before a court and charged.

It was unclear how long the NPA would take to decide on whether to charge Zuma after receiving his submissions. It was also unclear what would happen to the charges if the NPA decides not to proceed.

(Reporting by James Macharia; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's BDDK banking regulator urged the public on Saturday to ignore rumours about financial institutions, saying Turkey's banks were functioning well.

The BDDK's statement appeared to be a response to a report by the Haberturk newspaper saying that six Turkish banks could face large fines from U.S. regulators over alleged violation of sanctions with Iran.

"It has been brought to the public's attention that stories, that are rumours in nature, about our banks are not based on documents or facts, and should not heeded," it said.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
From Esquire UK

Actress Lupita Nyong'o has become the most recent star to allege harassment from Hollywood studio heavyweight Harvey Weinstein.

The Academy Award winner has written a devastating op-ed for The New York Times about her relationship with 65 year-old Weinstein.

The article charts how the Kenyan-Mexican Nyong'o met Weinstein whilst finishing her drama degree. She details a set of incidents that sadly mirror many of the accounts we have heard about Weinstein, this time round inviting her to watch a film with his family (his children present) then luring her into another room, requesting massages and undressing, she says:

Harvey led me into a bedroom - his bedroom - and announced that he wanted to give me a massage. I thought he was joking at first. He was not. For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe. I panicked a little and thought quickly to offer to give him one instead: It would allow me to be in control physically, to know exactly where his hands were at all times. ...He agreed to this and lay on the bed. I began to massage his back to buy myself time to figure out how to extricate myself from this undesirable situation. Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants. I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that. 'If we're not going to watch the film, I really should head back to school,' I said.

Like a lot of the victims of Weinstein's alleged actions, she did not call him out during the incident, aware of his power as well as genuinely thinking the best of him and hoping she read the situation wrong:

'I agreed with an easy laugh, trying to get myself out of the situation safely. I was after all on his premises, and the members of his household, the potential witnesses, were all (strategically, it seems to me now) in a soundproof room.'

Story continues

The 12 Years A Slave star's article has garnered much respect, partly for eloquently explaining how a young actress could continue to communicate or even be friends with Weinstein after this kind of interaction. She explains how this can be reasoned away after other more charming, public encounters, 'I didn't quite know how to process the massage incident. I reasoned that it had been inappropriate and uncalled-for, but not overtly sexual. I was entering into a business where the intimate is often professional and so the lines are blurred.'

Unfortunately, Weinstein apparently continued pursuing the young actress, inviting her to dinner and essentially suggesting she sleep with him for roles, citing other actresses who had supposedly done the same. She writes:

Before the starters arrived, he announced: 'Let's cut to the chase. I have a private room upstairs where we can have the rest of our meal' I was stunned. I told him I preferred to eat in the restaurant. He told me not to be so naive. If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing. He said he had dated Famous Actress X and Y and look where that had gotten them.

After 'politely' declining Nyong'o swore never to work with him again, and even after persistence from Weinstein, never has.

Since the article has been published much praise has been given to Nyong'o for her closing sentiments, she writes that the rest of her Hollywood experience has been less troubling due to the many great women and men in positions of power.

One of the most important sentences in Lupita Nyong'o's NYTimes Op-Ed about Harvey Weinstein. pic.twitter.com/YFUizgeoGs - Shyla Watson (@swatson429) October 19, 2017

Lupita Nyong'o on Harvey Weinstein is gut-wrenching and brave, not to mention beautifully written. Required reading: https://t.co/pn75a69ZEk pic.twitter.com/0gvWEyApG8 - Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) October 20, 2017

"I wish I had known that there were ears to hear me." - Lupita Nyong'o

To everyone sharing stories of sexual assault. You are NOT alone! - Luisa Haynes (@wokeluisa) October 20, 2017

She also details why others are afraid to speak up, 'for fear of suffering twice.'

Some people on Twitter have also noted that Nyong'o is the first black woman to come forward with an allegation towards Weinstein. The reaction to Nyong'o's revelation then could be a powerful catalyst for other potential black victims who are yet to come forward.

Lupita Nyong'o is the first black woman to speak out about her experiences with HW, and now I'm wondering if there will be others. - Morgan Jerkins (@MorganJerkins) October 19, 2017

Reading Lupita Nyong'o's brave, candid account, I now wonder if there were other Black women dealing with harassment by Weinstein - Luisa Haynes (@wokeluisa) October 20, 2017

Hopefully her writing has proved cathartic for the actress and as a rallying cry for the rest of Hollywood, and us.

Weinstein, meanwhile, has checked into rehab and insists that all the alleged sexual encounters were consensual.

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WASHINGTON  Former presidents are shedding a traditional reluctance to criticize their successors, unleashing pointed attacks on the Trump White House and the commander in chief  but without mentioning him by name.

Remarks on the same day by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama raise the prospect that more dissenters will follow in defiance of President Donald Trump and his policies.

What they are doing is laying down a marker for acceptable public discourse, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of political communication and rhetorical theory at the University of Pennsylvania. Theyre saying, We dont stand for that kind of language and behavior. These are our values, these are our principles.'

Bush and Obama themselves were preceded by other prominent figures. In recent weeks, Bob Corker, John McCain and Jeff Flake have taken swipes at a president who has pushed the limits of polite political discourse and has seemed to relish public fights over sensitive subjects, including nuclear war, race relations, immigrants and, this week, the war dead.

Bush this week delivered a speech that was remarkable for its takedowns of key features of the political movement that put Trump into power.

Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children, he said in New York.

Never a fan of Trumps, Bush drew his biggest applause with this line: The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.

Three hundred miles to the south, Obama, a Democrat, used a similar approach to denounce Trumps brand of politics.

Why are we deliberately trying to misunderstand each other and be cruel to each other and put each other down? Thats not who we are, he said during a political appearance in Richmond, Virginia.

At the White House on Friday, presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration believes the remarks were not directed towards the president.

However coincidental, Bush and Obamas comments capped periods of reticence for both men during Trumps tumultuous first months in office. Neither mentioned Trumps name, but the pair left no doubt who they were talking about. Trump has pursued a ban on Muslim immigration, feuded with disabled Americans, hurricane victims and Gold Star parents and bestowed belittling nicknames on critics  including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Bushs brother, during the 2016 GOP primary.

To be sure, there remains a long slate of Cabinet members and lawmakers who try not to cross Trump in public  from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to most of the Senate Republican caucus.

In the age of social media and under a president with a delicate Twitter trigger, the retaliation can be brutal.

In 1982, I could have said anything and my constituents may or may not have known about it, said Dan Glickman, a former member of the House from Kansas. But now, the comments and the reaction beams around the world instantaneously.

Most of Trumps loudest critics within his own party arent running for public office again and dont need his support.

McCain and Trump have been on prickly territory since Trump said in 2015 that McCain is not a war hero. It was only exacerbated when McCains Senate votes helped kill Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamas signature health care law.

McCain has denounced Trump and his supporters multiple times, including this week when he accused them of trading international leadership for some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems.

Trump warned McCain in a radio interview: I fight back. The Arizona senator, tortured for more than five years in Vietnam and now fighting brain cancer, replied: I have faced tougher adversaries.

Corker has long questioned Trumps competence as president and said the people around the president are whats saving the country from Trump-fueled chaos. Last week, after announcing his retirement from the Senate, Corker described the White House as an adult day care center. Trump on Twitter nicknamed him Liddle Bob Corker.

Flake, the only one of the three seeking re-election, has a GOP primary opponent backed by some Trump supporters, including former adviser Steve Bannon.

The senator has been confronting Trump since 2016, when he stood up in a private caucus meeting and introduced himself to Trump as the senator from Arizona who didnt get captured.

Then, theres Tillerson, who was quoted as calling the president a moron in private after a July meeting. After the comment was reported, Tillerson tried to patch things up in an extraordinary press conference in which he described Trump as smart. A meeting with Trump and interviews followed, with Tillerson insisting his fraught relationship with the president is actually strong.

But though a Tillerson aide denied Tillerson had called Trump a moron, the secretary of state himself never has.

___

Follow Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman
City Councilor Dan Lewis has raised nearly $200,000 since advancing to Albuquerques mayoral runoff, while State Auditor Tim Keller has received just over $125,000 in city funds to run his campaign, according to the latest round of campaign finance reports filed Friday afternoon.

The runoff between Lewis and Keller is Nov. 14, although early voting begins Wednesday.

Most of the money raised by Lewis, a Republican, has come from local companies and business owners, although several political action committees have also contributed to his campaign, including ABQ Coalition for a Healthy Economy, which gave Lewis campaign $5,192. That was one of the groups fighting the proposed mandatory paid sick leave ordinance, which was defeated on Oct. 3.

We hit our goal  exactly where we planned to be, Lewis told the Journal.

His report shows that he spent $90,000  mostly on television ad buys  and had about $110,000 in his campaign war chest as of Thursday.

Keller  a Democrat who received city funds because he qualified to run as a publicly financed candidate  had cash on hand of close to $126,000.

The political action committee backing Kellers mayoral run, meanwhile, has raised close to $90,000 since the Oct. 3 election. About a third of that came from unions, although OLE, one of the groups backing the sick leave ordinance contributed $7,000.

Theres a real choice to be made, and people are excited for Nov. 14, said Neri Holguin, chairwoman of ABQ Forward Together. Albuquerque can choose between more of the Berry administration or real change for our city.

Make Albuquerque Safe, the Santolina-backed political action committee opposing Keller, reported just $3,500 in contributions and a negative closing balance. The $3,500 contribution was from Western Albuquerque Land Holdings  owner of 21 square miles of land covered by the Santolina Master Plan west of Albuquerque.

Cynthia Borrego, one of the City Council District 5 candidates, reported receiving a little more than $15,000 in city funds for her runoff campaign. Her opponent, Robert Aragon, had not filed his campaign finance report as of press time, according to the city clerks website.

Top contributors to Lewis campaign include: John Bode Jr. and John Bode Sr., of Bode Aviation Inc., who each contributed $5,000; Michael Castro of Shepards Properties, $5,192; Toby Garcia of Garcia Honda, $5,192; Rebecca Weh, of CSI Aviation, $5,000; Chris Archuleta of Superior Ambulance, $5,000; Mary Merrell of Amcare Inc., $5,000; Thomas Tinnin of Tinnin Investments Inc., $5,000; Dorothy and Larry Rainosek of Frontier Restaurant who gave a combined $6,000; Walking by Faith, $5,000; ABQ Coalition for a Healthy Economy, $5,192; Debbie Harms, of NAI Maestas & Ward, $5,192; Michael Merrell of Amcare Inc., $5,000; New Mexico Restaurant Investors Inc., $5,192; Jalapeno Corporation/Harvey Yates, $5,000; Steven Maestas, with Maestas Development Group, $5,000; Dale Armstrong of TLC Plumbing, $5,100; New Mexico NAIOP PAC, $5,192; Allen Weh of CSI Aviation, $5,000 and Victory Jury of Summit Electric Supply, $5,000.

Top contributors to ABQ Forward Together include: Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, $20,000; OLE, $7,000; AFSCME, $5,000; Ed Garcia of Garcia Honda, $5,000; Julian Garcia of Automundo de Garcia, $5,000; and IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund, $5,000.
TOKYO  Have North Koreas nuclear tests become so big that they have altered the geological structure of the land? Some analysts now see signs that Mount Mantap, the 7,200-foot-high peak under which North Korea detonates its nuclear bombs, is suffering from tired mountain syndrome.

The mountain visibly shifted during the last nuclear test, an enormous detonation that was recorded as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in North Koreas northeast. Since then, the area, which is not known for natural seismic activity, has had three more quakes.

What we are seeing from North Korea looks like some kind of stress in the ground, said Paul Richards, a seismologist at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. In that part of the world, there were stresses in the ground, but the explosions have shaken them up.

Chinese scientists already have warned that further nuclear tests could cause the mountain to collapse and release the radiation from the blast.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006, all of them in tunnels burrowed deep under Mount Mantap at a site known as the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility. Intelligence analysts and experts alike use satellite imagery to keep close track of movement at the three entrances to the tunnels for signals that a test might be coming.

After the latest nuclear test, on Sept. 3, Kim Jong Uns regime claimed that it had set off a hydrogen bomb and that it had been a perfect success.

The regime is known for brazen exaggeration, but analysts and many government officials said the size of the earthquake that the test generated suggested that North Korea had detonated a thermonuclear device at least 17 times the size of the U.S. bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

It registered as an artificial 6.3-magnitude earthquake, so big that it shook houses in northeastern China. Eight minutes later, there was a 4.1-magnitude earthquake that appeared to be a tunnel collapsing at the site.

Images captured by Airbus, a space technology company that makes Earth-observation satellites, showed the mountain literally moving during the test. An 85-acre area on the peak of Mount Mantap visibly subsided during the explosion, an indication of both the size of the blast and the weakness of the mountain.

Since that day, there have been three much smaller quakes at the site, in the 2- to 3-magnitude range, each of them prompting fears that North Korea had conducted another nuclear test that perhaps had gone wrong. But they all turned out to be natural.

That has analysts Frank Pabian and Jack Liu wondering if Mount Mantap is suffering from tired mountain syndrome, a diagnosis previously applied to the Soviet Unions atomic test sites.

The underground detonation of nuclear explosions considerably alters the properties of the rock mass, Vitaly Adushkin and William Leith wrote in a report on the Soviet tests for the U.S. Geological Survey in 2001. This leads to fracturing and rocks breaking, as well as changes along tectonic faults.

Earthquakes also occurred at the United States nuclear test site in Nevada after detonations there.

The experience we had from the Nevada test site and decades of monitoring the Soviet Unions major test sites in Kazakhstan showed that after a very large nuclear explosion, several other significant things can happen, said Richards, the seismologist. These include cavities collapsing hours or even months later, he said.

Pabian and Liu said that the North Korean test site also seemed to be suffering.

Based on the severity of the initial blast, the post-test tremors, and the extent of observable surface disturbances, we have to assume that there must have been substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap, they wrote in a report for the specialist North Korea website 38 North.

But the degradation of the mountain does not necessarily mean that it would be abandoned as a test site  just as the United States did not abandon the Nevada test site after earthquakes there, they said. Instead, the United States kept using the site until a nuclear test moratorium took effect in 1992.

For that reason, analysts will continue to keep a close eye on the Punggye-ri site to see if North Korea starts excavating there again  a sign of possible preparations for another test.

The previous tests took place through the north portal to the underground tunnels, but even if those tunnels had collapsed, North Koreas nuclear scientists might still use tunnel complexes linked to the south and west portals, said Pabian and Liu.

Chinese scientists have warned that another test under the mountain could lead to an environmental disaster. If the whole mountain caved in on itself, radiation could escape and drift across the region, said Wang Naiyan, former chairman of the China Nuclear Society and a senior researcher on Chinas nuclear weapons program.

We call it taking the roof off. If the mountain collapses and the hole is exposed, it will let out many bad things, Wang told the South China Morning Post last month.

The recent seismic events have triggered another environmental concern, at least on the Internet: that the nuclear tests might trigger the eruption of Mount Paektu, an active volcano straddling the border between North Korea and China more than 80 miles away. The mountain has not experienced a major eruption for centuries, and its last small rumble was in 1903.

But this scenario, experts say, is a stretch.

Volcanic eruptions happen when molten rock flows into the magma chamber under the surface, said Colin Wilson, professor of volcanology at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

If an earthquake occurs when the magma is hot and, as Wilson puts it, ready to roll, it could trigger an eruption. But if the molten rock is not activated, then even a large earthquake wont cause a volcanic eruption.

He cited the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, which had a magnitude of 9 but did not cause any of Japans many volcanoes to blow their tops.

Theres no point in kicking a dead horse, Wilson said. If the horse is up and ready, and you give it a slap on the bum, it will take off. But if its dead, even if you slap it, its not going anywhere.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

St. Pius X High School leaders were hit with a bombshell in 1970 when they were told of allegations of sexual abuse against the Rev. Arthur Perrault, a teacher at the Archdiocese of Santa Fes flagship high school.

Those allegations remained secret for decades, but documents released this week pull back the curtain on how those school leaders and the archbishop responded.

And the documents show that, once again, a priest was simply moved to another post where he had access to new victims. They also show that Perrault was sent to St. Pius in the first place as a good test period to allow the archbishop to observe the 20-something priest after he was released from a Jemez Springs center that treated pedophile priests.

He was at the school four years and was later accused of molesting 11 victims during that period, from 1966-1970.

In 1970, St. Pius board members were approached by the father of a student, who asked to meet with them because one of his sons that was at Pius had been involved with Father Perrault, a board member recalled in a 1992 deposition. The father said that as a result of the abuse, his son was so messed up that he had been thinking about suicide.

The father, who is not identified in the deposition, said he discussed the abuse with then-Archbishop of Santa Fe James Davis. The allegations were electrifying, the board member said, because Perrault was chairman of the theology department at the archdioceses flagship high school.

Look, well take care of this but we cant have any publicity, Davis reportedly told the boys father. We must be Christian about this.

New details about the careers of Perrault and two other former New Mexico priests became public this week after a judge ordered the disclosure of nearly 1,000 pages of church records that had been sealed under a previous court order.

The records contain letters written by three archbishops of Santa Fe and other church officials, legal settlements, deposition transcripts, psychological reports and other records provided by the archdiocese to Albuquerque attorney Brad Hall, who has filed more than 70 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by priests.

Among them is the deposition of a former St. Pius board member whose name was redacted from the transcript.

The board member said that Archbishop Davis wavered about how to respond. He at first agreed to remove Perrault, but later changed his mind. Its under our control and its our problem. Not yours, Davis told four board members.

The father who made the allegation warned the board member that if Davis took no action, he would file a sodomy suit against the archdiocese, according to the deposition.

The threat prompted the board member to seek a private meeting with the archbishop, where he told Davis that the archdiocese faced a lawsuit if Perrault remained at St. Pius.

I remember to this day what Archbishop Davis did, the board member recalled. He put his right arm on my shoulder and said, We cant have that. Ill honor my commitment.  Three days later, Perrault was dismissed from St. Pius.

Davis then authorized Perrault to work as chaplain to the student community the University of Albuquerque, a now-defunct Catholic college operated by the archdiocese.

Jemez Springs

The incident at St. Pius was not the first time, nor the last, that allegations of Perraults sexual attacks on boys would reach the ears of an archbishop of Santa Fe.

Perrault had been accused of sexual attacks before he arrived in New Mexico in January 1966.

The Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., where Perrault was ordained in 1964, ordered him to undergo treatment at a facility in Jemez Springs operated by the Servants of Paraclete. The now-closed Via Coeli facility received priests from across the U.S. accused of sexually molesting children.

Perrault, then 28, was sent to Jemez Springs after two alleged incidents of homosexual approaches to some of the young men with whom he was working, in Connecticut, Via Coeli psychologist John Sanchez told Archbishop Davis in a 1966 letter.

Despite the allegations, Davis assigned Perrault to a teaching post at St. Pius X High School less than three months after he arrived at Jemez Springs.

The psychologist recommended that Davis accept Perrault to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and keep him at either the high school or college level. The assignment at St. Pius would provide a good test period that would allow Davis to observe Perraults behavior outside Via Coeli, he wrote.

Never charged

Court records show that Perrault is accused of sexually abusing 38 children during his years in New Mexico.

Of those, 11 alleged attacks occurred during Perraults tenure at St. Pius High School from 1966 to 1970. The alleged attacks occurred at St. Pius, in Perraults home, or at two churches where he worked on weekends.

He has never been charged with a crime.

Letters written in the early 1980s show that later allegations against Perrault prompted then-Archbishop Robert Fortune Sanchez to order that he undergo a psychological evaluation.

That evaluation found that Perrault acted out his homosexual orientation only with youngsters and has never had an ongoing, adult homosexual relationship, psychologist Joseph VanDenHeuvel told Sanchez in a June 1981 report.

The psychologist said Perrault made mention of the fact that he had been in trouble because of illicit sexual activities with students, VanDenHeuvel told the archbishop.

St. Bernadette

The psychologist described the 6-foot-tall, 220-pound Perrault, then 43, as being characterized by immaturity, excessive self-centeredness, dependency and a basic passivity with an impaired ability to form lasting, satisfying relationships with others.

VanDenHeuvel recommended that Perrault receive ongoing psychological counseling, but made no recommendations about his work as a priest.

Just seven months after receiving the report, Sanchez assigned Perrault to a pastoral post at an Albuquerque parish.

I am pleased herein to assign you to St. Bernadette Parish for weekend assignment to assist the pastor, Sanchez told Perrault in a Jan. 6, 1982, letter.

Thanking you, Father Arthur, for your service to the good people of St. Bernadette Parish, and to the Pastoral Center, while wishing you all the Lords Blessing throughout this New Year, Sanchez wrote.

Perrault became the pastor at St. Bernadette in 1985 and remained there until he fled New Mexico in 1992, just days before an Albuquerque attorney filed a lawsuit alleging that he sexually assaulted seven children.

Perrault turned up last year in Morocco working at an English-language school for children, from which he was subsequently fired. It is not clear where he is now.
After police arrested Buddy Mckown for robbing a northeast Albuquerque coffee shop at gunpoint Friday, police say he told them about five others robberies he committed in just over a month, including one that served as a how to, according to court documents.

Mckown, 28, is in custody, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and six counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with a string of robberies that occurred from early September to mid October.

During questioning, Mckown told police he robbed two hotels and three fast-food restaurants, all with a BB gun, to fund a drug habit, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Albuquerque police arrested Mckown after officers responded to an armed robbery at a Starbucks near Indian School and Juan Tabo NE around 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Witnesses told police Mckown walked into the coffeehouse and pointed a black and silver handgun at the cashier, walking away with just over $200.

Before he could leave, an employee grabbed Mckown and the two began fighting, according to police. The employee let Mckown leave after he put his gun to the employees head and threatened to kill him.

Witnesses said they saw Mckown flee to a white van, which police found a short time later when it ran out of gas near Indian School and Chelwood Park NE.

Police detained Mckown and two others: Scott Schneider and Kim Grave.

Before the van was sealed  until police could get a search warrant  officers could see cash under the front seat and what appeared to be a gun rolled up in a rug, the complaint states.

During questioning Schneider denied any knowledge of the robbery, while Grave told police she and Schneider gave Mckown a ride to pull a lick  a common street term for robbery  police said.

When police questioned Mckown, he told them he used a BB gun, but he wanted a real one when the Starbucks employee started shoving him, the complaint reads.

This made him angry and he wished he had a real gun to shoot the male in the head, an officer wrote.

When police asked Mckown if he had committed any other robberies, police said he described in detail five others. The first of which, at a Days Inn motel on Sept. 7, served as a sort of training for future robberies, according to police.

He went along to watch his friend and observe how to do a robbery, an officer wrote in the complaint.

After that robbery, Mckown told police he robbed another Days Inn on Sept. 19; a Baskin Robbins on Oct. 7; a Twisters restaurant on Oct. 13; and a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop on Oct. 18.

Police say Mckown told them he bought drugs with the robbery money and, at some point, dyed his hair blue to change his appearance.

Mckown told police he committed each robbery with a BB gun, according to the complaint, but detectives cannot confirm if the firearm is real or a BB gun until they secure a warrant to search the van.
Friends of community cats will want to head over to The Guild Cinema next Saturday, Oct. 28, to not only take in a thoughtful, beautifully filmed documentary about the street cats of Istanbul, but learn about the work being done here to help street cats.

Boofys Best for Pets is presenting a special screening of the documentary film Kedi in honor of National Feral Cat Day. The event is a benefit for Street Cat Hub, says an event news release, so donations of cash, gift cards, canned or dry cat food, old towels, etc., are requested to aid Albuquerque street cats.

Stick around for a post-show discussion about the work being done by Street Cat Hub in our community, the release reads.

For those who havent seen the film Kedi, its described like this: Kedi is not a documentary about house cats or the strays you occasionally see in your backyard. Kedi is a film about the hundreds of thousands of cats who have roamed the metropolis of Istanbul freely for thousands of years, wandering in and out of peoples lives, impacting them in ways only an animal who lives between the worlds of the wild and the tamed can. Cats and their kittens bring joy and purpose to those they choose, giving people an opportunity to reflect on life and their place in it. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors to ourselves.

Movie review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes says Kedi is a cat fanciers dream, but this thoughtful, beautifully filmed look at Istanbuls street feline population offers absorbing viewing for filmgoers of any purr-suasion.

The Kedi screening and benefit takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central NE. Admission is $8. Tickets are available at the door only.
Women and children. Two segments of the population we cherish and try to protect. But, sadly, not if the woman is in the prison system.

Now, dont for a minute think that Im soft on women who commit crimes  because Im not. But generational incarceration is a real thing, and we are doing little as a society to stop it.

Since 1980, the U.S. has seen a rise of more than 500 percent in the number of inmates in our jails and prisons. But females make up the fastest-growing segment of prisoners, up more than 700 percent. Of the 1.2 million women currently under criminal supervision  in local jails, state or federal prison or under parole or probation  a full two-thirds are mothers. Many are single mothers.

Think of all the children left behind.

Research shows that children of incarcerated parents have significantly higher rates of being expelled from school, turning to drugs or alcohol and of going to prison themselves. It is a terrible cycle. And one major thing that might make the difference to the child  continued contact with a loving parent  is the very thing our justice system often denies them.

The Marshall Project along with Teen Vogue Magazine recently hosted a video chat with formerly incarcerated women and the adult daughter of a convict. Their candid conversation about life inside a womens prison might shock you.

Kyndia Riley was just 2 when both her parents went to prison. Mom was sent to Connecticut, her Dad to a prison in Pennsylvania. Little Kyndia was raised by relatives in Virginia. It took 10 hours to drive to see her mother and there was no money for an overnight hotel stay. As she grew older, she realized the indignity her mother had to go through just to enter the prison visiting room.

You have to take off all of your clothes, do the squat, Kyndia told the interviewer. When I would go visit her and it would happen to her, it was like she had to take a moment to herself because she just had a guard fondling her  naked. She has to get herself together because her dignity has been stripped. Kyndia, now in college, also admitted that she deliberately acted out in school thinking if she was bad enough she, too, would be sent to prison and then shed get to be with her mom. Only after the dean of students asked her, Hey, what is going on with you? did she realize the futility.

If only there were enough concerned adults to sit down and really communicate with the children of incarcerated parents.

Ex-con Ayana Thomas was asked what it was like to try to parent her child from behind bars. During visits, an inmate gets a quick initial hug, Ayana said.

But they cant sit on your lap, you cant hold their hand. The visits with her daughter were so emotional during the last nine months of her sentence Anaya told her family not to visit anymore.

I could do my time easier without the stress of (it,) she told the reporter. It took me two days to recuperate from a visit, from my daughter crying. You know, just the whole ripping you apart all over again.

Former inmate Sara Zarber said she could relate. My mom visited me when I was incarcerated, and she would talk about going through the metal detectors and, like, having to take off her bra sometimes. Having to go through that and the shame of it she felt. So I told her at one point, Dont come.'

If only prisons made it easier for families to remain close.

Prison jobs earn the inmates less than a dollar an hour, about $13 a month in Anayas case. With that they must buy phone time home, personal products like shampoo, toothpaste or monthly hygiene products  which often sell at the prison commissary for inflated prices. Just two months ago, a memo went out from the Federal Bureau of Prisons requiring a range of feminine hygiene products to be distributed free. State prisons and jails were not included in the directive.

Some inmates are lucky enough to have family adding money to their commissary account, but in many cases relatives must choose between sending money to their loved one or using it to pay for a visit with the children.

Theres a bill pending in Congress now called The Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act. It requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to consider the geographic divide between women and their children before assigning a prison. It reforms visitation policies, outlaws charging inmates for essential hygiene products, and prohibits handcuffing and solitary confinement for pregnant women.

Heres hoping state prisons also realize that anything we do to strengthen family bonds could help all of society down the road.

www.DianeDimond.com; email to Diane@DianeDimond.com.
WASHINGTON  It turns out that North Korea isnt just a nuclear threat. Its also a cyberthreat, and in some ways, this may be more frightening. Launched largely anonymously, cyberattacks can cripple essential infrastructure  power grids, financial networks, transportation systems  and inflict social disorder and political anarchy. Immediate retaliation is difficult.

All this now seems plausible.

Until recently, cybersecurity experts dismissed North Koreas attack capabilities. It was too backward to pose a serious threat. No more. In a lengthy front-page story on Oct. 16, The New York Times reported that cybersecurity experts admit that they underestimated North Korea, which has now been tied to some major cyberattacks. This includes the heist of an estimated $81 million of funds from the central bank of Bangladesh.

The Times story ought to command everyones attention. It alters the military balance between the United States and North Korea  and not favorably for the United States. Written by journalists David Sanger, David Kirkpatrick and Nicole Perlroth, the article reported that North Korea has more than 6,000 hackers whose performance is undeniably improving, according to American and British security experts.

North Korea can hold large swaths of nation-state infrastructure and private-sector infrastructure at risk, said former deputy director of the National Security Agency Chris Inglis. In part, the North Koreans were instructed and encouraged by Iran, the Times said. But mostly, their gains reflected persistence.

How can such an isolated, backward country have this capability? asked a former British government official. Well, how can such an isolated backward country have this nuclear ability?

In the Times story, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is quoted, based on the testimony of a defector, as saying in 2003: If warfare was about bullets and oil until now  warfare in the 21st century is about information.

Here are some other takeaways from the article:

 The goal in the Bangladesh heist was to divert $1 billion through electronic fund transfers. A clerical error stopped most of the transfer. Still, North Korea allegedly reaped $81 million and earns up to $1 billion annually from ransomware and other digital techniques. These funds dilute the effectiveness of sanctions against Kims regime.

_Agate> North Korea was behind the so-called WannaCry hack  one of the largest to date  in May. The ransomware attack shut down hospitals in Britain and affected banks and transportation systems across dozens of countries. Even now, its not clear what the hacks intent was, except possibly to stir chaos. Another fortuitous discovery of a software error shut down the hack.

 North Korea is reported to have penetrated South Koreas military computers to steal war plans. It may also have planted sleeper cells in South Korea that, in the event of war, could be activated to paralyze power supplies and military command and control networks.

By the Times telling, North Koreas capabilities go well beyond its angry response to the 2014 movie satire, The Interview, when it hacked Sony Pictures, the studio that produced the movie. Still, North Korea continues to resort to hacks to deter criticism of Kim.

Just how the United States can react to North Koreas cyberprowess is unclear. According to the Times, Hundreds, if not thousands, of American cyberwarriors spend each day mapping the Norths few networks, looking for vulnerabilities that could be activated in time of crisis. By some accounts, the United States has planted sleeper cells in North Koreas networks.

But the United States is constrained by its huge commitment to the internet. We are more dependent on the web than the North Koreans. In practice, this means that we are more vulnerable to attacks on it. More systems can be shut down and crippled than in North Korea. Americans think that technological superiority works to our benefit. Here, the opposite may be true.

Samuelsons columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at abqjournal.com/opinion  look for the syndicated columnist link. Copyright, The Washington Post Writers Group.
COOPER CITY, Fla.  Mourners Saturday remembered not only a U.S. soldier whose combat death in Africa led to a political fight between President Donald Trump and a Florida congresswoman but his three comrades who died with him.

Some of the 1,200 mourners exiting the church after the service said the portrait of Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was joined on stage by photographs of his slain comrades. The four died Oct. 4 in Niger when they were attacked by militants tied to the Islamic State. Johnsons family asked reporters to remain outside for the service.

We have to remember that one thing: that it wasnt just one soldier who lost his life, said Berchel Davis, a retired police officer who has six children in the military. He said the preacher and Rep. Frederica Wilson both made that a part of their talks. That was a good gesture on everyones part.

He and others said the fight between Trump and Wilson was never mentioned during the service.

Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia, were killed along with La David Johnson in Niger.

La David Johnsons pregnant widow, Myeshia, had held the arm of an Army officer as she led her two young children and her family, dressed in white, into the Christ the Rock Community Church in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The modern hymn Im Yours could be heard coming from inside.

Johnsons sister, Angela Ghent, said after the service that it dont feel real that her brother was killed.

It hasnt hit me yet, I havent had time to grieve, said Ghent, who last spoke to her brother a few weeks before he died. She said she was glad mourners got to hear about her brothers love for bikes and cars, not just his military service.

The fight between Trump and Wilson had taken the focus off Johnson, whose widow is due to have a daughter in January. Sgt. Johnson told friends she will be named LaShee. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, already had a 6-year-old daughter, AhLeeysa, and 2-year-old son, La David Jr. An online fundraiser has raised more than $600,000 to pay for the childrens education.

Johnsons mother died when he was 5; he was raised by his aunt. His family enrolled him in 5000 Role Models, a project Wilson began in 1993 when she was an educator where African-American boys are paired with mentors who prepare them for college, vocational school or the military.

We teach them to be a good man, a good husband and a good father. Sgt. Johnson typified all of those characteristics, said mourner Carlton Crawl, a public school consultant who is one of the programs mentors.

In 2013, a year before he enlisted, Johnson was featured in a local television newscast for his ability to do bicycle tricks, earning the nickname Wheelie King. He said he learned his tricks by going slow.

Once you feel comfortable, you could just ride all day, he told the interviewer.

The war of words between the president and Wilson began Tuesday when the Miami-area Democrat said Trump told Myeshia Johnson in a phone call that her husband knew what he signed up for and didnt appear to know his name, a version later backed up by Johnsons aunt. Wilson was riding with Johnsons family to meet the body and heard the call on speakerphone. She was principal of a school Johnsons father attended.

Trump tweeted Wilson fabricated his statement and the fight escalated through the week. Trump in other tweets called her wacky and accused her of SECRETLY listening to the phone call.

Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, entered the fray Thursday. The retired Marine general asserted that the congresswoman had delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted his recollection.

Wilson, who is black, fired back Friday when she told The New York Times: The White House itself is full white supremacists.

The retorts persisted Saturday morning, with Trump tweeting: I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!
October 19, 2017

Last week, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev went to North Africa on official visits to Algeria and Morocco  two days in each country. In Algeria, Medvedev was privileged to meet with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, prompting the pan-African weekly news magazine Jeune Afrique to remark acidly that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are still on the waiting list to see Bouteflika.

In Morocco, Medvedev was conferred an honorary doctorate from Mohammed V University. Speaking of prospects for the bilateral relationship between Russia and Morocco, Medvedev quoted the movie "Casablanca," saying, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

He added, The friendship between Russia and Morocco began long ago, and there is every reason to believe that it will only grow stronger and develop for the benefit of the peoples of both countries."

Should the Medvedev tour be seen as a manifestation of Russias new strategy? Its approach until recently barely extended over to the Arab world's Far West." Is it a symptom of some internal changes within the Russian political apparatus, given that Medvedev has been largely preoccupied with domestic affairs, whereas foreign policy and especially the Middle East were very much in the domain of Russian President Vladimir Putin?

Neither of those scenarios appears to be the case.

Medvedev's visit didnt come out of the blue. A Russian diplomat with knowledge of the visit's details told Al-Monitor both Algeria and Morocco had been put on the prime ministers travel schedule at least six months ago, with intense preparations across several ministries ever since.

He has long been engaged in Algeria. In 2001, Russia and Algeria signed an agreement on a strategic partnership. For the next 16 years, economics and  to a larger extent  military-technical cooperation have come to dominate the bilateral agenda. By 2016, the annual trade turnover between the two countries, according to Medvedev, amounted to $4 billion  the lions share of which came from Russian weaponry. More than 90% of Algerian arms are exported from Russia. Algeria's annual exports to Russia are limited to several hundred million dollars.

In an interesting diplomatic twist, this trip marked a reunion of sorts between Medvedev and an old confrere. In 2010, when Medvedev was Russia's president, he met with Ahmed Ouyahia, who was in his third term as Algeria's prime minister. Just two months ago, Ouyahia was unexpectedly tapped to return to the position, enabling him to resume working with Medvedev.

Among the dozen documents signed during Medvedev's recent visit, the most notable included those on oil, gas and nuclear power development. Some sources reported the two parties might have discussed Algeria's potential purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, and Su-32 and Su-34 fighter bombers, as well as the potential for Russian companies to manufacture trucks and bulldozers in Algeria.

As is often the case with senior Russian officials tours to the region, Medvedevs trip to Algeria was combined with his visit to Morocco. Not only does the strategy make sense for logistical reasons, it's also designed not to offend either neighbor.

As with Algeria, Medvedevs economic dealings with Morocco heavily dominated the agenda. Although the Russian-Moroccan trade turnover of $2.5 billion is much lower than that between Russia and Algeria, it has a different structure and is on a constant rise. With Algeria, the prevalent component is military-technical cooperation, but Russias trade with Morocco centers on agriculture, with a number of small- and medium-sized businesses being important players, which nurtures deeper bilateral ties. Also, trade relations between Russia and Morocco seem much more balanced than those between Russia and Algeria.

In Morocco, Medvedev signed a dozen accords, mainly in agriculture, but the parties also reportedly reached key agreements for Russia to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Morocco. Last month, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak was also in Morocco, where he said that the construction of an LNG regasification terminal was underway and that the two states discussed gas deliveries by the Russian companies Gazprom and Novatek.

What can be called the pedantic parallelism that Moscow pursues in constructing relations with Algeria and Morocco likely indicates Russias unwillingness to dive into complex regional games in the Maghreb, and its aspiration to limit, by and large, its relations to an economic agenda.

Another indicator of Russias balancing act in the region is Moscows neutrality on the Western Sahara issue. Delegations of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front  the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara's movement for independence from Morocco  visit Moscow every spring, hosted by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Federation Council (Russias Senate). Russian officials have always been careful not to make any anti-Moroccan statements. Algeria has accommodated Western Sahara refugees in camps for decades.

The parallelism, however, should not be misconstrued. Russia is perceived differently in Algeria and Morocco and occupies a different place on each one's list of foreign policy priorities.

For Algeria, Moscow has always been an important partner. From 1954-1962, the Soviet Union actively supported the countrys national liberation movement and the National Liberation Front, a socialist political party. Soviet universities educated future leaders of the Algerian military and a large part of the national intelligentsia. And when the Soviet Union began allowing cybernetics into its own academic curriculum, Algerians were among the first lecturers the Soviet leadership invited.

Today, the Museum of Modern Art of Algiers hosts a collection of both Soviet and Algerian artists who used to live in Russia. The special relationship between the two countries survived the downturns of the 1980s  against the backdrop of the crisis of socialism  and the economically rough 1990s. Moreover, the very nature of Algerian statehood makes its leadership refrain from an excessive rapprochement with Europe and keep an emphasis on its independence from its former parent state, France.

Its a totally different case with Morocco. Its traditional association and cooperation with the EU, as well as the political familiarity between the Moroccan and Saudi monarchies, are all natural constraints to a more intimate alignment with Russia.

This background implies that no matter how skillful Russia is in its parallelism diplomacy, should Moscow have to increase its political involvement in the region it will need to further diversify its contacts with both countries. In Algeria's case, Russia is likely to actively develop humanitarian ties, to boost existing military-political interaction. With Morocco, Russia would have to place more emphasis on promoting economic ties to compensate for the lack of vibrant joint political formats.

That, however, is a matter for the future. So far, Medvedev's visits have demonstrated that Moscow is not forging a new Russian strategy in North Africa, but rather is naturally seeking to capitalize on its success in Syria and position itself as a main security supplier to the region.
Tracy is 56 tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has brown hair. He was last seen at approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19. He left his Butte residence to go for a ride. He is driving a 2013 silver Ford F-150 pickup with Montana license plates 1-42108A. If anyone has seen either Tracy or his vehicle, please contact Butte police at 497-1120.
Just months ago, government security agencies were contemplating a ban of electronic devices larger than a cellphone from airliner cabins, but this week, the FAA is calling for the opposite. In a paper filed with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the FAA said its tests show that large electronic devices such as laptops can cause fires that could overwhelm the fire suppression system airline baggage holds are equipped with. The paper said such a fire could be serious enough to result in a hull loss.

Last summer, the Department of Homeland Security was considering banning laptops from airliner cabins of inbound international flights because of what it described as potential terrorist threats. The agency encountered plenty of pushback and decided not to pursue the ban, which would have displaced laptops from the cabin to baggage holds. The FAAs proposed baggage hold ban will be on the agenda at an ICAO conference on dangerous goods to be held in Montreal next week.
Its more like the Mexican Memorial Day, laughed Armando Gonzalez, board member for Flagstaff Nuestras Raices.

Nuestras Raices, Spanish for Our Roots, promotes Hispanic culture and history through events, gatherings and art. With Oct. 31 nearing, the group is preparing to bring to Flagstaff one of Mexicos most lavish holidays: Dia de los Muertos, a three-day festival during which families and friends gather to remember those who have passed to the afterlife.

While Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrations typically feature macabre images of grinning calaveras (skulls) and extravagant calacas (skeletons), according to Gonzalez, the occasion is not meant to scare you like Halloween.

Its not the Mexican Halloween, he says. Were not trying to scare people. Were honoring real people and dressing like real people, not superheroes and all that.

Fellow board member, Becca Caballos-Delap, nods in agreement.

Nothing about (Dia de los Muertos) should be scary, she said. Everything is supposed to be whimsical, the ofrendas, the flowers, the colors. Its a celebration of life, not death. Its about who they were and how they lived their lives.

Dia de los Muertos has its roots deep within history, reaching down to Aztec culture, which celebrated festivals dedicated to the dead. In order to properly welcome the souls of dead who had returned home from the afterlife, relatives left out foods and drink for them. Those who celebrate Dia de los Muertos continue a similar tradition mixed with the Catholic observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

Days before Oct. 31, the first day of the three-day celebration, family members of the deceased create an ofrenda, a delicately decorated offering on an altar to welcome their souls. Ofrendas are decorated with colorful cloth, framed photos of the deceased, candles, crosses and marigolds, as they are thought to be most attractive to the dead. Along with the decorations could be fruits and vegetables or beer and tequila and pan de muerto (bread of the dead). Copal is burned and flower petals often lead like a pathway, guiding spirits to the ofrenda.

Prior to creating the Celebraciones de la Gente (Celebrations of the People), an annual Dia de los Muertos event at the Museum of Northern Arizona, most members of Neustras Raices knew only bits and pieces about the festival. The Celebraciones de la Gente invites Nuestras Raices members and the greater Flagstaff community in learning about Hispanic history and culture.

Were still learning, said Delia Munoz, another Neustras Raices board member. For instance, youre not supposed to put a photo of the living with the dead. For one, they're alive! Were not honoring them; were honoring the dead. Some think its bad luck, too.

How much of our community do we really know? she asked. In doing this we learned we all come from Hispanic heritage, but we all are very different. As years have gone by we have learned so much more about Dia de los Muertos and our culture and how that culture shapes how we identify ourselves.

Death is an inescapable truth of life. Not the opposite of life. Rather, something life must go through. Like Piktru Paksha in India and the Bon festival in Japan, in which lanterns are lit to guide the spirits of loved ones to the afterlife, Dia de los Muertos is Mexicos way to honor and aid the dead.

Death, still, is a tragedy, consuming the lives of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends. But Dia de los Muertos teaches that through the tragedy of death we can still find beauty in life.

Some people, when they lose someone, they tuck that persons belongings away  not to see them anymore because they dont want to have that remembrance, and I think thats sad, said Munoz. They have been in your life up until they died, so why put them away? Like a flickering light, we need to keep them going.
The Black Pine Mine cleanup  of historical waste containing mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, antimony, and manganese  is expected to reach completion next summer.

The Department of Environmental Quality, which has led this cleanup, is holding a public meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Granite County Museum, 135 S. Sansome St. in Philipsburg, to give the status updates and answer questions.

The cleanup began in 2015. Approximately 400,000 cubic yards of contaminated tailings and waste rock have been removed to a repository on the mine site. The repository is on private property held by the Montana Environmental Trust Group, which is the trustee appointed to manage the Black Pine cleanup and the funds from a bankruptcy settlement with Asarco in 2009.

The mine site is located 12 miles northwest of Philipsburg.
Invoking emergency powers, President Trump waived a law Friday that had limited the ability of the Air Force to pull pilots out of retirement. Pentagon spokesman Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross says he expects the Secretary of Defense will use the power to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for three years each. Under normal circumstances, the Secretary of Defense is authorized by federal law to cause up to 25 officers from each branch of the armed forces to be recalled to active duty, but the president is empowered to waive the 25-officer limit in time of national emergency. The cited cause of the national emergency was the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The presidents executive order suggests the ability of the Air Force to operate as a volunteer fighting force may have reached its limit. Senator John McCain has said of the Air Forces pilot shortage, This is a full-blown crisis, and if left unresolved, it will call into question the Air Forces ability to accomplish its mission. Facing a wave of retirements by pilots trained during the Vietnam War, major airlines are recruiting aggressively from their regional partners and offering combat aviators the prospect of salaries many times that offered by the militarywith significantly less time away from home. Although it wont help the pilot shortage facing U.S. regional carriers, the recall of military pilots is likely too small be felt directly. Southwest, United, American and Delta together employ over 50,000 pilots.
After CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday the intelligence community had determined that "Russian meddling that took place did not affect the outcome of the election," a CIA spokesman told The Washington Post the agency had made no such determination. Ryan Trapani, the spokesman, said the CIA had no new conclusions since its January assessment, which found Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election, but not whether it was successful.

Why it matters: Pompeo's statement won't reassure the intelligence community that their assessments will be trusted and given due attention, especially after Trump has indicated he doesn't believe the conclusions on Russian interference.
The FBI is assisting in investigating the ambush in Niger more than two weeks ago that left four U.S. soldiers dead; specifically, the Islamist militants believed to be responsible for the attack, and how they learned of the U.S.-Niger patrol, according to the Wall Street Journal.

What happened: The WSJ reports that the American team was on a routine patrol with Nigerian soldiers, when they "gave chase to a small group of men on motorcycles" heading towards Mali's border. The group was a decoy; when the joint patrol returned, they were ambushed by "several technical vehicles and dozens more armed men on motorcycles."

Go deeper: What happened during this month's Niger attack..
In November 2001, the Taliban abandoned Kabul without a fight, and a month later the U.S. triumphantly installed Hamid Karzai as the new Afghan president. But in reality, the Taliban and their al Qaeda brethren had dispersed, not been killed or crushed. Sixteen years later, they represent a grave threat to the U.S.-backed order in Kabul.

Why it matters: Some Trump administration officials are crowing over the capture of Raqqa, the official capital of ISIS, and the surrender of hundreds of its fighters. But given the escape of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi along with many other fighters, there is a nagging question whether celebration is premature. The group may merely be scattered.

Don't underestimate the victory: ISIS rose to be at once the most brutal and successful terror group in history, earning billions of dollars in oil sales, extortion and taxes, and governing a swath of Syria and Iraq the size of Belgium. The 2014 sweep that produced that state  and its announcement of a caliphate  was a big part of what attracted acolytes the world over. And now it's gone.

Perhaps the biggest loss is not Raqqa but its aura of invincibility: The loss of almost all its territory, and the surrender of fighters who formerly vowed to fight to the death, "really brings into question the core ideology," Doug Ollivant, a former director for Iraq on the National Security Councils in the Bush and Obama administrations, says in an email exchange. "This is not to say that violent Islamism disappears, but that groups like al Qaeda might see a resurgence and shift of priority to them."

The loss of almost all its territory, and the surrender of fighters who formerly vowed to fight to the death, "really brings into question the core ideology," Doug Ollivant, a former director for Iraq on the National Security Councils in the Bush and Obama administrations, says in an email exchange. "This is not to say that violent Islamism disappears, but that groups like al Qaeda might see a resurgence and shift of priority to them." Baghdadi is missing but that does not mean he is safe: Aki Peritz, a former CIA officer for Iraq, notes that the last three terror leaders of Iraq were all killed in the fighting, and that there is a $25 million reward for the current ISIS chief's capture. "No one will give [Baghdadi] refuge; he'll be mercilessly hunted down, along with his entire shura council, in the increasingly small space that ISIS still controls," said Peritz.

But, but, but ... The trouble with dancing on the grave of ISIS is that it fails to understand the history of fights with Islamic extremists.

What to watch: According to Nick Heras of the Center for a New American Security, a think tank, it may appear that ISIS is in retreat mode now, but it's probably just transitioning "from a quasi-state actor  back down to an insurgency."

When to fight, when to flee: It would be madness for ISIS to attempt to hold territory now, given the demonstrated resolve of combined U.S., Russian and Syrian forces. Raqqa-based ISIS fighters had retreated to the neighboring area of Deir al-Zour, but in recent days, they have been largely pushed out of there, according to the NYT's Anne Barnard and Hwaida Saad.

But it would equally be a mistake, given the history of Iraqi militant groups and their Baathist collaborators managing to resurrect themselves, to treat ISIS as dead.

Look far afield: We can likely expect more suicide bombers in the Middle East and more terrorist attacks linked to ISIS abroad from now on, Heras warned. David Sterman, a fellow at New America, the D.C. think tank, noted that ISIS affiliates remain active in Libya, Mali, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and elsewhere.

Plus, ISIS retains followers in Europe, where attacks over the last three years have killed more than 350 people. They're "hoping to use  these trump cards to undermine the narrative that its caliphate has been crushed," Heras said.

The ground remains fertile for militants: In the mishmash of overlapping interests in the region  among Assad, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the U.S.  a destabilizing force could rise, just as ISIS arose amid unhappiness with bad governance and the Sunni-Shia divide.

"There is the real risk of seeing the next generation  the son of ISIS," said Melissa Dalton of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CIA director Mike Pompeo echoed this possibility, noting this week that it would be "foolish" to think a "son" of ISIS couldn't crop up.

What's next: The Trump administration is going to face pressure to figure out its long-term strategy. Brian McKeon, a former Defense Department official and National Security Council staffer under Obama, says a lack of policy for the region from the Trump administration poses problems moving forward, especially since "the military campaign is by no means over."

For now, the U.S.-led coalition is in talks with Syrian Democratic Forces about continuing the anti-ISIS campaign into some of the territory still held by ISIS along the Euphrates River, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Col. Ryan Dillon, told reporters this week. That could potentially engage U.S. service members further.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis met with Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Friday after the ambush in Niger more than two weeks ago that resulted in the death of four American soldiers, according to CBS.

Why it matters: There are still several unanswered questions about the ambush, and the FBI has joined the investigation. Sen. McCain said on Thursday that the investigation may "require a subpoena," but Sec. Mattis maintained that didn't prompt their meeting.

In Mattis' meeting with Graham, per the Washington Post, Graham supported Mattis' new rules of engagement that were presented in their meeting. The new rules includes putting "decision-making authority in the hands of commanders in the field," and expanding "the ability to use lethal force against suspected terrorists."
21 October 2017 11:45 (UTC+04:00)

BY Trend

Ukraine invites Azerbaijani investors to take part in the privatization of state property, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv said at the Azerbaijan-Ukraine business meeting in Baku Oct. 20.

He said that 3,444 state enterprises, operating in industry, agriculture, machine building, chemical sector, energy sector, as well as other sectors, are planned to be involved in the privatization process.

"We are looking forward to the participation of Azerbaijani companies in the privatization of Ukrainian state enterprises," he said. A new law on privatization is expected to be adopted by late 2017.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee for Economic Policy has already approved the bill "On Privatization of State Property" (#7066 dated September 4, 2017) and recommended the document for the first reading.
21 October 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, fully dependent on imported medicine, will start its own production of drugs. The country will manufacture medicine effective in neurological problems, liver diseases and stomatology.

With the financial support of the Science Development Fund, a modern pharmacy research laboratory has been established in the country. Some medicines are already being tested.

Head of the Laboratory Tahir Suleymanov said that Azerbaijan has up to 5,000 types of medicinal plants.



Some 1,000 of them are used for ethnoscience, and only 127 are used to prepare solutions. Creating a laboratory will require the preparation of medicines from every beneficial plant species. The laboratory will operate in three directions neurological problems, liver diseases and stomatology. The drug called "Salfadent" is already being tested, he said.

After receiving the relevant certificates, the domestic drug is expected to be available in the near future.

Relevant work has been done in the pharmaceutical laboratory taking into account the availability of natural resources, qualified personnel and high technology.

Domestic production of medicine will cease dependence on imports, improve people's access to medicines, and increase control over their quality and reduce prices.

Today, the local market of medicines is heavily dependent on imports, while 57 percent of medicines registered in the country are produced in Europe, 26 percent in the CIS countries, including 12 percent made in Russia. The small proportion is produced in Asian countries.

In this regard, foreign companies have already interested in taking their place in the national market.

Russian and Iranian companies are now showing interest in the Azerbaijani drug market. Last year they signed agreements to organize the production of drugs in a special zone.

The joint pharmaceutical plant with Iran will also be built in Pirallahi. The enterprise is designed to manufacture dozens of essential drugs for the treatment of heart diseases, contagious diseases, non-communicable diseases, as well as various types of antibiotics and painkillers.

Polish businessmen also show interest in this sector in Azerbaijan, if to consider that the industry is rapidly developing in Poland for the last ten years.

Moreover, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Belarus and some European countries seek to take advantage and enter the pharmaceutical sector of Azerbaijan.

Currently, three pharmaceutical plants are being constructed in the Pirallahi Industrial Park.

Meanwhile, the presence of a pharmaceutical plant in the country will allow using them as raw materials, the employment of the rural population will increase. Moreover, it will increase interest to grow medicinal plants in greenhouses, which will be an impetus for the development of agriculture. In general, this will contribute to the development of a number of spheres, employment of the population, and the protection of their health.

When competition arises, pharmaceutical companies importing medicines into the country will also be interested in supplying better and cheaper preparations of similar content.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2017 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Briefing titled Averting all-out war in Nagorno-Karabakh: role of the U.S. and OSCE, which was held on October 18 in the U.S. Senate, was more aimed at promoting Armenia and receiving more assistance for Armenia from the U.S, Azerbaijani MP Aydin Mirzazade told Trend on October 20.

Therefore, he noted, people who took such a position were invited to the event, and speeches were made in this direction.

However, Ambassador James Warlick, who is former co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group from the U.S., and others made statements which were close to objectivity, the essence of which is that the conflict should be resolved within the framework of international law, and the problem should be phased out, said Mirzazade.

The MP reminded that a phased plan includes the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh, the opening of the Lachin corridor and granting of a temporary status to Nagorno-Karabakh.

These principles were proposed and they have been repeatedly discussed. The fact that they re-sounded at the briefing in the U.S. shows once again that there are no other ways to solve this problem but through these principles, Mirzazade said.

The MP added that Azerbaijan will not agree to another option, and Armenia, continuing to remain on the same position, will further exacerbate its plight.

The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
21 October 2017 13:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The latest statistics by Iranian transportation organization proves that Turkey has played a significant role in exports of goods to Iran through roads in recent months.

According to Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, Turkey accounted for 64 percent of goods exported to Iran by trucks over the first half of the current fiscal year (starting March 20).

About one million tons of freight was imported into Iran through road checkpoints across the country, indicating an increase of 12 percent year on year.

In the meantime, Irans exports through its road checkpoints amounted to three million tons, indicating an increase of two percent.

Meanwhile, oil products amounted for 25 percent of the countrys exports in the mentioned period. The non-oil products accounted for 99 percent of the countrys imports.

In this period of time, Iranian trucks transported 69 percent of the countrys exported goods and 44 percent of goods imported into the country.
The shift to the cloud is a growing trend across industries. The cloud, touted as a measure to reduce costs and improve scalability, describes a network of servers that house data remotely, which gives a user the ability to access data over the internet as opposed to only on a local network. IT spending related to the cloud shift is expected to account for $1 trillion across the globe by 2020, according to a Gartner report.

This content is sponsored by Microsoft

Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital is one organization making the shift to the cloud, according to Trinity Urban, product manager for Precision Imaging Metrics, an informatics program within the hospital's radiology department. The program houses radiology images for clinical trials associated with the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston.

Precision Imaging Metrics initially developed a software application to manage the images using an on-premises data center. However, this process left something to be desired for radiologists using the data, since the local data center meant they could only access the images while on the hospital network.

"Oftentimes these clinical trials are done outside of their clinical responsibilities," Ms. Urban explained during a Microsoft-sponsored executive roundtable Sept. 22 at the Becker's Hospital Review 3rd Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference in Chicago. "So they'd like to be able to read from home ... and they couldn't do that."

To provide radiologists with this flexibility, Precision Imaging Metrics opted to move its system to a platform developed by medical image management provider NucleusHealth and hosted on Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing service.

"The cost of IT is just growing and growing," said Chris Hafey, chief technology officer of NucleusHealth, regarding the healthcare industry's recent interest in cloud imaging. "Building another data center versus moving to the cloud is a big question a lot of people are running into."

At the roundtable, healthcare industry experts weighed in on opportunities and concerns they've identified when considering whether to move their medical images to a cloud environment. Here are three challenges  and opportunities  they shared.

1. Image quality. Healthcare providers, particularly those from remote areas, spoke to challenges with limited access to broadband. "As far as bandwidth, we're in a rural area," said the CIO and chief innovation officer of a two-hospital health system on the West Coast, adding some physicians might not have easy access to the internet bandwidth necessary to download and view a high-resolution image.

The CIO of a 627-bed hospital on the East Coast shared a similar concern about quality. Technological performance is "the biggest thing" for the hospital, she said, noting how both quality and speed prove essential when a provider retrieves a radiology image for evaluation. Mr. Hafey acknowledged the worry, but added it's a matter of "[taking] advantage of the available resources you have."

"We've actually had to reinvent the way that we deliver pixel data to the web browser," he said of how NucleusHealth works around the issue of limited broadband. As one example, he noted, "Some architectures out there require [a provider to download] a whole entire study, which could be 2.71 gigabytes, before [he or she] can view one image [within the study]. We're able to stream individual images separately."

2. Information security. Increasing vulnerability to data breaches proved another major reason healthcare executives said their organizations were reserved about moving to the cloud. "[The health system] is very reluctant to go to cloud-based because of the security," the East Coast hospital CIO said.

Another CIO, from a five-hospital health system in New England, questioned how a cloud-based platform would perform after a hospital was hit by a cyberattack, regardless of the infection vector. "One of the first things you do in a cyber event is shut down the internet," he said, noting on-premise image storage might prove crucial during these types of disaster recovery measures.

Mr. Hafey emphasized cloud-based and on-premise data centers each have pluses and minuses. Although a cloud-based platform might prove challenging when a healthcare facility goes offline, an on-premise data center is vulnerable to physical damage during natural disasters, such as a hurricane.

"The cloud actually makes disaster recovery far easier, because they are already multi-region [and] geographically separated," he said.

Clifford Goldsmith, managing director of the U.S. provider industry at Microsoft, spoke to how the company established its cybersecurity services. Microsoft was one of the first tech giants to meet healthcare regulations under HIPAA, he said. "The cloud is going to offer enormous functionality," he added. "The biggest hurdle is going to be making sure that it's secure."

3. Data sharing. The CIO of a community hospital in the Midwest shared his organization's No. 1 concern: data transfer. "We really view ourselves as a gateway to health," he said. "So that's our biggest issue, the portability [of information] to that referring physician or referring clinic. To say, 'Hey, we're sending this patient to you, here's the study, the whole medical record, et cetera.'"

For Mass General's Ms. Urban, this need to share data with different providers was a major motivator behind the Precision Imaging Metrics program's decision to develop a new workflow management system. "Before our software was in use we had a lot of emails going back and forth," she explained.

"The coordinators would be emailing the individual radiologists, and they'd have to confirm, and there might be some questions back and forth between the radiologists," she added. This process would take place for each patient who came in for a clinical trial  up to 60 times per day at institutions affiliated with the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

The cloud environment lends itself to this need, according to Mr. Hafey. "One of the key benefits of the cloud is the ease with which you can access data," he said. "You're not locked behind a VPN [virtual private network] and firewalls of an on-premise system."
From a nurse suing a Michigan health system for discrimination to a Florida medical group settling false claims allegations, these are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.

1. Freestanding ER operators want Google to find out who left them 22 bad online reviews

Two Dallas-based freestanding emergency room operators  Highland Park Emergency Room and Preston Hollow Emergency Room  filed a joint petition in Dallas County District Court seeking to find out who left them 22 negative online reviews.

2. Appeals court reverses $751k award in physician's wrongful termination case

An appeals court in Missouri recently overturned a lower court's order that required Mercy Springfield (Mo.) to pay $751,000 to a physician who claimed she was fired for raising concerns over the hospital's treatment and billing practices.

3. Nurse sues Spectrum Health, claiming system accommodated patient request for no black caregivers

A black nurse claims officials at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health discriminated against her by granting a patient's request for no black caregivers.

4. DOJ: Personal trainer posed as physician in $25M scheme

A 54-year-old personal trainer was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 12, and charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud insurance companies by submitting more than $25 million in false claims for medical services.

5. Florida medical group will pay $448k to settle false claims allegations

First Coast Cardiovascular Institute in Jacksonville, Fla., agreed to pay $448,821 to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act.

6. DOJ sues Illinois home healthcare center owners over alleged Medicare fraud

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against owners of an Illinois healthcare company alleging they defrauded Medicare millions of dollars.

7. Florida clinic owner arrested for practicing medicine without a license

Police arrested Jose A. Ramirez, the president of Med-Clinic Health Care in Doral, Fla., for practicing medicine without a license.

8. Local residents sue Central Health over 'unlawful use' of taxpayer money to support U of Texas' Dell Medical School

Three local residents are suing Austin, Texas-based Central Health, the local hospital-taxing district, over allegations that taxpayer contributions to Austin-based University of Texas' Dell Medical School were unlawfully utilized.

9. 60+ Wisconsin counties expected to participate in opioid epidemic lawsuit

The Wisconsin Counties Association expects 60 to 70 of the state's 72 counties to join a proposed lawsuit alleging drug companies engaged in fraudulent practices when promoting opioids in the state.

10. Pennsylvania county opioid epidemic lawsuit names 23 defendants

Attorneys representing Beaver County, Pa., filed a lawsuit against nearly two dozen drugmakers, drug distributors and physicians for their alleged roles in the county's spike in opioid-related overdoses.

11. US drops lawsuit against UnitedHealth over alleged billing scheme

The Department of Justice called off its lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group that claimed the Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurer submitted false claims to increase Medicare payments.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Former Cleveland Clinic executive pleads guilty in $2.7M fraud scheme

Police: Man posted video of himself holding gun in Ohio children's hospital

Cleveland Clinic demands Toby Cosgrove be removed from ballot initiative ads
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A Qantas jumbo jet bound for San Francisco was forced to return to Sydney on Saturday after a "technical issue" 90 minutes into its flight, the airline said.

Engineers were inspecting the Boeing 747 after it landed at Sydney's Kingsford Smith airport, a Qantas spokeswoman said, declining to say how many people were aboard. No injuries were reported.

QF73 was forced to return 90 minutes into the flight. Credit:Louie Douvis

"We understand delays can be frustrating for our passengers but we'll always put safety ahead of schedule and our teams are doing everything they can to get passengers back on their way," she said.

Passengers were told that flight QF 73, which departed at 2.10 pm local time, had been turned back because the autopilot wasn't working, a passenger told Australia's ABC News.
Q: My wife refuses to have sex when she has her period. Are there any medical reasons for not having sex during menstruation?

A: Many people feel squeamish about the idea of getting physically intimate while the woman has her period. Indeed, in many cultures a woman is deemed to be "unclean" at this time, and must keep separate for the duration. For others, shame or the yuck factor make the whole idea unpalatable. You might find this irrational, but remember that sex must be mutually pleasurable.

If sex is a chore, menstruation can be a good excuse for a week off. Credit:AndreyPopov

Some women assume that their man would be grossed out by this idea, but many men find it acceptable, and even arousing. There can also be something erotic about being transgressive, and breaking a taboo.

In an article titled "The good, the bad, and the slightly messy" (health.com), Tara Ford, a physician assistant at the Medical Centre for Female Sexuality in New York, talks about sex and menstruation.
Initially, Mr Duffy thought the coin might be worth a few hundred dollars, so he put it away then forgot about it for months.

Re-doing the floors to his shop Braidwood Antiques, Derek Duffy found an 1857 half sovereign.

Now in 2017 it holds one very excited shop owner.

Sometime soon after 1857, Braidwood held one very sad punter.

The coin is thought to be worth at least $6000. Credit:Elspeth Kernebone

It turns out, it's worth at least $8000.

"It is a rare coin in that condition," said Gary Cooke, manager of coin dealers Edlins of Canberra.

When Mr Duffy showed the coin to him, Mr Cooke offered six thousand on the spot for it.

"We do see them, but never in this condition, they're normally very rough by now," Mr Cooke said.
MUSCATINE  After 10 long years of planning and designing and redesigning, the new trail connecting Deep Lakes Park to Kent-Stein Park is finally complete. Just under 50 people came out to witness the ribbon-cutting and bike or walk the fresh concrete.

Sarah Lande began the ribbon cutting ceremony by reading a memo from 2006:

"August 28, 2006," Lande read. "The City of Muscatine has been awarded $510,000 in federal Department of Transportation grant (money) for the extension of the Mississippi Levee trail. From Muscatine County to Wiggins Road. And the second one is expected to be completed in 2006 with initial construction in 2007. So I'd say, it's been a long time coming. First, we've got to be on the levee trail, but that was not compatible with industry down there."

The new trail will extend the system of paths from the Houser Street Trailhead, near the transfer station and Kent-Stein Park, through Deep Lakes Park to 57th Street and the Pettibone Avenue Trailhead.

The $1.1 million dollar project is the longest that former Public Works Director Randy Hill said he ever worked on with the city.

"The main problem was choosing the route," Hill said. "You go one way and then you run into an obstacle. You couldn't get the land. Or they were mining. We get into mining regulations. You've got agricultural regulations. Easements. All of that became very difficult for us."

Hill said that the planning began back 2005, and originally, it was going to be on the levee.

"We were on the levee," Hill said. "We had a trail that went all the way down to Musser Park and we wanted to extend that trail all the way down to Wiggins Road. Our first route was just to stay on the levee but it turns out that wasn't going to be possible. We looked at a bunch of different routes, and we went through all sorts of iterations of this. Ultimately, this was the route that was chosen."

"Quite frankly, when we had the route nailed down, the design of the trailthe actual engineeringwas not that difficult to do," Hill said.

Lande concluded with a reminder that the city and Muscatine County are working to raise funds for an extension of its trail system to run from Kent-Stein Park trailhead to Discovery Park. The "Westside Trail" would complete a 15-mile trail network connecting all of Muscatine's recreational amenities, according to the city. Construction of the trail would create the first safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel through the west side of the city, from north to south.

The Enhance Iowa Board approved a $500,000 Community Attractions and Transportation (CAT) grant to fund this next project, but the city will need to raise $210,000 by November 15. Kent Corporation will match all community donations dollar-for dollar.
Queensland is suffering through a particularly bad year for mumps, rotavirus and influenza, prompting calls for people to ensure they are vaccinated.

So far this year, there were 274 cases of mumps reported in Queensland, compared with 49 for the same period in 2016.

A dose of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccination. Credit:Mike Hutmacher

Mumps causes fever and swollen salivary glands, but in more severe cases can affect the testicles, pancreas or cause hearing loss. It is usually uncommon in developed countries due to the use of vaccines.

A Queensland Health spokesman said there was currently a mumps outbreak in north-west Queensland and the Gulf region, where 164 laboratory-confirmed cases were documented so far in 2017.
A man already on bail for child pornography charges has been arrested living in a house across the road from a Brisbane school and allegedly conducting surveillance on young girls.

William Tyrone Kelly was denied bail in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday after detectives raided an address opposite Woodridge North State School on Friday.

Officers allege the 32-year-old had a surveillance camera set up to monitor the school from his house and had been taking detailed notes about the movements of female students.

It was also alleged he had approached children and adults in the street and had offered them lollipops to come to his house, as well as advertising himself on Gumtree as a babysitter.

He was charged with possessing and making child exploitation material, as well as breaching the bail conditions of his earlier charges and was remanded in custody to reappear in court on November 13.
London: Peter Dutton's crackdown on temporary workers from overseas could prevent the "next Jamie Oliver or Heston Blumenthal" showcasing their talents from Australia, the world's largest job search company Indeed has warned.

The company says it recorded a 10 per cent drop on searches almost instantaneously after the government announced its crackdown on foreign workers. Indeed said of the 4 million job searches during 2017 the greatest interest in jobs in the Australian hospitality industry came from Britain, not from non-English speaking countries. Indeed said it detected a 78 per cent increase in searches for Australian hospitality roles but that was now being undermined by the abolition of the 457 scheme.

Indeed warned that the tough changes risked Australia's hospitality industry with local employers set to suffer shortages of up to 120,000 by the end of the decade, with a shortfall of experienced restaurant and cafe managers, licensed club managers, cooks, bakers and pastry cooks to hire.

Indeed Australia-New Zealand managing director Chris McDonald said the government's abolition of the 457 scheme would make it harder for the hospitality industry to deliver high-quality services and grow Australia's reputation as a foodie destination.
Uvalde, Texas: On a ranch at the southwestern edge of the Texas Hill Country, a hunting guide spotted her cooling off in the shade: an African reticulated giraffe. Such is the curious state of modern Texas ranching, that a giraffe among the oak and the mesquite is an everyday sort of thing.

"That's Buttercup," said the guide, Buck Watson, 54.

Wildebeest run free on the Ox Ranch's rangeland in Uvalde, Texas. Credit:New York Times

In a place of rare creatures, Buttercup is among the rarest; she is off limits to hunters at the Ox Ranch. Not so the African bongo antelope, one of the world's heaviest and most striking spiral-horned antelopes, which roams the same countryside as Buttercup. The price to kill a bongo at the Ox Ranch is $US35,000.

Himalayan tahrs, wild goats with a bushy lion-style mane, are far cheaper. The trophy fee, or kill fee, to shoot one is $US7,500. An Arabian oryx is $US9,500; a sitatunga antelope, $US12,000; and a black wildebeest, $US15,000.
Barcelona, Spain: Spain's main opposition party confirmed that it would support the central government if it took steps to dissolve the Catalan regional parliament in order to head off its drive for secession.

A representative of the Spanish Socialist party said on Friday that it backed the use of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which allows the central government to take control of one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions, including Catalonia, if it deems it a threat to the national interest.

Less than half of Catalonians participated in referendum. Here, people gather in Barcelona to protest against Catalan government's push for secession from the rest of Spain. Credit:AP

The crisis was sparked by an October 1 independence referendum in Catalonia, in which 90 per cent of the Catalans who voted chose to secede from Spain. Only about 43 per cent of the electorate voted, however.

Spanish courts had declared the referendum illegal, and Spanish police attempted to prevent the balloting from taking place, often using violence that left hundreds injured.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area is exploring a pilot program that will allow freer use of the yuan between the province and two special administrative regions, a Hong Kong government official said Friday.

James Lau, Hong Kongs secretary for financial services and the treasury, said Hu Chunhua, chief party secretary of Guangdong province, brought up the idea during his visit to Hong Kong in July. Discussions remain in an early stage with little progress, Lau added.

China is internationalizing its currency and allowing more cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to support the drive, according to a previous agreement signed on July 1 under the initiative of developing the Greater Bay Area.

The goals of this initiative are allowing Guangdong to deepen its reform and open its market, and to consolidate Hong Kongs position as a regional financial hub as well as its role as a strategic offshore yuan center.

There has been three mutual market connects that opened doors of capital flows between Hong Kong and the mainland so far, including two dual-way connects linking Hong Kong with stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen bourse, and a northbound channel that allows foreign investors to trade Chinese bonds.

Mutual access to enlarge capital flows will eventually expand to a broader area such as payment and clearing system of onshore yuan when the time is right, Lau added.

Contact reporter Leng Cheng (chengleng@caixin.com)
An official employment notification has been released by Sikkim Public Service Commission (Sikkim PSC), Gangtok calling out for candidates to fill up the post of Assistant Professor in Mathematics department on 32 vacant seats.

Vacancy Availability

Name of the post:- Assistant Professor

Last date:- 11th November 2017

No. of Posts:- 32 Posts

Location:- Gangtok

Eligibility

Education Qualification

Candidates must have done Post Graduation with at least 55% marks in relevant subject from a recognized university.

Age Limit

21-40 Years

Salary

Rs. 15600-39100/- per month

Selection process

Written test followed by interview

Application Fees

Candidates are required to pay Rs. 150/- through demand draft drawn in favour of Sikkim Public Service Commission.

Application form

Application form can be downloaded from www.spscskm.gov.in Complete application form should reach the office of the Sikkim Public Service Commission on or before 11/11/2017 on any working day between 10:30 am. to 03:30 pm along with original Bank Receipt of State bank of Sikkim.

Documents required

Attested copies of -

Class X and XII Mark Sheet and Certificate

Graduate & Masters Degree Mark Sheet/ Degree Certificate awarded by the recognized Institute or equivalent

Certificate of NE(SLET)/NET/SET or Ph.D. (alongwith course certificate)

Valid Local Employment Card issued by the competent authority of the Government of Sikkim, (for local candidates)

Valid Certificate of Identification/Sikkim Subject Certificate (for local candidates)

Valid category certificate for BL/ST/OBC-CL/OBC-SL/SC/PT issued by the competent authority Valid Unmarried Certificate in case of female candidates or in case of married female candidates Husband's C.O.I. (for local candidates).

How to apply for Sikkim PSC?

Interested and eligible job applicants should send application form along with attested copies of relevant documents to the office of the Sikkim Public Service Commission on or before 11th November 2017.

UPSC CAPF AC Recruitment Results 2017 Released: Check Now!
MUSCATINE  By next month, the Cedar River could be the first river in Iowa to be entirely managed by watershed authorities. The final step is finalizing the formation of the Lower Cedar River Watershed Management Authority, which includes Muscatine County.

On Friday, the Cedar River Watershed Coalition held its first meeting in Muscatine, at the Environmental Learning Center in Discovery Park. Co-Chair Sen. Rob Hogg, of Cedar Rapids, said the coalition was formed after the major 2008 flood.

"I said we need to be as proactive of any future flood damage as we were in reaction to the flood of 2008," Hogg said. "We have to have an urgency about this. Citizens inside the watershed should never experience anything this devastating again."

In 2010, Iowa lawmakers passed legislation allowing the formation of watershed authorities, to help prevent flooding and address water quality issues. In a couple of years, Jennifer Fencl, with the Indian Creek Watershed Management Authority, said six watersheds had formed management authorities.

Once the Lower Cedar River Watershed Management Authority is officially formed this year, she said there will be 22 authorities in the state. Lower Cedar Project Director Josh Spies said the authority will be filing for approval with the Secretary of State's office in the next month.

The watershed could include Muscatine, Cedar, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Louisa and Scott counties. Spies said support has been "overwhelming," and the Lower Cedar group will hold its first board meeting on Nov. 14, then consider how to adopt bylaws and organize its management.

The Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority, Spies said, is the first in the state to secure a grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, for $150,000, to fund a full-time coordinator through 2020.

Jurisdictions surrounding the lower Cedar hope to accomplish what other watershed authorities have been working on in the last five years. Along with flood prevention and water quality improvement, Hogg said goals include educating the public, starting hands-on initiatives and community projects, plus initiating state policy changes.

"We want everybody to be aware of the watershed they live in, and that helps people know this is why you've got to be more responsible," Hogg said. "And it's not just a cost burden, it's a community and economic opportunity to bring people together around a project."

While the city of Muscatine would not be included in the Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority, Jason Smith, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the city's levee district is considering how to better prevent flooding.

Stakeholders in Muscatine, he said, want to study flooding in the area, and possibly consider ways to improve the levee. The levee district, along with corporations such as Monsanto and Kent Corp, have formed a non-profit to address the issues.

"It's a really good example of a collaboration between industry, a levee district, city and the federal government to address flood risk," Smith said.

The feasibility study could determine whether there is federal interest in Muscatine raising the height of its levee or making other adjustments. He said the Corps will fund up to $100,000 for the study, and the group is working to raise additional money.

Also at Friday's meeting, Kamyar Enshayan, one of the coalition's first members, discussed the Good Neighbor Iowa program.

Enshayan, along with a group of University of Northern Iowa students, are working to convince public parks, schools and other spaces to stop using pesticides, especially near children. He hopes to change the "cultural attitude" surrounding the idea of lawn care, and showed examples of manicured parks that have not been treated with chemicals.

Most pesticides, he said, have warning labels that they should not be used near water, and is working to test water sources and public spaces for harmful chemicals or degradation. Enshayan said the Environmental Learning Center in Muscatine has committed to not spraying its lawns, and he hopes to keep the momentum going in the area.

The Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority's first board meeting will be held Nov. 14 at the West Branch City Hall at 2 p.m.
Pueblo West's sales tax increasing after voters OK road improvements

Pueblo West sales tax will be 5.9% next year after voters OK a 1% increase for road repairs, but it's still lower than Pueblo and Canon City.
Ambush in Egyptian desert leaves 30 policemen dead

Armed militants killed at least 30 policemen in a shootout during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert, security sources said on Friday.

A number of suspected militants were also killed and security forces are combing the area, a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an Islamic State affiliate, that has killed hundreds of security forces since 2013.

Islamist militants have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities with the loss of dozens of lives.

The security sources said authorities were following a lead to a hideout deep in the desert thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the capital targeting judges and police since last year.

A convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle was ambushed from higher ground by militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices, a senior source in the Giza Security Office said.

The number of dead was expected to rise, two security sources said.

Two security sources said eight security personnel were injured in the clashes, while another source said that four of the injured were police and four others suspected militants.

Egypt accuses Hasm of being the militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.

The Islamist insurgency in the Sinai peninsula has grown since the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen and has started to target other areas, including Egypt's Christian Copts.
In Kirkuk, Kurds' joy turns to fear after Iraqi army takeover

Turkmen and Arab shoppers stroll through an open-air food market in an ethnically mixed area of Kirkuk, haggling over the price of tomatoes and gossiping about their neighbours.

Ostensibly, it's a normal day in the city of 1 million in northern Iraq. But nearby stand Iraqi Army soldiers, sent by the central government in Baghdad this week to wrest control of the city from Kurds after their vote for independence on September 25.

The army's recapture of oil-producing Kirkuk province and other territory across northern Iraq has dismayed the city's Kurds but brought comfort to residents from other ethnic groups.

'Of course things are better now that the Iraqis have taken back the city,' said Mohammad, a Turkmen butcher grinning over a large pile of ground meat. 'We're all brothers, but at the end of the day, Kirkuk is not for the Kurds. It's for Iraq.'

An Arab couple who have seen Kirkuk change hands several times before said they now feel safer and more comfortable.

'This is our city after all,' said the elderly Hajji Ahmed.

Across the street in a Kurdish-owned restaurant, the mood is different.

'None of my Kurdish regulars want to come to eat here any more, they don't feel safe,' said the owner, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. 'We're all afraid because our fate in the city is unknown.'

Thousands of people fled Kirkuk after rumours of looting and violence against Kurds spread on social media, though residents said many later returned. No one Reuters spoke to had witnessed or suffered any aggression.

'Lost forever'

The scenes now are a far cry from the Kurds' jubilation on the day of the independence referendum, when they danced and sang in the streets.

Though the referendum was opposed by international allies, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani was confident its outcome would give his government leverage to negotiate secession.

Kirkuk is seen by many Kurds as the future capital of an independent Kurdish state. Including it in the referendum was widely seen as a unilateral move to consolidate Kurdish control.

Peshmerga fighters seized Kirkuk in 2014 after Iraqi security forces fled, leaving the region's oilfields vulnerable to Islamic State militants who had swept across northern Iraq.

But any notion of consolidated Kurdish power was quashed on Monday when Kurdish forces quietly withdrew, allowing the Iraqis to retake the city and other disputed territories claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the Kurds.

Kurdish flags used to hang from street lamps and buildings across the whole city but are now seen only in Kurdish areas. Roadside vendors now sell the flags of the Iraqi army and Shi'ite paramilitary forces.

'Kirkuk has been lost forever,' said a Kurdish resident of the Shorja district.

Feelings of betrayal

Kurds in Kirkuk feel betrayed by their political leaders and humiliated by Baghdad, which forcibly displaced them from the city under late dictator Saddam Hussein.

Some civilians are now deployed along the highway to the regional capital, Erbil, with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

'We brought our guns to defend against the Iraqi invaders,' said one, a retired Peshmerga fighter. 'We were betrayed, even by our own political leaders. So we had to come with our weapons to fight.'

The men have built berms and road blocks to slow traffic into the small town of Altun Kupri, or Perde in Kurdish.

'Now we only have orders to defend. But if they try and come to Erbil, we will attack them ferociously. We have to protect our people,' Bakr Razgai, a local commander, said before clashes in the area on Friday morning.

Such bravado was hard to find in Kirkuk.

In the Kurdish neighbourhood of Shorja, a poster hanging in front of the main market and showing late Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani's face next to a Kurdish flag has been scribbled over.

'I've been up every night since Monday, afraid for my life,' said Abdullah, a Kurdish clothes salesman.

A friend said this was because of propaganda on social media and asked him if he had seen anything bad happen.

Abdullah had not. 'But I'm still afraid,' he said.
Victoria Justice of 'Victorious' fame posts photo with Nina Dobrev and doppelganger

A recent photo validates that former "The Vampire Diaries" actress Nina Dobrev and former "Victorious" star Victoria Justice look alike.

The uncanny resemblance is seen in the recently released photo of the two together. Fans have long noticed the similarities between the two stars, but have been unable to compare Dobrev and Justice outside of fan-made photo collages.

The photo was uploaded by Justice on her Twitter account. Moreover, the photo, aside from Justice and Dobrev, included actress Melanie Iglesias. Fans quickly noted that the three looked like triplets. User @VjusticeSG even said "MY DREAMS CAME TRUE! MY FAVE DOPPELGANGERS!"

The picture was with the caption, "Fun time today at my first ever polo match! Great seeing @ninadobrev w/ my girl @MelanieIglesias." It was taken at the 6th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in the posh neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, Oct. 14.

In an interview with MTV News in 2010, the 24-year-old actress revealed that she had been getting into a lot of mix-ups, as people usually confuse her for Ian Somerhalder's former partner. The Nickelodeon actress also said that she and Dobrev had actually met.

Justice divulged that upon meeting Dobrev, her celebrity look-alike told her that, "Everyone thinks I'm you!" To which the former "Zoey 101" actress replied with the same sentiments. Despite many people thinking that the two were identical, the "The Outcasts" star admitted that it was a compliment and added that it was so because the 28-year-old "Flatliners" star was "gorgeous" and "sweet."
A former Henry County deputy sheriff is the new Wapello police chief.

The city council on Thursday unanimously approved hiring Brandon Marquardt, 32, to replace retiring Police Chief Wayne Crump.

Marquardt is formerly from Oakville and graduated from Wapello High School. Mayor Shawn Maine, who recommended the council hire Marquardt, said he would begin his duties on Oct. 30.

He will receive a $64,000 annual salary.

According to published reports, Marquardt resigned from the Henry County Sheriffs Office earlier this year after he accused another deputy of ongoing illegal activities.

Marquardt filed a lawsuit in May, accusing Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee of forcing him to quit because of his accusations against the other deputy. He said the forced resignation violated Iowas whistle-blower statute.

Wapello city officials said they were aware of Marquardts resignation and subsequent lawsuit, but after considering the issue, conducting a thorough background check and hearing Marquardts explanation during his interview, considered him the best candidate for the job.

I was probably the biggest opponent, but after I did the background check and found out more information, I gave my recommendation to hire him, Maine said.

Marquardt said he was looking forward to starting his new job and would let the lawsuit work its way through the legal system.

I dont think it will have any effect on law enforcement over here and everyone is ready to work together to make Wapello safe again, he said.

In other action, the council tabled more discussion and possible action on allowing increased all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use in Wapello, after City Clerk Mike Delzell reported the city attorney had not replied to a request for more information.

The council also defeated a proposal to rezone two lots in the Patricks Subdivision from R1 to R3 so local businessman Brad Quigley could construct two four-plex apartments. The construction would expand an existing apartment complex Quigley already operates just north of the two lots.

Quigley and several local residents spoke during a public hearing that was held before the council meeting. Quigley said the lots would help meet a growing demand for elderly and other housing in the community.

I get so many calls each week, he told the council, explaining there were no other places in the community to build similar apartments.

Several local residents however continued to criticize the proposal, explaining they felt it negatively impacted neighborhood safety and violated sections of city code.

Because a petition was filed by neighborhood residents opposing the change, Delzell said 75 percent of the council would need to approve the motion.

Later in the meeting when the vote was taken on the proposal, it died on a 3-3 vote. Voting in favor were Larry Wagg, Eric Small and Roger Noble. Voting no were Gene Arnold, Kenny Marlette and Brett Shafer.

Meanwhile, a suggestion to Quigley to develop a proposal for several lots he owns in the southwest corner of the subdivision appeared to gain momentum and Quigley indicated he would develop some plans for that location.
An employee pushes carts of empty boxes for customer orders at the Jet.com Inc. fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Walmart 's Jet.com launched its private label business Uniquely J, as it continues its push to tap urban millennials and its corporate parent fortifies its fight against Amazon . "We're excited to introduce Uniquely J to consumers, confident that they'll embrace the products and soon begin to consider them essential to their day-to-day shopping," said Liza Landsman, president of Jet.com. Private label products have become a growing focus among retailers, as millennials increasingly prioritize price over brand loyalties. Brandless, a website that offers only $3 unbranded items, launched earlier this year. For Amazon and Walmart, private label brands are one more carrot to dangle in front of consumers, as both look to become the one stop for all goods.

Amazon has sold private label products for years, though it doubled down on its efforts following its acquisition of Whole Foods. The Seattle-based company's private label brands include Happy Belly snacks and Mama Bear baby products. Through Whole Foods, it now has access to the organic grocer's 365 label. In their quests for private label dominance, both Walmart and Amazon benefit from their large scale. Consumer packaged goods companies rely heavily on both outlets for sales, and are thus incentivized to work with them in developing products behind the scenes.
The New Yorker's article regarding Trump's business with the Silk Road Group is completely untrue, Giorgi Rtskhiladze, the group's U.S. executive, told CNBC on Friday.

The New Yorker stands by its reporting.

The article, published in August, details President Donald Trump's deal with The Silk Road Group to build luxurious condominiums in the seaside town of Batumi, Georgia. The article details suspected ties between Silk Road Group and BTA Bank, which is mired in allegations of fraud and money-laundering.

Although a licensing agreement for the building was reached (and Trump reportedly received $1 million for it), the deal ended in 2017 when Trump became president.

The New Yorker article quoted Rtskhiladze several times.

"It was a new reality. Mr. Trump became president. It was a different situation, and we amicably agreed to stop this contract," George Ramishvili, the group's CEO, told CNBC's "Power Lunch."
An employee with medicinal marijuana plants in the flowering room at Tweed INC. in Smith Falls, Ontario, on December 5, 2016.

The University of Northern Michigan is offering a new degree this year: medicinal plant chemistry. And apparently it pays. "All of our graduates are going to be qualified to be analysts in a lab setting," Brandon Canfield, the associate professor of analytical chemistry who started the program, tells CNBC Make It. That could lead to a position that pays $70,000 right out of school, he adds. But first students have to actually graduate. According to one of the programs earliest participants, Northern Michigan sophomore Alex Roth, who has 400-level classes like Biostatics and Gas and Liquid Chromatography to get through, that's not as simple as it sounds. "When they hear what my major is, there are a lot of people who say, 'Wow, cool, dude. You're going to get a degree growing marijuana,'" Roth said, the Detroit Free Press reported. "It's not an easy degree at all."
Bitcoin set a new record high on Saturday breaking through the $6,100 barrier.

The cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $6,147.07 just a day after pushing through the $6,000 mark, according to data from industry website CoinDesk.

Much of the rise can be attributed to another upcoming split in bitcoin known as a "fork". This will lead to the creation of a new cryptocurrency called bitcoin gold. Holders of bitcoin will get some bitcoin gold when it is issued, essentially giving them free money.

But Alex Sunnarborg, founding partner of cryptocurrency fund Tetras Capital, told CNBC on Friday that bitcoin investors were betting on bitcoin holding its status despite the split. Bitcoin already underwent a fork in August when a new cryptocurrency called bitcoin cash was created. Despite this, bitcoin has continued to perform strongly.

At the same time, there are rumors that China could reverse its ban on cryptocurrency exchanges which is also giving bitcoin a boost.

Bullishness around bitcoin continues despite big business figures like JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon calling it a "fraud" and saying that people who invest in it are "stupid".

In an unscientific survey carried out by CNBC this week, nearly half of the more than 23,000 people who voted said bitcoin is heading to over $10,000. Former hedge fund manager Michael Novogratz told CNBC in a recent interview that he sees bitcoin heading to $10,000 in the next six to 10 months.

Bitcoin has also been helped by favorable regulation in Japan which recently allowed companies to accept the digital currency as payment. Around 57 percent of the trade in bitcoin was executed in Japanese yen on Saturday, according to industry website CryptoCompare.

But the virtual currency has also suffered regulatory setbacks including China banning cryptocurrency exchanges.

Still, the price of bitcoin has risen over 500 percent year-to-date.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gives the word to a journalist during a press conference after an extraordinary cabinet meeting at Moncloa Palace on October 21, 2017 in Madrid, Spain.

The Spanish government will sack Catalonia's secessionist leadership and force the region into a new election, it decided on Saturday, unprecedented steps it said were needed to prevent the region breaking away.

The plan, which still requires the approval of the upper house Senate, seeks to resolve Spain's worst political crisis in four decades but risks an angry reaction from independence supporters, who plan street protests later in the day.

Outlining the cabinet's decision, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy, was already in worrying economic shape as a result of the regional government's push for independence.

"We will ask the Senate, with the aim of protecting the general interest of the nation, to authorize the government ... to sack the Catalan president and his government," Rajoy told a news conference.

Spain's upper house of parliament is scheduled to vote on the plan next Friday.

It is the first time since Spain's return to democracy in the late 1970s that the central government has invoked the constitutional right to take control of a region and rule it directly from Madrid.

Direct rule will include full control of the region's police, finances and public media. The powers of the regional parliament will also be curbed. Rajoy said his intention was to not use those special powers for more than six months and he would call a regional election as soon as the situation was back to "normal."

"Our objective is to restore the law and a normal cohabitation among citizens, which has deteriorated a lot, continue with the economic recovery, which is under threat today in Catalonia, and celebrate elections in a situation of normality," Rajoy said.

The measures must now be approved by Spain's upper house, the Senate, where a vote is scheduled for Oct. 27.
Invoking the National Emergencies Act, President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that allows the Air Force to voluntarily recall up to 1,000 retired aviators for active duty.

The action could help ease the combat pilot shortage in the force and improve military readiness as the administration steps up its new Afghanistan war strategy to defeat the Taliban and terrorists. The new strategy in the 16-year-old war, unveiled in August by Trump, includes additional U.S. troops going to Afghanistan as well as increased U.S. air support for the Afghan military.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," said Pentagon spokesman Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross in a statement after the order was announced.

However, on Sunday an Air Force official indicated they had no current plans to act on the authority granted to them by the president's order.

"The Air Force does not currently intend to recall retired pilots to address the pilot shortage," Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Sunday in an email statement. "We appreciate the authorities and flexibility delegated to us."
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Munich by Robert Harris

Anglo-German incomprehension is a difficult subject to bring alive. Robert Harris does so in the form of a thriller about the negotiations at Munich in September 1938 between Hitler and Chamberlain.

I happened to read the second half of the book on a train journey, and on reaching the last page, wondered how to pass the rest of the time before reaching my destination in any way that would be half so enjoyable.

It is impossible not to admire the skill with which Harris has inserted into the history of those days a plot involving two junior diplomats  one British, one German, called Legat and Hartmann  who were great friends at Oxford, and fell out with each other during a holiday in Munich in 1932.

For Legat had accused Hartmann of being a Nazi at heart. When Hartmann reproaches him for this in 1938, Legat replies:

Did I? Im sorry. Sometimes, to an outsider, German nationalism didnt sound that much different to Nazism.

If an Englishman like Legat, who speaks excellent German, cannot grasp this distinction, what hope is there for Chamberlain, who speaks none?

Harris once wrote a marvellously rude book about Tony Blair called The Ghost, in which the character based on Cherie Blair turns out to be an American agent, which explains why her husband always ends up doing what the Americans want.

But Harris does not want to be rude about Chamberlain. He wants to be fair and, in conversations which have accompanied the publication of this book, has sought to defend Chamberlains attempt, at Munich, to appease Hitler by selling out the Czechs. After Munich, as Harris puts it in one of these interviews,

Chamberlain, dying when he did in 1940  became a very convenient scapegoat, someone to blame. Whereas in fact, and I think its almost unarguable, that the time between 1938 and 1940 was very well spent in developing Spitfires and radar and perhaps above all it gave us a sense of national unity. A sense that no one could say that we hadnt done everything possible to try and avoid war and it was clear that there was no making peace with Hitler, that you could never trust him  and so the country did have a resolution to fight on that it might not necessarily have had otherwise.

Yet Harriss respect for history compels him to admit, in his book, that Chamberlain was hopeless at conveying to Hitler the truth that if pushed too far, Britain would stand and fight. Hartmann has the task of conducting the French, British and Italian delegations into Hitlers study in the Fuhrerbau in Munich:

He led them past the long gallery where the Germans were standing watching. How drab the British and the French looked in their office suits, crumpled after their long journeys, compared to the uniforms of the SS and the Italian fascists. How un-virile; how dowdy and outnumbered.

The German resistance to Hitler wants things to go wrong for the Fuhrer. It tells the British, via Hartmann, that he is a man implacably determined on making war, and that the German army  which sees that war will lead to disaster  will overthrow Hitler if only the British and French will force a showdown.

At Munich, Chamberlain instead presents Hitler with a cost-free conquest  the Sudetenland  which means the rest of Czechoslovakia has been rendered indefensible, and will be conquered early the following year.

One of the merits of this book is that it forces one to ask what one would have done oneself in 1938. Would one have gone beyond pious aspirations about the need to preserve peace?

In the city of Munich, Harris points out, Chamberlain is cheered more loudly and fervently than Hitler, for the British Prime Minister is seen as the man who has averted war. And in London it is the same: there is enormous relief that war has not after all broken out, and Chamberlain is cheered to the echo.

Legat so far forgets his professional neutrality that he cheers the Prime Minister too, when MPs burst into deafening applause on hearing Hitler has issued an invitation to Munich.

So Legat and Hartmann play the parts assigned to them by Harris of decent but ineffectual British diplomat with an unhappy marriage, and decent but ineffectual member of the German resistance.

They will not, however, live in readers memories. For they are marionettes, expertly manipulated by Harris, rather than characters with a life of their own. Even the relationship between Legat and Hartmann feels like a device rather a friendship invested with the passion of youth.

And Chamberlain and Hitler are marionettes too, rather than characters whose personalities emerge more fully than before. Chamberlain seems to me to have been a gifted technocrat  his health reforms in the 1920s were brilliant  but a deeply unpleasant man.

Stanley Baldwin, his predecessor as Prime Minister, asked him to stop treating Labour MPs like dirt, but Chamberlain remarks (in a letter in 1927 to one of his sisters): The fact is that intellectually, with a few exceptions, they are dirt.

That is one reason why Labour refused in 1940 to serve under Chamberlain. Nye Bevan, a brilliant young Labour MP, observed from the Opposition benches the change of tone in May 1937 when Chamberlain took over from Baldwin:

In the funeral service of capitalism, the honeyed and soothing platitudes of the clergyman are finished, and the cortege is now under the sombre and impressive guidance of the undertaker.

Chamberlains own brother, Austen, a former Foreign Secretary who was deeply versed in European politics, had warned him: Neville, you must remember you know nothing about foreign affairs.

Of these contemporary (rather than retrospective) criticisms of Chamberlain, not much is found in Harris. But it is true that the Prime Ministers entourage, including the ineffable Sir Horace Wilson (rightly accorded a key role by Harris), were deeply loyal to him.

Nick Timothy this week suggested in The Daily Telegraph that Disraeli was the last Prime Minister who immediately and accurately understood a German leaders intentions (though he dates this understanding to a conversation with Bismarck in 1862, when Disraeli was not Prime Minister).

Does Theresa May understand Angela Merkel? Probably not, for many Germans do not understand her.

Harriss defence of Chamberlain rests on the assertion that the Munich agreement, though a shameful betrayal of the Czechs, was the only practical course of action for the British government. The Establishment got it right in 1938: ever since 1939, when the policy of appeasement collapsed, a pleasantly controversial thesis.
On Thursday, James Brokenshire issued a written statement on the situation in Northern Ireland in which he signalled that he might, after ten months with no devolved administration in the Province, be forced to step in.

The driving force behind this untypical decisiveness is the fact that Ulsters public services are about a month away from grinding to a complete halt when their budgets run out.

As it becomes impossible for a restored Northern Ireland Assembly to pass its own budget in time after the 30th of October, the Northern Irish Secretary has confirmed that he will have to legislate for one at Westminster if the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein dont arrive at a written agreement to restore the Executive by that date.

This isnt the only time Brokenshire has shown a little steel in his handling of the collapse of Stormont. Last month he threatened to slash MLAs pay if they didnt start doing their jobs  Ulsters legislators have cost taxpayers over 10 million since last they sat.

But for the most part the Secretary of States approach has been one of the utmost passivity, setting deadlines which pass without consequence and letting the civil service run the Province on autopilot, and without democratic oversight. But as Sam McBride, a Northern Irish journalist, wrote after Storm Ophelia battered Ireland:

The risk for Mr Brokenshire  and to some extent, also for Sinn Fein and the DUP  is that if there is a major crisis and Stormont is seen to fail in its response to the situation, he will be accused of having allowed to develop a situation in which lives were placed at risk for reasons of high politics.

Whilst Brokenshires statement expresses deep regret at the lack of an Executive, and some words about how essential it is to the proper functioning of Northern Ireland, recent experience suggests that Stormont was barely functional even before Martin McGuinness brought down the Executive in March. As this sites Ulster columnist, I spent the better part of two years keeping readers up to date on the last great crisis, when Sinn Fein refused to implement the Coalitions welfare reforms.

That crisis really did highlight the absurd timidity of the British Governments approach. The obvious resolution was to repatriate welfare powers, since Westminster had no intention of allowing Ulster to set its own welfare policy. David Trimble, the former First Minister and now a Conservative peer, even suggested as much. But impasse was preferred.

Now veteran commentators such as Alex Kane are going as far as to suggest that the power-sharing arrangements laid down in the Good Friday Agreement no longer enjoy majority support. Certainly, the DUP and Sinn Fein dont seem to be under any great pressure from their voters to reach an agreement.

Such pressure ought to be being applied by the Northern Irish Office, but Brokenshires manifest unwillingness to countenance no deal  halting MLAs pay and governing the Province from the NIO  means he has little leverage. A Government which insists that no deal is better than a bad deal in Brussels refuses to apply the same logic to Belfast.

The Secretary of State no longer has the ability to simply impose direct rule  one of a long string of concessions to keep the process on track which Sinn Fein have banked and disregarded, and which ought surely to be reconsidered if Stormont does collapse completely. But Parliament can authorise him to do so, and the time is surely approaching, if not yet past, when it must.

Of course the old-fashioned, vice-royal role of the Northern Irish Secretary was very different to its post-devolution reinvention as mediator-in-chief, and its restoration may need a different set of skills. What the Prime Minister does with the NIO in the next reshuffle will reveal whether she is prepared to grasp that nettle  the DUP and Sinn Fein will be watching closely.
The Prinsendam made its inaugural call to the Port of Rijeka in Croatia on Oct. 14.

Guests sailing aboard Holland America Line's Prinsendam enjoyed a short walk to the city center, while many also boarded busses on organized tours.

The inaugural call was marked with the traditional first-call ceremony. Prinsendam Captain Steve MacBeath and Hotel Director Cees Tesselaar hosted representatives of Rijeka cruise destination onboard to exchange plaques.
The Greek Merchant Marine Ministry announced it will raise the wreck of the MS Sea Diamond, which sank in the Santorini ten years ago after striking a reef.

The ship sank in water that was more than 300 feet deep. All passengers were rescued with the exception of two, a 45-year-old French passenger and his teenage daughter which were presumed to have drowned.

Greek officials said the ship now poses an environmental and navigational risk. A timeline on the process of raising and disposing of the ship was not offered.

On April 15, 2007, the 33,390-ton, 1,600 passenger Sea Diamond hit a reef off Santorini and sank 15 hours later. The captain was quoted in Greek media at the time as saying that strong currents forced the ship into the reef.

The captain and several other officers were later indicted on charges of causing a shipwreck through negligence, breaching international shipping safety regulations and polluting the environment.
With no path to win, Mastriano still silent on conceding blowout loss
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Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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Conagra Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer packaged goods food company in North America. The company operates in four segments: Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice. The Grocery & Snacks segment primarily offers shelf stable food products through various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated & Frozen segment provides temperature-controlled food products through various retail channels in the United States. The International segment offers food products in various temperature states through retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment offers branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and various custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company sells its products under the Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera brands. The company was formerly known as ConAgra Foods, Inc. and changed its name to Conagra Brands, Inc. in November 2016. Conagra Brands, Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company, provides various banking and nonbanking products to individuals and businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The company operates through three segments: Corporate and Commercial Specialty; Community, Consumer, and Business; and Risk Management and Shared Services. Its Corporate and Commercial Specialty segment offers lending solutions, including commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, letters of credit, leasing, asset based lending, and loan syndications; deposit and cash management solutions, such as commercial checking and interest-bearing deposit products, cash vault and night depository services, liquidity solutions, payables and receivables solutions, and information services; specialized financial services such as interest rate risk management, foreign exchange solutions, and commodity hedging; fiduciary services such as administration of pension, profit-sharing and other employee benefit plans, fiduciary and corporate agency services, and institutional asset management; and investable funds solutions such as savings, money market deposit accounts, IRA accounts, CDs, fixed and variable annuities, full-service, discount and online investment brokerage; investment advisory services; and trust and investment management accounts. The company's Community, Consumer, and Business segment offers lending solutions, such as residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, auto loans, business loans, and business lines of credit; and deposit and transactional solutions such as checking, credit, debit and pre-paid cards, online banking and bill pay; and money transfer services. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 215 banking branches. Associated Banc-Corp was founded in 1861 and is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Citizens Bank, National Association that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. The Consumer Banking segment offers deposit products, mortgage and home equity lending products, credit cards, business loans, wealth management, and investment services; and auto, education, and point-of-sale finance loans, as well as digital deposit products. This segment serves its customers through telephone service centers, as well as through its online and mobile platforms. The Commercial Banking segment provides various financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, and interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as syndicated loans, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity capital markets services. This segment serves government banking, not-for-profit, healthcare, technology, professionals, oil and gas, asset finance, franchise finance, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, private equity, and sponsor finance industries. It operates approximately 1,200 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia; 114 retail and commercial non-branch offices in national markets; and approximately 3,300 automated teller machines. The company was formerly known as RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and changed its name to Citizens Financial Group, Inc. in April 2014. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1828 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
The 14th annual Ho`ike (hula exhibition show) presented by Halau Hula Napuaokalei`ilima will include authentic Hawaiian hula, culture and music. Kumu Hula Kehau Chrisman will host the event on a Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m., at the Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts (280 Camp Lincoln Road in Camp Verde).

Students will demonstrate hula they have learned featuring mele (songs) emphasizing Hawaiian leis. Hawaii themed items for sale and as well as several unique Hawaiian artifacts in a silent auction.

Halau Hula Napuaokalei`ilima includes members from the Verde Valley, Flagstaff and Prescott Valley. For more information, go to www.arizonahula.com. Tickets are $18 before Oct. 29 and $20 thereafter; ages 7-17 are $9 in advance and kids ages six and younger are free.

Email Wanda Billings-Reber at wanma@aol.com for ticket information.
Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. operates as a savings and loan holding company for Flagstar Bank, FSB that provides commercial and consumer banking services to consumer, commercial, and government customers in the United States. It operates in three segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Originations, and Mortgage Servicing. The Community Banking segment offers various products, such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, home builder finance loans, and warehouse lines of credit. It also provides other financial services, including consumer and corporate card services, customized treasury management solutions, merchant services, and capital markets services, such as loan syndications, and investment and insurance products and services. This segment serves consumer, business, and mortgage lending customers through its branch banking, business and commercial banking, government banking, and warehouse lending. The Mortgage Originations segment originates, acquires, and sells one-to-four family residential mortgage loans through mortgage branches, call centers, the Internet, and third-party counterparties. The Mortgage Servicing segment offers services and subservices mortgage and other consumer loans; and services loans for its loans held-for-investment and loans held-for-sale portfolios, as well as noninterest-bearing escrow services. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 158 full service banking branches; and mortgages through a wholesale network of brokers and correspondents in 50 states, as well as 83 retail locations and 3 call centers in 28 states. Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan.
Telefonica, S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company's mobile and related services and products comprise mobile voice, value added, mobile data and Internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone services; local, domestic, and international long-distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; supplementary value-added services; video telephony; intelligent network; and telephony information services, as well as leases and sells handset equipment. The company also provides Internet and broadband multimedia services comprising Internet service provider, portal and network, retail and wholesale broadband access, narrowband switched access, high-speed Internet through fibre to the home, and voice over Internet protocol services. In addition, it offers leased line, virtual private network, fibre optics, web hosting and application, outsourcing and consultancy, desktop, and system integration and professional services. Further, the company offers wholesale services for telecommunication operators, including domestic interconnection and international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators; and local loop leasing services, as well as bit stream services, wholesale line rental accesses, and leased ducts for other operators' fiber deployment. Additionally, it provides video/TV services; smart connectivity and services, and consumer IoT products; financial and other payment, security, cloud computing, advertising, big data, and digital telco experience services; virtual assistants; digital home platforms; and Movistar Home devices. It also offers online telemedicine, home insurance, music streaming, and consumer loan services. The company was incorporated in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.
The following companies are subsidiares of Novo Nordisk A/S: Aldaph SpA, Beijing Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Science & Technology Co. Ltd., CS Solar Fund XIV LLC, Calibrium, Corvidia, Corvidia Therapeutics Inc., Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc., Emisphere Technologies, Emisphere Technologies Inc., MB2 LLC, NNE A/S, Neotope Neuroscience Limited, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk (Pty) Limited, Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Pharma Trading Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk B.V., Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Novo Nordisk Colombia SAS, Novo Nordisk Comercio Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Novo Nordisk Denmark A/S, Novo Nordisk Egypt LLC, Novo Nordisk Farma OY, Novo Nordisk Farma S.R.L., Novo Nordisk Farma dooel, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica Limitada, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Finance (Netherlands) B.V., Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Novo Nordisk Hellas Epe., Novo Nordisk Holding Limited, Novo Nordisk Hong Kong Limited, Novo Nordisk Hrvatska d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Hungaria Kft., Novo Nordisk Inc., Novo Nordisk India Holding Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk India Private Limited, Novo Nordisk Kazakhstan LLP, Novo Nordisk Kenya Ltd., Novo Nordisk Lanka (PVT) Ltd, Novo Nordisk Limited, Novo Nordisk Limited Liability Company, Novo Nordisk Ltd, Novo Nordisk Mexico S.A. de C.V., Novo Nordisk North America Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Norway AS, Novo Nordisk Panama S.A., Novo Nordisk Pars, Novo Nordisk Peru S.A.C., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Private) Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Singapore) Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Taiwan) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Thailand) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma AG, Novo Nordisk Pharma Argentina S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma EAD, Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf FZE, Novo Nordisk Pharma Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharma Korea Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations (Business Area) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharma S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma SARL, Novo Nordisk Pharma SAS, Novo Nordisk Pharma Sp.z.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o. Belgrade (Serbia), Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries LP, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Services Sp. z o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals (Philippines) Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech US Inc., Novo Nordisk Production SAS, Novo Nordisk Production Support LLC, Novo Nordisk Producao Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Region AAMEO and LATAM A/S, Novo Nordisk Region China A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Europe A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Japan & Korea A/S, Novo Nordisk Research Center Indianapolis Inc., Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., Novo Nordisk S.P.A., Novo Nordisk Saglik Urunleri Tic. Ltd. Sti., Novo Nordisk Saudi for Trading, Novo Nordisk Scandinavia AB, Novo Nordisk Service Centre (India) Pvt. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Slovakia s.r.o., Novo Nordisk Tunisie SARL, Novo Nordisk US Bio Production Inc., Novo Nordisk US Commercial Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk US Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk Ukraine LLC, Novo Nordisk Venezuela Casa de Representacion C.A., Novo Nordisk d.o.o., Novo Nordisk s.r.o., PT. Novo Nordisk Indonesia, S.A. Novo Nordisk Pharma N.V., UAB Novo Nordisk Pharma, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Ziylo, and Ziylo Limited.

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Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures, and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company operates through Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics segments. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, and markets a range of reagents, apparatus, and laboratory instruments that are used in research techniques, biopharmaceutical production processes, and food testing regimes. It focuses on selected segments of the life sciences market in proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety. This segment serves universities and medical schools, industrial research organizations, government agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology researchers, food producers, and food testing laboratories. The Clinical Diagnostics segment designs, manufactures, sells, and supports test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories in the diagnostics market. This segment offers reagents, instruments, and software, which address specific niches within the in vitro diagnostics test market. It sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, state newborn screening facilities, physicians' office laboratories, and transfusion laboratories. In addition, the company offers products and systems to separate complex chemical and biological materials, as well as to identify, analyze, and purify components. The company offers its products through its direct sales force, as well as through distributors, agents, brokers, and resellers. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.

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TransUnion provides risk and information solutions. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytics to businesses. These businesses use its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. This segment serves various industry vertical markets, including financial services, insurance, tenant and employment, collections and services, technology, commerce and communication, public sector, media, and other markets. The International segment offers credit reports, analytics, technology solutions, and other value-added risk management services; and consumer services, which help consumers to manage their personal finances and consumer credit reporting, insurance and auto information solutions, and commercial credit information services. This segment serves customers in financial services, retail credit, insurance, automotive, collections, public sector, and communications industries through direct and indirect channels. The Consumer Interactive segment provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, identity protection and resolution, and financial management solutions that enable consumers to manage their personal finances and take precautions against identity theft. This segment offers its products through online and mobile interfaces, as well as through direct and indirect channels. The company serves customers in approximately 30 countries and territories, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as TransUnion Holding Company, Inc. and changed its name to TransUnion in March 2015. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Hilltop Holdings Inc. provides business and consumer banking, and financial products and services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, equipment loans and leases, agricultural and commercial real estate loans, and other loans; and commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance. This segment also provides treasury management, wealth management, asset management, check cards, safe deposit boxes, online banking, bill pay, trust, and overdraft services; and estate planning, management and administration, investment portfolio management, employee benefit accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as automated teller machines. The Broker-Dealer segment offers public finance services that assist public entities in originating, syndicating, and distributing securities of municipalities and political subdivisions; specialized advisory and investment banking services; advice and guidance to arbitrage rebate compliance, portfolio management, and local government investment pool administration; structured finance services, which include advisory services for derivatives and commodities; sells, trades in, and underwrites U.S. government and government agency bonds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds, as well as mortgage-backed, asset-backed, and commercial mortgage-backed securities and structured products. This segment also provides asset and liability management advisory, clearing, retail, and securities lending services. The Mortgage Origination segment offers mortgage, jumbo, Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs, and United States Department of Agriculture loans. Hilltop Holdings Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Snap-on Incorporated manufactures and markets tools, equipment, diagnostics, and repair information and systems solutions for professional users worldwide. It operates through Commercial & Industrial Group, Snap-on Tools Group, Repair Systems & Information Group, and Financial Services segments. The company offers hand tools, including wrenches, sockets, ratchet wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, punches and chisels, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, torque measuring instruments, and other products; power tools, such as cordless, pneumatic, hydraulic, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and other products. It also provides handheld and computer-based diagnostic products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems and services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics. In addition, the company offers solutions for the service of vehicles and industrial equipment that include wheel alignment equipment, wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane equipment, collision repair equipment, vehicle air conditioning service equipment, brake service equipment, fluid exchange equipment, transmission troubleshooting equipment, safety testing equipment, battery chargers, and hoists, as well as after-sales support services and training programs. Further, it provides financing programs to facilitate the sales of its products and support its franchise business. The company serves the aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation, and technical education industries, as well as vehicle dealerships and repair centers. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 438,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 100,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,485 megawatts (MW), including 53 MW of solar capacity and 252 MV of wind capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,065,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 577,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 68,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 272,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 32,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 16,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 90,200 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 50,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada.
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Yiren Digital Ltd., through its subsidiaries, operates as an online consumer finance marketplace that connects borrowers and investors in the People's Republic of China. It offers loan facilitation services; and post-origination services, such as cash processing, collection, and SMS services. The company's loan products portfolio includes unsecured consumer loans; secured consumer loans, which include secured financial leasing, auto-secured, and property-secured loans; and small business loans. It also distributes short-term cash management, mutual fund investment, insurance, and securities and stock products. In addition, the company provides online investor education services, which include a range of asset allocation and investment topics, and various types of training programs on wealth planning, market insights, and investment strategies; consultancy; information technology support; referral; and IT, system maintenance, and customer support services. Further, it is involved in the provision of services for financing lease and insurance brokerage businesses. The company offers its products through www.yxpuhui.com, and a wealth management website and mobile application. As of December 31, 2021, it offered approximately 6,500 mutual fund products and 500 insurance products. The company was formerly known as Yirendai Ltd. and changed its name to Yiren Digital Ltd. in September 2019. Yiren Digital Ltd. was founded in 2012 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. Yiren Digital Ltd. is a subsidiary of Creditease Holdings (Cayman) Limited.
Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in the United States and internationally. The company provides Duck Creek Policy, a solution that enables insurers to develop and launch new insurance products and manage various aspects of policy administration ranging from product definition to quoting, binding, and servicing; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. It also offers Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, the company provides Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business, such as commercial auto, inland marine, and workers compensation. It has a partnership with Shift Technologies, Inc. to implement AI fraud detection. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Greenhill & Co., Inc., an independent investment bank, provides financial and strategic advisory services to corporations, partnerships, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. The company offers advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, private capital raising, and other similar transactions. It also advises clients on strategic matters, including activist shareholder defense, special committee projects, licensing deals, and joint ventures; and valuation, negotiation tactics, industry dynamics, structuring alternatives, and timing and pricing of transactions, as well as financing alternatives. In addition, the company provides restructuring advisory services to debtors, creditors, governments, and other stakeholders, and acquirers of distressed companies and assets; and advice on restructuring alternatives, capital structures, and sales or recapitalizations. Further, it assists clients in identifying and capitalizing on incremental sources of value; and on court-assisted reorganizations by developing and seeking approval for plans of reorganization, as well as the implementation of such plans. Additionally, the company advises on private placements of debt and structured equity, refinancing of existing debt facilities, negotiating the modification, and amendment of covenants, as well as acts as an independent advisor. It also offers financial advisory services to pension funds, endowments, and other institutional investors on transactions involving alternative assets; and advice to alternative asset fund sponsors for private capital raising, financing, restructuring, liquidity options, valuation, and related services. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Block, Inc. is the parent company to a host of digital financial solutions including Square. The company was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey (also founded Twitter) and Jim McKelvey as a solution to a problem faced by McKelvey. Mr. McKelvey was unable to complete a transaction because he was unable to accept credit cards and that provided inspiration for Mr. Dorsey. The firm was founded in St. Louis but now has no official headquarters, instead choosing to do most work remotely or from one of several key hubs. That decision was made in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when it became clear telecommuting was a solution that worked.

The original Square app provides a multitude of payment and POS solutions that include hardware and software. The hardware includes the iconic Square card mag-stripe reader that can be plugged into any tablet or smartphone as well as many other solutions. The software enables sellers to turn their smart devices into POS on a temporary or permanent/dedicated basis.

The company went public in 2015 when it IPOd on the NASDAQ stock exchange and then later decided to change its name to Block to better represent the business. Today, Block, Inc. operates as a network of businesses that are working together to expand access to the economy. The core brands are Square, CashApp, AfterPay, Weebly, Tidal, Spiral, and TBD.

The Square brand encompasses all the core business including but not limited to hardware and its related software. The CashApp business is a money transfer solution that is working to make money more available and universally acceptable. Afterpay is a buy-now-pay-later service. Weebly is an eCommerce and web hosting service for small and medium-sized businesses. Tidal is a platform for musicians and artists to connect with fans and monetize their brands. Spiral is the firm's cryptocurrency division and TBD is a division focused on crypto, specifically building a crypto platform.

Block, Inc. stunned the market in 2020 when it began to purchase Bitcoin. Then Square, the company purchased Bitcoin in two transactions for a total of $210 million. The holdings amount to 8,027 Bitcoins which were worth $154.75 million in October 2022. The purpose of Spiral is to fund open-sourced applications that encourage and facilitate the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Mr. Dorsey remains the CEO and chairman of Block, Inc. The company employs more than 8,500 individuals across its footprint and netted $17.66 billion in revenue for 2021. Mr. Dorsey is also the companys largest shareholder with about 10% of the shares.
Daimler AG, together its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses in Germany and internationally. It operates through Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks and Buses, and Daimler Mobility segments. The Mercedes-Benz Cars segment offers premium and luxury vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand, including the Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and Mercedes-EQ brands; small cars under the smart brand name; and ecosystem of Mercedes-Benz under the Mercedes me brand, as well as vans and related services under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands. Daimler Trucks and Buses segment offers its trucks and special vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO, and BharatBenz brands; and buses under the Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses, and FU brands, as well as bus chassis. The Daimler Mobility segment provides financing and leasing packages for end-customers and dealers; and automotive insurance brokerage, banking, investment, and fleet management services under the Athlon brand. It also sells vehicle related spare parts and accessories. Daimler AG was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany
Mistras Group, Inc. provides technology-enabled asset protection solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Services, International, and Products and Systems. It offers non-destructive testing services; predictive maintenance assessments of fixed and rotating assets; inline inspection for pipelines; and develops enterprise inspection database management software and plant condition management software. The company also provides maintenance and light mechanical services, such as corrosion removal, mitigation and prevention, insulation installation and removal, electrical, heat tracing, industrial cleaning, pipefitting, and welding; engineering consulting services primarily for process equipment, technologies, and facilities; and utilizes scaffolding and rope access to access at-height and confined assets. In addition, it offers certified divers for subsea inspection and maintenance; unmanned aerial, land-based, and subsea systems for inspection applications; online condition-monitoring solutions; quality assurance and quality control solutions for new and existing metal and alloy components, materials, and composites. Further, the company designs and installs monitoring systems, as well as provides commissioning, training, reporting, technical support, and annual maintenance services; Web-based solutions; and custom-developed software. Additionally, it designs, manufactures, and sells acoustic emission sensors, instruments, and turnkey systems for monitoring and testing materials, pressure components, processes, and structures, as well as automated ultrasonic systems and scanners. The company serves oil and gas, commercial aerospace and defense, fossil and nuclear power, alternative and renewable energy, industrial, public infrastructure, petrochemical, transportation, and process industries, as well as research and engineering institutions. Mistras Group, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Princeton Junction, New Jersey.
CA, Inc., doing business as CA technologies, develops, markets, delivers, and licenses software products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, and Services. The Mainframe Solutions segment offers solutions for the IBM z Systems platform, which runs various mission critical business applications. Its mainframe solutions enable customers enhance economics by increasing throughput and lowering cost per transaction; increasing business agility through DevOps tooling and processes; increasing reliability and availability of operations through machine intelligence and automation solutions; and protecting enterprise data with security and compliance. The Enterprise Solutions segment provides a range of software planning, development, and management tools for mobile, cloud, and distributed computing environments. It primarily provides customers secure application development, infrastructure management, automation, and identity-centric security solutions. The Services segment offers various services, such as consulting, implementation, application management, education, and support services to commercial and government customers for implementation and adoption of its software solutions. The company serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, information technology service providers, telecommunication providers, transportation companies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through various partner channels comprising resellers, service providers, system integrators, managed service providers, and technology partners. The company was formerly known as Computer Associates International, Inc. and changed its name to CA, Inc. in 2006. CA, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. manufactures and sells motorcycles. The company operates in two segments, Motorcycles and Related Products and Financial Services. The Motorcycles and Related Products segment designs, manufactures, and sells Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including cruiser, touring, standard, sportbike, and dual models, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and related services. This segment sells its products to retail customers through a network of independent dealers, as well as e-commerce channels in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The Financial Services segment provides wholesale financing services, such as floorplan and open account financing of motorcycles, and parts and accessories; and retail financing services, including installment lending for the purchase of new and used Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as point-of-sale protection products comprising motorcycle insurance, extended service contracts, and motorcycle maintenance protection. This segment also licenses third-party financial institutions that issue credit cards bearing the Harley-Davidson brand. Harley-Davidson, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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The two October Photos of the Month for the Flagstaff Photography Club are Big Daddy Dune- Sossusvlei by Barry Lutz and California Sister Butterfly by Dave Greve.

The photo of Big Daddy Dune was taken just after sunrise in the Sossusvlei area the the Namib Desert in Namibia, and million-year-old desert that stretches to the Atlantic Coast. This dune is the highest dune in Sossusvlei and second highest in the Namib Desert.

The club meets on the third and fifth Thursdays of each month at the Montoya Community Center from 6-8 p.m. Visitors are welcome.
The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United states and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers workers' compensation, commercial automobile and property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, employers' liability, public and product liability, professional indemnity, marine, aviation, onshore and offshore energy, construction, terrorism, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance products. This segment operates through select accounts, which serve small businesses; commercial accounts that serve mid-sized businesses; national accounts, which serve large companies; and national property and other that serve large and mid-sized customers, commercial trucking industry, and agricultural businesses, as well as markets and distributes its products through brokers, wholesale agents, and program managers. The Bond & Specialty Insurance segment provides surety, fidelity, management and professional liability, and other property and casualty coverages and related risk management services through independent agencies and brokers. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals through independent agencies and brokers. The Travelers Companies, Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.
FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc. provides digital payment solutions for businesses to control purchases and make payments. It offers corporate payments solutions, such as accounts payable automation; Virtual Card, which provides a single-use card number for a specific amount usable within a defined timeframe; Cross-Border that is used by its customers to pay international vendors, foreign office and personnel expenses, capital expenditures, and profit repatriation and dividends; and purchasing cards and travel and entertainment cards for its customers to analyze and manage their corporate spending. The company also provides employee expense management solutions, including fuel solutions to businesses and government entities that operate vehicle fleets, as well as to oil and leasing companies, and fuel marketers; lodging solutions to businesses that have employees who travel overnight for work purposes, as well as to airlines and cruise lines to accommodate traveling crews and stranded passengers; and electronic toll payments solutions to businesses and consumers in the form of radio frequency identification tags affixed to vehicles' windshields. In addition, it offers gift card program management and processing services in plastic and digital forms that include card design, production and packaging, delivery and fulfillment, card and account management, transaction processing, promotion development and management, website design and hosting, program analytics, and card distribution channel management. Further, it provides other products consisting of payroll cards, vehicle maintenance service solution, long-haul transportation solution, prepaid food vouchers or cards, and prepaid transportation cards and vouchers. The company serves business, merchant, consumer, and payment network customers in North America, Brazil, and Internationally. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Eagle Materials Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces and supplies heavy construction materials and light building materials in the United States. It operates through Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Gypsum Wallboard, and Recycled Paperboard segments. The company engages in the mining of limestone for the manufacture, production, distribution, and sale of Portland cement; grinding and sale of slag; and mining of gypsum for the manufacture and sale of gypsum wallboards used to finish the interior walls and ceilings in residential, commercial, and industrial structures. It also manufactures and sells recycled paperboard to gypsum wallboard industry and other paperboard converters, as well as containerboard and lightweight packaging grades. In addition, the company engages in the sale of ready-mix concrete; and mining, extracting, production, and sale of aggregates, including crushed stones, sand, and gravel. Its products are used in commercial and residential construction; public construction projects; and projects to build, expand, and repair roads and highways. The company was formerly known as Centex Construction Products, Inc. and changed its name to Eagle Materials, Inc. in January 2004. Eagle Materials Inc. was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
A secret about sexual harassment on the job is finally coming to light. It's not that harassment is still rampant in some industries, recalling the worst of the "Mad Men" days. Or that networks of women quietly help to protect their co-workers from the worst offenders. The real secret is that our regulatory and judicial systems are complicit in protecting harassers from public exposure and opprobrium. Recent revelations about Bill O'Reilly, Roger Ailes and Harvey Weinstein show that they confidentially settled harassment claims in the millions of dollars over decades, using legal maneuvers to keep their conduct under the radar. How common is this?

Since 1986, when the Supreme Court first recognized that sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, employers and their attorneys have generally insisted that victims who receive financial settlements as a result of harassment allegations sign confidentiality agreements. In my three decades of research and litigation on harassment claims, corporate officials have always insisted that unless settlements are confidential, firms will be overwhelmed by a deluge of accusations, with every disgruntled employee looking for a payout.

A typical confidentiality clause prohibits the employee not only from revealing the amount paid to her but also from discussing the facts and allegations relating to the underlying events. Often, these clauses contain a "liquidated damages" provision: If the facts are revealed, the employee automatically owes the employer some astronomical sum. Liquidated damages generally include the amount paid in the settlement and sometimes much more, especially if the settlement amount was small. This keeps many victims of harassment from making their experiences known to others who might face the same dangers.

In some instances, confidentiality clauses might protect an employee as well as her employer: Some women don't want it known that they have made a harassment complaint, believing that it will hamper their future career prospects. But, according to my research, most confidentiality clauses are one-way, preventing revelations about the employer; they don't address what can be said about the employee. It takes a savvy lawyer to negotiate a good reference and nondisclosure on the part of the employer also.

One reason it takes so long for sexual discrimination cases to emerge is that these lawsuits are governed by a certain timeline. In 1998, the Supreme Court decided that an employee must first make an internal complaint and that employers must have policies to afford workers that opportunity. Many incidents are resolved at this stage, with financial compensation and a confidentiality agreement. These deals never become public, and there is no way of knowing just how many such agreements have been reached with a certain employer.

If a victim and a company can't resolve their dispute, the next step for the employee is to file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the equivalent state or local agency - in the District of Columbia, for example, this is the Office of Human Rights. Under the legal test known as "exhaustion of administrative remedies," this charge generally is a prerequisite to any court action. In 2016, the EEOC received almost 13,000 such claims, and probably at least that number were filed locally. The EEOC can be dreadfully slow in assessing these claims: As of the end of 2016, there were over 73,000 cases in the EEOC's backlog.

While the government can bring court actions for employees, in 2016 the EEOC initiated only 46 cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. For the vast remainder of the claims, the EEOC only conducts investigations, which may result in mediation and conciliation efforts, or no action at all. That's not an unusual outcome. In 2016, the EEOC found that there was no probable cause to investigate further in the majority of the complaints filed.

Except for its court filings (which may not name the harasser, since the action is against the company), the EEOC proceeds under guarantees of confidentiality. In fact, Title VII specifically mandates that the agency may not disclose to the public charges of employment discrimination or information about conciliation, with violations punished by fines up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to a year. This is why even now - amid reports of millions of dollars in payouts - we have no idea how many, if any, EEOC charges were filed against O'Reilly, Ailes or Weinstein.

Eventually, often after a very long wait, the EEOC will inform the employee that it has either found probable cause or no cause to bring a case. If nothing is resolved at the EEOC level, the employee has the right to bring a lawsuit. Here for the first time in the process, allegations may become public, since federal and state court complaints and further proceedings are generally matters of public record. In fact, it was Gretchen Carlson's 2016lawsuit against Ailes that set in motion the litany of revelations that led to his ouster.

But despite the theoretical openness of court proceedings, much of what happens in litigation still remains secret. Less than 3 percent of employment discrimination cases go to trial, with a public verdict. Legal scholars and researchers estimate that close to 80 percent of the cases result in settlements, with the remainder dismissed before trial. Cases that settle are protected by confidentiality agreements, so we don't know what the terms look like.

Another factor that contributes to secret settlements relates to how attorneys are paid for representing employees and the pressure they may place on their clients. Most employment lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, receiving a percentage - usually one-third - of the settlement. When an employer offers a sum to make a case go away, it comes attached to a confidentiality clause; if the plaintiff refuses the clause, she gets nothing at all - and neither does her lawyer. Ethical standards enforced by state bar associations and courts require that settlement decisions be made by clients, but attorneys who want to collect their fees have every incentive to steer their clients toward accepting the confidentiality clause. And retainer agreements often say an attorney may withdraw if a client "unreasonably" fails to accept a settlement offer. Some lawyers have been known to switch to an hourly fee if a client refuses a settlement, an ethically questionable tactic that can make it financially impossible for the employee to continue with her claim.

Confidentiality agreements help protect serial harassers. But with public attention now focused on harassment, victims and their lawyers can shift the balance of power in settlement negotiations. They can agree with their lawyers at the outset that they will not accept a settlement that includes confidentiality - just as defendants now claim that they will never settle without it. Plaintiffs must be equally assertive, especially once a court action is filed and the underlying facts are in the public record. If employers balk, they can always go to trial and take their chances in front of a jury.

At the EEOC level, it will take congressional action to eliminate the secrecy of the proceedings. But now is a good time for civil rights and women's organizations to take up this battle. We need an agency database revealing exactly what claims have been filed against a particular employer and what the government found in each case: whether there was "reasonable cause" or "no cause" to believe there was discrimination. This kind of transparency would go a long way toward ensuring that employers put an end to harassment at the first sign of trouble.
On Thursday, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board recklessly voted to approve recommendations that call on the Bureau of Land Management to shoot tens of thousands of healthy wild horses and burros.

At its meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado, the advisory board recommended that BLM achieve its on-range population goal of 26,715 wild horses and burros while also phasing out the use of long-term holding facilitiesboth within three years.

If Congress allowed BLM to follow through on the independent boards recommendations, that would mean the government shooting at least 90,000 healthy animals. The advisory board has no power to control policy.

The board also called for allowing international adoptions and sales, which have not been allowed before. During its deliberations, the board repeatedly referenced a proposal made by a private party to have American taxpayers pay to ship upwards of 20,000 wild horses to Russiawhere they would serve as prey animals for big cats.

Killing tens of thousands of wild horses and burros would be a betrayal of millions of taxpayers who want wild horses protected as intended in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and who have invested tens of millions of dollars in their care, said Neda DeMayo, president of Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation.

BLM has been tasked by Congress with the responsibility of protecting wild horses. The agency has failed over and over, wasting time on think tanks, challenge concepts and meetings that go nowhere instead of directing resources toward actually managing land, water and habitat on the range and building a robust volunteer effort to help with critical projects benefiting wild horses and other wildlife.

BLM has been close to its Appropriate Management Level before, but the agency balked at using fertility control despite ample evidence that it was safe and effective. The number of wild horses on the range stood within 1,071 animals of BLMs own population goal in 2007, yet even then the agency chose not to aggressively implement fertility control.

In fact, BLM has never spent as much as four percent of its Wild Horse & Burro Program budget on this safe, proven and humane solution for wild horse population control; instead, it spends upwards of 65 percent of its annual budget capturing, removing and warehousing animals.

Return to Freedoms American Wild Horse Sanctuary was among the first of many projects to use fertility control with great success. It has used the vaccine PZP for 19 years with an efficacy rate of 91 to 98 percent.

Meanwhile, wild horses continue to be dramatically outnumbered on federal land by privately owned livestock, which graze there at a fraction of the cost that ranchers would pay on private property.

A balance must be struck between ranching and mining interests and wild horses and other wildlife as part of a fair interpretation of BLMs multiple-use mandate on the range, said DeMayo. There needs to be a fairer distribution of resourcesnot more biased reports and recommendations aimed at capturing, removing or killing wild horses.

BLM and the U.S. Department of the Interior must stop catering to those who profit from public lands and manage them for all Americans. It is time to stop treating Americas wild horses and burros like an unwanted invasive species and start becoming real stewards by using the safe, proven and humane tools available, in keeping with the spirit of the Act and the will of the public.

Polls have repeatedly shown that about 80 percent of Americans oppose horse slaughter and a similar percentage want to see wild horses protected.

A March 1 BLM estimatemade before this years foal cropplaced the on-range population of wild horses and burros at 72,674. As of August, the agency reported that 44,640 captured wild horses and burros were living in off-range facilities, including 32,146 on leased pastures referred to as long-term holding.

On Thursday, wild horse advocate Ginger Kathrens of the Cloud Foundation was the lone dissenting vote on recommendations that BLM achieve Appropriate Management Level of 26,715 in three years, close long-term holding in three years, and allow international sales and adoptions. She joined the others on the board in voting to recommend that BLM increase its funding of reversible fertility control to $3 million by fiscal year 2019, up from about $100,000 in 2017.

Kathrens noted that BLMs arbitrarily set Appropriate Management Level is only about 1,000 wild horses and burros more than the estimated population at the time of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was signed. The lawwhich Congress passed unanimouslystated that wild horses and burros were fast disappearing from the American scene.

The advisory boards recommendation would have BLM spend money saved on long-term holding on on-range management and increasing adoptions. Those adoptions would likely spare only a fraction of wild horses on the range or in holding from death. In 2017, BLM has adopted out only about 4,200 wild horsesits best total in years.

In September 2016, the advisory board voted to recommend destroying captive wild horses and removing all restrictions to their sale, which would allow buyers to purchase them on the cheap and transport them to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Again, Kathrens was the lone no vote.

In July, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill that removed language that would bar BLM from killing healthy wild horses. The Senate Appropriations Committee could vote on its version of the Interior bill as soon as next week.

It will take time, commitment and diligenceand a real planbut we have science that clearly shows the path to a sustainable future for wild horses and burros, DeMayo said. Its not going to happen overnight, but it must be done and it must start now. The American people need to rally and urge Congress to force BLM to humanely manage these iconic, federally protected animals on the range.
BOSTON - Ketamine, a medication commonly used for pain relief and increasingly used for depression, may help alleviate migraine pain in patients who have not been helped by other treatments, suggests a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

The study of 61 patients found that almost 75 percent experienced an improvement in their migraine intensity after a three- to seven-day course of inpatient treatment with ketamine. The drug is used to induce general anesthesia but also provides powerful pain control for patients with many painful conditions in lower doses than its anesthetic use.

"Ketamine may hold promise as a treatment for migraine headaches in patients who have failed other treatments," said study co-author Eric Schwenk, M.D., director of orthopedic anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "Our study focused only on short-term relief, but it is encouraging that this treatment might have the potential to help patients long-term. Our work provides the basis for future, prospective studies that involve larger numbers of patients."

An estimated 12 percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines - recurring attacks of throbbing or pulsing moderate to severe pain. A subset of these patients, along with those who suffer from other types of headaches, do not respond to treatment. During a migraine, people are often very sensitive to light, sound and may become nauseated or vomit. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men.

The researchers reviewed data for patients who received ketamine infusions for intractable migraine headaches - migraines that have failed all other therapies. On a scale of 0-10, the average migraine headache pain rating at admission was 7.5, compared with 3.4 on discharge. The average length of infusion was 5.1 days, and the day of lowest pain ratings was day 4. Adverse effects were generally mild.

Dr. Schwenk said while his hospital uses ketamine to treat intractable migraines, the treatment is not yet widely available. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital will be opening a new infusion center this fall that will treat more patients with headaches using ketamine. "We hope to expand its use to both more patients and more conditions in the future," he said.

"Due to the retrospective nature of the study, we cannot definitively say that ketamine is entirely responsible for the pain relief, but we have provided a basis for additional larger studies to be undertaken," Dr. Schwenk added.

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES17.
BOSTON - Patients significantly overestimate the anticipated amount of pain they'll experience following surgery, which researchers say can cause unnecessary anxiety in patients, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting. Patients who receive regional anesthesia, such as peripheral nerve blocks, epidurals or spinal anesthesia, were most likely to overestimate their postoperative pain.

"We believe providers need to do a better job of counseling patients on realistic pain expectations," said study co-author Jaime L. Baratta, M.D., director of regional anesthesia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. "This is especially true for patients receiving regional anesthesia who may not fully understand the benefits of nerve blocks and other regional anesthesia procedures aimed at preventing postoperative pain."

During regional anesthesia, the physician anesthesiologist makes an injection near a cluster of nerves to numb the area of the body that requires surgery. The patient may remain awake or be given a sedative. Either way, the patient does not feel the surgery taking place.

Patients receiving regional anesthesia before surgery may experience unnecessary anxiety and have exaggerated pain expectations simply because they do not understand regional anesthesia's pain relieving benefits, the researchers said.

The study included 223 patients, averaging 61 years old, who were undergoing orthopedic, neurosurgical, or general surgery procedures. Of these, 96 received some type of regional anesthesia (spinal, epidural or peripheral nerve block). Of the 96 patients, 80 had no general anesthesia, while 16 had general anesthesia with a peripheral nerve block before or after surgery. The remaining 127 patients received only general anesthesia. Patients completed a questionnaire before surgery to evaluate what level of postoperative pain they expected on a 0-10 scale. Following surgery, they were asked about their level of pain in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) one hour following surgery and on the first day after surgery.

Patients' average expected pain rating immediately following surgery was 4.66, compared to an actual pain rating of 2.56. The average expected pain rating on the first day after surgery was 5.45, compared to an actual pain rating of 4.30.

Patients who had regional anesthesia had an average expected pain rating in the PACU of 4.63, compared to an actual pain rating of 0.92. The average expected pain rating for these patients on the first day after surgery was 5.47, compared to an actual pain rating of 3.45.

"With advancements in regional anesthesia, great strides have been made in preventing postoperative pain. Given the clear benefit of patient education and anxiety alleviation on postoperative pain, providers must find ways to effectively manage patient expectations to help improve outcomes," said study co-author Amir C. Dayan, M.D.

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES17.
BOSTON - Elderly patients who had emergency repair of a fractured hip were much less likely to die or make a return visit to the emergency room (ER) after discharge if they received care under the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model of care, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

PSH patients were also far more likely to go home, rather than to a rehabilitation facility, after discharge from the hospital, according to the study. The PSH is a patient-centric, physician-led, team-based system of coordinated care that guides patients through the entire surgical experience, from the decision to undergo surgery to discharge and beyond.

"The PSH has fundamentally changed the outcomes that matter to patients, which is particularly impressive in this extremely high-risk population," said Chunyuan Qiu, M.D., lead author of the study and physician anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, Baldwin Park, California. "Our research suggests the PSH is beneficial not just for patients having planned procedures, but also for those having high-risk emergency surgeries."

Because bones tend to weaken with age, elderly people are at greater risk of falling and fractures - with hip fractures being particularly common. More than 300,000 people 65 and older are hospitalized for hip fractures every year. Treatment typically involves surgery, including replacement of the entire hip, or stabilizing it with metal rods, screws and plates so the bone can heal.

The author's institution created a PSH protocol that is activated when a patient is admitted to the ER with a likely hip fracture. The operator contacts and loops in the various teams, including the ER, anesthesiology, orthopedics, internal medicine and operating-room scheduling so they can begin readying the patient for surgery within 24 hours. The various teams coordinate as they manage preparations for surgery, including pain control, blood tests, imaging and optimizing medical problems and medications prior to surgery.

The single-center study compared outcomes of 222 hip fracture patients treated prior to the implementation of the PSH, to 118 patients who were treated afterward. Researchers reported:

- Death rates for the PSH group were reduced by half or more: 1.7 percent of non-PSH patients died in the hospital, compared to less than 1 percent of PSH patients. Thirty days after discharge 3.2 percent of non-PSH patients died vs. none of the PSH patients, and after 90 days, 6.3 percent of non-PSH vs. 2.5 percent of PSH patients died.

- PSH patients were less likely to visit the ER after they were discharged from the hospital after surgery: 9.5 percent of non-PSH patients vs. 5.1 percent of PSH patients visited the ER within 30 days after discharge, while 23.4 percent of non-PSH patients vs. 14.4 percent of PSH patients went to the ER within 90 days of discharge.

- PSH patients were much more likely to be discharged to their homes instead of a nursing home or other rehabilitation facility: 16.2 percent of non-PSH patients went directly home, compared to 40.7 percent of PSH patients.

Additionally, while 30-day hospital readmissions were slightly higher in the PSH group (13.6 percent) than in the non-PSH group (12.6 percent), the difference was statistically insignificant, and 90-day readmissions were significantly lower in the PSH group (17.8 percent) than the non-PSH group (23.9 percent).

"Hip fractures are extremely expensive, and we found the PSH significantly reduces those costs," said Dr. Qiu. "The model has been so successful, it is now spreading to 13 medical centers within our system."

###

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring that physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during, and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care that every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES17.
Our region has suffered monumental tragedy since the wildfire siege began late Sunday night. In the face of this tragedy, North Bay counties have responded with unprecedented generosity and decisive cooperation.

Nevertheless, with a vacancy rate of 2 percent, housing stock was already in short supply in Sonoma County, and we now face the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses across our four-county region. We must all do what we can to act with compassion and offer service to those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and loved ones.

Regrettably, we are already hearing reports from residents being overcharged for products and services. We urge everyone to remain vigilant and report price gouging. This week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, alongside district attorneys in Sonoma and Napa, issued alerts detailing the features of price gouging, and committing to investigating allegations with the utmost seriousness.

From the President to the Santa Rosa City Council, each level of government has declared states of emergency in California. The state and federal declarations have triggered special protections under California Penal Code 396 that prohibit raising the price of consumer goods and services by more than 10 percent. To ensure consumer protection throughout the disaster and recovery effort, these restrictions are enforced statewide during and after the crisis, not just in the county or city in which the disaster is taking place.

Section 396 applies to individuals and businesses and covers major necessities, including hotels and other types of lodging, rental housing, food and drink for people and animals, emergency and medical supplies, construction tools, transportation, storage, gasoline, repair and reconstruction services, and more. The statute generally applies for 30 days after the emergency declaration. For reconstruction services and emergency cleanup, it applies for 180 days after the declaration. Local officials can extend the 30-day period up to 180 days in 30-day increments.

Violators are subject to criminal prosecution that can result in a one-year imprisonment in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Violators are also subject to civil enforcement actions including civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, injunctive relief and mandatory restitution.

We urge everyone to educate themselves and others about the anti-price gouging statute, and to combat exploitation during this disaster by reporting suspected cases to local and state officials.

As we endeavor toward repopulation and rehousing, we implore the cities and counties of Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino to renew their commitment to housing. Residents are in crisis and we must make unrivaled strides to expedite permitting and rebuilding, and in our ability to provide temporary and permanent shelter throughout the North Bay counties.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, Environmental & Consumer Protection, da.sonoma-county.org, (707) 565-5317.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, Consumer & Environmental Protection Division, countyofnapa.org/da/consumerdivision, 707) 253-4059.

Mendocino County District Attorney David C. Eyster, mendocinocounty.org/government/district-attorney, (707) 463-4211.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, oag.ca.gov, (800) 952-5225.

Diana Gorsiski, President

Tracy Houtari, Chief Executive Officer
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Farmers are urging the government to take action to protect the countryside from fly-tippers who are ruining Britain's landscape with "giant piles of waste".

Taxpayers had to cough up 58m to clear over one million incidents of fly-tipping in England during 2016-17.

It is the fourth year in a row that incidents increased, according to new government figures by Defra.

Large scale coordinated dumping continues to be a regular occurrence in the countryside, with many incidents involving clinical waste and rubbish from construction and demolition.

Cleaning up rubbish can often cost farmers thousands to remove. For example, a landowner was left with a bill running over 100,000 after he was left more than 250 tonnes of rubbish on his field.

Numerous rural organisations have spoke of different ways to combat the plight of rubbish.

The NFU believes a joined-up approach is needed involving the Government, local authorities and police to help farmers battle the issue.

Under current rules farmers and landowners are left facing hefty bills to remove vast amounts of rubbish dumped illegally on their land.

'Scourge of the countryside'

NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said fly-tipping really has become the "scourge" of the countryside.

The rubbish can be costly and time consuming for farmers and landowners to remove, its dangerous to human health, harmful to wildlife and livestock and in some cases, fly-tipped waste pollutes watercourses and contaminates land, Ms Batters said.

While farmers and landowners do all they can to prevent fly-tippers, such as installing gates, barriers, warning signs and installing security cameras and lighting, in many cases we have found that deterrents do not work.

Ms Batters said fly-tippers are people "intent" on breaking the law, and "think nothing" of cutting padlocks, breaking gates and smashing cameras.

She continued: We need to clamp down on this huge and growing problem. The NFU wants to see Government pull together a national picture of fly-tipping and use it to coordinate all agencies to target and deter offenders.

We believe better communication between Government, local authorities, police forces and the Environment Agency will give those impacted more confidence to report incidents that in turn will lead to investigation and prosecution.

Fly-tipping Tsar

The CLA, a rural organisation which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses, has called for vehicles to be seized as the default penalty for fly-tipping as part of tougher punishments for waste crime.

The group also recommends enforcing fines for home and business owners whose waste is found in fly-tipped locations and appointing a Fly-Tipping Tsar to co-ordinate with national agencies on the scale of this organised crime.

CLA President Ross Murray said: Fly-tipping is just getting worse and worse. It is a national disgrace. Prosecutions for this crime are ludicrously low, and have decreased by a further 25%.

It is high time that Government took a much more active role in tackling this blight on the countryside. Todays shocking figures dont even include rubbish fly-tipped on private land, which landowners clear up as local authorities only clear from public land.

Greater penalties should be imposed and enforced including seizing fly-tippers vehicles, and victims should be better supported. We are calling for the appointment of a national fly-tipping Tsar to co-ordinate and oversee a more pro-active effort to get to grips with this national disgrace.
UK-Australia trade deal 'gave away far too much', Eustice admits
The ninth international conference on agricultural competitiveness was held in Beijing on Thursday.



Sponsored by the editorial office of China Agricultural Economic Review, an academic journal, China Agricultural University, and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

The annual conference has acted as a platform for Chinese and international scholars to share the newest academic findings, which may help tackle pressing problems pertaining to China's agricultural and rural development. The theme of conference this year was "Agricultural Competitiveness in China: Assessment, Challenge and Options".

This year, the conference received more than 190 paper submissions, among which 69 were accepted for conference presentation.

More than 150 participants from 10 countries, such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan, attended the conference to present their research findings.

Their presentations were divided into 16 sections, including agricultural policy, poverty and farmland transfer, rural labor and migration, and food consumption, nutrition and health.

There also were renowned speakers giving speeches at the opening ceremony. Chen Xiwen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultation Conference and deputy director of the CPPCC Economic Committee, shared his views about the causes of the lack of competitiveness in China's agriculture. These included the rise of factor prices, the decline of energy prices and specific government policies.

Fan Shenggen, director-general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, listed some of the challenges faced by global agriculture in his speech and suggested that developing countries, including China, need a new agri-food system that is nutrition and health-driven, productive and efficient, inclusive, business-friendly and environmentally sustainable and climate-smart.

To develop such a system, he said developing countries should take measures, such as promoting climate-smart agricultural technologies and using Information Communications Technology (ICT) to link smallholders to urban consumers.

China Agricultural Economic Review, launched in 2008 by China Agricultural University and the Emerald Publishing Group in the United Kingdom, is the third social science journal published on the Chinese mainland that is SSCI indexed, according to Su Baozhong, director of the journal's editorial office.

The journal has become a bridge connecting agricultural economic research in China and the international academic community and a channel to promote the international reputation of Chinese agricultural economists, he said.

China DailyUpdated: 2017-10-20

 
Travel credit cards offer all kinds of perks that make traveling more enjoyable and easier on your wallet. Below are the types of benefits available with travel cards. Once you know which benefits you want, you can look for cards that have those features.

Purchase rewards: Travel credit cards earn rewards on purchases, and you can redeem them for free travel. Many of the most popular travel cards also have bonus categories in which you earn more rewards than the standard rate. If you find a card with bonus categories that match your spending habits, you can maximize your rewards.

Sign-up bonus: Most travel cards include a sign-up bonus offer, which is a big chunk of rewards you can earn as a new cardholder. To get the bonus, you need to complete the terms. This usually requires spending a certain amount on the card within a timeframe, such as $3,000 in the first three months.

Airport lounge access: Airline credit cards and premium travel credit cards often include complimentary access to airport lounge programs. If you spend a lot of time at the airport, this perk can make waiting for your flight more comfortable.

Free checked luggage: Many airline credit cards allow you to check one or more bags for free. Depending on the card, companions traveling on the same itinerary may get to share in this benefit.

Free night certificate: A common feature of hotel credit cards is a yearly free night certificate. Terms apply on when and where you can use these certificates, and they usually don't work at the most expensive properties. However, they can still save you $100 or more.

Travel protections: Travel cards often include complimentary protections on eligible purchases such as:

Car rental loss and damage insurance

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Trip delay insurance

Lost luggage reimbursement

Spending credits: Premium travel credit cards with high annual fees typically have spending credits to balance out their fees. These credits automatically apply on eligible purchases. Here are a few examples:

A membership fee credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or CLEAR

An annual credit covering travel purchases

A monthly credit for Uber, DoorDash, or other popular apps

Elite loyalty program status: Gaining elite status in airline and hotel loyalty programs normally requires that you make quite a few bookings. Some credit cards let you cut the line by offering cardholders complimentary elite status with one or more loyalty programs.
Max Verstappens hopes of winning the 2017 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix took a major  though not unexpected  hit on Saturday morning when it was confirmed that Red Bull have changed power unit elements on his car.

It means the Dutchman will be penalised 15 grid places for Sundays race in Austin, thanks to his use of a sixth engine and sixth MGU-H this season  only four are permitted under the F1 sporting regulations.

Verstappen joins Renaults Nico Hulkenberg, Toro Rosso debutant Brendon Hartley, and McLarens Stoffel Vandoorne on the penalty list.
Daniel Ricciardo says he doesnt expect Max Verstappen to receive any preferential treatment from Red Bull, despite the Dutchman committing his long-term future to the team.

Red Bull announced on Friday that Verstappen will remain with the Milton Keynes-based squad until the end of 2020, with team principal Christian Horner saying that the 20-year-old was in the best place in the sport to build a team around him.

Ricciardo, however, dismissed the importance of Horners language, and comments from Red Bull's motorsport supremo Helmut Marko, who later added that the teams ambition was to make Verstappen the youngest champion in F1 history.

For sure as far as media goes [Max] certainly gets a lot of attention, said the Australian, who has yet to sign a new deal with Red Bull.

As far as taking the media out of it, as far as whats happening inside the team, new parts on the car and things like this, theres always been parity and equality. As far as Im concerned its a bit of media stuff and not anything internal, so thats fine, I have no concern with that.

Speaking to UK broadcasters Sky Sports, Marko revealed that Verstappen himself had instigated his new contract.
Ferrari have elected to change Sebastian Vettels chassis after the German experienced problems in Fridays second practice session in Austin.

Having been late to go out on track in FP2 as Ferrari made changes to his car following first practice, Vettel then had a huge slide off the road at Turn 19 and spent some time in the pits before re-emerging.

The four-time world champion was third fastest after completing his run on the ultrasoft rubber, but he soon returned to the pits complaining that something felt weird with the front axle and ultimately clocked just 11 laps.

It was a complicated afternoon and not an easy session said Vettel, but the car is quick, so we dont need to worry too much about it.

The only lap I had was the one with the ultrasofts. Before that, I made a mistake taking too much risk and pushing too early.

The track was quite slippery and I lost the rear under braking. So, we lost a set of tyres, and then again, towards the end of the session, I felt that something was not right with the car.

So, we checked a couple of times and now we are looking at the car to see if we can find something.

I need to find the rhythm tomorrow and make sure everythings in order.

Vettel came into the weekend trailing Lewis Hamilton by 59 points in the drivers standings with four races remaining.

If Hamilton were to win on Sunday, Vettel would have to finish fifth or higher to prevent the Briton from joining him in becoming a four-time world champion.

The German's car will be re-scrutineered ahead of final practice on Saturday morning.
Nokia 9 in Black leaks showing fingerprint sensor at the rear News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Nokia 9 leaks again showing its rear design.

Earlier this week, HMD announced the launch of the Nokia 7 in China. Within days of its launch, it looks like the company is gearing up for the next big announcement.

Well, the talk is about the Nokia 9. There were media reports tipping that the Nokia 9, Nokia 7, and Nokia 2 will be unveiled at the MWC 2018 in late February in Barcelona. However, the Nokia 7 went official in the Chinese market tipping that the company might have different plans. In the meantime, the Nokia 9 has shown up in a new leak confirming its rear design.

Just a few days back, we saw the concept renders of the Nokia 9 hit the web via a video posted by a reputable tipster. Now, the rear panel of the alleged HMD flagship phone that has been leaked shows the positioning of the dual cameras, flash and fingerprint sensor at the rear. The image leaked on Baidu via Nokia Power User also tips that the Nokia 9 might be launched in a Black color variant in addition to the Blue and Copper options we have seen earlier.

Apart from the rear design, this Nokia 9 leak does not reveal any further information about the smartphone. From the previous reports, we know that the smartphone might boast of an edge-to-edge 3D glass display, an almost bezel-less design, 6GB or 8GB RAM, 128GB storage option, dual cameras with the Carl Zeiss branding as in the Nokia 8 and IP68 dust and water resistant certification.

As mentioned above, the leaked image shows the presence of the fingerprint scanner at the rear of the Nokia 9 below the camera. This makes us believe that the Nokia 9's bezel-less design will leave no room for the home button at the front forcing the company to position the sensor at the rear.

From the existing information, the Nokia 9 is said to be priced around 749 euros that translates to Rs. 57,000 approximately.

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A Havasupai tribal member arrested last month on animal cruelty charges related to one of his pack horses will no longer face those charges in federal court.

Instead, Cecil Watahomigie was prosecuted and pled guilty to animal cruelty and alcohol possession charges in Havasupai Tribal Court on Thursday, the day before he was set to appear in federal court.

Watahomigie lives in the village of Supai on the Havasupai reservation and owns horses that he uses to haul goods  mainly tourists gear  to and from the popular waterfalls just below the village.

He was arrested Sept. 19 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on charges of animal neglect and failure to provide medical attention to one of his pack horses, which was found to be malnourished, abused and suffering from multiple untreated wounds and open sores.

He was also charged with a misdemeanor related to the possession of alcohol, which is illegal on the reservation.

In tribal court on Thursday, Watahomigie pled guilty to one count of animal cruelty and one count of liquor possession, both of which violate tribal law.

He was sentenced to a 30-day jail term that is suspended for the term of his probation, which is six months. His horse will remain in the custody of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for at least three months. The sentence calls for tribal animal control and/or probation officials to inspect Watahomigies horses at random, without notice and provide monthly updates. Watahomigies confiscated horse could be returned to him if he is able to demonstrate that he is able to properly care for his horses.

In Fridays hearing at U.S. District Court in Flagstaff, U.S. Attorney Paul Stearns announced that the federal government would move to dismiss all three charges against Watahomigie because they were being addressed in tribal court.

Watahomigie declined to comment as he left the courtroom.

According to a statement provided by the Havasupai Tribe earlier this month in response to Watahomigies case, the tribe has hired for the first time a tribal prosecutor who is a licensed attorney and a tribal court judge who is also an attorney.

These efforts have resulted in animal abuse convictions by the Havasupai Tribal Court, said the statement, provided by a public relations firm hired by the tribe.

Stearns acknowledged the hiring of those legal officials and the tribes implementation of animal care standards for pack horses, saying that while there is still work to do, the tribe has made a lot of progress in the past year and a half.

A year and a half ago, another member of the Havasupai Tribe, Leland Joe, was arrested by federal authorities on animal cruelty charges. Four of Joes horses were found to be severely underweight and had open sores on their backs, hips and shoulder areas from packs constantly rubbing against their skin. After pleading guilty to two animal cruelty misdemeanor charges related to one of the horses, Joe was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and was ordered to permanently give up all four of the horses that were confiscated by the BIA during his arrest.

It was the first known federal prosecution of animal cruelty in Indian Country, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

HISTORY OF HORSE ABUSE

A Flagstaff veterinarian who evaluated Watahomigies horse in July characterized its body condition as a 2.5 to 3 out of a 9-point scale. An optimum body score for working horses is 5 or 6 and the tribes standards state that horses must meet a score of 4 to be approved for packing.

According to court documents, the veterinarian said Watahomigies horse suffered from chronic malnourishment, open and chronic skin lesions resulting from poorly fitted packs and a lesion on its tongue suggesting it had at one point been nearly severed.

According to additional evidence filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Watahomigies case, several other horses that had been under his care or ownership suffered from extreme malnutrition and mistreatment.

This evidence predates the current case and will support that the condition of the horse at issue in this case was not an accident, a mistake, or a one off' condition. Moreover, this evidence will support the defendants knowledge and intent, in that he uses and abuses his horses, and then gets rid of them, often selling them to rescue groups or concerned individuals, the U.S. Attorneys Office stated in its filing.

The evidence refers to two horses that a citizen rescued from Watahomogie in June 2016 and March 2017. Photos of the horse rescued in 2016 shows the animal was severely underweight, with skin stretched taut over its ribs and backbone, and had overgrown hooves. It was eventually euthanized.

Other horses were rescued from Watahomigie in approximately 2014, one of which was extremely emaciated and malnourished with hooves that were not properly maintained, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office evidence.

TRIBAL RESPONSE

The Havasupai Tribes statement emphasized its continuing partnership with animal welfare groups like the Humane Society of the United States. Such work aims to provide ongoing training, care and equipment for pack animals in Supai. The tribe's Animal Control Office enforces regulations daily regarding animal packing and health and the tribe has made prosecution of animal cruelty-related offenses a top priority, according to the statement.

The Tribe is very concerned about the health and welfare of our animals. So many of our tribal members rely on them for income, but they mean something more than just that to us. We have grown up around our horses and mules; cruelty is not the Havasupai way," Tribal Chairman Don E. Watahomigie said in the statement. "With our tribal prosecutor and tribal judge, along with the animal control office, we are working diligently to identify those few tribal members who engage in this type of behavior and allow our tribal court system to prosecute such individuals.

Watahomigie is not immediately related to Cecil Watahomigie, according to the public relations firm that provided the statement.

In an interview last year, Watahomige noted the challenge of importing horse feed to the village of Supai, eight miles into the Grand Canyon.

Our feed comes 100-some miles away and then has to be brought down by horse, packed down, and sometimes that is not easy, the chairman said at the time.

About 30 percent of Havasupai Tribal members live below the poverty line, according to the latest Census Bureau data, and the cost of feeding and properly taking care of a pack horse amounts to thousands of dollars a year.

Soleil Dolce, vice president of Arizona Equine Rescue Organization, estimated it costs $4,800 annually to provide adequate feed and care for a working horse, but thats for a horse in the Phoenix area. The situation in Supai is much different. There is no veterinarian, so much of the care is done by volunteer organizations that make trips to the reservation, while feed must be brought in from far away, so costs are ratcheted up, Dolce said.

Feed expenses are even higher for horses that are underweight and recovering from wounds and mistreatment. Michelle Ryan, executive director of the Coconino Humane Association, which has taken in several horses from the Havasupai Reservation, said the nonprofit spent an average of $550 per horse for veterinary services and $200 per month per horse for feed when they were trying to help the animals gain weight.
NATO opens espionage hub in Poland to counter Russia

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 01:21AM

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has opened an espionage hub in Poland, in a bid to strengthen the 29-member military alliance's ability to gather intelligence amid tensions with Russia.

Located in the southern city of Krakow, the new facility is focused on "developing the basic norms, principles and activities" for NATO allies' spy agencies, Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said during the opening ceremony on Thursday.

Noting that espionage "covers all areas of life" today, the official said the military and critical civilian infrastructure were more than ever vulnerable to cyber-tools and conventional spying.

The Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence (CI COE) is NATO's 24th formally endorsed COE, which according to the alliance's website, "aims to expand the capabilities of the alliance and its member nations to enhance NATO counter-intelligence and improve interoperability."

The COEs are coordinated by the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, the US state of Virginia, and carry out a range of activities from cyber defense and military medicine to counter-terrorism.

Speaking at the presence of his Hungarian, Romanian and Slovak counterparts, Macierewicz said the new center was "fundamentally important, especially in the face of threats from Russia."

NATO's relations with Moscow have hit their lowest point since the Cold War over the conflict in Ukraine, leading to a spike in espionage claims on both sides.

Earlier this month, NATO claimed that Russia was targeting allied soldiers' smartphones seeking information on operations and troop strength.

In August, Lithuania's Defense Ministry announced that NATO air police jets had intercepted Russian spy planes above the Baltic Sea on three occasions in just two days.

Moscow, on the other hand, has been critical of Washington for establishing a missile network in Europe and on the Korean Peninsula that the Kremlin says can gather information on Russia using their advanced radars.

NATO has been deploying weapons and equipment to its eastern frontier with Russia, backed by four international battalions that the US-led alliance's officials say act as tripwires against possible "Russian aggression."

In May, the US Army set up a new European headquarters in Poland to command some 6,000 of its troops deployed across the alliance's eastern flank since the beginning of this year.

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Mattis Discusses Niger Operation, Asks Media to Stop Second-Guessing

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2017  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the Defense Department will make a report on the recent deaths of U.S. soldiers in Niger when it is appropriate and asked the media to not second-guess the leaders of the operation on the ground.

Mattis, speaking just before a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, expressed his condolences to the families of the four soldiers.

"I just say we honor the troops, every one of them," he said. "Every life is critical. These young people look past the hot political rhetoric and sign up, volunteer for the armed forces. They're part of the 1 percent that are willing to do so in our country, these young men and women."

The secretary said the United States has been working to improve the combat capabilities and capacities of nations in West Africa to defeat the terrorist threats represented by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and other terror groups who "foment instability and murder and mayhem."

The United States has about 1,000 troops in the region who work with about 4,000 French service members. "We're providing refueling support, intelligence support, surveillance support," he said. "But also we have troops on the ground. Their job is to help the people in the region learn how to defend themselves. We call it foreign internal defense training, and we actually do these kinds of missions by, with and through our allies."

Under Investigation

Mattis said the soldiers' deaths are under investigation. "We in the Department of Defense like to know what we're talking about before we talk, and so we do not have all the accurate information yet," he said. "We will release it as rapidly as we get it because we are very proud of our troops."

The department investigates whenever there is a death or serious accident.

"At the same time, war is war, and these terrorists are conducting war on innocent people of all religions," the secretary said. "They're conducting war on innocent people who have no way to defend themselves. And I would just tell you that in this specific case, contact was considered unlikely."

The possibility of contact with the enemy a consideration when training allied troops, the secretary said. "It is often dangerous; we recognize that," he said. "We have been unapologetic about standing by our allies and certainly, the French, with 4,000 troops [in the region], have been engaged down there for years and have lost many, many more troops."

Mattis only recommends placing troops in such situations if it is in the best interests of the American people.

"One point I would make having seen some of the news reports -- the U.S. military does not leave its troops behind, and I would just ask that you not question the actions of the troops who were caught in the firefight and [not] question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once," the secretary said. "And I would also ask -- don't confuse your need for accurate information with our ability to provide it immediately in a situation like this."

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U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 20, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting eight strikes consisting of 13 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of six engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a headquarters structure and a vehicle.

-- Near Ash Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of seven engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Qaim, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device factory and damaged three ISIS-held buildings.

-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed three ISIS tunnels.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed an ISIS weapons cache and a VBIED factory.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world.

This coalition strike release contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing, or remotely piloted aircraft, rocket propelled artillery and ground-based tactical artillery.

A strike, as defined in the coalition release, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect in that location. For example, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined.

CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on 'Z' or Greenwich Mean Time.

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U.S., Philippine Airmen Join Forces for Pacific Responder 17

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher Quail 36th Wing

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam, Oct. 20, 2017  Airmen with the 36th Contingency Response Group and the Philippine air force members participated in the first Pacific Responder exercise held here Sept. 23-29, 2017.

The weeklong exercise focused on leadership planning and disaster response execution. Subject matter experts in the fields of command and control, security forces, engineering assistance, structures and aircraft maintenance came together to exchange their experiences and expertise.

Improving Interoperability

"The main objectives are to improve U.S. and Philippine interoperability, gaining understanding of the humanitarian aid and disaster relief response procedures and to focus on leadership planning," said Air Force Master Sgt. Carlo Narvasa, 36th CRG flight chief of operations.

Throughout the week, the subject matter experts exchanged knowledge and ideas through hands-on exercises and discussions on U.S. and Philippine air force expertise. Each squadron within the 36th CRG welcomed the Philippine air force representatives with demonstrations of their capabilities.

Airmen from the 36th Mobility Response Squadron set up displays of equipment ranging from forklifts to all-terrain vehicles for the first visit. Philippine airmen toured the 736th Security Forces Squadron on the second stop, including the operations cell, which is responsible for coordinating plans, training, movements and communications.

The 644th Combat Communications Squadron set up displays of equipment including radios and antennas. Lastly, the 554th RED HORSE [Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers] Squadron demonstrated their construction equipment and capabilities.

"Now I better understand the capabilities of the 36th CRG and their criteria for disaster response," said Philippine air force Capt. Jean Bibon, 15th Strike Wing helicopter pilot. "After this exercise, I know that in times of a natural disaster, we will be able to come together and work more efficiently."

Earthquake Scenario

The exercise concluded with a table top scenario that put participant's skills into practice. The scenario simulated responding to a major earthquake that struck the Philippines with a 7.1 magnitude.

"At the end of the week, it was clear that strong relationships were built between the U.S. and Philippine participants," said Air Force Capt. Rachelle Crespo, 36th CRG air advisor. "PAF utilized the knowledge provided by their U.S. Air Force counterparts during the final exercise and debrief."

The 36th CRG intends to expand the framework of the Pacific Responder exercise, to include other partner nations and allies for four more exercises until 2021. Building strong partnerships and exchanging expertise benefits the U.S. and partner nations by enabling them to better respond together when the time arises.

"Pacific Responder 17 allowed us to increase our understanding of how the 36th CRG squadrons conduct HA/DR [humanitarian aid and disaster relief] here on Guam," said Philippine air force Maj. Hazel C. Bracamonte, 602nd Aerodrome Operations Squadron commander. "The knowledge gained opens up the doors for improvement of current HA/DR procedures and work relationship among PAF and the U.S. Air Force."

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Army, DOD officials outline defense modernization priorities

By David Vergun, Army News ServiceOctober 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Getting effective, cutting-edge technologies into the hands of warfighters has often been a slow and laborious process, said Steffanie B. Easter, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology.

But the Army is working to turn this around and make the process more effective, she said, while speaking during a press conference at the Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 11.

For example, the Army has been doing incremental releases of requests for proposals to speed up the process, instead of waiting for the entire RFP to be formulated.

Industry likes doing it that way, she said, and the incremental approach gives them more time to collaborate.

Another effort, Easter said, is that within the acquisition community, the Army is trying to ensure that new employees have all their certifications and training in place on the first day they start work. Similarly, she said, those leading acquisition efforts should have well-rounded experiences, such as having worked in the private sector or possibly as warfighters as well.

Besides efforts to streamline acquisition, the Army is now trying to sort out which of the 800 current programs of record it really needs, because sustainment of those programs is expensive, and outdated programs are ineffective against near-peer adversaries.

"We want the latest and greatest capability early on," she said.

Finally, Easter said, there needs to be a culture change within the acquisition community that emphasizes honesty with everyone about what works and what doesn't.

"No one wants their [failed] program of record to be a case study at [Defense Acquisition University], but we need to share what goes right and what doesn't," she said.

Ellen M. Lord, under secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said she totally agrees with Easter's assessment and solutions and added some of her own.

For starters, DOD needs to take more programs of record that aren't joint in nature out of DOD hands and return responsibility for them back to the services, said Lord, who has 33 years of corporate experience in the automotive and aerospace industry.

Lord also said that the Army is similar to a very large corporation, and must work harder to mimic the practices of some of the most effective private companies.

For instance, the DOD might become more experienced at using predictive analytics to explore the effects of potential disaster scenarios on its operations, so that in the event of a man-made or natural disaster, it is better able to get back to business.

"DOD doesn't yet have that capability," she said.

The Department must also "look seven levels down" to see where shortages in the industrial base might occur if contracts are terminated, she said.

If production suddenly needs to be ramped up for an operation against a peer adversary, the DOD needs to have a reliable industrial base that can respond, she said. If industry writes off the DOD, then there will be no one to respond.

Lord said that a hot-button issue for her is software development.

"We're taking way too long to get code out there -- weeks and months. Programmers should be coding every day like they do in the commercial sector," she said, adding that it's "hurting us and causing our overmatch capability to be diminished. We need to be more agile when it comes to software coding."

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis; Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces, France October 20, 2017

Remarks by Secretary Mattis at an Honor Cordon Welcoming Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces, France, to the Pentagon

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE JIM MATTIS: Well Minister Parly, we welcome you and Ambassador Araud, thank you for being here. Military officers, members of the delegation, you are very welcome here in the Pentagon. And I especially appreciate the opportunity to meet again after our short discussion in Brussels.

And I would have to note at this point that following the ambush of U.S. troops in Niger last week, just thank you for your support and for your letter of condolence for our fallen following the attack. In the U.S. military, we have deep appreciation for France's expression of solidarity.

And we are grateful that we continue to stand together. We are also grateful that you've called following the hurricanes that hit in the Caribbean and our southern coast, and your offer of assistance during those difficult days.

And we here know that relationships never stay the same. They either get better or get weaker. And we are absolutely committed to making them stronger, the relationship that you and I have inherited in our respective jobs, Minister.

Also, just a reminder sometimes to go back to first principles. And as of yesterday marked the anniversary of when our troops together first fought in their first big victory, as this young upstart country was granted its independence as a result of the Battle of Yorktown.

And our troops marched together then under General Washington, General Rochambeau and General Lafayette, they were brothers in arms then, they remain brothers in arms today. Because from the Revolutionary War did General Pershing's statement of Lafayette.

We are here and the 100 year anniversary that was beautifully celebrated in your capital of Paris back in July with President Trump present. I would just tell you that our relationship has endured through thick and thin, through good times and bad times.

And I think it's a shared spirit of liberty, fraternity, and equality. Of the protection of liberty that we both are committed to, a spirit of fraternity that is demonstrated by our militaries toward each other on many battlefields.

But also a spirit of equality, of respect for each other as equal democracies in this world. And today, France remains one of the United States military's strongest allies, from Operation Barkhane to counter-terrorism efforts in Africa's Sahel region.

To leading by example at the Wales Pledge, having committed to increase defense spending to two percent, and France remains our security partner of choice today.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Drian wrote, we are, quote, "committed to strengthening the historic partnership between France and the United States in the face of shared threats."

And those threats transnational terrorism, certainly we have threats to NATO from the south and North Korea's reckless provocations and great power in competition. We have read your letters, Madam Minister, and we were cheering on this side of the pond.

Today, we will discuss pragmatic steps of how we can further strengthen our security relationship on these and other issues. And I look forward to hearing your thoughts on security situation and the issues that concern you the most.

So Madam Minister and members of the delegation, thanks to you again and you are most welcome here, each of you. Madam Minister, if you'd like to say a few words. I know we're wearing out your voice on this trip.

MIN. PARLY: Well, I would be delighted. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. It's an honor for me to be here, that's my first visit to Washington D.C. It's my first (inaudible) as minister for the armed forces of France. Again, I would like to celebrate the quality of the relationship that we have together.

It's not new, it comes from history. That it's still and it's a day to day corporation that you experience. We do a lot of things together. We thank you for the support you are giving to us; support in the fight with (inaudible) yourself, and also what we did together in the Levant in Syria and Iraq.

And that matter is of course something I'd like to discuss with you because today of this week is a very good week. Raqqa fell, so this is something that we -- we were expecting for such a long time that the day it happens, we have to celebrate that, even if we know that the fight against terrorism is not yet won.

But it's not only a symbolic success, symbolic for the French particularly, because the -- the orders and the instructions to start the terrorism against Bataclan in Paris came from people who were based in Raqqah. So this is something which is extremely meaningful for us. But it's -- we -- we, together, won a battle but not completely the war. And so what comes next is of course something I would like very much to discuss with you.

And we have also major concerns, as you mentioned, with Iran, with North Korea, which I will share with you. So these are the many topics among others that we could discuss.

SEC. MATTIS: Absolutely.

FRENCH MINISTER FOR THE ARMED FORCES FLORENCE PARLY: Thanks again.

SEC. MATTIS: Thank you, Madam Minister, and we'll ask the press to excuse themselves.

Q: Mr. Secretary, is it true you wanted to get the FBI involved in the Niger investigation, why? And Madam Minister, why didn't you just bomb the militants that were attacking during the Niger attack?

SEC. MATTIS: Thank you very much.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1349766/

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USS Carl Vinson Conducts F-35C Flight Operations

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS171020-07

Release Date: 10/20/2017 11:49:00 AM

By MC2 Rebecca Sunderland, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The Navy's first stealth fighter conducted flight operations Oct. 18, aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as the aircraft carrier trained off the coast of Southern California.

An F-35C Lightning II, the Navy variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, landed on and launched from Carl Vinson during day and nighttime operations, completing another step toward becoming an operationally capable aircraft.

"The training helped us to confidently land and launch an aircraft we've never dealt with before," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Alexsis Labrake. "Being the first to ever do it on the Vinson was a pretty cool experience."

The aircraft from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125, based in Lemoore, California, flew aboard as Carl Vinson conducted carrier qualifications.

"We're supporting efforts to flight test the current helmet mounted display system," said Lt. Cmdr. Josh Reynolds, VFA-125's operations officer.

The F-35C is the world's only fifth generation, long-range stealth strike fighter designed and built for aircraft carrier operations. It is scheduled to achieve initial operating capability for the Navy late next year.

Carl Vinson will likely be the first West Coast-based carrier to deploy with an F-35C squadron after undergoing a scheduled maintenance period in 2019.

"It really is a first," said Reynolds. "For the first time we will have the ability to launch a stealthy, deep-strike outfit from a carrier that can take part in penetration of enemy air defenses on day one."

Commissioned in 1982, Carl Vinson is America's third Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship's primary mission is to conduct sustained combat air operations with an air wing complement of more than 60 aircraft.

Vinson operates with a strike group that serves as the Navy's premier forward-deployed force, providing a deterrent against aggression and protecting U.S. interests around the world.

The unique capabilities of the F-35C, coupled with proven aircraft in the current U.S. inventory, significantly enhance the carrier strike group's battle space awareness, lethality and survivability.

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10 dead as Saudi warplanes bomb civilian targets in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:53AM

Saudi warplanes have bombed residential areas in the Sa'ada and Hajjah provinces of Yemen, killing at least 10 civilians, including an entire family.

The Saudi air raids, which targeted the city of Ghamr in Sa'ada on Friday, left six civilians dead, while four others, all members of the same family, lost their lives in similar attacks in the Abs city of Hajjah.

Both provinces are located in northwestern Yemen and have shared borders with Saudi Arabia.

In another incident, a civilian was killed due to Saudi shelling in the city of Mawza in Ta'izz Province, the al-Masirah television network reported.

In retaliation, Yemeni snipers shot dead three Saudi soldiers in the kingdom's Asir region. They also fired a Zelzal-1 (earthquake-1) missile toward Saudi forces at the border with Saudi Arabia were they had congregated.

In early May, al-Masirah reported that Yemeni sharpshooters had managed to fatally injure as many as 64 Saudi troops in April alone.

A report by Reuters published in April last year said that at least 400 Saudi soldiers had been killed in cross-border fire since the start of the Saudi war against Yemen in March 2015.

The Riyadh regime has maintained a policy of ambiguity regarding its casualties in the war on Yemen. Senior military officials have said that they would not release such information until after the war.

Over the past two and a half years, Yemen has been under heavy airstrikes by Saudi Arabia's warplanes as part of a brutal war against the Arabian Peninsula country in an attempt to crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstall the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

More than 12,000 people have been killed since the onset of the campaign, and much of the country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been ravaged.

Ansarullah fighters, backed by the Yemeni army and popular forces, have been defending the country against the US-backed Saudi aggression.

The Saudi war has also triggered a deadly cholera epidemic across Yemen.

The UN says the Saudi war has left some 17 million Yemenis hungry, nearly seven million facing famine, and about 16 million almost without access to water or sanitation.

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'No one' can force Hamas to disarm or recognize Israel

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 19, 2017 07:06PM

The head of Hamas says "no one" can force it to disarm or recognize Israel after the US demanded the resistance movement meet those conditions as part of an emerging Palestinian unity government.

"No one in the universe can disarm us. On the contrary, we will continue to have the power to protect our citizens," Yahya Sinwar said on Thursday. "No one has the ability to extract from us recognition of the occupation," he added.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump's special representative for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, said any Palestinian government must recognize Israel and disarm Hamas.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, accused the Trump administration of "blatant interference in Palestinian affairs."

"It is the right of our people to choose its government according to their supreme strategic interests," he said.

Naim also said Greenblatt was bowing to pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing regime.

Netanyahu's cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday that Tel Aviv would not engage in negotiations with a future Palestinian unity government that had the backing of Hamas.

Both Hamas and its Ramallah-based rival Fatah were quick to brush off Netanyahu's threats, with the Palestinian Authority saying such a hostile stance would not affect the nation's resolve to pursue its goals.

Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas have been at odds ever since the latter scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in 2006. Hamas governs the Gaza Strip while Fatah has set up offices in the West Bank.

Last week, however, Fatah and Hamas signed a provisional unity agreement in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in which the latter agreed to dissolve its administrative committee in Gaza.

The ongoing negotiations are taking place within the framework of a 2011 agreement between the two sides, under which 3,000 Fatah security officers would join a Gaza police force over the course of a year.

Under that deal, Hamas' 25,000-strong armed wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam, which has defended Gaza against three deadly Israeli wars over the past decade, would maintain its position.

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U.S. Intelligence Chief Says Pakistani Action Needed Before Afghan Peace Talks

RFE/RL October 20, 2017

U.S. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the United States wants to draw the Taliban into peace talks in Afghanistan, but for that to happen, he says Pakistan must first ensure the militants cannot establish safe havens within its borders.

In a speech on October 19 at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank, Pompeo said for peace talks to move ahead, the Taliban must have no hope of winning on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

But he said that will not happen as long as the militants are able to establish sanctuaries in Pakistan.

The United States "is going to do everything we can, to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table in Afghanistan, with the Taliban having zero hope that they can win this thing on the battlefield," he said. "To do that you cannot have a safe haven in Pakistan."

U.S. officials have long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the presence on its territory of the Afghan Taliban and its allied Haqqani extremist network -- a charge Islamabad denies.

Seemingly to illustrate his point, Pompeo disclosed for the first time that the Central Intelligence Agency believes a U.S.-Canadian couple kidnapped by Haqqani militants in Afghanistan in 2012 were held in capitivity in Pakistan for five years before being freed last week.

His statement that American Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, were "held for five years inside of Pakistan" contradicted accounts offered by Pakistani officials, who said last week the family was rescued in Pakistan shortly after they crossed over from Afghanistan.

Pompeo's remarks targeting Pakistan reflect U.S. President Donald Trump's new strategy of placing pressure on Islamabad to rid its border area of extremist groups as part of a new push to try to win or end the 16-year U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Washington has threatened to cut military aid and take other punitive measures against Islamabad, including possibly targeting sanctions against Pakistani officials with links to militant organizations.

Islamabad has called the U.S. strategy an effort to "scapegoat" Pakistan for Washington's failure to win the war. But Pakistani officials last week also touted the hostage rescue as an example of their increased cooperation with Washington.

"I think history would indicate that expectations for the Pakistanis' willingness to help us in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism should be set at a very low level," Pompeo said.

"I think we should have a very real conversation with them about what it is they're doing, and what it is they should do, and the American expectations for how they should behave," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to visit Islamabad next week. Tillerson said on October 18 that the United States expected Pakistan "to take decisive action against terrorist groups."

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-intelligence -chief-pompeo-says-pakistani-action- needed-before-afghan-peace-talks-sanctuary- caitlin-coleman/28805388.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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At Least 72 Dead After Two Attacks On Mosques In Afghanistan

RFE/RL October 20, 2017

Afghan officials say suicide bombers have killed at least 72 people in two attacks on mosques in Afghanistan, as sectarian- and terror-related violence continues to surge in the war-torn country.

The death toll could rise sharply in the October 20 attacks on a Shi'ite mosque in the capital, Kabul, and on a Sunni mosque in the central Afghan province of Ghor, officials said.

So far, neither attack has been claimed.

The attacks come one day after 43 soldiers were killed and nine wounded in a Taliban attack on an army camp in the southern province of Kandahar.

In the Kabul attack, an Interior Ministry official said at least 39 people were killed and 45 wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up as worshippers were gathering for prayers at the Imam Zaman mosque in the western Dasht-e-Barchi section of the capital.

Some reports said the attacker opened fire before detonating his explosives.

The German news agency dpa quoted an unnamed security official as saying the death toll from the blast was likely closer to 70 or 80 people.

In the second attack, officials said at least 33 people were killed and 10 injured when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in Khewiagan, a Sunni mosque in the district of Dulaina in central Ghor Province. Some witnesses told RFE/RL the death toll was at least 30.

A local official said an anti-Taliban commander inside the mosque at the time may have been the target of the attack.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the attacks show that "the terrorists have once again staged bloody attacks, but they will not achieve their evil purposes and sow discord among the Afghans."

Afghanistan's minority Shi'ite population has been the target of several terror attacks this year, with the Taliban, Islamic State (IS), and other extremist groups being blamed for many of the attacks.

A previous attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul occurred on September 29 as Muslims prepared to commemorate Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar. Six people were killed in that attack.

A recent United Nations report said at least 84 people had been killed and 194 wounded so far in 2017 in attacks on Shi'ite mosques and religious ceremonies prior to the most recent incidents.

About 90 percent of the Afghan population is Sunni Muslim.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Reuters, AFP, AP, BBC, and Tolo News

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ afghanistan-kabul-mosque- attack/28806682.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Report: NATO Insufficiently Ready In Case Of Russian Attack

RFE/RL October 20, 2017

NATO would not be able to rebuff a potential Russian attack on its eastern flank, according to an internal report cited on October 20 by German weekly Der Spiegel.

The paper, titled Progress Report On The Strengthened Deterrence And Defense Capability Of The Alliance, pointed to significant deficiencies.

"NATO's ability to logistically support rapid reinforcement in the strongly expanded territory of the European commander's area of responsibility has atrophied since the end of the Cold War," Der Spiegel quoted the report as saying.

Even the strengthening of the NATO Response Force (NRF) has failed to ensure that it could "react rapidly and -- if necessary -- sustainably," it said.

The report cited a downsized command structure since the fall of communism as one of the paramount elements that has undermined the alliance's defense capabilities, Der Spiegel quoted the report as saying.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu declined to comment on the German magazine report but said that alliance "forces are more ready and able to deploy than at any time in decades."

Lungescu said that efforts are "under way to ensure that the NATO command structure remains robust, agile, and fit for purpose."

The alliance's command structure is to be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers next month.

NATO's relations with Russia are at their lowest since the Cold War over the conflict in Ukraine.

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, NATO suspended its civilian and military cooperation with Moscow, as Ukraine announced its intention to seek membership in the alliance.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-report-insufficiently -ready-russian-attack/28806882.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Report: 'Unacceptably High' Number Of Afghans Flee Military Training In U.S.

October 20, 2017

Afghan soldiers and police who train in the United States go "absent without leave," or AWOL, at far higher rates than those of any other country, possibly jeopardizing efforts to assist Afghan security forces, a U.S. watchdog says.

Out of a total of 320 foreign military trainees who left during courses in the United States from 2005 to 2017, 152 -- or almost half -- were Afghans, a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said on October 20.

The U.S. State Department said that number is "unacceptably high."

SIGAR said the number of asylum seekers among Afghan military trainees rose over the last years as Taliban violence spread across the country and security forces sustained heavy casualties.

Only 27 of the Afghans who went AWOL in the United States have been arrested or removed by U.S. police, SIGAR said, with most of the other 83 either unaccounted for or having fled the country.

"The tendency of Afghan trainees in the United States to go AWOL may hinder the operational readiness of their home units, negatively impact the morale of fellow trainees and home units, and pose security risks to the United States," the report concluded.

Many of the Afghans who seek asylum in the United States say their lives would be in danger if they returned home.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-military -training-united-states -awol-report/28806739.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia Formally Hands Over MiG Warplanes To Serbia To Mark Liberation Day

October 20, 2017

Russia has formally handed over six MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia, as part of ceremonies marking the World War II liberation of Belgrade.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attended the October 20 event at a military airport outside the capital, Belgrade.

Serbia is marking the October 20, 1944, liberation of its capital from Nazi occupation with a military parade and other events. Historians say about 3,000 Yugoslav and 1,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in the final Belgrade Offensive.

The six MiGs arrived disassembled aboard Russian transport planes over the past three weeks.

They are being provided by Moscow at no charge, but their assembly, repair, and refurbishing costs are expected to near $235 million in total. Vucic has said the planes would enter military service by the end of 2017 after refurbishing and pilot training.

Vucic, a former nationalist, has remade himself as a pro-European Union reformer while seeking to maintain good relations with traditional ally Russia, which is looking to block the Balkan nation's path toward possible NATO membership.

Serbia's moves to heighten military ties with Moscow have worried the West and many neighboring countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina and NATO member Croatia.

Based on reporting by AP, BalkanInsight, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-serbia- mig-warplanes-jets-liberation- day-belgrade/28806712.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Navy, Boeing May Upgrade Old F/A-18 Super Hornets During Maintenance

Sputnik News

22:14 20.10.2017

When the US Navy's Block 2 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets start returning to maintenance facilities in 2018 for planned service-life-extension modifications to allow the heavily used aircraft to log more flight hours, it may be an ideal opportunity to add new capabilities to the jet as well, Boeing officials said this week.

The Chicago-based company had initially agreed with the US Navy to include Block 3 modifications in late 2020 for newly produced F/A-18 aircraft, but it now seeks to sway defense officials on going ahead with the upgrades on older jets much sooner.

With the used aircraft back in US facilities to be worked on anyway, there is "a great opportunity to insert [capabilities] like the Block 3 in a method that is least impactful to the fleet, so that when the aircraft is returned with an extended life it's got the right capabilities for the next decade," Mark Sears, F/A-18 service life modification program director at Boeing, told US Naval Institute News October 17.

Boeing has been selling the Navy on capability improvements, including conformal fuel tanks, which increase a plane's range, and secretive stealth upgrades or "low observable" enhancements, a component of the Block 3 upgrades.

Boeing could add LO "coating" to the airframe like the Pentagon has done with the F-22 Raptor, or, it could replace parts of the jet with radio-wave absorbent material pieces, Aviation Week reports. "There are various degrees of LO enhancement," Sears says, noting "we've played within that spectrum, but there's certainly an LO piece of Block 3."

Boeing will make life-extension tweaks on about 50 jets per year. There is one facility in St. Louis, Missouri, where planes can go, and another site in San Antonio is under construction, USNI News notes. The Navy currently plans for the F/A-18s to fly until 2040, when they will be eventually be phased out in favor of the service's F-35C, a variant of the plane designed specifically for aircraft carrier operations.

The base level modifications will increase the aircraft's life from 6,000 to 9,000 flight hours, Defense News reported Thursday, adding that the contract will be awarded in 2018.

 Sputnik

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FBI Joins Investigation Into Deadly Ambush of US Soldiers in Niger

Sputnik News

22:12 20.10.2017

The FBI has joined the investigation into the bizarre deaths of four American soldiers, including three Green Berets, in Niger earlier in October. The American soldiers were killed alongside five Nigerien troops in an ambush that the Pentagon has blamed on a new branch of Daesh based out of neighboring Mali.

The investigation is led by the Department of Defense, but the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the FBI had thrown their hat in the ring as well. Bureau officials told the WSJ that they had the authority to commandeer the probe, but had not done so. They added that their involvement in the investigation is nothing unusual.

The FBI typically handles the investigation into the deaths of American citizens overseas as well as international terror investigations. However, the Pentagon has their own in-house investigative services. In all likelihood, the FBI has been brought on to appease critics who have argued that the White House has poorly managed the aftermath of the attack.

The American and Nigerien soldiers were on a joint patrol within striking distance of the Niger-Mali border when a force of militants attacked them. Four of the twelve-odd US troops and five of the 40 Nigeriens were killed in the fighting before French gunships and a Nigerien counterattack chased the militants off.

But weeks have passed since the initial incident and very little new information has been revealed since the first couple days. The troops also lacked sufficient air and ground support, relying on allied French forces in Mali for a rescue and evacuation. Furthermore, Sgt. La David Johnson was lost in the confusion of the fighting. His body was discovered two days later.

This has led to lawmakers, most prominently Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), to demand more transparency from the White House about the attack.

"I had a better working relationship, as far as information back and forth, with [former Defense Secretary] Ash Carter than I do with an old friend of 20 years," said McCain, referring to White House National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. "We've been waiting for weeks and weeks. We will not sit by without having a complete understanding of what's going on."

The Pentagon has insisted that they have been as forthcoming as possible with lawmakers about details regarding the attack. "The loss of our troops is under investigation," Defense Secretary James Mattis told the press on Friday. "We investigate anytime we have our troops killed, whether it be in a training accident or combat."

Mattis admitted that the Pentagon does not "have all the accurate information yet" regarding the deadly ambush, but the "US military does not leave its troops behind."

"These terrorists are conducting war on innocent people of all religions, they are conducting war on innocent people who have no way to defend themselves," he added. "In this specific case, contact was considered unlikely, but there's a reason we have US Army soldiers there and not the Peace Corps, because we carry guns."

 Sputnik

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Afghanistan Mosque Bombings Kill More Than 70

By Ayaz Gul October 20, 2017

Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide blast inside a crowded Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Kabul has killed at least 40 worshipers and wounded dozens more.

Eyewitnesses and security officials told VOA the bomber walked into the Imam Zaman Mosque Friday evening in the western Dashti Barch area of the capital city and blew himself up. Women and children were said to be among the victims.

Local reports say the death toll is higher than local officials are reporting.

A pro-Islamic State website reported its loyalists claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State terrorist group has taken credit for recent bombings of Shi'ite worship places in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

Hours earlier, a suicide blast hit a mosque in the central Afghan province of Ghor. Officials confirmed to VOA the attack killed at least 33 worshipers and wounded an unspecified number of people.

A pro-government former Afghan jihadi commander was offering prayers along with his supporters when the bomber stormed the mosque. No one claimed responsibility for that attack.

Nearly 200 people, mostly security forces, have died in separate militant attacks across Afghanistan this week, making it one of the worst in recent months.

They include a Taliban bomb-and-gun attack in the province of Kandahar that killed at least 43 Afghan soldiers on Thursday. The insurgent assault almost wiped out the Afghan National Army base in the district of Maiwand.

On Tuesday, a twin suicide car bombing of the police headquarters in eastern Paktia province killed at least 60 people and wounded 300. The provincial police chief was among the dead.A separate attack the same day in the nearby Ghazni province left at least 20 people dead.

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Afghan Civilians Bear Brunt of Taliban, IS Clashes in Eastern Nangarhar

By Noor Zahid, Zabihullah Ghazi October 20, 2017

More than a dozen civilians have been killed and wounded, and hundreds of families displaced by fierce fighting in recent days between the Islamic State (IS) terror group and Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan.

At least eight civilians have been killed and four others wounded as clashes between the two rival groups continued for the sixth day on Friday in the Waziro Tangi region of the Khogyani district in eastern Nangarhar province.

Among the dead were four civilians who were caught in the crossfire of clashes Sunday, local officials told VOA.

Families displaced

The fighting has also displaced about 2,000 families who have fled the Wazir Tangi area to safer places, Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesperson for Nangarhar's governor, told VOA.

"We are fleeing our homes. Only a few elders have remained in the village. Hopefully, they will join us soon. Everyone is leaving," Ahmad Saeed, a displaced local resident who did not know where he and his family would end up, told VOA.

Many of the displaced families say they are living in dire conditions.

Mubarez Khadim, chief of Khogyani district, told VOA the displaced families have not received any emergency assistance from the government.

Provincial authorities, however, said they have started surveying the displaced families to provide them with humanitarian assistance.

Call for action

The fighting in Khogyani has also left dozens dead from the warring sides. Sixteen Taliban insurgents and a dozen IS fighters have been killed in the clashes, according to the governor's office.

Dozens of militants on both sides reportedly have been wounded, too.

Since its emergence in early 2015 in the southern districts of Nangarhar, IS has engaged in frequent clashes with Taliban for control of districts and villages in the province.

Since then, tens of thousands of families have been displaced by IS atrocities in Nangarhar

IS has repeatedly targeted local villages and destroyed homes and markets. It has barred children from attending school in areas under its control.

Provincial representatives said the government should take urgent measures to clear the Khogyani district of IS militants.

"If remained unchecked, IS would soon overrun the Khogyani district, which would also pose a threat to the main highway that links Nangarhar to [the] capital, Kabul," Ahmad Ali, chief of the Nangarhar provincial council, told VOA.

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US Shutters Special Representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan Office

By Aman Azhar October 20, 2017

With the Trump administration's revised South Asia strategy still in its infancy, the curtain has silently fallen on the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), ending months of speculations that the State Department planned to eliminate the unit.

The office of the special envoy was tasked with heralding reconciliation efforts with the Taliban and other political factions in Afghanistan.

State Department officials, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, told VOA the core SRAP team focused on Afghan reconciliation was dissolved on Sept. 29. The unit will be integrated into the broader South and Central Asia Bureau.

Most of the office's employees, according to officials, were temporary civil servants who lost their jobs because their contracts were not renewed.

Remaining staff

A State Department spokesperson told VOA that former SRAP staff remain at the department and are reporting to Alice Wells, who serves as the acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and as the acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

"She [Wells] will also work to integrate SCA Bureau and SRAP operations. State Department employees arrive and depart from positions regularly, and we have well-established mechanisms to transfer their expertise and contacts to successors," the spokesperson told VOA.

Current and former U.S. diplomats say the SRAP office focused on three specific areas.

First, the unit took the lead in pursuing Afghan reconciliation, specifically talks with the Taliban. Second, the office was tasked with building support for its efforts within the international community, including at EU and NATO summits. And lastly, the SRAP office took steps to facilitate the success of Afghanistan's national unity government, including putting together the Ashraf Ghani-Abdullah Abdullah political deal in Afghanistan.

State Department officials say Wells is tasked with heading efforts to integrate SRAP operations within the broader South and Central Asia Bureau.

The consolidation began in June, with the departure of then-acting SRAP Laurel Miller.

Integration

A State Department spokesperson told VOA, "We are at the beginning of a process to determine the bureaucratic and management steps required to integrate the SCA bureau and SRAP operations. But no decisions have yet been made with respect to the timeline and process of this integration."

This lack of clarity has added to the apparent sense of uncertainty within the State Department, which is already dealing with proposed budget cuts and a number of unfilled positions.

Some former senior U.S. diplomats are skeptical about the timing of the decision to roll back SRAP, saying disbanding the policy team and losing crucial expertise increases risk at a time when the United States is renewing its commitment to stabilizing Afghanistan and promoting reconciliation.

"Unfortunately, I think with the closure of SRAP office or really a departure of temporary employees, we have lost a great deal of expertise and institutional knowledge  deep domain expertise about the Taliban and how to attempt to negotiate with the Taliban," said former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson.

Olson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, noted, "There continues to be a need for some kind of special envoy, special representative  whatever you want to call it  someone who is focused full time on Afghan reconciliation that is pursuing political settlement."

He added if the U.S. is going to get a diplomatic initiative going, "you can't wait till you have the initiative to build the team."

Olson, however, acknowledged that the integration of SRAP's duties into a broader bureau may add some clarity to South Asia strategy.

"The disadvantage to SRAP was putting India and Pakistan in separate bureaucratic domains, which tended to reduce the coherence of U.S. policy toward South Asia," he said.

Now a lost relic of former President Barack Obama's administration, the SRAP post was created in the wake of a troop surge in the Afghan war, with Richard Holbrooke appointed to lead U.S. policy in the volatile Afghan-Pakistan war zone.

Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.

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Report: Scores of Afghan Military Trainees Go AWOL During Training in US

By VOA News October 20, 2017

Scores of Afghan troops have failed to show up while undergoing military training in the United States due to death threats, other potential violent acts and uncertain job prospects, according to a report issued Friday.

Of the 320 foreign military trainees who left U.S. military bases without permission since 2005, about half were Afghan nationals, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a monitoring agency that oversees reconstruction projects and other activities in Afghanistan.

The report said 152 Afghans went AWOL, or absent without leave. Seventy were relocated to other countries, 39 were granted asylum or some other legal status, and 27 were either arrested, deported or awaited processing for deportation.

About 6 percent of Afghans went AWOL, the report said, while trainees from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen and other countries fled their training courses at a collective rate of less than 1 percent.

SIGAR conducted interviews with some former and current trainees that revealed reasons behind the unauthorized departures. Seven Afghan trainees who were granted asylum and 35 current trainees cited potential acts of violence as a reason for abandoning their posts.

A female trainee said the Taliban threatened her family at their home in Afghanistan. Other trainees offered similar accounts. One trainee's family was attacked, forcing the family to flee. Other trainees feared their lives would be undermined due to their training if they returned to Afghanistan. And some feared they would no longer have their civilian jobs upon return. An aircraft electrician was told by other trainees who returned home that they were forced to pay bribes to return to work.

The report further raises concerns about the enormous costs of the 16-year U.S. military operation in Afghanistan. Some 2,200 U.S. troops have been killed there, as have thousands of civilians and other security forces.

The report estimated that nearly $70 billion has been spent to train and equip Afghan troops.

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South Korean Military Wants Massive Missile Interceptor to Counter DPRK Barrage

Sputnik News

23:24 20.10.2017

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff have announced that the military is working on a new missile interceptor that could, in theory, deflect a massive North Korean artillery barrage. Such a technology would be a game-changer on the Korean peninsula.

Seoul, the enormous capital city of South Korea, is only 35 miles from the border with their twin nation and rival. Military action against the North has not been seriously considered by the South in the past, in no small part because Seoul is well within the range of a tremendous barrage of North Korean artillery and rocket artillery that could reduce the metropolis to rubble.

But a mass interceptor would change the calculus of such an exchange. "We are considering the development of an interceptor system to counter concentrated enemy fire directed at important state and military facilities, including the War Command Headquarters and the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD)," said the Joint Chiefs to the National Assembly's Defense Committee.

"The Agency for Defense Development is developing key technology for directly and simultaneously intercepting North Korean long-range artillery rounds as they fall." Such a system would require a large amount of research and development. The software to detect and reply to the launches quickly would have to be highly advanced, and an enormous amount of launchers and interceptors would need to be built.

The system is inspired by the Israeli Iron Dome interceptor network, meant to protect Israeli populated areas from Hamas and Hezbollah rocket attacks. The Iron Dome's effectiveness has proven impressive since it was installed in 2011, stopping around 90 percent of rocket attacks launched against Israel in the 2014 Israel-Gaza Conflict.

South Korea has repeatedly investigated the possibility of buying their own Iron Dome system, and US contractor Raytheon (who participated in the development of the Iron Dome) has offered to sell it to them  but it seems unlikely that Seoul will make the purchase. The Joint Chiefs explained that the Iron Dome is highly effective at responding to sporadic rocket attacks, but it is not designed to answer concentrated, heavy barrages. It wouldn't be able to protect Seoul from such an attack.

Furthermore, the Iron Dome's primary purpose is to protect civilians. The theoretical South Korean system, the Joint Chiefs said, is meant to protect military, command, and missile defense centers, not population centers.

It remains unclear if the project is feasible or not. It would easily be the most complicated and expensive interceptor network ever built if completed  but if the situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to deteriorate, Seoul may find it worthwhile.

Military chiefs have also pushed for the implementation of a "three-axis" defense platform against North Korea: a pre-emptive strike of tactical missiles to destroy DPRK artillery platforms, ballistic missiles to destroy North Korea's nuclear arsenal, and finally the Hyunmoo-IV "Frankenmissile" to devastate underground facilities. That third step would be meant to kill North Korean President Kim Jong-un and his top lieutenants.

South Korea has already installed the American-made Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a truck-mounted missile defense system meant to protect urban areas from ballistic missiles. However, the THAAD is useless against conventional and rocket-launched artillery.

Conservative groups such as the opposition Liberty Korea Party have also called for the redeployment of American nuclear missiles to South Korea as a deterrent, but the liberal government of President Moon Jae-in has denied any possibility of that, citing fears of nuclear proliferation. In the 1960's, the US had nearly 1,000 nuclear weapons deployed in South Korea, but all tactical nuclear weapons were pulled out in 1991 at the end of the Cold War.

 Sputnik

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Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark arrives in Angola, provides free medical services

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:15, October 20, 2017

The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has arrived in Luanda, capital of Angola on Thursday morning, on an eight-day mission to deliver free medical services to the local people.

Guan Bailin, Task Group Commander, said this is the first time Peace Ark has visited Angola, and the mission is aimed at enhancing the cooperation between the two countries.

The Peace Ark was commissioned in 2008 and has traversed 34 countries, providing free medical services where they arrived, Guan said.

In the years between 2010 and 2015, the Peace Ark paid visits to Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania. 120,000 people from a total of 29 countries and regions have received free medical and humanitarian services on board.

The Peace Ark is 178 meters long, with a total area of 4,000 square meters. It has eight operation rooms, seven healthcare offices and 300 beds. A total of 115 healthcare professionals are on board, mostly from the Naval Medical University, of which 60 percent have senior titles.

The Peace Ark, upon completing mission in Angola, will travel to Mozambique, Tanzania and other countries to provide free medical and humanitarian services.

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Chinese Navy gets South China Sea rescue squadron

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 09:40, October 20, 2017

China's People Liberation Army's (PLA) South China Sea Fleet said it has established its first marine salvage and rescue squadron, which it expects will significantly improve the Navy's combat ability, Chinese military analysts said on Thursday.

The new South China Sea Fleet salvage and rescue squadron is a part of the latest round of reforms, the PLA's official website, 81.cn, reported on Thursday, quoting Ke Hehai, the political commissar of the unit.

This new marine rescue unit gives the PLA Navy two of these units now - the PLA South and North China Sea Fleet salvage and rescue squadrons.

The North China Sea unit used to be the sole one of its kind in the field. It was in charge of all search and rescue operations all across the PLA's naval jurisdictions so its abilities were hampered and its reach stretched rather thin.

The South China Sea rescue unit will mainly deploy rescue craft, rescue equipment, and divers to respond to any emergency, to minimize losses in accidents and protect marine engineers, although it can be applied to other functions.

For example, the squadron is also responsible for unexpected rescues at sea over a range of distances, and for emergency rescue efforts on land and sea.

The PLA Navy's mission area has been expanding, so it was almost impossible for it to command only one such rescue team to provide a speedy response, a military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Thursday.

He added that the PLA South China Sea Fleet has convenient access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and this new squadron can greatly increase its defense ability along coastal area and at sea, as well as in combat.

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Xi calls for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics for new era

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:26, October 20, 2017

Xi Jinping on Thursday called on members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and people of all ethnic groups in the country to advance socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.

Xi made the remarks during a panel discussion with delegates from Guizhou Province who are here to attend the CPC's 19th National Congress.

Commending Guizhou's development over the past five years, Xi said socialism with Chinese characteristics has now entered a "new era."

He said this is a "major political assessment" as well as a "strategic reflection that affects the whole landscape."

"The evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinese society represents a historic shift that affects the whole landscape," Xi said, echoing a report he made at the opening session of the Party congress when he spoke of "the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life."

Xi told delegates from Guizhou that efforts must be made to address unbalanced and inadequate development and meet people's ever-growing needs for a better life.

He went on to highlight strict Party governance, saying it is the fundamental guarantee for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Party organizations at different levels and all CPC members and officials must uphold the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, he said.

Xi also instructed authorities to organize education and training programs on the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress after its conclusion.

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Chinese Official: Xi's Anti-corruption Drive Prevented Coup Attempt

By Bill Ide October 20, 2017

A top official in China has praised President Xi Jinping's expansive anti-corruption drive, arguing it has helped stop coup plotters from threatening the party's tight grip on power.

Chinese officials have previously talked about the threat that "plotters," "cliques" and "conspirators" pose to the party, but the remarks from Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, were the clearest to date.

However, analysts say that while the revelation is stirring much speculation, and much remains unclear, the linking of key political figures past and present sends a clear political message that seeks to justify Xi's increasing power and expanding national security regime.

Speaking Thursday at a meeting on the sidelines of China's 19th Party Congress  a twice-a-decade event and leadership reshuffle  Liu said Xi's anti-corruption drive has "cleared up huge risks for the party and the country."

In his remarks, he listed six important former political figures and alleged coup plotters: former rising political star and Chongqing Party Chief Bo Xilai; security chief Zhou Yongkang; Ling Jihua; two former People's Liberation Army generals, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong; and Sun Zhengcai.

"They had high positions and great power in the party, but they were hugely corrupt, and plotted to usurp the party's leadership and seize state power," Liu said, calling the cases and their actions "shocking."

Bo, Zhou, Ling and Guo have been sentenced to life in prison on corruption charges; Xu died before he was charged.

Sun was removed from his post as Chongqing's party secretary in July.

Until then, he was a key contender for a spot on the party's powerful Politburo Standing Committee, which will be selected next week. It is a body that analysts say Xi is looking to fill with his allies to further cement his position as China's most powerful leader in decades.

Liu did not provide any details about how the individuals may have plotted or worked together. Most of those named were part of a handful of high-ranking officials toppled in recent years, but his naming of Sun was a first, and it was surprising given that few details of his case have been released to the public.

Sun has been accused of "grave violations of discipline" a vague phrase that could refer to both corruption and disloyalty to the party. Late last month, state media announced that his case has been handed over to judicial authorities and that he was expelled from the party.

The allegation and naming of Sun, along with other plotters, left some analysts scratching their heads.

David Kelly, research director at the Beijing-based China Policy, said the allegations send a clear political message.

"Xi has faced massive systemic corruption from day one, and his tools are basically shock and awe, and this is another instance of it," Kelly said.

Hong Kong-based China watcher Willy Lam said he found the naming of Sun quite "strange" and "astounding" because while Bo, Zhou and others were clearly part of an anti-Xi Jinping clique within the party, how Sun fits into that picture  if at all  is less certain.

Consolidating power

The allegations do help justify Xi Jinping's consolidation of power, said Lam.

"He [Xi] is saying that despite the success of the anti-corruption campaign and despite the smashing up of these conspiratorial cartels and cliques, there is no guarantee that these conspiracies will stop," Lam said. "This helps him justify concentrating all of the power to himself."

During his address at the opening session of the Party Congress, Xi made it clear that corruption is the party's "biggest threat." It's a threat that he said is not going away any time soon.

In his speech, Xi also talked about the creation of a new Leading Small Group for Governance by Law and the creation of a National Supervision Commission, which will consolidate a range of supervisory organs, including China's powerful Central Commission for Discipline Inspection  which has been leading the charge in the anti-corruption drive.

Xi also announced that a new National Supervision Law would be introduced early next year to regulate the commission.

China Policy's Kelly said that leaving aside factional issues and personal ties, which are all possible, the allegations do strengthen the position of Xi's new national security regime.

"This event and this interpretation of the event as a national security event, legitimizes this new bureaucracy," Kelly said. "It underscores the threat within the party itself."

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North Korea says nuclear weapons 'matter of life and death' for Pyongyang

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 06:40PM

North Korea has emphasized the "life and death" importance of its defensive nuclear prowess in repelling enemy threats against the country.

"This is a matter of life and death for us. The current situation deepens our understanding that we need nuclear weapons to repel a potential attack." Choe Son-hui, the director-general of the North American department of North Korea's Foreign Ministry, said on Friday.

The high-ranking diplomat, who was speaking at a non-proliferation conference in the Russian capital, Moscow, said North Korea had been under perpetual military threat by the United States for decades.

"DPRK's under the constant nuclear threat by the United States and as early as last week there was unprecedented military exercises involving aircraft carriers in addition to the flying exercises by the nuclear strategic bombers into the Korean Peninsula," she said, adding that every action had a reaction. "We will respond to fire with fire."

The North Korean official said to reach a peaceful solution to the Korea crisis through negotiations, the US and its regional allies must quit hostile behaviors. "We will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets on the table of negotiations in any case, unless the United States puts an end to its hostile policy and nuclear threat on the DPRK."

She said Pyongyang's goal is to achieve a "power balance" with the US so that there will be no more talk of military actions against the DPRK.

"Today we have almost reached the final stage of balance of power with the United States and our ultimate goal is to achieve a power balance with the United States so that the United States will not dare to talk about any military actions against the DPRK, " she said.

In response to US President Donald Trump's derogatory remarks against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Choe said the North Korean head of state would "tame the mentally-deranged US dotard with fire."

She concluded her remarks by reminding that the US must take North Korea's concerns and position "seriously."

North Korea is under mounting international pressure over its missile and military nuclear programs and has been subjected to an array of sanctions by the United Nations. However, Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop the programs as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

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Uganda expels North Korean military experts, companies over UN sanctions

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 02:27PM

The Ugandan Foreign Ministry says it has expelled North Korean military experts and representatives of North Korean companies amid efforts to comply with the United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.

"We are in full compliance," Okello Oryem, a deputy minister of foreign affairs, said on Friday. However, he stressed that Uganda maintained normal diplomatic ties with North Korea.

The Ugandan official said the North Korean community that remained in the East African country included diplomats or private individuals.

Uganda specifically asked individuals representing the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, North Korea's primary arms dealer subject to sanctions by the UN and Washington, to leave the country.

North Korea and Uganda previously enjoyed warm relations, but the latest decision marks a policy shift for the Ugandan government.

North Korea for years trained the Ugandan security forces in physical fitness, maritime warfare and weapons handling.

Global tensions with North Korea have escalated in recent weeks over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. There is no sign, however, that international sanctions are having any effect on the actions of Pyongyang.

North Korea says it will not give up on its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

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North Korea Extends Global Olive Branch With Diplomatic Letter, Recipients Blase

Sputnik News

16:51 20.10.2017

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has dispatched an open letter to the administrations of various countries throughout the world, hoping they will support them in their dispute with the "heinous and reckless" Trump administration. Reactions from some recipients have been little but mocking.

In late September, North Korean officials globally circulated a missive  "Open Letter to Parliaments of Different Countries"  through its system of international embassies.

"If Trump thinks that he would bring the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a nuclear power, to its knees through nuclear war threat, it will be a big miscalculation and an expression of ignorance. Trump threatened to totally destroy the DPRK, dignified independent and sovereign state and nuclear power. It is an extreme act of threatening to totally destroy the whole world," the letter read.

It went to state the DPRK had "emerged as a nuclear power true to its name" and built the "powerful arsenal of nukes and multifarious means of delivery of nuclear weapons."

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK expressed belief that different countries in the world "loving independence, peace and justice" would take the opportunity to "fulfill their due missions and duties" in realizing the "human desire for international justice and peace," against the "heinous and reckless" Trump administration.

Australia Reacts

One recipient was Australia, via the country's embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, noting the letter was unusual.

"This is the first letter that we can find that any Australian foreign minister has received from North Korea it's an open letter, this is not how they usually send messages around the world," Bishop said.

"This shows they are feeling desperate, isolated, trying to demonize the US, trying to divide the international community," Bishop said in an interview.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull largely echoed Bishop's contempt, stating it was "basically a rant about how bad Trump is," in an interview with Melbourne 3AW radio.

The premier from down under went on to praise China, Australia's largest trading partner, saying Beijing's involvement in the latest set of United Nations Security Council sanctions, despite the country's "very close history with North Korea," was helping to "squeeze" Pyongyang into dropping its nuclear threats. Beijing's restrictions on oil exports were particularly effective, Turnbull stated.

The latest sanctions approved unanimously by the UN Security Council on September 11 came in response to North Korea's sixth and strongest underground nuclear test explosion on September 3 at its Punggye-ri nuclear site.

The sanctions ban Pyongyang from importing natural gas liquids and condensates as well as crude oil imports and exports of North Korean textile products, ban joint ventures and cooperative operations and bar any country from authorizing new work permits for North Korean workers, a major source of hard currency for the isolated northeast Asian nation.

Russia also exerts considerable influence in Pyongyang, and as a major world exporter of natural gas and crude oil (commodities North Korea depends upon), has used its involvement in the sanctions program to compel North Korean leaders to negotiate, rather than saber rattle, in order to resolve the dispute.

'Negative Rhetoric' Towards Pyongyang

On October 19, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said North Korea may be months away from possessing nuclear weapons that can strike the US mainland, but Washington should behave as if the country were "on the cusp" of doing so anyway.

Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky responded to Pompeo's comments October 20, suggesting they were part of "an information campaign" being waged against Pyongyang.

"Washington's policy in relation to countries that it does not like is a daily buildup of negative rhetoric about these countries. Today they can deliver a nuclear strike, tomorrow they possess chemical weapons, the day after tomorrow it is necessary to invade them, destroy their system, leader, turn them into a country without a state, as has happened in Libya and in Iraq," Slutsky said.

"The same happens with a number of other countries  North Korea, Iran and others, which are unsuitable for Washington in terms of building a unipolar global architecture," he told reporters.

Adding that the fanning of negative rhetoric was dangerous, as it could lead to a war, Slutsky noted a similar strategy was being employed against "Iran and others," as Washington disliked their collective building of a unipolar global architecture.

 Sputnik

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Iran, Syrian ink MoU on military cooperation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Damascus, Oct 20, IRNA -- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri signed a military cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his Syrian counterpart General Ali Abdullah Ayoub in Damascus.

Baqeri signed the deal on Friday at the end of his visit to the Syrian capital to help promote cooperation between the two countries' armed forces.

He told reporters after signing the MoU that the agreement emphasizes development of military cooperation in various dimensions such as education operation, logistics and intelligence.

Baqeri further noted that he visited areas liberated in Aleppo province and talked with the Syrian fighters and commanders from close.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Baqeri left Tehran for Damascus late on Tuesday and held talks with his Syrian counterpart, General Ali Abdullah Ayoub, and Defense Minister Major General Fahd Jassem al-Freij during his trip to the war-torn country on Wednesday.

Iranian chief commander also met with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday while on Friday his inspected various battlefields of fighting with terrorists in Syria.

8072**2050

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Iranian FM slams Trump administration's "withdrawal doctrine"

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 20, IRNA -- Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif censured the US administration's walkaway from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that the deal is not a bilateral one between Iran and US but an agreement signed by six major world powers and ratified by the United Nations.

He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in Tehran, the only interview given to an American broadcast network after Trump's refusal to certify Iran's compliance with the deal, officially known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Zarif underlined that five other countries besides the US had signed the Iranian nuclear deal, and no matter what the White House said or did, all five will remain firmly committed to it.

This is not a bilateral treaty between Iran and the United States. So whatever domestic politicking he wants to do, that's his business, Iran's top diplomat said, recalling that the United States is a permanent member of the Security Council. And if it's not going to uphold a resolution, that not only it voted for but it sponsored, then the credibility of the institution that the United States considers to be very important would be at stake.

Lambasting Trump for decertifying Iran's adherence to JCPOA, he said that nobody else will trust any US administration to engage in any long-term negotiation because the length of any commitment, the duration of any commitment from now on with any US administration would be the reminder of the term of that president.

Asked whether you are thinking of any country in particular right now, he said no, I'm thinking of the entire international community.

Responding to CBS correspondent's question "Not North Korea?", he said Well, including North Korea. But I believe (?) the entire international community.

You see, this administration is withdrawing from everything. Somebody called it withdrawal doctrine for this administration. It's withdrawing from NAFTA. It's withdrawing from Trans Pacific Partnership. It's withdrawing from UNESCO. It's withdrawing from everything, he said, contending that people cannot trust anymore the word of the United States. You see, in order to bring United States on board on many of these international agreements, a lot of people make a lot of concessions.

Now nobody is going to make any concessions to the United States because they know that the next US president will come back and say, 'It wasn't enough, we're not satisfied,' he said.

Asked if Trump eventually pulls the US out of the agreement unilaterally, will you stay in with the Europeans, Russia, and China and make it work with them alone, Zarif said that if one party withdraws from deal, particularly the United States, and starts in fact violating the most important elements of the deal, then Iran will decide whether(?)

In response to the question, "So, you're not going to commit now to staying in if US pulls out?", Zarif said, "We have committed ourselves not to be the first party to withdraw from this deal."

When Palmer wondered by saying, "But that's it", Zarif said provided that our economic dividends that have been enshrined in this deal are respected and Iran continues to receive those dividends. Once Iran does not receive those dividends, then it would be a totally different situation.

Iran's foreign minister also categorically denied that Secretary Rex Tillerson called around late in the day yesterday (Friday ?) to give various allies and world leaders a head up about what was to come.

Citing Iran's partnership with United States and other countries in this nuclear deal now that implies a huge amount of diplomatic engagement, Palmer asked why doesn't that give you the privilege to talk to the secretary of state directly, But Zarif said, "Well, I think that is a decision the United States has made."

Asked but you did it with John Kerry, Iranian minister said, "We certainly did, and it produced a lot of results. It produced a lot of positive results. It averted some rather nasty scenarios. But this administration has decided to play in a totally different manner. And I can assure you that Iranian dignity and pride will not allow us to engage when mutual respect and equal footing are not respected by one party."

Zarif also denied that Supreme Leader had been against the deal from the beginning.

As to Palmer's statement He (Leader) has never trusted the United States, Zarif said, "None of us ever trusted the United States. This deal was not based on trust. It was based on mutual mistrust. And I think that was the strength of this deal. It's not something bad about the deal. It's the strength of the deal, but unfortunately, the way President Trump is handling it, it's widening the mistrust, not only between Iran and the United States, but between the global community and the United States where the US is no longer not just unpredictable but unreliable."

In response to the question "Have you given up for the moment on trying to establish better relations with the Trump administration to try and dial back the rhetoric?", Zarif said, "Well, I believe Trump administration is closing its eyes on the realities of our region. And it's getting into a quagmire that would harm US national interests and would harm, because of the significance of the United States as a global player, will harm our region. We believe it would be important for the United States and for the Trump administration to exercise a reset in its cognitive disorder with regard to our region."

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-20 22:41:54|Editor: Yamei

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Xi Jinping delivers a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on behalf of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2017. The CPC opened the 19th National Congress at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday morning. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

By Xinhua writer Xu Lingui

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Everyone who followed Xi Jinping's speech at the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) got the message loud and clear: A new era has begun.

Central to Xi's declaration that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, was his statement that the "principal contradiction" facing Chinese society, a maxim that has stood for 36 years, has changed. It is a shift that "affects the whole landscape."

The "principal contradiction" is a term most Chinese are familiar with from grade school, but only a tiny number of foreigners, experts in sinicized Marxism will know this seemingly obscure piece of political jargon.

Marxists interpret the world through dialectical materialism. Contradictions -- or "dynamic opposing forces" -- are omnipresent in society and drive social change. The "principal contradiction" is what defines a society. By identifying and solving it, society develops peacefully. Left unsolved, it can lead to chaos and eventually, as Marx predicted, to revolution.

Since coming to power in 1949, the CPC has identified the principal contradiction, and, as the times changed and contradictions changed, crafted new policies in response.

Soon after 1949, it was "the people versus imperialism, feudalism and the remnants of Kuomintang forces" which evolved into "proletariat versus bourgeoisie," a mentality which led to prolonged social turmoil across the country.

In 1981, the CPC changed its assessment of the principal contradiction to "the ever-growing material and cultural needs of the people versus backward social production," a historic policy shift at the heart of reform and opening up. Developing the economy, mainly through growth, was thus endorsed by the CPC as the "central task." Market economic reforms, seen at the time as a magic bullet to transform production, were unleashed on an unprecedented scale.

The rest is a history we all know well. The Chinese economy grew to the second largest in the world, expanding by about 10 percent each year for more than three decades. China became the world's factory floor. Consumer goods, which were hardly ever seen in the country in 1981, are now abundant.

The Made-in-China list today grows ever longer, its products more sophisticated. From finger nail-sized computer chips to jumbo jets and high-speed trains, the world's factory is now the world's laboratory and marketplace. Giant Internet companies have emerged, with booming consumer demand satisfied through the most advanced mobile technology. The era of "backward social production" is well and truly over.

"What we now face is the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life," Xi said.

But with wealth comes new desires: an education at Oxford or Cambridge, a California vacation, a villa in Sydney.

This demand for a better life overseas is derived from an inability to satisfy these desires at home. The very highest level of education is not available or in acute short supply. There are long waiting lists in the very best hospitals. Tourist sites are crowded and services there have hardly advanced at the same pace as people's expectations.

Despite huge improvements, smog remains an obvious problem. A store inside the Jingxi Hotel in downtown Beijing, where many Party delegates stay during the congress, sells face masks, including a type with an electric filter priced at 398 yuan (60 U.S. dollars). "For your health, please wear a mask on smoggy days," a sign reads. Taking a stroll outside Jingxi, one finds old, nondescript apartments selling for more than 80,000 yuan per sq meter.

"The needs to be met for the people to live a better life are increasingly broad. Not only have their material and cultural needs grown; their demands for democracy, rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment are increasing," Xi said.

Serving the majority of the people is what distinguishes socialism from capitalism, which only protects the interests of a selected few, Karl Marx said some 150 years ago. Common prosperity is the hallmark of socialism.

Development between various Chinese regions varies sharply. In southwest mountainous Guizhou Province, whose delegates were joined Thursday by Xi in a panel discussion, household incomes remain very low.

When a delegate told Xi that a local liquor sells for only 99 yuan, he said "That's not cheap! ... It may not be so popular if it gets too expensive."

The average income in Guizhou was 15,121 yuan last year, less than a third that in Shanghai.

The gap in personal wealth between the haves and the have-nots is of no less concern. The country's three richest men -- two Internet gurus and one property magnate -- are each worth more than 30 billion dollars according to the latest Hurun rankings. Meanwhile, millions of people struggle to get by on less than a dollar a day.

CPC policy aims for more balanced, better quality development across regions and sectors and is expected to remain that way for some time to come, perhaps until the principal contradiction shifts again.

Xi does not mince his words. China, he said, will remain in the primary stage of socialism for a very long time. China's international status as a developing country has not changed.

His two-stage development strategy spans 30 years, with the objective of making China a "great modern socialist country" set for the middle of the 21st century.

Only a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, beautiful China will be ready to cross the threshold into the next stage of socialism.
EU Leaders Reaffirm Commitment To Iran Nuclear Deal Despite Trump Opposition

RFE/RL October 20, 2017

European Union leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to a landmark deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, despite opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The 28-member bloc gave a nod to concerns Trump has raised, however, by stepping up criticism of Tehran's ballistic-missile program and its role in what the West sees as fomenting instability in the Middle East.

"We fully stay committed to the complete implementation by all sides of the Iranian nuclear deal. We see this as a key security interest for the European Union and the region," the EU's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said late on October 19 in Brussels.

The EU leaders issued a joint statement saying, as reported by RFE/RL earlier in the day based on a draft statement, that the EU "reaffirms its full commitment to the Iran nuclear deal."

Since Trump declared his opposition to the 2015 deal and refused to certify Iran's compliance last week, the bloc has been stepping up efforts to save it, and on October 19 appealed to the U.S. Congress not to let it fall apart.

In an address on October 13, Trump asked the U.S. Congress to strengthen a U.S. law related to the deal in order to put additional pressure on Tehran by setting up triggers for the imposition of sanctions.

Trump also said he would seek the removal of so-called sunset clauses, which set expiration dates for some restrictions on Iran's nuclear program under the deal between six global powers and Tehran.

He threatened to withdraw the United States from the deal if his goals are not met, calling on Congress and U.S. allies to help achieve them, and has repeated that threat in subsequent remarks.

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have said they would not do anything that goes against U.S. allies in Europe, and their statements were noted by officials at the Brussels summit.

"Many Democrats as well as some Republicans feel like they need to play a more active role on foreign policy to restrain the president," one EU official told Reuters.

Still, officials said the EU leaders in their discussions of the deal highlighted the need to protect European companies and investors dealing with Iran from any adverse effects should Washington decide to reinstate U.S. sanctions.

The EU sees the Iran deal as one of the West's biggest diplomatic success stories of recent years. European leaders have expressed concern that the deal's demise would harm efforts to negotiate with North Korea over its nuclear program.

EU foreign ministers earlier this week adopted a statement declaring that the deal is "a key element of the global nuclear nonproliferation architecture and is crucial for the security of the region."

While voicing support for Trump's efforts to curb Iran's ballistic missile program, as well as "concerns" about Iran's role in increasing tensions in the Middle East, European officials said they want to put those disputes on separate tracks from the nuclear deal.

Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on October 19 that despite pressure from the West, Iran will accelerate the ballistic missile program, which it views as critical for self-defense, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-leaders-reaffirm -commitment-iran-nuclear-deal-despite- trump-opposition/28805452.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia's Rosneft To Take Controlling Stake Of Iraqi Kurdish Oil Pipeline

RFE/RL October 20, 2017

Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company says it has agreed with the government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to take a controlling stake in the region's main oil export pipeline.

Rosneft said in an October 20 statement that it will own 60 percent of the pipeline while Iraq's private KAR Group will hold the remaining stake.

"The accession to the infrastructure project will boost the implementation of the company's strategic goals and help to increase the efficiency of oil supplies to consumers, including supplies of oil from [the Kurdish autonomous region] to Rosneft oil refineries in Germany," the company's statement said.

The agreement was signed by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and the Kurdish region's oil minister, Ashti Hawrami, on the sidelines of an industry conference in Italy on October 19.

Reuters quoted analysts as saying Rosneft was expected to invest about $1.8 billion into the project.

On October 18, the two sides agreed to production-sharing agreements to develop five new production blocks in the Kurdish region, with geologic exploration set to begin in 2018.

Rosneft said full development could begin by 2021 and that the estimated oil reserves of the five blocks was about 670 million barrels.

The deals come amid tension between Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region and the central government in Baghdad following the Kurdish region's September 25 independence referendum  when voters in the autonomous region and disputed Kurdish-held areas largely supported secession.

Since the referendum, Iraqi government troops and allied Shi'ite militia fighters have moved into disputed areas in northern Iraq that previously were held by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, including the city of Kirkuk, nearby oil fields, and strategic infrastructure sites in the provinces of Nineveh and Diyala.

The Kurdish region's oil exports have fallen to about 200,000 barrels per day -- compared to about 600,000 per day -- since the Iraqi military seized control of the oil-rich Kirkuk region.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi says the Iraqi government's military operations are necessary to "protect the unity" of Iraq.

But on October 20, government troops clashed with Kurdish Peshmerga fighter in northern Kirkuk Province on a key highway about 50 kilometers south of the Kurdish region's capital, Irbil.

Diplomats in Moscow have expressed sympathy for the Kurdish independence bid.

Sechin on October 19 urged Baghdad and the Kurdish region to resolve the dispute diplomatically.

Earlier, Rosneft lent the Kurdish region $1.2 billion to cover its budget deficit.

With reporting by Reuters and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rosneft-iraq-kurdish- pipeline-controlling-stake/28806471.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Iraqi Troops Clash With Kurdish Peshmerga South Of Irbil

October 20, 2017

Iraqi government troops have clashed with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters as government forces continued to deploy in parts of northern Iraq the Kurdish fighters captured from Islamic State (IS) militants during the past three years.

The clash on October 20 near the town of Altun Kupri, in the northernmost part of Kirkuk Province, occurred on a key highway about 50 kilometers south of Irbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region.

The fighting came three weeks after the Kurdish region held an independence referendum that Baghdad has declared illegal.

Voters in the autonomous Kurdish region and disputed Kurdish-held areas largely backed secession in the September 25 vote.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi says Iraqi forces have been moving into disputed areas of northern Iraq in order to "protect the unity" of the country.

According to Baghdad, Peshmerga fighters have been withdrawing from other parts of northern Iraq in recent days ahead of the arrival of government troops, including territory in the provinces of Nineveh and Diyala.

Earlier this week, government soldiers and allied Shi'ite militia fighters took control of the city of Kirkuk, nearby oil fields, and other key installations in Kirkuk Province.

Government forces, allied Shi'ite militia fighters, and Peshmerga from the Kurdish autonomous region were previously working together to fight IS militants.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-troops-clash- kurds-south-of-irbil/28805980.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Situation Near Kirkuk, Iraq

Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 20, 2017

The United States is concerned by reports of violent clashes around the town of Altun Kupri in northern Iraq. We are monitoring the situation closely, and call on all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm.

In order to avoid any misunderstandings or further clashes, we urge the central government to calm the situation by limiting federal forces' movements in disputed areas to only those coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government. We are encouraged by Prime Minister Abadi's instructions to federal forces to protect Iraqi Kurdish citizens and to not provoke conflict.

The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status  they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution. Until parties reach a resolution, we urge them to fully coordinate security and administration of these areas. To that end, all parties should engage in dialogue now on the basis of the Iraqi constitution, as Prime Minister Abadi offered and the Kurdistan Regional Government accepted publicly.

The United States remains committed to a united, stable, democratic, and federal Iraq, and committed to the Kurdistan Regional Government as an integral component of the country. We will continue working with officials from the central and regional governments to reduce tensions, avoid further clashes, and encourage dialogue.

We also remain determined to finish the fight against ISIS in Iraq and call on the Iraqi Government to redouble its efforts with the Global Coalition until that task is done.



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Iraqi, Kurdish Forces Battle for Remaining Disputed Territories

By Heather Murdock October 20, 2017

As night fell Friday, Kurdish Peshmerga tanks fired heavy artillery into the now-Iraqi held town of Altun Kopri while gunfire cracked at the town's entrance.

Kurdish civilian volunteers scattered from behind a nearby berm as journalists' cars raced out of the line of fire. Vehicles holding Kurdish fighters raced forward.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces had been battling since early morning, after Iraqi forces advanced north out of Kirkuk, an oil city they took over in the past week, toward the Kurdish capital, Irbil.

Baghdad said it intends to occupy all disputed lands, returning the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region to its more constrained 2003 borders. Some fighters and civilians on the Kurdish side fear Baghdad wants to move even further, including into Irbil. Others said Baghdad is unlikely to move into areas that have been self-governing for more than 25 years.

"Some Iraqi soldiers on the ground may want to fight into Irbil," said Ari Harsin, a member of the Kurdistan parliament who volunteers fighting on the front lines with Peshmerga soldiers. "But the people up top, the ones who know, won't do it. That fight would not benefit anyone."

Disputed lands

The areas Iraqi forces are moving into were mostly under Baghdad's control in 2014, when Islamic State militants swept into the region. Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces recaptured the lands and the Kurdistan Region has since held them.

The Iraqi leadership said it is retaking areas to establish federal authority after a controversial Kurdish referendum for independence in September threatened the nation's unity. More than 92 percent of Kurds in Iraq voted "yes" in a vote Baghdad called illegal and the international community leaders said was dangerous and ill-timed.

"I am required to act in accordance with the Constitution to protect all of the Iraqi people and to keep our country united," wrote Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a New York Times opinion article on Wednesday. "To do so, the government has reinforced and restored what is prescribed in its federal mandate: that is, federal authority over national borders, oil exports and customs revenues."

Both Baghdad and Irbil have called for dialogue, but with opposing requirements. Baghdad demands Kurdistan recognize national unity to move forward, while Irbil demands negotiations recognizing the Kurdistan Region's path to independence.

"I call on the Kurdish Regional Government to acknowledge the authority of the Constitution and to enter dialogue on this basis," Abadi wrote in the article.

"Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Kurdistan have not been lost in vain," said Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region, in a statement a day earlier. "And the same shall be true for those who voted for an independent Kurdistan."

Families fleeing

But for families in Irbil, the prospect of the fight moving to the 2003 border is frightening, as that would put Iraqi forces about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the city.

At a checkpoint near the front line, Ahmed Mohammad, a 37-year-old farmer and father of four, said when Iraqi forces moved into Kirkuk last week, his family fled the city with nothing, and is now packed into a house with other families, 16 to a room.

"The children are getting sick from overcrowding," Mohammad said. "My heart is broken for Kirkuk."

More than 60,000 people have been displaced by fighting in the past week, according to the United Nations, and the Kurdistan Regional Government has said the number is 100,000. It is unclear how many have already returned to their homes in places of relative calm, like Kirkuk.

Deep disappointment

On the edges of the battle on Friday, some soldiers waited for deployment to the front, others guarded key points or manned artillery, firing deep behind Iraqi lines. Some soldiers said they were angry, others said they were deeply disappointed.

The international community in general and the United States in particular had supported them in their fight against Islamic State militants. They did not expect to be abandoned in this fight, they said.

"They are using American weapons to fight us," said Seehat Selman, a Peshmerga soldier, shortly after returning to a base from the battle. "We fought back IS. Many of our soldiers died in that fight."

Selman's family, he said, were refugees from the government of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "And now they are trying to make us refugees again," he said.

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State Dept. Urges Baghdad to Limit Movements in Disputed Areas in Kurdistan

Sputnik News

01:56 21.10.2017(updated 01:43 21.10.2017)

The Department of State has issued a statement urging Iraq to restrict its military forces' movement in northern Iraq.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States calls on Baghdad to restrict the movement of government troops in northern Iraq to prevent further clashes with Kurdish forces in the area, the State Department said in a press release.

"[W]e urge the central government to calm the situation by limiting federal forces' movements in disputed areas to only those coordinated with the Kurdistan Regional Government," the release said.

Earlier, Kurdish Peshmerga reported that Iraqi forces were continuing their advance in two areas disputed between Baghdad and Kurdistan  in Diyala province and nearby the Mosul Dam.

Also, the department said that the Iraqi government's effort to reassert its authority over Kurdish areas in northern Iraq does not change the disputed status of these territories.

"The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status  they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution," the State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

"The United States is concerned by reports of violent clashes around the town of Altun Kupri in northern Iraq. We are monitoring the situation closely, and call on all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm," Nauert said.

Earlier in the week, Iraqi forces conducted an offensive on the disputed oil-rich region of Kirkuk. Media reported on Monday, that the Baghdad forces had gained control of the city.

 Sputnik

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Germany Signs Off on Deal to Send Israel Three Advanced Subs  Reports

Sputnik News

01:30 21.10.2017

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government approved a deal to sell the Israeli Navy three submarines costing up to $1 billion each, overcoming reservations about dealing with Israeli officials closely connected to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges.

"The Germans have given their approval to the deal," an Israeli official told Agence France-Presse Friday.

Multiple clauses within the final contract sweetened the deal for Germany. Notably, they allow Germany to back out of the deal in the event that Israel's attorney general charges the prime minister or his closest aides for criminal wrongdoing, Jerusalem Online reports, citing local media.

The three Dolphin-class submarines, produced by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, would join six others of their kind already part of the Israeli underwater fleet, according to the Times of Israel.

Dolphin-class subs "are the best conventional submarines in the world," an Israeli Defense Force official identified only as Maj. Y. told the World Tribune in 2013. The diesel-electric vessels are a "spy tool," the official said. "During times of war, submarines are one of the most far-reaching instruments in the Israeli Defense Forces. You do not know where it is and do not know where it will sink you."

 Sputnik

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Rohingya children refugees face hell on earth in Bangladesh camps: UNICEF

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 08:12AM

The United Nations children's agency has warned of the dire conditions of Myanmarese refugee children in overcrowded and squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh.

UNICEF said in a report that children, who make up 58 percent of the nearly 600,000 Rohingya Muslims who have been forced to flee violence and persecution in Myanmar into Bangladesh, are trapped in a "hell on earth," media reported on Friday.

The UN agency report documented the plight of the children who have sought refuge at Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh over the last eight weeks.

Report author Simon Ingram said about one in five children in the area are "acutely malnourished."

"Many Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have witnessed atrocities in Myanmar no child should ever see, and all have suffered tremendous loss," UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement.

The report came ahead of a donor conference in Geneva on Monday to drum up international funding for the Rohingya. The UN and humanitarian agencies say they urgently need $434 million for the Rohingya refugees  about one-sixth of which would go to UNICEF efforts to help children.

There are currently about one million Rohingya refugees in the camps near Bangladesh's border with Myanmar.

The refugees need clean water, food, sanitation, shelter, and vaccines to help head off a possible outbreak of cholera  a potentially deadly water-borne disease.

Ingram also warned of the threats posed by human traffickers and others who might exploit the refugee children.

"These children just feel so abandoned, so completely remote, and without a means of finding support or help. In a sense, it's no surprise that they must truly see this place as a hell on earth," Ingram said.

Color drawings by Rohigya children, who are being cared for by UNICEF and other aid groups in Cox's Bazar, depict deadly Myanmar helicopter gunships and soldiers firing bullets on innocent villagers.

Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee government-sanctioned violence in Myanmar, which started late last year but has intensified since August.

Over the past weeks, there have been numerous reports of systematic violence against the Rakhine-based Muslims, including random shootings, rape, and arson attacks, in what is censured by the UN as an ethnic cleansing campaign against the minority group.

Rohingya Muslims, recognized by the UN as the world's most persecuted minority group, are denied Myanmarese citizenship as the country's leadership brands them illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

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Rohingya crisis: UNICEF issues 'Child Alert,' outlines urgent action to save lives

20 October 2017  Issuing a dire warning on the desperate situation of Rohingya refugee children, who now number more than 320,000 in Bangladesh, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state, and immediate and unfettered access to all children affected by the violence there.

At present, UNICEF has no access to Rohingya children in northern Rakhine state, where horrific violence since late August has driven over half a million members of the minority Muslim community to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh.

"Many Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have witnessed atrocities in Myanmar no child should ever see, and all have suffered tremendous loss," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, releasing a new report Outcast and Desperate: Rohingya refugee children face a perilous future.

"This crisis is stealing their childhoods. We must not let it steal their futures at the same time."

In the report, UNICEF has called for urgent action in four key areas:

1. International support and funding for the Bangladesh Humanitarian Response Plan and humanitarian response plan for Myanmar;

2. Protection of Rohingya children and families, and immediate unfettered humanitarian access to all children affected by the violence in Rakhine State;

3. Support for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar; and

4. A long-term solution to the crisis, including implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

The most pressing need for thousands of refugees and refugee children is food, safe water, sanitation and vaccinations. Psychosocial support, education and counselling is also urgently needed.

Meanwhile, the influx of refugees continues unabated  between 1,200 and 1,800 children are arriving per day (about 60 per cent the total number) and thousands more are said to be on way.

To cope with the crisis, UN relief agencies are working at full tilt, but funding and resources are in short supply.

Ahead of an international pledging conference on 23 October in Geneva, UNICEF has urged donors to respond promptly to the requirements of the updated Bangladesh Humanitarian Response Plan released jointly by the UN and humanitarian agencies.

The Plan calls for $434 million, including some $76.1 million to address the immediate needs of newly-arrived Rohingya children, as well as those who arrived before the recent influx, and children from vulnerable host communities.

The ministerial-level conference, organized by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-hosted by the European Union and Kuwait, will provide Governments an opportunity to show their solidarity and share the burden and responsibility.

More than 700,000 over-one-year-olds vaccinated in massive campaign

In the midst of a crisis which appears to overwhelm any response, UN agencies successfully concluded the first phase of a massive oral cholera vaccine (OCV) campaign, reaching over 700,000 children and people over the age of one with protection against the deadly diarrheal disease.

"The coverage is commendable as the oral cholera vaccination campaign was planned and rolled out against very tight timelines," said Dr. N. Paranietharan, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) presence in Bangladesh.

Among the 700,487 people inoculated since the campaign was launched on 10 October, 179,848 are children aged between one and five.

"[The campaign] demonstrates the commitment of the Government of Bangladesh, partners on the ground, as well as partners such as GAVI (a publicprivate global health partnership) and the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision, to help secure the health and wellbeing of these immensely vulnerable people," added the WHO official.

The second phase is scheduled for early November to give an additional OCV dose to children aged between one and five years, for added protection.

The vaccination campaign supplements other preventive measures, such as increased access to safe water, adequate sanitation and good hygiene. To help improve hygiene, a bar of soap was also handed out to each individual administered the vaccine.

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589,000 Rohingyas Have Fled to Bangladesh Since August 25

By Margaret Besheer October 20, 2017

The United Nations said Friday that 589,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25.

Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that just over half of them are staying at a large site known as the Kutupalong Expansion, where aid partners are working to improve basic services, infrastructure and road access.

The president of aid group Refugees International, Eric Paul Schwartz, visited Bangladesh last month. He said that by early September, it was already clear from conversations with refugees that the situation had become ethnic cleansing and that crimes against humanity were taking place.

"What was so chilling was the consistency of the conversations we had with people about what had happened," Schwartz told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He said the Myanmar military would fire bomb villages, often unannounced or without warning, and as civilians fled they would systematically shoot them.

"Person after person after person told us the same story," he said. "If you want to push 580,000 people out of a country in six weeks, that's what you have to do. You have to terrorize them in ways that are sort of breathtaking," he added.

Humanitarian crisis

The U.N. and international partners are struggling to meet the needs of the constantly increasing refugee population. An international pledging conference is set for Monday in Geneva. It aims to raise $434 million to assist 1.2 million refugees through February 2018.

Almost 60 percent of the refugees are children, and the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, says children are particularly threatened by desperate living conditions and waterborne diseases.

"Of course, many of them have been walking for days  thirsty, hungry, on foot  bare feet, exhausted," spokeswoman Duniya Aslam Khan told VOA in an interview Friday. "So, the children were sick and malnourished. They were stranded at the border for a few days and it was only Tuesday and Wednesday this week that we received a post that finally they were allowed to come in."

Khan said the priority among aid groups now is "decongesting the existing settlements" in Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated nations in the world, "providing decent living conditions, and providing better health and sanitation and hygiene assistance to the refugees."

Hygiene is a particular concern, Khan said, to stave off the spread of disease.

The agency has also called for access to Rohingya children who are still in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state  the agency has no access there.

Bangladesh's government also is trying to help the surging refugee population. It has designated a new 3,000-acre site to build shelters, but experts say that will take time to be inhabitable because access roads and provisions for water, sanitation and other basic services need to be made.

In the meantime, Bangladesh's military has moved refugees stranded near the border to several makeshift settlements, where they are being given food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter.

VOA's Marissa Melton contributed to this report.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-20 22:46:55|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

Xi Jinping delivers a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on behalf of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2017. The CPC opened the 19th National Congress at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday morning. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

by Xinhua writer Liu Chang

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is holding its most important meeting in five years to chart the future course of the country at a time when the world is beset with challenges and disorder.

Globalization has been facing hurdles while protectionism and populism are rising. Nearly a decade after the 2008 global financial crisis, the world economy is still grappling with uncertain long-term outlooks. Global confidence in a strong future growth has yet to find a solid foundation.

Against the backdrop of violence in Iraq and Syria, although Islamic State militants are losing, lone-wolf attacks have emerged as the new face of terrorism. The age of pervasive social media has made it unprecedentedly convenient for extremist groups to recruit, plot and strike.

These symptoms all point to a graver crisis -- the ever widening global deficit in peace, governance and development.

A CONTRASTING MAP

In contrast, China, under the leadership of the CPC, is trying to map out a road leading to a better world by promoting not only its own development but also that of other countries.

The commitment has been reiterated in the report Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered Wednesday at the opening of the 19th CPC National Congress in Beijing.

Over the past decade, China has been widely regarded as a leading economic locomotive that has, along with other economic powerhouses, pulled a lackluster global economy up a steep hill.

According to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics, China's average contribution to global growth from 2013 to 2016 was about 30 percent, the largest among all countries.

For Xi, who was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012 and president in 2013, one of the top priorities is to ensure a robust growth of the Chinese economy, which matters to the rest of the world as well.

To restructure its economy for better quality growth, China has introduced a series of supply-side structural reform measures. They are reducing excess inventories, cutting overcapacity, deleveraging, lowering costs for businesses, and streamlining bureaucracy.

The past five years have also witnessed China's persistent drive to promote social justice and equality by reducing poverty. China has lifted an average of 13 million people out of poverty every year since 2012, according to official data. And over the past four decades, more than 700 million Chinese have been freed from poverty, accounting for 70 percent of the global efforts in the same period.

Overseas, China has reached out to the international community with a set of proposals on how to better maintain global security and peace and spur development.

COMMUNITY OF SHARED FUTURE

In such a highly interdependent world, where the fates of all nations, big or small, rich or poor, are tightly intertwined, Xi has proposed that all nations come together to build a community of shared future for mankind.

This vision led to the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to better connect Asia with Africa and Europe, and to strengthen the industrial capacity of nations in these regions so that they have the fundamentals to grow their economies.

The initiative is also one of China's tools to help eradicate the root causes of terrorism and other extremist elements and build a safer world. As Xi has reiterated, "Development holds the master key to solving all problems."

In the past five years, China has also steadfastly promoted peaceful and diplomatic means to solve many of the global crises like the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and global warming.

Improving the post-war global financial system is critical to promoting global justice and balanced development. In this regard, China has played a pioneering role, pushing for quota reforms in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Xi once said China's ongoing reforms have sailed into uncharted "deep waters" where what is left is mostly the hard nuts to crack. The situation is the same with the rest of the world, if not worse.

Yet that should not be an excuse to turn back or turn against each other. Rather, it should be the reason for all nations to join hands and eliminate the deficit in global governance.

As many foreign leaders and observers have pointed out, China has set an instructive example in this regard.
South Korea lays out plan to 'destroy' North's military

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:15AM

South Korea's army has revealed plans to destroy North Korea's nuclear and missile sites and command centers in the event of a military confrontation with Pyongyang.

In its annual parliamentary audit, the army said it will develop a "Frankenmissile" which would inflict "unbearable cost" on the North in the early stages of a possible armed conflict, to Yonhap news agency reported.

The missile would carry a warhead weighing 1,800 kilograms and would be able to reach anywhere in North Korea, the army report claimed.

The army said it started developing such a ballistic missile to establish a "game-changing" operational concept, to minimize civilian casualties, and to end a potential military conflict with the North as soon as possible.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump "agreed in principle" with South Korea's scrapping limits on its missile payloads.

Under a 2012 agreement with the US, Seoul had been allowed to have ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometers  enough to reach any target in North Korea  with a payload of no more than 500 kilograms.

The new report comes amid escalation tensions in the Korean Peninsula where massive wargames are underway, involving biggest American aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan, and South Korean forces.

The North has denounced the war games as a "rehearsal for war." Pyongyang has also responded to belligerent rhetoric by US President Donald Trump, including his threatens to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary, with a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Pyongyang close to building nukes able to reach US: CIA

CIA Director Mike Pompeo warned Thursday that Pyongyang was only a few months away from fulfilling its objective to acquire a nuclear weapon capable of striking the United States mainland.

"They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving" their objective of being able to strike the United States, Pompeo told a national security forum in Washington.

"Whether it happens on Tuesday or a month from Tuesday, we are at a time where the president has concluded that we need a global effort to ensure that [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un doesn't have that capacity," he said, without explaining.

Pompeo criticized the international community for failing to "push back against" Pyongyang as "they are closer now than they were five years ago, and I expect they will be closer in five months than they are today."

This is while the North has been under harsh sanctions since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

The North says it needs to continue and develop its military programs as a deterrent against the hostile policies of the United States and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

EU adopts tougher sanctions

Separately, EU foreign ministers agreed at a summit on Thursday to impose harsher sanctions on the North in an effort to bring about an end to its nuclear and ballistic weapons program, according to a draft final statement seen by Reuters.

An agreement was reached on the sanctions, which go beyond the United Nation measures, on Monday "to [make North Korea] abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," reads the draft statement.

The leaders also warned that the bloc is ready to consider further measures, including sanctions on non-EU countries that do business with North Korea.

Speaking ahead of the summit on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini confirmed the adoption of the sanctions.

"Most of the pressure on Pyongyang comes from our side," she said. "We hope that this can lead to a peaceful negotiation on denuclearize of the Korean Peninsula."

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Iran military chief says Daesh on last legs on visit to Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:30AM

The Iranian military chief has praised successful counter-terrorism operations during a visit to a frontline position near the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying the terrorists are taking their last breath in the country.

"The life of terrorist groups is coming to an end," said Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri during a meeting with military advisors and armed forces involved in battles against terrorists in Syria, ISNA reported.

The senior military official further described "unity" and "exemplary coordination" among the Syrian army and its allied forces as the key factors behind the "successive" gains they have made against the terrorists.

Baqeri further expressed hope that the Syrian forces and allied fighters will continue to hold the upper hand in the fight against the Takfiri militants.

Since his arrival in Syria on Wednesday, the Iranian general has held talks with senior Syrian military officials.

On Thursday, he also met with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, where the two sides exchanged views on the battles against terrorism.

Iran, along with Russia, has a military advisory mission in Syria aimed at strengthening its army on the battlefield against terrorism. Moscow has also been providing air cover to Syria's ground offensives. Syrian forces are also receiving assistance from fighters of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement.

Backed by their allies, Syrian government forces have managed to deal heavy blows to terrorist groups, which have been wreaking havoc on the Arab nation since early 2011.

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Militants promote PKK as Saudi, US envoys visit Raqqah

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 07:51AM

US-backed militants have celebrated their capture of Raqqah under a huge portrait of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan after a Saudi minister and a US envoy visited the northern Syrian city.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by the US and EU, has been waging an armed campaign against the Turkish state for nearly 40 years, in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Footage emerged on social media on Thursday, showing the Kurdish militants with the so-called People's Protection Units (YPG) putting up the poster of jailed Ocalan in Raqqah's central al-Naim Square during a victory parade.

In a statement afterwards, the YPJ command said the victory in Raqqah was a victory for Ocalan.

The YPG operates in northern Syria under the banner of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is engaged in a purported fight against Daesh with the help of the US.

The SDF militants seized full control of Raqqah earlier this week following a months-long military offensive. The SDF has used the fight against Daesh as a pretext to expand the territory under its control in Syria.

The newly-released footage has drawn angry reactions from Syrian activists, including those with the opposition, saying it means "one terrorist group has been replaced by another" after the fall of Daesh in Raqqah.

The tribute paid to Ocalan will certainly infuriate Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the homegrown PKK militant group. The YPG considers Ocalan to be its ideological leader.

PKK commanders are also thought to be in control of key institutions in northern Syria, where the YPG is active, the Middle East Eye news portal reported.

Ties between Turkey and the US, two NATO allies, have significantly soured over Washington's support for Kurdish militants operating at Turkish doorsteps.

Turkey itself has deployed troops to northern Syria in a purported bid to fight Daesh and prevent Kurdish militants from linking up with the PKK on its soil.

The deployments have been without the consent of the central Damascus government, which is calling for the withdrawal of Turkish forces.

Russia said last month that SDF forces had targeted Syrian government positions in eastern Dayr al-Zawr Province where the army is making steady advances against Daesh.

With Daesh on retreat in Dayr al-Zawr, the US-backed militants have pushed to capture as much territory as possible in the oil-rich province, including a number of gas fields.

Saudi minister, US envoy in Raqqah

On Thursday, Reuters said Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan and US special envoy to the Syria war coalition Brett McGurk had visited Raqqah to discuss the city's "reconstruction."

Amed Sido, a senior adviser to the SDF, said the Saudi official had met "a reconstruction committee" set up by the "Raqqah civil council" which has been formed to run the city.

"We consider it a first visit, a first step, that could be the beginning of future relations," Sido said.

The London-based Arab news and opinion website Rai al-Youm, however, described the visit "dangerous" in line with the US policy to divide the region.

"It is unclear what Sabhan and his government as well as the Americans are doing in Raqqah. In any case, what they are doing is dangerous that can draw either a direct or an indirect response from Turkey and Iran, and certainly Syria," it wrote Friday.

"So, will the leadership of Saudi Arabia be able to deal with this response in any form, especially at a time when the country's leaders are stuck in the quagmire of the Yemeni war and their allies have been defeated in Syria?" it asked.

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Raqqa's Liberation From ISIS

Press Statement

Rex W. Tillerson

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

October 20, 2017

We congratulate the Syrian people and the Syrian Democratic Forces, including the Syrian Arab Coalition, on the liberation of Raqqa. The United States is proud to lead the 73-member Global Coalition that supported this effort, which has seen ISIS's so-called caliphate crumble across Iraq and Syria. Our work is far from over but the liberation of Raqqa is a critical milestone in the global fight against ISIS, and underscores the success of the ongoing international and Syrian effort to defeat these terrorists.

In January, ISIS was actively plotting terrorist attacks against our allies and our homeland in Raqqa. Nine short months later, it is out of ISIS's control due to critical decisions President Trump made to accelerate the campaign. Over the last seven months, millions of people have been liberated from ISIS's brutal rule and working with our partners on the ground we are setting the conditions to enable people to return home.

We cannot forget that this accomplishment also came at significant costs. The Syrian Democratic Forces suffered many losses along the way and we join them in mourning the lives lost. We also mourn the U.S. service members, and others from the Coalition, who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life to rid the region of ISIS and protect our homeland.

ISIS cruelty and barbarity cannot be overstated. We witnessed ISIS deliberately and consistently using civilians as human shields and leaving behind mines to maim and kill children and other civilians seeking only to return to their homes or schools. The barbaric nature of ISIS's tactics left many scars and we are supporting stabilization efforts in liberated areas to help these communities heal.

While we continue the fight to ensure ISIS is defeated militarily where it remains in Syria, the U.S. and other Coalition members are making every effort to remove explosives left by ISIS and to get critical humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. We are also supporting the efforts of the Raqqa Civil Council and other local Syrian actors to re-establish basic security and deliver essential services to stabilize communities, refurbish schools, and help facilitate the safe and voluntary return home of displaced Syrians.

This also marks the beginning of a new phase in the Syrian conflict. As we and our partners push toward the territorial defeat of ISIS, we will continue to seek to de-escalate violence across Syria. Reducing violence in Syria will allow the United States, our allies, and partners to focus even more on advancing UN-led diplomatic efforts, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, aimed at reaching a genuine political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people.

ISIS's loss of Raqqa does not mean our fight against ISIS is over. The Global Coalition will continue to draw on all elements of national power  military, intelligence, diplomacy, economic, law enforcement, and the strength of our communities  until all Syrians have been liberated from ISIS brutality and we can ensure that it can no longer export its terror around the world. The Coalition will continue its relentless campaign to deny ISIS safe haven anywhere in the world, and sever its ability to recruit, move foreign terrorist fighters, transfer funds, and spread false propaganda over the internet and social media. We are confident that we will prevail and defeat this brutal terrorist organization.



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Defence Secretary welcomes liberation of Raqqah

20 October 2017

As the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announce that Raqqah has been liberated from Daesh, the Defence Secretary has welcomed the news but cautioned there is more to do.

Following on from the liberation of Mosul, this is a significant development in the fight against Daesh. The fall of the capital of their so-called caliphate is a devastating blow to the terrorist group.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"With the fall of Raqqah, the head of the snake has been cut off and Daesh has lost its twin capitals in Iraq and now Syria. But the fight against Daesh's reign of terror is not over. We will continue to hit the terrorists hard in both Syria and Iraq while supporting efforts to rebuild  only by defeating Daesh for good will we reduce the threat to us here at home."

The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to alleviate the humanitarian situation since 2012, working tirelessly with partners on the ground to deliver more than 660,000 lifesaving relief packages including blankets, clothing and hygiene kits in Raqqah alone. We will continue to work closely with our Coalition partners to ensure that Raqqah's population will be able to return home safely as quickly as conditions allow.

Three years ago Daesh was almost at the gates of Baghdad, now it is failing but time and patience are still necessary to bring about their ultimate defeat. The UK is committed to maintaining the momentum and to keep up the pressure on the terrorists as the fight moves along the Euphrates River Valley towards the border with Iraq. The RAF and Coalition partners will continue to target Daesh in both Syria and Iraq, supporting local forces on the ground to decisively defeat our common enemy.

But despite military progress in Syria and Iraq, the threat posed by Daesh and their poisonous narrative remains substantial. Their continued ability to inspire attacks means that we must remain resolute in our work to defeat them in their branches worldwide and counter their propaganda.

The liberation of Raqqah, by non-Regime forces, has yet again proved that Assad can never be a partner against terrorism. This means a national political settlement that secures a transition to a government that can protect the rights of all Syrians, unite the country and end the conflict remains the only solution.

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EU to reduce Turkey pre-accession payment amid souring relations

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 07:10PM

European Council President Donald Tusk says the 28-member politico-economic bloc will reduce some of the money earmarked for Turkey to join the union, reflecting increasingly strained ties with the Ankara government.

Tusk told a news conference on Friday that the bloc had agreed in two days of talks in Brussels to cut or reroute some of the 4.4 billion euros ($5.2 bln) Ankara was due to get as part of its accession talks in 2014-20.

"It was a substantive discussion. We want to keep the door open to Ankara, but the current reality in Turkey is making this difficult," he stated.

Tusk's comments came after European leaders reached an agreement on October 19 to explore cuts in EU funds to Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for the measure in response to what she described as Turkey's "unacceptable" violation of human rights

"We have asked the Commission to make recommendations on changing and reducing the pre-accession aid," Merkel told reporters.

Turkey has been trying to become an EU member since the 1960s. Formal EU accession talks began in 2005, but the process has been plagued by problems.

The EU has opened 16 out of the 35 chapters required for Turkey to join the 28-nation bloc, but only one of them has so far been concluded.

Turkey and the European Union sealed a deal in March 2016 to stem the flow of refugees to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.

Aside from the money that the EU gives Turkey as part of the accord, the Turkish government is set to receive 4.4 billion euros from the EU between 2014 and 2020.

Some European countries argue that aid meant to help Turkey reform politically now makes no sense as Turkish officials are pressing ahead with a heavy-handed crackdown and restive measures in the wake of the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations.

The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown.

Turkey is set to receive almost 500 million euros next year for the EU's common budget.

The European Parliament has suggested reducing the transfer by 50 million euros next year, with another 30 million euros set aside for further cuts should the relationship with Turkey gets further worse.

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US, EU not standing with Turkey in terror fight: Erdogan

Iran Press TV

Fri Oct 20, 2017 05:01PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at the United States and the European Union for their support for militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), saying they are "not standing with Turkey" in its fight against terrorism.

"They say they are standing with us in the anti-terror fight when we meet bilaterally. But we don't believe that. You are not with us. If you were with us, you would not protect them with your police forces," Erdogan said at the D-8 Summit in Istanbul on Friday.

The Turkish president made the remarks after the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) unveiled a large picture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned in Turkey, in the center of the Syrian city of Raqqah following the city's liberation from the Daesh terrorist group this week.

Militants from US-backed SDF on Sunday launched an operation to retake the last pocket of the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, which served as Daesh Takfiri terrorist group's de facto capital in the war-ravaged Arab country.

On June 6, the SDF said it had launched an operation aimed at pushing Daesh out of Raqqah.

Turkey considers PKK as a terrorist group and is fighting a bloody insurgency it waged inside the country since 1984, leaving tens of thousands of people dead.

The Turkish president denounced the display of the PKK leader's pictures and said, "They [Syrian Kurds] hung up posters of the chief terrorist in Raqqah. How will the US explain that?"

"It [the US] says the PKK is a terrorist organization. EU countries also say that. But they hung up a poster of the chief terrorist on a building in France during a live broadcasting on their state TV station and the police just watched. How will they explain it? Is that solidarity in counterterrorism?" Erdogan said.

PKK, which seeks independence through militancy, is designated as a terror group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yldrm also on Friday slammed the US support for Kurdish forces and said Washington is "compromising the future of Turkey and Syria" through its cooperation with the SDF.

"The display of the picture of the head of the PKK there [in Raqqah] hugely harms the US-Turkey alliance. With this attitude, the US is not only in cooperation with a terrorist group, it also compromises the future of both Turkey and Syria," Yldrm said.

He reiterated that Turkey regards the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD) as offshoots of the PKK.

"We have always said to our ally US that it is trying to cooperate with one terrorist organization in order to destroy another terrorist organization," the Turkish premier said.

He added, "What more does the US need to see in order to understand that the PYD and the YPG are terrorists?"

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pentagon Spokesperson Dana White said Washington would continue to cooperate with the SDF.

She said, "We are working with the SDF. We work to help them focus on fighting ISIL (Daesh). That is our sole responsibility, our sole commitment."

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EU, Citing Backtracking On Human Rights, To Cut Aid For Turkey's Membership Bid

October 20, 2017

European Union leaders have agreed to reduce financial assistance for helping Turkey get ready for EU membership due to Ankara's backtracking on commitments to the rule of law and human rights, EU leaders said on October 20.

Speaking at a summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the human rights situation in Turkey "absolutely unsatisfactory," but said she wants to "avoid a showdown" and not "break bridges" with the NATO ally.

Merkel said she wants to keep talking to Turkey and said there is no consensus among EU leaders to completely end membership talks with Turkey, which have been under way since 2005.

Merkel said the bloc's executive arm will work on proposals to cut 4.45 billion euros of aid the EU agreed to provide Turkey to help it prepare for membership.

"This was clearly not successful," Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said.

Merkel and other EU leaders praised Turkey for helping stop a large flow of migrants into Europe under a 2016 deal in exchange for a pledge to accelerate membership talks.

Since that deal was signed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has waged a broad crackdown on dissent, arresting more than 50,000 citizens as well as a number of Western journalists and human rights activists.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-human-rights- european-union-aid-cut/28806424.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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No Membership Card: Turkey to Lose Vital EU Funds Over Human Rights Concerns

Sputnik News

17:00 20.10.2017(updated 17:04 20.10.2017)

European Union leaders have agreed on cutting financial aid for Turkey's succession to the bloc, followed by a suggestion to relocate funds directly to human rights organizations in the country to address growing concerns over violations and abuse.

The proposal to halt pre-accession funding was made by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, October 20 during the two-day EU summit in Brussels. On Friday morning it was a done deal, as EU leaders agreed to reduce financial assistance for helping Ankara get ready for possible EU membership, with Merkel criticizing the "absolutely unsatisfying human rights situation in Turkey."

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed that subsidies currently given to the Turkish government  more than 4.45 billion euros (US$5.2 billion)  would be better spent by diverting the money directly to human rights organizations, following concerns over abuse and suffering involving the Kurdish population presently living there.

'Turkey Is Important for Europe'

Speaking at a summit in Brussels, Merkel stressed, however, she did not want to "break bridges" or have a showdown with the NATO country. She also praised Ankara for helping stop the huge flow of migrants into Europe as part of a deal with the EU.

The Dutch PM Rutte confirmed that there was no consensus among the other European leaders to shut down funding to the country completely. The EU may still send money to Turkey by relocating funds from the accession budget towards "other purposes," according to the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.

"It is not a decision at all, it is not about cuts [of financial support]. We asked the [European] Commission to prepare some proposals how to use them [funds], maybe to relocate a part of them to Turkey, but for other purposes," Grybauskaite said on Friday, October 20.

Grybauskaite insisted that the move required discussions with Ankara, adding:

"Everybody confirmed that Turkey is important for Europe and will stay important, but some situations on human rights are concerning."

According to the European Commission, financial assistance to Turkey under the IPA amounts to 4.45 billion euros (US$5.2 billion) for the period from 2014-2020. These funds are used to improve the Turkish public administration, financial governance and judiciary, as well as bring Turkey's economy in line with EU standards, among other things.

The Commission agreed to pay a total of 11.7 billion euros (US$13.7 billion) to help six other candidate countries  Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina  wishing to join the European family make the necessary political and economic reforms needed beforehand.

Strained Relations

Relations between Turkey and the European Union have deteriorated, however, following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. Ankara has accused Europe of providing asylum for coup plotters, while Brussels has strongly criticized the detention of journalists and human rights activists in Turkey, and suspended the preparation of new chapters of Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union.

There has also been a strained relationship between Holland and Turkey following a diplomatic incident in March over moves triggered by Turkish efforts to hold political rallies on Dutch soil. Travel restrictions were placed by the Dutch authorities to block Turkish officials from promoting the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the Turkish constitutional referendum.

In response, Turkey expelled the Dutch ambassador from the country, while its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Dutch "fascists" and "remnants of Nazism," accusing them also of "massacring" Muslims in Srebrenica during the Bosnian War in 1995. Mr. Rutte said Turkey had crossed a diplomatic line with its comments.

Similarly, the German chancellor voiced her concerns about Turkey's membership to the EU during a televised debate during her country's parliamentary election in September. Ms. Merkel said she did not believe Turkey should become a member, and said that she would take it up with her EU partners the issue of ending accession talks with Ankara.

Martin Schulz, her Social Democrat rival, was more candid in his criticism of Turkey's contravention of human rights under the Turkish president. Turkey, he said, had "crossed all the red lines" and therefore could no longer become a member. He promised to break off immediately all discussions with Ankara if he was elected.

Their views prompted a bitter response from Ankara, who accused the German politicians over their "indulgence in populism."

 Sputnik

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 03:08:23|Editor: Song Lifang

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VIENNA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Friday officially gave the leader of Austria's center-right People's Party Sebastian Kurz the task of forming a new government.

Kurz was invited to the president's office after the vote count from Sunday's legislative election had been finalized on Thursday evening. The strongest party in the elections is given the task of trying to form a new government.

In a televised speech, Van der Bellen said as president he would keep an eye on the proceedings, to see that the best interests of Austrians are maintained. He said he placed importance on a number of issues, including European politics, integration, economy and the environment.

The president also said politics must "find a new dialogue and culture of trust," as well as a "culture of mutual respect," that includes objective dialogue with opposition parties.

In addition, he said Austria's role as a strong country at the heart of Europe, and a central member of the European Union (EU), must be maintained.

Kurz said it was important to him that Austria establish "a new political culture and a new political style."

Van der Bellen said the two leaders had agreed to stay in regular contact in the days and weeks ahead as coalition talks take place.
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 03:28:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PARIS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- France will give 15 million euros (17.66 million U.S. dollars) in aid for Syrian areas liberated by the U.S.-led coalition from the Islamic State (IS), French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday.

"I have decided to allocate additional funds of 15 million euros by the end of the year for food, de-mining, displaced people, water and health," Le Drian said.

"France also hopes that the governance of these territories will meet the needs and aspirations of the populations and facilitate reconciliation," he added in a statement. (1 euro = 1.177 U.S. dollars)
Rachel Carson's expose shocked the world. And we're better for it
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 05:08:56|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on leaders of Developing 8 countries to use national currencies in intra-trade transactions.

"If we can lead the way in using our national currencies in trade among our countries, we will mark a revolution in the history of D-8," Erdogan said at the opening session of a D-8 summit in Istanbul. (Turkey-D-8 Summit)

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BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi military on Friday said the Kurdish Peshmerga forces used German rocket in fighting against Iraqi federal forces at a disputed area in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. (Iraq-Kurd)

- - - -

CAIRO -- A total of three Egyptian policemen were killed Friday in fire exchange with terrorists in Giza province near Cairo, official MENA news agency reported.

A number of terrorists were also killed in the shootout, a security official was quoted as saying. (Terror-Egypt)

- - - -

DAMASCUS -- The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement Friday that the northern province of Raqqa, which has been captured recently from the Islamic State (IS), will be part of a "federal Syria."

"Raqqa and its countryside will be a part of a democratic, decentralized and federal Syria, where the people of the province will run their own affairs," the SDF said in a statement. (Syria-Raqqa) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 07:37:30|Editor: Song Lifang

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U.S. First Lady Melania Trump (C) speaks during a donation ceremony of her inaugural ball gown at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 20, 2017. Melania Trump donated her inaugural ball gown to the First Ladies Collection here on Friday, adding to the museum's collection of 26 gowns worn by former first ladies. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
Some of the best tracks on Super Slimey, the new collaborative project from Future and Young Thug, come deep in the tracklist. Mink Flow, the second-to-last song features a cinematic Mike WiLL Made It and Pluss beat, bringing out the best of its vocal performers. You can make love in the morning / That Mink flow, Im warm / Got milly in the safe, come / Na get turned upside down / I was rich way before the gang / I was slime way before the name, raps Thug on the hook, drawing out some of the syllables in a way only he can. Aint leading you wrooo-oooo-oooong.

When Future enters about a minute in, hes in full-on rap mode, but by the end hes slipped into some descending melodies of his own. I fucked this bad European / She took the phone, I think she scheming, he sings, illustrating the trust issues that come with living the rockstar life. Aint been to sleep been stopped dreaming / If it aint stress, you must be grieving / Looks can be deceiving.

It seems to be an early favorite of Drakes who posted a video listening to the track at his home studio Friday.

Super Slimey was announced only hours before its release at 12AM Friday. Prior to that, rumors had been circulating about a possible collaboration between Future and Thug. The two worked together on Young Thugs Relationship off his Beautiful Thugger Girls project earlier this year. Dropping Young Martha with Carnage earlier this month, Super Slimey is Thugs third project of 2017. It also happens to be Futures third of the year, following the back-to-back albums FUTURE and HNDRXX.

Stream the full project, which features production from Wheezy, Southside, Zaytoven, Mike Will Made It, London On Da Track, TM88, and Richie Souf, here.



Quotable Lyrics:

Plain jane, Richard Mille

I had to let my wrist breathe (breathe)

Almost got frostbit when I rocked my AP

Give this bitch a minute to breathe

Looks can be deceiving, yeh

Looks can deceiving

We going through like speeding
Ohio native & former MMG rapper Stalley had been relatively quiet for the past couple years, last releasing an album in 2014 called Ohio, but he returned from his hiatus back in July to share a New Wave, a 14-song project with no features. Since then, Stalley has been rolling out new videos in its support, but today he decides to switch things up on us and share some all new original music again. Just three months removed from the release of New Wave, Stalley comes through with another album called Another Level, which surfaces out of nowhere with very little information.

From what we can see, the follow up to New Wave once again finds Stalley handling all 12 tracks by himself as its comes with no features. Of the 12 songs, there appears to be a hidden skit on the album with the track Rick Ross, which finds him praising the MMG boss for inspiring & encouraging him when he first got in the industry. The rest of the album is filled with some slick, lyrically conscious content over smooth classical hip-hop production. If youre a fan of bars & flow, then this mixtape is perfect for you.

Take a listen and let us know what you think. If youre a fan, be sure to show your support on iTunes.

Tracklist:

1. Trunk Music

2. Drop the Ceiling

3. Beautiful Day

4. Rick Ross

5. Fisker

6. For the Weekend

7. Purpose & Flow

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His Royal Highness Asa'ad bin Tariq al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman, outlined the Government of Omans structural and integral positioning of aviation within its national strategic planning for development at a high-level bilateral meeting with Dr. Fang Liu, the Secretary General of ICAO. He furthermore expressed his appreciation for ICAOs contributions to the enhancement of the safety and sustainability of aviation worldwide. Omans prioritisation of air connectivity as a lever for development reflects international recognition of aviations crucial socio-economic contributions at a global level, notably in terms of the achievement of the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and is aligned with the guidance ICAO is delivering to its 191 member States.

The meeting was attended by Dr Mohammed bin Nasser al Za'abi, CEO of Omans Public Authority for Civil Aviation, and Mr. Mohamed Khalifa Rahma, ICAOs Middle East Regional Director.

The Secretary General also met with His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi, Omans Minister of Transport and Communication. At this occasion, Dr. Liu affirmed ICAOs support of Omans initiatives to enhance the capacities and sustainability of its aviation sector. She highlighted the relevance of ICAOs Next Generation of Aviation Professionals in a context of growth, and urged Oman to continue pursuing its objectives. Dr. Liu also pointed to ICAOs traveller identification programme as a critical example of the support offered by the UN agency for civil aviation in the area of security, and encouraged Oman to join the Public Key Directory, a tool that enables States to verify the information held on ICAO compliant ePassports, a suggestion that was well received by Omans Minister Dr. Ahmed Al Futaisi.

Dr. bin Nasser al Za'abi personally illustrated the depth of Omans commitment to ICAO compliant air connectivity as a means for facilitating growth by way of an engaging and inspirational tour of the new Muscat International Airport.

The meetings took place during Dr. Lius three-day mission to Muscat, which concluded yesterday. It coincided with the Fourth Meeting of Directors General of Civil Aviation for the ICAO Middle East Region (DGCA-MID/4), where she delivered the opening address and participated in the achievement of significant agreements on aviation safety, security and cooperation.


Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 07:49:22|Editor: Song Lifang

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 590,000 Rohingya refugees have been admitted to camps in Bangladesh and 320,000 refugee children among them are threatened by water-borne diseases and desperate living conditions, a UN spokesman said Friday.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 589,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since alleged retaliation following a deadly rebel militia attack on Aug. 25 against police posts, said Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman.

Just over half of the new arrivals in Bangladesh are staying in Kutupalong Expansion, he said. It was described as a single large site where aid partners are working with authorities to improve road access, infrastructure and basic services.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said nearly 7,000 of the refugees had been admitted to Bangladesh after spending up to four days stranded near the border. "Thousands more are believed to be on their way from Myanmar."

The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are taken by bus from the border to a transit center, where the UNHCR and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter, Haq said.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said that desperate living conditions and water-borne diseases are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children, he said.

A new report by the agency said most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and unsanitary makeshift settlements.

Despite an expanding international aid effort led by the government of Bangladesh, the report said that the essential needs of many children are not being met, the spokesman said. "UNICEF is also calling for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Rakhine State, as well as for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access."

A pledging conference for donors next Monday in Geneva was announced earlier this week. Officials said they hope to raise 434 million U.S. dollars to aid Rohingya refugees and their hosts, some 11.2 million people in all. So far it is only 26 percent funded.
Gondhoraj Momos Take Over West Bengal; Have You Tried Them Yet?
The Williams man who is the chief suspect in the murder of a Glendale kindergarten teacher did prison time for assaulting a bar patron and Flagstaff police officer.

Charlie Malzahn had a history of violence before he was the main suspect in the homicide investigation of Cathryn Gorospe, whose body was found in Mayer on Oct. 13, according to the Yavapai County Medical Examiner. The remains were confirmed Friday using dental records.

Malzahn spent 4.5 years in prison and on supervised release after being convicted of aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

The conviction stems from an April 2012 incident where Malzahn beat an intoxicated man and assaulted police outside Maloneys Tavern at the intersection of East Aspen Avenue and North Leroux Street in Flagstaff.

Police attempted to arrest Malzahn after they witnessed him beating a severely intoxicated man outside the tavern, according to the police report.

Malzahn was standing over the victim, repeatedly hitting the man in the face to the point that he could not defend himself.

When police attempted to make the arrest he first attempted to run but then squared up in front of the arresting officer and began punching him in the head.

The victim Malzahn assaulted was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center and suffered a busted lip and extensive swelling to his face. Police stated that the victims mouth was full of blood when they attempted to treat him.

The assaulted officer had minor cuts and bruises to his face and head, according to the police report.

Malzahn was extremely intoxicated at the time of his arrest. He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.165 percent.

He told police that his attack was retaliation because the victim had punched him inside the bar.

Surveillance footage shows the victim touching Malzahn on the shoulder outside Maloneys. Malzahn then gets into the brief argument with the man before attacking him. Surveillance footage did not show anybody hitting Malzahn.

Prison record

Malzahns prison record is mixed. He did not record a single infraction during his first year in prison. He received 11 disciplinary infractions from 2014 to 2016, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections. The infractions ranged from disorderly conduct to possession of contraband.

He worked as a groundskeeper, automotive technician and assisted in the health unit of the prison. Malzahn was released on supervised parole in November of 2016.

He completed supervised probation on June 13, 2017, and met Gorospe that summer after returning to Williams, where Gorospe was working as a summer tour guide for the Grand Canyon Railway. He carjacked his sisters vehicle on Aug. 20 in Tempe and was arrested that same night in Williams. Gorospe was last seen bailing Malzahn out of Coconino County Jail on Oct. 6.

Malzahn is currently in custody in Phoenix after being arrested on unrelated assault charges and driving Gorospes blood-stained Rav4. Murder charges are pending the determination of the location where Gorospe was killed.

Runge says the exact crime scene has not been located but detectives think that area was the last place Gorospe was seen alive. Runge says evidence of vegetation in Gorospe's car is only found in Williams and one other place in Arizona.

Authorities believe the crime occurred fully or at least partially in Gorospe's car.

Runge says he hasn't heard any evidence indicating the homicide was premeditated and that DNA analysis of blood found in Gorospe's car is still pending.

A bail bondsman said he tried to talk Gorospe out of putting up cash for Malzahn multiple times before she did and later went missing.

The bail bondsman said Gorospe told him she went on dates with Malzahn and the teacher later said she loved him.

Malzahns stepfather is the Williams chief of police, who has said he has had little contact with his stepson in the past decade after his stepson dropped out of Williams High School in 2007. He has delegated all police matters regarding his stepson to other officers in the department.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 10:19:46|Editor: Song Lifang

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CIENFUEGOS, Cuba, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- With a growing number of visitors, the city of Cienfuegos located about 250 km southeast of Havana has become a new pearl of tourism in Cuba.

The only city in Latin America originally built by the French sits on the edge of a wide harbor frequented by cruise ships and yachts loaded with tourists from Canada, Germany and France -- Cuba's main tourism markets.

Characterized by rectilinear streets and neoclassic architecture, the city boasts about 700 private homes that rent out some 1,400 rooms, which supplement the 861 hotel rooms available.

Different from the rest of the Caribbean island, the city's unique architecture is a particular attraction to foreign travellers, largely Canadians, who stay here from a couple of weeks to two or three months.

Another attraction is the region's verdant Escambray Mountains, rich with nature trails ideal for hiking.

"Basically, the tourism that we run in this city is urban tourism, although our territory has the peculiarity of being very closely tied to nature," Yolexis Rodriguez, the provincial deputy delegate of the Ministry of Tourism, told Xinhua.

The city's location in central Cuba and proximity to other tourism destinations, such as Trinidad and Santa Clara, make it an ideal base from which to explore other parts of the country.

Rodriguez, an economist and expert on business administration, said there were plans to expand the city's hotel accommodations through a partnership between Spanish hotel chain Melia and state-owned Gran Caribe group.

Executives of Melia Hotels International have visited the city several times in preparation for managing the local 56-room San Carlos Hotel from January 2018, as well as the 49-room La Union, both located in the historic city center, a UNESCO-designated world heritage site.

In addition, the Jagua tourism complex, which includes four 173-room hotels -- the Jagua, Blue Palace, La Perla and Casa Verde, is to be renovated to "brand standards" and managed by Melia.

Cienfuegos is Cuba's third most important port, after Havana and Santiago de Cuba, for cruise ship arrivals.

"Cienfuegos is a province that has awakened with an important flow of cruises ... and this season we expect a high increase in arrivals," said Rodriguez.

During last winter's high season, which runs from November to April, Cienfuegos port received 69 cruises and more than 23,400 foreign visitors.

While the reversal in relations between Cuba and the United States under the Donald Trump administration is set to dampen U.S. tourism to Cuba, Americans do not represent a major market, according to some local people.

"What happens in our territory is that we have several issuing markets and we do not depend exclusively on the U.S. market," said Rodriguez.

Speaking of Hurricane Irma which caused losses to the local tourism industry, Rodriguez said sector authorities are making an enormous effort to repair any damaged infrastructure.

"The facilities in Cienfuegos are ready to receive clients who prefer to visit our city," he said.
New Delhi, Oct 21 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted the people of India on the occasion of Bhai Duj.

"Heartfelt wishes to all the citizens on the occasion of Bhai Duj," his message in Hindi read.

Bhai Duj, celebrated two days after Diwali, is a Hindu religious festival that celebrates the brother-sister relationship.
New Delhi, Oct 21 (IBNS): Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, underwent a successful angioplasty at AIIMS, New Delhi, and has been discharged from the hospital, his office said on Saturday.

During a routine detailed medical checkup at AIIMS on Friday, a significant blockage in one of the main artery was found and it was stented by Prof. Balram Bhargava, Dept. of Cardiology, AIIMS.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him over phone and enquired about his well being.

The Vice President has been advised complete rest for three days and also as a precaution visitors are advised not to visit during this period, the VP's office said in its release.
Guwahati, Oct 21 (IBNS): The Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) seized huge quantity of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from a vehicle bearing registration of Uttar Pradesh in Nagalandas Zunheboto district on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

According to the reports, based on specific input, a troop of five Assam Rifles conducted an operation at Natha Zhimomi area and seized huge quantity of IMFL from a vehicle.

The troop established a Mobile Vehicle Check Post at the area and intercepted a Scorpio Mahindra bearing registration number UP-16- J-5522 carrying liquor, PRO, HQ IGAR (North), Assam Rifles Lt Col Amitabh Sharma said.

The security personnel also apprehended a person identified as Vitoka Yeptho and recovered 384 bottles of MC Dowells Rum and 72 bottles of Beer Kingfisher in possession from him.

Later, the nabbed person along with recovered liquor was handed over to Zunheboto Police Station for further investigation.

Earlier, Assam Rifles had recovered 61 cases of MC Dowells Rum from a Maruti Gypsy bearing registration number NL-07-H-6065 at Zungti village in Zunheboto district and apprehended a person identified as Yepaka on October 18 last.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Los Angeles, Oct 21 (IBNS): Speaking for the first time on the issue of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual harassment of female actors, Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra said such people are all over the world including her own country, India.

Chopra, who has already acted in a Hollywood project, said there are many more Harveys in both India and Hollywood.

Chopra made the comment at at an event in the US. "I don't think there is 'a'. I don't even think there is only 'a' Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood. I think there is a lot more out there and stories (would) to come up and I think that happens not just in India and all over the world. Its just the power of men trying to take away the power of women."

The actor, who is greatly known for her lead role in an Amercian TV series Quantico, said she feels the incidents of sexual harassment by men in any field is nothing but to impose gender superiority.

"It's not about sexuality and that's what I think it is. It is not even about sex. I think it is about power, feeling powerful and macho and putting a woman in her place. A woman should sit and be in her lane, needs to be put in her place because that's what make me (one) powerful and that will not be tolerated anymore..." she said.

"The easiest thing is to take away from a woman is her work" she added.

Joining the list of actresses, Montreal actress Erika Rosenbaum went public recently about her alleged sexual harassment complaints against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, saying the latter had harassed her years ago.

The Montreal actress, who was so far mum about the sexual harassment, going back to mid 2000, reached out to the original reporter, Jodi Kantor, to share her own experience.

Rosenbaum said she was shaken to hear the experiences of other actresses, including one Canadian, which were similar to her own experience.

Revealing her experience to the media, the Montreal actress said that Weinstein approached her aggressively thrice when she was in her early 20s, at a time she was pursuing her career in Los Angeles.

During the third occasion, Rosenbaum alleged the producer held lher by the back of her neck and masturbated while standing behind the actress.

Weinstein, however, denied any such allegations.
Madrid, Oct 21 (IBNS): Spain is likely to impose a direct rule over the disputed Catalonia region, though a final verdict will be declared after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy meets with his cabinet to discuss the issue.

According to reports, Rajoy will be meeting with his cabinet members for the first time since the disputed elections took place on Oct 1.

Catalonia, demanding independence from Spain, held an election on the said date, resulting in a 43 percent turnout.

At least 90 percent of the voters supported the Catalonia government's decision, while most anti-independence voters decided to ditch the ballot.

With Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont adamant about forming a separate nation, experts feel that the Spanish government can crack a whip and impose Article 155 of the constitution.

The mentioned article will allow the government to impose a direct rule, however, it will not allow it to fully disable autonomy.

Other measures may include taking back control of Catalan regional police.

Image: Wallpaper
George Town (Malaysia), Oct 21 (IBNS): A landslide at a construction site in Penang, Malaysia, has left three people dead and 11 missing, according to media reports on Saturday.

Thousands of tonnes of earth slid down from a cut slope at Lengkok Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah, George Town, at about 8.30am on Saturday, reported The Straits Times.

Search and rescue operations are on to check if more people are buried in the rubble.

According to local reports, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has proposed for a state inquiry into the incident.



Image: eTurboNews/Twitter
Munich, Oct 21 (IBNS): The German Police is on the lookout for a man in Munich who injured five people with a knife, according to media reports on Saturday.

Local reports said that the suspect fled on a black bicycle.

Residents in the Rosenheimer Platz area of the city have been advised to stay indoors, media reported.

The police have described the suspect as a man in his 40s, wearing grey trousers, a green jacket, and a backpack with a sleeping mat, according to media reports.

The motive is yet to be established.



Image: BBCNews/Twitter
New York, Oct 21(Just Earth News): Issuing a dire warning on the desperate situation of Rohingya refugee children, who now number more than 320,000 in Bangladesh, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state, and immediate and unfettered access to all children affected by the violence there.





At present, UNICEF has no access to Rohingya children in northern Rakhine state, where horrific violence since late August has driven over half a million members of the minority Muslim community to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh.



Many Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have witnessed atrocities in Myanmar no child should ever see, and all have suffered tremendous loss, said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, releasing a new report Outcast and Desperate: Rohingya refugee children face a perilous future.



This crisis is stealing their childhoods. We must not let it steal their futures at the same time.



In the report, UNICEF has called for urgent action in four key areas:



International support and funding for the Bangladesh Humanitarian Response Plan and humanitarian response plan for Myanmar;

Protection of Rohingya children and families, and immediate unfettered humanitarian access to all children affected by the violence in Rakhine State;

Support for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar; and

A long-term solution to the crisis, including implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.



The most pressing need for thousands of refugees and refugee children is food, safe water, sanitation and vaccinations. Psychosocial support, education and counselling is also urgently needed.



Meanwhile, the influx of refugees continues unabated  between 1,200 and 1,800 children are arriving per day (about 60 per cent the total number) and thousands more are said to be on way.



o cope with the crisis, UN relief agencies are working at full tilt, but funding and resources are in short supply.



Ahead of an international pledging conference on 23 October in Geneva, UNICEF has urged donors to respond promptly to the requirements of the updated Bangladesh Humanitarian Response Plan released jointly by the UN and humanitarian agencies.



The Plan calls for $434 million, including some $76.1 million to address the immediate needs of newly-arrived Rohingya children, as well as those who arrived before the recent influx, and children from vulnerable host communities.



The ministerial-level conference, organized by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-hosted by the European Union and Kuwait, will provide Governments an opportunity to show their solidarity and share the burden and responsibility.



More than 700,000 over-one-year-olds vaccinated in massive campaign



In the midst of a crisis which appears to overwhelm any response, UN agencies successfully concluded the first phase of a massive oral cholera vaccine (OCV) campaign, reaching over 700,000 children and people over the age of one with protection against the deadly diarrheal disease.



The coverage is commendable as the oral cholera vaccination campaign was planned and rolled out against very tight timelines, said Dr. N. Paranietharan, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) presence in Bangladesh.



Among the 700,487 people inoculated since the campaign was launched on 10 October, 179,848 are children aged between one and five.



[The campaign] demonstrates the commitment of the Government of Bangladesh, partners on the ground, as well as partners such as GAVI (a publicprivate global health partnership) and the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision, to help secure the health and wellbeing of these immensely vulnerable people, added the WHO official.



The second phase is scheduled for early November to give an additional OCV dose to children aged between one and five years, for added protection.



The vaccination campaign supplements other preventive measures, such as increased access to safe water, adequate sanitation and good hygiene. To help improve hygiene, a bar of soap was also handed out to each individual administered the vaccine.



Photo: UNICEF/UN0119119/Brown



Source: www.justearthnews.com




Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 10:24:47|Editor: Song Lifang

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KABUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two rockets were fired onto a diplomatic district in central Kabul Saturday morning, a witness said.

"The attack occurred at around 06:10 a.m. local time, and the rockets struck localities in Police District 10 and Police District 9 of the city," witness Mohammad Mansoor told Xinhua.

Several apartment buildings and foreign embassies are located at the stricken areas, he added.

Casualty is unknown yet.

He said the foreign embassies' sirens were heard shortly after the rockets landed and the big sounds of blasts also caused panic among local residents.
Vaughan, Oct 21 (IBNS): The York Regional Police Services Board has approved the 2018 operating budget of $323.5 million which is a 4.1 percent increase over the 2017 budget and features 22 additional personnel.

The budget includes the addition of 14 sworn officers and eight civilian support staff to address population growth and intensification, continued sustainable and effective police services to the communities and increasing demands for service.

The additional 14 sworn officers will be assigned to Investigative Services, Organized Crime and Intelligence Services and District Operations.

The 2018 police budget continues to maintain the lowest policing cost per capita in Canada among comparable police services (with populations of over 1 million residents).

The Board also approved the 2018 Police Capital Budget totaling $22.6 million with a Capital Spend Authority of $46.9 million.

The expenditures include $11.9 million for facilities, $4.4 million for vehicles, $3.1 million for information technology, $3.0 million for specialized equipment and $0.3 million for communication equipment.

Financing for the capital budget is a combination of contributions from reserves, debenture proceeds repaid from development charges, debt reduction reserve funding, development charge collections and external funding.

The 2018 Police Budget will be considered by the Regions Committee of the whole at its meeting on November 30, 2017.

A copy of the budget presentation can be found on the Boards website.
Ranbir Kapoor is one of the coolest Kapoors we have in tinsel town. Despite having a string of flops in the past few years, he still manages to make news, either through Koffee With Karan, his publicized affair with Katrina Kaif or for just being the gossip queen who knows everything in Bollywood.

Instagram/Dharma Movies

He is also a die hard Bollywood fan and is a director's delight. His only successful stint in the recent times was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which starred Shah Rukh Khan in the cameo as well. The duo met again for one of the Diwali parties held in Mumbai this year and couldn't hold back their excitement.

Diwali which is known for great fervour, music, sweets and lights, was exactly how SRK and Ranbir celebrated. In a video that has been going viral on social media, Ranbir and SRK can be seen grooving to Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham's Bole Choodiyan.

Ranbir Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan dancing to Bole Chudiyan last night #Diwali pic.twitter.com/zexFmKaf6b  RanbirKapoor.Net (@RanbirKapoorFC) October 20, 2017

The original video that starred Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, SRK and Kajol set the tone for the event and the two let their hair down dancing on the evergreen number.

Ranbir chose to wear a blue sherwani with sequins on the shoulder while SRK wore a black kurta. The Jagga Jasoos actor can be seen doing similar steps as was in the film.

Seeing their crackling chemistry, we can't wait to see Ranbir and King Khan on screen soon. Directors, are you listening?
The explosive demand for the right talent to manage a multi-million dollar organisation always gets any hiring team on its toes. After all, that person will become the face of the organisation, come with the right set of talent, and will lead the whole organisation from the front.

As difficult as it is to find the right candidate for a top-notch job, it is equally challenging to make them an offer that they cant refuse. Fortunately, most of the people who are currently sitting at the top of their respective fields arent there for the money. From where we see, theyre driven by passion and perseverance.

And they are paid handsomely for their efforts. Here are 9 CEOs whose salaries will leave you reeling.

1 Sundar Pichai

reuters

Pichai is the highest paid CEO in the United States. As of now, Google is paying him $199 million, annually. Pichai, just like his counterparts, is given a lot of stock options and most of his income comes from there. During his tenure with Google, two major product launches happened that resulted in such earnings.

2 Indra Nooyi

reuters

The Chairperson and CEO of Pepsico, the second-largest food and beverage company make $29.8 million (as of 2016). In the year 2014, her net worth was recorded at $144 million. Shes also been listed among the 200 highest-paid CEOs of public companies with annual revenue of at least $1 billion.

3 Ajaypal Singh Banga

ap

The current president and chief executive officer of MasterCard make a whopping $16.9 million a year. A website quoted that Bangas salary included $1 million in salary, $4.3 million in stock awards, $4.2 million in options and $2.5 million in a non-equity incentive plan compensation along with other elements.

4 Satya Nadella

reuters

As the CEO and director of Microsoft, Nadella makes nearly $18 million in his total compensation. Of this earning, $1,200,000 was received as a salary, $4,464,000 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $12,013,927 was awarded as stock and $14,104 came from other types of compensation.

5 Shantanu Narayen

reuters

As the CEO of Adobe Systems, Shantanu gets paid an annual salary of $875,000 (not including stock options, shares and bonus payments). (Data from Wikipedia, as of 2014). In fact, he took home a total compensation of $15.7 million in 2013. He is considered one of "The TopGun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International,

6. Dinesh C. Paliwal

reuters

The CEO of Harman International Industries, Dinesh takes home $13,123,635 annually, a salary thats basis several components. His base pay is $1,258,94 along with bonus and added incentives of $1,443,240. He is also awarded multiple stock options and compensation over and above this.

7. Surya N. Mohapatra

reuters

As the CEO of Cognizant Tech Solutions, Surya makes close to $8,256,640 in total compensation. A major chunk of this earning was received as the bonus, stock options, and other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2016 fiscal year.

8. Sanjay Mehrotra

bccl

Another tech geek from the valley of innovation, Sanjay is the co-founder, president and chief executive officer of SanDisk Corp. and makes upwards of $10.63 million. Of this total $1,080,769 was received as a salary, $472,500 was received as a bonus, $3,836,044 was received in stock options, $5,164,375 was awarded as stock and $172,493 came from other types of compensation.

9 Sanjay Jha

reuters

The former CEO of Motorola, Jha is currently heading GlobalFoundries and makes over $8,462,544 a year. Jha disclosed this salary seven years ago, and one can only assume its grown a fair bit since then.

The salary of a CEO of a global company is difficult to compare as it varies year to year and from company to company. These organizations award their CEOs in multiple ways and their compensations plan can involve stocks worth millions.

Anyhow, these CEOs are setting some benchmarks for leaders across the world.

*All the data has been obtained from the internet and the figures may vary, slightly.
In a path-breaking discovery, scientists at Japan's space agency, have identified a huge moon cave that could one day house a base that would shelter astronauts from dangerous radiation and wild temperature swings.

AFP

As per data from Japan's SELENE lunar orbiter the 50 kilometres long and 100-metre wide cavern is believed to be lava tube created by volcanic activity about 3.5 billion years ago.

The finding was published this week in US science magazine Geophysical Research Letters.

"We've known about these locations that were thought to be lava tubes...but their existence has not been confirmed until now," Junichi Haruyama, a researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, told AFP.

AFP

The underground tunnel, located under an area called the Marius Hills, would help protect astronauts from huge swings in temperature and damaging radiation that they would be exposed to on the moon's surface, he added.

"We haven't actually seen the inside of the cave itself so there are high hopes that exploring it will offer more details," Haruyama said.

The announcement comes after Japan in June revealed ambitious plans to put an astronaut on the Moon around 2030. That was the first time the agency had said it aimed to send an astronaut beyond the International Space Station.

AFP/ File

The idea is to first join a NASA-led mission in 2025 to build a space station in the moon's orbit, as part of a longer-term effort by NASA to reach Mars. The US also announced the country is committed to sending astronauts to the moon.
The undergraduates at Oxford University, in a vote, have decided to remove Aung San Suu Kyi's name from the title of their Junior Common Room. Myanmar's de-facto leader, who studied at Oxford, has been condemned for her bleak response to the Rohingya crisis.

Also read: Oxford University College Removes Aung San Suu Kyi's Portrait Over Rohingya Crisis

ap

The students unanimously voted to remove the Nobel laureate's name from their St. Hugh's College with immediate effect on 19 October. Earlier this month, her portrait was also removed from the college's entrance.

Also read: Aung Suu Kyi To Skip UN Meet Amid To Avoid Criticism On Rohingya Crisis

In a resolution, the college said: "Aung San Suu Kyis inability to condemn the mass murder, gang rape and severe human rights abuses in Rakhine is inexcusable and unacceptable. She has gone against the very principles and ideals she had once righteously promoted."

ap

Aung San Suu Kyi graduated from the college in 1967 and was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from Oxford in 2012.

Also read: These 16 Heartbreaking Images Shows The True Face Of The Rohingya Crisis

In their motion, the students criticised the leader's "silence and complicity" in defending the country's treatment of its Rohingya Muslim community who have suffered violent attacks by Myanmar's military.
Russian president Vladimir Putin couldn't control his laughter when at an agriculture meeting, the Minister of Agriculture suggested selling pork to Indonesia - a Muslim-majority nation.

Also read: Putin Gets A New Puppy As Birthday Gift From Turkmenistan President, Memes On It Go Viral

ap

While comparing Russia's exporting numbers to Germany's, Minister Alexander Tkachov made the suggestion of selling pig meat to Indonesia as a way of increasing overseas trade.

Also read: Guess Who Else Is A Fan Of Elon Musks Tesla Cars? Russian President Vladimir Putin Himself

In the video, Tkachov says, "They (Germany) send half their pork to export. Look at Germanys numbers: five and a half million tonnes of pork produced a year, of that almost three million is exported to all countries, to China, to Indonesia, to Japan, Korea, and so on."

Putin replies, "Indonesia is a Muslim country. They do not eat pork there" and starts laughing. Tkachov jokes, "They will" but Putin, now laughing hysterically adds, "No, they will not."

The Russian president covers his face with his hands after the laughing gets a bit too much.

Also read: Vladimir Putin Enthralls With An Impromptu Piano Recital, Plays Passages From Soviet-Era Songs

The Minister, later, clarified that he meant South Korea and not Indonesia.
In a surprise move, the World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe as a goodwill ambassador to promote health causes.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.

Of course Robert Mugabe has been appointed a WHO goodwill ambassador because this is 2017 and NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE.  Meg (@MRipley13) October 21, 2017

Reuters

The meeting was attended by Mugabe who is accused of destroying his countrys economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country.

In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide healthcare to all.

Zimbabwes healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabes authoritarian regime, with most hospitals out of stock of essential medicines and supplies, and nurses and doctors regularly left unpaid.

If you ever needed more confirmation the world has gone mad Robert Mugabe has been made a Goodwill Ambassador.#lunaticshavetheasylum  Truth will find YOU (@smartnotstupid) October 21, 2017

AFP

The appointment angered international rights campaigners and opposition parties, who also accuse Mugabe of violent repression, election rigging and presiding over the countrys economic ruin.

Given Mugabes appalling human rights record, calling him a goodwill ambassador for anything embarrasses WHO and Doctor Tedros, Iain Levine, programme director at Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter.

Saudi Barbaria on the Human Rights Council.

Robert Mugabe now a 'goodwill ambassador' for WHO.

Top trolling UN, top trolling.  UK Rants (@uk_rants) October 21, 2017

This has to be a sick joke. A murdering dictator a UN Goodwill Ambassador. How are the UN going to defend this? https://t.co/PsTRzGNRez  Nyunggai W Mundine (@nyunggai) October 21, 2017

Reuters

The main MDC opposition party in Zimbabwe described the appointment as laughable. The Zimbabwe health delivery system is in a shambolic state, it is an insult, spokesman Obert Gutu said.
[ It's Day 5 [October 19] of the hunger strike inside Glenn Dyer and the administration there has denied that there is a hunger strike, and denied that there is solitary confinement used inside the jails. Call Sheriff Ahern at 510-272-6878 and urge him to meet the demands of Prisoners United. Image via Silicon Valley De-Bug . ]by Prisoners United via Silicon Valley De-Bug and Prisoners Hunger Strike Solidarity (PHSS)On Oct. 15, 2017, Prisoners United in Glenn Dyer Detention Center courageously led the way in a hunger strike that will span across two counties and four jails. Santa Rita Jail, Santa Clara County Main Jail and Elmwood D.O.C. will continue the strike in solidarity on Oct. 22.This strike will be the first wave for the community to see the abuse of inhumane conditions, indefinite solitary confinement, meaningless classification reviews and group punishment. Glenn Dyer Detention Center has violated our due process protections through cruel and usual punishment.We are calling for outside support from families and the community protesting the injustices of Alameda County both at Glenn Dyer and Santa Rita. Literally, we are being silenced.We have been deprived of all forms of social oxygen, with no contact with another human being for weeks at a time. We have been subjected to indeterminate Administrative Segregation, our mail has been blocked, theyve threatened to stop visitations, and weve been rehoused and separated from one another to break our strike. We have grieved everything and received nothing.We are calling for support from families and the community to contact the Alameda County Sheriff administration, at 510-272-6878, and Alameda County Board of Supervisors, at 510-272-6347, to meet our demands:1. End indefinite solitary connement.2. End subjective grievance practices.3. End abuse of discretion to lockdown.4. End insufficient and unsanitary clothing.5. End insufficient food and starvation for indigent prisoners.Tell the Sheriff Administration and Board of Supervisors you are calling in support of the hunger strike and expect they will work toward an immediate resolution to these issues.Learn more at Silicon Valley De-Bug and Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity
An anonymous letter from a member of Prisoners United who participated in the hunger strike of 2016 and prepares to go on hunger strike again with hundreds. He shares the power and influence of community support.

Prisoners United is a self organized group of incarcerated individuals inside Santa Clara County Jails.OPEN LETTER FROM PRISONERS UNITED HUNGER STRIKER OF 2016Greetings and solidarity across the board! The following will consist of another open letter in regards to the need of a second demonstration of our peaceful protest in the form of a hunger strike in Santa Clara County Jail. The first strike was back on 10/17/16 and went on for five days.I am simply one man out of several hundred who stand firm under the banner and concept of Prisoners United of Silicon Valley. Our purpose has been and continues to be, trying to bring about meaningful forms of long-term positive change here in Santa Clara County Jail, for ourselves and our community. As a result of this, I along with several hundred other prisoners will be participating in another hunger strike.During our first strike, I personally lost nine pounds. My equilibrium was out of sync and it threw off the chemical balance of my whole body. This resulted in constant headaches, dizzy spells, blurred vision, and the inability to use the restroom. I was extremely sleep deprived and now I truly understand the meaning and feeling of what real hunger pains consist of.I was provided a memo from health care personnel stating that I/we were putting our short and long-term health in jeopardy, which could result in death. The sheriffs administration was fully aware of these risks and yet they simply turned a blind eye and deaf ear by showing no real concern for five days. This is truly deplorable when you consider the fact that Laurie Smith, Troy Beliveau and other deputies utilize the media and community meetings to claim the safety of all staff and inmates is their number one priority. I believe these empty words only serve to mislead our community. The Sheriffs office, administration and staff only became concerned once we, Prisoners United, received community support. Unfortunately this clearly demonstrates the culture and mentality that we are up against. The collective voice and medical safety of several hundred prisoners actually means nothing without outside community support.So at this point, I along with several hundred prisoners who will not be eating, humbly yet firmly reach beyond these walls and ask for the support of our communities during our time of struggle and sacrifice for positive change. Not just policy change on paper, but more importantly positive change in practice. As equally important, we seek/need change in SCC jails god ol boy/us against them mentality and abusive secretive culture.I believe it is important to understand that I, and others, really do not want to starve ourselves. Nor am I into self-deprivation, mutilation or torture. And, I/we are not simply looking for handouts. My decision to do this does not come easy nor was it made in haste. But, instead, I truly believe in what we are doing. And there still exists a need for change!So I/we stand firmly united in our collective stance and willingness to sacrifice todays hardships so that tomorrow we might be able to live under better human circumstances and less abusive and secretive conditions. Again, I/we ask for your support as we truly need it.While hundreds of us prisoners are not eating, we ask that you flood Laurie Smith, Cindy Chavez, Troy Beliveau, Christopher Grumbos and SCC Jail with calls and emails of concern. Demand/Seek answers as to why prisoners are not eating and risking their health and even lives. Ask for transparency and accountability. Or simply assist and support in any way that you can.In closing let me just say that I/we are prepared for administration/staff to try and discourage, manipulate and undermine our purpose, sacrifice and efforts. But I/we stand solid and strong in our determination. And we invite you to stand with us.Thank you,Respect and a strong embrace of solidarity!Simply one mans voice within a collective of Prisoners United--For more info on Hunger Strike issues and ways to support, please contact:Jose Valle / Silicon Valley De-Bug / Prisoners United Housing Unit Coordinator(408) 661-2604Benee Vejar / Silicon Valley De-Bug / Prisoners United Family Coordinator(408) 529-5971Call/email these numbers with messages of concern during Hunger Strike to show your support. Thank you!Sheriff Administration:(408) 808-4900Board of Supervisors:(408) 299-5001
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 10:24:48|Editor: Song Lifang

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MEXICO CITY, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mexico believes the three parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) can reach a deal to update the terms of the accord, despite their current differences, Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Friday.

"We have room to reach an understanding," Guajardo told attendees at the opening of a national textile convention in Cancun, adding: "We know the complexity of this negotiation."

Canada, the United States and Mexico have been renegotiating the two-decade-old trade agreement to address U.S. grievances and include fields, such as e-commerce, that were not relevant back in 1994.

One of the main U.S. preoccupations has been its bloated trade deficit with Mexico, which Guajardo downplayed not as the main cause of a poorly performing economy, but as the result of monetary and fiscal policies.

"We can help them with their concern about the trade deficit so they have a favorable redistribution of trade, as long as it is through the expansion of trade and not the contraction of trade," said Guajardo.

The three sides concluded the fourth round of talks on Tuesday in Washington, with "significant conceptual gaps," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Washington said a new NAFTA should help it reduce its 64-billion-U.S-dollar trade deficit with Mexico and 11-billion-U.S.-dollar deficit with Canada.

To do that, the United States has proposed making it easier to slap import duties on some Mexican and Canadian imports.

Mexico will host the fifth round of talks on Nov. 17-21, when the parties plan to schedule additional rounds for the first quarter of 2018.
Cattle Commentary Walsh Trading - 9 minutes ago Live cattle futures bounced today as feeders sharply declined on breaking news of Polish missile strikes from the Russians sent the grain markets higher. February live cattle settled at 153.05, a change...

Arabica Sharply Lower as Coffee Supplies Expand Barchart - 48 minutes ago December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) on Tuesday closed down -9.45 (-5.69%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF23 ) closed down -22 (-1.21%). Coffee prices Tuesday sold off sharply, with arabica falling to a 16-month... KCH23 : 159.50s (-4.43%) RMF23 : 1,802s (-1.21%)

Sugar Prices Underpinned on Reports of Defaults by Some India Sugar Mills Barchart - 50 minutes ago March NY world sugar #11 (SBH23 ) on Tuesday closed up +0.46 (+2.32%), and Dec London white sugar #5 (SWZ22 ) closed up +10.70 (+1.88%). Sugar prices Tuesday extended their two-week rally, with NY sugar... SBH23 : 20.29s (+2.32%) SWH23 : 551.30s (+2.38%)

Cocoa Prices Mixed on Dollar Weakness and British Pound Strength Barchart - 52 minutes ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Tuesday closed up +3 (+0.12%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed down -5 (-0.25%). Cocoa prices Tuesday settled mixed. A decline in the dollar index (DXY00... CCH23 : 2,498s (unch) CAH23 : 1,953s (-0.51%) DXY00 : 106.431 (-0.21%)

Sentiment Speaks: Is 4300SPX Our Next Major Target? ElliottWaveTrader.net - 1 hour ago As long as cited support holds on the next pullback, I am looking up to 4300SPX.

Triple Digit Rally in Cotton Futures Barchart - Tue Nov 15, 11:46AM CST Triple Digit Rally in Cotton Futures Midday cotton prices are trading with gains of as much as 366 points so far. That has the board back up from the wea start to the week. USDAs weekly Crop Progress... CTZ22 : 88.74s (+4.06%) CTH23 : 86.97s (+4.01%) CTK23 : 85.84s (+4.05%)

Hogs Bouncing through Tuesday Barchart - Tue Nov 15, 11:46AM CST Front month lean hog futures are trading $0.67 to $1.52 through midday. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price for Tuesday morning was $0.91 stronger to $84.45. The CME Lean Hog Index was $88.63 on 11/10,... HEZ22 : 85.325s (+0.53%) HEJ23 : 95.500s (+1.19%) KMZ22 : 95.900 (+0.24%)
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The Iraqi military and its Shiite militia auxiliaries have completed their reassertion in Kirkuk. The last pockets of resistance fell as units advanced on Altun Kupru, the last check point before you get to Erbil, one of the three Kurdistan provinces. In the process, there was reportedly heavy fighting with the Kurdistan Peshmerga paramiitary. Neither side has released how many casualties they took.

Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the foremost Iraqi clerical leader, asked the Iraqi government to protect Kurdish civilians. The statement came after reports surfaced that Shiite militias had abused Kurdish noncombatants in Kirkuk city, as well as in surrounding ones.

Sistani had nevertheless backed the Baghdad governments move to recover Kirkuk province. He just wants the process to be as orderly and lawful as possible. Although Sistani is often credited with reviving the Shiite militias to fight ISIL in 2014, he clearly wanted them to be an arm of the regular army. He does not have any tolerance for disarray.

Sistanis nationalist rival, Muqtada al-Sadr, also made a plea that the long tradition of religious and ethnic coexistence should be reasserted. He had likewise supported the reintegration of Kirkuk into Iraq.

Sistani and al-Sadr are functioning as Iraqi nationalists when they voice support for the Kirkuk operation. People sometimes forget how much Shiite Iraqis can adopt country nationalism about Iraq. Sunni Arabs in that country were often tempted by pan-Arabism or pan-Islam. The Iraqi Arab Shiites always knew that there is just one country where they have a hope of being in charge.

Reuters points out that without Kirkuks oil wealth, the three remaining rugged provinces that make up the Kurdistan Regional Government likely could not survive economically if they tried to declare independence.



Related video added by Juan Cole

AFP: Clashes as Iraq army takes Kurd-held area of Kirkuk province
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TeleSur |  

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he wants to decertify the agreement.

A CNN poll has found that 67 percent of U.S. citizens dont want Washington to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he wants to decertify the agreement, which would allow Congress to make changes to the multi-nation accord and potentially pull the country out of the historic deal.

It would be a waste of time to respond to such blatherings and nonsensical remarks by the foul-mouthed U.S. president, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in response to Trumps threat.

Only three out of 10 polled said they felt Iran posed a very serious threat to the United States, the lowest rate since 2000.

Of the over 1,000 people polled, 62 percent said they feel a very serious threat from North Korea, or the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK.

Yet, an even larger number, 63 percent overall and 88 percent of Democrats, feel Trump has been more reckless than responsible in his rhetoric against the DPRK. An overall 57 percent of those asked disapprove of how Trump handles relations with the Asian country.

The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS via telephone.

Via TeleSur

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

CGTN: Mogherini: No one country can terminate Iran deal
Green Party members James Shaw, Eugenie Sage, Julie Anne Genter and Jan Logie will take up the government positions offered to the party in its deal with Labour. The party has today announced the four would take on the roles but which portfolios they would be responsible for would be confirmed later. However the Herald understands that Shaw, Sage and Genter will be the ministers and Logie will be an under-secretary.

This is a smart decision by the Greens. I though Marama Davidson would be one of their picks, as she is higher ranked. But Davidson is risky as she isvery much an activist and could well have found Ministerial collective responsibility challenging. She is better know for joining protest blockades around Gaza.

So Shaw, Sage and Genter as Ministers is a smart move. They will all be competent in their areas, even though I may disagree with their policies. Logie as an Under-Secretary will allow them to also get some wins in an area they see as important.

This will make the contest for female co-leader quite interesting. I thought Davidson was favourite for this role, but not being a Minister may suggest not. On the other hand having a co-leader who is not a Minister can be a plus.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 10:44:51|Editor: Song Lifang

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KATHMANDU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Friday paid homage to Lumbini, birthplace of the Lord Buddha located in Rupandehi District on the southern plains of Nepal, Nepalese media reported Saturday.

Sirindhorn visited the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, which is named after Queen Maha Maya, the Lord Buddha's mother. Dating back to 623 B.C., this temple housed the exact birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Situated at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site where a number of temples are located. The Maya Devi Temple was added to the list of UN World Heritage Sites in 1997.

The 62-year-old princess flew into Lumbini on a chartered flight via Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepalese Capital Kathmandu on Friday morning.

The princess attended various cultural and religious ceremonies organized in Lumbini. She inaugurated the Royal Thai Monastery constructed with the assistance of the Thai government, the report said.

On the occasion, more than 2,000 monks, Buddhism followers as well as Thai government officials were present, Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Project Manager Saroj Bhattarai told the media.

The Thai government has extended financial and technical support to the development of Lumbini, which is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists.

Concluding her one-day visit to Nepal, the Thai princess returned home later Friday evening.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 11:24:55|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- When the Communist Party of China (CPC) has something to say about economic reform and opening up, the world sits up and pays attention.

Despite being on vacation when Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a report to the all-important 19th CPC National Congress, Daniel Liao watched every second live online.

"His words were a shot in the arm for foreign businesses like us," said Liao, head of China operations at a Singaporean real estate firm.

During a wide-ranging address, Xi unveiled the Party's ambitious goal to "develop China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful" by the mid-21st century.

HSBC economist Julia Wang described the long-term nature of the plan as "remarkable and unprecedented."

However, making Xi's vision become a reality will demand a freer market and more open economy. There is no lack of faith in the CPC's will and ability to deliver its promises.

At the congress, Xi spoke of letting the market play the decisive role in resource allocation, pursuing opening up on all fronts and significantly easing market access.

Liao's company, City Developments Limited, has invested around 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in China in the past six years, primarily in real estate, environmental protection and new energy.

Liao said the company had benefited significantly from streamlined administrative approvals and increased access for foreign investors.

Cutting red-tape was just part of more than 1,500 reform moves made by the CPC since the previous national congress in 2012.

The Party has a good record in keeping its word. While its economic policies remain far from perfect, reform has deepened at a swift and steady pace over the past five years.

State Council departments have canceled or delegated the power of more than 600 administrative approvals to lower-level offices, meeting government targets ahead of schedule.

Corporate burden was slashed by 2 trillion yuan (about 303 billion U.S. dollars) through cuts in taxes and fees from 2013 to 2016.

Lumbersome state-owned enterprises have seen their efficiency improved thanks to restructuring and improvements in corporate governance, reporting higher profits this year.

The economy has never been more open, creating a better business climate for foreign investors.

Revisions to the foreign investment catalogue have brought down the number of restrictive items by 65 percent from 2011.

Eleven pilot free trade zones have been set up with pre-establishment national treatment and a negative list approach to market entry. These practices would be implemented "across the board," Xi said Wednesday.

In its 2017 China Business Report, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said 77 percent of U.S. companies in China remained profitable last year, up 6 percentage points from 2015, with 73.5 percent reporting increased revenue, up 12 percentage points from 2015.

Sara Dai, regional president of Asia Pacific with Denmark-based biotechnology giant Novozymes, said she was happy to see the CPC's commitment to protecting the rights of foreign investors.

"We are confident of expecting a more transparent market and level playing field for all types of enterprises in China," she told Xinhua after reading the report delivered by Xi.

China has every reason to deepen reform and open wider to the outside, without which it would not have become world's second largest economy, or as Xi put it, "stood up, grown rich, and become strong."

The country's development has come to, in the words of Xi, "a new historic juncture." China now "embraces the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation," and to achieve that, one of the key tasks is to deepen reform and "get rid of all outdated thinking and ideas and all institutional ailments."

Xi announced the Party would "sort through and do away with regulations and practices that impede the development of a unified market and fair competition."

"China will not close its door to the world; we will only become more and more open," he said.

Officials were quick to get down to the nitty-gritty. Guo Shuqing, the country's top banking regulator and a delegate to the CPC congress, said Thursday measures would be taken to open more to foreign banks in terms of shareholding restrictions and institution establishment.

A day after Xi spoke of exploring the opening of free trade ports, Shanghai Party chief Han Zheng, also a congress delegate, told reporters the city was already making plans on the issue.

Global financial conglomerates, keen to seek direction in China's reform and opening, were positive on the prospects of the CPC's blueprint.

Commenting on Xi's report, Nomura chief China economist Zhao Yang anticipated continued structural reforms in the country.

The Party's economic focus will shift to the "quality and equality of development," with less on specific GDP growth targets, said UBS chief China economist Wang Tao in a research note.

She expects increased direct financing and deepened fiscal reforms for the next two to three years, and faster SOE reform in the coming year, which will be positive for the financial sector.

Julia Wang at HSBC said Xi's pledge to deepen market-oriented reform in the exchange rate is "an important endorsement from the top leadership about China's forex reforms and capital account liberalization."

With 2018 marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, the CPC's new leadership, to be elected at this congress, is expected to make greater strides in overhauling and opening the economy.

Xi declared that "socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era."

At the same time, the economy is at a new starting point and will move toward slower but higher-quality development.

As Xi said, to achieve national rejuvenation, it is imperative for the Party to follow the tide of the times, respond to the wishes of the people and have the courage to reform and open.
Washington, DC An Ohio-based chemicals and roofing company accused of gouging the federal government following an investigation resulted in an An Ohio-based chemicals and roofing company accused of gouging the federal government following an investigation resulted in an SEC whistleblower lawsuit that defendant RPM International attempted to have dismissed. On September 29, however a federal judge in Washington declined to dismiss, and the whistleblower lawsuit will move forward.

According to(10/02/17) the SEC lawsuit was founded upon a sealed whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2012 that accused RPM of gouging the government. The US Department of Justice, as is the case with a majority of whistleblower lawsuits alleging violations against the US government, reviewed the whistleblower lawsuit to determine the feasibility of becoming involved and either joining, or assuming the case.US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, noted that RPM and the firms chief compliance officer had knowledge of more than just the mere existence of an open investigation, Judge Jackson wrote. They knew that a federal civil complaint alleging violations of the False Claims Act was actually pending, and that [the US Department of Justice] (sic) was in the midst of determining whether it was going to intervene and take over the case, the decision said.Nonetheless, RPM and its CCO were accused of dragging their heels when it came to sharing details of the federal probe with investors. That delay resulted in a lawsuit against RPM by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).When the original whistleblower lawsuit, brought under the False Claims Act (FCA), was shared with RPM in August 2012, it was understood that RPM would undertake to inform investors and the markets of the lawsuit and the open investigation by the Department of Justice. RPM, however was seen to have delayed disclosure of the matter until April of the following year, when the firm announced it would be setting aside $69 million to resolve the situation.RPM had also claimed, in its attempt to have the SEC lawsuit dismissed, that its failure to fully disclose its potential liability to investors between August 2012 and April 2013 was protected opinion. As for any impact the lack of disclosure may have had on stock performance, the defendant argued that its stock price had been rising prior to August, 2012 and continued to rise after April, 2013 and thus any failure to disclose the federal probe to investors was immaterial.Judge Jackson disagreed with that position, opining that stock price wasnt the only thing that mattered, but whether the disclosure would have mattered to a reasonable investor.RPM is reported to have ultimately paid $61 million to resolve the whistleblower lawsuit alleging FCA violations. The SEC lawsuit was filed last year, with RPM ultimately attempting to have the lawsuit transferred to Ohio. When that bid was rejected, RPM petitioned to have the SEC lawsuit dismissed. On September 29, Judge Jackson rejected their motion as well.It is not known if RPM will attempt to appeal the ruling. The SEC lawsuit is, Case No. 1:16-cv-01803, in
Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 21 2017

Candidate for Suffolk Legislature District 15 receives first district 15 endorsement of Congressman Peter King.

From left to right: Christopher Madden, Candidate for Suffolk Legislature District 15 with Peter T. King, U.S. Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district.King has never endorsed a candidate in Suffolk Legislative District 15.

Long Island, NY - October 21, 2017 - Today, October 20, 2017, the campaign for Chris Madden, Candidate for Suffolk Legislatures District 15, has announced it has received the endorsement of Republican Today, October 20, 2017, the campaign for Chris Madden, Candidate for Suffolk Legislatures District 15, has announced it has received the endorsement of Republican Congressman Peter King , current Representative for New York's 2nd congressional district. King represents the South Shore of Long Island.

"I am very proud to endorse Chris Madden for Suffolk Legislature District 15," said Congressman Peter King, standing behind the Republican businessman in his run for office. Chriss long years of community involvement and his business experience make him the perfect man for the job.

After meeting with Chris I know he is going to do all he can for our communities by exposing wasteful spending and doing all he can to destroy MS-13 King says.

Congressman King has never endorsed a candidate in Suffolk Legislative District 15 in the past.

Maddens opponent is Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory who fully supports the red light camera program and has introduced new legislation that will double fees on all violations which tax payers will have to pay if found guilty or not.

Madden is against the red light camera program and the excess fees We have to stop the Suffolk County government from stealing our hard earned money. They are making it simply impossible to support and raise a family in Suffolk County Madden says.

We need full disclosure and complete transparency in all aspects of government Madden added.

Vote for Chris Madden, Row B, November 7, 2017.
Essential oils can help with bug bites in several ways. The following oils may help speed healing time and reduce itching after a bug bite.

Oils can reduce the temptation to scratch, which can prevent infections. This is because persistently scratching a bug bite may open a wound that allows bacteria to get into the body.

Essential oils for bug bites can be highly effective when correctly used. These naturally derived oils target inflammation and itchiness, taking the misery out of bug bites.

Share on Pinterest Peppermint oil may help with the burning and itching from bug bites.

Any bug bite can become infected, especially if it is scratched or it leaves an open wound, as some stings do. In people who have a mild skin reaction  as many people do to mosquito and ant bites  these oils may be beneficial.

Always mix the essential oil with a carrier oil and do not apply directly to the skin.

The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) do not monitor essential oils, so, choose a brand that is known for quality and purity.

Peppermint and menthol oils

According to one source, peppermint oils create a cooling sensation on the skin. This can help burning, stinging, and itching sensations caused by bites or stings. Research suggests peppermint oil may act as an antimicrobial, reducing the risk of infection associated with some bites. Do not apply peppermint oil to broken skin as it may burn or aggravate it. Use only on mosquito bites and other mild sources of irritation.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil may help prevent bacteria and other microbes from growing in a bug bite. This can reduce the risk of infection, making it an excellent choice for children who cannot resist scratching.

Research also shows that tea tree oil might act as a natural antihistamine. Antihistamines reduce the activity of the bodys histamine receptors, which can play a role in allergic reactions and itching. This may reduce swelling and itchiness.

Lavender oil

Known best for its mood-improving and calming effects, lavender oil may also help reduce the pain and itchiness of bug bites. Lavender may also improve the pain from bites and stings from insects, such as fire ants and bees.

Lemongrass oil

Lemongrass oils antimicrobial effects can help prevent the spread of some insect-borne diseases, according to some sources. Research published in 2014 also found that a compound found in lemongrass oil might have anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a major source of pain and itching following insect bites and stings. By reducing inflammation, lemongrass oil may make bites less painful.

Camphor oil

Camphor oil can create pleasant warming sensations on the skin, which may help conceal the itching of some bug bites. If the bite burns, rather than itches, however, avoid camphor, since it can make the sensations worse.

Chamomile oil

Long valued in traditional medicine for its soothing properties, these benefits of chamomile may also help with itching associated with insect bites and stings. A handful of studies have shown that chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties. This means it may help with mild allergic reactions, as well as itching and burning associated with most insect bites and stings.

Witch hazel

Witch hazel is not, in the strictest sense of the term, an essential oil. It is a water distilled from the leaves and stems of the Hamamelis virginiana plant. Witch hazel may prevent bites from becoming infected by fighting bacteria and keeping the injury clean. Witch hazel is also used to reduce inflammation and bruising. Since it is water, there is no need to dilute it in a carrier oil.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 11:29:56|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- By the end of this year, the 19 impoverished households, most of whom include people with physical or mental disabilities, in a remote village in northwest China, will be lifted out of poverty thanks to government assistance.

Through heavy investment in infrastructure, financial support for animal husbandry and agriculture, some 177 families, or about one quarter of the Zengjipan village in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, have already been lifted above the poverty line, said Zhu Yuguo, a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and village Party chief.

The ongoing congress has reaffirmed the nation's target to eliminate poverty in 2020 to achieve its goal of a moderately prosperous society. At the end of last year, China had 43 million impoverished people living in rural areas, after 55 million people were lifted above the poverty line from 2012 to 2016.

Despite difficulties, a number of congress delegates from impoverished areas across the country have expressed their confidence in accomplishing the target.

"With favorable Party and local government policies, our villagers have worked hard and now have much improved lives," said Zhu. "The residents sincerely thank the Party for the great changes over the past few years."

Zhu said that previously the village had rough roads, no nearby drinking water sources, suffered frequent droughts and villagers were very poor.

Now, residents have new homes, paved roads, tap water, community centers and money in their pockets. The per capita income reached 8,200 yuan (1,240 U.S. dollars) last year, compared with just 2,400 yuan in 2010.

"It's encouraging that the Party has a consistent policy to tackle poverty. Some 500,000 people are still living in poverty in my city," said Liu Xuerong, Party chief of Huanggang City in Hubei Province and delegate to the congress.

This year, nearly 180,000 people are expected to be lifted out of poverty in Huanggang.

"Financial assistance plays a crucial role," Liu said. By the end of September, the city's outstanding loans for poverty relief increased by nearly 40 percent year on year to 16.3 billion yuan. Special insurance has been made available for farmers who make a living by raising goats or other livestock, or growing crops such as tea, ginger or Chinese yams.

"Eliminating poverty is a vital step for the country to achieve socialist modernization. In Huanggang, we have confidence in this," Liu said.

Poverty alleviation efforts will continue the momentum in Tibet Autonomous Region to ensure the region does not fall behind in the national endeavor to build a moderately prosperous society, said Norbu Dondrup, vice chairman of the regional government and delegate to the CPC congress.

At the end of 2016, Tibet had 442,000 people living below the national poverty line out of a total population of about 3.2 million.

The government will help herders and farmers develop businesses. Children from poor families will receive subsidized college education, and the government will help young graduates find jobs and start businesses so they can support their families, according to the delegate.

"Grassroots Party organizations must be strengthened to act as the backbone for poverty reduction," said Wang Liangcheng, a congress delegate and first secretary of the Party branch in Limin Village in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Wang, deputy head of the county pricing supervision bureau, was sent to the village to help with poverty relief efforts in 2015.

He has helped the village plant crops and establish cooperatives to increase farmers' incomes. Currently, 103 previously poor families in the village have moved into new houses and now live above the poverty line.

The number of impoverished people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had dropped from 2.6 million in 2013 to 1.2 million by the end of 2016.

"We have the confidence and the methods to lift the remaining impoverished households out of poverty by 2020," said Niu Xuexing, Party chief of Hotan Prefecture, in southern Xinjiang and delegate to the congress.
New research suggests that drinking a little alcohol can actually improve your performance in a newly learned foreign language. Be careful, though: the effect may not last beyond the first pint.

Share on Pinterest Proost! Chin chin! Kanpai! Cheers! Could a pint of beer boost your language skills?

Alcohols impact on cognitive functioning has been a point of contention in the medical field for a long time. While some studies suggest that moderate drinking can have a protective effect, others say that it is linked with neurocognitive decline.

Popular belief holds it that having a drink can help you to improve your performance in a foreign language  but is this true?

A team of researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, alongside colleagues from Kings College London and the University of Liverpool  both in the United Kingdom  decided to conduct a study that would allow them to put this belief to the test. Their findings were recently reported in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

The ability to speak a foreign language relies on executive functioning. When someone is learning/speaking a foreign language, lexical items of both languages (native and foreign) are activated at the same time [in the brain] and compete for selection, explains first study author Dr. Fritz Renner and colleagues.

When this happens, the brains inhibitory control mechanism regulates the process, allowing the words in the relevant language to come the surface.

Given that alcohol consumption impairs executive functioning, including inhibitory control, the researchers add, it can be expected that alcohol consumption would impair foreign language fluency in bilingual speakers.

So, which is true: does alcohol boost or impair performance in a foreign language?
In a fascinating article about the potential of a new Rays ballpark in Tampa Bay, Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times gives insight into property trading as a method for acquiring land on which to build a new stadium. The mechanism is fairly simple at its core; Hillsborough County would trade parcels of valuable government-owned land near the downtown area to private property owners in exchange for their land in the Channel District-Ybor City area, where the county would like to build a new stadium. County Attorney Chip Fletcher confirmed with the Tampa Bay Times that the county is looking into these trades as a way to lower the cost of acquiring new property for a ballpark. Contornos piece offers a deep look into all the factors the county must consider when deciding whether this method truly makes sense from a business perspective. Rays fans (and Tampa Bay taxpayers) might enjoy learning about the complexities of the situation Hillsborough County faces.

More from around the American Leagues Eastern Division
Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis thanked his French counterpart Friday for France's assistance in the immediate aftermath of a Niger ambush that killed four US troops, as questions mounted in Washington about what happened.

French warplanes flew overhead and armed helicopters evacuated the US wounded following the October 4 attack near the Mali border, which is thought to have been carried out by jihadists.

The Pentagon chief has previously praised the less than 30-minute French response time after the attack on the joint US-Niger patrol, and officials say it shows how well the two countries' forces are working together.

But critics have pounced on the fact that it fell to France to help American troops as evidence the US military did not have adequate force-protection measures in place, and had failed in its intelligence gathering.

The ambush, which also killed four Nigerien troops, is sparking growing controversy in Washington as questions swirl about what went wrong, and after it emerged the body of one slain US soldier was not recovered for nearly two days -- and only then by a privately contracted helicopter.

"Thank you for your support and for your letter of condolences for our fallen following this attack," Mattis told French Defense Minister Florence Parly.

The French minister said she would discuss military operations in Syria after the fall of Raqa, the Iran nuclear deal and counterterrorism efforts in Africa's Sahel region.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Parly stressed the importance of the Iran deal.

"There's no way we should leave the Vienna agreement negotiated in 2015 as long as all the conditions made of Iran are being met," she said.

During her first Washington visit, Parly also gave a speech at the Center for Strategic International Studies, in which she said letting the deal collapse would sow the seeds of future conflict and be a gift to hard liners.

The United States, which has a growing military footprint in Africa, frequently supports French operations in the Sahel -- notably with aerial refueling to French planes and exchanging intelligence with the old ally.

Parly said she had also discussed Chad, a Niger neighbor with extensive history of counterterrorism cooperation, with US officials.

Trump has placed travel restrictions on Chad citizens, saying it does not adequately share public safety and terrorism-related information and faulting the country for not providing recent examples of its passports.

"We mentioned the fact Chad is an important, effective ally engaged in this area of the Sahel and that therefore we must help Chad answer all the questions that have been posed by the US administration," Parly said.
Cairo (AFP) - At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert on Friday, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the incident and said some of the attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Security forces, who are hunting down Islamic militants in the region, were ambushed late Friday on a road to the Bahariya oasis, some 200 kilometers southeast of Cairo, according to the interior ministry statement.

According to a source close to the security services, the convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

The Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition movement, has long denied involvement in violence.

Mohamed Morsi was elected as Egypt's first civilian president in 2012, but the army overthrew him a year later following mass protests against the divisive Islamist's rule.

Since then, an extensive crackdown on the group has left it in disarray with competing wings that have disagreed on whether to use violence, after police quashed their protests.

Analysts say a section of the Brotherhood has encouraged armed assaults against policemen in Egypt.

Authorities have also been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the violence.

The small group Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, none of the militant groups claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Islamic State group's deadly attacks on the military and police include a recent assault on a checkpoint in Sinai on July 7 that killed at least 21 soldiers.

The group has maintained a steady war of attrition with sniper attacks and roadside bombings.

But unlike their parent organisation in Iraq and Syria, they have been unable to seize population centres in the peninsula bordering Israel and Gaza.

In October 2015, IS claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from the popular South Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
21.10.2017 LISTEN

Hassan Ayarigas unquenchable desire to construct a multi-million dollar hospital project in Haasto, Accra hangs in the balance following disagreement over ownership of the land meant for the project.

According to reports, the Chief of Ashongman, Nii Aryee Anang, who released the 4-acre plot of land to the founder and leader of the All Peoples Congress (APC) in 2008, is not the rightful owner of the property, throwing the mega-project into complete disarray.

The 100-bed hospital, which would be funded by Mr Ayariga and his German partners, upon completion would serve as a great relief to residents of Ga East municipality as far as quality healthcare is concerned.

But, Chief of Haasto, Nii Amarh Sogbla IV and his elders, have made counterclaim of ownership of the land, pulling a Supreme Court ruling to back their extraordinary assertion.

They further accused the politician of employing the services of landguards and hoodlums to protect the said land.

Documents corroborated by the Lands Commission suggest the family of Nii Amarh Sogbla IV was granted a land tittle by the court in 1993, after the case had traveled through the High Court to the Supreme Court and Review, making the family the legitimate owner of the disputed land, of which, portions had been released to the Ghana Atomic Energy.

Nii Amarh Sogblas family took the case to court in 1987 following disagreements over the ownership.

According to the court, there was sufficient evidence on record to support the decision of the Court of Appeal.

A source at the office of Nii Amarh Sogbla IV made official contact to the failed presidential candidate, upon hearing the land had been sold to him for commencement of his hospital project, warning him to stay off the property.

We reached out to him [Hassan Ayariga] to inform him the land doesnt belong to the Ashongman Chief and that he should submit himself to Nii Amarh Sogbla IV for amicable settlement of the matter or face the consequences, which he consented to in a meeting between the two parties last week, a palace source said on condition of strict anonymity.

Nii Amarh Sogbla IV and his elders, our source said, would proceed to take possession and demolish the proposed 100-bed facility, should Mr Ayariga disregard their warnings.

They argue Mr Ayariga failed to conduct due diligence before making substantial payments to the Chief of Ashongman, hence their decision to call him to order.

However, in a telephone interview with Hassan Ayariga, he rejected claims by the Haasto Chief, insisting he followed due process in acquiring the land.

I challenge them to produce site plan of the land. Their claim is false because they dont have any documents to show.

I am saying this on authority because I have made the relevant checks and realised that they were not speaking the truth. I have already spent so much in purchasing the land and not ready to go beyond that, he said.

Pressed on his next line of action, Mr Ayariga said, Im considering going to court because the Haasto people have not shown me proper documents to convince me, except to say, they had Supreme Court ruling which went in their favour.

Continuing, he expressed disappointment at the turn of events, as he had good intentions for the community.

Sincerely, Im shocked by this whole drama. My intentions are genuine. We are ready to help the community, but these frustrations are not helpful and very demoralizing. In fact, I have no dime to pay to the Haasto Chief, he exclaimed.

He said his next scheduled meeting with the Haasto Chief is on October 26, in which he would make his stance clear on the matter.

Interestingly, Nii Armah Sogbla IV has earmarked the same piece of land to Professor Ernest Dumor, father of late BBC journalist, Komla Dumor, for the construction of a media school in honour of the former broadcaster.

In a letter of request dated 24th April 2017 and addressed to Nii Sogbla IV, Prof. Dumor disclosed that the BBC was ready to fully fund an ultra-modern broadcasting school in the locality to honour his late son.
October 20th, 2017, marks the sixth anniversary of the martyrdom of Muammar Qaddafi, revolutionary Pan-Africanist and champion of the Global South. This day also marks the sixth anniversary of the historic battle of Sirte, where Qaddafi, along with an heroic army, including his son Mutassim Billal Qaddafi, and veteran freedom fighter, Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr, fought until their convoy was bombed by French fighter planes. Wounded and demobilized, they were captured by Qatari scavengers and executed by Al-Qaeda operatives

The courageous men of the original Free Officers Union, who were guides and leaders of the then 42 year-old Al-Fatah Revolution, demonstrated extraordinary revolutionary fortitude, heroism and audacity in the face of their enemies. As young men in their twenties, they overthrew the Western-installed Libyan monarchy and ushered in the Jamahiriya, and as elders in their seventies, they refused to leave Libya, and instead, fought to the bitter end, on the frontlines, alongside their people. Their example will forever shine as an eternal light in the hearts of all those who struggled alongside them to build the closest thing to a real democracy, and a United States of Africa, that modern history has ever seen. The execution of Muammar Qaddafi and those that fought alongside him, and the destruction of the Libyan Jamahiriya is one of the greatest crimes of this century.

Those responsible, including Nicolas Sarkozy, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, David Cameron, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Emir Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

October 2011: A ravaged Sirte is evidence of the ferocity of the heroic battle staged by loyalist forces against the invaders.

Heroes: the millions of armed Libyan men and women who stepped up to defend their Revolution

The Libyan people were an armed people and Qaddafi often moved among them with minimal security only present to control the crowds that wanted to greet him and shake his hand. Repressive dictators do not arm their people.

What we knew all along is now a substantiated and indisputable fact  there was never a mass uprising in Benghazi or anywhere in Libya. The Libyan people in their millions made it clear that they supported the Al-Fatah Revolution.

During the invasion of Libya, 1.7million people - 95% of the population of Tripoli and one third of the entire population of Libya - gathered in downtown Tripoli in what has been called the largest demonstration in world history to support Qaddafi and the revolution. Syrians living in Libya can be seen in the centre of the photo waving the Syrian flag.

A coalition of the wicked, comprising US/NATO forces, the semi-feudal Arab regimes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Sudan, and a rag-tag bunch of monarchists and al-Qaeda linked terrorists inside Libya, that had been working with the CIA and M15 for decades, was assembled, and united in their goal. For them, total destruction was the only solution.

Every attempt was made by Qaddafi and his supporters to negotiate a peaceful solution, including inviting international observers into the country to see for themselves what was really taking place, something the imperialists could not allow to happen. This was their golden opportunity to destroy Qaddafi and the Jamahiriya, a plan they had been waiting to execute for years. There were mass uprisings on either side of Libya, in Tunisia and Egypt. The West had already coined the term Arab Spring and was busy hijacking revolts elsewhere. Time was of the essence. In fact, in what can only be described as a frenzy, they may have set a world record for the speed with which they managed to push through the illegal resolution at the UN, their cover for the invasion. The fake news and false narrative machine was in full swing. Within 24 hours, UN bodies had transformed Qaddafi from a person about to receive the UN Human Rights Award into a man killing his own people. The Jamahiriya was targeted for destruction and nothing was going to stop them.

Foreign forces, including the CIA, Dutch Marines, French and Sudanese military personnel, Qatari Special Forces, Al Qaeda fighters - facilitated by the Saudis, as they are facilitating Al Qaeda in Yemen today, were all in place weeks before the staged protests began in Benghazi in February 2011. This was a well-planned and coordinated operation.

Sometimes the enemy is the best teacher

Kwame Ture, revolutionary Pan-Africanist and former executive member of the World Mathaba, opined that sometimes the enemy is the best teacher. He instructed us to study the enemys strategy and tactics and to remember that the enemy only goes after those whom they deem to be a real threat to their imperial interests. Pan-Africanist and former president of Guinea, Ahmed Sekou Toure, said that, if the enemy is not bothering with you, then know that you are doing nothing.

The forces of US-EU imperialism were always bothering Muammar Qaddafi. They were bent on discrediting, demonizing and finding a way to obliterate him and the Libyan Jamahiriya from its inception in 1969, until they finally achieved their nefarious objective in 2011.

Referring to Qaddafi as the mad dog of the Middle-East, Ronald Reagan, in a nationwide broadcast, said that Qaddafis goal was world revolution, claiming that he (Qaddafi) was promoting a Muslim fundamentalist revolution, which targeted many of his own Arab compatriots.

There is an African saying: Mouth open, story jump out. What Ronald Reagan was describing sounds like the imperialist plan. It was Ronald Reagan who welcomed leaders of the Afghan Mujahadeen who were fighting the Soviets at the time, to the Oval Office and referred to them as Jihadi freedom fighters. Today as we face Al Qaeda and their various offshoots, including the infamous ISIL, we are witnessing the devastating results of this sinister imperialist game plan. Ever since the days when the British colonial forces facilitated the creation of the Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the imperialists have encouraged, supported and funded the growth of Islamic fundamentalist groups. They understood that this was imperative if they were to counter the resurgence of an Islamic theology of liberation, in the revolutionary tradition of Abu Dharr al Ghifari, and as propounded in contemporary times by outstanding Islamic thinkers, such as Muammar Qaddafi, Ali Shariati, Kaukab Siddique, Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani, Muhammad Iqbal and Mahmoud Ayoub.

Again, we can learn from the enemy. Just as the imperialists and right-wing Christian fundamentalists waged an unrelenting war against the Social Gospel Movement and Christian liberation theology, as articulated by revolutionary theologians such as Gustavo Gutierrez, Miguel Bonino, James Cone and Enrique Dussel, they knew very well that Islamic liberation theology must be countered. The enemy understood the power of this theology in term of its ability to act as a bulwark against the imperial hegemon. They knew that this authentic and revolutionary Islam would prevent them from exercising control over an awakened Muslim World.

Reagan was right about one thing, Muammar Qaddafi indeed had a goal of world revolution  it was a revolution that would put the tenets of Islamic liberation theology into practice. Qaddafis conception of this revolution was holistic. His revolution would challenge every aspect of Eurocentric epistemology and its inherent racism. The Libyan revolution was more than a social, political and economic revolution; it was nothing short of a spiritual and cultural revolution. This confounded not only the imperialist powers but also their reactionary Arab satraps.

The World Mathaba

The World Mathaba, established by Muammar Qaddafi in 1982, had as its stated mission, to resist imperialism, racism, fascism, zionism, colonialism and neo-colonialism. The Mathaba denotes a place where people gather for a noble purpose. Based in Libya, it became a meeting place for revolutionary and progressive forces from all over the world. Similar to the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, which became a major intellectual center during the Islamic Golden Age and the University of Sankore in Timbuktu, where scholars of the day converged to discuss and debate ideas and formulate new ideas, the Mathaba became a forum for the advancement of a Third Universal Theory beyond Capitalism and Communism. Prior to the Mathaba, the only international formations for progressive and revolutionary organizations had been the Soviet dominated Comintern, that demanded an ideological allegiance to Marxism-Leninism and the Socialist International, which brought together social-democratic parties. The ideological rigidity of these two international formations excluded organizations and movements that rejected Eurocentric ideologies, including many Indigenous and Pan-African organizations who found a home in the World Mathaba.

Through the Mathaba, Qaddafi assisted all those who were fighting for liberation and self-determination, regardless of whether or not it was in Libyas geo-political interests to do so. Under Qaddafis visionary leadership, material assistance and moral support was provided to the oppressed from every corner of the earth, regardless of religion or ideology. All were helped - from the Roma people of Eastern Europe to the Kanak people of New Caledonia in the Southwest Pacific, to the Rohinga people, who are presently being ethnically cleansed by the Buddhist chauvinists of Myanmar, and who the UN recently referred to as the most friendless people. What the hypocritical UN body failed to mention was that they once had a friend in Muammar Qaddafi.

Qaddafi noted on many occasions that the Libyan Revolution had a sacred duty to help all those who were in legitimate need and suffering persecution, since this was in accordance the teachings of the Quran, which was Libyas constitution The bedrock of Islam is to enjoin that which is good and condemn that which is wrong and unjust. Any Muslim, regardless of their interpretation of Quranic teachings, will admit that the Quran clearly states that the weakest response to injustice is to hate it in your heart, the second weakest response is to speak against it and the strongest response is to oppose it in every way possible.

A Spiritual Revolution

Leader of the Philippine based Moro National Liberation Front, Nur Misuari, in a lecture he delivered in 1990 at the Green World Institute in Tripoli, explained that inserting the word Islamic into the name of a country or organization, like the Islamic Republic of Pakistan or Moro Islamic Liberation Front did not make the country or organization Islamic.

Declaring yourself an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia and Qatar does not make you Islamic. To be a truly Islamic society and nation, there has to be a spiritual revolution. A revolution that raises the spiritual consciousness of the people. A revolution that counters the false Islam that the oppressors promote, that abolishes capitalism and the semi-feudal social relations sustained by the ruling elites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Sudan. This is why Qaddafi was such a threat to the imperialists and their Muslim surrogates. He was not only propounding dangerous ideas, he was building a new society - a Jamahiriya  a state of the masses, a real democracy based on the revolutionary teachings of the Quran, which according to South African political scientist, Themba Sono, created conditions for the many to rule themselves. Sono goes on to explain, For Qaddafi, this is part of the natural order in which the majority rules themselves rather than for a minority to exercise power over a majority... Qaddafi denies that the emanations from the activity of electoral participants can never be called rule, not only because such rule would be unethical and thereby unstable, but also because it would contradict the very essence and fundamental tenet of democracy, which is, to be tautological, that, naturally, free people must and can rule themselves.

It was a dangerous precedent that the imperialists could not allow to continue.

As Sono notes in his book, The Qaddafi Green Syndrome: Shaking the Foundations: Qaddafi does not care to investigate whether or not the people are capable of ruling themselves, for he asks the question, how do we do that without giving the people, not only the right but the opportunity to do so? Who is to know beforehand and therefore to decide a priori that the people are not qualified to rule themselves?

Dangerous Ideas Indeed

Applying the principles of Qaddafis Third Universal Theory transformed Libya from one of the poorest countries in the world, to not only one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, but in many respects, one of the most prosperous countries worldwide. Facts and figures substantiate this claim. Libya had no foreign debt and actually deposited payments from oil revenue into the bank accounts of its citizens. As is by now well documented, Libyans had access to free quality healthcare, free education from nursery to university level, rent free housing, free electricity, subsidized food  a very high standard of living. Imperialists hate these types of precedents. What if, upon seeing these achievements, other nations decided to disregard the Western-style systems of governance and the neo-liberal capitalist model that simply widens the gap between have and have-nots? What if countries in Africa, seeing Libyas advancement and prosperity, decided to rid themselves of the bogus liberal-democratic tradition that empowers 1% of humanity to rule over 99%? What if others decided to reject the multi-party electoral circus, designed to divide and fragment our countries along ethnic and tribal lines, and instead, opted for a Jamahiriya or State of the Masses?

Once asked by a journalist, what was the one thing he wanted to achieve most in his lifetime, Qaddafi replied, to change the world. And he was coming close. Muammar Qaddafi and the empowered Libyan Jamahiriya were leading the movement to establish a United States of Africa, with a united military and a single currency, a dinar backed by Africas gold reserves. This would have actually dethroned the US dollar and shifted the global economic imbalance. This would have indeed changed the world.

So, on October 20, 2011, the Satanic forces that had been at war with Qaddafi and the Libyan Jamahiriya from its inception in 1969, dealt their final blow to the man known to revolutionaries throughout the world as the Brother-Leader, and to revolutionary Muslims throughout Africa and the world, as the Commander of the Faithful.

If they get past Libya, they are coming for you

Six years later and the fallout from this criminal act is still being felt everywhere. Key development projects throughout Africa, financed by Libya, have all grounded to a halt. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, key players in Libyas demise, are now busy grabbing large tracts of land in Africa. This would not have been possible if Qaddafi was alive. The expansion of AFRICOM, the expansion of US military bases, and the building of new military bases by the Chinese and the Turks in Africa would also not have been possible if Qaddafi was alive. Indeed, there would have been a fierce resistance to the current recolonization and re-carving of Africa if Muammar Qaddafi was alive and the Libyan Jamahiriya was flourishing as before.

Of course, the urgent need to recolonize an Africa that was awakening to its own power and ability to unite and self-determine was the very reason for the overthrow of Qaddafi and the Libyan revolution. It is not surprising that the French led the charge. In March 2008, former French president, Jacques Chirac said, Without Africa, France would slide down into the rank of a Third World power. As early as 1957, long before he became president, Francois Mitterrand said, Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century.

Libya has been transformed into a dysfunctional neo-colonial entity, where an array of militias squabble over territory and spoils. Its vast landmass has become a safe haven and training ground for ISIL and other Al-Qaeda offshoots. Thousands of Libyans and other African nationals are still detained without trial in what can only be described as concentration camps. Many have been tortured and executed in these same camps, their only crime, being Qaddafi loyalists. Those now in control of Libya hated Qaddafis Pan-African objectives. They are Arab supremacists and are persecuting Black Libyans and other African nationals.

Thousands of loyalists and migrants from other African countries languish in prisons.

Africans who once travelled to Libya to work and send back much needed funds to their families are now crossing the Mediterranean. Entire boatloads of people, including women and children are drowning as they make the perilous journey. Our ancestors were once captured and forced on to boats against their will, many perished during that crossing, today, we are clamoring to secure a place on boats that are not even seaworthy to escape the conditions created by our former enslavers. Many are still perishing.

Qaddafi would often lament, the world shakes, but it doesnt change.

Workers from as far afield as the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Turkey, Germany, England, Italy, Malaysia and Korea lost their jobs.

The entire refugee crisis across Europe is a result of the destruction of the Jamahiriya.

The push to establish a United States of Africa, which prior to Libyas demise was a dynamic and energized initiative, is presently a dream deferred. Revolutionary Pan-Africanism has suffered a huge setback. Todays African leaders, with the exception of a few, are only good for talking Pan-Africanism in the halls of the African Union headquarters. Outside of these confines, they are committed to maintaining the old neo-colonial relationships that keep Africa in bondage.

We Salute You

On this day, all those who resist oppression and tyranny worldwide, salute the great freedom fighter and our Brother-Leader, Muammar Qaddafi and the other revolutionary leaders of Al Fatah. We pay homage to their dedicated and life-long struggle for human emancipation and dignity. We are forever inspired by their steadfast and courageous fight to the end, and by their unwavering faith in, and service to God. We are grateful for their undying love for the African continent and all of humanity. We salute the millions of Libyan men and women who heroically resisted the invasion of their country, and who continue to suffer to this day. We stand in solidarity with the family of Muammar Qaddafi and the families of all the martyrs. We stand in solidarity with the thousands of political prisoners inside Libya and the more than 1.5 million Qaddafi loyalists exiled from their country. We commit our full support to the struggle being waged by the patriotic and nationalist forces to liberate and reunify Libya once again. For the Green revolutionary, death is not the end, but the doorway to a new beginning. Martyrs never die.

Gerald A. Perreira is chairperson of the Guyanese organizations Black Consciousness Movement Guyana (BCMG) and Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP). He is an executive member of the Caribbean Chapter of the Network for Defense of Humanity. He lived in Libya for many years, served in the Green March, an international battalion for the defense of the Al Fatah revolution, and was a founding member of the World Mathaba, based in Tripoli, Libya. He can be reached at [email protected]
Cairo (AFP) - At least 35 Egyptian police officers have been killed in an ambush by Islamist fighters near the Bahariya oasis in the country's Western Desert, security and medical sources said Saturday, in a rare flare-up outside the Sinai Peninsula.

The interior ministry said security forces hunting down Islamist militants in the region were attacked late Friday on a road to the Bahariya oasis, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) southwest of Cairo.

An official statement said a number of the attackers were killed, but did not give any figures for losses on either side.

According to a source close to the security services, the convoy was hit by rocket fire. The attackers also used explosive devices.

There has not yet been a claim of responsibility. A fake claim in the name of the small extremist group Hasm, reported by multiple local media, spread on social media soon after the attack.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula more than 500 kilometres (300 miles) away from the latest violence.

Map of Egypt locating attack on soldiers in the Bahariya oasis

In response to the latest bloodshed Egyptian security forces appeared to step up their operations in the area of the attack.

Two truck drivers heading away from the scene told AFP they had seen heavy deployments of security personnel in the area and that aircraft were carrying out surveillance.

In the face of the latest violence, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday was sticking to a plan to mark the 75th anniversary of the pivotal victory by the Allies in the World War II Battle of El Alamein at a ceremony involving foreign dignitaries on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, his office told AFP.

But the strongman leader cancelled all his other engagements for the day.

String of attacks

The Muslim Brotherhood, once Egypt's largest opposition movement, has long denied involvement in the attacks on the authorities.

Mohamed Morsi was elected as Egypt's first civilian president in 2012, but the army overthrew him a year later following mass protests against the Islamist's divisive rule.

Since then, an extensive crackdown on the group has left it in disarray with competing wings that have disagreed on whether to resort to violence, after police bloodily suppressed their protests.

Analysts say a section of the Brotherhood has encouraged armed assaults against the police.

Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo.

In their statements, none of the militant groups claim any affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hundred of soldiers and police have been killed in the grinding Islamic State group insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula in the far northeast of the country.

On October 13, the Egyptian army said six soldiers were killed in a "terrorist" gun and grenade attack on a security post near the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish.

IS has maintained a steady war of attrition with sniper attacks and roadside bombings.

But unlike their parent organisation in Iraq and Syria, they have been unable to seize population centres in the peninsula, which borders Israel and Gaza.

In October 2015, IS claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers home from the popular South Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
A Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, has vowed that the government will retrieve the GH51 million owed the state by businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

He said Mr. Woyome's day of reckoning will come as the state is will employ every legitimate means to retrieve the money.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an application by businessman Alfred Woyome, which sought to stop the seizure and valuation of his properties by the state.

His application came after state officials stormed one of his residences at the plush Trasaco vicinity, to value the property earlier this month.

The court presided by a sole judge, Justice Alfred Benin, described the application as one without merit hence his decision.

The ruling by the court paves the way for the state to continue with the valuation of the properties of Mr. Woyome in its quest to retrieve the money he owes from the judgment debt wrongfully paid to him.

Godfred Dame, who spoke to the media after Fridays proceedings, said the state is determined to recover the money from Woyome, and will not be deterred by the tactics employed by Woyome to impede the process.

Alfred Woyome

I can assure you that, nothing will hinder the state in its efforts to recover the money. These are all ploys that will be swept away. No impediment, whatsoever that is placed in the way of the state by Mr. Woyome will prevent the state from recovering the money. Surely the day of reckoning will come, he said.

Background to saga

Mr. Woyome was paid the GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

However, an Auditor General's report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after a former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, challenged the legality of the payments.

Following delays in retrieving the money, Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court's judgment, ordering Mr. Woyome to refund the cash to the state.

There had been previous attempts to orally examine Mr. Woyome with Mr. Amidu himself, in 2016, filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking to examine Alfred Woyome, on how he was going to pay back the money, after the Attorney General's office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.

In February 2017 however, Mr. Amdu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgement debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.



By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Professor Victor Yao Atsu Barku, the Director of Programmes and Planning at Health & Safety Ghana (HESAG), has called on employers, employees and regulatory authorities to do more to ensure workplace accidents and diseases were reduced drastically in Ghana.

The recent global figures released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on deaths resulting from workplace accidents and diseases showed an increase from the previous estimate of 2.3 million deaths per year to a new estimate of 2.8 million deaths.

Prof. Barku, who was part of HESAG's delegation to the just ended 21st World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Singapore, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast.

He expressed the belief that Ghana must adopt the Vision Zero Concept for prevention of workplace diseases and accidents.

He said currently, occupational health and safety issues did not receive the necessary attention it deserved as majority of Ghana's legal provisions on Occupational Health and Safety were limited in scope.

'The Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970, Act 328, and the Mining Regulations 1970, LI 665, which have driven occupational health and safety implementation in the manufacturing, shipping and mining sectors till now require huge modifications,' he said.

Sharing his experience from the congress, Prof Berku, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Coast, said the congress was an eye-opener for delegates from developing countries, particularly Africa.

'It was an occasion to share experiences and ideas with Occupational Safety and Health professionals from other countries on how to promote a global vision of prevention,' he said.

The congress, he said, also served as a platform for networking with other stakeholder organisations, learning new technologies for resolving workplace health and safety issues and international best practices of preventing injuries and accidents.

The congress was held from September 3 - 6 and was attended by about 4000 delegates from 38 countries around the world. It was on the theme: "A Global Vision of Prevention."

GNA

By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 11:45:00|Editor: Liangyu

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HOUSTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Authorities of the U.S. state of Texas have decided to open an investigation into a number of debris removal companies which are blamed to be working across the state's battered southeast rather slowly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday he made the decision to look into companies contracted to haul debris in hurricane-hit areas. The move was in response to the requirement of John Sharp, Texas A&M University's chancellor who is overseeing the state's recovery operations.

"It's time to find out why some are moving too slowly, and why some are refusing help that would remove debris faster," Sharp said in a press release on Friday.

"Debris removal companies may be overpromising and under-delivering," Paxton said.

"Texans are working hard to clean up after Hurricane Harvey and these companies should do the same. They cannot sign contracts with local governments, and then change the price or not deliver services," he noted.

Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in the south central region of the United States in more than 50 years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and damaging some 200,000 houses in a path of destruction that stretched for more than 480 km. The Houston area suffered severe flooding after heavy rainfalls.
Former Power Minister, Kwabena Donkor has cautioned the Majority in Parliament against the termination of the $510 AMERI Power deal.

He said the country will send the wrong signal to investors if the emergency power deal signed in 2015 is revoked.

Speaking to the media after meeting Parliaments Mines and Energy Committee Friday, the Pru East MP said due diligence was done before the past government endorsed the agreement.

Rescission will be a disservice to Ghana, was the former Ministers parting words to the media.

The Mines and Energy Committee is considering a motion filed by Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T Hammond that called for the termination of the agreement based on some new evidence.

The lawmaker said AMERI Energy did not execute the project as agreed in the contract.

He also said the Dubai firm charged $510 million and sublet the contract to a Turkish firm, Power Project SANAYI (PPR) at $315 million less than what was charged.

The Minority has boycotted any meeting held to discuss the rescission motion, insisting nothing untoward was done.

Answering questions before the Committee, Dr Donkor admitted he did not personally conduct a background check on AMERI at the time the deal was signed.

He told the Committee, an international financial firm that issued the standby letter of credit for the project did the checks.

The African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has said the country would have been saved the embarrassment if its warning had been heeded to by the past government.

ACEP Executive Director, Ben Boakye told Emefa Apawu on Joy FMs Top Story the agreement was not in the interest of Ghanaians.

It was a bad deal and government could have been cautious, he said, adding much due diligence was not done.

But Dr Donkor said rescission of the deal will drive away investors in the country.

It was done at the right time, he noted, saying there was nothing fraudulent about it.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | AKAP
Rogue Lawyer, Ephraim Emeka Ugwuonye

21.10.2017 LISTEN

When controversial Lagos lawyer, Emeka Ephraim Ugwuonye, in a Facebook post on his group, The Due Process Advocates on September 18 2018, announced that he will not come back to Nigeria for any reason, not many took him seriously, considering the fact that he has myriads of cases (as defendant) pending in different courts in Nigeria.

A subsequent post on the day of the last adjourned date of the Ten Billion Naira (N10b) suit (21st September, 2017) instituted against him by husband of missing Abuja business woman, Charity Aiyedogbon, David Aiyedogbon, Mr. Ugwuonye said:

Today, the case of David Aiyedogbon against me will come up in Abuja, where David had sued me for allegedly defaming himUnfortunately, I will not be in Court in Abuja because I am still in the United States, seriously indisposed.

In the same post, Ugwuonye alluded: I am particularly disturbed that several women who had initially posed as Chachas friends have today abandoned her.

This leaves one with the question of how Ugwuonye actually got involved in the matter. Some friends of Chacha whom he claimed consulted him on the matter all denied him. They are said to be at war with him presently. One of them, Pamela Nwansoh allegedly confronted him in a Police premises in Abuja over an obvious sense of disenchantment with his activities, alleging extortion of members of the public (in the name of looking for Chacha) using his Facebook Group, the Due Process Advocates (DPA). Ugwuonye had, via a post on the group, solicited financial contributions for his trip to Abuja to respond to Police invitation to explain himself over the case of the missing Chacha.

One of the ladies said to be involved in the search for Chacha, Viola Ifeyinwa Okolie, on the 14th of July, 2016, also made a worrisome post on her Facebook wall, expressing disenchantment with Mr. Ugwuonyes antics.

As at today, Ugwuonye has neither responded to the issue of how he got involved in Chachas matter; nor rendered an account of the several millions of Naira contributed by concerned citizens in support of the search for Chacha. By the way, what really has he done and what exact steps has he taken to boost the search for the missing woman.

He earlier claimed to have been in the United States of America as at the time of Chachas disappearance and only came into Nigeria in June, 2016, after being briefed to handle the matter, but his call log betrayed him, showing that he was in Abuja on the 10th, 11th and 12th of May, 2016; same time Chacha is said to have got missing. Information from private investigators and telecommunication service providers revealed that he also made calls around Jabi area of Abuja, up till midnight same 10th and 11th and departed Abuja on the 12th of May, 2016. When confronted by the Police in Abuja with evidence of his movement, he owned up.

Key suspects earlier arrested by the Police in connection with Chachas disappearance were said to have been released at his instance. He claimed at the FCT Police Hqrs that they were his clients; but when brought face to face with Mr. Ugwuonye, they denied all his claims, saying they neither briefed nor identified any corpse to him as that of Chacha, as he earlier claimed.

As at the time of this report, Police sources reveal that Mr. Ugwuonye has not provided any evidence to substantiate his claims. The only person he claims showed and identified a corpse as that of missing Chacha (Jo) denied him.

Chachas car has been recovered. Two of her handsets have also been recovered and arrests made. Following several pointers to his possible complicity in the matter, Ugwuonye has been questioned more than thrice by the Police in Chachas case?

The first puzzle was solved, with the admission by one of Chachas lawyers, Nsikak Udo that Chachas signature was forged. He admitted that he lied on oath and his fate shall be determined by the laws of the land soon. Udo says he did not see Chacha, contrary to his earlier claim. He confessed to the Police that he forged Charitys signature in an affidavit he filed in court. Apparently, Charity was not behind the filing of the suit, but her lawyer, Nsikak Udoh.

In one of those his posts, Ugwuonye claimed that part of the protracted legal fight between Chacha and David was a fight over a real estate property in England, which was bought in Chachas company name, but which David was claiming as his. The conflict between the two led them to hire lawyers respectively in London and the matter was never resolved as of the date of Chachas disappearance.

Investigations revealed that the claim is not only a misrepresentation of facts, but born out of mischief. Independent investigations revealed that there has never been any court case between Charity Aiyedogbon and her ex-husband, David Aiyedogbon in the United Kingdom. Even here in Nigeria, there was no pending court case between Charity Aiyedogbon and her ex-husband, David Aiyedogbon as at the time of her disappearance. The case that was filed at Lokoja was instituted by one of her lawyers, Mr. Udo, wherein he allegedly forged her (Chachas) signature. Police sources say he has already confessed to the offence in writing at the Police Headquarters in Abuja. The matter has already been decided in favour of David Aiyedogbon.

Chacha had left the husbands house about two years before her disappearance and all efforts to bring her back to her matrimonial home failed, including those initiated by the Church and the both families. Available statistics suggest that there is no divorce petition pending anywhere instituted by Chacha, as claimed by Mr. Ugwuonye.

The bottom line is that there was no time Ugwuonye said he suspected David Aiyedogbon, as he is now claiming, but he was emphatic that he has evidence that he (David Aiyedogbon) murdered his wife. His posts on Facebook say it all:

I now have overwhelming evidence that Mr. David Aiyedogbon killed his wife, Chacha. David has an idea of the kind of evidence at my disposal.

In another post, Ugwuonye is quoted as saying: this is the headless and dismembered body of Charity Aiyedogbon (posting a corpse on his DPA Facebook page). DPA has been able to identify this as her body within the limits of resources at our disposal.

Continuing, on the 28th of June, 2016, he is quoted as posting: I will describe David as a low-life and cold-blooded murderer of his own wife. The only reason I would not go further to describe David in the most despicable language that he rightly deserves is that I would rather focus my argument on points that would lead to justice for Chacha.

In an earlier reaction to Ugwuonyes allegation, Mr. Aiyedogbon washed his hands over the disappearance of the woman and wrote his accuser, through his lawyers, demanding an apology, failure which he would institute a suit against him for defamation of character.

The letter dated 21st June 2016, titled: Defamation of the character of David Aiyedogbon; demand for apology, signed by his lawyer, Obiora Ilo and made available to newsmen, expressly states: It is our instruction to demand an unqualified apology from you to our client through our chambers for the defamatory publications you have made of and concerning our client.

Aiyedogbon went a step further by writing a reminder to him, reiterating the issues raised in the earlier letter. The second letter dated 12th July, 2017, signed by Chinenye Ofoegbu, of Ogbulafor chambers and made available to newsmen, expressed his readiness to drag him to Court, in an event that he failed to apologize and issue a retraction.

Following his recalcitrance, David Aiyedogbon approached the Court to seek redress. He is asking for Ten Billion Naira from Ugwuonye, as damages for defaming him.

In addition to the Ten Billion Naira damages, the Suit, with number CV/2750/16, between David Aiyedogbon (Plaintiff) and Emeka Ugwuonye (Defendant) on defamation of character, before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 14, Apo, Abuja; also prays that the defendant be ordered to pay for the cost of the litigation.

The Plaintiff is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his Agents, Privies, Associates or whosoever called from making further defamatory publications against him and his family members. It is instructive to note that as at today, Ugwuonye is yet to produce any evidence to substantiate his allegations against Mr. Aiyedogbon.

Sources close to Mr. Aiyedogbons lawyer, Tony Ogbulafor say he may have also filed a personal suit against Mr. Ugwuonye for wrongly accusing him of giving a bribe (in an envelope) to a Police man to detain him, at the peak of Police investigations.

Meanwhile, following Ugwuonyes evasive nature, the presiding Judge, Justice Kekemeke, on the 5th of October, 2017, made an Order for substituted service on him, since his last known address in Lagos has been under lock and key, while an earlier Order by the Court for him to provide an address for service within Abuja is yet to be complied with.

But, where is Emeka Ugwuonye? As the matter comes up for hearing on the 25th of October, 2017, one expects him to appear and prove to the court that David Aiyedogbon murdered his wife. It is time to present his overwhelming evidence against Mr. Aiyedogbon before the Court. His refusal to appear in Court on the next adjourned date (25th October, 2017) will be a confirmation that indeed, he is on exile. But for how long will he run? In my next piece, I will analyse the possible implications of his exile on the matter.

But, as a lawyer of over twenty-five years (as he always claims), Ugwuonye knows that he that asserts must prove. Is exile an option for him? Time shall tell.

Destiny Ugorji
The Supreme Court has dismissed two motions filed by embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome against the state in connection with his GH51.2 million indebtedness to the nation.

Lawyers for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier had filed two fresh motions at the court in an attempt to delay the payment of the huge money fraudulently paid to him by the erstwhile NDC government as judgement debt.

One of the motions sought to declare the order by the Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice to evaluate the businessman's properties as 'unlawful,' while the other was seeking to stop the oral examination proceedings at the court.

According to the lawyers, the writ of execution used by the state to conduct the evaluation was unlawfully obtained as the first one did not expire, yet the state managed to get it renewed.

But the Supreme Court, presided over by Justice A A Benin, ruled that both applications lacked merit since a panel of three judges had already thrown out a stay of execution filed by Woyome to halt the oral examination at the court.

With regards to the second motion, which was challenging the legality of the writ of execution being used to evaluate the NDC financier's properties, the court ruled that the state did nothing wrong in using the first writ in its evaluation.

This is because once the execution writ, which was obtained on January 9, 2015, had started, there was no need for it to be renewed, hence the argument by Woyome's lawyers lacked the grounds to challenge it (writ).

According to Justice Benin, the second writ, which was obtained on January 6, 2016  and was the bone of contention  had referenced the first one, thereby had no effect on the general evaluation process.

The court therefore threw out both applications.

Oral Examination

The court has adjourned sitting to October 30, 2017 when the Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, will continue with the oral examination initiated against Woyome by the state.

In July this year, Mr. Dame began an inquiry into sources of income and assets of the businessman in order to recover the money paid to him.

The NDC financier failed to show up in court at the last sitting and his lawyers cited ill health for his absence.

He was once again not in court when it threw out the two motions.

Properties

Meanwhile, the Deputy Attorney General has indicated that the state would leave no stone unturned in recovering or identifying all the assets owned by Mr. Woyome in an effort to recover the money.

He said the state is still making the necessary enquiries and searches to identify all the properties owned by Mr Woyome; and once the relevant discoveries are made, the public will hear about them.

It would be recalled that the Supreme Court had placed an embargo on the shares owned by the businessman in 11 companies, following his indebtedness to the state.

The court had also given the state the order to evaluate five of Woyome's properties, including those at Tesano, Trassaco, Kpehe  all in Accra  and one in the Volta Region.

Refund

Mr Woyome has so far refunded just GH4 million out of the GH51.2 million into state coffers.

Although he subsequently promised to pay the outstanding balance by quarterly installments of GH5 million from April 1, 2017, he is yet to deliver on that promise.

By Gibril Abdul Razak

[email protected]
President Akufo-Addo has charged persons living in Ghana to make it a duty to stop illegal mining and felling of trees in the country.

According to the President, What we make of our natural resources would determine our existence.

I call on all gathered here, and every Ghanaian, to rise up to the occasion. Farmers and local community members should not allow illegal logging and mining to continue. Security agencies on our roads, ports and borders should not look on unconcerned and allow illegal timber products just to pass without confiscation or with corrupt purpose. Most importantly, the Forestry Commission should strengthen its law enforcement measures to curb illegal logging, mining and unsustainable harvesting of forest products, he stated at the second national Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) forum in Accra on Thursday under the theme, 'Strengthening law enforcement for effective REDD+ implementation.'

That, he said, was because the fight against deforestation and forest degradation is critical to Ghana's efforts at tackling the issue of climate change.

With climate change being, perhaps, the biggest threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, President Akufo-Addo, noted that it's fast becoming a developmental issue of grave concern to most leaders across the world.

He, however, revealed that Ghana is currently developing another sub-national REDD+ programme in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions of Ghana, with the support of the Italian Government through the United Nations Development Programme, for submission to the Green Climate Fund.

According to the president, the programme has the potential to transform the northern savanna ecosystem of Ghana with the right implementation and enforcement structures.

He indicated that signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have initiated the process of reducing considerably greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and also encouraging tree planting.

He reiterated his government's commitment to take action that prevents forest degradation and deforestation which would increase the country's forest cover.

Our fight against the illegal mining phenomenon, also known as galamsey, is a case in point. In the 2016 manifesto of my party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), indicated strongly our commitment to reforestation, forest rehabilitation and forest protection activities, realizing that forest cover has been depleted significantly in the last two decades, President Akufo-Addo said.

To that end, he noted we intend to undertake massive forest plantations, with both indigenous and exotic tree species, and also develop the bamboo and rattan industry, as they would serve as effective substitutes for furniture and other wood products.

President Akufo-Addo told students of Ghana that I urge you to inculcate the habit of tree planting and conservation. As you do this, you begin to build a generation that is more sensitive to issues of environmental conservation.

To media houses and other civil society actors, your work on advocacy is critical to keep all of us on our toes. Do not relent in your efforts, and deepen even further your knowledge on environmental issues and their reporting, and to the Chief Justice and members of the Judiciary, let us ensure that the fines and punishments that are pronounced on perpetrators of illegal forest activities are deterrent enough, and quickly delivered and effected.

We appreciate your efforts and we will continue to ask for your support and that of others, as we move forward with REDD+ implementation in Ghana, he told representatives of the Diplomatic Corps.

On his part, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, called on Ghanaians at every level of the social strata to contribute their quota in stemming and reversing the high level of deforestation in the country and renew their commitment to protecting the environment for the benefit of present and future generation of Ghanaians and the global community.

Let us all join hands to save and grow our forest, he said.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
President Akufo-Addo presenting the overall best Senior Under Officer award to Arthur Barnes at the graduation ceremony of Military Academy at Teshie in Accra

President Akufo-Addo reviewed the graduation parade of the Cadet Corps of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at the Military Academy Training School (MATS) at Teshie in Accra yesterday.

It was the first time he was doing this after becoming president on January 7, 2017.

The parade, which featured cadets from the Regular Career Course 57 and Short Service Commission/Special Duty Course 55, had four foreign officers  two each from Benin and Guinea.

In all, 106 cadet officers from Ghana, Benin and Guinea graduated.

Warning

The Commander in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces gave a note of caution to his men.

Remember, you are to safeguard and protect the territorial integrity of the nation and its citizens, and not to use your position to antagonise the very citizens whose sacrifices have made your training possible, he said.

He stressed the need for the soldiers to remain conscious of their responsibilities towards the people of the nation, whose security they had been charged to protect.

As you enjoy the euphoria that surrounds your achievements on this memorable occasion, do not forget that a responsibility has been thrust on your shoulders. Your commission into the Armed Forces is the beginning of your careers as professional officers and leaders, and you are expected to exhibit exemplary conduct. You must at all times discharge your duties professionally and diligently, he charged the Cadet Corps.

Charge

President Akufo-Addo pointed out that you owe it a duty to the nation to work towards ensuring its peace, stability and development.

Living in a constitutional democracy, which has taken the blood and sacrifices of several generations of Ghanaian patriots to establish, the president posited, It has become the standard bearer and beacon of democratic engagement on the African continent, receiving worldwide acclaim for its progress.

All of us  political leaders, religious leaders, civil society leaders, military leaders  are first and foremost citizens of this democratic state, and our first and paramount duty is to uphold the teachings of its Constitution.

Besides being equipped with the fundamentals of functional leadership, the president noted that the cadet officers had also been imbued with the requisite military skills and other relevant areas of military studies, upon which they are required to build their future careers.

Advice

He revealed that as young officers, you must be desirous of acquiring more knowledge, so you are not overtaken by the changing tides in this fast-paced technological era. The sky must be your limit in your quest for information and knowledge.

He also had cause to remind them that they were being commissioned into the Armed Forces, which has carved a niche for itself over the years, as a unique, disciplined and professional entity, nationally and internationally, in the discharge of its duties.

It has performed excellently in various international peacekeeping operations, resulting in Ghana being one of the best troop contributing countries for peacekeeping operations in the world, he declared.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
IT IS said that women, money and fame are the three major things Satan often uses to entice men of God to fall from grace. There may be several other factors, but the three which are also referred to as the 3Fs for Females, Finance and Fame are the commonest.

Most men of God are tempted in these three areas by Satan to get them off their divine assignments and duties. Sampson and Solomon fell because of women. The enemy used foreign women to influence their sense of judgment against the will of God. You may read Judges Chapter 16 and 1 Kings Chapter 11: 1- 8 for yourself.

However, Judas Iscariot, the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22) and Gehazi, the prophet Elisha's servant (2 Kings 5) were trapped with the love for money. Eventually they paid dearly for not only loving money but also being greedy.

True prophets of God do not receive cash payment or donations as a condition for healing as the prophet Elisha did. Elisha refused Naaman's free gifts of ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothing as payment for healing him of leprosy. Remember Jesus Christ warned against this very thing in Matthew 10: 8.

But false prophets heal for money because they are greedy and money-conscious. They love money to the core. The would-be prophet Gehazi was one of them. He said to himself: See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. Gehazi followed Naaman and succeeded in collecting the gifts. But he was not spared as Naaman's leper clang to him.

In spite of these challenges, pastors will always interact with women and require money to work with, in their day-to-day pastoral work. Every pastor needs huge sums of money and the involvement of women in building God's church. Women are needed in almost all departments of the church; you can talk about the choir, evangelism team, intercessory and protocol (ushering) departments.

A pastor will also pray for sick women, counsel some of them, hold meetings with some of them and invite others for private conversations. The prophet Elijah interacted with the Zarephath woman, a poor widow and ate her food during a period of famine. Can you imagine that it was the prophet Elijah himself who had predicted the drought resulting in the famine. Kindly read 1 Kings 17: 8 -15.

Elijah's successor, the prophet Elisha, also interacted with the Shunammite woman, who was barren. He spoke with her, ate her food and slept in her house.

One day he (Elisha) came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. When he had called her, SHE STOOD BEFORE HIM, (2 Kings 4: 11- 16).

What would you have done if you saw your pastor begging for food from a poor widow during a famine season? What would you also have done if you saw your pastor sleeping in the house of a couple at the invitation of the woman? God knows how you would have reacted to these situations.

Remember that our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, also interacted with many women; some of them were even adulterous. He met with Mary and Martha (John 11: 1), Joana and several other women in His ministry. Peter prayed for Dorcas.

There are many Christians who cannot stand the sight of their pastors talking to the opposite sex. A pastor interacting with the opposite sex cannot be ruled out in ministry. I am not talking about a pastor having unchristian relationships with women  sexual relationships  in the church or outside it. That will be sinful.

But there are believers who spread malicious gossips about their pastors for interacting with female members of the church. They gossip about him which damages his image and eventually collapses the church. This seemed to be a challenge the apostle Paul faced in the Corinthian church. It appears some of the members gossiped or criticised the situation where women and men travelled together to places to do ministry. So Paul had to write to educate them.

Don't we have the right to BRING A CHRISTIAN WIFE with us as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers do, and as Peter does (1 Corinthians 9: 5)?

What does the above scripture mean? Paul says that women including those who were married were actively involved in ministry. In other words, men and women travelled together with the apostles to preach the gospel of grace for the salvation of souls.

This teaches us to be careful about what we say when we see pastors interacting with women. Take note that there are genuine men of God who fear God and will not indulge sin.

FROM James Quansah, Kumasi

[email protected]
The Accra Technical University has partnered with Enterprise Life Insurance to provide practical training in buying and selling for the final year students of the University who are studying marketing.

The project or program is supposed to aid in the implementation of Act 992, which resulted in the conversion from Accra Polytechnic to Accra Technical University.

The Dean of School of Business and Management Studies, Mr. Ernest Christian Winful, said he was very happy the Act was being implemented as it will help the practicalities of every courses field work and encourage the habit of using technology.

Just a few years ago, our name was changed from Accra Polytechnic to Accra Technical University by Act 922. The Act mandates us that our teaching or focus should be competency-based, he said.

Its a big challenge looking at the number of students we have available. How can we achieve this? Im very happy that by the act, an insurance company Enterprise Life Assurance is giving us that assurance that we can live up to that expectations. I think with the name life means we have life for ATU.

The project which is set to run every year for final year students in the marketing department, is to assess them not only on theory-based projects but practical ones as well.

Speaking to the students, Mr. Winful added the competency-based training has four main areas following the MoU some of which is to stick to the focus from trainers to trainees. Align competence with assertion. So we are no just going to assess you based on the chew, pour pass and forget, but rather we are going to send you out. Do the selling you have been taught in class on which you will be graded according.

In an acceptance speech by the chairman of the occasion Mr Edmund Ameko, the Vice Chancellor of ATU, pleaded with the final year students in marketing to go out and make the institution proud.

He also assured Enterprise Life of its full cooperation in the implementation of the project.



By: Ann-Shirley Ziwu/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Bhagwan Khubchandani, Chairman of Melcom Group of Companies, Ghana, is a seasoned entrepreneur in the retail business. With over 60 years of business experience in Japan, Hong Kong, Ghana and Nigeria, Bhagwan has carved a niche for himself in the hearts and minds of his clientele.

Bhagwan Khubchandani entered business at a very youthful age. His father, who had at the time set up a buying agency in Hong Kong for his retail business, decided in 1954 to relocate him to manage his business there. After three years in Hong Kong, Bhagwan moved to Japan where his father had also set up another agency. Working in different countries like Hong Kong and Japan turned out to be an advantage for Bhagwan as his years of stint helped him widen his business acumen. He returned to Ghana in 1961 and was made the Managing Director of Glamour Stores which he managed till 1991 when he decided to move on.

Bhagwan established his own business under the name of Melcom with a capital of $2,000,000. He was then joined by his two sons-in-law and turned Melcom into the leading retail giant in Ghana. He doesn't believe in short-cuts or drilling to the depth of his customers' wallets for making profits as he claims, My philosophy has always been to sell more for less. It is no wonder that today Melcom has become the most reliable name and the customers' first choice in Ghana.

Over the years, Melcom diversified into other businesses and expanded its product portfolio. These include CENTURY INDUSTRIES LIMITED which manufactures high quality plastic household products. CROWN STAR ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY LIMITED, which assembles household appliances with a fully fledged service centre. MELCOM TRAVEL AND TOURS, an IATA accredited and authorized agency for all the major airlines operating out of Ghana. MELCOM HOSPITALITY LTD which operates a bakery and a coffee shop. MELCOM CARE FOUNDATION which serves as the Melcom Group's philanthropic arm for the management of all the group's social and charity activities.

Bhagwan's vision has brought into being the largest retail shop in Ghana, with 38 department stores spread all over the country. Melcom Group employs a strong workforce of about 2000 staff. The flagship store Melcom Plus is 80,000 sq. ft in size and is the largest single shop in the whole of Ghana. His vast experience in Import, Export, Manufacturing, Finance, Investments and Leadership, is the foundation upon which the success of the Melcom Group of Companies was laid.

For over a decade, Melcom has been honoured with the prestigious CIMG Award for Best Retail Outlet of the Year, re-affirming its position as Ghanas number one shopping destination. The Group was also inducted into CIMG "Hall of Fame" and at the 28th Charted Institute of Marketing Ghana Awards held in September 2017; Melcom chalked another success with award of Best Retail 2016 Hall of Fame, ELITE CATEGORY.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in business, Bhagwan has been honoured with many prestigious awards. The Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) recognized his lifetime achievements and honoured him with a special award in the 2010 National Marketing Performance Awards. In 2011, he was presented with the first ever Special Entrepreneur Achievement Award by the CIMG and in 2015 he was inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame by the Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana.

As an active member of the Rotary Club, Bhagwan was conferred a Citation for his devoted services during his tenure. He is also a Freemason and has generously contributed towards various charities. The Indian Association of Ghana honoured him for his charitable services during the period he served as its Secretary, President and a member of several committees.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com
Rabat (AFP) - Morocco has recalled its ambassador after the Algerian foreign minister accused the kingdom's banks of "laundering hashish money" in Africa, in the latest diplomatic spat between the North African rivals.

The foreign ministry said it also summoned Algeria's charge d'affaires in Rabat on Friday evening to protest the "very serious statements... concerning the African policy of the kingdom of Morocco."

Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel made his comments at a meeting of business leaders in Algiers on Friday, excerpts of which were widely circulated on social media.

He was discussing the sharp increase in investment by Moroccan banks in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years and their competition with Algerian lenders.

"Everybody knows that the Moroccan banks launder hashish money. The leaders of many African countries have told me this," Messahel said.

He went on to suggest that Royal Air Maroc, the kingdom's flag carrier, transported "more than just passengers."

The Moroccan foreign ministry said Messahel's comments displayed a "level of irresponsibility unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations."

They "testify to a deep and inexplicable ignorance of the basic workings of the banking system and civil aviation," it added.

The North African neighbours have been at loggerheads for decades over the Western Sahara, a territory disputed between Morocco and Algeria-backed independence movement, the Polisario Front.

They have frequent diplomatic rows and their land border has been closed since 1994.

Northern Morocco is a key producer of hashish for export to Europe.

While Moroccan law bans the sale and consumption of the drug, that has not stopped farmers growing vast plantations of it, providing a living for some 90,000 households, according to official figures for 2013, the most recent available.

Smoking hashish is seen as part of local culture, and is largely tolerated by the authorities.
As the quest to find a new flagbearer to lead the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the next election in 2020 deepens, former NDC Member of Parliament for the La Dadekotopon Constituency, Nii Amasah Namoale, has indicated strongly that he will be joining the race.

Mr. Namoale made the disclosure on Citi FM's news analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday.

When asked why he wants to be President, Mr. Namoale said his aim is to serve the people.

Why should a Ghanaian go to bed angry? Why shouldn't a Ghanaian get a place to lay his or her head? Why shouldn't a Ghanaian wear a cloth that he or she wants to wear? These are the main issues. From Accra to Bolgatanga, I don't think we have to spend five hours. Why are we spending 13 to 15 hours? If you look at the western world, they think about the people, how to make life easier for them. So in governance you have to make life easier for your people.

Mr. Namoale had been MP for the past 12 years but was defeated in the last election 2016 by the NPPs Vincent Odotei Sowah.

Mr. Namoale, who blamed his defeat on some internal party wrangling in his constituency, said he is ready to help the NDC snatch power from the governing New Patriotic Party if given the nod.

It was propaganda that toppled me, but the truth is always the truth, he said.

NDC presidential race heats up

So far a number of high profile members of the NDC including Alban Bagbin , Prof. Joshua Alabi, former Rector of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), and former President John Mahama  have all given some hints of their interest in leading the NDC in the 2020 election.

Former Trade Minister, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah, has also shown indications of joining the race.



By: Godwin Akweiteh Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 13:10:12|Editor: Song Lifang

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Former Rio de Janeiro state governor Sergio Cabral was found guilty of money laundering on Friday and sentenced to 13 more years in prison, adding his jail term to 72 years.

It was Cabral's third trial for corruption-related crimes and he was found guilty all three times.

Cabral has been in prison for the past 11 months.

Judge Marcelo Bretas, who ordered the sentence, said that Cabral "deviated from the noble attributions granted to him by the people's vote to dedicate himself to crimes for several years."

Bretas stressed that Cabral benefited from embezzled money, saying that although he alone cannot be responsible for the current severe economic crisis in Rio de Janeiro state, "the episodes of corruption described in this case significantly reduced the legitimacy of the state authorities in the pursuit of solutions to the crisis."

The former governor's press team released an official statement, rapping the sentence as "unjust" and accusing Judge Bretas of violating Cabral's constitutional rights and ignoring the evidences of the case.

Cabral served as governor of Rio de Janeiro state at the time Rio de Jeneiro, capital of the state, was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Carlos Arthur Nuzman, former president of Brazil's Olympic Committee (COB), also has been charged with corruption. Nuzman has been accused of paying bribes to African delegates to ensure that Rio would be chosen as the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Veteran journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako says the convicted members of pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) vigilante group who assaulted a security capo should have been handed a jail term instead of a fine slapped on them.

The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper expressed disappointment in the decision by trial judge to hand the culprits a fine of 1,800 each.

I would have wished the judge just gave them a custodial sentence, Mr Baako told Samson Lardi Anyenini host of Newsfile on Joy FM/MultiTV on Saturday.

According to him, the country since the advent of the Fourth Republic has experienced a catalogue of politically attacks which did not attract any serious investigations into them and we all got worried.

Within this context, we might be thinking that at least there were one or two instances we might be able to convict and sentence, he added.

In July 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced to four months' imprisonment, a presenter and two panelists of an Accra-based radio station, Montie FM, after were convicted of contempt following their threat to kill some top judges.

The three were also fined 10,000 each with the owners of the broadcasting company also fined 30,000.

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the time, issued a statement expressing disappointment at the severity and harshness of the punishments imposed on the Montie Trio.

They were later to be granted a presidential pardon after serving a month in jail.

On March 25, 2017, three months after the NPP took over power, 21 well-built men of Delta Force, a vigilante group aligned to the governing party, stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and physically assaulted the Security Coordinator, George Agyei.

He was reportedly beaten, dragged on the floor while his office was vandalised by the group in disapproval of his transfer from the Eastern Region to the Ashanti Region.

On Thursday, the Asokwa Circuit court presided over by Korkor Achiaw Owusu found 13 of the members guilty of rioting and ordered them to pay the fine of 1,800 each or in default, they are to spend 12 months in jail.

He expressed difficulty in coming to terms with the decision by the A-G to drop an earlier charge of assault against the offenders.

The truth of the matter is that they should have left the assault and let the court go through the processthey may be happy at home now but I am very disappointed, I think they should be serving some term in prison, he said.

Mr. Baako also charged the police to look for the whereabouts of the remaining 8 members who took part in the act and have gone into hiding and let them face the law.

"They [police] should search, locate and apprehend them for possible prosecution," he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Jerry Tsatro Mordy | Email: [email protected], Twitter: @jerrymordy
Niamey (AFP) - Twelve paramilitary police were killed Saturday in a fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest bordering Mali, the interior minister said.

"There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations," Mohamed Bazoum told AFP.

It comes after an ambush at the beginning of October killed four US and four Niger soldiers along the border, which has been regularly targeted by jihadist groups.

The latest dawn raid happened in the town of Ayorou in the Tillaberi region, 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of the capital Niamey.

A security source said the attackers arrived in five vehicles and fled when police reinforcements arrived. Villagers saw them leave carrying bodies.
21.10.2017 LISTEN

We are all living nowadays in a more environmentally friendly world and we are all aware of our duty to contribute as much as possible to the welfare/ the well-being of our environment.

Green IT (ISO 50.000) is maturing as a standard (think of Green Data Centers, green UPSes, etc), and so do several over Green Initiatives. And of course, the question is: What about a Green HR?

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Defining Green HRM

Green HR(M) as a term is used to all possible HR policies that could contribute to an organizations environmental agenda.

Green HRM was coined as a term almost 10 years ago by Renwick, D.W.S. Redman, T. and Maguire, S. (2008  Green HRM: A Review, Process Model, and Research Agenda, http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/content/1/c6/08/70/89/2008-01.pdf ) as the integration of corporate environmental management into human resource management.

Btw, the notion of Employee Green Discipline Management is even older  probably from the mid- 80s / early 90s.

Today, some Green HRM activities that have become typical/ even a standard for some companies. For example:

the use of telephone- or video- interviewing to pre-screen candidates, in order to minimize the environmental impact of travel.

avoiding unnecessary printing and recycling printed paper, is another extremely common example.

There are also HR Policies in some companies (especially in Manufacturing, Mining and other Heavy Industries, that dictate and/or reward the employees environmentally friendly behaviour.

Employees traditionally used to feel that it is not their responsibility to care about anything Green in their work environment, but the Millennials seem to be changing this norm.

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Some more examples of Green HRM

Providing free bicycles for employees to come to work instead of driving (rather common in Northern & Western Europe).

Organizing Employee car-pools (I think that almost everyone in the US is trying to do that).

Buying computers from companies which are using recycled components in one form or another.

Buying stuff from local vendors (again reducing the CO2 contribution of anything transported too far).

Some companies go to the extreme(?) to use the total amount of printed pages by an employee during his/her performance review.

There is even recycled (certified) office furniture

So, lets think of Green HR as every possible employee activity / interface / touchpoint (whether metaphorical or physical) that helps promote the organizations sustainability practices and relevant commitments. Obviously, creating Green Awareness should be part of this bouquet too.

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Empowering Green HR

HR should have a better vision, involvement and opportunity to (re)define and contribute to the organizations Green Agenda. After all, all possible Green Policies are always being carried out by Humans!

And of course, it all starts with providing environmental education training to both managerial and non-managerial employees. Some companies go as far as creating environmental awareness seminars for their employees families and even for their customers too.

Btw, have you trained all your Sales People in your organization on the green aspects of all your products and services?

Maybe, we should go one step back and start embedding our environmental requirements or policies in all our Recruitment Ads and relevant communication?

Assume that you did train all your employees in your Green Practices. Have you -as HR Manager/ Department  asked all the Managers in your organization to set green goals, green target- KPIs and responsibilities for their Teams/ Sections / Departments/ Business Units/ Divisions?

Have you -again as HR- made sure that Green Incidents are recorded, analysed and provide lessons learnt/ best Practices? Is there active monitoring of the actual use of all your environment policies and set responsibilities? Are results and improvements turning into new clearly communicated policies to all employees?

By the way, forecasting the number of employees and types of employees that our organization needs to implement all possible / desired corporate environmental management activities & initiatives (think for example of ISO 14000), is a Green HR Activity & Functional Duty.

And, maybe its time to start thinking even about Green Compensation & Benefits packages.

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Some Green HRM Industry Studies

Employees are willing to work in a organization only when they feel it adds to their value profile (Dechant and Altman (1994)

In 2009 Hewitt Associates found out that: 86% of employees at organizations with high engagement agreed that they worked for an employer that was socially and environmentally responsible

Same 2009 Study also found out that: Green HR practices contribute to positive organizational reputation, higher or sustained employee engagement and eliminating waste/reducing their impact on the environment. Recent studies have also supported the same conclusions.

Green Staffing is in- it involves hiring individuals with Environment Management skills, mindsets, and behaviour). We at HIRE ghana do promote Green Staffing

it involves hiring individuals with Environment Management skills, mindsets, and behaviour). We at Rewards do motivate and do increase commitment from workers to be environmentally responsible (Daily &Huang, 2001).

Furthermore, rewards sensitize employees to environmental consciousness; and discourage undesired behaviours while reinforcing preferred ones

Green Performance-Related Pay (PRP) has been a reality for 25+ years. For example: Du Pont (and other US Companies) bases part of their executive compensation and bonus system for Middle & Senior Managers on active proven and measurable environmental stewardship practices. Bonuses can be over 10 % if the Managers develop an environmentally benign pesticide for agriculture or a non-polluting product. There are plenty of other PRP examples also from Europe and other geographies; please google it for more data.

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Green HSE

Traditionally Employee Safety in the workplace, is an HR area of responsibility (or at least something to be taken care of  even if outsourced internally).

Health and Safety Professionals have all now become Health, Safety and Environmental Professionals! So, aspects of the environmental management agenda (including environmental protection) of an organisation have been incorporate into these roles.

A small win for Green HR. after all, Green workplace is defined as a workplace that is environmentally sensitive, resource efficient and socially responsible(SHRM, 2009).

FYI: Dupont, 3M, Allied, Signal, Amoco, and others have found out that their environmental management policies and activities have resulted in improvements in employee- workplace health, better local community- health, enhanced corporate image and corporate citizenship (CSR) benefits.

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In Conclusion

Environmental Whistle- blowing has become a thing of the past for all organization who have put in place a clear Green Agenda HRM Framework that has been communicated to all employees and has been supported by relevant training.

Keep in mind that our Millennials  yes, our own Young Africans, are extremely environmentally conscious and will be your best allies in supporting all Green Agenda items in your organization as long as you also provide them with and explanation of the why on the need of every policy.

And like everything else, Policies -however great- they are just paper- exercises, unless they are related to planned activities, clearly communicated and supported by all, monitored, and periodically reviewed (regarding their efficiency and relevancy).

So, lets all empower a Green Agenda in our organizations!!! It might even help you with employee attraction & retention and even in avoiding PR disasters.

Finally, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) thinks that a green employer may improve employer branding, company image and is a useful way to attract potential employees who have environmental orientation (CIPD 2007).

Obviously, there are no universal Golden Rules for Green HR. You need to develop ones that are relevant to your organization.

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Thank you and Good Luck,

Irene

About the Author: Irene Gloria Addison is the owner of HIREghana [Human Intelligence Recruitment], a Leader Ghanaian Recruitment Agency and also a HRM & Organizational Development Consultancy, based in Accra.

Irene welcomes your feedback/ comments/ remarks/ suggestions via your email message to Press [at ] HIREgh.com. HIREghana can be reached at +233 50 228 5155 or +233 266 555 907

Our website is http://www.hiregh.com

 2017 Irene Gloria Addison and  2017 Human Intelligence Recruitment
21.10.2017 LISTEN

The title of this column comes from a remark that was reportedly made by Dr. Ruth Owusu-Antwi, Acting Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the nations second-largest health center after the Accra-located Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). KATH, of course, is located in Ghanas cultural capital of Kumasi. Dr. Owusu-Antwi was referring to the painfully dispiriting fact that there are currently only 18 professionally certified and actively practicing psychiatrists or mental-health doctors in the country.

To be certain, the figure was never that encouraging. I am not a specialist, but I am quite sure of what I am talking about here because in June 1983, or thereabouts, when I came down with what would eventually be diagnosed by the late Dr. Francis Mustapha  he preferred to be called Mr. Mustapha, the traditional British way  as Encephalitis, or the West-Nile Virus, no Ghanaian doctor seemed to know what was wrong with me. I had first gone to the 37th Military Hospital for treatment to absolutely no avail.

Back then, there was only one practicing Neurosurgeon in the whole of the West African sub-region. And that scandalously overworked Neurologist was none other than Dr. Francis Mustapha (See Ghana Has Only 18 Psychiatrists; Experts Beg Government for More Funds Atinkaonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 10/17/17). This abysmal figure becomes even more dispiriting, when one reckons the fact that Ghanas population is 27 million and fast hurtling towards the 30 million mark. Next year, by this time, I hope President Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo will be back at the United Nations General Assembly Auditorium gloriously bragging about how he had been able to more than quadruple the number of psychiatrists and neurologists and neurosurgeons in the country. This year, though, his bragging right was in the area of public education, namely, his tuition-free Senior High School policy agenda.

The psychiatry department head of KATH does not tell us the number of psychiatrists that are needed in the country, in order to meet the recommended figure given by medical experts at the World Health Organization (WHO), but it is quite dauntingly obvious that Ghana has a very long way to go in meeting such requirement. In the area of psychiatric nurses, we are told that the country has only 1,600 on active duty. Here also, WHO recommends a minimum of 20,000 psychiatric nurses for any country with the size of Ghanas population. This means that Ghana has a whopping deficit of 18,400 psychiatric nurses.

Dr. Owusu-Antwi does not give us the minimum threshold figure for psychiatric doctors, but one can readily surmise that the figure ranges from anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000. If the Akufo-Addo Administration could increase the number of psychiatrists in the country from the outrageously low figure of 18 to at least 200 within the next five years, we could reasonably and, perhaps even comfortably, talk about finally reaching somewhere. This is also another area of our national quality-of-life level where President Akufo-Addo and Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, his Health Minister, could creditably acquit themselves. Indeed, the potential credit goes to the entire New Patriotic Party (NPP) constabulary.

We may not want to politicize matters here but, by the same token, it can hardly be gainsaid that it was the extremely lackluster decisions by our past governments and leaders that got us so abysmally low in this sphere of our national life. And it is nothing short of abjectly scandalous for anybody in the country, including our handful of heroic psychiatric doctors and nurses, to be celebrating Mental Health Week when as a people and a nation, we have absolutely nothing worthwhile to show for the same.

But that the mental health of Ghanaians does not seem to be taken seriously by our leaders, legislators and policymakers is all the more to be disconsolately lamented. It well appears that nearly every aspect of healthcare in the country leaves much to be desired. In reality, to hear Dr. Owusu-Antwi tell it, Ghana has only 14 psychiatric doctors or psychiatrists on active duty anywhere in the country, which is not even nearly enough for either of our two largest hospitals, let alone the countrys largest and oldest mental hospital, Asylum, located in Osu, Accra. Ghanaians and, indeed, the global community at large, are looking to see Nana Akufo-Addo and his men and women of our executive branch of government creditably acquit themselves in this critical sphere of our national life as well. They cannot afford not to deliver!

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
The Central Regional Minister, Hon. Kwamena Duncan has tasked the Agona West Municipal Assembly to expedite action for early completion of all abandoned projects meant for the Agona Swedru Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service.

According to him, the abandoned projects had created inconveniences for smooth operation of personnel of the Service adding that conducive environment ought to be created to boost their operations.

The abandoned buildings include a 4-storey building to serve as sergeant quarters, another 4- storey building quarters for officers and a storey building to be used as the Divisional Headquarters.

The abandoned buildings which were started by the exwhile Supreme Military Council (SMC) government led by late General Kutu Acheampong in the late 70s have been abandoned in the bush. Since then, all governments had failed to complete the projects.

In his recent visit to the Agona West Municipality, the Regional Minister visited the site and called on the Assembly to complete them in short possible time.

" Inspector's quarters made up of 4 buildings are presently being used as Divisional offices. If completed, it will ease pressure on accommodation for Police Personnel in the Swedru Division.

Let me commend the Regional Minister, Hon. Kwamina Duncan, for his visit because over the past 40 years since these projects were initiated, no government appointee has come to see what's going on here" a source closed to the police told newsmen

The abandoned buildings when completed will accommodate over 50 police personnel stationed in the Division. The Swedru Divisional Police Command covers 4 Administrative Assemblies namely Agona West Municipal, Efutu Municipal, Agona East District and part of Gomoa East District.

" The Police administration spent huge sums of money on rent for us. These monies could be used to purchase vehicles and other tools to enhance our operations.

It is sad to note that the Swedru Division of Motor Traffic and Transport Unit ( MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service has no official vehicle to carry out its assigned duties.

Individual officers have to use their private cars to carry us to duty on regural bases. We would be grateful if a patrol vehicle is allocated to us to enhance our performance "

Hon. Kwamina Duncan expressed the hope that the projects would be completed saying the Regional Coordinating Council will offer the need assistance to the municipal Assembly to facilitate early completion.

The Agona West Municipal Chief Executive (,MCE), Hon. Justina Marigold Assan noted that the Assembly will complete the projects by the Second Quarter through the Assembly Common Fund.

The Regional Minister had earlier paid homage to the Omanhene of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, Osofo Katakyie Nyarko Eku X at Agona Nyakrom and inspected ongoing projects in the Agona West Municipality.
Now that the Asantehene is safely back home in Ghana we can all comment on the disgraceful attempt to damage his reputation - and pray that those behind it, if any, are exposed. This blog wishes him well.

To begin with, for the sake of the reputation of our nation's banking industry, we must strongly condemn those who currently run the Ghana International Bank's (GIB) London operations from its Cheapside offices in the City of London. Their astonishing flip-flopping and verbal contortions in their appearances before the Employment Tribunal hearing the case of unfair dismissal, and alleged failure to protect a whistleblower, brought against them by self-admitted cash-bagman, Mr. Mark Arthur, has made the GIB a laughing stock amongst bankers in the City of London.

By their shameful conduct, they have proven that they would definitely come on top of the medals table - and bag the most number of gold medals - in any Global Banking Fibbing Olympics. Ebeeii. Shocking conduct. By their own admission, when giving evidence before the Employment Tribunal, they implied that for years our vampire-elites have more or less used the GIB as a conduit for smuggling vast sums of cash siphoned off our corrupt system, in hard currency, to stash into their offshore bank accounts overseas. Clearly, the Bank of Ghana would be wise to advise that the government allows it to close down the London operations of GIB and transfer its assets and liabilities to the GCB from which it was spun out off in 1998 (or thereabouts).

The question is: With the evidence that is now in the public domain - thanks to the UK's Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph newspapers - what sensible and honest individual who is law-abiding, will bank with the GIB: whose executives are self-confessed liars whom it would appear unwittingly allowed themselves to be used in a disgraceful attempt to discredit the Asantehene? It ought to be noted by all discerning Ghanaians that to date the Bank of England's (BoE) Prudential Regulatory Committee has neither advised the City of London Police nor the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate the Asantehene's dealings with the GIB.

As far as we can tell. Above all, we must all understand that if the Asantehene had indeed been truly engaged in money laundering, he would have been charged by the police in a nation in which the law is truly no respector of persons, and no one above the law. That is why the officials who handle PR for the Manhyia Palace must continue maintaining a dignified silence over this particular matter. It is the wisest course of action for them to take under the circumstances.

Furthermore, with respect, those thin-skinned and criticism-averse individuals amongst the officials at the Manyhia Palace must understand that this is 21st century Africa - and that Ghana is a democracy. No one is a serf in anyone's imaginary fiefdom in this country. Full stop.

They must rather focus on the kind of modernisation initiatives undertaken by wise royal familes in all the Western democracies to make them broadly acceptable to their societies - in all of which many citizens routinely question the relevance of inherited privilege: and frequently criticise royalty.

A stiff upper lip is the best response to all such criticisms. And it is time the various all-things-Asante-focused groups in the Ashanti Region - whose knee-jerk reaction to criticism of the Asantehene is to insult all such well-meaning people - abandoned their serf-like, we-are-more-Catholic-than-the-Pope mentality as regards conversation about the Asantehene.

Finally, in case they forget, Ghanaians are a free people with a constitutionally-guaranteed right to criticise even the elected president of the Republic of Ghana. Ghana is a Leviathan that has the power of life and death over all who reside within its borders. With respect, Sovereignty in our homeland Ghana, resides in the citizenry. There are no Sovereigns in Nkrumah's Ghana whatsoever. In our homeland Ghana sovereignty actually resides in the people. Period. Haaba!!!
21.10.2017 LISTEN

Man is really in an ambiguous position in nature. Nature presents to him (gender neutral) series of paradoxes and puzzles he is expected to solve. His consciousness reminds him of his individuality because he has his own name, ambitions, destiny and in some cases fate; yet to optimise his individuality in nature, he must act as a group. Mans search for good life that can help him achieve his lofty aspirations in this seemingly ambiguous position in nature is endless. This explains why political and social systems are always evolving as mans consciousness changes to suit his circumstances per time.

I have listened to several commentators, both experts and pedestrian, speak on the ills of the Nigerian situation and RESTRUCTURING as the best user friendly manual to solve these problems or to make Nigeria better. Understandably, all these solutions are emotional-laden, value-filled, subjective in orientations, and in some cases, arrogant in approach.

On my part, I have told those who cared to listen that the nebulous concept, RESTRUCTURING will need to be properly analysed in the context of the Nigerian situation. Of all the positions I have heard or read on the RESTRUCTURING debate is an article written by Solomon Ukhuegbe under the title, FACTS AND FALLACIES IN THE RESTRUCTURING CONVERSATION published in The Guardian of the 16th of October, 2017.

Inasmuch as I do not agree with all the fallacies he raised in his article, I feel the need to expand the scope of the discussion a bit. I will restrict myself only to the central theme of the article which is the nebulous nature of what is known in Nigeria as True Federalism if such ever exit!

Before I proceed, let me make some important clarifications. First, the concept Federalism in itself should not be taken as given. It must be taken for what it is- a concept. A concept, to be properly understood, must be properly operationalised by the user. For instance, is Spain a federation simply because it fits Professor Kenneth C. Wheares criteria of a Federal Principle? Also, can we classify the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as a federation even though its Constitution gave her Republics the right to secede but not unilaterally?

Second, as a federalist myself, I do not share Professor Wheares highly legalistic conception of federal principle in his Federal Government published in 1946. Rather, I prefer William Rikers Federal Bargain in his Federalism: Origin, Operation, Significance published in 1964which makes the adoption of federalism a political solution and just not a legal jingoism contained in some long, prosaic documents to complicate issues for mortals.

Riker, in criticising Wheares highly legalistic in tone conception of federalism, restated politics as the role of the political elites in the formation of federations.

Again, federalism is not the same as devolution of power. There are in varying degrees, power devolutions, in all countries, but that does not make all countries federations. Spain operates a Unitary Constitution with a high degree of devolution of power to the regions which can be withdrawn by the central government under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution.

Having said these, I have observed that when many Nigerians use the concept True Federalism, as Ukhuegbe noted, in most cases they mean the system or political structure as adopted in the United States of America (USA) where many countries borrowed the concept from as one pro-True Federalist (I couldnt find a better way to describe him) noted.If we must borrow a concept, as some commentators maintain, we must borrow it fully. On the surface, this looks good as an argument.

Also, when told to define federalism, the chances are higher that many will simply regurgitate Wheares Federal Principle. Unfortunately, many of people who hold advanced degrees in political science and law have done little or nothing to disabuse the minds of our people over this misconception.

Comparing US federal experience with Nigeria and passing the former as True Federalism is at best dubious. The US federation is a product of the 13 colonies who came together to form, initially, a United Colonies, and later the United States. Over time, to show the dynamic nature and changing powers in the domestic and global arena, since the American Civil War (1861-1865), the First and Second World Wars, the federation have moved from Competitive, Fiscal, or Cooperative Federalism.

Also, the United States has not been as unfortunate as many African countries, especially Nigeria to have experienced military incursion into politics. This alone affected the character and psyche of the political elite since the drafting of the famous Decree 34 (Unification Decree) of 1966 which abolished the once-powerful 3 (later 4) regions of the First Republic.

I have also heard the argument that Nigeria needs a perfect Constitution or peoples Constitution as though there is anywhere in the world where the people have gathered to frame a Constitution for themselves. Japanese Constitution was written by US general, McAuthor, after the defeat of the former during the World War II in 1945. I am not sure the Japanese complain of their Constitution being written by a General from an occupational army the way some Nigerians complain about the so-called Military Constitution.

Since the framing of the Japanese Constitution, Nigerian have operated about ten different ConstitutionS. Yet, the search is on in Nigeria for a peoples Constitution. Isnt that wonderful? Some agitators are today advocating for us to go back and dust the 1963 Constitution and use to solve the numerous political problems in the country today. This is another reductionist fallacy.

I will not end this piece without mentioning that the whole argument of RESTRUCTURING is today a political issue. That itself is fine. The major political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are set to take positions on the issue. It will be too early to know which party will officially make it its campaign slogan during the 2019 and see what becomes of it. By then, we will know what it means better. For now, it remains ambiguous needing more clarifications. Therein lies the heart of the fallacies in the RESTRUCTURING conversation!

OlalekanWaheed ADIGUN is a political analyst and independent political strategist for wide range of individuals, organisations and campaigns. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria. His write-ups can be viewed on his website http://olalekanadigun.com/ Tel: +2348136502040, +2347081901080

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Follow me on Twitter @adgorwell. He is also the author of the book, Witnessing the Change.
21.10.2017 LISTEN

The race to be President of Nigeria in 2019 has already started  well, behind the scenes. Will it be the incumbent (- if he decides to run again!) or somebody else?

The Bible lists Gluttony, Greed, Pride, Envy, Lust, Sloth and Wrath as the 7 Deadly Sins to avoid during our time in life and other religions have similar requirements.

For a President to effectively rule a diverse country, like Nigeria, he (- or she!) needs to avoid the following 7 Deadly Sins:

1, The North- South palaver  As long as there is still Nigeria there will always be the debacle of the North-South divide.

Like two jealous lovers you cant do one thing for one region without doing something equal for the other.

Over the years its become very petty and silly: the Presidency is rotated so that if you have a Northern President you must have a Southern Vice-President and in the next government it must be rotated to feature a Southerner as President and Northerner as Vice-President  whatever happened to electing the right person with the right qualifications to do the job irregardless of what region theyre from?

Again the Northern and Southern elders will dictate, to the President, on who gets the most ministers, budget allocations and federal installations. Theres nothing wrong in wanting the best for your region but things should be allocated on merit : for instance why appoint someone to head a ministry theyre not qualified to head because you have to bow to the whims of either a North or South elder or the quota system? Or why situate a nuclear research facility, for instance, in a region where the people are only interested in goatherding?

To summarize the country cannot be ruled effectively by bowing to the demands of the North- Southerner gangs all the time.

2, Religion  Just like the North-South palaver, religion plays a key part in the running of the nation and should be steered away from: politics and religion dont mix but funny enough, in Nigeria, they do. If you have a Muslim President then the Vice-President has to be a Christian and if the President is a Christian then the Vice President, without a doubt, will be a Muslim- Nonsense! Another outdated pro rata system that should be consigned to history. Again this prevents the right candidate from getting the job  and getting the job done!

The Presidents hands will also become tied because of religion: a Muslim President making policies that will affect Christians will face a backlash and if a Christian President does anything that will upset the Muslims hell be in trouble.

No politicians hands should be tied because of religion: policies should be fair and applicable to all irrespective of their religious affiliations: for instance some protestant churches are getting out of control in the country and the Muslim President and government is powerless to say or do anything for fear of upsetting the Muslim-Christian code.

3, Kleptocracy - The mere fact the President has the sole ATM card to the nations bank account is not an excuse to loot it dry  thou shall not steal!

A President is the custodian of these finances and must ensure that they are distributed fairly  and honestly  to the various apparatus of government that require the funds and not divert them to private bank accounts in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands!

Even though some believe corruption is not a crime it is as pilfered funds causes untold suffering for the masses who are supposed to be the end recipients. Therefore to re-iterate again  thou shall not steal (- or let those beneath you steal, not even 10 %!).

4, C.Y.A aka Cover Your Arse aka Blame Your Predecessor  Every President does it from Nigeria to America or Croatia to Sudan: every incumbent will blame his/her predecessor for everything going wrong in an attempt to cover their own backsides! If a President is going to keep on passing the buck then he or she is in the wrong job! As a President youre elected to fix things and not spend your entire tenure blaming your predecessor! The buck stops with the President! Whats the point in having a surgeon come in to operate on a patient but cant (- or wont!) because hes too busy criticizing the last doctors work? Operate and fix the patient first, for thats what youre paid to do, and moan later!

5, Cronyism  For any President to be elected, anywhere in the world, he or she will need the support of political godfathers, cronies, hanger-ons etc wholl lobby behind the scenes to get him into office. Once in office theyll call in the favour and start making outrageous demands of the President: they want to be first in line for lucrative contracts or ministerial appointments. Any President should learn from Donald Trump  use them and dump them before they become a nuisance! Every President should learn to control his cronies: not favour one over the other or let them control him.

6, Tribalism  Tribalism is way up there with religion and the North-South palaver but on a different scale. A President from the South, for instance, might be a Christian or a Muslim but his ethnicity plays a major rule: is he Yoruba or Igbo? If hes Yoruba what part of Yoruba land is he from? Just like with the North-South palaver his policies will be seen to be influenced from what tribe hes from: a Yoruba President cant pass certain laws that will affect the Igbos or Hausas because hell be accused of tribalism.( even his fellow Yoruba people from other sub-tribes will accuse him of tribalism!) As a result some tribes become a law unto themselves as the President will be scared of being accused of tribalism.

7. Indecision  A President cant be indecisive hoping a problem or situation will go away or that people will forget. Take the Chibok girls kidnapping fiasco for instance, if the then President had been more decisive those girls could have been home within days, not weeks, not months and most certainly not years! When action needs to be taken a President cant afford to be indecisive whether that involves removing a minster, clamping down on terrorists or ordering military action against subversives. No problem or situation will ever go away unless its dealt with swiftly. So any President who thinks such will go away is in for a shock.

So theres my version of the 7 Deadly Sins a Nigerian President should avoid, of course there are things that didnt make the list like complacency, nepotism, buffoonery and quite a few othersbut well leave that to later!

Follow me on Twitter: @Archangel641 or visit http://www.archangel641.blogspot.co.uk
Geneva (AFP) - The World Health Organization on Saturday cited Zimbabwe's anti-tobacco record and efforts against non-communicable diseases as justifications for making President Robert Mugabe a "goodwill ambassador", as International criticism of the move mounted.

The UN health agency, led since July by former Ethiopian health minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked Mugabe to serve in the role to help tackle NCDs like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

The appointment announced earlier this week in Uruguay has triggered confusion and anger by activists who note that Zimbabwe's healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe's authoritarian regime.

Britain on Saturday joined the widening chorus of critics, calling the decision "surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him."

"We have registered our concerns with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus", a foreign office spokesperson said in an email.

Mugabe's "appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases."

Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a "man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe's health sector is WHO's goodwill ambassador."

Mugabe, who is 93 and has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.

UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision "sickening."

"Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a UN position of any kind,", the group's executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

Speaking in Uruguay's capital this week, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all."

WHO on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe's record and Tedro's desire to engage senior politicians.

"Dr. Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high level political leadership for health," spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.

"Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control," he added.

Contacted by AFP in Geneva, WHO's communications department said it was unable to comment further or respond to widening concerns about Mugabe's role.

UN agencies often name high profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
Climate change is now ranked one of the reasons for the migration of people in different parts of Africa. Migration means leaving one's country or inhabitual place in preference to live else where either for economic, political, or social reasons. However, climate change reasons have now beaten every other reason.

Environmentally induced migration is quoted among the various threats identified in the report. According to the Council Conclusions on EU Climate Diplomacy, adopted in June 2011, climate change is a global environmental and development challenge with significant implications related to security and migratory pressures (European Council 2011).

Youthful Moses Moya has no regrets for abandoning his ancestral home in Mayuge district in eastern Uganda. He churns out chapati and rolex at Nakawa on the Kampala- Jinja highway. Not far away, a hawk-eyed Karimojong woman keeps watch over children who are barely five years old near Centenary Park in Kampala.

They stretch out their hands begging for money from passersby. In Kabale district, Moses Ashaba has made up his mind to go for the expansive pieces of fertile land in Kibaale district. He wants to start a new life in what has become the promised land for people in southwestern Uganda.

The three youthful people have something in common; they have migrated or are planning to migrate in order to survive. Their lifeline, which is land in their home areas, has become barren and can no longer secure them a decent livelihood.

As a result, they have had to abandon their homeland to survive the perils of food insecurity and income insecurity in the rural areas. This comes to mind as we commemorate this years UN World Food Day, today. The global theme is, Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.

No wonder, according to the 2017 World Hunger report, the Ugandan population that is facing a risk of hunger and food insecurity has risen to about 10 million in 2016, from about seven million in 2015. The report explains that this increase was largely due to extreme climatic conditions, which affected food production across most parts of the country.

Migration it self is not a bad thing. It is natural, above all, it may increase resilience of populations. In the long run we may even contemplate employing resources to encourage and plan migrations as part of an adaptation policy to limit the impact of future climate change.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 13:35:15|Editor: Song Lifang

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said here Friday that he supports the efforts of UN chief Antonio Guterres to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the United Nations.

According to a White House press release, Trump and the UN secretary-general discussed issues of mutual interest, including the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Syria, Iraq, Myanmar and UN reform.

The two committed to working together to address the issues and other common challenges in the coming months.

Trump has been at odds with the United Nations ever since his presidential campaign. He hammered the United Nations for what he called bureaucracy and "mismanagement."

Trump's latest decision to pull the United States out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a UN watchdog enduring snowballing U.S. arrears for over a decade, has raised eyebrows across the world.
Students of Bolgatanga Senior High School in the Upper East Region, have vandalized four vehicles belonging to the school and teachers, in protest over the death of a colleague on Friday.

The irate students, who also vandalized a teachers bungalow, accused their senior house master of deliberately refusing to sign an exeat urgently for a form one student who was seriously ill, and needed medical attention, resulting in his death.

The angry students could not come to terms with why their senior house masters Mr. Osman Iddrisu and Isaac Dzandza, did not sign an exeat form on time to enable the deceased, Elliasu Zakaria, who they claim was seriously ill, to seek medical care at any health facility.

They alleged that, the delay in signing his exact accounted for his death, when he was finally rushed to the hospital.

Narrating the incident to Citi News, the students accused the two senior house masters for the death of the deceased, EIliasu Zakaria, a first year General Art student from Lalsa-Beega community in the Bawku municipality.

They added that, they could no long bear the challenges that come with securing an exeat from the school, hence their action.

The deceased, Elliasu Zakaria, went to sign an exeat to go home, and the senior house masters did not agree and even beat the student up, so he went home and run out of blood and died.

Some of the senior house masters do not always want to sign exeats for students, when you tell them you are sick and need an exeat to go home and treat yourself, they always refer you to the dispensary and there are not enough drugs at the dispensary a student said.

Another student added that, what our senior house masters are doing to us is not fair. One sick girl in my dormitory went to the senior house masters to sign an exeat, but they refused her and on her way to free herself in a toilet she fainted, even though she has gone home, the house masters said, when she returns, she will be punished.

Students to pay for damages

Head teacher of the school, Mr. Afelibiek Ababu stated that, students will be surcharged for the damage caused.

But for the Regional Minister Rockson Bukaris intervention, I would have closed the school. You are a great disappointment to me, every night we carry students to hospital and even pay some of your bills and because of an unfortunate incident, you have gone round to vandalize properties, but the damage that has been caused, you must be ready to pay.

Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, appealed to the students to remain calm as they investigate and bring finality to the matter.

Meanwhile, calm has returned to the school with the deployment of a joint police-military personnel to protect and lives and property.



By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana
21.10.2017 LISTEN

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the high point of his achievement this year would be the restoration of peace in the Dagbon Traditional Area, after a 15-year long impasse.

He said the best Christmas gift he could give to the people of Yendi and Ghana, this year, would be the enskinment of a new Ya Naa, ahead of the celebration of the Damba Festival. 'This will be the crowning achievement of my first year as President of the Republic... and I am going to do everything that a President can do to make sure that we get there.'

The President said this on Saturday when he paid separate calls on the Regent of Dagbon, the Kampakuya Naa, Yakubu Abdulai Andani; and the Bolin Lana, Mahamadu Abdulai, at Yendi, on his three-day tour of the Northern Region.

He said the issue at play was 'how to apply the customs of Dagbon with the relevant compromises, to resolve the crisis.'

President Akufo-Addo recounted the role played by the Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, in setting up the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, responsible for fashioning out an acceptable formula for the resolution of the crisis.

The Eminent Chiefs include the overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga; the Overlord of Gonjaland, the Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Boresa I; and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Chairman of the Committee, who, according to President Akufo-Addo, had been doing a yeoman's job.

'Whatever formula, whatever understanding they come to, amongst the parties to the Dagbon conflict, will have the full, unequivocal support of my government. I want to reassure you that I don't have an interest in the outcome of the accommodation,' the President said.

'I want to repeat, I am not an Andani, and I am not an Abudu. Not only am I not an Abudu, nor an Andani, I am not even a Dagomba. I have no interest, other than the peace and security of Dagbon.'

'Any official of mine, who is seen to be impeding the resolution of the matter, according to custom, will have me to play with,' President Akufo-Addo assured the Kampakuya Naa.

He further gave the assurance, in response to a request made by the Imam, who offered the opening prayer at the Kampakuya Naa's Palace that 'the Regent has nothing to fear from me. He will be very well looked after in the process. His father was my friend, and it will not be right that I do not treat his son right. He [the late Ya Naa] will not forgive me.'

By the same token, President Akufo-Addo pleaded with the Andanis and Abudus to accommodate whatever missteps that occur in the process to find a lasting solution to the problem.

'If we are committed to the end of the journey, and there are missteps along the way, we should find a way to accommodate it, so that we do not jeopardise it,' he said.

The President, thus, appealed to all involved in the Dagbon matter to 'work together, and ensure the necessary accommodation and compromises to bring this 15-year old crisis to a conclusion.

'The people of Ghana will see Dagbon for what it is - a historic state of our nation - and we want to see it rise again,' he said.

GNA
Major Richard Okyere Mintah, the Administrative Officer of Medical, 37 Military Hospital, has called for resources and help from institutions, individuals and philanthropists to enable the hospital to effectively offer care to the gas explosion victims.

He said burnt cases took a long time to heal and, therefore, became a burden and an expensive venture on the hospital hence the need for the support.

Major Mintah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) when it visited the Hospital on Sunday for an update on the Atomic Junction gas explosion victims.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday evening, claimed seven lives with 132 suffering various degrees of injuries and receiving treatment at the 37 Military, Ridge, Legon and Korle-Bu Teaching hospitals.

Out of the 132, 64 have been discharged and 68 are still receiving treatment.

He said the 37 Military Hospital had two patients in the intensive care unit, two in Allied Ward, five treated and discharged, 28 stable but with trauma, and three deaths.

Dr Emmanuel Srofenyoh, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Ridge Hospital, said the Hospital had, so far, received 23 victims with three deaths, adding that most were on oxygen.

He said it needed financial support and logistics to aid in the delivery of healthcare and appealed to families not to neglect their relatives on admission.

Madam Vida Nviddah, the Administrative Manager, University of Ghana Hospital, said they received 47 casualties yesterday but many had been discharged.

The authorities at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital said only one patient had been referred there at the time the GNA visited.

GNA

By Samira Larbie, GNA
At least one soul was publicly won for Christ, while many others, who dreaded being consumed by the fast spreading inferno from the Atomic Junction gas explosions, resorted to ceaseless prayers at a farm, where they sought refuge.

More than 100 persons, who fled the disaster from diverse directions, ended up in an intense prayer session at a farm beyond Nsamanpow mu, near Madina, in the Greater Accra Region.

'We were Muslims and Christians; males and females; children and adults, who had run from all directions seeking divine help, and that's what we ended up doing,' said Madam Martha Annan, as she shared her experience at a meeting after church service on Sunday.

'I never knew a place like that existed in the city; a large farmland with a lot of bushes,' she said.

'We all prayed passionately; and some broke down. We got soaked in the down pour; but we didn't care, all we wanted was divine intervention to stay alive. This is like a preview of the End Times.'

Madam Annan, a Fire Officer, said when the alter call was made after nearly five hours of prayer, a young lady, who was scantily dressed in mini shorts and top surrendered to Christ, amidst cries of, 'I am naked; I am naked'.

'When we called her this morning, she was on her way to church,' Madam Annan said.

The Fire officer, who was returning home to Comet Estates, from the Rawlings Circle at Madina, said she had had to abandon her vehicle, in a place she could not recollect and ran for dear life, like others in the vicinity.

The disaster became the talking point at both formal and informal meetings across the city, with many blaming man for willful disobedience, which leads to disasters, while others praised God for a timely down pour that helped to douse the inferno, whose control appeared to be beyond human capacity.

'God is good,' Mr Peter Asem, a driver, told his friend at the Ashongman Estate Bridge Taxi Rank. 'With what has happened if you don't worship Him, then you deserve hell; the rain came at the right time!'

'When heard the noise and the light in the sky, I thought it was either the sun or the moon that was dropping, so I ran for cover; Ei, this experience is like the End Times o, I will never forget it,' his friend, Paa Sammy, said.

Gas explosion from the Mansco Gas Station resulted in an inferno that spread to the adjacent Total Filling Station to cause another explosion; lighting the skyline in the North-Eastern part of Accra and torching several property, including vehicles in its wake.

Motorists, pedestrians, hawkers, food vendors and residents in surrounding areas fled with some aiming for Aburi, in the Eastern Region.

In all, seven persons, as at midday Sunday, had been confirmed dead, with as many as 132 people suffering varying degrees of injuries.

Some have been treated and discharged, whilst many others are still being held in hospitals across the capital for further medical attention.

'It's a sad day for Ghana, yesterday's event was very tragicIt is a major tragedy, at the end of the day, this is one too many; And I think what Ghanaians really want is a solid policy to deal with this matter once and for all,' Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said, after he visited the site of the disaster and the hospitals with the victims.

GNA
21.10.2017 LISTEN

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) have received 457 business plans from individual business entities towards the implementation of the government's One District-One Factory (1D-1F) policy.

Out of that 435 have been reviewed by the Ministry and 173 of them are ready to take off, Mr. Robert Ahomka-Lindsay, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry disclosed when he was speaking at a one-day orientation workshop on the government's industrialisation agenda on Friday in Sunyani.

The workshop was organised by the MoTI through the Rural Enterprises Programme (REP) for Parliamentarians and Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) from the 161 Municipalities/Districts nationwide that are benefiting from the REP.

It was designed for the MoTI to inform the participants on the government's industrial transformation agenda and the Ministry's 10-point plan to drive that agenda.

The programme also discussed in particular the alignment of the activities of REP to support the realisation of the strategies for the industrialisation plan.

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay who spoke on behalf of Mr John Alan Kyeremateng, the sector Minister reiterated that the key objective of the one district one factory policy was to create massive job opportunities in rural and peri-urban communities to reduce rural-urban migration.

He said the 173 businesses including agro-processing and manufacturing companies were spread across the 10 regions of the country.

Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay urged the MDCEs to exhibit the commitment and preparedness for their respective assemblies to prepare the grounds by acquiring the necessary acres of agricultural lands and additional acres of land for specific and multi-purpose businesses for the successful implementation of the policy and the industrialisation agenda.

Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the national Director of the REP recalled that the Programme was initiated in 1995 in only two districts, Techiman in Brong-Ahafo and Sekyere West, now Mampong Municipal in the Ashanti Region.

But due to laudable achievements of set objectives, it had up-scaled through the years in phases to become a national programme now being implemented in 161 Municipalities and Districts, he added.

Mr Attah-Antwi said the REP had been funded by the government of Ghana, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) and through its collaborative efforts with key agencies it had established a trail of strong MSE institutional support network in the country.

The key agencies he mentioned were the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), GRATIS Foundation, Bank of Ghana, ARB Apex Bank, non-governmental organisations, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Municipal/District Assemblies.

Mr Attah-Antwi said through the participating institutions skills training and technology transfer had been promoted, leading to the establishment of a number of businesses and also employment generation particularly for the youth.

He added that the REP's scheme to promote access to rural finance had evolved interesting products like the Rural Enterprise Development Fund and Matching Grant Fund which supported the creation and growth of enterprises.

Mr Attah-Antwi indicated the main issue being addressed now by the REP was how to step up and also sustain the operations and the structures established for the MSE promotion in the country beyond the programme phase.

He said that effort tied in and was consistent with the government's agenda towards industrial transformation in the country, hence the realignment of the activities of REP to support the agenda, thereby ensuring the sustainability of its achievements.

Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister in a welcoming address said the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) was taking the necessary steps to attract more industries and businesses to the region for the betterment of the people.

He said the RCC therefore recognised the REP as a strategic partner in that effort and would contribute its quota through the regional committee on micro and small enterprises promotion to ensure a collective work to develop micro businesses into small and small scale enterprises into bigger ones.

GNA

By Nana Osei Kyeretwie, GNA
The operation of the Boankra Inland Port project meant to boost transit trade - serve importers in the Northern sector of Ghana and landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, appears not to start anytime soon.

The fate of the port, the building of which began in year 2008, has now been tied to the reconstruction of the eastern corridor railway line.

Nana Esi Soderberg, Principal Marketing and Public Officer of the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA), said it would be ready for business as soon as the railway line connecting it to the sea ports was completed.

Speaking at a meeting with importers in Kumasi, she indicated that, rail transportation of cargo would give real economic meaning to the project - cheaper and less time consuming.

She added that the reverse would be the case if goods from Tema and Takoradi should be moved to the Inland Port by road.

'There is the need to fix the railway lines first, before making the Boankra Port functional to ease the stress importers in the Northern parts of our country have to go through.'

Nana Soderberg said the GHPA was therefore deepening the engagement with the Railway Ministry, to get things quickened - the reconstruction work speeded up.

The meeting was attended by importers including used-clothes and shoe dealers in the Kumasi metropolis was held to discuss sea port clearance processes and the single window (paperless clearance system).

It was organized by the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) in partnership with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) - Customs Division and GPHA.

Nana Soderberg reminded importers to make sure that all required licenses, regulatory permits and certificates were obtained before the arrival of goods at the port.

She cautioned against any temptation to cheat through the presentation of falsified documents and said offenders would have strict sanctions imposed on them.

Mr. Emmanuel Kwarteng, the Ashanti Regional Branch Manager of GSA, asked importers to see to it that their funds for duties, taxes, shipping line and terminal payments were secured before the arrival of their cargo to avoid demurrage and rent payments.

The importers, particularly those dealing in used clothing, pleaded with the government to reduce duty charges on used clothing.

GNA

By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA
The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), a Ghanaian politically inclined non-governmental organisation has repeated its call for the establishment of Multi-Party Democracy Commission (MDC) to strengthen and consolidate the country's democratic gains.

The MDC, according to Dr Kwesi Jonah, a Senior Research Fellow at IDEG would regulate the activities of the various political parties in the country.

They would also be tasked to look into the financial standings and how political parties raise funds for their activities, especially during the electioneering period.

Dr Jonah made the call during a stakeholders' consultation meeting on transformational local governance reform and constitutional amendment in Sunyani.

It was organised by IDEG and attended by civil society organisations, security services, traditional rulers, the clergy and representatives of some political parties.

Dr Jonah noted that the activities of political parties were polarised as it was always difficult to control them.

This, the Senior Research Fellow explained was a contributory factor to the recurring threats of violence in Ghana's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.

Dr Jonah indicated the establishment of the Commission would improve on regulating activities of political parties by enacting laws to govern the electoral process and bring sanity into the electoral discourse as well.

He further observed that the recurring threats of violence were partly as a result of a systematic problem, where Article 55 (3) of the 1992 constitution excluded political parties from contesting in local government elections.

This, Dr Jonah added had led to a winner-takes-all system of governance that perpetuated exclusion.

He expressed dismay that the main focus of political parties in the country was to go for, and win general election, sidelining their developmental roles in nation-building.

Dr Jonah said MDC would ensure that political parties factored the priority needs of the citizenry that would spur rapid socio-economic growth and development.

"We must endeavour to streamline the activities of all political parties by ensuring that the political parties adhered to basic regulations during, before and after the electioneering" he added.

Mr Kofi Awity, the Director of Operations at IDEG, re-emphasised the importance on the need to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) instead of their appointment.

In that direction, he said a constitutional amendment was required so that all political parties would elect a candidate to contest for that position.

Mr Awity called on other civil society organisations to help build and deepen the national campaign for the election of the MMDCEs.

He praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for supporting the campaign, which according to him would help to push forward development at local levels.

Nana Kwaku Sabeng II, the Akwamuhene of Sunyani Traditional Area who presided over the programme asked political parties to allow national interest to supersede their political ambitions.

In an open forum, most of the participants lauded the idea of the election of MMDCEs but cautioned that more time was needed to deliberate on it.

GNA

By Dennis Peprah, GNA
21.10.2017 LISTEN

President Nana Akufo-Addo has warned smugglers of subsidised fertilizer that they would be made to face the full rigours of the law.

He said "We will not allow few greedy people to derail the Planting for Food and Jobs programme" through smuggling of subsidised fertilizer.

President Nana Akufo-Addo gave the warning when he paid a courtesy call on the Kpembewura, Babanye Ndefosu (II) at Kpembe, near Salaga in the East Gonja District on Sunday.

The courtesy call on the Kpembewura formed part of the President's three-day visit to the Northern Region, which began on Friday.

The government began implementing the Planting for Food and Jobs programme this year but there are reports of some people smuggling the subsidised fertilizer.

President Nana Akufo-Addo emphasised that the subsidized fertilizers were meant for Ghanaian farmers and not to be smuggled to neighbouring countries warning that smugglers would not be spared.

He said government was working to improve irrigation systems to ensure an all-year round agricultural production.

He assured the people of East Gonja that the Salaga water system would be absorbed into the urban water system adding two million dollars had been earmarked to address the water crises at Salaga.

Kpembewura Ndefosu (II) appealed to the government to construct the remaining stretch of the Tamale-Salaga road, improve education, and health infrastructure in the area.

He also appealed for a mechanised agricultural facility in the area for improved agricultural production.

GNA

By Albert Futukpor, GNA
The Reverend Professor Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, the Chairman of the National Peace Council, has extended his condolences to the bereaved families of the October 7, Gas Explosion at Madina Atomic Junction in Accra.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Rev. Prof Asante prayed for and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.

The gas explosion, which occurred on Saturday night, at the Mansco Gas Station, and spread to the adjacent Total Filling Station, led to the death of at least seven people, while more than 100 were injured.

Rev Prof Asante, who is also the immediate past Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, recounted that what had happened in terms of the gas explosion was not the first time in our history as a nation; and that it had previously occurred in La, and in some parts of this country such as Kumasi, Takoradi and other places.

'I think it is important that we begin to put in stringent measures; we begin to really interrogate the way people use gas,' he said.

'Are we truly going by the safety mechanism that should be put in place to avoid what is happening, and especially when we are siting these things in all places, residential areas and all of that?' he quizzed.

'I heard somebody saying it is not the siting of the facility that matters but the safety.

But for me, I think it is important that the siting of the facility should also be part of the safety mechanism that we should put in place to avoid what has happened.'

Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, a Deputy Ministry of Information, says about 400 gas stations are located in residential areas GNA

Ghana has recorded eight such explosions in three years, from 2014.

The Government says it would announce a comprehensive plan, in the coming days, to prevent such incidents, and has called for the cooperation of all citizens.

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA
21.10.2017 LISTEN

Cocoa farmers will from 2018 be signed onto a Cocoa Pension scheme.

This is according to Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, Hayford Atta Krufi.

The scheme which was originally proposed in the COCOBOD Act of 1984 never took off due reasons including the lack of an accurate database on cocoa farmers.

However in an interview with Citi Business News, Mr. Atta Krufi revealed that Cocobod is currently in the process of collecting the data of all cocoa farmers in the country so as to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.

After the next cocoa season, this pension scheme will be in place; that is the time table that we are following so today's meeting marks the beginning of a process that we hope that within one year will come into completion so that we can have a pension scheme in place for our cocoa farmers.

Mr. Atta Krufi explained that COCOBOD is in the process of gathering the necessary data on the farmers needed for the scheme.

There is data and as I indicated the various license buying companies have got their own data but there is the multiplicity of it, so what COCOBOD is doing now is to collate all the data and then do the disseminations,

He added So COCOBOD is in the process of collecting the entire country's farmer's data and that is the scheme upon which the pension scheme is going to be built. Mr Atta Krufi made these comments at the sidelines of the stakeholder's forum on the establishment of pension schemes for cocoa farmers.

Meanwhile the National Chief Cocoa Farmer, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari is optimistic that the introduction of the scheme will encourage the participation of the youth in cocoa farming.

I am positive that with the introduction of this scheme, majority of the youth will be encouraged to enter into cocoa farming because as it is now they are discouraged since they believe there is no secured future for them in it but with the scheme, things will be different.



By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 13:45:17|Editor: Song Lifang

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by Jon Day

TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Revelations that Japan's second-largest automaker Nissan Motor Co. has been involved in improper inspection practices has dealt a hammer blow to the embattled automaker itself, as well as the broader manufacturing industry, informed sources here said.

The inspections that failed to meet the Transport Ministry standard has led to a domestic recall of some 1.2 million cars sold in Japan over the past three years, and also Thursday's announcement of a suspension to production of domestic automobiles for at least a fortnight.

Sources close to the matter have revealed that the depth of the malpractice is, in fact, far deeper than first thought.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that improper final inspections on vehicles has become an inherent practice at the Yokohama-based automaker and dates back as far as 20 years.

Specifically, according to the reports, Nissan has routinely not been following standardized procedures and protocols for final inspections that are required by Japan's transport ministry to be conducted on all vehicles sold in Japan.

Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa remarked on Thursday that the automaker's training system for certifying vehicle inspection staff had not changed for 20 years, with sources close to the matter more than intimating that, in violation of government requirements, final inspections had been routinely conducted by uncertified technicians.

Nissan has been quick to claim that the long-running scandal has had no impact on the quality of its vehicles and it will continue to export its products to overseas markets.

But experts here believe the inherent culture of cutting corners and second-rate corporate governance at the automaker, on the back of other far-reaching scandals involving, most recently, Kobe Steel's falsification of inspection data, point to rapidly declining standards of practice in Japan's manufacturing industry.

These events have diminished the reputation of the once revered "Made in Japan" brand.

According to Jin Jianmin, a senior fellow at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo, the problems inherent in Nissan's business practices are, indeed, manifold.

"It tends to be the case that both in terms of corporate culture and the flow of communication at automakers in Japan, senior management and the on-site production management teams drift apart," Jianmin told Xinhua.

"The upper management strata placeS too much trust on the on-site production teams, who themselves are battling with a shortage of hands, with workers often under heavy pressure to carry out ever-increasing tasks and meet deadlines, which, to some extent, can lead to the kind of misconduct we have seen," Jianmin explained.

Saikawa himself fessed up to as much stating: "The communication gap between management and shop floors is big, bigger than what we imagined."

Jianmin further suggested that while the corporation governance mode in Japan emphasizes trust on human beings, the necessary supervision and all-important checks and balances can, indeed, be sorely lacking.

While a simultaneous top-down and bottom-up communication model is essential in any industry involving precision manufacturing, such as Nissan's, ultimately, analysts here said, the burden of responsibility sits squarely with the firm's CEO.

Saikawa took over from Carlos Ghosn only six months ago, yet industry insiders have questioned his ability to rule from the top. Accusations have been rife about the gulf between Nissan's plush offices and the shop floor, where highly-technical machines are made.

While Saikawa is still finding his feet at the top and had very large shoes to fill following Ghosn moving on, Jianmin suggested that sometimes, when a scandal first comes to light, this can just be the tip of a very large iceberg, regardless of who's top dog.

"After misconducts happen, senior management tend not to shoulder the responsibility, which leads to the repetition of malpractice in the future and so the cycle of passing the buck is perpetuated," Jianmin said.

This, other experts opined, can reach a point where it becomes a national or, in the case of Takata and Kobe Steel, international scandal that cuts right to the core of Japan's manufacturing standards. However, in doing so they have derailed decades of industry supremacy, rendering the nation's once stellar image for precision manufacturing, untrustworthy at best, and, at worst, unsafe.

From this point of view, Saikawa's somewhat meek and evasive remarks on how he plans to deal with the firm's colossal and potentially decades-long oversights, failed to appease a very nervous and increasingly irate market, which spans affiliates, investors, stock holders and of course, customers.

"The existing management's responsibility now is to prevent recurrence and to normalize operations and put the company back on a growth track," said Saikawa, in a recent press briefing on the matter.

"From my point of view if I see any mistakes, I'd like to take drastic measures. This is my job and I'm the one to lead it," the beleaguered CEO said, highlighting the very flaws in corporate governance referred to by Jianmin and scores of other industry pundits.

"The company will reconfigure the inspection process, and plans to add additional final inspectors," Saikawa added.

Experts were quick to highlight that Nissan had already revealed that after the initial unauthorized inspections were revealed publicly, the malpractice was allowed, incomprehensibly, to continue unchecked at four plants in Japan.

This underscored the innate nature of negligence and misconduct that can and does take place at bellwether firms in Japan like Nissan.

Recent scandals have included rigged fuel economy tests rocking Suzuki Motor Corp. last year and almost identical improprieties carried out by Mitsubishi Motors Corp., as well as the catastrophic fiasco caused by Takata Corp.

It is no wonder that with Nissan and Kobe Steel both getting in on the misconduct act, the government here is less than impressed, analysts noted.

Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii said that the negligence of compliance is undermining the nation's regulatory system and, as such, the ministry will take action.

But while the ministry's actions may eventually lead to something akin to improved corporate governance and compliance, the seemingly inherent culture of lax and neglectful procedures at Japan's once-revered blue chip firms, may mean that Japan, as a global leader in the manufacturing industry, may now be a thing of the past, experts on the matter have attested.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has commissioned a new business centre in Wassa Akropong to serve its customers in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region.

The centre, according to the company, is to bring its services such as payment of electricity bills, reporting of electricity faults and illegal connections, applications for new service and separate meter connections closer to the people of Wassa Akropong and adjoining communities stretching from Bawdie to Nkonya and beyond.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ing. Samuel Boakye-Appiah, noted that, the facility was part of eleven such centres commissioned by the company across the country on that same day.

The total cost of all eleven Business Centres is approximately GHC 6.4million, and this is fully funded by ECG. That comes down to about GHC 582,000 per Centre, he disclosed.

Director of Engineering of ECG, Ing. Kojo Obeng joined the Omanhene of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional area, Tetreteh Okuamuah Sekyi II, to open the centre.

Mr. Boakye-Appiah further noted that, Wassa Akropong was carefully selected for the location of the business centre, due to its central location and easy access to a number of communities in that enclave.

He said the centre would provide easy access to customers; ensure prompt response to complaints and quick deployment of materials to project sites to speed up service delivery.

The Managing Director highlighted some innovative projects the company was currently implementing; with the prominent amongst them being a mobile Application which will serve as a unified online vending platform for easy payment of post-paid bills and purchase of pre-paid electricity units.

This he noted was currently being piloted, and would be launched before the end of this year.

Mr. Alex Anwobor, acting General Manager of the Company in the Western Region, in his remarks, thanked the Omanhene of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area, Tetreteh Okuamuah Sekyi II and his elders for making land available for the construction of the Centre.

He disclosed that sixteen major projects were currently ongoing in the region to improve reliability of power supply.

These include but not limited to the injection of 61 transformers and network improvement, and extension projects in Wassa Akropong, Tarkwa, Sekondi and Takoradi; the reconstruction of the Inchaban substation to improve supply reliability in the Shama enclave, and the construction of a new switching station to improve reliability of supply in the Ahanta West District.

Mr. Anwobor further disclosed that, contracts have been awarded for bush clearing and vegetative control to improve supply quality and stability to the Wassa Akropong area.

The Omanhene of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional area, Tetreteh Okuamuah Sekyi II, who chaired the occasion, commended ECG for the business centre.

He called on the company to consider local content in its staff recruitment for the Centre.

Philip Osei Bonsu, Western Regional ECG PRO.

The District Chief Executive for the Wassa Amenfi East District, Mrs. Helena Appiah, said the district has witnessed improvement in electricity supply in the past few months, and commended the company for their efforts.

She appealed to the company to consider upgrading the Business Centre to a District office in the near future.

The Director of Engineering of ECG, Ing. Kojo Obeng, who represented the Managing Director, joined the Omanhene and the DCE to cut the ceremonial tape signifying the official opening of the Centre for business.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Victims of the regime of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced Saturday an "international campaign" to bring him to justice.

Jammeh, a former soldier, ruled the small English-speaking West African country from 1994 to January 2017 with an iron fist, but now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

His regime is accused by human rights defenders of systematically torturing political opponents and journalists, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances.

"We will do whatever it takes to get justice, no matter how long it takes," said Fatoumatta Sandeng from the campaign, who alleges her father Solo Sandeng died in April 2016 when he was detained by Jammeh's National Intelligence Agency.

"The only thing that matters is that Jammeh and his accomplices are accountable," Sandeng said in a statement released by Human Rights Watch.

The campaign, which is supported by local and international NGOs, demands Jammeh is extradited to the Gambia to face trial, but warned it could take years.
Nollywod actress and lover to actor, Adeniyi Johnson, Seyi Edun, is currently in the US but she arrived there unannounced because she was not in talking terms with her lover.

The actress on her arrival disclosed that she deliberately refused picking Adeniyis calls because she wanted her plans to the US to be successful.

She admitted that she has always planned on how to surprise her lover and she got the opportunity of carrying out the plan which walked out well as her man was shocked on seeing her despite the fact that they had issues which led to them not talking.

According to her, I might not be the best of woman, or the most beautiful but I'm set out to make my world and that of my darling beautiful... I fought him intentionally refused to take his calls and didn't call him because that's the only way my plan can work. I imagined the smile and happiness plus his reaction when he sees me in America unaware and unannounced. Today one of my many mission and dreams is accomplished!! Thanks Ademi for being who you are. love you with your flaws and thanks for taking me as I am... I'm sorry I got u this way.. we both agree on newness and I think this is it .. love you and he ran away.
Nollywood actor cum producer, Femi Ogedengbe with wife some days back celebrated their 5th year wedding anniversary together.

To a large extent, couples still enjoying their marriage life always make it clear to young and aspiring couple that marriage is not bed of roses as it comes with its own challenges and Femi, has also had his fair share too.

Thanks to the grace of God upon his family as they have had their ugly parts both as couple and as parents but they have been able to pull through and still counting.

Femi and his family are currently based in the US but that has not stopped him from acting as he now prefers working from behind the scene.
Earlier this month, scientists using NASAs flying astronomical observatory, SOFIA, observed the wispy atmosphere of Neptunes moon Triton in order to better characterize moon atmospheres in our solar system. Thanks to critical contributions from both the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS) and Lowell Observatory, the mission was successful and expected to reveal important results.

The study centered on a stellar occultation, an event occurring when an object, such as a planet or, in this case Triton, passes between Earth and a more distant body such as a star. As the distant object is blocked (occulted) from view, its light dims and creates a shadow with the shape and size of the occulting body. Lowell Observatorys Ted Dunham has observed quite a number of occultations in his time, including those that led to the discovery of the rings of Uranus, as well as the first observation of Plutos atmosphere. He said, You can think of an occultation from the perspective of an outside viewer seeing a very faint shadow of Triton being cast by the star and passing over Earth. Our job as observers is to get into that shadow to see the star disappear behind Triton.

Dunham and Lowell colleagues Tom Bida and Georgi Mandushev joined other scientists in riding on board SOFIA (which stands for Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy) to observe the occultation. They flew over Florida, the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea for the event.

SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a telescope with a 100-inch-diamter, 1940-pound primary mirror. Like other (usually ground-based) telescopes, SOFIA is outfitted with a variety of cameras and other instruments for gathering data. One of these is called the High Speed Imaging Photometer (HIPO), which was designed and built at Lowell. It is used primarily to observe such stellar occultations.

Positioning a moving observing platform to capture a fleeting shadow is not an easy task. Its all about being in the right place at the right time, and predicting these parameters is an exercise in precision and planning. Ideally, scientists want to capture not only the shadow, but the so-called central flash, a bright spot in the center of the shadow that is caused by focusing of the starlight by the atmosphere of the occulting body.

This is where NOFS and its magnificent Kaj Strand Telescope come into play. With a primary mirror measuring 61 inches across, this is the largest telescope in the United States Naval Observatorys (USNO) arsenal. Its dome is the one visible from the Arboretum and Interstate 40 (while traveling east from Belmont). It began operations in 1964 and was used to photograph the Moon in support of the Apollo manned missions, discover Plutos moon Charon in 1977, and help refine the flight path of New Horizons for its historic 2015 flight past Pluto.

The Kaj Strand Telescope is specially designed for measuring the positions, motions, and magnitudes of stars. These measurements make up the discipline of astronomy called astrometry, part of the core mission of the USNO.

In support of the SOFIA flight, astronomers used this telescope to precisely measure the positions of the bodies ahead of the event. These observations were supplemented by others, including some made with Lowells Discovery Channel Telescope. Astronomers, including Lowells Stephen Levine and Lowell adjunct Amanda Bosh, then evaluated these results to plot what proved to be a highly accurate occultation path  so accurate that the resulting observations captured the sought-for central flash. The astronomers are now analyzing the SOFIA data, as well as observations of the event made by several astronomers using ground-based telescopes, including Lowells Larry Wasserman in Georgia. They expect to learn much about Tritons atmosphere and, by extension, the atmospheres of other planetary moons. The effort demonstrates the value of collaboration in such scientific pursuits, as well as underscoring the leading role Flagstaff scientists play astronomical research.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 13:50:19|Editor: Song Lifang

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Between 15 to 20 workers are feared to have been buried after a landslide hit a building construction site in the northwestern Malaysian state of Penang on Saturday morning.

The state news agency Bernama quoted Penang Fire and Rescue Department Operation Center spokesman as saying that the victims may be buried in the land slope estimated to be 10 meters.

A search and rescue operation has been started.

According to the report, two victims had been extricated and sent to the Penang Hospital by noon.

It is not yet known what caused the landslide, but local media reported that people have complained about over-development on the hill slopes.

Penang was hit by massive floods, which paralyzed the city state, after heavy downpour in September.
- Abdulrasheed Maina, Nigeria's ex pension boss who was dismissed by the federal civil service for alleged corruption is said to have been reinstated

- Maina, who is wanted by the EFCC is also said to have been secretly recalled and promoted to the position a director

- He was accused in 2012 of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N2 billion

Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted former chairman of the Presidential Task Team (PRTT) on Pension Reforms, has allegedly been reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

The wanted ex-pension boss was said to have been secretly reabsolved into the civil service.

READ ALSO: EFCC Nabs Secretary Of Runaway Official Over Pension Scam

Premium Times reports that Maina, who is still wanted by the EFCC was secretly recalled and promoted to the position of director in charge of Human Resources in the Ministry of Interior.

Legit.ng recalls that Maina was in 2013 dismissed by the Federal Civil Service Commission following a recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service.

He was accused in 2012 of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N2billion.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the federal government bowed to pressure from the National Assembly to sack the controversial chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina from the public service of Nigeria following his refusal to appear before lawmakers after several invitations.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 14:00:21|Editor: ying

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Soldiers from the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) and Marine Special Operation Group (MARSOG) wave as they travel their way back from their combat duty against pro-Islamic State (IS) militants in Marawi City, the Philippines, Oct. 21, 2017. Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon has been killed in an assault in the Philippine southern city of Marawi, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday, citing the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Hapilon, with alleged link to Islamic State (IS) extremists, is one of the most wanted terrorist leaders in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon has been killed in an assault in the Philippine southern city of Marawi, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday, citing the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Hapilon, with alleged link to Islamic State (IS) extremists, is one of the most wanted terrorist leaders in the Philippines.

"We have received an official report that the U.S. FBI has confirmed that the DNA sample taken from a body recovered by our opening units in Marawi matches that of Isnilon Hapilon," said Lorenzana in a statement.

He added that "this process of verification is also being conducted on the cadavers of the other terrorists that have been recovered so far."

Lorenzana did not say how Hapilon's sample was sent to the FBI for DNA testing.

The Philippine military killed Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute during an assault before dawn on Monday. Pictures of the slain militant leaders were distributed to the media a few hours later.

The U.S. State Department had offered 5 million U.S. dollars for the arrest of Hapilon.

Hapilon is the leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a jihadist organization in the Philippines founded with funds from al-Qaeda that also pledged loyalty to IS. The militant group is behind the spate of kidnappings and numerous bombing attacks in the Philippines.

Hapilon, along with the Maute brothers, led the May 23 attack on Marawi. The military said IS militants from neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia also took part in the siege.

Efforts to completely retake the remaining areas where more than a dozen of pro-IS militants have holed up continues, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Restituto Padilla.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in the ongoing war that broke out on May 23, prompting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to place Mindanao under Martial law.

On Tuesday, Duterte declared to have liberated Marawi from the IS militants.
- Another crisis is looming within PDP

- Eddy Olafeso led group has been declared the authentic executive by Senator Ahmed Makarfi since his victory at the Supreme court

- But the court, however, barred Makarfi from recognizing Olafeso as the chairman of PDP southwest zone

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from barring the Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe-led southwest zonal executive committee and the zones delegates from the December 9 national convention of the party.

Punch reports that the court also barred the party, its officers, and organs from allowing the Eddy Olafeso-led group to participate in the convention or submit any list as southwest delegates.

Legit.ng gathered that Olafeso is the southwest zonal chairman of the party recognised by the national leadership of the party.

READ ALSO: 7 vital points Buhari made at the D-8 summit in Turkey

Ogundipe, however, told journalists in Abuja on Friday, October 20, that non-compliance with the court order could affect the outcome of the December 9 national convention of the party.

He urged the national caretaker committee of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi to uphold the rule of law because he (Makarfi) is also a product of the law.

Makanjuola brought the court order to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja on Friday. The court sitting had earlier taken place on Wednesday, October 19.

Named in the suit numbered FHC/AD/CS/18/2017 are: Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, Chief Adepegba Otemolu, Lanre Orimoloye, Supo Ijabadeniyi and Femi Carena.

The defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Sen. Ben Obi, Eddy Olafeso, Wunmi Jenyo, Adeola Ogunrinde and Femi Adetola.

Others are Ojo Williams, Fasiu Bakenne, Philip Aivohji, Mrs. Oluwawumi Oshinroluke, Biliaminu Ogundele, Femi, Makinde, the Inspector General of Police and Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 2, Osogbo, Commissioner of Police, Ondo state, and the Department of State Services and State Security Service, Ondo state.

Specifically, the court, which was presided over by Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, restrained the Makarfi-led executives or their agents from preventing the plaintiffs and other southwest delegates to the PDP national convention listed in the schedule attached to this originating summons.

The court listed the beneficiaries of the order as Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju and Senator Buruji Kashamu, adding that they should not be barred from attending the national convection.

The judge also said that no disciplinary action should be taken against the plaintiffs and other delegates of the party from the South-West Zone in order to prevent them from participating in the partys national convention pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Justice Taiwo said: An order of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the 5th to 15th defendants by themselves, their servants, agents and or privies from participating in the PDP national convention scheduled to hold on the 9th of December, 2017 or any other date during the subsistence of tenure of office of the southwest zonal executive committee led by the 1st Plaintiff as members of the southwest delegates of the party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Ogundipe said the Senator Makarfi-led NCC and the national leadership of the party had a duty to prevent impunity and lawlessness if they were desirous of building a new PDP that would appeal to Nigerians and win elections in 2019.

He said: I say this because Eddy Olafeso and his group never emerged from a valid South-West Zonal congress. The Federal High Court, Lagos, in a ruling delivered in Suit No.: FHC/L/CS/605/2016 on the 17th of May, 2016, the court expressly nullified the sham congress. Till date, the order has neither been set aside nor upturned on appeal.

It should be further noted that in a final judgment delivered on the 24th of June, 2016, the court categorically stated that our tenure ends in October, 2018, having been elected at a special zonal congress held on the 11th of October, 2014 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

"The implication of this is that my executive committee remains the only validly elected and judicially sanctioned leadership of the party in the southwest.

Ogundipe said if the party leadership acted in defiance of indubitable facts and the Rule of Law, it will contaminate the national convention, adding that, our leaders should do justice and avoid anything that can jeopardise our partys chances in 2019.

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He urged members and leaders of the party in the southwest to continue to work for the party and mobilise people for membership.

In reaction, Olafeso told Punch that the party was already working hard to discharge the injunction, adding that the national leadership of the party wished to reposition the PDP.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the southwest executive committee of the Peoples Democratic Party dragged party leaders, Ahmed Makarfi, Ben Obi, Eddy Olafeso, Bunmi Jenyo, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector of Police to court.

PDP women lament on the state of the nation: We are suffering - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- A former governor of Imo state has said that the Peoples Democratic Party would want President Buhari to run for presidency in 2019

- Achike Udenwa said presidency would be an easy win for the PDP if Buhari runs

- He said the federal government lied to Nigerians when it announced that the country has exited recession

A former governor of Imo sate, Achike Udenwa, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would support the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Sun reports that Udenwa said the emergence of President Buhari as the flag bearer of the ruling party would make winning the 2019 presidential election easy for the PDP.

He said the PDP is already set to bring an end to the APC ahead of the 2019 general election.

READ ALSO: Jail DSS director - Nnamdi Kanus co-accused tells court

He said the APC won the 2015 election on a populist mandate and have failed to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians since taking over power.

Udenwa said: The exchange rate that was between N190 and N200 to a dollar, is now about N370. The recession set in."

The former governor debunking claims that Nigeria has successfully exited recession said the price of oil only moved up a little bit.

He said: We will support him to become APC candidate. That will be good for us and makes our work easier. Let him emerge as APC presidential candidate.

READ ALSO: Tension in Rivers as IPOB, Governor Wike set to clash over monkeypox vaccine rumour

Being realistic, you will see that people calling for Buhari to run for second term is out of selfishness.

They want again to ride on the back of Buhari to run and win their own elections. That is what it is all about. How can you, this is a man whose health has been bad, we thank God that he has been able to recover appreciably.

"If he manages to drag on to the end of the term, you want him to come for another four years? Are you being realistic? If that is what APC has chosen, it is good for us. But even with that they still cant stand us.

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Legit.ng earlier reported that former president, Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday, October 20, said Nigerians have lost their trust on President Muhammadu Buhari.

Jonathan said Nigerians only fear Buhari rather than trust him.

The former president also accused the president and his aides of peddling falsehood over claims that Nigerians did not protest the hike in fuel price by the President Buhari-led administration.

Who is Nigeria's greatest president ever? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Photos of former Governor of Anambra state sharing money to people has gone viral!

In the photos, Governor Peter Obi is seen in the market giving money to traders even as they mopped him after he took governorship campaign to them.

The Governor reportedly told the traders to vote for his candidate and former secretary to the state government, Oseloka Obaze, to unseat Mr. Obiano as governor in the forthcoming elections in the state.

READ ALSO: IG of police speaks on Anambra election, IPOB

Here are photos from his market campaign;

Former Governor Peter Obi pictured sharing money Photo credit: Instagram

Former Governor Peter Obi pictured sharing money Photo credit: Instagram

This is quiet interesting! Could this singular act persuade people to vote for his candidate?

Can Nigeria ever be united again - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 15:25:36|Editor: ying

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were killed and another 11 injured when a goods truck overturned in the western Indian state of Maharashtra Saturday, police said.

"The accident occurred early this morning when a tiles-laden truck carrying laborers flipped over after suddenly hitting a tree because of dense fog near Tasgaon town in the state's Sangli district," a senior police official said.

The truck was carrying a total of 22 people, including a driver and a helper, when the accident happened.

While 10 people, including three women, died on the spot, all the injured were rushed by local people to a nearby government hospital where one succumbed to his injuries later in the day, the official said.

"The death toll could rise as three of the injured, including the driver of the truck and its helper, are in a serious condition," he said.

Local TV channels reported that the laborers had boarded the truck, which was on its way to Solapur district from the neighboring Karnataka state, as public buses were off the roads due to the strike by employees of state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.

The strike by the employees demanding a pay hike, has, however, now been called off as the High Court in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.

"The accident was due to low visibility. But we will book the driver of the goods truck as it was not supposed to ferry passengers. We are waiting for the truck driver to recover in the hospital," the official said.

However, a probe has been ordered into the incident, he added.

India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents occur mostly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.
- The man, Edward Soje was a Grade level 16 officer and director in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission before his death

- He had sold all his assets to offset debts he owed but it was still not enough

- He gave his last N30,000 to his wife after she delivered triplets in an Abuja hospital and went home to Lokoja to hang himself

A director in the Kogi state civil service Edward Soje has allegedly committed suic*de by hanging himself on a tree in Lokoja, the state capital.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports on Saturday, October 21 that the dangling body of Soje was found on a tree behind the mammy market at the Maigumeri barracks, the Nigeria Army Command Record in Lokoja.

The 54-year-old civil servant decided to take his life barely 10 days after his wife of 17 years gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja. The couple had been childless before then.

Soje, a Grade Level 16 Officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, was being owed 11 months salary arrears as at the time he took his life.

He hailed from Ogori town in Ogori -Magongo Local Government area of the state.

He had before killing himself travelled to Abuja and left a suic*de note for the wife who also works in one of the federal ministries.

Psalm 121:3 God will not suffer your foot to be moved: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, the God Almighty will keep you and prosper you, amen. I love you, according to the suic*de note.

Confirming the incident, the state police command Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya said that the dangling body of Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks at about 5:55 p.m on Oct. 16.

READ ALSO: Man allegedly shot dead by APC candidate Nwoye's security in Onitsha

Aya said that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Area D Division received information about the incident from the military intelligence office in the barracks.

Police moved to the scene, removed the corpse to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. Investigation is still ongoing, Aya said.

The police spokesman said that nothing was found on the man to help trace his address and family.

However, a search party organised by his relations and friends, found his corpse at the morgue of the hospital on Friday, Oct. 20.

Family sources said that Soje had before the incident been going through a lot of financial pressure due to non-payment of his salary for 11 months by the Kogi State Government.

He was among thousands of civil servants being owed between two and 21 months salary arrears by the state government.

As a way out, he was said to have sold his only car and a three-bedroom bungalow he was building at Otokiti area of Lokoja.

The building which was at lintel level was sold by Soje at a giveaway price of N1.5 million in April to meet urgent family needs, it was gathered.

According to the sources, Sojes financial woes became compounded when the wife gave birth to a set of triplets through Caesarian operation in a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 7.

The deceased remained in the hospital to look after wife and children until Oct. 13, a day before the naming ceremony when he decided to come back to Lokoja.

On getting to Lokoja, Soje went straight to his bank to collect the remaining N30,000 in his salary account with one of the commercial banks and thereafter informed the bank in writing about his decision to close the account.

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He immediately left Lokoja for the hospital in Abuja where he rejoined his wife and handed over the N30,000 cash to her.

On Oct. 14, Soje and wife were joined by two pastors and few relatives to perform a brief naming ceremony for the triplets in the hospital.

He later left the hospital on the pretext that he wanted to pick few things from the wifes apartment in Abuja with a promise to come back quickly.

But Soje did not return for hours and did not pick any of the many calls made to his telephone line, a development which forced the wife to send somebody to the house to go and ascertain what was happening to him.

The person, on getting to the apartment knocked the door severally but no response and decided to call his telephone number.

On hearing the telephone ringing out from the apartment, the person was said to have knocked severally again but no response, this made him to seek the assistance of neighbours to force the door open.

When the door was opened, the people were shocked when they saw Sojes telephone handset placed on a suic*de note on the centre table in the sitting room while he was nowhere to be found.

When the wife was informed, she quickly contacted some people to begin a search for him in Abuja while relations and friends in Lokoja were also informed of the development.

Efforts made to locate him did not yield fruit until relations decided to visit hospitals in Lokoja, the decision paid off eventually on Friday, October 20 when the corpse of Soje was found in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

A member of the family said that the management of the hospital explained to them that Sojes corpse was brought in by the police, who found it dangling on a tree.

A member of the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the late Soje as a very quiet and lovable human being.

He said that some members of the family have been sent to Abuja to break the news to the wife and refused to answer further questions.

Legit.ng had reported earlier that Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West, had declared his readiness to fight to a standstill the government of his state over salaries of workers.

In tweets late on Friday, July 14, Senator Melaye said the battle for workers salaries is a no retreat, no surrender one.

"We need a mass burial for our leaders!" man harshly criticizes the Nigerian government - Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 15:35:38|Editor: ying

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BANGKOK, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Thai exports value in September have roared to a new record in most product categories and major markets, with the full-year export expected to beat the previous forecast at 8 percent, local media quoted the commerce minister as saying on Saturday.

Exports, a key driver of Thailand's growth, climbed 12.2 percent in September with a total value of 21.8 billion U.S. dollars, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said, adding that exports rose to a seventh month straightly.

Export of agricultural products and manufacturing products increased 7.9 percent year on year and 12.5 percent year on year, respectively. Key sectors whose exports rose substantially included rubber, sugar, chicken, gold, oil, computers and automotive, according to the minister.

Growth was driven by growing demand for Thai manufacturing products from Thailand's major trade partners especially China and Japan. Apriradi also credited the surge for an improvement in the global economy and the rising prices of commodity and oil.

Overall, Thai exports during the first nine months of this year grew 9.6 percent year on year, hitting a six-year record high.

"If we continue to export at about 19 billion U.S dollars a month during the rest of this year, exports for the whole of 2017 should grow at least 8 percent or 8.5 percent, since we expect strong demand during the year-end period", said the minister who also warned potential risks from fluctuating values of currencies.

China tops as Thailand's largest trading partner. According to data from Thai customs, Thailand's exports to China amounted to 23.6 billion U.S. dollars or 11 percent of its overall exports in 2016. Rubber and electronic equipment held the top shares.
By Goncalo L. Fonseca, a research fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website

What can todays economists learn from the 18th century Scottish thinkers who grappled with societal and economic change?

Reawakening is the theme of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) conference opening in Edinburgh on October 21. The reference, of course, is to the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th Century which gave birth to modern economics. But beyond a mere nod to the past, the title of the conference prompts an important question for modern economists: Is there something to learn from the Scottish Enlightenment that can help illuminate the predicaments of today  and if so, what is it?

The Scottish Enlightenment is most associated with two names: David Hume and Adam Smith. But they were not isolated thinkers. The skeptical philosopher and the father of economics formed the kernel of an intellectual clique, centered in Edinburgh, that included, among others, Lord Kames, Adam Ferguson and James Millar. Although not all these names are equally well known today, all contributed significantly to the development of modern ideas about the economy.

The philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment gravitated around several major themes: the origins of morals, the progress of civilization, economic development and the impact of trade. Although their pronouncements were universal, the questions they chose were informed by parochial concerns relating to Scotland, and the tremendous societal changes the country was undergoing at the time.

The trauma Scotland underwent in the 18th century should be familiar to observers and critics of modern globalization. The 1707 Act of Union thrust poor, stagnant, semi-feudal, agrarian Scotland into a merger with rich, dynamic, capitalist, commercial England. Prior to the act, the two countries had practically no economic or trade relations. But after 1707, Scotland not only opened itself up to foreign economic winds, it also lost control of any policy tools that could direct them. It was perhaps the first globalization experiment, at least on such a scale.

Scots were naturally apprehensive. Would Scotland become rich, like England, or descend into pauperism, like Ireland? Would its society become riven by deep divisions and class conflict such as that found in England? Would Scottish lairds forget their traditional paternalistic obligations towards peasants, and become as aloof, cruel and grasping as English landlords? And what would happen to traditional religion and morals?

By the time of the Scottish Enlightenment, the Presbyterian Kirk (the peoples church) had long been the democratic guarantor in Scotland. Its inquisitorial grip on Scottish society may have been tyrannical and sometimes excessive, but it had kept the ruling classes in check. Although one may smirk at the suggestion that Scotland enjoyed a degree of relative equality and class harmony before 1707, it was closer to the truth here than elsewhere, at least on the surface.

Change was not long in coming after 1707. Given access to English trade and colonies, Glasgows merchants soon cornered the American tobacco trade and amassed incredible fortunes. With the typical impertinence of nouveau riche anywhere, the rising Glaswegian merchant class imported very un-Calvinistic fashions from England  fancy clothes, balls, theater and ostentatious palaces  and were soon imitated by the rest of the Scottish upper classes. Inequality had not only arrived in Scotland, it had made itself highly conspicuous.

The once-sleepy towns of Glasgow and Edinburgh sprung to life as new commercial cities. The Presbyterian Kirk relaxed its grip, giving up some of its fire-and-brimstone severity for a modicum of latitude. English-style capitalism crept into the Scottish countryside as well  lairds began introducing agricultural innovations on their land to raise productivity and rents, improvements that usually involved the evictions of peasants and breaking long-standing norms of tenancy. Scottish society was gradually losing its traditional features and resembling England more and more every day.

For many Scottish supporters of the union  known as the Whigs  all this was welcome. They embraced the new commercial society unfolding before them and relished the imported English habits and new capitalist ethos. Indeed, many stopped identifying themselves as Scottish altogether and took up a new moniker  North Britons (although it never quite caught on).

But this new world was far from secure, and could all be reversed overnight. Up in the Highlands were Gaelic-speaking barbarous clans, ready to rally to arms at the summons of their chief. In 1690, 1715 and 1745, Highlander armies came pouring down and nearly overran the country. Jacobites, loyal to the cause of restoring the Catholic Stuart lineage to the throne, promised to overturn the union and drag Scotland back to where it was before. Although few Lowlanders sympathized with the insane lost cause of the Jacobites, many of those disturbed by the changes foisted upon Scotland contemplated attaching their cart to it.

Today, globalization makes for strange bedfellows. It is presumptuous to assume that reason, commerce and progress glides ever forward and cannot be reversed. For all the enlightened chatter in the clubs and societies of cosmopolitan cities, there are barbarians perched in the hills ready to smash it all. And it is tempting for the losers in the progress of civilization  the dispossessed, disgruntled and forgotten  to lend their support to destructive trouble-makers, no matter how ridiculous their cause might be.

It is a mistake to dismiss reactions against globalization as a romantic hankering for rustic poverty and fanaticism. There were long-standing social contracts  between rich and poor, lairds and peasants, Kirk and people  that had maintained some sort of harmony in Scottish society. These contracts that were broken in the rush to embrace the commercial age. If the gains from trade were to be preserved, the disruption in social relations needed to be repaired. But in order to be repaired, they must first be understood.

This was the task the Scottish Enlightenment thinkers took up: to understand change, and more specifically to understand how economic change affects society. That is something modern economics would do well to learn from: adopting an approach that is more respectful of historical, social and institutional contexts.

The Scottish thinkers had a dynamic rather than static vision of economy and society. While modern economics seems enamored with mechanical systems, and assumes they will settle into some natural equilibrium, the Scottish philosophers had a more evolutionary outlook, in which economic and social forces do not settle, but rather continue changing. They were not very interested in abstract contemplations about natural society, but rather in a realistic understanding the concrete origins of actual society.

Scottish Enlightenment thinkers tried to explain how economic and social relations actually emerged and changed  through the slow march of history, and in their institutional context  rather than imagine they sprang fully-formed out of some mythical state of nature. While they had strong ideas about economic policy, they did not believe in ideal constitutions. As Whigs, most of the Scottish philosophers largely welcomed the union and the new commercial age, but they were simultaneously wary of its consequences and downright pessimistic that it could be smoothly handled by governing elites. They understood that there was much of value in traditional society that was being lost, that discontent could breed revolt and that the road to liberty might end up in tyranny.

Wed be wise to consider their approach  and learn from it  in our modern context, and in our practice of economics today.
By Roy Poses, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and the President of FIRM  the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine. Originally published at Health Care Renewal

Last week, we discussed what appeared to be the most egregious case of the health care revolving door seen so far. A health care corporate lobbyist without any direct medical, health care, public health or biomedical science experience was named Acting US Secretary of Health and Human Services after being confirmed as Deputy Secretary.

Former Top Executive of Pharmaceutical Company Eli Lilly Considered for Nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services

Only a week later, an even more egregious case may be in the works. The name being floated as nominee to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services is Mr Alex Azar, who through this year was a top pharmaceutical executive. Again, he has no experience in medicine, the health professions, public health or biomedical sciences.

To repeat, you cannot make this stuff up.

As reported by Politco on October 17, 2017

Azar has spent most of the past decade inside the drug industry, one of the key sectors hell regulate at HHS. Azar joined pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company in June 2007 as a senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications right after leaving the Bush administration. He rose to head Lillys U.S. operations in 2012, a position he held until this January, when he left the company. At Lilly he worked on both international and federal government affairs and public policy. Other areas of focus included counterfeit medicines and health information technology.

By the way,

As part of his role at Lilly, Azar served on the board of directors for BIO, a drug lobby.

Mr Azar did have prior experience in the Department of Health and Human Services, but essentially as a lawyer/ administrator,

He served as the departments general counsel and deputy secretary during the Bush administration.

Political, but No Medical, Health Care Professional, Public Health or Biomedical Science Credentials

To emphasize his lack of medical, health care, public health or biomedical science background, see this quote from what Mr Azar wrote this in his alumni profile for the Yale Law School,

I entered healthcare largely by accident. After law school, I clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and then joined a D.C. law firm. I went to work for my mentor Ken Starr immediately after he became the Whitewater independent counsel. While at my law firm, Wiley, Rein & Fielding, I was active in the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2000. After Bush won, I received a call from the office of Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, asking me if Id have interest in being General Counsel of HHS. Ill confess that I wrestled with the question, since I had not focused on health law in my legal career.

The Politico article suggests that the Trump regime might consider most of Mr Azars credentials to be the top US health official are political,

He has also been a harsh critic of Obamacare and cheered GOP efforts to repeal and replace it, telling Fox Business in May that the Obamacare is fundamentally broken and circling the drain. Azar emerged as a strong backer of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushs Republican presidential campaign in 2016, serving on Bushs 30-member Indiana steering committee in the lead-up to the election. Azar knows Vice President Mike Pence from his time at Lilly, which is headquartered in Indianapolis.

Note that were he to become Secretary of DHHS, unless the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) were to be repealed, he would be charged with enforcing it.

And years prior to that, according to the Washington Post,

Azar clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and, after Bill Clinton became president, worked under special counsel Kenneth Starr as he investigated Clintons failed Whitewater real estate investments.

Lillys Poor Ethical Track Record on his Watch

Unlike the Mr Hargan, who transited the revolving door from a lobbying position, Mr Azar had direct operational responsibility, in this case, for Eli Lillys US operations. Thus he ought to be held responsible for the companys ethical misadventures during the time he was there. In fact, the company has had a few such misadventures, some of which we have previously discussed.

Jury Found Takeda and Eli Lilly Concealed Cancer Risks of Actos, Company Subject to Punitive Damages of $36.8 Million  2014

We discussed this in 2014. This case seemed to involve serious deceptions, since the judge said in one ruling:

the evidence during the trial showed that the companies disregarded, denied, obfuscated and concealed for more than a decade that Actos could increase patients risk for bladder cancer.

Lilly Pleaded Guilty to Charges Related to Deceptive Marketing of Zypresa as Part of an Over $1 Billion Settlement  2009

At the time, this was considered a landmark case. Eli Lilly pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal charges and settled allegations about questionable marketing practices for its anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa for over $1 billion in 2009 (see post here). The settlement provided some instructive information about how big pharmaceutical companies employ ghost writing to sell product (see this post). The company pushed Zyprexa for elderly patients with dementia, despite the lack of evidence that the drugs benefits outweighed its clear harms, thus likely leading to patient harm.

Many other cases of dubious Lilly practices that did not necessarily lead to legal settlements or criminal charges can be found here. These practices include older, lesser cases involving the revolving door; and various instances of apparently deceptive marketing practices such as planned obsolescence of drugs, use of physician thought leaders as covert drug marketers, payments to patient advocacy groups presumably to encourage them to act also as covert drug marketers, etc, etc

Furthermore, the company was involved in several major cases of misbehavior overseas about which Mr Azar may or may not have been aware. These included:

 Lilly Fined by Brazil for Sham Litigation to Extend Patent on Gemzar  2015

Per the Wall Street Journal, the government deemed the company to have engaged in anti-competitive behavior.

 Lilly Settled Case Alleging it Bribed Foreign Officials to Win Business  2012

We discussed this here. This case seemed serious since it involved lavish gifts and payments made from 2006-2009 to Chinese physicians who worked for the government , bribes to health officials to Brazil starting in 2007, and other such transactions in other countries in previous years.

Discussion

Last week we noted that Mr Trump famously promised to drain the swamp in Washington. Last week, despite his previous pledges to not appoint lobbyists to powerful positions, he appointed a lobbyist to be acting DHHS Secretary. This week he is apparently strongly considering Mr Alex Azar, a pharmaceutical executive to be permanent DHHS Secretary, even though the FDA, part of DHHS, has direct regulatory authority over the pharmaceutical industry, and many other DHHS policies strongly affect the pharmaceutical industry. (By the way, Mr Azar was also in charge of one lobbying effort.)

So should Mr Azar be confirmed as Secretary of DHHS, the fox guarding the hen house appears to be a reasonable analogy.

Moreover, several serious legal cases involving bad behavior by his company, and multiple other instances of apparently unethical behavior occurred on Mr Azars watch at Eli Lilly. So the fox might be not the most reputable member of the species.

So you know the drill. The revolving door is a species of conflict of interest. Worse, some experts have suggested that the revolving door is in fact corruption. As we noted here, the experts from the distinguished European anti-corruption group U4 wrote,

The literature makes clear that the revolving door process is a source of valuable political connections for private firms. But it generates corruption risks and has strong distortionary effects on the economy, especially when this power is concentrated within a few firms.

The ongoing parade of people transiting the revolving door from industry to the Trump administration once again suggests how the revolving door may enable certain of those with private vested interests to have excess influence, way beyond that of ordinary citizens, on how the government works, and that the country is still increasingly being run by a cozy group of insiders with ties to both government and industry. This has been termed crony capitalism. The latest cohort and now this most flagrant example of revolving door transits suggests that regulatory capture is likely to become much worse in the near future.

So, as we have said before [before, before] The continuing egregiousness of the revolving door in health care shows how health care leadership can play mutually beneficial games, regardless of the their effects on patients and the publics health. Once again, true health care reform would cut the ties between government and corporate leaders and their cronies that have lead to government of, for and by corporate executives rather than the people at large.

Let me at least try to provide a new picture of the revolving door
A woman who had been in the United States for 20 years, was deported to Mexico Thursday, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) confirmed.

Silvia Ocampo-Ortiz entered the U.S. illegally in 1992 near the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

In 2008, she was arrested by Homeland Security and Social Security Administration officials, according to ICE spokesperson Lauren Mack. The following year, Ocampo-Ortiz was turned over to ICE after a felony conviction for perjury.

Mack said this case was heard before an immigration judge, the Board of Immigration Appeals and twice before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Thursday evening, Ocampo-Ortiz was deported and staying in Tijuana, Mexico.

The ICE Acting Director has made it clear that the agency will not exempt classes or categories of people, Mack said in a written statement.

"All of those in violation of our nations immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable, he or she will be removed from the United States," she said.



Ocampo-Ortiz is a single mother with several children, including an 8-year-old daughter with special needs, according to Unite Here, an organization that rallied to keep the mother in the U.S.

Religious leaders, activists, and local leaders gathered outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building Thursday to protest against Ocampo-Ortiz' deportation.

"We are outraged that ICE would take a single mother of a special needs child away from her family," Brigette Browning, president of Unite Here Local 30. "They are heartlessly deporting Silvia right before a court date that could enable her to remain here with her children. Tearing apart families is the real crime here."

In September, Gaston Cazares of Carlsbad was deported after his immigration hearing.

Cazares moved to San Diego illegally when he was 17 and has been in the area for nearly 30 years. Cazares wife of 22 years, their teenage daughter and their son with autism now remain in Carlsbad without him.


A courageous California doctor used a motorcycle to drive through the Santa Rosa wildfires to get to eight premature babies during the predawn hours of Oct. 9 just as the situation was intensifying.

"I got called at 2 a.m. because the flames were getting close enough to the hospital so the staff thought that wed have to evacuate," Dr. Scott Witt, the medical director for the newborn intensive care unit at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, told NBC News in a phone interview Friday.

Witt, 45, was with his wife and four children at the time and safety had become a priority for his newborn patients as well as his own household.

His family chose to evacuate to a nearby church in Sebastopol, and Witt headed to the hospital. At first he took his truck, but he realized it would be hard to maneuver with dangerous roads and closed off areas, so he returned home.
What to Know At least 391 acres burned; 50 percent contained

Four unknown structures destroyed

Seven firefighters injured

The 391-acre Bear Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains is "calming down" and is now 50 percent contained, a Cal Fire division chief said Saturday morning.

"We're somewhat scaling down now that the fire is calming down," said Cal Fire Division Chief Angela Bernheisel. "We want to put this thing to bed."

Fire crews are continuing to establish and reinforce containment lines around the fire. There are now 34 engines, three water tenders, one helicopter, 13 hand crews, two dozers and 75 other resources fighting the blaze, down from earlier in the week.

The fire has burned 391 acres, according to Cal Fire. Bernheisel said Santa Ana winds are expected in Southern California, "so we need to be able to put this thing totally to bed so we can be available for the next potential start that might happen."

Evacuation orders are still in effect for Bear Creek Canyon Road, Deer Creek Road, Rons Road, Dons Road, and their tributary streets in the fire area. Bear Creek Road between Hawk Ridge Road and Highway 35 is open to residents only, Cal Fire said.

The fire started Monday night at 10:37 p.m. and has destroyed four structures.

Evacuation orders for the Las Cumbres community, Skyline Boulevard community and areas south of Bear Creek Road were lifted Thursday morning, according to officials.

Yelena Malysheva was one of the lucky evacuees who was able to return home Thursday after anxiously waiting to see if her home would be spared by the flames.

"I haven't slept pretty much in the four days," she said. "I'm totally exhausted. My kids are at school. They're very tired, too."

Before the sun rose on Tuesday, towering flames could be seen devouring trees as a blaze tore through hilly and rugged terrain of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Though fire officials were generally upbeat about their progress in containing the blaze, there were some setbacks Wednesday. A drone grounded the much-needed air attack for about an hour.

Before the temporary stoppage, Cal Fire officials said the air support was critical in the steep terrain.

"The bucket drops are helping; they're a ton of help," said Steve Chapman, a Strike Force member. "And we're trying to get hose lines up here."

As of Thursday evening, 905 fire personnel, 72 engines, nine helicopters and three dozers were still battling the blaze, according to Cal Fire.

An aerial view of the Bear Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains captures pockets of flames still burning and smoke pumping into the air.

Five firefighters, including an inmate firefighter, all suffered minor injuries while working the fire lines on Tuesday, according to Cal Fire. Two more firefighters on Wednesday were transported to hospitals, one after suffering second-degree burns to his hands and the other also suffering from unspecified burn injuries, fire officials said.

One of those hurt was Andy Goodson from the Santa Clara unit. He fell 50 feet while on the front lines of the fire. As of Friday, he is hospitalized but expected to be OK, according to Cal Fire.

A Cal Fire official noted that the steep and rugged terrain has played a role in the injuries.

Officials are still trying to determine what exactly caused the blaze to ignite. Towering flames could be seen ripping through dense vegetation and devouring trees right after the fire started before they were eventually suppressed by fire crews on the ground and in the air.

[BAY ML STRINGER]Fire Breaks Out in Santa Cruz Mountains

The Zayante Fire Station, which is located at 7700 E. Zayante St. in Felton, has been designated as an evacuation center for those impacted by the fire. Another evacuation center has opened at Lakeside Elementary School  19620 Black Road  in Los Gatos.

Those with horses and goats can seek shelter at the Graham Hill Showgrounds located at 1145 Graham Hill Rd. in Santa Cruz. Folks with smaller animals can go to Santa Cruz County Animal Services, which is located at 2200 7th Ave. in Santa Cruz.

One person has been arrested on suspicion of looting one of the homes that was in the evacuation area, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department.


The states last regulatory audit of the PG&E division ravaged by the North Bay firestorm warned the utility that it was late in fixing more than 3,500 known electrical problems in Santa Rosa and Sonoma alone, records reviewed by NBC Bay Area show.

The findings of the California Public Utilities Commissions PG&E Sonoma Division audit -- performed in September 2015  point to concerns about PG&E maintenance practices well before the fires that destroyed nearly 5,000 homes and claimed 42 lives. PG&E has filed eight separate regulatory notices of electrical equipment failures in the fires.

In a December 31, 2015 audit letter to the utility, Fayi Daye, a supervising electric safety regulator with the states Public Utilities Commission, outlined the violations found in the review of records between 2010 and 2015 and a spot check of the divisions electrical distribution equipment.

Daye noted that the auditors review of repair records for the areas that would become hardest hit by the fires -- Santa Rosa and Sonoma -- showed the company was behind schedule on a total of 3,527 separate repair orders.

Late work orders included overhead and underground facilities, Daye noted.

The audit also checked PG&Es maps of electrical distribution lines and found more than 50 pieces of overhead equipment  including pole mounted transformers and lines themselves-- had not been inspected yearly as required under state rules.

Spot checks showed that for one power pole in Santa Rosa, a supporting cable was not properly connected to assure the pole could remain standing. Inspectors also found that communications gear had been spliced onto the line and was dangling 10 feet from the ground.

PG&E did not notify the communications company of this safety hazard when it last inspected the pole, Dayes report noted. In another location in Somona, inspectors found noticeable slack on a support strut between poles.

The PUC didnt issue any fines in the audit. Critics were dismayed by the findings.

This is particularly alarming because these citations are where the fires happened," said Britt Strottman, and attorney for the counties ravaged by the San Bruno pipeline fire and the massive Butte fire in 2015. She says the audit reflects a troubling pattern. "PG&E has a history of neglecting its infrastructure and this is more evidence of that."

State Sen. Jerry Hill was also troubled by the findings and wants to make sure regulators do a better job of monitoring the utility's repair efforts.

It was very shocking, Hill said.

Thirty five hundred jobs not completed really was a surprise because they are getting the money for these, they are getting the funds to do the work in a timely manner.

PG&E did not respond to requests for comment or provide its official reply to the audit findings.
A warning has been sent out to UC Berkeley students on Saturday morning after officials received a call of an attempted sexual assault on the Upper Fire Trail.

The female victim was a student who was jogging on the trail when the male suspect ran up behind her and tackled her to the ground.

The suspect attempted to remove the victim's shorts and fondled her. According to the official warning, the victim fought the suspect off and he ran away.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 50's with gray colored hair, a gray beard and wearing khaki pants.

Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the University police department.

No further details were available.
One person is dead and at least 27 more have been wounded in shootings across Chicago over the weekend.



The first fatality of the weekend occurred just before 6 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Manistee, according to police. A 25-year-old man was in front of a residence when a person walked up to him and fired shots. He was taken to Northwestern in critical condition, and later died of gunshot wounds to the chest.

Three people were shot Saturday morning during an argument in the 800 block of West Jackson, including the alleged gunman. The gunman, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the left leg and is currently in police custody.

A 31-year-old man was shot in the chest during the altercation, which took place in a restaurant. He is in serious condition at Stroger Hospital. A 26-year-old woman was also shot, but refused medical treatment for a graze wound to her right foot.

Friday:

A 23-year-old man was walking in the 6000 block of South Union at approximately 4:18 p.m. when he was shot, according to police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg, and is listed in good condition.

Two people were standing on a porch when they were shot in the 6200 block of South Marshfield at approximately 9:32 p.m., police said. A 23-year-old man was shot in the head and is in serious condition at Stroger. A 25-year-old woman was shot in the back and is also in serious condition at Stroger.

At 9:45 p.m., a 34-year-old man was shot when a dark colored sedan pulled up and an occupant fired at him. The incident, which occurred in the 600 block of East 37th Street, left the man with a graze wound to his chin, and he was admitted to Mercy Hospital in stable condition, police said.

Saturday:

A 42-year-old man was standing in an alley in the 2600 block of West Potomac at approximately 12:39 a.m. when he was shot in the right knee and left elbow. He was taken to St. Marys in stable condition, according to police.

A 21-year-old man was walking in the 2300 block of North Central at approximately 12:42 a.m. when a man got out of a black SUV and demanded his wallet and cell phone. A struggle ensued, and the man was ultimately shot by the robber. He was taken to Community First in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his left hand.

At 2 a.m., a 31-year-old man was shot while walking on a sidewalk in the 3300 block of West Fulton. The man was taken to Mt. Sinai in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his right leg, police said.

In the 600 block of North Drake at approximately 2:37 a.m., a 24-year-old man was shot while riding in a vehicle. He was taken to West Suburban in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his back, according to police.

A 21-year-old man was shot while standing on a porch in the 10000 block of South Parnell at approximately 2:44 a.m., police said. He was taken to Christ Hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to his back.

Three people, including the man who fired the shots, were wounded in a shooting in the 800 block of West Jackson at approximately 4:21 a.m. According to police, the three people were involved in a fight inside a restaurant when shots were fired by one of the men involved. A 31-year-old man was shot in the chest and is in serious condition at Stroger. A 26-year-old woman refused medical assistance after suffering a graze wound to her foot. A 26-year-old man, the alleged shooter, suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg, and is in police custody.

Two men were shot while standing outside of a residence in the 1300 block of South Millard at 11:17 a.m., police said. A vehicle approached the men and one of the occupants opened fire, striking both. An 18-year-old was shot in the shoulder, while a 22-year-old was shot in the ankle. Both are in good condition at Stroger, according to police.

Two men were shot in the 1100 block of South Whipple at approximately 3:56 p.m., police said. A 46-year-old man is in critical condition after a man in a vehicle fired shots at them. He suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. A 29-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in the 7900 block of South Manistee at approximately 5:54 p.m., police said. He was standing in front of a residence when a person on foot approached and fired shots. He was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds to his chest, and he was pronounced dead at Northwestern.

A 50-year-old man was shot in the 5500 block of West Corcoran at approximately 6:21 p.m. He was walking when a person in a gray sedan fired shots at him, striking him in the chest. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

In the 12300 block of South Lowe at approximately 6:58 p.m., a 19-year-old man was discovered after suffering gunshot wounds to the chest. He was taken to Christ Hospital in critical condition.

Two people were shot in the 3100 block of West Roosevelt at approximately 10:10 p.m., according to police. A 19-year-old was shot in the foot and refused medical treatment at the scene. According to police, a second victim came to Mt. Sinai for a gunshot wound to his foot, and is in good condition.

A 27-year-old man was shot in the 200 block of West 109th Place at approximately 10:35 p.m. He was sitting on a porch when he was shot, but is being uncooperative with police about other circumstances surrounding the incident, authorities said.

A 27-year-old man was shot in the buttocks in the 9800 block of South Carpenter at approximately 11 p.m. He was standing in an alley when he heard shots. He self-transported to LCM Hospital in stable condition, police said.

Sunday:
Rosemont police said Friday they are "closing the tragic case" of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins, whose her body was found in a suburban hotel freezer last month.

Police said in a lengthy statement they are classifying Jenkins' death as accidental, noting, "the death of any child is tragic; but the death and circumstances surrounding Ms. Jenkins are especially sad."



New video and images were released by Rosemont police, along with a timeline of events, beginning with Jenkins leaving her home on Chicago's West Side at 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, and ending with the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office releasing an autopsy report revealing her cause of death as hypothermia and manner of death as accidental.



Read Rosemont Police full timeline here



Radio and 911 audio, video of the scene where Jenkins was found, surveillance footage, a FARO scan of the area, and images of Jenkins' body in the freezer were among the pieces released to the public. NBC 5 is not publishing the photos due to their graphic nature.

"Our detectives reported no signs of foul play throughout the whole investigation," the statement from police notes. "There is no evidence that Ms. Jenkins was forced to drink alcohol or consume any narcotics while at the hotel. The majority of people at the party included close friends and even relatives of Ms. Jenkins."



Police say "theories, rumors and much speculation floating around social media" regarding the woman's death were all investigated and "none were supported with facts."



The attorneys for the family of Jenkins said police told the teens mother and sister that more information would be released to the public and the family Friday, with the exception of a few select photographs they wished to share with the family before they were released.

Those photos, attorneys said, are graphic and disturbing images and inexplicably show portions of Kennekas body exposed.

The photos shown to [Jenkins mother] depict how Kenneka was found after being in a freezer for more than 20 hours, attorney Sam Adam Jr. said in a statement.

Attorney Larry Rogers Jr. added the photos "raise more questions about what happened to Kenneka Jenkins than they answer.

Jenkins death has drawn national attention since she was found in a freezer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont on Sept. 10. Protesters gathered outside the hotel on multiple occasions in the days since to demand more transparency in the investigation and to call on a federal investigation.

Jenkins was last seen by her friends at a party on the ninth floor of the hotel in the early hours of Sept. 9 and she was reported missing later that afternoon.

Surveillance footage from the hotel captured Jenkins final moments, showing the teen stumbling through the hotel and into a restricted kitchen area. But the footage does not show how Jenkins ended up in a freezer, where her body was discovered the next day.

Rosemont police have released nine video clips showing Jenkins walking through the hotel in the hours before her death. She can be seen walking unsteadily through the hotels kitchen before disappearing around a corner.

Jenkins died from hypothermia due to cold exposure in a walk-in freezer and alcohol and topiramate intoxication were significant contributing factors, the Cook County Medical Examiners office said. No sign of any date rape drugs were found after toxicology tests, the office said.

Jenkins family has continued to press for answers on how the teen got into the freezer.

Adam said numerous requests for all videos and photos showing Jenkins going into the freezer on her own have not been forthcoming.

A series of police reports were released last week in the investigation, but attorney for the Jenkins family said more information was expected to be released by police Friday.
Voter rights advocates are pushing Illinois election officials to withdraw from a longtime multistate voter registration database over questions of accuracy, security and voter suppression.

They're also raising fresh questions about the head of the program, Republican Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who's also helping run President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission.

Proponents say the database provides information not available elsewhere and can be a valuable tool.

But critics are urging Illinois to take another look.

Groups including the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights packed a recent state Board of Elections meeting. Now, more than two dozen lawmakers are supporting the effort to have Illinois withdraw.

Their push comes as Trump's commission asks states for voter information while investigating unsubstantiated claims that millions voted illegally in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 15:50:42|Editor: ying

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed and seven others were wounded in a collision between several cars in the desert road near Assuit province in south Egypt, a top security official told Xinhua.
Thousands of anguished Somalis gathered to pray Friday at the site of the country's deadliest attack, while the toll rose to 358 and dozens remained missing. Somalia's president will announce a "state of war" against the al-Shabab extremist group blamed for the bombing, the prime minister said.

The United States is expected to play a supporting role in the new offensive that President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is expected to announce on Saturday, a Somali military official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Somalia's army spokesman Capt. Abdullahi Iman said the offensive involving thousands of troops will try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions where many deadly attacks on Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and on Somali and African Union bases have been launched.

Also Friday, the U.S. military said it had resumed its fight against al-Shabab with a drone strike.

The extremist group has not commented on Saturday's truck bombing in Mogadishu, which Somali intelligence officials have said was meant to target the city's heavily fortified international airport where many countries have their embassies. The massive bomb, which security official said weighed between 600 kilograms and 800 kilograms (1,300 pounds and 1,700 pounds), instead detonated in a crowded street.

Somalia's information minister Abdirahman Osman said late Friday that 56 were people still missing. Another 228 people were wounded, and 122 had been airlifted for treatment in Turkey, Sudan and Kenya.

"This pain will last for years," said a sheikh leading the Friday prayers at the bombing site, as long lines of mourners stood in front of flattened or tangled buildings.

Since the election of the country's Somali-American president in February, the government has announced a number of military offensives against al-Shabab, only to end them weeks later with no explanation. Experts believe that has given the extremists breathing space and emboldened them in their guerrilla attacks.

Iman, Somalia's army spokesman, told the AP that troops recaptured three town in Lower Shabelle region from al-Shabab on Friday in preparation for the new offensive.

Somali officials did not give any details on what role the U.S. military might play.

The U.S. has stepped up military involvement in the long-fractured Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded operations against the group early this year. The U.S. has carried out at least 19 drone strikes in Somalia since January, according to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The latest U.S. drone strike occurred Monday about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of the capital, the U.S. Africa Command told the AP. It said it was still assessing the results.

Earlier this week, in response to questions about the massive truck bombing, a Pentagon spokesman said the United States has about 400 troops in Somalia and "we're not going to speculate" about sending more.

In April, the U.S. announced it was sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the country in roughly two decades. The U.S. said it was for logistics training of Somalia's army and that about 40 troops were taking part.

Weeks later, a service member was killed during an operation against al-Shabab. He was the first American to die in combat in Somalia since 1993.
The American Jobs Center held the first of four job fairs for seasonal positions at Amazons sorting center on Research Parkway in Wallingford.

Dozens lined up at the center in Hamden on Monday morning for the chance to land a part-time job with the online giant.

"Im looking to get my foot in the door and go from there," Maurice Smith of New Haven said.

Smith told NBC Connecticut he is pursuing a new career path after spending more than two decades working in transportation.

"Theyve got a lot of popularity and I didnt know they had so much of a strong backing you know as far as the warehouses, their products," Smith said about why he would like to work for Amazon.

Nationwide in 33 states, Amazon plans to fill 120,000 part-time positions for the holiday season. The job pay $12.50 an hour for four-hour shifts starting at 9 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 8 p.m. or 10 p.m.

"As you know, a lot of factories and places have left Connecticut," Jocelyn Griffin said. "Amazon would be the biggest, finest place to work."

Griffin is hoping she will be one of the 1,600 people hired to work at Amazons Wallingford location.

"I need a job period," Griffin said. "Ive been out of work for a while and they just dont have jobs here and thats why Im just happy Amazon came."

The Amazon seasonal fulfillment associate job requirements include receiving products using radio frequency scanners, relocating products using high power equipment, as well as picking, packing and shipping customer orders.

"Ive seen these positions turn into full time after the holiday rush," Jim Lauber from the CT Department of Labor said. "Theres a possibility if people get on board now, they could have a full time position after the holidays."

The American Job Center is hosting three more recruitment sessions for Amazons seasonal jobs. The next one is at the Meriden American Job Center on 87 W. Main Street on October 23.

There will also be two job fairs at the New Haven American Job Center at 560 Ella T. Grasso Blvd. on Oct. 25 and 30.

To reserve a time slot in advance (9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m), email here or here.
Several people were hurt after an explosion at the Spring Hill Inn in Mansfield Saturday, according to Connecticut State Police.

The Spring Hill Inn is located 957 Storrs Road (Route 195), the site of the former Altnaveigh Inn. Officials said at least five people were hurt in the explosion, which happened around 5:10 p.m. Multiple ambulances and LifeStar were requested to the scene, and at least one person was airlifted to Hartford Hospital.

State police said the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening but did not immediately provide more details.

Witnesses who were at the inn for an event said they smelled gas before the explosion.

"There was a big flash kind of out of my periphery," said Rick Haverly, of Coventry. "Kind of had my back to it I think. Then a boom and then a little force."

Fire officials said the damage was contained to the kitchen area and most of the injuries were burns.

The road was shut down between Route 275 and Spring Hill Road.

The Connecticut State Police explosion unit was called in, as well as other local departments.

The Spring Hill Inn posted a statement on Facebook thanking first responders.
A Georgia state lawmaker who is married to former U.S. health secretary Tom Price asked during a legislative committee meeting about the possibility of quarantining people with HIV.

State Rep. Betty Price, a Republican whose district includes parts of Atlanta's northern suburbs, asked the head of the Georgia Department of Public Health's HIV Epidemiology Section at Tuesday's meeting about stopping the spread of HIV  the virus that causes AIDS.

"What are we legally able to do? I don't want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it," Price can be seen asking the official, Dr. Pascale Wortley, in a video of the study committee meeting on barriers to adequate health care.

"Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition, so we have a public interest in curtailing the spread," she continued. "Are there any methods, legally, that we could do that would curtail the spread?"

Price didn't immediately respond Friday to an email seeking comment

Like her husband, who resigned last month as Health and Human Services secretary following an outcry over his use of costly private planes for official travel, Betty Price is a doctor. Her legislative biography says she worked as an anesthesiologist for more than two decades, served on the boards of the Medical Association of Atlanta and the Medical Association of Georgia and is a past president of the American Medical Women's Association in Atlanta.

In 2015, Georgia ranked fifth highest in the country for the number of adults and adolescents living with HIV, according to a fact sheet on the state's Department of Public Health website. The total number of people living with HIV infection in Georgia on Dec. 31 of that year was 54,574 and nearly two thirds of them lived in the Atlanta metro area.

Project Q Atlanta, a website serving the city's gay community, was the first to reportPrice's comments.
One day after a math teacher was put on paid leave, the principal of the Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker in Hartford was also put on paid administrative leave, a source told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters.

The move, district officials said, is precautionary and pending the outcome of a police investigation that stems from an incident involving an 11-year-old female student and the math teacher.

There were two meetings held Friday morning at the school, one for staff members of Mary Hooker Magnet and one for parents. Parents learned the vice principal would be temporarily taking over while Principal Lindsey Thompson is on leave.

"In the current matter, we are taking swift action to investigate and address the concerns brought to the administration at this time there is no risk of danger to our students," Thompson said in a robo-call to parents.

Hartford police are investigating the complaint involving the girl and her male teacher, but the nature of the complaint has not been disclosed.

"I would want to make sure the law is followed and he's removed from the school and that doesn't happen again," the father of a student Derek told NBC Connecticut on Friday.

Derek told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters he wasnt aware of the situation but has a kindergarten student and a second-grader at Mary Hooker.

"Hopefully, it's not true but, I mean, allegations, you just got to follow the letter, follow the letter of the law, for all the children's safety," Derek said.

District officials believe posters plastered around schools helped move the concern forward.

The Department of Children and Families (DFC) was contacted by district officials to investigate, as the law mandates.

Earlier this year, the Hartford school district overhauled its policies after a report from the State Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) that said the district has mishandled abuse claims for years.

"If there were actual things set in place to present this as Super said this would be, this would not have happened," Child advocate Dr. Aaron Lewis told NBC Connecticut.

Lewis, who tried to bring attention to a previous incident last year, questions whether the new protocols were fully followed in this case.

The superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, released this statement through a school spokesman.

"At Hartford Public Schools the safety of our students is our highest priority. The school district has placed staff on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation of an alleged incident at the Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker."

On Friday morning, the Central Office leadership held separate meetings at the school with parents and staff to make sure are all aware of the situation and that no students are at risk at this time.

The OCA report identified serious failings in the districts procedures, practices and culture regarding mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect dating back to 2007.

In collaboration with partner agencies, including the OCA, the district has revised mandated reporter training compliance and informed staff about the resulting disciplinary action for failure to comply with our moral and statutory obligations.

The district has also implemented the Tell Someone safety campaign for students, staff, families and community organizations along with the DCF's child safety messaging. In September, the district agreed to terms with an independent monitor to oversee and render accountability as we change our practices, procedures and culture to assure that all students are safe in our schools.

Police have confirmed the investigation to NBC Connecticut.

Mayor Luke Bronin, also released a statement through a city spokesman:

"There is nothing more important than the safety of our students, and any allegations of this kind must be taken very seriously. Hartford Public Schools has placed two individuals on leave pending an internal investigation. I have spoken personally to Chief Rovella about this issue and the Hartford Police Departments Special Investigations Division is conducting an investigation as well."
At least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo escalated into an all-out firefight, authorities said Saturday, in one of the single deadliest attacks by militants against Egyptian security forces in recent years.

The officials said the exchange of fire began late Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135 kilometers (84 miles) southwest of Cairo.

The firefight began when security forces acting on intelligence moved against a militants' hideout in the area. Backed by armored personnel carriers and led by senior counterterrorism officers, the police contingent drew fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the officials.

The officials said what happened next is not clear, but indications suggest that the force ran out of ammunition and that the militants captured several policemen and later killed them. One officer managed to escape in his armored vehicle, they added.

The officials said the police force appeared to have fallen into a carefully planned ambush set up by the militants. The death toll could increase, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Those killed included two police brigadier-generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels.

The last time Egypt's security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when militants from the extremist Islamic State group carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai peninsula, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed.

An official statement issued Saturday said Friday's incident would be investigated, suggesting that the heavy death toll may have been partially caused by incompetence, intelligence failures or lack of coordination. The officials said prosecutors will look into whether the police's counterterrorism agents failed to inform the military of the operation or include them.

The heavy loss of life, moreover, will now likely lead to the restructuring and streamlining of the country's counterterrorism effort, with better coordination between the police, military and security agencies high on the list of objectives, said the officials.

Egypt's Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, announced a much lower death toll, saying that 16 were killed in the shootout. It added that 15 militants were killed or injured.

An audio recording purportedly by a policeman who took part in the operation was circulated online late Friday. The policeman, apparently using a two-way radio, was heard in the nearly two-minute recording pleading for help from a higher-ranking officer. The authenticity of the recording could not be immediately verified.

"We are the only ones injured, sir," the policeman said. "We were 10 but three were killed. After their injury, they bled to death, sir."

"They took all the weapons and ammunition," he added, "We are now at the foot of a mountain."

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of the Islamic State group. A local affiliate of the extremist group is spearheading an insurgency whose epicenter is in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Attacks by militants have significantly increased since the 2013 ouster by the military of an Islamist president, who was freely elected but whose one-year rule proved divisive. Attacks have also spread outside Sinai and into the country's mainland and areas close to the porous Libyan border to the west.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April, following a spate of suicide bombings targeting minority Christians that have killed more than a 100 since December. The attacks were claimed by IS.

Egypt blamed the attacks on the Christians on militant cells trained and armed in neighboring Libya, where mostly Islamist militias, including extremist groups like IS, control territory or maintain a foothold in the vast, oil-rich nation. In response, Egypt has stepped up security along its desert border with Libya, where it supports an eastern-based army general fighting militant groups.

In July 2014, gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a border guard post in Egypt's western desert in a brazen assault that killed 21 troops deployed close to the Libyan border.
A Philadelphia family and several others stand charged with running a street gambling ring which spanned the city and generated multimillion dollars for its organizer, the Philadelphia district attorney said Friday.

Gary Creagh, Sr., 66, is implicated as the ring leader who allegedly employed dozens of staffers to run upwards of 40 gambling spots across Philly, prosecutors said.

Operating out of nondescript storefronts, mostly in low-income neighborhoods, two Creagh staffers would take bets on lottery numbers and horse races, according to prosecutors. Winners would get payouts 200-times larger than Pennsylvania's lottery.

The number halls would have phones, coffee and a table where the bets were taken, officials said. Prosecutors allege Creagh made more than $3 million through the venture over a three year period.



Undercover officers visited many of the locations as part of a large sting operation.

Creagh faces corrupt organization and conspiracy charges. He is being held in a Philadelphia jail on $250,000 bail. Attorney information was not listed in court records.

Several of Creagh's family members  including his daughter  are also charged in the case:

Frank Creagh, 50; nephew

William Creagh, 49

Kerri Creagh, 50; daughter

Mark Matera, 62



John McAnaney, 84



Jabbar Curry, 57



Keith Athy, 76



Carlos Santiago, 78



Each of the accused face up to 65 years in prison, if convicted.


As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits the Middle East this weekend, he'll hope to achieve something that has eluded top American diplomats for a generation: sealing a new alliance between Saudi Arabia and Iraq that would shut the doors of the Arab world to neighboring Iran.

While the United States strives to heal the rift between the Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and resolve civil wars in Yemen and Syria, Tillerson is the Trump administration's point man on an even more ambitious and perhaps even less likely geopolitical gambit.

U.S. officials see a new axis that unites Riyadh and Baghdad as central to countering Iran's growing influence from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly as the Iraqi government struggles to rebuild recently liberated Islamic State strongholds and confronts a newly assertive Kurdish independence movement.

History, religion and lots of politics stand in Tillerson's way. He arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and planned to visit Qatar on Monday.

The effort to wean Iraq from Iran and bond it to Saudi Arabia isn't new, but U.S. officials are optimistically pointing to a surer footing they believe they've seen in recent months. They're hoping to push the improved relations into a more advanced phase Sunday when Tillerson participates in the inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh.

Tillerson will seek Saudi financial generosity and political support for Iraq, its embattled northern neighbor. Two U.S. officials said Tillerson hopes the oil-rich Saudis will contribute to the massive reconstruction projects needed to restore pre-IS life in Iraqi cities such as Mosul and lend their backing to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He is treading delicately among a host of powerful countries on Iraq's borders which are increasingly trying to shape the future of the ethnically and religiously divided nation.

The officials briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly preview Tillerson's plans.

Shiite-majority Iraq and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, estranged for decades after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, have tried in recent years to bridge their differences.

Nevertheless, the relationship is still plagued by suspicion.

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after a quarter-century, and earlier this year unblocked long-closed border crossings. But the emergence of arch-Saudi rival Iran as a power player in Iraq continues to gnaw at Riyadh and Washington.

Iran's reported intervention in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, following last month's much criticized vote for independence in a referendum, has deepened the unease.

President Donald Trump wants to see "a stable Iraq, but a stable Iraq that is not aligned with Iran," H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, said this past week. He suggested Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role.

The U.S. view is that the alternative may mean more conflict in Iraq, which endured years of insurgency after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion and ethnic warfare when the Islamic State group rampaged across the country in 2014.

"Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other," McMaster said Thursday at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is something they share with groups like ISIS, with al-Qaida. They pit communities against each other because they use tribal and ethnic and sectarian conflicts to gain influence by portraying themselves as a patron or protector of one of the parties in the conflict and then they use that invitation to come in and to help to advance their agenda and, in Iran's case, I think is a hegemonic design."

Trump and his national security team have framed much of the Middle East security agenda around counteracting Iran, which they see as a malign influence that poses an existential threat to Israel and other American allies and partners in the region. They also accuse Iran of menacing the United States and its interests at home and elsewhere in the world.

Shortly after taking office, Tillerson identified improving Saudi-Iraqi ties as a priority in the administration's broader policy to confront and contain Iran. Officials say he has devoted himself to the effort.

On his second official trip abroad, Tillerson in February canceled a planned "meet and greet" with staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to focus on the matter, according to one of the officials who previewed Tillerson's current trip.

Tillerson's decision to skip that gathering was widely criticized at the time as a sign of disengagement with his employees, but the official said Tillerson adjusted plans to speak by secure telephone to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the Iraq rapprochement.

Tillerson, according to the official, implored al-Jubeir to visit Baghdad as a sign of Saudi goodwill and commitment to the effort to defeat IS, which then still held about half of Mosul.

Al-Jubeir agreed. Two days later, he made a surprise trip to the Iraqi capital. He was the first Saudi foreign minister to do so in 27 years.
A Massachusetts fire dispatcher is on paid administrative leave after advising a 911 caller concerned about her child to drive to the hospital herself.

The dispatcher instructed a Framingham woman to take her infant to the hospital after reporting the baby was having difficulty breathing.

"Our thoughts go to the family," the town said in a statement Friday night. "The Chairman of the Board of Selectman has reached out to the family regarding the incident and inquire into the baby's condition."

According to the town, the 911 call in question occurred on Wednesday. Since the mother called from her cell phone, the emergency call was originally picked up by Massachusetts State Police, who then transferred it to Framingham Fire dispatchers.

The 911 call was released to the public Monday.

"The town is conducting a thorough investigation of this incident, and placed the dispatcher employee who was involved in the call on administrative leave pending the completion of that investigation," the town said.

The dispatcher has not been publicly identified.

"Given that this is is a personnel matter, we will not comment further at this time," the town said Friday.
Could there be a break in a 2-year-old murder mystery in Manchester, New Hampshire? That's what the North End neighborhood is hoping for after learning that investigators were combing through a Londonderry property in connection with the death of Denise Robert.

Robert was out for a walk in on Aug. 30, 2015, when police say she was shot in the head.

Who did it and why? Neighbors say it's the not knowing that bothers them most.

"Nobody had any idea of why this happened, was it something random in our neighborhood?" asked longtime Ray Street resident Steve Harvey.

"It's quiet, there's never any trouble, so this was a complete shock," said another neighbor, Corinne Murphy.

In the two years since the 62-year-old Union Leader sales representative was shot and killed, there have been few leads and police have never named any suspect.

"I think a lot of us just gave up," Harvey said.

That is, until Thursday, when news broke that investigators were gathering evidence from a Londonderry property in connection with the murder.

"You just go, 'Oh, great, there's a lead, there's something, maybe they've got it,'" Harvey said.

"Thank goodness," said another neighbor, who didn't want to be named. "Something's happening, some kind of lead."

It's renewed hope not just for Robert's family, but for the families who won't soon forget the horror of that night in their neighborhood.

"We just hope it will bring some answers and closure for the neighborhood and for Denise's family," Murphy said.

The attorney general's office won't say what prompted the Londonderry search or what they found, only that this case is active and ongoing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 15:50:43|Editor: Yang Yi

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by Xinhua writers Liu Jie, Zhang Zhengfu, Li Wei

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- For those who gauge the growth trajectory of China's economy over the next five years, meaningful hints could be found at the ongoing twice-a-decade Communist Party congress.

When outlining the development objectives for the next five years in his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping said China's economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development.

China will not close its door to the world. It will only become more and more open, according to the report.

With China becoming a global China, that ups the ante on its connection to an increasingly integrated world and creates a new set of opportunities.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China's economy expanded by an average annual rate of 7.2 percent (2013 - 2016), outstripping the 2.6-percent average global growth and the 4-percent growth of developing economies.

"The economy has maintained a medium-high growth rate, making China a leader among the major economies," according to the report.

The report called it a pivotal stage for a transforming growth model, improving economic structure, and fostering new drivers of growth.

China needs a transformative leadership to move the country forward, to have the system evolve in a way that's right for a new era. That means strengthening institutions and human capital while changing the structure of the economy, said Yukon Huang, a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Wang Xiaodong, governor of central China's Hubei Province, a delegate to the congress, was greatly encouraged by the report.

"As one of the country's old industrial bases, Hubei is at the frontline of the growth model transformation," he said.

To reduce excess steel capacity and improve market competitiveness, Wuhan Iron and Steel, a mega steel maker based in Hubei, merged with Shanghai-based Baosteel in 2016.

In 2016 alone, Hubei completed the capacity reduction goal for the next three years. However, its annual economic growth rate still beat national average.

"Economic restructuring is the only way to achieve more sustainable, balanced and high-quality growth in the next five years. We should waste no effort to achieve that," Wang said.

The report underlined the importance of boosting consumer spending as it should play a fundamental role in the national economy.

Hubei Bank Corporation Ltd, a small-sized lender in the province, has been focusing on extending consumer credit over the past years due to strong market demand.

"The growth rate of consumer credit is amazing. Although it accounts for a small share of our total lending, it will grow very fast in the future," said Zhou Yukun, Party secretary of Hubei Bank Corporation Ltd. and a delegate to the congress.

Wang Tao, chief economist with UBS China, estimated consumption will grow at an annual rate of 7 percent at least in the next two years thanks to rising incomes and demands for high-quality living.

In 2016, consumption accounted for nearly 54 percent of China's GDP. Wang estimated that by the end of 2020, the proportion will rise by 2 to 3 percentage points.

According to the report, China will implement the system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list across the board. It will also significantly ease market access and protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors.

Over the past decades, China has transformed from a closed to an open economy that has become the world's top exporter and second largest importer and ODI source.

Currently, as protectionism rears its head in the west, China looks to greater liberalization of trade and investment for shared prosperity.

By linking countries and regions that account for more than 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, the Belt and Road Initiative is a "perfect example" of China sharing its wisdom and solutions for global growth and governance, said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, an American non-governmental organization promoting U.S.-China ties.

The IMF recently raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2017 and 2018 to 6.8 percent and 6.5 percent respectively, both higher than the earlier forecast in July.

For an economy with a total volume of over 11 trillion U.S. dollars, maintaining such high growth is not easy, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said. The upward revision is a "strong affirmation" of the Chinese government's achievements in supply-side structural reforms by the IMF, he said.
Two signs that appear to support white supremacy are causing a controversy on the campus of Boston College ahead of a student march protesting racism on Friday.

The signs showed the iconic Uncle Sam picture with a caption that read "I want you to love who you are. Dont apologize for being white."

The signs include a logo for a monthly online magazine known as American Renaissance. The magazine is known for promoting white supremacy, according to the college.

The signs were posted near a campus map just ahead of a student march called "Silence is Still Violence," which spurred hundreds of students to protest.

"There is a racist culture here, and it comes in all different forms of micro-aggressions, macro-aggressions, directly or indirectly, or even passivity," march organizer and student Olivia Sutton said.

Both of the signs have been taken down since they were posted. Boston College has responded to the incident on Twitter saying that they are standing in opposition to the sign and that police are investigating the incident; however, some students say it's not enough.

"I just think the administration at Boston College hasn't been doing as much as they can to support black people," student Gianna Mitchell said.

Father William P. Leahy, the president of Boston College, was not in attendance of Friday's march or rally.

Earlier this week, students at Boston College had walked out of classes to protest racist incidents on campus where posters for "Black Lives Matter" were vandalized.
A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting  held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases  found that daily aspirin therapy was significantly associated with a reduced risk in hepatitis B virusrelated liver cancer.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver. HBV can be contracted through contact with an infected person's blood or other bodily fluid, and the infection can either be acute or chronic. According to AASLD's Guidelines for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B, an estimated 240 million people worldwide have chronic HBV, and the highest prevalence of the virus is in Africa and Asia. Death from HBV is commonly due to the development of cirrhosis (scaring of healthy liver tissue) or hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).

Past research suggests that daily aspirin therapy -; which is often prescribed to prevent cardiovascular disease -; may also prevent the development of cancer. However, clinical evidence is lacking for the effectiveness of aspirin therapy in preventing HBVrelated liver cancer.

Researchers at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan; EDa Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei City, Taiwan; and National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei conducted a nationwide cohort study to determine if aspirin therapy could, indeed, reduce liver cancer risk.

"Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and HBV is the most prevalent risk factor in our region, says TengYu Lee, MD, PhD, a researcher in the Department of Gastroenterology at Taichung Veterans General Hospital and lead investigator in the study. "HBVrelated liver cancer is therefore a major public health issue with a severe socioeconomic impact."

Although current antiviral medicines such as nucleos(t)ide analog therapy could significantly reduce liver cancer risk, Dr. Lee notes these therapies do not completely eliminate the risk. Additionally, Dr. Lee says most HBV carriers are not indicated for antiviral therapy, so another effective way of reducing liver cancer risk needs to be developed.

"Aspirin has been investigated to explore its chemopreventive effect in cancers that are related to chronic inflammation, particularly in the prevention of colorectal cancer. However, clinical evidence supporting the chemopreventive effect of aspirin therapy on liver cancer remains limited. Therefore, we conducted a largescale cohort study to evaluate the association of aspirin therapy with HBVrelated liver cancer."

The researchers retrieved medical records from the National Health Insurance Research Database between 1998 and 2012 for their study. They screened records of 204,507 patients with chronic hepatitis B, and excluded patients with other forms of infectious hepatitis. After excluding patients with liver cancer before the followup index dates, 1,553 patients who had continuously received daily aspirin for at least 90 days were randomly matched 1:4 with 6,212 patients who had never received anti-platelet therapy by means of propensity scores consisting of baseline characteristics, the index date and nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) use during followup. The researchers analyzed both cumulative incidences of and hazard ratios for HCC development after adjusting for competing mortality.

Cumulative incidence of liver cancer in the group treated with aspirin therapy was significantly lower than that in the untreated group in five years. In their multivariate regression analysis, the researchers found aspirin therapy was independently associated with reduced liver cancer risk. Sensitivity subgroup analyses also verified this association. Older age, male gender, cirrhosis, and diabetes also were independently associated with an increased risk, but nucleos(t)ide analog or statin use was associated with a decreased risk.

"For effectively preventing HBVrelated liver cancer, the findings of this study may help hepatologists treat patients with chronic HBV infection in the future, particularly for those who are not indicated for antiviral therapy. We are pursuing prospective investigations for further confirming the findings," says Dr. Lee.

Source: https://www.aasld.org/about-aasld/press-room/can-aspirin-day-keep-liver-cancer-away
Worldwide, more than three million children die each year on the day they are born - either during birth or shortly afterwards. If their mothers had received acceptable care during childbirth, almost all of these children would be alive, fit and healthy. This is particularly a problem in low-income countries in Africa, where there is alarming pressure on the stretched healthcare systems. For example, in Zanzibar's main hospital, Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, each doctor or midwife assists an average of four to six women in labour simultaneously.

However, researchers from the University of Copenhagen in cooperation with local health staff at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital have conducted an inexpensive project, which holds considerable promise. They have developed a brief and easy-to-understand childbirth guide tailored to the local reality, the PartoMa guidelines. After the guide was introduced, the number of stillbirths has fallen by 33 per cent, and the number of newborns in obvious poor health has almost been halved. The findings have just been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"The international guidelines available were often too complicated, time-consuming and resource-demanding for the health staff at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital - they gathered dust on the shelves in the hectic maternity ward, where the staff desperately need knowledge, yet barely knew that the guidelines existed. Therefore, we developed the simple PartoMa childbirth guide, where the dogma is that our recommendations should be possible to follow under the conditions which are found at this overstretched hospital where resources are in short supply," says the main author of the study, Nanna Maale, a PhD student at the Global Health Section at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.

Eight-pages of hands-on advice

The guide comprises an eight-page pocket booklet, and it was developed in cooperation with the local doctors and midwives at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. In addition, it was approved by seven international experts in obstetric care in order to quality-assure the content. Much of the work has involved making international recommendations more specific, simple and practical. And it looks as though it is saving human lives.

The researchers measured the number of stillbirths over a four-month period prior to phasing in the guidelines. Next, the guidelines were implemented through reoccurring quarterly afternoon seminars where the staff practiced on it's use. Then, the number of stillbirths was measured for four months after introduction. Other factors may have had an impact on the fall in the number of stillbirths, but the researchers also demonstrated improvements in the quality of childbirth care in accordance with the guidelines in the pocket booklet and found a halving of numbers of newborns with immediate signs of poor health. This indicates also that the childbirth guidelines had a significant effect.

"The quality of childbirth care and the number of staff assisting births at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital remains heartbreakingly poor. However, we are seeing promising signs of improvement after the introduction of the PartoMa guidelines. This is a good example of how far we can get by using existing resources more effectively. It's a good idea to look at whether tailoring clinical guidelines to local conditions in the form of an easily accessible pocket booklet can also be used elsewhere in low-income countries," says Ib Christian Bygbjerg, professor of international health and co-author of the study.

Pocket booklet still in use

In Zanzibar, the childbirth guide is still used at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, even though the research project was concluded some time ago, and the researchers and health staff are now collaborating on a second edition.

"We're still using the guide after more than two and a half years. Our employees, particularly the younger doctors, tell us that it helps them provide better health care. Other health facilities in Zanzibar are also showing an interest in the guidelines," says Tarek Meguid, a consultant obstetrician at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, who also advised on and co-authored the study.
A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting  held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases  found that liver cirrhosis mortality is greater than that of five major cancers, implying the development of appropriate interventions to treat or prevent liver cirrhosis must be prioritized.

The study, sponsored by the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and the Korean Liver Foundation, was conducted in response to the low survival rate of liver cirrhosis patients and the need to design improved health policy regarding this condition. The researchers, from the Republic of Korea, estimated the mortality of liver cirrhosis and compared it to that of five major cancers: lung, colorectal, stomach, liver and breast.

"Accurate data regarding the burden of diseases are necessary to inform health care policy, prioritize appropriate research and interventions, and allocate resources," says Dong Joon Kim, MD, PhD; chair, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Hallym University College of Medicine, and a corresponding investigator in the study.

According to Dr. Kim, mortality rates differ between high and lowincome countries for liver cirrhosis and cancers of the lung, liver, stomach, colorectal and breast, but are substantial worldwide. "Liver cirrhosis causes 1.2 million deaths yearly worldwide, ranking as the 14th and 10th leading cause of death in the world and in most developed countries, respectively. To compare the burden of one disease with that of another, it's necessary to consider the age at death, the life expectancy of people affected by each disease, and the degree of disability that each condition imposes on those who live with the disease. Different metrics  such as deaths, years of life lost, and years lived with disability  highlight different aspects of a population's health status, and survival may be the most important of those," says Dr. Kim.

The researchers studied nationally representative mortality across all of these diseases using data from both the Cause of Death Statistics and National Health Insurance ServiceNational Sample Cohort (NHIS NSC) databases. NHISNSC provides a cohort data of 1,025,340 patientrepresentative sample for the 46,605,433 population of Korea from 2002 to 2010. Liver cirrhosis was carefully defined using ICD10

codes, and eightyear mortality from 2002 to 2010 was compared with that of the cancers (also defined using ICD10 codes).

According to the NHISNSC data, 800 out of 2,609 liver cirrhosis patients in 2002 died during the following eight years, while 1,316 out of 4,852 of the patients with the five major cancers also died during this period. The relative mortality of liver cirrhosis in comparison to the five cancers studied was greater after adjusting for age, gender, area of residence, type of insurance, insurance premium level (a proxy for income level) and coexisting diseases and conditions.

The researchers then used sensitive analysis to check the robustness of the results, excluding patients with both liver cirrhosis and any of the five cancers. Relative mortality for liver cirrhosis was still greater even when mortalityrelated factors were adjusted for, says Dr. Kim. In another analysis of the data, the researchers limited the patients with liver cirrhosis to those with decompensated liver cirrhosis, and found that relative mortality for this condition was even greater when compared to the five cancers.

"More importantly, 70.9 percent of liver cirrhosis patients died before the age of 65, while 54.6 percent of the patients with the five cancers studied died after the age of 65 years. Therefore, the socioeconomic burden of liver cirrhosis outweighs that of cancers. This finding might help to adequately allocate health resources and the proper implementation of health policies," says Dr. Kim.

While liver cirrhosis survival rates were known to be low, few studies have compared them to other major diseases, says Dr. Kim, noting "the socioeconomic impacts could be greater when considering that more males and younger patients are subject to death from liver cirrhosis than from cancers. This implies that we need to prioritize the development of appropriate health interventions for liver cirrhosis just as we have done for cancer."
It has been amply proven that smoking can cause serious diseases such as emphysema and cancer. A new study, however, shows that pharmacological stimulation of a specific type of nicotinic receptor in cells of the immune system could be a strategy to treat inflammatory lung disease.

"In tests with animals, specific stimulation of alpha-7 nicotinic receptors with an experimental drug called PNU-282987 reduced inflammation in a chronic allergic condition similar to asthma and in a lung inflammation model similar to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of respiratory failure that occurs when fluid fills the air sacs in the lungs and that is usually associated with an infectious process," told Carla Prado, principal investigator from the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), in Brazil, whose research is supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP.

In this case, the therapeutic effect is associated with activation of nicotinic receptors of the alpha-7 subtype in macrophages, the immune system's first-line cells that are central to the inflammatory response to a potential threat. Tests showed that mice induced with lung inflammation improved their breathing functions - due to the fact that they presented a greater amount of tissue-repairing macrophages after receiving the drug, in comparison with macrophages that release pro-inflammatory molecules.

Acetylcholine: from vilain to key-component

Both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors are part of the cholinergic system, a branch of the nervous system in which acetylcholine is the main neurotransmitter, Prado explained. In the lungs, acetylcholine initially became known for its role in bronchoconstriction (acute narrowing of the airways). The active ingredients in several medical drugs used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are substances that prevent acetylcholine from binding to muscarinic receptors.

However, in a previous study done in collaboration with scientists from the University of Western Ontario, in Canada, the research group from UNIFESP observed that mice that had been genetically modified so as not to express vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) - a protein that mediates the release of acetylcholine at synapses - presented an exacerbated inflammatory response in the lungs, even without any kind of disease or allergy.

According to Prado, studies suggest that acetylcholine has a protective effect on the lungs that is linked to activation of nicotinic receptors.

"The release of acetylcholine fell 75% in these mice, and as a result, they suffered a process of inflammation and airway remodeling similar to that seen in people with asthma. In addition, the cellular signaling pathways involved in the pulmonary inflammatory response were altered."

Based on these findings, the group at UNIFESP decided to test the hypothesis that stimulating the cholinergic system with a drug that binds to nicotinic receptors might attenuate inflammation in the lungs of mice that had not been genetically modified so as not to express VAChT.

A less inflammatory, more regenerative immune reaction

The first tests were performed using a classic mouse model of acute lung injury. The researchers injected bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toxin extracted from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, into each mouse's trachea.

"About 30 minutes before LPS injection, some of the mice were treated with PNU-282987, a compound that stimulates the alpha-7 nicotinic receptors. Another group was treated with the same compound six hours after LPS injection, when the inflammation reached its peak. In both cases, we observed a significant reduction in the inflammation compared with untreated mice," Prado said.

Besides reducing pulmonary edema (lung swelling), the therapy decreased immune cell release of pro-inflammatory molecules such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (saline instilled into the lung and then aspirated) showed a reduced presence of immune cells, especially neutrophils and macrophages.

"We also evaluated the effect of this drug on isolated lung macrophages and found a reduced percentage of M1 macrophages, which have a pro-inflammatory profile. At the same time, there was a higher proportion of M2 macrophages, which are associated with the repair of damaged tissue. This may explain the observed improvement in the lung function of the treated mice," Prado said.

Finally, their analysis of lung tissue showed that the treatment reduced activation of the protein NF-kB, a transcription factor that stimulates the production of inflammatory molecules by the cells of the immune system.

According to Prado, the treatment also had positive effects in the chronic inflammation model, which used a classical asthma induction method. The procedure consists of sensitizing the immune system with two injections of ovalbumin, the main protein in egg white, associated with an adjuvant substance that boosts the immune response to this antigen. After 21 days, the animals inhale the same protein, against which their immune system has now developed antibodies, at four different times.

"In this model, the animal develops a chronic inflammatory response that eventually leads to a remodeling of the airways," Prado explained. "Collagen is deposited in the airways, and mucus-producing and smooth muscle cells become hypertrophied. All these factors associated with the chronic inflammatory response result in loss of lung function."

Some of the mice were treated with PNU-282987 from the 21st day after the first injection of ovalbumin, at the same time as the inhalatory challenges with the antigen began. The substance was administered by intraperitoneal injection for seven days.

"We observed a reduction in the lung remodeling process and found that the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid contained a reduced amount of eosinophils, the main type of immune cells associated with asthma," Prado said.
Adam Hall, Ph.D., isn't kidding when he says the research he does is on a very small scale. But he is understating things more than just a little.

Hall works in nanomedicine, a relatively new but rapidly developing branch of nanotechnology  the study, development and application of materials between 1 and 100 nanometers in size  that is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

What exactly is a nanometer?

It's exactly one-billionth of a meter. A meter is 3.28 feet, or 39.37 inches, so a nanometer is 0.0000003937 of an inch. That means there are 25,400,000 nanometers in an inch.

In perhaps more understandable terms, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick and a typical human hair is roughly 80,000 nanometers wide. A strand of human DNA, conversely, is around 2.5 nanometers in diameter. Which is way past very small.

"Technology, in the broadest sense, has evolved to the point where we can look at things closer and closer and effectively work with smaller and smaller amounts of stuff," said Hall, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Wake Forest School of Medicine, which is part of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

"Ultimately, for cancer and other diseases that we worry about, the root causes are molecules. People may talk about malfunctioning cells, but what happens inside those cells to make them dangerous happens at the molecular level. That's at the nanoscale, and that's why we're working there."

Hall's research is on the diagnostic side of nanomedicine and is centered on nanopores  nanoscopic holes in synthetic membranes through which individual molecules can be threaded. As the molecules pass through, a nanopore in an electrically charged membrane can "read" information about them by measuring changes in the flow of current.

Using a nanopore device with a pore less than 10 nanometers wide, Hall and colleagues have developed a methodology capable of detecting and counting specific DNA and RNA sequences, including those of microRNA, a class of nucleic acid no more than 10 nanometers long and a single nanometer wide that can be a biomarker of disease.

"MicroRNAs are very tiny pieces of nucleic acid that carry genetic messages and are floating through your bloodstream all the time," Hall explained. "But if the cells producing them are diseased, whether from cancer or something else, the RNAs they release can act like messages in bottles, indicating the presence or progression of the disease."

Hall first successfully demonstrated his methodology with a microRNA known to be an indicator of lung cancer, and he is confident that the fast, noninvasive diagnostic process, potentially requiring only a tiny blood sample, will work just as efficiently in detecting the presence  or absence  of other diseases.

"It's a modular technique that can be applied to a whole bunch of different targets," he said. "As long as we know the sequence of a nucleic acid that's linked to a certain disease, we can seek out those particular molecules so only they will produce a signal that we can record when they pass through the nanopore."

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Wake Forest Baptist recently a $75,000 grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in support of Hall's efforts using the nanopore device to detect viruses responsible for infectious diseases. But Hall has no intention of stopping there. He believes his nanopore technique can also be adapted to recognize pathogenic bacteria and key genomic DNA sequences, or detect multiple distinct sequence biomarkers in tissue and biological fluids. Eventually, he hopes to develop the technology into a commercial device that will fit in the palm of a hand.

In a different Wake Forest School of Medicine lab, Nicole Levi-Polyachenko, Ph.D., an associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, is working in a different area of nanomedicine, specifically with a nanoparticle created to both locate and destroy diseased cells.

"What it does is detect and treat," she said. "But I like to think of it as trap and zap."

The nanoparticle, which is less than 100 nanometers in diameter, contains two semiconducting polymers  one fluorescent, one heat-generating  originally designed for solar energy applications by Wake Forest University's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials that have been modified by Levi-Polyachenko for medical use.

These two polymers are "wrapped" in a coating that directs the nanoparticle to attach itself to a specific type of cell. The fluorescent polymer can identify the targeted cells by lighting up when exposed to colored light, and the thermal polymer can destroy those cells by heating up upon exposure to infrared light.

"There are limitations with some imaging techniques so physicians often have to rely on sight and feel to determine what tissue needs to be removed, and it can be hard to tell what's diseased and what's not," Levi-Polyachenko said. "What we want is a way of detection that's extremely precise, and with the nanoparticle what's diseased lights up and what isn't doesn't.

"As for treatment, the goal is to destroy the diseased tissue while saving as much healthy tissue as possible. Surgery may involve the removal of some healthy tissue, and treatments like chemotherapy affect both diseased and non-diseased cells. But these nanoparticles only attach to the targeted cells and when they're heated up, they kill just those cells and they kill them for good. There's no collateral damage."

Working in animal model, Levi-Polyachenko's research team has successfully demonstrated the nanoparticle's ability to locate and destroy colorectal cancer cells. Current research is targeting breast cancer cells and harmful bacteria. If all continues to go well, Levi-Polyachenko said, the two-polymer nanoparticle could be approved for use in humans within 10 years.

"We're really not all that far off," she said.
Research by a Barrow Neurological Institute neurosurgery team on novel imaging technique assessment of patients with lumbar spine degeneration was published in the Aug. 28 issue of PLOS ONE.

The research was conducted as part of an American-Russian neurosurgery collaboration led by Dr. Mark Preul at the Barrow Neurological Institute's Neurosurgery Research Department and Dr. Vadim Byvaltsev, a leading Russian neurosurgeon, and Chief of Neurosurgery in Irkutsk, Russia at the Irkutsk Scientific Center of Surgery and Traumatology and Department of Neurosurgery, Irkutsk State Medical University.

Three years ago Drs. Byvaltsev and Preul secured the first-ever international neurosurgery scientific project funded by the Russian Science Federation and directed at the study of the degenerating spinal disc. Spinal disc degeneration is the world's most common medical diseases, and responsible for untold economic and social impact. Over the past months, 100 of Dr. Byvaltsev's patients were imaged in Irkutsk, and Barrow's Department of Neurosurgery Research was involved in data management and analysis.

A main cause for spinal disc degeneration is thought to be a change in the water content in the intervertebral disk. The team used a novel magnetic resonance imaging technique, called apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, which directly assessed the movements and dynamics of the water in the intervertebral disk and other spinal structures. The ADC maps provided precise assessments and correlations with degeneration.

"We're improving our understanding of one of the most common maladies to affect humans which is spinal disc degeneration. Imaging technology such as MRI ADC mapping will provide much greater and improved information to the physician treating patients with degenerated disc and other degenerative spine conditions," says Dr. Preul.

In further research, Dr. Evgenii Belykh, the leading research fellow on the project stated, "The imaging findings are being compared with the histology and biomarkers of disk degeneration that will eventually help to recognize and predict the disease earlier, and help to choose the best treatment option for each patient." The research initiative will image larger numbers of patients to confirm and investigate further applications for ADC mapping in the spine.
Health care costs for privately insured patients with alcoholic cirrhosis are nearly twice that of nonalcoholic cirrhosis patients in the United States, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Alcoholic cirrhosis (scarring of the liver due to heavy alcohol use) is a major cause of liver disease and death in the U.S., and worldwide. Rising rates of alcoholuse disorders are predicted to lead to further increases, and investigators from the University of Michigan recently examined the prevalence, health care utilization and costs for alcoholic cirrhosis.

"My colleagues at Michigan and I began to notice that we were seeing more and more patients in our clinics and in hospital with severe alcoholic liver disease. As a result, we initiated this study to determine if what we were seeing was being found across the nation," says Jessica Mellinger, MD, clinical lecturer at Michigan Medicine's Division of Gastroenterology, whose research is supported by a 2016 AASLD Foundation Clinical and Translational Research Award.

Dr. Mellinger's team collected data spanning 2008 to 2015 on prevalence, admissions, and readmissions to healthcare facilities, and health care costs among people ages 18 to 65 with alcoholic cirrhosis. Yearly prevalence trends for alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhosis were calculated. Using this data, the researchers estimated rates of complications due to portal hypertension (an obstruction of blood flow, and increase of blood pressure, in the liver) and determined the effect alcoholic cirrhosis had on total and perperson health care costs, as well as admissions and readmissions to hospital.

Among the people studied, nearly 300,000 had cirrhosis in 2015, with 36 percent of these cases attributed to alcohol use. National prevalence of cirrhosis and alcoholic cirrhosis rose from .19 percent to .27 percent between 2008 and 2015 for cirrhosis overall, and .07 percent to .10 percent for alcoholic cirrhosis.

Dr. Mellinger's team found that patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were significantly more likely to be diagnosed long after liver deterioration had already begun, and more likely to be admitted and readmitted within 30 days. Perperson health care costs in the first year after diagnosis were nearly double for these patients compared to patients without alcoholic cirrhosis, and direct health care costs for alcoholic cirrhosis totaled around $5 billion, making up just over half the total costs of allcause cirrhosis.

Dr. Mellinger plans to use this research to further explore how many alcoholic cirrhosis patients gain access to alcohol use disorder treatment and who benefits from treatment. "Because alcohol cessation is the only proven therapy that can improve outcomes in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, we hope to find ways to help these patients stop drinking by helping them connect with alcohol use disorder treatment," explains Dr. Mellinger, who also notes the importance of early diagnosis and alcohol cessation to help improve outcomes in these patients.
University of California San Diego researchers have developed the first 3D spatial visualization tool for mapping "'omics" data onto whole organs. The tool helps researchers and clinicians understand the effects of chemicals, such as microbial metabolites and medications, on a diseased organ in the context of microbes that also inhabit the region. The work could advance targeted drug delivery for cystic fibrosis and other conditions where medications are unable to penetrate.

A team led by Pieter Dorrestein, PhD, professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego and a leadership team member in the UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation, published the study October 19 in Cell Host & Microbe.

Every nook and cranny of a human organ has its own microbiome -; the microorganisms and their genes that are present in a particular environment. The anatomy of the organ and its environment (temperature, pH level, nutrient availability, etc.) determine which microorganisms are present. In turn, the microorganisms respond to and affect the presence of therapeutics.

"Our understanding of the spatial variation of the chemical and microbial make-up of a human organ remains limited," said Dorrestein. "This is in part due to the size and variability of human organs, and the sheer amount of data we get from metabolomics and genomics studies."

To address this challenge, Dorrestein's team developed an open-source workflow for mapping metabolomics and microbiome data onto a 3D organ reconstruction built from radiological images.

First, the researchers obtained a lung from a patient afflicted with cystic fibrosis and sectioned it. They analyzed the samples for the presence of bacteria, their metabolites and virulence factors (molecules that add to bacterial effectiveness and enable them to colonize a niche in the host), and any medications given to the patient during treatment.

Next, Neha Garg, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Dorrestein's lab at the time, and Mingxun Wang, a graduate student in the UC San Diego lab of Nuno Bandeira, PhD, modified an existing Google Chrome extension called "ili" to visualize microbiome and metabolome distributions on an entire organ.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"The application enables the user to map data onto a 2D or 3D surface, so we modified the code to allow us to map the abundance data not only onto surfaces, but also within the model," said Garg, who is now an assistant professor at Georgia Tech.

In order to visualize the spatial localization of the bacteria and molecules, the team procured CT scan images of a human lung and processed them to generate a 3D model.

With the "omics" data from the cystic fibrosis lung superimposed on the 3D lung in the modified version of "ili," the researchers were able to make important observations.

"We could see that one of the antibiotics administered to the patient prior to collecting the tissue did not penetrate the bottom of the lung -; a phenomenon that has not been observed before," said Garg. "This correlated with a higher abundance of the cystic fibrosis-associated pathogen Achromobacter. Thus, different drugs may differentially penetrate the lung, limiting exposure to effective dosage. Our tool allows researchers and clinicians to visualize this significant clinical concern within a human organ for the first time. This has implications for treatment of CF and other diseases."

The researchers created open-source maps of 16,379 molecules and 56 microbes that will now serve as a resource for scientists researching cystic fibrosis and other lung-associated diseases.

"As future studies unravel more about the microbiome and metabolome, their spatial visualization will provide a means to infer their biological significance," said Dorrestein. "Furthermore, the methodology developed can be extended to any human organ -; notably those with tumors, which are known to be associated with their own unique microbiomes."

The team hopes that the work will help enable improved targeted drug delivery, which could be used to rectify poor penetration of antibiotics.
NASA extends Dawn mission at dwarf planet Ceres

Washington : NASA has approved a second extension of the Dawn mission at Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

During this extension, the spacecraft will descend to lower altitudes than ever before at the dwarf planet, which it has been orbiting since March 2015, the US space agency said on Thursday.

The spacecraft, which has already completed 10 years of spaceflight, will continue at Ceres for the remainder of its science investigation and will remain in a stable orbit indefinitely after its fuel runs out.

Dawn completed its prime mission in June 2016, and its first extension was also approved that year.

The Dawn flight team is studying ways to manoeuvre Dawn into a new elliptical orbit, which may take the spacecraft to less than 200 kilometres from the surface of Ceres at closest approach. Previously, Dawn's lowest altitude was 385 kilometers.

A priority of the second Ceres mission extension is collecting data with Dawn's gamma ray and neutron spectrometer, which measures the number and energy of gamma rays and neutrons, NASA said.

This information is important for understanding the composition of Ceres' uppermost layer and how much ice it contains.

The spacecraft also will take visible-light images of Ceres' surface geology with its camera, as well as measurements of Ceres' mineralogy with its visible and infrared mapping spectrometer.

The extended mission at Ceres additionally allows Dawn to be in orbit while the dwarf planet goes through perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, which will occur in April 2018.

Because of its commitment to protect Ceres from Earthly contamination, Dawn will not land or crash into Ceres.

Instead, it will carry out as much science as it can in its final planned orbit, where it will stay even after it can no longer communicate with Earth.

Mission planners estimate the spacecraft can continue operating until the second half of 2018.

Dawn is the only mission ever to orbit two extraterrestrial targets. It orbited giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months from 2011 to 2012, then continued on to Ceres, where it has been in orbit since March 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 16:10:47|Editor: ying

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ISLAMABAD, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Saturday strongly condemned the "terrible" suicide attacks that happened Friday at mosques in Kabul and in the province of Ghor in Afghanistan, which have killed 71 people and injured many others.

Reports suggest that the death toll from the two mosque attacks reached 71 while 83 others were injured. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Kabul suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque, while no group has so far commented on the Ghor incident.

"The government and people of Islamic Republic of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the government and our Afghan brothers who underwent this ordeal and suffered the terrible attacks. We convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray for early recovery of the injured," Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirms its commitment for unrelenting efforts for eliminating this menace," the statement said.
Afghanistan Mosque attack

Kabul : Nearly 70 people were killed on Friday in a two suicide attacks on mosques in Afghanistan's capital and in the western province of Ghor, officials said.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a mosque in a neighbourhood of Kabul predominantly populated by the Shiite Hazara minority, Public Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ismail Kawusi told Eef.

The blast occurred as worshipers gathered for prayer inside the Imam Zamam mosque at around 6.00 p.m.

The bomber was standing among the congregation when he detonated the explosives, police spokesman Basir Mujahid told Efe.

Thirty-nine people were killed and 45 others wounded, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said on Twitter.

The Hazara, a ethnic group thought to be of Mongolian origin, are mostly adherents of Shiism, the second-largest branch of Islam. The vast majority of Afghans are Sunni Muslims.

About an hour before the blast in Kabul, a suicide attacker detonated explosives at the Khwajagan mosque in the Du-Layna district of Ghor province.

The attack occurred as an important anti-Taliban militiaman, Fazal Hayat Khan, and his men were praying inside, said the provincial governor's spokesman, Abdul Hai Khatabi.

Khan and several of his men were among the roughly 30 people killed, according to Ghor police spokesman But Iqbal Nezami.

While no group claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks, the Taliban said they were behind strikes this week on military and police that left 91 people dead.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the mosque attacks as "crimes against humanity".

"The criminal terrorists who use Islam as a tool to pursue their objective put in danger the security of people, especially the faithful, which represents an attempt to divide the people of Afghanistan," he said in a statement.

The Afghan government has been losing ground to the Taliban over the last two-and-half-years and now controls only 57 percent of the country, according to the office of United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Elon Musk Boring Co. gets permission to dig a tunnel in Maryland.

The new tunnel will be a 10.3-mile route that undercuts a state-owned operation of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Maryland, and could eventually become the anchor point for a network that would span Washington to New York, with stops in-between at urban centers in Baltimore and Philadelphia, according to the LA Times.

They have a second boring machine ready to start.

More than two-thirds of the 35-mile Baltimore Washington Parkway is owned by the federal government, which as of Thursday had not publicly granted permission for the hyperloop system.

The Boring Co. aims to reduce traffic congestion by creating a low-cost, efficient system of tunnels. The company has developed tunneling machines it says will drill quickly through soft soils at a fraction of the cost of traditional tunneling.

The hyperloop technology uses electric motors and magnets to transport train cars through a low-pressure tube.

Rahn, the transportation secretary, said the Boring Co. will start with two 35-mile tubes between Baltimore and Washington.

Rahn said the company hopes to assemble its drilling machines at the Hanover site.
Virgin Galactic Vice President Mike Moses told a commercial space conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that much progress has been made on flight tests and that supersonic speed is expected soon. The company hopes to be in space by the end of the year, he said.

Billionaire Richard Branson has said that he will be disappointed if he is not reaching space in the next six months.

Virgin Galactic is in the process of test flights now.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 16:25:50|Editor: Song Lifang

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UN personnel search for remains of mortar shells in the Israel i-annexed Golan Heights, on Oct. 21, 2017. Israel on Saturday attacked three Syria n army posts after errant projectiles hit the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, in an escalation of the Israeli response to spillovers from its war-torn neighbor. (Xinhua/Gil Eliyahu-JINI)

JERUSALEM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Saturday attacked three Syrian army posts after errant projectiles hit the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, in an escalation of the Israeli response to spillovers from its war-torn neighbor.

"In response to the projectiles that hit Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted three artillery cannons of the Syrian regime in the Syrian Golan Heights," a military spokesperson said in a statement.

Four hits have been identified so far, but five projectiles were launched, the spokesperson said, adding that no injuries or damage were caused.

The projectiles "appear to be a result of the internal fighting in Syria," the statement read.

"Whether errant fire or not, any future occurrences will force the IDF to intensify its response," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson warned that "the IDF will not tolerate any attempt to breach Israeli sovereignty or to threaten the safety of its civilians, and holds the Syrian regime accountable for any aggression from within its territory."

Hundreds of mortars and gunfire have hit Israel since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, usually causing no injuries or damage. Israel usually responds with artillery or airstrikes, targeting posts of President Bashar Assad's army.

On Monday, Israel launched an airstrike on an anti-aircraft battery in Syria after the battery fired on its war jets during reconnaissance flights over neighboring Lebanon.

On Thursday, after another errant fire hit northern Israel, causing no injuries or damage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the stray shell was unacceptable.

"We do not accept spillovers and if they hit us we return fire -- and it doesn't take much time," he said, according to a statement released by his office.

Israel occupied part of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it later, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 16:40:54|Editor: ying

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A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia, Oct. 21, 2017. Georgia kicked off its local elections across the country on Saturday, voting for 2,058 members of 64 city councils and 64 municipal mayors. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

TBILISI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Georgia kicked off local elections across the country on Saturday, voting for 64 mayors as well as more than 2,000 council members for 64 municipal cities.

According to the country's Central Election Commission (CEC), the polling stations opened early in the morning for about 3.44 million eligible voters.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Saturday called upon all voters to go to polling stations to cast their ballots, as it is important for the development of the country, as well as for building a better future of Georgia.

After casting his vote at the polling booth with his family, Kvirikashvili said, "I voted for such Tbilisi, a place where urban transport is regulated, many green zones are arranged for our citizens, education system is regulated, economy is dynamic and entrepreneurs are happy to start a business and a place which is full of life."

A total of 22 political parties, five election blocs and an initiative group are registered for the local elections, said the CEC on its website, adding that 375 candidates will run for municipal mayors, and some 4,700 candidates will compete for city council members.

The vote counting will begin immediately after the polling stations are closed Saturday evening.

To win the mayoral elections, candidates must clear a 50 percent threshold, otherwise, a second round of voting will be held, according to the election code of Georgia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 16:45:56|Editor: ying

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday in a collision of several cars in the desert road near Assuit province in southern Egypt, a top security official told Xinhua.

A truck crashed with a private car which in turn caused the collision of three others in Assuit-Red Sea road, General Gamal Shoker, chief of Assuit Security Directorate said.

The dead included four children and five women, he added, saying the wounded were transferred to Assuit Public Hospital.

In 2016, at least 14,710 traffic accidents killed about 5,343 Egyptians and injured 18,646 others, with 72 percent of accidents due to human error, 18.2 due to technical problems of vehicles and 3.1 due to road problems, according to a report from Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.

Road accidents are common in Egypt due to lack of highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and negligence of traffic rules.
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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 16:55:57|Editor: ying

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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week patted himself on the back for defeating the Islamic State (IS), but many experts say much of the work had been already done by his predecessor.

The IS, a few years back, took vast swaths of territory in the Middle East, and launched attacks on innocent civilians in cities worldwide. However, the terror group has been beaten back, and was kicked out of its stronghold in Raqqa in northern Syria this week, signaling its defeat.

"I totally changed rules of engagement. I totally changed our military. I totally changed the attitudes of the military and they have done a fantastic job," Trump said in a radio interview earlier this week.

"ISIS is now giving up, they are giving up, there are raising their hands, they are walking off. Nobody has ever seen that before," he added.

But many say there is more to the story, from journalists to pundits to scholars.

Wayne White, former deputy director of the Middle East Intelligence Office of the State Department, told Xinhua that former President Barak Obama is largely responsible for the destruction of the vast majority of the IS' Syrian-Iraqi caliphate, not Trump.

Under the pressure from President Obama, former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was ousted, and Iraq's shattered army was re-grouped and retrained by several thousand U.S. military personnel, and was able to make a difference under the new, cooperative Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, White said.

Before Trump took office, that rising new army, plus militias and anti-IS Sunni Arab tribes backed by vigorous U.S. airstrikes, retook most of the IS' former holdings in Iraq, focusing on key urban strongholds. They degraded the IS seriously, White said.

Obama gave more freedom to pilots to hit sensitive IS targets to increase its casualties in Iraq and Syria long before Trump came on the scene. Also in Syria, weapons, U.S. airstrikes, plus U.S. training and troops sent by Obama to aid the best anti-IS force there, the Kurds, retook much of the IS's gains in eastern and central Syria, White said.

By January 2017, the IS caliphate was being driven back on all fronts, with many of its fighters going into hiding, deserting or fleeing, White said. Trump had only just come to office that same month.

Writing for CNN, journalist Peter Bergen, who in the 1990s produced the first-ever televised interview with infamous terror leader Osama bin Laden, said while Trump loosened the rules of engagement, much of the heavy lifting had been done before he became president. While Trump enabled ground commanders to make decisions without having to go up the chain of command, that was a tactical change, not a major game changer, Bergen wrote on CNN's website.

Perhaps the two most symbolic victories against the IS have occurred while Trump was in office: the retaking of the Iraqi city of Mosul in July, and now the liberation of Raqqa, Syria, which was the IS' stronghold, Bergen noted.

U.S. officials have also claimed that the recapturing of IS-held territory has accelerated under Trump. Special Presidential Envoy McGurk who held the same role in the Obama administration said that of the 27,000 square miles (69,930 square km) of territory in Iraq and Syria reclaimed from the IS since 2014, around 8,000 square miles (20,720 square km) have been retaken under Trump's watch, Bergen said.

Newsweek noted this week that Trump's claim that he "changed the rules of engagement" has some support among military figures "who have expressed appreciation of greater leeway and authority in directing anti-ISIS operations."

"But Trump failed to recognize that he is building upon foundations established long before he came to office and, perhaps most pertinently, failed to recognize the overwhelming contribution made by local forces in ousting ISIS from its former capital," it argued.
Extent of the Tubbs fire on Oct. 10

N

Location of fire

San Francisco

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles

SHOWN ON MAP

The Tubbs fire started on Oct. 8 around

Destroyed structures visible in satellite imagery

9:43 p.m.

Deaths

128

Approximate edge of fire at

10:30 p.m.

TO CALISTOGA

11 p.m.

At 10:52 p.m., firefighters called for a mandatory evacuation of all of Porter Creek Road and Petrified Forest Road.

Michael Dornbach, 57, died while visiting family and friends in the area.

At 11:58 p.m., firefighters called for an evacuation of the entire area between Calistoga and Santa Rosa.

HALF MILE

12 a.m.

1 a.m.

Monte Kirven, 81, died at home.

At 1:12 a.m., firefighters warned that the fire would reach eastern Santa Rosa within an hour.

Veronica McCombs, 67, died at home.

Lynne Powell, 72, died while fleeing her home.

Carmen Berriz, 75, died in a backyard pool in the arms of her husband, who survived.

2 a.m.

Sharon Robinson, 79, died at home.

Mike Grabow, 40, died at home.

3 a.m.

Arthur Grant, 95, and Suiko Grant, 75, died in their wine cellar.

Christina Hanson, 27, who used a wheelchair, died at home.

CITY LIMITS

FOUNTAINGROVE

Donna Halbur, 80, died in her garage. Leroy Halbur, 80, died on the driveway.

LARKFIELD-WIKIUP

Carmen McReynolds, 82, died in her garage.

101

Valerie Evans, 75, died while trying to save her dogs.

Carol Collins-Swasey, 76, died in her house.

Marilyn Ress, 71, died in her bedroom.

Linda Tunis, 69, died in her home in a mobile-home community.

Karen Aycock, 56, died in her bathroom.

101

COFFEY PARK

60 MILES TO SAN FRANCISCO
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 17:21:02|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress has been actively covered by foreign media outlets around the world.

The reports speak highly of the CPC's leadership as well as China's socio-economic development and global contributions and express hopes that the CPC will lead China to even greater prosperity.

The following is an edited summary of some of the reports.

German magazine International Politics and Society

"It is not to expect that China will give up its successful model in economy and society. Germany and the European Union's politics must adapt themselves to the competition from other political systems and learn from the successes of the China model."

Swiss daily newspaper the Neue Zurcher Zeitung

"China opens a new era."

Banking on its national strength and international influence, China should have taken a global leadership role by the year 2050.

British daily newspaper the Guardian

On President Xi Jinping's speech delivered during the opening ceremony of the 19th CPC National Congress, "the ambition on display and the confidence of Xi were striking."

Iranian official Islamic Republic News Agency

China aims to introduce a model of development and globalization to replace the old and ineffective Western model. The further success in China's reform policies will encourage the world states to follow the steps of China.

Cuban official newspaper Granma

President Xi Jinping has "great prestige, thanks to the success of the reforms he undertook with his colleagues over the last five years." He has promoted "a more active diplomacy that has enabled the Asian nation to become more involved in mechanisms and decision-making processes worldwide."

Mongolian daily newspaper Zasgiin Gazriin Medee (Government News)

President Xi Jinping stressed the need to implement the policy of liberalization and simplification of procedures in the fields of trade and investment, as well as significantly expand market access and openness to the outside world in the service sector.

Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta

It is hard to imagine that China could have made such unprecedented achievements without the leadership of the CPC. With its rapid economic growth, China's experience could help developing countries prosper.

Pakistan Observer

Thanks to the past five-year policy, "China's economic and technological strength has increased significantly and a modern social governance system has taken place."

Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily

The 19th CPC National Congress has unveiled a blueprint to usher China into a great modern socialist country by the mid-21st century, and to fulfill the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. The goal will be realized through China's connection and interaction with the world.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: When and where to watch Asia Cup 2022 Final Match live online?

India to stop providing further financial aid to crisis-hit Sri Lanka? Indian embassy reacts

4 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Four fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Kachadeevu Island, the police said here on Saturday.

The police said according to the information received by them, the Lankan naval men arrested the fishermen from Pamban near here for poaching in their waters and also seized their boat.

They would be produced before the Mannar judicial magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody, they said.

In another incident, seven fishermen from Tuticorin district, who were allegedly smuggling ration items to Andaman and Nicobar islands were rescued by the Lankan fishermen, after their boat developed a snag and capsized off Jaffna early this morning, the police said.

The fishermen were taken to Jaffna and the officials of the Indian government informed about their detention.

It was not known whether they would be arrested or released by the Sri Lankan authorities, they said.

Earlier this week, eight fishermen were on detained by the Sri Lankan Navy, while they were fishing near the Delft Island.

OneIndia News
3 civilians, 1 CISF jawan killed as Naxals blow up bus in Dantewada

Attack on BJP convoy bears signature of new naxal chief Nambala Keshav Rao

5 vehicles, railway machine set on fire by Maoists in Dantewada

India

pti-PTI

Raipur, October 21: At least five vehicles and a railway-track laying machine were set on fire allegedly by Maoists Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh on Friday evening.

The incident happened around 7:30 pm near Kamaloor railway station, where track-laying work was underway on the Kirandul-Visakhapatnam route, a police official told PTI over the phone.

Around two dozen armed ultras reached the construction site and torched the vehicles and the track-laying machine, he said.

The attackers fled after the incident, he said. Bhansi is located around 450 kilometres from Raipur.

After the railway staff informed about the incident, security personnel were rushed to the site.

PTI
Are PM Modis speeches running out of steam?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Oct 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been the "baap" (father) when it comes to the department of communication. From fans, political opponents, journalists to poets, many have eulogised the PM's oratory skills.

Be it his address at public rallies, always fierce and on target launching 'surgical strikes' against his adversaries (often against the Gandhi dynasty) or striking up conversations with his followers on social media, Modi redefined the way political personalities interact with voters much before he became the PM as the chief minister of his home state, Gujarat, as early as 2009.

During 2012, when once again he was choosen as the CM of Gujarat and there were enough indications from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Modi, and not veteran LK Advani, who would be the face of the saffron party during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he and his team adopted a more vigorous campaign on and off social media, constantly interacting with supporters and wooing new fans.

After he became the PM, Modi started his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, to address the public on various issues. However, of late, the popularity of the radio broadcast has dropped drastically because of its "pale" choice of topics, often avoiding pressing subjects, and the nature of the interaction, as it is only one way communication--where Modi speaks and people listen to and can't raise their concerns.

Nonetheless, people, especially in rural areas, could still be seen sitting together in groups in their homes and public spaces and tuning into radios to listen to Mann ki Baat every month.

As far his public speeches are concerned, be it during election times or on a regular day, Modi continues to speak frequently, but again because of his reluctance to admit the uncomfortable truths troubling the country, most often these days he looks 'lost and fumbling for the right words'.

One such examples is his address at a public meeting in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, recently where the audience got a clear sense that the PM is confused even about his "pet project", Good and Services Tax (GST).

While referring to the GST, Modi decided to subtly admit its failure, but at the same time he blamed all political parties (including the Congress) for the mess it has created.

Isn't it Modi who in a gala midnight event unveiled the latest tax regime while taking credit for the "boldest" economic reform introduced in the post-Independence era? Now, when economic steps like the GST and the demonetisation have failed, Modi decided to pass the buck on others.

Such an attempt to stay away from taking responsibility is something that goes against the "bold and honest PM" image that the BJP has always tried to project Modi as.

Be it the faults in the government's economic policies leading to the slowdown in the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), mess that highly-published economic steps like the demonetisation and the GST have created, lack of jobs for the youngsters joining the market, or social ills like mob lynching of Muslim men in the name of cow protection by gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes), Modi often tries to skirt what matters the most to the countrymen, probably thinking that eventually people would forget once everything settles down.

Regarding his social media interactions, Modi and his team always remain hyperactive in the virtual world. But again it looks like a very 'happy space', as if everything is picture perfect in the country.

A close study of the PM's Twitter account, @narendramodi--where he frequently posts birthday wishes for world leaders, greetings for Indians on festivals or images of well-organised government functions--reflects that the Modi government is trying to distance itself from the ugly realities like the death of a girl in Jharkhand due to alleged starvation recently.

Probably, that is why PM's support base is dwindling if "retweets" are to be taken into consideration.

After India Today crunched the numbers recently, the English magazine found that @OfficeOfRG (the official Twitter account of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi) got 2,784 retweets in September on an average, as compared to 2,506 for Modi and 1,722 for Arvind Kejriwal.

As far as Rahul's recent rise in popularity on social media is concerned, we are surely going to address that subject too soon. Till then, keep reading.

OneIndia News
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Caught on camera: Woman, child flung into air as car hits the bike

BJP workers show black flags to Sharad Pawar

India

pti-PTI

Pune, Oct 21: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was shown black flags by BJP workers during an inauguration ceremony of the new vegetable market and parking facility in Baramati about 120 kms from here last evening.

BJP workers from the local unit were reportedly angry and disappointed after the NCP-led municipal council did not mention the names of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, district guardian minister Girish Bapat and other senior BJP leaders on the invitation card.

District police said that as soon as NCP chief rose to address the gathering at the inauguration ceremony, BJP workers allegedly showed black flags to register their protest.

"Around 25 BJP workers were evicted from the venue and were arrested under the relevant sections of IPC and later released on the bail," said a senior police officer.

The officer said that there were women supporters who were let off with a warning.

PTI
Hindu Sena demands changing name of Tipu Express, wants it to be named after Ananth Kumar

Who fills the void in Bangalore South? BJP says Tejaswini Ananth Kumar is best choice

Tipu Jayanti: Union Minister refuses to attend, but CM to send invitations to all

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

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Tipu Sultan Jayanti: Ananth Hegde directs not to include his name in offical invite |Oneindia News

Union Minister of State for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde has written to the Chief Minister's Secretariat not to include his name in the official invite for Tipu Sultan Jayanthi celebrations scheduled to be held on November 10.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Hegde's personal secretary said it was being written on the direction of the Minister. "The instructions may be brought to the notice of all departments in the State celebrating Tipu Jayanti," the letter said. .

Hegde considered Tipu Sultan "anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada" and he did not want to be associated with the birthday celebrations of the former ruler. In 2016 too, Hegde had said he condemned State government celebrating Tipu Jayanti "despite stiff opposition" from a section of the people. Tipu, he claimed, was "against Kannada language and was anti-Hindu".

The state government will celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanthi at the district level across the state on November 10. Hegde also stated in the letter that his name should not be mentioned during the course of the celebration. As a member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, protocol mandates that Hegde's name is included in the invite for all government events held in the district.

The last two years, there have been protests against the celebrations, but the state government will go ahead for the third year running this November 10. The union minister has found himself in the middle of a controversy several times. Many of his tweets have also attracted controversy because of their hardline Hindutva views.

Vote bank politics, says Shobha Karandlaje

Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje on Saturday said that the state government is conducting Tipu jayanti with the intention to garner votes.

Speaking to reporters Karandlaje said that "Tipu was anti-Kannada and anti-Hindu, all the Kannadigas are opposing it". We have told government shouldn't celebrate Tipu Jayanti but they are into vote-bank politics," she said.

"With just five months left before the Assembly elections, the Congress party is playing vote bank politics to attract minorities which is not right," she added.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah censured Hegde for distancing himself from the festivities and accused him of politicizing the issue.

Will send invite, upto the ministers to accept or reject: CM Siddaramaiah

"As part of government, he shouldn't have written it. Invitation (for Tipu Jayanti celebration) will be sent out to all central and state leaders, up to them to accept or reject," Siddaramaiah told ANI.

"It is being made into a political issue. There were four wars against the British and Tipu fought them all," he added, trotting out the government's official line that the 18th century ruler was a "freedom fighter" who helped liberate India from the yoke of colonialism.

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oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The assets of six time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh have decreased by Rs 3.46 crore in the past five years. In an affidavit filed, Singh has said he has a loan liability of Rs 39 lakh.

Singh filed an affidavit on Friday mentioning his movable and immovable assets along with nomination papers from the Arki assembly constituency in Solan district for the November 9 state polls.

He states that he owned movable assets worth Rs 715 crore while his assets of his wife Prathibha Singh were valued at Rs 2.51 crore. In 2012, his movable assets were worth Rs 8.26 crore while his wife's stood at Rs 4.87 crore.

As per the latest details, the CM's immovable assets are valued at Rs 6.53 crore as compared to Rs 18.78 lakh when he filed his nomination in 2012. His wife had immovable assets to the tune of Rs 30 lakh in 2012 and it has now increased to Rs 14.31 crore.

Interestingly Singh states in his affidavit taht he does not own any vehicle in his name.

Pratibha Singh's immovable assets have increased due to the transfer of agriculture land at Sarahan, which has a market value of Rs 12.08 crore, in her name. A non-agricultural land, a building at Sarahan worth Rs 23,21,344, the Shanti Kunj Estate and farm houses in Sarahan worth Rs 2 crore were also transferred in her name.

Virbhadra Singh states that he had Rs 5.50 lakh cash in hand and wife had Rs 50,000. He owns jewellery worth Rs 3 lakh, while his wife's silver and gold were valued at Rs 47 lakh.

The CM also has Rs 5.58 crore deposited in 13 bank accounts and has taken a home loan of Rs 39 lakhs from the Himachal Pradesh government. Singh and his wife have insurance policies worth Rs 1 crore each.

The CM has also given details of his Facebook and Twitter account (@ virbhadra Singh) as per the Election Commission requirements.

Virbhadra Singh has stated that during the assessment year 2017-18, his self income was Rs 31,12,380, while his undivided family's net agriculture income was Rs 31,51,100 and Rs 45, 45,600. He also mentions that in Punjab National Bank's Rampur branch he had a fixed deposit worth Rs 24, 97, 508, while his wife had Rs 56,888 in the savings account of same bank.

The CM has one case registered against him by the CBI under Section 13 (2), read with section 13 (1) (c) of PC Act, 1988, and Section 465, read with section 471 of the IPC.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 6:30 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 17:31:04|Editor: ying

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DAMASCUS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Saturday that the Israeli forces targeted a military position in the southern province of Qunaitera, leaving property losses.

The terrorist groups near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights fired mortar shells that landed in an empty area in the Israeli-occupied territory, and promoted Israel to carry out its "aggression," the army statement said.

It charged that the terrorist groups fired the mortars in coordination with Israel to justify the latter's aggression on military posts in Syria.

The army, meanwhile, warned of the "dangerous repercussions" of the attack, holding Israel responsible for the "results" of the attack.

The Israeli attack is the latest in a string of similar moves that have targeted Syrian military posts on the pretext that the targeted areas contain Hezbollah-bound weapons.

Another pretext Israel uses to hit Syrian site is that stray mortar shells land in the Israeli-occupied territories.

More likely those mortars are fired by the rebels, but Israel responds by hitting Syrian military posts.
Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth?

In Gujarat, BJP govt showers sops to woo voters as EC delays in declaring poll dates

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Gandhinagar, Oct 21: The Congress seems to be right in its criticism against the Election Commission (EC) for deciding not to announce the Assembly elections dates for Gujarat.

Recently, when the EC declared that the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections will be held on November 9, the commission just stated that the Assembly polls in Gujarat will be organised in December without declaring the specific date/dates.

Since polls dates for Gujarat were not announced, the opposition Congress accused that the EC worked at the behest of the Narendra Modi government so that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state would have enough time to announce sops to woo voters because model code of conduct won't come into force in the state.

The allegations levelled by the Congress against the EC and the BJP look right as the saffron party is busy showering sops in Gujarat, one after another.

In the last few days, the BJP government in Gujarat has launched several big-ticket projects, doled out sops for government employees and balanced political equations.

Moreover, PM Modi has visited the state four times in the last one month. He is going to visit Gujarat on Sunday again.

During his upcoming visit, the PM is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation for several development projects worth Rs 1,140 crore in Vadodara.

News18.com has listed 10 major things done by the Gujarat government since EC announced Himachal Pradesh election dates:

- Projects worth Rs 750 crore either declared open or laid foundation and more are in the offing.

- Rs 6,000 crore Memorandum of Understanding (Mod) signed with United Phosphorous to procure agricultural fertilisers.

- Seventh Pay Commission benefits announced for 15,000 nagar palika employees in the state. Next of kin of those employees who die on duty to get jobs.

- Chief Minister Vijay Rupani flagged off 40 buses out of 575 new buses being inducted in the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and gave appointment letters to conductors.

- Zero-interest crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh for farmers. The move is expected to benefit at least 25 lakh farmers.

- Foundation stone of Aquatic Life Sciences and Robotics Gallery laid in Science City.

- Lion safari park at Ambardi in Amreli district thrown open to visitors, nearly 17 years after the idea was first mooted.

- 22 cases filed against farmers of Nalkantha area withdrawn by Home department.

- 468 cases against Patidars withdrawn. These cases were filed by police during the reservation stir.

- 21 DSPs promoted to the rank of Additional SPs. This is the first time that a new post of Additional SP has been created. Eight of the 21 promoted are Patidars.

If the EC had announced the dates for Gujarat polls, the BJP would not have been able to announce all these sops because of the coming into force of the model code of conduct.

Recently, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), SY Quraishi, in a column for The Indian Express explained why non-announcement of Gujarat poll dates invites questions from several quarters.

"If the government does announce new populist schemes and freebies, it would cause the EC a huge embarrassment. It would be accused of giving the government of Gujarat the few extra days before invoking the model code of conduct. The hard-earned reputation of the Commission's ferocious independence could be in tatters, which would be disastrous for our democracy.

"Politicians must remember that their legitimacy comes from free and fair elections conducted by a constitutional body whose own legitimacy is the ultimate guarantor of the credibility of elections. The EC has been fortunate to have established such a reputation not just in India but globally. Hillary Clinton described it as the gold standard. Reputations take years to build but minutes to crash," the ex-CEC wrote.

Quraishi lamented the fact that the EC has come under scanner over the issue of announcement of poll dates in Gujarat.

"It's painful to see aspersions being cast on the Commission, especially the CEC, just because he was a Gujarat cadre officer. How can we forget that the same Commission had covered itself with glory just a month ago in the high stakes Gujarat Rajya Sabha election by asserting its well established independence and neutrality?

"The ruling party and the government would do themselves, the EC and the nation a great favour if no new schemes are now announced, belying the people's apprehensions. This would shut up the critics who say the delinking of 4-5 days is to enable the government to announce poll sops, beating the model code of conduct," he wrote.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 11:39 [IST]
ISIS: Lady who ran Islam Q&A, Ummah Affairs to target Indian Muslims arrested

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The arrest of Karen Aisha Hamidon, one of the main recruiters for the Islamic State is a major boost for the National Investigation Agency. A major recruiter handling India operations and also an expert in setting honey traps, Hamidan was arrested in Philippines by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Active on the social media she is the widow of Philippines based terrorist leader Mohammad Maquid.

NIA sources say that she actively used Telegram, Facebook and WhatsApp to recruit into the ISIS. She targeted not only Indian Muslims, but also others in other parts of the world.

The NIA during its investigations into the various ISIS modules in India found that Hamidan was an active recruiter. Following the probe the NIA sent out a letter rogatory or a judicial request to their counterparts in Philippines. In the request, the NIA mentioned her address as Diego Shilang village in Taguig City, Metro Manila. Details of her phone numbers, her identity as Aisha al-Muslimah and her email id @KarenAishaHamidon were also sent out by the NIA.

While it is unclear if the NIA would seek her extradition, sources say that a team would visit Philippines to question her. A request seeking access to the ISIS recruiter has been made, the NIA also says. The NIA would question her about her recruitment process.

Moreover the NIA is also on the look out for several operatives and she could help track them, the NIA officer also informed.

Her name cropped up when the NIA questioned two operatives from India. One was an Indian Oil Corporation manager, Sirajuddin who was arrested from Jaipur and the other was a 22 year old computer engineer from Tamil Nadu, Mohammad Naseer who was recently deported from Sudan.

The NIA states in a chargesheet that Hamidan had influenced many through social media channels and chat groups. It also said that she had also targeted Muslims in US, UK, UAE, Argentina, Bangladesh and Australia. She would target youth through groups which she called as Islam Q&A and Ummah Affairs.

OneIndia News
Kerala govt intends to replace Governor as Chancellor of universities through ordinance

DGP Kerala orders FIR against The Kerala Story after TN journalist forwards complaint to CM

Why Kerala ministers China trip was not in national interest

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The visit by a Kerala minister to China was not in national interest and hence he was denied permission, the Ministry for External Affairs has said.

Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran was denied permission to attend a UN meeting in China last month.

The response from the MEA came following an RTI query by a Kochi based lawyer and RTI activist D B Binu.

The denial of permission for Surendran to attend the 22nd session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly at Chengdu between September 11 and 16 had triggered a row over its alleged political motives. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the MEA move "unfortunate" and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to reconsider the decision.

"Ministerial level participation at the aforementioned event was not deemed appropriate in the national interest," the response by Prasanna Srivastava, Deputy Secretary (China and Korea) stated.

The MEA received the minister's request for political clearance on August 23. Srivastava said in his response that requests for such clearances were examined as per guidelines issued by the Cabinet Secretariat and other relevant entities.

On September 13, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh had said protocol issues led the ministry to deny permission for the visit.

OneIndia News
Kin of 39 missing Indians in Iraq asked to give DNA samples

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

In fresh efforts to determine the fate of 39 Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State in Mosul more than three years ago, the government has asked their families to submit DNA samples.

Iraqi authorities have urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to ensure that DNA samples were collected from relatives of the missing Indians after numerous mass graves were found in areas of Iraq liberated from the IS.

"All of us have been asked to undergo DNA test; don't know why. We are very nervous," Gurpinder, the sister of Manjinder, who is one among the 39, told ANI.

The government continues to classify the 39 workers kidnapped by the IS in June 2014 as "missing". The government has also taken a position that as long as it doesn't have conclusive proof they are dead, it would like to believe they are alive.

Senior medical officer Sanjeev Bhalla said after orders were received from the deputy commissioner, three teams went to Tallianwal, Rupowali and Talwandi Jhuran villages to collect blood samples from relatives of Malkait Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Dharminder, who are among the missing men.

In July, Swaraj said minister of state VK Singh, during his visit to Iraq, had been told the missing Indians were being held at Badush prison near Mosul. But Iraqi authorities subsequently said the prison had no inmates when the area was recaptured from the IS by pro-government troops.

In 2014, 39 Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, were reportedly taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city of Mosul.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 20:46 [IST]
Odisha: Two killed as truck hits motorbike in Bhadrak

UP: 5, including a child, killed and 5 seriously hurt as car hits electric pole

2 dead, dozen injured in a bus-tanker collision in UP

11 dead as SUV hits an empty bus in MP's Betul; PM Modi announces ex-gratia

Maharashtra: 11 die as truck topples in Sangli

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

At least 11 people, travelling in a truck carrying tiles, were killed after the truck toppled in Sangli, Maharashtra. Also, 11 others injured in the accident.

The accident happened 370 km away from the state capital Mumbai.

The truck flipped over at a sharp turn amid low visibility near Tasgaon town in this western Maharashtra district this morning, it said.

Ten workers were killed on the spot and 20 others injured in the accident, the police said.

The vehicle was on its way to Solapur from Karad in adjoining Satara district.

Police have reached the spot to clear the road. The injured have been rushed to the nearest hospital. The deceased have not been identified yet.

Further details are awaited.

(With agency inputs)
Thanks to BJPs hatred for criticism, love for communal politics, Mersal is a blockbuster

Search at Vishals office not linked to Mersal: IT dept

After being targeted by BJP, Mersal star Vijay breaks his silence to thank his fans

Mersal controversy: Freedom of expression is for all, says Madras HC

Mersal controversy: Dont demon-etise Tamil pride, says Rahul Gandhi

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday joined the debate on Tamil movie 'Mersal', urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi "demon-etise' Tamil cinema. The Tamil film 'Mersal' is under the spotlight for criticising GST and demonetisation- decisions made by the Prime Minister and his colleagues.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal."

Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don't try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 21, 2017

Earlier, Chidambaram had said: "Notice to filmmakers: Law is coming, you can only make documentaries praising government's policies."

BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 21, 2017

Read more: [Mersal controversy: IMA objects to portrayal of doctors in bad light]

In a subsequent post, he alluded to the movie Mersal starring popular Tamil actor Vijay.

Tamil Nadu BJP leaders have said that scenes from the movie criticising the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Digital India campaign must be removed since they are inaccurate.

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

'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?

Mersal controversy: IMA objects to portrayal of doctors in bad light

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Amid sparring among political parties in the wake of dialogues criticizing BJP government policies in Vijay-starrer 'Mersal', the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, disapproved of the representation of doctors in the movie as a whole and government hospitals in particular as "untrue and in cheap taste".

President of the Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu Branch, T.N. Ravisankar said he objected the way doctors had been portrayed in the film.

IMA TN objects to how doctors in govt hospitals & medical community has been projected in #Mersal: Pres, Indian Medical Assoc, Tamil Nadu pic.twitter.com/MIyeCgKI9l  ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2017

In one of scenes in the movie, Vijay says people go to private hospitals because of government hospitals fail to offer good services. "He also say we use this profession only to make money," Dr Ravishankar said.

The doctors' association asked government doctors to ignore such movies and concentrate on dengue prevention work.

In the movie, SJ Surya plays the role of a an evil, business-minded doctor.

In the film, Vijay, asks why India cannot provide universal health care despite charging a 28% GST, while Singapore, which only charges 7%, could provide free healthcare.

OneIndia News
Devout Hindu Rishi Sunak shares Diwali wishes from NO 10: Says our children will light Diyas

When is Dev Diwali 2022? November 7th or November 8th? Know timings, significance and more

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

First time in 2 decades, currency in circulation declines in Diwali week: SBI Research

Muzaffarnagar: Several Dalits injured in clashes over burning of crackers

India

pti-PTI

Muzaffarnagar, October 21: Several people from the Dalit community were injured in a clash at Muzaffarnagar's Charthawal town after some Dalit youths opposed the bursting of crackers by another group.

"Two persons have been arrested and a case has been registered against 30 people," police out-post in-charge Naresh Bhati said.

Security has been tightened in the town and police personnel have been deployed to thwart any untoward incident, he said.

In another incident, at least six people were injured after two groups clashed over bursting of firecrackers at Kirti village, the police said.

An officer at the Khatoli police station said the injured have been admitted to a hospital and the matter is being investigated.

PTI
Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Police Commemoration Day: Nation pays homage to fallen policemen

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Police Commemoration Day is being observed on Saturday. The day commemorates the sacrifices of ten policemen while defending our borders with China in 1959. Indian Police personnel were responsible for manning the 2,500 mile long border of India with Tibet until the autumn of 1959.

The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh attended the Police Commemoration Day Parade at the Police Memorial Ground. On the occasion, he also laid wreath and pay homage at the Police Memorial.

So far since Independence, 34,418 Police personnel have sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the integrity of the nation and providing security to people of this country. During the last one year, from September 2016 to August 2017, 383 Police personnel have laid down their lives.

10 police personnel martyred On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in North Eastern Ladakh in preparation for further movement of an Indian expedition which was on its way to Lanak La. While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs by the afternoon of that day, the third one comprising of two Police Constables and a Porter did not return. All available personnel were mobilized early next morning in search of the missing personnel. A party of about 20 Police personnel led by Shri Karam Singh, DCIO proceeded ahead on horseback, while other followed on foot in three Sections. At about mid day, Chinese Army personnel were seen on a hillock who opened fire and threw grenades at the party led by Shri Karam Singh. Since there was no cover, most personnel were injured.

Ten of our brave Police Personnel attained martyrdom and seven others sustained injuries. Pic courtesy: @crpfindia Memorial at Hot Springs in Ladakh The seven injured were taken prisoners by the Chinese while the remaining managed to escape. Bodies of the ten personnel were returned by the Chinese only on November 13, 1959, a full three weeks after the incident. These bodies were cremated with full Police honours at Hot Springs. The Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January 1960 decided that October 21 would henceforth be observed as 'Commemoration Day' in all Police Lines throughout India to mark the memory of these gallant personnel who were killed in Ladakh and all other Police personnel killed on duty during the year. It was also decided to erect a memorial at Hot Springs and, every year, members of Police Forces from different parts of the country trek to Hot Springs to pay homage to those gallant martyrs. Pic Courtesy: @crpfindia Sashastra Seema Bal pays homage 'Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die...'

A salute from the soul to all bravehearts. Pic courtesy:@DGSSB Maharashtra CM at Police Headquarters Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pays tributes to brave policemen and remembers their sacrifice for the nation at Police Headquarters, Naigaon, Mumbai. Pic courtesy: @Dev_Fadnavis

OneIndia News
Radicalization taking place in J&K, but Army addressing it seriously: Bipin Rawat

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Army Chief Bipin Rawat, who is in Jammu and Kashmir to review security, said radicalization is taking place in the state, but security forces are addressing the issue seriously.

Army Chief blamed social media for radicalisation in the state, saying "it is a worldwide phenomenon and we are addressing it seriously."

He said Jammu and Kashmir government, Police and administration are trying to ensure people have weaned away from radicalization.

Speaking on the current situation in the valley, Rawat said, "Security situation in Kashmir valley improving; what is happening, just shows the frustration of terrorists."

The military has a task and we will continue to perform that task, the decision on any talks has to be decided politically.

"In Kashmir, we are following government approach and NIA raids is part of it, whatever success it achieved will emerge in future," he added.

OneIndia News
Elements of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interception system arrive in Seongju, South Korea, on Sept. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States and its allies attempted to gain military advantages and use force to reach "egoistic geopolitical goals," which will seriously undermine global strategic stability, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"The United States and its allies in Europe, the Asia-Pacific and other regions seek to create a global missile defense system and move its elements closer to Russian borders," he said at the Moscow 2017 Non-Proliferation Conference.

Russia's calls for joint work on containing such risks in Europe remain unanswered, he said.

Moscow is also monitoring with concern the implementation of plans to modernize nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, Lavrov said.

The move, together with efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to adopt dual-use delivery vehicles fit for conventional and nuclear munitions, could lower the threshold of using nuclear weapons, he said.

He said that Russia has consistently demanded the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons to its homeland and the cessation of NATO training of non-nuclear countries to use nuclear weapons.

Moscow has also repeatedly pledged its commitment to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, but "Washington kept on advancing groundless accusations that Russia violated it," Lavrov said.

"This attitude is not helping solve the problems with the treaty," he said.

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 by the former Soviet Union and the United States to ban the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 miles (483 km) to 3,400 miles (5,472 km).
Rajasthan govt institutionalising corruption': Congress on ordinance shielding babus

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Congress on Saturday lashed out at the Vasundhara Raje-led government in Rajasthan for passing an ordinance which seeks to protect government servants from being investigated for on-duty action.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot told news agency ANI that the state government is trying to safeguard the interest of people through whom they conduct corruption scandals in Rajasthan.

"Absolutely shocked by how state govt is trying to institutionalise corruption," he said.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on September 7, also seeks to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe is obtained.

"No magistrate shall order an investigation nor will any investigation be conducted against a person, who is or was a judge or a magistrate or a public servant," reads the ordinance which provides 180 days immunity to the officers.

If there is no decision on the sanction request post the stipulated time period, it will automatically mean that sanction has been granted. The ordinance amends the Criminal Code of Procedure, 1973 and also seeks curb on publishing and printing or publicising, in any case, the name, address, photograph, family details of the public servants. Violating the clause would call for two years imprisonment.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 17:43 [IST]
Mumbai: 16 year old girl punched in the nose for objecting to noise

India

oi-Amitava

By Amitava

The incident of alleged physical and sexual assault of a minor in Mumbai with onlookers failing to react has put a question on how safe the city or as a whole the country is for women and children. The incident has also put to question the role of the police.

Mumbai is considered to be a relatively safe city for women and children where residents are quick to react to any such incident. However the incident of October 17 seems to say otherwise.

The video footage shows the girl being physically and sexually assaulted while 4 onlookers remain mere spectators at Nehru Nagar, Mumbai. The girl puts on a brave fight but is overpowered by the attacker.

Though a complaint was lodged at the Nehru Nagar and the assaulter was arrested, he was later released on bail claims CNN News18.

The assaulter was charged with Sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.

"Such assaulters should be charged under more stringent laws including Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO.) Bystanders should also react. They could have easily overpowered one assaulter. As responsible citizens we all have moral responsibilities" demanded Kabita Saxena of Woman and Child Welfare Foundation, Mumbai talking to Oneindia.

Political parties have come down heavily criticizing the incident. Shaina NC, BJP Spokesperson stated that a BJP delegation had met the Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister who has assured of stringent action. "We are hoping of a landmark judgement in this case" stated the BJP Spokesperson.

Many are of the opinion that fear of future legal complexities compel residents to remain mere spectators. In such cases Good Samaritan laws need to be enacted as empowered by the Supreme Court helping citizens helping victims in road accidents.

Even the social media should be used to spread awareness. "Social networking is a very powerful tool. One can use it to spread awareness and launch campaigns empowering citizens and prompting them to react to such situation" stated Nirnay John who runs an NGO MARG effectively combating human trafficking.

Nirnay referred to the social media network campaign "Touch Me Not" launched by 26 year old Anita Ramesh of Bangalore on the wake of the mass molestation incident of New Year's eve celebration on MG Road, Bengaluru in 2016 where women revelers were targeted and allegedly mass molested.

The campaign had appealed to the residents of Bengaluru to step out and protest.

OneIndia News
Another propaganda busted, but will the anti-Hindu rhetoric in the West end

RSS worker shot dead in Uttar Pradesh

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

An RSS worker and local journalist was short dead in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The incident occurred at Ghazipur, Karanda.

Rajesh Mishra was at his shop when bike borne men shot at him. Mishra's brother who was also at the shop with him has been critically injured.

The incident comes barely a few days after an RSS worker, Ravindra Gosai was shot dead in Punjab. Gosai was out on a walk when two persons shot him fatally on the neck. Gosai was the chief of the Raghunath Nagar Shakha in Ludhiana. Following the incident, the Punjab government decided to hand over the probe to the National Investigation Agency.

OneIndia News
Nitish avoids speaking anything against friend-turned-foe Sharad Yadav in his daughter's constituency

Sharad Yadav faction announces election to JD(U) posts

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, October 21: The Sharad Yadav faction of the Janata Dal (United) Party Saturday announced election to party posts on March 11. Also, the party released a list of interim office- bearers, including Chhotu Bhai Vasava as working president and Ali Anwar as one of the vice-presidents.

Yadav also released a list of presidents of party units in states at a press briefing. Members of an ad hoc committee for Bihar were also announced, which will be headed by former minister Ramai Ram.

Yadav had earlier approached the Election Commission staking claim over the JD(U)'s election symbol.

He said today at the press conference that the group had produced 429 affidavits in support of its claim.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) has also submitted affidavits of its MPs and MLAs in support of Kumar's leadership.

This faction has maintained that an overwhelming number of its party leaders are with Nitish Kumar and only a handful of them support Yadav.

They have also approached Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and filed a plea seeking disqualification of its rebel MPs -- Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar.

In response to a question about a notice from the Rajya Sabha asking the two MPs to appear before the chairman, Yadav told reporters that his "lawyers were examining the matter".

Yadav has come out against Kumar tying up with the BJP and joining NDA. He has joined hands with the Congress and opposition parties.

On the controversy over the Election Commission allegedly delaying the announcement of schedule for Gujarat elections, Yadav told reporters that the body must maintain the role of an "honest referee".

"The decision not to announce elections to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh simultaneously was not correct...This has happened for the first time.

I want to say to those who are in EC that their predecessors were fair and unbiased despite different kinds of pressures and worked like honest referees," Yadav said.

"They have forgotten their promises and are talking about mandir (temple) and masjid (mosque)," Yadav said, in an apparent reference to alleged communal polarisation.

He also hit out at the government for not fulfilling its promises on employment generation, farmers' welfare and instead creating controversies around the Taj Mahal.

PTI
The outcast, untouched, unseen victims of Swachh Bharat

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

We all would like to think that India as a country - the largest democracy in the world, has progressed by leaps and bounds over the 70 years of Independence, we would like to believe that with every passing day India is fighting casteism, accountability and every social evil, however, it is very disheartening to say that India still has a long way to go.

India will truly be considered progressive when each and every citizen of the country will be able to practice their fundamental rights, even the manual scavengers.

Manual scavenging is still prevalent in the country under the garb of names such as 'motor loaders' which do not reveal the pain and torture attached to the nature of the job, which is not only casteist but also prohibited under the Indian law. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 and The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 or M.S. Act 2013 prohibits the dehumanizing practice where workers are made to carry waste and human excreta from pit latrines or dry latrines with basket and brooms, get inside sewer holes without any mask and safety precautions. Many have even lost

their lives in the process.

Oneindia spoke to Sunil Yadav, a manual scavenger, who is pursuing Ph-D in State, labour processes and Caste Identity in India: A Case Study of Scavenging Workers in Mumbai, from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. His ambition - to bring in development in the profession of cleaning, so that the workers employed are not deprived of their basic rights and dignity. Sunil was recently in the National Capital to attend a conference on improving laws and policies in the global labour laws, which was attended by representatives from 45 countries.

Hailing from the City of Dreams - Mumbai, the finance capital of India, Sunil Yadav started working as a manual scavenger or Safai Karmachari from the age of 25. Sunil recalled the horror that he went through on the first day of his work as a manual scavenger, he said, "I felt that it was worse than hell. I was knee-deep in garbage without any uniform. I did not know what I was supposed to do, I had to support my family anyhow. I thought about it the whole day, the smell of garbage was not going off."

Sunil's father suffered from 97% paralysis and his mom was earning a living for the family of six, that's when Sunil had to take up this dreaded job. Sunil said that his father was addicted to drugs and alcohol.

"I now realised why my father took to drugs and alcohol, what else would a man do after spending most of his day inside garbage?" Sunil said.

Sunil also spoke of the cruelty involved in the practice, wherein workers are not allowed to take breaks. He said, "Nobody cares about your life in this profession. Senior officers would make one person do the job of four people, and for all 30 days a month."

Moreover, according to data and reports, most of the people employed in the profession belong to a particular community - Dalits. Sunil said, "Only Dalits are working as manual scavengers and are intentionally chosen by others only for this job. Discrimination on the ground of caste is still very pervasive in the system."

He also pointed out at the problems women workers have to face regularly. He said, "India is a patriarchal country, we have huge gender-related problem in the profession. First they are women, and second they belong to the Dalit community, they are the minority in the minorities, they have to face sexual harassment almost on a regular basis."

He asked, "The way the profession functions at presents is absolutely against the labour laws. Are labour laws not applicable on safai karmacharis? Are we not citizens of the country ?"

Sunil expressed his frustration with the way the workers are treated and looked down upon by the senior officials in the profession, he said "In spite of having better qualifications that most in the senior level, I was denied the position of Labour Officer only because of my caste. A former municipal commissioner of Mumbai, IAS officer Sitaram Kunte once told him - If you people want to study, who will do the cleaning job?

Sunil also called out the cunning practices and strategies adopted to hide the dark business of employment of people in a profession that strips one off basic dignity of life. He said, ' We were included within the four pillars of labour categories only after the 1993 Act, even after that only the name of the profession was changed from that of manual scavengers to motor loaders, but nothing else. We still did the same job. We never had any increase in our salaries. The trainee labourers or the ones who were not permanent yet, do not even receive minimum wages."

"It is said that we voluntarily do this job, but who would want to drown in garbage voluntarily?" He asked.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat campaign, Sunil said, "Only cleaning dry leaves with big brooms will not keep India clean, please get into sewer holes with us and see how it feels."

When asked that in spite of being so highly qualified why does he continue to work as a manual scavenger, Sunil said, "I am at a point of life where I have struggled a lot, I have worked as a manual scavenger and I have also been able to continue my education along with it. Now I can't leave my community suddenly, my struggle is to be able to work for the dignity of those in the profession and ensure that they know about their rights and that they too have the right to dignity."

Sunil wants the implementation of technological advancements in this profession, he said, "Cleaning work is happening all over the world, but the workers there are not treated in this manner."

Along with implementation of technological advancements, he also wants

proper training and rehabilitation of workers, he said, "Along with bringing in new technology, workers must be trained and rehabilitated.

Technology must not snatch away the livelihood of people. As soon as technology will be incorporated, people from higher castes will also join the profession, but that again should not affect the employment of the ones who had been doing the job so far."

"BMC has machines but they are not being able to use them in the narrow lanes of Mumbai, we need scientific intervention," Sunil added.

Sunil said that he has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread awareness on the issue.

Sunil's 10-year-old daughter studies in an international school, and he takes immense pride in the fact that his daughter, unlike him, speaks fluent English and also helps him with writing official letters. He also is educating is wife in Law. He said, "Awazein daabni nahi chahiye, uthni chaiye (Voices should not be suppressed, but raised)."

"I do not want to set an example, people expect a lot from me and I cannot leave the battle mid-way now," Sunil added saying that he gets calls from across the country hailing him as a source of inspiration.

Sunil has multiple degrees and qualifications and yet continues to fight for the rights of others who go through the daily torture because of lack of means, and more importantly lack of awareness.

Sunil indeed is an inspiration to the many. There are many Sunils in the country today, it's about time that we hear out their stories, their dream for a change, their fight for a New India.

OneIndia News
TSPSC Forest Officer Recruitment Exam 2017 hall tickets released, how to download

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The hall tickets for the TSPSC Forest Section Officer Hall Tickets have been released. The hall tickets are available on the official website.

Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has released the hall tickets for written examination to the post of forest section officer in Forest Department. The TSPSC hall tickets or admit cards for this OMR based examination (General Recuitment) of forest section officer can be accessed from the official website of the commission. This TSPSC recruitment process began few days after August 15, when Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has said that the government is all set to fill up close to 85000 jobs.

TSPSC has also released the hall tickets of Civil Assistant Surgeons (Specialist) in Telangana Vaidya Vidana Parishad computer based recruitment test. The hall tickets are available on tspsc.gov.in.

How to download TSPSC Forest Officer Recruitment Exam 2017 hall tickets:

Go to tspsc.gov.in

Click on the hall ticket link from the home page

Enter TSPSC ID and Date of Birth in the next page

Download your hall ticket

Take a printout

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 7:14 [IST]
Climate conference: Rich nations must take blame and aid the poor

35 police, troops die in clashes with Islamists in Egypt

International

pti-PTI

Cairo, October 21: In clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis in the country's the Western Desert, at least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers have been killed, security and medical sources said.

An interior ministry statement confirmed the yesterday's incident and said some of the "terrorist" attackers had died, without giving any figures for casualties or further details.

The small extremist group Hasm claimed the attack, saying in a statement that 28 members of the security forces were killed, with 32 injured.

Since the army removed President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, extremist groups have increased their attacks on the country's military and police.

Authorities have been fighting the Egyptian branch of the jihadist group Islamic State, which has increased its attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in the attacks. Hasm has claimed multiple attacks since 2016 on police, officials and judges in Cairo. In their statements, the groups do not claim any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.

PTI
China meddling in Naga peace talks, but this is how India is hitting back

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

On expected lines, China has been meddling with the ongoing peace talks in Nagaland. The NSCN(K) which ought to have been a player in the talks has been stopped by China, Intelligence Bureau reports state.

The frequent meetings between the Chinese and the NSCN(K) leaders at Ruli and Kunming in South China's Yunnan province has been reported by the intelligence agencies. The Chinese hold at least 2 meetings in a month with this faction at these places to ensure that the peace talks are stalled the IB also reported.

Following the death of NSCN(K) boss, S S Khaplang, China oversaw the transition in the outfit. China ensured that self-styled "Lt Gen" Khango Konak took over the outfit following Khaplang's death in June.

The report also states that China constantly dissuades the faction from joining the pace talks. The outfit is under tremendous pressure from various quarters especially those in civil society to join the peace talks. However China has ensured that the group does not enter into talks with the government of India.

For the NSCN(K) the situation is a difficult one. If it continues to tow China's line, then it runs the risk the losing support from the civil society. The Indian agencies on the other hand are engaging with members in the civil society to ensure that the pressure on the outfit is high so that it joins the peace talks.

India is also ensuring that it engages with Konak constantly. Unlike Khaplang the new leader is in favour of joining the peace talks. It may be recalled that Khaplang had unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire in March 2015.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 7:41 [IST]
Clear that Modi wants peace with Pak, but not at security cost: US official

International

oi-PTI

Ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's maiden visit to India and Pakistan next week, a top Trump administration official has said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot "pursue peace" with Pakistan in a way that "cuts his own security", asserting that it is in the interest of Islamabad to build confidence with New Delhi to restart commercial ties.

The official, with an insight into the administration's policy over South Asia, was responding to questions on what India could do to bring peace and stability in the region, in particular with Pakistan.

"It's clear to everyone that Prime Minister Modi wants peace in the region, but he can't pursue peace (with Pakistan) in a way that cuts against his own security. So that (having peace talks with Pakistan) is up to his judgement," the official, requesting anonymity, told PTI on Friday.

"We want India and Pakistan to talk. We think that is so important for them to talk and to build confidence and to get on a path to regional security and stability which we know would bring both countries to unprecedented levels of prosperity," he said.

PTI

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 10:44 [IST]
Rishi Sunak takes U-turn, says will attend COP27 climate summit in Egypt

Bhupender Yadav to lead Indian delegation to COP 27 climate summit in Egypt

Climate conference: Rich nations must take blame and aid the poor

COP27: For India, environment is a dear cause

Egypt: 55 policemen killed in gunbattle with militants

International

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

At least 55 policemen were killed in the exchange of fire with the militants during a raid on a hideout near Cairo, Egypt.

The gunbattle took place at the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in Giza governorate. A number of suspected militants were also killed and security forces are searching the area, said reports.

The Egyptian authorities have not released an official death toll yet.

The security forces are said to have launched an attack following a lead that eight suspected members of militant group Hasm were in the area.

While the forces were moving towards the area, they were ambushed by militants who fired rocket-propelled grenades and detonated explosive devices.

Militant group Hasm is said to have links with the Islamic State.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 18:56 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 17:46:07|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's private investment has kept growing at steady and sustained pace this year, a senior official said Saturday.

Private investment plays a critical part in Chinese economy, Zhang Yong, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The growth cooled down last year after the country's total fixed-asset investment lost steam and the property and manufacturing sectors underwent a difficult time, he said.

Despite the hardships, private investment increased 6 percent in the first nine months this year, 3.5 percentage points higher than the same period a year ago.

Private investment growth has anchored from last year's weakness, he said.
No decision to provide EWS flats to Rohingya illegal migrants in Delhi: MHA

What about undocumented Indians living abroad: Manish Tewari on BJP's Rohingya threat to nation comment

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

How killer diseases are threatening lives of 590,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Dhaka, Oct 21: Since August 25, when violence broke out in Rakhine state of Myanmar, at least 590,000 Rohingyas have left their homeland to take shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Now, those who are staying at crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar in very unhygienic and inhuman conditions are facing the risks of being killed by water-borne diseases.

The warning has been issued by the United Nations (UN) which is closely monitoring the biggest refugee crisis in the world unfolding in Bangladesh.

According to a UN spokesperson on Friday, nearly 590,000 Rohingya refugees have been admitted to camps in Bangladesh and 320,00 refugee children among them are threatened by water-borne diseases and desperate living conditions.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that 589,000 Rohingyas have left Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since alleged retaliation following a deadly rebel militia attack on August 25 against police posts, said Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman.

"Just over half of the new arrivals in Bangladesh are staying in Kutupalong Expansion," Haq added.

As Rohingyas continue to arrive in Bangladesh in huge batches, aid workers fear that once deadly diseases break out in camps it would be difficult to save the refugees from dying.

The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are taken by bus from the border to a transit center, where the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter, Haq said.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said that desperate living conditions and water-borne diseases are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children, he added.

A new report by the agency said most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and unsanitary makeshift settlements.

Despite an expanding international aid effort led by the government of Bangladesh, the report said that the essential needs of many children are not being met, the spokesman said.

"The UNICEF is also calling for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Rakhine State, as well as for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access."

The UN has recently announced a conference for donors next Monday in Geneva. Officials said they hope to raise $434 million to aid Rohingya refugees and their hosts, some 11.2 million people in all.

Recently, a video footage, captured by a drone, showcased how thousands of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing large-scale violence and persecution in Myanmar and crossing into Bangladesh to save their lives.

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Story first published: Saturday, October 21, 2017, 7:27 [IST]
Japan elections: Incumbent PM Shinzo Abe appears headed to victory

International

pti-PTI

Tokyo, October 21: Media polls indicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition will handily win a general election, likely to retain its two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house of parliament. Japan's leader may have made the right call after all, if not for his country than for himself.

Japanese voters may not love Abe, but they appear to want to stick with what they know, rather than hand the reins to an opposition with little or no track record.

Uncertainty over North Korea and its growing missile and nuclear arsenal may be heightening that underlying conservatism.

"I buy into Prime Minister Abe's ability to handle diplomacy," said Naomi Mochida, a 51-year-old woman listening to Abe campaign earlier this week in Saitama prefecture, outside of Tokyo.

"I think the most serious threat we face now is the North Korea situation. I feel Prime Minister Abe has been showing the best tactics to handle the situation, compared to other politicians including past prime ministers."

Abe dissolved the lower house a little more than three weeks ago on the day it convened for a special session, forcing the snap election.

The timing seemed ripe for his ruling Liberal-Democratic Party, or at least better than waiting. Support for Abe's Cabinet, the standard measure of a government's popularity in Japan, had bounced back from summertime lows.

The main opposition force, the Democratic Party, was in more disarray than usual after its leader had resigned. Holding off would only give a potential rival, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, more time to organise a challenge.

The election is "mainly about the Abe administration trying to lock in its position ... and with success, get Prime Minister Abe re-elected as president of the LDP in September and rule until after the Tokyo Olympics, until 2021," Michael Green, a Japan expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, said on a call with journalists. Koike, her hand forced by Abe's decision, hastily launched a new party to contest the election.

Her Party of Hope briefly stole the limelight from Abe, attracting a slew of defectors from the Democrats.

Its populist platform includes phasing out nuclear power by 2030, and putting on hold an increase in the consumption tax due in 2019. But Abe's gambit appears to be paying off.

The initial excitement for the Party of Hope has waned. Koike, the party leader, decided not to run for the 465-seat lower house and won't even be in Japan on election day.

She is heading to Paris for a global conference of mayors that will discuss issues such as climate change.

The Democratic Party has imploded. Its more liberal members have launched a party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which is now outpolling the Party of Hope.

PTI
With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones

Missing Pak journalist fighting for jailed Indian rescued after 2 years

International

pti-PTI

Zeenat Shahzadi, a 26-year-old Pakistani journalist who went missing in 2015 while helping an Indian prisoner, has finally been rescued.

Zeenat reporter of Daily Nai Khaber and Metro News TV channel, went missing on August 19, 2015, when some unidentified men allegedly kidnapped her while she was en route to her office in an auto-rickshaw from her home in a populated locality of Lahore.

Shahzadi was believed to have 'forcibly disappeared' while working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari, before her abduction. Ansari went missing within the country in November 2012.

Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) President Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said last evening that Shahzadi had been rescued from an area on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border on Thursday night.

"Non-state actors and anti-state agencies had abducted her and she has been rescued from their custody," Iqbal said, adding tribals from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces had played a key role in her recovery.

"Zeenat Shahzadi today has been reunited with her family in Lahore and we are happy for her safe recovery. I am thrilled that she is home safe," rights activist Beena Sarwar said.

Unable to withstand the loss, Shahzadi's brother Saddam Hussain committed suicide in March last year, making her disappearance the focus of headlines again.

"Helping an Indian prisoner -- Hamid Ansari -- in Pakistan has cost us dearly. My sister is missing and my younger brother (Saddam) who was deeply attached to her hanged himself after losing hope to get reunited with her," Salman Latif, brother of Shahzadi, had told PTI.

"My sister has not committed any crime in helping an Indian national," he said.

Two years ago, Shahzadi had filed an application with the Supreme Court's Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, the mother of Indian national Hamid Ansari, who had gone missing in Pakistan since November, 2012.

She secured in August, 2013 a special power of attorney from Ansari's mother. She also pursued his case in the Peshawar High Court.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Shahzadi submitted application to the CIED that ordered registration of the FIR in 2014. At the same time, she also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Peshawar High Court.

A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful.

"Zeenat received threats from unknown persons who asked her not to pursue the case anymore. We also asked her not to put her life at risk but she said she wanted to help Ansari out of humanity. When she spoke to Ansari's mother she literally cried along with her and vowed to help," Latif said.

Ansari was sentenced to three years' imprisonment reportedly by a military court on charges of illegally entering Pakistan and 'spying'. He is still in jail.

PTI
Pakistan passes Bill to give right of appeal to Kulbhushan Jadhav

Pakistan gives Kulbhushan Jadhav right to appeal against death sentence

Our envoy met Sushma but no discussion on Jadhav: Pakistan

International

pti-PTI

Pakistan on Saturday said its High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, but dismissed as "speculative" the reports in media that the two discussed the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Foreign Office issued a statement after reports in media claimed that Swaraj asked Mahmood to drop all charges against Jadhav and send him back for any progress in bilateral ties.

46-year-old Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April for his alleged involvement in espionage and terrorist activities. The International Court of Justice in May halted his execution on India's appeal.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria confirmed that Mahmood met Swaraj on October 17 but asserted that it was a routine meeting by the diplomat who recently assumed office as Pakistan's new High Commissioner to India.

"While broad contours of bilateral relations were deliberated upon during this interaction, no specific case came under discussion. Therefore, the reports appearing in the Indian media are speculative," Zakaria said.

He also said that the meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.

"The Minister and the High Commissioner took stock of the current state of Pakistan-India relations," he said.
With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones

CIA contradicts Pakistan, says Canadian couple held hostage for 5 years

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The US-Canadian couple kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan had been held for five years inside Pakistan before being freed, chief of the CIA Mike Pompeo said. This statement contradicts the claim made by the Pakistan army that the hostages were rescued shortly after entering the country from Afghanistan.

"The couple had been held for five years inside Pakistan," Pompeo said on Thursday during a wide-ranging discussion at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington-based think-tank.

His remarks contradicts the Pakistan Army which had said in a statement that the hostages "were captured by terrorists from Afghanistan during 2012 and kept as hostages there."

Caitlan Coleman, an American citizen, and her husband Joshua Boyle, a Canadian citizen, were kidnapped in 2012 in Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip.

Coleman, 31, was pregnant at the time of abduction. All of the couple's three children were born in captivity.

The Pakistan Army statement issued on October 12 did not identify the group which had held the family captive, but the US leadership have blamed Haqqani Network as the perpetrators.

After the recovery of hostages, the Pakistan military officials emphasised the importance of co-operation and intelligence sharing by Washington.

"The success underscores the importance of timely intelligence sharing and Pakistan's continued commitment towards fighting this menace through cooperation between two forces against a common enemy," the Army statement said.

The operation came at a time when Pakistan is trying to rebuild bilateral ties frayed after President Donald Trump accused the country of sheltering terror groups.

Trump, in August, had accused Pakistan of harbouring "agents of chaos and terror" and the "very enemy US forces have fighting in Afghanistan" for the past 17 years.

Last week, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had said his country was ready for a joint operation with the US to destroy the Haqqani Network if it provides evidence about the presence of safe havens of the dreaded terror outfit in Pakistan.

The Haqqani network has carried out a number of kidnappings and attacks against US interests in Afghanistan. The group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

US officials believe Pakistan's spy agency ISI maintains close ties with the Haqqani Network and provides safe havens to its top leadership.

"I think history would indicate that the high expectations for the Pakistanis' willingness to help us in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism should be set at a very low level," the CIA chief said.

President Trump has "made it very clear that we are going to do everything we can to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table. To do that, you cannot have a safe haven in Pakistan. The intelligence is very clear," he warned.

Pompeo said "to achieve the objective that the president has set forth in Afghanistan, the capacity of terrorists to cross along the Afghan border and freely hide in Pakistan is prohibited in our capacity to deliver that and so mission is to ensure that safe haven does not exist".

OneIndia News
From Sputnik



Military Power

(Image by thedakotakid) Details DMCA



The ugly row over whether President Trump disrespected the young widow of a fallen American soldier has overshadowed a bigger issue. That is, the increasing number of US military operations across the African continent.

Two weeks ago, Sgt La David Johnson (25) was killed along with three other US special forces troops when Islamist militants ambushed their patrol in the West African country of Niger. Trump got into hot water this week about reported off-hand comments he made to the widow of Green Beret Johnson. The president denies he said anything disrespectful. Although the dead soldier's family says otherwise.

In all the media controversy over what Trump said or didn't say, questions about what US troops are doing in Niger are unfortunately overlooked. Not just Niger, but in dozens of other African nations.

It is reckoned from US army data that there are thousands of special forces and other military personnel carrying out up to 100 missions at any given time in some 24 African states. That's nearly half of all the countries comprising the African continent.

US special forces and surveillance drone operations are deployed in Niger, Chad, Mali and Sudan which all run along the southern Sahara desert. Further south in sub-Saharan Africa, US military are operating in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Uganda, Ethiopia and, of course, Somalia, where they are involved in a state of war against Islamist al Shabab militants.

The deployment of US troops in Africa was first stepped up under President GW Bush when his administration formed AFRICOM in 2007, a whole US command dedicated to the continent. Subsequently, under President Barack Obama, the American deployments increased further. Now under President Trump, the US force presence is reckoned to be at its highest level yet.

The official explanation is that American soldiers, Navy and air power, as well as CIA clandestine operations, are there to counter terror groups, who could plan and mount strikes on Europe and North America.

True, there are several dangerous terror networks active in various African states, from al Shabaab in Somalia, to Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Qaeda in the Maghreb. The latter has affiliates in Algeria, Mali, Chad and Niger where the US troops were killed recently along with a number of local forces they were supporting.

But there is more than a suspicion that the US is using the cover of combating terrorism to conceal and project its real objective, which is to exert its influence over African nations. One observation for raising doubts is that the problem of these terror groups has actually grown more rapidly after the US troops started to be deployed in larger numbers under President Bush. Echoes of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria here.

When Trump hosted several African leaders last month in New York during the UN annual congress he told them that his American investor friends were hot-footing it to the continent "to make a lot of money." Typical of Trump, everything is reduced to filthy lucre. Now he may have been trying to charm his guests with a little light-hearted banter, but there's much more to the joke. Africa is indeed seen as the continent of the future owing to its prodigious and still largely untapped resources.

The trouble for America and other Western powers is that China has stolen a march on them in terms of cultivating investments and harnessing resources across Africa. Under President Xi Jinping, China has investment projects worth an estimated $60 billion in dozens of African countries. This is way ahead of what the Americans or Europeans have invested.

Earlier this year, China opened its first ever overseas military base, in the East African country of Djibouti. That's still small news compared with the reported 46 military bases that the US has across the continent.

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From John Pilger Website

On 16 October, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired an interview with Hillary Clinton: one of many to promote her score-settling book about why she was not elected President of the United States.

Wading through the Clinton book, What Happened, is an unpleasant experience, like a stomach upset. Smears and tears. Threats and enemies. "They" (voters) were brainwashed and herded against her by the odious Donald Trump in cahoots with sinister Slavs sent from the great darkness known as Russia, assisted by an Australian "nihilist," Julian Assange.

In The New York Times, there was a striking photograph of a female reporter consoling Clinton, having just interviewed her. The lost leader was, above all, "absolutely a feminist." The thousands of women's lives this "feminist" destroyed while in government -- Libya, Syria, Honduras -- were of no interest.

In New York magazine, Rebecca Trainster wrote that Clinton was finally "expressing some righteous anger." It was even hard for her to smile: "so hard that the muscles in her face ache." Surely, she concluded, "if we allowed women's resentments the same bearing we allow men's grudges, America would be forced to reckon with the fact that all these angry women might just have a point."

Drivel such as this, trivializing women's struggles, marks the media hagiographies of Hillary Clinton. Her political extremism and warmongering are of no consequence. Her problem, wrote Trainster, was a "damaging infatuation with the email story." The truth, in other words.

The leaked emails of Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, revealed a direct connection between Clinton and the foundation and funding of organized jihadism in the Middle East and Islamic State (IS). The ultimate source of most Islamic terrorism, Saudi Arabia, was central to her career.

One email, in 2014, sent by Clinton to Podesta soon after she stepped down as US Secretary of State, discloses that Islamic State is funded by the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Clinton accepted huge donations from both governments for the Clinton Foundation.

As Secretary of State, she approved the world's biggest ever arms sale to her benefactors in Saudi Arabia, worth more than $80 billion. Thanks to her, US arms sales to the world -- for use in stricken countries like Yemen -- doubled.

This was revealed by WikiLeaks and published by The New York Times. No one doubts the emails are authentic. The subsequent campaign to smear WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief, Julian Assange, as "agents of Russia," has grown into a spectacular fantasy known as "Russiagate." The "plot" is said to have been signed off by Vladimir Putin himself. There is not a shred of evidence.

The ABC Australia interview with Clinton is an outstanding example of smear and censorship by omission. I would say it is a model.

"No one," the interviewer, Sarah Ferguson, says to Clinton, "could fail to be moved by the pain on your face at that moment [of the inauguration of Trump] ... Do you remember how visceral it was for you?"

Having established Clinton's visceral suffering, Ferguson asks about "Russia's role."

CLINTON: I think Russia affected the perceptions and views of millions of voters, we now know. I think that their intention coming from the very top with Putin was to hurt me and to help Trump.

FERGUSON: How much of that was a personal vendetta by Vladimir Putin against you?

CLINTON: ... I mean he wants to destabilize democracy. He wants to undermine America, he wants to go after the Atlantic Alliance and we consider Australia kind of a ... an extension of that ...

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The US is more reliable than the Russian as far as Kurdish people concerned. Russian betrayed Kurds in Iran after Iran offered them oil deals in 1946. The US supported Kurds in Syria despite Turkey and Saudi Arabia pressure. ISIS Islamic Sunni Arab terrorist forces attacked Kurdish people with the help of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Barzani of Kurds. ISIS Islamic terrorist committed genocide against Yazidi Kurds while alliance above went on supporting them. The US in critical time helped Kurdish self defence.

Today Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah of Lebanon, and Turkey are helping President Bashar al-Assad's government survive while calling on Syrian Kurds to negotiate with the Syrian regime for the peaceful settlement.

Russian business with Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey are growing rapidly; it means only one thing, that Russian is ready to sell out Kurds for business benefit.

The US government is in need for business benefit too, but not betrayed Barzani when he wanted to hold the referendum with help of Turkey and Israel. The US secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson wrote the letter to Barzani before the referendum, which offered the US help in writing. The offer promised U.S. and U.N. support for a one-year dialogue between the Kurds and the government in Baghdad to address a number of outstanding issues that have roiled that relationship in recent years. The ally does that in critical time but Massoud Barzani rejected the US offer.

Russia did not offer President of Mahabad Kurdish republic anything in 1946.

Also, KCK of Kurds (Parliament of Kurds) are not depending on any power in the world for Kurdish people's protection but they are seeking the reliable ally in the world too. The US needs the reliable ally in the Middle East for mutual benefit. YPG and YPJ provided the US such alliances. It is up to the US government performance from now on.

Reference

Russia calls on Kurdish parties to negotiate with Syrian regime

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/ae86a9bb-34d7-479f-86db-7bfb8c769e93/Russia-calls-on-Kurdish-parties-to-negotiate-with-Syrian-regime

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the government could discuss the Kurdish demand once Islamic State is defeated

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-kurds/damascus-says-syrian-kurdish-autonomy-negotiable-report-idUSKCN1C10TJ

Kurds ready to negotiate with Syrian government 'to save blood of Syrians'

http://theregion.org/article/11767-kurds-ready-to-negotiate-with-syrian-government-to-save-blood-of-syrians

Tillerson Letters Show U.S. Nearly Averted Kurdish Referendum
I got a slick email yesterday from Speaker Paul Ryan's office about the GOP's scheme to cut taxes for billionaires and giant corporations.



It says:

"The rules are rigged ... You deserve a level playing field."

Are you kidding me?!?





There's no money to spend on fixing our roads and bridges that help our businesses thrive and put Americans back to work. There's no money to spend on Head Start or Pell Grants or refinancing student loans to give our kids a chance to succeed. There's no money to spend on medical and scientific research to create a big pipeline of ideas and build a future we've only dreamed of.



Yes, the rules are rigged -- and we are not fighting on a level playing field.



The corporate giants are lined up with their armies of lawyers and lobbyists to make sure Paul Ryan's tax changes tilt their way. The billionaire Koch brothers are whispering in his ear that if the Republicans want to keep control of the House in 2018, this is the price they'll pay. The billionaires want a return on their investment in elected Republican officials.



America's working families don't have zillion-dollar public relations teams to counter the false claim that corporations pay too much. Small businesses don't have zillion-dollar lobbying operation to fight back against tax giveaways for giant corporations.



They have you -- people in Massachusetts and all across the country -- who are willing to speak out and fight back against his gruesome tax plan. This is about more than economics -- it's about our values.



It's time to say as loudly as we can: Washington shouldn't work for the rich and powerful -- it should work for working families.



Thanks for being a part of this...
This is a word that has been kept in the dark, hidden and avoided. But it is a word that we should all be aware of and using every day.

We should be using it--and it is, in my opinion, a dirty word-- to identify the enemy of democracy, the enemy of justice, the enemy of the middle class and the ninety-nine percent.

The word is neoliberal or neoliberalism. Neoliberals are reptilian, predatory scum, nothing less. They are selfish, exploiting, thieving, ugly monsters. And they make up most of the Democrat party and just about all of the Republican party.

Neoliberals make up the leadership of the DNC.

What does it mean to be a neoliberal?

First, not all neoliberals hide it. Milton Friedman, one of the most evil men in modern history, and the jackals and hyenas he taught at the University of Chicago economics department embraced the name. But that was a few decades ago. Naomi Klein, in her landmark book, The Shock Doctrine, described how Friedman and his students went out in the world aiming at eliminating corporate regulations that protected the environment, workers, consumers. They helped authoritarian dictators to destroy workers, to wipe out democracy. That's who neoliberals are.

George Monbiot describes it as vicious ideology that advocates Extreme individualism and extreme competition.

He told me, in our interview,

"The basic human values are shared by 99% of the population and they are altruism, empathy, kindness, community feeling, and benevolence. We are an extraordinary species but that good nature has been thwarted by powerful and nefarious forces who are the neoliberal group of economists and politicians and journalists who have done everything they possibly can to push selfishness and greed to the front of our minds."

"Neoliberalism conceives human society as basically being a market which determines who the winners are and who the losers are and that government should not seek to change those social outcomes. Whoever comes out on top deserves in this sort of social Darwinist framing to come out on top. And whoever comes out of the bottom deserves to come out on the bottom. And if you don't have a job, if you don't have an income, that's your fault. Structural issues like mass unemployment or the closing down of the industries in your town or whatever, that's got nothing to do with it you are unemployed because you are lazy and feckless and you just want to suck the teat of the state."

Monbiot continued to describe how neoliberals think, saying,

"Through the extreme competition and individualism, certain people are going to come to the top and become extremely wealthy. And their wealth is going to trickle down and enrich everyone. So it's going to be good for all of us. That's the story. Inequality is a good thing under neoliberalism, because that allows the rich the total freedom to blaze those trails and to do what they want. And and the richer they become apparently the richer all we'll come despite the fact that it's creating massive inequality nothing should be allowed to interfere with them there should be a trade unions should be basically stamped out taxes on the rich should be stamped out to the greatest extent possible and all public protections should be removed which possibly can be in order to grant them that freedom. And if this sounds like a self-serving racket, that is because it is a self-serving racket."

Monbiot proposes that to defeat and replace neoliberalism we must come up with a new, competing story, is more attractive and believable than the story neoliberals tell, which Monbiot describes here;

"The neoliberal story says the land was thrown into disorder by the nefarious activities of the over-powerful state, the collectivizing state, which even in its apparently benign forms like the u.s. New Deal or the British welfare state will inevitably take us to totalitarianism. "Hayek called his first famous book the Road to Serfdom. And he says that even the New Deal was on a spectrum with Nazism and Stalinism because it crushes individualism. It crushes opportunity and freedom by interfering with the natural hierarchy of winners and losers and therefore throws the land into disorder and will lead to - - to dictatorship but the hero of the story is the entrepreneur, the free market businessperson who, through buying and selling confronts those nefarious and powerful forces of the state and restores order in in the form of the free market society in which individualism and freedom and opportunity will be returned therefore bringing order back to the land."

Monbiot points out that with the 2008 crash, the neoliberal story "hit the rocks," but there was no story to replace it. He proposes a story to replace it. It's described in his book, Out of the Wreckage; A new politics for an age of crisis, and in our interview here. Otherwise, I'll discuss it in my follow-up article on neoliberalism. it will discuss how we need to identify neoliberals in politics and make voters aware of what they are and what they stand for.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 18:06:11|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's sustainable development path has once again attracted global attention and plaudits after President Xi Jinping reiterated the strategic choice in a landmark report delivered Wednesday.

Scholars and observers worldwide agree that the commitment and achievements of the world's largest developing country and second largest economy provide the struggling global economy with both a promising direction and a robust booster for future growth.

HIGHER QUALITY GROWTH

China's economy has been transiting from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, Xi said in his report at the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The CPC national congress, held every five years, elects the party's leadership and draws a blueprint for national development for the next five years and beyond.

It is imperative that China push forward supply-side structural reform and develop a modernized economy that features better quality, higher efficiency and more robust drivers of growth, Xi stressed.

Nele Noesselt, a German professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen, spoke highly of China's reform measures, which channel more resources towards a more sustainable model of economic growth.

"All these efforts will lead to greener and sustainable development and growth. That is really fascinating and really impressive," said Noesselt.

Xi's report also stressed once again the importance of satisfying the people's desire for a better life.

In the eyes of Sergio Ley Lopez, a former Mexican ambassador to China, China's commitment to important economic reforms for sustainable growth has led to "extraordinary development for all Chinese people."

Taking note of the rapidly growing income levels of the Chinese people, Lopez said China has delivered an attainment "never seen in human history, taking millions of people out of extreme poverty."

"I feel the world should see this with great attention and interest, in order to follow China's example," Lopez added.

B. R. Deepak, an Indian professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, stressed the driving force of technological innovation behind sustainable growth.

The "four new inventions," namely, the high-speed rail, Alipay, bike sharing, and online shopping, have unleashed the forces of domestic consumption and revolutionized the socio-economic landscape of China, noted the Indian scholar.

"China can count on a society looking to the future ... a society with sustainable development sharing a green economy, new technologies and promoting the environment," commented Ignacio Martinez, coordinator of the Laboratory of Analysis of Trade, Economics and Business in Mexico.

SHARED PROSPERITY

"Openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind," Xi said in Wednesday's report, calling for efforts to make economic globalization "more open, inclusive and balanced so that its benefits are shared by all."

Hailing China as a major propeller of the global economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the ongoing structural reform in China will lead to sustainable growth.

Yet around the globe, isolationist tendencies and nationalist policies have brought about rising trade protectionism and fanned up headwinds against globalization.

Against this backdrop, China remains committed to promoting global sustainable development, coming up with benefit-sharing initiatives like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative to offer more public goods to the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Xi in 2013, is "one of the most important initiatives that we have today in the contemporary world," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, it aims to promote trade, financial integration, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

The initiative is not only good for China and its people, but also good for many countries, added Vucic. "People and the world will be much richer with such good initiatives than without them."

In their congratulatory messages to the CPC on its 19th national congress, many foreign leaders spoke highly of Beijing's commitment to sustainable development and pointed out what that means to the world.

"In these turbulent times, the 19th National Congress of the CPC gives a strong message of unity, cohesion and determination to fight for peace, sustainable development and the creation of harmonious world societies," said former Greek Prime Minister George A. Papandreou.

Panos Rigas and Yiannis Bournous, two senior members of Greece's ruling SYRIZA party, believe that if a world of shared and sustainable prosperity, fair growth and balanced power is to ever exist, China will have a leading and indispensable role in it.

(Xinhua reporters Ren Ke in Berlin, Wu Hao in Mexico City, Hu Xiaoming in New Delhi, Shi Hao in Moscow, and Nemanja Cabric and Wang Huijuan in Belgrade contributed to this story.)


Vung Tau cafe, 2017

(Image by Linh Dinh) Details DMCA



Chanh's grandfather, a nationalist, was jailed by the French at Hoa Lo [Hanoi Hilton]. His dad was also locked up by the French, but on Con Son Island, now a popular resort. Laughing, Chanh said, "When they brought me in for questioning a few times, I wondered if I, too, would be jailed on Con Son Island!" For noticing and saying the obvious, many Vietnamese have paid a very high price.

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By Hamma Mirwaisi

American scholar Michael Rubin as an expert on Kurds and the Middle East published an article asking the same question above. And I wrote these few paragraph below but he deleted my comment.

In America, we have freedom of speech and writing. As an American citizen, I want to ask the same question too, because American interest is important to me too.

Here is what I wrote below as the comment on Mr. Rubin article, which is my question too now.

The US Governments wrong policies of the past must be corrected toward Kurdistan now.

Russian hatred toward the US is creating Iranian monster for the US interest in the Middle East and Part of Asia

The US Governments helped create two monster families for Kurds in the 'Kurdistan Regional Governments of Iraq (KRG) region since 2003 of Iraq war. Barzani and Talabani mafia families must be damped forever by the US policymakers.

The Barzani and Talabani tribal leadership are useless for Kurds and the US and others. They are not allied to anyone but dollars, who pay them they will follow dollars and they never get enough of it.

To safeguard the US interest in the Middle East, the US administration must seek the alliance with Kurds who are followers of Abdullah Ocalan.

Majority of Kurds in Kurdistan are followers of Abdullah Ocalan now.

Russian alliance with Iran is challenging the US in the Middle East. It is more important for the US people interest than Korean region.

Iran is in control of Iraq and Syria now. Turkey is not capable to challenge Russian-Iran alliances. Turkey does not have any influence among Iranian people to change Iran.

Iran with atomic Bomb will destroy Israel. But greedy Israeli leadership they do not have the love for Israeli people.

Only followers of Abdullah Ocalan can stop the danger of Russian-Iran alliances. Turks and Arab Sunni are useless in Iran. Majority of Iranian are Medes (Kurd, Lur, Taylish, Gilani, Mazandarani, Khorasani, Balouch and others) by blood. Persian and Azeri's are not capable to rule Iran forever.

PJAK can bring down the Iranian Government because they are capable to unite Medes of Iran against Shi'a Sayyid Arab rulers of Iran.

References

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Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.


alligators in the swamp

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This is where Democrats are still losing it:

Whatever happened to the Medicare-For-All proposal that Sanders and other Democrats announced a while back?

If it were the Republicans that were in favor of such a bill then that message would have saturated the airwaves until we all begged for it. Instead we're still talking only about the Republicans' talking points: repeal or destroy Obamacare, configure associations, cross borders, reimbursement arrangements, and more smoke and mirrors that eliminate healthcare for many.

Where's the Medicare For All Bill? Why aren't the Democrats pushing that down Republicans' throats until they choke on their own lies.

Even with Trumps aggressive anti-Obamacare campaign the American public is craving and waiting for such a plan that's easy to understand, a program that if you just explain it to them in a truthful, mature fashion it will take off on its own merit.

Instead, Trump is still president despite trying to tear apart our country".doesn't that tell you Democrats something"that you are allowing that to happen by hiding in the background, waiting to Trump to implode?

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America is not a Center-Right country. It is governed by a Right Wing sect and run by Center-Right ideologues. America is a Progressive country based on the value set people by large majorities or pluralities. So why is it that we do not see a government that reflects the people?

The following is a snippet from my Politics Done Right Show. Please listen and answer the poll question in the video at around 2-minutes-thirty-second in the video.

Check out the entire show here.

I attend the Netroots Nation conference every year. At the 2015 conference, Elizabeth Warren enumerated all the reasons why Progressives need to boldly promote our values.

Elizabeth Warren proved with fact-based data that most of the American population are in fact Progressives/Liberals. She used the examples of the passage of minimum wage increases in four states even in a year that was devastating for Democrats. Warren went on to enumerate progressive issue after progressive issue including student debt, election reform, Wall Street reform, and many other issues where irrespective of self-identification, Americans are progressive.

The Right was effective in demonizing the word Liberal and now the word Progressive. They needed to demonize the label because they knew what Americans' real values were. If they could disassociate values from the proper moniker, they could win with deception. They have been successful in most instances thus far. After all, it has given them a near lock on the U.S. House of Representatives.

It is for this reason that real Liberals and Progressives must self-identify as such and articulate the values as Elizabeth Warren is doing. That will 'rehabilitate' the words under which real progress was attained in this country. It will initially be slow and painful.

Here is the video.

Of course many in America have been indoctrinated to believe that policies expressed in "liberal terms" as bad even as they want and need them. It is incumbent on us to connect. (e.g., Pay-It-Forward Tuition instead of "Tuition Free," and so on.
Harbor Springs frees up funding with public safety millage

The Harbor Springs public safety millage will free up some of the funds impacted by the Headlee Amendment, but city officials say it isn't a long-term fix.
JEJU, South Korea -- Justin Thomas fired a 2-under-par 70 during the third round of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES to tie Scott Brown for the lead.

The reigning FedExCup Champion offset a lone double bogey and a bogey with five birdies to reach the clubhouse at 9-under 207.

Scott Brown had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 but recovered with a birdie on 15, adding to the one he had on the par-4 No. 5.

Anirban Lahiri of India moved into a share of third place with Australian Marc Leishman (71) after a 69 that included four birdies and a bogey.

Whee Kim (70) was the highest placed of the 16 South Korean players in the field, tied for fifth after a 72.

Overnight leader Luke List struggled with the windy conditions and fell into a tie for eighth place after a 76. List had three bogeys on the front nine and a pair of double bogeys on the back nine.

Jason Day also struggled with the wind, carding a 71 to be tied for 16th.
The 2017 World Series of Poker Europe series is back with the first of 11 bracelet events already underway. The series lasts through November 10 with the 10,350 Main Event scheduled to start on November 4. PokerNews' live reporting team is on hand with start-to-finish coverage of every bracelet event as well as the non-bracelet 25,000 Super High Roller.

For the first time the WSOPE is being held in the Czech Republic at the King's Casino in Rozvadov. This week PokerNews took some time to look back at the history of the WSOPE in a two-part series  Part I and Part II. If you happened to peruse those articles, you have all the information you need to do well on this week's quiz  eight multiple-choice questions about past WSOPEs.

Get six correct to pass the quiz, and when you finish be sure to check out the "Top results" to see how you fared against others. If you're logged into your PokerNews account, your username will appear among the results. Need an account? Click here.
Only good thing about Global Warming!



Moviegoers are in for a big surprise this weekend, especially those who have read Jo Nesbo's The Snowman and have been expecting the motion picture's release since earlier this year. The thrilling trailer had critics swooning and readers running to sweep copies off the shelves in anticipation for the movie's release this weekend. Unfortunately the disappointment would be overwhelming.

With a high-caliber cast including Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, J.K. Simmons and executive producing credit to Martin Scorsese; critics and audiences were calling The Snowman, "A very serious film indeed." They were right if they were talking about the film's current score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a serious 10%. Or maybe they meant a seriously bad film.

As an advocate for the 7th book in the "Harry Hole" series, I was applaud at what had been brought to life in a motion picture. One of the biggest disappointments of the film was the major disconnect between novel and script. While we always expect to have some type of distance between what we read and what we see, the deviation from the book became almost comical. Even with a fresh memory of the novel, I found myself having a hard time keeping up with the characters and the manifesting plot on screen. Admittedly, the film's script was as sticky and confusing as the movie theatre floor beneath my feet.

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Even Tomas Alfredson, the director of the film admits to the flop by stating, "The movie is in poor shape because we didn't get to finish making it." He elaborates by noting, "Our shoot time in Norway was way too short, we didn't get the whole story with us and when we started cutting we discovered that a lot was missing." Yeah, no shit. Tell that to the man whose snoring in the theatre was more interesting to listen too.



Amidst a series of confusing twists and turns, characters will disappear as snowmen begin to appear. Strange relationships will transpire and you will be reaching over to the person next to you asking, "What the hell am I even watching?" You'll see everything from bad ad libbing to cheap scares to keep you on your toes. You'll even be able to recognize pieces of the renown trailer that everyone had been talking about, except these scenes will have zero significance to anything actually happening.

One of the only aspects accurately portrayed from page to screen, was main character Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) as a police detective amidst a serial killer who has a slight obsession with snowmen. The real detective work is left for audiences to figure out exactly how Hollywood thought this was a good idea. While Michael Fassbender may be sexy, he isn't enough to distract viewers from realizing they'd been duped. Add insult to injury when the movie closes with a set up for a sequel. Thanks, but no thanks.

So, what have we learned from all this? Well, if we can learn anything from another Michael Fassbender flop it would be that even with an able cast, Hollywood is leaning hard to trailer production and we are falling for it. No, we are eating it out of their buttery hands.



Hey, my name is Michelle. I'm a New York City Photographer whose hobbies include guzzling wine, looking at dogs on Instagram, and fighting with the man at the bodega who claims there is a credit card minimum. @michellediraimo for coffee and collaborations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 18:36:17|Editor: ying

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SHARAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Twenty insurgents of the Haqqani terrorist network had been killed following an air strike in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, an official said Saturday.

The air raid was launched on Friday evening, where a Haqqani hideout was bombed, leaving 20 fighters, including some of their local leaders dead in Gian district of the province, Dadullah Hotak, acting provincial police chief, told Xinhua.

As a Taliban-linked group of militants, the Haqqani network mostly operating in eastern provinces and capital Kabul, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces.

Few days ago, as many as 26 Haqqani militants were killed in a similar incident in Jaji Maydan district of the adjacent Khost province.

The network, which was designated as a terrorist group by the United States in 2012, has yet to make comments.
Have you ever found yourself on a Wikipedia wormhole studying serial killers?

myfavoritemurder Jettilalewis

Have you seen every true crime story you can find? Then welcome Murderinos to the world of My Favorite Murder. This hit podcast is bringing people together over the darkest of topics.

My Favorite Murder stars Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, two women who have taken a new humorous take on the true crime genre. Every week Karen and Georgia each tell a story about a murder, and yet it's a comedy podcast. You might wonder how someone can take a grisly tragic subject and make you laugh? All it takes is one episode to understand before you'll be hooked. With wit, charm, and empathy these two women take on the things that go bump in the night.

myfavoritemurder @CatSolen

My Favorite Murder reflects our society's obsession with true crime and our desire for new innovating content. At it's heart this is two women talking about murders but this is no show glorifying serial killers while erasing the pain of their victims. This is a show that helps us all reflect on how much scary stuff is out there. You'll hear tales of family annihilations, serial killing, and more. If you're in it for the gore, don't worry it's there. Laughing is sometimes the only way we can try to understand the horrors of the world without being overwhelmed by them.

myfavoritemurder Danica S

This podcast, despite it's content, is also a haven for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other problems. Indulging your true crime obsession without taking a dark depressing approach is cathartic to a lot of people. Things don't have to be black and white- something can be scary and funny at the same time! Fans aren't laughing the depression, anxiety, and fear away but hey laughing still feels pretty good. Listening to Karen and Georgia is like listening to two strong, wise, and kind friends. Their relationship is a delight to listen to and when they bring on the much beloved man behind the editing/recording curtain, Steven Ray Morris, you can understand how this group of great people launched this global sensation.

myfavoritemurder @_bearprints

Here's the thing that's most important about My Favorite Murder. It is a show that can save lives. Don't believe me? How many times have you been polite to a man for fear of what he might do? Ever been followed walking alone in the dark? Ever known a super creepy dude who made your skin crawl? Scared of what it means to be a woman in society? Most of us are so you are not alone! My Favorite Murder is a family and it's a steadily growing one! Murderinos are banding together through mutual love of comedy and crime. This show is more than storytelling, it's a gateway to a community. It's changing lives and telling women it's okay to speak up, fuck politeness, fight back, stay sexy, and don't get murdered.

Best Episodes to Check Out

Episode 18: Investigateighteen Discovery

"Karen and Georgia's favorite murders this week are creepazoids Lawrence Singleton and Franlin Delano Floyd, and boy, do they fucking suck. Plus lots of small (murder) talk and personal stories plus all the staying sexy and not getting murdered you've come to know and love."

Episode 20: 20/20

"This week Karen & Georgia discuss the rape trial of Brock Turner before delving into The Night Stalker's victims and capture, and New Zealand's infamous Bain family murders."

Episode 33: What About Mimi?

"This week, Karen and Georgia talk the increasingly surreal Jane Mixer case along with the Co-ed Killer (John Norman Collins) and then recount the incredible survival of Jennifer Morey.Come have tea with us, Rosemary & Thyme style on My Favorite Murder."

If You Like My Favorite Murder Here Are Some Other Great Podcasts

Last Podcast on the Left

Soundcloud

"The Last Podcast On The Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust."

Zealot

Soundcloud

Australian accents talking about cults, what more could you need?

Cults

Parcast

"Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults."

Serial Killers

Parcast

"Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

POP DUST | myfavoritemurder Jettilalewis

Have you seen every true crime story you can find? Then welcome Murderinos to the world of My Favorite Murder. This hit podcast is bringing people together over the darkest of topics.

My Favorite Murder stars Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, two women who have taken a new humorous take on the true crime genre. Every week Karen and Georgia each tell a story about a murder, and yet it's a comedy podcast. You might wonder how someone can take a grisly tragic subject and make you laugh? All it takes is one episode to understand before you'll be hooked. With wit, charm, and empathy these two women take on the things that go bump in the night.

myfavoritemurder @CatSolen

My Favorite Murder reflects our society's obsession with true crime and our desire for new innovating content. At it's heart this is two women talking about murders but this is no show glorifying serial killers while erasing the pain of their victims. This is a show that helps us all reflect on how much scary stuff is out there. You'll hear tales of family annihilations, serial killing, and more. If you're in it for the gore, don't worry it's there. Laughing is sometimes the only way we can try to understand the horrors of the world without being overwhelmed by them.

myfavoritemurder Danica S

This podcast, despite it's content, is also a haven for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other problems. Indulging your true crime obsession without taking a dark depressing approach is cathartic to a lot of people. Things don't have to be black and white- something can be scary and funny at the same time! Fans aren't laughing the depression, anxiety, and fear away but hey laughing still feels pretty good. Listening to Karen and Georgia is like listening to two strong, wise, and kind friends. Their relationship is a delight to listen to and when they bring on the much beloved man behind the editing/recording curtain, Steven Ray Morris, you can understand how this group of great people launched this global sensation.

myfavoritemurder @_bearprints

Here's the thing that's most important about My Favorite Murder. It is a show that can save lives. Don't believe me? How many times have you been polite to a man for fear of what he might do? Ever been followed walking alone in the dark? Ever known a super creepy dude who made your skin crawl? Scared of what it means to be a woman in society? Most of us are so you are not alone! My Favorite Murder is a family and it's a steadily growing one! Murderinos are banding together through mutual love of comedy and crime. This show is more than storytelling, it's a gateway to a community. It's changing lives and telling women it's okay to speak up, fuck politeness, fight back, stay sexy, and don't get murdered.





Best Episodes to Check Out

Episode 18: Investigateighteen Discovery

"Karen and Georgia's favorite murders this week are creepazoids Lawrence Singleton and Franlin Delano Floyd, and boy, do they fucking suck. Plus lots of small (murder) talk and personal stories plus all the staying sexy and not getting murdered you've come to know and love."

Episode 20: 20/20

"This week Karen & Georgia discuss the rape trial of Brock Turner before delving into The Night Stalker's victims and capture, and New Zealand's infamous Bain family murders."

Episode 33: What About Mimi?

"This week, Karen and Georgia talk the increasingly surreal Jane Mixer case along with the Co-ed Killer (John Norman Collins) and then recount the incredible survival of Jennifer Morey.Come have tea with us, Rosemary & Thyme style on My Favorite Murder."

If You Like My Favorite Murder Here Are Some Other Great Podcasts

Last Podcast on the Left

Soundcloud

"The Last Podcast On The Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust."

Zealot

Soundcloud

Australian accents talking about cults, what more could you need?

Cults

Parcast

"Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults."

Serial Killers

Parcast

"Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

POP DUST | Read More



RELEASE RADAR | John Carpenter released an anthology of his scores, plus more new music

INTERVIEW | Nai Palm's "Needle Paw" is an intimate exploration of Palm's poetic lyricism

INTERVIEW | Albanian superstar Era Istrefi is bound for US stardom| myfavoritemurder Jettilalewis

Have you seen every true crime story you can find? Then welcome Murderinos to the world of My Favorite Murder. This hit podcast is bringing people together over the darkest of topics.

My Favorite Murder stars Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, two women who have taken a new humorous take on the true crime genre. Every week Karen and Georgia each tell a story about a murder, and yet it's a comedy podcast. You might wonder how someone can take a grisly tragic subject and make you laugh? All it takes is one episode to understand before you'll be hooked. With wit, charm, and empathy these two women take on the things that go bump in the night.

myfavoritemurder @CatSolen

My Favorite Murder reflects our society's obsession with true crime and our desire for new innovating content. At it's heart this is two women talking about murders but this is no show glorifying serial killers while erasing the pain of their victims. This is a show that helps us all reflect on how much scary stuff is out there. You'll hear tales of family annihilations, serial killing, and more. If you're in it for the gore, don't worry it's there. Laughing is sometimes the only way we can try to understand the horrors of the world without being overwhelmed by them.

myfavoritemurder Danica S

This podcast, despite it's content, is also a haven for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other problems. Indulging your true crime obsession without taking a dark depressing approach is cathartic to a lot of people. Things don't have to be black and white- something can be scary and funny at the same time! Fans aren't laughing the depression, anxiety, and fear away but hey laughing still feels pretty good. Listening to Karen and Georgia is like listening to two strong, wise, and kind friends. Their relationship is a delight to listen to and when they bring on the much beloved man behind the editing/recording curtain, Steven Ray Morris, you can understand how this group of great people launched this global sensation.

myfavoritemurder @_bearprints

Here's the thing that's most important about My Favorite Murder. It is a show that can save lives. Don't believe me? How many times have you been polite to a man for fear of what he might do? Ever been followed walking alone in the dark? Ever known a super creepy dude who made your skin crawl? Scared of what it means to be a woman in society? Most of us are so you are not alone! My Favorite Murder is a family and it's a steadily growing one! Murderinos are banding together through mutual love of comedy and crime. This show is more than storytelling, it's a gateway to a community. It's changing lives and telling women it's okay to speak up, fuck politeness, fight back, stay sexy, and don't get murdered.





Best Episodes to Check Out

Episode 18: Investigateighteen Discovery

"Karen and Georgia's favorite murders this week are creepazoids Lawrence Singleton and Franlin Delano Floyd, and boy, do they fucking suck. Plus lots of small (murder) talk and personal stories plus all the staying sexy and not getting murdered you've come to know and love."

Episode 20: 20/20

"This week Karen & Georgia discuss the rape trial of Brock Turner before delving into The Night Stalker's victims and capture, and New Zealand's infamous Bain family murders."

Episode 33: What About Mimi?

"This week, Karen and Georgia talk the increasingly surreal Jane Mixer case along with the Co-ed Killer (John Norman Collins) and then recount the incredible survival of Jennifer Morey.Come have tea with us, Rosemary & Thyme style on My Favorite Murder."

If You Like My Favorite Murder Here Are Some Other Great Podcasts

Last Podcast on the Left

Soundcloud

"The Last Podcast On The Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust."

Zealot

Soundcloud

Australian accents talking about cults, what more could you need?

Cults

Parcast

"Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults."

Serial Killers

Parcast

"Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

POP DUST | Read More



RELEASE RADAR | John Carpenter released an anthology of his scores, plus more new music

INTERVIEW | Nai Palm's "Needle Paw" is an intimate exploration of Palm's poetic lyricism

INTERVIEW | Albanian superstar Era Istrefi is bound for US stardom| myfavoritemurder Jettilalewis

Have you seen every true crime story you can find? Then welcome Murderinos to the world of My Favorite Murder. This hit podcast is bringing people together over the darkest of topics.

My Favorite Murder stars Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, two women who have taken a new humorous take on the true crime genre. Every week Karen and Georgia each tell a story about a murder, and yet it's a comedy podcast. You might wonder how someone can take a grisly tragic subject and make you laugh? All it takes is one episode to understand before you'll be hooked. With wit, charm, and empathy these two women take on the things that go bump in the night.

myfavoritemurder @CatSolen

My Favorite Murder reflects our society's obsession with true crime and our desire for new innovating content. At it's heart this is two women talking about murders but this is no show glorifying serial killers while erasing the pain of their victims. This is a show that helps us all reflect on how much scary stuff is out there. You'll hear tales of family annihilations, serial killing, and more. If you're in it for the gore, don't worry it's there. Laughing is sometimes the only way we can try to understand the horrors of the world without being overwhelmed by them.

myfavoritemurder Danica S

This podcast, despite it's content, is also a haven for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other problems. Indulging your true crime obsession without taking a dark depressing approach is cathartic to a lot of people. Things don't have to be black and white- something can be scary and funny at the same time! Fans aren't laughing the depression, anxiety, and fear away but hey laughing still feels pretty good. Listening to Karen and Georgia is like listening to two strong, wise, and kind friends. Their relationship is a delight to listen to and when they bring on the much beloved man behind the editing/recording curtain, Steven Ray Morris, you can understand how this group of great people launched this global sensation.

myfavoritemurder @_bearprints

Here's the thing that's most important about My Favorite Murder. It is a show that can save lives. Don't believe me? How many times have you been polite to a man for fear of what he might do? Ever been followed walking alone in the dark? Ever known a super creepy dude who made your skin crawl? Scared of what it means to be a woman in society? Most of us are so you are not alone! My Favorite Murder is a family and it's a steadily growing one! Murderinos are banding together through mutual love of comedy and crime. This show is more than storytelling, it's a gateway to a community. It's changing lives and telling women it's okay to speak up, fuck politeness, fight back, stay sexy, and don't get murdered.





Best Episodes to Check Out

Episode 18: Investigateighteen Discovery

"Karen and Georgia's favorite murders this week are creepazoids Lawrence Singleton and Franlin Delano Floyd, and boy, do they fucking suck. Plus lots of small (murder) talk and personal stories plus all the staying sexy and not getting murdered you've come to know and love."

Episode 20: 20/20

"This week Karen & Georgia discuss the rape trial of Brock Turner before delving into The Night Stalker's victims and capture, and New Zealand's infamous Bain family murders."

Episode 33: What About Mimi?

"This week, Karen and Georgia talk the increasingly surreal Jane Mixer case along with the Co-ed Killer (John Norman Collins) and then recount the incredible survival of Jennifer Morey.Come have tea with us, Rosemary & Thyme style on My Favorite Murder."

If You Like My Favorite Murder Here Are Some Other Great Podcasts

Last Podcast on the Left

Soundcloud

"The Last Podcast On The Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust."

Zealot

Soundcloud

Australian accents talking about cults, what more could you need?

Cults

Parcast

"Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults."

Serial Killers

Parcast

"Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

POP DUST | Read More



RELEASE RADAR | John Carpenter released an anthology of his scores, plus more new music

INTERVIEW | Nai Palm's "Needle Paw" is an intimate exploration of Palm's poetic lyricism

INTERVIEW | Albanian superstar Era Istrefi is bound for US stardom| myfavoritemurder Jettilalewis

Have you seen every true crime story you can find? Then welcome Murderinos to the world of My Favorite Murder. This hit podcast is bringing people together over the darkest of topics.

My Favorite Murder stars Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, two women who have taken a new humorous take on the true crime genre. Every week Karen and Georgia each tell a story about a murder, and yet it's a comedy podcast. You might wonder how someone can take a grisly tragic subject and make you laugh? All it takes is one episode to understand before you'll be hooked. With wit, charm, and empathy these two women take on the things that go bump in the night.

myfavoritemurder @CatSolen

My Favorite Murder reflects our society's obsession with true crime and our desire for new innovating content. At it's heart this is two women talking about murders but this is no show glorifying serial killers while erasing the pain of their victims. This is a show that helps us all reflect on how much scary stuff is out there. You'll hear tales of family annihilations, serial killing, and more. If you're in it for the gore, don't worry it's there. Laughing is sometimes the only way we can try to understand the horrors of the world without being overwhelmed by them.

myfavoritemurder Danica S

This podcast, despite it's content, is also a haven for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other problems. Indulging your true crime obsession without taking a dark depressing approach is cathartic to a lot of people. Things don't have to be black and white- something can be scary and funny at the same time! Fans aren't laughing the depression, anxiety, and fear away but hey laughing still feels pretty good. Listening to Karen and Georgia is like listening to two strong, wise, and kind friends. Their relationship is a delight to listen to and when they bring on the much beloved man behind the editing/recording curtain, Steven Ray Morris, you can understand how this group of great people launched this global sensation.

myfavoritemurder @_bearprints

Here's the thing that's most important about My Favorite Murder. It is a show that can save lives. Don't believe me? How many times have you been polite to a man for fear of what he might do? Ever been followed walking alone in the dark? Ever known a super creepy dude who made your skin crawl? Scared of what it means to be a woman in society? Most of us are so you are not alone! My Favorite Murder is a family and it's a steadily growing one! Murderinos are banding together through mutual love of comedy and crime. This show is more than storytelling, it's a gateway to a community. It's changing lives and telling women it's okay to speak up, fuck politeness, fight back, stay sexy, and don't get murdered.





Best Episodes to Check Out

Episode 18: Investigateighteen Discovery

"Karen and Georgia's favorite murders this week are creepazoids Lawrence Singleton and Franlin Delano Floyd, and boy, do they fucking suck. Plus lots of small (murder) talk and personal stories plus all the staying sexy and not getting murdered you've come to know and love."

Episode 20: 20/20

"This week Karen & Georgia discuss the rape trial of Brock Turner before delving into The Night Stalker's victims and capture, and New Zealand's infamous Bain family murders."

Episode 33: What About Mimi?

"This week, Karen and Georgia talk the increasingly surreal Jane Mixer case along with the Co-ed Killer (John Norman Collins) and then recount the incredible survival of Jennifer Morey.Come have tea with us, Rosemary & Thyme style on My Favorite Murder."

If You Like My Favorite Murder Here Are Some Other Great Podcasts

Last Podcast on the Left

Soundcloud

"The Last Podcast On The Left covers all the horrors our world has to offer both imagined and real, from demons and slashers to cults and serial killers, The Last Podcast is guaranteed to satisfy your blood lust."

Zealot

Soundcloud

Australian accents talking about cults, what more could you need?

Cults

Parcast

"Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults."

Serial Killers

Parcast

"Every Monday, Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

POP DUST | Read More



RELEASE RADAR | John Carpenter released an anthology of his scores, plus more new music

INTERVIEW | Nai Palm's "Needle Paw" is an intimate exploration of Palm's poetic lyricism

INTERVIEW | Albanian superstar Era Istrefi is bound for US stardom
Let me tell you about a man and a place far away from the cornfields of the Midwest: Jeff Pleadwell and Jeffs Pirates Cove at 111 Route 4, Ip Read moreJeffs Pirates Cove: A place of history
One of Nigerias richest men and best known business moguls, Borno-born Muhammdu Indimi, was recently in the wrong side of the news where he was criticised for donating a lecture hall for an American university when same institutions in his home country Nigeria are begging for such gesture.

Last week, Mr Indimis foundation launched the building of 200 units of 3-bedroom flats for persons displaced by Boko Haram.

In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES Abdulkareem Haruna, the money bag, who is an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, spoke elaborately on his foundations philanthropy, why he built a hostel for a U.S.-based university and how he was able to rise as an accomplished business man without any background of formal western education.

Excerpt:-

PT: Your Foundation, the Indimi Foundation had last week flagged off the building of 200 units 3-bedroom houses which it donated to persons affected by Boko Haram conflict in Borno state. What informed this gesture, sir?

Indimi: The reason is obvious  to help the IDPs. Well, it is just our own little contribution to assisting government in rebuilding and resettling of IDPs. The people of Borno state have suffered so much in these past years; and people in position of means have left everything in the hands of government. So as a son of Borno state, I have to think of how I could come in to assist our people because government alone cannot do it.

I also felt if I should take the lead, perhaps other top businessmen from Borno state may also follow suite. I am calling on my colleagues in business to come in and do whatever little they could do to help.

This is the time our people need our help, especially when government is considering the possibility of returning the IDPs to their ancestral abode as soon as the security officials give the go ahead.

PT: What is the time frame set out by your Foundation to complete the first phase of 100 bedrooms houses?

Indimi: As I am talking to you now, we have reached about 60 percent stage of completion of the first phase in Bama town. Our target is to see that everything is completed before the end of the year  that is by December. Our hope is to see that we flag off the second phase of 100 houses in Ngala town if God permits. We hope the security situation will be good enough for us to mobilise the workers to site there in Ngala. Our contractors are ready because we have made available all the resources that will enable us deliver yet another 100 houses next year, insha Allah.

PT: Is there any plan of extending the same gesture beyond Bama and Ngala towns?

Indimi: Well, this is just the beginning, we hope to do more as far as Indimi Foundation is concerned. Remember this is not the only kind of intervention that we have been doing for the IDPs here in Borno state; we have been doing other things like provision of food relief, distribution of cash token and even helping out with scholarship.

PT: What is the cost of these housing projects?

Well, you can always contact the management of the Foundation to inquire about such details because we all know how prices of commodities change in the country. What is one naira today might change tomorrow. But I believe the Foundation should be able to furnish you with such details.

PT:- Can you tell us more about the scholarship programme?

Indimi:- You see, all my life I have been engaged in scholarship support for people across the length and breath of Nigeria. By Gods grace I have been able to sponsor students to America, to Europe and Saudi Arabia. Now God has even placed me in a strategic position as one of the board members on the board of the International African University of Sudan  mind you, this is not a Sudanese University, but an international university supported by various international organisations, but located in Sudan. I represent Africa on that board, which has a worldwide membership of its board of trustees. IAU is a reputable university which has nothing to do with religion or any form of creed. It offers all kinds of course ranging from engineering, medicine , information technology, social sciences and so on.

Coming to the issue of scholarship I had just discussed with some governors of northern state that I am going to run another phase of the scholarship and I am considering about five states in the next segment.

PT:- What does this scholarship entails?

Indimi: Well apart from payment of their tuition; the scholarship package still goes with their air tickets to Sudan, their accommodation needs, their feeding allowance and so on. I had just returned from Khartoum about two weeks back, and while I was there, I met with students from Borno state who were very happy to see me. And I am very pleased that they are doing very well academically. I told them that they have to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in Sudan. Some of the girls who are about concluding their first degrees asked if they could continue with their masters programme and I told them that you can even go ahead and do your Phd; that will not be a problem. In fact, it will be a thing of pride for me to see the girl child acquire such degree of learning because when you educate a girl you educate the entire world.

PT:- How many students are we looking at to benefit the scholarships from these five states you talked about?

Indimi:- I know in the last batch of scholarships that we issued I gave 37 slots to Borno state and 61 slots to Kano state. In the next batch we are giving the states of Adamawa, Yobe, Jigawa, Kaduna and Gombe 20 slots each. We have concluded the modalities, the next is just to issue them the letters of scholarship.

PT:- Could you kindly shed light on the controversy that trailed your building and donation of a lecture hall for an American University?

You see, about 10 of my children studied in America and in that particular university where I made the donation. And each time I go there to visit them or to attend their graduation ceremony I meet with other students especially Americans who knew me as an accomplished international businessman. And somehow, some of them came to find out that I have no advance certificate of education and yet I was able to accomplish all that God has blessed me with. So being very inquisitive as they are by nature, the students approached me and asked if I could be available to give them an insight as to how I was able to accomplish such business successes without any form of formal education.

What they wanted was some kind of talk or lecture. And when I went to share my experience with them, I found out that the venue was too small for the crowd that attended the programme, and it was from there I pledged to help them build a better and befitting lecture for the faculty.

I did that in my kind gesture as a father to many children that graduated from that school; and also in appreciation of the recognition and regard they gave me. But what will I hear back home, all kinds of insinuation. Sadly, some persons, especially those from a south south of the country, felt it is their money I took to go build a lecture hall for an American university.

But little did such persons know that all my active life as a businessman I have never shied away from my basic social responsibility in every place I do my business. It was even in the recognition of such kind of efforts that the University of Uyo sent me a nomination letter awarding me an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration. That is because in that state I am fully committed to my corporate social responsibilities as a businessman. I have an ongoing 100 housing units that is going on in that state. Besides that, I have contributed immensely in seeing that the University attains all the requirements that enabled them get their Department of Petrochemical Engineering get accredited and certified as an affiliate of the University of Texas. I have offered more than a 100 scholarship in that university; I have also given about 500 women in the business community there in Uyo soft loans to start their own businesses.

Though some people were blind to all these efforts we have been making in the areas of our corporate social responsibilities, the University community has appreciated us; that is why on the 4th of November, they will be conferring me with an honour of doctorate degree in Business Administration.

It may interest you to know that I have never been to any formal school all my life. No teacher of western education can say he or she had taught me how to pronounce the alphabet A in my life. But here I am helping people to get educated in the Western baccalaureate because I know how important it is.

PT:- So, how were you able to master the art of reading and speaking in English.

As I told you I have never been to any kind of school. I simply learnt by listening and association with people. I am a very committed person when it comes to learning and adapting. And thank God today, as an unlettered person by Western standard I still supervise people with masters and Phds who are working in my organisation.

As a matter of fact, if any of my employees want to approach me with any project proposal or some kind of memo or presentation, they have to be well prepared and make sure they did their home work well because they know I will definitely point out any error therein. So Alhamdullillahi, I thank God for his kindness upon me; and I do all that I do for the sake of God. I hate mentioning or celebrating our acts of kindness in the past, but the times have come that people will want to drag your name in the mud with lies. So we have to beat our drum for our selves even though with all humility and comportment. Thank you.
Tobacco companies in Nigeria have evolved a new strategy of deliberately targeting the younger generation by situating their products near primary and secondary schools, a new report by the Nigerian Tobacco Control Research Group has shown.

The report, presented to the public in Ibadan on Thursday, said points of sales of tobacco products were found within 100 meters of surveyed schools across five cities in the country.

The findings from this study reveal a number of themes that clearly identifies the deliberate use of marketing strategies to stimulate the interest of children and youths in tobacco products, the report said.

The British American Tobacco did not respond to requests for comments.

When contacted on Thursday, Abimbola Okoya, Area Head, Corporate Affairs at BAT West Africa, promised to issue a response on Friday but had not done so at the time of going to press.

Tobacco use is a major preventable cause of death worldwide and is projected to be responsible for eight million deaths annually by 2030, according to the World Health Organization, WHO.

The WHO report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2011, showed that four out of every five adult smokers started smoking before age of 18, and that such young age of initiation to tobacco use is a strong predictor of prolonged use.

In Nigeria, the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2008 documented that 12 per cent of students aged 13-15 had never smoked cigarettes while over 15 per cent currently use any tobacco product.

In the latest study by the NTCRG, 221 schools in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Kaduna, and Lafia were surveyed and 193 of them (87 per cent) had a point of tobacco sale within 100 metres of the school premises; 127 (66 per cent) of the 193 point of sales, POS were within visible distance of the immediate school environment.

Majority (83 per cent) of the stores and kiosks within 100 metres of schools had tobacco products on display on the counter while 50 (76 per cent) had the products behind the counter, the report stated.

Cigarettes were displayed next to confectioneries commonly purchased by children such as sweets and biscuits. In addition, cigarettes were sold in single sticks in 57 (86.4 per cent) and the packs less than 20 sticks in 46 (69.7 per cent) of POS observed and flavoured tobacco products were sold in four (7.7 per cent) of the stores and kiosks.

In Enugu, nine out of the 38 school areas visited for the study had at least a POS  four convenience stores, four permanent kiosks, and one mobile cart  located within 100 metres of distance.

One-third of the 74 school areas visited in Ibadan had, at least, one POS within visible range; while in Lafia, the POS for the tobacco products were visible in 11 out of 26 school areas visited.

All the school areas surveyed in Lagos and Kaduna had the POS within a visible range.

Article 16 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control prohibits the sale of tobacco products in any manner by which they are directly accessible, such as store shelves. It also prohibits the sale of cigarettes individually or in small packets which increase its affordability to minors.

Akindele Adebiyi, the Coordinator of the NTCRG, said there were branded kiosks and push-carts within a 100-metre radius of some of the school areas visited during the survey.

The purpose of this was to increase the salience of the visually appealing tobacco products. In one such instance, it was quite unbelievable that this was situated directly at a gate which serves eleven schools, said Mr. Adebiyi, who works at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

Allocation of colourfully branded tobacco kiosk is not a chance event as there must have been guidelines for such allocation by the sponsoring company (BAT in this instance).

Our findings on the placement of this branded kiosk should be seen as a deliberate marketing strategy by the sponsoring company to target youths who are known to be attracted to bright colours.

Colour has a strong influence on the way objects are recognized and identified. The colour yellow used as a branding colour for BAT sponsored kiosks is known to promote anxiety and attract impulsiveness in buyers.

The report, titled Big Tobacco, Tiny Targets, was done in partnership with the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) with funding from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Philip Jakpor, Head of Media and Campaign at ERA/FoEN, said the tobacco industry is using their might to target kids.

The older generation who smoked are dying, many are dead and many will still die, so the tobacco companies are not relenting and they are using various tactics to go after the kids.

Last June, the Nigerian government announced nine regulations in the Nigeria Tobacco Control Act that would be implemented which included the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes to persons below age 18 and ban on the sale of cigarettes in single sticks.

The regulations, however, are awaiting the approval of the National Assembly.

Mr. Adebiyi said the tobacco industry often deploys several strategies to undermine tobacco control in Nigeria.

And part of it is trying to peddle influence with the agencies and stakeholders that are responsible for tobacco control in Nigeria but we thank God that the federal ministry of health has actually taken this on and has said we are implementing nine out of things put in out NTCA, he said.

And for the act to be fully implemented we need the regulations to be passed and the regulations will require the National Assembly members to take a proactive step to ensure that it is passed. Without that, tobacco control may not be effective as we expect it to be.

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Thirteen-year-old Chidinma recalls the day she walked behind her school building in Dutse Alhaji, a suburb of Abuja, to relieve herself. With no decent latrine, it was nothing unusual for female pupils to urinate under the cover of overgrown weeds.

But on this April afternoon in 2016, two boys, armed with knives, emerged from a nearby bush and led Chidinma away.

They threatened me and forced me to follow them to a bush path, the girl told PREMIUM TIMES during a recent interview. Then, they raped me and warned me never to tell anyone about it.

Weeks later, a test confirmed Chidinma was pregnant. She dropped out of school as her parents struggled to care for her and prepared for her baby.

My daughter has had to stop schooling, following the pregnancy, and with the prevailing economic condition, catering for her and the little baby, as well as my other family members has not been easy, her father, Chidera Idoko, a timber trader, said.

Police identified the girls attackers as James Keitura and Elijah Kufre, and arrested them after Mr. Idoko traced their homes. (For this report, this newspaper agreed not to use Chidinmas real names).

But over a year after the arrest, the case has made little progress. The matter stalled after the suspects retracted their admission of the crime.

At the police station, the boys confessed to the crime and were then charged to the upper area court in Gudu. However, after arraignment, they recanted their earlier confession, said Mr. Idoko.

The police prosecutor, Kufre Ebong, confirmed those claims to PREMIUM TIMES.

Yes, the boys had confessed to the crimes during the investigation and we have their confessional statements. But they denied committing the crime in court, he said angrily.

That retraction complicated the case, forcing it to remain at the pre-trial stage till it was transferred to a high court of the Federal Capital Territory in June 2017.

The High Court, presided by Justice A. S. Adepoju, ordered the suspects to be remanded in prison pending their compliance with a N5 million bail condition.

Amid ever growing reports of rape in Nigeria, more victims are finding it difficult to get justice. Now, as the wheel of justice continues to grind ever so slowly, some parents and families of victims are coming forward to share their stories in the hope justice may come.

Activists and families of victims say most cases of rape stall because of poor investigation and judicial bottlenecks.

A mother, Monica Agu, told PREMIUM TIMES how her eight-year-old daughter was raped by a neighbour, named Victor Enejo, after being lured to a secluded place. Ms. Agu said the attack took place on January 9, 2015.

When the girl complained of pains in her genitals, the mother said she ignorantly sent her to school notwithstanding.

But when she returned from school, the pain had increased and I could hear my neighbours asking what was wrong with my daughter. So, I inquired more to know if there was a problem.

It took a while for her to tell me the truth. She begged me to promise that I would not beat her, so I made her a promise. My daughter told me that a brother of one of our neighbours, popularly called pastor had called her to a place behind our house when she was playing with her friends. She told me that the boy asked her to take off her pants, then he took off his trousers and boxers and climbed on top of her, Ms. Agu said.

She said the girl was infected with a disease from that incident, and for almost a year she suffered the effects of that disease.

Her alleged attacker, Mr. Enejo, was later arrested and charged to court. But the matter was later dismissed in controversial circumstances.

Although Ms. Agu claimed her daughters rapist was confirmed to have infected her with STD, the prosecution, for no clear reasons, failed to present the test results in the court.

The case was finally dismissed by the court. Ruling, Justice D. Senchi said the failure of the prosecution to prove the allegations rendered it false.

In the instant case, the prosecution deliberately omitted this vital aspect of their case and I have no option but to come to the conclusion and hold the view that the most important ingredient of the offence of rape, that is penetration of the penis of the defendant into the vagina of the victim has not been established. Hence, from the facts and evidence adduced by the prosecution, I hold the view that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, Mr. Senchi said, according to court papers.

Asked why the report was omitted, the prosecution counsel, John Ijegbemi, denied that the suspects medical report was indicting. Later, he said it was not his duty to include the report, nonetheless.

That is not true. That information is at best the womans opinion. I handled the case based on the facts included in the case file given to me. Cases of rape are sue generis. I am not an investigator. When the case file was given to me, nothing relating to the boys medical report was inside it, Mr. Ijegbemi told PREMIUM TIMES.

The lawyer also said he did not think the exclusion of the medical report was reason enough to dismiss the case.

I dont think that the excuse for discharging the case was enough to have it dismissed. During the trial, the defence established that the girls mother and the accused boys father have had a long-standing misunderstanding. I believe the judge saw the allegation as an excuse to settle scores.

I have dealt with several rape cases, even at court 4, FCT High Court Maitama I handled a recent rape case where the accused was sentenced; there was no medical report included. I was sure we had a good case. After that judgement was delivered, I started a process for appealing the judgement, but the girls mother never encouraged that decision, Mr. Ijegbemi said.

Ms. Agu later told PREMIUM TIMES that she became discouraged about the entire situation.

Sexual rampage

A survey conducted by the United Nations International Emergency Fund, UNICEF, and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with the Nigerian government in 2014, said 25 per cent of girls below the age of 18 was reported to have been sexually abused.

For the year under review, 47 per cent of girls between 13 and 17 was sexually abused. Most of the victims were attacked by their neighbours, the report noted.

At Chidinmas secondary school in Dutse Alhaji, a security guard said the 13-year-old girl was just one of many other rape victims who go unreported for fear of stigmatisation.

Asked about the poor security state of the school, the principal, Okeke Nkechi, who initially denied rape was rampant in the school, however noted that security initiatives put in place by the school, had led to a girl being rescued from suspected rapists just two days before the interview.

Security men saved a girl the day before yesterday from suspected rapists. The major problem of the school has been that it needs to be fenced round. We have discussed that with the basic education board, but it was not captured in the 2016 budget. That budget (2016) is what the school is receiving now, Mrs. Nkechi explained.

She, however, agreed that the government-owned school, with a population of 1500 pupils requires urgent security around its perimeters.

Disturbing trend

Activists say besides the well-known judicial bureaucracy and poor investigation, a key factor responsible for the slow progress of most rape cases is because victims, often times, do not follow the proper steps in seeking justice.

That is why we keep telling them to inform agencies like FIDA on time, said Ngozi Nkenga, who heads the International Federation of Women Lawyers, in Abuja. If Ms. Agu. had come to us on time, for example, FIDA would have followed them to court and everybody would have been cautious; perhaps the police would have made sure to include the suspects medical forms in the file submitted to the court; or at least the court would have ordered for the report.

The woman herself would have been advised to get an independent test conducted, both on her daughter and the suspect, ahead of time. The matter would not have ended as it is. Such a test is best conducted at most 72 hours after the rape.

She said the attitude of the police in the case suggested some people may have been compromised.

The spokesperson for the Abuja police command, Manzah Anjuguri, did not respond to requests for comments.

But the Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, said investigations into an alleged rape should never be poorly conducted. He also suspected something must have gone wrong with the Agu case.

Investigation shouldnt be poor in cases of rape. If there is a poor investigation, the persons affected can draw the attention of the police so that the investigation can be repeated. Though Police action terminates when the matter is taken to court, Mr. Jimoh told PREMIUM TIMES.

The prosecution also should have raised an alarm, supposing it was an error. Somebody must have been doing some sort of work in the background.

He said the court could ask for further investigations and the family can appeal. Mr. Jimoh said a case of rape should never be hard to prove.

Defilement of children are capital offences that are not bail-able at the level of the police. It is an offence whereby its very easy to prove the case of rape. But for that to be, there must be prompt complaint.

It is expected that when a case of rape is promptly reported, the police will visit the scene; usually there would be a sign that some sort of struggle has taken place. If she can identify the person, the person would be taken for medical examination.

Sensitive parts of the womans body possibly affected by the rape would be tested. These include hair breakages, semen, among other things.

It is the duty of the police to get a medical examination from a government doctor to be added in the file.

To forestall rape, Folashade Okomayin, the executive director of a girl-child advocacy group, Paullash Community Development Initiative, said parents should equip themselves with knowledge on how best to protect their children.

There are various ways the parent can learn about dangerous predators; parents should look out for suspicious friends and relatives who seem to express unnecessary fondness for the children, she said.

They should also find more time to be with their children. Government can also help, here by providing a conducive atmosphere for economic growth. Poverty is a major cause of violence against children. When there is a high level of poverty in a society, you find other features as parents sending their children to others to train. This can prove dangerous and sometimes even fatal, Mrs. Okomayin said.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has granted a request by Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for a temporary forfeiture of all funds held in bank accounts not linked to BVNs  and whose ownership could not be absolutely identified.

Also to be seized by the Nigerian government are funds held in bank accounts without sufficient know-your-customer credentials, court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES said.

Industry experts expressed strong reservations about a lack of specific legal framework for the unprecedented forfeitures and potential coercion of banks by the federal authorities in separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES Saturday.

No estimates were immediately available, but it is widely held that billions of naira remained trapped in the unlinked bank accounts since 2015 when the Central Bank of Nigeria ordered commercial banks to stop attending to new enrollees.

The order followed an originating motion of notice filed by Mr. Malami on behalf of the Nigerian government on September 28.

Nnamdi Dimgba, the Federal High Court judge who presided over the ex-parte motion, granted all the nine reliefs sought by Mr. Malami himself represented by a lawyer, Usman Dakas on October 17.

The court ordered all the 19 deposit money banks, DMBs, operating in the country to release to Nigerian government names of accounts not yet connected to BVN; account numbers; their outstanding balances; domiciling locations; and domiciliary accounts without BVN and where they are domiciled.

Nigeria deposit money banks that were listed as respondents in the ex-parte suit are: Access Bank, Citi Bank, Diamond Bank, Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank and First City Monument Bank.

Others are: Guarantee Trust Bank, Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank, Skye Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank, Union Bank and United Bank for Africa.

The remaining three are: Unity, Bank Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.

The court also ordered all of them to disclose any investments made with funds and to withhold authorisation for any outward inflow of funds from the accounts. All the details are to be submitted to Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, NIBSS, and the CBN for authentication.

The banks were also directed to publish all bank accounts not linked to BVN in national newspapers with a 14-day notice for individuals with interest in such accounts to come forward and justify why their funds should not be forfeited to the Nigerian government.

Mr. Dimgba also ordered the CBN, which was joined as 20th respondent alongside the 19 DMBs, to appoint an official who will examine all the details submitted to the apex bank for compliance.

The government argued the matter under Section 3 of the Money Laundering Act, 2011.

The section said banks must ensure that documents, data or information collected under the customer due diligence process is kept up-to-date and relevant by undertaking reviews of existing records, particularly for higher risk categories of customers or business relationships.

The BVN is a unique identification number that can be verified and used to transact business across all the banking platforms in Nigeria.

The CBN imposed the policy to capture customers data for financial transactions and check fraud in the banking system.

Registration for BVNs commenced on February 14, 2014, across the country. The CBN said over 20.8 million customers enrolled 40 million bank accounts before the October 31, 2015, final deadline for customers residing within the country.

The CBN extended the deadline for Nigerians in the diaspora to December 2016 to sign up for the BVN system. But hundreds of thousands home and abroad are still believed to be left behind.

Illogical, hasty

A financial analyst who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES about the court order rebuked the Nigerian government for attempting to shore up its revenues by forcibly seizing funds owned by private individuals.

Theres no basis for this desperate move by the federal government because customers who owned the funds met the required criteria at the time they set up their bank accounts, said Ugodre Obi-Chukwu, a Lagos-based financial analyst. This is an attempt to use federal might to coerce banks into submitting funds that belong to customers for its own use.

The Nigerian government had fallen on hard times since 2014 when dwindling price of crude oil began to take its toll on the countrys revenues.

The Buhari administration, which assumed office in May 2015, has made concerted pushes to source funding to finance a bloated federal civil service and new capital projects, including borrowing from local and international markets.

The government also said it would rely on recovered loot to finance its budget this year.

While Mr. Obi-Chukwu recognised financial challenges confronting the administration, he maintained that no policy must be implemented by fiat in a democratic system.

The Money Laundering Act they used to sway the judge is clearly not sufficient to confiscate personal funds, he said. Theres no law that allows for this specific action taken by the government as it stands.

He advised the federal government to allow people to withdraw their funds from the bank accounts if theyre not willing to link them to BVN, especially since they werent identified as proceeds of crime.

Lawyers weigh in

Two legal practitioners interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES Saturday held slightly disparate views on the matter.

Liborous Oshoma, who runs a law firm in Lagos, condemned the order as far-reaching and despotic in nature.

You cant just drag banks to court and ask them to submit all funds in bank accounts which theyre holding in trust for private individuals, Mr. Oshoma said.

The funds are mostly personal deposits. In law, orders are supposed to be specific, directed and enforceable against individuals or institutions, Mr. Oshoma said. But we cannot see how the government assumed it could sue banks to enforce orders against individuals who have not been accused of any criminal offences.

Mr. Oshoma said the Buhari administration did not fathom the possibilities of Nigerians who are serving long prison sentences abroad and may not be in tune with developments in the outside world.

The despotic tendency of wanting to take what does not belong to them made them forget that people might be in conditions where they cannot come and claim their funds for the next 20 years or more, Mr. Oshoma said.

If the government is really desperate to get peoples money because they cannot be found, it should find sensible means of going about it and not resort to steps that are not in consonance with democracy, he added.

Although he questioned the legal premise of the federal governments attempt to seize the funds, Inibehe Effiong, also a Lagos-based lawyer, told PREMIUM TIMES the overarching goal of the move was understandable.

The BVN is a policy of the federal government which is aimed at mitigating financial crimes in the system, Mr. Effiong said. The policy was backed by certain financial regulations which make it appropriate for the government to ask for a general freezing order of accounts whose owners cannot be ascertained.

But what I cannot understand is the legal structure upon which the policy is standing, Mr. Effiong said.

Mr. Effiong said authorities should have sought details of bank accounts first, then examine them individually and isolate ones with suspicious traits.

The government should have stopped at requesting for details of all the bank accounts. but not go as far as getting a blanket approval to withhold all funds.

If they all the accounts based on their merits, they can sort out the ones with criminal traces and seek their forfeiture, Mr. Effiong said.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has assured Nigerians that the present administration would complete the second Niger Bridge before the end of 2019.

Mr. Osinbajo stated this on Friday in Onitsha at the official flag-off campaign of Tony Nwoye, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Anambra.

He said that N2 billion had already been paid to the contractors as mobilisation fee for the take-off of the bridge project.

Mr. Osinbajo said that all projects embarked on by the federal government would be completed without exception including rail and federal roads.

The Vice President said that Anambra was the first to start the Federal Government School Feeding programme, adding that the programme had successfully spread to many other states.

He called on the people in the state to support the APC candidate, whom he said would use his youthful ability to deliver on the partys manifesto.

In his speech, the National Chairman of APC, John Oyegun, said APC successfully removed a sitting president and would do same in the state come November 18.

According to him, there is no alternative than for the people in the state to join the mainstream of Nigerian politics by voting Nwoye.

Earlier, the Minister of Labour and Productivity and former governor of the state, Chris Ngige, urged the people of the state to identify with the aspiration of the APC for the state.

Mr. Ngige said that the controversial N7.5 billion issue between Governor Willie Ibiano and the former governor of the state, Peter Obi, was necessary for EFCC to wade into and inform Nigerians of the situation.

He said that APC was a united house and would present a united front at all times.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo appealed to the people of the state to vote Nwoye in the upcoming November 18 polls.

According to him, the fight against the much talked about marginalisation would become easier when two APC governors from the region work together to ensure success.

In his brief remark, former APC gubernatorial aspirant in the state, George Moghalu, described Mr. Nwoye as God chosen among the aspirants and called on other aspirants to work with him towards the winning of the governorship election.

Responding, Mr. Nwoye appealed to the federal government to hasten the reconstruction of the Enugu-Onitsha express way.

He pledged that his administration would pay WAEC examination fees for indigent students and reduce school fees for all categories of students in the state.

The candidate also promised to improve on health care delivery in the state.

The journey to Anambra State Government House has started today. Anambra people should know that our word is our bond.

(NAN)
Thirty seven students graduated with First Class degrees in the 2016/2017 Academic Session of the university of Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, the vice chancellor, Jeremiah Ojediran, said on Saturday.

Mr. Ojediran disclosed this at a news conference organised by the institution to mark its 9th Convocation in Ota.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 384 students will be graduating in the academic session.

They comprise 37 First Class Degree, 128 have Second Class Upper, 152 with Second Class Lower, 67, Third Class and while 58 are post graduate students.

The vice-chancellor said the university had opened up a link with the Kortext Digital Textbook Platform where digital textbooks on various disciplines would be made available to both staff and students at a token, which could be downloaded with various digital formats.

He said that the university products were out there impacting positively on the society by providing solutions to some of the identified problems in the society.

We are positive contributors to both the economy and society. It has been proved over and over again that our

products are certainly not second grade,  he said.

Mr. Ojediran said the institution had also set up skill development and resources centre to cater for the graduates to make them to be self -reliance.

The VC, however, implored the nations industries to collaborate with the institution in addressing some of their problems through qualitative research.

He also advised the Federal Government to give utmost priority to education by allocating more funds for education.

Mr. Ojediran said the Federal Government should see private universities as partners in progress in contributing to human development in the country.

He said that the nations polytechnics had failed in their mandate of training middle class citizens to contribute to national development.

According to him, that is one of the major reasons federal universities of technology across the country are set up. (NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari says African leaders must speak with one voice, independent of foreign influence to achieve economic integration, development, peace and security on the continent.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

Mr. Buhari was speaking at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.

The presidential aide said that the two presidents, who met on the margins of the 9th D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Mr. Buhari said leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

He assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of AU that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.

In his remarks, Mr. Conde praised Nigerias leadership on the continent, particularly Mr. Buharis great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.

The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, where Guinea boasts of 25 per cent or more of the worlds known bauxite reserves.(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Education to convene a ministerial summit on education within the next few weeks.

The president gave the directive on Saturday in Ilorin, in his address at the 33rd Convocation of the University of Ilorin.

The president was represented by Prof. Abubakar Abdulrasheed, the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC).

He explained that reason for the summit is to tackle major problem facing the education sector.

According to Mr. Buhari, this is with a view to restore education to its lead role of human development game-changer.

My government will not allow the country to miss the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) train, the driving force of which is education.

Any success recorded in education will have a ripple effect on every other sector of our life, he said.

The president also warned against excessive display of intolerance, rancour, hostility, mutual suspicion and all such acts capable of causing social unrest in the country.

He said: Those who fan embers of division must refrain from the unacceptable tendencies; retrace their steps and learn to live together with one another.

President Buhari added that the government will only recognise legitimate aspirations of the citizens but should be done with good faith, within the bounds of rationality and without infringing on the rights of others.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Sulyman Abdulkareem, reminded the graduating students that the economic climate in Nigeria is unfavourable.

He said how the students comport themselves in the trying times goes a long way in testing the ideals for which the institution is known.

The will to win, means nothing without the will to prepare; adding that as ambassadors of Unilorin, they must be diligence and reduce quest for materialism.

The VC said that a total of 9,018 students graduated from the University out of which there are 89 first class, 1,932 Second Class Upper Division, 3,727 Second Class Lower Division, 1309 Third Class, 117 Pass and Two Aegrotats.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, called on the University to adjust its curriculum to meet modern day needs of labour and the world.

Mr. Ahmed, who was represented by Amina Ahmed, Kwara Commissioner for Tertiary Education, urged the graduates to be job creators rather than job seekers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other event at the Convocation was award of 27 prizes to Rashidat Alabi, a Medical Graduate from Faculty of Health Science of Unilorin. (NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 18:51:20|Editor: ying

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Cambodia on Saturday arrested 41 foreign suspects in five nationalities on suspicion of operating a telecoms scam to extort money from victims in China, a senior immigration police official said.

Lieutenant General Ouk Hai Seila, head of the investigation department of the General Department of Immigration, said that the arrests were made when his forces raided four locations in Southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province.

"The suspects include Malaysians, Indonesians, Thais, Vietnamese, and 11 Chinese," he told Xinhua, aading "they used VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, a type of internet phone service) from Cambodia to threaten and extort money from victims in China."

A number of telephones and laptops were confiscated during the raids, he added.

According to Seila, the gang allegedly contacted victims in China, building up relationships with them before asking them to send nude photographs which they then used those nude pictures to extort money from the victims.

He said the suspects will be deported within a week to their respective birth countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Istanbul said the Nigeria-Pakistan Joint Commission will be revamped as a veritable platform to strengthen economic and trade relations between both countries.

President Buhari gave the assurance at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, on the margins of the ninth D-8 summit in Istanbul, Turkey.

The president, who expressed satisfaction at the level of defence and military cooperation between both countries, however agreed with the Prime Minister that there was still room to do more.

He regretted that same could not be said on the economic and trade fronts, which he said had fallen far short of what can be achieved by both countries.

Nigeria-Pakistan cooperation is very historical. Military training has been very consistent and I am impressed by the efficiency of officers trained in Pakistan.

But the performance of our countries in relation to trade and industrial cooperation has been very disappointing, President Buhari said.

While noting that Nigeria had failed to use past earnings to create a commensurate level of socio-economic development, the president assured that his administration had identified the problems, and was ardently working to promote national development through international trade, industrial growth and the improvement of infrastructure.

He then urged Pakistan to take full advantage of the new climate of investment promoted by his administration.

There are a lot of opportunities, for us to harness, in the manufacturing sector, agriculture, commerce, solar energy and the electricity sector, the president said.

On the fight against terrorism, President Buhari told the Pakistani Prime Minister that Boko Haram terrorist group remains degraded.

We have moved them out from their strongholds in the North East, we have denied them space and even their attacks on soft targets are becoming less often.

Even the opposition [party] recognises that there is a considerable improvement of security in the North East, he said.

In his remarks, Abbasi said both countries had similar prospects and challenges, including large population, key regional players in economy and security; the fight against terrorism, improving governance and the domestic economy.

He said Pakistan will continue to share experiences with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism towards developing effective strategies and results.

In line with this promise, the Pakistani Prime Minister presented a manual on strategy and tactics of dealing with terrorism to the President, which he said, had been put together by his countrys army.

On the Joint Commission, which next meeting falls on Pakistan to convene, the Prime Minister said his country is now ready, adding that he would personally receive the Nigerian delegation any time.

He also requested President Buhari to undertake a state visit to Pakistan at the earliest possible time.
When you come across popular Nigerian comedienne, Bose Ogunboye aka Lepacious Bose lately, you cant help but notice her trim figure. Previously a size 32, she lost an outstanding 70kg and currently is a size 14. During this interview, she revealed that she had a prophetic pronouncement of becoming a Lepa long before she shed weight. The fun-loving humour merchant also opened up about her career and more.

PT: Your weight loss is quite outstanding. Why did you decide to lose weight since your teeming fans were already used to your size?

Lepacious Bose: I decided it was time to lose weight on a certain day after my nephew told me that I was breathing funny. I asked him how and he said, I was breathing like somebody that was going to die. The manner with which he said it scared the hell out of me. He looked at me straight in eye and with pity he said, Please, Aunty Bose, dont die. I took a reality check and decided to ask myself some questions, Is this all there is to life? I took an inventory of my life and asked myself if I was truly happy and the answer was no! I wrote a list of things that made me happy. I couldnt find much to write. I tried to write a list of things that made me unhappy and I had so many things to write. The first 10 things were tied to being fat. So, I decided it was time to make a change. I decided to take the bull by the horn and do something about my weight. I used to be a size 32 but I am currently a size 14.

PT: How were you able to shed so much weight?

Lepacious Bose: I tell people that there is nothing miraculous about weight loss. I was actually losing weight right under their nose and they just did not notice it. I began my weight loss journey about four years ago and I have not stopped. I stayed away from eba for three years and I missed eating good food. I tell people that I had only eaten pounded yam like three times during this period. It wasnt a decision that I really liked; it took a lot of hard work, discipline and commitment. When I want to go out, I am already thinking of what I am going to eat. If I am stuck in traffic, I am thinking of what I can snack on. I also tried to avoid consuming junks and soft drinks while commuting during the day. Sometimes I attend parties and I dont eat anything. I just take my eyes off food.

PT: What are some of the challenges you have experienced so far?

Lepacious Bose: I used to think that when I lose weight the whole world would love me for it. I used to think that when I lose weight, the world would celebrate me. But, that was not the case for me at first. And so, the avalanche of criticisms and cyber bully I faced came as a rude shock. People said so many negative things about me online. At the time, I kept asking myself if what I did was wrong. I had to learn and understand that peoples opinion should not define me. It was a shaky time for me. So, it was important to address why I did what I did. I knew I didnt lose weight because of people. I knew that I didnt shed all those fat because I wanted attention and it was because of me.

PT: What would you say is your greatest lesson so far?

Lepacious Bose: Well, I think loving whom you are on the inside is the most important thing I have learnt. Considering what I have been through these couple of years and the challenges I have faced, I have realised the importance of being beautiful from within. When you are completely happy with yourself, with whom you are regardless of the situation, when you begin to pay attention to the beauty that is inside of you. You will also begin to experience a lot of changes from the outside. I used to think it was all about the perfect body and the looks, but while I think they are important, I know now that true happiness comes from inside, from accepting who you are.

PT: But you recently said that you made more money when you were overweight.

Lepacious Bose: I was completely misquoted. Someone asked me why I decided to lose weight. He said I was making lots of money with my former weight as a comedian. I was like, O yes, I was making a lot of money as a comedian, however, I needed to lose weight for a number of reasons. This person put the story out that I said I was making more money when I was fat than now that I am slim. It made me look ridiculous. I was upset. To be honest, I cried. Until I realised that peoples opinion should not define me.

PT: Do you sometimes think your story has been a source of inspiration?

Lepacious Bose: Yes, definitely. The feedback has been overwhelming for the most part. A few days ago, I was at the gym around 8am. I got a message from BOUQUI, the rapper, all the way from America, telling me of how I inspired her. People like Kemi Adetiba, Lolo of Wazobia FM openly say that I am their inspiration. Sometimes, it is from people I would normally think do not notice what I am doing that I get the best wishes and encouragement. These things keep me going. It makes me want to work more. I post some of my workout video sessions on Instagram. Sometimes, I dont want to because I dont see the need to. But when I see peoples response, it motivates me as well. It does keep me going.

PT: Your previous size actually contradicted your nickname, Lepacious Bose.

Lepacious Bose: It has always been that way for me. In secondary school when people call me orobo (fat), I would be like Ojo ndu yi ni (are you blind!). I am lepa (slim). Cant you see? That was how I got the name. And seeing that it has materialised makes me realise the power of words. I realise how powerful words are. It taught me how to apply words in other areas of my life. It is not just about my size. For instance, I refuse to say negative things about Nigeria, about myself or about anyone. The more you say negative things, the more you pull negative things to you.

PT: Is that all you think there is to losing weight?

Lepacious Bose: It is not only about the words. You have to work hard at it. I know how many times I have had to look at ice cream and I had had to walk away. I know how many times I would drink only water in an event when people are eating good food. But it is all part of the puzzle. It is all part of the big picture.

PT: What show would you say shot you into limelight?

Lepacious Bose: I cant really remember the actual show that launched my standup comedy career. In fact, Ill say the show that started this whole thing is one very inconsequential show. I think I performed at a church event and something to another and I got invited to perform at the Night of a Thousand Laughs 2006. I also appeared on Basket Mouths Laff & Jamz around that time amongst so many other shows. By 2007, I was already a household brand.

PT: Has comedy been profitable?

Lepacious Bose: Honestly speaking, comedy has paid the bills. I dont have a godfather or godmother so I have achieved all that I have solely on merit. Comedy has fed me, paid my bills and given me a better life than I had expected.

PT: You also act by the side.

Lepacious Bose: I have always loved acting; I have starred in a couple of Nollywood movies. I have worked with Uche Jumbo, who by the way is an excellent person to work with. I featured in Omoni Obolis movie Being Mrs Elliott, I enjoy acting more because am not under pressure to impress the audience instantly.
A director in the Kogi State civil service, Edward Soje, has committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree in Lokoja, the state capital, police said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered on Saturday in Lokoja that the dangling body of Mr. Soje was found on a tree behind the mammy market at the Maigumeri barracks, the Nigeria Army Command Record.

The 54-year-old civil servant is believed to have taken his life barely 10 days after his wife of 17 years gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja. The couple had been childless before then.

Mr. Soje, a Grade Level 16 Officer in the Kogi State Teaching Service Commission, was being owed 11 months salary arrears as at the time he took his life.

He hailed from Ogori town in Ogori -Magongo Local Government area of the state.

He had before killing himself travelled to Abuja and left a suicide note for the wife who also works in one of the federal ministries.

Psalm 121:3 God will not suffer your foot to be moved: He that keepeth you will not slumber. Amen. You and the three boys, the God Almighty will keep you and prosper you, amen. I love you, according to the suicide note.

Confirming the incident, the state police command Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said the dangling body of Mr. Soje was found on a tree behind the barracks at about 5:55 p.m on Oct. 16.

Mr. Aya said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Area D Division received information about the incident from the military intelligence office in the barracks.

Police moved to the scene, removed the corpse to the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

Investigation is still ongoing, Mr. Aya said.

The police spokesman said nothing was found on the man to help trace his address and family.

However, a search party organised by his relations and friends, found his corpse at the morgue of the hospital on Friday, October 20.

Family sources said that Mr. Soje had before the incident been going through a lot of financial difficulties due to non-payment of his salary for 11 months by the Kogi State Government.

He was among thousands of civil servants being owed between two and 21 months salary arrears by the state government.

As a way out, he was said to have sold his only car and a three-bedroom bungalow he was building at Otokiti area of Lokoja.

The building which was at lintel level was sold by Mr. Soje at a giveaway price of N1.5 million in April to meet urgent family needs, it was gathered.

According to the sources, Mr. Sojes financial woes became compounded when the wife gave birth to a set of triplets through Caesarian operation in a private hospital in Abuja on October 7.

The deceased remained in the hospital to look after his wife and children until October 13, a day before the naming ceremony when he decided to come back to Lokoja.

On getting to Lokoja, Mr. Soje went straight to his bank to collect the remaining N30,000 in his salary account with one of the commercial banks and thereafter informed the bank in writing about his decision to close the account.

He immediately left Lokoja for the hospital in Abuja where he rejoined his wife and handed over the N30,000 cash to her.

On October 14, Mr. Soje and wife were joined by two pastors and few relatives to perform a brief naming ceremony for the triplets in the hospital.

He later left the hospital on the pretext that he wanted to pick few things from the wifes apartment in Abuja with a promise to come back quickly.

But Mr. Soje did not return for hours and did not pick any of the many calls made to his telephone line, a development which forced the wife to send somebody to the house to go and ascertain what was happening to him.

The person, on getting to the apartment knocked the door several times but got no response and decided to call his telephone number.

On hearing the telephone ringing out from the apartment, the person was said to have sought the assistance of neighbours to force the door open.

When the door was opened, the people were shocked when they saw Mr. Sojes telephone handset placed on a suicide note on the centre table in the sitting room while he was nowhere to be found.

When the wife was informed, she quickly contacted some people to begin a search for him in Abuja while relations and friends in Lokoja were also informed of the development.

Efforts made to locate him did not yield fruit until relations decided to visit hospitals in Lokoja. The decision paid off eventually on Friday, October 20, when the corpse of Mr. Soje was found in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

A member of the family said the management of the hospital explained to them that Mr. Sojes corpse was brought in by the police, who found it dangling on a tree.

A member of the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the late Mr. Soje as a very quiet and lovable human being.

He said some members of the family had been sent to Abuja to break the news to the wife. (NAN)
There are 37 career openings for young Nigerians under the United Nations bureaucracy, according to UN deputy secretary-general, Amina Mohammed.

Mrs. Mohammed disclosed this at a Cultural Night organised by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems. She said the openings are available via the Junior Professional Officers (JPO) Programme, including internship for young graduates.

According to her, Nigeria has the opportunity to sponsor its youth for UN careers through the JPO. But Nigeria has not seized the opportunity in a long while, she noted.

JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria  one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.

Some Nigerian UN staff at the event

JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.

At the cultural night, Mrs. Mohammed asked older Nigerians to pave the way for the youth by creating leadership opportunities for them .

She urged them to stop competing with the younger ones for employment opportunities.

Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system.

We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we dont give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes, she said.

According to her, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.

Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.

The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.

And its really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.

Its not just what we do for the world. Cant we take those expertise back home, Amina said, urging them to make the best use of every opportunity they got.

She condemned what she termed as alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria, saying it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.

So when I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, cant recover from.

But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl. She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; thats violence against girls; thats violence against women.

But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play.

I know we would spend some money in Nigeria on this initiative but we all have a part to play individually and collectively in trying to bring it to zero, she said.

Mrs. Mohammed also lamented how girls were left behind in education, stressing that everyone needs to have an education  the boys and the girls.

The boys we didnt educate are the same ones that kidnap the girls that we educated.

So education for everyone is exposure for everyone; it matters so much; it really does give us the basis, the moral compass to help us navigate through life.

Nigerias Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje, commended the Nigerians in the UN and particularly lauded the appointment of Mrs. Mohammed as the UN Deputy Chief.

Mr. Itegboje said Nigeria was proud of Mrs. Mohammed, describing her as an ultimate authority and a reference point when it comes to Sustainable Development Goals issues.

The envoy said: Nigeria is a great country; we are a happy people, you cant take that away from us; we have gone through difficult times but we are happy that we have a government that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of dear people of Nigeria.

Jolly Abu, president, United Nations Staff Recreation Club Nigeria Association, said the cultural night was organised to showcase Nigerias culture.

According to him, the Nigerians in the UN are very proud of their culture adding, it is also for them to mingle, rekindle and renew their bonds.

The UN encourages that we should meet and foster unity among ourselves and also enjoy ourselves; so thats what were doing, Mr. Abu said.

Audu Kadiri, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN Office and Other International Organisations in Geneva and Nicholas Ella, acting Consul-General in New York also attended the event. (NAN)
The lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial district, Shehu Sani, has challenged the Buhari administration to include names of members and associates of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the list of treasury looters intended for publication by the government.

The federal government said it would release the list following a court order.

The court order was given in favour of a nongovernmental group, Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP.

On Thursday, after a meeting with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SERAPs executive director, Adetokumbo Mumuni, said the government was ready to release the names soon.

We had a very productive meeting with Mr. Malami, discussing among other critical issues, the need for the government to obey the judgment delivered in July by Hon Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/CS/964/2016 brought by SERAP, Mr. Mumuni said.

Mr. Malami informed us that President Buhari has directed the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,

Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC and other relevant agencies involved in the recovery of looted funds to promptly put the documents together with a view to fully and promptly enforcing the judgment by Justice Shagari, Mr. Munmuni said.

Writing on his Facebook page Friday evening, Mr. Shehu said the list of looters should not contain only members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Federal Governments decision to publish the names of looters is commendable. Hope the Call up list will not be limited to the ageing Umbrella United players but will include those in the Broomers FC and Paris Saint Germain and Dynamo Cabal FC players, the senator wrote referring to the parties symbols and those accused of looting the Paris Club refunds.

The government has published claims of monies it recovered but has refused to release names of the culprits.

In June 2016, the government claimed it recovered N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, 3,508,355.46 and 11, 250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the nation would be able to overcome its numerous challenges if it could use some of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.

Mr. Jonathan, who inaugurated the conference on March 17, 2014 while he held sway as president, said the conference was still the best conference Nigeria ever had as a nation.

Mr. Jonathan, who spoke briefly as a guest of honour at the 60th birthday celebration of constitutional lawyer and activist, Mike Ozekhome in Abuja, said the recommendations generated by the conference were keys the government could use in navigating some of its challenges of nationhood.

Mr.Ozekhome used the occassion to launch a book titled Nigeria we hail thee, a collection of some of his experiences as a participant in the 2014 conference.

Referring to the book and its author, Mr. Jonathan said Nigerians should read the book to judge if the conference was manipulated or not as insinuated by some Nigerians.

At least reading the book will show Nigerians the truth: whether the conference was manipulated or not. As far as I am concerned, the 2014 National Conference was the best conference Nigerians had, Mr. Jonathan said while launching the book.

He also described the celebrant as dogged and impressive Nigerian who had contributed his quota to nation building.

Mr. Ozekhome said his book outlines his experiences at the different discussions and sessions at the conference as one of the key participants including the key recommendations made at the parley.

Others who attended the event include Mr. Jonathans wife, Patience, a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; ex-Secretary to the State Government, Pius Anyim; former head of the civil service, Stephen Oronsaye; senator representing Kaduna central, Shehu Sani; DAAR Communication boss, Raymond Dokpesi, and a host of others.

The recommendations of the 2014 conference which had about 492 delegates that represented a cross-section of Nigerians including the professional bodies have been lauded by many political pundits as a fruitful. Other critics have however dismissed the event as a distraction put in place then by the former president.

The conference which was headed by retired judge Idris Kutigi witnessed plenary sessions that lasted weeks as the panels of discussants were broken into 20 committees that included Public Finance and Revenue sharing, devolution of powers, political restructuring and other critical issues of national value.

In recent months, there have been strident calls for political restructuring and devolution of powers by contending regional groups.

Mr. Jonathan also recently flayed the Muhammadu Buhari administratiin for underplaying his acheivments in office while focusing on the shortcomings which he referred to as lies.

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Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate of Yorubaland, on Saturday dismissed superstitious belief that taking the title may lead to his early death.

Mr. Adams, the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), told journalists in Lagos that not all those who held the position in the past had died young as is being speculated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Adams will become the 15th Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland, when installed.

Let me say that death belongs to God. Only God can decide and determine when anyone can die and until God decides, I will not die young as the defender of my people.

Aare title is highly spiritual and I have handed over my destiny and tenure to God.

The position in the past meant that you have to continually fight wars to protect your people, and may be killed in the process, but that was before Nigeria became a sovereign nation.

The job in the modern era is limited in terms of physical defense because there are security apparatus to settle disputes.

However, it has become a position to unify the Yoruba race, defend their interest and believe in their cause,  Mr. Adams said.

The 47-year-old leader of the OPC also put to rest speculations that he would dump the group following his new status, saying he would continue to oversee its activities.

The OPC is my sweat. I will delegate some powers to some members to continue to run it while I oversee it.

The OPC gave birth to the Oodua Progressive Union which I have established in 78 countries to cater for the interest of Yoruba people in Diaspora.

I will continue to have a stake not only in the OPC, but in all groups in Yorubaland.

I intend to use my position to unify and strengthen all factionalised pressure and cultural groups in Yoruba land, he said.

Mr. Adams added that in spite of his elevation to a higher office, he would continue to render selfless service to all Nigerians based on fairness and justice.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo said the title was not too big a shoe for him to fit into.

I have managed millions of people in Yorubaland.

I began to fight for my people at a tender age of 29 years since 1999.

I have never been in government. I have always fought for the Yorubas.

I know the terrain of all Yoruba people and their culture. I only ask God for wisdom to unify my people more, and see that there is unity, justice and fairness for and among my people.

This title is a reward from my people on the basis of honour and not salary,  he added.

On the issue of the true federalism, the OPC coordinator said that the difference between true federalism and restructuring was semantics.

I totally support either restructuring or true federalism because it would ensure equity and fairness for all Nigerians.

We will continue to agitate for a more prosperous Nigeria, he added.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 19:01:24|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Saturday urged China and Japan to "stabilize and improve" ties on the sidelines of the Party's ongoing 19th National Congress.

"Sino-Japanese ties face new opportunities at the moment but challenges remain," Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, told a press conference.

Asked to comment on whether Chinese and Japanese leaders are scheduling visits to each other's countries next year, he said mutual visits are very important to bilateral ties.

"But we also know that high-level mutual visits need support and understanding of the public," Guo said, urging both sides to "create better conditions and cultivate a better environment for the development of bilateral relations."
Mr Chris Kaijuka, chairman of The Grain Council of Uganda (TGCU) is a featured speaker at the upcoming Agribusiness Congress East Africa in Namulonge in November.

By: Agribusiness Congress East Africa

Agribusiness Congress East Africa to attract regional agri professionals

Media Contact

Agribusiness Congress East Africa

annemarie.roodbol@ spintelligent.com

+27217003500 Agribusiness Congress East Africa+27217003500

End

-- "My vision for the agri sector is a national grain sector that supplies the region and is the preferred source of high quality grain. There are opportunities in agriculture with our two seasons (bimodal) and a fast growing population; highest in the world at 3% per annum." This is according to Mr Chris Kaijuka, chairman of The Grain Council of Uganda (TGCU) and featured speaker at the upcomingin Namulonge in November.The TGCU is the official host partner of this leading regional farming event which returns to Uganda from 29-30 November as a fully-fledged conference and outdoor exhibition with its move to the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge. Apart from the high-level conference with high-level expert speakers,will this year also feature more than 45 exhibitors, free training workshops and agronomy consultations, roundtable discussions as well as live demonstrations and crop trials.According to Mr Kaijuka, the TGCU is "currently pursuing affordable financing for infrastructure development and working capital for members. We look forward to the launch of the electronic trading on the Uganda National Commodity Exchange where we are shareholders."He adds: "for us to truly grasp the opportunity for East Africa, and Uganda in particular, which has evolved into the new frontier for food and grain production and the continent's food basket, we need to come together and take action to move the industry forward. We urge all industry players with a stake in agriculture to take advantage of this golden opportunity to meet with suppliers, buyers and technocrats and contribute to the development debate."Another leading industry body supportingis Farm Concern International, an Africa-wide agri-market development agency specialised in value chain analysis, profitable smallholder commercialization and market access. Tomson Okot, Senior Programme Director at Farm Concern International, is part of a panel discussion at the event on "Identifying East Africa's investment trends & outlooks for 2018."With regards to the main challenges facingith an enormous potential of fertile soils and favourable climate, East Africa has a comparative advantage to produce several agricultural products, process and export as a food basket of the EAC-COMESA region. However, despite its potential, intra-East African Community trade is about US $5.63 billion only (representing only 10% share of intra-EAC trade to the total trade). East African exports of goods and services to the COMESA region and other countries within the East African Community (EAC) is thus still low."He continues: "limited market-led incentives, low commercialization and subsistence agriculture in East Africa is a barrier to trade. Access to competitive markets remains one of the major challenges facing smallholder farmers in East Africa. Specifically, smallholder farmers are constrained by low level of commercialization, multiple layers of predatory market players that reduce gross margins and, limited access to market information."To read the full interviews with Mr Kaijuka, Mr Okot and more expert speakers and partners, go to: http://www.agri- eastafrica.com/ interviews Other leading agricultural and economic partners ofinclude: the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), Alliance for Commodity Trade in East and Southern Africa (ACTESA), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Eastern Africa Farmers Federation,Eastern African Grain Council, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), SA Capital Equipment Export Council (SAEEC) and VECO East Africa.More than a thousand agri professionals are expected to attendfrom 29-30 November entrance to the expo is free.As in previous years, the technology and services industry in the sector has come out in huge support of the event and with the expo this year, they have even more opportunities to showcase their offerings. Leading farming equipment supplier John Deere and Mascor are platinum sponsors atwhile Case, Engsol, Tafe and Toyota are gold sponsors.is organised by Spintelligent, a well-known trade conference and expo organiser on the continent, with particular expertise and experience in energy, infrastructure development and agricultural events; including the long-running flagship shows such as Agritech Expo Zambia, Farm-Tech Expo Kenya, Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Uganda, Kenya Mining Forum and African Utility Week in Cape Town.Conference and expo: 29-30 November 2017Venue: National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Gayaza Road Namulonge, Kampala, UgandaWebsite: http://www.agri- eastafrica.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgriBusinessEALinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5115673Senior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
Local authors Mark Muncy & Kari Schultz will be available to sign copies of book

Eerie Florida

End

--Most know Florida as the land of endless sunny beaches, but the state is home to numerous eerie legends and mysterious creatures. The Everglades is home to the elusive Skunk Ape, a strange bipedal creature recognized by its odor. An uncanny doll reputed to have a life of its own greets visitors in a Florida Keys museum. An ancient monster is reported to roam the rivers in the northeast corners of the state, and in South Florida, a man built "America's Stonehenge" via mysterious means. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they uncover the history behind the state's creepiest stories and unusual locations.Mark Muncy is the creator of Hellview Cemetery, a charity haunted house in central Florida that was so infamous it was banned by the City of St. Petersburg. An author of horror and science fiction, he has spent over three decades collecting ghostly tales and reports of legendary beasts. This is his first work for The History Press. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, on the remains of an ancient midden with his fiancee, Kari Schultz. Occasionally, he is visited by his daughters when they remember he is still there. Kari Schultz is a varied illustrator at Fox Dream Studio who enjoys fantasy and horror. She has been working on art as long as she can remember and reading folklore and horror almost as long. She has a short comic featured in Uncanny Adventures: Duo #2 from 8th Wonder Press. This is also her first work for The History Press. She has a thing for foxes. She is being held captive in St Petersburg, Florida, with a small party of fish, snails and plants until she can get more work published. She appreciates good cheese if you have any to spare.Books-A-Million4225 14th Street WestBradenton, FL 34205Saturday, November 4, 2017; 1:00 p.m.  3:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? www.arcadiapublishing.com
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Joan Robinson-Berry, vice president and general manager of Boeing [NYSE: BA] South Carolina, received the 2017 Achievement Award at Women in Aerospace's annual awards ceremony last night.

"We are incredibly proud of Joan and the recognition she is receiving for her positive contributions to our industry," said Kevin McAllister, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Joan is among a growing number of Boeing leaders who actively demonstrate what it means to be true champions for diversity and strong role models for our industry."

Throughout her more than 30-year Boeing career, Robinson-Berry has promoted science, technology, education and mathematics across Boeing as well as in the communities where she has lived including Long Beach, Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago and Charleston. In particular she has focused on inspiring students to pursue technical education, drawing on her own experiences to illustrate how socioeconomic challenges can be overcome. She works tirelessly to bring a message of hope and confidence to students who need inspiration to aspire to careers in engineering, technology and development.

"This year, we have an exceptional list of awardees who were selected amongst the best and brightest in the industry," said Shelli Brunswick, chairperson of Women in Aerospace. "Joan is a true leader for aerospace education, and she is especially tenacious when advocating for young women in this industry."

Women in Aerospace annually recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the aerospace community. Boeing has been a corporate supporter of the organization since its inception in 1985, and throughout that time Women in Aerospace has recognized more than eight past and present Boeing leaders.

Follow us on the We Are Boeing SC Facebook and Twitter channels to receive the latest news from Boeing South Carolina.

Contact:

Jenny VanOss

Boeing South Carolina

843-641-2282

[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing

Related Links

http://www.boeing.com


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharing many aspects of native culture, Native America's Day is a day to celebrate the heritage of Native Americans and for both native and non-native cultures to unite. In early October Rock Gap Engineering (RGE) joined the City of Santa Fe by reserving the day to honor respected Native Americans from all 23 Tribal Nations in New Mexico, and other indigenous people across North America.

Indigenous Peoples' Day is usually held on the second Monday of October, coinciding with the federal observance of Columbus Day . It is similar to Native American Day , observed in September in California and Tennessee , and the same day as Indigenous Peoples' Day in South Dakota .

Settled in the diverse, multicultural landscape of New Mexico, Rock Gap Engineering (RGE) is a 100% Native American owned engineering and construction firm, named after the Navajo clan Tse deeshgizhnii (Rock Gap Clan). "RGE was established with the mission to raise the performance level of engineering and construction precision to deliver focused and tailored solutions to all our clients," says the founder and Principal-in-Chief, Keith Keetso.

Commemorating and celebrating Native American culture can mean exploring ancient stoneware and arts, or simply respecting the ground on which we stand. Nonetheless, one thing is certain, Native Americans lived on this continent before it was discovered.

Contact:

Juperi Johnson

505-604-1594

SOURCE Rock Gap Engineering

Related Links

http://www.rockgap.com


NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring Power and Gas, a retail energy provider of electricity and gas supply services for Maryland and New Jersey, today announced the launch of their Green-e Certification for Zero Gas and Wind REC products. The Zero Gas program is Green-e Climate certified and the Wind REC product is Green-e Energy certified. Both programs are available to new Spring Power and Gas customers starting February 14, 2017.

Green-e is a trusted global leader in renewable energy certificate (REC) and carbon offset certification. Green-e certification helps consumers and businesses make educated choices to reduce their environmental impact from electricity and natural gas consumption. In addition to third-party verification, Green-e provides marketing oversight and consumer protection assurances.

Spring Power & Gas's Zero Gas product is the first Green-e Climate certified carbon offset natural gas program for residential customers in Maryland and New Jersey. Zero Gas matches 100% of a customer's natural gas usage with Green-e Climate certified carbon offsets to offset the carbon emissions caused by a customer's gas usage.

Spring Power & Gas's Wind REC product allows customers to use renewable energy by purchasing Green-e Energy certified renewable energy certificates. Through the Spring Green program, customers receive wind RECs matched 100% with their electricity from Spring Power & Gas. Since inception, Spring Power & Gas has offered the matched product; however Green-e certification will provide greater transparency and validation for customers.

"With these new Green-e certified programs, Spring Power and Gas is providing its customers options to reduce the environmental impact of their home energy use, from home heating to electricity," said Jennifer Martin, executive director of Center for Resource Solutions, which administers Green-e. "We are excited to welcome them into the Green-e program and look forward to helping them provide high quality, low impact energy options for their customers."

Green-e certification is more than just high-quality RECs and verified offsets, it ensures that all communication is clear and precise, mandates annual product communication to all customers on the source of RECs and carbon offsets, and audits to ensure that purchased RECs and carbon offsets are retired properly. Green-e Energy is the only certification of its kind in the U.S. and certifies renewable energy certificates that meet the highest standards in North America.

"Spring Power & Gas has always offered gas and electricity matched to a customer's energy usage and we are excited to be working with Green-e on verifying these products. The new products are reviewed and approved using the highest possible standards because we want our customers to feel confident in their energy choices," said Richard Booth, President of Retail Operations, Spring Power & Gas.

Spring Power and Gas understands investing in a sustainable future is one of the most important decisions a customer can make and has carefully designed both plans for the environmentally conscious person interested in a sustainable energy solution.

About Spring Power and Gas

Spring Power & Gas is an energy retailer dedicated to providing innovative energy solutions for your electricity and natural gas supply. We focus on environmentally conscious products backed by a friendly and efficient service. As a company, we pride ourselves on transparency and our customer service team is always happy to help with any questions about the energy industry or our services.

About Green-e

Green-e is the nation's leading independent consumer protection program for the sale of renewable energy, renewable energy certificates, and greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market.

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SOURCE Spring Power and Gas
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "We are aware of the extremely serious allegations leveled against our former CEO, and we are shocked beyond words. While these charges are completely unrelated to his former role at the company, they are obviously so serious that it led to his immediate removal."

"We learned of the allegations late Monday night, and convened a board meeting, removed him as CEO and I was appointed permanent CEO all within 24 hours. He did not step down for personal reasons as has been erroneously reported. We removed him as rapidly as possible."

"The actions of one individual are in no way reflective of the almost 200 dedicated and hard-working people who work for Vungle. Everyone at the company is appalled and deeply saddened by these events."

ABOUT VUNGLE

Vungle is a technology company based in San Francisco.

SOURCE Vungle

Related Links

http://www.vungle.com


FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Walter Investment Management Corp. ("Walter" or the "Company") (NYSE: WAC.BC) today announced that it has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (the "Noteholder RSA") with certain holders (the "Noteholders") of more than 50% by principal amount of the Company's 7.875% Senior Notes due 2021 (the "Senior Notes") that contemplates a financial restructuring which, if consummated, is expected to strengthen the Company's balance sheet. The Company also announced that it has entered into an Amended and Restated Restructuring Support Agreement (the "Term Lender RSA" and, collectively with the Noteholder RSA, the "RSAs") with certain lenders (the "Lenders") holding term loans (the "Term Loans") under the Company's Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of December 19, 2013 (the "Existing Credit Agreement"), in an amount more than 48% of the outstanding Term Loans. The RSAs will become effective once holders of 662/3% in the aggregate of Senior Notes and Term Loans, respectively, become party to the applicable RSA (the "Support Effective Date"). The parties may terminate the RSAs if the Support Effective Date does not occur before October 25, 2017.

Through consummation of the transactions contemplated in the RSAs, the Company expects to reduce its outstanding corporate debt as of June 30, 2017 by approximately $700 million and enhance its financial flexibility as it continues the ongoing transformation of its business. In addition to the recoveries to the Company's Lenders and Noteholders, as described below, the RSAs also contemplate a recovery for the holders (the "Convertible Noteholders") of the Company's 4.50% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2019 and the Company's existing common stockholders if the requisite number of Convertible Noteholders support the restructuring.

The Company plans to implement the terms of the RSAs by soliciting votes from the Lenders, the Noteholders, and the Convertible Noteholders on a pre-packaged chapter 11 plan of reorganization. Following the solicitation, which is intended to begin next month, the Company intends to voluntarily file a pre-packaged plan of reorganization under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in late November 2017, to execute the various transactions contemplated by the RSAs. Walter intends to complete the reorganization process on an expedited basis, potentially concluding by the end of 2017 and under all circumstances not later than January 31, 2018. Under the contemplated plan for reorganization agreed to in the RSAs (the "Prepackaged Plan"), it is intended that only the holding company will file for reorganization under chapter 11. Walter's operating entities, including Ditech Financial LLC and Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc., are expected to remain out of chapter 11 and continue their operations in the ordinary course throughout the consummation of the financial restructuring transactions. The Company believes it has ample liquidity to support its businesses and the costs of the restructuring.

Anthony Renzi, Walter's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are making significant progress transforming our business, and the financial restructuring contemplated by the agreements we have reached with our lenders and noteholders are a key part of our plans. Through these agreements, we expect to quickly restructure our debt while ensuring that business will continue as normal. The support of our lenders demonstrates their confidence in our business, and we believe that we are on the right track to emerge from this process better positioned for continued growth and success."

Mr. Renzi continued, "The fundamentals of our core business remain solid and we expect demand for our quality products, services and single source convenience to continue to grow. As we move forward we will continue to focus on serving our customers by enabling their dreams of homeownership and caring for them throughout their homeownership lifecycle. We appreciate the continued support of our business counterparties and lenders, and we thank our employees for their continued hard work and dedication. We look forward to completing this financial restructuring so we can continue to execute on our strategic initiatives as we seek to create a brighter future for our company and our customers."

The Company's strategic initiatives include a focus on its "core" business, which in general is the origination and servicing of GSE and government mortgage loans, and the servicing of reverse mortgage loans. The Company is continuing its efforts to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency and further enhance its originations business. The Company is also making progress in improving the performance and the overall profitability of its servicing business, including moving more toward a "fee for service" model and away from heavy investment in mortgage servicing rights.

The terms of the RSAs include the following:

The Company and the Lenders will become bound by the Amended and Restated Credit Facility and receive, in full and final satisfaction of their Allowed Term Loan Claims on the effective date of the Prepackaged Plan (the "Plan Effective Date"), their pro rata share of (i) term loans under the Amended and Restated Credit Facility Agreement (such term loans to be in an aggregate principal amount equal to the term loans then outstanding under the Credit Agreement as of the Plan Effective Date), and (ii) any accrued and unpaid interest under the Credit Agreement as of the Plan Effective Date; and

Noteholders will receive (i) $250 million in new Second Lien Notes due December 2024 (the "Second Lien Notes"), and (ii) $100 million in Mandatorily Convertible Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock"). The Preferred Stock would convert into 73% of the Common Stock pursuant to agreed conversion terms, but would be subject to dilution by shares issuable pursuant to a management incentive plan, shares issued after the effective date of the restructuring transactions, and by shares issued (if any) under the 10-year Warrants (the "Warrants") expected to be received by the Convertible Noteholders and existing common stockholders.

The Prepackaged Plan is expected to provide for recovery to the Company's existing common stockholders, who are expected to share 50/50 with the Company's existing Convertible Noteholders in a recovery comprising an aggregate of approximately 27% (13.5% each) of the Company's total equity issued on the Plan Effective Date, after giving effect to conversion of the Preferred Stock and subject to dilution by any shares issued after the effective date of the restructuring transactions or pursuant to a management incentive plan; however, upon consummation of the restructuring transactions, the Convertible Noteholders and the existing common stockholders would initially receive, in aggregate, 100% of the Company's new common stock and the Warrants, and the Noteholders would initially receive 100% of the Preferred Stock and the Second Lien Notes.

While there can be no assurance that the Warrants will become "in the money" and therefore exercisable, the Warrants are intended to provide the Convertible Noteholders and the Company's existing stockholders additional incremental recovery should the Warrants become exercisable, as described further in the RSAs. The recovery of the Company's existing stockholders and Convertible Noteholders is dependent upon Convertible Noteholders holding in excess of the requisite principal amount of the Convertible Notes voting to approve the Prepackaged Plan. If such approval is not obtained, existing Company stockholders and the Convertible Noteholders will not receive any recovery.

A summary of the material terms of the RSAs will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K being filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Advisors

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is acting as legal counsel, Houlihan Lokey is acting as investment banking debt restructuring advisor and Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC is acting as financial advisor to the Company in connection with the financial restructuring.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel and FTI Consulting Inc. is acting as financial advisor to the consenting term lenders.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is acting as legal counsel and Moelis & Company LLC is acting as financial advisor to the consenting senior noteholders.

About Walter Investment Management Corp.

Walter Investment Management Corp. is an independent servicer and originator of mortgage loans and servicer of reverse mortgage loans. Based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, the Company has approximately 4,400 employees and services a diverse loan portfolio. For more information about Walter Investment Management Corp., please visit the Company's website at www.walterinvestment.com. The information on the Company's website is not a part of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements that are not historical fact are forward-looking statements. Certain of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "estimates," "assumes," "may," "should," "could, " "shall," "will," "seeks," "targets," "future," or other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors, and our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from future results, performance or achievements expressed in these forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the potential transactions contemplated by the RSAs, descriptions of management's strategy, plans, objectives, expectations, or intentions and descriptions of assumptions underlying any of the above matters and other statements that are not historical fact.

Forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, challenges and other important factors, and the Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from future results, performance or achievements expressed in these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs, intentions and expectations and are not guarantees or indicative of future performance, nor should any conclusions be drawn or assumptions be made as to any potential outcome of any proposed transactions the Company considers. Risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed financial restructuring include: the ability of the Company to comply with the terms of the RSAs, including completing various stages of the restructuring within the dates specified by the RSAs; the ability of the Company to obtain requisite support for the restructuring from various stakeholders; the ability of the Company to maintain the listing of its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange; the ability of the Company to successfully execute the transactions contemplated by the RSAs without substantial disruption to the business of, or a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by, one or more of its primary operating or other subsidiaries; and the effects of disruption from the proposed restructuring making it more difficult to maintain business, financing and operational relationships, to retain key executives and to maintain various licenses and approvals necessary for the Company to conduct its business. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those factors, risks and uncertainties described in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual and quarterly reports, including amendments thereto, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Walter Investment Management Corp.

Related Links

http://www.walterind.com


MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of 500th anniversary of the most significant reform of the Catholic Church leading to the Protestant Reformation, an Australian priest excommunicated for supporting women priests, has launched a radical program to reform the Catholic Church.

Father Greg Reynolds, founder of Inclusive Catholics, a liberated fringe group of Catholics disillusioned with, and disenfranchised from, the institutional church, is calling for parishioners across the globe to take greater responsibility for their local church.

His plan is for parishes to establish what he calls a 'House of the Laity' to empower church-going Catholics to take responsibility for the life of their parishes.

"The House of the Laity is a structure whereby Catholics can have an official voice in how their parishes are run; currently, there is none," Fr Reynolds said.

Fr Reynolds has launched a crowd-funding campaign to develop a kit for Catholic laity to establish their own House of the Laity and run their local parish in partnership with the parish priest.

The kit will include a step-by-step guide of how to implement a House of the Laity.

"I believe most priests would welcome the support that this initiative would provide them," Fr Reynolds said.

"Currently, all the responsibility of the governance of a parish falls on the shoulders of the local priest; parishioners can only advise through a parish council."

"With vocations dwindling, and an ageing clergy, this responsibility is becoming more and more onerous. Establishing a House of the Laity will mean that the load is more justly shared and then there can be more genuine co-responsibility between the priest and the laity."

Fr Reynolds is calling on interested Catholics to help fund the development and distribution of the kit worldwide.

"Martin Luther took a very brave step when he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, on 31 October 1517, opposing abuses of the time. However, without that step the church might still be selling indulgences," he said.

"In the wake of the revelations of various inquiries internationally into horrendous clerical abuse, a further serious reform is now urgently required."

To contribute to the crowd-funding campaign to develop and distribute the House of the Laity Kit for Catholics go to: https://www.gofundme.com/help-renew-the-catholic-church

Image:

http://distribution.medianet.com.au/Download/Document?j=887758&s=2&k=525156

Caption: Father Greg Reynolds

Media enquiries:

Sally Gibson

+61 (0)409-197-717

SOURCE House of the Laity
Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2014 shows the submerged offices at the Lake Nakuru National Park in Nakuru, about 140 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/Sheikh Maina)

NAKURU, Kenya, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least five people ware feared dead after a light aircraft crashed in Lake Nakuru in southwestern Kenya shortly after taking off from a hotel in the town early Saturday.

Nakuru County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha said rescue mission as still ongoing after the aircraft crashed into the lake with five occupants during the takeoff at around 6.20 a.m., with some occupants being journalists.

"Five people are onboard. Rescue mission is ongoing. The lake is full of hippos and there was no board to reach the site on time. The chopper was headed for Narok on campaign for Jubilee party," Nkanatha said.

Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika confirmed that some of those on board were members of her communications team, noting that the aircraft which had left Jarika Hotel had been flying low before it crashed.

The chopper was to later ferry journalists from the hotel to a Jubilee campaign rally in Narok.

National Disaster Management Unit Deputy Director Pius Masai said the team is in place facilitating the search and rescue operations alongside the Kenya Navy.

"It's suspected that the occupants, pilot and crew are still trapped inside. Multi-agency disaster management stakeholders are conducting search and rescue operations," Masai said.

"We appeal to members of the public to remain calm as well continue with operations," he added.
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In a postmortem on a very political Frankfurt Book Fair, PW senior writer Andrew Albanese discusses why politics will challenge fair organizers even more in coming years.

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Heidi MacDonald talks to Dan Gearino, author of Comic Shop, a history of the direct sales market and survey of contemporary comics shops. The MTC crew talks about Phil Seuling and Jonni Levas, co-owners of Seagate Distribution, the first comics distributor not to accept returns.

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McGinnis Tackles Opioid Crisis for Katherine Tegen

For HarperCollinss Katherine Tegen Books imprint, Ben Rosenthal bought North American rights to Heroine by Mindy McGinnis. The publisher said the contemporary YA novel, about a small-town softball stars battle with addiction, is an urgent book that will spark conversation and grab the attention of young people who see themselves in this devastating moment in American culture. McGinnis, who was represented by Adriann Ranta Zurhellen at Foundry Literary + Media, is an Edgar Award winner and the author of such celebrated works as The Female of the Species and This Darkness Mine. The book is slated for winter 2019.

St. James Signs for Six Figures at Berkley

In a six-figure world rights acquisition, Simone St. James signed with Berkley to write two books. The suspense titles were bought by Danielle Perez from agent Pam Hopkins at Hopkins Literary Associates. The first novel, The Broken Girls, will be published in March 2018 as St. Jamess first hardcover release; it follows five girls at a boarding school in Vermont for wayward young women, such as illegitimate daughters, black sheep, and girls with supposedly no future. The second book is about a young woman who takes a job at the same motel where her young aunt disappeared 35 years ago, determined to find out what happened to her.

Putnam Makes Brandons Choice

Stacey Barney at G.P. Putnams Sons Books for Young Readers took world rights, in a two-book deal, to James Brandons YA novel The Choice Between. Set in St. Louis circa 1973, the novel follows a young man named Jonathan who, the publisher said, spends his days hiding under his hoodie, imagining sci-fi scenarios to avoid all the awful things in his world. Things change for Jonathan when he meets Web. As the two boys fall in love, the publisher continued, they struggle to retain their identities in a world that is doing everything in its power to tear them apart. Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Agency represented Brandon in the deal.

Ahmed Gets Dangerous at Soho Teen

For Soho Teen, Daniel Ehrenhaft took world English rights to Mad Bad & Dangerous to Know, a YA thriller by Samira Ahmed that the publisher described as twisty. Likening the novel to works such as A.S. Byatts Possession and David Mitchells Cloud Atlas, Soho Teen said it follows a Muslim-American teenager who partners with a descendant of French author Alexander Dumas to unravel the mystery of a 19th-century Muslim woman who appears in letters between Dumas and Eugene Delacroix. The book, which is slated for fall 2019, is told in dueling narratives that weave between past and present. Agent Eric Smith at P.S. Literary brokered the agreement with Ehrenhaft.

Montlake Flips McGuires Lights

Bestselling indie author Jamie McGuire sold world rights to a standalone novel called All the Little Lights to Montlake Romance. Anh Schluep bought the book directly from McGuire in an exclusive submission. Montlake noted that McGuire, whose 2012 self-published novel Beautiful Disaster became a bestseller, is credited with launching the new adult genre. Describing All the Little Lights, Montlake said it delivers all the hallmarks of a beloved Jamie McGuire book: captivating atmosphere, lyrical prose, memorable characters, and unforgettable surprises. Lights is set for a summer 2018 release.

Nelson Nabs Alzheimers Book

For Thomas Nelsons W Publishing Group, Daisy Hutton and Megan Dobson paid six figures for world rights to Defusing the Alzheimers Time Bomb by Jamie Tyrone and Marwan Sabbagh. Linda Konner, who has an eponymous shingle, represented the authors. Konner said the book offers a perspective on the disease from someone who is at high risk of contracting it (Tyrone) and a doctor who works on finding a cure (Sabbagh). The agent described it as the first book by an Alzheimers lab rat and an Alzheimers medical expert. Tyrone, who discovered she is likely to get Alzheimers after a series of genetic tests, is the founder of a group called BABES (Beating Alzheimers by Embracing Science). Time Bomb is set for spring 2019.

Lowry Returns with Another Broke Millennial

TarcherPerigee inked another personal finance book by Erin Lowry, author of this years paperback original Broke Millennial. The new book, Broke Millennials Guide to Investing as (but Not Like) a Rookie, will be, the publisher said, a voice-driven, practical handbook on investing for 20- and 30-somethings. Eric Myers, who has an eponymous shingle, represented Lowry, selling world rights to Amanda Shih in a two-book deal.
In 1917, the United States and the world were undergoing profound transformations. America entered into World War I that year, and the campaign to give women the right to vote was in full swing. The sense that it was a time when new ideas could gain a hearing prompted a group of women in New York City to create an organization composed of women involved with the circulation of ideas in books whose aim was to promote the power of the book and its ability to foment change. Convinced of the importance of the cause, 35 women met on Nov. 13, 1917, at Sherwoods Bookstore to officially form the Womens National Book Association.

As it celebrates its centennial, the WNBA has much the same mission it did 100 years ago: to help lead the discussion of literature in America and to promote the achievements of women in both the bookselling and publishing industries.

The WNBA quickly rose to fill a void in the book business. According to the associations archives, it had become such an important factor in the book industry that, within three years of its launch, it was invited to merge with the all-male American Booksellers Association. While heartened by the offer, the WNBA declined to join the ABA at this present time, but it did get assurances that its members would have more representation on various ABA committees.

Despite the ABAs overture, WNBA remains an independent nonprofit whose roughly 1,000 members (who include a few men) are divided into 12 chapters across the country. And although there have been discussions about hiring an executive director, the WNBA remains an all-volunteer organization

The associations president during the centennial year is Jane Kinney-Denning, executive director of internships and corporate outreach at Pace University and a professor in its publishing program. With the help of Valerie Tomaselli, president of MTM Publishing and the chair of the associations centennial celebration, Kinney-Denning has presided over a yearlong series of events that will culminate October 28 in New York with a reception recognizing the recipients of awards that were announced during the year.

In June, the WNBA announced that its biennial WNBA Award was being presented to Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and novelist, poet, and bookstore owner Louise Erdrich. Although the association usually chooses one winner, it decided this year, in commemoration of its centennial, to honor two women who, the association explained, represent the wide spectrum of women in the book worldone woman involved in the business or dissemination of books and one in the creation of them.

The October 28 reception will also feature the presentation of the WNBA Second Century prize to Little Free Libraries. The award includes a $5,000 grant to help Little Free Libraries continue its mission to open minilibraries in communities in more than 70 countries.

Another highlight taking place at the reception is the launch of Women in the Literary Landscape: A Centennial Publication of the Womens National Book Association. Tomaselli, who is one of the editors of the book, explained that the edition will note the contributions made to American literature not just by WNBA members, as in earlier books, but by all women. This was our way of championing womens roles in the cultural life of the country during a time when a reminder about womens power seems more important than ever, Tomaselli said.

The evening will conclude with the final event in the WNBAs Bookwomen Speak series; panels earlier this year were conducted by the WNBAs chapters. The New York panel is titled The Transformative Role of Literature in Our Society. The moderator will be biographer Deidre Bair, and panelists will be author and cultural critic Margo Jefferson; Roxana Robinson, an author and former president of the Authors Guild; and Emma Straub, author and owner of the indie bookstore Books Are Magic.

Looking toward its second century, Kinney-Denning said one goal is to increase the WNBAs membership. The association will also be considering ways it can better serve the book community, especially in the current political climate. Kinney-Denning said there has never been a more important time for the ideas found in books to be brought to the attention of the American public. This sentiment goes back to the early days of the WNBA and was enshrined in its creed: Believing that it is impossible to isolate any single instrumentality in the great arterial circulation of thought, this Association is created to include in a single working body, women writers, women booksellers, women critics, women editors, women librarians and women advertisers, together with women employed in the printing and bookmaking trades and in publishing houses, as a means to education to more consciousness in ourselves and as an organized power to further in every instance we can make use, the freer movement of life and truth.
Si Newhouse, who died September 30, was best known as the owner of Conde Nast, but he was also a major force in book publishing for almost two decades. Newhouse owned Random House from 1980 until 1998, when he sold it to Bertelsmann. We asked Nicholas Latimer, who joined Random in 1983 and is now v-p and director of publicity at Knopf, to recall what it was like working for Newhouse.

I started at Random House in 1983, in the publicity department at Knopf, the highly regarded publishers tonier imprint. It was a small department of five people and one part-time employee. The vice president and director of publicity was an incredibly dapper man named Bill Loverd, who retired in 2002. Bill also served as the director of corporate affairs for all of Random House, and it was when he was wearing his corporate affairs hat that I came into contact with Si Newhouse.

No, we never had lunch at the Four Seasons, and I never attended a one-on-one official meeting with him. But I often walked the few blocks from our Random House headquarters on 50th Street in Manhattan to Newhouses office in the Conde Nast building on Madison Avenue to deliver by hand an important pending announcement or to fetch a donation check for what I surmised was an unimaginable sum of money.

Money was something I dont think a lot of people at Random House ever really worried about, thanks to the Newhouses. The book publishing side didnt involve much of the wardrobe allowances and the use of private cars that Newhouse was known to lavish on employees in his magazine empire. But it was fairly clear that many of the high-priced writers who populated our various publishing lists were lured there with the understanding that, even if their books failed to earn out, they would never be expected to return any of their handsome advances. And anytime a Random House employee picked up the check after a lunch or a drink date, he or she usually said, Its on Uncle Si. Yes, Newhouse was a businessman who obviously kept an eye on the bottom line. But he was also quite proud of the literary clout he was able to underwrite, and he didnt mind spending money to maintain and expand it.

Unlike today, book parties were routine occurrences during the Newhouse years. And we were always mindful to invite Si and his wife, Victoria, as well as his brother, Donald; his wife, Susan; and their son, Stevewho we were comforted to know was also interested in this part of the family business. And despite Si Newhouses reputation for arriving at the office at an ungodly hour each morning, he not only had the stamina to attend these cocktail parties but he always seemed genuinely happy to be at them.

To the public at large, Newhouse was the Howard Hughes of the media world. To us, he was Si. On one occasion, he and Victoria generously offered to host a reception in their home. It was a spectacular apartment located near the UN, with a remarkable collection of contemporary art. My boss was nervous that a large crowd would be in such close proximity to the priceless works of art, so he drafted several assistants to stand watch near a number of the most important pieces. But the Newhouses seemed perfectly content to welcome the curious guests into their private quarters, and even their two tiny white dogs were amiable and well behaved.

Newhouse and his nephew, Steve, also attended the semiannual sales conferences that were usually held in places like Arizona or Florida. Im sure you can appreciate how difficult it is for any editor to present a forthcoming book in front of a large gathering of sales colleagues, but imagine how nerve-wracking it must have been to know that the owner was also sitting in the back of the room. But between sessions, Newhouse would inevitably seek out an editor or cozy up to a head of house and talk enthusiastically about the new titles. Looking back, it was gratifying to know that our owner took such interest in our lists.

When the Newhouses sold Random House to Bertelsmann in 1998, I didnt think I would be seeing much of Si any more. But I was wrong. I ran into him a number of times afterward, invariably outside of an art gallery. Out of courtesy, I would re-introduce myself each time, and he would smile in return and thank me for saying hello. The last time I saw him, he said (in what I recall was a conspiratorial tone), They were interesting times. And indeed they were.
With the Harvey Weinstein scandal putting a national spotlight on sexual harassment and assault, PW asked female professionals in book publishing about their experiences. Had they dealt with harassment, assault, or predatory behavior in the industry? Do they feel such behavior had become more or less common over the course of their careers? Do they think publishing is any better, or worse, than other fields that have been exposed as particularly predatory toward women, such as technology and Hollywood?

We found that in spite of publishings high percentage of female workers (its estimated at roughly 80%), the industry still has a sexual harassment problem. (A number of the women we contacted said they had never experienced any kind of sexual harassment at work, but many added the caveat that this made them feel lucky.) Women at corporate publishers, by and large, did not respond to questions on the subject. Others who have been in the industry for decades spoke of unwanted physical advances and interactions that edged closer to assault. Younger women in the business spoke with a more expansive view of sexual harassment, citing incidents ranging from physical encounters to unwanted comments, leering, and suggestive language.

One former editor at an independent publisher recounted an episode when, during her time as an editorial assistant, her boss sent her an email describing his feelings for her. She said he told her he was in love with her and didnt know what to do about it. She consulted a lawyer but opted against pursuing any legal action (in large part because the lawyer indicated how difficult a case would be to pursue). I just wanted it to go away, she said. I should have just left the job. I triedI applied to dozens of [other] jobs.

A one-time manager at a small publishing house said the head of her former company would routinely make offhand comments, typically to women, that were presented in a joking manner but were, nonetheless, unsettling. (In one instance, he called a female co-worker, who was sitting at her desk with headphones on, a fugly slut; although the employee did not hear the comment, others did, and the fact that the line was ostensibly a quote from a movie was, the former manager said, of little comfort.) She and other women in her office also dealt with another man who exhibited highly inappropriate behavior. The women went to HR as a group to discuss the situation. It went wellor so we thought, she said. The women soon realized that what they had shared with their HR representative had been passed along, without their knowledge, to the director, CEO, executives, and upper management at the publisher. The women were then asked to meet, individually, with the companys CFO. At no point [in my meeting with the CFO] was my safety or the safety of the other women addressed, she said. I never heard from HR again about the incident. The women who made the complaint all left the publisher, and the man they complained about continues to work there.

Another woman, who works in marketing at a major publisher, said she has been the victim of ongoing harassment and assault at her current employer. Noting that she didnt know how to stop the behavior, she said her experience highlights the fact that, despite the industrys gender makeup, publishers are not necessarily female-friendly workplaces. I was pushed against walls, cornered in hallways, and groped under my clothes at author dinners, she said. In an effort to minimize the damage to our professional environment I brushed it off. When a coworker encouraged me to come forward, I felt I would be the one they fired. Ive worked in Hollywood, and I never experienced the level of assault and harassment that I experienced here.

Two longtime salespeople at a major publisher, who both spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported being repeatedly harassed by a buyer at one of their accounts. For years, at every appointment, he would talk about womens bodies and my body, one said. He talked about erectile dysfunction medicines. He asked about my sex life. After every appointment he would give lingering hugs and press himself against my chest. Little came of her attempts to change the situation. Since this store was considered a significant account, and because [my supervisor] was friends with this man, nothing came of my complaints.

Women who have spent much of their careers in publishing said they felt sexual assault and harassment have not significantly lessened over time. The only real change some noted is that more women are recognizing sexual harassment as harassment, and not merely bad behavior by men.

When I was growing up in publishing, [sexual harassment] was something I felt I had to be a good sport aboutwhether banter, innuendo, or something more serious, said Leigh Haber, books editor for O, the Oprah Magazine. In the case of the last, the most vivid example I recall is when an author I was working withas publicity manager at Avonpushed me onto a bed in his hotel room in between interviews. I was able to knee him and push him off. I was 27 and remember feeling I should just finish out the day as if nothing happened. And thats what I did.

Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press, said one issue is that many of the men who sexually harass women assume their behavior is aboveboard: [They] think theyre being charming, or flirtatious. Its not something they would identify as sexual harassmentasking girls why they dont smile more, for instance. She also believes that the industrys reputation as a place where anything goes, which adds to the glamour of the business, doesnt help. The publishing industry [of the 1980s] had quite a reputation of heavy partying, everyone sleeping with each other, she said. I have heard all kinds of storiesmostly from menabout how awesome this time was. I have never heard from women that it was a particularly sexually progressive time. I think the men felt that they had a free pass and that it was better because it was less politically correct.

In 2014, Laura Dawson, principal of the firm Numerical Gurus (and a PW contributing editor), posted to her blog a list of 12 incidents of sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination that she had experienced over the course of her career. She reposted the piece, titled Sexism in the Book Industry, on Facebook after news of the Weinstein scandal broke. She recounted, among other things, being fondled by a sales director who later told her he wanted to get me into a tent. Dawson noted that HR ignored her documentation of those incidents.

Dawson said, if anything, she has encountered more harassment since her original post, and is skeptical that the problem has diminished: This type of behavior has everything to do with power, and the abuse of it. I dont know if thats a dynamic that humans can ever rid ourselves of, but we can decide not to tolerate it when it happens.

PWs annual salary and jobs survey certainly backs up some of what Dawson highlightsnamely the outsize amount of power that men hold in the industry. Despite the fact that men are a minority of the overall workforce, 51% of managers are men. Additionally, men in the business make more money than women. Speaking to this imbalance, Haber noted that, though there are some women in top executive roles in publishing, it remains very patriarchal.

Another difficult reality of the book world is that, arguably more so than other industries, success really is tied to who you know. Those looking to get ahead need to make connections outside of their nine-to-five jobs; many women said they realize now how the social aspect of publishing put them in particularly vulnerable situations. We heard from a number of women about incidents that happened in the literary community at largebook parties, readings, networking events, literary festivals, writers conferenceswhere comments and behavior cannot be addressed by HR departments after the fact. Women spoke about encounters, ranging from uncomfortable to dangerous, where, even if they had wanted to, there was no one with whom to file a complaint.

One poet, professor, and writer mentioned an editor who sent her, unprompted, a series of dick pics. She also mentioned the one male faculty member you knew to stay away from in her M.F.A. program, who liked to grab butt cheeks and tell bestiality jokes in class.

Another writer and journal editor, who asked to remain anonymous, mentioned two cases of harassment. In one, an editor at another journal followed her to her hotel room after a writers conference, despite her repeated requests to be left alone. Another case involved a friend and fellow editor-writer. During an editing session, he put his hand on my thigh and, after she rebuffed his advance, became angry, claiming that she was the one at fault for not communicating her lack of interest more clearly.

The overwhelming majority of women who spoke to us for this article said they felt embarrassed about, or somehow responsible for, what happened to them. One author and translator recounted an incident that occurred at a book fair in 2010. After sitting at a dinner with a publisher, then spending some time with him later in the evening, she reluctantly agreed to go to his hotel room to look at some books. Once there, he attacked her. She managed to break away. Afterward, she said, I felt embarrassed and stupid. She added: I shouldnt have gone for the nighttime walk. I shouldnt have gone to his hotel room. Noting that she has been harassed and attacked on other occasions, she said she felt that this was worse. This happened in a context where I thought I was safewhere I thought I was with my own people, my colleagues.
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Amber Gustafson, a mother of three, launched her campaign for the Iowa State Senate the day after the Las Vegas gun massacre.



She had been planning the event for weeks, so despite the terrible news and the calls she got from friends and fellow gun-safety activists all night, she did not consider postponing. The tragedy, in fact, underscored the reason she had gotten involved in politics.



The time for fighting from the outside had passed, Gustafson believed.



After spending years lobbying lawmakers to pass gun control solutions, she now wants to be the one in office.



Gustafson is one of a growing number of gun control activists, mostly women, seeking elected office next year, especially at the state and local level.



An increasingly powerful grassroots group



The trend is a perhaps a sign of a changing conversation nationwide over gun safety, but is also clearly the result of the work of an increasingly powerful grassroots lobbying group: Moms Demand Action. The organization has encouraged its volunteers to not only petition lawmakers, but run themselves.



Moms Demand Action was founded in 2012 after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that killed 20 young children and six adults. Over just the past three years, it has grown from 4,500 active volunteers to nearly 70,000, with chapters in every state.



"For nearly five years, Moms Demand Action volunteers have been working in statehouses to demand that more is done to prevent gun violence," the group's founder, Shannon Watts, told ABC News. "I couldn't be more proud of the volunteers who are now determined to run for their statehouses, school boards and city councils to ensure constituents voices are louder than gun lobbyists.



She added, Women hold just a fraction of elected positions in America, yet we are the majority of voters."



Other gun control activists have noticed a change too.



I definitely see a huge surge of candidates who want to run on this issue, candidates who want to make it a key part of their primary, who are trying to tell voters that being a gun violence prevention champion is a central issue of their campaign, said Isabelle James, the political director at Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, an organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband. Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 while meeting with constituents in Arizona.



From unspeakable loss to speaking out



Lucia McBath said people had been telling her to run for office for years.



She became a gun control activist after her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida, by a man who had complained about the loud rap music coming from the car carrying the teen and his friends.



A flight attendant at the time of her son's murder, McBath started speaking out on gun-violence prevention and eventually joined the staff of Moms Demand Action as a national spokeswomen for the organization. This year, she decided it was time to run for office herself, and she is now candidate to represent a district in the Atlanta area in the Georgia House of Representatives.



It became clearer to me that maybe only way we were going to be able to change what was happening in the country was to get in on the inside, she told ABC News. Yes, I have been helping to building this huge external movement around the nation. Yes, thats fine and dandy, but if we cannot get gun control champions on the inside  then it is going to take much, much longer for us to beat the goliath of the NRA gun lobby.



McBath said her son, Jordan, would have loved the idea.



He would be the one pushing me, 'Go get them,' she said. I learned how to champion other people through my child.  I have to be able to carry out his legacy.



A need for people who will 'talk to both sides'



Gustafson, who lives in Ankeny, Iowa, on the outskirts of Des Moines, says the qualities that come with being a mother  tenacity, problem-solving and persuasion skills -- have made her team effective activists and will make her a good legislator.



We can polite you to death. We are extremely persistent. We dont take no for an answer, but we will bring cookies, she said. She said she honed her skills talking to the most hardened NRA supporters and learned not get her feathers ruffled.



Mothers are used to getting toddlers and teenagers to do things they dont want to do, she said.



Gustafson grew up on a farm in southwest Iowa and owned guns from an early age. The first time a boy picked her up for a date, he had a .22 rifle in the rack in his car. No one even batted an eye, she said, laughing.



We need more people who are willing to talk to both sides, who are willing to look across the aisle ... and that is basically all we do as moms -- both with Moms Demand Action and as mothers. I have three people who constantly disagree with me.



Like many moms working on the issue, Gustafson said the Sandy Hook shooting was a turning point for her. She had a first-grader at the time, the same age as the children killed, and was horrified thinking about students targeted in their classrooms. Plus, the shooter had reportedly been diagnosed with autism as had her own oldest son. She worried about the tendency to blame mental illness. If people are going to look at my child because he has autism and ADHD as a potential school shooter and treat him that way  I am not going to sit on the sidelines.



I thought to myself, 'If I am someone who owns a gun, then it is my responsibility to be a part of helping fix this ... I am not going to let a bunch of people who know nothing about guns make the decisions,' she said.



'Building a movement'



In Montana, Nancy de Pastino has a similar story. She also had a first-grader at the time of the Sandy Hook massacre and said the tragedy was the catalyst that drove her to volunteer on the issue of gun control. With Moms Demand Action building in earnest in 2012, de Pastino agreed to start the first Montana state chapter, even though, as she put it, I had no idea what I was doing.



De Pastino went out on a limb and found that building a movement could be lonely at times. She remembers calling friends and asking them to join her. She had to make a change quickly from being private citizen, a professional photographer, and a mom to talking to reporters and speaking in public as an activist and a leader.



I had to come out of my shell, step outside of my comfort zone in major ways, she said.



On the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, she held a memorial in Missoula that the mayor and 60 other people attended. I knew then there were people who cared, she said.



Now after five years of activism has decided to run for a seat in the Montana statehouse.



Like Gustafson, de Pastino said her experience working on gun safety legislation sets her apart from other candidates.



There are more similarities than I realized between activism and running for election, she said. Campaigns are really about being organized and building a movement of people behind you.



After getting the Montana chapter of Moms Demand Action off the ground, de Pastino managed the group's work in 17 other states and had a number of legislative successes. Her teams defeated local bills in some areas that would have allowed people to carry weapons without a permit or bring guns to schools. She said she is most proud of an expanded background check ordinance passed in Missoula in 2016.



You have to make change where you can make change. And for us that meant going as small as the Missoula City Council, she said. "That kind of power we found just in being there, just in showing up, is really what motivates me to go run for the legislature myself.  We are not going to get anything done until we have new people in office.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 19:26:28|Editor: Yurou

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CHICAGO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Films from Argentina, Poland, Senegal, Iran, Colombia, Spain and other countries took home most of the top honors at the award ceremony of the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) held here on Friday.

Argentinean director Diego Lerman's "A sort of Family" won the top prize, the Gold Hugo, in the International Feature Film Competition. The movie had its U.S. premiere in Chicago. It tells the story of a doctor's desperate journey to adopt a baby girl.

The film "draws attention to systemic abuses of women, especially poor women that transpire all over our world," said the jury.

Joanna Kos-Krause and co-director Krzysztof Krauze from Poland received the Silver Hugo for Best Director for "Birds are Singing in Kigali."

The film presents the story of a Polish ornithologist who saved a colleague's daughter from the Rwandan genocide and brought her back to Europe to build a new life, only to realize that Africa is the place where they could come to terms with the tragedies they went through.

"Felicite," a joint production of Senegal, France and Belgium directed by Alain Gomis, received the Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize. The movie "transports its audience to a vividly evoked community in Kinshasa without indulging the stereotypes by which Africa is often depicted on screen," the jury stated.

Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand took home top honors in the New Directors Competition with a Gold Hugo for "No Date," "No Signature," and the Silver Hugo went to Milad Alami for "The Charmer" from Denmark.

The Roger Ebert Award, presented to emerging filmmaker with a fresh and uncompromising vision, was awarded to Colombian director Laura Mora for "Killing Jesus."

"We are proud to honor such a diverse group of films, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary work being created by men and women throughout the world," said Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauche.

Lisa Nesselson, a film critic for TV France 24 in Paris, echoed the same sentiment, saying that she started attending CIFF when she was 15 and is thrilled today that CIFF continues to "brings many international films to Chicago."

Michael Kutza, founder and CEO of the festival, presented The Founder' s Award to Guillermo Del Toro's "The Shape of Water," which will be shown at the closing night on Oct. 26.
Afghanistans Defense Ministry says a suicide bomber killed at least 15 Afghan cadets as they were leaving a military training center in Kabul, late in the afternoon of October 21.

Four others were wounded in the powerful blast at the gates of the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, said Dawlat Waziri, a ministry spokesman.

The attacker was on foot when he struck the minibus carrying the cadets, who were on their way home, Waziri added.

The Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that the targeting of security forces illustrated the militants' "isolation."

The latest suicide bombing brings the death toll of a week of attacks by various militant groups across the conflict-torn country to 200.

Its the fifth attack targeting Afghan security forces this week.

In the deadliest of the recent attacks, at least 43 Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban-claimed assault on a military base in the southern province of Kandahar on October 19.

On October 17, Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen stormed a police training center in the southeastern city of Gardez, killing 41 people.

On the same day, 31 people, including police officers and civilians, were also reported killed and 10 others wounded in an attack blamed on the Taliban in the neighboring province of Ghazni. Two police officers were killed in another militant attack in Ghazni.

The assault on the cadets in Kabul comes a day after about 90 worshipers were killed and dozens more wounded in two separate attacks on mosques in the capital, Kabul, and the western province of Ghor on October 20.

The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb and gun attack on the Shiite mosque in Kabul. IS didnt provide evidence for its claim, but it has attacked Shi'ite mosques before. An Interior Ministry spokesman said that 56 people were killed and at least 55 others were wounded in that attack.

It is not clear who carried out the attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor that killed at least 33 people and wounded 10 others according to Afghan officials.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters, and he BBC
Several hundred people took part in a protest rally in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on October 21 to condemn hazing in the armed forces.

The rally was organized by Mikalay Statkevich, an opposition leader and former presidential candidate who spent five years in prison on what were largely viewed as politically motivated charges.

Hazing in the Belarusian Army is considered a major problem, sometimes leading to suicides or murders.

Thirty-seven suicides were registered in Belarus's armed forces between 2008 and 2017. There have been calls on the countrys defense minister to resign over the issue.

The protesters in Minsk also condemned a law locally known as a regulation against "social parasites."

In February and March, thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to protest the unpopular labor law introducing taxation of what it called "social parasites" -- unemployed people.

The rallies were the largest antigovernment demonstrations in Belarus in years.

Dozens of protesters were arrested and many of them were either fined or sentenced to up to 15 days in jail following those rallies.

The countrys authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed that the protests earlier this year were planned by his opponents and others who allegedly want "to impose tension in Belarus with financial assistance" from the West.


Several opposition and rights activists have been detained across Kazakhstan as the day of an early presidential election scheduled for November 20 nears.

Police in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen on November 15 detained noted opposition activist Estai Qarashaev, who was sentenced to six days in jail several hours later on a charge of violating regulations for holding public gatherings.

Qarashaev was among oil workers who protested in 2011 to demand higher wages. Police brutally dispersed the protests, killing at least 16 people.

In the country's largest city, Almaty, on November 15, police detained Aset Abishev, a member of the founding committee of the Algha Qazaqstan (Forward, Kazakhstan) party that has been trying unsuccessfully for eight months to get registered for the election.

It is not clear why Abishev was detained. Last week, five other members of the unregistered party were detained for taking part in an unsanctioned rally in August.

WATCH: Several activists of a Kazakh opposition movement have been arrested and police were stationed outside the door of another ahead of a snap presidential election scheduled for November 20.

Meanwhile, in the village of Bobrovka in the East Kazakhstan region, rights activist Serik Ydyryshev was detained, his wife Gulmira Berikqyzy told RFE/RL on November 15. According to Berikqyzy, her husband's arrest is linked to the upcoming early presidential election. The police department of the East Kazakhstan region was not available for comment.

One day earlier, opposition activist Rashid Qamaldanov was sentenced in Almaty to 15 days in jail for taking part in an unsanctioned rally earlier this year.

In Astana, the capital, jailed activist Sandughash Qantarbaeva stared a hunger strike last weekend, protesting her administrative arrest that she says was handed to her to prevent her from taking part in protests on the day of the presidential election.

Many activists complained to RFE/RL that they have been followed and that police have been monitoring their homes. According to the activists, the pressure imposed on them is directly linked to the presidential poll, while the countrys Constitution guarantees them freedom of expression and freedom of public gatherings. An Interior Ministry official denied that measures to prevent the activists from holding rallies on the day of election are under way.

President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, who has tried to position himself as a reformer, on September 1 called the early presidential election and proposed changing the presidential term to seven years from five years. Under the new system, future presidents will be barred from seeking more than one term.

Critics say Toqaev's initiatives have been mainly cosmetic and do not change the nature of the autocratic system in a country that has been plagued for years by rampant corruption and nepotism.

Toqaev's predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who ran the tightly controlled former Soviet republic with an iron fist for almost three decades, chose Toqaev as his successor when he stepped down in 2019.

Though he was no longer president, Nazarbaev retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council. He also enjoyed substantial powers by holding the title of elbasy or leader of the nation.

Many citizens, however, remained upset by the oppression during Nazarbaev's reign.

Those feelings came to a head in January when unprecedented antigovernment nationwide protests started over a fuel price hike, and then exploded into countrywide deadly unrest over perceived corruption under the Nazarbaev regime and the cronyism that allowed his family and close friends to enrich themselves while ordinary citizens failed to share in the oil-rich Central Asian nation's wealth.

Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of his Security Council role, taking it over himself. Since then, several of Nazarbaevs relatives and allies have been pushed out of their positions or resigned. Some have been arrested on corruption charges.

A Toqaev-initiated referendum in June removed Nazarbaev's name from the constitution and annulled his status as elbasy.

msh/mj
A top Iranian military commander traveled to northern Iraq to urge Kurdish leaders to withdraw from Kirkuk in a move that Kurdish officials said played an important role in enabling Iraq's government to swiftly retake control of the city from Kurds this week.

Kurdish lawmakers said Major-General Qasem Soleimani, commander of foreign operations for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, met leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish political parties in Iraq and an ally of Tehran, in the city of Sulaimania the day before Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on Kirkuk.

Reuters reported that Soleimani told the Kurdish leaders that their Peshmerga forces would not be able to beat Abadi's troops, which had backing from the West and regional powers Iran and Turkey. He also warned them to withdraw from Kirkuk or risk losing Tehran's support, Reuters said.

The Iranian general reminded the lawmakers about late Iraqi President Saddam Husseins harsh putdown of a Kurdish rebellion in 1991, Reuters quoted the Kurdish political leaders as saying.

"Soleimani's visit...was to give a last-minute chance for the decision makers not to commit a fatal mistake," Reuters quoted one PUK lawmaker as saying.

Ala Talabani, a leading PUK official, said the Iranian general only provided what she described as "wise" counsel in his meetings with Kurdish leaders.

"Soleimani advised us ... that Kirkuk should return to the law and the constitution, so let us come to an understanding," she said on the Arabic language TV station al-Hadath.

Kurdish Peshmerga commanders have accused Iran of orchestrating the Shi'ite-led Iraqi central government's push to retake control over Kirkuk and other areas that came under Kurdish control when the Peshmerga ousted Islamic State militants from the region in recent years.

Iranian officials have denied the accusation.

Reuters quoted an official close to Iranian President Hassan Rohani as saying that the move by Kurdish leaders to hold a referendum on independence, which was resoundingly approved in their northern automonous region and areas around Kirkuk last month, had prompted worries in Tehran that Baghdad would permanently lose control of the critical oil fields around Kirkuk.

Abadi rejected the Kurdish independence referendum as illegal and launched a campaign to retake control of Kirkuk, which fell quickly to Iraqi government forces on October 16 after less than expected resistance from Peshmerga forces.

Soleimani's role in the struggle over Kirkuk emerged as the two main Kurdish parties in northern Iraq cast blame on each other for their devastating loss of the city.

The Iranian general has become a well-known presence in Iraq, often seen in television footage from the frontlines in battles against IS, where he served as an adviser to Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary forces that Tehran funds and arms.

Soleimani in his visit with Kurdish leaders apparently exploited a division between the two main Kurdish parties over both the referendum and the crisis in Kirkuk, which the Kurds consider to be the heart of their homeland.

Before the referendum, the PUK had accused its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), of putting Kurds at risk of Baghdad's military intervention by pushing too hard for the independence vote.

Soleimani at that time warned PUK leaders that a vote on secession -- which Iran feared would encourage its own Kurdish population to agitate for greater autonomy -- would be risky.

On October 6, barely a week after the vote, Soleimani attended the funeral of PUK leader Jalal Talabani.

Iranian officials told Reuters that Soleimani met with PUK leaders after Talibani's funeral and urged them to withdraw from Kirkuk, saying that in exchange Tehran would protect their interests.

An Iraqi intelligence source confirmed to Reuters that Soleimani played a role in convincing PUK leaders not to resist Baghdad's advance on Kirkuk.

The KDP afterwards accused the PUK of betraying the Kurdish cause by capitulating to Iran and striking a deal to withdraw.

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, who heads the KDP, blamed the PUK for the swift fall of Kirkuk, saying the evacuation of the city was forced by "certain people in a certain party."

The Peshmerga command, which reports to Barzani, said that Peshmerga divisions that were loyal to the PUK abandoned their positions as the Iraqi government forces advanced on Kirkuk. It accused the PUK of "a great and historic treason" -- a charge the PUK strongly denied.

With reporting by AP and Reuters


Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has vowed to push for legislation creating an anticorruption court by the end of the year, in an apparent response to demands from Western allies as well as protesters camped outside parliament in Kyiv.

Speaking while meeting with a border security unit in Kyiv late on October 20, Poroshenko said he was reaffirming his support for a key institutional change he promised when elected president after the ouster of Russia-backed former President Viktor Yanukovych.

The move comes amid the first sustained wave of opposition protests in Kyiv since Yanukovych was ousted during Ukraine's 2014 pro-Western street protests.

Poroshenko said he had already included money for an anticorruption court in next year's draft budget.

"This testifies to the state leadership's firm commitment to launching this vitally important judicial body next year," he said.

"The way I see and plan it, the timeline for the new court's creation foresees the president's signature on an anticorruption law by the end of the year," he added.

Poroshenko urged lawmakers of all parties to help draft the court legislation, and said it should take into consideration recommendations made by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission.

Protest groups and leaders of the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have demanded the anticorruption reforms, did not immediately respond.

The IMF has called the establishment of an anticorruption court a "benchmark" of Ukraine's progress toward Western legal standards, and has said it would help ease the release of loans in the future.

Ukraine last year ranked 131st out of 176 countries rated by Transparency International's corruption perception index.

Poroshenko's critics have accused him of deliberately delaying the court's creation in the past to preserve the current political order.

He has previously said that no special judiciary body aimed at tackling state corruption could be set up until 2020.

But Poroshenko apparently reconsidered the issue after thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament on October 17, demanding the court's creation as well as the passage of a law stripping members of parliament of their immunity from prosecution.

In televised remarks on October 20, Poroshenko called the activists who organized the protests "provocateurs" and said they wanted "to destabilize the situation in Ukraine."

The protests were initially called by Mikheil Saakashvili, a one-time Poroshenko ally turned critic who was formerly president of Georgia and governor of Odesa. But many of the Ukrainian opposition's political leaders have also joined the protests

The protesters proclaimed a "small victory" earlier this week when Kyiv lawmakers agreed to proceed with two bills that would eliminate their immunity from prosecution. The measures were sent to the Constitutional Court for review and cannot be introduced before 2018.

Lawmakers did not act on anticorruption court legislation before recessing this week, and they are not due to convene again until November 7.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax


Tajik authorities have secretly reburied the remains of several prominent national figures, including two former heads of the state, after disinterring them at a small cemetery inside a Dushanbe park in the middle of the night.



The city officials say the remains have been relocated from Aini Park to the Luchob Cemetery, a much larger burial site that caters to the elite in Dushanbe outskirts.



Relatives say they found out about the reburials only after the fact, although they had been generally aware of plans to relocate their ancestors' remains.



"We've been hoping that the authorities might invite us to [the reburial ceremony], but the graves were relocated without the knowledge of the families," said Surayo Rahimzoda, whose father -- a prominent poet -- was buried there.



Rahimzoda said she had no idea when her father's remains had been dug up and reburied elsewhere.



The strongest reaction came from Moscow-based Irina Tikhonova, the granddaughter of Jabbor Rasulov, a Soviet-era Communist Party head who ruled Tajikistan in the 1960s and 1970s.



Tikhonova accused Tajik authorities of "blasphemy" and threated to sue Dushanbe city officials.



"The remains of my grandfather were secretly buried in Dushanbe. Without informing or getting the consent of the family -- his children and grandchildren." Tikhonova wrote on her Facebook account.



"Had we been told, we would have brought the remains to Moscow and reburied them here," she added.



Tajik authorities insist that they informed all the relatives -- including Rasulov's family -- in the summer of the pending reburials, which took place in mid-October.



"Aini Park is a park and it shouldn't be turned into a graveyard," Dushanbe city official Obid Nazarov told RFE/RL on October 19.



"Those relatives who are complaining now: How often have they been visiting their ancestors' graves?" Nazarov said in an apparent jibe at Tikhonova, who told the AsiaPlus news agency that she last visited her grandfather's grave in 2008.

Tajik presidential aide Abdujabbor Rahmonzoda backed the city's move and said the relatives' complaints are misplaced, as they were informed in advance.



The authorities say the reburials took place in an appropriate manner with Islamic rituals. They say gravestones and busts have already been placed on the new gravesites, which will officially be presented in the coming days.



The tomb of Sadriddin Aini, a leading figure in Soviet-era Tajik literature, is expected to remain in the park, which has been named after him.

The six-hectare park, which is popular among locals, is currently being renovated with new pathways and gates.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports


Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:15:43|Editor: Yang Yi

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Maria Bulynina, a foreign journalist with Xinhua News Agency, attends a group interview at the Media Center during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 19, 2017. Of a number of foreign journalists reporting the 19th CPC National Congress, Helen Bentley and Maria Bulynina, both with Xinhua News Agency, are among them. Xinhua News Agency, China's state news agency, for the first time in history sends foreign journalists to report Party congress with a hope of better reporting about China with foreigners' native languages and their unique perspectives. Helen Bentley, from the Welsh countryside of the UK, has been working with Xinhua since she came to China three years ago. Experienced in live broadcast and making short videos, Helen is mainly engaged in procedural and interpretative reporting during the congress. "It is truely a fantastic experience for me to witness and record China's move into its new era and let me have a visual understanding of the Communist Party of China," said Helen. Maria Bulynina, from St. Petersburg of Russia, has been living in China for four years and started working with Xinhua since this March. From the opening of the congress, she has contributed a number of news reports through attending press conferences of various kinds and group interviewing CPC members. Maria, the first time to report such an important political event, said she was delighted to have a chance to report the 19th CPC National Congress. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)
South Bend sparks two multi-million-dollar projects with city money

Plans for the Indiana Dinosaur Museum, led by South Bend Chocolate Co. owner Mark Tarner, and a 69-unit apartment complex near Notre Dame will both move forward.
The wormhole theory postulates that a theoretical passage through space-time could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. Wormholes are predicted by the theory of general relativity. But be wary: wormholes bring with them the dangers of sudden collapse, high radiation and dangerous contact with exotic matter.

Wormhole theory

Wormholes were first theorized in 1916, though that wasn't what they were called at the time. While reviewing another physicist's solution to the equations in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, Austrian physicist Ludwig Flamm realized another solution was possible. He described a "white hole," a theoretical time reversal of a black hole. Entrances to both black and white holes could be connected by a space-time conduit.

In 1935, Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen used the theory of general relativity to elaborate on the idea, proposing the existence of "bridges" through space-time. These bridges connect two different points in space-time, theoretically creating a shortcut that could reduce travel time and distance. The shortcuts came to be called Einstein-Rosen bridges, or wormholes.

"The whole thing is very hypothetical at this point," said Stephen Hsu, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oregon, told our sister site, LiveScience (opens in new tab). "No one thinks we're going to find a wormhole anytime soon."

Wormholes contain two mouths, with a throat connecting the two, according to an article published in the Journal of High Energy Physics (opens in new tab) (2020). The mouths would most likely be spheroidal. The throat might be a straight stretch, but it could also wind around, taking a longer path than a more conventional route might require.

Einstein's theory of general relativity mathematically predicts the existence of wormholes, but none have been discovered to date. A negative mass wormhole might be spotted by the way its gravity affects light that passes by.

Certain solutions of general relativity allow for the existence of wormholes where the mouth of each is a black hole. However, a naturally occurring black hole, formed by the collapse of a dying star, does not by itself create a wormhole.

Through the wormhole

Science fiction is filled with tales of traveling through wormholes (opens in new tab). But the reality of such travel is more complicated, and not just because we've yet to spot one.

The first problem is size. Primordial wormholes are predicted to exist on microscopic levels, about 1033 centimeters. However, as the universe expands, it is possible that some may have been stretched to larger sizes.

The universe began expanding immediately after the Big Bang. (Image credit: Getty)

Another problem comes from stability. The predicted Einstein-Rosen wormholes would be useless for travel because they collapse quickly.

"You would need some very exotic type of matter in order to stabilize a wormhole," said Hsu, "and it's not clear whether such matter exists in the universe."

But more recent research found that a wormhole containing "exotic" matter could stay open and unchanging for longer periods of time.

Exotic matter, which should not be confused with dark matter or antimatter, contains negative energy density and a large negative pressure. Such matter has only been seen in the behavior of certain vacuum states as part of quantum field theory.

If a wormhole contained sufficient exotic matter, whether naturally occurring or artificially added, it could theoretically be used as a method of sending information or travelers through space, according Live Science (opens in new tab). Unfortunately, human journeys through the space tunnels may be challenging.

"The jury is not in, so we just don't know," physicist Kip Thorne, one of the world's leading authorities on relativity, black holes and wormholes, told Space.com. "But there are very strong indications that wormholes that a human could travel through are forbidden by the laws of physics. That's sad, that's unfortunate, but that's the direction in which things are pointing."

How do wormholes work?

Wormholes may not only connect two separate regions within the universe, they could also connect two different universes. Similarly, some scientists have conjectured that if one mouth of a wormhole is moved in a specific manner, it could allow for time travel.

"You can go into the future or into the past using traversable wormholes," astrophysicist Eric Davis told LiveScience (opens in new tab). But it won't be easy: "It would take a Herculean effort to turn a wormhole into a time machine. It's going to be tough enough to pull off a wormhole."

However, British cosmologist Stephen Hawking has argued that such use is not possible.

"A wormhole is not really a means of going back in time, it's a short cut, so that something that was far away is much closer," according to NASA's Eric Christian (opens in new tab).

Although adding exotic matter to a wormhole might stabilize it to the point that human passengers could travel safely through it, there is still the possibility that the addition of "regular" matter would be sufficient to destabilize the portal.

Today's technology is insufficient to enlarge or stabilize wormholes, even if they could be found. However, scientists continue to explore the concept as a method of space travel with the hope that technology will eventually be able to utilize them.

"You would need some of super-super-advanced technology," Hsu said. "Humans won't be doing this any time in the near future."

Additional resources

Which of Albert Einsteins theories proved correct? Read NASA's article about 10 things Einstein got right (opens in new tab) to find out. To see an artist's impression of a wormhole, watch this short clip from ESA's movie "15 Years of Discovery (opens in new tab)".

Bibliography

"Phantom energy traversable wormholes". Physical Review D (2005). https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.71.084011 (opens in new tab)

"Wormholes in spacetime and their use for interstellar travel". American Journal of Physics (1987). https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1119/1.15620 (opens in new tab)

"The General Theory of Relativity". The Meaning of Relativity (1922). https://link.springer.com/chapter/10 (opens in new tab)

"Multi-mouth Traversable Wormholes". Journal of High Energy Physics (2020) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347125665_Multi-mouth_Traversable_Wormholes (opens in new tab)
How long does it take to get to Mars? Travel time to the Red Planet depends on several factors including the position of the planets and available technology.

If you wanted to travel to Mars, how long would it take? The answer depends on several factors, ranging from the position of the planets to the technology that would propel you there.

According to NASA (opens in new tab), a one-way trip to Mars would take about nine months. If you wanted to make it a round-trip, all in all, it would take about 21 months as you will need to wait about three months on Mars to make sure Earth and Mars are in a suitable location to make the trip back home.

We take a look at how long a trip to the Red Planet would take using available technology and explore some of the factors that would affect your travel time.

How far away is Mars?

To determine how long it will take to reach Mars, we must first know the distance between the two planets.

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and the second closest to Earth (Venus is the closest). But the distance between Earth and Mars is constantly changing as they travel around the sun.

In theory, the closest that Earth and Mars would approach each other would be when Mars is at its closest point to the sun (perihelion) and Earth is at its farthest (aphelion). This would put the planets only 33.9 million miles (54.6 million kilometers) apart. However, this has never happened in recorded history. The closest recorded approach of the two planets occurred in 2003 when they were only 34.8 million miles (56 million km) apart.

The two planets are farthest apart when they are both at their farthest from the sun, on opposite sides of the star. At this point, they can be 250 million miles (401 million km) apart.

The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles (225 million km).

Related: What is the temperature on Mars?

How long would it take to travel to Mars at the speed of light?

The average distance between Earth and Mars the two planets is 140 million miles (225 million km). The distance between the two planets affects how long it would take to travel between the two. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

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Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second (299,792 km per second). Therefore, a light shining from the surface of Mars would take the following amount of time to reach Earth (or vice versa):

Closest possible approach: 182 seconds, or 3.03 minutes

Closest recorded approach: 187 seconds, or 3.11 minutes

Farthest approach: 1,342 seconds, or 22.4 minutes

On average: 751 seconds, or just over 12.5 minutes

Fastest spacecraft so far

The fastest spacecraft is NASA's Parker Solar Probe, as it keeps breaking its own speed records as it moves closer to the sun. On Nov 21, 2021 the Parker Solar Probe reached a top speed of 101 miles (163 kilometers) per second during its 10th close flyby of our star, which translates to an eye-watering 364,621 mph (586,000 kph). According to a NASA statement (opens in new tab), when the Parker Solar Probe comes within 4 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) of the solar surface in December 2024, the spacecraft's speed will top 430,000 miles per hour!

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is currently the fastest spacecraft ever launched. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben)

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If the Parker Solar Probe managed to achieve the speeds reached during its 10th close flyby of the Sun and took a detour from its sun-focused mission to travel in a straight line from Earth to the Red Planet, the time it would take to get to Mars would be:

Closest possible approach: 93 hours

Closest recorded approach: 95 hours

Farthest approach: 686 hours (28.5 days)

On average: 384 hours (16 days)

The problems with calculating travel times to Mars

Of course, the problem with the previous calculations is that they measure the distance between the two planets as a straight line. Traveling through the farthest passing of Earth and Mars would involve a trip directly through the sun, while spacecraft must of necessity move in orbit around the solar system's star.

Although this isn't a problem for the closest approach, when the planets are on the same side of the sun, another problem exists. The numbers also assume that the two planets remain at a constant distance; that is, when a probe is launched from Earth while the two planets are at the closest approach, Mars would remain the same distance away over the 39 days it took the probe to travel.

Related: A brief history of Mars missions

In reality, however, the planets are continuously moving in their orbits around the sun. Engineers must calculate the ideal orbits for sending a spacecraft from Earth to Mars. Their numbers factor in not only distance but also fuel efficiency. Like throwing a dart at a moving target, they must calculate where the planet will be when the spacecraft arrives, not where it is when it leaves Earth. Spaceships must also decelerate to enter orbit around a new planet to avoid overshooting it.

How long it takes to reach Mars depends on where in their orbits the two planets lie when a mission is launched. It also depends on the technological developments of propulsion systems.

According to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's website, the ideal lineup for a launch to Mars would get you to the planet in roughly nine months. The website quotes physics professor Craig C. Patten (opens in new tab), of the University of California, San Diego:

"It takes the Earth one year to orbit the sun and it takes Mars about 1.9 years (say 2 years for easy calculation) to orbit the sun. The elliptical orbit which carries you from Earth to Mars is longer than Earth's orbit but shorter than Mars' orbit. Accordingly, we can estimate the time it would take to complete this orbit by averaging the lengths of Earth's orbit and Mars' orbit. Therefore, it would take about one and a half years to complete the elliptical orbit.

"In the nine months it takes to get to Mars, Mars moves a considerable distance around in its orbit, about three-eighths of the way around the sun. You have to plan to make sure that by the time you reach the distance of Mar's orbit, Mars is where you need it to be! Practically, this means that you can only begin your trip when Earth and Mars are properly lined up. This only happens every 26 months. That is, there is only one launch window every 26 months."

The trip could be shortened by burning more fuel  a process not ideal with today's technology, Patten said.

Evolving technology can help to shorten the flight. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will be the new workhorse for carrying upcoming missions, and potentially humans, to the red planet. SLS is currently being constructed and tested, with NASA now targeting a launch in March or April 2022 for its Artemis 1 flight, the first flight of its SLS rocket.

Robotic spacecraft could one day make the trip in only three days. Photon propulsion would rely on a powerful laser to accelerate spacecraft to velocities approaching the speed of light. Philip Lubin, a physics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his team are working on the Directed Energy Propulsion for Interstellar Exploration (DEEP-IN). The method could propel a 220-lb. (100 kilograms) robotic spacecraft to Mars in only three days, he said.

"There are recent advances which take this from science fiction to science reality," Lubin said at the 2015 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) fall symposium. "There's no known reason why we cannot do this."

How long did past missions take to reach Mars?

Here is an infographic detailing how long it took several historical missions to reach the Red Planet (either orbiting or landing on the surface). Their launch dates are included for perspective.

(Image credit: Future)

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Additional resources

Explore NASA's lunar exploration plans with their Moon to Mars overview (opens in new tab). You can read about how to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again with this informative article on The Conversation (opens in new tab). Curious about the human health risks of a mission to the Red Planet? You may find this research paper (opens in new tab) of particular interest.
A giant hole in the moon, which opens at the Marius Hills skylight (pictured here), was formed by an ancient lava tube.

A city-size lava tube has been discovered on the moon, and researchers say it could serve as a shelter for lunar astronauts.

This lava tube could protect lunar-living astronauts from hazardous conditions on the moon's surface, the researchers said. Such a tube could even harbor a lunar colony, they added.

"It's important to know where and how big lunar lava tubes are if we're ever going to construct a lunar base," study co-researcher Junichi Haruyama, a senior researcher at JAXA, Japan's space agency, said in a statement. [How to Get to the Moon in 5 'Small' Steps]

Humans first landed on the moon more than 48 years ago, but no one has managed to stay there for longer than three days. That's because the moon is a perilous place. It has widely ranging temperatures, and unlike Earth, the moon does not have an atmosphere or magnetic field to protect life on its surface from harsh sun rays and radiation.

Spacesuits can't substantially shield astronauts from these dangers over long periods of time, but a lava tube could potentially help protect any space travelers, the researchers said. Lava tubes are channels that form when a lava flow cools and develops a hard crust; this crust then thickens and makes a roof over a still-flowing lava stream, they explained. Once the lava stops flowing, the channel sometimes drains, leaving behind an empty tube.

Researchers want to study this lava tube because they "might get new types of rock samples, heat flow data and lunar quake observation data," Haruyama said.

The tube was discovered when the Japanese lunar orbiter SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer)  also known by its nickname, Kaguya  gathered data near the moon's Marius Hills skylight, which is the tube's entrance. When JAXA researchers later examined the data, they found a distinctive echo pattern: a decrease in echo intensity followed by a large second echo peak  signals that are largely suggestive of a hollow area, like a tube, they said.

The scientists also discovered comparable echo patterns at several places near the hole, indicating there may be more lunar tubes in the area.

However, SELENE wasn't designed to fly close to the moon, so JAXA partnered with NASA scientists working on the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) mission, a project that allows scientists to amass high-quality data on the moon's gravitational field. Areas of the moon with gravity deficits  that is, less mass  could help indicate hollow places underneath, they reasoned.

"They knew about the skylight in the Marius Hills, but they didn't have any idea how far that underground cavity might have gone," study co-researcher Jay Melosh, a GRAIL co-investigator and distinguished professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue University, in Indiana, said in the statement. "Our group at Purdue used the gravity data over that area to infer that the opening was part of a larger system. By using this complementary technique of radar, they were able to figure out how deep and high the cavities are." [Slideshow: 7 Everyday Things That Happen Strangely in Space]

Earth also has lava tubes, but they're not nearly as large as the one discovered on the moon. If the scientists' gravity analyses are correct, the lava tube near Marius Hills could easily house a large U.S. city such as Philadelphia, they said.

The city of Philadelphia could easily fit inside a theoretical lunar lava tube. (Image credit: David Blair/Purdue University)

Other scientists have speculated that the moon has lava tubes, but the new finding, which combines radar and gravity data, provides the best evidence and estimates of how big these tubes are, the researchers said.

This finding may go a long way: When meeting with the recently re-established National Space Council on Oct. 5, Vice President Mike Pencereiterated that the Trump administration will focus on sending astronauts to the moon rather than to Mars.

"The moon will be a stepping-stone, a training ground, a venue to strengthen our commercial and international partnerships as we refocus America's space program toward human space exploration," Pence said at the council meeting, according to a statement from the White House.

The study was published online Oct. 17 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Original article on Live Science.
ATLANTA  Blue Origin announced Oct. 19 that it conducted the first successful test of its BE-4 engine, a major milestone for both the company's launch vehicle plans as well as for United Launch Alliance.

Blue Origin, in a tweet, said its first hotfire test of the BE-4 engine was a success. The company included a six-second video, taken from several angles, of the engine firing on a test stand, but provided no other information, including the date, duration or thrust level of the test. A Blue Origin spokesperson said the company was not releasing additional information about the test at this time.

"First hotfire of our BE-4 engine is a success," tweeted company founder Jeff Bezos. "Huge kudos to the whole @BlueOrigin team for this important step!"

The BE-4 is an engine that uses liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas propellants and is capable of generating 550,000 pounds-force of thrust. The engine was developed in-house at Blue Origin primarily with its own funding, with some support from ULA.

See more

Blue Origin plans to use the BE-4 on its New Glenn vehicle that the company announced last year. The first stage of the rocket will use seven BE-4 engines, with the second stage using a single BE-4. That rocket will be able to place up to 45 tons into low Earth orbit and 13 tons into geostationary transfer orbit.

The BE-4 is also under consideration by ULA for its next-generation Vulcan rocket. ULA is considering both the BE-4 and the AR1, a liquid oxygen and kerosene engine under development by Aerojet Rocketdyne, but has indicated that its preference is for the BE-4.

In an April interview, ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno said that it was waiting for the outcome of an initial series of hotfire tests before formally selecting the BE-4. "The economic factors are largely in place now and the thing that is outstanding is the technical risk," he said then. "That's why we keep talking about the engine firing."

ULA spokesperson Jessica Rye said the company congratulated Blue Origin on the successful test, but gave no indication of when ULA might make a decision on the engine for Vulcan.

"Congratulations to the entire Blue Origin team on the successful hotfire of a full-scale BE-4 engine," she said in an Oct. 19 email. "This is a tremendous accomplishment in the development of a new engine."

At the time of the April interview, Blue Origin was expected to begin BE-4 engine tests in the coming weeks. However, in May the company reported it lost a set of powerpack hardware, a key component of the engine, during a test. At the time the company said it would be back in testing "soon" but offered few updates prior to the announcement of this test.

An independent assessment, conducted by NASA personnel and briefed to congressional staffers in June, concluded that the BE-4 retained a development lead of as much as two years over the AR1 despite the mishap. That briefing took place around the same time Blue Origin announced it will construct a factory in Huntsville, Alabama, to build BE-4 engines for both its own vehicles and for ULA, if it does select the BE-4 for Vulcan.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Algiers, Oct 20, 2017 (SPS)  The 42nd European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO 2017), to take place in Paris, France, on 21 and 22 October, is a major annual event during which the participants would reaffirm their support to the Sahrawi cause and the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination and independence.

During the conference, which will be held under the slogan "Self-determination of Sahrawi people, an inalienable right," there will be workshops focusing mainly on three themes: political situation, human rights and natural resources, said the organizers on their website.

The participants will present the achievements and prospects of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and the Polisario Front, with a view to better coordinating the urgent humanitarian aid and aid for development.

During the 2016 edition, held in Spain's Villanova, the participants called on the international community to exert pressure on Morocco and the Spanish government to put an end to the illegal occupation of the Sahrawi territories.

This year's edition will be an opportunity to develop the theme of human rights in Western Sahara, through the experience of the defence of Gdeim Izik prisoners, as well as by calling for the setting-up of a mechanism for human rights monitoring and the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). (SPS)

062/SPS/APS




B ritish film is stronger than ever in 2017.

As well as boasting some of the best actors in the game, the UK has produced a selection of wonderful films this year, with a whole host more still to come.

From blockbusters to indie gems, these are the best British films of 2017.

Dunkirk

Dunkirk - Trailer

This moving and visually staggering film focuses on the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 from three key perspectives: land, sea and air. Dunkirk features awe-inspiring cinematography, cleverly interwoven time frames, and one of the best ensemble casts of the year; even Harry Styless performance is surprisingly convincing. Its without a doubt one of 2017s must-watch films, and another feather in the cap of director Christopher Nolan.

T2 Trainspotting

T2 Trainspotting

Danny Boyles long-awaited sequel to classic Brit-flick Trainspotting revisits the lives of Begbie, Sick Boy, Spud and Renton 20 years on. Its film about ageing, and it spends a lot of the time examining how the past can have huge influence over the present. Its also a lot funnier than the original film, and does itself justice as a follow-up to the classic film.

The Snowman

The Snowman - Trailer 2

Michael Fassbender stars as detective Harry Hole in this murky murder mystery, who must battle his personal demons and work alongside Rebecca Fergusons Katrine Bratt to solve the mystery of The Snowman; a sociopathic killer whose calling card is building snowmen near the scenes of his crimes. Its based on the best-seller by Jo Nesbo, whos a dependably safe pair of hands when it comes to crime thrillers, and Fassbender is eminently watchable as always as a detective troubled by addiction and personal struggles.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

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Kingsman came out of nowhere to become a huge hit back in 2014, and now secret agent Eggsy is back to save the world for a second time. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is double the spectacle of the original, and also features performances from the likes of Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges who play the Kingsmans American cousins The Statesmen. Its fun, and doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is refreshing to see in a modern blockbuster.

Goodbye Christopher Robin

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AA Milne is the subject of this heart-warming film from director Simon Curtis, which stars Domnhall Gleeson as the acclaimed childrens author and Margot Robbie as his wife Daphne. Milne recovers from his experiences in the First World War by creating the Winnie the Pooh stories with his son Christopher in this nicely pitched biopic.

Gods Own Country

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God's Own Country is a real gem from director Francis Lee focuses on a Yorkshire-born sheep-farmer Johnny, who develops a passionate relationship with Romanian farm-hand Gheorghe. Its a pretty graphic and grim watch at time, but it's one of the most moving films of the year, and one of the best British LGBTQ films in recent memory. Expect stunning, sweeping landscape shots of Yorkshire in Spring too, which is always a good thing.

I Am Not a Witch

One of the highlights from this years London Film Festival, this powerful film from director Rungano Nyoni, this film tells the story of the Ghanaian women who are accused of being witches from an incredibly young age, and sent to live in camps. While the film is preoccupied with heavy themes, the film attempts to find levity amongst the darkness.

Victoria & Abdul

Victoria And Abdul - Trailer

Judy Dench stars as Queen Victoria in this polished period drama from director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, The Queen, Philomena), which sees the monarch form an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim. Dench is fantastic in the role as the stubborn queen, who learns to see life a little differently after spending time with her new companion.

6 Days

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Jamie Bell leads the cast of this 2017 Brit film, which follows the events that took place during the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege. Mark Strong also stars in the film, which really captures the claustrophobic conditions hostages were kept under during the six day-long ordeal. The film went a little under the radar when it was released back in August, but its well worth checking out on DVD.

Jawbone

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This is England star Johnny Harris writers and stars in the semi-autobiographical work Jawbone, which represents one of the years finest independent films. The movie follows the life of Harriss former boxer, who battles alcoholism and homelessness to return to the ring for one final showdown with an upcoming fighter with a brutal reputation. Paul Weller also worked on the soundtrack for this underdog story, and Ray Winstone puts in one of his strongest performances since The Departed
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:06:43|Editor: Yang Yi

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SHENZHEN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A court in south China's Shenzhen City said Saturday it had fined a debt defaulter 100,000 yuan (15,000 U.S. dollars) for taking a first-class flight.

Zhang Li, which is not her real name, is on a national blacklist for failing to repay her debts.

People on the blacklist are, among other proscriptions, forbidden from taking first-class flights and are not able to book tickets with their identity cards.

However, Zhang was found to have bought a first-class ticket from Lijiang, Yunnan Province, to Shenzhen, on Oct. 13 using her passport.

On arrival, she was detained by police at Shenzhen airport.

According to the Futian District People's Court, in November 2015 and April 2017 she was found liable and ordered to pay the debts of her private company of over 7 million yuan. She refused to make the payment and was added to the social credit blacklist.

Following her detention, she paid the fine together with the debts in question.

As authorities work to establish a reliable nationwide credit rating system, courts are exploring new ways of punishing those who do not pay their debts. Among them are the ban from first-class flights and lowering their score at Sesame Credit, a credit-scoring system by Alibaba subsidiary Ant Financial, so that they face upfront charges when renting a car or booking a hotel room.
A "no-deal" Brexit would hit Britain harder than it would the European Union, according to a former World Trade Organisation (WTO) deputy director general.

Roderick Abbott said fees that would be imposed on trade if there was no exit agreement would be brushed off by the EU more easily than by Britain.

He said this was because the EU does a larger proportion of its trade with the rest of the world, whereas nearly 50 per cent of Britain's international trade is with the union.

Theresa May is facing pressure from some Tories to leave the EU without a trade deal so Britain can free itself from Brussels regulations, avoid a costly "divorce bill" and take what some see as full advantage of the benefits of Brexit.

Reports suggest the Government may use the coming weeks to step up preparations for a "no deal" Brexit in order to force the EU's hand in negotiations by showing the UK is ready to leave without a trade agreement.

The hope is that it could lead to a more favourable outcome including fewer concessions on an exit payment.

But Mr Abbott said the UK could stand to lose out from leaving with no deal and reverting to WTO rules to govern international trade after Brexit.

Discussing a "no deal" Brexit, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What has happened is, you are out of a preferential relationship with the EU, including all of the regulations of the single market which you are inside.

"And on the tariffs level you are losing all of your preferential access to the EU and to all of the countries which the EU has trade deals with, so that's quite a big step down."

Asked if erecting tariffs on EU goods and services would favour the UK because it would take in more money than it pays out, Mr Abbott replied: "Yes, and on the other side, if you're talking cost, your exports might actually drop quite substantially, so your revenue from that is falling.

"I think that the tariff argument is in the favour of the EU because they are selling more to the UK than in any other direction, but as a proportion of their total trade around the world it's quite small.

"Whereas, the proportion of our trade to the EU is 45 per cent."
A t least 54 Egyptian police officers have been killed in a raid on a rebel enclave that turned into a huge firefight, authorities said.

The shocking loss of life represents one of the most deadly incidents for Egyptian security forces since the insurgency began, after Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was removed by the military in 2013.

Officials warned the death toll could still increase further.

The gunfight began late on Friday in the al-Wahat al-Bahriya area in the Giza region, about 84 miles from Cairo, after security services moved in.

Police also deployed aircraft to battle the militants, officials said, as clashes continued after nightfall.

No militant group immediately claimed involvement in the firefight.

Egypt has been struggling to contain rebellions by Islamic militants led by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, centred mostly across the Suez Canal in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula.

The country has been under a state of emergency since bombings and suicide attacks targeting minority Coptic Christians killed scores earlier this year. Those attacks were claimed by IS.

Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam condemned the killing in a statement on Friday.
T he Spanish government has seized powers from Barcelona and moved to dismiss Catalan leaders following weeks of heightened tensions triggered by the region's independence referendum.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says he wants the Senate to give him direct power to dissolve the regional Catalan government and to call an early election as soon as possible.

Mr Rajoy said after meeting with his Cabinet on Saturday that the central government needs to take the unprecedented step of assuming control of Catalonia to "restore order" in the face of a secession effort backed by the regional government.

He is proposing that the powers of Catalan officials be taken over by central government ministers.

The special cabinet meeting came three weeks after the October 1 independence referendum, which Spain's supreme court has ruled illegal.

The raft of measures also follows an intervention by King Felipe VI in which he slammed what he called an "unacceptable secession attempt".

The Cabinet meeting was announced on Friday only minutes after Catalonia's leader threatened to explicitly declare independence if no talks were offered by Madrid.

Carles Puigdemonts warning was contained in a letter to Mr Rajoy shortly before the expiry of a 10am deadline set by the central government for him to backtrack on his calls for secession.

If the central government persists in impeding dialogue and continuing its repression, Catalonias parliament will proceed ... with a vote to formally declare independence, Mr Puigdemonts letter said.

Mr Rajoy said Article 155 of Spains 1978 constitution would be triggered, allowing it to take over the running of the region.

Article 155 has never been invoked in the four decades since democracy was restored at the end of General Francos dictatorship.
T housands of protesters flooded the streets of Barcelona as the Spanish Prime Minister moved to sack Catalan leaders following weeks of heightened tensions in the region.

Using previously untapped constitutional powers, PM Mariano Rajoy wants the Spanish government to install its own people in their place and call a new local election.

It follows the independence referendum that went ahead despite being banned by Spain's Constitutional Court.

Mr Rajoy took the unprecedented move after an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Saturday, saying the central government needs to "restore order" in the face of a secession effort backed by the regional government.

He is proposing that the powers of Catalan officials be taken over by central government ministers.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont swiftly dismissed this, describing it as the worst attack on Catalonia's institutions since the Franco dictatorship.

Spanish PM moves to dissolve Catalan government

Mr Rajoy's aggressive stance has been met with a huge backlash, as protesters poured onto the streets wrapped in red-and-yellow Catalan flags, holding up signs calling for freedom.

About 450,000 people joined the protest, according to police, although an anti-secession group put the number at 85,000.

The demonstration had originally been called to protest the detention of two prominent pro-independence activists who are awaiting possible sedition charges, but it turned into an outcry over Rajoy's move.

Thousands in a rally protest hours after the Spanish PM's announcement / EPA

Even moderate Catalans were aghast as the announcement was met with banging pots and honking cars.

The city's mayor, Ada Colau, who opposes independence without a valid referendum, called Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's measures "a serious attack" on the self-government of Catalonia.

Others went further - Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell accused Spain's central authorities of carrying out a coup.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy addresses a press conference on Saturday / EPA

"Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government," Forcadell said, calling it "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."

The special cabinet meeting came three weeks after the October 1 independence referendum, which Spain's supreme court has ruled illegal.

Catalan leader: Democratically deciding our future is not a crime

The raft of measures also follows an intervention by King Felipe VI in which he slammed what he called an "unacceptable secession attempt".

The Cabinet meeting was announced on Friday only minutes after Mr Puigdemont threatened to explicitly declare independence if no talks were offered by Madrid.

His warning was contained in a letter to Mr Rajoy shortly before the expiry of a 10am deadline set by the central government for him to backtrack on his calls for secession.

If the central government persists in impeding dialogue and continuing its repression, Catalonias parliament will proceed ... with a vote to formally declare independence, Mr Puigdemonts letter said.

Protesters holding pro-independence Catalan Estelada flags raise their hands during a demonstration in Barcelona / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Rajoy said Article 155 of Spains 1978 constitution would be triggered, allowing it to take over the running of the region.

Article 155 has never been invoked in the four decades since democracy was restored at the end of General Francos dictatorship.
T he UK Government has slammed the appointment of Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador" for the World Health Organisation as "surprising and disappointing".

A spokesman said Britain has raised concerns with the WHO over the Zimbabwean president's new role, warning that it risks undercutting the organisation's good work.

Mr Mugabe has long faced EU and US sanctions over human rights abuses.

Commenting on his appointment, the UK Government spokesman said: "We have registered our concerns with WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Although Mugabe will not have an executive role, his appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on non-communicable diseases."

Mr Tedros, an Ethiopian who became the WHO's first African director-general this year, said Mr Mugabe could use his role "to influence his peers in the region" and said Zimbabwe was "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies".

But despite once being known as the breadbasket of southern Africa, in 2008 a charity released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwe's health system and blamed Mr Mugabe for what it called a man-made crisis.

Physicians for Human Rights found his government had "presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care".

It went on: "The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicising the health sector, to maintain its hold on power."

The report said Mr Mugabe's policies had led to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers".

The Zimbabwean leader's appointment as WHO goodwill ambassador was announced at a conference in Uruguay.

The UN and its agencies appoint goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they are generally seen as honorary roles with little real power.
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For most of 2017 American troops, especially special operations forces, got some very practical, and fortunately not too lethal lessons about what its like to fight an enemy equipped with a lot of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones). The first thing American troops learned was that these small commercial UAVs and medium sized Iranian UAVs are difficult to deal with. The smaller ones, similar to the two kg (five pound) U.S. Raven, are difficult to hit with gunfire or MANPADS (shoulder fired missiles). Another downside of using missiles or machine-guns to take down UAVs is that those bullets and missiles eventually return to earth and often kill or injure people (usually civilians) on the ground.

Electronic jamming, which most AUD (Anti UAV Defense) systems employ with some success can easily be defeated by sending UAVs off on a pre-programmed mission. Nearly all UAVs have this capability. Used in this fashion a UAV cannot be jammed and can take pictures and return (very common) or deliver a small explosive (rare). ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) was apparently the first to least successfully use armed micro-UAVs and for several years North Korea has been using small recon UAVs flying under automatic control into and out of South Korea. Criminal gangs have used small UAVs to smuggle drugs across tight borders or even into prisons.

Islamic terrorists and drug gangs can afford to buy lots of the smaller commercial UAVs but so far these users have been found vulnerable to decapitation (capturing or killing the leaders or UAV experts). This turned out to be particularly true for Islamic terrorists in Syria and Iraq. By either taking GPS data off a downed one or using intelligence techniques (electronic and photo surveillance, interrogation of prisoners and tips from informants) you can find the few locations where Islamic terrorists maintained maintenance and training bases for their UAVs. Smart bombs or even a ground raid put enough of these out of action during the first half of 2017 and that greatly reduced the incidence of enemy UAV use.

Some nations, like South Korea and Israel have been dealing with this problem longer than the United States and have developed special weapons and tactics that involved more effective use of ground fire but have also relied on more sensor systems, especially new radars that can detect the smallest UAVs moving at any speed and altitude.

Since 2014 a growing number of AUDs have been designed and gone into testing and development. In 2016 and 2017 many were sent to Iraq and Syria for use against the growing number of commercial UAVs ISIL was employing for surveillance or combat (when rigged to drop small explosive devices that have caused several dozen casualties).

One of the first AUDs, developed by a British firm (Blighter), was delivered to U.S. troops in combat zones for use and, in effect, to see if it works as well in combat as it did during extensive testing (against 60 different UAVs during 1,500 test sorties). The Blighter AUDs can be placed on roof tops or any other high terrain or carried in a vehicles (truck or hummer). It can detect UAVs 10 kilometers away and identify and disable UAVs in less than 15 seconds. This is done by either jamming or taking over the control signal (and landing the UAV). Separately an Israeli firm has sold 21 AUDs to the U.S. military for use in the Middle East. None of these AUDs were a complete solution and they were expensive ($743,000 each) mainly because they were light enough for ground troops carry in a backpack. But these systems were found not effective for widespread use. The problem was that the Islamic terrorists had access to effective online advice from fans who had UAV experience (usually from living in the West) and often helped developed effective methods for counteracting AUDs.

The number of new anti-UAV weapons showing up indicates that the countries with larger defense budgets see a need for this sort of thing and are willing to pay for a solution. These more sophisticated AUDs are safer (for nearby civilians) to use because they rely on lasers or electronic signals to destroy or disable UAVs. For example the CLWS (Compact Laser Weapon System) is a laser weapon light enough to mount on helicopters or hummers and can destroy small UAVs up to 2,000 meters away while it can disable or destroy the sensors (vidcams) on a UAV up to 7,000 meters away. The CLWS fire control system will automatically track and keep the laser firing on a selected target. It can take up to 15 seconds of laser fire to bring down a UAV or destroy its camera. Another example is an even more portable system that can be carried and operated by one person; DroneDefender. This system is a 6.8 kg (15 pound) electronic rifle that can disrupt control signals for a small UAV. Range is only a few hundred meters so DroneDefender would be most useful to police.

There is also a high-end system similar to DroneDefender that can use data from multiple sensors (visual, heat, radar) to detect the small UAVs and then use a focused radio signal jammer to cut the UAV off from its controller and prevent (in most cases) the UAV from completing its mission. The detection range of this AUDS is usually 10 kilometers or more and jamming range varies from a few kilometers to about eight.

The problem is the enemy can use their UAVs at any time just about anywhere and no one has come up with an AUD cheap enough and portable enough deal this. Decapitation is one technique that works but only after the enemy UAVs have become a serious problem. As always, simple, safe and affordable solutions are always in short supply.
Nvidia went to China last week and made a series of interesting announcements having to do with smart cities and autonomous cars. (The video is worth watching.)

IBM made an announcement on advancements in tying the Weather Channel to its Watson artificial intelligence engine and targeted marketing.

We also found out about Oculus Fall in Love VR project which is kind of like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, but the significant other is a hot computerized avatar.

Intel announced Loihi, a new AI processor that emulates the human brain.

All of these things have broad implications for how we will perceive the world in a decade  and strangely enough, for how the world will perceive us. Our reality, or at least our perception of it, will be massively changed.

Ill offer some predictions about the world we can expect in 2027 and close with my product of the week: an amazing new cellphone-sized camera that can outperform DLSRs.

The Smarter Electric Car

In another 10 years, we should be close to critical mass in both electric-powered cars and cars that drive themselves. More than 300K people preordered Teslas new Model 3, and 25K have preordered the new Jaguar iPace.

Other than supercars, car preorders at this magnitude are almost unheard of  and this hasnt been lost on the car companies. Most have plans to ramp up electric car production massively over the next few years, and this is the same time that well also be ramping up autonomous driving.

Couple this with Qualcomm and WiTricitys efforts to create wireless charging, which most of these cars will be using, and these cars not only can drop you off at work, but also drive themselves to a recharging station to recover.

There is some question of whether youll buy your car or just use Lyft (Ubers survival is in doubt at the moment), and Lyft just partnered with Ford to make this happen.

If you do buy a car (or most any other major purchase), youll likely do it virtually. Car original equipment manufacturers already have virtual reality headsets in trial runs at dealerships, with folks like Audi leading the charge.

When Jaguar announced and showcased its electric car, the iPace, it used VR, allowing buyers to see and experience the car long before manufacturing lines were even set up.

Oh, and there is a pretty good chance that this Airbus project to create an autonomous car that can be carried by a drone will be in production. Now that is cool.

The Smarter Home/Office

One of the biggest personal impacts of AI will be in the home. One of the problems well likely experience is people choosing to interact with machines that tell them what they want to hear rather than other people who tend to be less willing to be extremely agreeable.

The work being done by the Fall In Love VR project, I noted above. You think there are Web addiction problems now  wait until the pornography industry gets involved in this. On the positive side, you could get a workout partner who always would be there for you. On the negative side, it will be far harder to catch scammers and telemarketers in the act.

This technology will merge with digital assistants and robotics, making it very likely youll have an increasingly intelligent, mobile, smart robot helping you around the house. The initial target market for this will be people who are disabled in some way, even just by age.

Im not ready to wrap my head around what fully blending human-like personalities into these robots could do to relationships. As Nvidia showcased during its event in China, these ever-more-intelligent systems will be able to learn just what you like over time, in order to mold themselves into your ideal companion. Im thinking that in comparison, relationships with people will truly suck.

Speaking of interaction, we should have real-time translation with proper inflection, as well as a far more advanced speech-to-text capability. Many of us simply may decide to forgo mice and keyboards (last week Microsofts Holographic keyboard display patent became public) , suggesting cubicle farms likely will become nonviable due to the related noise.

Ironically, because the proliferation of autonomous cars will make traffic concerns largely a thing of the past (they will better manage congestion, and youll be able to work while riding in the self-driving car), the need to go into work should be reduced massively. Meetings increasingly can be attended by digital avatars, who likely will take better notes than you ever did.

Your appliances and equipment will be better able to determine a coming problem, and to automatically schedule a fix, suggesting that extended warranties will be replaced by service agreements.

Oh, and we already have robotic vacuum cleaners that map out our homes. Future versions could better secure them as well.

Youll be able to conduct searches based on lines spoken in a video to find specific locations corresponding to snippets of audio (that also was showcased at Nvidias event).

Smarter Cities

At the heart of this latest wave is a focus on monitoring and facial recognition. This is the ability for city officials and agencies to know where you are and what you are doing any time you are out of your home.

This not only will make you a ton safer  because the increasing number of cameras will identify a crime or injury in progress and more accurately track the criminals and dispatch help  but also will provide a far more complete idea of what your interests and priorities are for future city growth and investment.

Granted, its likely well still be having a cow over the massive lack of privacy, but that train left the station some time ago.

The city in most cases will know where you are, and often even what you are doing. I can certainly anticipate city services that allow you to better track your children and spouse, which could be a huge problem for many members of both groups.

Tracking isnt just for people  these systems will track cars, trucks, and perhaps even pets (which would be handy for those of us who own runners). By connecting to cars and homes, cities should be able to better manage traffic, utilities, law enforcement and repair services  and if you get into trouble, automatically route you to the police station.

Wrapping Up

This stuff is coming together very quickly. In a few short years, our homes will be able to better clean and maintain themselves, our cars will drive significantly better than we do and will be a ton cleaner, and our cities will pretty much know things about us we likely dont realize ourselves.

Where we work, who or what we interact and fall in love with, and the concept of privacy will have changed a lot (Nvidia showcased an estimate that cities will own a billion security cameras in a decade).

It will be a very, very different world.

The Light L16 camera  check out the quality of the pictures it takes  is a weird thing to look at. It has a ton of sensors and lenses  the 16 in the name refers to the number of lenses the camera has. It looks very strange, but this allows the camera to capture amazing depth of field, and to allow a level of editing and quality hard to find in a DSLR let alone something the size of a smartphone.

Light L16Camera

One thing initial users have discovered is that to get this quality, you still need to treat the camera like a DSLR, which means you must steady it and be cognizant of the settings. That means for the best shots, youll want tripod.

Its currently being offered as a preproduction special of US$1,299, but the initial run apparently is sold out. Once it starts shipping, the price will jump to $1,700 which is still cheap for DLSR quality.

I know I virtually never carry my DLSR because the damn thing is so big, but this Id likely carry. Oh, and this is the first generation of the product. Imagine what the second generation will be like.

Im fascinated by segment-changing innovative products, and this week the Light L16 is certainly that, so its my product of the week.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:11:45|Editor: ying

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by Robert Manyara

NAKURU, Kenya, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Rael Cherop, a Kenyan woman in her 50s, cannot read or write, but her knowledge on the centuries-old craft of weaving ropes has given her rock star status among peers.

At her humble abode in the Rift Valley County of Nakuru, you will find Cherop twisting threads from woven bags into strands that she later ties into a six-strand rope.

The thick rope that varies in colors depending on raw material used can serve varying purposes from tying domestic animals, wrapping bundles of firewood or strapping a jerrican onto the back during water fetching chores.

Cherop, who lives with a relative after losing her land to unscrupulous people more than 20 years ago, said the earnings from the wares have kept her going.

"I make good money out of this work but I never went to any school to learn how to do it. It's just something I learnt from my female ancestors," Cherop told Xinhua.

For the past decade, the craft has become her alternative source of livelihood in case of failure of crops she usually plant in rented farms.

"I always have something to turn to when there is nothing to harvest or menial jobs to do in the neighborhood," she noted.

Cherop said there is always a market for her products which she mainly markets through word of mouth and referrals.

How she measures the length of a rope to fit the appropriate purpose is more of an indigenous understanding of measurements rather than the professional way of utilizing a tape measure or a ruler.

The size of the final rope is determined by the stretch of her both arms and she can tell which one is perfect for which activity.

"I cannot tell you about meters of the ropes I make because I don't know," she remarked.

"What I know is that a rope four times my arms stretch is okay for tying donkeys or cows. That which is three times works well with wrapping firewood and the one which is two-and-a half is suitable for holding in place a jerrican full of water," said Cherop.

In many rural parts of Kenya, women carry water and firewood on their backs with support of ropes buckled over their heads. And these women are her main clients.

"I have sold these ropes to women from Central Kenya, Western and Rift Valley. Some buy wholesale to sell to others and it always feels great when they make referrals," she said.

She sells the four-time arms stretch rope at 5 U.S. dollars, the three-times, 3 dollars and the two-and-a half, 2.5 dollars.

In three days she can make five ropes from a 90-kilogram woven bag which she presently buys at an average price of 9 dollars.

She begins with rolling six threads pulled out of the bag over her knee to make one filament. A process she repeats until she creates six of them. She then ties them together to make one rope.

"This knowledge is a resource that nobody can take away from me. I only wish I know how to patent it so that my products can be sold even in foreign markets because I know they are of good quality," Cherop said, adding that the ropes can last more than a year.

Cherop is among the thousands of women in Kenya who have the traditional knowledge in certain socio-economic aspects that can be monetized to change their standards of living. Apart from weaving and pottery, some know specific herbs for treating fatal diseases.

In Kenya's legislative framework, indigenous knowledge is recognized as essential in bolstering the country's growth, thereby encouraging communities to utilize it to benefit themselves and the nation.

According to Lucy Mulenkei, Executive Director of Indigenous Information Network, for women like Cherop to fully capitalize on their traditional knowledge, they need to be sensitized on available mechanisms of protecting it and how to diversify it and boost their revenue streams.

"You will find women having immense traditional knowledge but they do not know how to make use of it or go about it to avoid being exploited," said Mulenkei.

"That is why more sensitization has to be done at the local-level to enable communities to identify the resources they are surrounded with and which they can benefit from," she added.

Under the Nagoya Protocol, Mulenkei said traditional knowledge is a protected resource and thus it is critical that communities are enlightened enough on ways of not just safeguarding it but how to negotiate for benefits accumulated from its utilization.
Over 250,000 Haitian descendants do not have legal residence due to a deliberate policy of non-regularization of migration. | Read More
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:21:48|Editor: ying

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The African Union top envoy in Somalia on Saturday called on Somalis to unite in the fight against terrorism which has seen several innocent lives being lost in the recent past.

Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, also urged Somalis to work closely with the security forces to defeat Al-Shabaab and other agents of terror.

"I wish to appeal to the Somali population to remain united and provide the government and its security agencies with information that will help bring to book the perpetrators of this barbaric incident that took many lives and destroyed property," Madeira said.

He made the remarks when top AMISOM and UN officials joined the Somali government mourning the victims of Oct. 14 bomb attacks.

The event, organized by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, was also attended by the diplomatic corps and residents of Mogadishu.

According to a statement issued after the event, Madeira noted that individuals who commit heinous crimes against innocent civilians live in the community and urged peace loving citizens to volunteer information to security forces to help arrest the criminals.

"The individuals who planned and executed this attack live in the middle of the population and the explosives that we used were assembled in the midst of a habitational area and transported via the population; hence some of us should have the information that is necessary to stop these people. We must provide this information to the government," he said.

At least 358 people died after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) exploded at a busy neighborhood in Mogadishu.

Hundreds of residents injured in the blast are still nursing injuries in various hospitals in the city including Kenya, Sudan and Turkey where they were airlifted for medical attention.

Head of United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), Hubert Price, condemned the attack and reiterated the UN's continued support to Somalia.

"The UN family strongly condemns the carnage, the continued loss of life and destruction of property by terrorists here in Somalia. We reiterate our commitment to continue to stand with the people and government of Somalia and to support all efforts towards ensuring the safety and security of the Somali people," said Price.

Minister of Transport, Mohamed Abdullahi Salad said the attack by Al-Shabaab will not break the resolve of the Somali people in their quest for peace and security, but make them stronger and more united.

"We are here to condole with each other and to help the victims of the bomb attack to the best of our ability," Salad said.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/10/2017 (1851 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sunrise School Division has refreshed its logo with a new look first unveiled to staff last week.

The division tasked marketing and communications firm, ChangeMakers, with the redesign which the division said in a release honoured the legacy of its existing brand by updating the colours and font but leaving the overall design largely untouched.

The cost of rebranding totaled $6,000, which included brand discussions, design development, revisions, brand presentations to the board of trustees, file creation, brand standards, stationery package development, template development and brand roll out strategy/implementation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:21:49|Editor: ying

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MOGADISHU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 358 people have been killed and 228 others injured following the twin bomb attacks a week ago in Mogadishu, a Somali government official confirmed on Friday evening.

Information Minister Abdirahman Osman told journalists that some 56 people are still missing following the deadly attack that also destroyed buildings and set vehicles ablaze.

Osman said that 99 victims were discharged from hospitals after treatment, but seven still remain in the hospitals at the moment.

Some 122 seriously injured people were airlifted for medical treatment in Turkey, Kenya and Sudan, said Osman.

On Oct. 14, a massive car bomb detonated outside the entrance to a hotel in the city's K5 junction, which is home to many government offices, hotels and restaurants. Later in the day, a second bombing was reported in the city's Madina district.

No group, including Al-Shabaab terror group which usually carries out such attacks, has claimed responsibility for the latest incident condemned by the international community.

The minister said security forces have rounded up several suspects in connection with the incident, which is one of the worst such attack to date in the capital.

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has declared an all-out war on terrorism.

Mogadishu has suffered nearly three decades of violence.

The insurgents have stepped up their assault against the government and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) bases across the south and central parts of the Horn of Africa nation.
Police Close Case on Death of Teen Found in Freezer, Family Disagrees

Police closed the investigation into the death of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins, whose body was found in a hotel walk-in freezer, but her family says that some evidence points to potential foul play.

Police in Rosemont, a suburb of Chicago, released troves of documents from their investigation this week, shedding light on what happened after Jenkins went to a party at the Crowne Plaza Chicago OHare Hotel & Conference Center at 1:13 a.m on Sept. 9.

The surveillance videos, police audio files, and volumes of police reports add up to a detailed timeline of events leading up to Jenkinss death, but her family still believes that the teens death was not an accident, CBS reported.

The familys attorneys said that photos of Jenkins when she was found in the freezer are too graphic to release and raise further questions about the circumstances of her death.

Frankly, [the] photos depicting how [Jenkins] was found raise more questions about what happened to [her] than they answer, attorney Larry Rogers Jr. said in a statement. The pictures are graphic and disturbing images and inexplicably show portions of [her] body exposed.

Controversy about the teens death swirled online after a video from the party was posted online. Many of those who watched the video suspected foul play, but police said they did not discover any evidence of such even after they followed leads posted by people on social media.

The Rosemont police said that they interviewed 44 people during the investigation, 30 of whom attended the party at the hotel. Those interviews, combined with surveillance video and police audio enabled Chicago Tribune staff to construct a detailed timeline of the evens from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10.

 Sept. 8, 11:30 p.m.: Jenkins and her friends leave her home. They plan to see a movie, but then decide to go to a friends birthday party at a hotel. They stop to pick up a Bluetooth speaker, alcohol, energy drinks, and marijuana.

Sept. 9, 1:13 a.m.: Jenkins is seen entering the hotel with three other females.

 Sept. 9, approximately 1:30 a.m.: Jenkins sends a text message to her sister. This is the last text she sent.

 Sept. 9, 1:36 a.m.: The Facebook live video, which later stirred controversy appears online. Some said Jenkins can be seen in the reflection of the sunglasses of the female in the video.

 Sept. 9, 2:17 a.m.: Jenkins posts a Snapchat of herself that looks like it was taken in a bathroom. According to witness interviews, she spent her time dancing, drinking, and talking to friends.

 Sept. 9, around 3 a.m.: Jenkins and her friends prepare to leave the party. As they wait for an elevator Jenkins realizes she is missing her phone and some other belongings. He friends go back to look for her things. When they return, she is gone.

 Sept. 9, 3:25 to 3:32 a.m.: Hotel surveillance videos show Jenkins tottering through hallways and bumping into walls. She eventually walks through an unused kitchen and out of view. That moment was the last she was seen alive.

 Sept. 9, about 4 a.m.: The teens friends call her mother and ask if she has arrived home. They then say they cannot find her.

 Sept. 9, about 5 a.m.: The friends come to the home of Jenkinss mother with her car. The friends say they left the hotel after searching for her.

 Sept. 9, about 7:15 a.m.: Jenkinss mother and family call the police after they spend about an hour at the hotel inquiring about the missing teen. The dispatcher suggests waiting for a few hours to see if the teen arrives home.

 Sept. 9, 1:16 p.m.: Police file Jenkins into the missing persons database and begin searching the hotel.

 Sept. 9, 8:29 p.m.: Police are sent to the hotel on reports that Jenkinss mother is knocking on room doors looking for her daughter. The officers view surveillance footage of Jenkins entering the hotel and check the room where the party took place, but find nothing suspicious. They leave the hotel and ask the family to call if any new information surfaces.

 Sept. 10, 12:23 a.m.: Surveillance video shows a hotel worker walking through a kitchen and out of sight toward the walk-in in cooler and freezer. The video then shows the worker summoning a police officer. A paramedic says the teens heart is not beating and that her body is frozen.

 Sept. 10, 12:48 a.m.: The teen is pronounced dead.

 Sept. 10, about 1:15 a.m.: Police inform Jenkinss mother that her daughter is dead. There are 20 family members at the hotel at this time.

 Sept. 10, 4:52 a.m.: Jenkinss body is wheeled into the kitchen where a worker places a blanket over her.

 Sept. 10, 5:07 a.m.: The teens mother and sister are brought to the kitchen to identify the body. They then walk out of view and the video shows the freezer where Jenkins was found.

From NTD.tv
At Least 30 Police Officers Killed in Shootout in Egypts Western Desert: Security Sources

CAIROArmed terrorists killed at least 30 policemen in a shootout during a raid on a suspected terrorist hideout in Egypts Western desert, security sources said on Friday.

A number of suspected terrorists were also killed and security forces are combing the area, a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

Egypt is facing an Islamic insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an ISIS terrorist group affiliate, that has killed hundreds of security forces since 2013.

Islamic terrorists have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting churches in Cairo and other cities with the loss of dozens of lives.

The security sources said authorities were following a lead to a hideout deep in the desert thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the capital targeting judges and police since last year.

A convoy of four SUVs and one interior ministry vehicle was ambushed from higher ground by terrorists firing rocket-propelled grenades and detonating explosive devices, a senior source in the Giza Security Office said.

The number of dead was expected to rise, two security sources said.

Two security sources said eight security personnel were injured in the clashes, while another source said that four of the injured were police and four others suspected terrorists.

Egypt accuses Hasm of being the terrorist wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.

The Islamic insurgency in the Sinai peninsula has grown since the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The terrorist group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen and has started to target other areas, including Egypts Christian Copts.

By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (L) and former President Bill Clinton arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Bill Clinton Wanted to Meet Key Russian Nuclear Official as Obama Admin Considered Uranium Deal

Before Bill Clinton traveled to Russia to give a $500,000 speech in the summer of 2010, he asked for permission to meet a key Russian nuclear industry official, raising concerns of a potential conflict of interest among his aides and officials in the State Department, The Hill reported, citing government records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.

At the time, Hillary Clinton led the State Department, one of the several agencies considering an approval for a controversial nuclear deal that would give Russia control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium supply.

Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian official Bill Clinton wanted to meet, was on a list of 15 names sent to the State Department on May 14 for approval ahead of his June trip to Russia. A foreign policy adviser sent the request to Hillary Clintons team at the State Department, including her top advisers, Jake Sullivan and Cheryl Mills.

In the context of a possible trip to Russia at the end of June, WJC [Bill Clinton] is being asked to see the business/government folks below, wrote Amitabh Desai, a foreign policy adviser for the Clinton Foundation. Would State have concerns about WJC seeing any of these folks?

Desai did not receive a response for two weeks and, again, reached out. Sullivan eventually responded by checking with another department official on how to deal with the request.

It is unclear what ultimately happened with Desais request, but aides to both Bill and Hillary Clinton told The Hill that meetings with the officials were eventually canceled due to conflicts of interest with at least two people on the list.

Bill Clinton met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at Putins private estate instead.

Dvorkovich was the first person on the list to raise concerns. He was the chief deputy to then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and a cheerleader for the Russian nuclear industry. More concerning, he sat on the board of directors of Russian state-controlled nuclear-giant Rosatom, the company that was seeking the controversial approval to buy Canadian company Uranium One, which controls 20 percent of U.S. uranium.

The Obama administration approved the purchase of Uranium One roughly four months after Bill Clintons trip to Russia. It did so despite the FBI having substantial evidence of a massive bribery, extortion, kickback, and money laundering scheme against the U.S. nuclear industry, The Hill reported earlier this week.

The FBI referred the case to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which continued to investigate it for four years. Meanwhile, neither the FBI nor the DOJ appears to have shared their intelligence with the committee tasked at the time to vet the Uranium One deal.

The Uranium One deal was approved by a panel of 14 government agencies and offices, any one of which could halt the approval by escalating their concerns to the president. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is tasked specifically with vetting transactions by foreign entities for national security purposes.

CFIUS approved the deal in 2010, saying there were no national security concerns, unaware of the rampant bribing scheme that the FBI had uncovered on U.S. soil.

Current and former aides to Bill and Hillary Clinton were also concerned with Bill Clinton collecting a $500,000 speaking fee, one of the highest he ever earned for a one-day engagement, shortly after Hillary Clinton visited Russia.

Meanwhile, Renaissance Capital, the bank paying Bill Clinton the hefty speaking fee, was actively promoting the Uranium One deal and gave it a favorable investment rating, while Hillary Clintons State Department was one of the agencies approving the deal.

Hillary Clinton alleged that she had a lower level official handle the Uranium One approval on her behalf. The official said that Hillary Clinton did not exert pressure on any CFIUS matter.

The Uranium One deal was significant to Rosatom, with the company billing it one of the striking events of the year in its annual report. The deal would allow Russia to start uranium mining in the United States, the report states.

Nick Merrill, a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton, said that the Uranium One story has been debunked on the merits.

Its roots are with a project shepherded by Steve Bannon, which should tell you all you need to know, Merrill said. This latest iteration is simply more of the right doing Trumps bidding for him to distract from his own Russia problems, which are real and a grave threat to our national security.

President Donald Trump referenced the Uranium One deal several times during his presidential campaign. He emphasized the importance of The Hills reporting to media in the Oval Office on Thursday, noting that mainstream media wont cover it because it affects people they protect.

Thats your story. Thats your real Russia story. The real story is uranium, Trump told reporters. Not a story where they talk about collusion, and there was none. It was a hoax. Your real Russia story is uranium and how they got all of that uraniumthe vast percentage of what we have. That, to me, is one of the big stories of the decade. Not just now. The decade.

Frankly, its a disgrace and its a disgrace that the fake news wont cover, Trump added. Its so sad.

The revelations from The Hills investigative piece have already triggered action from Congress and the DOJ.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has opened a probe into the matter. Sen. Chuck Grassley (RIowa) also requested that the DOJ lift a gag order from the FBI informant who has more information on how Russians influenced the Uranium One decision.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the DOJ will review the matter.

From NTD.tv
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping walk together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla., on April 7, 2017. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

China Says It Will Continue Talking With North Korea as Trump Seeks Tougher Action

Related Coverage North Korean Nuclear Test Site Has Sustained Too Much Geological Damage

A senior Chinese communist official said on Saturday that China is still talking with the North Korean regime, despite it having imposed its strongest sanctions as of yet on its communist neighbor.

China is a vital lifeline for the North Korean regime, who depends on China for some 90 percent of its trade. But under pressure from President Donald Trump, who seeks to denuclearize North Korea, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has agreed to increase pressure on the rogue regime.

China has gone beyond U.N. Security Council sanctions approved last month, which limit the imports of textiles and other products from North Korea, and limit the amount of oil that can be sold to it.

Chinas Central Bank also instructed Chinese banks to stop providing financial services to North Korea. In addition, China has given North Korean businesses operating in the country an ultimatum to shut down within 120 days.

However, Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Partys international department, said the two communist nations are still talking.

China and North Korea are neighbors and the two have a traditional friendly cooperative relationship, Guo said.

Chinas international department is in charge of the partys relations with foreign political parties, and has traditionally served as a conduit for Chinese diplomacy with North Korea.

President Trump will be visiting Asia next month, including stops in South Korea and China.

Trump is expected to further increase pressure on Chinas Xi to do even more to put pressure on North Korea.

Trump is seeking a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis, relying in part on Chinas increasing its economic sanctions on North Korea.

Simultaneously, Trump has ordered his most senior military officials to draw up detailed military options for an armed conflict with North Korea.

Trump has said that while the United States has patience, if it is forced to defend itself or its allies against North Korea it could completely destroy the country.

The threat of military force also serves to pressure North Korea to the negotiating table.

Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, said that these military options by the Trump administration are making a diplomatic solution more realistic.

Trumps team understands that the threat of military force strengthens the diplomatic option. The main effort is diplomacy and economic sanctions, Keane said on Fox Business.

China is currently holding its 19th National Party Congress, where it has become clear that Xi will continue to head the Chinese Communist Party for the next five years.

An official told Reuters that President Trump believes Xi should now have even more leverage to work on the North Korea problem.

The presidents view is you have even less of an excuse now, said one official. Hes not going to step lightly.

Since Xi became party leader in 2013, relations with North Korea have cooled down. Xi has not visited North Korea, but has visited the Norths sworn enemy South Korea.

Relations between China and North Korea had flourished under former Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin. While Jiang has been officially out of power since 2003, he has since been influencing Chinas domestic and international policies through his loyalists in the highest levels of government.

This has made it more difficult for Xi to take stronger action against North Korea and to solve some of Chinas worst societal ills, such as the ongoing persecution of 100 million Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese meditation discipline. The persecution was personally initiated by Jiang in 1999 and has continued to this day.

Trump wants to gain some serious cooperation from China to persuade Pyongyang to either change its mind or help deprive it of so many resources that it has no choice but to alter its behavior, the official said.

In an interview with Fox Business Networks Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants to keep things very, very low key with Xi until the Chinese leader emerges from the Party Congress.

I believe hes got the power to do something very significant with respect to North Korea. Well see what happens. Now with that being said, were prepared for anything. We are so prepared, like you wouldnt believe, Trump said in the interview, to air on Sunday.

Reuters contributed to this report
Chinese paramilitary guards walk in front of the Great Hall of the People during the 19th National Congress in Beijing on Oct. 19, 2017. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese Regime Calls Out Jiang Faction Officials for Plotting Coup

For the first time, the Chinese regime under current leader Xi Jinping has explicitly called out members of a party faction for attempting to stage a coup against the leadership.

The announcement was made in the midst of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) most politically important, and highly sensitive, eventthe 19th National Congress, when the Partys top leadership ushers in a new generation of ruling elite to run the country for the next five years.

Since Xi took power at the last party congress in 2012, he has been in a power struggle with an opposing faction in the Party. Known as the Jiang faction, they are still loyal to former CCP leader Jiang Zemin. Many of them have since been taken down under Xis sweeping anti-corruption campaign.

On Thursday, at a group meeting held at the 19th National Congress, China Securities Regulatory Commission chairman Liu Shiyu, without naming Jiang himself, said outright that former top Jiang faction officials had conspired to stage a coup. It is the first time the regime has openly accused them of such a severe crime.

Those named were former Chongqing party chiefs Bo Xilai and Sun Zhengcai, former national security chief Zhou Yongkang, former vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, and former political adviser Ling Jihua. They had previously been ousted by Xi under charges of violating Party discipline and bribery.

However, this time, they are being directly condemned for usurping power.

They had high positions and great power in the party, but they were hugely corrupt and plotted to usurp the partys leadership and seize state power, Liu told attendees of the meeting, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

Though Xi is expected to continue his role as CCP leader for another five-year term, Lius commentswhich almost certainly got the okay from Xiis a tacit acknowledgment that the power struggle is still ongoing between the two factions, and that Jiang is the principal opposition force.

Even while the Party tries to convey an image of unitydemonstrated by the appearance of Xi shaking hands with Jiang and other party elders at the opening event of the congressthe leadership is trying to send a warning to the Jiang faction.

Xi has alluded to a coup in several speeches in the past. In 2015, he accused purged elite officials of forming cliques and cabals to wreck and split the Party.

China current affairs expert Ji Da noted that mainland Chinese media have yet to publish articles about Lius announcement, suggesting that Xi Jinping may have incurred resistance from forces in the Party still loyal to Jiang.

China affairs analyst Chen Simin observed that having Liu convey the message was an interesting choice. On the same day, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had held a press conference, but to have the CCPs disciplinary body announce this would be too expected. Choosing Liu to raise the flag adds significance to the message, Chen said.

During a break-out session for delegates from Chongqing City, current Chongqing party chief Chen Minerwho replaced Sun Zhengcai after he was recently ousted from the positionalso told his audience that he was determined to rid the area of any remaining influence from Sun and Bo Xilai, the previous party chief.

Back in 2012, Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang were rumored to be involved in a plot to stop Xi from coming to power at the 18th National Congressunder instructions from Jiang.

But when Chongqing deputy mayor Wang Lijun attempted to defect to the United States, triggering media scrutiny and a political crisis, the plot was foiled.

Bo and Zhou were purged and put on trial soon after the incident.

Meanwhile, Sun was widely considered as Xis successor. But he had close ties to Jiangs right-hand man, Zeng Qinghong.

Xi purged him several weeks ago ahead of the 19th National Congress, further ridding the Party of Jiangs remaining influence.

Ling Jihua was a top aide to then-CCP leader Hu Jintao, and was investigated for taking billions of dollars while in power.



Meanwhile, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou held powerful positions in the military due to Jiangs political patronage, and enabled Jiang to stay on as chairman of the Military Commission even after he stepped down as Party boss.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
Colorado Killer Identified

A man who shot his best friend and girlfriend, and wounded another person in a Colorado apartment complex has been identified.

Police have named Air Force Sgt. Michael Zamora, 30, as the shooter who killed Tristan Kemp, 26, and Savannah McNealy, 22, in what is described as an ambush attack in his apartment near Colorado State University just after 2 a.m. on Oct. 19.

After killing Kemp, his best friend, and McNeely, his girlfriend, Zamora turned the gun on himself, police said.

Police have not ascertained a motive, but think that there might have been a romantic entanglement between the three. Kemp and McNeely were each shot multiple times. Zamora killed himself with a single shot.

According to Fort Collins Police Chief Terry Jones, the three had been out celebrating McNeelys birthday on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. They headed home separately, with McNeely, Kemp, and a third woman taking a rideshare to the apartment complex where McNeely lived.

Zamora opened fire while still outside the apartment, killing his two friends and wounding the other woman. The third victim is expected to survive.

Darren Rutz, a former CSU student who lives nearby, said he heard a woman calling for help and then heard multiple gunshots. It seemed like quite a few gunshots to me, he said.

Matthew Litton, a resident in the apartment complex, said he was lying in bed when he heard multiple gunshots.

I could tell from the consistency of the firing that it wasnt fireworks, it was gunshots. I heard a girl yelling, Call 911! After that, I heard one last bang, and then it was quiet, he said.

Litton said a friend of his snapped a photo showing two bodies lying on the sidewalk with a pistol between them.

Zamora had apparently prepared in advance. Police found two rifles and a handgun, all registered to Zamora, at the shooting scene.

Zamora was an eight-year Air Force veteran with a residence at Fort Collins, Colorado, who was assigned to FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, about 60 miles north of his home.

Tristan Kemp was ex-Air Force. He and Zamora had served together in Afghanistan and had worked together at a company in California. Kemp lived in Hawaii, but had flown to Colorado to help celebrate McNeelys birthday.

Apparently McNeely and Zamora had been dating since May.

Savannah McNeely was a 22-year-old student at Colorado State University, where she studied liberal arts, art, and art history. She also was a designer for CSU Life, a monthly campus magazine.

Colorado State University is providing grief counselors at an on-campus student center for anyone who needs help coping with this tragedy.

The university sent an email statement saying, in part, We are deeply saddened by this terrible loss to our campus community and will share more information as we have it.

Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to call Detective Tessa Jakobsson at 970-221-6575.

From NTD.tv
Las Vegas Coroners Office on Lockdown Since Shooting Massacre

The Las Vegas coroners office, which identified and examined the bodies of the 58 victims and the suspect from the Harvest 91 Festival massacre has been on lockdown since the morning after the shootings.

The office was still locked down on Friday, Oct. 18, according to footage recorded by independent journalist Mike Tokes.

Tokes knocked on the front door of the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner and a female employee opened the door.

Our office is still closed, the woman said. Were still on lockdown just because of the shootings.

When Tokes inquired if this is a regular procedure, the employee answered, Weve never had anything like this before.

The woman also said that she was not free to speak to journalists.

VIDEO PROOF: Las Vegas Coroner's office on LOCKDOWN with police units stationed on each side of the building. This is very suspicious. pic.twitter.com/CMBnWzmFRp  Mike Tokes (@MikeTokes) October 21, 2017

A relative of a victim who went to the office on the morning after the shooting was turned away, Newsweek reported. Officials were instead handling victim identification, paperwork, and transportation arrangements around the clock at a separate location staged at a convention center.

The coroners office had a police detail staged near the rear entry, Tokess video shows.

The Las Vegas coroners office confirmed the identities of the 58 victims of the shooting massacre as well as the suspect, Stephen Paddock. The office is also tasked with reporting the position the body was found in, retrieving bullets for police investigators, and determining the path bullets or shrapnel traveled.

The Las Vegas coroners office handles cases throughout the Las Vegas valley and employs dozens of investigators in addition to administrative staff.

The coroners office operates independently of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. In September, a court ruled that autopsy records cannot be kept secret, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The coroners office was inundated after the shooting, CNN reported. Coroners from other areas traveled there to assist.

The head coroner, John Fudenberg, was promoted to his position in 2015, News 3 Las Vegas reported.

The coroners office had transported all the bodies from the scene of the shooting by Monday, Oct. 2. It released the full list of the 58 victims and the suspect to the public once all of the bodies were identified.

From The Epoch Times
Mom Smashes Teachers Face With Brick, Police Let Her Go, Then Arrest Her Again

A Pittsburgh mother was arrested, let go, and arrested again after she allegedly assaulted a school teacher.

Daishonta Williams, 29, was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 18, for smashing the face of Janice Davis Watkins, 46, with a brick. But police had to let her go, because the officers couldnt reach the Allegheny County District Attorneys Office to get permission to charge her.

She was eventually arrested againa day laterand charged with stalking, making terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, and multiple counts of aggravated assault, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Shes being held at the Allegheny County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Her family is working on bailing her out, said her attorney Blaine Jones on Friday.

It seems it all started with a dispute over a cellphone earlier on Wednesday. Williamss daughter allegedly got into an altercation with Watkins over the phone. Watkins said the girl bit her. The girl said Watkins choked her.

Williams was called to the school, Pittsburgh King PreK-8, Wednesday for a teacher-parent conference. A complaint was filed against Watkins, the states child-abuse hotline was notified as well as the Pittsburgh police squad that handles child abuse investigations.

Williams wasnt satisfied with the schools response and left upset. She said Watkins was going to get it later.

Around 3:15 p.m., as Watkins was sitting in her car on the phone with her mother, she noticed a man and a woman exiting a car and approaching hers. The woman, identified by Watkins as Williams, threw a brick through the cars open window, hitting Watkins in the face.

Police found Williams within a few hours sitting on a stoop about a mile from the school.

I aint gonna lie. I did it, she told police.

She said, however, she only punched Watkins and didnt use a brick.

Watkins suffered a broken tooth and other injuries, said her mother Betty Davis, 72.

They called her back to the hospital yesterday. So they found something on the scan. I dont know what it is. She has to go see a specialist, Davis said.

Police couldnt charge Williams on their own. District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. requires police to get his offices permission before charging violent felonies and some other offenses.

An officer tried to reach the DAs office on Wednesday, but to no avail. The offices spokesman Mike Manko said it was because the officer called the wrong number.

Williams was thus let go, but told to expect a criminal complaint in the coming days. Williams told the officers she would turn herself in on Tuesday.

She was arrested on Thursday and has a preliminary court hearing scheduled on Nov. 2.

The officers made a mistake and the matter has been addressed so the mistake is not repeated, said Sonya Toler, the citys public safety spokeswoman, on Thursday.
North Korean soldiers look at South Korea across the Koreand Demilitarized Zone on Dec. 22, 2011. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

North Korea Weakening Under New Sanctions

The North Korean regime acknowledged on Friday that newly imposed sanctions are having a tremendous impact on the isolated communist state.

The sanctions were described by North Korean state media as causing a humanitarian disaster.

The situation has gotten so bad for North Korea that it has launched a committee specifically assigned to assess the damage of the sanctions.

Earlier this month, there were already reports that gas supplies in North Korea were drying up, and that gas could be bought only by military and communist officials.

The latest round of sanctions specifically targeted the supply of natural gas and oil to North Korea as well as its exporting of textile products.

However, instead of scaling down its nuclear weapons program, and engaging in talks with the United States, North Korea is vowing not to abandon the weapons.

North Koreas leaders will never give up their treasured nuclear sword for justice which has been sharpened to defeat the U.S. imperialist aggressors, North Korean state media said.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said on Oct. 19 that the rogue regime is just months away from perfecting its nuclear weapons capabilities.

The North Korean population has been suffering for decades under the rule of the Kim family. Millions have died in famines and its centrally-planned communist economic model has stifled economic innovation and growth for years.

North Korea relies on slave labor both domestically and internationally for a significant portion of its income. A high-level defector speaking at the Asia Society earlier this week said there are an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 North Koreans working abroad, with the majority of their pay going to the North Korean regime.

The defector, Ri Jong Ho, who was an official for 30 years with the regime and has an intimate knowledge of the financial workings of North Korea, said all aid sent to the country goes the military.

North Korea also lacks the electricity production needed to provide factories and households with power.

But despite all this, North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Since coming to power in 2011, following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un has conducted an estimated 85 missile tests.

Estimates are that the cost of a single missile test by the regime is around $30 million.

New Sanctions

New sanctions on the regime were imposed by the U.N. Security Council last month after pressure from the Trump administration.

Notably, China, which is estimated to account for 90 percent of North Koreas trade, also put additional sanctions on North Korea.

Chinas Central Bank instructed Chinese banks last month to stop providing financial services to North Korea, and also ordered North Korean businesses operating in China to close down within 120 days.

The unprecedented move by China came after months of pressure from President Donald Trump.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has sought to find a solution to the North Korean problem, demanding a denuclearization of the regime.

Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The Trump administration is working with around 20 other countries to increase economic pressure, which could hamper North Koreas ability to pay for its nuclear program and force it to the negotiating table.

Trump is simultaneously using diplomatic, economic, and military options to keep the pressure on the regime, instructing his senior officers to draw up detailed military options for North Korea, which could be used if the United States has to defend itself or its allies.

Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, said that these military options by the Trump administration are making a diplomatic solution more realistic.

Trumps team understands that the threat of military force strengthens the diplomatic option. The main effort is diplomacy and economic sanctions, Keane said on Fox Business.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:26:53|Editor: ying

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ISTANBUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he would not call the United States "a civilized country" after detention warrants were issued for his bodyguards over a brawl during his visit in May.

"If America issues detention warrants for my 13 bodyguards in a country where I went upon invitation, sorry but I cannot call this country civilized," Erdogan said at a forum in Istanbul.

More than 10 people were injured in a brawl with protestors in May outside the Turkish embassy in Washington D.C. that involved Erdogan's bodyguards. In June, the U.S. authorities issued detention warrants for a total of 16 people including the bodyguards over the incident, sparking repeated denunciations from the president and others.

Erdogan noted that two of the bodyguards in question were responsible for the protection of his wife and were not even on the scene at the time.

The president had said that the protest was organized by members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and a network led by Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen, who is living in the United States and accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup in Turkey last year.

Washington has refused to extradite Gulen and continued arming Syrian Kurdish militia seen by Ankara as terrorists, moves that have chilled relations between the two NATO allies.

Erdogan has been denouncing the U.S. and some European countries over their support for the PKK and the Gulen network in recent days.
An Indonesian official at Indonesia's Meterological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) points to a map of North Korea showing where the agency recorded a magnitude-6.2 earthquake caused by a North Korean nuclear test on Sept. 3, 2017. (Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korean Nuclear Test Site Has Sustained Too Much Geological Damage

Experts said the North Korean mountain used for nuclear tests appears to have suffered too much geological damage.

Researchers said the mountains future is questionable. The last nuclear test made the mountain visibly shift. In the worst case scenario the mountain peak would collapse and release radiation into the air through the hole that remained. They dont know if it can sustain further nuclear tests.

We call it taking the roof off. If the mountain collapses and the hole is exposed, it will let out many bad things, said a Chinese nuclear researcher Wang Naiyan, via South China Morning Post.

.@SebGorka: "The fact is North Korea is a puppet regime of China." pic.twitter.com/scmAWPv9Du  FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 20, 2017

Experts are saying Mount Mantap is now suffering from tired mountain syndrome, a term first used to describe Soviet, Cold-War-era nuclear testing sites that were overused, the Washington Post reported.

The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility lies beneath the 7,200-foot mountain. Scientist Paul Richards, from Columbia University, said the nuclear tests exacerbated pre-existing stresses in the ground around the site. Experts fear more earthquakes could devastate the region.

North Koreas last nuclear test resulted in a magnitude-6.3 earthquake that also shook parts of China and Russia. Smaller earthquakes followed. Scientists have growing fears that there could be earthquakes that rock the entire Korean Peninsula as testing continues, according to The Telegraph. Last year South Korea experienced a magnitude-5.8 quake.

South Korea says natural North Korea earthquake detected  ABC News  https://t.co/duOJpQsvOR  @ABC pic.twitter.com/006A2CYcFJ  Ma (@mahanthanut) September 24, 2017

Increased nuclear testing during the Cold War led to increased seismic activity in the Soviet Union and the United States. The more powerful nuclear weapons currently available seem to have an even greater impact on destabilizing the environment, but the regime in North Korea shows no signs of slowing down its nuclear program.

Reports have surfaced online that continued nuclear testing could trigger a nearby volcano to erupt. Mount Paektu sits along the border between China and North Korea and hasnt experienced significant activity since 1903, but it is an active volcano.

FOX NEWS ALERT: North Korea threatens US with unimaginable strike pic.twitter.com/JK0UgjHy7q  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) October 20, 2017

Colin Wilson, professor of volcanology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, doesnt think there is much cause for alarm. He gives the example of Japans Tohoku earthquake, the magnitude-9.1 earthquake that caused a devastating tsunami to hit Japans coast. He cites that no volcanoes erupted as a result of that disaster, he said via the Washington Post.

Website 38 North, a site that analyzes satellite imagery from North Korea, mentioned that despite the severe damage, North Korea will not necessarily stop using the mountain for nuclear testing purposes.

From The Epoch Times
Lifestyle: If You're Not Getting Closer to Achieving Your Goals, Try Using a Different Metric
President Trump Allows Release of Secret JFK Assassination Documents

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he will allow the release of thousands of classified documents on the assasination of President John F. Kennedy.

While most of the millions of pages of government documents on the assassination of Kennedy, which took place on Nov. 22, 1963, have been made public, several thousandor 1 percent of themhave been withheld from the public.

Under the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, the documents could only be kept secret for 25 years. This time limit is set to expire on Oct. 26, 2017.

However, the act states that the final decision to release the file is the current presidents to make.

President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

Subject to the receipt of further information likely refers to the review process that government agencies have been conducting to assess whether the documents contain information that should not be released.

An agency that wants to keep certain documents secret for a longer period of time needs to file a formal appeal with the president.

The fact that Trump is saying he will most likely allow the documents to be released suggests that no government agency has objected.

The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise, a White House official said.

In total, there are over 5 million pages of government documents related to the assassination of Kennedy stored in the National Archives.

According to the National Archives, 88 percent of the documents are open in full to the public, 11 percent are released in part with sensitive parts removed, and 1 percent has remained hidden from the public.

The front page of the New York American Journal, announcing that President John Kennedy has been shot and is reportedly dead. (Three Lions/Getty Images)

While NARA cannot comment on the content of the records, we assume that much of what will be released will be tangential to the assassination events, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) says on its website.

However, NARA says that while most of the secret documents will be released, there is still a small portion that wont be.

Documents that discuss grand jury information, certain tax return documents, and records covered by a specific deed or gift, wont be released.

We have identified a small number of records, or portions of records, that fit into these categories. For all other records, how long records stay withheld after 2017 will be determined by the President, who has final appeal authority, the NARA states.

John F. Kennedy (White House Press Office)

US President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline, shortly before his assassination in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1962. (AFP/Getty Images)

Jacqueline Kennedy (C) stands with her two children Caroline Kennedy (L) and John F. Kennedy, Jr.(R) and brothers-in-law Ted Kennedy (L, back) and Robert Kennedy (2ndR) at the funeral of her husband US President John F. Kennedy in Washington, DC on Nov. 25, 1963. (AFP/Getty Images)

President Kennedys body lies in state in the East Room of the White House with the honor guard, Nov. 23, 1963. (Robert Knudsen. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

Burial and folding of the flag ceremony for President John F. Kennedy (Abbie Rowe, National Parks Service/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

Kennedy family members leave the funeral ceremony for President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 25, 1963 (Abbie Rowe, National Parks Service/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

President and Mrs. Kennedy descend the stairs from Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. (Cecil Stoughton/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)

President Kennedy and daughter Caroline aboard the Honey Fitz off Hyannis Port, Mass., on Aug. 25, 1963. (Cecil Stoughton/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Karon Cannon, 24, faces felony charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery in the Aug. 7, 2017, robbery of a 70-year-old man at the Sheridan CTA station. (Chicago Police Department)

Robber Arraigned for Beating 70-Year-Old Man so Badly He Couldnt Speak for 2 Months

A 24-year-old man was arraigned on Oct. 20 in Cook County Court in Chicago for attacking an elderly man with his fists and an empty liquor bottle.

Karon Cannon beat the elderly victim so severely that the man could not speak for two months.

The attack occurred on Aug. 7. Not until Oct. 12 was the victim able to form words clearly enough to tell police about the attack.

The victim was riding the L train on the evening of Monday, Aug. 7, seated a few seats away from the inebriated Cannon.

Cannon claims he felt something touch his leg twice. He looked up and saw an elderly man smiling at him. Cannon then attacked the elderly man, punching him at least five times and then striking him repeatedly in the head and face with an empty liquor bottle.

Cannon told police he knew the victim was unarmed but kept beating him because he was angry.

After beating the elderly man into unconsciousness, Cannon stole $5 from the mans wallet and left the train.

The attack happened near the Sheridan train station.

Police found the victim unconscious on the sidewalk on North Sheridan Road outside the Sheridan train station. He was transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was treated for head injuries. He currently resides in a rehab facility.

The victims head injuries were so severe he was not able to speak. Police had no idea what had happened to him, and no way to investigate.

When the victim finally regained his ability to speak, he described the attack well enough that police could go back through surveillance video and find photos of Cannon leaving the train.

Using the victims description and video surveillance footage, police were able to track down and arrest Cannon. He was charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery.

Cannon was remanded after being assessed $100,00 bail by Cook County Judge Michael Clancy, who said the size of the bail reflected the viciousness of the assault and the age of the victim.

Cannon lives in Chicago with his pregnant girlfriend and his 2-year-old daughter. He works at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and attends Malcolm X college part time.

Prosecutors said Cannon has prior convictions for attempted aggravated robbery, domestic battery, and resisting police.

Police records show that Cannon was also arrested on suspicion of domestic battery on Oct. 14.

From NTD.tv
Russian Company Rents Grounded Private Jet for Photo Shoots

How far removed can your Instagram be from your real life? So far that it could be a private jet apart, apparently.

      A post shared by PRIVATEJETSTUDIO (@privatejetstudio) on Sep 8, 2017 at 10:10am PDT

For several hundred dollars, a Russian company offers photo shoots inside and outside a luxurious private jet. Whether you use it as an exotic background or to actually fake a lavish lifestyle on Insta is up to you.

A post shared by PRIVATEJETSTUDIO (@privatejetstudio) on Oct 3, 2017 at 2:02am PDT

Two hours aboard the slick Gulfstream G650 costs 14,000-25,000 rubles (about US$240-US$435). The company, Private Jet Studio, provides a makeup artist and a photographer or a videographer.

    A post shared by PRIVATEJETSTUDIO (@privatejetstudio) on Oct 19, 2017 at 10:36am PDT

This is for those who like James Bond films, the companys representative Natalia told TJournal.

The company opened its doors in September and hasnt had too many customers yet. It would like to provide more than just bragging material for Instagram though. We dont want to be selling just some pathos, but a higher levelvideo production, fashion magazine photo shoots and so on, Natalia said.

#love#music#privatejet#luxury #fashion#style#model#instadaily#followme#foto#photographer#hype#style#sexy#photomodel#photoshoot A post shared by PRIVATEJETSTUDIO (@privatejetstudio) on Sep 16, 2017 at 11:57pm PDT

There could be more to fake Instagram presence than a bit of luxury though.

Japanese company Studio Innovation offers fake friends for hire specifically so that clients can post pictures with the actors on social media.

An increasing number of people dont want their parents or friends to think they have few friends, said Yuichi Ishii, president of the company, according to The Japan Times.

The companys main business seems to be sending fake guests to wedding ceremonies.

On the other hand, unreal presentations on social media have become a target of criticism.

Earlier this year, travel blogger Amelia Liana was accused by her fans of doctoring some of her photos. The picture of herself with the New York City skyline in the background, for example, appears to be missing the 1 World Trade Center, the tallest building in the city.

I have lots of loyal followers that I consider my friends and I would never cheat on them by putting myself in a picture where I wasnt in a natural location. I do strive to present my photographs in the best possible way but always remain faithful to my followers by taking my pictures in real locations, she said in a statement to the Times.
Cans of Spam on a shelf at Cal Mart grocery store on Jan. 3, 2013, in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Spam Thefts Force Shop Owners to Keep It Under Lock and Key

Spam snatching has become such a problem in Hawaii that some shop owners are having to keep it under lock and key.

The meatthat is particularly popular on the islandis being increasingly targetted for the black market.

Several reports of Spam thefts have been springing up in the country.

In early October, at a mall in downtown Honolulu, a man (and his apparent accomplice) allegedly grabbed a can of spam, then punched a security guard who tried to stop him. The Honolulu Police Department is offering a $1,000 reward for the man.

In September, three women attempted to steal 18 cases of spam at a store in Ewa Beach.

When I was in the cereal aisle in the corner of my eye I saw a wagon full of Spam, eyewitness Kurt Fevella said to KITV.

I didnt say anything. I just stood by the door and the person that was trying to steal all the Spam just pushed the wagon and said Here! he said.

The news outlet reported that the women didnt end up stealing the Spam, but did escape with other products.

About a week earlier, one customer was behind a man who stole eight cases of Spam from a Safeway store in Waimalu, Honolulu.

Thats when I thought, Okay, this isnt real. No, hes not going to take it, no, no. Next thing I knew once he passed the register, thats when I heard the intercom management to the front and it was really fast, Arlene Sua told KHON 2.

Executive Director of Retail Merchants of Hawaii Tina Yamaki told KITV that the stolen products are usually resold out of the back of peoples cars. She said a thief typically tried to distract the security guard while the other thief runs off with the items.

Its not just Spam theyre after. Other commonly stolen items include clothing, electronics, high-end liquor, and tobacco.

But spam is a staple food for Hawaiians, and they even have an annual Spam festival, called the Waikiki Spam Jam, where they celebrate the canned meat.

People take Spam. We have to keep it locked up. We have to keep a lot of things locked up in this store, said Glenn Cabe, shift leader for a Walgreens store in the Kalihi district in Honolulu, per the Honolulu Civil Beat.

The store has a sign above a locked case of Spam that reads, Items electronically monitored for theft.

Darlene Kauhi, manager of Tamuras Market in the town of Hauula also has to keep canned meat secure from thieves, per the news website.

Its crazy. Just crazy. We have to keep corned beef up front at the customer service counter because people steal cases of corned beef. And they also steal Spam, he said.
Afghan men inspect inside a Shi'ite Muslim mosque after last night's attack in Kabul, Afghanistan October 21, 2017. (Reuters/Omar Sobhani)

Suicide Bombers Attack Two Afghan Mosques, at Least 72 Dead

KABULSuicide bombers attacked two mosques in Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 72 people including children, officials and witnesses said.

One bomber walked into a Shiite Muslim mosque in the capital Kabul as people were praying on Friday night and detonated an explosive, one of the worshippers there, Mahmood Shah Husaini, said.

At least 39 people died in the blast at the Imam Zaman mosque in the citys western Dasht-e-Barchi district, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, but a statement from the group did not provide evidence to support its claim.

Shiite Muslims have suffered a series of attacks in Afghanistan in recent months, many of them claimed by the Sunni Muslim terrorists of ISIS.

Separately, a suicide bombing killed at least 33 people at a mosque in central Ghor province, a police spokesman said.

The attack appeared to target a local leader from the Jamiat political party, according to a statement from Balkh provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor, a leading figure in Jamiat.

No one immediately claimed responsibility.

By Hamid Shalizi. Additional reporting by Jalil Ahmad Rezaee. Writing by Josh Smith.
The 49-year-old academic Lu Li-an is the sole delegate to the Chinese Communist Partys 19th Party Congress to have been born in Taiwan. (Shanghai Taiwanese Compatriots Association)

The Only Taiwanese Delegate at the 19th Party Congress Is Not a Taiwan Citizen

The logic is irrefutable: The Chinese regime claims Taiwan is its province, and all Chinas provinces must be represented at the 19th National Party Congress currently taking place in Beijing. Producing representatives from Taiwan turns out not to be so easy.

Since the Chinese regime has no real sovereign control over the people of Taiwan, the regime has to search for Taiwanese individuals willing to step up to the plate to represent Taiwan Province.

And among the Chinas almost 1.4 billion people the regime found just one: Ms. Lu Li-an, a 49-year-old academic who was born in the City of Kaohsiung.

Lu was born in Taiwan, which is more than can be said for the nine other delegates the Chinese Communist Party packaged with her to form a delegation from Taiwan Province. These delegates were elected at a meeting of the Taiwan Province chapter of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing earlier in June.

Taiwans Liberty Times confirmed the heavy mainland cast to the Taiwan Province delegation. According to the Times, officials at the Party Congress were very cagey about the identity of the ten members of the delegation and did not allow outside media to interview them during a scheduled press conference.

Lu reportedly met and married a Chinese man while studying abroad in the United Kingdom during the 1990s. She eventually relocated back to China in 1997 through the Chinese governments special arrangement and started teaching at Fudan University in Shanghai.

The news that a native-born Taiwanese became a delegate at the Party Congress attracted considerable media attention in Taiwan.

In response to public concern that Lus participation in the Chinese regime as a Communist Party delegate would void her Taiwanese citizenship, Taiwans National Immigration Agency confirmed on Wednesday that Lu had already obtained the citizenship of the Peoples Republic of China some years ago. Per Taiwans immigration law, her Taiwanese residency had been revoked.

In an interview with Taiwans Storm Media on Friday, Lu sounded like a CCP official. She said she had observed during her teaching career how the Chinese regime is making China strong and eventually decided to join the Chinese Communist Party in 2015. It is unknown how often Lu travels back to visit Taiwan nowadays, if at all.

Lu also called upon the young Taiwanese to come to the mainland to benefit from the huge market there. You can let the whole world see you if you come to the mainland [China], said Lu. The two sides of the [Taiwan] Strait can harness the benefits of peaceful coexistence together.

That Lu is the only native-born Taiwanese in the 2,287-strong delegation of the 19th Party Congress raises the question of why the Chinese regime failed in its effort to recruit more real Taiwanese to participate in its most important propaganda event. At any given time there are an estimated 1-2 million Taiwanese doing business or traveling in mainland China.

Although Taiwanese law permits dual citizenship with other countries, it voids the citizenship of any Taiwanese who acquires residencywhat is normally called citizenshipin the Peoples Republic of China. It also prohibits any Taiwanese citizen from holding office in the Chinese government or military, or to be an official of the Chinese Communist Party.
Paratroopers engage ISIS terrorists with precise and strategically placed artillery fire in support of Iraqi and Peshmerga fighters in Mosul, Iraq, on July 6, 2017. (Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Bigelow)

Trump Announces Critical Breakthrough in Fight Against ISIS

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the Syrian city of Raqqa has been liberated from ISIS.

I am pleased to announce that the Syrian Democratic Forces, our partners in the fight against ISIS in Syria, have successfully recaptured Raqqah, Trump said in a statement. Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control.

Trump said in his statement that defeating ISIS and countering the spread of its hateful ideology was one of his core campaign promises.

We have made, alongside our coalition partners, more progress against these evil terrorists in the past several months than in the past several years, he said.

Trump praised Americas coalition partners for the sacrifices they have made in this noble effort.

The loss of Raqqa is a major blow to the terrorist group, which had declared the city as the capital of its so-called caliphate.

Raqqa was the groups last major stronghold, following its recent loss of Mosul in Iraq. The terrorist group is now being pushed into the Euphrates River Valley, and its self-proclaimed state is ending.

According to Drew Berquist, a former intelligence officer and editor-in-chief of OpsLens, ISIS was well aware that these two capitals would fall and they needed to branch out. The terror group had sent members into Libya, Yemen, other parts of Africa, and Europe.

For ISIS, being pushed out of Raqqa and Mosul means theyre going to have less funds coming in, less command and control infrastructure, said Berquist. He added that it also crushes their will, and this will likely weaken their resolve to fight in the region.

This may not be absolute, however. According to Robert J. Bunker, adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at U.S. Army War College, The caliphate is literally being torn to shredsbut ISIS will wear it like a martyrs shroud for ongoing propaganda and recruitment purposes.

ISIS will have bragging rights, he said, that it took a coalition of nations and factions backed by the United States and Russia to topple their regime, and theyll likely use this to recruit terrorists.

Bunker noted, as did Berquist, that ISIS had seen their territorial demise coming and have been physically and ideologically planning for it. Bunker said this may mean that the group was moving personnel and financial resources out of the region with this in mind.

Bunker said that ISIS may go underground, taking the form of an insurgency in Syria and Iraq, and try to launch terrorist attacks against the West while looking for regions with weak governments where it can again establish control.

He added, however, that the U.S. military will likely continue to fight ISIS wherever it tries to take power. He said, The U.S. will follow themunless, of course, Russia or some other regional power has allies in the area and they go after ISIS themselves.

Examples of this were already seen on Oct. 16, when the Pentagons DoD News reported that U.S. forces had killed dozens of ISIS members during strikes on ISIS training camps in Yemen, coordinated with the Yemeni government. The report noted that Yemen has been a hub for terrorist recruiting, training, and transit.

The eventual collapse of the ISIS caliphate was inevitable, according to Max Abrahms, professor of political science at Northeastern University.

Abrahms, who has dedicated much of his research to studying the methods used by terrorist organizations and political regimes, says the use of violence against civilian populations is a fast track to self-destruction.

Since ISISalso called the Islamic Statedeclared its caliphate in 2014, Abrahms said, I predicted hundreds and hundreds of times the implosion of the Islamic State, because this is a group that behaves in a manner that will doom a militant group.

He noted that many think tanks have been proven wrong in their analysis of ISIS, as some said its use of violence against civilians, its propaganda videos with gory violence, and its strict and brutal methods of control were deemed as strategic.

The think tank community was so slow to figure out what was going on, he said. The problem is not just that Islamic State used violencemany militant groups use violence. The problem is that Islamic State didnt know how to use violence.

It just tried to kill anybody, all over the world. And this basically united the world against the group, Abrahms said. But the think tank community, for years, since June 2014, has been lauding every decision of Islamic State as strategic. Groups that use violence in this fashion have historically paid a steep price.

The defeat of ISIS was accelerated under the Trump administration, which removed red tape from the battlefield and established a clear mission to kill terrorists. Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis said in May that the United States had switched to annihilation tactics against ISIS, and that our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return to their home countries.

Vice President Mike Pence said during an Oct. 13 press conference that thanks to the presidents leadership, ISIS is on the run.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends an interview with Reuters at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey on April 25, 2017. (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Turkish Banks Could Face Big US Fines Over Iran

ANKARA/ISTANBULSix Turkish banks face billions of dollars of fines from U.S. authorities over alleged violations of sanctions with Iran, the Haberturk newspaper reported on Saturday, citing senior banking sources.

The report could not be verified by Reuters. Two senior Turkish economy officials told Reuters that Turkey has not received any notice from the United States about such penalties, adding that U.S. regulators would normally inform the finance ministrys financial crimes investigation board.

Turkish authorities are expected to issue a statement to issue the address the issue soon, the senior economy officials said.

The report comes as relations between Washington and Ankara have been strained by a series of diplomatic rows, prompting both countries to cut back issuing visas to each others citizens.

Haberturk did not name the six banks potentially facing the fines. One bank will face a penalty in excess of $5 billion, while the rest of the fines will be lower, it said.

U.S. officials will notify the banks of their penalties in the coming days and the banks are likely to be able to negotiate down the fines, Haberturk said.

U.S. authorities have hit global banks with billions of dollars in fines over violations of sanctions with Iran and other countries in recent years.

U.S. prosecutors last month charged a former Turkish economy minister and the ex-head of a state-owned bank with conspiring to violate Iran sanctions by illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on Tehrans behalf.

President Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, and tantamount to an attack on the Turkish Republic.

The charges stem from the case against Reza Zarrab, a wealthy Turkish-Iranian gold trader who was arrested in the United States over sanctions evasion last year. Erdogan has said U.S. authorities had ulterior motives in charging Zarrab, who has pleaded not guilty.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:31:54|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official reaffirmed Saturday China's opposition to Dalai Lama's visits to foreign countries.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the 19th CPC National Congress, executive deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee Zhang Yijiong urged foreign governments to exercise "caution in both words and deeds."

"The 14th Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure, but also a political one," Zhang said.

The aim of the so-called "Tibetan government-in-exile" organized by him in a foreign country in 1959 is, in essence, seeking "Tibet independence" and splitting the motherland, according to the official.

"As head of the group, the 14th Dalai Lama has never stopped his activities in this regard over the past decades," Zhang said.

"No country in the world recognizes the so-called 'Tibetan government-in-exile,'" he said, noting that although individual officials in some countries had received the Dalai Lama, their countries do not recognize the group.

"The Chinese government opposes governments and organizations in any country in the world to receive the Dalai Lama in any name," said the official.

"We consider such visit as a severe insult to the feelings of the Chinese people and a deviation from their commitment to recognizing the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China," he warned.

"So we hope governments around the world exercise caution in both words and deeds and give full consideration to their friendship with China and their respect for China's sovereignty," he added.

Zhang said there has been a decreasing number of countries receiving the Dalai Lama in their official capacity in recent years and the Dalai Lama could only manage to give lectures in universities or hold religious activities instead.
This Yorkshire Terrier prepares to be judged during the Crufts dog show at the NEC on March 8, 2014 in Birmingham, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Womans Heart Attack Was Actually a Broken Heart

Doctors at a Houston hospital thought the lady they were treating was suffering a heart attack.

Joanie Simpson, 62, showed up at a Houston hospital complaining of a pain in her back, which had traveled to her chest. She was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center, for emergency treatment.

At the Vascular Institute, doctors discovered she wasnt suffering from a heart attack at all. All of her symptoms were caused by emotional pain after the death of her 9-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Meha.

It sounds fantastic, but it is very real. Simpson was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a condition commonly associated with the loss of a spouse or child. Her case was unusual enough that it was written up in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is commonly called Broken Heart Syndrome. This condition is most common in women ages 58 to 75, and can cause weakening of the left ventricle. It can be treated with normal heart medication.

Simpson was dealing with a lot of stressher son was facing back surgery, her son-in-law had lost his job, and a property sale was taking a long time and getting more and more complicated.

On top of all this, her beloved 9-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Meha, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

Simpson decided the best course was to have Meha euthanized. Then Meha seemed to recover, so Simpson canceled the procedure. The next day, Meha collapsed and died.

It was such a horrendous thing to have to witness, recalled Simpson.

Meha was more than a pet, said Simpson, and more like a daughter. The kids were grown and out of the house, so she was our little girl, said Simpson.

A 2005 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that a flood of stress hormones may be able to stun the heart to produce spasms in otherwise healthy people.

Simpson is taking two heart medications to control her symptoms.

Her ordeal occurred in 2016, but it has come to light because the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine decided her case was an almost perfect example of how Broken Heart Syndrome manifests.

One slightly unusual aspect of this case is that it was a canine, not a human who died. This demonstrates that caregivers can be equally deeply attached to children, parents, or pets.

This idea is supported by a recent study, which shows that owners of chronically ill pets experience a lot of what is called caregiver burden, stress associated with sympathetic suffering, which mirrors the animals, plus fear of separation, the same as would be experienced with a human patient.

What makes this case and this study noteworthy is that common wisdom says that teaming up unwanted pets with lonely older people provides a better life for both.

While there may be benefits to owning a pet, this case shows that there are also risks.

The risks are worth it, said Mrs. Simpson.

It is heartbreaking. It is traumatic. It is all of the above, Simpson said. But you know what? They give so much love and companionship that Ill do it again. I will continue to have pets. Thats not going to stop me.

From NTD.tv
Yellowstone Supervolcano Could Erupt Much More Abruptly: Researchers

If the Yellowstone supervolcano was to erupt, we may get much shorter notice than experts thought, new research suggests.

Last time the volcano erupted, ash covered much of the country and blocked the sun for so long it caused a volcanic winter. It burst into the atmosphere with some 240 cubic miles of rock, dust, and volcanic ashenough material to fill Lake Erietwice.

While most would hope to never see it again, some scientists would settle for at least seeing it coming. Hannah Shamloo a graduate student and Christy Till, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, are such scientists.

In a quest to predict the next big one, they looked at the 631,000-year-old remnants of the last explosion.

They found indices that caused them to dramatically reconsider how abruptly the volcano could reach a critical point.

The answers awaited them under the surface of tiny crystals of volcanic rock. The 1-2 millimeter crystals called phenocrysts formed layer by layer by cooling magma inside the volcanos magma chamber. They were then hurled out during the eruption. Because magma composition changes with temperature, pressure, and water content, Shamloo and Till could look at the trace elements in different layers of the crystals to tell the conditions inside the magma chamber at different timesmuch like year-to-year changes in climate can be guessed from tree rings.

They found that the crystals outermost layers, which formed right before the eruption, contained much more barium. That would suggest the eruption was caused by an injection of new magma from a deeper layer of the earths crust.

But the most surprising discovery was how abruptly the barium spikedperhaps in only a few decades.

Previously, scientists thought it would take thousands of years of geological changes to cause another eruption, giving people plenty of time to notice whats in the works. Now it seems we could only have decades to prepare, given that scientists would detect the changes early.

Earlier this year the volcano shook with hundreds of small earthquakes. That, however, wasnt enough to make scientists worry about any imminent threat of an explosion.

The volcano remains the most closely monitored one in the world and Shamloo and Till look forward to more research to expand and solidify their findings, which havent been peer-reviewed yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:46:58|Editor: ying

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MADRID, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish ministries will take control over the Catalan regional government under the application of the article 155 of the Spanish constitution, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday.

In a press conference after an extraordinary cabinet meeting to deal with the implementation of the article, Rajoy explained that the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, would be dissolved, their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries and elections would be called within six months.

Rajoy explained the measures of the application of the article 155 which must be approved by the Spanish Senate to be implemented.

The Spanish government justified the decision based on "rebel, systematic and conscious disobedience" of the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:52:00|Editor: ying

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- An activist of Hindu nationalist party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was shot dead while his brother was wounded on Saturday by motorcycle-borne gunmen in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Rajesh Mishra was attacked in Ghazipur district, about 338 km southeast of Lucknow city, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"Today three unidentified armed assailants attacked RSS worker in Brahmanpura Chatti area, killing him on spot. His brother who was also sitting close to him tried to save him but was wounded after being hit by bullets," a police official said.

According to police the motive behind the killing was still unknown.

Local media reports said Mishra was also working as stringer for a vernacular daily.

On Tuesday a local level leader of RSS was shot dead in Punjab.

Police have registered a case and ordered investigations into the killing.

RSS is considered as ideological fountainhead of Bhartiya Janta Party.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:52:01|Editor: ying

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by David Musyoka

NAIROBI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is set to host a conference that will discuss the status of higher education in Africa and across the world.

Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, chair of Commission for University Education, said Saturday the conference set for early next year will see scholars from around the globe meet in Kenya to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities in the higher education sector.

Nyaigotti-Chacha said issues related to the funding of research and the universities themselves and the embracing of technology will also be discussed.

"We are happy to host the 2nd biennial conference in Kenya. It puts Kenya on the map of countries with the best university education system in the world," he said.

This would be the second time Kenya would be hosting such a significant event. The last conference that brought scholars from all over the world was held it Kenyatta University in 2016.

Nyaigotti-Chacha added that since the last conference, most Kenyan universities, especially the top seven universities, have witnessed massive enrolment of foreign students.

He gave an example of University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University which have witnessed big increase in enrolment. This does not only apply to Kenya but also to the neighboring East African countries.

A spot check at the University of Nairobi revealed that there were a large number of foreign students studying in the institutions. The majority are students from China, Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan, among other countries.

China, he said, has also awarded scholarships to many Kenyan students thus fostering the good relationship between the two countries.

Nyaigotti-Chacha said that the conference is being held at a time when plans are underway to set up national Open University in Kenya where learners can study online and interact with lecturers across the world online.

According to the latest webometrics rankings (July 2017) of the best universities in Kenya, University of Nairobi was ranked the best in sub-Saharan Africa. The institution has a population of over 70,000 students.

Professor Peter Mbithi, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Nairobi, said the institution will participate in the forthcoming conference.

"This is an opportunity for our institution to showcase its latest research and innovation to the world. This will be like world exchange program where you get to hear what the world-class universities have been doing. The bottom line is benchmarking," Mbithi said in an interview this week.

Laban Ayiro, Moi University Acting Vice-Chancellor, said they would participate in the upcoming biennial conference again.

"The last conference was a breakthrough for Moi University. Our dons got an opportunity to network with dons from the developed countries like Canada, China, United States, exchanging ideas in research and innovations, students getting fellowships and scholarships as a result," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 20:57:03|Editor: ying

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YANGON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has planned to launch its own satellite system MyanmarSat-2 in June in 2019, official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.

To establish state-owned satellite system, the three ways -- Condosat which is to lease the use of satellite transponder of another country, joint ownership system and total ownership system -- are needed to be done, Vice President U Myint Swe told a coordination meeting of the steering committee in Nay Pyi Taw.

The MyanmarSat-2 will be used on joint ownership system while the MyanmarSat-1 is currently used on lease system.

The project will cost about 155.7 billion U.S. dollars.

The vice president urged the committee to put the Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) of the transponder as an unchangeable provision in the contract.

The vice president also called on the ministries which are currently working for MyanmarSat-1 using the foreign satellite to hire Myanmar Sat-2 after their contracts with foreign firms expire.
Residents demonstrate along the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 15, 2017. The death toll in Saturday's massive bombing in Somali capital Mogadishu has surpassed 300. (Xinhuua/Faisal Isse)

MOGADISHU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The African Union top envoy in Somalia on Saturday called on Somalis to unite in the fight against terrorism which has seen several innocent lives being lost in the recent past.

Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, also urged Somalis to work closely with the security forces to defeat Al-Shabaab and other agents of terror.

"I wish to appeal to the Somali population to remain united and provide the government and its security agencies with information that will help bring to book the perpetrators of this barbaric incident that took many lives and destroyed property," Madeira said.

He made the remarks when top AMISOM and UN officials joined the Somali government mourning the victims of Oct. 14 bomb attacks.

The event, organized by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, was also attended by the diplomatic corps and residents of Mogadishu.

According to a statement issued after the event, Madeira noted that individuals who commit heinous crimes against innocent civilians live in the community and urged peace loving citizens to volunteer information to security forces to help arrest the criminals.

"The individuals who planned and executed this attack live in the middle of the population and the explosives that we used were assembled in the midst of a habitational area and transported via the population; hence some of us should have the information that is necessary to stop these people. We must provide this information to the government," he said.

At least 358 people died after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) exploded at a busy neighborhood in Mogadishu.

Hundreds of residents injured in the blast are still nursing injuries in various hospitals in the city including Kenya, Sudan and Turkey where they were airlifted for medical attention.

Head of United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), Hubert Price, condemned the attack and reiterated the UN's continued support to Somalia.

"The UN family strongly condemns the carnage, the continued loss of life and destruction of property by terrorists here in Somalia. We reiterate our commitment to continue to stand with the people and government of Somalia and to support all efforts towards ensuring the safety and security of the Somali people," said Price.

Minister of Transport, Mohamed Abdullahi Salad said the attack by Al-Shabaab will not break the resolve of the Somali people in their quest for peace and security, but make them stronger and more united.

"We are here to condole with each other and to help the victims of the bomb attack to the best of our ability," Salad said.
10 things you might find surprising about The Walking Dead:

1. Raleigh Studios in Senoia, where most of The Walking Dead is filmed, is a 140-acre spread that is used exclusively by the show. Most of the different communities are all created and filmed on the property except for the Kingdom, which is filmed at the former Fort McPherson military base in Atlanta, where Tyler Perry has studio space. Another community  the Oceanside  spent some time filming on Tybee Island, on the coast of Georgia.

2. The fictional town of Alexandria, a gated community supposedly set outside of Washington, D.C., is a real neighbourhood in Senoia. Just four families live there, while the rest of the homes are vacant and used as mini sets where some of the characters live. The real-life residents have signed nondisclosure agreements and have restrictions on when they can come and go and when they can have visitors so its not disruptive to filming.

3. The actors who play zombies on the show use conditioner and KY Jelly to give their hair an unwashed, dishevelled appearance.

4. The production meeting room is a small theatre with a conference table at the front. The rooms walls are lined with photos of each of the actors whose characters have died. Our Grateful Dead now occupies two walls. Whenever one of the characters dies, the actors  whether theyre in the scene or not  make a point of watching it, paying tribute to yet another fallen comrade.

5. The Heaps  a giant mountain of trash ruled over by Polly Macintoshs character, Jadis  took three weeks to create. None of the cars that are embedded into the mound are newer than 2010, the year the world died.

6. The location where Gabriels church stood is now an empty wooded dirt lot and served as the same set where the final episode of Season 6 filmed Glenn and Abrahams demise. It is, says executive producer Tom Luse, considered pretty much hallowed ground.

7. The shows props crew is creating a line of kid-friendly toys for a show noted for its violence and gruesomeness.

8. The actors often produce a version of some scenes in which they make liberal use of the F-word. The cleaned up version is aired on TV, while the other version is used for DVD versions that arent as hamstrung by restrictions on foul language.

9. Actor Norman Reedus is so close with Greg Nicotero, a special effects master as well as the shows producer and sometime director, that they are able to finish each others sentences. The two also send each other songs to explain the emotion they want to bring to a scene. Before Daryl and Beth, two characters, burned down an old shack, Reedus sent Nicotero Very Nervous and Love by J Mascis. Ahead of Daryl having to stab his brother Merle, who had turned into a zombie, Nicotero sent a Willie Nelson song. Nicotero and Reedus even opened a restaurant in Senoia together: Nic & Normans, with the logo including an artists brush and an arrow.

10. Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl, the son of sheriff Rick Grimes, is an Atlanta native and has grown up on the set. Hes now headed to college: the University of Georgia.

Read more:

I paid $390 to meet Norman Reedus and Tim Curry  and it was worth it

The Walking Dead season finale: A betrayal, a sacrifice and a victory

AMC says The Walking Dead is still No. 1

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Three teenage boys stabbed during a fight near a Scarborough high school Friday are all in stable condition, Toronto police said Saturday.

One had critical injuries, while the other two were originally listed in serious condition. The incident happened at 3:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Lawrence Ave. E. and Brimley Rd., on and near the grounds of David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute.

On Friday, witness 23-year-old Armad Mouyed told the Star the fight started outside a McDonalds. He said he initially tried to break it up.

I dont know what happened, he said. This guy took a knife, stabbed my friend, stabbed the other friend, stabbed the other friend. And the other people, they came, all of them.

Others speaking to the Star described a bloody, chaotic scene.

On Saturday, Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson said investigators had identified two suspects, both with brown skin, who fled on a motorcycle.

The Toronto District School Board has said a 17-year-old student of David and Mary Thomson Collegiate was one of the victims, but was unclear Friday if the other two teens attend the school.

With files from Victoria Gibson and Alina Bykova

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 21:07:07|Editor: Yang Yi

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SHANGHAI/GUANGZHOU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- SAIC-GM's fast development in recent years reflects, from one aspect, the open competition in China's auto market and efficient government management, said Julian Blissett, executive vice president of SAIC-GM.

SAIC General Motors Corporation, a joint venture founded in 1997 between China's SAIC and General Motors from the United States, mainly manufactures and sells Chevrolets, Buicks and Cadillacs on the Chinese mainland.

During the past five years, the company has made great achievements in terms of its development speed and quality, Blissett told Xinhua when commenting on the report delivered by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Last month, we surpassed 15 million units in accumulated sales, rewriting the growth speed record among the auto enterprises in China," said Blissett.

He said market guidance and regulation by Chinese government departments, their strong support for investment in advanced capacity, and effective interaction between companies and government departments, have together played a significant supporting role in the company's sales increase.

From the report, Blissett saw that "China will substantially broaden market access and protect the lawful rights and interests of foreign investors. The investment environment keeps improving and we have full confidence in the following market exploration."

China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), where SAIC-GM is located, was launched in 2013 to test new policies including negative list management for foreign investment, preferential trade and financial policies, and opening up of more industries to foreign investors.

As of September, 49,000 new companies had been registered in the FTZ. Of these, about 8,940 foreign-funded enterprises had been launched, attracting investment worth more than 17 billion U.S. dollars.

China has ranked among the world's top three in terms of foreign investment utilization for five years and its engagement in global economic governance is deepening.

In the first nine months of 2017, foreign investment utilization in China hit more than 618 billion yuan (93 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.6 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

More than 23,500 foreign-funded enterprises were established in the first nine months, 10.6 percent more than in the same period of 2016, the ministry said.

Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, which represents more than 2,300 multinational companies doing business in China, said that he believes China will become more and more open.

Xi's report draws "a very clear map and direction for foreign investors going forward" as China's economy has been transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, said Seyedin.

Between 1978 and 2013, the annual growth of the Chinese economy averaged close to 10 percent and between 2003 and 2007, more than 11.5 percent.

GDP growth slowed to 7.3 percent in 2014, 6.9 percent in 2015 and 6.7 percent in 2016 as the world's second largest economy is striving to shift gears to slower speed but higher quality growth.

In the past five years, the transition of China's growth pattern has created uncertainties in its investment market, which resulted in a slowdown of foreign investment inflow, said Seyedin. "But all of that uncertainty seems to be going away at this point and with the 19th CPC congress, we'll have a very clear map and direction for going forward."

"At 6.9 percent growth, China produces more quality jobs than it did when it grew at 12 or 13 percent, especially in the manufacturing sector. So the growth transition is on its way and we certainly believe that the future is going to be bright," said Seyedin.

According to figures released by Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, in the past, nearly 70 percent of foreign investment flowed to China's manufacturing sector, while 30 percent went to the service industry.

Now around 65 to 70 percent of China's foreign investment flows to the service industries especially to knowledge, technology and talent intensive areas, while the high-end manufacturing has attracted about 30 percent.

But there are still some areas in the service sector not open to overseas investors, said Daniel Liao, China president of Singaporean company City Developments Limited.

The company has invested about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in the real estate, environmental protection and new energy sectors in major Chinese cities in the past six years.

The report said China will relax controls over market access in the service sector, which will attract more high-quality foreign investment to the sector and create more investment opportunities for foreign investors, according to Liao.
A passerby performed CPR to save a woman seriously hurt after she was struck by an SUV in Etobicoke Friday night, said Toronto police.

The pedestrian was hit at Kipling Ave. and Jutland Rd., north of N. Queen St., at about 11:20 p.m.

She was bleeding quite heavily, said Const. David Hopkinson.

Paramedics rushed the woman to hospital via emergency run. Hopkinson said her injuries were serious but likely not life-threatening.

Kipling Ave. was closed at the intersection while Toronto police investigated, but has since been re-opened.

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An employment equity regimen that relies on public disclosure rather than a mandatory quota system seems to have improved representation from women, visible minorities and Indigenous people in the public service, according to a new study.

Women now make up 54.4 per cent of federal government employees while visible minorities and Indigenous people account for 14.5 per cent and 5.2 per cent of the workforce, respectively, according to the report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

The latest government statistics say 50.4 per cent of Canadas population are women, 20 per cent are visible minorities, and 4 per cent are Indigenous. The Canadian government defines visible minorities as non-white people other than Indigenous people.

Under the Employment Equity Act, the federal government is obligated to report annually on diversity within the government and in the federally regulated private sector.

The growth has been steady for both women and Indigenous people, who started at 46.1 per cent and 2 per cent respectively in 1993 when data became available, said report author Andrew Griffith.

And the almost quadrupling of representation for visible minorities from a mere 3.8 per cent in 1993 was remarkable, he noted.

The transparency, sunshine-law approach and the politics of shame has shifted the representation of public services by a remarkable extent, said Griffith, a retired director-general with the Immigration Department and now an independent policy analyst specializing multiculturalism and diversity.

The organic and uncontroversial approach may have worked better than a quota system that would have created more resistance and tension.

Based on data from the Treasury Board and Privy Council, Griffith also examined the diversity of public service management at each of the five executive levels, plus the deputy minister position.

Griffiths study, a snapshot of March 2016, looked at 182,000 public servants including 5,302 executives classified from levels 1 to 5 in the management classification scheme, plus 70 deputy ministers.

Women made up 47.3 per cent of executive posts in 2016, compared to just 25.8 per cent in 2002 when officials began collecting gender data on management.

Last year, about 1 in 10 managers consisted of a person of colour, from just 1 out of 20 a decade ago when the collection of racial data started. The representation of Indigenous executives, however, was modest, rising to 3.7 per cent in 2016 from 3 per cent in 2005.

There were gaps in the representation. Thats troubling, said Robyn Benson, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents roughly 110,000 federal government employees.

Some larger departments have a large pool (of diverse candidates) to choose from for promotion, but they are not doing as well as they should be doing.

Benson said the Employment Equity Act has not been reviewed for 15 years and the union has been pushing hard for one to identify shortfalls. She would also like to see data on people with disabilities in the public service, which wasnt part of the study.

The Act needs stronger accountability, she said. If you sit in a room and see women, racialized and Indigenous people, and people with disabilities as workers and look to the managers who dont reflect them, thats just wrong.

According to the study, across the public service 65 per cent of women are now under 50 years of age, compared with 60.8 per cent of men. Visible minorities are significantly younger: almost three-quarters (72.1 per cent) are under 50. Among Indigenous public servants, 64.2 per cent are under 50.

Female executives are almost evenly split between under and over 50; 53.4 per cent of male executives are over 50. Visible minorities are the youngest among executives, with 57.5 per cent under 50 while Indigenous executives are the next youngest, at 54.4 per cent under 50.

The federal departments with the highest female representation in their leadership were Public Health Agency of Canada (63 per cent); Justice Canada (61.1 per cent); Canada School of Public Service (58.1 per cent) and Veteran Affairs Canada (57.7 per cent). By contrast, Finance Canada and National Defence rank at the bottom, at 36.2 per cent and 35.8 per cent respectively.

For visible minorities, they fare best in leadership at Shared Services Canada (21.8 per cent); Health Canada (13 per cent); Immigration (12.6 per cent); Global Affairs (11.5 per cent) and the Canada Border Services Agency (11.4 per cent). However, they dont do as well at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Public Health Agency of Canada; Canadian Heritage and Statistics Canada  all below 7 per cent.

Indigenous executives make up almost 1 in 5 leadership positions at Indigenous Affairs, 7.6 per cent at Correctional Service and 6.5 per cent at Health Canada, but under 3 per cent at Public Services and Procurement Canada; Justice; and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

The data presents the departments an opportunity to look at how they compare to each other, especially for the outliers who are low in diversity representation, said Griffith.

They need to ask what they could do to improve the representation of these groups with their hiring and promotion practices.

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Quen Chow Lee, one of three immigrant litigants who led a class-action lawsuit against Ottawa over its discriminatory Chinese head tax, has died. She was 105.

Born in China in October 18, 1911, Lee was nicknamed Nooey Quen  meaning womens rights in English.

Her toughness helped her overcome war, poverty, a 14-year separation from her husband, and the drawn-out legal battle for government redress, said her son Yew Lee.

She was a tough lady, determined, committed and stubborn, someone who had a strong sense of justice, said Lee. Yet, she was a very loving mother and grandmother.

A native of Taishan, Chow Lee married to Guang Foo Lee in 1930, when he returned to China from Canada to find a wife. He was born in 1892, also in Taishan, and paid a $500 head tax in 1913 to come to Canada.

After the marriage, Lee only stayed two years in China because Canadian laws then made Chinese people pay another $500 head tax if they were out of the country for too long. He left behind his wife, pregnant with a third child, and two kids.

Between 1885 and 1923, the Canadian government collected a total of $23 million from some 81,000 people under the various forms of the Chinese Immigration Act.

Because of the Second World War and the civil war in China, Chow Lee and her children lost touch with her husband for almost 14 years.

Chow Lee raised the children on her own until after the repeal in 1947 of the Chinese Immigration Act, which had effectively banned Chinese immigration to Canada for more than two decades. Although Chinese wives could now join their husbands in Canada, most had to wait patiently before the family saved enough money for the fares.

Ive endured so many years of hardship. We had no money and nothing to eat, Chow Lee said in the 2004 documentary, In the Shadow of Gold Mountain, by Karen Cho. Some women remarried farmers from faraway just to survive . . . but I didnt want to because of my children.

Chow Lee arrived in Canada with her three children after Christmas in 1950 and settled in Sudbury, Ont. where the family ran a number of restaurants: the Capitol Cafe, the Star Restaurant, the China House Restaurant, the Empress Tavern and Lees Palace.

After her husband passed away in 1967, Chow Lee once again was left to raise her children on her own  now five of them, with the two youngest ones born in Canada.

Growing up, Yew Lee said his mother would pull out a piece of paper from a leather-and-brass box and just looked at it. It was his fathers head tax certificate.

She kept it in a steamer trunk above the restaurant. She would pull it out many many times. We knew something was wrong and the paper was significant, Yew Lee recalled. She always felt the injustice had to be righted.

Chow Lee was already retired in her late 80s when the family got in touch with the Chinese Canadian National Council, which had spearheaded the redress campaign. She immediately volunteered to be one of the lead claimants of the class-action lawsuit representing the head-tax-payers widows.

Chow Lee would travel in her wheelchair to fundraising events and rallies between Toronto and Ottawa to raise public awareness about Canadas racist past against the Chinese.

We approached many head-tax-payers and families to sue the government, but many turned down because they were ashamed of it and didnt want to talk about it. But Mrs. Lee needed no convincing, said Avvy Go, one of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit. She was a true inspiration for all of us.

Although the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed and subsequent appeals were denied, it set into motion talks with the government that ended in an official apology at the House of Commons on June 22, 2006.

Chow Lee was in the audience when then prime minister Stephen Harper apologized in Cantonese to the Chinese-Canadian community.

Even though we didnt win the lawsuit, Mrs. Lee never gave up hope. She never had any regret, said Go. She used her suffering to propel her to fight injustice and challenge the government head on for its treatment of the Chinese. She was a model not only for the Chinese, but all Canadians.

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Im sitting at the head of my dining room table at home in Houston, finishing dinner with my family: my longtime girlfriend, Amiko; my daughters, Samantha and Charlotte; my twin brother, Mark; his wife, Gabby [Giffords]; his daughter, Claudia; our father, Richie; and Amikos son, Corbin.

Its a simple thing, sitting at a table and eating a meal with those you love, and many people do it every day without giving it much thought. For me, its something Ive been dreaming of for almost a year. I contemplated what it would be like to eat this meal so many times, now that Im finally here, it doesnt seem entirely real.

The faces of the people I love that I havent seen for so long, the chatter of many people talking together, the clink of silverware, the swish of wine in a glass  these are all unfamiliar. Even the sensation of gravity holding me in my chair feels strange, and every time I put a glass or fork down on the table theres a part of my mind that is looking for a dot of Velcro or a strip of duct tape to hold it in place. Ive been back on Earth for 48 hours.

I push back from the table and struggle to stand up, feeling like an old man getting out of a recliner.

Stick a fork in me, Im done, I announce. Everyone laughs and encourages me to go and get some rest. I start the journey to my bedroom: about 20 steps from the chair to the bed. On the third step, the floor seems to lurch under me, and I stumble into a planter. Of course it wasnt the floor  it was my vestibular system trying to readjust to Earths gravity. Im getting used to walking again.

Thats the first time Ive seen you stumble, Mark says. Youre doing pretty good. He knows from personal experience what its like to come back to gravity after having been in space. As I walk by Samantha, I put my hand on her shoulder and she smiles up at me.

I make it to my bedroom without incident and close the door behind me. Every part of my body hurts. All of my joints and all of my muscles are protesting the crushing pressure of gravity. Im also nauseated, though I havent thrown up. I strip off my clothes and get into bed, relishing the feeling of sheets, the light pressure of the blanket over me, the fluff of the pillow under my head. All of these are things I missed dearly.

I can hear the happy murmur of my family behind the door, voices I havent heard without the distortion of phones bouncing signals off satellites for a year. I drift off to sleep to the comforting sound of their talking and laughing.

A crack of light wakes me: Is it morning? No, its just Amiko coming to bed. Ive only been asleep for a couple of hours. But I feel delirious. Its a struggle to come to consciousness enough to move, to tell her how awful I feel. Im seriously nauseated now, feverish, and my pain has gotten worse. This isnt like how I felt after my last mission. This is much, much worse.

Amiko, I finally manage to say.

She is alarmed by the sound of my voice.

What is it? Her hand is on my arm, then on my forehead. Her skin feels chilled, but its just that Im so hot.

I dont feel good, I say.

Ive been to space four times now, and she has gone through the whole process with me as my main support once before, when I spent 159 days on the space station in 2010-11. I had a reaction to coming back from space that time, but it was nothing like this.

I struggle to get up. Find the edge of the bed. Feet down. Sit up. Stand up. At every stage I feel like Im fighting through quicksand. When Im finally vertical, the pain in my legs is awful, and on top of that pain I feel something even more alarming: all the blood in my body is rushing to my legs, like the sensation of the blood rushing to your head when you do a headstand, but in reverse.

I can feel the tissue in my legs swelling. I shuffle my way to the bathroom, moving my weight from one foot to the other with deliberate effort. Left. Right. Left. Right.

I make it to the bathroom, flip on the light, and look down at my legs. They are swollen and alien stumps, not legs at all.

Oh, s---, I say. Amiko, come look at this.

She kneels down and squeezes one ankle, and it squishes like a water balloon. She looks up at me with worried eyes. I cant even feel your anklebones, she says.

My skin is burning, too, I tell her. Amiko frantically examines me. I have a strange rash all over my back, the backs of my legs, the back of my head and neck  everywhere I was in contact with the bed. I can feel her cool hands moving over my inflamed skin. It looks like an allergic rash, she says. Like hives.

I use the bathroom and shuffle back to bed, wondering what I should do. Normally if I woke up feeling like this, I would go to the emergency room, but no one at the hospital will have seen symptoms of having been in space for a year. I crawl back into bed, trying to find a way to lie down without touching my rash.

I can hear Amiko rummaging in the medicine cabinet. She comes back with two ibuprofen and a glass of water. As she settles down, I can tell from her every movement, every breath, that she is worried about me. We both knew the risks of the mission I signed on for. After six years together, I can understand her perfectly even in the wordless dark.

As I try to will myself to sleep, I wonder whether my friend Mikhail Kornienko is also suffering from swollen legs and painful rashes  Misha is home in Moscow after spending nearly a year in space with me. I suspect so. This is why we volunteered for this mission, after all: to discover how the human body is affected by long-term spaceflight. Scientists will study the data on Misha and me for the rest of our lives and beyond.

Our space agencies wont be able to push out farther into space, to a destination like Mars, until we can learn more about how to strengthen the weakest links in the chain that makes spaceflight possible: the human body and mind. People often ask me why I volunteered for this mission, knowing the risks  the risk of launch, the risk inherent in spacewalks, the risk of returning to Earth, the risk I would be exposed to every moment I lived in a metal container orbiting the Earth at 28,163 kilometres per hour. I have a few answers I give to this question, but none of them feels fully satisfying to me. None of them quite answers it.

Excerpted from Endurance by Scott Kelly. Copyright  2017 by Mach 25 LLC. Published by Viking Canada/Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Scott Kelly in conversation with Dr. Dave Williams: Great Conversations Ontario Science Centre Speaker Series on Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/greatconversations/

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IQALUITBaffin Island.

My oh my, what an extraordinary hunk of Canada.

Anchoring the northeast corner of our geography, Baffin is Canadas largest island, the fifth largest in the world.

Stretching some 1,500 kilometres, its immensity and vast craggy coastline constantly confounded early explorers seeking the Northwest Passage to China. Indeed, it wouldnt be until the last century that its detailed mapping was finally complete.

Named for English explorer William Baffin, it is renowned for its vast tundra, immense glaciers and ice fields, majestic fiords and dramatic mountain ranges.

And it is home to two colossally stunning national parks: Sirmilik and Auyuittuq. Those two are among the five still unvisited, as I continue my yearlong odyssey to see all of Canadas national parks.

My visit to Baffin begins in Iqaluit on the shores of Frobisher Bay, where the tide rivals the worlds highest.

Expecting a sleepy, perhaps drab community, I was simply stunned by its spanking new futuristic airport  complete with exquisite Inuit wall hangings and carvings  its ultra-modern, igloo-shaped legislative assembly right down to the sealskin seating pads and walrus door handle, and its extensive use of giant rocks, some carved, as public art everywhere. The Inuit influence in bright colours is omnipresent.

The two-and-one-half-hour trip north to Pond Inlet traverses immense stretches of pond-doppled tundra and skirts the two giant freshwater lakes in southern Baffin.

But suddenly emerging from cloud to full brilliant sun, the snow-covered mountains and southernmost fiords of Sirmilik jump into view.

Sirmilik, which means place of glaciers, is perhaps the most accessible of Arctic national parks for its three components are surrounded by deep waters. Indeed, cruise ships heading to the Northwest Passage all come to savour the drama and glaciers of Sirmilik.

The giant twin fiords of Oliver Sound and Paquet Bay take your breath away. The towering sculptured gorges with azure blue water and occasional ice floes seem chiselled into the tundra.

And the fresh snow on top is like a thick icing.

Pond Inlet sits on the shore of Eclipse Sound facing the short distance across to Bylot Island, the crown jewel of the park. Established as a bird sanctuary in 1965, Bylot Island is replete with glaciers, ice fields and large peaks.

It is a mountain climbers paradise. Indeed, in 1964 one climber scaled 28 peaks, including 16 first ascents. Some of the glaciers come close to waters edge.

The evening I am there, the waters of Eclipse Sound are magically still and that evening there is a burst of Northern Lights.

As I head back to Iqaluit and an air trip to Auyuittuq, I feel I have seen Arctic heaven.

Then I take my next trip.

Auyuittuq, which means the land that never melts in Inuktitut, is far more remote and its entire landscape is glacier-formed. Indeed, the Penny Ice Cap in the middle of the park is widely viewed as the birthplace of the last ice age.

My air charter refuels in Pangnirtung, a small hamlet nestled on an inlet off the immense Cumberland Sound. We take a little longer, as the regular gas attendant is off hunting.

As we head up the inlet to the park entrance, clouds seem everywhere.

Just inside is Mount Thor, renowned worldwide for having the largest uninterrupted cliff face in the world. The cliff face has an angle of 105 degrees, and measures 1,250 metres. This is sheer rock climbers Mount Everest.

I get a quick glance but the clouds quickly envelop this storied peak.

As we head further in, however, the sun emerges and a seemingly endless kaleidoscope of snow-capped peaks and occasional glaciers unfolds.

This is as majestic a scene as I can imagine. I rush from side to side of the Twin Otter to take in yet another breathtaking sight.

Suddenly we come upon an amazing mountain with twin spires, both of which are flat-topped. This is Mount Asgard, famous as a backdrop for the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.

How the filmmakers came across this peak is not recorded, but the drama of this site leads my pilots to thrill me with two complete steep-banked tours.

We then fly through another hour of glittering mountains, a trip I will never forget.

Located almost entirely within the Arctic Circle, the park has little vegetation and consequently little wildlife. There is some hiking from the south but I would venture that nothing could rival the aerial tour I enjoyed.

As we headed back to Iqaluit, I reflected again on what a magnificent island Baffin is. And to top it off, the hamlet of Cape Dorset at its southwest corner, is heralded as the worldwide centre of Inuit art.

Quite the island, indeed.

John Honderich, chair of the board of Torstar, is attempting to visit all 46 of Canadas national parks and reserves during the countrys 150th birthday year.

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From burka-bashing to Quebec-baiting, the politics of multiculturalism can bring out the best and worst in us. All of us.

To their credit, Ontarios politicians came together Thursday to rise above conventional politics  especially the so-called identity politics that divides people along racial, religious and ethnic lines. By unanimously condemning Quebecs new ban on face coverings for Muslim women who seek public services, Queens Park delivered an unprecedented rebuke to the national assembly.

To their discredit, Quebecs politicians keep pandering to peoples worst instincts, relying on the politics of fear to brand a few burka-clad women as targets for public shaming. This weeks new law on face-coverings is an act unworthy of that great province, which should understand the sanctity of minority rights more than most, given its own language challenges.

You dont have to love face coverings to understand the underside of this hateful crusade against Muslim women.

Picking on a harmless group is never pretty. But it is especially ugly when state power intimidates new immigrants facing possible language, health or safety issues  making them objects of ostracization and opprobrium.

That was the message Ontario sent to Quebecers next door, and pointedly shared with people here at home. But it came reluctantly, for it comes at a political price to Queens Park.

The province has gone to extraordinary lengths to forge closer ties with its neighbour. Nurturing the federalist impulse, joint Ontario-Quebec cabinet meetings were convened, culminating with invitations for each premier to speak in the others legislature.

Now, Ontarios very public admonition has put that bilateral bonhomie under strain.

More than a tale of two divergent legislatures, it is a clash of two political cultures. One province sees strength in diversity, the other fears multiculturalism could weaken its French face.

That said, there is a temptation among some in English Canada to lapse into allegations of supposedly racist tendencies in Quebec. Not only was such stereotyping absent from the fine speeches in Ontarios legislature, it would be a misreading of Canadas strengths and weaknesses.

For it is a universal truth that people everywhere and anywhere are prone to prejudice. Discrimination resides in any society or hierarchy.

The best social norms inhibit such impulses, but the worst pandering can incite racism at any time, in any place. All it takes is a fateful, fearful trigger from influential leaders who legitimize intolerance, preying on ignorance and profiting at the ballot box.

The Parti Quebecois crossed a line when it followed the divisive path of identity politics long ago, and it has now crossed party lines. This week, by contrast, Ontarios politicians outclassed Quebecs brazenly opportunistic political class.

Yet Quebec and the PQ are far from alone.

Donald Trump made identity politics the defining policy of his presidential campaign, and its ugliness has paid off handsomely for him. Australian politicians, who share our political and cultural antecedents, have also been prone to prejudice against Muslim migrants on their shores.

Lest we be complacent, English Canada is hardly immune.

We had a glimpse in our last federal election, when then-prime minister Stephen Harper argued with a straight face that we needed to see the face of Muslim women taking the oath of citizenship. Just as his party propagated the idea of a barbaric cultural practices snitch line (ostensibly targeting the pre-Islamic ritual of female genital cutting, but in reality driving a political wedge).

Those electoral tactics put the federal New Democrats on the spot but the party refused to forsake minority rights, even at some cost to its Quebec base. Undaunted, the NDP has just chosen Jagmeet Singh as its new leader  knowing that his turban would have been targeted by the original PQ proposal banning religious articles.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Premier Kathleen Wynne are often photographed wearing a head scarf when visiting conservative mosques or on Islamic holidays  a symbolic gesture of respect. Progressive Conservative leader, Patrick Brown, who served as a backbencher in Harpers government at the time of the anti-niqab hysteria, has been commendably outspoken in condemning it since his move to Queens Park (his PCs also broke with the federal Conservatives by unequivocally supporting a provincial resolution against Islamophobia).

Ontarians are no better than Quebecers, or anyone else. We have no natural immunity from the virulent strains of intolerance that incubate everywhere and infect political discourse elsewhere.

This province is more fortunate than most in having three major party leaders who, for all their faults, understand the fundamentals of social cohesion. And the perils of persecution.

On this issue, rather than exploiting the darkest corners of the body politic they are appealing to the brighter side of the human psyche. That is politics at its best.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn

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TOKYOHave North Koreas nuclear tests become so big that theyve altered the geological structure of the land? Some analysts now see signs that Mount Mantap, the 7,200-foot-high peak under which North Korea detonates its nuclear bombs, is suffering from tired mountain syndrome.

The mountain visibly shifted during the last nuclear test, an enormous detonation that was recorded as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in North Koreas northeast. Since then, the area, which is not known for natural seismic activity, has had three more quakes.

What we are seeing from North Korea looks like some kind of stress in the ground, said Paul G. Richards, a seismologist at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. In that part of the world, there were stresses in the ground but the explosions have shaken them up.

Chinese scientists have already warned that further nuclear tests could cause the mountain to collapse and release the radiation from the blast.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006, all of them in tunnels burrowed deep under Mount Mantap at a site known as the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility. Intelligence analysts and experts alike use satellite imagery to keep close track on movement at the three entrances to the tunnels for signals that a test might be coming.

After the latest nuclear test on Sept. 3., Kim Jong Uns regime claimed that it had set off a hydrogen bomb and that it had been a perfect success.

Read more:

A nuclear war may break out any moment, North Korea says

North Korea months away from perfecting nuclear weapons capabilities, CIA director says

The regime is known for brazen exaggeration, but analysts and many government officials said the size of the earthquake the test generated suggested that North Korea had detonated a thermonuclear device at least 17 times the size of the American bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

It registered as an artificial 6.3-magnitude earthquake so big it shook houses in northeastern China. Eight minutes later, there was a 4.1-magnitude earthquake that appeared to be a tunnel collapsing at the site.

Images captured by Airbus, a space technology company that makes earth observation satellites, showed the mountain literally moving during the test. An 85-acre area on the peak of Mount Mantap visibly subsided during the explosion, an indication of both the size of the blast and the weakness of the mountain.

Since that day, there have been three much smaller quakes at the site, in the two to three magnitude range, each of them setting fears that North Korea had conducted another nuclear test that had perhaps gone wrong. But they all turned out to be natural.

That has analysts Frank V. Pabian and Jack Liu wondering if Mount Mantap is suffering from tired mountain syndrome, a diagnosis previously applied to the Soviet Unions atomic test sites.

The underground detonation of nuclear explosions considerably alters the properties of the rock mass, Vitaly V. Adushkin and William Leith wrote in a report on the Soviet tests for the United States Geological Survey in 2001. This leads to fracturing and rocks breaking, and changes along tectonic faults.

Earthquakes also occurred at the U.S.s nuclear test site in Nevada after detonations there.

The experience we had from the Nevada test site and decades of monitoring the Soviet Unions major test sites in Kazakhstan showed that after a very large nuclear explosion, several other significant things can happen, said Richards. This included cavities collapsing hours or even months later, he said.

Pabian and Liu said that the North Korean test site also seemed to be suffering.

Based on the severity of the initial blast, the post-test tremors, and the extent of observable surface disturbances, we have to assume that there must have been substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap, they wrote in a report for the specialist North Korea website 38 North.

But the degradation of the mountain does not necessarily mean that it would be abandoned as a test site  just as the United States did not abandon the Nevada test site after earthquakes there, they said. Instead, the U.S. kept using the site until a nuclear test moratorium took effect in 1992.

For that reason, analysts will continue to keep a close eye on the Punggye-ri test site to see if North Korea starts excavating there again  a sign of possible preparations for another test.

The previous tests took place through the north portal to the underground tunnels, but even if those tunnels had collapsed, North Koreas nuclear scientists might still use tunnel complexes linked to the south and west portals, Pabian and Liu said.

Chinese scientists have warned that another test under the mountain could lead to an environmental disaster. If the whole mountain caved in on itself, radiation could escape and drift across the region, said Wang Naiyan, the former chairman of the China Nuclear Society and senior researcher on Chinas nuclear weapons program.

We call it taking the roof off. If the mountain collapses and the hole is exposed, it will let out many bad things, Wang told the South China Morning Post last month.

The recent seismic events have triggered another environmental concern, at least on the internet: that the nuclear tests might trigger the eruption of Mount Paekdu, an active volcano straddling the border between North Korea and China more than 80 miles away. The mountain has not experienced a major eruption for centuries, and its last small rumble was in 1903.

This, experts say, is a stretch.

Volcanic eruptions happen when molten rock flows into the magma chamber under the surface, said Colin Wilson, professor of volcanology at Victoria University in New Zealand.

If an earthquake occurs when the magma is hot and, as Wilson puts it, ready to roll, then it could trigger an eruption. But if the molten rock is not activated, then even a large earthquake wont cause a volcanic eruption.

He cited the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, which had a magnitude of 9 but did not cause any of Japans many volcanoes to blow their tops.

Theres no point in kicking a dead horse, Wilson said. If the horse is up and ready and you give it a slap on the bum, it will take off. But if its dead, even if you slap it, its not going anywhere.

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BERLINA man with a knife attacked eight people in Munich on Saturday and then fled, police said. The suspected assailant, a local German already known to police for theft and other offences, was arrested a few hours later.

No one was seriously hurt in the attack that started at around 8.30 a.m. in the Haidhausen area, east of downtown Munich. Police said they believe it was not a terror attack, they suspect instead that the assailant had psychological problems.

The lone attacker apparently went after passersby indiscriminately with a knife, police said. He attacked eight people in all, including a 12-year-old child, at different sites. They mainly had superficial stab wounds and in at least one case had been hit.

About three hours later, police arrested a man matching a description they had issued based on witness reports. They said he was heavy, unshaven with short blond hair and had a black bicycle and a backpack.

The 33-year-old suspect, who was carrying a knife when he was arrested, was already known to police for bodily harm, drug offences and theft, city police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters.

The suspect didnt immediately give police any information on his motive.

There are absolutely no indications at present of a terrorist, political or religious background, though we can only rule things out when all the questioning is finished, Andrae said. Rather than that, we believe that the perpetrator had psychological problems.

He said police have no serious doubts that the suspect was the assailant, and that there was no longer any danger to the public.

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BARCELONA, SPAINSpain announced an unprecedented plan Saturday to sack Catalonias separatist leaders, install its own people in their place and call a new local election, using previously untapped constitutional powers to take control of the prosperous region that is threatening to secede.

Catalonias president responded by making a veiled independence threat, telling lawmakers to come up with a plan to counter Spains attempt to wipe out self-government.

Even moderate Catalans were aghast at the scope of the move, greeting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys announcement with banging pots and honking cars in the streets of Barcelona, the regional capital.

In a televised address late Saturday, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called Rajoys plans to replace him and his cabinet an attempt to humiliate Catalonia and an attack on democracy. He called on the regional parliament to debate and decide on the attempt to wipe out our self-government and our democracy, and act accordingly.

Read more: Spain threatens to take control of Catalonia, setting up unprecedented constitutional crisis

Catalans prepare to declare new state as Spain doubles down

Top court in Spain officially rules Catalan independence referendum illegal

Puigdemont called Rajoys move the the worst attack on Catalan people and institutions since Gen. Francisco Francos abolishment of Catalonias regional government in 1939.

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who opposes independence without a valid referendum, called Rajoys measures a serious attack on self-government in Catalonia. Others went further. Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell accused Spains central authorities of carrying out a coup.

The president of the Catalonia region Carles Puigdemont said on Oct. 10 that he was proceeding with a declaration of independence but was suspending it for several weeks to facilitate negotiations. (The Associated Press)

Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup detat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government, Forcadell said, calling it an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union.

After a special Cabinet session to derail Catalonias independence movement, Rajoy said he wants the countrys Senate to allow central ministers to take over the jobs of all senior members of the Catalan government, including control over the regional police, finances and the public media.

Rajoy is also seeking the Senates approval to assume the power to call a regional election  something that only Catalonias top leader can do now.

The vice-president of the Senate says a session next Friday will vote on the measures. Conservative senator Pedro Blanco told reporters a special commission of 27 senators will make a first assessment of the measures Tuesday. He said Puigdemont can appeal the moves by appearing before the commission before noon Thursday or by sending an envoy.

Rajoys ruling Popular Party has an absolute majority in the chamber and is expected to receive wide support from opposition senators for measures to protect Spanish unity.

In response, protesters wrapped in red-and-yellow Catalan flags flooded the streets of central Barcelona on Saturday, holding up signs calling for freedom.

About 450,000 people joined the protest, according to police, although an anti-secession group put the number at 85,000. The demonstration had originally been called to protest the detention of two pro-independence activists who are awaiting possible sedition charges, but it turned into an outcry over Rajoys takeover move.

We are here because the Spanish government made a coup without weapons against the Catalan people and their government institutions, said Joan Portet, a 58-year-old protester.

Rajoy said he is using Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution in order to restore normalcy in the country, which faces its most grave institutional crisis in decades with Catalonias independence movement. He said a new regional election in Catalonia should be held in the next six months.

There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders, Rajoy said. It is my wish to call an election as soon as normality is restored.

Thousands of protesters dressed in white and carrying balloons filled a plaza in Barcelona on Saturday to express their support for dialogue instead of confrontation in the standoff over Catalonian independence. (The Associated Press)

Article 155 allows central authorities to intervene when one of Spains 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law. Its never been applied since the 1978 Constitution was adopted.

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials held a disputed independence referendum on Oct. 1. They then declared that the result  strongly in favour of independence  gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain even though the vote itself had numerous problems.

The countrys constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the Catalan referendum.

Albert Rivera, head of the pro-business Citizens party, said he backed Rajoys measures because Catalonia needs to restore legal security so companies can remain in the region. Hundreds of companies have transferred their registered headquarters out of Catalonia to other areas in Spain, fearing the chaos that independence  or the fight over it  could bring.

Basque nationalists and the far-left Podemos party were among those in Madrid opposing the governments move.

We are in shock about the suspension of democracy in Catalonia, said Podemos Pablo Echenique, vowing to work to oust Rajoy and his conservative Popular Party.

Barcelona resident Rosa Isart said the Spanish governments determination to prevent Catalonia from leaving reminded her of Francos dictatorship decades ago.

It seems unbelievable that I have to see this again, because of the incompetence of these politicians who dont know how to speak to each other, Isart said.

Others were sympathetic to Rajoys plan. Barcelona resident Carlos Assensio agreed with Madrid, given the separatists refusal to abide by Spains laws.

If we dont respect the law, this could be a total anarchy, said the 65-year-old.

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Ever since Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report said it was searching for a second headquarters, cities nationwide have been practically bending over backwards, sweepstakes-style, to be chosen as the winner.

About 150 cities in nearly every state submitted lengthy proposals by Thursday's deadline. The competition brought out weird and somewhat desperate attempts by cities hoping to get noticed, but not every city was interested in jumping into the fray.

Little Rock, Arkansas had been preparing to submit a proposal, but decided a little more than a week before Thursday's deadline to abandon the bid, finding that the city couldn't measure up to Amazon's requirements. In its request for proposals, Amazon said it was looking for cities that are located in an urban or suburban area within 30 minutes of a population center, at least 45 minutes away from an international airport and that has more than 1 million people.

Little Rock didn't meet Amazon's population, transportation or site requirements, so officials decided to take the opposite approach in a "smart, southern and humorous" way, said Jay Chesshir, CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. This week, the city launched a "Love, Little Rock" advertising campaign that laid out why it wouldn't be a good fit for Amazon, but could be an attractive home for other companies. Little Rock ran a full-page ad in the Washington Post (which is owned by Jeff Bezos) and is flying a banner over Amazon's Seattle headquarters that says "Hey Amazon, it's not you, it's us."

Another factor swaying Little Rock's decision was concern that Amazon's massive footprint might pose some potential problems for the city, Chesshir said.

"When you look at how there would be 50,000 employees on one specific campus and in one specific area of the community, obviously as Seattle has seen, that creates problems unto itself," Chesshir explained. "So what we're trying to say is that while we don't have what Amazon is looking for, we do have what others are looking for today in their projects."

Amazon has yet to respond to Little Rock's breakup letter, Chesshir added.

For cities who weren't enticed by the Amazon name alone, the company threw out a few dazzling stats to demonstrate the added benefits of having a global tech giant located in their municipality. Amazon has promised to invest more than $5 billion in its next headquarters and build a campus that could create as many as 50,000 jobs over the next two decades. The company estimated that the average salary for jobs at HQ2 would be about $100,000.

Economists have agreed that Amazon's second headquarters could bring an economic boom to whichever city is the winner. Amazon's headquarters could bring more people with advanced degrees, or attract other companies that are partnered with Amazon. Companies like Amazon tend to create "innovation clusters" in the cities their located, whereby one Amazon job has the potential to create five other jobs, according to Enrico Moretti, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley and author of "The New Geography of Jobs." In turn, that can also help increase home values.

Others argue that Amazon's HQ2 could be an economic bust, at least in some respects. To start, cities have been promising big tax breaks to Amazon that could come at the expense of local taxpayers in the near term. New Jersey offered $7 billion in potential tax credits, while California proposed $300 million in incentives over several years and Philadelphia said it may contribute as much as $2 billion in tax breaks over 10 years. In exchange for the limelight, residents might face higher tax rates to foot the bill of shiny subsidies.

And still others question exactly what affect Amazon would have on the local demographics, community and quality of life. Those concerns were shared in a letter penned by community organizations across 21 states.

"We love jobs, we love technology and we love convenience -- but what you're looking for will impact every part of our cities," the letter states. "We built these cities, and we want to make sure they remain ours."

Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat cautioned that Amazon might bring "too much of a good thing."

"If there's one thing we know in Seattle, it's boom and bust," Westneat explained. "Both the rush, and the relapse, of the fast buck are in our civic DNA. So heads up, Other North American City: Amazon is about to detonate a prosperity bomb in your town."

Even New York City's own mayor, Bill de Blasio, had some foreboding words about becoming the site of Amazon's HQ2. Ironically, de Blasio (who famously said he's never bought anything from Amazon) was quoted on the same day that the city said it would light up the Empire State Building and Times Square billboards in "Amazon orange" to celebrate its bid for HQ2.

"Something different is happening now that is very disruptive to communities," de Blasio said on Wednesday. "A lot of this is economic and consumer-choice-based. So a lot of people are turning to Amazon and other online options, that's one of the underlying factors."

Either way, Bezos is a badass.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 21:12:08|Editor: Song Lifang

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (rear) speaks at the 24th APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam, on Oct. 21, 2017. At their 24th meeting on Saturday in Vietnam, finance ministers of the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) adopted a joint ministerial statement, pledging to use all policy tools, monetary, fiscal and structural, individually and collectively to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth. (Xinhua/VNA)

HANOI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At their 24th meeting on Saturday in Vietnam, finance ministers of the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) adopted a joint ministerial statement, pledging to use all policy tools, monetary, fiscal and structural, individually and collectively to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

At the 2017 APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in central Hoi An city with the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the ministers centered their discussions on global and regional economy, Cebu Action Plan (CAP), long-term investment in infrastructure, base erosion and profit shifting, disaster risk financing and insurance, and financial inclusion.

According to the joint ministerial statement, fiscal policy tailored to member economy's circumstances should be used flexibly and be growth friendly, while ensuring that the public debt as a share of GDP is on sustainable path.

Monetary policy should continue to support economic activity and ensure price stability, consistent with central banks' mandates.

Strong fundamentals, sound policies, and a resilient international monetary system are essential to the stability of exchange rates, contributing to strong and sustainable growth and investment.

The ministers reaffirmed the importance of the APEC Finance Ministers' Process as an active forum for fostering policy cooperation and exchange of experience among economies in the region.

Regarding the CAP, they encouraged member economies, on a voluntary and non-binding basis, to continue to submit activities and initiatives in alignment with the CAP for implementation as appropriate to their domestic circumstances.

They also recognized the importance of mobilizing long-term investments in infrastructure and reiterated the relevance of quality infrastructure for sustainable economic growth.

While recognizing the role of public investment in APEC economies, diversification of financing sources and fostering private sector involvement in infrastructure projects is an important solution to meeting the significant demand for long-term capital for infrastructure.

The ministers called for closer regional cooperation in sharing experiences, approaches and good practices on tax policy development, legislative design and tax administration in order to address the challenges of base erosion and profit shifting in the Asia-Pacific region while enhancing the certainty, transparency and fairness of the tax system.

With regard to disaster risk financing and insurance, they called for effective strategies on the issues, including solutions for financial risk management of public assets, which will help mitigate and transfer risks, thereby better support timely rehabilitation and reconstruction when disaster occurs.

Regarding financial inclusion, the ministers recognized that agricultural finance makes an important contribution to the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas, and helps narrow income gaps through capacity building for people and businesses in developing household business, micro, small and medium enterprises, value chains, and scientific and hi-tech-based agricultural production.
Here's what Jim Cramer had to say about some of the stocks during the Mad Money Lightning Round:

Enbridge (ENB) - Get Free Report : "The one I'm recommending is Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) - Get Free Report . That's the way to go."

Walt Disney (DIS) - Get Free Report : "I think Disney is still a good long-term hold, but in the short-term you may have to suffer."

Align Technology (ALGN) - Get Free Report : "This is great technology and it's a winner."

Ensco International undefined : "No, let's buy Schlumberger (SLB) - Get Free Report which was down big today."

Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) - Get Free Report : "No, this one's too much of a roller coaster."

Macy's (M) - Get Free Report : "They're trying to bottom here. I wouldn't mind buying some."

Glu Mobile (GLUU) - Get Free Report : "No, let's buy Activision Blizzard (ATVI) - Get Free Report . They have the best eSports."

FibroGen (FGEN) - Get Free Report : "I'm hesitant to say this one is good."

Over on Real Money, Cramer explains how to find the open receiver in a pullback. Get his insights with a free trial subscription to Real Money.

Cramer and the AAP team say General Electric (GE) - Get Free Report CEO John Flannery means business. Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

You're Invited

Cramer will host CNBC's Jon Najarian, TD Ameritrade's JJ Kinahan, famed analytics expert Marc Chaikin and other market experts on Oct. 28 in New York City to share successful strategies for active investors.

You can join them as they discuss how smart investors can make the most of options trading, futures contracts, fundamental and quantitative analysis and great ETFs to buy right now. Participants will also get a chance to meet Jim and other panelists.

When: Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Where: The Harvard Club of New York, 35 West 44th St., New York; Cost: $250 per person. Click here for the full conference agenda or to reserve your seat now.

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

To read a full recap of this episode of "Mad Money," click here.

To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC.

To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here.

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in GE, MMP, ATVI, SLB.
Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG provides integrated telecommunication services to private and business customers in Germany. It offers mobile and stationery voice and data services; very high data rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) internet services; fiber-to-the-home lines; broadband services, consisting of VDSL, cable, fiber, and fixed mobile substitution services; and machine to machine communication and managed connectivity services. The company also distributes various terminal devices, such as mobile phones; and offers digital products and services in the fields of Internet of Things, as well as O2 Tv, O2 cloud, and O2 Select & Stream. In addition, it provides access to infrastructure and services for its wholesale partners. The company provides its products and services through a network of independently operated franchise and premium partner shops, and online and telesales channels, as well as indirect selling channels, such as partnerships and co-operations with retailers. It markets its products and services under the O2, Blau, AY YILDIZ, Ortel Mobile, Telefonica, and Geeny brand names. As of December 31, 2021, Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG served approximately 45.7 million mobile accesses and 2.3 million fixed-line customers. The company was formerly known as Telefonica Germany Verwaltungs GmbH and changed its name to Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG in September 2012. The company is based in Munich, Germany. Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG is a subsidiary of Telefonica Germany Holdings Limited.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 21:27:10|Editor: ying

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RABAT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Morocco has summoned its ambassador to Algeria following Algerian foreign minister's remarks concerning Morocco's African policy, Morocco's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The foreign ministry said it also summoned Algeria's charge d'affaires in Rabat on Friday after the remarks made by Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel.

Morocco's moves come after the Algerian foreign minister accused the kingdom's banks of "laundering hashish money" in Africa and the kingdom's flag carrier of transporting "more than just passengers."

Messahel made the comments at a meeting of business leaders in Algiers on Friday, excerpts of which were widely circulated on social media.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry said Messahel's comments displayed a "level of irresponsibility unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations."

They "testify to a deep and inexplicable ignorance of the basic workings of the banking system and civil aviation," it added.

The North African neighbors have been at loggerheads for decades over Western Sahara, a territory disputed between Morocco and Algeria-backed independence movement, the Polisario Front.

They have frequent diplomatic rows and their land border has been closed since 1994.
Full coverage of the Delphi murders: Look back at 5 years of stories
Israeli air force strike Syrian military positions on Saturday in retaliation for stray shells launched by rebels. (Xinhua Photo)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Saturday that the Israeli forces targeted a military position in the southern province of Qunaitera, leaving property losses.

The terrorist groups near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights fired mortar shells that landed in an empty area in the Israeli-occupied territory, and promoted Israel to carry out its "aggression," the army statement said.

It charged that the terrorist groups fired the mortars in coordination with Israel to justify the latter's aggression on military posts in Syria.

The army, meanwhile, warned of the "dangerous repercussions" of the attack, holding Israel responsible for the "results" of the attack.

The Israeli attack is the latest in a string of similar moves that have targeted Syrian military posts on the pretext that the targeted areas contain Hezbollah-bound weapons.

Another pretext Israel uses to hit Syrian site is that stray mortar shells land in the Israeli-occupied territories.

More likely those mortars are fired by the rebels, but Israel responds by hitting Syrian military posts.
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Owned by St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings Inc., a privately held company which, through its regional subsidiaries, also operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brands. Alamo Rent A Car attracts value-oriented international and U.S. leisure travelers looking for an easy and hassle-free rental experience. With locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, Alamo Rent A Car is the largest car rental provider to international travelers visiting North America and operates self-service kiosks at 82 U.S. locations. Alamo Rent A Car is the official Rental Car of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
Hi Emmajane

That's a long drive ... it will likely fill two days just to do the driving. With such a short amount of time have you considered going back to Sydney and flying to Adelaide? If you are doing a one way car hire, the extra cost (one way fee) would likely cover your air fare from SYD to ADL.

Another thought is to fly to Melbourne and do the Great Ocean Road on the way to Adelaide ... but again, 2 nights is really rushed and you'd still be dealing with the one way car hire fee.

If you want to do the drive, is it possible to allow more days for it? i.e. can you borrow some time from another portion of your Australia trip? If you are still working out your full itinerary and need some help with it, others here will gladly help you fine-tune it.

Good luck :)
If you're unlicenced my advice is to not do it. The fact that you're inquiring tells me that you either didn't know or don't care (like so many others).

Unless you're both victims of modern time's obesity epidemic a normal 125cc bike will be up to the task. Is it safe? Not really. But young people are indestructible, I know.

If you just go south on ah1 you'll go where millions have gone before, and the journey quickly gets old and boring. Your backsides will likely feel the same.

The alternative routes are longer, but less trafficked and arguably prettier.
Hi, we have stayed at both resorts ( just last month to Octopus) and we love both . Our favourite resort in Fiji for us at this point in time is Octopus, (we haven't been to all the island resorts but we are working on it).

The beach at Octopus is steeper than BLBR. Sometimes there are small waves crashing onto the beach at Octopus but we experienced no tidal sweep at all.

BLBR the beach has a very gentle slope into the water, we never experienced any tidal sweep there either, it may be the time of year or the tides when we were there. I don't believe you would go wrong at either resort.

Have fun deciding.

Cheers Steely.
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Iran on Saturdy rejects European states from "meddling" with its staunch missile program. (Xinhua Photo)

TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian army commander on Saturday discouraged the European states from what he called "meddling" with Iran's missile program, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"As the Islamic Republic of Iran has stated before, it does not accept to negotiate over its missile issues," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri, said.

"We are against any talks with the foreign sides on this issue," Jazzayeri was quoted as saying.

There is no international convention or agreement to put restrictions on missile production and development by the states, he said, adding that "therefore, we strictly advise and notify all sides to stay away from this issue."

He also dismissed the United States and some European states' demands for talks with Iran on the regional issues, specially Syria, and said such demands are "illegal" and "illegitimate."

Jazzayeri made the remarks after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Thursday blasted the recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump against the IRGC and Iran's missile program.

Trump suggested that the Iranian missiles might be used for carrying a nuclear warhead, the allegations which Iran has rejected.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 22:17:24|Editor: ying

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RABAT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Morocco security forces have foiled 352 "destructive plots" aimed at undermining the kingdom's security since 2002, local media reported on Saturday.

Citing the director of the central bureau for judiciary investigations (BCIJ) Abdelhak El Khayam, the daily Le Matin said the foiling of these plots came after the dismantling of 174 terrorist cells, including 60 with links to terror groups in Syria and Iraq.

A total of 1,660 Moroccans have joined terror groups in the Middle East since the eruption of the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, including some 929 fighters joined the Islamic State (IS) group, the same source said.

Some 596 of these fighters were killed during the fights, while 221 returned to the north African kingdom, it said.

El Khayam noted that the number of fighters joining Iraq and Syria has decreased significantly lately due to the intervention of the international coalition in the conflict zones and the dismantling of many recruiting cells in the country.
Turkish president Erdogan said Saturday he would not call the U.S. "a civilized country" after detention warrants were issued for his bodyguards over a brawl during his visit in May. (Xinhua Photo)

ISTANBUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he would not call the United States "a civilized country" after detention warrants were issued for his bodyguards over a brawl during his visit in May.

"If America issues detention warrants for my 13 bodyguards in a country where I went upon invitation, sorry but I cannot call this country civilized," Erdogan said at a forum in Istanbul.

More than 10 people were injured in a brawl with protestors in May outside the Turkish embassy in Washington D.C. that involved Erdogan's bodyguards. In June, the U.S. authorities issued detention warrants for a total of 16 people including the bodyguards over the incident, sparking repeated denunciations from the president and others.

Erdogan noted that two of the bodyguards in question were responsible for the protection of his wife and were not even on the scene at the time.

The president had said that the protest was organized by members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and a network led by Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen, who is living in the United States and accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup in Turkey last year.

Washington has refused to extradite Gulen and continued arming Syrian Kurdish militia seen by Ankara as terrorists, moves that have chilled relations between the two NATO allies.

Erdogan has been denouncing the U.S. and some European countries over their support for the PKK and the Gulen network in recent days.
Russian-backed militants launched 24 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas in last day.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

"Over the past day, illegal armed groups violated the ceasefire 24 times. The Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on the enemy 16 times. As a result of the fighting, no casualties among Ukrainian troops were reported," the statement reads.

The tensest situation was firstly observed in Donetsk direction, and after 18:00 the enemy's activity shifted to Mariupol and Luhansk directions.

The illegal armed formations used heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian strongholds near Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk), Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk) and Popasna (90 km north-west of Luhansk).

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The Ukrainian army sustained no losses over the past 24 hours in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. At the same time, the militants intensified shelling from mortars of different calibers.

Defense Ministry's Spokesman on ATO issues Colonel Andriy Lysenko stated this at a press briefing on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

No Ukrainian servicepersons were killed or wounded as a result of combat actions over the past day, he said.

At the same time, according to him, there is an increase in the number of shelling by illegal armed formations in each direction.

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The Ukrainian diaspora welcomes the adoption of the healthcare reform by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Eugene Czolij stated this, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Ukrainian World Congress welcomes the adoption of the historic Law On state financial guarantees for the provision of medical services and medication, and will continue, together with the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora, to support reforming the health care system in Ukraine for the benefit of all the people in Ukraine," he said.

The adopted law fundamentally changes the health care system and kick starts a series of changes to health care in Ukraine. These changes involve the implementation of state medical insurance within the National Healthcare Service of Ukraine that will guarantee equal access to medical aid and standard health care services for all citizens as financed by the state.

The UWC calls upon the Parliament of Ukraine to adopt, without delay, the Draft Law On introducing changes to the Budget Code of Ukraine with respect to safeguarding financial guarantees for the provision of medical services and medication, and the Draft Law On increasing access and quality of medical services in villages that are crucial for Ukrainian health care system reform to take full effect.

As Ukrinform reported, on October 19, the Parliament adopted the law on healthcare reform "On state financial guarantees for the provision of medical services and medication."

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OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has called on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure safety of journalists in the country.

"The safety of media workers remains fragile in Ukraine and I urge the authorities to put an end to impunity for all attacks on journalists, by effectively and promptly completing investigations and prosecuting instances of unwarranted interference. Journalists should work in an enabling environment free from fear of violence and intimidation," Desir said during a visit to Kyiv on Friday, October 20, Ukrinform learned from the headquarters of the organization.

Desir stressed that the cases of Ukrainian journalists Roman Sushchenko, arrested in Moscow, Mykola Semena, recently convicted in Crimea, Stanislav Aseev, detained in Donetsk, and developments around the Strana.ua news portal and its journalists remain in the focus of his attention.

In the course of the visit, the OSCE representative also met with Roman Sushchenkos wife, Angela Sushchenko, and ensured his support in efforts aimed at the journalists release.

In addition, he raised concerns regarding the journalists Narzullo Akhunjonov and Fikret Huseynli, recently detained in Ukraine upon extradition requests by Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, respectively. Desir asked the authorities not to extradite the two journalists as they might face unfair treatment and persecution for their critical reporting.

In his discussions with authorities, Desir further discussed the need to respect the work of foreign reporters and other media actors by balancing security concerns with respect of freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

The Representative met with Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and other senior governmental officials, including First Deputy Minister of Information Policy Emine Dzhaparova and Deputy Interior Minister Tatyana Kovalchuk. He also met with representatives of a number of civil society and media organizations to discuss media freedom issues in Ukraine and areas where his Office can provide assistance.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 22:27:27|Editor: ying

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HELSINKI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Massive police presence forced the right wing demonstrators and their opponents apart on Saturday afternoon in the Finnish city of Tampere. Four persons were detained, said the police.

The police temporarily cordoned off the the bridges crossing the Tammerkoski river and ordered a halt to the national long haul train services for half an hour, as some of the demonstrators had entered the railroad tracks crossing the city. The trains were able to resume once the tracks were cleared, local media reported.

The rightwingers gathered in Tampere as the local court is to decide whether the Nordic Resistance Movement should be banned before the end of this month. The rightwingers also convened outside the Tampere court house.

Local media reported that there were some 200 rightwingers and some 400 counter demonstrators. The police confirmed to local media they had deployed at least 200 police officers to control the situation.

By 3 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) the police had detained four persons. The police kept the two sides at a distance of at least 50 meters. No casualties were reported.

On the national political scene, the popularity of the populist Finns Party showed a slight increase of 9.5 percent in a poll conducted by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The party has no official connection with the extremists but they have backers in common.
Lisbon, Portugal (UroToday.com) Dr. Leao presented today on the role of prostate cancer stem cells in advanced prostate cancer. He began with an introduction to cancer stem cell theory.Cancers are composed by a multiplicity of different cells that are similar to normal tissue. However, tumors are constituted by heterogeneous cells. Within them there is a group of cells  cancer stem cells (CSCs) - that exhibit particular characteristics:1. Self Renewal capacity2. Ability to initiate a tumor when injected in animal models3. Ability to recapitulate phenotypically the tumor of origin (TIC)Conventional anticancer therapies kill rapidly dividing cancer cells and cause initial tumor regression... However, since these stem cells are not dividing and make up just 1-2% of the population, they are thought to be a potential source of treatment resistance via clonal selection.In the prostate gland, the prostate cancer stem cells are mainly located at the basal layer and display a multiplicity of different markers. These markers have been used to isolate and characterize PCSCs that should maintain their specific characteristics - self-renewal, multipotency and resistance to therapy.Dr. Leao then went on to focus on the evidence in the literature supporting the theory that CSCs lead to treatment resistance.Hormonal therapy - Several in vitro and in vivo studies were done. The results from different studies showed that hormonal depletion induced a clonal selection and a consequent enrichment of more tumorigenic cells. In a study by Seiler et al (2013), cell lines deprived of androgen media do not express PSA but are more tumorigenic than the cell line of origin that did not originate tumors when injected in mice.Chemotherapy (Doxetaxel) - When treated with docetaxel, Dr. Leaos group noted a decrease in the number of viable cells. However, the reduced number of viable cells displayed:a higher expression of ALDH (cancer stem cell marker and marker associated with treatment resistance) when compared with non treated cells. 2. A similar number cells expressing CD44+ when compared to the non-treated ones as well, All together these results emphasize that conventional therapies do not eradicate all tumour cells and provides a clonal selection favouring cell with CSC markers and tumorigenic.The mechanisms of resistance of CSCs are thought to entail the following:Efficient DNA repair machinery, Resistance to oxidative and DNA damage, Slow cell cycle kinetics, Intrinsic expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, Increased expression of drug-resistance proteins (MDR and ABC transporters), among others.As such, current therapies remain insufficient for PCa treatment and although we achieve a good initial response with androgen-therapy or chemo, the disease always progresses. We need to target the proliferating bulk of the tumor in addition to a CSC-directed therapy directed at eliminating this critical cell population.Next we moved on to how to best target this population. In other malignancies, there are numerous ongoing studies looking at targeting CSCs. The majority of the studies in prostate cancer are still pre-clinical and aim to target PCSCS through different strategies: CSCs metabolism  chemotherapy and radiotherapy sensitizers, tumor microenvironment, cellular superficial markers, signaling pathways, ABC transporters, miRNA manipulation, Nanomedicine  target delivery drugs.He was then able to review some ongoing studies targeting some of these pathways:1) NCT01677897 (MetAb-Pro)  use of metformin in metastatic PCa - Metformin has been shown to have anti-neoplastic properties and inhibits the proliferation of human prostate cancer cell lines and also reduced tumor growth in LNCaP xenografts.2) NCT02095249  Pimonidazole  this targets the tumor microenvironment. The group from Toronto plans to evaluate the effect of hypoxia on CSCs numbers and characteristics and correlate with biochemical relapse.3) Targeting signaling pathways is probably the most used way to treat CSCs. In vitro studies have shown that several pathways are upregulated in CSCs. Basically Hedgehog, Wnt, Notch and NF-kB are involved in CSCs mechanisms that lead to proliferation, survival, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Multiple ongoing trials.More recent studies have even begun to use CSC monitoring as a predictor of treatment response.His conclusions were as follows:1. CSCs hypothesis offers an explanation for treatment resistance and disease progression2. Proper characterization of CSCs is crucial to address efficacious strategies - Treatment and Monitoring3. Primary evidence suggest CSCs-targeted therapy is plausible4. Future treatment of PCa may combine conventional treatments with cancer stem cells targeted therapies, but the clinical results have not confirmed yet the preclinical hopesSpeaker: Ricardo Leao, Canada and PortugalWritten by: Thenappan Chandrasekar, MD, Clinical Fellow, University of Toronto, Twitter: @tchandra_uromd at the 37th Congress of Societe Internationale dUrologie - October 19-22, 2017 - Lisbon, Portugal
More international pressure should be brought to bear on the Cambodian government, Cambodian-Americans and Cambodian-Canadians said at a conference in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday.

The speakers at the conference, organized by the Khmer People Network for Cambodia (KPNC), discussed solutions to the current political impasse, which has seen the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party move to dissolve the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party and allocate its sets in parliament to minority parties and close critical media outlets.

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, told participants that Prime Minister Hun Sen was leading an illegal coup.

When you have a cold coup, there must be some public disapproval and public reaction. I dont want anyone to get hurt but I believe its possible for people to show this, he said.

He said that tens of millions of dollars in foreign aid were in jeopardy if the government continued down the same path it is currently taking.

I can promise you that the gutless people who run institutions like the UN, the World Bank, the US State Department and the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affair will say, look, Cambodian people are not doing anything. Maybe they dont really mind this, he added. No, I know that is not true at all. I am quite certain that if its a free and fair election, that Hun Sen would not have a chance. I have no doubt about that.

Yem Rithipol, director of OMNI, an advocacy group based in the United States, said he hoped that as foreign aid was paid from tax dollars, Americans would consider withholding aid to apply pressure to the regime.

If Americans find out that the American government wastes their money on a regime as well as acknowledging and cooperating with a regime considered a dictatorship [practicing] oppression, vote stealing ... then the U.S. will react and demand aid be cut off, he said.

The conference in Seattle was also a discussion about the legacy of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended Cambodias civil war in 1991 and enshrined pluralist democracy in Cambodian law.

Hun Sen, however, has recently called suggestions Cambodia should hold a new Paris conference pointless.

Van Sar, an activist from Washington State, compared the current government, which claims it is protecting Cambodian democracy by eliminating the opposition, with the Khmer Rouge, which labeled its state Democratic Kampuchea.

Seng Sophan, director of Election Committee for Cambodia, said next years planned election could not be free and fair if the opposition was dissolved.

Then it will not only be the international community. Even its own citizens of 15 million people will probably condemn and consider that it is not free and fair. Its just a political game to stay in power, he said.
Prominent Washington correspondents discuss topics making headlines around the world including the retaking of Raqqa from ISIS and President Trumps upcoming trip to Asia. Join moderator David Rennie of The Economist, along with our panelists, Thomas DeFrank of the National Journal and Dan Raviv of i24 News. Listen this Saturday and Sunday on the Voice of America!
Millions of children the world over dream of visiting Disney World. But Sean Baker's heartbreaking film "The Florida Project," throws light on those living in dire poverty in the shadow of Cinderella's castle in Orlando. The film underscores the social divide in America through the eyes and lives of children. VOA's Penelope Poulou spoke with director and cast.
A popular Russian TV anchor who recently announced plans to seek the presidency has vowed to withdraw her candidacy if mainstream opposition leader Alekei Navalny becomes eligible to reenter the contest, but some Russia observers have been quick to pan her candidacy as a Kremlin ploy to split the liberal opposition.

Journalist Ksenia Sobchak, daughter of the late Anatoly Sobchak, the former St. Petersburg mayor and one-time mentor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, launched a promotional video Wednesday in which she in announced her decision to run as a candidate against all on behalf of all angry Russian voters.

In the video, Sobchak says she will drop out of the race if Navalny, who is legally barred from seeking public office until 2028, is allowed to return to the ballot. But some analysts see her bid as a Kremlin ploy to split the liberal opposition by planting a Kremlin-approved spoiler candidate to give the election the appearance of credibility.

Both Sobchak and presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov have vigorously denied the allegation that any Kremlin officials are involved in Sobchak's candidacy.

Meeting with reporters on Thursday, however, Peskov did not clarify how Putin, who recently met privately with Sobchak, reacted to her plans to challenge his presumptive candidacy for reelection.

Multimillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's 2012 run for office, in which he secured about 8 percent of the vote, was largely described by critics in the same terms.

Russia's state-run Tass news agency is reporting that Ilya Yashin, the head of Russia's opposition Solidarity movement, won't support Sobchak, a prominent "it girl" socialite who is routinely described as the "Russian Paris Hilton."

Establishment resentment

Sobchaks candidacy hasnt thrilled some of Russias seasoned politicians, including Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

This is a fake, phony candidate, he said, adding that her arrival on the campaign trail could have "dangerous" consequences. He did not elaborate upon what that meant.

Political analyst Dmitry echoed that sentiment, calling Sobchaks bid a mutually beneficial scenario for the 35-year-old TV anchor and Kremlin operatives.

Clearly Ksenia is a public figure with experience and great communication skills, Oreshkin told VOAs Russian service. Many people may vote for her. She is a woman, she is a fresh face in politics, she is famous, and simply just for kicks. I think she has a good chance to get around 10 percent [of the vote]. The element of novelty will kick in. The Kremlin is counting on that, most likely. That is also what she is counting on.

Regardless of how her candidacy fairs, Oreshkin added, it can only enhance her elite social status.

If a candidate for president of Russia hosts some corporate party, its fantastic and [has the power to raise] a lot more money, as I understand it, he said.

Because opposition leader Navalny is barred from running, Oreshkin added, the Kremlin is depending on Sobchak to bring a terribly depressing presidential campaign back to life.

Now there is a new topic for discussion: whether Sobchak is good or bad, whether shes helping Navalny or hurting him, Oreshkin said. Its something to talk about. The democratically inclined voters will go after that bone. Its also an element in the Kremlins bigger picture, or special operation -- whatever you want to call it.

If Sobchak is running with blessings of the Kremlin, he said, it only underscores the Russian government's faith in its own impunity.

It is, in fact, a signal that the government not only demonstrably despises electoral procedures and any civic myths and arguments that the people should be respected, but also the fact that the Kremlin has hopelessly lost touch with reality, Oreshkin said.

We just have to thank the Kremlin that it didnt nominate the puppy named Vernyi that the president of Turkmenistan recently gave to Putin as a gift, he added.

The name Vernyi literally means "loyalty" in Russian.

No target to spoil

Andrei Kolesnikov, director of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions program at the Moscow Carnegie Center, thinks Sobchaks candidacy lacks any practical significance.

It cannot have any influence on the outcome of the election, Kolesnikov told VOA. The president will receive the required amount of votes, just like the runner-up, and its not worth even mentioning the other [candidates].

Sobchaks bid, he said, is most likely a self-serving personal project that was probably approved by the Kremlin but not initiated by it.

If [Sobchak is] to be a spoiler, then [she is] without a target to spoil. Navalny will not be allowed to run for president however you look at it," he said, adding that her candidacy also poses no tangible threat to liberal Yabloko Party candidate Grigory Yavlinsky.

"[Yavlinsky] has a nuclear voter base: its small but tough, and its not leaving him for anyone else, Kolesnikov said. "I believe the Kremlin grabbed hold of Sobchaks initiative in an attempt to somehow stir interest in the election. I can even imagine that she will get government support at some point.

Russia's Central Election Commission recently barred Navalny from seeking office due to his 2013 conviction on money-laundering charges.

International watchdogs groups such as Amnesty International have called the charges a politically motivated fabrication, and the European Court of Human Rights, which recently reviewed the evidence against Navalny, called the Russia court's decision "arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable."

Kolesnikov said: Those who are truly opposition-minded won't take [Sobchak] seriously.

Alekei Navalny is working outside of the legal framework so we cant estimate his possible losses. There is the view that her bid will make it difficult to deliver Navalnys ideas to the voters. But I dont accept this argument. Navalny has sufficient chances to have his message heard, he said.

This story, which originated in VOA's Russian Service, was translated by Svetlana Cunningham.
From humanitarian crisis to health crisis, driving rains and floods threaten to turn devastation into disease more than three weeks after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. The entire island remains under flash flood warning as record rainfall continues to affect recovery efforts. What's more, the medical community and the media are sounding the alarm for potential outbreaks of bacterial diseases as citizens search for new ways to get clean water. Nicole Chacon reports for VOA News.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 22:42:30|Editor: Hou Qiang

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MOMBASA, Kenya, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Saturday arrested a terror suspect for allegedly plotting attacks in the coastal city of Mombasa.

Regional police commander Larry Kieng said Hamida Awadh was arrested during a security raid at her house in Kibokoni, Mombasa.

Kieng said Awadh is suspected to be Al-Shabaab militant after police officers previously intercepted her communication with the militant member Abdulgadir Omar in Somalia.

During the raid, the police commander said the security officers confiscated electronics suspected to be used to radicalize young girls to join the terror group.

"Our detectives recovered video recording among other radical materials in her house," the officer said.

She is currently being interrogated by team of anti-terrorism police officers. Awadh's family has protested against the arrest, saying she has no links to terror activities.

The coastal region has been a target of terror attacks in the past, often staged by Al-Shabaab militants who waged a war against Kenya soon after it deployed its military to the war-ravaged country in October 2011.
Running 1,300 kilometers over the worlds highest mountain pass, the Friendship, or Karakoram, Highway is evidence of Chinas willingness to spend big as a contributor to global development.

Costing tens of billions of dollars, the road links western China with Pakistan, part of Beijings One Belt One Road Initiative, which seeks to rekindle ancient Silk Road trade routes linking China with Europe and Africa and is a central tenet of President Xi Jinpings leadership, said professor Steve Tsang of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies.

The government is committed to do whatever it can to make sure that it is successful, Tsang said. So a lot more money and resources will be put into it to support that.

But figures show that since the Karakoram Highway was built, Pakistani exports to China have fallen while imports have increased, raising concern Chinas new Silk Road could become a one-way street.

WATCH: China to Spend Billions More on 'One Belt' Initiative, but Campaigners Want Focus on Poverty

Address poverty

Stephen Gelb of the Overseas Development Institute says Beijing should focus its investments on global development goals.

At the moment theres a lot of focus on infrastructure and particularly transport, pipelines, that sort of thing, which dont directly address poverty, Gelb said. And in fact theres been in some cases some controversy about the social and environmental impacts. But I think the focus should be to address development, including poverty and related issues.

Gliding above the choking traffic of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the Chinese-funded tramway system opened last year at a cost of half a billion dollars. Beijing says investments like this will boost African economies, thereby alleviating poverty.

Gelb says it is also part of Chinas plan to become a dominant force on the global stage.

It was affirmed in Xi Jinpings speech (this week to Chinas Communist Party Congress), he said, Chinas very much about these days rules-based global governance, multilateralism, globalization.

Visiting India this week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused China of not always playing by those rules.

China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order, Tillerson said.

Paying the piper

Recipient countries have welcomed Chinese investment, which sometimes comes with fewer conditions than Western aid, such as demands for democratic reform. But Tsang warns there could be a sting in the tail.

The real issue will come when some of those countries, particularly in central Asia, have to pay back some of the loans that were acquired in the Belt and Road Initiative, Tsang said. And most of those countries will have problems paying back those loans.

For now, Chinese investment continues to expand. Development campaigners say Beijings focus should be not only on ports and pipelines but on tackling poverty.
China's increasingly powerful leader Xi Jinping has pledged to make the Communist Party more responsive to public demands and to calls for democracy, fairness and justice in a lengthy address to the 19th Party Congress.

But at least three cases involving the harassment of lawyers this week and an online crackdown as the party hosts top level political meetings raise serious questions about how he might do that.

Prior to Wednesdays start of the twice-a-decade meetings, renowned human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng told the Associated Press thatthe party congress has been marked by pervasively tight security.

Tighter-than-ever security

The security of the 19th party congress appears to be much tighter than before. Earlier during the [2015] July 9 crackdown, human rights lawyers and defenders were the main target [of arrests and detention]. But this time around, the target is broader to include rights defenders, petitioners and dissidents, many of whom have been arrested nationwide, said Yu, who has released an open letter online to call for the impeachment of Xi and political reforms at the party congress.

He was taken Wednesday to the capital citys judicial bureau for questioning.

It wasnt clear whether the hours-long questioning was about Yus open letter or his lawyers license, which was confiscated in July after he had represented lawyer Wang Quanzhang. Wang has been in police custody since the lawyers crackdown two years ago.

Repeated calls to Yu after his release Thursday morning went unanswered. So too were those to the judicial bureaus Chen Min and Lu Kai, both of whom reportedly questioned Yu.

Xis empty-worded pledges?

International rights groups say Yus case, as well as many other incidents of abuse of power by the security apparatus in China this week, create doubts about the sincerity of Xis calls for democracy and justice.

What hes [Xi] trying to say, apart from being rhetoric using some apparently new concept, its old wine in the new bottle, said Kit Chan of China Human Rights Lawyers Concerned Group.

The problem is, first, theres never any concrete solid substance in whatever the leaders in China [have] portrayed like the socialist rule of law, the Chinese characteristics socialism or anything like that. So, its vague and you dont really know what the content is. And that could then be easily manipulated and subject to the individuals interpretation, the Hong Kong-based spokeswoman told VOA.

She said that without an effective check and balance mechanism, any meaningful political reform led by Chinas one-party rule will be impossible.

On Wednesday, Xi called upon the party to develop socialistic consultation-based democracy, facilitate a sound democratic system and diverse forms of democracy as well as to widen the path of democratization so that people can be empowered  a concept to be fully implemented throughout the nation and in the society.

Abuse of power

Chan said the treatment of Zhejiang-based lawyer Li Boguang was another slap in Xis face while the top leader was painting a rosy picture about the Chinese Dream.

Li on Wednesday was allegedly beaten by a group of men with suspected links to the local government, who threatened to cut off his hands and feet after the lawyer filed a legal action against corrupt officials on behalf of his clients who lost their lands, Chan said, citing her group's confidential sources.

The rights activist questioned to what extent Xis policies can be applied to address the abuse of power by local governments and to ensure the rule of law. She said China has used the phrase "rule of law" to institutionalize and justify rights infringements.

Lawyer Ran Tong cited the case of his client Zi Su as another example of Communist Party intolerance toward dissidents.

Little tolerance for dissidents

Zi is an economics professor from Sichun and a Communist party member for 30 years. But he has been criminally detained on state subversion charges since early June after he openly urged the party congress to hold democratic elections to elect a replacement for Xi.

At least six other individuals across China are confirmed to have been detained for expressing support for Zis proposal online. All but one have been released, according to the rights group China Human Right Defenders.

According to the party constitution, Zi made a proposal for the party to review. Its up to the chairman to accept his proposal. But its wrong to have accused him of being a counter revolutionary simply because he has proposed a recommendation to the party, Ran told VOA, adding that he found Zis subversion charges groundless.

He added that Zis treatment ran contrary to Xis pledges to promote democracy and tolerate any harsh criticism.

Aggressive online crackdown

On Chinas social media, the crackdown on unfavorable comments is equally harsh.

More than a dozen media stories appeared online quoting Xi's call for the party to respond to public concerns, but comments on those stories were being blocked or erased in real time.

In one case, VOA watched on the Sina Weibo app  China's version of Twitter  as the number of comments on a story about Xi's remarks changed from 50 to just two.

On WeChat and other social media networks, users have been barred from changing their profile picture until the end of the month. Given China's tight social media restrictions, profile pictures are sometimes used to send subtle political messages. Even an English version of Xi's speech that someone posted was swooped up in the censorship dragnet.

WeChat has become increasingly popular, but just before the party congress began, new regulations went into effect that hold the organizers of private groups on WeChat or other social media group services responsible for the content of online discussions.
Millions of children the world over dream of visiting Disneyworld. But Sean Bakers heartbreaking film The Florida Project, throws light on those living in dire poverty in the shadow of Cinderellas castle in Orlando.

The film underscores the social divide in America through the eyes and lives of children. The film follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee and her friends, roaming around in the sweltering Florida summer months.

They live in cheap motels like the Magic Castle, and receive little to no supervision from their single, underemployed or unemployed mothers.

Baker said he wanted to reveal the darker underbelly of an America that barely subsists.

WATCH: An America of Poverty Subsists Alongside the Glitter of Disney World

My co-screenwriter brought this topic to my attention and the fact that there are families with children living in budget motels outside what we consider The happiest place on earth, a place for children, and that juxtaposition obviously grabbed me, the filmmaker said.

Inspired by Little Rascals

Baker says he was also inspired by the Little Rascals, the comic shorts about a gang of children getting into trouble in the 1920s and 1930s. The series was set against the Great Depression, depicting poverty through the life and resilience of children.

Baker says, Brooklynn Prince, who plays the boisterous Moonee is the present day Spanky McFarland, one of the main characters in Little Rascals.

Moonees childlike pranks verge into serious offenses.

Spanky was the quintessential little rascal, and I said, We are not going to move forward unless we find him and one day, Brooklynn Prince walks in the room for the audition and she has all the wonderful cuteness, the wit, the absolute hilarity, Baker said.

The motel manager, Bobby, is the only character played by a big star, Willem Dafoe. Bobby is the only one who can barely supervise these unruly kids. He is both the disciplinarian and a protector of these children.

Baker says Dafoes character was inspired by a real low-budget motel manager in Florida.

When Willem Dafoe was actually cast, he wanted to understand the world as much as we did, Baker said. He wanted to understand his character, so he actually came a week early from production, before we even needed him, and he interviewed this gentleman, he interviewed others. I think he absorbed, he started to develop his character by being there and understanding the situation. And then, one day, he comes to the set and he has this spray tan on, he had all kinds of accessories he chose building this Florida man as his character.

Putting life in danger

Bria Vinaite inhabits Moonees infantile mother, Halley. She loves her daughter and tries to stay positive. But she is unable to get a job or any kind of child support and slowly crumbles.

To survive, she ends up becoming a sex worker, unwittingly putting her life and her daughters life a risk. Vinaite says she drew from real-life women who have fallen by the wayside.

You have a daughter you have to take care of, a roof to put over her head, food, and then, on top of that, you have to take care of yourself. And I feel like in her situation, her concerns are not even important to her. Its about Moonie. And its just so admirable that she doesnt give up even till the very end, Vinaite said.

During one of the films screenings, she says she was approached by a European fan, who told her how European countries provide social support and free day care for children of single unemployed mothers. Not here, she says.

It makes you wonder: What is wrong with the government, for them not to care for such drastic situations that really mold these children, their whole lives? No child should have to experience that, Vinaite said.

Vinaite says before she was cast for the role she had no idea that there were single mothers living day to day, hand to mouth, one step from homelessness.

(Filmmaker) Sean (Baker) had flown me out for an audition to the area, drove me around where we would be filming and introduced me to some of the women, who lived in these motels, and I remember I went back to my hotel room and I started crying because I was so shocked, she said.

Newcomers

Baker found Vinaite, a newcomer, on Instagram. He says he wanted new people who would give authenticity to the story. He definitely succeeds.

Both Vinaite and Brooklynn, who had never acted before, deliver tour de force performances. As the film turns darker, young Brooklynn emotes such pain as Moonee, she might earn an Oscar nomination.

I cry at the end, too; like on the screen, Brooklynn said. I cry. I cried just watching it and Im like Brooklynn! You have mascara on!

Moonees childlike optimism is tested by the stark reality that an uncaring society will ultimately decide her fate. But ultimately, Moonee finds refuge in her childlike perception of the world.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week makes his first trip to South Asia since the White House laid out a new strategy for the region. The visit includes a stop in India, whose relationship with the U.S. has evolved into what is effectively an alliance, much to the suspicion of New Delhi's neighbors, as VOA's Bill Gallo reports.
As night fell Friday, Kurdish Peshmerga tanks fired heavy artillery into the now-Iraqi held town of Altun Kopri while gunfire cracked at the town's entrance.

Kurdish civilian volunteers scattered from behind a nearby berm as journalists cars raced out of the line of fire. Vehicles holding Kurdish fighters raced forward.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces had been battling since early morning, after Iraqi forces advanced north out of Kirkuk, an oil city they took over in the past week, toward the Kurdish capital, Irbil.

WATCH: Heavy Fighting Continues Into Night by Yomi Kleinmann

Baghdad said it intends to occupy all disputed lands, returning the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region to its more constrained 2003 borders. Some fighters and civilians on the Kurdish side fear Baghdad wants to move even further, including into Irbil. Others said Baghdad is unlikely to move into areas that have been self-governing for more than 25 years.

"Some Iraqi soldiers on the ground may want to fight into Irbil," said Ari Harsin, a member of the Kurdistan parliament who volunteers fighting on the front lines with Peshmerga soldiers. "But the people up top, the ones who know, wont do it. That fight would not benefit anyone."

Disputed lands

The areas Iraqi forces are moving into were mostly under Baghdads control in 2014, when Islamic State militants swept into the region. Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces recaptured the lands and the Kurdistan Region has since held them.

The Iraqi leadership said it is retaking areas to establish federal authority after a controversial Kurdish referendum for independence in September threatened the nation's unity. More than 92 percent of Kurds in Iraq voted "yes" in a vote Baghdad called illegal and the international community leaders said was dangerous and ill-timed.

"I am required to act in accordance with the Constitution to protect all of the Iraqi people and to keep our country united," wrote Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a New York Times opinion article on Wednesday. "To do so, the government has reinforced and restored what is prescribed in its federal mandate: that is, federal authority over national borders, oil exports and customs revenues."

Both Baghdad and Irbil have called for dialogue, but with opposing requirements. Baghdad demands Kurdistan recognize national unity to move forward, while Irbil demands negotiations recognizing the Kurdistan Region's path to independence.

"I call on the Kurdish Regional Government to acknowledge the authority of the Constitution and to enter dialogue on this basis," Abadi wrote in the article.

"Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Kurdistan have not been lost in vain," said Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region, in a statement a day earlier. "And the same shall be true for those who voted for an independent Kurdistan."

Families fleeing

But for families in Irbil, the prospect of the fight moving to the 2003 border is frightening, as that would put Iraqi forces about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the city.

At a checkpoint near the front line, Ahmed Mohammad, a 37-year-old farmer and father of four, said when Iraqi forces moved into Kirkuk last week, his family fled the city with nothing, and is now packed into a house with other families, 16 to a room.

"The children are getting sick from overcrowding," Mohammad said. "My heart is broken for Kirkuk."

More than 60,000 people have been displaced by fighting in the past week, according to the United Nations, and the Kurdistan Regional Government has said the number is 100,000. It is unclear how many have already returned to their homes in places of relative calm, like Kirkuk.

Deep disappointment

On the edges of the battle on Friday, some soldiers waited for deployment to the front, others guarded key points or manned artillery, firing deep behind Iraqi lines. Some soldiers said they were angry, others said they were deeply disappointed.

The international community in general and the United States in particular had supported them in their fight against Islamic State militants. They did not expect to be abandoned in this fight, they said.

"They are using American weapons to fight us," said Seehat Selman, a Peshmerga soldier, shortly after returning to a base from the battle. "We fought back IS. Many of our soldiers died in that fight."

Selman's family, he said, were refugees from the government of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "And now they are trying to make us refugees again," he said.
A suicide blast Saturday outside the Afghan military academy in Kabul killed at least 15 cadets and wounded several others, said the defense ministry.

The attack came a day after an Islamic State suicide bomber stormed a crowded Shiite Muslim mosque in the city, killing 50 worshipers and wounding dozens more.

Afghan police and witnesses said Saturdays attack occurred when a car bomber drove into a minibus packed with cadets at the main entrance to the capital citys Marshal Fahim Military Academy.

Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri confirmed the death toll and said four others were wounded.

The Taliban insurgency has claimed responsibly for the minibus bombing, saying the attack was part of its Mansoori insurgent operations underway against Afghan forces and their foreign backers.

Also on Friday, a suicide bomber killed 33 people at a mosque in the central province of Ghor. That attack killed a pro-government former Afghan jihadi commander and members of his group who were offering prayers at the mosque.

A string of militant bombings and battlefield raids across Afghanistan this week has killed more than 200 people, mostly members of Afghan security forces.

These brutal and senseless attacks against people at prayer are atrocities. The persons most responsible for the attacks must be brought to justice, said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) while condemning Fridays attacks.

VOA's Mohammad Habibzada contributed to this report.




New details are emerging about the attack that left four U.S. soldiers dead in Niger as U.S. congressional leaders are demanding answers from the Pentagon.

The four U.S. service members, three of whom were Green Berets (special forces), along with four Nigerian soldiers were killed on October 4 in an ambush in Tongo-Tongo, a village near the border with Mali.

On the eve of the attack, about 30 Special Forces, mostly Nigeriens and eight U.S. Green Berets, set off in pickup trucks toward the border village and arrived at night, according to Almou Hassane, mayor of Tongo-Tongo, in the Tondikiwindi district.

They must have spent the night in the northwest of Tongo-Tongo, Mayor Hassane said in a phone interview with the VOA French-to-Africa service.

"These Nigerien soldiers are part of a security and intelligence battalion that has been trained by the U.S. forces during several U.S.-led training exercises known as Flintlock," said Moussa Aksar, director of the newspaper l'Evenement in Niamey, and a terrorism specialist in the Sahel.

The soldiers were trying to track down an accomplice of Abu Adnan al-Sahraoui, a former member of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), who joined the Islamic State terror group in the Sahara Desert.

The soldiers questioned the villagers, who dragged on the discussions longer than anticipated.

It turns out that this village was a little contaminated by hostile forces, said Aksar. The unit stayed a little longer than expected because apparently people were aware that something was going on."

For his part, Mayor Hassane said, The attackers, the bandits, the terrorists have never lacked accomplices among local populations.

A fake terror attack attracted the soldiers to a trap outside the village, where about 50 assailants in vehicles and motorcycles armed with Kalashnikovs and heavy weapons opened fire on them. Four Nigerien soldiers and three Americans were killed on the spot. The body of the fourth American soldier was found 48 hours later, about a mile away from the initial site, CNN reported.

We are not talking about civilians wounded or killed because these soldiers were ambushed outside the village, Aksar said.

The attack has raised questions, especially since the U.S. Army operates drone bases in Niger and has significant intelligence resources there.

That's what really shocked us: how, at their level, with all the resources they have, they could not have strong intelligence to avoid what happened there, said Hassane.

Since the attack, Tongo-Tongo village chief Mounkaila Alassane has been arrested, and there is no information on his whereabouts.

No group has officially taken responsibility for the attack. According to sources in the region, however, it is the work of Abu Adnan al-Saharaoui, who calls himself the Islamic Emir of the Great Sahara, affiliated with the Islamic State group.

According to a Tuareg from the region, al-Saharaoui is reported to be involved in arms and fuel trafficking. He is a former member of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), which occupied and imposed sharia law in northern Mali in 2012 before being dislodged by French forces.

Al-Saharaoui, a former acquaintance of Algerian extremist and trafficker Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar, had led the kidnapping of the nine-person staff of the Algerian consulate in Gao in 2012. Originally from Western Sahara, he wants to control the band on the common border of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

He wants to take control of all these communities facing poverty and governance issues so that they can join his cause, said Aksar.

The group is the latest of several jihadist organizations in the Sahel region, including the Defenders of Islam group linked to militant Iyad Ag Ghali in northern Mali. The movement for the Liberation of Macina, led by Hamadoun Koufa, remained very active in central Mali.

Ansarul Islam, on the other side of the border, is increasing its attacks in northern Burkina Faso, while Boko Haram continues to launch attacks in the countries in Africa's Lake Chad Basin.

The al-Mourabitoun group, which is led by Moktar Belmokhtar  declared dead several times  has perpetrated several terror actions in the vast Sahel region, including the 2013 attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria that left 67 people dead.
New Zealand not only has its youngest female prime minister with the rise to power of center-left Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, but a renegade new "first bloke" who is a national celebrity in his own right.

Clarke Gayford, who hosts his own fishing television show, has already broken the mold of his predecessors, stepping in to defend his partner against "scaremongering old dinos" including one political rival who made a disparaging reference to Ardern and "lipstick on a pig."

On Twitter, Gayford has thrown fishing buddy jokes to Winston Peters, the leader of the small nationalist party that decided Ardern's political fate and teased a nation that waited a month for an election result: "heading out of reception for a while ... things always seem to happen when I do this."

Gayford's social media followers are likely to surge following the decision this week of Peters' New Zealand First Party to throw its support behind 37-year-old Ardern and her Labour Party to form government.

Political analysts say the pair are a unique double act in a small country where the partners of the previous two female leaders, Helen Clark and Jenny Shipley, maintained a low profile.

"This political power couple will be interesting to watch," said Grant Duncan, associate professor at Massey University in Auckland. "They're both clearly very media savvy, both independent and have public profiles that were built up before they became a couple."

The couple met four years ago when Gayford, 39, went to complain to a member of parliament about the then National Party government's proposed changes to security legislation. He bumped into Ardern, a rising star of the Labour Party, they had coffee and were living together not long after.

Gayford's television show, Fish of the Day, sees him traveling around the Pacific, fishing and finding recipes for his catches. The series has been sold into 20 countries and won a gold award at the Houston International Film Festival last year.

Gayford, who grew up on a farm without a television in summer, has a long history in broadcasting across television and radio. He's an occasional guest on weekly talkback radio show The Panel.

On election night last month, Gayford admitted to being "a little on edge" as he brought out barbecued sausages and fish bites  made, naturally, from a 42kg sea bass he caught off the east coast  to reporters staking out the couple's home in Auckland.

And he told Radio New Zealand recently that he's still coming to terms with elements of his new life, including a security detail unfamiliar to somebody who spends much of his time out on the open water: "It's been a hell of a ride."
Authorities in Niger say at least a dozen paramilitary police have been killed in an attack similar to the one that killed four U.S. Green Beret and four Nigerien troops Oct. 4.

Saturdays attack took place in the same area, officials said. The raid took place in the town of Ayorou, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, Niamey.

Reports said the attackers were heavily armed with guns and rocket launchers. They arrived in five vehicles to launch their ambush on a gendarmes base. The attackers left when Nigerien military reinforcements showed up.

The area is near the border with Mali, where the attackers are thought to be based. The region has seen a string of recent incursions by jihadists.

Controversy in Washington

The deaths of the U.S. troops Oct. 4 has caused major controversy in Washington, D.C., where lawmakers are seeking more information about the incident.

In Cooper City, Florida, Saturday, mourners attended the funeral for La David Johnson, who died in the attack. Johnsons death drew extra attention after President Donald Trump called Johnsons widow, Myeshia Johnson, and reportedly said Johnson knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway.

The incident has begun a feud between Trump and Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who was listening to the call on speakerphone.

Given all the public controversy, some funeral-goers Saturday said they were glad to see not just a portrait of Johnson at the funeral, but also of the other three service members who died in the same attack. A retired police officer who attended the ceremony told the Associated Press that the move was a good gesture on everyones part.

Better communication

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also dealt with criticism for not releasing more information about the attack.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis went to Capitol Hill on Friday to meet with Senator John McCain after the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee threatened to issue a subpoena for information about the deaths of four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger.

After meeting privately with McCain in his office Friday, Mattis promised to keep better lines of communication with Congress.

We could be better at communication, we can always improve at communication, and thats exactly what well do, he said.

McCain said the meeting helped to clear up the information channels.

I felt we were not getting a sufficient amount of information and we are clearing a lot of that up now, he said.

Earlier this week, McCain threatened to use a subpoena to compel information from the Pentagon and Trump administration officials about the Niger attack. He complained that it was easier to get information about military operations under former President Barack Obama.

The U.S. military has blamed Islamic State militants for the deaths of the four Special Forces soldiers in southwestern Niger and has said it is conducting an investigation into the Oct. 4 attack.
First the U.S. government temporarily banned laptops in the cabins of some airplanes. Now it is looking to ban them from checked luggage on international flights, citing the risk of potentially catastrophic fires.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently recommended that the U.N. agency that sets global aviation standards prohibit passengers from putting laptops and other large personal electronic devices in their checked bags.

The FAA says in a filing with the International Civil Aviation Organization that the lithium-ion batteries in laptops can overheat and create fires.

Some questions and answers about the shifting U.S. policy.

Why is the FAA worried about this danger now?

The FAA has long been concerned about the potential hazardous of lithium batteries. The agency's tests of the risks of shipping large quantities of batteries as cargo on airliners showed that when a single battery overheats, it can cause other nearby batteries to overheat as well. That can result in intense fires and the release of explosive gases.

Based on those test results, the FAA was able to persuade ICAO two years ago to ban cargo shipments of lithium batteries on passenger planes and to require that batteries shipped on cargo planes be charged no more than 30 percent. The risk of overheating is lower if the battery isn't fully charged.

More recently, the FAA conducted 10 tests of fully charged laptops packed in suitcases. In one test, an 8-ounce aerosol can of dry shampoo  which is permitted in checked baggage  was strapped to the laptop. A heater was placed against the laptop's battery to force it into "thermal runaway," a condition in which the battery's temperature continually rises. There was a fire almost immediately and an explosion within 40 seconds with enough force to potentially disable the fire suppression system.

Other tests of laptop batteries packed in suitcases with goods like nail polish remover, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol also resulted in large fires, although no explosions.

Isn't the government contradicting itself by first say laptops should be checked, then saying they shouldn't?

The different messages are the result of two agencies with different missions: security versus safety.

Last March, the Department of Homeland Security imposed a ban on laptops in the cabins of planes coming into the U.S. from 10 Middle Eastern airports to prevent them from being used as a tool in an attack. Many passengers put their laptops in their checked bags instead. The ban was fully lifted in July after airports in the region took steps to improve security.

This ban is being sought by the FAA, which is focused on the risk of an accidental explosion more than the prospect of a terrorist attack.

When will this go into effect?

There are no guarantees that there will be ban on packing laptops in checked bags.

The FAA is presenting its case at a meeting this week and next of ICAO's dangerous goods panel. European aviation safety regulators, aircraft manufacturers and pilots' unions have endorsed the proposal.

Even if the panel were to agree with the proposal, it would still need to be adopted at higher levels of ICAO. And it would only apply to international flights.

Will the U.S. impose a ban on checking laptops on domestic flights?

This is unclear. Individual countries can decide whether to implement domestic bans. The United States has not indicated if it will do so.

The effect of such a ban may not be great, since many passengers don't check bags to avoid surcharges, and those that do often prefer to carry on electronics.

Will the U.S. continue to push for the international ban?

This is also unclear. The FAA, which favors the ban, is handling negotiations for the U.S. at the ICAO meeting. But, for future meetings, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is having another agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, take the lead.

It's not clear if that agency, known as PHMSA, will share the FAA's position.

PHMSA previously led dangerous goods negotiations, but the Obama administration put the FAA in charge after congressional Democrats complained that PHMSA officials were too cozy with the industries they regulated.

The Transportation Department said in a statement that PHMSA "has a unique and highly effective" approach to regulating the transportation of hazardous materials, and that it will consider what impact any change in aviation rules might have on transportation. The statement also said PHMSA will collaborate with the FAA.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 22:42:31|Editor: Hou Qiang

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another is missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province, adding that 15 terrorists were also killed.
Thousands of Somalis gathered Friday to pray at the site of the countrys deadliest bombing. Last Saturday a truck bomb exploded on a busy street in Mogadishu, killing what is now believed to be 358 people.

As Somalis in the capital city paid their respects, the Somali prime minister said Somalias president will announce a state of war against the al-Shabab extremists the government blames for the bombing.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is expected to announce the new offensive Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Army spokesman Captain Abdullahi Iman told the Associated Press that the new offensive was to involve thousands of troops to try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle region, where they are believed to have planned their attack on Mogadishu.

Several suspects have been arrested and are being questioned.

Our security agencies have more detailed information about the blast as there are people we have arrested, said Internal Security Minister Mohamed Abukar Islow, but we will let you know when we are done with our investigations.

Also Friday, the U.S. military said it launched a drone strike on al-Shabab, resuming its own fight with the militant group.

Somalias information minister reported late Friday that 56 people were still missing from the Mogadishu blast, which wounded 228 people. Of the injured, 122 had been airlifted to Turkey, Sudan and Kenya for treatment.

Tens of thousands march

Wednesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Mogadishu and other major Somali cities, condemning those behind the massive explosion.

Demonstrators marched from the stadium to the scene of Saturdays blast to hold a memorial ceremony for the victims.

Other rallies took place Wednesday in Baidoa, Beledweyne and Dhusamareeb.

The Mogadishu protest came in response to a call from the citys mayor for a massive rally to pray for those killed and injured in the truck bombing, which the government blames on Islamist militant group al-Shabab.

Time to unite

President Mohamed urged Somalis to take up arms for what he called a tough war with al-Shabab.

It is time for us to unite, and I call for all Somalis to join hands together in the fight against the common enemy, he said.

He extended a similar invitation to political leaders.

I call for the politicians who have relationships with foreign countries to put our differences aside and join us in the fight against the militants, he said.

Mogadishu Mayor Taabit Abdi Mohamed said, Somali people must be ready for a war to liberate this city.

Still no claim

Al-Shabab has not claimed responsibility for Saturdays blast, the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalias history.

Over the past 10 years, the group has bombed dozens of hotels, restaurants and other targets in Mogadishu as part of its campaign to topple the government and install a strict version of Islamic law in Somalia.

Among those killed in the attack was Ahmed Abdikarin Eyow, a leader of the Somali community in Minnesota who helped organize a VOA Town Hall with then-President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud last year in Minneapolis, and freelance Somali cameraman Ali Nur Siad.

Siad was on assignment with Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, a stringer for VOAs Somali Service.

Abdulle was seriously wounded in the attack and airlifted to a Turkish hospital on Monday for treatment.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariono Rajoy announced Saturday he would dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call for new elections in an attempt to prevent the semi-autonomous region from declaring its independence.

Rajoy made the announcement after an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday to deal with the political crisis caused by the secession effort undertaken by the regional leadership of Catalonia.

Spain's government set plans in motion Thursday to strip Catalonia of its autonomy after the region's leader vowed to continue steps toward independence.

Rajoy's office has said the cabinet meeting was planned to apply Article 155 of Spain's constitution, which gives the government the power to take away some or all of Catalonia's autonomy. Opposition political parties have agreed to support the imposition of central rule over Catalonia. Rajoy is nearly certain to get the required votes next week from Spain's upper legislative body, which is ruled by Rajoy's conservative party.

Carles Puidgemont, Catalonia's leader, has said the regional parliament will go forward with a vote on independence if the Spanish government does not engage in dialogue and follows through on its threat to strip the region of its autonomy.

Rajoy said Saturday Puidgemont's threat to secede "has been unilateral, contrary to the law, and seeking confrontation."

Rajoy had given Puidgemont a Thursday deadline to clarify whether he had in fact already declared independence following a referendum earlier this month.

Puidgemont made a symbolic declaration of independence in an address last week, but said he was suspending any formal steps in favor of talks with the government in Madrid. He delivered his updated stance in a letter Thursday shortly before the deadline.

At a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the bloc was watching the situation closely.

"We hope that there will be solutions that can be found on the basis of the Spanish constitution," she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a discussion of the crisis and a show of solidarity with the Spanish government at the EU summit, but a number of leaders and EU officials oppose adding it to the agenda, saying that the tensions are an internal affair.

Voters in Catalonia voted in favor of independence in the October 1 referendum, but fewer than half of those eligible to cast a ballot took part, with opponents boycotting the process. Rajoy's government dismissed the referendum as illegal.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, or JuA, a faction of the banned Pakistan Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) terror group, confirmed the death on Friday of its chief, Umar Khalid Khorasani.

Khorasani has been blamed for directing several deadly attacks carried out in different parts of Pakistan in recent years, including the devastating March 2016 attack on the Christian community in Lahore on the day before Easter that claimed the lives of 75 people.

Chief of our Jamaat-ul-Ahraar, Umar Khalid Khorasani, who sustained serious injuries in a recent U.S. drone strike in Afghanistans Paktia province, succumbed to his injuries Wednesday evening, Jamaat-ul-Ahraars spokesperson told the French news agency.

The spokesperson also confirmed that nine of Khorasanis close acquaintances were killed in the same attack.

TTP earlier had also confirmed the killing of its top commander, Umar Mansoor, in a statement to Pakistani media.

According to local media reports, two drone strikes carried out by the U.S. in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan have reportedly killed about 31 militants, including Mansoor and Khorasani.

U.S. officials did not comment on the statements issued by JuA or TTP regarding the death of their leaders.

Improving relations

Some Pakistani analysts see the recent high-profile elimination of terror leaders in Pakistan as a sign of improving relations and cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan.

This new development shows that both Pakistan and American intelligence agencies are cooperating and the trust is building between the security and establishment of both sides, which is truly necessary if we have to win the war against terrorism in the region, Retired Pakistan Army General Talat Masood told VOA.

The drone attacks by the U.S. forces show its seriousness to target those militants who are carrying out fatal attacks in Pakistan from the Afghan soil, Masood added.

Masood said he believes that the death of both Khurasani and Mansoor will help U.S. and Pakistan improve their bilateral relations, which plummeted due to Pakistan's alleged ties to or tolerance of terror groups operating on its soil who have waged attacks against U.S.-led NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has denied those claims.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to visit Pakistan in the coming days, where he will meet with Pakistani high officials and discuss bilateral issues, including regional security.

The relations between both countries have been rocky in recent years and have become further strained after U.S. President Donald Trump, during his South Asia strategy announcement in August, put Pakistan on notice to take action against militant safe havens that pose a threat to regional security.

Who was Khorasani?

Umar Khalid Khorasani was reportedly in his 40s and hailed from the tribal region of Pakistan. He was a hard-core militant who started out as an anti-India jihadist and fought to liberate the Indian part of Kashmir.

He later joined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Taliban in 2007, but parted ways with the group after disagreements with TTPs leadership.

Khorasani then founded the Jamaat-ul-Ahraar in 2014 and announced allegiance to the Islamic State in Afghanistan.

In 2015, JuA left the Islamic State group and reunited with the Pakistani Taliban.

JuA first came into prominence after it claimed responsibility for a terror attack on Pakistani security forces in Lahore's Wagah border region with India in 2014 during a border parade. The attack killed 60 people, mostly civilians.

The Pakistani government banned JuA in November of 2016.

The United States has also placed JuA on a list of specially designated global terrorist organizations.

Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that JuA has planned and carried out attacks on Pakistani security personnel and civilians, using sanctuaries inside Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province.

Kabul, however, rejects the allegations and blames Islamabad for harboring militant groups on its soil, including the Haqqani network, to launch attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies those allegations.

VOA's Urdu service contributed to this report.
Three men have been charged with attempted murder in Gainesville, Florida, for firing a shot at anti-Nazi protesters after a speech by white supremacist leader Richard Spencer on Thursday.

The Gainesville Police Department released a report Friday saying Tyler Tenbrink, 28, and brothers William and Colton Fears, ages 30 and 28, respectively, were arrested on homicide charges soon after Spencers speech.

The three men, all from Texas, were in a vehicle when they began shouting and making Nazi salutes at a group of people holding protest signs at a bus stop, according to police.

Shot fired

A police report said Tenbrink, a convicted felon, got out of the car after one of the protesters struck the back window with a baton.

The report said Tenbrink brandished a gun while the Fears brothers shouted kill them and shoot them. Police say Tenbrink fired a single shot, which hit a nearby building. In addition to the attempted murder charge, Tenbrink is also being charged as a felon in possession of a firearm.

Police say the suspects fled the scene and were apprehended by police later that evening.

Police said at least two of the three have ties to extremist groups, but did not specify which two of the men.

The Fears brothers are being held under $1 million bond each, while Tenbrink is being held under a $3 million bond.

Spencer shouted down

Earlier Thursday, Spencer spoke at the University of Florida when protesters shouted him down.

You are cowardly trying to shut down a movement that is growing and its going to stand up for white people, Spencer hollered as the crowd chanted No more Spencer.

He accused the crowd of not believing in free speech and being unwilling to have a debate. They countered with shouts of We dont want your Nazi hate.

The University of Florida in Gainesville is a public university and could not stop Spencer from speaking. But the school says it did not invite him. School officials say they spent $600,000 for extra security for the speech.

Spencers National Policy Institute paid about $10,000 to rent the hall.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the entire county where the Gainesville campus is located. It was a precaution against the same kind of deadly violence between neo-Nazis and demonstrators that killed one person and injured at least 30 in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will allow the Air Force to bring back to active duty as many as 1,000 retired pilots to address a pilot shortage.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, said the Air Force is short about 1,500 pilots.

The pilot supply shortage is a national-level challenge that could have adverse effects on all aspects of both the government and commercial aviation sectors for years to come, Ross said.

25-pilot cap removed

Under current law, the Air Force is limited to recalling 25 pilots. Trumps order, which amends a post-9/11 emergency declaration, removes that cap for the Air Force, as well as other branches of the military.

Ross said the secretary of Defense is expected to allow the secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years.

The Air Force has struggled for years to retain pilots, who can often get better paying jobs flying commercial airlines. It has boosted pay and incentives to its pilots and has been working with airlines to come up with solutions to the shortage.

The Air Force has been at the forefront of the U.S. battle against the Islamic State, flying many of the sorties in Iraq and Syria.
In a surprise Saturday morning tweet, President Donald Trump announced that he would allow the release of thousands of long-secret files relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 54 years ago.

Trump left open the possibility, however, that he might withhold some of the documents, raising concerns among Kennedy scholars who fear that the president might yield to pressure from intelligence agencies that might be embarrassed by the revelations.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump said on Twitter.

The White House later issued a statement leaving open the possibility that some documents could be withheld.

"The president believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," the statement said.

October 26 deadline

A 1992 law passed unanimously by Congress and signed by President George H.W. Bush mandates that all remaining files be released within 25 years unless the president intervenes in the interest of national security. That deadline is October 26.

As the date for the document release approached, a National Security Council official told The Washington Post that government agencies were urging Trump not to release some of the documents. But the presidents longtime friend Roger Stone told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones [[ https://www.infowars.com/exclusive-trump-to-release-jfk-assassination-files/ ] of the right-wing website Infowars that he had personally urged Trump to release all of the documents.

While Trumps tweet sparked anticipation and anxiety within the scholarly community, it also energized conspiracy theorists.

A 2013 Gallup Poll survey showed that a solid majority of Americans believe others besides Lee Harvey Oswald were involved in Kennedys assassination.

Common conspiracy theories hold that key details surrounding Kennedys death were covered up, particularly as they relate to suspected bungling by the CIA, and the possible involvement of other individuals and foreign governments.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy, said it will take years for scholars to analyze the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents.

Sabato, who had an advance peek as some of the files and posted them on Twitter, told VOA they may provide key details about Oswalds foreign travels in the weeks leading up to the assassination that was overlooked in the original investigation led by former Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren.

Some of them relate to Lee Harvey Oswalds trip to Mexico City when he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies just two months before the assassination, Sabato said. We dont have all the facts regarding those visits.

Oswald told investigators he visited the embassies to get visas so he could enter the Soviet Union and Cuba, according to the Warren Commission report.

'Unanswered questions'

Sabato said years of research have convinced him that Oswald acted alone.

But there are many unanswered questions about whether he may have been encouraged to do it, he said, Or whether he had told other people in Mexico City that he was going to do it.

Oswald was arrested in Dallas within hours of the shooting and charged with Kennedys murder. He denied the charges, saying he was a "just a patsy." He never had a chance to explain, however, as he was gunned down while in police custody two days later by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

That three days of horror in November 1963 changed America in ways that have fascinated social and political scientists ever since.

There are lots of reasons for it, Sabato explained.

Remember that Kennedys death began the process of the extreme loss of public confidence in government, because it was followed by Vietnam and by Watergate and then loads of scandals since," Sabato said in a VOA interview. "Prior to the assassination, most Americans believed their government. When it said x y or z, they tended to believe it. I dont know too many people who still think that."

The National Archives, designated as the official repository of assassination-related documents by the JFK Records Collection Act of 1992, released an earlier tranche of documents last July.

Highlights included audio files of interviews of a KGB officer who defected to the United States months after the assassination, claiming to have been the officer in charge of the KGB file on Oswald while he was living in the Soviet Union.

The vast majority of the National Archives collection has been open to the public since the late 1990s.

VOA's Steve Herman contributed to this report
Former presidents are shedding a traditional reluctance to criticize their successors, unleashing pointed attacks on the Trump White House and the commander in chief - but without mentioning him by name.

Remarks on the same day by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama raise the prospect that more dissenters will follow in defiance of President Donald Trump and his policies.

In separate speeches, Bush and Obama both rejected cruelty and bigotry.

Bush drew his biggest applause when he said, "The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them."

Obama used a similar approach to denounce Trump's brand of politics.

Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday the White House does not believe the former presidents' remarks were aimed at Trump personally.
U.S. intelligence officials are closely watching developments during China's 19th Party Congress, calling it a key test for Chinese President Xi Jinping and a telling barometer of what type of relationship Beijing likely will pursue with Washington.

Xi opened the high profile, high stakes political meeting earlier this week promising to build what he described as a modern socialist country for a new era.

But more than Xis rhetoric, what has caught the attention of U.S. intelligence agencies is how he has worked, at times behind the scenes, to consolidate power in a way that had not been seen since Deng Xiaoping ruled China from 1978 to 1989.

And the U.S. government has devoted resources accordingly.

All the sort of old-school guys who used to do Kremlin work are now off working on this other politburo, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo told a forum Thursday in Washington.

Pompeo also praised Chinas overall response to North Koreas nuclear provocations as most welcome.

I think if you had told the intelligence community that we could have expected the Chinese to do all the things that they have to date, there would have been great skepticism inside of our building, the CIA chief said. I hope there's more to come.

Some criticism

At the same time, though, other top U.S. officials have been critical of Beijing.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called out China for its provocative actions in the South China Sea.

We will not shrink from Chinas challenges to the rules-based order, he said.

Chinas embassy in Washington rejected Tillersons comment, arguing Beijing is committed to providing the greatest good for the greatest number of people through win-win cooperation.

US skepticism on China

Still, U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical, noting that under Xi, China has pursued a more muscular and assertive foreign policy, and one that is not afraid to contest the U.S. on the global stage.

Chinese leaders see the U.S.-led world order, most notably the U.S. alliance network and promotion of U.S. values worldwide, as constraining Chinas rise, a U.S. intelligence official told VOA on the condition of anonymity.

(These leaders) are attempting to reshape the world order to better suit Chinese preferences, the official added.

China also has successfully used its One Belt, One Road policy to expand its economic influence across Asia.

Combined with a rapidly modernizing military and a desire to build new military bases around the world, starting with its base in Djibouti that opened this past July, officials say there are an ever-increasing number of areas in which U.S. and Chinese interests could intersect or even conflict.

China aspires to be the pre-eminent power in East Asia and yes, that comes at the expense of U.S. influence, said Michael Collins, the deputy assistant director of the CIA's East Asia Mission Center, during a conference in Washington earlier this month.

What we're seeing right now first and foremost  is a test of what relationship China wants with the United States, he added.

Xi's leadership

In all of this, Xi is seen as the key driver. U.S. intelligence officials note it is not an exaggeration to say that he sees himself as a second coming of former Chinese leader and Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong.

And once China's Community Party congress is over, many in the U.S. believe Xi will have a freer hand to guide China's approach on the world stage.

There are questions, too, about how Xi will guide Chinas behavior in cyberspace.

They have, along with the Iranians and the Russians, world-class, premier cyber-capabilities, defensive cyber-capabilities, as well as the capacity to conduct offensive cyber-operations, as well, CIA Director Pompeo said Thursday. The Chinese are also incredibly active with what Ill call cyber-theft.

Washington will push back

Pompeo and other U.S. officials say such behavior is not acceptable, and they promise Washington will push back against Chinas aggressiveness in the cyber realm.

Yet, they also note that even as China appears increasingly willing to challenge the U.S. in multiple ways, Beijing still craves stability, which creates opportunities for both countries to work together, like they have on North Korea.

I hope they'll take this opportunity to demonstrate that they truly are going to be globally important players in reducing a threat, Pompeo said.



VOA State Department Correspondent Cindy Saine and Beijing Bureau Chief William Ide contributed to this report.
With the Trump administration's revised South Asia strategy still in its infancy, the curtain has silently fallen on the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), ending months of speculations that the State Department planned to eliminate the unit.

The office of the special envoy was tasked with heralding reconciliation efforts with the Taliban and other political factions in Afghanistan.

State Department officials, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, told VOA the core SRAP team focused on Afghan reconciliation was dissolved on Sept. 29. The unit will be integrated into the broader South and Central Asia Bureau.

Most of the office's employees, according to officials, were temporary civil servants who lost their jobs because their contracts were not renewed.

Remaining staff

A State Department spokesperson told VOA that former SRAP staff remain at the department and are reporting to Alice Wells, who serves as the acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and as the acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.



"She [Wells] will also work to integrate SCA Bureau and SRAP operations. State Department employees arrive and depart from positions regularly, and we have well-established mechanisms to transfer their expertise and contacts to successors," the spokesperson told VOA.

Current and former U.S. diplomats say the SRAP office focused on three specific areas.

First, the unit took the lead in pursuing Afghan reconciliation, specifically talks with the Taliban. Second, the office was tasked with building support for its efforts within the international community, including at EU and NATO summits. And lastly, the SRAP office took steps to facilitate the success of Afghanistan's national unity government, including putting together the Ashraf Ghani-Abdullah Abdullah political deal in Afghanistan.

State Department officials say Wells is tasked with heading efforts to integrate SRAP operations within the broader South and Central Asia Bureau.

The consolidation began in June, with the departure of then-acting SRAP Laurel Miller.

Integration

A State Department spokesperson told VOA, "We are at the beginning of a process to determine the bureaucratic and management steps required to integrate the SCA bureau and SRAP operations. But no decisions have yet been made with respect to the timeline and process of this integration."

This lack of clarity has added to the apparent sense of uncertainty within the State Department, which is already dealing with proposed budget cuts and a number of unfilled positions.

Some former senior U.S. diplomats are skeptical about the timing of the decision to roll back SRAP, saying disbanding the policy team and losing crucial expertise increases risk at a time when the United States is renewing its commitment to stabilizing Afghanistan and promoting reconciliation.

"Unfortunately, I think with the closure of SRAP office or really a departure of temporary employees, we have lost a great deal of expertise and institutional knowledge  deep domain expertise about the Taliban and how to attempt to negotiate with the Taliban," said former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson.

Olson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, noted, "There continues to be a need for some kind of special envoy, special representative  whatever you want to call it  someone who is focused full time on Afghan reconciliation that is pursuing political settlement."



He added if the U.S. is going to get a diplomatic initiative going, "you can't wait till you have the initiative to build the team."

Olson, however, acknowledged that the integration of SRAP's duties into a broader bureau may add some clarity to South Asia strategy.

"The disadvantage to SRAP was putting India and Pakistan in separate bureaucratic domains, which tended to reduce the coherence of U.S. policy toward South Asia," he said.

Now a lost relic of former President Barack Obama's administration, the SRAP post was created in the wake of a troop surge in the Afghan war, with Richard Holbrooke appointed to lead U.S. policy in the volatile Afghan-Pakistan war zone.

Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.
After widespread shock and condemnation, the head of the World Health Organization said Saturday he is "rethinking" his appointment of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as a "goodwill ambassador."

In a new tweet, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said that "I'm listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible."

The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy falls apart. Mugabe also faces U.S. sanctions over his government's human rights abuses.

The United States called the appointment of Mugabe by WHO's first African leader "disappointing."

"This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity," the State Department said.

Health and human rights leaders chimed in. "The decision to appoint Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador is deeply disappointing and wrong," said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, a major British charitable foundation. "Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for."

Ireland's health minister, Simon Harris, called the appointment "offensive, bizarre." "Mugabe corruption decimates Zimbabwe health care," tweeted the head of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth.

With Mugabe on hand, Tedros announced the appointment at a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases.

Tedros, a former Ethiopian official who became WHO's first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region" on the issue. He described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies." A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press.

Two dozen organizations _ including the World Heart Federation and Cancer Research U.K. _ released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the conference, to no avail.

The heads of U.N. agencies and the U.N. secretary-general typically choose celebrities and other prominent people as ambassadors to draw attention to global issues of concern, such as refugees (Angelina Jolie) and education (Malala Yousafzai). The choices are not subject to approval.

The ambassadors hold little actual power. They also can be fired. The comic book heroine Wonder Woman was removed from her honorary U.N. ambassador job in December following protests that a white, skimpily dressed American prone to violence wasn't the best role model for girls.

Zimbabwe's government has not commented on Mugabe's appointment, but a state-run Zimbabwe Herald newspaper headline called it a "new feather in president's cap."

The southern African nation once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwe's health system, saying Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. Mugabe's policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

The 93-year-old Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has come under criticism at home for his frequent overseas travels that have cost impoverished Zimbabwe millions of dollars. His repeated visits to Singapore have heightened concerns over his health, even as he pursues re-election next year.

The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 22:52:34|Editor: Hou Qiang

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another is missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured.
The Group of Seven industrialized nations threw their support behind a new technology industry alliance aimed at detecting and blunting online propaganda, saying Friday it had a "major role" to play in combating extremism on the internet.

G-7 interior ministers meeting in Italy invited representatives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter to a session Friday dedicated to the fight against terrorism. In a final communique, the ministers pressed the industry as a whole to do more.

"Internet companies will continue to take a proactive role and ensure decisive action in making their platforms more hostile to terrorism, and will support actions aimed at empowering civil society partners in the development of alternative narratives online," the statement said.

Social media companies have long seen themselves as neutral platforms for other people to share information, and have traditionally been cautious about taking down objectionable material. But as social media platforms have increasingly been used to recruit jihadis, radicalize young people, share fake news and incite extremism, they have come under pressure from governments to take action.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube in June created the Global Internet Forum to Combat Terrorism, which got an early boost when British Prime Minister Theresa May used a speech to the U.N. General Assembly to applaud the initiative and demand internet companies develop technology to more quickly identify and remove terrorist content.

The alliance says it is committed to developing new content detection technology, to helping smaller companies combat extremism and to promoting "counter-speech," content meant to blunt the impact of extremist material.

The G-7 endorsed the aims and pledged to work collaboratively across the industry to counter the "misuse of technology" by terrorist organizations.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said "a great alliance" had been formed between world governments and major internet providers. While stressing the internet has been an important tool for promoting freedom, "at the same time we all together have agreed that al-Qaida and Islamic State are enemies of our freedoms."

Several ministers said that while the industry had made progress to quickly remove extremist content, more needed to be done, and faster.

"Our enemies are moving at the speed of a tweet, so we have to counter them just as quickly," said acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke.
Medical student Alejandra Duran Arreola dreams of becoming an OB-GYN in her home state of Georgia, where theres a shortage of doctors and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S.

But the 26-year-old Mexican immigrants goal is now trapped in the debate over a program protecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants like her from deportation. Whether she becomes a doctor depends on whether Congress finds an alternative to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that President Donald Trump phased out last month.

Arreola, who was brought to the U.S. illegally at age 14, is among about 100 medical students nationwide who are enrolled in DACA, and many have become a powerful voice in the immigration debate. Their stories have resonated with leaders in Washington. Having excelled in school and gained admission into competitive medical schools, they're on the verge of starting residencies to treat patients, a move experts say could help address the nations worsening doctor shortage.



It's mostly a tragedy of wasted talent and resources, said Mark Kuczewski, who leads the medical education department at Loyola Universitys medical school, where Arreola is in her second year. Our country will have said, You cannot go treat patients.



The Chicago-area medical school was the first to openly accept DACA students and has the largest concentration nationwide at 32. California and New York also have significant populations, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.



DACA gives protection to about 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and who otherwise would lack legal permission to be in the country. The immigrants must meet strict criteria to receive two-year permits that shield them from deportation and allow them to work.



Then-President Barack Obama created DACA in 2012. Critics call it an illegal amnesty program that is taking jobs from U.S. citizens. In rescinding it last month, Trump gave lawmakers until March to come up with a replacement.



Public support for DACA is wide. A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that just 1 in 5 Americans want to deport DACA recipients.



Medical students such as Arreola are trying to shape the debate, and they have the backing of influential medical groups, including the American Medical Association.

Arreola took a break from her studies last month to travel to Washington with fellow Loyola medical student and DACA recipient Cesar Montolongo Hernandez to talk to stakeholders. In their meetings with lawmakers, they framed the program as a medical necessity but also want a solution for others with DACA.



A 2017 report by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortfall of between about 35,000 and 83,000 doctors in 2025. That shortage is expected to increase with population growth and aging.



Hernandez, a 28-year-old from Mexico simultaneously pursuing a Ph.D., wants to focus his research on early detection of diseases. His work permit expires next September, and he's worried he won't qualify for scientific research funding without the program.

I've shown I deserve to be here,'' said Hernandez, who met with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat whos called for Congress to quickly pass a replacement for DACA.



For Arreola it's about returning to the state she's called home since she was 14 and giving back to areas in need of doctors.



My family is from there; I know those people, Arreola said. Those are the people that inspired to really give this a push.

Among those Arreola met with were policy staff for Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, who believes the Obama program was an overreach of executive power but also wants Congress to write a plan to protect DACA recipients.



Medical school administrators say the immigrant students stand out even among their accomplished peers: They're often bilingual and bicultural, have overcome adversity and are more likely to work with underserved populations or rural areas.



They come with a cultural competency for how to best treat the individuals from their background, whether immigrants or different races and ethnicities, said Matthew Shick, a government relations director for the Association of American Medical Colleges. That gets translated over to their peers in education and training.

Zarna Patel, 24, is a third-year student at Loyola who was brought to the U.S. from India as a 3-year-old without any legal documents. Her DACA permit expires in January, and she's trying to renew it so she can continue medical school rotations that require clinical work. If shes able to work in U.S., Patel will work in disadvantaged areas of Illinois for four years, part of her agreement to get school loans.



Growing up, I didn't have insurance, she said. I knew what that felt like, being locked out of the whole system.



For others, there's added worry of being stuck with debt they cant repay.



Marcela Zhou, who was born in Mexico after her family moved there from China, is in her third year at the University of California at Los Angeles medical school. She wants to work in public health.



Can I even afford to finish medical school? said Zhou, who was 12 when she came to the U.S. on a visitor visa that eventually expired. It's sort of hard sometimes to keep going.
President Salva Kiir opened South Sudan's first-ever kidney hospital Thursday in Juba, calling it a breakthrough for the country's medical care.

The facility  a welcome positive sign in conflict-torn South Sudan -- is to provide free services to all kidney patients in the country, including foreigners who have been residing there for at least six months.

However, the government has not explained how it will pay for the services. Oil production is the country's main revenue-producer, and output remains far below normal as the country endures its fourth year of a civil war.

The Al Cardinal group of companies, headed by investor Asraf Seed Ahmed, built the hospital, which boasts 10 dialysis machines and the capacity to treat at least 50 patients a day, although no transplants will be performed for the time being.

As Asraf turned over management of the hospital to the government Thursday, he called on Kiir to ensure that the hospital remains well-staffed and continues to provide free care to all patients.

"Mr. President, I want this center to be taken care of. If this center is managed well, it means citizens will get good services. I call upon all the organizations and foreign embassies here to work and provide for the other needs of South Sudanese citizens," Asraf said.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests clapped and women ululated as Kiir said citizens can now receive "first-class treatment right here at home."

"They will no longer have to travel abroad for diagnosis and long-term care," he said.

Dr. Maker Isaac, director of Juba Teaching Hospital, said the new facility will receive 20 patients each month, but the overwhelming majority of kidney patients will be referred to other countries for treatment.

Isaac said a large number of South Sudanese patients suffered from suspected kidney diseases, many of whom died because there were no facilities available to treat or diagnose the disease.

"People die in front of us and we believe this death can be prevented simply by cleaning the blood of the patient, but we were unable to do anything. We just watch them die," he told VOA's South Sudan in Focus.

"Now, kidney patients can receive treatment, free of charge. This will make a very huge impact in the care of the patients in South Sudan," Isaac said.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has long faced United States sanctions over his government's human rights abuses. But the World Health Organization's new chief is making the longtime African leader a "goodwill ambassador."

With Mugabe on hand, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus told a conference in Uruguay this week on non-communicable diseases that he'd agreed to be a "goodwill ambassador" on the issue.

Tedros, an Ethiopian who became WHO's first African director-general this year, said Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region."

A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments to The Associated Press on Friday.

In his speech, Tedros described Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all."



Two dozen organizations _ including the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Cancer Research U.K.  released a statement slamming the appointment, saying health officials were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing his "long track record of human rights violations."

The groups said they had raised their concerns with Tedros on the sidelines of the conference, to no avail.

The southern African nation once was known as the region's prosperous breadbasket. But in 2008, the charity Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting failures in Zimbabwe's health system, saying that Mugabe's policies had led to a man-made crisis.

"The government of Robert Mugabe presided over the dramatic reversal of its population's access to food, clean water, basic sanitation and health care," the group concluded. "The Mugabe regime has used any means at its disposal, including politicizing the health sector, to maintain its hold on power."

The report said Mugabe's policies led directly to "the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school and the beatings of health workers."

The U.S. in 2003 imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and close associates, citing his government's rights abuses and evidence of electoral fraud.

U.N. agencies typically choose celebrities as ambassadors to draw attention to issues of concern, but they hold little actual power.

Last year, the U.N. dropped the superhero Wonder Woman as an ambassador for "empowering girls and women" after the decision drew widespread criticism.
Business

Allergan's patents on its dry-eye medicine Restasis were invalidated in a federal court in Texas on the grounds that they cover obvious ideas. The patents at issue were the same ones Allergan transferred to a Native American tribe in an effort to protect them from administrative review.

Toyota recalled 347,120 Sienna minivans from the 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 model years. At issue was grease in the shift lever assembly that could transfer to other parts, causing the vehicle to shift out of the "park" position and roll away.

Canadian jet-maker Bombardier said it would sell a controlling stake in its 100- to 150-seat C-series jetliner to European manufacturer Airbus, just weeks after the Commerce Department moved to impose 300 percent tariffs on the plane. The companies also said they will expand the plane's production to a new facility in Mobile, Ala., a move that could help it avoid the import duty.

Nordstrom called off a months-long attempt to go private. Members of the Nordstrom family  who together own 31 percent of the retail icon  announced this summer that they were looking to buy the remainder of the $7 billion company and take it private. But since then, the family was reported to have faced challenges in financing.

Capital Business

District tech incubator 1776 merged with a Philadelphia-based co-working space called Benjamin's Desk. The new company will be branded 1776 and have separate headquarters in Philadelphia and the District. When it was founded in 2013 with the help of a $200,000 grant from the D.C. government, the incubator agreed to stay in the District for five years.

Earnings

Netflix scored its best third quarter on record, the video streaming service said, its shows attracting 4.45 million customers abroad and 850,000 in the United States. Net income more than doubled to $130 million, or 29 cents a share, and revenue grew 30 percent to $2.99 billion, beating estimates.

Wall Street rivals Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley topped analysts' third-quarter expectations despite an industry-wide decline in bond trading. Goldman's private equity investments helped fuel its earnings, while Morgan Stanley's wealth management unit delivered record revenue and profit margins. Both reported higher investment banking revenue than the period a year ago and kept a lid on expenses relative to revenue.

UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurer, reported that third-quarter net earnings rose 26.3 percent. It projected earnings will grow 13 to 16 percent in 2018 as medical costs remain low, and it expects to benefit from new insurance products backed by President Trump.

Economy

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped to its lowest level in more than 44 years, pointing to a rebound in job growth after a hurricane-related decline in employment last month. The week ended Oct. 14 marked the 137th week in a row that claims were below the 300,000 threshold, which is associated with a robust labor market.

NAFTA talks ended their fourth round with sharp exchanges between the negotiators for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Despite the harsh words, the three ministers agreed to spread out the rounds of talks and extend them through the end of March.

Washington

Joseph Simons, a longtime expert in competition law, will be nominated to head the Federal Trade Commission, the White House announced.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a dispute between the federal government and Microsoft about the privacy of emails stored on servers overseas. It was the second important case on digital privacy accepted by the court; the first involves whether police need a warrant to access cellphone location data.

The Senate approved the Republican-backed budget, a major step for the party's effort to enact tax cuts. The budget's passage will allow the GOP to pass tax legislation through the Senate with 50 or more votes, removing the need for Democratic support.

Transitions

George Soros has transferred the bulk of his fortune to the Open Society Foundations, officials announced. By moving about $18 billion of his money into Open Society over the past few years, he made it the second-largest foundation in the United States.

Kenneth Chenault, one of the United States' most prominent black business executives and a longtime chairman and chief executive of American Express, said he will retire next year. Chenault, 66, guided the company through several seismic events, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Great Recession of 2008.

Arthur Cinader, founder of J. Crew, died at 90 from complications from a fall. He created a powerful brand, though never a financial juggernaut, based on a preppy aesthetic and named for the sport of rowing he admired for its Ivy League associations.


A new report says that Bill O'Reilly settled a sexual harassment allegation by a longtime Fox News contributor before his O'Reilly Factor"contract was renewed. (Richard Drew/AP) )

Former Fox News host Bill OReilly secretly settled a sexual harassment allegation with a network contributor for $32 million  the largest, by far, of six such agreements that eventually toppled the outspoken commentator, according to a new report.

The New York Times said Bill O'Reilly agreed to the settlement in January with Lis Wiehl, a longtime legal analyst at Fox who had worked with O'Reilly and had once offered him legal advice.

Despite knowledge of a settlement with Wiehl, Fox renewed its contract with OReilly in February, paying him $25 million per year over four years, the paper said.

In a brief interview on Saturday following publication of the Times story, OReilly declined to discuss details of the settlement with Wiehl, citing a confidentiality agreement. But he said he agreed to settle to protect my children from the horror of continuing adverse publicity had Wiehls allegations been litigated in court.

Thats it, OReilly said. I knew if I took this to court there would be three years of unrelenting headlines. Thats why I did it.

Wiehl alleged OReilly had repeatedly harassed her, had engaged in a nonconsensual sexual relationship with her, and had sent gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her, the paper said.

O'Reilly spokesman Mark Fabiani released an affidavit on Saturday in which Wiehl acknowledged that O'Reilly forwarded her emails that had been sent to him, apparently while seeking legal advice from her about what to do about them.

Additionally, over the years while I was acting as Bill OReillys counsel, he forwarded to me certain explicit emails that were sent to him, and any advice sought or rendered is attorney-client privileged, confidential and private, she said in the affidavit, dated Jan. 17. I have no claims against Bill OReilly concerning any of those emails or any of the allegations in the draft complaint.

Wiehl also said in the affidavit, We have since resolved all of our issues and that she would no longer make the allegations contained in a draft complaint against OReilly that she had drawn up months before.

Fabiani confirmed that Wiehl signed the affidavit after reaching a monetary settlement with OReilly. He also declined to comment on the size of the settlement paid to Wiehl, saying both OReilly and Wiehl were bound by a confidentiality agreement.

In a statement, Fabiani said the affidavit repudiates all allegations against OReilly. The Times ignored that evidence, sworn under oath, and chose to rely on unsubstantiated allegations, anonymous sources and incomplete leaked or stolen documents, he wrote.

Fabiani said 21st Century had paid out close to $100 million to dozens of women who had alleged harassment by other men at the network. Fox re-signed OReilly earlier this year, he wrote, after the company had analyzed and considered all the allegations against him.

Times editor Dean Baquet, responding to Fabiani on Saturday, disputed his characterization of the newspapers reporting. Mr. Fabiani, as often, addresses everything but what the story actually says, Baquet said in an email. This article like the others is accurate and deeply reported and we welcome any challenge to the facts.

OReilly was fired in April by Fox Newss parent company, 21st Century Fox, after the Times revealed that he had settled with five former colleagues who had alleged harassment by him over more than a decade. Neither Fox nor 21st Century acknowledged the settlement with Wiehl at the time OReilly was fired.

If the Timess figure is accurate, the latest settlement exceeds all of the previous agreements between OReilly and his accusers. The five agreements reportedly amounted to $13 million, and included a 2004 payment by OReilly to a former Fox producer named Andrea Mackris for $9 million.

OReilly personally paid two of these five settlements. Fox News paid the other three.

Fox re-signed OReilly  the most popular figure in cable news  about seven months after a sexual harassment scandal involving its chairman and co-founder, Roger Ailes, exploded in July of 2016. At the time, the company had undertaken internal steps to root out and address complaints of employee harassment. 21st Centurys top executives, James and Lachlan Murdoch  the sons of Fox News co-founder Rupert Murdoch  had publicly pledged to improve the workplace culture at Fox.

Nevertheless, the Murdochs decided to re-sign OReilly, despite being aware of his history of settlements, including the one with Wiehl only a month before they began contract renewal talks. OReilly was not only the networks marquee attraction, but his program was the single largest source of advertising revenue for Fox News, which is the most consistent profit center for 21st Century.

Ultimately, the Murdochs ousted O'Reilly after the initial Times report appeared in April, triggering an advertiser exodus from his program, "The O'Reilly Factor." The new round of harassment allegations also seemed to threaten British approval of 21st Century's multibillion-dollar purchase of Sky Broadcasting, a British-based satellite service.

The Murdochs subsequently booted Fox Newss president Bill Shine, who succeeded Ailes. Shine has been named as a defendant in several lawsuits by former Fox contributors and staffers.

Wiehl appeared regularly on OReillys program for 15 years, and said in her affidavit that she had worked with him, socialized with him and offered legal advice over an 18-year period.
Rushern Baker is one of eight Democratic candidates in the race for Maryland governor. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Dozens of Prince George's County teachers walked out in protest when County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) was introduced to address the Maryland State Education Association at its annual convention.

Theresa Dudley, president of the Prince Georges County Educators Association, said the protest on Friday afternoon was in response to an ongoing wage dispute with county leadership.

We werent going to listen to his garbage, Dudley said, adding that the group voted Friday morning to take the action.

Andrew Mallinoff, Bakers campaign manager, said the county executive respects the teachers union right to protest but he is not their enemy.

The disruption came as Betty Weller, president of MSEA, introduced Baker to address the crowd. Baker and the seven other Democratic candidates for Maryland governor, who are seeking the MSEAs endorsement, were given an opportunity during the two-day convention to answer questions from members of the union.

"What a way to start off," said Baker, who has received high marks in recent polls looking at the 2018 gubernatorial race. Weller quickly turned back to the program without acknowledging the disruption.

Dudley said members of the local union are upset that Baker has not provided back pay increases to them like, she said, he promised.

She alleged that Baker told the union in 2012 that if it supported the countys plan to bring the MGM Casino to National Harbor, he would ensure that teachers who were behind on their pay increases would receive the money.

You have to make people whole, she said.

Mallinoff declined to respond specifically to the charges by Dudley, describing it as  local politics. It doesnt reflect Bakers commitment to education. He said Baker has called for raising the bar on education and pushing people to rise to a new level. Whenever you do that there is going to be tension.

Fridays protest is not the first time Baker has been at odds with the county teachers union.

The union vehemently opposed Baker's plan in 2013 to take over the school system by appointing a new superintendent to his cabinet and assuming authority over the school system's budget. The state legislature approved a watered-down version of Baker's proposal, giving the county executive power to appoint the superintendent, now known as the chief executive officer, to select the board chairman and vice chairman and appoint several members to the school board.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:12:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army recaptured al-Qaryatayn in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria on Saturday following battles with the Islamic State (IS), state news agency SANA reported.

The recapture of al-Qaryatayn came after the IS militants stormed the town earlier this month for the second time as part of a recent large-scale counter-offensive in the Syrian desert.

The Syrian forces later laid a siege on that area before the army fully captured the town on Saturday.

The recent attacks from IS aimed to release its pressure in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the army is tightening the noose on the terror group.

The city is strategically important due to its proximity to the Syrian city of Qara, a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shiite group, which is fighting alongside the Syrian army in key battlefields in the country.
A fire Saturday morning at a Bethesda apartment building displaced as many as 1,500 people, officials said.

Six people were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation, and a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Battalion Chief Michael Leigh said.

The fire occurred at 5225 Pooks Hill Rd., a high-rise residential building off Rockville Pike, near the Capital Beltway. Firefighters responded to a call about smoke on the upper floors about 9 a.m. Saturday, Leigh said. He said the fire was under control by midday.

Between 1,100 and 1,500 residents were displaced from one of the two towers  each with 550 units  Leigh said.

Officials said the fire involved the power feed to the apartment complex. Photos provided by the fire department showed severe damage to the buildings electrical room. Leigh said transformers connected to the north building of the complex caught fire.

Some residents who walked down the stairwells were treated for smoke inhalation, and elderly residents were being evaluated early Saturday afternoon, according to authorities.

Residents of the south tower of the Promenade apartment complex evacuated during the fire and were allowed back inside by early afternoon. Leigh said residents in the north tower will be allowed to pick up personal belongings and medications from their apartments but cannot stay overnight, because the building has no electricity or water.

The American Red Cross worked to set up a shelter for residents.

The fire department tweeted Saturday afternoon that damage to the building was estimated at $1 million. About 140 firefighters responded to the call.
Maryland prosecutors have dropped child pornography charges against Rockville teenager Henry Sanchez Milian, quietly ending a case that erupted onto the national stage when Sanchez Milian and a friend  who each entered the country illegally last year  were accused of raping a classmate in a school bathroom.

I am grateful to God, Sanchez Milians stepmother, Lorena Hernandez, said outside of court Friday. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel.

With the dismissed charges, Sanchez Milian no longer faces any counts from incidents that unfolded on March 16, when a 14-year-old student at Rockville High School told school officials and detectives she had been forced into a bathroom stall, held down and attacked.

Sanchez Milian, 18 at the time, and Jose Montano, 17 at the time, were charged by Montgomery County police with rape and sex offense counts, punishable by life in prison. Montano was charged as an adult.

In the two months that followed, however, prosecutors studied high school surveillance video, reviewed phone records, spoke to the girl and others, and concluded the original claims could not be corroborated. Defense attorneys had been telling prosecutors for weeks that the sex acts had been consensual.



Henry Sanchez Milian (Montgomery County Police)

In May, prosecutors dropped the rape case but filed charges against the suspects related to possession of child pornography. According to their new case, before March 16, Montano had engaged in lewd text exchanges with the 14-year-old, and she sent him images of herself unclothed. Montano then forwarded the images to Sanchez Milian, prosecutors said.

[Rape charges to be dropped against immigrant teens in Md. case]

Defense attorneys did not deny that sequence of events, but they blasted prosecutors for what they said was a stretch of child pornography laws designed to go after adults. Montanos attorneys resolved his pornography case in juvenile court when he admitted to possessing one of the images.

But Sanchez Milian  who had stayed in the adult court system  was facing trial on child pornography charges at the end of October. His defense attorneys had dug in for a fight, establishing in hearings that they had the legal right to call the girl to the witness stand for questioning about whether the images in the texts were of her.

Prosecutors, who had contended they could make their case without her testimony, said Friday that having her testify would needlessly traumatize a teenage girl who has suffered mental-health issues. Having her called as a witness also would go against the wishes of the girls family, prosecutors said in court.

The parent of the victim expressed significant concerns that participation at trial would be detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of the child, Assistant States Attorney Mary Herdman said in court, reading from a document she submitted as part of the record dropping the child pornography case.

Herdman said prosecutors wanted to protect this vulnerable child from further harm in this matter.

Prosecutors have said that they earlier had considered pursuing a case of statutory rape, which holds that a victim is too young to legally consent. But under Maryland law, to make such a case with a victim who is 14, the suspects must be a full four years older, according to prosecutors and defense attorneys. In this case, neither Montano, at 17, nor Sanchez Milian, who was a relatively young 18, was a full four years older than the girl.

Andrew Jezic, an attorney for Sanchez Milian, said prosecutors made the right decision for all involved. "It's such a sad case," he said. "We just hope and pray the girl and her family find peace."

Sanchez Milian, a native of Guatemala, and Montano, from El Salvador, were stopped at the U.S. border last year, detained, and then allowed to continue on to relatives in Montgomery County, where they enrolled at Rockville High at the ninth-grade level.

Their immigration status, and the brutality of the original accusations, caught the attention of the White House and drew international notice.

[Rockville High case drew attention at White House briefing]

Though the Maryland criminal cases have come to an end, Sanchez Milian and Montano face possible deportation.

After court Friday, Sanchez Milian was taken back to the Montgomery County jail, according to his attorneys. He is being held there, for a limited time, because immigration agents had earlier lodged a detainer against him, according to jail officials.

David Moyse, one of Sanchez Milian's attorneys, said he expected immigration officials to take custody of his client and start the deportation process. But Sanchez Milian has a strong case for staying in the United States and attempting to seek legal status, Moyse said.

Henry had never been in any trouble prior to these allegations, he said. Hes got no criminal convictions or connections to gangs. He doesnt even have a speeding ticket.

Montano's attorneys also are trying to keep him in the country. Attorney Jose Canto said Friday that immigration officials have launched a removal case against his client.

Canto is seeking asylum protection for Montano, in part because some media coverage of the rape allegations indicated Montano may have been a member of the MS-13 gang. Montano never belonged to MS-13, Canto said, but the label could put him in danger from rival gangs, or MS-13, if he were deported to El Salvador.

Jose just wants to go to school and take advantage of the opportunities this country offers, Canto said. Unfortunately, he and Henry became the faces of the illegal immigration debate in this country.

(This file has been updated to include a definition of statutory rape in Maryland.)
Three men were killed early Saturday in a police chase that ended with a vehicle crashing in Charles County, authorities said.

At about 2:10 a.m., a Maryland State Police trooper attempted to stop a 2013 Honda Civic that had run a red light on Old Washington Road (Route 925) just north of Route 5 in Waldorf. Police said the vehicle fled the trooper, going south in the northbound lanes for about 300 yards and then fleeing at excessive speeds before crashing into a tree a few miles later.

Police identified the driver of the black Honda as Sollan Belina, 28, of North Carolina. The passengers were identified as Joseph Nystrom, 24, also of North Carolina, and Luis Daboin, 24, of Hughesville, Md. Authorities said the two men from North Carolina were visiting Daboin.

The trooper pursued the car southbound on Route 925. Authorities said the vehicle was on the wrong side of the road and exceeded the 35 mph speed limit. At one point, police said, the driver pulled over to the shoulder, but then accelerated hard, fleeing the traffic stop. As the vehicle continued on Route 925, it topped 100 mph, police said.

When the Honda turned onto Billingsley Road, it struck a concrete median, went airborne and landed in a grassy area in front of a Wawa in White Plains.

The vehicle continued until it collided head-on with a tree, rotating counterclockwise around the tree, police said.

The three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Authorities said that the incident is under investigation and that alcohol and speed appear to have been factors. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call the La Plata Barrack duty officer at 301-392-1200.
American novelist Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer prize winner and National Book Award 2016, attends the presentation of the Italian edition of his last novel "The Underground Railroad" at the Argentina Theatre in Rome, Friday, Oct. 20 2017. (Maurizio Brambatti/AP)

Novelist Colson Whitehead won the 2017 Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Fiction Award for The Underground Railroad, a novel that documents the life of a 15-year-old enslaved girl named Cora who escapes from a cotton plantation in Georgia, where life is horrendous. With a slave catcher hunting her, she makes a harrowing flight north in search of freedom, traveling on a literal underground railroad made up of secret tracks, tunnels, engineers and conductors.

The Hurston/Wright judges described The Underground Railroad, which also won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, as a book of remarkable craft and imagination.

[Book World Review: The Underground Railroad]

His award was among those presented Friday by the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, which was founded in Washington in 1990 with a mission to ensure the survival of black writers and their literature.

Whiteheads attention to the pain of slavery and the current state of race in this country is unprecedented, the judges said. The novel, which was a New York Times bestseller, confirms Whiteheads place in the African American canon of great authors.



Poetry Winner Donika Kelly, congratulated by Congressman John Lewis at the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award Ceremony. (Photo by Kea Taylor/Imagine Photography)

The Washington Plaza hotel in Northwest Washington was bustling Friday with literary stars, publishing icons, writers, poets, editors and essayists. More than 200 people attended the annual gala, including Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who won the Ella Baker Award that honors writers and arts activists who advance social justice. Lewis said he was honored to receive the award named after Ella Baker, a civil rights and human rights activist who helped organize the Freedom Movement and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

I wish Ella Baker could be here to see what weve been able to accomplish and to see there are forces trying to take us back to another place and another time, Lewis told the gala attendees. But Ella Baker, if she could speak to us ... she would say we must never, ever give up or give in. If we see something not right, not fair, not just, we have a moral obligation to find a way to get in the way.

Carla Hayden, who made history in 2016 when she became the first woman and first black person sworn in as librarian of Congress, was presented with the North Star Award. Poet Haki Madhubuti won the Madam C.J. Walker Award, which honors exceptional innovation in sustaining black literature.

The 2017 award for nonfiction went to Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso: A Tale of Race, Sex, and Violence in America, by Kali Nicole Gross.

The book focuses on a whodunit murder case in 1887 Philadelphia, after a beheaded torso was discovered in a pond. The mysterious torso defied race, appearing neither white nor black. Gross researched detectives notes and trial transcripts to unravel the story of Hannah Mary Tabbs, a black woman who refused to live within the confines of stereotypes.

Dubbed a murderess, Tabbs and the torso case would be front-page news for months because it unearthed otherwise forbidden subjects such as adultery, sex and domestic violence, Gross wrote. The victim was thought to be her lover, but Tabbs blamed an 18-year-old mixed-race teenager named George Wilson for the crime. Their fates became intertwined within the brutally racist criminal justice system of the time.

The Legacy Award for debut fiction went to Damnificados, by J.J. Amaworo Wilson, who the judges said created a fabulist and gritty dystopia that is nearly allegorical in its portrayal of the dispossessed.



Carla Hayden at the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award Ceremony. (Photo by Kea Taylor/Imagine Photography)

The award for poetry went to Bestiary, by Donika Kelly, whose plain-spoken way of proceeding is a guise for sharp truths that leave readers wounded, the judges said.

What beast/ will your blade free next? Kelly wrote. What call will you loose/ from another womans throat?

The Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers went to Shakarean Hutchinson, an MFA student at Cornell University, who won in the fiction category for her story How to Kill Pigs.

Cheswayo Gabriel Mphanza, an MFA student at Rutgers University, won the college writers poetry prize for his collection of three poems.

Finalists in the legacy awards fiction category were The Loss of All Lost Things, by Amina Gautier and Another Brooklyn, by Jacqueline Woodson.

Nonfiction finalists were The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, by Alondra Nelson and In the Wake: On Blackness and Being, by Christina Sharpe.

Poetry finalists were Francine J. Harris for Play Dead and Phillip B. Williams who wrote Thief in the Interior.
Hogans $9 billion plan would add four toll lanes each to Marylands portion of the Capital Beltway and to I-270 from the Beltway to Frederick. It would also widen the Baltimore-Washington Parkway by four toll lanes. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogans proposal to add toll lanes to three of the most congested highways in the Washington suburbs reaches beyond similar proposals that stalled over the years after being deemed too expensive or disruptive to adjacent communities.

Hogans $9 billion plan would add four toll lanes each to Marylands portion of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and to I-270 from the Beltway to Frederick. It would also widen the Baltimore-Washington Parkway by four toll lanes.

The project would be built using a public-private partnership in what Hogan (R) has said would be the largest such deal for highways in North America.

The success of Hogans plan hinges, in part, on whether the private companies can figure out what state planners havent been able to: how to add four cost-effective toll lanes without having to demolish dozens, and potentially hundreds, of homes and businesses.

[Maryland governor proposes adding toll lanes to relieve traffic congestion]

Theyre putting a plan on the table, so I think the burden is on them to show how it would be done with the environmental and right-of-way questions we have, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said.

Leggett added that he welcomes any attempt to ease gridlock in the region but questions the viability of Hogans proposal. I just think it will be very difficult to accommodate all that, he said.

The states own studies show that it wont be easy.

A 2004 analysis found that four additional lanes could fit on Marylands portion of the Beltway if they were double-decked 80 feet in the air  an idea rejected as prohibitively expensive and impractical.

A 2009 look at the northern part of I-270 determined that adding four toll lanes would require razing up to 250 homes and 10 businesses  a possibility that contributed to Montgomery leaders calling for two less-disruptive, reversible lanes.

A 2012 federal and state study of how to widen the B-W Parkway by two lanes  half the width of Hogans proposal  found that doing so would displace up to 14 homes and two businesses while increasing noise and shrinking tree buffers for nearby communities. The study also predicted a sharp increase in traffic, noting that a wider road would carry more traffic, but not necessarily be less congested.

Doug Mayer, Hogans communications director, said the governor isnt basing his four-lane plan on previous research.

If the world only moved forward based on studies that are 10 years old, there would be no forward progress ever again, Mayer said.  . . . The governor believes in forward-looking, innovative ideas. Thats exactly what this is.

[Hogan transportation plan refutes criticism that he doesnt sweat the big stuff]

Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn said the state is keeping the proposal vague to encourage creative design bids. He said hes confident that the private sector can better minimize impacts. He pointed to Texas, where six new toll lanes were recently added to a Dallas highway without widening it. In areas where land was tight, the private partner submerged the new lanes in a canyon-like trench, with the regular lanes cantilevered over them.

There are engineering solutions that dont mean you have to take out a hundred homes, Rahn said. Im hopeful those are the kind of proposals were going to receive. If we dont receive those kinds of proposals, then well have to make tough decisions, but I really believe there are solutions. I know there are ways to deal with very tight rights of way.

Rahn said the plan includes expanding the American Legion Bridge, a notorious bottleneck, so motorists can remain in toll lanes between Maryland and Northern Virginia, where high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes opened on the Beltway in 2012. Like Virginia, Marylands tolls would fluctuate based on congestion levels to keep traffic moving, but Rahn said the state hasnt decided whether its lanes would be free for carpools.

[Maryland has $100 million plan to reduce congestion, improve safety on I-270]

Rahn said the public-private partnership would minimize the financial burden to the state  similar to how Virginia added toll lanes to the Beltway, Interstate 95 and part of Interstate 66 in its Washington suburbs.

A team of companies would finance construction and pay the state an upfront fee in exchange for receiving toll revenue long-term. The states only expense, Rahn said, would come in hiring the very best lawyers and financial consultants to oversee its interests in what are typically highly complex deals. He said the private companies would be on the hook for paying off the construction debt, regardless of how much toll revenue materialized.

The state will have no risk from the standpoint of how it performs, Rahn said of the toll lanes.

The $7.6 billion public-private partnership would cover 42 miles on the Beltway and 34 miles on I-270. The bid-solicitation process is in its earliest stages.

The states transportation authority would build and manage the 29 miles of toll lanes on the B-W Parkway, assuming that the U.S. Interior Department transfers the road to the state.

Things have only gotten worse since those [previous] studies were conducted, and were finding ourselves choking on traffic, Rahn said. Something has to be done. If were going to have an impact on this, weve got to do something big. Its the idea that big problems need big solutions.

But some experts say the logistical challenges remain big, too.

Much of Marylands right of way for the Beltway is narrower than in Northern Virginia, where eight homes were torn down to build the I-495 HOT lanes as part of a public-private partnership. The states initial design would have displaced more than 300 homes, a project official said.

Neil Pedersen, Marylands highway administrator from 2003 to 2011, said the state never really seriously studied the double-decker option for four additional Beltway lanes because they would be too costly and noisy.

Because of limited public land along the Beltway, he said, the state focused on how to squeeze in two new carpool lanes, one in each direction.

We were trying to develop alternatives that would stay within the existing right of way because of the impact that four lanes were expected to have outside of the right of way, said Pedersen, now executive director of the nonprofit Transportation Research Board. There are a lot of homes right up next to the Beltway. . . . Its more of a challenge trying to add two additional lanes in each direction.

Much of I-270 doesnt have room without taking homes, he said.

The existing I-270 is built up right to the edge of the right of way, Pedersen said. Therefore, it was assumed it would be very difficult to add any additional lanes.

The studies were put on hold after the recession hit in the late 2000s, Pedersen said, and local officials didnt make either widening proposal a high priority.

The Republican governor faces a potentially tough political sell with Democratic-controlled local governments. While the state typically prioritizes megaprojects based on local wish lists, leaders in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties said they first learned of Hogans highway plan from the Sept. 21 news conference announcing it. Both counties have typically lobbied the state for transit projects, such as the light-rail Purple Line now under construction, and smaller interchange improvements.

Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), who is running for his partys nomination to challenge Hogan, noted that the governor announced his highway plan right before the 2018 election. He said Hogan could face a backlash from motorists being asked to pay tolls when they already pay more at the pump from a 2013 state gas tax increase intended to fund transportation projects.

Ive just never seen a project that didnt require state funding in some way, and that money has to come from somewhere, Baker said.  . . . The question becomes whether this is a project the governor really pushes through.

Montgomery Council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large) said hes concerned local roads wont be able to handle the additional traffic wider highways would attract. He said he wants Hogan to explain why I-270 needs four new toll lanes when he and other Montgomery officials believe that two lanes that would reverse for the morning and evening rush would do the job with less impact on surrounding communities.

Is it bold to put two extra lanes on a road that you dont need? Elrich asked. Id be more impressed if he said, Heres our analysis. Heres our data. . . . Its not clear to me that this is very well thought out.

Meanwhile, Washington Post polls show that local support for paying to escape congestion has grown. A June 2013 Post poll found that 52 percent of residents in Prince Georges and Montgomery supported adjustable tolls on the Beltway, up from 43 percent in 2005.

And some say theyre not sweating the financial or logistical details of Hogans plan yet. Bob Buchanan, a developer and president of the 2030 Group for regional business leaders, said hes just happy that a Maryland governor is talking about the vast majority of people stuck in traffic in a state that has long focused on transit, transit, transit.

I think just getting it on the table and getting people to talk about the viability and the need and how well accomplish it  thats far more than has been done in a heck of a long time, Buchanan said. In the past, its been all the reasons why we cant do something, and yet everyone knows we have some of the worst traffic congestion in the country.

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
Marylands Department of Transportation has given conditional approval to the construction of a tunnel from Baltimore to Washington, giving a boost  or hype, depending on the viewpoint  to entrepreneur Elon Musks plan to build a super-high-speed transportation system.

The agency said Musks the Boring Company can dig miles of tunnel under state roads to be used for the privately financed Hyperloop.

Transportation experts and engineers were left weighing what one U.S. official termed the visionary/charlatan ratio when it comes to Musk and his latest grand plan. Is it the beginning of something brilliant  or brilliant marketing hype?

The project will start near Fort Meade, in Anne Arundel County, said Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer. About 10 miles of tunnel will be under the state-owned portion of MD 295, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, he said.

Its called a utility permit. Thats all they need to do the digging, Mayer said. Its a private company, privately financed. The costs to the state will be extremely limited, if anything at all. The state has been working with them for multiple months on the permit process.

The idea of digging a long tunnel  its roughly 35 miles from Penn Station to Union Station, though the actual route hasnt been revealed  is not far-fetched, said Mike Mooney, a tunneling professor at the Colorado School of Mines.

This is not outside the realm. Its conceivable, certainly, Mooney said.

Is it a big project? Sure, he added. But thats by U.S. standards, where five miles is considered the high end. Its not a big project globally.

Technology has dramatically improved tunneling, and in vast Chinese cities, or in Qatars capital Doha, subways, road tunnels and other projects might hit 50 or even 100 miles of digging within a five-year span, Mooney said.

Tunnel boring machines can cut through the earth, sometimes just tens of feet below the surface, leaving cement supports behind and causing no damage to the roads or buildings above, he added.

So Washington-area commuters could soon be inching along in traffic as Musks cheekily named the Boring Company inches below at 100 or 150 feet a day, or potentially faster if Musks promised technical upgrades to the digging process materialize

The knock on tunneling is its expensive. Its more expensive than surface transportation. So anything that can be done to bring innovation to drive costs down is a good thing, Mooney said.

But big questions remain on costs  to build the project and to use the system, which would work by shooting pods in vacuum-sealed tubes at high speeds.

Jose Gomez-Ibanez, a professor of Urban Planning at the Harvard Kennedy School, said he counts himself in the skeptical camp, but he does not count out Musk, who has succeeded against long odds in the past.

I cant understand why going that fast is going to be easier in the tube than through the air, Gomez-Ibanez says. Theres a reason why trains have lost out to planes over longer distances, and thats in part because its hard to maintain a really high quality right of way, in this case an airtight vacuum tunnel.

Youve got to respect this guy, because hes really got a record for making things that other people were skeptical about happening, Gomez-Ibanez said of Musk, the electric car pioneer and rocket builder. But the reality of so much infrastructure will provide a major hurdle for the Hyperloop, he said.

That could translate to costs that may be prohibitive to the general public, said Kevin Chang, an assistant professor and transportation engineer at the University of Idaho.

And as with any mode of transportation, safety issues need to be thought through, Chang said. If theres an unforeseen crash that occurs along the corridor, how do you mitigate the loss of life? he said.

Still, as an engineer, hes excited by the prospect  and the freedom it could give people to live where they want.

Musk said this summer on Twitter that he had verbal govt approval to build a pod-and-tube transportation system, and one of his super-high-speed pod-and-tube transportation systems, known as a Hyperloop, could make the trip from New York to Washington in 29 minutes.

I might consider working on one end of the route, and living on the other end, Chang said.

Musk also announced this summer that he had completed the first segment of his first tunnel, in Los Angeles. Another firm, Hyperloop One, is also pressing hard on the idea.

But last weeks announcement left more questions than answers.

Maryland officials did not immediately have information on what is involved in the conditional approval or whether any environmental reviews are necessary for the project. Mayer referred questions on the construction timeline, costs and sources of funds to the Boring Company, which declined to answer them, relying instead on a short statement released by the state.

The Boring Company would like to thank Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the White House Office of American Innovation for their support, the company said. In March, President Trump appointed his son-in-law, senior adviser Jared Kushner, to lead the office.

A White House spokesman said the innovation office served as a guide to the process and helped convene meetings and calls when appropriate to advance the broader Hyperloop project.

As for the District, a spokesman for the District Department of Transportation, Terry Owens, said: We have had conversations with the Musk people. . . . Were trying to better understand the concept as its been developed so far.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. It is MD 295, not Interstate 295. This version has been corrected.
President Trump announced Saturday morning that he planned to release the tens of thousands of never-before-seen documents left in the files related to President John F. Kennedys assassination held by the National Archives and Records Administration.

"Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened," Trump tweeted early Saturday.

Experts have been speculating for weeks about whether Trump would disclose the documents. The 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act required that the millions of pages, many of them contained in CIA and FBI documents, be published in 25 years  by Thursday. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted.

[Pressure grows on Trump to release the JFK files]

But one final batch remains, and only the president has the authority to extend the papers secrecy past the deadline.

In his tweet, Trump seemed to strongly imply he was going to release all the remaining documents, but the White House later said that if other government agencies made a strong case not to release the documents, he wouldnt.

The president believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise, the White House said in a statement Saturday.

In the days leading up to Trump's announcement, a National Security Council official told The Washington Post that government agencies were urging the president not to release some of the documents. But Trump's longtime confidant Roger Stone told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars this past week that he personally lobbied Trump to release all of the documents.

[Roger Stone is the man the media cant ignore]

Stone also told Jones that CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been lobbying the president furiously not to release these documents.

Some Republican lawmakers have also been urging Trump for a full release. Earlier this month, Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, brought forward resolutions calling on Trump to reject any claims for the continued postponement of the documents.

No reason 2 keep hidden anymore, Grassley tweeted earlier this month. Time 2 let American ppl + historians draw own conclusions.

Though Kennedy assassination experts say that they do not think the last batch of papers contains any major bombshells, the presidents decision to release the documents could heighten the clarity around the assassination, which has fueled so many conspiracy theorists, including Trump.

In May 2016, while on the presidential campaign trail, Trump gave an interview to Fox News strongly accusing the father of GOP primary opponent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) of consorting with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald right before the shooting.

Some Kennedy assassination researchers think that the trove could shed light on a key question that President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to unsuccessfully put to rest in 1963: Did Oswald act alone, or was he aided or propelled by a foreign government?

The records are also said to include details on Oswalds activities while he was traveling in Mexico City in late September 1963 and courting Cuban and Soviet spies, as well as the CIAs personality profiles written of Oswald after the assassination.

But some experts fear the history that may be lost forever in unreadable documents in the trove. One listed as unintelligible is a secret communication from the CIA to the Office of Naval Intelligence about Oswald in October 1963  weeks before the assassination. Oswald had been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 1959, but it was later changed to a dishonorable discharge. He was outraged and made threats late in 1963 when he learned the military had rejected his appeal of its decision.

[JFKs last birthday: Gifts, champagne and wandering hands on the presidential yacht]

Phil Shenon, who wrote a book about the Warren Commission, which was established by Johnson to investigate Kennedys killing, said he was pleased with Trumps decision to release the documents. But he wonders to what degree the papers will ultimately be released.

Its great news that the president is focused on this and that hes trying to demonstrate transparency. But the question remains whether he will open the library in full  every word in every document, as the law requires, Shenon said. And my understanding is that he wont without infuriating people at the CIA and elsewhere who are determined to keep at least some of the information secret, especially in documents created in the 1990s.

There are about 3,100 previously unreleased files that hold tens of thousands of pages of new material. The National Archives also has another 30,000 pages with information that has been disclosed before, but only partially and with redactions.

Jefferson Morley, a former Post reporter who has studied the Kennedy assassination records for years, said that the last tranche of material is also intriguing because it contains files on senior CIA officials from the 1960s  officers well aware of Oswalds activities in the days before the assassination.

He specifically pointed to the files of former CIA officers William K. Harvey and David Phillips. Morley said Harvey led the agencys assassinations operations and feuded constantly with Kennedys brother, Robert F. Kennedy, over the administrations crisis with Cuba. Phillips, Morley said, oversaw the agencys operations against Cuban President Fidel Castro and was deeply familiar with the CIAs surveillance of Oswald in Mexico City.

Whats in those files could tell us how those men did their jobs, said Morley, who wrote a 2008 book on the agencys Mexico City station chief. There might be stuff on why we were interested in the Cuban consulate, how we surveilled the consulate, how we did our audio work, and how did we recruit spies there? We might understand much better why they were watching Oswald.

John Wagner and Carol D. Leonnig contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this report mistakenly described the Warren Commission as a congressional body. The commission was established by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate Kennedys assassination.
Millions of Americans with insurance through the Affordable Care Act could find themselves locked into health plans they do not want for the coming year because of the Trump administrations schedule for the enrollment season that starts in less than two weeks.

The complication arises when people who already have health plans under the law are automatically re-enrolled in the same plan. In the past, a few million consumers each year have been auto-

enrolled and then were sent government notices encouraging them to check whether they could find better or more affordable coverage.

This time, according to a federal document obtained by The Washington Post, the automatic enrollment will take place after it is too late to make any changes. Auto-enrollment will occur immediately after the last day of the ACA sign-up season, which the Trump administration has shortened, leaving the vast majority of such consumers stranded without any way to switch to a plan they might prefer.

That inability is particularly problematic at the moment, health policy specialists say, because political turmoil surrounding the sprawling health-care law has contributed to spikes in 2018 insurance rates that might catch customers by surprise, as well as widespread public confusion about this fifth years enrollment season.

The administrations unannounced decision about the nuances of auto-enrollment is part of a pattern in which President Trumps antipathy for the ACA  he erroneously terms its insurance exchanges dead  has filtered into a series of actions and inactions that could suppress the number of Americans who receive coverage through the marketplaces for 2018.

The sign-up period is to run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15  half the duration of the past three years. Last month, federal health officials announced that they were slashing by 90 percent the money devoted to outreach and advertising aimed at uninsured Americans eligible for ACA coverage and people already covered who need to sign up again. At the same time, funding for enrollment helpers, known as navigators, has been curtailed by about 40 percent.

Last week, Trump took two dramatic steps that are likely to weaken the ACA marketplaces further. He ended billions of dollars in reimbursements to marketplace insurers for discounts the law requires them to provide to lower-income customers for deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses. And the president signed an executive order that, over time, is likely to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to buy relatively inexpensive health plans that can circumvent consumer protections and medical benefits required under the law.

How the renewal of current customers in ACA marketplaces will be handled is one of several crucial questions about aspects of the imminent enrollment period that have remained murky as Nov. 1 approaches.

According to the document, "Consumer Timelines," from the Health and Human Services Department's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing ACA marketplaces, the automatic re-enrollment will take place starting Dec. 16, the day after the enrollment season ends. That is the same date as the past three years, but before, when the sign-up period lasted until Jan. 31, consumers had time to go into HealthCare.gov, the website for the federal insurance exchange on which most states rely, and either shop for a more affordable plan or drop their coverage.

Asked about the timing, CMS officials on Friday did not specifically confirm the auto-enrollment date but issued a statement that said: Similar to Medicares open-enrollment period, if you miss the deadline to enroll in a plan of your choice, you will not be able to make any changes to your plan until the next coverage year except for a small number of people eligible for a special enrollment period because of moves, marriages, new babies or other life changes. The statement said that auto-enrollment will happen this year and that we encourage all consumers to shop and pick a plan that best suits their health-care needs.

Last year, 2.8 million Americans  or nearly one quarter of the 12.2 million with ACA health plans at the end of the enrollment season for 2017 coverage  were automatically re-enrolled. That figure does not include an unknown number who had received auto-enrollment notices and then chose a different health plan.

It remains unclear whether consumers will be notified of when the automatic enrollment will take place  or that they will be unable to make changes afterward. A page on the HealthCare.gov website, containing information on how to keep or change a health plan, says that current ACA customers will receive two notices before Nov. 1  one from the federal marketplace and the other from their insurer. It does not say what information those notices will contain.

Asked to clarify, CMS officials did not provide details and pointed to an August news release that said the $10 million remaining for outreach efforts, down from $100 million last year, would focus on telling consumers about the new dates of the open-enrollment period through digital media, email, and text messages.

Consumer advocates and health policy experts, told of the auto-enrollment timing, were critical. "If they find out after Dec. 15 they've been auto-enrolled, there is a real danger people will not be able to pay the premiums  or will drop out," said Cheryl Fish-Parcham, director of access initiatives for Families USA, a liberal consumer-health lobby.

It was never a good idea to auto-enroll. The advice has always been to come back and shop, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. But before, consumers could later choose different coverage. Now thats it. The curtain falls.
Older or disabled Americans with Medicare coverage have probably noticed an uptick in mail solicitations from health insurance companies, which can mean only one thing: Its time for the annual Medicare open enrollment.

Most beneficiaries have from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 to decide which of dozens of private plans offer the best drug coverage for 2018 or whether its better to leave traditional Medicare and get a drug and medical combo policy called Medicare Advantage.

Some tips for the novice and reminders for those who have been here before can make the process a little easier.

Pay attention to the mail.

If you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, carefully read the annual notice of change or evidence of benefits letter from the insurer. It is not another sales pitch or more insurance mumbo-jumbo. This required letter highlights the cost and benefit changes in store for next year. Ask your insurer for another copy if you cant find the one you should have received by now.

Some people just tend to get that mail and throw it all in the trash, but its really important that they read it, said Francine Chuchanis, director of entitlement rights at Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities, an Ohio group that assists older adults and people with disabilities.

Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage?

The open enrollment period is your opportunity to switch plans, including moving between the government-run traditional Medicare program and Medicare Advantage.

Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers that receive payments from the federal government to help cover the costs of beneficiaries. They restrict members to their network of doctors and hospitals and a list, or formulary, of covered drugs. With some rare exceptions, you cannot leave the plans midyear  even if the plans drop drugs from the formulary and even if your hospitals, physician specialists or suppliers of medical equipment leave the plan.

But unlike traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans often cover dental, hearing and vision care, and they cap your out-of-pocket expenses. Once you reach that limit, the insurer pays for covered services and you pay nothing. But details of these plans  such as the caps on member spending, the premium prices and service areas  can change from year to year.

On the other hand, with traditional Medicare, patients can go to any provider who participates in the program, as most providers do. Because there is no limit on the share of medical expenses beneficiaries pay, most purchase Medigap supplemental policies or have other insurance to lower those costs.

Check your plans network.

If you're tempted to choose a Medicare Advantage plan, contact your doctors, hospital and other providers to find out whether they are in the plan's network. Be sure to give them the plan's full name, not just the name of the insurance company because insurers offer multiple plans that may have similar names, said Gina Upchurch, executive director of Senior PharmAssist in Durham, N.C. If you have the plan's code numbers, she said, share them as well.

Confirm where your drugs are available.

When choosing a drug plan under Medicare's Part D, your total costs are most important, which means you'll need to consider factors beyond the premiums. You may pay different amounts when the plan begins each year than when you're in the coverage gap called the doughnut hole and after you get out of that hole. Find out whether the lowest price for a drug that you use is available at your favorite pharmacy or if you must travel elsewhere to get that price. Most plans offer their lowest prices only at in-network pharmacies.

Also, ask what other restrictions apply. For example, do you need prior authorization or might you be required to try another drug before you can get the one your doctor prescribed? Also, will the price vary depending on the frequency or the quantity of your prescription?

You can save thousands of dollars just by switching pharmacies, said Christina Dimas-Kahn, director of the San Mateo County office of the California Department of Agings Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. Thats because a drug plans prices can depend on whether a drugstore is a preferred pharmacy within the plans network. Dimas-Kahn said she helped a senior reduce his drug bill last year from $119,000 to $18,000 after changing pharmacies.

Do you qualify for a subsidy?

Low-income people can qualify for the "extra help" subsidy that pays for the premiums of certain drug plans and other costs. They may also be eligible for assistance to reduce their share of medical costs in traditional Medicare. Premiums and subsidy amounts can change each year, so if you already have the subsidy, confirm that it is enough to cover the plan's premium next year. Otherwise, you may be billed for the difference.

Check the calendar.

Theres a lot to consider and only a few weeks to do it. And remember, this enrollment period is different from the Affordable Care Acts marketplace enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Dec. 15.

Federal officials have granted seniors who live in areas affected by this year's hurricane damage  Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands  or depend on caregivers in those areas until the end of December to make their choices.

Getting help

Individual assistance is free from the federally funded Senior Health Insurance Information Program (shiptacenter.org) and the Medicare Rights Center (800-333-4114 and its website Medicare Interactive (medicareinteractive.org) as well as from Medicare's plan finder website and help line (medicare.gov, 800-633-4227).

Still, studies have shown that most Medicare beneficiaries dont switch plans.

"They are likely to stay with whatever plan they're in because they are afraid to make a change," said Bonnie Burns, a consultant for California Health Advocates.

 Kaiser Health News

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service and an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:17:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia has said it is confident that Iran is fulfilling all its obligations under a multilateral agreement on its nuclear program and will not take part in any talks on amending the deal.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the remarks Saturday at an international nuclear weapons non-proliferation conference here, TASS news agency reported.

Russia is not ready to participate in any talks on amending the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

The deal is delicately balanced and any change could cause the collapse of the whole agreement, he warned.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, in July 2015. Under the deal, Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapon program in exchange for economic aid and lifting of international sanctions.

However, on Oct. 13, U.S. President Donald Trump called for decertifying the agreement, alleging Iran had committed "multiple violations".

Though the decertification would not mean Washington exiting the Iran nuclear deal at the moment, it would open a 60-day window in which the U.S. Congress could reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said last week that Iran was implementing the JCPOA under a robust verification regime.
Does the arc of the moral universe really bend toward justice, as American abolitionist Theodore Parker famously said?

It didnt look that way when Paul Farmer, a young medical student, first visited Haiti in 1983. Haiti was impoverished, racked with preventable diseases and lacking in the most basic treatment facilities.

But Farmer began to bend that arc with two friends, activist Ophelia Dahl and physician Jim Yong Kim. They started to push the international community to care about medical treatment in developing nations.

Their efforts  and their sometimes breathtaking triumphs  are the subject of a new documentary by Kief Davidson and Pedro Kos, "Bending the Arc." Using still photos, historical footage and interviews, the film follows the trio as they transform from inexperienced idealists to international health advocates.

Bending the Arc could give in to syrupy sentiment or overlook the actual people the trio pledged to treat, but it does not. It tells the stories of the patients. In what might be the films most moving sequence, Kim, now president of the World Bank, breaks down when presented with old footage of a former patient  a Peruvian man who nearly died of tuberculosis  and a recent interview in which he is seen to be healthy and thriving.

There are bumps along the way. Some of the documentarys most maddening moments involve the international communitys dismissal of the idea of providing better health care in underdeveloped nations. Officials rely on stereotypes and tired excuses to justify brushing off entire groups of people. Logistical barriers make it hard to get treatment to enough poor people.

Ultimately, though, Bending the Arc is not a tale of despair and death. Over three decades, Farmers quest to treat Haitians evolved into something bigger. Partners in Health, the organization he founded with his friends, established a global framework to empower communities to treat tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

Read more

America has an opioid crisis, but people in poor countries cant access painkillers

Women in developing nations often get less eye care than men

A country of a quarter-billion people is trying to provide health care for all
The funeral for the U.S. soldier whose combat death sparked a political fight between President Trump and a Florida congresswoman, also honored three other soldiers who died with him. The four U.S. Special Forces troops were killed Oct. 4 in an ambush in Niger.

Oct. 21, 2017 The hearse carrying the body of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson passes in a procession after his funeral at Christ the Rock Church in Cooper City, Fla. Two weeks after he and three other soldiers were killed in Niger, his name is entangled in a controversy involving President Trump, who has been accused of making insensitive remarks to Johnsons widow. Cristobal Herrera/European Pressphoto Agency


Amy Goodwin removes the yellow leaves and checks for damage on the marijuana plants for SPARC on Wednesday in Glen Ellen, Calif. The plants require a high level of maintenance, and the fire stopped employees from working. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

The deadly wildfires that ravaged communities and wineries in Northern California also severely damaged numerous marijuana farms, just before the state is expected to fully legalize the drug, in a disaster that could have far-reaching implications for a nascent industry.

At least 34 marijuana farms suffered extensive damage as the wildfires tore across wine country and some of Californias prime marijuana-growing areas. The fires could present challenges to the scheduled Jan. 1 rollout of legal marijuana sales at the start of an industry that is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue.

In many cases, owners have spent tens of thousands of dollars to become compliant with state law to sell the product. But because the federal government considers marijuana cultivation and sales a criminal enterprise, it remains extremely difficult, if not impossible, for most of the marijuana businesses affected by the fire to access insurance, mortgages and loans to rebuild. Even a charitable fund set up to help marijuana farmers was frozen because a payment processor will not handle cannabis transactions.

[Ten miles of Californias loveliest countryside, transformed by fire]

Cannabis businesses also are not eligible for any type of federal disaster relief, according to a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Its the darkness right before the dawn of legal, regulated cannabis in California, said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, who cautioned that the full extent of the damage remains unknown. These businesses are in a really vulnerable position, and this really came at about the worst time it could have. It means were on our own.



Thousands of glass dispensary containers are scattered where SPARC's processing barn once stood in Glen Ellen, Calif. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

The fires burned swaths of Mendocino County, which is part of what is known as Californias Emerald Triangle, the nations epicenter of marijuana growing. It also devastated Sonoma County, which is best known for wine but has seen an increase in cannabis farming. The fires killed at least 42 people and damaged thousands of buildings, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Some marijuana farms were completely destroyed, and many others are believed to have been heavily damaged by fire, smoke and ash. Structures used to store dried marijuana burned, as did greenhouses and irrigation lines. Many marijuana cultivators live on their farms, and some homes burned to the ground.

[We are going to stay: Northern California residents vow to stay put even as wildfires worsen housing crunch]

Erich Pearson, co-owner of SPARC, a large medical cannabis dispensary with two locations in San Francisco and others north of the city, saw his crops in Glen Ellen, Calif., about 50 miles north of San Francisco, engulfed by flames after awakening to the smell of smoke. The first thing he saw after getting close to the farm was a metal-roofed barn on fire. It was filled with marijuana harvested to sell on the legal market.

We lost everything we harvested to date, and had significant damage to whats left, he said.



Inside a damaged SPARC barn, bunches of drying marijuana still hang from the rafters. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

There is concern that what has been destroyed, as well as the damage from smoke, ash and lack of water for crops that did survive, could seriously impact the supply for customers when marijuana is legal for sale. The fire has compounded existing problems with the initial start of sales because of a regulatory mess: Many municipalities and the state have not released draft regulations for how businesses must comply with the new law. Businesses in some places, including San Francisco, are not likely to be able to open Jan. 1.

Now, we might be facing a much smaller harvest than we were anticipating, which could potentially drive the price up, said Josh Drayton, deputy director of the California Cannabis Industry Association. Its going to touch every different piece of the industry, and we cant get ahead of this yet. We still dont know how much has survived, how much has been lost.



Joey Ereneta, director of cultivation at SPARC, stands near the rubble where the dispensary's processing barn once stood. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

Chiah Rodriques, chief executive of Mendocino Generations, a marijuana collective in Mendocino County, said that most of the 40 farms she works with were only about 25-to-50-percent harvested when the fires broke out earlier this month. About a quarter of the farms were affected by either fire or smoke, she said, and just 10 of the 40 have the local permit necessary to become compliant with the state, though all are working toward them. None of them have crop insurance, she said.

Rodriques said that the fires could lead to less usable marijuana on the market come January. The one saving grace might be to repurpose affected plants and use them for oil and other tinctures that can be sold at dispensaries. The oils are far less lucrative than the flowers, the part of the plant that is consumed  and this year was expected to be a bumper crop.

Youre looking at the difference between $800 to $1,500 a pound to now getting $100; its a huge blow, she said, especially when farmers have spent so much money trying to become compliant with laws.

These people put everything they had into paying for this fee and this tax and this permit and this lawyer, one thing after the next, and to have this happen right when its finally harvest is huge, she said.



Some of the marijuana plants that were destroyed in the Northern California wildfires. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

Pearson carefully selected the seeds and genetic strains for the cannabis he planted in February on part of 400 acres he shares with 11 other farmers. He is now starting from scratch: finding new seeds and securing greenhouse space to grow the new plants. He had submitted all of his permits to become legal under the county and states new regulations.

The hopes of what we could do are still the hopes of what were going to do, Pearson said. Its just going to be a little harder to get there.

Ashley Oldham, owner of Frost Flower Farms in Redwood Valley, Calif., did something very out of character: She left her cellphone at a friends house the day the fire reached her. A neighbor pounded on her door in the middle of the night as flames surrounded her home, saving the lives of Oldham and her 4-year-old daughter.

Oldhams house was destroyed, but her greenhouse stayed intact, in part because she hiked through what looked like a post-apocalyptic disaster zone to check on her property after the fire passed. She said that emergency officials initially did not allow marijuana farmers to check on their crops, as is allowed for farmers of other agricultural products.



Peter Brown, from left, Patrick Liese and Dan Hertz trim marijuana buds, which SPARCs Ereneta says will be tested for contaminants from the fires. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

When she arrived at the farm, she used a neighbors hose to wet down a large oak tree that was ablaze, saving her greenhouse. Oldham has been okayed for a legal permit in Mendocino County, spending a lot of money to come fully into compliance. She estimates that she lost about 25 percent of her crop to wind damage, and much of it looks burned.

She and other cannabis farmers must have their crops extensively tested under Californias new regulations, and most people dont know what impact smoke or burn damage will have.

Weve never experienced this and I dont know what to expect, she said. She said that she will not be able to recoup the full value of her house through insurance because she grows marijuana.

Were totally legal, she said of her farm. But were still being treated unfairly.

Susan Schindler, a grower in Potter Valley, Calif., said she has spent at least $20,000 on consultants, attorneys and fees trying to come into compliance for legal sales in January. She evacuated her home and has been at a San Francisco hotel since the fires. Her master grower told her the plants are very crisp.

Half of the crop was destroyed earlier this year due to russet mites, and now she thinks much of the other half will be lost to fire. Some was harvested, and shes hoping that it will allow her to break even.

Schindler calls marijuana a holy plant that shes farmed for years, selling to medical dispensaries.

Im not going to give up, she said, but its going to take a lot of money out of my bank account this year.
CUBA

U.S. links 2 more cases to mysterious attacks

Injuries have been confirmed to two more State Department personnel stationed in Havana, bringing to 24 the number of verified cases linked to mysterious and unexplained attacks on U.S. Embassy staff in Cuba.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Friday that the new medical assessments involved incidents that happened earlier this year.

They do not reflect new attacks, she said, noting that the most recent medically confirmed case happened in late August.

Nauert acknowledged also that the number of victims may grow.

Our personnel are receiving comprehensive medical evaluations and care, Nauert said. We cant rule out additional new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community.

The State Department has said Americans who worked at the embassy were targeted for attacks that began late last year and continued at least until late this summer. The victims include diplomats, intelligence officers and their spouses.

 Carol Morello

AFGHANISTAN

Dozens are killed in 2 mosque bombings

Dozens of worshipers were killed Friday when suicide bombers struck two mosques in an escalation of violence in Afghanistan this week that has left at least 150 people dead.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a Shiite mosque on the southwestern fringe of the capital, killing 39 people  among them women and children  on a day reserved in Afghanistan for prayer and reflection. In addition, 45 people were wounded in the attack, which took place during evening prayers inside the Imam Zaman Mosque in the citys Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood.

In central Ghowr province, a suicide bomber attacked worshipers in a Sunni mosque, where a former Taliban commander who was inside was apparently the target, a local official said.

Twenty people, including the former Taliban commander, died in the afternoon attack, local officials said.

 Antonio Olivo and Sayed Salahuddin

Somalia to declare 'state of war' against al-Shabab: Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is expected to announce a "state of war" Saturday against the al-Shabab extremist group, which has been blamed for the last weekend's deadly bombing in the capital, Mogadishu. The United States is expected to play a supporting role in the new offensive, a Somali military official said. Al-Shabab has been blamed, but has not commented on the bombing. The Information Ministry says 56 were people still missing from Saturday's truck bombing in which 358 people were killed. An additional 228 people were wounded.

Lebanese court sentences 2 assassins in absentia: A court in Lebanon has sentenced in absentia two Lebanese citizens to death over the 1982 assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel. According to judicial officials, Habib Tanious Shartouni and Nabil Faraj al-Alam, both members of the pro-Syrian Syrian Social Nationalist Party, were sentenced to death. Gemayel was killed along with 23 supporters in a powerful explosion at the right-wing Christian Phalange Party headquarters in east Beirut on Sept. 14, 1982, barely two weeks before he was due to take office. The blast came at the height of the country's 15-year civil war and Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

At least 16 police officers reportedly killed in Egypt: At least sixteen Egyptian police officers were killed in a shootout during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Egypt's Western desert, two security sources said. The sources said authorities were following a lead to an apartment thought to house eight suspected members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around Cairo targeting judges and policemen since last year.

WHO names Mugabe a 'goodwill ambassador': Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is being named a "goodwill ambassador" by the World Health Organization. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom told a conference in Uruguay this week that Mugabe could use the role "to influence his peers in his region." A WHO spokeswoman confirmed the comments Friday. Two dozen groups released a statement slamming the appointment, saying they were "shocked and deeply concerned" and citing Mugabe's "long track record of human rights violations."

 From news services
I have fond memories of biking and picnicking near Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park as a child, so I enjoyed reading the Oct. 8 Washington Post Magazine Street Smart article "In Rock Creek Park, history is good grist," about how Quaker Isaac Peirce created a large milling business using the water of Rock Creek as a power source.

I was surprised, however, to read that the business was supported by slave labor, as it was my understanding that Quakers were leaders in the abolition movement.

In fact, according to the website the Abolition Project, "The abolition campaign in Britain was started by the Society of Friends, known as the Quakers. Quakers believe that all people are created equal in the eyes of God. . . . By 1761, Quakers had come to view abolition as a Christian duty and all Quakers, on both sides of the Atlantic, were barred from owning slaves."

I would like to know more about the circumstances under which Peirce relied on slave labor, as the Quaker religion prohibited its members from owning slaves at the time.

Rachel A. Bernhardt, Silver Spring
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:22:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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AMMAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Saturday condemned terrorist attacks against Egyptian security forces in Giza province near the capital Cairo, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani condemned the attacks that occurred on Friday and resulted in the death of tens of Egyptian security forces as terrorist.

He stressed on Jordan's support to Egypt and its efforts in standing up to terrorism and preserving security and stability in the country.

Momani called for increased regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and radical ideologies, especially after the success in defeating Daesh or what is called the Islamic State.

The minister also offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Also Saturday, King Abdullah II of Jordan sent a cable to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi in which he condemned the terrorist attack and stressed on Jordan's support and solidarity with Egypt.

A number of Egyptian policemen were killed Friday in fire exchange with terrorists in Giza province near the capital Cairo, Egypt's interior ministry said.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.
A a man fishes in front of a Kobe Steel plant in Kobe, Japan, on Oct. 13. A scandal involving faked quailty data has roiled the company. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg)

The birds depicted in the Oct. 14 Economy & Business photograph Darkening skies are pigeons, not sea gulls.

The error in the caption, while amusing, is of little significance compared to the grievous scandal of a trusted company deliberately falsifying data on its products, as Kobe Steel is accused of doing, which the photo caption noted. Someone at Kobe is a true birdbrain for thinking he could get away with cheating. No offense to birds intended.

Robert Davis, Silver Spring
Columnist

George W. Bush's speech this last week at a forum hosted by his eponymous institute might as well have been titled "Dear Donald." The 43rd president all but called out the current president by name as he lamented the tone and character of today's political rhetoric.

"Bigotry seems emboldened," Bush said . "Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."

Indeed.

Trump likes to label these theories and fabrications fake news, but fake news is Trumps own invention  and his greatest fabrication to date. Now the rallying cry for millions of Trump supporters, fake news is a deflection, a decoy floated on the human sea of credulity to distract people from coverage he finds unflattering. The truth is, what Trump says and does is so often unflattering without embellishment that adjectives and adverbs neednt apply.

One need look no further than Tuesday when, attempting to comfort the widow of a slain soldier, Trump reportedly couldn't bother to use the deceased's name and reminded the grieving woman that her husband had known what he was signing up for, but "it hurts anyway." You could say that. Or not.

By contrast, Bush's suffering on behalf of the injured and killed whom he sent into harm's way as president is apparent in his visage, in the portraits of wounded soldiers he has painted, and in his ongoing work with troops and military families. Such actions don't alter the pain of a deadly mistake, but they at least indicate a profound empathy that is utterly lacking in the current president.

No stranger to media criticism  crushing criticism  Bush never attacked the fourth estate. He also obviously recognizes that worse than a reporters or editors error is the undermining of public faith in a free press. Once the government succeeds in eliminating a countrys watchdogs, the government becomes the only source of information. Most people know, or should know, how that ends.

The irony is that the very people who curse the media also tend to curse government overreach.

Trumps fake news charge is very much in the vein of propaganda. He has created a false narrative to clear obstacles  such as questioning reporters or the hindrance of accountability  from his path.

Russians are also very good at this. Recent revelations about fake Twitter accounts tied to Russia through which genuinely fake news was posted and distributed to influence the 2016 election remind us of how vulnerable we are to real fake news. Unfortunately, Trump has helped blur the line between propaganda and what is otherwise known simply as news.

The fact that members of Trumps campaign and family retweeted some of these real-fake news items demonstrates how difficult it can be to recognize whats real and whats not. This may be the greatest challenge of our times. Disinformation combined with generalized antipathy toward the traditional press may be the toxic combination that poisons unity and condemns democratic principles to the hazardous-waste dump. One cannot overemphasize the importance of these developments or of the presidents contributions to the undermining of institutions created by our Constitution to monitor government power.

Recall that a presidents primary duty, in addition to defending the country, is to protect the Constitution. Yet, in just nine months in office, Trump has done more to challenge the integrity of the First Amendment than any other president in history, including expressing interest in making it easier to sue journalists for libel.

He would never actually push such a measure because Trump is smart and knows he'd get nowhere. But he also knows that many among his base don't know this. No matter. He's rallied the base with rhetoric and reinforced the infrastructure of his greatest deception. Talk about fake news.

In other remarks clearly aimed at Trump, Bush addressed bullying and prejudice in public life that sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children. And: We cant wish globalization away, any more than we could wish away the agricultural revolution or the Industrial Revolution.

One neednt be a sleuth to infer that Bush was speaking to the man oft referred to as our bully in chief, as well as to Trump the salesman, who convinced working-class Americans that he would bring back all those jobs lost to globalization. As Bush suggested, globalization is the new age and the old one isnt coming back.

A Republican president needed to say these things  and his name wasnt Trump.

Read more from Kathleen Parker's archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
(FILES) This file photo taken on December 28, 2016 in Vertou, western France, shows logos of US online social media and social networking service Facebook. Facebook said October 5, 2017 it was testing a new "button" to allow users to get more context about a news source, in the latest move by the leading social network to curb misinformation.The new feature will allow users to get context on the source of a news article with a single click without leaving Facebook and its news feed. / AFP PHOTO / LOIC VENANCELOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images (Loic Venance/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Tia Graves Fisher lives in Iowa County, Wis.

On Nov. 8, I posted a photograph of myself on Facebook, captioned 67th vote cast at Wyoming Town Hall, my I voted sticker barely visible. I got 15 likes. From the quiet of my remote home, Facebook provided me with trusted, reliable social connectivity. Or so I thought.

Over the past few weeks, I have learned how rural Wisconsin swing voters  voters like me  were microtargeted by Russian bots via Facebook advertising. Could I have been one of the victims? If so, how did some troll halfway around the world in St. Petersburg track me down?

Often, nothing more than random twists of fate explain how the innocent fall prey to criminal wrongdoing. Could that damn raccoon that tried to break into my house that spring have landed me in the bulls-eye of a Russian operative?

My husband wasnt home the night of this attempted break-in, which I caught on camera. Our dog Ginger, old, deaf and arthritic, was no longer a reliable guard. A few nights later, a raccoon got into my 86-year-old mothers house, just a few minutes walk through the woods from mine. It left paw prints on her freezer and food wrappers across her kitchen floor. My mother slept through the feast.

That afternoon  worried about further incursions and the potential for rabies exposure  I drove to a gun store in Richland Center and bought a semiautomatic .22-caliber rifle. In just a matter of days, I went from raccoon photographer to registered gun owner.

On June 7, I posted the photo of that rascal raccoon with the caption, Caught red handed trying to break in. I got 13 likes. Some months later, I got a fundraising call on my unlisted landline from a pro-gun group  had my name gotten on some database of gun owners?  conducting a political survey on the Second Amendment. Then, sometime that fall, I started getting the bad news about Hillary Clinton.

I recall reading online news reports that she was in terrible health. She allegedly had secret brain surgery by some doctor who later mysteriously died. Thats what the story said. Another touted a whistle blower who disclosed that Clinton had Parkinsons disease. Another news report alleged she hid a colostomy bag underneath the long tunics she regularly wore on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Donald Trump was all over it, bringing up Clintons health with regularity. I wondered why CNN and other outlets werent reporting these stories. After hunting around, I was able to determine that the stories were false, of course, but they nonetheless served as a reminder of Clintons bout with pneumonia and that she nearly collapsed getting into a car at an event. The false stories reminded me of the true ones.

Today, now that the election fog has lifted, I vaguely recall reading other nefarious news. (Regrettably, I now find it necessary to use quotation marks around this word.) Though I clearly remember these news stories, I cant really attest to their source or where I saw them. I cant remember which I saw on my Facebook feed  which I increasingly relied on for my news  and which I saw elsewhere.

If I had been more attentive, would I have been more discerning? During the 2016 campaign, I considered myself a sophisticated media consumer. I had my smart, analytic brain in full gear and my TV remote ready to mute the political commercials, taking note of whether a PAC or candidates campaign paid the bill. But on Facebook, my emotional brain was engaged. I read about my familys and friends lives; I celebrated births and mourned deaths; I took those silly quizzes and hit the like button when the mood struck  all the while apparently scrolling entirely clueless through Russian efforts to influence my vote.

In 2015, after decades of living in Los Angeles County, I moved home to rural Wisconsin. Despite my career, first as a prosecutor and later as a judge, I had never owned a firearm. By mid-2016, living in wooded seclusion, up a half-mile gravel driveway with the nearest town of over 1,400 some three miles away, I figured it was time to protect myself. The only risks on my radar were raccoon burglars, not microtargeting Russian bots and Facebook. Godspeed, Mr. Mueller.
Katharine Viles lives in Washington.

Every few months sexual assault shows up in the headlines, and for a while, everyone is very angry. Celebrities tweet their support for survivors, commentators offer hot takes, and hashtags are coined as an honest expression of individual experience, then circulate until they wind up as listicles somewhere in the online bargain bin of sad/inspirational stories. Movements can be made and unmade in the time it takes to share a think piece on social media.

During my senior year of college, one of my friends assaulted me. Our friends then became his friends  the male ones, at least. Boys are funny that way: Tell them a stranger is being creepy at a party, and theyll stand by you all night. Tell them theyre living with a rapist, and youll find yourself alone. I spent almost every weekend of my final semester in my room. I passed his house on the way to class in the morning and tried to avoid looking at his window. I didnt attend most of our pre-graduation events, and in the end I walked across the graduation stage like a zombie, dreading the moment I would have to watch him do the same. He congratulated me when I ran into him on the way to retrieve my diploma. That was the day I realized there would be no such thing as life without him.

The listicles dont capture the way trauma can make you feel as though youre living in a parallel universe, in a space with a tantalizing similarity to the time before you became something else. I was never comfortable taking on the political identity of survivor. Requiring a lower preponderance of evidence standard  the heart of the fight over how to apply federal Title IX law to campus sexual assault  wouldnt have helped me because I had no evidence, and I was never going to report him anyway. Even if he faced consequences for what he did, we would both graduate before they took effect; more important, I could barely admit what happened to myself. Forget defending my story before a disciplinary committee or shouting it in the public square.

I live with an awful truth. Its not just that someone I loved and trusted violated me intimately, and its not just that many of the people in my life never quite believed me. For me, the hardest part, by far, has been the wishing that it never happened. The longing for the time before. Feeling as though the only thing preventing me from getting back there is my own memory. The hashtags are intended to continue the conversation; for me, the conversation never stops.

None of this is to say that I am not immeasurably grateful and proud of the people who have the courage to turn their trauma into service. People who report, who go public, who fight for our rights as survivors are good and great and necessary. And those people would also be the first to point out that survival is not a given and that not every survivor has to be an activist.

This time, the hashtag is #MeToo. Two of my siblings, several of my friends and a long list of aunts, cousins, acquaintances and co-workers have used it. Some of them are survivors, some are not. Most of them have no idea that, for me, #MeToo evokes a deeply personal fracturing. And because of that, I cant join them. I cant reduce the past two years of my life to a hashtag that someone else might use to describe street harassment. This push to disclose sexual harassment and assault on social media  though admirable in spirit  feels more like an ultimatum than a choice. Saying something feels impossible and saying nothing feels untenable. I dont know whom #MeToo is for, but it sure as hell isnt me.

I dont want to be an activist. I dont want to dedicate my life to fighting for the rights of survivors. I want to get better. I want someone else out there to know that its possible to be more than the nightmare, more than the recovery, more than the way you feel when you see sexual assault in the news, again. I wish there had been someone to tell me that its okay if the only thing you can handle is trying to be okay. Plenty of people talk about how brave it is to speak out, and theyre right. It is brave to speak out, but that doesnt make you a coward if you dont. Silent or not, activist or not, we are worthy, and we will be just as worthy when #MeToo stops trending. I dont owe anyone my story, and neither do you.
A woman washes clothes in the Protection of Civilians site at the U.N. Mission in South Sudan in Malakal, South Sudan, on July 9, 2016. The site housed more than 32,000 displaced people at the time. (Jane Hahn/For The Washington Post)

THE FACT that the humanitarian disaster in South Sudan is man-made offers little consolation to the victims, but suggests that it might be reversed. This was once a fertile and oil-rich land; it is now convulsed by violence and hunger. Some 4 million people, a third of the population, are displaced internally or refugees abroad. Responsibility for this catastrophe rests on the shoulders of two men who led South Sudan to independence in 2011 and then squandered their legacy on war and enriching themselves.

In a recent interview with The Post, one of them, President Salva Kiir, was defiant. He did not accept any blame for the ruinous conflict with his rival and former first vice president, Riek Machar. Wearing the cowboy hat he received as a gift from President George W. Bush, Mr. Kiir declared, "I did not do anything that can make me regret." Asked whether his troops have made any mistakes, he responded, "I don't remember." He deflected a question about the role of his soldiers in violence by claiming that their uniforms were being stolen by Mr. Machar's men. Then he went on a rant about shootings in the United States.

Mr. Kiir is now in the driver's seat. Mr. Machar is in South Africa, although the remnants of his army still fight. The core problem for all those who have ambitions to save South Sudan is how to help its suffering people while forcing Mr. Kiir out of the way. For years, efforts have been made to get Mr. Kiir to agree to a sustainable peace, hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and build a functioning state. Talk doesn't work. Sanctions seem to bother him little. Peace agreements and various cease-fire arrangements have been reached and tossed away like tissue paper. An arms embargo failed to get off the ground in the U.N. Security Council.

On a recent visit, the U.S. Agency for International Development administrator, Mark Green, found Mr. Kiir in denial, disputing every concern he raised. Mr. Green announced that the U.S. administration would be carrying out a policy review, and President Trump asked U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley to visit Mr. Kiir this month. In remarks at the Security Council in September, she declared that "this is the last chance" at salvaging a peace for South Sudan.

As warring groups splinter, it may be hard to ever put South Sudan back together. But the Trump administration does have a chance at a fresh start. Ms. Haley might consider reaching out to a younger generation of more technocratic leaders who are fed up with the failures of their elders. The administration should also press Egypt, Uganda and Ukraine to stop the flow of arms to South Sudan. The United States cannot forsake a people caught in the grip of misery; it must begin to look beyond the men who made this awful mess, including Mr. Kiir.
Deputy editorial page editor

John Kelly had me at the ice. He lost me at the women.

Standing at the lectern on Thursday, in a briefing room that has rarely been so hushed, the White House chief of staff described how the bodies of fallen soldiers are packed in ice, not once but twice, to preserve them on their journey home. Soldiers, he could have said but didn't need to, such as his son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert M. Kelly, killed in Afghanistan at age 29.

So I was mesmerized and, to be honest, a bit teary-eyed as the retired four-star general spoke of what it is like to be on the early-morning receiving end of the news that would break any parents heart.

And I was not prepared, or disposed, to be taken aback by some of what came next  in particular, Kellys disquisition on the loss of the sacred:

"You know when I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred, looked upon with great honor. That's obviously not the case anymore, as we've seen from recent cases. Life  the dignity of life  is sacred. That's gone. Religion, that seems to be gone as well. Gold Star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer."

Kelly was on a rhetorical detour here. His main point, fair or not, was that Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson had violated the sanctity of a private phone call between a commander in chief and a grieving family when she listened in on an exchange and then blasted President Trump for alleged insensitivity.

Still, it is worth exploring this riff in light of Kellys prominence and the current circumstances.

My first reaction, and I doubt I was alone here, was along the lines of: Seriously, you're going THERE? Leave aside the references to "dignity of life." If Kelly was talking about abortion rights, he can talk to the Supreme Court. Leave aside Kelly's lament for religion, which "seems to be gone as well." How's that, except maybe if you're a Muslim refugee? I doubt Kelly had that in mind.

Leave aside, too, the puzzling reference to Gold Star families. Was Kelly criticizing Khizr Khan for speaking at the Democratic National Convention about his dead son and Donald Trumps assault on the Constitution  or was this a sly dig at Trumps attack on the Khans? Left in the convention suggests the former, in which case Kelly should know better. A Gold Star family has the right to hold its grief close, as Kelly has, but a family also has the right, when the values for which a child had given his life are under assault, to speak out. Both approaches honor the dead.

But about those women. Um, Gen. Kelly, assuming you were referring to the report on Harvey Weinstein  where were you, exactly, during the presidential campaign? The president you serve  and I respect all the reasons for that service  was shown on videotape bragging about using his star power to get away with grabbing women by their private parts. And he didn't phrase that in a way that showed the respect you think women deserve.

Even if you accept the presidents claim that this was mere locker-room talk, even if there werent a bounty of other similarly disgusting and objectifying remarks, even if you discount the dozen or so women who came forward in 2016 to claim that Trump assaulted them  why raise this subject? This conduct is unacceptable regardless of party affiliation, whether the alleged perpetrator is Weinstein or Trump or, yes, Bill Clinton. Selective outrage is unbecoming.

Yet there is a more disturbing aspect of Kellys remarks that risks getting lost in the outrage-du-jour news cycle that is the Trump administration. Kelly, Im sure, intended his comment about women to be respectful, not dismissive.

But, speaking for this woman at least, that is not what women want or need. To be put on a pedestal also risks being kept in a box. In the good old days that Kelly mourns, women were not so much elevated by gender as constrained by it. Imagine how Kellys remarks sound to the female service member struggling to prove herself in the male-dominated military culture.

If the upside of chivalry is the opened door, the cape spread upon the muddy ground, the downside is the presumption, perhaps subconscious, that feminine is the equivalent of weak; the impulse to treat women in the workplace differently from their male counterparts; and the consequent distortion  sometimes overt, more often subtle  of career choices and opportunities.

Forget sacred. Ill take equal.

Read more from Ruth Marcus's archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Columnist

Kevin Hassett evidently has not received the memo that economics is "the dismal science." The ebullient chairman of President Trump's Council of Economic Advisers is relishing the intellectual feast of applying to policymaking the predictive tools of a science that was blindsided by the Great Recession.

Economists, like other scientists, learn things even when  actually, especially when  they are surprised. What must surprise Hassett today is that acrimony has infected even economists' arguments. When he predicted that 2017 would be "the biggest supply-side policy year in American history," he was not just thinking of the administration's deregulations, which proceed apace, but was counting an unhatched chicken  tax reform. Concerning which:

Speaking recently to the Tax Policy Center and the Tax Foundation  left- and right-leaning, respectively  Hassett defended the administration's tax plan, although important provisions remain undecided. He criticized the TPC for a premature analysis that used "imagined numbers" to anticipate the consequences of a bill still being written. And he said that while the plan allows for a $1.5 trillion revenue loss in a decade "statically scored" (i.e., not allowing for the plan's stimulative effects), the TPC analysis "ignored any growth effects from tax reform and suggested there would be none," and "makes assumptions that would deliver" a $2.4 trillion revenue loss. He questioned the TPC scoring for this number "when there is agreement that the bill has to score" $1.5 trillion.

This detonated Harvard professor and former treasury secretary Lawrence Summers. While praising "civility in public policy debates," Summers poured vitriol on Hassett, calling his analysis "some combination of dishonest, incompetent and absurd." Summers was incensed about this Hassett contention: If cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent would mean that corporations would bring home the 71 percent of foreign-earned profits now kept abroad, over eight years, "the median U.S. household would get a $4,000 real income raise." Summers says that Hassett's assertion that the corporate rate cut "will raise wages by $4,000 in an economy with 150 million workers is a claim that workers will benefit by $600 billion or 300 percent of the tax cut!" Hassett's comparatively laconic and heroically patient response:

Summers ignores the deadweight loss from taxes on production  the economic activity that does not happen because of those taxes. Because Summers mistakenly assumes that the only economic factor affected by cutting corporate taxes is government revenue, he mistakenly considers it impossible to reduce government revenue by $1 and have workers gain more than $1. But corporate tax reductions are not transfers of money from government to workers; they are catalysts for increased economic output, making American investment more attractive and the United States more competitive. The size of the economic pie isnt fixed. Hence the bipartisan support for aspects of President Barack Obamas 2012 proposal for cutting corporate taxes. And Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) supports some cuts because workers gain from increased competitiveness. The debate is about not whether but how much heavy corporate taxation suppresses workers compensation by blocking various channels to wage growth.

Hassett and the Council of Economic Advisers' platoon of PhDs  perhaps America's best economics "faculty"  might be mistaken about this or that. Dealing with a dynamic economy's multitudinous variables, they understand the fatal conceit of thinking that even the immediate future can be planned. From the 1862 Homestead and Morrill acts through the GI Bill and the Interstate Highway System, the federal government has planned the long-term knowledge, skills and infrastructure prerequisites for economic growth. These, however, are  even given the accelerated velocity of economic change  easier for government to plan than are short-term consequences of fiscal and monetary policies.

It is said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. In her prepared remarks to University of Virginia Law School graduates last May, Catherine Keating, chief executive of Commonfund, said: "Don't count too much on your plan. The world just moves too fast today." It used to take 25 years for a new product, like the automobile or the TV, to reach 25 percent of the U.S. population. "Facebook did it in five years, and some mobile games have done it in months. It took Hilton Hotels almost 100 years to acquire 800,000 hotel rooms. Airbnb acquired a million rooms in just six years. How do you plan for that? You can't. Don't even try."

Hassetts job is to try. And the stakes are as high as Americas political temperature: If growth does not surge, distribution conflicts will.

Read more from George F. Will's archive or follow him on Facebook.
The Oct. 14 editorial "Congress must salvage the census" justified higher funding for the Census Bureau so that an accurate count of the U.S. population is ensured. Ironically, the editorial came out the same day my family received a "past due notice" from the Census Bureau saying we had not submitted our "2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs."

The mandatory survey is 27 pages long and includes questions such as on the reason to own the business: Was it flexible hours? These 27 pages of questions have nothing to do with apportioning congressional seats or reversing the historical undercounting of poor and minority communities.

Those who support increased funding for the Census Bureau should consider the difference between essential activities to count the population and inessential activities that census bureaucrats think are of interest, as well as how our government has made mandatory what should be optional.

Jonathan D. Berman, North Bethesda
In his Oct. 18 Washington Sketch column, " Trump cooks up a souffle of dysfunction," Dana Milbank likened Mr. Trump to a chef who "clearly has no idea how to cook, and all he seems to do is yell . . . particularly, [at] restaurant reviewers." When the president complains about critical coverage of his adolescent antics, we all should admonish him as he crassly did the mourning widow of a fallen soldier: "You knew what you were getting when you signed up to be president, Mr. Trump."

Robert Emmett Morris, Washington

Regarding the Oct. 19 front-page article "Details emerge on president's calls to Gold Star families":

He "knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway." If those words had been spoken by a priest or minister at a memorial service for Sgt. La David T. Johnson, everyone who completed the fifth grade would recognize them to be words of praise acknowledging the courage of a soldier who volunteered to put his life on the line in the service of his country, and who died doing it. Anyone who would suggest otherwise either doesn't understand English or is a blatant liar.

Bill Scanlon, Ellicott City

The front-page article on President Trump's calls to Gold Star families reported that the father of Army Sgt. Dillon Baldridge was promised $25,000 from Mr. Trump. Chris Baldridge had expressed frustration with the military's survivor benefit program. Because his ex-wife was listed as their son's beneficiary, she was expected to receive the Pentagon's $100,000 death gratuity even though he "can barely rub two nickels together." Dillon Baldridge "earned" the death benefit through his sacrifice, not Chris Baldridge because of his debts.

I believe naming the beneficiary or beneficiaries for military survivor benefits is the prerogative of the military member, so if the members mother is to receive the benefit, that must have been the members choice, not the Pentagons. Mr. Baldridges financial situation has absolutely nothing to do with who receives a death benefit. Has Mr. Trump set a precedent by sending a personal check to selected survivors of deceased military members depending on his judgment as to whether the survivor merits it?

Stephen Marschall, Burke
The Oct. 15 editorial "In Virginia, a retreat from rigor" conflated the modernizing of state-mandated tests and accountability reform with the lowering of Virginia's academic standards. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has worked with educators and policymakers in a bipartisan way to strengthen Virginias education system by shifting from testing for testings sake to truly evaluating the progress students and schools are making. Those actions are not a reduction of standards but, rather, a reaction to a testing system that failed to foster the skills our students truly need. Recognizing its shortcomings, policymakers worked to replace some standardized tests with more sophisticated exams that require students to think critically and communicate clearly, rather than simply regurgitate facts.

When established, the standards and their corresponding tests provided new levels of equity, consistency and accountability. More than 20 years later, we can hold teachers and students accountable for more than scores on tests that demonstrate neither growth nor true ability. It is misleading to claim to care about education accountability as a great equalizer for minority students, but then rail against a proposal that, for the first time, would hold schools accountable for the atrocious achievement gaps for students of color. The editorial filled in the wrong bubble when it implied that the bipartisan leaders who are working on education reform in Virginia are reducing standards rather than making schools work better for students and our economy.

Dietra Trent, Richmond

The writer is Virginias secretary of education.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:22:42|Editor: Mengjie

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China has played an increasingly key role in the world and adopted new ways to promote economic integration as reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative, a New Zealand politician said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Nigel Haworth, president of the New Zealand Labor Party, said the Belt and Road Initiative is an important way of looking at global integration economically.

"We should all look at it very seriously and should engage with it constructively," he said.

The Belt and Road initiative shows that China has started looking constructively at new ways of complementing the systems of economic integration, such as the World Trade Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Haworth noted.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote trade, financial integration, infrastructure inter-connectivity and people-to-people exchanges along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

Haworth said that the lovely historical imagery about the Silk Road in the Belt and Road model forms a natural way in which China has captured its role in the global economy.

"I think the world expects China to play its role and I think China is stepping up to that challenge seriously," Haworth said.

His confidence in China's role is also reflected in his congratulatory message to the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 19th national congress, which opened Wednesday and will draw a blueprint for China's development in the next five years and beyond.

The CPC meeting is an important event, and it will not only chart a path for China's economic growth and prosperity in the future, but also enhance the country's influence on the world economy, he said in the message.

Speaking to Xinhua, Haworth, who is also an economics academic, observed that the Chinese development process since 1979 has been extraordinary in terms of economic growth and trading performance.

He counted the number of ring roads in Beijing in his every visit to the Chinese capital. There were only three when he first visited the city in the early 1990s; now there are six functioning.

Citing the country's recent shift towards domestic redistribution and domestic consumption, Haworth said the Chinese economy has matured since the late 1970s, and the Chinese government is dedicated to engaging more people in the success of the economy.

Although different in size, China and New Zealand are open to each other and talk to each other, and thus the two sides can learn from each other, said Haworth.

He added that bilateral cooperation opportunities are abundant, as China has experience in large infrastructure projects while New Zealand does well in small business innovation, as well as research and development in agriculture.

New Zealand, he said, looks forward to talking to China on engaging with the Belt and Road Initiative in the long run.
President Trump speaks during a meeting with Gov. Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico in the Oval Office of the White House, on Thursday. (Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump on Saturday took fresh aim on Twitter at the "wacky" Florida congresswoman who criticized him over a military condolence call, stoking a controversy that has dogged his presidency for nearly a week, with many questions still unanswered.

The presidents tweet was the latest volley in a White House effort to discredit Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.), a friend of the family of one of four service members killed in an ambush in Niger. And it came on the day that hundreds of people streamed to a church in suburban Fort Lauderdale for the funeral of the soldier, Sgt. La David Johnson.

[Listen: Soldiers widow shares her call with Trump]



Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, sits with her daughter, Ah'Leeysa Johnson and son Le David Johnson Jr. at a graveside service in Hollywood, Fla., on Saturday. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The tweet capped off a week that began with Trump falsely claiming that past presidents didnt call Gold Star families and that he called the families of virtually everybody killed in action during his presidency.

On Saturday, the White House declined to spell out how many families Trump had actually called, though administration officials have acknowledged that he did not personally phone all of the more than 20 personnel who have been killed in hostile actions.

Roll Call reported Friday that Trump's comment in a radio interview about calling "virtually everyone" sent White House aides scrambling to gather an up-to-date list of those who had been killed, aware of the fact that Trump had overstated his claim.

Citing an internal Defense Department email, the report said that the executive secretary to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis provided the White House with information about how each service member had died and contact information for his or her survivors.

The White House ensured that the President had contacted all families of soldiers killed in action that had been presented to him through existing protocols, deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement Saturday.

Earlier in the week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that some families might not have been contacted yet because of the time required to complete those protocols. Aides also acknowledged that not every contact was a phone call from the president.

The controversy over Trumps handling of condolence calls has largely overshadowed Trumps legislative agenda, including his promise to deliver massive tax cuts.

In a separate tweet Saturday morning, Trump complained that the mainstream media had not done enough to cover the passage of a budget by the U.S. Senate, a move that will make it possible for a tax-cut package to be approved without Democratic support.

Within the hour, however, he started tweeting about the condolence controversy.

Besides the attack on Wilson, Trump retweeted the message of a Twitter user who suggested that the media was focusing so heavily on the congresswoman to deflect attention from a story Trump has said is undercovered: the purchase of U.S. uranium mines by a Russian-backed company in 2010.

The agreement was reached while Hillary Clinton led the State Department, and some investors in the company had relationships with former president Bill Clinton and donated to the Clinton Foundation.

People get what is going on! Trump wrote on Twitter.

Those tweets came a day after a video emerged showing that White House chief of staff John F. Kelley had made false claims about Wilson.

[Evoking slain son, Kelly defends Trump on condolence calls]

Kelly was highly critical of Wilson for listening in on Trumps call to the widow of Johnson and also for her role in a 2015 dedication ceremony for a federal building that was named for two slain FBI agents.

Speaking to reporters Thursday in the White House briefing room, Kelly said he had been stunned to hear Wilson claim credit at the ceremony for securing the funding for the building.

[Video shows Kelly made inaccurate claims about lawmaker in feud over Trumps condolence call]

A video of her speech at the ceremony showed Wilson did not take credit for securing the money. She instead spent about two minutes of a nine-minute speech recalling the effort that she led in Congress to name the building for the agents, whom she praised effusively in her remarks.

[White House press secretary: Its highly inappropriate to question a 4-star Marine general]

On Friday, Sanders stood by Kellys comments and cautioned a reporter that it would be highly inappropriate to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general over whether he misstated facts.

During interviews Friday, Wilson accused Kelly of lying about her.

He cant just go on TV and lie on me, she said on CNN. I was not even in Congress in 2009 when the money for the building was secured.

In an interview with Fox Business Network taped Friday, Trump accused Wilson of debasing Kelly by suggesting that the chief of staff had defended the president at Trumps insistence, to keep his job.

When she made that statement, I thought it was sickening, actually, Trump said. He added that Kelly is doing an incredible job and said the general, who had listened in on his call with Johnson, was offended that Wilson would make it public.
The White House signaled to Senate Republican negotiators Friday that it wants a bipartisan health-care bill to include retroactive relief this year for individuals and employers subject to the Affordable Care Acts insurance mandate, according to individuals briefed on the matter, a request that is sure to anger Democrats.

Key White House officials are seeking a rightward shift in the proposal crafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), which would restore subsidies to help offset out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans buying ACA plans in exchange for further flexibility in how states regulate health coverage.

The individuals briefed on what the White House privately signaled to Senate Republicans spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe closed-door talks that had not been announced publicly. They said that nothing was final and that the negotiations were ongoing and could change rapidly.

While the moves were part of what could become a more extended negotiation, the White House requests  which also include providing states with broader leeway  could derail the carefully crafted bipartisan package unveiled this week.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he is ready to move a bipartisan health-care bill but first needs clarity from President Trump on what he is willing to sign.

What Im waiting is to hear from President Trump what kind of health-care bill he might sign, McConnell said in an interview on CNNs State of the Union. I think he hasnt made a final decision. When he does, and I know that were not just debating it, but actually passing something to be signed, I would be happy to bring it up.

The move to suspend federal enforcement of the insurance mandates is anathema to Democrats, who view the requirements as integral to the laws success. All taxpayers must now provide proof of insurance coverage or face a penalty. The current fine is $695 per adult and $347.50 per child  up to $2,085 per family  or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater. Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees that do not offer coverage face a fine of about $188 per month for every full-time employee they have beyond the number 30. These businesses also face fines if federal officials determine that the plans they offer are unaffordable or provide inadequate coverage.

The White House is also interested in adding language to expand association health plans, a kind of insurance in which small businesses of a similar type band together as a group to negotiate health benefits. These plans have had to meet ACA coverage requirements, but the president has sought to use his authority to exempt them from those rules and allow these plans to be sold across state lines without separate insurance licenses.

The White House declined to comment immediately.

In a statement, Alexander said: This is the normal legislative process with people of different views saying what they are for and against. Something close to the Alexander-Murray proposal is likely to become law this year because the President himself asked us to develop this short-term solution so people arent hurt by a chaotic insurance market.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement: The administration was involved in the Alexander-Murray negotiations every step of the way. There is a broad bipartisan agreement that can pass the Senate right now. The administration should support it instead of floating other ideas that would further the sabotage both parties are trying to reverse.

Insurers have described the mandates as critical to ensuring that enough healthy people buy coverage, which in turn translates into a broader risk pool. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that repealing the individual mandate this year would mean 15 million fewer insured Americans by 2026, though several experts have questioned whether this requirement provides as powerful an incentive to sign up as the CBO has consistently estimated.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, 6.5 million taxpayers paid $3 billion in ACA penalties for not having insurance in 2016.

Larry Levitt, vice president for special initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said in an interview that while it is hard to tease out how much of an effect the individual mandate has had on coverage, removing it even for a year could prompt some insurers to exit the ACA market.

This would be a classic poison pill, Levitt said.

While Trump signed an executive order his first day in office instructing federal agencies to provide Americans with ACA relief, the IRS informed tax professionals this week that they need to provide proof of insurance with tax returns filed for 2017.

"The 2018 filing season will be the first time the IRS will not accept tax returns that omit this information," the IRS announced in its notice Tuesday.

Trump has sent mixed signals about the substance of the Alexander-Murray plan, which was released Tuesday. He seemed to embrace it at first, then backed away. In general, he has seemed supportive of trying to come up with a bipartisan deal of some kind.

Senate Democrats have been pushing their Republican counterparts to bring the plan as it was released Tuesday to the Senate floor for a vote. But GOP leaders have declined to commit to doing so.

Trump ended the Cost Sharing Reduction subsidy payments, known as CSRs, arguing that they were funded illegally. But he appears open to Congress passing a measure to appropriating funding for them  provided Republicans get adequate concessions from Democrats. The payments, which cover roughly 7 million consumers, would cost taxpayers about $7 billion in 2017 if they were funded through the end of the year.

The bipartisan measure won new support Thursday, giving it 12 Democratic senators and 12 Republican senators as sponsors.

But it remains far from clear that Alexander and Murray will be able to hash out a compromise that can win the support of most Republicans. Without majority support from his own ranks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will not bring the bill up for a vote, Republicans close to the process predicted.

At the same time that the administration is negotiating with lawmakers, it is defending in federal court its decision to cut off the CSR payments. Attorneys general for 18 states and the District of Columbia are seeking a temporary restraining order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that would force the federal government to continue making the payments.

In a brief filed Friday, acting assistant attorney general Chad Readler filed a motion asking for the court to reject the plaintiffs motion for preliminary relief, saying their claims have not demonstrated an imminent risk of irreparable harm from the cutoff in payments and the public interest weighs heavily against a judicial decree mandating the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars in unappropriated taxpayer dollars every month.

On Saturday a coalition of 29 state and national consumer groups, led by Families USA and the National Health Law Program, filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs.

The state attorneys general, meanwhile, argued that the halt in subsidies has caused health insurance premiums across the country to skyrocket, in some cases by as much as 30% . . . Many will be unable to afford the higher insurance, and will abandon the health insurance market altogether. That will harm not only the States residents but the States themselves, which will be forced to spend billions more on health care costs when these uninsured residents seek emergency care at State-funded facilities.

Lawyers for both sides will argue the case before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in a hearing Monday.

Tory Newmyer contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
An Oromo family hangs out their laundry at a camp for the displaced outside Adama, Ethiopia, on Oct. 4. Fighting between Ethiopias Oromo and Somali regional states has led to tens of thousands fleeing to camps. (Paul Schemm)

A largely hidden war in remote areas of Ethiopia has killed hundreds of people, displaced more than 100,000 others and raised the specter of ethnic cleansing, potentially destabilizing an important U.S. partner in the fight against terrorism.

With the strongest army in the Horn of Africa and second-largest population on the continent, Ethiopia has been a major ally in battling regional terrorist groups such as al-Shabab and a pillar of stability between two disintegrating states, South Sudan and Somalia.

But that hard-earned reputation has been thrown in doubt by weeks of fighting between rival ethnic groups in Ethiopia's neighboring Oromia and Somali regions and by accompanying reports of massacres and expulsions.

"They started to burn our houses, the Liyu police," said Mohammed Nur Jamal of the Oromo ethnic group, referring to a paramilitary force from the neighboring Somali Region. With several dozen others, Jamal, a portly middle-aged man who wears an embroidered Muslim cap, now lives in a makeshift camp near the Oromo city of Adama. The camp is one of dozens that have sprung up to house those who have fled their homes.

"We lived like brothers and sisters for many years," Jamal said. "We never fought like this. We even married together and owned properties together."

Local media say at least 150,000 Oromos have been expelled from the Somali Region and are living in camps. The federal government has declined to give exact figures, pending an investigation, but admitted that "hundreds" have died.

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa said in a Sept. 19 statement it was "disturbed by the troubling reports of ethnic violence and the large-scale displacement of people living along the border between the Oromia and Somali regions." It called for an investigation into which groups were behind the violence.

[A state of emergency has brought calm to Ethiopia  for now]

Ethiopia, while long a centralized state, is made up of at least 80 different ethnic groups. Under an emperor and later a communist regime, it presented itself as a unified Amharic-speaking nation, with little attention paid to different ethnic groups with their own languages and histories.

In an attempt to recognize the aspirations of the country's main ethnic groups, the rebel movement of Tigrayan ethnicity that overthrew the communist regime in 1991 reorganized Ethiopia into a federal state made up of nine ethnically defined regions with a degree of autonomy.

Two of those regions appear to be at war with each other. The nearly 1,000-mile border between the mainly agricultural Oromia Region and the more arid Somali Region has historically been the scene of minor conflicts over resources. But those tensions have exploded since September with allegations that regional security forces are involved, especially the Somali Region's paramilitary "Liyu" (special) police.

Jamal, who had lived among the Somalis for 15 years, said the attacks took him by surprise. "There was hate, but it was hidden. They didn't show it for many years because they were afraid of the federal government," he said.

"Only Oromos are being targeted," said Jaafar Mohammed, who spent 20 of his 25 years among the Somalis. "There are many other ethnic groups there  Somalis, Gurages, Amharas and others. But they targeted Oromos. It's a puzzle for us."

Mohammed said gangs attacked the Oromos and that he saw at least 20 people killed. He said he was hidden by a fellow Oromo at a local bank until he was able to sneak away to a camp close to a military base. He and other fleeing Oromos stayed there for a few days before trucks came to take them away. Even then, people hurled objects and insults at the trucks, and the Somali regional police stole the Oromos' cellphones, people in the camp said.

"I would never return to the Somali region," said Abdel Jabbar Ahmed, who fled with his family. "I am filled with tears when I try to recall what happened there. . . . A lot of people are hiding right now."

Clashes and unrest were reported as far back as March and stem from dissatisfaction over a 2004 referendum that set the border. Over the past few months, several meetings brokered by the government were held with officials from both regions to resolve differences.

The strife is often linked to the competition for resources and arable land, especially with much of the Somali Region in the grip of a severe drought.

[Climate change threatens ancient way of life in Ethiopia]

On Sept. 11, violence flared again after two Oromo officials arrested by Somali regional police turned up dead. In the ensuing Oromo protests, several Somalis were killed, sparking the widespread eviction of Oromos from Somali lands in retaliation.

Government spokesman Negeri Lencho said that those behind the violence would be prosecuted and that federal forces have been dispatched to restore peace.

"Psychologically, residents living around the borders are uncertain," he said at a Sept. 25 news conference. "Some of them are frustrated about the security situation, although the government is doing its level best. . . . We can bring about a sustainable peace."

Although the regional governments have pledged to return people to their homes, the displaced in Adama said they were being encouraged to find relatives to live with in the Oromia Region.

For now, they are housed in an unused office complex near the municipal headquarters on the edge of the city, where they sleep in bare rooms on thin foam mattresses surrounded by their belongings. At least half the camp's several dozen residents are children. In other camps for the displaced across the country, thousands are being sheltered in converted warehouses.

Most of the displaced here arrived on trucks after a harrowing journey from the town ofTog Wajale in the Somali Region, near the border with Somalia, where they said neighbors they had known for years suddenly turned on them. Police went house to house and ordered all ethnic Oromos to leave as retaliation for the deaths of Somalis in the Oromia Region.

Amid the hostilities, the rival ethnic groups have accused each other of links to terrorism.

The central government's perceived passivity in the face of the Oromos' suffering has alienated the community's politicians, said Fekadu Adugna, an expert on ethnicity and identity at Addis Ababa University. The whole region is just recovering from a year and a half of anti-government protests in which 1,000 people were killed by security forces.

A recently lifted 10-month state of emergency restored calm to the Oromia Region. But new demonstrations have broken out in the wake of the border clashes. On Oct. 11, security forces killed six protesters and wounded dozens.

"What the conflict is doing is increasing the mistrust between the political parties" from the different ethnic regions that make up the ruling coalition, Adugna said. "That mistrust can be a serious threat for the federal arrangement."

On Sunday, Parliament Speaker Abadula Gammada  a former president of the Oromia Region and defense minister who once was one of the government's most prominent Oromo allies  announced his resignation, saying his people and party have been "disrespected."

In the Somali Region, Abdi Mohammad Omar, the regional president, is a staunch ally of the central government. And his Liyu police  aside from often being cited for human rights violations  have been effective in stamping out a rebel movement in the region.

Jan Abbink, an expert on Ethiopia at Leiden University in the Netherlands, warned that ethnicity-based policies tend to politicize communities and turn land disputes into ethnic conflicts. Whatever positive aspects the ethnic model offered when it was devised in 1992, he said, "I'm afraid . . . it is now not cooling tensions but it is fueling them."

Many Ethiopians increasingly fear that these conflicts show the federal government is unable to control regional rivalries in this diverse country.

"No healthy country allows a mass displacement of this magnitude in the presence of a capable government," said Assefa Fiseha, an expert on Ethiopian politics at Addis Ababa University. "What we have is rivalry among ethno-nationalist leaders who think the center is weaker than ever."

Read more:

Ethiopia arrests top Oromo politician after European Parliament speech

Ethiopia imposes state of emergency as unrest intensifies

The world loves Ethiopian pop star Teddy Afro. But not his own government.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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A partial view of the town of el-Bawity, Bahariya Oasis, some 300 kilometres (186 miles) south west of Cairo. At least 35 Egyptian troops and police officers were killed in clashes with Islamist fighters in the Bahariya oasis October 20, 2017. (Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)

Dozens of Egyptian police were killed in clashes with militants in the country's western desert Friday, one of the deadliest attacks this year suffered by Egypt's security forces fighting persistent and spreading Islamist militancy.

At least 55 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout about 80 miles from the Egyptian capital, the Associated Press reported, citing security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Several other local media reported similar death tolls.

The violence was a stark indication of a core challenge facing the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East. Ever since he led a military coup to oust the elected Islamist government of Mohamed Morsi four years ago, Sissi has portrayed himself as a linchpin in the fight against terrorism. In the name of combating the Islamist militancy, critics say he has suppressed political and social freedoms, and jailed thousands of Islamists. Egypt is one of the worlds largest recipients of American military aid, a large portion of it designated to fight terrorism.

Yet the militancy is growing  and spreading. In the past year, hundreds of Egyptian security forces have been killed combating an Islamic State affiliate based in the northern Sinai whose cells have also targeted minority Christian communities and bombed churches in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas. In recent months, a group called the Hasm Movement has targeted security officials and judges, adding a deadly new dimension to the security threats facing the country. The insurgency has continued even as Egypts military and police forces claim to have killed thousands of suspected terrorists.

In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry acknowledged Fridays operation but said the gun battle resulted in 16 policemen being killed and 13 injured. The ministry also reported that 15 militants were killed. But Western diplomats and security officials described the death toll as in the dozens, with few militants, if any, being killed. It was unclear whether the Interior Ministry was referring to its own personnel killed and not a total that included forces from other security-related branches.

If the higher death toll is true, it would be the single deadliest assault on Egypts security forces by Islamic militants in recent memory.

The incident took place late Friday after security forces received intelligence that suspected Islamist militants were at a hideout in the Baharia Oasis, south of the capital. As they approached, they were ambushed by gunmen using rocket-propelled grenades and bombs.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The militants, according to local media reports, belonged to Hasm, which Egypts security forces say is the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement led by Morsi that is now outlawed. But analysts say there is no conclusive evidence that Hasm is officially linked to the Brotherhood, though some Hasm members are said to be Brotherhood members who now favor violent means to oppose the government.

Last month, at least 18 policemen were killed when a suicide bomber targeted their convoy near the North Sinai provincial capital of Arish. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State affiliate known as Wilayat Sinai, which has been waging a four-year insurgency against the government, mostly in northern Sinai. Last Sunday, six soldiers and two dozen militants were killed in assaults on military outposts there.

With the Islamic State eviscerated in Iraq and Syria, regional security officials and analysts say the groups affiliates are asserting themselves and seeking to carve out potential new safe havens for its fighters. Egypt and other parts of North Africa are among the key areas of the world where the group has made or is seeking to make inroads.

The ongoing insurgency, coupled with economic austerity measures imposed by Western donors, has spawned frustration and anger at the government  at a time when Sissi is widely expected to run in next years presidential elections.

The State Department said in a statement Saturday that the United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack against Egyptian security forces near the Bahariya Oasis yesterday, which killed dozens of Egyptian personnel and wounded many others.

The United States stands with Egypt at this difficult time, as we continue to work together to fight the scourge of terrorism.

Read more

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Extrajudicial killings have spiked in Egypt

Egypts long, bloody fight against the Islamic State in Sinai is going nowhere

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Three rockets were fired into the city's fortified "Green Zone" early Saturday morning, where two of them exploded near the NATO compound housing U.S. military personnel and other foreign forces.

A few hours later, a suicide bomber attacked a busload of military cadets, killing 15 of them, by detonating explosives near the entrance gate of the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, about seven miles from the NATO complex. Four of the cadets were also injured, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The attacks on the NATO complex caused no injuries or damage to the compound, said Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the U.S.-led NATO effort.

The explosions just before 6 a.m. echoed through the city's Shash Darak neighborhood, where the Afghan Defense Ministry and some foreign embassies are also located. No culprits have been identified, officials said.

Both attacks came a day after a massive suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque on the southwestern fringes of Kabul killed 39 people and injured another 45.

This week has been among the deadliest in Afghanistan this year, with more than 150 people killed during suicide bomb attacks in various provinces. Most of those attacks targeted Afghan police or military facilities. Another suicide bomb attack on a Sunni mosque in the Ghowr province Friday killed 20 people.

Read more

Taliban carry out deadly attacks amid push for peace talks

Kabul police foil potentially massive suicide attack

The war in Afghanistan, by the numbers

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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The deaths of four Special Forces soldiers in Niger this month have sparked wider debate about military service, the civilian-military divide in the United States and the contours of public discourse about one of the countrys most hallowed communities: the families of troops killed in combat.

When White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly defended President Trumps call to the wife of one of the soldiers killed in Niger, the former four-star general stressed the lack of a prescribed script for any president.

If you elect to call a family like this, it is about the most difficult thing you could imagine. Theres no perfect way to make that phone call, Kelly told reporters Thursday. His son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert M. Kelly, was killed in Afghanistan seven years ago.

[John Kelly, who lost a son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice]

But Kellys defense of Trump  beginning with a vivid description of how dead troops make their way home  turned into a lecture on how Americans do not understand the military communitys sacrifice. And it alarmed some of those who study relations between the military and society.

Former senior officials such as retired Gen. David Petraeus and retired Adm. Mike Mullen have argued that divisions between troops and civilians can exacerbate misconceptions about post-traumatic stress and make obtaining civilian employment difficult for veterans. And they have championed efforts to bridge the gaps in understanding.

Kellys remarks work against those efforts, said Kori Schake, a fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution and co-editor of the book Warriors and Citizens with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. My guess is that military families will pull themselves further into the community because they dont want to be politicized, Schake said.

Kellys remarks broaden what had been a relatively insular discussion among military families, veterans and scholars. It begins with a basic premise  that civil society and military circles are culturally, socially and geographically distinct, a form of isolation with real consequences for the country.

The last 16 years of war have been carried by a narrow slice of the population, and the burden is heavy but not wide, said Phil Carter, a former Army officer and director of the military, veterans and society program at Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.

[When Adam Schumann went to war he didnt foresee its horrors]

Carter said that Kellys comments echo a prevalent attitude in some military and veteran circles  a feeling of pride for taking on a tough job in some of the most dangerous places on Earth, coupled with a simmering resentment of civilians oblivious to their mission.

Kelly appears to personify that attitude, Carter said.

His entire adult life was spent in military, and he has given his literal flesh and blood in the form of his sons death, Carter said. I think he sincerely feels most Americans dont understand his life of service and sacrifice.

Carter and others said it can be difficult for many Americans to encounter military families. Fewer than 1 percent of the population currently serve in uniform, and 7 percent are military veterans. The number of Gold Star families  the term for those who lost a family member to combat  is about 7,000 from Iraq and Afghanistan.

We dont look down upon those of you that havent served, Kelly said Thursday. In fact, in a way were a little bit sorry because youll never have experienced the wonderful joy you get in your heart when you do the kinds of things our servicemen and -women do.

Geography heightens the separation. Military families and veterans tend to be linked to military installations that populate the South and Midwest, turning those populations inward and away from the coasts, and recruitment often draws on those who already have military ties, making service in uniform a family business of sorts.

Kellys words Thursday worried Carter and others. His somber ordering of how a dead service member is moved from battlefield to burial was a helpful glimpse for Americans who have not experienced that trauma. But Carter said he paired the idea with a belief that most civilians could not conceive  or intentionally fail  to understand that burden.

It was odd. The military does not have a monopoly on loss and hardship, Carter said.

Another moment also struck a dissonant note. When Kelly ended his remarks by accusing Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) of using a dead soldier for political points, he told reporters he was only interested in questions from those who had a direct connection to those killed in combat.

Is anyone here a Gold Star parent or sibling? Does anyone here know a Gold Star parent or sibling? Kelly asked before taking a question about Niger.

Analysts were taken back by his stance, which they said suggested discourse about those killed in action can only reasonably occur in the walled-off segments of society where losses on the battlefield are most directly and painfully felt.

John Kelly is right that Americans have fallen out of practice of how to speak about grieving military families, Schake said. But thats because of the happy circumstance that the country is not subject to the draft or large wars. That gap is not the fault of average Americans.

That portion of Kellys reaction nagged at Phil Klay, an Iraq War veteran who wrote the short story collection Redeployment, winner of the National Book Award.

Veterans feel very keenly that America is disengaged from these wars. The problem is not going to be fixed with the idea only people who are personally involved have the right to ask questions, Klay said. Its the exact opposite.

The notion of military service as the purest form of public virtue, at the cost of other kinds of service to others, is an alarming development, he said.

Military courage is something society needs to have and we need to valorize it, Klay said. But we also need a civic body that makes this a country worth fighting for.

In particular, Klay said, the politicized discourse around service, and who understands its burdens, obscures legitimate questions that all citizens need to engage with, beginning, in this moment, with why U.S. forces were in Niger in the first place.
In a bold stroke to quash a popular secessionist movement in restive Catalonia, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed Saturday to remove the region's leaders, assert control over the upstart government and press for a fresh round of elections within months.

The sweeping declaration by the central government to invoke unprecedented powers upon an autonomous region  and push aside its elected leaders  surprised Barcelona, where many people were expecting more incremental steps from Madrid.

The announcement came after an emergency cabinet meeting Saturday, when government ministers emerged with a get-tough response to the Catalan independence referendum three weeks ago, which Spains Constitutional Court had declared illegal.

Rajoy said he would ask the Spanish Senate to take the unprecedented step of invoking Article 155 of Spain's 1978 constitution, which allows the central government to suspend the region's autonomy.

A vote in the Spanish parliament could come within days.

It is not yet clear exactly what Madrid will do in Catalonia or when. It is possible that the central government will take over regional ministries, including the police force and Catalan public broadcasters.

Rajoy insisted that Madrid is not seizing control of Catalonia but is merely demanding new leadership.

There is no country in the world ready to allow this kind of situation within its borders, Rajoy said at a news conference. This is not a suspension of home rule but the dismissal of those who lead the regional government.

The regional president, Carles Puigdemont, gave an address on Catalan TV on Saturday night in Catalan, Spanish and English.

We cannot accept these attacks, he said. Those who have scorned the Catalans now want to govern us. I will ask parliament to decide how to respond to these attacks on democracy and to act accordingly.

The separatists in Catalonia, led by Puigdemont, staged a chaotic referendum this month despite the fact that the courts had declared it unconstitutional.

More than 2 million people ultimately cast ballots for independence, though the turnout for the referendum was around 40 percent of eligible voters.

In a speech shortly after the Oct. 1 vote that confused observers in Barcelona and across Spain, Puigdemont first declared independence but then suspended the secession process, saying that Catalonia was willing to begin talks with the central government.

Catalonias calls for the European Union to mediate the dispute have not been answered, with most continental leaders backing Madrid.

On Saturday, Rajoy vehemently disputed the notion of dialogue with a movement his government still considers outside the rule of law.

Puigdemont was invited to discuss his position in the Spanish parliament, but he refused, Rajoy said. He was invited to the conference of regional presidents, and he didnt want to go. Dialogue is not that others have to accept a decision you already made. It is not imposing your decision to break the law.

At a news conference Friday night at the close of the E.U. summit in Brussels, Rajoy said he was forced to act to preserve Spanish unity.

It simply cannot be, in todays Europe, that there is a country where the law is not observed, Rajoy said.

Catalonia, with its own language and culture, already enjoys considerable autonomy, with control of its own health care, education and regional police.

Catalonia is one of the regions that enjoys the most autonomy, not just in Spain, but in Europe, said Pedro Sanchez, leader of Spains main opposition party, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, on Saturday. That is what the secessionist movement wants to ruin, he said, adding that enacting Article 155 was crucial to defending the Spanish constitution.

Rajoy said Article 155  a nuclear option that has never before been tried  would be invoked to restore institutional legality and normality.

The prime minister has formally proposed that the measures be approved by the Spanish Senate on Friday, citing the flagrant, obstinate and deliberate noncompliance of the Autonomous Region of Catalonia.

Rajoy said he expected the takeover to be short-term, until elections could be held that would recover normality and the ability to live together and continue with the economic recovery that is so important to peoples lives, their salaries and which the regional government of Catalonia has endangered based on their capricious desires.

Catalan officials decried Madrids announcement. Josep Lluis Cleries, a spokesman for the Catalan parliament, called Rajoys speech a suspension of democracy.

The decision to invoke Article 155, he added, represented a true coup detat against the people of Catalonia.

Earlier, Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras told The Washington Post, The citizens of Catalonia are ready to defend democracy through all legal means and rights.

At the same time, about 7 in 10 Catalans surveyed support a call for new elections, according to a poll conducted for the Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico.

Asked about the possibility of violence, Junqueras said: Here the response is very simple. The Spanish government will have to explain to the world how it justifies violence against peaceful protesters.

Pro-independence activists promised demonstrations and civil disobedience. It is possible that regional police may stop working and that civil employees will walk out. Unions could call general strikes.

During the referendum, Spanish National Police and Civil Guard officers used harsh tactics, in some cases beating voters with rubber batons and dragging people away from the ballot boxes.

It remains unclear whether new elections would solve problems for the central government, with pro-independence parties benefiting from a probable surge in popularity in recent weeks. It is also possible that Catalan parties could boycott an election pressed upon them by outsiders.

This is a political decision. The most important one adopted by Rajoy in his whole career, Rafa de Miguel, a leading columnist for El Pais, Spains newspaper of record, observed Saturday. At least he has finally responded to the challenge. The limbo is over. The legal debates are over. Now it is time to act.

Rolfe reported from Madrid and McAuley reported from Paris.

Read more

Spain vs. Catalonia: Heres what you need to know

Meet the two jailed activists behind Catalonias independence movement

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Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:22:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Saturday slammed the display of banner of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan after capture of Syria's Raqqa, saying he was "not worthy of respect."

"Our attitude towards the liberation of Raqqa as a gain for all Syrians is clear. We expect all parties to avoid acts that may increase tension or be seen as aggressive," the embassy said in a written statement.

"The PKK is an organization on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Ocalan is in prison in Turkey because of the terrorist activities connected with the PKK. He is not a person worthy to be respected," the statement said.

The embassy underlined the U.S. government works closely with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and increase regional stability.

Heather Nauert, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, also emphasized on Friday night the importance of counter-terrorism cooperation between Turkey and the United States.

The statement came after Turkey slammed the United States over the move which would further harm the already-fraught relations between Ankara and Washington.

"How can the United States explain the poster of Ocalan in Raqqa? Is this the way they are cooperating with us in the fight against terror?" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"You are not standing by us against terrorism. You wouldn't allow this if you were." he said.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.

Ocalan, who founded the PKK in 1978, was jailed on a treason conviction in Turkey in 1999.

Ankara has repeatedly denounced the continued U.S. support to the Democratic Union Party, the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, as its ally on the ground in combating IS in Syria.
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Five years ago, Jeremy Regan left behind the world of high-priced hair salons and hasnt looked back.

I was at a fairly high-end salon and was charging $55 for a haircut, and that was five years ago, the founder of Hunter and Gunn said. If you were to add $2 or $3 a year, Id probably be up to about $65, $75. For a haircut?

On a shoestring budget  something that coincidentally gave his shop a hip, retro vibe  he leased space at the corner of Broadway and Balmoral Street and cut his price to $25.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jeremy Regan shakes out an apron in his Broadway Barbershop Tuesday.

Its a formula that works. By donating $1 from every cut and a portion of product sales to local, non-profit organizations, his shop has surpassed $75,000 in donations, which he estimates translates into 65,000 haircuts over five years, or an average of 35 per day. He just raised the price for the first time, to $26.

More importantly, his shop is booked solid, days in advance.

Its allowed him to continue to thrive despite the influx of retro barbershop chains and the opening of sole proprietor shops that emulate his formula. He doesnt begrudge the competition.

Look, weve got 750,000 or 800,000 people. Theres plenty of cake for everyone.

Shearing locks wasnt always in his plans. Like many in their late teens and early 20s, he toyed with the idea of making it big in music. Like a lot of musicians, it wasnt paying the bills. I think I lost money on that.

Nor was an arts and commerce education a good fit, after four years of university. The conversation with my parents  I want to be a hairstylist  wasnt one I was looking forward to. But once I got good at it and was cutting my moms hair, she was pretty proud.

Personality is the key to success in hairstyling. You really need to be comfortable talking to people. If you have any kind of social anxiety, you arent going to last very long.

Today, Regan is looking forward, waiting for the right time to expand his business to other locations, with that same budget-price strategy thats worked in West Broadway.

I dont think Id ever be like its $40 in River Heights, $30 in Transcona and $25 in West Broadway. It would be the same price.

Yet even at bargain prices, Regan said his stylists are paid about the same money as if they worked in a $55 salon. Keeping costs low and making it up on volume allows him to keep his chair-rental rates low.

To mark five years in business, Hunter & Gunn is about to launch its own private label hair product line called Heart Grooming. Applying the principles of the shops commitment to the community, Regan says that if successful, Heart Grooming will have an effect globally that will make Hunter & Gunns donations locally look like a pittance.

More interestingly, being shopped around television networks right now is a pilot for a program he touts as a barbers equivalent to Anthony Bourdains No Reservations.

In the pilot, due for release to MTS TV subscribers in early November, he found some character barbers in Neepawa and Brandon. If the series is picked up, he plans to travel the world telling interesting stories where the barbershop is the entry point for engaging with real characters.

In India, they have these street barbers who literally set up a chair right on the street and give you a cut, he said. Theres the township barbers in South Africa where these townships have progressed from apartheid and now are these really social places with music and art.

Theres this guy in China who cuts hair with his eyes closed. Hes got some kind of Zen-like thing going on.

Chris Charney, senior writer and partner at Winnipegs Farpoint Films, said the trailer is almost ready to hit the circuit and get shopped around for a network.

It would be great to explore barbers around the world and see what they do and how they do it, Charney said, adding Regans experience at the chair makes him a good host. Hes got a good presence, and I think its all those years in the barbershop. Theyre natural storytellers, and theyre used to hearing other peoples stories.

kelly.taylor@freepress.mb.ca
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DETROIT  When it comes to reliability, Ford and Fiat Chrysler have improved their performance ratings among drivers while General Motors has slipped. Still, GMs Buick is the only U.S. brand to make Consumer Reports latest top 10 list of most reliable brands. The new Chevrolet Bolt electric car was GMs most reliable model, scoring above average in the influential reliability survey.

Fiat Chryslers improvement in the study released on Thursday was welcome news after poor ratings in recent years.

Overall, however, the Detroit Three automakers received low scores from the independent non-profit organization known for its trusted analysis.

Drivers reported growing pains for new models across the industry.

These new technologies can add features and improve fuel efficiency, but are more prone to have issues. More often than not, our data suggests its prudent for consumers to wait for the technology to mature, said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

However, Fisher added, Detroit should be encouraged.

Core models, including the wildly popular Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 pickup trucks improved their reliability.

Jeep moved up three spots in the brand rankings from last year, a significant improvement, even as the Grand Cherokee and Renegade remain below average.

Consumer Reports found major improvements in the Chrysler brand, which moved up 10 places on the list, thanks to the new Pacifica minivans performance, despite minor transmission issues. The only Dodge model that did not rate below average was the Grand Caravan. Even with improvements in the Ram 1500, the brand is dragged to the bottom by the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500, the survey said.

Meanwhile, GM was saved by Buick, with its much better than average reliability of the Encore, the better than average reliability of the Cascada convertible and Envision compact SUV. The Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC brands landed in the bottom third of the survey. The redesigned Buick LaCrosse full-size luxury car debuted with well-below average reliability. The Volt plug-in hybrid remains below average and the Cruze compact car, which debuted with well above average reliability just one year ago, plunged to below average this year.

GMC and Cadillac are at the bottom of the brand rankings. The Acadia SUV debuted at well below average is among the 10 least reliable new models. Its issues involve problems relating to infotainment systems, drive systems, climate control and power equipment. All of Cadillacs models had below average reliability.

At Ford, the F-150 improved to average reliability but the Focus compact car and Fiesta subcompact car remain well-below average with ongoing clutch and transmission problems.

For the fifth straight year, Consumer Reports surveys show Toyota brands rank at the top of 27 brands for predicted new-car reliability. Other Asia-based manufacturers, including Acura and Mazda, saw their consumer ratings tumble.

All Honda models score an average or better reliability, along with European brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz. Volvo remains near the bottom, hurt by the much worse than average score.

 Detroit Free Press
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As fans of Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters flock to his Winnipeg concert Sunday night at Bell MTS Place, his detractors will gather to watch a film that targets him for supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.

Bnai Brith Canada is screening Wish You Werent Here, a film that explores how support for the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement directly leads to instances of anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination, focusing specifically on BDS advocate Roger Waters, said a news release.

The BDS movements stated goals are the end of Israels occupation and settler colonization of Palestinian land and the Golan Heights, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and acknowledgement of the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Roger Waters performs at MTS Centre in 2012.

Wish You Werent Here  a play on the title track of Pink Floyds 1975 album Wish You Were Here  is a documentary that aims to refute Waters misguided and inflammatory views on Israel and provide a balanced perspective on BDS, Bnai Brith Canada said. Its hosting screenings at theatres across the country to coincide with Waters Us + Them tour schedule. In Winnipeg, Wish You Werent Here is being shown Sunday, at 7 p.m., at Scotiabank Theatre on St. James Street. A question-and-answer session will follow, organizers said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian BDS Coalition says it will gather outside the theatre before the screening, to show our solidarity for the outspoken support Roger Waters is showing for Palestinians, and in particular the BDS movement and to help theatre-goers, who may be interested, better understand what BDS is all about.

We are there to let people know that there is nothing anti-Semitic about a peaceful, non-violent form of protest that targets corporations that are profiting from illegal activities in the occupied territories of Israel-Palestine, a spokesman for the Winnipeg coalition said. Group members will move on to Bell MTS Place to hand out flyers with information about the BDS movement before Waters, 74, performs, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:22:44|Editor: Song Lifang

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Afghan security force members stand at the site of an attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2017. At least 15 army cadets were killed and four others wounded as suicide blast happened in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon, the defense ministry confirmed. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

KABUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 army cadets were killed and four others wounded as suicide blast happened in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon, the defense ministry confirmed.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to the Marshal Fahim military university in western part of Kabul, killing 15 army cadets and injuring four others," Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the ministry of defense, said in a statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

This week has been a brutal one for Afghanistan. Suicide bombers on Friday detonated their explosives among the prayers on two Shia mosques in the country, one in Kabul and another in western province of Ghor, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others.
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Julie Epp is the founder of Dreaming Tree Paper Company, a Wolseley-based operation that transforms weathered, dog-eared books into eye-catching diaries and day planners.

A while back, Epp took part in the Danforth East Arts Fair in Toronto. At some point during the weekend, a woman occupying an adjacent booth began flipping through Epps wares which, instead of resting on tables or shelves, are typically displayed in worn, vintage suitcases. Within seconds, she came across a tome that took her breath away.

It turned out one of the books Id turned into a journal had been written by her late grandfather, Epp says, seated inside a bustling, West Broadway coffee shop. There had been very few copies printed, apparently, but what made this one even more special was an inscription on the title page, which I always try to preserve, from her grandfather to friends of their family. Immediately, she was on the phone with her mother, saying Youll never believe what I just found. (In case youre wondering, no, Epp didnt charge the woman for the treasure.)

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Julie Epp makes journals from old books. She starts by cutting off the front and back covers, and any pages inside that she will use for decoration.

Epp grew up in Winnipegs south end. In 1996, shortly after she moved into an apartment of her own for the first time, she began chronicling her thoughts in journal form, on a near-nightly basis.

Bar Italia on Corydon (Avenue) was my place, she says, taking a sip of her latte. I would go there almost every evening, drink coffee till 2 (a.m.) and write, write, write.

Heres the thing; because Epp is all over the place when she has a pen or pencil in her hand  she dislikes the confinement of lines, she says with a smile  her solution was to buy artist sketch pads, a practice she wasnt overly fond of, since most were too large for what she had in mind.

Back then, the graphic designer was working for an architectural firm. There was a spiral coil binding machine at work and one afternoon she borrowed it to bind blank sheets of paper between two pieces of cardboard, which she had measured and cut to the ideal size. Pleased with the result, she repeated that process whenever she needed a new journal. Only instead of cardboard, she began fashioning covers out of board games, record album sleeves and finally, second-hand books, to give them some added pizzazz.

It worked. Whenever her friends spotted one of her creations sticking out from her purse, their first comment was How cool is that?

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Julie Epp punches holes in the paper and covers before inserting the ring binding.

For years, Epp was content making journals for her own use. After moving to Toronto in 2008, however, she decided to see if there was a market for what she was turning out. She was hoping to make a few extra dollars on the side, but more importantly, if her handiwork proved a hit, it would grant her the perfect excuse to go shopping for dusty, old books to her hearts content.

The Toronto Reference Library had a used book store, where discarded books were $1 each, so I got a ton there. Plus, in Toronto, people put stuff on the side of the road in boxes all the time, so that turned out to be another great resource, she says, adding these days, when she hits preferred haunts such as Value Village or MCC thrift shops, she doesnt waste time fussing over condition, as long as the front and back cover are fairly intact. I never care if the pages are stained or written on, or if the binding is broken. I actually prefer that, because Im much happier cutting up a book thats somewhat destroyed that nobodys going to want to read, anyways.

Epp, who returned to Winnipeg in 2012, says people who havent seen her journals before often do a double-take when they come across her booth at craft shows.

Lots (of people) stop and look, but its not until they pick up one up and start flipping through that they realize what I do, exactly that Im not just rebinding old books, she says, adding she makes a point of including between six and 10 pages from the original book, especially illustrations, to lend a touch of charm to the finished product.

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Pretty much the same things that have been popular forever, she says, when asked what titles shoppers are on the lookout for, most frequently. As if to make her point, she fans out a half-dozen titles on the table in front of us, including Felix Saltens Bambi, Anna Sewells Black Beauty and an early edition of Aesops Fables, which immediately grab the attention of people seated nearby.

For a long stretch, she couldnt find enough books featuring the adventures of Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins or Cherry Ames to keep up with demand, she says. (She was this nurse from the 40s and 50s who solved mysteries, Epp explains, after correctly picking up on a Cherry-who? look on her interviewers face.)

But my favourites, for sure, are old textbooks, she continues, noting she finds it particularly difficult to part with songbooks and typewriting manuals, because of how attractive their covers tend to be. Most hardcovers nowadays come with a dust jacket, theres little to no writing on the actual coverto me, they just dont make books like this anymore.

Dreaming Tree Paper Company products are available at five retail locations in Winnipeg, including Urban Waves on Osborne Street, the Best of Friends Giftshop at Millennium Library and the Tara Davis Studio Boutique in the Exchange District. Tara Davis, the Winnipeg-born owner of the five-year-old shop at 246 McDermot Ave., met Epp seven years ago, when she was running a crafters store in British Columbia.

I hate to say it but even though my store was in Nelson, all my bestselling stuff was made by friends of mine in Winnipeg, Davis says. In November 2010, I was in town for an event called This Aint Your Grandmas Craft Sale, at the Park (Theatre), and after meeting Julie there and seeing her stuff for the first time, I started bringing in her journals on a regular basis.

Davis, who stocks between 75 and 100 of Epps journals at any given time, says the books appeal to almost everybody who comes through her door, from aunts and uncles looking for a present for nieces and nephews, to new moms and dads in the market for a log to record their babys height, weight, etc.

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Julie Epp keeps hundreds of covers on hand during craft show season.

Davis chuckles when the inevitable, this-is-such-a-good-idea-why-didnt-I-think-of-it-first-query is posed.

I know, eh? But its an effort, for sure. About five years ago, just before Christmas, I invited Julie down, to make books for people onsite. But after watching her cutting and measuring for hours  not to mention all the work that went into finding the books in the first place  I was like, OK, this is a bit of an effort, for sure.

From time to time, Epp accepts custom orders from people looking to preserve a family heirloom  a cherished recipe book that is falling apart, for example  in a unique manner.

In a way, Im selling memories, right? she says, pointing out shes also made wedding-guest registers for brides and grooms out of books each of them holds dear. I hear it all the time, when people are looking through my stuff: Oh my God, I remember reading this book, theyll say. The moneys nice but I have to say the journey of watching people go through my books and seeing their eyes light up has been really neat.

On Oct. 29, Epp will be a vendor at Oh! For Crafts Sake, at the Park Theatre, and in November, shell participate in Third + Birds 9th annual Christmas market, which will be staged on the lower level of the downtown Bay store. For more information on Dreaming Tree Paper Company, go to www.dreamingtreepaper.com.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Julie Epp's cat, Jelly, goes in the suitcases sometimes too.
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Faith Nayler grew up in the Spence neighbourhood at a time when the wrong path was never far away. She credits Building Belonging, a program funded mainly by the United Way, for starting her down the right road.

Absolutely, she said. If youre occupied with other things, you dont fall in to the wrong crowd. You always had people to look up to, who knew right from wrong.

Building Belonging is headquartered on Langside Avenue at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, a building named for the areas longtime former city councillor. It provides sporting activities, craft activities, field trips and assistance to children from six to Grade Six.

When Nayler recently moved back into the Spence neighbourhood, it seemed only natural for her daughter, Hailey Lague, 6, to attend the same program.

They have this program where volunteers pick up the kids at school, so its really beneficial to mothers who have other children at home, Nayler said. Its going to really help in winter when I dont have to bundle up the littler one.

Allison Besel, Building Belongings co-ordinator, said working for the program for 10 years has been rewarding. Not only does it provide activities and a safe haven for children, it employs the areas youth program participants in the summer and helps intern students at Red River Colleges Youth Recreation program. It employs two staff full-time and takes on additional staff in the summer.

Its great to see how much the kids come to value the support theyve received from the program, she said.

Besel said Building Belonging helps teach children they have an ownership stake in the community at large, and its reflected in how the children behave in the centre and when theyre out in the larger community.

Theyre very respectful of the space and they take ownership when theyre out in the community, she said.

The program, which began in 2002, has an annual budget of $108,000 and receives $67,000 from the United Way. Other contributors include Manitoba Justice Lighthouses, the Winnipeg Foundation, the Canada Post Community Foundation, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, Canada Summer Jobs and the YM-YWCA Summer Work Student Exchange.

She works with other social service agencies in the area to try to provide programming at a reasonable cost. As well, she identifies kids who have particular needs, such as not having enough food at home or needing other services, and hooking them up with agencies that can help.

Were very efficient with the funding we get, she said. We work with our partners, such as the Dairy Farmers and Winnipeg Harvest, to try to keep our costs down.

Building Belonging is run by the Spence Neighbourhood Association, and has benefits that extend beyond the children in the program.

Besel said in the 10 years shes been with the program, shes noticed a decline in the amount of vandalism in the area, and in particular on the grounds of the Magnus Eliason centre.

When I started, we had numerous incidents of vandalism  our playground was burned down, she said. Kids just didnt have that strong connection and didnt feel as though they had any place to go.

kelly.taylor@freepress.mb.ca
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Although it admits no wrongdoing, Manitoba Hydro has agreed to pay $9.6 million to settle a dispute with the agency that operates Ontarios electricity market and transmission system.

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) approved the settlement with Manitobas largest Crown corporation earlier this year.

The two sides are providing few details about the deal because of a confidentiality agreement, but IESO had raised concerns Manitoba Hydro may have breached its trading rules in 2011 and 2012.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

We didnt do anything wrong. It is a matter of interpretation as to what occurred, Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen said.

Jordan Penic, senior manager of communications with IESO, said the agencys market assessment and compliance division launched an investigation in September 2012. The allegations pertained to maximum amounts of energy that can be traded in the Ontario market.

Penic said IESO expanded its probe in December 2015, when it discovered Hydro may have breached another market rule.

Around the same time, he said, Hydro may have also breached a third rule by refusing to answer a few questions around an information request that we had about the investigation itself.

Penic said the settlement was appropriate for the alleged breaches and fair for both parties.

A brief synopsis of the settlement is posted on the IESO website under negotiated settlements.

IESO says its market assessment and compliance division monitors the operation of Ontarios electricity grid and market, investigating potential non-compliance with Ontario market rules and North American reliability standards.

Where appropriate, it enforces the rules by making determinations and imposing sanctions, IESO says.

It may also engage in alternative case resolutions, such as agreeing to settlements.

A spokeswoman for Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen declined comment on the issue Thursday, calling it a legal matter and referring queries to Manitoba Hydro.

David Cormie, director of wholesale power and operations at Manitoba Hydro, said he could offer little comment in addition to what IESO provided on its website.

We participate in their market. They send us money that we generate in their market, and were returning some of that money to them as a settlement, he said.

In addition to selling power it generates, Manitoba Hydro is an active trader in various electricity markets, Cormie said.

For example, Manitoba may buy power in Michigan when prices are low there and sell it to Ontario at a profit.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we have a trading floor thats always looking at the (price) spread, he said.

This is a source of revenue that doesnt involve Manitoba Hydro energy. All youre doing is buying out of one market and selling into another market.

Cormie said while Hydro does not admit to any wrongdoing, it agreed to a settlement, in part, so as not to damage a relationship in a market that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the corporation over the years.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
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A Winnipeg police officer is recovering, after he was dragged nearly 75 metres on Saturday by a fleeing driver.

According to police, the encounter began at around 2:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, when officers patrolling in the 300 block of St. Mary Avenue spotted a sedan with what appeared to be fresh damage on its side.

Officers pulled the driver over, and discovered he was the subject of two arrest warrants and court-ordered conditions. As an officer attempted to place the driver under arrest, the driver started to speed away.

The officer was caught by a seatbelt, police spokesman Cst. Jay Murray said, and was dragged for around 75 metres before working himself free: from near the front of the Pony Corral, to the corner of Vaughan Street.

He was not seriously injured, though he was treated in hospital and then released.

His hand is swollen, and he could potentially be off work for some bit, Murray said.

The car was later found in the 200 block of Balmoral Street, though the driver wasnt with it. The vehicle also struck two parked cars during the flight, police said.

Police have identified a suspect, but have not released his name, pending an arrest warrant for this incident.

Most traffic stops in this city go without any kind of incident, and are very controlled, Murray said.

Sometimes you run into an individual like this who, Im going to guess the individual knew he was breaching court-ordered conditions and had two warrants, and made the decision to pull away.

This person now is going to face significantly more severe charges than if theyd just said, you got me.'

Anyone with more information is encouraged to contact police at 204-986-6316.
Opinion

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This article was published 21/10/2017 (1851 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the second paragraph of a brief letter, 67 words in total. But a century later, its ramifications remain as hotly debated as the day the letter was officially sent on Nov. 2, 1917.

With the approval of British prime minister David Lloyd George and his inner war cabinet, Arthur Balfour, the foreign secretary, wrote to Walter Rothschild, Second Baron Rothschild, the head of the British wing of the most famous Jewish family in the world, and a leading British Zionist and supporter of Chaim Weizmann (later the first president of Israel):

His Majestys Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

HANDOUT PHOTO: (Postmedia News) David Lloyd George was prime minister of the United Kingdom when the Balfour Declaration was issued.

The wording, which had been suggested by British Zionists led by Weizmann and then revised by the war cabinet, was deliberately ambiguous. And, as subsequent events were to show over the next two decades, the British commitment in the face of Arab hostility wavered to the point where the declaration became almost meaningless.

Ironically, one of the most vocal opponents of the declaration was Edwin Montagu, the only Jewish cabinet minister in Lloyd Georges government in 1917 and a staunch assimilationist. He maintained that Jews must forget about the Zionist dream of Palestine and instead fully embrace the western societies they live in.

The declaration, in fact, had been years in the making. In a world in which Britain was still the most powerful country and was seeking to drive the Ottoman Turks (who had sided with Germany during the First World War) out of Palestine and the rest of the Middle East, British Zionists had been able to convince enough politicians of the benefits of their cause.

This was in part because the British were keen to secure the support of the international power of the Jews, as the Conservative MP Robert Cecil had termed this influence that, though imaginary, was opportunistically fostered by the Zionists in an attempt to persuade British officials that a strong Jewish presence in Palestine was in their own best geopolitical interests.

Meanwhile, throughout the war, the British, via T.E. Lawrence  immortalized as Lawrence of Arabia in the 1962 Academy Award-winning film starring Peter OToole  were making similar promises to Arab leaders, assuring them of an Arab-controlled Palestine and Syria in exchange for their military support in driving out the Ottomans.

The British were also making deals with the French, who coveted the Middle East as well. And Lloyd George secretly  though unsuccessfully  tried to negotiate a separate peace with the Ottomans, in which they would maintain rule over Palestine.

In truth, as historian Jonathan Schneer concludes in his study of the making of the Balfour Declaration, the British were duplicitous with every party involved in the question of Palestine.

Nonetheless, in 1917, a Jewish homeland in the Holy Land seemed imminent. For years after, the declaration  hailed by Lord Rothschild as the most momentous occasion in the history of Judaism for the last 1,800 years  was celebrated in Canada as Balfour Day with parades and receptions like a regular Jewish holiday. As Winnipeg lawyer Mark Shinbane put it, after the Balfour Declaration was announced, everybody became a Zionist.

Dedicated and idealistic, Weizmann and his supporters had a bad case of wilful blindness when it came to accepting a reality they knew to be true: that despite any legitimate Jewish claim to Palestine, the Arabs living there and in the region were not going to welcome a Jewish state in any part of the territory, no matter how small.

That proved all too true. In 1920, after the League of Nations granted the British Mandate in Palestine, Arab protests and violence against Jewish settlers began. It has never ended. The British again handled the situation poorly. They generally sided with the Arabs, but at the same time permitted limited Jewish immigration to Palestine and held out hope of mutually agreed-upon solution.

The mandate ended on Nov. 29, 1947 when the Leagues successor, the United Nations, voted in favour of partitioning Palestine into two states  one independent state for the Jews, which soon became the state of Israel, and one for the Palestinian Arabs. The Jews accepted the partition, while the Arabs did not. And never have. They wanted sovereignty over all of Palestine and still do.

Irrespective of the controversial land issues engendered by the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of June 1967, every military conflict and act of violence between Israel and the Arabs since the Balfour Declaration, to the events of 1947-48, to the recent stabbings of Israelis and Arabs in Jerusalem in the past several months, comes back to this simple and salient fact.

Now & Then is a column in which historian Allan Levine puts the events of today in a historical context.
Opinion

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Manitoba is undergoing a major, rapid transformation of health and social services, including the closure of ERs, privatization of occupational and physiotherapy and the recent proposal to introduce mixed-model home care. Many commentators have characterized these changes as part of a privatization and austerity agenda that is shifting health-care values in Manitoba.

On Sept. 20, Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced Priority Home service, which is set to launch in November. This service aims to provide short-term, intensive home care for up to 90 days in order to divert individuals from entering personal care homes or hospitals. This allows patients to be panelled for services at home, rather than undergoing this process in the hospital.

Currently, many aging people and their families do not initiate the home-care application process until they are in crisis, which doesnt account for administrative time, home assessments or any waiting lists for services. Providing intensive bridging at times of crisis, with the aim of avoiding more costly and institutionalized care solutions, does indeed respond to urgent gaps in the health-care system.

However, the WRHA news release glosses over the mixed-model aspect of Priority Home. Two-thirds of the $15.7-million budget will go toward private companies providing these intensive services. While receiving intensive home care is often preferable, there are legitimate concerns about private companies providing these services.

Evidence shows that privatized health care geared toward finding greater efficiencies and cost savings means that social-health approaches are further removed from care delivery, and patients/clients often have little choice or autonomy when it comes to their care. Rather than striving for well-rounded care delivery, this mixed-model fix erodes hard-earned public infrastructure and may also exacerbate social inequalities that make care less accessible in the long run.

WRHA proposes Priority Home as an intensive intermediary until public infrastructure can reabsorb these services. This raises questions about the job security of care workers and how this might affect clients/patients. This privatized fix to a crisis of Canadian health care is a familiar refrain. Simon Enoch and Christine Saulnier of the Canadian Centre for Policy of Alternatives refer to a recent report from Privatization Nation, saying, We thought this to be conclusive evidence that despite 30 years of experience, governments rarely seem to get privatization right, and more often get it wrong with astonishing regularity.

Experts on public-private health-care models, such as Heather Whiteside at the University of Waterloo, argue that these temporary fixes rarely (if ever) live up to their promises, and mostly represent politically motivated incentives not to seek out public solutions. Given this track record, its hard to imagine how the public sector will simply re-absorb the private transitional care beds after two years, as promised.

In many ways, policies and practices of care are a litmus test for how socially progressive a given society is. Disability activist Mia Mingus describes care as an essential part of valuing marginalized people  particularly older people and disabled people so often isolated in inadequate health-care systems. Mingus urges us to nurture alliances among workers and those who use services to reveal the urgent politics of care.

Donna Baines of the University of Sydney says care is part of an ethos of social justice that addresses poverty, class relations, sexism, heterosexism, ageism and ableism. What does Priority Home say about the politics of care in Manitoba? It tells us that disabled and older people are considered a burden on the health-care system, and that the best care is provided by the lowest bidder, regardless of how it might undermine public health-care infrastructure or care worker security.

Manitoba Health proudly reminds us that we have the oldest comprehensive, provincewide universal (home care) service in Canada  and we can continue to develop home-care policies that hold Manitoba up as a leader nationally and internationally. Amid stories about budget cuts, rising health-care costs and the necessity to overhaul an outdated system, there is opportunity to approach care as a complex system, one that is interrelated with other social services and driven by a broader ethos of social wellbeing and even justice.

Rather than adhering to narrowly defined metrics of quality of care, lets use this juncture to develop publicly funded home care that is guided by the best research on the social, political and geographic dimensions of care and the experiences of the people on the front lines of care  workers, clients, families and patients.

Mary Jean Hande is a postdoctoral fellow in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba whose work examines the politics of care under austerity in Canada. Christine Kelly is an assistant professor in community health sciences at the University of Manitoba who is leading a national study on directly funded, or self-managed, home care.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/10/2017 (1852 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After 18 months of growing pains, squabbles with Ottawa, clandestine vacations in Costa Rica, questionable accounting and controversial changes to health care, it appears Premier Brian Pallisters Progressive Conservative government has all but erased the lead in support it enjoyed in the 2016 election.

A Free Press-Probe Research poll shows the Pallister government with just 36 per cent of decided or leaning supporters, down from 42 per cent in a June poll. The NDP is in second at 30 per cent (unchanged), while the Manitoba Liberal Party trails closely with 24 per cent support (up four points).

The results stand in stark contrast to the support the Tories achieved in the last election, when 53 per cent of voters chose Pallister to replace the scandal-plagued NDP government of former premier Greg Selinger. Back then, Pallisters chief opponents were left in ruin: the NDP could elicit the support of only 26 per cent of voters, with the Liberals trailing badly at 14 per cent.

Justin Tang / The Canadian Press files Premier Brian Pallisters government is slipping in popularity, according to a recent poll that shows a 17-point drop in support since the April 2016 election.

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The 17 per cent drop in overall support over such a relatively short period of time is not unprecedented, but it is highly unusual. It should be the source of significant concern when Tories gather in Winnipeg on Nov. 3-4 for their partys annual general meeting. At that gathering, you can expect many influential Tories will be looking nervously at these poll results and trying to predict their partys prospects in the 2020 election.

At first blush, its not good news.

No party can win government in Manitoba without making inroads in Winnipeg. The Tories triumphed in 2016 largely because they were able to capture 16 of the 31 seats available in the provincial capital.

However, the current poll shows the Tories running third in Winnipeg. The NDP leads in the capital city with 33 per cent support, with the Liberals in second at 30 per cent; the Tories trail at 27 per cent. That is still largely within the margin of error (plus/minus three percentage points), but alarming nonetheless if youre a Tory.

Not surprisingly, the Tories enjoy the strongest support of all three parties among voters outside Winnipeg (51 per cent), those over 55 years of age (46 per cent), homeowners (42 per cent) and those with less than a high school education (48 per cent).

The poll paints a scenario thats rather remarkable: in just 18 months, the Pallister government has seen an erosion of support that would normally take many years, and probably multiple terms, to accomplish.

The showings of the opposition parties are, in their own way, similarly remarkable.

The NDP managed to hold firm in its support and retain the lead in Winnipeg, despite domestic assault allegations against newly minted leader Wab Kinew.

Respondents were polled from Sept. 21 to Oct. 10, a week after a former partner publicly accused Kinew of assault. Not losing support in the wake of those allegations will likely be seen as a huge win by Kinews team.

If the poll results serve as a source of concern at the Tory meeting in November, they should inject excitement into the Manitoba Liberal Party leadership convention, which takes place today.

On the day following the leadership vote, one of the three candidates in the running  MLAs Jon Gerrard and Cindy Lamoureux, and longtime party organizer Dougald Lamont  will find themselves at the helm of a party with the potential to disrupt Manitobas traditional habit of turning to either the Tories or the NDP to form government.

There are many caveats to poll results such as this.

The poor showing by the Progressive Conservatives does not change the fact that they are the best organized, best funded and most stable of the three main parties in Manitoba. In the 2020 election, they will have a clear advantage both in terms of the money they can spend, but also the information they will have about voters in each riding. Those are formidable advantages the NDP or Liberal party will be unlikely to match.

The Tories still have time on their side, although that advantage is becoming smaller and smaller by the day. In 30 months, much of the austerity that Pallister delivered in the early days of his administration, and the profound changes he has unleashed on health care, will be largely completed. If  and its a big if  he can show tangible evidence that he has made progress in improving the lives of Manitobans, he might be able to steal back a lot of the support he has lost to this point.

As well, the poll results do not fundamentally change the challenges facing the two opposition parties.

The NDP will continue to struggle to put Kinews troubled past behind him, and shed voter dissatisfaction with the Selinger government, which failed profoundly to deliver on both fiscal and program objectives.

The new Liberal leader will have to show that he or she is better able to seize the moment than former leader Rana Bokhari in the 2016 election. Back then, Bokhari had a shot to position her party as a logical option for skeptical Tories and beleaguered New Democrats. She failed miserably to create a credible, competent alternative and had no choice but to leave politics.

Heading into the dog days of winter, the poll reveals that Manitobas three political parties will continue to be faced with both challenges and opportunities. For the time being, it appears that politics in this province is a super tight horse race  and thats not a bad thing in and of itself.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
On Thursday, October 19, 40-year-old Torrey Twayne McNabb was murdered by the State of Alabama after his final stay of execution was vacated by the United States Supreme Court.

McNabb addressed his last words to his family members and to the State of Alabama; Mom, sis, look at my eyes. Im unafraid... To the state of Alabama, I hate you motherf***ers. I hate you. I hate you. As corrections officers prepared for his killing, he lifted both middle fingers to his executioners.

McNabb had been held on death row at Alabamas Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore for 18 years on two counts of capital murder in the shooting death of a Montgomery police officer. One count was for killing an on-duty officer; the other for killing the officer as he sat in his patrol car.

On Monday, US District Judge Keith Watkins granted a stay of execution in response to an emergency motion filed by McNabbs attorney, John Anthony Palombi, on October 11. McNabbs defense claimed that the method of execution presented a substantial risk of serious harm and that less painful alternatives existed.

A three-member panel on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the stay on Wednesday. Alabamas Attorney General, Steve Marshall, appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, asking the court to vacate the injunction against the execution.

In the Attorney Generals appeal to the Supreme Court, he stated, Alabama has already carried out four executions using this protocol. Three of those executed inmates were co-plaintiffs in this case, and their stay requests were denied by both this Court and the Eleventh Circuit.

Just after 4:00 PM on Thursday, the Supreme Court vacated the injunction, saying that the All Writs Act, the law cited by the appellate court in its injunction against the state, did not permit the court to grant a stay of execution for McNabb. McNabbs defense, the Court stated, had not established that McNabb might successfully win a stay based upon the merits of his case, and that inmates seeking time to challenge the manner in which the State plans to execute them must satisfy all of the requirements for a stay, including a showing of a significant possibility of success on the merits.

McNabbs attorneys hastily appealed for a traditional stay of execution from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which was denied. Immediately thereafter, they requested a temporary stay from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas granted the temporary stay just minutes before McNabbs scheduled execution at 6:00 pm.

Had the stay held until midnight, Alabama would have had to request another execution date, and McNabbs attorneys would have had time to strategize another method of securing a stay. However, the Supreme Court lifted the stay around 8:00 pm. Alabama wasted no time; by 8:25 McNabb was ushered into the execution chamber and by 8:30 the process had begun.

About 20 minutes prior to his death, McNabb raised his right arm and grimaced. This happened immediately after the second round of consciousness checkswhich include a guard pinching McNabb and lifting his eyelidswas conducted by corrections officers. McNabbs family and attorneys voiced concerns that he was not unconscious as the lethal drugs stopped his heart.

In a press conference following McNabbs death, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn dismissed concerns raised by McNabbs movements.

Yes, Im confident he was more than unconscious at that point, Dunnwho is not a medical professionaltold reporters. Ive witnessed several of these executions, and involuntary movements are not uncommon. We did perform two consciousness checks... We dont talk specifically about the protocol. But as I said, we err on the side of safety, and we want to be sure we follow the protocol as it is written.

Dunns dismissals, however, do not hold up against well-documented instances where executions using midazolam have been botched. According to Alabama, as well as several other states that have defended their lethal injection protocols, the prisoners are rendered unconscious by their first injection with the sedative midazolam. Yet the makers of the substance have roundly objected to the use of the drug for execution, and several have banned states from using it for those purposes.

The drug, which is frequently sold under the trade name Versed, is a relatively mild sedative used for patients undergoing dental procedures and colonoscopies. Prior to 2013, sodium thiopental, a much stronger sedative that put the accused into a coma-like state, had been used as the first drug in a three-drug protocol. However, the drugs sole US manufacturer, Hospira, stopped producing it in 2010. As state supplies of the sedative expired or ran out, states turned to the less expensive-- but less effective--midazolam.

Some pharmacologists have suggested that as many as one in four executions where midazolam is used are botched. One inmate regained consciousness during his execution and cried out, My body is on fire. While the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that Oklahomas use of midazolam as a sedative was not cruel and unusual, Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissentedshe was not convinced, she stated, that midazolam rendered prisoners unconscious, and compared such executions to being burned at the stake.

Just a month before McNabb was put to death, his attorneys successfully argued for a stay of execution on behalf of death row inmate Jeffrey Lee Borden, arguing that they could demonstrate that Alabamas three-drug protocol violates Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Borden had, they stated, evidence to show that there is a substantial risk that midazolam will not anesthetize him, and he will be paralyzed, suffocating, and unable to alert anyone before he is burned alive from the inside by potassium chloride.

In McNabbs case, the courts argued that procedural differences did not afford him the same protection that was extended to Borden. According to the Supreme Court, the appellate courts that had issued the stay had done so without regard to whether McNabbs case had a chance of succeeding on its own merits. However, in so doing, they colluded with a state that, for years, obtained sodium thiopental illegally, a state that has made every effort to execute as many of its death row inmates as possible before midazolam disappears from execution chambers.

Alabamas government has no interest in whether McNabb suffered as he was put to death. The state has proven, time and again, a singular devotion to the death penalty, even in the face of exonerating evidence and constitutional impediments such as intellectual disability. That the Supreme Court could discuss this as a matter of correct procedure and merit would be risible were it not so criminal.
Canadas Liberal government is turning to stoking anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim prejudice in the aftermath of the September 30 attack on a police officer and passers-by in Edmonton, Alberta.

Within hours of the incident, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared it a terrorist attack, although everything indicated that no more than the actions of a lone, troubled individual were involved. Now Trudeau is claiming that the Edmonton attack points to the need for his government to overhaul the entire refugee system so as to make it more restrictive.

Last week Alberta Police confirmed that the man charged with stabbing a police officer and hitting four pedestrians with a truck is Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, a 30-year-old Somalian refugee.

Sharif currently faces five counts of attempted murder, four counts of criminal flight causing bodily harm, and one count each of dangerous driving and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. At this point, no terrorism-related charges have been filed against Sharif and there are media reports suggesting that officials are doubtful they could secure a conviction on such charges despite the Criminal Codes expansive definition of terrorism.

The accused has agreed to a six-week adjournment in the legal proceedings against him and is next scheduled to appear in court on November 14. He is now in custody in the mental health unit at the Edmonton Remand Centre, where he was reportedly placed on a suicide watch.

The federal and provincial governments have continued to stick to their portrayal of the attack as a terrorist attack, even though investigators agree that Sharif acted alone, have provided no evidence showing he had any ties to a terrorist organization, and have said nothing about Sharifs possible motive.

In the mold of his predecessor Stephen Harper who seized on twin lone wolf attacks in October, 2014 as the pretext for legislation dramatically expanding the powers of the national-security apparatus (Bill C-51), Trudeau is preparing to use the Edmonton incident to clamp down on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

In recent months, the Trudeau government has been aggressively seeking to dissuade Haitian asylum seekers and others targeted by US President Donald Trumps anti-immigrant witch hunt from seeking refuge in Canada.

Making reference to the entry of Sharif from the US into Canada in five years ago, Trudeau said, Were looking into the whole [refugee] system and will reflect on whether we need to do things differently certainly in the future than the way they were done in 2012.

To be sure, the Edmonton attack, whatever its motivation, was deeply reactionary. But the Liberal governments attempt to us it to whip up an anti-refugee atmosphere and climate of fear with references to a purported growing terrorist threat is aimed at legitimizing its own right-wing agenda of a militarist foreign policy in close alliance with the United States, and a clampdown on democratic rights at home.

Just hours after the September 30th attack, Edmonton police announced the incident was to be investigated as an act of terrorism, saying they had found an ISIS flag in Sharifs car. The media and politicians of all stripes, including Trudeau and Albertas New Democrat Premier Rachel Notley, then rushed to declare the incident a terrorist act.

Sharif is accused of ramming his Malibu into police officer Mike Chernyk, before stabbing him with a knife. According to the official narrative, Chernyk was able to repel the attack and the assailant then fled on foot. Almost four hours later, police at a traffic checkpoint stopped Sharif, who was driving a U-Haul truck, as they believed him to be the cops assailant. When the police started to challenge him, Sharif allegedly drove away at high speed, triggering a major police chase through downtown Edmonton at high-speed.

The accused struck four pedestrians during the chase, which ended when a police manoeuver caused the U-Haul to overturn. Tactical-team police then deployed a stun grenade and a taser to arrest him. The victims suffered light to severe injuries.

The police have alleged that Sharif hit the four pedestrians intentionally, but much about what happened on the night of Sept. 30 remains unclear.

After the attack the RCMP revealed that Sharif was interviewed by the intelligence services Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in 2015, after they had received a complaint about his extremist views. INSET concluded he did not represent a threat. Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale has also confirmed Sharif was on a terrorism watch-list.

As the WSWS noted, Sharifs presence on a watch-list raises serious questions about the authorities response. If his identity was known, why did police declare there to be no threat to public safety in a press conference almost two hours after the attack on the police officer? And since authorities considered him to be a terrorist threat, why did police chase him through streets packed with people, giving him added opportunity and motive to strike passers-by with his vehicle?

The Trudeau governments exploitation of the attack to justify a clampdown on refugees must be understood as a sign of its rapid shift to the right. In 2014, when in opposition, Trudeau responded to a more serious incident, when lone gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot dead a soldier at the War Memorial in Ottawa and then engaged in a gun battle on Parliament Hill, by refusing to describe it as a terrorist attack. Zehaf-Bibeau, a troubled young man with mental health problems, had no connection to a terrorist organization.

In the two years since securing victory in the 2015 election, the Liberals have junked their progressive campaign rhetoric. The Trudeau government has adopted a new defence policy that includes a 70 percent hike in military spending, launched a drive to privatize public infrastructure, and maintained the core elements of Harpers draconian Bill C-51 in their own Bill C-59.

Trudeaus embrace of anti-refugee rhetoric is particularly significant, given that he made much of his refugee-friendly credentials in the fall 2015 election campaign and continued to do after becoming Prime Minister. In truth, this has always been a fraud, aimed at lending his reactionary policies a humane gloss.

The most right-wing elements within the media and political establishment have seized on the Edmonton attack to stoke hostility to immigrants and call for increased police powers. Toronto Sun columnist Farzana Hassan wrote that attack allegedly carried out by Sharif could have been prevented had the police had greater powers of monitoring and restricting the activities of someone who was known to them as a potential genocidal maniac. Hassan then urged the Trudeau government to review its open border policy, as it may potentially make Canada more unsafe.

Former Harper cabinet member Jason Kenney, who is seeking the leadership of Albertas new United Conservative Party, called Sharif a terrorist criminal and expressed his hope that Sharif will be kicked out of the country. Kenney, like his former colleagues in the Conservative Party, is appealing to the Liberals to amend the safe third country agreement with the United States. This deal currently allows refugees to claim asylum in Canada if they cross the border outside of a regular checkpoint, a loophole Kenney and others want eliminated.

More details on Abdulahi Hasans personal circumstance and his journey to Canada have emerged in recent days. What is publicly known at this point is that the young man crossed the border from Mexico into the United States in July 2011 and was almost immediately turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as he had no papers. In September 2011, an immigration judge ordered Sharif to be removed to Somalia even though he had no criminal history. Sharif appealed the decision, was released and ordered to report to ICE in 2012, but did not do so. Instead, he crossed into Canada at a regular point of entry and received refugee status.

Edmonton human rights activist Mahamad Accord had a brief interview with Sharif after he was taken into custody following last months attack. Accord told CBC that the accused claims he rarely attends a mosque and that religion does not play a major role in his life. We couldnt find the intent of terrorism, Accord said, but Sharif has been tried and convicted in the media. He also noted that Sharif is likely suffering from trauma, given that he is a refugee from a war-torn country, one that for years has been the target of US military operations. Physically theyre fine but the damage is still there mentally, said Accord, adding, What we observed from him is that he has no grasp of reality.
The two-day European Union (EU) summit of heads of state that ended yesterday in Brussels unambiguously endorsed Madrids plans to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, imposing a new Catalan regional government backed by Spanish police and army units.

The Catalan crisis was not formally on the summit agenda. Nonetheless, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was allowed to give an address to justify invoking Article 155, the so-called nuclear option, after the vicious police crackdown on the October 1 Catalan independence referendum. Rajoys brief for the occupation of Catalonia, based on a systematic falsification of the crisis in Spain, received the enthusiastic support of the EUs major powers.

Article 155 will be applied tomorrow, Rajoy declared, effectively ruling out further talks with the Catalan government of premier Carles Puigdemont. Rajoy nonetheless proceeded to place full blame for the crisis on the supposed obstinacy of the Catalan government and of so-called radicals in Catalonia: They are the ones responsible for what is happening today. Frankly, the government of Catalonia defended its positions badly, despite the assistance they were given.

Rajoy continued, We have been very cautious, we tried not to create a difficult situation, but it is hard when people liquidate the law and the rule of law  when laws are ignored and referendums are held without guarantees. We have arrived at a borderline situation. If you accept the demands of the radicals, what occurs is what is happening right now.

Rajoys arguments are a pack of bald-faced lies, concocted to justify an aggressive military-police intervention in Catalonia. Madrid and the EU overwhelmingly bear responsibility for provoking this crisis, and the EU powers are backing Rajoys drive for a crackdown and a turn to deal with growing political opposition in the population with authoritarian measures.

The crisis provoked by the October 1 referendum is the outcome of the deep crisis of European capitalism, after nearly a decade of savage EU austerity devastated social conditions and left tens of millions of workers unemployed across the continent.

The referendum was called amid a growing conflict between Madrid and Barcelona over how to implement social cuts that the EU had negotiated with Madrid since the 2008 financial crisis. While similar Catalan referendums had been held peacefully before, as recently as November 2014, Madrid reacted violently this year. It seized ballots, tried to arrest hundreds of mayors as well as other officials, and launched a campaign of political intimidation to crush the October 1 vote.

When, on October 1, 16,000 Guardia Civil were stunned by a mass mobilization of the Catalan population to defend polling places, they responded with a brutal assault on peaceful voters. Millions of people worldwide were shocked and appalled by videos of Guardia Civil breaking into schools, kicking people sitting on the ground waiting to vote, and even attacking elderly women in a brutal onslaught that sent over 800 people to the hospital.

Despite the 90 percent vote for independence, Puigdemont suspended a declaration of independence in a speech on October 10 and has, since then, been appealing for dialogue with Madrid, to no avail. Madrid, on the other hand, has escalated the situationshutting down Catalan web sites, arresting Catalan nationalist politicians, and threatening to impose emergency rule. This has provoked mass protests by hundreds of thousands of people in the Catalan capital, Barcelona.

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Rajoy tried to downplay the dictatorial character of his policy and counteract entirely justified fears of an even bloodier crackdown to come. Using Article 155 does not presuppose the use of force, he claimed, adding that his government would decide on measures to be taken in joint talks with the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and the right-wing Citizens party, as well as Rajoys own Popular Party (PP).

Rajoy made clear that, however, the Madrid ruling establishment is in fact contemplating mass repression against the Catalan population. Asked if he feared violence as on October 1, Rajoy refused to comment but handed a blank check to the police for more violence, saying: The security forces have the full support of Spain and its prime minister.

Applying Article 155 entails launching a confrontation with Catalan workers and youth unprecedented since 1978 and the collapseamid mass struggles of the working classof the Spanish fascist regime set up by Francisco Franco. It means suspending Catalonias elected government and forcibly installing a new one dictated by Madrid, backed by Guardia Civil and army units. Some of the army units to be mobilized in a crackdownmotorized infantry battalions in Barcelona and Sant Climent Sescebeshave already been named in Spanish media.

With mass protests already erupting in Barcelona, Spanish media are discussing a dictatorial agenda for Madrids un-elected regime in Catalonia that would provoke even more opposition: austerity, shutting down Catalan public television, and removing Catalan-language items from the schools. In the Spanish security and armed forces, repression even bloodier than the October 1 crackdown is doubtless being actively planned and prepared. Madrid is also discussing invoking Article 116 and setting up a state of emergency across Spain.

A crisis with revolutionary implications is emerging in Catalonia, and in Spain and all of Europe. There is deep, historically-rooted opposition in the European working class to a return to dictatorship, and an attempt by Madrid to maintain an illegitimate stooge regime in Barcelona by mass repression would provoke enormous anger across Europe. The only way to oppose Madrids drive to impose dictatorial rule in Catalonia and throughout Spain is the mobilization of the working class across Europe in a politically independent, revolutionary struggle against the EU and the crackdown in Catalonia.

Arguments advanced by forces like Spains Podemos party, that the population can wait for the EU to intervene and peacefully resolve the conflict between Madrid and Barcelona, are false and must be rejected. In a statement for Publico, the secretary of Podemos for the Madrid region, Ramon Espinar hailed broad international consensus  on the need for mediation and dialogue that he saw as key to resolving the crisis.

Such illusions serve no other purpose than to lull masses of people to sleep. The EUconsisting of bankrupt regimes in which the police and army play enormous roles after nearly two decades of the war on terror and a decade of deep austerityis itself rapidly moving to abrogate basic democratic rights, with regimes such as the French state of emergency. It is signaling its support for the attack on the Catalan population, because it is preparing similar attacks on the working class across Europe.

The major European heads of state at the Brussels summit all backed Rajoys dictatorial agenda. We back the position of the Spanish government, declared German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who later on echoed Rajoys calls for an outcome of the crisis on the grounds of the Spanish constitution.

Similarly, British Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday, I have spoken to Mariano Rajoy this morning as I did earlier this week and made clear that the United Kingdoms position is very clear. We believe that people should be abiding by the rule of law and uphold the Spanish constitution.

While Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the Catalan crisis an internal Spanish matter, French President Emmanuel Macron held a private meeting with Rajoy after declaring on Thursday that EU leaders would send a message of unity around Spain.

In an extraordinary gesture of support to Madrid, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Council President Donald Tusk, and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani all traveled to Oviedo in Spain yesterday after the summit, to attend as Spanish King Felipe VI awarded the EU a Princess of Asturias prize. They listened as the king declared that Catalonia was an essential part of Spaina remark that provoked sustained applause from the audience.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:32:46|Editor: huaxia

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MADRID -- The Spanish ministries will take control over the Catalan regional government under the application of the article 155 of the Spanish constitution, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday.

In a press conference after an extraordinary cabinet meeting to deal with the implementation of the article, Rajoy explained that the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, would be dissolved, their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries and elections would be called within six months. (Spain-Catalonia)

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BERLIN -- The suspect who slightly injured at least five people on Saturday morning in a knife attack in central Munich, Germany, was caught, the local Focus said Saturday.

The Focus quoted the police in Munich as saying that they are checking whether the suspect, who resembles the description the police gave earlier, is the perpetrator. (Germany-knife attack)

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CAIRO -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another is missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured. (Egypt-shootout)

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SHARAN, Afghanistan -- Twenty insurgents of the Haqqani terrorist network had been killed following an air strike in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, an official said Saturday.

The air raid was launched on Friday evening, where a Haqqani hideout was bombed, leaving 20 fighters, including some of their local leaders dead in Gian district of the province, Dadullah Hotak, acting provincial police chief, told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-air raid-militants) Enditem
Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered by a car bomb as she drove from her home in Bidnija on the Mediterranean island of Malta on Monday.

The explosion was so violent that it blew her vehicle off the road and into a nearby field. On Thursday, Maltese government officials said that initial investigations pointed to her having been killed by a Semtex bomb planted under her automobile that was triggered remotely.

Galizia was well known for her exposures of corruption and criminality at the top of Maltese politics and business. Her brutal slaying is a signal to all those who attempt to lift the lid on the sordid nexus of political power and financial swindling money at the heart of capitalist society: think again if you value your life.

The day after Galizias killing, in a Facebook post that has been liked 18,000 times and shared more than 7,000, her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, said his mother was assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it.

He describes the shocking scene when he arrived at the bombed-out car, I am never going to forget, running around the inferno in the field, trying to figure out a way to open the door, the horn of the car still blaring, and realising his mother was dead when he saw her body parts strewn on the ground.

Pointing to those in power, he depicts Maltese society as a people at war against the state and organised crime, which have become indistinguishable.

On Thursday, journalists held a rally in the Maltese capital, Valletta, to protest the killing. The protesters held up placards with slogans including Not Afraid and Justice, while others held up front pages and placards splattered in blood-red paint.

According to Europol, the European Policing Authority, large-scale money laundering is carried out by organised crime through the many online betting outfits based in Malta, and accounts for ten percent of the islands GDP. The country is also a convenient base for massive tax avoidance, with major corporations evading billions in payments.

Jonathan Benton, head of the UK Metropolitan Polices Proceeds of (international) Corruption Unit told the BBC, Malta has a serious problem of money laundering. You cannot have this scale of money laundering without corruption in politics. There cannot be confidence in the judicial process, the independence of judges and the rule of law. It is surprising this is an EU [European Union] member state. Billions in illicit money were laundered in Malta during the Arab spring. The passport scheme of Malta is part and parcel of the big corruption structure of Malta.

This sort of corruption was something Galizia, described by Politico website as a one-woman WikiLeaks, regularly exposed in her weekly column for the Malta Independent and in her blog, Running Commentary, which were followed by up to 400,000 readers, outstripping the circulation of all Maltas newspapers combined.

The list of those who might have wanted her dead is a long one, as she regularly shed light on the murky financial dealings of Maltas leading politicians and criminal syndicates both at home and abroad.

In 2016, she played a key role investigating the Maltese connections to the Panama Papers tax avoidance scandal. This trove of more than 11 million leaked documents details the financial and attorney-client information of more than 214,000 offshore companies listed by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. It provides a glimpse into the shady world of tax avoidance carried out by the worlds super-rich elite and corporations.

Documents uncovered by Galizia pointed to a shell company registered in Panama in 2013, but ultimately controlled by Maltas Labour Party energy minister Konrad Mizzi and Prime Minister Joseph Muscats chief-of-staff, Keith Schembri. The company had been set up four months after the Labour Party came to power that year.

In April 2017, a whistle-blower from the Malta-based private bank Pilatus claimed to have seen documents linking Mizzi and Schembrias well as Muscats wife Michelleto secret accounts held at the bank.

In May, Galizia exposed how a series of payments, in the form of loans, had been routed from Azerbaijan to Panama-registered shell company Egrantalso set up in 2013 and controlled by Michelle Muscat. A payment of just over $1 million was allegedly made in March of last year, Galizia discovered, that had come from an account at Pilatus bank, where Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyevs daughter, Leyla, also held an account.

The link to Azerbaijan is significant, since the countrys state oil company is a major shareholder in Maltas new power station. In 2014, Prime Minister Muscat and his wife hosted President Aliyev and his daughter during their visit to Malta.

The material exposed by Galizia proved to be politically explosive for Muscat and the Labour Party government he headed, as Malta took over the rotating presidency of the European Council in January just as the negotiations with Britain over Brexit were due to begin.

British Green Member of the European Parliament, Molly Scott Cato, who also sits on the parliaments Panama Papers inquiry, said of the growing corruption scandal, the latest developments and allegations place at stake the credibility of the EU.

With other MEPs calling for Muscat to go, he sought to deflect the mounting criticism at home and abroad by calling a snap election on May 1, which he went on to win.

But this did not halt Galizias stream of articles and blog posts uncovering Maltas dirty secrets. As far as her enemies were concerned, something had to be done to try and silence the journalist and stop her making further revelations. Speaking to the Guardian, her son Matthew said death threats were almost a daily occurrence. His brother Andrew said there had been a concerted attempt to ruin her financially through an almost non-stop series of costly libel trials including at the hands of Muscat and opposition Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia, whom she had accused of money laundering.

Two weeks ago, she filed a complaint with the police that she was receiving renewed threats. The final post on her blog was a comment on a libel trial by former National Party leader Simon Busuttil and Schembri.

Mr. Schembri is claiming that he is not corrupt, despite moving to set up a secret company in Panama along with favourite minister Konrad Mizzi and Mr. Egrant just days after Labour won the general election in 2013, sheltering it in a top-secret trust in New Zealand, then hunting round the world for a shady bank that would take them as clients.

(In the end they solved the problem by setting up a shady bank in Malta, hiding in plain sight.)

Just minutes before she was blown up, she ended her comment with the words, There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.

Matthew and his other brothers, Andrew and Paul, have refused to endorse a 1 million [$US 1.2 million] reward for evidence leading to a conviction of their mothers murderer. In a Facebook post Wednesday, they said they had been under unrelenting pressure to back the reward campaign from the president and prime minister.

The post continued, We are not interested in justice without change. We are not interested in a criminal conviction only for the people in government who stood to gain from our mothers murder to turn around and say that justice has been served. Justice, beyond criminal liability, will only be served when everything that our mother fought forpolitical accountability, integrity in public life and an open and free societyreplaces the desperate situation we are in.

The statement concluded with a call for Muscat to resign for watching over the birth of a society dominated by fear, mistrust, crime and corruption. Resign for working to cripple our mother financially and dehumanise her so brutally and effectively that she no longer felt safe walking down the street.

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Heading into tomorrows general election in Japan, the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) has been striving to contain and divert popular opposition to the Abe governments drive to remilitarize the country. Thoroughly integrated into the political establishment in Tokyo, the JCP is calling for the removal of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in favor of another faction of the capitalist class.

The JCP is a Stalinist party that has long since abandoned any commitment to socialism. While posturing as pacifist to head off widespread anti-war sentiment and political alienation, it effectively has lined up behind Japans ruling elite and Washington in their confrontation with North Korea and China.

In an interview with the Japan Times last Monday, JCP chairman Kazuo Shii backed the measures being taken to cripple the North Korean economy, while calling for dialogue between the United States and North Korea. Economic sanctions against the [North Korean] regime are necessary, but they alone wouldnt resolve the problem, he said.

Earlier, Shii condemned North Korea in a September 3 statement following Pyongyangs sixth nuclear test, saying it posed a grave threat to global and regional peace and stability and a rejection of the international communitys efforts for resolution through dialogue.

In other words, the danger of war was not caused by Washingtons aggression and imperialist designs in the region, above all directed against China, but by impoverished North Korea. Moreover, the futile appeal for dialogue flies in the face of repeated declarations by President Trump that talks are futile and there is only one way to deal with North Korea, that is militarily.

By supporting the sanctions against North Korea and adopting language similar to Washingtons, the JCP is lining up, like the rest of the Japanese establishment, with advanced US preparations for war, in which Japan is centrally involved.

The JCP is also covering up the broad push for remilitarization by Japanese imperialism, by blaming Abe alone. On September 29, the Stalinists wrote: [The Abe government] is the first ever regime in the postwar era to have totally undermined the Constitution. The JCP pledged to join hands with any party, lawmaker, or candidate who is sincerely, bravely loyal to their commitments to the alliance with citizens.

Despite condemning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the JCP is leaving the door open for collaboration with it or other right-wing parties. If the primary goal is to remove Abe, as the JCP states, what prevents it from aligning with factions in the LDP that oppose him?

The fact that Japans well-armed military, the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), even exists, let alone takes part in numerous operations abroad, is a flagrant breach of the constitution by all the ruling parties since it went into effect in 1947. In recent decades, the SDF has been dispatched overseas to aid US imperialism in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as joining so-called UN peacekeeping operations in other parts of the world.

It is not just the LDP that supports remilitarization. Many members of the Democratic Party (DP), which the JCP has supported for years, back the lifting of constitutional and legal restrictions on the Japanese military. That became evident when the DP split after announcing a merger in late September with the right-wing populist Party of Hope that backs constitutional change.

Those DP members who did not join the Party of Hope formed the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), with which the JCP then formed an electoral alliance. The major difference between these two DP factions was on maintaining a pacifist fig leaf, by upholding Article 9 of the constitution that bars the maintenance of armed forces or the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy.

The DPs opposition to remilitarization has always been a fraud. Last year, for example, the Democrats called for the repeal of military legislation passed in 2015 that removed barriers to Japanese troops taking direct part in conflicts overseas in conjunction with allies, primarily the US. However, the Democrats offered nearly identical bills as replacements, merely adding UN oversight as a requirement for going to war.

The Democrats proved to be no alternative to the LDP and completely discredited themselves while in office from 2009-2012, unwilling to carry out any policies to halt the corporate offensive against the jobs and conditions of the working class. The fact that the JCP continued to sow illusions in the Democrats contributed to the growth of right-wing nationalist and populist parties.

If the JCP maintains the name communist, it is only to maintain the pretense that it defends the interests of the working class. The party is Japans oldest and was founded in 1922, following the 1917 Russian Revolution. While other parties have undergone name changes and regroupments amid shifts in political winds, the JCP claims falsely to have remained committed to its founding principles.

In reality, the only line it has followed consistently since the late 1920s is that of Stalinism, attempting to bind the Japanese working class to one or other faction of the bourgeoisie. Before World War II, it faced intense state repression, including mass arrests of its members under threat of execution. Many within the post-war JCP leadership had spent more than a decade in prison before being released following World War II.

The major bourgeois parties were all deeply compromised by their support for the militarist, war-time regime. The JCP gained support in the working class only to betray the mass movement that developed. The Stalinists praised the post-war US occupation forces for supposedly carrying through a bourgeois democratic revolution. The JCP shut down opposition to the US occupation, including a planned general strike in February 1947, thus playing a critical role in restabilizing Japanese capitalism.

With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the JCP altered its line to denounce the US, claiming that socialism could not be achieved while Japan remained an ally of Washington. This provided the rationale for continuing to subordinate the working class to sections of the Japanese capitalist class.

Over the years, the JCP increasingly sought to integrate itself into the political establishment. It declared at its Twelfth Party Congress in 1973 that it was committed to maintaining the parliamentary form of governmentand thus capitalism and the capitalist state. The JCP said it would form a coalition with any party that supported the termination of the US-Japan security treaty.

Today, even that has been discarded. The JCP stated in October 2015 it would support the US alliance if it entered a coalition government with the Democrats, who backed the treaty. The JCPs demand to end the US-Japan alliance is now little more than a dead letter. The JCPs latest maneuver, backing the CDP, underscores the Stalinists thoroughly pro-capitalist perspective.

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[6 October 2017]
Last week, after a record-breaking 209 days of coalition negotiations, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the pro-business VVD party confirmed a successful agreement had been reached and that he will head the Dutch government for the third time. After the collapse of the Social Democratic party in last Marchs elections, Rutte was forced to piece together a new coalition.

When initial talks broke down between the VVD and the Green Party over the latters immigration policy not being sufficiently right-wing, Rutte then cobbled together a coalition of four parties that represent some of the most backward and reactionary tendencies in Dutch politics. The right-wing Christian Democrats (CDA-19 seats) along with the even more socially conservative Christian Union (ChristienUnie-5 seats) have been lumped together with the staunchly pro-EU D66 party (19 seats) and Ruttes neoliberal VVD (33 seats).

Back in March, when Gert Wilders and his extreme right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) were unable to win the largest number of votes, leaders across Europe lauded the results as a victory over the growing influence of the far right. However, as the WSWS pointed out just after the results came in this celebratory claim has turned out to be utterly farcical.

This coalition has a narrow 76-74 majority in a parliament which is divided among 13 parties. The nine parties in opposition run the gamut from the ultra-right PVV, with 20 seats, the second largest, to the three parties of the official left (Green Left, Socialist Party and Social Democrats, with 37 seats between them), with 17 seats divided among advocates of animal rights, senior citizens, Turkish immigrants, Dutch Reformed Church adherents and right-wing anti-EU activists.

Despite the fact that the fragile coalition, desperately put together more than six months after the election, is being headed by a party and individual considered part of the center or establishment, its program mirrors what, up until recently, would have been the purview of the far right.

Upon announcing the successful agreement for a coalition, the four parties released a 70-page policy proposal document highlighting their united drive to ramp up the assault on the working class and immigrants. Taken together, the outlook of the new government is to push for a stronger EU, boost security, and increase labour market flexibility, all code words for more exploitation and the crushing of dissent.

In keeping with the trend across Europe, such as the brutal crackdown of the G20 protests in Hamburg and the bashing of heads by the Spanish government in the Catalonia independence referendum, at the top of the agenda of this new government is the massive buildup of the police and security forces as well as the expansion of online surveillance powers of the intelligence agencies.

The government proposes pumping in 267 million to fund community police officers and detectives. The budgets for these security forces were once tied to the collection of fees and fines, but now they will be able to rely on regular funding from the state.

Significantly, the coalition will also allocate 95 million specifically designated for fighting cybercrime. Moreover, a new law is being planned that will allow the MIVD and AIVD (Military and General Intelligence Services, respectively) to collect vast amounts of data on Internet traffic. What this really amounts to is a ramping up of online surveillance and monitoring.

The buildup of police-state methods of repression is a preparatory action to establish the ability for the state to smash any and all opposition to the parallel austerity and ultra-exploitative economic policies proposed by the new government. As the Financial Times notes, the government is likely to continue its close partnership with Germany, especially regarding policies related to EU reform, such as stressing the need for budgetary discipline, structural reforms and clear rules in the single currency area, i.e., rabid austerity.

On the domestic front, in the name of increasing flexibility, the coalition partners have set forth a series of labour reforms that will make it easier for firms to fire workers and make use of fixed-term employment by increasing the time allowed for companies to hire employees on temporary contracts.

As part of the promotion of the so-called gig economy, there are also plans to promote freelance work with a measly increase in the minimum wage for such workers. Instead of protecting those in this sector, these policies will only promote the precariousness and super-exploitation of workers trying to piece together mini-contracts just to get by.

The new government also aims to dismantle the pension system by making individuals responsible for saving for their own pensions by 2020.

In combination with these reactionary labour market policies, the government seeks to implement a series of tax reforms, which will ultimately place greater burdens on the working class. The proposed reduction of the number of tax brackets from four down to only two will have the worst effects on the lowest income families, who will now pay the same tax rate as more privileged sections of the middle class, while the highest earners will see an overall reduction in their tax rate. This will all be paid for by an increased VAT tax, which will raise the cost of basic necessities such as groceries and energy.

To enhance the investment climate, the corporate tax will also be reduced from 25 percent to 21 percent, and the dividend tax will be abolished altogether.

Furthermore, taking the cue from the far right, the government is actively promoting nationalism through policies such as requiring primary schools to recite the national anthem. Beyond this, the coalition seeks to expand the attacks on the social rights of foreigners.

The government plans to cut the time that refugees can keep a residency permit from five years down to three. And, significantly, immigrants who are currently on residence permits will no longer be able to claim welfare benefits, such as [the] healthcare allowance or rent allowance, for the first two years of their stay according to the expat website, iamexpat.nl.

The euobserver documents that the coalition says it supports and looks forward to more deals with respect to asylum seekers like the one set up between the EU and Turkey, a deal which saw refugees fleeing war in Syria and Iraq forced to stay in Turkey rather than being permitted to reach Europe. It also backed the European Commissions suggestion to member states to be more effective in returning migrants whose asylum procedure has failed.

Throughout the long months of negotiation, the main press outlets across Europe seemed hardly worried about the crawling negotiations. This occurred for two primary reasons. First, during this time, the financial markets in the Netherlands experienced consistent growth. This market confidence, though, was ultimately a reflection of the second reason: The ruling elites knew that no matter which coalition agreement was struck, their interests would be staunchly defended by the new government.

But all is not so quiet. As the politics of austerity and exploitation continue, they will be met by a resurgence of working class struggle, as seen by the bitter anger towards the arrogance of French President Macron and his labour reforms implemented by decree. In response to this resentment, which is beginning to boil, the capitalist governments of Europe are preparing for the coming clashes.

To do so, on the one hand, the bourgeois political parties are stoking nationalism and xenophobia to divide the working class, as evidenced by, for example, the elevation and praise of Austrias likely new chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his probable coalition partner, the anti-immigrant far-right Freedom Party. On the other hand, the governments are creating massive police state apparatuses to monitor, censor, and violently crush any opposition to the implementation of the ruling elites will.

The urgent task is the creation of an independent mass working class movement uniting workers across Europe in a struggle to defend democratic rights for both citizens and immigrants and to fight the capitalist politics of austerity, exploitation, and state violence. This fight is a fight for socialism, led and guided by Marxist principles. Building that leadership is the task of the ICFI.
In his lengthy address this week to the 19th Chinese Communist Party congress, President Xi Jinping repeatedly declared that in the next period China would become a great power and a strong power. This will be, he said, an era that sees China moving closer to center stage.

Xi made ritual reference to the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In reality, he was elaborating the aspirations of the new bourgeoisie, who have accumulated vast wealth through four decades of capitalist restoration and whose further advancement requires Beijing to play a more assertive role on the world stage.

Xis China Dream of a strong, rejuvenated China inevitably comes into collision with the interests of the existing imperialist powers, above all the United States, which is desperately seeking to shore up its dominant position in the world through military force. The new era of which Xi speaks will not be one of peace and stability, but rather of war and revolution.

Xi made no reference in his speech to the looming danger of a catastrophic US war with North Korea that could quickly drag in China, Russia and other major nuclear-armed powers. US President Trump has flatly rejected Beijing and Moscows proposal for new talks, and has primed the American military for the total destruction of Chinas only formal military ally.

The reckless US war drive is not simply the product of the fascistic individual Trump, but rather of the historic blind alley in which American imperialism finds itself. Chinas economic rise over the past four decades, on the basis of a flood of foreign investment to exploit its cheap labour, has been accompanied by greater Chinese economic and political influence around the world, as it seeks raw materials and markets. Increasingly unable to match Chinas economic assistance, or soft power, the US is resorting to its hard power, or military, to challenge Beijing.

The Obama administrations pivot to Asia was a comprehensive strategy aimed at undermining Beijing diplomatically and economically throughout the Indo-Pacific, and encircling China militarily. Obama deliberately exacerbated dangerous flashpoints, such as the Korean Peninsula, and created new ones, including by militarily challenging Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Trump is pursuing the same objectives more aggressively, greatly heightening the danger of war. Having dismantled Obamas plan for a trade and investment bloc against China, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trump threatens Beijing with trade war. The military build-up for conflict with North Korea is also preparation for war with China. The calculation being made in American strategic circles is that, given the continuing decline of the US, the confrontation with China is preferable sooner rather than later.

On Wednesday, just hours after Xis speech, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson implicitly challenged Chinese ambitions. China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order, he declared, homing in on Chinas provocative actions in the South China Sea. The international rules-based order is, of course, the world order established in the aftermath of World War II, in which Washington dominated and set the rules to suit itself.

Xis speech signals that Chinas economic and strategic interests cannot be accommodated within the current world order. He warned other countries not to underestimate Chinas willingness to stand up for itself. No one should expect China to swallow anything that undermines its interests, Xi told congress delegates.

Far from backing down on Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, Xi declared, near the start of his report, that the consolidation of Chinese control of islets in the disputed waters was a highlight of his first five years in office. He also boasted of his One Belt, One Road initiative, a massive infrastructure plan to integrate the Eurasian landmass via road, rail and sea, thus linking China with Europe and directly undermining US encirclement.

In response to the US military build-up and threats in Asia, Xi foreshadowed a further acceleration of the arms race, setting specific targets to culminate in a world class Chinese military by 2050. A military is prepared for war. All military works must adhere to the standards of being able to fight a war and win a war, Xi bluntly declared.

Xis speech reeked of the stench of nationalism from start to finish. The Chinese nation is a great nation; it has been through hardships and adversity but remains indomitable. The Chinese people are a great people; they are industrious and brave and they never pause in pursuit of progress, he said.

Like Trump in the United States, Xi whips up patriotism not only to aggressively promote the interests of the Chinese ruling class, but also to subordinate the multi-millioned working class to those same interests. Xi is acutely aware of the social tensions that have been produced by capitalist restoration and the deep gulf between a tiny layer of the ultra-wealthy and the vast majority of the population. The social divide will only further widen, leading to rising social unrest, as the drive to war accelerates, which is why Xi also calls for a strengthening of the repressive state apparatus.

Without the intervention of the working class, conflict is inevitable, whether over North Korea, the South China Sea or the myriad other flashpoints in Asia and internationally. US imperialism regards China as the chief challenge to its world hegemony, and Chinese capitalism strains against the restrictions of the current world order established and dominated by Washington.

Workers and youth in China and the United States, throughout Asia and the world, have no interest in being used as cannon fodder in a war to defend the interests of the ultra-rich. It is only by uniting in an international movement based on genuine socialismthat is, the reconstruction of society to meet the pressing needs of the majority, not the massive profits of the fewthat the drive to war can be halted. That is the perspective fought for by the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections around the world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-21 23:37:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MADRID, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Catalan process was unilateral and against the law, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Saturday while explaining the measures to apply to the region under the article 155 of Spain's constitution.

Rajoy explained the measures in a press conference after an extraordinary cabinet meeting where he said that the whole process led by the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, was "unilateral", "and against the law".

Rajoy explained how the government got to the point of applying the article 155, saying that there was no dialogue by the Catalan government but an imposition adding that the MPs rights at the Catalan regional parliament had been violated when the laws of the referendum and the transition towards an independent state were approved before being declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

Rajoy said the application of the 155 aimed at restoring legality in Catalonia, restoring normality, continuing with the economic recovery (as many companies have left the region due to the political situation) and calling for elections.

The Spanish government would take control of the regional government of Catalonia, Generalitat, which would be dissolved, and their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries.

The president of the regional parliament would not be able to propose a candidate and an investiture vote and an investiture debate could not take place, while no initiative against Spanish constitution could be passed.

Rajoy could dissolve the Catalan parliament and call for elections within six months.

All these measures have to be passed by the Spanish Senate.
The LAPD has opened an investigation into whether Harvey Weinstein raped an Italian model in 2013.

The model, whose name was not disclosed, reported her allegations to police on Thursday. The woman told the Los Angeles Times that Weinstein bullied his way into her hotel room at Mr. C Beverly Hills  a hotel within Los Angeles city limits  and then forcibly raped her in the bathroom.

The Los Angeles Police Departments Robbery Homicide Division has interviewed a potential sexual assault victim involving Harvey Weinstein which allegedly occurred in 2013, said LAPD spokesman Officer Tony Im. The case is under investigation.

The woman, 38, told the Times that Weinstein invited himself up to her room, and then demanded to see her naked before raping her.

When he left, he acted like nothing happened, she told the Times. I barely knew this man. It was the most demeaning thing ever done to me by far. It sickens me still.  He made me feel like an object, like nothing, with all his power.

Under California law, rape has a 10-year statute of limitations. So Weinstein could be prosecuted if sufficient evidence is found to move ahead with a case.

Mr. Weinstein obviously cant speak to anonymous allegations, but he unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex, said his spokesman Sallie Ho.

Weinstein resigned from the board of the Weinstein Company on Tuesday, as fallout continues from his sex harassment scandal. He was fired as co-chairman of the company a week earlier.

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Two men have accused an agent at APA of sexually assaulting them. The Hollywood agency says it has launched an internal investigation.

APA takes these allegations extremely seriously and is investigating this matter, a spokesman for the agency told Deadline. APA says it has engaged a neutral, independent investigator to look into the allegations, and that it is company policy not to discuss confidential personnel matters.

Former child actor Blaise Godbe Lipman, 28, says agent Tyler Grasham assaulted him 10 years ago when he was seeking representation. Tyler Grasham, under the pretense of a business meeting regarding potential agency representation at APA Agency, fed me alcohol while I was underage and sexually assaulted me, he wrote Monday on Facebook.

Lipman confirmed that he wrote the post. He got me drunk at a meeting to talk about business, he told Deadline, and at his apartment he got on top of me and fondled me and I pushed him off without trying to upset him. It was a very precarious position to be in, not to insult someone who was in a position of power. He said it was the summer he turned 18.

Lucas Ozarowski, a 27-year-old film and TV editor, says he also was assaulted by Grasham. He said he has contacted Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer with the story and will file a report with the LAPD today.

Ozarowski told Deadline that Tyler did the same thing to me. He said that in January 2016 he met Grasham at the agents home and went with him and a talent manager to the Napoleon and Josephine restaurant on Melrose for dinner.

He got me a little tipsy and took me to the Sandbox bar next door, Ozarowski said. There were more and more drinks. At midnight or 1 AM I told him I wanted to go home, but Id left my phone at his house to charge. So we went back there and I called for an Uber. But he said, Lets watch The Martian while youre waiting for Uber. I said OK and we sat down on the couch. I had my phone in my crotch, and all of a sudden he reached over and grabbed me under my pants. It really took me off guard. I pulled his hands out and said, You know Im not gay. I dont want this Hollywood BS. 

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A few days after the incident, Ozarowski claims he and Grasham Facebook-messaged each other, and that Grasham apologized for groping. He posted screen-shots of the exchanges on Facebook.

Ozarowski said he decided to come forward after reading Lipmans Facebook post.

My name is Lucas Ozarowski, I am the victim of a sexual assault by an APA agent back in January of 2016, he told Feuer in part in an email Wednesday. I was groped under my pants after making it clear I was not interested in sexual relations with the party. He added, I never filed any charges when in California but would like to pursue them now. The abuser in question has many high profile clients and young talent and Im worried his actions against me are not his first and wont be his last.

On Thursday, City Attorney spokesman Rob Wilcox told Ozarowski he should contact the LAPD. Thank you for your email to City Attorney Feuer, Wilcox wrote. Please contact the LAPD and make a report. Let me know the report # so we can track it.

Lipman posted that the recent revelations about Harvey Weinstein gave him the courage to finally come forward with his story.

The positive thing about the attention the Weinstein scandal has had, is its no longer about Harvey, he wrote. The conversation has moved on to the size of this epidemic and how to dismantle the system that protects these predators. And its given space and courage for victims to speak up, against their abuse. This is bigger than Weinstein.

Calls to Grashams APA office today were not returned.

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CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

By Justin Kroll

After breaking out in Blade Runner 2049, Sylvia Hoeks is looking to move on to another franchise revamp.

The Dutch actress is in talks to join Claire Foy in Sonys The Girl in the Spiders Web, the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Foy, who stars in the Netflix series The Crown, is on board to play Lisbeth Salander. The new installment of Sony Pictures Millennium franchise will commence production in January in Berlin and Stockholm. The film hits theaters on Oct. 19, 2018.

The studio had no comment on the casting.

The movie will be directed by Fede Alvarez, who helmed 2016s surprise hit Dont Breathe for Sony. Hoeks will play Salanders evil twin in the pic.

Steven Knight wrote the screenplay for Girl in the Spiders Web with the team of Alvarez and Jay Basu, based on David Lagercrantzs bestseller. Amy Pascal and Elizabeth Cantillon will join Scott Rudin and Yellow Bird in producing the film

The Girl in the Spiders Web will be the first in the series to be produced as an English-language movie in its initial adaptation. The previous books in the franchise have been adapted into three Swedish-language films, starring Noomi Rapace. Sonys The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, was a remake of the Swedish movie of the same name.

The Girl in the Spiders Web was published in 2015 and is the first novel in the series not authored by Stieg Larsson, the series creator and writer of the first three Millennium books about Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Larsson died in 2004.

Hoeks is well known in European markets, but her recent turn as the villainous replicant in Blade Runner 2049 caught the eye of Sony, which partnered with Warner Bros. on the film. The studio also had her on the shortlist for the female lead in Venom and, even though the role ended up going to Michelle Williams, Sony was adamant about finding a role for the rising star.




The widow and daughter of deceased grunge icon Kurt Cobain have accelerated their efforts to block the release of photos depicting Cobains 1994 suicide, contending that their release would be highly offensive and would cause substantial irreparable harm to Love and Frances Bean.

In court papers obtained by TheWrap, Cobain and Frances Bean also contend that the release of the photos to conspiracy theorist Richard Lee, who asserts that Cobain did not commit suicide, is not of legitimate concern to the public.

There is no genuine issue of material fact that releasing the death-scene photographs of Kurt Cobain would sustainably and irreparably damage any person, in particular Courtney Love Cobain and Frances Bean Cobain, the court papers contend.

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The filing is part of a long battle to prevent the release of the death-scene photos. Lee initially sued the city of Seattle and the Seattle Police department after they refused to produce death scene photos of Cobains suicide. His suit was dismissed, and Love and Frances Bean obtained an order permanently enjoining the release of the photos. Lee subsequently appealed the decision in 2015, leading to a new round of filings.

Most people who have to endure such a personal tragedy are allowed to do so in private but not Courtney Love Cobain or Frances Bean Cobain, due to  the viral nature of the internet,' the filing reads.

Frances Bean Cobain was not yet two years old when her father died, and Love was 25.

Also Read:Courtney Love: 'I Was Banned by CAA for Speaking Out Against Harvey Weinstein'

In a previous filing, Love stated that Lee had stalked and harassed me, my family for man, many years, in one instance filming himself chasing a limo that he thought she was traveling in.

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Mr. Lees actions make me fear for my safety, Love said in a declaration.

The filing also states that Lee was arrested in January 2005 on two felony counts of stalking Love.

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Stars have continued to come forward with stories about the producer, who is now being investigated by police in Los Angeles, New York and London.

Weeks later, the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein's alleged history of sexual harassment only seems to intensify. Stars have continued to come forward with stories about the producer, who is now being investigated by police in Los Angeles, New York and London. But could he be charged for the claims of sexual assault and rape leveled against him? And how has he -- and Hollywood -- reacted to new allegations?

Here's the latest on the scandal, from police investigations to the social media movement that sparked a conversation about sexual harassment in Hollywood.

Can Weinstein be charged for the allegations?

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told ET on Thursday that they are currently investigating Weinstein after a woman came forward alleging that he sexually assaulted her in 2013. The woman remains anonymous, but detailed her allegations to The Los Angeles Times, claiming that the producer "bullied his way into my hotel room" and alleging that he "then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me."

A statement to ET on behalf of the movie producer on Thursday, reads: Mr. Weinstein obviously cant speak to anonymous allegations, but he unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex.

Weinstein is also being investigated by the London Police after British actress Lysette Anthony accused him of raping her in the 1980s, and by the New York City Police Department for an allegation of sexual assault that allegedly occurred in 2004.

RELATED: Lupita Nyong'o Says Harvey Weinstein Threatened Her Career After She Refused His Advances

Where is Harvey now and what is he doing?

A source tells ET that Harvey completed a week of intense therapy and plans to stay in Arizona for at least another month to work closely with his doctors.

The source also refutes Page Six's report claiming that Weinstein wasn't taking his treatment seriously. The story alleged that the producer had been falling asleep in sessions or talking on his phone, but according to ET's source, Weinstein did "take it seriously."

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In a statement to ET, a spokesperson for the producer said: "Mr. Weinstein is receiving in-patient as well as out-patient medical treatment for the next month or so."

Which stars have come forward with new accusations?

Lupita Nyong'o is the latest actress to speak out about Weinstein's alleged harassment, writing in a New York Times op-ed on Thursday that the producer threatened her career after she refused his advances. In a statement to ET, a spokesperson for Weinstein said, "Mr. Weinstein has a different recollection of the events, but believes Lupita is a brilliant actress and a major force for the industry. Last year, she sent a personal invitation to Mr. Weinstein to see her in her Broadway show, Eclipsed."

Lena Headey also shared her experiences with Weinstein via Twitter this week, claiming that when she once turned him down at a hotel, he became visibly upset, and when his room key didn't work, he took her downstairs "by grabbing and holding tightly to the back of my arm." Headey claimed that Weinstein whispered in her ear to not tell anyone about their encounter. "Not your manager, not your agent," she wrote. "I got into my car and I cried."

Sean Young, meanwhile, claimed during an appearance on the Dudley and Bob With Matt Show podcast, that she "personally experienced [Weinstein] pulling his you-know-what out of his pants" while they worked together on the 1992 film, Love Crimes. "My basic response was, 'You know, Harvey, I really don't think you should be pulling that thing out, it's not very pretty,'" Young said. "And then leaving, and then never having another meeting with that guy again, because it was like, 'What on earth?'

RELATED: Howard Stern Slams Harvey Weinstein: There Is 'No Girl on the Planet' That Wants to See Him Naked

What do Weinstein's male colleagues think of the scandal?

Weinstein's longtime collaborators have started to separate themselves from both him and his company.

Channing Tatum revealed on Wednesday that he and his producing partner, Reid Carolin, would be cutting ties with Weinstein and his company, and taking their project (an adaptation of Matthew Quick's Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, about a boy struggling with sexual abuse) elsewhere.

Kevin Smith announced on his podcast that he will be donating all his future residuals from his Weinstein-produced films to the nonprofit organization Women in Film, and will donate $2,000 per month to the organization for the rest of his life. And on Thursday, Quentin Tarantino admitted that he "knew enough [about Weinstein's alleged history of sexual misconduct] to do more than I did" in an interview with The New York Times. "[Weinstein needs to] face the music," he said, calling on others who knew about Weinstein's alleged behavior to come forward. "What was previously accepted is now untenable to anyone of a certain consciousness."

Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, meanwhile, shared an explosive post on Facebook, declaring that "everybody f**king knew" about Weinstein. "We knew about the man's hunger; his fervor; his appetite. There was nothing secret about this voracious rapacity; like a gluttonous ogre out of the Brothers Grimm." he wrote. "We knew something was bubbling under. Something odious. Something rotten. But...And this is pathetic as it is true: What would you have had us do? Who were we to tell?"

What other actress have spoken out about their treatment in Hollywood?

Molly Ringwald shared in a piece for The New Yorker that she had not experienced sexual misconduct at the hands of Weinstein, but that she had from other men in Hollywood when she was as young as 13. She hopes that the scandal starts a conversation about harassment in the industry.

During the Elle Women in Hollywood event on Monday, several actresses came forward to share their own stories on the topic, with Reese Witherspoon revealing that she was sexually assaulted by a director when she was 16. Jennifer Lawrence also shared a story about having to participate in a "nude lineup" earlier in her career, and though Laura Dern says she used to consider herself "one of the lucky ones," she quickly realized that she had experienced years of sexual harassment.

What is the #MeToo movement?

Alyssa Milano took to Twitter on Sunday to encourage social media users to share their own stories of harassment by using the hashtag #MeToo in order to "give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."

America Ferrera, Lady Gaga, Debra Messing and Anna Paquin were just a few of the stars to take part in the #MeToo movement, along with droves of other women.

According to Good Morning America, as of Wednesday morning, 1.4 million tweets included the #MeToo hashtag, along with more than 13 million posts, comments and reactions on Facebook.

Where do things stand with Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman?

A source told ET earlier this week that the Marchesa designer will "never" consider reconciling with her estranged husband, after announcing last week that she would be leaving him.

"Georgina's top priority right now is her kids, the source told ET. She is concerned with keeping them happy and as stable as she can. She is not spending much time with friends right now. She is feeling emotionally very weak, and as her priority is the kids, she isn't socializing much.

RELATED: Lindsay Lohan Says She Supports 'Women Empowerment' After Defending Harvey Weinstein

What will happen to The Weinstein Company?

Weinstein stepped down from the board of The Weinstein Company on Tuesday, while the other board members, including his brother, Bob Weinstein, voted to ratify his termination, ET confirmed. Weinstein -- who co-founded the film studio with his brother in 2005 after leaving Miramax, which they previously co-founded in 1979 -- still owns about 22% of the company. The 65-year-old producer was fired by TWC on Oct. 8.

In a statement to The New Yorker on Thursday, TWC employees asked the company to let them out of their non-disclosure agreements immediately, "so we may speak openly, and get to the origins of what happened here, and how."

"If there is a future for this company, it must be one of radical transparency and accountability," the statement continued. "That is the only way anyone will feel comfortable working with us. It is the only way any of us will feel comfortable working here."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Saturday, Bob revealed that he's trying to "figure out a plan" to keep the company afloat -- and part of that plan includes a name change.

See more on the scandal in the video below.

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Harvey Weinstein is under investigation for rape after an Italian model-actress reportedly gave a detailed account of an alleged sexual assault to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Robbery Homicide Div has interviewed a potential sexual assault victim involving Harvey Weinstein in 2013. Investigation ongoing, the LAPD tweeted on Thursday.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the 38-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous, met with detectives for more than two hours Thursday morning, describing an alleged assault she says took place in a hotel in 2013.

#LAPD Robbery Homicide Div has interviewed a potential sexual assault victim involving Harvey Weinstein in 2013. Investigation ongoing  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) October 19, 2017

Mr. Weinstein obviously cant speak to anonymous allegations, but he unequivocally denies allegations of non-consensual sex, a representative for Weinstein told PEOPLE in a statement.

This is the first case against Weinstein to be made in California, and according to the L.A. Times, it falls within the states statute of limitations. New York police have already launched two active sex crime investigations into Weinstein, and Londons Metropolitan Police are looking into allegations made by three other women.

The producers latest accuser told the L.A. Times that the alleged assault occurred after she attended the 8th Annual Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest in February 2013.

She told the outlet she had briefly met Weinstein through an acquaintance in Rome in the past, and declined an invitation to his hotel room at the time. When they spoke again at the film festival in 2013, she told the paper he didnt seem to remember her.

Weinstein allegedly appeared without warning in the lobby of her hotel later in the evening and asked to come up to her room. She reportedly declined, instead offering to meet him downstairs at another time, but before long he was knocking on her door.

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He  bullied his way into my hotel room, saying, Im not going to f you, I just want to talk,' she told the L.A. Times. Once inside, he asked me questions about myself but soon became very aggressive and demanding and kept asking to see me naked. He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me.

She reportedly attempted to stop Weinstein by showing him pictures of her children, but he didnt leave the room for another 45 minutes.

When he left, he acted like nothing happened, the woman told the outlet. I barely knew this man. It was the most demeaning thing ever done to me by far. It sickens me still  He made me feel like an object, like nothing with all his power.

While she was reportedly afraid to go to the police, the woman did tell a priest, a friend and a nanny about what happened at the time, according to the L.A. Times.

She told the paper she finally came forward at the urging of her children, who told her, You just need to be strong, Mom.

All these years Ive been thinking why I didnt call the police immediately, she said to the L.A. Times. I regret that I opened the [hotel] door.

The woman was 34 when the alleged incident occurred, according to the L.A. Times, which also reported that she is well-known in Italy, where she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and acted in Italian films.

She was reportedly living in Italy with her three children at the time of the alleged assault, and later moved to Southern California.

More than 40 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexually inappropriate behavior since a New York Times report first revealed allegations of abuse spanning decades.

Weinstein has since been removed from his company and his wife, Georgina Chapman, has separated from him.
Lindsay Lohan Declares She Supports 'Women Empowerment' After Defending Harvey Weinstein on Instagram The actress took to social media on Wednesday, where she responded to her critics: '#karma will always take its toll.'

Lindsay Lohan wants her fans to know that she's "for women empowerment."

A week after she took to Instagram to stand up for Harvey Weinstein amid the producer's sexual assault scandal, the actress responded to those who criticized her supportive remarks.

Lohan, 31, shared a screenshot of her character from the 1998 family comedy The Parent Trap on Oct. 18, along with a lengthy caption defending her position on women's rights.

"Whatever anyone says, I am FOR #womenempowerment," Lohan wrote.

WATCH: Lindsay Lohan Says She Feels 'Very Bad For Harvey Weinstein'

She went on to address her tumultuous relationship with ex-fiance Egor Tarabasov, and alleges that he was abusive towards her.

"As if most women in American cared how I was abused by my ex-fiance," Lohan claimed in the caption, adding, "Not one person stood up for me while he was abusing me."

"You could only imagine what it feels like to come out as a #strongwoman BUT, acknowledge this, we all make our own choices and wake up in our own beds in the morning," she continued. "I prefer to go to my home and wake up alone."

Photo: Lindsay Lohan/Instagram

Tarabasov, who split up with the actress in July 2016, has previously denied Lohan's allegations of abuse.

Lohan concluded her remarks writing, "#BESTRONG let us no blame anyone as #karma will always take its toll #womensrights."

The actress has since edited the caption to remove any references to Tarabasov or her accusations of abuse.

WATCH: Lindsay Lohan Posts About Possible Relationship Drama, Hints at Pregnancy

On Oct. 10, Lohan made headlines when she shared two videos to her Instagram story in which she said she felt "very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now."

"He's never harmed me or done anything wrong to me, and we've done several movies together," the Mean Girls star continued. "So I think everyone needs to stop. I think it's wrong. So stand up."

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The videos, which she later deleted, came nearly a week after two exposes, one in the New York Times and another in The New Yorker, came out with dozens of allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault leveled against the movie mogul.

WATCH: Everything You Need to Know About the Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Lohan released a statement to ET one day after posting the videos, clarifying her remarks.

"I am saddened to hear about the allegations against my former colleague Harvey Weinstein," the statement reads. " As someone who has lived their life in the public eye, I feel that allegations should always be made to the authorities and not played out in the media. I encourage all women who believe Harvey harmed them to report their experiences to the relevant authorities."

In the last two weeks, dozens of additional women have come forth with allegations against Weinstein, which stretch back over the last three decades. For more on the ongoing controversy surrounding the embattled producer, watch the video below.

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The missing hikers whose bodies were found embracing in Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday died in an apparent murder-suicide, PEOPLE confirms.

On Friday afternoon, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that investigators believe missing hiker Joseph Orbeso, 22, fatally shot his hiking companion, Rachel Nguyen, 20, before turning the gun on himself.

Autopsies performed on both hikers found that their injuries were consistent with gunshot wounds, the statement says.

Rachel Nguyen, Joseph Orbeso

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Based on evidence located at the scene, detectives believe Orbeso shot Nguyen, then shot himself, the statement says.

Authorities are continuing to investigate why Orbeso allegedly killed Nguyen, the sheriff said.

Their identities were released earlier this week, nearly three months after the young pair went missing in the California national park.

Joshua Tree National Park in California

In a press release, the National Park Service confirmed that hikers had discovered the two bodies in a remote region of the park on Sunday at 11:30 p.m. local time.

 PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: 35 Real Cases That Inspired the Show Law & Orderis on sale now.

The pair had been initially reported missing on July 28 when deputies from the Morongo Basin Sheriffs Station were contacted by the owner of a local bed and breakfast who told deputies that he believed his guests  Nguyen and Orbeso  went hiking in the park that morning but never returned to check out, the statement said.

Later that day, Joshua Tree National Park Service Rangers located the pairs unoccupied vehicle in the park.

When rangers couldnt find them, a large-scale search ensued, with more than 250 people looking for the pair over the next nine days, including Orbesos father, Gilbert Orbeso.

According to local outlet KABC, Gilbert Orbeso said he and the search team discovered the bodies in an embracing position on Sunday.

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Despite no formal confirmation, Gilbert Orbeso told the outlet, I feel that we have closure and we know we found them. That was our main goal was to find themHope they can rest in peace now.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Specialized Investigations Division, Homicide Detail, Detective Scott Stafford or Sergeant Robert Warrick (909) 387-3589.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463), or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.
Kate del Castillos documentary The Day I Met El Chapo is now available on Netflix, and that has Sean Penns camp seething.

This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun by a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent, Penns spokesperson Mark Fabiani told TheWrap via email.

Reps for the Dead Man Walking star are angry with the streaming service, the documentarys producers, and the telenovela lifer herself over the release of the project, which they think paints Penn in a negative light. Among the Mystic River actors issues is an implication he believes the docu-series makes that suggests Penn tipped off the U.S. Department of Justice to the whereabouts of the then prison escapee.

Weeks after Penn and del Castillo now-infamously met with Joaquin Guzman in a Mexican jungle, which the actor previously chronicled in a Rolling Stone story, the drug lord was recaptured by authorities. When dealing with the Mexican cartel, such a ratting charge could become dangerous, which is the fear of Penns camp. Also, the assertion is simply not true, his side says.

Also Read: 'El Chapo': Watch Drug Lord's First Prison Escape in Season 2 Trailer (Video)

Per Penns representatives, the actor repeatedly asked Netflix and producers to see an early cut of the del Castillo documentary. After the Milk star finally got to watch one, Penn wanted to participate in a final cut to clear up what he saw as factual inaccuracies from the Mexican soap opera stars side of the story. That request was not granted, nor would producers edit out the D.O.J. connection in question. Penns side tells us that there would have been plenty of time to incorporate either change before Fridays premiere. He first asked about one month out.

The producers evidently did not care about accuracy or truth and refused to cooperate, Fabiani said. It must be noted that Ms. Del Castillo participated in the fact checking process of the Rolling Stone article authored by Mr. Penn.

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The three-part docu-series concludes with subtitles that say Penn did not respond to multiple requests for an on-camera interview.

Also Read: Mexican Drug Lord El Chapo to Be Tried in US in 2018

Continuing Penns side of this he said/she said, Fabiani sees his clients written take on their fateful El Chapo meeting as legitimate journalism. Fabiani looks at del Castillo as a mere opportunist.

All one needs to know about Kate del Castillo is a scene in her self-proclaimed documentary where she rides a motorcycle around Los Angeles with her full name commercially printed boldly across the front of her helmet, he wrote. If Sean had seen that, he might have seen the red flag of her ego, which she has now firmly elevated over the truth.

Representatives for Netflix, del Castillo and the production company behind The Day I Met El Chapo did not immediately return TheWraps requests for comment on the conflict.

Also Read: Chelsea Handler's Netflix Talk Show to End After 2 Seasons

Read Fabianis email to TheWrap in full:

This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun by a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent. With regard to the timing of the documentary, the change requested by Mr. Penn after he finally was able to view the documentary could have easily been made in advance of the documentarys first showing. It is common to ask to see a cut before agreeing to participate. Mr. Penns sole interest was to ensure that the documentary was factual and accurate rather than containing reckless fabrications. The offer for Mr. Penn to participate or his request for a minor edit by the producers focused only on the most egregious point. But the producers evidently did not care about accuracy or truth and refused to cooperate. It must be noted that Ms. Del Castillo participated in the fact checking process of the Rolling Stone article authored by Mr. Penn. Finally, all one needs to know about Kate del Castillo is a scene in her self-proclaimed documentary where she rides a motorcycle around Los Angeles with her full name commercially printed boldly across the front of her helmet. If Sean had seen that, he might have seen the red flag of her ego, which she has now firmly elevated over the truth.

Related stories from TheWrap:

El Chapo's Son Believed Among Those Kidnapped at Mexican Resort

Geraldo Rivera Says El Chapo Was 'Reckless' in Pursuit of Kate del Castillo

Kate del Castillo: Sean Penn Lied About El Chapo Rolling Stone Plan
Iranian children pose for photos in front of medium-range missiles on display for the Defense Week in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia has said it is confident that Iran is fulfilling all its obligations under a multilateral agreement on its nuclear program and will not take part in any talks on amending the deal.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the remarks Saturday at an international nuclear weapons non-proliferation conference here, TASS news agency reported.

Russia is not ready to participate in any talks on amending the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

The deal is delicately balanced and any change could cause the collapse of the whole agreement, he warned.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, in July 2015. Under the deal, Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapon program in exchange for economic aid and lifting of international sanctions.

However, on Oct. 13, U.S. President Donald Trump called for decertifying the agreement, alleging Iran had committed "multiple violations".

Though the decertification would not mean Washington exiting the Iran nuclear deal at the moment, it would open a 60-day window in which the U.S. Congress could reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said last week that Iran was implementing the JCPOA under a robust verification regime.
The White House is standing by Chief of Staff John Kelly after he called Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson an empty barrel, though a video obtained by a newspaper shows his account of her comments at 2015 building dedication that triggered his disgust does not entirely hold up.

General Kelly was stunned that Wilson made comments at a dedication event honoring slain FBI agents about her own actions in Congress, including lobbying Obama about legislation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stoutly insisted at a raucous Friday briefing.

As Gen. Kelly pointed out, if youre able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes all about yourself youre an empty barrel, Sanders said. If you dont understand that, reference Ill put it a little more simply. As we say in the South: All hat, No cow.

At the previous days briefing, a disgusted Kelly censured Wilson for having talked about herself so extensively during a 2015 dedication of an FBI building named after slain agents. He said she similarly disgraced herself this week when she took the TV to blast President Donald Trump for his call of condolence to the widow of a soldier killed in an ISIS ambush in Niger.

Wilson blasted Trump for saying Sgt. La David Johnson knew what he was signing up for, but that his death no doubt was painful for Myeshia Johnson. Wilson, who heard a portion of that phone call, said his words distressed the widow.

In response Kelly, himself a Gold Star father, called Wilson an empty barrel who previously had praised herself at that 2015 building dedication for raising the funds for the building during what should have been a solemn occasion focusing on the slain agents for whom the building was named. Wilson shot back that she was not a member of Congress when the building received its funding.

In a video obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Wilson is seen speaking about the two agents, and pat herself on the back for securing approval of the naming of the building.

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When reporters in todays briefing noted Kelly got his facts wrong, Sanders fought back, insisting Wilson had made grandstanding comments not caught on the video but witnessed by many people there.

He said he was stunned she took the opportunity to make it all about herself, Sanders added. When reporters persisted, she added, If you want to go after Kelly its up to you. If you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think thats something highly inappropriate.

One reporter noted Trump similarly had grandstanded with inaccurate boasts about the size of his inaugural crowd, shortly after being sworn in, while standing in front of the wall at CIA HQ that commemorates agency officers killed in the line of duty. Sanders was having none of that, insisting there was no parallel.

Did Trump fumble his word choice in that condolence call, Sanders was asked. If the spirit of which the comments were intended was misunderstood, that is very unfortunate, she responded.

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Niamey (AFP) - Thirteen paramilitary police were killed Saturday in a fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

The region which borders Mali has faced a series of recent jihadist incursions.

Saturday's dawn raid happened in the town of Ayorou in the Tillaberi region, 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of the capital Niamey.

"The Ayorou gendarmerie was the subject of a terrorist attack perpetrated by unidentified armed elements in vehicles and on motorcycles," said defence ministry spokesman Colonel Amadou Samba Gagara on public television.

"The provisional assessment is as follows: 13 dead soldiers and five others injured."

A security source said the attackers arrived in five vehicles and fled when military reinforcements arrived. Villagers saw them leave carrying bodies.

On October 4, four US and four Niger soldiers were killed in what Niamey called a "terrorist attack" that confirmed the little-known presence of US troops in the turbulent area as part of a counter-terrorism operation.

The source on Saturday revealed a village elder had been arrested in connection with that attack.

"The chief of Tongo Tongo (village) was basically arrested after the October 4 attack for 'complicity' with the attackers," the security source told AFP.

He said the chief "delayed a meeting for a few minutes" as local elders gathered to meet US soldiers which had aided the ambush by giving the assailants an opportunity to carry out their attack.

Karimou Soumana, a Tillaberi regional lawmaker, confirmed the arrest to parliament and said the chief was being urged to reveal the attackers' whereabouts.

Niamey and Washington had both earlier indicated they believed there was "complicity" between some local officials and jihadist fighters.

The Tallaberi region has become increasingly unstable due to numerous deadly attacks attributed to jihadist groups who regularly target army positions and refugee camps.

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In mid-May unidentified assailants attacked the same Ayorou gendarmerie without causing any casualties.

On Friday, parliament agreed a three-month extension of the state of emergency in western Niger because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

The UN said this week it has documented "at least 46 attacks" in Niger since February 2016.

- Coalition to fight terror -

As well as trouble along its Mali border, the country is also facing incursions from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram along its southeastern border with Nigeria.

In June, Niger set up an operation of 245 men to fight against jihadists but has not yet reported on its progress.

Malian foreign affairs minister Abdoulaye Diop stressed in front of the UN Security Council in New York this month the urgent need to help a new international security force get off the ground.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" coalition of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- countries that have been badly hit by jihadist attacks but whose military resources are thin -- have pledged to fight terror but face funding problems.

Mali has become a particularly volatile country since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Police on Friday arrested three Texas men who were allegedly involved in a shooting that broke out right after white nationalist Richard Spencers speech at the University of Florida.

The Gainesville Police Department said Tyler Tenbrink, 28, William Fears, 30, and Colton Fears, 28, taunted a group of people standing near a bus stop immediately following Spencers controversial event on Thursday.

Authorities say the three suspects pulled up to the bus stop about 5:30 p.m. and started shouting Hail Hitler at the group while throwing Nazi salutes.

When one of the people in the group used a baton to strike the rear window of the suspects Jeep, the three suspects got out and began yelling death threats. Tenbrink fired a single shot at an unidentified victim, which missed, according to authorities. The three then allegedly got back into their Jeep and fled.

From left to right: Tyler Tenbrink, Colton Fears and William Fears

All three face felony charges of attempted homicide, police said.

Detectives said Tenbrink willfully and willingly fired a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, according to his arrest report. Police said he is a convicted felon and faces other charges of possession of a firearm by convicted felon. The other two suspects, who are brothers, allegedly encouraged Tenbrink to shoot and kill the people in the group, the arrest report said.

The three suspects were later caught after the victim had memorized their Jeeps license plate and alerted authorities. Detectives said Tenbrink admitted to the shooting, according to his arrest report.

At least two of the suspects have shown connections to extremist groups, according to the Gainesville Police Department, although its unclear which two. All three suspects were in the Alachua County Jail Friday. The Fears brothers are being held under $1 million bond and Tenbrink is under a $3 million bond, police said.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside of the University of Florida on Thursday to protest Spencers appearance. Clashes have previously broken out in the past year at other campus events that featured Spencer, including those at Auburn University and Texas A&M University.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitts tense look broke into a toothy grin at the end of a 22-minute interview with Time Magazine when the reporter called his response to a question good, but lawyerly.

Lawyerly, huh? the former Oklahoma attorney general said. He furrowed his brow for two seconds, then began to chuckle. Well, really? Well, thank you!

The interview  one of only a few granted by Pruitt to a mainstream media outlet in recent months  focused largely on his proposal last week to scrap the Clean Power Plan, a set of Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions from electrical utilities. Pruitt has served as the speartip of President Donald Trumps deregulatory agenda, helping to eliminate or review most of the 52 environmental rules the administration has tackled since taking office.

Weve achieved a lot with the presidents leadership, Pruitt said.

He also seems to have adopted this presidents characteristic disregard for facts. Here are eight assertions he made during the interview that dont add up.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt holds up a miner's helmet that he was given after speaking with coal miners at the Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pennsylvania, on April 13. (Photo: Justin Merriman via Getty Images)

1. I dont spend any time with polluters.

During his first few months in office, Pruitt spent more time meeting with fossil fuel executives than environmental and public health advocates, calendars released in June under a Freedom of Information Act request showed. Since then, hes spent less than 1 percent of his time with environmentalists. To argue, as Pruitt later did, that fossil fuel companies dont pollute is to ignore the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found that carbon dioxide posed a threat to human health, to say nothing of the millions of barrels of oil spilled per year. Just last week, an underwater pipeline burst in the Gulf of Mexico, spewing what may be the largest leak of oil in the region since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.

2. I prosecute polluters.

Pruitt said this just moments later. While its technically true, it obscures the fact that prosecutions of polluters are way down. The Trump administrations Justice Department collected 60 percent less in civil penalties from polluters than the past three administrations over the same period, according to an analysis released in August by the Environmental Integrity Project.

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At the EPA, the amount of money charged in injunctive relief  how much violators are expected to spend to install and maintain new equipment needed to clean up pollution or comply with environmental standards  has plummeted. By the end of July, the Trump administration estimated that injunctive relief required in 10 cases reporting such data would total $197 million, compared with $710 million in 16 cases under President George W. Bush and more than $1.2 billion in 22 cases under President Barack Obama during the same amount of time. The EPA did not begin compiling this data until the late 1990s, the report said, so comparable estimates were not available for the Clinton administrations first year.

3. The Clean Power Plan rule is deficient because its been questioned by the U.S. Supreme Court and the stay has been issued.

The Supreme Court decided in February 2016 to intervene to halt the implementation of the Clean Power Plan following what the Obama EPA called extraordinary and unprecedented requests for a stay. Pruitt, then Oklahomas attorney general, led that charge after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously refused to grant a stay a month earlier. The Clean Power Plans legality rests on the argument that the EPA has authority to regulate greenhouse gases under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The Supreme Courts five conservative justices questioned whether that was the case and therefore temporarily blocked the Clean Power Plan but did not rule as to whether that interpretation is wrong. Repealing the Clean Power Plan before this question can be settled is a procedural decision that demonstrates Pruitts belief that the rule is not constitutional and so must be eliminated, but the court simply ruled that the legality had yet to be determined.

The Brayton Point power plant, a coal-fired power plant that was shut down June 1, rises behind houses in Somerset, Massachusetts. (Photo: Brian Snyder / Reuters)

4. The creation of the endangerment finding happened in months  this agency doesnt build a record within months with respect to these kinds of issues.

First, some background: In 2007, the Supreme Court found that the EPA is obligated to regulate any type of air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare under the 1970 Clean Air Act. The Bush administrations EPA determined that greenhouse gases were, in fact, a danger but decided not to do anything about it. The Obama administrations EPA took the issue up shortly after taking office and, in December 2009, issued its conclusion, commonly called the endangerment finding, which compelled the agency to start regulating those emissions. That finding forms the basis of regulations to reduce emissions, such as the Clean Power Plan, and cannot be overturned unless Pruitt could prove in court that greenhouse gases dont cause climate change.

But, back to his point, to say that the endangerment finding was crafted in mere months is demonstrably untrue.

5. The endangerment finding is based on the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

During the interview, Pruitt said the finding represents, and this is the first time in history this has ever occurred, this agency took work product of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and adopted it, transferred it to this agency and used that as the basis, underpinnings, of the endangerment finding.

That claim appears to be a dog whistle to nationalists, suggesting the legal mandate for the federal government to address climate change is rooted in fulfilling some demand from an international body.

The technical support document on the endangerment finding references more than 100 published scientific studies and cites peer-reviewed syntheses of climate research by the White Houses U.S. Global Change Research Program, the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the IPCC, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

President Donald Trump addresses the General Debate of the 72nd session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19. (Photo: Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

6. A red-team, blue-team debate on climate change will foster a robust, meaningful discussion.

The science behind human-caused global warming is largely settled, despite what so-called skeptics like Pruitt argue. Only 3 percent of peer-reviewed scientists have found that climate change is either not a risk or not exacerbated by humans. And a research review published last November found flaws in the methodologies, assumptions or analyses used in those studies that, when corrected, put their findings in line with the 97 percent of scientists who say climate change is a major, manmade threat.

Yet Pruitt said in June he plans to assemble a red team and a blue team to debate the merits of climate science.

Thats actually an exercise that was used during the 1970s into the 80s in the intelligence community to assess the Soviet threat and to help formulate the response to the Soviet threat, he said in the Time interview. This is a robust, meaningful debate, discussions, about what do we know and what dont we know, and let the American people be consumers of that, so that we might be able to see consensus around this issue.

Yet the premise here is based on the idea that the peer-reviewed process that every major scientific paper on climate change has already gone through is somehow flawed. And giving equal weight to skeptics of the existing consensus skews Americans perception of the scientific findings, according to U.S. National Academy of Sciences atmospheric scientist Benjamin Santer, MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel and Harvard history of science professor Naomi Oreskes.

Such calls for special teams of investigators are not about honest scientific debate, the trio wrote in The Washington Post in June. They are dangerous attempts to elevate the status of minority opinions, and to undercut the legitimacy, objectivity and transparency of existing climate science.

7. The states, theyve been very, very thankful that weve engaged with them and been proactive in how we do work together to achieve good environmental outcomes, and also see economic progress. Thats not something that should be taken for granted, because it didnt happen in the past administration.

In August, 16 states sued the EPA to stop Pruitt from delaying the implementation of a smog rule. Last week, hours after Pruitt announced his proposal to scrap the Clean Power Plan, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said hed sue to defend the regulations against the Trump administrations persistent and indefensible denial of climate change. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey also said she would sue. On Friday, Trump forced Pruitt to backtrack on proposed changes to the nations biofuels policy after lawmakers in corn states such as Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois protested over concerns that the new rules would hurt demand for ethanol.

Yet the real bogus claim here is that the Obama administration didnt engage with the states affected by its regulations.

Just consider North Dakota. In 2014, then EPA chief Gina McCarthy visited the oil-producing state as a listener and a saleswoman, saying she had to be everywhere because people have to have a relationship with me. Months later, then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz toured the state and held public talks about future policy and the quivering price of Bakken crude oil. Unlike Pruitt, who toured the state but kept out local journalists, those officials made themselves accessible to the public.

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He has threatened to undermine protections for air and water.

He doesnt think the EPA is the nations foremost environmental regulator.

During a House Science Committee hearing last year, Pruitt stressed that the EPA might need to intervene on some air and water quality issues that cross state lines, but that the agency was never intended to be our nations foremost environmental regulator.



The states, he said, were to have regulatory primacy.



As Oklahomas attorney general, Pruitt created a federalism unit with the specific aim of opposing federal protections and safeguards, including the Affordable Care Act and environmental regulations.



Under Pruitt, the EPA will likely witness an increasing effort to delegate environmental regulations away from the federal government and towards the states, Ronald Keith Gaddie, a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, told The New York Times.



Though states may be best equipped to regulate certain industries, some experts have stressed that environmental protection is one area that needs more federal oversight.



Pollution doesnt respect state boundaries, Patrick A. Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at Vermont Law School, told the Times. States have limited ability to regulate pollution from outside the state, and almost every state is downstream or downwind from other pollution.

He doesnt believe in climate change.

The EPAs stance on global warming has been unambiguous.



Climate change is happening, the agency said on its website, adding that the EPA is taking a number of common-sense steps to address the challenge of warming, such as developing emissions reduction initiatives and contributing to world-class climate research.



Pruitt, like most of Trumps Cabinet picks, is a climate change denier. Ignoring the overwhelming scientific consensus on the matter, Pruitt wrote last year that the debate on climate change is far from settled.



Gina McCarthy, the previous EPA chief, warned in November that denying the facts about climate change would undermine the United States' success both domestically and internationally. Other countries are wondering if the U.S. will turn its back on science and be left behind, she said.



The train to a global clean-energy future has already left the station, McCarthy added. We can choose to get on board  to lead  or we can choose to be left behind, to stand stubbornly still. If we stubbornly deny the science and change around us, we will fall victim to our own paralysis.

Hes a close ally of the fossil fuel industry ...

 and their relationship has observers deeply concerned.



Since 2002, Pruitt has received more than $300,000 in contributions from the fossil fuel industry, including from political action committees connected to Exxon Mobil, Spectra Energy and Koch Industries. The New York Times reported in 2014 that he and other Republican attorneys general had formed an unprecedented, secretive alliance with major oil and gas companies to undermine environmental regulations. One of the firms, Oklahomas Devon Energy, drafted a letter for Pruitt to send to the EPA in 2011. Pruitt printed the document on state letterhead and sent it off, almost verbatim, to Washington.



As attorney general, Pruitt also filed several lawsuits with industry players, including Oklahoma Gas and Electric and the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, a nonprofit group backed by major oil and gas executives. In May 2016, Pruitt joined then-Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange in writing an opinion piece defending Exxon Mobil and other energy groups, after the oil giant came under scrutiny for allegedly failing to disclose its internal research on climate change.



The Times asked Pruitt in 2014 whether hed been wrong to send letters to the federal government written by industry lobbyists, or to side with them in litigation. Pruitt was unapologetic.



The A.G.s office seeks input from the energy industry to determine real-life harm stemming from proposed federal regulations or actions, his office said in a statement. It is the content of the request not the source of the request that is relevant.



Opponents, however, say Pruitt is a Big Oil ally  someone who, as EPA administrator, could prioritize industry interests over the health of the environment and the American people.



This is a frightening moment, Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes said at a rally in December, referring to Trump's Cabinet picks. We have seen in the last few weeks how the reins of the federal government are being handed over to the fossil fuel industry.



From denying settled climate science to leading the opposition of EPAs Clean Power Plan, Pruitt has sent a loud and clear message to Big Oil and its well-funded mouthpieces that hes their guy, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who is one of the senators calling for Pruitt to disclose more details on his connection to some oil-funded groups, according to Mother Jones. To put a climate denier at the helm of an agency working to keep our environment safe is as dangerous as it gets.



Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, echoed similar concerns: The American people must demand leaders who are willing to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels. I will vigorously oppose this nomination.



Its not just Pruitts fossil fuel connections that have raised eyebrows. A recent Environmental Working Group investigation found that Pruitt gave a regulatory pass to polluters from the poultry industry after receiving $40,000 in campaign donations from executives and lawyers representing poultry companies.



Very clearly, this is someone coming in [to lead the EPA] with an ideology to deregulate at whatever government level he finds himself, Cook, the EWG head, told The Huffington Post. Theres no saying that we just have a different philosophy about who should enforce environmental law. The philosophy, if it exists, is that environmental policy shouldnt be enforced at a state or federal level. It is industry unrestrained.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
How James Hyltons team gets to ARCA races. (Yahoo Sports)

KANSAS CITY, Kan.  The story of why James Hyltons team transports its race car via a school bus involves a destroyed truck, a lot of good fortune and some help from others in racing.

Hylton, 83, has been a fixture in racing since his first Cup Series race in 1964. He attempted his final Cup race in 2009 and made his last ARCA start  a level of stock car racing below NASCAR  in 2013, the year he turned 79.

The two-time Cup Series winner still fields an ARCA car and was driving back from Iowa Speedway east on Interstate 40 in Tennessee on Sunday, July 9, when Hylton fell asleep.

He was behind the wheel. His son James Hylton Jr. and team member Terry Strange were also in the truck.

Its unbelievable, James Hylton told Yahoo Sports. Run off the interstate on the left side. Went down a huge embankment, up the other side of the bank, tore down the guardrail  we wound up upside down in the westbound interstate.

And in the path of oncoming traffic.

On Interstate 40 its bumper to bumper, Hylton said before showing a gnarly scab on his left arm that remains as visible evidence of the accident. Unbelievable that this truck and trailer used up all the highway on the westbound side, tore the guardrail down. And never touched nobody.

ARCA driver James Hylton gives a thumbs up while sitting in his race car during practice at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. The 79-year-old will retire following Fridays ARCA Kansas Lottery 98.9 race. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

But other than the cut on his arm, Hylton, his son and Strange were all OK and climbed out of the truck after the wreck.

The heavy-duty pickup and the trailer, however, were not. The truck had severe damage, while Hylton said the trailer was totaled. The race car inside the trailer was damaged, too.

Not every race team is backed by a millionaire sponsor. Especially not in ARCA, which provides a mix of sponsored young drivers trying to make a name for themselves in racing with veterans and teams racing for the love of it and the hope of a top-10 finish.

Hyltons team fits into the latter category. With the next ARCA race 12 days after the crash, the team was in a pinch. Johnny Davis, who owns a team in the Xfinity Series, sent a hauler up to Tennessee to get the teams car back to the teams shop in Inman, South Carolina. And Davis also loaned them a truck and a trailer.

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But that was a temporary solution. Heres where Enter Sean Corr and his dad John. Sean has driven for Hylton and John owns the Trans Group, a bus transportation company.

Sean called me, Hylton explained, and said, Ive got a school bus that you can have, and I asked How much you want for it and he said Take it and see if itll work for you and get you going again and its a donation. 

That solved the problem of finding a replacement for the truck. The replacement for the hauler came from the teams driver, Brad Smith.

These race teams kept me in business, Hylton said.

And its clear Hylton wants to keep his team in business. It started running a composite body car this season with an eye on the future. The composite body cars are the newest generation of ARCA car and have been slowly introduced in the series as the older cars  some based on chassis of Cup cars from nearly a decade ago  have been phased out.

Smith is driving that composite car Friday night at Kansas Speedway, the final race of the 2017 ARCA Series season. After the race is over, Hylton, his son and Strange will hop into the school bus with the teams equipment packed up and drive through the night. After all, Strange needs to be back to his day job on Monday.

I guess our theory in Hylton Motorsports is we dont give up, Hylton said. Most people may say to heck with it, Ill go get me a job, do something. But refuse to die.

      

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 00:11:04|Editor: Song Lifang

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NIAMEY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 Nigerien gendarmes were killed Saturday in an attack by unidentified gunmen on their camp in Ayorou, Tillabery region, near the Malian border, a security source said.

Three other gendarmes were seriously injured.

The attackers, probably from neighboring Mali, stormed the camp aboard four heavily armed pickups on Saturday at 6 a.m. local time, the source said.

The assailants fled toward the Malian border after the attack.

Several fighter jets took off Saturday morning from Niamey to provide support to the Nigerien armed forces in pursuit of the attackers.

The Ayorou base of the gendarmerie has already been the subject of several terrorist attacks in the past, the last one being on May 11.

Over the last two years, Niger has suffered several terrorist attacks from northern Mali, which have left dozens of victims among the Nigerien security forces.

On Oct. 5, four Nigerien soldiers and four Americans were killed in fighting with unidentified individuals.

These attacks come despite the state of emergency declared in this area of Niger on March 3.
Japanese scientists have discovered a crater beneath the Moons surface that scientists think could one day house a lunar colony.

The 50km (31 miles) long and 100m (328 feet) wide fissure was found by Japans Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) probe using a radar system, Japans Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed on October 18.

Japanese scientists said that the crevasse, which is located beneath a region of volcanic domes known as the Marius Hills, may be a subterranean lava tube created by volcanic activity some 3.5 billion years ago.

The cave has already been proposed as a possible candidate for a future lunar exploration base or human colony, the Guardian reports.

Lava tubes might be the best candidate sites for future lunar bases, Haruyama added, because their structural stability offers protection from the moons extreme temperatures  which can swing from 224F during the day to -153C at night  and cosmic radiation that bombards its surface.

The discovery comes as multiple countries ramp up plans for moon missions in coming years, including U.S-Russia and China-Europe partnerships to build lunar bases.

Japan is targeting a manned lunar mission by 2030, while China last year set itself a deadline of 2036 among other ambitious extraterrestrial plans that include a Mars rover by 2020.

Competition has opened up to the private sector as well in this 21st century space race, with SpaceXs Elon Musk announcing a planned two-person private Moon trip for 2018.




Donald Trump reportedly claims to own an original Renoir painting - despite a gallery in Chicago insisting there is only one real version of the Two Sisters artwork and it's hanging on their walls.

Tim O'Brien, Mr Trump's biographer, first spotted the painting by the French impressionist on the billionaire's private jet years ago.

You know, thats an original Renoir, Mr O'Brien says he was told by the businessman, recounting the meeting on Vanity Fairs Inside the Hive podcast.

Donald, its not," he responded. "I grew up in Chicago, that Renoir is called Two Sisters (on the Terrace), and its hanging on a wall at the Art Institute of Chicago. Thats not an original.

But Mr Trump would not be deterred, it seems. The following day, Mr Trump boasted of the painting's authenticity to him again, Mr O'Brien said.

The painting now hangs in Trump Tower, the president's residence in New York, where it was seen in the background during a 60 Minutes interview following his 2016 election victory.

Im sure hes still telling people who come into the apartment, Its an original, its an original', Mr OBrien said.

He believes his own lies in a way that lasts for decades,. Hell tell the same stories time and time again, regardless of whether or not facts are right in front of his face.

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The Art Institute was given the painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1933, spokeswoman Amanda Hicks told the Chicago Tribune.

She said it was a gift from Annie Swan Coburn, who bought it for $100,000 from the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who purchased it from the artist himself in 1881.

Perfect afternoon  #chicago #art #artinsituteofchicago #summer A post shared by  (@iamlelelily) on Jul 29, 2017 at 4:52pm PDT

Ms Hicks said the institute was satisfied that our version is real.

The White House did not comment, the paper reported.

Art historians also believe Mr Trump's version is not the real thing.

"The painting has long been known and has, since its gift to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1933, been one of the treasures of the museum," Richard Brettell, chair of aesthetic studies at the University of Texas, told ArtNet.

"Can President Trump own another version? From my trained eye looking at a pretty good photograph of Mrs. Trump in their penthouse at Trump Tower, it seems clearly to be a copy of that famous Chicago picture."

Richard Rand, associate director for collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, echoed the opinion.

If I were presented with a picture that was an exact copy of a famous Renoir hanging in a museum, I would guess it was probably a reproduction of some kind, he told the website.
Long before Donald Trumps biographer heard him talk incessantly about fake news, he listened to Trump boast about his fake Renoir. Now the Art Institute of Chicago is speaking up to say that French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoirs Two Sisters hangs in the museum  and not in the presidents home in Trump Tower.

Art Institute spokeswoman Amanda Hicks told the Chicago Tribune that the museum is satisfied that our version is real.

The story of the fake Renoir surfaced last week in a Vanity Fair Inside the Hive podcast featuring Trump biographer Tim OBrien. He wrote TrumpNation: The Art of Being Donald Trump. (OBrien is also a former HuffPost executive editor.)

Trump boasted to OBrien while the author was interviewing him on his jet years ago about his original Renoir, hanging on a wall in the aircraft.

Donald, its not, OBrien recalled on the podcast. I grew up in Chicago. That Renoir is called Two Sisters (on the Terrace) and its hanging on a wall at the Art Institute of Chicago.

OBrien thought he had set Trump straight, but Trump continued to insist the Renoir was real  even almost immediately again to his biographer. It can be seen on the wall behind him in Trumps interview just last year with 60 Minutes after he won the presidential election. It was also hanging in Trump Tower during a Fox News interview with first lady Melania Trump.

Chicago art museum says it has the original Renoir painting that Trump claimed to own https://t.co/GfMpfZGks4 pic.twitter.com/ZBWDIKgcfZ  The Hill (@thehill) October 20, 2017

He believes his own lies in a way that lasts for decades, OBrien explained. Hell tell the same stories time and time again, regardless of whether or not facts are right in front of his face.

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The White House isnt talking.

Who is? Besides the Art Institute and OBrien, Twitter has plenty to say.

Trump has a Renoir and I have a da Vinci pic.twitter.com/4KijCms7X2  Katie Massa Kennedy (@katiemassa) October 20, 2017

#Trump : If my Renoir painting not an original, then what is it?@artinstitutechi : It's your FAVORITE word... pic.twitter.com/XscwQYCLn7  Darryl Clayton (@DarrylDclayton) October 20, 2017

This is fake art! Believe me! Sad! https://t.co/d0VpZFeN8y  Susan Carland (@SusanCarland) October 19, 2017

Experts say they are as yet unable to definitively say whether Art Institute of Chicago Renoir or Trump Renoir is the original #TwoSisters pic.twitter.com/huMu8Xfhgf  Prof Patrick McGhee (@ProfMcGhee) October 20, 2017

The Art Institute has owned the painting since 1933. It was bequeathed to the museum by Annie Coburn, who purchased it for $100,000 1925 from an art dealer who bought it from the artist in 1881.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Police were able to catch an alleged killer who police say dressed as a clown and killed a woman in Florida nearly 30 years ago by setting a trap for her, ABCs 20/20 reports in an episode airing Friday night.

In May 1990, when Marlene Warren, 40, opened the door of her luxurious Palm Beach County home, she was fatally shot in the face by someone dressed as a clown who then slid into a white convertible and calmly drove away.

The case went cold for years until Palm Beach County authorities reopened it  and discovered new DNA evidence allegedly linking a woman named Sheila Keen Warren, 54, to the crime, say police.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Sheila, they learned, is now married to Marlenes widower, Michael Warren, 63, the man with whom she was rumored to have been having an affair at the time of the killing, say police.

Sheila and Michael lived for more than a decade in an upscale Abingdon, Virginia, neighborhood, where everyone knew them as Debbie and Mike, police say.

They sort of flew under the radar, Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman tells ABC correspondent Deborah Roberts in an exclusive clip 20/20 shared with PEOPLE.

Sheila Keen Warren

Their quiet life ended on Sept. 26, when police arrested Sheila in Abingdon, after setting a trap for her, Newman tells Roberts.

Vehicles were strategically placed along various locations and observed the black Cadillac Escalade as it was traveling, he says.

After pulling over the SUV, police surrounded it and took Sheila into custody, and Debbies sedate life was over.

Sheila, who is seen smiling in one of the pictures taken by police, showed little emotion, he says.

I did not notice anything from a standpoint of being distraught, says Newman. Somewhat surprised, I guess, if you would. But reasonably calm for the most part.

Sheila was charged with first-degree murder and later extradited to Palm Beach County, where she awaits trial and faces the death penalty.

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Sheilas attorney has said she is innocent.

Friday nights episode also includes interviews with Marlenes mother and stepfather  as well as an exclusive interview with two women who may have unknowingly helped the alleged killer in her plot.

Two former costume shop workers who say its likely that they sold the costume to the alleged killer sat down to discuss the case with me for the first time, says Roberts in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.

They say theyre still pained by the idea that they may have [allegedly] unwittingly played a role in this awful murder, she says.

 PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: 35 Real Cases That Inspired the Show Law & Orderis on sale now.

The episode also includes interviews and reporters who covered the crime and neighbors who know Sheila as Debbie.

20/20 airs on Friday, October 20, at 10:00 ET on ABC.
He's back.

After months out of the spotlight, Barack Obama spoke at his first campaign rally, backing New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy in front of a crowd of Democrats on Thursday night.

SEE ALSO: Trumps offends family of another fallen soldier, and this time a $25,000 check was involved

Following dribs and drabs of commentary online, Obama returned to full voice at the event, where there was plenty of Trump shade  even though the current president's name wasn't mentioned.

NOW: Former Pres. Obama campaigns for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy in Newark https://t.co/12ntJ4g0Sp pic.twitter.com/DX9YbgDtNR  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 19, 2017

"What we can't have, is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before that dates back centuries," Obama said.

"Some of the politics we see now, we thought we'd put that to bed. I mean, that's folks looking 50 years back. It's the 21st century, not the 19th century."

Obama also added nothing "frustrates" him more when people complain, but didn't vote.

"If you give away your power, and then somebody does things contrary to your interests, that's not that person's fault, that's your fault," he remarked.

At a another campaign rally for Virginian Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam later that day, Obama again reflected on divisive politics.

Former Pres. Barack Obama revved up crowds for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam https://t.co/aqZVDcloFP pic.twitter.com/TnsQm1ZL0D  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 20, 2017

"We're at our best not when we're trying to put people down, but when we're trying to lift everybody up," he said.

Story continues

"You notice I haven't been commenting a lot on politics lately. But here's one thing I know. If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, you're not going to be able to govern them. You won't be able to unite them later if that's how you start."

And yes, there's another thinly-veiled swipe at Trump.

"Folks don't feel good right now about what they see. They don't feel as if our public life reflects our best. Instead of politics reflecting our values, we have politics infecting our communities," he said.

Oh he's back, alright.
Richmond (United States) (AFP) - Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Thursday, railing against the "politics of division" after keeping a low profile and avoiding direct confrontation with his White House successor since leaving office.

Speaking at a rally in New Jersey to support the Democratic Party candidate for governor, the 56-year-old former president took aim at the fear and bitterness that marked the 2016 campaign which led to Donald Trump's presidency.

"What we can't have is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before, that dates back centuries," Obama said at the event in Newark for Phil Murphy.

"Some of the politics we see now, we thought we put that to bed. That's folks looking 50 years back," Obama added. "It's the 21st century, not the 19th century."

Obama later appeared at an event in Richmond to support Ralph Northam, his party's gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, at which he obliquely criticized the way Trump gained the White House.

"If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, you're not going to be able to govern them. You won't be able to unite them later," Obama said.

"We are at our best not when we are trying to put people down, but when we are trying to lift everybody up," he said.

Voters in both New Jersey and Virginia will decide the contests on November 7, one year after Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton and stormed into the White House on a wave of anti-establishment fury.

The races are potential indicators of voter sentiment ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, which will be a major test for Trump and his Republican Party.

University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato said the New Jersey and Virginia governor races are the only "big elections" for 2017.

"What's at stake is bragging rights headed into the 2018 midterm elections," Sabato told AFP.

Story continues

Obama has remained largely detached from the political debate since leaving office on January 20, in keeping with presidential tradition.

Trump has meanwhile used his first nine months in the White House to methodically demolish key Obama administration policies.

After three months of vacation Obama began writing his memoirs. He has said little in public and granted almost no interviews.

- Test for Trump -

The few times Obama broke his silence was to comment on issues of national importance, such as immigration, health care and climate change.

In New Jersey, Murphy is the clear frontrunner to succeed Republican Governor Chris Christie, a Trump ally whose popularity has plummeted to record lows.

New Jersey "is a runaway win for the Democrats, so Virginia is the only competitive contest. Obama is needed much more in Richmond than Trenton," said Sabato, referring to the capitals of the two states.

Virginia is a pivotal state and the only southern US state that Clinton won in 2016. Its importance is amplified by its proximity to the capital Washington.

"If the GOP loses in Virginia, Trump will be widely blamed since he is so unpopular in a state carried by Hillary Clinton," Sabato said.

Should Republicans win Virginia's governorship, "then Trump will not be viewed as such a liability for the GOP in 2018."

In Richmond, Obama backed Northam, the state's lieutenant governor who was credited Wednesday with a slight lead over Republican Ed Gillespie in a Quinnipiac poll.

More than six hours ahead of the event in Richmond, student Lucas Anderton was in the queue for tickets.

"It's important for me, he's my hero and so it's nice to see him out in the battle again," Anderton said.

"I am hoping that he does something to speak to the African-American population, I really do, because we are in need of a strong leader," said Nancy Atkins, who was waiting to enter the venue ahead of Obama's Richmond speech.

"We need a Martin Luther King to step up, and I can see the former president Obama as being that leader," Atkins said.

Well aware of the vote's importance, Trump has backed Gillespie and accused Northam of "fighting for the violent MS-13" Hispanic gang, as well as "sanctuary cities" that offer shelter to illegal immigrants.

Gillespie, a former advisor to president George W. Bush who has become a millionaire lobbyist, has so far kept cautious distance from the mercurial Trump, whose backing recently failed to ensure the election of his pick in a Republican Senate race in Alabama.
Tom Steyer, seen here at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC, U.S. on November 19, 2014, is spending millions to impeach Donald Trump: REUTERS/Gary Cameron/File Photo

Big money is pouring into the effort in impeach Donald Trump.

Billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer is continuing his crusade against the president by funding a national campaign of television and digital advertisements calling for Mr Trump's removal from office.

The spot warns that Mr Trump has brought us to the brink of nuclear war, obstructed justice at the FBI and has taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations in violation of the constitution. It pushes viewers to sign a petition endorsing Mr Trumps impeachment.

People in Congress and his own administration know this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons. And they do nothing, Mr Steyer says in the spot. Join us and tell your Member of Congress that they have a moral responsibility to stop doing whats political and start doing whats right.

A representative for Mr Steyer said the advertisements would be running in all 50 states. Without providing specific numbers, the representative said the effort included an eight-figure television ad buy and a seven-figure outlay for digital ads.

In seeking Mr Trump's impeachment, Mr Steyer is opening his wallet to support an outcome several Democratic member of Congress have publicly backed. Mr Steyer last week sent letters to every Democrat in of Congress, all 50 governors and thousands of mayors urging them to support impeachment.

Calling Mr Trump a clear and present threat to the United States of America, the letter also warns Democrats that they must be responsive to a restive liberal base and seeks to inject the impeachment conversation into upcoming midterm elections. Arguing that impeachment could be a viable outcome if Democrats retake Congress in 2018, it urges officeholders to make clear where every Democrat stands on the issue of the highest import to the lives of every single American now, before those elections happen.

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While a growing number of Republican officials have openly broken with Mr Trump - including longtime ally Sen Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who warned of Mr Trump hurtling the country toward World War III - convincing a Republican-controlled Congress to remove a Republican president remains a long shot.

If Democrats want to appease the far left and their liberal mega-donors by supporting a baseless radical effort that the vast majority of Americans disagree with, then have at it. Republicans will continue to focus on issues voters actually care about, like growing our economy and cutting taxes for the middle class, Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said in a statement.

After making a fortune in investing, Mr Steyer turned his attention to politics. He poured tens of millions into the 2016 election through his political action committee, bankrolling voter mobilization efforts and ads lambasting Mr Trump. His signature issue has been climate change, and he and his organization NextGen Climate have spent heavily to support environmentalist candidates and advance climate change legislation.

That focus makes Mr Steyer a natural antagonist for Mr Trump. The president has openly questioned the science of manmade climate change, once referring to it as a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, and moved to pull the United Stated from the Paris Climate accords.

His pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, is a fossil fuel industry ally who has moved swiftly to dismantle to dilute Barack Obamas environmental regulations.
George W Bush caused far more harm to the country and planet than Trump has so far, and maybe ever will

Under the guise of spreading democracy, his administration brought suffering to the world and strangled civil liberties at home. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

For liberals across the spectrum, the temptation is real to lionize George W Bush now. Donald Trump is our child-king, slobbering over the country and embarrassing us all. He is parody made real, a lackey for rightwing billionaires everywhere. Its not hard to find a talking head on the left who will say he is, without question, the worst president America has ever had.

But dont make that easy mistake. Especially not now as Bush, our 43rd president, rears his head from retirement to denounce his bombastic successor. At a speech in New York on Thursday, Bush set Democratic heartstrings aflutter when he declared that weve seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty.

Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone and provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, he added. The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.

Bush delivered these words without mentioning Trump by name. The last Republican before Trump to serve as president, Bush lamented that America has seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.

We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism. Weve seen the return of isolationist sentiments, forgetting that American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distant places.

Devoid of context, Bush has a point. Trump is a bully who permits prejudice and cruelty. He doesnt have much regard for internationalism. His impulses are isolationist in nature.

What is ironic here is that Bush will undoubtedly be elevated to the status of a pious, gray-haired warrior speaking out in defense of the republic he once led, a talisman of decency for DC amnesiacs. He will be cheered as another brave Republican defying a president of his own party, his past rendered meaningless.

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There is a certain strain of conventional political wisdom exploited by the likes of Bush. It prizes optics over action, appearances over reality. Bush was a soft-spoken president, a nice enough seeming man, and typically politically correct. Well-coiffed and gimlet-eyed, he resembled a screenwriters conception of an American president.

And he caused far more harm to the country and planet than Trump has so far, and maybe ever will. It was under Bush that America invaded Iraq, murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians, and destabilized the Middle East so thoroughly that it may take the entire 21st century to recover.

More than 4,000 American soldiers died. He stocked his cabinet with warmongering neoconservatives far more cunning and apocalyptic in outlook than any of the amateurs who populate Trumps gang. These were men who dreamed of civilization-annihilating wars and found a president willing to transform their dreams into crackling reality.

The blood on Bushs hands will never dry. Under the guise of spreading democracy, his administration brought suffering to the world and strangled civil liberties at home. The Patriot Act ushered in a dystopian national security state that was maintained by Obama and bequeathed to Trump. Bushs economic policies, along with failures by Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, fed the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.

Trump may be more bumbling and unseemly than Bush, but if he avoids waging war on such a horrific scale, he will have averted true catastrophe. Like John McCain, who never met a foreign conflict he didnt want American troops to die in, Bush is one of those statesmen who has acquired a new shine in the age of Trump, welcoming to pundits in the context of such disorder.

Because of Trumps chaos, there is a fetish these days for military men. Democrats hope the generals can stage a coup, restore order, and some stern-faced strongman with good table manners and an affinity for land wars can occupy the Oval Office. He will take chummy phone calls from Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. He will dream anew of nation-building.

This is the world that gave rise to Bushs presidency and nurtured his most heinous sins. Perhaps, in the months to come, Bush will emerge as a stiff-lipped anti-Trumper and CNN will cheer. That would be a good career move for him.

Anything to make people forget a presidency that truly ruined the country and world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 00:02:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NICOSIA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fitch Ratings agency has upgraded Cyprus's long term debt in foreign currency from BB- to BB with a positive outlook, citing a strong improvement in the performance and outlook of its public finances, a statement by the rating agency released in Nicosia on Saturday said.

"Current cash reserves exceed the sovereign's total 2018 financing needs," it added.

The upgrade raises the debt capacity of the eastern Mediterranean island to just one notch below investment grade less than five years after it was rescued by a 10-billion-euro economic package by the Eurogroup and the International Monetary Fund.

Reflecting an announcement by the Finance Ministry, Fitch said Cyprus's debt is expected to drop below 100 percent before the end of this year relative to 108 percent in 2016.

The Finance Ministry had said that it received the go-ahead from the IMF to repay a considerable amount of debt two years ahead of maturing due to better than expected performance of the public finances.

"Fitch now forecasts an average 3.5 percent GDP growth in 2017 and 2018, in light of the recovery in the first half of 2017 (3.6 percent) and improving confidence indicators," the rating agency statement said.

The Finance Ministry forecast for growth this year is even more optimistic, raising development at the end of 2017 to 3.7 percent.

Fitch added that the recovery is reflected in the labour market, where unemployment has dropped to 10.6 percent in this year's second quarter from a crisis peak of 16 percent in 2014.

However, Fitch warned that there are possible risks for the economy as banks are still burdened by a high ratio of non-performing loans, which total 22.8 billion euros (26.87 billion U.S. dollars), or just over 44 percent of total loans, a legacy of the 2013 economic crisis and banking system resolution.

The new upgrade was hailed both by Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Finance Minister Harris Georgiades, who said although still below investment grade, that allows cheap borrowing.
Barcelona (AFP) - Catalonia's leader accused Madrid on Saturday of waging the "worst attack" on his region since dictator Francisco Franco after the central government took drastic measures to stop it from breaking away.

In a televised announcement, Carles Puigdemont said Madrid was failing to respect the rule of law after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced he would move to dismiss Catalonia's separatist executive, take control of regional ministries and call elections. The premier said he had no other choice faced with the threat to national unity.

Puigdemont said the measures were "incompatible with a democratic attitude and do not respect the rule of law," calling on the regional parliament to meet over the crisis.

He accused the Spanish government, which still has to get approval from the Senate to implement the measures, of waging "the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people since the decrees of military dictator Francisco Franco abolishing the Catalan government".

Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist from 1939 to his death in 1975, and among other repressive measures took Catalonia's powers away and officially banned the Catalan language.

Cautious, though, Puigdemont did not once say the word "independence" as Spain and the rest of the EU waits to see if he declares a unilateral break from Spain after the region held a banned independence referendum on October 1.

Puigdemont delivered most of his short speech in Catalan, but also switched to Spanish and English.

In Spanish, he accused Madrid of "attacking democracy".

And in English, he said European values were at risk.

"Democratically deciding the future of a nation is not a crime," he said.

Furious, 450,000 supporters of independence protested in Barcelona earlier Saturday.
By Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) should overturn its decision to appoint Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, global health leaders said on Saturday, describing the move as unjustifiable and wrong.

Britain said Mugabe's appointment was "surprising and disappointing" and added that it risked overshadowing the WHO's global work. The United States, which has imposed sanctions on Mugabe for alleged human rights violations, said it was "disappointed."

"This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations' ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.

"This selection underscores why the United States continues to push for U.N. reform and leadership actions that uphold our shared U.N. ideals."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Mugabe, 93. He is blamed in the West for destroying his country's economy and numerous human rights abuses during his 37 years leading the country as either president or prime minister.

In a speech, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all".

The former Ethiopian health and foreign minister, who was elected last May as WHO's first African director-general, added: "Today I am also honoured to announce that President Mugabe has agreed to serve as a goodwill ambassador on NCDs for Africa to influence his peers in his region to prioritize NCDs."

But the NCD Alliance, which represents 28 international health groups seeking to combat chronic diseases, said it was "shocked and deeply concerned" to hear of the appointment, given Mugabes "long track record of human rights violations".

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Jeremy Farrar, a leading global health specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust charity also said the decision was "deeply disappointing and wrong" and called on Tedros to be brave and reverse it.

"Robert Mugabe fails in every way to represent the values WHO should stand for and those that Dr Tedros has stood for since becoming DG and has done over many years," Farrar said. "Brave leaders are willing to listen, rethink and overturn bad decisions, this is one such case," he said.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the WHO chief had made the move seeking broad support for the agency's work.

"Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high-level political leadership for health," he said by e-mail.

Human rights activists also criticised the move.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based group UN Watch described the choice by WHO, a United Nations agency as "sickening".

"The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa  and its health system  into a basket-case," he said.

He noted that Mugabe himself had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment three times this year rather than in his homeland.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in GENEVA, Kate Kelland in LONDON and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Nick Zieminski)
Zagreb (AFP) - Croatian prosecutors said Saturday they issued an arrest warrant for the boss of ailing Balkans food and retail giant Agrokor, suspected of financial wrongdoing and currently outside the country.

A police spokeswoman told AFP an international warrant for Ivica Todoric, the prime suspect in an ongoing probe, will be issued once they officially receive the warrant from the prosecutors.

Along with 14 others, including his two sons and other former top executives at the company, Todoric is suspected of abuse of trust, forging official documents and failure to keep proper business records.

Todoric's lawyer Cedo Prodanovic said earlier his client was abroad and would "return when it will be needed".

Local media reported that Todoric was in Britain.

Twelve people were detained Monday in a series of raids in the Croatian capital including at Todoric's home, but neither he nor his sons were found.

One his sons, Ante Todoric, returned to Croatia and was questioned by the prosecutors Friday.

However, he declined to comment on his father's whereabouts.

With around 60,000 employees, two-thirds of whom are in Croatia, Agrokor is the largest employer in the Balkans.

The firm also has businesses in neighbouring Bosnia, Serbia and Slovenia.

According to an audit published last week, the debt-ridden food group made a loss of 11 billion kunas (1.5 billion euros/$1.8 billion) in 2016 and the value of its capital was cut by nearly three billion euros ($3.5 billion).

The food and retail group ran up its debt through aggressive expansion and expensive borrowing.

The government of the European Union member in April named a crisis manager to lead a restructuring process which would last up to 15 months.

If it was not successful within that time frame, bankruptcy proceedings would be initiated.
By Katharine Houreld and Abdi Sheikh NAIROBI/MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The size and methods of the latest truck bombing in Mogadishu show how international and Somali government efforts to stop the killings are failing, partly because intelligence gathering to counter such attacks is so disjointed, security sources say. More than 300 people were killed in the bombing in the heart of the capital on Saturday, the deadliest attack in the history of the Horn of Africa nation. The Islamist insurgency al Shabaab was blamed for the blasts, which happened when a car bomb and a truck bomb headed for the airport detonated prematurely. Somali security services and the donor nations working with them are both to blame for disorganization in the divisions that are supposed to be working to detect and stop such attacks, said Hussein Moalim Mohamud Sheikh Ali, a former national security adviser to the president. "The national security architecture is in tatters," he told Reuters. "The Shabaab attacks are a symptom of the greater political dysfunction of the state." The increasing frequency and growing size of the attacks threaten the fragile security gains made in Somalia ahead of the withdrawal of African Union peacekeepers at the end of the year. They also are a concern for other countries in the region where al Shabaab is active, such as Kenya and Uganda. In 2016, 723 people died in 395 attacks in Somalia, up from 46 dead in 36 attacks in 2010, according to a confidential report produced earlier this year by Nairobi-based thinktank Sahan Research. Initial swab tests at the site of the attack showed traces of potassium nitrate, a fertilizer component, indicating al Shabaab is now manufacturing explosives as well as buying them or harvesting them from munitions, experts say. Competing programs funded by different donor nations and the lack of a centralized database are hurting efforts to analyze intelligence related to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), four Western and one Somali security source told Reuters. A letter from Somalia's minister of internal security addressed to the United States, Britain and the United Nations in May complained of competition and secrecy among agencies gathering intelligence. "Multiple actors involved means this process is highly disorganized ... causing a severe problem for the governmental counter-terrorism efforts," said the letter, seen by Reuters. The pressure is building on President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who must ensure Somalia's fledgling security forces are ready to step in when the 22,000-strong AU force leaves. His government is already stalling on releasing a report into a joint U.S.-Somali raid on Bariire in August that residents say killed 10 civilians. Political disagreements threaten co-operation between Somalia's federal and regional forces. Last week the minister of defense and army chief resigned, without giving reasons. The interior ministry spokesman resigned this week. Somali police did not respond to requests for comment. HIGH-GRADE EXPLOSIVES Obtaining high-grade military explosives - the material that makes a bomb explode - involves harvesting them from captured munitions, or buying them from someone else. Making their own explosive allows the insurgents to build more and bigger bombs, according to the Sahan report and an upcoming report from a U.N. panel of experts that monitors an arms embargo on Somalia. According to the U.N. report which is due to be published next month, the U.S. Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center, which is funded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has confirmed the presence of potassium nitrate in six major vehicle-borne bomb incidents since 2016. "The potential use of HME (home-made explosive) by al Shabaab would allow the group to rely less on the process of harvesting explosives from munitions, which is slow and laborious  allow(ing) the militant group to increase the frequency and explosive weight of its IEDs," said the report. Al Shabaab, which wants to overthrow Somalia's U.N.-backed government and impose strict Islamic law, has not yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, in keeping with previous incidents in which large numbers of civilians have been killed. Mass civilian deaths have caused deep divisions among fighters, a security source with knowledge of discussions within the group said. A former top al Shabaab commander, Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, condemned the attack and was photographed by local media donating blood. Robow defected to the government in August after the U.S. government removed a $5 million bounty for his capture. Two Mogadishu-based security sources outlined the events leading up to the latest attack to Reuters. They said a car bomb and a truck bomb were deployed to hit Mogadishu International Airport, a warren of buildings ringed by barbed wire and blast walls that house contractors, diplomats and a European Union military training mission. "One bomb would have breached a checkpoint, opening the way for a larger bomb," one of the Western security contractors told Reuters. "They also had fighters nearby ready to come inside the base." The driver of the car bomb had been driving through checkpoints for a week ahead of the attack, paying small bribes and getting security forces used to his presence, he said. A larger truck entered the city and passed through one checkpoint, but was stopped at one known as Kilometer Five. Panicking, he tried to force his way through, but got snarled in traffic next to a fuel truck. "I could see the truck speeding. I also heard few gunshots behind it. Police must have been chasing it," said Mohamed Ali, 21, who was injured in the blast. "As it advanced it came to many cars in the street, then the truck driver swerved abruptly to the left lane, but its tyres got stuck in the highway divider. What followed was the blast and smoke." The fireball tore through the intersection, incinerating hundreds of civilians. Many were too badly burned to be identified and were buried in mass graves. The driver of the car bomb was detained at another checkpoint by soldiers who had taken him out for questioning before its bomb also detonated. Three security sources told Reuters he identified himself as al Shabaab. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
President John F Kennedy's assassination has led to lots of conspiracy theories: Getty

Donald Trump has announced he intends to allow the release of the long blocked and classified files on the John F Kennedy (JFK) assassination.

The announcement, made against the advice of the National Security Council, has prompted claims the President is seeking to distract the public from a series of negative stories.

The declaration was made on Twitter, with the President saying: Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.

JFK assassination: Cronkite informs a shocked nation

The decision was met with a mixed response.

This is enough to distract from Trumps lies, investigations and incompetence, said sociologist Dr DaShanne Stokes. Of course Trump will allow it.

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, said the release will prove I was NOT involved, ending rumours and speculation. I was in the third grade.

But political scientist Larry Sabato said: Thank you. This is the correct decision. Please do not allow exceptions for any agency of government. JFK files have been hidden too long.

Prof Sabato, author of a book on the Kennedy assassination, has long campaigned for the documents to be released.

It is hoped the publication of the 3,000 files could provide new insight into a trip to Mexico taken by alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald just prior to the shooting.

Security officials reportedly fear some documents compiled in the 1990s could contain information on more recent intelligence operations.

Trumps language suggested the move could still be blocked but the public announcement has heightened anticipation of releasing the files.

The Kennedy assassination documents are due to be released by the National Archives on 26 October but it was reported Trump would not allow them to be made public.

The President is the only person in government with the authority to block the documents publication.

The 1963 killing of Kennedy shocked the world and has long been shrouded in controversy and conspiracy theories  many people believe there was a second gunman.

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Oswald was shot dead by gunman Jack Ruby before he could be tried.

During last years election campaign, Mr Trump used a conspiracy theory about the assassination to attack his rival, Ted Cruz.

Referencing a story run by National Enquirer, which linked Mr Cruzs father, Rafael Cruz, and Oswald, Mr Trump told Fox News: His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswalds being, you know, shot.

I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous... What is this, right prior to his being shot, and nobody even brings it up. They dont even talk about that. That was reported, and nobody talks about it.

I mean, what was he doing  what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? Its horrible.

Mr Cruz immediately dismissed the claim as garbage.

Experts believe that even the full publication of the documents is unlikely to quell the extensive conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination.
President Donald Trump - AP

Donald Trump has weighed in on Britain's reported rise in crime, linking it to "radical Islamic terror" in a tweet and saying "not good, we must keep America safe!"

"Just out report: "United Kingdom crime rises 13 per cent annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror." Not good, we must keep America safe!" the US President tweeted on Friday morning.

The comment came after official figures released on Friday showed a 13 per cent increase in violent crime in England and Wales - with a total of 5.2 million offences in the year to the end of June.

The figures have mostly been attributed to an increase in sex and knife crimes.

Just out report: "United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror." Not good, we must keep America safe!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 20 October 2017

However, Mr Trump's information may have been derived from a further breakdown of the statistics, which showed a "substantial increase", of 59 per cent, in the number of attempted murder offences registered, which was largely due to terror-related cases.

The rise in violent crime however was largely attributed to a surge in knife related offences, which were up 26 per cent and have been put down to gang activities, rather than terrorism.

Last year there were almost 37,000 offences involving bladed weapons, with 214 men and women stabbed to death in England and Wales.
Still to be determined whether Trump will meet Queen in UK

Analysis: Was Trump right to blame terrorism for rising UK crime figures?



Donald Trump met Theresa May at the G7 summit in Taormina, Italy, in May but has yet to take up her offer to visit Britain. Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

Donald Trump will not visit Britain until next year, the White House confirmed on Friday.

The US president was invited to Britain a week after his inauguration, when Theresa May became the first foreign leader to visit at the White House. Trump has since travelled to France and Germany.

On Friday, the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, conceded it has still not been determined whether Trump would make a state visit or a working visit to Britain. The latter would be without royal pageantry or a stopover with the Queen.

Were still going back and forth with our allies there and once we have those travel details outlined and determined well certainly let you know, Sanders said. But theyve made the invitation for the president to come. Weve accepted and were working out the logistics.

We anticipate that it will be some time next year but at this point theres no other details beyond that.

In June it emerged that Trump told May he did not want to go ahead with a state visit until the British public supported him coming.

In July the Guardian reported that the UK government had conceded that the visit would not take place until 2018, amid claims that Trump had been scared off by the threat of protests.

The Stop Trump Coalition and other campaigns have vowed a massive show of force on the streets. Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, called for the visit to be cancelled after Trump criticised his response to the London Bridge terrorist attack.

The president provoked a further backlash on Friday when he tweeted: Just out report: United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror. Not good, we must keep America safe!

British police recorded 5.2m offences in the last year, only a fraction of which were associated with terrorism. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband called Trump a moron while Conservative backbencher Nicholas Soames described him as a daft twerp who needed to fix gun control.

Trump did attend the G20 summit in Germany and joined celebrations for Bastille Day in Paris on 14 July, a coup of sorts for President Emmanuel Macron  although the visit was far from universally praised in France.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands will miss 2020 targets for renewable energy production and greenhouse gas emissions despite new investments in wind power, according to a government review published on Thursday. Based on current projections, green schemes will produce 12.4 percent of the Dutch energy supply by that year, below a 14-percent target agreed with the European Union, the review said. The projects that are in place will have cut damaging emissions by 23 percent from 1990 levels, missing a 25-percent goal agreed in the Kyoto Protocol, it added. Green campaigners said the figures showed the government had to do more, quickly. "If we keep on like this the Netherlands will still be bungling at the bottom of European lists in 2030," the Dutch Union for Renewable Energy, representing renewables companies, said. Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp said the projections had improved since last year, due to "the successful roll-out of wind energy on the sea". Stung by a court ruling in 2015 that found the Dutch government was failing to live up to its obligations, Kamp began a more ambitious roll-out of wind turbine farms in the North Sea and earmarked 100 million euros ($118 million) in extra spending to combat climate change.. Parties in a new government this month agreed to close five coal-fired plants by 2030 and increase taxes on polluters. The report said Dutch renewable energy will rise to 23.9 percent of the total by 2030, while greenhouse gas emissions will fall by 34 percent from 1990 levels. That would still miss EU-wide goals of 27 percent and 40 percent, respectively. As the Netherlands transitions away from traditional energy sources, the report predicted there will be more jobs in the renewables industry than fossil fuel by 2020, and that half of the country's electricity will be renewable, mostly wind and solar power, by 2025. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Elon Musks proposed hyperloop route connecting New York and Washington, D.C., took its first concrete step toward becoming a reality Thursday. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has issued a conditional permit to Musks Boring Company to build a 10-mile tunnel beneath a portion of the states Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Musk had announced on Twitter back in July that he had received verbal approval for a 225-mile hyperloop route linking Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York in just 29 minutes.

At the time, no federal or state officials came forward with public support for the project. As The Baltimore Sun reports, Maryland becomes the first state to do so, with Marylands transportation secretary suggesting the Boring Company would begin construction with initial 35-mile tunnels between Washington and Baltimore, which is the shortest of the distances between the four proposed cities.

Governor Hogan posted to Facebook his tour of the planned tunnel site with Boring Company officials.

Post by larryhogan.

That the state of Maryland can only grant a permit for 10 miles worth of tunnel illustrates the complexity of building a hyperloop along the Northeast Corridor. The federal government owns the remaining 25 miles of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, meaning the Boring Company would need to get separate permission to do any construction there  to say nothing of agreements that will need to be struck with local, state, and federal officials in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.

The Boring Company has yet to offer further comment on the project, and Thursdays permission doesnt mean theres a specific timeline for construction. Who would provide the billions of dollars it will take to build the hyperloop also remains a major unanswered question  Maryland officials have said they do not intend to contribute funding, at least not at this time.

For now, Maryland officials say the hyperloop is essentially a public utility, meaning they can permit the construction of a tunnel below state-owned roads in much the same way an electric company could place power lines. Any hyperloop project will also likely deal with an environmental and safety review, though there were also no details available on this as of Thursdays announcement.

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Photos via Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Photos via Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Written by Alasdair Wilkins

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 00:07:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has said that some of the parts produced by Kobe Steel Ltd. used on its Shinkansen bullet train failed to meet the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS), local media reported on Saturday.

The railway company said on Friday that some of the aluminum axle boxes used on the Shinkansen bullet train had strength 0.4 percent lower than that designated by JIS, and erosion resistance up to 5 percent lower than that designated by JIS.

1.6 percent of the 2,941 axle boxes purchased from Kobe Steel failed to meet the national standards, said the company.

The problem, however, did not pose a safety hazard, the company added.

JR East said that it intended to replace the unqualified products and expected Kobe Steel to shoulder the cost for replacement.

Negotiations on the cost of replacements are expected to get underway soon, according to the company.

It came to light earlier this month that Kobe Steel had fabricated data on strength and durability of some of its aluminum and copper products.

The company later admitted to also falsifying inspection data on iron powder and multiple other products, with problematic products sold to some 500 companies globally.

The misconduct ensnared a wide range of Japanese manufacturers, dealing a blow to the "Made-in-Japan" brand, with problematic products used in cars, aircraft, Shinkansen bullet trains, and even rockets and defense equipment.
Navy veteran John Garofalo appeared on a Fox News segment this month, showing off a massive presidential seal he carved for President Trump while receiving praise for his service in Vietnam as a SEAL.

The piece was broadcast nationally and featured cascading shots of all Garofalos medals. Online, it went viral, racking up 1.5 million Facebook views on Foxs Facebook page.

The Vietnam War veteran served seven years as a member of the nations first Navy SEAL team, Fox News reporter Bryan Llenas said. He was awarded 22 commendations, including two Purple Hearts.

Llenas later called the 72-year-old New York State resident a tough, tough man.

He was listed twice during his service in Vietnam as missing in action, Llenas noted at the segments close.

God bless John Garofalo, an anchor said. We certainly hope maybe the president is listening.

But when Navy Times contacted Garofalo Thursday, Garofalo admitted he had lied and never served in Vietnam, never received a Purple Heart and was never a SEAL.

Garofalo said he had falsely portrayed himself as a Vietnam vet and a SEAL for years.

It got bigger and bigger, Garofalo told Navy Times in a telephone interview. What I did Im ashamed of, and I didnt mean to cause so much disgrace to the SEALs.



Records show Garofalo did serve in the Navy from Sept. 6, 1963, to Sept. 6, 1967, as an aviation boatswains mate  aircraft handling, or ABH, a job that involves overseeing various ground-based functions involving aircraft.

The closest he ever got to Vietnam was a tour in Rota, Spain.

Former SEALs who first confirmed Garofalos lie, and family members of the man, both said they have contacted Fox about retracting the segment.

The Fox segment was still up on its Facebook page as of Thursday afternoon. A Fox representative said in an email that it would run an on-air correction Sunday and corrections would be made on its website and Facebook page.

Fox News not withdrawing that story has drove me nutty, said Don Shipley, a retired SEAL who outs bogus military service claims and was the first to obtain official records disputing Garofalos story.

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Shipley said he contacted Navy Times after Fox News failed to retract the bogus piece.

Shipley provided copies of Garofalos official military records and Navy Times confirmed the records authenticity with the National Personnel Records Center and Naval Special Warfare Command.

Shipley said he approached Fox about retracting the story the day after it ran.

Facebook correspondence provided by Shipley shows he messaged Llenas about inconsistencies in Garofalos military history and asked Fox to retract the story.

I dont know who has the balls in this day and age to do something like that, he said of Garofalos lies in an interview.

According to Shipleys correspondence with Foxs Llenas, the reporter told Shipley he had a request out for Garofalos records.

You can turn this story around, Shipley wrote to Llenas, according to a screenshot of his Facebook correspondence with the Fox reporter that Shipley provided to Navy Times. Ill help you but avoiding it wont help.



One Twitter user tweeted at the Fox News account on Oct. 10, asking them to retract Garofalos segment as well.
President Donald Trumps interactions with military families have come under scrutiny this week, particularly the question of how he has expressed sympathy for those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. As the controversy has developed, individual parents and partners have come forward to say whether or not the President contacted them directly.

While there is no single right way to speak to someone grieving, Trump is part of a long and complicated White House tradition  and one that has changed substantially over the last century. And, as some experts see it, the politicization that has been decried by some this week is a key part of that history.

The earliest origins of the practice of the Commander-in-Chief reaching out are not clear, and historians differ about when exactly presidents began communicating with the families of fallen troops, but the practice goes back at least as far as the Civil War era. In fact, a Nov. 1864 condolence note to Lydia Bixby, who President Lincoln had been told lost five sons in the Civil War, has been hailed as one of the greatest letters ever written in the English language. (Nowadays, forensic language researchers believe the letter was actually written by his secretary John Hay, but it was from Lincoln.)

But the Bixby letter was an outlier. Until relatively recently, the families of fallen soldiers would not have expected to be directly contacted by the President. Well into the 20th century, between the smaller size of the White House staffs and the sheer number of fatalities, administrations probably had to be selective about whom they responded to, according to Steven Casey, author of When Soldiers Fall: How Americans Have Confronted Combat Losses from World War I to Afghanistan.

Lincoln had only two secretaries, [John] Nicolay and [John] Hay, he points out. The Roosevelt White House staff was much bigger, but with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of American servicemen dying each week [during World War II], the War Department sometimes struggled to provide timely casualty totals  and the White House certainly did not have the capacity to write to each family member.

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When Presidents did reach out directly, it was sometimes in response to a direct query, as was the case when Alleta Sullivan in Waterloo, Iowa, wrote to the Navy in January of 1943 to ask if the rumor was true that the warship that her five sons staffed had sunk the previous November. Within the month, she received a letter personally signed by the President. We all take heart in the knowledge that they fought side by side, it said. As one of your sons wrote, We will make a team together that cant be beat. It is this spirit which in the end must triumph.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

But, Casey says, the numbers werent the only factor. In a war that had broad support, like World War II, those Americans lives given to the cause were less likely to be seen as so many more reasons why the war should or should not be fought. The political need for presidential outreach increased in the second half of the 20th century. During the Vietnam War in particular, individual deaths became a key touchstone on both sides of the national debate over the war.

During that conflict, the White House regularly reiterated how deeply [President Johnson] felt every single loss, which, I think, was a break from past practice, Casey argues, citing White House Press Secretary Bill Moyers statement in November of 1965, right after one of the deadliest single-day battles of the war at that point. I do not know of any situation which concerns the president more and I do not know of any matter that causes him deeper personal anguish, Moyers said, or any matter over which he grieves more than the loss of American lives in Vietnam.

Casey also argues that President Richard Nixon then went on to talk about his correspondences with individual fallen troops families to show that his policies were better than Johnsons. This week I will have to sign 83 letters to mothers, fathers, wives, and loved ones of men who have given their lives for America in Vietnam, he said in his famous Silent Majority speech on Nov. 3, 1969. It is very little satisfaction to me that this is only one-third as many letters as I signed the first week in office. (The Library of Congress holds a form letter that Nixon used for this purpose around that time.)

Personal meetings and phone calls became even more common in the post-Cold War era, as advances in battlefield medicine contributed to a drop in American military fatalities. When the death toll gets lower, it becomes possible to give individualized attention to the families of the fallen, says Peter Feaver, who worked for the National Security Council during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

But, Feaver says, live television news coverage of military operations has also given Americans a way to see the toll on troops up-close, and put more eyes on the Presidents interactions with civilians in general. As in Vietnam, American deaths in the service of less popular causes quickly became part of the general disagreement over those wars. Feaver notes a rise in opponents using the wounded as part of the political argument against [Presidents], citing tense encounters between George W. Bush and Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq, and the Obama administrations controversial meetings with families of the Benghazi victims.

As Feaver sees it, over the course of these last few decades, the process of interacting with the families has become something inescapably political.

Still, one thing that has not changed is the emotional side of such interactions. Feaver points to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates memoir Duty, in which he talks about how he wept during evenings spent writing condolence letters, and cites the emotional toll as one of the reasons he stepped down in 2011.

Its a similar feeling to the one expressed by Richard Nixon in his memoir In the Arena. Nixon describes how, about two weeks after signing the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, he had an Air Force plane fly the family of Lt. Col. William B. Nolde, the last American killed in action in the war, to Arlington National Cemetery. He met with Noldes widow, 19-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter at the White House to express the appreciation of the nation for his sacrifice and [his own] profound personal sympathy for them in their time of grief. As the family went to leave, the teenage girl asked if she could give the president a kiss good-bye  a request that hit him with the force of a sledgehammer with the sadness of all the American children who no longer had a father to turn to.

I never hated the war in Vietnam more, he wrote, than I did at that moment.
Buenos Aires (AFP) - A body recovered from a river bed in southern Argentina was that of a missing activist who disappeared two months ago during a police operation, his brother confirmed Friday.

Santiago Maldonado, a 28-year-old tattoo artist, was last seen being detained by paramilitary police as they moved to disperse a protest march by the Mapuche indigenous group in Chabut, Patagonia on August 1.

The case has embroiled President Mauricio Macri's government in a political storm and revived dark memories of the country's years of dictatorship and the forced disappearances of opponents.

Macri spoke with the activist's mother late Friday, Justice Minister German Garavano told TN television.

But shortly thereafter, Maldonado's sister-in-law Andrea Antico told C5N the family was critical of the call because "it's a bit too late."

"We cannot believe it. It's so shameless to call today after 80 days. It was wrong and now we're even more disappointed," she added.

Maldonado's elder brother Sergio said the body has now been identified, and that the family blamed authorities for his death.

"We were able to look at the body, what we recognized were Santiago's tattoos, so we are convinced that it is him," he said, speaking at the gates of the morgue in Buenos Aires where an autopsy was due to be performed.

"The autopsy will take place in a few days and we will get further confirmation."

Both government and opposition parties had earlier suspended campaigning for legislative elections on Sunday.

- Who's responsible? -

After Maldonado's identify was confirmed, dozens of people spontaneously gathered at the medical examiner's office, where they lit candles and left flowers and messages of encouragement for the family.

Leftists congregated at the capital's main square Plaza de Mayo to demand justice.

On social media, the hashtag "Es Santiago" ("I am Santiago") led Argentina's Twitter trends.

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Prosecutor Silvia Avila said the body, found 300 meters (yards) from where Maldonado was last seen, was wearing clothing that bore a resemblance to Maldonado's.

The Maldonado family's lawyer, Victoria Heredia, told reporters said that the body was found in a place where it "was visible to the naked eye. We don't understand why it should appear in an area that had already been swept three times."

The body was found entangled in roots in the bed of a river that traverses ancestral lands sold to Italian businessman Luciano Benetton but which is claimed by the Mapuche.

"This does not acquit the police. They are still responsible," said Sergio Maldonado after confirming the body was his brother's.

The government initially rejected any police responsibility, but later acknowledged that some individual police officers could be involved.

"Whoever is responsible, they will have to assume the consequences of their actions, whether they are part of the police or someone else," said Garavano.

Macri has made no public comment on the finding of the body and on Tuesday sent his Human Rights Minister Claudio Avruj to Chabut, where his car was stoned by protesters.
A father on his way home from work died when he was struck by a rock allegedly thrown from a Michigan overpass by a group of teens.

Kenneth Andrew White, 32, was in the passenger seat of a van when the large rock went through the windshield and hit him, WXYZ reported. He was knocked unconscious and later pronounced dead at the Hurley Medical Center in Flint.

He was reportedly 10 minutes from home on his two-hour commute when he was hit.

Read: Bodies of Murdered Teens Found Behind Grocery Store: 'We All Are Devastated by This Tragic News'

His fiancee Aimee Cagle said that she had to tell their 5-year-old son that his daddy was not coming home.

He was a good man and a good father, Cagle told Click on Detroit . For some senseless act, for it to be just a rock, just to take him so soon.

Police

Police

Police

The Genesee County Sheriffs Office is reportedly investigating the case a potential homicide.

Cagle started a GoFundMe to raise money for Whites funeral.

The campaign raised nearly $33,000 of its $35,000 goal as of Saturday afternoon.

On the page, Cagle spoke of her heartbreak at the loss of White.

This was my heart that was destroyed but i just wanted to say thank you to all who have donated! There is still kindness and love out there i just hate that its because of the travesty, she wrote. He was my best friend and the love of my life.

Read: 7-Year-Old Killed During Reality TV Show Filming

Several unidentified teens have been arrested, according to reports. They were reportedly throwing rocks as a prank.

Four other vehicles were reportedly hit by large rocks on the highway, according to reports.
(Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the agency was working with several pharmaceutical and medical device companies in Puerto Rico to prevent shortages of medical products in the United States as it joins a massive effort to help rebuild the island that was ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Drugmakers are working to get facilities fully online after the storm slammed into the Caribbean island on Sept. 20, knocking out electricity and causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency has been monitoring more than 40 drug products in Puerto Rico, where 10 percent of the drugs prescribed in the United States are made. The agency is also working closely with about 10 medical device makers to prevent shortages, particularly of blood-related medical devices, in the United States. Gottlieb said last week that the United States may face a small number of drug shortages due to delays in restoring manufacturing operations in the island. There are currently more than 50 medical device making plants in Puerto Rico, employing about 18,000 people. The regulator is taking steps to mitigate shortages by importing devices from outside the United States or allowing manufacturers to shift production to alternative sites, the FDA said. (Reporting by Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
Raqa (Syria) (AFP) - The Kurdish-led force that expelled the Islamic State group from Syria's Raqa hailed a "historic victory" Friday in the devastated city and vowed to hand power to a civilian administration.

Three days after fully retaking the northern city, once considered the inner sanctum of the jihadists' now moribund "caliphate", the Syrian Democratic Forces held an official ceremony in a stadium to mark their win.

But the group stopped short of transferring authority to the Raqa Civil Council because it said ordnance needed to be removed before the city could be left in civilian hands.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello, speaking in front of a modest crowd of fighters and council members, said this week's victory against IS was dedicated to "all humanity".

For three years, Raqa saw some of IS's worst abuses and grew into one of its main governance hubs, a centre for both its potent propaganda machine and its unprecedented experiment in jihadist statehood.

On Friday SDF fighters stood guard on rooftops overlooking a city reduced to a grey wasteland of crumbling concrete buildings and dusty roads lined with the wrecks of cars.

Danger lurks underfoot.

"The streets and alleyways of Raqa are filled with mines" planted by IS, said RCC co-chair Laila Mustafa.

After losing a string of major strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the "state" the jihadists proclaimed in 2014 has shrunk to barely a tenth of its original size and the loss of Raqa has hammered yet another nail in its coffin.

At the ceremony in a stadium where jihadists made a desperate last stand earlier this week, Sello vowed the US-backed SDF would soon transfer power.

"After the end of clearing operations... we will hand over the city to the Raqa Civil Council," he said.

- Huge reconstruction effort -

He said the SDF would maintain its presence in the area and reiterated the Kurdish-Arab alliance's support for a federal system in Syria, something the regime in Damascus has so far opposed.

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The US-led coalition against IS hailed the capture of Raqa, along with the former jihadist bastion of Mosul in Iraq, as "turning points for the terrorist organisation whose leaders grow ever more distant from a dwindling number of terrorist adherents".

"Raqa was a key location for Daesh's planning, financing, execution, or inspiration of terrorist activities throughout the world, including attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Manchester and many others," it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Raqa's fall meant that the devastating November 2015 attacks in Paris had "not gone unpunished".

"I was very moved by this victory -- which has not been achieved definitively, but is under way -- because everyone knows that it was from Raqa that the orders came, the decisions were made, the perpetrators of the attacks in France came," he said.

"So the crimes of the Bataclan have not gone unpunished," he said, referring to the venue where IS jihadists massacred 90 concert-goers in November 2015.

Raqa was heavily damaged during more than four months of fighting, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said left more than 3,200 people dead, including 1,130 civilians.

Ahmed al-Ali, a 31-year-old member of the RCC's reconstruction committee, expressed shock at discovering the extent of the destruction.

"Today is the first time I've come to the city since its liberation," he told an AFP reporter.

"I haven't managed to get to my house on Al-Qitar street. I'd pay half a million dollars just to see its door," he added, breaking into tears and walking away.

- Deir Ezzor violence -

One of his colleagues, Mahmud Mohamed, admitted that his idea of what reconstruction would entail changed the second he entered Raqa.

"When we came into the city, the plan changed completely. What I had imagined..." the 27-year-old paused. "It's so much worse."

The mood was sombre among council members as they sat quietly on plastic chairs while SDF fighters danced and sang noisily behind them.

Several representatives of Raqa tribes, on entering the stadium and seeing the SDF forces dancing, refused to attend the ceremony and waited outside.

The Syrian regime has remained conspicuously silent over one of the most high-profile victories against IS, focusing on its own Russian-backed offensive in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

Some of the SDF fighters who fought in Raqa have already redeployed to Deir Ezzor to join a rival US-backed offensive in the province, a spokesman said.

At least 16 civilians including several children were killed in air strikes in Deir Ezzor on Thursday believed to have been carried out by Russian jets, the Observatory said.

Some of them were trying to cross the Euphrates river near Albu Kamal, on the Iraqi border, one of IS's last remaining strongholds, the monitor said.
Los Angeles (AFP) - A former actress became the latest woman to publicly accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct Friday, telling reporters he exposed and forced himself on her.

Heather Kerr, now 56, who appeared on 1980s US sitcom "The Facts of Life," claims Weinstein attacked her during a private meeting when she was an aspiring actress in her 20s.

"He asked me if I was good. I started to tell him about my training and my acting experience and he said, 'No. I need to know if you're good,'" Kerr, who now lives in Washington state, told a news conference.

"He said that if he was going to introduce me around town to directors and producers he needed to know if I was any good. He kept repeating that word."

Kerr described Weinstein's "sly, sleazy smile" as she offered to provide a reel of her acting work, a sick feeling growing in her stomach.

"The next thing I knew, he unzipped his fly pants and pulled out his penis," she said, adding that Weinstein forced her hand onto it.

"I was frozen with fear, trying to remain calm, trying not to freak out, because after all, there was nobody else in the office," she said.

She pulled her hand away "as casually as possible," but Weinstein told her that "this is how things work in Hollywood," and that all actresses who'd made it did it this way.

Weinstein spelled out his plan, she told reporters, starting with him having sex with her, and then introducing her at parties to other men with whom she needed to sleep.

Consoled by her attorney Gloria Allred, Kerr broke down in tears after revealing she quit acting soon after, convinced that no one would believe her if she reported what had happened.

"Harvey, you -- and others like you -- are done. Women won't take it anymore," Allred said.

"We are taking our power back and we will never allow things to go back to where they were when you and others abused women and made it clear to them that they had to put out or they were out."

More than 40 women -- many of them now high-profile actresses -- have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault or rape.

He is being investigated by detectives in Los Angeles, New York and London.
On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, sending the island into what has been depicted as an apocalyptic state of chaos. With the power grid destroyed and communication cut off, I along with millions of other Americans waited anxiously to hear from family and friends. With the island recovering from the effects of Hurricane Irma that struck two weeks prior, some Puerto Ricans had little time to prepare for the new life-threatening hurricane looming in the Atlantic Ocean. Like my grandparents.

Due to the prior hurricane, they didnt have access to cable or news until two days before Maria. My grandfather suffers from a condition making it incredibly difficult for him to walk, and my grandmother does not drive, so they had no choice but to brave this storm in their home. The words of Puerto Rican authorities reverberated in my mind: Evacuate or die.

As the hurricane plowed through Puerto Rico, the news became increasingly bleak. A flash flood warning had been issued and new images of floodwaters ravaging the streets emerged online. My family and I, safe in New York, eventually learned the eye of the storm was making its way through my grandparents neighborhood. I felt my stomach drop to the floor.

With minimal news released from the island immediately following the hurricane, rumors began circulating. I heard my grandparents neighborhood was hit with the worst flooding. Inevitably my mind begins to race: What if something happened to my grandparents? Who will help them? What if someone takes advantage of their situation? What if their house flooded? What if theyre dead?

With some areas irreparably damaged and news of scarce resources such as food and water, my fears along with millions of others on the U.S. mainland were becoming reality. I found myself waking up abruptly at 3 a.m. pondering the situation in the Caribbean, unable to fall back asleep.

This disaster opened my eyes to the everyday things I take for granted. I felt guilt for having access to basic resources while many down in the Caribbean lost everything. I could readily drink fresh water. I could shower. I could cook. I could enjoy the comforts of a bed.

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The desperate message HELP is seen on the lawn of a home near Utuado, Puerto Rico, in early October.

Lucky for me I work for TIME. When I told my colleagues about my family, they reached out to TIME correspondent Karl Vick, who was on assignment in Puerto Rico. He said he would check on my grandparents. Ten long days passed before we finally heard word from Karl that my grandparents were safe. Their physical home was relatively undamaged, minus some trees and plants. Karl recorded a brief video clip of my grandmother; in the video she said she was okay. I was instantly overwhelmed by emotion.

The following Monday I came back into the office to see the smiling faces of my co-workers, who asked details about my grandparents. You must be so relieved, my co-workers said. Relieved, yes. Happy? Not quite. Im fortunate to have had the resources and the support of my colleagues; many people I know are not. We are now going on one month since Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean and people are still waiting to hear from loved ones.

The hurricane itself may have spared lives, but new stresses are surfacing, such as the dwindling medication supply, something my grandfather is currently dealing with. He ran out of the medication he takes three times a day. Without power, still, he cannot contact his doctor. The clinic where his doctor practices is closed and there are no refills at the pharmacy. He now has to (a) find a way to travel to a hospital (b) likely wait hours to be seen due to the lack of medical professionals and (c) hope they still have the medication he needs. In the case of an emergency in the weeks and months to follow, how will they notify the appropriate authorities?

I choose to remain positive but that does not stop the worrisome thoughts from popping up, especially when I think about the mental and physical anguish of all of those suffering from the devastating effects of Maria, Irma, Harvey and every other disaster in between and after. They are with me every day. My thoughts and hopes now are that we do everything we can for our fellow Americans and international neighbors, and do it relentlessly. They need our help.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 00:12:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NIAMEY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 13 Nigerien gendarmes were killed and five others injured on Saturday in an attack by unidentified gunmen in Ayorou, Tillabery region, near the Malian border, the defense ministry said.

"Unidentified armed elements... on board vehicles and motorcycles" launched the attack at dawn Saturday, the ministry said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to Xinhua.

The assailants fled toward the Malian border after the attack, a security source said earlier.

Several fighter jets took off Saturday morning from Niamey to provide support to the Nigerien armed forces in pursuit of the attackers.

The Ayorou base of the gendarmerie has already been the subject of several terrorist attacks in the past, the last one being on May 11.

Over the last two years, Niger has suffered several terrorist attacks from northern Mali, which have left dozens of victims among the Nigerien security forces.

On Oct. 5, four Nigerien soldiers and four Americans were killed in fighting with unidentified individuals.

These attacks come despite the state of emergency declared in this area of Niger on March 3.
Whats happening in Niger? Heres what you should know

On October 4th, a team of 12 U.S. Army soldiers were ambushed by ISIS during a mission in Niger. Officials are currently trying to understand what exactly happened during and after the attack, and little has been released about the investigation. But heres what we know so far about the goings-on in Niger.

The attack occurred on the Niger-Mali border and claimed the lives of four U.S. Army soldiers  Sgt. La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright. According to CNN, its estimated that 50 ISIS members were involved in the ambush.

The firefight lasted about 30 minutes before French Mirage jets flew in to disperse the attackers and reprieve the wounded Americans.

R.I.P to our fallen soldiers #niger #military #government #cnn #donaldtrump #congress #fallensoldiers #heros #army #conspiracytheory A post shared by State vs Us (@statevsus) on Oct 20, 2017 at 7:28am PDT

ABC News reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that its highly likely that the Greater Sahara brach of ISIS is responsible for the attack. Terror groups, ISIS, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, and Boko Haram are all located in the area, but none have yet to come forward to lay claim.

The U.S. Army Green Beret soldiers stationed in Niger are there as part of a counterterrorism mission that aims to train the Nigerien military to fight ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in, and around, their country. Rival terror groups are currently all fighting over routes between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The United States launches an investigation into the deadly Niger ambush and confusion that followed https://t.co/ZzBQnAPlI8 pic.twitter.com/yphVpaExO8  CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2017

ISGS was founded in 2015 by former ll-Qaeda member Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi. According to the Pentagon, Syrian ISIS leaders have yet to recognize ISGS as an official ISIS branch, ABC News reports.

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This group carries out small attacks on local pro-government and French/United Nations-connected military in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Currently, there are about 800 U.S. troops in Niger, and the U.S. has held a military presence in the country for five years.

Trump's response to four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger is already being compared to Benghazi https://t.co/eGbckv22ws pic.twitter.com/QoaVn1xNGA  Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 20, 2017

What officials are trying to figure out is why Sgt. La David Johnson was left behind for 48 hours after the attack. Other members of government want answers as to how French forces carried out the rescue and if the U.S. soldiers were the actual target of the attack, or were mistaken by ISIS for French forces.

The FBI is now involved in the investigation and members of the American government, like Senator John McCain, are criticizing the Pentagon for their withholding of details. This backlash may lead to a larger Benghazi-like investigation if officials continue to hold back information.

More details are expected to be released in the following days.
From campaign mini-vans staffed by "warbler birds" to "gutter lid" politics, a Japanese election has many quirks.

Here are five good ways to win votes in the world's number three economy:

- He who bows, wins -

To an outsider, Japanese bow a lot at the best of times, and rarely more often or deeper than when politicians are looking for votes.

Campaigners bob up and down in campaign speeches, seeking to demonstrate the proper democratic deference towards voters.

And when the big boss comes to town, there's no limit to the back-breaking amount of bowing.

A 41-year-old candidate who had the good fortune to have Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stump for him took to bowing deeply every time his name was mentioned.

But few took it as far as Mayuko Toyota, who was forced to resign after an audio tape emerged of her violently attacking a male secretary.

She decided to run anyway as a candidate but took to standing outside a station every day, bowing deeply to commuters in apology.

- Beer crates, sake, tuna -

To project an image of humility towards the voters, many candidates in Japan improvise a stage to make their campaign stump speeches.

Yukio Edano, 53, leader of the new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party, stood on two overturned beer crates to address supporters.

Abe himself chose to make his first campaign speech in the middle of a bucolic field in the eastern province of Fukushima, brandishing a locally made sake bottle in one hand and a microphone in the other.

A few days later, he switched to seafood, drawing cheers from a crowd in a fishing port every time he mentioned the local canned tuna.

- Warbler birds -

An inescapable feature of an election in Japan are the so-called "warbler birds".

These are employed from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm to travel around constituencies in a mini-van with loudspeakers, endlessly repeating candidates' names and pleading with voters to plump for them.

Parties pay good money for the services of the "warbler birds" -- so named after their melodious voices -- up to 15,000 yen ($133) per day under election law.

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The job is mainly done by women, but men can also be employed -- in which case they are known as "crows".

And this being Japan, one of the world's politest countries, in between stumping for a candidate the warbler birds apologise for making such a racket.

- High fives and handshakes -

A veteran Japanese politician Shigeru Ishiba once said: "You get the same amount of votes as the number of hands you have shaken."

This has given rise to a campaign strategy called "dobuita", or "gutter lids", which means candidates try to visit every corner of a district, as if they were stepping on every gutter.

Political blueblood Abe is by no means above this, rushing from his prime ministerial car to grab supporters' hands and touring every corner of Japan to drum up votes.

- Bags of cash -

Running for office in Japan costs a lot of money. It is often said that candidates must have "kaban" -- a Japanese word which means "a bag" but in this case implies a bag filled with money.

Candidates running in seats decided by proportional representation have to stump up a deposit of as much as six million yen (more than $50,000).

They get the cash back if they win a certain number of votes but otherwise the electoral commission keeps it.

There is an upper limit on campaign expenses -- 19.1 million yen plus 15 yen for every voter in the constituency.
Kurdish security forces head to Alton Kupri town, on the outskirts of Irbil, Iraq, Friday - AP

Iraqi and Kurdish forces exchanged fire over their shared border on Friday in the most serious clashes since the crisis began, as federal forces ousted the Kurds from remaining disputed territory.

Iraq's anti-terrorism and federal police forces shelled Kurdish Peshmerga military positions in Altun Kupri, just outside the country's autonomous Kurdish region.

The Peshmerga responded with mortar fire. There were no reported injuries.

The Kurdistan Regional Security Council claimed that weapons supplied by the US to the Iraqi army was being used in the attack against them.

Kurdish security forces withdraw from a checkpoint in Alton Kupri, on the outskirts of Erbil Credit: AP

Iraq's federal authority claims Altun Kupri for itself as it is part of the areas acquired by the Kurds in 2014, when Iraqi soldiers gave up their posts in the face of an Islamic State of Iraq the Levant (Isil) advance.

The district had been the last area in Kirkuk province still held by Peshmerga fighters. By midday, Iraq's defense ministry said they had taken the town and completed their takeover.

Earlier this week Iraqi forces retook the disputed city of Kirkuk and the surrounding areas largely unchallenged by the Peshmerga, branches of which had struck a deal with Baghdad to withdraw quietly.

The Kurdish side built berms and called in reinforcements to Altun Kupri on Friday but were vastly outnumbered and outgunned by the US-trained and armed Iraqi federal forces, which were supported by Iranian-sponsored militias.

"There's nothing we can do about it, honestly. I'm urging the coalition forces to come and help us." Peshmerga fighter Ibrahim Mirza told AFP. "No doubt we have martyrs."

A member of Peshmerga prepares a howitzer bomb to retaliate against Iraqi security forces, Credit: Anadolu

Kurdish protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Kurdistans capital Erbil to call on their ally to protect the minority against what they called Iraqi aggression.

Washington, which supported both Iraqi and Kurdish fighters in the battle against Isil, said on Friday it was aware of the reports and urged both sides to reduce tensions.

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Small demonstration near to U.S. consulate in Erbil. Kurds here tell me they "don't understand silence of the West." pic.twitter.com/ERqAKqMaK5  Harald Doornbos (@HaraldDoornbos) October 20, 2017

While they are sympathetic to the Kurds they have acknowledged Iraq had a right to extend its control over any federal, contested territories.

The two sides had until this month been fighting together to defeat the jihadists, but relations have deteriorated after Kurdistan held a referendum last month to secede from Iraq.

Iraq was incensed by Kurdistan President Masoud Barzanis decision to include contested areas such as Kirkuk in the vote, warning such a move would incite a reaction from Baghdad.

The unrest has caused tens of thousands of residents of Kirkuk and nearby Tuz to flee to the two main cities of the Kurdish autonomous region, Erbil and Sulaimaniyeh,

The United Nations expressed concern on Thursday at reports of forced displacement and destruction of Kurdish homes and businesses in Tuz.
President Donald Trumps press secretary might think its highly inappropriate to challenge or criticize generals, but the president clearly does not. Because hes done it himself.

CNNs Jake Tapper drove that point home Friday on The Lead after journalists challenged White House chief of staff John Kellys account of a speech by Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.). Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded: If you want to go after Gen. Kelly, that is up to you. If you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think thats something highly inappropriate.

Tapper called the comment perfectly acceptable if youre the press secretary of a junta.

Kellys account Thursday of Wilsons 2015 speech at the dedication of an FBI building named for two slain agents was disproved by a video of the event. Kelly had said Wilson boasted about her role in obtaining funds for the building and failed to honor the agents. His criticism of the congresswoman came as he defended Trumps controversial condolence call to a combat widow earlier in the week, a call that Wilson recounted as insensitive.

Theres a long tradition in this country of questioning generals, Tapper said on CNN. You know who has done a lot of questioning of generals? President Trump.

He then read three Trump tweets, criticizing Gens. Colin Powell, John Allen and Martin Dempsey.

I was never a fan of Colin Powell after his weak understanding of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq = disaster. We can do much better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2016

General John Allen, who I never met but spoke against me last night, failed badly in his fight against ISIS. His record = BAD #NeverHillary  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2016

Trump ripped Allen after he endorsed Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention last year.

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How can General Martin Dempsey tell Obama that delaying the Syria bombardment will have no consequences? He is no Patton or MacArthur.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2013

During his campaign, Trump also boasted, I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me. He also said in September 2016 that U.S. generals have been reduced to rubble. ... They have been reduced to a point where its embarrassing to our country.

An angry Trump this week blasted Wilsons account of his phone call to Myeshia Johnson in which he offered his condolences for the Oct. 4 death of Army Sgt. La David Johnson in Niger. He said Wilsons statement that Trump told the widow her husband knew what he signed up for, was totally fabricated and that he had proof.

Though Kelly said Thursday he was brokenhearted when he learned that Wilson had listened to the condolence call on speakerphone (Wilson, a Johnson family friend, was with them in a car), he seemed to back her account. He knew what he was getting into. ... He knew what the possibilities were because were at war, Kelly said, referring to Sgt. Johnson. Thats what the president tried to say to four families the other day. Johnsons mother confirmed Wilsons account of the phone call.

Wilson called Trump a liar and sick. She said she feels sorry for Kelly because his son Robert died in Afghanistan in 2010. But he cant just go on TV and lie on me, she added.

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The headlines from Attorney General Jeff Sessionss testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday focused on his refusal to answer questions about his conversations with President Donald Trump and his declaration  dragged out of him with all the elegance of a tooth extraction  that he had not yet been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller. Lost in the back-and-forth and amid focus on his testy exchange with Sen. Al Franken about Russian contacts, however, was a truly damning moment about Sessionss tenure at the Justice Department thus far.

That moment came not in the context of hostile questioning from a committee Democrat but in a perfectly cordial exchange with Republican Sen. Ben Sasse.

With Midwestern gentility, the Nebraska senator told Sessions that he wasnt going to grill him about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Rather, he said, I would like to continue talking about the Russians but in the context of the long-term objectives that Vladimir Putin has to undermine American institutions and the public trust. We face a sophisticated long-term effort by a foreign adversary to undermine our foreign policy and our ability to lead in the world by trying to undermining confidence in American institutions.

Russia will be back in the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, Sasse argued. We live at a time where info ops and propaganda and misinformation are a far more cost-effective way for people to try to weaken the United States of America than by thinking they can outspend us at a military level. So as the nations chief law enforcement officer and as a supervisor of multiple components of our intelligence community  do you think were doing enough to prepare for future interference by Russia and other foreign adversaries in the information space?

Youd think this question would be a golden opportunity for Sessions. After all, if youre a man who has had some  ahem  inconvenient interactions with former Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, you might relish the chance to answer a question about what you are doing to prevent Russian interference in the future, as a chance to go on offense and show how serious you are about tackling a problem that has undermined your reputation.

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But Sessionss answer did not inspire confidence: Probably not. Were not. And the matter is so complex that for most of us, we are not able to fully grasp the technical dangers that are out there.

Sessions acknowledged disruption and interference, it appears, by Russian officials and noted that it requires a real review. But he said nothing about what the department is doing to ready itself.

Sasse followed up, giving him an explicit chance to spell it out. So what steps has the department taken, or should it take, to learn the lessons of 2016  in fighting foreign interference? he asked.

Crickets from Sessions.

The department, he said, is specifically reviewing commercial, rather than political, interference from foreigners and the theft of trade secrets and data  an enforcement priority that in fact long predates the Trump administration. Weve got indictments that deal with some of those issues, he said, perhaps not even realizing that he was not talking about the same subject Sasse was asking about. He noted that the departments national security division has some really talented people  which is true but hardly constitutes a step he is taking to combat the Russia threat. And he touted the FBIs experts, too. Then he acknowledged that, despite all this, the departments capabilities are still not at the appropriate level yet.

As to a specific answer to Sasses question  that is, what has the department done or is planning to do to confront information operations threats from Russia in the future? Not a word.

Sasse returned to the point a few minutes later, and Sessionss answer got even worse. Sasse asked: Do you think the Department of Justice has a proactive role in looking at hardening our democratic process against foreign interference?

Sessions responded that Sasse had made a valuable point and that if Sasse had any thoughts toward legislation, he was eager to hear them. But as to any proactive role on the Justice Departments part, Sessions made only the following remarkable admission: I am not sure we have a specific review underway at this point in time.

You read that right. According to the attorney general, the Justice Department is not even reviewing the specific question of what policy or bureaucratic changes might be appropriate in establishing an active role for the department concerning the most basic defense of democracy.

Later in his five hours of testimony, Sessions had a chance to revisit the matter under similarly cordial questioning from Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Are you aware, the Minnesota senator asked, of any efforts between the department and other federal agencies to assist states in this upcoming election to protect our elections from hacking? Sessions responded blandly that the FBI has capabilities and experience in many of these matters and that he does think it is an important matter, and he insisted that electronic alteration of vote totals would be a stunning disaster and cannot happen. But as to any initiatives of the department he again offered not a word.

In short, the attorney general of the United States, though acknowledging and expressing confidence in the intelligence communitys assessment of foreign interference in the 2016 election and admitting that the government isnt doing enough to guard against such activity in the future, could not identify a single step his department is taking or should take in that direction. He could not suggest a proactive role the department might play against foreign information operations. He could not even identify a policy review currently underway on the subject, though he agreed that one was appropriate. He could not identify legislation that might be helpful. And he could not name any departmental activity, beyond the FBIs having capabilities, in support of states that might be targeted in upcoming elections.

This was a frank display of ignorant complacency in the face of a clear and demonstrated threat. The question of what exactly the Justice Department should be doing, what proactive role it should be playing, is a complicated one. But heres a suggestion to begin with: DOJ should be at least thinking about the problem that Sasse posed. The attorney generals testimony Wednesday gave no indication that the department is even doing that.
Jim Carrey has been ordered to take the stand under oath next week to answer questions about his late girlfriend, Cathriona Whites suicide.

After months of delays, a superior court judge in Los Angeles set a date for the deposition on Friday, scheduling the comedian to appear on Oct. 27. The actor is being sued for wrongful death by Whites estranged husband Mark Burton, and her mother Brigid Sweetman.

We are very much looking forward to Mr. Carrey finally being placed under oath next week and forced to answer the questions he has been dodging for years, such as why he provided illegal drugs to Ms. White, why he gave Ms. White multiple STDs and then lied about it, and why he has engaged in a public charade of innocence crafted by his handlers, said Sweetman and Burtons lawyer Michael Avenatti.

This is a search for the truth and we will find it, he added.  And when we do, it will not end well for Mr. Carrey.

Carreys lawyer, Ray Boucher, previously told PEOPLE that the actor is looking forward to his deposition being taken because the truth ultimately will prevail. He added, Theres nothing in his deposition that is going to change the truth.

Sweetman and Burton claim that Carrey obtained the drugs that White used to kill herself under a false name, and provided them to her despite knowing she was prone to depression and had previously attempted suicide. Furthermore, they allege that Carrey gave White three STDs without warning her.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, if Carrey is not deposed by next Friday, he will be ordered to appear in court every next day, excluding weekends and holidays.
The Gold Star father who spoke out against Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention last year, condemned the White House Thursday night for its insensitive response to the recent deaths of four U.S. troops in Niger.

Khizr Khan, whose son Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq in 2004, told Newsweek he's not only angry at Trump  he's also frustrated with Chief of Staff John Kelly, a general and military dad himself whom Khan believes should know better.

"He's mopping up after the president, and that is disappointing," Khan said.

Khan's remarks came four days into a fast-moving controversy around Trump's handling of the Niger ambush that killed four Green Berets on October 4. The firestorm began Monday, when a journalist asked why Trump hadn't commented publicly on their deaths and Trump responded by falsely claiming his predecessors didn't call the families of fallen soldiers. It continued when Trump made his calls and offended one of the soldier's family. The president then got into a Twitter spat with a Democratic congresswoman, and on Thursday, Kelly, a former general now Trump's chief of staff, commandeered a news conference to do damage control.

A Gold Star dad himself, Kelly defended the president's actions, telling reporters that he recommended the president not make calls to grieving relatives at all. He told reporters that President Barack Obama had not called him when his son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

That left Khan upset.

"[Kelly is] a good soldier, but he should know that he works for the American people ... this mopping, enough of mopping after these not-so-dignified expressions of condolence," Khan said. "This is what history will write: That, after serving so honorably, he came to the White House to serve with the most racist and bigoted president."

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Khan has never been a fan of Trump  during the DNC, he famously challenged the tycoon's proposed ban on Muslim immigration by dramatically pulling out a pocket copy of the Constitution  but he said this week has been especially disheartening.

"His intellect and his capacity is limited," Khan added. "He does not understand what sacrifice is and how to handle it. He had his surrogates  I wish they would advise him to act better."

After attacking Obama and George W. Bush on Monday, Trump hit a snag Tuesday when he called the widow of Sergeant La David Johnson. Florida Representative Frederica Wilson, a Democrat, listened to the conversation and said the family was offended when Trump said Johnson "knew what he was getting into when he signed up, but I guess it hurts anyway."

Trump said the account was fabricated, suggesting that Wilson was politicizing the death. Kelly also blamed Wilson on Thursday, saying, "It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation  absolutely stuns me."

Khan told Newsweek he believed Kelly and Trump's reactions were undignified.

"These fallen heroes...deserve utmost respect, and their families deserve utmost respect, and dignity, and privacy," Khan said. "Whatever is taking place politically ... that is just Washington. I don't want any part of that."

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16 Egyptian policemen were killed in shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province in Egypt. (Xinhua Photo)

CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Interior Ministry announced Saturday that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said in a statement that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash, adding that 13 policemen and officers were also injured.

The police received information that a group of terrorists were hiding in al-Wahat area in the desert of Giza, before police forces were dispatched to launch a raid.

However, the statement added, terrorists started firing at the security forces with heavy machine guns from all directions as they approached their hideout, causing 12 officers and four police conscripts dead, 13 injured and one missing.

Security forces have managed to kill and injure 15 terrorists, a number of whom were evacuated by other terrorists who escaped the scene of the battle, according to the statement.

A search had been launched to track and hunt the escaping terrorists, the statement added.

The ministry also said that the terrorists used the desert area in al-Wahat as a training place and a launching point for the terror acts they carried out across the country.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.
The ambush in Niger that left four U.S. soldiers dead was the result of a major intelligence failureand more than two weeks after the fatal incident, the Pentagon is still unable to confirm who is responsible.

The Pentagon says groups linked to both ISIS and Al Qaeda are active in and around Niger, but won't explicitly blame anyone.

There are many questions about what went down in Niger, but few answers at this point.

What do we really know about the Niger ambush?

Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Dustin Wright, Jeremiah Johnson and Sergeant La David Johnsonthe four soldiers killed in the October 4 ambushwere part of a 12-man team training Nigerien troops. They were departing from a meeting with village elders when they were ambushed by roughly 50 militants.

The soldiers were in unarmored pickup trucks, so they immediately got out of the vehicles and returned fire. A 30-minute firefight ensued, which was eventually broken up by French air support and the soldiers were evacuated with helicopters.

Johnson, however, was separated from his team at some point during the firefight. His body was found by the Nigerien army roughly 48 hours later. It's unclear how Johnson became separated and the nature of his death is also open to question.

All that's been confirmed is that four Green Berets were killed along the Mali-Niger border on October 4 during what the Pentagon says was part of a larger training mission.

But after that, almost nothing has been confirmed.

Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), tells Newsweek it would be "inappropriate to speculate as to which extremist organization was responsible for the attack" at this point, given the details of the incident are under review.

"I can say that a number of groups are active in the region, to include Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and ISIS," Barnes adds.

Some blame an ISIS-linked group for the ambush.

The Pentagon is reluctant to attribute the ambush to any specific group, but the Defense Intelligence Agency told ABC News it is "highly likely" a group linked to ISIS is responsible.

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The group, known as ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), has been active in Niger for roughly two years. In 2015, the current leader of the group, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, severed ties with an Al Qaeda affiliate and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But ISGS has not been formally recognized as an official branch of ISIS, according to ABC News.

"[ISGS] primarily operates along the Mali-Niger border in Mali's Menaka region, but its reach may extend as far as Niamey, Niger," Robyn Mack, a spokesperson for AFRICOM, tells Newsweek. "The group has conducted small-scale attacks against regional security forces."

AFRICOM is one the Pentagon's six geographic combatant commands and is responsible for military relations with African nations, the African Union and African regional security organizations.

ISIS recently suffered a major defeat when it was driven from Raqqa, a Syrian city that became the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate. But the attack in Niger highlights the terrorist organization's continued global appeal, even as its presence in Iraq and Syria dwindles.

Al Qaeda's presence in the region is much more significant than ISGS.

Other terror organizations are also active in the region where the ambush occurred, including Al Qaeda's rebranded Mali-based affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

"JNIM is an umbrella organization of regionally-focused terrorist groups, including al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Sahara Emirate, al-Mourabitoun, and locally-focused groups Macina Liberation Front (MLF) and Ansar al-Din (AAD)," Mack says.

The group has claimed responsibility for at least 35 attacks since it formed in early March, "including the June 18 attack on a Western-frequented hotel near Bamako, Mali, and probably are responsible for the August 13 attack on a Western-frequented cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Mack adds.

Experts were surprised to hear ISGS is being blamed for the ambush.

Jason Warner, an assistant professor at the Combating Terrorism Center and the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, tells Newsweek he was "surprised" when he heard the October 4 ambush was being blamed on ISGS.

Warner, who's done extensive research on terrorism in Africa, says he "never really heard anyone mention ISGS in a serious way" and the group has "not really ever come up as a real threat" in conversation.

"When it first came out that these four Americans were killed, for most of us who watch this region, it seemed unlikely it was ISGS since they havent been so active," Warner adds.

In Warner's view, if the attack is indeed "pinned down to [ISGS], it would be the most ideologically significant" it has been involved in thus far.

Why wasn't there more warning?

The government has said the soldiers were not expected to be met by a large, hostile force that day. This perception could be linked to the fact ISGS hasn't been seen as a major presence in the region and was perhaps underestimated by intelligence.

The U.S. military is active across Africa, as part of a broader counterterrorism effort and has been in Niger since 2013. At present, there are roughly 800 U.S. troops in Niger and a major drone base is being built near Agadez, a city in the center of the country.

Congress is getting impatient for answers.

AFRICOM said in a statement on Friday the U.S. military "does not have an active, direct combat mission in Niger" and maintained its presence there is for "training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces." This contradicts characterizations of America's presence there from Defense Secretary James Mattis.

"War is war and these terrorists are conducting waron innocent people. There's a reason we have U.S. Army soldiers there and not the Peace Corps, because we carry guns and so it's a reality, part of the danger that our troops face in these counterterrorist campaigns," Mattis said Thursday.

A number of members of Congress are suggesting the Trump administration is being deliberately evasive about both the ambush and America's presence in Niger more generally. Some have gone as far to say Niger is "Trump's Benghazi."

As long as the Pentagon cannot provide answers on basic aspects of the ambush, such as who was responsible and how Johnson became separated, it will further fuel speculation and controversy.

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Baghdad (AFP) - The speed with which Iraqi troops this week overwhelmed Kurdish forces in oil-rich Kirkuk, days after ousting the Islamic State group, marks a radical change in the balance of power, analysts say.

For 14 years since the US-led invasion, the Kurds had taken advantage of the weakness of the federal army to slowly chip away at territory they had long claimed outside their autonomous region in northern Iraq.

But in a lightning operation this week, Baghdad's forces swept through almost all of the territory the Kurds had gained, including Kirkuk's key oil fields, virtually confining them to their original three provinces.

The Kurds' precipitous withdrawal from thousands of square kilometres (miles) of cherished territory highlighted the newfound prowess of the Iraqi army -- rearmed, retrained and battle-hardened during three years of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) group.

US-led coalition Colonel Ryan Dillon said federal government forces had proven their mettle in the nine-month battle for |Iraq's second city Mosul that culminated in the jihadists' defeat in July.

He said it had been "some of the most difficult combat fighting... in decades," and had proven that the army was a "very capable fighting force".

"Some have even said that they are one of the premier security forces now in the region."

- Painful rebirth -

But it has been a long road back.

Humiliated in the US-led invasion of 2003, Iraq's army was then disbanded by the occupation administration which branded it a symbol of the repression of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The new army that the coalition slowly formed was dogged by the problem of "ghost soldiers" who existed only on paper and who auditors found made up more than half of its payroll.

Its failings became all too clear when IS militants swept through northern and western Iraq in 2014 seizing a third of the country.

Seven army divisions simply collapsed -- their soldiers discarding their weapons and uniforms, and abandoning their positions in the cities of Mosul, Tikrit, Kirkuk and Ramadi.

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"In 2014, the Iraqi armed forces suffered from weak morale, corrupt and nepotistic leadership, and lack of purpose," said Emile Hokayem, senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"The massive reforms undertaken since... as well as a massive US effort to arm and support the Iraqi security forces, have generated a more disciplined and more cohesive force that has shown military ability across the battlefield."

New Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi secured the return of Western military trainers and advisers who had left in 2011.

Since 2015, they have trained 119,000 security personnel, according to the US-led coalition. Those have included 43,900 federal troops, 20,700 federal police and 14,400 elite Counter-Terrorism Service members.

Jeremy Binnie, Middle East and Africa editor at Jane's Defence Weekly, said the federal armed forces had obviously benefited from the huge Western investment in training.

"At the same time, the Iraqis have probably made some improvements in terms of the Iraqis addressing key problems such as corruption, poor logistics and low morale."

- Kurd military ethos changed -

The Kurdish peshmerga too have received Western training -- some 22,800 of them -- but they have not had the same level of battlefield experience as federal forces during the fightback against IS.

Despite their once fearsome reputation as hardened guerrilla fighters, the peshmerga did not play a leading role in the campaign.

They did not take part in the battle for Mosul, halting their advance some 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of the IS bastion.

Nor did they take part in last month's recapture of Hawija, the last town in Kirkuk province held by IS.

Hokayem said the Kurds had also been plagued by a divided political leadership which had taken opposing sides over the fateful decision to hold last month's independence referendum that triggered Baghdad's punishing riposte.

"The peshmerga were not defeated militarily; instead they collapsed because of their fragmentation and lack of political cohesion," he said.

"Today's peshmerga face a hardened, motivated, better-equipped and larger force, and lack the cohesion and fierceness of their predecessors."

Hokayem said the age-old image of the peshmerga guerrilla, clad in chequered keffiyeh headscarf and traditional shalwar baggy trousers, braving appalling conditions to fight for his mountain homeland was now outdated.

"This in part is due to the stability and economic development of the Kurdistan region of Iraq since 2003: this has affected the military ethos of the Kurdish community," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 00:58:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ZAGREB, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Prosecutor's Office here on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for Ivica Todoric, owner and former chief of Croatia's biggest private company Agrokor.

Todoric and 14 former executives of the troubled company are subject to preliminary investigations on suspicion of a white-collar crime. Twelve of them were arrested on Monday and released later during the week, while the court in Zagreb ruled one-month investigative detention only for Ivica Torodic.

However, Todoric is currently beyond the reach of Croatian judicial authorities. Croatian media speculate that he is hiding in London. After the judge ruled investigative detention for him, Todoric's lawyer said that her client is not on the run and that he will be available to the Croatian court.

Todoric's older son Ante returned to Croatia on Friday and gave a testament to the state prosecutor. His younger son is still out of the country. Todoric's children and son-in-law all held senior positions within Agrokor.

With revenues of 6.5 billion euros (7.66 billin U.S. dollars) in 2015 which was almost 16 percent of the country's total GDP, Agrokor, a private food and retail group, is the biggest company in Croatia. The debt crisis hit the company in January and the government reacted with the special law dubbed "Lex Agrokor" that enabled the state to take over the management of the company.

In his latest post on his personal blog, Todoric wrote that the nationalization of the company had caused far-reaching economic and financial damages that were already being measured in billions of kuna. He also said that he would publish documents revealing connections between policy, private interest from international funds and some people from Agrokor itself, which is the real reason for adopting the unconstitutional "Lex Agrokor".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 01:13:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KHARTOUM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the Friday's terrorist attack in Egypt's Giza province, voicing solidarity with Egypt.

"Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its strong condemnation of the terrorist attack which took place at Giza province in Egypt on Friday, and which left many security men dead," said the ministry in a statement.

The ministry described the incident as a crime contradicting all humanitarian values and principles.

It expressed condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Egypt, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

The ministry further stressed "Sudan's full solidarity with the government of Egypt in preserving the security and safety of its citizens."

Egypt's Interior Ministry on Friday announced that 16 police officers were killed in a shootout with terrorists in Giza, southwest of Cairo.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 01:13:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Saturday denounced the terrorist attack in Egypt's Giza province that killed 16 Egyptian policemen.

Aboul-Gheit expressed full support for Egypt in its battle against terrorism.

The attack proved once again the big danger posed by terrorism against the Arab societies, the AL chief said.

Egyptian Interior Ministry announced earlier that 16 policemen were killed and another went missing in the Friday shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province.

The ministry said that 15 terrorists were either killed or injured in the armed clash.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt used to be centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

Meanwhile, security raids killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 01:28:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Egypt's Tourism Promotion Authority Hisham al-Demeiry said Saturday that 800,000 German tourists had visited Egypt from January to September this year.

Speaking during a workshop in the resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh in South Sinai, al-Demeiry said the number exceeded that of last year and was close to the number of German tourists who visited Egypt during the peak year of 2010.

The Egyptian official expected the number of tourists to hit one million by the end of this year.

Tourism in Egypt was dealt a heavy blow following the Russian airplane crash in North Sinai in October 2015, after which several countries, including Britain and Russia, suspended their flights to Egypt.

This further augmented recession in the country's already ailing tourism sector which is a major source of its national income and foreign currency reserves.

However, even before the plane crash, Egypt suffered a sharp decline in tourism due to three years of political turmoil, including two mass uprisings which toppled two presidents, forcing several countries to ban their citizens from visiting Egypt for safety reasons.
Today in 5 Lines President Trump pledged to pass the biggest tax cut in American history the day after the Senate passed a $4 trillion budget paving the way for tax reform. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Chief of Staff John Kelly after his remarks criticizing Representative Frederica Wilson, who said Trump had disrespected a Gold Star family during a condolence call. I think that if you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that's something highly inappropriate, Sanders told reporters. Three white nationalists were charged with attempted murder after police said one of them shot at protesters after a speech by Richard Spencer, the leader of the so-called alt-right movement, in Florida on Thursday. NBC News reported that the attack in Niger that killed four U.S. servicemen was partly due to a massive intelligence failure.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 02:38:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The transmission rate of HIV/AIDS from mother to child in Tanzania has been reduced from 21 percent in 2009 to 7.6 percent in 2016, a senior official said on Saturday.

Neema Rusibamayila, director for preventive services at the east African nation's Ministry of Health, attributed the achievement to government efforts to persuade pregnant women to test for HIV in clinics.

She told the parliamentary committee on HIV/AIDS in the country's political capital Dodoma that the ministry was implementing various interventions to minimize new HIV/AIDS transmissions from mother to child.

Angela Ramadhani, manager of the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), said HIV/AIDS cases in the country declined from 1.61 percent for each of 1,000 births in 2012 to at least 1.19 percent by 2016, adding that the target was to cut the rate to 0.16 percent.

Meanwhile, Laurean Bwanakunu, director general of the Medical Stores Department (MSD), decried the production of substandard drugs in the country.

"There is a need of attracting investors who have large capital in the field to overcome the challenge. Local medicine factories are letting us down as most of their products are poor. Even their packaging is poor," Bwanakunu said.

Special Seats MP Salma Kikwete urged the government to revive the Tanzania Pharmaceutical Industries, which also used to produce anti-retroviral drugs.

Chief Government Pharmacist Henry Irunde said plans are afoot to revive the Arusha-based plant next month.

Irunde said the government and other stakeholders are striving to ensure that at least 60 percent of all medicines are produced locally by 2020.
Henry Piette allegedly kidnapped and raped Rosalynn McGinnis before she was a teenager: Police handout

A man who is accused of kidnapping his stepdaughter and forcing her to marry him has claimed he is not guilty of sexually assaulting her as she was his wife.

Henri Piette, 62, from Oklahoma, is accused of holding a then 11-year-old girl captive for 19 years and raping her until she escaped.

The alleged victim, Rosalynn McGinnis, now 33, has spoken out about her ordeal.

She told investigators she met Piette when she was around 10 years old when her mother began a relationship with him.

By the time she was 11, Piette had started to sexually assault her at their home in Wagoner.

Ms McGinnis told authorities Piette asked his then 15-year-old son to perform a marriage ceremony inside a van.

He was arrested in Mexico and brought back to the US this week.

I never raped any children, he told Fox. I made love to my wife. We were married.

Piette is alleged to have kidnapped Ms McGinnis in 1997 when she was 12, and is accused of keeping her captive until she escaped last year.

According to court documents, Piette took Ms McGinnis and his other children, who he is also accused of abusing, around Oklahoma and then to Mexico.

He changed their names to avoid being tracked by the victims family and law enforcement.

Ms McGinnis managed to escape in 2016 and went to the US embassy for help.

Investigators say Piette has ties to Mexican and Central American criminal organisations.

He faces charges for rape, lewd molestation, and physical abuse of a child.

Federal charges against Piette have been dropped so the state can prosecute him.
elon musk

Reuters/Mike Blake

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he supports Elon Musk's Hyperloop project that will connect Baltimore and Washington.

Elon Musk first said in July that his latest venture, the Boring Company, will build a Hyperloop between Washington and New York with stops in Baltimore and Philadelphia.

This is the first time a government official has said he or she approves an aspect of the East Coast Hyperloop project.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan just said to get ready for Elon Musk's Hyperloop.

Hogan said on Twitter on Thursday that he supports a Hyperloop connection between Baltimore to Washington D.C.

"I think it's coming to Maryland and it's going to go from Baltimore to Washington, so get ready," Hogan said when asked his thoughts on the Boring Company's Hyperloop.

Elon Musk launched his Boring Company earlier this year with the ultimate goal of building underground tunnels that connect cities, which could support a Hyperloop or cars. He has shown an interest in digging tunnels in Los Angeles, Chicago, and along the East Coast.

Musk said in July that the Boring Company had received "verbal government approval" from the federal level to dig a tunnel that would support a Hyperloop between New York and D.C. with stops in Baltimore and Philadelphia.

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Our administration is proud to support The Boring Company to bring rapid electric transportation to MD  connecting Baltimore City to D.C. ]]>
Washington (AFP) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Congress on Friday to assure Senator John McCain that lines of communication were open, amid demands the Pentagon reveal more about a Niger ambush that killed four US servicemen.

Tempers have flared in recent weeks between President Donald Trump's administration and lawmakers frustrated about the lack of clarity regarding the clash with suspected jihadists in an area where an Islamic State group affiliate operates.

McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, has repeatedly called for details from the Pentagon about the ambush, including why the body of one slain soldier was not immediately evacuated.

"I felt that we were not getting sufficient amount of information and we are clearing a lot of that up now," McCain, standing alongside Mattis at the senator's congressional office, told reporters after their closed-door meeting.

The Pentagon boss followed McCain's lead.

"We can always improve on communication, and that's exactly what we'll do," Mattis said.

The McCain-Mattis meeting came as questions mounted in US media about what happened on October 4, and criticism over Trump's handling of the aftermath.

Mattis, a former US Marine general, said Thursday that the body of Sergeant La David Johnson was "found later" by non-US forces following the ambush.

The Pentagon has initiated an investigation into the deadly encounter.

"The president, the Department of Defense, and frankly the entire country and government want to know exactly what happened," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

"We won't rest until we get some answers," she added. "And when the time is appropriate, we'll talk about the details of the investigation."

- Unexpected -

The US military was not expecting hostile action when its troops came under attack as they conducted training operations with Nigerien forces.

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It fell to French forces conducting anti-jihadist operations in the region to provide air support after the ambush.

On Thursday, Mattis made remarks about the deadly incident that signaled there were sensitivities about the circumstances.

"The US military does not leave its troops behind, and I would just ask that you not question the actions of the troops who were caught in the firefight and question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once," Mattis said.

Trump has faced criticism for not immediately publicly addressing the attack, then falsely claiming Barack Obama and other former US leaders did not call the families of fallen soldiers.

The attack came less than a month after Trump placed travel restrictions on citizens from Chad, a Niger neighbor with extensive history of counterterrorism cooperation, entering the United States.

At the time of the ambush, Chad was in the midst of a monthslong withdrawal of hundreds of its troops from Niger, where they were part of the coalition fighting Boko Haram extremists.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 04:13:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KHARTOUM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned terrorist bombings which targeted two mosques in Afghanistan.

"Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its strong condemnation of the two terrorist bombings which targeted two mosques in Kabul and the western province of Ghor on Friday, resulted in the killing and injuring of dozens of innocent civilians," said the ministry in a statement.

The ministry described the two incidents as "a crime contradicting all humanitarian values and principles."

It expressed condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Afghanistan.

It renewed Sudan's rejection to all terrorist acts, to the terrorizing of innocent people and to the targeting of places of worship as a matter that is rejected by all "heavenly and international laws."

The ministry further stressed Sudan's full solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan in facing the criminal acts.

The Afghani authorities announced that suicide bombers had targeted two mosques in Afghanistan during Friday's prayers, a Shiite mosque in Kabul and a Sunni mosque in Ghor province, leaving at least 72 people dead.
Melania Trump donated her Herve Pierre inaugural gown to the Smithsonian Institution. (Photo: Getty Images)

Melania Trump has made fashion history by donating her inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian Institution.

The first lady donated the cream-colored, off-the-shoulder couture gown by designer Herve Pierre, which she wore to President Trumps Jan. 20 inaugural gala, to the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The exhibit is widely considered the most popular attraction at the museum and showcases 26 other gowns worn by first ladies such as Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Melania Trump and designer Herve Pierre (Photo: Getty Images)

Wearing a white Dolce & Gabbana dress, pink pumps, and a shell-pink coat thrown over her shoulders, Melania took the podium to accept the honor. While I may be the one onstage, I want to take a moment to introduce you to the person who designed my gorgeous couture piece: designer Mr. Herve Pierre, she said, adding that the French-American artist is a real professional.

Melania continued, To be honest, what I would wear to the inaugural ball was the last thing on my mind. In fact, by the time I got around to thinking about my wardrobe choice, poor Herve was only given two weeks to design and produce this couture piece.

Melania and Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)

Explaining that her sole directive was a modern, sleek, light, unique, and unexpected look, Melania acknowledged that the designer, a former creative director at Carolina Herrera, had a daunting task ahead of him.

However, Pierre was up for the challenge. If some people dont want to dress the first lady, thats the beauty of freedom, the designer told the Washington Post on Friday. Thats also my right to say yes. I wanted to. It was beside the political thing. It was not even a question. [To say no] would have been absurd. It was about the honor of the country.

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By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is lobbying world powers to prevent further setbacks to Iraqi Kurds as they lose ground to Baghdad's army, Israeli officials say. Israel has been the only major power to endorse statehood for the Kurds, partly, say analysts, because it sees the ethnic group - whose population is split among Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran - as a buffer against shared adversaries. Iraqi armed forces retook the oil-rich Kirkuk region this week, following a Sept. 25 referendum on Kurdish independence that was rejected by Baghdad, delivering a blow to the Kurds' statehood quest. Israeli officials said Netanyahu raised the Iraqi Kurds' plight in phone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. It has also come up in his contacts with France and the Israeli national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, has been discussing the matter with Trump administration officials in Washington this week, the officials said. A Netanyahu government official, who declined to be named, given the sensitivity of Israel-Kurdish ties, suggested Israel had security interests in Kurdistan, given its proximity to Israel's enemies in Tehran and Damascus. "This (territory) is a foothold. It's a strategic place," the official said without providing further detail. He said Israel wanted to see Iraqi Kurds provided with the means to protect themselves, adding: "It would be best if someone gave them weaponry, and whatever else, which we cannot give, obviously." Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with Kurds since the 1960s, in the absence of open ties between their autonomous region in northern Iraq and Israel. Netanyahu's recent lobbying has focused on Kurdish ambitions in Iraq, where the central Baghdad government has grown closer to Israel's foe Iran. "The issue at present is ... to prevent an attack on the Kurds, extermination of the Kurds and any harm to them, their autonomy and region, something that Turkey and Iran and internal Shi'ite and other powers in Iraq and part of the Iraqi government want," Netanyahu's intelligence minister, Israel Katz, told Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM on Friday. It was not clear to what extent Netanyahu's outreach may have been solicited by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, which shies away from public engagement with Israel, worried about further alienating Arab neighbours. The United Nations has voiced concern at reports that civilians, mainly Kurds, were being driven out of parts of northern Iraq retaken by Iraqi forces and their houses and businesses looted and destroyed. "The prime minister is certainly engaging the United States, Russia, Germany and France to stop the Kurds from being harmed," Katz said. Another Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, framed Netanyahu's efforts as a moral imperative. "They (Kurds) are a deeply pro-Western people who deserve support," he said. (Editing by Maayan Lubell and Andrew Heavens)
Niamey (AFP) - Twelve paramilitary police were killed Saturday in a fresh attack in Niger's restive southwest, just weeks after a deadly ambush on a joint US-Niger patrol.

The region which borders Mali has faced a series of recent jihadist incursions.

"There was a new attack. Twelve gendarmes were killed. We have launched search operations," Mohamed Bazoum told AFP.

The dawn raid happened in the town of Ayorou in the Tillaberi region, 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of the capital Niamey.

A security source said the attackers arrived in five vehicles and fled when military reinforcements arrived. Villagers saw them leave carrying bodies.

On October 4 four US and four Niger soldiers were killed in what Niamey called a "terrorist attack" that confirmed the little-known presence of US troops in the turbulent area as part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Located on the banks of the Niger river, Ayorou is home to an important rural market while its high concentration of hippopotamuses makes it a tourist magnet.

But Tallaberi has become increasingly unstable due to numerous deadly attacks attributed to jihadist groups who regularly target army positions and refugee camps.

In mid-May unidentified assailants attacked the same Ayorou gendarmerie without causing any casualties.

On Friday, parliament agreed a three-month extension of the state of emergency in western Niger because of the "continuing threat" of armed groups.

The UN said this week it has documented "at least 46 attacks" in Niger since February 2016.

- Coalition to fight terror -

As well as trouble along its Mali border, the country is also facing incursions from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram along its southeastern border with Nigeria.

In June, Niger set up an operation of 245 men to fight against jihadists but has not yet reported on its progress.

Malian foreign affairs minister Abdoulaye Diop stressed in front of the UN Security Council in New York this month the urgent need to help a new international security force get off the ground.

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The so-called "G5 Sahel" coalition of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- countries that have been badly hit by jihadist attacks but whose military resources are thin -- have pledged to fight terror but face funding problems.

Mali has become a particularly volatile country since 2012 when jihadist groups captured the entire north of the country.

Entire zones still escape the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite a military intervention by France in 2013.
Moscow (AFP) - A century after its revolution shook the world, Russia strives to strike an odd balance between remembering the uprising that brought about the Soviet Union, while stopping short of romanticising regime change.

In a series of seismic events, the year 1917 saw Tsar Nicholas II abdicate in March and the Bolsheviks led by Lenin seize power in October.

Civil war erupted immediately afterwards, followed by the creation in 1922 of the USSR, built on the ruins of the Russian empire.

A hundred years later, Russia still has trouble dealing with its revolutionary past, with the legacy of the 1917 uprising and the Soviet Union sparking fierce debate to this day.

While the government tries to foster positive feelings towards the Soviet regime, which collapsed in 1991, it also wants to maintain the power and influence of the Orthodox Church.

To sing praises to Lenin, the leader of the revolution, is complicated by his view of religion and clerics as oppressors of the working class.

Throughout the Soviet era, anniversaries of the revolution were marked with pomp on November 7 (or October 25 according to the Julian calendar used in 1917) -- a massive holiday that featured military parades on Moscow's emblematic Red Square.

Today the programme is far more subdued.

The Kremlin has tasked a committee of politicians and clerics -- none of them Communists or monarchists -- with planning the festivities.

The committee's goal is to "draw lessons from history", build "unity" and learn about how to "peacefully resolve conflicts", said Sergei Naryshkin, who heads both the Russian Historical Society and the foreign intelligence service.

At one of the committee meetings, Naryshkin said revolutions "always bring blood, death, destruction and disaster".

Russians know the true "value of stability", he said, ensuring that revolutionary ideas will not be "imported" from abroad.

- 'Reds' and 'Whites' -

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With just over two weeks to go, it remains unclear what events might be planned to mark the anniversary.

But the lesson being drawn in 2017 is clear: to prevent any impulse to contest the political status quo with street protests, especially with just a few months to go before a presidential election in which Vladimir Putin is widely expected to run again.

In power since 2000, Putin has built his power on pillars of stability and traditionalism after the political upheaval of the 1990s, seeking to present himself as a unifying figure for the country's many religions and ethnicities.

"Top leaders of our country have evoked many times that it is necessary to reconcile the 'Reds' and the 'Whites'," said historian Vladislav Aksyonov, referring to the Bolshevik and imperial civil war rivals.

"We need to deal with the painful issues in order to do that. But we can already say that this reconciliation has not happened yet and is unlikely to happen in the near future," he added.

- Fear of uprisings -

An imperial power before the Communist revolt, Russia has had a tough time grappling with its conflicting histories -- and the country's many symbols and monuments are a testament to that.

Tsar Nicholas II and his family, assassinated by the Bolsheviks, were canonised in 2000 by the Orthodox Church.

Meanwhile, the embalmed body of Lenin still lies in its mausoleum beside the Kremlin.

Putin, in his first inaugural speech in 2000, said that it was "the first time in the history of our state that power is handed over ... legally and peacefully", vowing to "unite the people of Russia".

His rejection of popular uprisings has not wavered in the 17 years since he took power, neither within Russia nor beyond.

His government in 2011 and 2012 unleashed a major crackdown on protests, foreign NGOs and independent media accused of espousing "unpatriotic" views.

Russia has also sought to suppress revolts in Ukraine, Georgia and Syria, where Putin's support for President Bashar al-Assad has been instrumental in keeping the regime in power.

The Kremlin has used Kiev's 2014 pro-EU revolution, which led to an armed conflict with Moscow-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, to scare Russians off taking to the streets.

This seems to have worked. Within Russia, despite limits on freedom of expression and an economic crisis, it appears few people have much of an appetite for revolt.

Around 80 percent of Russians would not be willing to take to the streets in protest over economic or political issues, independent pollster Levada Centre says.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - North Korea has sent a letter to Australia's parliament, warning it is a nuclear power and will not be cowed by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to destroy it, according to a copy of the letter published in an Australian newspaper on Friday. "If Trump thinks that he would bring the DPRK, a nuclear power, to its knees through nuclear war threat, it will be a big miscalculation and an expression of ignorance," said a facsimile of the letter, published by the Sydney Morning Herald and verified by Australia's foreign ministry. "Trump threatened to totally destroy the DPRK ... it is an extreme act of threatening to totally destroy the whole world." A spokeswoman for Australia's Foreign Minister told Reuters the Herald report was accurate and the paper's copy of the letter, dated Sept. 28, was genuine. Titled "Open Letter to Parliaments of Different Countries," the note said it was sent from North Korea's Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Australia's Embassy in the same city, as well as to other countries, without naming them. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Tension has soared on the peninsula following a series of weapons tests by North Korea and a string of increasingly bellicose exchanges between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump, in a speech last month at the United Nations, threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary to defend itself and allies and called the North's leader Kim Jong Un a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. The letter calls for "countries loving independence, peace and justice" to discharge their duty and keep "sharp vigilance against the heinous and reckless moves of the Trump administration trying to drive the world into a horrible nuclear disaster." At a press conference in Sydney, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the note was an "unprecedented" communication. "It is not the way they usually publish their global messages. The collective strategy of imposing maximum diplomatic and economic pressure through sanctions on North Korea is working. This is a response to the pressure." (Reporting by Tom Westbrook, editing by G Crosse)
Punggye-ri nuclear test site - Pleiades CNES/Airbus DS/38 North/Spot Image

The North Korean mountain which has hosted a succession of nuclear tests appears to have suffered serious geological damage.

Analysts now believe that Mount Mantap is suffering what experts call "tired mountain syndrome."

The tests were accompanied by a series of earthquakes, the largest being a 6.3 magnitude which was felt in China.

They were carried out at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility beneath the 7,200 feet mountain.

Chinese scientists fear that the mountain could collapse completely, releasing radiation from the blast.

What we are seeing from North Korea looks like some kind of stress in the ground, Paul Richards, a seismologist at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, told the Washington Post.

North Koreas nuclear progress - estimated yields per test

In that part of the world, there were stresses in the ground, but the explosions have shaken them up.

Even ahead of the tests there have been growing fears that the whole of the Korean peninsula could become more vulnerable to earthquakes.

In September last year, South Korea was rocked by a 5.8 earthquake.

North Korea and the H-Bomb

Nuclear tests carried out by both the Soviet Union and United States in the past have led to considerable seismic activity.

With North Korea showing no sign of scaling back its nuclear activities, the threat of more earthquakes is clear.

A senior North Korean diplomat made clear that Pyongyang does not plan to hold any talks with Washington about its nuclear programme, saying that possessing the weapons was a matter of life and death for the country.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 04:13:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will pay a working visit to Moscow on October 23-25 to discuss the current situation in Iraq and bilateral cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Al-Jaafari will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on October 23 to mainly discuss the situation in Iraq at the final stage of the operation against the Islamic State, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Russian side invariably supports the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq," it read.

Al-Jaafari and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin will co-chair a session of the Russian-Iraqi commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation on October 23-24, according to the statement.

During the meeting, both sides will discuss the prospect of bilateral partnerships, with a focus on the fuel and energy sector in the light of large-scale projects being implemented in Iraq by Russian oil and gas companies.
Turning their backs on Trump: the former presidents implied the Trump administration had taken US politics back to the last century: AFP/Getty

George W Bush and Barack Obama have both publicly criticised the political climate in the US, in what has been interpreted as a thinly-veiled attack on Donald Trumps administration.

Neither of the former presidents named Mr Trump, but Mr Obama railed against the politics of division, and implied the Trump administration had set US democracy back 50 years, while Mr Bush criticised the casual cruelty and bigotry, which he said threatened American politics.

An unwritten rule in US politics is that former presidents maintain a silence over their successors, but Mr Bush and Mr Obama delivered an unprecedented twin blow to the White House on Thursday morning.

Speaking at a Democratic campaign rally in Newark, Mr Obama said: Our politics is so divided and so angry and so nasty.

Instead of our politics reflecting our values, weve got politics infecting our communities. Instead of looking for ways of working together to get things done in a practical way, weve got folks who are deliberately trying to make folks angry, to demonise people who have different ideas to provide a short-term tactical advantage.

He added: If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, you wont be able to govern them.

"What we can't have is the same old politics of division that we have seen so many times before, that dates back centuries."

Earlier in the morning, the last Republican before Mr Trump to occupy the White House, Mr Bush issued his own warning while speaking in New York.

Mr Bush said: Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.

There are some signs that the intensity of support for democracy itself has waned - especially among the young.

He added: At times it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together.

We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.

Story continues

Dr Jacob Parakilas, an expert in US foreign policy at Chatham House, told The Independent the move signals a new willingness on Mr Obamas part to re-engage in the political discourse.

He said: Its not entirely unprecedented, but it is very rare for presidents to criticise their successors, its notable that neither Obama nor Bush called out Trump directly. I think theyre both still trying to give voice to criticisms without declaring war directly on Trump.

He added: What this represents is Obama beginning to move out of that framework and become a little bit more willing to reengage in the political debate.

Trump relishes a feud, particularly with those he can cast as members of the establishment. If you still support Trump, youre not going to be moved by George W Bush or Barack Obama.
Back in the public fray at a rally in Virginia, the former president delivered his views on the current political climate in his strongest terms yet



It was the night his supporters waited nine long months for. Barack Obama returned to the fray on Thursday with a fervent denunciation of Donald Trump in all but name, condemning the politics of division and rekindling the politics of hope.

The former US president earned deafening cheers at a rally ostensibly for the Democratic candidate in a gubernatorial election in Virginia. In championing Ralph Northams cause, Obama expressed his views on the state of the nation in the strongest terms since the inauguration of his successor and antithesis.

Youll notice I havent been commenting a lot on politics lately, Obama told thousands of supporters in Richmond. But heres one thing I know: if you have to win a campaign by dividing people, youre not going to be able to govern them. You wont be able to unite them later if thats how you start.

Campaigning for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton last year, Obama hammered Trump regularly during the presidential election but became more circumspect after the Republicans shock win. He initially expressed a wish to follow the example of George W Bush, who refrained from commentary once he left the White House. He has also trodden carefully to avoid outshining the next generation of would-be Democratic stars.

Nevertheless, he has taken Trump to task in written statements for efforts to gut his signature healthcare law and reverse his immigration and environmental policies. He has also offered spare, pointed criticisms during public appearances. But on Thursday he returned to full campaign mode in New Jersey and Virginia, both of which elect governors on 7 November.

While not mentioning Trump by name, Obama delivered a withering critique of the presidents time in office. His polished style and elegant, erudite sentences contrasted with the bellicose, scattergun approach of his successor, as did the racial diversity of the crowd who queued for hours to see him.

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Obama addressed a crowd at an earlier rally in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Instead of our politics reflecting our values, weve got politics infecting our communities, said Obama, looking relaxed in a tieless blue shirt and suit. Instead of looking for ways to work together to get things done in a practical way, weve got folks who are deliberately trying to make folks angry, to demonise people who have different ideas, to get the base all riled up because it provides a short-term tactical advantage.

He continued: The question now, at a time when our politics seem so divided and so angry and so nasty, is whether we can recapture that spirit, whether we support and embrace somebody who wants to bring people together, Obama said. Yes, we can.

The crowd erupted in chants of the winning 2008 slogan, Yes, we can!

Virginia became a battleground this summer when white supremacists marched in Charlottesville and a civil rights activist was killed. Trump notoriously said there was blame on both sides and deflected attention to whether Confederate statues should be torn down, and whether that would lead to slave owners George Washington and Thomas Jefferson being toppled too.

The first black president said: If were going to talk about our history then we should do it in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds, not in a way that divides. We shouldnt use the most painful parts of our history just to score political points. We saw what happened in Charlottesville but we also saw what happened after Charlottesville when the biggest gatherings of all rejected fear and rejected hate and the decency and goodwill of the American people came out.

Thats how we rise. We dont rise up by repeating the past. We rise up by learning from the past and listening to each other.

His voice growing with emotion matched by the crowd, Obama continued: We can acknowledge that Thomas Jefferson, one of Virginias most famous sons, owned and sold slaves  thats not disputable. And we can also acknowledge that he also wrote those words: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And we can recognize that even if our past is not perfect we can honor the constitutional ideals that have allowed us to come this far and to keep moving toward a more perfect union. Thats what America is. Thats who we are.

For those gathered in the Greater Richmond Convention Center there was excitement and some wistfulness. Amber Wihshi, a 21-year-old African American woman, said: Im a little nostalgic. I remember being in eighth grade when Obama was inaugurated. But seeing so many people here shows there are still people fighting for change who dont want to see America go backwards.

Barack Obama and Ralph Northam in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in August, 51% of Americans said they have a favourable opinion of Obama, while 35% had a negative opinion. The same survey found that 36% said they had a positive opinion of Trump and 52% had a negative opinion. The pair are not thought to have spoken to each other since Trumps inauguration.

Wihshi added: Hes still our president. You cant compare the two. The way they handle everything is so different. Barack Obama is the peoples president; Donald Trump encourages hate and tried to divide groups.

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, sat at the table next to Trumps at the 2011 White House correspondents dinner, where Obama gave the billionaire businessman a roasting. I remember him not enjoying one bit of it, he said by phone on Thursday. There is no doubt in my mind that the president has had a fixation on President Obama since then.

Indeed, Trump, who was a longtime proponent of a false conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the US, appears to be obsessed with assailing the legacy of his predecessor. He pulled the US out of the Trans Pacific Partnership, announced his intention to quit the Paris climate agreement and has threatened to walk away from the Iran nuclear deal  all products of the Obama administration. He has also tried to torpedo the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, turning to executive orders after deadlock in the Republican-controlled Congress.

And this week Trump made one of his most personal attacks yet, claiming that his predecessor did not regularly call families of military service personnel killed in combat  a charge that provoked a furious backlash from former administration officials.

Asked to compare the 44th and 45th presidents, Steele said: Obama is more cerebral; Trump is more visceral and emotional. If Obama was upset by things he generally kept it to himself; with Trump, every little slight is played over and over on a 100ft screen. They are very different men in how they interact with people and how they deal with problems; Trump creates more problems than most presidents do.
(Reuters) - At least one person was killed and another was missing on Friday after an oil barge being pulled by a tug boat caught fire and exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas, officials said.

The barge was carrying some 133,000 barrels of crude oil to a refinery in Corpus Christi when the explosion occurred at 4:30 a.m., they said.

The dead person had not yet been identified, said Rick Adams, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Port Aransas.

Six of the eight crew members were rescued and did not suffer any serious injuries, Adams added.

The fire was extinguished and was being monitored for re-ignition throughout the night, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The entrance and jetty channels leading to the Corpus Christi ship channel from Harbor Island to offshore were closed to prevent the spread of discharged oil into the port and to facilitate cleanup operations, it added.

"Air monitoring has been completed by the state and confirmed to be no threat to the public," the Coast said.

Bouchard Transportation, which owns the barge and the tug boat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Jim Forsyth in Texas and Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Nallur Sethuraman, Devika Krishnakumar and Eileen Soreng; Editing by James Dalgleish and Sandra Maler)
Students at St. Hughs College in Oxford have joined an international chorus of critics in condemning their alumna Aung San Suu Kyi, now the de facto leader of Myanmar, for her response to the crisis engulfing the Rohingya in the countrys Rakhine State.

Undergraduates at St. Hughs, where Suu Kyi studied in the 1960s, voted this week to remove her name from the title of their junior common room. The gesture is a protest against her unwillingness to address the state-sponsored persecution of Myanmars Muslim-minority Rohingya communities.

The college, which also removed her portrait from its main entrance earlier this year, granted Suu Kyi an honorary doctorate as one of its most distinguished and remarkable alumni in 2012.

At the time, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former political prisoner, was still widely idolized as a champion of democracy and non-violent human rights advocacy. She spent nearly 15 years under house arrest while campaigning against Myanmars decades-long military dictatorship, and became the nations state counselor in 2016, a position equivalent to prime minister in many countries.

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. on Sept. 19. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

But the activist-turned-politician has been conspicuously silent as a military campaign denounced by the United Nations as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing continues to push Rohingyas out of the country at a staggering rate. At least 537,000 refugees  more than half of Myanmars Rohingya population  have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in a matter of weeks.

Crimes against humanity

In late August, a Rohingya insurgency attacked a number of government security posts in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where Rohingyas have endured decades of discrimination and extremely limited rights. Twelve officers were killed.

The military unleashed a retaliatory crackdown, which international observers have decried as barbaric and disproportionate. State actors have committed atrocities amounting to crimes against humanity, according to Amnesty International.

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After conducting more than 150 interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, the human rights group released a report this week alleging that Rohingya men, women and children have been indiscriminately killed, burned, tortured, raped and shot, among other abuses.

A drawing by a Rohingya boy illustrates the horrific experiences he endured while fleeing from Myanmar to Bangladesh. (Photo: Courtesy of UNICEF)

In this orchestrated campaign, Myanmars security forces have brutally meted out revenge on the entire Rohingya population of northern Rakhine State, in an apparent attempt to permanently drive them out of the country, said Tirana Hassan, Amnestys crisis response director. These atrocities continue to fuel the regions worst refugee crisis in decades.

The report features testimonies from Rohingya refugees recounting horrific tales of being burned alive and watching loved ones die before their eyes while attempting to escape security forces gunfire.

Suu Kyis silence

Bangladesh is grappling with insufficient resources to accommodate the influx of desperate Rohingyas. Many have traveled by land or sea for days without food.

In September, a boat carrying more than 60 refugees capsized off the Bangladeshi coast. All were presumed dead, including several babies.

As many as 1,800 Rohingya children are making the perilous journey across the border per day, according to a new report from UNICEF.

A Rohingya boy cries as he climbs on a truck distributing aid for a local NGO near the Balukali refugee camp on Sept. 20 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (Photo: Kevin Frayer via Getty Images)

But as the crisis escalates, Suu Kyi has remained tight-lipped on the Rohingyas plight, despite mounting pressure to speak out and take action.

She skipped the 2017 U.N. General Assembly in New York, where world leaders discussed Myanmars Rohingya exodus in her absence.

Suu Kyi has even dismissed accusations of state-sponsored crimes against the minority group as misinformation. The government has already started defending all the people in Rakhine in the best way possible, her office claimed in a Facebook post last month.

But Myanmars government has tightened restrictions on urgently needed aid supplies and services in Rakhine State. It has also denied access to humanitarian groups as well as a U.N. fact-finding mission in the country and other attempted investigations into the alleged and documented persecution.

International outrage

Suu Kyis inaction has sparked protests around the world and calls for her Nobel Prize to be revoked.

I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to condemn the tragic and shameful treatment of Myanmars Rohingya Muslims, 20-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai wrote on Twitter. The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting.

South African anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu, another Nobel laureate, also issued an emotional plea to his dear sister Suu Kyi.

I am now elderly, decrepit and formally retired, but breaking my vow to remain silent on public affairs out of profound sadness about the plight of the Muslim minority in your country, the Rohingya, he wrote. If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.

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An Indonesian protester burns a picture of Suu Kyi during a rally in front of the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Sept. 2. (Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Less than two weeks after the military crackdown erupted, Yanghee Lee, the U.N.s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, called the situation in Rakhine really grave, and said it was time for Suu Kyi to step in.

That is what we would expect from any government: to protect everybody within their own jurisdiction, Lee added.

The students at St. Hughs are urging others to join them in denouncing their disgraced alumnas inexcusable and unacceptable negligence.

We must condemn Aung San Suu Kyis silence and complicity on this issue and her condonation of the human rights offenses [in] her own land, they said. In doing so, she has gone against the very principles and ideals she had once righteously promoted.

Also on HuffPost

An exhausted Rohingya refugee woman touches the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal, in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesd, on Sept. 11, 2017.

Rohingya Muslim refugees disembark from a boat on the Bangladeshi side of Naf river in Teknaf on Sept. 13, 2017.

Recently arrived Rohingya refugees wait to receive aid donations on Sept. 13, 2017, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Exhausted Rohingya refugees rest on the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, on Sept. 10, 2017.

Rohingya refugees reach out their hands to grab aid packages in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 17, 2017.

Rokeya Begum, 23, holds her 4-day-old twins born in a makeshift tent on Sept. 17, 2017, in Kutupalong, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Rohingyas are seen after arriving by boat on Sept. 14, 2017, in Shah Porir Dip, Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugee children carry an old woman in a sling near the Balukhali makeshift refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 13, 2017.

This photograph taken on Sept. 12, 2017, shows Rohingya refugees arriving by boat at Shah Parir Dwip on the Bangladesh side of the Naf River after fleeing violence in Myanmar.

A Rohingya Muslim woman gets off a boat after crossing over from Myanmar into the Bangladesh side of the border, in Shah Porir Dwip near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on Sept. 13, 2017. Rohingya Muslims pay local fishers 36 U.S. dollars in order to cross to Shah Porir Dwip peninsula.

A Rohingya refugee girl sits next to her mother who rests after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Sept. 6, 2017.

A Rohingya refugee man pulls a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, on Sept. 10, 2017.

Rohingya Muslim refugees build temporary makeshift shelters, after crossing the border from Myanmar, in the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf on Sept. 10, 2017.

Rohingya refugee people take part in Eid al-Adha prayer near the Kutupalang makeshift refugee camp, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 2, 2017.

Rohingya refugees climb up a hill after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 8, 2017.

A Rohingya refugee boy stands in a queue to receive relief supplies given by local people in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 16, 2017.

A Rohingya refugee carries a child through a paddy field after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Sept. 6, 2017.

A local man carries an old Rohingya refugee woman as she is unable to walk after crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Sept. 1, 2017.

A Rohingya refugee boy walks in the water after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Sept. 1, 2017.

Rohingya refugees stands in an open place during heavy rain, as they are held by Border Guard Bangladesh after illegally crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Aug. 31, 2017.

Rohingya refugees stretch their hands to receive aid distributed by local organizations at Balukhali makeshift refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 14, 2017.

Rohingya refugees walk on a muddy path at Thaingkhali makeshift refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 14, 2017.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Patton Oswalt's wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara, died in 2016, months before the presidential election. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images)

Michelle McNamara, the true crime writer and late wife of comedian Patton Oswalt, had already decided what type of person Donald Trump was 13 years before he became president.

Oswalt, while preparing to move out of his house, uncovered a note that his wife typed in 2004, the comedian tweeted on Friday. On the printed note were musings resembling a poem. It was titled Lies The Movies Told Me.

Rich tycoons are Bullshit, McNamara wrote. Even after spending an afternoon with Robin Williams, Donald Trump is still and will always be an asshole.

People who talk to themselves in voice over are deeper and more sensitive, she added.

Moving in a week. Was going through Michelles notebooks and papers and found this, dated 2004. @TrueCrimeDiary pic.twitter.com/q5kyim48Mk  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 21, 2017

McNamara, who died in April 2016, supported Hillary Clinton in last years presidential campaign, often retweeting messages that praised of the former Secretary of State and ones that were critical of Trump.

When McNamara died, Oswalt was devastated.

Funerals are final but there's no closure. Memorials are hopeful but they don't bring back the dead. pic.twitter.com/K8Ss7DejEj  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 23, 2016

The comedian often discussed his grief in interviews and on Twitter. He dedicated his 2016 special Talking for Clapping to her. Then, in his newest Netflix special Annihilation, Oswalt discussed both the pain of loss and the pain of a Trump presidency.

The latter, the comedian said, awakened him from a grief-related hyper-deadness.

Sometimes Im worried I am like a water glass thats been sitting in a freezer and now youre taking it out and youre pouring hot water into it, Oswalt told HuffPost in a recent interview about his new special.

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One extreme to the other like that  its very unnerving.

Considering McNamaras unearthed thoughts on Trump, its likely she wouldve been proud that his disgust for Trump has helped distract him from his grief.

And now that her note is on the internet for all to see, many of Oswalts followers are applauding McNamaras description of Trump.

She is still speaking wisdom.  Sara Brunner (@SaraBrunner_) October 21, 2017

She was a prophetess and a brilliant woman. Much love @pattonoswalt  Ryan Swallow (@ryanswallow) October 21, 2017

Trump. She'd roast him alive now, too. A woman for the ages. Then, now, and again.  MattyScream (@MatthiasBe) October 21, 2017

Save those papers so that someday when shes old enough your daughter will discover, all over again, what an amazing woman her mother was.  Jack Cooper (@coop126) October 21, 2017

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 13: Dwayne Johnson, Lauren Hashian and daughter Jasmine Johnson attend a ceremony honoring him with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/ WireImage)

WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 13: Will Smith and Jaden Smith attend the Premiere Of Netflix's 'Bright' at Regency Village Theatre on December 13, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 13: Annette Bening (L) and Warren Beatty attend the Museum of the Moving Image Salute to Annette Bening at 583 Park Avenue on December 13, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 13: Alec Baldwin (L) and Colin Kaepernick attend Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Hosts Annual Ripple Of Hope Awards Dinner on December 13, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Ripple Of Hope Awards)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 12: Actress Rebel Wilson arrives for the premiere of Universal Pictures' 'Pitch Perfect 3' held at The Dolby Theater on December 12, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 12: Actress Hailee Steinfeld arrives for the Premiere Of Universal Pictures' 'Pitch Perfect 3' held at The Dolby Theater on December 12, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Nick Jonas, Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Hart attend the premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle' on December 11, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 11: Sienna Miller attends the New York premiere of 'Phantom Thread' After Party at Harold Pratt House on December 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Actors Sharon Stone, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Bell and Alfre Woodard attend Moet & Chandon Toasts The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 11, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon )

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron attend 'The Greatest Showman' World Premiere aboard the Queen Mary 2 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on December 8, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 07: Gal Gadot attends the 2017 GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont on December 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for GQ)

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Zac Efron seen at Capital Radio Studios on December 6, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/GC Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 05: Jennifer Aniston is seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' on December 05, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 07: Cate Blanchett attends the IWC Photocall on day two of the 14th annual Dubai International Film Festival held at the Madinat Jumeriah Complex on December 7, 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for DIFF,)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 06: Demi Lovato attends Refinery29 29Rooms Los Angeles: Turn It Into Art at ROW DTLA on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Diaz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 06: Janelle Monae attends Refinery29 29Rooms Los Angeles: Turn It Into Art at ROW DTLA on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 06: Sterling K. Brown (L) and Kathryn Hahn at The Hollywood Reporter's 26th Annual Women In Entertainment Breakfast presented in partnership with FIJI Water at Milk Studios on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for FIJI Water)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 06: Angelina Jolie speaks onstage at The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Women In Entertainment Breakfast at Milk Studios on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images)

Actress Jennifer Lawrence attends The Hollywood Reporter 2017 Women In Entertainment Breakfast, on December 6, 2017, in Hollywood, California. / AFP PHOTO / VALERIE MACON (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 05: Actor Ashley Judd speaks onstage at The Paley Center for Media on December 5, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 05: Sebastian Stan, Craig Gillespie, Allison Janney, Steven Rogers, Bryan Unkeless, Tonya Harding, Ricky Russert and Margot Robbie attend NEON and 30WEST Present the Los Angeles Premiere of 'I, Tonya' Supported By Svedka on December 5, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for NEON)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Diane Kruger discusses 'In The Fade' with the Build Series at Build Studio on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/WireImage)

MADRID, SPAIN - DECEMBER 04: Actress Jessica Chastain attends 'Molly's Game' Madrid premiere at Callao Cinema on December 4, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Cuadra/WireImage)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - DECEMBER 03: Actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis arrive at the 2018 Breakthrough Prize at NASA Ames Research Center on December 3, 2017 in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images,)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 04: Reese Witherspoon (R) and Ava Phillippe attend Molly R. Stern X Sarah Chloe Jewelry Collaboration Launch Dinner on December 4, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Sarah Chloe Jewelry)

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 04: Chris Pratt is seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' on December 04, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by BG017/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 03: Julianne Hough attends The Trevor Project's 2017 TrevorLIVE LA on December 3, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/ WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Armie Hammer and Saoirse Ronan poses with her award at the 2017 Gotham Awards sponsored by Greater Ft. Lauderdale Tourism at Cipriani, Wall Street on November 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman attend the GreenSlate Greenroom at The 2017 Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for GreenSlate)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Robert Pattinson and James Franco attend IFP's 27th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Actor Timothee Chalamet is seen Downtown on November 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce the engagement of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been a couple officially since November 2016 and are due to marry in Spring 2018. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 27: Actress Jessica Chastain attrends the press conference for 'The Zookeeper's Wife' at Roppongi Hills on November 27, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)

SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Katy Perry performs during her 'Witness' tour at SAP Center on November 14, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Actors Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph attend FOX's 'A Christmas Story Live!' Lighting Event featuring the leg lamp at The Grove on November 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
When Donald Trump ran for president last year, people living in the U.S. pledged to move to Canada even crashing the countrys immigration website on Election Day. Today, many seem to have made good on their promise.

This year, more than 15,000 people most of them living legally in the U.S. have illegally crossed the U.S.-Canada border in hopes of reaching refugee status in Canada, a report by Reuters found. The exodus, which has largely taken place at the Quebec-New York State border, forced the Canadian military to set up a temporary tent encampment in Quebec, despite igniting strong criticism from anti-immigrant groups there.

Trumps draconian policies have become the driving force behind the growing influx. Most of the asylum applicants interviewed by Reuters said that they would have remained in the U.S. were it not for an immigration crackdown.

In addition to the recent travel bans on North Korea, Venezuela, Chad and six majority-Muslim countries last month, Trump has also cut the number of refugees allowed in the U.S., as he signed an order on September 29 that will reduce the quota to 45,000 in 2018 the lowest cap since Congress enacted the Refugee Act in 1980 according to USA Today.

Most of the claimants are Haitians, who have stayed in the U.S. thanks to an immigration designation by the Department of Homeland Security, the Toronto Star reported. But such status is set to expire by the end of the year, which means that 58,000 Haitians will have to leave the U.S.

Nevertheless, some of these migrants could find hope, since Canadas acceptance rate is considerably high. Recent data from the Immigration and Refugee Board, released this week, found that almost 70 percent of refugees who move to Canada are granted asylum, up from 63 percent in 2016.

Of the 10,790 claims submitted between March and September, 592 were processed. Of these claims, 408 were accepted, according to Canadas Immigration and Refugee Board statistics. Ninety-two additional appeals of rejected applications are pending.

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Canada has experienced an increase in asylum seekers crossing its borders in recent months. Reuters reported that more than 3,100 people headed north in July, up from 844 in June, but they were arrested. The federal government announced that 5,712 refugee seekers had walked across the border in August, an 82 percent jump from July, according to The Toronto Star.

However, asylum seekers represent a test to Canada, a country that is regarded as a safe haven for them. Recent polls show that 67 percent of Canadians doubt that asylum claimants are legitimate refugees, while 57 percent unfavorably see the way the country has handled the wave of refugees and 53 of them think Canada has been too generous to asylum seekers.

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Fallout from the October 4th ambush of U.S. service members in Niger made big headlines this week. On Monday, President Trump was questioned by journalists on why he hadn't responded to the deaths of four U.S. soldiers. On Tuesday, the comments he reportedly made during a phone call with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in the attack, raised concerns. White House chief of staff John Kelly would later give an emotional response on Trump's behalf, while Sen. John McCain argued that the Trump administration wasn't being forthcoming about the attack.

Later in the week, a multi-state shooting rampage left three people dead and three others critically wounded. Radee Labeeb Prince is accused of fatally shooting three co-workers in Maryland before taking off to Delaware. The massive manhunt ended when the 37-year-old was taken into custody in Delaware.

Click through the slideshow above to see photos from all of these events and more, and be sure to check back next weekend for our selection of the best photography from the week.
A Pittsburgh mom seriously injured an elementary school teacher with a brick for confiscating her daughters cellphone in class, according to authorities, which raises questions about cellphone policies in schools.

The mother, Daishonta Williams, has now been charged with making terroristic threats, stalking the teacher, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after she allegedly followed the teacher and threw a brick at her face.

The teacher, Janice Watkins, who taught pre-K through eighth grade at Pittsburgh King, had taken the girls cellphone in accordance with the districts no-cellphone policy. The fourth-grade student then bit the teacher and her mother was told to come to the school. In a meeting with the teacher, the child told her mom Watkins had choked her.

The mother allegedly told Watkins that she would "get it later," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

When Watkins went to a clinic to treat the bite, Williams and her boyfriend allegedly followed her in a car, and then authorities say she threw a brick at the teacher through an open car window when they were stopped at an intersection. KDKA reported that the mother and her boyfriend then left the scene.

Watkins reportedly suffered facial injuries and lost a tooth after the attack.

The district told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that its students are prohibited from using their cellphones in the classroom.

With cellphones in schools, school officials are trying to figure out how to keep students off their phones and focused in class. Most schools have policies in place when students can access their phones during the school day, while others have strict no-cellphone policies.

Many schools are trying to encourage students to get off their phones during free time. One school in California, Corona del Mar Middle School, created cellphone-free zones in its lunch area to get students socializing.

Parents often drop hundreds of dollars to give their children cellphones so they can be reached with a quick call in case of an emergency. New York City lifted its ban on cellphones in classrooms in 2015 to respect parents concerns that they should be able to reach their children when needed.

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Parents should be able to call or text their kids, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a 2015 statement. We are giving educators the tools and the flexibility to make this change responsibly.

Several states have laws that allow searching a students phone. Most states require a search warrant but a Florida statute gives school officials the right to confiscate and search a students phone if they believe the students are engaging in suspicious or illegal activity in school.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 04:23:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BARCELONA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- President of the Catalan regional government, Carles Puigdemont, said on Saturday he called on the Catalan parliament to meet and discuss the measures announced by the Spanish central government.

Puigdemont said the measures announced by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were "the worst attack" against Catalan institutions since the dictatorship Franco, who ruled Spain since 1939 to 1975.

Puigdemont called on the Catalan parliament to discuss the measures and decide the steps to follow as according to him, the representatives chosen by Catalan citizens are in the Catalan parliament.

"What the Catalans have decided on polling stations, the Spanish government is suspending it at the office," he said.

Puigdemont's statement follows the announcement made by Rajoy a few hours earlier on Saturday who explained the measures to apply under the article 155 of the Spanish constitution.

Rajoy said the regional government of Catalonia would be dissolved, and their powers would be controlled by the Spanish ministries. He could also dissolve the Catalan parliament and call for elections within six months.

All these measures have to be passed by the Spanish Senate to be fully implemented.

Rajoy said he applied the article 155 after Puigdemont failed to clarify whether he had declared the independence of the region or not. Catalonia held a referendum on self-determination on Oct. 1, which had been declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court.
Police in Chicago have closed the investigation into the death of the 19-year-old who was found dead in a hotel freezer in September.

On Friday, authorities ruled Kenneka Jenkins death accidental and released photos, surveillance videos, audiotapes, and a timeline of events leading up to the teen's death.

Read: Woman Arrested After Her Boyfriend's Body is Found in a Freezer in Their Living Room

Jenkins was last seen in the early hours of Sept. 9 at a party on the ninth floor of the Crown Plaza Hotel and was reported missing that afternoon, according to Rosemont police. Police found her body inside the hotel's freezer shortly after midnight on Sept. 10.

Authorities previously said the teen died of hypothermia due to cold exposure in the walk-in freezer. They also noted that alcohol intoxication and the use of a drug for treating epilepsy and migraines were also "significant contributing factors.

"The death of any child is tragic; but the death and circumstances surrounding Ms. Jenkins are especially sad," the police chief said.

Hotel surveillance video that was previously released showed the 19-year-old stumbling through the hallways of the hotel and eventually into the kitchen, but never show her walking into the freezer as there was no camera pointing toward that direction, police said.

Authorities have now released an entire timeline of what they believe happened leading up to Jenkins death. After leaving her home on the west side of Chicago at 11:30 p.m. on September 8, Jenkins showed up to the hotel party in Rosemont.

Saturday, September 9

1:13 A.M - The 19-year-old arrives at the Crowne Plaza Chicago OHare Hotel in Rosemont to attend a private party in a hotel room

3:25 A.M . - Jenkins is seen on CCTV exiting a lower level elevator.

3:32 A.M . - Jenkins is last seen on CCTV as she moves through a 1st floor kitchen.

7:14 A.M. - Rosemont Public Safety receives a call from Teresa Martin (Jenkins mother) saying that she cant find her daughter.

12:46 P.M - Jenkins sister arrives at the Rosemont police station to file a Missing Persons report and the teen is entered into the database. At this time, officers respond to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to investigate the missing

person. Initial information obtained and searches conducted within the Crowne Plaza hotel did not indicate whether or not Jenkins left the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

8:29 P.M. - Officers respond back to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Further searches are conducted as more CCTV is reviewed. Searches of the Crowne Plaza Hotel continued throughout the night. More resources were deployed to search the hotel as additional information was obtained through the CCTV.

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Sunday, September 10

12:25 A.M . - Jenkins body is discovered by a Crowne Plaza Hotel employee. Ms. Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene by a Resurrection Hospital doctor via Medical Control.

3:08 A.M . - The Cook County Medical Examiner Investigator arrives.

5:10 A.M. - Jenkins body is removed from the Crowne Plaza Hotel and transported to the Medical Examiners Office. Jenkins mother and sister are able to view the body of Kenneka Jenkins prior to being removed.

The teens death initially sparked rumors and conspiracies of foul play, but police have said in their report that there is no evidence" suggesting that the death was not accidental.While there were many theories, rumors and much speculation floating around social media regarding the death of Ms. Jenkins, none were supported with facts. While all leads and theories were investigated by our department, what we have reported throughout the investigation and again, today, are facts, the report said.

Lawyers for the teens mother said graphic photos that police released on Friday of the teen lying face down in the freezer, covered in dirt, and without a shoe, raise more questions than answers.

Read: Man Hid Wife's Body in Freezer for 8 Years So He Could Collect Her Social Security Checks

Police released several post-mortem photos of the teen inside of the freezer, which were shown to the family beforehand, reports said.

Sam Adam Jr., an attorney for Martins, called the photos disturbing images that inexplicably show portions of Kennekas body exposed. Martins other attorney, Larry Rogers Jr., said the photos were of a personal, private and indecent nature.
Following years of debate, the EPA said earlier this month it will study the possibilities of cutting the amount of ethanol in the United States' gasoline supply.

Since 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has required growing amounts of ethanol to be blended into U.S. fuel supplies, with E10a mix of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasolinenow effectively standard across the country.



However, the Trump Administration's apparent plans to curb the biofuel, today still largely based on corn as a feedstock, has stirred the ire of a powerful politician in corn-rich Iowa.

DON'T MISS: EPA to study cutting amount of ethanol in U.S. gasoline

Senator Chuck Grassley [R-IA] lamented the EPA's decision to study a reduction in ethanol-blended gasoline.

Grassley said the decision would "drastically undermine" the production of biofuels in the state of Iowa and reflected "contrary statements" made by then-candidate Donald Trump, The Washington Post reported last week.



President Trump defended the biofuel industry throughout his campaign and called out rivals over their support for big oil companies.

FlexFuel badge on E85-capable 2009 Chevrolet HHR

Today, the total amount of ethanol blended into gasoline hovers around 19.28 billion gallons a year, but the EPA's proposed reduction would bring the level down incrementally, to 19.24 billion gallons.

However, the total amount of corn-based ethanol fuel would remain at 15 billion gallons, according to the EPA.

President Trump reiterated his commitment to biofuels at a campaign-style rally in Iowa earlier this year, but the industry doesn't command the support it did 10 years ago when the Renewable Fuel Standard was passed.



READ THIS: EPA boosts required 2017 ethanol volume above expected level

In addition to the EPA's proposed reductions, the oil and gas industry has pressured the current administration to cull the RFS and argues biofuels add to the cost of refining fuels.

According to Grassley, his meetings with Trump cabinet members have been "generic." Grassley and 37 other senators wrote to EPA head Scott Pruitt urging him not to cut, but to increase, the amounts of biofuels required by the RFS.

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The senator was clear to criticize Pruitt and not President Trump, however, suggesting that Pruitt has taken the lead on the potential reduction in biofuel production.

Non-ethanol gasoline pump

Before heading the EPA, Pruitt sued the agency more than a dozen times as attorney general of Oklahoma, urging courts to prevent the EPA from enforcing legal emission regulations.

Pruitt and the state's powerful fossil-fuel producers lost the majority of those cases, but Trump nominated Pruitt to be the fourteenth Administrator of the agency he had repeatedly sued.

Ten years ago, in an era of rising gasoline consumption and higher gas prices, Congress pegged ethanol and biofuel production as the way to reduce dependence on imported oil for road transport.



CHECK OUT: Coming this week: Trump EPA's plan to neuter Clean Power Plan

Many automakers engineered their internal-combustion engines to support blends as high as E85, or 85 percent ethanol, and such "flex-fuel vehicles" earned additional credits under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations.

The effects of the recession, a long plateau in total miles driven, and stiffer CAFE requirements starting in 2012 mean that gasoline consumption peaked in 2008 and fell for almost 10 years thereafter.



That, in turn, means that the numeric volumes of ethanol required under the RFS are being applied to gasoline supply that hasn't grown but in fact lessened.

The EPA has opened a public comment period over its potential reduction of ethanol levels; it must submit final proposed production volumes by November 30.

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Toa Baja, Puerto Rico A woman stands on an overturned refrigerator while trying to get a mobile phone signal, after Hurricane Maria hit the island in September, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Oct. 18, 2017. (Photo: Alvin Baez/Reuters)

Eighty-one percent of Puerto Rico remains blacked out one month after Maria struck. Clean water for drinking, cooking and bathing is scarce, too.

Puerto Ricans main obstacle to getting back to some semblance of normality is the slowness of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in getting the power grid back up and running.

The lack of power has paralyzed a key industry  pharmaceutical production  and most businesses including restaurants are closed or operating at great cost through the use of diesel powered generators.

This nightmare comes about a year after the U.S. government established an external fiscal control board for the island after it declared bankruptcy because of 73 billion dollars in debt.

Economist Joaquin Villamil told AFP that damage from Hurricane Maria is estimated at 20 billion dollars  four times that of Hurricane Georges in 1998, when measured in 2016 dollars.

Villamil said reconstruction money provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and from insurance companies will have a positive impact on the islands economy in the second half of fiscal 2018 and in fiscal 2019, but this boost will just be temporary.

From an economic point of view there is not much net gain, said Villamil, who works for a consulting firm called Estudios Tecnicos.

He said the economy has been shrinking since 2006 and Maria will delay any prospect of recovery.

It will take at least until 2026 to get back to the GDP level of 2006, he added.

Making things worse, people are leaving the island for the mainland U.S. Forecasts are that the population now at 3.4 million will go down to 3.1 million or even less by 2026, said Villamil.

The government of Florida estimates that since October 3  the day a state of emergency to deal with an influx of Puerto Ricans was declared  more than 36,000 people from the island have poured in. (AFP)

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MANILA (Reuters) - Three Russian warships, including two anti-submarine vessels, docked in Manila on Friday to unload what navy officials said was weaponry and military vehicles donated to the Philippines as part of a new defense relationship. It was the third port visit this year by Russian warships as part of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's moves to engage closely with Moscow, an arch-rival of Manila's former colonial master and closest defense ally, the United States. The load included 5,000 assault rifles, a million rounds of ammunition and 20 army trucks, Russian and Filipino navy officials said. "We would do our best to make this port call a significant contribution indicating friendly ties and relations between two nations in the interest of security and stability in this region," said Eduard Mikhailov, deputy commander of Russia's Pacific Fleet flotilla. The visit was timed to coincide with the arrival next week of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is attending a regional defense meeting, and U.S. counterpart Jim Mattis, a Philippine navy spokesman said. Russia and the Philippines are expected to sign a security deal on military logistics next week. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato and Ronn Bautista; Editing by Martin Petty and Nick Macfie)
President Donald Trump is living in an "alternative-reality world," says the mayor of Puerto Rico's capital, with whom the president has been feuding since Hurricane Maria.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz made the comment one day after the president gave himself a "10" for his administration's response to the deadly storm, which has left nearly 80 percent of the island without power.

Cruz graded the president a "1 out of 10," she said in the interview with CNN.

"The president lives in an alternative-reality world, that only he believes what he is saying," Cruz added. "Certainly people are still without electricity. We knew it was going to take a long time for that to happen, but the basic services are still not there yet."

Trump's monthlong battle with Cruz began shortly after the hurricane, when Cruz's plea for help was answered by Trump's tweet, "[Puerto Rico wants] everything to be done for them." And Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said the White House's response to the disaster was a "good-news story."

Cruz disagreed. "This is not a good-news story. This is a people-are-dying story. This is a life-or-death story," she said at the time.

Since the initial back-and-forth, Trump visited relief centers on Oct. 3 and said he "had fun" and that civilians should be glad that Puerto Rico was not a "real catastrophe, like Katrina."

Then, on Thursday, Trump met with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and put him on the spot by asking whether the U.S. government had done a "great job."

"You responded immediately, sir, andand you did so," Rossello said.

Cruz disagreed, gently chiding Rossello and Trump.

"Listen, people have different styles and different ways of doing things," Cruz told CNN interviewer Alisyn Camerota. "I'm always looking at injustice in the face. Of course the response got here, but was it enough? No. And people in this administration have admitted to it.

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"The administration is unresponsive, they go back and forth," Cruz added.

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After nine months of setbacks, stumbles and outright failures, Senate Republicans made good on at least one big campaign promise.

In a vote late Thursday, the Senate passed a budget resolution and set the stage for tax cuts to be tacked onto it. The proposal drew unified Democratic oppositionalong with GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who thought the budgets $1.5 trillion in red ink was too muchand heads next to the House, where its odds look promising.

This is another important milestone for tax reform, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Friday.

An announcement from the far-right Freedom Caucus later in the day was expected to signal cross-party support for the budget resolution. Instead of trying to split the difference between the House and Senate versions, its likely that the House will simply sign-off on the Senate version. That shortens the timeline for the ambitious tax overhaul by several weeks. Did we finally get something right? one self-aware Senate GOP aide said.

Republican advisers on both sides of Capitol Hill were working the phones Friday afternoon to donors, hoping the moves late Thursday would restore confidence in the partys ability to move its agenda. Fundraisers in recent weeks had faced a revolt from their patrons, many of whom are losing patience with the partys leaders and sense a souring mood among the partys grassroots.

Spooked at the threat facing incumbents, several big donors had entertained the ideas planted by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. The Bannon mold of throwing the bums out seemed appealingand perhaps inevitable had the GOP gone home at the end of the year with nothing to show. Without delivering on the promise to cut taxes, the GOPs leading lawmakers feared they were handing Bannon ammo as he prepared a slate of rabble-rousing challengers.

In that sense, the threat from Bannon helped rally on-the-fence lawmakers around the budget proposal. Some, like Sen. John McCain of Arizona, were no fans of its details, but they also recognized failure would spell disaster for the party during next years elections. They bit the bullet, said one fundraiser for a conservative group. They didnt love it, but they knew the alternative was worse.

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Senate Republicans also caught a break from their colleagues in the House. The House-passed budget blueprint called for $200 billion in cuts. But the bet, especially among Establishment-minded Republicans in the House, is that the promise of tax cuts trumps wariness of deficit spending. GOP lawmakers know they need to do somethingdetails be damnedbefore the 2018 election season begins in earnest.

At the White House, officials were also feeling like they had finally caught a break. A major piece of legislationtax cuts would likely be the cornerstone of many GOP lawmakers campaigns next year, as well as President Donald Trumps re-election bid in 2020seemed within striking distance. But even as officials were calling members of the Senate to thank them for their work and phoning House lawmakers to make sure there were no surprises, they looked at Twitter to see the President was back sending messages insulting a Democratic lawmaker. Why, the Presidents own advisers asked each other, couldnt the boss just soak up the victory?

And that is why Republicans continue, even in partial victory on a budget, to fret. Trump has a knack for stepping on his own wins. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, yet have consistently stepped on their own shoelaces. The conservative agenda ran into a brick wall of the GOPs own making. Even last week, as the budget was coming together and odds were looking up for the administration, many of the top aides throughout government bemoaned the President was his own biggest hurdle to getting taxes done.
By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday he may consider issuing a subpoena because the White House has not been forthcoming with details of an ambush in Niger that left four U.S. soldiers dead. The attack earlier this month, which U.S. officials suspect was carried out by a local Islamic State affiliate, has thrown a spotlight on the U.S. counter-terrorism mission in the West African country, which has about 800 U.S. troops. "It may require a subpoena," McCain said when asked what steps his committee might need to take to determine what happened to the four troops. Questioned what information the committee still needed, McCain said: "Everything." Asked whether the White House had been forthcoming with the information needed by the committee, he added, "of course not." White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said a Pentagon investigation is aimed at finding out what happened in Niger. "An investigation doesn't mean anything was wrong. An investigation doesn't mean people's heads are going to roll. The fact is, they need to find out what happened and why it happened," he said during an appearance in the White House briefing room. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters on Thursday that the incident was under investigation and defended the military's response, even as he acknowledged that it did not yet have all the accurate information on the incident. Initially, the Pentagon announced that three soldiers had been killed in the ambush. The body of a fourth soldier, Sergeant La David T. Johnson, was recovered more than a day later and questions have been raised about why it took as long as it did. "The U.S. military does not leave its troops behind and I would just ask that you not question the actions of the troops who were caught in the firefight and question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once," Mattis said before the start of a meeting with his Israeli counterpart. McCain said he had had a good conversation with President Donald Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, and hoped the White House would eventually provide the information needed by the committee. From initial accounts, the 40-member patrol, which included a dozen U.S. troops, came under swift attack by militants riding in a dozen vehicles and on about 20 motorcycles. The mission had been seen as a relatively lower-risk endeavor for America's elite commandos and there was no armed air cover at the time that could carry out air strikes if necessary. Mattis said contact was considered "unlikely" but did not provide further details. "There's a reason we have U.S. Army soldiers there and not the Peace Corps, because we carry guns. And so it's a reality, it's part of the danger that our troops face," he said. Under heavy fire, U.S. troops called in French fighter jets for air support, but the firefight was at such close quarters that the planes could not engage and were instead left circling overhead. U.S. officials have said French aircraft were overhead within 30 minutes. Mattis said a contract aircraft evacuated the dead U.S. soldiers and Johnson's body was found later by local nationals. The U.S. military's Africa Command said the soldiers were in the area to establish relations with local leaders and deemed it unlikely that they would meet resistance. (Additional reporting by Steve Holland and and David Alexander; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Dan Grebler)
Steve Bannon has launched a scathing attack on George W Bush, calling his presidency the most destructive in history.

The former White House adviser made the remarks following Mr Bushs speech in New York earlier this week, in which he denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of nativism had clouded the nations true identity.

Mr Bannon told the California Republican Party convention Mr Bush had embarrassed himself and did not know what he was talking about.

The chairman of right-wing news websiteBreitbart,said Mr Bush has no idea whether he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president.

The remarks came during a speech thick with attacks on the Washington status quo, echoing his call for an open revolt against establishment Republicans.

There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bushs, Mr Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of the former presidents name.

Mr Bannon also called the permanent political class one of the great dangers faced by the country.

Mr Bannon also took aim at Silicon Valley and its lords of technology, predicting that tech leaders and progressives in the state would try to secede from the union in 10 to 15 years.

He called the threat to break up the nation a living problem.

Mr Bannon also tried to cheer long-suffering California Republicans in a state that Donald Trump lost by more than four million votes and where Republicans have become largely irrelevant in state politics.

In Orange County, where the convention was held, several Republican House members are trying to hold onto their seats in districts carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential contest.

Youve got everything you need to win, he told them.

Mr Bannon ended his speech to a standing ovation. But not all Republicans were glad to see him.

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In a series of tweets last week, former state Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes said he was shocked by the decision to have the conservative firebrand headline the event.

Its a huge step backward and demonstrates that the party remains tone deaf, Mr Mayes tweeted.

Additional reporting by PA

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Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari addresses the General Debate of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will pay a working visit to Moscow on October 23-25 to discuss the current situation in Iraq and bilateral cooperation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Al-Jaafari will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on October 23 to mainly discuss the situation in Iraq at the final stage of the operation against the Islamic State, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Russian side invariably supports the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq," it read.

Al-Jaafari and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin will co-chair a session of the Russian-Iraqi commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation on October 23-24, according to the statement.

During the meeting, both sides will discuss the prospect of bilateral partnerships, with a focus on the fuel and energy sector in the light of large-scale projects being implemented in Iraq by Russian oil and gas companies.
The case of GOP operative and financier Peter W. Smithwho was found non-responsive in a room in the Rochester Hotel, Minnesota, in mid-Mayis now the focus of investigators probing Russias alleged bid to tip the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor.

A source close to the investigation told CNN on Monday that the House Intelligence Committee interviewed Matt Tait, a British security analyst who was recruited by Smith in his search for the Hillary Clinton emails allegedly hacked by Russia, and Jonathan Safron, a law student who worked as Smith's assistant. The Senate committee probing Russian interference reached out to Eric York, another security expert Smith enlisted in his email hunt, according to the report.

Business Insider reported Tuesday that Tait was also interviewed by Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate allegations of collusion between the Trump team and Russia.

Days before Smith's death, he was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, describing to the publication his efforts to obtain the stolen Clinton emails. Documents obtained by the Journal showed that Smith considered General Michael Flynn, at that time a campaign adviser to Donald Trump, an ally.

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Twitter @PTRSIH

Smith had a long history of digging dirt on GOP opponents, focusing on the Clintons in particular.

The wealthy businessman was behind some of the most notorious Clinton conspiracy theories, including the ' Troopergate' allegations that Bill Clinton used Arkansas state troopers to arrange illicit trysts with women. He reportedly discussed funding a probe into a trip to the Soviet Union that Bill Clinton made in 1969 while a college student.

According to a 1995 article in Crains Chicago Business, he was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic backers of Newt Gingrich, the Republican congressman who was an adviser to the Trump campaign, acting as chief fundraiser for Gingrich's political action committees in the 1990s .

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Smith told the Journal in May he had found five groups of hackers claiming to have hacked Clinton's emails, two of which he determined were Russian. Smith said he had been unable to verify the emails, and told the hackers to give them to WikiLeaks .

In a document he used to recruit others in his mission to obtain the Clinton emails, he listed Trump campaign officials Steve Bannon , Kellyanne Conway, and Michael Flynn. He said he was working with the officials in coordination to the extent permitted as an independent expenditure.

04_25_flynn_01

Reuters

After Smiths interview with the Journal was published, British Security expert Matt Tait, who was tapped by Smith to help verify stolen Clinton emails, spoke out in a June blog posting.

Over the course of a long phone call, he mentioned that he had been contacted by someone on the Dark Web who claimed to have a copy of emails from Secretary Clintons private server, and this was why he had contacted me; he wanted me to help validate whether or not the emails were genuine, wrote Tait.

He described Smiths apparent connections to Trumps inner circle.

Although it wasnt initially clear to me how independent Smiths operation was from Flynn or the Trump campaign, it was immediately apparent that Smith was both well connected within the top echelons of the campaign and he seemed to know both Lt. Gen. Flynn and his son well. Smith routinely talked about the goings on at the top of the Trump team, offering deep insights into the bizarre world at the top of the Trump campaign, he wrote.

According to the posting, Smith set up a company in Delaware, KLS Research, to avoid campaign reporting - i.e. to avoid laws requiring political campaigns to make public what they spend their money on. This document was about establishing a company to conduct opposition research on behalf of the campaign, but operating at a distance so as to avoid campaign reporting. Indeed, the document says as much in black and white, he writes.

Flynns attorney, Robert Kelner, has declined to comment on the claims, while Steve Bannon, the presidents former chief strategist, said he had never heard of Smith.

Conway acknowledged knowing about Smith from his work in Republican political circles, but told the Journal in July that she had no interactions with him during the campaign.

Flynn resigned as a National Security Adviser to Trump in February, after failing to disclose his contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before November's election. That communication is now under scrutiny by Mueller.

At the time Smith was seeking to verify the alleged stolen Clinton emails, intelligence agencies had determined Russia was behind the hack of thousands of emails from the Democrat National Committee servers, which were subsequently released to WikiLeaks.

A sheaf of documents, including a statement police called a suicide note, in which Smith declared he was ill and his insurance policy was expiring, lay next to his body. Medical records list his cause of death as asphyxiation.

Investigators will be seeking to clarify whether Smith was acting as unofficial Trump campaign operative, or was a fantasist. For Tait, though, there was no doubt that Smith's search for the emails led him to reckless behavior.

"In my conversations with Smith and his colleague, I tried to stress this point: if this dark web contact is a front for the Russian government, you really dont want to play this game. But they were not discouraged," he wrote.

"They appeared to be convinced of the need to obtain Clintons private emails and make them public, and they had a reckless lack of interest in whether the emails came from a Russian cut-out. Indeed, they made it quite clear to me that it made no difference to them who hacked the emails or why they did so, only that the emails be found and made public before the election."

Smith was not the only Flynn associate engaged in the desperate hunt for Clinton's emails. Last week The Guardian reported that conservative activist Barbara Ledeen turned to the dark web to obtain Clinton's emails in 2015.

On CNN, York declined to respond to claims that he had been contacted by the Russia probe.

Newsweek has reached out to Tait and Safron for comment.

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Richard Spencer speaks at the Texas A&M University campus in 2016: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Supporters of white surpemacist Richard Spencer were arrested for attempted murder just hours after he made a controversial speech at the University of Florida.

Shouting "hail hitler", the three men shot at anti-racist protesters in the city of Gainesville, northern Florida.

Tyler Tenbrink, 30, William Fears, 28 and Colston Fears, 28, pulled up to a bus stop and began "offering Nazi salutes and shouting chants about Hitler to the group police said in a statement.

Tenbrink then proceeded to pull out a gun and fire one shot at the group. The bullet missed and nobody was injured,

Both Fears brothers encouraged Tenbrink to shoot the victims yelling "kill them" and "shoot them".

One of the victims managed to write down their licence plate helping police to track them down.

Mr Spencer was forced to cut his first major speech since Charlottesville short after after hundreds of protestors booed him offstage.

Protestors filled the auditorium massively outnumbering the 30 supporters of the alt-right leader who attended.

A street protest of around 1,500 people also occurred.

Florida governor Rick Scott had declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Spencer's arrival in attempt to prevent another Charlottesville.

The three men, all from Texas, are being held at the Alachua County Jail, pending trial.
Nairobi (AFP) - The Tanzanian government said Saturday it had suspended an NGO it had accused of promoting gay marriage in contravention of local "customs, traditions and laws".

The move followed a police raid on a Community Health Education Services and Advocacy (CHESA) centre, which is accused of being involved in "the promotion of marriage between people of the same sex".

The government said "marriages between people of the same sex are unacceptable in Tanzania as (they are) contrary to the customs, traditions and laws of the country".

CHESA stands accused of organising last Tuesday a workshop for gay couples in a hotel in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city.

Police made 12 arrests Wednesday at the hotel, including two South Africans and a Ugandan, for presumed homosexuality.

In a joint statement Friday CHESA and South Africa's Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), a fellow NGO, insisted they were merely coordinating a "legal consultation" to challenge a government decision to limit the provision of some health services.

In February, Tanzania provoked criticism notably from the United States after announcing the closure of several health centres specialising in AIDS prevention, alleging they were fronts for promoting homosexuality.

CHESA and ISLA said 13 arrests were made Tuesday, including ISLAs executive director, Sibongile Ndashe, and added all were back in custody after bail was revoked Friday.

The organisations stated that "the Tanzanian constitution enshrines the right to seek legal redress when fundamental rights have been violated".

They added Tanzania has signed the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights which "recognises an individuals right to an appeal to competent national organs against acts violating his fundamental rights as recognised and guaranteed by conventions, laws and customs in force".

The NGOs insisted the case against its workers had no legal basis and demanded an end to state persecution of lawyers and their clients.

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Tanzania has vowed to deport foreigners campaigning for gay rights in a country where gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment.

In July 2016, the government banned the import of some lubricant gels alleging they were used exclusively by homosexuals.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the sale and occasional free distribution of the gels encouraged gay sex.

According to Amnesty International, homosexuality is illegal in 38 of 54 African states and is punishable by death in Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan.

Uganda repealed a 2014 move to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of being gay.
People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters after Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas, in August: Reuters

A Texas city devastated by flooding after Hurricane Harvey is forcing recipients of financial aid to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the clause on Dickinson city council's application form for relief funding violated free speech rights and was "reminiscent of McCarthy-era loyalty oaths" requiring Americans to disavow Communism.

The city, 30 miles from Houston, was one of the areas hardest hit by Harvey. This week Dickinson authorities began accepting applications from individuals and businesses for grants from money donated for hurricane aid.

The form includes a clause headlined "verification not to boycott Israel". It states: "By executing this Agreement below, the Applicant verifies that the Applicant: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement."

The city's attorney said he was following state law introduced in May which prohibits public bodies giving contracts to companies that boycott Israel.

But Andre Segura, the ACLU's legal director for Texas, said: The First Amendment protects Americans right to boycott, and the government cannot condition hurricane relief or any other public benefit on a commitment to refrain from protected political expression.

Dickinsons requirement is an egregious violation of the First Amendment, reminiscent of McCarthy-era loyalty oaths requiring Americans to disavow membership in the Communist party and other forms of subversive activity.

The ACLU said previous Supreme Court decisions had established the government could not require individuals to indicate political beliefs to obtain employment, contracts or benefits.

It said Dickinson's application form was "unconstitutional".

The city's attorney, David Olsen, said the anti-boycott clause was required due to state law. He told ABC 13 the requirement would remain "until someone tells them differently".

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Texas governor Greg Abbott signed legislation requiring all state contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel earlier this year.

"As Israel's number one trading partner in the United States, Texas is proud to reaffirm its support for the people of Israel and we will continue to build on our historic partnership," he said in May. "Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally."
Tyler Tenbrink and brothers William and Colton Fears charged in Florida

All three white nationalists were also present at Charlottesville rally

The Gainesville shooting suspect Tyler Tenbrink pictured leaving the Richard Spencer speaking event at University of Florida White on Thursday. Photograph: Bruer/Zuma Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

After an incident that occurred less than two hours after the white nationalist Richard Spencer finished speaking at the University of Florida on Thursday, three white men were arrested and charged with attempted homicide.

According to the Gainesville police, the men chanted Hail Hitler!, gave Nazi salutes and fired a gun at a group of protesters about a mile south of Spencers venue.



The three men were photographed and seen in media interviews outside the venue, police spokesman Ben Tobias said, and at least two were known to have links to extremist groups.

Tyler Tenbrink, 28, of Richmond, Texas, fired the gun, according to the police. The Gainesville Sun reported that Tenbrink was interviewed by one of its reporters hours earlier, and said he had driven from Houston to see Spencer speak.

This is a mess, Tenbrink reportedly told the Sun about the protests. Im disappointed in the course of things. It appears that the only answer left is violence, and nobody wants that.

According to a researcher at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Tenbrink has attended at least seven white supremacist events. He is also a convicted felon, according to the police.

This photo provided by the Alachua County sheriffs office shows Tyler Tenbrink. Photograph: AP

William Fears. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Colton Fears. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Brothers William Fears, 30 and Colton Fears, 28 of Pasadena, Texas, encouraged [Tenbrink] to shoot at the victims, police said. William Fears has been affiliated with Vanguard America and the Patriot Movement, according to Carla Hill, a researcher with the ADL Center for Extremism. He was seen jabbing a flag at counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, she said, and screaming the whole time.

All three men were present at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, Hill said. That weekend, a car attack after clashes in the streets left at least 19 counterprotesters injured and killed a 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer. James Alex Fields, 20, who was photographed with Vanguard America at the rally, was charged with second-degree murder.

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Spencer has repeatedly said that he and his supporters are not violent and those who protest against him are the real threat. At his speech to hundreds of people at the University of Floridas Phillips Center on Thursday afternoon, he rejected accusations from the audience that he was responsible for violence carried out by followers of the alt-right movement.

The majority of the audience stood, chanted, booed and raised their fists throughout his hour-long speech. When he mentioned Heyer, the crowd chanted: Its your fault! Its your fault!

Asked how it felt to have a roomful of people accusing him of being responsible for a young womans death, Spencer said: I just dont take those people seriously. Its a joke to say something like that, so it doesnt touch me. He did not respond to a request for comment on the charges following his Gainesville event.

The Florida incident could have broad repercussions for Spencers campaign to use public universities across the country as a venue for his white nationalist ideas and as a recruiting platform.

Ohio State University announced on Friday night that, despite the threat of a lawsuit from Spencers supporters, the school was denying a request to have him speak on campus. In a statement, the university said it was issuing the denial due to substantial risk to public safety, as well as material and substantial disruption to the work and discipline of the university.



Michael Carpenter, a lawyer representing Ohio State, wrote Friday that the university values freedom of speech but that it had denied the request to have Spencer speak after reviewing the information currently available including yesterdays events at the University of Florida.

At 5.30pm on Thursday, about an hour and a half after Spencer left the stage, three men in a silver Jeep pulled up to a bus stop and yelled Hail Hitler and other chants at protesters, according to the police report.



An argument ensued and a protester used a baton to hit the rear window of the vehicle. The car pulled forward, then stopped. Tenbrink emerged and pulled out a handgun. According to the report, the Fears brothers were yelling Kill them! and Shoot them! Tenbrink fired a single shot, which hit a building. Then the men drove away.

They were stopped and arrested about 20 miles north of Gainesville. Tenbrink admitted to being the shooter, according to the police report. All three men are being held in the Alachua County jail.

Gainesville police recovered a gun in the vehicle. Tobias, the police spokesman, said the victims were in their early to mid-20s and were carrying signs. Following department policy, he said, the victims were not identified to protect their safety.

I am amazed that immediately after being shot at, a victim had the forethought to get the vehicles license number, Tobias said. That key piece of information allowed officials from every level of multiple agencies to quickly identify and arrest these persons.

In September, the Dallas Morning News quoted 30-year-old William Fears as denying belonged to any white supremacist group but saying: Nazi is like the N-word for white people, he said. And I just embrace it. He was identified by the paper as having protested against the removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee from a park in the city.

The Gainesville Sun quoted William Fears on Thursday as saying: Were starting to push back, were starting to want to intimidate back. We want to show our teeth a little bit because, you know, were not to be taken lightly. We dont want violence; we dont want harm.

But at the end of the day, were not opposed to defending ourselves.
The tiger at the center of a years-long legal battle between animal rights activists and a Louisiana truck stop owner has died, but the owners desire to get another tiger means the fight likely isnt over.

Tony, better known as Tony the Truck Stop Tiger, was euthanized Monday at the age of 17 after suffering from kidney failure. Michael Sandlin, the owner of Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, acquired Tony when the big cat was 6 months old. He would spend the rest of his life living in an enclosure by the side of the highway.

Tony behind the fencing of his truck stop enclosure. (Photo: Courtesy of ALDF)

He was an old man, Sandlin told The Advocate. You wish they could live forever, but of course, I wouldnt want him to suffer.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal rights nonprofit, also expressed sadness over Tonys death but for a different reason. The ALDF tried for more than seven years to get Tony moved to a wildlife sanctuary and said in a statement the group was devastated that Tony lived out his final days caged.

Sandlin also told The Advocate he plans to try to get a new tiger to live at the truck stop, which is heavily tiger-themed. The ALDF says its staff will do whatever it can to stop that from happening.

Were going to keep fighting and make sure theres never another Tony, ALDF attorney Anthony Eliseuson told HuffPost.

Sandlin, who did not respond to a request for comment from HuffPost, says Tony received exemplary care at the truck stop. He also argued that the tiger was attached to his human caretakers and was used to life at the truck stop. In Sandlins view, moving Tony to a sanctuary would have been cruel, since the truck stop was all the big cat had ever known.

But animal rights activists disagreed. At a sanctuary, they said, he would have significantly more space, access to a more natural environment and freedom from loud engines and noxious fumes.

The question of how Sandlin was able to keep Tony at the truck stop involves a long and complex legal history. In 2006, Louisiana put restrictions on private big cat ownership. In 2012, Eliseuson said, the ALDF won a judgment against Sandlin that invalidated his permit to own Tony. But in 2014, then-Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) signed a bill into law that exempted Sandlin from the big cat ban.

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However, the 2014 law exempted Sandlin because it decreed that the ban didnt apply to anyone who owned their animal prior to 2006. That means the exemption would apply only to Tony, not to tigers Sandlin might try to acquire now.

So how would Sandlin be able to legally get a new tiger? Eliseuson explained that around the time of the 2012 ruling, Sandlin also filed a lawsuit challenging the 2006 state ban on big cat ownership as unconstitutional. His argument was that the law is enforced unevenly and gives officials enforcing it too much power, The New York Times reported in 2013.

So far, that lawsuit hasnt made much progress, according to Eliseuson. But if Sandlin were to win, it would make privately owning exotic big cats legal not only for himself but for anyone in Louisiana.

If he were to ultimately be successful, he would invalidate the big cat ban, Eliseuson said, adding that ALDF will continue to fight to uphold the constitutionality of the ban.

State regulations on owning exotic animals vary wildly, contributing to a situation in which conservationists estimate there are 5,000 to 10,000 captive tigers in the U.S., many in places like roadside zoos and private homes. In contrast, there are about 3,200 tigers in the wild worldwide.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 05:18:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan eastern-based parliament on Saturday stressed the importance of security coordination with Egypt to eliminate terrorist organizations.

The parliament's remarks came in a statement of condolence issued to the 16 policemen killed in clashes with terrorists in Egypt.

"The Libyan parliament and people confirm solidarity with Egypt in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Our war against terrorism is common. All dark schemes target the security of all of us," the statement said.

"We stress the importance of security coordination between Libya and Egypt to eliminate all terrorist organizations," the statement added.

At least 16 Egyptian policemen were killed in a shootout with terrorists in the desert of Giza province on Friday.

Egyptian authorities have taken exceptional security measures in the area of the clashes to monitor and control the movements of terrorists.
New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez discusses the damage in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria, Sept. 26. (Photo: Matthew Daly/AP)

WASHINGTON  Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., the first Puerto Rican-born woman elected to Congress, sharply criticized President Trumps handling of the hurricane damage on the island in an interview with Yahoo News on Friday evening. The congresswoman also suggested the president is treating Puerto Ricans differently than other U.S. citizens because they are Latinos.

Velazquez expressed shock that Trump gave himself a 10 on a scale of one to 10 when Yahoo News had asked him to grade his response to the destruction.

I really dont know how he arrived at 10, Velazquez said.

Trump gave himself the perfect score when he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday after meeting with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello.

Slideshow: Puerto Rico 1 month after Hurricane Maria >>>

The congresswoman went on to cite figures about the current situation on the island, which is a U.S. territory. As of Friday morning, more than 80 percent of the island was without power, and more than 30 percent lacked reliable drinking water. The devastation was largely caused when Hurricane Maria hit the island on Sept. 20. The storm was a Category 5, the highest level on the hurricane scale.

This is a month later. I really think that this president is delusional. Hes out of touch, said Velazquez, adding, I dont know if he doesnt or he is incapable to really understand how disgusting it is  that he seems to be more concerned with self-adulation than what is happening on the ground.

Velazquez, who visited Puerto Rico shortly after the storm struck, did not hesitate when Yahoo News asked what grade shed give the presidents response to the hurricane one a scale of one to 10.

Oh, four, she said.

Velazquez said she thinks the islands residents, who are U.S. citizens, would be receiving better treatment if they were not largely Latino.

I think that, in his mind, Puerto Ricans are not American citizens. Or, if they are and he came to that realization, that they are, you know, less deserving of the government being there for fellow citizens, Velazquez said of Trump.

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President Trump meets with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello in the Oval Office on Oct. 19. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Velazquezs assessment of Trump.

Velazquezs New York City district has a sizable Puerto Rican population. She said many of her constituents believe Trump is racist towards Latinos.

What I constantly hear from people around there is just, approaching me on the street and saying that, you know, its apparent that theres some racism in the treatment of Puerto Ricans and Latinos on the part of the president, she said.

During his meeting with Trump on Thursday, Rossello, Puerto Ricos governor, declined to give a numerical grade to the White Houses response. However, he repeatedly noted the president has responded to all of his requests.

The president has answered all of our petitions.  This is still ongoing, so we expect that thatll continue, Rossello said.

Nevertheless, Velazquez said the White Houses response to the disaster was clearly inadequate.

The issue is not if they answered, the issue is what that answer involved, Velazquez explained. They answered, they responded, they provided, but apparently it was insufficient. It wasnt the full force of the federal government.

Velazquez has previously sharply criticized Trump for tweeting that the military and Federal Emergency Management Agency would not be able to remain on the island forever.

For her part, Velazquez said she wants to see a larger contingent from the military and the Army Corps of Engineers on the Island.

Puerto Rico Residents take relief supplies delivered by soldiers working with a 101st Airborne Division unit on Oct. 5. (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

We need boots on the ground to help restore the power grid, and still people do not have water, she said.

Velazquez is currently in her district, but she plans to return to Puerto Rico next week.

It doesnt matter how you want to describe it. This is a humanitarian crisis, she said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Donald Trump says that his administrations response to the disaster in Puerto Rico deserves a grade of 10 out of 10, even though much of the island is still without power nearly a month after Hurricane Maria smashed through the US territory.

The President boasted of his own administrations work during a meeting in the Oval Office with the US territorys governor, Ricardo Rossello. The Puerto Rican governor notably avoided the question when asked how hed rate the US federal governments response.

I think weve done a really great job, Mr Trump said. I give ourselves a 10 [because] we have provided so much, so fast.

Three weeks after Maria made landfall on the US territory, as much as 78 per cent of the island is still without power, endangering vulnerable populations in hospitals and elsewhere. Ninety-eight per cent of the hospitals on the island are reportedly open, but they are hobbled by unsteady access to electricity. Of those hospitals with generators, the influx of patients from other hospitals that don't have the resources to serve their patients has put strains on doctors and medical professionals there.

Emergency health services are also paralysed in many places, leaving many sick people trapped in their homes without access to phone services to call for help, and without access to their medications. People with lifelong medical conditions are particularly vulnerable, and many are being forced to go without the medications they need to survive.

In parts of the island, the supplies of life-saving medications like oxygen and insulin are running out, and some have spoiled. In some scenarios on the island, there simply isn't enough to go around already.

The dire medical situation on the island has led to deaths, though many of those may not be accounted for in the official death toll of 48 people. That's because, in areas that are harder to access, the deaths may not be officially certified. Reports of bodies piling up at some hospitals have hinted that the number of deaths may end up being much higher than currently reported.

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Mr Trump has appeared openly resentful of the notion that the United States is obligated to provide aid to Puerto Rico, a US territory with 3.4 million American citizens, and has been repeatedly criticised for that perceived attitude. He tweeted last week that "we cannot keep [the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)], the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!"

While visiting, the President also commented on the cost of the disaster relief, telling local officials there that they had thrown the US federal budget "out of whack".

Some in Mr Trump's administration appear to have a tenuous grasp on Puerto Rico's legal status, with Energy Secretary Rick Perry referring to the island as a "country" on the same day as that tweet, while fielding questions about efforts to repair the island's energy grid.

FEMA says that there are more than 20,000 federal civilian personnel and military members, including 1,700 FEMA personnel, who are in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. That response includes a Department of Defense hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, which is reportedly underutilized, since people on the island aren't sure how to get patients to the boat.

The emergency management agency has provided millions of meals and millions of liters of water to distressed people in Puerto Rico. The governor of the island has established 10 regional staging areas around the island to aid in the distribution of aid, and is reportedly working alongside the National Guard in that mission.
A billionaire Democratic donor is putting some of his vast wealth toward a campaign to impeach President Donald Trump by petitioning elected officials across the country to take a stand on removing him from the White House. Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager who has poured millions of dollars into Democratic candidates and causes, launched a television ad campaign this week together with a website titled "Need to Impeach" in which people can sign up to petition lawmakers.

Related: Impeaching Trump: Inside Larry Flynt's Investigation to Take Down the President

Whether by the nature of Mr. Trumps relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia, his willingness to exploit the office of the Presidency for his personal gain and treat the government like a family enterprise, his conduct during Charlottesville, his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords, or his seeming determination to take the nation to war, he has violated the Constitution, the office of the Presidency, and the trust of the public, Steyer said in an open letter on the website. He is a clear and present danger to the United States of America.

In the ad, Steyer again rolls off what he sees as the list of the presidents deep failings, including bringing the country to the brink of nuclear war. He then asks: If that isn't the case for impeaching and removing a dangerous president, then what has our government become?

And Steyer is putting his money where his mouth is. The campaign is funded directly by his vast financial resources and will be accompanied by a seven-figure social media blitz, according to The Washington Post.

Tom Steyer

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Steyer sent a letter to the country's 50 governors and 2,000 city mayors to call on them to take public stances advocating for Trumps impeachment, as The Hill first reported. That came a week after he penned a similar letter to Democrats demanding that they support impeaching the president if they take back control of Congress in 2018.

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The Republican Party currently controls both chambers, meaning there is little prospect of impeachment proceedings moving forward with a majority vote required in the House to impeach and a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict.

Thus far only a smattering of Democrats have openly called for the president to be impeached. California Representative Brad Sherman filed articles of impeachment in July accusing Trump of obstruction of justice over his firing of former FBI Director James Comey. The articles were co-sponsored by Al Green of Texas, who filed his own articles last week but stopped short of forcing a vote in the House.

A third House Democrat, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, has said he is attempting to build support before filing articles of impeachment. Earlier this week, he claimed that his proposal was being considered by one Republican.

Steyer could yet have a role beyond simply financing an impeachment campaign. The environmental activist on Sunday said he was weighing up contesting the California Senate seat currently held by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. The veteran senator has attracted criticism from the left of the party for her cautious tone when discussing impeachment and instead calling for patience.

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President Donald Trump will allow the public release of thousands of previously classified documents on President John F. Kennedys assassination, he announced on Twitter Saturday.

In releasing the never-before-seen files, Trump will be complying with a law passed by Congress in 1992 that orders the National Archives to release the documents within 25 years. That deadline falls on Oct. 26 of this year.

However, the act specifies that the files wont be released if they harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign operations.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

Trump appeared to acknowledge that caveat, adding in his announcement that the documents release is subject to him receiving further information.

More than 3,000 documents relating to Kennedys 1963 shooting death have never been released publicly. More than 30,000 others were previously released, but with redactions, CBS News reported.

Politico, citing unidentified White House and government officials, reported last week that a full release of the documents is unlikely and Trump may block certain portions of the files. The officials reasoned that some documents from the 1990s may contain information on recent American intelligence and law-enforcement operations that government authorities would not want to make public.

President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, are seen after arriving in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963. He was fatally shot that same day. (Photo: Art Rickerby via Getty Images)

The White House told Politico that it had been working to to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public by Thursdays deadline.

Kennedys death in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963, has been one of the most controversial cases in American history, with some questioning whether Lee Harvey Oswald killed the president himself or if it was the work of someone else. Oswald was arrested in the assassination but fatally shot days later.

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Trump himself is no stranger to conspiracy theories.

Lee Harvey Oswald is seen following his arrest for possible involvement in the John F. Kennedy assassination and the murder of Officer J.D. Tippit. (Photo: National Archives - JFK via Getty Images)

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump publicly suggested that the father of his political rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), was somehow associated with Oswald, following an unfounded conspiracy theory that had been printed in a tabloid.

Cruzs campaign team called the claim garbage. Trump never apologized.

For five years, Trump was also among so-called birther conspirators who questioned whether President Barack Obama is a natural born U.S. citizen. Trump admitted last fall that Obama was born in the U.S.

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Related...

How The Media Covered Ronald Reagan's Attempted Assassination

Trump Rehashes JFK Conspiracy Theory Linking Ted Cruz's Father To Lee Harvey Oswald

Chuck Grassley Gave Trump 'Credit' For Obama Releasing His Birth Certificate In 2011

How You Could Fall Victim To Conspiracy Theories

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Diahann Carroll Sings

Diahann Carroll (far right), performs during an evening reception at the residence of Arthur B. Krim and Dr. Mathilde Krim in New York City, New York. Marilyn Monroe can be seen in the background.

President Kennedy with Diahann Carroll

President John F. Kennedy visits with actor and singer Diahann Carroll. Eunice Kennedy Shriver stands at far left in background.

President Kennedy with Marilyn Monroe

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, actress Marilyn Monroe, President John F. Kennedy and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

President Kennedy Mingles

President John F. Kennedy speaks with singer Harry Belafonte and Julie Belafonte.

President Kennedy with Shirley MacLaine

President John F. Kennedy greets actress Shirley McLaine.

President Kennedy with Jimmy Durante

President John F. Kennedy shares a laugh with actor/singer/comedian Jimmy Durante.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Washington (AFP) - White House chief of staff John Kelly -- a former general whose son died in Afghanistan -- made an emotive defense of Donald Trump Thursday, amid a scandal over the president's phone call with a military widow.

Kelly, who spent nearly four decades in the Marine Corps, said he had advised Trump not to call the families of four servicemen killed in Niger personally, but was disgusted by how the issue had become politicized.

He blamed the Democratic lawmaker who made public the contents of a call between Trump and widow Myeshia Johnson.

"I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning and brokenhearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing," he said.

"A member of Congress who listened in on a phone call from the president of the United States to a young wife," he said. "Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred."

"The only thing I could do to collect my thoughts was to go and walk among the finest men and women on this Earth. And you can always find them. Because they're in Arlington National Cemetery."

Kelly said he "went over there for an hour and a half, walked among the stones, some of whom I put there because they were doing what I told them to do when they were killed."

Trump kicked off the furor early this week by falsely claiming that Barack Obama and other former US leaders did not call the families of fallen soldiers.

He returned to the subject in an interview with Fox News radio and brought up his chief of staff Kelly, whose son, a Marine Corps lieutenant, was killed by a landmine in Afghanistan in 2010.

"You could ask General Kelly 'Did he get a call from Obama?'" Trump said.

- 'It still hurts' -

It was then alleged that during a call Trump had offended the pregnant widow of Sergeant La David Johnson, 25, who was one of four US servicemembers killed in a jihadist ambush October 4.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday that Johnson's body was "found later" by non-American forces following the ambush, which is thought to have been conducted by jihadists in an area where an Islamic State group affiliate operates.

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As is routine in incidents where troops are killed, the Pentagon has opened an inquiry into the soldiers' deaths.

The details of Trump's call with Johnson's widow were released by Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida.

"I didn't hear the whole phone call, but I did hear him say, 'I'm sure he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts,'" she recalled, sparking another round of controversy.

The soldier's mother also suggested that the president struggled to convey an empathetic tone.

"President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband," Sergeant Johnson's mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, told the Washington Post.

Kelly said he had advised Trump not to make the calls: "My first recommendation was he not do it. Because it's not the phone call that parents, family members are looking forward to."

But, after taking advice, Kelly said Trump "called four people the other day and expressed his condolences in the best way he could."

"And in his way tried to express that opinion that he's a brave man, a fallen hero, he knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted... and was where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to be with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken. That was the message."

Kelly also noted that a president does not always call -- particularly during high-casualty wars -- but they do write letters to the family.

"Typically the only phone calls the family receives are the most important phone calls they could imagine, and that is from their buddies."
The White House has claimed that speeches by George W Bush and Barack Obama - widely interpreted as being strong criticisms of Donald Trumps actions - were not aimed at the President.

In a speech in New York earlier this week, Mr Bush attacked nationalism distorted into nativism and said the country had forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.

On the same day, speaking in Virginia, where was supporting Ralph Northams run for governor, Mr Obama said: Instead of our politics reflecting our values, we have politics infecting our communities.

Ma Sanders claimed the two former presidents were not attacking Ms Trump (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

While neither of the former presidents named Mr Trump, their comments were interpreted as being targeted at the current President. There is a convention that former occupants of the Oval Office do not criticise other presidents, so their remarks, from members of different political parties, were all the more powerful.

But White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to deny the speeches were targeting Mr Trump.

Our understanding is that those comments were not directed towards the president and, in fact, when these two individuals, both past presidents have criticised the president, they've done so by name and very rarely do it without being pretty direct, as both of them tend to be, Ms Sanders told reporters in Washington, according to The Hill.

So we will take them at their word that these actions and comments were not directed at the president.

The news site said Ms Sanders did not respond to shouted questions about whether Mr Trump agreed with his predecessors belief that bigotry was on the rise.

Asked about Mr Bushs comment that politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrications, she hit back.

If anybody is pushing a lot of fabricated things right now, I think most of that would be coming from the news media, she said. We would certainly agree with that sentiment.
I first met Charles when I documented his scars. He planned to use my medical report as evidence in immigration court where he was applying for asylum based on the persecution he had endured for his political opinions. Charles interrogators had wanted him to stop protesting against the government. So theyd detained him after a peaceful rally and tortured him for two weeks. His captors kept him in a filthy, crowded, insect-infested cell. When they took him out of it to be questioned, they threatened his life and his family. They then beat, cut and burned him. Others captured protestors were not released. They were killed.

Charles, whose name Ive changed for privacy reasons, was from a country in Africa ruled by a dictator with an abysmal human rights record. Knowing that his life would continue to be at risk, he fled to the U.S. for safety. Fortunately, the court granted him asylum. Once again, he was lucky.

The Trump Administration recently announced the decrease of the annual refugee cap to 45,000  a record low, since 1980. That cap stands amidst the current 65 million individuals displaced worldwide  a record high, full stop.

The Trump Administration has since delivered to Congress a harsh new set of immigration proposals. A key section of the document outlines mandates that would make seeking asylum in this country, especially for children fleeing gang violence in Central America, more difficult. Another part proposes building more detention facilities for children who have just completed a harrowing journey to the U.S. border. It is clear the Trump Administration seeks to decrease the number of people who are granted asylum.

In my work, I have seen what it means for the United States to welcome refugees. Torture is not an abstract concept to me. In the last 10 years, Ive been told more than 100 stories of this intentional infliction of pain. Weve heard for nine months about America First, but non-English-speaking refugees who came to America with nothing but a hope for security is the first America.

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As Charles told me about his experience, I couldnt help but think of the wide variety of Americans who express their political views without fear of reprisal, of torture, of scars. Living in a country without protected free speech resulted in a different reality for Charles, as it does for millions of others around the world.

I also evaluate newly resettled refugees in my clinic, and talk to those who have suffered unspeakable persecution. They are simultaneously deeply grateful to be safe  often after years of fear and deprivation  and eager to establish themselves in the U.S. Each time I meet a refugee in my office, I realize I could be sitting in a room with any number of Americans since our country was founded. They share tales of danger and suffering, and they speak of hope of a new life. The refugees have already been granted legal status before entering the country, which makes them different from asylum seekers. But they also carry fear and trauma from their lives before, the effects of which can impact their emotional and physical health.

Physicians see humans in their most fundamental way, and our professional responsibility is to treat patients as people, regardless of their life histories or for that matter, their politics. In the exam room, politics falls away, if its even there, and I see patients as humans first. I invite lawmakers  especially officials who are strongly opposed to refugees but have never met one  to follow me for a day as I care for people, not Syrians or Iranians or Somalis, who often become the most hardworking and productive members of our communities. (They regularly succeed: refugees contribute more to the economy than they take, and the likelihood of violence from a refugee is below that of a native-born American.) When discussing issues of health and illness, patients are no longer abstract political caricatures.

When people hear about the work I do with refugees and asylum seekers, many of them are curious, if wary. I tell them about people like the young man who had just emigrated from Iraq after spending almost two years in a refugee camp in Jordan. He had come for his appointment after finishing his shift in a fast food restaurant, still wearing his uniform. His gratitude for the safety he felt in the U.S. and the opportunity hed been given to work was palpable. My job  our job, really  is to help heal him. He is not alone.
A U.S. Air Force ground crew member prepares to direct the pilot of a F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft before a mission at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan August 22, 2017. Picture taken August 22, 2017. (REUTERS Photo/Josh Smith)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Air Force could call back as many as 1,000 retired airmen to active duty amid an "acute shortage" of military combat pilots, local reports said Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order which would allow him to use powers under the National Emergencies Act signed in the wake of the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to subject the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force to the direction of the secretary of defense on the matter.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," the local media quoted a statement by Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Gary issued on Friday.

The U.S. Air Force was short of 1,555 pilots at the end of the 2016 fiscal year, including 1,211 fighter pilots, according to an ABC News report.

To help make the pilot job more attractive, the Air Force expanded its aviation bonus program in August and increased incentive pay earlier this month for officers and enlisted crew members for the first time since 1999, said the report.

The pilot supply shortage is seen as a national level challenge that could have adverse effects on both the government and commercial aviation sectors in the United States.
On October 4, Sgt. La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright were killed when their 12-member team was ambushed by 50 radical Islamists Washington believes are linked to the Islamic state militant group (ISIS).

Details about their deaths remain cloudy more than two weeks later. Lawmakers have criticized the Trump administrations lack of transparency and inability to disclose information that explains what led to the ambush on the soldiers providing counter-terrorism advice to Nigerien forces.

The Pentagon has defended the 48 hours it took to retrieve the body of Sgt. Johnson, denying that he was left behind. We dont leave anyone behind. He was separated, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said.

The U.S. Africa Command had been leading the probe into the attack and the circumstances surrounding it. Now, the FBI has entered the investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, a move that suggests the U.S. military and Trump administration require assistance piecing together what happened on that day.

The fact that the domestic security service has had to intervene appears to compound criticism of the officials overseeing the aftermath for two weeks. However, the FBI has said this sort of investigation is routine, as it regularly opens investigations into cases, at home or abroad, that involve Americans and could be linked to extremist groups. The agency has existing personnel in the West African country where jihadi groupsincluding the group blamed for the attack, the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS)move across the lawless Sahel desert region.

The FBI has helped in past cases involving the deaths of U.S. soldiers, for example the murder of three U.S. military trainers by a Jordanian at King Faisal Air Base on the outskirts of Amman on November 4, 2016. As the soldiersStaff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriartywaited at the bases gate, a Jordanian soldier First Sgt. Maarik al-Tawayha opened fire. He was sentenced to life in prison in July.

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The agency has the authority to take charge of the entire investigation but has not acted to do so yet, only playing a contributing role. It will assess the militants who attacked the group and how they had information about the soldiers whereabouts.

1013_Niger_attack

Courtesy Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air Force/Handout via Reuters

The scrutiny around the ambush is set to continue, with top Republican lawmakers calling for greater disclosure in a classified or public setting. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, is threatening to use legislative measures to draw more information from Trump officials about the attack.

We are coequal branches of government; we should be informed at all times, he said. Were just not getting the information in the timely fashion that we need.

McCain added: Theres a mindset over there that theyre a unicameral government.

He said he would use everything, everything, everything to get the full facts of the ambush, going as far as a subpoena if necessary.

Other members of the committee were just as critical, alleging that Congress did not know the reason for special forces soldiers to be deployed to Niger, let alone on that deadly mission.

These four soldiers being killed and most people not knowing what they were up to is a game changer," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Journal reported. "I'm concerned that we're not regularly briefed about operations.

Im all for going after terrorists, Graham added, but I want to know before I read about it in the paper where our people are and what theyre doing.

McMaster said on Wednesday that he would brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill as soon as he could do so. White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly admitted that there was more information known than had been disclosed to lawmakers or to the public. That is unlikely to change any time soon if the White House has its way.

Ive read the same stories you have, he said, according to the Washington Post. I actually know a lot more than Im letting on, but Im not going to tell you.

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Donald Trump was not mentioned by name. But it was utterly obvious whom his predecessors in the White House were referring to, and the impact they believed his actions were having on the country they had once governed.

Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrications, said George W Bush, who occupied the White House from 2001 to 2009.

Barack Obama, who held office from 2009 to just nine months ago, said politics appeared so angry and nasty. Instead of our politics reflecting our values, we have politics infecting our communities, he declared.

Mr Trumps actions as President have broken with political traditions (Getty)

For the last six decades, it has become a generally accepted tradition that former presidents do not criticise the behaviour of those who follow them. The fact that two former presidents  moreover individuals representing different parties and separated by 15 years in age  should do so with such vehemence and on the same day, is unprecedented.

The triggers were the strident actions of the man whose name was unspoken.

Traditionally, during periods we are most polarised, the former presidents try to bring the country together, said Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginias Miller Centre.

Then you have Donald Trump who is utterly unprecedented in that he has no military or political experience and who does not recognise the political norms. That is why he was elected.

The tradition of former presidents not speaking out against those who followed them, has not always existed. In the early days of the Republic, John Adams, the nations second president, clashed with Thomas Jefferson, who served as his vice president even though he was was different party, and who became the third president.

Harry Truman, a Democrat who served as the 33rd president, spoke out passionately about the actions of Republican Dwight Eisenhower, the former five-star general who was the nations 34th commander-in-chief, said Ms Perry.

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Even among the five surviving former presidents, individuals did not always hold their tongue. In 2004, Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, criticised George W Bush and Tony Blair for waging an unnecessary war to oust Saddam Hussein based on lies or misinterpretations.

There was no reason for us to become involved in Iraq, he told The Independent. I think that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair probably knew that many of the allegations were based on uncertain intelligence .... a decision was made to go to war [then people said] Lets find a reason to do so.

Such interventions are rare. Yet as Mr Trumps presidency progresses and he continues to trample on many conventions of American political life and presidential behaviour, they may become more common.

Last month, Mr Obama criticised the President for deciding to scrap the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme he had passed to provide protection from deportation for children and young people who had entered the country without documents. He said the move was cruel and self-defeating.

Ms Perry said she suspected Mr Obama and Mr Bush may have been inspired to speak out this week, one in Virginia, the other in New York, after Mr Trump claimed he was rare among presidents in speaking or writing to relatives of members of the military killed in action. Former aides to both presidents said both of them had done so, as had presidents such as Bill Clinton and others before him.

The former presidents are stepping up, especially about the war dead, said Ms Perry. I think it is pointing towards a new normal.

Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University said both Mr Obama and Mr Bush had little affection for the President for reasons of personal enmity.

But I think both think Donald Trump is an affront to the American presidency and American institutions, he said.

As it is, the five former presidents  Mr Carter, George HW Bush, Mr Clinton, Mr Bush and Mr Obama  will this weekend all be attending a fundraising event for hurricane relief being held at the Texas A&Ms Reed Arena in College Station, 100 miles north west of Houston.

The concert has been organised by the George HW Bush Presidential Library Foundation and will feature Lee Greenwood, The Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett and Cassadee Pope.

Among those who will not attending are Donald Trump.
The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, and women are an important part of that equation. About a third of all female prisoners worldwide are locked up in the U.S., according to one frequently cited study, and more recent reports suggest those numbers may have risen over the past few years.

A new chart from the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative compiles federal data to give us a closer look at where the nations 219,000 incarcerated women are being held and for what. Although many of the trends are relatively consistent with the general incarcerated population  which includes 2.3 million people behind bars in a sprawling network of prisons and jails  some are amplified when looking exclusively at women.

A closer look at incarcerated women in the U.S. (Photo: Prison Policy Initiative)

Women are more heavily concentrated in jails than the overall population. While state prisons nationwide house more than twice as many inmates as local jails, women are nearly evenly split between state prisons and jails. Previous studies have shown that women in jails are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population.

Of the women currently being held in jails, more than 60 percent have not been convicted. Overall, these individuals make up more than one-quarter of all incarcerated women in the U.S.

Most of them are facing low-level charges, which suggests tens of thousands of women are in jail in the U.S. simply because they cant afford to pay their way out. They are victims of a much broader money bail system that often leaves poor people to languish behind bars, where theyre often disconnected from family members and support systems, fired from jobs and stripped of access to public assistance. Sometimes they plead guilty to crimes they didnt commit simply to get out of jail. The smaller number of women facing more serious charges may have been denied bail while they await trial.

Women are also more likely than the overall population to be held in jails after conviction. About a quarter of all women serving time after conviction are locked up in local jails. Nationwide, only about 10 percent of all convicted inmates are housed in jails.

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Women in jail are mostly black and Latino, overwhelmingly poor and low-income, according to a recent study. Nearly 80 percent of them are mothers, and many are primary caretakers of their children. Many are victims of sexual or domestic violence or suffer from mental illness.

Nationally, more than 70 percent of the U.S. jail population has not been convicted. These individuals make up about 20 percent of the incarcerated population.

A detailed look at the incarcerated population in the U.S. (Photo: Prison Policy Institute)

The two charts show that women are getting locked up for some of the same reasons as men. About 37 percent of all incarcerated women in the U.S. are behind bars for drug or public order offenses, a number that tracks closely with the overall incarcerated population.

But women are less likely than men to be locked up for violence. Just under one-quarter of all incarcerated women are behind bars for violent offenses. Thats substantially lower than the total incarcerated population, of which nearly 40 percent are in jail or prison for acts of violence.

The Prison Policy Initiative touts the study, done in collaboration with the ACLUs Campaign for Smart Justice, as a first-of-its-kind look at incarcerated women in the U.S. Aleks Kajstura, the reports author and legal director of the Prison Policy Initiative, hopes her work will be used to spark a national conversation about how the criminal justice system specifically affects women.

This new data on women underlines the need for reform discussions to focus not just on the easier choices but on choices that can lead to impactful policy changes, wrote Kajstura. While more data is needed, the data in this report lends focus and perspective to the policy changes needed to end mass incarceration without leaving women behind.

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Following the fall of the city of Raqqa the Islamic States capital in Syriato US-backed militias, the ISIS terror organization seems to be approaching its end. So ahead of the (almost absolute) elimination of ISIS, one universal conclusion can already be drawn in regards to the efficiency of terror: Its a self-destructing phenomenon.

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ISIS is a relatively new movement. Its roots go back to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the collapse of the Iraqi army. Some of the former army members brought an old idea back to life: Not the Muslim Brotherhoods original idea to clear the formerly Muslim area of foreign crusader elements, but the creation of a caliphatean Islamic state governed by religious laws.

Like many organizations that came before it, ISIS made massive use of the weapon of terror, which aims to terrorize the enemy and force it to change its ways in favor of a new vision. The aim justifies the means, especially harming civilians who are uninvolved in the fighting.

The Syrian city of Raqqa after being cleared of ISIS forces (Photo: AP)

The enemies are of course the heretics, primarily the internal hereticsSunni Muslims who do not obey the sharia laws in letter and spirit. They are followed by the Shiites, while the Christians and Jews are only at the bottom of the list.

At first, the idea seemed to be gaining popularity across the Muslim world: The organization managed to create a religious Islamic state in parts of Iraq and Syria, established branches (districts) across the Middle East and received an inflow of volunteers even from Europe and America.

But today, less than four years after its official establishment, there is hardly any trace of all that: The Islamic state has been destroyed, most ISIS fighters have either been killed or escaped, and the organizations terrorist activity has become similar to the activity of dozens of other organizations. The caliphate idea wasnt destroyed of courseideas cannot be destroyedbut the Islamic state nearly disappeared.

US-led coalition in Raqqa after ISIS fled the city (Photo: Reuters)

Why did it happen? There are many reasons, of course, but the main reason is simple: The entire world joined forces to destroy ISIS and created a coalition led by the United States and its Western allies, Russia, china and the Sunni Arab states. They all teamed up to destroy the organization. That being the case, the question is why didnt it happen with other murderous terror organizations as well?

Well, one of the main reasons for that is ISISs success in distributing its terror videos on social media. The organization wanted to intimidateand succeeded beyond all expectations. As a result, the world was so afraid that it had no choice but to come together and destroy ISIS, with each terror attack adding more countries to the coalition against the organization.

This verifies an old rule formulated by well-known strategist Carl von Clausewitz (who spoke about a guerilla war, but the conclusion is similar): Whoever uses these methods must not exaggerate and issue too many threats. Why? Because the other side is naturally stronger, and it will only make it use its full force. Thats what happened to ISIS, and it has been happening for years in Israel in the face of Palestinian terror, which has only made more and more Israelis radicalize their opinions against the Palestinians.

So at the end of the day, terror is an inefficient and even foolish strategy. It can be bothersome and painful, but once it crosses a certain lineit basically sets in motion a self-destruction mechanism and undermines its own goal.
Before I got here, I had no idea my scar was so meaningful, Revital Ben Yosef says with an embarrassed smile. She served as a nurse in Jerusalem during the second intifada, and the evacuation of wounded people from dozens of terror attack scenes left its mark on her: Physically, she suffered from five cases of spinal disc herniation; mentally, she can still hear the injured screaming and see the dreadful sights.

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Ben Yosef is remarkably calm, considering the fact that shes about to get on the tattoo bed. The location is the last place one would think of getting a tattoo atthe Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The project she is taking part in, Healing Ink, is a collaboration between the museum and the Artists4Israel organization. International tattoo artists, including three from Israel, meet with Israelis who were injured in war, terrorism and other forms of conflict and try to cover their scarsfrom the outside, at least.

Im tattooing the words All You Need is Love, she explains. The sights I saw basically dragged me into a sort of social isolation. I buried myself in work, I excluded my family and friends, I built so many walls around me. Today, at my grand age, Ive reached the conclusion that I want my family and friends. Ive invested so much in keeping everyone away, and now theyre afraid to come. So Im tattooing it in a very noticeable way. Its a call: People, love me. Im cute! I have a lot of walls, but Im cute.

Revital Ben Yosefs tattoo (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Each of the tattoo tables is situated in front of a different work of art in the museum. The location isnt random. Each pair, the artist and the person getting the tattoo, chose where to place the alternative tattoo table together. Ben Yosef, for example, chose a lion sculpture.

Why get a tattoo here of all places, in the middle of the museum near a lion statue?

Im sitting here and getting a tattoo in front of my countrys history, a history which I physically fought for. I left parts of my body in the state.

This is my first tattoo, says 24-year-old Ben Morag from the other side of the lion sculpture. After everything I went through in the army with my injury, Im not afraid itll hurt, but Im still a bit concerned. I hope I dont embarrass myself.

Ben Morag. Im focused on my rehabilitation process (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Morag served in the Oketz canine special forces unit. During Operation Protective Edge, a structure they entered in Khan Younis collapsed on them. I shielded the dog, he recalls, because thats what they do for you, so your instinct is to do it for them too. I made sure that he would be evacuated first. The collapse dislocated my shoulder and broke my front teeth.

He says he decided to come to the museum because when you experience an injury, any kind of injuryit doesnt have to be dramatic like an injury in Protective Edgeyou eventually carry scars which you didnt choose on your body and soul for the rest of your life. Here, youre putting something on your body which you choose to carry for life.

(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

He situated the tattoo right under the place of the injury, in his left shoulder blade. The drawing is of a lion with a blurred face and sharp eyes.

Its an idea which may sound simple to many people, but its meaningfulalways focusing on what you want. When I was wounded, I remained calm and focused. I made sure that the dog was removed first and I tried to walk on my own to see that I could. Its something I still believe in: I didnt sink into the injury, but remained focused on my rehabilitation process.

Im receiving a gift today

Shai Maltabashi, 36, was wounded in a number of different incidents in Lebanon and Gaza and witnessed a deadly terror attack at a supermarket in Jerusalems Kiryat Yovel neighborhood in 2002.

I hardly have any physical injuries in my body, he says from a dark corner of the museum, near ancient Egyptian tombs. My main injury is post trauma, he explains, embraced by his partner, as an artist tattoos his left hand. As a result of the events I experienced, there were emotions that I kept inside for years, but when they eruptedit was a powerful.

Today Im receiving a sort of gift, he says. Im a divorced father with two amazing daughters. The bracelet on my hand was prepared by them so that I would think about them all the time. So I decided to tattoo their names, Liel and Hili, with the lotus plant I love so much. The flower is a sign of a new beginning. After the injury, I was always afraid of falling into flashbacks and the bad dreams that followed. Since the girls arrived, Im a father before anything else. Besides, after the tattoo Ill be able to take off the bracelet, he adds, smiling.

Explaining his decision to get his tattoo near the Egyptian tombs, he says: In Egyptian culture, they believed that there was an afterlife, that there was a path, so they would send them with gifts for the next round. I got another chance too. I got several chances. Everyone knows theyre going to die eventually, and reliving the same moment again and again and again in your dreams, that youre about to die, is very powerful and very traumatic. This seemed like the best place for me to do it.

Would you say the tattoo is an external expression of something internal?

I think that a tattoo in general is something aimed at providing a concrete reminder of something you feel. I have no physical injuries, I havent lost a hand, I havent lost a leg, I dont have a scar from a bullet that went in and out. My injury is internal, and unfortunately, many people suffering from post-trauma in Israel are completely transparent. You have to go through hell to prove that youre carrying baggage.

When you lose a hand or a leg, people see you. In my case, its something thats hiding inside. But I intentionally avoided tattooing an image of a wounded soldier or something of the kind. I dont need a reminder, because I have a daily reminder of that. So this tattoo is a reminder of the things I love in life.

Giving love through ink

I heard about this project through the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, says Avi Antebi. Every year on my birthday, for the past 15 years, my wife and I have been going to tattooed, and the minute I go inI walk right out. When I told her I was registering for this project, I said: Im 49 years old. Wholl take me seriously? And they did, and now Im here and I have nowhere to run, he says, half joking.

Avi Antebi. The tattoo relates to me, not to the injury (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Antebi was wounded in 1986. He served in the Golani Brigade, and during a swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall, terrorists threw three grenades at the soldiers. One of them hit him in the legs.

(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

He is getting a tattoo on his arm, an image of a man sitting outdoors and playing music. The tattoo relates to me, not to the injury. A man sitting on his own outside, with his music and serenity. Is there anything better?

(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The story of what Avi went through and his tattoo are a great way of therapy, says tattoo artist Franco Vescovi. He has a scar in his leg from the incident, and today were going to give him a wonderful work of art which hell be able to look at. He has a choice todayeither to look at the scar or to look at the tattoo. And when he looks at the tattoo, itll make him happy.

This isnt exactly the clientele you are used to.

There isnt much terror in California. Here its a different kind of tragedy, so its a different kind of experience for me too. Its also a challenge for me to be able to feel the energies of what Avi experienced. I got to give him the ability to turn his eyes away from his scar, give him something new to look at on his body.

A Mikes Place tattoo

The last pair looks as if it came out of a Hollywood film. The woman getting a tattoo is Shiri Mirvis, who was injured in the Mikes Place attack in Tel Aviv in 2003. The tattoo artist is Wasim Razook, a Christian Arab from east Jerusalem. She chose to perpetuate the logo of the bar the attack took place in, around the scar she was left with.

It was important for me to leave the scar, Mirvis explains. I dont want to conceal it. My connection with Wasim was fate. I wasnt even planning on getting a tattoo today, I was just escorting a friend.

I represent myself as a human being. I dont care if a person is Jewish, Arab, Christian. There are people wholl think that because Im Arab I may be dangerous, and I want to be here and prove that it isnt so. Not just to Israelis, but mainly to Arabs who are watching an Arab giving tattoos to Israelis who were in terror attacks, so it possibly says something about him as a person.

Were all human beings. Last year, I applied a tattoo on Kay Wilson, who was stabbed in a terror attack 13 times. Before I began tattooing her, I joked: You know Im about to stab you with the needle thousands of times? We laughed and it created a good connection between us. At home I was taught to love, and this is how I feel, like Im giving love with the ink and it stays on for life.
PARIS/WASHINGTON  The United States must step up its support for a planned African force to fight Islamist militants in West Africa or it could fail, leaving French troops to carry the burden alone, France's defense minister said on Friday.

France intervened in Mali to ward off an offensive by Islamist militants that began in 2012, and 4,000 of its troops remain in the region as part of Operation Barkhane where they work alongside 10,000 UN peacekeepers in Mali.

France and West African countries are pushing for the creation of a regional force known as the G5 Sahel.

Washington provides bilateral assistance, intelligence and training for regional security operations. But it is cool towards the African force and has pushed back against UN support for it.
The IDF announced five rockets were fired at Israel by Syrian artillery cannons early Saturday, and that it has pinpointed the landings of four of them to open areas in the northern Golan Heights, causing no damage to people or property. The cannons were then destroyed by the IDF in a retaliatory strike.

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The IDF added the incident was yet another instance of "spillover" from the internal Syrian conflict.

One of the rockets landing in the Golan Heights Saturday was recovered (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

The initial alarm sounded a little after 5 am in several Golan Heights towns, prompting their denizens to enter shelters. Some 30 minutes after the alarm, residents were allowed to return to their homes.

In retaliation to the errant fire, the IDF attacked three Syrian regime artillery cannons, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.

The attack was carried out using precise Spike NLOS (No Line of Sight), or Tamuz, missiles.

Rocket fired from Syria and landing in Israel recovered still smoking ( :  )

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The Syrian army issued a statement regarding the IDF shelling, saying it came after "Syrian opposition fighters fired mortar rounds that hit an open area in the Israeli-occupied Golan giving the Jewish state a pretext to bomb the army."

The Syrian army added the shelling caused material damage without saying if there were casualties, and warned against "such aggressive acts", adding it "holds Israel fully responsible for the consequent results".

The IDF, meanwhile, once again cautioned Syria that should these incidents persisteven if they are merely unintentional "spillover"the Israeli response will grow harsher.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit's official Arabic Twitter account launched a new hashtag, translating to "You've been warned"

The army's threat of a harsher response was brought about by the growing number of incidents of Syrian rockets landing in Israeli territory.

The recent spate of the "spillover" rockets to hit Israel was an aftereffect of the widespread operation carried out by the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to overtake the Syrian side of the Golan from rebels, with extra effort invested in regaining the border strip with Israelmost of the northern part of which is controlled by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

Photo: Avihu Shapira

The aforementioned rebel forces congregate near the border fence with Israel when fighting is taking place in the region, assuming Assad's army would be apprehensive about launching attacks west, in fear of hitting Israeli land.

The Saturday incident came on the heels of intense fighting heard on the Syrian side of the border Friday, audible in both the Golan and Upper Galilee.

All was not calm on Israel's northern perimeter earlier this week as well, as the IDF attacked a Syrian army post on the outskirts of Quneitra on Thursday afternoon in retaliation for an errant rocket that landed in Israel earlier that day.

"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its citizens. The IDF views the Syrian regime as responsible to what is happening on the ground," the IDF Spokesman's Office said.

PM Netanyahu spoke about the recent 'spillover' from Syria into Israel, saying Israel will not tolerate such incidents and strike back at their sources (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the attack during a ceremony marking 50 years of settlement in the Jordan Valley on Thursday evening.

"Our eastern line of defense starts here in this place. And if we were not here, Teheran and Hamastan would be; we will not allow this to happen," he said.

"We see what is happening a short distance north of here, when they take up a positionor try toover the border. We have a clear policy:

Whoever tries to hurt us, we will hurt them. We will not tolerate 'trickles' and if they attack us, we return fire, and this does not take a lot of time."

Israeli Air Force responded to rocket launched at its planes earlier this week by attacking the missile battery from which it was launched (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

On Wednesday an alarm sounded in IDF bases in the northern Golan Heights due to a rocket fired as part of the Syrian civil war. The rocket landed within Syrian territory near the Israeli border.

Also on Wednesday, an alarm sounded in military bases in the vicinity due to internal shooting within Syria.

Earlier this week, the Syrian army launched an SA-5 anti-aircraft missile at Israeli Air Force planes on a reconnaissance mission over Lebanon. In retaliation, the IAF bombed the SA-5 battery, destroying its fire control radar.

The battery's location (Photo: Intelli Times)

Iranian military Chief of Staff General Mohammad Baqeri said Wednesday the Islamic Republic would not accept Israeli violations in Syria.

"It is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria anytime it wants," Baqeri said during a meeting in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart, Ali Abdullah Ayyoub.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-22 06:28:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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By Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey was the first country to respond to Somalia's deadliest truck last week by airlifting wounded to Turkish hospitals and providing immediate medical assistance, reflecting the pivotal role of the war-torn nation for Ankara's strategy towards African countries.

Hours after the huge explosions that hit Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Oct. 14, killing over 350 and wounding hundreds of others, a Turkish air ambulance landed in the airport and carried 35 wounded to Ankara for free treatment.

Turkish Health Minister Salih Demircan and surgeons went to Somalia to coordinate relief efforts and offered 10 tons of medical supplies.

The iconic Istanbul bridge, linking mainland Asia and Europe, was light of the colors of the Somalia flag in the aftermath of the explosions while Somali people thanked Turkey's support with heartfelt messages on social media.

"Turkey is always the first to help us. They are our genuine brothers," told reporters Somalia's Minister for Information, Abdirahman Omar Osman.

The speed of Turkey's response to the terror attack won the hearts and minds of the Somali people and shows the important role played by this country in Turkey's ambitions in the African continent.

When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey in 2002, it aimed to open the traditionally western-oriented NATO country to Africa, after being frustrated by failing to join the European Union, and to show and promote an image of Turkey as a leader of the Islamic world.

Located on an important trade route and the strategic Horn of Africa region, Somalia is key on Turkey's ambitions to upgrade its economic relations with African countries and invest in adopting a role of conflict settlement in this part of the globe.

The rapprochement also has a historic background: Somalia has close ties with the Ottoman Empire which used its military to protect the Muslim community..

Turkey, contrary to other international players, has no past colonial history, and once took also a leading role in brokering dialogue between Somalia and the autonomous region of Somaliland.

Just recently, Turkey has opened its first overseas military base on Africa, a large training facility in Somalia designed to train African soldiers against terrorism spread by movements like al-Shabaab, a branch of al-Qaida.

The base is staffed with 200 Turkish personnel which will be joined by some 10,000 Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops.

Turkey has spent 1 billion U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid after the 2011 Somali famine that left 250,000 people dead. Moreover, Turkey hosts nearly 15,000 Somali students in Turkish universities.

"Turkey will continue to be present on the ground (in Somalia) with its institutions to bring aid and assistance," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a speech.

Erdogan remarked that Turkey was the "sole country to play its humanitarian role in regards to the massacre in Somalia," insisting on the "compatriot" attitude of his country on economically challenged nations.

Experts believe that Turkey's policy of "opening" towards Africa can be explained by its desire to become a soft power, assisting in peace building and development schemes that can prove to be a model for other countries.

Nearly 20 years ago, Turkey had 10 embassies in Africa, and now there are nearly 40 Turkish diplomatic missions. The trade volume with the sub Saharan part of the continent has reached some 17 billion dollars in 2016.

"By an integrated strategy, Turkey is teaching Somalia to stand on her own two feet and to ensure sustainable development," told Xinhua researcher Halil Ibrahim Alegoz from the Istanbul Ibn Haldun University.

This expert on African studies insists that the Somali model is a "success story" in Turkey's humanitarian diplomacy to acquire a position of soft power in this part of the world, mostly forgotten by the western public.

Alegoz argued that the religion factor, Turkey and Somalia being predominantly Muslim, is not the sine qua non of the Turkish interest, as Ankara is also assisting non-Muslim African countries such as Uganda.

"For Turkey, finding new trade partners was essential, and this drove her towards new markets in this vast continent," said this expert.

However, this move towards new markets and zones of influence is believed driving Turkey away from her traditional partners.

Beril Dedeoglu, a professor of international relations from the Istanbul Galatasaray University, doesn't agree.

"The debate about 'where Turkey belongs' is meaningless in today's world; we don't live under Cold War conditions where everybody had to pick a side and stick to it," she wrote in a column in Sabah daily.

She also insisted that the military assistance offered by Ankara in Somalia and in the Horn of Africa in general was "in total coordination with the United States and NATO."

"What Turkey is trying to do in Somalia now is to accomplish, as an American ally, what the U.S. couldn't manage until now. Turkey will assist Somalia to build a functioning national army capable of taking the fight against al-Shabaab terrorists," added Dedeoglu.

In accordance with Ankara's global expansion strategy, Turkey's national airline company Turkish Airlines made a major boost in its destinations in Africa.

The airline's planes flew to 14 cities in Africa in 2011; by the end of 2017, the company will operate 52 routes from Istanbul to Africa, linking firmly Turkey to this continent.
At the conclusion of Iranian army Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri's visit to Syria, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding Saturday in which they agreed up upgrade the cooperation and coordination between their two armies.

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The Iranian-Syrian collaboration will reportedly focus mostly on training drills, an exchange of combat-centric know-how, intelligence, military technology and anything to do with the two countries' ability to combat terrorism and standing against "Zio(nist)-American schemes."

Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri (L) signing the MoU with his Syrian counterpart Ayyoub

Syrian and Iranian army chiefs of staff sign memorandum of understanding

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In the past few days the Iranian chief of staff conducted a rare visit to Syria, during which he met with top Syrian government and military officials, including President Bashar al-Assad.

Bagheri visiting Aleppo

The visit started Wednesday, with Bagheri and his entourage touring Aleppo in northern Syria accompanied by Syrian army officers. The Iranian official also visited Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque, a site holy to Shiites on the outskirts of Damascus.

After arriving in Syria, and on the backdrop of unusual incident in which Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian outpost after it had fired at other Israeli reconnaissance planes, Bagheri said, "It is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria anytime it wants."

"We are in Damascus to assert and coordinate and cooperate to confront our common enemies, the Zionists and terrorists. We drew up the broad lines for this cooperation," Bagheri clarified.

A meeting between the leaders of the armies of Syria and Iran

Earlier Saturday Syrian-Israeli tensions continued to rise as the IDF attacked three Syrian artillery cannons in response to errant shooting at the Golan Heights.

Five launches were identified to have landed in Israel, with four of them located, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.

Earlier this week, the Syrian army launched an SA-5 anti-aircraft missile at Israeli Air Force planes on a reconnaissance mission over Lebanon. In retaliation, the IAF bombed the SA-5 battery, destroying its fire control radar.

The Israeli Air Force reportedly attacked in Syria several times within the last few months (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

A similar incident occurred in mid-March , when the same Syrian battery fired anti-aircraft missiles at IAF jets thataccording to Arab reportswere attacking strategic weapons bound for Hezbollah. One of the anti-aircraft missiles was intercepted by Israel's Arrow missile defense system.

PM Netanyahu said, 'Whoever strikes at us, we strike at them.' (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed up the IDF's retaliation strike against Syria by stating, "Whoever strikes at us, we strike at them. Today they tried to harm our planesunacceptable."

"The air force acted precisely and swiftly, destroying what needed to be destroyed. We will continue to act in the space as much as necessary to defend Israel's security."
Students of the Bolgatanga Senior High School (Big Boss) in the Upper East Region, on Friday went on a rampage around in their school in protest over the death of their colleague.

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Eliasu Zakari passed at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, and his friends and colleagues have blamed his untimely death on their senior housemaster.

A smashed vehicle during the rampage. Photo credit: Starrfmonline.com

READ ALSO: Kumawood stars show support to Nana Ama Mcbrown at one-week celebration of mother's passing

According to some aggrieved students, Eliasus death could have been prevented had their housemaster not refused his exeat so he could seek medical attention.

The students among other things, smashed car windshields in anger over their loss.

Some police personnel had to be deployed to the school grounds to end the protest and restore calm.

The authorities of the school issued a warning to all students to reveal those who were involved in the protest, or they all face serious sanctions for the destruction caused.

Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari accompanied by some officials of the Ghana Education Service have visited the school regarding the incident as part of efforts to a reach a peaceful resolution between staff and students.

It has been indicated that an investigation into the claims by the students would be opened.

Some students of the school. Photo credit: MyNewsGh.com

This is not the first time students of Big Boss have been in the headlines in such a report, as in 2014, the death of a form three student, Emmanuel Bawa, led to a violent demonstration by the students.

The incident left the senior housemaster's car vandalized and a shop belonging to his wife also attacked, while some teachers were pelted with stones.

READ ALSO: Keep trying hard to stop me- Afia Schwar mocks her critics

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Central Press/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump said he will allow the release of long-classified CIA and FBI documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.



The thousands of documents are set for release by the National Archives on Oct. 26, but it has been unclear if President Trump would block their release on the basis of national security concerns.



The president tweeted Saturday morning that he will allow the release "subject to the release of further information." It's not clear what information he referred to.



Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

Thank you. This is the correct decision. Please do not allow exceptions for any agency of government. JFK files... https://t.co/wFTUX5CG0x  Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) October 21, 2017

Historians and other scholars are eager to sift through the more-than-3,000 secret documents on the investigation into the 1963 assassination that, over the years, has spurred numerous conspiracy theories.Trump himself dabbled in a conspiracy theory surrounding the Kennedy assassination when, during the 2016 campaign, he cited an unsubstantiated report that Rafael Cruz, the Cuban-American father of rival GOP primary candidate Ted Cruz, had been photographed with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.The National Enquirer featured a photo of Oswald handing out pro-Fidel Castro pamphlets in New Orleans in 1963 alongside an unidentified man the Enquirer claimed was Rafael Cruz. The story was uncorroborated, and Ted and Rafael Cruz both adamantly denied the allegation.Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Montanas Public Service Commission will hear from Hi-Line residents left without power for a week or longer by a freak early October storm that downed power poles.

The PSC announced Friday that will hold a listening session Oct. 30 in Havre to discuss how NorthWestern Energy responded to the weather disaster.

Heavy snowfall Oct. 2 toppled hundreds of power poles along the Hi-Line, where some residents were without power up to 10 days. Chris Puyear, PSC spokesman said the states utility regulator took several calls from people who believe NorthWestern could have restored power sooner. Some NorthWestern customers pointed out that Hill County Co-operative managed to restore power more quickly. The co-op uses smart meters that tell the company which customers are without power. NorthWestern doesnt use the technology.

That was an anecdote that piqued the commissioners interest, Puyear said. The cooperative makes use of smart meters. NorthWestern literally has to drive down the street in trucks to see if lights are on in homes.

The early fall storm dumped up to 30 inches of wet snow along the Hi-Line. Between Havre and Malta, snow and ice weighted power lines down. When winds kicked up, poles began to snap. The storm triggered a declaration of emergency on the Fort Belknap Reservation, blocked roads and left thousands without power.

At the peak of Tuesday's outages, about 9,500 NorthWestern Energy customers were powerless. Half of those customers were quickly brought back online, but others waited days. There were also roughly 3,000 electric cooperative customers without power.

Big Flat Electric Cooperative lost 130 power poles, leaving 75 percent of its 1,100 members without power. Some customers were brought back online in the first few days, but power wasnt restored in other areas until Oct. 8.

At Darin Hamiltons home outside Chinook, the power was out for five days. The NorthWestern Energy customer is in a rural area, but there are 40 neighbors there who rely on the utility. To residents there, NorthWestern, Montanas largest utility with 500,000 people in its service area, seemed overwhelmed.

NorthWestern Spokesman Butch Larcombe said Friday that the weather event was the worst of its kind in 20 years. The power company responded accordingly.

The damage to our system was significant, Larcombe said in an email. We made more 400 poles on the ground due to wind and snow and ice buildup on lines. All told, our crews worked to repair more than 2,000 poles damaged in some fashion by the storm. Many of these poles were in very rural areas and had to be repaired before we could restore service to some customers. We essentially rebuilt many miles of line in areas east of Havre and across Blaine County.

There were meters servicing stock tank pumps and outbuildings in rural areas that remained offline for more than 10 days, Larcombe said. But the last of NorthWesterns meters serving homes and businesses were back online by Oct. 12.

The PSC meeting will take place October 30 from noon to 2 pm at the Havre City Hall. The objective is to identify ways to improve NorthWesterns response.
A confrontation early Saturday in Billings left two people wounded and a suspect still at large, Billings police said.

Officers were dispatched to a residence at 503 Ave. B at 3:57 a.m., BPD Sgt. Shane Sheldon said in a news release. They found a male victim with multiple stab wounds and another male with minor injuries.

According to the investigation, an unknown male entered the residence through an open door, demanded property and then attacked the two victims with a knife. The pair fought the suspect until he broke free and fled on foot.

Officers checked the area, but were unable to locate the suspect. He was described as a male wearing dark clothing.

The one victim was taken by ambulance to a Billings hospital, where he remains in stable condition. The second victim received only minor injuries.

The investigation is ongoing, Sheldon said.
Whether it was a state political race or a hot-button issue in Montana, Billings political scientist Craig Wilson was always willing to offer his keen insights.

As recently as mid-October, Wilson, an emeritus professor of political science at Montana State University Billings, was sharing his thoughts on the 2018 U.S. Senate campaign. But during his long tenure as a professor, he and his undergraduate students also conducted political polls to take the pulse of Montana voters.

I had great admiration for him, Chuck Johnson, retired longtime state bureau reporter for Lee Enterprises in Helena, said Saturday. He had a good interpretation of Montana politics.

Wilson, 69, a native of Montana, died unexpectedly on Wednesday. A funeral will take place Wednesday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Shepherd.

Wilson, who joined the faculty at MSUB in 1980, taught political science until he retired in 2014. Johnson first met him when the two were undergraduate students at the University of Montana.

After Wilson began teaching at MSUB and Johnson worked as a state bureau reporter, Johnson kept in touch.

I was always looking for professors in the political science field to get their take on political developments, Johnson said. He was one of the key ones.

Wilson followed politics closely, he followed the Montana Legislature closely and he taught his students much of what he knew, Johnson said.

I just thought he was a straight shooter and told you what he thought, and I respected his views, Johnson said.

Cathy Grott, of Billings, who also previously taught political science at MSUB, called Wilson probably the foremost expert in the state of Montana on elections.

One time she joined him on a local TV station to do election analysis. Grott was nervous about going live on air, telling him shed have to get together some kind of playbook.

But he could pull things right off the top of his head, and he knew what was going on across the state, said Grott, now interim program director for Health Care Services at MSUB.

Jessie Bennion, who lives in Helena, had just graduated from the University of Montana in 2005 when a position opened up at MSUB for an adjunct professor in the Political Science Department. She was hired, and Wilson became her mentor.

He was really a kind and generous guy to a newbie in the department, Bennion said. He was really passionate about teaching.

She liked how Wilson interacted with the students. And she was impressed that he would involve his students in political polling.

That was pretty unique to have undergraduate students doing polling, Bennion said. I think that really impacted the students in that department.

Her work at MSUB, and her time under Wilsons tutelage, inspired her to pursue a doctorate in political science.

To have a mentor that leads you along in your first year of teaching, it was really great, Bennion said. Ill always be grateful for that.
Montana is no stranger to book challenges. Patrons of libraries and schools have cited sexual content, violence, witchcraft, seditious German influence and even an unflattering portrayal of the city of Butte in their objections to books.

A staple of many school reading programs, Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, was pulled from the curriculum by a Mississippi school district earlier in October because its use of a racial slur makes people uncomfortable. The move has made waves among educators across the nation.

The book hasnt had a documented challenge in Montana, and Billings teachers who teach the book vociferously defended the texts classroom value.

If we ever take it off the curriculum, thats when I retire, said West High English teacher Cheryl Schamp.

Thats not on the table in Billings, but the district has had several book challenges, most recently in 2013 to Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The book was retained.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," a fictional story that's loosely based on the childhood experiences of author Harper Lee while growing up in a small Alabama town in 1936, is a structural masterpiece, teachers said, but thats hardly the extent of its use in a curriculum. The themes of the book  which is ultimately critical of institutional racism  discuss social issues students grapple with as they get older.

I have a discussion with them before we ever start reading about the n-word, Schamp said. We dont teach it in a vacuum  you get a safe environment for kids to think about those things.

That includes teaching historical background  several teachers said they thought the time between the Civil War and the civil rights era was a gap in students' knowledge.

The majority of the students have no idea what Jim Crow is, Schamp said, referring to a series of laws that limited the rights of black citizens and promoted segregation.

Lori Hypes, who previously taught in Virginia, is in her first year teaching English at West. As part of teaching the text in Virginia, she'd had students look out the window at a building that once housed exclusively students of color as part of a segregated school system.

We can see the building but to the kids, what they think, thats the community center now, she said. Its just as relevant for me in Montana as it is for me in Virginia.

Challenges

A curriculum challenge is the most common type of challenge Montana schools see, said Bobbi Otte, a librarian at Rocky Mountain College who sits on the Montana Library Associations Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Theyre required to read them, versus, well, if its in the library no one forces you to read them, she said. Many Montana districts, including Billings, have a policy that allows students to read an alternate text if a theres an objection to a book in the curriculum.

Schools carefully evaluate texts for inclusion into curriculum options using academic standards and guidelines, teachers said.

Its not just 'Oh, I like this book, I think well teach it,' Schamp said.

Perhaps the earliest documented challenges in Montana were in 1918, under the Sedition Act, which aimed to suppress German-friendly materials during World War I. Books were removed from libraries around the state, including Wests Ancient Worlds, a history book, and Deutsche Lieder, a German song book. In at least some cases, the books were burned.

Challenges continued through the years, including a 1999 challenge in Laurel of James Welch's "Fools Crow," a historical fiction novel about the Blackfeet tribe. The book was removed from the curriculum.

When I look at the challenges in Montana, 2000 on  theres just as many happening as there were in the 1990s or 1980s, Otte said.

The Billings Public Library sees regular challenges, including current ones against Daddys Little Girl, a film, and Kundalini, a yoga book.

Library director Gavin Woltjer processes challenges, adding relevant context like check-out information, and the library board evaluates options like relabeling or removing the item, or keeping it as is.

You just never know what material is going to be challenged, he said.

In the library associations compilation of challenges, not all resolutions are reported. But a common remedy for school is to adjust an age-appropriateness recommendation, or require some type of permission to check out the book. But that can be problematic, Woltjer said.

Not every 8-year-old is created equally, he said.

Teachers and librarians roundly rejected the idea that comfort should play into reading choice.

Were not a gatekeeper, Woltjer said. If anything, were a locksmith. We unlock a whole bunch of resources for all of these topics, whether its race, whether it's poverty.

Woltjer specifically cited challenges to Sherman Alexie, whose works often involve poverty among minorities and sexual situations.

I think he hits close to home, he said. Its not a pretty picture. But in order for us to move forward as a society, we have to understand that picture.
PM Modi conveys Diwali Greetings to the crew of INSV Tarini

New Delhi, Sat, 21 Oct 2017 NI Wire

The Prime Minister made a video call today to the crew of Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini, currently on a mission to circumnavigate the globe.

The Prime Minister wished the crew of INSV Tarini a 'Happy Diwali', on behalf of the nation. He also wished them success in their mission.

The Prime Minister had earlier met the crew of INSV Tarini on 16 August 2017 before they embarked on the 22,100 nautical mile circumnavigation journey. INSV Tarini is currently approaching their first stop in Fremantle, Australia and is expected to reach there on 22 October 2017 after covering 4770 nautical miles.

The Prime Minister also conveyed birthday greetings in advance to two of the crew  Lt. Cdr. Vartika Joshi, and Lt. Payal Gupta - whose birthdays are coming up shortly.

Source: PIB
PM Modi visits Kedarnath, lays Foundation Stone for infrastructure projects

Kedarnath, Sat, 21 Oct 2017 NI Wire

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Kedarnath yesterday. He offered prayers at the Kedarnath Temple, and laid the Foundation Stone for five infrastructure and development projects. These include the development of retaining wall and ghat on the Mandakini River; development of retaining wall and ghat on Saraswati River; construction of main approach to Kedarnath Temple; development of Shankaracharya Kutir and Shankaracharya Museum; and development of houses for Kedarnath Purohits. The Prime Minister was briefed on the Kedarpuri Reconstruction Project.

Addressing a gathering, the Prime Minister said he was happy to be in Kedarnath, a day after Diwali. He said that the start of a New Year is being celebrated in Gujarat today, and conveyed his greetings to everyone around the world.

Noting that the service of the people is the service of God, the Prime Minister pledged to devote himself fully to realising the dream of a developed India, by the time we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022. Recalling the natural calamity of 2013, the Prime Minister said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had come to do all that he could for the victims; and offered support from the State of Gujarat for the reconstruction effort.

The Prime Minister said that through the work that is being done in Kedarnath, one would be able to see how an ideal place of pilgrimage should be  in terms of both amenities for pilgrims, and the welfare of the priests. He said that the infrastructure being developed in Kedarnath would be of good quality, adding that it would be modern, but would preserve the traditional ethos, and ensure that the environment is not damaged.

Shri Narendra Modi said that the Himalayas have much to offer for spiritualism, adventure and tourism, and for the nature lover. He invited everyone to come and explore the Himalayas.

The Governor of Uttarakhand, Dr. K.K. Paul, and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, were present on the occasion.

Source: PIB
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Outgoing and articulate, Dustin Breau is the kind of guy youd like to have a beer with. Despite his denials, he knows a lot about craft beer.

The host of the show Micro America, Breau, 47, of Salt Lake City, is in Billings Saturday to film two episodes for his show, which will be available at www.microamerica.beer but, he hopes, will one day find a home on cable television  say, on Spike or Food Network.

Breau, an actor who went to high school in Joliet (he later appeared in a number of films, including Dumb Luck starring Scott Baio and Tracy Nelson, and he had a role in the TV series Touched By An Angel). His day job is photographing jets in beautiful spots around the world.

When Visit Billings offered to bring him and his production partner, Zach Cipriano, to film their visits to craft brewers inside the citys 1.5 miles of walkable breweries, Breau hopped at the chance.

I actually get paid to drink beer, he said. To see the growth of craft breweries in Billings has been amazing. I could not have imagined it.

After a quick stroll around Billings walkable brewery district, Breau said he was reminded of another city famous for local beer  Portland, Oregon.

You cant throw a rock in Portland without hitting a brewery, he said. Given time, downtown Billings will become something unique.

Local tourism officials say thats the idea behind the kind of exposure that Breau and his team can bring to Billings brews crews.

One of the biggest things from a tourism side is that anytime people can come to our city and experience something different from other cities, we are all about that, said Aly Murnion, leisure marketing and sales and social media manager for Visit Billings. With a lot of our hops grown here and everything as locally sourced as it can be, we have great food and people who are invested in our community.

Murnion said both Breau and Visit Billings get something out of this weekends filming and the ensuing airtime.

He has a great show, and we have a great destination, so hes really helping us out, she said. I know our beer tastes good, but Im not a connoisseur. He is, and for him to speak to that is a good thing. You want to go have a beer with him, and thats what everyone wants from a host.

Breau said that the first season of Micro America  which included an episode exploring Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company as well as craft brewers in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and other cities  allowed Breau and Cipriano to get a feel for how they want to tell the stories of the places they visit. Featured breweries all have three things in common, he explained  good beer and appetizing food, an interesting and knowledgeable brewmaster, and nice ambiance, a place where youd want to hang out, he said.

During their second season, the two plan to air more interaction with patrons. Thats where Breaus daughter, Jentry, 15, comes in.

A member of her high school debate team, her job at any brewery her father is featuring is to speak to customers, talk up her dad  and get willing patrons to sign a release form so that Cipriano can film them while her father chats with them about their mutual favorite topic, quality beer.

For now shes our production assistant, her father said with a laugh. But we all know shell be a lawyer someday.
Cooperation between Morocco and Nigeria is stronger than ever. After sealing large scale agreements on gas and fertilizers, the two countries have expanded their cooperation to the military field after a team of Nigerian special forces received training in Morocco on counter-terrorism.

The information was relayed by Nigerias news portal the Media Trust, which indicates that Nigerian elite soldiers have returned from Morocco last September where they underwent multiple trainings.

Quoting the Nigerian Chief of Air Staff, (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, the website added that other units of Nigerian special forces were also sent for training to Egypt and the US.

According to him, application of air power is the only way to deal with the emerging problem of terrorism around the globe.

Morocco and Nigeria have opened a new chapter in their bilateral ties marked by south-south cooperation and co-development and underpinned by largescale projects such as the Atlantic gas pipeline that will stretch along the coast connecting Nigerian gas wells with West African countries all the way up until reaching the Kingdom.

The two countries signed 14 other agreements providing for developing industrial clusters in the sub-region in sectors such as manufacturing, Agro-business and fertilizers to help attract foreign capital and improve export competitiveness.

King Mohammed VIs historic visit to Nigeria, the first ever by a Moroccan Monarch, is viewed as a milestone in Moroccan-Nigerian relations that will usher a new diplomatic era marked by economic cooperation and political consultation.
The humanist migration policy adopted by Morocco stands as a model in the MENA region and the African continent, said Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing.

I congratulate the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, for this humanist and exemplary policy on a regional and continental scale, Lacy Swing said at an event organized by the ministry in charge of Moroccans living abroad and Migration in celebration of the fourth anniversary of the launch of Moroccos national immigration and asylum policy.

The Moroccan policy on migration and asylum is a pioneering experiment in the region and shows the countrys commitment to ensure respect for migrants rights, he said.

Swing added that IOM is ready to support the government and non-governmental stakeholders in their efforts to integrate migrants in key sectors, including health and local development.

In this regard, IOM Chief said that his organization works closely with ministries and the various stakeholders involved to better operationalize the migration policy, in line with the advanced regionalization framework.

IOM also supports the implementation of Moroccos National Immigration and Asylum Strategy, in partnership with other UN agencies in Morocco.

Last July, Morocco topped the ranking of most hospitable North African states towards Sub-Saharan migrants, a study, conducted by the US News and World Report, found.

The study was based on a poll involving 21,000 people from 80 countries responding to questions on economic stability, access to the job market, equality of revenues and habitability.

So far, nearly 20,000 migrants submitted to Moroccan authorities their requests to gain residency cards as part of the second phase of a regularization campaign that was launched last December upon directives from King Mohammed VI after the success of the first phase that saw 25,000 migrants gain residency status.

Morocco was one of the first countries of the South to adopt a genuine solidarity-based policy regarding sub-Saharan migrantsThis integrated policy, which is rooted in humanitarian values, is designed to make sure migrants rights and dignity are safeguarded
Moroccos African policy, its triumphal return to the African Union and its largescale investments in Africa are sending shockwaves across Algeria. Outperformed by Morocco in Africa at the economic and political levels, Algerian officials have lost track of diplomatic norms blaming the failure of their countrys policy in Africa on Rabats use of cannabis money to expand its economic and political influence.

The recent statements of the Algerian foreign minister, Abdelkader Messahel, who accused Morocco of using drug money, come in a series of uncorroborated accusations by Algerian officials who refuse to pull their head out of the sand to point to the real impediment to their African policy.

Clearly, as they keep condescending towards Africa, which they see as a mere sphere where they have used oil money to assert a regional hegemony on frail foundations, Algerian officials are increasingly drawn by their countrys public opinion to explain how Morocco managed without oil and gas to make inroads in Africa while their country lags behind. Algerias easy answer to this question is to blame Moroccos success on cannabis and money laundering.

Speaking at the Algerian Business Leaders Forum CE), Messahel, bluntly accused Morocco of laundering cannabis money via its banks in the continent. The head of the Algerian diplomacy went on to pretend that African heads of state told him so.

He added that Moroccos flag carrier RAM which has been operating in Africa and serving destinations at times western companies refused to operate flights to Ebola hit countries is actually carrying something other than passengers.

Messahel concluded his diatribe against Morocco with a desperate call that there is no better country than Algeria for investments in the continent.

Certainly, attacking a successful neighbor to attract investments will not work to solve Algerias structural dysfunctions and its unpropitious business climate in the absence of genuine reforms.

So far, Moroccos response to the hostility expressed by the head of Algerian diplomacy has been serene to say the least. Moroccos foreign ministry has recalled its Ambassador to Algiers, summoned the Algerian charge daffaires in Rabat, and issued a statement stressing that the verbal blunders by Algerian diplomats will not undermine the credibility nor the success of Moroccos cooperation with sisterly African countries, which has been lauded by heads of African states and appreciated by local populations and stakeholders in the continent.

The statement added that spreading lies reflects the striking failure and economic, political and social problems facing Algeria and affecting large categories of the Algerian population.

As it heads straight towards a spiral of economic and social turmoil reminiscent of the situation that it experienced in the late 1980s and the 1990s, Algeria tries desperately to catch up with its western neighbor Morocco and when it fails, it resorts to unfounded allegations and accusations.

While Morocco increasingly outmanoeuvres Algiers on the continent thanks to a decades-long coherent African strategy, underpinned by south-south cooperation and economic partnerships, the military junta in Algeria is losing track feeling paranoid by a continental dynamic in favor of Morocco.

In a failed endeavor to counter Moroccos growing clout in Africa, Algeria attempted to hold a forum for African investors last December, but the event closed on a tone of utter fiasco amid tensions between the government and the association of Algerian investors organizing the event.

Yet, the roots of Algerian failure in boosting its influence as a model and credible economic partner in Africa are to be found in the structure of its rentier economy.

With its widespread corruption, complete dependence on hydrocarbons, underdeveloped banking system, over-subsidized and uncompetitive enterprises and dwindling foreign reserves, Algeria came to represent all that is wrong in the African economy.

At the image of its ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria is stuck in a Cold War mindset where ideology takes primacy. The antagonism of Algerian officials makes them myopic to the changes experienced in Africa where many countries, such as Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda are posting some of the highest economic growth rates globally.

Africa is a two-speed continent where some countries are making fast progress while others lag behind due to lack of good governance and political will. Algeria is certainly on the side that is lagging behind.

As the legitimacy of the Algerian regime erodes at home, its ideological alliances built on generous oil money handouts are gradually dismantled, since Africa lives in a new dawn where genuine win-win partnerships, technology transfer and investments are the best way to strengthen bilateral relations. To that end Morocco, joining action to words, has geared 60% of its investments to Africa. In the meantime, Algeria remains a tinderbox waiting to explode from within.

What Algerian officials fail to see is that the return of the North African Kingdom to its African Institutional family was the result of a years-long process of strengthening ties with African countries. This return was followed by a request to join one of Africas most active sub-regional groupings, the ECOWAS, as a full-fledged member. Such a membership will put the final nail in Algerias strategy to contain Morocco.

The failure of Algerias Africa policy stands in stark contrast to the success of Moroccos south-south cooperation approach with Africa. The numerous trips by King Mohammed VI to several countries in Africa, many of them former allies of Algeria on the Sahara issue, reflect the clout that the Kingdom has gained in Africa as a credible economic and political partner offering win-win co-development partnerships.
Front pages showing the news of JFKs assassination. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of classified documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy will be released by the National Archives over the coming days, according to a tweet sent by President Trump on Saturday. The president said that he will allow the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened, though he prefaced the statement by saying it was subject to the receipt of further information. The documents are legally required to be made public by October 26, but there have been reports that Trump would block the release of some of the files at the request of his national-security advisers. The resulting media coverage may have prompted Trumps tweet on Saturday; whatever the reason, the president did not confirm that he would release all the files as required.

Earlier this week, the White House said that it was trying to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public by October 26, which is the deadline Congress set by law in 1992. But Politico reported on Friday that the president would most likely block some of the information from becoming public. According to the site, the Trump administration feared that a small number of files created by the CIA in the 1990s would expose intelligence and law-enforcement operations, procedures, and personnel from that time period. For that reason, some documents may ultimately be withheld or released with some of their contents redacted, at the request of national-security officials.

All or most of the JFK assassinationrelated files from the 60s and 70s are still expected to be released, including more than 3,000 never-before-seen files that detail events like assassin Lee Harvey Oswalds trip to Mexico City two months before killing Kennedy  during which he reportedly visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies.

The October 26 deadline was set by the 1992 JFK Assassination Records Collection Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush amid a surge of interest in assassination conspiracy theories following the release of Oliver Stones 1991 film JFK. Most remaining government documents related to the assassination were released in the 1990s, but historians and conspiracy theorists have been eagerly awaiting this last pile for 25 years.

President Trump waded into JFK conspiracy-theory territory last year, when, in the midst of the GOP primaries, he suggested that opponent Ted Cruzs father was associated with Oswald. And longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone, who authored a book accusing Lyndon B. Johnson of being behind the assassination, has said that he has personally lobbied Trump to release the JFK files in their entirety. Appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Joness Infowars show this week, Stone alleged that CIA director Mike Pompeo was trying to block the release to hide the agencys involvement in JFKs death. Regarding Trump and the documents, Stone said that he thinks the president is going to do the right thing.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The deaths of four American troops in Niger on October 4 led to an unsavory spectacle involving President Trump, John Kelly, and Gold Star families that dominated headlines this week. But the tragedy also prompted many to wonder what U.S. troops were doing in the African country in the first place, and how their presence fits in with Americas ever-expanding, and ever-secretive, war on terrorism.

On Friday, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said that, At the end of the day, theyre helping those partners be better at fighting ISIS in North Africa to protect our country so that we dont have to send large numbers of troops.

The U.S. presence in Niger  a poor, landlocked country whose geography consists mostly of the Sahara Desert  dates back, at least officially, to 2013, when President Obama ordered 100 American troops to provide support for intelligence collection and facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces and other allies.

The deployment was a response to the burgeoning threat of Islamist radicalism in the area. The year before, an Al Qaedalinked faction had taken control of the desert expanse that makes up northern Mali, which borders Niger, and U.S. troops had set up a drone base to assist French forces that eventually drove the group from power.

There are now about 800 U.S. troops in Niger, ABC reports, mostly consisting of construction crews building a second drone base in the northern section of the country. A smaller group remains to run the drone program that still assists Malian forces fighting against Al Qaeda, Nigerias Boko Haram, and ISIS, which has gained a toehold in northern Africa in recent years. About 100 Green Berets help Nigerian forces in a more direct counterterrorism capacity; it was this group that came under fire in the disastrous mission earlier this month.

But the U.S. military presence in Africa isnt limited to Niger. There are American troops in several other countries, for several different purposes, ranging from fighting ISIS in Libya to plotting Middle Eastern strategy from a military base in Djibouti.

The precise mission of American troops in these countries may be murky, but their presence isnt exactly a secret  more a reminder of the expansive scope of the war on terror, launched by President George W. Bush and maintained by President Obama, which now includes outposts all over the world that most of its citizens pay little attention to.

The circumstances of the four deaths in Niger remain mysterious, with key questions  like whether American soldiers diverted from their mission  still unanswered. NBC News reported on Friday that, according to a senior congressional aide who had been briefed by the Pentagon, the deaths on October 4 were the result of a massive intelligence failure, a characterization the Pentagon disputed. Amid conflicting accounts from Nigerian and American forces, the agency is investigating. Senator John McCain has criticized the Trump administration for not being forthcoming about what happened, and has threatened to use subpoena power to seek clearer answers.

The incident has led some lawmakers to question anew the 16-year-old law that has allowed presidents since George W. Bush to send troops all over the world under the guise of fighting terrorism. Bush signed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists just one week after September 11. The bill has allowed the executive branch to order far-flung military engagements ever since, without much fear of congressional oversight.

Next week, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will testify on the issue in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Bob Corker said in a statement that it is perhaps more important than ever that we have a sober national conversation about Congress constitutional role in authorizing the use of military force.

Others echoed his sentiments. Senator Tim Kaine said that the many questions surrounding the death of American service members in Niger show the urgent need to have a public discussion about the current extent of our military operations around the world.

But the Trump administration, under which military commanders possess greater decision-making powers than they did during the Obama years, has indicated that it may ramp up military operations in Africa in response to the deaths in Niger.

More hawkish lawmakers seem enthused at the prospect. The war is morphing, Senator Lindsey Graham said. Youre going to see more actions in Africa, not less; youre going to see more aggression by the United States toward our enemies, not less; youre going to have decisions being made not in the White House but out in the field.

Given the history of the last 16 years, as Americans have become inured to extra-congressional military action, it seems likely that once the outrage over the Niger deaths dissipates, the modus operandi Graham describes is unlikely to face a serious challenge from lawmakers or citizens.
Photo: Ralph Northam/Facebook; J. Lawler Duggan/Washington Post/Getty Images

Last week I wrote a column suggesting that the palpable anxiety Democrats were exhibiting about the Virginia governors race might reflect PTSD  Post-Trump Stress Disorder  based on the unexpected GOP performance in last years presidential contest.

Since then, one poll (from Monmouth) has shown Republican Ed Gillespie actually leading Democrat Ralph Northam by a point, making Democratic fears more rational, even though other polls have actually lifted Northams lead in the RealClearPolitics average to 5.8 percent.

It has occurred to me, though, that nasty surprises which predate Trump 16 have given the Old Dominions Democrats good reason to be jumpy in ways that could be relevant to Democrats prospects in the broader landscape of 2018.

Four years ago, Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat Republican Ken Cuccinelli by 2.5 percent, a margin that significantly undershot T-Macs 6.7 percent margin in the RCP polling average (the final Washington Post poll showed McAuliffe up by 12 points). And perhaps even more to the point, three years ago, Ed Gillespie came very close to upsetting Democratic senator Mark Warner, whose final RCP polling margin was nearly 10 percent.

The idea that Virginia Republican candidates might over-perform their polling numbers in 2013, 2014, and perhaps 2017 is based on a very real phenomenon: Democrats do not tend to turn out like Republicans do in non-presidential elections, mostly because the two parties are now polarized between demographic groups that do (old white folks) and dont (minority voters and millennials) proportionately participate in down-ballot contests. It has been generally assumed that in Virginia, as in this years special elections, Democratic horror about Trump and his agenda would reverse the pro-GOP turnout patterns. But we havent had sufficient 2017 elections to resolve that question. Virginia will be a large data point. And if Gillespie wins, it will be time to express some doubts about all those generic congressional polls showing Democrats with an abundant 2018 advantage.

If you dont vote, your hostility to Trump  or to Republicans  doesnt much matter electorally. And to be frank about it, if you are a progressive voter who doesnt consider President Trump to be a sufficient motivator to show up, whether hes on the ballot or not, then Democrats do have a big challenge next year.
Pak economy recorded a significant revival in past four years: Shahid Khaqan D-8

ISTANBUL: Pakistan on Friday told the D-8 that through a comprehensive strategy and unwavering resolve, the country has successfully turned the tide against terrorism, as it sought enhanced trade and economic partnerships with member states through stronger rail, road, air and sea links, a win-win for all.



We faced unrelenting terrorism emanating from instability in our neighbourhood and the environment in the region and beyond. However, as a result of a comprehensive strategy and unwavering resolve, Pakistan has successfully turned the tide, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said while addressing the opening session of 9th D-8 Summit being hosted by Turkey in Istanbul.



Improved security has led to economic recovery. Pakistans economy has recorded a significant revival in the past four years.



Over this time, we have focused on upgrading our communications and energy infrastructure, and enhancing regional connectivity, the prime minister said. Connectivity-led growth is a good example of South-South cooperation. We seek similar partnerships with D-8 member states  through road and rail routes, where possible, but also through stronger air and sea connections.



The prime minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will further put Pakistans economy on an upward trajectory. We are also working on energy connectivity projects. Pakistans integration into the Eurasian Belt and Road network will provide a firm foundation for Pakistans rapid economic development, he said



As we gather here to renew our collective pledge to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, we must also take stock of the progress made so far on trade and economic partnership goals we set for ourselves. This summit is a good opportunity for us to identify and remove the impediments in the way of achieving the organisations objectives, the prime minister said.



He said 20 years ago, a shared vision motivated the leaders of member countries to establish this organisation to promote cooperation in the key areas of agriculture, industry, SMEs, trade, transportation, energy and tourism. However, the progress achieved so far falls short of our expectations  necessitating measures to accelerate momentum for stronger partnership, he added.



The prime minister pointed towards the stagnation of intra D-8 trade, after an initial increase, adding, the apprehension is that the target of US $ 500 billion in 2018, envisaged in the 2008 Kuala Lumpur Summit Roadmap, might remain elusive. It is, therefore, important for us to fully implement various instruments and agreements aimed at facilitating trade amongst member states, especially those related to preferential trade, small and medium enterprises, customs, simplification of visa matters and civil aviation. This would certainly pave the way for substantial increase intra D-8 trade, he added.



The prime minister said sectoral meetings at the ministerial level have already chalked out the roadmaps. Now is the time to start implementation. There may be challenges, but there are also opportunities like never before, he said. While it is imperative for the governments of member countries to facilitate trade and investment by adopting the necessary legal framework for investment protection and creating an enabling environment for business in their respective countries, it is the private sector that can make the best use of emerging opportunities for trade and joint ventures. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that we also actively promote entrepreneurship in our countries, he added.
A former Casper doctor who is being held in a Nebraska jail on drug conspiracy charges has submitted a handwritten court filing alleging jailers are violating his constitutional right to practice his religion.

In federal court documents filed earlier this month, Shakeel A. Kahn claims that he was placed and remains in solitary confinement for practicing Islam. Kahn asked the federal judge presiding over the case to order jail staff to cease their religious persecution and restore all rights and freedoms to all Muslims.

Kahn is being held at the Scotts Bluff County Detention Center in Gering, Nebraska.

The prosecution has not yet filed a response to Kahns claims relating to his right to practice his religion. Jail director Joseph Gaul declined to comment Friday. He said he may have more information on Monday.

Kahn also filed two additional documents on the same day. One asks to have more freedom to contact his wife, Lyn Kahn, who is also a defendant in the case. The second asks for dismissal of one of the 23 charges he faces in the case.

The prosecution filed responses this week asking that those two requests be denied.

In his complaint on religious grounds, Kahn also claims that his requests for Halal meals were ignored for three weeks, during which he subsisted on bread and water alone. He wrote that he lost 13 pounds during that time period and wrote that such treatment smacks of torture.

Kahn wrote that he has been in solitary confinement since July 24. He attached paperwork signed by the jail director that indicates Kahn was placed in solitary confinement as the result of a safety and security threat.

Kahn claims that he was deemed such a threat because jailers believe the Quran is a violent book and because Kahn had used religious expressions that alarmed jail staff. He wrote that his first amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion are being violated.

Kahn also wrote that he has recently been disallowed from showering before his evening prayer, which he says is required to practice his faith. He argued the lack of access to evening showers is a show of pure hate.

Kahn was arrested in November 2016 by federal agents and Casper police after a months-long investigation. He was later charged in a federal case that alleges he improperly distributed prescription drugs. He has been representing himself in a series of appeals filed since July, when his lawyers withdrew from the case. The reason for their withdrawal is not clear, because documents relating to the withdrawal are under court seal.

The appeals, written by hand and mailed from the jail, note that Kahn is representing himself on a temporary basis and has not waived his right to a lawyer.

Kahn has been assigned a standby lawyer, who could take over the appeals if necessary.

No date has been set for a judge to hear arguments on Kahns motions.
Pakistan will never allow its soil to be used against Turkey: Shahdid Khaqan

ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim on Friday agreed to bolster bilateral relations in diverse areas with particular focus on trade and economy.



The two leaders, who met here on the sidelines of the 9th D-8 Summit discussed bilateral relations, regional situation as well as other matters of mutual interest.



Prime Minister Abbasi while addressing a joint press stakeout with his Turkish counterpart after the bilateral meeting congratulated Turkey for successfully hosting the 9th D-8 Summit and assuming the chair.



He said Pakistan and Turkey were close friends and partners and always stood by each other difficult hour.



Prime Minister Abbasi said Pakistan considered Turkeys friends and enemies as its own and would never allow its soil to be used against the brotherly country.



He appreciated Turkey for supporting the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, who were fighting for their right to self-determination promised under the UN resolution.



He was also appreciative of Turkey for raising voice for Rohingya Muslims and Palestinians. Both of them were the victims of terrorism, he added. The Prime Minister lauded Turkey for its contribution in the socio-economic development of Pakistan.



He extended invitation to the Turkish Prime Minister to visit Pakistan and said he looked forward to the visit. Earlier the two leaders in their bilateral meeting had a frank and candid discussion on ways and means to further strengthen the multi-faceted relations between the two brotherly nations.



Prime Minister Abbasi said Pakistan was confident that both as OIC Chair and as an influential power, Turkey would continue to maintain its just and principled position by continuing to call for sending a fact-finding mission to Indian Occupied Kashmir to investigate the gross violations of human rights.



He also appreciated Turkeys strong support for Pakistans NSG membership and hoped that this forthright support would continue.



On its part, the Prime Minister said, Pakistan will continue to provide all possible support to Turkey on its issues of national interest, including Cyprus.



About the situation in Afghanistan, he said, Turkey has always played a very constructive role in facilitating peace through better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We look forward to Turkeys initiative of organizing the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Turkey Trilateral Summit at an early date, he added.



The Prime Minister said Pakistan looked forward to working closely with the Turkish leadership on issues of mutual and regional interest. Pakistan welcomes

Turkeys diplomatic outreach efforts to resolve the prevailing crisis between brotherly countries in the GCC, as well as the call for the resolution of all issues through dialogue and negotiations, he added.



He also acknowledged Turkeys role in finding a political situation to the conflict in Syria as well as for graciously hosting millions of refugees.



The Prime Minister appreciated Turkeys leadership in uniting the Muslim Ummah, as the Chair of the OIC, in the aftermath of the imposition of illegal restrictions by Israel around Al Haram Al Sharif and Al Aqsa mosque.



Pakistan and Turkey both share serious concerns over rising tide of Islamophobia and demonization of Muslims. We remain committed to working with Turkey at the international fora in this regard, he added.



Prime Minister Abbasi who also discussed with his Turkish counterpart the plight of Rohingya Muslims said Pakistan stands ready to discuss and support any initiatives taken by Turkey, as the OIC Chair, to address the plight of Rohingya Muslims.



He thanked the Turkish Prime Minister for the participation of Turkeys famous Mehter Band in the Pakistan Day Parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2017 and performance of Turkish Air Force Aerobatic team, Solo Turk on the Independence Day of Pakistan.
US wants to work with India-Pakistan to ease tensions along their border: US State Dept

WASHINGTON: The US State Department has said that Americas close relationship with India does not mean that if Indians had an armed conflict with another country, Washington is automatically going to side with New Delhi.



Wow. Okay, I dont think Id go that far, said US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert when asked at a news briefing in Washington on Thursday afternoon that the next time India had a conflict Pakistan, New Delhi will get Washingtons full support.



US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a Washington think tank on Wednesday that the US was going to have dramatically deepened relationships with India, adding that the security issues that concern India are concerns of the US too. Mr Tillerson is scheduled to visit Islamabad and New Delhi this week for talks on the new US strategy in South Asia.



Responding to a question about the secretarys remarks at the State Department news briefing, Ms Nauert said Mr Tiller was talking about shared-interests, as the two countries already cooperate in many key areas  from military exercises to intelligence gathering and counterterrorism.



Mr Tillerson said the US wanted to work closely with India and with Pakistan to ease tensions along their border as well. Pakistan has two very troubled borders and wed like to help them take the tension down on both of those and secure a future stable Pakistan government which we think improves relations in the region as well, he said.



The United States, she said, also appreciated how India was helping develop an infrastructure in Afghanistan and how it was playing a key role in strengthening the Afghan economy for which we are very grateful to India.



So, I think, the Secretary was really trying to underscore the importance of that relationship with India and recognising that we have a lot of areas where we can have mutual cooperation, said the US official while explaining Mr Tillersons remarks.



A journalist, however, reminded her that there were frequent exchanges of fires between India and Pakistan. So, when it happens next time, does it mean that the US has to take sides? the journalist asked.



I think, we are always very cautious about addressing those issues, not wanting to contribute to any additional tensions, Ms Nauert replied.



In his remarks at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, on Wednesday, Secretary Tillerson also highlighted US ties with Pakistan.



Pakistan, too, is an important US partner in South Asia. Our relationships in the region stand on their own merits, he said.



We expect Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups based within its own borders that threaten its own people and the broader region.



Mr Tillerson said that by taking such actions Pakistan would further stability and peace for itself and its neighbours and will improve its own international standing.



He said President Trumps new South Asia strategy was an effort to resolve the Afghan issue by promoting peace and stability in the entire South Asian region.



You solve Afghanistan by addressing the regional challenges. And Pakistan is an important element of that, he said. India is an important element of how we achieve the ultimate objective, which is a stable



Afghanistan, which no longer serves as a platform for terrorist organisations.



The new US strategy, he claimed, was quite simple: we will deny terrorists the opportunity, the means, the location, the wherewithal, the financing, the ability to organise and carry out attacks against Americans at home and abroad, anywhere in the world.



Mr Tillerson said that Afghanistan and Pakistan would be greatest beneficiaries if terrorism was eradicated from South Asia.



And we think that is achievable and we can have a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. And when that happens, a big threat is removed from Pakistans future stability as well, which then creates a better condition for India-Pakistan relationships, he said while explaining why he believed the new US strategy was good for all.
No African university is among the world's best 300 universities, according to the current global university ranking.



The University of Cape Town, South Africa, which is the number one university in Africa, is ranked 303rd in the global ranking.



The number one university in Ghana  the University of Ghana  is ranked 1,983rd in the global ranking.



This came to light at the official opening of the International Association of Universities (IAU) 2017 Conference at the University of Ghana, Legon in Accra on Thursday.



On the theme: Leadership for a changing public-private higher education landscape, the conference is being attended by representatives from more than 60 universities worldwide and seeks to create a platform for networking and the exchange of notes.



Started in 1950, the IAU serves as a voice for higher education and seeks to promote and advance higher education globally.



Reaction



Reacting to the ranking, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, described it as reinforcing the stereotype.



He wondered about the kind of information that was fed into the ranking, citing, for instance, the fact that the IAU continued to rank the Central University, where he had been the third vice-chancellor, based on its first vice-chancellor.



He, however, challenged African universities to put their act together and work harder to advertise themselves in the global village, saying: Africa has a huge potential in higher education which has been exploited only superficially.



Way forward



On the way forward, Prof. Yankah charged African universities to constantly publish the dissertations and theses of postgraduate and doctoral students, instead of the current situation where most of such research were locked up in drawers.



He also recommended the marketing of African universities outside the continent, as well as the opening up of centres of global studies on other continents for networking with the Africa world.



Pulling African universities along



Prof. Yankah urged the IAU to revise its policies and encourage more African universities to both enrol as members and participate in conferences.



Let such policies ensure maximum participation by host communities through the application of differential rates of enrolment and registration, he said, adding that this years IAU conference, the first on African soil, triggers dialogues and actions that will progressively narrow the intellectual gap between Africa and the rest of the world.



He reminded the participants that the conference would achieve its optimal effect if innovative ideas in funding tertiary education were tabled for discussion at the various fora.



He said the conference outcomes should also reckon with the overall financial implications of networking within such an association made up of a diversity of nations and universities of varying global prominence.



Sources of funding



Welcoming the participants, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, said the exigencies of the time had made it imperative that a public university such as the University of Ghana look beyond the public purse for funding in order to survive and provide quality teaching and learning.



He said the advent of open online courses had compelled the traditional universities to invest massively in distance learning and other technological ways of learning.



Promote higher education



The President of the IAU, Prof. Pam Fredman, told the participants that they had the opportunity and the platform to promote higher education.



She said the future was a knowledge-based society globally, adding that it was the way to achieve Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: Daily Graphic









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GLENS FALLS  Chris Sarandon is an accomplished actor, whether it comes to television, films or the stage.

Hes also an amazing storyteller.

After the Adirondack Film Festivals showing of The Princess Bride at the Charles R. Wood Theater Friday night, Sarandon took the full-house crowd behind the scenes of the well-loved movie, which was filmed 30 years ago.

Even before the the show, he made it clear how much he loved making the movie with Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes and Robin Wright.

I hope you enjoy watching this movie as much as I did making it, he said.

The crowd did just that, some of them tossing out lines, including the repeated, Inconceivable! and Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

In fact, the crowd even seemed to know the order of the credits, because Elwes picture came up, then Patinkins, and even before Sarandon came up next, the audience was applauding and cheering.

With Chad Rabinovitz  organizer and producing artistic director of the festival  asking him questions, Sarandon talked about his audition, where he spent the first 10 or 15 minutes talking about the New York Knicks with producer William Goldman.

Finally, (director) Rob Reiner says, Do you think we can get to the reading? Sarandon said.

He talked about the actors breaking out in doo-wap songs in the hallway of the castle and how the actors played even the silliest lines with a deadly seriousness.

Giant tales

He also talked a great deal about the late Andre The Giant, a former professional wrestler, who was billed at 7-foot-4, 520 pounds and played Fezzik in the film.

I think Andre really enjoyed it, because we just treated him like one of the guys, and he was not used to that, Sarandon said. Wed sit around and talk and drink. That man could drink. Not in the way of an alcoholic, but he had a massive bloodstream.

Sarandon also confirmed the fairly well-known fact that Andre was in pain from back and joint issues throughout the movie.

He was in incredible pain, Sarandon said. He was the strong guy in the movie, but he couldnt really do any of those scenes. That scene where he catches Buttercup when she jumps from the window, Robin had to be suspended from wires.

His daughters, however, didnt react well to their meeting with the giant.

They were 3 1/2 and 2, and I told them I was in a movie with a king and a princess, and they nodded, then when I said there was a giant, he recalled. Thats when they started asking questions. How big was the giant? Was he a real giant? What was he like?

After the cast came back from filming on location, his daughters came to the studio, and he asked Andre if they could meet him, and he said yes.

We went to Andres trailer. It was a big trailer for obvious reasons, Sarandon recalled. Andre was sitting down, and he got up, and the girls just looked at him.

At that point, Sarandon got up from his chair, looked at the Wood Theater audience and portrayed his daughters response.

Auuuughhhhhh! Augggggh! Auuuughhhhhh! Augggggh! he screamed, delighting the audience. Then they both ran away, first the older one, then the younger.

Sarandon was mortified and immediately apologized, but got a smile in return.

That is the way it always is, he said, dropping into Andre The Giants voice. They either run to me or run away from me.

Knew the story

Sarandon said he had read the book years before and admitted he did have his eye on the Inigo Montoya part.

Yes, before I auditioned, I wanted to be Inigo, he said. But Mandy was just amazing.

The actor said the movie followed the script to the letter, with one notable exception.

Not Billy Crystal, Sarandon said of Crystals manic performance as Miracle Max, which included an ad lib about a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich and the classic It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. Theres a big difference between mostly dead and all dead, among other quotes.

They knew that when they cast Billy. They knew he was going to make that all his own, Sarandon added, noting the actors had trouble keeping a straight face when Crystal went off.

Sarandons first acting credits were in the soap opera Guiding Light from 1969 to 1973. He has had an eclectic career that has included him playing Sydney Carlton/Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities, Frankenstein, Jesus Christ and the voice of Dracula. He was also the voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

One of the audience members asked Sarandon if he keeps in touch with the remaining cast members.

We see each other every once in a while, usually at reunion events, he said, mentioning E! Magazines 2011 photo shoot and a 25th anniversary showing at the New York Film Festival.
Cossayuna soldier completes training

LATHAM  Maj. Gen. Anthony P. German, the adjutant general of New York, announced the recent service accomplishment of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their initial commitment to serve community, state and nation.

The newest citizen soldiers to complete Army basic combat training and advanced individual training were welcomed to their units during a New York Army National Guard battle hand-off ceremony Sept. 9.

Pvt. Kolton Trombly from Cossayuna was formally welcomed into the Company D, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation during a transition ceremony at the Queensbury Readiness Center in Queensbury.

The ceremony marks their completion of the National Guard Recruit Sustainment Program, a preparatory training program that provides new recruits with training, lessons and skills to excel at their initial military training.

The soldiers will now embark on their traditional National Guard service to state and nation as part-time citizen soldiers.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit www.dmna.ny.gov or www.1800goguard.com.
GLENS FALLS  The Adirondack Film Festival kicked off Friday morning with sold out audiences for Dave Made a Maze, setting a pattern for the rest of the day.

By 5 p.m., organizers had already added overflow seating for several scheduled screenings as well as scheduling additional screening times on Saturday.

We are at about 600, said Chad Rabinovitz, organizer and producing artistic director of the Adirondack Theatre Festival, referring to passes sold.

At Getting Grace, we added 20 more chairs and next door is sold out, he said while juggling several things in the lobby of the Wood Theater shortly after 5 p.m. We are at 50 percent more than last year. The response is overwhelming and it is fulfilling to see what our team created be so well received by the community.

Rabinovitz said they added a third screening of Getting Grace at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Crandall Public Library on Glen Street and a third screening of Loving Vincent at The Hyde Collection at 5:30 p.m., also on Saturday.

At the Saturday night screening of Getting Grace, writer, producer and director Daniel Roebuck, who plays funeral director Bill Jankowski in the film, and Madelyn Dundon, who plays Grace, will interact with the audience for a Q&A session.

During a packed Friday screening of Getting Grace at the 190 Grille, Roebuck gave up his seat and sat on the floor before his after-screening Q&A. Roebuck will also be attending the 3:15 p.m. Saturday screening of Getting Grace.

He is also one of five screenwriters who will share their career experiences with film festival VIP attendees at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Queensbury Hotel.

As Chestertown Supervisor Craig Leggett was leaving the Friday evening screening of Safdie brothers Good Time, he said it was a powerful film that explores tough issues.

Good Time, rumored to be on the Oscar contender list, takes place in one night when a bank robber tries to free his brother from Rikers Island. The film screens again at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wood Theater on Glen Street.

Rabinovitz said a festival attendee approached him Friday afternoon and shared that she was from Austin and used to the SXSW Film Festival. She said she couldnt believe this was happening in Glens Falls, he said. There is an immense amount of community pride. At the center of this is the community.

Jenn Fitts traveled to Glens Falls from Hartford, Connecticut for the weekend festival. Oh yeah, its great, she said.

About 20 minutes before films were ending, film buffs were already lining up for the next scheduled screening. And while they waited, some checked the schedule for other films on their must-see list, and others were getting their free bags of popcorn at the Wood Theater.
SOUTH GLENS FALLS  South Glens Falls police are searching for a robbery suspect who allegedly took cash from the register at the Speedway Gas station on Main Street early Saturday morning.

According to police, the suspect entered the store at 70 Main St. in South Glens Falls at about 5:45 a.m. and walked around the counter where the clerk was standing and asked him to "give it up."

The clerk opened the drawer and the suspect allegedly took about $80 in cash, police said in a release.

The clerk said he saw what appeared to be a pistol grip in the front right pocket of the jacket he was wearing while taking money from the register, the release reported.

The suspect is described at male, dressed in all dark clothing, wearing a black ski mask, covering his face from the nose down, black sunglasses with his hood up and black gloves.

The suspect was last seen leaving the back of the store on foot, police said.

The clerk was not injured and the suspect did not threaten the clerk with a weapon.

The Saratoga County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit and the New York State Police helped search the area.

South Glens Falls Police are asking that anyone with information related to this incident to call, 518-792-6336.

Check back for more information on this incident as it becomes available.
Tony Cercys sexual assault trial should begin in February, Natrona County District Court Judge Daniel Forgey decided Friday.

The trial is expected to last six days, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20, with time off for Presidents Day and the weekend, Forgey said in a court conference.

District Attorney Mike Blonigen said he thought the trial would only take four to five days, but had no opposition to a six day trial. Criminal trials typically last three days in district court.

Colorado criminal defense lawyer Pamela Mackey, who is representing Cercy in the case, had asked for a six-day trial at Cercys last court appearance.

Cercy only spoke briefly at the 23-minute hearing to tell the judge his name and say he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He remained mostly still except to look at notes scratched out by his local attorney, Ian Sandefer.

Forgey also ordered both the prosecution and defense to exchange evidence and provide lists of the witnesses they would call at trial by Nov. 20, to file all motions in the case by Dec. 11, and to file all responses to those motions by Dec. 29.

After a brief squabble over the deadline for providing already recorded witness statements, Forgey said those should be exchanged Nov. 3.

Blonigen said he thought that the defense was already in possession of recorded statements made by the defendant.

Similarly, Mackey said that she understood the prosecution had already prepared at least 20 witness statements.

Cercy is facing first-, second- and third-degree charges of sexual assault. All three charges are felonies, and the first-degree charge is punishable by up to 50 years in prison.

A 20-year-old woman has alleged Cercy raped her on a couch at his Alcova house early on the morning of June 25. She told investigators she woke to him performing oral sex on her.

The 55-year-old businessman and philanthropist is free on a $100,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case.

Cercy is known for investing widely in downtown Casper since selling his manufacturing company, Power Service Inc., in April 2016.

The attorneys are due back in court on Jan. 9, when Forgey will consider all motions in the case.
MCD poll candidates rush to file nominations as deadline ends today

Himachal sees poll percentage of approximately 75.6: Official
The Illinois General Assembly will gather for its fall veto session on Tuesday with gun control legislation to consider again in light of national tragedy, including a provision to ban "bump stocks," the devices used by the gunman in what is now the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

At least two bills are being considered following the shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and more than 500 wounded on Oct. 1.

House Bill 4107 introduced Oct. 5 by state Rep. Martin Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat, would ban the sale of bump stocks, as well as assault weapons, large-caliber rifles and large-capacity magazines, described in the bill as holding 10 or more rounds of ammunition. Senate Bill 1657 would create state licensing for gun dealers and was filed by state Rep. Kathleen Willis, a Democrat from Addison.

Gun control is a sore subject with gun enthusiasts, said Dan Cooley, owner of The Bullet Trap in Macon. We're keeping our customers abreast of the situation, and as soon as we can, we'll go ahead and file witness slips, Cooley said, referring to formal objections to legislation that can be filed by individuals or groups. We're giving instructions on our Facebook page for customers who want to object to it.

Moylan has previously proposed similar measures, but they haven't passed the legislature. He thinks circumstances may change since it was discovered that Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, had reserved hotel rooms in Chicago overlooking the Lollapalooza music festival last summer. Paddock didn't use the rooms.

"I'm passionate about it this time because of the events that happened in Las Vegas," Moylan said. "Especially since the guy was scoping out a Chicago site, I think this bears a lot of weight on it. I would hope I get a lot of support, both on Republicans and Democrats."

HB 4107 is scheduled for a hearing before the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee at 3 p.m. Tuesday. SB 1657, which was filed in the Senate in February, is on the legislative calendar for a third reading and floor debate in the House, which is followed by a vote. It passed the Senate on April 27.

But finding support among Central Illinois lawmakers may prove problematic for the bills sponsors.

As a strong supporter of our constitutional rights, I will be voting against these anti-Second Amendment bills, and I urge my colleagues in the General Assembly to do the same, said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, who is not seeking re-election in 2018.

State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said he would oppose Moylans bill if it comes up for a vote in its current form.

I represent a diverse Senate district, and my goal has always been to weigh all opinions on every piece of legislation, and that approach has been no different and will be no different for Moylan's bills. He has several bills or any bills that deal with gun control.

Two sides of a very important debate are talking past each other, and I think the key to this is I think trying to find common ground.

Recent tragedies

Las Vegas is the most recent mass shooting that has caught the nations attention and sparked gun control talk in Illinois, which has spent years grappling with gun violence in Chicago while feeling pushback from downstate gun rights supporters.

Paddock fired hundreds of rifle rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel into a crowd of concertgoers Oct. 1 in Las Vegas. About an hour after Paddock fired his last shot, he was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His motive remains unknown.

During his attack, Paddock used a bump stock to have his weapons mimic automatic firing. The devices, originally intended to help people with disabilities, fit over the stock and pistol grip of a semiautomatic rifle and allow the weapon to fire continuously, about 400 to 800 rounds in a single minute. Bump stocks were found among the guns Paddock used.

On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard, killed 49 people and wounded 58 others inside Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He was shot and killed by Orlando Police Department officers after a three-hour standoff.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members. Prior to driving to the school, he shot and killed his mother at their Newtown home. As first responders arrived at the scene, Lanza killed himself.

Chicagos homicide rate is ahead of the pace set in 2016, when it reached 400 homicides by July 31. There were 781 homicides in 2016, but the city didnt see its 400th killing until August. According to a homicide database compiled by the Chicago Sun-Times, at least two homicides have occurred per day so far in 2017, and the city reached its 400th homicide on July 31.

Gun control legislation following mass shootings often focus on assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines that the killers often use. In addition to those, Moylans proposal also addresses large-caliber ammunition, such as a .50-caliber bullet, used mostly in machine guns and sniper rifles by militaries worldwide, but also for some hunting.

Taking sides

No one at the Locked & Loaded gun store near Pana is surprised legislators are making another run at more gun control measures in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre. But store co-owner and gunsmith Jarred Agney said that, as usual, it's misdirected effort.

Agney said lawmakers call for bans on rifles labeled as assault weapons based on looks, like having a pistol grip, while having no idea how the weapons work. Some of these 'assault weapon' features you can find on bolt-action rifles, he said.

The gunsmith said describing a high-capacity magazine as holding 10 or more bullets was also ridiculous. Many pistols today hold significantly more than 10 rounds, he added. Picking 10 is just taking an arbitrary number.

Agney said the mass murderer of Las Vegas was an evil man intent on performing an evil act. He said lawmakers want someone to blame in the aftermath, and something to ban, and the anti-gun lobby look for an opportunity to push their legislative agenda. But he said the bottom line is there is no law that would have stopped the Las Vegas shooter, or anyone bent on doing others harm.

Agney said Locked & Loaded doesn't sell bump stocks and said for most shooting purposes they are useless. But he doesn't like the idea of legislation to ban them because he doesn't trust Illinois politicians who, he said, are always looking for the thin end of a wedge issue.

What will happen, and we've seen it a hundred times, is they will have one issue and then pack everything else behind it, he said, referring to other gun laws and restrictions.

But the legislation is a piece of a puzzle, said Colleen Daley, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Hand Gun Violence.

"We are supportive of the measure. I don't think weapons of war should be on our streets," she said. "We ban automatic weapons for a reason. Bump stocks are not something people should have access to."

It's part of a bigger issue of people having easy access to guns and the illegal trafficking of them, Daley said.

"We definitely need to see some changes," she said.

The Illinois State Rifle Association, the state arm of the National Rifle Association, said it is keeping an eye on all legislation as it relates to gun rights, but Executive Director Richard Pearson said he doesnt see much to support in the latest proposals.

We oppose it ... no wiggle room (on Moylan's bill), Pearson said. There's a lot of bills out there right now; there's several bump stocks bills, so we'll be looking at those to see if there's anything we can deal with there. We're still watching things being proposed. We'll see what happens; we always look at legislation.

While Moylans bill dealing with weapons and ammunition is just beginning its legislative journey, the bill to require state licensing of gun dealers has made it all the way to a floor vote in the House after clearing all its legislative hurdles since being introduced in February and passing the Senate.

Willis, the Addison Democrat, said 16 states already require a state license for gun dealers in addition to a federal license.

"This bill is something that has been worked on for 15 years," Willis said. "I don't think that it is definitely tied to the Las Vegas shootings. I think this is a good business practice bill."

Agney called it a pointless exercise that will achieve nothing: It serves no purpose because we're already regulated by the federal government with pretty good oversight.

Bullet Trap owner Cooley is against that, too. Firearms dealers already keep meticulous records, he said, and already have cameras in their establishments, and adding another layer of regulation is unnecessary.

Rocky ground

Common ground may prove an elusive goal, given the dichotomy of Chicago-area vs. downstate lawmakers, in addition to the Republican/Democrat divide on the issue, in Illinois.

State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, prefaced that he had not read the legislation in full yet and would not make a final judgment until then, but he is opposed to what he did know of the two bills.

State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, and state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, did not return messages seeking comment.

Righter called the Moylans measure an emotional and political response.

"This is a pattern that we see in Springfield on a regular basis," Righter said. "There is a tragedy and the response from some in the general assembly is, well, let's go file a gun control measure that may or may not have affected the situation."

To Righter, gun violence is generally caused by those with mental illness or those with a "lack of respect for the sanctity of innocent life in some communities."

"Clamping down more on law-abiding gun owners who have passed the criteria necessary to get a FOID (Firearm Owners Identification Card) or passed what was necessary to get a concealed-carry does nothing to address these issues," Righter said, speaking of an assault rifle ban.

He felt similarly about the state licensing measure.

"It is duplicitous. We have a federal system," Righter said. "The federal government has far more resources. ... What are the gaps in the federal system that this would fill?"

Mitchell was more pronounced in his opposition.

The liberal Chicago politicians are once again pushing their radical, gun-grabbing agenda in Springfield. Democrats have filed another so-called assault weapons ban and have advanced a highly restrictive gun dealer licensing bill to the House floor for a final vote in the coming weeks, Mitchell said. Law-abiding gun owners should not have their rights trampled upon by out-of-touch politicians looking to score cheap political points in the wake of recent tragedies.

Said Manar: My opinion about this issue is reflective of the Senate district I represent. I can tell you today that there are many people in the 48th District that support Moylan's bill and many people that oppose it.

"And I think my approach has always been the same, and especially bills that deal with firearms, you weigh the pros and cons and the different sides of the argument and try to make the best decision you can make.
Three would-be shoplifters found with sawed-off shotgun

Scott County Sheriffs deputies responding to an initial shoplifting call at Walmart on Elmore Avenue in Davenport seized a sawed-off shotgun from the minivan in which the three suspects were fleeing the scene Thursday.

Shane Ryan Brown, 31, Korry Michael Worden, 23, and Jessica Lynn Crabtree, 32, all of Clinton, are each charged with one count of third-degree robbery, one count of unauthorized possession of offensive weapons, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Scott County Sheriffs Deputy John Skaala, at 2:20 p.m., Skaala was responding to a shoplifting in progress call at Walmart, 5811 Elmore Ave., Davenport.

While on his way, the dispatcher at the Scott County Emergency Communications Center informed Skaala that a woman had punched the stores security officer and that three people had fled the area in a gray minivan with damage on the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was headed northbound on Elmore Avenue.

Skaala saw the vehicle, a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager, at the intersection of Jersey Ridge Road and Elmore Avenue and was able to stop the vehicle.

Skaala then noticed the sawed-off shotgun in the vehicle.

Brown, Crabtree and Worden have felony convictions on their criminal records and are not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition. Sawed-off shotguns also are illegal. Federal authorities could choose to take over the firearms charges and charge the three at the federal level under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.

There is no parole in the federal prison system as there is at the state level.

Both of the firearms charges leveled against the three are Class D felonies under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

Third-degree robbery is an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of up to two years.

Brown, Crabtree and Worden were being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail. Bond for each of them was set at $12,000 cash or surety.

Anyone with information about those responsible are asked to call the tip line 309-762-9500 or submit your tip on-line at www.qccrimestoppers.com. All tips are anonymous and you could earn a cash reward.

 Thomas Geyer

3 churches burglarized in Moline

CrimeStoppers of the Quad-Cities is seeking help in solving a rash of burglaries at churches in Moline.

Since Oct. 5, three Moline churches have been burglarized. In all three cases, suspect(s) forced their way into storage sheds and stole tools and lawn equipment.

 Tara Becker
LARAMIE, Wyo.  Gathered around a steel camera box inside the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, a group of University of Wyoming freshmen pitched questions over the sound of lowing cattle about the infrared telescope's capabilities.

Astronomy and physics majors, the students ignored the boisterous barnyard banter bleeding through the observatory dome walls as they participated in their first tour of the nation's second highest professional observatory, which overlooks the Laramie Valley from atop Jelm Mountain at 9,656 feet.

"The beauty of having your own observatory is that students can get their hands on the equipment," UW Astronomy and Physics Professor Chip Kobulnicky said. "Most major observatories are very hands off. The professionals tell you 'Don't touch, don't mess anything up.' Here, our philosophy is 'Touch.'"

The infrared observatory hosts the world's first major telescope to be controlled by computer and remains the nation's largest observatory owned by a single institution, he said. But being owned and operated by the university sometimes means the aspiring astronomers have to share space with other researchers such as UW Department of Molecular Biology Associate Professor Mark Stayton, who is conducting a high-altitude experiment on the observatory property with cattle bred from bovines and yaks, Kobulnicky said.

For most of the students, touring the facility would be a memorable first-time experience, but for Chase Smith, an 18-year-old from Mountain View, the tour was nostalgic.

"I always knew I wanted to be a scientist," Smith said. "But when I came here for the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp about five years ago, they showed us this telescope being typed in with right ascension and declination  like latitude and longitude, but in the sky  I thought that was really cool."

After leaving the camp, he found himself plastering constellations to his ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars and yearning to learn more about astronomy.

"It feels surreal being here again," Smith said. "I remember where we camped up here, and I remember which computer we used to type in the coordinates of the stars."

Kobulnicky said he's always excited to see new students enter the program, but having a former summer camp attendee show an interest in the program years later confirms the value of outreach programs.

"Chase is a good example of a student that got interested in science because of one of the university outreach programs," he said. "It tells us that these early interventions programs matter and get kids interested in science."

Inside the telescope control room, the group huddled around clusters of technology from the last four decades. A boxy black-screened monitor displayed telescope data in orange letters, while a compact display unit across the room provided weather graphics on a full-color LCD screen. A tape deck gathered dust behind a server tower blinking with red and blue LED lights. A lunch-box sized cathode ray tube television was set on a shelf above a flat-screen computer monitor.

"The local meridian is the line that divides the sky in half running north and south," Kobulnicky explained as he typed telescope commands into a desktop computer. "That's where we get the terms a.m. and p.m.  ante meridiem, before the meridian, and post meridiem, after the meridian."

Built in the 1970s, the observatory was operational by 1977 and cost about $2 million to construct, according to information provided by UW. While weather on Jelm Mountain can be extreme with wind speeds reaching 100 mph and temperatures dropping below minus 40 Fahrenheit, the location was selected for its proximity to Laramie, comparatively low air turbulence and dark night skies. The 2.3-meter telescope is a classical Cassegrain design, which includes a large, concave primary mirror with a parabolic surface and a smaller convex secondary mirror with a hyperbolic shape, UW documents state.

The facility also provides sleeping quarters for researchers, but Kobulnicky said they are rarely used nowadays.

"The sleeping unit was used historically so a group could spend a week up there, but we don't use it for that as much," he explained. "With the internet, we can operate the observatory from the (UW) campus. We have to be on site to change equipment out, but operationally we can do everything else from campus."

In addition to being the only university that provides tours for freshmen in their first week of school, UW uses the facility for several research projects, Kobulnicky said.

"One of my exciting projects is observing a double star that we believe will be merging in the next five years," he said. "This has never been predicted and observed before."

UW Physics and Astronomy Professor Mike Brotherton is currently using the observatory to measure the masses of black holes, Kobulnicky said.

"Black holes don't emit their own light," he explained. "You have to study them by the light emitted near them. (From the research), we can learn about the evolution of galaxies, and the role black holes have in creating them."

In conjunction with associate professors Hannah Jang-Condell and Michael Pierce, Kobulnicky said he is also in the process of building a spectrograph that will measure the velocity of stars.

"The spectrograph will enable us to detect planets around (stars)," he said. "That's one of the most exciting parts of astrophysics right now  discovering other planets."

During a pause in the tour, students crowded into a lounge area to discuss their observations and absorb the data they received.

"There's like a two-class difference from physics to astronomy, so it's like, 'Why not?'" said Alex Higley, an 18-year-old native of Parker, Colorado.

At an early age, Higley acquired a taste for scientific knowledge through television programs.

"In fifth grade, I was watching a documentary about stars and it was really wicked sweet," she said. "I like reading about theoretical physics  looking at why things work and how things work."

Although Higley said she is more interested in studying the cosmos than engineering, she said the tour was an engaging venue for introducing potential researchers to their equipment.

Kobulnicky said bringing freshmen to the facility early in their first semester helps generate interest in the program and provides students the opportunity to dabble in astronomy right from the get-go.

"Students can get a hands-on learning experience about how to work with objects and electronics in ways you cannot do at most major observatories," he said, adding with a chuckle, "If you break it, fix it, but learn from it. One of my advisers used to say, 'The amount learned is proportional to the amount broken.'"
A Florida woman who with her boyfriend stole and cashed thousands of dollars in forged checks from victims in Davenport and Bettendorf in April has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Elizabeth Ann Shamel, 38, was sentenced Thursday during a hearing in Scott County District Court.

Shamel entered into a plea agreement with Scott County prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery and one count of identity theft over $10,000.

In return for her plea, five charges of forgery, one count of first-degree theft and one count of ongoing criminal activity were dismissed.

Shamel will be taken to the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women in Mitchellville.

As Shamel was already on probation out of Broward County Florida after pleading guilty there to a charge of third-degree grand larceny, Scott County Chief District Judge Marlita Greve sentenced her under Iowas habitual offender statutes.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Bettendorf Police Sgt. Brad Levetzow, Shamel admitted that she and her boyfriend, Marcus Levon Felder, 27, are part of a group that was in the Quad-Cities committing thefts of checks to cash.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Errol Walker, on April 15, Shamel went to three different I.H. Mississippi Valley Credit Union locations to cash stolen checks made out for more than $2,000. At 11:50 a.m., she cashed a check at the I. H. Mississippi Valley Credit Union, 2839 AAA Ct., Bettendorf. At 12:28 p.m., she cashed a stolen check at the branch at 2102 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport. And at 1:23 p.m., she cashed a check at the credit union branch at 3646 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport.

According to Levetzows affidavit, two Davenport women reported to Davenport police on Saturday that their purses were stolen from their vehicles.

On April 17, Shamel cashed three stolen and forged checks totaling $6,470 at the Ascentra Credit unions at 2339 53rd Ave., and 1710 Grant St., in Bettendorf, and 1515 W. 53rd St., Davenport.

Then, on April 18, Shamel tried to cash another forged check at the Ascentra in Moline, but the credit union had a security alert on the checks and names, and Shamel fled.

Bettendorf Police Capt. Keith Kimball said at the time that Bettendorf officers were able to locate the car Shamel was driving and in which Felder was a passenger. They pursued the car into Moline where officers were able to stop it by a car dealership near SouthPark Mall.

Felder tried to flee on foot but was quickly taken into custody.

The vehicle Shamel was driving had a rear Florida license plate covered by a stolen Iowa license plate.

Officers seized from the vehicle checks that had been stolen in Waukee, Iowa, and Memphis, Tennessee, as well as $2,791 in cash.

They were taken to the Rock Island County Jail, where they waived extradition and were placed in the Scott County Jail on April 19.

Before coming to the Quad-Cities, Broward County, Florida, court records, show that Shamel pleaded guilty to a charge of grand theft third-degree on March 1 and was sentenced to two years on probation.

On March 14, she pleaded guilty to a charge of grand theft in Palm Beach County, Florida, and was sentenced to eight days in jail.

Felder has convictions for burglary, grand theft third-degree and assault on a law enforcement officer in Broward County. He also has pending cases of burglary and strong armed robbery in Broward County and burglary, eluding and grand theft in Palm Beach County.

Felder pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony during a hearing on Oct. 5 in Scott County District Court. He was sentenced to 170 days in jail. When his jail sentence is completed, Felder will be returned to Florida for hearing on his pending cases there.
Youmane Kolani of Moline got some scary news Saturday morning from his family back in his native land of Togo, a small African country located on the west coast of that continent.

My brother gave me the bad news that military people were getting into people's houses and beating them, he said. The only reason they could not get into my parents house was because of a high fence they have and a metal door. But a house across the street, they got into the house and beat the people.

He was among about 350 people who rallied Saturday in Rock Island, demanding freedom and democracy for Togo.

Mostly consisting of Quad-City residents who were born in Togo, the group met at Schwiebert Park, where they sang, chanted and listened to speakers before marching to the nearby offices of U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.

Many of those protesting are now American citizens.

Recently, the United States and Canada both issued security alerts to its citizens in the wake of opposition protests in Togo.

Nana Ouro-Agora, vice president of the Togo Uprising of the Quad-Cities organization, said the event was for civil rights and political changes in Togo.

She said the nation is currently experiencing violent, deadly riots as the opposition party has marched on the nations capital in an effort to force out the president. President Gnassingbe has ruled since 2005. His father, Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled for 38 years before that.

She said in 1992, the Togolese people voted to limit presidential terms to two, five year terms. However, the current president has exceeded that by almost three years.

As protests flared up again in August, she said military troops have injured and in some cases, killed, Togolese residents.

Now, protests are taking place all over the world, including the United States. Claudine Essololim Mathey, from Waukee, Iowa, said a huge demonstration took place two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., and another one is scheduled for Oct. 28 in New York City.

She is one of the international organizers of these rallies.

I am very proud to see them out here today because there are not as many Togolese people living here as in other areas, she said. We need real freedom in Togo.

She said because her name and face is out there she has received many threats from the Togolese government, threatening her family there.

Emma Snyder of Davenport, came to also march. Not a native of Togo, Snyder said she used to teach English as a Second Language to many people, including those from Togo.

America, wake up, she said. They are our neighbors. They are American citizens. They have families there.

This is about all that is going on in my native country, said Herve Datevi of Moline, who came here from Togo 14 years ago. We are showing support for people living on the ground.

Even though we are now American citizens, we are still part of Togo. We want people to know, especially in the United States, that we want to be free. That family in Togo has been in power for over 50 years and it is a dictatorship.

The rally included people carrying signs, signing the Togolese national anthem, prayers and messages in French and English. Togo is a former French colony.

We also had a moment of silence for those who have died, Datevi said.

Georges Tounou of Moline, from Togo but now a U.S.citizen, serves as president of the Quad-City Togolese group.

We are asking the congresswoman to take this to heart, to inform her colleagues, to ask the government of Togo to stop the killing, to listen to the population, asking for reform.

We want the president to serve just two terms and he is on his third term. Enough is enough. We want the young people there to know you can be anything you want, like what it is here in the U.S. We want the same for Togo.

At Bustos' office, a representative, Miranda French, read a statement from Bustos who was unable to be there.

As your representative, I believe that the government should always be accountable to its people. I am heartbroken to hear about the attacks on protesters in Togo and share your concerns. I will always support common sense reforms which increase government accountability and prevent violence. The United States has a long history of standing up for democracy and freedom, and it is important to continue this legacy, and work towards a comprehensive, international resolution.
Enduring was the stock markets advance, again last week. Enduring, too, was investor demand for area companies shares, lifting our Quad-City Times Key 15 by 13.66 to close the week at 2,270.36 (1) and a fourth record.

Contributing to strength in our area business barometer were gains in 3M Company, up $3.57 to $221.26, and in shares of FedEx Corp., which climbed by $3.11 to close at $225.32 (1). Some restraint on the index came from a $1.42 decline in Macerich Co., which ended at $56.75 (1).

Enduring is also the word for home building across the U.S., recently interrupted by two damaging hurricanes hitting Texas and Florida. Still, the National Association of Home Builders sentiment index, out Tuesday, rebounded from a 64 reading in September to a 68 in October. The index measures builder sentiment about the current and future opportunity for activity in building single family homes. In an uptrend for much of the past seven years, the index reflects positively on builders overall outlook.

Enduring would then also describe housing starts, with the latest look released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. The September starts were down a seasonally-adjusted 4.7 percent from August, not surprising given the storms. Nevertheless, September starts were up 6.1 percent over one year ago, with the subcategories about even: Single family home starts were up 5.9 percent. Multi-family units were up 6.8 percent over one year ago. Its an enduring sector despite the one month 15.3 percent retreat of single family starts in that stormy southern region.

Enduring, too, will be the courts ruling on painting farm equipment green and yellow. Deere & Co. received word on Tuesday that a U.S. District Court in Kentucky ruled in Deeres favor to protect that color combination for John Deere farm equipment. The court found that FIMCO, a Sioux City, Iowa, manufacturer of sprayers under the AgSprayEquipment name, had intentionally used the green and yellow to confuse customers into believing a connection with Deere might exist.

Deere learned of the FIMCO usage in 2011, asked them to stop by communicating with them over three years, finally filing a lawsuit in April 2015.

Nicely, in a 107-page ruling that found for John Deere on all claims, the court ruled Deeres green and yellow combination qualified as a famous trademark since as early as the 1960s. That trademark is surely enduring. And, investors last week bid Deere shares up $1.22 to $129.15 (1).

With quarterly corporate profit reports attracting much attention now, reports from Arconic, HNI Corporation and 3M Company lie just ahead, on Monday and Tuesday. Watch to see if sales and earnings endured in the latest quarter. And hope for some commentary from each on their next quarter. Look ahead.
Looking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once the Islamic State's capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective military power of the United States.

Perhaps it's a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once it's engaged, that the fall of Raqqa this week provoked so little public discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the parents of America's fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice that our military has achieved a goal that three years ago seemed distant and uncertain.

The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: It's a mistake to provoke the United States. It may take America a while to respond to a threat, but once the machine of U.S. power is engaged, it's relentless -- so long as the political will exists to sustain it.

The Raqqa campaign is a reminder, too, of something we rarely see in these divisive days -- the continuity of U.S. commitments from the Obama administration to Trump. Truly, it was a shared enterprise. Trump deserves credit for accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State and giving commanders more authority. But the basic strategy -- and the will to resist the jihadists in the first place -- was President Obama's.

A secure and confident Trump would invite Obama to the White House to meet with commanders and troops returning from the battle. That would remind the world that America can keep its word, across administrations. Trump, still anxious about his authority, seems incapable of such generosity.

Thinking back to the beginning of this campaign is to recall how fragile it initially seemed. The Islamic State exploded in the summer of 2014, overrunning Mosul and racing like a firestorm across the Sunni regions of Syria and Iraq. The lines of defense buckled. The Kurdish capital of Irbil was in danger; so was Baghdad.

As a precondition for American military involvement, Obama demanded a new government in Baghdad that would be less pro-Shiite sectarian and better able to win Sunni trust. He was right, and he got what he wanted in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister by Haider al-Abadi, who has had a steadier hand than Iraq-watchers initially predicted.

When Obama announced his goal to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State, it sounded like an obtuse and conditional war aim. And it didn't help that nobody agreed on a name for this enemy, variously called "ISIS," "ISIL" and "Daesh." America was hardly enthusiastic for the war after long, frustrating battles against Islamic insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Obama pushed ahead.

The campaign got off to a slow start. Tribes in Iraq's Euphrates Valley pleaded for American aid that was initially slow to arrive. The Iraqi military was a mess until the U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service began to display real combat power. But gradually, mostly invisibly, the battle turned: U.S. airpower killed tens of thousands of recruits to the caliphate, obliterating anyone who raised a digital signal. The U.S. military said little about this harsh campaign, but Syrian and Iraqi fighters saw it, and people go with a winner.

Watching this battle unfold during multiple visits to Iraq and Syria, I saw two factors that changed the tide. First, the U.S. found committed allies. The toughest fighters initially were Kurdish, the KDP and PUK peshmerga militias in Iraq, and the YPG in Syria. They stood their ground and fought, and died. (This Kurdish loyalty is worth remembering now, in their time of troubles.) The anti-Islamic State alliance broadened as the Iraqi military got stronger, and YPG recruited Sunnis into a broader coalition dubbed the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Victory came from marrying these committed fighters to America's devastating firepower. The U.S. could dial in strikes from an array of platforms -- drones, fixed-wing aircraft, advanced artillery. The ruin of Raqqa makes it look like we just pounded everything, and the U.S. needs to make a self-critical accounting of civilian loss of life. Honesty about the war's human cost, and American responsibility for mistakes made in the fog of battle, is the best bridge to the future.

The problem with this campaign from the beginning was that our military dominance was patched on top of political quicksand. That's still true. Obama never had a clear political strategy for creating a reformed, post-Islamic State Syria and Iraq; neither does Trump. Our military is supremely effective in its sphere, but the enduring problems of governance, it cannot solve.
Thumbs up to researchers with Augustana College and Scott County Department of Health, for outlining with crystal clarity the pervasiveness of Davenport's lead paint problem.

Five-thousand homes within Davenport's 3rd, 4th and 5th wards are at high risk of lead paint contamination, according to an analysis conducted by Augustana professor Michael Reisner and Health Department Director Ed Rivers. Income levels and a neighborhood's racial composition were the best indicators of prevalence, they concluded. The greater the percentage of low-income and black households, the greater the risk for exposure to lead contamination.

The new information places the onus squarely on federal, state and local officials to create and fund a program that addresses the obvious health risk. Federal regulators banned lead paint in 1978 after research linked exposure to lower IQs and general cognitive impairment among children and birth defects among fetuses.

Thumbs down to the federal government's shameful response to the tragedy in Puerto Rico.

Millions of U.S. citizens are without access to power and clean water a month after a hurricane slammed the island. And yet, Americans, and their president, are more than willing to to ignore them. One Quad-City Times employee rushed home to Puerto Rico to be with his family after the disaster. Things are not improving there nearly fast enough, regardless of what the White House says.

One can't help but think how the government's response would be different if the devastation was in a state of equal population, such as Iowa.

Thumbs up to Environmental Protection Commissioner Scott Pruitt for backing off on his attack on biofuels.

In a letter Thursday, Pruitt told Iowa's federal lawmakers that he was scuttling a proposal that would have reduced the amount of corn ethanol blended in gasoline throughout the country. The move would have been a substantial blow to Iowa's ethanol industry.

For their parts, Sens. Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds leveled all of their collective influence to beat Pruitt off the proposal.
You can make it wherever you want in life if youre willing to work for it, fight for it, and don't let anyone stop you from it. This is a motto I've held to be true and it has led me to be the president of North High School class of 2016, student school board member, and now student at Scott Community College.

As a young adult living in Davenport, I want someone who also lives by that motto and can relate to the issues that are important to me and represent my interests in city government. I am voting on Nov. 7 for Mr. Rich Clewell because he has clearly indicated to me that he understands issues from my perspective and I have seen him personally take those issues to the highest level of state government. Mr. Clewell also engaged us in conversations with Gov. Branstad, R-Iowa, and our local legislators.

Now as a college student taking my general education courses prior to attending Western Illinois University Quad-Cities, I'm not certain if I will make Davenport my home. But I do know that Mr. Clewell has often discussed the importance of bringing Davenport students back into our community and I am certain he will not give up that goal if elected as Davenports 6th Ward alderman. If you are old enough to vote, I urge you vote for Mr. Clewell on Nov. 7. You can register to vote on the day of the election at the polling station.

Andrew DeNoyer

Davenport
I have lived in Davenports 2nd Ward for more than four years. I am supporting Alderwoman Maria Dickmann on Nov. 7 because she has demonstrated she is invested in our community. Maria has nearly perfect attendance at City Council meetings (except for maternity leave).

She holds regular ward meetings at a time and location that is convenient for us. If you attend community meetings or events, you might see Maria. She actively seeks out opportunities to hear from community members. She volunteered and helped organize a bake sale to benefit local veterans this year.

As the mother of three children, two of which have special needs, I do not have time to educate her opponent on the difference between Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and ADA friendly parks, which I've recently seen he doesn't understand. Families shouldn't have to travel to Bettendorf to find a usable park. Maria recognizes if this is important to me, it is important to others, and seeks to educate herself. I want a representative on the City Council who shows initiative like Maria Dickmann.

It doesn't matter how we contact Maria, she promptly responds. Her opponent to date hasn't responded to questions emailed to him over a week ago. Maria responded on day one. If a candidate wont even get back to an email in a timely manner, how confident can I be that he would address my concerns as a constituent?

Tara Witherow

Davenport
Soup & sandwich supper is Saturday

Black Hawk Community Church, 5192 Mill Road, holds its annual soup and sandwich supper from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.

In addition to the supper of soup, sandwich and homemade pie or cake, there will be handmade crafts, quilts and baked goods for sale.

Cost of the meal is 45 per person or $15 per family. All proceeds will be used to fund church mission and service projects.

Gospel Sing to be held Sunday

Gospel Sing, the annual fundraiser for Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Faith Temple Church, 715 Kansas City St.

CareNet provides services to women and families facing unplanned pregnancies.

Fall supper is Oct. 28

Immanuel Lutheran Church, 920 Fillmore St., in Whitewood will host its fall supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 28.

The meal will feature turkey and roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, and a variety of salads and pies.

Cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children ages 5-12; and free for children under age 5. Children under 5 are free.

The annual supper is a fundraiser for special mission projects.

Knollwood bazaar is Oct. 28

The annual Knollwood Heights all church bazaar will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at the church, 320 E. College Ave.

The bazaar will feature crafts, baked goods and lunch of Indian tacos and homemade chicken noodle soup.

Proceeds from the event will support church mission projects.

South Canyon holds bazaar

South Canyon Lutheran Church will hold its 27th annual Harvest of Crafts Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the church, 700 44th St. The bazaar will feature crafts, quilts, vendors, a bake sale, cinnamon rolls and super nachos. All proceeds will go toward youth programs. Admission is free. If you are interested in booth space, call Matt at 343-4887.

ELCA celebrates 500 years

The ELCA Church of the Black Hills will host Reformation 500 - A celebration at 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at Calvary Lutheran Church, 5311 Sheridan Lake Road.

The region-wide event will feature music, hymns, readings and prayers celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran reformation.

For more information call 605-484-1425.

Bible Fellowship holds Trunk or Treat

Bible Fellowship Church will host a trunk or treat from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29, at the church, 1212 E. Fairmont Blvd.

The free family event features candy, inflatables, chili, and and dunk tank.

92nd Buffalo Dinner is Oct. 29

Keystone Congregational United Church of Christ will hold its 92nd Annual Buffalo Dinner on Oct. 29.

Tickets are on sale for the 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. seatings. Tickets for the 12 noon and 1 p.m. seatings can also be purchased at the door.

As in years past, the meal will include slow-roasted buffalo, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans, cole slaw, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and homemade pie.

The Buffalo Dinner tradition grew from a request to the church by Gutzon Borglum to serve a meal for the dedication of Mount Rushmore in 1925. Borglum shot the elk that was served. Either elk or beef were substituted if a patron asked for buffalo or bear.

The church is located at 402 Blair Street, Keystone. To purchase tickets in advance call Jodie at 605-391-9911 or Mary at 605-786-6846.
The Catholic Diocese of Rapid City is celebrating another step toward the potential sainthood of the late Native American holy man Nicholas Black Elk.

At 4 p.m. today, Bishop Robert Gruss will lead a mass at Holy Rosary Church near Pine Ridge to mark the opening of a cause for canonization.

The opening of the cause follows the submission of a petition calling for Black Elk's canonization last March by George Looks Twice, Black Elk's oldest living grandson. The petition bore 1,600 signatures.

The opening of a cause is the next step in a process that could take years, has an uncertain outcome and requires ultimate approval from the pope. Among other things, Black Elk's life must be studied in great detail, and evidence must be presented of his participation in miracles.

Gruss has appointed Bill White, of Pocupine, to be the diocesan postulator of the cause. White, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, will lead an investigation into Black Elk's life to establish support for the canonization effort.

"From everything I've read about him, I believe he was a saint," White was quoted as saying in this month's edition of West River Catholic, a publication of the diocese. "I want to be a part of the cause. I've heard a lot of stories about Nicholas. I just have to gather information to prove those stories."

Black Elk ("Hehaka Sapa" in Lakota) was born in the 1860s in what would become Wyoming. In roughly 1874, when Black Elk was between 8 and 10 years old, he became gravely ill. He later described a spiritual vision that he experienced during the illness, in which he saw himself being transported to the top of a mountain that white people called Harney Peak (the mountain was renamed Black Elk Peak last year by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names).

Beginning in 1931, Black Elk related the details of his vision to the white author and poet John Neihardt, of Nebraska, who parlayed their talks into the book "Black Elk Speaks," first published in 1932 and reprinted several times since.

Black Elk also witnessed the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the aftermath of the Wounded Knee Massacre, and traveled abroad with Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. He converted to Catholicism after settling on the Pine Ridge Reservation and became a catechist who was credited with converting 400 people.

In his later years, Black Elk became known to tourists and Rapid City residents through his participation in the Duhamel familys Sioux Indian Pageant at Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns. Black Elk died in 1950.

Black Elk would not be the first Native American to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church. That distinction belongs to Kateri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin-Mohawk woman who lived during the 1600s and was canonized in 2012.
October 16, 1907

Scarcely a day passes that there is not some rancher in town looking for help. They offer good wages but are unable to secure the men.

Isaac Chase of Rapid City was in Vale Thursday visiting old friends which he has done every year and has watched Vale grow from a place without a building to a good sized village. His first visit, A. Rosander had just opened a small stock of goods in a dug out. Today Vale has forty buildings, several good business houses and the country tributary to it settling up fast.

October 18, 1917

Dr. Clark has moved his office into the Hartwell Building, recently occupied by Dr. Hills. Mrs. Clark, having purchased the property will conduct the Newell Hospital there in the future.

Last week Matt Sooter disposed of his spring lambs to Matt Hafner and when they were weighed it was found that they averaged over 104 pounds a piece.

October 20, 1927

Quite a number of our folks attended the dedication of the sugar beet factory near Belle Fourche last Saturday. It was a great day and those who could not actually be with the crowd were there in spirit. Many growers were too busy getting out the stuff that keeps the factory going that they dared not take the time off.

Suzie Schummer was found guilty of having beer in her possession, discovered by the officers in the cellar of her home, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $250 in costs.

October 21, 1937

With several recent robberies indicating that a gang of safe workers is starting to make the rounds in different Black Hills area towns, Police Chief Costello of Deadwood warned last night. He is urging business men to refrain from at least for a time, from leaving any considerable amount of money in their safes overnight.

E.E. Youngberg, local Chevrolet salesman, will have a 1938 Chevrolet car on display in Newell Saturday of this week. The 1938 Chevrolet presents noticeable changes and advanced styles, especially in the front end. The new car is roomy and the very latest in performance, comfort and economy.

October 16, 1947

When Gail Coe of Strool recently rented a plane from the Skyway Air Service here and went to Rapid City for a breakfast meeting of the Black Hills Pilots & Aircraft Owners Association, he was awarded the prize for the most colorful figure in attendance at the meeting.

Conclusion of the first small hole formation test for structure on the M.E. Hafner ranch 6 miles east of Newell on Willow Creek was announced by R.J. Barnard and Bill Seitzinger drillers. Satisfaction was expressed with findings of fair gas pressure. Since the hole is small, it is hoped the hole may clean itself if enough pressure builds up.

October 17, 1957

The Pollyanna Extension Club met last Thursday at the home of Mrs. Ralph Milberg. After a short business meeting, a kitchen shower was held for Mrs. Sharon (Schipke) Miles. After the gifts were opened and displayed, lunch was served. Next meeting will be November 14 at the home of Mrs. Rodney Winkler and a kitchen shower will be held for Anne Milberg, bride-elect of Gerald Kirk.

At the noon meeting of the Community Club, Doug Eckelman, chairman of the Special Committee to study possibilities of building a swimming pool in Newell, reported some initial plans and estimates have been secured. On such a facility adequate to serve the community; costs, complete with a building would amount to about $26,000 with 25% on donated labor.

October 19, 1977

Fifteen children 3-4- & 5 year olds, were registered to attend the Newell Pre-School scheduled to open in Mid-January. Kay Smeenk was hired as their teacher. A 5-member board of Directors was selected to handle all governing matters pertaining to this privately-operated, non-profit pre-school; Dennis Chowen, Val Goeringer, Mike Bunny, Nina Sprague and Jackie Turbiville all of Newell. The purpose of the school is physical coordination, music appreciation, socialization and how to cope with being away from parents, etc. Classes will be held at the City Hall, which Newell City Council has donated for the purpose.

There will be a meeting of interest to all irrigation farmers and concerned businessmen to discuss the proposed new rules 160-acre limitation laws on October 19 at Newell Senior Center.

October 21, 1987

The Cub Scout Pack 13 of Newell is sponsoring a spooky Haunted House on Halloween night, October 31 from 6:30 to 10:30 at the VFW Hall on 3rd Street. Plan to attend and be scared to death!

With South Dakota pheasant season opener of October 17th Congressman Tim Johnson recently celebrated by showing off his own official state bird to Congressional colleagues. The handsomely stuffed and mounted pheasant was given to Johnson by several SD hunters.

October 15, 1997

The Newell Lutheran church parsonage was moved one house-length Friday afternoon by local house movers onto a brand new basement constructed by Boom Concrete of Newell. The old basement had collapsed, causing the need to rebuild a new basement, currently inhabited by Pastor Duane Anderson and family.

Laurie Johnston has taken summer classes to renew her teaching certificate. Mrs. Johnston has been teaching Geometry, Algebra, Applied Math I and Applied Math II for 28 years. When not in the Newell High School classroom, she spends time with her dogs Spike and Raz as well as training and riding horses.
SPEARFISH | New York Times best-selling author Craig Johnson was fresh off a sold-out Thursday night presentation at Black Hills State University when he sauntered into a conference room full of college honor students Friday morning, all eager to know more about the creative process that led him to write the Longmire mystery series.

And they werent disappointed.

Engaging, approachable, friendly and funny, Johnson gave them more than an hour of his time, graciously answering every question with a sense of humor and wonderment at how his damaged Wyoming protagonist sheriff named Walt Longmire had captured the imagination of the world, been translated into 17 languages, and resulted in a popular Netflix television series starring Robert Taylor, Lou Diamond Phillips and Katee Sackoff.

The 57-year-old former cattle rancher, who now writes and raises horses at his spread on the outskirts of Ucross, Wyo., population 25, has penned 13 full-length novels in the Longmire series, as well as two novellas and a collection of stories featuring the beloved sheriff. Along that literary trail, Johnsons books have collected a saddlebag full of honors, including the Western Writers of America's Spur Award, the Will Rogers Medallion Award for fiction, and the Watson Award for a mystery novel with the best sidekick, and theyve garnered best book of the year by Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.

His latest book, The Western Star, was released last month. Earlier this year, Johnson published, An Obvious Fact, a novel set in the Devils Tower area during the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally and including a mention of BHSU.

So popular are his books and his fictional, well-read, thoughtful High Plains sheriff, that Walt Longmire actually received 13 write-in votes in Wyomings most recent Johnson County election.

I had to go in and apologize to the real sheriff, the ceaselessly smiling author said Friday.

With his cowboy hat and weathered leather briefcase beside him, the Journal caught up with Johnson after his discussion with the college students and posed a series of questions.

Youve got 13 full-length novels in the Longmire mystery series under your belt, as well as a Netflix series, two novellas and a collection of stories featuring Walt Longmire. Theyve garnered a host of national awards. Whats next for Craig Johnson?

More Walt, simply because hes good company. I like to think people read the books for the same reasons I write them. Walts good company; smart, friendly, approachable. Ive got 13 books out of this guy, and I havent remotely scratched the surface.

Writing is such a solitary pursuit. This fall youre making a dozen presentations from Massachusetts to California, including this one at BHSU. What do you take away from these interactions like youve had this morning with university students?

The energy, thats the thing. Youre writing in a void out there in the dark by yourself. I write on a ranch on the outskirts of a town of 25 people. That solitude helps me write my books. But the joy is going out and meeting those folks who love my books. As you go on in life, you inevitably lose some spark. But meeting with these students gives me back that energy.

At the South Dakota Festival of the Book in Deadwood a decade ago, when your career was just taking off, I asked you what extravagance you had afforded yourself and you said a new pickup. Fast-forward to today. What has your success allowed you to do that you never dreamed?

I still have that pickup by the way. But the answer to your question is: go around the world. The fun thing is, traveling around the area gives you a sense of the book, but as it expands, you get to larger areas and a larger audience, and then it spread around the world with the translations. One of the blasts has been to travel the world basically on Walts dime. Thats been such a joy to meet people from all over the globe. And there are a lot worse emissaries for America than Walt Longmire.

Walt Longmire is a self-effacing sheriff in Wyoming, often haunted by his past tragedies, yet bolstered by his loving daughter and a cadre of friends. As the author, what similarities do you share in terms of life experiences and those who surround you?

I have not had the tragedies in my life that Walt Longmire has. My wife likes to say that Walt is who Craig would like to be in 10 years; its just that hes off to an incredibly slow start. Theres more truth to that than Id care to admit. Walts had a forging in fire and the things Ive done to him. Hes had to be tough. But Walt is surrounded by what I like to call a pride of lionesses, a masculine narrative balanced by female characters who pull the story back to the middle. Rubys Post-its on his office door, Dorothy at the Busy Bee Cafe responsible for keeping him alive by feeding him, daughter Cady, his emotional lifeline, and Vic, the deputy who serves as a professional lifeline and an urban voice in what otherwise would be a very rural environment. Walt likes being in the company of women as do I. It adds to the sense of reality.

What question do you truly wish a newspaper reporter would ask you but never did? And whats the answer?

Good question which nobodys ever posed to me. When I wrote The Cold Dish, my first book, nobody ever asked about something specific, even though so many of my readers say they know every detail. I was buying Sheriff Lucian a drink and trying to get a job. I had a new wife, a child on the way and $287.43 in my bank account. The key thing is, its set in 1972, and that child couldnt have been Cady. For 12 years, nobody has picked up on that. Nobody did the math. But we get that answer in The Western Star, my newest book.
Kiwiblog, the popular website run by National Party pollster David Farrar , has the tagline 'Fomenting happy mischief'. Farrar says that he was 'slightly sad and very relieved' when Winston Peters chose last Thursday to support a Labour rather than a National government. Kiwiblog's host was one of a minority of National Party luminaries who considered that a spell in opposition would be preferable to the compromises involved in a coalition government with Peters' New Zealand First Party.



But few of the National Party supporters who comment at Kiwiblog were as sanguine than Farrar. Many were furious that their party could have won 44% of the vote in last month's general election and still be shut out of government. They pointed out that the Labour Party received only a little less than 37% of the vote, and that Labour and the Greens combined won slightly fewer votes than National. They deplored the fact that Winston Peters, whose party was chosen by only 7% of voters, ended up choosing the new government. They waxed nostalgic for New Zealand's old, First Past the Post electoral system, which would have kept both the Greens and New Zealand First out of parliament and given National a thumping majority of seats.



A few commenters at Kiwiblog have turned from sadness and anger to fantasies of violent revenge against the man they hold responsible for the defeat of their party and the corruption of New Zealand's electoral system. On Saturday morning, a long-time Kiwiblog commenter who uses the nom de plume rightoverlabour used the site's daily General Debate thread to argue that Winston Peters was a 'terrorist' who deserved a violent death. rightoverlabour explained that:



I believe in eliminating terrorism. Winston is a political and economic terrorist. He has held the country to ransom, and is obfuscating on everything. His assassination would not be something I would shed a tear over. I have time for Jacinda, and the Greens ( even though I oppose most of their policies), as they have been open and transparent. But Winston is a despicable, narcissistic individual. Emperor Nero comes to mind as a close comparison. Sometimes the elimination of a clear and present danger is a necessity for the survival of a reasonable society. Assassination may seem a step too far, but a society has to protect itself from these types of individuals gaining power. Ask the Russians, Germans, North Koreans.



rightoverlabour's comment was quickly endorsed by another veteran Kiwblog contributor, who uses the pseudonym oldpark:



Total agree what an indictment. Why compare him to Nero, how about Poll Pot, who caused the deaths of Millions.



It might be suggested that righoverlabour and oldpark are embittered eccentrics, whose opinions are not taken seriously even at Kiwiblog. By the end of Saturday, though, eight readers of the blog had upticked rightoverlabour's call for the assassination of Winston Peters, and nine had backed oldpark's comparison of Peters to Pol Pot.



Some contributors to Kiwiblog have lamented the atmosphere at the site since Winston Peters chose Labour on Thursday. 'There is a lot of spite and denial on here at the moment', a National Party supporter who uses the pseudonym Disaster Area wrote. A contributor to the site who calls himself Kimbo suggested that National's supporters would have to pass through the famous 'five stages of grief', from denial to anger to bargaining to depression to acceptance, and predicted that their progress would be slow.



It is not only on Kiwiblog that supporters of the National Party have been dreaming of the violent demise of Winston Peters. A series of facebook users have announced that Peters deserves to die for the choice he made last Thursday. In a comment made an hour after Peters announced he'd been teaming up with Labour, Blair Paterson , who identifies himself on his profile page as a former member of New Zealand's air force, argued that 'Uncle Winnie needs a bullet' and said that he was 'happy to do it for free'. In the same thread, Karl Green posted a montage of what he called 'the worst humans in history', in which Peters was featured alongside Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Osama bin Laden.



Some facebook commenters seem to have been made incoherent by their rage against Peters. Angela Cryer posted this curious statement shortly before Peters announced his decision to form a government with Labour:



Remember who you are you traitor. If I disembodied you of your Maori blood you would be nothing but a pair of pakeha bloodshot blue eyes. I thought you were the future of this country. You were not elected. Nor were your body of advisors. None of you are representative of New Zealanders. This is no longer a democracy. You are a disgrace. I fear for my country and my fellow voters. All of whom you have betrayed.



Agitation at Peters' decision has filled some users of social media with literary daring. A twitter account with the grand title News of New Zealand posted this remarkable mixture of metaphors:



Full of Achilles Heels and festering boils NZ's new #CoalitionofLosers is a rocky ship headed for unchartered waters.



David Farrar is not responsible for all the comments that his blog attracts, anymore than Mark Zuckerberg is responsible for everything that turns up on facebook. Nor can National's leadership be accused of inciting vitriol against the new government.

In the speech and press conference that he gave on Thursday night, outgoing Prime Minister Bill English was courteous in defeat, refusing to condemn Winston Peters or impugn Labour's right to govern.





But the calls on social media and Kiwiblog for Winston Peters' demise and the analogies made between a very slightly centre-left government and Pol Pot's Cambodia and Stalin's Soviet Union suggest that a sliver, at least, of the New Zealand right has succumbed to what could be a dangerous irrationality.





I've blogged about the descent of parts of New Zealand's right into paranoia and conspiracy theory here here , and here





[Posted by Scott Hamilton]




Freedom of expression has been the core value which accompanied the struggle for Indiaas Independence. The British did attempt to stifle the voices of dissent but the freedom fighters did see this as a crucial mechanism of rooting democratic ethos in the society. At heavy cost the major leaders had to face the wrath of British colonialist powers for upholding the foundation of a democratic society through freedom of expression. The same values got enshrined in our Constitution, with various articles and clauses upholding it.

What we are witnessing today is a stifling of dissent from the ruling party, the ruling ideology of sectarian nationalism. The suppression of dissent and freedom of giving expression is not just through control of media and stifling of writers. Ruling party; through control of a section of media; is using heavy hand to control the free thinkers. One major and frightening phenomenon accompanying this attempt to muzzle the dissenting opinions has been to eliminate the thinkeras writers physically.

We know that sometimes state can outright control the media, as happened during emergency. The censoring of media, raids on the publication houses had been resorted to by the authoritarian state. The current phenomenon is slightly different. Here along with the heavy hand of the big brother watching, those inspired by the communal nationalism, are taking the law into their own hands, with full knowledge that the ruling party-state is with them and they can get away with their crimes of eliminating those thinkers and activists, whom they canat oppose at ideological level. By nature most of the ideologies which promote nationalism in the name of religion are grossly intolerant and indulge in the street violence and killing to promote the communal divides. The matching phenomenon to what we are witnessing in India is also seen in Bangladesh, where those inspired by the Islamic nationalism have been targeting the bloggers and have been physically eliminating them.

During last several years we have tragically witnessed the murders of the writers-social activists who have been upholding rational thought, those who have been opposing the hold of values which support caste, those who have been opposing the politics in the name of Hinduism. When Narendra Dabholkar was shot at, the trend began at the abominable level. Dabholkar was active in promoting rational thinking, and had formed Andh Shraddha Nirmula Samiti (Committee for eliminating blind faith) in Maharashtra.

Govind Pansare, a dedicated saintly worker for human rights, was not only promoting rational thought, he was also opposed to sectarian nationalism, he promoted a rational version of Shivaji story, which presented him humane king, taking care of his subject irrespective of their religion and who in his administration had Hindus as well as Muslims. M.M. Kalburgi a rationalist scholar was opposed to the Brahmanical values and so talked to promoting Lord Basvannaas teachings of social equality, he also articulated that Lingyats should be regarded as religious minorities, away from the grip of Brahmanism dominated prevalent Hinduism.

In the sequence to this came the tragic murder of Gauri Lankesh, a fearless journalist, who opposed the politics of Hindu nationalism at grass root level, who supported the rights of religious minorities, participated in the local communal harmony groups to oppose the politics being constructed around Baba Budan Giri and Id Gah ground. She was also for recognizing Lingayats as a religious minority. The impact of these activists was perceived as a threat, they were wring in regional languages and were perceived as a thorn in the flesh of divisive ideology. The pattern of their murders was similar, motor bike riders coming and shooting them. The investigations have so far not yielded much and except one worker of Sanatan Sanstha, ideologically close the dominant political tendency today, no arrests have been made.

As such these murderers are like tip of the iceberg. These murders are accompanied with the growing intolerance in the society, which has also lead to killings beatings of Muslims-Dalits in the name of Holy Cow Beef. The killing of Mohammad Akhlaq, Junaid Khan and Una floggings has been the major incidents amongst the brutal acts unleashed by the growing intolerance in the society. While intolerance has grown gradually from last decade or so, during last three years in particular, there is a qualitative change in the nature of intolerance. How do we understand the growing communalization of society, worsening intolerance and killings of those standing for democratic norms?

In independent India first major act of ideological murder, killing for political goals, prompted by intolerance was murder of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Godse was the killer and RSS was banned. Saradar Patel, the then Home minister wrote to RSS chief Golwalkar, aAs regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabhaa our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former (RSS) an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible.a a Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Indiaas first home minister, on the assassination of Gandhi, in a letter dated July 18, 1948 to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. (Sardar Patel Correspondence, Volume 6, edited by Durga Das)

The type of suppression we saw during Emergency of 1975 was the one imposed by an authoritarian state, now the present phenomenon is not just the one brought in by the state. State, since is being controlled by narrow nationalism is playing its role, but the deeper and more damaging part is the one brought in by the so called fringe elements, the storm troopers of the ideology motivated by communal hatred. The divisive ideology is creating Hate not only against the religious minorities but also against those who are trying to uphold democratic, plural and diverse values in society.

Diverse opinions, debated in an open spirit are the best guarantee for democratic society. The sectarian ideologies are opposed to democratic ethos and so they are pushing the intolerance worse possible levels. There is a need to protect the democratic freedom by combating communalism.
Canadas Communications Security Establishment (CSE) intel agency has released the source code for one of its malware analysis tools dubbed Assemblyline.

The Canadas Communications Security Establishment (CSE) intelligence agency has released the source code for one of its malware detection and analysis tools dubbed Assemblyline.

The Assemblyline tool is written in Python and was developed under the CSEs Cyber Defence program.

This tool was developed within CSEs Cyber Defence program to detect and analyse malicious files as they are received. As the Government of Canadas centre of excellence in cybersecurity, CSE protects and defends the computer networks and electronic information of greatest importance to the Government of Canada. states the Communications Security Establishment.Our highly skilled staff works every day to protect Canada and Canadians from the most advanced cyber threats. Assemblyline is one of the tools we use.

The Canadian intelligence agency described the analysis process as a conveyor belt, the files arrive in the system and are triaged in a sequence composed of the following phases:

Assemblyline generates information about each file and assigns a unique identifier that travels with the file as it flows through the system.

Users can add their own analytics, which we refer to as services, to Assemblyline. The services selected by the user in Assemblyline then analyze the files, looking for an indication of maliciousness and/or extracting features for further analysis.

The system can generate alerts about a malicious file at any point during the analysis and assigns the file a score.

The system can also trigger automated defensive systems to kick in. Malicious indicators generated by the system can be distributed to other defence systems.

Assemblyline recognizes when a file has been previously analysed.

The CSE decided of releasing the Assemblyline tool allowing anyone to customize the tools and deploy their own analytics into it.

The tool allows users to focus their efforts on the most harmful files, reducing the number of non-malicious files that experts have to inspect.

The strength of Assemblyline is the ability of users to scale the system to their needs and the way that Assemblyline automatically rebalances its workload depending on the volume of files. CSE added. It reduces the number of non-malicious files that security analysts have to inspect, and permits users to focus their time and attention on the most harmful files, allowing them to spend time researching new cyber defence techniques, CSE added.

The Assemblyline source code is available on BitBucket, users can modify it according to their needs.

Other intelligence agencies also released open source tools in the past, In November 2016, peers at the GCHQ released the CyberChef tool to analyze encryption, compression and decompression, and data formats.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs  Assemblyline, malware analysis tool)

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The Erotic Service Provider Legal, Educational, and Research Project filed a federal lawsuit back in 2015, challenging a 145-year-old California law that makes sex work illegal. On Thursday, attorney Louis Serkin, representing the group, spoke before a panel of three judges at the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, as CBS 5 reports, asking them to strike it down after a federal judge in Oakland dismissed the suit last year.

Laying out the plaintiffs' argument, Serkin said, "I believe people in this country have the right to act this way and to make a living this way." According to The Independent, they say that the law "unfairly deprives consenting adults of the right to private activity, criminalises the discussion of such activity, and unconstitutionally places prohibitions on individuals right to freely associate." Essentially, they're saying that by criminalizing how sex workers make money, the state is denying them their constitutional rights, and that it should be up to a person to decide how they want to work.

Judge Carlos Bea, one of the sitting judges on the panel, wondered, "Why should it be illegal to sell something that its legal to give away?"

Sharon O'Grady, Deputy California Attorney General, is tasked with defending the law, and presented the argument that it exists as a measure of safety, as she said that it "[deters] violence against women, sex trafficking, drug use and transmission of sexual diseases," writes NBC Bay Area. She also addressed their concerns about how the law may infringe on their liberty, saying that, "The state is not telling anyone who they can sleep with," but in the interest of reducing the aforementioned dangers, banning sex work is "an easy place to draw the line."

But some experts disagree. LAMBDA Legal's HIV Project Director, Scott Schoettes, said, "Criminalizing sex work does not reduce the transmission of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections: in fact, just the opposite is true." He explains further in a post on the LAMBDA Legal blog:



The evidence is clear that laws making it illegal for consenting adults to engage in private sexual activity in exchange for money hurt public health because they lead to fear of law enforcement and criminal prosecution, deter use of condomsthey are often used as evidence of intent to commit this crimeand create hurdles to health care for sex workers and their clients. The lower court ruling was ill-informed and misguided, and the Ninth Circuit should direct the lower court to reinstate the case and to consider the effects of these laws on public health.

The discourse around sex work has obviously changed since the law was created, and despite being amended multiple times since then, people still feel that it's out of date. Regarding O'Grady's point, it's worth noting that because sex work is criminalized, "transgender people, people of color, LGBTQ young people, gay men, and women who sell sex (as opposed to the men who buy it from them)" are often disproportionately targeted by law enforcement officials, according to an ACLU of Southern California report on sex work. Punishing sex workers instead of those who perpetuate and feed the dangerous system (be it through purchasing, i.e., johns or managing, i.e., "pimps") feels backwards.

The judges' decision should be forthcoming, but perhaps not until the new year.

Previously: Sex Workers Bring Petition To Governor Brown To Decriminalize Prostitution
Two students at an East Bay Catholic high school have been expelled following a racially charged incident involving slurs directed at "one specific group," reports KRON 4. According to a statement from administrative officials at Moreau Catholic High School, a student "created a list of racial slurs, and another student started to read some of them aloud in a classroom."

Though both students were ultimately expelled, parents at the school expressed worry over how it took the school a few days to carry out the expulsion. By KRON 4's timeline of events, the incident happened on Monday, and one of the students was still present at school that Wednesday. By Thursday, they were both gone. The school touched on this in their statement, writing:

"... the further harm caused by the delay in the decision-making process and communication to our parents and students has led to increased hurt, anxiety, and stress for the members of our Moreau Catholic family. As a school community, we sincerely apologize for the hurt and pain our student body, faculty, and families are experiencing. Our administration recognizes that this process could have and should have been conducted in a more timely manner, and with better communication to our students and parents."

Additionally, they wrote that they were setting aside classes today, Friday, "to ensure that our students have the space to process how they are feeling, share what they are seeing in their own experiences on campus."

This follows another incident at Berkeley High School, where administrators were conducting an investigation into a racist, student-run Instagram account that targeted students at the school. Before that, one teen at Albany High was expelled for running a similar account that had also targeted students at that school. Another group of 13 teenagers who "liked" and commented on the photos were also reprimanded, and in response, those teenagers sued the Albany Unified School District for infringing upon their First Amendment rights. The teenagers' attorney, Alan Beck, said at the time, "This to me is no different than having a private drawing book and making some offensive drawings at home and sharing them with a couple of my friends. Does the school have the right to ruin my life over something I was doing at my house?"

NBC Bay Area says that a photo of the the full list of slurs created by the former Moreau High students can be found on the Samuel Merritt University Office of Diversity & Inclusion Facebook.

Related: Horrible Racist Teenagers Are A Thing In The Bay Area
Another former Tesla factory worker has come forward with a lawsuit against the car manufacturer, accusing them of doing nothing regarding alleged bullying and threats of violence from supervisors, then retaliating against him by firing him after he reported that harassment. Jorge Ferro, who worked on the assembly line at Tesla's Fremont factory, also alleges that he was targeted for harassment by his supervisors because he's gay, and that many of the threats made against him were based on that fact.

In the Guardian's report on the lawsuit, they write that Ferro's supervisor allegedly said, "Watch your back," and that they mocked his clothes for being "gay tight." Then, Ferro said that after he reported the harassment to a manager the first time, nothing happened. But after the second time, Ferro said that someone from HR took his badge away from him, allegedly saying he had an "injury" and that there's "no place for handicapped people at Tesla."

A Tesla spokesperson responded to the allegations, saying that naming Tesla was a play at publicity. According to the Chronicle, they said, "Every lawyer knows that if they name Tesla as a defendant in their lawsuit, it maximizes the chances of generating publicity for their case. There is no company on Earth with a better track record than Tesla, as they would have to have fewer than zero cases where an independent judge or jury has found a genuine case of discrimination. This is physically impossible."

Of course, if you've been paying attention to any of the recent news about Tesla, then you'll know that there are at least three other lawsuits alleging racially motivated harassment and hostile working conditions at the company. One lawsuit alleges that three former factory workers, all of whom are black, were subject to racial epithets, along with one instance of a supervisor drawing and displaying a Jim Crow-era racist caricature. According to NBC Bay Area, a company spokesperson responded to those allegations in a similarly disappointing manner, saying, "We will never be able to stop every single person in the factory from engaging in inappropriate conduct, but we will continue to do everything that we can to encourage the right behavior and to take action whenever something bad happens." One of the workers went on to allege that after complaining, he started to receive poor performance reviews, which resulted in him leaving the company.

That suit followed on a similar one brought by the same attorney on behalf of another former factory employee earlier this year.

Another lawsuit from a female engineer alleges that the company paid her a lower salary because of her gender, and that she was constantly exposed to a culture of "unwelcome and pervasive harassment by men on the factory floor including but not limited to inappropriate language, whistling, and catcalls." In her case, a Tesla spokesperson said that a "neutral third-party review" found her claims to be unsubstantiated.

The company says that they "still stepped in to try to keep these individuals apart from one another and to ensure a good working environment." But moving Ferro was "perceived by many to be retaliatory," says Ferro's attorney, Chris Dolan, who spoke with The Guardian about the suit. "It sends a message to other employees that if you complain, youre the one whos going to have your job changed. In essence, youre penalizing the party whos making the complaint."

Related: Video: A Look Inside Tesla's Secretive Fremont Factory
The United States Mission to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) yesterday announced Dr. Hiep as the winner of the prize.

She was honored at an Award Ceremony in the presence of ASEAN Science and Technology Ministers and Senior Officials in Nay Pyi Taw, in Burma.



Migration from rural to urban areas has put a lot of pressure on healthcare services in big cities. With smart medical devices and biomaterials, it will be possible to take care of people in their homes, said Dr. Hiep, a leading researcher and lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at the International University-Vietnam, National University-Ho Chi Minh City. My work focuses on biomaterials such as bio-glue and needle-less suturing kits for wound healing that can be easily used to provide more effective first aid.

The 2017 ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women supports promising early-career women scientists in the ASEAN region and encourages collaboration between ASEAN Member States and the United States around sustainable solutions for urban centers across Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN-U.S. Science Prize for Women is one of the many U.S. initiatives in support of ASEAN and its ten Member States. The United States partners with ASEAN to support economic integration, expand maritime cooperation, cultivate emerging leaders, promote opportunity for women and address transnational challenges.



Through USAIDs cooperation with ASEAN, the United States addresses the root causes of poverty and instability and strengthens the foundation for prosperity and security. The United States and ASEAN are celebrating 40 years of partnership in 2017.

By UYEN PHUONG
Editor-in- Chief Major General Phan Van Huan said that it was urgent to publish Lao and Khmer editions to beef up Vietnams traditional friendship with Laos and Cambodia and serve Lao and Cambodian readers to gain insight into what is happening in Vietnam.



At present, all pages and columns are full of news and they are updated continuously.



The newspaper warmly welcomes everyone to visit Lao language website ( http://la.qdnd.vn ) and Khmer language website (http://kh.qdnd.vn)





By TRAN BINH - Translated by UYEN PHUONG
Homes can have a scent. Sometimes the scent is intentional. In other instances, scents can attract or repel. Appealing to the senses can be something easily achieved, especially for those looking to do so in a natural or organic way.

Looking for ways to infuse scents into your home? Here are some top Design Recipes tips.

1. Consider herbs. From sage to lavender, herbs can provide a fragrant and appealing scent.

2. Look for pure natural oils. Pure scents are the most powerful.

3. Head to the health food store. Typically health food stores have aisles full of natural, appealing scents.

4. Open a window. A home needs to be aired out on a regular basis.

5. Add greenery. Plants and trees are not only attractive, they also can help to improve the air quality and oxygen.

6. Go organic and natural. Chemically enhanced plug-ins and fresheners seldom emit a natural scent.

7. Consider fruits. Fruits such as fresh lemons and limes can help to infuse fresh, crisp, citrus scents.

8. Purchase a diffuser. These popular items for the home can help spread fragrance.

9. Burn a soy candle. Candles that are natural help provide scent in a nontoxic way.

10. Deep clean. Deep cleaning your home with a natural cleaning solution such as baking soda, lemons and borax can help clean your home with a fresh, natural scent.

Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Contact her at info@cathyhobbs.com <mailto:info@cathyhobbs.com> or visit her website at www.cathyhobbs.com <http://www.cathyhobbs.com>.

(c)2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
EAST LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa | In the back of Jeff Zwagerman's mind, he always wanted to write the Great American Novel.

However, life gets in the way when you have a wife, a family and a successful career in education.

This is why Zwagerman didn't even contemplate writing his first mystery until long after he retired as the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District superintendent.

"I began my career as an English, speech and theater teacher," he said from his home in East Lake Okoboji, Iowa. "So I knew how to write a script. But writing a novel? I had to work up some courage to tackle that one."

Obviously, Zwagerman was pleased by the learning experience. He's written four thrillers featuring a lead character named Zander.

2015's "Always A Kicker" -- partly set in Northwest Iowa -- introduced readers to the deeply-flawed Zander. "A Full Bubble Off Plumb" followed later in the year.

In 2017's "South of Sideways," the action is set in Frisco, Colorado, before heading south to Key West, Florida.

Zwagerman's latest Zander thriller, entitled "Tin Roof Rusted," is set mainly in the Florida Everglades. It was released this month and is available at www.blackrosewriting.com as well as online retailers like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

In your mind, who is Zander?

"Zander is a broken and damaged character who saw something as a 15-year-old that still haunts him to this day. Because of that, he develops a wanderlust as he seeks some sort of redemption for himself. When we meet Zander in the first book, he was in his 20s. In 'Tin Roof Rusted,' he's nearing 40."

Perhaps due to his wanderlust, Zander travels back and forth to several locales over the course of the series. Was that deliberate?

"It was. I live in Northwest Iowa and Zander was from here. I knew the area. In addition, I've spent time in Colorado as well as Florida. Setting your story in a setting you knew gives it immediate authority. I prefer that to setting a story in some fictional town."

If you're setting your stories in real surroundings, are you drawing anything from real life? By that I mean, is there a bit of Zander inside of you?

"In that there's a bit of truth in every fiction, I'd have to say yes."

You said you're proud of the female characters in the Zander series. Why is that?

"It wasn't something that I consciously set out to do but my female characters are often the antagonists while my males are much more passive. Zander, due to his back story, has to be passive. That's where my women really have to shine."

That's pretty unusual for a mystery thriller. It's usually the guys who move the story along. Who were your literary influences?

"I'm a big fan of the (British author Lee Child's long-running) Jack Reacher series of mysteries. Reading the Reacher books as a fan has really informed me as a writer. I know what makes me turn the page as a reader. Hopefully, that translates in my novels."

Who are you reading right now?

"The books of crime fiction novelist Randy Wayne White (the Doc Ford series of thrillers). They're a lot of fun."

What's next?

"I'm already working on my fifth Zander novel, though I may be coming to the end to his story. As a writer, you always want to stretch a bit. I'm interested in seeing how the Zander series will end."
When an officer arrived on the scene, the administration informed police of the fight that took place shortly after school was dismissed. The officer was able to meet with one of the students along with a parent. The student complained of injury and sought medical attention at the Spencer hospital. This student was later flown to Sioux Falls Avera McKennan Hospital with a critical injury, a press release said.
ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump has promised to help cover the mounting legal costs for White House staff members caught up in the investigations of Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, a White House official told ABC News.



The official's account confirmed a report on Saturday by Axios that Trump has promised to help White House staff members pay legal costs connected with the probe of Russia's alleged election meddling and of any possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.



The news of Trump's offer comes a few weeks after it was disclosed that the Republican National Committee spent about $430,000 in August covering legal costs for President Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. in connection to the Russia probe.



The RNC spent more than $230,000 in August on the president's legal costs in the matter. The committee also paid nearly $200,000 on legal fees for Trump Jr.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
JOHNSTON | U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst credits presidential intervention and a strong Iowa lobbying effort with convincing Environmental Protection Agency officials to change course.

The EPA has promised that future volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard will remain the same or go higher than where they were set in July, she said.

Speaking with Iowa reporters Friday, Ernst also said she expects Congress will pass President Donald Trumps tax reform plan. But she was uncertain how the states request for a stopgap plan to aid Iowans with individual health insurance coverage will play out.

Ernst, a first-term U.S. senator from Red Oak, also dismissed suggestions that her recent speaking engagement in South Carolina  one of the four leadoff states in the presidential selection process  carried national political implications.

I always say never say never, but I feel pretty confident at this point that its a never, she said.

During and after an appearance on Iowa Public Television, and later on a conference call with Iowa reporters, Ernst said it was a huge victory for Iowa farmers and manufacturers when EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt committed in writing that the federal agency would not backtrack on renewable fuel commitments to ethanol and biodiesel when they set 2018 production mandates.

I think its resolved, I think this is the clincher, Ernst said of the latest battle to protect RFS mandates. I think the EPA got a little ahead of the White House in this situation. I dont think President Donald Trump was probably too happy about the way some of this was going down.

She added that the effort was aided by her leverage in holding up EPA nominees until the issue was resolved.

Were sitting in a very good position now, Ernst said. One thing that I insisted on when I was working through the negotiations with the EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and the White House was that we get those assurances in writing, that way there is no messing around with this. We have it in black and white what the administrator has told us in private what he would do.

In addition to his comments on volume requirements, Pruitt said in the letter he has directed the agency to finalize within 30 days an earlier decision not to move the point of obligation away from refiners to comply with the RFS. Some refiners, led by investor Carl Icahn, had sought the change.

I have warned people that there are a lot of naysayers when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard out there, and I think we will always have to be vigilant in this area, Ernst noted.

On other topics, the Iowa senator said she was optimistic that the Republican-led Congress will pass a tax reform package now that progress has been made to move the federal budget proposal forward. Elements of the tax plan have been misrepresented, Ernst said, but she conceded more details are needed for the public as the issue advances.

If we can help more of our lower- and middle-income wage earners keep more dollars in their pockets, I think its a great thing, she said.

Ernst also held out hope that a bipartisan health care plan would receive congressional consideration as a short-term fix.

She expressed concern and frustration that no action has been forthcoming to help resolve the uncertainty
Its on.

As in, on your TV.

The race to be Iowas next governor has reached televisions across the state.

The first campaign ad to hit Iowas TV airwaves in the 2018 election cycle comes from the gubernatorial campaign of Fred Hubbell, a Des Moines businessman and one of seven Democrats seeking the partys nomination.

The 30-second spot is part of a statewide, six-figure ad buy, the Hubbell campaign announced this week.

Titled Stand Strong, the ad features Hubbell talking about his decision during the 1980s to stand by his commitment to womens reproductive health care provider Planned Parenthood, for which he served on the mid-Iowa board, despite threats from abortion opponents to protest Younkers, for which Hubbell served as chairman.

Some people said, Well, maybe you should get off the board of Planned Parenthood. We dont want to hurt our business, Hubbell says in the campaign ad. Charlotte (Hubbells wife) and I talked about it and we decided, look, Im on the Planned Parenthood board for a reason and I want to stay on the board for that very good reason. They provide an excellent service in our community, including all around the state of Iowa.

That he is the first gubernatorial candidate to advertise on television is not surprising given Hubbells ability to at least partially self-fund his campaign.

Although Hubbellls campaign claims it also has been successful with campaign donors. In July, just a week after making his candidacy official, Hubbells campaign claimed he had already raised more than $1 million.

The campaign said that haul does not include any of Hubbells personal money or donations from political action committees, or PACs. Those likely will not be independently verified until January, when candidates must report campaign fundraising to the state.

Although the field of gubernatorial candidates is expansive --- seven Democrats and three Republicans --- it is unlikely all will collect enough resources to advertise on television, which will be critically important in a race in which most voters will not be familiar with most of them.

Hubbell, obviously, will be on TV. Gov. Kim Reynolds started the race with more than $1 million in her campaign account from her time as lieutenant governor. Shell be on TV.

So will, it seems likely, Republican Ron Corbett. The Cedar Rapids mayor said his campaign raised nearly $1 million in its first weeks.

The campaign finance reports due in January will better illustrate the fundraising progress being made by the entire field, and thus which candidates we can expect to see joining Hubbell on TV.

The primary election is in June and the general election in November 2018.

Boulton's rural roadtrip

Post-2016 election conversations among Democrats: We need to do a better job reaching out to rural voters and talking to them where they live.

Nate Boulton: Copy that.

Boulton, one of the seven Democrats running for governor, this week announced a seven-day, 28-stop campaign tour hes calling his Hometown Values Tour.

With the exception of a stop at the Leopold Center at Iowa State University in Ames, none of those 28 stops are in Iowas biggest cities. Instead, Boulton is visiting places like Britt, Cherokee, Anamosa, Greenfield and Elkader.

Many Democratic leaders have been saying they need to make a concerted effort to reconnect with voters in rural areas of the state where they experienced significant electoral losses in 2016.

Boulton appears to be taking that advice to heart.
A slice from my painting

From time to time China feels compelled to remind the world how much it disapproves of the very existence of the Dalai Lama. It is a weird obsession for people representing a great civilization with a single individual.

Both Reuters and the Press Trust of India (PTI) report quoting a Chinese official as issuing a fresh warning to the rest of the world that any meeting with the Dalai Lama would be seen by Beijing as a major offense.

PTI quoted Zhang Yijiong, Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), as saying, Any country or any organization of anyone to accept to meet with the Dalai Lama in our view is a major offense to the sentiment of the Chinese people.

Zhangs comment should be seen in the context of the fact that he heads the Communist Partys Tibet working group. Reuters quoted him as saying, Although some people say, the Dalai is a religious figure, our government didnt put in an appearance, it was just individual officials, this is incorrect.

His comments came on the sidelines of a Communist Party congress. His broad thrust was that there is zero reason to any official anywhere on the planet to meet the Dalai Lama.

One would think that by now, as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lamas exile from Tibet in 2019, Beijing would have lost much of its obsession with the Dalai Lama. On the contrary, it appears to renew annually.

Beijings strategy is pretty straightforwarduse its economic might to intimidate whichever country it can from maintaining any contact with the 82-year-old Dalai Lama. There has been a perceptible impact of this strategy with many world leaders refraining from meeting him personally for fear of earning Chinas economic wrath.

Zhang has added a new dimension to the China-Tibet issue by claiming that Tibetan Buddhism was born in our ancient China. Its a Chinese religion. It didnt come in from the outside, he said.

I am not clear which part of Buddhism he finds confusing. It is true that Tibetan Buddhism incorporated features of its own indigenous spiritual practices, including from Bon, a shamanistic Tibetan worship of Nature spirits. However, the predominant presence in Tibetan Buddhism is, well, Buddhism. It was in the 7th century, during the era of Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd king and founder of the Tibetan Empire, that Buddhist scriptures were translated into Tibetan.

I have long been fascinated by why Beijing feels the need to so vehemently and so personally reject the Dalai Lama. The only logical conclusion I keep reaching is it still remains deeply worried about his global stature and ability to concentrate the world communitys focus on this increasingly forgotten dispute. As long as Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is alive Beijing would find it impossible to live him down.

As I prepare to issue an updated version of my authorized biography Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic with four new chapters under a new name The Denouement, I keep daily track of pronouncements such as by Zhang Yijiong with some amusement. It is a tribute to the power of a single individual, a stateless Buddhist monk to boot, that China is overcome with the compulsion to repeatedly reject his very existence.
The first wave of Breeders Crown eliminations was contested at Hoosier Park on Friday night (October 20) featuring the sport's top fillies and mares in action.

Trot Insider has provided coverage of all the eliminations below. The remaining eliminations for the male divisions will take place on Saturday night at Hoosier.

Mares Pace - $25,000 Eliminations

Driven by Brett Miller, White Birch Farm's homebred Darlinonthebeach and driver Brett Miller closed through the passing lane to overtake defending champion Lady Shadow in the first of two Mares Pace eliminations, winning by one and a quarter length in a season's best 1:49.3. Lady Shadow (Yannick Gingras) settled for second after leading through panels of :26, :54.4 and 1:22.4. Windsun Glory (Trace Tetrick) followed in third with Pure Country (Mark MacDonald) a first-up, fourth-place finisher. Blue Moon Stride (David Miller) was fifth.

"We had a little trouble getting her going here in the beginning of the year," noted assistant trainer Marcus Johansson. "She had some sickness and went through some stuff, but she's been really sharp lately and I'm happy with her effort tonight."

Nancy Johansson trains the four-year-old millionaire daughter of Somebeachsomewhere and Darlins Delight. Darlinonthebeach paid $13.80 to win.

In the second elimination, 2-5 favourite Nike Franco N ($2.80) and driver Tim Tetrick looped the quick-leaving Call M Queen Be after a :26.2 first quarter and never looked back, leading through panels of :55.3 and 1:24 en route to the two and a half length victory in 1:51.2. Bedroomconfessions (Yannick Gingras) closed from the backfield widest of all to edge out L A Delight (Corey Callahan) and Seventhtimesavirgin (John De Long) in a photo for show. Sassa Hanover (Matt Kakaley) earned the remaining spot in the final finishing fifth.

"She's just a sweetheart, does her job, whatever you want her to -- on the pace, off the pace," said Tetrick. "She just takes her time up there. She floats around, when she see horses, she gets in the harness. If they're not racing, they'll let her go 1:24, she likes that too."

A former Horse of the Year in Australia, the seven-year-old McArdle-Nearea Franco mare is trained by Jim King Jr. and owned by Richard Poillucci of North Easton, Massachusetts.

Post positions for the final are as follows:

1. L A Delight

2. Pure Country

3. Nike Franco N*

4. Darlinonthebeach*

5. Windsun Glory

6. Bedroomconfessions

7. Sassa Hanover

8. Lady Shadow

9. Seventimesavirgin

10. Blue Moon Stride

AE1. Medusa

AE2. Wrangler Magic

*Elimination winners draw from posts one through five.

Three-Year-Old Pacing Fillies - $25,000 Elimination

Ella Christina swept up in the final strides for a 35-1 upset in the sophomore filly pace elimination, prevailing over inside closer Idyllic Beach (Yannick Gingras) by a quarter-length in a photo finish.

Nick Surick trains and co-owns the Western Ideal-Arthroscopic filly, who returned $72 to win, with JL Benson Stables Inc., William Daggett Jr., and Lawrence Vukovic.

Caviart Ally (Andrew McCarthy) retook the lead from the quick-leaving Idyllic Beach after a :26.2 first quarter and was then confronted by even-money favourite Blazin Britches (Tim Tetrick), who gained a half-length advantage past the :55.2 half-mile marker. Caviart Ally fought back on the way to three-quarters in 1:23 and turned for home with the lead while Blazin Britches forged on and Agent Q (David Miller) angled out from a three-hole trip down the stretch. Meanwhile, Idyllic Beach shot through the passing lane, but Ella Christina stole the glory with a late kick on the far outside, scoring in 1:51 over Idyllic Beach.

Agent Q finished third while a from-last Carols Z Tam (Ricky Macomber Jr.) came on for fourth. Caviart Ally ended up fifth, with Inverse Hanover (Peter Wrenn), Blazin Britches and Jayes A Lady (Andy Miller) completing the top eight finishers that will move on to the final. They will be joined by New York Sire Stakes champion Obvious Blue Chip and Lismore Pace winner Tequila Monday, who received byes.

Two-Year-Old Pacing Fillies - $20,000 Eliminations

Favourite Rainbow Room ($4.60) was a dominant three-length winner in the first of two eliminations, clearing fellow leaver Percy Bluechip by the :26.3 quarter mark and carving out middle splits of :56 and 1:24.1 before widening her leading margin. David Miller drove the Somebeachsomewhere-Rainbow Blue filly to the 1:52.3 victory for trainer Joe Holloway and owners Crawford Farms LLC, Val Dor Farms and Theodore Gewertz.

"I was worried about having to cut the whole mile because it is such a long stretch and it's grueling and closers can come on fresh," said Holloway. "But you do want to win and he [David Miller] said she still had pace."

Firestorm (Jody Jamieson) and Come See The Show (Tim Tetrick) closed inside to complete the top three, while Majorsspeciallady (Yannick Gingras) and Rock On Ladys (John De Long) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and will also advance to the final.

Sent postward as the overwhelming 1-9 favourite, Youaremycandygirl ($2.20) and Yannick Gingras made the winning move early as they swept to command over stablemate Strong Opinion (Matt Kakaley) in the second elimination.

Youaremycandygirl took the lead during the :26.2 opening quarter and carved out middle fractions of :55.2 and 1:23.3 before holding off inside closer Reign On Me (David Miller) by three-quarters of a length in 1:51. Strong Opinion finished third with Pueblo Blue Chip (Jody Jamieson) and Im With Her (Paul MacDonell) following in fourth and fifth.

"She was a little excited tonight, but she can race out a hole for sure," noted Gingras. "She raced in the two-hole last week in Lexington and she came on really hard in the stretch.

"Down the stretch, I heard the other filly coming. She's a nice filly too and I heard her. I just called on mine. She had some left, but she gave me what she's got. She's a very honest filly and she is a sweetheart."

Ron Burke trains the American Ideal-Sweet Lady Jane filly, who notched her fourth straight win for owner W. J. Donovan of Delray Beach, Florida.

Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies - $25,000 Elimination

Overdraft Volo ($11) and Andy Miller converted off a pocket trip and held off 2-1 favourite Ice Attraction (Ake Svanstedt) by a head to win the lone elimination for three-year-old trotting fillies in 1:53.3. Julie Miller trains the Yankee Glide-Bank Of Newport filly for owners Pinske Stables and Kentuckiana Racing Stable.

"She raced really good, got the trip I wanted and we went an easy middle half," said Miller. "When I moved her at the top of the lane, she really sprinted away and finished it off from there."

Fine Tuned Lady (Corey Callahan) led through fractions of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.3 while fending off eventual breaker Checkmate Time and finished third. Sunshine Delight (Brett Miller) came on for fourth. Highland Top Hill (David Miller), Dream Baby Dream (Rod Allen), Dream Together (Dan Dube), and Checkmate Time (Donald Dupont) completed the top eight finish order. They will be joined in the final by Ariana G and Thats All Moni, who received byes as top money-earners this season.

Two-Year-Old Trotting Fillies - $20,000 Eliminations

Phaetosive ($4.60) and trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer wore down divisional track record holder Basquiat and lowered that filly's mark set in the Kentuckiana to 1:53.3.

Even-money favourite Basquiat (Yannick Gingras) forged to front from the outside post eight and trotted unchallenged through opening panels of :27.4 and :57.1 before 7-5 second choice Phaetosive launched her attack from third heading to three-quarters in 1:25.4. Phaetosive took over command in the stretch and trotted away by three lengths in a record-setting performance. Seviyorum (Andy Miller) came on for second-place honours finishing ahead Jordan Blue Chip (Scott Zeron), with Atlanta (Rick Zeron) and Hey Blondie (Andrew McCarthy) rounding out the top five. Basquiat ended up sixth.

"I just wanted to get away in striking position and I knew Yannick was going to leave," said Smedshammer, who trains the Explosive Matter-Phaeton filly for Purple Haze Stables LLC. "It worked out kind of good because I was able to sit until after the half and I made my move."

Undefeated trotting filly Manchego ($2.10) continued her winning ways in the final elimination of the night and now heads to the Breeders Crown with a perfect 11-for-11 record.

Driven by Yannick Gingras, the 1-9 favourite worked her way to the lead from post four, clearing past the :27.3 quarter mark. After middle splits of :57.1 and 1:26.1, she drew three lengths clear of first-up challenger Lily Stride (Tim Tetrick) for the 1:54.1 victory.

"It would take a heck of a horse to go by this filly," said Jimmy Takter, who trains the Muscle Hill-Secret Magic miss for owners Black Horse Racing of Lebanon, New Jersey, John Fielding of Toronto, Ont., and Herb Liverman of Miami Beach, Florida. "When she's sitting like that, she's extremely brave and so far we haven't seen a horse pass her."

Top Expectations (Marcus Miller) was a close third, with S M S Princess (Ake Svanstedt) and early leader Looking For Zelda (Tony Hall) earning the remaining spots in the final.

"She was a little anxious I saw in the last turn," noted Takter, assessing Manchego's final tune up for Breeders Crown. "Yannick had a little bit too much hold of her. She did that a little bit in the [Peaceful Way] elimination up in Canada, but it's a fresh evening and it's a little cold and she's been in the detention barn 24 hours. I've got to work on that for the final."

Mares Trot - No Eliminations

No eliminations were necessary for the Mares Trot, which attracted five entries including Caprice Hill, Emoticon Hanover, Flowers N Songs, Pink Pistol and Pasithea Face S. All five will advance directly to the October 27 final. Defending Mares Trot champion Hannelore Hanover was entered in this years Open Trot against the boys.

Post positions were drawn for the final and the field will line up as follows:

1. Emoticon Hanover

2. Flowers N Songs

3. Pink Pistol

4. Caprice Hill

5. Pasithea Face S (scratched)
DICKINSON  Bakken oil may have gone into a downturn in the last few years, but that doesnt mean that drug crime did too.

Stark County States Attorney Tom Henning said the number of cases his office has taken since the oil boom has not changed or diminished, and meth-related crimes are the most common.

Methamphetamine use in western North Dakota is epidemic and has been for 10 years, he said.

According to crime data from the North Dakota Attorney Generals Office, there were 1,958 arrests related to amphetamine and methamphetamine use in North Dakota in 2016, up significantly from 2012 when there were 434 arrests related to the drug. Each year those numbers have continued to rise.

In 2016, 673 of amphetamine/methamphetamine arrests came in the West Central region, which includes Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux counties. An additional 370 arrests were made by drug task forces around the state, 51 of which came in the Dickinson area and 65 in the Minot area. There were also 289 amphetamine/methamphetamine arrests in the southeast part of the state last year, 282 of which came from Cass County alone, according to crime statistics data.

Stark County Sheriff Terry Oestreich said law enforcement is doing everything they can to combat the ongoing drug problems in the area, whether through their own investigations or by giving information to the Southwest Narcotics Task Force.

It can start with a traffic stop, it can start with a burglary or a theft investigation because if youre addicted to these drugs you cant make enough money at a regular job to pay for your habit, Oestreich said.

Many crimes in the county are tied back to drugs on some level, he said.

Thats a lot of our smaller thefts and burglaries where theyre kind of low key and thats certainly drug related, Oestreich said.

Heroin and other opiates

Heroin and other opiates like fentanyl have also began to pop up in the area, causing overdoses and potentially one death in the past month.

Were seeing overdoses on a far more frequent basis, Henning said. Before heroin showed up we had a meth epidemic as far as Im concerned and that continues, but there must have been a time where methamphetamine was so expensive here that other marketers felt that there must have been a market for heroin.

Henning added they believe the users are seeking a combination that puts them at death's door, at least from a few instances that they have had come through their office.

As I understand it from people more experienced than I (am), these addicts are desirous, particularly the heroin addicts, of getting as close to the edge of death that they can, Henning said. Theyre willing to even use from suppliers who have apparently supplied to people whove overdosed.

Oestreich said all his officers carry Narcan in case they have to respond to an overdose.

A lethal dose (of fentanyl) is equal to two grains of salt, he said. So you just really dont know, if youre using heroin or meth, how much fentanyl is mixed in there and in some cases it might be pure fentanyl that they think is heroin, thats when they end up overdosing.

Henning said it is alarming to see these types of cases roll through his office because it is starting to reach a younger and younger users.

The adult people that are using this are not capable of using good judgement to have some thought that adolescents would have some idea what theyre risking is asinine, he said. ... To have that kind of stuff available out in the community is frightening.

Though meth is still prevalent and makes up a majority of drug-related crime in North Dakota at a state and federal level, U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Chris Myers said opiates and fentanyl are also proving to be a problem in the state.

According to the crime data, there were 300 heroin related arrests in North Dakota in 2016. About a third, 109, of those arrests were made by task forces and another third came from the Southeast and Western Central jurisdictions, with 58 and 59 arrests, respectively.

In June Myers office announced that 37 individuals over the last two years have been charged or sentenced with heroin and/or fentanyl related crimes in federal court in North Dakota.

We have prosecuted more fentanyl-related cases in federal court in North Dakota in the past two years than in the previous 10 years combined, Myers said Friday, Oct 20.

There are a number of reasons why the fentanyl-related cases have gone up, including aggressively targeting opiate traffickers whose product causes serious bodily harm or death, he said.

With the introduction of substances like fentanyl, carfentanil, and their analogues into the local drug market, Myers said the level of risk to users, or even those people inadvertently exposed, has increased dramatically.

The opiate epidemic is a healthcare crisis in North Dakota, as well as across the United States, he said. With so many people addicted to these substances, the demand created makes it a lucrative endeavor for drug trafficking organizations.

Oestreich said it is important to educate young adults and kids about how dangerous drugs are and what it can do to your life.

Its not a pleasant life, he said. It might seem that way the first time youre getting high but it means you cant hold a decent job down. It means your dreams of success are going to go out the window. We have to educate our kids on how serious this is.
Saulsbrook Peach captured inaugural Veterans Classic Pace  part of the first ever Veterans Classic night held on Friday, Oct. 20 at The Raceway at Western Fair District.

The London oval was playing host to the first-time event, which honoured Military Veterans, past and present, in a unique way during the nights 10-race harness racing program.

The evening began prior to the race program with opening ceremonies performed by 1st Hussars Military Troop, followed by the official unveiling of the Raceways new Veterans Inspired winners circle.

Western Fair Association CEO Hugh Mitchell (third from left) joins military personnel for the unveiling of the new winners circle.

Fans also had a chance to meet several veterans and check out the various military vehicles and displays that were on hand throughout the facility. Video tributes were shown between races as well.

The inaugural Veterans Classic Pace went in race seven and it was the Isabelle Darveau trainee Saulsbrook Peach who went wire-to-wire in 1:56. The eight-year-old notched his 23rd career win for driver Robert Shepherd and owner Catheline Pelletier.

Live racing resumes at The Raceway this Monday night with a first post of 6:15 p.m.

To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Western Fair.

(Western Fair District)
National Debt, a top stakes contender at age three and four, has resumed his winning ways once against and goes for his fourth straight win Sunday at the Hippodrome 3R in the Invitational Pace.

It wont be a walk in the park for the $348,000 career winner as he has drawn the far outside and starts from post eight in the eighth race on 3Rs half-mile oval.

Now age six, the gelded son of Allamerican Native, bred by Winbak Farm and owned by Francois Morin of Beauceville, is trained by Yves Tessier and will be driven by Stephane Gendron. In his past two victories, National Debt has raced over sloppy tracks, but that has not hindered his performance, winning last week at Rideau Carleton in 1:55.1. Two starts back he won at 3R in 1:57.1.

He is a very good horse with a big heart, said driver Stephane Gendron. This Sundays race features many good horses. He will face a lot of traffic starting from the outside in post eight.

In all three of his prior wins, National Debt has won from off the pace and usually never leaves early, even from inside post positions.

I think he can beat them on Sunday, Gendron added. It will all depend on how the race is run. In his first win of this streak, he paced the final quarter at Rideau in :27.4. As long as I can put him in the right spot, he will be very good in here.

The race favourite is Quebec Champion Wildriverbumblebee, who was scratched sick at 3R back on October 8. He has drawn post seven for driver Stephane Brosseau and is on a five-race winning streak for trainer Francis Richard and owner/breeder Dr. John Bradbury of Cookshire-Eaton.

The lone three-year-old is going against older horses, but has had an amazing short season in 2017. He has only nine starts with seven wins. In his last start he won the $50,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Final at Mohawk Racetrack in 1:52.1 and back on September 11, took his lifetime mark with 1:51.2 triumph, also at Mohawk.

The third return winner in the field is Atomic Million AM, who starts from post nine in the second tier for driver Mario Charron. This three-time Quebec-Series Champion at age two, three and four is on a two-race winning streak for owner/trainer/breeder Alain Martin of Gatineau, and is moving up in class to take on the best pacers at 3R.

Other contenders include Bali (post five) who has won two of his last three starts, Glass Shadow (post one), who two starts back won the Invitational at 3R and the lone mare in the field of nine, Rainbow Palace (post three), who has won this season at 3R in 1:54.3.

First race post time Sunday is 12:30 pm. For entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.

(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)
News Conference: Black Leaders Supporting Cake Artist Set Record Straight on Civil Rights

MEDIA ADVISORY -- The Frederick Douglass Foundation



Contact: Babette Holder, TFDF Media Relations, 630-501-5214



WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- WHO: Numerous Civil Rights leaders in support of Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips in his case at the U.S. Supreme Court, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission



WHAT: Press conference sponsored by Frederick Douglass Foundation: "We Got Your Back, Jack"



WHEN: Monday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m. EDT



WHERE: Sidewalk in front of U.S. Supreme Court, 1 First St. NE, Washington



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:



Mult. box will be available. Participating speakers will voice their support for Jack Phillips and set the record straight on civil rights. The press conference coincides with the launch of a new website, WeGotYourBackJack.com, and is the same day that respondents' briefs are due at the Supreme Court. The website will launch at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday.



Press conference participants include:
It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here.
Gun laws

I mostly agree with Kristin Guttormsens letter of Oct. 10 but I want to make some additional points. First none of the anti-gunners involved in this discussion seems to grasp that in a modern industrial society guns are surprisingly hard to control. The latest example is the bump stock that the perpetrator of the latest outrage used to make his rifle act much like a fully automatic weapon. It is something that someone with a 3-D printer can make himself. They are also not the most deadly means of creating carnage. The worst mass killing in America occurred in a nightclub where the perpetrator threw a fire bomb. Guns are also not the easiest means to use. Throwing a bottle of gasoline is a lot easier. I would also respectfully suggest that you quit repeating that the Second Amendment does not recognize an individual right to be armed. If you get people interested, you are going to look really silly when they find out that the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that right and the bulk of Second Amendment scholars agree with them. And finally, several times I have heard the recording of Nancy Pelosi saying no law she can conceive of would have stopped the attack in Las Vegas. So it is probably unfair to attack Jaime Herrera Beutler for not suggesting new laws to reduce gun violence. The politicians who do are probably just trying to tell you what you want to hear.

William Dennis

Longview

Support Siipola

I am writing to support Rosemary Siipola for Kalama mayor. Ive known Rosemary for 30 years and worked with her at the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments for 18 years. As transportation manager, Rosemary was responsible for advancing the transportation and community improvement interests of five Southwest Washington counties and all cities and communities. Her work required broad technical and administrative expertise to see that the region benefited from numerous state and federal funding and construction programs.

Rosemary brought to the table dedication, experience, enthusiasm and the ability to bring together local businesses, citizens, elected officials, staff, chambers of commerce and other interests to achieve short to long range improvement goals and projects for their communities. Effective working relationships with state legislators and our federal representatives and senators yielded substantial returns for communities from Long Beach, to Longview-Kelso, to Packwood. The successes of the five county region were the envy of others around the state; it was no fluke that our track record was consistently high due to Rosemarys vision, behind the scenes work and multiple levels of collaboration and cajoling. Not surprisingly, her ego didnt need the recognition and accolades; the results and satisfaction of the local folks were evident to her that a good job was done.

As mayor of Kalama, you can expect similar results by Rosemary Siipola.

Steve Harvey

Longview

Concerned councilor

We lend our full support for Chet Makinster to remain as a Longview City Council member. Now, why do we give our full support for this belief? If you happen to stop by the Triangle Starbucks in the morning, about 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. or so, you will see a group of men and one lady sitting in the alcove of that establishment. There are staunch Republicans and and on the other side of life, firm believing Democrats with a spattering of some in the middle. Everything gets to be discussed with this group. We get to know each other and trust each other, even with divergent passions of politics.

Chet has been a member of this group for a few years and there are few things that we have learned about him. He has a deep passion about being on the Longview City Council. It has been very obvious to us that he does not have an axe to grind or a cause to rant about. He cares deeply about the city of Longview and those citizens who live within its borders. He does speak his mind, which allows one to truly know where he stands. Some might hear that as being gruff or uncaring, and that is so far from the truth. On occasion, when he has made statements that were not correct or things were misstated, he offers a sincere apology. It is obvious that he is concerned about the city budget and spending our money wisely. We are lucky to have him so dedicated to our city and those who reside here. We believe that we need to keep him on the city council.

Paul Batzle, Joel McNelly, Kelly Johnson, Patricia Shaw, Charles W. Rak and Elden L. Alexander

Longview

Take action

Gov. Jay Inslee, as our green governor, should stop Northwest Innovation Works from proceeding with its methanol project, in the effort to combat global climate change. The worlds largest methanol refinery, proposed in my hometown, would emit 1.24 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, and would consume more fracked gas than all power plants in Washington state combined.

If Inslee is serious about Washington states commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contributions to global warming, he should take action against all projects in Washington state that increase fossil fuel use.

The public deserves to know the climate impacts from fracked gas, the wellhead to the pipelines, to the refinery, and all the way to the export in Asia.

We all deserve the right to breath clean air.

Linda Leonard

Kalama

Lets be excellent

Great things are happening in our community. Now we have the opportunity to take a game-changing step forward: Toward improved quality of place, economy, health, employment, and more. The proposal put forth by Longview Schools is excellent. I attended nearly all planning meetings, listening posts, and school board meetings the last few years and saw the process first hand. They did it right. They listened (to citizens, staff, experts), they consulted, they questioned, they revisited the drawing board. They hired the best consultant possible. They made informed, difficult choices.

This bond cant address every serious issue identified in the facilities study, but the final plan has the right priorities: rebuild three overcrowded, crumbling, poorly laid-out elementary schools (no more portables for our vulnerable little ones!), fix Broadway preschool, make security upgrades across the district.

If the price tag seems spicy, its small compared with what is needed to fix all of our schools infrastructure. We have to start somewhere; this is it. Lets not waste the investment put into this quality plan. Please vote yes!

Ian Thompson, executive director

Lower Columbia School Gardens

Hard copy

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, Bill Woodard asked about WSDOT law, keeping to the right. I see slower traffic keep right, which is not too clear a statement. About two years ago I phoned the Washington State Police Kelso office about semi-trucks not keeping to the right on I-5. The officer said Thats not a law and then started reading me the law on trucks. He read to a part that said ... trucks must keep to the right except when passing, and... he kept on reading. I immediately said stop, go back a few lines and read that to me again. He did and then said, like he was correct (but dead wrong) We dont have enough patrolmen to enforce that. Sorry to say, I did not record his name.

I have been trying to find a book containing all the highway traffic laws in Washington State. The Longview Library spent about 20 minutes with me on the internet. I phoned the WSP in Kelso last week. There is NO book, they tell me (how can I believe them). I called the 1-800 information number for Washington. The only book available is the book to read before a drivers test, so Ive been told.

I need a hard copy of WSDOT rules, to carry in my car. When I get stopped (which I have been three times on Highway 4) I want to know the law, not what some WSP trooper tells me is the law. I already discovered the WSP do not know the law. Yes, the rules are on the internet, but I need a hard copy. If anyone can help me find the book, please phone me. My phone number is in the DEX phonebook.

David Westerlund

Longview

Worthy vote

Your vote for MaryAlice Wallis means better government for Longview.

MaryAlice has established herself as a fine example in her family, her church and her community. So often we dont have role models who like MaryAlice demonstrate the adage that actions speak louder than words. MaryAlice definitely has the kind of leadership and character that is worthy of your vote.

Barbara Dunlap

Longview
About me I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best. My profile

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UN has `tremendous potential` under new leadership: Trump

President Donald Trump shakes hands with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday in Washington.

AP, Washington :

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United Nations has "tremendous potential" but has been underutilized in recent years.

Trump praised U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has led the 193-member world organization since January, during an Oval Office meeting. It was their first extended meeting.

The White House said the two leaders "discussed issues of mutual interest," including North Korea, Syria, Iraq and Myamar.

The president used his U.N. debut in September to push the U.N. to cut its bureaucracy and fulfill its mission.

"The United Nations has tremendous potential. It hasn't been used over the years nearly as it should be," Trump said at the White House, where he was joined by his U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, and national security adviser H.R. McMaster.

The U.N., Trump said, has the "power to bring people together, like nothing else," and he predicted that "things are going to happen with the United Nations that we haven't seen before."

Guterres and Trump met briefly at the White House in April and also held talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting last month.

Guterres said he was a "true believer that we live in a messy world, but we need a strong, reformed and modernized U.N. We need a strong United States engaged, based on its traditional values - freedom, democracy, human rights."

Trump offered praise for the U.N. leader, saying "You need talent, and he's got the talent." And the president told reporters: "We'll see what happens. I'll report back to you in about seven years."

Trump said in September that the U.N. hadn't reached its potential because of "bureaucracy and mismanagement," and called upon the U.N. to change "business as usual and not be beholden to ways of the past which were not working."

He also suggested the U.S. was paying more than its fair share for U.N. operations.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is expected to pressure China's president when they meet next month in Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea out of a belief that Xi Jinping's consolidation of power should give him more authority to do so.

Trump leaves Nov. 3 on a trip that will take him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. It will be his first tour of Asia since taking power in January and one with a major priority: Preventing the standoff with North Korea from spiraling out of control.

Xi is immersed in a Communist Party Congress expected to culminate in him consolidating his control and potentially retaining power beyond 2022, when the next congress takes place.

Trump believes that Xi should have even more leverage to work on the North Korea problem.

"The president's view is you have even less of an excuse now," said one official. "He's not going to step lightly."

Trump wants to gain some serious cooperation from China to persuade Pyongyang to either change its mind or help deprive it of so much resources that it has no choice but to alter its behavior, the official said.

Trump has heaped praise on Xi in recent weeks in hopes of gaining Chinese cooperation and has held back from major punitive trade measures.

In an interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, Trump said he wants to "keep things very, very low key" with Xi until the Chinese leader emerges from the party congress.
Israel hits Syrian army position after Golan fire

Smoke billows from the Syrian side of the armistice line on the Golan Heights after fire into the Israeli-occupied sector sparked retaliation by the army.

AFP, Jerusalem :

The Israeli army attacked Syrian government artillery on Saturday after fire across the armistice line hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and warned it would step up such retaliation in the future.

The Syrian government controls only party of the territory on the other side of the line, with the rest in the hands of rebel groups, one of them affiliated to the Islamic State group.

But the Israeli army said it would retaliate against the Syrian army, regardless of who was responsible for any fire and of whether it was intentional or not. The Syrian defence ministry said that rebels had deliberately fired the rounds into Israeli-held territory to provoke the response against its forces.

The Israeli army said it identified four hits from five rounds launched at the northern Golan. It reported no casualties or damage.

"In response to the projectiles that hit Israel, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) targeted three artillery cannons of the Syrian regime in the Syrian Golan Heights," it said.

"Any future occurrences will force the IDF to intensify its response," the army said, adding that it held "the Syrian regime accountable for any aggression from within its territory." The Syrian defence ministry said the Israeli riposte had targeted one of its positions near the armistice line in Quneitra province, causing "material damage". It reported no casualties.

"The terrorists, acting at the behest of Israel, shelled empty ground to provide a pretext for this aggression," the ministry added.

Israel has sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the six-year civil war in Syria, although it has systematically responded to fire across the armistice line on the Golan.

It also acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes against Hezbollah forces in Syria to stop what it calls advanced arms deliveries to the Lebanese Shiite militant group, which is a key ally of the Damascus government.

Israel fought a devastating 2006 war with Hezbollah and has voiced concern that the group's involvement in Syria risks opening up a new front.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The two countries remain technically at war, although before the eruption of the conflict inside Syria in 2011 the armistice line remained largely quiet.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council on Friday that it must "act now" to extend an investigation of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, a move that could be vetoed by Russia.

The United States has circulated a draft resolution extending the mandate of the joint UN-OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) panel for another year and diplomats said a vote at the council could be held as early as Monday.

The measure is facing a possible veto from Russia, Syria's ally, which wants to first see a report due on Thursday on the sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikhun before deciding on the fate of the investigation.
SHARIATPUR: Locals at Noria Upazila observed a mass hunger strike at Shaheed Minar premises demanding construction of dam over Noriya River on Wednesday.
2 held with 20,000 Yaba pills

A Correspondent :

Detectives of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested two persons with 20,000 Yaba tablets in Chittagong city on Wednesday.

The arrestees are Md Tarek and Md Rafiq.

Police arrested Tarek from Bayezid area and seized 10,000 Yaba pills from him, said AAM Humayun Kabir, additional deputy commissioner (west) of CMP's Detective Branch.

Later, based on his information, police arrested Rafiq with 10,000 more Yaba pills from Panchlaish area.

A case was filed in this connection with Panchlaish Police Station.
AI could change tomorrow's jobs

Joanna Hughes :

Many claims have been made about the vast potential of artificial intelligence (AI). And indeed, from sheep-shearing robots to self-driving Lyft cars, the possibilities are near-endless when it comes to what AI can do for the world and the people who live in it. However, the fanfare over AI is not without its share of alarm-especially when it comes to the future of the workforce. While we may not know exactly what to expect, here's a closer look at four ways experts think AI may change what jobs look like moving forward.

1. Jobs may change in nature but won't disappear.

When most people hear the words "AI" and "jobs" they immediately jump to the topic of machines replacing human workers. However, this may be a leap in the wrong direction. According to Euan Cameron, PWC's first UK artificial intelligence leader, it's not about whether machines will take human jobs, but rather about how they'll change them.

Cameron told Marginalia, "In many cases the nature of jobs will change rather than disappear because of AI. And automation will also enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding, and creative work, removing the monotony from their day jobs. We are of course expecting new types of roles too."

He continues, "There has always been disruption whenever new technology has ticked. We saw it with the industrial mass production, the internet, personal computing, and enterprise technology. In all those instances, the technology created periods of rapid disruption in terms of jobs. New technology has always made some tasks and roles disappear more quickly, but it also has created new occupations. This is how our society has evolved. The same is true with artificial intelligence."

The takeaway? As with most things in life, the ability to adapt and evolve can mean the difference between survival and extinction.

2. Some fields will be more affected by AI than others.

This isn't to say all jobs are safe. Machines are very good at certain manual and routine tasks, and this will lead to job replacement-particularly in more susceptible sectors like transportation and storage, manufacturing, and wholesale retail trade. Healthcare, customer service, and finance are also projected to be among the industries most impacted by AI-both in terms of job replacement and job enhancement.

But even these vulnerabilities aren't necessarily cause for concern so long as workers commit themselves to staying productive and relevant. Says Cameron, "We need to develop an attitude towards continuous re-skilling. It's about understanding and recognizing that existing relevant skills, that we may have spent so much time on to develop, might not be sufficient or applicable throughout our career. It requires the ability to adapt over time and retrain throughout our working life in the face of the accelerating pace of technological change."

3. The hiring process will improve.

Computers have already vastly accelerated the hiring process. However, AI is expected to play an increasingly pivotal role in the human resources sector.

MarketWatch recently highlighted two types of software aimed helping employers find the best employees for jobs: "Such software often works in one of two ways: spotting the most promising resumes among what may be an unmanageable deluge, or widening the net so employers can find a more diverse pool of candidates than they would select on their own."

Meanwhile, HubSpot director of recruiting Becky McCullough told MarketWatch of the impact of AI on the company's hiring productivity, "It has set new benchmarks for response rate [the percentage of candidates who reply to a recruiter's solicitation] and we can a/b test various outreach tactics. It has put more rigor [into our process] and given us access to more data on candidates who are either very early in our recruiting process or are not yet there but who we're trying to engage."

4. Job tracking will become the status quo.

As it turns out, people may have just cause to fear losing their jobs because of AI-but not because of job replacement. Rather, because AI-enabled productivity tracking will offer employers new insights into how employees are managing their job duties and responsibilities across everything from how they're using their computers to where they're spending their time. In other words, spend too much on Facebook and your boss will know about it.

Tracking workers' behaviors and computer use may even become valuable retention tools for employers. For example, copying a database of contacts may signify an employee's intention to leave a job, whereas shifts in language are also telling. Veriato Chief Security Officer David Green told MarketWatch, "If the tone of a typically happy person suddenly goes negative, there may be an alert that they're at risk of flight, insider threat or even just a productivity problem that needs remediation."

Ultimately, while there's no definite what to know what AI means for jobs, it is coming and will change both the workforce and the world at large. Adopting a strategic approach can help you not only embrace whatever AI brings, but also to play a role in harnessing that potential toward the greater-not to mention your own-good.



(Joanna worked in higher education administration for many years at a leading research institution before becoming a full-time freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful White Mountains region of New Hampshire with her family).
Oil prices tick up amid geopolitical tension

Xinhua, New York :

Oil prices rose on Friday, as tensions in the Middle East continued to provide support in the market.

The Iraqi military said on Friday the Kurdish Peshmerga forces used German rocket in fighting against Iraqi federal forces at a disputed area in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Meanwhile, local media reported Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier this week that Iran will cut 2015 international nuclear deal into shreds if the United States chooses to tear it up.
ORGANISATION SNIPPETS



Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal

A press conference organised jointly by Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Ganotantrik Bam Morcha was held in Moitree Auditorium of Muktibhaban in the city's Purana Palton on Friday. In the programme the speakers demanded United Nation's intervention to solve Rohingya crises. They also demanded implementation of Kofi Anan Commission in this connection. The function was addressed, among others, by Coordinator of Ganotantrik Bam Morcha and General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party Comrade Saiful Haque, President of CPB Comrade Mujahidul Islam Selim, its General Secretary Comrade Shah Alam, Central Committee Member of BSD Comrade Bazlur Rashid Firoz and Comrade Shubhrangshu Chakravarti of BSD (Marxist).

Bangabandhu Nat'l Youth Council

A human chain organised by Bangabandhu National Youth Council was held in front of the Jatiya Press Club. Awami League(AL) Organizing Secretary Ahmed Hossain was present as the chief guest in the programme held recently.While speaking Ahmed said bold foreign policy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has achieved the international community's support on Rohingya issue. "China, India and Russia agreed in principle to end Rohingya crisis," he added. Ahmed Hossain said the weak foreign policy of BNP was reflected in the agreement of the BNP government in 1992 on the repatriation of the Rohingya people. As per the deal, he said, Myanmar was supposed to take back only 14,000 Rohingyas. He said the address of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will remain a milestone in establishing rights of repressed people across the world. Hossain said Rohingya problems would be solved as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's five-point proposal at the UNGA in New York. Vice-President of the council Mozammel Hassan presided over the event.The function was also addressed, among others, by former State Minister for Home Affairs Advocate Shamsul Haque Tuku and Vice President of Dhaka South City Unit of AL Nurul Amin Ruhul.
Militants kill over 50 Egyptian security forces

More than 50 Egyptian security personnel were killed during a clash with suspected Islamist militants.

The militants opened fire on the group during a raid on their hideout near the Bahariya oasis in the Western Desert, the interior ministry said.

Security forces are understood to have gone into the desert following a tip-off about a possible hideout. Fifteen militants also died in the attack.

Egypt is currently fighting an Islamist insurgency in northern Sinai.

The Bahariya oasis where this attack took place, however, lies hundreds of kilometres south-west of the troubled region.

There has been no claim of responsibility by the Islamist groups active in the area.

An initial claim in Egyptian media linking Hasm, a smaller group, to the attack was later revealed to have been false.

A security source quoted by local news outlets said their convoy came under attack by militants using rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices.

The situation was reportedly made worse for the security forces by the attackers' familiarity with the area, while the commanding officer was unable to call for land and air reinforcements due to poor telecommunications in the desert. In total, 53 members of the security service died, sources told the BBC.


Body of missing boy found in Mugda canal

Staff Reporter :

A diver team of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) on Saturday recovered the body of three-year old Hridoy, who went missing in Jirani Canal of the city's Mugda area six days ago.Fire Service Deputy Director (Operations and Maintenance) Debashish Bardhan said that they recovered the body at around 02:45pm yesterday.

The divers have managed to trace the body at the same point of the canal where Hridoy fell into, he said.

The body has been sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), the FSCD official said.

He said, their operation was slowed down following the layer of solid waste on the water.

"It's also deep enough and there're lots of bamboos under the water. The obstacles were hindering our operation," he said.

Enamul Hoque, Officer-in-Charge of Mugda Police Station, said police had been assisting the firefighters to rescue Hridoy.
Nexus with bankers

Ctg Group manages loans from 20 banks

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Mohammad Elias Brothers Group (MEB) swamped in debt owing massive loans to a number of commercial banks.

As of August 2017, the accumulated outstanding loans of MEB Group stood at Tk 902.35 crore, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB).

The Chittagong-based business Group borrowed the money from 20 commercial banks and consequently failed to repay, BB officials said.

They said the Group managed such a high-volume of bank loan through 'unimaginable' favours from the bankers.

"A nexus between the bankers and sponsors of the profligate business group has made it possible to get such a huge amount of bank loan. At the end of the day, the Group failed to pay-back its loans turning the banks vulnerable," a BB official told The New Nation on Friday preferring anonymity.

He added, "The debt of the Group has already turned into bad loans forcing the banks to write-offs them to clean-up their balance sheets".

"This particular issue could be labeled as 'reckless' lending and borrowing. Not only MEB, a number of local corporate group already swamped in debt by managing loans from banks and financial institutions," Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, a former BB governor, told The New Nation yesterday.

He said their debt (corporate group) also remains unpaid over the years and even they enjoy impunity across the political spectrum and in the banking industry.

"We should come out from the culture of 'impunity' to establish rule of law as well as restoring discipline in the banking industry," said Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, adding, "The regulators should take serous action against the defaulters who borrowed large amount of money and did not repay."

He also said the unpaid loans deprive economy of much-needed financing and harm banks' future profitability.

MEB Group established in 1962 as a commodity trader by Mohammad Elias. Later, it set up textile, glass, plastics, paper, edible oil and food and beverage factories as part of its 'aggressive' business diversification plan.

Among the one and a half dozens of companies, only six are now in operations. The rest were closed because of financial crisis.

On August 10, Shamsul Alam, Managing Director of MEB Group, in a letter to the Senior Secretary of the Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) sough the government help to resume operations of the Groups' edible oil unit, which remained shut since 2011.

He, however, could not be reached for comments.

"The Group goes into default years back under its aggressive business decisions. Such decisions took a serious toll on its business operation as well as profitability. As a result, a number of companies under the Group suffered huge financial losses sending it to financial difficulty," a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a private commercial bank, told The New Nation, asking not to be named.

His bank is one of the lenders from which MEB Group had borrowed.

"Their debt has been piled-up due to non-payment of loans. We've already written-offs their loan to clean up the bank's sheet," the CEO said.


China supports Myanmar army action against Rohingya

Reuters :

Experience shows that foreign interference in crises does not work and China supports the Myanmar government's efforts to protect stability, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday, amid ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

More than 500,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled across the border to Bangladesh following a counter-insurgency offensive by Myanmar's army in the wake of militant attacks on security forces.

UN officials have described Myanmar's strategy as "ethnic cleansing".

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmar's military leadership responsible for its harsh crackdown.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that China condemned the attacks in Rakhine and understands and supports Myanmar's efforts to protect peace and stability there.

China and Myanmar have a deep, long-standing friendship, and China believes Myanmar can handle its problems on its own, he added. Asked why China's approach to the Rohingya crisis was different from Western nations, Guo said that China's principle was not to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

"Based on experience, you can see recently the consequences when one country interferes in another. We won't do it," he said, without offering any examples of when interventions go wrong.

China does not want instability in Myanmar as it inevitably will be affected as they share a long land border, Guo said.

"We condemn violent and terrorist acts," he added.

Guo's department has been at the forefront of building relations with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who visited China in 2015 at the Communist Party's invitation, rather than the Chinese government's.

Department head Song Tao also visited Myanmar in August and met Suu Kyi.

Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Rohingya insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

The European Union and the United States have been considering targeted sanctions against Myanmar's military leadership.

Punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals are among a range of options that have been discussed, but they are wary of action that could hurt the wider economy or destabilize already tense ties between Suu Kyi and the army.
Rains cripple life in city, elsewhere

Unbearable sufferings due to uninterrupted downpour: Exams, classes virtually closed in cit

Uninterrupted rains for the last three days since Thursday, cripples life to a standstill in city and across the country caused by depression in Bay. This photo was taken from Mirpur\'s Kazipara(top); Motijheel\'s Notre Dame College area (bottomleft) and

Staff Reporter :

The people across the country, including the dwellers of Dhaka city, have witnessed unbearable sufferings due to uninterrupted rains for two days triggered by depression in the Bay of Bengal.

Most of the people were not able to come out of their homes all over the country, especially in the cities, on Saturday due to the incessant rains. Even the educational institutions in the capital were virtually closed as the authorities cancelled all examinations and classes yesterday.

Houses in the low-laying areas were under water in Dhaka, Chittagong and many other cities.

Malibag, Rajarbag, Mouchak, Shantibag, Gulbag and Mominbag, Paltan, Dhanmondi Road 27, Shukrabad, Farmgate, Indira Road, Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon, Shabujbag, Basabo and Jatrabari, Sangsad Bhaban area, Kazipara and greater Mirpur and Old Dhaka areas were the worst affected areas.

The residents in the capital also suffered from scarcity of public transport.

The people on social media posted photos of public sufferings, slamming the poor drainage system in the capital.

Abdul Halim, who works at an NGO in Motijheel, was waiting for transport in Kakrail with an umbrella and his pants rolled above his knees.

"I came from Rampura. The rickshaws are charging a lot more. None of the rickshaw pullers wanted to go from Rampura to the Bangladesh Bank area for less than Tk 100. What else can we do but walk?"

Many of the smaller roads and alleys in Malibag's Chowdhurypara are waterlogged, Halim said.

"It is a very bad day," said tea vendor Hakim Uddin. "I sold nothing on Friday and it seems like I won't get much Saturday either."

"Rain is now curse for me as I have to wade through stinky and dirty water to take my son to school when it rains in the city. I don't know when the authorities will solve the water-logging problem and we will be freed from the curse," said Monwara Begum, a resident of city's Malibagh area.

Forhad Hossain, Principal of Monipur School and College, said, "We have cancelled all the examinations and classes as we observed that it was very difficult to come to the institutions for the students and their guardians. There is no scope to reach school without any hassle."

"Water is all around us," said Mirpur 60 Feet area resident Mariam Muna. "I was to go to Mirpur - 1, but had to stay home because of the knee-high water."

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) suspended the operation of most water vessels across the country since yesterday morning to evening due to inclement weather.

Long tailbacks and heavy rain have been causing immense sufferings to thousands of people who are waiting to cross the Padma River. Vehicles were seen waiting on Shimulia-Kathalbari after ferry services were halted.

Over six hundred vehicles were waiting at Shimulia Ghat in Munshiganj to cross the river.

"All kinds of water vessels, including speedboat and launch, were suspended in order to avert any untoward incident due to heavy rain accompanied by squally winds," said Khandaker Shah Newaj Khalid, Assistant General Manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC).

However, the authorities resumed the ferry service on Daulatdia-Paturia following an 11-hour suspension till noon due to heavy rain, said Mohammad Mohiuddin Rasel, assistant manager (commerce) of BIWTC's Paturia Ghat office.

More than 400 vehicles got stranded at Paturia and Daulatdia ferry ghats.

The highest 271 mm rain was recorded in Gopalganj district while 149 mm in the capital during the last 24 hours until 9:00am on Saturday, meteorologist AKM Nazmul Haque said.

Intermittent heavy rains with squally wind may continue until Saturday night and the situation may improve slightly on Sunday, he said.

Meanwhile, maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal number three due to the depression formed in the Bay.

The land depression is likely to move in a north/northeasterly direction further and weaken gradually.

During last 24 hours, 100 mm rainfall was recorded in Mymensingh, 137 mm in Chandpur, 103 mm in Hatiya, 139 mm in Ishwardi, 163 mm in Khulna, 123 in Satkhira, 162 mm in Jessore, 186 mm in Barisal and 177 mm in Faridpur.

Under the influence of the land depression, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Jhalakati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by wind driven surge of 1-2 feet height above normal astronomical tide.

Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty/squally wind is likely to occur at most places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places over the country, Met office said in their forecast.

All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice. The rains also inundated low-lying areas across the country, including those of Bagerhat and Satkhira.


Palestinian unity a big step towards peace

Sohail Ashraf :

Palestinian radical group Hamas' olive branch offered to its rival Fatah and the subsequent bilateral talks in Cairo signal a milestone in Middle East politics. The move represents a significant boost to Egypt-mediated Palestinian unity bid.

Hamas and Fatah have signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo, ending a decade-long rift between the two Palestinian factions. Hamas' move to scrap the contentious committee that governed Gaza and its pledge to form a national unity government, certainly offer an opportunity to the Mahmoud Abbas-led Fatah movement to achieve the much-needed reconciliation towards the fulfillment of their goal of a Palestinian state. "Unity and national reconciliation among all our Palestinian people is our strategic option to move forwards." a senior Hamas delegate at the Cairo meeting, Izzat Reshiq, declared.

Hamas' dissolution of its administrative committee and its pledge to hand over power to Fatah itself indicated a big development towards the reconciliation bid. "We have taken practical steps on the ground. The administrative committee no longer functions in Gaza and we are ready, starting now, to welcome the government of national consensus," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was quoted by media, as saying recently.

It's not simply a change of mind on the part of the radical movement. But several factors like Gaza's tattered economy, massive unemployment and its dwindling infrastructure have contributed to the Hamas initiative. Hamas-ruled Gaza has also been going through a severe power crisis where electricity is supplied less than six hours a day, paralysing the city and its several departments.

Nevertheless, no one can doubt the sincerity of Hamas, and Fatah movement must use it to its advantage, forming a unity government. The action gains more credence as Cairo is playing a crucial role in bringing full reconciliation between the two factions. Egypt's President Fatah Al Sisi's recent call for Palestinian unity demonstrates the Arab country's much needed support to the Palestinians. The leader's call has undoubtedly given an impetus to the move.

The need of the hour is that Hamas should extend its effort to end its isolation by shunning radical policies and put itself in mainstream Palestinian politics. That could mean its acceptance in the Arab world.

The unifying development could surely give Palestinians an edge over Israel and pose a formidable challenge to the Jewish state which has continued to take advantage of the Palestinian discord. At the same time, Tel Aviv will take heart from prospect of a possible change in Hamas charter. In the process of reconciliation and Hamas' tilt towards the moderate Fatah and its sharing of power with its rival, Hamas could scrap its charter to liquidate Israel. Al Sisi's call for Palestinian co-existence with the Jewish state validates this contention.

In such case, this would be a major test for Tel Aviv, as it has always used tactics to scuttle the idea of a Palestinian state. The fact is that Israel continued to blackmail Fatah for keeping any truck with Hamas with the twin intention of scuttling the peace process as well as its propaganda of unfounded potential threat to its existence by Hamas. But as Hamas is on its road to turning a new leaf Israel could find itself in a tight spot over its dilly dallying on resumption of talks. The problem is the Jewish state has not made its intention clear regarding its peace with the Palestinians. It is in this context that Israel has been building settlements arbitrarily and in defiance of international opinion.

The United Nations development agency in its recent report said the Jewish state's settlement activities and confiscations of land belonging to Palestinians, water and other resources are giving rise to poverty and unemployment among Palestinians. It has also intensified its settlement activities, with a 40 per cent hike in 2016 as compared to 2015.

The success of the Palestinian unity depends on how Hamas and Fatah arrive at a consensus on a national unity government. Israeli reaction to the move will also shape the reconciliation and the peace process as it could put forward its excuses regarding the Hamas charter against the Jewish state and also try to scuttle Palestinian unity bid by unleashing its propaganda machine.

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Ruth Meiers Hospitality House will close its mens emergency shelter at noon Oct. 27, interim executive director Steve Neu said Friday.

No plans have been identified yet to house the homeless this winter, but Bismarck nonprofit and community groups continue to work toward a solution.

Heartview Foundation purchased the building at 305 N. 23rd St. and is willing to postpone renovation plans to allow the facility to be used for a homeless shelter this winter.

But that wont be an option unless a community organization steps up to provide staffing and funding is secured. Officials with Heartview, which provides chemical dependency treatment, have said operating an emergency shelter is not part of their mission.

We will not be running it, Doug Herzog, technology and program development director for Heartview, said during a meeting of nonprofit groups on Friday.

In addition, Heartview doesnt expect to close on the building until at least mid-November, leaving uncertainty about what options there are as early as next weekend.

Thursday will be the last night men can stay at the shelter and the facility will close at noon Oct. 27, Neu said.

The mens shelter housed about 30 men each night this past summer and most recently has housed about 20, Neu said. The facility, the only one of its kind for single men in Bismarck-Mandan, can hold as many as 70.

The Ruth Meiers transitional living program at 1100 E. Boulevard Ave. is not closing. When possible, residents are being transferred to that facility, Neu said, but not all qualify.

Its possible Ruth Meiers officials would allow the building on 23rd Street to be used as an emergency shelter before Heartview takes possession of it, but that would depend on another entity providing staffing and funding, Neu said.

We would entertain that conversation, but Ruth Meiers would not operate it, Neu said.

Community groups who have been discussing the emergency shelter crisis estimate it would cost about $112,000 to operate a shelter from November through March.

During a meeting Friday, Kate Brovold, founder of Austins Mission, a planned shelter for homeless individuals with behavioral health issues and substance use disorders, said her organization could work on providing staffing and raising funds.

Brovold planned to work with Jeannie Messall, director for the Missouri Valley Coalition for Homeless People, and Bismarck City Commissioner Nancy Guy to move the plan forward.

Messall said she expects she would be able to find trained employees to staff the facility, but the challenge would be finding funding.

Participants in the meeting discussed possible funding sources, including requesting dollars from cities and Burleigh and Morton counties.

Brovold said shes optimistic that there will be a seamless transition after Ruth Meiers closes the shelter. But a lot of pieces have to fall in place in a short timeframe.

Its definitely a community effort, Brovold said. For this to be successful, everyone needs to come together and work together.

Financial difficulties led Ruth Meiers Hospitality House to put the emergency shelter up for sale, Neu has said. The Ruth Meiers board accepted a bid from Heartview on the property last week.
Rohingya children deserve due care in camps

DESPERATE living conditions and waterborne diseases are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya children who have fled to Bangladesh since late August, says UNICEF. These children urgently need food, safe water, sanitation and vaccination to protect themselves from diseases that thrive in emergencies, as per reports of major local dailies.





According to the UNICEF, almost 60 percent of the latest Rohingya arrivals are children, crossing at a rate of between 1,200 and 1,800 a day. Most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and insanitary makeshift settlements. Despite an expanding international aid effort led by Bangladesh, the essential needs of many children are not being met.





High levels of severe acute malnutrition among young children have been found in the camps, and antenatal services to mothers and babies are lacking. Support for children traumatised by violence also needs to be expanded. UNICEF called for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine State, and for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access to all children affected by the violence there.

At present, UNICEF has no access to Rohingya children in northern Rakhine State. A long-term solution to the crisis in Rakhine State is needed, and the issues of statelessness and discrimination against the Rohingyas must be addressed as recommended by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.





It called for $434 million, which includes $76.1 million to address the immediate needs of newly-arrived Rohingya children, as well as those who arrived before the recent influx, and children from vulnerable host communities. Expanding the provision of safe water, sanitation and improved hygiene for Rohingya children is the top priority of the appeal, amid concerns over a possible outbreak of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases, said the UNICEF.





It is most strange but true that the Rohingya who are refugees living in Bangladesh are probably receiving better healthcare than the Rohingya living in Myanmar due to the callous indifference of the government of their own land. Aid agencies have much greater access to them here and consequently they are getting much better access to services such as immunization.





Most of them are also able to sleep properly for the first time in quite a long while - its not that they don't have any threats to their security in Bangladesh - gangs of criminals are apparently roaming the camps trying to find out the helpless people who can be exploited - but its a far cry from Myanmar's casual military cruelty to their own people which include the rape of women and killing of babies.





Despite knowing that the clearance operations mounted by the army started way before the so-called terrorist acts against the Myanmar police the international community - especially the regional powers like China and India can't be counted on to ask Myanmar to stop their violent acts. Essentially none of our regional powers want to get involved with this problem.
3 placed on remand

Staff Reporter :

Dhaka court on Saturday put two Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL) men and an admission seeker on four-day remand in a case filed against them for leaking question paper of Dhaka University's (DU) "D" unit admission test.

The accused are Mohiuddin Rana, central BCL assistant secretary (expelled) and first-year student of DU's Physics Department, Abdullah Al-Mamun, third-year student of Applied Chemestry and also the theatre and debate affairs secretary of the BCL's Amar Ekushey

Hall unit and Israk Hossain Rafi.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mahmuda Akhtar passed the order after a Criminal Investigation Department inspector produced them before the court with seven-day remand prayer.

Earlier, Mohibul Islam, senior assistant superintendent of CID, also Investigation Officer (IO) of the case filed with Shahbag Police Station, produced them before the court and sought a seven-day remand

A case was lodged with Shahbagh Police Station under Public Exam Law and Information Technology Act against the 2 BCL men and the admission seeker.

CID is now investigating the case.

The CID police picked up Rana and Mamun from two DU dormitories early hours yesterday. During primary interrogation, the arrestees admitted their involvement in the crime, said CID.

A mobile court detained Rafi when he was taking the exam yesterday. Later, the CID took him in its custody.
Christianity planted the seed that germinated into Western thought for two millennia. Yet the contributions of the faith, and its practitioners, remain unsung, underappreciated, and unheralded in an ever-secularizing west  a fact remedied in part by the book Great Christian Jurists in English History, edited by Hill and Helmholz.

The book is reviewed in the latest essay for Religion & Liberty Transatlantic by Stephen F. Copp, Ph.D. Copps credentials  as an associate professor and former head of the department of law at Bournemouth Universitys faculty of media and communication, as well as a visiting law professor at St. Marys University, Twickenham, in London  allow him to glean profound insights from this timely book.

Copp writes:

The English legal system and common law have long been widely admired worldwide. They are associated with justice, efficiency, fairness, and indeed with a common-sense outlook produced by a focus on real-life problems. Less well-known and appreciated is the cardinal role played by Christian beliefs and believers in their development. As this role becomes more tenuous, it is unclear whether this heralds perhaps a new direction for the common law when it will be invigorated by fresh sources of inspiration  or whether it is sailing into uncharted waters without a meaningful rudder or anchor.

The editors review the careers of 14 jurists, whose lives span from approximately 1210 to 1999. Copp gives a sense of their impact upon the English legal tradition and all nations of the world, including the U.S., whose jurisprudence is (at least in part) derived from it:

The concrete achievements of the Christian jurists described in this book were gargantuan. Their writings did much to define and describe the common law and, in that sense, gave it substance.  Their judgments in court are also shown by this book to have been of critical importance to the common law. [Lord William] Mansfield has been said to have invented modern commercial law and set Britain on the path to the abolition of slavery.

Among their number are Englands greatest medieval legal writer, the leading lights of the legal abolitionist movement, experts in canon and commercial  as well as common  law, and pioneers in the legal system whose work experts a powerful influence today.

Perhaps the most tangible legacy of the Christian jurists, Copp writes, is recorded in the chapter on [Roundell] Palmer, who is shown to have been a proponent of the scheme to concentrate the courts within one purpose-built building, the Royal Courts of Justice, on the Strand, London.

These were no mere church attendees who warmed a pew every Sunday (often as required by law), but faithful legal scholars deeply moved by their encounter with the transcendent:

The Christian credentials of each jurist are scrupulously evaluated. We learn of how Coke recorded Gods intervention in a riding accident; how Hale had a conversion experience as a student in Lincolns Inn after praying for a friend who got so drunk he looked dead; the description of Kenyon as preaching from the bench.

Read the full review here.
PORTLAND, OREGON -- Oct. 17, 2017 -- Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) announced today that Deanna Laidler has been named The Standard's Compliance and Ethics Officer.



In her new role, Laidler will oversee The Standard's insurance, retirement, individual annuities and broker-dealer compliance teams and be responsible for the corporate compliance program, which includes business conduct, ethics and corporate policy governance.



Most recently, Laidler was senior assistant attorney general for the Oregon Department of Justice and provided guidance to various state agencies. Prior to this she was associate counsel and compliance officer at Moda Health and was responsible for the company's corporate compliance program and coordinating policy submissions with state regulators. She has held other legal and compliance officer roles throughout her career.



"Deanna is a valuable addition to our team. Her expertise and experience ensures our compliance program will continue to be an integral part of our culture and a fundamental ingredient in our success as a company," said Holley Franklin, vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary at The Standard.



Laidler received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Whitman College. She earned both her Juris Doctor and Master of Legal Letters in Health Law from DePaul University College of Law.



About The Standard

The Standard is a leading provider of financial products and services, including group and individual disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, group dental and vision insurance, absence management services, retirement plans products and services, and individual annuities. For more information about The Standard, visit www.standard.com.



The Standard is the marketing name for StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries: Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Mortgage Investors, LLC, StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., StanCorp Real Estate, LLC, and StanCorp Equities, Inc.



###





Contact

Bob Speltz, Senior Director, Public Affairs

971.321.3162

bob.speltz@standard.com



SOURCE: The Standard
CARBONDALE  A Southern Illinois University Carbondale researchers latest project asks a deceptively simple question: What will Hurricane Harvey reveal to the people of Houston?

Roberto Barrios, associate professor of anthropology at SIUC, has studied disaster reconstruction after major catastrophic events for the past 18 years. He has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study disaster recovery in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the city in late August.

For anthropologists, disasters are what we call revelatory crises, Barrios said. Disasters, I think, in the general culture are often thought of in terms of very acute, specific events  but for anthropologists, disasters are more historical premises. Its about everything that comes before an earthquake or a hurricane.

Barrios previously studied housing reconstruction and resettlement programs in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. He also conducted an ethnographic study of disaster recovery planning in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Crises occur at the intersection of geophysical phenomena and human- or society-created vulnerabilities, he said: they bring to light conditions that had been previously ignored.

Hurricane Katrina occurred in a time when many Americans may have been saying that we were living in a post-racial society, and Hurricane Katrina made us confront the fact that there are tremendous inequities in poverty  that sometimes manifest along racial lines, and also inequities in the distribution of vulnerability  who gets to live in areas that are flood-prone, who is forced to live in those areas, Barrios said.

After Hurricane Harvey, Barrios and his colleague, Raja Swamy of University of Tennessee, Knoxville, became interested in what the disaster would reveal for different social actors in the city of Houston.

Often what a disaster reveals is in the eye of the beholder, Barrios said. For example, when Hurricane Katrina occurred, for certain televangelists  for them it revealed something different (than it did to anthropologists). For them it didnt necessarily reveal racial and class inequities in America; for them it revealed the fact that God was angry with America because we are OK with gay marriage.

He and Swamy plan to conduct intense ethnographic interviews with a wide range of people who represent the diversity of the city to learn how they interpret the disaster and how they hope to rebuild.

The reason its important is because, depending on what the disaster reveals for whom, thats going to be tied to what a person considers necessary in terms of policy for reconstruction, he said.

The researchers already made one trip to Houston earlier this month to conduct preliminary research.

One of the interesting things that we have found  is that for many of residents of Houston, particularly those of lesser means, especially those who are Latino, for them what the disaster reveals is a disaster that is not visible but was already present in the city of Houston, which has to do with issues of environmental justice and the toxicity of many petroleum and petrochemical refinery plants that are causing very high levels of things like childhood leukemia, Barrios said.

Barrios and Swamy plan to conduct more interviews over the January intercession and return for follow-up interviews in March. The bulk of their research will be conducted over a two-month period this summer, and in the fall, theyll prepare an ethnographic report of Houston. They hope to get the grant renewed to continue their research the following year.

Well help people understand the socioeconomic diversity of the city of Houston and how socioeconomic sectors experienced the disaster, in terms of who flooded and who didnt, but also who experienced other forms of disaster, like toxic exposure from those petrochemical companies, he said.
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
A Holly Hill drug dealer whose children were killed while he was away from home will be going to prison for selling cocaine.

Christopher Dean Wright, 38, pleaded guilty on Thursday two counts of trafficking in cocaine and one count of unlawful neglect of a child.

Circuit Judge Ed Dickson on Thursday sentenced the Holly Hill man to three terms of 10 years in prison.

The sentences are to be served concurrently. Dickson gave him credit for the time hes served at the Orangeburg County Detention Center, which has been just over two years.

Four people were found shot to death in the home he shared with fiancee Krystal Hutto at 7050 Old State Road on July 15, 2015.

Wright wasnt at home at the time of the shootings, which claimed the lives of Hutto; acquaintance Jerome Butler, 50; and Wrights daughters, 14-year-old Tamara Alexia Perry and 17-year-old Shamekia Sanders. Wrights son Dreamzz Nelson, 8, was injured.

Wright was never charged in the shootings.

Shortly after Wrights arrest in late July 2015, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said, This case is directly connected to his style of living  drug dealing. He placed his children in an environment that was dangerous.

Wright pleaded guilty to trafficking in cocaine on June 21, 2013 and June 25, 2013 at 7050 Old State Road.

He sold 13.2 grams and 14 grams of crack cocaine to a confidential informant. The S.C. Law Enforcement Division conducted both of the controlled purchases, according to arrest warrants.

Wrights unlawful conduct toward a child charge stems from Wright exposing his children to illegal narcotics and using the residence to distribute illegal narcotics.

The indictment said he neglected his children on July 15, 2015, the day two of them were murdered and one was injured.

Wright has previous drug convictions.

According to SLED records, Wright was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2009 after being convicted of manufacturing or distributing cocaine-based drugs.

Prior to that, Wright also served prison time for a 2002 conviction for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine near a school.

He was also convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute in both 1997 and 1998.

The following men from Eutawville are charged with four counts of murder in the deaths:

* Luther Joseph Smith, 35, of 244 Gaillard St.

* Robert Lee Pockets Bailey, 37, of 11269 Old Number Six Highway

* Derrick Warren Coleman, 27, of 1234 St. Julien Drive

* Antly Jermaine Jackie Man Scott, 35, of 253 Barkley St.

Each of the men also faces one count of attempted murder and first-degree burglary.

Bailey, Coleman and Scott also face the charge of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Smith does not face that charge.

Dominique Marquell Washington, 27, of 9919 Highway 78, Ladson, faces a charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly withholding from or falsifying info to investigating agencies.

Washingtons charge remains pending and he was released from jail on bond on April 25, 2016.

Another person, not publicly identified by the sheriffs office, is facing an obstruction-of-justice charge and remains housed at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.
Bamberg County's unemployment rate reached its lowest point in 15 years during September.

The county's unemployment rate was 6.2 percent for September, tying Orangeburg County for the third-highest unemployment rate in the state, according to figures released Friday by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

It is the lowest rate Bamberg County has seen since May 2002, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bamberg County's jobless rate was 8.8 percent in August.

"There have been several expansions in Bamberg and the surrounding counties, as well as new companies providing jobs," SouthernCarolina Alliance Vice President of Marketing Kay Maxwell said.

"We are seeing more projects now from around the world because of our pro-business environment. Also more companies from Europe (especially Turkey because of their country's political uncertainty) and China now want to invest in the U.S., she said.

Most recently, Rockland Industries added a third fabric coating range, which created 15 new jobs. Rockland manufactures drapery and other fabrics.

Black Water Barrels announced last year it would invest $3.6 million in the former Zeigler automotive facility to produce white oak barrels for the growing bourbon industry. The company said it would create up to 60 new jobs over the next five years.

Bamberg County and Orangeburg County saw the states largest improvements in September.

Orangeburg Countys unemployment rate fell from 9 percent in August to 6.2 percent in September.

More people are working now that Husqvarna and Allied Air are ramping up operations for the fall and winter months.

Husqvarna produces riding lawnmowers, zero-turn lawnmowers, tillers and similar products. Allied Air is a manufacturer of heating and cooling units.

Calhoun County had the 12th-highest unemployment rate in September at 4.6 percent. It was 6 percent the month before.

Statewide, the unemployment rate dropped slightly in September to 3.9 percent. In August, the state's jobless rate was 4 percent.

Fairfield County saw the highest unemployment rate in the state at 8 percent. The figure includes the July layoffs created by the abandonment of reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear station in the county.

Charleston County had South Carolinas lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent.

The number of people working in South Carolina set a new record in September, and unemployment reached its lowest level since February 2001.

The number of unemployed people declined by 1,641 to 91,428, while the states labor force increased by 5,269 to 2,324,223 people.

Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.4 percent in August to 4.2 percent in September.

Other area counties unemployment rates in September were:

 Allendale: 6.7 percent

 Barnwell: 5.1 percent

 Dorchester: 3.4 percent

 Lexington: 3.4 percent
A Bowman outdoor concert venue has cancelled its last event of the year, citing low turnout for a previous event and financial losses.

But the president says shes not giving up.

"Yonder Field will continue to be a functioning and viable resource for South Carolina and within the live music industry, Yonder Field President and General Manager Stacie Darr White said in a release.

Im humbled by the ongoing support of those who believe in us and I look forward to building out some amazing concerts and festivals for 2018, she said.

Yonder Field cancelled its Agrisonic Music Festival slated for today. Refunds are available at point-of-sale through Ticketfly or Groupon.

Bands that were scheduled to perform include Dead 27s, The Wood Brothers, Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters and Dispatch.

The 218-acre outdoor venue opened this year at location off Log Cabin Road in the Bowman area.

Initially, the company projected an estimated 10 to 15 concerts a year with a $40-50 million impact on the local economy. It estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people would attend the concerts.

White said, One of the things that is hardest about having a dream is mustering the courage to go after it and taking the leap. And for as much love and momentum that we have for this project, there are always speed bumps along the way."

"As with any first-year venue, we have had our share of challenges and today is no different," White continued. "We worked hard to build out two major festivals in October to bring great music and experiences to South Carolina. Unfortunately, the festival we had last weekend (Oct. 13-14) took substantial losses due to low attendance."

Last weekends S.C. State of Beer Festival was scheduled to include acts such as Marcus King, HoneySmoke, Villanova, Greg Payne and the Piedmont Boys, The Travelin Kline and Dr. John.

"We have worked tirelessly the past few days to try to move forward given our current situation," White said.

She thanked the bands, management, vendors, fans and supporters for their support during Yonder Field's inaugural year.

"Please know that we value all of these relationships and our hearts are sincerely broken too," White said.

Yonder Fields inaugural concert was planned for Memorial Day, but it was cancelled due to a delay in deliverables.

The Aug. 21 Solar Eclipse Family Festival ended up being the first event at the fledgling concert venue. The venue also hosted outdoor movie nights on weekends.

Its plans have led to complaints from some neighbors who worried about traffic, noise and other matters. Orangeburg County implemented a number of procedures to address the concerns.

For questions or more information, contact Ticketfly Customer Support at support@ticketfly.com.
News / Local

by Stephen Jakes

The MDC-T Bulawayo structures have applauded their leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Thokozani Khupe for resolving their differences for the sake of the suffering citizens.Bulawayo spokesperson Felix Mafa Sibanda said the development is greatly welcome to Bulawayo province in particular and the nation in general."We therefore pray that this resolution be sustained and focus on the current voter registration and party building. Peace be unto you and all of concerned party members across the breath and length of Zimbabwe," he said."The amicable resolution by both the president and his vice,Dr T Khupe has given great relief to all party structures and people's Alliance. To the greater majority it is the early Christmas gift which should be cherished and sustained for the betterment of the struggling masses of Zimbabwe."He said henceforth, the registration exercise shall be the main program of the party in and sorounding greater Bulawayo province."To this end ,we a democratic movement promise our supporters and following that ZANU PF is eating its last super and shall be history after 2018 plebiscite. Chachaya,/Laduma 2018!" he said.
Over 4.7 million tons of cargo were transported along the International North-South Transport Corridor for the three quarters of 2017, which is 21.6 percent more than in the same period last year, the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said in a message Oct. 20.

Heads of railway companies of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran and Russia made the remarks at the 67th meeting of the Railway Transport Council of the CIS and Baltic countries in Riga.

Javid Gurbanov, Vladimir Morozov, Saeed Mohammadzadeh and Oleg Belozerov discussed prospects for the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor, construction of a section of the Rasht-Astara railway and other issues.

During the meeting, it was noted that cargo transportations along the International North-South Transport Corridor for the first nine months of 2017 increased by 21.6 percent and exceeded 4.7 million tons, the message said. Compared to the previous year, the volume of container transportations grew 2.4 times. Over 7,000 containers were transported along the corridor.

It is noted that the parties have reached an agreement to establish a working group for the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor and signed the appropriate protocol.

In the opinion of the meeting participants, it is necessary to direct attention of logistics companies to the creation of permanent transport services and the application of tariffs which suit all the sides, as well as to carry out work to simplify customs clearance procedures in order to support the growth trend along the International North-South Transport Corridor, the message noted.

The sides also noted the importance of creating mutual ties between the participants of the logistics chain (railways, ports, carriers, customs services).

The sides agreed that the acceleration and reduction in the cost of cargo transportations between the countries of Europe, South Asia, the Persian Gulf, Belarus and Russia are related to the creation of a direct rail service, the message said. It is necessary to finish and commission the missing section of the corridor, the Rasht-Astara railway for that.

The International North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.

The corridor is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and over 10 million tons of cargo in the future.
Saudi Arabias Sabic, a global leader in the chemical industry, will showcase at Aquatech Amsterdam its industry-leading water management resources, technical support services and materials that are helping customers in raising operational efficiency.



In particular, the company will spotlight its growing portfolio of high-performance engineering resins for the water management industry, extensive application development capabilities, and new predictive engineering services that can enable the industry to solve tough challenges, ranging from optimising hydrolytic stability and water quality to preventing corrosion and biofouling.



Sabic will demonstrate at Aquatech Amsterdam how its advanced resin technologies can become the materials of choice for a wide array of potable, process and wastewater applications by delivering important design, performance and productivity benefits that could surpass those of metal and other traditional materials.



The company will also showcase at its stand the diverse testing capabilities of its recently expanded Water Management Center of Excellence, located in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands. Additionally, Sabic will feature new data that reinforces the benefits of using its resins, live simulations and real-world customer applications.



Sabic representatives will be available for the duration of Aquatech Amsterdam to discuss the companys products, services and capabilities for the water management industry.



Aquatech Amsterdam runs from October 31 to November 3 at RAI Amsterdam, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  TradeArabia News Service
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Media expert and political commentator Pedzisai Ruhanya has lamented that the private and state media in Zimbabwe have been captured by the warring factions in the ruling Zanu PF.The remarks come at a time when the media is dominated by news concerning the wars in the ruling party almost on daily bases in which these items are given more prominence than any other issues of paramount importance to citizens."The private and the state media in Zimbabwe are captured by the warring factions in Zanu PF. Surely the story of Zimbabwe at this moment cant be binary; either Lacoste or G40 without any shame across the board," Ruhanya said."There is no analysis in all the mainstream media as these factions of an authoritarian regime are treated as righteous. Pres Mugabe was very correct to suggest that Zanu PF controls the private press because of money. Its a nightmare to read the private press with their uncritical factional rubbish packaged as truths."He said get it here that none of these factions will redeem our country, none of them is holy, none is democratic but all are evil and collectively responsible for economic and political decay marked by massive corruption."The private media is guilty of omission and commission. A counter NARRATIVE/COUNTER HEGEMONY is needed!" he said.
Dubai Holding, the global investment holding company, has appointed Deepak Padmanabhan as the chief executive officer of SmartCity Malta, thus reiterating its commitment to its ambitious project in the archipelago in the central Mediterranean region.



A long-term collaboration with the Government of Malta, SmartCity Malta will be a 360,000-sq-m business and technology park directly adjacent to the countrys Valletta Grand Harbour.



Khalid Al Malik, the chairman of SmartCity Malta and chief real estate officer of Dubai Holding, said:

"We are committed to the development of SmartCity Malta, and are pushing ahead with the next phase of the development. SmartCity Malta will become a vibrant community where people will live, work, and play."



"We have appointed one of our most experienced and accomplished executives to lead the development. Padmanabhan brings a wealth of expertise, including experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategy and business development, transformation and long-term value creation," he noted.



Padmanabhan is a respected figure across Maltas business community, having led the local telecommunications company GO as chairman for more than a decade. He has also served on the board of SmartCity Malta since its inception.



Al Malik said: "We are determined to create a central innovation hub, which will serve as the heartbeat for continued growth in Malta long into the future. This undertaking is a long-term partnership between Dubai Holding, the Government of Malta, SmartCity Maltas business partners, employees and stakeholders everywhere."



Since the announcement of the development, the local economy of Malta has matured considerably, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Nama Centre, one of Qatar Foundation for Social Works affiliated Centres, said it has signed a co-operation agreement with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to develop the youth programs provided by the Centre.

UNFPA is one of the most supportive institutions of youth issues, including their right to quality education and health services of all kinds, in order to empower youngsters with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and make appropriate decisions to realize their full potential, towards contributing to positive economic and social transformation in their communities.

The Fund is also investing in youth as the vanguard of future leadership of their countries who are capable of achieving stability and prosperity.

"This UNFPA agreement comes in the context of the centre's continuous efforts to co-operate with international developmental institutions and organizations concerned with youth, with the aim of helping them refine their abilities and hone their personal and practical skills to qualify them to participate effectively in their own personal development and that of their community," remarked Maryam Bint Abdullatif Al Mannai, the acting executive manager at Nama Centre after signing the deal with UNFPA director for the Arab States Regional Office Dr Luay Shabaneh.

"We are definitely looking forward to more cooperation with international bodies and organizations active in the fields of youth development, as a service to our future generations and developing our society," she stated.

According to her, Nama Centre offers many initiatives, programs and scientific and practical courses aimed at youth in various fields.

The centre also strives to meet the requirements for social entrepreneurship, as well as support startup owners and provide them with all forms of moral, material, consultative and logistical support in order to help them achieve their aspirations, which serve the community, diversify the national economy and contribute to the achievement of the Qatar National Vision 2030, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Police will start issuing permanent registration cards for all vehicles in the UAE capital starting from December 1, reported state news agency Wam.



However, the new card will be issued without an expiry date, stated the report citing the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police.



The expiry date will only be available on the traffic and licensing system to be used for renewal which requires car technical testing and insurance, it stated.



Abu Dhabi Police said SMS will be sent to the vehicles owners to remind them of getting their registration cards renewed a month before the expiry date.



Accordingly, they will be able to get the service without having to change the registration card, according to the Wam report.



They can also enquire about the card expiration via Abu Dhabi police smart applications or website, it added.
GlassPoint Solar, a leading supplier of solar energy to the oil and gas industry, has discussed ways its solar technology can be strategically deployed to produce heavy oil at the ongoing Kuwait Oil & Gas Show 2017 (KOGS), in Kuwait.



The four-day event will conclude later today (October 18), at the Kuwait International Fair in Mishref.



Kuwaits first heavy oil project is now in development at Ratqa Lower Fars, which will use advanced techniques and steam injection. GlassPoints solar technology can sustainably provide the majority of the steam required for this project, reducing production costs and strengthening energy security, said a statement.



Furthermore, utilising solar energy on the oilfield can contribute to HH the Amir of Kuwaits vision of generating 15 per cent of its energy mix from renewable sources.



Research released by GlassPoint detailed how half of Kuwaits renewable energy target can be achieved by using its technology at Ratqa Lower Fars alone, it added.



GlassPoints technology has already been deployed at scale in Oman, said a statement.



Hussain Shehab, country chairman, GlassPoint Kuwait, said: Kuwaits energy industry is expanding, not only with heavy oil production, but also in renewable energy.



GlassPoints solar technology can be deployed quickly to help Kuwait achieve these strategic priorities at the same time, he said.



Kuwait Petroleum Corporation plans to produce 270,000 barrels of heavy oil per day by 2030, and without a more sustainable method of producing steam for extraction our natural gas consumption will rise, he added.



The natural gas needed to produce the steam for Ratqa would be equal to a quarter of our current gas production, and could more than double our gas imports. Instead of using one valuable commodity to produce another, we can harness the suns free, renewable energy to raise steam. This will maximize production rates, save gas and reduce costs, he continued.



As part of the event, Shehab, a 30-year veteran of Kuwait Oil Company, spoke at the plenary session Diversification - Upstream Innovation and Challenges where he highlighted the benefits of using solar energy to achieve Kuwaits production targets and contribute to the Amirs renewables vision.



GlassPoint vice president of business development John ODonnell participated in the technical conference, presenting a detailed study on the potential for using solar energy in oil production and refining.



The study, co-authored with Stanford University researchers, discovered Kuwait was the largest market worldwide for deploying solar thermal energy in the upstream sector, including new developments like Ratqa.



May Al Zanki, director of sales and business development at GlassPoint Kuwait, discussed the role of women in its engineering and business ranks throughout the companys worldwide operations as part of the Empowerment of Women workshop.



GlassPoints technology has been deployed on oilfields in the US and the Middle East and is proven to meet oil and gas standards for safety and reliability. After evaluating several solar technologies and completing a successful pilot programme, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) awarded GlassPoint the commercial-scale Miraah project in 2015.



Miraah will deliver over one gigawatt of peak thermal energy, generating 6,000 tonnes of steam per day. Construction of Miraah is progressing on schedule and within budget, with more than 1.5 million safe man hours completed.



The two companies recently announced that Miraah has achieved 55 per cent cost savings to date compared to the pilot project. These savings resulted from the use of improved designs, enhanced tooling and increased workforce productivity.



From its dedicated booth, GlassPoint offered the events 5,000 attendees a virtual reality tour of the milestone solar plant. True to the events theme Shaping the energy future: integration and diversification, the virtual reality demonstration immersed visitors in the gigawatt-scale project, so that they could experience first-hand the convergence between renewable and conventional energy.



GlassPoint also presented educational sessions at its booth, including the economics of using solar to power oilfield operations as well as the technical considerations for solar enhanced oil recovery (EOR) compared to solar for electricity generation, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Sen. John Barrasso followed in the footsteps of a host of politicians Wednesday by declaring the political war on energy development over, a reference to the Trump Administrations actions to roll back Obama-era environmental policies and regulations.

The comments, praising President Donald Trump and criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency, precede the Senates discussion of federal funding for the EPA. The U.S. House agreed on a bill in September that would cut the agencys budget to mid-70s levels, a more modest approach than the presidents proposed 30 percent reduction earlier this year.

Environmental groups are watching closely to see the Senates approach.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Barrasso focused on the presidents recent steps to undo the Clean Power Plan, a contentious EPA rule that would have put caps on carbon dioxide emissions in the electricity sector and hit coal-fired power and coal production particularly hard.

Barrasso described the CPP as a liberal effort to destroy the reliable forms of energy that the American public continues to use today.

With this move, the agency is saying that Washington will no longer trample on the law, the senator said. It tells the rest of Washington that there are limits.

Barrasso was one of a handful of conservative politicians targeted nationally in recent weeks, with two political outsiders considering running for his seat. Trump called Barrasso on Wednesday as a show of support, according to the Associated Press.

Barrassos praise for reining in the Environmental Protection Agency is in line with many Wyomingites take on federal rules.

From the Clean Power Plan to a moratorium on coal leases, federal enforcement that would harm the linchpins of Wyomings economy has been met with resistance and litigation from the Cowboy State.

Barrasso applauded Wyomings approach to environmental safeguards, saying the state had achieved a balance between interests.

My home state of Wyoming is one of the most pristine places in the world and it is one of the most energy-rich places in the world, he said.

Unlike Wyoming, the Environmental Protection Agency has failed to balance regulations and development, he said.

The agency was created because America needed to do a better job of making sure that we had clean air, clean land and clean water, Barrasso said. For a long time the agency did its job well.

Then it got political, he said.

The agencys funding matters in Wyoming, which depends on federal dollars, including yearly grants from the EPA to run a number of its environmental programs. Federal funds account for about 30 percent of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Qualitys budget.

Many federal regulations can be met by establishing state programs that enforce federal law. It has long been Wyomings attitude that state run management is superior to the feds. But the state doesnt bear the cost alone.

Following the presidents proposed cuts earlier this year, Todd Parfitt, director of the Wyoming DEQ said the state would likely have trouble running some of its programs if the EPA faced significant cuts.

A number of groups have spoken out against reducing the agencys funding, including the Wyoming chapter of the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund.

More than 100 scientists and health professionals sent a public letter to the Senate on Thursday asking for the EPAs budget to be increased, or at the least, kept at current levels in the interest of public health.

Barrassos take on the EPA was not as a funding arm for states like Wyoming but as an engorged and punitive agency. The regulatory rollbacks are changing that, he said Wednesday.

They declared war on coal and a war on American energy, he said. Under the Trump administration, that war is over and America is back on the right track.
Sundays Highlights</&h1>

Sunday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 10 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 10:15 a.m., 917 N. Beech; noon, 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 6:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 1/2 E. A. Douglas: 1 p.m, Douglas, 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back), womens meeting; 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 15th & Melrose at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

Nicotine Anonymous: 5 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518.

Sunday Elks breakfast

Sunday breakfast is open to the public at the Casper Elks Lodge. This is the final Sunday until after the kitchen remodel is complete. Enjoy a full breakfast buffet. Open from 8 to 11 a.m. All you can eat for $7, children 5 to 12 are $3, 4 and under free. For more information, call 234-4839.

Ski sale closes

The 2017 Casper Mountain Racers annual Ski, Board & Bike Swap is at the Industrial Building, Central Wyoming Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday (also consignment pickup hours).

Church pumpkins

First Christian Church Pumpkin Patch, 520 CY Ave., is noon to 6 p.m.

Coyotes at home

Casper Coyotes host the Utah Outliers at 2:45 p.m. at the Casper Ice Arena.

PFLAG meets

The monthly PFLAG potluck dinner and meeting starts with a short business meeting at 5 p.m. The dinner will start at 5:30, and we will be voting for the Casper PFLAG board for 2017-18 following dinner. Only people who have paid their PFLAG dues can vote. Nomination forms can be found on the PFLAG Casper Facebook page and on the website: www.plagcasper.org. Dues are $25/single person or $35/couple or family. From these dues, $15 supports PFLAG national and $10 supports the local PFLAG chapter. Questions can be directed to Rob Johnston at 259-5026 or Ruth Ann Leonard at 265-5449.

Halloween lights

The Wagners present the fourth annual Halloween light show at their house, 3148 Whispering Springs. The show will run nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. and from 6 to 11 p.m., on Friday and Saturday. There will be candy for kids on Halloween night. The Christmas light show, which includes an optional donation of food for Joshuas Storehouse, will begin on Nov. 25.
In the summer of 1980, the Paradise Valley apartment was brand new. Two bedrooms, one bath with a double vanity and our own laundry behind doors in the living room was perfect for the two workin girls excited to be on our own but together.

As for me and my bunch, we worked hard and played harder, often until the sun was coming up. A certain phrase, coined by me and repeated by many, became our theme. In more correct language, it was it isnt a party until the police arrive.

And arrive they did  but off shift, of course, to party right along with us.

This is all to say that our soundtrack for those gatherings was 80s country, headlined by our own Kaycee cowboy, Chris LeDoux.

Now, almost four decades later, his son, Ned LeDoux, releases his first full-length CD, Sagebrush, on Nov. 3. Hell entertain business and industry leaders in Cheyenne the next week at the Governors Business Forum at Little America. His performance, sponsored by Mark and Jennie Gordon, will be at the Nov. 7 Live the Legend Reception.

I put the CD in on a recent drive home, and 1980 came back. But in a better way. Those single days (and nights) brought a kind of chaos with them, an uncertainty about the future. The kind of chaos that made us buy a case of wine regularly and then tearfully tell our daddies that we couldnt pay the phone bill.

LeDoux lists his beloved dad, who died March 9, 2005, as co-writer on four of the 12 tracks.

Neds mom, Peggy, gave him a shoebox full of what seemed to be song ideas his Dad had written down years ago, promotional materials say. Ned prefers to call them his Dads thoughts.

Wyoming highways are prominently featured in a couple of the songs, as are harsh Wyoming winters and the aloneness that is found here.

Some People Do, is one of my favorites, and perfectly depicts why we love it here.

Why would you live here/some people do. Aint that the truth.

And while there are sweet and lovely songs included, like Neds love song to his wife, Morgan, By My Side, there are also story songs, like Johnson County War, and Chris LeDouxs signature, This Cowboys Hat.

Written by Ned, The Hawk, is the story of a hawk that appeared on the ranch after Chris died, following Peggy as she took her walks.

And if Im feeling down/And I need my fathers advice/ Well, I know just where to find him/He flies along those western skies.

But as for a Wyoming anthem, after weve all stood and placed our hands over our hearts the way cowboys do, there cant be a much better choice than Forever A Cowboy.

Forever a cowboy/He defines the word grit/His only bad habit/He dont know when to quit.
John Trohkimoinen, a social studies teacher at Natrona County High School, is one of 38 educators to receive California Casualtys National Award for Teaching Excellence.

Trohkimoinen was presented with a $650 check and a certificate at a staff meeting earlier this week. The money will be used at Principal Shannon Harris and Trohkimoinens discretion. He will also be recognized at the NEA Foundations Salute to Excellence in Education Gala in Washington D.C. in February.

The gala will be a star-studded big deal, its a large event, he said. The event draws thousands of supporters  both online and in person. The awarded educators are celebrated through music, performances and more, giving recognition for their work and dedication.

These outstanding educators are innovators, challengers and global thinkers, said Harriet Sanford, NEA Foundation president and CEO, in a statement.

Trohkimoinen was nominated by the Wyoming Education Association, the states NEA affiliate. Nominees are typically chosen for their dedication to their profession, attention to diversity, professional development and advocacy for fellow educators.

In the earlier months of last year, members of the schools staff interviewed Trohkimoinen randomly and he had the feeling something was up.

If I had known it was for an award like this, I would have told them to stop, he said because in his opinion, there are people who are more qualified for the award.

He found out about the win this March and said he feels extremely flattered that his colleagues think of him so highly.

He said he always loved history and majored in social studies in college. Unsure what to do for a profession, he became a teacher because of his fondness for the subject and that he enjoys working with kids.

He began his teaching career in special education at CY Middle School and then moved to teach social studies at Natrona County High, where he has been there for 30 years.

Teaching at the same school for a long time brings both pros and cons. He said a con is that by teaching in different places, theres a benefit of bringing new knowledge to the table. On the other hand, there is a feeling of tradition and belonging, and it is a nice feeling, he said.
Wyoming scored low marks across the board in Human Rights Campaigns annual ranking of the climate for LGBT residents in cities across the country. The Equality State scored 14 points out of a possible 100, well below the national average of 57. Several cities marked considerably lower including zero points for Sheridan, three points for Rock Springs and five points for Casper.

Its a shame, said Sara Burlingame, Wyoming Equalitys education and outreach director.

Burlingame said she was disappointed because while Wyoming also performed poorly in last years HRC ranking. She believed at the time that there was significant momentum among local governments in passing anti-discrimination ordinances and taking other measures to increase LGBT friendliness.

The one outlier in the state was Laramie, which scored 49 points and passed an anti-discrimination ordinance covering sexual orientation two years ago. Cheyenne is considering a similar ordinance.

The Legislature defeated an anti-discrimination law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation two years ago amid fierce debate.

The scorecard, which HRC produced with the Equality Federation Institute, measured five categories to create its ranking: non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the citys relationship with the LGBT community.

Jackson, Laramie and Cheyenne all received points for municipal employment policies and relationship with the LGBT community, while Casper and Gillette received marks for municipal services and relationship with the community. Gillette also received points for law enforcement policies.

Casper specifically received points for an anti-bully policy in local schools and for city leaderships public position on LGBTQ equality.

Mayor Kenyne Humphrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Casper special projects coordinator Jolene Martinez said that the city had received a questionnaire for the scorecard but had not replied.

No one answered any of the questions, Martinez said. I dont think theres any malicious intent or anything thats with that.

She said that while Casper did not have specific public initiatives to serve the LGBT community, it focused on providing services to all residents regardless of sexual orientation.

Sheridan, which was the only city to score a flat zero in Wyoming, passed an anti-discrimination ordinance at a city council meeting on Monday. The council stripped the ordinance of language protecting sexual orientation and instead condemned discrimination against any city resident.

LGBT non-discrimination proposals sputtered in many parts of state Efforts throughout the state to adopt local ordinances banning discrimination against gay an

What part of all does not include all? council member Alex Lee said at the meeting, according to the Sheridan Press.

In a statement, HRC President Chad Griffin framed the ranking as a way for businesses to decide where to locate or hold conferences.

CEOs know that in order to attract and retain the best employees, they must grow their companies in places that protect LGBTQ citizens from discrimination and actively open their doors to all communities, Griffin said.

The same argument was made by advocates of the failed anti-discrimination bill in the Wyoming Legislature in 2015 under the banner Compete Wyoming.

Burlingame also highlighted that concern. She said that some state lawmakers have cautioned that an anti-discrimination ordinance covering sexual orientation was unlikely to pass for several years due to the high levels of political polarization following last years presidential election. But in the meantime, Burlingame said that Wyoming is shooting itself in the foot.

We are looking at an economic downturn, and were trying to attract jobs to Wyoming, and one of the easiest things we could do to say, Were open for business please come bring your workers and their families here, this is a great state to live in, is to pass anti-discrimination laws, she said. We know it works. We know employers are looking for it.
The Wyoming Department of Health is collecting data and public input as part of a health assessment undertaken in part to better evaluate the states needs.

The department is holding meetings across the state so Wyomingites can share their insights and needs, according to a press release. Theres also an online survey that Wyomingites can take. As of Wednesday afternoon, the survey had 300 respondents.

The survey will remain open through at least the end of October.

Were gathering data and information from a variety of sources to better understand Wyomings health needs, Stephanie Pyle, the acting senior administrator for the public health division, said in a statement. Understanding that information will help shape future priorities to best serve our state.

Survey-takers are asked a number of broad questions, including the biggest health concern in their community; barriers to health; and solutions to address health problems.

Kim Deti, spokeswoman for the department, said the work isnt tied to budgetary constraints. In addition to wanting a better understanding of Wyomings health needs from those directly affected, the department also wants accreditation from a national organization, Deti said.

The accreditation will basically say that the state is competent in a number of areas, such as emergency preparedness.

According to the release, the department especially wants input from:

those who experienced health challenges;

those who have ideas for solutions to health challenges;

local elected and appointed officials;

community service agencies;

health care providers;

school officials and others.

The department is holding two more listening sessions, in Sheridan on Monday and Gillette on Tuesday.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya has said the MDC must put more efforts in encouraging people to come out in their numbers to register to vote so as to have high chances of winning against the Zanu PF regime."Someone or your political adversary will not bring people out to register to vote for you; the MDC must get this message right. Efforts, efforts and efforts must be put to persuade citizens to register to vote. Relying on sympathy vote of rational citizens will not assist the opposition. Street by street, church by church, college by college, block by block, community to community party voter mobilsation is the key," he said."Don't leave this job to anyone not even to NGOs. If Harare, Bulawayo and Matabeleland numbers continue to be poor as is currently the case, the opposition should forget 2018. Work for what you want to harvest now. Don't on fake prophets. Go to churches to mobilize. Rely on statistical data!"
JACKSON  A man has died after a couple's car drove off a road and into a river in western Wyoming.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Mike Merritt says the surviving passenger believes her husband fell asleep before he swerved, hit a guardrail and went down an embankment into the Snake River. Merritt says two fishermen heard screaming and saw the woman standing waist-deep in the water.
CHEYENNE  Ten more buffalo are set to join a nascent herd on the starkly beautiful landscape of a Wyoming American Indian reservation, a project significant to tribal members who went over a century without living with the animals dear to their culture.

The buffalo to be released Saturday by the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will join 10 released last fall on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

A calf was born to the first group in May. The buffalo known formally as American bison roam a fenced-in enclosure covering half a square mile at the foot of the snowcapped Wind River Range.

The new herd promotes healing from a history of atrocities against the tribe, said Eastern Shoshone buffalo representative Jason Baldes.

Weve had to go through several eras of history that worked to undermine our governments, our people, our language, our culture. This is a way to restore some integrity and dignity to ourselves, by restoring this relationship to buffalo, Baldes said Thursday.

Tribal officials would eventually like to see the herd number 1,000 or more. Theyve got enough room: The reservation sprawls across more than 3,400 square miles, roughly the size of nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Much of the reservation once did support buffalo, before the U.S. government encouraged the extermination of millions of buffalo across the Great Plains and West in the 1800s.

Today, hundreds of thousands of buffalo have returned to North America, but the vast majority are ranch animals with intermingled cattle genes, pointed out Pat Hnilicka, project leader at the Fish and Wildlife Service office in Lander.

Theres not that many bison that would be considered genetically pure, Hnilicka said. Theres a real interest in getting additional conservation herds spread across the landscape.

The new Wind River buffalo are young, 3 years old or less, and almost completely free of cattle genes. They come from the National Bison Range in Montana, where the Fish and Wildlife Service maintains between 350-500 buffalo on a wild landscape.

Buffalo also inhabit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park but maintaining separate herds of genetically pure animals helps ensure the species long-term success, Hnilicka said.

Elsewhere in the West, including Montana, ranchers worry wild buffalo can transmit the disease brucellosis to cattle. The Wind River buffalo are certified free of brucellosis, and its unlikely they could contract the disease from the areas elk, said Hnilicka.

The National Wildlife Federations Tribal Partnership Program also has been involved in the Wind River restoration project. The Northern Arapaho Tribe, which shares the reservation with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, arent involved but have offered encouragement.

A religious ceremony with traditional drumming and song will accompany the buffalo release.

Baldes has taken local schoolchildren to see the buffalo. Someday, he said, he would like to see buffalo meat included on their lunch menus.

For tribal folks, its a blessing, he said. Its a long time coming to have these animals home and to be able to go out there and see them. Knowing that theyre here is a big deal.
FORT COLLINS  A man suspected of fatally shooting two people, including a Colorado State University student, and wounding a third before killing himself was an Air Force staff sergeant based in Wyoming, authorities said Friday.

Fort Collins police identified the suspected gunman as Michael A. Zamora, 30.

Zamora, of Fort Collins, confronted the victims at an apartment complex near CSU early Thursday, firing multiple shots and then killing himself, The Coloradoan reported.

A motive for the shooting wasnt known. City police Chief Terry Jones told The Denver Post the victims were ambushed after they were dropped off at the complex by a ride-share service. Zamora was not part of the ride-share group, he said.

The driver dropped them off and drove away before the shooting started, Jones said.

In a statement, F.E. Warren Air Force Base said Zamora was a staff sergeant assigned to the base near Cheyenne, Wyoming, about 60 miles north of Fort Collins.

Zamora was off-duty when the shooting happened, the base statement said. He had served in the Air Force for more than 8 years.

Savannah McNealy, a 22-year-old senior arts major at CSU, was killed. McNealy was set to graduate in December.

She worked at Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp., which operates The Rocky Mountain Collegian, an independent newspaper at CSU.

Tristian Kemp, 26, of Destin, Florida, also was killed, police said.

A third victim was hospitalized and is expected to survive her wounds, said police spokeswoman Kate Kimble. Her identify wasnt immediately released.

Police found two rifles and a handgun registered to Zamora at the scene, according to the Coloradoan.

Colorado State was holding a campus vigil for McNealy Friday evening.

This tragedy, occurring so near our campus, brings into sharp focus the value of life everywhere, university president Tony Frank said in an email to students and employees. As we head into the coming weekend, please take care of yourselves and one another.
Freshman impact

Affected by years of seeing teen drivers killed in accidents, former South Dakota sheriffs deputy Rick McPherson started a nonprofit organization aimed at keeping young drivers safe. The program recently came to Newcastle, where 235 high school freshmen from around the state learned about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving. Throughout the day, the students also learned about sexual violence, social media, teen suicide, drug and alcohol prevention and more. Keeping teens apprised of the dangers of impaired driving could save many lives.

Fundraising

The Wyoming Community Foundation gave over $200,000 to nonprofits throughout Natrona County this year, thanks to the help of its donors. The 21 local recipients included Casper Family YMCA, Jasons Friends, Joshuas Storehouse, Meals on Wheels and many more. For more information about the Wyoming Community Foundation, visit www.WYCF.org.

Wyoming women

Photographer and Wyoming native Lindsay Linton wanted to know more about the female leaders in her state, so she set out on a project to profile the women who are shaping Wyoming. The first chapter of her project features podcasts and photographs of five female Wyoming pioneers, such as the states first female Supreme Court justice, a journalist and the first female Native American state senator. Check out the project at https://womeninwyoming.com/

Youth town hall

Vice Mayor Ray Pacheco hosted the first-ever youth town hall recently at Metro Coffee, with a goal of getting Caspers youth involved in their community. The teens in attendance voiced concerns about drug use and bullying at school, and offered up ideas for garnering youth community engagement, such as a city-wide art competition and a wider variety of activities available downtown. The teens were eager to share their opinions, and were glad to hear the vice mayor intends to continue encouraging their involvement at future youth town halls.

Field guide

A second edition of the treasured Field Guide to the Casper Mountain Area was recently released by its original authors. The book, first published in 1978, covers geological, biological and historical information about Casper Mountain and has been updated to include color photos, maps and the newest scientific knowledge of the area.

Overdose prevention

Thanks to new legislation, Wyoming pharmacists now have the ability to prescribe a drug that reverses the effects of an opiate overdose directly to patients. Whether you are a person filling a prescription for an opiate or you have concerns about a loved ones opiate use, you can get the drug Naloxone  a generic version of the drug Narcan  straight from your local pharmacy.
The Arizona Commerce Authority is refusing to disclose details of a proposal to lure Amazon to build its second headquarters in the state.

Amazon set an Oct. 19 deadline for submitting detailed proposals, but an Arizona Daily Star public-records request for Arizonas submission was declined.

While the ACA has submitted a proposal to Amazon on behalf of the state, the project is still active and so we will not be releasing the proposal document as doing so could harm the states competitiveness in the process, Susan E. Marie, the ACAs senior vice president for marketing and communications said via email.

She said because the proposal contains specific development strategies, locations, and other key information, we have no records responsive to your request.

Attorney Phil Higdon, who works on public-records cases for the firm Perkins Coie, said the submitted proposal is a public document and that the only ongoing or active exemption is for a law enforcement matter.

Corporate proposals almost always include tax breaks, subsidies and other financial incentives that would be financed by taxpayers, classifying the document of extreme public interest, he said.

How is it detrimental to their competitive position if what Amazon has already seen becomes public? Higdon said. Unfortunately, this is the kind of stall the states agencies have used lately because it has gone unchallenged.

Last month Amazon announced its plans to build a second corporate headquarters with up to 50,000 new employees over 15 years and more than $5 billion in capital investment. A decision is expected in 2018.

Sun Corridor Inc., the Tucson regions main economic development agency, tried to get Amazons attention by offering a 21-foot saguaro to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in Seattle. The gift was declined and regifted to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Greater Tucson Leadership has revealed its picks for the 2017 Tucson Man and Woman of the Year as well as the winner of the Founders Award.

Bruce Wright, associate vice president for Tech Parks Arizona, was named Man of the Year, and Lynne Wood Dusenberry, retired senior deputy general counsel at the University of Arizona, was named Woman of the Year.

The honor recognizes those who have distinguished themselves for active support of community projects, demonstrated excellence in leadership, and who are a source of positive influence and inspiration for others.

Fred Boice, president of Boice Financial Co., was selected to receive the 2017 Founders Award. The recognition highlights an individual who has demonstrated significant long-term community involvement and accomplishments and who has helped to shape the community in a positive manner with merit and dedication.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Oct. 21 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
In what is expected to be one of the hottest political races next year, Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally continues her unbroken streak of raking in more cash than her would-be Democratic rivals.

The two-term Republican took in $929,935 in donations for her re-election campaign between July and September, filings with the Federal Election Commission show. The figure includes $145,054 in contributions from political groups.

By comparison, the five Democrats vying to replace her raised a combined total of $487,673 in the same time period.

While McSally has amassed roughly $1.45 million in her campaign war chest, the cost of fundraising cuts deep into how much cash her campaign can generate.

With no formal Republican challenger facing her in a primary next year, McSallys campaign team has spent $481,000 with a large amount going to pay for postage to send letters across the country to potential donors.

Former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, who entered the race two months ago after moving into the district, led in terms of Democratic candidates  bringing in $337,852 in donations.

She has raised $276,808 with individual donations and an additional $60,500 coming from various political committees.

Her critics, including the Republican National Committee, are quick to point to the fact that roughly $20,000 of those political donations came from groups associated with Democratic leadership groups as well as House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Rodd McLeod, a spokesman for the Kirkpatrick campaign, said more than 4,000 individuals gave to the campaign in the last two months.

He believes it is the best indication of the deep public support for the former congresswoman in CD2.

Kirkpatrick had approximately $268,841 in her campaign war chest at the end of the September, according to FEC records.

Former state Rep. and emergency-room physician Matt Heinz raised $61,247 as he makes another run for congressional office.

He has $186,430 in his campaign war chest.

A closer inspection of donations to both Kirkpatrick and Heinz reveal both received tens of thousands in donations that cant be spent during the primary, earmarked specifically for the general election.

Mary Matiella, retired assistant secretary of the Army, raised $61,929 between July and September and has $57,038 in her campaign checkbook.

Billy Kovacs, a small-business owner, raised $20,282 in the last three months according to FEC records while former state Rep. Bruce Wheeler raised $6,362 in the same period.
WASHINGTON  The Air Force will begin testing the groundwater at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for contamination from dangerous chemicals in firefighting foam that was used at the base, according to the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center.

The Davis-Monthan inspection follows similar testing at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale and the former Williams Air Force Base in Chandler. They are part of a systematic nationwide testing program the Pentagon announced in March to look for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which the Environmental Protection Agency has said may be hazardous to human health.

Testing for the chemicals is also scheduled early next year at Air National Guard locations at Sky Harbor International Airport and Tucson International Airport.

The Army, Navy and Air National Guard are also testing for the pollutants. In all, the Defense Department will test water at 395 active and closed bases across the country, according to a report by News21.

PFAS contamination has been found in the drinking water at 26 Air Force bases, the Civil Engineer Center said Thursday.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is aware of the testing and will review the results, but is currently not working in conjunction with the Air Force, said department spokesman Sam Nuanez.

In Tucson, home to Davis-Monthan, a city water department spokesman said the agency tests its wells often for PFAS, but that its probably a good idea the Air Force will be testing water on the base.

The spokesman, Fernando Molina, said the water department shut down three drinking-water supply wells on the northwest side of Tucson in September 2016 after tests found PFAS-levels higher than the EPAs recommended safe level of 70 parts per trillion. The EPA does not regulate these chemicals, but set the safe level in a 2016 health advisory, which is also used by the Pentagon.

Molina said Tucson Water is still investigating the source of the well contamination, but he believes it may have come from the wastewater treatment plant, and not the military base, as the wells are downstream from the plant.

The wastewater treatment process is not designed to remove these components, Molina said.

The contaminants were first manufactured in the 1950s by the 3M Co. and later by DuPont for use in consumer products like Teflon, Scotchgard, water-resistant clothing and food packaging like fast-food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags.

The Air Force began using two PFAS chemicals  PFOA and PFOS  in 1970 in its aqueous film-forming foam, which was the most efficient extinguishing method for petroleum-based fires, according to the Civil Engineer Center.

But 3M stopped manufacturing the compounds in 2000 and DuPont has since come up with a new formulation. In 2012, the EPA added PFAS to its list of unregulated contaminants that may be hazardous to human health.

In August 2016, the Air Force began replacing the original firefighting foam with a new, environmentally responsible foam. The Civil Engineer Center reported that 173 of 176 bases have transitioned to the new foam.

Some experts worry that the new foam is similar in chemical composition to the old. And even with the old compound no longer being produced, its chemical structure is such that it can stay in its environment  whether thats a person or a body of water  for decades.

The chemicals are still being found, even in communities where the use of AFFF has been discontinued. And the chemicals can accumulate as time goes on.

PFAS is not the only challenge facing Luke and Williams, both of which have been included on the EPAs Superfund list of the most hazardous sites in the U.S. requiring cleanup. Luke came off the list in 2002, but the EPA said Williams is still on the list because the most widespread and complex  cleanup remedy remains to be implemented on the former air base.

In the meantime, if testing finds drinking water with PFOS/PFOA levels above the EPA advisory, we take immediate steps to provide alternate drinking water supplies, said a statement from the Civil Engineer Center.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Thursday that the solution to the water contamination on military bases is to test and fix. Even though the Air Force alone has spent $154 million on inspection and mitigation of PFAS contamination, McCain said theres still plenty of money to test and fix.

Lawmakers this summer added millions for environmental cleanup to the amounts requested by the Trump administration in the fiscal 2018 Defense budget bill this year.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

THE countrywide dragnet of roadshows that were launched by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) and the Elections Resource Centre (ERC) in four days has reached thousands of people with voter registration and mobilisation campaigns.The 10 voter mobilisation teams have been touring the country with voter education material about the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process on a six day campaign that started on Tuesday and will end on Sunday.Despite the high temperatures across the country, bumper crowds have been invariably showing up in rural growth points and urban shopping centres.The teams have been resorting to moving street by street in urban residential areas, addressing the people through public address (PA) systems mounted on huge trucks on their way across the country.The voter registration mobilisation, observation and education dragnet is part of the two civil society organisations' joint initiative to encourage participation in electoral processes ahead of the 2018 elections.Artists especially locally popular dance groups have been helping to pull the crowds to the voter education and mobilisation events.On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, the teams covered areas such as Rimuka in Kadoma, Chegutu town centre, Mufakose in Triangle, and Marondera.On Wednesday, October 18, they covered Gokwe Centre, Headlands, Zhombe, Mahombekombe and Nyanmhunga in Kariba, Tshovani in Chiredzi, Rutenga, Jerera in Zaka, and Neshuro Business Centre among others.On Thursday, October 19, the teams travelled to Amaveni, Mbizo, Torwood and urban centre in Kwekwe, Karoi Town Centre, Chiedza Shops in Karoi, Hurungwe, Magunje, Mucheke Bus Terminus in Masvingo, Masvingo Central Business District, Mpandawana, Munyarari shops in Glenview 3, Nyika Growth point, and Birchenough Bridge among other places.On Friday, October 20, the teams covered Mkoba 6, 14, 17, Senga and CBD in Gweru, Ngundu and Chivi in Masvingo, and Murambinda Growth Point in Buhera among other places. Two more days are left in the campaign which will be wrapped up on Sunday.The registration teams roped in Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) voter educators, including District Elections officers who addressed people and in the case of Lowveld in Chiredzi areas helped to translate the messages into languages such as Shangani.Many people wanted to know about the proof of residence and the dates of voter registration blitz in their areas, which the teams provided.The teams also tried to dispel the fears and deliberate misinformation by some elements that the use of biometric features such as faces and fingerprints for voter registration will lead to people they chose being known in the 2018 elections.Nevertheless, in some areas such as Headlands in Manicaland the team struggled with police clearance as officers sent them back and forth to ZEC offices, which was however settled after some delays.Along the way, the teams which included accredited BVR observers visited voter registration centres to assess the process.In some countable centres, ZEC staff have been reluctant to provide voter registration statistics.Some of the centres did not have commissioners of oaths at the tents, but people were referred to their offices.While some areas had been reached with voter education by ZEC others were still eager to know about the current registration process, a gap which the national tour of civil society attempted to filled in through the roadshows. crowd attend CSOs BVR campaign.jpg
Two tiny signs recently popped up in front of Tucson City Council candidate Mariano Rodriguez's political signs in midtown.

It is unclear who whipped up these "I love Trump" signs, because the apparent criticism of Rodriguez was anonymous.

And the rogue sign-poster is likely doing it within the rules of campaign laws.

While the state's political sign laws do require that the campaign behind thems disclose who paid for it and some kind of contact information, there's a loophole: campaigns that spend less than $1,100 are not required to do it.

No campaign has stepped forward to claim the hand-made signs.

Rodriguez's rival, Democratic Councilman Steve Kozachik  who is running a self-funded campaign capped at $200  has said he is not responsible for the signs.

Rodriguez pointed out that none of Kozachik's signs have been targeted.

Secretary of State Spokesman Matt Roberts notes it might not be a good idea to pull the tiny Trump signs out of the ground. If they are part of a political campaign, it would be a violation of the state's political sign laws.

Removing a political sign is a class 2 misdemeanor under Arizona law.

As for accuracy of the tiny signs, they are.

Rodriguez was well-known for supporting Donald Trump before and after the presidential election.
The Star gave McSally her soap box to stump for Trump on taxes. Her main point was that small businesses would somehow benefit from the currently proposed tax plan. Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump (and other billionaires) stand to make a billion dollars from his plan. Does anyone wonder whose side McSally is on?
I don't know Mariano Rodriguez but based on all the wealthy backers he has, he must be a "class act." I do know Steve Kozachik, and as one who has lived in Ward 6 since I returned from the Army in 1954, he is the best city councilman this ward has ever had.

In spite of his busy job at the University of Arizona, if one ever has a problem with a city department, a call to his office could get it resolved. He puts the welfare of the city above partisan politics. I wanted to make a donation to his campaign, and he turned me down. I was told to donate it to one of the many needy local charities. Frankly, I wish we had more office holders like Steve.
The Democrat dominated news media, including the AZ Daily Star, are doing what in psychology is known as "transference" in trying to portray Pres. Trump as being crazy or emotionally unbalanced. In "transference", a person transfers his or her own feelings onto another. That is exactly what the news media has been doing with Trump. I have observed Pres. Trump on numerous occasions in public, meeting with foreign leaders, meeting with the news media, making announcements, etc. He always appears quite normal. If anything, Pres. Trump is extremely frustrated, at a phony Russian "collusion" story and at Republicans like McCain in the Senate who have stalled his conservative legislative agenda.
The purpose of Proposition 204, called Strong Start Tucson, is to help fund early childhood education for over 8,000 children from financially stressed Tucson families  a sort of municipal Head Start. The money for the project would come from an additional one-half cent Tucson city sales tax increase projected to yield around $50 million a year.

Unfortunately for those who composed the initiative, there is a lower than expected level of support in the community. This lack of support is not due to the concept, which is widely supported, but rather the specifics of this particular plan. Many in the field of education, and leading community organizations and organizations from the Arizona Daily Star Editorial Board to the Southern Arizona Leadership Council give it a thumbs-down. Common objections include the lack of a sunset provision, insufficient constraints on the appointed commission that would run the operation and a much higher tax increase compared to similar programs in other states.

There stands a very good chance that Proposition 204 will not pass in this election cycle. The promoters of Proposition 204 should take heart, however, because there are alternatives to the ballot prop route that could get their program up and running. Personally, I would try the American model of privately funded nonprofits.

In America, the society used to be focused more on the civil (as in nongovernmental) side rather than the political (government) side. When Americans identified a problem, we tended to form groups or organizations that sought out expertise with which they could come up with a remedy. Many organizations start small, but grow if their remedy works.

Tucson has many civil charitable organizations that could serve as models. One of my favorites is the Gospel Rescue Mission (GRM). The Gospel Rescue Mission was started in 1953 by Ray Chastain, a railroad yardmaster who witnessed homeless men hopping trains looking for work. He set up a soup kitchen with his family to feed the men. Local churches began supporting his work, and in 1956 the first overnight shelter was opened.

I had a chance to speak with Roy Tullgren, executive director of GRM. We discussed the different types of charitable organizations and their pros and cons. Not all charitable organizations are nonprofits, but most are. Most 501(c)(3) nonprofits are funded either partially or totally by government grants. GRM is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Charitable Religious organization that receives no government funding. Donations from individuals make up the bulk of its funding, around 80 percent.

According to Tullgren, flexibility to adapt to what works and to emerging problems in the community allows GRM to be more effective than those organizations that accept government funds and the attached strings.

For example, Tullgren observed that the current government approach to homelessness is to put people in housing, and recovery will follow, or housing first.

GRM has found through experience that people need stability first. The GRM model is housing next. As Tullgren said, Get them to sobriety, get them a GED, help them with counseling, help them with life skills  all the counseling and education they need to live independently. If your government grant requires you to devote the money solely to housing efforts, there is little you can do beyond that.

Who knows, it could be that a 501(c)(3) Strong Start Tucson Charitable Nonprofit might be better than the original municipal government project. It certainly would be more in line with what made our country great.
On Four Corners, Geoff Thompson investigates why Australias fast broadband is stuck in the slow lane.

From the start, Australias National Broadband Network was billed as a game changer that would future proof the nation by delivering super fast internet services. Almost a decade on from those promises, theres a growing number of angry residential customers and small businesses who are bitterly disappointed with the NBN.

I am a very, very frustrated NBN customer What Ive got is a trench running halfway up the driveway and a piece of PVC pipe with a rope running through it  and thats all. Customer

On Monday night, as the NBN reaches a milestone, passing the half-way point in its rollout, Four Corners investigates the problems fuelling this dissatisfaction.

Nobody knows what anybody else is doing. The retail service providers dont know what NBN Co is doing, I dont know what either of them are doing, and NBN Co dont seem to know what they themselves have done. Software developer



For many Australians, the NBN has turned out to be a lottery. Not all customers are receiving the same connections. And in some regional areas there is a stark digital divide, between those with high-speed fibre to the premises, and neighbours stuck with old copper connections who worry theyre becoming digital second class citizens.

On the left hand side as were driving down this street, those houses can have access to fibre to the node. On the right hand side, theyre fibre to the premises, so this is the digital divide. Former Mayor



We examine whats driving the decision making about the rollout, and investigate why some customers are being short-changed on expensive data plans that fail to deliver what they promise.

We definitely feel like were being ripped off. Customer



As critics warn that Australia will soon be a decade behind its near neighbour New Zealand in the digital transformation, reporter Geoff Thompson visits New Zealands Gigatown, Dunedin, to look at how superfast broadband is transforming the way they do business. Back in Australia, the government insists the NBN is going to plan and will be steadily upgraded.

The NBN will be fit for purpose. It will support the needs that Australians have. But no network, no technology, is ever set in stone. There are always upgrades. Communications Minister

In interviews with the Communications Minister and the current and former heads of NBN Co. we examine whether a decade of politicking has compromised the ability of the NBN to deliver for all Australians.

I just feel incredibly disappointed that an opportunity to build a first class network that would set Australia up for the future was squandered, and squandered for the wrong reasons. Former NBN executive

Monday 23rd October at 8.30pm on ABC.
Tom Selleck hit drama Magnum P.I. is set for another attempted remake.

The series originally ran from 1980-1988 for eight seasons and 158 episodes.

Peter Lenkov (Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver reboots) will serve as the writer and executive producer which has a pilot production commitment at CBS.

The new version follows Thomas Magnum, a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who returns home to Hawaii from Afghanistan and becomes a private investigator.

A previous sequel surrounding Magnums daughter who returns to Hawaii did not move beyond development.

Source: Variety
News / National

by Staff Reporter

LEBANESE businessman Jamal Joseph Hamed, who is entangled in a $1,2 million diamond ring wrangle with First Lady Grace Mugabe , is demanding clear particulars to enable him to properly defend the lawsuit against him.Grace last week issued summons urging the court to order Hamed's three residential properties in Avondale and Vainona to be executable with a view to recover her money. But the businessman has since challenged President Robert Mugabe's wife to properly table her case.In her litigation, Grace also said she was seeking an order declaring Hamed's shareholding in three companies, Thatchfree Investments, Zulaf Investments and Super Earth Properties, to be executable. Hamed, however, said that could only be done if the First Lady proved she was entitled to such relief.Through his lawyers Mtetwa and Nyambirai, Hamed said in order for him to respond to Grace's claim, he wanted the latter to explain what his alleged interest and shareholding in the three companies set out in her claim were and "how the alleged interests and shareholding in the said companies are held by him"."Is it alleged that any of the companies whose alleged properties are sought to be declared specifically executable a party to the alleged transaction as between the parties. If it is alleged they are, full details of their involvement in the transaction are required," Hamed said."If they are not alleged to have been involved in the transaction, on what basis would their properties be executable on an alleged debt arising from a transaction they were not involved in? On what basis is it alleged that the defendant's (Hamed) principal residential address is number 9 Houborne Hill, Borrowdale in Harare?"The businessman further said he wanted to know how it is alleged the contract was entered into between him and Grace and that if it was oral, the First Lady should produce its full terms."Is it alleged that Radiam BVBA (Pvt) Ltd and Zardiam DMCF (Pvt) Ltd were involved in the transactions, if it is so alleged, full details of the involvement of each company are required. What type of diamond, specifically, is it alleged was contracted for? The full grade of the alleged 100 carats is required," Hamed said.Responding to the issue of the alleged payments, the businessman said he wanted the First Lady to explain when exactly was it when she made the full payment and the full dates when such was done."From which account, specifically, is it alleged the payment was made? Full details of the account holder, the account number and a copy of the account statement are required. Is it alleged that payment was done in one transaction and into which account is it alleged payment was made into?" Hamed said."And when from the date of payment, is it alleged defendant was to supply the diamond ring? What is it alleged was a lengthy delay? Full details of when payment was made, when delivery was supposed to be made are required. Did the plaintiff put the defendant in mora prior to demanding a full refund? Did the plaintiff cancel the agreement before demanding a full refund?"Hamed further said he also wanted Grace to explain whether or not she cancelled the agreement and if so when such a move was made."If it is alleged that she cancelled the agreement, how was such cancellation communicated to the defendant? A copy of the cancellation document if cancellation was in writing is required. If cancellation was oral, full details thereof, including full text of the cancellation, date of cancellation and how same was communicated to the defendant," he said.Responding to the issue of the $30 000 diamond ring which the First Lady claims was allegedly tendered instead of the million dollar one, Hamed said: "When is it alleged defendant tendered a $30 000 diamond ring, how and where is it alleged a tender was made? Was the tendered diamond ring valued at the time of tender? If it was, by whom and where? If no valuation was done, how does plaintiff come to the conclusion that the diamond ring was valued at $30 000?"Hamed also said he wanted Grace to explain "how and when is it alleged that the defendant accepted to effect the refund, is it alleged that any proposed refund was unconditional and when and how is it alleged the $120 000 was refunded?"The matter is still pending.
Is it just me? I keep sensing a decided familiarity in the promos for TENs new drama series, Sisters. More 30-something Melbourne women, with complicated families, struggling to keep it all together.

This time its a brunette, with Julia Bechly (Maria Angelico) as a lecturer and carer for her dying father Julius (Barry Otto), a former IVF pioneer who drops a bombshell before shuffling off this mortal coil. Having sent a letter to a newspaper editor, Julius confesses to having used his own sperm with his fertility clients, secretly fathering a family tree that beggars belief.

As the news hits the media, others whose history traces back to IVF, realise the repercussions. They include unbalanced childrens TV performer Roxy (Lucy Durack) who is sent to drug rehabilitation by her parents (Magda Szubanski, Roy Billing). The other is combative lawyer Edie (Antonia Prebble), going through the throes of marriage counselling with partner Tim (Daniel Spielman).

Meanwhile Bechly Institutes current boss, former protege Dr. Isaac Hulme (Charlie Garber), is in damage control as he struggles with the impact of Julius confession.

But at the centre of it all is Julia, reeling from a sudden identity crisis, family secrets, a dying father, and the revelation she has a small army of half-siblings. So she invites all of them to a gathering at which she learns there are over 100 half-brothers but just 2 half-sisters, Roxy and Edie (with whom, it turns out, there is already awkward personal history).

Over the course of a double-episode the girls find themselves thrust together, while Julius health wavers and Isaac attempts to fend off the fallout and a malpractice suit.

Maria Angelico is one of several new primetime faces in this melodrama, and there are hints of earthiness, especially in her wardrobe and home interior, yet the script and direction aim to keep the ball in the air, tonally. Things get even lighter with the irritable Roxy, despite a brief (and implausible) rehab story, albeit balanced by the serious domestic dramas consuming Edie.

Its wonderful to see Barry Otto back on screen, stealing scenes with his fragile, nuanced father and Catherine McClements who totally owns her supporting role as the mother of one of the girls.

Yet while I was pleased to see some fresh faces on screen, dramatically things dragged in the middle of an unnecessary double premiere.

With Julia coming to terms with the full family picture, I couldnt help but be reminded of Nina Proudman discovering her real father and subsequent half-brother in Offspring. Dysfunctional families, indeed messy families with a clumsy, self-deprecating woman at the centre, are so common that it must be justified by a unique voice and likeable characters -its hard to pinpoint the unconditional love here.

The touches I appreciated -diverse casting, select performances, cameos by Remy Hii & Joel Creasey- are not yet enough to replace Offspring, which I feel this is desperately trying to do (the production includes many of the same creatives). But even that was a show that found its voice well after its mad-bomber pilot.

Sisters will need sufficient time to demonstrate why I should accept these new siblings.

Sisters premieres 8:30pm Wednesday on TEN.
Guests this week on Studio 10 are Todd McKenney, Kyle and Jackie O, Georgia Love, Roxy Jackenko.

One of Australias leading dance superstars Todd McKenney joins the Studio 10 panel live this Monday promoting his latest show, Todd McKenney Sings Peter Allen: The Piano Sessions.

On Tuesday, Angela Bishop exclusively chats to Boy George in a revealing two-part interview and acclaimed foreign correspondent Peter Greste details his fascinating experience surviving 400 days in an Egyptian prison as a political prisoner.

KIIS FMs Kyle and Jackie O drop in live on Thursday to visit the new set of their favourite morning program, have a chat with the panel and bring a few surprises of their own.

Thursday also celebrates the finale of Network Tens The Bachelorette Australia with last years Bachelorette, Georgia Love, joining the panel and chatting to Sophie Monks third final suitor.

Tabloid queen and head of Sweaty Betty PR, Roxy Jacenko, is on Fridays panel to discuss everything from that kiss with her ex to her recent work.

Monday  Friday from 8.30am on TEN.
Help India!

By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

On September 22, Varanasi witnessed one of the biggest student protest in the Banaras Hindu University. The protests started after an incident of sexual harassment inside the campus on September 21. When the victim approached the University security board and other officials to complain about the incident, her whereabouts were questioned and she was instructed to remain silent on the issue.

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A month after student protests and the brutal crackdown of the same by Varanasi police and University administrations, it is clear that little has changed for the better inside the campus.

A visit to the campus and conversations with students showed us that the administration is yet to address issues which helped three male students harass a female student. Take the area inside the campus where the incident took place: the boys used the lack of streetlights to their advantage, but even now many streets inside the campus remain dimly lit or without any lights at all. Even the street where the incident occurred is yet to be lit adequately to avoid any such incidents in future. Ironically, the road where the incident was recorded has a temple under-construction since last few months, but BHU administration could not provide a well-equipped security infrastructure to avoid eve-teasing and sexual harassment cases.

Below are some images which were taken on the evening of October 20:

No lessons learnt from September

It seems that neither University nor the students have taken any lesson from what happened previously on the campus. After the students returned from the holidays following the protests, a boy entered a classroom in the presence of a teacher and slapped a girl multiple times. He also snatched her mobile and broke it. However, the police were quick to respond and the accused boy was arrested immediately.

A few days after this incident, an international student from Fiji was assaulted by his seniors on the pretext of ragging. The student was beaten two times during a period of 24 hours. This time too, police immediately filed an FIR, but arrests in the case are still awaited.

A professor at the University explained why there has been no change in the pattern of incidents in the campus. It first comes to the students who come from a very patriarchal background. They were supposed to take a lesson from the past, but it seems they have taken none. Seeing this, it can easily be inferred that eve-teasing cases inside the campus would not have dropped, he said. This is confirmed by Radhika Banerjee, a postgraduate student in science faculty. Banerjee said, I have not come across any case of that sort  which happened on September 21  but eve-teasing cases are still happening. Girls are still being pressurized to remain silent, and the boys are still being let off the hook.

Radhika confirmed that she had faced eve-teasing at least a couple of times in the last twenty days.

BHU has extended the gate-closing timings of girls hostel until 10 pm  which was until 7 pm before  but the university is yet to address the actual issues.

Recently, 400 girl students of the university wrote a letter to vice-chancellor demanding relaxation in the curfew rules. The students wrote that they expect the university to ensure equality within the campus, citing UGC rules which are not discriminatory on a gender basis.

Defying the promise made with the students of the university, the district, as well as the university administration, has not moved an inch towards the formation of Gender Sensitization Committee against sexual harassment (GSCASH). The letter written by the girls testifies the same.

However, newly appointed chief proctor Royana Singh has ensured that she will monitor the hostel rules after talking with the girl students or their representatives.

A side without any voice

Be it a student union or a GSCASH, the students  especially girls  have lacked any sort of representation when it comes to making any rules. In the same course of one month after the incident, the representation of girls is still lacking. Mineshi Mishra, a student told TwoCircles.net, They decide hostel timings and whether we should get non-veg food and wifi or not. But all such decisions come as they do not consider talking to us while taking the same decision. They make rules for the girls on an arbitrary basis and without any consultancy.

The university is still running on Malviya values defying any sort of democratic environment, at least that is what several ex-students of the university said. Sunil Yadav, a social activist from Varanasi said, The university lacks any sort of democratic environment, and I feel that it does not even want to make one.

However, for BHU administration, the things are fine now, even if there are fewer street lights and security measures. Universitys PRO Rajesh Singh said, We have installed streetlights and CCTV cameras only at those places which we feel sensitive. These are the places where maximum movement of girls and boys have been recorded.

Singh completely passed the question whether the University is planning to reinforce the security practices to the other areas as well. He said, We cannot say that university has taken any lesson from the recent incident because the university was always bound to protect its students. We have always been strict when it came to security.

About enacting of GSCASH at the university level, Chief Proctor Prof Royana Singh told TwoCircles.net, That has not come on the table yet. We have prioritised other demands of the girls, like street lights and security camera. But the process of GSCASH will start soon.

With the gagging of student rights inside the campus, there is no GSCASH in the campus and University is trying to convince the students over a mere internal complaints committee and grievance redressal cell, where the university has the only authority. But according to Prof Singh, the university is trying to sensitise the students  especially boys  about the sexual harassment and gender discrimination to put a stop on such cases.

Meanwhile, universitys vice-chancellor Prof GC Tripathi covertly came back into the campus on Diwali eve and performed a Puja. He left within three hours from the back door of the University after meeting several officers of the University. Sources inform that Tripathi  who still is VC  will come back before his tenure ends in next twenty days.
What a beginning it was for President Macron and what a future it was to be for France. At only thirty-nine he was one of the youngest leaders of a major economy to be elected in the world. Involved in lower level politics and that only since 2012, Macron had not had the time to be corrupted, scandalised or jaded by the realities of political machinations.

He got his chance because France had finally had enough of the two mainstream parties. They could not even get a candidate into the final two in the runoff for President, the first time that had happened in most people's memory.

In that runoff, Macron faced Marine LePen leader of the far-right National Front. That she had come so far spoke volumes for French disgust with the mainstream, but she was still a bridge too far for most people. Thus Macron and his En Marche! (On the Move) party won with a healthy majority. A new beginning? Well, not so much!

The decline and fall of Macron?

After his first three months in office (his victory was won in May 2017 where he had an approval rating of 62%), the following has happened:

His popularity has fallen further and faster than that of any other recent French President, as he prepares to push through hotly contested labour reforms. More than half of French voters (57% ) are dissatisfied.

There is discontent over delays in promised tax cuts.

Protests have forced him to scrap a plan to give his wife a constitutional role as First Lady.

An Ifop poll showed only 40% approve of his performance, a 14% plunge since July, with another poll placing his rating as low as 36%.

Unions and leftist groups have held the first protest against his controversial reforms to make French companies more competitive by liberalising Frances rigid employment code. The far-left leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon urged his supporters to take the struggle to the streets.

The Republic is full of unrest at home, my what a short honeymoon that was!

Just as controversial is his position of whole-hearted support for the EU. He is one of the few leaders of countries (as opposed to self-serving EU bureaucrats) who sees deeper political and financial integration as the way forward. This goes against the right-wing parties in many countries (including France) who have thrived in the polls recently because so many people fear a United States of Europe.

Few politicians through Europe seem able to convince the majority of voters who are deeply critical of the EU that its benefits extend beyond a few at the top with their noses in the trough.

Macron has triggered a diplomatic crisis abroad with Poland and other Eastern EU countries, over his demands for a change in EU labour rules to prevent central and east European workers from undercutting French workers when posted temporarily to France because they are exempt from its high payroll taxes.

He has also alienated the UK by demanding the EU stick to a hard line negotiation position regarding Brexit to protect his European dream.

The hoped-for road to salvation seems more likely to prove to be the road to perdition

Hellish so far and it looks to get no better. Removing rights from French workers, even though it is obviously needed if France is to compete internationally, is one of the toughest jobs in the world and has seen the political career destruction of far more experienced and ruthless politicians than Emmanuel Macron. Achieving the political and financial integration within Europe is almost certainly impossible, the stubborn attempting of it has seen the EU already well on the way to destruction.

People love their own countries far too much to ever let it happen and as Junker, Tusk, Barnier and co have found out, you can't silence all the people for all of the time, however much you determine to do so.

France is one of the greatest countries in the world. The sixth largest economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product, the third largest contributor to NATO, with a permanent seat on the Security Council; but it is in decline and it has been for many years. The Conservative Sarkozy was an extremely unpopular President (2007-2012) surrounded by scandal. Hollande the Socialist who followed him (2012-2017) did the impossible and left power even more unpopular than Sarkozy. He was so disliked he did not even run for re-election this time!

Melenchon is an extreme left-wing firebrand who would make France's industrial problems far worse to the point of risking bankrupting the country and LePen's National Front are still struggling to shrug off the blatantly racist legacy of her father the previous leader Jean-Marie LePen.

Charismatic political giants needed urgently

Macron gained power largely because he was none of the above, but being President of a great country requires far more than that. His two policies of conviction, a closer Europe and reasonable employment laws will set against him many people who will fight like lions to prevent him succeeding.

As Charles Dickens so brilliantly displayed in the classic novel Bleak House, it is always sad to see youth and hope fade.

It happened with JFK brutally, to Obama through watching his growing limitations present themselves in America. To Blair in the UK when the mask slipped and to Hugo Chavez when the realities of Socialism destroyed the country as well as his vision in Venezuela, just before he died. It is happening to Macron as well and very quickly.

The answers for France are still to be searched for, but it seems they are not En Marche or Emmanuel Macron. France like the UK and Germany, the other two leaders of the continent, need a charismatic political giant. All three countries are finding those to be in very short supply indeed!
The Humvee is the standard military transport vehicle of the US army. It has a rugged body with a high powered engine and has the ability to operate in mountains and deserts. The US army has inducted hundreds of Humvees for duty in Afghanistan. These vehicles have also been given to the Afghan Army and police. Unfortunately, many of these have fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Captured Humvees loaded with explosives driven by suicide bombers attacked an army camp in Kandahar province. The attack on Thursday was lethal and in no time the entire camp was destroyed.

Out of 60 soldiers, only two have survived the attack and 43 are confirmed dead. This news is reported by UK news.

Humvees

The use of the sturdy Humvees by the Taliban has added a new dimension to the war in Afghanistan. The Humvees have been captured by the Taliban in battles with the Afghan troops. This loss speaks poorly of the efficacy of the Afghan army and police. It looks that the war is going badly for the US and the government forces as tens of government soldiers are being killed every day. The Humvees were also used in an attack in Northern Afghanistan causing many deaths.

Trumps troop surge

Donald Trump has approved a troop surge to bolster the 10,000 troops already in the country.

Looking at the battle scenario this looks a half-hearted measure as just a few thousand troops will not be able to stem the tide of the Taliban. As per CNN, the Taliban has already increased their area of control of the Afghan countryside significantly in the last year. They have the advantage of terrain and a safe haven in Pakistan.

Pakistan is one of the key players in Afghanistan and for the last two decades has been supporting a faction of the Taliban. The Intelligence wing of the Pak army, the ISI has close links with the Haqqani faction. This is part of Pakistans strategy of combating India and keeping Afghanistan within its sphere of influence.

Fresh approach

The changed battle scenario calls for a fresh approach by Trump and the US generals. The Taliban at the moment look unstoppable and the US will have to give more importance to this theater. One is reminded that George Bush similarly put the Afghan war on the back burner when he shifted focus to Iraq. The result? The Taliban escaped and regrouped with Pak help and now one can see the result. Trump may similarly lose focus on Afghanistan as he concentrates on North Korea and the Taliban may by default win a victory.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

The State media on Saturday reported that the new Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Retired Major General Happyton Bonyongwe wowed opposition legislators with in-depth responses to questions in the August house as he hit the ground running in his new portfolio.Impressed opposition Parliamentarians showered him with rare praises following the impressive debut showing.Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe was reassigned from his previous position as Central intelligence Organisation director general when President Mugabe made his cabinet reshuffle last week.In his maiden question and answer session on Wednesday, legislators mainly from the opposition fired questions at Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe mostly around voter registration in what they thought would be a "baptism of fire" on the new minister but he proved more than equal to the task.In all his responses, the minister, who attained a law degree from the University of Zimbabwe, exhibited an intimate knowledge of his ministry and the country's laws, citing specific and relevant statutes in his responses and charming the opposition legislators in the process.Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe, contrary to private media reports that he was given a baptism of fire, in some responses, actually corrected some legislators who confused the functions of his ministry and those of other ministries.There was a moment of mischief when MDC-T Binga North legislator Mr Prince Dubeko Sibanda addressed minister as the DG of the CIO but was quickly put in his place by Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa."Madam Speaker, may I appeal to Hon Members of this august House that in the composition of this House, we do not have the Director of CIO. If there is any need to direct a question relating to the Office of the President, there is no need for the Hon Member to do so in terms of our Rules," said Acting President Mnangagwa."Our Rules provide that we cannot ask questions on individuals or officers of State who are not Members of the House. So, if there is a particular question that the Hon Member is pleased to make, he could put it in writing and refer it to the Office of the President and there will be a member from the Office of the President to deal with the issue appropriately."After the clarification by Acting President Mnangagwa, Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe then took questions from the floor and carried himself with great aplomb, transitioning smoothly from working privately as CIO DG. Normally hard to please legislators like Norton representative Mr Temba Mliswa, showered Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe with praise.The Norton legislator congratulated Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe saying, "You are truly a new broom with the way you have articulated yourself."MDC-T Mabvuku-Tafara legislator Mr James Maridadi also impressed by the minister said, "I think it is in order that I would like to proffer my thanks to the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, that he has shown a lot of diligence in the way that he has handled the questions."Thank you so much in the way that you have answered questions. I wish your colleagues will take a leaf from you," said Mr Maridadi.Presenting his questions to the minister, MDC-T vice president Mr Nelson Chamisa who is also Kuwadzana East legislator said he was happy to be directing his questions to a "learned colleague."MDC-T Harare West legislator Ms Jessie Majome who studied at the UZ the same time as Rtd Maj Gen Bonyongwe, also heaped praises on the minister."I thank the Hon Minister for the response and may I also just take the opportunity to also congratulate him for being appointed as Minister. I had the privilege of being at the University of Zimbabwe at the same time as him in the law faculty in the 1990s," she said.
Vultures are becoming increasingly rare across the world. Marakele National Park, just three and a half hours by road from Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International Airport, is one of the best places to spot them. The SANParks website describes the park as the home of the "largest colony of Cape Vultures in the world (around 800 breeding pairs)."

Vulture on red data list

Cape Vultures are on the list of Red Data Species, where they are classified as threatened and vulnerable. Despite our more modern approach to conservation, there are still some farmers who deliberately poison vultures, while others are inadvertently killed through consuming dead livestock that has been treated with veterinary medicines.

Poachers will lace waterholes with poison and the scavenger vultures die when they consume the carcasses. Roadkill is common in nearby Botswana, as is electrocution from power lines.

Vultures in Marakele have relatively safe breeding environment

While the Marakele Vultures often feed across the border in Botswana, they can at least return to the protection of Marakele to raise their young in a relatively safe environment. Nevertheless, despite breeding in the reserve, the young vultures sometimes die after tangling with the support stays of the communication towers atop the cliffs in the reserve.

Ironically, it is the road up into the Kransberg/Waterberg Mountains that services the communications towers that give bird lovers access to the heights where these magnificent birds breed.

According to Kwevoel, "preventative measures like the orange balls or flappers on the guy wires," have been taken to prevent young birds from dying after a collision with the stays, but they are still occasionally killed. Sadly, the population is not as stable as nature enthusiasts would wish. Numbers are down by 200 breeding pairs since the initial studies of the vultures began in 1981.

Journey to Marakele

We set off to find the Markalele National Park Cape Vultures at a comfortable 10 AM and booked into our tented camp at Bontle Camp by 2 PM. Our route was straight out of Pretoria via the N1 north, taking the offramp to Bella Bella (Warmbaths), and then up to Thabazimbi on the R516. The reserve is close to the town of Thabazimbi, which is useful as there are no restaurant, service station for fuel or shop facilities in the reserve itself.

Camp facilities and choices

The area is divided into a number of different sections, with Bontle being the most accessible for people with normal sedan vehicles. There are campsites and tented camps in the Bontle section, along with a bird hide and a network of roads where animals can be seen. We opted for Bontle as there is at least an intermittent cellphone signal, but if that is not important to you, the Tlopi Tented Camp in the eastern section would be the best choice for spotting vultures. The tented camp at Tlopi is arranged around a waterhole and the elephants frequent the area. The unfenced camp is much closer to the vulture colony than the Bontle camp, but sedan vehicles may struggle with the gravel roads and steep inclines.

Getting to the cliffs

Warning - if you are afraid of heights or uncomfortable on a narrow and very steep road with no side barrier, I would not advise you take the drive up to the top.

Marakele Cape Vultures very steep road up the waterberg pic.twitter.com/hlg1hG49PS  Jane Flowers (@zimkwacha) October 21, 2017

Right up at the very top of the mountain, there is a place to park and if you look carefully, you find little yellow feet painted on the rocks that show you the way to the best viewpoint. Once again, it is not made clear enough that this activity may not suit some people. There are no guard rails.

Scouting out the Marakele Vulture colony pic.twitter.com/WJLSLrpkCU  Jane Flowers (@zimkwacha) October 21, 2017

Getting down the rough path to the area where the Cape Vultures can be seen along the edges of the cliffs is a bit of a mission.

There is no clearly defined path and people with physical disabilities, or the elderly will find it heavy going. However, even up in the car parking area, a bit of patience will reward bird watchers as the vultures soar overhead from to time. For the true bird lover, there is no time to get bored while you wait. Chats entertain in their friendly manner and sugar birds enjoy the proteas.

Despite rumors of a vulture restaurant at Marakele, there is not one. As a vulture watching experience, we rated this a 10 out of 10. Accessibility, facilities, and visitor information came in lower at about 5/10. However, from a conservation viewpoint, the less disturbance these rare vultures have to endure, the better. So from a conservation perspective, we rate the Marakele Vulture spotting experience at 9/10.

Bookings for Marakele can be made online through SANParks.org.
A Michigan man was wanted on a variety of misdemeanor warrants and appears to also have a sense of humor. He went on to Facebook to send a message to the Redford Township Police Department, along with a challenge. Basically, he said if they could get 1,000 shares on their next Facebook post, he would hand himself in to face his charges and would even bring a dozen donuts. He added that he would also be prepared to pick up litter around the local public schools.

Wanted Redford man makes Facebook challenge to police

As noted by Click On Detroit, Michael Zaydel, 21, or Champagne Torino as he is known on Facebook, apparently didnt believe the Redford Township Police could achieve 1,000 shares of any post, but, boy, he was wrong.

The cops shared an image of his initial message on October 7  complete with the challenge  to their Facebook timeline. In their caption, police explained that Zaydel had outstanding warrants and invited the public to share the post because he promised them donuts and they really love donuts. If anything, the donuts excited the cops more than the idea of arresting Zaydel. They ended by asking the public to help them win the challenge, and clean up Redford at the same time, by sharing the post.

Police win the challenge hands down

The public duly obliged, with the post receiving more than the required 1,000 shares in a little over an hour. Once Redford Township Police reached their goal, they made a second post of a cartoon cop dropping a microphone, thanking everyone for helping them to meet their goal.

At the time of writing, that post has received almost 4,500 shares and has had over 2,000 reactions.

As there was no immediate reaction from Zaydel, Redford Township Police made a further Facebook post on October 11, which they titled Wanted Wednesday. In that post, they asked the public to help locate Zaydel. Writing that he is known to be around the Redford/Livonia area, they joked that he might possibly be in local donut shops.

Wanted man makes good on his promise

It took ten days for Zaydel to make good on his promise, but he finally strolled into the Redford Township Police station, along with a dozen donuts. He even added one bagel for good measure. Police again headed to Facebook on October 17, posting photos showing Zaydel arriving with the goodies and handing himself in.

In their caption, they expressed their gratitude to everyone who had supported them in the challenge and given them positive feedback.

As for Zaydel, hes now in custody and was scheduled for a court hearing on Wednesday.
During the early stages of his time in the White House, Donald Trump was able to name his first nominee on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). With at least three years in office, the president has his eyes set on as many as three more picks on the court.

Trump on SCOTUS

When Donald Trump was elected president over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last November, questions were raised as to what kind of administration he would run over the next four years. While attention was paid to the controversy surrounding the election in regards to the allegations of Russian interference, Trump focused on some of his top campaign promises, like building a border wall between the United States and Mexico, as well as pushing for the repeal of Obamacare.

However, another issue that the former host of "The Apprentice" quickly tackled was filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court that was left empty following the death of conservative-leaning Justice Antonin Scalia. Despite push back from some Democrats, Trump's selection of Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed. Despite this, the president isn't done with his remaking the court in his image, and thinks he will have a good shot at replacing up to three more seats. According to a report by Axios on October 15, Trump thinks he knows who will be leaving next.

Trump on Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "What does she weigh? 60 pounds?" On Sonia Sotomayor: "Her health. No good. Diabetes."https://t.co/2xAn87gY3N  Axios (@axios) October 15, 2017

During an interview with Axios that was released on Sunday night, Donald Trump addressed the issue surrounding the Supreme Court.

Trump noted that Justice Anthony Kennedy has been long-rumored to retire, though that would still leave two more spots if the president was to reach his goal of four seats on the court.

When asked who he thought would be the other two Justices to no longer be able to sit on the Supreme Court, Donald Trump was quick to response.

Ginsburg," Trump answered, in reference to the 84-year-old ruth bader ginsburg. "What does she weigh? 60 pounds?" he continued, while mocking Ginsburg's size.

When asked to elaborate on who the fourth Justice would be to leave, Donald Trump targeted another liberal. "Sotomayor, Trump said, speaking about 64-year-old Sonia Sotomayor who became the first Hispanic female to serve on the court.

Trump then went on to give his reasoning, stating, "Her health. No good. Diabetes."

Next up

While it's unknown whether or not Donald Trump will be able to appoint any more justices on the court, it's expected he will receive backlash for targeting two females who also happen to be liberal. With the pressure mounting on the White House and the commander in chief, only time will tell what how he handles himself moving forward.
Steve Bannon, former consigliere to President Trump and current head of Breitbart News, gave a speech at the fall convention of the California Republican Party. The address was vintage Bannon, praising President Trump, excoriating the Republican establishment, and championing his brand of economic nationalism. The speech roused Hugh Hewitt, a radio talk show host and cable news commentator to offer an outside-the-box suggestion.

Steve Bannon should run for Senate against @SenFeinstein Race of the century. https://t.co/2IPFqtfJtj  Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) October 21, 2017

Bannon has gone to war against the GOP Senate

Besides running Breitbart, Bannon has set about trying to find primary opponents to run against every Republican senator, except for Ted Cruz who is up for reelection.

The theory is that the Republican senators have been squeamish about passing President Trumps agenda, as evidenced by the failure to repeal and replace Obamacare. Senators who had been primaried would get the message and start hewing more toward the Trump line or else get replaced.

However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed the fear that electable Republican senators may be replaced with unelectable fringe candidates, placing GOP control of the Senate in jeopardy. Trump seems to have been persuaded to this view and has come out in support of several Republican senators who have been targeted by Bannon.

What would Bannons chances be in California?

Hewitts idea of Bannon running for the Senate in California is a beguiling one.

Democrats dominate the states politics as feudal lords do a medieval kingdom. As a result, California is a high tax, profligate spending state that is in economic decline. The state could be ripe for the kind of insurgency, outside-the-box campaign that Bannon is certain to wage.

Feinstein is in her eighties and yet wants to serve at least one more term in the Senate.

The Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party is looking askance at the idea, regarding the long-serving senator as insufficiently progressive. She has already drawn a primary opponent in the form of State Sen. Kevin de Leon

To be sure, Feinstein is still a favorite to win, both against De Leon and any other primary opponent and Bannon or any more conventional Republican in the general election.

Still, a Bannon run for the Senate would not lack for excitement. He is colorful and eloquent, and the media will pay close attention to him. Indeed, in Breitbart, Bannon has his own media empire that will be at his beck and call.

The virtue of a Bannon run would be that California Republicans have little if anything to lose. A more conventional candidate would almost certainly get crushed. Bannon might just be able to sell populism in the formerly Golden State and pull off an upset.
Three male white supremacists near Gainesville, Florida have been charged with the attempted murder of protesters who were there to object to the speech of notorious racist Richard Spencer at the University of Florida. Two of the perpetrators, William Fears, 30, and Colton Fears, 28, are brothers. Allegedly, the two Fears brothers strongly urged the third member of their party, Tyler Tenbrink, to "shoot and kill" the protesters. According to The Huffington Post on Friday, the Fears brothers yelled out to the protesters, Im going to f**** kill you." And then, according to reports, the Fears brothers then yelled out to Tenbrink, "Kill them" and then yelled, "Shoot them!"

Allegedly, Tenbrink then fired a single round, missing the protesters and instead hit the building behind them.

The three men were arrested by an off-duty Sheriffs' deputy about 20 miles north of Gainesville and charged with attempted murder. The arrest of the trio comes on the heels of the prosecution of a gang of white supremacists by a Texas court a couple of months ago.

Bond for the subjects

The Fears brothers are being held at the Alucha County Jail on $1 million bond. Tenbrik, who admitted to being the shooter, is being held on a $3 million bond. The subjects will have to come up with a minimum of 10 percent of their bond amounts to make bail and will have to provide proof of their ability to come up with the additional 90 percent through a combination of titles to property, stocks, bonds, and co-signers.

Needless to say, this is a tall order for anyone, especially for individuals under 35 or 40 years of age.

The Protection Squadron

Colton Fears was interviewed shortly before Spencer's speech. Fears was asked about the decal on his shirt. He described it as "an SS thing," meaning "Schutzstaffel," or the N*zi Protection Squadron.

White supremacist groups such as this one have been popping up like weeds in the age of Trump. President Trump did not condemn such groups until August of 2017, and most observers questioned the sincerity of his condemnation.

The outcome of the era of Trump

What the ultimate outcome of this scenario will be remains to be seen.

How, when and where Donald Trump will assume his role as the moral leader of the nation and provide genuine, insightful leadership against any and all forms of white supremacy, racism, fascism and N*zi Protection Squadrons, is anyone's guess. But until he does so, more attacks by white supremacist groups are likely and that is one very grim reality of the era of Trump.
'Game of Thrones' is in a straight line for its finish. The upcoming season has been confirmed as the final one for the HBO production, but we're not there yet. The pause in-between Season 7 and Season 8 is significant, but maybe it gives the opportunity to reflect on what has been brought up to the table. Among all the intrigues, plot twists and alliances-making, Season 7 finale unveiled the true identity of Jon Snow, perhaps the most complex character in 'Game of Thrones' and one who has been through a lot, to say the least. If his identity will emerge up tot he surface, the potential for high frictions within his alliance with Daenerys Targaryen is not to be ignored.

Bad timing for Jon Snow's secret to emerge

One thing is for sure, Westeros faces the genuine threat of total annihilation, and the current balance of power can hardly offer a decent prediction of how things will unfold. Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow may be working to strengthen their pact, but their efforts might be hampered once people will learn who Jon Snow truly is.

On the other side, Cersei Lannister is desperately trying to find a way that will ensure her survival. Her renewed partnership with the Iron Bank of Braavos will give her a good chance in acquiring a large army to use at defending the King's Landing and to subdue Winterfell and House Stark. Euron Greyjoy and the Iron Fleet controlling the Narrow Sea gives a new meaning to his alliance with Cersei Lannister.

Practically, they're holding the entire land of Westeros in a grip while the Army of the Dead is marching south to the Wall. It'll be interesting to see how Jaime Lannister will position himself after he has abandoned her twin sister.

In this uncertain political climate, Jon Snow's identity might be the drop filling up the cup.

Once people know that he is a Targaryen and the true heir of the Iron Throne, a flurry of changes can stream up.

Jon Snow and Daenerys might create a bicephalous regime

Let's assume that Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen partnership won't fall apart. Moreover, that they will succeed in defeating both House Lannister and the Night King's army.

Under these circumstances, as the saviors of Westeros, they might innovate the political climate of the Realm by putting the foundation of a bicephalous government, a well-balanced two-headed reign.

Knowing that Jon Snow is a Targaryen adds a new unique feature for the King of the North. His intriguing existence has got past the common limits especially after he was given a second life.
While the list of women Harvey Weinstein has sexually harassed continues to grow as more women come forward, Hollywood is desperately trying to change. The scandal began with the New York Times releasing the stories of eight women who kept quiet for decades. The number of women accusing Weinstein of Sexual Harassment has grown to over 40 in the past few weeks, including A-list actresses like Gwenyth Paltrow. Director and friend of Weinstein, Quentin Tarantino, talked to the Times on Thursday about his knowledge of the issue.

Not secondhand

While most people close to Weinstein have released statements sharing their condolences for the victims, Tarantino decided to share his shame.

According to his interview with the New York Times, the director knew about many incidents of Weinstein's harassment. The two have worked together on projects spanning over 20 years, meaning Tarantino was always close to him.

In the interview, he admitted that he ignored Weinstein's behavior. He said that the things he heard weren't rumors or secondhand accounts of incidents. He was completely aware of many things the producer did to women in Hollywood.

When he started dating actress Mira Sorvino years ago, she informed him of the unwanted advances Weinstein made on her. The director claims that he just thought Weinstein was very interested and hung up on her. He couldn't believe the stories she told but figured that since the two were then together, there would be no more harassment.

Failing to connect

Tarantino told the Times that he is most ashamed for "marginalizing" the incidents. He said that although he knew of a few stories, he did not even consider the fact that they could be apart of a bigger issue. The director even admitted that he knew about the settlement Weinstein reached with actress Rose McGowan, who recently claimed she was raped.

While Tarantino is ashamed of his failure to speak out about what he knew, he addressed the fact that most of Hollywood is failing more by not speaking out now. According to the director, anyone who knew Weinstein had heard of at least one incident of his sexual harassment.

"Im calling on the other guys who knew more to not be scared," he said.

Tarantino urged other men of Hollywood to share what they knew in order to create a safer space for the women in Hollywood and all other industries. The director also told the New York Times that he reached out to Weinstein after the allegations surfaced but never heard back from him.

Weinstein is currently undergoing treatment in Arizona following his expulsion from both his company and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
New Zealand has finally elected a Prime Minister following an announcement on Thursday by Winston Peters, the leader of the NZ First Party, that he would back Jacinda Ardern and the center-left Labour Party in a Coalition Government. This followed a month of uncertainty regarding who would lead the island nation following a hung Parliament.

What led to Ardern becoming Prime Minister?

At the start of the August Labour Party leader Andrew Little resigned due to the party's poor polling performance. This led to the party caucus unanimously electing Jacinda Ardern, who was deputy leader, to replace him.

With Ardern at the helm, Labour surged in the polls. New Zealand's press coined the term Jacindamania to describe how people, especially youth, suddenly flocked to the party.

Last month's September election in the country returned a hung parliament as Prime Minister Bill English's ruling center-right National Party led Ardern's Labour Party 46 percent to 35.8 percent. However, this was not enough for English's party to create a government by itself, so they need a form a coalition government with another party.

The top two options for English were the New Zealand First Party, which came in third with 7.5 percent and the Green Party, which came in fourth place with 5.9 percent. The Green Party supported a coalition with Labour, but this was still not enough to put either of the top parties in power.

Peters makes television announcement

This left Peters to choose which party he would form a coalition with, National or Labour, and he took about a month to make the decision. Peters made the announcement via a TV broadcast, without first informing English or Ardern of his choice, saying the public deserved to know first. He announced the NZ First Party would join the Greens in the coalition with Labour, giving the three-party coalition 61 of 120 seats in parliament.

Who is Jacinda Ardern?

Following the announcement by Peters, the 37-year-old Ardern said that it is an absolute privilege and honor....to form a government for all New Zealanders. She is now the world's youngest serving female leader and the third female Prime Minister of New Zealand, joining Jenny Shipley (1997-99) and Helen Clark (1999-2008).

Ardern is also the second youngest PM in the history of the country, being 45 days older than Edward Stafford was in 1856.

According to CNN, Ardern is a former DJ and lapsed Mormon who has been a member of the Labour Party since she was 17. In 2008 she was elected to Parliament, serving the Mt. Albert region, and was re-elected to a third term this February. At the time of her election in 2008, she was the country's youngest sitting MP at age 28.
On Thursday, Spain announced that it is going to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia and impose direct rule on the region. This decision came after Catalonian President Carles Puigdemont refused to abandon the threat of pushing for independence in the face of a deadline that was set for October 20th. Now, the Catalonian crisis will move into a different stage following the unprecedented step that has been taken by the Spanish government.

Deadline passes for Catalonia and Puigdemont

Spain's government had set Thursday, October 20th, as the deadline for Catalonia to abandon its plans to declare independence.

However, according to Reuters Carles Puigdemont sent a letter Thursday morning to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy making a different set of demands.

He argued that the only way to end the crisis was to hold talks on the issue and threatened to announce a unilateral declaration of independence if Spain's government did not agree to do so. Rajoy had already said in past weeks that he was unwilling to hold talks unless Catalonia, decided to return to the path of law.

Puigdemont also accused Spain of trying to repress the independence movement following the jailing of two secessionist leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, by Span's High Court on Monday. He also argued that the use of article 155 of the 1978 constitution to impose direct rule, which is exactly what Spain would do hours later, would force his hand.

Spain imposes direct rule

This letter and the passing of the deadline prompted the Spanish government to take the unprecedented step of enacting article 155, which has never been used before. This will suspend autonomy and impose direct rule on Catalonia in an attempt to end the country largest political crisis in four decades.

According to The Guardian. Spain's government said in a Thursday morning statement that Puigdemont had once again failed to confirm whether Catalonia had declared independence. Spain's government also issued a scathing rebuke in their statement saying that Catalonia leaders were, deliberately and systematically seeking institutional confrontation.

How article 155 will play out

The first step upon article 155 being enacted is that Spain's government will have to file a formal complaint with Puigdemont. They will then have to submit their proposals to the Senate for debate and approval. It will take a few days before all of this can be done before autonomy can be suspended and direct rule imposed.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe has arrived back home from Montevideo, Uruguay where he attended the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which ended yesterday.He was met at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province Mirriam Chikukwa; Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi; the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Jorum Gumbo; Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Happyton Bonyongwe, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda and service chiefs, among others.President Mugabe was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Walter Mzembi, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba, Ambassador Chipo Zindoga from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, stakeholders in the health sector and senior government officials.
Netherlands asked to assist in repatriation of missing relic

Wang Xiaojie (second from right), China Central Television's Beijing bureau chief and delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, answers questions from the media at a news conference on cultural development, Wang is flanked by officials and social organization leaders in culture, arts and media at the media center of the congress in Beijing on Friday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

A senior Chinese official has called on the Netherlands to offer "fair judicial support" in a case in which Chinese villagers are seeking the return from a Dutch collector of a stolen ancient Buddha statue with a mummified monk inside.

Liu Yuzhu, Party secretary and head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, told reporters on Friday that both China and the Netherlands are bound by international treaties banning theft, smuggling and illegal excavation of cultural relics.

Both governments have the responsibility and obligation to protect cultural relics from unlawful infringement, he said in response to a question raised by a Dutch reporter on Friday in Beijing.

The question about the statue came up at an interview organized by the media center of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The 1,000-year-old statue, with the remains of a monk inside, was in an exhibition last year in the Netherlands and Hungary before villagers in Yangchun, Fujian province, saw media reports about the exhibitions, Xinhua News Agency reported. They believe the statue was stolen from their village temple in 1995.

On Friday, Liu said the statue was examined and found to be identical to the stolen relic. After efforts to obtain its return failed, a lawsuit was filed, he said.

"We hope to get the fair judicial support of the Netherlands" on the relic's return, Liu said.

Liu said China has demonstrated its commitment to protect the world's cultural relics. He said China has conducted 15 joint archaeological projects with nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. China also offered assistance to cultural relic repair missions in five of those countries, he said.

Also Friday, Xiang Zhaolun, vice-minister of culture, said 100,000 people will receive training during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) on intangible cultural heritage. Xiang said the program is being undertaken by his ministry and the Ministry of Education.

It offers study opportunities, internships and other training, and 78 universities and colleges are participating, Xiang said.

Governmental efforts are being focused on rejuvenating traditional craftsmanship and spreading its use in modern life, Xiang said.
Southern Adventist Universitys automotive staff and students will be providing free vehicle inspections for the community on Sunday, in the Samaritan Center parking lot in Ooltewah.

They will check fluids, belts, hoses, and other maintenance items on the vehicles. While the team will not be doing any repairs on site, following each inspection they will explain to the owner anything that should be fixed.



Donations will be accepted on behalf of the Samaritan Center to go toward its programs and services.

For more information, contact Dale Walters at 423.236.2863 or email technology@southern.edu.